tion that the Veteran had been seen off the north end of that island. On the 15th, at 3 A.M., the Northumberland, in a heavy squall, carried away her fore-yard and top-mast, and was obliged to bear up for St. Lucia, in order to replace them. On the afternoon of the same day, the Eole and Impétueux arrived at Port Royal; on the 20th, the Foudroyant and Valeureuse succeeded in reaching the same anchorage, although chased by Sir Alexander Cochrane’s squadron; and on the 24th, the like good fortune attended the Cassard and Patriote. During the pursuit of the two latter ships, the Northumberland, a second time, carried away her foreyard. The enemy’s subsequent proceedings have been described at p. 69 et seq. of this volume, and it therefore only remains for us to state, that they abandoned their intention of attacking the 280 valuable British merchantmen then collected at Tortola, rather than run the risk of engaging the very inferior force under Sir Alexander Cochrane, consisting of only three 74’s, and the Agamemnon 64, to which ship Captain Spear had been appointed, pro tempore, on the 28th June, eight days previous to the meeting off Tortola.
After having contributed to the preservation of so much valuable property, Captain Spear returned to the Dart, in which sloop he captured la Jeune Gabriella, a three-masted schooner privateer, of 8 guns and 75 men, Nov. 9, 1806; and recaptured a brig from Halifax bound to Trinidad, laden with fish, &c.[1]
Captain Spear’s next appointment was to the Nimrod sloop, and in her we find him capturing la Firmeza, a Spanish packet, from Cadiz to Carthagena; also la Nouvelle Enterprise, French privateer, of 5 guns and 55 men: the latter vessel fell into his hands Dec. 26, 1807.
From the Nimrod, Captain Spear removed to the Goree, mounting 16 twenty-four-pounder carronades, 6 twelves, and 2 long sixes, with a complement of 120 officers, men, and boys[2].
