“To Vice Admiral Lord Collingwood.”
LIST OF VESSELS TAKEN.
| San Nicholas | 38 | tons | Cargo, | Oil and Almonds. | |
| San Pratico | 90 | ” | ” | Oil. | |
| L’azzardo fortunato | 54 | ” | ” | Oil. | |
| Name unknown | 130 | ” | ” | Hides, oil and almonds. | |
| Ditto, ditto | 90 | ” | ” | Oil and hemp. | |
| San Antonio | 120 | ” | ” | Oil. | |
| San Antonio | 100 | ” | ” | Plank and spars. | |
| San Nio | 56 | ” | ” | Morocco leather, hides, bees’ wax, &c. | |
| Name unknown | 30 | ” | ” | Oil and hides. | |
| Carlotta fortunata | 56 | ” | ” | Oil. | |
| Name unknown | 50 | ” | ” | Oil. | |
| Ditto, ditto | 60 | ” | ” | Oil, almonds, figs, candles, &c. | |
| Providenza | 30 | ” | ” | Oil. | |
| Total | 904 | tons. |
As the oil was all sweet oil for Gallipoli, these cargoes were very valuable, and could not be worth less than £10,000, the value put upon them by Sir W. Hoste in his letter to his father.—See Hoste’s Memoirs, vol. 1. p. 340.
In consequence of intelligence received from Trieste, and the urgent demands of the Austrian Commander in chief for the co-operation of a frigate, Captain Brenton was under the necessity of detaching the Amphion to the gulf of Fiume, a measure that he regretted the necessity for extremely; as he depended much upon the assistance he should receive from such an officer, as Captain Hoste, in his intended operations on the coast of Italy, which he hoped to keep in a perpetual state of alarm, and thus to prevent as much as possible any troops being detached to the army opposed to the Arch-duke John. Captain Duncan was however still with him, and was also a most valuable coadjutor.
On the 2nd of May, the Spartan and Mercury attacked the port of Cesenatico, as detailed in the following letter.
“Spartan, off Rovigno, 5th May, 1809.
“My Lord,
“On the 2nd instant, the Spartan and Mercury chased two vessels into the port of Cesenatico, the entrance to which is very narrow, and defended by a battery of two guns (twenty-four pounders) and a castle. Observing at the same time several other vessels laying there, I determined to take possession of them if possible. The coast is so shoal that we had only five fathoms, considerably out of gun shot of the town; I was therefore under the necessity of sending the boats a-head, and on each bow, with directions to make a signal when in three fathoms.