Folios 295-296: John Gore, HMS Medusa at Spithead. Gore has just returned from leave...

Folios 295-296: John Gore, HMS Medusa at Spithead.

Gore has just returned from leave of absence and seen their Lordships' letter of 19 December, asking for information about six men to whom he has issued Smart Tickets, and who are not crew of HMS Medusa or any other King's ship. Says the men were from other hired vessels who assisted in the attack on the French flotilla off Boulogne in August last and were badly wounded in consequence, so it was partly reward and partly as an example to others who might so serve. For, he says, it is notorious that the crews of hired vessels have always shown themselves backward in acting in concert with the crews of HM vessels, because they have no hospital to go to if they are wounded, nor do they receive 'any gratuity' afterwards. He thinks his action has materially benefited the service. Adds that on a former occasion when the hired cutters Joseph and Lurcher behaved 'in a very gallant fashion' off Brest, and some crew were wounded, also Lieutenant Forbes, commander of the Lurcher, while acting under his orders, he received the wounded men aboard HMS Triton as supernumeraries, gave them Smart Tickets, and sent them to Plymouth Hospital. He informed Earl St Vincent, then Commander in Chief, and received from him ample and flattering approbation of his conduct. He would like to be authorized to behave in a similar way on any such future occasions.