1812	Rosario with French flotilla	45

passage at about midway, by means of a camel, or water-tight box, the same as is used at Amsterdam and St.-Petersburg. This ship put to sea, for the first time, in February of the present year; but it was only, as we shall presently show, to fall into the hands of a British ship of the same force. In the latter end of 1811 or beginning of 1812 two other 74s were launched at Malamacca; the Mont-St.-Bernardo and Regenitore. The first was commissioned under French colours, and in July bore the flag of Rear-admiral Duperré; the other under Venetian colours, and was commanded by Captain Paschaligo, the gallant captain of the Corona in the action off Lissa. On the 2d of August the Castiglioni 74 was launched, and, as soon as she could be fitted was commissioned by the late captain of the Danaé, whose frigate had recently been burnt by accident in the port of Venice. The Castiglioni afterwards received the flag of Rear-admiral Duperré. On the 15th the Reali-Italiani 74 and Piane frigate were launched ; but the 74 was only completed as high up as her main deck. There were eight other two-deckers on the stocks, two of which were in a forward state ; but a scarcity of timber, owing to the poverty of the local government, greatly retarded the progress of the workmen.

Light Squadrons and Single Ships.

On the 27th of March, at 8 h. 30 m. a.m., the town of Dieppe bearing south-west distant four or five miles, the British brig-sloop Rosario, of eight 18-pounder carronades and two long sixes, Captain Bootey Harvey, observed a flotilla of 12 brigs and one lugger standing alongshore. This was the 14th division of the Boulogne flotilla, commanded by Capitaine de vaisseau Louis-Pierre-François-Ricard-Barthelemi Saizieu. Each brig mounted three long 24-pounders and an 8-inch brass howitzer, with a complement of 50 men. The commodore had sailed from Boulogne at 10 p.m. on the 26th, and was bound to Cherbourg. As the Rosario made sail to cut off the leewardmost of these 12 brigs, the whole, by signal from the commodore, formed in line, and severally engaged the British brig while passing on the opposite tack ; and when the Rosario luffed up to cut off the sternmost brig, the remaining 11 and the lugger bore down to support their friend and close with the daring enemy.

Finding them thus determined to support each other, and the Rosario's small force not justifying the risk of being laid on board by several such opponents at once, Captain Harvey, with the signal flying for an enemy, bore up to a brig which he then observed in the offing. The moment the latter, which was the brig-sloop Griffon, of fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two sixes, Captain George Trollope, answered the signal, the Rosario