Mutine shared with His Majesty's cutters Rambler and Griffin in the capture on 30 December 1780 of the French privateer General Ville Pateaux.

On 6 October she captured the French privateer lugger Compte de Valentinois and delivered it to Admiralty control at Spithead.

She shared with Arethusa, Netley and the cutter Trial in the proceeds from the detention of two vessels under neutral colours, Federick Molk and Vrow Judith, on 18 and 21 August.

[11] On 8 January 1799, at noon, Pigmy was two miles SE of Durlston Head when she sighted a cutter and two brigs.

After securing these two vessels Pigmy continued the chase with the result that at 4pm she succeeded in capturing the French privateer cutter Rancune.

Rancune was armed with two swivel guns and had a crew of 21 men under the command of Antoine François Victor Joseph Panpeville.

[12] For the remainder of the year, Pygmy operated in Quiberon Bay supporting the Royalist by bringing arms and money.

They captured the Imperial tartane Madonna Moseti Petro, which was sailing to Cabrera with a cargo of wood.

The Treachery of your Municipality, in causing to be arrested an Officer with Dispatches, has been long known to the British Admiral in these Seas.

That the Innocent suffer with the Guilty, though much to be regretted, is the natural Feature of War; and the more terrible Infliction on this occasion, the more striking the Example should prove to surrounding Municipalities.

(Signed) W. RICKETTSFrom September 1800 to June 1801, Pygmy, alone or with Corso, captured several small vessels, some of them armed:[21] The deputies of the Mercantile Insurance Company in Trieste presented Shepheard with a golden snuffbox on 5 January as an expression of their appreciation for his efforts in suppressing "piratical enemies" in the upper Adriatic.

[24] Then on the morning of 16 March Pigmy was on the north side of "Isle Lonzo'" when she sighted and gave chase to another trabaccolo.

About two hours later this vessel anchored near the "Isle Molata", hoisted French colours, fired one shot, and then struck.

[27] The next day, Pigmy spoke with Swiftsure and warned Captain Benjamin Hallowell that a French squadron under Admiral Ganteaume had put to sea.

[28] Because Pigmy served in the navy's Egyptian campaign between 8 March and 2 September, her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal that the Admiralty authorised in 1850 for all surviving claimants.

[29] Pigmy shared with Pomone, Vincejo, and the privateer Furioso in the proceeds of the capture on 2 October of Bella Aurora.