ages rendered unserviceable, and
the embrasures, with part of the fort, blown up.

I have the honour to be, &c.,

FRED. L. MAITLAND.

On June 27, 1805, the Common Council of the City of London voted him
their thanks for his distinguished conduct in Muros Bay. The Committee
of the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's presented him with a sword, and on
October 18 he received the freedom of the city of Cork in recognition
of his exertions for the protection of Irish trade.

In the following winter the _Loire_ had a narrow escape. Marshall thus
describes the incident:--

"On the 13th Dec. 1805, the _Loire_, accompanied by the _Alcmene_
frigate, fell in with the Rochefort squadron, consisting of six sail
of the line, three frigates, and three corvettes. Maitland immediately
sent the _Alcmene_ to the fleet off Brest, himself keeping company
with the Frenchmen. Being to leeward, and desirous of obtaining the
weather-gage, as the safest situation for his own ship, he carried a
heavy press of sail, and in the night of the 14th, having stretched
on, as he thought, sufficiently for that purpose, put the _Loire_ on
the same tack as they were. About two A.M., it being then exceedingly
dark, he found himself so near one of the largest ships as to hear the
officer of the watch giving his orders. As the noise of putting about
would have discovered the _Loire's_ situation, Captain Maitland very
prudently abstained from doing so, until, by slacking the lee braces
and luffing his ship to the wind, the enemy had drawn sufficiently
ahead. At daylight he had the satisfaction to observe them four or
five miles to leeward; and although he was chased both on that and the
following day by a detachment from the enemy's squadron, he returned
each evening and took his station on the French admiral's
weather-beam, sufficiently near to keep sight of them till the
morning. During the night between the 16th and 17th, several large
ships were seen to windward running down, and which, on perceiving the
_Loire_ and those to leeward of her, made such signals as proved them
also to be enemies. Captain Maitland had now no alternative but to
make sail in order to get from between those two squadrons, the latter
of which afterwards proved to be from Brest."

On November 28, 1806, Maitland was appointed to the _Emerald_, a
36-gun frigate. During the whole of her commission he cruised with
ceaseless activity and