I came across a couple of mentions of my 3x great grandfather, Captain Thomas Mansel, in The Life of William Stirling, and his account of the Wreck of the Ship, ‘Tiger’, and the two months spent on Anstove Island in the Seychelles, in 1836.
July 20th 1831 New Romney, Kent
I daresay you are quite unprepared for this new address but having girded on my Sword for the fight I have hastened to this my destination. I took possession this afternoon of No 1 Battery Dungeness a station on the Coast for the prevention of smuggling. I left my Wife & family on the 12th caught a severe cold on my way to Town from exposure to the heavy rain during the night, was laid up at Folkestone with a slight attack of inflammation on the Chest for three or four days waited on my Commander Capt. Mansell & on the following day repaired to this dreary spot.
The Coasts of Kent & Sussex so near the French Coast are of course Demons for smuggling & you may have seen in the Papers what dreadful work there has been lately in this District right & left of us. Lieut Parry in resisting the attack received 3 Slugs in his Shoulder & a copper nail, one Slug in his arm and another in his finger all of which have been extracted he is slowly mending & four of his Crew desperately wounded 34 Smugglers were killed & wounded 15 have been buried & some still lie very ill. I have not been attacked but expect an attempt will be made this week when we shall do our best. Parry is promoted & we propose giving our Inspecting Commander Capt. Mansel a Dinner in consequence of his exertions to that end.
Link: https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/api/core/bitstreams/6435ab20-2604-4fb2-b8c7-390ec677918e/content
