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LILY
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(18) |
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Purchased in 1804, ex SWALLOW.
Sold in 1811. |
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- 1804 W. LYALL, Leeward Is.
On 1 March 1804 he took the Dutch schooner DRAAK near Bermuda. She was armed with four 4-pounders and one 3 pounder and had sailed from Curacao.
The corporal of marines lost a leg during the 15 minute engagement.
Capt LYALL took her to the Bahamas where he joined Capt. ROBERTS in SNAKE on the 16th.
ROBERTS commanded a small force based at New Providence. - 1805 John MORRISON, Leeward Is.
He was promoted at the end of the year and appointed to NORTHUMBERLAND. - 1806 Donald CAMPBELL, 07/1805, Leeward Is.
Since he stood first in the Admiralty list to be commander he was promoted from lieutenant out of the TOBAGO schooner by Sir Alexander COCHRANE following a letter from Viscount MELVILLE. - LILY sailed from Trinidad on 24 July 1806 for the Spanish Main having on board 220 officers and men under General Miranda who was making an attempt to free New Granada (Columbia) and Venezuela from Spain.
EXPRESS, Lieut. SPEARING, ATTENTIVE and PREVOST accompanied them. - (Lieut. George Augustus SPEARING, who had been first lieutenant of LILY, was killed in 1808 while attempting to carry three forts in Martinique.)
- They anchored off the island of Coche (between Margarita and the mainland) on the 27th. and found that most of the inhabitants had fled but nine of those remaining joined the expedition.
The general, considering his force too small to attack Cumana or Barcelona, decided to land in the gulf of Coro (about 150 miles east of Maracaibo) and they anchored there on the evening of 1 August.
It was blowing a gale, they were on a lee shore and about 7 miles to leeward of the Spanish battery.
The next day they were joined by BACCHANTE, which remained with them for three days, and early on the morning of the 3rd. the first division disembarked.
60 men of the Trinidad volunteers under the Count de Rouveray, Col. Dowie with another 60 men and 30 seamen and marines from LILY under Lieut. BEDDINGFELT cleared the beach of Spanish forces then stormed and carried a battery of four 12 and 9-pounders.
A sergeant and two privates of the marines and one seaman were severely wounded.
Twelve minutes later BACCHANTE's boats landed American volunteers under Col. Kirkland and the remainder of the marines and seamen and the enemy retreated into the bush abandoning two forts with 14 cannon. - General Miranda marched on to Coro and took possession of the city but on 8 August the Spanish commandant arrived with a force of nearly 2,000 men and captured the master of a transport and 14 seamen who were fetching water from the only place available to them.
At daybreak on the 9th. LILY landed 20 seamen but they were only able to rescue one of the prisoners although about a dozen of the enemy were killed.
Col. Downie was sent with 50 men to assist but he decided that the enemy force was too large.
When the enemy was reinforced by 400 men from Maracaibo General Minerva decided to re-embark his small force and he was conducted safely back to Aruba. - Unfortunately for Capt. CAMPBELL, in the confusion which followed the impeachment of Viscount MELVILLE, his appointment was not confirmed by his successor Lord BARHAM and William SHIRREFF was appointed to LILY.
Sir Alexander wrote to Viscount HOWICK on 6 May 1806 pointing out that Capt. CAMPBELL had been actively engaged in command of the sloop for twelve months but his lordship, expressing his sorrow at the injustice, suggested that Mr CAMPBELL should be given the next appointment.
He was appointed to PERT in June 1807. - 1807 William Henry SHIRREFF, 03/1806, Leeward Is.
He did not join his ship until the close of 1806. - Capt. SELBY of CERBERUS leading a squadron consisting of LILY, PELICAN, EXPRESS, SWINGER and MOSAMBIQUE left Marie Galante on 29 March 1808 and on the following day they arrived off the island of Deseada (La Desirade) to the east of Guadeloupe.
At half past three the boats of each vessel, with seamen and marines under their respective commanders, all under the command of Capt. SHIRREFF, stood in towards the shore, and found that the narrow entrance to the harbour was covered by a battery of two 9-pounders and about 70 regular troops and militia.
Capt. SELBY ordered the squadron to silence them with a brief carronade and the French flag was lowered at four o'clock.
Half an hour later the boats landed and hoisted the British flag.
All the great guns and batteries were destroyed and the small arms and stores, including 50 barrels of gunpowder, were taken off. - When the inhabitants of the island took an oath of neutrality Sir Alexander COCHRANE did not leave a garrison there but stationed LILY, EXPRESS and MOSAMBIQUE to provide protection against French cruisers or troops from Guadeloupe.
- On 21 April 1808 Capt. SHIRREFF and his small squadron of EXPRESS, Lieut. DOWERS, and MOSAMBIQUE, Lieut. JACKSON, captured a French letter of marque brig JEAN JACQUES, 36 days out of Bordeaux and bound for Guadeloupe. She was pierced for 18 guns but only had six long 18-pounders.
MOZAMBIQUE, being far ahead was able to bring the brig to action and she struck as the others came up. She had been sent from Bordeaux to cruise in the Caribbean. - The boats of the squadron were then sent after a brig to windward which appeared to be on fire. She was the merchantman BROTHERS of Liverpool and should have been under convoy of HAWKE from Barbados but left a few hours later and had then been taken by the French brig.
Although she was on fire fore and aft and abandoned they succeeded in extinguishing the flames.
Capt. SHIRREFF was posted into GARLAND in November 1809. - 1811 Portsmouth.
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