praams, nineteen schooners, and thirty-eight schuyts, steering along shore from that port towards Ostend, under circumstances which allowed me to hope I should be able to bring them to action. The signal was made to the Cruiser and Rattler for an enemy in the E.S.E., to call their attention from Ostend[1]: the squadron weighed the moment the flood made and allowed of the heavier ships following them over the banks; the signals to chase and engage were obeyed with alacrity, spirit, and judgment, by the active and experienced officers your Lordship has done me the honor to place under my orders. Captains Hancock and Mason attacked this formidable line with the greatest gallantry and address, attaching themselves particularly to the two praams, both of them of greater, force than themselves, independent of the cross fire from the schooners and schuyts: I sent the Aimable by signal to support them[2]. The Penelope having an able pilot, on signal being made to engage. Captain Broughton worked up to the centre of the enemy’s line, as near as the shoal water would allow, while the Antelope went round the Stroom sand to cut the van off from Ostend. Unfortunately our gun-brigs were not in sight, having, as I have understood since, devoted their attention to preventing the Ostend division from moving westward.
“The enemy attempted to get back to Flushing; but being harrassed by the Cruiser and Rattler, and the wind coming more easterly against them, they were obliged to run- ↑ This signal does not appear to have been repeated by l’Aimable; nor was the Flushing flotilla discovered by the sloops off Ostend until 9-30 A M. The latter got under weigh at 10, and the ships in the Stone Deep at 11 o’clock. At noon the Antelope war, 7 or 8 miles to the N.N.E. of Ostend. The Cruiser and Rattler were then pursuing the enemy in the Inner Welling, a shift of wind having induced the Dutch commander to put back towards Flushing, as is stated in the third paragraph of Sir W. Sidney Smith’s letter.
- ↑ Captain Hancock commenced the attack at 1-30 P.M.; and in ten minutes after, Captain Mason was also in action with the enemy. L’Aimable’s log does not pretend that she fired a shot until 4 o’clock: it runs thus – “at 4 opened our fire on the enemy’s line, batteries, and flying artillery.”
