22° 18' west, the British 18-pounder 32-gun frigate Cerberus, Captain John Drew, captured the French ship-privateer Epervier, of sixteen 4-pounders and 145 men ; on the 13th recaptured a ship, her prize ; and on the 14th captured another ship-privateer, the Renard, carrying eighteen 6-pounders and 189 men. The Cerberus also chased the ship-privateer Buonaparte, mounting, as represented, 32 guns, with a crew of 250 men, and would have captured her, had not the frigate's studding-sails and main topgallantmast been carried away. As it was, the Cerberus pressed the Buonaparte so closely, and annoyed her so much with her bow-guns, as to compel her to throw overboard the greater part of her guns and stores, and, as was understood, to return to Bordeaux.

On the 13th of November, early in the morning, while the British 16-gun ship-sloop Fairy, Captain Joshua Sydney Horton, and hired armed cutter Fox, having just weighed from off Calais, were cruising, with light winds, about nine miles to the westward of Seater cliff, the cutter, which was about seven miles ahead of her consort, made the signal for an enemy. The haze clearing discovered to the Fairy a lugger, about three miles to the westward of the Fox.

Captain Horton, hoisting out his boats, proceeded in them to the assistance of the cutter. During the chase, the Fairy's launch separated from the other boats, and went in chase of a second lugger, which Mr. James Middleton, the purser of the Fairy and the launch's commanding officer, discovered running along shore to the westward. At about 2 p.m. the breeze freshened, when, having no longer any prospect of overtaking the lugger in the offing, Captain Horton, with the Fox and boats, tacked in shore to the support of his launch ; which, with a crew of only an officer and seven men, had already brought to action the French lugger privateer Epervier, mounting two 2-pound carriage guns and four swivels, besides musketoons and small arms, with a crew of 25 men, and lying at anchor within musket-shot of the westernmost of two batteries in Whitesand bay. In the face of this comparatively overwhelming force, Mr. Middleton carried the lugger just before captain Horton got up to his assistance.

Mr. Middleton was the only man of his little party hurt on this gallant occasion : a grape-shot had badly grazed his stomach, causing a very painful and rather a dangerous wound. The privateer was commanded by an Irishman named George Hammond ; who, together with the lugger's crew, three of whom were badly wounded, effected his escape. Captain Horton concludes his letter to Admiral Peyton, transmitting an account of the Epervier's capture, with the following encomium upon the merit of Mr. Middleton : "His gallantry on this occasion speaks for itself, nor is it the first time I have witnessed it. I beg leave to recommend him strongly to your attention."

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