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ARISTOCRAT Hired lugger Hired lugger armed with four 6-pounders and eight 4- pounders.
  • In the middle of the 1790s she was commanded by her owner Capt. WILKINS and employed in running supplies and agents to the royalist forces operating in the west of France.
  • On 15th. July 1795 she successfully survived an 18 hour action with a squadron of nine French vessels off St. Malo after she had picked up nine agents from the French coast. It included a ship, the SOCIETE POPULAIRE with eighteen 18-pounders and five armed brigs and the action developed into a running fight from the Isles of Chausey south to the fort guarding St. Malo. In front of the spectators lining the coast, Capt. WILKINS tacked every two hours, engaged the brig DILIGENCE with twelve 18-pounders, and managed to escape by getting the weather gage of the flotilla off Cape Frehel and losing them in the dark. The whole time his French passengers were in a state of panic but he reassured them by promising to fire the powder room which contained 125 barrels due to be landed in France.
  • She was converted to a brig at the request of the Admiralty and the expense of Capt. WIKINS. He promptly found himself unemployed when command was given to a succession of naval lieutenants.
    These included Abraham GOSSETT who helped in the destruction of eight French vessels which the armed vessels of the Prince of Bouillon chased into the harbour of Erqui.
    ARISTOCRAT and the LIBERTY brig joined DIAMOND off Cape Frehel on 17 March 1796 and offered their services to Sir Sidney SMITH. The enemy convoy was protected by two batteries on a rocky promontory and a detached gun at the entrance. The latter fired on them and was silenced by DIAMOND in 11 minutes. Under fire from the ship the difficult climb was made up the cliffs and the guns, three 24-pounders, captured and spiked. The vessels were boarded by the boats from the shore under the close cover of ARISTOCRAT and DIAMOND's launch. As the tide fell the enemy pressed down on to the sand near the vessels keeping up an incessant fire of musketry so a corvette, ETOURDIE (16) and one of the merchant brigs were burnt. They covered the approach of the boats as the tide rose again and the rest of the convoy, save for one vessel, were burnt.
    Another was Corbet James D'AUVERGNE. He was stationed at Jersey and on 31 December 1799 he took the French privateer AVANTURE into Plymouth. She was armed with 14 guns, carried 42 men and was ten days out of St. Malo.
    He captured a French gun-vessel, No. 57, about half a mile off Cape Frehel on 19 February 1800 after an hour's chase. She mounted an iron 24-pounder in the bow and was commanded by Enseigne Rouilland.
    The Frenchman had left the River Fegue 24 hours before for St. Malo. Several of the crew and passengers escaped in a boat before she struck and one was drowned as he tried to swim ashore.
  • Muster lists for 1799 till 1801 are at TNA under ADM 41/1.


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