ew, and strongly
advised him to wear ship. You may be sure we were very sorry when we
had to bring the _Apollo_ to the wind, with her head off shore; and a
few minutes afterwards the _Stanislaus_ took the ground, when her
foremast and main-topmast fell over the side. Still greater was our
disappointment when we heard that Ostend was neutral ground, and that we
should be violating what was called the neutrality of the port by
renewing the engagement. I am not certain that our commander would not
have run all risks, had not the enemy fired a gun to leeward to claim
the protection of the Dutch. It is but right to say that the French
fought well, for besides our captain, we hid five poor fellows killed
and twenty wounded. Our rigging was cut to pieces, and we had three
feet of water in the hold. The French loss was much more severe.

"Mr Pellew got his promotion to the rank of commander for this action.
I next served with him on board the _Pelican_, a fourteen gun brig to
which he was soon afterwards appointed. We were off the Isle of Bas,
towards the end of April 1782, I mind, when we made out several vessels
at anchor in the roads.

"Our commander at once resolved to attack them, and for this purpose
stood inshore, when we saw two privateers--a brig and a schooner, each
of equal force to the _Pelican_--spring their broadsides towards the
entrance of the roads, to prevent us entering. Our commander was not
the man to be stopped by threats of that sort. Standing on, we opened a
brisk fire on the two privateers, and soon drove them, as well as a
third which appeared inside, on shore, close under the shelter of some
heavy batteries, whose guns at once began blazing away at us. We were
struck several times, and two of our men were wounded, but no one was
killed. It was about as pretty and well-executed an affair as I ever
saw, and we were all right glad to hear that our commander had obtained
his post rank for it. So you see, Will, we've got a man to be proud
of."

I agreed with Hagger, but yet my heart was too sore to feel any
satisfaction at knowing this, and I would a thousand times rather have
been on shore with my dear wife; and who, under my circumstances, would
not? Still I might hope by some means or other to be able to rejoin
her. The frigate, I found, had been fitted out at Portsmouth, and to
Portsmouth she would in all probability return. I would thankfully have
received a wound sufficiently severe