ceived this intelligence, I made the fignal for the convoy to bear down under my lee, and repeated it with two guns; notwithstanding which, the van of the convoy kept their wind, with all fail ftretching out to the fouthward from under Flamborough Head, till between twelve and one, when the head most of them got fight of the enemy's fhips, which were then in chace of them; they then tacked, and made the best of their way under the fhore for Scarborough, &c. letting fly their top-gallant fheets, and firing guns; upon which I made all the fail I could to windward, to get between the enemy's fhips and the convoy, which I soon effected. At one o'clock we got fight of the enemy's fhips from the mast head, and about four we made them plain from the deck to be three large fhips and a brig; upon which I made the Countess of Scarborough's fignal to join me, the being in fhore with the convoy: at the fame time I made the fignal for the convoy to make the belt of their way, and repeated the fignal with two guns: I then brought to, to let the Countess of Scarborough come up, and cleared fhip for action. At half past five the Countess of Scarborough joined ne, the enemy's fhips then bearing down upon us, with a light breeze at S. S. W. at fix tacked, and laid our head in fhore, in order to keep our ground the better between the enemy's hips and the convoy; foon after which we perceived the fhips bearing down upon us to be a two-decked thip and two frigates, but from their keeping end on upon us, on bearing down, we could not difcern what colours they were under at about twenty

minutes past feven, the largest fhip of the three brought to, on cur larboard bow, within mufquet thot: 1 hailed him, and asked what fhip it was; they answered in English, the Princefs Royal; I then asked where they belonged to; they aniwered evafively; on which I told them, if they did not anfwer directly, I would fire into them; they then anfwered with a fhot, which was inftantly returned with a broadfide; and after exchanging two or three broadfides, he backed his topfails, and dropped upon cur quarter within piftolhot, then filled again, put his helm a-weather, and run us on board upon our weather quarter, and attempted to board us, but being repulfed, he fheered off; upon which I backed our top-fails, in order to get fquare with him again, which, as foon as he obferved, he then filled, put his helm a-weather, and laid us athwart hawfe; his mizen fhrouds took our jib boom, which hung him for fome time, till it at laft gave way, and we dropt alongside of each other, head and ftern, when the fluke of our spare anchor hooking his quarter, we became fo clote fore and aft, that the muzzles of our guns touched each cthers fides. In this polition we engaged from half past eight till half past ten; during which time, from the great quantity and variety of combulible matters which they threw in upon our decks, chaias, and in fhort into every part of the fhip, we were on fire no less than ten or twelve times in different parts of the fhip, and it was with the greateft difficulty and exertion imaginable at times that we were able to get it extinguished. Ac'

the

the fame time the largest of the two frigates kept failing round us the whole action, and raking us fore and aft, by which means fhe killed or wounded almost every man on the quarter and main decks.

About half past nine, either from a hand grenade being thrown in at one of our lower deck ports, or from fome other accident, a cartridge of powder was fet on fire, the flames of which running from cartridge to cartridge all the way aft, blew up the whole of the people and officers that were quartered abaft the main-maft; from which unfortunate circumftance all thofe guns were rendered ufelefs for the remainder of the action, and I fear the greatest part of the people will lofe their lives. At ten o'clock they called for quarters from the fhip alongfide, and faid they had ftruck hearing this, I called upon the captain to know if they had truck, or if he asked for quarters; but no answer being made, after repeating my words two or three times, I called for the boarders, and ordered them to board, which they did; but the moment they were on board her, they difcovered a fuperior number laying under cover with pikes in their hands ready to receive them; on which our people retreated inftantly into our own fhip, and returned to their guns again till paft ten, when the frigate coming acrofs our ftern, and pouring her broadfide into us again, without our being able to bring a gun to bear on her, I found it in vain, and in fhort impracticable, from the fituation we were in, to ftand out any longer with the leaf profpect of fuccefs; I therefore ftruck, (our main mat

an

at the fame time went by the board.) The firft lieutenant and myfelf were immediately escorted into the fhip alongfide, when we found her to be an American ship of war, called the Bon Homme Richard, of 40 guns and 375 men, commanded by Captain Faul Jones; the other frigate which engaged us, to be the Alliance, of 40 guns, and 300 men; and the third frigate which engaged and took the Countess of Scarborough, after two hours action, to be the Pallas, a French frigate of 32 guns, and 275 men; the Vengeance, armed brig of 12 guns, and 78 men; all in Congrefs fervice, and under the command of Paul Jones. They fitted out and failed from Port l'Orient the latter end of July, and came north about; they have on board 300 English prifoners, which they have taken in different veffels in their way round, fince they left France, and have ranfomed fome others. On my going on board the Bon Homme Richard, I found her in the greateft diftrefs; her quarters and counter on the lower deck entirely drove in, and the whole of her lower deck guns difmounted; the was alfo on fire in two places, and fix or feven feet water in her hold, which kept increafing upon them all night and the next day, till they were obliged to quit her, and the funk, with a great number of her wounded people on board her. She had 306 men killed and wounded in the action; our lofs in the Serapis was also very great. My officers and people in general behaved well, and I fhould be very remifs in my attention to their merit were I to omit recommending the remains of them to their [U] 4

lordships

lordships favour. I must at the fame time beg leave to inform their lordships, that Captain Piercy, in the Countess of Scarborough, was not in the leaft remifs in his duty, he having given me every affittance in his power, and as much as could be expected from fuch a fhip, in engaging the attention of the PalJas, a frigate of 32 guns, during the whole action.

I am extremely forry for the misfortune that has happened, that of loting his Majelly's fhip I had the honour to command; but, at the feme time, I flatter myself with the hopes, that their lordships, will be convinced that he has not been given away; but, on the contrary, that every exertion has been used to defend her; and that two effential pieces of fervice to our country have arisen from it; the one, in wholly overfetting the cruize, and intentions of this flying fquadron; the other, in refcuing the whole of a valuable convoy from falling into the hands of the enemy, which must have been the cafe had I acted any otherwise than I did. We have been driving about in the North Sea ever fince the action, endeavouring to make to any port we poffibly could, but have not been able to get into any place till to-day we arrived in the Texel.

Herewith I inclofe you the most exact list of the killed and wounded I have as yet been able to procure, from my people being difperfed amongst the different thips, and having been refufcd permifion to muiter them; there are, I find, many more, both killed and wounded, than appears on the inclofed lift, but their names as yet I find impoffible to ascertain; as foon as I

poffibly can, fhall give their lordfhips a full account of the whole. I am, Sir,

Your most obedient,

and most humble fervant,
R. PEARSON,

P. S. I am refufed permiffion to wait on Sir Jofeph Yorke, and even to go on fhore.

Abstract of the lift of killed and wounded.

Killed 49.-Wounded 68.

Copy of a Letter from Lieut. George, of the Rambler Cutter, to Sir Charles Hardy, giving an Account of an Engagement between his Majefty's Ship the Quebec, and a French Frigate of 40 Guns.

I

SIR,

BEG leave to acquaint you, that on Wednesday the 6th inftant, being then in company with his Majefty's fhip Quebec, Ufhant bearing fouth 15 leagues, at daybreak we difcovered three fail to leeward in the S. W. quarter. Captain Farmer made the fignal for the Rambier to come under his fern, which I obeyed; he then asked me what I thought of them; I told him a fhip, a cutter, and a Dutch hoy he replied, he would go down and fee what they were, and ordered me to keep clofe to him. At half past eight we plainly perceived two of them to be a large French frigate and a cutter: at nine the enemy's frigate began to fire at the Quebec, but at too, great a distance to do any execu tion. At ten the Quebec, being within point blank fhot of the enemy, hoifted her colours, and returned their fire, ftill edging down

to

to come to a clofe engagement till fhe was along fide the French frigate. I immediately hoifted my colours, and ftood in between the French frigate and the cutter, with an intent to cut her off from her confort, and bring her to a clofe engagement, which I effected and began to engage her at eleven o'clock clofe along fide; (I then found her force to be fixteen fixpounders, and full of men ;) we continued to engage her in the fame pofition till within a few minutes of two o'clock, when the fet all the fail fhe could croud, and bore from us, we hot having had the luck to carry away any thing material; and the Rambler, having her gaff hot away, her topmaft hot through, the top-fail halyards, and most of her ftanding and running rigging gone, and the mainfail rendered unferviceable, was incapable of following her with any hopes of coming up with her; at the fame time feeing both the frigates difmafted, and the Quebec take fire, I endeavoured to get as near the Quebec as poffible, in hopes of faving fome of her men; but there being but little wind, and a large iwell, found I could affist her no other way but by hoifting out our boat,

which I effected, and fent the mafter and five men armed in her, who picked up one malter's mate, two young midshipmen, and fourteen more of the Quebec's people, the enemy's frigate at the fame time firing at the boat *. As the Rambler was a confiderable diftance to leeward of the Quebec, I thought it would be in vain to fend a fecond time.

I want words fufficient to defcribe the noble gallant manner of Captain Farmer's engaging the enemy for upwards of three hours and an half, that he lay alongside the frigate, which carried twentyeight eighteen - pounders on her main deck, and twelve guns on her quarter deck and forecaitle. The Quebec continued burning very fiercely, with her colours flying, till fix o'clock, when the blew up. I am much afraid, from the report of Mr. William Moore, one of the mafter's mates of the Quebec, that Captain Farmer, and his officers that were alive when he left the Quebec, fhared the fate of the fhip.

I beg leave, at the fame time, to recommend to you, Sir, the officers and crew of the Rambler, who did every thing that might be expected from Englishmen. I am

happy