cliff, from whence the militia of the country kept up a constant though ill-directed fire on the British boats, commanded by Lieutenant Stupart of la Constance, who gallantly pushed in and hove her off without loss. She proved to be El Cantara, Spanish privateer of 22 guns and 110 men: her consort, mounting 10 guns, was also taken, as were two French brigs laden with brandy, soon after.
Towards the latter end of the same year, Captain Mudge conveyed General Count Viomenil and his suite from Portsmouth to Lisbon. On the 27th March, 1802, the Active frigate arrived in the Tagus from Gibraltar, and passing Belem castle, took up an anchorage which appeared to her commander the best and safest in the river. This appears to have offended the Portuguese, who, the same evening, seized the bargemen of the British ships, whilst they were waiting for their respective Captains at the usual landing place, and without assigning any cause, lodged them in a subterraneous cell belonging to the police guard. Upon Captain Mudge and his brother officer demanding the liberation of their boats’ crews, they were themselves conducted to the main guard, and shut up in one of the commanding officer’s apartments, exposed to the insults of the soldiers. As soon as H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex, who happened to be at Lisbon, was informed of this transaction, he went in company with General Fraser and Mr. Frere, to the proper authority, and demanded their release; but, notwithstanding all the zeal and diligence of the Prince and his attendants, the two Captains were kept in custody more than thirteen hours!
After Captain Mudge’s return to England, we find him employed conveying a number of disbanded foreign soldiers from Lymington to the Elbe. He was appointed to the Blanche frigate.about Oct. 1802.
At the close of 1803, the Blanche was attached to a squadron under Captain Loring of the Bellerophon, employed in the blockade of St. Domingo; on which station she captured and destroyed twenty-four of the enemy’s vessels in less than a month, thereby completely checking the intercourse between the different ports of the island[1]. During the ensuing
- ↑ We shall have occasion hereafter to enter into the particulars of more than one gallant exploit performed by the Blanche’s boats at this period.
