20     LIGHT SQUADRONS AND SINGLE SHIPS     1811

her opponent, the Astrea avoided coming in contact. After an animated cannonade of about 25 minutes, during which the Phoebe fired a few raking shot at the Renommée, and the Racehorse discharged a whole broadside directly between the masts of the Astrea, and set her mainsail on fire, the French ship made the signal of surrender. Captain Hillyar now ordered the Racehorse to take possession of the Renommée ; but the brig, just at this moment losing her fore topmast from a wound it had received, was unable to do so. Captain Schomberg then sent on board the prize, in a sinking boat, Lieutenant Charles Royer, * Lieutenant of marines John Drury, and five seamen ; and the Astrea and Phoebe made all sail after the Clorinde, who had shamefully kept aloof during her commodore's gallant action, and was now under a press of canvass on the larboard tack, endeavouring to effect her escape.

Captain Schomberg says : " Another frigate, on closing, struck, and made the signal also ; but, on a shot being fired at her from her late commodore, she was observed trying to escape ; " and, in another place, " The ship that struck and escaped was La Clorinde." Nothing of this appears in the French accounts. On the contrary, the complaint there is, that the Clorinde avoided closing. If we are of opinion that the French ship did not surrender, it is not because the French captain has said so, but because we cannot discover that the Clorinde was so pressed, as to render such a step necessary. That will be more apparent, when we come to state her loss. Moreover it was dark ; and our experience in investigating accounts has taught us, that mistakes of the kind are frequently made, even where the action is fought in broad daylight. The chase of the Clorinde was continued until 2 a.m. on the 21^st ; when, finding that, on account of the perfect state of her rigging and sails, the Clorinde gained considerably on the Astrea and Phoebe, the two latter wore, to cover the captured ship, and form a junction with the Galatea. At this moment the fore topmast of the Phoebe, from the wounds it had received, fell over the side.

The principal damages of the Astrea were in her sails and rigging, and they were not material. Out of her complement (admitting all to have been on board, which we rather think was not the case), of 271 men and boys, she had two seamen killed, her first lieutenant (John Baldwin), 11 seamen, three marines, and one boy wounded ; total, two killed and 16 wounded. The Phoebe, besides the loss of her fore topmast, had her three masts and bowsprit badly wounded, her sails and rigging much cut, and her hull struck in several places; and her loss, out of a complement the same as the Astrea's, consisted of seven seamen killed, one midshipman (John Wilkey, severely), 21 seamen (one mortally and nine severely), and two marines wounded ; total, seven

* Called Rogers in the gazette-letter.

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