МОРСКИЕ СРАЖЕНИЯ В ВЕК ПАРУСА

Описание этого события из Beatson, Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain, v. V, 526-528 (1804):

To diftress the enemy as much as poflible, Rear-Admiral
Rowley fent the ships under his command to cruize in the
ftations, in which he thought it mod likely that they fhould
fall in with their ships. On the 1 7th of October, the Torbay
of feventy guns, Captain Gidoin; the London of ninety guns,
Captain Kempthorne, and the Badger sloop, were on a cruize
off the eaft end of the ifland of St. Domingo. The London
being ahead, at nine in the morning, made the fignal for seeing
two fail in the N. W., and Captain Gidoin made the fignal to
chace. The chace were at this time on the larboard tack, and
standing towards the London. They were foon perceived to be
a fhip of feventy-four guns and a frigate, and afterwards prov-
ed to be the Scipion and the Sybille, French ships of war. On
seeing the British ships in chace of them they tacked, and made
all the fail they could from them, going large with the wind
on the larboard quarter. At twenty-five minutes paft two,
the Scipion hoisted French colours, and fired her ftern chace
guns at the London ; and soon after that, the frigate did the
fame. Captain Kempthorne, finding that they continued their
fire, and that their fire went over his fhip, ordered the London
to bear, and to fire the starboard guns at the line of battle fhip :
and forty minutes paft five he repeated this, the enemy still
firing their stern chaces. At eight o'clock, the London got
clofe up alongside of the Scipion, hauled up the main-fail, and
took in the fore-studding-sail : and, in fifteen minutes, began
a clofe action, with a very heavy fire, which lafted near forty
minutes. The Sybille kept firing all the while on the London's
larboard bow. The Scipion attempting to bear up, Captain
Kempthorne ordered the helm of the London to be put hard
aport, in order to cross her bows, or lay athwart hawfe ; but
being very clofely engaged, the two ships fell on board of each
other, bow and quarter, the larboard cathead abreaft,
of the London's larboard gangway, and the action was re-
newed with as much keenness as before. The enemy then
backed clear of the London's quarter, her main and mizen-top-
sails being aback. Captain Kempthorne inftantly attempted to
wear the ship, in order to clofe with the enemy, on the slar-
board-bow ; and was much difappointed in not being able to
accomplish this. Owing to the leading-block of the weather-
tiller-rope being shot away, with part of the fweep, the ship
came with her head to the wind, before it was possible to get the
helm aweather with the assistance of the relieving tackles ; by
which means the enemy had time to pass to leeward, under the
stern of the London, and to rake her with their starboard guns.
The London having wore as foon as posslible, the enemy were
again brought to action, by her leading down on the Scipion's
starboard bow ; and the frigate, a little ahead of her, kept up
a conftant fire from her broadfide, until twenty minutes past
ten. The Scipion having now ceafed firing, and her colours
appearing to be down, the Captain and his officers concluded
that she had ftruck, as the frigate had by this time quitted her,
and made off.

At forty minutes past ten, the Scipion being then a little
ahead of her antagonift, was obferved to bear up, and was
endeavouring to get away ; but to prevent this, the London
hauled up to bring fome of her bow guns to bear, and fired
three shot. The enemy then hauled up his main-fail, and
seemed to bring to, his main-topfail half down, and his
top-gallant sails flying. At this time, the Torbay coming
within hail of the London, Captain Kempthorne informed
Captain Gidoin, that he suppofed that the enemy had ftruck ;
and requefted that he would go down to her, as the damages
which his fhip had received, prevented him from making sail and
doing it. He told him, that the ftarboard fore-yard-arm
shot away, that all the fails were much cut, with fome of the
braces, running rigging, and tiller-rope , that the mizen-mast
was very much wounded, that the mizen-mast and tiller were
partly shot through ; that all the boats except one were render-
ed unferviceable, and that he would follow him with all the
sail he could poflibly make, as foon as he could get the fhip
under command. Captain Gidoin replied, that he would in-
stantly go down, and made fail accordingly. The Scipion was
then making off with all the fails me could fet. On board the
London, they reeved the tiller-rope and braces, set all their
larboard ftudding fails, and hauled in the starboard.

At half paft twelve at night, the Scipion was right ahead,
about a mile and a half diflant, under a press of fail. The light
airs of wind during the night, enabled the enemy to preferve
their distance next morning, to keep without reach of fhot,
and to fteer for the fhore. At day-light on the i8th, the call
end of Hifpaniola appeared fouth, distant four or five leagues.
At ten it became almoft calm, and the London being very near
the land, Captain Kempthorne was obliged to haul to the north-
ward, to prevent driving on fhore, where there was no anchor-
age. As the enemy were clofe in with the breakers, standing
along fhore towards Samana Bay, Captain Kempthorne sent
an officer to inform Captain Gidoin of what he had done, and
the Torbay continued the chace.

At one in the afternoon, Captain Kempthorne fpoke the
Badger Hoop, whose Captain sent two pilots on board the
London -, but when they learnt the state of the fhip, neither of
them would take charge of her, to stand farther into the bay
after the enemy. All that they could therefore now do, was
to repair their damages as fast as poflible.

The Torbay came up with the enemy at half past three, and
poured a broadfide into her. She then put large, and run into a
fmall bay called English Harbour, in the island of St. Domingo,
where she came to an anchor, immediately after which, fhe
ftruck on a funken rock, and was that night totally lost ; but
her crew were faved. She was commanded by the Chevalier
de Grimouard, who was wounded in the action, in which
she had fifteen men killed, and forty-fix wounded. If the
enemy had had a few more leagues to run, they must have
struck to the Torbay, as they had been so roughly handled in
the action with the London, that they were not capable of
making much resistance ; but Captain Gidoin was too well ac-
quainted with the dangers of the coast to follow them any
farther trum he did, and he well knew, from the fresh breeze
that then blew, that it was impossible for them to extricate
themfelves.

On board the London, nine men were killed in the action,
and two died of their wounds. Lieutenants Burgefs, Hankey,
and Trigge, and feventy-two men, were wounded.

Так что по английской версии Scipion спустил флаг, англичане прекратили огонь, после чего он пытался бежать (обычный прием у французов в эту эпоху). Если бы он не наскочил на подводный камень, то его захватил бы Torbay.