My most hearty thanks are also due to my cousins, who have helped to provide materials for our work; to Miss M. L. Austen for the loan of miniatures and silhouettes; to Miss Jane Austen for various letters and for illustrations; to Commander E. L. Austen for access to logs, and to official and other letters in large numbers; also to Miss Mary Austen for the picture of the _Peterel_ in action, and to Mrs. Herbert Austen, and Captain and Mrs. Willan for excellent portraits of the Admirals, and to all these, and other members of the family, for much encouragement in our enterprise. JOHN H. HUBBACK. _July 1905._ CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. BROTHERS AND SISTERS 1 II. TWO MIDSHIPMEN 15 III. CHANGES AND CHANCES IN THE NAVY 28 IV. PROMOTIONS 41 V. THE “PETEREL” SLOOP 56 VI. THE PATROL OF THE MEDITERRANEAN 78 VII. AT HOME AND ABROAD 94 VIII. BLOCKADING BOULOGNE 111 IX. THE PURSUIT OF VILLENEUVE 130 X. “A MELANCHOLY SITUATION” 147 XI. ST. DOMINGO 164 XII. THE CAPE AND ST. HELENA 180 XIII. STARS AND STRIPES 196 XIV. CHINESE MANDARINS 212 XV. A LETTER FROM JANE 227 XVI. ANOTHER LETTER FROM JANE 243 XVII. THE END OF THE WAR 260 XVIII. TWO ADMIRALS 274 INDEX 287 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Austen, K.C.B. (_From a painting in the possession of Mrs. Herbert Austen_) _Frontispiece_ The Reverend George Austen, Rector of Steventon (_From a miniature in the possession of Miss M. L. Austen_) 8 Action between the English frigate _Unicorn_ and the French frigate _La Tribune_, June 8, 1796 (_From a painting in the possession of Captain Willan, R.N., and Mrs. Willan_). _By kind permission of Miss Hill_ 22 Francis Austen as Lieutenant (_From a miniature_) 44 Sloop of War and Frigate (_From a pencil sketch by Captain Herbert Austen, R.N._) 64 _Peterel_ in action with the French brig _La Ligurienne_ after driving two others on the rocks near Marseilles, on March 21, 1800 (_From a sketch by Captain Herbert Austen, R.N., in the possession of Miss Mary Austen_) 84 Topaz Crosses given to Cassandra and Jane by Charles Austen (_In the possession of Miss Jane Austen_) 92 The Way to Church from Portsdown Lodge (_From a pencil sketch by Catherine A. Austen_) 108 Mrs. Austen (_From a silhouette in the possession of Miss M. L. Austen_) 124