oldly towards them, firing our
bow-guns again, the one nearest to us also deliberately ran ashore, and
was, like the first, dismasted. The third boat made for the river, but by
our superior sailing we cut her off, whereupon she also ran herself
ashore, and was abandoned by her crew. I don't know that I ever saw forty
men laugh so much as did our fellows at seeing three strong corvettes thus
deliberately run ashore and destroy themselves, when, if any one of the
three had attacked us single-handed, we could have made no real
resistance. The prize captured by the boats now came down, and the
_Pallas_ rejoined the squadron. Admiral Thornborough wrote a very warm
despatch as to the gallantry of the affair, but no notice was taken of it
at the admiralty, and the first lieutenant did not receive the promotion
that he deserved. After two or three other affairs we were ordered to sail
into the Basque Roads to reconnoitre a French squadron lying there. This,
after a brush with a French frigate and three brigs, we succeeded in
doing, and discovered that there were five men-of-war, two heavy frigates,
three smaller frigates, and three brigs. A few days later we sailed
inshore, and the boats landed and destroyed two of the French signal
stations and carried the battery and spiked its guns.

"A day or two afterwards we had a sharp fight in the Basque Roads. A
frigate and three brigs came out to meet us. We disabled one of the brigs,
drove the frigate on to a shoal, and were on the point of capturing it
when two other frigates came out to her assistance, and as we had lost
several spars when we ran aboard the first frigate we were obliged to make
off. After this we returned to England. Another election was coming on.
Cochrane stood again for Honiton, and was returned to parliament without
spending a penny. On the 23rd of August he was appointed to the command of
the _Imperieuse_, and the crew of the _Pallas_ were turned over to her,
and on the 29th of November we joined the fleet again. We took several
prizes, and returned to Plymouth in February. While we were there another
election came on. As Honiton was sick of Lord Cochrane and Cochrane was
sick of Honiton, he stood this time for Westminster, and was returned. He
presently brought forward in the House of Commons a motion with reference
to the abuses in the navy, the only result of which was that he was at
once ordered to join the _Imperieuse_.

"In September we sailed to join Lo