The Portland daily press., 1896-12-19

cut the star board shrouds and succeeded
rather slowly in getting rid Of 1T. Our
fire was still well sustained, but the SUI
psriority In the number of guns and the
advantageous position of the English
vessels enabled them to decimate US in
fearful manner. More than half of the
Grew were either killed or wounded.
Finally our last mast came down. Our
flag alone remained, and our brave cap
tain and crew were in nowiss disposed
to strike it. Then another vessel, the
Temeraire of ITO guns, also came to at.
tack us. Favored by the current, she
came alongside. A discharge from her
artillery and plunging fire finished the
sweeping of our decks. At the order to
board, repeated in the batteries, from 60
to 80 men appeared upon the deck arm ed
with sabres and battle-axes. From the
three decks of the English man the enemy
was able to fire at us with case, while
from the third battery andsthe main port
Hhrouds 200 or 800 men came on board
our vessel. Our commander fell, shot
through the heart. The few men who
remained, no longer able to resist such
fearful odds and such murderous fire,
were obliged to surrender, alter having
defended every inch of the deck, and the
Fougueux fell into tLe hands of tn Q
English, but with the glory of not hav-
ing struck her colors, which the Eng
ish took down after the capture.
"Bor more than four hours we had
not ceased firing, and we had to fight
against four vessels, each one very much
superior In armament ami men to our
own. We lost in the fight our command
or, more than half our men, two lieu
tenants, three ensigns, two midshipmen
in the evening the English transported
the remnant of our officers ON s.board one
Of their ships. I remained with the ex-
ecutive officer, who was wounded, whom
went to see just as the officers were
leaving. If 1t had not been for that it
Is very probable that would have gone
with the rest of them, but fate had
fixed it differently for me. Afer having
escaped the carnage Of shat fearful light
was doomed TO run the risk of ship
wreck and drowning. The vessel was
in a deplorable state, cut down like
pontoon. without sails or rigging.
There was no boat on board that was fit
to be launched. The ship had heen
pierced like sieve by bullets, and there
were two big holes in the starboard but
+np laL L.. A,,r 80
flowed in barrelfuls. The exhaustion of
the remnant of the crew, the insubordi-
nation resulting from defeat, the cries
of the wounded and dying, the rise of
the water, that reached the spar deck,
from which We were obliged to take the
unfortunate wounded: the refusal of
the sailors to work the pumps, the desire
of each one to find some way of saving
his own life, SO cruelty threatened-all
these scenes of horror made that night
the most friahtful that it is possible to
picture.
when morning came our position was
still more desperate. The water was
gaining. 1t was on level with the
lower battery. 1t was now probably s
O'Clock. Seeing that there was no help,
and that the vessel could not much long
or remain afioat / looked around and
noticed boat with a crew of English
men rowing. decided Immediately to
try to reach the boat. AS dssnot want
the men on board to see me jump into
the water, and it is we'll for me that
a.
zine, took off my clothes, and, passing
through one OF the stern portfolios, /
dropped into the water. With difficulty
l managed to reach the boat; but what
was my surprise when, just as l was
about to put my hand on the gunwale, l
was pushed and struck with the oars,
when the midshipman threatened me
with his poniard or sword. In spite OF
all that managed once more to put my
hand on the egunwale, and despite the
blows that / received and the other
eGsrts that they employed to get rid OF
me, managed to hang on, and soon I
noticed by their anxious looks that they
could not discontinue rowing. The mid
shipman seemed to encourage them to
pull hard. Taking advantage of this
moment Of anxiety i dragged myself in
to the boat. Then found out the reason
for the anxiety of the English sailors.
About 40 men Of the crew, having seen
me 40 overheard, were also endeavoring
to reach the boat. Happily for my safe
ty, had great lead on them, and the
Frenchmen, witnessing the
departure of their last hope, endeavoren
to regain the sinking vessel, but the
greater number of them became exhaust
ed and perished in the waves.
"We were now about six miles from
the English vessel and the sea WAS get
tin. very rough. We would have been
in an unfortunate situation if the Eng
lish ship had not Unanswered in u way
to approach the boat. At last we suc-
cesded in getting on board. She was the
Orion, of "a guns, commanded by Com
modore Medson, as we'll as I recollect his
name. My first care WAS to present my