manding the Sceptre 74, made a dash into St. Paul’s bay, Isle Bourbon, and opened their fire upon the shipping there, consisting ot the Sémillante, French frigate, three armed ships, and twelve sail of merchantmen, which had been captured from the British, and were then waiting for a favorable opportunity to stand over and enter Port Louis. Unfortunately the heavy cannonade soon hushed the little breeze there had been, and the two British ships could with difficulty manoeuvre; as otherwise the action would, in all probability, have ended in the rescue of much valuable property, the Sémillante’s prizes alone, eight in number, being valued at nearly a million and a half sterling. After this attack, the Cornwallis and her consort were obliged to repair to Madagascar for refreshments, their crews being greatly affected by scurvy.
On the 9th Feb. 1807, the Cornwallis sailed from Madras for the west coast of America; and she appears to have been the first regular man of war that ever passed between New Holland and Van Diemen’s Land. After leaving Port Jackson, she went round the south end of New Zealand; and on the 16th May we find Captain Johnston discovering three islands, situated about 54 miles S. by E. from Chatham island. A journal kept on board the Cornwallis enables us to give the following outline of his subsequent proceedings:–
“June 14th, at noon, stood towards Musafuero, but no appearance of any sealers on it. Captain Johnston resolved to ascertain if it was in possession of the Spaniards, as had been reported at Port Jackson. At 5 P.M. the boat returned, having found only two American sealers, who had been on the inland about nine months, and had seen but five sail during that time; one of them, they thought, appeared a Spanish brig of war. At 6 P.M. made sail for Juan Fernandez, in expectation of meeting some of the enemy’s cruisers.
“June 16th, stood into Cumberland bay, but not a vessel or even a boat to be seen. This bay is on the N.E. side of the island, and about a mile long from point to point: the town and castle are on the west side of the bay.
“June 18th, while both officers and men were indulging themselves in golden dreams, an accident occurred which threatened to involve the whole in one general destruction. It seems that the gunner had deposited a quantity of blank musket cartridges in his store-room, on the preceding day, after exercise, instead of returning them to the magazine, agreeably to the orders of his Captain; and, in the midst of these, one of the crew, while fitting a flint, snapped his lock, when the whole exploded with a hor-
