struck by a shot on the head, and the surgeon was killed by his side. But let us return to the fight the Spanish ships, as they were beaten off, were successively replaced by others, so that the Revenge had never less than two mighty galleons at her side, and, ere the morning, from three o'clock P.M. of the previous day, fifteen several ships had assailed her and been repulsed. At break of day their desperate situation was apparent to all on board the doomed ship. None appeared in sight but enemies; the ship's company, which, at the beginning of the fight, numbered but 100 free from illness (ninety being sick in the hold), were now reduced to sixty, and the majority of these had been wounded; their powder was spent to the last barrel, their small arms were all broken or useless, their masts were beaten overboard, and their ship lay a hulk on the water. In this situation, Sir Richard proposed to the ship's company to trust to the mercy of God, and not to that of the Spaniards, and blow up their ship, so that thereby nothing might remain of glory or victory to the Spaniard, who, with 10,000 men, and fifty-three sail of men-of-war, had been unable in fifteen hours to take them. The master gunner and one party concurred in their Admiral's proposal, and others were disposed for a composition, and answered that the ship, having six feet water in her hold, could never be kept afloat, and remain a prize in the enemy's hands.

While the matter was still being disputed, the master of the Revenge went on board the Spanish Admiral, who, for fear of further loss, granted the lives of the ship's company, and promised that they should be sent to England; and on these terms being communicated to the crew, all who had hitherto stood by the Admiral in his desperate resolution to blow up the ship, with the exception of the master gunner, drew back. That officer, thus prevented, would have slain himself with his sword, but was by force withheld and locked up in his cabin, while the enemy took possession of their hard-earned prize. The Spanish Admiral sent an officer to his dying foe, to inquire if he would remove out of the Revenge, who replied that "he might do with his body what he list, for he esteemed it not." When he was carried out of his ship, Sir Richard swooned; but, reviving again, desired the ship's company to pray for him. The Spaniards used him with great humanity, and left nothing unattempted that might tend to his recovery. He survived his removal a very few days, during which his last words were, "Here die I, Richard Grenville, with a joyful and quiet mind, for that I have ended my life as a true soldier ought to do, fighting for his queen, religion, and honour; my soul willingly departing from this body, leaving behind the lasting fame of having behaved as every valiant soldier is in his duty bound to do." The Spaniards lost in this sharp, though unequal action, four ships and

about 1000 men, two of their ships sinking by the side of the Revenge, one in St. Michael's roads, and the other was run on shore to save her crew; while Grenville's own ship perished soon after her capture, with 200 Spaniards on board her.

CAPTAIN FAULKNOR AT FORT ROYAL.

The reduction of the French West India Islands, at the commencement of the revolutionary war with France, brought into notice an officer whose career was as brilliant as it was unfortunately short. When the combined naval and military forces under Sir John Jervis and Sir George Grey had united for the attack on Martinique, the Admiral and General, encouraged by the spirit shown in an impromptu attempt to cut out a frigate, the Bienvenu, lying in the Carenage, decided on an immediate attack on the strong works of Fort Royal, which commanded the harbour, and which they hoped to carry by escalade. With this object the naval and military forces were embarked in the boats of the fleet; it having been arranged that they were to advance to the attack under cover of the guns of the Asia, of 74 guns, and of the brig Zebra, commanded by Captain Faulknor. From some unexplained cause, the Asia either could not, or would not, approach near enough

the fort to render the desired service of distracting the enemy's attention and drawing off their fire from the troops. Under these circumstances, Captain Faulknor, seeing that it would be almost impossible for the troops to effect their landing under such a fire as the fort, if undisturbed, could maintain against them, determined in his little brig to attempt the service which his more powerful colleague seemed desirous of avoiding, and to show the line-of-battle ship the way in. The gallant example thus set was not, however, followed, and "the Zebra, whose puny broadside was of little avail against stone walls" (here we quote the official dispatch), "having been under a heavy fire of grape shot for a great length of time, which Captain Faulknor, his officers, and ship's company, stood with a firmness not to be described, he determined to undertake the service alone; and he executed it with matchless intrepidity and conduct, running the Zebra alongside the walls of the fort, there being deep water close to, and, leaping overboard at the head of his sloop's company, assailed and took this important post; the enemy, terrified at his audacity, striking their colours before the boats could get ashore, although they rowed with all the force and animation which characterize English seamen in the face of an enemy." Sir John Jervis goes on to say, "No language of mine can express the merit of Captain Faulknor upon this occasion, but every officer and man in the army and squa

dron bears testimony to it. This incomparable action cannot fail of being recorded in the page of history. It was my duty to reward it at the moment, which I did, by purchasing the French frigate Bienvenu, captured that morning, and giving him the rank of post captain in her, and naming her the Undaunted." In the execution of this important service, four seamen wounded, and one only, the pilot, killed. man's death was attended with the following singular circumstances. Captain Faulknor, having observed a visible confusion in this man's countenance when he gave him the orders to place the sloop close under the walls of Fort Royal, said to one of his officers, "I think

were

This

seems con

fused, as if he did not know what he was about; was he ever in action before?" "Many times, sir; he has been twenty-four years in the service." Captain Faulknor, however, convinced that his suspicions were well founded, went up to the pilot, and asked some trifling question, when his agitation was such as to render him entirely incapable of giving a collected answer. But he added, in a low tone of voice, and without raising his eyes to his captain's face" I see your honour knows me. I am unfit to guide her. I don't know what is come over me. I dreamed last night I should be killed, and am so afraid, I don't know what I am about; I never in all my life felt afraid before." Captain Faulknor, with that presence of mind that marked his character,