reported to
the Captain.

Brief as had been my visit below, I found upon my return from it that a
material alteration had occurred in the relative positions of the two
vessels during the interval; we were gaining upon the chase hand over
hand, and had shortened the distance between her and ourselves to a
short quarter of a mile, which was as close as we wished to go, the
skipper having now determined to keep to windward--that is to say,
astern--of the Frenchman, and alternately to luff and bear away, passing
athwart and athwart her stern on opposite tacks, raking her first with
one broadside and then the other, pouring in both round shot and grape.
He was in the act of giving orders to clew up the topgallantsails and to
haul down a couple of reefs in the topsails, so that we might not gain
any farther upon the chase, when I went up to him to make my report, and
as soon as he had finished I delivered it, and was again sent down to
Mr Howard to acquaint him with Captain Vavassour's plan, at which he
expressed the utmost satisfaction, immediately ordering the men in the
port battery, which had not yet been engaged, to stand to their guns.

Upon my return to the quarter-deck, after this second visit below, the
men were laying in off the yards, after having hauled down a couple of
reefs in the topsails, and as soon as they were down on deck the
sail-trimmers were sent to the braces, the helm was gently ported, and
the frigate was gradually brought to the wind on the starboard tack,
exposing her port broadside to the French ship, and as we went surging
athwart the enemy's stern the whole of our port battery, both main and
quarter-deck guns, was discharged into her, raking her fore and aft.
Then our helm was eased up; the frigate paid off, came gradually to the
wind on the port tack, and as we again crossed her stern the French ship
got the full contents of our starboard battery, with destructive effect,
if one might judge by the battered appearance of her stern, her
quarter-gallery being shot to pieces and every one of her stern windows
broken; thus showing that pretty nearly the whole discharge must have
entered her hull and raked her decks from aft forward.

But now that we had adopted the plan of alternately coming to the wind
and bearing away again, we began to realise, for the first time, how
hard it was blowing; for, when hauled to the wind, the ship was so
heavily pressed down by her canvas that at every lee-roll th