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Updated: June 8, 2025
The praams therefore became so many life-boats, moored in the neighbourhood of the rock. The Sir Joseph Banks was also furnished with large landing boats and a life-boat. The beacon had resisted the wintry storms tolerably well.
It was remarked to-day, with no small demonstration of joy, that the tide, being neap, did not, for the first time, overflow the building at high-water. Flags were accordingly hoisted on the beacon-house, and crane on the top of the building, which were repeated from the floating light, Lighthouse yacht, tender, Smeaton, Patriot, and the two praams.
In the meantime, we observed that the two praams, and two gun-boats, which had remained behind us, and had been firing at the Racehorse, had also divided one praam attacking the Acasta, the two gun-boats playing upon the Isis, and the other praam engaging the Rattlesnake and Reindeer; the latter vessel being in a line with us, and about half a mile further out, so that she could not return any effectual fire, or, indeed, receive much damage.
Saturday, 8th July. It was remarked to-day, with no small demonstration of joy, that the tide, being neap, did not, for the first time, overflow the building at high-water. Flags were accordingly hoisted on the beacon-house and crane on the top of the building, which were repeated from the floating light, Lighthouse yacht, tender, Smeaton, Patriot, and the two praams.
There being too much wind for towing the praams in the usual way, they were warped to the rock in the most laborious manner by their windlasses, with successive grapplings and hawsers laid out for this purpose.
The Rattlesnake had the worst of it, the fire of the praam being chiefly directed to her. At the distance chosen by the enemy, the frigate's guns reached, but the other men-of-war, having only two long guns, were not able to return the fire but with their two, the carronades being useless. One of the praams mounted ten guns, and the other eight.
One morning a cutter from the fleet was reported from the mast-head, and we expected that we should soon have our letters from England, when the Dryad threw out the signal for six sail of praams in shore. The two frigates made all sail in chase, leaving the cutter to follow us how she could.
In the distance, the cannonading of the frigate, and other men-of-war, answered by the praams and gunboats, reinforced by six more, as we afterwards found out the vivid flashing of the guns, reflected by the water, as smooth as glass the dark outlines of the numerous convoy, with their sails hanging down the masts, one portion of the convoy appearing for a moment, as the guns were discharged in that direction, and then disappearing, while others were momentarily seen the roar of the heavy guns opposed to us the crashing of the timbers of the brig, which was struck at every discharge, and very often perforated with the whizzing of the shot as it passed by; all this in a dark yet clear night, with every star in the heavens twinkling, and, as it were, looking down upon us, was interesting as well as awful.
My watch was nearly out, when the midshipman, who was looking round with his glass on the Copenhagen side, reported three gun-boats, sweeping out from behind a point. I examined them and went down to report them to the captain. When I came on deck, more were reported, until we counted ten, two of them large vessels, called praams. The captain now came on deck, and I reported them.
At this time, Stewart says, "Few, if any, of the enemy's heavy ships and praams had ceased to fire;" and, after mentioning various disappointments that had befallen the smaller British vessels, besides the failure of three heavy ships to reach their stations, he continues: "The contest, in general, although from the relaxed state of the enemy's fire, it might not have given much room for apprehension as to the result, had certainly not declared itself in favour of either side.
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