“St. Albans off the Burlings, August 18, 1808.
“Sir,—I have to state to you for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that in consequence of intelligence respecting the British Army in Portugal, communicated by Captain Hotham, of his Majesty’s ship Defiance, on the 12th inst. off Corunna, Brigadier-General Anstruther commanding the troops embarked on board the transports under my convoy, requested us not to pass Figuera without affording him an opportunity of obtaining some further intelligence relative to the situation of Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley; with this, from existing circumstances, I thought it my duty to comply, although contrary to the strict letter of my orders, and accordingly when round Cape Finisterre, steered for Cape Mondego, off which I arrived at noon on the 16th. The Brigadier-General receiving there orders to proceed along the coast to the southward and join the convoy under his Majesty’s ship Alfred, whose captain would give him further information respecting the position and operations of the army by which he was to guide his own, I proceeded in consequence thereof with the fleet, and yesterday at 1 P.M. joined the Alfred off Phenice.
“At four o’clock, in compliance with the Brigadier-General’s wish, I anchored with the transports under the Burlings, to prevent their dispersion, and to await the arrival of directions from the Lieutenant-General, to whom an aide-de-camp was yesterday despatched to announce our arrival, force, and position.
“One of my convoy, having a detachment of the 2nd battalion of the 52nd Regiment on board, parted company on the night of the 12th instant, and has, I suppose, in compliance with the secret rendezvous I issued on the 23rd of July, proceeded off the Tagus.
“I have the honour to be, Sir,
“Your obedient humble servant,
“Francis William Austen.”
From the same to the same.
“St. Albans, Spithead, September 2, 1808.
“Sir,—In my letter to you of the 18th ultimate from off the Burlings forwarded by the Kangaroo, I had the honour to announce for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the arrival of his Majesty’s ship St. Albans, and the transports under my charge at that anchorage. I have now to state to you, for their Lordships’ further information, that the following morning the fleet moved on to the southward, and anchored at 3 P.M. off Paymago, where dispositions were immediately made for disembarking the troops, which was effected in the course of the night. On the 20th, I proceeded with the empty transports, agreeably to the directions I received from Captain Blight, to join the Alfred off Merceira, about six miles more to the southward, and anchoring there at noon of the 21st, remaining until the 24th, my boats being all that time employed in landing provisions and stores for the army, and embarking a number of French prisoners and wounded British soldiers on board such of the transports as had been appropriated for their reception.
“On the 24th at noon, in obedience to directions contained in a letter I received the evening before from Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, I put to sea with twenty-nine transports under my convoy, and proceeded with them off Oporto, where I anchored on the evening of the 27th, and remained for twenty-four hours until I had seen all safe over the bar. I then weighed, and, making the best of my way to England, anchored at Spithead at 8 A.M. this day.”
The St. Albans remained in British waters until March in the following year, for the greater part of the time at Spithead, where, in January 1809, Captain Austen took charge of the disembarkation of the remains of Sir John Moore’s army on their arrival from Corunna.