late Sir John Colpoys, G.C.B. then a Lord of the Admiralty, and a Vice-President of the Marine Society.
On the 21st August, 1806, the French fleet at Brest, consisting of twenty-one sail of the line, stood out of the Goulet, and anchored between Camaret and Bertheaume. The Namur was then off Ushant, in company with sixteen other line-of-battle ships, under the command of Admiral Cornwallis, who immediately proceeded to reconnoitre the enemy, and, having ascertained their exact force and position, issued the following laconic and pithy general order:
“The admiral intends to attack the enemy’s fleet at their anchorage to-morrow morning. Each ship will do her utmost to sink, take, or destroy the enemy’s ship opposed to her, by every means in her power.
(Signed)“Wm. Cornwallis.”
Knowing the strength of the enemy’s land batteries, the officers of the Namur all made their wills. The brush that took place between the hostile fleets, on the morning of the 22nd August, is thus described by Mr. James:–
“Admiral Cornwallis anchored for the night, a short distance to the southward of the outer Black Rock. On the 22nd, at 4-30 a.m., the British fleet weighed, and, with the weather hazy, and the wind at N. by E., stood in on the larboard tack, for Camaret bay, in close order of battle; the Ville de Paris leading, and next to her the 80-gun ship Caesar, Captain Sir Richard John Strachan, and 74-gun ship Montagu, Captain Robert Waller Otway. At 6-30 a.m., the Porquelle rock being close a-head, the ships of the fleet tacked in succession. On the haze clearing away a little, the French fleet was seen at anchor; but at 8 a.m. the ships of the latter began getting under weigh. In 20 minutes afterwards the British tacked in succession, and again stood in under easy sail. At 9 a.m., the Indefatigable (frigate) being a-head, stood towards the French 80-gun ship Alexandre, Rear-Admiral Willaumez, who was leading the French fleet, then standing out in line of battle. At 9-30, the Alexandre fired a broadside at ihe Indefatigable, but without effect, and was answered by the latter’s main-deck guns, the distance l)eing too great for the carronades. On this the Indefatigable tacked, and the Ville de Paris and ships in her train[1] made sail towards the French fleet; but the latter presently tacked for the harbour’s mouth, as if to avoid an engagement. At 10-45 a.m., the
↑The Caesar, Montagu, Namur, and three other 2-deckers; the remainder of the British ships were then several miles astern.
