after us by one of the Russian ships; and thinking that their officers’ attention to us, had been to enable them the better to discover the time of our departure from Trieste. I must here remark, that I have been since frequently sorry I ever harboured so bad an opinion of them, they behaved so very kind. The boat ran alongside of us, and asked in English what we were. I sprang up at hearing the voice, and with inexpressible joy saw, that it was a ship of war’s yawl. I answered that we were three British subjects, who had escaped from a French prison. Having been informed it was the Amphion’s boat, I assured the officer we should be very happy to quit our present one, and take a passage with him to the frigate. He replied, ‘The ship is at present at a considerable distance off, I shall not return until 8 o’clock.’ I answered, that was of little consequence, two of us belonged to the navy, and we would willingly take a cruise along the coast with him, if he had no objection. He agreed; so we paid our people, dismissed them, and had the happiness of being once more under our proper colours, and on our own element.
“Upon turning round and looking at the officer who commanded the boat, I immediately recognized Lieutenant (George Matthew) Jones, who had belonged to the Amphion when I had the honor of serving as midshipman on board her. I made myself known to him, and he had the goodness to say, that he felt very happy, in being the fortunate person that had picked us up. I was astonished at finding the Amphion, instead of l’Unité, which we had been informed was the frigate lying at anchor during the gale off Trieste. But Lieutenant Jones cleared the point up, by informing us, that they only arrived that night. l’Unité had stood lower down the gulf.
“Nov. 8th, 1808. This day I shall never forget. We felt in perfect security, and were amusing ourselves relating some particulars respecting our escape, &c. until nearly 8 o’clock, when we discovered two sail under Capo d’Istria. We supposed them to be enemy’s merchant vessels stealing along shore. Lieutenant Jones made instantly towards them. We soon perceived one was full of men, pulling in shore from the other; it had the appearance of a row-boat, the other was larger and rigged like a trabacolo, under Venetian colours. We imagined that the major part of the crew had abandoned the latter, and were endeavouring to get on shore. Fired several muskets to bring them to, which the trabacolo returned with a four or six-pounder at intervals. Our gallant officer did not hesitate a moment, but rowed directly towards her. We could not discover many men upon her decks; but those that were there, kept up a smart fire, until we got close alongside, when upwards of twenty shewed themselves, and fired a volley of muskets and musketoons, which killed our bowman and another, and wounded three, one of whom died the next day. Lieutenant Jones and myself were also wounded. The conflict was severe. The other vessel seeing how much we were inferior in strength, and observing the loss we had sustained, made towards the trabacolo, with
