by John Marshall

“ The enemy now bore up to renew the action; made every preparation to receive him; reloaded the guns with round and grape. Mustered at quarters, and found 110 men missing; six quarter-deck guns, four on the forecastle, and many of the main-deckers disabled, with the wreck lying over them; the hull knocked to pieces, and the fore-mast, in falling, had passed through the forecastle and main-decks; all our masts gone, the ship making water, and one pump shot away. ”

“ Java very frequently on fire from firing through the wreck which lay on the side. Engaged till 4-35, when the Constitution made sail a-head, and got out of gun-shot; where she remained an hour, repairing her damages, leaving us a perfect wreck, with our main-mast only standing, and main-yard [errata 2] gone in the slings. Every exertion was made by us, during this interval, to place the ship in a state to renew the action; we succeeded in clearing the wreck of our masts from the guns, and endeavoured to get before the wind by setting sails on the stumps of the bowsprit and fore-mast ”

“ At day-light (Aug. 24) , when the whole of the enemy’s ships were discovered “on shore in a heap” and la Néreide lying “a perfect wreck” Captain Lambert having warped the Iphigenia into the channel by which Captain Willoughby had entered, considered that he had a noble opportunity of retrieving the misfortunes of the battle, by running down, and placing his frigate close under the sterns of the Frenchmen. Lieutenant Chads, with a message to this effect, and a proposal to take on board a portion of the crews of the Sirius and Magicienne, went immediately to Captain Pym ”

“ He refused to do so, but offered to give up l’Isle de la Passe in its present state, provided the Iphigenia was allowed to embark every British subject, and to retire unmolested. At sun-set, the gallant frigate ceased warping, and brought up close to the island. In the course of the ensuing night; however, she drifted a considerable distance.
On the 28th, at 7-30 a.m., a second flag of truce came from Mons. Hamelin, urging his previous demand, and promising that all the British; both officers and men, should be allowed their parole. ”

“ The force considered necessary to ensure the success of the enterprise amounted to 400 officers and men; of whom 112 were soldiers embarked in la Nereide frigate.
We should here observe, that after the failure of the former attempt to land [3] , the Sirius and her consorts had proceeded off Port Louis, in order to lull the suspicions of the enemy as to any meditated attack upon l’Isle de la Passe. To further the deception, it was now arranged by Captain Pym, the senior officer, that they should return by different routes ”

“ Captain Lambert sailed from Spithead, with two of the Hon.E.I.Company’s ships under convoy, Nov. 12th, 1812. About a month afterwards he captured and manned an American merchant ship, thereby reducing his complement to 272 officers, men, and boys. Of this number, twenty-three were boys, eighteen raw marine recruits, and about sixty Irishmen who had never before been on salt water, except in crossing over from their own shores to England. Of the remainder of his proper crew, not fifty men had ever been In any other ship or vessel of war. ”

“ Such an opportunity, however, was not put in his power, and it was not until the unavailing loss of innumerable lives was at the very point Of being effected, that he consented to yield to the superior force he had contended with, thereby exhibiting to the latest moment a degree of undaunted perseverance which did not fail to acquire him the encomiums of the enemy ho had been opposed to, whose voluntary and unexpected avowal thereof was, in the handsomest terms, communicated to him. ”

“ Ten days after the capture of l’Isle de la Passe, the Iphigenia and Magicienne arrived there, and formed a junction with the Sirius and Néreide. The disastrous result of an attack made by these four frigates upon a French squadron, under Mons. Duperré, whom Captain Willoughby had decoyed into Grande Port, by means of the enemy’s own signals, has been officially described at pp. ”

“ Mr. James West, midshipman; and thirty-nine men and boys, slightly: – total 103, – Grand total 124.
Lieutenant Chads, in his official report to the Admiralty, written two days after the action, says, “I cannot conclude this letter without expressing my grateful acknowledgments, thus publicly, for the generous treatment Captain Lambert, and his officers have experienced from our gallant enemy.” But, in a subsequent despatch, he informs their lordships, that the crew of the Java “were pillaged of almost every thing, and kept in irons.” ”