Lloyd, Master’s-Mate, is the only person hurt, and he but slightly. I have further to inform you of the recapture of the Reliance, of London, taken by the above frigate.
Mr. James, in the second edition of his “Naval History,” states, that the complement of the Hippomenes had been made up, “partly of draughts from other ships of war; that is, by freeing each of them of a certain number of skulkers, raw hands, and incorrigible rogues, and partly of foreign rencgadoes.” We have already shewn that Captain Shipley had not commanded this motley crew a sufficient length of time for him to become acquainted with their real character; and the example set him by other gallant commanders, on similar occasions, must serve as his apology, if one should be required, for anticipating “the prowess that would have been displayed by his men, had the enemy possessed courage enough to put it to the test;” their subsequent dastardly conduct, as already described in our memoir of Captain Kenneth Mackenzie, is a sufficient corroboration of Mr. James’s statement respecting them[1].
The Hippomenes formed part of Commodore Hood’s squadron at the capture of Surinam, in May 1804; and the landing of Brigadier-General Maitland’s division of troops, at Warappa creek, appears to have been effected “under the able superintendence of Captain Shipley”[2]; who was shortly afterwards made post into the Centaur 74, her former captain having been selected to carry home the despatches announcing the conquest of that colony. It will be seen by reference to our memoir of Sir Murray Maxwell, that the fortress of New Amsterdam was surrendered to the British on the 5th May, 1804; and it is worthy of remark, that a commission advancing Captain Shipley to the command of la Sagesse, a French frigate taken at St. Domingo, was signed by the Admiralty on the 4th of the same month, one day previous to his promotion by Sir Samuel Hood. The former was an act of private friendship on the part df Earl St. Vincent, when about to re-
- ↑ See James, Vol. III, p. 390 et seq.
- ↑ See Vol. II. Part II, p. 900.
