Search -
Publications of the Navy Records Society (1902)
Publications of the Navy Records Society - 1902 Author:Navy Records Society (Great Britain) Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: No. 281 CAPTAIN PUGET TO CORNWALLIS Foudroyant, Cawsand Bay, 23rd June, 1804. Sir,—Having turned my thoughts to the possibility of annoying the French fle... more »et at their present anchorage in Brest, and conceiving their position to be favourable for that purpose, I have, under that impression, ventured to submit to your consideration the inclosed papers, containing a plan for an attempt to destroy them by fire-vessels, and, at the same time, offering my services to conduct such an undertaking, and to lead the vessels into Brest. Permit me to hope that, in the event of this plan being honoured with your approbation, you will have the goodness to mention my name, as well as those of the officers who have volunteered for this enterprise, as persons ready to execute it; and I trust, if we are permitted to undertake it, we shall, by our exertions, entitle ourselves to your notice and protection. To those officers I have confided my scheme, and when I mention Captain Patrick Campbell, of the Doris, Lieutenant Thomas Graves, first of this ship, Lieutenant Miln, of the Mary cutter, and Lieutenant Ussher, of the Sir John Colpoys schooner, you will think with me that there is every reliance to be placed on their secrecy. I have selected Lieutenant Graves to accompany me in the vessel that leads in, from the knowledge I have of his abilities and judgment, that, should any accident happen to me going in, I feel confident he would conduct the enterprise to their appointed stations. I beg leave to remark to you, that it frequently occurs that convoys pass from the eastward round chapter{Section 4St. Matthew's into Brest. Probably the enemy might be deceived into a belief that our vessels were of that description, and therefore let them pass unmolested. As the success of this en...« less