Thou, who wast late my anxious fear, Thou now my fondest, tenderest care: O shun, dear Ship, those tossing seas Which part the white-cliff’d Cyclades! [MUSKEIN was an inhabitant of Antwerp, whom the Directory not only appointed to superintend the construction of the flat-bottomed boats for the invasion of Great Britain (usually called by the French sailors “_bateaux à la Muskein_”), but made a “_capitaine de vaisseau_”. An attack was ordered to be made upon the two small islands of SAINT MARCOUF (each not more than 200 yards in length), of which, in July, 1795, SIR SIDNEY SMITH, with the Diamond frigate, had taken unobstructed possession, and which were considered to give to the English great facility in intercepting between the ports of Havre and Cherbourg. The islands are situated off the river Isigny, on the coast of Normandy, and about four miles distant from the French shore. After being garrisoned with about 500 seamen and marines, including a great proportion of invalids, these small islands were placed under the command of LIEUT. CHARLES PAPPS PRICE, of _The Badger_, a cruiser-converted Dutch hoy, mounting four, or at most six, guns. On the 8th April, 1798, MUSKEIN, with 33 flat-bottomed boats, with a body of troops on board, and a few gun-brigs, was about to make a combined attack on the two islands, but was driven off by two British frigates, THE DIAMOND, _Capt. Sir R. J. Strachan_, and THE HYDRA, _Capt. Sir Francis Laforey_, and stood into Caen river. While there for three weeks, repairing damages, he was joined by seven heavy gun-brigs, and about 40 flat-boats and armed fishing vessels, bringing with them additional troops.