On 17 August 1803, the boats of Ville de Paris captured the French privateer Messager from among the rocks off Ushant. Lloyd's Patriotic Fund awarded Lieutenant Watts, of Ville de Paris, with an honour sword worth £50 for his role in the cutting out expedition. Messager was pierced for eight guns but had six mounted, and had her owner and 40 men aboard when Watts arrived with his pinnace and 18 men. The British captured her before the other boats from Ville de Paris could arrive. The French put up a minimal resistance and only suffered a few men lightly wounded; the British suffered no casualties. The action occurred in sight of the hired armed cutter Nimrod. In January 1805 head and prize money from the proceeds of the French privateer Messager was due to be paid.[3]
On 18 January 1808, following the Battle of Corunna, Ville de Paris (Captain John Surman Carden) evacuated twenty-three officers of the 50th, three of the 43rd, four of the 26th, three of the 18th, one of the 76th, two of the 52nd, two of the 36th, four Royal Engineers, and two Royal Artillery - a total of 44 officers,[4] including General Sir David Baird, his ADC Captain Hon Alexander Gordon,[5] Sir John Colborne and Lieutenant Henry Percy.[6]Ville de Paris also embarked several thousand soldiers.[7]
On 22 July 1814, at the conclusion of the Peninsula War, Ville de Paris arrived off Portsmouth carrying the 43rd Light Infantry Battalion along with the 2nd Rifles.[8][9]
Ville de Paris was placed on harbour service in 1824, and she was broken up in 1845.[2]
Costello, Edward (1841). Memoirs of Edward Costello KSF. Henry Colburn, London. Also published as The True Story of a Peninsular Rifleman, Singlepicker Press, 1997.
Kennedy, Don H. (1974). Ship Names: Origins and Usages during 45 Centuries. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia. ISBN0-8139-0531-1.
Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The Development of the Battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-252-8.
Mahon, William (2017). Waterloo Messenger: The Life of Henry Percy, Peninsular Soldier and French Prisoner of War. Pen and Sword.
Urban, Mark (2003). Rifles: Six Years with Wellington's Legendary Sharpshooters. Faber & Faber. ISBN0571216811