The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-07-28 00:00:00

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TRUItIOKY, •
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Lord COCH RA N i Itilloitinlion.
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Q. Did it appear t.o.;toigr ildshlp
_Alai any
onisecessary delay occtiedd *frisio:daaligiit -uf the
1 li . ~,,,
morning of the 12th id Aipr4,l iiiiiben..),Aou made
signalk to the Commander in chic( that half the
fleet Would destroy the enemy's ;tips, and that
seven were aground, fee: F.-4: des: .W
capriosed my signal to thitilionalider .110.,
at daylight in the niorninA' ttlia4 post.of, OM?
fish licet was tosoiorn - tI 44 Am aketitroctim
ft
the snietay,. there being 9 only two sail A
enemy' ships caoable in'any degree to .ceSiati
. attack,. 1 did sitpeet that' all endeavour et 1
base been in.a.ediatety made to dislodge -these two'
skips um the i u shi fr
bs an attack by two or three sail of the hue,
which were quite sufficient fur that purpose. The
tide and wind were, from daylight in the morning
until twelve o'clock, to the best of my recullee.
Con, bath going the same way ; and ships of the
line poising near the Buoyart, and putting
their helm a-lee, would then fire ; and
main-top sail being to the mast, would
have have brought their heads towards the
N. E. which would have enabled them at a dis.
sauce, at which the shot of the enemy would have
been of nu effect, tcget all their gaol to bear upon
those two ships, which still remained at anchor,
until they approached them, ran till so far down
to leeward that they would have been enabled by
pitting their helms up to run under their sterns,
b.aweeis the enemy's ships on shore, and thereby
forced there to cut and run aground likewise, and
then effect both their distraction and the destruc.
lion of the other vessels which were on shore, mid
which I have already stilted might have been de-
strnyed by the endeavours, in my opinion, of too
ships of the line, aided by the frigates, at any
period previous to half past eleven 4)'clock in:lhe
forenoon of the 12th of April ; and by the fri-
gates alone before one o'clock, when the French
three-decker swung to .14r hawsers, and wheel
the last of their ships began to Gat ' • I speak of
the line of battle ships ; some of the frigates did
Dot float, for.the two ships which had remained at
anchor, and Cut on the approach of the British
fleet, had also grounded, there nut being even at
bolt tide, E. e. II o'clock. water enaegh for them
to effect their escape up the middle of the chanud
leading to the river Charente.
.
' Examined by Sir Recta Crarit4
Q. What were the circumstances that induced
lour Lordship to believe, that (ruin eleven-o'clock
to one, the frigates alone were capable of destroy.
Ing the enemy's ships ? A. The helolesi situation
of the enemy, they being aground, and the same
conviction that led me afterwards to consider the
risque in attempting at etteeedingly small.
Q. If in your LonliMp's judgment the frigates
alone were sufficient to effect the destruction of the
enemy's ships between half past 11 and 1, why
might they not as well have performed that service
between any period of the morning and half put 11
o'cloCk ? A. At II o'clock the Briiit.h fleet
weighed and stood towards the enemy, where upon
the two ships which continued still at anchor, cut
and run aground. The British fleet brought up
about half past eleven o'clock ; I was ignorant
what my Lord Gambier's plan might be, and
though I perceived that the fire from him had
long previously ceased, yet I imagined that this
might possibly have beet to give the seamen
something to cat and drink previous to going into
-scowl; and though. I regretted the time that ap-
peared iii my mind to have been already lost, as
well as 'that we wete then losing, by even half
an hour's delay, in marking shin land of an at-
tack by a couple of saillif 'BO line, or by the
frigates only, yet I consoled mysgf in the supposi-
Con that his Lordship intended a grand blew on
the island and ou the ships at once, although I
thought this highly uuneeessary in order to effiet
their destruction, or to destroy the whole fleet.
I could not in any other way account for a pro.
eceding that (bus enabled the helpless French ships
to endeavour to escape, undisturbed, into the
Over Charante. Twelve o'clock arrived, no sig.',
nal made to weigh. Half past twelve, still nu
signal.
Here Admiral Yuo•to interrupted the Noble
lord in ',it testimony. lie suggested to the
Court the impoliey of allowing the Noble Lord
to proceed in a line of evidence which was wholly
irrelevant to the question silted, and only eaten.
hated to make an Impression unfavourable to the
Prisoner, without being at all in conformity with
the desire of the Court.

Lord CoCHRA as said he held it was his duty to
tell the whole truth, which he was proceeding to
do with ai much celerity as possible. He con.
eeivcd the Genllennan who put the question was
ignorant of the nature of the answer it was his io-
teutitin to make; or, of the observations it might
be requisite for him to submit) in order clearly to
elucidate the answer to the question. If the
Court would allow him to proceed, they might
judge of the relevancy of the question, and if
proper 4 'id nut correct, the Court iu their judg-
Anent could afterwards expunge it.
Admiral Youso replied, that he thotight Lord
Cochrane wis bound to give a direct answer to
the question put, and nut to occupy the timid'
the Court by unnecossary comment. ,
The PREJIDENT) who,-hid before hi ter r u pted
Lord Cochrane in the lire of his eildenee, said,
he thought his Lordship might now be ',emitted
to proceed until he arrived at t4etipprt of his nar-
rative which was the direct answee to the question
put. It would afterwards lidlti'the'diseretion of
the Court to expunge snob part bf tbb inswer as
they might deem irrelevent. -• ' •
• }Liu the Court was clearedt*: dieditensaion
of the objection ; and on ovettro-nthe•stiocks, in
about half 4n hour, the VitiAttisny said3.tfsati the
Court had deliberated on fhm very 2fg'reipive
ner Lord Cochreue Itatl pronieedest in'fitt:inswer
to the last question. Tie Court hods -however,

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