Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v2p1.djvu/130

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
118
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1798.

Her mizen-top mast had been shot away since the fall of her main-mast; her fore-mast and bowsprit had beeu shot through in several places; and her mizen-mast, from its wounds, was expected every instant to fall. Her rigging had been cut to pieces, and her sails all rendered useless.

“After about an hour’s exertions in repairing some of the principal damages, the Queen had got her head towards her own fleet, and was stemming along to leeward of it; when, at about half-past twelve, she discovered through the smoke, twelve sail of French ships standing towards her. The leading ship, the Montagne, passed without firing, and so did her second astern; but the third ship opened her fire, as did also every one of the remainder; the last of which was the Terrible, with only her foremast standing. The latter was towed into the line by three frigates; two of which cast off and hauled to windward, to engage the Queen. The latter, however, soon convinced them that her guns were not so disabled as her masts: and the two frigates put up their helms and ran to leeward, without returning a shot. The appearance of the Charlotte and the line a-stern of her, had caused the Montagne and her line to keep more away than was at first intended; and hence the Queen suffered but little from the distant cannonade she had been exposed to. The French line, on coming abreast of the Queen’s late antagonist, the Scipion, towed her off, as well as two other dismasted 2-deckers, lying close to her. The damages which the Queen had sustained have already appeared: her loss amounted this day, to 14 seamen and marines or soldiers, killed; her second, sixth, and an acting Lieutenant, one midshipman, and 36 seamen and marines or soldiers, wounded.” See id. p. 237, et seq.

The total number of killed and wounded on board the Queen, in the two actions, as stated in the London Gazette, agrees with the foregoing statements, but in the list of wounded presents us with the name of Captain Hutt, who lost a leg, and died a few days after his arrival at Portsmouth[1].

Among those who were seriously hurt in the conflict of June 1, but whose names were not reported as such, was Lieutenant Hollis, who received a severe contusion in the head by a splinter. The other officers of his rank wounded were Messrs. Dawes, Lawrie,and Crimes, the former mortally, On the 23d June in the ensuing year, the Queen formed part of Lord Bridport’s fleet in the affair off l’Orient, on which occasion three French ships of the line were captured, as already stated under the head of Sir William Domett, in our first volume.

Some time after this event Lieutenant Hollis accompanied