Round Island, hearing S.W. by W., six or seven leagues. I lay-to till the strangers ran down so near to us that we could lay up for them, and then made the signal to chase. At 11-45, I got near enough to fire a shot at the ship; at 11-55, I brought her to action; and by a little after 12, I got close upon her starboard quarter, where we kept till 1-5 P.M., so very close, that at times I expected to be on board. The enemy then struck, at which time the Centurion and Resistance were about three miles astern, coming up under a great press of sail. She proves to be a French frigate, le Duguay-Trouin, formerly the Princess Royal, East Indiaman, fitted out at the Isle of France; mounting 26 eighteen-pounders, 2 nines, and 6 fours, and having on board 403 men. I cannot say too much in praise of the steady, cool, and brave conduct of the officers, seamen, and marines of H.M.S. Orpheus. Our loss is very inconsiderable, considering the superior force of the enemy: Mr. Singleton, midshipman, killed; Mr. Staine’s master’s-mate, badly wounded in the left hand; and 8 seamen slightly. The enemy had 21 killed and 60 wounded.
“I must beg leave to recommend to their lordships’ notice Lieutenants Broughton and Goate; also Mr. Staines, who commanded a division of guns in the absence of Lieutenant Hodgskin, who was unfortunately on board a Danish ship, with one mate, one midshipman, and 20 seamen. At the time le Duguay-Trouin struck, we were about two leagues from the passage between Flat-island and Coin-au-Mire, and one league from the shore. The other sail, a small brig, made her escape through the channel, and got safe into Port Louis.”
The Orpheus, a 12-pounder frigate, went into action with only 194 officers, men and boys; but, on the other hand, le Duguay-Trouin’s crew and passengers were so sickly that Captain Newcome was obliged to seek the first port where refreshments were likely to he procured, and the damages of his own ship repaired. He accordingly anchored at Mahe, one of the Seychelle islands, and, finding that the French had formed a settlement there, summoned it to surrender. This being agreed to, a party under Lieutenant Goate took possession of the place. May 17th, captured a merchant brig, and hrought off a quantity of naval and military stores.
In 1795, and the following year Lieutenant Goate assisted at the capture of Malacca, Amboyna, and Banda, with their several dependencies[1]. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place Septemher 16, 1799; and he was afterwards successively appointed to the Sylph, Derwent, and
- ↑ See Bulletins of 1796, pp. 50–55, and 314–318.
