having undergone a complete repair, Captain Mundy was ordered to convoy the outward bound trade to the Mediterranean; and soon after his arrival there we find him employed on the coast of Catalonia with the Leonidas frigate and some smaller vessels under his orders, for the purpose of assisting the Spaniards, who had already manifested much courage in resisting the aggressions of the French forces in that province. Captain Mundy commenced his operations by attacking the enemy’s detachments passing from the eastward to Barcelona. The following is a copy of his first report to Lord Collingwood, dated Feb. 1, 1809:–
“My Lord. According to the orders of Vice-Admiral Thornbrough, I have sent the Cyane to Minorca, to receive any instructions or orders that may be there for me; and I take the occasion to represent to your Lordship, that on receiving information on the 30th inst. that the French troops under the Governor of Barcelona, General Lecchi, had taken possession of Mataro but two days before, I immediately shaped a course for that place; but observing a party of French erecting a battery on Mongat, I anchored the ships, and drove them from their work; and finding that the station was extremely eligible in point of preventing the plunder and ammunition of the army from getting to Barcelona, as we completely commanded the beach over which all carriages must pass, as well as the bridge of Mongat, I determined to retain the anchorage, more especially as it appeared to give spirit and encouragement to the Simotines, an armed peasantry, who are in considerable numbers on the hills, and have already begun to harrass the enemy, who were by us forced to take a route more inland.
“On the first of the month General Lecchi, with several hundred infantry and cavalry, made an attempt to get along the beach; but our fire turned him up the country, where he met with so warm a reception that he got with great difficulty to Barcelona. The same evening I received in ion 11 at ion that forty waggons, laden with the plunder of the King’s store at Mataro, containing flour, corn, &e. &c. were to pass during the night along the beach, under a strong escort. I therefore sent the boats of the Hydra, under the first Lieutenant, Mr. Hawkins, to lay on the beach between the villages of Masnan and Prenria, to look out for them, those of the Leonidas being to the westward of Mongat, to prevent artillery or cavalry from passing from Barcelona. At about 9 P.M. the cavalry and waggons were heard, and the boats had the good fortune to get within twenty yards of them before they were discovered; and having given them several rounds of carronades, the people landed, drove away the escort, consisting of near two hundred men, and seized some waggons laden with flour, killed two cuirassiers and their horses, and wounded forty men and all the draught horses, I am happy to state, without loss or hurt on our side. The rest of the waggons returned to Mataro.