ch, in the opinion of the court, will reflect immortal honour on
the memory of Captain Atkins.

Rear Admiral Reynolds was an officer of considerable experience, and
had distinguished himself on several occasions previous to his
melancholy fate on board the St. George.

In the year 1797, he commanded the Amazon, a 36-gun frigate, and was
cruizing the 13th of January off Ushant, in company with the
Indefatigable, Captain Sir Edward Pellew, when a large ship was
descried, steering under easy sail for France. This was a little after
twelve o'clock at noon; chase was immediately given, and at four in
the afternoon, the stranger was discovered to be a French two-decker,
the Droits de l'Homme, of 74 guns.

She had on board, exclusive of her crew of 700 men, about 1050 troops,
which, with 50 English prisoners, made 1800 souls.

At a little past five o'clock, the Indefatigable closed with the enemy
and began the action; this had lasted about an hour, when the
Indefatigable unavoidably shot ahead, on which the Amazon took her
place and nobly continued the battle. The Indefatigable, having in
the meantime repaired her rigging, again joined in the attack, the
British ships placing themselves one on each quarter of their
opponent. A continued fire was kept up for upwards of five hours, when
they found it absolutely necessary to sheer off, in order to secure
their masts. During the action the sea is described as having run so
high, that the men on the main decks of the frigates were up to their
middles in water. As soon as the masts were secured, the attack was
again resumed, and notwithstanding the crews of both ships were almost
exhausted with their exertions, it was prolonged for five hours more,
when, late in the night, the fire ceased on both sides. The Amazon had
now nearly three feet of water in the hold, and was in other respects
most severely damaged. The enemy had suffered still more; her foremast
was shot away, and the main and mizen-masts left tottering, the decks
being strewed with the dead and dying.

At about four o'clock in the morning, an officer on board the
Indefatigable reported breakers ahead, and the loss of all three
vessels appeared almost inevitable.

The Indefatigable was then close under the starboard quarter of the
Droits de l'Homme, and the Amazon as near to her on the larboard bow.
The Indefatigable was fortunate enough to avoid the danger by being
able to make sail to the southward, and she escap