induced to grant the terms, a copy of which I have the honor to enclose, in order to prevent the destruction of the fort of Tamatave, the frigate and the vessels a measure they intended to adopt.
“The enemy’s frigate proves to be la Nereide, of 44 guns, and 470 men, lately commanded by Capitaine le Maresquier, Membre de la Legion d’Honneur, who fell in the action of the 20th instant, in which she suffered very considerably, having had 130 men killed and wounded. She was much engaged by the Phoebe.
“The crew of la Nereide. together with the French garrison of Tamatave, I intend sending to Mauritius as soon as possible, 50 excepted, who are too severely wounded to survive removal. The whole detachment of H.M. 22d regiment retaken, being ill of the endemic fever of this country, I mean to embark on board la Nereide, so soon as she is in a state to receive them; when, after having dismantled the fort, and embarked the guns, &c. I shall proceed with her, under convoy, to Mauritius, in company with the Phoebe. I have the honor to be, &c.
“To Captain Beaver, &c. &c. &c.
Articles of Capitulation
I. “La Nereide frigate, together with all the vessels and property at Tamatave, the fort, &c. of the said place, shall be surrendered without injury to his Britannic Majesty’s ships under my command.
II. “The officers, crews, and troops, now actually at Tamatave, or on board la Nereide, shall be sent, as soon as possible, to Mauritius, and from thence be conveyed to France, without being considered as prisoners of war; the officers and petty officers only shall keep their swords.
III. “The wounded shall remain at Tamatave, under the care of a French Surgeon, until they are recovered, when they shall be sent to France by the first opportunity[1].”
On the demise of Captain Beaver, which took place in April, 1813[2], Captain Schomberg was appointed to the Nisus, a 38-gun frigate; and shortly afterwards sent from the Cape station to Brazil, from whence he convoyed home a large fleet of merchantmen, collected by him at Rio Janeiro, St. Salvador, and Pernambuco. This service, although it afforded him no opportunity of enhancing his reputation in a military point of view, must still be considered as one of great importance, the French Emperor having at that moment made his final effort to cripple English commerce, by sending 13 frigates of the largest class, from different ports in the
