1809	Junon with Rénommée and consorts	191

now compelled both French frigates to surrender, the Blonde and Thetis, at about 5 h. 10 m. p.m., cut their cables and made sail out of reach of the fort ; which had latterly been keeping up a heavy fire of round, grape, and musketry. At 5 h. 20 m. P.M. the southernmost French frigate blew up with a tremendous explosion, and a part of the flaming wreck was seen to fall into the maintopmast cross-trees of the southernmost frigate, and to set her on fire.

Just about this time the boats of the squadron, under the orders of Captain Cameron, covered by the Sceptre, Freija, Hazard, Cygnet, and Ringdove, pushed off for the shore, and landed under a heavy fire. The British stormed and carried the fort, but not without a serious loss. Captain Cameron was wounded by a musket-ball while in the act of hauling down the French colours; and was killed by a grape-shot just as, having executed the service he had been sent upon, he was stepping into his boat to return to the Hazard. The gazette-account of the destruction of these two French armées en flute and batteries is so very brief and imperfect, that we are not able to distinguish the loss sustained on board from that sustained on shore. The only ships named in the return of loss are the Blonde and Thetis. The Blonde, it appears, had her first lieutenant (George Jenkins), one master's mate (Edward Freeman), four seamen, and two marines killed, her third lieutenant (Cæsar William Richardson), one midshipman (Thomas Robotham), 10 seamen, and four marines wounded ; and the Thetis, six seamen wounded ; total, including Captain Cameron of the Hazard, nine killed and 22 wounded.

Among the persons landed out of the two French ships (the last of which blew up while the British were on shore) just previous to their being set on fire, was the gallant and dreadfully wounded captain of the Junon. Captain Shortland had suffered the amputation of his right leg above the knee, and of a finger a grape-shot had also been extracted from his hand ; and, had there been a probability of saving his life, other operations would have been necessary. His sufferings, when the Castor hove in sight, in being hastily removed from the captain's cabin to the gun-room, were extreme ; and not less so were they, when with equal hurry he was removed from the French frigate to the shore at Anse la Barque, and then conveyed 13 miles in a scorching sun to the hospital. Human nature at length sank beneath this load of suffering ; and on the 21st of January, after having been unable, during the five weeks and upwards that had elapsed since he was wounded, to sit up even in his bed, Captain Shortland expired. Although as it would appear, shamefully inattentive to this brave British officer while living, the governor-general of Guadeloupe, General Enouf, paid to his mortal remains every possible respect. Captain Shortland was buried at Basseterre with the highest military honours.

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