an account of which will be found in our memoir of Captain Charles Tinling[1].
The Brilliant being raised again a few days after the enemy’s defeat, Mr. Crawford re-embarked with her crew, and continued in that frigate till the departure of Captain Curtis with the fleet under Lord Howe[2], when he was removed by Sir Sir Charles H. Knowles into the San Miguel of 72 guns, a Spanish ship that had been driven on shore near the garrison and compelled to surrender, in Oct. 1782[3].
On the 12th Nov. the enemy’s flotilla made an attack upon the San Miguel, but did not succeed in doing her any material damage. On the 18th of the following month twenty-nine gun and mortar-boats made a second attempt to destroy her and other ships lying at anchor off BuenaVista, and were supported by the Spanish land batteries with a very animated cannonade. The mortar-boats composed the centre division, and the whole flotilla were drawn up in a line-of-battle extending about two miles. They got their distance the first round, and retained it with such precision, that almost every shell fell within fifty yards of the San Miguel, which was the principal object of their attack. The 74th shell fell on board, burst on the lower deck, killed 4, and wounded 11 men, 3 of whom died soon after. Fortunately, however, she received no further injury, although the enemy did not retire until they had expended the whole of their ammunition. Three days after this event the San Miguel was driven from her anchors more than half-bay over, and every effort to recover her station proved ineffectual, tiil an eddy wind brought her about, and enabled Sir Charles Knowles to run her aground within the New Mole, where she was repeatedly fired upon by the enemy during the continuance of the siege.
In Mar. 1783, Mr. Crawford was re-appointed to the Brilliant by his former commander, Sir Roger Curtis, who had returned to Gibraltar, and hoisted a broad pendant as Commodore on the Mediterranean station. His commission as a
- ↑ See Vol. II, Part I, pp. 362–366.
- ↑ See Vol. I, pp. 17 and 106 et seq.
- ↑ See id. note † at p. 114.
