We next find this officer serving on shore at the occupation of Isle Dieu, and subsequently assisting at the capture of l’Eveillé, French national brig, mounting 18 guns, with a complement of 100 men[1].
La Concorde continued to be actively employed in cooperation with the French royalists until Nov. 1795. In Jan. following, Lieutenant Evans again signalized himself by his intrepid and humane endeavours to succour the crew of the Hon.E.I.C. ship Dutton, when driven on shore under the citadel of Plymouth, in a tremendous gale of wind. The manner in which the crew and passengers were saved, after every attempt made by the boats of the fleet had proved abortive, has been described at p. 215, of our first volume. On the 9th April, 1796, la Concorde assisted at the capture of about twenty-five French merchantmen, and also at the destruction of la Volage, a national ship, mounting 26 guns. In the course of the same month, she likewise contributed to the capture of two fine frigates – l’Unité, 38 guns, 255 men; and la Virginie, of 44 guns and 340 men[2].
During this cruise, Lieutenant Evans had two more narrow escapes:– the first was, when setting fire to one of the captured merchant vessels, a random shot from la Concorde cut a rope which he had accidentally laid hold off; the second, when employed landing arms, &c. by night, between l’Orient and Quiberon, the weather very dark and tempestuous, his flat-bottomed boat dragged her grapnel, drifted into a heavy surf, and capsized over him, by which means he was kept under water until some of the royalists, commanded by General Georges, providentially came to his assistance. Another miraculous escape, which he experienced about the same period, is also worthy of notice:
Cruising off Brest, in a heavy gale of wind, la Concorde brought to a large French ship, which Captain Hunt resolved to take possession of, although he was told that no boat could live in such a sea as was then running: the boat being lowered, the crew descended into her, and were immediately
- ↑ L’Eveillé was taken by Sir J. B. Warren’s squadron, Oct. 15, 1795.
- ↑ See Vol. I, p. 216, et seq.
