posed to the fire of a battery on one of the Seven Islands, was 10 slain and 36 wounded.
Captain Newman, in his official letter to the Admiralty respecting this capture, acknowledged himself indebted to Captains Horton and Bazely, for the exertions they used to come up with la Pallas, but took no notice of their having shared in the night action; and since his unfortunate death[1], an officer of the Loire has even gone so far as to deny their having done so; although it is a notorious fact, that the Harpy in particular, was of great assistance in subduing the enemy’s ship, by laying on her quarter, and during the last fifteen minutes of the combat, pouring in a most destructive fire from her heavy carronades. The Fairy, we believe, owing to her dull sailing, was not able to do more than exchange a few broadsides with la Pallas, when passing on opposite tacks[2]. Captain Horton’s spirited conduct, however, first, in volunteering to seek an encounter with a ship of such superior force to the small vessels under his command; secondly, in attacking la Pallas, and lastly, in renewing the chase for the purpose of bringing her again to action, added to the skill with which he directed the manoeuvres of the Fairy and Harpy, in order to cut the enemy off from the land, sufficiently established his character as a zealous, brave, and skilful officer, and fully entitled him to the promotion which he soon after obtained. His post commission bears date Feb. 18, 1800[3].
- ↑ Captain Newman perished in the Hero 74, with all his crew, during the disastrous winter of 1811.
- ↑ The Fairy was a ship-sloop, and mounted sixteen long 6’s on her main-deck, and two carronades, 24-pounders, on the quarter-deck.
- ↑ Captain Newman’s silence is thus accounted for by a gentleman who enjoyed his friendship (in a note to the author): “With regard to the little controversy carried o respecting the share of the Fairy and Harpy in action with the Pallas, and the complaint, that Captain Newman of the Loire, did not mention it in his despatches, I can state most clearly and positively, from Captain Newman’s own relation to me, that his only reason for not speaking of that event was, that he saw nothing of it, and could know nothing of it, but from Captains Horton and Bazely: the former of whom, on coming on board of the Loire after the action, instead of requesting Captain Newman to detail the occurrence for him, expressly said that he should forward his own statement: in consequence of which,
