Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p2.djvu/449

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424
addenda to flag-officers.

where thirteen vessels were scuttled; one of them only could be recovered. The guns at this place, ten in number, were rendered useless, the carriages burnt, and the works blown up. At Porto Ré, the enemy had spiked the guns, and thrown their ammunition into the sea. Two days afterwards, the fortress of Farasina, mounting five 18-pounders, was attacked by the Eagle, and after some resistance, stormed and destroyed, under cover of her fire, by a party of seamen and marines; the former, headed by Lieutenants Richard Green and William Hotham, the latter by Lieutenant Samuel Lloyd.

Sailing along the coast of Istria, Aug. 2d, 1813, in company with the Bacchante frigate. Captain Rowley discovered a convoy of twenty-one sail at anchor in the harbour of Rovigno. Conceiving the capture of them feasible, he communicated his intentions to Captain Hoste, who led in, and a firing was commenced on the batteries. After some resistance they were abandoned; when the royal marines of each ship landed, drove the enemy out of the town, disabled the guns, and demolished the different works, without suffering any other accident than one private, belonging to the Eagle, wounded. The enemy scuttled the greater part of the vessels; but by the active exertions of the officers and men employed, the whole were either completely destroyed or brought off, and others, building or under repair, burnt.

The operations against Trieste, in which Captain Rowley bore a most conspicuous part, are thus detailed by Rear-Admiral Fremantle:

H.M.S. Milford, Oct. 31st, 1813.
“I arrived at Capo D’Istria on the 21st ultimo, and remained there, in constant correspondence with General Count Nugent, who was harassing the army of the Viceroy[1] on his retreat, until the morning of the 6th instant, when I sailed for Trieste. Count Nugent, who continued to follow the enemy, left some troops near Trieste, and the port was completely blockaded by sea. On the 10th, about noon, the enemy surprised us by opening a masked battery upon the Milford. The marines and two field-pieces were landed. On the 11th, Count Nugent returned
  1. Eugene Beauharnois.