Janus ➡ 1788 Dromedary

Posted by Brian Stephens on Tuesday 8th of April 2014 01:24

Edinburgh Advertiser, May 19, 1780
Kingston, Jamaica,April 1 ... His Majesty's ship Janus, commanded by Lieut. Stevens, returned on Saturday to Port Royal from a cruize. On the 19th ult. in the evening, then off Cape Francois, in company with his Majesty's ships Lion, Bristol, and Resource, they heard some firing from the windward, and concluded that the convoy from France, the object of their cruize, was coming down. At five in the morning of the 20th discovered four large ships in chase of the Bristol, on which the Commodore Capt. Cornwallis, in the Lion, bore away; and with the other ships, except the Resource, made sail from the enemy, which by being to windward, was separated from the rest of the Kings ships. At five in the evening the French convoy was nearly up, and a running fight commenced, which continued all night. By daybreak the Janus found herself engaged with three French men of war, with whom she maintained a noble, though unequal conflict, for thee glasses when one of them sheered off; the fight was continued until half past eight, at which time the largest (the Hannibal of 74 guns) having been twice set on fire, her main top mast, with nine men on the yard, shot into the sea, and in other respects greatly damaged, went to leeward. The light winds that prevailed the preceding night, and all this day as they put it out of the power of the Lion and Bristol to come to close action, and take the fire from the Janus, so they placed her in such a situation as to give great annoyance to her antagonists without receiving such injury as might have been expected from a force so infinitely superior. The French made sail in the afternoon, and chased the English squadron all night, but could not get near enough to come to action. Wednesday at daylight, Captain Cornwallis discovered tree sail to leeward, which imagining it to be the Ruby, Niger, and Pomona, (as they afterwards proved) he made the necessary signals, observing which, the squadron of France hawled their wind, and ours, in their return having pleasure in giving chase; but the Commodore's signals not being understood by the ships to leeward, he was compelled to give over a pursuit which promised fresh laurels to the British naval forces. In the evening the Janus, being much disabled, found it necessary to direct her course for this island. Only two men were killed in the action, Capt. Glover, who was in a bad state of health when the squadron sailed, died sometime before the action began and the command devolved upon Lieut. Stevens, whose conduct and bravery entitled him to the highest admiration. The French convoy consisted of two ships of 74, one of 70, and one of 56 having 70 merchantmen under their protection.