He said everything that could satisfy a man's wishes or his vanity. He said, "Is that ribbon all they intend doing for you? They ought at least to make you a baronet."-I said, I would rather he should wonder why I was not one, than why I was; and his open manner very much pleased me. He says the Adriatic is my birthright, and I shall be sent there, but not immediately. We have a very fine fleet in admirable order off Toulon, and I wish them nothing better than a speedy sight of the Frenchman. With such a chief, and such ships and men, the Lord have mercy on the monsieurs!

JOURNAL CONTINUED.

Bacchante, Malta, July 31st, 1812. We sailed, as was intended, in search of Admiral Hallowell, whom we found at Mahon, and he gave Hoste the choice of the coast of Italy, or to go immediately to his old station in the Adriatic he has preferred the latter, and we went to Palermo on our way thither, which we left on the night of the 22nd.

About five in the evening of the 23rd, we observed a strange, suspicious-looking vessel

boarding a merchantman. The wind towards night becoming very fresh, we sailed in chase, and at eleven we came up with the merchantman, which proved to be a brig from Liverpool bound to Palermo. She had been taken by the other vessel, the French privateer Victoire, who abandoned his prize upon our coming in sight, and sheered off. As soon as we had ascertained the safety of the brig, we sailed in chase of the privateer, which we could perceive at a considerable distance. She had stretched away directly before the wind, which was now blowing very fresh. This point of sailing giving great advantage to a vessel with only one mast, rendered the chase a very long one, and we did not come up with him till three in the morning. As soon as we were within gun-shot, we fired at him, but to no purpose till upon our getting nearer, and the shot falling thick about him, he gave in, and we took possession. If he had not been a bungler, he might have escaped to an island close to us. The vessel was very small, mounting only three guns, and having on board thirty men.

Lissa, August 19th, 1812. We sailed from Malta on the 1st of August; on the 5th we passed Corfu, and entered the Adriatic; on the 9th Lissa was in sight, and the next morning we passed over the spot of Hoste's action and triumph. He pointed out to me the place where the French commodore went on shore and blew up: many of her guns are still to be seen scattered about on the rocks. We anchored the same evening there.

The island is to be fortified by us, owing to the suggestions of Hoste to that effect. A small island that defends the entrance has been named after him. The batteries are almost finished, and there is already a garrison of eight hundred men. The harbour can contain ten sail of the line, and is of course an excellent rendezvous for our cruisers and prizes, as it will be necessary to keep a squadron of line-of-battle ships here as long as the French can muster any force in Venice, where they have at present two seventyfours ready for sea, and four or five others about to be launched.

The town of Lissa is certainly a most miserable hole, small, confined, and dirty. Many of

the inhabitants came off to see Hoste, appeared delighted at his return, and said they felt themselves quite secure again now he was come back, though there was a seventy-four in the harbour at the time. They told us too that our cruisers had made but little prize-money, though there was plenty to be done if they knew how to set about it; I trust we shall show them the way before long. We left Lissa at daybreak this morning, and are standing over for the coast of Italy. We have the whole of the Adriatic for a cruise till the 10th of September. This is a handsome compliment of the admiral to Hoste, and he is also a very pleasant man as a companion, and promises well.

The enemy's ships of war now confined themselves entirely within their ports, and generally were protected by strong batteries, never even making an effort to secure that coasting trade which it was necessary to carry on for the supply of the numerous troops then in garrison along the shores of the Adriatic. Captain Hoste well knew the surest method to intercept this trade, and finding the ships of war unwilling to run

any risk by an engagement, he employed his boats in effectually destroying all that came in their reach.

JOURNAL CONTINUED.

At anchor, Milada, Sept. 7th, 1812.

On the evening of the 31st of August, we sent off four large boats and one small one, under the command of the first lieutenant, Mr. O'Brien, to proceed to a small town situated near Rovigno, where we had received intelligence that several vessels, laden with timber, were lying. The ship was at this time eight or ten miles from the mouth of the river, lying-to behind a small island, on purpose to be out of sight. About midnight we sailed after the boats, and arrived off the river by daybreak, and were not a little pleased to see seven or eight sail of vessels standing towards us under convoy of our boats. They had reached the mouth of the river about one o'clock in the morning, where, having captured two vessels, they learned that the gun-boats and xebec which protected the convoy lying there, were seven miles higher up.