sidering him already provided for. He was, however, immediately appointed acting lieutenant of the Fawn sloop, captain the Hon. George Alfred Crofton; and, on the 28th May following, he commanded two of her boats at the capture of a large Spanish privateer schooner and three merchant vessels, one of the latter armed, under two batteries at the N.E. end of Porto Rico; of this truly gallant affair, performed in open day, under the very muzzles of the enemy’s guns on shore, and a continued fire of musketry from the surrounding bushes into which the privateer’s men had escaped after running their vessel aground and scuttling her in the bows, no mention whatever is made in the London gazette, nor indeed is there, to our knowledge, any published account extant.
On obtaining possession of the schooner, the sea being perfectly smooth, Mr. Robertson determined to tow her off; and after nailing sheet lead over the holes in the bows, succeeded in getting her afloat and fairly under way. He then directed her guns to be turned upon the enemy; but this had scarcely been effected when her magazine exploded, and all on board except himself and two seamen were blown into the water: the loss sustained on this occasion was one warrant officer, the carpenter of the Fawn, killed; and Mr. Farley, master’s-mate, a quartermaster, and two marines severely scorched and wounded: at the moment of the accident taking place, acting lieutenant Robertson was, fortunately for him, standing before the fore-mast, cheering and encouraging the people in the boats a-head to give way.
In the evening of the same day, Mr. Robertson rejoined the Fawn, with his four gallantly obtained prizes; and the schooner was then partially repaired: on the following day, however, she went down in a squall, by which disaster five men perished. On the 17th July, 1808, Mr. Robertson conducted another successful attack in the same quarter; cut out a merchant schooner, and spiked and destroyed the guns of one of the above-mentioned batteries. On this occasion, the Fawn’s boats were assisted by two belonging to the Pultusk sloop, the commander of which vessel (now Captain Charles Napier) accompanied them as a volunteer, merely to
