Among the most remarkable of the gallant actions of this period between single ships was that fought in August, 1805, between the British 18-pounder 36-gun frigate _Phoenix_, Captain Thomas Baker, and the French frigate _Didon_, of 40 guns, Captain Milius. The _Didon_ measured 1091 tons, and had a crew of 330 men, the weight of her metal amounting to 563 pounds; while the _Phoenix_ measured but 884 tons, her crew numbering only 245 men, and the weight of her metal was 444 pounds. The _Didon_, which had three days before sailed from Corunna with despatches for the Rochefort squadron, and after escaping an action from another English frigate, had been visited by the skipper of an American merchant-vessel, who informed Captain Milius that a ship whose topgallant-sails were just then rising out of the water to windward was an English 20-gun ship, on board of which he had been the previous evening, and from what he had heard he was sure that she would venture to engage the _Didon_. Captain Milius, though ordered to avoid an action, believing that victory was certain, backed his mizen-topsail and kept his main-topsail shivering to allow the British ship to come up with him. The stranger was the _Phoenix_, and which was not only a smaller frigate, but Captain Baker had disguised her to resemble at a distance a sloop of war. The mistake into which Captain Milius had been led by his treacherous visitor was therefore not discovered until the _Phoenix_ was close to the _Didon_, which ship, hoisting her colours, fired a gun to windward, and at 8:45 a.m. opened her broadside. Captain Baker, in order to prevent the _Didon_ from escaping, had resolved to engage to leeward, but, from the manoeuvres of the French ship, unable to do this, he stood down right at her to windward with all sail set. By this bold measure he succeeded in bringing his broadside to bear on the _Didon_ at pistol-shot distance, when a hot fire of round-shot, grape and musketry was exchanged between the combatants. The _Phoenix_ from the press of sails she carried, ranged ahead of the _Didon_, which lay almost stationary, and before she could haul up, was raked by the latter; but as the crew were ordered to lie down, they escaped without damage. By the rapidity with which the crew of the _Phoenix_ repaired her damaged rigging, they avoided an attempt made by the _Didon_ to rake her with her starboard broadside. In a short time the _Didon's_ larboard bow ran against the starboard-quarter of the _Phoenix_, both ships lying nearly in a parallel direction, the former having only one gun which could be brought to bear on her antagonist. At that moment the Frenchmen in vast numbers attempted to board the _Phoenix_, but were vigorously repulsed; while the marines of both ships exchanged a warm and destructive fire. At this juncture a young midshipman, Edward Phillips, observed a man upon the _Didon's_ bowsprit end taking deliberate aim at Captain Baker, close to whom he was standing.