838
REAR-ADMIRALS OF THE BLUE.
arsenal to refit; Captain Gage, to his great mortification, was prevented from re-joining the Rear-Admiral until some time after the battle in Aboukir Bay, although he had, in company with Captain Foote, discovered and closely reconnoitred the French fleet eleven days prior to that glorious event. Had the Seahorse and Terpsichore been able to form a junction with Nelson, it is more than probable that the Culloden would have avoided the accident which befel her[1], and every ship of the enemy been captured.
Captain Gage was subsequently employed in the blockade of Malta[2], and on various other services, till Feb. 1799, in
- ↑ See p. 183.
- ↑ The blockade of the island of Malta, which had been seized and garrisoned by Buonaparte when on his way to Egypt, was entrusted to the vigilance of Captain A. J. Ball, of the Alexander, 74; and is dated by Lord Nelson, in his memoir, as taking place from the 12th Oct. 1798. The state of the islands of Malta and Gozo on that day, with an account of the revolution that had taken place, is given in an interesting report which was sent to his Lordship. The French force in Malta then consisted of about 3000 soldiers and sailors, and of 100 Maltese; the only part of the inhabitants who would take up arms for the republicans. About 10,000 of the Maltese were armed; they had 23 guns on the island, of which 12 were mounted; they had also two gallies and four gun-boats. The French, in addition to their usual professions in the Gazette, had issued a manifesto declaring that they should consider the plate and riches of the church as sacred, promising neither to take nor request any thing: the very next morning, however, when the churches were opened for public worship, they began their plunder. The Maltese, injured and irritated beyond bearing, immediately flew to revenge themselves. Amongst the French whom they put to death, was a General-Officer who had been very active; with his wife they found a plan for entering all the towns in the island, murdering the strongest and richest of the inhabitants, and taking possession of the best houses. They also found a paper in which the various classes of the people were assigned different employments; 60 Maltese had been destined to bury the dead. About eight days previous to this event there had been an action between the French and Maltese, in which the former had lost 800 men, the latter had only 10 killed and wounded it lasted between three and four hours. Above 50 of the enemy threw down their arms, and begged to join the islanders; but they were fired on indiscriminately with the others. The Maltese decapitated their victims on the spot, and carried their heads about the island with parsnips in their teeth, as the French had given out that they had no provisions at Malta but parsnips.
The island of Gozo contained 16,000 inhabitants; it surrendered by ca-
