1808	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	80

men and boys, commanded by Lieutenant James Bennett, saw and chased a sail bearing south-east by south, in the hope to cut her off from the land, towards which the vessel, supposed to be a French letter of marque, was then steering. Instead, however, of being a letter of marque, the stranger was the ship-corvette Département-des-Landes, now mounting 16 carronades, 24-pounders, and four long 8-pounders * on the main deck, and two brass 6-pounders on the quarterdeck, besides a large swivel on the forecastle, with a crew of at least 160 men and boys, commanded by Captain Joseph- François Raoul.

Just as the Maria had got within gun-shot of her opponent, a flaw of wind from the land took the brig aback. The weather almost immediately afterwards fell dead calm, and the Maria, in consequence, lay with her stern exposed to the broadside of the corvette ; who, hoisting her ensign and pendant and raising her ports, poured into the British brig a most destructive raking fire. Before the Maria could get her sweeps to act, the Département-des-Landes was enabled to give her a second broadside; and, when the brig did sweep herself round, her fire was too insignificant to be of much avail, while the effect of that of her opponent was soon visible in the shattered state of the Maria's masts, yards, rigging, and hull. Owing to the latter's ensign-halyards having been shot away, her colours came down. On this the French captain asked if she had struck. Lieutenant Bennett replied " No." Presently afterwards this gallant officer received three grape shots into his body, and fell dead beneath the colours which he had rehoisted.

The action was still maintained with spirit, for several minutes, by the master, Mr. Joseph Dyason ; when the Maria, being in a sinking state, and having lost, besides her captain, one midshipman (Robert O'Donnel) and four seamen killed and nine wounded, surrendered. One or two men slightly wounded appears to have been the extent of the loss sustained by the French corvette; and, considering the unmanageable state of her opponent at the commencement of the action, and her very inferior force, that was as much as could be expected. Scarcely had the Département-des-Landes taken possession of the Maria and removed the prisoners, than the prize-crew were compelled to run the vessel on shore to prevent her from sinking under them. Nothing could better testify the gallantry with which the Maria had been defended, and that against a ship in every respect but gallantry so decidedly her superior.

Mr. Dyason, who writes the official letter to Sir Alexander Cochrane, calls, or by the Gazette is made to call, his opponent, " le Sards." As the Département-de-la Manche French frigate was mostly, for shortness, called Manche � so the Département-des-Landes we have no doubt, was named by her officers and

* For her armament in 1805, see vol. iv., p. 139.

� See vol., iv., p. 337.

^ back to top ^