THE NAVAL DUEL NEAR HAVANNA.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 775, 5 January 1871, Page 2

THE NAVAL DUEL NEAR HAVANNA.

The San Francisco Chronicle publishes the following telegrams from Havanna regarding this event :— On Monday, November 7th, the Prussian war steamer Meteor, carrying three guns, and the French war steamer Bouvet, carrying five, entered the harbor. The Meteor sailed out again after the French mail steamer Nouveau Monde had sailed, but the .mail Bteamer immediately returned, fearing capture. On the night of Tuesday, the Bth, the Bouvet left port, but waited outside for the' German vessel, in anticipation of the 24

hours prescribed by law. The steamer Meteor followed, a naval duel having been arranged between the. officers before starting. The Spanish war steamer Heruando Cortes accompanied the two vessels. ' The Meteor had a crew of sixty men, and the Bouvet eighty. The Bouvet was ten miles beyond the otfing, but, jipon the coming out of the Meteor, she steamed inward towards the neutral Hue. The Bouvet opened the contest by firing five shots, which the Meteor promptly returned. The Bouvet then attempted to board the Meteor. In this she was unsuccessful. Her rigging * became entangled, carrying away .her .gnaw and mizen masts, and the rigging'Jafting with tbe masts, became entangled with the Meteor's screw. At the same moment the Meteor sent a shell into the inside of the Bouvet, smashing her steam pipe. The Meteor, by reason of the disabling of her screw, became unmanageable, and the Bouvet, finding the quarters hot and capture certain. if she waited until the Meteor could disentangle herself, set sail rapidly and made for port, the Meteor continuing to fire meanwoile. With a fair wind, the Bouvet was enabled to cross into Spanish water before the Meteor could disentangle her screw. At this time the Hemando Cortes fired a gun as a signal that the combat had closed. Both fought bravely. The German gunboat Meteor was accorded the victory. Both vessels are now in port repairing damages. The Meteor had three killed and one wounded. The Bnuvet had only three wounded. The Germans at Havana are much elated with the affair, which caused intense excitement. The* two Prussians, Carbonier and Thomson, who were killed in the naval engagement, were buried here on the 10th instant, the German merchants attending the funeral in an immense body. It is now said that the Bouvet left the scene of the fight under steam and sail. The German residents are arranging a grand banquet for the officers of the Meteor.