plement, on leaving port, of 380 men, commanded by Commodore Hamelin, senior officer of the French squadron in India, victualled and stored for six months.
She had, in the early part of the morning, in company with the Victor corvette, captured, after a most gallant defence, his Majesty’s ship Ceylon, commanded by Captain Gordon, having on board Major-General Abercromby and his staff, bound for the island of Bourbon.
Captain Rowley made the signal for the Otter to take possession of the Ceylon, while the Boadicea took her prize in tow; and on the 21st they were anchored in safety at St. Paul’s, where in a few days both they and the Africaine were put in a state for service[1].
The grand obstacle to an attack on the Isle of France was the difficulty of finding a proper place for the debarkation of a considerable number of troops, the whole coast being surrounded with breakers; to which must be added, the supposed impossibility of finding anchorage for a fleet of transports; but these difficulties were surmounted by the indefatigable labours of Captain Rowley, seconded by the other naval officers, engineers, and pilots, in an attempt upon the island towards the close of the year.
On the 21st Nov., a large fleet of men of war and transports, under the orders of Vice-Admiral Bertie, having on board a body of troops about 8 or 10,000 strong, commanded by the Hon. John Abercromby, arrived at the place of rendezvous; and on the 29th, a landing was effected without opposition in Grande Bay[2], about 12 miles to windward of Port Louis. Some skirmishing occurred till the 2d Dec, while the utmost exertions were making for attacking the forts; but on that day the Governor-General, De Caen, proposed terms of capitulation, which were settled and agreed upon by Major-Gene-
- ↑ The lower masts of the Wyndham, a recaptured Indiaman, were applied to the Africaine, whose masts had all fallen subsequent to her surrender to the French frigates. By the capture of the Venus, the ships of the squadron obtained a supply of stores of which they were almost destitute, and were enabled to complete their victualling to four months.
- ↑ A channel hitherto but little known, and which the enemy are supposed to have considered much too dangerous for a hostile fleet to attempt, was sounded by moonlight; and the Admiral’s ship, piloted by the Master of the Boadicea, led the whole through in safety.
