The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-12-22
BoULOCNE, llth vendsrnaire.

BRuII, Corgt,Lor Of State Lgip.7o, General ef II,
COafs eftbe OCEAN Cbi.f er.5e 1876 Co6ort of tie
Ltgion Of Honor and AanniraI Of tie Zupeial fee.
70 biz Agferi@ Mej9qy.
Sire,
have the honor to infcrrn your Maieity tha. III.
enemy, this night made an attempt, with number Of
hre hips TO defroy the veies that compofe our line
OF defence, but failed in their endeavor.
FOR two or three days paf they were confiderably
lnereaLng their force this fa,ion Yehcrday i, con-
lifted OF 52ia, 25 Of which eheT brig. of inaN
appearance or cutters, which led ie 10 faipei tiley
might be hire hips and that fhould fhory be at
tackled by them. was confirmed in this opinion when
in the courls of the day iaw one fip of the line
three frgaie two brigs and fevera cutters rake pol
IN the D. K league and half windward of the ait
feiiel OF our line on the left. Circumstances were
extremely favorable for an enterprife of this kind
itrong breeze at E. s. E. combined with the rapidity
o. our tide at full moon facilitated the direction of
the nre ihiP' IN driving them among Imads &C.
cordingly the neceiary dhpoitions-I ordered boats
TO be advanced on the right and left of our line
and lent orders to Vice Admiral Lacrohe to have
number OF barges well armed, to aa i'll concert in
towing the fire fhp: away.
The attack began 1T half paG ten--l was made fen
oe OF the approach Of the enemy by bri(k fire of
nut9uetr between our guard boats and their p;r,se
lie enemy detached their fire hips along the whole
front OF Our Line, which towed by the boats to
certain difance, and when the boats quilted them,
the wind and tide drove them full on us as thew ap
preached, our veiels opened pafage for them, and
they alnoh all exploded far within the line near the
ihore Eleven blew up from 10 10 o'clock in the
iPace conPrifed between the forts Heurt and Wine
reu1; two Others whole matches were extingniihed
Were taken near the laf. The cannonade was very
brk and many Of the enenys crews were zen, to the
bottom. We have LOFT but one gun boat, No. POI,
ZIG o which ieeing fire ihip with iaii boat
head in!tantly ordered his men to board--they did
10, but found no in the bout and as foon as they
touched the fire fhiP blew up; and the vsiel was
deitroyed by the efe& ofhe explofon--only 81 were
aved IN the Englilh fail boat-we Ion one officer 10
oiuiers and iaiors, and ,her were only or more
wounded along the whole of the ref of the line
nave no certain idea Of what the enemy iuIered but
executive OF the ieverai boats that funk the diff
oraer obierved BY our guard boats among the boats
that towed the fire hps leads me to uppofe their lois
IN men mutt have been very coniderable-or the cam
nonade and muiketry continued the whole night; we
Were engaged without ceaGng along the different
points OF the line, and the fire 70 well directed
that the boats ordered to conduit the ips were OBJ
iiged to abandon them in diforder
owe much praife to the conduct Of General La
crohe and the commanders of the different veeis diG-
played generally much coolnefs and condue-I cam
not iuteiently cxto the pir and courage of the fol-
ders and ailors-hey fought only with eagernef,
but J"y--it was kind Of play TO them and every
time ire-ihp explodedl the aore rang with long
live the Emperor "A: day-break our line was form,
ed with the u,mof rcguiarity--The enemy employ
ed hree different kinds of ire-hips--the frR were
Hoops or cutters the econd was kind of chef two
ieet long and three WIDE without mats and Of 70 fna
an elevation above water that it very dfica to
deoyer it in the night the third was kind of bar
rel hlied with combuitibles, carried vertically bvs
machine, and which caught fire and blew up the mo-
Inent 1t encountered reGaing body-they were all
hed with various forts Of fireworks and threw var
Quantities ofholow wooden balls filled with an in
hanmable competition, which took fire by means of
luie ike that OF bomb. But it appears their effea
was not well calculated as they did no. do the lean
injury. This morning the enemy readenbed in force
IN the s. r. at ten o'clock the wind blew trong with
pa weather at E. s. +. AZ two o'clock they all made
iAil, aud appeared to fteer back for England.
DeIgn, Sire, to accept the homage Of my profound
relpeet, and the inyiOlabe attachment with which 1
have the honour to I've
Your Maje1y's
Faithful feIvant,
pp rrTx