by John Marshall

“ I do not mean the Royal Sovereign alone; the same spirit was shown in all the ships, as they came near me; and although (circumstanced as we were) we had no great reason to complain of the conduct of the enemy, yet our men could not help repeatedly expressing their contempt of them. Could common prudence have allowed me to let loose their valour, I hardly know what might not have been accomplished by such men. ”

“ The squadron under Vice-Admiral Cornwallis consisted of the Royal Sovereign, 110 guns; Mars, Bellerophon, Triumph, and Brunswick, 74’s; Phaeton and Pallas frigates; and Kingfisher sloop. The damage the ships received was very inconsiderable, excepting in their stern frames, which were much shaken by the repeated firing of the guns. The squadron lost not a man, and only 12 were wounded on board the Mars. For their spirited conduct on this occasion, the Vice-Admiral, Captains, &c. ”

“ Early in the following year, a detachment under his orders obliged three French frigates to run ashore near the Sable d’Olonnes; in the execution of which service the British had 3 men killed and 31 wounded, besides being much cut up in the masts and rigging from the fire of the enemy’s batteries [6] .
After the above affair Rear-Admiral Stopford blockaded a French squadron in Aix Roads; and previous to the arrival of Captain Lord Cochrane, who had been sent from England to conduct the enterprise, handsomely volunteered to undertake an attack upon the enemy with fire-ships ”