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NAVAL BIOGRAPHY; OR, i^emott£; of tl)e ^eiDices; OF ALL THE FLAG-OFFICERS, SUPERANNUATED REAR-ADMIRALS, RETIRED-CAFIAINS, POST-CAPTAINS, AND COMMANDERS, \Vho»e uani«s appeared on t\w Acliuiralty List of Sea Officers at the loiniiience- ineiit of the present year, or who have since been promoted ; Illustrated by a Series of HISTORICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES, Which will be found to ronlain an account of all the NAVAL ACTIONS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS, FROM THE COMMENCEMENT (»F THE LATE REICN, IN 1760, TO THE^l«4l\Al'ftUIOD. WITH .^ffe-^St ADIWNDA. ^ m ' y Bv JOHlb^RSii L I E UTBJklM'IPTHt 4*9* (»), NAVY. "Failiirej, however frequent, may admit of extenuation and apology. To have attempted ' much is always laudable, even when the enterprise it above the strength that undertakes it. ' To deliberate whenever I doubted, to enquire whenever 1 was ignorant, would have protracted ' the undertaking without end, and perhaps without improvement. I »aw that one enquiry only • gave occasion to another, that book referred to book, that to sr.irch was not always to find, and ' to find was not always to be informed; and tiTat thus to pursue perfection, was, like the ftrst ' inhabitants of Arcadia, to duce the sun, which, when they had reached the hill where ha ' seemed to rest, was »tlll beheld at the same distance from them," Johnton. I VOL. I. Koitbon: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN. HUH8T. REUS, «)RME, AND HROWN, PATERNOSTER ROW. 182:^. -i, 4'' ^/9 P ']• / A] i ^ ^- /:; \ V W. Pople, Printer, (I7i Chkncery Lane. EA . ! 1.- ROYAL NAVAL BIOGRAPHY; VOL. I. CONTAINING MEMOIRS OF ALL THE FLAG-OFFICERS or HIS MAJESTY'S FLEET NOW LIVING. Including those uf EARL St. VINCENT, VISCOUNT KEITH, ADMIRAL SCHANCK. AND OTHERS, WHO HAVE DIED SINCE JANUARY 1, 1823. WITH COPIOUS ADDENDA. ' M-auBMIilrjrMti-iiri'iw^ta; ■^«^i^';;*-fc5 PREFACE. A NATURAL wish to becoine acquainted, to a certain degree, with the characters of my contemporaries in a profession to which I am most ardently attached, and to which almost all my life has been devoted, first led me to enquire into the services of the Offi- cers whose Memoirs I now present to the public. In gratifying this desire I collected much information ; and, as I gathered, arranged it. My materials, in time, became considerable ; and, thinking that what I had found both pleasing and useful to myself, might not be uninteresting to others, I resolved, after some hesitation, to publish that collection in the form here offered. I was, however, chiefly determined to do so by reflecting, that in my researches, I had disco- vered, that many ^^illant exploits had been achieved which were either wholly unknown, or had been but little regarded. Every person is aware that it is not always in the events most important to the country, that the greatest skill and courage have been exhibited ; and yet, it is only when bravery and superior tactics have been displayed in acts of great public interest, that the reputation they deserved has been bestowed. This work having for its object the *l ^ ■ vm PRKFACE. preservation of the uaines of iiiuiiy brave officers, otherwise liable to be forgotten, and vvitli their many meritorious actions in the warfare of their country, consigned to an oblivion which singly they are unde- serving of, and collectively bid a proud defiance to ; the present and succeeding volumes will contain the history of the numerous noble achievements of the eventful wars of the late reign, the brilliance of which is lost in the splendour of the more important triumphs by sea and on land. Having this for its design, I indulge a confident hope that it will be se- cure of consideration. To the Navy, I venture to think it cannot fail to be welcome ; and to the Bri- tish public, never insensible to the glory and security which it owes to his Majesty's fleets, I look with as- surance for a favorable reception. It is urged as an objection to a work of this na- ture, that praise may be swelled beyond desert, or censure unduly restrained, while the object of the memoir is still in existence to encourage hope or ex- cite fear ; and truth be suppressed by expectation of favour or dread of resentment. If this objection were acquiesced in, the excitement of emulation in the youth of our country, by examples of merit, which is one of the most important objects of history, would in a great degree be defeated. In the Royal Navy, especially, the instances of living worth are hardly less numerous than of those gone by. How many are there, upon whom the approbation of the nation has been bestowed, and to whom Great Britain looks with as much expectation against the hour of her need for future services, as she regards them with r PREFACE. ix le I I i iev th gratitude for their past ! I join with the whole conn- try in tlie fervent wish, that, if the dead are the only legitimate themes of history, it may be very long be- fore they become just subjects of biography. But it is obvious, that if we were condemned to silence as respects them and their actions, the influence of some of the most splendid examples would be lost to the rising generation. To the present attempt, however, the objection does not apply ; and the benefit of example maybe attained without the possibility of the evil supposed to be blended with it. I have carefully abstained, in every doubtful case, from panegyric or censure. I have left praise or blame to result from a plain and simple narration of facts, as correct as my means of re- search, and industrious investigation, could render it. Some grammatical, errors, and many inelegancies of composition, are, I have no doubt, discoverable in this volume ; these defects will be excused when it is considered that I went to sea at nine years of age, and that I served during the whole of the late war in vessels of a class to which no schoolmaster is allowed. Those with whom I associated had received as little education as myself ; and what, therefore, I had not gained from instruction, I could not derive from ex- ample. Such inaccuracies, however, in a work of this kind, will, by those who read from curiosity, or for in- formation, be little regarded. The importance of the Duke of Marlborough's communication of a vic- tory was not diminished, nor the authenticity of its details affected, because he neglected his periods and wrote o.i?iliaries in his despatches ; nor will the fide- ' 1.4 i i 1 -vj^-:-, --v ■^V. PREFACE. ^-^'^'> lity of this volume be impeached, in consequonce ot my having sometimes used the indicative mood when I ought to have employed the subjunctive. It is for fidelity alone, that I claim any praise, or expect further encouragement in my laborious undertaking. That there are no errors in this volume, and will be none in those that are to follow, it would be idle to assert. When it is considered, that in the course of the work I shall have to speak of near two thou- sand persons, my readers will readily pardon a few mistakes. I have at least been anxiously careflil to avoid mistatements; and those, which, notwithstand- ing my diligence, have occurred, shall be corrected, as early as possible after they are pointed out to me. It will be seen that, of some of the officers men- tioned in the present volume, the notices are very short. Id this nothing invidious is intended. My respect and reverence for the naval profession is un- bounded ; and I have, thank God, no enmity to gra- tify against any individual in existence. The brevity is in some instances to be attributed to the bodily infirmities of the individuals, preventing them from using their pens any further than to acknowledge what they have been pleased to term my ** courtesy, '' in apprising them of my being engaged in such a work, and to express their " regret," that the great distance of their respective residences from town, precluded the possibility of a personal interview. Some few have disregarded my request to be fur- nished with information relative to their services; and others, being on the continent, or employed on foreign service, I have found it impracticable to com- ..,« ■•*.. PREFACE. Xi 1 V g- iU lie :se )U- few Uo nd- led, me. nen- very My s un- gra- [veviiy odily from ledge lesy," sucb a great town, erview. Ibe fui- rvices ; |oyed on to com- municate with, unless indeed I had subjected myself, and the friends of the numerous highly distinguished oflScers who have honored me with their confidence, to a much greater delay in the production and pe- rusal of this volume, than that already caused by long and severe illness, domestic affliction, and a formidable train of et ceteras. I acknowledge without hesitation, and with thanks, my obligations to previous biographers and compi- lers : but though a considerable portion of my in- formation has been drawn from those who have pre- ceded me, I have even in this the merit of having so much abridged what I have taken, that though much original matter is added, and nothing material omitted, the whole is comprised in a small space. I apprehend, that, thus to have used the labours of my predecessors, requires no defence; and I trust it will be thought an improvement of the compila- tions from which I have borrowed, to have intro- duced many facts and anecdotes not to be found in them. 9, Beaufirt Row, Chelsea, Afa/31,1823. it's -'1- "):••»-<:■• » ! ^ ti w oi th th an re, wl to mi ref tht wit anr cor Hvi tho ADVERTISEMENT. The Addenda contain such additional infoi'nia- tion as has been transmitted to me since the Work went to the Press. At p. 866, will be found a copy of the petition which was originally presented to the Guardians of the Widows* Charity, relative to the pensions granted to relicts of Naval Officers ; and which led to the establishment of the benevolent regulations now in force. The reader is requested to turn to the Errata, which is inserted after the Table of Contents ; also to the Corrigenda at the end of each volume ; and make the necessary corrections. The abbreviations will be readily understood by referring to the titles of officers, as given at length at the commencement of each memoir. A Supplement to the Addenda will be delivered with the next volume. Vol. II. comm( ices with the memoirs of the Super- annuated Rear-Admirals and Retired Captains, and contains those of all the Post-Captains who were living on the first day of the present year ; and of those officers who have since obtained Post rank. XIV ADVERTISEMENT. ij Vol. III. will contain Memoirs of all the Com- manders whose names appeared on the Admiralty List of Sea Officers at the same period, together with those since added. A general Index to the Con- tents, and a Chronological Table of all the actions &c. recorded in the work, will be given at the end of the volume. The difficulty of procuring the addresses of officers renders it necessary that those who wish to see the memoirs of their services free from those errors to which a work of this description must necessarily be subject in the hands of an unassisted individual — embracing, as it does, the relation of such a multi- tude of details, should affi^rd me the means of com- munication with them, by furnishing me with their address. It is indispensably necessary that all com- munications be forwarded free of postage or other expense. The Subscribers who desire it may have each part as it comes from the press, instead of waiting for the completion of the work. It is requested that all communications may be addressed to Lieut. John Marshall (b), 10, John Street^ Adelphi ; or 67, Chancery Lane. • f i I ; ' ' !i !! I II i\i\{ Don! Donl Doiij r)()ii| DorJ CONTENTS OF VOL. I. ^^if. >M. "4"* I'lige PafTc* » •.. ' * Alexander, Thoiuas - - 771 Durham, Sir Philip C. - 450. 867 Aylincr, John - - 234 Edwards, Sampson . - 173' Baker, Tlionias - - «29 Ekins, Charles 764 ; and note at 79'.» Ballard, Samuel J. - (\7{\. 876 Exmouth, Viscount . 209. 864 s Barton, Robert - - 530 Eyies, Thomas . - 669 Biiyntun, Sir Henry W. 543 . 8.VJ. 871 Eyre, Sir George - . - 718 Beauclerk, Lord Anieiius - - 484 Fahie, William C. . 715.880 Bedford, William - 574.871 Fancourt, Robert D. - . - 348 Beresford, Sir Jolin 1*. . f)66»» Fcllowes, Edward , - 703 Berry, Sir Edward - - 774 Ferrier, John . - 401 Bertie, Sir Albemarle - - 195 Fish, John . - . . - 1.54 Bertie, Sir Thomas - - 380 Fleeming, Hon. Charles E. - 577 Bickcrtou, Sir R. Hussey - 125. 864 Foley, Sir Thomas - - 363 Bingham, Joseph . - 722 Foote, Edward J. - - 5.59 Bissett, James - - 608 Eraser, Alexander . - 458 Blackwood, Hon. Sir H. - 642. 802 Freeman, W. P. Williams - 33. 863 Bligh, John - - - - - 813 Gage, William Hall - - - 836 Bowatcr, Edward - - - 272 Galloway, Earl of . 444. 867 Bowen, George - 133. 864 Gambier, Lord - 74. 863 Boys, Thomas - - 726 Giffard, John . - 748 Brisbane, Sir Charles - 730. 881 Glynn, Richard H. - - 813 Bullcr, Sir Edward - - 350 Gore, Sir John - 43. 609 Bury, R. Incledon - - 409 Gosselyn, Thomas Le M. - - 671 Carpenter, James - 528 Gould, Sir Davidge - - .339 Clarenee, Duke of, p. 1 i note X »l^ ^^3 Halkett, Peter - . • - 572 and Addo tida 863 Hallowell, Sir Benjamin . 465.811 Clements, John - - 609 Halsted, Sir Lawrence W. 429. 86() , Cochet, John . - 7.56 Hamilton, Charles P. - _ - 100 Cochrane, Sir Alcxaiidor . - 257 Hamilton, Sir Charles • 411.865 Cockl)urn, Sir Gcorgr - - 518.871 Hamilton, Sir Edward . - 821 A Codringtou, Sir Edward - 635. 872 Hanwcll, Jo:iopU - - - 540 , Coffin, Sir Isaac - - - 229 Hnrgood, Sir Williutii - . 399. 865 Col|K)y8, Edward Griffitli - - .•)48 Harvey, Sir Eliab - - 273 Colville, Lord - - 754 Harvey, John . 613 Crawley, Edmund - 386. "8^5 note • at p. 804 ; and 809 Cuming, William - - 847 Harvey, Thoma.s - - 797 ' Cnrzon, Hon, Henry - . - 420 Henry, John . - - 64 Darby, Sir H. D'Estcrrc . - 268 Hulloway, John - 101 Dc Courcy, Hon. Michael - - 332 Hope, SirW. Johnstone - .507 nickson, Sir Archibald C. - - 758 Hotham, Sir William - "S*^ ^0 Digby, Hcury ■ - 762 Hotham, Hon. Sir Henry 615. 872 Dilkcs, John . - 360 Jones, Thcophilus - 242 Dixon, Sir Manlcy • - 375 Keats, Sir Richard G. 342. 865 Donu'lt, Sir William - - 243 Keith, Viscount 43 Donnelly, Ross . - 663* Kemp, Arthur 122. 864 Douglas, Jauies - - - 123 Kerr, Lord Mark R. - - 782 DongUs, .1. F.r^kine - . - 651 King, Sir Rii hard - 545 1 Douglas, Siair • - 846 Knight, Sir .lohii . - 154 f Driiry, Thomiis - - l'»4. 857 KnnwlcA, Sir Charlcj H. . ^ • 113 ■} . CONTENTS, f k I Laforey, Sir Francis - Lake, Willoughby T. Lambert, Robert Laurie, Sir Robert Lawford, John Lee, Sir Richard • Legge, Hon. Sir Arthur K. Locke, Walter Losack, Greorgc Lukin, William Macnamara, James Maitland, John • Malcolm, Sir Pulteney Manley, Isaac G. - • Markham, John - Martin, Sir George Martin, Sir T. Byam - Milne, Sir David Montagu, Sir George - Montagu, Robert Moore, Sir Graham Moorsoni, Sir Robert - Morris, Sir James N. - Moubray, Richard H. Murray, Robert - - - Nagle, Sir Edmund Nealc, Sir Harry - . . Nicholls, Sir Henry Northcsk, Earl of Nowell, William - - Nugent, Charles E. Ogle, Sir Chrtrlcs - - - Oliver, Robert D. - - Orde, Sir John . . . Otway, Robert W. - - Page, Benjamin W. - - Paget, Hon. Sir Charles Pakenham, Hon. Sir Tlioniu'< Palmer, George . - . Parker, George ... Paterson, Charles W. Paulct, Lord Henry Pellcw, Sir Israel Penrose, Sir Charles V. I'laniplin, Robert Pole, Sir Charles M. ~ - Poyntz, Stephen Prcscott, Isaac - - - Prowse, William Purvis, John C. • - Radstock, Lord Raper, Henry Page - 446 - 704 - 720 - 833 - 496 - 568 441. 809 - 678 - 379 - 701 - 685 - 840 - 582 - 386 - 266 - 280 - 491 - 678 39 - 135 - 533 - 410 - 488 804. 881 - 256 - 277 - 433 - 336 19«. 864 598 94 • 709 - 725 69. 863 691.880 - 767 • 854 - 117 - 272 - 639 515. 871 - 513 • 454 - 579 . 640 86. 864 - - - 763 - - - 67 - - - 779 • - - 235 56 i notef, at 814; and Addenda 86S • - - 713 Robinson, Mark Rolles, Robert Rowley, Sir Josias Rowley, Sir Charles Russell, Thomas M. and note 538. 291. St. Vincent, Earl of - . Saumarez, Sir James - Savage, Henry - - - and note *)- at the latter Sawyer, Sir Herbert - Schanck, John ... Scott, Matthew H. Searle, John C. - Shivers, Thomas R. Smith, Edward T. Smith, Sir W. Sidney Smith, Andrew Sotheby, Thomas Sotheron, Frank . Spry, Thomas ... Stephens, Philip ... Stirling, Charles ... Stopford, Hon. Sir Robert - Strachan, Sir Richard J. Sutton, Sir John Sutton, Samuel ... Swiney, William Talbot, Sir John Taylor, William - . Thompson, Sir Thomas B. Thornbrough, Sir Edward Tollemache, John R. D. Torrington, Viscount Trollopc, Sir Henry Tyler, Sir Charles Vashon, James Walker, James Wells, Sir John - - West, ilohn - - . Whitshed, Sir James H. Wickey, John Williams, Sir Thomas Williams, Robert Wilson, George Winthrop, Robert Wodehouse, Hon. Philip WoUey, Thomas • • Wolseley, William Wood, Sir James A. - Worsley, Richard Yorkc, Sir Joseph S. Young, Jauics 743. 390 Page - 358 - 676 622. 872 - 672 - 137 • at 606 12. 863 174.864 124. 602 page - 337 - 324 859.871 - 727 - 359 - 137 800. 803 - 772 - 323 - 499 68 - 576 402. 865 - 353 284. 866 253. 864 - 831 94 802. 809 - 487 837. 865 - 165 - 746 652. 876 ■ 145 • 372 - 208 848.881 - 279 - 751 - 120 - 154 387. 865 . 856 • 111 759. 881 - 769 505.871 249.864 784. 881 - 861 436. 866 . 683 I In to pe illl trj] Ai th( m n tors toi and peri ofti Pics v^.<». ROYAL NAVAL BIOGRAPHY. 337 324 .871 727 359 137 ). 803 772 323 499 m 576 )2. 865 353 34. 866 53. 864 I 831 94 02. 809 487 |37. 865 165 746 52. 876 145 372 208 48.881 279 751 120 154 87. 865 856 111 l59. 881 769 05. 871 49.864 84. 881 861 36.866 683 ■:[•■•■■'• ' ' HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE WILLIAM HENRY, DUKE OF CLARENCE, Duke of St. Andrews in Great Britain, and Earl of Munster in Ireland. Senior Admiral of His Mr^estif's Fleet ; a Privy Counsellor; Ranger of Bushy Park ; Knight Grand Cross of the most honourable military Order of the Bath; Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter, and of the mo»t ancient and most noble Order of the Thistle ; Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order ; Knight of the Prtts- '.sian Order of the Black Eagle, and of the French Order of the Holy Ghost ; Doctor of the Civil Law ; and Fellow of the Society of Arts ♦. The antiquity, dignity, and importance of the illustrious house of Brunswick, have occasioned such extraordinary care to transmit their annals to posterity, and have employed the pens of so many ingenious writers, in the various languages and different parts of Europe, that we are thereby enabled to trace it up to a very early period with the greatest certainty. And farther to honour this subject, it has been illustrated by the elaborate investigations of the historian Gibbon j who, in * The Duke is Patron of the Adult Institution and Asylum, established in memory of the late Princesu Charlotte, for friendless unprovided daugh- ters of Clergymen and Naval and Military OfHcers, of any age from 14 to 22 : — an asylum, where the grown-up orphan, in the hour of distress iind affliction, may find a temporary refuge, ut a perioil when female inex- perience stands most in need of protection. H. R. H. is also a Vice-Patron of the Seaman's Hospital Society, established March 8, 1821 j and a Vice- President of the London Hospital. *> VOL. I. « ^ I I f II *<£ ADMIRALS OF THE FLEBT. a posthumous publication, entitled "The Antiquities of the House of Bnmswick," which he unfortunately left unfinished, has, on the foundation of the profound researches of Leibnitz and Muratori, furnished the English language with informa- tion so satisfactory, as to supersede all that went before it. " An English subject,'' says Gibbon, " may be prompted by a just and liberal curiosity, to investigate the origin and story of the house of Brunswick, which, after an alliance with the daughters of our kings, has been called by the voice of a free people, to the legal inheritance of the crown. From George the First, and his father, the first Elector of Hanover, we as- cend in a clear and regular series, to the first Duke of Bruns- wick and Lunenburgh, who received his investiture from Fre- derick the Second, about the middle of the thirteenth century. If these ample possessions had been the gift of the Emperor to some adventurous soldier, to some faithful client, we might be content with the antiquity and lustre of a noble race, which had been enrolled nearly 600 years among the princes of Ger- many. But our ideas are raised, and our prospect is opened by the discovery, that tlie first Duke of Brunswick was rather degraded than adorned by his new title, since it imposed tile duties of feudal service on the fi*ee and patrimonial estate, which alone had been saved in the shipwreck of the more splen- did fortunes of his house. His ancestors had been invested with the powerful duchies of Bavaria and Saxony, which ex- tended far beyond their limits in modem geography : from the Baltic Sea to the confines of Rome thej' were obeyed, or re- spected, or feared ; and in the quarrels of the Guelphs and Gibellines, the former appellation was derived from tlie name of their progenitors, in the female line. But the genuine mas- culine descent of the princes of Brunswick must be explored beyond the Alps ; the venerable tree, which has since over- shadowed Germany and Britain, was planted in the Italian soil. As far as our sight can reach, we discern the first foun- ders of the race in the Marquises of Este, of Liguria, and per- haps of Tuscany. In the eleventh century, the primitive stem was divided into two branches; the elder migrated to the banks of the Danube and the Elbe ; the younger more humbly adhered to the neighbourhood of the Adriatic : the Dukes of Brunswick, and the Kings of Great Britain, are the descend- 4 DUKB OF CLARENCE. ants of the first ; the Dukes of Ferrara and Modena were tl offspring of the second*." The august subject of this memoir is the third son of his late Majesty George HI. by his consort Sophia-Charlotte, Princess of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, and was bom Aug. 21, 1765. Amidst the various means that were employed to call forth the energy and daring spirit of the nation, at that eventful pe- riod, when the connection of our American colonies with the mother country was at length destroyed by the assistance and machinations of France, the noble conduct of George III. who entered Prince William Henry as a Midshipman in the royal navy, excited universal admiration, and produced the following encomium from the Spanish Admiral Langara : " Well does Great Britain merit the Empire of the Sea, when the humblest stations in her navy are supported by Princes of the Blood." His Royal Highness made his first debut in the naval service on board the Prince. George, of 98 guns, under the tutelage of the late Hon. Admiral Digby, June 15, 1/79. His private tu- tor appears to have been I)r. Majendie, the present Bishop of Bangor. The Prince George was attached to the Channel Fleet, under the order* of Sir Charles Hardy, and cruised in the Bay of Biscay imtil the latter end of the same year, when she accompanied Sir George B. Rodney to the relief of Gibraltar, the garrison of which place had long been subject- ed to the privations attendant on a close blockade f. That ♦ Gibbon's Posthumous Works, vol. ii, p. (iS?. t The British armamcDt sailed from Spithead Dec- 2G, 1 770 ; and on ^ the 8th of the following month captured the whole of a Spanish convoy, consisting of one 64-gun ship, (afterwards named the Prince William, in compliment to H. R. H., in whose presence she was taken,) six armed vessels belonging to the Royal Caraccas Company, and fourteen sail of transports from St. Sebastian, bound to Cadiz, laden with naval stores, provisions, &C' Eight days after this fortunate event, chace was given to a Spanish squadron consisting of eleven line-of-battlc ships and two frigates, com- manded by Don Juan do Langara. A running fight took place, and was kept up during the whole of the enauiog night, in most tempestuous weather, with a heavy sea ; and at two o'clock on the following morning six of the enemy's ships had surrendered, besides one (the St. Domingo of 70 guns), that blew up at the commencement of the action. The captured ships b2 > il ' m ' |i' ! ii 4 AliMIllAI.S OF THi; PLKKT. venerable fortress having been put in a state of perfect secu- rity, the Commander-in-Chief sent Rear-Atlmiral Digby to England with part of his fleet, and the prizes taken during the passage, and proceeded with the remainder to the Lee- ward Islands. On the 23d Feb. 1/80, Prince William Henry was present at the capture of the Prothee, a French ()4-gun ship, and three vessels, forming part of a convoy bound to the Mauritius, laden with naval and military stores. From this period H. R. H. served with the Channel Fleet until the spring of 1781, when the Prince George was attached to the fleet sent under the orders of Vice-Admiral Darby, with supplies for Gibraltar. On this occasion 7000 tons of provisions, and 2000 barrels of gimpowder, were landed in the midst of a tremendous cannon- ade, the enemy having collected such a formidable flotilla of giui-boats, carrying 24 and 18-pounders, for the purpose of impeding the disembarkation, as to render it necessary for several ships of the line to anchor in the bay, for the protec- tion of the transports. .!^ ''s. We next find H. R. H. proceeding with Rear- Admiral Digby to the coast of North America, where, preferring a cruising vessel to the inactivity of a stationary ship, the Prince George remahiing principally at New York, he was removed at his were the Phoenix of 80 guns, bearing the Admiral's flag ; and the Minor- ca, Princcssa, Diligente, San Julian, and San Eugcnio, of 70 guns each. By this time the British fleet, which consisted of three 3-dcckers, eleven ships of 74 guns, one of (14, and two frigates, were very near the Spanish coast, which, \vith the wind as it then blew, was a lee shore- Every exer- tion was made to put the prizes in a proper state to proceed ; but the two last that submitted were so much disabled, and had approached so near the harbour of Cadiz, that it became dangerous, with such rough weather, to attempt taking them in tow : the San Eugenio was therefore abandoned, and soon struck on some rocks, whence she was afterwards liove otF by the Spaniards. The San Julian drifting without any mast, excepting the stump of her fore-mast, very near thy land, the British ofticers in posses- sion were obliged to run her a-shorc, near to Port St. Mary, where she was entirely lost : providentially, however, all on board escaped. This se- cond disaster which the Spaniards experienced, rendered abortive a projected expedition in concert with the French, against our West India settlements. The total number of killed and woxmdcd on board the British fleet, amount- ed to 134, including Lieutenants Forbes and Forrest of the navy, and Strachan of the Miarines, '^S ,■ '^^ MMi nUKK OF CLARENCK. ; secu- gby to during e Lee- present d three uritius, [.R.H. , when der the braltar. rrels of jannon- otilla of •pose of sary for protec- il Digby cruising George I at his \Q INIinor- uns each. , eleven Spanish rery exer- it the two so near weather, )an(loned, )ve otF hy ptin^ the in posses- vhere she Tliis se- projected tluments. , ainount- lavy, and own rc(niest into the Warwick, of 50 guns, commanded by the prestMit Viscount Keith, and was with that officer when he captured I'Aigle, a large French frigate, la Sophie, of 22 guns, and the Terrier sloop of war, off the Delaware river, Sept. 11, 1782. Prince William Henry continued to serve in the Warwick until the 3d Nov. following, when, in compliance with the command of his august parent, he joined the late Viscount ■' Hood, who had come from the West Indies in (jucst of a French squadron under the command of the Marquis de Vaudreuil. ] It was at this time that oiu" illustrious sailor became ac(pu\int- ed with the heroic Nelson, to whom he was first introduced by Lord Hood, on board the Barfleur. ^1 The enemy being securely anchored in the port of Boston, the British Admiral sailed from Sandy Hook on his return to ■ the West Indies, Nov. 22d. ; and, after cruising for some time off Cape Francois, anchored at Port Royal on the 5th Feb. 1783. During H. R. H.'s stay at Jamaica, he was treated with distinguished marks of attention by all ranks of people, and was attended by a corps of cavalry, (to which was given the name of Prince William Henry's regiment,) raised for the express purjiose, by the merchants, planters, and other inha- bitimts. Subsequent to the termhiation of hostilities, H. R. H. vi- sited Cape Francois and the Havannah, at which places he was welcomed by the French and Spanish authorities with every honour due to his exalted rank. His presence at the former had, moreover, the happy effect of preserving the lives of several British subjects, as will be seen by the following handsome connnunication from the Governor of Louisiana : '* Cape Francois, j4prU G, 1783. ** Sir. — The Spanish troops cantoned throughout the country, have not, as the French, had the happiness to take up their arms to salute your Royal Highness, nor that of pay- ing you those marks of respect and consideration which are your due : it is what they will ever regret. " I liave in confinement at Louisiana, the principal person concerned in the revolt at Nachez, with some of his accom- plices. They have forfeited their parole and oath of fidelity. A council of war founded on equitable laws, has condenmed 1 I; 6 ADMIRALS OF THE FLBET. them to death, and the execution of their sentence waits only my confirmation, as governor of the colony. They are all English. Will you be pleased. Sir, to accept their pardon and their lives, in the name of the Spanish army, and of my King ? It is I trust the greatest present that can be offered to one Prince in the name of another. Mine is generous, and will approve my conduct. " In case your Royal Highness deigns to interest yourself for those unfortunate men, I have the honour to send enclosed an order for their being delivered the moment any vessel arrives at Louisiana communicating your pleasure. We shall consider ourselves happy if this can be agreeable to you, I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) "B. D. Galvez." To this letter H. R. H. sent the following answer by Captain (now Sir Manley) Dixon, in the Tobago sloop of war. ** Port Royal, Jamaica, April \3th, 1783. " Sir. — I want words to express to your Excellency my just sense of your polite letter, of the delicate manner in which you caused it to be delivered, and your generous conduct towards the unfortunate. Their pardon, which you have been pleased to grant on my account, is the most agreeable present you could have offered me, and is strongly characteristic of the bravery and gallantry of the Spanish nation. This instance increases, if possible, my opinion of your Excellency's humanity, which has appeared on so many occasions in the course of the late war. " Admiral Rowley is to despatch a vessel to Louisiana for the prisoners ; I am convinced they will ever think of your Excellency's clemency with gratitude; and I have sent a copy of your letter to the King my father, who \idll be fully sensi- ble of your Excellency's attention to me. " I request my compliments to Madame Galvez, and that you will be assured, that actions so noble as those of your Excellency will ever be remembered by, (Signed) « William Henry*." On the 12th May following, the day on which H. R. H.'s * Admiral. Rowley accordingly despatched a sloop of war to Louisiana, and the prisoners were brought up to Jamaica. 1 ■v.-'^ t ' -> » lY*." ^isiana. /y £/ > /T" OF CLARENCE. visit to the Havannah terminated, Lord Hood proceeded with his squadron on his return to England, where he arrived, ac- companied by the Prince, towards the latter end of June. In the sunnner of 1785, Prince William Henry, having served the regular time in the navy as a Midshipman, all the duties of which station he performed with becoming alacrity,' and liaving undergone the usual examination, was appointed third Lieutenant of the Hebe frigate, commanded by Cap- tain (now Sir Edward) Thornbrough: soonafter the Hon. John Leveson Gower hoisted his broad pendant in that ship, and proceeded on a cf uise round Great Britain and the Orkney Islands. H. R. H. was presented with an address by the inhabitants of each place at which he touched, and received every possible mark of attention and respect. ITie Prince continued in the Hebe until Feb. 1786, in the course of which month he was appointed first Lieutenant of the Pegasus of 28 guns ; and on the 10th of April, in the same year, he received his commission as Captain of that frigate*. On H. R. H. being appomted to the command of the Pe- gasus, the Port Admiral at Plymouth signified to him, that it was the wish of the Captains then in harbour, to be intro- duced to him in form : to which the Prince with great readi- ness assented, and appointed the following day for his levee at the Commissioner's House. The Admiral having intro- duced the several Captains to H. R. H., he expressed great surprise that his late brother officers, the Lieutenants^ did not wait upon him, and sigmfied his pleasure that they should attend his levee the next day. They were accordingly intro- duced to the Prince, who with a condescension that will ever do him honour, invited himself to dine with them, naming a day previous to that on which he had appointed to dine with the Captains ; adding, *' And then, my boys, we will have a jolly day together !" Prince William Henry sailed from Plymouth June 5, 1786, and proceeded to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, where he landed amidst the acclamations of a numerous and loyal people. H. R. H. expressed his desire, that all military form and etiquette with respect to himself should be laid aside : but it * He passed over the intermediate rank of Commander. » ADMIRALS OF THK FLEET. was found impossible to stifle the joy which brolte forth, ami pervaded all ranks of people, at seeing the son of their beloved Monarch among them. In the course of November in the same year, he proceed- ed to the Leeward Island station^ where he continued some months under the orders of the late Lord Nelson, at that time Captain of the Boreas frigate, whom he joined, and sup- ported in correcting the abuses in the dock-yard at Antigua, as well as among the contractors, prize-agents, &c. The friendship that had before subsisted between these officers, had been kept up by an occasional correspondence*; and they now contracted that permanent regard for each other, which became so highly honourable and beneficial to both. " It was at this era," says the Prince, *' that I particularly observed the greatness of Nelson's superior mind. — The manner in which he enforced the spirit of the Navigation Act, first drew my attention to the commercial interests of my country. We visited the different islands together ; and as much as the mancEuvres of fleets can be described off the headlands of islands, we fought over again the principal na- val actions in the American war. Excepting the naval tuition which I had received on board the Prince George, when the present Rear-Admiral Keats f was Lieutenant of her, and for whom both of us equally entertained a sincere regard, my mind took its first decided naval turn from this familiar inter- course with Nelson J." The high opinion which that great man entertained of the Prince, is illustrated by the following extract fi-om a letter to his early friend, Captain Locker. *' You must have heard long before this reaches you, that Prince William is under my command. I shall endeavour to take cafe that he is not a loser by that circumstance. He has his foibles, as well as private men ; * A large portion of Clarke and M'Arthur's splendid Life of Lord Nelson is compiled from the correspondence the hero kept up with his Royal Highness. t The present worthy Governor of Greenwich Hospital. X During the time the Prince remained on the Leeward Island station, H. R. H. and Nelson dined alternately mth each other. A piece of the mast of the Victory, before which Nelson fell, has been consecrated to his memory by the Duke of Clarence, in a Naval Temple at Bushy Park» which also contains a bust of the noble Admiral. DUKE OF CLARENCE. 9 and Init they are far overbalanced by his virtues. In his profes- sional line he is superior to near two-thirds, I am sure, of the list ; and in attention to orders, and respect to his superior officer, I hardly know his equal : this is what I have found him." In a subsequent letter he says, " H. R. H. keeps up strict discipline in his ship ; and without paying him any compliment, she is one of the finest ordered frigates I have seen." The niarriage of Nelson and the accomplished Frances Herbert Nisbct *, took place at Nevis, March 1 1, 1787. The bride was given away by Prince William Henry ; who with many others congratulated their friend in having borne off the principal favourite of the island. In the month of May fol- lowing H. R. H., having completed the tour of the islands f, sailed from Grenada, and arrived at Jamaica on the 31st. In August he proceeded to Quebec, and thence returned to Ply- mouth, where he anchored Dec. 27th, after an absence of one year and a half. On his arrival in England, the Prince was appointed to command the Andromeda frigate, in which ship he again visited the West Indies. The Andromeda anchored at Port Royal, Nov. 15, 1788, when the whole House of Assembly waited on H. R. H. with their congratulations : and on the 2d of December, they voted a thousand guineas to be laid out in the purchase of an elegant star, ornamented with diamonds, to be presented to him, as an humble testimony of the very high respect and esteem the island entertained for his eminent virtues, and the happiness they felt in seeing him among them ; as well as the grateful sense thoy had of the particular attention paid by H. R. H. to the duties of a profession, which was the support and defence of the British empire in general, and of that island in particular |. On the 19th May 1789, H. R. H. was created Duke of * Mother of the present Captain Josiah Nisbet, of whom a Memoir will appear in a subsequent part of this work. t The House of Assembly at Barbadoes passed a vote to present H. R. H. with a gold-hUted sword, valued at three hundred guineas. The Council and Assembly of Dominica presented him with a time-piece of equal value. t At a subsequent period the same body voted three thousand guineas, to purchase a piece of plate to be presented to H. R. H., as a testimony of their sense of his great parliamentary services in the important question relative to the African SIaveort proceeded to Hali&ix, and from thence, in com- pany with LordColville's squadron, to block up M. de Ternay, who had taken possession of the harbour of St. Joim's, and tlirown a boom across its entrance. On the 11th Sept. Colonel Amherst joined the Conunodore with a body of troops fi-om Louisbourg. A landing was innnediately effected in Torbay, about three leagues froni St. John's: the enemy made an attempt to oppose it, but was repulsed with some loss. On the 16tli, a strong westerly wind, attended by a thick fog, forced Lord Colville from his station before the harbour ; of which M. de Ternay availed himself, slipped his cables, and stood to sea. On the 18th, M. de Hausaonville, "TT-"— '■^"-- iii i\\ hi W ■il; t 'if I it^il 14 ADMIRALS OF THE FLEET. tlic commander of the troops, finding that he was deserted by Ills naval colleague, and that it was impossible to hold out any longer, offered terms of capitulation} which being accepted, he and his followers became prisoners of war. Captain Jervis returned to England with the trade from Virginia, and continued to command the Gosport, principally on the home station, during the remainder of the war. He held no subsequent command till the year 17^9, when being appointed to the Alarm, of 32 gims, he M'as ordered to the Mediterranean. In the month of August, 1770, being at Villa-Franca, he had the honour of entertaining on board his ship the Due de Chablais, brother to the King of Sardinia, who expressed him- self most highly gratified at his reception, and presented Captain Jervis with a diamond ring, enclosed in a large gold snuff-box. He also distributed several watches and boxes among the officers, and left a large sum of money for the ship's company. In 1772, the Alarm being at ar hor in t-ie bay of Marseilles, parted her cables and drove on some rocks ; but was saved from destruction by the skill and exertions of Captain Jervis, assisted by M. Pleville de Pelly *, a Lieutenant in the French navy, and Intendant of Marseilles, to whom the British Admiralty afterwards forwarded a case, containing several pieces of plate richly chased, as a return for the services he had rendered the frigate. Captain Jervis remained on the Mediterranean station till 1774, in which year he was appointed to the Foudroyant, of 84 guns ; a ship originally belonging to the French, and cap- tured from them Feb. 1st, 1758, by tJie Monmouth, of ()4 guns f. This ship was justly considered as a pattern to the rest of the fleet, in point of discipline and good order ; and so much was she extolled, that when persons of distinction lionoured the Western squadron with their presence, the Fou- droyant was always the ship they first visitedl. • M. Pelly was ullerwards Minister of Marine to the French republic. t The. Monmouth was commanded by Captain Artliur Gardiner, who died of his wounds the day after tlic action. X The late nmiablu Duchess of Dcvonsliirc had nearly lost her life on an occasion of this Ivitid ; for when the fleet lay in T.rbay, at the time her consort was attending' his duty in the Western Camp, as Colonel of the Drrhyshire Militiu, she determined to take a view of the Foudroyant : but ^ EARL OF ST. VINCENT. i:. >Iic. who life on le her jf the but Our officer continued uninterestingly employed on the va- rious services allotted to the Channel Fleet, till June 1778, on tiie 18th of which month he captured the Pallas^ French frigate, of 32 guns and 220 men. Soon after this, the battle between the English and French fleets, under the respective commands of Keppel and d'Orvilliers, was fought ; a battle which, from the peculiar circumstances that attended it, was subsequently productive of more party clamour and acrimo- nious invective, than perhaps any other event in our naval history *. On this occasion Captain Jervis was selected by Admiral Keppel to be one of his seconds ; and the Foudroy- ant was as closely engaged and as much disabled as any ship in the fleet. She had five men killed and eighteen woimded. We now come to detail the particulars of one of the most brilliant actions which had occurred during the American war ; namely, the capture of tlie Pegase, of 74 guns and 700 men, commanded by the Chevalier de Cillart. In the montli of April, 1782, Admiral Barrington sailed for the Bay of Biscay with twelve sail of the line ; and on the 20th, when within a short distance of Ushant, discovered an enemy's fleet. A general chace ensued ; and at the close of the evening, Captain Jervis had so far outstripped the rest of tlie squadron, that when night came on, with hazy weather, he lost sight of them entirely, but still kept a full view of tlie enemy, whom he pur- sued with unremitting vigour. The enemy's fleet consisted of eighteen sail, laden with provisions and ammunition, and containing a considerable number of troops for the supply of the French fleet and forces in the East ladies ; being particu- larly destined to replace the convoy which had been taken by Admiral Kempenfelt in the preceding winter ; t)jo>y had iinrortuimtely, ns Chaplain Jervia was leading that accomplished ornament of the Britisli Court from Brixam Quay to the barge prepare*! to carry her on hoard, the plank over which they were mnag slipped, and thereby ^ve * The brightest beauty to the surly wuvo ! ' On beinif taken out of the sea, her Grace waa under the necessity (nrixham beinjj a wretched iisliing town) of repairin;? to the cot of an old woman, with whom she exchanged clothes, and those of the Ducht^sa remained in the possession of lier humble hostess. • Daring the trial of .\dmiral Keppel, in Jan. 17/9, on four charges exhibited against him by Sir Hugh Palliscr, relative to his condiu t in the al>ove action, Captain Jervis was examined as a witness. The evidence he gave was spirited, cU'ar, consistent, and decidedly in favour of the accused. 11 ill I ii :!i^ I 16 ADMIRALS OF THK KLPiKT. sailed from Brest only the day before, and were es- corted by the Protectcur and Peajase, of J4 guns each, I'Actiouaire, a two-decker armed ot Jiute, and a frigate. The Foudroyant gained so fast upon the chace, that it was evident they could not escape without an engagement j the convoy was therefore dispersed by signal ; and the two 74's havhig consulted together, it was determined, that, as the Protecteur had a large quantity of money on board, she should make the best of her way ; and that, if fighting was inevitable, the Pegase should abide the consequence. A little before one A. M. the Foudroyant came up, and was closely engaged with the P6gase. The action was extreme- ly fierce whilst it lasted ; but, within less than an hour from its commencement. Captain Jervis laid the French ship aboard on the larboard quarter, and compelled her to strike. Nothing could have afforded a more remarkable instance of the decided superiority of seamanship and discipline on the one side, and of the great effects which these qualifications produced on the other, than the circumstances of this gallant action. On board the Pegase, 80 men were killed and wounded ; the hull, masts, and yards of the French ship, were materially injured ; and the damage she sustained was beyond any thing that could have been supposed, considering the short time she was engaged ; while the Foudroyant received but little in- jury ; not a man was killed ; none mortally, and her com- mander the most seriously wounded *. At this time the sea was so rough, that it was Avith gi^eat difficiUty Captain Jervis, with the loss of two boats, could put an officer and eighty men on board the prize. Soon after this was effected, the Foudroyant lost sight of the Pegase ; but the Queen fortunately coming up, took possession of her. In consequence of this gallant action, Captain Jervis was honoured with the insignia of a Knight of the Bath +. In the month of October, 1782, Sir John Jervis accompa- nied Earl Howe, who was sent with a powerful fleet to re- * (>aptuiii Jervis was wounded by a splinter, which struck hiiii on the temple. The engagement !»<''.. cc". the Foudroyant and the Pdgase was aihniiably depicted by iSurres, who devoted two pictures to tliC subject. -J t May 29, 1782, :X. luence with lompa- Ito re- on the Pdgase to the BARL OP ST. VINCENT. 1? lieve the important fortress of Gibraltar, which was then closely pressed on the land side by a very numerous Spanish army, while at the same time the combined armaments of France and Spain, amounting to nearly fifty ships of the line, attempted to block it up by sea. In the skirmish that took place outside the Gut, after the object of the expedition had been accomplished, the Foudroyant had 4 men killed and 8 wounded. -^ i ..it ' ; iisi wi- Respectmg the relief of Gibraltar, it has been justly said, that " foreign nations acknowledge its glory, and every future age will confirm it. Not only the hopes, but the fears of his country, accompanied Lord Howe. The former rested upon his consummate abilities, and approved bravery ; while the latter could not but look to the many obstacles he had to sub- due, and the superior advantage of the fleet that was to op- pose him. Nevertheless, he fulfilled the grand objects of the expedition J the garrison of Gibraltar was effectually relieved, the hostile fleet baffled and dared in vain to battle ; and the diflerent squadrons detached to their important des- tinations ; while the ardent and certain hopes of his country's foes were disappointed.'' Immediately on the return of the fleet to England, Sir John Jervis was chosen to command a small squadron destined on a secret expedition. He accordingly quitted the Foudroy- ant, and hoisted a broad pendant on board the Salisbury, of 50 guns ; but it was soon after hauled down in consequence of the sudden cessation of hostilities *, About this period, oiur officer was chosen representative in Parliament for the borough of Launceston, in Cornwall ; and at the general election in 1784, he was returned for the town of North Yarmouth, and soon distinguished himself by opposing an expensive plan, which was then in agitation, for fortifying the dock-yards ; not only as a member of parlia- ment, but as a member of the board of officers, which was convened for the purpose of investigating the propriety of the measure. He also gave a firm support to every proposal which was calculated to advance the good of the service, or the welfare of his brother officers. * The preliminary articles of peace between Great Britain, France, Spain, and America, were signed at Versailles, Jan. 20, 1783. VOL. I. C lii:; I IP 18 ADMIRAJLEI OF THB FLEET. Sir John Jei^vis was advanced to th^ x^vk q( {Uctr-Admiral, Sept. 24, 1787 ', and in the {ur^utment of 1790^ had his flag flying on bqard th^ Prince, of 98 guns. His quarter-declk was fuU of young gentlemen radeta of som^ of the first fa- milies in the kingdom, whp piade the g^'eatest interest to pliacc thein us midshipmen \i^th so distinguished a commander. On the reduction of the armauieut, each flag-ojSic«r then em- ployed was indulged by the Lords Commissioner^ of the Admiralty, with the permission to recommend a Lieutenant and JVIidshipman ibr promotion. As many of those gentle- men had passecl their etxaoiination, each flattered himself of being the fortunate one, according to his high connections ; but, tQ ^eir gi;eat disappointment and SKUiprise, Sir John selected a youug man, the son of an old Lieutenant, and wrote him the foUowbig letter : -ii..,. . j.ii . r; , .. :, " Sir. — I named you for the Lieutenant I was allowed to promote, because you had merited the good opinion of your superiors, and that you were the son of an old ofiicer and worthy man, in no great affluence : a steady perseverance in that conduct which has caused you to be thus distinguished, is the most likely means to carry you forward in the profession ; for I trust other ofiicers of my rank will observe the maxim I do— to prefer the sons of brother ofiicers, when deserving, before any others. 1 am. Sir, •• Your humble Servant, " Rochetts, Dec. 24, \790." JoHN JfiRVlS." At the general election which took place in May, 17SiO, the Rear- Admiral was choseu IVJember of Parliament for Chipping Wycombe, which borough he represented till the commence- ment of the war with the French Republic *, when he vacated 1! I ♦ On the execution of the unfortunate Louis XVI, the English ambas- sador was recalled, an embargo was laid on all corn vessels freighted for France ; and on the 24th Jan. 1793, Lord Grenville intiiwited to M. Chauvcliu, the minister uf that power, that he must quit the kingdom within eight days. On the 1st Feb. upon the motion of tiie cele- brated Brissot, the French National Convention declared war against his Majesty the King of Oreal Britain, and the Stadtholder of the United Pro- vinces. On the 1 1 ih this event was oificiall)!; announced to Parliament, and proclamation issued for making reprisal?. , Jmiraly lis flag iret fa- irest to aander. en em- of the ^tenant gentle- himself actions } ir Jolpkn knt, and bwed to of your icer and ranee in iguished, pfession ; e maxim eserving, EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 19 RVIS. 700, the Chipping mmence- vacated ish ambas- •eighted for led to M. kc kitif^doDi >f U»e cele- agaluat hU United Pro- ParUatncnt, 4 his seat, and accepted the command of a squadron^ destined to co-operate with General Sir Charles Grey in the reduction of the French West India Islands *. In this toilsome service, with the most formidable difficul- ties to encounter, the spirit and perseverance of these brave commanders were pre-eminently conspicuous ; and the London Gazette Extraordinary, in the month of April, 1794, announ- ced the important intelligence, that, on the 16th March l)receding, the whole island of Martinique had been captured from the French, excepting the forts Bourbon and Royal, which were then closely besieged ; and, on the 26th of the same month, despatches were received, containing intelligence of the complete subjugation of that valuable colony. This success pfoved the prelude to as speedy a reduction of St. Lucia and Guadaloupe j but, in consequence of the sickness of the troops, and want of a sufficient reinforce- ment, these conquests cbuld not be retained. Sir John Jervis returned home from this expedition with his health considerably injured, and very much emaciated fre«i the effects of the yellow fever, and arrived at Plymouth Jan. 11, 1795. On the 1st June, in the same year, he was advanced to the rank of Admiral of the Blue t. As soon as his health was sufficiently re-established, our officer, who had in the intermediate tiii>e received the thanks of Parliament, and the freedom of the city of London, for the emi- nent and distinguished services he had rendered to his country during the West India campaign, was appointed to succeed Admiral Hotham in command of the fleet stationed in the Mediterranean. He accordingly proceeded thither in the Lively frigate ; and on his arrival, hoisted his flag on board the Victory, of 100 guns X. About this period, the French Directory had, by insinua- * A faithful and curious account of the Campaign in the West Indies, accompanied by many official documents, and several handsome illustrative prints in a(|uatinta, copied from drawings made on the spot, was afterwards published by the late Rev. Cooper WillyaUis, the Admiral's Chaplain. t About this time he lost all his luggage, by the burning of the Boyne, hia late flag ship. See Retired Captain, Hon. Sir George Grey, Bart. X The limits of Sir John's command were afterwards e.^teiided along the coasts of Spain and Portugal, to Cape Finisterre. c 2 !! i I HP nil i} 8> ii' H '' H 20 ADMIRALS or THE FLBET. tions, threats, and other artifices of terror or persuasion, eofl' trived to detach the Court of Spain fkt)m its alliance with England *, in consequence of which the situation of the Bri- tish force employed in that quarter, was suddenly rendered extremely critical. Though the state of the Toulon squadron was insufficient to create any disquiet in Sir John's mind ', yet the Spanish ships at Carthagena alone, were numerically far superior to those under his orders. The political situation of his country, at that time, rendered the greatest exertions necessary. A formidable combination was raised against her ; and the fleets of France, Holland f, and Spain, had they all been permitted to unite, would have composed an immense armament, consisting of nearly one hundred sail of the line. The internal commotions which had for some time pervaded Ireland, appeared to afford these confederated foes the great- est hopes of success, provided it were possible for them to put on shore a body of to)ops sufficiently numerous to coun- tenance the rebellious ins 'argents in their open avowal of that treason, which, owing to the insidious representations of those among their own countryaien who possessed most influence^ and were considered as the leaders of their party, had long been cherished by them. At this period it had attained a height truly formidable and alarming. An attempt was made by France, immediately after Spain became an al' y to the cause of republicanism, to carry this project into execution ; and though it had completely failed, there was little reason to expect that the want of success on that occasion would so far intimidate the enemy, as to prevent a repetition of it. Regarding, therefore, the general posture of public affairs, it must appear evident, that very urgent necessity peremptorily demanded the immediate execution of some grand and decisive measure, which might, by its consequential success, contribute to dispel that tremendous 1 •a r'V * A treaty of peace between France and Spun was signed at Basle» July 22, 1795 ; and on the 19th Aug. 1796, a treaty of alliance, offen- sive and defensive, was concluded between these powers. Spain de- clared war against England Oct. 8th following. t Letters of marque and reprisal were formally issued against the Dutch, Sept. 15, 1795. Orders, however, to seize all vessels belonging to ,the republic, had i)een given on the 19th Jan. preceding. OF ST. VINCENT. 21 , cort" with e Bri- odered ladron mind; irically luatioii ertions st her ; hey all imense be line, ervaded B great- hem to coun- 1 of that of those ifluence, lad long tained a er Spain irry this failed, ccess on prevent posture urgent icecution hy its nendous at Basle, [ice, oflFen- Spain de- ninst the llonging to cloud which appeared oi 'hep*jint of 'ursting over this cow mk f y . With this situation, toge her with J the circumstances wkS% led to it. Sir John was perfectly ell acr inicd : ^''t vi'ry little relief could be expected, highly va- .c abilit , of its commander might be estimated, from a ladron - nsisting of ten ships of the line, which, putting tiiC French force at Toulon totally out of the question, had to contend with an ene- my of nearly three times its own force. This disparity of numbers was in some degree reduced by the arrival of Rear-Admiral Parker, with five sail of the line, from England, who formed a junction with Sir John Jervis off Cape St. Vincent, on the 6th Feb. 1797 *. Still, how- ever, his force was so very unequal to that of the enemy, that nothing but the existing case could have warranted the attack ; nor any thing short of the greatest exertions in regard * The British squadron, after this junctioii had been effected, consisted of the following ships, whose names are given according to the order in which they were formed previous to the commencement of the action on the 14th. Guns. Culloden 74 Captain Thomas Troubridge. Blenheim 98 Thomas Lenox Frederick. Prince George 98 } Rear-Admiral William Parker. C Captain John Irwin. Orion 74 James Saumarez. Irresistible 74 George Martin. Colossus 74 George Mmray. {Admiral Sir John Jervis, K. B. First Captain, Robert Calder. Second Captain, George Grey. f "^ce-Adrairal Hon. Wm. Waldegrave, Barfleur 98.... J (Now Lord Radstock.) (^ Captain James Richard Dacres. Goliah 74 Sir Charle» H. Knowles, Bart. Egmont 74 John Sutton. „ .^ . ,-- f Vice- Admiral Charles Thompson. Bntannia 100 | Captain Thomas Foley. Namur 98 James Hawkins Whitshed. Captain 74 Ralph Willet Miller. Diadem 64 George Henry Towry. Excellent 74 Cuthbert ('ollingwood With the Lively, Niger, and Southampton frigates, two sloops of war, and a cutter. fli '■ •? '1 III 39 ADMIRALS OF THE FLEKT. to professional knowledge and gallantry which the human mind is perhaps capable of making, could have rendered its event successful. Independent of that superiority which the enemy possessed in respect to numbers^they had the additional advantage of being so near to their own ports, that even in case of discomfiture, they could retire without dreading the consequences of pursuit, and moor in safety under the can- non of their own fortresses, in a less space of time than would be required to refit the rigging of a frigate, after an hour's con- test with a vessel of equal force. The magnitude of the ob- ject, a firm reliance on the intrepidity, as well as activity of those whom he commanded, and a proper confidence in his own judgment, contributed to make the British Admiral de- spise all the surrounding difficulties ; and determined him to attempt a new mode of attack, which he had arranged in his mind as practicable, should fortune ever favour him with an opportunity of carrying it into execution. He had long entertained very sanguine hope«« it would be crowned with the most brilliant success ; and the instant he received the augmentation of force before alluded to, and became ap- prized of the enemy's fleet being at sea, he delayed not a moment in making known to those he commanded., his reso- lution to engage them, and the peculiar manner in whidh he intended to arrange his attack. In this situation of affairs, the Spanish Admiral Don Josef de Cordova sailed from Carthagena^ Feb. 1st, 1797, with a fleet consisting of twenty-seven sail of the line, twelve frigates, and a brig*. * Spaiush Liae of Battle, Van SqUADRQN. Gum. Bahama 74 Pelayo 74 San'Pablo 74 Neptuno 80 Concepcion 112 SauDoiuingp 74 Conqmstadore 74 y San Juan Nepomuccno 74 San Genaro 74 Repeaters. — Brigada, Casilda, Ferla, Mcrcadcs — Frigates . EARL or ST. VINCENT. 20 On the night of the 1 1th, this fleet was discovered by the Minervc frigate, on board of which was Commodore Nelson *, then on his way from the Mediterranean to join the Com- mander in Chief. Capt^dn (now Vice-Admiral) Foote, of the Niger frigate, also kept company with them for some days previous to the 13th ; and that night they approached so near the British squadron, that their signal guns were distinctly heard. . ' The morning of the 14th was dAsk and hazy -, but about half-past six o'clock five of the eneihy's ships were discovered in the S. by W., and before eleven o'clock, 25 sail were visible to the British squadron f. r Centre Squadron. ouns. Mexicano 112 Terrible 74 ' ' Oriente 74 r< Sobettmo 74 Santlssima Triaidada 130 . ., , San Nicolas SO ., , , SanYsidro 74 Salvador del Mundo 112 San Ildefonso 74 Repeaters.~-Paz, Dorotea, QuadaIoupc» Santa Teresa, frigates,— and Vigilante, brig. .,h 'i Rear Squadron. Conde de !legla 112 SanFlrmin 74 Firme 74 Principe d'Asturias 112 SanAntonio 74 Glorioso 74 Atlante 74 San FVancisco de Paula 74 iSan Josef 112 Repeaters. — Matilda, Diana, Antiocha, Ceres — Frigates. * Commodore Nelson, on joining the fleet, hoisted his broad pendant in the Captain, of 74 guns. t On the 5th of the month, when passing Gibraltar, the Spanish Admu-al despatched three 2-deckers, and a frigate, to escort about 70 sail of transports, with troops and military stores, for the camp at St. Roque, into Algeziras. One of the line-of-battic ships immediately li li ►riliii, <: y wcvcral, who had not l)ecn retnrncd as wounded. In com- paring, therefore, the loss in this general action Avith that in any other, it will be fair to consider the total of killed and wounded to have amounted, not to 300, but, at the least, 400 naen."— James's Naval History, v. ii, notfint p. 63. " • ' ' ' ' " * t Thi: Victory, und several other ships parted their caltic?. 28 ADMIRALS OF THE FLEET. m ! il m n portion of five or six to one, during the whole of <^he action ; and the expenditure of ammunition was consequfcntly beyond example. The Culloden expended 170 barrels of powder ; the Captain, 146 ; and the Blenheim, 180. The Spaniards fought bravely, but with little skill ; and it is but fair to remark, that their fleet was ill equipped and very indifferently manned, and in no respect fit for action j their flag-ship had not more than eighty seamen on board ; the rest consisted of impressed landmen, or soldiers of theb new levies *. The gloom which overspread the country was dispelled by the news of this victory, which was received with that grateful exultation that characterizes Englishmen. Admiral Jervis received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, and was honoured with the title of Earl of St. Vincent, the scene of his glory, and Baron Jervis of Meaford, the place of his birth; he also received the gold chain and medal, and a pension of three thousand pounds per annum f. Several ships from home having joined the squadron, and those that had suffered in the action having repaired their da- mages, the Admiral, whose flag had been transferred to the Ville de Paris, of 1 10 guns, sailed from Lisbon with twenty- * Notwithstandbg these palliating drcumstanccs, the conduct of the officers of the Spanish fleet, having been referred to a council of war, The Commander in Chief, Don Josef Cordova, was deprived uf ail his offices, declared incapable of ever serving in any rank, and prohibited from appearing at Court, or in any of the chief towns of the maritime coasts. The second in command. Count Morales des Los Rios, was deprived of his rank. Tiie Captains, Don Gonzale Vallego, Don Juan De Agairre, Don Josef De Torres, and Don Augustine Villivicienzo, deprived of their rank ; the latter declared incapable of holding any other in futuie. Several other Captains and officers, were deprived of their offices for a liniited time of six, four, and two years, according to the degree of their alleged criminality. Several Captains, Lieutenants, and Ensigns, were sentenced to be repri- manded in public. t Vicc-Admiral Thompson and Rear-Admiral Parker, were created Baronets ; the honors of the Irish peerage were afterwards conferred upon Vice-Admirul Wuldegrave ; Commodore Nelson received the insignia of the nio-st honourable military order of the Bath ; th« thanks of both Houses of Piirlinmcnt were voted to the fleet ; and gold emblematic medals were distrilnitod to all tlic Flag-Officcrs and Captains, as on similar occasions. »c KARL OF ST. VINCENT. 29 iction J aeyond )wder ; miards fair to erently lip had isted of ;lled by h that Admiral nt, and e scene ; of his , and a on, and tieir da- i to the twenty- ct of the rar, uf all his ited from oasts. rived of re, Don of their [:es for a of their Ibc repri- created red upon lia of the Jouses of laU were asioQs. M '■>» one ships of the line, Mar. 31st, and proceeded direct for Cadiz, off which place he continued cruising till the 11th May following ; on which day he anchored his fleet so elFectually to block up the port, that the Spaniards, under Don Mas- saredo, although their force had in the interval been increased to thirty sail of the line, had no opportunity of again putting to He also gave directions to Rear-Admiral Nelson to sea * bombard the town, which, according to the accounts of the Paris papers, whose authority upon this occasion need not be suspected, sustained considerable damage. In the course of the ensuing summer, he detached the same gallant officer with a squadron to make an attack upon the town of Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe, which he had reason to believe was an assailable object. Of this expedition, the failure of which was occasioned by a variety of unlooked-for circumstances, an account will be found in our memoir of Sir Thomas B. Thompson f. During that eventful period when the machinations of our domestic enemies, in almost every other part of the navy, had but too well succeeded!, his lordship's exertions to support tlie discipUi?;? of the fleet under his command, were eminently successful. Several deep laid schemes, of the most sanguin- ary tendency, were detected and defeated, and the ring-leaders brought to immediate punishment. Earl St. Vincent continued during the space of the two succeeding years, uninterestingly for himself, but gloriously for his country, occupied in the blockade of Cadiz, or such services as the state of the war rendered it necessary for him to undertake, either in person or by proxy. Finding, how- ever, his health considerably impaired by the fatigue of his very laborious service, his Lordship was compelled to return to England for its re-establishment. He accordingly re- signed the command of his fleet to Lord Keith, and on the • At tills period Eari St. Vincent, and the officers under hin command, joined in a public purse to be offered to grovemment (exclusive of assessed taxes), in aid of carrying on the war, into which his Lordship put one thousand pounds. The subscription amounted on the whole to 6,642/. \Gs.Gd. t Vice-Admiral of the Red. t For the particulars of the mutiny at the Norc and Splthead, see Ad- miral S^ir John Knight, and Vicc-Admiral E. (;ri(lith Colpnvs. :^o AOMIRALS OF THR FLKKT. M m !i i : I ■*<- i It 18th Aii^. 1790, urrived at Portsmouth. On his landiniT, he was presented with the freedom of tliat borough, and soon after, with an address from the merchants and manufac- turers of Great Britain trading? to the south of Europe *. After a long struggle with disease, his l^ordship recovered his health in so great a degree, as to enable him in the month of April, 1800, to take upon himself the command of the Channel Fleet, vacant by the resignation of the late Lord Bridport. In the course of the same year, he received the honourable and lucrative appointment of Licutenant-General of Marines. The various squadrons detached from Earl St. Vincent's fleet, were very successfid in their operations against the trade of the enemy, and by their activity kept the French coast in a continual state of alarm ; but as the republican marine in the ' ports of the ocean * preferred the security it derived from the batteries on shore, to a repetition of the defeats it had already sustained, the noble Admiral had no opportunity of adding fr-esh laurels to those he had before acquired. In February, 1801, when the reins of administration were conmiitted to Mr. Addington, now Viscount Sidmouth, Earl St. Vincent was nominated First Lord of the Admiralty. In this situation, he introduced various extensive reforms, of which the eScpediency has been differently considered by opposite parties f. Soon after this appointment, the crew of his late flag-ship, the Ville de Paris, presented him with a flag. It was of white silk, with a red cross, having his Lordship's arms ! jautifuUy embroidered in the centre. In the upper divi- sions were the words, " God save the King," and " Long live Earl St. Vincent ; " and in the h)wer, the following in- scription : " This flag is presented to Earl St. Vincent, as an hunil)le testimony of gratitude and respect, by the crew of his Majesty's ship the Ville dc Paris." During his Lordship's presidency at the Admiralty, an » lie suliseqiicntly, received the freedom of Plymouth in a handsuiuu silver box, beautifully embossed with suitable cinblemutical devices. t In 18U5, a person named Blaf(doii suffered an imprisonment of six months, as the author of a suppressed pamphlet with the signature ot Aristidcs, reflecting on the naval administration of Earl St. \'incent. VvV EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 31 Ity, an oiidsoinu s. cxpcxlition was sent to the Baltic for the purpose of counter- acting the ill effects of the Northern Confederacy ; it in needless to say, that this object was completely effectccl by the victory obtained over the Danes, at Co[)enhagoii, April 2, 1901 *. An attempt made to destroy the French flotilla at Boulogne, was unfortunately attended with a totally different result, notwithstanding every thing was attempted that might have been expected from the approved talents of the officers, and the known braven' of the men employed. About this time. Earl St. Vincent obtained a patent for a Viscounty, with a collateral limitation, to him and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten ; and in default, to the children of his sister, Mary, by her marriage with William Henry Ricketts, late of the Island of Jamaica, Esq., deceased. In the month of May, 18()4, his Lcjrdship was succeeded in the office of First Lord of the Admiralty, by the late Viscount Melville, the intimate friend and confidant of the immortal l*nT : and in the beginning of 1906, when Mr. Fox succeeded that lamented statesman, as Premier, he was again appointed to the chief command of the Channel Fleet, and was on this occasion permitted to carry the Union at the mast-head, instead- of his own proper fljig. In the autumn of the same year, his Lordship proceeded to Lisbon, in the Hibernia, a new first-rate ; it is generally believed, for the purpose of making arrangements for the emigration of the royal £a,mily r)f Portugal f, which country was at that time threatened with the presence of a French army. In the month of April, 1807, the Earl retired from the comnmnd of the Channel Fleet. On the 7th May, 1814, he succeeded the late Lord Bridport, as General of the Royal Marines ; and in 1816, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. During the summer of I SI8, this nobleman visited that stupendous national work, the Breakwater in Ply- mouth S()\uid ; and both his patriotism and curiosity were fully gratified by the sight. A hne-of-battle ship, the Bul- wark, was lying within it, aa quiet and easy as if she had • Sec uii account of the battle, uimKt the head of Sir Thomas Foley, Vico- Admiral of the Red. t The ctiitor docs not pledge himself for the accuracy of thU statement t■^ iiasffiffiffliKx*. 32 ATiMTRALS OF THE FLVET. t been in Hamoaze, immediately after a smart gale from the south-west. The pleasure of seeing so great a public work in such a rapid state of progress, must have been greatly increased (as his Lordship confessed was the case), both by the rcdection, that he himself was the projector of so great a national benefit, and the conviction that it answered his most sanguine expectations. On the 19th July, 1821, the day of his present Majesty's coronation, Earl St. Vincent was elevated to the rank of an Admiral of the Fleet. His Lordship had been senior Ad- miral of the Red, for more than five years previous to that event. • . .' ' .■■ . •../ ' , .. , A portrait, by Hoppner, representuig this venerable com- mander in a naval uniform, on the quarter>deck of a man-of- war, being an admirable likeness of him in his old age, was exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1809. A bust by Chantrey, was exhibited at the same time. Earl St. Vincent married, June 6, 1783, his cousin Martha, daughter of Chief Baron Parker, before-nientioned. By that lady, who died Feb. 8, 1816, and to whose memory he Las erected a beautiful monument in Caverswail Church, Stafford- shire, he had no issue. His Lordship's nephew, Edward Jervis Ricketts, Esq., Barrister at Law, is heir presumptive to the Viscounty of St. Vincent. , .? ,, Residence, — Rochetts, Essex. v ■..■ 1 :33 was m WILLIAM PEEllK WILLIAMS FREEMAN, Esq. (Late li'Uliams.J Senior Aihniral of the Red. 'I'nis officcM', who has recently obtained the roj^al permission to take and use the surname of Freeman, after passing through tljc subordhiate ranks of Midshipman, Lieutenant, and Commander, was promoted to that of Post-Captain, Jan. 10, 1771» i"itl served as such with great credit during the contest with our trans-atlantic colonies. On the 10th Aug. 1780, Captain Williams being on n cruise off Ushanl, in the Flora, of 42 guns and 259 men, fell in with an enemy's frigate and a cutter, the former of which he captured after a most desperate action. She proved to be la Nymphe, of 32 guns, pierced for 40, and 291 men, 63 of whom, including her commander, were killed, and 73 wounded. The loss sustained by the Flora was 9 killed and 27 wounded. It is somewhat singular, that la Nymphe was taken by the Flora in the same manner in which she herself afterwards took the Cleopatra * ; the wheel being shot away, she became ungovernable, fell on board her antagonist, and was carried by boarding f. In the month of March, in the ensuing year, Captain Wil- liams accompanied the fleet under Vice-Admiral Darby, to the relief of Gibraltar J, from whence he proceeded to Port Mahon. On the 29th May following, the Flora and Cres- cent, the latter commanded by the present Admiral Sir Tho- mas Pakenham, behig near the coast of Barbary, on their passage from Minorca, and having recently escaped from a very superior Spanish squadron, fell in with two Dutch ships ; but it then blowing a gale of wind. Captain Williams waited for a more favourable opportunity to bring them to * See Viscount Exmouth. t This appears to have been the first action in which a British man-of- war, inouiiting carronades, was engaged. The Flora had on board six pieces of onhiancc of that description, (eighteen liounderf) in addition to lier 3() long guns. See James's Naval History, vol. i, note f at p. 63. X See p. 4, at which place we should have remarked, that in addition to the annoyance afforded by the Spanish gun-boats, the enemy opened the whole of his land batteries, and continued to bombard the rock during the period that the British fleet remained in its vicinity ; by which cruel pro- cecdinj» a groat part of the town was destroyed, and many of the inhabitants jeduced to iiuligence and beggary. VOL. I. I, m li si ifiiji 34 ADMIRALS OF THE RED. hi I, i. IS' action. The next morning, the gale having abated and the sea considerably fallen, the British frigates edged down to- wards the enemy. At five o'clock each ship had arrived close alongside of her opponent. A furious engagement commenced, and continued without intermission for two hours and a quarter, when the vessel opposed to the Flora struck her colours. She proved to be the Castor, of 32 guns and 230 men, 22 of whom were slain, and 41 wounded. The Flora had 9 killed, and 32 wounded. Captain Pakenham's antagonist continued the action some minutes longer, when by an unlucky shot, the Crescent's main and mizen-masts were carried away, and the whole of the wreck falling within board, rendered her guns useless, and the ship became ungovernable. In this situation her gallant commander was reduced to the painful necessity of striking his colours to the Brille, a ship of the same force with the Castor. The instant Captain Williams saw the fate of his friend, he, by great exertions, placed the Flora in such a situation as to induce the enemy to forego the advantage he had obtained, and to make sail from the scene of action. The ships were all so extremely disabled, particularly the Crescent and Castor, which were with some difficulty kept afloat, that it was five days before Captain Williams was able •to make any progress towards his destination. On the 19th June, he discovered two large frigates approaching; at first Captain Williams shewed a disposition to give them battle ; but as they still continued the pursuit, encouraged no doubt by the crippled appearance of his consorts, he, with the advice of his officers, separated, and each ship steered a •different course. The Castor about one o'clock was retaken by one of the enemy's frigates ; and in the night the Crescent -also fell into their hands. In the month of March, 1782, we find Captain Williams in the Prince George, of 98 guns, serving on the Leeward Island station, under Sir Samuel, afterwards Viscount Hood. The operations of the fleet, to which Captain Williams was attached during the siege, and after the capture of St. Chris- topher's *, at the above mentioned period, form an epoch 4n the proud annals of the British Navy : compelling an ene- •my of superior force to quit his anchorage, taking the same * See Retired Captain, John N. Inolefield. 4 WILLfAM PEKRE WILLIAMS FREEMAN, ESQ. 35 d and the down to- ld arrived igagement 1 for two the Flora of 32 guns ied. The ction some Crescent's the whole ns useless, ;uation her jcessity of same force iw the fate ara in such advantage of action. :ularly the iculty kept IS was able nthe 19th Etching; at give them encouraged ts, he, with p steered a /Q,s retaken le Crescent ti Williams le Leeward ount Hood, illiams was St. Chris- n an epoch ing an ene- ig the same situation during action, and defeating the attempts made to force that position, was a lesson in naval tactics, that will ever be deservedly regarded with admiration ; and our appro- bation must be divided between the skill displayed by Sir S. Hood, in directing these masterly manoeuvres, and the bravery and precision with which they were executed by those under his orders. The capture of St. Christopher's having rendered the pre- sence of the squadron no longer safe, as they were within the range of shells, and an enemy's fleet of nearly double their force within a few miles. Sir Samuel Hood prepared to quit his anchorage, which he did in the same dexterous man- that he gained it. On the 19th March, the squadron ner anchored in St. John's road, Antigua, and on the 22nd, sailed to join Sir George Rodney, who had recently arrived from England, at Antigua. Early in the following month, when the fleet under Ad- miral Rodney was at St. Lucia, the Count de Grasse, having embarked an army of 5,500 men, and a considerable train of artillery and battering cannon, endeavoured to elude tlie vigilance of the English cruizers off Martinique, and push for St. Domingo ; he was, however, so narrowly watched, that the French fleet were discovered in the night of the 7th ; and being immediately pursued and overtaken, the battle of the 9th, and victory of the 12th April, were the consequences *. * The engagement of the 1 2th of April commenced about seven A.M.: It was fought in a large basin of water, lying among the islands of Guadaloupe, Dominique, the Saints, and Marigalante : both on the windward and leeward of this basin, lay very dangerous shores. As soon as day broke. Admiral Rod- ney threw out the signal for close action ; and every vessel in his fleet obeyed it most scrupulously and literally. The British line, instead of being, as usual, at two cables' length distauce between every ship, was formed at the distance of only one. As each came up, she ranged close alongside her opponent, passing along the enemy for that purpose, giving and receiving, while thus taking her station, a most dreadful and tremen- dous fire. The action continued in this manner till noon ; when Admiral Rodney resolved to carry into execution a manceuvre, which, if successful, he expected would gain him a complete and decisive victory ; for this pur- pose, in his own ship, the Formidable, supported by the Namur, the Duke, and Canada, he bore down Avith all sail set on the enemy's line, within three ships of the centre, and succeeded in breaking completely through it. As soon as he )iad accomplished this, the other ships of his division fol- D 2 friik IF u :.;!> n H:"Mi •; \ 1 »vi!i' :' '! ill i 1 i i 1 ; i '''■■; il 36 ADMMl VI.S oe THK UKD, In those actions the Prince Georjije bore a distinguished part, and had 9 men killed, and 24 wounded. lowed him ; and they all wore round, doubled upon the enemy, and thus placed between two fires tiiose vesjcls, which l)y the first part of the ma- nceuvre they had cut off from the rest of the fleet. As soon as Admiral Rodney and the vessels which followed him wore, he made the signal for the van to tack, by which means they gained the windward of the French, and completed the disorder and confusion, into which the breaking of their line had thrown them. The enemy, however, still continued to fight with great courage and firmness ; and made an attempt to reform their broken hne, by their van bearing away to Icesvard : this, however, they couhl not accomplish : during the whole of this time. Sir Samuel Hood'.s division had been lie- calmed, and of course unable to take any part in the action ; but at this critical moment a breeze sprung up, which brought forward most of his ships, and thus " served to render the victory more decisive on the one side, and the ruin greater on the other." One conseijuence of the breaking of the French line was, that opportu- nities were given for desperate actions between single ships ; the most splendid and striking of which were the following, told in language, which it would be wrong to alter, because it would be scarcely possible to improve. '* The Canada, of 74 guns, Captain Cornwallis, took the French Hector, of the same force, singlc-Iiand. Captain higlefield, in the Centaur of 74 guns, came up from the rear to the attack of the Caesar, of 74 also. Both ships were yet fresh and unhurt, and a most gallant action took place ; but though the French Captain had evidently much the worst of the com- bat, he still disdained to yield. Three other ships came up successively, and he bore to be torn almost to pieces by their fire. His courage was in- flexible : he is said to have nailed his colours to the mast ; and his death could only put an end to the contest. When she struck, her mast went overboard, and she had not a foot of canvas without a shot hole. The Glorieux likewise fought nobly, and did not strike till her masts, bowsprit, and ensign were shot away. The English Ardent, of fi4 guns, which had been taken by the enemy in the beginning of the war, near Plymouth, was now retaken, either by the Belli(|ueux, or the Bedford. The Diadem, a French 74-gun ship, went down by a single broadside, which some accounts attribute to the Formidable : it has also been said, that she was lost in a generous exertion to save her Admiral." " M. De Grasse was nobly supported, even after the line was broken, and till the disorder and confusion became irremediable towards evening, by the ships that were near him. His two seconds, the Languedoc and Couronne, were particularly distinguished, and the former narrowly es- caped being taken, in her last efforts to extricate the Admiral. The Ville (le Paris, after being alreaily much battered, was ('losely laid alongside by the Canada : and in a desperate action of near two hours, was reducee- ; but at this most of his on the one liat opportu- s ; the most [uage, which possible to ;nch Hector, antaurof 74 also. Both took place; of the com- successively, iragewas in- ind his death er mast went hole. The Its, bowsprit, 3, wliich had y mouth, was le Diadem, a )jne accounts was lost in a was broken, ards evening, mguedoc and narrowly es- 1. TheVille alongside by was reduced '€ Captain Williams was advanced to the rank of Uear-Ad- iniral, April 12, 1/94; Vice-Admiral, June 1st, in tlie fol- aluioot to a wreck. Captain Cornwallis was so intent in liis desi^ai upon the Frencli Admiral, that, without taking possession oi tlio Ueclur, he left her to be picked up by a frigate, while he puslmd on to tlic Vilic do Paris. It seemed as if M. De Grasse was determined to sink, nillier than strike to any tiling under a flag : but he likewise undoubtedly considered the fatal effects which the lowering of his flag might produce, on the rest of his fleet. Other ships came up in the heat of the action with the CanatUi, but he still held out. At length. Sir Samuel Hood arrived iu the liarfleur, just almost at sun-set, and poured in a most tremendous and destructive fire, which is said to have killed sixty men outright : but M. Do Grasse, wishing to signalize as much as possible, the loss of so fine and so favour- ite a ship, endured the repetitions of this fire for about a (juarter of an hour longer. He then struck his flag to the Barfleur, and surrendered himself to Sir Samuel Hood. It was smd, that at the time the ^'illc de Paris struck, there were but three men left alive and unhurt on the upper deck, and that the Count de Grasse vns one of the three." Long before the French admiral surrendered, his fleet had sought their safety in flight ; and that they might divide the attention of the English, and thus more siisily accomplish their object, they went off l>efore the wiini in small squadrt.ns and single ships. They were at tirst closely pursue "hips, all taken from the enemy, to the British navy ; and destroyed five L'lore ! Nor were his Sovereign and the Houses of Parliament less sensible of the His lady 39 ) have been lannon that captured in conquerors, lat ever was This ship is ; and was nt. ' great ; the and of the ight so long led. )t nearly in paled, when tnsideration. iinber of the led to seven and bravery istinguished ink with the Marquis of passage to ed both by as the only that their ery season- cept where the enemy, >o many in- rable man- >eace, this lodney was on towards gc. It was peculiarly more than wcrful and taken an Hu had in enemy, to lible of th« f SIR GEORGE MONTAGU, Admiful of the Red; and a Knight Grand Cross of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath, This officer, descended from Drago de Montacute, who came over to England with William the Conqueror, in 1066, and was the common ancestor of the Dukes of Montagu and Manchester, and the Earls of Sandwich and Halifax *, is the second son of the late Admiral Jo' n Montagu, who served his country with zeal and fidelity for 63 years ; com^xianded the squadron employed on the coast of Nprth America pre- vious to the colonial war ; was afterwards appointed Governor of Newfoundland ; and held the chief command at Ports- mouth subsequent to the peace of 1783; by Charlotte, daugh- ter and co-heir of George ^yroughton, of Wilcpt, co. Wilts, Esq. Mr. George Montagu was born Dec. 12, 17^0; went to the ^oyal Naval Acadenay at Portsmouth, in 1763 ; and from thence was discharged into the Preston, of 50 guns, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral William Parry, and commanded by bravery of the officers and men who had achieved this glorious and decisive victory ; Sir George Rodney was created a Peer of Great Britain ; Sir Samuel Hood, a Peer of Ireland ; and Rear-Admiral Drake, and Commo* dore Affleck, were made Baronets of Great Britain ; the thanks of both Houses of Parliament were unanimously voted to these, and the other officers, and the seamen ^d marines of the fleet ; and on the 23d May, a vote of parliament was passed, by which a monument was ordered to be erected to the memory of Captains Bayne, Blur, and Lord Robert Man- ners, who had so bravely fallen in the defence of their King and Country. — (Campbell's Lives, edit. 1813.) * Edward Montagu, the first Earl of Sandwich, and a K. G., held the chief command of the English navy, and had the address as well as the honor, of bringing the whole fleet to submit to Kittg Charles 11., who, in consideration of that important service, was pleased to create him Baron Montagu, Viscount Hinchinbrooke, and Earl of Sandwich ; he was Lord High Admiral of England, and was killed in the great battle with the Dutch fleet off Southwold Bay, May 28, 1672. Sir George Montagu'* immediate ancestor was the Hon. James Montagu, of Lackaro, in Wiltr •hire, third son of Henry, flrst Earl of Manchester. t i\\- afSfMtfmexy: Ji M 39* ADMIRALS OK TUB; KKD. , "i 4 I I 1' J 1 Captain (afterwards Lord) Gardner j in which ship he proceed- ed to the Jamaica station, where lie continued upwards of three years ; and returned from thence to EngUmd M'ith the latter officer in tlie Levant frigate, in 1770. Soon after his arrival, Mr. Montagu was made a Lieute- nant, and appointed to the Marlborough, of 74 guns, from which ship he removed into the Captain, another third-rate, bearing the flag of his father, then a Rear- Admiral, with whom he went to America, where he obtained the rank of Comman- der in the Kingfisher sloop of war; and from that vessel was promoted to the command of the Fowey, of 20 guns. His post commission bears date April 15, 1773- At the commencement of the contest with our trans-atlan- tic colonies, we find Captain Montagu employed in the ardu- ous service of blockading the ports of Marblehead and Salem, on which station he continued during a whole winter, and had the good fortune to capture the Washington, a brig of 16 guns, the first vessel of war sent to aea by the American States. Her crew, 70 in number, were sent to England as rebels ; but instead of being hanged, as they deserved, and no doubt expected, they were there well clothe -^ and set at liberty. Captain Montagu was subsequently entrust '^ Vice- Admiral Shuldham, with the difficult and important duty of covering the retreat and embarkation of the army under Sir William Howe, at the evacuation of Boston. The enemy having thrown up strong works, commanding the town and harbour, the Vice- Admiral dropped down to Nantusket Road with the line-of-battle ships, leaving the whole arrangement and execution of this service to Captain Montagu, who re- ceived the thanks of the General in a very flattening manner, through his brother. Lord Howe, when he assumed the cliief command on the coast of America. We next find our officer serviug in the river Chesapeake, where he rescued Lord Dunmore and family, and also pre- vented Governor Eden of Maryland, from falling into the hands of the enemy. The Fowey was subsequently station- ed by Lord Howe as the advanced ship at the siege of New York } soon after the reduction of which place, Captain Mon- tagu returned to England in a very ill state of health. ilM 'ik SIR CBORGE MONTAGU. 39** ; proceed- )wards of 1 with the a Lieute- uns, from Dhird-rate, ith whom Comman- hat vessel 20 guiiB. ans-atlan- 1 the ardu- ,nd Salem, !r, and had 3rig of 16 American Sngland as erved, and and set at •^ Vice- ,nt duty of r under Sir 'he enemy » town and isket Road rangement , who re- ig manner, 1 the chief leoapcake, also pre- into the ly station- 5e of New tain Mon- th. In X'J^^i the Romney, of 50 guns, which ship, bearing his father's flag at Newfoundland, he had commanded for a pe- riod of two years, being ordered to receive the broad pendant of Commodore Johnstone, Captain Montagu was appointed to the Pearl frigate, and hurried to sea, on a pressing and im- portant service, before his crew could be either watched or quartered, with only 10 men who had ever been in a ship of war before. On tlie 14th Sept., about four weeks after his departure from port, he fell in with, and after a gallant action of two hours, which " stamped his name with a eulogy far beyond any thing that even a partial pen could say," captured the Santa Monica, a Spanish frigate of 32 guns, 900 tons, and 280 men, 38 of whom were slain, and 45 wounded. The Pearl mounted the same number of guns as her opponent, but was only 700 tons burthen, and had a very small propor- tion of seamen among her crew, which consisted of 220 offi- cers, men, and boys. Her loss on this occasion was 12 kill- ed and 19 wounded. Towards the latter end of the same year. Captain Montagu sailed with Sir George B. Rodney to the relief of Gibraltar, and wab consequently present at the capture of the Caracca convoy, with which he returned to England, in company with the Africa, 64 *. Some time after this event, he was ordered to America, with intelligence of a French scjuadron, with troops on board, being about to sail from France, for the pur- pose of making an attack upon New York. The fleet on that station, under Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot, having proceeded with Sir Henry Clinton's army to besiege Charlestown, in South Carolina, Captain Montagu on his arrival found himself senior officer at New York, and the security of that place ne- cessarily dependent on his exertions. From thence lie went on a cruise off Bermuda ; and, on the 30th Sept., captured I'Esperance, a Freuch frigate of the same tonnage as his for- mer prize, with a valuable cargo, from St. Domingo bound to Bourdeaux, mounting 32 guns, and having on board near 200 men, including about 15 or 20 officers of the army, and pri- vates, passengers. This ship appears to have made a most • Se** iiotp t, at p. 3, el SCI/ V * ! f\ ■1 >i: 40 ADMIRALS OF THK RED. obstinate defence, maintaining a close action of two hours, in which, and in a running iight of equal duration, she had 20 of her crew killed, and 24 wounded. The Pearl's loss was only 6 slain and 10 wounded. On the 16th March, 1781, Captain Montagu was in com- pany with the squadron under Viccr Admiral Arbuthnot, when that ofl&cer encountered M. de Ternay, then on his way to co-operate with a detachment of the American anny in an at- tack upon Brigadier-General Arnold, whose corps had nearly over-run the whole province of Virginia. Unfortunately, a thick haze, together with the disabled condition of the three ships on which the brunt of the engagement chiefly fell, ren- dered it impossible for the British squadron to pursue the ad- vantage it had gained, and the contest was consequently in- decisive. Captain Montagu's abilities and zeal were by this time so highly and generally appreciated, that when, in October fol- lowing, Rear-x\dmiral Graves, who had succeeded to the chief command of the naval force employed on the American station, meditated an attack upon the French armament imder Count de Grasse, then lying at the entrance of the York river, between the sands called the Horse Shoe and the York Spit, he appointed the Pearl to lead his fleet : unfortunately, how- ever. Earl Comwallis, to whose rescue he had come from New York, (accompanied by the army under Sir Henry Clinton,) had been obliged to capitulate before his arrival, and the enterprise was consequently abandoned *. During the Spanish armament, in 17^0 f, Captain Monta- gu obtained the command of the Hector, 74 ; and at the commencement of the war with France, in 1793, he accom- panied Rear-Admiral Gardner to Barbadoes, where he ar- rived on the 27th April. In the ensuing summer, the Rear-Admiral, in conjunction * Captain Montagu returned to En^fland in a sliattered state of liealth, and paid off the Pearl, which ship brought Sir Henry Clinton and Ue ueral Kinphausven from America, in 1782. t See p. 69. m^:l, SIR 0£ORG£ MONTAGU. 40* v^o hours, tie had 20 s loss was B in com- not, when is way to r in an at- lad nearly inately, a the three fell, ren- ue the ad- [uently in- is time so itober fol- ed to the American lent under ITork river, fork Spit, ely, how- ome from Jir Henry lis arrival, Is • in Monta- nd at the le acconi- ere he ar- onjunctioii le of health, ton and Ue- with Major-General Bruce, being encouraged by the disputes which existed between the royalists and republicans at Mar- tinique, and invited by the former to make a descent on that island, proceeded thither, aild landed a body of 3000 British troops, under cover of the ships ot war. On the 15th June, the Hector and Monmouth were order- ed to cannonade a fort on Mount Cerbette, which they began to do about 11 A.M., and continued firing till half-past three in the afternoon. The following day. Captain Montagu was sent to co-ope- rate in an attack upon the batteries to the N . E. of St. Pierre, as a diversion in favour of the troops. The Duke, of 98 guns, leading, followed by the Hector, began to engage Forts Bime % and la Preche, which were totally silenced. A violent thun- der-storm coming on, the Duke's main-mast was shivered by lightning : next morning, Captain Montagu landed a party, who spiked the guns of the forts, and destroyed their car- riages. The expedition, however, having failed of effect, in con- sequence of the republican party proving much stronger than was represented, the tfoops were re-embarked, together with as many of the royalists as could be taken on board the ships ; the remainder were unavoidably left to perish by the hands of their implacable enemy. The rage and unrelenting fury of civil war were now clearly perceived by the flames that co- vered the island night and day. The Ferme, a French ship of 74 guns, and the Calypso fri- gate, put themselves under the orders of the British com- mander, and saved a number of their unfortunate countrymen from destruction. The enemy having sevetal ships of war at St Domingo, Rear-Admiral Gardner despatched the Hector, in company with the Hannibal) of 74 guns, to reinforce the squadron on the Jamaica station, and returned to England with the re- mainder of his ships. After a short interval Captain Montagu was directed to convoy home a large fleet of West Indiamen ; and on his arrival at Spithead, was placed under the orders of Commo- dore Pasley, with whom, and Rear-Admiral M* Bride, he cruised in the channel till his promotion to a flag, which took 'II 'A I' ■ 1' 1^' : . , ^ , i;. I ■«'■■ . f 40** ADMIRALS OP TH£ RED. place April 12, 1/94 j when he joined the grand fleet, at that period commanded by Earl Howe. Early in the following month he was detached with a squadron to escort the out- ward bound East India fleet, and other convoys, amounting in the whole to about four hundred sail, as far to the southward as Cape Finisterre. After the performance of this important service, he cruised for some days to the northward of Cape Ortegal and previous to his return to port ; captured a French corvette of 22 guns and 140 men, and re-took several British and Dutch merchantmen. Early in June, he was again ordered to sea, for the purpose of reinforcing Lord Howe, as well as to look out for a valuable convoy coming from America, and bound to the western coast of France, the capture or destruction of which, at that critical period, was deemed an object of the utmost import- ance. On the 8th of the same month, being off Ushant with eight 74-gun ships, one 64, and several frigates, he discovered a French squadron consisting of one 3-decker, seven 74*8, and one other two-decked ship, which he pursued until they got close under the land, and some of them into Brest Water, where two other ships, supposed to be of the line, were then at anchor. At seven A. M. on the following day, the fleet under M. Villaret Joyeusc appeared in sight to the westward, standing in for the land, with the wind about north. Rear- Admiral Montagu, perceiving that the enemy had fourteen effective line-of-battle ships (one of which was a first rate) independent of five others which had been disabled in the recent battle with Lord Howe, besides frigates, &c. j aware of the ease with which those he had chased on the preceding evening might have formed a junction with this superior force, and fearing that his sternmost ships would not be able to weather the French line, tacked to the eastward in order of battle, and then gradually edged away to the southward, with the view of drawing M. Joyeuse off the land, and getting his own squadron in as eligible a situation as possible to act against the enemy, if an opportunity should offer itself ; but his adversary kept his ships so closely connected, and guarded with so much care those which were disabled, that the Rear- Admiral had it not in his power to take any step that wi"< -yasm.:. ^* $IR GEORCilS MdNTAGtf. 41 , at that bllowing the out- unting in mthward mportant of Cape a French 1 British ! purpose valuable western i, at that i import- lant with iscovered ven 74*8, intil they jt Water, vere then the fleet estward, , Rear- fourteen irst rate) :d in the . } aware receding superior t be able I order of ard, with !tting his he to act ielf ; but I guarded he Rear- that WPM in the least degree likely to contribute to the public service. The French commander stood after the British for about five hours, and then hauled to the whid on the larboard tack, whilst Rear- Admiral Montagu stood to the N. W. in the hopes of meeting Earl Howe. His Lordship, however, was then on his way to Spithead, with the prizes taken on the 1 st of that month ; and our officer understanding that it was his wish that the fleet should assemble at Plymouth, anchored with his division in Cawsand Bay on the 12th. Having informed the Admiralty of his arrival, and requested permission to come on shore for the recovery of his health, which was considerably affected by the tidings of the death o** his brother, Captain James Montagu, who had fallen in the late battle, he received the following letters from the Secretary of that Board, the Earl of Chatham, and the vete- ran nobleman under who3e orders he was then serving : " Admiralty Office, June, 14, 1794. " Sir. — Having communicated to my Lords Commissioners of the Ad- miralty your letters of the 8th and 12th inst. (with the enclosures), in- forming them of your arrival in Cawsand Bay, with the scjuadron under your command, and of your proceedings during your last cruise, I arii commanded hy their Lordships to acquaint you, that they approve thereof. (Signed) " Piiii,. Stkphbns." *• Rear-admiral Mondiffu, Plt/mout/i." " Admiralty, June 15, 1794. " Sir.— I received your letter this morning, and learnt, wjtli great re- gret, that your state of health was such as to make it necessary, for a short time, to come on shore. I wish much it had been possible for the Hector to have brought you to Spithead; but as the scpiadron must proceed again immediately to sea, and in as much force as possible, it will not be at present pi*acticablc ; but probably a little time hence it may 1)p so arranged, that the Hector may come up to Spithead. The London is not yet commissioned ; and I should be glad to know if tiiere is any particular person you would wish to fit her out in the first instance •. I cannot con- clude without condoling with you, which I do very truly, at the shock you ♦ The Rear-Admiral, on his return from escorting the convoys to the south- ward, had expressed a wish to exchange, at u convenient opportunity, the Hector for the London ; and Lord Chatham had promised to dircot Ikt to bfl cniiimissioned for him. !^ 41* ADMIRALS o|r THIS hED. .} « 1.. ': I V i!:T;r Hi'i ; .1- must have suffered in the loss of your brother^ who fell so nobly in the caaie of his country. " I am. Sir, " Your most faithful humble Servant, (Signed) •* Chatham. " Rear-Admiral Cornwallis is directed to proceed to Plymouth, to take upon him the command of the squadron." " Rear-admiral G. Montagu." " The ChaHolte, at SpUhead, Juiie XQth, 1794. " Sir. — I have received your letter of the 12th ihst., by which I am in- formed of your late procieeding with, and arrival of the squadron under your command, that morningj in Plymouth Sound. And I am to signify, in consequence of ydur application to the same effect, that you are at liberty to strike ydiir flag, and go on shore for the re-establishment of your health, which I sincerely hope you will be able thereby speedily and per- manently to obtain. Having the honol* to be, &c. &c., (Signed) " Howb." " Rear-Admiral Montagu" (Private.) ** The Charlotte, Spithead, 16/A June, 1794. " Sir. — I cbhdolie with you most sincerely, on the great loss you and your family have sustained in consequence of the late action. Your respectable brother was stationed tod far distant from me, for my being enabled to give the personal testimony you do me the honor to be anxious for obtaining of me ; and which is totally unnecessarij for confirming the respect you will naturally retain of him *. ** The permission for striking your flag for the reasons you have com- municated to the Admiralty, is signified in my o.licial letter the earlier, as I received authority to that effect frdiu the Board yesterday ; and so much time was saved bf courste, as Would btherwisS have been necessary for ob- taining such approbation of yoUr request. And I earnestly hope, for public as well as personal considerations, that the suspension from your profes- sional avocations, will speedily contribute to the re-cstablishment of you^ health. Having the honor to be. Sir, " Your most obedient humble servant, (Signed) " Howk." " Rear-Admiral Montagu." From this period, witli tlie exception of his being pro- moted to the rank of Vice- Admiral, on the 1st June, 17^5; * Captiun James Montagu commanded the Montagu, of 74 guns, and was the only officer of his rank who fell on the glorious 1st June, 1794* At the moment when slun, 9^ 45' A. M. he was closely engaged with a IS.l@S^>a» SIR GRORGB MONTAGU. 41** ATHAM. ;h, to take m, 1794. I am in- ron under to signify, you are at at of your and per- [owa.'* tne, 1794. I and your especiable ed to give ttaining of t you wilt liave com- irlier, as I so much ry for ob- >r PUBLIC ur profes- it of you^ It, VE." i\g pro- ', 1795} ;uns, and ne, 1794* cd with a we find no farther mention of our officer till the month of M^rch, 1799* when Lord Spencer, then at the head of naval affairs, offered him the command at the Nore, which he de- clined, thinking it beneath his rank. In the following year, the Earl of St. Vincent applied for him to be attached to the Channel fleet ; but, unfortunately, before his application peached the Admiralty, the appointment was given to another officer ; and although the gallant Nelson, with whom he was not then personally acquainted, proposed him as his suc- cessor in the Baltic *, his flag was not again hoisted till the summer of 1803. During the ensuing five years and a half, a period of active war, he held the chief command at Ports- mouth, and executed the arduous duties of his office to the full 9,nd entire satisfaction of six different Boards of Admiralty. Whilst there, his present Majesty (then Prince of Wales) honored that town, a second time, with his presence. Pre- vious to the departure of this illustrious visitor, he dined with the Admiral, who afterwards received the following highly flattering letter :-— " Porttmouth, Sept. 14, 1803. ^*Sir. — ^I am commanded by the Prince of Wales, to express the high satisfaction H. R. H. experienced in his visit to the fleet yesterday. The great skill and un- tliree-decker apA her second a-head, which was the fifth ship from the eqe- ipy's rear. The following is a copy of the remarks made liy his first Lieu- tenant, the present Rear-Admiral Donnelly, at the end of the minutes of tive battle, taken on board the Montagu, and transmitted by that exceUeut officer to Earl Howe : — r " We suffered early an irreparable loss by the death of Captain M ojitagu, whose coolness and determined bravery while in action, did honor to his King, comttry, and friends ; and while 1 deplore his sad, though honorable fall, I cannot sufficiently testify the gratitude I feel for the support given me during the action, and in our preparation afterwards to renew it, by each officer respectively, and the crew of the ship which I had the honor to command, whose promptitude to do their duty left me no room to doubt of the glorious victory which followed, by the judicious maimer in which the fleet was conducted, together with the gallantry of its oflicers and men. (Signed) " Ross DoNM^i^iiV, " First Lieutenant." * See Clarke and M 'Arthur's Life of Lord Nelson, 4to. edit. vol. 2, p. 286. P I 42 t;ii i=i, 7irani|i ADMIRALS OF THE R£D. daunted courage which has been so brilliantly displayed by the officers and men in all quarters of the world, render any remark from H. R. H. superfluous, b\it which alone has been produced by the state of discipline and subordination so justly the admiration of all Europe. The Prince of Wales further commands me to say how sensible H. R. H. is of your and Admiral Holloway's attention, as well as the Captains of the fleet. " I have the honor to be, Sir, " Your most faithful and obedient Servant, (Signed) '^ B. Bloomfikld. " Admiral Montagu , Sfc. Sfc. Sfc." In Aug. 1810, a large body of Captains, who had fitted out at that port, whilst he commanded there, presented Admiral Montagu with a superb piece of plate, as *'' A Tribute of their Respect and Esteem ! " Our officer was advanced to the rank of fiiU Admiral, Jan, 1, 1801 ; and nominated a G. C. B. as a testimony of the Prince Regent's approbation of his services, Jan. 2, 1815. He has recently published a pamphlet, dedicated to his Ma- jesty, and entitled, " A Refutation of thb incorrect STATEMENTS AND UNJUST INSINUATIONS CONTAINED IN CAP- TAIN Brbnton's Naval History of Great Britain, as FAR as the SAME REFERS TO THE CONDUCT OF AdMIRAL Sir George Montagu; in a letter addressed to the Author." A perusal of the foregoing Memoir, which is confined to a plain statement of well-authenticated facts, will, we trust, prove to the world, that no demerit, much less disgrace, is to be attached to his professional character. To use the words of a former biographer, " it has ever been free from stain: and his actions, like himself, ever generous, brave, and praiseworthy." Sir George Montagu has three sons, who have devoted themselves to the service of their country, in which the blood of his family has been profusely spilt * : viz. George Wrough- ton Montagu, a Major in the 56th regiment ; John William * Sir George Montagu's brother, Edward, Colonel of the corps of Ar- sill r.RORGE MONTAGU. 43 iyed by der anv as been tion so r Wales . H. is 1 as the ant, MFIKLD. itted out Admiral ? of their ral, Jan. y of the 2, 1815. his Ma- ORRECT IN Cap- fain, AS Ldmiral TO THE confined will, we disgrace, use the ree from , brave, devoted ;he blood Wrough- William )rps of Ar- Montagu, :i Post-Captain ; and James Montagu, a Comman- der, in the Royal Navy. His eldest daughter is the lady of Rear- Admiral Sir John Gore, K. C. B., of whom a Memoir appears at p. 609 et seg., to which considerable additions will be made in the Supplement to the Addenda. Note. — See N. B. at p. 883. Residence. — Stowell Lodge, Pewsey, Wilts. RIGHT HONORABLE GEORGE VISCOUNT KEITH, Bnmn Keith of Stonehaven Marisihal, co. Kincurd'me ; Bt.ron Keith of Bunheath, co. Dumbarton, and Buron Keith in Treluml ; Admiral of the Red ; Secretnrp, Chamberlain, and Keeper of the Signet to the Great Steward of Scotland ; a Countellor of State for Scotland and the Duchtf of Cormoall ; Treasurer' and Comptroller of the House- hold to H. R. B. tht Duke of Clarence i Knight Grand Croat of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath ; Knight of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent, and of the Royal Sardinian Military Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus ; Fellow of the Royal Society, and a f^ice- President of the Royal fFestern Infirmary. The ancestor of this nobleman was a German of the name of Elvington, who settled in Scotland during the reign of Robert I., and married Margaret, daughter of Sir Christopher tillery on the. Bengal Establishment, an olBcer of acknowlcd$]^ed merit, was mortally wounded under the walls of Seringapatam, in 1/99. The follow- ing outline of his services will no doubt be acceptable to the friends of his family : — Very shortly after his adntission into the Artillery, he was ap- pointed to the iieid, in the command of the detachment of that corps em- ployed in the redaction of the forts in the Dooaub, in I ^^A—^, aiifd subse • queutly in RoUUkund ; and was severely wounded on two different occa- sions, once by the bursting of a sliell, and again in the storming of fort Seekraunee, by an arrow, in the left eye. Although the nature of this wound was such as to render it advisable for him to proceed to Europe for hi> recovery, yet his aeal ft>r the service i-iduced him to solicit permission to accompany the Beng^ artillery, to serve in the reetweeu the British troops and Hyder Ally ; and his conduct was honored with the approbation of his (ieneral. The encomiums passed upon him by Lord CornwalHs, in the course of the »var with Tippoo Saltaun, wei-e not less honorable than frequent. His last canapaigu was iu 17^)8—9, mider Ma>)r.(lenenal Harris; and at the period of his death, he had the immediate cowmaiid of the batteries erecte«l before Seringapatam. The share to be attributed to him in the reductiou of that place, it would be presumptuous in us to state ;— the general and united voice of the army proclaimed it. >1 'J' if • 'Mi. J! m- k': ■ %> 'M hi] •^5f" I 44 ADMfKALS OF THR HBD. Seton, a lady related to the royal family, and who appears to have been an heiress, or to have obtained crown lands by way of dower, in the fertile shire of Lothian, which her hus- band called after his own name. From this gentleman, usually considered as the founder of the family, descended Alexander, who, in the 33d year of David II., exchanged his restate of Kinchibar for the lands of Arthberg, in the county of Stirling, which were called Elphinstone, and became the residence of his descendants. Sir Alexander, one of these, was created a Baron in 1509, jind the title has descended in regular succession during many generations. Charles, the tenth Jx)rd Elphinstone, married Clementina, only surviving daughter and sole heiress of John, the last Earl of Wigtoun, a title now extinct, and niece of George Keith, hereditary Earl Marischal of Scotland, and of Field-Marshal Keith, whose family, with a noble attachment to learning, added to a degree of munificepce befitting q, sovereign house, founded the college of New Aberdeen, which is still called by their name *. The subject of this memoir was the fifth son by the above marriage, He was born in the year 1746 ; and, after receiv- ing a suitable education at Glasgow, went tp ^ea, in Fe- bruary, 1762, on board the Gosport, commanded by Captain Jervis, now Earl of St. Vincent ; he subsequently served in thp Juno, Lively, and Emerald frigates, until the year \J&7f when he went a voyage to China with his brother, the Hop. W. Elphinstone. In 1769 he proceeded to India, with Com- modore Sir John Lindsay, by whom he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Soon after his return to England, whi- ther he had been sent with in^portant despatches, he was ^ppointe4 to the flag-ship of Sir Peter Dennis, Coq>mai^der- in-Chief in the Mediterranean ; and in 177^» ^^^ advanced to the rank of Comnoa^der, in the Scorpion, of 14 guns. His commission as Post-Captain bears date March Mt ^77^ j and his first appointment as such appears to have been to the Marlborough, of 74 guns, stationed ^t Portsmouth, from which ship he soon after removed into the Perseus fiigate, and served in her on the coast of A^nerica, under Lord Howe and Admiral Arbuthnot. * Marslial Keitli was one qF the favourite Generals of Frederick II, King of Pruisia. « VISCOUNT KEITH. 43 the officers and men in all quarters of the world, render any remark from H. R. H. superfluous, but which alone has been produced by the state of discipline and subordination so justly the admiration of all Europe. The Prince of Wales further commands me to say how sensible H. R. H. is of yours and Admiral HoUoway's attention, as well as the Captains of the fleet. ** I have the honor to be, Sir, " Your most faithful and obedient Servant, (Signed) « B. Bloomfield. "Admiral Montagu, ike. &c. &c." In the month of August, 18^0, the Captains and Com- manders who had rervet^ iir.£\v;r Admiral Montagu's flag during his conini ivui hI Fortsnuouth, presented him with a superb piece of piiit-j, a? "A Tribute of Respect and Esteem." On the 2ncl Jan. 2B15, t,bi« oflPcer was .lominated a G. C. B. One of his son^ 's a Cojamaader in. !* . N,, and arujthcr in holy orders. H<;-. eidffst. daughter is the ]3.dj ol ]ti«:ai. -Admiral Sir John Gore, K. C, B. y!ii4(''*^'f<^-.^.-^i v^ RIGHT HONOURABLE GEORGE VISCOUNT KEITH, Baron Keith of Stonehaven Murhchcl, cfi. Kincirdi.ie ; Baron Keith of Dmheath, co. 'Dumbarton, and Baron Keith in Ireland. Admiral of the Red; Secreturij^ Cknmberlam, and K;eier of the Signet to the Great Steward of Scotland; i Cmmtellorof State for Scotland and the Duchy of Cornwall i Treasurer and Comptroller of the House- hold to B. JR. //. t/:e Duke of Clarence; Knight Grand Cross of the most honourable Miiiiirif Order of the Bath ; Knight of the Ottoman. Order of the Ceicent, and of the Royal Sardinian Military Order fSt. Maurice and St. Lazarus ; Fellow of the Royal Society, ^M<^ a (y ice-President of the Royal Western Infirmary. The ancestor of this nobleman was a German of the name of Elvmgton, who settled in Scotland during the reign of Robert I, and married Margaret, daughter of Sir Christopher Seton, a lady related to the royal family, and who appears to 44 ADMIRALS OF THE RED. Mh'': 'n I >. have been an heiress, or to have obtained crown lands by way of dower, in the fertile shire of Lothian, which her hus- band called after his own name. From this gentleman, usually considered as the founder of the family, descended Alexander, who, in the 33rd year of David II, exchanged his estate of Kinchibar for the lands of Arthberg, in the county of Stirling, which were called Elphinstone, and became the residence of his descendants. Sir Alexander, one of these, was created a Bnron in 1509, and the title has descended in regular succession during many generations. Charles, the tenth Lord Elphinstone, married Clementina, only surviving daughter and solo heiress of John, the last Earl of Wigtoun, a title now extinct, and niece of Field-Marshal Keith, whose family, with a n()])le attachment to learning, added to a degree of numilicence befitting a sovereign house, founded the college of New Aberdeen, which is still called by their name *. The subject of this memoir was the fifth son by the al)ove marriage. He was born in the year 1747 ; and, after receiving a suitable education at Glasgow, went to sea, in February, 1762, on board the Gosport, commanded by Capt;iin Jcrvis, now Earl of St. Vincent ; he subsequently served in the Juno, Lively, and Emerald frigates, until the year I7(>7» wlien he went a voyage to China with his brother, the Hon. VV. Elphinstone. In 1769 he proceeded to India, witli Com- modore Sir John Lindsay, by whom he u as promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Soon after his return to England, whither he had been sent with important despatches, he was appointed to the flag- ship of Sir Peter Dennis, Commander- in-Chief in the Mediterranean ; and in 1772, was advanced to the rank of Commander, in the Scorpion, of 14 guns. His commission as Post Captain bears date March 11, 177«'> ; and his first appointment as such appears to have been to the Marlborough, of 74 g^ins, stationed at Portsmouth, from which ship he soon after removed into the Perseus frigate, and served in her on the coast of America, under Lord Howe, and Admiral Arbuthnot. * Marrhal Keith was one of the fuvuurito (icacruls uf Fivdcrick II. Kliiff of Pnissia. VrsfOINT KEITH. 45 'n lands by ch her hus- gentlemaii, descended changed his , the county became the •on in 1509, sion during illphinstone, sole heiress ?xtinct, and :ith a noble munificence 'ge of New )y the above 1 and, after it to sea, in :1 by Captain served in the • 17(>7» wlien le Hon. W. with Com- oted to the o England, hes, he was !^ommander- advanced to f 14 guns. h 11, 1775; lave been to uoutli, from sens frigati', under Lord FrcUcrick 11, At the reduction of Charlestown * Captain Elphinstone eonnnanded a detachment of seamen on shore ; and his brave and spirited efforts obtained him honourable mention in the official letter of the Commander of the land forces, General vSir Henry Clinton. He was also present at the attack on Mud Island, Nov. 15, 1777* On his return to England, with Admiral Arbuthnot's despatches, our officer was appointed to the Warwick, of ,'jO guns. In the month of January, 1781* he captured, after a smart action, the Rotterdam, Dutch ship of war, of 50 guns and 300 men. During the remainder of the war. Captain Elphinstone was employed on the American station under Admiral Digbv. While there, H. R. H. Prince William Henry, (now Duke of Clarence) then a Midsliipman in the Prince George, being desirous of a more active life than he spent at New York, requested permission to go to sea, in order that he might get practical experience ; and added to this reasonable recpiest, his wish to cruise in the Warvick ; the Admiral acquiesced, and Captain Elphinstone had the honour of the Prince's company till he was transferred to the care of Sir Samuel Hood f. On the 1 1th Sept. 17H2, the Warwick, in company with the Lion, Vestal, and Bonetta, capturec' I'Aigle, a French frigate, of 40 guns, 24-pounders on the main deck, and 600 men, eonnnanded by the Coimt de la Touche, who made his f^seape on shore with 'he Baron Viominil, Commander-in-Chief of the French army in America, M. de la Montmorency, Due de Lausan, Vicomte de Fleury, and some other officers of rank ; they took in the boat with them a great (piantity of specie ; two small casks, and two boxes, however, fell into the hands of the captors. La (-loire, another frigate, which was in com- pany with I'Aigle, fnmi drawing less water, made her escape. La Sophie, arjued vessel, of 22 guns and 104 men, was also taken, the Terrier sloop of war recaptured, and two brigs destroyed. At the general election in I7H(), Captain Elphinstone was chosen representative in parliament for Stirlingshire ; fie h;»d previously sat for Dumbarton, in which county his family possesses considerable property and influence. • See lU'lirnl Captuin !Sir Anurkw Snai'k IIaaiond t Svv p. f». \4\ ki,M»«i?J.: ■«^ I ■" I'll I 'I 1 i: h ,1 46 ADMIRALS OF THE RKD. In 1793, soon after the war broke out with France, Cap- tain Elplnnstone obtained the command of the Robust, of 74 jifuns ; and under his direction the troops were hinded at Toulon when Lord Hood took possessiim of that place. He was afterwards appointed (ioverner of Fort la Malgue and its dependencies. In this arduous and difficult post Captain Elphinstonc displayed not only the greatest personal intrepi- dity and exertion, but a consummate knowledge of military tactics. On one occasion, a detachment of the republican army, about 7^0 strong, appearing on the heights near Toulon, he marched out with 300 British and the same num- ber of Spaniards, routed the enemy, and took four pieces of cannon, together with their ammunition, horses, two stands of colours, &c. On the 1st Oct. the combined British, Spanish, and Neapolitan forces, under the command of Lord Mulgrave, Captain Elphinstonc, and Rear-Admiral Gravina, obtained a complete victory at the heights of Pharon over a body of nearly 2,(XX) men, the flower of the Eastern army, of whom about 1,5(X) were eitber killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. The loss on the side of the allies amounted to only 8 killed, 7*2 wounded, and 50 missing. The enemy soon recovering from these defeats, seized on tlie heights of Cape Brun ; and on the junction of the victorious army, which had lately capture i Lyons, they at length threatened to storm the forts, and by the aid of Buonaparte, then an obscure officer of artillery, found means to carry some, and annoy all our posts. It was therefore reluctantly determined, in a general council of war, that Toulon was no longer tenable j measures were accordingly adopted for the evacuation of the town and arsenal, as well as for the destruction of the ships of war *. Early in the morning of the I8tli Dec. the embarkation connnenced ; and by day-break on the I'Hh, the whole of the combined troops were safe on board. This service was I ITectcd under the superintendence of Captains Elphinstonc, Hallowell, and Matthews, to whone indefatigable attention and good dispositions Lord Hood attributed the fortunate success of so important an operation ; and it is to their tuirc- • See Admiral Sir W. Sidney Smith. jce, Cap- [.obust, of landed at lace. He Lie and its t Captain ^l intrepi- f military epublican fhts near ime num- pieces of wo stands lish, an() ^ulgravc, btained a \ body of of whom prisoners. ^Skilled, seized on of the , they at aid of nd means aI council ures were 3wn and >f war *. 3arkation )le of the vice was hiiistone, attention fortunate eir unre- VISCOUNT KEITH. 47 mitting efforts that many of the unhappy Touloncsc were indebted for an asylum. In the Spring of 1794, Captain Elphinstone returned to iilngland with the trade from the Mediterranean, and three I'rencli men of war, under his protection. On the 12tli April, in the same year, he was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral, and soon after hoisted his flag on board the Barfleur, of 98 gi:i.s, in the Channel Fleet. On the 30th May he was created a II. B., as a reward for his distinguished merits. in the month of January, 179^) hostilities being about to take place between Great Britain and the Batavian Kepublic *, Sir George Keith Elphinstone shifted his flag to the Monarch of 74 guns, and sailed from Spithead, April 2d, for the Cape of Good Hope, having under his com- mand a small squadron destined for f,hc reduction of that settlement. On the 1st of June following he was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral. Sir George arrived in Simon's Bay early in July, and was there reinforced by several men of war and Indiamen, having on board a number of troops under the command of Major- General Craig. The Dutch Governor, M. van Sluyskin, rejecting the proposals which were made to him for putting tiie colony under the protection of Great Britain, in trust for the Prince of Orange, the necessary measures were taken to reduce the place by force. The Dutch troops were entrenched in a strong position at Muyzenberg, distant six. miles from Cape-Town, and well furnished with cannon, having a steep mountain on their right, and the sea on their left, difficult of approach on ac- count of shallow water, with a high surf on the shore j but the absolute necessity of securing the post, made it obvious to the British Commanders that it ought to be attempted. For this service the Vice-Admiral prepared a gun-boat, and armed the launches of the fleet with heavy carronades, landed two battalions of seamen, about 100() strong, in addi- tion to 8()() soldiers and marines, and sent ships frequently round the bay, to prevent suspicion of an attack, m hen any favourable opportunity might offer. On the 7th of August a light breeze sprung up from the • Sec Note t, ot |». 2(». ■i I . r 4H ADMIU AI.S OK TIIK UKO. N. VV., Jiiul ill (Avclvr u'rlorU ilic |»roroiicri'to(l sicfiuil \v!»s wvmW ; wlun Maj(»r-(J»MU'r!il Craig iustimtly jMit tlic loiTOs «m sluHV in motion, mul u1 tho njimo nionictit, (!on»- nunloic HIanlult, with n (U'turluMl M|iuulron, u;o\ \uu\vr weigh, whilst Iho annrd l)nals pn'ciMh'd thr nmnli of 1h«' tr<»o|»H about livo hnnchrd yards, to provrnt. tluMr hciiiii; i!itcrni|»t«'(l. AhoMi oiu' o'rhioU thr shij)s, bring ahn-ast. of an advan\v shot, which indnivd those in fhargr to depart ; and, on approai'hing u second post, of one gini and a howit/er, the elTeet was the same. On proeeer('e from rape-T<»Mn, witli ould li.ivt' iipproiu'h. ioiis inuii- coiupi*! ruviiii; i» •, niid two two men nirn were I' of tln>m 1 two U'om (>vious to i(< iiiipor- u'ir whole but wrn* 'iiiiUMi and and iiia- iscrt'ditcd (MiriTd till I by fo\ir- of troj)ps, k. I 'poll ) niaUi' an llir troops, [st oxpcdi- lirijau lis liul i\\v vo- [iistlirougli ViSCOirNT KKITII. 49 a drcp sand, IrctpuMitly rxpoHC*! to a KJil''"g ^'^^^ fr""» *^'"-' (iiciiiy. At Wyiicbyr^, a poKtat a siiiall (li»taii(r from (^apc-Towii, tin* Diitrli had phuitrd niiio pirrcs of caiiii<#n, and rol- Icctcd their forcos, (h'tcnniiu'il to inal«' a firm stand ; hut they were ho rosohitidy piislicd hy the British, as to be iiikUt th(; ncooHsity of rctroating ; atid nearly at the hame lime, they were alarmed by the apiM-arandt^ of Commodore lilaiilv«'tt, with several veHselH wliieh Sir (ieorjrc K. ICIphin- sl(»iie had detached into '1 able-bay, to eause a diversion on that side. iMirther resistaiure on the part of the enemy beinj^ now fruitless, M. van Sluyskin sent out a Hag of truee, asking a cessation of arms for forty-eight hours, to settle the terms for surrendering the town; but only half that time was granted : and on the 16th, this valuable colony fell into the possession of (ireat Britain. The ro, anil its (It^peiiileni ies, in Uie isluti*! of Ceylon, submitted to VOL. I. 50 A1>MIKALS OhTHK RED. 1 ''•i I .#■' unci the Moluccas, surrendered to the British arms, In tlie midst of this scene of success Sir George learned, by means of a spy at '1 ran^bar, that a Dutch squadron was shortly expected at the Cape of Good Hope, having been despatched by the Gallo-Batavian government to make a strenuous effort for its recovery ; upon which he immediately sailed thi- ther, and fortunately arrived there before the enemy. On the 3rd Aug. 1796, he received intelligence that a hostile fleet was off the coast ; but owing to the violence of the wea- ther, it was not until the 6th that he could go in quest of them. ** On getting under weigh," says Sir George in his ofticial despatch, " an officer from the shore came on board to inform me, that a number of ships had been seen the preceding night hi the offing, near False Bay : 1 then resolved to steer to the south-west, in expectation of their having taken that course. " The squadron continued cruising, in the most tempes- tuous weather I have ever experienced, which damaged many of the ships, and at one time the Ruby had five feet water in her hold. " On the 12th I returned, with a fresh breeze blowing from the south-east ; and upon anchoring in Simon's Bay, the master attendant came off with the information, that the ships seen, consisting of nine sail, had put into Saldanha Bay on the 6th, the same day on which I had proceeded to sea ; that they remained there by the last advice, and that four ships had been despatched in quest of me, to communicate this welcome intelligence. " 1 immediately made the signal to sail, but the Crescent had go' ashore ; the wind blew strong, and increased the following day to a perfect tempest, in which the Tremendous parted two cables, drove, and was in great danger of being lost : so that, notM'ithstanding every exertion, and the most anxious moments of my life, we could not get out till the I5th." On the 16th, at sunset, the Vice- Admiral arrived off Sal- a small sriuadron under the orders of Captain Alan Hyde, afterwards Vis- count, Gardner, and a detachment of soldiers commanded by Colonel Jan)es Stuart. The spices and merchandize found in the warehouses, were estimated at 'Ji) lacks of rupees, or upwards of 300,000/. stcrlintf. 7 8 i, In the by means IS shortly [espatched strenuous sailed thi- lemy. On t a hostile af the wea- n quest of i his official d to inform eding night steer to the lat course, lost tempes- naged many jet water in lowing from I's Bay, the n, that the aldanha Bay ;ded to sea ; nd that four lommunicate ic Crescent ncreased the Tremendous ger of being ind the most out till the rived off Sal- afterwards Vis- led by Colonel archouiicti, wen* rling. ^1 VISCOUNT KEITH. 51 danha Bay, when the enemy's squadron were descriod, con- sisting of two ships of 66 guns each, one of 54, live frigates and sloops, and one store-ship. Sir George, seeing the in- feriority of their force iii point of numbers, came to anclior within gun-shot of them, and sent an officer to the Dutch com- mander, with a request that, to avoid the effusion of human hlood, he would surrender to the British fleet ; intimating at the same time, that resistance to a force so superior must expose his ships to certain destruction. 'ITie Dutch Admiral, Lucas, perceiving that it was impossible to escape, and that opposition would be of no avail, presented terms of capitula- tion ; all of which were accepted by Sir George K. l'21phin- stone, excepting the second, wherein the Dutch commander recjuired two frigates to be appointed cartels to convey him- self, officers, and men to Holland. This was refiised, in conseijuence of the cartel ships which had been sent from Toulon and various other places, under similar circumstances, having been detained, and their crews imprisoned, contrary to the laws and usage of war, and general good faith of nations. On the IHth, the whole of the Dutch ships were taken pos- session of by the British. After the completion of these highly important and valuable services, Sir George sailed for Europe, and arrived at Spit- head, Jan. 3, 17^. On the 7th March following, he was raised to the dignity of a Baron of the kingdom of Ireland, by the title of Lord Keith. And in the month of May, the same year, he superintended the naval preparations against the mutineers, who at that time unhappily held the command of several ships of war at the Nore, and had committed various acts of insubordination and outrage *. This storm being dispelled, his Lordship for a short time commanded a detaeh- nuMit of the Channel Fleet. He afterwards proceeded to the Mediterranean station, as second in command, under the Earl of St. Vincent, whom he joined at Gibraltar in Decem- ber, 1 708. The Commander-in-Chief being seriously indisposed, gave charge of the fleet off Cadi/, to Lord Keith, and our officer remained employed on the blockade of the Spanish Fleet, con- • See Admiral Sir Jihin Knicht. K 2 m 'i t' 1 ■ I ■ '^ 52 ADMIKALN OK TIIK RKD. ' f; :. sistiiig of twenty-two ships of the Knc, until the 4th May 1799, when he discovered the Brest Fleet, consisting of twen- ty-four sail of the line and nine smaller vessels, which had escaped the vigilance of Lord Bridport, at some distance to windward, steering in for the land. The Vice-Admiral did not hesitate a moment what part to act, although the wind at this time was blowing extremely hard right on the shore : he instantly weighed, stood off, and, not discouraged by the munerical superiority of the enemy's force *, offered them battle, which they assiduously declined; neither did the French Admiral, Bruix, persevere in the attempt to join his friends at Cadiz, which port was not more than seven or eight miles to leeward. During the ensuing night the storm Mas so great, it was with nuich difliculty the ships could be kept together. At day light on the morning of the 5th, only four sail of the enemy were to be seen, to which chacc was given, but without effect. Lord Keith remained on his station until the 9th, when he suspected, from not again getting sight of the French Fleet, that it had passed the Straits ; he accord- ingly bore up to follow them, and steered for (Gibraltar, from whence he accompanied the Commander-in-Chief up the Mediterranean. On the 2nd June, the Earl of St. Vincent, finding his health getting worse, resigned the command of the fleet to Lord Keith, who after having in vain endeavoured to obtain a nipcang with the enemy, returned to England on the l/th Aug. following. Towards the lattor end of November, in the same year, his Lordship sailed from PlymouUi to resume the command of the fleet in the Mediterranean, and arrived at Gibraltar on the Gth December. The season for brilliant operations was in some degree over in that (juarter, in consequence of the severe losses which the enemy had sustained, and were in no condition to repair ; but much praise was due to Lord Keith for the excellent disposition of the force under his command, and the judgment with which he stationed his cruisers, so that few of the enemy's vessels ventured out of port without falling into the hands of some of our ships of war. • The British squadron (jpniisted of one first rate, five other 3-devker8, two ship:} of 80 guns eiuA, and tioveu 74'i. 4th May^ ig of twen- which had distance to idmiral did the wind at the shore : iged by the flfered them ler did the to join his ,^en or eight : storm was dd be kept 1, only four was given, station until ing sight of ; he accord- jraltar, from lief up the finding his the fleet to ed to obtain on the 17th same year, ic command Gibraltar on t operations isequence of ;d, and were due to Loril :e under his stationed his iturcd out of ships of war. •tker 3-decker9, VISCOUNT KKITU. 53 On the 7tb March, 1800, his Lordship anchored at Leg- horn, for the purpose of co-operating with the Austrian army against the French, under the command of General Massena, who at that time occupied the city and territory of Genoa. On the 14th he issued a proclamation wherein he signified to all neutral powers, that the ports of Toulon, Mar- seilles, Nice, and the coast of the Riviera, were in a state of blockade. Three days after the above event, Lord Keith had the mis- fortune to lose his flag-ship, the Queen Charlotte, by fire, between Leghorn and the island of Cabrera, which there was some intention of attacking. An ac.ount of this melancholy accident, by which upwards of 600 gallant men lost their lives, and one of the noblest ships in the British navy was totally destroyed, will be given under the head of the Hon- Captain G. H. L. Dundas, in our next volume. His L(jrdship was on shore at the time the conflagration happened ; after which he hoisted his flag in the Audacious, but subsequently shifted it to the Minotaur, and proceeded in that ship, witli part of his fleet, off Genoa. As there was little probability of bemg able to reduce that place by any other means than famine, it became an object of the first importance to cut off all supplies by sea ; and this service was so effectually per- formed, that in the beginning of June the French General was obliged to capitulate, being reduced to the greatest extremity for want of provisions. This achievement in our naval annals would not have failed to shine forth as it deserved, had not the disastrous result of the battle of Marengo, and the convention of Alexandria, between the Austrian Baron de Melas and General Buonaparte, over^'helmed Eurcipc with astonishment and dismay. It is here pn)per to remark, that the Austrians never fireil a gun against Genoa, during the whole of the siege, and that its reduction was wholly caused l)y famine, which the vigilance and severity of our sea blockade had occasioned *. * During the blockade of Genoa, the city and mole were frequently bombarded l)y the British flotilla ; and on one occasion la Prima, the prin- cipal galley in the port, having on boaid two brass 3ti-poundcr9, 30 brass swivels, 257 men, and rowing 50 oar«, was brought off in triumph. tJ 'I W4 ilr' 54 ADIVIIIt.M.S <>(•' TNI': IIICI). On tlie -^Itli Si'ptcmluT f<»Howing, tlir isljind of Malta siir- itikUmciI to a (letadnm'ut of l»i(l Kfith's Urot : llu' parti- ciilars will bo foviiul in our lucnioir of Admiral Sir (icorgr Martin. In the boj^inning of the succci'ding month, hits Lord- !shi|) apprarcd bcforr Cadi/, and in conjunction with (Jcncral Sir Halpli Ahcrcromhic, made arrangcnjcnts for attacking thsit, place ; hut the attempt was w\d)se(iuently abandoned, in conwe- quenceofa vioU'nt epidcniic «lisease prevailinj^ there, which in tlie extent of its ravai^es equalled the plaj^ue. On the 1st Jan. IH()l, a i^eneral pronuttion took jdace, in honour of the luiion between (ircat Hrituin and Ireland; and on that occasion his Ivordsliip was advanced to the rank of Admiral of the Blue. His flaj; this year was on board the Foudroyant, of 8() gvms, and he conuiianded the naval force employed ai^ainst the I'^Tnch on the coast of Egypt. His conduct dui'ing that memorable campaign was ftdly equal to the high promise which his exploits on former occasions held forth to his country ; and on the surrender of the French arni}', he was created a Jiaron of the United Kingdom, receiv- ed the thaidvs of both Houses of Parlianu'iit, and was pre- sented by the corporation of London with the frccd(nn of that city, in a gold box, and a sword of the value of 10() g\iineas. A detail of the services performed by the navy in l^^gypt will be found under the respective heads of Admirals, Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane; Sir W. S. Smith; and Sir Uichard liick- erton. They Mere thus nt)ticed in the despatches of (icneral (now Lord) Hutdujison, who had succeeded to the connnand of the arniy on the death of the heroic Abercrombie. •' J)ur- ing the com'se of the long service on which we have been engaged, Lord Keith has, at all times, given me the most abli' assistance and counsel. The labour and fatigue of the navy have been coutuuied and excessive ; it has not been of one day or of one week, but for months together. In the bay of /Vbo\ikir, on the New Inundation, and on the Nile, for I(K) miles, they have been empk)yed without intermission, and have svd)mitted to many privations with a cheerfidness and patience highly creditable to them, and advantageous to the public service *." " To porpetuutc the services rendcreil to the Ottoiium empire, the Vliiltii Hiir- \\\v i)ar1i- iir (u'orgf , liis Lord- th (icucnil ic'king tliiit. I, in coiusiv lere, M'liicli Dok ])lacc, d Iivhind; lo the ruiik I l)(>ard the navul forci' rypt. His ly oqual \o asions lirld :hc Prciu'li nn, rocciv- l Mas pri- lom of thai J(> guineas. Cgypt Mill Hon. Sir Kird liitk- of (uMU'ial \ coniniaiid . " Dur- liave boon ? most ablr f the navy een of one the bay of le, for 1(K) ission, and hbiess and cous to tlic ciiipirc, the VISCOUNT KRITII. 55 On the re-cnmmcnconient of hoHtiliticH, in I8()3, liord Keith was api>ointed('oinnjander-in-Chicf of all his Majesty's ships en\ph)yed in the North Sea, and in the English Chainul, as far to the westward as SelHca-Bill. The nature of this exten- sive and eoniplicated coninuind, required that his Ivordship sliotdd he established on shore, at some convenient station for maintaining his correspondence with the Admiralty Hoard, and with the conmianding officers respectively employed under his orders, in the Downs, at Dungeness, Sheerness, Yar- mo\ith, Leith, and \ipon the different stations within the linnts of his flag ; as well as for the purpose of regulating the distribution and stations of the block-ships, which it had been judged necessary to employ for the defence of the entrance to the Kiver Thames ; in consequence of which he took uj) his residence at I'^ast Cliff, near liamsgate, occasionally going on board his flag ship forthe purpose of reconnoitring the enemy's coast, ami directing the attacks which it was thought pnqx^r to make on the flotilla destined for the invasion of England. Lord Keith continued to hold this important oflice until the nunith of May, IHO/, when the Admiralty having determined to divide his ccmimand into three separate ones, he struck his flag. In 1812, his 1^)rdship succeeded the late Sir Charles ('otton, as Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet. On the 1 Ith May, 1814, he was created a Viscount of the ututed kingdom. During the period of the second invasion of France by the allied powers, the noble Admiral commajulcd in the Channel, and by the judicious arrangement of his crui- sers, secured the person of Napoleon Buonaparte, who acknow- ledged that an escape by sea was rendered impossible — an event which secured the peace and trancjuillity of Europe. (■rniul Nii^nor established au order of knighthood, which he named the Order of the Crescent. hi the first cliiss were Lord Hutchinson, Lord Keith, Admiral Rickertoii, Major (icneral Ooote, Miyor General Daird, and Lord Klgin. In tlic se- cond the jrcncral olliccrs and naval otficers of equal nuik. Tiic field officers had larj,'e gold medals given them ; to the captains smaller gold medals were distributed; and to the salialterns still less. And finally, as a further proof of the sense he entertained of the services rendered him in that campaign, and the loyalty .ind good faith of the I'inglish nation, the (irand Hignor ordered a palace to be built in Constan- tinople for the future residence of Britisli ambassadors. 'l| ..1 56 ADMIRALS OF THE RED. A portrait of hiH Lordship, by W. Owen, was exhibited {i( the Royal Academy, in 1805. On the 23rd May, 1815, he laid the first stone of the Southwark Bridge. Lord Keith married, first, April 9, 1787, Jane, daughter and sole heiress of William Mercer, of Aldie, co. Perth, Kscj., and by her (who died Dec. 12, 1789,) had issue an only child, Margaret-Mercer Eiphinstone, on whom the English Barony of Keith is in remainder, on failure of his Lordship's issue male. Married, secondly, January 10, 1808, Hester-Maria, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Henry Thrale, of Strcatham, CO. Surrey, Esq. (the intimate friend of Dr. Johnson, the great lexicographer,) and M. P. for Southwark, in 1768, and 1775. By this lady the Viscount has issue, Georgiana- Au- gusta-Henrietta, born Dec. 12, 1809. His Lordship's eldest daughter married in 1817» to Count Flahault, who served as Aid-de-Camp to Buonaparte at the battle of Waterloo. I I RIGHT HONORABLE WILLIAM LORD RADSTOCK, , {(// Castletown in the Queen's Count if, Ireland.) Admiral of the Red ; Knight Grand Cross of the most honourable Alilitarjf Order of the Bath ; and Presidtnt of the Naval Charitable Society *. The family of Waldegrave, formerly written Walgrave, of which this nobleman is a member, is denominated from a place of their own name in Northamptonshire, where they resided before the year 1200. His Lordship is the second son of John, third Earl of Waldegrave, by Lady Elizabeth, aiuit of the present Marquis of Stafford f, and was bom July 9, 1758. • The Naval Charitable Society was instituted in 1791, for the relief of the indigent orphans, widows, and children of Sea Officers, and also of Officers themselves reduced by misfortune to indigence. From that period to the latter end of the year 1821, acceptable and necessary relief was supplied m no less than two thousand one hundred and ninety-two cases of distress. The balance in hand at the comiucncament of 1822, was 1,147A 10.f. \d. besides 30,000/. Consols. Petitions from non-subicrihers, or tlieir relatives, arc deemed inadmissible. Lord Radstock is also a Vice- President of several benevolent institutions, unconnected with the Navy. t Lord Radstock's un?le, James, the second Earl of Waldcffrore, mar- »,oii» nMvvJorK. diibiied ii( 1815, he lighter Jintl , Eh/ ) fudle RIHitarif c Soc'teti/ *. Walgrave, ated from a where they the second ! Elizabeth, was bom for the relief rs, and also of m that period ry relief was ety-two cases of 1822, was n-subscrihers, is also a Vicc- h the Navy. de}»rov«, mar- The profession' of the navy was his own particular choice, and he was happily placed luidcr the tuition of such ofliccrs as were calculated to improve his early genius for nautical science. Having gone through the inferior gradations of service in the Mediterranean and Western Seas, he was pro- moted to the command of the Zephyr sloop, about 1 77'^ ; J^nd on the 30th May, 177^, advanced to the rank of Post-Captain in the Rippon, of (JO guns, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Edward Vernon. Captain Waldegrave's time passed on in the usual routine of service until Aug. 10, 177^, on which day the Commodore, being on a cruise off the coast of Coromandel, fell in with a French stjuadron under M. TJranjoUy. An action ensued, and was maintained %vith great obstinacy for two hours ; when the enemy availing himself of the crippled condition of the British ships, made sail and steered for Pondicherry, On the 21st Sir Edward again got sight of them, but their superiority in sailing prevented his being able to bring them to action ; they however (juittcd the coast, Avhich gave the Commodore an f)pportunity of taking possession of the anchorage in Pon- dicherry road, by which means he was enabled to co-operate with the army in the reduction of that place. In October it surrendered to the British arms. In the above action the number of ships on each side were equal. Those of the English mounted 148 guns ; the French 180. The loss sustained by the former, consisted of 1 1 killed and 53 wounded *. That of the enemy was never ascer- tained. The Sartine French frigate, mistaking the British for her ow n squadron, was aftenvards taken. The climate of the East Indies not agreeing with Captain Waldegrave's health, he returned to England, and immediate- ly on his arrival was appointed to the Pomona of 28 guns. In this ship he captured the Cumberland, American privateer, of 20 guns and I7O men. This was an important service, for the enemy's vessel had been particularly destructive to ried Maria, daughter of Sir Edward Walpole ; she afterwards became the consort of the late Duke of Gloucester, brother of King George III, and died in August, 180/. * The Rippoh had 4 slain and 15 wounded. ' i «. Ik i;!. I .*.. 58 ADMIRAfS OF TllK UEn. our trade. Some mouths after lie removed into la Frudente,. of 38 t?uns ami 280 men; and after makings a voyage to the Baltic, was attached to the Channel Fleet. On the 4th July, 1/80, Captain Waldegrave, having been sent by Sir Francis Geary to cruise off Cape Ortegal, in com- pany with the Licornc, of 32 guns, fell in Mith, and after an obstinately contested action of four hours, captured la Capri- cieuse, a new French frigate, pierced for 44 guns, but mount- ing only 32, with a complement of 308 men, above 1(X) of whom, including her commander, were either killed or wound- ed. Upon taking possession of the pri/c, she was found in so disabled a state, owing to her gallant defence, that upon the report of a survey held by the carpenters of the British frigates, Captain Waldegrave ordered her to l)e burnt. La Prudente bore the brunt of the above action, and was consecpiently a greater sufferer than her companion. She had four midshipmen and 13 seamen killed ; her second Lieute- nant, one midshipman, and 2G men wounded. Tlie Licorne had t)nly tlirec men slain and seven wounded. In the spring of 1781, Captain Waldegrave accompanied Admiral Darby to the relief of Gibraltar * ; and towards the close of that year he assisted at the capture of a number of French transports, that were proceeding with troops and stores to the West Indies, under the protection of M. , in corn- el after Jin l.'i Capri- it mount- re KK) of )r wound- found in that upon le British it. , and was She liad d Lieutc- c Licorne onipanicd ivards the lumber of ind stores Guiehen. oeeasion, nbers and tlie parti- esent: In itiistini^ of ond rates, 1 frigates, est India vernment of twelvo es, under espatehed rak,Hboitt , the ene- the shipu of war being very considerably to leeward of the merchant- men. With a force so much beyond his own, the Rear-Admi- ral eoidd not in prudence hazard a general action ; but having the weather-gage, he determined to sail parallel with the ene- my, and to watch a fit opportunity of bearing down upon their rear, and cutthig off their charge. In the course of a few hours the van and centre of the French fleet had shot considerably a-head of the rear, and the merchant vessels, under the protection of four or five frigates, had fallen considerably to leeward. Upon observing this, the British stjuadron bore up in line of battle a-head, the van engaging the rear of the «Miemy ; the renuiinder of the ships passed to leeward, and effectually cut off and captured fifteen of the transports, aiul sunk four of the frigates tluit had rashly endeavoured to pro- tect them. This manouivrc having brought his squadron above ludf a league to leeward of the enemy, and the Mind hlowing directly fair for the coast of England, Rear-Admir.il KcnipenlVlt formed his ships into tno divisions, the first of which took the prizes in tow, and the other kept up a nnniing ligiit with the French Fleet ; and in this onkr, under a great press of sail, he carried the whole of ihe captured vessels intx> IMymout h, in the face of the enemy, and in spite of their ut- most endeavours to prevent him. I laving terniinateil his progress through the American war with inlinite credit, the state of Captain VValdegrave s health reijuired him to seek a milder climate than that of England : he accordingly repaired to the Continent, where he remained several years, during which period he visited Faris, Marseilles, Constantinople, Smyrna, and several of the islands in the Ar- chipelago, aiul made a tour of tbe greater part of (irecce. In I'lX), a dispute took place with Spain, relative to a set- tlement vvhifh had been made on the western coast of Ame- rica, in I7H8 ; and preparations, both luival and military, were recurred to by each party, in conseipuMiee of it; but the court of Madrid being conscious of its utter inability to enter into a contest with Great Brittiin, applied for the assibtance of France. The National Assembly, however, exhibited great reluetiuice to enttl •'> ^''i' following spring acconi- nanied Vice-Adniiral Ifotlwun to the Meiliterranean. Hy this lime, TiOuis XVI. like our Charles 1, had experienced a violent death on a piihlic scalTold ; and France, towards the end of the eighteenth century, like l^^ngland, ahout the iniddlc of the sevei\teenth, had declared herself a rtpjihlic. With an energy seldom practised, even in limited monarchies, this new conmjonwealth smote all her enemies, and carried terror and desolation on her victorious hanners ; while, wonderful to relate, her own provinces were a prey to domestic factions and civil wars. The sipiadron under Vice- Admiral Hotham was speedily followcil hy the main body of the fleet destined to act, under the orders of Lord Hood, in concert with the Royalists of the Southern ther line-of- battle ships ; and the sjime day the British fleet, and a Spanish squadron under Don Juan de I^mgara, anchored in the outer roud of Toulon, the greater part of the French Fleet at • Sec p. 4(». t Sco p. Hi. i • LOIir) HADSTOrK, (iJ ii\ thosw lisi'vission mms. ,vd ill ll»o IT acconi- porioncrd vvimls the hi' mitUUc Whh :ui hios, tills ii'd tvrror \v<)M(h'i'fnl ic factions s spiHuUly ict, «uuUt lists of the raupan, he place ami )osititm to their new iensions to prinelpal n, arsenal, list for tlie peace ami on having hniral.the 15(K)nien, It. 'n»o protection jree other leet, an4, he was advanced to the rank of Hear-Admiral, a short time previous to which he had heeii nominated a Colonel of Marines. His promotion t^) a flat; ohliged Kear-Admiral Waldegrave to return to I^ugland hy land. He sul)se(picntly held a com- mand in the Channel Fleet. On the 1st June, l/-^*''), he was made a Vice- Admiral ; and in the fall of the same year, he again sailed for the Mediterranean. During the succeed- ing spring he was sent with five ships of the line to negotiate with M\e Tunisians. His mission was of a peculiarly arduous and delicate nature ; notwithstanding which, however, he executed it to the complete satisfaction of those hy whc^ai he liad heen deputed *. On the night previous to his (putting Tunis, the hoats of Vice-Admiral Waldegrave's sipuulroii, muler the direction of Captain Sutton, of the Eginont, cut f)ut of the hay several armed vessels f. From this period, excepting the unprecedented length of time which the ships were kept at sea, nothing ren»arkahle occurred until the 14th Feh., 17^7, w!umi Sir John Jervis, with fifteen sail of the line, encountered and defeated a Spanish fleet, cor.sisting of twenty-seven ships, seven of which mounted from 112 to 13() guns. The particulars of this memorable event, which completely defeated the projected j inction of the navies of Franci , Holland, and Spain, and thus preserved to Great IJntain its proud dominion of the ocean, • The naval Conunandcr-in St. Paid's Cathedral, to rctuni thanks for the gU)riou!T luival victories obtained by I^ord Howe, June 1, 1791 ; by Admiral Hothain, Mar. I.'-J, J795 ; by \'iu\\ Mridport, June23, I79r> ; by Sir Jobn Jervis, .■ ■ 'i '^B 4 cent, tlieii /aldcgravc )f the very 16, 17.07. y the high tlie Flug- l Soldiers, have the successftil :h inatutit. us on thut viiUnn* Jind ;ful thanks rvant, ERVIS. }ct of tliis and Coni- vt station. 1 which he sland, and )vcrn()r of the year, nse(iuenc(^ atifieation evoted to dghty had )ec. 1797, r'\ by the ^on8es of u'drul, to tuined by Mar. IM, tm Jervis, LORD UADSTOCK. 63 Feb. 14, 1797 ; i"id by Admiral Duncan, Oct. 11, same year; and to deposit the flags taken on those occasions, as well as the colours of the Dutch Fleet, captured by Sir George K. Elphinstone, Aug. 18, 1796 *. Fifteen Flag-Officers and twen- ty-six Captains attended the procession, and at the end of the first lesson, entered in two divisions, right and left of the King's chair, and advancing to the altar, there deposited the trophies of their valour. When Sir John Jervis was raised to the Peerage, and the other Flag-Officers under his command were created Baronets, for their conduct in the battle off Cape St. Vincent, the latter rank was offered to Vice- Admiral Waldegrave : this, however, he declined, as being inferior to that which he then held as an Earl's son. On the 29th Dec. 18()0, he was created a Peer of Ireland, by the title of Baron Radstock. His liordship was promoted to the rank of Admiral, Apr. 29, 1802, since which tin- e he has not been employed. At the public funeral of the gidlar.t Nelson, Lord Radstock attended the body by water from Greenwich ; and was one of the supporters of the Chief Mourner, the late Sir Peter Parker, Admiral of the Fleet. He was nominated a G.C. B.Jan. 2, 1815. His lordship married at Smyrna, in 1785, to Cornelia, second daughter of David Van Lennep, Esq. Chief of the Dutch Factory at that place, by whom he has had a numerous issue. Two of his sons are in the navy, the eldest of whom, Captain the Hon. George-Granville Waldegrave, is heir to the title. • Sec p. 61; f i tJ ■■■'' J '■•! \ WWf 64 ADMIRALS OF THE RED. JOHN HENRY, Esq. (^Admirnl vf the Red.) This venerable officer was born at Holyhead in the island of Anglesea, Sept. 28, 1731, and entered the naval service about the year 1744. Whilst on service, as a Midshipman, he had his thigh bone broken by a hawser. In 17^> we find him serving as first Lieutenant of the Hampton- Court, a (J4-gun ship, at the reduction of the Havannah by Admiral Sir George Focock, and the Earl of Albemarle *. • The expedition aj^ainst the capital of Cuba, was one of the most daring and best conducted enterpris'^s ever undertaken by any nation. To prevent those apprehensions on the part of the Court of Spain, n'hich the e<,uipnient of a powerful llect in Unghind would have given rise to, Sir George Pocock sailed from Portsmouth with only four ships of the line, one frigate, and some transports, on board of which were embarked four regiments of infantry. On his arrival in the West Indies he took upon him the commaud of all the men of war in that quarter, whicli composed a fleet of twenty-six ships of the line, hftcen frigates, and u considerable number of smaller vessels. After a very fortunate passage through the Old Straits of Bahama, a navigation of considerable dilticulty, this formidable armament arrived otf the Havannah on the 6th June, 17^2. The land forces, under the com- mand of the Earl of Albemarle, amounting to upwards of 10,000 men, were landed the next day, together with a detachment of seamen and marines, and the joint operations of the navy and army were pushed with vigour. On the 30th July, a practical breach was made in the INIoro castle ; and the same day it was resolutely carried by storm, with so inconsiderable a loss as only two officers and thirty men; the slaughter among the Spaniards was inunense. Don Louis de Valasco, Captain of a ship of war, and Governor of the Fort, made a most gallant defence ; he was niortally wounded, and his second, the IVIar({uis de Gonzales, was killed. His (.'atholic Majesty, to commemorate the fate of the brave Don Valasco, created his son Viscount Moro, and directed, that for ever after there should be a ship in his navy called the Valasco- On the 11th Aug. the Spuiilards hung out flc^. of truce from the town, fort le Puntal, and the Adiinral's ship. The next day the capitulation was signed, and on the 14th, the British were put in possession of the Havannah. The specie, valuable merchandize, with the military and naval stores, which were found in the town and arsenal, amounted to near .3,000,000/. sterling. By the reduction of this place the Spanish navy '.etcivcd a sevarc blow- I>iinc sail of the line were taken \\\ the harbour of I he island ,1 service shipman, In 1702, lampton- annah by •le *. ne of the Lcn by any rt of Spain, 'c given rise ships of the ivhich wcra West Indies hat (piarter, frigates, and If Baliama, a |it arrived off er the com- 0,000 men, seamen and pushed with ) castle ; and )n8iderablc a among the ship of war, vas ntortiilly (illcd. His )on Valasco, after there m the town, capitulation ssion of the military and nted to near panish navy the harbour JOHN riKNRY, KSQ. O.'^ On thr 22(1 Xi)V., 177"-. <>'^'' <>tl*i<'t'i' ^vas promoted to the rank of J^)st-C';ipiain, by Lord Howe, for his condnci a1 tlie rapture of Mud Island, in North America, which was consi- dered at the time a most imj)ortant service ', In the e;irly part of May, 177^? Captain H(>nry was detached by his ' Li>rdsliip, with a flotilla consistina^ of several gallics, schooners, and i;un-hoat.-!, to co-operate with a detachment of hght infantry, under the con)mand of Major Maitland, who were enihari^ed in eighteen flat boats, for the purpose of attacking l!u- enemv's ships which were lying in the Chesapeake, betv/ecn l^iiiladelphia and Trenton. On this occasion, the following American vessels were destroyed : Washington, pierced for .'>2 gmis ; I'Jlingham, ditto for 28 ; three mounting IG guns ''ach ; three of 10 gvms each; nine large merchant ^hips; twenty-three brigs, and a nuniber of schooners and -,, sloops. in Sept. and Oct. 177•^ Captain ilenry, who had pre\iously })cen a])j)(!inted to the Fowey, of 20 guns, greatly distinguish- ed himself in the command of the naval force stationed at Savatniah, consisting of three ships of 20 g\ms each, one brig K. 60 Captain Spry contimiod on the Jamaica station until the coni'lusion of the war, in \7^, since which tiine he has lived in retirement. He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Achinral, Jnne I at, 1795; Vice-Admiral, Feb. I4th, 17iK); and Ad- miral, Nov. 9th, 1805. Itesulence. — Killaganoon, co. Cornwall. % i ID a SIR JOHN ORDE, Uunmct; Admiral of the Red; and a f^ice-Pn'siJrnt of tkc iViinil Charitable Sotieti/. The family of Orde is of great antiquity, and has h)ng possessed considerable landed estates in the counties of Northumberland and Durham. The subji'ct of this memoir is the youngest S(m of the late John Orde, Ksq. who lived chiefly at Morpeth, and acted for many years as a Magistrate and Deputy-Lieutenant of the former county, by his second wife, Aime, widow of the Rev. William Pye, and was born at Morpeth, in Northumberland, Dec. 1752 *. He entered the navy in 17^) <»> Ijoard the Jersey, of 60 guns, bearing the broad pendant of Connnodore Spry, sta- tioned in the Mediterranean. He subse(iuently served muler Connnodore liyron, at Newfoundland ; and with Sir (ieorge ii. Rodney, on the Jamaica station. In 177^, Mr. Orde was [)romoted to the rank of Lieutenant by the latter officer, and retiuned to England in the Rainbow, of 44 guns. most shattered condition. The Stirling Castle, of 04 guns. Captain R. Carket, was totally lost on the Silver Keys, near Ilispaniolu, and only 50 of the crew saved. The melancholy fate of tiie Thunderer, of 71 guns, bearing the broad pendant of the Hon. Comniodorc Walsingham, was still more calamitous, having foimdered, and every soul perished. Several other ships of war c.vperienced the most horrible distress from this terri!)le contlict of the elements. Further particulars of this event will be found under the head of Admiral John Holloway. * Sir John's eldest brother, Thomas, married the only daughter of Charles, fifth Duke of Bolton, in whose right he succeeded, on the death of Harry, the si.xtli and last Ouke, ^yithout male issue, to the principal family estates of the Dukes of Bolton, and assumed the nan»c of i'owlctt. He was afterwards created a Peer, by the title of Baron Bolton. 'I IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I iim. 12.5 ■so ys I ■^1^ Hi u IM L25 i 1.4 2.2 2.0 I 1.6 ?'• ^^ // ^/ y. when he was removed into the Eagle, of 64 guns, Lord Howe's flag-ship, as first Lieutenant, preparatory to his promotion. Our officer commanded the Zebra, sloop of war, at the reduction of Philadelphia t, and. May 19, 177^, was advanced to the rank of Post-Captain, in the Virginia of 32 guns, a frigate recently captured from the Americans. In the autumn of 1779> Captain Orde accompanied Commodore Sir George Collier in an expedition up the Penobscot, which terminated in the capture or destruction of the whole of the rebel fleet in that river, consisting of eighteen ships and vessels of war ; and the relief of Fort M'Lean^ which had been closely be- sieged by the enemy. In 1780, the Virginia assisted at the taking of Charles- tovni t, where, after passing Sullivan's island. Captain Orde served on shore in the command of a battalion of seamen, and was favourably noticed by Admiral Arbuthnot, in his oflicial despatches relative to that event. He afterwards commanded the Chatham, of 50 guns, and captured the General Washington, of 22 guns and 118 men. In 1781, Admiral Arbuthnot being recalled. Captain Orde conveyed him to England in the Roebuck, into which ship he had removed for that purpose. During the remainder of the war he was employed in the North Sea, and on the coast of France. In February, 1783, the preliminaries of peace having been signed, Captain Orde was honoured with the appointment of Governor of Dominica, and Receiver of the Monies arising from the sale of land in the ceded islands ; and on the 27th July, 1790, the dignity of a Baronet was conferred upon him. At the breaking out of the French revolution. Sir John solicited and obtained permission to resign his government, * For the services 00 which the Roebuck was employed between 1776 •nd 1 777, see Retired C«ptun Sir Andrew S. Hamond. t See Sir A. S. Hamond. SIR JOHN ORDE. 71 and to resume the active duties of his profession. He was immediately appointed to command the Victorious, and soon afterwards the Venerable, of 74 guns, attached to the Channel Fleet. From the latter her emoved into the Prince George, a second rate, and continued in her until June 1, 1795, when he was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral. In the beginning of 1797j Sir John Orde assumed the com- mand at Plymouth, during the absence of the Port Admiral, the late Sir Richard King. On this service he continued until the close of the disgraceful mutiny, in the month of May * J soon after which he hoisted his flag on board the Princess Royal of 98 guns, and joined the fleet under the orders of Earl St. Vincent on the Mediterranean station. In November following, the Rear-Admiral was sent by his Lordship with the command of a squadron of eight sail of the line, and a proportionate number of frigates and sloops, to blockade the port of Cadiz. There he continued till relieved by Sir W. Parker, in Janu- ary, 1778, and was sent back again on the same service, af- ter that officer had been compelled to leave his station by a superior force. This service, though certainly not the most splendid, was not the least arduous, especially during the winter months, when Sir John principally conducted it. The position necessarily taken by the blockading squadron was embayed. In the port of Cadiz there were about twenty sail of the line, with some frigates, kept apparently in constant readiness to put to sea, which threatened on one side ; whilst, on another, the squadron was liable to attack from the Tou- lon fleet, unchecked in its operations, and known to be pre- paring for some important expedition. On Earl St. Vincent resuming the immediate command off Cadiz, the Rear- Admiral received his thanks in the follow- ing words : ** You have shewn uncommon ability and exertion in preserving your position during the late unpleasant weather, and I very much approve every step you have taken." Not long after this, Sir Orde was much mortified at finding an officer f junior to himself, just arrived from England, se- I • See Memoirs of Admiral Sir John Kniout, iiiul Vice- Admiral E. Griffith Colpovs. f Sir HoHATiu, ttt'terwardd Viucount Nelsu.n. >t t 1 i< I 72 ADMIKAI.S 01' TIlii IIKD. iectcd to command n squudrou ou the only service of tlistinc- tion likely to happen ; and himself, by the junction of Sir Roger Curtis^ with a reinforcement from Ireland, reduced to be only fourth in commanil of the fleet ; whereas, he had a'!ceptcd the appointment under Earl St. Vincent, on an inti- mation from one of the Lords of the Admiralty, the late Lord Hugh Seymour, that he should be second to the noble Earl, with all the distinctions and advantages annexed to that station. This led to a correspondence between his Lordship and Sir John, which terminated in the latter receiving orders to shift his flag to the Blenheim, and to return to England in charge of a large fleet of merchantmen. Before he left the fleet, the Rear- Admiral, conceiving that he had been treated in a manner unsuitable to his rank, wrote a letter to the Ad- nuralty, requesting a court martial on the Commander-in- Chief, which he sent to Lord St. Vincent to forward. On Sir John's arrival in England, he was acquainted by Mr. Secretary Nepean, that the Board did not consider the reason Earl St. Vincent had assigned for sending him home, suffi- cient to justify the measure ; but that, having already signi- fled their opinion to his Lordship on that head, it was not necessary to take any further steps on the occasion. The Blenheim was immediately dismantle^!, and a few weeks after, Sir John was offered a command in the Channel Fleet. This, however, he thought proper to decline. On the 14th Fob. 1799) om- oflicer was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral ; and in the following autumn Earl St. Vincent returned to England for the purpose of recruiting his health. Sii' John Or de, who considered himsiilfto have been j(>c/'.sw/rt//// insulted by his Lordship, lost no time in calling upon him for private satisfaction ; and a meeting was appointed to take place between them, but was happily prevented through the uiterferencc of the police. ; ^ In 1802, soon after the definitive treaty of peace was signed, Sir John, Avho seems to have waited for that event, published Ids case in a snudl pamphlet entitled " Copy of a Correspon- dence, ike. between the Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the Right Hon. Earl St. Vincent, K. B., the Right Hon. Earl Spencer, K. G., and Vice-Admiral Sir John SIR JOHN OKDK. •8 Orde, Bart." The circulation of which he had previously confined to his friends. This pamphlet appears to huvu been written with temper and moderation, and is well worthy of perusal, especially by professional men. On the renewal of hostilities, and the removal of Lord St. Vincent from the chief administration of naval aftairs, Sir John accepted tlie connnand of a squadron, and cruised otf Cape Finisterre during the Autumn of 1804. In 1805, we find his flag in the Glory, of 98 guns, off Cadiz ; from which station he was compelled to withdraw, in consequence of the appearance of the combined fleets, on their wiiy to the West Indies. He was promoted to the I'ank of Admiral of the Blue, November 9, following. Sir John Orde was one of the supporters of the pall at the funeral of Lord Nelson, to whose merits he had ever rendered the fullest justice, however much he had had occasion to con- denm the preference shewn to him in the summer of 1/98. In 1807, when his nephew, the present Lord Bolton, was Ctdled to the House of IV'era, in consequence of the demise of his father. Sir John Orde succeeded him in the represen- tation of the Borougii of Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight. He married first, Feb. 8, l/HI, »it Chiirlestown, Margaret, daughter and heiress of Richard Stephens, of St. Helena, in South Carolina ; she died in 1789, leaving no surviving issue : secondly, hi Dec. 1793, Jane, eldest daughter of John Frere, of Finningham, co. Suftblk, Esq. ^„ Country seat. — Bognor, co. Sussex. Town residence. — 20 Gloucester Place, Portman Square. I « ' . 1 « ! ' 74 ADMIRALS OF THB RED. 11 n ■ RIGHT HONOURABLE JAMES LORD GAMBIER, Knight Grand Cross of the most Honourable Military Order of the Bath ; President of the Church Missionary Society ; and a Vice-President of the Naval Charitable, Marine, and other Societies s also of the Lock Hospital, the Asylum, and the African and Benevolent Institutions. This nobleman is the second son of the late John Gambler, Esq., formerly Lieutenant-Governor of the Bahama Islands, by Miss Deborah Stiles, of the Island of Bermuda. His Lord- ship's great-grandfather, Nicholas Gambler, left Caen in Normandy, on the revocation of the edict of Nantes, and set- tled in England, 1690 : his eldest son was a Barrister at Law, and one of the counsel to the city of London. The subject of this memoir, the second Admiral of the same name in the British Navy, was bom at the Bahamas, Oct. 13, 1756, and went to sea at an early age. In 1778, we find him commander of the Thunder bomb, in which vessel he had the misfortune to be captured by the French fleet under Count d'Estaing. He was promoted to the rank of Post-Captain, Oct. 9, in the same year, and appointed to the command of the Raleigh, of 32 guns. In this frigate he was engaged in repelling the French attempt upon Jersey *, and afterwards proceeded to the coast of America. At the reduction of Charlestown, in South Carolina f, Cap- tain Gambler served on shore with the brigade of seamen and marines. In 1/81, he captured the General Mifflin, Ame- rican ship of war, mounting 20 guns, with a complement of 1 15 men. From this period w^e find no mention of him until the year 1793, when a long, sanguinary, and expensive war with France took place J, on which occasion Captain Gam- bier M'as immediately selected for employment, and appointed to the command of the Defence, of 74 guns, under the orders of Earl Howe. •Jan. 6, 1781. t See Retired Captain, Sir A. S. Hamond. ♦ Sec note at p. 18. LORD GAMBIER. 7^ On the 18th Nov., the fleet, being on a cruise in the Bay of Biscay, got sight of a French squadron, to which chace was immediately given ; but the enemy being considerably to windward, and the weather tliick and squally, they effected their escape. The Defence in the pursuit carried away her top-masts. It was not until the month of May, 1794, that the Brest Fleet put to sea, and then only for the express purpose of pro- tecting a fleet laden with corn ; the pressure of want through- out France being so great, that the party then in power deter- mined rather to risk a defeat than be exposed to a famine. In the actions that ensued *, Captain Gambler bore a most ♦ On 19th May, Earl Howe having obtained certain intelligence that the enemy had some days before put to sea, and were tlien not many leagues to the westward of him, went immediately in pursuit of tl?em. On the morning of the 28lh, being then about 100 leagues distant fron: Ushant, the French fleet was discovered to windward, it then blowing fresh from the S. S. W. with a rough sea. Upon tlieir perceiving the British fleet, they bore down in a loose order, and soon after hauled again to tlie wind, and began to form in order of battle. The British fleet stiU continuing in the order of sailing, excepting the division under Rear-Ad- miral Pasley, who had advanced a considerable distance to windward of the main body, and was coming fast up with the enemy's rear. About a quarter before two P. M., Earl Howe made the signal for a general chace, and to engage the enemy. Towards the evening, Rear-Admiral Pasley, in the Bellerophon, 74 guns, closed with the rear ship of the French line, the Revolutionnaire, of 1 10 guns, on which he commenced a firm and resolute attack, supported occasionally by the ships under his orders. The Belle- rophon being soon disabled, bore down to the main body of the fleet ; her opponent, also, having had her mizen-mast shot away, fell to leeward of her station. While in this state, she was intercepted by the Leviathan, another 74, commanded by Lord Hugh Seymour, who engaged her until the coming up of the Audacious, a ship of the same force; then passed on, flred a broadside at the next French ship, and dropped to the rear. Cap- tain William Parker continued to engage his huge opponent for two hours without intermission, when the Revolutionnaire, having lost her lower yards and main-top-sail yard, and being otherv/ise much shattered, fell athwart hawse of the Audacious ; but the ships soon getting clear of each other, the enemy put before the wind ; neither was it in the power of Cap- tain Parker to follow her, his rigging and sails being cut to pieces, and the ship for some time (|uite unmanageable. At day-light on the following morning, he discovered nine of the enemy's ships about three miles to wind- ward of the Audacious » two of them gave chace : her situation for some time was very alarming, but by the active exertions of the oflSccrs and men. 76 AiJMIUALS OF THK RKI). distinguished share. On the glorious 1st June, the Defence was the first vessel that cut through the enemy's Ihie, passing she was soon capable of making such sail as lo preserve her distance ; the Revolutionnairc was at the same time observed about a mile and a half to windward, totally dismasted. The weather being thick and hazy. Captain Parker soon lost sight of the enemy ; and as the Audacious was in too dis- abled a state to give him hopes of rejoining the Commander-in-Chief, he bore away for the Channel, and arrived safely at Plymouth. On the 29th May, a partial engagement took place between the hostile fleets, in which some of the enemy's sliips were much crippled, and the advantage of the weather-gage obtained by the British. Thick foggy weather prevented any operations on either side for the two following days : at intervals the fleets were in sight of each other, and not many miles distant. At day-break on the 1st June, the French fleet was descried on the lee bow, consisting of twenty-six line-of-battle ships, mounting 2158 guns, (the whole of whom, excepting one or two, appeared complete in their masts and rigging,) six frigates and corvettes. The force under Earl Howe was at tliis time composed of twenty-five ships of the line *, Qu«en Charlotte . Royal George . . . Royal Sovereign , • FIRST RATES. Admiral Earl Howe, who on this occasion wore the Union at the main. First Captain, Sir Roger Curtis. f Second Sir And. Snape Douglas. 5 Admiral Sir Alex. Hood. (Captain William Domett. {Admiral Thomas Graves. ! :' Captain Henry Nicholls. SECOND RATE8. C Rear-Admiral George Bowycr. ( Captain Cuthbert (JoUingwood. Glory John Elphinstone. ( Rear-Admiral Ben. Caldwell. \ Captain George B. Westcott. (Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner. C Captain John Hutt. Barfleur Glory . . . Impregnable Queen ^ THIRD RATES. Caesar ('aptain Anthony J. P. MoUoy. Gibraltar Thomas Mackenzie. Brunsmck John Harvey. Valiant Thomas Pringle. Leviathan Lord Hugh Seymour. Alfred John Bazely. i ii .K;,;"(i' 1., 'I . rt.i encc sing ; the alf to plain ) dis- Jhief, ostile d the lays : miles 1 on 2158 :te in inder ne*. tsion I-ORF> CAMHIKU. // il between the seventh and eighth shipn. Slie fiad successively three or four ships engaging lier ; the men being almost from inountin;>; 2098 gnns, seven friiralcs, one brig, one hospital-ship, one fire- vessel, and two cutters. At half past seven A. M., his Lordship made the signal to bear up, and for each ship to engage her opponent in the cnciny'3 line, who seemed to wait for the attacli with great resolution. In a short tin)e, a most tremendous cainionade commenced from van to rear, which raged with unceasing fury for about an hour. The enemy's line having been forced tlirough in several places, they began to give way ; their Ad- miral, Villaret Joyeuse, in tlic Montagne, of 120 guns, on board of which ship was the Conventional Deputy Jean J3ou Saint Andr^, vigorously attacked by the Queen Charlotte, bore up in great confusion, and was followed by all those of his sliips which were able to carry sail, leaving the rest which were crippled, at the mercy of their enemies. Upon the clear- ing up of the smoke, twelve French vessels were seen, some totally dis- masted, and others with only one mast standing, endeavouring to make off under their spritsails. Seven of these were taken possession of; one, le Vengeur, of 74 guns, sunk before the whole of her crew could be taken out, not more than 213 of whom were saved. A distant and irregular firing was continued at intervals between the fugitive and British ships, till about four P. M. ; the French Admiral by this time had collected most of his remaining vessels, and steered off to the eastward. The loss sustained by the British in these battles, amounted to 290 men killed, and 868 wounded. Captain Montagu was the only officer of his rank who was slain. Rear-Admirals Bowyer and Pasley, and Captain Hutt, had each a leg, and Captain John Harvey an arm amputated. The latter died a few days after his arrival at Portsmouth. The killed on board the enemy's ships which were captured, amounted to 690, wounded 680, exclusive of about 320 lost in le Vengeur when she sunk ; and the total loss sustained by the republican fleet, must have been at least double, if not treble that amgunt. J Rear-Avi n'\:(\\ Thomas Pasley. BcUerophon \ ^^pj^.„ ^ ju^^ jj^p^ Culloden Isaac Schomberg. Defence James Gambier. Invincible Hon. Thomas Pakenham. Majestic Charles Cotton. Marlborough Hon. G. C. Berkeley. Montagu James Montagu. Orion John Thomas Duckworth. Ramillics Henry Harvey. Russell John Willet Payne. Thunderer Albemarle Bertie. Tremendous James Pigott. 78 ADMIRALS OF THE RED. the first divided at their quarters to fight both sides at once ; her masts were all shot away ; the main-mast fell in-board, and the whole of the quarter-deck and forecastle guns were Oh the 11th June, Earl Howe entered the Channel with the prizes* in tow ; and two days after arrived at iSpitheud with part of his fleet, and the trophies of his victory, having ordered a detachment under Admiral Graves to put into Plymouth. On the 26th, their late Majesties arrived at Ports- mouth, and went on board the Queen Charlotte. The King held a levee, and presented the veteran Chief with a diamond hilt sword, valued at 3000 guineas, also a gold chain with a medal suspended, to be worn round the neck. The royal party dined with liis Lordship, and in the evening re- turned on shore. * Earl Howe in his public despatches, made particular mention of the following officers. His Majesty on the 30th Nov. 1796, was pleased to order a gold medal emblematical of the victory, to be presented to each, to be worn roQnd the neck by the Admirals, suspended from a gold chain ; and by the Captains attached to a blue and white ribbon through the third and fourth button.holes, on the left side. Admirals Graves and Sir Alex- ander Hood, Rear-Admirals Bowyer, Gardner, and Pasley. Captains Lord Hugh Seymour^ Sir Roger Curtis, Sir A. S. Douglas, James Gambler, Hon. Thomas Pakenham, Hon. George Berkeley, John Harvey, Henry Harvey, Thomas Pringle, J. W. Payne, William Parker, L T. Duckworth, Henry Nicholls, John Elphinstone, and William Hope f. His Majesty's approbation of the conduct and bravery of the officers and men in the above actions was also made known in public orders, toge- ther with the thanks of both houses of parliament. A most liberal subscription was opened for the relief of the wounded officers, seamen, and marines ; and also the widows and children of those who so gloriously fell on these days in the service of their king and country. The city of London subscribed 600/. The Corporation of the Trinity House gave 200 guineas ; and the cities of Edinburgh and Dublin also contributed very liberally. As a further mark of encouragement and favour to the fleet, the legislature repealed the duty of five per cent, on prize ships, as far as relates to ships of war, or privateers taken from the enemy. Uuns. * SansPareil 84 Juste 84 Ani6ri(]ue 78 Imp^tueux : 78 Northumberland 78 Achille 78 •)■ We have reason to believe that Captain William Domett also received a medal, though his name does not appear in the above list. 1 in i; also 'f LORD GAMBIEU. JQ rendered useless. The loss she sustained on that and the preceding days, announted to 18 men killed and 39 wounded. A gtueral promotion followed this important victory, on which occasion Captain Gambler was nominated a Colonel of Marines; and on the 1st June, 1795, he was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral. About the same time, we find him holding a seat at the Board of Admiralty, in which of- fice he continued until the month of February, 1801, when he was appointed third in command in the Channel Fleet, and hoisted his flag on board the Neptune, of 98 guns. In the spring of 1802, our officer proceeded to Newfound- land, as Governor of that island, and Commander-in-Chief of the squadron employed for its protection. About May 1804, he resumed his seat at the Admiralty, and continued there under the two naval administrations of Viscount Melville and Lord Barham, until the change of ministry that took place on the demise of that great statesman, the Right Hon. WiUiam Pitt, in the month of Feb. 1806. On the 14th April, 1807} Admiral Gambler was again appointed to assist in the direction of naval affairs, under Lord Mulgrave ; and in the following summer was entrusted with the command of a fleet sent to demand possession of the Danish navy ; a measure rendered absolutely necessary by the perfidious counsels and conduct of the French government, through whose machina- tions, powers which had hitherto been neutral, were induced to join her already formidable host of enemies. The first division of the armament sailed from England on the 26th July, and the second on the 29th ; the whole arrived off Wibeck, a village situated about midway between Elsi- neur and Copenhagen, on the evening of the 15th Aug. where the army, under Lieutenant-General Lord Cathcart, was disembarked without the smallest opposition ; and on the following day the joint commanders issued the following pro- clamation : " Whereas the present treaties of peace, and the changes of government and of territory, acceded to by so many foreign powers, have so far increased the influence of France on the continent of Europe, as to render it impossible for Denmark, though it desires to be neutral, to preserve its neutrality, and absolutely necessary for those who continue to resist French HO ADMIRALS or THE RKD. ac^i^rcssion, to take measures to prevent the arms of a neutral pow er from l)eing turnetl against them : " In this view, the King oaimot regard tiie present position of Denmark with indifference ; and liis Majesty has sent nego- tiators Avith anij)le powers, to his Danisli Majesty, to request, in the most amica1)lc manner, such exphmacions as the times require, and a concurrence in such ineasurcs as can alone give security against the farther mischiefs which the French medi- tate, through the acquisition of the Danish Navy. " The King, our royal and most gracious master, has there- fore judged it expedient to desire the temporary deposit of the Danish ships of the line, in one of his Majesty's ports. " This deposit seems to be so just, and so indispensably necessary, under the relative circumstances of the neutral and belligerent powers, that his Majesty has farther deemed it a duty to himself and to his people, to support the demand by a powerful fleet, and by an army amply supplied with every preparation necessary for the most determined and active enterprize. " We come therefore to your shores, inhabitants of Zea- land ! not as enemies, but in self-defence, to prevent those who have so long disturbed the peace of Europe, from com- pelling the force of your navy to be turned against us. " We ask deposit, we have not looked to capture ; so far from it, the most solemn pledge has been offered to your government, and is hereby renewed in the name, and at the express command of the King, our master, that if our de- mand be amicably acceded to, every ship belonging to Den- mark shall, at the conclusion of a general peace, be restored to her, in the same condition and stiite of equipment, as when received under the protection of the British flag. " It is in the power of your government, by a word, to sheath our swords, most reluctantly drawn against you ; but if, on the other hand, the machinations of France render you deaf to the voice of reason and the call of friendship, the inno- cent blood that will be spilt, and the hon-or of a besieged and bombarded capital, must fall on your own heads, and on those of your cruel advisers. " His Majesty's seamen and soldiers, when on shore, will treat Zealand, as long as your conduct to them permits it, on LORD GAMBIER. 81 the footing of a province of tlie most friendly power in alliance with Great Britain, whose territory has the misfortune to be the theatre of war. " The persons of all those who remain at home, and who do not take an hostile part, will be held sacred, ** Property will be respected and preserved, and the most severe discipline will be enforced. " Every article of supply furnished or brought to market, will be paid for at a fair and settled price ; but as immediate and constant supplies, especially of provision, forage, futl and transports, are necessary to all armies, it is well kno^vn, that requisitions are unavoidable, and must be enforced. " Much convenience will arise to the inhabitants, and much confusion and loss to them will be prevented, if persons in authority are found in the several districts, to whom requisi- tions may be addressed, and through whom claims for pay- ment may be settled and liquidated. " If such persons are appointed, and discharge their duty, without meddling in matters which do not concern them, they shall be respected, and all requisitions shall be addressed to them, through the proper channels, and departments of the navy and army ; but as forbearance on the part of the inha- bitants is essential to the principle of these arrangements, it is necessary that all manner of civil persons should remain at their respective habitations, and any peasants, or other per- sons, found in arms, singly, or in small troops, or who may be guilty of any act of violence, must expect to be treated with rigour. " The governhient of his Danish Majesty having hitherto refused to treat this nv^tter in an amicable way, part of the army has been disembarked, and the whole force has as- sumed a warlike attitude ; but it is as yet not too late for the voice of reason and moderation to be heard. " Given in the Sound, under our hands and seals, this 16th day of August, 1807* " I. Gambier. " Cathcart. " Commandert in Chief of hiii Majesty's forces by sea '* and land employed in the expedition." V VOL. I. i' ill 9Z ADMIRALS OP THE RED. o On the same day the Commandant of Copenhagen issued the fdllo^ving proclamation : " Hostilities having commenced, I herewith command, in consequence of the order of the King, that all British property shall be sequestered, and that every one, who is in possession of English money or property of any kind, shall announce it to the police, who will carry the necessary measures into execution. Every one, who does not act according to this order, shall be regarded as a traitor to the country." Afte'' some ineffectual attempts of the Danes to annoy the left wing of the army, by the fire of their gun-boats, and to impede its progress by sallies, which were always repulsed with loss, the city of Copenhagen was closely invested on the land side. The fleet removing to an advanced anchorage, formed an impenetrable blockade by sea. On the 2nd Sept. the British Commandei's summoned the Danish General for the last time to surrender the ships of war on the before mentioned conditions, and in an amicable manner, repeating, that the horrors of a bombardment would be the immediate consequences of a refusal, and that it must fall on the head of those, in whose power it was to avert the evil by a single word. General Peymann persisting in his refusal, the mortar-batteries which had been erected by the army in the several positions they had taken around Copen- hagen, together with the bomb-vessels, which were placed in convenient situations, opened their fire with such power and effect, that in a short time the town was set on fire, and was kept in flames in different places till the evening of the 5th, when a considerable part of it being consumed, and the conflagration having arrived at a great height, threatening the speedy destruction of the whole city, the enemy sent out a flag of truce, desiring an armistice, to afford time to treat for a capitulation. After some correspondence had passed between General Peymann, Admiral Gambier, and Lord Cath- cart, certain articles were agreed upon; by which all the Danish ships and vessels of war, consisting of nineteen sail of the line *, twenty-three frigates and sloops, and twenty- • Two of the line-of-battlc shipi and two frigatea were destroyed, being unserviceable. LORD GAMBIER. 83 five gun-boatt;:, with the stores m the arsenal, were to be delivered up. This great object was attained with very trifling loss on the part of the British. During the whole of the siege the number of killed, wounded, and missing, of both services, did not exceed 259 men. Admiral Gambler immediately began fitting out the ships that filled the spacious basins where they were laid up in ordinary, and at the expiration of the term limited in the ca- pitulation, they were all, together with the stores, timber, and every article of naval equipment found in the arsenal and storehouses, conveyed to England, where, with the ex- ception of one line-of-battle ship, that grounded on the isle of Huen, and was destroyed, they arrived safely in the latter end of the month of October. The intended hostility of Denmai'k against this country, is beyond a doubt; consequently, though the sacrifice of human blood which occurred is to be lamented, not the slightest sentiment of commiseration for the Danish govern- ment can be entertained. So cordial was the friendship of the Crown Prince towards Buonaparte, and so anxiously did he anticipate his wishes, that he actually issued orders for the destruction of the Danish fleet, rather than it should fall into the hands of the English. Fortunately, however, those orders were intercepted. Nothing could more strikingly evince the chagrin and disappointment which Buonaparte sustained by this measure, than the strictures of the Moni- teur, and of other continental papers under the influence of France. For the able manner in which Admiral Gambler had con- ducted the above expedition, the dignity of a Baron of the United Kingdom was conferred upon him soon after his return * j and in the spring of 1808, he was appointed to the command of the Channel Fleet, on which occasion he vacated liis seat at the Admiralty. * On the 28th Jan. 1808, the than' . of both Houses of Parliament were voted to the naval and military eommanderd, officers, seamen, &c. employed in the late expedition to the Baltic. Lord Hawkesbury pro- poned the resolutions to this effect in the House of Lords, and Lord Caa- tlercagh in the Commons. The motion was opposed in both houses, sim- ply on the ground, that the enterprizc wm not of such a nature uS to merit c 2 "« I (I i it* if 84 ADMIRALS OF THE RED. Djjrhig the period this officer resided at the Admiralty, he suggested the plan upon which the Plantagenet, a 74-gun ship, was built. She was launched at Woolwich, Oct. 23, i8()l, and considered by judges of naval architecture to be of singularly fine mould, and exquisite proportions. Being without a poop, she passed at a distance for a large frigate. He also, with much labour and close attention, compiled a code of signals for the Navy ; no regular one authorized by the Admiralty having been established since the very imper- fect Sailing and Fighting Instructions issued by the Duke of York, afterwards James II. In that code the Admiral in- serted the list of the ships of the Navy, with numbers against their names, — an invention of his own, for the purpose of their making themselves known to each other at sea and on other occasions ; with several improvements in the signals and evo- lutions. He also drew up the * General Instructions ' for the direction and guidance of officers in the internal discipline and government of the King's ships, with the duty of every of- ficer clearly pointed out. This was a work greatly needed, as the old instructions had become obsolete and almost use- loss, being very deficient and confused. Nothing material occurred until the month of April, 1809, when a detachment of his Lordship's fleet, preceded by some fire-ships, attacked a French squadron at their anchorage in Aix Roads, and succeeded in destroying the Ville de Varsovic, of 80 gims, Tonnerre and Aquilon, of 74 guns each, and the Calcutta, of 56 guns ; several others, from getting on shore, if not rendered altogether unserviceable, were at least disabled for a considerable time *. A difference of opinion respecting the practicability of des- troy!. lij^ the rcniaindor of the enemy's squadron was produc- tive of a serious misunderstanding between the Commander- in-Chief and liord Cochrane, who had had the direction of the fire-ships ; M'hioh terminated in a court martial held on the the proposed lionours, for tJie officers I»y whom it m\% nccompliahed. Thf policy of the measure was not takt'u into discussion. The motion was carried without a division in the Lords ; in llie Commons the proposer liad A majorily of 100 ngainst lf>. * I/huliiMiuc, fii;'!iic. wa« ;ifl.rv\ard« liirnt hv her cr«w. I LORD GAMBIER. 85 Thf on was tsorluul noble Admiral, at his own request, to enquire into his con- duct when in presence of the enemy. The court assembled on board the Gladiator, at Ports- mouth, July 26, 1809, and continued by adjournments till Aug. 9, when the following sentence was pronounced : " The Court agree, that the charge, * That Admiral the Right Hon. Jjord Gambler, on the 12th April, the enemy's ships being then on fire, and the signal havhig been made that they could be destroyed, did, for a considerable time, neglect or delay taking effectual measures for destroying them,' has not been proved against the said Right Hon. Lord Gambler ; but that his Lordship's conduct on that occasion, as well as his general conduct and proceedings as Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet, employed in Basque Roads, between the 17th March and the 29th April, 1809, was marked by zeal, judgment, and ability, and an anxious attention to the welfare of his Majesty's service, and do adjudge him to be most honourably acquittkd ; and the said Admiral the Right Hon. Lord Gambier is hereby most honourably acquitted accordingly." The President, Sir Roger Curtis, then desired his Lord- ship's sword to be handed to him, which he returned to him, with the following address : " Admiral Lord Gambier, I have peculiar pleasure in receiving the command of the Court to return you your sword, in the fullest conviction, that, as you have hitherto done, you will on all future ocusions use it for the honour and advantage of your country, and to your own personal honour. Having so far obeyed the command of the Court, I bog you will permit me in my individual capacity, to express to you the high gratification I have upon this occasion." To this honourable acquittal was added the thanks of hot li Houses of Parliament. The Lord Chancellor, in conveying those of the Peers, passed a great encomium upon the life and services of the noble Admiral, and concluded by testi- fying his personal respect. Lord Gambier retained the command of the Chaimel Fleet until 1811, when the system of relieving Admirals from their sUitions, at the expiration of three years, which was enforced by the Right Hon. Charles Yorke, on hiik accession to the ' I ;ii 86 ADMIRALS OF THE RED. Admiralty department, subjected his Lordship to resign a station that is at once the most honourable, and the most important, at the disposal of the Board. On the 30th July, 1814, Lord Gambler was nominated the head of a commission for negociating a treaty of peace with the plenipotentiaries duly authorized for that purpose on the part of the United States of America. The first meeting took place at Ghent on the 8th of the following month ; and the preliminaries of peace were signed at the same place on the 24th Dec, and ratified at Washington, Feb. 17, 1815. On the 7th June following, his Lordship was honoured with the insignia of a G. C. B. He married in July, 1788, Louisa, second daughter of Daniel Mathew, of Felix-hall, CO. Essex, Esq. A portrait of his Lordship, by Beechy, was exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1809. * Residence. — Iver, co. Bucks. SIR CHARLES MORICE POLE, Bart. Admiral of the Red ; M. P. for Plymouth; a Groom of the Bed-ohumber to H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence ; Knight Grand Cross of the most honourable Military Order of the Bath ; a f^'iae-President of the Naval Charitable Society ; and Fellow of the Royal Society. Three families of the name of Pole have obtained the honour of Baronetage ; viz. the Polei of Shute, in Devonshire ; the Poles of Walthamstow, in Essex ; and the subject of the following memoir, who is a junior branch of the first- mentioned Poles, and derives his descent from Sir John Pole, the third Baronet of that line, who married Anne, youngest daughter of Sir William Morice, of Werington, co. Devon, Knt., one of the Secretaries of State to King Charles IL by whom he had four sons j the youngest of whom, Carolus, Rector of St. Breock, ii Cornwall, marrie IS wind shifted to the westward, and blew a violent gale, which dispersed the fleet: many of the ships put into Torbay, others into Portland, and some returned to Portsmouth. Several of the merchantmen and transports foundered, and many lives were lost. Early in the following month, another attempt was made to get clear of the Channel ; but the fleet was again separated in a dreadful storm, which continued with unabated fury for several weeks. Some of the vessels taking shelter in the Cove of Cork, were enabled to sail from thenc^ on the 25th Feb. 1796, under the protection of Captain, now Admiral, George Bowen, of the Canada 74 ; but Sir Hugh Christian did not sail with the ships he had collected at Spithead until the 20th of the following o^onth. Rear- Admiral Pole, who had been -obliged, in consequence of the damage sustained by the Colossus, to remove his flag into the Carpatic, aqother ship of the same force, suled for his original destination on the 12th April, and arrived at the Leeward Islands in the course of the ensuing inonth. He returned to England with Sir Hugh C. Christian (who had been super- seded by Rcar-Admiral Harvey) in the Beaulieu frigate, towards ^he letter «nd of the same year. SIR CHARLES MORIC£ POLE, BART. 91 boats, Rear-Admiral Pole called off the ships engaged, got under weigh, and stood to sea, fully convinced that tire-ships alone could have been brought forward with any reasonable prospect of success. On the Rear-Admiral's return from the above service, the approbation of his conduct by the Board of Admiralty was marked by his appointment to be Commander-in-Chief and Governor of Newfoundland, to which station he proceeded in the Agincourt, of 64 guns; but on the indisposition, and urgent desire of Lord Nelson to be recalled from the Baltic, he was appointed to relieve his early friend in that important command, during the summer of 1801. On the first day of that year he had been advanced to the rank of Vice- Admiral. To succeed such an officer as the heroic Nelson, and at so critical a moment, was a duty which they who know how his Lordship was regarded can best appreciate ; and no one in the Navy knew him better, or loved him with greater sincer- ity, than his successor; whose good fortune it was, by prudence and sagacity, to disperse every remnant of the northern confederacy, which had taken place imder the auspi- ces of Paul 1., and to complete the work which his Lordship had so ably commenced *. In returning from that station, the Vice -Admiral detached a part of his fleet, under the com- mand of Sir T. Graves, through the Sound ; whilst he himself determined to make the experiment of passing the Great Belt, with nine sail of the line, which he accomplished in the most satisfactory manner, his flag-ship, the St. George, of 98 guns, leading ; and as the wind was adverse, his ships were under the necessity of working through, by which means that Channel, which had never before been passed by line-of- battle ships, was effectually explored, thereby fully establish- ing, for the first time, the importance and practicability of this navigation, which has since been of advantage to our opera- tions in those seas. Vice-Admiral Pole was next appointed to the command of the squadron off Cadiz ; whither he immediately repaired in the St. George, and remained watching that port until the * For the particulars of the attack made upon the Danish line of defence before Copenhagen, April 2, 1801, see Sir Thomas Foley, Vice-Admiral of the Red. 92 VDMIRALS OF THE RED. ^li '3 suspension of hostilities at the latter end • of the yeaf enabled him to return to England. During his absence he was raised to the dignity of a Baronet of Great Britain, by patent, dated Sept. 12, 1801. At the general election, in the following year. Sir Charles M. Pole was chosen representative in Parliament for the borough of Newark-upon-Trent ; and soon after nominated Chairman of the Board appointed to inquire into the abuses in the civil department of the Navy, and other branches of public expenditure, the duties of which office he continued to perform until the month of February 1806, when he was called to a seat at the Admiralty ; from which he retired in October following, in consequence of the change in the admi- nistration which took place at that period. The limits of this work \vill not admit of our entering at length into the parliamentary services of officers*. We must therefore content ourselves with observing, that during the whole of his senatorial life, Sir Charles M. Pole has never omitted to embrace every opportunity of rendering service to the naval profession, whether as it related to the seamen and marines, or the officers generally j and that the conduct of himself and his colleagues in the commission of Naval Inquiry, was approved by a vote of the House of Commons, which was communicated to them by the Speaker in a most hand- some manner. (/ * For information on this head respecting Sir Charles M. Pole, the reader is referred to a Work entitled " Public Characters," v. 8, p. 5fi7, et seq. ; also to the "Naval Chronicle," v. 21, p. 271, et seq. In July, 1803, Sir Charles brought in a Bill for transferring to the Directors of Greenwich Hospital, the aduiinistration of the Chest of -Chatham. In the course of some explanations, he animadverted on the hardship of the case of a poor disabled sailor who had lost his limbs in the service of his county, and yet was obliged to repair 200 or 300 miles to receive his miserable pittance ! By the provisions of this Bill the Pensioners of the Chest were enabled to receive their pay at their own homes, as had been recommended by the Commissioners of Naval Inquiry ; and the pay of this suffering and meritorious class of men was augmented from seven to eighteen pounds per annum. On the second reading of the Prize Agents' Bill, our officer stated that his fiiend Sir Charles Dan vers, out of 163,000/. received for thirty-one captures, had paid 51,000/. expences in the Prize Courts, besides a charge of 50,000/. to agents. promoted to the rank of Post Capiuin in the Pomona, of 28 guns, stationed at Jamaica, under the orders of Sir Peter Parker, M'ho had by this time attained the rank of Vice- Admiral. In the autunm of 177J^» t'^^ l>iiy ^^n on the Mus(|uito shore, and in the bay of Honduras, being in great danger of an attack from the Spaniards, who had landed at St. George's Quay, the inhabitants of which they plundered and treated with great cruelty, Sir Peter despatched the Poroupitu' sloop to co-operate with a detachnjent ot troops sent from Jainaica for tUeir protection. About the same time the Hon. Caplaiu • See K»'tir('(,l ('in»tain Sir Anduew S. IIamunu, 1 tHARt.ES EDMUND NITGEST, ESQ. 9/ Lnttfell was detached with the Charon, of 44 guns, the Pomona and Lowestoffe frigates, and Racehorse schooner, for the purpose of intercepting some register ships, in the hay of Dulce. They took shelter, however, under the strong fortress of St Fernando de Omoa, It fortunately happened that Cap- tain Luttrell fell in ^vith the Porcupine, and the troops that had accompanied her, returning ; they having performed the service on which they had been sent, and entirely driven the Spaniards from that part of the coast. It was now agreed between the naval and military Commanders, to unite their forces, and to proceed immediately to the attack of Fort Omoa. On the 15th Oct. they arrived before the place, and landed the troops, marines, &c., which together did not ex- ceed 600 men. As any thing like a regular siege would have proved destructive to the enterprise, from the strength of the fort, and from the assailants not having any heavy artillery, it was determined to carry the place by a coup de main. Every requisite measure was promptly prepared for this bold attempt ; and, on the night of the 19th, a general attack took place by signal on the sea and land side. The fort having been carried by storm with very little resistance, the shipping in the harbour were immediately taken possession of, and proved to be of great value, their cargoes being estimated at three millions of dollars. Two hundred luid fifty quintals of quicksilver were also found in the fort. Previous to the capture of this important place, which is the key to the bay of Honduras, and where the Spaniards send their register ships and treasure from Guatinuda in time of war, Captain Nugent was despatched by Commodore Luttrell to procure pilots at St. George's Quay, with orders to leave the Pomona at anchor, at Quay Bofiuel, and to pro- ceed in the Racehorse schooner. On anchoring as directed, L|6*l' ^'^* he perceived a brig of 14 guns at anclior, with English fioft colours flying. He innncdiately put oft' in his boat, to proceed to the Quay j but it being now dark, he was soon surrounded by a number of Spanish launches, and a schooner of 8 guns, |fSij»l'l779 that had been concealed vmdor the lee of the brig, which it now appeared had been taken and was aground. Having secured Captain Nugent and his men, the enemy proceeded to board the Racehorse j which vesBel, however^ having been .1}' ,1 VOL, I, H m M ■ r I M IJ [if i 98 ADMIRALS OF TIIK RED. alarmed at their firing at the boat, gave them so warm a reception, that four of the launches were sunk, and the remainder, with the schooner, obliged to sheer off with great slaughter. The Racehorse then returned to Quay Boquel, to alarm the Pomona. In the mean time Captain Nugent was stripped to his shirt, and subjected to every indignity ; he was taken on shore, where there was a platform, with a guard before it j and it subsequently appeared, that the Governor of Bacular, a town of the province of Yucatan, who headed the expedition against the logwood cutters, had given orders to execute all who made resistance. From this fate Captain Nugent with difficulty escaped, by explaining, that he was the Commander of a British frigate. Himself and boat's crew were then conducted to prison. In the morning, soon after sun-rise, he was told by one of the towns-people, that the Spaniards were retiring in great consternation ; and on breaking from his confinement, found a number of the inha- bitants collected together, many of them armed, and the enemy making the best of their way from the island. In such haste were they to get off, that they suffered several of their men to be taken prisoners, although one or two of their boats were just putting off from tlie shore, and the Pomona, which was coming from Quay Boquel, was at least three leagues off. ' . . Captain Nugent then launched his boat and retook the brig which he fitted out previous to his departure for the rende;<- vouH appointed by Commodore Luttrell, and put 1 1 men in her, with arms and amnnuiition for seveml more, that she might be completed in her crew by the inhabitants of the town, for whose protection she was left, in case of the return of the Spaniards. By this means most of the negroes from the settlements up the rivers Bele/, Sherboon, &c., and as much of the property of the inhabitants as could be collected together, were embarked in the different craft in the settle- ment, and conveyed to the Island of Rattan, where they settled during the continuance of the war. Three hundred of these bay-men were assembled at that island, and served at the capture of Omoa, where they rendered essential service. Captain Nugent remained on the Jamaica station until the summer of 1782, when he returned to England with Sir Pettir rUAHLBS EDMITND NUGKNT, ESQ. 91) Parker. In the following year he was chosen representative in Parliament for the town of Buckingham. When tiie war commenced against the French Republic *, he was apjiointed to the Veteran of 64 guns ; and towards the latter end of the same year, accompanied the expedition sent against the French West India islands t- Immediately after the surren- der of Guadaloupe, where Captain Nugent particularly dis- tinguished himself in the command of a naval battalion landed to co-operate with the army, he was sent home with the despatches relative to the conquests that had been effected by the British arms. In the letter from Sir John Jervis, lie is thus mentioned : — " Captain Nugent, who carries this despatch, will recite many parts of the detail, which, in the various operations I had to concert, have escaped my memory. He served with the naval battalions at Martinique, St. Lucia, and Guadaloupe, and was present at many of the most im- portant strokes." Captain Nugent also received the thanks of the military Commander-in-Chief, Sir Charles Grey, in public orders. From the spring of 1795j until his promotion to the rank of Rear-Admiral, which took place Feb. 20, 1797> ^>"r officer commanded the CfEsar, of 80 gims, and was employed prin- cipally in the Channel Fleet. On the 1st Jan. 1801, he became a Vice-Admiral ; and in the summer of 1805, when the late gallant Cornwallis assumed the chief command off Brest, he was selected by that officer to serve as his first Captain. "St the public funeral of the hero of Trafalgar, Vice-Adini- ral Nugent assisted in the procession. He was advanced to the rank of full Admiral, April 28, 1808. His only child married, in 1822, G. Bankes, Esq. M, P. Resilience, — Southampton. • See Note at p. 18. t Sec p. i;;. H 2 : 1^ •J I(K) AOMIUAIS (H llli<: HKIJ. ' 'I^B^H'i mm f M|l| m i' I^Mhh mB ^1 i • t ■: I- :r r i i CHARLES POWELL HAMILTON, Esq. AHmiritl of thf lird. Tins officer obtaiiuHl Post rank May 18, \'J'J^^M\i\ crww- nmiulod the Apollo frigate, at the dose of tlie American war. In l/^S lit? ^vas appointed to the Canada of 74 guns. On the (>lh Nov., ill the foUowing year, that slop, in company with the Alexander, of tiie same force, commanded hy the late Sir llichard Rodney Bligh, having escoii;eps, off vShrew8b\iry inlet, about four miles from Sandy Hook, where his Lordship had moored his ships in the best order for defence, should the French Admiral attempt to force his passage over the bar *. * Uprin the appearance of tlie enemy, 1000 voluntccra from the trans- ports iininecKately offered their Rervires to man the King's ships ; and such was the ardour among these Itrave fellows, that even many of those who it was necessary should remain to take care of their respective vessels, were found concealed in the boats which were employed to convey their fortunate companions on board the men of war. The zcid displayed by the masters and inatci of the merchant vessels at New York. 'Si 'tl U)2 AnMinAi.s or iiik hrd. tsM On \\\v 22ih1 July, the l''icnch fleet wcighnl, and proccrdrd lo Uhodr Inland, olVuiuch place LonI Howe nm ' liarc of the light infantry and grenadiers. The British nquadron lay in thin situation for several dayu, with the continual mortification of seeing vessels captured, without a possibility of affording thetn relief .lOlliN lini.LOWAV, KStt. HKi only hor main luaHi stutiravery of the offieers and men of the Kind's ships, suppurtebreast ; and then brought to the wind at a little more than random shot distance. The British Admiral, mortified at not having it in his power to force the enemy to battle, on the 15th directed his fleet by signal to make all sail possible by the wind ; this manoeuvre led the French Commander to think he was retiring, and emboldened him to approach much nearer than usual. Sir George Rodney suflcred him to enjoy the deception, until the enemy's van ship had approached abreast of the centre of the English line, when by a lucky change of wind, which would enable him to weather the enemy, he made the signal for the van of his own fleet to tack. The French instantly wore, and fled with a croud of sail, notwithstanding which they JOHN HOLLOWAY, ESQ. 105 ward Islands devolved on Commodore Hotham. On the night of the 10th Oct., there arose a hurricane at N. E. which increased by the morning to a degree of violence that is not to be described. The Vengeance, and some smaller vessels of war, were moored within the Careenage of St. Lucia, and pre- pared with every caution that could be taken to withstand the tempest, which had already driven several transports on shore. A little after twelve o'clock she parted one of her cables, and tailed upon the rocks. It now became absolutely requisite to cut away her masts, the loss of which, with the help of a number of guns that were got forward, considerably eased the force with which she struck ; and by the wind fortunately shifting two or three points further to the eastward, her stern swung into deep water, and she was, beyond every expecta- tion, saved ; for it now blew, if possible, with redoubled violence, and nothing was to be seen or expected but ruin, desolation, and destruction in every part. The storm con- '■ W: > «' I would have been forced to fip^ht, had not the wind on a sudden shifted six points, which enabled them to recover that advantage. At seven P. M. Captain Bowyer, in the Albion, reached the centre of the enemy's line, and commenced a heavy cannonade, supported by the Conqueror and the rest of the van ; l)ut as the enemy continued under a press of sail, none of the rest of the British fleet could partake in the action. From this time to the 19th, the enemy had the advantage of the wind ; on that day it so far favoured the British fleet, as to flatter the Admiral with the hope of being able to bring on a general action ; but before he could close with the enemy, it again changed. The French Admiral, .seeing that his rear could not escape being engaged, appeared to hiave taken the resolution of risking a general action ; for as soon as his van bad weathered the British, he bore away along their line to windward, and commenced a heavy cannonade, but at such a distance as to do little execution ; the Frenchmen could not however avoid being closely attacked by the ships of the van led by Commodore Hotham. The enemy continued under a press of sail to the northward ; and on the 21st were entirely out of sight. The pursuit having led the fleet 40 leagues to windward of Martinique, and many of the ships requiring considerable repair, the Admiral steered for Barbadoes, and arrived on the 22nd in Carlisle Bay. The loss sustained by the English in these three actions was 188 killed, and 567 wounded. In the first list was the Hon. Captain St. John, of the Intrepid, and 5 oflicers ; and in the last Captain Watson, uf the Conqueror, mortally, and fifteen officers. The enemy had 158 sliun, and 820 woundedt 1 ill If ''f^^l if % 15 ' 106 ADMIRALS OP THK RKR. tinned with incredible vehemence during the whole day ; but the weather, about midnight, became more moderate, and by the next morning the wind was totally abated. The direction of the hurricane was from N. N. E. to E. S. E., and it lasted twenty-nine hours. The Laurel, Andromeda, and Blanche frigates, Scarbo- rough, of 20 guns, and four sloops of war, were entirely lost, and of their crews not more than 48 men were saved. Of the remainder of the squadron on that station not one escaped without considerable damage ; and the French ships suffered in equal proportion. The Vengeance sailed for England in the spring of 1781, with another line-of-battle ship, and three frigates, as convoy to a fleet of thirty-four ships, richly laden, chiefly Dutch, which had been captured at St. Eustatia ; and on the 2d May, falling in with a French squadron of six sail of the line besides frigates, under the command of M. de la Mothc Piquet, the utmost skill and dexterity were necessary, to effect an escape. Owing, however, to the judicious measures which Commodore Hotham immediately adopted, and to the able assistance of Captain Holloway, he preserved his own squadron, and saved the greater part of the merchant vessels ; the remainder, of considerable value, fell into the hands of the enemy. On the 29th June, the Vengeance arrived at Spithead, and wan immediately put out of commis- sion. After a short relaxation from the fatigues of service. Cap- tain Holloway was appointed to the command of the Cam- bridge, of 80 guns, and went off the Texel with Lord Howe. He was next removed into the Buffalo, of 60 guns, attached to the fleet under the same Admiral, which, on the 1 1th Sept. 1782, sailed for the relief of Gibraltar. On the 11th Oct. the convoy entered the Gut ; but the wind blowing stiong from W. N. W. only four of the transports, under the care of the Latona frigate, reached their destined anchorage that day; the rest passed into the Mediterranean. The combined fleets of France and Spain, consisting of eighty sail of pendants, standing out of the bay, on the 13thj Lord Howe, then off Marbella, ordered Captain Hollowly to take the store-ships under his protection, and proceed with them to the Zaflarine n JOHN HOM.( •» y, ESQ. 107 (iisr he sliould be driven se liis* ow judgment for Isles, or L'Oriston, in Sardinia, past Cape Tres Forcas, and to se liis* ow bringing them back to relieve tl bttjieg* fortress. Two days after the Buffalo had parted Ironi the i ntish fl "I, she fell in with four of the enemy's ships, that hud coia. ut of Malaga to join the combined fleets, and narrowly esca- d being captured by them. One vessel was taken at midi aggage of the two regiments which were embarked in the fleet, as a reinforcement for the garrison : her capture greatly distressed those corps, and their brethren on the rock heartily condoled with them. t Seep. 17. r i'l ill 108 ADM I HALS OF TIIK RKh. for a long time so pointed an object for the enemy's heavy ships, that they had nearly sunk her." It is well known that the centre of the combined fleets was opposed to the rear of the British) and the Santissima Trinidada, of 130 guns, supported by two French three-deckers, was opposite to the Buffalo, when the Spaniard opened his fire : Captain Hoi- loway, however, by keeping close to the ship a-head, main- tained his station until the action ceased. In this unequiil conflict, the Buffalo had 6 men killed and 16 wounded. On Captain HoUoway's return to England, he was appoint- ed to the Vigilant j but peace taking place soon after, that vessel was paid off, and he continued without any other command for a considerable time} but was at length appointed to the Solebay frigate, and proceeded to the Leeward Islands, where he served under the orders of the late Lord Nelson, at that time Captain of the Boreas, between whom and Cap- tain Holloway a friendship soon commenced, and was ever afterwards maintained *. During the Spanish and Russian armaments, in 1700 and 1791, Captain Holloway commanded the Princess Royal, of 98 guns, bearing the flag of his former patron. Vice- Admiral Hotham; and at the commencement of the war with France, in 1793, when that officer went to the Mediterranean, as second in command under Lord Hood, Captain Holloway accompanied him in the Britannia, of 100 guns. The opera- • Whilst Admiral Holloway remained unemployed in 1803, he received the following letter from Lord Nelson, dated off Toulon, August, 22. ** My dear Holloway, " Your letter, by Mr. Taylor, I received from Admiral Campbell, Mr. Taylor being gone to Malta, a place probably I shall never see during my L'ommand. However, I shall be happy in shewing every attention to your . recommendation. I am sorry you are not employed, but I think it must come at last ; for, as you observe, your nerves are good, and your head I never heard disputed. The Narcissus not having joined, I have not had ' an opportunity of seeing your nephew Lyons. Your son-in-law. Captain Otway, will get a ship, and I hope his Cidloden : and that you may both be soon actively employed, is the sincere wish of, my dear Holloway, " Your obliged and faithful friend, " Nelson and Bronte." John holloway, esq. 1()9 tious at Toulon during that year will be found detailed in our memoirs of Viscount Keith, Lord Radstock, &c. * When Lord Hood returned to England, towards the close of 1794, Admiral Hotham succeeded him in the chief com- mand, and appointed his long-tried follower Captain of the Fleet, in which situation he gave general satisfaction. During the period of Admiral Hotham's , command, two engagements took place with the French fleet. The first was on the 14th March, 1795 : an account thereof will be found in our sketch of Sir Davidge Gould's services. The Commander-in-Chief, in his official letter to the Admiralty on that occasion, after a general commendation of the officers in his fleet, concluded with saying, " It is, however, an act of justice, to express the sense I entertain of the services of Captain Holloway, of the Britannia : during a long friendship with that officer, I have had repeated proofs of his personal and professional talents ; and on this recent demand for experience and infor- mation, his zeal afforded me the most beneficial and satisfac- tory assistance." The second action was fought on the 13th July following ; the particulars thereof will be found in our memoir of Admiral Sir John Sutton. For these services. Admiral Hotham was raised to the dignity of an Irish Peer, and at the end of the year returned to England, being superseded by Sir John Jervis. Subsequently to this latter event. Captain Holloway was appointed to the Duke, a second rate, and from her re- moved into the St. George, of 98 guns, attached to the Chan- nel Fleet. He commanded the former ship during the alarm- ing mutiny that raged among the crews of the ships at Spit- head, in May 1797, and was one of the officers who, from their strict adherence to discipline, were turned on shore by those malcontents f. His services as a Captain ended in the St. George. On the 14th Feb. 1799, he was advanced to the rank of Rear- Admiral, and it was not long before he hoisted his flag as assistant Port-Admiral at Portsmouth, where he continued until the suspension of hostilities in 1801. Soon after the renewal of the war, in 1803, the Rear- Admiral • See pp. 46, 60, &c. t See Vice-Admiral E. Griffith Colpoys. I: ! il 110 ADMIRALS OF THE RED, 'IS f ^ was again sent to his former tedious duty at thf above port, and on his arrival was welcomed by the inhabit nts with a hearty peal on the bells, so highly was he resp'' ed. In the course of the same year, he made a survey of tb i adjacent coast; and in consequence of his representations, nree ships, of 98 guns each, were stationed at Lymington, St. Helena, and the mouth of Southampton River, to guard the Isle of Wight in case the enemy should fulfil their threats of invasion. Our officer was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, April 23, 1804, and about the same period hoisted his flag in the Downs, under the orders of Lord Keith. In 1807, he was constituted Governor of Newfoundland, and Commander- in-Chief on that station ; an appointment in which he dis- played his wonted ability ; and endeavoured, by every means, to conciliate the affections of such of the Indians as lived on the island. Previous to the Vice-Admiral's final departure from that settlement, in Oct. 1809, he received a letter from the so- ciety of merchants there, containing sentiments of veneration and esteem for his person and character, and expressions of gratitude for the facilities afforded them upon all occasions in the prosecution of their commerce. The subject of the foregoing memoir was raised to the rank of Admiral of the Blue, Oct. 25, 1809. He married previous to his departure from the West Indies, in 1781, to a lady of Antigua, named Waldron, of an old English family. Of his children, one, a son, died on board the Narcissus, on the pas- sage from Leghorn to Palermo. He was only thirteen years of age, four and a half of which he had actually served at sea, and was on board the Venerable, of 74 guns, Captain Samuel Hood, in Sir James Saumarez's actions, July 6 and 13, 1801. The Admiral's eldest daughter is the lady of Rear-Admiral R. W. Otway *. * Sco note at p. 108. Ill GEORGE WILSON, Esq. .Admiral of the Red. We find no mention of thi8 officer previous to Feb. 1780 on the first day of which month he attained the rank of Post- Captain. In Jan. 1/82, he commanded the Eurydice, of 28 guns, attached to the squadron under Sir Samuel Hood, when that officer was attacked at the anchorage at Basse Terre in the island of St. Christopher's, by the Count de Grasse*. The Eurydice was one of the four frigates that covered the landing of the British troops after the repulse of the French fleet ; and was afterwards present in the actions of April 9 and 12, when the Count de Grasse was defeated and taken prisoner by Sir George Rodney f. Immediately subsequent to the above glorious event, Cap- tain Wilson was appointed to the command of the Fame, of 74 guns, and ordered to cruize off Hispaniola, with Sir Samuel Hood, to watch the beaten enemy's motions. He continued in the same ship on the Leeward Island station until after the conclusion of the American war. During the Spanish and Russian armaments, in 1790 and 1791, Captam Wilson commanded the Inconstant of 36 guns; but in consequence of the settlement of the disputes with the Courts of Madrid and St. Petersburgh, that frigate was put out of commission in the autunm of the latter year. In 1793, when the war began with France, our officer was appointed to the Bellona, of 74 guns, and for some time served in the Channel Fleet, imder Earl Howe. On the 13th Oct. 1794, he sailed from Plymouth for the West Indies, in com- pany with Vice-Admiral Caldwell, and arrived at Martinique on the 14th of the following month. On the 5th Jan. 1795, Captain Wilson, being on a cruize off the island of Dcscada, in company with the Alarm frigate, fell in with a fleet of French transports, escorted by two fri- gates and three armed ships, one of which, the Duras, of 20 * See Retired (>uptuiu. J. N. Inolkkiklu, uiul p. .14. t See note • at p. 35, tt teq. $ % ' i ■« ■ ' )l i •I ) I 1' ,:> 1 1 'L I W2 ADMIRALS OF' THK RED. guns and 70 ineii, having on board 400 troops, was taken » In the course of the same month, the Bellona captured la Duquesne French frigate, of 44 guns ; several of the enemy's privateers likewise fell into Captain Wilson's hands during his stay on that station. Previous to his return to Europe our officer assisted at tlie reduction of Trinidad by the forces under Rear- Admiral Har- vey and Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby ; and was also present at the unsuccessful attack made upon Porto Rico by the same commanders *. On his arrival in England, • Towards the latter end of June, 1796, Rear-Admiral Henry Harvey arrived at Martinique, and relieved Sir Hugh C. Cluistian in the command of the fleet employed in that quarter ; but nothing of importance occurred until Feb. 1797, when the Rear-Admiral, in conjunction with Sir Ralph Abercromby, determined on the reduction of Trinidad. For this purpose, on the 12th of that month, the troops destined for the expedition were embarked on board the ships of war and transports, and sailed from Fort Royal Bay. On the 14th, the armament arrived at the island of Cariacou, one of the Grenadines, where they were joined by the men of war and transports which had been ordered to rendezvous at that piace. The next day the fleet proceeded to its destination; on the Ifith it cauje within sight of Trinidad, and stood towards the Gulph of Paria. At half past three P. M. a Spanish squadron was discovered at anchor in Shagaramus Bay, consisting of four sari of the line and one frigate, under the flag of a Rear-Admiral. As the day was far advanced before the fleet approached the bay, and the enemy appeared in force in Gasparaux island ; the Are- thusa. Thorn, and Zebra, were ordered to proceed a little further up the Gulph, and anchor with all the transports, while the Alarm, Favorite, and Victorieuse, were directed to continue under sail during the night, to prevent any vessels sailing from Port Espagne. Just before (lark Rear-Admiral Harvey anchored with the ships of the line, in order of battle, opposite the enemy's squadron, within random shot of their ships and batteries. At two o'clock in the morning of the 17th, the Spanish squadron was disco- vered to be on fire, and all of them were consumed excepting one, which, at day light, was brought out by the boats of the fleet without receiving any damage. Sir Ralph Abercromby immediately landed with a large body of troops; the superintendence of this service was entrusted to Captain, now Vice- Admiral, Wolley, of the Arethusa, covered by the Favorite sloop, and took possession of the town without opposition. On the next day the Governor desired to capitulate for the whole island. The articles were agreed to, and in the evening the Spanish troops laid down their arms, and the whole colony submitted to his Britannic Majesty. The success which had attended the British arms at Trinidad, induced GEOKbK WILSON, ESQ. 113 abrut the latter end of 1797, he was again ordered to join the Channel Fleet, in which service he continued to be employed until his advancement to the rank of Rear- Admiral, Feb. 14, 1799. The dates of his subsequent promotions are, Vice- Admiral, April 23, 1804 ; and Admiral, Oct. 25, 1809. He married, Aug. 22, 1801, Miss Catharine Pollard, of Ewell, Surrey. SIR CHARLES HENRY KNOWLES, Bart. Admiral of the Red ; Knig^ht Grand Croit of the most honourable Military Order of the Bath. This family is descended from Sir Thomas Knowles, who attended Richard I. in his wars to the Holy Land, where that Prince, in consideration of the many signal marks of Sir Tho- mas's valour, granted him those arms which his family now bears ; which are nearly the same as the Jerusalem arms, differing only in some few particulars. The subject of this memoir is the only son of the late Sir Charles Knowles, Bart., Admiral of the Blue, and Rear-Ad- miral of the Navies and Seas of Great Britain ; formerly Governor of Jamaica, and afterwards Chief President of the Adrn'ralty, and one of the Council to the Empress Catharine, Reftr-Admiral Harvey and Lieut -Oen.Abercromby, to attempt the reduction also of Porto Rico ; and havini; made every necessary arrang>jm«nt for tho security of Triuidad, they proceeded with the greater part of the fleet and army to this island. On the 1 7th April they made Porto Rico, and came to anchor at Congrejos Point. The next morning the troops were disem- barked in a small bay on the north side of the island, meeting with little opposition from about 100 of the enemy, who soon retired. On approach- ing the town, however, it was found too strongly fortified, and too actively defended by gun-boats and other craft, to admit of any hope of success. After bombarding the town for some days, and endeavouring to destroy a magazine which was situated near it, but without any visible effect, on the .30th the General gave up the entcrprize, re'Cmbarked his troop:!, and re« tired with the loss of about 200 men. VOL. f I 'I 111 N Ml rtl n^ I t tji l! >l . t 114 ADMIRALS OF THE RED. of Russia*, by his second wife, Maria-Magcl{iloiia-''J'hei(;<;t Bouquet, a lady of an old Lorraine family. Our officer succeeded his father in the Baronetcy, Dec. 0, 1777 ; and attained the rank of Post-Captain, Feb. 2, I78O. In the same year, we find him commanding the Porcupine, a small frigate, on the Mediterranean station, where he was not long without an opportunity of distinguishing himself. On the 22d July, in the same year. Sir Charles H. Knowles, being on a cruize on the coast of Valencia, at 4 A. M., saw two sail a-head, standing for the Porcupine. As the day ad- vanced, he perceived they were Spanish ships, polacre rigged. About six o'clock, being within gun-shot, they hoisted their colours, and fired a gun to leeward ; about eight minutes after Sir Charles gave the headmost vessel a broadside. A spirited action commenced, and was kept up until /'' 20', at which time the enemy sheered off. The largest ship carried 26 or 28 nine-pounders, and the smallest 22 or 24 guns of the same calibre ; they were both fidl of ?nen. A third vessel ap- proaching, and the Porcupine being within half a mile of the Colebres Rocks, she made sail to the eastward ; the enemy shortly after wore in pursuit. At 10'' 10', another action be- gan between the Porcupine and her former antagonists, which lasted until 11 ** SC, at which time they again hauled off, and did not afterwards attempt to renew the fight. In tliis une- qual conflict the British ship had only four men wounded, and received but little damage. Towards the conclusion of the American war, we find Sir Charles commanding the San Miguel, of 72 gunsf, and em- * Sir Charles Knowles returned from Russia overwhelmed with ingra- titude. He was particularly skilful in the science of building ships ; and as an officer, repeatedly distinguished himself, especially on the expedition agunst La Guira, in 1 743. Dr. Smollet, the English historian, was. ori- ginally a loblolly boy on board Sir Charles's ship, and received his first appointment, as surgeon's mate, from that ofHcer, who in many instances behaved towards him with paternal kindness, for which he made the roost ungrateful return. Admiral Knowles was the first person wlio ever at- tempted to carry a ship of the line into English Harbour, Antigua. f The San Miguel originally formed part of the vast armament em- ployed in the blockade of (iibraltar ; but being driven from her anchor during a violent gale of wind, on the night of Oct. 10, I "82, and finding it impossible to weather the rock, she surrendered to the garrison on a few guns being tired from one of the batteriii. I; SJll tHAHLKS HKNftV KNOWLKS. HAKI' \\i) 1), few ployed as senior officer of the naval force stationed at Gibral- tar ; to the garrison of which place he afTordetl the greatest assistance, by his active co-operation in repelling the oft-re- peated attacks made by the enemy witli a view of regaining possession of that important fortress *. He sailed from thence on his return to England, March 22, 1783. A few weeks after the commencement of hostilities against the French Rcpublicf, our officer commissioned the Daedalus, of 32 guns, in which frigate he proceeded to North America. In the early part of 1794, the Dffidalus, on her passage to Halifax, received considerable damage, and sprung her main and mizen-masts, which obliged Sir Charles to put into Nor- folk, in Virginia, where he took in new masts, and was about to sail, when a French squadron arrived, and blocked him up. On the 20th April the enemy put to sea with a large fleet of merchantmen, bound to France, leaving only the Clorindc Iri- gate, and a corvette of 16 guns. Sir Charles was now deter- mined to proceed to Halifax, and was making every arrange- * The close of thcyejir 1/77, when the news of the conventiou of Sa- ratoga first arrived in Europe, was the period which the Spaniards ciu- braced to introduce themselves into the dispute then existing between Great Britain on the one hand, and her revolted colonies, aided by F.'ance, on the other. Hostilities had been carried on for near six months between England and France : Spain therefore judged the opportunity favourable to offer her mediation, proposing such an arrangement as she Diust be as- sured would not be agreeable to the principal belligerent powers. Great Britain had no sooner refused her acquiescence, than the Court of Madrid espoused the cause of France ; and, on June 16, 1779, the Spanisl; Am- bassador presented to the Court of London his hostile manifesto. On the 'Jist of the same month, the communication between Spain and Gibraltar was closed by an order from Madrid. It was not long before the inliabit- ants and garrison were reduced to great distress, by reason of the strictness of the blockade established by the enemy ; and, notwithstanduig the sup- plies thrown in at ditferent times by Sir George B. Kodney, Vic»-Admiral Darby, and Earl Howe, us already mentionetinale, and riivengeful enemy could devise, t See note at page 18, I 2 P .= u I- 'I J i''i 11G ADMIItAhS OF TUB RED. me«t to get under sail, and engage the French ships, should they attempt to molest him, when, on the morning of the 17th May, he was joined by the Terpsichore, of 32 guns, com- manded by the late gallant Captain R. Bowen, M'ho afterwards fell at Teneriffe *. Notwithstanding this accession of force, the French Commander shewed a disposition to follow the fri- gates, and bring them to action. Sir Charles Knowles stood off from Cape Henry four or five miles, and then hove to ; upon which the Concorde tacked, and returned to her an- chorage. The Deedalus returned to England in the following summer, and Sir Charles was shortly after appointed to the Edgar, of 74 guns, stationed in the North Sea. From that ship he re- moved into the Goliath, of the same force, and was present in her at the memorable battle off Cape St. Vincent, Feb. 14, ^7^ t ; on which occasion the Goliath had 8 men wounded, and her Commander, in common with the other Captains, was afterwards honoured with a gold medal. In the same year he assisted at the solemn procession to St. Paul's, when the co- lours taken from the enemy in the different naval actions were deposited in that cathedral X- Our officer was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, Feb. 14, 1799; Vice- Admiral, April 23, 1804; and Admiral, July 31, 1810. On May 20, 1820, he was created an extra G. C. B.§. He married Sept. 10, 1800, Charlotte, daughter of Charles Johnstone, of Ludlow, Esq. Rendenct. — Lovell-Hill, near Windsor, co. Berks. til k * Brother of the present Commisttioner Bowen. See Retired Captains. t See p. 21, et teq. X See p. 62. § At that date four extra G. C. B.'s, anu six K. C. B.'s, were added to the Order of the Bath, in contemplation of his present Mi^esty's corona- tion, which, however, did not take place until the 1 9th July in the following year. 117 HON. SIR THOMAS PAKENHAM, Ailmirnl of the Red ; Knight Grand Cross of the most Honourable Mili- tary Order of the Bath. The Pakenhams are an ancient English family, originally seated at Pakenhani, co. Suffolk j from whence they removed to Lordington, in Sussex, where Sir Hugh died, in the time of Henry VII. His daughter, Anne, married to Sir William Sydney, was mother of Sir Henry, who went to Ireland as Lord Lieutenant, in 1.576, accompanied by his cousin Ed- mund Pakenham, the immediate ancestor of Thomas, first Lord Longford, father of the subject of this memoir, and grandfather of the present Earl of Longford, and of the Duchess of Wellington. Sir Thomas Pakenham, of whose services we are about to present a brief sketch, is the fourth and only surviving son of the above-mentioned nobleman, who was raised to the Peerage in right of his wife, Elizabeth, sole heiress of Michael Cuffec, Esq., nephew and heir of Ambrose Aungier, Earl of Longford, which lady was created Countess of Longford sub- sequent to her lord's demise. Our officer was born in the year 1757 ; went to sea at an early age, and was advanced to the rank of Post-Captain ^ March 2, 1780. In the following year we find him com- manding the Crescent, of 28 guns ; in which frigate he ac- companied Admiral Darby to the relief of Gibraltar* ; and ivas afterwards sent to Minorca. On his return from thence, in company with the Flora, Captain Williams (now Admiral Freeman), he fell in with two Dutch frigates, and a sharp contest ensued. Captain Pakenham losing his main and mizen-masts, whereby his guns were rendered useless, was compelled to strike his colours ; but Captain Williams more fortunate, subdued his opponent, and prevented the enemy from tiiking possession of the Crescent, In this unequal con- flict f, the latter ship had 26 men killed, and 67 wounded. • Sec p. 4, and note \ at p. 'X\. t Sec p. :y,\. t- n '/ft I I n a Si I* . 1 1:1 m M It f 118 ADMIBA»-S OF TIIK RED. About three weeks after tlie above action, the same of- ficers fell in with two large French frigates, and being unable to cope with them, separated. The enemy succeeded in re- taking the Flora's prize, and the Crescent had likewise the misfortune to fall into their hands. In the month of July following. Captain Pakenham was tried by a court-martial at Portsmouth, for having struck his colours to the Dutch frigate, and the following highly ho- nourable sentence was pronounced : " The Court are unani- mously of opinion, that the Hon. Captain Pakenham through- out the action, in a variety of instances, behaved with the coolest and ablest judgment, and with the firmest and most determined resolution; and that he did not strike the Cres- cent's colours until he Avas totally unable to make the small- est defence ; the court therefore doth unanimously and ho- nourably acquit the Hon. Captain Pakenham. " The Court cannot dismiss Captain Pakenham, without expressing their admiration of his conduct on this occasion, wherein he has manifested the skill of an able and judicious seaman, and the intrepidity of a gallant officer ; and from the great and extraordinary number of killed and wounded on board the Crescent, as well as the state she was in at the time of her surrender, their highest approbation of the sup- port given by the ofllcers and men to their Captain, and of their courage and steadiness during the action ; a circum- stance that, at the time it reflects honour on them, does no less credit and honour to the discipUne kept up by Captain Pakenham." Our officer's next appointment was to the Minerva frigate } and at the commencement of the war with revolutionary France, in 1703, we find him commanding the Invincible, of 74 guns, attached to the Channel Fleet, under the orders of Earl Howe. On the glorious Ist June, in the following year, that ship acquired at least her due portion of renown, having, by her heavy and animated fire, in a little while, so crippled and annoyed a French 84-gun ship, that she bore up and be- came an easy conquest to the Queen Charlotte. On this me- morable day, the Invincible lost her main-top-mast ; had her fore and main lower-masts and yards shot through ; rigging and sails much cut : 14 men killed and 31 wounded. Su I- HON. SIR THOMAS PAKENHAM. 119 little, however, did her commander think of his ship's casu- alties, that on seeing the crippled state of the Queen Char- lotte, he sent an officer expressly to say to the Commander- in-Chief, that the Invincible was sufficiently manageable to bear his flag *. The boat that conveyed this message after- wards took possession of the subdued ship. The honours that were conferred upon Earl Howe and his brave associates, were commensurate with the victory tliey had achieved ; and will be found fully detailed at p. 78 of this volume. Captain Pakenham was one of the officers who were named in his Lordship's official despatch, as having par- ticular claim to his notice^ and subsequently honoured with a gold medal for their distinguished conduct. In the spring of 1795, the subject of this sketch was ap- pointed to the command of the Juste, of 84 guns j and upon a promotion of Flag-officers taking place on the anmversary of the above battle, he was nominated Colonel of a division of marines. He afterwards held the office of Master-Gene- ral of the Ordnance in Ireland. During the late war, our officer does not appear to have served afloat. He was advanced to the rank of Rear-Ad- miral, Feb. 14, 1799 ; Vice-Admiral, April 23, 1804 ; Admi- ral, July 31, 1810 ; and created an extra G. C. B. May 20, 1820 f. • Sir Thomas Pakenham married, in 1785, Louisa, daugh- ter of the Right Hon. John Staples, and has a numerous family. , • llesidence. — Dublin. * See James's Naval History, v. 1 , p. 227. i" See note §, at p. 116. Im*' 120 AUMIRAl-S OP THK RKD. '*■ SIR JAMES HAWKINS WHITSHED, Admiral of the Red; Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth; Knight Commander of the most Honourable Military Order of the Bath. This ofl&cer is the son of a clergyman, and a native of Ire- land. His father held a living, on which he resided^ in the county of Louth. The first ship in which Mr. Whitshed actually went to sea, was the Aldborough, commanded by Captain Bennett, whom he accompanied to Newfoundland. He afterwards served under Lieutenant, now Admiral, Sampson Edwards, in the Canada schooner ; and after the loss of that vessel, returned to England with Admiral Duff, in the Romney. His next ship was the Diamond frigate, Captain C. Field- ing, who, in May 1776, was ordered to America, as com- manding officer of the convoy sent thither, with a large de- tachment of British and foreign troops. In 1778, Mr. Whit- shed acted for some time as Lieutenant in the Rainbow, Captain Sir George Collier ; and being confirmed in that rank by Lord Howe, he came to England in the Iris, and on his arrival, was appointed to the Amazon frigate, in which he remained until the nomination of Sir George B. Rodney to the command in the West Indies, at the close of the year 1779' He was at that period removed to the Sandwich, of 90 guns, bearing that officer's flag, and consequently partici pated in the capture of the Caraccas fleet, and the defeat of a Spanish squadron under Don Juan de Langara *. After his arrival at Gibraltar, Lieutenant Whitshed was promoted to the command of a newly purchased vessel, in which he followed Sir George Rodney to the West Indies ; where, on the I8th April following, he was made Post in the Deal Castle. That ship was left, with the Cameleon sloop- of-war, at Gros Islet Bay, St. Lucia, whilst the Commander- in-Chief took the fleet to America, during the hurricane months. Early in October, these vessels were both driven * Sec note f, at p. 3. %m .TAMES HAWKINS WHITSHKI). i2i to sea ; and th« Deal Castle, without a stick standing, except her fore-mast, was cast on shore at Porto Rico, in the dread- ful storm that took place at that period *. The crew, except- ing three, fortunately escaped upon rafts ; and, after a deten- tion of two months, they were at length liberated and sent to Tortola. Captain Whitshed, on his recovery from a dangerous fever, brought on by the fatigues he had experienced, went down to St. Eustatia, where he found Sir George Rodney; and, having passed the ordeal of a Court-Martial, for the loss of his ship, he returned to England in a packet, with despatches from the Admiral, and was appointed to the Ceres, of 32 guns, then building at Liverpool. In the Ceres, Captain Whitshed proceeded to America, with Sir Guy Carleton, the military Commander-in-Chief j whom he landed, after a passage of twenty-one days. Our of&cer remained in America until the final evacuation of New York ; when (in Dec. 1783) he returned to England, with Sir Guy ; and in Feb. 1784, the Ceres was paid off. After a very short stay on shore. Captain Whitshed took the command of the Rose, which had been intended for the Mediterranean, but was subsequently sent to Leith, where she remained till 1785, and was then put out of commission. It being a period of profound peace. Captain Whitshed, after residing for some time at Oxford, where he attended all the lectures in astronomy, &c., made several trips to the continent, during which he visited the Hague, Ham- burgh, Lubeck, Revel, St. Petersburgh, Copenhagen,and Paris. On the commencement of the war with France, he was appointed to the Arrogant, of 74 guns, on the home station. In the spring of 1795j he removed into the Namur, a second rate ; and after cruising some time with tlie Channel Fleet, sailed with Rear- Admiral Parker, to reinforce Sir John Jervis, in the Mediterranean. On the 14th Feb. 1797, Captain Whitshed had the gratification of participating in the glorious victory gained over the Spanish fleet by Sir John Jervis f, on which occasion, the Namur had 2 men killed and 7 wounded. * See p. 68. t See p. 21, rt .srq. l\ t ■ 122 ADMIRALS OF THK RED. Captain Whitshcd, in common with the rest of the officers of the squadron, received the thanks of Parliament, and was presented with a gold medal for his services on that memo- rable day. On his return to England he was appointed to the Ajax, of 80 guns ; but afterwards removed to the For- midable, a three-decker, in which he remained until his pro- motion to the rank of Rear- Admiral, Feb. 14, 1799. Upon the death of Sir Charles Thompson, which took place in the following month, the Rear-Admiral hoisted his flag on board the Queen Charlotte, of 1 10 gims, and soon after sailed for the Mediterranean. In the ensuing summer he returned home in the Barfleur, a second-rate ; and in August, had his flag on board the Temeraire, a ship of the same force, in the Channel Fleet j where it continued until towards the close of the war. On the recommencement of hostilities, in 1803, Rear-Ad- miral Whitshed was appointed to the chief command of the Sea Fencibles in Ireland ; and in the Spring of 1807, he succeeded the late Lord Gardner as Commander-in-Chief at Cork, where he remained until the Autumn of 1810. He was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral, April 23, 1804; Admiral, July 31, 1810 ; nominated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815 ; and appointed Port-Admiral at Portsmouth on the de- mise of Sir George Campbell, in Feb. 1821. Sir James's eldest son was killed in action, when a Mid- shipman on board the Berwick, in the Mediterranean, Dec. II, 1813. He was a most gallant youth, and died much rur gretted. His only surviving son became of age, July 29, 1822. ARTHUR KEMPE, Esq. jidmiral of the Red. I'll IS officer was promoted to the rank of Post-Captain, May 10, 1780; Rear-Admiral, Feb. 14, 1799; Vice-Ad- miral, AprU 23, 1804 ; and Admiral, July 31, 1810. 12.3 ADMIRALS OF THE AVIll'lE. JAMES DOUGLAS, Esq. Senior Admiral of the JVh'ite. This officer is the second son of the late Sir James Doug- las, of Springwood Park, Roxburghshire, N. B. Baronet *, by his first wife, Helen, daughter of Thomas Brisbane, Esq. and is descended from Andrew Douglas, of Friarshaw, who married Jane Home, of the family of the Earls of March- mont. After passing through the intervening ranks of Midship- man, Lieutenant, and Commander, he was advanced to that of Post-Captain, Oct. 20, 1780; and in the same year, com- manded the Venus frigate, at the Leeward Islands ; from which vessel he was afterwards removed into the Alcmene, of 32 gims. On the breaking out of the war with the French republic. Captain Douglas was appointed to the Saturn, a 74-gun ship, in which he proceeded to the Mediterranean, and was with Admiral Hotham when that officer encountered the enemy's fleet, July 13, 1795 f. He returned to England in company with a squadron under the orders of Rear-Admiral Mann, and was subsequently stationed in the Channel. Our officer was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, Feb. 14,1799; Vice-Admu-al, Nov. 9, 1805; and Admiral, July 31, 1810. Mrs. Douglas died May 2, 1819. * Sir James Douglas was knighted for bringing home the news of the surrender of Quebec in i 759 : he commanded u squadron at the Leeward Islands in 1761 ; took ^miuica, and had a broad pendant at the siege of Martinique, in the sanae year. He was created a Baronet, June 10, 1786, died in 1787, and was succeeded by his eldest son, George, the present Baronet, who niarrie Mr. Bickcrton was made a Lieutenant, and appointed to the Prince George ; but soon after left that ship, and accompanied Captain Middlcton (afterwards Lord Barham), into the Jupiter, of 50 guns. On the 20th Oct. 177^? tht? Jupiter, then commanded by • The late Sir Richant Bickcrton was made a Licuteimnt about the year 174.^ ; became a Post-Captain in \7^i^J ; bore a part in the battle be- tween Sir Edward Hughes and M. de Suflfrein, June 20, 17B3 ; was Com- modore of the 8(|Uadron at the Leeward Islands in 1/86 j and subsei{uently held the chief command at Plymouth. In 1773, when his late Majesty reviewed the fleet at Portsmouth, he had the honor of steering the royul barge, and on that occasion was knighted. His patent of ficronetcy bears date May 19, 177H. During his professional career, he repeatedly distinguished himself in a very eminent manner, nobly earning the honnni which his .Sovereign m liberally bestowed on him, and which he trans- mitted unsullied to his son. ±i 126 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. • 'I il L Captain Reynolds, afterwards Lord Ducie, being on a cruiise in the Bay of Biscay, in company with the Medea, a small frigate, fell in with the Triton, a French line>of-battle ship. At 5 P. M. the Jupiter brought the enemy to close actioh, in which she was joined by the Medea ; but unfortunately, at the commencement of the engagement^ a 36-pound shot eiiteri^d the bow of the latter, under watery and compelled her to bring to, for the purpose of stopping the leak it had occa- sioned. Captain Reynolds, however, continued thie action with great bravery till eight o'clock, when the French ship made sail, and bore away for Ferrol j where it was reported that she arrived, With the loss of her Captain, and 200 men killed and wounded. The giallantry of Captain Reynolds and his officers was gireatly enhanced by the circumstance of the Medea having been totally prevented from affording him any effectual assistance. On the return of the Jupiter to England, Captain Reynolds made a point of recommending all his officers, and obtained the rank of Commander for his first Lieutenant, Mr. Bicker- ton ; a sufficient proof of the able and proper manner in which that gentleman had conducted himself. At the close of 177^j ^ squadron, under Captain Charles Fielding, was sent to intercept a fleet of Dutch merchantmen, said to be destined to France, ladbn with warlike stores. On the 2d Jan. 1780, they were di^covelred a little to the west- ward of the Isle of Wightj escorted by two ships of the line and two frigates, commanded by Admiral Cotint Byland. The British Commodore desired that he might be allowed to search the merchant vessels, which the Count persisted in refusing, and fired at the boats in their attempt to board them ; to resent which insult the Commodore ordered » shut to be directed a-head of the Dutch Admiral, who instantly dis- charged a broadside into the Namur, and upon her returning it, struck his colours. On this occasion the Commodore employed Captain Bickerton, then in the Swallow sloop of war, to assist him in detaining such Dutch ships as might fall in his way, and expressed himself highly pleased with the vigilance he displayed. Seven of the merchant vessels, laden with naval stores, were detained, and Count Byland was given to understand, that he was at liberty to hoist his colours and *■^ SIR RICHARD HUSSKY BICKBKTON, BAUT. 127 I and prosecute his voyage with the remainder. The Dutch Ad- miral accepted the former part of the proposal, and saluted the British flag, but declined proceeding without the whole of the vessels, and sailed into Spithead. From the darkness of the night, many of the transports with stores escaped, and got safe into Brest. Towards the end of the same year, the Swallow was ordered to the West Indies ; and in Feb. 1781, Captain Bickcrton was present at the capture of St. Eustatia, by the naval and military forces, under the respective commands of Sir George Rodney, and General Vaughan *; On the 8th of the same months Captain Bickerton was posted into the Gibraltar, of 80 gun& ; and in the skirmish which took place between the British and French fleets under the respective commands of Sir Samuel Hood and the Count de GraiBse^ April 29th folio wingj he commanded the Invin- cible, of 74 guns fi Captain Bickerton Was subsequently appointed in succes- sion to the Russel, and Terrible, both 74'» : but finding the latter unfit for service, he exchanged into the Amazon frigate, and was ordered \o England. The Amazon was paid off in the month of February, 1782. In September following, he obtained the command of the Brune, another frigate ; but in * Early in \7S\, Sir Geor^ B. Rodney received intelligence of the commencehient of hostilities ttetw^en Great Britain and Holland, and instructions for the immediate attack of the Dutch settlements in the West Indies. These were executed with the same promptitude with which they had heen conceived ; and the island of St. Eustatia was tulien possession of on the .3d Feb. A fine Dutch frigate, of 38 guns and 300 men, and Ave other vessels of war, from 14 to 2() guns each, all ready for sea, were taken in the road, together with upwards of one hundred and eighty sail of merchantmen, many of them richly laden. Sir (ioorgc Rodney having learnt that a valuable Dutch fleet had sailed for Europe 36 hours previous to his arrival in the bay, despatched u small squadron in pursuit; by which means the whole were captured, and brought back to St. Eustatia. On the English Commodore, Reynolds, coming up with the enemy's convoyiitg ship, the Mars, of 54 guns, an action commenced, which lasted but for a few minutes ; wheo the Dutch Commander being killed, she struck her colours. Soon after the capture of St. Eustatia, the island of Saba, St. Martin's, and all the other Dutch colonies in that quarter, excepting Cura^ oa, fell Milo tht* possession of (iroat Britain. t See Retired Captain .Iohn N. iNCLKriELD, in our next volume. 128 Ad MI Hals op tmk waitk. t 'I Pi M conBequeiice of the peace which took place in 1783, she was soon after put out of commission. Our officer was not called upon again till January 1 787* when he commissioned the Sybil, and proceeded to the Lee- ward Islands ; on which station he remained, under the orders of that excellent officer, the late Sir William Parker, till the year 1790 : but as general tranquillity then prevailed throughout Europe, he was not concerned in any transac- tion immediately deserving of record. In February 1792, he succeeded to the title, on the demise of his father*; and in the following year commanded the Ruby, of 64 guns. He afterwards removed to the Ramillies, 74, and cruised with Lord Howe, in the Bay of Biscay, during the autumn of 1794. In Get. 1794, the Ramillies carried General Sir John Vaughan to the West Indies, where she continued till July, 1795, and was then ordered to Newfoundland, from whence she returned to England in the month of November following. During the whole of the ensuing year. Sir Richard Bickerton served in the North Sea, under Admiral Duncan. In 1797, he was appointed to the Terrible, of 74 guns, forming part of the Channel fleet, at that period commanded by lAird Brid- port, on which service he continued till promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral, Feb. 14, 1799. In the autumn of that year, he hoisted his flag at Portsmouth, as Assistant Port-Admiral ; a aittiation requiring nn extraordinary degree of vigilance and activity. On the 13th May, 1800, Sir Richard sailed for the Medi- terranean, hi the Seahorse, being appointed to a command on that station, under Lord Keith. The lamented Cienerals Abercromby and Moore, and the present Lord Hutchinson, were passengers on board the same frigate. Previous to the expedition against the French in Egypt, Sir Richard Bickerton was employed during a period of five months in the blockade of Cadiz ; he afterwards proceeded with Lord Keith to Alexandria, which port he blockaded until it surrendered to the British arms. 1 ■' . <• . Icct, the Rear-Admiral had resolved to let the matter rest, until he could have an opportunity personally to call on the Lord Mayor, to account for such an extraordinary omission ; but from this second omission, I owe it to that excellent officer not to pass it by. And I do assure your Ijordship, that the constant, zealous, and cordial support I have had in my command from both Rear-Admiral Sir R. Bickerton, and Rear>Admiral Campbell, has been such as calls forth all my thanks and approbation. We. have shared together the constant attention of being more than fourtotii months at sea, and are ready to share the dangers and glory of u day of l>attle: therefore it is impossible I can allow myself to be sopurated in thanks, from such supporters." K 2 ! i"l :* 1 1: ij i- it I 11 M 1:4 •lit m I. !' H' m 132 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. mouth. During his stay at that port, a large fleet was assembled at Spithead, for the purpose of being reviewed by his present Majesty, then Prince Regent, and the allied monarchs *. Previous to the departure of the Duke of Clarence, who commanded on that occasion, H. R. H. issued the following, in general orders : " H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence cannot quit this anchor- age, and resign the command of the distinguished Ofl&cers, Seamen, and Royal Marines, he has had under him, on this particular and very flattering occasion, without expressing his entire approbation of the attention that has been shewn by all descriptions of officers and men whilst under his orders. " If H. R. H. does not particularize individuals, it is only because he has every reason to be most perfectly satisfied with the conduct of all ; but H. R. H. nevertheless must express his particular thanks to Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, Bart., and also to Rear-Admiral the Hon. Henry Blackwood, Captain of the Fleet, for their marked attention and great assistance on this occasion. — Impregnable, June 25, 1814." Our officer was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, Nov. 9, 1805; Admiral, July 31, 1810 j nominated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815 ; and succeeded the late Sir Richard Onslow as Lieutenant-General of the Royal Marines, Jan. 5, 1818 f. He married, Sept. 25, 1/88, Anne, daughter of the late Dr. James Athill, of the island of Antigua. Residence. — Upwood, in Huntingdonshire. A property which originally belonged to Henry Cromwell, Esq. p brother of Sir Oliver Cromwell, who lived there in quality of a justice of the peace. *» Seep. 11. t General Officers and Colonels of Marines were first appointed in the year 1759, on which occasion Admiral Boscawen was nominated General, with a salary of 2000/. per annum ; Vice-Admiral Saunders, Lieutenant- General, 1200/. per annum ; and Captains, Sir Piercy Brett, Hon. Augus- tus Keppel, and Viscount Howe, Colonels, 800/. per annum each. Since thot period a Mtyor-Geneitil, and a fourth Colonel, have been added to the original establishment. 133 GEORGE BOWEN, Esq. j4dmiral of the fFhite. This officer is of a respectable Welsh family. He attained the rank of Post-Captain, Feb. 14, l/i^lj and commanded the Montagu, of 74 guns, in the partial action between Rear- Ad- miral Graves and the Count de Grasse, off the Chesapeake, Sept. 5, in the same year *. The Montagu afterwards accompanied the squadron under Sir Samuel Hood to the West Indies, and Captain Bowen was present at all that officer's brilliant achievements on the Leeward Island station, an account of which will be found uhJer the head of Retired Captain John N. Inglefield. He also shared the glories of the memorable 12th April, 1782, when the British fleet under Rodney, defeated that of France commanded by de Grasse, who it will be remembered was * Rcar-Admiral Graves sailed tvom Sandy Hook, Aug. 31, 1781, and on the 5th of the following month discovered the enemy's fleet at anchor off Lynnhaven Bay, just within Cape tienry, extending across the entrance of the Chesapeake. The Count de Grasse no sooner perceived the Bri- tish fleet, tlian he got under sail and stood to sea, forming his line of battle, as the ships drew from under the land. The British force amounted only to nineteen sail of the line, that uf the French to twenty-four ; so that the enemy had a superiority of no less than five line-of-battle ships. It was past four P. M. before Rear- Admiral Graves edged away and brought them to action, which Avas even then by no means general ; the van and part of the centre being the only ships cngagad. Towards sunset, the French van bore away to get more in a line with their centre, for its support ; and soon after their whole fleet put before the wind, when the firing ceased. The loss sustained by the British on this occasion, consisted of 90 men killed and 246 wounded ; among the latter was Captain Mark Robinson, xvho lo:.t a leg. The rival fleets continued for five days in sight of each other, repairing their damages and manoeuvring, until the Count de Grasse had obtained his object by covering the arrival of M. de Barras, with his squadron and charge from Rhode Island ; when be retired with his fleet to the Chesa- peake, and anchored across that river, so as to block up the passage. Upon which Rear-Admiral Graves followed the resolutions of a Council of War, and returned to New Yorkt IS' !< tli m [[? 1 t ; 'tl 11 li 134 ADMIRALS OP THE WHITE, taken prisoner on tlie occasion *. , The loss sustained by the Montagu in this battle, amounted to 12 killed and 31 wounded. A long interval of peace succeeded the above glorious event, and Captain Bowen remained unemployed until the com- mencement of the war with the French republic, in 1793? at which period he was appointed to the Belliqueux, of 64 guns, and afterwards removed into the Veteran, of the same force. In the Autumn of 1795, he obtained the command of the Canada, of 74 guns ; and early in the following year proceeded to the West Indies, under the orders of Sir Hugh C. Christian, Avith whom he served at the reduction of St. Lucia f ; after the captm'c of which island the Canada was sent to Jamai- ca, the station where Captain Bowen continued to command her until 1797j when he removed into the Carnatic, another ship of the same rate. He was advanced to the rank of Rear- Admiral, Feb. 14, 1799 j Vice-Admiral, Nov. 9, 1805; and * See p. 35, et seq. t St. Lucia surrendered by capitulation. May 25, 1796: the garrison amounted to 2000 men. A great quantity of ordnance, ammunition, and military stores, were found in the different batteries. A slup, three brigs, and five schooners, were taken in the Careenage. Lieutenaut-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, who commanded the troops employed in this expedi- tion, bestowed the following tribute of praise to the support and co-opera- tion which he derived from the navy : " General Order. -^Head Quarters, St. Lucia, May 27, 1794. " During the services which have been carried on in the Island of St. Lucia, all the courage and every exertion of the army would have proved ineffectual, if Rear-Admiral Sir H. C. Christian, and the royal navy, had not stepped forward with the alacrity Avhich has been so conspicuous, in forwarding the most arduous part of the public service : to their skill and unremitting labour, is in a great measure owing the success which has attended his Majesty's arms. It will afford the Commander-in-Chief the greatest satisfaction, to be able to lay before his Majesty the eminent services which have on this occasion been performed by the royal navy, and Admiral Sir H. C. Christian will confer a particular obligation on Lieute- nant-Gcneral Sir Ralph Abercromby, and the army at large, if he will be so obliging as to communicate to the royal navy, and in particular to Captains Lane, Ryves, and Stephenson, and the other officers who acted on shore, and to the corps of marines, the great obligation which they consider themselves under to them. » « 5; ; ,- (Signed) T. Busby, Ass. Adj.-Gen." u Admi coniii] never Adi to Ca of Sir Th meml duced servic In Edwa the de tenant guns; missic of Sar Caj the ac offNc which tiie E: 11 kil Car appoii ed to comm the c( • Tl and on< 770 £u by tkie enemy, GEORGE BOWEN, ESQ. 136 Admiral, July, 31, 1810. During part of the late war, he commanded the Sea Fencibles in Ireland ; but we believe, never served afloat as a Flag-Officer. Admiral Bowen's youngest daughter was married in 1818, to Captain Honyraan of the Grenadier Guards, second son of Sir William Honyman. ^^^^ ^ iy ^^^ j ROBERT MONTAGU, Esq. Admiral of the fVhite. Thk noble house of Sandwich, of which this officer Is a member, claims for its founder Admiral Mrntagu, who in- duced the fleet to declare for Chuvles li., jin.i fcr this timely service w&s rewarded with :m Earhyom. In 1778, Mr. Montagu accon^punicti Rear-Af'.ni/al Sir Edward Hughes to thG East Indlo^ , ia tVc Superbe ; and, on the death of Captain Panton, WfU\ pro-n te^' fion. Thiid Lieu- tenant of that ship, to th-: coinn::*;id '.flhc Sciuiorse, of 20 guns; and this appoir.t.iient w?ib confiinneii by 'a Po^t c,u\\\- mission, dated March 3, 1781, at whicj; period v,'k> Into Earl of Sandwich presided at the i^ dmiLaity , Captain Montagu comman ltd lb? Ey«^ter, of 64 guns, ui the action between Sir Edward Hugh -s and M. ue Suilfrc In, off Negapatnam, July 6, 17?2. This engagement, like those which had preceded it, proved xndecxsivo *. Om this ocasloa tiie Exeter appears to have been w;irajly rngaired, havii'g had 1 1 killed aT>d 24 wounded. Captain Montagu soon after returned to Engbn 1. and was appointed to the Flora, f^fi.Wd gins. In ^vbich ship h( proceed- ed to the Jamaica station. In 1789 and 1790, wj find liini commanding the Aquilon frigate;, \\\ the Mr diterranean. At the commencement of the war with icpublican France, he -f s i Vih ^\ * The British s(?',?a(fi0.iconsi3'.ed of eleven ships, mounting 732 guns, and one small Tri';a».e ; the enemy had twelve two-decked sliips, carrying 770 £!:ji:i, three frigates, and one smaller vessel. The total loss .sustained by the former was 77 men killed and 'J33 wounded ; on tiic side of the enemy, 178 were slain and 601 wounded. .*• ». »»# '»♦»« • *. M 1 i ^'! 136 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. sailed from England in the Sampson, of 64 guns, to escort the trade bound to the East Indies ; and, in the autumn of the following year, returned from thence, with nineteen of the Hon. Company's ships under his convoy, and in company with the Lion 64, having on board Lord Macartney and suite, returning from an embassy to China. Subsequent to his arrival in England, Captain Montagu had the satisfaction of receiving the thanks of the Court of Directors, together with a present of 350 guineas, for the care and protection which he had afforded to their property. Our officer's next appointment was to the Hector, of 74 guns, stationed for some time in the Mediterranean, but afterwards attached to the Channel Fleet. This ship formed part of the force under Admiral Hotham, in the partiiil action of July 13, 1795 *. In 1797, he removed into the Cumber- land, a ship of the same force, in which he continued on the Home station, until his promotion to the rank of Rear- Admi- ral, Feb. 14, 1799. In the summer of 1801, he was ordered to hoist his flag in the Camatic, of 74 guns, at Jamaica, and proceeded thither in the Garland frigate. On the 16th Sept., in the same year, he succeeded to the command on that station, vacant by the death of Lord Hugh Seymour, on which occasion he removed into the Sans Pareil, of 84 guns. The Rear-Admiral returned to England in the course of the following year ; and soon after the re-commencement of hos- tilities against France, was appointed to a command in the North Sea fleet, under the orders of Lord Keith. He was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral, Nov. 9, 1805 ; and became a full Admiral, July 31, 1810. >-i rV ''"' ^•1^^^ • Sec Adu'jral fJiR John Sutton. 137 and EDWARD TYRRELL SMITH, Esq. Admiral of the fFh'Ue. This officer obtained Post rank, May 2, 1781 ; and com- manded the Endymion, of 44 gims, one of Sir George B. Rodney's repeaters on the memorable 12th April, 1782 *. He subsequently served on the Jamaica station. During the Spanish and Russian armaments, in 1790 and 1791, he had the Proserpine, of 28 guns ; from which time we find no further mention of him until the month of Novem- ber, 1795, when he sailed from England in the Abergavenny, of 34 guns, in company with the late Sir Hugh C. Christian, on an expedition against St. Lucia; after the reduction of which island +, he proceeded to Jamaica, and in the Autumn of 1796, removed into the Hannibal, of 74 guns, on the same station, where he continued during the greater part of tlie war. Captain Smith joined the Camatic, of 74 gnns, at Jamaica, in 1800; and, on the first day of the following year, was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral ; since which, we believe, he has been on half pay. He was made a Vicc- Admiral Nov. 9, 1805 ; and a full Admiral, Aug. 12, 1812. Residence. — Garden Row, Southwark. * "^/jt I" li ^ THOMAS MACNAMARA RUSSELL, Esq. Admiritl of the fFhite. Tins officer is descended, on both sides, from respectable .uid once opulent families. Hii father, (an Englishnuui,) wiMJt over t(» IrelaiKl, where he married a lady of that country. I U..'^i • J^ce J). J5, ft svq. t Sec note t, alp 134. i>:i 138 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. and settled. Mr. Russell was born, we believe, about the year 1 743, and at the early age of five years, he had the mis- fortune of losing his father ; and, through either the fraud, or niismanagenient of his guardians, all the fortune v/hich had been left him was dissipated by tl)e time that he reached fourteen. Our officer entered the service at an early period of life, and after serving fourteen years as a Midshipman *, was pro- moted to the rank of Lieutenant. During the war with the colonies, he served on board the Albany, Diligent, and Ra- leigh, princii)ally on the coast of America, and distinguished himself on several occasions. In the latter vessel. Lieutenant Russell served at the siege of Charlestown, in South Carolina ; on the reduction of which. May 11, 17H0 f. Vice- Admiral Arbuthnot, the ntival Commander-in-Chief, promoted him to the rank of Commander, in the Beaumont sloop. From the Beaumont, Captain Russell was made Post, May 7, 1781, in the Bedford, of 74 guns, on board which ship Com- modore Affleck hoisted his broad pendant. He soon after removed into the Hussar, of 20 guns j and cruised with con- siderable success against the enemy, taking and destroying a fine frigate near Boston, laden with masts and naval stores, for the French fleet; a large brig privateer, of 18 guns ; a letter of marque, of nearly the same force ; and several smaller prizes, beside la Sybille frigate, the capture of which deinand- ! f! * The late Lord Collingwood, the worthy and gall unt successor of the itninortui Nelson, served the same space of time without promotio.i; so little did his prospects at first setting out in life keep pace with his merit, or forbode the honours to which he afterwards arrived ! Tlie lute venerable Vice-Admiral Hunter, of whom a memoir will be found in the " Annual Biography and Obituary for 1823," was twenty years in the navy before he attained the rank of Lieutenant. This reflection will afford matter of consolation to modest merit, struggling under similar dillicuUiei ; and those who arc inclined to despond after a few years trial, may here lind instances of the rewards that attend diligence and perseverance. " The Wise and Active conquer difliculties fW during to attempt them : Sloth and Folly, Shiver and shrink at sight of Toil and Hazard, And make the impossibility they fear." RowK. t Sec R'.'tired Oupiain Sir Andrew S. Hamond'. THOMAS MACNAMARA RUSSELL, liSQ. 139 iug more particular notice, wc shall here insert Captain Rus- sell's (fficial letter relative thereto. " Hitsmr, off Sandy Hook, Feb. 6, 1783. '* Sir. — On the 22d of lust month, in a fresh gale and hazy weather, lat. 36" 20' in soundings, I chased a sail standing to the westward, with the starboard tacks on board, wind N. N. W. On my approach, she displayed an English ensign reversed in her main shrouds, and English colours over French at the ensign staff. Having likewise discovered that she was under very good j ar) -masts, had some shot-holes in her (juar- ter, and not supposir^g that French tactics contained a ruse tie guerre of so black a tint, I took her to be what her colours intimated — a distressed prize to some of liis Majesty's ships : every hostile idea vanished ; my mind was employed in de- vising means to succour and protect her ; I declined the pri- vilege of my supposed rank, and stood under his lee to hail. At that moment, by a pre-concerted and rapid movement, he put up his helm, aimed at laying me athwart hawse, carrying away my bowsprit, raking, and then boarding me. I felt the error of my credulity; ordered our helm Imrd-a- weather, shivered, and shortened the after-sails *. The Hussar obeyed it — saved me from the murdering reflection of a surprise — batfled in part the enemy's attention, and received only a half ■ raking fire ; which, however, tore me to pieces forward, and killed two of my men. By this time both ships were by the lee forward, and almost aboard each other. 1 called loud, to stand by to board him. It had the desired effect j he put up his helm — wore off — the Hussar closed with him — and a fair engagement commenced before the wuid. He yawed fre- ({uently ; the Hussm* kept as close and as parallel to him as possible : in about forty minutes his situation appeared dis- agreeable to him ; his fire grew less frequent, and soon after contemptible. At the hour's end it ceased ; and, under cover of our smoke, he extended his distance, put his helm a-star- • At thin mumetit, Captain Russell was puuring cold shot, by huiul, wnongst the enemy ; by one of which the French ('ominamler's shoulder was grazed. Another killed one of the bonrders, and broke u le^ of it 8c<'ond. The aswiuants lied Sixty oi them, with helmets, &f. were dis- persed by the above-iueutiuucd cold shut, uud luaruie musketry fi m % 140 ADMIKALK OK THE WHITE. board, got his larboard tacks on board, and fled to windward. To avoid a raking, to jam him up against the wind, and bring our larboard guns to play, two of the other side having been rendered unserviceable, 1 followed his motions, exchanged a few shot \vith him on that side ; but, to my great mortifica- tion, found my fore-mast and bowsprit tottering, and no head sail to govern the ship by, as you will see by my enclosed defects. However, we chaced and refitted as well as we could, and found we gained on the enemy, it having fallen less wind. " The haze dispersed, and a large ship, which we at first took for an enemy, but afterwards found to be the Centurion, appeared to windward, and a-stern withal ; and to leeward, a sloop, which by signal I knew to be ours. After about two hours' chace, the Hussar got up abreast of the enemy, gave him one broadside, which he returned with two guns, and struck his colours ; the Centurion, then about long random shot astern, and the Terrier sloop about four or five miles to leeward, under a pressure of sail, which does honour to Cap- tain Morris *. " The prize is la Sybille, a French frigate of 38 guns, twelve of which he hove overboard when he first fled, and 350 men -f, commanded by Monsieur le Compte de Krergarou dc Soemaria. " In justice even to the Captain of the Sybille, it must be owned that all his evolutions (as far as my little ability enables me to judge) were masterly ; and, in one instance, border- ing on a noble enthusiastic rashness. Nor did he fly, until the men in his magazine were breast high in water, and all his powder drowned, by some low shot which he received (jarly in the action. It is, therefore. Sir, with great pain and reluctance, that 1 inform you that this ofticer, commanding a ship of more than double the Hussar's force X, in perfect • Now a Vicc-Admiral. + The Hussar had only 116 men, thirteen of whom were on the sick list. Her lo8s in the action consisted of .'3 killed and 5 wounded ; la Sy- bille had 42 slain and 1 1 wounded. X At the time when she was taken, la .Sybille was considered as the finest frigate in the world. In addition to her very select crew, she had .'i3 Atucricans on boardi as passcnirers and snpemunicraries. I 1 THOMAS MACNAMARA RFSSELL, ESQ. 141 order of battle ; for, under the then circumstances of whul and sea, he derived great and obvious advantages from being under jury-masts * — an officer of family and long rank, adorn- ed with military honours, conferred by his Sovereign for former brilliant services, has sullied his reputation, and, in the eye of Europe, disgraced the French flag, by descending to fight me for above thirty minutes, under the English Colours, and signal op distress, above described : for which act of base treachery, and flagrant violation of the law of nations f, I have confined him as a state prisoner, until, through your mediation, justice and the King's service are satisfied." From the circumstance of peace taking place just at this period, the above letter was never published. Perhaps, also, from motives of conciliation on the part of Great Britain, it was thought politic not to give it to the world, as it certainly bore extremely hard upon the French Commander. 'ITic congratulations and applause which Captain Russell received, both at home and abroad, on his brave and skilful conduct in the capture of la Sybille, must have been highly grateful to his feelings. The capture was indeed of great importance ; as, in consequence thereof, the greater part of her convoy fell into the hands of the British ; and prizes, to the amount of more than half a million sterling, were car- ried into New York, in the sho ^tice of about three months. On his return to England, Captain Russell, for his various services, but particularly that of capturing la Sybille, was offered the honour of knighthood ; which he modestly de- clined, as not possessing a sufticient fortune to supp'rix the rank with becoming splendour. The Hussar being paid off', our officer continued unem- ployed until 1790, in the course of which year he was ap- pointed to the Diana frigate, on the Jamaica station ; whf re, for his conduct during the apprehension of a rising among the negroes, he was twice gratified with the public thanks of tlie Inhabitants. V * La Sybille liad losi her inaats in a severe action with the !Ma^icitieutenant 'FroUope's services, that his Lordship thought fit to put the Kite upon the establishment of a sloop of war, by which this officer obtained the rank of Comman- der. In the spring of 1781, he accompanied Vice-Admiral Darby's squadron to the relief of Gibraltar* ; and, on the 4th June, in the same year, was promoted to the rank of Post- Captain. The first ship to which he was subsequently appointed, was the Rainbow, of 48 guns. On the 4th Sept. 1782, having sailed from Plymouth two days before, for the purpose of joining Commodore Elliott, in the Channel, he fell in with, and, after a running fight, captured, ofT the Isle de Bks, la Heb6, a French frigate, of 40 guns and 360 men, five of whom, including her second Captain, were killed, and several wounded : but the Rainbow U)st oidy one man. Captain TroUope continued in that vessel till the peace of 1783, when he purchased the lease of a castle in Wales, where he diffused with liberality the ample fortune which' he had acquired by his professional exertions. During the Spanish armament our officer commanded la Pnidente, of 38 guns; and in the following year was appointed to the Hussar frigate, in which he was employed for some time on the Mediterranean station. In 1795. owing to the alarming aspect of public ailkirs, the greatest exertions were made in every department of * Sep p. 4, and note \, at p. 33. la mnded ir was ployed laiftiirs, lent of i i Sin IIENRV THOLLOPF. 14/ government, and several additional ships were purchased into the service. To otic of those, the Glatton, of 56 guns and 319 men *, which had heen huilt for the India service, Captain Trollopc was appointed. During the winter of tluit year, and the spring of J/^j he was employed, under the orders of Admiral Duncan, in the North Sea. On the 14th July, in the latter year, he sailed from Yarmouth Roads for the purpose of joining Captain (now Admiral) Savage and his squadron, cruising oflF the port of Helvoetsluys. On the succeeding day, ahout two P. M., the Glatton made the land, and at the same time descried five ships of war and a cutter, which her commander conjectured to be British ; hut the distance, aided by the sudden fall of the wind, would not admit of an immediate communication by signals. In the course of the afternoon a breeze sprang up ; and at sbc o'clock the discovery was made, that the flags hoisted by the vessels, which had now all anchored, were not English. Im- mediately the Glatton bore up towards the strangers ; who thereupon weighed, and, as they dropped out in a line, were seen to consist of three large frigates, two smaller ones, and a cutter ; besides another frigate and a large In'ig, about to join them from to-leeward. Nothing daunted at so formidable a force, but merely con- sidering the occasion as aflfording a fair opportunity of trj'ing the effect of the Glatton's heavy carronades. Captain Trollope pushed on, and selected as his opponent the third ship from the van, she appearing, from her superior size, to be the Commodore. At a little before ten, just as the Glatton had got close upon the French ship's larboard quarter, and was ranging up a-breast of her, the latter's second a-head tacked, and placed herself close upon the Glatton's larboard bow. All three ships immediately opened their fire ; and a tremen- dous crash it was, the Glatton discharging her enormous shot from both sides, with direful eflFect, into her two opponents, neither of whom M'as much above twenty yards from her. Meanwhile the two frigates a- stern of the Commodore, kept * The Glatton's armament consisted of twenty-eight 68, and the same number of 32 -pounders, all carronades, of which species of ordnance Captain Trollope appears to have been uinong the earliest patrons. James's Naval History, v. 1, pp (j(». 418.) Li? (See !^H 148 ADMIRALS OF TIIK WHITK. annoying the Glutton with a raking fire, whicli, in her present position, she could not return. After u cannonade of about 20 minutes, the Commodore and his second a-head dropped a-stern out of gun-shot ; and innnediately the two rearmost frigates advanced upon the Glatton's starboard quarter ; as did the leading sliip of the line, on the opposite tack, upon her larboard beam. In another twenty minutes, these three frigates, having, in the shattered state of their hulls, experi- enced what it was that had so suddenly put to flight their companions, sheered off in e(|ual confusion. The dismantled state of the Glatton discovered itself the moment an attempt was made to wear in pursuit : every brace and rope had been cut away. The principal part of the enemy's fire had passed between her tops and gunwale, so that her lower snils were in ribands, and her shrouds nearly all shot through. The main- mast and the fore and main- yards were also badly wounded, and ready to fall. Scarcely half a dozen shot had struck the hull ; and, in consecpience, no men were killed, and but 2 wounded: one of these was Captain Strangeways of the marines, who, although wounded badly in the thigh, insisted on returning to his (piarters ; where he remained until, being faint with loss of blood, he was carried off the deck : he died shortly afterwards. While the Glatton's people were hastening to rq)air her damages, in order that the ship might wear clear of the Hel- voet shoals, on a part of which she then lay, the French fri- gate and brig, already mentioned as approaching from to- leeward, fired several shot at her ; but did no material injuiy. Captain Trollope, soon after, discovered his former opponents, drawn up in close order under his lee ; and used every exertion, during the night, to put his ship in a state to renew the action in the ensuing morning, with the assistance, as he hoped, ot part of the British squadron before alluded to. At day-break owever, not a friendly sail was t^) be seen, a cir- cumstance much to be regretted, as even the aid of a single frigate, the enemy being panic-struck, might have led to the capture of one, if not more of his ships. As it was, the Glatton, in her present disabled sUite, declined to become a second time the assailant ; but neither attempted, nor, being between the enemy and the land, could well have effected her sill I1ENKV TttOI.LOPfi. 149 I J escape. No doubt the French had, by this time, both handled and weitifhed several of the Giatton's shot : at all events, the ff)rnier tacked, and thus left aii opening for Captain TroUope to pass to the oiling. Tlie Glatton immediately •>ore up, inider easy sail ; and, keeping just without random-shot, hauled round to the lee beam of the French ships : both piirties then hove too. In this manner they remained viewing each other for upwjwds of an hour ; when the enemy made sail away, and Captain Trollope to the northward, he still hoping, by the junction of some friend, to bring tfie encounter to a favourable issue. The night passed in disappointment ; but our officer could not bring himself to (piit the coast, without another peep at his shy antagonists. He therefore, in the morning, stood back j and then saw the French scpiadron, close hauled, standing for Flushing. The Glatton kept the enemy's ships in sight during the day ; and it was not until her commander found that they were near to their port, and that the wind nvas begirming to blow hard on the shore, that he reluctantly steered for the British coast. The (ilatton's affair, says Mr. James, from whose Naval History the account of this gallant action is extracted, like many other drawn battles, is imperfect in its details, for the want of any correct information as to the names, force, da- mages, or loss of the ships which she had engaged. One vessel was known to be the Brutus, a cut-down 74, mounting fi'om 46 to 50 guns. A second is stated to have been the Incorruptible, of 50 guns, the largest frigate ever launched in France. The Magicienne, of 32 gvms, 12-pounders, is named as the third frigate ; and the remaining two of the five engaged ships were probably similar in size and force to the British 28-gun frigate. The name anil force of the frigate in company with the brig is of no consequence. That tlic French ships sustained considerable damage in their hidls, may be inferred from the size of the Giatton's shot, the close- ness of the action, and the shyness ultimately evinced by the former : moreover, on the morning succeeding the battle, the (ilatton's people plainly saw men, on stages, over the sides of the enemy's vessels, plugging their shot holes. Viewed in every light, the action was highly honourable to the officers and crew of the Glatton. The prompt decision of 't i' 1 I m ' I I 150 ADMIRALS 01 THK WlllTK. CapUiin Trollope to become the assailant^ wlien two of the opponent ships were each (one, perhaps, by 300 or 400 tons) larger than his own, contributed, no doubt, to dismay the enemy ; and, coupled with the conduct of the latter in the conflict, well entitled him to the honor of knighthood, subse- quently conferred upon him by his sovereign. The merchants of London also presented him with a piece of plate, of the value of 100 guineas, in testimony of the high sense which they entertained of his conduct, and of the protection which he had proved himself capable of aftbrding to the commerce of the country. Early in October, 1797? Captain Trollope, who, in tlie pre- ceding sunmier, had removed into the Russell, of 74 guns, was left with a small squadron to watch the Dutch Fleet in the Texel during the absence of Admiral Duncan, who had proceeded to Yarmouth Roads to refit his ships. The enemy availed themselves of this opportunity to put to sea ; but, by the vigilance of Captain Trollope, the British Commander-in- Chief was immediately tpprised of their sailing, and soon en- countered them *. This essential service rendered by our " Admiral Duncan had cruised off the Texel duriu)( the whole of the preecdmg summer ; but having oceasion to put into Yarmouth Roads to refit his fleet, the Dutch Admiral de Winter availed himself of the opportunity to put to sea ; which was intimaled to the British commander early on the morning of the !>th Oct., by a signal from the Black Joke lugger, sent for that purpose by (Japtain Trollope. The fleet immediately got under weigh, and on the morning of the 1 1th, obtained sight of the enemy, whose force consisted of four 74-gun ships, seven G4's, four SO's, two 44's, two frigates, and six smaller vesseU<. Admiral Duncan's fleet, includ- ing the 8(|uadron of observation, was composed of the following ships ; — Gum. Venerable 74 \ '^•'"'■"'"' ^^*'"'" '^""'■'"'• } Captain 1^1 vard O'Brien. ... .. ( Vice-iVdmiral Richard Onslow, Monarch 74 J vt ( Captani VMlliam deo. Fairfa-v. Russell 74 Ih'iiry Trollope. Montagu 74 John Knight. , Triumph 74 William Kssington. Bedford 74 Sir Thomas Byard. Powerful 74 Wm. O'Brien Drury. Agincourt .... 64 'ohii Williamson. Ardent 64 Rich. R. Burgeus. Bclli(|ucux 64 John Inglis. 1 SIR HENRY TROLLOPU. 151 officer, was thus ucknowledp^ed by Adminil Duncan ; — " Cap- tain Troll(»pe's exertions and active good conduct, in keeping Oun». Director 64 William Bligh. liiincaster ^4 ,Io!in Wells. iMoiimouth 64 James Walker. Veteran 64 (leorjfe (irojiory. Adamant 50 William II ttliain. Isis 50 William Mitchell. Beaulieu, Circe — frigates. Martin, sloop. As Admiral Duncan approached near, he made the signal for the fleet to shorten sail and form in close order. Soon after lie saw the land between Camperdown and Egmont, about nine miles to leeward of the enemy ; and finding there was no time to he lo3t in making the attack, at half past eleven he made the signal to hear up, break the enemy's line, and engage them to leeward, each ship her opponent; and by these means he got between them and the land, whither they were fast approaching. Admiral Duncan's signals were obeyet(' peerage, by the titles of Baron Duncan of FiUndie, and Viscount Duncan of Camperdown. At the same tiujc \ ice- Admiral Onslow was created a Baronet j gold medals were struck to com- memorate the victory, any his ftieiuU. f- See p. 75, ft rfn/. I Admiral dc Winter died at Paris, June J, iSll*; the Dutch Vicc- A'lmirHl died in Ijundon, of 11 chronic disease SIR IIKNRY TIIOIJ.OPE. 153 owing to a foul wind did not proceed further than the Hope, below Gravesend. Jn the evening of the 31st, the signal was made to weigh in order to return ; aiul at 8 o'clock the yachts anchored off Gravesend : the next day they arrived off Green- wich. Previous to his landing, the King conferred upon Captain Trollope the honour of knighthood as a Knight Banneret j but in consejjuence of some peculiarities in the nature of the Order, it was afterwards settled by the Privy Council, that a Knight Banneret could only be nuide in the field, where a battle had actiudly been fought, in which the person so created had borne a part. When his Majesty lirst signified his intention of knighting him. Captain Trollope modestly begged lea\ e to decline that honour ; but l)eing at length formally introduced by Karl Spencer, as First Lord of the Admiralty, the King performed the ceremony, and then bowed in the most courteous maiuuM*, .saying, " Rise, Sir Henry Trollope, I wish you health aiul hmg life." He had previ(»usly thanked him in the most gracious manner, in his own name, and that of the kingdom, for his previous gallant conduci . On the 19th Dec. following, their late Majesties and all the royal family went to St. Pavd's cathedral, to return thanks for the great victories obtained over the French, Dutch, and Spanish fleets ; on which occassion Sir Henry Trollope was one of the officers who walked in the procession *. In the following year. Sir Henry Trollope, continuing in the Russell, served with the Channel Fleet ; and (huing the remainder of the war, he connnanded the Juste, an Hl-gun ship, on the same service. He was pronioted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, Jan. I, 1H()1 ; Vice-Admiral, Nov. <), 1H05 ; Admiral, Aug. 12, 1812 ; and created an extra K. C. B., May 20, 182()t. .Our officer married, about the year 1782, Mis» Fanny Best, A native of London, i)ut who had been educated at Brussels. A representation of the (datton's engagi nient with the sijuadron of French frigates, by H. Singleton, was exhibited at tlie Royal Academy in 18()1. Sjcc p, ':•> t See note §, ;'• p. 1 Hi. i i against Cancalle *, Cher- • On the 1st .lime, i"5M, tlu* Tartnr suilcd from Spithi-ad, iin'ompJiny with u s(iUciilroii ol'ships of war, uikJ a la!j(i' tloft of traiispurtH, &t'., iiinler the orders of tlie Hon. Commoilore Howe, having on hoard a eonsuk'rahle truin uf artillery, and several thuU8und troops, commanded hy the Duke of Marlborough, on uu expedition uguinst the coast of I'Vani-c. On the morning of the 5th, the armament entered ('uncalte Bay, where a hody of troops were «lisemliarked under cover of sonic of the smull veesels of war. On tlic ()th, the lemuiudor wore landed i and on the following day, the 1 If . '1- »1U JOHN KMOHT. 155 • ( bourf?, &,c. ; and was with the squadron under Lord Anson, which escorted his late Majesty's consort to England, in the whole army, L-xceptiiiff one hrii,'aeinjf( aground, the (ire soon com- municated to the magazines, which were filled with naval stores. The conflagration now liccaiiie general, and they burnt with great fury all night, and most of the succeeding i(i(in. The fort and town being se- cured, orders were given to demolish the piers at the i-ntrunce of the har- bour, the basin, uniga/.ines, stores, and batteries. (Joe hundred and sixty- three iron guns, and three ni(U*fars, were either rendered n8(■U'^.< or thro.vn into the sea, together with a gtcc.t number of shot and shells. Hy iJie 15th the deiuolition of Cherbourg was completed, and the next day the army re-tuibarked without niuloslatiun. Twent)-twu brass ca non, tuid twu mortars of the same metal, were put on board two of the enemy'D bhips, and conveyed to liUgland. I'jghtccn otht r vcbsels were cilhtr burnt, or sunk aciuvs the cutrauce oH the hutbuur. Nut muie than l.'0 ntvii u«re Ni nil ^ 1 150 ADM-IIIALS OF THK WHITK. I I I ^H liW * fcfii' m^l H 1 ^ iyi month of September, l/Gl. During the long cuhu that pre- ceded the war with the colonies, we find him assisting in the maritime survey of the coast of North America. killed, and .'U» wounded, ou this service. On the l/tli, tlie fleet sailed for Enfrland, and two days after eaine to an anchor in Portland Roads. On the yi St of the same month, the fleet sailed again for the coast of France ; and on tlic 3nl Sept. havinir come to an anchor in the Bay of St. liUnaire, about two leaji[ue8 to the westward of St. Malo, the troops were landed without opposition. The next proach near enough to the town to bombard it, without great b i/ard of their being lost ; and for the same reason it would be necessary to move the licet into St. ('as's Bay, in order to re-embark the troops. Un the i.'7,ners : among the first were IMajor-ricneral Drury and Sir dohn Armitago. The Captains Rowley, Maplesdcn, Paston, atid Elphinstone, who under Captain Duff superin- tended the re-embarkation, were made prisoners. The loss sustaiiKid on this disastrous occasion amounted to 822 men, mostly the flower of the British amy .v r«'w ••ays afterwards the fleet returned to Englatnl i SIR JOHN KNlGiri 157 I ill I77''>, Mr. Knififht s second Liouteiiant of the Falcon, conmiandod by Captain John Lin/.ee, in which sloop he ar- rived at Boston three days previous to the Hfjfht at Lexini,4on. The Falcon was one of the vessels that covered the attack on Hunker's >lill ; some time after which event, Lieutenant Knii^ht had the misfortune to fall into the hands of the enemy, when attemptin'T to brinj,' off an American vessel that had been drivi n ashore. After a residence of several months, on parole, at North- ampton and South lladley, in the province of Massachusetts, an exchanjj^e r)f prisoners took place, about Dec. 177^), and our orticeronce more returned to the duties of his profession. In Feb. 1777) he was appointed by Lord Howe to the com- maiul of the Haerlem, of 12 j(uns and (55 men ; and his judicious and spirited conduct, in entering an enemy's port, and takini; from thence several snudl vessels, was so much approved, that that iu)bleman directed his personal share of the pri/.e-nioney to be distributed among the immediate captors. in the month of July, \77^y tl>i' Haerlem fell in with the French Heet under Coimt d'l'^staing, and narrowly escaped capture, haxing received several shot from a riO-gun ship, then in chaee of a British frigate. Lieutenant Knight imme- diately gave intelligence of his falling in with the enemy t(» the Commander-in-Chief ; and was thereupon removed into the Kagle, of G-4 guns, bearing the Hag of Lord Howe, with whom he returned to England in the ensuing October. Towards the conclusion of the American war, Mr. Knight had the gooil fortune to be appointed First I^ieutenant of the Barllcur, of 98 guns, the Hag ship of Kear-Admiral Sir Sanuiel llo()il,onthe Leeward Island station : and to that ex- cellent olUcer he owed his advancement to the rank of I'ost- Captain, Sep!. '21, 17HI ; on which occasion he was appointed to till' Shrewsbury, of 7'1 i^'""^* ''i''" fonner connnander, Cap- tain MarK Bobinson, having lost a leg in the action with lie French Heet, off the Clhesapeak *, on the oth of tiie same month, Ourorticer remained with Sir Sanmel Hood, and was present at all his brilliant achievements in the years J7H1 and 1782. j t ii II • See note ut p. l.'t.l. ' i ; 11 I 'j^ I 5? 1 >'' 1 ' Hi ^^H^9 ^ ' 'i. IH[! i ; ill^M 1 1 iBKiM '1 J gplyjjj i , 1 SH^if ' i lit il"^!! 5 158 ADMIRALS OP THK WHITK. Ill such estimation were Captain Knight's abilities at this time held, that, in the hour of battle with M . tie Grasse's su- perior fleet at St. Kitt's *, the Rear-Admiral thought it pro- per to remove him from the Shrewsbury, to command his own flag-ship, the Barfleur. On the evening of the memorable 12th April, 1782t, Cap- tain Knight received, and presented to his Aihniral, the sword of Count de Grasse, and those of all the surviving officers of the Ville de Paris. A few days after the action, Sir Samuel Hood was detached in pursuit of the beaten enemy ; and on the 10th came up with, and captured, two ships of 64 guns each, toii^e- ther with a frigate and a sloop |. For six months preceding the peace of 1783, Prince Wil- liam Henry performed the duty of a Midshipman in the Bar- fleur, a portion of each day being allotted, by the Admiral's desire, for a particular part of naval education and study under Captain Knight, from whose tuition H. R. H. derived acknowledged advantage. When the account of a cessation of hostilities had reached Jamaica, in March 1783, Lord Hood permitted the Prince to visit Cape Fran9ois, and the Havannah. H. R. H. was re- ceived at both pljices with every mark of distinction antl politeness. After which, his Lordship returned to England with the squadron under his conunand, and arrived at Spit- head on the 26th June, in the same year. It being a period of profound peace, Captahi Knight re- mained M'ithout any appointment until the year I7OO ; when, on the appearance of a rupt ure with Spain, Lord Hood again hoisted his flag, and our officer received the flattering compli- ment of being appointed his Lordship's Captain, in the Victory of 10() guns, which he continued to command until the final adjustment of the dispute with Spain, and that which sub- sequently took place between Great Britain and Russia, in 1791. On the commencement of the war with the French re- public, Lord Hood was immediately called forth to com- mand a powerful fleet, destined for the Mediterranean ; and * See Kctired (JHptain J N. lN(irKFiELi>. t See i». 36, et scif. ♦ See p. .'17 4 SIR JOHN KNIGHT. 159 i^ Captain Knight was again selected to accompany him. In the fatigues of service at Toulon * and Corsica f, he bore hii* fidl share, and received due encomiums from his noble patron, with whom he returned to England in the month of Decem- ber, 1794. In the month of May following, his Lordship had jireparcd to resume his coinnuuid, when most unexpectedly he was ordered to strike his flag, which was never after hoist«d X' Captiiin Knight, however, continued to command the Victory as a private ship, and on the 25th May, sailed from St. Helen's in company with a squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Mann, and the trade for the Mediterranean. In the partial action which took place between the British an ; but fortunately, on the 9th June, symptoms of disunion appeared among the mutineers, which rendered the application of force unnecessary. On that day the Repulse and Leopard made their escape, the latter up the Thames ; but the Repulse unfor- through the fleet, with some other officers who wre obnoxious to the mu- tineers, and afterwards sent on shore. Two midshipmen of the Ardent were ducked, and four of the best seamen on board the Brilliant severely flogged, for speaking disrespectfully of the delegates. SIR JOHN* KMGllT. 163 I taken ■works I June, ed the ^opnrd infor- [c mu- ^rdent Iverely from this lawless combination. Happily, Iiowcvcm*, the firm- ness evinced by the constitvited authorities removed the tiinately ran a-ground, and in that helpless situation was pursued and fired upon in a most brutal manner by the Monmouth and Director; happily no lives were lost ; Lieutenant Delanoe lost his lejf, and a seaman was wounded. At night the Ardent effected her escape, but not without loss, having several of her crew killed and wounded by the Monmouth's fire. Confusion and discord now pervaded the rebel councils; and it was evident that the combination was falling to pieces. On the 10th several other ships struck the red flag, and the trade was allowed to pass up the Thames. On the 12th, most of the ships followed their example, and signified a desire of returning to obedience ; only seven having then the flag of defiance flying. The next morning the Agamemnon, Standard, Nassau, Iris, and Vestal, deserted the rebels, and went up the Thames, or under the guns at Sheer- ness ; the crews however of these vessels were far from being unanimous, as several men were killed or wounded in the struggles which took place on board them, between the partisans of the officers and those of the delegates. The following day the crews of all the ships intimated an inclination to submit, provided a general pawlon should be granted. The crew of the Sandwich was particularly desirous, and Parker did not oppose this spirit — a spirit greatly accelerated by the arrival on board of Lieutenant Molt, with the proclamations, acts of parliament, &c. of which the men com- plained they had been kept in ignorance till that period. In the course of the evening they resolved to submit and accept of the King's mercy, con- ceiving, no doubt, that it would be extended to those who had not known to what extent they had oife nde.< 164 AUMfKALS OF TIIK WHITR. impending evil ; and the spirited and glorious conduct of these misguided men, in the subsequent action with the Dutch fleet, an account of which will be found in our memoir of Admiral Sir Henry Trollope, completely wiped away the disgrace incurred by their late proceedings. Subsequently to the battle of the 11th October, our officer enjoyed a separate command on the coast of Ireland ; after which he served in the Chaimel Fleet, and on the Mediterra- nean station, under Lords St. Vincent, Bridport, and Keith. In August, 1799, Captain Knight returned from the latter station, and for some time commanded the advanced squadron before Brest. On this service the Montagu's boats made more than one successful attack on the enemy's coasting vessels *. January 1st, 1801, Captain Knight M-as advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Blue ; but did not serve again during the remainder of the war. In the month of April 1805, the Rear- Admiral's flag was flying on board the Queen, of 98 guns, under orders for the Mediterranean ; and in the summer of that year he succeeded to the command at Gibraltar, on the resignation of Sir Richard Bickerton; and hoisted his flag on board the Guerrier guard-ship, at that place. Our oflicer was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, ordered to suffer death accordingly, at such time and place as the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, or any three of them, shall appoint." On the 29th June, Parker was executed on board the Sandwich ; he died very penitent and with great composure ; acknowledging the justice of the sentence under which he suffered, and expressing a hope that his death might be deemed a sufTicient atonement, and save the lives of others. He solemnly denied having the least connection or correspondence with any disaffected persons on shore, and declared, that it was chiefly owing to him that the ships had not been carried into an enemy's port. The Court-Martial continued sitting and trying the other mutineers, more than a month, during which time a great number received sentence of death ; several were flogged through the fleet, and others imprisoned in the Marahalsca. Many of the ringleaders were executed; a considerable number remained under sentence, confined on hoant the prison-ship in the river Thames; but on the signal victory obtained by Admiral Duncan over the Dutch fleet, on the 1 1th Oct., the King sent a general pardon t» tb«8« unhappy men. * See Captain (j. W. U. Knicht^ in our n«xt volume. S(K JOHN KMGHT. 165 Nov. 9, 1805 ; Admiral, Dec. 4, 1813 ; and nominated a K. C. B., Jan. 2, 1815. He married a daughter of the late Hon. Col. Peter Foy, who was Judge of the Superior Court of Massachussets, previous to the revolt of the colonies. By that lady he has had a numerous family. Two of his sons are oflicers in the navy : several of his daughters are married. To Sir John Knight's peculiar abilities, in addition to his professional talents, the public are much indebted for his nau- tical observations, in many valuable charts of America, the Mediterranean, British Channel, &,c. * '•ti ! SIR EDWARD THORNBROU(iH. .Admiral of the fVhite ; Knight Commander of the most honuuruhle Mili- tary Order of the Bath ; and a Fice-President of the Xaoal Charitable Society. This officer is a native of Devonshire. We are not ac- quainted with the particulars of his services previous to 17/5, in which year he proceeded to America in the Falcon sloop, as First Lieutenant, and arrived at Boston three days before the fight at Lexington, which was the first act of open hostility committed by the rebellious colonies \. The Falcon was also * The late Captain Wm. Robt. Broughton, wlio died at Florence, on the 12th March, 1821, was a Midshipman in the Falcon, and taken prisoner with Lieutenant Knight, in whom he ever afterwards found a steady patron. Captain Broughton being some years afterwards employed on a voyage of discovery, found an island in lat. 48" S., long. 166" 44', to which he gave the name of Knight's Island, as a compliment to his friend. t The year 177^ forms a memorable epoch in the annals of (ireat Bri- tain, as it presents the commencement of that war, which terminated in the loss of her North American colonies. A petition and remonstrance from the provincials met in Congress, having been rejected by the English ministry, on the ground of its want of constitutional form, and a military force ordered to reduce the refractory to obedience, that assembly proceed- ed to discipline and arm the militia of the colonies, and to stand on the de. fensive. It was not long before the certain result of this state of irritation displayed itself at Lexington, where a detachment of troops on their way to destroy a quantity of military stores, collected by the Americans at the town of (Concord, were opposed by a body of militia; and a skirmish en- i>u«d, which endwl in th« regulars being vojnpdkd to retreat, with the lossi i;, .'1 i 166 ADMIRALS OF THK WIllTK. one of the ships that covered the attack on Bunker's Hill, a which place the Americans had collected in great force under General Putnam, and thrown up some strong redoubts. Ge- neral Gage, who commanded in Boston, ordered the Generals Howe, Clinton, and Pigot, with about 2000 troops, to attack the enemy's works, which were carried at the point of the bayonet, after an obstinate resistance. It was, however, a dear bought victo^ ; 226 of the British were slain, 19 of whom were commifisioned officers, and upwards of 800 wounded. Only 30 wounded rebels and a few pieces of cannon were taken. This affair caused the flame of war to blaze over the whole continent of America *. We next find Lieutenant Thornbrough engaged in an at- tempt to bring off a schooner that had been chaced by the Falcon into Cape Ann Harbour, where she ran aground. On the boats boarding her, the Americans opened a heavy fire from the shore, by which 3 men were killed, and several wounded ; among the latter was Lieutenant Thornbrough, who was conveyed back to the Falcon in the only boat that had escaped destruction from the enemy's shot. The remainder of the party, 36 in number, having expended all their ammu- of 273 officers and men, killed, wounded, and prisoners. The loss of the rebels was stated at only 60. This affair, which occurred on the 19th April, summoned the whole pro- vince of Massachussels to arms ; upwards of 20,000 militia invested Bos- ton ; the highest indignation was excited in the other colonies ; and prepa- ration for war became the general cry. The congress met a second time at Philadelphia on the 10th May, and their first measures were resolutions for raising an army, and for the issue of a paper currency for its payment, on the security of the United Colonies. * The battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17th, 1775, rendered the power of Great Britain much less formidable hi the eyes of the colonists, than it had been before ; and the Congress proceeded formally to justify its proceed- ings, in a declaration, setting forth the causes, and the necessity of their taking up arms ; in which they alluded to foreign aid, as being attainable ; but affirmed, that they had no wish to dissolve the connexion with the mother country, unless they should be forced to do so, by continued hosti- lity on her part. In the month of July, Georgia joined in the alliance, and sent its delegates to Congress, which now assumed the title of the Congress of the Thirteen United Colonies; and in compliance with the general wish, it appointed George Washington, Esq., a gentleman of fortune in Virginia, who had acquired experience in the command of difliirent bodies of pro- vinoials during the French war, to bo Cuuunandcr-ui-Chicf of the American forces. SIR KDWARD THORN BROUGH. 167 nitioii, aiid no ineani of regsdning their ship, as every exertion to get the schooner afloat had failed, were obliged to surrender prisoners of war *. Lieutenant Thornbrough afterwards served in the Flora fri- gate, and was promoted to the rank of Commander for his gallant conduct at the capture of la Nyraphe, in August, 1/80 f. He obtained Post rank on the 24th Sept. in the fol- lowing year ; and, in 1782, commanded the Blonde, of 32 guns, on tlie coast of America, which ship was unfortunately wrecked on the Nantucket shoals, when proceeding to Hali- fax with a prize, laden with masts for the French fleet. Cap- tain Thornbrough and his crew constructed a raft, by which means they got to a barren and uninhabited island, where they continued for two days in the utmost distress ; providentially two American cruizers came in sight, and relieved them from their perilous situation. For the generous and humane treat- ment which Captain Thornbrough had shewn his prisoners, the enemy, as a return, landed him and his people near New York, at that time in possession of the English. The prize escaped the danger and got to Halifax. Our officer's next appointment appears to have been to the Hebe, the finest frigate in the British navy, which he com- manded upwards of six years, a period unexampled hi time of peace. This circumstance may be accounted for, from the Hon. John Leveaon Gower havhig hoisted his broad pendant in that ship, when he made the tour of the coasts with Prince William Henry, now Duke of Clarence. After the Commo- dore had struck his pendant, the Prince continued to serve as Lieutenant of the Hebe, until he was appointed to the com- mand of the Pegasus |. During the Spanish armament, Captain Thornbrough com- manded the Scipio, of 64 guns ; but an amicable adjustment of the dispute between the Courts of London and Madrid having taken place, that ship was paid off in the autumn of 1790, and we find no further mention of Captain Thornbrough until the commencement of the war with the French republic, when he was appointed to the Latona, of 38 guns, in which frigate he captured several of the enemy's privateers. On the morning of the 18th Nov., 1793? o"^ officer disco- • See |). 157. t S«e p. 33. J Si-v i». ?■ 168 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITK. vered a French squadron, consisting of six sail of the line, two frigates, and two smaller vessels, which circumstance he im- mediately communicated to Earl Howe, with whom he was then cruizing. Chace was instantly given j but the enemy being considerably to windward, and the w'eather thick and squally, they ultimately effected their escape. At noon, the L^tona was so far a-head as to engage the frigates ; and at four P. M. would have cut one of them off, had not two of the French line-of-battle ships, bore down and prevented her. They passed so near to the British frigate as to discharge their broadsides tit her, but without causing any injury. Captain Thornbrough most gallantly luffed up, and returned their fire with great effect ; and, according to the account given by the prisoners taken on board a recaptured vessel soon afterwards, killed and wounded a number of their people. The Bellero- phon, Latona, and Phoenix, lost sight of the British fleet in the night, and found themselves on the next morning near four ships of the enemy's line ; but being unsupported, they were reluctantly obliged to discontinue the chace. To shew the high opinion the Admiralty had of the spirited conduct of Captain Thornbrough upon this occasion, on the arrival of the fleet at Spithead, Earl Howe received the follow- ing letter from the Board, which was ordered to be communi- cated to all the ships' companies : " Admiralty Office, Dec. \\th, 1793. '^ My Lord. — In return to that part of your Lordship's let- ter of the 30th ult., stating the spirited conduct of Captain Thornbrough, in the transactions on the 18th of the same month, and of the opportunity you had of observhig the equal ardour shewn by the other Commanders and Captains of the fleet, on the same occasion ; I am commanded by my Lords to signify their desire, that you should assure Captain Thorn- brough, and the other Commanders and Captains of the fleet, of their Lordships' satisfaction in that testimony of their com- mendable exertions. (Signed) " Philip Stephens. " To Admiral Earl Hotoe." A few days subsequent to the above event, the Latona, in company with the Phaeton, captured la Blonde, a national vessel of 28 guns, off l^shant. In the following year, when SIR EDWARD TI10HN«R0l'(.H. 109 Lord Howe defeated the French fleet, she was stationed oppo- site the centre of the British line to repeat signals ; a duty which Captain 'i'hornbrough performed with his usual promp- titude, and much to the satisfaction of the Commander-in- Chief. In the course of the ensuing autumn, our officer removed into the Robust, of 74 guns, which ship afterwards formed a part of the squadron employed under the orders of the late Sir John Borlase Warren, in co-operation with the French royalists *. Although the expedition proved unsuccessful, yet no blame whatsoever attached itself to the British navy. * It was in the month of June, 179^', that Commoflore Warren left Yarmouth Roads, Isle of Wight, with three ships of the line, six frigates, and a number of smaller vessels of war, having mider his protection a fleet of fifty transports, on board of which were embarked a body of emigrants, commanded by the Counts d'Hervilly and de Puisaye. On the 2l8t, the Galatea frigate, which had been sent into Quiberon Bay, on her return to join the squadron, was chaced by the French fleet. The Commodore im- mediately made the best disposition for the protection of his charge, and hastened to join Lord Bridport, whom he had the good fortune to discern the next morning in pursuit of the enemy ; the Robust, Thunderer, and Standard, were ordered to join the fleet, but got up with it too late to have any share in the action. After being at sea sixteen days. Sir John Warren anchored with his squadron and the transports between Isle Dieu and that of Noirmoutier ; but as this was not considered by the French officers a proper situation to disembark, they proceeded for Quiberon Bay, where they anchored on the 25th. On the 27th most of the emigrant troops were landed near the village of Cramac. At first about 200 Republicans shewed a disposition to oppose the disembarkation ; but these were put to flight with some loss. The whole coast was soon alarmed ; and the Republicans collecting in great force, (after severe' /i rcessful attacks,) compelled the Royalists to retreat into Fort Penthievre, ^^nd the peninsula of Quiberon, which had surrendered to M. d'Hervilly on the 3d of July. The whole force which occupied the peninsula amounted to about 12,000 men. On the night of the 16th, M. d'Hervilly, at the head of about 6000 Royalists, made an attempt to carry by storm the Republicans' works and entrenched camp on the heights of St. Barbe, in which he was repulsed with considerable loss, and himself severely wounded. Desertion from the emigrant army became at this time seriously alarm- ing ; indeed little else could have been expected, when it is considered that numbers of the men were enlisted from the French prisons. By these de- serters General Hoche was informed of the exact state of the fort and royal army. On the night of the 20th, which was extremely dark and tempestuous, many of the emigrant soldiers who were on guard deserted ; and being accjuainted with the parole and countersign, conducted a large 170 ADMIRALS OF THB WHITE. For nearly three years from this period, the Robust was attached to the Channel Fleet, without being engaged in any service requiring particular attention. In the autumn of 1798, she was agai\i placed under the orders of Sir John Warren, who had been selected to command a detachment sent to the coast of Ireland, for the purpose of intercepting reinforce- ments and supplies, with which the French had agreed to furnish the mal-contents in that kingdom. body of the Republican troops unmolested into the fort. The instant the alarm was given, the garrison was thrown into the greatest scene of confu- sion ; several of the emigrant soldiers grounded their arms, and shouted Five la Republique ; others abandoned or massacred their officers ; the few who remained faithful fought with great desperation, and did not sur- render till after a bloody and dreadful conflict. The Emigrants, Chouane, and English in the fort, were about 10,000 ; most of whom were either killed or taken prisoners ; among the number were the young Comte de Sorabrteul, the Bishop of Dol, and several other emigrants of distinction, who were, contrary to the terms of capitulation agreed on by General le Moine, conducted by his orders to Nantz, where they were tried by a military tribunal, and sentenced to suffer death. The morning after this dreadful affair, the boats of the squadron with great difficulty brought off upwards of 2000 royalists, under cover of the frigates. Sir John Warren next proceeded to the islands of Hedic and Houat, of which he took possession without opposition. Having refreshed the troops, and left a sufficient number for their defence, with some ships of war to cover the retreat of the troops if necessary, he sailed to the attack of the island of Noirmoutier ; but he here also found the Republicans so well prepared, that he was obliged to retire, after destroying two or three armed vessels, and then took possession of Isle Dieu, about five leagues to the southward of Noirmoutier. Soon after the Commodore's arrival at this place, he was joined by the Jason frigate. Captain Stirling, having on board the Comte d'Artois, Due de Bourbon, and several French noblemen. A fleet of transports also joined the squadron, with 4000 British troops on board, under the com- mand of Mfyor General Doyle, who were landed on the island with a great quantity of military stores, cloathing, &c. They remained here till the close of the year, when finding it utterly impracticable to attempt any fur- ther descent on the coast of France, they were re-embarked on board the transports and returned to England. Thus ended this unfortunate expedition, by which the nation is supposed to have lost near 40,000 stand of arms, with cloathing for as many men ; besides an immense quantity of stores, ammunition, &c. Six transports that arrived in the evenmg previous to the storming of Fort Penthievre, laden with provisions of every sort for the army, fell into the hands of the enemy. sill EDWARD TIIORNBROUGH. IJl On ♦^he 11th October, the Commodore behicj then off Tory island, fell in with the squadron under M. Bompart, con- sisting of la Hoche, of 78 guns, eight frigates, a schooner, and a brig. He immediately made the signal for a gene- ral chace, which was continued all day and the following night, in very unsettled and boisterous weather, during which the Anson lost her mizen mast. At five o'clock on the morn- ing of the 12th, the enemy was seen a little distance to whid- ward, the line-of-battle ship with her main top-mast gone. The enemy, notwithstanding, bore down, and formed their line in close order on the starboard tack. From the length of the chace, and in unfavourable weather, the British squadron be- came much spread, and it was seven o'clock before Sir John Warren had his ships sufficiently collected, when he made the signal for the Robust to lead, and the rest to form in succession. At twenty minutes past seven. Captain Thoni- brough commenced the action, and was so ably supported by Captain De Courcy, in the Magnanime, that at eleven, the Hoche, after a most gallant defence, struck ; upon which the frigates made sail, and were closely pursued for five hours, in a smart running fight, when after an obstinate resistance three of them surrendered : these were la Bellone, la Coquille, and r Ambuscade. Captain Moore in the Melampus, parted company during the chace ; and at midnight, on the 13tb, came up with la Resolue, which struck Mrithout offering any resistance. L'Immortalite, of 44 guns, was in company, but made off as soon as she saw the fate of her consort, whom she did not attempt to assist. After the action, the Robust and Magnanime continued with the prizes, the rest of the squadron having separated in the chace *. The disabled state of these ships, in addition to the severe weather which they encountered, created a con- siderable degree of alarm for their safety. The Robust and la Hoche put into Lough Swilly, where they refitted, and from thence sailed to Plymouth; while the Magnanime, with TAmbuscade and la Coquille, were obliged to pro- ceed round the north of Ireland ; and after stopping at Bel- fast to repair their damages, also reached the same port. * The force under Sir Jolin Warren's orders, consisted of one 80-gun ship, two 74'9, and five frigates. 172 ADMIRALS OK TIIK WHITK. This critical victory filled the nation with joy, and appears to have saved Ireland from the miseries of a new civil war. Parliament, fully sensible of its importance, honoured the squadron with a vote of thanks on the occasion, which was communicated by the Commodore to the Captains, officers, and men under his command. In the month of Feb., 1799, Captain Thombrongh was appointed to the Formidable, of 98 guns ; and about the same time obtained a Colonelcy of Marines. In May following, he proceeded to the Mediterranean, to reinforce the fleet under Earl St. Vincent, but does not appear to have remained long on that station, as in the ensuing autumn we again find him serving in the Channel. Captain Thornbrough was advanced to the rank of llear- Admiral of the Blue, Jan. 1, 1801 ; and, with his flag in the Mars, of 74 guns, commanded the in-shore squadron off Brest, alteraately with Sir James Saumarez, during the re- mainder of the war. On the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, he was appointed to the command of a division of the North Sea fleet, under the orders of Lord Keith. In the Spring of 1806, his flag was on board the Prince of Wales, off Roche- fort ; and in 1808, we find him employed in guarding Sicily from the designs of the French, who at that time Jiad cpm- plete possession of the Calabrias. Our officer remained in the Mediterranean until about the spring of 1810, when he returned to England ; and, in the ensuing summer, succeeded the present Sir James H. Whit- shed, as Commander-in-Chief on the Irish station, where he continued during the usual period of three years. He was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral, June 9, 1805 ; Admi- ral, Dec. 4, 1813 ; and nommated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815. In the course of the same year. Sir Edward was appointed to the office of Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, which he held until May 21, 1818. Sir Edward Thornbrough has been twice married. By his first wife, who died at Exeter in 1801, he had several children, one of whom is a Commander in the Navyj another died after attaining the rank of Lieutenant. He married, 2dly, Dec. 4, 1802, to the daughter of Sir Edwin Jeynes, of Glou- cester. That lady died at Bishop's Taunton, near Teign- mouth, in December, 1813. 173 SAMPSON EDWARDS, Esq. Admiral of the fThite. This officer, when a Lieutenant, commanded the Canada schooner, on the Newfoundland station, where she was wrecked in a tremendous gale of wind. The next mention we find of him is May 28, 1781 ; on which day, being on a cruize on the Banks of Ne^vfoundland, in the Atalante sloop, of 14 guns and 125 men, in company with the Trepassey, of 14 guns and 80 men, he fell in with, and was attacked by the Alliance, American frigate, of 40 guns and 250 men. An hour after the commencement of the action. Captain Smith, of the Trepassey, was killed ; but Lieutenant King, on whom the command devolved, continued to defend that vessel until she was a complete wreck ; he was then obliged to strike. Captain Edwards, in the Atalante, still maintained the fight with uncommon bravery ; but his antagonist having no longer any other to contend with, compelled him also to surrender, after a battle of more than three hours, in which many of his men were killed, and the ship dreadfully cut up. Our officer was promoted to the rank of Post-Captain, Oct. 16, 1781, and at the conclusion of the war with the colonies, commanded the Diana frigate. At the commencement of hostilities against France, in 1793, he was appointed to the Terpsichore, of 32 guiis, and in that vessel assisted at the reduction of the Fren-.h West India Islands *. He subse- quently commanded Itie Veteran, 64, Impetueux, 78, and St. George, of 98 guns ; and in the latter ship terminated his ser- vices as a Captain. He was advanced to the rank of Rear- Admiral, Jan. 1, 1801 ; Vice-Admiral, Dec. 13, 1806 j and Admiral, June 4, 1814. t See p. 19. ii le. Sir Hyde Parker made every eftbrt to form the line, in order to renew the engagement ; but found it impracticable. The enemy's ships were equally cut to pieces, hi this shattered situation both squadrons lay-to a considerable time near each other refitting ; at last Admiral Zoutman, with his convoy, bore away for the Texel ; nor was it in the power of Sir Hyde to pursue him. The next day the English frigates discovered the Hollandia, a Dutch ship of as guns, sunk in deep water, her top-gallant masts only being above the surface, and her pendant flying, which Captain Patten, of the Belle Poule, struck, and brought on board to Sir Hyde Parker. In this dreadful battle Captain Macartney, five other ofBcers, and 105 men were killed, and 24 officers and 2!M men wounded. The most au- thentic accounts state the Dutch to have had 1100 killed, wounded, aud drowned. * Sir Hyde Parker was subsequently appointed to the chief command SIR JAMES SAUMAREZ, BART. 177 111 the month of December following, the Tisiphone formed part of a squadron under Admiral Kempenfelt, when that brave officer captured a number of French merchantmen in the face of a superior force, commanded by Count de Gui- chen *. This success was in a great measure owing to the zeal and activity of Captain Saumarez, who first discovered the enemy; and immediately standing towards them, suc- ceeded in taking several of the transports, one of which, a ship of 30 guns, had 400 troops on board. He was then detached by the Rear-Admiral with the intelligence to Sir Samuel Hood, Commander-in-Chief in the West Indies, whom it was necessary to apprize of the sailing of this armament. On his passage, he very narrowly escaped capture by two French frigates ; from which danger he rescued himself in the most masterly manner, by making a number of night-signals, and burning false fires, thereby inducing the enemy to suppose that his was the advanced ship of an adverse squadron. On delivering his despatches to Sir Samuel Hood, Captain Saumarez received a conunission, appointing him, though then under twenty-five years of age, to the command of the Russell, of 74 guns f j in which ship he took a distinguished share in the memorable action between Rodney and de Grasse, April 12, 1782 Xi being at one time, during the heat of the engagement, separated from the main body of the English fleet, and exposed to the fire of many adversaries. The loss sustained by the Russell on this occasion consisted of 10 men killed and 29 wounded. Subsequently to this action the Russell, being found in a very disabled state, was sent to England as one of the escorts to the homeward bound trade ; and soon after the war terminating. Captain Sau- iu India, and huving hoisted his flag on board the Cato, arrived safely at the Cape of (jood Hope, in his way thither, but was never afterwards heanl of. (^uptuins Philip und Tliomus Saumarez, the two officers alluded to above, were in the expedition to the South Sea, under the orders of Commodore Anson. The former was slain in the engagement between Lord Hawke and M. de liCtendeur, off Cape Finistcrre, Oct. 14, 1747. The latter, when commander of the Antelope, a 50.gun ship, captured the Beiliqueux, a French G4. • See p. 68. t Mis Post commission bears date, Feb. 7, 1 7^'- X See note at p. 35, et seq. VOL. I. M f' it. M PH?: IP. ^^K^^'' 178 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. marez was enabled to enjoy an interval o repose ; during which, he took a leading part in the establishment of Sunday schools in his native island, a trait in his character which does him as much honour as any of his professional exploits. On the appearance of hostilities in the year 1787> our officer quitted his domestic enjoyments, and was appointed to the command of the Ambuscade frigate. The Spanish armament in the year 1790, again called him from an unwished for state of inactivity, and he was ordered to commission the Raisonable, of 64 guns. The dispute with Spain being ad- justed, the ships were dismantled, and Captain Saumarez remained unemployed until the commencement of the French revolutionary war, when he obtained the command of the Crescent, of 42 guns, the crew of which, consisting of 257 men, were principally volunteers from the island of Guernsey. In this ship, being on a cruize near Cherbourg, Oct. 20, 1793, he fell in with, and after a close action of two hours and twenty minutes, captured le Reunion, of 36 guns and 320 men, 120 of whom were either killed or wounded. The Crescent had not a single man hurt. This service procured him the honour of knighthood ; and the merchants of London, who have ever been conspicuous for their partiality to naval merit, presented him at the same time vnih. an elegant piece of plate. When the Crescent was refitted, she sailed on a cruise in the Bay of Biscay, with the Hind, a smaller frigate, in com- pany ; during which the Club de Cherbourg, and TEspoir, French privateers, were taken. Sir James Saumarez ^vas afterwards attached to the squadron under Admiral M' Bride, which formed a part of Earl M oira's expedition in favour of the French royalists. On the 8th June, 1794, the Crescent, accompanied by the Druid frigate, and Eurydice, a 24-gun ship, fell in with, off the island of Jersey, and was chaced by a French squadron, consisting of two cut-down 74*8, each mounting 54 guns, two frigates, and a brig. Sir James perceiving the vast superio- rity of the enemy, ordered the Eurydice, which was the worst sailor, to m^ike the best of her way to Guernsey ; whilst the Crescent and Druid followed under easy sail, occasionally engaging the French ships and keeping them ut bay, until the Eurj all pi gaine taken seeing and si diatel^ Cresc( the asj throug king's greatly In tl to the I ship, r, vessel h port's a this occ{ up with 10 woun * Lieut( of the Isia published t afterwards " The Li to his own disting-uishc of his Maje j III the very [ sional skill t'ie superior t">K the viej "eijirht ofin "lost respeclf "» aiiiinatiti Ji'ie and isiuj "liration the ''itantsof Gii i"id exertive I ''8 is a natlvik SIR JAMES SAUMAREZ^ BART. 179 Eurydicehad got to some distance a-head; when they made all possible sail to get off. The enemy's squadron, however, gained upon both in such a manner that they must have been taken, but for a bold and masterly manoeu\Te. Sir James seeing the perilous situation of his consorts, hauled his wind, an d stood along the French line, — an evolution which imme- diately attracted the enemy's attention, and the capture of the Crescent appeared for some time to be inevitable ; but, by the assistance of an old and experienced pilot, she pushed through an intricate passage never attempted before by a king's ship, and effected her escape into Guernsey Road, greatly to the disappointment of her pursuers *. In the month of Feb. following, our officer was appointed to the Marlborough, of 74 guns ; and after a long cruize in that ship, removed into the Orion, of similar forces in which vessel he gave proof of his usual intrepidity in Lord Brid- port's action off I'Orient, June 23, in the same year f. On this occasion the Orion was one of the first ships that came up with the enemy, and sustained a loss of 3 men slain and 10 wounded. \ to >- St le |y lie * Lieutenant-Governor Small, who with a multitude of the inhabitants of the Island, beheld the whole of the above proceedings, immediately published the following flattering testimonial in public orders, which was afterwards transmitted to Sir James by the Brigade-Major : " Parole— -Saumarez ; Counter sign'-Crescent. " The Lieutenant-Governor of Guernsey cannot, without doing ii^ustice to his own feelings, help taking notice thus publicly of the gallant and distinguished conduct of Sir James Saumarez, with the officers and men of his Majesty's ships Crescent, Druid, and Eurydice, under his command, in the very unequal conflict of yesterday, where their consummate profes- sional skill and masterly manoeuvres, demonstrated with brilliant effect the superiority of British seamanship and bravery, by repelling and frustra- ting the views of a 3({uadrou of the enemy at least treble their force and weight uf metul. This cheering instance of spirit and persevenuice in u must respectable detachment of our royal navy, could aot fail uf presenting an animating and pleasing example to his Mt^esty's land forces, both of the line and island troops, who were anxious spectators, and beheld with ud- uiiration the active conduct of their brave countrymen. To the luyul inha- bitants of Guernsey it afforded cause of real exultation, to witness the manly and exertive conduct of an ufliccr whom this flourislting island haato boast he is a native of." t See Admiral Sir William Domktt. , N 2 1 Mr S Ti liv i'lii ■ '1 i^ 1:^ 180 AUMlllALtJ OF THE WHITE. Sir James Suunmrez was afterwards detached with two frigates to cruise off Rochfort, where he remained for six months, during the most tempestuous weather. He then resumed his station in the fleet off Brest, from whence he was sent to reinforce Sir John Jervis, whom he joined five days before the memorable battle off Cape St. Vincent, on which occasion the Orion was one of the six ships that at- tacked the body of the enemy's fleet, and afterwards joined in the attack of the huge Santissima Trinidada, which, ac- cording to an entry made in the Orion's log book, at length hauled down her colours, and hoisted English ones, but was rescued by several of the enemy's fresh ships. In this en- gagement, already detailed in our memoir of Earl St. Vin- cent *, the Orion had only 9 men wounded. On the 30th April, 1798, Sir James Sauinarez, who, sub- sequent to the above battle, hcid been employed in the block- ade of Cadiz, accompanied Sir Horatio Nelson to the Medi- terranean, and shared in the honours acquired off the Mouth uf the Nile f. The Orion was the third ship that doubled the * See pp. 21 to 28. t A formidable armament, which had long been in preparation, and haiif become the subject of various conjectures as to its destination, sailed from Toulon on the 20th May, 1798. It consisted, according to report, of fif- teen ships of the line, ten or twelve frigates, some smaller armed vessels, and two hundred transports, carrying upwards of 40,000 troops, a consi- derable number of horses, and a vast quantity of provisions and military Ktores. The conduct of the whole was committed to Napoleon Buonaparte, who enjoyed the character of being the greatest General of the age, and was considered a man of superior talents and extraordinary resources. On the 9th June, this expedition arrived off the island of Malta, of which pos- session was taken with so little resistance as to excite suspicion of a pre- vious concert between the captors and the knights who held the sovereignty. Having left there a suiBcicitt garrison, the republican chief proceeded to his ultimate destination ; and on reaching the coast of Egypt on the 1st July, disclosed the object of the expedition to be the acquirement of a station from whence the British possessions in India might be advantageously as- sailed. Buonapart<3 took Alexandria by storm ; ;;ave the Beys a defeat, which rendered him master of Cairo ; and after organizing a temporary government, he set out in pursuit of the fugitive Beys to the confines of Syria. The cqui|)mpnt of the Toulon fleet being known to the British ministry, though its di.'stiniition was uncertain, Eurl St. Vincent, who commanded th« squadron cui|)loyed in the blockade of Cadiz, was directed, if he thought II t SIR .1AMKS SAtTMARRZ, BART. 181 rnemy's van, firing as long as her larboard guns would bear on le Gucrrier ; then passing inside of the Goliath, and being it necessary, to take his whole force into the IMeditcrranoan : but, if he should deem a detachment sufficient, " I think it almost uimecessary," said the First Lord of the Admiralty, in his secret instructions, " to suggest to you the propriety of putting it under Sir Horntio Nelson." A fortnight previous to the receipt of these orders, the noMe Earl had sent that officer with a small squadron to endeavour to ascertain the object of the expedition ; so sagaciously had his Lordship anticipated the views of the government at home. Sir Horatio Nelson, his flag-ship, the Vanguard, of 7-1 guns, having com- pleted her water and provisions at Gibraltar, sailed from thence, INIay 9, 1798, accompanied by the Alexander and Orion 74 's, Emerald and Terp- sichore frigates, and Bonne Citoyenne sloop. On the 19th, when they were in the Gulf of Lyons, a gale came on from the N. W. It moderated on the 20th ; but after dark again blew strong ; and early on the morning of the 21st, the Vanguard carried away her main and mizcn-top-raasts. In two hours afterwards, the fore-mast went in three pieces, and the bow- sprit was found to be sprung in as many places. At day-light the ship, by means of the remnant of her spritsail, was enabled to wear. The Alex- ander, Orion, and Emerald wore also ; and the four vessels scudded before the wind. The Terpsichore, Bonne Citoyenne, and a prize-ship, continued lyiug-to, under bare poles, and therefore parted company j as did the Eme- rald, during the night. At noon on the 22d, the three line-of-battlc ships anchored in the Sar- dinian harbour of St. Pietro, where the Vanguard, by the indefatigable exer- tions of Sir Horatio Nelson, his officers and men, was refitted in four days. On the 27th, the detachment sailed for the rcndczvotis otf 'j-oulon ; and on the 7th June, effected ajunction with ten sail of the line, and a SO-gun ship, \vhich had been detached from the fleet oft*(-a(liz to reinforce the Rear-Ad- miral, who now found himself at the head of a well appointed squadron consisting of the following ships, commanded by some of the ablest officers in the British navy : Gum. Vanguard 74 .... f I^ear-^^lmiral Sir Horatio Nelson. \ Captain Edward Berry. Orion 74 Sir James Saumarcz. Alexander 74 Alexander John Ball. Cullodeu 74 Thomas Troubridgc. Minotaur 74 Thomas Louis. Bellerophon 74 Henry D'Estcrre Darby. Audacious 74 Davidge Gould. Defence 74 John Peyton. Goliath 74 Thomas Foley. Majestic 74 George B. Westcott. .*»wift8urt 74 Bcnjiimin flallowrll. s '9 1B2 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITB. annoyed by a frigate. Sir James yawed as much as enabled him to sink thia opponent by a tremendous fire; when he hauled round towards the French line, and took his station on the larboard bow of le Franklin and the quarter of le Peuple Souverain. In this celebrated conflict the Orion had 13 men killed and 29 woimded, including among the Guiu. Theseus 74 Ralph Willett Miller. Zealous 74 Samuel Hood. Leander 50 Thomas Boulden Thompson. and Mutine brig 16 Thomas Masterman Hardy, who had joined the Rear- Admiral two days before. The first certain intelligence of the enemy's armament was received from the British Consul at Messina, who informed Sir Horatio Nelson that the French had possessed themselves of Malta and Goza ; and that their Sect was lying at anchor off the last-named island. A fresh breeze at N. W. and a rapid current, soon carried the British squadron clear of the celebrated straits of Messina ; and the Rear-Admiral determined to attack the enemy at anchor. At day-break on the 22d, however, the Mutine obtained infor- mation from a Genoese brig, that the French had quitted Malta on the 18th, with the same >vind that was then blowing, from which circumstance it was apparent] that their destination was £gypt ; and immediately the British commander bore up, and steered S. £., under all sail. He arrived off Alexandria on the 28th, and the enemy were not there, neither was there any account of them j but the Governor was endeavouring to put the city in a state of defence, having received advice from Leghorn that Egypt was the object of the expedition. Sir Horatio Nelson then shaped his course to the northward, for Karamania, and steered from thence along the southern side of Candia, carrying a press of sail, both night and day, with a contrary wind. BafSed in his pursuit, the Rear-Admiral returned to Sicily, and after victualling and watering his squadron at Syracuse, sailed again in quest of the enemy, on the 25th July. All the accounts received while at that port, agresd in representing, that the French fleet had not been seen, either in the Archipelago, or the Adriatic ; and that it had not gone down the Medi- terranean : hence, no other conclusion remained, than that it still lay to the eastward, and that Egypt, after aH, had been its destination. To be certain it was so. Nelson bent his course for the Morea. The squadron made the Gulf of Coron on the 28th. Captain Troubridge entered the port, and returned with intelligence that the French had been aeen about four weeks before, steering to the S. E. from Candia. Sir Horatio then deter- mined immediately to return to Alexandria; and, at length, on the 1st Aug., soon after noon, a fleet was descried at anchor in the Bay of Abou- kir, near the mouth of the Nile, consisting of one ship of 120 guns, three 80 gun-ships, nine 74*8, and four frigates, flanked by four mortar-brigs SIR JAMES SAUMAREZ, BART. 183 latter number her brave commander, who received a severe contusion on the side, notwithstanding which he refused the several gun-boata, and a battery of guns and mortars on an island in their van *. Disregarding the advantageous position of the enemy, as well as their superiority of metal, Rear-Admiral Nelson decided for an immediate nttuck ; and the more effectually to surround and engage one part of their fleet, while the rest remained unemployed, and of no service, some of the British ships ran between those of the French and the shore. Unfor- tunately, in standing into the bay the CuUoden struck upon a shoal, and to the mortification of her gallant officers and crew, could not be got off in * French line-of-battle, with remarks, showing at one view th« result of the combat that ensued. Guns. Gucrrior 74 Captain TruUet. — ^The van ship, taken, and burnt, being unfit for service. Conqudrant 74 Dalbarade. — ^Taken, and sent to England. Spartiate 74 Maurice- Julian Emcriau. — Taken, and sent to England. Aquilon 74 Th^venard. — ^Taken, and sent to England. Peuple-Souveraia 74 Racors. — ^Taken, and sent to Gibraltar, where she was converted into a guard- ship. t Rear-Admiral Blanquet, se- ) __ , , „ ,,. „- > .. . f Taken, and sent Franklin 80 < cond m command. > t^ , , ^Captain Gillet. S *" ^"S"''"^- TAdmiralBrueys, Commander- "^^ , . , . S in-Chief. >Took fire dunng ^"«"* ^^^j Rear-Admiral Ganteaume. ( *^^,^^^J;°"' *"^ V. Captain Casa-Bianca. 3 Tonnant 80 Du Petit-Thouars.— Taken, and sent to England. Heureux 74 Jean-Pierre Etienne. — ^Taken, and burnt, being unfit for service. Mercure 74 Lalonde. — Taken, and burnt, being unfit for service f Rear-Admiral Villeneuve, ^ Guillaume Tell . . 80 ^ third in command. C Escaped. ^Captain Saunier. ^ G^dreux 74 Lejo'ille. — ^Escaped. Timoldon 74 Trullet. — Burnt by her crew. N. B. The battery on Aboukir island, mounting four 12-poundcrs, se- veral smaller guns, and two 13-inch mortars, was destroyed on the 8th, and the brass ordnance taken on board the British ships. 184 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITK. earnest solicitations of his officers to be taken below, and remained upon deck until the action ceased. time to join in the action ; she, however, served as a beacon to the Alex- ander and Swiftsure, which would else, from the course they were holdini,>-, have gone considerably farther on the reef, and must inevitably have been lost. The battle commenced at sim-set, and was continued, with a few inter- vals, till day-break on the 2d. Several of the enemy's ships had struck when night set in, which was rendered grand and terrific l)eyond descrip- tion, by the blowing up of the 3-decker I'Orient, about ten o'clock. By tliis explosion the greater part of her crew, consisting of 1011 men, perished. The shock was felt to the very bottom of every vessel ; and the masses of burning wreck, which were scattered in all directions, excited for some moments apprehensions in the English which they had never felt from any other danger. L'Orient had money on board (the plunder of Malta) to the amount of 600,000/. sterling, which heightened the chagrin felt by the victors at not being able to add so fine a ship to their other well- earned trophies. On the morning of the 2d August, the Guillaume Tell, Gdn^reux, Tonuant, and Tiraoldon, were the only French ships of the line which had their colours flying ; the two former cut their cables about eleven o'clock, not having been engaged, and stood out to sea, accompanied by two frigates. The Zealous pursued ; but as there was no other ship in a con- dition to support her, she was recalled. These four vessels, however, were all that escaped ; the Tonnant surrendered on the 3d, and the Timol<>on Avas burnt by her crew. The victory was the most complete and glorious in the annals of naval history. Of thirteen sail of the line, nine were taken, and two burnt : of the four frigates, one was sunk by the Orion, another, the Artemise, was burnt in a villainous manner by her Captain, M. Estandlet, who having fired a broadside at the Theseus, struck his colours, then set fire to the ship, and escaped with most of his crew to shore. The British loss, in killed and wounded, amounted to 896. Cap- tain Westcott was the only officer of his rank who fell. Sir Horatio Nelson was severely wounded by a splinter which struck him a little above his right or darkened eye, causing a piece of flesh to hang over the lid. It was afterwards replaced and sewed up. No regidar return was made of the loss sustained by the captured ships : the total number of men taken, drowned, burnt, and missing, is said to have been 5225, of whom 3105, including the wounded, were sent on shore in a cartel, upon the usual terms; but General Buonaparte, to shew how he respected treaties, , formed them, as soon as they landed, into a battalion, which he named the Nautic legion. Admiral Brueys, while standing on the Orient's poop, received three wounds, one of which was on the head. Soon afterwards, on descending to the quarter-deck, a shot almost cut him in two. This heroic commander then desired not to be carried below, but to be left to die at his post: he survived only a quarter of an hour. The Captains Casa II SIR JAMRS SAl'.MARKZ, IJART. IK'J Sir James was, however, still able to take the conimatid of the detachment sent to escort six of the prizes, with which he sailed for Gibraltar on the 15th, and while passing Malta fell in with a Portugueze squadron, under the Marcjuis do Niza. Being detained oft" the island by light airs and calms, our officer was waited upon by a .deputation of the principal inhabitants, to solicit for a supply of arms and ammunition. The Maltese, at the same time, informed Sir James, that the French garrison at Valetta were driven to great distress, and that there was good reason for believing that the appearance of the British squadron would induce the enemy to surrender, if they were formally summoned. Accordingly, having ob- Bianca, Th^venard, and Du Petit-Thouars, were also sluin ; and 6 other principal officers were dangerously wounded. About 350 of the Timo- I^on's crew, that escaped to the shore, were murdered J)y the Bedouin Arabs, thousands of whom and Egyptians lined the coast, and covered the house tops during the action, rejoicing in the destruction which had over- taken their invaders. The loss sustained by the Gucrrier ah)nc >vas estimated, in killed and wounded, at about 500 men, or two thirds of her whole complement. This victory produced an astonishing effect all over Europe, in enhancing the idea of British valour, and strengthening the Anti-gallican cause. At home, the news was received with unbounded transport, and honours of every kind were heaped upon the gallant commander, among which was the apposite title of Baron Nelson of the Nile, with a pension of 2,000/. per annum. The King of Naples, on the Rear- Admiral's return to the Sicilian coast, went on board his flag-ship to congratulate him ; and subsequently conferred on him the Dukedom of Bronte. The present sent him by the Grand Seignior was a pelisse of sables, with broad sleeves, valued at 5,000 dollars ; and a diamond aigrette, valued at 18,000, the most honourable badge among the Turks; and in this instance more especially so, because it was taken from one of the imperial turbans. The Sultan also sent, in a spirit worthy of imitation, a purse of 2,000 sequins, to be distributed among the wounded. The mother of the same ruler sent Nelson a box set with diamonds, valued at 1000/. sterling : the Czar Paul presented him with his portrait, set in diamonds, in a gold box, accompa- nied with a letter of congratulation, written oy his own hand ; and the King of Sardinia also wrote to him, and sent a gold box, set with diamonds. A grant of 10,000/. was voted to him by the East India Company ; the Turk- ish Company presented him with a piece of plate ; the City of London gave a sword to him, and to each of his Captains ; gold medals were distributed to the Captains ; the first Lieutenants of all the ships were promoted, as had been done after Lord Howe's victory; and the thanks of Parliament »vcre voted to all who had shared in this memorable achicvpiiicnt. m 186 ADMIRALS OF TUB WHITE. tainetl the concurrence of the Marquis de Niza, he, on the 25th Sept., sent in a flag of truce, with a proposal couched in the usual terms. After three hours deliberation, the French General,, Vaubois, returned for answer, that he, Sir James Saumarez, had probably forgotten that they were Frenchmen who were at Malta ; that the condition of the inhabitants was nothing to him, the English Captain j and that, as to the sum- mons, the French did not understand the style of it. The nature of the service he had been ordered upon, left Sir James no alternative but to take advantage of the breeze that had just sprung up, and proceed on his destination, which he did after furnishing the islanders with arms and ammunition from the captured ships, which enabled them to annoy the enemy, and materially contributed to the ultimate reduction of that important fortress. The Orion arrived at Plymouth in No- vember, and being found to want considerable repair, was paid off early in the following year. Sir James Saumarez was now honoured for a second time with a gold medal and ribband; while the inhabitants of Guernsey, as a mark of attachment and respect, presented him with a magnificent vase, of considerable value. On the 14th Feb., in the same year, his late Majesty was pleased to confer upon him one of the Colonelcies of Marines, as a reward for his many and meritorious services ; and after a short in- terval of repose, he was appointed to the Caesar, of 84 guns, one of the finest ships in the British service, and the first of that force on two decks ever built in England, in which he joined the Channel fleet, and cruised off Brest during a long and tempestuous period. At the promotion which took place Jan. 1, 1801, Sir James Saumarez became a Rear-Admiral of the Blue ; and on the 13th June following he was created a Baronet, with per- mission to wear the supporters belonging to the arms of his family, which have been registered in the Herald^s Office ever since the reign of King Charles II. Subsequent to his advancement to the rank of a Flag-oflicer, Sir James commanded a division of the grand fleet stationed off the Black Rocks ; and nothing can manifest in a stronger point of view the unwearied zeal with which he acquitted himself, than by stating, that no square-rigged vesisel of any SIR JAM£S SAUMAREZ, BART. 187 description either sailed from or entered into the port of Brest durhig the whole time he remained on that station. On his return from this severe duty, the Rear-Admiral Mas onlered to prepare for foreign service ; and, on the 1 4th June, he sailed from Plymouth with a squadron consisting of five sail of the line, one frigate, a brig, and a lugger, destined for the blockade of Cadiz, off which port he was joined by two mo/p ships (if the line *. At 2 A. M. on the 6th July, Sir James received intelligence that a French squadron f had arrived from the Mediterranean, and after having made repeated attempts to push through the Straits, had anchored off Algeziras. He immediately bore up with the squadron, the Superb and Thames excepted, and made sail towards Gibraltar. The following morning, on opening Cabaretta Point, the enemy was discovered, and ap- peared to be warping close under the protection of the Spanish batteries, sofaie of which were situated on an island about a quarter of a mile from the shore, others on commanding eminences to the north and south of the town of Algezlra«, and the cross fire from which completely flanked the entrance to the harbour. The plan of attack given out by Sir James Saumarez was, for the Venerable to lead into the bay, and pass the enemy's * The force under Sir James was now composed of tlie following vessels : Gum. fi g^ C Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez < Captain Jahleel Brenton. Pomp6e .... 74 Charles Stirling. Superb .... 74 Richard Goodwin Keats. Spencer 74 Henry D'Esterre Darby. Audacious . . 74 Shuldham Peard. Hannibal.... 74 Solomon Ferris. Venerable . . 74 s Samuel Hood. Thames .... 32 William Lukin. Pasley, armed brig ; and Plymouth, hired lugger. t The French squadron consisted of the Gum. n -A ui on $ Rear-Admiral Linois. Formidable . . 80 <^ . _ , , ( Captam Lalonde. Indomptable 80 Moncousu. Deaaix 74 Pallifcre. Mcssiton .... 36 Martinencq. 'i'fl i:i|k«. 188 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. ships without coming to anchor ; the Pompee to anchor abreast of the inner ship; the Audacious, Spencer, Caesar, and Hannibal, to anchor abreast of the other French ships and the Spanish batteries ; and the boats of the squadron to be hiwered down and armed, in readiness to act where required. At about eight A. M., the Venerable, then at a considerable distance to leeward, not being able to fetch further into the bay, returned the fire that had been opened upon the British as they advanced by the Spanish batteries on the island ; and in half an hour after, the French ships joined in the cannon- ade. The Pompee soon after brought up in her allotted station, and commenced a most tremendous fire on the French Admiral : in a little while, however, she broke her sheer by a sudden flaw of wind, and was prevented from bringing more than a few guns to bear. The Audacious anchored astern of the Pompee ; but, after a short time, was also baf- fled in bringing her broadside to a proper bearing. At about a quarter past nine, the Ctesar dropped her anchor a-head of the Audacious, and opened her fire ; and shortly afterwards the Hannibal, who, along with the Spencer, had been be- calmed outside, got a breeze, and, anchoring a-head and within hail of the Cfesar, vmited her fire to that of her compa- nions. The Spencer next came into action ; but, in spite of all her efforts, could not get much nearer than was sufficient to expose her to the heavy cannonade that continued to blaze from the numerous batteries by which the bay was de- fended. A little after ten o'clock, Captain Ferris, having been or- dered by Sir James Saumarez to go and rake the Formidable, cut his cable, and made sail to the northward. After stand- ing in to a (juarter less six, the Hannibal tacked for the French ship ; shortening sail as she advanced, in order to be ready to bawl athwart her opponent's hawse. Just, however, as Captain Ferris had gotM'ithin hail of the French Admiral, the Hannibal took the ground ; and, notwithstanding every possible effort was made to cover and get her oft', she struck with such force that it was found impracticable. Captain Ferris made a most gallant resistance again:st the incessant fire of the Formidable, supported by the batteries .ind seven heavy gun-boats. At length linding it impossible to save the SIR JAMKS SAUMAUEZ, BART. 189 King's ship, and for the preservation of the lives of the re- mainder of his brave crew, he was reduced to the painful necessity of ordering the colours to be struck. The enemy's ships during the battle continued to M'arp nearer the shore, by which means they had considerably in- creased the distance between them and tluir assailants. Sir James Saumarez resolving to use every exertion in his power, either to destroy or bring them off, ordered the cables of his squadron to be cut, with a view to stand closer in ; but the unfavourable state of the weather, and a strong current, ren- dered all his endeavours ineffectual ; and after a most severe conflict of five hours, he was compelled to withdraw his ships and proceed to Gibraltar, leaving the dismasted and shattered Hannibal as a trophy in the hands of the French *. The loss sustained by the British on this occasion was ex- tremely heavy ; it amounted to 121 killed, 240 wounded, and J 4 missing ; of which number, the Hannibal alone had 7*^ slain, 62 wounded, and 6 missing ; the remainder of her crew were made prisoners f. The French and Spaniards, according to their own published accounts, had 317 killed, including Captains Moncousu and Lalonde, and about 500 wounded. The ships and forts received considerable injiu-y ; five of their gun-boats were sunk, and the others materially damaged. In the course of a few hours the British ships reached the anchorage in Rosia Bay. The Pompce, owing to her leaky state, was obliged to be towed strait into the New Mole ; whither the CtBsar soon foUovved her. Two days after, the Superb and Thames were observed in the Gut, with tlie sig- nal for an enemy flying; and soon afterwards a Spanish squadron, of five sail of the line and three frigates |, was if! • This advantage obtained by the enemy was magnified by tlieiii into an important victory ; and it was announced at all the Parisian tlieatres, that six En^lisli ships liad been either taken or lieaten bairk into Gibraltar, l)y three French ships. The sanie news was circulated by the telegraphs through the wliolc of the republican dominions, without a word of the land batteries ; and the destruction of the modern Curt/uiifr, as (ireat Britain was denominuted, predicted, in an epigram greatly admired ut Paris, because it had lost its Hannihnl. + Captain Ferris, his officers, and wounded n>en, were afterwards liber- atOvl on parole. X This squadron was from ("adiz, and composed of the following ships, uni'.r the orders of Hear- Admiral iMorenu: 190 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. seen from the rock to anchor off Algeziras. On the following tlay, another ship of the line *, with a French Commodore's broad pendant, arrived at the same place. That the object of this reinforcement was to conduct the French ships and their prize to Cadiz was very apparent ; and nothing could surpass the exertions of the British officers and men to get their vessels ready for sea. The Caesar being dismantled, Sir James Saumarez removed his flag to the Audacious. On the morning of the 12th, however, by work- ing day and night, the crew of the Caesar got their ship in readiness to be warped out of the Mole ; and the Rear- Ad- miral shifted back his flag to her. At three the same after- noon the Caesar weighed and put to sea, with the Superb, Spencer, Audacious, Venerable, and Thames, the Carlotta Portugueze frigate, the Calpe polacre, commalfded by the Hon. G. H. L. Dundas, and the Louisa armed brig, but without the Pompee, who had not yet had time to take in her new masts. At this moment the enemy, whose force now consisted, besides the Hannibal, of nine sail of the line, four frigates, two armed vessels, and a great number of gun-boats, were seen endeavouring to work out of the bay ; but the wind, being light and baflling, rendered their progress very slow. The moment they had cleared Cabaretta point. Sir James Saumarez bore up in chace with a fresh breeze at east. The rock was covered by the garrison, who beheld with admiration the ardour which the British ships displayed, but could not believe it was their intention to attack a foe so superior. Confiding, however, in the zeal and intrepidity of those under his command, Sir James Saumarez determined, if possible, to obstruct the passage of this very powerful force to Cadiz, and accordingly directed the Superb to make sail and attack Oiini. Real Carlos 112 Cuptain Esqiicrrii. San HcrtDenegildo 112 Einparuii. Sau Fernando .... 96 Malina. Argonauttt 80 HnrriTu. San Augu»tin .... 74 .lupeie. Sabinn, Perla, mid unother frijjatu. • San Antonio, 74 guns. — Commodore Le Roy. f'" SIB JAi> we find him serving as First Lieutenant of the Fox, a 28-gun frigate, one of the repeaters to xVdmiral Keppel'a fleet, in the action with that of France under M. d' Orvillieraf j; * See p. 134. t Tlic British and French fleets, under the respective commands of the Hon. Admiral Keppcl and M. d' Orvilliers, the former consisting of thirty ships of the line, carrying 2,17^ guns, and 18,688 men; the latter of thirty-one ships, mounting 2,216 guns, and manned \vith21,950 men, came insight of each other on the 23rd July, 1778. The French Admiral, who had the advantage of the wind, shewed no inclination for battle, which obliged the British commander to continue chasing to windward until the 27th, when a favourable shift of wind enabled him to fetch the enemy. Upon which M. d' Orvilliers edged down in a close linc-of-battle, and opened his fire on the headmost ships. The signal was instantly made to engage, and a furious cannonade was maintained for near two houn, as the o2 is:i»2. i^v^j^ --,. ^1-5 i|| Mm 'Mm- m 196 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. and on the trial of the Commander-in-Chief for his conduct on that occasion^ Mr. Bertie appears to have been examined respecting the cheering between the Fox and the Formidable, on which so much stress was laid. Subsequent to the above action the Fox was taken, after an obstinate engagement, in which her commander, the Hon, Thomas Windsor, was fleets passed on contrary tacks. Admiral Keppel then wore to renew tlie action ; but observing that the Formidable, bearing the flag of his second in command, Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, and some other ships of that officer's division, which had been principally engaged, were incapable, from the damages they had sustained, of obeying the signal made for that pur- pose, he bore down to join them, and formed his line-of-battle a-head. The night was employed in preparing for a renewal of the conflict. At day light the next morning, the body of the enemy's fleet was only visible from the mast head, steering with all sail set, for Brest. M. d' Orvilliers, to deceive Admiral Keppel, had left three of his fastest sailing ships, with orders to station themselves at proper distances, and to carry the divisional lights of the Flag-Offlcers. It was in vain for the British Admiral to think of a pursuit, and he therefore returned to port to reflt his fleet- The loss sustained by the English in this battle was 133 killed, and 365 wounded. The enemy had 1G5 slain, and 479 wounded. Not long after tliis affair, many violent disputes arose, and unpleasant insinuations were thrown out, relative to the conduct of Admiral Keppel and Sir Hugh Palliser, which ended in a court-martial held on the former, at the instigation of the Vice-Admiral. The trial commenced on the 7th Jan. I't 7^, and agreeable to an act of parliament passed for the purpose, was held at the Governor's house at Portsmouth. The court sat until the 11th February, when they decided, "that the charge against the Hon. Admiral Keppel teas malicious and ill-founded, i* having appeared that the said Admiral, so far from having, by misconduct or neglect of duty on the days therein alluded to, lost an opportunity of rendering essential service to the state, and thereby tarnished the honour of the British navy, behaved as became a judicious, brave, and eaperienced officer.'* On the following day Admiral Keppel received the thanks of both houses of parliament for his eminent services ; the city of London also bestowed upon him every mark of honour and respect in its power ; and the whole nation resounded with his applause ; while the resentment against Sir Hugh Palliser was so strong, that it constrained him to resign all his employ- ments, and retire for a time from public life. But, notwithstanding the high degree of national favour and esteem in which Admiral Keppel now ■tood, he deemed it prudent to resign his command, and withdraw from a situation wherein he found himself not acceptable to those in power. Hit resignation was followed by that of Lord Howe, and several others ; so great was the aversion to the naval administration of Earl Sandwich and his colleagues, one of whom was Sir Hugh Palliier himself ?.♦ %IR ALBEMARLE BKKTlfi, BART. 197 severely wounded, by la Juiion, French frigate, of '62 guus and 220 men. Our officer obtained Post rank, March 21, 1782, in the Crocodile, of 24 guns, stationed in the Channel. At the time of the Spanish armament, he was appointed to the Latona frigate, and about the year 1792, to the Edgar, of 74 guiw, in which latter ship he assisted at the capture of le General Dumourier, a French privateer, and her prize the St. lago, having on board upwards of two millions of dollars, besides some valuable packages to the amount of between two and three hundred thousand pounds sterling. Captain Bertie afterwards removed into the Thunderer, of 74 guns, and was present at the defeat of the French fleet by Earl Howe, June 1, 1794 *. In 1795 we find him serving under the orders of Sir John Borlase Warren, on an expedi- tion to the coast of France f. Our officer subsequently commanded the Renown, 74, Windsor Castle, a second rate, and Malta, of 80 guns. He joined the latter vessel in 1801, a period when, in conse- quence of the immense preparations made by the enemy for the invasion of Great Britain, the government thought it necessary to adopt every method that prudence could dictate for its defence. To this end, among other arrangements, the Malta and another ship of the line, were stationed at St. Helen's, for the purpose of examining all vessels coming into Portsmouth harbour, and preventing any designs formed by the enemy being carried into effect. During the time the Malta lay at this anchorage, a fire broke out in the Dispen- sary. The conflagration was spreading in a rapid and alarm- ing manner towards the magazine ; when notice being given to Captain Bertie, its further ravages were happily prevented by his calm aiul collected presence of mind, and clVective orders upon the occasion. The alarm and confusion tluit seized the crew was such as induced many to attempt quitting the ship ; but owing to the spirited conduct of her Com- mander, the whole were soon restored to their former state of tranquillity, on findmg all danger was removed by the judici- ous orders he had given for the purpose. The Malta was paid off at Plymouth in the spring of 1802 ; * See p. 75, et seq. f ^^^ P- ^^^- mI m J98 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. and on the 23rd April 18()4, Captain Bertie was promoted to the rank of llear-Adniiral. After serving for some time in the Channel Fleet, he was appointed to the chief command at the Cape of Good Hope, on which station, and in the Indian Seas, he continued several years, during which the ships under his orders were very successfully employed, as will be seen by referring to the memoirs of Rear-Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, Captain Willoughby, &c. Our officer was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral April 28, 1808 ; created a Baronet, Dec. 9, 1812 ; became a full Admiral, June 4, 1814 ; and was nominated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815. Sir Albemarle Bertie married, July 1, 1783, Enmia, second daughter of the late James Modiford Heywood, of Marristow-House, co. Devon, Esq. ; his lady died in March 1805. Residence. — Nether-Hall, Dadham, Essex. RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM, EARL OF NORTHESK, Rear-admiral of Great firitmn ; Ar^miral of the White ; Knight Grand Cross of the most honourable Mkitary Order of the Bath ; Governor of the British Linen Company in Scotland: Doctor of Laws : and a Fice-President of the Naval and Military Bible Society. The ftunily of this nobleman has been settled for some centuries in the county of Angus, in Scotland. His ancestors came originally from Hungary, about the year 1200, at which time the family name was either de Bolinhord, or Ballinhard ; but getting possession of the lands and barony of Carnegie, they adopted thatf agreeably to the custom of the age and country. In the reign of King Charles I., David, the eldest of four brothers, was created Earl of Southesk, and Lord Carnegie ; and John, the second, was advanced to the dignities of Lord Inglismaldy, Lord Lour, and Earl of Ethie j which titles he afterwards exchanged for those of Earl of Northesk and Lord Rosehill. In consequence of the attachment of this family to I EARL OK N liESK 199 that unfortunate monarch, they • re med ' Oliver Crom- well 10,000/. They were afterwa ds ecjuali remarkahle for their support of the revolution, ami for tlie» stt'ad ''»yalty to the House of Hanover. In the rebellion in 17' »vhen the family mansion was taken possession of by the Id Pre- tender, the Countess of Northesk was obliged to rek re- fuge in the Castle of Edinburgh, where she was delivered of the late George Earl of Northesk (named sfter his Majesty, King George I., who was one of his sponsors by proxy). He died in 1792, having served with a considerable degree of credit in the Royal Navy, and attained the rank of Admiral of the White. The subject of this memoir is the second son of the above peer, by the Lady Anne Leslie, eldest daughter of Alexander, fifth Earl of Leven and Melville ; and was born about the year 1758. In 1771 he embarked with the Hon. Captain Barrington, in the Albion. He next served Avith Captain Macbride, in the Southampton, and Captain Stair Douglas, in the S{|uirrel ; was made acting Lieutenant in the Nonsuch, and confirmed by Lord Howe in 1777? ii^to the Apollo. He afterwards served with Admirals Sir John Lockhart Ross, and Sir George B. Rodney 5 and by the latter was made a Com- mander after the action with the Count de Guichen, April 17, I78O *, and appointed to the Blast fire-ship, from which he removed into the St. Eustatia, and was present in her at the reduction of the island of that name, Feb. 3, 1781t. Captain Carnegie obtained Post rank on the 7th April, 1782, and at the ensuing peace returned to England in the Entcrprize frigate, and was put out of commission. In 1/88 he succeeded his elder brother, as Lord Rosehill ; and in 1790, on the Spanish armament, was appointed to the com- mand of the Heroine, of 32 guns ; but was paid off when the apprehension of a war with that power ceased. In 1792, on the demise of his father, his Lordship succeeded to the Earldom and estate ; in January, 17^, he commis- sioned the Beaulieu frigate, and went to the Leeward Islands ; whence he returned towards the close of that year, in the Andromeda, which ship was shortly after put out of commission. - ■ ; .. '.>;;. ... ■. 'M ?i ' if.'j Sec note ut p. 10-1. t See p. 127. 200 ADMIRALS OF TIIK WHITK. In 1796 Lord Northesk was elected one of the sixteen representatives of the peerage of Scotland, in the Parliament of Great Britain. He was in the same year appointed to tlie command of the Monmouth, of 64 guns; and employed in the North Sea, under the ordeis of the late Viscount Duncan ; until, in May 1797> the spirit of disaffection which had origin- ated in the Channel Fleet, unfortunately spread to that squadron ; and the Monmouth was one of the ships brought to the Nore. The subsequent events of that temporary deli- rium among our seamen are already noticed in our memoir of Admiral Sir John Knight ; to which we shall only add, that when the firmness of the mutineers began at length to be a little shaken, they determined to try to effect a reconciliation with government through the medium of Lord Northesk. For this purpose, on the 6th June, the two delegates of the Mon- mouth were rowed on board that ship, where his Lordship was confined, and informed him, it was the pleasure of the committee that he should immediately accompany them on board the Sandwich, as they had proposals to make leading to an accommodation ; his Lordship complied, attended by one officer : he found the convention in the state cabin, consisting of 60 delegates, with the chief ringleader, Parker, sitting at their head. Before they entered upon business, the president demanded of the gentleman who accompanied Lord Northesk, ** who he was ?" the answer was, " An oflRcer of the Monmouth, who accompanied the Captain as secretary." — " Who knows him ? — say, delegates of the Monmouth, what kind of man is he ?" Tho two delegates stated he was a worthy gcjod uiun ; on which it was unanimously voted he might attend the oonfer- ence. Parker then said to Lord Northesk, *' That the com- mittee, with one voice, had come to a declaration of the terms on which alone, without the smallest alteration, they would give up the ships ; and that they had sent for him as one who was known to be the seamen's friend, to be charged with them to the King, from whom he must pledge bis honour to return on board with a clear and positive answer within fifty- four hours." Parker then read the letter, which contained some compli- ments to his late Majesty's virtues, and many severe strictures £ARL OF NnKTII£SK. 201 on the dcmeritB of his ministers. His Lordship informed the delegates, that " he certainly would bear the letter as desired j but he could not, from the unreasonableness of their demands, flatter them with any expectation of success." They persisted that the whole must be complied with, or they would immediately put the fleet to sea. Parker then delivered the following paper to Lord Northesk, to ratify his credentials j he was rowed on board the Duke of York Mar- gate packet, with three cheers from the rebels. " Sandwich, June 6, 3 P. M. " To Captain Lord Nortiibsk. " You are hereby authorized and ordered to wait upon the King, wherever he may be, with the resolutions of the committee of delegates : and are directed to return back with an answer within fifty-four hours from the date hereof. " R. Parker, President." Lord Northesk proceeded to London with this despatch ; and after stopping a short time at the Admiralty, he attended Earl Spencer to the King. The demands of the seamen were rejected as exorbitant and unreasonable. Captain Knight, whom they had permitted to go on shore upon the promise to return, carried down the refusal of the Lords of the Ad- miralty. After the trials were over. Lord Northesk resigned the command of the Monmouth, and remained unemployed till ihe year 1800, when he was appointed to the Prince, of 98 guns, in which ship he continued on Channel service till the suspen- sion of hostilities, when he again came on sliore ; and the same year was re-elected one of the sixteen reprcsoritative Peers •)f Scotland. On the renewal of the war in 180H, his Lordship was im- mediately appointed to the Britannia, of 100 guns, at Ports- mouth, and scon after received the honour of a visit on board that ship, from their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of York and Cambridge. Towards the close of the same year, the Bri- tannia was stationed at St. Helen's, to guard that end of the Isle of Wight, in case of an invasion. She afterwards formed a part of the Channel fleet, commanded by the Hon. William Comwallis. m m imi" Viii I 202 ADMIRALS OK THi; Wlll'Ji!;. Lord Northesk was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, April 23, 1804, and, with his flag in the Britannia, continued to serve in the arduous blockade of Brest, till August in tiie following year; when he was detached with a sfjuadron, under the orders of Sir Robert Calder, to reinforce Vice- Admiral Collingv/ood off Cadiz. In the glorious and decisive battle of Trafalgar *, his Lord- * The French Admiral Villcneuvc, with twenty-seven sail of the line, arrived at Cadiz from Fcrrol, Aug. 21, 1805 ; the small force under Vicc- Adiniral Collingwood at that station being incapable of offering him tiny molestation. Intelligence of this movement having been immediately transmitted to England, the command of a fleet able to cope with the united navies of France and Spain was offered to Viscount Nelson, and unhesitatingly accepted. His Lordship accordingly hoisted \n» flag on board the Victory, and sailed from Porrsraouth on the 16th Septen-ber. Having fortncd !! JMnction with Vice-Admiral Collingwood, and stationed a line of frigates to convey intelligence of the cne my's motions, his Lord- ship cruized off Cape St. Mary, waiting till the combined fleets should venture out. To provoke his adversary to this resolution. Lord Nelson, who daily expected a reinforcement from England, detached several ships of the line, under Rear-Admiral Louis, upon a particular service, in so open a manner that tlie enemy became almost immediately acquainted Avith it, and resolved to attnck him in the supposed reduced state of his fleet. Besides the numerical advantages which Admiral Villoneuvc believed himself possessed of, his resolution is said to have been decided by personal motives : his conduct in the West India excursion f had been contemptuously glanced at in the official paper of his government ; and Buonaparte had sarcastically and impatiently spoken of him : he was iij)braided by the Spaniards, for not having better supported them in the action off Cajte Finisterre J ; and it was understood that another Admiral was on the road frojn Paris, to supersede him in the command. A victory, therefore, was the only thing that could redeem his character ; and he was conscious th;it a defeat could add but little to his actual state of humiliation. Influenced by these motives, the French commander, on the IJHh October, left Cadiz with the coni!>ined fleets, amounting to thirty-three sail of the line, of which eighteen were French and flfteen Spanish, and steered towards the Cut of Gibraltar. They were immediately followed by the Bri- tish fleet consisting of twenty-seven ships of the line, wliich can)e up with them on the 21st, off Cape Trafalgar, near the southern point of Andalusia. Lord Nelson had previously laid a plan of attack, which was a master-piece of naval skill, and assured him of success. The ciieroy on his approach f Sec Vice-Admiral Sir Pulticnky MAi^coiiM. J Sec Vice-Admiral Chaules Stiuling. EARL OK NOHTIIESK. 2as ship took a distinguished share in achieving the victory. Previously to that mcmordble event, the Britannia had been drew up in form of a crescent, uud waited for the British fleet, which bore iluwu in a double column, the great commander's last telegraphic signal l)eing, *' England expects everp man will do his duty " and nobly huleed was it performed on this nieniorable day, the battle of Trafalgar being without parallel in the annals of British victory. The dreadful conflict was begun about noon by Vice-Admiral CoUing- wood, in the Royal Sovereign, breaking through the enemy's line, at about the twelfth ship from the rear, in so gallant a manner as to excite general admiration : Lord Nelson at the same time made his way about the tenth ship from the van ; the succeeding ships breakujg through in all parts a-stern of their leaders, and engaging the enemy at the muzzles of their guns. The attack was irresistible, and its effect decisive. In the midst of this bloody conflict, Lord Nelson was seen on the quar- ter-deck of the Victory, dressed in full uniform, decorated with the various orders with which his fornter services had been rewarded, as well by his own sovereign, as by foreign princes. The glitter of these honours fatally pointcii him out as a mark for the vengeance of the enemy : he was shewing his satisfaction with the progress of the battle by his customary token of a rapid movement up and down of the stump of his right arm, \vhen a musket-l)all, discharged by a marksman on the poop of the Bucentaurc, the French Admiral's flag ship, entered his left shoulder, and producing an immediate par'lysis of the lower parts, laid him prostrate. Fully aware of the namre of his wound, his Lordship declared it to I)e mortal, and sent an oflicer with his last farewell to his second in command. He then suf- fered himself to be carried below, where, whilst he lived, he conslantly ilemanded news of the buttle, and expressed the most lively satisfaction on being assured that it went on well. Soon after this accident, I'Acliillo, a French 74, which had struck her colours, took fire and blew up ; htit about 2U0 of her men were saved through the generous exertions f the British. About three P. M.,thc Spunisli Admiral Ciravina, with ten sail of die line, some f>f which had struck, joining the frigates to leeward, bore up for Cadiz : five of the headmost whips in the van, under Roar-Admiral Dtimanoir, a few minutes afterwards, tacked and stood to the southward ; but the stcrnmost was intercepted by die British, and the others were snb- se(|uently taken by u squadron under the orders of Captain, now Admiral, Sir Richard John Strai-lian. At 4i> 4(/ all firing had ccascti ; and the Bridsh remained in possession of nineteen ships of the line, of which two were first rates, and none under 7-1 guns ; with three flag-ollicers, namely, Admirals Villcneuve, D'Aliva, and ('isneros. (icneral (.'ontamin, who lommaiulcd the land forces em- barked in the condnned fleets, was also taken prisoner. On the return of Ailmirul (iravina to Cadiz, he was immediately ordered (o scu , and Viec-Adinirul ('ollingwuod, on whom the cumuiand of the >'M'>i mm :a,i 204 ADMIRALS OP THE WHITE. J-' 1 directed by Lord Nelson, in consequence of her heavy rate of sailing, constantly to take a position to windward of him $ and, on the morning of the glorious 21st Oct. 1805, he ordered by signal, that she should assume a station as most convenient, without regard to the order of battle j and after- British fleet had devolved, found it neceaeary to form a line, in order to cover his disabled ships and the prizes ; a heavy gale, however, prevented a renewal of the action ; the Spanish Admiral's ship was dismasted, and he again put into port, leaving in possession of his adversaries a twentieth ship. El Rayo, of 100 guns. Such an action could not fail of being bloody even to the victors, who lost in killed and wounded 1563 men, besides the host which fell in the single person of their gallant commander. Of the loss sustained by the enemy no return was published ; but it may in some measure lie judged of, from the facts of two of the prizes, both 74's, having 400 men killed and wounded in each, and another of the same force, 350. From the tempes- tuous weather that ensued, only four of the captured vessels could be pre- served ; of the rest, nine were wrecked (many with their whole crews on board), two burned, and three sunk ; among the latter was the San- tissima Trinidada, of HO guns, the largest and finest ship of war ever built. The Santa Anna and another, which had Leen taken, being driven near the shore of Cadiz, procured such assistance i« enabled them to get in. On board the former was the Spanish Vice-Admiral D'Aliva, who had been suffered to remain on account of his dangerous wounds ; but his sword had been surrendered by his Captain, and he wu^ reclaimed as a prisonsr of war. Notwithstanding the disasters which attended the prizes, the destruction of the combined fleets was as complete as could be expected under the circumstances of fighting them close to their own shore : had the battle been in the open sea, still fewer would have escaped. As it was, only three of the nine which got into Cadiz, were in a repairable state for a length of time ; the utiicrs being mere wrecks : and it may be observed that the battle ot'TrHtulgar left to (jrcat Britain the dontinion of the sea, with the example oftlie life and death (tf Nelson for its* preserviition. It is almost supci'llnoii.s lo add, that all the honours which a gratr t'ul coiinlry foul'l l)«'!*lo\v, were heaped upon the iiicniory of llit: liero. IHh brother was crfatcd an Karl, with a grant itf •i.OOO/. u year; 10,(MM)/. wltc voted to each of his sister*; and I(H),(MH)/. for the pdrchase of an estate. A public funeral was decreed, and a public monument. Statues and mo- numents also were voted by most of our principal cities. His gallant suc- cessor, Vice-Admiral Collingwood, was raised to the peerage ; gold me- dals were distributed to the Captains, as on ft)rmcr occasions j an c Captain Thomas Masterman Harrly. ) ^ Vife-AdniiralCuthbcrtCoIlingwood. i ( Captain Edward Rotheram. J * c Rear-Aduiiral Earl of Northesk. -j { Captain Charles Bullen. / '^ Eliab Harvey 47 Richard Grindali. — Thomas F. Freeraantle. . . 10 John Conn 7 Charles Tyler 26 George Duff • 29 John Cooke •• 27 , C. J. M. Mansfield 3 Robert Moorsom 28 Israel Pellew 3 H. W. Bayntun 4 Lieut. J. Pilfoldf 2 Captain Edward Codrington 1 Sir Edward Berry 2 Sir Francis Laforey 3 Henry Digby 18 William Hargood 33 James Nicoll Morris 40 Richard King 13 Robert Redmill 2 William Gordon Rutherford. 9 George Hope 7 Lieut. J. Stockhamf 4 Captain P. C. Durham 17 449 75 94 42 76 34 26 50 69 123 22 51 9 23 9 23 7 20 44 93 160 69 4 8 29 12 63 1114 ^^■ • Killed. t Acting in the absence of their Captains, who were attending us wit« nesiics on tlie trial of Sir Robert Calder. 206 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. I; ! division in action, the Victory, Temeraire, and Neptune, alone preceding her ; and, in a short apace of time, completely dis- masted a French ship of 80 gims, on ])oard of which a white handkerchief was waved in token of submission. She after- wards singly engaged, and kept at bay, three of the enemy's Combined Fleets. Sent to Gibraltar. Guns. * San Ildefonso 74 * San Juan Nepotnuceno . . 74 Guns . * Bahama 74 Swiftsiire 74 Wrecked. * Monartvi 74 Inidoinptalile 84 * San Francisco he returned to Spithead, in consequence of a most dangerous conspiracy among his crew, which was happily discovered before ready for execution. A court- martial was immediately assembled to try six of the principal mutineers ; when the charges having been proved in the clear- est manner against four of them, they were sentenced to suffer death, one to be imprisoned twelve months, and the other acquitted. On the 28th two of these unhappy men were executed on board the Pomp6e, and the other two received the royal pardon. In the spring of J 799, Captain Vashon removed into the Neptune, of 98 guns, and was sent to reinforce the fleet in the Mediterranean, under Earl St. Vincent ; on which station, however, he remained but a few months. Early in 1801, he took the command of the Dreadnought, a new 98-gun ship ; and after cruising for some time in the Channel, proceeded ofl^ Cadiz and to Minorca, where he continued until the sum- mer of 1802. Towards the latter end of the following year, we find Cap- tain Vashon in the Princess Royal, 98, stationed at the mouth JAMES VASHON, ESQ. 209 of Southampton River, to guard that place, and the west end of the Isle of Wight, in case of an invasion. On the 23rd April, 1804, he was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral ; and about the same time appointed to the command of the naval force on the coast of Scotland, under the general orders of Lord Keith. He accordingly proceeded to Leith, where his flag was hoisted, and remained till the latter end of 1808, when he was relieved by Sir Edmund Nagle. Previous to his relinquishment of the above command, the only one, we believe, enjoyed by him as a Flag-Officer, the Master and Brethren of the Trinity-House, Leith, presented him with the freedom of their Corporation, and an elegant silver snuff-box. He was made Vice-Admiral, April 28, 1808 ; and Admiral, June 4, 1814. His only son is in holy orders. ■sp <| RIGHT HON. VISCOUNT EXMOUTH. Baron Exmouth; a Baronet; Adihirat of the fVhite ; Knight Grand Cross of the most Honourable Military Order of the B'lth; Knight of the Spanish Order of King Charles III. ; Knight Grend Cross of the Order of St. Ferdinand, and of Merit, of Naples ; and of the Order of fFilhelm, of the Netherlands ; Knight of the Royal Sardininn Mili- tury Order of St. Maurice, and St. Lazarus ; and Knight of the Sardinian Order of Annunciation ; Doctor of the Civil Law; President of the Liverpool Seaman's Friend Society, and Bethel Union ; n Fice-Presi- dent of the Naval Charitable, and of the Naval and Military Bible Societies. The immediate ancestor of this nobleman was George Pellew, of Flushing, near Falmouth, Esq. who married Ju- dith Shannon, by whom he had three sons ; viz. first, John ; second, Israel, who married Gertrude Trefiisis, the descendant of a very ancient family in Cornwall, and a relative of Lord Clinton j and third, Samuel, who married Constance Long- ford, by whom he had issue, first, Samuel Humphrey ; second, Edward, the subject of this memoir ; third, Israel, a Vice-Ad- miral of the White ; fourth, John, an officer in the army, who v/as killed at Saratoga ; and fifth, Catharine, wife of the son of the Vice-Admiral of Sweden. Mr. Edward Pellew was born, if we mistake not, at Dover, VOL. 1. r 210 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. April 19, 1757, and received the first rudiments of his educa- tion at that place, from whence he was placed under the care of a respectable tirtor at Truro, in Cornwall. He entered the naval service at an early age, and in the spring of 177' ^ ac- companied Captain Stott in the Juno frigate, to the Falkland Islands *. He afterwards went with the same officer in the Alarm frigate, to the Mediterranean ; where some misunder- standing arising between Captain Stott, himself, and another Midshipman, the two latter were cruelly sent on shore at Marseilles, and obliged to return to England by land. At the commencement of the war with our American co- lonies, Mr. Pellew joined the Blonde frigate, commanded by Captain Philomen Pownallf, with whom he sailed to the relief of Quebec. He was afterwards removed into the Carleton schooner, and distinguished himself by his conduct in the battle fought on Lake Champlain, Oct. 11, 1776 1- Our officer then went with General Burgoyne's army across the lakes, to effijct a junction with the King's forces at New York ; and was, consequently, present at the Convention of Saratoga, Oct. I7, 1777j when the British troops, reduced by the losses sustained in two bloody engagements, and hemmed in on all sides by the enemy, were under the humiliating ne- cessity of surrendering to the rebel General Gates. Mr. Pellew returned to England by the way of Quebec, and on his arrival was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. After serving some time in the Licorne, Captain Bellew, he joined the Apollo frigate, commanded by his old patron Captain Pownall, who was soon after killed in action with an enemy's vessel on the Flemish coast § ', on which occasion our officer • The Juno was sent with two other veseels, the Hound and Florida, to take possession of the Falkland Islands, which had been discovered l)y the Hon. Captain Byron, Jan. 14, 17(>5. f When Captahi Pownall commanded a repeating frigate on the Ameri- can station, his anticipation of the services to be performed was so very correct, that the Captains of the fleet complained to Lord Howe " tliat Pownall's repeating signals were frecpicntly at the top-mast cross-trees before the Admiral's signal was at the mast-head," whereas his duty was " to repeat the signal after an interval of half an hour, in the event of its not being answered in that time." I See Admiral John Schanck, ^ The following is an account of the ApolU)')i (tctiop, as given by Beat- wa No At mar son, in th! ing-oi dienc( Capta being pearar her; ) crosset sight. Apollo ter; ar close to few mip standing bad laste a ball wj Edward J well-direi only thn shore, a advice of the nortl could be] action, wJ after thisj the raain-l as she heJ shattered 1 shore aboj they had fired a guJ was answe lew desist^ Apollo's .. damaged, which she l the Apollol the gallantf action, ana the StanislJ twelve-pouj /■ II VISCOUNT EXMOUTH. 211 to lie kt- wae made Commander, in the Hazard sloop stationed in the North Sea. His Post commission bears date May 31, 1782. At the peace in 1783, Captain Pellew is said to have com- manded the Dictator, of 64 guns, in the river Medway ; and, son, in his Naval and Military Memoirs : — " The Apollo, being on a cruise in the North Sea, with some other frigates, at half-past seven in the morn- ing of the 15th June, gave chace to a cutter in the S. W. quarter, in obe- dience to a signal from the Cleopatra, Captain Murray, the senior oiBcer. Captain Pownall continued in chace of the cutter until half-past ten, when being nearly within gun-shot of her, a large sail was perceived, to all ap- pearance a cruiser, standing towards the Apollo, whose Captain made for her; and having fetched within three miles, she hauled her wind, and crossed bis ship, standing to the northward, the steeple of Ostend then in sight. At eleven o'clock she tacked, and stood to the southward. The Apollo did the same, until she brought the chace abaft the weather quar- ter ; and tacked at 12 o'clock. At half-past 12, the Apollo passed her close to leeward, received and returned her Are, tacked immediately, in a few minutes got close along side, and engaged her with all sail set, she standing in for Ostend, and continuing a running fight. When the action had lasted upwards of an hour. Captain Pownall was unfortunately killed by a ball which went through his body. The command devolved on Lieutenant Edward Pellew, who, foUowmg his brava Captain's example, maintained a well-directed lire for more than an hour longer ; when finding his ship in only three fathoms and a half water, and but two or three miles from the shore, a little to the westward of Ostend, he judged it prudent, with the advice of the officers of the ship, to wear, and bring to, with her head to the northward. He intended to renew the action, as soon as the sails could be taken in, which, from the situation of the ship in chace, and action, were all set, much torn, and only one brace left. In a few minutes after this, the enemy's foremast and main-top-mast fell by the board, with the main-top and main-yard ; and the ship was to all appearance aground, as she heeled very much, did not bring up to the wind, and was in a very shattered condition. Ostend at this time bore S.S.E. distant from the shore about two miles. While the officers were perusing the strict orders they had against violating the coasts of neutral powers, the enemy's ship Ared a gun to leeward, seemingly with a design to claim protection. This was answered by two or three guns from the garrison. On this, Mr. Pel- lew desisted from his intention of renewing the action, and drew off; the Apollo's masts being much wounded in several places, her rigging greatly damaged, and three feet water in her hold, occasioned by several shot which she had received between wind and water. The officers and crew of the Apollo behaved with the greatest bravery and good conduct. Besides the gallant Captain Pownall, 4 seamen and 1 marine were killed in the action, and 16 seamen and 4 marines wounded. The enemy's ship was the Stanislaus, a merchant frigate, pierced for 32 guns, but had only 26 twelve-pounders mouate3 wore either killed or wounded, ineluding among the former her commander, Citizen MuUer, whose remains werv inteiTed at Portsnujuth, five days after the jiction, attended by Iuh oflieers. The Nymphe ha — cvrry bfr drprndcd npon the prompt rxcciit.ion of ordrrH ; nothing <'(Mdd rcpiid tlir activity of her bravt* virw, who, with incrrthbli! alacrity, lianlcd the tackH on board and made Hail to the Hoiith wan lying on her broadHide, and a treniendoiiH Hinf beating over her. The iniHerabhr fate of her bravt* crew wiih perhapH thir more ^ineerely lamented by thoHe of the Indefatigable, from tlu; appreheiiHioii of their HnlTering a Himilar iniHfortune, having at that time four feet water in the hold, a great Hca, and the wind dead on the > hore. Sir ICdward I'ellew waH now able to aHcertaiii IiIh Hituiitioii to be that of llodiena' Hay, and that their fatt; depended upon the possible chance of wealh<*riiig the I'enmark MocKh, which, by the uncommon exert ioiiH of her fatigued and exhauHted crew, ill making all the Hiiil they eoidd set, waH happily ac- compliHbed at eleven o'eloek, puMHiiig about a mile t,o wind- ward of them. The fate of the Ama/oii wan not mo fortunate; when the Indefatigable had hauled her wind to the Houthward, Hhe had hauled Iu'I'm to the northward: Taptain IleynoIdH, notwith- Htanding every elTort, found bin luawtH, yards, rijfging, and Huiln HO miserably cut and Hliattere riiUcr and wv.n: drowncrl) h.'ivcjI t,liciiiM«;lvcH liy iii;ikinf( mft.n, and upon thfir landin;^ were rnad«; pri- Hf»n(TH. In tliiH f^allant. Ji<:t,i(»n, wliicli coninionccd at acjiiartcr bcfon* h'ix I'. M. and lasted (rxcirptin^ at, Hhort, inUrrvaln,) nnfil half paHt, four A. M.t,hmpson, the firnt l/ieut(rriant. 'J'lie Ama/on had 3 men kilU^i, and 15 badly wf;un(led. The enemy'H nhip proved to be Ich [)roitM des [lommeM, of W)^mH, eorjmianded by (Captain <;i-() of wboni perinhed. Sir I'^dward Pelbnv remained in tlu; Indefatigafile until tlur Hpring «)f 17•^^ when he waw appointed to the Impetueux, of "JH ifuriH * ; but he doen not appear to have* been «'nga«^ed in any other affair of moment pn;viouH to tlie Htnnmer of I WK), at which period h(^ waw Hent, by ICarl St. Vincent, with a H(piudron c(mHiBtinj( of kcvchj nhipH of the line, one of 50 K""'^) nine frigatcH, a Hloop of war and a cutt(T, having on board a detachment of troopw, under the command «)f Majfir-General Maitland, t>o co-operat(! with the French Royalists, and Chouuns, in Quiberoii hay and the Morbihan. Hut the insue of thiw enti'rprize, though not ho diHaHtrous and fatal aw that which formerly took place under Sir John li. Warren f, wan not attended with any important or permanent kuccchh ; thin waH owing entindy Ut the circumstance of the Royalista being much IcsH formidable than they had represented themHelvcs kii m • III addition to tlic captun-s aln-ady incntioncrl to havn ln-cn made l»y Sir I'MvvanI I'cilcw and liiii H(|iiadroii, Hixtfcn armod vci'^cIh and privatucrM, luoiMilitig 23H ^uii^i appear to huvc bccii tukcii, tip to l>cc. Ml, [7'J6. t S.!C|». if.y. m « 'til-'' SI pi I 220 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. to be. The forts on the south west end of Quiberon were Bilenced and destroyed ; sevenil vessels were cut out and captured ; but this is nearly the sum total of the result of this expedition. As so little could be effected at Quiberon, Sir Edward Pellew and General Maitland resolved to make an attack on Belleisle. If this had been done, as soon as the plan was matured, it probably would have succeeded ; but some delay took place from unforeseen circumstances : the enemy were tdarmed and prepared; and on the morning of the 19th June, General Maitland received information that seven thousand troops were assembled on the island. Nothing now could be attempted against Belleisle ; the small island of Houat was, indeed, taken possession of for a short time ; but this also was abfindoned, and the Major-General proceeded for the Medi- terranean, where, it was thought, his force might be more beneficially employed. After the close of this expedition. Sir Edward Pellew was employed with his squadron, in the blockade of Port Louis, on which station one of his Lieutenants, the present Captain Coghlan, performed a most gallimt exploit in capturing le Ccrbere, French brig of war, the particulars of which will be given in our memoir of that gentleman. In the ensuing autumn, our officer, still in the Impetueux, was again attached to the squadron of his old commander. Sir J. B. Warren, in an expedition against Ferrol *, and was sub- * The force employed in the expedition against Ferrol, contiistcd of seven sail of the line, five frigates, and a sloop, together with a large l»ody of troops, under the command of Sir James Pulteney. The armament arrived off the Bay of Playa dc Domino?, on the 25th Aug. ; and the General having desired that the troops miij;ht be dis(Mn- bnrkcd, Sir John Warren directed Sir Edward Pellew to superintend that service, which was ably performed on the same night, in the abovc-raeu- tioned Bay, after a fort of eight 24 pounders had been silenced by the fire of the Impetueux, Brilliant, Cynthia, and St. Vincent gun boat ; the whole army were landed without the loss of a man, together with sixteen field pieces, attended by seamen from the men of war, to carry scaling ladders, and to get the guns to the heights above Ferrol. Immediately the troops quitted the boats, they ascended a ridge of hills adjoining to the Bay. Just us they hud gained the summit, the rifle corps commanded by Lieu- tenant ('olonel Stewart, fell in with a part of the enemy, which they drove back. VISCOUNT RXMOUTIl. 221 Rcquently placed under the orders of Admiral Cornwallis. The Iinpetueux was put off commission, April 14, I8()*jf, about which time Captain Pellew was nominated a Colonel of Marines. At the general election in the same year, our officer had the satisfaction of being returned to parliament, as one of the members for Banistaple, co. Devon. On leaving the hustings, he was conducted to a barge fixed upon wheels, ornamented with laurel, and adorned with colours. This vehicle, manned with a number of prime seamen, in white shirts, with oars in their hands, and steered by a Lieutenant of the navy, in full uniform, then got under weigh, amidst the cheers of the populace *. At day-break on the morning of the 26th, a considerable body of the enemy was repulsed by tlic brigade under tlie command of Rlajor-Oe- neral the Earl of Cavan, supported by some other troopa ; this advantage gave the British the complete and undisturbed possession uf the heights which overlooked the town and harbour of Fcrrol ; but not without some loss, chiefly owing to the steep and rocky ground the troops had to march over. Sixteen were killed. Lieutenant Colonel Stewart ; Captain Hamil- ton, of the 27th ; Captain Trevors, of the 7<^th ; Lieutenant Edmonstonc, of the 2d battalion of the Royals ; and Captain Torrens, of the 1st batta- lion of the52d (who died of his wounds), and ()d rank and file wounded. On the same evening the General informed Sir J. Warren, that from the strength of the country, and the enemy's works, no further operations could be carried on, and that it was his intention to re-embark the troops ; which service was accomplished with great order and regularity before day- break on the 27th, when the squadron proceeded to sea, and the next day arrived off Vigo, from whence they went to the southward as far as Lisbon, {^nd then returned to Plymouth. On the 12th October, Sir John B. Warren addressed the following grateful acknowledgment from on board the Renown, in Cuwsaad Bay, to the respective Captains under his orders : " The Commander-in-Chief, having expressed to mc his entire appro- bation of your conduct, and the officers, seamen, and marines of H. M. S. under your conunand, upon every occasion that presented itself during the late expedition, has desired mcto return his thanks for the zeal which was manifested, and the exertion made by them upon that service ; which I request you will communicate to them, in as public a manner as you think proper to adopt, and to accept ray thanks also, and present the same to the officers and men, for their meritorious behaviour. " I have the honour to be, &c. "J. B. Wabrbn.*' * Mr. Wilson, a former member, and one of the unsuccessful candi- 222 ADMIRALS OF Tim WHITE. Sir Edward does not appear to have taken any very great interest in the affairs of the House ; but, on the 15th March, 1804, when an inquiry was moved for, respecting the naval defence of the country, with the view of censuring the ad- ministration of Earl St. Vincent ; he, instead of contenting himself with a silent vote, delivered his opinion at considerable length, in favour of that nobleman. He rose in the debate immediately after the Hon. Admiral Berkeley, who had ac- cused the Admiralty of negligence, and compared the armed vessels, which had been sent to the coast of France, to so many cockle-shells. The manner in which he treated the subject, rivetted the attention of the House, and drew forth the particidar praise of Mr. Wilberforce, who followed him. On the 23rd of the succeeding month. Sir Edward Pellew, who, on the renewal of the war, had been appointed to the Tonnant *, of 80 guns, was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral of the White; and the important office of Commander- in-Chief in India happening to be vacant, he had the good fortune to be nominated as the successor of Admiral Rainier upon that station. He accordingly hoisted his flag in the Culloden, of 7^ guns, and sailed thither in the course of the ensuing summer. 1:1 dates, petitioned the House of Commons against Sir Ed\vard's return, al- leging a breach of the treating act. Some actual payments, of three or four guineas a man, were proved ; but as those appeared to have been made to non-resident ;voters, for the purpose of defraying their travelling expences, the committee, which had been appointed to try the merits of the election, determined that the sitting member had been duly elected. • In March 1803, when appointed to the Tonnant, Sir Edward Pellew advertised for a schoolmaster to instruct the young gentlemen of that ship ; and as an inducement to a person of respectability to apply for the situa- tion, offered to pay out of his own purse a yearly stipend of 50/. in addition to the salary allowed by government. It is the Compiler's most anxious wish to avoid the imputation of adula- tion on this, as on every other occasion ; but he cannot refrain from giving publicity to the following act of generosity on the part of Sir Edward Pellew, which was noticed in the ephemeral publications at the period when it occurred : — the wife of Rovere one of the French deputies banished to Cayenne, was taken on her passage by our officer. She had sold all her property in France for the purpose of joinin;,' licr unhappy husband, and had with her 3000/. sterling. Sir Edward .estored it to her, and pait! iiis crew their ;«hare out of his own pocket VISCOUNT EXMOUTH. 223 Nothing of consequence occurred within the limits of the Rear-Admiral's command until Nov. 1806, about the middle of which month, he proceeded towards Batavia, in search of a French squadron which he expected to meet with ; and, on the 27th, arrived in the Roads, with a squadron consisting of four sail of the line, two frigates, and a brig. Having previously captured the Dutch East India Com- pany's armed vessel, Maria Wilhelmina, the Terpsichore frigate, preceded by the Sea-Flower brig, led through the very intricate navigation of those parts. On discovering the ap- proach of the British force, the Dutch national frigate Phoenix, two armeil ships, and four brigs, followed by the merchant- men, ii aediately ran on shore, the William corvette having first struck to the Terpsichore, on passing Onrust. The shoal water preventing Sir Edward's ships from anchoring suffi- ciently near to fire with effect upon the batteries, or on the ships on shore, the boats of the squadron assembled along- side of the Terpsichore, which, with another frigate, had been placed as near as possible to cover themj and were led in to destroy the enemy's vessels, by Captain Fleetwood Pellew, the Rear- Admiral's son, under a heavy fire from them and the batteries. The crew of the Phoenix immediately abandoned her ; and, on boarding, she was found to have been scuttled. Her gims, however, were instantly turned on the other ships, whilst the boats were destroying the remainder ; after which, she also was set on fire and burnt. Two line-of-battle ships had quitted the anchorage, or they must inevitably have shared the same fate. The whole of the vessels destroyed and taken in Batavia Roads upon this occasion, including the merchantmen, amounted to about thirty ; and, what was more highly gratifying, tlie loss of men on the part of the British, though exposed to the continued fire of the enemy, was only one killed, and four wounded. The next event of which we find official notice took place at Griessee, Dec. 11, 180/, on which day the whole of the men of war remaining to the power of Holland in the East Indies, were destroyed*. On the 28th April, 1808, Sir Edward was advanced to the rank of Vicc-Admiral of the I See Captain Hon. F. R. R. Pkllew, in our next volume. :! fl 224 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. Blue ; and he retained the command in that quarter until about tiie commencement of the following year. Previous to his departure for England he received an address from the merchants, ship-owners, and underwriters of Bombay, expres- sive of their acknowledgments for the protection he had afforded to the trade of that port. We next find our officer, with his flag on board the Christian VII., during the summer of 1810, employed in the blockade of Flushing. He was afterwards appointed to suc- ceed Sir Charles Cotton, as Commander-in-Chief of the Medi- terranean fleet, and proceeded to that station in the Caledonia of 120 guns, which ship bore his flag during the remainder of the war *. On the 14th May, 1814, Sir Edward Pellew, as a reward for his eminent and long services, was raised to the dignity of the peerage by the title of Baron Exmouth, of Canonteign, in the coimty of Devon ; and on the 4th of the following month he became an Admiral of the Blue. He was nominated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815. The resumption of the sovereign authority in France by the exile of Elba, having again disturbed the repose of Europe, a squadron was immediately sent to the Mediterra- nean, under the orders of Lord Exmouth, whose flag was in the Boyne, of 98 guns. Having had the pleasure of contri- buting, in conjunction with an Austrian army, to the restora- tion of the legitimate King of Naples, his Lordship proceeded to Marseilles, where he co-operated with Major-General Sir Hudson Lowe, and the Marquis de Riviere, Lieutenant to Louis XVIII. for Provence and the neighbouring depart- ments, in reducing the rebellious Toulonese, headed by Marshal Brune, to submission. After the second abdication and final overthrow of Buonaparte, the English squadron was employed in no service of importance until the month of March, 1816, when Lord Exmouth sailed for Algiers, where, after some hesita- * The transactiotid of the various detachments from Sir Edward's fleet are fully detailed in the memoirs of Sir Josias Rowley, Sir Benjamin Hallowell, Sir Edward Codrington, Sir William Hoatc, and immeroua other officers, who commanded squadrons and single ships employed on the coasts of the different kingdoms washed by the Mediterranean Sea. visrorxT kxmoitth. 225 It » Ir tion on the part of tlio Doy, a treaty M-as concliuled, relative to the nholitioii of Christian slavery. His Lordship then sailed for Tunis and Tripoli, at which places he negotiated matters with similar success. Having thus fulfilled the objects of his mission, the noble Admiral returned to England in the month of June 181(>, and found, on his arrival, that in consequence of renewed aggres- sions on the part of the Algerines, subsequent to his depart- ure from their coast, government had determined to inflict a signal chastisement on that regency ; for which purpose they had selected him as commander of the expedition. His Lordship embarked on board the Queen Charlotte, of 108 gunSf at Portsmouth, on the 20th July ; but from the continuance of adverse winds and calms, the land to the westward of Algiers was not made before the 26th August. The next morning at day-break the British fleet, and six Dutch frigates by which it was accompanied, were advanced in sight of the city, though not so near as was intended. As the ships were becalmed, Lord Exmouth despatched a boat under cover of the Severn, with a flag of truce, and the demands he had to make, in the name of the Prince Regent, on the Dey of Algiers. After a delay of three hours, during which the sea-breeze had enabled the fleet to reach the bay, the boat was seen returning with a signal flying, that no answer had been received. The Commander-in-Chief instantly made the signal to know if the ships were all ready, which being answered in the aflirmative, the Queen Charlotte bore up, followed by the fleet, for their appointed stations j the flag, leading in the prescribed order, was aRchored at the entrance of the Mole, at about fifty yards distance, and the other ships took their stations with admirable precision. The battle commenced at a quarter before three P. M., by a shot fired from the shore at the Queen Charlotte, who was then lashing to the main-mast of a brig, fast to the shore in the mouth of the Mole, and two at the ships to the northward then following, which were promptly returned, and a fire as animated and well supported as was ever witnessed kept u\) until nine o'clock, without intermission, and which did not cease altogether until half past eleven ; when many of the VOL, I. Q « .si 'K'i B). I 220 ADMfRAL!; OP rrrK WHITK. m barbarians' ships being in flames, and certain of the destruc- tion of the whole, Lord Exmouth considered he had executed the most important part of his instructions, and made pre- parations for withdrawing the ships. After much warping and towing, by the help of a light air of wind, the whole came to an anchor out of reach of shells, about two in the morning, after twelve hours incessant labour. The flotilla of mortar, gim, and rocket-boats, shared to the full extent of their power in the honours of this day, and performed good service ; it was by their fire all the ships in the port (with the exception of the outer frigate) were in flames, which extended rapidly over the whole arsenal, &c. exhibiting a spectacle of awful grandeur and interest, no pen can describe. The sloops of war which had been apj)ropriated to aid and assist the ships of the line, and prepare for their retreat, per- formed not only that duty well, but embraced every opportu- nity of firing through the intervals, and were constantly in motion. The shells from the bombs were admirably well thrown by the Royal Marine Artillery ; and although crossing over the large ships, not an accident occurred. The Dutch Admiral Van Capellan, with his frigates, covered the British ships from the enemy's flanking batteries, on which he kept up a good fire. The result of this dreadful conflict was : — The abolition, for ever, of Christian slavery. The liberation of all slaves in the territory of Algiers. Reparation to the British Consul for all losses sustained by him in consequence of his confinement. A public apology made by the Dey to the same gentleman. The recovery of 382,500 dollars for Naples and Sardinia. The destruction of four large frigates, of 44 guns each ; five large corvettes, from 24 to 30 guns each ; thirty gun and mortar-boats ; several merchant brigs and schooners ; a number of small A-essels of various descriptions; all the pontoons, lighters, &c.; and a great many gun-carriages, mortar-beds, casks, and ships' stores of all descriptions : be- sides the store-houses and arsenal, with all the timber and various marine articles, destroyed in part, and between 6 and 7000 Algerines killed and wounded. Th< 14] k of mei victor] For the dii House • Th. orders ( exdusiv Queen C Impregni Superb Miuden Albion Leander Severn ., Gla8go\r Granicus Hebrus Heron Mutine Promethe Cordelia Brilsmart fieclzebul Infernal Hecia Fury Dutch S( Melainpus Frederica Dageraad Diana Amstee . . Eendraclit VISCOl NT KXMOUTII. 2-27 The total loss in the combined stjuudrons * amounted to 141 killed, and 742 wounded ; which, according to the number of men employed, exceeds the proportion in any of our former victories. For this splendid achievement Lord Exmouth was raised to the dignity of a Viscount, and received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament. He was also presented by the (Mty of * The follovviog is a list of the ships and vessels employed under the orders of Lord Exmouth, in the attack upon Algiers, Aug. 27, ISUi, exclusive of the inortar-hoats, &c. Guni. Killed.Wounded. Queen Charlotte 108 Impregnable .. 104 B. } 8 50 y Admiral Lord Exmouth, K. C i Captain James Brisbane. < Rear-Admiral David Milne. c Captain Edward Brace. Superb 78 Charles Ekins 8 Miuden 74 William Paterson 7 Albion 74 John Coode 3 Leander 60 Edward Chetham 17 Severn 50 Hon. T. W. Aylmer 3 Glasgow 50 Hon. Anthony Maitland. . . 10 Granicua 42 William Furlong Wise 16 Hebrus 42 Edmund Palmer 4 Heron 18 George Bentham — Mutine 18 James Mould — Prometheus . . 22 Wm. Bateman Dashwood. — Cordelia 10 William Sargent — Brilsmart .... 10 Robert Riddell — Beelzebub "^ T William Kempthorne — Infernal f„ , } Hon. G. J. Perceval 2 ,, , > Bombs. < .„.,.. „ . Iiecia 4 i William Popham — Fury J V. C R. Moorsora ■— 131 160 84 37 15 118 34 37 42 16 17 Total loss sustained by the British 128 69o Dutch Squadron. — Commanded by Vice-Admiral Baron Van Capellen. Melatnpus 3 16 Frederica --- 5 Dageraad — 4 Diana 6 22 Amstee 4 6 Eendracht — — Grand Total 141 742 Q 2 r«.i:J;@i If ; •1 ri ."''IP'! % 4> '' .■ .)' 228 ADMIRALS OF TIIK WHITE. Loudon with a sword, accompanied by an appropriate speech from the Lord Mayor; and partook of a banquet prepared for him by the Ironmonger's Company, who are the tnistees of an estate of 2,000/. per annum, bequeathed many years ago by one of their members, a Mr. Betton, who had had the misfortune to fall into the hands of the pirates, for the ransom of British captives who may chance to be enslaved by any of the Barbary States. It is here necessary to remark, that the Company have religiously obeyed the injunctions of the humane testator, and commissioned a regular agent at Moga- dore for the purpose. In addition to these public marks of approbation, the officers employed under his orders at Algiers presented his Lordship with a piece of plate, of massy size and elegant workmanship, as a mark of their admiration of his conduct. It was made by Rundell and Co., London, and cost 1,400 guineas. The residue of the sum subscribed to purchase it, was handed over to that excellent, though by no means duly appreciated institution, the Naval Charitable Society. Lord Exmouth had before received from the Flag-Officers and Captains who served with him in the Mediterranean during the late war, a handsome table ornament, of the value of 500 guineas, which they requested him to accept as a token of their respect and regard. On the demise of Sir John Thomas Duckworth, in the autumn of 1817^ his Lordship was appointed to the chief com- mand at Plymouth, where he continued with his flag in the Impregnable, of 104 guns, until Feb. I, 1821. He was nominated a G. C. B. previous to the Algerine expedition. Lord Exmouth married, about the year 1783, Susan, daugh- ter of James Frowde, of Knowle, in Wiltshire, Escj. Two of his sons are Captains in the R. N. ; a third is a Prebendary of Canterbury, and has lately been united to a daughter of Viscount Sidmouth. One of the noble Admiral's daughters is the lady of Vice- Admiral Sir L. W. Halsted j and another of Captain Richard Harward, R. N. A portrait of his Lordship by W. Owen, was exhibited at the Royal Academy, in 1819. 229 SIR ISAAC COFFIN, Bart. Admind of the irhite; M. P. for Ilchester ; and a Member of the Bath and Ifcst of EnfrUtnd Society for the fncouragemcnt of .Agriculture, ^rts. Manufactures, and Commerce. The Coffin family has been allied, by interaiarriages, with the honorable houses of Chudleigh, Cary, Prideaux, Cock- minton, Hathejr, Hingeston, &c. So far back as the reign of King Henry II. we find Sir Richard Coffin, of Portledge, in the parish of Alwington, in the northern part of the county of Devon, Knight, which ancient seat jind iianor had been in the possession of his ancc::tori:; from Mm >iornian conquest. The family very earlj sj'rcat! itself ruio several branches, which flourished so well in divfrs places of Devonshire, that they left their name and adju'.ci to ma ay of thein, as Combe Coffin, now Combe Pyne^ ill who ofti/f paiJ, ; vX>ff/ii'rf VViiJl^ in the south part ; and Cclliu'ri Jn^arly, in il;e \\-si^\ partt'Krs/)f : in which latter place ilie maiifclou hcise v/ab noiu' the ohiirch, and had attached to it i\i\ extensive dcr pick, wuw ^A'liolly demolished. The direct ancestor of vhe aub^ect of this mcnioir v,us Tristram Coffin, oi' Brixton, nea;' Kitley *, co. Devon, Esq.^ who emigrated to North Amcr'ca i> 164.2, (taking with \iu\\ the widow of his brother, who had been killed in battle) and settled in the tov/nship of Salisbiiry, I'.ear ?n7vvbi"ry Poit. ia 1776, the loyalty by which the Coffins i:\ A.merioii distin- guished themseivCvS, having rendered them obnoxious to the republicans, they were coaipelicd % return to the mother country. Our officer is the i'ouiih avxX youngest son of Nathaniel Coffin, Esq., Cashier of ^:he Customs in the port of Boston, by Elizabeth, daughtei- of Henry Barnes, Esq. merchant of the same pierce, and was born May 16, 1759. He entered thf: navfii service in May 1773, under the auspices of Rear- Admiral John Montagu, who confided him to the care of the late Lieutenant William Hunter, of Greenwich Hospital, at • The scat of ii. P. Bastard, Esq. M. P. lor Devonshire. wr Mm 230 ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE, that period commiiuding the Gaspce brig, on the Americjin station. " Of all the young men," says Lieutenant Hunter, " I ever had the care of, none answered my expectations equal to Isaac Coffin. He pleased me so much, that I took all the pains in my power to make him a good seaman ; and I suc- ceeded to the height of my wishes : for never did I know a young man acquire so much nautical knowledge in so short a time. But when he became of use to me, the Admiral thought proper to move him. We parted with considerable regret." Mr. Coffin, after quitting the Gaspee, served as Midship- man successively on board the Captain, Kingfisher, Fowey, and Diligent, on the Halifax station ; from the latter vessel he was removed into the Romney, of 50 guns, bearing the flag of his patron at Newfoundland ; and in the summer of 177^, he obtained a Lieutenancy, and the command of the Placentia cutter. In the ensuing spring he served as a volunteer on board the Sybil frigate, Captain Pasley ; and was soon after appointed to the command of le Pinson armed ship. In this vessel, owing to the negligence of the Master who had charge of her, he had the misfortune to be wrecked on the coast of Labrador j upon which he returned to St. John's, where he was tried by a Court-Martial, and fully acquitted, his con- duct being considered that of an able officer and seaman, wholly free from blame. Lieutenant Coffin now came to England, and in November \77^i was appointed to the Adamant, about to be launched at Liverpool. In June 1780, that ship sailed for Plymouth under jury masts ; and in the month of August following, she was ordered to escort the trade bound to New York. His next appointment was to the London, of OH guns, tlie flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Graves, then second in conunand on the coast of America j and from her he removed into the Royal Oak, a third rate, under Vicc-A(hniral Arbuthnot, Commander- in-Chief, to whom he acted as signal Lieutenant in the action off Cape Henr>', March 16, 1781 *• The Royal Oak, on her return to New York, ran agroinid, and received so much damage that she Mas obliged to go to Halifax to be hove down. In July following, Lieutenant • See p. 40. SIR I>AAC COFFIN, BART. 231 Coiliii received the ofticial notitication of his proinoticMi to the rank of Comnuiiuler ; and on his arrival at New York joined the Avenger sloop, in which vessel he proceeded up the North Kiver, where he remained some months at the British advanced j;ost ; and, in January 1782, exchanged with the present Sir Alexander Cochrane, into the Pachahunter sloop. From New York, Captaiii Coffin proceeded to Barbadoes, where he found Sir Sanuel Hood about to depart for St. Kitt's in quest of the brench fleet. Hereupon he solicited and obtained permit;sion to serve as a volunteer, and was consec^uently received on board the Barfleur, of 98 guns, bearing the flag of that excellent oflicer, who shortly after sailed witli the spirited iritenlion of attacking the enemy at anchor. This event afl'orded Captain Coflin an oppo.tunity of participating in some splendid service, the details of which will be found under the head of Retired Captain John N. Inglefield. Shortly after the memorable battle of April 12, 1782*, Captain Coflin, who, subsequent to tlie extraordinary and glorious acliievement at St. Kitt's, had rejoined his sloop, went with part of the crew of the Santa Ammonica, which had been wrecked at Tt)rtola, to Jamaica ; where, through the influence of Sir Samuel llooil, he was appointed Captain of the Shrewsbury, of 74 guns, and confirmed in that rank June 13, 17*-^. Previous to this event, while at Antigua, the town of St. John's caught tire, and in a hhorl space was nearly consumed; but Captain Coflin, with the crew of the Pachahunter and other sailors, coUci'ted by his exertions, at length succeeded in arresting the p: ogress of the flames, at the imminent risk of his life. For this service he had the satisfaction of receiv- ing an addresL-) of tiianks from the legislative hody of the island. In the month of December following, our oflicer exchanged with Captain Hotehkiss of the Hydra, a 20-gun ship, in which to lilngland, and on his arrival was put out of he 'turned ommission. The next command which he enjoy ed was in 1786, when, after suending some time in Fra'ice, he was ap- pointeu to the Thisbe frigate, and directed to take l^rd Dor- m m i I 232 ADMIRALS OF I HE WIIITK. ^u N H % ii Ni cheater and his family to Quebec, where lie arrived on the 23d October, and after a stiiy of two days proceeded to Halifax to winter. In the ensning spring ht returned to Canada, and remained there about a twelve-montli. In the course of the year 1788, Captain Coffin, being irri- tated at some unmerited treatment by the Admiralty, went over to Flanders, and entered into the service of the Brabant patriots. The conduct, however, of Lord Howe, who then presided at the Board, and his colleagues, having been declared illegal by the twelve judges *, decided Captain Coftin's return into the service of his King and Country ; and at the Spanish armament in 1790, he was appointed to the Alligator, of 28 guns. At this latter period, while lying at the Nore, the wind blowing strong, a man fell overboard; Captain Coflin, im- pelled by a generous and disinterested spirit of humanity, leaped in after him, and was so fortunate as to rescue a fel- low being from the merciless deep. His exertions on this occasion, unfortunately produced a severe rupture ; the effects of Avhich frequently recall to his recollection the noble act by which they were occasioned. In the spring of 1791, our officer, having previously been to Cork, where he received the flag of Admiral Cosby, was once more ordered to America, from whence he returned with Lord Dorchester and his family, in the ensuing autumn. The Alligator was soon after paid off at Deptford. At the commencement of the war with the French republic, Captain Coffin, who had in the interim visited Sweden, Den- mark, and Russia, obtained the command of the Melampus frigate, in which he was employed on Channel service until the close of 1794 ; when one night, by exerting himself too violently, he became ruptured on both sides, which obliged him to quit his ship, and for four months he remained liter- ally a cripple, being at the same time afflicted with a nstula. On his recovery he went to Leith, being appointed to the regulating service at that port ; and in October 1795, we find him proceeding to Corsica, where he served as Kesident Com- missioner until the evacuation of that island, Oct. la, 17iKi. From thence he removed to Li.ibon, where he continued • Stfo M' Arthur, »n (Juurti Martini, edit IHIM, v. 2, p L»y(i, rt sn/. SIR ISAAC COIFIN, HAUL 2.\"t during a period of two years, actively employed lu? the head of the naval establishment at th.it place. Towards the latter end of the year 17^^? wlicn the island of Minorca fell into the possession of the British, Commis- sioner Coffin was appointed to the supcrintendancc of the arsenal at Port Mahon ; and after the lapse of a few months, returned to England on his way to Nova Scotia, whither he proceeded in the Venus frigate. Our officer cj.itinued to perform the arduous duties of a Resident Commissioner of the Navy, first at Halifax, and subsequently at Sheerness, until April 1H()4, on the 23d of which month he was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, and soon after hoisted his, flag on board the Gladiator, being appointed to superintend the harbour duty at /Portsmouth. On the 19th May in the same year, he was raised to the dignity of a Baronet of Groat Britain, as a reward for lils unremitting z.eal and persevering efforts for the good of the public service. Sir Isaac Coffin hauled down his flag on being promoted to the rank of Vice- Admiral, April 28, 18()8, since which date he has not been employed. He became a full Admiral June 4, 1814 ; cUid at the general election in 1818, was chosen repre- sentative in Parliament for the borough of llchester. He married, April 3, 1811, Ell/abeth Browne, only child of William Greenly, of Titley-court, CO. Hereford, Esq. Previous to his marriage he obtained tiie royal Permission to take the name and arms of Greenly, in addition to his own, but which he relinquished in March 1813. Sir Isaac is proprietor of the Magdalen Islands, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. He has crossed the Atlantic, on service and pleasure, no less than thirty times. n;| ':r(;;;t 234 ADMIRALS OF TFIE I5LUE. . lili JOHN AYLMER, Esq. Senior Admiral of the Blue. This officer obtained the rank of Post-Cuptain, June 28, 1782. In the month of August following, he couiinandcd the Jason, of 64 guns, one of the prizes taken by a detach- ment sent by Sir George B. Rodney to intercept the remains of the French fleet, after the battle of the glorious 12th April *. The Jason formed part of the ill-fated squadron that sailed from Jamaica to escort the homeward bound trade, under the orders of Rear- Admiral Graves. In the dreadful hurricane by which they were overtaken f, she not only suffered less damage than any other of the Kind's ships, but reached England in perfect safety. We next find our officer cruizing on the Milford station, in the Hyaena, a small frigate, during the years 1/88 and 1789. At the Spanish armament, in 1790, he commanded the Glory, of 98 guns : and when hostilities commenced against the French Republic, he was appointed to the Argonaut, a 64 ; in which ship he accompanied Rear- Admiral Murray's scjuad- ron to North America, where he continued until the spring of 1795, at which period he was compelled through illness to return to England. Captain Aylmer having recovered from his indisposition, accompanied Rear-Admiral Pringle, in the Tremendous, 74, to the Cape of Good Hope, where that officer arrived in time to assist at the capture of the Dutch Fleet in Saldanha Ray, Aug. 18, 1796 X ; and Captain Aylmer was selected to carry home the ("ommander-in-Chief 's despatches relative to that event. " Sec p. 36, rt svq. t Ser rUtirnl (Hjidiiii, .loiiN N, lN«iiiEKiEi,i» J Sec p r»i, JOHN AVLMKH, K«iQ. 235 Our officer's next appointment appears to have been to the Theseus, of 74 guns, on the Mediterranean station. From that ship he removed into the Captain, of the same force, and returned to England. In 1798, we find him serving with the Channel Fleet. He was subsequently nominated to the su- perintendance of a district of Sea-Fencibles ; and, previous to the treaty of Amiens, commanded the Dragon, a 74-gun ship, in the Mediterranean, where he was employed in a va- riety of services, under the immediate orders of Sir John B. Warren ; and soon after the renewal of the war, captured la Colonibe, French corvette, of 16 gims. His promotions as a Flag-officer, bear date as follow : — Rear-Adniiral, April 23, 1804 ; Vice-Admiral, ApriPiB, 1808; and Admiral, June 4, 1814. He married, in Nov. 1809, Frances, youngest daughter of the Rev. T. H. Pearson, of Queen's Camel, Somersetshire. li ,M)1IN ClIILU IHiKVI.S, Ksit. .iilinii'dl nf tht' lilnr. Thi^ officer is desccnilcd . ,m a very respectable family in the county of Norfolk. His grandfather, George Purvis, was an old J *ost- Captain, and, at the time of his demise, one of the Commissioners of the Navy Hoard. Of tiic period of his birth, or of his entering the service, we are not in posses- sion ; but at the commencement of the war with France, in 17/8*, we find him serving on the American station, as a * Oil the (ithFel). 177>*^> lli« definitive articles of a trwvty of alliance be- tween France and the American colonists were signed at Paris, by which the absolute sovereignty and iudc|»cndence of the Thirteen United States of America were uneqnivocally recognized : and on the l.'Uh March, the French Ambassador to the (Jourt of St. .Famcs's delivered in a declaration from his ()al)inet, in which the independence proclaimed by the AmcricaiiH in July I77(>i was stated as ajnstitication to France for beginning to form H connexion with the nc>'. litpublic, and for consolidating it by a treaty of friendship and comii'.crco. A desire was professed of cultivating a good understanding with (ireat Ihitain ; but it wan also intimutcd, that the French Monarch having determined to protect the b>vful coniiuerce of his 1 m 236 ADMIRALIt. Oi- THE niJTE. i« ' 'U i'i •* LicuU'ritint of the Invinciblo, lioariiK? the broad pendant of Commodore Evans, in which whip lie returncnl to England ; and on his arrival was appointed to the Britannia, a first rate, carrying the flag of Vice-Admiral Darby, with whom he re- mained until his promotion to the rank of Commander. On the 19th Aug. 17B2, Captain Purvis, being on a cruise off Cape Henry, in the Due de Chartres, of 16 guns and 125 men, fell in with, and after *i smart action captured, the French corvette I'Aigle, of 22 g\ms and 136 men, of whom 13, including their Cominander, were slain, and 12 wounded. The British sloop had not a man hurt. For his gallant con- duct on tliis occasion. Captain Purvis was posted Sept. 1, fol- lowing ; but peace taking place soon after, we find no further mention of him until the commencement of hostilities against the French Repul)lic, in Feb. 17^3, when he was appointed to the Amphitrite frigate, and subsequently to the Princess Royal, a second rate, in which latter ship he was ordered to Gibraltar, to receive the flag of Rcar-Admiral Goodall, and from thence proceeded with the fleet under Lord Hood, to the southern coast of France. On the 29th Aug. the fleet entered the port of Toulon, and Rear-Admiral Goodall having been appointed Governor of that town. Captain Purvis received directions to take the IVincess Royal as high up the N. W. arm of the harbour, and as near the enemy's batteries, as possible. This being done, and the ship properly placed, not a day passed in the course of the six weeks she was so stationed, without an engagement with tlic Republicans ; and notwithstanding their works (be- ing constructed with carks, sand-bags, fascines, &c.) were soon disabled, they invariably repaired the damages during the night, and again presented complete batteries on the en- suing morning. The Princess Royal was consequently much cut up, and had many men killed and wounded. The loss sustained by the enemy was also very considerable. We next find Captain Purvis assisting at the reduction of subjecta, and ((• maiiifain th«! di^rnity of \m Flag, had taken measures for that purpose, in concert with tlic I'nitcd Slate.". A eopy of tliis deelnra- tion wan laid iR-torc I'urliainent on tlir 17th Maieh, and on the -'/"th hos- tilities with Franrc Kininiericed in ihe usual mode, of seizing all vesscl.s helonning to that nation found in British ports. JOHN (HHl) PURVIS, KSQ. 23/ St. Fiorcnzo, and Hastia *. Ho likewise participatcil in the partial actions of March 14 f, and July 13, 17^5 X ; and was subsequently employed in the blockade of a French scpia- dron, consisting of seven ships of the line and fire frigates, in Gourjan Bay. The Princess Roj-al having returned to England, was paid off in the month of Nov. 1796, and Captain Purvis soon after obtained the couunand of the London, anijther second rate, attached to the Channel Fleet. In this ship he remained near four years, under the orders of Admirals Lords Bridport, St. Vincent, and Gardner, Sir Henry Harvey, and Lord Keith. Early in 1801, the London, in conse([ucnce of her easy draught of water, was selected to form part of the expedition destined for the Baltic, and Captain Purvis was appointed to the Koyal Cieorge, of 100 guns, into which ship he removed off Ushant, and continued to command her until April 1802, on the 24th of which month she was put out of commission. The rupture with France in 1803, again called our officer into service ; and from that period until his promotion to the rank of Rear-Admiral, April 23, 1804, he commanded the Dreadnought, of 98 guns, and served under the orders of the Hon. Admiral Cornwallis, in tlie Channel. On the ist June 1806, he hoisted his flag on board the Chiffone, and proceeded off Cadiz, the blockade of which port lasted two years and seven months, after his arrival on that station, one year of which it was conducted by himself during the absence of Lord CoUingwood in the Mediterranean ; and what is here worthy of remark, the Rear-Admiral contbmed at sea at one time, without ever being driven through the Gut or even letting g») an anchor, for the space of nineteen months, during which period not a square rigged vessel entered or ([uitted the har- bour, except on one occasion, when several were allowed to proceed, having regular passes from England. t : * See Adecked ships, and 218 guns. A few days afterwards, all hostilities were terminated by the intel- ligence of a general peace. See note, at p. 1 7. iifreen troy Foi the ri of wli wretcl for life III I of 98 until mandc Chann Our April '2 of the hoisted Resit yidmiml < This ( from a r tered the of the lai manded of three ' The Q Domett V Keith) 01 mained u Marlboroi Hood, an( tain (afte: foundland • Admira 1HU4. niKopiiir.ub .iones, bsq. "241^ iCreen ensij^ii with a harp in it, and afterwards to kill or des- troy all Protestants." Fortunately this ahoniinable conspiracy was detected, and the ringleaders were brought to a Court- Martial, the result of which was the execution of eleven of these blood-thirsty wretches, whilst ten others were sentenced to transportation for life. In Feb. 1799, Captain Jones was appointed to the Atlas, of 98 guns, and continued in that ship on the Brest station, vnitil the suspension of hostilities. He subsequently com- manded the Queen, also a second rate, stationed in the Channel. Our officer was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, April 23, 1804; Vice-Admiral, Oct. 25, 1809; and Admiral of the Blue, Aug. 12, 1819 ; but does not appear ever to have hoisted his flag. Residence, — 7, Bolton Row, Piccadilly, London. de 18 el- SIR WILLIAM DOiMETT, Admiral of the Blue ; Knight Grand Cross of the most honourable Mili- tary Order of the Bath. This officer, who was born in the year 1754, is descended from a respectable family in Devonshire. In 1769, he en- tered the naval service, as a Midshipman, under the patronage of the late Lord Bridport, on board the Quebec frigate, com- manded by Lord Ducie ; and served in that ship upwards of three years on the West India station. The Quebec being paid off on her return to England, Mr. Domett was received by Captain Elphinstone (now Viscount Keith) on board the Scorpion sloop, in which vessel he re- mained until the spring of the year 177^> when he joined the Marlborough, of 74 guns, commanded by the late Viscount Hood, and from that sliip went to the Surprise frigate. Cap- tain (afterwards Admiral) Robert Linzee *, stationed at New- foundland. • Admiral Liiizeediedat Little Park, nearWickhani.co. Hants, in Sept. 1804. R 2 V 244 ADMIUALS OF THE BLCK. ' m 'I;' 4^,«l m fn the spring of 1777» ^^'^ ^"^1 the Surprise assisting in t\m defence of Quebec, and annoying the American army in it** retreat from before tliat important phice, which it had be- sieged for about five months. Soon after this event Mr, Domett was appointed acting Lieutenant of the llonmey, a r)0-gun ship, bearing the flag of Admiral John Montagu, Commander-in-Chief at Newfoundhmd, with whom he re- tured to Knghtnd in the fall of the year ; and on his arrival, was conmiissioned to the Robust, of 74 guns, in which ship he was present in the action between Keppel and d'Orvilliers, July 27, 177^*; J""l the battle whiirh took place olT Cape Hemy, March 1(), I7HI f. In the latter affair the Robust sustained a greater loss in killed and wounded than any other ship in the Rritish stpiadron ; and by having at one time three of the enemy's vessels to contend with, her masts, sails, rigging, and boats, were cut to pieces. The following com- plimentary letter, addressed by Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot to Captain Cosby, is a aufficicnt proof of the high estimation in which the conduct of her oflicers and crew was held by the Couunander-in-Chief on that occasion . •' HmjnlOnk, off Cnpc Charlt's, MnrrI, 17S1. •' Dear Sir. — You have, since the time that we left (Jardi- ner's J^ay, conducted yourself like an experienced, diligent oflicer, particularly on the IGth inst., in which you have approved yourself a gallant Naval Commander, that has done honour to yourself and country ; and both yourself, oflicers, and ship's company, have my warmest thanks for your spi- rited conduct. *#**♦** (Signed) " M. Auhutiinot. " Ciiptdiu Con/iif, Rofwxt." In the ensuing autumn, Lieiitenant Domett was removed to the Invincible, of 74 guns, conunanded by the late Sir Charles Saxton, Hart., and was on board that ship in Rear-Admiral (Jraves's action with the French fleet, off the ChesRpeake, on the 5th Sept. in the Mime year |. Soon after this he was taken into the Harfleur, and had the honor of serving as signal-ofticer to Sir Sanmel Hood, during the nunnorable nnd masterly manoMnres of that diHtiiiguished A5. f See p. 40. | See p. l.'^l MR WILLIAM DOMRTT. 245 have (lom* io, on I' was lini^ as lo ai\(l lat Si, KittH, and the several battles whieh took place with the French fleet under de Grasse, an account of which will be found under the head of Retired Captain John N. Infjflelield. He also participated in the jjjlorious victory of April 12, 1782*, when, on the Ville de i*aris strikinje; to the llarfleur, and the lirst Lieutenant behii^ sent to take possession of that ship, Mr. Domett was appointed to succeed him in that situation. Some days after this event, Sir Samuel H(K>d havinii^ l)ecn detached in pursuit of the fugitives, came up with and cap- lured twoGl-gun ships, one frigate, and a sloop of war f, to tlie command of wliich latter vessel, the C'eres of 1() guns, LicAitenant Domett was promoted by SirGeorgt* Hodiiey, with whose despatches relative to this fresh success he returned to England. On the 9th Sept. in the same year, our ofTiccr was advanced to the rank of Post-Captain, and selected by his friend llear- Admiral Sir Alex. Hood, to conuuand his flag-ship, the Queeit of 98 guns, in whieh vessel he accompanied the fleet under ICarl Howe to the relief of Gibraltar, and was present in the. skirmish which took place off Cape Spartcl, c the 2()th Oct.j The Queen, on that occasion, had 1 nici killed and 4 wounded. Captain Domett's next appointment was early in 1785, to the Champion of 21 guns ; and from that period until the month of October 1787, he was employed as senior officer on the lA'ith station. 1]) the spring of 1788, he obtained the commann of hih flag. The Lti p "r>. rt srif. 'l I SIR WILLIAM DOMETT. 247 ships in the hands of the British, as a substantial reward for their brave and determined perseverance*. On the following day Lord Bridport despatched Captain Domett with his official accomit of the action to the Ad- miralty, where he arrived on the morning of the 27th. The following is an extract from his Lordship's public letter, which we introduce for the purpose of evincing the estima- tion in which that nobleman held the bearer's professional (!onduct : '' / beg also to be alloived to mark my appro- bdfion, in a particular mannery of Captain Domett's coti- (Inct, scnnng under my fiag^ for his manly spirit j and for the assistance I received from his active and attentive mind" Our officer continued in the command of the Royal George for a considerable time after Lord Bridport stnick his flag, amounting in the whole to a period of about seven years and a half ; a greater length of time, perhaps, than ever fell to the lot of an individual successively to command a first rate. During this period the Royal George was considered as one of the best discipliacd and most expert ships in the British Navy. In the month of Nov. 1800, in consequence of the Royal George being ordered to receive the flag of Sir Hyde Parker, Captain Domett was removed into the Belleisle of HO guns, one of the prizes taken off I'Orient ; and on a pro- motion of Flag-Officers taking place, Jan. 1, 1801, he had the honour of being nominated to one of the vacant Colonel- cies of the Marino corps. In the succeeding month, the subject of this memoir was appointed Captain of the fleet to be employed in the Baltii.*, under the conunand of Sir Hyde Parker. He accordingly proceeded witli that officer in the I^ondon, a second rate, to I he Sound ; and after the battle, which took place oft' Copen- * The fle*?! under Lord Bridtiurt consisted of fourtonu inil of the tlnei six fn^fates.und thret'smuller vessels ; in addition to which, thrcs other British line-of-battle ships were in si^rht, und joined in the chaoe, l)ut were at too i^rcutu distance to shun' in the action, which only ceased when under the fire of the French hutterics. 'I'he total loss sustained on our side uas 31 killed, ttnd 1 15 wounded. The captured shijis were le Tigrc, Ii; riirn>id.il»le, ind I' Alexandre, (formerly British,) which had hccn taken hy a French squadron at the comincncenient of the war. 24H AI>MJilAJ.S OK TIIK Ili.Uli. ,■ [. » liii^cii, Oil iJic 'id A|)ril*, uiid the (It-pailiuT of the ('oiniimn- d«'r-iii('hi(>f for ICiij^hiiul, he m-rvcd in the HiUiu' cupsuMty uiiilerthi! galhint, NcIhoii, (hiring' the Hhort time. Win LordHhip'H houlth hIIowi (i him to retain the eommar.d of thi; force i^m- jiloyed ill that (jiiarter. On hiH arrival from the Baltic, C'Uptuiii Domett immechately resumed the (^omiiiaiid of hih old Hhi|), the HelleiHh', th(;ii ofV llHhaiit; and in a short time uftervvardH the hit.e lion. A(hiural ('ornwalliH applied for him to he appoinU'd (iaptaiii of the ('haimel ileet, in which Hitnatioii he continiKul to nerve until the truce of AmieiiH. J)uriii^ the temporary Huspeiihion of hoHtiliti(*H, Captain Domett Hcrved aH Hciiior oHicer, with a hioad pendant, on tJie coaHt of Ireland ; hut on the renewal of the war with l<' ranee, Ik; rcHumed Iuh old Htation aH('aptaiii of the ( hann(!l licet, under the gallant and perHevering CornwalliH, with wlioiii he Hhaiiti the diiticH and fati^ucH of service, in an imuHiially lon^ |n'otract(*d hlocUade, durin;< the severcHt weaHoii of th(* year, and until y\pril IH(M ; on the 'Jttd of which month he waH promoted to the rank fd' Kear-Admiral. Ahout the Hume time he received tne thanks of tlu; (Jommoii (x)un- cil of London ITih name havinir heen inadvertently omitteil when that l)o(iy voted tliankH t4i the <»ther Klat;-()(licerh, for their pi'i'Mcvcrance in hlocjiin^ up the (Miemy'H (lect at Mrent. vSooii after hin promotion, the Hear- Admiral was otVered a coiniiiaiid in the Noi*th Sea ; hut ill luNilth ohlijred him to decline it. y\hout six montliH after he came on shore he was iippoiiitvd one of the ('ommissioiievs for the revision of Naval /MTair.-i , the jiurport (»f which comuiissioii v.as, to form a complet(> diufcst of re^ulatioiis and iiiHtructi«;:iH for the civil (lepartmenl of the Navy. In the wprini( of IH()H, our oHicer was calU'd to a seal at the Hoard of Atlmiralty, wImtc he coniinued until the sunnncidf IHI3, when he succeeded the late Sir Kohcit (alder aH Com- muiider-iii-C'hief at I'lymouth, having heen in the iiiterme- tliutc time advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiralt. 'i'owards the cnnclusion of the war we liiid him employed on the coaiit of I'rance, with his Hat!; in the Hoyal Oak of Ji guns, \mderthe orders of l«ord Keith. At the enlargement of • Sci' Vico-Atlniirul Sir 'I'lioMAs Imh.kv. t Oct j:), im»!». WILLIAM \\'r»LSELEV, KSQ. 249 y\n' ()v(\vr of the Hath, Jan. 2, IH15, llic Vice- Admiral was ii(>initia«A ••! a K. C. li. ) and on the lOth May, IH*2<), he huc- ceeded the Hon. Sir (ieor^^tr C. B('rk(;iey, as a (*. C. I{. Sir William l>()inett'H promotion to the rank of Admiral of the Bine took place AuguHt 12, IH19. WILLIAM WOLSELEY, Esq. /lilmii'nl o/t/ie /Hue. Tiif; a[»|)ellation of VVolweley uas first ashiuiied from Wol.seU'y, in SlalVordshire, where Siuardus, from uhom the Hiihject of th(* follovvini^ sketch is descended, lixed iiis resi- dence, and hecanu' lord thereof ; which place still jjelon-^s to the family, in the person of Sir Charles Wolseley, Bart., the the elder hranch of all the Wolseliiys hoth in Enghmd an■ ■! V ■^ Ii 250 An.MIHALS OK TllK BLUE. 3 'W und Fortitude, 74 's, J^owcstoffe and Juno frigates, accoin- puiiied by several transports, having on board a body of troops, to eo-operatc with the patriotic General Paoli, who had promised, if the English would make an attack upon the town of St. Fiorcnzo from the sea, he would make a simulta- lu'ouri niovemeiif. by land. This promise he was unable to peri'orm ; and on the 9th Feb. the Fortitude and Juno, after cauMonadiug the tower of Mortclla for two hours and a half, without having made any impression on the enemy's works, were obliged to haul off *. The next day, however, some guns, wliich were brought to bear upon the tower iiom a eonnnanding height, obliged it to surrender f. On the 17th, at night, the heights of Fornelli were carried by assault, and the enemy retired into St. Fiorenzo, with considerable loss. On the 19th they evaeuatvid that town and retreated towards Bastia, the capital of the island, having previously set fire to la Fortunee, a 40 gun frigate, and leaving la Minerve, of the same force, sunk, and to ail appearance destroyed by the shot from the British. She was, however, soon after weighed, and added to the navy, by the name of the place at which she was taken X' * The Fortitude received several hot shot in her hull, which were with difficulty cut out, and the fire occasioned thereby extinguishey's guijs. The total number of British serving on shore at the siege of Bastia was 1433 officers and men ; the Corsicans, undei Paoli, were in number about th(^ same. The enemv's garri- son consisted of 1000 regulars, 1500 national guards, and a large party of Corsican troops. The loss sustained by the British amounted to 14 killed, 34 wounded, and 8 missing. The expected reinforcement of troops from Gibraltar having arrived, under the command of Lieutenant-General Stuart, immediate preparations were made for attacking Calvi, and thus completing the reduction of Corsica. This was eftected on the lOth August, after a siege of fifty-one days, during which the place was defended with the greatest bravery. Lord Hood, in his despatches relative to this important event, speaks highly of the meritorious conduct of Captains Wolscley,, l^Iood, Sir C. Hiuniltoii, Sir H. Burrard, Cunningham, Mac- namara, and Robinson, for their steady perseverance in pre- serving their respective stations under manifest difficidties, which prevented succours being thrown into the garrison. The casualties at the siege of Calvi were 31 killed and 00 wounded ; ani'-.ig the latter was Captain Nelson, who lost the sight of an eye. Captain Serecold, who served with him in the batteries, fell by a grape shot whilst mounting a giui. In him the service lost a hrave and promising officer. ' e vessels taken in t «'^' port French frigates Melpomene, of 40 guns, and Mignonne 32. WILLIAM WOLSELEY, ESQ. 253 A considerabh; quantity of naval stores also fell into the hands of the British. Towards the end of the same year, Captain Wolseley returned to England in the Imperieuse, and his next appoint- ment appears to have been to the Impress service in Ireland, where he continued until February 1799, when he obtained the command of the Terrible, a 74-gim ship, attached to the Channel fleet. In the following year he accompanied the expedition against the French coast, under Sir John B. War- ren * ; and on his return from that service, was sent to join Vice-Admiral Dickson, who had sailed for Copenhagen with a strong squadron, to give weight to the remonstrances of the British Ambassador on the subject of examining neutral vessels f. Captain Wolseley was subsequently removed into the St. George of 98 guns ; and at the conclusion of the war, in 1801, commanded the San Josef, a first rate ; since which he does not appear to have served a-float. He was advanced to the rank of Rear- Admiral, April 23, 1 804 ; Vice-Admiral, Oct. 25, 1809; and Admiral, Aug. 12, 1819. Our officer married Miss Moore, of Dublin. *. 1 ; j ! .} .*!fii; a ' •■•"-'fci ',f - ■M .ii IK ed >?,' Ihe in In SIR JOHN SUTTON, Jlilmlral of the Blue ; Kniiflit Commnmhr of the most honourable Mili' tarjf Order of the Bath, This officer obtained the rank of Post-Captain, Nov. 28, 1/82 ; and at the commencement of the French revolutionary war, was appointed to the Uonudus, of 36 "^uns, in which ship he proceeded to the Mediterranean, where he removed into the Egmont, 74. In the action between the British and French fleets, off" Gourjon Bay, March 14, 1/95, an account of which will be found under the head of Vice-Admiral Sir Davidge Gould, the Egmont sustained a loss of 7 nien killed and 21 wounded, occasioned principally by the bursting of a gun on her main- * See 0. 1G9. t See Viee-A(!tniral RonKiiT Devekelx FENCOvnt. iii- 254 ADMIRALS OF TIIK BLl'E. i4 deck. She M'as also present ii the skirmish off the HitTos ishmda, July 13th, in the same year *. In the spring of 170(), theEgmont formed part of a squad- ron sent to Tunis, under Vice-Admiral V\'al(legrave, on a particular mission f; and on the night previous to their (juitting that place, Captain Sutton headed the boats of the different ships in an attack made upon several French vessels lying i » the bay, the result of which was th(' capture of the Nemesis, a 28-gun ship ; the Sardine, a corvette of 22 guns ; and two other armed vessels. One of the latter was destroyed, the rest brought off in triumph. Towards the close of the same year, we fmd Captain Sutton serving with Connnodore Nelson at the evacuation of Corsica, a measure rendered necessary by thf. recent alliance formed between France and Spain. By the exertions of those * On the uiominjT of the 7th July, 17^5, Vice-Admiral Hotham, who had previously dcspatchtd Captain Nelson uith a small squadron on a particular service, rci cived intelligence tliat that ollicer was returninp; to St. Fiorenzo Bay, pursued by the fleet that had so recently been discom- fited, and which it was supposed had retired into Toulon. Notwithstanding his ships were in the midst of watering and retittiii:;, the British commander was enabled, by the zeal and extraordinary exer- tions of the officers and men under his command, to get the whole iloet under weigh with the land wind that night; but it was not until the morn- ing of the I3th that he discovered the enemy, then off the Flieres islands, in the vicinity of Toulon. A partial action commenced about noon, and in an hour after I'Alcide, of 74 guns, one of the ships in the French rear, struck her colours ; but the rest of their fleet studiously avoiding a general battle, and aided by a change of wind, had got so far into Frejus bay, whilst the greater part of the British were becalmed in the otting, that it became impossible for any thing further to be effected. Before the Alcide could be taken possession of, a box of combustibles in her fore-top took fire, and the unhappy crew experienced how far more perilous their inventions were to themselves than to their enemies. So rapid was the conflagration, that the French in their official account say, the hull, Ihe masts, and sails, all seemed to take fire at the same moment ; and though the English boats were put out to the assistance of the poor wretches on board, not more than 300 could be saved : 400 lives are sup- posed to have been lost by this dreadful accident. The loss sustained by the British in this affair was 10 killed, and 24 wounded. The decided inferiority of the French, who, besides having but seventeen ships to oppose to twenty-one, had but one M-dccker, whereas their opponents had six, is a sufficient excuse for their declining to engage. t Seep. (il. . f ■ ■ SIR JOHN SUTTON. 255 officers, public stores to the amount of 2(X),(X)()/. bterling wuis embarked, and transported to l*orto Ferrajo, tlie whole of which must liave been lost but for their admirable lirnuiess and address *. On the 14th Feb. 1/97, when Sir John Jervis, with fifteen sail of the line, defeated a Spanish fleet of nearly double that nmnber t, the Egmont was one of the ships composinj^ the Britisli squadron ; and Captain Sutton, in connuon with the other commanders, received a gold medal for his conduct on that occasion. In the month of October following he retiirned to England, and after serving some time with the Chaimel fleet, removed into the Superb, of ^4 guns, the connnand of which ship he retained until Feb. ISO I, when he was ap. * In our memoir of Admiral Wolseley, wc have already liirited at the man- ner in which Corsieu beoaaie subject to tlie British crown. It was on the 14th June, l/iM, that the general assembly held at Corte, declared unani- mously, the separation of that island from France, and with the strongest demonstrations of satisfaction and joy, aj^rced to an union with England. On the 19tL, the formal surrender was made to Sir Gilbert Elliot, who, as his Britannic Majesty's Viceroy, took an oath " to maintain the liberties of Corsica, according to the constitution and tlie laws :" the members of the assembly, on their part, taking the oath of allegiance and fidelity to their new sovereign. The great body of the Corsicans were perfectly satisfied, as they had good reason to be, with the British government, sensible of its advantages, and attached to it; but when they found that the English intended to evacuate the island, they nalunilly and necessarily sent to make their peace with the French. The partisans of France found none to oppose them. A ccmmittee of thii'ty took upon themselves the govern- ment of Bastia, and sequestered all the British property : armed Corsicans mounted guard at every place, and a plan was laid for seizing the Viceroy. Commodore Nelson, who was appointed to superintend the evacuation, frustrated these projects. On the 14th Oct. 17^^, he sent word to the committee, that if the slightest opposition was made to the embarkment and removal of British property, he would batter the town down. A pri- vateer moored across the mole-head pointed her guns at the officer who carried this message, and muskets were levelled against him from the shore. Hereupon Captain Sutton pulling out his watch, gave them a quarter of an hour to deliberate upon their answer. In five minutes after the expiration of that time, the ships, he said, would open their fire. Upon this the very sentinels scampered off, and every vessel came out of the mole. During the five following days the work of embarkation was car- ried on ; the property of individuals was iaved, and public stores, as stated above, to the amount of 200,000/. t See p. '2\, ef ,ief/. w IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) & .'!'/ 4 {< I.C ^us us I.I US lis u 124 ■ 40 nil 2.2 2.0 lys i u 116 .^ ^ '>. V' fliotographic .Sciences Corporation <^ 93 WIST MAIN STRUT WIUTIR.N.Y. l4StO (7U)t73^S03 - < 6^ 256 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUE. m 1 '4 U r 1 %u 3! pointed to be Captain of tlie Channel fleet, under the Hon. William Cornwallis, in which station he continued to serve during the remainder of the war. On the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, our officer obtained the command of the Mars, of 74 guns ; and at the general promotion that took place April 23, J 804, he was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral, and appointed to superintend the harbour duty at Plymouth, where he remained until Oct. 1809; on the 25th of which month he was advanced to the rank of Vice- Admiral, and some time after nominated Commander-in- Chief on the Halifax station. He was created a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815 ; and became a full Admiral Aug. 12, 1819. ROBERT MURRAY, Esq. Admiral of the Blue. This officer entered the naval service under the auspices of his near relative, the late Hon. Admiral Digby, who was the first nautical tutor of the present illustrious Admiral of the Fleet*. He obtained the rank of Post-Captain, Dec. 15, 1782 ; commanded the Blonde, of 32 guns, during the Spanish armament ; and subsequently the Blanche and Triton frigates. At the commencement of the war with the French republic, he was appointed to I'Oiseau of 36 guns ; and on the 18th May, 1794, sailed from Plymouth for Halifax, in com- pany with a squadron under the orders of Rear-Admiral Murray. We next find Captain Murray in the Asia, of 64 gune, bearing the flag of Admiral Vandcput, Commander-in-Chief on the coast of America, where he continued until the demise of that officer in 1800, and then returned to England. He was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, April 23, 1804 ; became a Vice- Admiral Oct. 25, 1809 j and in the summer of 1811 was appointed Commander-in-Chief at North Yar- mouth, where he continued during the remainder of the war. His promotion to the rank he now holds took place Aug. 12, 1819. • Secp.3. On meeti fonnii moral with g lies SIl ■Admiral Milita a f^ice Tub propriel shire, s( first kno who flo witness Walter ; in Argyl Willif and reno favour, a and entai the nam her cousi seven so Baron C( 1669. F nald ; bu of Williar bourg, an younger s daughter ( bad a nu present E was born VOL. I. KOHKRT MURRAY, ESQ. 25/ On the 12th Sept. 1821, Admiral Murray presided at a meeting held in the Town-Hall, Liverpool, for the purpose of forming an Institution for the promotion of the religious and moral improvement of Seamen, and other persons connected with shipping ; and the estahlishment of a floating chapel. Residence. — Liverpool . pf ke [e • » it HONOURABLE SIR ALEXANDER INGLIS COCHRANE, Admiral of the Blue ; Knight Grand Cross of the most Honourable MiUtarif Order of the Bath ; Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth ; and a f^ice- President of the Naval Charitable Society. Th£ sirname of Cochrane is local, and was assumed by the proprietors of the lands and barony of Cochran, in Renfrew- shire, soon after simames began to be used in Scotland. The first known ancestor of this family was Waldevus de Cochrane, who flourished in the reign of King Alexander III., and is witness to the charter which Dungallus, filius Swain, gave to Walter Stewart, Earl of Menteith, of the lands of Skipnish, in Argyleshire, in 1262. William Cochrane, a chieftain who possessed some power and renown in his time, left but one child, Elizabeth, in whose favour, and the heirs male of her body, he made a resignation and entail of his whole estate, the person so succeeding to use the name and arms of Cochrane. This daughter married her cousin Alexander Blair, of Blair, Esq., and by him had seven sons. William, the second of these, was created Baron Cochrane, Dec. 27, 1647, '"^d Earl of Dundonald in 1669. From his eldest son descended seven Earls of Dundo- nald ; but that branch became extinct in 1758, by the demise of William, a bachelor, who was killed at the siege of Louis- bourg, and the title fell to Thomas, a descendant of John, the younger son of the first Earl, who by his second wife, Jane, daughter of Archibald Stewart, of Tovience, co. Lmark, Esq. had a nmnerous issue, amongst whom were Archibald, the present Earl, and Alexander, the subject of this memoir, who was born April 23, 1758. VOL. I. • ' 258 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUE. 5 W- ? ■,< Being intended for the sea service, which appears to have been a favorite profession in his family, he embarked at an early Jage, attained the rank of Lieutenant in the year 1778, and served as signal ofl&cer to Sir George B. Rodney in the action with M. de Guichen, April 17, 1780 *, on which occasion we find his name among the wounded. Soon after this event, Lieutenant Cochrane was promoted to the command of the St. Lucia sloop of war. He subsequently removed into the Pachahunter, and in Jan. 1782, exchanged with the present Sir Isaac Coffin, into the Avenger, another sloop, employed in the North River in America. On the 17tli Dec. in the same year, he was made Post in the Kangaroo, and afterwards commanded the Caroline of 24 guns, on the American station. During the interval of peace that followed the conclusion of the war with the Colonies, Captain Cochrane spent much of his time in retirement; but in 1790, on the appearance of a rupture with Spain, he was appointed to the Hind, a small frigate, and continued to command that ship until some time after the commencement of hostilities against the French re- public t } he was then removed into the Thetis, of 42 gims and 261 men, employed on the Halifax stati s 2 260 ADMIRALS OF i'HK BL(;K. m:i At the attack made upon Alexandria, Captain Coclirane commanded a dctaciimcnt of armed vessels stationed on the lake Mareotis to cover the approach of the troops. The sur- render of this place Sept. 2, 1801, put an end to the war in Egypt, after a campaign of nearly six months, during the whole of which period the vigilance, activity, and judicious conduct of our officer was such as called forth the most honourable mention in the public despatches of Lord Keith, and Lieu- tenant General Hutchinson, the successor of the lamented Abercromby. A treaty of peace having been signed at Amiens, the fleet returned to England, and the Ajax arrived at Portsmouth on the 8th Feb., 1802. At the general election in the same year. Captain Cochrane became a candidate for the boroughs of Dumferline, Stirling, &c. This produced a sharp contest with Sir John Henderson, Bart, j and both parties having pe- titioned, the latter was ousted. On the renewal of the war in 1803, Captain Cochrane ob- tained the command of the Northumberland, a fine 74-gun ship ; and on the 23d April, in the following year, he was advanced to the rank of Hear- Admiral, and sent to w^^tch the rous sand hills which cover the shore, all of which were lined with inui- ketry ; the beach on either wing licing flanked with cannon, and parties of cavalry held in readiness to advan(;e. The fire of the enemy was successively opened from their mortars and iield-piecea, as the boats got within their reach ; and as they approached to the shore, the excessive discharge of grape shot and of musketry from behind the sand hills, seemed to threaten them with destruction ; while the castle of Aboukir, on the right flank, jmaintained a constant and harrassing discharge of large shot and shells : but the ardour of the officers and men was not to be damped ; without a moment's hesitation, they resolutely rowed in for the beach ; and having obtained a footing, the 23d regiment, and part of the 40th, under the command of Colonel Spencer, ascended the hill which commanded the whole, and seemed almost inaccessible, with an intrepidity and coolness scarcely to be paralleled, and forced the enemy to retire, leaving behind him seven pieces of artillery, and several horses. The disembarkation of the army continued, and the troops wera all landed on the following day, with such articles of stores and provisions as required the most immediate attention. The loss sustained by the navy in the execution of this service, amounted to 20 killed, 70 wounded, and 3 missing. That of the army 102 killed, 1^16 woupdcd, and 35 mining. tre all ins as lunted dlled. SIR ALEXANDER INGLIS COCHRANE. 261 T;ort of FetToI, and the progress of the Spanish armaments in the north of Spain, previous to the declaration of war by that country against Great Britain. In Feb. 180.5, the Rear- Admiral received orders to proceed with six sail of the line in pursuit of a French squadron that had escaped from Rochefort, and consisted of five line-of-battle ships, three frigates, two brigs, and a schooner, having on board about 4,000 troops. After running down the coasts of Portugal and Spain, and looking into Madeira, Teneriffe, and Porto Praya, he sailed to Barbadoes, and there first learnt the tlestination of the enemy, and their trifling exploits. The British squadron sailed again from Barbadoes, April 5, and then renewed the pursuit ; passing St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Ciuadaloupe, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Euatatia, down the north side of Porto Rico, through the Mona Passage, along the southern coast of St. Domingo, and thence to Port Royal, Jamaica, where the chace was abandoned ; the enemy, after levying contributions on the islands of Dominica, Nevis, and St. Kitts, destroying six merchantmen richly laden at the latter, and throwing supplies into the town of St. Domingo, having made the best of their way back to France, which they were so fortunate as to reach, notwithstanding the various detach- ments cruizing expressly to intercept them. Subsequent to this chace. Rear- Admiral Cochrane assumed the command on the Leeward Island station ; and in the sum- mer of the same year he joined Lord Nelson in his anxious search after the combined fleets of France and Spain *. liarly in 1806, Sir John T. Duckworth arrived in the West Indies, in quest of a squatlron that had recently sailed from Brest for the relief of the city of St. Domingo. After forming a junction with Rear-Admiral Cochrane, Sir John lost no time in proceeding towards that place ; and on the morning of the 6th Feb. he had the good fortune to discover the enemy, whose force consisted of five ships of the line, two frigates, and a corvette. The necessary dispositions were imme- diately made for an attack ; and a few minutes after ten the action commenced by the Superb, bearing Sir John Duck- worth's flag, closing upon the bow of the Alexandre, the leading ship of the adverse line, which she compelled to sheet • See Vice-Adiuiral Sir Pcltiniy Malcolm. ;■)■ .'If')' ,K. II' im ADMIRAJ.S OF THE BLU£. V'^l off, after three broadsides. Sir Johii Duckworth was theii enabled to attack the French Admiral, in the Imperial, of 120 guns, the fire of which had been heavy on the Northumber- land. By this time the movement of the Alexandre had thrown her among the lee division, which Rear- Admiral Louis availed himself of, and the action became general, and conti- nued with great severity till half-past eleven ; when the French Commander-in-Chief, much shattered and completely beaten, hauled direct for the land, and not being a mile off^ at twenty minutes before noon ran on shore, his fore-mast then only standing, which fell directly on her striking. Not long after the Diomede, of 84 guns, pushed in shore near the Imperial, and it was afterwards found necessary to burn them. The remainder of the enemy's line, consisting of I'Alexandre, of 84 guns ; le Jupiter, 74 ; and le Brave, 74, were taken possession of by the British, and sent to Jamaica. The fri- gates and corvette effected their escape. During this conflict, Rear-Admind Cochrane's flag-ship lost her main- mast, and was so shattered, that the Agamem- non was ordered to stay by, and accompany her to her station^ The French had 760 killed and wounded on board the three captured ships ; and they no doubt lost a proportionate num- ber in the two that were destroyed. The total loss of the English was 74 killed and 264 wound- ed J the Northumberland having 21 of the former, and 79 of the latter. Roar-Adnicral Cochrane had a miraculous escape, having lost his hat by a grape shot early in the battle *. * The British squadron in the above battle consisted of the following ships : Weather Division^ OuiM. Killed.Wounded. Superb 74 . . } Y''^'^"^''"!'"!' ^^i' '^l ^"^J^vorth. ) g gg C Captain Richard Goodwin Keats. > Northumberland U..\ R«"-A/ SIR HENRY D'ESTERRE DARBY. Admiral of the Blue ; Knight Commander of the most honourable Mili- tary Order of the Bath. This officer is a native of Ireland, and nephew of the late George Darby, Esq. Vice-Admiral of the Red, and Rear-Ad- miral of Great Britain. During the period his uncle com- manded the Channel fleet, Mr. Darby served as Lieutenant in his flag-ship, the Britannia, of 100 guns, and thence was pro- moted to the command of the'Infernal, fire-vessel, in which he V accompanied Commodore Johnstone, on an expedition des- , - tined against the Cape of Good Hope j but the British squadron being surprised by a superior French force, whilst lying at anchor in Porto Praya, the Infernal unfortunately fell into the hands of the enemy*. * (Commodore Johndtone with a nquadron, consisting of a 74, a 64, and three 50^gun ships, with three frigates and eight smaller vessels, having under his protection ten outward bound Indiameo. on board of which were em> / 1 >' i «t »* Wh' SiR HKNRY D'£ Captain Wells was appointed to the Lan- caster, 64, stationed in the North Sea, under the orders of the late gallant Lord Duncan j and on the memorable 11th October, in the same year, he most powerfully contributed to the defeat of the Dutch fleet, under Admiral de Winter*. The Lancaster, on that occasion, had 3 men killed and 18 wounded j and Captain Wells, for his meritorious conduct, was honoured with a gold medal. He afterwards walked in the procession to St. Paid's, when their late Majesties, &c. went to the metropolitan church to deposit the various colours taken from the enemy during the war f. He con- tinued to command the Lancaster till the month of May 1799, since which time, we believe, he has not been employed. His promotions as a flag-officer took place in the following order : — Rear- Admiral of the Blue, Nov. 9, 1805 ; Vice- Admiral, July 31, 1810; and Admiral, July 19, 1821. He was nominated an extra K. C. B. May 20, 1820 %. Hn»^ f>^^ Sir John Wells married, April 29, 1815, Miss Jane Dealty, r A^r;/^ of Rottingdean, Sussex. • See p. 150. f Se« p. 62. J Sec note §, at p. 1)6. [U t 280 ADMIRALS OF TyK BLUK. SIR GEORGE MARTIN, j4(/mmd of the Blue: fi'niifht Grand Cross of the most honourable Mili- tary Order of the Bath ; Knight of the Neapolitan Order of St. Janu- arius* ; and a rice- President of the Naval Charitable Society. We find no mention of this officer previous to the conclu- sion of the American war, when he commanded the Tobago sloop, on the Jamaica station. His promotion to the rank of Post-Captain took place March 17, 1783* From the period of the Spanish armament in 1790, to the commencement of hostilities against the French republic in 1793, he command- ed the Porcupine, of 24 guns, on Channel service, and from that vessel removed to the Magicienne frigate, ia which he proceeded to the West Indies, where he continued about two years. Soon after his return to England Captain Martin was appointed to the Irresistible, of 74 guns, and was present in that ship at the defeat of the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vin- cent, Feb. 14, 1797 t, on which occasion she sustained a loss of 5 men killed and 14 wounded. On the 26th April, in the same year, the Irresistible, in com- pany with the Emerald frigate, attacked two Spanish frigates which had anchored in Conil Bay, near Cape Trafalgar, and obliged them to surrender. They proved to be the Elena and Nirafa, of 36 guns and 320 men each. The former, after she had stnick, cut her cable and ran ashore; Captain Martin, however, got her off, but so materially damaged that she could not be kept a-float, and was consequently destroyed. The enemy's vessels were from the Havannah bound to Cadiz. They had about 50 men killed and wounded, the British only two. Captain Martin's next appointment was to the Northum- berland, a 74 of the largest class, in which, after serving for • In 1799, St. Januarius was convicted of Jacobinism ; solemnly re- moved from his rank as patron saint of the Neapolitan kingdom ; and hi. Antonio as solemnly installed in his place. Quare, At what period was the former restored to favor? t See p. 21, et seq. SIR OEOIIGK MARTIN. 281 some time off Brest, he again proceeded to the Mediterranean station, and on the l()th Feb. 1800, assisted at the capture of le Genereux, of 74 guns, by the squadron under the orders of Lord Nelson *. In the month of May following, Captain Martui succeeded to the command of the force employed in the blockade of Malta, which he conducted with the greatest perseverance and success until September 5, when the garrison of la Valette surrendered by capitulation. The following ships of war, &c. were found in the harbour : rAthenien and le Dego, of 64 guns each ; la Cartaginoise frigate j the two latter not in a state to proceed to sea ; several gun-boats, and six merchant vessels f. We next find our officer accompanying the expedition sent against the French in Egypt, under the orders of Lord Keith and Sir Ralph Abercromby; and it appears by the official return of casualties at the landing of the army in Aboukir Bay X, and during the subsequent operations, that the Northumberland sustained a full proportion. She returned to England, and was put out of commission in the autumn of 1802. On the renewal of the war in 1803, Captain Martin ob- tained the command of the Colossus, J4 ; and subsequently IH'. 1 1 '-k * See Rear-Admiral Sni Edward Berry. f Tlie capture of the island of Malta will stand on the page of history as a most incontrovertible proof of the consequence of the British Navy, as well as of the unremitting assiduity of its commanders. Uaassallable with any prospect of success, on account of its natural and artificial strength, the fortifications of Valette, which had bid defiance to the assaults of the most powerful armaments, scowled defiance on the usual methods of siege. To have proceeded according to the accustomed mode of attack, would have caused only the needless sacrifice of the lives of thousands, without materially advancing or furthering the wishes of the assailants. A more sure, but infinitely more tedious method, was prudently resolved on ; and a determinate perseverance effected that purpose which the utmost effort of human gallantry might probably have been unable to attain. When the labour, the difficulty, and the manifold impediments which naturally oppose the blockade of a port in a far distant quarter of the world, in defi- ance of au enemy, assiduous, enterprizing, brave, and anxious in the extreme to render the project abortive, are considered, the success which attended it cannot fail to reflect the highest honour on those who undertook the arduous task. X See p. 259. P ff'ii m\ ADMIRALS OF THE BLUE. the Barfleur, a second rate, in which latter ship he joined the Channel fleet under Admiral Cornwallis, and was present in the skirmish between Sir Robert Calder and Admiral Ville- neuve, July 22, 1805 *. The Barfleur on this occasion had 3 men killed, and 7 wounded. At the general promotion, November 9, in the same year. Captain Martin was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, and soon after hoisted his flag as second in command at Portsmouth during the absence of Sir Isaac Coffin on Admi- ralty leave. In 1807 vve find him serving off Cadiz, and afterwards commanding the naval force employed in protect- ing Sicily from the hostile designs of the French, and co- operating with the Anglo-Sicilian army on the coast of Calabria. In the autumn of 1809, he proceeded down the Mediterranean, and joined the fleet under Lord CoUingwood engaged in the blockade of Toulon. The Commander-in-Chief having received intelligence that it was the enemy's intention to relieve the garrison of Bar- celona, took a station off Cape St. Sebastian, for the purpose of interceptli.g their fleet should they attempt to do so. On the night of the 22d October, he was joined by Captain BaiTie, of the Pomone, who informed him that the day before several of the enemy's squadron had put to sea from Toulon, that others were coming out when he left them, and that there was every appearance of the whole being on the move. On the following' morning, one of the advanced frigates made the signal for a fleet to the eastward j and at ten o'clock, the Pomone gave information that the enemy had hauled to the wind, and the transports separated from the ships of war. Lord CoUingwood thereupon ordered Rear-Admiral Martin to chase them with eight of the best sailing ships, two of which parted company in consequence of a shift of wind, during the ensuing night. In the evening of the following day, the Rear-Admiral got sight of four sail, and pursued them till after dark ; when the land near the entrance of the Rhone being directly to leeward^ it became necessary to keep to the wind during the night. On the morning of the 25th, the same ships were again seen and chased between Cette and Frontignan, where they ran * See Vice-Adinlral Charles Stirling. SIR G£ORGE MARTIN. 283 on shore. From the shoal water and intricacy of the naviga- tion, it was impossible to get close enough to the two ships nearest Frontignan, to attack them; for in attempting to do so, part of Rear- Admiral Martin's squadron was in less than six fathoms water. On the 26th, he sent the boats to sound ; meaning, if possible, to buoy the channel (if any had been found) by which the enemy's ships could be attacked ; but at night he had the satisfaction to see them set on fire. They were the Robuste, of 84 guns, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Boudain, and the Leon, a 74. The ship of the line that ran on shore under the protection of the batteries at Cette, was the Boree, also of 74 guns*. The remainder of the French squadron escaped into Marseilles ; but the transports having taken shelter in the bay of Rosas, were attacked and destroyed by a detachment from the fleet under Captain B. Hallowell of the Tigre. The destruction of this convoy proved a severe blow to the enemy, and gave renewed spirit to the exertions of the Spanish patriots. Subsequent to the above event, the subject of this memoir returned to his station at Sicily, where he continued until the latter end of 1810, when he resigned his command and came to England. He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on the 31st July, in the same year ; and during the latter part of the Peninsular war commanded the naval force employed at Lisbon. In the summer of 1814, when his present Majesty visited the fleet at Spithead, the Vice-Admiral received the honor of knighthood ; and, on the 2d Jan. 1815, he was no- minated a K. C. B. The Grand Cross of that Order, vacant by the death of Sir George Campbell, was conferred upon him, Feb. 20, 1821 ; and on the 2lHt July following he was made a fiill Admiral of the Blue. Sir George Martin married, Ist, in April 1804, Miss Harriet Bentinck, a lady of considerable property, sister to Governor Bentinck, and the Rear- Admiral of that name ; she died at Hampton Court, Oct. 15, 1806 ; 2dly, June 2, 1815, Miss Lock, daughter of the late Jjock, of Norbury Park,£sq. Residence. — 8, Hertford-street, May-fair, Jjondon. * Tbf niune of the frigate it not known. !^fy ':: :8»i ■ V^ < li f hi 284 ADMIRALS OF THK BLUE. SIR RICHARD JOHN STRACHAN, Baronet; Admiral of the Blue; Knight Grand Cross of the most honour' hie Military Order of the Bath. The surname of Strachan, which in the successive changes of orthogi'aphy appears Strathechyn, Strathaquin, Straquhen, and otherwise, is local, there being a parish so called in the north of Scotland. Nisbet affirms, that the district was an- ciently erected into a county palatine, as he finds a Walterus, Comes Palatinus de Strachan, and considers it the only in- stance known in the kingdom. The family is traced by au- thentic documents from a period of high antiquity. The subject of this memoir is the eldest son of Lieutenant Patrick Strachan, R. N., by the daughter of Captain Pitman of the same service, and nephew of Captain Sir John Stra- chan, the fifth Baronet of that name, to whose title he suc- ceeded Dec. 28, 1777* "^ii' Richard was born in Devonshire, Oct. 27, I76O ; and, like his father and uncle, entered early into the naval service. His first promotion was into the Actseon, one of the old 44*8 upon two decks ; he then became third Lieutenant of the Hero, 74, one of Commodore John- stone's squadron in the affair at Porto Praya * ; and after- wards first of the Magnanime of 64 guns, from which ship he was removed into the Superb, 74, bearing the flag of Sir Ed- ward Hughes, by whom he was made a Commander in the Lizard cutter, at Bombay, in 1782 ; and further promoted to the Naiade frigate, captured from the French by the Sceptre. His iK)st commission bears date April 26, 1783. After the termination of the American war, our officer ob- tained the command of the Vestal, of 28 guns, and was or- dered to convey the brother of the present Lord Cathcart on an embassy to the Emperor of China. The Ambassador was in a bad state of health when he embarked at Portsmouth, and continued to grow worse daily until the ship's arrival in the Straits of Banca, when he died. Sir Richard aftcrwiu-ds car■^ ried General Meadows to his government at Bouibay ; and during his continuance in tiic East Indies, distinguished liim- • See n- 2<)r', I't orq. Ph( SIR RICHARD JOHN STRACHAN, BART. 285 self on several occasions in supporting the British commer- cial rights, which would otherwise have been injured by inter- lopers unde?' neutral colours, countenanced by some French frigates, as well as by the Governors of the garrisons belong- ing to that nation. In the month of Nov. 1791, whilst cruizing off the Malabar coast, in the Phoenix frigate, he fell in with la Resolu, of 46 guns, convoying two country coasting vessels to Manga- lore, (the principal sea-port of Tippoo Saib) supposed to be laden with stores and provisions for that chieftain, with whom we were then at war. Finding that Sir Richard Strachan was determined to examine these vessels, the French Captain thought proper to object ; and an action commenced, which was maintained with great obstinacy on both sides, until the Phoenix had C men killed and 1 1 wounded, and la Resolu 25 killed and 40 wounded. The Frenchman now struck his co- lours, and Sir Richard performed his first intentions of ex- amining the vessels, which however, on being searched, did not justify any further detention. The Commander of la Resolu insisted on his ship being taken possession of as a prize, which Sir Richard with great propriety refused : but he towed her into Tellicherry Roads, from whence she was af- terwards sent to the French settlement at Mahe. Tlie right of searching neutral vessels, which has always been looked upon as intimately connected with our maritime welfare, was on this occasion exercised with as much conci- liation and attention to forms, as it was opposed with violence and rashness, and afterwards acknowledged to be unjusfffiable by the French Government. The Commander of the French squadron, Mona. St. Felix, shortly after arrived, and a cor- respondence took place between him and Commodore Corn- wallis, which seemed likely to be productive of serious conse- quences, as he threatened resistance if any vessels under his protection were attempted to be stopped ; his letters were answered with temper and firmness, for the Commodore was not a man likely to be deterred from doing his duty by threats. There was, however, no trial nuide on the part of the French, although the Cybele and Resolu got under weigh and went to sea ; they were attended by the Pha'nix and Minerva, who cruised with them several days, and brought-to vessels under / 286 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUE. French colours without interruption from them ; M. St. Felix despatched the Resolu on other service, and the PhoRnix was also then sent away ; the remaining English and French fri- gates cruized together some days longer, without any thing of importance occurring. Sir Richard Strachan returned to England soon after this event ; and on the breaking out of the war with the French republic, was appointed to the command of la Concorde, of 42 guns and 257 men, in which ship he joined a squadron of frigates employed on the coast, of France under the orders of Sir John Borlase Warren *. At day-break on the morning of April 23, 1794, this squadron, consisting of the Flora, Are- thusa, Concorde, Melampus, and Nymphe, being to the west- ward of GuL'nisey, discovered four French ships standing out to sea, one of which was la Resolu, Sir Richard Strachan's former antagonist. Commodore Warren, fearing that the enemy would attempt to escape into port, made the signal for his squadron to engage as they came up, and by his mea iS cut them off from their own shore. The battle was main- tained on both sides with great resolution for three hours, when la Pomonc and la Babet struck to the Flora and Are- thusaf. La Concorde continued to pursue the others ; and at length got near enough to receive and return their fire. It was Sir Richard Strachan's intentions to endeavour to disable the stermnost of the enemy's ships, leaving her to be picked up by the Melampus and Nymphe, which were also in pursuit, and to push on for the headmost ; but this ship bore down, and closed to support her consort, at the same time raking la Concorde with great effect. Sir Richard Strachan continued to engage them both with much gallantry ; but finding that the day was far advanced, and little prospect of being assisted by the other British frigates, which rather dropped a-stern, and his main top-mast being so badly wounded that he expected it would fall over the side, by which accident the enemy might have escaped ; he came to the resolution to secure that ship which was the nearest to him ; and by a skilful manoeuvre hav- * Sir John Borlase Warren died at Greenwich in Feb. 1822. A memoir of this distinguished officer will be found in the Agnual Biography ar'^ Obituary for 1823. t^e«p.213 SIR RICHARD JOHN STRACHAN, BART. '2'&7 ing changed sides in the smoke, he prevented the other either froni annoying him, or giving assistance to his friend. They continued in close action from twelve till a quarter before two, when the Frenchman ceased firing, and hailed that he had surrendered. The prize proved to be I'Engageante, of 38 guns and 300 men, between 30 and 4() of whom were killed and wounded. La Concorde had but one man killed and 12 wounded. The other frigate, la Resolue, after firing a few shot, made sail and got off. In the evening the masts of I'En- gageante fell ovi^rboard, and it was with some difficulty and great exertions that la Concorde's were prevented from sharing the same fate. Soon after this event, Sir Richard Strachan obtained the command of the Melampus of 42 guns ; and his enterpris- ing character being duly appreciated, he was selected for a separate command on the coast of France, where he was aided by the gallantry and skill of Sir W. Sidney Smith. On the 9th May, 1795} being at anchor in Gourville Bay in the island of Jersey, he discovered thirteen sail of the enemy's vessels ruiming along shore. The British squadron immediately weighed, and chaced them under a small battery, which was soon silenced, and twelve of the vessels, abandoned by their crews, taken possession of. The other escaped round Cape Cartaret. They consisted of ten transports, laden with ship- timber, powder, cannon, cordage, and other articles of naval stores, escorted by an armed brig and lugger. In performing this service, the Melampus had 8 men wounded ; the loss on board the other ships of the squadron amounted to 2 killed and 9 wounded. On the 3d July following, the Melampus, in company with the Hebe, captured off St. Maloes, six out of thirteen French vessels, laden with military stores, convoyed by a ship of 26 guns, two brigs, and a lugger ; one of the brigs, la Vesuve, of four 24-pounder8 and 60 men, was also taken. In 1796, when Sir W. Sidney Smith was taken prisoner in a vessel captured by the boats of the Diamond, Sir Richard Strachan succeeded him in the command of that fine frigate, and continued in her until the month of February, 1799*, * The fullowiiig were among the captures made hy the Diainuud during the timo ihc was commanded by Sir Richard Strackau : ■!' 288 ADMIRALS OF THK BLUE. iST when he was appointed to the Captain, of 74 gwns, in which ship he assisted at the capture of a French squadron in the Mediterranean *, and served during the expeditions against Quiberon and Ferrol, in the summer and autumn of 1800 f. He was afterwfirds employed in the command of a small squadron, cruizing off the western coast of France, where he distinguished himself by his assiduity and perseverance in annoying the enemy's trade, cutting off the supplies intended for the Brest fleet, and keeping their small armed vessels in check. During the temporary suspension of hostilities that followed the treaty of Amiens, the subject of this memoir commanded the Donegal of 80 guns ; and on the renewal of the war, he was employed off Cadiz, watching the motions of the French ships in that port. On the 25th Nov. 1804, he captured the Amphitrite, Spanish frigate of 44 guns, from Cadiz, with des- patches and stores, bound to Teneriffe and the Havannah. The Donegal chaced the Amphitrite for several hours, some- times gaining upon lier, and sometimes losing, till at length the latter carried away her mizen top- mast, and was over- taken. Sir Richard Strachan then acquainted the Spanish Captain, that, in compliance with the orders he had received from his Admiral, he was under the necessity of conducting the Amphitrite back again to Cadiz, and he allowed him three minutes to determine whether he would comply without com- pelling him to have recourse to force. After waiting six minutes in vain for a favourable answer. Sir Richard gave or- ders to fire, which was immediately answered with a broad- side. An engagement ensued, which lasted about eight minutes, when .the Amphitrite struck her colours. During this short action the Spanish Commander was killed by a musket ball. The Donegal, about the same time, captured another Spanish ship, with a cargo worth 200,000/. In the month of March following, Sir Richard's affairs requiring him L'Amaranthe, French corvette, 14 guns i j^ .-o- L'Esperance, brig privateer J } 17^.-. L'Esperance, cutter privateer Unknown, armed lugger destroyed Gun boat, destroyed, 1 7.'^8. prece andei the ei with the See p. 267. t See p. 2i>0. SIR RICHARD JOHN STRACHAN, BART. 289 in England, he exchanged into the Renown, that ship being ordered home, in consequence of her bad condition. About the month of July, 1805, our officer, who had been nominated a Colonel of Royal Marines in the spring of the preceding year, was appointed to the Csesar, of 80 guns, and entrusted with the command of a detached squadron. On the evening of the 2d November, being off Ferrol, he fell in with four French line-of-battle ships, that had escaped from the battle of Trafalgar, and immediately bore away for the purpose of bringing them to action ; but it was not before day-light on the 4th, that the lidvanced frigates of the British squadron could arrive within gun-shot. A little before noon, the French, finding an action unavoid- able, began to take in their small sails, and form in a line on the starboard tack. At noon the battle began, and continued till half-past three, when the enemy's ships being no longer manageable, struck their colours, and proved to be the For- midable, of 80 guns, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Du- manoir le Pelley ; the Duguay-Trouin, Mont Blanc, and Sci- pion, of 74 guns each. The British squadron consisted, be- sides the Csesar, of the Hero, Namur, and Courageux, 74*8 ; and the Santa Margaritta, Phoenix, Revolutionnaire, and i£olus, frigates, the whole of whom came into action. The loss sustained by the enemy was immense ; the Mont Blanc alone hud 159 killed and wounded, the Scipion 111. M. Du- manoir le Pelley was wounded, and Captain Trufflet, of the Duguay-Trouin, slain. The English had only 24 killed and 111 wounded j among the latter were Lieutenants Skekel, Clephane, and Osborne ; and Captain Clements of the Royal Marines. Five days after the above action, Sir Richard Strachan was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral ; and on the 29th Jan. 1806, his late Majesty, as a reward for his services, was pleased to confer upon him the dignity of a K. B. About the same time he received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, and was soon after detached, with his flag on board the Csesar, to the coast of America, in pursuit of a French squa- dron, commanded by Admiral Villaumez, one of whose ships, the Castor, of 74 guns, foundered in a hurricane ; and another, ITmpetueux, of the same force, was driven on short VOL. i. c .L ' 290 ADMIRALS or TUB BLUE. near the Chesapeake, where she was afterwards destroyed by the British. On his return from the above service. Sir Richard was em- ployed in the blockade of Rochefort, until the summer of 1809, when he assumed the command of the naval part of the ex- pedition destined for the occupation of Flushing, and the des- truction of the French ships of war, arsenals, &c. in the Scheldt. This armament consisted of thirty-seven sail of the line, two ships of 50 guns, three of 44, twenty-four frigates, thirty-one sloops, and five bombs, besides gun-boats and other small craft, together with 40,000 troops, under the orders of the Earl of Chatham. On the 28th and 29th July, the ships of war and transports sailed in two divisions ; and a landing having been effected in the islands of Walcheren and South Beveland, Flushing was immediately invested. On the 13th Aug. the batteries were completed, and the frigates and small vessels having taken their stations, the bombardment commenced. The next day, the line-of-battle ships cannonaded the to\ni for some hours ; the enemy's fire ceased, and on the 15th they demanded a suspension of arms, which was succeeded by the surrender of the garrison, 6000 strong. In the mean time a very numerous French army assembled in the neighbourhood of Antwerp, the forts in the Scheldt were well manned, and every prepa- ration wai made for defending the passage of the river, and for conveying the ships so high up as to be beyond the reach of either naval or military operations. All idea of pushing up the Scheldt being necessarily aban- doned. Lord Chatham, with the greater part of the troops, re- turned to England on the 1 4th Sept. ; and a distemper having broken out among those who remained, which carried off from 200 to 300 men per week, it was determined to evacuate the island of Walcheren, which was carried into effect, after demolishing the works and basin of Flushing, on the 23rd of December. On the 3d July, 1810, Sir Richard Strachan was presented with a sword, and the freedom of the city of London, which had been voted to him for his achievement off Ferrol, in 1805. He was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral on the 31st of the same month, and became a full Admiral, July 19, 1821 . SIR RICHARD JOHN STRACHAN, liART. 291 Our officer married, in 1812, Miss Louisa Dillon, by whom he has issue. Country seat — ^Thornton, Kincardineshire. SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH, Admiral of the Blue ; Knight Commander of the most honourable Mili- tary Order of the Bath ; Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Swedish Order of the Sword ; of the Portugueze Order of the Toicer and Sword, and of (he NeapoUtnn Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit ; Knight of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent ; Doctor of the Civil Law : Master of Arts ,- and Fellow of the liot/al Society. Althoitgh the undoubted correct spelling of this officer's family name be Smythe, he being a collateral relative of the late Lord Chief Baron, Sir Sidney Stafford Smythe, and of Smythe Lord Viscount Strangford (all descendants of Cus- tomer Smythe, temp. Queen Elizabeth) j yet as his official signature has ever been Smith, it seems more convenient and suittvble to use this latter spelling throughout the following memoir. Upon a large gravestone amongst the pavement in the nave of the church at New Shoreham, is the following epitaph to the memory of Sir Sidney's great grandfather : " Here lieth the body of Captain Cornelius Smith, of Dover, ivho served his Kingf Country, and Friend, Faithful and honourable : he was an indulgent husband, a kind fat her, and friendly to his acquaintance. Who dy'd much lamented the 26M of October, 1727, aged 66 years." This Cornelius Smith was the father of Captain Edward Smith, of the Burford, who was mortally wounded at the attack of la Guira, Feb. 19, 1743 ; and grandfather of General Edward Smith, Colonel of the 43d regiment, and Governor of Fort Charles, Jamaica, who served with Wolfe at the reduc* tion of Quebec, and died at Bath on the 19th Jan. 1809. The subject of this memoir is a son of Captain Smith, a brother of the last mentioned gentleman, (who during the early part of the war of 17^6, served as Aide-de-camp to the u 2 ■ .1: .. 'i IS, ^h: : I il t'. 292 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUE. •1 in Lord George Sackville, and afterwards held an royal household,) by Mary, daughter of Pinkney Wilkinson, Esq., an opulent merchant. The union between Sir Sidney's father and mother, which took place in 1760, being eflfected without the consent of Mr. Wilkinson, the great property left by that gentleman devolved on his other daughter. Lady Camelford. Captain Smith's sons being withdrawn from their maternal grandfather's protection pre- vious to his death, he cancelled a codicil to his will, by which he had made some provision for them. Our officer was bom about the year 1/64, and commenced his maritime career in 1777- After serving as Midshipman in the Sandwich, and Greyhound, he was appointed Lieutenant of the Alcide, 74, Captain C. Thompson ; in which ship he was present in Admiral Graves's action oft' the Chesapeake, Sept. 5, 1781 * ; and in the diiferent skirmishes between Sir Samuel Hood and the Count de Grasse, at St. Christophers f. He also particiated in Sir George B. Rodney '; victory, April 12, 1782 X ', subsequent to which glorious event ht was madeaCom- mander, in the Fury sloop. His post commission bears date May 7> 1783. Soon after this latter promotion, Captain Smith returned to England in the Nemesis, of 28 guns ; 'and it being a period of profound peace his ship was paid oiT imme- diately on her arrival. In 1788, upon the appearanc - of a rupture between Sweden and Russia, our officer entered into the service of the former power, and served with great credit until the peace of Reichen- back, when he was complimented by King Gustavus with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword, on account of his judicious advice and distinguished bravery in several encoun • ters with the fleet of the Empress Catharine §. He had the * See p. 133. f See Retired Captain, John N. Inglefield. X See p. 36, (ft teq. § On the 3(1 and 4th June, 17^0, two desperate battles were fought be- tween the belligerent fleets in the Gulf of Wibourg*, in which the Swedes lost seven ships of the line, three frigates, six gallics, and about sixty smaller vessels. The Russians also suffered severely. The slaughter was particularly fatal to the English officers in that service ; Captains Dawson and Treveneu were killed ; Captain Marshall also lost his life on the same ocsasion ; being mortally wounded, his ship sunk under him, and w«nt SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY «M ^ 293 additional honour of receiving the insignii )f ht knigl "^hood from his own sovereign at St. James's. When the war with France broke out, in i793, Sir \ . Sid- ney Smith was employed as a volunteer in the lurkish marine, and chanced to be at Smyrna, where there were col- lected at the same time a number of English seamen out oi employ. Being intent on returning home himself in obedience to the customary notice from the Admiralty, he bethought himself of these men, as likely to be lost to their country at such a critical time, and with equal patriotism and humanity determined to restore them to her service. He accordingly, at his own risk, purchased one of the lateen rigged small craft of the Archipelago, and fitted her out under the English flag, and the name of the Swallow Tender. In this diminutive man of war, of between thirty and forty feet keel, he shipped himself, with about as many turbulent fellows, and sailed down the Mediterranean in search of the British fleet, which he found at Toulon about a fortnight before the evacuation of that place. Our officer here delivered up his troublesome charge to the Commander-in-Chief, and was waiting for a passage to England, as a guest with Lord Hood, on board the Victory, at the time it became necessary to decide upon the fate of the French ships and arsenal, and when the extri- cation of the allied army was the principal object of solicitude. Ui ■*',:.i * ' •■ > down colours flying. Captains Aikin and Miller were also desperately wounded. Another action took place on the 9th July, in which the King of Sweden commanded in person on one side, and the famous Prince of Nassau on the other. It began at 9^ 3(/ A. M., and lasted twenty-four hours, with the intermission of a very short period about midnight, when darkness imposed a temporary armistice. The Russians were now in their turn defeated, with the loss of five frigates, fifteen gallies, two floating bat- teries, twenty-one other vessels, a great quantity of stores, and about 4,5U0 men made prisoners. On this occasion an English ofHcer of the name of Dennison commanded the Venus frigate, and was very near taking the King of Sweden himself, as he captured the galley in which that mo- narch had embarked, and which his Majesty only left at the suggestion of Captain Smith, who said he was sure, from the gallant seaman-like style in which she bore down to the attack, that the Venus was commanded by an Englishman, and that the King would do well to avoid the consequence ; upon which they both took boat and went on board another vessel. Cn\u tain Dennison was killed on the same day. •■ j;i mm 294 ADMIRALS OF THE BLU£. i' - '■-■ ■ J I if and absorbed almost the whole naval means of the combined squadrons. It was at this anxious moment he volunteered his services to burn the French fleet, magazines, &c., a service generally considered as impracticable, with the slender means by which it was to be attempted, but which he executed in a manner that justified his appointment to so arduous a task : ten ships of the line, and several frigates in the arsenal and inner harbour, with the mast-house, great store- house, hemp- house, and other buildings, being completely destroyed. Sir W. Sidney Smith, and the officers immediately under his orders, surrounded by a tremendous conflagration, had nearly completed the hazardous services assigned to them, when the loud shouts, and the republican songs of the ap- proaching enemy, were heard at intervals amid the bursting of shells and firing of musketry. In addition to the horror of such a scene, and which, for some minutes, had the good effect of checking the career, and arresting in awful contem- plation the mind of a vindictive enemy, the dreadful explosion of many thousand barrels of gunpowder on board the Iris frigate, iij the Inner Road, will ever be remembered by those who were witnesses of the scene. The concussion it pro- duced shook the houses in Toulon like an earthquake, and occasioned the sudden crash of every window in them j whilst the scattered fragments of burning timber, which had been blown up, descending with considerable force, threatened the destruction of all the officers and men who were near the spot. Fortunately, however, only three of the party lost their lives on the occasion. This powder-^hip had been set on fire by the Spaniards, instead of scuttling and sinking her, as had been previously concerted. Sir W. Sidney Smith having completed the destruction of every thing within his reach, to his astonishment first discovered that our perfidious allies had not set fire to any of the ships in the basin before the town ; he therefore hastened thither "vvith the boats under his command, for the purpose of endeavouring to counteract the treachery of the Spaniards ; when lo ! to his great mortifica- tion, he found the boom at the entrance laid across, and was obliged to desist in his attempts to cut it, from the repeated Tollies of musketry directed to^^ards his boats from the flag- ship, and the wall of the Batter^iRoyale. He therefore pro- SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 296 ceeded to burn the Heros and Th^mistocle^ prigon-ships, in the Inner Road, which he effected, after disembarking all the captives. This service was scarcely performed, when the explosion of the Montreal, another powder-ship, took place, by means equally unsuspected and base, with a shock even greater than the first; but the lives of Sir W. Sidney Smith, and the gallant men who served under him, were providen- tially saved from the imminent danger in which they were th» s a second time placed. Our officer returned to England with Lord Hood's des- patches relative to the evacuation of Toulon, and early in 1794, he was appointed to the command of the Diamond frigate, in which he gave repeated proofs of his zeal and ability. On the 2d Jan. 1795, Sir John Borlase Warren sailed from Falmouth with a squadron of frigates, to reconnoitre Brest, Government having received accounts that the French fleet under Admiral Villaret de Joveuse had sailed on a cruise. Sir W. Sidney Smith, in the Diamond, was commissioned by the Commodore to execute this hazardous enterprise ; which he performed with great intrepidity in the evening of the 3d, in the night, and following morning. In returning out he passed within hail of a French line-of-battle ship, without suspicion of deception, so completely had he disguised his frigate. Having satisfied himself that the enemy's fleet was actually at sea, he then successfully made ofl^, and rejoined the squadron. In the month of May following, our officer assisted at the capture of a convoy of transports * ; and on the 4th July, in the same year, he distinguished himself exceedingly in a bold but ineffe-^tual attempt on two French ships, having under their protection a number of merchant vessels, near the batteries of la Hogue. On this occasion the Diamond had 1 man killed and 2 wounded. About the same time her boati took possession of the islands of St. Mfu'cou, (situated about four miles from the coast of Normandy) from whence a com« munication was afterwards established with the French roy- alists. ./^ • See p. 287. mm 1 •r 296 ADMIRALS OF TM£ BLUE. In the ensuing autumn, Sir W. Sidney Smitli fell in with TAssemblee Nationale, of 22 guns, which endeavoured to elude his pursuit in the labjrinth of rocks before Treguier ; but the attempt proved fatal to her, for she struck on the Roen- na, and soon after filling, fell over. The Diamond's boats were immediately sent to the relief of the crew. Her own boats, which were towing her, saved as many as they could contain ; those of the English however, were not able to preserve more than nine in addition to the former. According to the account of the survivors, about twenty pe- rished, exclusive of the Captain, who was washed off the wreck a few minutes before the British could get alongside. The swell was so great that the vessel went to pieces very soon after, and the Diamond was obliged to anchor, to avoid a similar fate. On the 17th March, 1/96, our officer having received infor- mation that a convoy, consisting of a corvette, four brigs, two sloops, and three luggers, had taken shelter in the small port of Herqui, near Cape Fr^hel, proceeded thither with the Diamond, Liberty brig, and Aristocrat lugger. Notwithstanding the channel was narrow and intricate, he stood in and attacked the enemy's batteries, which were most gallantly stormed and carried by a party of seamen and marines, under Lieutenant Pine of the Diamond, and Lieutenant Carter of the latter corps, both of whom were badly wounded, the latter mor- tally . The French vessels were all burnt with the excep- tion of one of the luggers, which kept up her fire to the last. The corvette was TEtourdie, of 16 guns. In this attack 2 seamen were killed and 5 wounded, exclusive of the be- fore mentioned officers. On the 18th of the following month, the indefatigable com- mander of the Diamond had the misfortune to fall into the hands of the enemy. Being on a reconnoitring expedition off Havre with the boats of his frigate, he captured a French lugger privateer, which by the strong setting of the tide into the harbour, was driven a considerable way up the Seine, above the forts. In this situation he remained the whole night ; and the dawn of day discovering to the enemy the lugger in tow of a string of English boats, a signal of alarm was instantly given. Several gun-boats and other armed SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 297 vessels attacked the prize and the boats ; and another lugger of superior force was warped out against that which he had captured. By this vessel he was engaged for a considerable time, with so much heavier metal as to render all resistance unavailing ; and he had the mortification, having four men killed and seven wounded, of being obliged to suiTender him- self a prisoner of war, with about nineteen of his companions. The French Directory thought proper to deviate, in respect to him, from that established system which directs the ex- change of prisoners, and confined him in the Tower of the Temple, at Paris, where he remained during a period of two years. Sir W. Sidney Smith finding that neither entreaty nor re- monstrance, neither argument nor solicitation, could prevail with those rigid and inflexible revolutionists, who then held the reins of government, and who added insult to the suffer- ings they imposed upon him, by offering a release on terms to which they could not expect an assent — terms which, as a precedent, would soon have rendered nugatory the capture of French prisoners, formed a scheme, and procured friends to aid in the execution of it, by which he eventually obtained hia liberty. Tlie e»'terprise and its success are too generally known to need a more particular relation here * ; we shall therefore content ourselves with observing, that on his return to England, in May, 1/98, he was welcomed by the general congratulation of the people. His arrival was considered as a miracle, which few who heard of it knew how to believe. His Sovereign received him with the warmest affection, and afforded him every mark of attention, not only by his beha- viour at his public presentation, but by honouring him with an immediate and private interview at Buckingham House f. * Of our officer's lonfif impriflonmciit, and the mcaiiii by which he effected his escape, an interesting account will be found in the Naval Chronicle, v. 4, p. 469, (?/ *^7.,' and in Schoinberg's Naval Chronology, V. 3, pp. UK) and 107, inclusive. t WhilstSirW.S. Smith was acaptive in the Temple, Mrs. Cosway, who afterwards published " ITie Siege of Acre," a Poem, in fiuir books, «)n- trived to obtain a sight of him, either from a window, or by some other means, and made a sketch of him as he 8at by the bars of his prison. The head is a profile, and bean some resemblance to its original; but the features art of too haggard a contour to be acknowledged as an accurato [>tl 298 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUE. \:i In the official preparations at London, during the following autumn, for the conclusion of a treaty of defensive alliance between Great Britain and Turkey, the British government resolved to confer a ministerial character upon the naval officer destined to the difficult task of association with Turk- ish fleets and armies ; and he was accordingly included in the special full-power, despatched to the British minister then residing at Constantinople, as joint plenipotentiary. The officer so selected was Sir \V. Sidney Smith, then recently appointed to the command of le Tigre, an 80-gim ship, in which he sailed from Portsmouth on the 29th Oct. in the * same year On the Ilth of the preceding month, the new political system of the Porte was completely developed by a general measure of reprisal against the persons and property of the French throughout the Turkish dominions, and by the ful- mination of a manifesto, couched in terms of extraordinary energy, against the Parisian government. During the interval between the defeat of the French fleet in Aboukir Bay t> and the arrival of Sir W. Sidney Smith on the Syrian coast. General Buonaparte had achieved the entire conquest of Egypt ; intro- duced a colonial organization into that extraordinary country, with his peculiar talent and promptitude in administration ; and was preparing to conduct his army into the contiguous pro- vinces of the east, thereby threatening at one and the same time the subjugation of the rest of the Turkish possessions in that quarter, and the overthrow of the British establish- ments in India ; to counteract which design called for the greatest exertion on the part of the confederated powers. With this community of interests, preparations were made in Syria under the direction of Dgezzar Pasha, who was to be supported by an army that was to traverse Asia Minor; the employment of which force iji an attack on the frontier of likeness. The extraordinary thinness of the figure may be accounted for, as the elltict of two years continement, during which he was overwhelmed with every indignity that oppression could lay upon the subject of its power. • Sir W. S. Smith's brother was at that time the linglish Knvoy to the Ultuinan Porte. t Set p. 18(». SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 299 Egypt, was to be favored by a powerful diversion towards the mouth of the Nile, and by the operations of a corps under Murad Bey. In the meanwhile, Buonaparte having intelligence that the arrival of Commodore Smith would be the signal for coju- mencing offensive operations, deteimined to destroy the preparations of the Pasha before they could be brouglit into combined action with the other forces. Tlie French army destined for this expedition consisted of 12,895 men. The train of artillerj', which could only be conveyed by sea, was ordered by the republican General to be shii)pe(l at Ah xandria; and Rear- Admiral Perree, with three frigates, were sent to convoy the flotilla, having orders to cruise off Jaffa *. Sir W. Sidney Smith having bevn apprised of the enemy's views, left Constantinople in the Tigre, on the 19th Feb. 1799 ; and after concerting measures with Hassan Bey, the Ottoman Governor of Rhodes, who was an old sea Captain, sailed from that island, and on the 3rd March arrived off Alexandria, where he relieved Captain Troubridge, the senior officer on that station, and despatched his friend and late fellow captive, Lieutenant Wright f, to St. Jean d' Acre, to arrange ulterior measures with the commander of tliat fortress. After bombardhig Alexandria with the hope of arresting the progress of Buonaparte towards Acre, M^hich was not then sufficiently prepared to oppose him, our officer sailed for the latter phrj, where he anchored on the 15th March, and im- mediately proceeded to inspect the fortifications, which he found to be in a very ruinous, dilapidated condition, and almost destitute of artillery. * Jalfa was stormed by the French troops on the Tth March, uud the Turkish garriuou put to the sword. The assault, however, cu^t the enemy about 1200 men. It has been said that Buonaparte, in this expedition into Palestine, had purposed to take possession of Jerusalem, rebuild the Temple, restore the Jews, and thus give the lie to the prophecies of the Divine Founder of the Christian Religion. t Lieutenant Wright, who received a severe wound in the dofence of Acre, was afterwards promoted to the rank of Commander, and died a pri- soner in France, where he had been subjected to a long and rigorous con- finement. It irt generally supposed that he was assassinated by order of Buonaparte. His old friend and commander han, since the peace, caused u handsome monument to be erected at Paris tu his meniorv. 'Hi i! . A 300 ADMIRALS OP THK BLUE. '■Mu hi '\ On the 17th the Commodore went with the Tigre's boats to the anchorage of KhaiflFa, in order to intercept the maritime portion of the French expedition, which he was convinced would soon make its appearance. At ten o'clock the same night he discovered the enemy's advanced guard, mounted on asses and dromedaries, marching by the sea-side ; he imme- diately returned on board, and sent Lieutenant Bushby in a gun-boat, to the mouth of a little river (the brook Kishon of the Scriptures) that flows into the bay of Acre, to guard and defend the ford of the same. At break of day this officer opened a fire on the French, so unexpected and vigorous, that they were soon driven from the shore, and dispersed in confusion on the skirts of Mount Carmel. The main body of the republican army being exposed to a similar attack, ad- vanced by the road of Nazareth ; and after driving in the Turkish out- posts, encamped upon an insulated eminence, skirting the sea in a parallel direction, at the distance of about 1000 toises, and which extending to the northward as far as Cape Blank, commanded to the west a plain of about a league and three quarters in length, terminated by the moun- tains that lie between St. Jean d' Acre and the river Jordan. On the 20th, the trenches were opened at 150 toises from the place, favoured by the gardens, the ditches of the old town, and by an aqueduct that joined to the glacis. The assistance and encouragement afforded by the Com- modore to the Governor of Ace, had operated greatly on his hostile inclinations, and determined him to a vigorous resist- ance. The works had been materially strengthened under the direction of Colonel Phelypeaux *, and Captain Miller f, of * M. Phelypeaux was an officer of the Engineers in the service of Louis XVI. He was a man of talents, and very worthy. Though young, he had been engaged in many extraordinary adventures ; having served in nil the campaigns of the array of Cond6. He commanded in Berri, and escaped death by breaking out of a state prison. He accompanied Sir Sidney to England, at the time he effected his escape from the custody of the Directory, and afterwards to the coast of Syria, where he served as a volunteer. He died at Acre, of a fever, May 2d, 1799. t Captain Ralph Willett Miller was posted in 1796, and commanded the Captain, 74, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Nelson, in the action off Cape St. Vincent, 14th Feb. 1797. He wai afterwards appointed to the I'heseup, 74, which ship he commanded at the battle of the Nile. sill WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 301 the Theseus, had furnished the means to the utmost of his ability. But it is doubtful whether the labours of these officers would have been sufficient to support the Pasha against the attacks of the French, had not the vessels, having on board the greater part of their battering train and ammu- nition, fallen into the hands of the British. The flotilla was doubling Mount Carmel, when it was discovered from the Tigre, pursued, and overtaken. It consisted of a corvette and nine gun-vessels, seven of which, mounting 34 guns, with 238 men, were captured, the corvette having on board Buonaparte's personal property j and the remaining two small vessels escaped. The cannon, platforms, and ammunition, were immediately landed, and the gun-boats manned and em- ployed in molesting the enemy's posts established on the coasts, in order to intercept or harass the communications and the convoys. On the return of Sir W. Sidney Smith, who had been ob- liged during the equinoctial gales to take shelter off Mount Carmel, he found the French had profited by his involuntary absence, to push their approaches to the counterscarp, and even into the ditch of the north-east angle of the town wall, where they were employed in mining the tower, to increase a breach they had already made in it ; and which had been found impracticable when they attempted to storm the place on the 1st April. In this operation they were impeded by the fire from the prize guns, which had been mounted by Captain Wilmot *, of the Alliance, under the direction of Colonel Ph^'lypeaux, and his fire slackened ; but the probable effect of the mine caused serious apprehension, and a sortie was resolved on to stop the enemy's progress there. The After having been three days off Jaffa, whither he was despatched by Sir W. Sidney Smith, the Turkish blue flag was confided to him, an honour never before conferred upon a Christian : it imparts the power of a Pasha over the subjects of the Grand Seignior t- The premature death of this meritorious otlicer, was occasioned by the blowing up of the after part of the Theseus, while lying oft' Jaffa. * Captain Wilmot was shot by a rifleman, on the 8th April, as he was mouutiug a howitzer on the breach. t See p. 314. Itfe. m k^i IM 302 ADMIRALS OK THK BLUE. British seamen and marines were to endeavour to gain pos- session of tiie mine, while the Turkish troops were to assault the French in their trenches on both sides. A surprise was intended, and the sally was made before day-light on the 7th April ; but the plan was rendered abortive by the impetuosity and noise of the Turks. The perseverance of the enemy was maintained under a most destructive fire from the garrison in front, and from the ships and boats in flank ; and their desperation was clearly evident in the repeated attempts they made to mount the breach, under circumstances of such perilous difficulty as excited pity in their British foes, to see such a vain sacrifice of energy and courage. Nine times the enemy had attempted to storm the breach, and on each occasion had been repulsed witli the most determined bravery ; when, on the fifty-first day of the siege, a long ex- pected reinforcement, under Hassan Bey, appeared in sight. The efforts of Buonaparte were now renewed with the most impetuous vigour, to do all that could be done before its junction : the resistance on the part of the besieged was pro- portionally vigorous. All that skill and bravery could effect was unanimously displayed ; but the enemy gained ground, and got possession of the north-cast tower, the upper part of which having been battered down, they ascended on the ruins, and at day-light on the following morning the French standard was displayed on the outer angle of the tower. The fire of the besieged was slackened, and the flanking fire of the Tigre and Theseus rendered ineffectual, the enemy being screened by two traverses erected in tiie night across the ditch, composed of sand-bags and the bodies of the dead. Such was the critical situation of the Turkish garrison and their brave allies, when the abovemcntioned reinforcement ar- rived } the troops were in the boats, but still distant from the shore ; " and an effort," says Sir W. Sidney Smith, " was necessary to preserve the place for a short time till their ar- rival." What this eftbrt was, and the operations immediate- ly subsequent, we shall give in the words of his official report to Lord Nelson :— " I accordingly landed the boats at the Mole, and took the crews up to the breach armed with piki's. Tlie enthusiastic gratitude of the Turks, SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 303 and ar- the was ar- ip to urks. men, women, anJ children, at the sight of such a reinforcement, at such a time, is not to be described. " Many fugitives returned with us to the breach, which we found de- fended by a few brave Turks, whose most destructive missile weapons were heavy stones, which, striking the assailants on the head, overthrew the foremost down the slope, and impeded the progress of the rest. A succession, however, ascended to the assault, the heap of ruins between the two parties serving as a breast work to both ; the muzzles of their muskets touching, and the spear heads of the standards locked. Dgezzar Pasha, hearing the English were on tlie breach, quitted his station, where, accord- ing to the ancient Turkish custom, he was sitting to reward such as should bring him the heads of the enemy, and distributing musket cartridges with his own hands. The energetic old man coming behind us, pulled us down with violence ; saying, if any harm happened to his English friends, all was lost. This amicable contest, as to who should defend the breach, occasi- oned a rush of Turks to the spot ; and thus time was gained for the arrival of the first body of Hassan Bey's troops. I had now to combat the Pasha's repugnance to admitting any troops but his Albanians into the garden of his seraglio, which had become a very important post, as occupying the terreplein of the rampart. There was not above 200 of the original 1000 Albanians left alive. This was no time for debate, and I over-ruled his objections by introducing the Chifflick regiment, of 1000 men, armed with bayonets, disciplined after the European method under Sultan Seliin's own eye, and placed by his Imperial Majesty's express command, at my disposal. The garrison, animated by the appearance of such a reinforce- ment, was now all on foot ; and there being conseqtiently enough to defend the breach, I proposed to the Pasha to get rid of the object of his jealousy, by opening his gates to let them make a sally, and take the assailants in flank : he readily complied, and I gave directions to the Colonel to get pos- session of the enemy's third parallel or nearest trench, and there fortify himself by shifting the parapet outwards. This order being clearly under- stood, the gates were opened, and the Turks rushed out ; but they were not equal to such a movement, and were driven back to the town with lose. Mr. Bray *, however, as uiual, protected the town-gate efficaciously with grape from the sixty-eight pounders. The sortie had this good effect, that it obliged the enemy to expose themselves above their parapets, so that our flanking fires brought down numbers of them, and drew their force from the breach, so that the small number remaining on the lodgment were killed or dispersed by our few remaining hand grenades thrown by Mr. Sa- vage, Midshii-man of the Theseus. The enemy began a new breach by an incessant fire directed to the southward of the lodgment, every shot knock- ing down whole sbeets of a wall, much less solid than that of the tower, on which they had expended so much time and ammunition. The group of generals and aides-de-camp, which the shells from the sixty-eight pounders had frequently dispersed, was now re-assembled on Richard Cmur dc Lion's * Mr. Bray was carpenter of the Tigre, and appears to have been a very supt-rior man in every respect to the generality of warrant olFn-crs. m 304 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUE. mount. Buonaparte was distinguishable in the centre of a senai-circle : his gesticulations indicated a renewal of attack, and his despatching an aide-de- camp, shewed that he waited only for a reinforcement. I gave directions for Hassan Bey's ships to take their station in the shoal water to the south- ward, and made the Ti|fre's signal to weigh, and join the Theseus to the northward. A little before sun-set, a massive column appeared advancing to the breach with a solemn step. The Pasha's idea was not to defend the brink this time, but rather to let a certain number of the enemy in, and then close with them according to the Turkish mode of war. The column thus mounted the breach unmolested, and descended from the rampart into the Pasha's garden, where, in a very few minutes, the bravest and most advanced among them lay headless corpses ; the sabre, with the ad- dition of a dagger in the other hand, proving more than a match for the bayonet. The rest retreated precipitately ; and the commanding ofScer, who was seen manfully encouraging his men to mount the breach, and who we have since learnt to be General Lasue, was earned off, wounded by a musket shot. General Rombaud was killed. Much confusion arose in the town from the actual entry of the enemy, it having been impossible, nay impolitic, to give previous information to every body of the mode of de- fence adopted, lest the enemy should come to a knowledge of it by means of their numerous emissaries. " The English uniform, which had hitherto served as a rallying point for the old garrison, wherever it appeared, was now in the dusk mistdkeu for French, the newly arrived Turks not distinguishing between one hat and another in the croud, and thus many a severe blow of a sabre was parried by our officers, among which Colonel Douglas *, Mr. Ives, and Mr. Jones, had nearly lost their lives, as they were forcing their way through a tor- rent of fugitives. Calm was restored by the Pasha's exertions, aided by Mr. Trotte, just arrived with Hassan Bey ; and thus the contest of twenty- five hours ended, both parties being so fatigued as to be unable to move. " Buonaparte will, no doubt, renew the attack, the breach being, as above described, perfectly practicable for fifty men a-breast ; indeed the town is not, nor ever has been defensible, according to the rules of art, but according to every other rule it must and shall be defended ; not that it is in itself worth defending, but we feel that it is by this breach Buonaparte means to march to farther conquests. It is on the issue of this conflict that depends the opinion of the multitude of spectators on the surrounding hills, who wait only to see how it ends, to join the victors ; and with such a reinforcement for the execution of his known projects, Constantinople, and even Vienna, must feel the shock. " Be assured, my Lord, the magnitude of our obligations does but eu- crease the energy of our efforts in the attempt to discharge our duty ; and though we may, and probably shall be overpowered, I can venture to say that the French army will be so much farther weakened before it prevail'j, as to be little able to profit by its dear bought victory." The general prepoesession of the Syrians, that the French • The late Sir John Douglas, of the Royal Marines. SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 305 armies were irresistible, from the invariable success that had hitherto attended them, had so paralyzed their efforts of resist- ance, that but for the stimulating influence of British courage, none would have been made, and the advance of Buonaparte would, there is reason to believe, have been wholly unimped- ed, wherever his plans of personal aggrandizement and politi- cal resentment might have directed it. Greatly indeed, there- fore, must his irritable temper have been affected by the op- position excited by Sir W. Sidney Smith; and in the fervor of vexation he imposed the most cruel sacrifices on his brave followers, and evinced a determination to extend them to the utmost limits of their endurance. The mind of his gallant antagonist was equally alive to the improvement of his ad- vantage; and supposing the prejudice in some degree removed by the check he had given to the advance of the enemy, he wrote a circular letter to the Princes and Chiefs of Mount Lebanon, and to the Sheikhs of the Druses, in which he ex- horted them to perform their duty, by intercepting the sup- plies of the enemy in their way to the French camp. This wise proceeding had its desired success ; and two ambassadors were sent with information, tliat measures had been in con- sequence taken to cut off the supplies ; and as a proof of it, eighty prisoners who had been captured in the execution of them, were placed at the disposal of the British. «# On the part of the French, to mount the breach at Acre, was now become an object to which all others were to give way ; and accordingly. General Kleber's division was order- ed from the fords of the river Jordan, where it had been suc- cessfully opposed to the army of Damascus, to take its turn in a task which had already occasioned the loss of the flower of the French troops, and above two-thirds of the officers. But on the arrival of this division, it found other employment. In the sally made by the Turkish Chifflik regiment, it had shewn a want of firmness, and was in consequence censur- ed. Soliman Aga, the commandant of that corps, having re- ceived orders from Sir W. Sidney Smith to obtain possession of the enemy's third parallel, availed himself of this opportunity to retrieve the lost honor of his regiment ; and the next night carried his orders into execution with such ardor and resolu- tion, as completely effected his own purpose, and that of thp VOL. I. X til iV- ill"'! ' Fii j ;hls iit ^lY ri& 8{)C ADMIRALS <>K IHK lUAfK. public cause, so far as they w.'ut. Tfie tliird ))urallo! M'a*^ gained ; but in an attempt to do more, by an attack on the second trench, he lost some standards. However, before he retreated, his men succeeded hi spiking four of the enemy's guns. On the arrival, therefore, of Kleber's division, its original destination, to mount the breach, was changed to the business of recoyering these works ; which, after a furious contest of three hours, was accompUshed. The advantage was, however, still on the side of the besieged ; it was, in fact, decisive : for it so damped the zeal of the French troops, that they could not again be brought to the breach. The general character of Buonaparte's conduct during the siege of Acre by the French army, and on its retreat, is thus stated by Sir W. Sidney Smith, officially : — " After this failure, the Frcndi jj^renadiers absolutely refused to mount the breach any more over the putrid Itodies of their unburied companions, sacrificed in former attacks, by Buonaparte's impatience and precipitation, which led him to commit such palpable errors as even seamen could take advantage of. He seemed to have no principle of action but that of press- ing forward j and appeared to stick at nothing to obtain the object of his ambition, although it must be evident to every body else, that even if he had succeeded in taking the town, the fire of the shipping must drive him out of it again in a short time : however, the knowledge the garrison had of the inhuman massacre at Jafth. rendered them desperate in their personal defence. Two attempts to assassinate me in the town having failed, recourse was had to a most flagrant breach of every lavv of honor and of war. A flag of truce was sent into the town by the hand of an Arab Dervise, with a letter to the Pasha, proposing a cessation of arms for the purpose of burying the dead bodies, the stench from which became intolerable, and threatened the existence of every one of us on both sides, many having died delirious within a few hours after being seized with the lirst symptoms of infection. It was natural that we shoiUd gladly listen to this proposition, and that we should consequently be off our guard during the conference. While the answer was under consideration, a volley of shot and shells on a sudden announced an assault, which, however, the garrison was ready to receive, and the assailants only contributed to increase the number of the dead bodies in question, to the eternal disgrace of the General, who thus disloyally sacrificed them. I saved the life of the Arab from the effect of the indignation of the Turks, and took hinj off to the Tigre witli me, from whence I sent him back to the General with a message, which made the French army ashamed of having been exposed to such a merited reproof. Subordination was now at an end ; and all hopes of success having vanished, the enemy had no alternative left but a preci< SIR WILLIAM SIDNKY SMITH. :nY7 pitate retreat, which was put in execution in the ni<,''ht between tiie 20th and 2lst instant. I had above said, that the battering train of artillery (except the carriages, which were burnt) is now in our hands, ainontitimr to 23 pieces. The howitzers and medium twelve-pounders, originally conveyed by land with much difficulty, and successfully employed to make the first breach, were embarked hi the country vessels al Jaffa, to be con- veyed coastwise, together with the worst among the 2000 wounded, which embarrassed the march of the army. This operation was to be expected ; I took care, therefore, to be between Jaffa and Damietta before the French army could get as far aa the foriner place. The vessels being hurried to sea, without seamen to navigate them, and the wounded being in want of every necessary, even water and provisions, they steered strait to his Majesty's ships, in full confidence of receiving the succours of humanity, in which they were not disappointed. I have sent them on to Damietta, where they will receive further aid as tlu:ir situation requires, and which it was out of my power to give so many. Their expressiong of gratitude to us were mingled with execrations on the name of their General, who had, as they said, thus exposed them to peril rather than fairly and honorably renew the intercourse with the English, which he had broken off by a false and malicious assertion that I had intentionally exposed the former prison- ers to the infection of the plague. To the honor of the French army be it said, this assertion was not believed by them ; and it thus recoiled on its author. The intention of it was evidently to do away the effect which the proclamation of the Porte began to make on the soldiers, whose eager hands were held above the parapet of their works to receive them when thrown from the breach. He cannot plead misinformation as his excuse, his Aide- de-camp, M. Lallemand, having had free intercourse with these prisoners on board the Tigre, when he came to treat about them -, and they having been ordered, though too late, not to repeat their expressions of contentment at the prospect of going home. It was evident to both sides, that when a General bad recourse to such a shallow, and at the same time to such a mean artifice as a malicious falsehood, all better resources were at an end, and the defection in his army was consequently increased to the highest pitch. The utmost disorder has been manifested in the retreat ; and the whole track between Acre and Gaza is strewed with the dead bodies of those who have sunk under fatigue, or the effect of slight wounds ; such as could walk, unfortunately for them, not having been embarked. The row- ing gun-boats annoyed the van column of the retreating army in its march along the beach, and the Arabs harrassed its rear when it turned inland to avoid their fire. We observed the smoke of musketry behind the sand hills, from the attack of a party of them, which came down to our boats, and touched our flag with every token of union and respect, Ismael Pasha, governor of Jerusalem, to whom notice was sent of Buonaparte's prepara- tions for retreat, having entered this town by land at the same time that wo brought our guns to bear on it by sea, a stop was put to the massacre and pillage already begun by the Nablusians. The English flag rehoistod on the consul's house (under which the Pasha met me) serves us an asylum for i t' ' I* .! ( 3()S ADMIHALS OF TIIK BMT(£. all roli^itins and every description of the surviving inhabitants. The iicjips of unlmried Frenchmen lying on the bodies of those whom they nmssacrefl two montlis ago, afford another proof of divine justice, which has caused these murderers to perish by the infection arising from their own atrocions act. — Seven poor wretches are left alive in the hospital, where they arc protected, and shall be taken care of. We have had a most dangerous and painful duty in disembarking here, to protect the inhal)itants ; but it has been effectually done ; and Ismael Pasha deserves every credit for his humane exertions and cordial co-operation to that effect. Two thousand cavalry are just despatched to harrass the French rear, and I am in hopes to overtake their van in time to profit by their disorder ; but this will depend on the assembling of sufficient force, and on exertions of which I am not absolutely master, though I do my utmost to give the necessary impulse, and a right direction." The retreat of Buonaparte from before Acre was, in fact, conducted wholly in the spirit of cruelty generated by dis- appointed pride in the mind of a man whose means of resent- ment, mighty as they were, still were less ample than his will for all the purposes of atrocious mischief. The magazines and granaries were all ignited; the earth, covered with ashes, presented only a picture of desolation ; and while the cattle fled lowing from the flames, the affrighted inhabitants, with rage in their hearts, beheld, without being able to prevent, the disasters which marked their invaders' wav *• « * When the Grand Seignior received the news of Buonaparte's defeat, and of the carnage before Acre, he shed tears. His Imperial Majesty pre- sented the messenger with seven purses of 3000 florins, and sent a Tartar to Sir W. Sidney Smith, with an aigrette and sable fur (similar to that of Lord Nelson) worth 25,000 piastres. He afterwards conferred on him the insignia of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent. The loss sustained by the British squadron, employed in the defence of Acre, c nsisting of the Tigre, Theseus, and Alliance, amounted to 53 killed, 13 drowned, 1 13 wounded, and 82 prisoners. To the general feel- ings of approbation which the conduct of its commander excited in the hearts of his countrymen, the parliamentary reports of that period bear un- equivocal testimony. His late Majesty himself, on the opening of the session, Sept. 24, 1799, noticed the heroism of Sir W. Sidney Smith, and the advantage which the nation had derived from his success. The King's ministers, their friends, and even their opponents, joined in paying a tribute of applause. The gratitude of the nation, and of both Houses of Parliament, was unanimous ; and the Commodore, with the oflicers and seamen under his command, were voted the thanks of the legislature. A pension of 1000/. per annum was settled on Sir W. Sidney Smith ; the City of London also presented him with its freedom, and a sword valued at 100 guineas. From the Turkey Company he likewise received a sword of the value of 300 guincan. f( • > sill WILLIAM 8IDNUY SMITH. 309 About a month after the return of the French army to Cairo, a Turkish squadron arrived at Aboukir ; and in announ- cing this event to the people of that city, Buonaparte used the following expressions, persuasive of his adherence to the Mohammedan faith : — " On hoardthat fleet " said he, ^' there are Ilussiam, who hold in horror all that believe in the unity of Godj because, according to their lies, they believe that there are three Gods j but they ivill soon see that it is not in the number of Gods that strength cotisists. 77ie Mussulman who embarks in a ship where the cross is flying, he who every day hears the one ordy God blasphemed, is ivorse than an infideir Confident of victory over an undisciplined enemy, he com- menced his preparations ; and having augmented his cavalry with a number of fleet Arabian horses, set out to meet him. On the 11th July the Turkish army landed at Aboukir, the fort of which they took, and put the garrison to the sword, in retaliation of the massacre at Jaffa. At six o'clock in the morning of the 25th, the French army came in sight, and a battle ensued which was obstinately maintained on the part of the Ottomans, who had partially entrenched themselves, and repulsed the French with considerable loss ; when, elevated and emboldened by their prospect of success, they rushed out to cutoif the heads of the wounded and slain, and thus exposed themselves to an impetuous attack by the republican Generals Lasne and Murat : a dreadful carnage followed, which termina- ted in their total defeat, and the recapture of the fort of Abou- kir. Buonaparte had now a stepping-stone to his final pur- pose. He immediately wrote home an account of his success, and four days af ler the receipt of that despatch by the Direc- tory, he astonisliv-'d them by his presence *. In October following. Sir W. Sidney Smith accompanied the Turkish \ ice-Admind Seid Ali Bey, in a second maritime expedition, destined for the recovery of Egypt; of which enterprise the following extract of a letter to Lord Nelson, dated Nov. 8, 1799, contairKs the melancholy recital : I lament to have to i^iform your Lordship of the melan- C( • Buonaparte left Egypt on the 24th Aug., and landed at Frejus on tho 7th Oft. /hi ^f .^ 810 ADMIRATIS OF TIIK BLUK. J, ^ I'll cboly death of Patrona Bey, the Turkish Vice-Admiral, who was assassmated at Cyprus in a mutiny of the Janissaries on the 18th Oct. ; the command devolved on Seid Ali Bey, who had just joined me with the troops from Constantinople, composing the second maritime expedition for the recovery of Ej^ypt. As soon as our joint exertions had restored order, we proceeded to the mouth of the Damietta branch of the Nile to make an attack thereon, as combined with the Supreme Vi/ier, in order to draw the attention of the enemy that way, and leave his Highness more at liberty to advance with the grand army on the side of the Desert. The attack began by the Tigre's boats taking possession of a ruined castle si- tuated on the eastern side of the Boga/, or entrance of the Channel, which the inundation of the Nile had insulated from the main land, leaving a fordable passage. The Turkish flag diplayed on the tower of this castle was at once the sigiud for the Turkish gun-boats to advance, and for the enemy to open their fire in order to dislodge us : their nearest post being a redoubt on the «nain land, with two 32-pounders, and an 8- pounder field-piece mounted thereon, at point-blank shot distance. "The fire was returned from the launch's carronade, mount- ed in a breach in the castle, and from field-pieces in the small boats, \viiicli soon obliged the enemy to discontinue working at an intrcnchment they were making to oppose a landing. Lieutenant Stokes was detached with the boats to check a body of cavalry advancing along the neck of land, in which he s\icceeded ; but I am sorry to say. with the loss of one man killed atul one wounded. This interchange of shot continued with little intermission during the 29th, 30th, and 3 let, while the Turkish transports were drawing nearer to the landing place, our shells from the carronade annoying the enemy in his works and conuuunications ; at length the magazine blowing up, and one of their 32-pounders being silenced, n favourable moment offered for disembarkation. Orders were given accordingly ; but it was not till the morning of the 1st Nov. that they coidd effectuate this operation. "This delay gave time for the enemy to collect u force more than double that of the lirst division landed, and to be ready to attack it before the return of the boats with the reniniiuler. t SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 31 1 The French advanced to the charge with bayonets. The Turks completely exculpated themselves from the suspicion of cowardice having been the cause of their delay ; for when the enemy were within ten yards of them, they rushed on, sabre in hand, and in an instant completely routed the first line of the French infantry. The day was ours for the mo- ment ; but the impetuosity of Osman Aga and his troops, oc- casioned them to quit the station assigned them as a corps of reserve, and to run forward in pursuit of the fugitives ; Euro- pean tactics were of course advantageously employed by the French at this critical juncture. Their body of reserve camo on in perfect order, while a charge of cavalry on the left of the Turks put them completely to the route in their turn. Our flanking fire from the castle and boats, which had been hitherto plied with evident effect, was now necessarily suspended by the impossibility of pointing clear of the Turks in the confu- sion. The latter turned a random fire on the boats, to make them take them off, and the sea was in an instant covered with turbans, while the air was filled with piteous moans, calling to us for assistance. It was (as at Aboukir) a duty of some difficulty to aft()rd it them, without being victims to their iuipaticnce, or overwhelmed with numbers : we however persevered, and saved all, except those whom the French took prisoners by wading into the water after them ; neither did the enemy interrupt us much in so doing." , " On the 'iOth December following, a detachment of Ma- Tmes imder Colonel Douglas, Lieutenant-Colonel Bromley, Captains Winter and Trotte, and Mr. Thomas Smith, Mid- shipman of the Tigre, accompanied an advanced body of the army of the Grand Vizier from Ga/.atoEl Arish. The French Commandant refusing to capitulate, the fort was reconnoitred by the above English officers : aiul on the 24th, and foll(»wing days batteries were en cted, the fire of which was attended with complete success. On the morning of the 29th, the enemy having ceased firing, the fort, was taken possession of. Not- withstanding every exertion was used to restrain the Turkish troops, three hundred of the French garrison were put to the sword. The chearful manner in which the detaclunent fVom the British scjuadron performed their duty, exposed as they were on ^he Desert, without tents, very ill fed, and with only i ■I f'^fffi? / .» y .312 ADMIRALS OF THK BLUE. brackish water to drink, gained them the admiration of the whole Ottoman army. Wearied with the hopeless contest, General Kleber, who, after the departure of Buonaparte, had assumed the command of the French forces, entered into a convention with the Grand Vizier, Jan. 24, 1800, for the evacuation of Egypt ; to which Sir W. Sidney Smith, as auxiliary commander on the part of Great Britain, acceded. The French army was to be col- lected, with its arms, baggage, and effects, at Alexandria, Rosetta, and Aboukir, and thence be transported to France, partly in its own vessels, and partly in those to be furnished by the Sublime Porte. This treaty was not carried into execution. The British government had been informed that a negociation with the Grand Vizier for the evacuation of Egypt by the French army was in progress, and instructions were sent to the British Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean to accede ; — but with this main difference in the conditions, that the French army should be detained as prisoners of war till regularly exchanged. These instructions were received by Lord Keith in February, and he immediately informed General Kleber of their purport. On the 20th March, hostilities recommenced in the neigh- bourhood of Cairo, when the French, rendered desperate by their situation, obtained a signal victory over the Turks, up- wards of 8,000 of whom were left on the field, killed and wounded, at Elhanka. Notwithstanding this advantage, the enemy being much harassed by the Beys, General Kleber proposed a renewal of the terms agreed to by the Grand Vizier and Sir W. Sidney Smith for the evacuation of Egypt, and Lord Keith was now authorised by the British Cabinet to accede to them ; when the execution of the treaty was again frustrated by the assas- sination of the French Commander-in-Chief, on the 15th June, 1 800, and the determination of \\us successor, Menou, not to withdraw from that country. What could no longer be obtained by treaty was now to lie effected by arms. Sir Ralph Abcrcromby, who h.i'! been sent to supersede Sir James Fulteney in the command of the iirmy acting in the Mediterranean, having carried out rein- SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 313 forcements, and collected a train of artillery at Gibraltar, after various unexpected delays on the coast of Anatolia, proceeded, in conjunction with Lord Keith, towards the coast of Egypt ; arrived off Alexandria, March 1, 1801, and the next day sailed for Aboukir Bay. The sea running high, it was the 8th before any disem- barkation could be attempted. Four thousand French troops were most advantageously posted, when the landing com- menced under the superintendance of the Hon. Captain Coch- rane, of the Ajax, and the enemy were driven from their po- sition, with the loss of several pieces of artillery *. On the 12th the army, strengthened by a detachment of seamen and marines, under the command of Sir W. Sidney Smith, com- menced its mar»';h. The following day the French were suc- cessfully attacked and pursued ; and on the 21st was fought the memorable and decisive battle of Alexandria, in which the brave Abercromby fell, and the subject of this memoir was wounded f, and had his horse shot from under him. This battle was fought about four miles from Alexandria, whither the main body of the army immediately advarfced against Menou, who had possession of that city, while a divi- sion of British troops, and a body of Turks, proceeded against Rosetta, which soon capitulated. On the 22d June, Cairo surrendered on terms favorable to the besieged ; and Alexan- dria was delivered up by Menou on the like conditions. Thus was Egypt rescued from the hands of the French ; and its evacuation being effected on terms similar to those of the original convention of El-Arish, the republican army, with its baggage, was transported in ships of the allied pow- ers, to the nearest French ports J. • Sc« note t, at p. 269. On this occasion Sir Ralph Abercromlty gave the most unequivocal praise to the whole of the navul officers and men, as well afloat as on shore ; saying, that without their exertions he could not havti brought his brave troops into action as he did. t Sir W. Sidney Smith received a violent contusion from a musket ball, which glanced on his right shoulder. « X After the.surrender of the French army. Sir W. Sidney Smltii visited the H(dy City, where the following anecdote of Buonaparte was related to him by the superior of a Convent : When General Dumas had odvancetl with a detachment of the French army within a few leagues of Jerusalem, ♦ ., 314 ADMIRALS OF THE Hl.VE. ks*; On the 22d of the following month, the Capitan Pasha gave a grand entertainment on board the Sultaun Seliui, to Sir W. Sidney Smith, to whom, with strong expressions of admiration and attachment, he presented a valuable scimitar ; and, what was considered as the greatest compliment that he could confer on him, one of his own silk flags, a badge of dis- tinction which claims from all Turkish Admirals and other commanders, an equal respect with that which they owe to his highness the Pasha ; such as the ceremony of personally waiting upon him previous to their departure from the fleet, and on their rejunction with it. On the 5th Sept. 1801, Sir W. Sidney Smith and Colonel Abercromby embarked at Alexandria on bonrd the Carmen frigate, with the despatches relative to the late campaign. The pretensions of the former to this distinction m^U be freely .acknowledged ; and the latter, whose own services had been of the most meritorious description, was justly selected as the herald of intelligence, completing his father's fame. They arrived in London on the 10th Nov. following. At the general election in 1802, our officer was chosen re- presentative in Parliament for the city of Rochester ; and on the renewal of the war in 1 803, he hoisted his broad pendant on board the Antelope, of 50 guns, as Commodore of a squadron employed on the French coast *. In the spring of the follow- lic sent to his Commander-in-Chief for leave to make an attack upon that place. Buonaparte replied, that " when hr had taken Aero, he tcoidd come in person and plant the tree of liber fy in the very spot where Christ sufffrral ; niiif that the first French soldier who fell in the attach, should be buried in the Holy Sepulchre." Sir W. Sidney Smith was the first ChrlsJian ever suffered liy the barbarians to go into Jerusalem armed, or even to enter it in the dress nf a Frank ; his followers, and all who visited it by his means, were allowed the same privilege. • On the 7lh Jan. 1803, Sir W. Sidney Smith obtained his Sovereign's permission to bear the following honourable augmentations to the armorial ensigns borne by his fiimily, viz. on the Cheveron a wreath of laurel accom- panied by two crosses Calvary ; and on a chief of augmentation, the interior of an ancient fortification, in perspective ; in the angle a breach ; and on the sides' of the said breach, the standard of the Ottoman Empire, and the Union Flag of (Ireat liritain ; and for Crest, the Imperial Ottoman Che- lengk, or Plume of Triumph, upon a Turban ; in allusion to the highly honourable and distinguished decoration transmitted by the Turkish Empe- ror to Sir W. Sidney Smith, in testiiuony of his esteem, and in ackuow- SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 315 ing year, he obtained the honorable appointment of a Colonel of Royal Marines ; and, on the 9th Nov. 1805, was advanced to the rank of Rear-Adniiral. Early in the following year we find his flag flying on board the Ponipee, of 80 guns, in which ship he arrived at Palermo on the 21st April, and there assumed the command of the squadron employed in that quarter. The Neapolitan govern- ment had at that time been displaced from its capital, and Naples itself was in the hands of the enemy ; however, the judicious disposition of the British naval and military forces prevented farther mischief. Finding that Gaeta still held out, although as yet without succour, it was the Rear-Admiral's first care to see that the necessary supplies should be safely conveyed to the Governor. This was successfully accom- plished ; and the enemy, though the besiegers, were in a measure reduced to the defensive. The garrison was con- sequently left to the care of the Prince of Hesse-Philipsthal, and the British squadron proceeded to Naples, an attack on which was apprehended by the French. The city was at this time illuminated on account of Joseph Buonaparte proclaim- ing himself King of the two Sicilies. It would have been easy for Sir W. Sidney Smith to interrupt the shew of festivity ; but he considered that the unfortunate inhabitants had evil enough on them ; that the restoration of the capital to its lawful sovereign and its fugitive inhabitants, would be no gratification if it should be found a heap of ruins ; and that Icd^incut of \m meritnriuiis exertions m tlie defence of Aero : uiul ihu family Crest, viz. a Leoimrd's Head, collared und lined, issitanl out of an Oriental Ci'otni : the said arms and crest to lie borne l»y Sir W. Sidney Smith and his issue, together with the motto, " Coern dk Lion." And although the privilege of hearing Supporters lie limited to the Peers of the Realm, the Knights of the difl«rent Orders, and the Proxies of Princes of the Blood Royal at Installations, except in such cases wherein, under par- ticular circumstances, the King shall lie pleased to grant his especial li- cence for the use thereof; his ]VIujesty,in order to give u furtl'cr testimony of his particular approbation of our officer's services, was also graciously pleased to allow him to bear, for Supporters to his arms, a Ti^er frunrdanl, navally rrotnied, in the mnuth u Pafm lirntivh, being the symbol of Victory, aupportinii- tlie Union fliti>- of firent Britain, with the InxeriptioH, " Jrruhalem, i7yy," upon the rross of St. George, and a Lamb muruUy crowned; in the mouth tin Olive lirnnch, being the symbol of Peace, unpporling the Banner of Jfrumlem. ;■• I 316 ADMIRALS UK THE BLUE. as he had no force to land and keep order, in case of the French army retiring to the fortresses, he should leave an opulent city a prey to the licentious part of the community, who would not fail to profit by the confusion the flames would occasion ; but no such consideration operated on his mind to prevent the dislodging the French garrison from the island of Capri, which, from its situation, protecting the commu- nication southward, was a great object for the enemy to keep, and by so much, one for Sir W. Sidney Smith to wrest from him. The commandant was accordingly summoned to sur- render ; and on his refusal, an attack was commenced, in which he fell. Tlie enemy then beat a parley j a capitulation was subsequently signed, and the garrison marched out with the honours of war. Some projected sorties from Gaeta took place in consequence, on the 13th and 15th May. The garriiion held out till i3th July, but was then compelled to surrender to the French army. Amongst the various other active, but desultory services, on which the Rear-Admiral's squadron was employed in this quarter, may be particidarly mentioned that of the attack of Fort Licosa j in which the Pompee had a Lieutenant and 8 men icilled and 33 wounded. In Jan. 1807, Sir W. Sidney Smith was ordered to accom- pany Vice-Admiral Duckwortli on the memorable expedition against Constantinople. Previous to his leaving Sicily, he received the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit ; and a letter from the then reigning Queen, expressive of the regret felt by the royal family at his de- parture, and gratitude for his exertions in their cause. It appears, by the secret instructions given to Sir John T. Duckworth, that in consequence of a supposed increase of French influence in the Turkish councils, he was directed to proceed, without loss of time, to the Straits of Constanti- nople, there to take such a position as should enable him to effect the object of the expedition. Immediately on his ar- rival he was to communicate with the British Ambassador, to send him certain despatches, and to consult with him on the measures that might be necessary to be taken. Should he find that the subject of difference had been miicably settled between the Stiblimc Porte and the English legation, he wai* SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 317 to preserve the relations of amity : if not, he was to com- mence offensive operations ; having previously demanded, in case of their detention, the Ambassador and his suite, together with all the persons connected with the British fac- tory ; and, in the event of that demand not being complied with, he was to proceed to measures of hostility against the city. Should the result of his communications with the Am- bassador be such as to render necessary the commencement of hostilities, he was to demand the surrender of the Turkish fleet, with a supply of stores sufficient for its equipment. This demand was to be accompanied with a menace of the immediate destruction of the place ; and should any nego- tiation be proposed '*y the Turks, as it would probably be only with the view of preparing means of resistance, and of securing their ships, it was not to be continued more than half an hour. In the event of an absolute refusal on the part of the Turks, Sir John Duckworth was to cannonade the town, or attack the fleet wherever it might be ; holding it in mind, that the getting the possession, and next to that, the destruction of the fleet, was the first object of consider- ation. Having received his final orders, the Vicc-Admiral pro- ceeded off Tenedos, where he found Rear- Admiral Louis *b division at anchor off the Hellespont ; and Mr. Arbuthnot, the Ambassador, residing on board the Canopus, from whence he afterwards removed into Sir John's flag ship the Royal George, and remained during the subsequent operations ♦. On the morning of the 19th Feb. the fleet passed the Darda- * Sir Tliomas Louis had been sent to the Levant some weeks previously to the arrival of the expedition, in consequence of a request from Mr. Ar- buthnot to the Commander-in-Cliief, for the presence of a naval force in aid of his negotiations ; in conformity to which idea, the Rear-Admiral anchor- ed between the outer and inner castles of the DardanelleB, and sent the En- dymion frigate up to Constantinople. She had not been long there, before the Ambassador, under the impression of alarm for his personal safety, produced by secret information, that the Turkish government meant to confine him in the ('astle of the Seven Towers, went on board, and pre- vailed on her Commander, Captain Capel, to send a sudden invitation to the r'hole of the British factory, to meet Mr. Arbuthnot at dinner. They were no looner arrived, than the Endymion's cable was cut, her anchor left behind, and the company carried olV, m mumic, to the Dardanelles. ri2 f 318 ADMIRALS OF THK BLUK. nelles, and at the same time Sir W. Sidney Smith, with the rear division, destroyed a Turkish squadron off Point Nagara Burun * (or Pesquies) ; and on the evening of the 20th, the armament came to an anchor near the Prince's Islands, about eight miles S. E. from Constantinople. Notwithstanding this auspicious commencement of pro- ceedings, the time was unfortunately frittered away in an unsuccessful negotiation, till the 27th Feb. ; at which period, according to Sir John Duckworth's despatches, the whole line of coast presented a continued chain of batteries ; twelve Turkish line-of-battle ships, two of them three-deckers, with nine frigates, were, with their sails bent, and apparently in readiness, filled with troops : added to this, near 100,000 mili- tary were said to be in Constantinople, ready to march against the Russians ; besides, there were an innumerable quantity of small craft, with boats ; and fire-vessels had been prepared to act against the British, whose whole force consisted of eight ships of the line, two frigates, and two brigs. Feeling himself altogether incompetent to c(mtend witli such a powerful adversary, the Vice-Admiral came to a deter- mination of repassing the Dardanelles ; on the morning of the 1st Mar. he weighed, and stood off and on during the day; at dusk, the squadron bore up, and towards the evening of the 2d, anchored off Abydos. In the morning of the 3d, he iigain weighed; and about noon, every ship was in safety outside the passage. " The Turks," said the Vice-Admiral, " had been occupied unceasingly in adding to the number of their forts ; eonie had been already completed, and others were in a forward state. The fire of the two inner castles (Sul- tanieh and Kelidbahadar) had, on our going up, been severe ; but I am sorry to say, the effects they had on our siiips re- turning, has proved them to be doubly formidable : in short, had they been allowed another week to complete their de- fences throughout the Channel, it would have been a very • The Turkish force aijcuored to dispute the passage of the Dardanelles, consisted of one ♦>4-gun ship, four frigates mounting 144 guns, five cor- vettes and l)rigs, mounting 6H guns, and two gun-boats ; of these, one cor- vette and one gun-boat were taken, and all the others destroyed, together with the guns of a redoubt. The number of guns in favour of the Turks was 63. SIB WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH. 319 doubtful point whether a return lay open to us at all." The total loss sustained in this fruitless expedition, was 42 killed, 235 wounded, and 4 missing ; the Pompee's share of which was only 5 seamen wounded. On the 4th of March, Sir John Duckworth issued the fol- lowing letter of thanks to the officers, &c. under his com- mand : — " Although unforeseen and insurmountable obstacles, prevented the sqtiad- ron under my command from effecting at Constantinople the objects which it had in view, I cannot refrain from offering my most heartfelt acknowledg- ments to all who have so nobly contributed their exertions, throughout the arduous service in which we have been engaged. To Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, who, with the gallantry and cool judgment which marked his character, led the squadron ; and to Rear-Admiral Sir Sidney Smith, I beg to present ray sincere thanks for their able assistance, as well as to the captains, officers, seamen, and royal marines, for the steady bravery which has been so eminently displayed, in forcing and returning through a passage 80 strongly fortitied by nature and by art, and which had till now been deemed impregnable." The copy o|this document, addressed to the subject of this memoir, was accompanied by the foUowing lines : — " Feeling that the want of ultimate success 6 hoidd not restrain me from doing that justice I owe to those who have so handsomely supported the honor of their country, I enclose you a copy of thanks, I think it my duty to issue, as a tribute of my apjirobation and obligation to the squadron, and to none more than you, my dear Sir! for which I again offer you my thanks, as I am, with high esteem and regard, &c. &c. (Signed) " J. T, DrcKwonxH." " Sir W. S. Smith." The squadron, after leaving the Dardanelles, proceeded to the coast of Egypt, where it arrived a few days after the sur- render of Alexandria and its forts to the naval and military forces, under the respective commands of Captain (now Sir Benjamin) Hallowell, and Major-General Frazer. Sir W. Sidney Smith soon after returned to England, where he ar- rived in the month of June. On the 20th Oct. in the same year (1807), the court of Por- tugal, after consuming several weeks in fruitless attempts to conciliate Buonaparte, found itself under the necessity of shutting the ports of that kingdom against the ships of Great Britain. About the same time, Sir W. Sidney Smith was appointed to the command of a squadron, with which he i ': '(t; , ) ( i, 320 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUK. proceeded off the Tagus ; and immediately on his arrival, de- clared that river, Setubal, and Oporto, in a state of blockade : but in adopting^hostile measures, he did not neglect the powers of persuasion, and continued to cultivate an amicable corres- pondence with the ministry at Lisbon, tending to convince their wavering minds of the futility of such timid policy in averting the scourge of French invasion. His activity and perseverance were rewarded, on the 25th Nov. by receiving a notification from the minister of state, M. Aranjo, that the Prince Regent had resumed the intention to emigrate. In consequence of this, hostilities were suspended, and the Rear- Admiral sent the Confiance sloop into the Tagus, under a flag of truce, to convey those solemn pledges of safeguard adapted to the crisis, and which, from an officer of Sir W. Sidney Smith's chivalrous fame, could not fail to dispel doubt and fear. Lord Strangford, the ex Chargt-d*- Affaires ^ who was waiting on board the Hibernia for a conveyance to England, took the opportunity of accompanying Captain Yeo, to revisit Lisbon for the final settlement oi affairs connected with his late mission, and to pay his respects at court. Wind and tide would not allow the Confiance to enter the river till late in the evening of the 28th, so that it was near midnight when Lord Strangford and Captain Yeo reached the capital. They found the royal palace a solitude ; the Queen being already embarked, in consequence of the French General Junot having passed Abrantes, and even pushed his patroles to the vicinity of the metropolis. At day-light on the morning of the 29th, the Portuguese navy was observed conducting a numerous fleet, to place them under the convoy of that very force, whose duty, but a few hours before, would have been to destroy instead of to protect. The weather was serene ; and the spectacle of the meeting of the two fleets, under a reciprocal salute of 21 guns, magnifi- cent beyond description. Sir W. S. Smith immediately went on board the ship bearing the royal standard of Portugal, to pay due homage to the Sovereign. His reception was marked by all the honours due to a British Admiral, and by every distinction the individual merited ; the interview taking place >vith a dignity suitable to the solemnity of the occasion. After making every arrangement for the present comfort, « Ott VOL. I. SIR WfLLIAM SIDNKY SMITH. 321 and future safety of the illustrious voyagers and their loyal followers, Sir W. Sidney Smith took his leave, to rejoin that division of his squadron left to obser\'e the Tagus, making the charge of the Brazil convoy over to the able and judicious Captain of the Marlborough, the present Sir Graham Moore. On the Rear-Admiral's return to his station, he found Lis- bon occupied by the French troops under Junot, who had ob- tained possesision of the forts, without the slightest opposition on the part of the Portugueze. Sir W. Sidney Smith conti- nued to blockade the coast until the 15th Jan. 1808, on which day he was superseded in the command of the squadron by the late Sir Charles Cotton. On the 24th of the same month, Qur officer had the satisfiiction of receiving despatches from the Admiralty, conveying their Lordships' high approbation of his whole conduct in the management of the service com- mitted to his charge, and in the execution of the various or- ders he had received from time to time. About the middle of the following month, Sir W. Sidney Smith was relieved by Rear- Admiral Otway ; and, with his flag in the Foudroyant of 80 guns, proceeded to South America, where he assumed the chief command. During his continu- ance on that station he rendered essential services to the com- mercial and shipping interests of the United Kingdom, for which he received the grateful thanks of the Committee of Merchants trading to Brazil. On the 14th June following. Sir W. Sidney Smith gave an entertainment to the whole Portugueze royal family and court, on board his flag-ship, when the Prince Regent presented him, with his own hands, the standard of Portugal, to be borne as an augmentation to his coat of arms, and declared the revival of the Order of the Tower and Sword, instituted by Don Al- fonso V, surnamed tlie African, in 14.')9, of which ordei' the Rear- Admiral was afterwards created a Knight Grand Cross. Sir W. Sidney Smith returned to England in the Diana frigate, Aug. 7j 1809, and soon after struck his flag. On the 31st July, in the following year, he was promoted to tlie rank of Vice- Admiral ; and about the same period received the honorary degree of D. C. L., the grace for which passed the senate of the University of Oxford, in 1805 *. The degree of * Oa the 20tli April, 1822, Sir W, Sidney Smitli presented to the Bod-. VOL. I. V ^^*i' ^i\' m : tv' •-'hi 322 ADMIRALS OK THE BLUE. M. A. was uftcrwards conferred on him by the University of Cambridge; and on the 22d Aug. 1811, the Lord Provost and Magistrcites of Edinburgh voted him the freedom of that city. In the summer of 1812, Sir W. Sidney Smith was appointed second in command of the fleet employed in the Mediterra- nean, and proceeded thither in the Tremendous, of 74 guns j from which ship, on his arrival off Toulon, he shifted his flag to the Hibernia, a first rate, where it continued during the remainder of the war. In the following year, the King of Sardinia and suite dined on board the Hibernia, at Cagliari ; on which occasion, in addition to the Captains and Com- manders present, the Vice-Admiral, with his characteristic li- berality, also invited the senior Lieutenants and Midshipmen of the squadron. On the 7th July, 1814, soon after his return to England, the Mayor and Commonalty of the borough of Plymouth voted Sir W. Sidney Smith the freedom of their corporation ; which was presented him in a silver box, in testimony of his highly distinguished and meritorious services. He was nomi- nated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815 ; and the ceremony of invest- ing him vrith the insignia of the order was rendered doubly interesting, from the circumstance of its taking place Dec. 29, 1815, at the Elisee-Bourbon, the evacuated palace of that chieftain whose ambitious career he had first checked ; and of its being performed by the Duke of Wellington, whose genius had so recently laid the usurper low. Sir W. Sidney Smith was advanced to the rank of full Admiral, July 19, 1821. He married Oct. 11, 1809, the widow of Sir George Berriman Rumbold, Bart., formerly British Consul-General at Ham- bvu'gh. leiaii Library at Oxford, a fac-simile of an ancient Greek inscription, on ft gold plate, found in the ruins of the ancient city of Canopus ; and also a book printed uu board an English ship of the line in the Mediterranean. 3-23 THOMAS SOTIIEBY, Esq. j4dmmtl of the Blue. This officer obtained post rank, June lltli, X^S'^^', and at the commencement of the war with France, in 179'^, com- manded the Daphne, of 20 guns ; from which vessel he was afterwards removed into the Andromeda frigate, stationed in the North Sea. On the 1st June, 1795, he was appointed to the Bombay Castle, of 74 g"ns, and had the misfortune to be wrecked in that ship at the mouth of the Tagus, tow- ards the latter end of the following year. In the spring of 1798, Captain Sotheby was ap»at even afti r the xnh^H were cut away, and the remainder of rhe ^mwp thi twu j er- board, the water increased so fast as to make it irecf ssiiry to abandon her to her fate. The crew wo/e stivcu by Ihc Cr.ptain, 74, and a Danish vessel then in company^, an7» served for the first time in a nuu» of war, the I'^li/abeth, of "J \ guns, connnanded by the late Sir Hugh PallisiT. We next find Mr. Schanck in the Emerald fri- gate, Captain (afterwards Sir Charles) Douglas, with whom he went to the North Ciipe of Lapland, in order to observe the transit of Venus : an intention, however, which the pre- vailing gloominess of the weather ])revented. About the year 177' » ^'i»" oflicer joiui d the Princess Ame- lia of H() guns, fitting lor the fla.!; of Sir George B. Kodney, who had recently been appointed to the command on the Ja- nmica station. Previous t(» this, he appears to have had the good fortune to save the life of Mr. VVhitworth, son of Sir CharU'H, and brother to Lord VVhitworth, who was overset in a small boat in Portsmouth harbour, and afterwards lost in America, while serving under Lord Howe. In the month of June, 177t>, "ftcr a laborious service of eighteen years continuance, Mr. Schanck was promoted to the r::nk of laeutennnt, and appointed to the Canceaux, an armed • U nicrlini »i<)iis,tj was till «)r lovvl by mn place to the iciitorl pnniuiil . 9, Ad- and his JOHN 6CHANCK, ESQ. .S25 schooner, employed on the river St. Lawrence *. This com- miind he nominally retained for a considerable time ; we shv nominally, for almost immediately after the commencement of the war in Canada, the late Admiral Vandepnt, with whom he had served as a Midshipman in India, and who had con- ceived a just idea of his talents, recommended him as a pro- per person to fit out a flotilla, to act acjninst the revolted colo- nists on the Lakes ; in consequence of which he was appoint- ed superintcndant of the naval de'partment at St. John's ; and in the year following, received a second connnission, nominat- ing him to the elevated station of senior officer of the naval de- partment in that f[uartcr. In fact, he might have been truly called the civil C(>mman(ler-in-C'hief, all the conjiuict duties of the Admiralty and Navj^Board being \Tsted in him. His ex'^rtions and merit were so conspicuous as to draw forth the iKgliest encomiums from the Admiral commanding on the station, particularly on account of the celerity and expedition with which he constructed a ship of above 'M)0 tons, called the Inflexible, the very appearance of which vessel on the lakes, struck with insurm(nn)table terror the whole American fleet, and compelled it to seek for safety in ignominious flight, after having held out a vain boast of many months' contimiance, that the lirst appearance of the British flotilla would be the certain forerunner of its immediate destruc- tion. The Inflexible was originally put on the stocks at Quebec ; her floors were all laid, and some timbers in ; the whole, namely, the floors, keel, stem, and stem, were taken down, and carried up the St. Lawrence to Chand)lais, and from thence to St. John's. Her keel was laid, for the second time, on the morning of the 2d Sept. and by sunset, * It was iilimit the same period that ."Vlr. Schiiiick oxhihited n talent for nipchnnics. This Inid furmcrly rlisphiyed itself, iudecd, on several oeea- sions.for the pood of the service ; Imt wliat eatiijht the eye of the multitude was tlie fonstruetioii of n col, wliieh l»y means of pulleys mijfht he raised or lowered at plensiue, at the will of the person who reclined In it ; while by meniij of castors, it could also l)e removed by himxelf from place to place without any diificuhy. This was afterwards presented, we heliovo, to the ^grandfather of the p'-csenl Lord Dundus, and ohiained for the in- vvittor the familiar appellation ut " Old l'urchu»c," Hinong hi* coin- paniotis. : r 325 ADMIRALS OF THK BLUE. not only the above luentioneil parts were laid and fixed, but a considerable quantity of fresh timber was, in the course of the same day, cut out, and formed into futtocks, top-timbers, beams, planks, &c. On the 30th Sept., being twenty-eight days from the period when the keel was laid, the Inflexible was launched ; and on the evening of the 1st Oct., ac- tually sailed, completely manned, victualled, and equipped for service. In ten days afterwards this vessel was engaged with the enemy ; so that it might be said without the smallest exaggeration of Lieutenant Schanck's merits, that he built, rigged, and completed a ship, which fought and beat her enemy, in less than six weeks from the commencement of her construction. Many other curious particulars relative to this extraordinary circumstance are unavoidably omitted for want of room ; suffice it to say, that it was no uncommon thing for a number of trees, which were actually growing at dawn of day, to form different parts of the ship, either as planks, beams, or other timbers, before night. Few profes- sional men, and methodical shipwrights, would perhaps credit this fact, were it not established beyond all possibility of controversy *. • A list of the nritish and American Flotillas in the enjfagement on Lake Champlain, on the 11th nnil 1.3th Oct. 17/6. The former commanded hy Captain T. Pringie ; the latter hy (jeneral Arnold : — nniTisii. (•mil. Inflexihic, ship, 18 i2-pdr8. Lieutenant Srhanck. Maria, schooner 14 6 Starkie. 12 fi JR. Dacres. fi 24 . . . . p r> 12 .... C Geo. .Scott. 2 howitzers, j 7 9-pdr8 Longcroft. 20 gun-hoat8, each carryinfi^ a hia.>«R ficld-pieee, from 24 to 9-pouudcri. 4 large l)oat», tvith a earriuf^e gun mounted in each. 24 long hoats, with provisions and stores. Tlie whole nianned hy u detachment of seamen from (he King's shipii at Quelicc, and tranrtporto. Their numbers amounted to 8 ofliccrs, \'J petty oflicem, and ftJO men. The Ions in killed and wounded did not exceed forty. Curleton, schooner, Thunder, radeau, Loyal Convert, gondola. JOHN SCHANCK, ESQ. 327 and luroii, a nd Exclusive of the armaments which he had fi equipped for service on the hikes Ontario, Erie Michigan, Lieutenant Schanck had the direction of four dif- ferent dock-yards at the same time, situated at St. John's, Quebec, Carleton Island, and Detroit. In all these multifa- rious branches and divisions of public duty, his diligence and zeal were exceeded only by the strict attention which he paid on all occasions to the econorai'jaJ expenditure of the public money. — A rare, and highly hoi.'i'^able example, particularly at that time of day, when peculation and plunder were charges by no means uncommon, and the opportunities which he possessed of enriching himself, without danger of incurring complaint, or risking discovery, were perhaps unprecedented. His services on this occasion were not solely confined to the naval department ; he attended the army under General Bur- goyne, and became not only the inventor, but the constructor of several floating bridges, by the assistance of which it's progress was materially aided, and without which it would have been in all probability totally impeded much sooner than it really was. They were so constructed as to be capable of navigating themselves ; and were not only absolutely equip- ped with masts and sails for that purpose ; but, having been built at the distance of seventy miles from Crown-Point, were actually conveyed thither without difficulty, for the pur- REDEL FORCE. Uuni. Royal Savage, schooner 8 G-pdr:i. 4 4-pc1rs. Burnt. Revenge, do 4 6.... 4 4 — Escaped. A sloop 10 4 Ditto. ( 2 18 .... 2 12 .... } Congresi, galley J^ 2.. fi G .... S ^'^^^^ '» "P- ( 2 18 .... 2 12 .... -I,,, , Washington, do jg q q 6 VJuken. C 2 18 .... 2 12 .... 1 ^ Trumbull, do J 2 2 . . fi ti .... J *^''*^"P^*'- Boston, gondola 1 18-pdr. 2 12.... Sunk. Jersey, do 118... 2 12.... Taken J 1 9 .... 1 12.pdr. l,^ Lee, cutter } 4 6-pdr«. / "^sf roytd. Six gondulHS were driven Hhore and destroyed ; a large aclitionn niul a galley nut in the action. Their lou uot known, but supposed to have hqcH verv consiilcrablc. 9', ',5,/ ■ if '-'^i 328 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUB. pose of forming a bridge at that place. Tlie unhappy result of General Burgoyne's expedition for the subjugation of the Colonies, is too well known ; and it is almost unnecessary to remark, that the floating bridges, like the army destined to pass over them, were but too soon in the power of the enemy *. It is but fair to suppose that such services as these would be followed by correspondent rewards ; and we accordingly find the sul)ject of this memoir promoted, first to the rank of Com- mander, and then to that of Post-Captain : the latter event occurred Aug. 1,5, 1783. It might naturally have been expected, that the interval of public tranquillity that ensued after the contest, which ended in tiie complete emancipation of our trans-atlantic colonics, would have proved some bar, if not to the expansion, at least to the display of Captain Schanck's ingenuity and nautical abilities : this, however, was by no means the case. He invented, or might rather be said to have improved, a former invention of his own, relative to the construction of vessels, peculiarly adapted for navigating in shallow water. These were fitted with sliding keels, worked by mechanism f. • See p. 210. t Wliilc in America, our officer liecame known to Earl Percy, after- wards Duke of Nortliumbcrland ; and it was diirinj^ a r'onversation with tliat noMeman, that tlic idea of this new construction appear? to have hecn first elicited. Mis Lordsliip, who discovered n tnsto for naval architecture, amidst the devastations of a civil war, and the various operations of a land army, happened one day to oliserve, *' that if cutters were I)uilt flaiter, Bo as to ffo on the surface, and not ner8 ; a sta- * Sw Vicc-.\clmirRl Siii Thomas Bkrtib »':* ill'.' B !*<-♦.-:' '.'A' r'l if* y 332 ADMIRALS OF THE BLUB. tion he continued to hold with the highest credit and honour to himself, till the year 1802 ; when, in consequence of an ophthalmic complaint, he was under the necessity of retiring from the fatigues of puhlic service. On the promotion of Flag-Officers, which took place Nov. 9, 1805, Commissioner Schanck was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral. He became a Vice-Admiral, July 31, 1810; and an Admiral of the Blue, July 19, 1821. Our officer married Miss Grant, sister to the late Master of the Rolls. Residence. — Dawleish, Devon *. HON. MICHAEL DE COURCY, Admiral of the Blue. The noble family of De Courcy is allied to most of the Princes of Europe, deriving its descent in the male line from the house of Lorraine, of the race of the Emperor Charle- magne, or Charles I, surnamed the Great, who obliged the Saxons, and all other heathens whom he conquered, to receive the Christian faith; and so made the grand revolution of Europe f- The subject of this memoir is the ihird and eldest surviving son of John, the 25th Lord Kingsale, Baron Courcy, of Courcy, and Baron of Ringrone, premier Baron of the kingdom of Ire- land, by Martha, daughter of the Rev. Isaac Heron, of • Tlic subject of the forcgoinp; memoir was one of the original mem- bers of the Society for improving Naval Architecture, set on foot by the late eccentric John Sewell, ilic bookseller ; and some of the papers pub- lished by that Institution were the productions of this ingenious officer. He appears also have been the inventor of gun-boats with moveable slides, for firing guns in any direction. He likewise fitted the Wolverine sloop with the inclined plane in her gun-carriages, which is justly con- sidered as the greatest modern invention in gunnery. t Charlemagne was born April 2, 742 ; succeeded his father as King of France, in "6? ; was made King of Italy in 7/4 ; of Germany, in 7S5 ; and crowned Emperor of the West, by Pope Leo III, at Route, in 8UU. He died Jan. 24, 811. HON. MICHAEL DE COURCV. 333 Dorsetshire, M-hich nobleman, on being presented to his late Majesty, Sept. 15, 1/62, had the honour of asserting the antient privilege of his family, by wearing his hat in the royal presence, granted to his ancestor, John de Courcy, Earl of Ulster, &c. by John, King of England *. During the American war our officer commanded the Swallow sloop, from which vessel he was posted Sept. 6, 1783, into the Europa of 50 guns, the flag ship of the late Admiral Gdmbier,'on the Jamaica station. In 1787> ^ve find him in the Hyjena of 20 guns, escorting the first party of convicts ever sent to New South Wales, clear of the Chann-?! f- He waS afterwards stationed on the coast of Ireland, for t^.e suppression of smuggling. At the commencement of the war with France, in 1703, Captain De Courcy was appointed to the Pearl frigate, on the Irish station ; and from that ship removed, about the latter end of the year 1794, to the Magnanime, a cut down 64, mounting 26 24-pounders on the main-deck, 18 12-pounders on the quarter-deck and forecastle, and 4 42-pounder carron- iides. We find the following French privateers among the list of captures made by Captain De Courcy during the time he com- manded the Magnanime : — Le Triton, 8 guns, pierced for 18, 180 men ; Ic Tiercelet, 8 guns, 10 swivels, and 47 men ; I'Eugenie, 18 guns, 107 men ; I'Audacieux, 20 gims, 137 men ; and la Colombe, 12 guns, 64 men. He also assisted at the capture of la Decade French frigate of 36 guns ; and the defeat of a French S(iuadron off Ireland, Oct. 12, 1798; on which latter occasion the Magnanime had 7 nien wounded |. mui * The claim of heii)!^ ooveied in the presence uf the Monarch, is not, us generally supposed, strictly peculiar to this family : for John Ncthersale, of Nethersale House, near Biirhun> Downs, co. Kent, E.m\. was so i^reat a favourite with Hen. Vlfl, that he was iiuliili;ed with the privilege of wearing a cap in the King's presence. t On the 13th May, 17^7, (Commodore Arthur Philip, in the Sirius, commanded hy Captain John Hunter, with the Supply armed hrig. Lieu- tenant Uall, and nine transports, havini;' on hoard a great number of con- victs of both sexes, sailed from Spithead for Nevv South Wales, in order to establish a colony at Botany Bay. The Hyaena was ordered to accompany the fleet 100 leagues to the westward. t See p. 1/1. 334 ADMIRALS OF THK KLUK. In February, l/^j our officer was appointed to the Canada, of 74 guns, attached to the Channel fleet, one of the ships sent on an expedition aj^ainst Quiheron in the summer of 1800*. On the lOth April, 1801, the Canada was oft" the Black Rocks, when the Mars carried away her head, bowsprit, fore- mast, main-top-mast, and main-yard, by running foul of the Centaur. Captain De Courcy immediately took the disabled ship in tow ; but the wind blowing hard from the northward, right on the shore, and the Canada's top-sails being blo^vn to rags, he was obliged to cut the hawser, determined however to remahi by the Mars to the last' extremity. That fine vessel was nearing the shore very fast, and Captain De Courcy had made preparations for taking out her officers and men, when the wind suddenly lulled, and shifted to E. N. E., by which providential change, and getting up a sail on the stump of the fore-mast, she was enabled to gain an offing, and the Canada succeeded in towing her safe into Plymouth, where she arrived ten days after the accident. At the conclusion of the war, our officer commanded the Namur, a second rate. Soon after the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, Captain De Courcy was appointed to the Plantagenet, a 74-gun ship built without a poop, on a plan suggested by Lord Gambler f. After cruizing some time on the coast of Ireland, he convoyed the outward bound East India fleet to St. Helena ; and on his retuni from thence with several China ships under his protec- tion, was presented by the Court of Directors with 500 guineas, for the purchase of a piece of plate. On the 28tii Nov. 1 804, he commissioned the St. George of 98 guns, at Plymouth ; and soon after proceeded in her to the Jamaica station, where he continued until promoted to the rank of Rear- Admiral, Nov. 9, 1805. Early in 1808, we find him, with his flag in the Tonnant, 80, accompanying Sir John T. Duckworth to the West Indies and coast of America, in chace of a French squadron ; which, however, eluded the vigilance of its pursuers, who anchored in Cawsand bay on the 18th April, after traversing upwards of 13,000 miles. In January, 1809, Rear- Admiral De Courcy commanded the squadron that covered the embarkation of the ill-fate4 • See p. '2VJ. t Se« p. 84, HON. MltllARL 1>B COITRCV. 335 British army at Corunna, in front of which place the gaUant Lieutenant -General Sir John Moore, after conthicting a retreat unparalleled in modern history, was snatched from his country in the moment of victory. Among the emigrants of distinction who sought an asylum on board the Tonnant, on this occasion, was the Duke of Vera Aguas, the lineal des- cendant of the celebrated Christopher Columbus. On the 25th of the same month, the Houses of Lords and Commons passed a vote of thanks to the Rear-Admiral, the Captains, officers, and men of the squadron, for the assistance they had afforded the army. llie subject of this memoir was soon after appointed Com- mander-in-Chief at Brazil, and proceeded thither in the Diana frigate. On his arrival at Rio Janeiro, he hoisted his flag in the Foudroyant, of 80 guns, where it continued until his return to England, in 1812. Our officer was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral, July 31, 1810 ; and became an Admiral of the Blue, July 19, 1821 . He married, Oct. 24, 1786, Miss Blennerhasoct, daugh- ter of Conway Blennerhasset, of Castle Conway, co. Kerry, Esq. (descended from the ancient Cumberland ftimily of that name) and sister of the present Dowager Baroness Kingsale. The Admiral's daughter, Anne, married in June, 1812, Captain Sir John Gordon Sinclair. Bart. R. N. His eldest son is in Holy Orders, 'Ml 33(5 VICE-AJ)1V1IKALS OF I'HE RED. SIR HENRY NICHOLLS, Senior rice-Admiml of the Red ; Knight Commander of the most honour., able Military Order of the Bath. SuBSEQUKNT to the wur with the colonies, this officer com- manded the Echo sloop, on the Newfoundland station. On the 1st Dec. 1/88, he was promoted to the rank of Post- Captain, and soon after appointed to the Amphion frigate, stationed at Jamaica. During the Russian armament in l^Ol, he served as Flag-Captain to the late Hon. J. L. Gower, in the Formidable of 98 guns, which ship was put out of commission in the autumn of the same year. At the commencement of hostilities against France, in 1703, Captain Nicholls was appointed to the Royal Sovereign, a first rate, bearing the flag of Admiral 'Graves, in the Chan- nel fleet; and on the memorable 1st June 1/94, when that officer was wounded, his place M'as ably supplied by Captain Nicholis, who had the happiness of contributing in a very eminent degree to the success of this brilliant encounter. The Royal Sovereign v, as among the first ships in action, and at its conclusion Mas at the head of eleven sail of the line, well formed, ajid in pursuit of fourteen of the enemy's ships, when the last signal was made by Earl Howe for his fleet to close. In this battle the Royal Sovereign had 14 men killed, and 44 wounded. Captain Nicholls's conduct was specially noticed by the Commander-in-Chief, in his public letter ; and he was one of those officers to whom his late Majesty ordered a gold medal to be presented *=. The wound received by Admiral Graves causing him to retire for a time from active service, Captain Nicholls cnd friendship, they settled an annuity on the father, and married his daughters." We know nothiiii;- more of the early services of the subject of this ^^ketch, 1h;in that he served under his father during the war with our trans-atlantic colonies, at the conclusion of which we find him commanding* the Porcupine sloop, at Jamaica. His commission as a Post-Captain bears date Feb. .*?, 1/89, and in the following year he commanded the Pegasus of 28 guns, on the Newfoundland station. At the conmience- ment of the contest with France, in 17^3, he connnissioned the Ampiiion frigate, from m hich ship he removed al)out the year 17*^5, into the Nassau of Gl guns, and crui/.ed in her on the coast of Ireland, and with the North Sea fleet, until the autumn of IJ-^/? when he was appointed to the Saturn, 74, attached to the Western s(|uadr(.n. In the spring of 17^^), he succeeded Sir Henry Trollope in the command of the Rus- sell, also a third rate, and continued in that ship till the begin- ning of 18()1, when he joined the Juste, of 80 guns, and accompanied Sir Robert Caldi-r tothe^^'esr Indies, in pursuit of a French scpiadron that had escaped from Brest, but which instead of cntssing the Atlrnilic had proceeded up the Medi- terranean. Subsecjuent to his return to l-Ingland, Captain Sawyer Mas appointed to superintend the payments of the ships at Ply- mouth, wliere he remaiiied until aibanced to the ra»ik of Rear- Atlmiral, Oct. 1>, m^J. About the numth cf M;.y, 1810, he hoist'Mi bis flag as secotid in connuaix' at Portsmf»uth ; and touanis tlu> latter end of that ye;ir proceeded in the Africa of (>4 gtms, to the Halifax station, where he assumed the chief con\mand. He had previously been promoted to the runk of Vice- Admiral *•. When al)out to leave the coast of No\a Scotia, in 1813, our «)fticer was presented with the following address from the colonists : — " Sir. — His Majesty's consul, the merchants nnd other inhabitants of Halifax, camiot allow you to depui't from Nova Scoiin, without expressijig the satisfaction they have cxpe- • Jiilv 31, IHIO. mam SIR HKRKKRT SAWYKR. 339 riencetl dnriiij^ your conimantl of his Majesty's naval forces on this station. Vour polite and ready attention to the desires of his Majesty's suhjects, to protect and promote the eom- nieree of this and the neiijflihouring provinces, have heen duly appreciated, and demand our sincere acknowledi^ments. And it is no less incumhent on us to bear testimony of yoivr zeal and imceasing exertions in directinif the efforts of his Majesty's ships to repel the unprovoked and unexpected hos- tilities commenced by the government of America against his Majesty's subjects, and which have been conspicuously mani- fested in the protection of our trade, and the numerous cap- tures of the arnu'd cruisers of the enemy. With sentiments of unfeigned esteem and respect, we wish you a pleasant passage home, and that approbation from our vSovereign, which is the highest and most gratefid reward for honourable and faithful services *." 'J\>'.vards the latter end of the same year, the Vice-Admiral hoisted his flag as Commander-in-Chief at Cork ; and on the 2d Jan. 1815, he was nominated u K. C. B. Sir Herbert ha* a son a Lieutenant in the Navy. l)\€oiMte(l to tlie Cyclops, in which vessel he served at the reduction o{ Corsica f. His next appointment appe.u's to have been to the Bedford, a "JA-^fwii bhip, one of Vice-Admiral Hothuui's* fleet, * Of the uvcnts ulludud to in the (ori'goiiitf iuMroiiii wc tliiill f^ive a (Iftailcd uccount in our iiiciiiuirs of (Juptuiiu Aktmi k IUti Ui.nuuam, Hit'iiAHu BrnuN.&c. i»% m ii. ifc •ffij f. ' ^ ri 340 VICE-ADMfKALS OF THE IIKI>. in the skirmishes of March 14^ iiiul July l.'J, 171)5 ; on whicii former occasion, she had 7 n>cn slain and 18 wounded*. In the following year Captain Ciould was removed into the Au- ■I 1 ^^H il L v3 [ii!?^ jl^^H 1 j| rm i'Vi IE. * On the !)tli Munh, I7!'i>, Vlce-Adiniral Ilotliam sailed from Legliorix Roads witli his s(|uadnm, coiisistiiij;' t»f four .'5-deckers, sevoii 71'8. two (i I's, four frijuatos, two sloops, ami a cutter, accoinpauicil I»y a Xcapidilaii 7 1. and two frii^atcis. The French fleet of whieh ho was in imrsnit, though soon descrierl liy the IJritish advanced vessels, was not seen l>y the line-of- bultle ships till the IJth, when it was discovered to windwaid, consisting of one ;}-deeker, three HO's, eleven 71's, and three rrijjates. Dnrinu; the ensuing night, the lAiercure, of 71 guns, lost herniain top-mast in a S(piall, and [)arted conipaiiy. On the nuirning of the 13th, the cuetny being still to windward, wiMioui shewing any intention of coming down, the nritish (^jnimander Oiadi.' the signal for a general ohace. In the course of this, the IVeneh SO-gun ship Cii Ira, carried away her fore and main topmasts, which ali'orded to Captain Froemantle, in the Inconstant frigate, then far to windward of the British lino, an opportunity of rak'iig her with great enV' i. He was after some lime seconded Iiy ("aptain Nelson in the Agamemnon, who ellectnally tlis dded her; l)Ut, as the two sliips were now at a great distance from their own fleet, and were approached hy several of the enemy, who pressed on to the succour of their consort, they were oldiged to uhandon her, and she was iminediately taken in tow liy one of the ships that came to her assistance. In the :iie;ui rime a partial tiring had been kept up, between the Iledford and KgnK'nt. 7 l'». uiid the three rear-most Fretu'h ships, one of wlilch niounled \'2i) t "» s ; hut the action terudiiated for that day, after the Agumcmnon lion- ' In the succeeding ni;^hl the Freruh ."' decker parted company, by wiii, ;i the Hritish olifaiued a manifest Fuperiorily, having now, including the .Veaptdiluii 7 K fourteen sliips of the line, rated at 1 1 14 guns, opposed to thirteen ships and !>S0 guns. At day break on the I'itli. (ienoa tiicn bearing \. K. dista.it aitont 20 miles, the disabled ship, and that which Ir^il her in tow, were seen to lee»vard of their own ■iijuadron. At aiiout hali-past six, ( .iptains (Jould and Reeve, in the Ihdford and Captain, stood for and engaged them ; whilst the Couragoux, Illustrioi' , and other advanced ships, kept the enemy's van at bay. The action ended in the capture (tf the Ca Ira and Censcur, the latter a 74-gan ship, and both ciowded with troop.*. Their united loss was between .'100 and 400 men. On board the Hrilish s(|iiu(lron 73 were killed and 27<'> woutided ; the Neapolitans Imd only 1 nlain and 9 wounded. Tho dumnjire sustained by his van ships, particularly the Illustrious and Couragon.v, prevntrd Virp-Admirni Ilolimm attempting a renewal of tho engagement. Tho Illustrious was afterwards wrecked 'n Vnlenre Hay ; but providentially her crew, together with a part of her htores, were saved. All account of the still moro trivial BCtlon of .Uily 13th, iu tlie fnme yaar. will he found at p 254. cm DAVIDGK (-OIII.!). 341 dacious, of 74 guns ; but nothing worth recording appears to have taken place until the summer of IJ-^H, when he accom- panied Sir Horatio Nelson, in (|uest of the formidable arma- ment which had sailed from Toulon under (Jeneral Buona- parte, on the 20th May. An account of the famous battle fought in Aboukir Hay has already been given m our memoir of Sir Janu's Saumarc/ *. We therefore content ourselves with oi)serving, that the Amlaci- ous was the fourth ship that dou!)led the van of the French line, and brought up on the Conciuerant's bow, where C'aiUain Gcmld commenced a spirited and galling lire. Afti-r the action he proceedeil down the Mediterranean, in company with the division under Sir James Saumarez, ami part of the prizes. The loss sustained by the Aiulaeious was 1 man killed, and 3.5 wounded. She was afterwards employed in tiu' blockade of Malta, and assisted at the capture of the Clt'-nereux, of 71 guns, Feb. 18, I8()0t, at the latter cud of which year she returned to England. In ^ho spring of 1 801, Captain (iould was appointed to the Majestic, a third rate, :»' iciu'd to the Cl.umcl fleet. Early in the following year, he was ordered to the West Indies ; from whence he returncfl in the ensuing autumn, and the Majestic was paid olY at IMymoxith on tiie 'M of October. The last ship Cajjlain (iould commanded was tlu' Windsor Castle, of 08 guns, stationed otV Brest during the years 1804 and 1805. He was advaiK'cd to the raid< of Kear-Admiral, (X't. 2, 1807; becauu' a Vice-Admiral, Julyol, 1810; and on the 7th June, 181.'), was nominuted a K. C. B. Sir Davidge married, June 20, l80Ji, the eldest daughter of ihc llev. .'Vrchdeacon WlUes. • Seep. ISO. I .See Kear-Admiinl .Sm Edwaud Bkriiv (,!■ f; 'M2 VlfK-ADMIRALS OF TUF. RED. SIR RICHARD GOODWIN KKATS, yice-A(lmiru( of the lift/ : h'/iiif/il Grand Cross of the most honnurnhlr Mi/if'tri/ Order of the liulh ; Governor of Greemrwh Hospital ; and a Commissioner of the Board of Longitude. This olticer is a son of the late Rev. Richard Keats, Rector of Hidilord and King's Nympton, in Devonshire, a clergyman, who ibr many years tiil-jd the highly respectable and eminenlly useful station of Head Master of the Free Grannnar School at Tiverton, in the same county : a seminary from which many of those gentlemen, whose learning and talents have becon\e so conspicuous in the western part of this kingdom, derived the first principles of their echication. The subject of this niem<»ii Wiis a I^ieutenant of the Ramil- lies, 7'1, in the action between Keppel and d'Orvilliers, July 27, 177^ * ; i^iil sidjsecpiently of the Prince George, 98, bear- ing the flag of Rear-Adnnral Digby. This latter ship formed part of the fleet under Sir George B. Rodney, at the capture of a Spanish convoy, the def'\it of Don Juan de Langara, and the relief of Gibraltar, in Jan. 1/80 f. She was also particu- larly distinguished by being the vessel in which Prince \\\\- liam Henry, now Duke of Clarence, commenced his naval ca- reer as a Midshipnum ; and upon this occasion Lieutenant Keats had the honour of being selected as a proper oflrtcer to whom the person, and indeed in a considerable degret; the profes- sional tuition of H. R. H. might be safely entrust?d %• Lieuteiumt Keats was promoted to the rank of Commander, in the Ronetta sloop, about 1782, and served with great credit on the American station during the remainder of the colonial war. He was made a Post-Captain, June 24, 1789; and in the following year we tind him connnanding the Southampton, of IV2 guns, from 'vhich ship he removed al the period of the Russiati arnuiment, into the Niger, another frigate of the same force. Early in 1793, when the National Convention de- clared commti late roi occasi(l Our in whi(| of 44. 1 year, l| ren, tol the call of Frei had 2 pany, loss. • See note t. nip. 1%. t Sec note t, at p..H X !Soepp. H, and I6H. SIR RICHARD r.OODWIN KKATS. 343 dared war against Great Britain, he was nominated to the command of the London, of 98 guns, fitting for the flag of his late royal pupil ; but which, we believe, was not hoisted on that occasion. Our officer's next appointment was to the Galatea frigate, ill which he was present at the capture of la Revolutioimaire of 44. guns, Oct. 21, 1794 *. In the summer of the following year, he accompanied the expedition under Sir Johji H. War- ren, to Quiberonf ; and on the 30th March, \7^M\ assisted at the capture of I'Etoile, of 30 guns and 100 men, and four sail of Frencii merchantmen. The Galatea on this latter occasion had 2 men killed and () wounded. The other ships in com- pany, namely the Pomone, Artois, and Anson, sustained no loss. Captain Keats continued to command the (ialatea until the year 1/97, when he was removed into the Hoadicea, another frigate, in which he listinguished himself as an in- defatigable cruizer, and captUiCd several very formidai)le French privateers. On the 2d July, 1799, he commanded the frigates belonging to Sir Charles M. Pole's scpiadron, employed in covering an attack made by some bomb-vessels \ipon a Spanish scpiadron which had taken shelter under tiie batteries on the isle of Aix, and a floating mortar battery moored in the passage between the Boyart shoal and the isle ofOleron J. We next find him in the Superb, of 7-1 gu"B> employed off Cadiz. In our memoir of Sir James Saumarez §, we have given an account of the battle which took place off Algeziras, between that oHicer and M. Linois. Owing to the Superb being in the offing, at too great a distance to perceive the night signal made by Sir James on his receiving iiii-lli- gence of the arrival of the enemy from the Mediterranean, Captain Keats was prevented sharing in that action ; but having re-joined the Kear-iVdmiral at Gibraltar, he was en- abled to participate in the subse(iuent engagement, in which, indeed, he was the principal actor. At noon on the Pith July. 1801, six days after the event just alluded to, M. I linois broke ground from before Algeziras, for the p\n'pose of pntceeding to Cadiz with his st(uadr(in, and r«' • .See p. -77 t See p. !«M ; ^er p. '"i ^ ^f(• p. 1^7, '' ■"/ m 344 VICK-AU.MIRALS Of THE RK1>. some Spanish ships by which he had been reinforced, amount ng in the whole to nme sail of the line, two of which were 3- deckers, besides frigates, gun-boats, &c. This movement was no sooner observed than the British scpiadron, consisting of only five 2-decked ships, two frigates, and two smaller vessels, got under weigh ; and tlie moment the enemy had cleared Gibraltar Bay, bore up in pursuit, Sir James Saumarez di- recting Captahi Keats to lead on and attack the enemy's rear. Captain Keats performed this service in the handsomest manner ; at about 11'' 20' P. M. he got within two or three cables' length of the Real Carlos, a Spanish 3-deeker, and opened a tremendous fire upon her, which had so gooil an effect, that tiie Superb's shot passing over her, and striking two others which were in a line a-breast of her, they com- menced firing on each other. In a {|uarter of an hour Captain Keats percei\'ed the ship he was engaging to be on fire, upon which he (juitted her, and proceeded on to the next a-head, the San Antonio, of J i gmis, beariiig the broad pendant of Commodore Le Roy, which ceased firing after a contest of about thirty minutes. Shortly afterwards the Ccesar and Venerable came up in succession ; and, deceived by the San An- tonio's broad pendant (the halliards of which had been shot away and got entangled among the rigging) being still flying, fired into her, as did also the Spencer and Thames. In a few minutes the discovery was made that the San Antonio had already struck to the Superb, and the firing at her discon- tinued. A little after midnight, Captain Keats's former opponent, the Real Carlos, blew up ; but not until she had fallen on board of and set fire to the San ilermenegildo, of 1J2 guns; which also exploded soon afti-r. The wiiul at this time blew extremely hard, and the situation of the hostile s(|uadrons precluded all posibility of rendering the miserable people on board these vessels the least assistance ; the whole •' whom, witli the exception of 84, were thus launched into eternity *. In this action the Superb had not a man killed, and but 15, • The (lestructiua of the Spanish 3-ileokers is sup|)(»se(l to have origi- nated in the use of fnrnates for the piirpot;).- of hcutinjj -hot. 15, SlR RICHAKU GOODWIN KEATS. 345 including Lieutenant E. Waller, wountled. The loss of the San Antonio is not known, but was no doubt very severe. The Commodore Le Roy was among her wounded. Captain Keats remained with his prize, whilst the rest of the sijuadron pursued the discomfited enemy *. From this period we Hnd no particular mention of Captain Keats until towards the latter end of the year 1804, when he was despatched by Lord Nelson to Algiers, with a Consul, whom he succeeded in establishing most honourably, and thus put an end to the diiferences that had for some time subsisted between Great Britain and tliat Regency. The Superb after- wards accompanied that great commander to the West Indies, in the memorable pursuit of the combined fleets of France and Spain f. On the 9th Nov. 1805, <(Ur officer was iionored with an ap- pointment to one of the vacar.^ Colonelcies of Royal Marines. About the same time his ship received the flag of Sir John Thomas Diickwortli, who after the glorious l)attle off Cape Trafalgar, had been appointed second in command of the Me- diterranean fleet, under Lord Collingvvf)od, by whom he was sent in (piest of a squadron which had sailed from France, with a view of succouring the important colony of St. Domingo. • For further |)articulurs of this action, see p. 191. On the return of the squadron to (iilirultur. Sir Jumes Sauinarez issued the following me- inoruruluni : " Ctesnr, Itosiu Boy, »fuhf 15, 1801. " ilear-Adinirul Sh' James Sauuuircz has the happiness to oO'cr his most heartfelt con^rutiijalions to tlie Captains, oHicers, and men of tho ships he has the honour to command, on the siifnal success with whicli it Iius pleased Almi|2;lity (Jod to crown their zealous exertions in the service of their country. " To the disciplitie and valour of British seamen is to be ascribcfl their great superiority over the enomy, who, although more than treble the force of the Eiiiflish sipiadron in ni,.i.ber of guns and weight of metal, have been so singularly defcted. '• The Ilear-Admiral has not failed to transmit, in his late () womided. Captain Keats, together with his brother ofti- Sf f |». 2H I . SIR RICHARD GOODWIN KEATS. 317 cers, received the thanks of P?Ml;ament, and the option of a sword or vase of the value of one hundred poutuls, voted hy the Committee of the Patriotic Fund. We next find the subject of this memoir emphjyed as a Commodore in the expedition against Copenhagen *. (^n the 2(1 October, 1807, he was promoted to the rank of Rear- Admind, and hoisted his flag in the Superb, as Commander of a division of the fleet stationed in the Baltic, under Sir James Saunuu'ez. From the moment that the people of Spain began to throw oft" the yoke of France, it became an object of the first import- ance to the Britisli government to endeavour to rescue the Spanish army (juartered in the north of Europe, and which had been drawn from Spain b\' the I'rench Emperor, prepa- ratory to his designs upon that country being carried into eft'ect. To accomplish this desirable object, orders were given to Ilear-Admiral Keats, which he executed with his usual ability, and succeeded in bringing ofl' the Marcjuis de la- Romana and his army, from Nyborg in Demnark, Aug. 11, 18()8. For this valuable service he was created a Knight of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath. In 1809, Sir Richard G. Keats served in the expedition sent against the enemy's ships in the Scheldt f. He was after- wards appointed to command the naval forces employed for the defence of Cadiz, where he renuiined until the summer of 1811, when he proceeded to the Mediterranean, and hoisted his flag on board the Hibernia, of 120 guns, as second in command on that station. His promotion to the rank of Vice- Admiral took place, July 31, 1810. On the 20th Feb. 1813, Sir Richard was nominated Commander-in-Chief at Newfoundland, and Governor of that colony, where his ser- vices as a Flag-Ofticer terminated. He succeeded the late Sir George Hope as Major-General of the Royal Marines, May 7> 1818 ; and Sir John Colpoys as Governor of Green- wich Hospital, early in 1821. Our officer married, June 27, 1820, Mary, eldest daughter of the late Francis Hurt, of Alderwesley, co. Derby, Esq. Residence. — Royal Hospital, Greenwich. • See p. 7I^ et seq. t Sec p. 2fMl. 348 VlCa-ADMIKALS OF THE IIBD. u- ROBERT DEVEREUX FANCOURT, Esq. rice-Admiral of the Red. This officer was first Lieutenant of the Gibraltar, of 80 guns, bearing the broad pendant of the late Sir Richard Bick- erton, in Feb. 1/82, at which period that officer iailed for the East Indies, with several men of war, to reinforce the squadron on that station \inder Sir Edward Hughes. On his passage the Commodore touched at Rio Janeiro, where he purchased a cutter on Government account, and promoted Mr. Fancourt into her, with the rank of Conunander. In this vessel, which we believe was named the Substitute, and mounted 14 gra's, Captain Fancourt proceeded to India, and continued there during the remainder of the war. \\\ In 1790, a dispute arose with Spain relative to Nootka Sound; and Captain Fancourt, who had been advanced to post rank, on the 2d Dec, in the preceding year, was ap- pointed to the command of the Ambuscade frigate, stationed in the Mediterranean. Soon after the commencement of the war with France, in 1793, we find him in the Chichester, of 44 guns, employed principally in escorting the trade to and from the West Indies and Mediterranean. This vessel, in company with the Ijitrepid, 64, captured la Sirenne, French torvctte, off" St. Domingo, about the month of Aug. 1794. In the year 1797, Captain Fancourt was removed into the Agamemnon, (;f (Jl guns, attached to Admiral Duncan's fleet in the North Sea. This ship appears to have been implicated in the nmtiny at the Nore, but previous to its suppression se- ceded from the rebellious cause *. In the summer of 180(), she formed part of the squadron sent to Elsineur under the orders of Vice-Admiral Dickson, for the purpose of giving weight to the arguments adduced by the British Minister in support of the right claimed by Cireat Britain to search neutral vessels +. • See p. laIli^ll frif^ntr, (onvoyini; n licet of iiitrcliniiliiicn iw We ROBERT DEVKREITX FANCOURT, ESQ. 349 next find Captain I^vncourt accompanyina; Sir Hyde Parker on an expedition aj^ainst Copenhaijen, in tlie spring of 1801 ; but from the unfortunate circumstance of tlie Agamem- non striiA, ..*\^ % A 1.0 1.1 11.25 UilM |2.S |5o "^^ H^H ^ 1^ 12.2 m 1.4 Hill 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation ^ ^ \ V 4 ■^ \ \ 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WIISTM.N.Y. I4SI0 (716) •72-4S01 4^ ^ .V .^ ■^. m p 350 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE RED. SIR EDWARD BULLER, Baronet ; Fice-/li1miral of the Red ; and Recorder of East Looe. The BuUer family is of very ancient establishment in this country, and has chiefly resided in the counties of Devon and Cornwall, where its respective branches have been long in possession of considerable landed property. The subject of this memoir is the third son of the late John BuUer, of East Looe, and Bake, co. Cornwall, Es(j.*, by his first wife, Miiry, daughter of Sir John St. Aubyn, Bart., and was born at the Admiralty, Dec. 24, 17^4. He commenced his naval career at the early age of twelve years, under the auspices of the late Lord Mulgrave ; was with his Lordship, on board the Coura- geux, in the engagement between Keppel and d'Orvilliers, July 27, 1778 t, and continued with him till he was promoted to a Lieutenancy, when he removed into the Sceptre, of 64 guns, then commanded by Captain Graves. The Sceptre being under orders for the East Indies, Lieutenant Buller proceeded thither, and was in most of Sir Edward Hughes'.s actions with M. de Suifrein, in one of which he was slightly wounded. In 1783, our officer, then a mere boy, was advanced to the rank of Commander, in the Chaser of 14 guns, and returned to England in that vessel soon after General Stuart's attack upon Cuddalore, June 1783, at which he was present. We next find him in the Brisk sloop, on the Halifax station, where he displayed great activity in his endeavours to sup- press smuggling. From his arrival on the coast of America to the time of his quitting it, comprising a space of six years, he was also indefatigably employed in surveying the different harbours, &c., and thereby obtained a perfect knowledge thereof. He obtained post rank in the Dido frigate, July 19, 1790, and returned to England at the latter end of the same year. * Sir Edward's father represented Kast Looe in several parliaments, held a seat at the Admiralty for mnny yeurit, and was afterwards a Lord of the Treaiury. He died July 25, 1 786. t See note |, at p. !!>&. SIR EDWARD HULLER, BART. 351 111 1/92 Captain Builer was appointed to the Porcupine, of 24 guns, from which ship he removed into the Adventure, 44. In the latter, when on his retiu'n from Canada and Nova Scotia as convoy to a valuable fleet of merchantmen, he nar- rowly escaped being captured by a French scjuadron, cruizing expressly to intercept him. In this fleet were thirteen Dutch vessels, with rich cargoes, M'hicli, as soon as they (piitted Captain Buller's protection, were taken by our cruizers, in consequence of an embargo having been laid upon all Dutch property *. Our officer's next appointment was to the Crescent frigate, in which he proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, and was present at the capture of a Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay, Aug. IH, 1796 1, On his return from that station he Avas nominated to the command of the Sea Fencibles, from the river Lyne to Cawsand Bay, including the whole of the south- ern coast of Devonshire ; and by his judicious arrangements, that newly raised corps was placed on the most respectable footing X' In 1 799 Captain Builer obtained the command of the Edgar, 74, and subsequently removed into I'Achille, of the same force. In these ships he was principally employed in the blockade of Brest and Rochefort until the cessation of hostilities § ; soon after which he was elected M. P. for East Looe, and at the same time chosen Recorder of that borough. • See note f, at p. 20. f See p. 60. ♦ In the spring of 1808, a corps of Sea Foncibles was raised, on a plan proposed to tlm Admiralty l>y Captain (aftcru-ards Sir Home R.) Popliam, to be composed of tlie fishermen and seamen employed in coasters, and other men employed on the water in the different harbours, rivers, and creeks alonj; the coast. Agreeably to the regulations adopted, a Post- (.'aptain, with a certain number of inferior officers, according to the extent of the district, were appointed to command them. The men received pro- tections from the impress, and at each muster or exercise one shilling each, on the conditions, that, in garrisons and land batteries, they should learn to exercise the great guns ; and that, where those did not exist, they should be exercised in the use of the pike, so as to be able to oppose an invading enemy, cither afloat or on shore. § On the Ist Oct. 1801, the preliminaries of peace were signed between his Britannic Majesty and the French Consular (lovernment ; and on the 27th March IHO'J, the definitive treaty was signed at Amiens by the plcni- potentiarieii of lireat Britain, France, Spain, and the Butavian republic. '!^'' f. ' 352 VICE-ADMIKALS OK THE RED. On the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, our officer commis- sioned the Malta of 84 guns, in Avhich ship he particularly distinguished himself in the action between Sir Robert Calder and Admiral Villeneuve, July 22, 1805 *. On that occasion, in consequence of the fog, she separated from her companions, and was at one time assailed by five of the enemy's vessels. Captain BuUer, however, resolutely braved the danger, and continued the unequal conflict until one of his opponents, the San Rafael of 84 guns, surrendered. In this affair the Malta had 5 men killed and 40 wounded. Captain Buller soon afterwards received the honourable appointment of a Colonel of the Royal Marines ; and in the ensuing year assisted at the capture of le President, French frigate. The Malta was subsequently attached to the fleet under Lord Collingwood, employed in watching the port of Cadiz. About the month of May, 1807, our officer was obliged to return to England in consequence of a violent fever, occa- sioned by his exertions in affording relief to the crew of a Portugueze frigate, wrecked near Gibraltar. He was promo- ted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, April 28, 1808 ; and raised to the dignity of a Baronet of Great Britain, on the 3d October following. At the close of the year 1809 he succeeded the present Sir John Sutton, as second in command at Plymouth, where he continued until about the autumn of 1812, and then hoisted his flag in the Channel fleet. His advancement to the rank of Vice- Admiral took place Aug. 12, 1812, on which day he assisted at the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of that stupendous erection, the breakwater in Plymouth Sound f. Sir Edward Buller married, March I5th, 1789, Gertrude, fifth daughter of Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt. Residence. — Trenant-Park, Wiveliscomb, co. Cornwall. • See Vice-Adniirnl Charles Stirlino. t !^ec p. 31. 353 ■ti^i*^ HON. SIR ROBERT STOPFORD, rice-Admiral of the Red; and Knight Commander of the most honoto'- alile Military Order of the Bath. Thk noble family of Stopford is said to derive its descent from Nicholas de Stockport, Baron of Stockport, one of the eight barons of the palatinate, created by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, who settled in that county previous to the Norman Conquest. The first ancestor of the subject of this memoir, of whom we have certain information, was James Stopford, an officer in the parliamentary army, who repaired to Ireland during the usurpation of Oliver Cromwell, and carved out a fortune for himself in that kingdom. From him descended James, second Earl of Courtown and first Baron Saltersford, who married Mary, daughter and co-heiress of Richard Powis, of Hintlesham-Hall, co. Suffolk, Esq. and niece of George, the late Duke of Montagu. Robert Stopford, the third son by the above marriage, was bom Feb. 5, 1768 ; went to sea at an early age ; served some time in the Prince George, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Figby, on the American station * ; and obtained the rank of Post-Captain Aug. 12, 1790, in which year we find him com- manding the Lowestoffe frigate, employed in the Channel. Captain Stopford's next appointment was to the Aquilon, of 32 guns, stationed in the Mediterranean, from whence he returned to England with H. R. H. Prince Augustus, now Duke of Sussex, as his guest. The Aquilon was subsequently attached to the fleet under the orders of Earl Howe, and repeated the signals of the rear division in the memorable con- flict of June 1, 1794 f. In the autumn of the same year our officer was removed into tiie Phaeton of 38 guns, and continued on Channel service luitil Feb. 1795, when he received orders to join the squadron destined to escort her Serene Highness the Princess Caroline of Brunswick from Germany to Great Britain J. He after- ♦ See p. 3, et te Marines, and. Solc^riv in the squadron, has made on my mjnd ; and it was the greatest pleasure Ii ever received, to see the spirit manifested by the men, who, instead of being cast down at seehtg tliirty sail of the enemy's ships attackinj*' our little squadron, were in the highest spirits imaginable. I do not mean the Royal Sovereign alone; the same spirit was shown in all the ships, as they came near me : and although (circumstanced us we were) we had no great reason to complain of the conduct of the enemy, yet our men could uot help repeatedly expreiisi:ig their contcnipt of them. Could common prudence have allow- ed me to let loose their valour, I hardly know what might not have been accomplished by such men." The squadron under Vice-Adtniral Cornvtallis consisted of the Hoyal Sovereign, 1 10 guns ; Mars, Bellerophon, Triumph, and Bruns- wick, 74*8 ; Phaeton and Pallas frigates ; and Kingfisher sloop. The damage the ships received was very iucousiderable, excepting in their «tern frames, which wen* much shaken by the repeated firing of the lord su in com and 27( Towj joined t off rislc naval s were ca out of chaced Stopforc shoal w deavour upon th sustaine In a( Stopfor( appears corvette 152 gun two othc Early the Exc( thuse Fr vessels, squadroi whence 1802. On th v!ommiss employe In the HI Mediteri the Wes guns. Til the Mars. Captains, i HON. Sm ROKURr STOPKOHU. 355 ford subaequeutly (hove on sliore rEchoue, of 28 guns; and, in compMiiy with the Anson, captured la iJaphne, of '.M) guns and 2/6 men, and la Flore, of ,% guns. Towards the latter end of February, 1798, the Phaeton joined the s(}uadron under Sir John Borlase Warren, cruising off risle Dieu. On the 8th March several vessels, laden with naval stores jvnd provisions, from Rochefort bound to Brest, were captured ; and six days after, nine others were brought out of the Pertuis d'Antioche. On the 22d the squadron chaced a large French frigate, which at midnight Captain Stopford brought to action ; but his opponent running into shoal water, he was obliged to haul off. The enemy in en- deavouring to effect his escape into the river Garonne, struck upon the Olive rocks, near the Cordovan liight-house, and sustained considerable damage. In addition to the above services performed by Captain Stopford, during the time he commanded the I'haeton, he appears to have taken, or assisted in capturing, a national corvette of 20 guns ; nine privateers mounting in the whole 152 guns, and manned with from 130 to 50 men each ; and two other armed vessels. Early in the spring of 1799, our officer was appointed to the Excellent of 74 guns, in which ship he captured I'Are- thuse French corvette, a national cutter, and several merchant vessels. After cruising for some time with the Western squadron he was ordered to the Leeward Islands, from whence he returned with a broad pendant in the summer of 1802. On the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, Captain Stopford commissioned the Spencer of 74 guns, at Plymouth, and was' employed off Ferrol and Corunna during the ensuing winter. In the autunm of 1804 he joined Lord Nelson's fleet in the Mediterranean ; and afterwards accompiinied that officer to the West Indies, in pursuit of the combined fleets of France .M .Jtr '4' guns. The squadron lost nut a man, and only 12 were wounded on board the Mars. For their spirited conduct on this occasion, the Vice- Admiral, Captains, &c. receivea; :;r the Dutch Governor had retired, took possession of it on tne 12th September, without opposition, the enemy having withdrawn to a position on the road to Solo, the residence of the nati\e Emperor of Java. This post was attacked on the IGth, by Colonel Gibbs, with such success that on the followhig day an armistice was agreed on, which terminated in the surrender of the liLuro- pean troops, and the delivery of the whole island to the British arms. The adjacent isle of Madura, which had been occupied by the French, was included in the capitulation signed on the 18th ; and thus not a vestige was left of the eastern dominion of the Gallo-Batavian empire. The loss ! 1; V ■fi^^ ■ -V I "*''4ii« I Ai r i 358 ViCE-ADMIKALS OF THK ItEJi. siibtainc(i by the navy in the above operations amounted t<; 15 men killed, and 55 officers and men wounded. That of the army was very considerable. On the 10th Jan. 1812, th»> thanks of parliament were voted to the officers and men of both services employed on the expedition. After the subjugation of Java, Reur-Admiral Stopford relin- quished his assumed command and returned to his former station, where he contuiued until superseded by Uear- Admiral Tyler. He arrived in England, with his flag on board the President frigate, in the spring of 1813 ; since which he has not been afloat. He was made a Vice-Admiral, Aug. 12, 1812, and nominated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815. Sir Robert married, June 29, 1809, Mary, daughter of Commissioner Fanshawe, of his Majesty's Dock-yard at Plymouth. Residence. — Lyndhurst, Hants ; and Buckland-Abbey, Devon. CgU- Z'iAtH'Irjff MARK ROBINSON, Esq. floe-Athnirnl of the Red; and a Member of the Bath and ff'est of England Societt/ fur the Encouras^ement of Agriculture, Arts, Munu- factnrcs, and Commerce. This officer is, we believe, a son of the late Rear-Admirul of that name^ who, w^hen Captain of the Shrewsbury, lost a leg in the action off Cape Henry, Sept. 5, 1781 *. He was made a Commander some time previous to the conclusion of the war with the colonies ; and during the ensuing peace, com- manded the Trimmer sloop. His post commission bears date Sept. 21, 1/90; and at the commencement of hostilities with the French republic, he obtained the command of the Brilliant frigate, stationed in the North Sea, and afterwards employed at the reduction of Calvi, in Corsica f- He subse- quently commanded the Arethusa of 38 guns, in Sir John B. Warren's expedition against Quiberon J. • Roar-AON, ESQ, 369 In the summer i)f 1804, our officer was appointed to the Swifiaiirc of 74 guns ; in which ship, after cruisiiii;^ for some time on the coast of Spain, he accompanied Lord Nelson to the West Indies hi pursuit of the combined fleets of France and Spain *. He afterwards commanded tlie Koyal So- vereign, a first rate, and the Gibraltar of 80 guns. Captain Robinson was advanced to the rank of Uear- Admiral, AprU 28, 1808; and Vice- Admiral, Aug. 1^, 1812. He married, Feb. 5, 1799, Mrs. Shirley, of Pulteney Street, Bath, who died at that place on the 12th Jan. 181 1, aged 65 y*^»^«- 01^', Eunice ^ i;.5W*-H*i 'm ; . 1 1 1 '■ • , ■t m ■ ■■llMlr THOMAS REVELL SHIVERS, Esq. f^ice-Admirul of the Red. In 1778, this officer, then a Lieutenant, commanded the Penguin armed vessel, stationed at Newfoundland. He was promoted to the rank of Commander about the year 1782 ; and at the termination of hostilities with the United States of America, we find him at the Leeward Islands, in the Espion sloop. His post commission bears date, Sept. 21, 1790.v At the breaking out of the war with the French republic. Captain Shivers was appointed to the Ariadne, of 24 guns, in which ship he proceeded to the Mediterranean, and was present at the evacuaition of Toulon f. From that ship he was removed into the Alcide, 74, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Robert Linzee. In the years 1798 and 1799, our officer commanded the Standard of 64 guns, and subsequently the Defiance, 74. He was advanced to the rank of Rear- Admiral April 28, 1808, and Vice-Admiral, Aug. 12, 1812. F i.: 11 ,l.'.:i * See Vice-Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm. t See pp. 46, 29-1 3(K) VM K-ADMIHAI.JS OK TIIK KKI>. lOlIN niF.KES, Esq. I'wr-Adnilrnl tifthf Hvd. This orticer was nuuk' a (/Oininander diiriiid^ the war willi (Mir trans-atlantie colonies ; siihseciucnt to which, in consc- (lucncc of some temporary disgust, he entered into the l*or- tus^ueze service, and obtained the rank of Rear-Admiral ; l)tit brighter prospects opening, he returned to that of his native country, and became u Fost-Captain, Sept. 21, 1700. In 1/95, Captain Dilkes commanded the Madras, of 54 guns, stationed in the North Sea. He aftei-wards proceeck-d to the West Indies, and was present at the reduction of St. Liujia by tlie forces under Sir Hugh Christian and Sir Ralph Abercroniby *. The Madras continued about two years on the Leeward Island station, and on her arrival in England was again ordered to join the North Sea fleet. About the latter end of 1790, Captain Dilkes sailed with the trade for the Cape of Good Hope and the East Indies. Pre- vious to his return, he became involved in an affair of the most unpleasant nature with the Chinese government, of which the foUowing account is given in Schomberg's Naval Chro- nology. '* Early in 1800, the Providence schooner, commanded by Lieutenant Mayo, whilst lying at Whampoo, had her cables cut two or three times during the night. Her conmuuider, irritated at these repeated robberies, gave orders that the first boat that approached near the vessel, with the supposed in- tention of cutting the cables, should be fired upon. " On the 1 1th Feb. this order was unfortunately executed, and a young Chinese, fifteen years of age, wounded in the shoulder. ** The Viceroy of the Provinces of Canton and Quangsi, ordered the Collector of the Customs to publish on the 14th, an edict, by whichthcEnglish were accused of having drowned one man and wounded another. It was enjoined the presi- (( See p. 134. JOHN DILKKS, KSU. :{(>i dent of the rohongitits, the society of tradrrs, to cominnnirutr itH contents to Mr. 11 nil, chief of the Kn^lisli l\'ictory, and demand from him that the Ji^uilty shouhl he f^iven np to juHtice. " Just at this time, the Madras arrived from Macou ; and the matter being represented to Captiiin Dilkes, he prevailed on the traders of the factory to carry a letter to the Viceroy. This step, unexampled at Canton, was contrary to all ordinary customs. The letter was however favourably received. " Captain Dilkes complained of the robbery which had been conmiitted, demanded an impartial examination, and prayed his Excellency to consider the affair as a national busi- ness, and having no connection whatever with the East India company. The Viceroy did not consent to this last demand ; but he sent a confidential mandarin to confer with Captain Dilkes and Mr. Hall. The parties concerned on both sides, were present at the interview. The Viceroy at last decided, in conformity with the Chinese custom, that the affair should be carried before an inferior tribunal, in order to be finally brought before a superior court. " Captain Dilkes, with the guilty person, a witness, and Mr. Staunton, in quality o'i interpreter, went into the town, where the people treated them with much indignity. After having waited for several hours for the criminal judge of the province, they were brought into Court. Captain Dilkes in- ttistedon the Mate (who was the one accused) being examhied. The judge refused, saying that English sailors could not be believed; he added,, that if the wounded person survived forty days, the Ir.svs of China oidy ordered banishment, and that the magistrates would pass over this sentence in consi- deration that the guilty person was a foreigner. " Captain Dilkes persisting in demanding the examination of the sailors, and having unfortunately raised his voice higher than what is permitted by the regidations of the courts in China ; immediately the judge made a signal to his officers, who seized Captain Dilkes by the shoulders and pushed him violently out of the" court ; as was also Mr. Staunton. " Some days after, as the young man was likely to recover from his wound, the Viceroy sent word to Captain Dilkes, that in consideration of the friendship subsisting between the \r\lll 362 VICE-ADMIRALS OP THE RED. English and the Chinese, he had dispensed with the execution of the law." It should here be observed, that the Chinese have no idea of making a distinction between accidental and premeditated murder ; as was fatally exemplified some years ago, in the case of a poor gunner belonging to an Indiaman, who vras given up, because the wad of a gun, lired by the command of an officer, happened to strike a native in a boat at some dis- tance, and occasioned his death. Jjy the Chinese laws, if the person survives the accident forti/ days, and after that period dies, even in consequence of the same accident, yet it is not considered as murder. When any case of this kind occurs, it is best to secure the wounded Chinaman, and have him under the care of Euro- peans during that space of time ; for the Chinese would otherwise, perhaps, bring some man who had died a natural death in the interval, and swear that it was the person who died of the accident, in hopes of extorting a sum of money. The boy alluded to above, notwithstanding his seeming con- valescence, lingered about fifty days, and then expired. In these cases, the sentence of death, by the laws of China, is generally commuted for that of banishment into the wilds of Tartary. Tliis court, however, on the boy's decease, sent a message to Captain Dilkes, intimating that he might punish the seaman according to the laws of his own country j and consequently a British subject was thuti preserved from an ignominious and unjust death, by a proper mode of inter- ference. Captain Dilkes appears to have returned to Europe soon after the above affair, since in the spring of 1801, we find him commanding the Raisonable, of 64 guns, in the expedition against Copenhagen, under Sir Hyde Parker *. On the re- newal of the war, in 18()3, he was appointed to the Salvador del Mundo, bearing the Bug of the Port Admiral at Plymouth i where he continued until the autumn of the foUowing year, when he was nominated Resident Commissioner at Jamaica, which we believe to have been his last pviblic employment. His lulvanceaient to the rank of Koar-/VdmiraI took placi* • Src note *, ut i». Sfir), rl^siff. '^m JOHN DILKES, ESQ. April 28, 1808; and on the I2th Aug. 1812, he was made a Vice-Adniiral. Our officer married, 1804, a daughter of the late Achniral Epvvorth, father of the present Captain of that name, a notice of whom will appear in our next volume. SIR THOMAS FOLEY, Plce-Admiral of the Red; and Knight Grand Cross of the most ho- nourable Military Order of the Bath. This officer is a native of Pembrokeshire, and, we believe, related to the noble house of Foley. He served as a Lieu- tenant of the Prince George of 98 guns, the flag ship of the late Admiral Digby, at the time H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence was a Midshipman in that ship ; and in 1/82, Mas made a Commander into the Britannia armed ship, at New York. He subsequently commanded the Atalanta of 14 guns, on the same station. Captain Foley was promoted to post rank, Sept. 21, 1/90 ; and at the commencement of the war in 1/93 obtained the command of the St. George, a second rate, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Gell, whom he accompanied to the Mediterra- nean, and on his passage thither had the good fortune to assist at the recapture of the St. lago, a Spanish register ship laden with specie. The ships in company with the St. George on this fortunate occasion were the Edgar, Egmont, and Ganges, 74's, and Phaeton frigate *. Towards the conclusion of the same year, Lord Hood de- tached Rear-Admiral Gell wilh a division of his fleet to Genoa. La Modeste, a French frigate of 30 guns, was then lying in the harbour, and hivd broken the neutrality of the port on various occasions, in direct opposition to the remon- strances of the Senate and Government. The British Com- nuuider being made acijuaiuted witli these circumstances, on his arrival ordered the Bedford of "4 gin««, to anchor along side the enemy's ship, and to demand her to surrender. The French Captain at first refused to comply with this retpiisitinu; • Sop p. If)? m^ !,':; ■'III 364 VICE-ADMIRALS OP THE RED. l)ut a few musket shot being fired, he thought it prudent to acquiesce. The government of Genoa very properly consi- dered the spirited conduct of the Rear-Admiral perfectly regular, as well as strictly consonant to the law of nations ; and la Modeste was added to the British navy. Early in the ensuing year Rear-Admiral Gell was obliged, by the precarious state of his health, to return overland to England * ; and the late Sir Hyde Parker hoisted his flag in the St. George, Captain Foley continuing to command that ship. In the first encounter which took place between the Bri- tish fleet under Vice-Admiral Hothaui and the remnant of the once formidable force which France had possessed in the port of Toulon, the St. George had 4 men killed and 13 wounded. The French ships captured were the Ca Ira of 80 guns, and the Censeur of 74 guns f. No other material occurrence took place during the re- mainder of the time that Captain Foley continued in the St. George, except the second skirmish, still more trivial than the first, which ended in the destruction of TAlcide, of 74 guns X. In the memorable battle off Cape St. Vincent, Feb. 14, 1797 §, our officer bore a distinguished part, as Captain of the Britannia, a first rate, carrying the flag of the late Sir Charles Thompson. Soon after that important event he was ap- pointed to the Goliath of 74 guns, and in the following year detached from the fleet off Cadiz to reinforce Sir Hi)ratio Nelson's squadron in the Mediterranean. On the gloiious 1st Aug. 1798, Captain Foley had the honour to lead the British fleet into action. At O** 15' P. M. the French commenced the engagement ; in two minutes the Goliath returned their fire, and then doubled their line, and brought up alongside of the Conquerant, the second ship in the enemy's van. In less than a quarter of an hour Captain Foley completely dismasted his opponent, and afterwards assisted in subduing the ships in the rear. In this tremen- dous conflict the Goliath had 21 killed and 41 wounded 11. 1^: * Admiral dell Hied at liis seat near CricliUowell, in Brecknockshire, in 18(M). t 8ee p. 340. J See p. 254. § See p. 21, et svtj. II It had long been n fHvourite idea with Cnplain Fulcy. whicii he liud sill THOMAS FOLEY MG5 Rear-Admiral Nelson, on his departure for Naples, left Captain Foley to assist Captain Hood in guardini; the coast of Egypt. On tlie 25th August the boats of the Goliath, connnanded by Lieutenant W. Debusk, attacked and carried a French armed ketch, anchored under the guns of the castle of Aboukir : the business was ably conducted, and gallantly performed. She proved to be la Torride, mounting three long 18-pounders, four swivels, and well appointed in small arms, with a crew of JO men, 3 of whom were killed ; and her commander M. Bedar, with 10 of his men, badly wounded. In the attack, Lieutenant Debusk and 1 man were wounded. On the 30tli of the same month, the Goliath sailed for the coast of Italy to rejoin Sir Horatio Nelson, and was subsequently employed at the blockade of Malta. Towards the latter end of 1799, Captain Foley returned to England ; and in the following year we find him commanding the Elephant of 74 guns, attached to the Channel fleet. On this service he continued to be employed until the spring of I80I, when he was ordered to the Cattegat, to join his old Commander Sir Hyde Parker, who had proceeded thither with a powerful armament, in order to counteract the hostile designs of the Northern powers. The Elephant joined the fleet on the 2 'th March, and soon after received the flag of Lord Nelson, to whom had been delegated the important taskof reducing the Danes to submission. The loss she sus- tained in the ensuing battle oflf Copenhagen, amounted to 10 killed and 13 wounded *. mentioned on the preceding evening to Cuptains Troubridge and Hood, that a considerable advantage would arise, if the enemy's fleet were found moored in line-of-battle in with the land, to lead between them and the shore, as the French guns on that side were not likely to be manned, or to be ready for action. The original plan of attack which Sir Horatio Nelson had intended to have adopted, if Captain Foley had not judged it expedient to lead within the French line, was to have kept entirely on its outer side ; and to have stationed his ships, as far as he was able, one on the outer bow and another on the outer quarter of each of the enemy. For an account of the battle of the Nile, see p. 180, et seq. ♦ Towards the close of 1800, the scheme of an armed neutrality, or ra- ther of a maritime confederacy, to annul the marine code maintained by Great Britain, was entered into by Ruasin, Denmark, Sweden, and Prussia. This coalition occupied the serious attention of the British ministry ; and "W n''i I ' ! ■l 'In 366 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE RED. Captain Foley continued on the Baltic station until the month of August, 18()1, when he returned to England in coin- on the 14th Jan. 1801, an embargo was laid on all the ships in English ports, belonging to any of the confederated powers, Prussia excepted. With the latter a negotiation was for some time carried on, with the hope of prevailing on her to al)andon the league; but with so little effect, that in the month of IMarcli, the troops of that power entered Hanover, closed the navigation of the Elbe, \\'eser, and Eras, and laid the British shipping in those river* under restraint. About the same time the Danish army took possesion of Han»burgh, for the alleged purpose of stopping the English trade to that port- Such a combination, under the influence of France, would soon have become formidable ; and never did the British cabinet display more diecision than in instantly preparing to crush it. The fleet destined for this service, under the command of Sir Hyde Parker, left Yarmotith Roads on the 12th March : Mr. Vansittart sailed in it, the English government still hoping to obtain its end by ncgociation ; !mt on that gentleman's arrival at Copenhagen he found the Danes in the highest degree hostile, and their state of preparation exceeding what our ministers had supposed possible. On the 30th the armament passed the Sound, and anchored near the island of Huen. The British fleet had no sooner brought up, than the Commander-in- Chief, accompanied by Lord Nelson, and some other ofhcers, proceeded in a light vessel to reconnoitre the harbour and channels. It was soon per- ceived that the unnecessary delay which had taken place outside the Sound had been of important advantage to the enemy, who had lined the northern edge of the shoals near the Crown batteries, and the front of the harbour and arsenal, with a formidable flotilla. The Trekroner battery appeared in particular to have been strengthened, and all the buoys of the uortheril end of tlie King's Channels had beea removed. The ensuing night was employed in ascertaining the Channels round the great shoal called the Middle Ground, and in laying down fresh buoys. On the next day. Sir Hyde Parker and Lord Nelson, attended as before, proceeded to the examination of the northern channel, and of the flotilla {torn the eastward. The Danish line of defence was formed in a direct line eastward froui the Trekroner battery, and extended at least two miles along the coast of Amak : it ^vas ascertained to consist of the hulls of seven linc-of-battlc ships with jury masts, two only beh»g fully ri^ed, ten float- ing batteries, one bomb-ship rigged, and two or three smaller ctuft. On the Trekroner appeared to be nearly seventy guns ; on the smaller batter>', in shore, six or seven guns ; and on the coast of Amak several batteries which were within a long range of the King's Channel. Off the harbour's mouth, which was to the westward of the Trekroner, were moored four Ihie-of'battle ships and a higate ; two of the ibrmer, and the latter, were fully rigged; Their whole line of defence, frotti one extremity to the other, raight embrace an extent of nearly four iiriles. A council of war was held }n the afternoon, atid the mode which might be advisable for the attack was ur ;re er, lid as SIR THOMAS FOLKV. 36/ pany with Sir Ch.irles M. Pole, who had succeeded Lord Nelson in the chief command of the fleet kept in that sea considered : that from the eastward appeared to he preferred. Sir Hyde Parker, with sound discretion, and in a handsome manner, not only left every thing to Lord Nelson for this detached service, but gave him two more line-of-hattle ships than he demanded. The night of the -Slst was employed as the preceding, in ascertaining the course of the Upper Chan- nel, a service which was coudneted under Nelson's immediate directions. On tlic forcnoon of the 1st April, the whole fleet removed to an an- chorage within two leagues of the town, off the N. W. end of the Middle Ground. Lord Nelson, accompanied hy a few chosen friends, made his last observations during that morning on board^thc Ainajion ; and about one o'clock returning to the Elephant, he threw out the wished for signal, to weigh. The shout with which it was received throughout lii» division, consisting of seven 74's, three in the same year, the Monarch led the van division in the action between Keppel and d'Orvilliers, and had 2 men killed and 9 wounded*. In the month of December following, when Captain Rowley hoisted a broad pendant on board the Suffolk, Lieutenant Hoar removed with him into that ship. On the 25th the Commodore sailed from Spithead with a squadron to reinforce Admiral Byron, in the West Indies, and joined that officer at St. Lucia, about the latter end of March, 1779. In the action off Grenada, July 6, in the same year f, Mr. Hoar's friend, who had recently been promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, commanded the rear division of the British fleet ; and the Suffolk appears to have been very warmly engaged, having sustained considerable damage, and a loss of 32 men killed and wounded. In t^ic month of December foUowinsr, the boats of that ship, uiidor the orders of our officer, des- troyed two of the enemy's vessels close to the shore of Martinique, in the execution of which service, although twice engaged with the militia of that island, only 1 man was killed on the part of the British. In March, 1780, Lieutenant Hour accompanied Admiral Rowley from the Suffolk into the Conqueror; which ship formed part of Sir George B. Rodney's fleet in the actions with de Guichen, April 17, and May 15 and 19 X' In these engagements, the conqueror had 18 men killed and 69 wounded. In the ensuing month of July, Mr. Hoar became Flag-Lieu- tenant to Admiral Rowley, and continued lo liold that ap- • See note t. »t !»• 1J^5« t See R^Jtiieil()«ptainFAN,snA\VE. I !S«!e note f, ut p. 103, tt aef/. m^ k ;l ■■ ! i' 382 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE RED. pointment until Aug. 10, 1782, on which day he was made a Commander, into the Due d'Estitac sloop. Diu'ing the re- mainder of the war, we find him actively employed on a variety of services both on the coast of America and in the West Indies. He returned to England in the summer of 1783, and was soon after put out of commission. On the 20th May, 1788, the subject of this memoir married Catherine Dorothy, daughter of Peregrine Bertie, of Low- Layton, Essex, Esq. (of the late Duke of Ancaster's family) whose name he assumed, and has since borne alone, agreeably to the will of that gentleman. Captain Bertie was advanced to post rank, Nov. 22, 1790, and, at the same period, appointed to the Ledii : that frigate, however, was soon after put out of commission, and he was not again called upon till the autumn of 1795, when he ob- tained the command of the Hindostan, a 54-gun ship, then at Spithead, under orders for the West Indies, where he arrived, after a long and tempestuous passage, in company with a squadron commanded by the present Admiral George Bowen, and a fleet of transports having on board several thousand troops, under the orders of Major-General White, destined to attack St. Domingo ; nearly the whole of whom fell victims to the climate, without having been employed on any service of importance. Captain Bertie was himself seized with the yellow fever, whilst commanding at Port-au-Prince, and he was obliged to apply to be surveyed. This accordingly took place at Cape Nichola Mole ; and being invalided, he left the West Indies in an American ship, in the month of Oct. 1796. On the 29th March, 1797, after he had recovered his health, he was appointed to the Braakel of 54 guns, stationed at Plymouth, In October following, he succeeded to the com- mand of the Ardent, 64, vacant by the death of his old ship- mate. Captain Burgess, who fell in the memorable battle off Camperdown. It may here be proper to menti'i' c>< improvement which our oflicer effected on the 42-pounder carronades, belonging to the Ardent's main-deck ; particularly as it was after- wards generally adopted in all his Majesty's ships having that description of ordnance on board. Observing, when SIR THOMAS BERTIE. 383 he was first appointed to the Ardent, that the inclined plane of the carriage was in a contrary direction to what he conceived it ought to be — being ivithin-board instead of without — Captain Bertie communicated his ideas on the sub- ject to the Board of Ordnance ; and in a correspondence which ensued, he had the satisfaction of convincing the heads of that department of the utility of his proposed alteration. Orders were consequently given, for fitting up the carronades according to his directions. The alteration consisted simply in depressing the chock two inches. This not only imparted to the gun the good property of being worked, and run out, with a smaller number of men, but it also checked the recoil, and necessarily added to the force of the shot. The Ardent was employed imder Lord Duncan, in the blockade of the Texel fleet, until the expedition to Holland took place in August, 1799. Captain Bertie then received or- ders to place himself under the command of Vice-Admiral Mitchell ; who, on the 30th of that month (a landing having been made good on the 27th, and the Helder obtained posses- sion of) passed, with his squadron, through '^h? Nieuve Diep, up to the Vlieter, near to which the Dutch fleet, coi^sisting of eight sail of the line and four frigates, commanded by Admiral Storey, were lying at anchor. The enemy were allowed one hour's deliberation, to fight or to surrender ; and the latter having been agreed to, in consequence of the disafiiection reigning amongst the Dutch seamen. Captain Bertie was ordered to take possession of the Admiral de Ruj^ter, of 68 guns, and afterwards to escort the whole of the prizes to the Nore, where he arrived on the 10th September. In the following month, Captain Bertie assisted at the evacuation of the Texel, He afterwards, in common with the other officers of the fleet, received the thanks of Parlia- ment, for his services in the above mentioned expedition. In the autumn of 1800, ^e Ardent formed one of the squadron sent to the Sound under Vice-Admiral Dickson, for the purpose of giving weight to the mission of Lord Whit- worth *. It was during this expedition, that the first trial was made of the late Sir Home Popham's telegraphic signals. The Ardent soon after formed one of the squadron under the • See p. 348. n3 §'l ! il 384 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE RED. orders of Lord Nelson at the battle off Copenhagen, in which her commander particularly distinguished himself ; compelling four of the Danish flotilla, one of which was the Jutland of 60 guns, to suiTender. An account of this tremendous conflict will be found in our memoir of Sir Thomas Foley *. The Ardent received considerable damage, and sustained a loss of 29 men killed and 64 M'ounded, independent of about 40 others who, being able to continue at their duty, were not in- cluded in the report. For his services on this occasion. Cap- tain Bertie again had the satisfaction of receiving the thanks of Parliament, and what was equally pleasing, the personal commendation of his heroic chief f. On the 9th of the same month, the subject of this memoir was appointed by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Hyde Parker, to the Bellona of J4 guns, in the room of Sir Thomas B. Thompson, who had lost a leg in the battle ; and he continued in the Baltic under the orders of Lord Nelson, and his worthy successor Sir Charles M, Pole, until the 7th July following, when he left that station in company with the squadron sent home under Sir Thomas Graves, part of which were ordered north about to Cork, and from thence proceeded off Cadiz, where Captain Bertie remained, employed in the blockade of the Spanish fleet, till the termination of the war. The Bellona afterwards formed part of a squadron sent under the com- mand of Captain (now Sir Charles) Tyler, to the West Indies, from whence our ofticer returned to England, June 24, 1802, and on the 6th of the following month his ship was put out of commission. Hostilities again commenced in the spring of 1803 ; and on the 3d November, Captain Bertie was appointed to the Coura- geux of 74 guns, in which ship Rear-Admiral Dacres soon after hoisted his flag, and on the 4th Jan. 1804, sailed from St. Helen's accompanied by 170 sail of merchantmen bound to the West Indies. Four days after their departure, the whid which had hitherto been fair, shifted to the S. W. and between « See p. 366. t Early on the morning after the action, Lord Nelson went on board the Ardent, to thank her commander, officers, and people, for their con- d»ut and exertions on the preceding day ; a compliment which was returned with six cheers, on his Lordship leaving the ship. SIR THOMAS BERTIE. 386 the 16th and 28th it blew one of the most ti'emendous gales ever experienced, dispersing the convoy, and reducing the Courageux to a mere wreck, thereby compelling her to bear up for Plymouth, where she arrived with the remnant of her scattered charge on the 1st of February. From some family distress. Captain Bertie was suddenly obliged, after the Courageux had beeh docked and nearly prepared for sea, to resign the command of her, and he re- mained without any other appointment until the latter end of Dec. 1805. He then obtained the command of the St. George, a second rate, attached to the Channel fleet, and continued in that ship until the general promotion of flag- officers, April 28, 1808, which included, and stopped with him. Rear-Admiral Bertie was soon after appointed to a com- mand in the Baltic, under Sir James Sauniarez. He accord- ingly proceeded thither in the Rosamond sloop, and on his arrival off Helainburgh, hoisted his flag in the Orion of 74 guns, from which ship it was afterwards shifted, first into the Vanguard, 74, and then into the Dictator, 64 : he returned to Yarmouth roads, Jan. 6th, 1809, having been driven from his station in the Sound, by the sudden appearance of the ice, and its great solidity, on the last day of the preceding year. On the 20th March, the Rear-Admiral again sailed for the Baltic, in the Stately, another 64- gun ship ; and immediately on his arrival resumed his former occupation, namely, that of blockading the island of Zealand, and affording protection to the coast of Scania, and to the British and Swedish convoys passing through the Malmoe Channel, in doing which he had repeated skirmishes with the Danish batteries and armed vessels. From the heavy gales of wind which began to set in about the 12th Dec. 1809, Rear-Admiral Bertie found it advisable to quit his anchorage off Hoganis, nearly at the entrance of the Sound, and proceed with the ships under his command to Gottenburgh, where he received orders from Admiral Dickson to return to England express. On thie 19th Feb. 1810, finding his health to be in a very impaired state, our officer was obliged to strike his flag, and come on shore. Since that period, we believe, he has not been employed. VOL. I. 2 c ' ^ if. 386 VICB-ADMIRALS OF THE RED. In the month of June, 1813, Rear-Admural Bertie received the honor of knighthood, and the royal license and permission to accept and wear the insignia of a Knight Commander of the Order of the Sword, which the late King of Sweden had been pleased to confer upon him, in testimony of his merits and services. He was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral, Dec. 4th, in the same year. ISAAC GEORGE MANLEY, Esq. yice-Admiral of the Red: and Doctor of the Civil Law. This officer obtained post rank, Nov. 22, 1790. In 1796, he commanded the Apollo, a new frigate of 38 guns, sta- tioned on the Irish coast, where, in company with the Doris, he captured la Legere, French corvette, of 22 guns. He was advanced to the rank of Rear- Admiral, Oct. 25, 1809. In the following year, the University of Oxford conferred upon him the degree of D. C. L. ; and on the 4th June, 1814, he was made a Vice-Admiral. His eldest son, John Shaw Manley, Esq. married July 16, 1821, a daughter of Sir William Clayton, Bart, of Harleyford, CO. Bucks. * Residence. — Bra/iei.3, Oxfordshire. - EDMUND CRAWLEY, Esq. f^ice-Admiral of the Red. This officer commanded the Savage, of 14 guns, on the American station, at the close of the war with the colonies ; and during the Spanish armament, the Wasp sloop, employed in the Channel. He was promoted to the rank of Post-Cap- tain, Nov. 22, 1790 } and about the latter end of the year 1795, appointed to the Lion, of 64 guns, in which ship he went to the West Indies. On his return from thence, he was stationed in the North Sea. His commission as Rear- Admiral, bears date Oct. 25, 1809. On the 4th June, 1814, he was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral. .,>.>(( % 387 'i \ SIR THOMAS WILLIAMS, f^tct'Admiral of the Red; Knight Commander of the most wnorahlc Military Order of the Bath : Groom of the Bed-chamber to H. R. H. the Duke of Sutsex ; and a Vice-President of the Naval Charitable Society. This officer, when first Lieutenant of the Assurstfice, a 44- gun ship, stationed on the coast of America during the war with the colonies, his Captain being ait sick quarters, was or- dered on a cruize, and in a very short period took several prizes of considerable value. On his return to port, he was promoted by the late Hon. Admiral Digby into the Rhinoce- ros, stationed as a guard-ship at the mouth of the North rirer. From that period we find no farther mention of him until the Spanish armament in 1790, when he commanded the Otter sloop, employed in the Channel. On the 22d Nov. in the same year, he obtained post rank ; and at the com- mencement of the war with the French Republic, was ap- pointed to the Lizard of 28 guns, in which ship he captured several of the enemy's privateers. From the Lizard, Captain Williams was removed into the Daedalus frigate, and thence to the Unicorn, mounting 38 guns. The former was stationed in the North Sea. In the latter he cruized principally on the coast of Ireland. On the 30th Aug. 1795, the Unicorn captured the Comet Dutch brig of war, mounting 18 guns. The day before, in company with the Diana and Seahorse, she had also taken an East Indiaman and a South Sea whaler, both of whom had been convoyed from the Cape of Good Hope by the Comet. At day-break on the morning of the 8th June, 1796, Cap- tain Williams being mi a cruize to the westward of Scilly, in company with, the Santa Margaritta frigate, gave chase to two large French frigates and a corvette. At 4 P. M. the sternmost ship, finding it impossible to escape, bore round up to rake the Santa Margaritta, in which he was foiled by a skilful manoeuvre of her Commander, who laid his ship most 2c 2 1iTi? ft :^'i^ ^ m . ;r 388 VKE-AD.MIIIALS »»K I'HK IIED. ably alongside the enemy, and in less than twenty minutes compelled him to strike *. The other frigate seeing the fate of her companion, en- deavoured to obtain the weather-gage of the Unicorn ; but by the judicious and seamanlike conduct of Captain Wil- liams, his attempt proved unsuccessful. The parity of sail- ing in the two ships was such, that a running fight was kept up for ten hours, when our officer had the good for- tune to close with his antagonist ; a sharp contest ensued, and continued with great impetuosity for 35 minutes, when, on the smoke clearing away, the enemy was observed to have dropped on the Unicorn's quarter, with the intention to cross her stern, and gain the wind ; this manoeuvre of the Frenchman's was most skilfully defeated, by Captain Williams instantly throwing his sails aback, by which means the ship gathered stem way, passed the enemy's bow, and resumed her former position. The action was now renewed with fresh vigour ; but it lasted only a few minutes, when, after much bravery and good seamanship had been displayed on both sides, the enemy's ship, having her mizen-mast alone st-ind- ing, surrendered. She proved to be la Tribune, commanded by Commodore Moulson, pierced for 48 guns, but only 44 mounted, and 339 men, 3/ of whom were killed, and 15, including the Commodore, wounded. The Unicorn's com- plement of 2.51 men, was considerably weakened by the ab- sence of a Lieutenant, and several of her best seamen, in a prize recently captured ; the total number of her crew in this action may therefore be fairly stated as not exceeding 240, of whom not a man was hurt. Soon after his return to port. Captain Williams received the honor of knighthood, as a reward for his gallant conduct. On the 7th Jan, 1797> he assisted at the capture of la Ville de rOrient frigate, armed enftutey employed in the convey- ance of troops, and having on board 400 hussars. In the month of June following. Sir Thomas Williams sat as a member of the Court-Martial appointed to try Parker and the other mutineers belonging to the North Sea fleet t* • S«e Vicc-Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin. t For some intcredtiug pdrticulars respecting the mutiny at the Note, spc note at p, 160, ct neq. ■■SmxtiaMu^-.: SIK THOMAS WILLIAMS. 389 About the fiame period he was appointed to the command of tlie Endymion, a frigate of the largest class, stationed in the North Sea. On the 13th Oct. following, he made a spirited attack upon the Brutus, a Dutch line-of-battle ship, bearing the flag of a Rear-Admiral, who had escaped from the bat- tle off Camperdown, and was then lying at anchor with some small vessels, near the heights of Hinder, in six fathoms water; but the Endymion being unsupported, of course nothing de- cisive could be effected. In the course of the ensuing night Sir Thomas Williams, having been joined by the Beaulieu fri- gate, again stood in shore, and on the following morning discovered the Brutus at anchor near Goree Gatt. At six o'clock the Dutch Rear-Admiral, not thinking himself safe in that position, with two frigates opposed to him, again weigh- ed, and sought refuge in the Maese ; and soon after the Bri- tish Commanders, being frustrated in their object, hauled their wind, and stood off. The Endymion's casualties were con- fined to the loss of her fore-top-gallant-yard, and some tri- fling injury in her sails and rigging. We next find Sir Thomas Williams commanding a squa- dron of frigates, stationed at the entrance of St. George's Channel. On the 21st June, 1798, he co-operated with the King's troops in their attack upon Wexford, and destroyed about one hundred large boats and vessels, which the rebels had collected for their escape. On this occasion two of the insurgent chiefs, Hay and Roche, were taken prisoners. The Endymion was afterwards employed in occasional trips to Lisbon and the Mediterranean, during which she cap- tured several privateers and armed vessels belonging to the enem^, one of which, a new ship pierced for 20 guns, had on board a valuable cargo for the Isle of France *. In the spring of 1801, Sir Thomas was removed into the Vanguard, of J4 guns ; and after the battle off Copenhagen, sailed to reinforce the fleet in the Baltic, from whence he re- turned with Sir Charles- M. Pole in the ensuing autumn, and was subsequently employed under that officer in the blockade * In the list of captures made by Sir Thomas Williams in the Unicorn and Endymion, are fifteen privateers, &c. of different sizes, mounting on the whole 150 guns, and carrying about 900 men. '*' ' ii'J !J m 1 ^'■"•^ ¥i iiiy. L„^ 390 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE RED. of Cadiz, on which service he remained until the termination of hostilities. Some time after the renewal of the war, 1803, we find him in the Neptune, of 98 guns, employed in the blockade of Ferrol. In 1808, he accompanied Sir John T. Duckworth to the West Indies in pursuit of a French s(juadron ; and on the 28th April in the same year, he received the honorable appointment of a Colonel of Royal Marines. Sir Thomas Williams continued in the Neptune until the grand promotion that took place Oct. 25, 1809, the day on which his late Majesty entered into the fiftieth year of his reign : he was then advanced to the rank of Rear- Admiral ; and between that period and the autumn of 181 1, hoisted hi;^ flag successively in the North Sea, at Lisbon, and in the Channel fleet. About the month of Oct. in the last-mentioned year, our officer was appointed Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, on Wiiich station he continued during the customary period of three years. He was made a Vice-Admiral, June 4, 1814 ; and on the 2d Jan. 1815, nominated a K. C. B. Sir Thomas Williams married, 1800, Miss Whapshare, of Salisbury. ^ewfowt'e,— Cobham, Surrey. !^ SIR THOMAS BOULDEN THOMPSON, Baronet; l^'ice-Admirul of the Redi Knight Grand Cross of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath ; Treasurer of Greenwich Hos- pital ; a Director of the Chest ; and a Fiiitor of the ff'est India Naval School. *~ The subject of this memoir was born at Barhum, co. Kent, Feb. 28, 1768. His father, Mr. Boulden, married the sister of the late Commodore £^ward Thompson, an officer of very distinguished eminence, and a gentleman extensively known both in the polite and literary world. In the month of June, 177By Mr. Thomnn Boulden's uncle, by whom he had been tutored from his infancy, was ap- pointed to the command of the Hynna frigate ; and at the SIR THOMAS BOULDEN THOMPSON, BART. 39? same time his nephew, assuming the name of Thompson, and having previously been borne on the books of a King's ship, entered into active service on board of the same vessel, which was mostly employed on the home station until Janu- ary I78O, when she accompanied the fleet under Sir George B. Rodney to the relief of Gibraltar, from whence she re- turned to England with the duplicates of that officer's despatjches relative to the capture of a Spanish convoy, and the subsequent defeat of Don Juan de Langara *. In the following year we find Mr. Thompson serving in the West Indies, on which station he obtained a Lieutenancy ; and being entrusted with the command of a small schooner, dis- tinguished himself by capturing a French privateer of very superior force. Some time after the termination of the colonial war, our officer joined the Grampus, of 50 guns, bearing the broad pendant of his uncle, who had been nominated to the chief command on the coast of Africa ; and on the death of Com- modore Thompson in 1786, he was promoted by his succeB> sor to the command of the Nautilus sloop, in which he con- tinued about twelve months, when he returned to England and was ^uid off. His post commission bears date Nov. 22, 1790. From this period we find no mention of the subject of this memoir until his appointment to the Leander, rated at 50, but mounting 60 guns, at the latter end of 1796. In that vessel he joined the Mediterranean fleet, then under the orders of Earl St. Vincent ; and shortly after his arrival at Gib\ Itar was selected to accompany Sir Horatio Nelson on an expedi- tion against Santa Cruz, in the attempt upon which place lie was among the wounded f. tit '^i 'i 3' f^ iii,.:il • See note t, Ht p. 3. t Tlie rumoured arrival at Santa Cruz, in the island of Tcneriffe, of tlie Viooruy of Mexico, with sonic treasure ships from South America bound to Cadiz, and the represented vulnerability of that town to a well-con- ducted attack by sea, induced Barl St. Vincent to attempt the enterprise ; and he accordingly detached upon that sorvice u squadron under the corn. mand of Rear-Aduiiral Nelson, coosibting uf the Theseus, Cullodeii, aud Zealous, 7i'» ; Seahorse, Emerald, aud Terpsichore, frigates ; Vox, cutter j find one inortar-boat ; tu which was afterwards added the Leander, the local |^BiMVvl« seamen and marines, with IHO on board the Fox cutter, and from 70 to 80 in a boat whicli had been taken the day before ; numbering, with u small detachment of royal artillery, under Lieutenant Bayncs of that corps, about 1100 men, conminnded by the Rear-Admiral in person, proceeded in six divisions towards the town. They were to land on the mole, and thence hasten as fast as possible into tbe Great Square ; then form, and proceed as should be found expedient SIR THOMAS BOUI.DEN THOMPSON, BART. 30'A when he was ordered to the Mcditerrane.iii to ro'mforci' Roar- Admiral Nelson, who was at that time watehinjif tlie port of They were not discnvcrod till ahoiit Ih 'U)' A M.,'\vlicn, liciiij^ within half p;un-8h()t of the landing phico, Sir Horatio directed the boats to cast off from each other, give a huz^ca, and push for the shore. Bnt the Spaniards were excellently well prepared ; the alarin-hclls answere(f the hn/,/a, and a tremendous fire from iiO or -10 pieces of cannon, with mus- ketry from one end of the town to the other, opened upon the invaders. The Fox received a shot under water, and inst.intly sunk, by which un- fortunate circumstance Lieutenant (iil»son, her commander, and % of the brave fellows that were on board, met a watery grave. Another shot struck the Rear- Admiral on the right elbow, just as he was drawing his sword, and in the act of stepping out of his barge. Nothing, iiowever, could check the intrepidity with which the assailants advanced. The night was exceedingly dark ; most of the boats missed the m(de, and went on shore through a raging surf, which stove all to the left of it. The Captains Thompson, Frcemantle, and Bowen, and four or five other boats, found the mole, and instantly stormed and carried it, defended as it was by about 400 men, and six 24-pounders. Having spiked these, they were about to advance, when a heavy fire of musketry and grape- shot from the citadel and the houses at the mole-head, mowed them dowi! by scores. Here the gallant Oaptain Richard Uowen, of the Terp- sichore, met a glorious death ; and here, indeed, fell nearly the whole of the party, by death or wounds. IVIeanwhilc Captain Troubridge, of the Culloden, having missed the mole in the darkness, pushed on sliore under a buttery, close to tlio south end of the citadel. Captain Waller, of the liinorald, and two or three o*'ier boats, landed at the same time. The surf was so high, that many others put back ; and all that did not were instantly swamped, atid most of the ammunition in the men's pouches was wetted. Flaving collected a few men, they pushed on to the (Jreat Square, hoping there to find the Rear- Admiral, and the rest of their party. The ladders were all lost, so that they could make no immediate attempt on the citadel ; but they sent a Serjeant, with two of the town's people, to summon it ; this messenger never returned ; and Captain Troubridge having waited about an hour in painful expectation of his friends, marched to join Captains Hood and Miller, of the Zealous and Theseus, who hod effected their landing to the S.W. They then endeavoured to procure some intelligence of Sir Hora- tio Nelson and the rest of the officers, but without success. By day-break they had .-gathered together about, .SO nmrines, 80 seamen, armed with pikes, and 180 with small-arms ; all that survived of those who had made good th?ir landing. They obtained some ammunition from the prisoners whok.i they had taken, and niarched on, to try what could be done at the citadel without ladders. They found all the streets commanded by field- pieces, and several thousaiKl Spaniards, with nbuut 100 French, under it ' n^ 4 I ^ \\ t: 'V l^gl «, ill .'ilH VICK-ADMIUALS Oir rilK HKI>. Toiiloii, and wlioui he iia oinpiiiiicd in pin'Huit of I lie jirmti- niont timt had iu'iMi (M|ni|>|n'd there, deHtined to the coaHt of Kirypt. l^tr a full and eitruniHtanlial aeeomit of the t<;h)rious hatlh* of the NUe, on the Int August foHowinj^, we nuiht refer the reader to onr nuMnoirsof Sir .lanieH Satnnarez *, and Sir Ken, llaUowell. Instead therefure of enterini? into detail, we Khali anus, Hpproacliiiijj l»y cvny uvoinic. riiKJiiiK himself willumt provisioim, llic pinvdcr u'cl. ami no pussiMlily «(f olttainiiig UHHistuiicc from \\w sliipH. till* l»(tals Itrini(l«tst, Captuiii Troiihricl^r, witliKi'ral prescnro of iiiiiul, si-iil Caplaiii llooil with a Haj; uf tnico to llio iiovernor, Don .luaii Aitloiiio e wanting: they, on their purt, en^agin^ that the s«piadron shoidd not molest the town, n«)r any of the Caiuiry IslnudH : nil priaonen) on hoth siden to he given up. When thi.s proposition was made, the (io- vernor said, that the iMiglish, situated ns they wore, «>ught to surrender lis prisoners of war : hut (.'aptain IIootrueted to declare, that if the tiTms were n«)t accepted in live minutes, Oaptuin Trouhridge wouhl set the town on tire, and attack the SpanianU nt the point of the hayonet. Satisfied with his nuccess, which was indeed suHieiently cttm- plcte, and respecting like a hrave and hunorahle man, the gallantry ui° his enemy, the Spaniard not only acceded to the propusnl, hut guvu directions for the wounded Hritish to he received iiito tli : hospitals, and the whole party to he supplied with the host provisions that could bo procured ; at the same time granting permission for the ships to dead on shore, and pur- chiise whatever refreshments they were iu want uf during the time they might he oil' the island. Sir Ifornrio Nelson, who had by this time undergone the amputation of his arm, on hearing the noble and generous oouduct of Don Juan A. (.Gu- tierrez, wrote to thank him for the humanity which he ha miBsing. • Seep. ISO, t'/i#»^. \ sill THOMAS HOIII.nKN TIIOMI'SON, UAIIT. Ji95 simply olTcru fow brief ol)Hcrvsit.i()nH,roljitinj^ nion; ininicdiiiiciy to Captiiin ThoinpHoii. The LiMindiT, llioii^h l)ut u 6()-^\iii Hhip, vviiH MlalioruMl in ilir line of battlr. il(>r cointimndcr bore up to ihv (/tillodni on H(H;in^ her tuki< tlio ground, thiU he ini^bt :illord any uh- Histiince in his power to i^et. that vchhj'I olf from her imfortn- naU' Hituation ; but lindint; that nothing could be dom*, and unwillint( that bis HerviccH Hboidd be loHt where they (ro«ild be more cfteetive, he iniule Hail for th«! scene of action, and took Ilia station with great judgment athwart hawse of le IVanUlin, of 8() f?"ns, raking her with great success, tlur shot from the Leander's broadside, which passed that ship, all striking the I'Orient, bearing the flag of the I'ViMich Commander- in-Chief. This station Captain 'rbomps(m preserved until le l*Vanklin struck her colours to the Defence, Swiftsure, and Ijeander ; he then went to the assistanc(r of the British shij>s still engaged with the rear of the enemy. On the .'ith Aug., Captain Thompson sailed with ('aptain (now Sir Edward) Berry, of the Vanguard, as the bearer of Kear- Admiral Nelson's despatches to the Commander-in Chief. On the 18th, being off the west end of (io/a, near the island of Candia, at day-break in the morning, he dis- covered a ship of the line in the S. JO., standing towards him with n line bree/.e. The Leander being above eighty men short of com|>lement, and having had 14 wounded in the late battle, Captain Thompson dinted the enemy from taking advantage of his situation, and he was repidsed with much slaughter. A light ])rce/c giving the ships way, enabled Captain Thompson to steer clear of the enemy ; and soon afterwards he had the satisfaction to lufT under his stern, and passing him within ten yards, distinctly discharged every gun from the Leander into him. The action was now continued without intermission, with- in pistol-shot, until 3''30' P. M., when the eneujy, with a light breeze, for it had hitherto been almost calm, and the sea as smooth as glass, passed the Lcander's bows and lirought himself on her starboard side, where the guns had been nearly all disabled from the wreck of the spare Avhich had fallen on that side. This producing a cessation of (ire on her part, the enemy hailed to know if she had surrendered. The Leander was now totally ungovernable, being a complete wreck, not having a stick standing, but the shattered remains of the fort* and main-masts, and the bowsprit, her hull cut to pieces, the decks fidl of killed and wounded, and perceiving the enemy, who had only lost his mi/en-top-mast, approaching to place himself athwart her stern. Captain Thompson in this defence- less situation, without the most distant hope of success, and himself badly wounded, asked Captain Berry if he thought he could do more ? who coinciding v ith him that further resis- tance was vain and impracticable, an answer was given in the aftirmative, and the Leander was soon after taken possession of by le (icncreux, of JS guns, commanded by M. Lejoille, chef de division, who had escaped from the action of the 1st Aug., havhig on board 9(K) men, 1(K) of whom were killed and 188 wounded in the contest with the Leander, whose loss was also considerable, she having 85 killed and 5J wounded ; a full third of her gallant crew. . . No sooner did Captain Thompson and his officers arrive on board le Cencreux, than they were plundered of every article belonging to them, save the clothes on their backs. They Vi SIR THOMAS nnUI.DKN TIIOMI'SON, IIAHT. 'A97 rxp»)siiilatc(l in vain with the French Captain on this harsh treatment ; and when they reminded liim of the Hituation of the French officers made prisoners hy Sir Horatio Nelson, in comparison with those now taken in the Leander, he coolly replied, " / am .sorry for it ; hut the fact is, that the French lire expert at plntider." These friends to liherty and ecpiality even carried their inhumanity to such jin extreme, that at the very moment the surgeon of the Leander was performing the chirurgical operations, they rohhed him of his instruments, and the wounds which Captain Thompson had received were nearly proving fatal by their forcibly withholding the atteiul- ance of that gentleman. The court-martial which afterwards was a«send)led to examine the conduct of Captain Thompson, his officers and crew, declared, " that his gallant and almost unprecedented defence of the Leander against so superior a force as that of le G^nereux, was deserving of every praise his country and the assembled court could give ; and that his conduct, with that of the officers and men under his command, reflected not only the highest honor on himself and them, but on their country at large." The thanks of the court were also given to Captain Berry, who was present on the occasion, for the gallant and active zeal he had manifested. Upon the return of Captain Thompson to the shore from the Alexander, in which the court-martial had been held, he was saluted with three cheers by all the ships in harbour at Sheerness. Soon after this period. Captain Thompson received the honor of knighthood, and a pension of 200/. per annum. In the following spring, 1799, he was appointed to the Bel- lona, of 74 guns, and joined the fleet under the command of Lord Bridport, off Brest. From this station he was sent to the Mediterranean, where the Bellona was attached to a flying squadron, under the command of Captain Markham, of the Centaur, and assigted in the capture of three frigates and two brigs from Jafl^, bound to Toulon. She returned to England hi the autumn. In the course of the same year, Corfu was taken by the Russians and Turks ; and the Leander being found there, the Emperor Paul ordered her to be restored to the British navy. The Bellona continued on the Home station until the period ^ l-^i- i it m 11 ill 398 VICE-ADMIRALS OP THE RED. of the memorable Baltic expedition, which sailed from Yar- mouth Roads, under the command of Sir Hyig soldiers,) 170 of whom were killed, and 100 wounded. Captain Newman, in the Mermaid, although not able to arrive up in time to partake in the action, had the satisfaction by his seamanlike conduct to be instrumental in preserving ♦^he Jason from being wrecked. The latter ship had 1 Lie\itenant, (Robotier,) and 6 men slain, and 12 2 D 2 4<)t VHK- MiMIIl MS OF TIIK WIIITK. M'oiindrd : nnion^ t.hr latter wiw (^-iptuiii Stirling;. Thr V'u\\\c had I man Uillod, I diownrd, and (» wonndrd. On tho I Itli Oct., in the sanu' year, thiNfason hriug in pin* R\nt of a French c«nivoy tiear HrcHt, strnck npon a rock with nw\\ force, an to hallle every exertion of her oflicerH and men to get her oil ; she in conHcqnence Hoon fiMed : the crew got on shore, anil wirrendereil theniHclvcH prisoiierH of war, rxee|>ting (>, wh(m» Captain Stirhtig permitted to take a hoat, l>y which means they elTecte«l their escape, and arrived safe at l*ly month on the Ifith *. In the month of IVh. 171H), onr ollieer was appointed to the l*on»pce, of H<) gnns, which ship he cunnnan(U Jason, he fuptinT(f tlic following Imthi h privatccTs : — Lu Miiric, II j»iin>*, fiO men; lii roiirour, 21 fiww, \i^0 men ; la Hoiino ('il«>yonnt\ I'J t,Mins, (>r» moii ; and rAiTinrftnto. G gui* munltor of men not Known. t Sfe p 18", (7 sfif. t^! I IIAIII.lLs STIHI.INtJ, liSU. 405 iilTff'tion iitid cHtcciu of n ship's ('(niipjirjy, vvtiH [)eili;i|)H iirvcr shown lluiii on this occiiHion. Whrii I ho hiiHiiuHH of iMiyin^ the crew was finished, u (h'lMitation eanie aft, to (vaptuin St.ir- linir and his ofVirers, to thank them for their attention (hiring the tln'ee years they had heen tof^i'ther, and to assure their hite ('(Muniander that ha iiion Hlaiii uri . i^»'J w(iiiiid«:d. The hliui^ditcr on hoard the eonihincd ^(|(iadron» wuii very ^'reut, hut their ••xaiM Ions luw never lircii exactly a.^rerl.iined. 406 Vlt;K-ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. however, with fear or cowardice, he had not done all in his power to take or destroy every ship of the enemy, and ad- judged him to be severely reprimanded. In the autunm of 1806, Rear- Admiral Stirling was appointed to the couimand of a squadron sent to escort a body of troops under the command of Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auch- muty to South America. On the arrival of those officers in the Rio de la Plata, they learnt that Buenos Ayres had been retaken by the Spaniards ; and found the miserable remnant of the troops that had so recently achieved the con- quest of that city in a very destitute and exposed situation at Maldonado. It being of the utmost importance to secure possession of some post of strength, before any attempts were made for the recovery of Buenos Ayres, and Monte Video appearing to be the only place on the river which could be assailed with probable advantage, the troops, together with 800 seamen and marines, were landed, and invested that town on the 18th Jan. 1807. Rear-Admiral Stirling seeing no advantage could result from any effort of ships against a strong lortress, we?k defended at all points, and which, from the shallowness of th~ wat°r, could not be approached within a distance to allow shot to be of any use, disposed his ships so as to prevent any escape from the harbour, as well as to impede the communica- tion between Colonnu and Buenos Ayres, and confined his whole attention to give everj' possible assistance in forward- ing the siege, by landing guns, ammunition, stores, provisi- ons, and every thing rcijuired by the Brigadier-General. The distance which the ships lay from the shore, with the almost constant high winds and swell, and the great way every thing was to be dragged by the seamen, up a heavy sandy road, made the duty excessively laborious. The squadron had almost daily 1400 men on shore, and the flag-ship (Dia- dem) was often left with only 30 men on board. ^ The defence made by the enemy protracted the siege longer than was expected j and reduced the stock of powder bo low, that the men of war, with all t!ie transports, and what a fleet of merchantmen had for sab, could not have furnished a fur- ther consumption for more than two days, when a practicable breach was fortunately made, and on the 3d February, early '%a>Mw>. CHARLBS STIRLINO, BSQ. 407 in the morning, the town and citadel were most gallantly car- ried by storm. The loss sustained by the squadron, during the siege and at the assault, amounted to no more than 6 killed, 28 wounded, and 4 misshig. The prizes taken in the harbour consisted of ten armed vessels, mounting 198 guns ; fifteen sloop-rigged gun-boats ; six row-boats with guns ; two Indiamen of 650 tons each, and upwards of 10,000 tons of merchant shipping. As soon as Fort Saint Philip was in possession of the Bri- tish, the armed launches of the squadron took possession of the island of Rattones, mounting 10 guns, and garrisoned by 71 men. A very fine frigate mounting 28 guns, was set fire to by her crew, and blew up with an awful explosion ; as also three gun-boats ; but the other vessels in the harbour were saved by the exertion of the British seamen *. Early in May following, Lieutenant-General Whitfelocke arrived in the Rio de la Plata, and took the command of the troops. On the 14th of the following month Rear-Admiral (afterwards Sir George) Murray also arrived from England, and took upon himself the direction of the naval operations. Serious preparations were now made for -the reduction of Buenos Ayres ; the united force, to the number of 7j822 men, with 18 pieces of artillery, were landed about 30 miles to the eastward of that place ; and after some fatiguing marches, through a country much intersected by swamps and deep muddy rivulets, the different divisions assembled in the sub- urbs of the city, which was nearly invested on the 4th July. An injudicious plan of attack was carried into effect on the morning of the 5th, and was so far successful that two strong posts were gained in the town, but at the expense of 2,500 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners j the fire from the tops of the houses, and every advantageous position, upon the ex- posed and defenceless troops, having been most murderous. On the following morning, General Liniers addressed a letter • April 16, I8O7, on the motion of Lord Mulf^rave, the tlianlcs of the House of Lords were voted to Rfcar-Admiral StirKng, and to the officers, seamen and maritms, under his command, for their services at the capture of Monte Video. The same day, in the House of Commoas, on Ihe motion of Lord Castlereagh, a resolution was passed, acknowledging and highly approvin)( the dilig«nct and skill inaDifNted by tha Raar-Admiral, in landing the troops, &c. i 406 VICE-ADMIRALS OF TH£ WHIT£. to the British Commander, offering to give up all the prison- ers taken on this occasion, as well as those captured with Ge- neral Beresford in the preceding year, if he would desist from any farther attack on the town, and withdraw the British forces from the Rio de la Plata ; intimating likewise that such was the exasperation of the populace, that he could not answer for the safety of the prisoners, should offensive oper- ations be persisted in. Lieutenant-General Whitelocke agreed to the proposal, and both Buenos Ayres and Monte Video were evacuated. This tennination of an enterprise, from which much had been anticipated, occasioned great dissatis- faction J and the Lieutenant-General, on his return to Eng- land, was tried by a court-martial, which sentenced him " to he cashiered, and declared totally unfit and unworthy to serve his Majesty in any military capacity whatever:" a decision confirmed by the King, and approved by the public. During the above disastrous campaign, Rear-Admiral Stir- ling was ordered by the Commander-in-Chief to remain at anchor with the line-of-battle ships off Monte Video. He sub- sequently proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, to the com- mand on which station he had been previously appointed. Our officer was advanced to the rank of Vice- Admiral, July Slst, 1810; and on the 10th of the following month received the freedom of the Goldsmith's Company, unani- mously voted to him for his important public services. To- ward the latter end of the year 1811, he was appointed Com- mander-in-Chief at Jamaica; but, in consequence of certain representations made to the Admiralty, an order was sent for his return from that station long before the usual period ; and, in the month of May, 1814, he was tried by a court-martial at Portsmouth, on a charge of which the following is the sub- stance : — " That it appeared from the affidavits of James Greenfield, clerk and cashier to Mesflrs. Atkinson, Bayles, and Co. and Mordecai Pallache, co-partner in the firm of Messrs. Moravia and Co. sworn before the Mayor of Kingston, on the 18th Jan. preceding, and by other documents, that the sum of 2000 dollars was paid by the said Moravia and Co. to the agents of Vice- Admiral Stirling, for the convoy of a schooner that was to sail under the protection of the Sappho sloop of war. CHARLES STIRLING, KSQ. 409 and of which sum one-third was retained by the said agents as the proportion or share of the Vice-Admiral, and 5 per cent, further on the other two-thirds, as the share of his secre- tary, and that a receipt was given for the amount by a clerk of the agents." The court agreed, — ^That the charge had been in part proved against Vice-Admiral Stirling, and did adjudge him to remain on the half-pay list of Vice-Admirals of the Royal Navy, and not to be included in any future promotion. This officer married Charlotte, second daughter of Andrew Grote, Esq. a banker in London. Residence. — Woburn Farm, near Weybridge, Surrey. #f RICHARD INCLEDON BURY, Esq. yice-Admiral of the IVIiite* This officer is descended from a family of the name of In- cledon, in the north of Devonshire. In addition to his patron- imick, he, some years since, assumed that of Bury. Mr. Incledon entered into the navy about the year 1/72 : he was made a Lieutenant in 1/78 ; and served as second of the Agamemnon, commanded by Captain (afterwards Sir Ben- jamin) Caldwell, in Sir George B. Rodney's memorable action with the Count de Grasse, April 12, 1782 *. In that engage- ment the Agamemnon suffered severely, and sustained a loss of 14 men killed, and 24 wounded. Among the latter num- ber were Lieutenants Incledon and Brice. Our officer was promoted to the rank of Commander in the year 1789, in consequence of his being First Lieutenant of the Magnificent, of 74 gimSj Captain Richard Onslow, then in attendance on his late Majesty at Weymouth. He was at the same time appointed to the Childers sloop, stationed in the Channel. Captiun Incledon obtained post rank, Nov. 22, 179<); and at the capture of the French West India islands, in 1794 f; • Sci' p. Mfi, rt fif(j. t Sco p. in. -•--tFT 410 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THB WHITB. he commanded the Ceres, of 32 guns, from which ship he was removed into the Vengeance, 74, and returned to Eng- land with the homeward-bound trade. On his arrival, the Vengeance was paid off, and Captain Incledon remained unemployed till the year 1800, when he was appointed to the Texel, of 64 guns, one of the ships engaged in watching the Dutch squadron in Helvoetsluys. On the 31st July, 1810, Captain Richard Incledon Bury was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral ; and on the 4th June, 1814, to that of Vice-Admiral. SIR ROBERT MOORSOM, yice-Admiral of the fVhite; Knight Commander of the most honour- able Militart/ Order of the Bath, and Member of Parliament for Queenborough. This officer is a son of the late Richard Moorsom, Esq. one of the magistrates for the North Riding of Yorkshire. Early in 1/89, he commanded the Ariel, of 14 guns, in which sloop he accompanied the squadron under Commodore Corn- • wallis, to the East Indies, where he remained until promoted to the rank of Post-Captain, Nov. 22, 1790. At the commencement of the war with revolutionary France, in 1793, he was appointed to the Aatrea frigate, and N. continued in her until the Spring of 1795, when he removed into the Hindostan, of 54 guns. About the month of April, 1805, Captain Moorsom obtained the command of the Re- venge, a new 74, forming a part of the fleet under the orders of Lord Nelson. In the ever-memorable battle of Trafalgar*, the Revenge was rather severely handled. She sustained a loss of 28 men killed, and 51 wounded. Among the latter number was her commander. At the grand procession from Greenwich Hospital, on the occasion of the public funeral of the heroic Nelson, Captain Moorsom bore that lamented nobleman's great banner. On the 28th April, 18QP, he was nonMnated to one of the vacant • See p. 202. '11»3iittie»-i SIR ROBERT MOORSON. 411 Colonelcies of Royal Marines, and about the same time, se- lected by Lord Mulgrave to be his Private Secretary. He afterwards took a seat at the Board of Admiralty, which he held till July, 1809, when he was appointed Surveyor-General of the Ordnance ; and, on the 31st of the same month, ad- vanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral. His promotion to that of Vice- Admiral took place June 4, 1814 ; and on the 2d Jan. in the following year, he was created a K. C. B. On the appointment of the Duke of Wellington to succeed Lord Mulgrave as Master-General of the Ordnance, Sir Ro- bert Moorsom accompanied the latter nobleman in his retire- ment. SIR CHARLES HAMILTON, Baronets ^ice-admiral of the ff^hite; Commander-in-Chief at Newfound, land, and Governor of that Colony, The house of Hamilton is justly celebrated in the annals of these realms, for the antiquity of its lineage, its splendid actions, extensive alliances, and signal services to King, Church, and State, in the various periods which have elapsed from its origin to the present day. Sir Charles Hamilton is lineally descended from the Earl of Mellent, in Normandy, whose nephew and heir Robert de Bellamont commanded the right wing of the invading army at the battle of Hastings ; was rewarded by the conqueror with the Earldom of Leicester and an extensive donation of manors and domains in that county ; and married Elizabeth, daughter of Hugh, the great Duke of Vermandois, son of Henry the first King of France. The appellation of de Hambledon, taken from a place so called in Leicestershire, was first adopted by Sir William, brother to the fourth Earl of Leicester and Mellent. In the reign o Edward IL noted for favoritism, this Sir William had the misfortune to be insulted by John Spencer, one of the court parasites, whom he slew for refusing to fight him ; and being in consequence advised to abscond, he fled into Scotland, where he was kindly received l)y Robert Bruce, N 412 VICE ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. King of that country, who conferred upon him the lands of Kedsow, and several others in co. Lanark, which property was afterwards created into a barony and named Hamilton *. From this personage descended James second Lord Hamil- ton, who in 1474, espoused the eldest daughter of James II. of Scotland, and by her had issue one son and a daughter : the former of whom was sent iqto England by James IV., to negociate the marriage between that monarch ano the Babet, of 20 guns, and proceeded with a flotilla into the Zuyder Zee, where his appearance changed the politics, fpr a while, of several of the bordering towns and villages, which submitted, and hoisted the Orange flag. Such a loss as the Dutch had sustained by sea could scarcely be com- pensated liy any success on land j but unfortunately for them, their forces were, for some time, obliged to retreat with the same rapidity that the English advanced. On the arrival, however, of the French General Brune, 'i I ia SIR CHARLKS HAMILTON, BART. 417 Magnaiiiine of 48 guns, and having under his protection the trade bound to that (juarter. On his arrival at St Jago, he received information that the enemy's squadron having been fired at from the forts of that place, had repaired to Goree, where it was then at anchor. This intelligence, with the force and situation of the French frigates, induced Sir Charles to take the Ruby, 64, then watering at Porto Praya, under his orders ; and with this additional force he imme- diately went in quest of them. In the afternoon of the 4th April, the British ships anchor- ed in misty weather very near the town ; but not finding the enemy's frigates there, and our officer conceiving the appear- ance of the convoy sufficient to alarm the garrison, he despatched his firsf Lieutenant, Tiily, virh a verbal message, summoning the island to sivrrend. r, and threatening in the event of a refusal to s,:onii thi. p^ace, '{'his message, together with the deception practised of lidssing th^ crews of the III H^' with a considerable body of tro jps, Cht a wtte enabled )o wake a itaod ; and having possessed thcio^elic? of ast.'Objjfto:Uio.>: at; Purmii!idj .viiich afforded them the meai.j of attbqr on 'be k'?ur of the i^.>'f»!.^Lig- utrny, » check was given to the succe's^s of ihe nWha. A ai'/ivtintjoc sViortiy after ensued; in the course of which tlae reinrv>Ut':'n coKiR»a».i.',;!r cjateufJccI for the restoration of the Batavian fleet, vvitb the wlioie (if the srores txnd B.en. This, however, was resisted by Ihe Duke of Yojk, whoha*^ lauded at t-ie Helder on the 13th September, and now tlireatf-nec, in casa o.-jies-'csa'tty, to cut down the sea-dykes ; a, mcorsura which wou'.d have inundp.iod the country, and destroyed its fertilUy. At length, by a convention R;t;ned Oct. 20, the evacuation of Holland Uy the aiiied arirJe-;, was agrcei upon, and carried into execution by the 19th No'.'er.;ber. Th« rc;;reat of the military force wss followed by that of the flotilla fr&i« the ZuydeiZee, and Vice-Admiral Mitchell, with a gri'it {.art of his fleet, i-fiuriifd to England. He was soon afterwarda created a K. B. .\nd receive*.1 a sword valued at 100 guineas from the cUy of Lnndon. The conduct of the officers and men forming the naval partoi (his expe(ii io;i, met with the highest approbation of government j and the late Wscount Melville in moving the thanks of the House of Commonb., (' velt at some le.ipth on the difficulties that had arisen during the passaf^'c to Holhud, and the masterly manner in which so large an armamert ad been conducted in safety to its destination. Thus cpx^ed the expedition to Holland ; in which the British lost three ships of war by being wrecked on the coast, namely the Nassau, 64, armed en flute ; Blanche and Lutine frigates ; about 550 soldiers killed, 2694 wounded, and 1354 missing i the loss sustained by the Russians amounted to about 3200 slain, woimded, ami taken prisoners. VOL. I. 2 E ■uv lit 418 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. merchant vessels in red shirts, had the desired effect : at mid- night Lieutenant Tidy made the signal agreed on, that Sir Charles's terms were complied with ; the marines of the squadron were instantly landed, and the island taken posses- sion of without damage to the ships, or any other loss than I officer wounded before the flag of truce was observed from the forts. The mortification of the garrison, on the following morning, when they discovered the stratagem of which they had been the dupes, may be more readily conceived than described. Some time after this event, the Melpomene cap- tured I'Auguste, French letter of marque, of 10 guns and 50 men, from Bourdeaux bound to Guadaloupe. On his second voyage to the African station, our officer summoned Senegal by a flag of truce ; but the governor, Bianchard, instead of acceding thereto, detained the Lieu- tenant who had been sent with the message, and his boat's crew, as prisoners of war. A few nights after * the weather being moderate and the surf low. Sir Charles conceived it possible, if he could surprise a brig corvette and an armed schooner, anchored within the bar, to possess himself of the battery commanding the entrance, and by means of the enemy's own vessels, as he had none under his command fit for the purpose, finally to have reduced Senegal : he there- fore detached Lieutenant Thomas Dick, with 55 volunteers from the Melpomene, 5 from a transport, and 36, commanded by Lieutenant Christie, from the African corps, who left the ship at 9 P. M., in five boats, and were fortunate enough to pass the heavy surf on the bar witli the flood-tide, without accident, and unobserved by the battery at the point j but OP their approaching within hail of the brig, the alarm was given, and thf two bow-guns discharged, by which Lieuten- ant Palmer and 7 seamen were killed, and two of the best boats sunk. Notwithstanding this unfortunate accident, the vessel was carried, after an obstinate defence of twenty minutes, but which gave the schooner time to cut her cable, and saved the town from being stormed. Lieutenant Dick, finding that the loss of the two boats, and many of his best men, added to a constant fire from tlie schooner and two bat- teries, must have rendered any farther attempt abortive, • Jan. 3, 1801. SIR CHARLES HAMILTON, BART. 419 judged it right to make every attempt to get the prize over the bar; but the ebb-tide having made, aiid being totally unac- quainted with the navigation of the river, she got aground ; and feeling it impossible ever to get her off, he considered it absolutely necessary to retreat, which he did after setting fire to, and rendering her unfit for further service. The retreat was conducted with the groaiest order, and the whole of the prisoners and wounded wrought off, notwithstanding a tre- mendous surf upon the bur, and under a heavy fire of grape and musketry from the batteries. At day-light the next morning Sir Charles Hamilton had the satisfaction to perceive the brig had sunk up to her gunwales in a quicksand. She was called the Senegal, had been fitted out there at the ex- pense of the French republic, and mounted 18 12-pounders. When attacked she had nearly 60 men on board, some of whom escaped in a boat ; the rest were killed in boarding, excepting 18, who were taken prisoners. The loss sustained by the British in this spirited affair amounted to 1 1 , including Lieutenant Palmer, a marine officer, and a Midshipman, slain ; Lieutenant Christie and 1/ others wounded. In the course of the same year Sir Charles Hamilton pro- ceeded to the West Indies, where he continued till July 1802; during part of which time he acted as Commissioner of the naval yard at Antigua. In November, 1803, he obtained the commr nl of the Illustrious, a 74 gun-ship, attached to the Channel fleet. He subsequently Commanded in succession the Sea Fencibles at Harwich ; the Temeraire, a second rate ; and the Tonnant of 80 guns. In 1809 he was nominated to a Colonelcy of Royal Marines ; and on the 1st Aug. 1810, ad- vanced to the rank of Uear-Adniiral, and appointed Com- mander-in -Chief in the river Thames, on which occasion he hoisted his flag iu the Thisbe frigate, where it continued until towards the conclusion of the war. His commission as Vice- Admiral bears date June 4, 1814. In the spring of 1818 our officer succeeded the late Vice- Admiral Pickmore, as Governor of Newfoundland and Cum* mander-in-Chief on that station ; from wlionce he retunied to England on leave of absence Nov. 1, 18*22. Previous to his departure from St. John's he received an address from all the principal inhabitants, and also from the Benevolent Irish 2 K 2 • I Ml \i 42() VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE WHITK. Society, of which institution he is the patron, expressive of the grateful sense entertained b3' its members of the " general attention he had at all times paid to the petitit ns of the poor, and the prompt and effectual measures adopted by him for their relief ; in which he was most powerfully assisted by his amiable and accomplished lady, who was ever the kind and constant friend of the widow and the orphan." Sir Charles Hamilton married, April 19, 1803, Henrietta Martha, only daughter of the late George Drummond, of Stanmore, co. Middlesex, Esq. and Banker of Charing Cross. Country seat. — Issing, near Midhurst, Sussex. Town residence, — 27, Curzon Street, HON. HENRY CURZON, Hce-Admlral of the White. The noble family of Curzon is very ancient, being des- cended from Giralinc de Curzon, whose name appears in the roll of Battle Abbey, among the nobles and gentry who came into England with William the Norman, in whose favor he no doubt stood high; for we find upon record the manor of Lock- ing, CO. Berks, and that of Fishead in Oxfordshire, granted him by the Conqueror, whose son Henry I. also conferred upon him several considerable estates, and among others the manor of Kcdleston in Derbyshire, at which place his descend- ants have been seated ever since the reign of Edward I. From Giraline's second son, Richard, descended Nathaniel Cur/on, who was raised to the dignity of the peenige by the title of Baron Scarsdale, of Scarsdale, co. Derby, April 9, 1761, and subsequently appointed Chairman of the Committee of Privileges of the House of Lords. His Lordship nuirried Lady Caroline Col year, eldest daughter of Charles, Earl of Portmore, by Juliana, Duchess Dowager of Leeds, and had issue : Nathaniel, by whom he was succeeded in the title ; Henry the subject of this sketch j and several other children *. * At tlic colehrateil l)atllc of Waterloo, the lion. Willium Curzon, son of tiie pre^fiit pcvr, uml Dep. As^. Adj. (ieu. to the army in the Ncther- IhiiiJIi d'Hjijluyed th«: iuu«t chivalrous ardor, llidiitg along the liuld, wiili HON. HENIIY CUR20N. 421 *rhe Hon. Henry Curzon was born on the 24th May 1765 ; and went to Westminster School in April 1/74, at which seminary he continued till the month of December 1 "J^G ; when he entered the naval service as a Midshipman on board the i^olus frigate, commanded by Captain Atkins, whom he accom- panied to the West Indies. Returning from thence in the autumn of 1779, as convoy to the homeward bound trade, the iEolus was obliged to put into Cork to avoid the combined fleets of France aid Spain, then on a cruize in the mouth of the Channel *. In January 1781, Mr. Curzon was removed into the Mag- nanime of 64 guns, Captain Charles Wolseley, in which ship he proceeded to the East Indies ; and on his arrival there early in 1782, was received on board the Superb, 74, bearing the flag of Vice- Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, the Commander-in- Chief on that station. In the course of the same year he was present in three general actions between the British fleet and that of France commanded by M. de Suff'rein. The Superb's loss on those occasions amounted to 70 killed and 167 wounded, among whom were several officers of distinguished merit f. liord Miircli, he ri't-eived a hall in his i-hest. " Farewell, dear March !" said he, us he fell to the ground. His oonipanioa was not permitted to perform those tender ofhccs which \m heart dictated. A furious onset of cuirassiers called him to his post; and his wounded friend, seein;^ !iim noldy rally a Na.i^au reifiinent, whivh iie led to tl e charfi^c in person, fceldy but heroically exclaimed, '* That's right — that's right — well done my dear March!" and immediately expired. • On the 15th Au;^. 1779, the French and Spaiush fleets, cimsistingofsixty- &i.x sail of the line and twenty-two frigates, besides (irc-ships, bouibs, and several other vessels of war, the whole under the crunmand of the- (lounl d'Orvillicrs and Don Josef de Cordova, having-, by some unaccoimtablc event, escaped the notice of the Hritish fled, at this timtaking it fur the British, was surrounded and taken in sight of Plymouth. t The French .\dmiral de Sulfreui, after his unsuccessful attack iipon Commodore Johnstone at Porto Praya (already related in our memoir of Sir Henry d'l'^slcrre Darby), fulfilled the second oltject of his commission, by securing the Dutch colony at the Cape of Oood Hope ; and having left there lomc French troops to ttrcngthcn the garrison, he proceeded to the I i I 422 VICfi-AOMIRALS OF THE WHITE. On the Ist Feb. 1783, the subject of this memoir was made a Lieutenant, into the Monarca, another ship of the line, com- island of Mauritius, where he formed a junction witli the squadron of M. D'Orves, which increased hi.s force to ten sail of the line, a 50-gun ship, three frigates, and three smaller vessels, mounting in the whole 870 ^(uns, and carrying 7071 men. With this fleet he sailed for the coast of Coro- mandel, accompanied by a nuiyber of store-ships and transports, on board of which were embarked 3457 troops. On the 16th Feb. 1782, the enemy appeared off Madras, and was instantly pursued by the squadron under Sir Edward Hughes, consisting of eight ships of the line, one of 50 guns, imd two small vessels, carrying 628 guns and 4820 men. In the course of the following day six vessels of the French convoy were captured : five of which proved to be British prizes recently taken, and the sixth a huge transport of 1,300 tons i)urden, deeply laden with a train of artillery, intended as a present to Hyder Aiy, a large ((uantity of gun-powder, and a complete assortment of other military stores : she also had on boanl a number of land officers, and about 300 soldiers. The hostile squadrons remained in full view of each other, practising various manoeuvres till about the after- noon of the 17th, when five of the British ships were obliged to sustain an action on disadvantageous terms, the situation of the enemy preventing Sir Edward Hughes from bringing the whole of his force into play. The brunt of the battle fell on the Superb, Hero, and Exeter, the former bearing the flag of the Commander-in-Chief ; the latter the broad pendant of Commo- dore King. After enduring these disadvantages for about two hours, a sudden squall of wind enabled the five English ships to become in turn the aggressors ; zn^ ihcy renewed the engagement with such vigour and effecl, that in twenty-five minutes, those of the enemy within their reach, after having sustained considerable damage, suddenly hauled their wind, and together with their companions stood off to the north-east. The loss of the British in this conflict amounted to 32 slain, and 95 wounded. Among the killed were Captain Stephens of the Superb, and Captain Reynolds of the Exeter. On the tnornuig after the action, the enemy being out of sight. Sir Edward Hughes made the best of his way to Yrincomalee, the only place in that quarter where his ships could be properly repaired ; and about the middle of March he returned to Madras. The securing of Trincomalee from the designs of an enemy, now power- ful in the East both by sea and land, and the protection of an expected convoy, recalled Sir Edward Hughes to Ceylon, before the end of the month ; aud on bis way thither March 30, he was joined by the Sultan, 74, and Magnanime, (>4, from England. These ships having had a tedious and bad voyage, were extremely sickly, and their crews much reduced by the scurvy. On the 8th April, the French fleet appeared in sight, and, accom* panying the British squadron to the coast of Ceylon, gained the wind, as the latter was steering for Trincomalee, in the night of the 11th. At day- light on the following morning, they crowded all sail, and their copper>bot« tomed ships came up so fast with the English rear, that an action was HON. HENRY CCRZON. 423 mandcd by Captain John Gell, and one of Sir Edward Hughes's squadron in the battle off Cuddalore, June 20th following, on unavoidable, although nothing could be more untoward for the latter, they being hemmed in upon a rocky coast, by an enemy much superior in effective strength, with the wind full in his favour. At 9 A. M. Sir Edward Hughes formed his line of battle ; but the enemy spent upwards of three hours in various manoeuvres, which seemed to indicate a want of resolu- tion. At length about 1^ 30' P. M. the engagement began in the van of both squadrons ; and soon after M. de Suffrein, in the Hero 74, and his second astern, I' Orient of the same force, bore down on the Superb within pistol shot, and continued in that position, giving and receiving a most dreadful fire for nine minutes ; the French Admiral then stood on, greatly damaged, to attack the Monmouth, of 64 guns, which was already closely engaged with another of the enemy's ships ; this made room for the vessels in M. de SufTrein's rear to come up and attack the British centre, where the battle raged with the greatest violence. The conflict lasted till near six o'clock, when the squadron being in 15 fathoms water, and the Monmouth with only her foremast and bowsprit standing, drifting towards the shore. Sir Edward Hughes made the signal to anchor, and the French squadron drew off in great disorder to the eastward. The hostile fleets continued for several days in view of each other, repairing their damages, and equally apprehending an attack. I'rom th« opposite party : at length, on the 19th, the French bore down, as if with an intent to renew the combat ; but, on arriving within two miles of tlieir adversaries, they suddenly tacked, and by the evening were out of sight. The loss sustained by the British in this encounter was 137 killed and 430 woundedi The action fell particp' irly heavy on the Superb and Monmouth; in these ships the slaughter W8 > /cry great. The French acknowledged a loss of 131) killed, aud364 wounded. After this event, the enemy proceeded to Batacalo, a Dutch port in the island of Ceylon, about twenty leagues to the soutiiward of Trincomulce, where they were detained till the month of June in repairing their shattered ships. M. dc SutTreiu then repaired tu the Coromandel coast, and having re-victualled, and replenibhcd his vessels with 400 sailors, as many sepoys, and 300 artillerymen, he appeared, on the 5th July, before Ntgaputnum, where !^r Edward Hughes was lying with his squadron, after a repair at Trincomalec. The British Admiral immediately stood out to sea, and on the following day brought the enemy to a close action, which continued al)out two hours ; by which time the latter appeared to have suffered so much that nothing but a sudden shift of wind could have prevented them from undergoing a decided defeat. Tiie engagement was atterwards par- tial and irregular, and ended with the retraet of the French to Cuddalore. One of their ships, la Severe, of 64 guns, having become ungovernable, fell alongside the Saltan, 74, and struck her colours ; but finding an opportu- nity to escape, she availed herielf of it; and the British Admiral's subse- t]uent demand of her was answered by the excuse that the ensign had come 424 VIClt-ADMlIlAl.S OF TIIK WHITE. which day she had ^ men slain, and 14 wounded. Tliis action terminated the naval war in India; and the Monarca being down in consequence of the halliards being shot away, and not from de- sign. In this action the English force consisted of three ships of "4 guns, two 70's, five 64'9, one 60, and one of 20 guns. The enemy had three 74's, seven 64's, two SO's, three frigates, and one smaller vessel. The loss sustained by the former amounted to TJ killed and 233 wounded ; the latter had 178 slain and 601 wounded. Sir Edward Hughes finding the stores, provisions, and ammunition of his squadron nearly exhausted, was now under the necessity of proceeding to Madras to get a supply. On his arrival there, July 20, he was joined by the Sceptre, of 64 guns, which had sailed from England in company with a reinforcement for the squadron in the East Indies, but had parted from the other ships soon after clearing the British Channel. In the mean time M. de Suffrein, having refitted his ships at Cuddalore, repaired to Point de Galle, in Ceylon, where he found two French men of war, one of 74 guns the other a 64, with a convoy of troops and artillery, just ar- rived from Europe. The British Admiral knew nothing of the movements nf the enemy, until the 16th Aug. when he was joined by the Coventry frij^te, Captain Mitchell, who after sustaining an engagement with the Bellonb^ of 40 guns, had discovered their fleet at anchor in Batacalo road. Sir Edward u\yon receiving this intelligence used all possible diligence to get his ships ready Ibc sea, being apprehensive that during the absence of the squadron, the enemy might make themselves masters of Trinco- nialee. He sailed from Madras on the 20th ; but the wind blowing strong from the southward, it was not until' the night of Sept. 2, that he arrived off the former place ; and on the following morning at day-break, he had the mortification to behold the French colours flying on all the forts, and above thirty sail riding at anchor in the different liilys, the Commandant of Trincomalec having surrendered by capitulation on the 30th of August. On the appearance of the British squadron M. de Snfl'rein gut under sail with fifteen ships of the line, including three 50's, besides frigates, &c. ; and about 2** 30/ P. M. an atuon commenced, which was maintained with extraordinary spirit on both sides for nearly five hours ; the rival com- manders in the Superb and Hco, dealing out their rage with unremitting fury upon each other. This battle was memorable for the slaughter it produced of British officers, among whom were Captains Wood, Watt, and Lumley, of the Worcester, Sultan, and Isis ; but, like the three pre- ceding combats between these habitual antagonists, proved indecisive. The loss of men by the English, amounted to only 51 slain and 283 wound- ed ; while on the side of the French the killed were 412, and the wounded 676, a circumstance which their ministry for a long tin)e concealed. The enemy returned to Trincomalee on the night of the action ; and such was their hurry and confusion lust they should be pursued, that I'Orient, one of their best ships, run on shore in the dark and wos lost. Sir Edward HON. 11£NRY rURZON. 42r, paid off soon after her arrival at Portsmouth, in May 1784, Lieutenant Curzon was immediately appointed to the Flora, of 36 guns, on the Jamaica station, where he remained till Decemher 1785 ; at which period, being attacked with tlic fever of that climate, he was obliged to return to England for the recovery of his health. He subsequently served in the Ambuscade and Aquilon frigates, commanded by Captains O'Hara and Montagu ; and from the latter vessel, which had been principally employed in the Mediterranean, he was ap- Hiighcs returned to Madras, where he narrowly escaped the effects of a dreadful hurricane on the 15th Oct., which caused the wreck of several British traders, besides a great many coasting vessels laden with rice, and eventually produced a shocking famine among the natives. The intention of the Admiral in going to Madras was, only to give his shipa such a partial repair as might enable them to proceed to Bombay, where they were to receive a thorough equipment : but before he could accomplish tliis purpose, he was driven out to sea by the hurricane just alluded to. The squadron on its passage to Bombay experienced a continued .ories of tempestuous weather. The Superb was dismasted, and otherwis'- so much damaged, that Sir Edward Hughes was obliged to shift his flag to the Sultan ; and the fleet was so scattered, that the ships d' 4 not all arrive till tlifi 21st Dec, and then in a very weak and sicklv condition. They were there joined by five sail of the line and a frigate, that had arrived from England, under the command of Commodore Sir Richard Bickerton, father of the present Admiral of that name. Sir E P. M., the French fleet, consisting of fifteen sail of the line, three frigates, and a fire-vessel, made an attack, favored by the wind, upon the British, who upon this occasion had eighteen line-of-battlc ships, and nine other vessels. A heavy cannonade ensued on both sides, and continued without intermission during three hours, at the end of which the enemy drew off, and retired to Pondi- cherry roads. In this fifth and last battle between Sir Edward Hughes and M. dc Suffrein, the loss of the former amounted to 9!> killed and 431 wounded. A few days afterwards all hostilities were terminated by the intelligence of a general peace. 426 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. pointed towards the close of the year 1789, first Lieutenant of the Adamant, a 50- gun ship, then fitting to receive the flag of Sir Richard Hughes, by whom he was promoted to the rank of Commander, in the Brisk sloop, early in 1790. Returning to England in the ensuing summer, the Brisk was paid off at Portsmouth ; but our officer soon after commis- sioned the Tisiphone fire-ship, attached to Lord Howe's fleet, in which he remained until the termination of the dispute with Spain respecting Nootka Sound, and at the general promo- tion November 22nd following, was advanced to the rank of Post-Captain. His next appointment was in May 1791, to the Lapwing of 28 guns, on the Mediterranean station, where he served under the orders of Admirals Peyton and Goodall ; and on the French army taking possession of Nice, in 1792, he was sent to Villa Franca for the purpose of affording pro- tection to the British subjects and their property at the for- mer place. Whilst on that service he received many insults in consequence of his refusing to salute the revolutionary flag and wear the national cockade, to induce him to do which the French used both entreaties and menaces. At length, on his taking advantage of a fortunate circumstance to put to sea, the republicans, who had not been prepared for such a sudden movement, on perceiving him under sail and out of reach of the castle, made signals to their ships in the ofling to inter- cept him ; but the French squadron being far to the westward of the port, could not arrive in time to cut him off and prevent his rejoining the British Admiral in Leghorn road. In the spring of 17^) Captain Curzon convoyed home a great number of English and Dutch merchantmen from Gibraltar, and immediately after his arrival received orders to repeat signals to the rear division of Earl Howe's fleet. For his conduct on that service he received a warm recom- mendation firom the Commander-in-Chief to the first Lord o^ the Admiralty ; and in compliance with that gallant veteran's request was appointed to the Pallas, a frigate on a new con- struction, mounting 32 18-pounders, in which ship he served with the Channel and Mediterranean fleets under Lords Howe, Bridport, and St. Vincent, and was also present at the mas- terly retreat of the Hon. William Cornwallis, before the fleet commanded by Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse, off 1' Orient, an HON. HENRY CURZON. 427 event that reflects immortal honor on all concerned, and for which the squadron received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament *. Our officer retained the command of the Pallas until April 4, 1798, on which day she broke her best bower anchor during a heavy gale of wind in Plymouth Sound, and drove on shore under Mount Batten. The storm was so violent, attended with a tremendous sea, that no assistance could possibly be afforded to her, and it was for a considerable time doubtful whether any of the crew could be saved. The ship however, fortunately swung round and heeled over to the shore, by which means her people were sheltered :rom the breaking of the sea, and enabled to reach the land on the ebb-tide, ex- cepting one man who was killed by the fall of the masts. The greater part of her stores and materials were also preserved, but the vessel herself was completely wrecked. Captain Curzon's next appointment was in the month of Feb. 1799j to the Indefatigable, of 46 gims f, in which ship he accompanied the expedition against Ferrol, in the autumn of 1800 I ; and on the 23d Oct. following, captured the Venus French frigate of 32 guns and 200 men, from Roche- fort, bound to Senegal. About the same period he also inter- cepted several large privateers. In December 1800, our officer was superseded at sea, being nominated to the com- mand of the Montagu, 74; but that ship having sailed for Lisbon and the West Indies with an acting Captain before he could arrive in England to join her, he was appointed to the Audacious, of the same force, at Plymouth, which vessel he fitted out ; but, when nearly ready for sea, found his health so much impaired as to be under the necessity of retiring for a while from active service. From this period Captain Curzon's health continued in a very precarious state until the year 1807> when being suffi- ciently recovered to resume the duties of his profession, he • See p. 354. t On this occasion Captain Curzon succeeded Sir Edward Pellew, (now Viscount Exmouth,) who had been appointed to a ship of the line. The Indefatigable was i>uilt as a 64 in 17B4, and out down to a frigate in 1794. X Seenoteatp. 220. 428 VlCE-ADMIKALii OK TH B WHITE. ugaiu applied for employment, uiid in the month of June was appointed to the Elizabeth, a new third rate. In Nov. fol- lowing, he accompanied a squadron under Sir VV. Sidney Smith to the coast of Portugal, for the purpose of blockading Lisbon, then about to be occupied by the French *, and in which port a Russian squadron under Admiral Siniavin had taken refuge. Subsequent to his arrival off the Tagus, he was detached to examine into the resources and military condition of the Azores, under the idea that it might be necessary to form some establishments at those islands, of which he made a very interesting report. Early in 1808, the late Sir Charles Cotton assumed the command on the Lisbon station, and Captain Curzon continued to be employed in the blockade of the Tagus until the period of the Convention of Cintra, when the British entered that river according to the articles of capitulation, and the Eliza- beth was attached to the squadron under Rear-Admiral Tyler, ordered to escort the Russian ships to England f. In Jan. 1809, we find Captain Curzon superintending the embarkation of Sir John Moore's army at Corunna ; and for his services on that occasion he received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, in common with the other officers employed on that important service X' The Elizabeth was soon afterwards sent to strengthen the naval force at Rio Janeiro, in consequence of a French squadron being supposed to have gone to the Rio de la Plata. Having formed a junc- tion with Rear-Admiral de Courcy, and examined the ports along the coast of Brazil and the above mentioned river, without hearing any thing of the enemy. Captain Curzon re- turned to Rio Janeiro, and thence with the trade from that place and Bahia under his protection to England, where he • See p. 319. f At the end of March 1808, Sir Charles Cuttun hud reason to expect that the Russian squadron, in consequence of a disagreement with the French, would come out. This expectation induced him, early in the following month, to make overture! for a conditional surrender. These, however, were unsuccessful ; and it was not until the French General Junot had agreed to evacuate Portugal, that Admiral Siniavin could be induced to put the ships under his orders into the hands of the British, to be held as a deposit, until six months after the conclusion of a peace between Great Britain and Russia. S«e p. 432. ♦ See p. 336. HON. IIKNRY CUUZON. 429 arrived in April, 1810. During his absence, our ottiocr re- ceived the honorable appointment of a Colonel of Royal Marines *. He subsequently commanded the squadron em- ployed in the blockade of Cherbourgh ; and at the general promotion, July 31, 1810, was advanced to the rank of Rear- Ad miral. From this period Rear-Admiral Curzon made repeated ap- plications for a command ; but no vacancy occurring for ac- tive service hi which he could be employed, he had no oppor- tunity during the remainder of the war of hoisting his flag. His commission as Vice-Admiral bears date, June 4, 1814. Residence. — 13 Wigmore Street, Cavendish Square. SIR LAWRENCE WILLIAM HALSTED, yice- Admiral of the White ; and Knight Commander of the most honour- vhle Military Order of the Bath. This officer is a son of the late Captain Halsted, R. N. ; and, if we mistake not, was third Lieutenant of the Canada, 74, commanded by the Hon. VVilliaiu Cornwallis, in the me- morable action between Sir George 13. Rodney, and the Count de Grasse, April 12, 1/82 f. On that importjmt day the Canada was in the centre division, and of course warmly en- gaged for some time before the alteration of the wind gave an opportunity to break the enemy's line. She after this con- tinued in action, and bore up with those of the French ships which stood firm to their Admiral. After refitting at Jamaica, the Canada, being ordered home with the convoy and prizes, was in that dreadful storm which proved fatal to the Ville de Paris, Centaur, and so great a part of the men of war and merchant ships %. She however weathered the gale better than any ship in the fleet, and arrived safe at Portsmouth,- where she was paid off in October 1782 ; and from that period we find no mention of the subject of this memoir, until the Russian armament, in 1791, when he commanded the • Oct. 26, 1809. t See note at p. 35, et aeq. X See RetireU Captain John N. Inolefield. 430 VICE-ADMIRALS OF THE WHITE. a Atalante sloop, in the East Indies. On the 31st May in the same year, he obtained post rank ; and early in 1794 was ap- pointed to the Hector of 74 guns, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral (now Sir George) Montague; from which ship he afterwards removed with that officer into the London, second rate. He subsequently commanded the Venus of 32 guns, forming part of Rear-Admiral Harvey's squadron in the North Sea. In the spring of 1796, we find Captain Halsted in the Phcenix, a 36-gun frigate on the same station, under the orders of Admiral Duncan, who, having received intelligence that a small Diitch squadron had sailed from a port in Norway bound to the Texel, despatched him, with the Leopard, Pegasus, and Sylph sloop, in quest of them. Early in the morning on the 12th May, the enemy were seen to leeward, consisting of a frigate, three brigs, and a cutter. Captain Halsted immediately gave chace, upon which the brigs bore up, and were followed by the Pegasus and Sylph. The fri- gate was closely pursued by the Phoenix. At a quarter past eight A.M., the British frigate being close up on her weather quarter, she hoisted Dutch colours, upon which Captain Hal- sted ordered a shot to be fired across her; and ranging up to windward, commenced a close and brisk action, which con- tinued about twenty minutes, when she struck ; and proved to be the Argo of 36 guns and 236 men ; 6 of whom were killed, and 28 wounded. The Phoenix had 1 man slain and 3 wounded. Two of the brigs, the Echo of 18, and De Gier of 14 guns, were driven on shore by the Pegasus and Sylph, to the eastward of the Texel. Admiral Duncan with the squadron chased the other, which was taken possession of by the Sylph ; she proved to be the Mercury, of 16 guns and 85 men. The next day the cutter was brought into the fleet ; she was the Duke of York buoy boat, taken on the 1 1th by the Argo. The Phoenix was afterwards stationed on the coast of Ire- land, where she captured several of the enemy's large pri- vateers. In the summer of 1800, she was employed in the blockade of Cadiz, under Sir Richard Bickerton, and from thence proceeded to the Mediterranean, where Captain Hal- sted was entrusted with the command of a squadron of fri- U Ji'l.: rjaiX'J-"-'-^^ ~ SIR LAWRENCE WILLIAM HALSTED. 431 gates stationed off Elba, to prevent supplies being conveyed to the French troops then on that island. On the 3d Aug., 1801, at 2'' 30' P. M., a frigate and several small vessels were seen to the southward of the Piombiuo passage, steering for Port Longone. The squadron went in chace of them immediately, and at 10 minutes past 8, after several shot had been fired from their bow and stern-chacers, Captain Gower, of the Pomone, ran alongside the frigate, and soon compelled her to surrender. She proved to be la Car- rere, of 40 guns and 356 men, from Port Hercule, with am- munition for the French army. The vessels under her convoy were laden with ordnance stores, &c. On the 2d of the following month, two French frigates were discovered steering towards Leghorn, to which Captain Hal- sted gave chace. On the approach of the squadron, one of them ran a-shore off Vado, and struck her colours without offering any resistance ; she was found to be the Success, formerly British. The other frigate, la Bravoure, of 46 guns and 283 men, got on shore near a battery, to the southward of Leghorn, where her masts soon went by the board, and the ship was totally lost. By the exertions of Lieutenant Thompson, of the Phoenix, and the men employed under him, the Success was got off without receiving any material injury. Captain Halsted arrived at Portsmouth from the Medi- terranean, June 24, 1802. In the spring of 1805, he was appointed to the Namur, a cut down 90, in which ship he assisted at the capture of the four French line-of-battle ships that had escaped from the battle of Trafalgar *. On this occasion the Namur had 4 men killed and 8 wounded. In the month of Dec. 1807, when the late Sir Charles Cotton was appointed Commander-in-Chief on the Lisbon station, the subject of this memoir was selected by that oflBcer to serve as Captain of the fleet under his orders ; and accord- ingly proceeded with him to the coast of Portugal, where he continued until after the Convention of Cintra +, and the • S«e p. 289. * The escape and departure of the Royal House of Braganza previous to the arrival of Sir Charles Cotton on the 15tb Jan. 1808, have already been mentioned in our memoir of Sir W. Sidney Smith. The arrival of the f • 432 VIC E-AD.VI! HALS OF TflK WHITK. surrender of a Russian squadron that had sought refuge in the Tagus, up to which period, in the arduous duties of a tedioxisly protracted blockade, during times of eventful import, and services of considerable magnitude, the Admiral received the most effectual aid from the effective exertions of Captain Halsted, whose advice, energy, and zeal, were eminently conspicuous and exemplary. Our oflicer returned to England with Sir Cliarles Cotton in the Hibernia, of 120 guns, in Dec. 1808. He was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, July 31, 1810 J Vice- Admiral, June 4, 1814; and nominated a K. C. B.,Jan. 2, 1815. Sir Lawrence VV. Halsted married, in 1803, a daughter of Sir Edward Pellew, Bart., (now Viscount Exmouth). Residence. — Phoenix Lodge, Alton, co. Hants. army, the battles whieh were fought, the change of commander, and the CQiivention of Ciiitm that followeH, had excited san- guine expectations of the unconditional surrender of the IVcncli army ; and a formal disapprobation of its terms on lite part of the British niouarch was coinmunicated to Sir Hew Dalryin£Jii!.\ ^^'\ / it. M ^> ■H*^ yT' **? ige in the tediously port, and eived the Captain iminently England I, in Dec. ral, July linated a ughter of n, and the have been lat bud U!i feelings of n the naval nexecuted. )p8 in Por- of tlie Bil- Hs prison- .' properly il from tlie etuincJ an he British itain from itry, wilh- 'eliininury J cithiT to I'd hy Sir L>-A(hntrul trt's, to be (ietinitil^e h general ;(l by Sir cited 8UI1- .'li army ; niuuurcii K >