Sir Sidney Smith or Lord Cochrane himself been in command,
such would have been accomplished; but Lord Gambier, afraid of risking
the loss of the whole fleet by venturing among the shoals, called his
captains on board, held a council of war, and allowed the favourable
time to pass by. The tide rising enabled several of the ships to get
afloat, and run up the Charente out of the way of danger. The
_Imperieuse_, without waiting for orders, after signalling for
assistance, stood towards three of the French ships, the _Calcutta,
Varsovie_, and _Aquilon_. After some time she was joined by some gun
brigs and bomb-vessels, and later by the _Indefatigable_, and other
frigates. She had, in the meantime, compelled the _Calcutta_ to cease
firing, and the Frenchmen to abandon her. Lord Cochrane then sent a
midshipman and boat's crew to take possession, when, without orders, the
midshipman set her on fire, and in the evening she blew up with a
tremendous explosion. The _Tonnerre_ was also set on fire by her own
officers and crew, and blew up. The fire from the English ships
compelled the _Varsovie_ and _Aquilon_ to submit at 5:30 p.m. Five
other French ships lying on shore at the mouth of the Charente might
also have been destroyed had there been any reserve of fire-vessels, but
these were wanting, and though efforts were made to prepare three more,
by the time they were ready the wind had shifted and they could not be
used. The French lost the _Varsovie_, of 84 guns, the _Aquilon_ and
_Tonnerre_, of 74 guns, and the _Calcutta_, of 50 guns. The
_Imperieuse_ during the action had three seamen killed, and Mr Gilbert,
an assistant-surgeon, Mr Marsden, purser, seven seamen, and two marines
wounded, while the _Revenge_ had three men killed and Lieutenant Garland
and fourteen men wounded, she also receiving considerable damage in her
hull from the batteries on Ile d'Aix. The French loss was much more
considerable; the _Varsovie_ especially, having 100 killed and wounded,
while the captain of the _Aquilon_ was killed in a boat of the
_Imperieuse_, when seated by the side of Lord Cochrane, by a shot from
the burning _Tonnerre_. The burning _Varsovie_ and _Aquilon_, being
supposed by the French to be fire-ships, created a further panic among
them. The captain and crew of the _Tourville_, believing that the
fire-vessel was bearing down upon them, deserted their ship, and
hastened in their boats on shore. A gallant French quarterma