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10
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1812.

two land batteries, one of four, the other of nine heavy guns, opened a distant fire upon her. Shortly afterwards the combatants again came to close battle, and continued engaging until 2-15, when the Tactique, having had quite enough of fighting, bore up, made sail, and escaped under the batteries, whither the Guêpe had just before fled for shelter. The Guadaloupe, from which vessel the town of Port Vendres at this time was distant not more than two miles, gave the French brig a parting broadside, then hauled to the wind, and stood off shore; her loss consisted of 1 man killed, her first lieutenant (White) and 9 men severely, and 2 or 3 others slightly wounded; the Tactique is said to have had 11 slain, and 48 wounded.

Shortly after this gallant action. Captain Tetley was appointed, pro tempore; to the Perlen, a Danish-built frigate, in which he captured the French schooner privateer Syrene, of 6 guns, pierced for 12, with a complement of 61 men, near Majorca, Oct. 24th, 1811. An affair in which he was engaged, off Toulon, on the 22d of the following month, is thus described by Mr. James, in his Nav. Hist. Vol. V. p. 481, et seq.

“On the 20th Nov. when the only British force off Toulon were the two 38 gun frigates, Volontaire, Captain the Hon. G. G. Waldegrave, and Perlen, Captain J. S. Tetley, and these had been blown to some distance from the coast, a French Meet of fourteen ships of the line and several frigates sailed upon a cruise between the capes of Sicie and Sepet; intending to extend it a little beyond them, if wind and weather should permit, and if Sir Edward Pellew should approach no nearer than his present cruising ground, off Cape St. Sebastian. The French admiral remained out all that night, and all the following day and night, without being crossed by a hostile sail.

“At daylight on the 22d, however, as the Volontaire and Perlen were lying to, at the distance of two or three leagues W.S.W. from Cape Sicie, the French advanced division, consisting of three line-of-battle ships and two frigates, made its appearance in the S.E. Both parties were soon under a crowd of sail. At 9 a.m. Captain Tetley exchanged several shot with a French frigate upon his lee-quarter; and, owing to the Perlen being able, from the peculiar construction of her after-body, to bring 6 guns, three on each deck, to bear upon what is usually termed the point of impunity, he 80 cut up the French frigate forward, that, at 10 A.M. the latter bore away out of gun-shot. The Trident 74, and Amélie frigate, in the mean time, had exchanged a few distant shot with the Volontaire.