by John Marshall

“ Never, perhaps, did any ship arrive in port more helpless from the mere effects of a dreadful and invincible disorder. From two British East Indiamen, which lay in Batavia Roads when she arrived, and from three others which came in a few days after, with the assistance of a few Dutch sailors, a fresh crew was at length made up, in which only 4 of the original seamen remained, the rest having either died in the hospital, or not being sufficiently recovered to re-embark previous to her sailing again on the 7th Dec. ”

“ At 3 A.M. on the 4th the boats boarded, and after a short but spirited resistance, carried l’Aventurier of 12 guns and 79 men, 16 of whom were wounded, several mortally. The batteries in the neighbourhood being by this time alarmed, and the wind blowing dead on the land, Lieutenant Shortland was obliged to relinquish any attempt on the other vessels, and work his prize off shore; which he succeeded in doing, after being exposed to the fire of the batteries for about two hours. This gallant exploit was performed with the loss of 1 man killed, 1 missing, and 3 or 4 wounded. ”

“ From the Nemesis, Lieutenant Shortland removed into the Romney of 50 guns, commanded by Sir Charles Hamilton, whom he accompanied into the Melpomene frigate, about April 1795, and continued to serve with for a period of four years; during which l’Aventurier brig of war [2] , la Revanche, of 18 guns and 167 men, le Zelé of 16 guns and 69 men, several smaller privateers, and a number of merchantmen, were taken from the enemy. ”