by John Marshall

“ The annals of history never yet produced, we conceive, a contest more unequal, skill and activity more exerted, nor magnanimity more displayed, than in that event. Captains Vincent and Farquhar’s manner of attack, and drawing the enemy to leeward of the fleet, merit great praise, as the only possible means of saving us. The well-directed fire from both the Arrow and Acheron must have done considerable execution to the enemy ”

“ His commission as a Rear-Admiral of the Red was dated on the very day of his decease, Oct. 25, 1809. He was most exemplary in virtue, honor, and friendship. In him the public lost a zealous and faithful servant– Captain Vincent, and many other officers, a sincere and estimable friend. His memory will ever be respected by all who had the honor of his acquaintance. A letter from Malta, dated Nov. 6, says, “He was rather devoted to the Maltese interest; but he was certainly in the right. We British are too apt to despise foreigners: he found it necessary to protect them as he did. ”

“ The Triumph has shifted and repaired some of her sails, but any damage she has received is so trifling, at least in her Captain’s eye, that Sir Erasmus Gower has not thought it worth reporting; indeed, the cool and firm conduct of that ship was such, that it appeared to me the enemy dared not come near her [3] . ”

“ The Committee of the Patriotic Fund have voted honorary rewards to the commanding officers; given donations to the wounded; and made provision for the families of those who fell in thus supporting the honor of the British flag. But the rules of that Institution extend no further; and it is a tribute still due to those brave men who have lost their own property in so resolutely defending that of others, to provide, that on their return from imprisonment, they should at least be furnished with necessaries to equip them for his Majesty’s service. ”

“ The frigates stood from us to the westward, and at dawn of day, the wind being light and variable, their heads to the southward, I observed the headmost with French colours up, and she soon after hoisted a broad pendant at the main. ”

“ Set the spanker, to keep the ship to, the wind being very light, to prevent their passing a-head and raking us. About 7, the headmost in passing to leeward gave us her broadside, when the action commenced: at this time the Acheron was close on our starboard quarter, and the body of the convoy to windward, bearing N.W. 4 miles, mostly on the larboard tack, much scattered, and making all sail to the westward. As the enemy passed, the action was kept up on both sides at the distance of half a cable’s length, when they wore and gave me an opportunity of raking them ”

“ Notwithstanding the haste with which Captain Vincent was obliged to quit the ship he had so bravely defended, he did not forget the sabre that had been presented to him by the Capitan Pacha, at Constantinople; but a French officer managed to obtain it from one of the Arrow’s crew, under a feigned pretence, and every endeavour to recover it proved unavailing; redress was not to be had of people who respected no principles of honor.
The frigates proved to be part of the Toulon fleet, commanded by Mons. ”

“ Soon after she had passed, the largest frigate hauled after her, but not until we had received much of the enemy’s fire in our starboard quarter [14] . We were then left to the other frigate, which I continued to engage closely for some time: but outrunning rigging being cut to pieces; the impossibility of managing the ship the lower masts being badly wounded; the standing rigging, yards, and sails much cut; many shot between wind and water; four guns dismounted on the starboard side; the rudder machinery disabled; 13 men killed, and 27 wounded ”

“ Billiet, Capitaine de fregate, commander, of 42 guns and 650 men, including troops: conceiving from the above disabled state of the Arrow, that further resistance would only increase the loss of lives, without the hope of saving his Majesty’s sloop from such superior force; particularly as she was making considerable water, and the surviving officers and crew could scarcely be removed from her, before she settled on her beam ends and sunk [15] . ”

“ We were then taken possession of, and as soon as the officers and crew of the Acheron were removed, the enemy finding her much disabled, thought fit to burn her.” ↑ The total number of officers, men, and boys, on board the Arrow at the commencement of the action was 132. The Acheron mounted only eight 24-pounders, and had no more than 67 persons at quarters. L’Hortense, the Commodore’s frigate, mounted 48 guns, and was crowded with troops, like her consort. The enemy’s joint force was consequently 90 guns and at least 1300 men: that of the British 36 guns (all carronades) and 199 men. ”

“ He then applied for active employment, and was immediately appointed to the Hind 28; but as that ship was then stationed in the Mediterranean, he received, with his commission to her, an order to act as Captain of the Cambrian, a frigate of the largest class, fitting at Plymouth, to convoy a fleet of merchantmen to that quarter, and on his arrival to exchange with Captain Francis W. Fane, then commanding the Hind. ”

“ The wooden tanks fitted in her hold for the better stowage of water, and many interior parts of her hull, were quite rotten; and the carpenters appointed to survey her reported that she was generally defective. ↑ Captain Farquhar had by this time approached the strangers sufficiently near to discover that they were large frigates, with their spare anchors stowed in the main chains, which led him to suppose they were French. ↑ The Duchess of Rutland was the only transport belonging to the convoy: twenty-nine sail were British merchant vessels ”

“ They were constructed to carry twenty-four 32-pounders upon the main-deck, and were afterwards fitted to receive two more carronades of the same nature on each of their two short-decks, which we may call the quarter-deck and fore-castle. All these carronades were fitted upon the non-recoil principle. ”

“ Victory, a first rate, bearing the flag of Lord Hood, commander-in-chief on the Mediterranean station; and Triumph 74, commanded by the late Sir Erasmus Gower.
In 1793 and the two following years, Mr. Vincent saw much active service, the Terrible forming part of Lord Hood’s fleet at the occupation, defence, and evacuation of Toulon; as also during the siege of Corsica [2] ”