1809	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	176

besides having expended all her powder, was at this time approaching fast towards the mole-head of Naples, then scarcely a mile and a half distant, Mr. Joseph Miller, the master, upon whom, for the reasons that will shortly appear, the command had devolved, found himself unable to take advantage of the enemy's confusion.

This being the case, the Cyane hauled off, with all her sails completely riddled by the enemy's grape and langridge, her standing and running rigging cut to pieces, her fore and mizen masts badly wounded, 45 round shot in and through her sides, her chain-plates, and several port-timbers destroyed, and four guns disabled from the drawing of the ring-bolts ; also with a loss of one seaman and one marine killed, her captain and first lieutenant, James Hall (both dangerously), second and only remaining lieutenant (John Ferrier), one midshipman (John Taylor), 11 seamen, four marines, and one boy wounded. The Espoir, who had some share in the latter part of this engagement, sent the gun-boats to the assistance of her crippled consort, and they towed her out of the bay. On account of her greatly disabled state, the Cyane was immediately sent to England to be refitted.

The wound of Captain Staines was indeed a severe one. He lost his left arm out of the socket at the shoulder, and was also wounded in the side. Lieutenant Hall's wounds were in the thigh and arms ; and it gratifies us to observe that, in a few months after the very gallant service in which he had been engaged, he was promoted to the rank of commander. Of the proceedings of the Cyane altogether, in the vicinity of Procida, they are such as do honour to every officer and man who was on board of her ; and, certainly, nobler behaviour than that which Captain Staines displayed on the occasion, we have never had to record.

On the 28th of July, in the morning, the British 74-gun ship Excellent, Captain John West, being at an anchor off Triest, discovered an enemy's convoy standing along the northern shore towards that port. With the view of cutting off the vessels, Captain West got under way, and took up a position between them and their destined port. Seeing this, the convoy took shelter in Duin, a port four leagues to the north-west of Triest. Having in company with him the 18-gun ship-sloop Acorn, Captain Robert Clephane, and 16-gun brig-sloop Bustard, Captain John Duff Markland, Captain West deemed it practicable to get possession of this convoy ; and accordingly, at 10 p.m., Captain Clephane, with the two sloops, and all the boats of the Excellent. under the orders of her first lieutenant, Mr. John Harper, was detached to perform the service.

About midnight the boats covered by the Acorn and Bustard who from her light draught of water led in, pushed through a heavy fire into the harbour ; and, while Captain Robert Cummins,

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