58. Jack in Carolina, 1739.
Fig. 59 is a portion of an old engraving of the combat between the French frigate, La Surveillante, and the English frigate, Quebec, 6th October, 1779.[144] This was one of the most gallantly contested actions of the many engagements between single ships during the progress of the war. The two frigates met in the English Channel, and flying at one another at sight they battled hand to hand. All their masts had been carried away, both ships were on fire, more than half of the crew on either side had been killed or wounded. All the boats except one on the French ship had been destroyed, when the Quebec blew up, and Captain Farmer, her commander, went down in her with nearly all who were left alive of his crew. The French captain, de Coudic, who was himself severely wounded, received the forty-three survivors, with a seaman's gallantry, on board the Surveillante, saying that "as their ship had perished with her colours flying, they would be treated, not as prisoners, but as brothers rescued from shipwreck."
The white flag with the fleurs-de-lis is at the stern of the French ship, and at the stern of the English ship is the red ensign on which the St. Andrew cross and the white border of St. George are still shown of equal width.
59. The Combat between "La Surveillante" and the "Quebec," 1779.
In addition to these instances from illustrations, reference to actual flags of these early periods, and which are still in existence, proves that the Union flags carried by regiments of the British army were made on these same proportions.
The drawing (60) is reproduced from a photograph of the King's colour of the 7th Royal Fusiliers, which is stated to have been obtained at the capture of Fort Chambly, in 1775, and is now deposited in the chapel of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and shows its present appearance.[145]
A further example is given in the drawing (61) made from a regimental flag[146] surrendered by the British forces at the capitulation of Yorkton, by Lord Cornwallis, on 20th October, 1781. This is the "King's colour" of one of the British regiments. These flags had most probably been given to the regiments at much earlier dates, and had still continued in use. In both the cross of St. Andrew and the border to St. George are of the same width.
