our force, I have, in some particular instances, had occasion to report to you; in every instance I have known, his conduct has been good alike.”
Captain Carteret was appointed to the Naiad of 46 guns, about July 1811. On the 20th Sept. following, while lying at anchor off Boulogne, he observed much bustle among the enemy’s flotilla, then moored along shore, under the protection of their powerful land batteries. At about noon, Napoleon Buonaparte, who had recently left Paris on a tour of inspection, was distinctly seen to proceed along the line to the centre praam, which immediately hoisted the imperial standard at the main, and lowered it at his departure, substituting for it the flag of Rear-Admiral Baste; he afterwards visited others, and then went by sea to inspect the harbours of Vimereux and Ambleteuse, the Prince of Neufchatel, and the Minister of Marine, accompanying him in his barge.
It being the well-known custom of that personage to adopt measures likely to confer eclat on his presence, Captain Carteret concluded that something of that kind was about to take place; and at 1 P.M. he saw the centre praam and six others weigh and stand towards the Naiad. As the wind was S.W. with a very strong flood-tide setting to the N.E. while the enemy bore nearly south from the British frigate, it was clear that by weighing she would only increase her distance from them; so that the only chance of closing with them at all was by remaining at an anchor. The Naiad, therefore, quietly awaited Mons. Baste’s attack in that position, with springs on her cable.
The leading praam soon arrived within gun-shot, “successively discharged her broadsides,” and then stood away; her followers did the same, and in this manner they manoeuvred until joined by ten brigs and a sloop (each of the former mounting 4 long 24-pounders); from which period the Naiad was occasionally cannonaded by the enemy’s whole detachment for upwards of two hours.
At slack water. Captain Carteret weighed and stood off, partly to repair some trivial damages, but chiefly, by getting to windward, to be better able to close with the French Rear-Admiral, and get between some of his vessels and the land.
