| Description | Addressed to 'Dear Friend'; he is on board SS Astrea in Portlue harbour [?Portloe, Cornwall], sends greetings to family members and briefly refers to action seen on 20 May when three English frigates and a gun brig engaged in action with three French frigates, two of which were taken
[This would appear to relate to an action off Madagascar when the three frigates 'Astrea', 'Galatea' and 'Phoenix' and gun brig 'Racehorse' under Commodore Charles Schomberg engaged with the French frigates 'Renommee', 'Nereide' and 'Clorinde' on 20 May 1811: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Qm5KAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA240&dq=astraea+1798+20+may+madagascar&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjT4IKH7K7XAhVN6qQKHfm_A48Q6AEIKzAB#v=onepage&q=astraea%201798%2020%20may%20madagascar&f=false accessed November 2017; though a later pencil note at the foot suggests the date 1808] |