and after a few broadsides the boats’ crews and marines were enabled to land and destroy them, tinder the directions of Lieutenant Robert James Gordon, who had already distin guished himself on many occasions, and who was in this instance severely burnt by an explosion of gunpowder, while blowing up one of the vessels.
Two days after the affair at Rotti, Captain Duncan, being off Cape St. Angelo, discovered three ships and a cutter in the N.E. coming down before the wind, and four French privateers in chase of and firing at them. He immediately hauled towards the strangers, and had the satisfaction of saving four Sicilian merchantmen, with valuable cargoes, from being captured. On the Mercury’s approach, the enemy hauled their wind, and Captain Duncan did not pursue them, he having on board important despatches from the British Ambassador at Vienna, and there being but little or no prospect of cutting them off from the land. It is almost superfluous to add, that his continued exertions were duly appreciated by Lord Collingwood, who expressed, “great satisfaction that the Mercury had been able to effect such good service.”
On his return to the Adriatic, Captain Duncan was sent, with the Redwing of 18 guns under his orders, to blockade a French frigate and several brigs of war, then lying at Ancona. Whilst off that harbour, he captured three merchant vessels, destroyed several signal posts in the vicinity of the port, and challenged the frigate, but could not induce her commander to come out and fight him. From thence he proceeded off Ragusa, where he took sixteen sail of merchantmen, during a cruise of only 10 days.
A short time subsequent to the capture of la Pugliese, (already adverted to), Captain Duncan was selected by Lord Collingwood to command a squadron employed in guarding Sicily from an invasion then threatened by the usurper of the Neapolitan throne; but the Mercury, on being surveyed, was found to be too defective for further active service; and indeed declared to be even in an unfit state to go home at that season of the year. Circumstances, however, rendering it necessary for all the effective ships on the station to be retained, Captain Duncan received orders to take charge of the trade,
