coupled with the mispelling in the Gazette, has occasioned us no slight trouble.

On the 22d the Magicienne, Regulus, and Fortune schooner, upon doubling Cape Tiberon, discovered a privateer-sloop and four schooners at anchor in Carcasse bay. The presence of these vessels, and the firing of an alarm gun, convinced Captain Ricketts that the neighbouring post of Irois and its dependencies were about to be attacked by the French. To frustrate the designs of the latter, the Magicienne and Regulus stood in, and, after anchoring, commenced so heavy and well-directed a cannonade upon a battery near the shore, that, in a little while, the enemy abandoned it, and fled to the mountains ; leaving in possession of the British his field-pieces, ammunition, and provisions, as well as the merchant vessels at anchor, which were laden with necessaries for carrying on the siege. The fire from the shore-battery occasioned a loss to the British of four seamen killed, one master's mate (Mr. Morgan), and ten seamen wounded, while in the Magicienne's boat, endeavouring to tow out the privateer. This spirited attack, made by Captain Ricketts with his little squadron, is acknowledged by Brigadier-general Church, in his public despatch, to have completely saved the fort of Irois, and the country to which it was the key.

Although our plan has been to be sparing of details in cases of mutiny, especially where restricted to individual ships, yet there was one case of the latter description in the West Indies, too flagrant in its proceedings, and too fatal in its immediate consequences, not to be made an exception. On the night of the 22d of September, while the 32-gun frigate Hermione, Captain Hugh Pigot, was cruising off the west end of Porto-Rico, a most daring and unexampled mutiny broke out on board of her. It appears that, on the preceding day, while the crew were reefing the topsails, the captain called aloud that he would flog the last man off the mizentopsail yard. "The poor fellows, well knowing that he would keep his word (and though the lot would naturally fall on the outermost, and consequently the most active), each resolved at any rate to escape from punishment : two of them, who from their position could not reach the topmast rigging, made a spring to get over their comrades within them ; they missed their hold, fell on the quarterdeck, and were both killed. This being reported to the captain, he is said to have made answer, Throw the lubbers overboard.' " * It appears, also, that all the other men, on coming down, were severely reprimanded, and threatened with punishment.

This most tyrannical conduct on the part of Captain Pigot, operating upon a very motley and, from a succession of similar acts-of oppression, ill-disposed ship's company, produced

* Brenton, vol. ii., p. 436.

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