“ — 8th. Destroyed a telegraph off Port Vendre.

  “S. — 9th . Stormed and took two batteries — beat off from a third — ship much damaged in hull and rigging — two men hurt.

  “ — 11th . Rocketing the town of Adge and engaging batteries.

  “ — 12th. Rocketing the town of Cette — ship losing boats.

  “August 13th. Destroyed the mud engines on the levels of Cette.

  “1808. March 4th. Sailed in company of the Hydra for a cruise off Minorca.

  “S. — 20th. Took a settee laden with wine off Majorca.

  “ — 22nd. Chased three brigs — took one — Hydra took another.

  “S. — 27th. Took a Spanish ship — put prisoners on board and let her go.

  “ — 28th. Took two settees laden with wine in Alicadia Bay.

  “ — 31st. Took a Spanish settee and sent her to Malta.

  “April 1st. Detained an American brig.

  “ — 2nd. Took a Spanish tower and blew it up.

  “ — 5th. Cut a brig out from under a battery.

  “ — 8/A. Took a brig laden with wine — went in her to Gibraltar.

  “ — 11th. Took a Spanish settee.

  “ — 13th. Engaged some batteries and barracks.

  “April 21st. Took and destroyed a tower of three guns at Minorca.

  “ — 28th. Landed on the Spanish coast for water — beat off — one man wounded.

  “ — 30th. Engaged a battery.

  “May 5th. Took a prize laden with lead.

  “ — 6th . Took a polacre ship laden with barilla.

  “ — 7th. Cut out a polacre ship laden with barilla.

  “ — 11th. Took a French bark, and cut out a polacre ship.

  “ — 21st. Engaged four gun-boats and a convoy of twenty sail — ran them all on shore, and set fire to them, except one gunboat and two settees. Received wounded prisoners — one man wounded.

  “ — 14th. Took a convoy of six sail — burnt one and got five off.

  “ — 28th. Took and destroyed a telegraph.

  “ — 30th. Blew up a signal post near Cape Lien.

  “October 2nd. Chased by the French fleet. Spartan to seaward.

  November 13th. At anchor off Barcelona — Blew up a fort, and took a French boat at night, rocketing the town of Barcelona.

  “ — 15th. Engaging batteries at Barcelona, with shot and shells — ship much damaged; one gun dismantled by a shot.

  “ — 21st. Came to an anchor in the Bay of Kous.

  “ — 22nd. French besieging the town of Rosas and Fort Trinity.

  “ — 23rd. Landing troops and engaging batteries; Spaniards repulsed, with loss — a master’s mate and several men of Fame killed and wounded. Fame embarked marines from fort, not thinking it tenable.

  “ — 24th. Landed and took possession of Trinity Castle. Enemy keeping up a constant fire on the castle and tower.

  “ — 27th. Boats taking troops to the citadel.

  “ — 30th. French stormed the castle — but were repulsed with loss of several men, scaling ladders, etc.

  “December 5th. The Spaniards capitulated, and surrendered the citadel to the French. Embarked our ship’s company under cover of the Fame and Magnificent. Blew up the Castle and spiked the guns. Total loss, five killed and twelve wounded.

  “ — 30th. Warped the ship into harbour of Cadaqués and took possession, after a short action, of the batteries, two men-of-war, and twelve sail laden with wheat.

  “1809. January 9th. Ran into Port Selda, drove French from the batteries, employed getting brass guns off, marines repulsed and embarked. One man made prisoner, five wounded — got off four brass guns.

  “ — 20th. Engaging town of Sitges with shot and shells.

  “ — 22nd. Firing at the French army as they passed on the beach for six miles.

  * * * * *

  “On the 30th of July in this year, the Castle of Mongat was attacked and surrendered to the Impérieuse, in which undertaking Marryat assisted, and during the months of August and September following, the ship cruised off the coast of Languedoc, thereby keeping it in a continual state of alarm, besides involving a total suspension of the enemy’s trade. On the 13th November, a fort near Barcelona was blown up and the city annoyed with rockets and a small French vessel taken. Two days after the Impérieuse sustained great damage, one gun having been dismounted whilst engaging some batteries. By his subsequent heroic defence of the castle of Trinidad Lord Cochrane greatly retarded the progress of the French army, and was pleased on this occasion to make particular mention of Mr. Marryat in these words:—’ As to the officers, seamen, and marines of this ship, the fatigues they underwent and the gallant manner in which they behaved deserve every praise. I must, however, particularly mention Lieutenant Johnston of the navy, Lieutenant Hoare of the marines, Mr. Burney, gunner, Mr. Loderick, carpenter, and Messrs. Stewart, Stovin, and Marryat, midshipmen.’”

  In the course of these engagements Marryat received three wounds, one of which was in his stomach; but part of his shirt having been thrust in with the bayonet, it served as a plug and prevented bleeding, so that in the excitement of the action he felt no pain, and it was not until he undressed in his cabin and the removal of the linen caused the blood to flow, that he knew that he was wounded.

  His description of the defence of the castle of Bosas, in which he took part, is as follows:

  “The southern army of Spain, under the command of General St. Cyr, had already captured Figueras and Gerona, and were now forcing their way to Barcelona; but they could not advance and leave the citadel of Rosas in the possession of the Spaniards. Now, the weakest point in the citadel was protected by the castle, which the French had already reduced to a heap of ruins, when Lord Cochrane threw himself in it with the major part of his ship’s company, and held it against the efforts of the French army for a period of six weeks. He did not abandon it until the Spaniards in the citadel capitulated, when, of course, it was useless to remain there longer. The French stormed us with a thousand picked men; but unfortunately they selected Sunday for the attempt, and they were beaten back with heavy loss. In this instance a mere handful of seamen detained the whole French army for more than six weeks. In this long contest we lost only seventeen men of our ship’s company killed and wounded; the total loss I do not know.

  “I have seen many strange results from wounds, and there were two or three on this occasion worth relating. One of the men belonging to Lord Cochrane’s gig received a musket-ball in his skull, which pierced it and lodged underneath. It was extracted by trepanning and sawing away a considerable portion of the bone. The brain was injured, and inflammation ensued; the wound was poulticed over the brain, which was laid bare, and every time that the poultice was removed a large portion of the brain came away with it; indeed, it was argued, from the numerous poultices and the quantity of brain taken away, that he ought to have very little brains left; this was not, however, the case; it appeared to be reproduced. The man’s life was saved, and the effect was, not idiotcy, as might be conjectured, but a paralysis of the left side.

  “It would therefore appear that brains are not quite so necessary as has generally been, supposed, or, at all events, that we have duplicate organs of the brain, as the phrenologists assert, and provided that one is left, we can get on very well without the other. However, I only state the fact and leave those who please to argue the point.

  “A long brass twenty-four-pounder not having been properly spunged out, went off while the men where reloading it, and a marine of the name of Folkes and a mizen-top man, who were ramming the cartridge home, were the sufferers. The state of the poor marine was dreadful; his face was blown off to the bones; nose, eyes, lips, every feature, had disappeared, and the remains were left black as charcoal. Both his arms were blown off short at the shoulders; and the flesh of his chest had been carried away, so that you might perceive the motion of the vitals within. A more dreadful object could not have been imagined, and the poor fellow was carried away and laid down in a corner to die.

  “Now the strange feature in this case was that the man never complained, or appeared to feel the least pain. With his bared and blackened jaws he continued to abuse the French, and to swear that as soon as he was well again he would have his revenge upon them. He imagined himself to be very slightly hurt. I watched him for about two hours before he died; his voice gradually failed him, as he bled to death, and at last he spoke no more.

  “It would appear, then, that a shock to excess does not carry pain with it, and, indeed, I have observed this in more instances than in the one I have now mentioned.

  “The mizen-top man had his arm blown off, and, at the same time, he was himself blown over the castle walls, and fell on the hard rock from a height which, in any other case, would have dashed a man to atoms. We went down to his assistance, expecting to find him dead; on the contrary, he was quite sensible and collected.

  He was taken on board of the frigate, his arm was amputated and he was put into his hammock. Now, it is most singular that the man was not injured by the fall, and he never complained of the least pain from it, nor was there to be observed the least contusion. He recovered, and was sent home. It is a well-known fact, that a man when intoxicated will fall from a height without injury, which fall, if he were sober, would occasion his death; and it is to be presumed that the same effect will be produced, even to a more extensive degree, when a man is in a state of total unconsciousness, which was probably the case with this man when he was blown over the castle wall.

  “The French, who had possession of Barcelona, were now closely blockaded by the Spaniards on shore and at sea by the English cruisers. Incredible efforts were made by the French to throw provisions into the town, and convoy after convoy crept along the coast, availing themselves of the protection of the batteries during the day, and of the darkness during the night. The Impérieuse was actively employed, and circumstances as singular as they were exciting often occurred. At one time we were on shore with the guerillas, with rocks for our beds and heaven for our covering; at another engaging the escorts which accompanied the military stores, breaking up the roads, dismantling batteries, and embarking the guns.

  “We had received information that a convoy of eleven sail of vessels, laden with wheat for Barcelona, under the protection of an armed cutter and zebecque, had taken shelter in the small port of Cadaqués. This is a port on the confines of the Spanish Mediterranean coast, abutting on France. It is very narrow, not only at its entrance but in the whole length of it to its termination, where the town is situated. It forms a sort of long narrow pass, and it is lined on each side with high rocky mountains abruptly rising from the water, and strewed with large fragments of rocks and small brushwood. A more secure retreat for the defenders, and a more difficult one to assail, cannot well be conceived. To have sent in the boats to take out these vessels would have subjected them to severe loss, as they would have been exposed to the musketry of the French troops concealed on both sides behind the fragments of rock, at the same time that they would have been raked by the fire of a battery raised by the French in front of the town, at the bottom of this cul-de-sac. There was scarcely room for the frigate to enter, or to warp her broadside across this narrow inlet; but, on the whole, this proceeding was considered by our commander as preferable. We therefore dropped our kedge at the entrance of the port before daylight.

  “There was not a breath of wind shortly after we anchored, and we laid out our warps, and made fast our hawsers before the French were aware that we were near them, for they slept in perfect security. At daylight, to their surprise, the frigate was in harbour, and, being soon able to point some of our guns, we drove them away and took possession of the vessels and the battery, the guns of which we spiked. The officers commanding the man-of-war cutter and zebecque had sunk them where they lay, by firing their own guns down the hatchway through the vessels’ bottoms. But, although we had possession, the French troops received reinforcements, and rallied, stationing themselves behind the rocks, within half musket-shot, and keeping up a most galling fire. The guns of the frigate were fired at them, but with little effect as they were so well protected. Thus passed Friday and Saturday. We had possession of the vessels laden with wheat, but Lord Cochrane determined to raise the men-of-war and bring them out, for they were very beautiful vessels, and of a character much wanted in the peculiar warfare in which we were engaged.

  “But to effect this, it was necessary to dislodge and drive away the French troops, and have the whole harbour to ourselves. On the Sunday this was effected; and I mention the way, as it may be useful to others. We were so close that the shot from our large guns were thrown with terrible force against the rocks behind which the French were concealed. Finding that firing at the rocks was of little use we hit upon another plan, which succeeded to admiration. Instead of firing at the large fragment of rock from behind which the musketry proceeded, we aimed with the greatest precision at the rock next to it and a little behind it. The force of the shot splintered these rocks and produced all the effect of shells, for the fragments bounded off on every side and did such execution amongst the enemy that, in a few hours, they thought it advisable to retreat and leave us in quiet possession.

  “We remained there ten days, during which we careened and repaired the cutter, mounting seven guns, and thirty-two men, and the zebecque, a beautiful vessel, called the Julie, mounting five guns, and a complement of forty-four men; refitted them, and, when we left, carried them away with us. As for the convoy laden with wheat, we sold them to the Spaniards belonging to the place; the French, in reality, being the purchasers. That we cared little about, as they paid in hard dollars which we served out on the capstan head, not thinking it necessary that an agent should finger them at our expense.”

  Here ends Marryat’s account of the engagements in which he shared whilst on board His Majesty’s ship Impérieuse. He was recommended in Lord Cochrane’s despatch of the 8th of December, 1808, and in May 1809 received a certificate from the same officer for gallantry in leaping overboard, whilst in the harbour of Malta, to save the life of Mr. Midshipman Cobbett, and holding him up until a boat could be brought to his assistance.

  This incident is related in ‘The Naval Officer,’ but the motive for the action which he attributes to himself in print is very different from what it really was. There he says, “The officers and ship’s company gave me more credit for this action than I really deserved. To have saved any person under such circumstances they said was a noble deed; but to risk my life for a man who had always, from my first coming into the ship, been my bitterest enemy, was more than they could have expected, and was undoubtedly the noblest revenge that I could have taken. But they were deceived, they knew me not: it was my vanity and the desire of oppressing my enemy under an intolerable weight of obligation that induced me to rush to his rescue; moreover, as I stood on the gangway witnessing his struggles for life, I felt that I was about to lose all the revenge I had so long laid up in store. In short, I could not spare him, and only saved him, as a cat does a mouse, to torment him.”

  It is only necessary to compare this with the true version of the case, to see how poorly Marryat rated his own heroism and generosity. Writing home to his mother to relate the adventure (which took place, as stated, for the sake of a lad from whom he had received the most brutal treatment on first joining the ship, and with whom he carried on a war to the knife,) he says, “From that moment I have loved the fellow as I never loved friend before. All my hate is forgotten. I have saved his life.”

  CHAPTER IV.

  Receives a certificate for gallantry at the Basque Roads — Is invalided home — Sails in the Centaur under Sir S. Wood — Saves the life of T. Mowbray — Jumps overboard after J. Walker — Cuts down masts of Æolus in a gale of wind — Saves the life of a boy — Engaged in boat attacks in Haycock’s Harbour — Receives Lieutenant’s Commission — Appointed to L’Espûyle — Jumps overboard after T. Small — Breaks a blood-vessel and is sent home — Appointed to the Newcastle — Is promoted and married — Receives the gold medal from Humane Society — Code of signals — Elected F.R.S. — Appointed to the Beaver — Death of Napoleon Bonaparte.

  On the 9th of January, 1809, the Impérieuse ran into Port Selda, drove the enemy from their works and embarked four brass guns, With this terminated the long list of Lord Cochrane’s active and gallant services in the Mediterranean, but not that of Marryat, as he continued on board the Impérieuse, and, being in the succeeding April employed in an explosion vessel under Lieutenant Urry Johnson, received the following certificate from that officer:

  “This is to certify that Mr. Frederick Marryat, midshipman of H.M.S. Impérieuse, was in the explosion brig under my command in the attack of the enemy’s fleet in Basque Roads, on the night of the 11th of April, 1809, and conducted himself very much to his own credit and my entire satisfaction.

  “U. JOHNSON, Commander,

  “Late Lieutenant, H.M.S. Impérieuse.

  “London, Nov. 10,1809.”

  In June 1809, Captain Thomas Garth assumed the temporary command of the Impérieuse, and Marryat continued to serve under him until the October of the same year, when he was discharged into H.M.S. Victorious, 74 guns, for his passage from Flushing to England, a severe attack of Walcheren fever being the cause of his temporary suspension from active service. Temporary, indeed, as, on the day following his arrival at home, he joined H.M.S, Centaur, the flag ship of Sir Samuel Hood, being at this time eighteen years of age.

  With Sir Samuel Hood he returned to the Mediterranean, and whilst serving in the Centaur, September 1810, saved the life of Thomas Mowbray, seaman, who fell overboard from the main-yard, whilst the ship was cruising off Toulon.

  After an absence of twelve months, Marryat returned home from Cadiz in the Atlas, 74 guns, Captain James Sanders; and proceeded to Barbadoes (the scene of his dignity ball) and Bermuda, as a passenger on board the Africa, 64 guns, Captain John Bastard. On the 1st of March, 1811, Marryat jumped overboard in a very daring manner from the poop of this vessel, whilst she was under sail and going seven knots an hour before the wind, in order to save the life of James Walker, seaman; an attempt which unfortunately proved futile, as Marryat was nearly two miles astern of the Africa and upwards of thirty minutes in the water before a boat could be sent to his assistance.” For this act he received a certificate of gallantry from Captain Bastard.