French brig-corvette, in chase of which they had been seven hours pulling, part of the time under a burning sun. Just as the action was over the short gig joined.

The loss sustained by the British in achieving this truly gallant exploit was very severe. The killed consisted of Lieutenant Walker, five seamen, and three marines ; the severely wounded of Lieutenant Coombe, master's mate Sarsfield, one petty officer, five seamen, and three marines ; and the slightly wounded, of master's mate Green, one petty officer, eight seamen and one marine : total, nine killed and 22 wounded ; including four out of the five officers who had commanded the boats, and comprising nearly half the number of British present in the action. The short gig, it will be observed, was absent, with at least five men, and one to keep each remaining boat would leave 65 for boarding the brig.

The loss among the Frenchmen was also severe. The Lynx, out of a complement, as acknowledged by themselves, of 161 men and boys, had her third lieutenant (late captain of the Buonaparte privateer, and since restored to his former rank in the French navy), 13 petty officers, seamen, and soldiers killed, her captain, first lieutenant (both badly), four other officers, and 14 petty officers, seamen, and soldiers wounded, the greater part of them badly ; total, 14 killed and 20 wounded.

Having secured the private signals and the magazine, Lieutenant Coombe gave orders to get the wounded off the deck, the dead hove overboard, and the studding-sails hauled down. The sweeps were then brought in-board, and the boats veered astern. By this time a light breeze had sprung up from the south-west, of which immediate advantage was taken, and the brig stood to the northward, in expectation of falling in with the frigate. The prize then hoisted two lights vertical at the mast-head, and fired several blue-lights, to indicate her situation. Such, however, had been the distance of the Galatea at the period of the attack, that the latter did not make her appearance until 2 A.M., on the 22d. Signals of recognition having been exchanged between the two vessels, Lieutenant Gibson, at 3 A.M., was despatched to Captain Sayer with information of the successful result of the enterprise ; and at 5 A.M., the Lynx and Galatea were within a few fathoms of each other.

When all the circumstances of this boat-attack are taken into consideration, no one will dispute that, although in a few instances it may have been equalled, it has never been surpassed. The distance which the boats had to pull, the shutting in of day, and the loss of sight of their ship, the great force of the enemy, his determined resistance, and the heavy loss which it inflicted on the assailants, required a considerable share of courage to sustain, and of skill and valour to overcome. The prize, too, was not an armed merchant vessel or privateer, but a national brig of war, fully manned, mounted, and equipped, and,

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