THOMPSON

saying that the narrative of the proceedings by this time is before you and it no doubt has warm'd your friendly soul to see that I had my full share in the well earn'd Glories of the 1st of August. On the 3rd following the battle I was dispatch'd with Capt Berry of the Vanguard with the first Intelligence for Gibraltar & England. On the 18th... I fell in with the Genereux a damn'd great 78 Gun Ship that was the rearmost in the French Line on the 1st and had escaped from us without any share of the action and after fighting me within pistol shot for 6 hours & 35 minutes, I was obliged to give it in. Indeed it is not a little wonderful to me how we held it out for so long for I had in the Prizes upwards of 100 Men, two Lieuts & Officers in proportion. The Frenchman had 900 men on board by his own confession... we killed a hundred and I saw the surgeons report of wounded after I was moved to the Genereux and it amounted to 188 - I had 57 killed and 55 wounded - every mast yard, shroud & stay cutaway, both the Fore and Main mast cut to atoms and how they stood is not to be credited, but ungovernable as the old Back was, I should not have let them have taken a grain of power in her if I could have got her side to my antagonist to have blown away the last 12 Barrels I had left, it was however impracticable & the vagabond had at this time lain himself athwart my stern - He had nothing shot away but his Mizen top mast & main top gallant mast indeed we had no stroke of luck from beginning to end excepting repulsing him from carrying us when he run us on board & lay touching us for near fifteen minutes and afterwards getting under his stern to rake him, the rest was all hammer & tonge work. After my capture I was taken to the Island of Corfu under promise of being sent immediately on my parole to Naples - I was however confined there near three weeks & then put on board a cursed boat of about forty tons deeply laden with Coin and ordered to Trieste to pass into England on Parole. I was 17 days in my passage... eleven of us in number, no shelter by night and but sadly off for food. I have received two wounds from shot & two from splinters & I am at this moment barely able to stand and yet I trust I shall weather it out, tho' I fear a long lameness from a shot just above my right knee - and a cursed blow on the small of my back, which I am not able to straiten - the others were not of much consequence, a piece of my left ear shot off, and a cut on my eye - my surgeon is with me, or I could not have undertaken the voyage, tho' I think death would have been to be prefer'd far before the alternative of remaining in a state of bondage. I shall get on as fast as possible to Hamburgh. Taylor my Lieut, whose Brother you knew is with me & I shall not part with him, he is as Gallant a lad as need be. He was wounded slightly, but is quite recovered. I long to see the accounts of our exploits in Egypt in print tho' I suppose the conduct of Individuals will not be touch'd on. I should like however that it should not be joyed that the Leander was placed & anchored head and stern athwart the hawser of the Franklin and L'Orient, as yet untouch'd when she continued till one stuck & the other burnt, I afterwards took possession of the Tonnant who had her colors still flying & hove off the.... which had been on shore before I quitted the scene of action. I have suffered & am suffering dreadfully but am supported by the pleasing hope of soon seeing my Country & friends for whom I am ever and at all times ready to suffer all..., 4 sides 4to., on paper watermarked 1796, not date but