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Naval history of Great Britain
by
William James
 


1814     EUROTAS AND CLORINDE     271

same line of bearing as on the preceding evening, but having increased her distance to nearly six miles. At 11 h. 30 m. a.m. Lieutenant Smith spoke the English merchant schooner Dungarvon, from Lisbon bound to Port-Glasgow, and requested her master to keep between the Eurotas and Clorinde, and, in the event of the Eurotas not overtaking the Clorinde before night, to show a light and fire guns. At noon the Eurotas and Clorinde were about eight miles apart ; but in so different a state with respect to ability to renew the action, that while the latter had only partially cleared away the wreck of her main and mizen masts, the former had jury-courses, topsails, staysails, and spanker set, going, with a northerly wind, six and a half knots through the water, and evidently gaining in the chase.

But at this moment, Captain Phillimore justly observes, " to the great mortification of every one on board " the Eurotas, two sail were descried on the lee bow. The nearest of these was the British 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Dryad, Captain Edward Galwey ; the other the 16-gun brig-sloop Achates, Captain Isaac Hawkins Morrison. At 1 h. 15 m. p.m. the Clorinde hoisted French colours aft and English forward, and despatched a boat to the Dryad, who then shortened sail and hove to to receive it. The purport of Captain Denis-Lagarde's communication, as it has appeared in print, was to require terms before he would surrender. The doubt expressed by the French officers as to the ship in sight to windward being that which had reduced the Clorinde to such a state, was far from unreasonable; considering that, not only had a night intervened, but the ship now seen was masted, rigged and under sail, while the ship engaged the evening before had been left as bare as a hulk. The French lieutenant was quickly sent back to the Clorinde to get ready her " resources," and the Dryad filled and stood towards her, to give her an opportunity of trying the effect of them. At 1 h. 35 m. p.m., having placed herself on the Clorinde's quarter, the Dryad fired one shot into her ; when the French frigate hauled down her colours, and was taken immediate possession of. At this time the Eurotas was between four and five miles off to windward, and the Achates about the same distance from the Clorinde to leeward.

Out of a complement on board of 329 men and boys, the Eurotas had two midshipmen (Jeremiah Spurking and Charles Greenway), one first-class volunteer (John T. Vaughan), 13 seamen, four marines, and one boy killed, her commander (very severely), one lieutenant of marines (Henry Foord), one midshipman (John R. Brigstock), 30 seamen, and six marines wounded ; total, 21 killed and 39 wounded. Out of a crew on board numbering, according to the depositions of Captain Denis-Lagarde and his two principal officers, 344 men and boys, the Clorinde had 20 officers and men killed and 40 wounded. From the

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