saving of the ship appeared to be more and more hopeless. The decks gradually sank, and some of the beams of the orlop deck actually fell into the hold; and disease and death in many hideous shapes were working their way in all parts of the vessel. At length when all hope had left them, and they were about to give themselves up to that fate against which they had struggled so hard, a sail providentially appeared. Once again the dying and despairing crew were invigorated with new life, and the pumps were manned and worked till the approaching vessel came within hail. The vessel proved to be the Hawke, commanded by Captain John Hill, who immediately applied himself to the ship's relief, and had all the survivors taken on board his vessel. Lieutenant Innman, refused to quit the Hector until he had seen every man out of her, and within ten minutes of his leaving the vessel, she sank. To accommodate the rescued men on board the Hawke, Captain Hill had the greater part of his cargo thrown overboard, and to eke out the scanty supply of provisions, a very limited allowance was apportioned to each individual. Happily, however, the vessels made St. John's, Newfoundland, the same evening. On landing, the distressed mariners were received most hospitably and tended most kindly by the inhabitants, while the seamen, who properly regarded Lieutenant Innman as their preserver, cheered him through the streets of St. John's, amidst the applause of the populace.

The name of Captain Luttrell is connected with an action of extraordinary gallantry, in which single-handed, he opposed himself to no less than five ships.

At daybreak, on the 12th of December, 1783, Captain Luttrell was cruising with his vessel the Mediator, when he discovered five strange sail, which on nearer view proved to consist of a French ship of 64 guns and two frigates, accompanied by an American frigate and brig. For one ship to attempt an engagement against such fearful odds would, according to ordinary reasoning, appear madness. But Captain Luttrell determined that he would try what he could do, calculating that if he were not able to beat the enemy, he could at any rate have a brush with them, and rely upon the fast-sailing qualities of his ship to keep him out of mischief. Having so disposed his vessel that it could manoeuvere with the utmost quickness, Captain Luttrell

bore down upon the foe. By one bold and happy stroke he succeeded in cutting off one of the French frigates and the American brig, both of which took to their heels, still leaving the other three vessels which formed the chief part of their strength to carry on the action. Quickly following up his first advantage, Captain Luttrell succeeded in cutting off the American frigate, and instantly compelled her to surrender, the two French ships-meanwhile, sailing off under heavy press of sail. Having secured the prize, which proved to be the Alexander of 24 guns, Captain Luttrell pursued the two flying Frenchmen. After an exciting chase of nearly six hours, he came up with the 64 gun ship which was now alone, the frigate having departed in another direction It was now between nine and ten o'clock p. m., and quite dark; the Mediator had ranged up within pistol-shot, on the enemy's quarter, and was preparing to pour in a broadside, when the Frenchman declined the engagement, and struck her colours. Captain Luttrell now set sail for Plymouth with his two well-earned prizes. On their homeward voyage a plot was attempted by the late commander of the Alexander and some of the crew to retake her, but Captain Luttrell soon discovered, and put down the attempt, and succeeded in bringing the captured ships home in safety. It only remains to be told that the Mediator was a 44-gun ship, and that, although she was attacked by an aggregate force of 134 guns and 640 men, she had not a single man either killed or wounded! The enemy's loss, owing to the escape of three of the vessels, it would be difficult to state exactly, but may be computed at 20 killed, and between 50 and 60 wounded.

The defence of the Alexander by Captain Bligh, affords one of these instances of untiring and sustained courage, of which there are so many illustrations in England's naval records.

In the month of November, 1794, two English ships, the Alexander and the Canada, each of 74 guns, were sailing homeward in company, when off Cape St. Vincent, they passed within half a mile of the French squadron, consisting of five sail of the line, three frigates and a brig. The French ships no sooner caught sight of the English vessels than they gave chase, seeing which, the commander of the Alexander and the Canada, deemed it expedient to

part company, and accordingly took separate courses. To cope with this design the enemy divided his squadron into two forces, two ships of the line and two frigates giving chase to the Canada, while three ships of the line and two frigates went in pursuit of the Alexander. As the pursuit was carried on, the Alexander from time to time fired her stern-chase guns, hoping to disable her pursuer; she could not however accomplish this, every moment brought them to closer quarters, and at length after a chase of upwards of five hours, the French vessels got within gun shot, and brought the British ship to close action. Against this unequal force, the Alexander struggled gallantly for two hours, at the end of which time the other three French vessels, which had been fruitlessly pursuing the Canada, returned and joined in the action. The remainder of the engagement was carried on, therefore, by the Alexander singly against the whole French squadron; this lasted for an hour longer. By this time the ship had become so disabled-for the enemy fired incessantly at the sail and rigging, and the case appeared so hopeless, that it was only exposing the men to danger without achieving any object, that Captain Bligh, after consulting with his officers, came to the painful conclusion that there was nothing left for them but to surrender. Their loss in killed and wounded amounted to 40; and some idea may be gathered of the severity of the French loss, when it is stated that they were compelled to put into the port from which they had recently sailed for the purpose of refitting.

It is to be regretted that on this occasion the victors abused their easy conquest, instead of according to their defeated antagonists that chivalrous consideration which their gallantry undoubtedly entitled them to. The captrued crew of the Alexander were lodged in loathsome dungeons, half starved, and subjected to ignominious treatment worthier of common felons than prisoners of war. As some extenuation, however, it may be stated that the French fleet was at this period commanded by officers in the pay of the Revolutionary government, which at that moment appeared to delight in the exercise of cruelty at home and abroad.

One of the objects of the English in the war with France during the period of the Revolution was the reduction of

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their West Indian territories. For this purpose a combined naval and military expedition under Sir John Jervis and Sir George Grey was sent out. In the execution of this general design, an attack on the island of Martinique was determined on; and this place was the strong works of Fort Royal, which protected the harbour, and which it was resolved to carry by escalade. The plan of the attack was to land the naval and military force in the ship's boats, which were to advance under cover of the guns of the Asia, of 74 guns, and of the brig Zebra, commanded by Captain Faulkner. These arragements were frustrated through the unaccountable conduct of the Asia, which stopped short in its advance, and declined to approach the fort sufficiently near to fulfil the task assigned it, namely, to engage the enemy's attention, and in so doing, draw off their fire from our troops. In this dilemna, Captain Faulkner, foreseeing the impossibility of the landing of the boat's crews, if exposed to the guns from the fort, determined to take the lead which the line-of-battle ship had resigned, and to take upon himself the sole responsibility of a duty in which he was expected to play only a minor part. The events that followed cannot be better described than in the official despatch of Sir John Jervis, who says: "The Zebra, whose puny broadside was of little avail against stone walls, having been under a heavy fire of grape-shot for a great length of time, which Captain Faulkner, his officers, and ship's company stood with a firmness not to be described, he determined to undertake the service alone; and he executed it with matchless intrepidity and conduct, running the Zebra alongside the walls of the fort, there being deep water close to, and, leaping overboard at the head of his sloop's company, assailed and took this important port; the enemy terrified at his audacity, striking their colours before the boat could get ashore; although they rowed with all the force and determination which characterize English seamen in the face of an enemy." Sir John Jervis continues, "no language of mine can express the merit of Captain Faulkner upon this occasion, but every officer in the army and squadron bears testimony to it. This incomparable action cannot fail of being recorded in the page of history. It was my duty to reward it at the moment, which I did, by purchasing the French frigate Bienvenu,

captured that morning, and giving Captain Faulkner the rank of Post captain in her, and re-naming her the Undaunted." In the execution of this daring achievement, one man only, the pilot, was killed. The circumstances of his death, are, from their singularity, worth recording. Upon Captain Faulkner giving orders for the sloop to be placed close under the walls of the fort, he noticed a certain hesitation in the man's manner as though he did not much relish the work in hand, in order to test his suspicions of the pilot's courage he went up to him, and asked some trifling question, to which in a trembling voice he gave some unconnected and incoherent reply; but hanging his head with shame, he said to the captain, "I see, sir, you have detected me. I am unfit to guide the vessel. I dont know what has come over me. I dreamt last night I should be killed, and am so afraid that I dont know what I am doing; I never in all my life felt afraid before"" To this abject confession Captain Faulkner replied in a low tone, "The failure or success of this enterprise depends upon the steering of the vessel, give me the helm, and go you and hide yourself in any part of the ship you conceive to be the safest; but as fears are contagious, keep yours to yourself, or your life shall answer for it to-morrow." Overwhelmed with shame and confusion, the man went and sat down on the arm-chest, whilst Captain Faulkner plied the helm, and with his own hands laid the vessel alongside the walls of the fort; but he had scarcely done so, ere a cannon-ball struck the arm-chest, and killed the pilot instantaneously. The following letter in which Captain Faulkner narrates this bold venture to his mother, exhibits him in the amiable light of a christian gentleman, a modest man, and an affectionate son, as well as that of a courageous sailor, and will repay perusal :

"HONOURED MADAM;

"On the 20th of this month I was made Post captain in the Undaunted, a French frigate of 28 guns, captured in Fort Royal Harbour, the magazine and arsenal of all the French West India islands; the whole island has surrendered to the British arms. The Zebra has been employed during the whole siege, and I have moved alternately on land and on shore. At the storming of Fort