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 NAVAL BIOGRAPHY-^ 
 
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 OF ALL THB ^i 
 
 FLAG-OFFICERS' 
 SUPERANNUATED REAR-ADMIRALS 
 
 RETIRED-CAPTAINS 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS, '^5^.-.^. 
 
 iV,AND COMMANDERSw-f^i^^S?^'' 
 
 '^.^ose Names appeared on the Admiralt^r List of Sea Officen at the cdmmeace- 
 
 ment of the year 1823, or who hare since been promoted | . , .. 
 
 .^;^i ' • "^^^^^ HISTORICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES, -^ ^''"- 
 
 Which will be found to contain an account of all the 
 
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 NAVAL ACTIONS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS, 
 
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 FROM THE COMMKNCEMKNT OK THE LATE REIOK, IN 176^ --. . 
 
 TO THE PRESENT PERIOD. —^5" ■■ -^f 
 
 » " WITH COPIOUS ADDENDA. aJ^^S^^% 
 
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 •• • •• 
 
 ISy JOHN MARSHALL (Jjli^tii^il^^ 
 
 tllUTEXAVT IN THE ROYAL NAVT, >;*" 'i^'' •-«'^Jf > 
 
 ^=ii^V;>,^^:;og^:S^ 
 
 **'Fanufe«, howttver flwqvent, may admK of extenuation and apology. Tu Itate attempted 
 « much is alwayi laudable, even when the enterpriae I* above the ttrength that nndertakea it . 
 •< To deliberate whenever I iloubteil, to enquire wttenever I wai iKnorunt, would liavc protracted 
 " the undertuking wiOiuut cud, aitd |>erhaps without Iniproveineiit. 1 n>w that one enquiry only 
 •' ifBVr uccaaioii lo »ni>tber, that hook relerred to bonk, that to urarch wa« not always to find, kihI 
 " i<i And wiM i><*t always t<i l><- infurined ; and that thu( ti> piimut' perfection, wan, like tlic Ant 
 '*'iuUaiHiaiii» of Arcadia, tu chane the Bun, which, when they had reached the hill where h« 
 i" teemed to rest, wa» itill beheld at. the Mine distuice (hrni them.** JoAiMon. 
 
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 ^^^tfiA'''^'^'.^ VOL. ii.-PARrii.; ••• .", 
 
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 ntlNTEU rOK LONtiMAN, HURST, UEIie, OllME, ItKOWN, AND Gktl.N, 
 , I'ATtUNOSTKK HOW. 
 
 • • "i. '• '•« 
 
 1825. 
 
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 9. 
 
 
 CONTENTS OF VOL. II.-PART 
 
 Kan • •wiJl<o.'»"'V"'«Jt "^ 
 
 (Continued), ^m^^"^' 
 
 Aldham, George ... 
 
 AUen, Joba (a) : . . 
 
 Argles, George . - - 
 
 Aylmer, Hon. Frederick William 
 
 Barrie, Robert ... 
 
 Becher, Alexander . . - 
 
 Boltoa, Sir William 
 
 Bond, Francis Godolpbin - 
 
 Bouverie, Hon. Buncombe Pleydell 550 Galwey, Edward 
 
 Page ■^3'^^^C!^t%' Page 
 
 3il Durell, Thomas Philip -^,1^^*^^; 
 
 565 Edgell, Henry Folkes ,1^1?^^ 
 
 719 ElUot, Hon George -*: ■^-yS^-^|4t 
 947 Epworth, Farmery PrcddBii ' « -561 
 
 720 Fane, Francis William - - 838 
 581 Farquhar, Arthur - - 929 
 936 Fitzroy, lUght Hon. Lord WilHam 863 
 710 Folril, Stephen - - - 710? 
 
 
 #8 
 
 \K 
 
 
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 A 
 
 HI 
 
 
 If 
 
 
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 •^t ''^ 
 
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 • 'Mi 
 
 
 '-..« 
 
 Brine, Augustus 
 Bromley, Sir Robert Howe 
 Browne, Edward Walpole 
 Browne, Thomas - ..«i 
 Buckle, Matthew 
 Bullen, Charles 
 Burdett, George 
 Butcher, Samuel 
 Butterfield, William 
 Byron, Richard 
 Campbell, Alexander 
 Campbell, Thomas 
 Carden, John Surman 
 Carter, Benjamin 
 Carter, Charles . ^^ 
 Clay, Edward Sneyd 
 Coffin, Francis Holmes 
 Colby, David 
 Cole, Sir Christopher 
 Collier, Sir George Ralph 
 Cowan, Thomas 
 Crawford, James Coutts 
 Cumby, William Pryce 
 Dacres, James Richard 
 Daniel, William Henry 
 Dick, John 
 Dickson, Archibald 
 Digby, George 
 Dunbar, Sir James 
 Duncan, Hon. Henry v^ 
 D'Urbao, WillUm 
 
 
 666 Goddard, Richard 
 
 550 Godwin, Matthew p^,- 
 
 685 Gordon, Henry ' ./-^ 
 
 700 Gordon, Sir James Alexander 
 
 565 Griffiths, Anselm John 
 
 . 65.S. 
 
 . 552 i^ 
 
 . 889 
 
 - 93&, 
 
 - 9S7 
 
 - .573 
 
 '\ 
 
 590 Hand, Thomas . « ;<^|,561 
 
 576 Hatley, John - * ' ^' 585 
 
 719 Hawker, Edward • • - 90| 
 
 613 Hawkins, Richard 
 
 619 Hayes, John 
 
 902 Hennah, WiUiam - 
 
 1006 Heywood, Peter 
 
 1007 Hillyar, James 
 
 699 Humphreys, Salusbury Price 
 
 700 Hunt, Peter 
 697 Hurd, Thomas 
 586 Jackson, Robert 
 
 666 Inglis, Charles 
 501 Jones, Richard 
 518 Lind, Sir James 
 656 Loring, John Wentworth 
 
 667 Mackenzie, Kenneth 
 i>66 Malcolm, Charles 
 972 Master, James 
 656 Matson, Henry 
 558 Maxwell, Sir Murray 
 712 Maxwell, Keith 
 
 ' 972 MicheU, John Taylor 
 613 Motfley, Samuel 
 979 Nash, John 
 815 Nashf jMnes • 
 
 65& 
 
 673 
 
 966 
 
 747 
 
 849 
 
 891 
 
 844 
 
 556 
 
 720 
 
 69!) 
 
 654 
 
 H73 
 
 544 
 
 898 
 
 744 
 
 890 
 
 743 
 
 797 
 
 884 
 
 581 
 
 684 
 
 560 
 
 577 
 
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CONTENTS. 
 
 ,- _ _. .- ... Page "a'5"^-,,,. _ 
 
 esham.ChrititophcrJoImWnUainB 587 Rowley, Samuel Campbell 
 
 Noble, James - - - 565 Ryder, Charles 
 
 Nourse, Joseph - - - 878 Sanders, James 
 
 O'Brien, Robert - - - 881 Schomberg, Charles Marsh 
 
 O'Bryen, Right Hon. Lord Edward 709 Serrel, John 
 
 Otter, Charles - - - 653 Seward, James 
 
 Parry, William Henry Webley 645 Skene, Alexander 
 
 M^.. 
 
 PcUowe, Richard 
 
 Pigot, Hugh 
 
 Pilfold, John 
 
 Popham, Joseph Lamb 
 
 Foulden, Richard 
 
 Praed, Bulkley Mac worth 
 
 Pym, Samuel 
 
 Quilliam John 
 
 Quinton, Cornelius 
 
 Raigersfeld, Jeffery 
 Jlninier, Peter <s*i ^j* 
 • Rains, Stephen 
 
 ~lathborne, Wilsoi 
 Ubouleau, Peter 
 
 Page 
 683 
 587 
 635 
 817 
 747 
 580 
 696 
 685 
 577 
 
 1V- 
 
 557 Smollett, John Rouctt 
 
 - 889 Spicer, Peter 
 
 - 963 Stuart, Right Hon. Lord George 864 
 -1006 Temple, Frauds - - - 911 
 
 - 553 Thomas, Richard - - 953 
 
 - 684 Tobin, George i^'J^M^SK^^- 629 
 
 - 715 Tower, John 'W^l.^KisJ': 897 
 
 - 962 Tremlett, William Henry Brown 712 
 
 - 613 Trench, Hon. William Le Poer 697 
 
 - 587 Vaughan, Henry - - 1003 
 ^M 977 Vincent, Richard Budd - 912 
 af 560 Walton, Jacob - - - 666 
 
 - 739 Warren, Samuel 4U. W - 570 
 
 560 Wight, John >!t?i?iP« ^ 600 
 
 Richardson, Charle8^*^'^%;^902 Winne, John -S^jSt'^ai'^M.: 549 
 
 Richbell, Thomas— ^' "p?* «:..«» %,r-.-jJ« r»„..:.i; H^!i-»i.\^'i:Yl>-^? — 
 
 Ricketts, William 
 38S, Charles Bnync 
 
CS' '^ 'A. 
 
 bell - 683 
 
 - 587 -■ ^^^ 
 
 - 635 ;»f> 
 [arsh - 817 
 
 - 747 
 
 - 580 ■:^ 
 
 - 696 
 . 685 
 
 - 577 
 rd George 864 
 
 . - 911 
 
 - 953 
 
 - 629 
 
 - 897 
 ary BrowQ 712 
 I Lc Poer 697 
 
 . 1003 
 
 ,d - 912 
 
 .P., - 666 
 
 i!^%i : - 570 
 
 ^e^--; - 600 
 
 i^'^MtW' - 549 
 
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 / ... •? ' 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS of 1802— contimie 
 
 SIR CHRISTOPHER COLE 
 
 :':-M^^^^<^ 
 
 ^1^. 
 
 
 
 jte'^^K.? "^ 
 
 l^.:- 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Military Order .of the Bath ; 
 Doctor of the Civil Law; Member of Parliament for Glamorganshire; 
 and Deputy Grand Master of the Masonic Society in South fF'ales. 
 
 ;^ V This officer is a brother of the Rev. Samuel Cole, D. D. 
 Chaplain of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich ; and of the 
 late Dr. Cole, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, 
 Rector of Exeter College, and a Domestic Chaplain to 
 H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence. He entered the naval ser- 
 vice in 1780, as a Midshipman on board the Royal Oak, of 
 74 guns, commanded by the late Sir Digby Dent, and then 
 about to sail for the coast of America, as part of the squa- 
 dron sent thither under the orders of Rear-Admiral Thomas 
 Graves. In the course of the same year he was removed into 
 the Raisonable 64 ; and we subsequently find him serving 
 under the patronage of the late Rear-Admiral Sir Francis 
 Samuel Drake, Bart, in the Russell and Princessa third rates. 
 
 The Princessa formed part of the fleets under Sir Samuel 
 Hood and Rear-Admiral Graves, in the actions off Marti- 
 nique and the Chesapeake, April 29th and Sept. 5th, 1781, 
 and on the latter occasion si •?.ined a lose of 6 men killed 
 and 11 wounded. She also bo.e a share in the memorable 
 transactions at St. Kitt's in Jan. 1782; and in Rodney's 
 battles of April 9th and 12th, 1782*. 
 
 Mr. Cole, who had not yet completed the twelfth year of 
 his age, was at this period the youngest of four brothers 
 serving on the West India station, (three in the navy and one 
 
 * See vol. II., part I., pp. 62 to 65, and notes at ditto. N. B. Rear- 
 Admiral Drake led tbe van division of the British fleet, and highly dis- 
 tiof^ttished himself, on the glorious 12th of April. He died a Lord of tbe 
 Admiralty, and M. P. for Plymouth, Oct. 19, 1 789. 
 
 
 n 
 

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 "■m 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 
 in the army) the wliole of whom met together on the arrival 
 of the victorious fleet at Jamaica. 
 «k.<^^ At the peace of 17B3, he joined the Trepassey of 12 guns, 
 jomnianded by his brotlier, the lute Captain Francis Cole, 
 a brave and excellent officer, and accompanied him from 
 the West Indies to Halifax, where he removed into the 
 Atalante sloop, Captain Thomas Foley, with whom he con- 
 tinued on that station till 1/85. In the following year we find 
 him proceeding to Newfoundland in the VVinchelsea of 32 guns, 
 in which frigate he served under the command of the present 
 Viscount Exmouth until 1789, when, in consequence of a 
 recommendation from Sir Francis Drake, he was received on 
 J^Doard the Crown, a G4-gun ship, bearing the broad pendant 
 of the Hon. Commodore Cornwallis, who had recently been 
 I appointed to the chief command in Indiaj|^|j1|^'^g/^ 
 Unfortunately for Mr. Cole, the account of Ws patron's 
 death reached India a few months after his arrival there, and 
 all hopes of speedy promotion were consequently abandoiied by 
 ^>,;;; him ; nor did he obtain the rank he ^ad so long sought after 
 l^f%.^; tmtil 1793, at which period he had served upwards of thirteen 
 '.«^i;years under some oftlie best practical seamen in the navy*, 
 in October, 1794, he was appointed first Lieutenant of the 
 Cerberus, a new 32-gun frigate, at the particulai* request of 
 Captain John Drew, on whose application two Midshipmen 
 were promoted into her for tlie purpose of securing that situa- 
 v'i-^^tion to Mr. Cole, whose character and abilities he held in 
 
 fthe highest estimation. 
 ^ In 1795, Lieutenant Cole joined the Sans Pareil of SOguiis, 
 ■ ^°' bearing the flag of Lord Hugli Seymout, to whom he was 
 ,,, recommended in the warmest manner by his late Captain, 
 r After serving for four years under the eye of that distinguished 
 'nobleman, it was left to his option, as senior Lieutenaliit of 
 the Sans Pareil, either to acciept the rank of Commander, 
 and go on half pay, or proceed as his Lordship's Flag-Lieu- 
 tenant to the West Indies, Where promotion might be ex- 
 pected, accompanied by immediate employment. Mr. Cole 
 very naturally chose the latter, and accompanied his noble 
 
 * Mr, Cole followed Gominodore Cornwallis from the Crown into the 
 Minerva frigate, and continued with that officer nearly five years. .^ '^..■^;, 
 
 
 
 ,i^.''»' 
 
 ,^*AMi 
 
 ij^i-'' 
 

 the arrival 
 
 of 12 guns, 
 raiicis Cole, 
 d him from 
 ed into the 
 lom he con- 
 ; year we find 
 ;iiof32guTi9, 
 
 the present 
 jquence of a 
 I received on 
 •oad pendant 
 ecentlyjbeen 
 
 entiy 
 
 
 his patron's 
 
 al there, and 
 
 abandoiiedby 
 
 sought after 
 
 ds of thirteen 
 
 1 the navy *. 
 
 tenant of the 
 
 at' request of 
 
 Midshipmen 
 
 ng that situa- 
 
 he held in 
 
 
 ;ilof80gunsi 
 
 rhom he was 
 
 late Captain. 
 
 distinguished 
 
 lieutenant of 
 
 Commander, 
 
 's Flag-lieu- 
 
 migbt be ex- 
 
 t. Mr. Cole 
 
 ed his noble 
 
 Cro\?n into the 
 years, 
 
 
 r'M 
 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 663 
 
 friend to the Leeward Islands in the 'J\'imar frigate. Soon 
 after their arrival on that station, the Dutch colony of Surinam 
 surrendered without opposition to the British forces, and the 
 Hussar, a fine prize corvette, mounting 20 nhie -pounders, 
 was immediately purchased into the service, named after the 
 island where she was captured, and the command of her 
 conferred upon the subject of this memoir. 
 
 The Surinam cruised with considerable activity, and Cap- 
 tain Cole was fortunate enough to take several of the enemy's 
 privateers, and mak(! some recaptures: his exertions to pro- 
 mote the comforts of hia men on all occasions, but particu- 
 larly during a season of extraordinary malignity, were also very 
 great, and eminently successful ; the Surinam's crew affording 
 a remarkable instance of good health at a time when the yel- 
 low fever was committing great ravages in other ships, and on 
 shore : the contrast was indeed so striking as to induce the 
 commander-in-chief to represent it officially to the Admiralty. 
 
 In 1800, Lord Hugh Seymour was removed from the 
 Leeward Islands to Jamaica, and with the consent of Sir 
 John T. Duckworth, who had succeeded him on the former 
 station, he despatched the Galgo from Port Royal to relieve 
 the Surinam ; but his wish to have Captain Cole under his 
 orders again Was frustrated by the unhappy fate of the Galgo, 
 which vessel foundered with the greater part of her crew, 
 during a heavy squall, on the 9th Oct. in that year. 
 
 Some time after this sad event. Captain Cole had the mis- 
 fortune to be deprived of his noble friend, who fell a sacrifice 
 to the yellow fevier, and died sincerely regretted by all who 
 were acquainted with his claims to respect and admiration*. 
 
 Deeply as he felt the loss of such a friend, still Captain 
 Cole had the gratification of finding that he had gained the 
 
 • Lord Hugh Seymour died Sept. 11, 1801, in the 46th year of his age. 
 He was attacked by the fatal fever of the West Indies, about the middle 
 of the summer, from which he had but atemporary respite, as it returned 
 with increased violence on the Ist of Sept., and on the 11th deprived the 
 service of a gallant and meritorious commander, and society of a most 
 accomplished and estimable member. The particulars of his Lordship's 
 professional career will be found in the Naval Chronicle. He left seven 
 orplian children to mourn their irreparable loss ; his amiable consort hav- 
 ing died on the 12th Jan. in the same year. 
 
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 1802. 
 
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 ftivourable opinion of Sir John T. Duckworth, by his co?),8pI- 
 
 ''*fcumi8 zeal and alacrity on every occapion of public service, 
 and which was shortly proved by that officer promoting hint, 
 into his flag-ship, the Leviathan of 74 guns, and afterwards 
 appointing him to the command of tlie Southampuon frigate. 
 
 >i^h post commission was confirmed by the Admiralty, 
 'April 20, 1802. 
 
 A lessation of hostilities having now taken place in Europe, 
 I j\e Southampton was soon after ordered home, and paid off 
 in Ihe month of September folio -rving. Captain Cole's next 
 appointment was, in June 1804, to the Cnlloden 74, fitting 
 for the flag of his old friend and commander. Sir Edward 
 Pellew, with whom he proceeded to the East India station, 
 
 ^here he captured I'Emilien, French corvette, of 18 guns and 
 150 men, Sept. 25, 1806. This vessel had formerly been the 
 
 ' ^fincomalee, British sloop of war. He also assisted at the 
 tjapture and destruction of about thirty sail of Dutch shipping, 
 including a national frigate and several armed vessels, in 
 Batavia Roads, on the 27th Nov. in the same year *. 
 
 We next find Captain Cole commanding the Doris, a new 
 fiigate, built at Bombay, and with the Psyche, Captain Edg- 
 cumbe, under his orders, escortii^ Colonel Malcolm, Ambas- 
 sador to the Persian courts to Abashir, in the Gulf of Persia, 
 and remaining at that place for the protection of the em- 
 bassy. On his return from thence he received the thanks of 
 the Governor-General in council, accompanied by a present 
 of 500/. for his services on that occasion. 
 
 Q' During the years 1808 and 1809, Captain Cole was prin- 
 cipally employed cruising in the Straits of Malacca, and the 
 China seas. Upon the arrival of intelligence respecting the 
 change of political affairs in Spain, he was despatched by 
 Rear- Admiral Drury, who had succeeded to the command in 
 India, with the Psyche again under his orders, to communi- 
 cate with and endeavour to conciliate the government of the 
 Phillipine islands. Having completely succeeded in this 
 mission, and received information from a valuable prize (the 
 Japan ship from Batavia) that two French frigates had pro- 
 
 ^v . ,..,,.,. 
 
 ^ •See Vol. I., p, 223. 
 
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 PpST-CAlTAlNS OF 1802. 503> 
 
 reeded to China, and wqpc likely to reinahi there some time^ 
 he took, upon himself the responsibility of proceeding thither 
 in quest of them. Finding, on his arrival at Mflca-o, that 
 the enemy had not- made tiheii appearance in that quarter, 
 he endea^'oured to return through the sea of China, aj^ainst 
 the fovd- weather monsoon. Hid endeavfRirs, howevti, proved 
 iriefTor tuhJ, the ships being forctrd into the iNfindoro Sea and 
 Pacihc Ocean. A scarcity of provisions, added to the severe 
 weather and fatigue encountered by the crews of the "Doris 
 and Psyche, iiow produced an att iw-k of scurvy and dysentery, 
 by which the former frigate lost 40 m^n before she anchored 
 in Malacca Roads, and on her arrival there no less than 80 
 others were confined to their hammocks through sickness. 
 The Psyche suffered in a nearly equal degree. To enable 
 the reader to judge of Captain Cole's anxiety on this alarming 
 occasion, we need only add, that during the latter part of the 
 passage there remained but 1 Lieutenant, the gunner, and 56 
 men, who were able to keep watch on board the Doris, and 
 assist her commander in the arduous duties he had to perform. 
 
 In 1810, Captain Cole was removed, at his own request, 
 into the Caroline of 36 guns. He soon after received orders 
 to take the Piedmontaise frigate, Baracouta brig, and Man- 
 darin transport under his command, and proceed with them 
 to the assistance of the garrison of Amboyna, which island 
 had recently been taken by the British*. 
 
 Having received on board a considerable sum in specie, 
 large supplies of provisions, and 100 European troops, the 
 squadron left Madras on the 10th May, and arrived at Prince 
 of Wales's Island (Pulo-Penang) on the 30th of the same 
 month. Whilst there, he signified to the government his in- 
 tention to attempt the reduction of the Banda islands on his 
 way to Amboyna, and was furnished with 20 artillery-men, 
 commanded by a Lieutenant of that corps, 2 field-pieces, and 
 twenty scaling-ladders, to assist him in the undertaking. 
 
 After a passage of six weeks, against the S. £. monsoon, 
 through the Straits of Malacca, the intricate navigation on the 
 N. E. side of Borneo, and the Sooloo Sea, the squadron pas- 
 sed through Pitt's Straits, and entered the Java Sea on the 
 
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 * See Captain Sir Edward Tucker, K. C. B. 
 
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 a 
 
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506 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 23d July. On the 7th of the following month, Captain Cole 
 communicated with the island of Goram, for the purpose of 
 obtaining information and procuring guides. 
 
 During the whole of this long passage, the ships' companies 
 had been daily exercised in the use of the pike, sword, and 
 small arms, and in mounting the scaling ladders placed against 
 the masts, preparatory to any attempt at escalade. The ex- 
 pertness with which they handled their weapons, and the emu- 
 lation displayed by them when imitating the storming of a 
 fortress, added to their excellent health and high spirits, con- 
 vinced Captain Cole that, however deficient in numbers, no,men 
 could have been found better calculated to ensure success to any 
 hazardous enterprise. The result of that in which he was then 
 about to embark, against a strong, and generally supposed im- 
 pregnable fortification, it would be difficult to describe better 
 than in his own words. His plain and modest narrative marks 
 so strongly the intrinsic merit of himself and his gallant as- 
 sociates, that it would be almost presumptuous were we to 
 oflTer a word of commendation ; but as official reports, how- 
 ever clearly written, generally require a little elucidation, we 
 shall avail ourselves of some well-authenticated information 
 respecting the capture of Banda, by introducing it in the shape 
 of notes, instead of incorporating it with the substance of his 
 public letter, of which the following is a copy : 
 
 " H. M. S. Caroline^ Banda Harbour, Aug. 10, 1810. 
 " Sir, — I have the honor and happiness of acquiunting you 
 with the capture of Banda Neira, the chief of the Spice Islands, 
 on the 9th Aug., by a portion of the force under my orders, 
 in consequence of a night attack, which completely surprised 
 the enemy, ulUiough the approach of the ships had been un- 
 avoidably discovered the day before *. . , 
 
 ♦ On the eveninjf of the 8th Aujj., when the Danda Islands were just 
 visible, all the boats were hoisted out, und every preparation made for the 
 attack. It was intended to run the ships into the harbour before day-light 
 in the morning, and a hope was entertained that they might remain undin- 
 covered till then ; but they were fired at by a battery when passing the small 
 island of Ruscnsgen, al>out 10 P. M. which island the ships had approached 
 rathe/ close, not knowing tliat it was fortified. Tiie weather about this 
 time changed suddenly from a fine clear moonliglit to violent squalls, ac- 
 
V -o 
 
 
 POST- CAPTAINS OF 180?. 
 
 ,;,.■> 
 
 ** The weather proved so unfavorable for boat-bervice on the 
 night of the 8th, that although nearly 400 officers (tad men 
 had been selected for this occasion, \< i. m a&henibliiig unJer ' . 
 Grca^Banda, at two o'clock in the following laoinlr^g^ 1 found ''.:. 
 that the state of the weather would deprive us ol the services 
 of some valuable men under Lie\itenanl Strpiieas, wf tlic royal ' 
 marines, and the greater part of the deUuLnu-nt uf the 
 Madras European regiment, fron^. whom t had expected the 
 most steady support and assistar.ce, TL<' alienipt was now 
 to be made with less than 200 men, c unsisilng <>( the seauicii 
 and marines, and about 40 uf the M^ldra& J^uropean regiment, 
 or our labors in the boats through a dark ami sexually night, 
 in the open sea, must have ended in the s( vtrost luortificalionV : :; 
 After getting under shelter of the laud, ihe aaiuo circutubtances 
 of the weather which before operated dgajust us, were now 
 favorable to us j and the confidence 1 iiad i:) the handful of 
 officers and men about me, left me n<> hesitatkni ; and, with a 
 degree of silence and firmness that will ever command my 
 heartfelt acknowledgments, the boats proceeded to the point 
 of debarkation*. 
 
 " A dark cloud with rain cuvereti our landing within one 
 hundred yards of a battery of J U gtius ; and by the prompti- 
 tude and activity of acting Qaptuin Kenah, and Liruteiiunt 
 
 compaiiied by thunder, lightnintf, and rain , and the alarm having been 
 spread throughout the islands, all hopes of hui^irisiog them by thesAfpuwM 
 at an end. ' ' '^Vi^/J '•'Ify'f* .'*' •r^' 
 
 • The naen selected for shore service, 390 iu number, took a nap with 
 their arms by their sides whilst the ships were .standlnff Towards the land. 
 At 11 P. M. they were ordered into the boats, nod directi'd to rendezvouH 
 close under the lee of the point of Great Banda •, »Mit at .'^ A M. a hw boats, 
 containinp 180 officers and men only, liad reached On» piuo« appointed, 
 the rest havinj^ been driven to leeward. Some larpc fires denoted the ex- 
 act situation of Banda Ncira, the seat of government, which island »vas 
 strongly fortified, having a citadol, and nuni'-f^)!? m\. !»oft'^rif'.«, tno of 
 which, mounting ten 18-poundors each, with Fort Nassau, comman 'o<t ilu* 
 harbour. As no time was to bt lost in atteuip'itiir something Ix'fore day- 
 light, this small force, umlcr Uic personal diro'tuin of Captain (\»le, nc- 
 companicd by the acting Contmauder of tho (Vn i'>i)ti',i, -mi Mod nnrnctliiarly 
 across the harbour, with the intcMtion of suiiM-i-iini,' \\ir two l(»-mni bat. 
 terios and spiking the guns, that iho ships nrtu' i:ikr ihcir uiu liorngc ut 
 day-light with the less difiiculty. 
 
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 roST-CAPTAlNS OF 
 
 1802. 
 
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 CarcWj who vcre ordered with the pikcmen to the attack, °j 
 'the battery was taken in the rear, and an officer and his 
 .'■guard inad:^ priflonerB, without a musket being fired, although/^ 
 '- the enemy were at their guns with matches lighted. From".?, 
 , jf the near approach of day- light, our situation became critical ;;• 
 , ' '.;l)ut we had piocured a native guide to carry ui to the walls of 
 jVthe castle of Belgica j and leaving a guard over the prisoners, 
 -,-o , • and in charge of the battery, the party made a rapid movement 
 ' round tlie skirts of the town, where the sound of the bugle 
 was spreading alarm among the enemy •. In twenty minutes 
 the scaling ladders were placed against the walls of the outer' 
 pentagon of Belgica ; and the first guns were fired by the 
 
 • ^ enemy's sentries f. The gallantry and activity with which 
 ,, ^ the scaling ladders were hauled up after the outwork was 
 •o/ : carried, and placed for the attack of the inner work, under a 
 : i:,;,l sharp fire from the garrison, exceed all praise. The enemy, 
 ■•;■;• "vV after firing three guns J, and keeping up an ineffectual dis- . 
 
 • charge of musketry for 10 or 15 minutes, fled in all directions, 
 ';,-., and through the gateway, leaving the Colonel-Commandant 
 ' :'■ • and 10 others dead, and 3 officers and 30 men prisoners in 
 ';;.})■ our hands. Captain Kenah, Lieutenants Carew, Allen, Pratt, 
 ■: .• '-i-? Walker, and Lyons, of the navy j Lieutenant Yates, and 
 '•'. • ; Ensign Allen (a volunteer) of the Madras service, were among 
 ' •-. ,"■' the foremost in the escalade ; and my thanks are due to Cap- 
 .::^/ - tain-Lieutenant Nixon, of the Madras European regiment, 
 
 for the steady and officer-like conduct with which he directed 
 
 
 ^i'?.': 
 
 
 i^\' ■'^H"'* ^" officer and 60 men were taken prisoners in the first battery, with- 
 7^: VX"'.!^ '^ out firing a pistol : the sentinel was killed by a pike. Fortunately, the 
 
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 nature of the attack required no firing from the assiulants, as the boats 
 grounded at some distance from the shore, and the men bad to wade up to 
 their waists in water. Expecting an attacic by sea, the enemy were fully 
 prepared to give ilie ships a warm reception. Their confusion on finding 
 the British in their rear, may readily be conceived. Captain Kenah had 
 been ordered to attack the other battery, but was recalled.in consequence 
 of Captain Cole determining to attempt the citadel, which commanded all 
 the other defences, by coup-de-main, VT* S. ;"t.- A£''^-iX'.^'''T^': 
 
 f Giving to the state of the weather. Captain Cole and his followers 
 were not discovered until within 100 yards of the ditch surrounding the 
 citadel. 
 
 X llic great guns near ivhich the ladders were placed furtiuiutcly burnt 
 
 
 priming, owing tu the hcuvy ruius. 
 
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 ,.-""--; "^°f:SX|0ST-CAPTAIN8 OF 1802'. '^ 4\ 609*- 
 
 ffi'^cmTVtfif i>'ftri5f *iittrusted to his charge ; and to Lieuteiiahls 
 Brown and Decker, of that regiment, attached to the marines. 
 With such examples our brave fellows swept the ramparts 
 like a whirlwind ; and, in addition to the providential circum- 
 stance of the service being performed with scarcely a hurt or 
 wound, I have the satisfaction of reporting that there was no 
 instance of irregularity arising from success *. 
 ■■;. "The day now beaming on the British flag, discovered to 
 us the fort of Nassau, and the sea defences at our feet, and 
 the enemy at their guns at the different posts. I dispatched 
 Captain Kenah with a flag of truce to the Governor, requiring 
 the immediate surrender of Nassau, and with a promise of 
 protection for private property. At sun-rise the Dutch flag 
 was hoisted in Nassau, and the sea-batteries opened a fire on 
 the Caroline (followed by the Piedmontaise and Baracouta, 
 then approaching the harbour f) • Having selected a detach- 
 ment to secure Belgica, the remainder, with their scaling lad- 
 ders, were ordered for the immediate storm of Nassau ; but 
 Captain Kenah had returned with the verbal submission of 
 the Governor, and 1 was induced to send a second flag, stating 
 my determination to storm Nassau that instant, and to lay the 
 town In ashes, if the colours were not immediately struck. 
 This threat, and a well-placed shot from Belgica into one of 
 
 * The ladders being found too ehort for the escalade of the inner walls, 
 a rush was made for the gateway, which had at that instant been opened 
 by the guard to admit the Colonel-Commandant, and three other officers, 
 who lived in houses at the foot of the hill. The Colonel refused to receive 
 quarter, and fell in the gateway, sword in hand, and covered with honor- 
 able wounds ; several of the guard were also slain, and many of the panic- 
 struck garrison threw themselves over the walls, but the greater part es- 
 caped. Four officers surrejidered their swords to Captain Cole immedi- 
 ately under the flag-staff; forty artillery-men were disarmvd on the same 
 spot, and the British colours were immediately hoisted wi(h three hearty 
 cheers. At break of day the assailants found themselves in complete pos- 
 session of the citadel, with 52 pieces of heavy cannon mounted on its walls ; 
 but neither the ships nor the remainder of the landing party were to be seen, 
 the violence of the weather during the night having prevented their ap- 
 proach, 
 t The Caroline did not return a shot ; but her first Lieutenant led into 
 '•'^H the harbour, and ftuclii)rc«l ahreusJ of Fort Nassau, uncertain of the fate of 
 his Captain until the f,Min^ ol Uclnica silenced the fire of the battery. 
 
 
 
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 1802. 
 
 TSP'% 
 
 3^heir sea-batterlc8, produced an immediate and unqualified 
 submi^iiian, and we found ourselves in poBsession of the two 
 forts, and Beveral batteries, mounting 120 pieces of cannon^ , 
 and defended by 700 disciplined troops, besides the militia*. ^ 
 
 *' The ships had been left with so few men to manage them,,. .*:,< p 
 that I had merely directed Captain Foote to lead into any ' 
 anchorage that he might be able to obtain, to make a diversion 
 in our favor ; but they \vere worked against all the unfavor- 
 able circumstances of a dark and squally night, in a narrow 
 channel, with the most determined perseverance, and with>\/|*|%i 
 that degree of zeal that I expected from an officer of my o\yr\.^f^^ , 
 rank, whose heart and hand had always been with me .on 
 Qvery point of public service f. [:>-, 
 
 " Captain Kenah, who led the storming party, crowned al'SiJivfe' 
 series of valuable services during two months' difficult and 
 intricate navigation through the Eastern seas, by his bravery 
 and activity on shore X • 
 
 ** The colot^rs of Forts Nassau and Belgica will be presented 
 to your Excellency by Lieutenant John Gilmour, who has 
 served nine years in this country as a Lieutenant, and a large. \| 
 ppftion pf that time as first Lieutenant under my command. 
 Although labouring under a severe illness, he took charge of 
 the ship on my qijitting her ; and his seaman-like and zeal- 
 ous conduct in the discharge of his trust were most conspi- 
 cuous. 
 
 " I also transmit a plan of the defences of Banda Neira, 
 with the position of the Dutch troops, and our route from the 
 
 • The island of Banda Neira is little more than 2§ miles lonjf, and i 
 a mile broad. Its shores were defended by ten batteries, in addition to the 
 citadel and Fort Nassau. The total number of guns mounted on the dif- 
 ferent works was afterwards ascertained to be 138, and no less than 1500 
 men piled their arms on the glacis of the fort the very day of its capture ; 
 yet, strange as it may appear, scarcely one of the victorious little band re- 
 ceiTcd a hurt that could with propriety be culled a wound, 
 
 t Oaptain Charles Foote, the meritorious ofQccr alluded to in the above 
 passage of Captun Cole's letter, was the last surviving eon of the late 
 J. Foote, Esq. banker, of London. He died at Madras, Sept. 6, 1811, aged 
 31 years. /. - 
 
 X Captain Kenah mA in command of the Etna bomb, on the coa^t of 
 America, at the latter end of the war», i'^/'i^ .' w >i # '*'.■.. •;».,*• 
 
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 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 
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 landing-place to Belgica : the enemy had advanced a strong 
 corps towards the place where Admiral Hainier's forces had 
 formerly landed; and a suspicion that this would be the case, 
 and that the roads would be destroyed, determined me as to 
 the point and method of our attack *. jt^£n '-I 
 
 " The service performed was of such a peculiar nature, 
 that I could not do justice to the merits of n\y companions 
 without entering much into detail ; and I feel confident that, 
 in your Excellency's disposition to appreciate duly tlie merits 
 of those under your command, I shall find an excuse for „ 
 having taken up so much of your time. I am, &c, *^"' — :t^^"^J 
 ''M^?ii^Wki^^^ (Siffned)'^5S^,« Chrihtopher Colb." %"M 
 
 •1' 
 
 
 " To His Excellency J 
 
 
 
 ':^*V 
 
 ■S>: 
 
 Hear ytdmiral Drury, ^c." *^ij^^ 
 
 After making every arrangement for the security of this 
 valuable possession, and appointing Captain Foote Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor of Banda Neira and its dependencies, Captain 
 Cole delivered the charge of the islands to that officer, and 
 returned to Madras in the Caroline. The Baracouta had 
 previously been sent to communicate his success to Rear- Ad- 
 miral Drury, and the Government of India. On the day of his 
 departure he received the following letters from the officers 
 who had served under his orders on this brilliant expedition t 
 -:^i^4ffhk^' " H. M. S. Piedmontaise, Banda Harbour, 15M ^u^. 1810j 
 " My dear Cole, — Kcnah and myself request your acceptance of a silver 
 cup (to be made in England) in commemoration of the gallant manner you 
 led on to and directed the attack and capture of the forts at Banda ; it may 
 possibly have been equalled, but can never be surpassed : we therefore 
 hope you will receive it as a testimony of our high esteem and friendship, 
 and admiration of your spirited and noble conduct on the 9th of August. 
 Most sincerely do we both wish that you may live long to et^oy the fruits 
 of your labour, and to follow up your present success. Believe us, my 
 dear Cole, your sincere and affectionate friends, '':\ « . --. 1*3%' * 
 
 
 U... 
 
 **. 
 
 •\h?':^„",c-V"';'" 
 
 (Signed) ^i^,_ 
 
 " Charles Footk." 
 " RiciiARp Kjstnah.'* 
 
 * In the year 1811, Mr. WjUiam Dunicll, an eminent painter and en* 
 graver, published " A View 0^ the Island of Banda Neira, with an illustra- 
 tive Account of its Capture by Captain Col(»." This tribute to the memory 
 of that achievement wc have used every eiuleavpur to obtain, but without 
 success : should a copy of it hereafter fall in our way, we shall not fail to 
 make such extracts therefrom as may serve tooxplaiu the particular con- 
 duct of iinlivlduiils tuiployed in that enterprise. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 
 
 % 
 
 : . -^ . :1r^y^^' " liandn Harbour, 18iA ^ng: 1810- 
 "Sir, — We, the undersigned officers of H.^ Al. ships Caroline, l*ie<!- 
 inontaisc, and Baracouta, beg leave to present you with a sword, value 
 100 guineas, in testimony of our approhation of the gallant and judicious 
 manner in which you conducted the attack on Danda Neira un the i>th uf 
 August, and conseciuently the final reduction of the Spice Islands. 
 
 (Signed) 
 " J. Gii<MOUB, Lieut. " Thomas Carew, Lieut. 
 Samuel Allen, — . Robebt Walker, — , 
 Georoe Pratt, — . Robert Barker, — . 
 Andw. Smart, Master. G. Cummingh, Master. 
 
 T. DoDS, Surgeon, 
 J. Seward, Purser. 
 F. Ltnch, Supy. 
 of Caroline.** 
 
 A. Stevens, Lt. R. M. 
 J. Lincoln, Surgeon. 
 Joseph Jacobs, Purser. 
 A. Bvchanan, Supy. 
 of Piedmontaiae." 
 
 " J. WniTB.Lieut. 
 Edmund Lyons, — . 
 S. G. Davis, Surgeon. 
 J. Scott, Purser, 
 of 
 Baracouta." 
 
 
 " Danda Neira, Aug. 22, 1810. 
 
 " Sir, — In addressing you upon the capture of Banda Neira and it» 
 dependencies, which secures to the British flag a conquest of great value, 
 the officers of the Hon. Company's troops engaged in that enterprise have 
 to congratulate you and themselves upon the successful issue, under every 
 disadvantage of whid and weather, upon a hostile shore lined with nu- 
 merous batteries ; the enemy aware of and prepared for an attack, so 
 wisely planned, and so ably carried into execution under your personal 
 direction. The confidence you inspired all with on the approach to as- 
 sault Belgica, we are convinced contributed in a great measure to the 
 success of the escalade. Your bravery and gallant conduct was so con- 
 spicuous on that occasion, that it must secure to you the esteem and 
 admiration of all who are acquainted, as we are, with the circumstances 
 attending the reduction of that strong and important citadel. 
 
 " As B memorial of the high sense we entertain of the services per< 
 formed by you on this occasion, and as a mark of our personal esteem and 
 respect, we request you will do us the honor to accept of a sword of the 
 value of 100 guineas. We further beg leave to assure you that our 
 warmest wishes for your future success and happiness will always attend 
 you in whatever situation it may please Providence to fix your lot. 
 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 "j.C'K 
 
 ,%>.. •- 
 
 
 G. L. Nixon, Capt. Mad. Europ. Reg. 
 
 Georob Aj:.rxandrr, Surgeon. .-. , . -. /..e^ 
 
 C. W. Yates, Lieut. Artillery. '^'^^^-^^^'^^ f^*^*^ 
 
 Wm. Davbnant, '^ 
 
 James Stuart, I . . '•: '■ \< 
 
 P.Brown, L .T'"*"*1; 
 
 Wm. Jonk« Decker. F**'' ^"'""P- ^S' 
 P. Hooper, J 
 
 Charles Allen, Ensign 2ht.Mad. Nat. Inf." 
 
 ^^^ 
 
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Hg. 1810. 
 olinc, Pie<I- 
 vord, value 
 m1 judicious 
 II the !>th uf 
 ids. 
 
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 'B'.Lieu'tfefl^/ 
 
 <YONB, — *^ " 
 
 IS, Surgeon. 
 Purser. 
 
 f«. 
 
 
 
 
 2, 1810. -V'^^ 
 ira and it» 
 reat value, 
 rprisG have 
 ader every 
 d >vith nu- 
 attaek, so 
 r personal 
 icU to as- 
 ure to the 
 as so cou- 
 iteein and 
 imstancea 
 
 'ices pcr- 
 tcciu and 
 rd of the 
 that our 
 ys attend 
 
 
 1*1'''*^ 
 
 Finding, on his arrival at Madras, that the commander-in- 
 chief was absent on an expedition against the Mauritius, 
 Captain Cole proceeded from thence to Bombay, for the pur- 
 pose of refitting his frigate. The following extracts are 
 taken from letters which he afterwards received : the first in 
 answer to a letter presenting Rear-Admiral Drury with the 
 colours of Belgica, and 2 brass guns from the captors ; the 
 second in answer to the despatches sent to the Bengal 
 government ; j, *f .;: 
 
 ■^'^Wi'P^^'- " Dec. 22, 1810. 
 
 " Sir, — I have great satisfaction In the highly flattering communica- 
 tion you have made to me of the sentiments of yourself and of your brave 
 companions who so nobly and successfully carried the supposed impreg- 
 nable fortress of Banda Neira, the colours of which, and 2 guns taken 
 under your auspices, by a handful of men composed of seamen and 
 marines, and the intrepid officers and soldiers of the Madras European 
 regiment, confer on me an honor and happiness far beyond my deserts, but 
 most gratefully and thankfully received, as coming from a body of men so 
 highly and particularly distinguished. I beg you to make my acknowledg- 
 ments to the Banda heroes, whose heartfelt encomiums on their gallant 
 leader do equal honor and justice to themselves, and place on your brotv 
 a never-fading laurel. -.„;v_^ 
 
 *^-^ '^ (Signed) " W. O'Bbiem Drury." 
 
 .L-M\{ From the Secretary to the Bengal Government , dated 
 ;^t iVM;.23,1810. 
 
 ,W^^ " The details of this brilliant achievement, and of your arrangements 
 "ki^^ for the administration and security of the islands, have been communica- 
 *t'5#' ted to his Lordship in council, who observes with just admiration the judg- 
 - -^ ment, ability, and foresight, manifested by you in the plan of attack, and 
 the zeal, intrepidity, and precision, with which it was carried into effect by 
 the gallant officers and men of the naval and military services under your 
 direction. His Lordship and council consider the rapid conquest of a 
 place so strongly fortified by nature and by art, in the face of a superior 
 „^„, force, without the loss of a man, as forming a singular event in the annals 
 'f,*'^.. of British enterprise, reflecting a peculiar degree of credit on your pro- 
 ; fessional skill, and affording an extraordinary instance of discipline, cou- 
 rage, and activity, on the part of the men under your command." 
 
 Vice- Admiral Drury having returned to India from the 
 Isle of France early in 181 1, Captain Cole received orders 
 to join his flag on the Malabar coast ; and on his arrival at 
 Madras found that an extensive armament was about to be 
 fitted out for an expedition against the island of Java. The 
 
 ':^<€C^-!sr\(.'. 
 
 '^.;}& 
 
 
 ii it 
 
 
I- i 
 
 aw*-* 
 
 
 %^ POST-CAPTAINS OF 
 
 
 severe illness of tho commander-in-chief, which terminated in 
 his death, induced him to issue an order that all Captain Cole's 
 directions for the preparation of the armament were to be 
 obeyed ; and the necessary arrangements were accordingly 
 made by the subject of this memoir till the arrival of a senior 
 officer, the late Captain W. R, Broughton, some time after 
 the Vice- Admiral's demise, at which period the fleet was nearly 
 ready for sea. 
 
 In our memoir of Captain George Sayer, C. B.*, we have 
 already stated that the armament arrived in Chillingching 
 Bay (about 10 or 12 miles to the eastward of Batavia) on the 
 4th Aug. 1811, and that the greater part of the army M'as 
 landed the same day before dark : it now becomes our duty 
 to record an instance of prompt decision on the part of Cap- 
 tain Cole, who had previously been entrusted with the com- 
 mand of the frigates appointed to cover the debarkation, and 
 for which he afterwards received the warm personal thanks 
 of Lord Minto, the Governor-General of India, who had ac- 
 companied the expedition, and Sir Samuel Auchinuty, the 
 commander-in-chief of the forces. ^/;'^"^^^y?^'!'kK-^ 
 
 The sloops of war and the Hon. Company's cruisers had 
 anchored near the beach in readiness to scour it, and the 
 troop-ships without them, covered by the Caroline, Modeste, 
 and Bucephalus. The rapid approach of the fleet had pre- 
 vented the enemy from ascertaining the intended place of 
 landing in time to send a force thither to guard it : this being 
 noticed by Captain Cole, he made the signal from the Caro- 
 linCf for the advance of the army to land immediately, then 
 hoisted out his boats, tripped his anchor, and dropped the 
 Caroline nearer to the shore. No time was occupied in 
 arranging the order of the boats, they being ordered to shove 
 6ff iirhen tnaniied and filled with troops. His example being 
 followed by Captains Elliot and Pelly, and the boats of the 
 other men of war being sent to assist in conveying the 
 troops, about 8(XK) soldiers, with their guns, ammunition, 
 and provisions, were landed in safety by half past six o'clock. 
 Soon after dark the British advanced guard had a skirniish 
 
 
 
 "■.i*''-M 
 
 ■■■'^^■^M 
 
 * Sec vol. ll. part I. p. 354, ef set/. 
 
 
 ^■^ 
 
^^. 'ivr aj v a 
 
 '■'#*-"S,' 
 
 fer.%'^;^' 
 ■^ .«!>?;;" 
 
 Co" 
 
 >l'',f>. 
 
 with the enemy's patroles, who, but for Captain Cole%''|^^!|^_^ 
 alacrity and promptitude in making the above signal, without !f ||^ 
 waiting to complete the arrangement of boats, &c., as usual in 
 such cases, would have taken post in a wood at the back pf 
 the beiich, and might have occasioned great loss to the invad- 
 ing army. We should here observe, that Captain Cole had 
 previously volunteered to command the naval battalion ap- 
 pointed to serve on shore j but the presence of Captain 
 Sayer, who was senior in rank to himself, and equally de- 
 sirous of the honor, prevented Commodore Broughton from 
 placing him in that honorable post. He subsequently 
 obtained permission from Rear-Admiral Stopford to proceed 
 to head-quarters and "lake an offer of 400 additional seamen, 
 to be commanded by himself, to assist in storming Mecster 
 Corneiis, or any of the enemy's positions ; but his co-opera- 
 tion was necessarily declined, as such an increase of force 
 was not wanted, and might have served to discover the 
 General's intention to the enemy. :^>-^i'^'>'j^-^^-^jx<'^- iy'-iz-^f'fi: ^\ 
 
 The following is an extract from Rear-Admiral Stopford's 
 despatches relative to the reduction of Java, dated Scipion, 
 Batavia lioads, Aug, 28, 1811 : 
 
 " I send this despatch by the Caroline, and I ain happy to have so •good 
 an opportunity as is offered by Captain Cole who has had a large share in 
 every thing relating to this expedition, and from his knowledge of all the 
 parts of thie operations, ctin comtnUnicate to their Lordships, the fullest ac- 
 count of them *." 
 
 Captain Cole arrived in England towards the close of 1811, 
 and soon after received a letter from the Secretary to the Ad- 
 miralty, informing him that he was to be honored with an ap- 
 propriate medal for the ca'pture of Banda, and enclosing a 
 copy of the letter which had been vn-itten to Vice- Admiral 
 Drury, in answer to his despatch announcing the conquest bl 
 that island. :k^^S-^¥^ '-^i^^f^t^^^;^ 
 
 AmMky Office, Jlify 3, ml. 
 ■ " Sir, — I received on the Ist inst. by Lieutenant Kenah, and laid before 
 the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, your despatch of the 3d Jan. 
 
 "i..fA^v: 
 
 '■^: m 
 
 Commodore Broughton, on being succeeded in the command of the 
 fleet by Rear-Admiral Stopford, expressed " great pleasure in acknow- 
 ledging the zeal and alacrity displayed by Captains Cole, Elliot, and Pelly," 
 on the day of disembarkation. 
 
 * 
 
 •4' ■:.•'■■' 
 
 ■ ^'C^'v.-oy! 
 

 iiih- ; 
 
 ?i- 
 
 W^. 
 
 w 
 
 C-'' 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 reporting the capture of the valuable islands of Banda on the 9t1i Aug. 
 1810 i and transmitting copies of the reports made to you by Captain 
 Cole, of the particulars of that gallant achievement, and especially of the 
 storming of the almost impregnable fortress of Belgica, by a body of le«9 
 than 200 men, under his immediate direction, which led to the final surren- 
 der of the islands. Upon this occasion, so honorable to His Majesty's 
 arms, I have been commanded to express to you their Lordships' high ap- 
 probation of the judgment and gallantry displayed by Captain Cole, and 
 of the zeal and valour of all the oiGcers and men under his orders, which 
 vou will accordingly signify to them in a prober manner. I am, &c. 
 M^^%W'^i$^4<^>^^^ ■^-i^'^f^''^ " J- ^- Cbokeb." 
 The Caroline was paid oflF in Jan. 1812, and on that occa- 
 sion Captain Cole had the gratification of receiving an epistle 
 from his veteran crew, an exact copy of which is subjoined : 
 
 *' We the crew of H. M. S. Caroline wishes to give you our most gracious 
 thanks for the care and favour you have shewn to this ship's company, by 
 making you a present of a sword amounting to 100 guineas for your noble 
 and brave conduct when you led us to the storm of Banda, and likewise 
 the zealous bravery in landing our troops at Batavia ; and by excepting of 
 this present you will gratify the wishes of your most obedient ship's com- 
 pany. 
 
 ■M 
 
 '*»,'a- 
 
 
 f''!'^' 
 
 (Signed J 
 
 
 f* The Carolines." 
 
 Captain Cole received the honor of knighthood. May 29, 
 1812 ; and on his return from the Prince Regent's levee, the 
 sword alluded to above was presented to him by Mr. Barlcer, 
 a cutler of Portsmouth, with an address couched in the fol- 
 lowinir terms : .;.«.. .^^^ 
 
 ** Sir, — I am requested by James Macdowal, and others, on behalf of 
 the crew uf H. M. frigate Caroline, to present you mth this sword, as a 
 testimony of the high esteem and respect they entertun for you as their 
 late Commander, in return for the marked attention you at all times paid 
 to them ; for the gallant manner in which you took them into action, and 
 for the honorable manner in wliich you brought them out ; for the un- 
 ceasing zeal you invariably have maiufested for your country's cause, and 
 for the comforts they enjoyed whilst they served under your command, — 
 they humbly trust you will accept the same, as a pledge of gratitude and 
 token of veneration for you, which time can never eflhce from their me- 
 
 A present ancl an address of this kind, from private men 
 to their late commander, must be regarded as a compliment 
 of the highest and most valuable description. Captain Cole 
 
 ^^■. 
 
 
 t ft " 
 
 
 C^«^' 
 
the fol- »S1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 V 
 
 •vc.,^- 
 
 fM 
 
 having ceased to command these brave fellows, it is obvious 
 that no feelings could exist, but those of the respect, admi- 
 ration, and gratitude which they professed. 
 •"* In the course of the same year. Sir Christopher Cole re- 
 ceived the degree of a D. C. L. from the University of Oxford ; 
 and a piece of plate, value 300 guineas, from the East India 
 Company : the latter was presented to him " as a testimony of 
 the high sense they entertained of the services rendered by 
 him when commanding the Caroline in the Indian seas*."..»' 5^ 
 His next appointment was, early in 1813, to the RipffOh, 
 a new 74, fitting for Channel service. On the 21st Oct. in 
 the same year, he intercepted le Weser, a French frigate 
 of 44 guns, which had already been completely crippled and 
 beaten by two British brigs of 18 guns eachf; and in Feb. 
 
 1814, he was present at the re-capture of a Spanish treasure 
 ship of immense value, by theMenelaus frigate, off I'Orient^. 
 He continued cruising with his usual activity and success ^^fki^^ 
 till the conclusion of the war in Europe, and was put out of 
 commission at the latter end of 1814, after an almost unin- 
 terrupted series of constant service afloat for 34 years, more 
 than half of which period he had passed in the East and West 
 Indies. 
 
 Sir Christopher Cole was nominated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815 ; 
 elected M. P. for Glamorganshire in 1817; re-elected for the 
 same county in 1820 ; and installed Deputy Grand Master 
 for South Wales, July 10, 1821 §. He married, April 28, 
 
 1815, Lady Mary Talbot, relict of the late T. M. Talbot, of 
 Margam Park, and Penrice Castle, co. Glamorgan, Esq. and 
 daughter of the late Stephen Earl of Ilchester. 
 
 jigent-^Thomtis Stilwell, Esq. jj^if^ 
 
 * We have heard iu the course of coDversation, that one of his Majesty's 
 ministers, speaking in Parliament of Captain Cole's achievement at Banda, 
 described it as " heroism of a chivalrous order." ;- ^ . » 
 
 ■f See Captain Colin Mac Donald. 
 
 X ^cc Captain John Hayes, C. B. 
 i^idi The new Public Rooms at Swansea were first opened on the occasion 
 
 of the above ceremony. 
 
 
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 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
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 O c SIR GEORGE RALPH COLLIER, Bart. ^ 
 
 Knight Commander of the most honorable Military Order itf the Bath ; 
 a Groom of the Bedchamber to H. R, H^ the Duke ^ Gloucetter ; and 
 a Member of ike African Institution. 
 
 This li&mented officer was the second son of the late Ralph 
 Collier, Esq., many years chief Clerk in the Victualling de- 
 partment of the Royal Navy. He was bom in 177^) &nd being 
 Jntended for his Majesty's naval service, received a suitable 
 education at the Maritime Academy, Chelsea. During the 
 r^ Dutch and Spanish armaments we find him serving as a 
 (Midshipman on board the Carysfort frigate, commanded by 
 Capt^n Matthew Smith ; and we have been told by an officer 
 who was his schoolfellow and messmate, that he was then not 
 only a good astronomer, marine-surveyor^ and draftsman, but 
 that he was also very well acquainted with the French, Spa- 
 nish, and Italian languages— a combination of qualifications 
 rarely to be met with in a young eeo-officer at thai peri<idl Of 
 our naval history. - , ^ O P ' 
 
 oWe have no certain information respecting Mr. CoUier's 
 ^services previous to 1799, in which year he served as first 
 Lieutenant of the Isis, a 50-gun ship, bearing the flag of Vice- 
 Adtttiral Mitchell, at the capture of a Dutch squadron in the 
 Texel * ( and being iient to England vfith ihat officer's des^ 
 patches, he was promoted to the rank of Commander, and ap- 
 "^ointed to the Victor of 18 guiis and 120 men, ift which 
 (^ *^scl he greatly distinguished himself by bis gallalit iftnd 
 perseverfiig action Wkh la Fleche, a French corvette of 22 
 guns, which had recently landed a number of banished French* 
 &^3?men on the Seychelles, in the Indiati Oceans and was |>ro- 
 °Cceding to cruise against our commerce in the Bay of 
 ^ BengiU, The following is a copy of his official letter on the 
 
 occasion:-^ O r^ Q ^ ~ '~^' O 
 
 6 " ff.M. Sloep Victor, May Roadst Sept. l^,\SOL^ 
 
 Sir,-- >The state of the crew of his M^esty'a sloop under my eom- 
 p3^<Jnandi« after leaving- the Red Sea t, induced nie to put into the island of 
 
 ^ *^ • See vol. I. note at p. 414. et seq. 
 
 t The Victor had been employed conveying the troops sent from India 
 *^ to co-opcrat^jvith tiic British army in Egypt : see Vol. II. part I. p. 467. 
 
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 POST-CAPTAINiJ OP 1802. 
 
 519 
 
 Oic^o Qarda. After procuring a large supply of turtle and good water, 
 I left that harbour on the 27th Aug., and proceeded on the execution of 
 the particular service pointed out in your orders of tho 22d July ; and on 
 the 2d instant, in sight of those islands, H. M. sloop fell in with a French 
 national corvette, and after a few ineffectual manoeuvres on her part, 
 from tlie superior sailing of the Victor when going large, I had the plea- 
 sure of I>ringing her to a close action at 5h 46* P. M. The disguised 
 state of the Victor did not long deceive the enecny. The second broadside 
 proved sufficient, the corvette hauling her yrtnd and endeavouring to 
 escap*'. which, in about twenty minutes, I was sorry to observe, by liaving 
 almost solely directed her fire nt our masts and sails, she had a ffur pro- 
 spect of effecting ; for, on her tacking under our lee, I endeavoured to wear, 
 with the hope of boarding on her bow, when I had the mortification to 
 find both lower and top-sail braces shot away on the starboard side, as well 
 as the preventer ones and bowlines ; and before others could be rove, the 
 corvette was half a mile to windward. Night fast approaching, added to 
 the chagrin I felt on observing the enemy sail better than the Victor on a 
 wind. The chase continued all night, frequently mthin gun-shot \ and at 
 sunset the following day, from the wind having favoured the corvette, she 
 was four or five miles to windward. In the night of the 4th we lost sight 
 of her; when, probably by tacking, she escaped. In this affair I had one 
 man wounded with 2 musket-balls, and Mr. Middleton, Master's Mate, 
 slightly ; the damage susttuned in the hull was trifling, bat the fore-matt 
 was shot through, and our sadls and rigging were much cut. 
 
 " Judging from the course the corvette was steering when first seen, 
 she must be bound to these islands, I pushed for them, and towards sunset 
 on the 5th she was again seen, running in for this anchorage. I kept 
 under easy sail till dark, when the Victor was anchored ; and at day-light 
 I had the satisfaction of seeing the enemy mocked with sprites in the 
 basin, or inner harbour, with a red flag at the fore (as a signal of defiapce). 
 Being unacqmunted with the channel, and having no pilot, Mr. Crawford, 
 the Master, though ill of a fever, and Mr. Middleton, being volimteers, 
 were sent to sound, which service they completely performed ; nor did the 
 latter gentleman desist, till repeatedly fired at by a boat from the corvette. 
 
 " The extreme narrowness of the channel, added to the wind not \mag 
 very favourable, compelled me to use ivarps and the stay-sails only, which 
 exposed the ship to a raking fire for some minutes, till shoaling our water, 
 I was obliged to bring up. Having two springs on the cable, our broad- 
 side was soon brought to bear; and at 11 ^^ 45' A. M. a well-directed fire 
 was opened, which was kept up incessantly from both vessels till 2k 20 < 
 P. M* when I plainly perceived the enemy was going down ; in a few 
 minutes her cftble was cut, she cast round, and her bow grounded on a 
 coral-reef. 
 
 " Mr. M'Lean, the first Lieutenant, with a party of officers and men, 
 were sent on board ; though scarce had they put off, ere we discovered 
 
 2m2 
 
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 520 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 the enemy to be on tire. Lieutenant Smith, and other officers, ivere then 
 sent with proper assistance ; but just as they had succeeded in extinguish- 
 ing the fire, she fell on her larboard bilge into deeper water and sunk. 
 
 '* She proves to have been the French national corvette la FIcchd, 
 mounting twenty long French 8-pounders, answering to English nines, 
 with 2 stern-chasers, though it appears all her guns were not mounted in 
 the first action *• She was larger than the Victor in dimensions, perfectly 
 new, a remarkably fast sailer, and not four months from France, 
 commanded by Captain Bonaniy, Lieutenant de Vaisseau, with four Lieu- 
 tenants, and a complement of 145 men, some of whom had been left sick 
 at Bourbon. 
 
 " From a number of dead and dying men reported to have been found 
 on her forecastle, as well ns 2 alongside, I am induced to believe the 
 carnage was great, though only 4 are acknowledged by the French Cap- 
 tain. She had 20 men to assist at her guns, forming a part of the crew 
 of la ChifTonne French fngate, captured here a few days since by H. M . 
 ship Sybille, Captain Adam f. The obstinate defence made by la Flech<'. 
 was on the supposition of the Victor being a privateer. 
 
 " From the length of time elapsed ere this business was brought to a 
 close, I have felt it necessary to be thus particular iu my detail ; and I 
 trust for your excuse should I dwell longer, as I feel 1 should do an in* 
 justice to every officer and man on board did I neglect paying a just tri- 
 bute to the cool and determined bravery they evinced ; even men labour- 
 ing under a lingering fever (of whom I had unfortunately 30) felt a pro- 
 portionate zeal * • * *. In this action I most fortunately had not a 
 man either killed or wounded ; but our hull, rigging, and boats, have 
 suffered much, besides having some shot between wind and water. I am, 
 &c. &c. &c. (Signed) " Geohge R. Collier J." 
 
 '* To Sir Home Popham, K. M. SfC.'* 
 
 Captain Collier's unreinitting perseverance under every 
 trying circumstance, and his determined conduct in warping 
 the Victor into Mah^ harbour, was so higlily approved by the 
 Admiralty, that Earl St. Vincent, who then piesided rt. the 
 Board, directed a post commission to be made out for him, 
 and antedated, so as to give him precedence over the whole of 
 those officers who had been included in the general promotion 
 of April 29, 1802 § ; he was at the same time appointed to 
 
 • The Victor mounted sixteen 32-pounder carronades and two long si xts. 
 t See Vol. IL part I. p. 222, et teif. 
 
 X La Flech^ wa? afterwards weighed by the French, and captured from 
 them by the present Rear-Admiral Bingham. See Vol. L p. 7-4. 
 
 § Sir Home Popham's letter, enclosing Captain Collier's account of iIk 
 action, was received at the Admiralty July 20, 1802. Captain Collier s 
 post commission bears date April 22, 1802. 
 
 ^ 
 
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 to 
 
 ai 
 to 
 he 
 am 
 
e t 
 
 ere, were then 
 in extinguish- 
 ' and sunk, 
 tte la Flechd, 
 English nines, 
 lot mounted in 
 ions, perfectly 
 from France, 
 vith four Lieu- 
 I been left sick 
 
 ive l)een found 
 to helievc the 
 e French Cap- 
 irt of the crew 
 nee l»y H. M. 
 le by la Flech(^ 
 
 s brought to a 
 detail ; and I 
 lould do an in< 
 ing a just tri- 
 ll men labour- 
 I 30) felt a pro- 
 tcly had not a 
 nd boats, have 
 water. I am, 
 
 OLLIER J." 
 
 t 
 
 nder every 
 
 in warping 
 
 oved by the 
 
 sided r t, the 
 
 lit for liim, 
 
 le whole of 
 
 promotion 
 
 jpoiiitcd to 
 
 wo Iung8ixt6. 
 
 aptured from 
 
 -M. 
 
 iccountof ilu 
 »tain Collier's 
 
 POST-CAr»*AlNS OF 
 
 command the Leopard of 50 guns, in which ship he returned 
 to England on the 24th Feb . 1 803 . . ; ...^y ,,....;,.. ^. , ,^ 
 
 Captain Collier subsequently comman^Mthe Chainpioti 24, 
 and Leopard 50. His next appointment was, about Feb. 1806, 
 to la Minerve frigate, employed on the coast of Spain, where 
 he captured several of the enemy's armed vessels, privateers, 
 and merchantmen . I n 1 B« 7 f^<^ removed into the Surveillante, 
 and accompanied the expedition sent against Copenhagen, 
 from whence he returned t j Ctigland with Admiral Gambler's 
 despatches, announcing the surrender of the Danish capital 
 and fleet. On his arrival with this important intelligence he 
 received the honor of knii^htiiood from his late Majesty. 
 
 From this period Sir George Collier was principally em- 
 ployed cruising on the IVf^nch coast and in the Bay of Biscay, 
 where he captured, anvxii; other vessels, le Milan, national 
 corvette, of 18 guns a/id 115 men ; la Comtesse Laure, and 
 1m Creole French pri>aLrers, of 14 guns each, the former 
 having a complement (f 55, the latter 115 men; the Tom, 
 American letter of iiianiuc, (>f 6 guns and 36 men ; and the 
 Orders in Council, a stJiconor of similar description and force. 
 On the 7th Sept. 181U, a party belonging to the Surveillante 
 destroyed a battery and guurd-liouse, which had recently been 
 erected for the protection of the entrance into Crach river; and 
 although opposed by nearly double their force, and exposed 
 to a fire from the opposite bank, returned to their ship with- 
 out having a man hurt. 
 
 Sir George Collier's active co-operation with the patriots 
 
 on the north coast of Spain has already been alluded to in the 
 
 course of this work ; we shall nov/ present our readers with 
 
 liis account of the recapture of Bermeo, a sea-port town near 
 
 J^ilboa, and a sketch of the subsequent transactions in which 
 
 he was engaged. 
 
 " Surveillante, Bermeo Roads, Oct. 20, 1811. 
 
 " Sir, — I proceeded uff Aiichovc on the 18th instant, where I was joined 
 by 200 guerillas, undor the command of their chief. Pastor, by whose 
 exertion, in conjunction with my pilot, a suflicient number of fishing-boats 
 "ere impressed to reieivc nn c(iuu! number of guerillas I had previously 
 embarked from the coast. 
 
 " Soon afterwards the Iris joined to lecwurd, when the whole party, 
 ucLOnipiinieil by ilie nianac:j of tin; two rii;;utes, under the cominiuid of 
 
 :■■•••'• ;. 
 
 
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 .T' 
 
 I f 
 
 tT^' 
 
i 
 
 
 ^;' 
 
 iH . 
 
 
 •/ ^:.i■ 
 
 i'.-(' 
 
 'h-'- 
 
 
 
 
 r03T-CArTAIN8 
 
 v; ;.;|^ietttenant Cupples, pushed off for ihe river Mundaca, where a landinjj 
 '. • ."4va9 efTected about two miles from Bermeo, the object of our attack. 
 ;•.. The French guard, stationed in the town of Mundaca, evacuated it 
 ° • immediately, 
 
 ** The frigates advancing with a light breeze towards Bermeo, while 
 f the party which had landed appeared on the hills turning the enemy's right, 
 I gave hira but little time to hesitate ; and Mons. Dedier, the commandant, 
 took the short, though rugged road, over the mountains for Bilboa. The 
 next morning at day-brealc Mr. Kingdom, Master's-Mate, was despatched 
 to blow up the guard-house, and destroy the signal-station on the height^ 
 of Machichaco, which service he executed perfectly. • k-v. <i> 
 
 • .-v^ " In the course of the day every thing that could be ascertained to be 
 public property belonging to the French was either brought off or de- 
 stroyed ; the guard-house, store-house, and stabling on the hill, blown up 
 and burnt ; and its battery, consisting of four IS-poundurs, destroyed, the 
 guns broken, the gunpowder given to Pastor, and the shot thrown into 
 the sea. Two other small batteries, commanding the high road and mole- 
 head, sharing the same fate. 
 
 ' " The utmost possible annoyance having been given to the enemy, and 
 all the vessels brought out from the mole, the marines and guerillas were 
 re-embarked ; and this morning I despatched the latter, under protection 
 of the Iris, to land at a spot agreed upon with Pastor, remaining here 
 myself until I have f^djusted the claims of several Spaniards respecting 
 their vessels. I have the satisfaction to state, that yesterday a small di- 
 vision of 60 men, despatched from Bilboa to succour the garrison, ap- 
 proached the town, and were met by the advanced guerilla guard, of 
 trifling numerical superiority, and immediately put to flight. Some few 
 of the enemy were killed, though only one prisoner was brought in, who 
 owes his life to his having fallen into the hands of a Guerilla recruit. 
 
 " I have only to add, that the most perfect cordiality prevailed among 
 our men and the Spaniards ; that no loss whatever was sustained by us ; 
 and that the steady conduct of Lieutenant Cupples, the ofliccn, and 
 royal marines, would have decided the business of the day had the enemy 
 given them the meeting ; and I feel considerable obligation to my first 
 Lieutenant, O'llcilly, and the officers and crews of both ships. I haye 
 lli^ hQMur to be, &c. 
 
 ;•,":*'•** '"■ (Signed) " (jeoroe R Collier." 
 
 " To Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, Dart:' .^ ,.; 'P^.\:'\'\\,, .-V; 
 
 " Surveillantc,at Coninna,^ov. 16, 1911. 
 " I have the honor to enclose Captain Christian's report of his pro- 
 ceedings since my parting with him off Bermeo; by which you will per- 
 ceive how seriously the guerillas annoy the enemy in the province of 
 Biscay und (luipuscoa. It appears that, with the assistance of the Iris, 
 Uoii (iuspar, after effecting his landing, completely blocked up the gar- 
 rison of Delia ill their fortified hijuse, which, not being able to resist the 
 <\rc from the launch, tiurrcadcrcd, amounting to 51 men. From hence 
 
 
 '.'.'•' '• /- ••• \ /^* '• v'.'V 
 
(• .y«'«s..«'w»*\''-- 
 
 '<^'k 
 
 -.b 
 
 •CI; 
 
 
 I .■•>, 
 
 ?4x 
 
 ■iv 
 
 ifrij 
 
 
 
 here a larKttlh^ 
 of our attack. 
 i, evacuated it 
 
 J ' « • .° • . ";•■;• 
 ... -. *. , 
 
 Sfcrmeo, wtiife 
 ; enemy's right, 
 e eommandant, 
 rBilboa. The 
 *va3 despatched 
 on the heights 
 
 certained to be 
 ght off or de- 
 : hill, blown up 
 , destroyed, the 
 kot thrown into 
 road and inole- 
 
 ;he enemy, and 
 i guerillas were 
 nder protection 
 remaining here 
 [irds respecting 
 day a small di- 
 ; garrison, ap- 
 rilla guard, of 
 Some few 
 rought in, who 
 
 recruit, 
 'evailed among 
 stained by us ; 
 le officers, and 
 bad the enemy 
 ion to my first 
 
 hips. I haye 
 
 COLLIBR.** 
 
 v.; '":•■, 
 
 V. 16,1811. 
 )rt of his pro- 
 you will per- 
 c province of 
 ce of the Iris, 
 ed up the gar< 
 t' to resist the 
 From hence 
 
 
 \y*b:-<o 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 Caspar immediately proceeded to the neighbouring town of MbMeo, 
 where, l)y the united exertions of Captain Christiuii, the same number of 
 the ctiemy were obliged to an unconditional surrender. In this service 
 ."-jiwo of the enemy's launches were taken, and whatever French public 
 property cotihl be found was taken and destroyed. 
 
 " In the Iris have also arrived upwards of 300 Fren(;h prisoners, with 
 a proportion of officers ; amontr which number it is said is an atde-de>camp 
 of Buonaparte, Colonel Cenopieri. They form a part of the remains of 
 lite last corps, which was so entimly defeated by the indefatigable gue- 
 riilu, Nf ina ; 500 of the enemy were killed or wounded, and the remainder, 
 (iOO, made prisoners. Captain Christian speaks in very favourable terms 
 of tliu activity and zcul of his first Lieutenauit, Mr. CoUingwood, on the 
 lute service ; and I have pleasure in adding ray testimony to the same on 
 former occasions." uj-. 
 
 In June 1812, the Surveillante formed part of the squadron 
 
 under Sir Home Popham at the reduction of Lequitio, on 
 
 which occasion Sir George Collier commanded a battery on 
 
 shore : the partigijlars of that service are thus detaUgd by the 
 former officer : ^:"-Viij^;/h'\:>i*^i^&!|-'^%,;>i£^!;I>i^^ 
 
 " The enemy had possession of a liill-fort commanding the town, calcu- 
 lated to resist any body of infantry, and also 200 men posted in a fortified 
 convent within the town, the walls of which were impervious to any thing 
 less than an lS-poun«ier. 
 
 "The convent might have been destroyed hy the ships; bat as the 
 town wQuhl have materially suffered, and as the guns of the Venerable 74 
 made no visible impression on the fort, it was determined to erect a bat- 
 tery on a hill opposite to the latter, which the enemy considered as quite 
 inaccessible to caimon, and in tliat confidence rested his security. A gun 
 was accordingly lande<l in the forenoon of the 20th, (chiefly by the exer- 
 tions of lieutenant Groves, of tlie Venerable), notwithstanding the sea was 
 breaking with such violence agaiiut the rocks at the foot of the hill, that 
 it was duubt/'ul whether a boat coujd get near enough for that purpose. 
 It was theu hove up a short distance by a muveabb; capstern ; but this 
 was found so tedious that men and bullocks were sent for to draw it ; and 
 it was at length drugged to the summit of the hill by thirty-six pair of 
 buUocks, 400 guerillas, and 100 seamen, headed by the Hon. Captain 
 Uuuveriff. It was immediately mounted, and fired lis first shot at 4 P. AI. 
 .'■'■^ " The g»m was so admirably served, that at sunset a practicable broach 
 was made in the wall of the fort, and the guerillas volunteered to storm it. 
 The first party was rjpuUed, but the second gained possession without 
 any considerable loss. Sev^ri^ uf Lhjs i}UViuy esc^^ed on the opposite side, 
 and got into the convent, f '.' " ""' '•' i!i!"VT''- Ull^/.T.'*. 
 
 " In the course of the cveuiug the sea aixited a little, and a landing 
 upon the islan<l of St. Nicholas was effocfed, lli()Ui,di with souu- ilKIicultv, 
 
 n> '^/- \.- 
 
 V.4SI... ^f - 
 
 
'^""^r^^'* 
 
 524 
 
 '^M 
 
 ^ ft ■> i ,00 ^^^1 
 .9 a .D«ja o 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF J 802. 
 
 :^i^^^^l^ 
 
 by Lieutenant O'Reilly, of the Surveiilante ; marines were also landed 
 from that frigate, the Medusa, and Rhin, with a carronade from each 
 ahip ; and Captain Malcolm took the command of the island during the 
 night, whilst Sir George Collier was in the Venerable's battery on the hill. 
 " At dawn of day (21st) a 24-poundcr was brought to the east side of 
 the town, within two hundred yards of the convent, and another was in 
 the act of being landed upon St. Nicholas to bombard it, when the French 
 commandant beat a parley, and surrendered with the remainder of his 
 party, consisting of 290 men of the 119th regiment. The enemy's loss 
 was supposed to be considerable, as the guerillas, who were better posted, 
 and fired, with more celerity, had 56 men killed or wounded. Not a man 
 was hurt in the British squadron, either by the surf or the enemy. There 
 were two 18-pounders mounted on the fort, and 3 smaller guns in the 
 barracks ; 'the latter, with the muskets, were given to the guerillas, who 
 were also supplied with every description of military stores of which they 
 stood in need. The IS-pounders were rendered useless, the fort destroyed, 
 and the convent blown up •." 
 
 The enemy had by this time collected about 1100 men in 
 the neighbourhood of Lequitioj but on hearing from the 
 peasantry that 2000 men had been landed from the English 
 squadron they retired j and int^.'cepted letters were trans- 
 mitted to Sir Home Popham, by M'hich the commandant of 
 Guernico was instructed to prepare rations for a French 
 General and 2600 of the Imperial Guards. 
 
 On the 23d in the afternoon, the squadron being on its way 
 to co-operate in an attack intended to be made by a Spanish 
 General upon Bilboa, and the wind being unfavourable for 
 getting round Machichaco, part of the ships anchored off 
 Bermeo, and parties were prepared to land by 6 P. M. The 
 enemy having retired, a small magazine of provisions left by 
 them in a fortified convent was taken possession of and dis- 
 tributed to the poor, and the ships in want of water were 
 completed. The battery on the hill of Bermeo, consisting of 
 five 18-pounders, and all the fortified places of which the 
 enemy had had possession, were at the same time blown up, 
 and the guns rendered useless. 
 
 
 W-' 
 
 !' 
 
 • Sir Home Popham commended in high terms the conduct of all the 
 nfticers and men employed on thix occasion ; and expressed his sense of the 
 assistance rendered by Sir Howard Douglas and General Carrol, who had' 
 embarked in the Venerable, uud volunteered their services wherever *.hey 
 could be employed. 
 
 n 
 
'f^,?!: 
 
 e also landed 
 ide from eacli 
 ad during the 
 ^ry on the hill, 
 le east side of 
 mother was in 
 en the French 
 lainder of his 
 I enemy's loss 
 better posted, 
 . Not a man 
 
 aemy. 
 
 There 
 
 er guns in the 
 guerillas, who 
 of which they 
 Fort destroyed. 
 
 
 100 men in 
 5 from the 
 the English 
 were trans- 
 imandant of 
 r a French 
 
 ; on its way 
 ' a Spanish 
 ourable for 
 ichored off 
 M. The 
 ions left by 
 of and dis- 
 vater were 
 msisting of 
 which the 
 blown up, 
 
 ict of all the 
 sense of the 
 rol, who had 
 hcrcver *,hey 
 
 r-'4 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 5^ 
 
 On the 24th the Venerable arrived off Plencia, where Cap- 
 tains Bouverie and Malcolm were destroying the works ; and 
 some vessels were immediately despatched to dismantle the 
 batteries and destroy the guns on each side of the inlet below 
 the bar of the Bilboa river. :^^^^m^4''^i^^^^ 
 
 In the afternoon of the same day Sir Home Popham, the 
 Captains of the squadron, General Carrol, and Sir Howard 
 Douglas, landed at Algeria with a detachment of royal raa*^^ 
 rines ; but as the country was particularly close, and calcu- 
 lated for a surprise, they re-embarked before night. The^ 
 castle of Galea, and the batteries of Algorta, Begona, El Cam- 
 pillo las Quersas, and Xebiles, mounting in the whole twenty- 
 eight 18 and 24-p()unders, were destroyed by parties under 
 the orders of Captain Bloye, and Lieutenants Groves, O'Reilly^^ ■ 
 Coleman, and Arbuthnot, the guard-house of the castle burnt, 
 and the trunnions knocked off all the guns. ^^ j^ii^ ^c 
 
 On the 25th, at dawn, parties of the enemy were seen ad- 
 vancing, and at five o'clock they entered the ruins of Algorta, 
 but soon retired from thence on observing the squadron 
 about to stand up the inlet. They afterwards formed on the 
 plain, and were found to consist of 2400 men, 400 of whom 
 were sent to Puerta Galetta. Three sloops of war closed 
 with the fort at the latter place, silenced it, and drove the 
 enemy out. This corps was the one for which rations had 
 been ordered at Guernico, and which was therefore com* 
 pletely diverted from its original destination. 
 
 On the 2d July, the squadron being off Guateria, an attack 
 was intended to be made upon that place, and two companies 
 of royal marines were landed under Major Williams, accom* 
 panied by General Carrol, for the purpose of reconnoitring ; 
 but some parties of the enemy being discovered crossing the 
 hills, and the guerillas, whose co-operation had been expected, 
 being engaged with the enemy in a different quarter, the plan 
 of attack was relinquished, and the marines re-embarked, but 
 without loss *. 
 
 * The guerillas had been employed in an action with a detachment of 
 the enemy conducting 80 prisoners from Asturins ; 130 of the French 
 were killed, and 50 left on the field of battle wounded. The Spanish 
 prisoners were liberated. 
 
 -.i:-: 
 

 526 
 
 
 POST-CAI>'rAIN8 OF 1802. 
 
 sfegn 
 
 
 
 
 On the 6th Sir Home Pophoni arrived off Ca&tro, where a 
 24-pounder, and a company of marines had been landed by^ 
 Sir George Collier to assist Colonel Longa in an attack on the 
 place. Information was, however, received of the approach 
 of 2500 French troops, whose arrival obliged the Spaniiih com- 
 mander to retire, and the parties landed from the squadron 
 were reirabarked. In the evening the enemy weyje 
 marching into the town. - -f''*Wr 
 
 On the 7th the enemy were driven out of Castro by the fire 
 of the squadron, and preparations were made for a landing 
 and an attack on the castle, which accordingly took place on 
 the 8th, when the commandant surrendered with 150 men, 
 the remainder of the enemy's force having marched towards 
 Larido. Twenty-six guns of different sizes were found in the 
 town and castle of Castro ; those in the former were with- 
 drawn, and the latter was put into a state of defence, aud 
 garrisoned by the marines and Spanish artillerymen of the 
 Iris. The further proceedings of the allied forces are thus 
 described in the London Gazette: 
 
 •' On the 10th the squadron proceeded off Puerta Galetta, to co-ope- 
 rate in an attack upon it with tiie Spaoi&h troops under Long^, and on 
 the 11th much firing was kept up against the batteries; but the enemy 
 bei^ig found stronger than the Spaniards had expected, the attack was 
 abandoned. During the morning, Captain Bloye of the Lyra, landed with 
 a party of marines, and knocked off the trunnions of the guns in the 
 Bagona battery, aud destroyed one mounted on a height. On the 12th the 
 Veneral)le anchored off Castro, wMch had been (eebly atjtackeid by the 
 eoemy the evening before. One of the Imperial guards was woimded nad 
 brought in a prisoner. ^■ 
 
 " On the 15th, the enemy's moveable column having been drawn by a 
 feint to Santona, from whence it could not reach Guetaria in less than 
 foiiv days, another attack was intended to be made upon the latter place, 
 in concert with the guerillas under Don Guspar, and with the promised 
 aid oi one of the f)Rttailous under General Mina. Early in the uioi^ig 
 of the 18th, one 24-pouader under Lieutenant Graven, «md a houitzer 
 under Lieutenant Lawrence, of the marine-artillery, were landed from 
 the Venerable, and mounted on a hill to the westward of GueHiria, under 
 the directions of Captain Malcolm, while the Hon. Captain Bouverii-'vi'i 
 hu^ded with 2 guns from the Medusa, and after many diificulties in 4raw- 
 ing them up, mounted tfaew on the to") ^ a hill to the oastwar<jl. The 
 Veperable's guns began firing at n'^n., .ml continued tiU stuisot, when 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 Mr^'. 
 
 I -ii.- 
 

 .^:-^,. 
 
 tro, where a 
 n knded by 
 attack on the 
 le approach 
 punish com- 
 le squadron 
 were seen 
 
 > by the fire 
 r a landing 
 ok place on 
 150 men, 
 ed towards 
 bund in the 
 were with- 
 ^fence, aud 
 wen of the 
 3 are thus 
 
 '. to co-ope- 
 riga, and on 
 t the enemy 
 i attack was . 
 
 landed with 1. 
 
 ffuos in the 
 the I2th the 
 .'ked l>y the 
 'oqadedand 
 
 rOBT-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 537 
 
 ■**». ■■ 
 
 drawn by a 
 in less than 
 tfter place, 
 e proinificd 
 e moH4fig 
 B howitzer 
 nded from 
 jria, under 
 Bouverie 
 « in 4raw- 
 v4. The 
 Jet, when 
 
 .-•■■■ ■ i" 
 
 r 
 
 
 those of the enemy on that side were silenced, and the JMcdusa's were put 
 in readiness to open on the following morning. During tiie iiight, how- 
 ever, intelligence was received of the approach of a body of French troops, 
 ,jl?S%hicl) afterwards proved to be a division of between 2000 aud 3000 men, 
 that had just arrived at St. Sebastian's from France, and was immediately 
 .^sent forward by forced marches to Guetaria. 
 
 * " The uncertainty with respect to the enemy's force, and the disposi- 
 tion of the guerillas to oppose their advance, preveuteil the re-embark- 
 ation of the guns and men landed from the squadron, until the retreat of 
 the Spaniards, after skirmishing with the superior numbers of the French, 
 in which the latter are stated to have suffered severely. Captain Bouverie 
 then destroyed the 2 guns from the Medusa, and re-embarked with all his 
 men, and every thing belonging to the guns< Captain Malcolm was 
 detained longer, by a message brought to him by one of Don Gaspar'3 
 aide-de-campa, stating thut the enemy had been beaten back, and urging 
 him to remain in his battery. Finding, however, that the enemy was ad- 
 vancing fast, he gave orders to re-embark, and brought off his party, with 
 the exception of 3 Midshipmen and 29 men, who were taken prisoners, 
 but fortunately without having a man killed or wounded. The Spaniards 
 lost a Captain of artillery, and had a serjeantand 10 men badly wounded. 
 The detachment expected from General Mina's army arrived the n»orning 
 after the action, and joined Don Gaspar, having narched eighteen Spanish 
 leagues in two days." 
 
 Subsequent to the affair of Guetaria, Sir George Collier 
 served on shore with a detachment of seamen and marinea 
 landed to co-operate with a guerilla regiment in an attack 
 upon the castle of St. Ano, and received a wound when pur- 
 suing the French garrison from thence towards Santander*. 
 In the following year he was appointed Commodore of the 
 squadron employed in that quarter, where he contributed Igj-^ 
 no small degree to the success of Lord Wellington's army, 
 then approaching the French frontier. f?^^^ 'ili^ ■ 
 
 By a letter addressed to Lord Keith, June ^, 1813, W 
 are informed that the whole line of coast, from Guetaria to 
 Santona, had already been evacuated by the enemy ; and on 
 the Ist of the following month Sir George Collier reports 
 the retreat of the French from Guetaria in the following 
 terms : 'i^^y'^^:^i^^^^^S^^ 
 
 " Guetaria was evacuated by the cnem.y this morning at day-break, and 
 
 
 
 :^iv^'y ' • See Vol. I, p. 708. 
 
 
 M 
 
 ■ <?&.^fia! 
 
 S^M 
 
 
n 
 
 
 
 fdi 
 
 6# 
 
 ^■, 
 
 
 POST-CAin-AINB OF 1802. 
 
 soon aftenvards occupied by a division under Baron de Mcnglana. The 
 enemy appears to have been so pressed by the appearance of the shipping, 
 after his determination had been taken, that most of »he cannon were left -' 
 serviceable, and all his provisions, calcul ited for eome months ; but it is ^i 
 with regret I mention, that about three P. M. we witnessed a most awful 
 explosion, which, liy a refinement in cruelty, appears to have been intend- 
 ■^^ed to destroy all the poor inhabitants at a blow. The magazine, con- 
 ^^ taining near 200 barrels of gunpowder, and dug in the solid rock con- 
 oiected with the mole where the fishing-boats lay, had been prepared, and ^ 
 a lighted match left within it. Two casks of wine, previously broached, 
 were also left by the wall, offering a temptation to the lower classes ot 
 ^|the inhabitants, but this circumstance most providentially proved their 
 great preservation. The Spanish commandant on entering, observing the 
 ^^,^" confusion likely to ensue, ordered the inhabitants from the mole into the 
 **'^- ^"^town ; and while means were taken to force the door, the explosion took "**^ 
 .^place, and destroyed about 20 of the garrison and fishermen, as well as all 
 the boats in or near the mole. 
 
 " I have the pleasure to acquaint your Lordship that the castle, town, 
 
 . and port of Passages, were recovered from the enemy yesterday, and its 
 
 "■'^s^garrison of 136 men, cut off from St. Sebastian's, were taken by a part of i^ 
 
 ■^i^the Spanish brigade of Longa, under the immediate orders of Don Caspar,^*;.' 
 
 ^|attached to Sir Thomas Graham's division. The Spaniards' loss on thisjS 
 
 ^'"^^ occasion was very trifling." 
 
 During the warfare in the Pyrenees, between Lord Wei 
 
 
 
 •o'"*^ 
 
 ••.4"c«:f, 
 
 ^ lington and Marshal Soult, the siege of St. Sebastian was 
 ** undertaken and prosecuted by Lieutenant-General Sir Tho- 
 mas Graham, who received the most effectual assistance from 
 the naval force under Sir George Collier, whose official letters'^? 
 
 ^^rfurnish us with the following information : ;^^,^^^^yi^K^^!^l 
 
 ^ , >.K;J.fc'V. 
 
 batteries raised on the Chofra sand-hills, were opened ''' 
 
 July 52, 1813. 
 
 -r 
 
 'Ji 
 
 ^ 
 
 .i^-A 
 
 >;}l:-^% against the walls of St. Sebastian on the 20th at ten A. M., imder most 
 unfavourable circumstances of weather, and this evening there is a con- 
 8i<lerable breach ; but a second will, I understand from General Graham, 
 yj^i^-i be made before the storm is attempted. A gtm has been thought necee- 
 h^Tii: sary at the light-house hill. Captain Tayler, of the Sparrow, has prepared 
 a battery ; and had the weather permitted, a 24-pounder would have been 
 dragged up, and mounted ere this *. I have the pleasure to say, the good 
 conduct of the detachment landed under Lieutenant O'Reilly, has been 
 the admiration of the artillery officers in command of the batteries f." 
 
 ■' ■•A''5' 
 
 ■Xs.; 
 
 • See Captain Joseph Nbedham Tayler, C- B. 
 t On the 25th July three breaches were effected in the walls, two of 
 
 '.««« 
 
 4"^^^' 
 
 ^ 
 
 

 nglaiia. The 
 tlie shipping, 
 inon were left 
 :hs ; but it is 
 a most awful 
 ! been intend- 
 J^zine, con- 
 ilid rock con- 
 irepared, and 
 sly broached, 
 ^cr clasaes ot 
 proved their 
 ibserving the 
 lole into the 
 :plosion took 
 as well as all 
 
 
 castle, town, 
 rday, and its ;^;vf j 
 
 by a part of ; ' "^ 
 Oon Caspar, ^ 
 
 loss on thisjf t5f|' 
 
 iord Wei- 
 bstian was 
 SirTho- 
 ance from 
 ial letters , 
 
 ?2, 1813.^i$S; 
 ere opened 
 under most 
 
 is a con- 
 d Graham, 
 ght neces- 
 18 prepared 
 have beeu 
 , the good 
 
 has been 
 les f." 
 
 lls, two of 
 
 ,"»!, •'■.•-. 
 
 »l 
 
 '■^T 
 
 ^'f'f^ 
 
 
 
 :-*/<i 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 529 
 
 ■; :- *' Jultf 27 nnd 28. 
 
 " A successful attack was made upon the island of Santa Cliira, ut the 
 mouth of the harbour of St. Sebastian, at three o'clock on the morning of 
 the 27th, by the boats of the squadron under the command of Lieutenant 
 the Hon. James Arbuthnot, of H. M. S. Surveillante. The boats nxre 
 manned by the seamen and murines, and by a party of soldiers under the 
 command of Captain Cameron, of the 9th regiment. The only landing 
 place was under a flight of steps, commanded by a small entrenchment 
 thrown up on the west poiut, and completely exposed to the fire from 
 grape of the whole range of works on the west side of the rock and walls 
 of St. Sebastian. These local circumstances enabled a very small garrison, 
 of an officer and 24 men, to make a serious resistance, by which 2 of our 
 men tvere killed, and I officer of the army, another of the marlues, one 
 Midshipman, and 14 seamen and marines were wounded." 
 
 " Sept. 1st. 
 
 " Arrangements being made, as agreed upon by Lord VVelliiigton, for a ... ,^ 
 demonstration on the back of the rock of St. Sebastian, the two divisions ^^^^S^., 
 of ships' boats were placed under the command of Captain Galhvey, of 
 the Dispatch, and Captain Bloye, of the Lyra ; and I understand their ap- 
 pearance had the complete effect intended, by diverting a large proportion 
 of the garrison from the defence of the breach ; the bouts were warmly 
 fired on from the batteries at the back of St. Sebastian, but no lives were 
 lost. The sloops of war weighed with a light breeze, and the Dispatch 
 suffered in a triflhig degree in her sails ; the gun-boats, Nos. 14 and Ifi, 
 were equipped in time to offer annoyance to the enemy, and to attract his ^^W^M 
 attention . ^^^^^MM^^'^^^M^^'k^^ 
 
 "At 1 1 A. M., the tide having ebbed sufficiently, tlie assault hy t!»e 
 breach took place ; and if the resistance made by the enemy, considering 
 the natural defences, as well as the artificial ones thrown up by him, is to 
 be considered gallant and obstinate, the attack must be ranked still 
 higher. Never perhaps was an affair more o!)stinately maintained, but 
 British courage and perseverance ultimately succeeded; and after a lodg- 
 ment had been effected on the breach, the town was entered and possessed 
 about 1^ 3(V P. M. in defiance of mines and every obstacle wliich the 
 ingenuity of the governor could invent. A heavy firing was maintained till 
 
 
 
 >5^^^^v«^r^^'i?S' 
 
 
 which being practicable, the order was given for atj assault. This was 
 executed with great gallantry, and some of the troops penetrated into 
 the town, but the defences raised by the enemy were so strong and nu- 
 merous, and the fire of musketry and grape was so destructive, that the 
 assailants were obliged to retreat with a heavy loss, especially in officers. 
 Lord \Vellington was upon the spot during part of the assault; but was 
 soon called away in consequence of the advance of Marshal Soult, whit^i 
 gave occa.sion to the battles of Roncesvalles (or Sjs. Jeap. Pi^d de Port) 
 and the Pyrenees. ;:i^i^v?f'^?^;j:: 
 
 %^^p0^!0^:ft^^^ 
 
■^1^ 
 
 
 VfW'/ 
 
 ■•'f v* '• 
 
 
 »4*%*A 
 
 -^mm^'j^-'^-^-^- posT-cXWA-|>r"i^ 'W 1802. 
 
 late In the evening ; but the rock still holds out, and may probably for 
 some (fays. A larp;e part of the town has been unavoidably destroyed, and 
 more must inevitably suffer from the means still in possession of the enemy. 
 " The opportunity afforded to the navy for evincing the zeal and good 
 will of British seamen, has been necessarily confined to a few individuals : 
 but I know of no officer more indefatigable in the various duties which 
 have fallen to him, than Captain Bloyc of the Lyra *• he has endeavoured 
 to anticipate every wish of the army. Lieutenant O'Reilly, with Ws 
 former companions in the batteries, was conspicuously active ; every ship 
 in the squadron sent a proportion of seamen, under their respective officers, 
 and they behaved uniformly well. The loss on both sides during the as- 
 sault, must have been considerable, as artillery of all descriptions was 
 playing on the enemy while disputing the breach and walls. Captain John 
 
 . Smith, of the Beagle, who was slightly wounded on the island, has the 
 
 ^« :^^- = .jsoramand of the seamen there landed." 
 
 " ' On this occasion the appearance tJf thfe breacn proved Fal- 
 lacious ; for when the combined column of British and Por- 
 tuguese troops ordered to the assault, after being exposed to 
 a heavy fire of shot and shells, arrived at the foot of the wall, 
 it proved a perpendicular sca>p of twenty feet to the level of 
 the streets, with only one accessible point, which merely ad- 
 mitted an entrance by single files. In this situation, the 
 assailants made repeated, but fruitless exertions, to gain an 
 i^trance ; no man surviving the attempt to mount the nar- 
 iji«^f^«^,«^isj|>w ridge. In this desperate state, Sir Thomas Graham 
 :s^^'^ adopted the venturous expedient of ordering the guns to be 
 ^i^^ turned against th ' curtain, the shot of which passed only a 
 few feet over the heads of the men at the foot of the breach. 
 In the mean time a Portuguese brigade forded the river, near 
 its mouth, and made a successful attack upon a small breach, 
 to the right of the great one. This latter manosuvre, joined 
 to the effect of the batteries upon the curtain, at length gave 
 an opportunity for the troops to establish themselves upon the 
 narrow pass, and in an hour more the defenders, driven from 
 all their complicated wr)rks, retired to the castle, leaving the 
 town in full possession of the allies, whose loss amounted to 
 2,300 men, killed and wounded. The success in this quarter 
 ?^l^ was rendered complete by the surrender of tlie castle on the 
 * ^' ■ *' 8feh September, as will be seen by the following letter from the 
 , . ^ Commodore to Lofd Keith : 
 
 
 
 
 io,tA: 
 
 
 y < i; 
 
 'h% 
 
I 
 
 "]; 
 
 
 ' probably for 
 de8troy6d, and 
 i of the enemy, 
 zeal and good 
 :w individuals : 
 I duties which 
 s endeavoured 
 eilly, with his 
 ?e ; every ship 
 »ective officers, 
 during the aa- 
 iscriptions was 
 Captain John 
 island, has the 
 
 I proved fal«r> 
 
 ish and Pos%». 
 
 ; exposed to 
 
 ; of the wall, 
 
 the level of 
 
 merely ad- 
 
 tuation, the 
 
 , to gain an 
 
 mt the nar- 
 
 as Graham 
 
 guns to b# 
 
 ised only a 
 
 the breach, 
 
 river, near 
 
 lall breach, 
 
 ivre, joined 
 
 ength gave 
 
 3S upon the 
 
 iriven from 
 
 eaving the 
 
 nounted to 
 
 lis quarter 
 
 tie on the 
 
 ;r from the 
 
 
 iiiS; 
 
 :&, 
 
 POST-CAPT. 
 
 OF \802. 
 
 531 
 
 •• Surveiflfinte, qfPa»s« 'fs, .W. Sebn an, Sept. 9, 1613. 
 •• My Lord, — It is with sincere pier urt that I myself the honor to 
 report to your Lordship the fall of JSt. >rba9tian, tU norfherr Ibraltar of 
 Spain. Yesterday at 10 A. M. the breaching and mortar-bat openr 
 
 a most ruinous fire against the castle of La Motte, situated the cror 
 of the hill, and the iadjoining works. In a very short time neral Rr . 
 the governor, sent out a flag of truce to propose terms ot < apitulatioa, 
 which were concluded at 5 P. M. when the battery du Gouvemeur and the 
 Mirador were immediately taken possession of by o»ir troops. The garri- 
 son* still upwards of 1700, became prisoners of war, and are to be conveyed 
 to England from Passages. At this season of the year the possession of 
 St. Sebastian becomes doubly valuable ; it may be considered the western 
 key of the Pyrenees, and its importance as to the future operations of the 
 allied army is incalculable. The town and works have suffered consider- 
 ably, and it must be a long time before the former can recover its original 
 splendour ; 1 cannot, however, avoid congratulating your Lordship on its 
 fall on any terms, as the gales now blow home, and the sea is prodigious ; 
 all the squadroB were yesterday forced to sea, with the exception of the 
 Surveillante and President. The former good conduct and gallanltry of the 
 seamen landed from the squadron, under Lieutenant O'Reilly, and serving 
 in the breaching batteries, have been most conspicuously maintained. 
 Lieutenant Duulop, as well as Mr. Marsh, (having sufficiently recovered 
 from his wounds*), were also at their former post. The SurVeillante's 
 24apounderB, mounted on Santa Clara, and drag(;ed up by Captain Smith, 
 of (be Bcagte, were admirably served by a party lauded from the Revo- 
 lutionaire, Magicienae, and Challenger ; their fire had totally siieoced tlie 
 enemy's guns opposed to them. Captain Smith speaks in high terms of 
 the general zeal evinced by all under his orders. The most perfect cordi- 
 ality was maintained bietvveen the officers and seamen under Captain Smith, 
 and tl»e parly of the 9th tiegiinent, under Captain Cameron. Tlie Cnptaitaa 
 and Commanders of the ships, &c. named in the margin f, have all W«n 
 usefully employed, and the situation many of them have been nn&voidably 
 placed in, has called forth proofs of professional skill and perseverance sel- 
 dom surpassed : and I have the highest satisfaction in being able to report* 
 that in no instance has it been more tryiiigly evinced, than in the conduct of 
 Lieutenant the Hon. James Arbuthnot, of the SurvelUante, Which he has 
 proved himself fXiUy €qual to. Messrs. Marsh, Harvey, Bloye, and Lewson 
 
 
 
 fe'tO 
 
 
 • Lieutenant Robert Graham Dunlop was wounded on shpre^ previous 
 
 tlUiy^l. .;^'^J■|.;5jy:^<vf■^^?J^^;^;.> 
 
 t Andromache, President, Revolutionaire, and JNIagicienne, at anchor off 
 St. Sebastian ; Sparrow and Challenger off the Bidassoa; Constant gun- 
 brig, and Nimble cutter, in that river j Juniper and Holly, Stationed west 
 
 
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 c^ 
 
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 WsT-CAPTAINS OF 
 
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 1803»O 
 
 (wounded), have been constantly on shore. There are others of the squadron, 
 vi^ho, though not wounded, are no less deserving. Captain Bloye*s services 
 have been repeatedly noticed by ine to your Lordship ; {U)d as he has been 
 employed from the very commencement of our operations on this coast, and 
 has a perfect knowledge of tlie localities of this harliour, as well as that of 
 St. Sebastian, I have felt it important to send him to England, as he will, 
 from his having been particularly attached to the duties connected with this 
 port and the army, be able to give yo\ir Lordship much useful information. 
 Lieutenant Stokes, in the Constant, has scarcely ever quitted the mouth of 
 the Bidassoa ; the utility of his position is, I believe, felt by the army : it 
 lias been a station of considerable anxiety. I have the honor to be, &c. 
 (Signed) " George R. Collier." 
 
 ^<-T0 the Right Hon. Admiral Lord Keith, SfcJ' ^ 
 
 fThe great event of Lord Wellington*^ entry thto France 
 tbok place on the 7th Oct., by his troops crossing the Bidas- 
 soa, at diflferent fords, after a series of spirited actions, which 
 cost the allies between 1500 and 1/00 men killed, wounded, 
 and missing. The surrender of Pamplona to Don Carlos 
 d'Espana, on the 31st of the ^ame month, having disengaged 
 the right of the allied army from the service of blockading 
 that strong fortress, his Lo.rdsliip resolved to put in executioM 
 a meditated operation against the French troops posted near 
 St. Jean de Luz, the object of which was to force their centre, 
 and establish his o^n troops in the rear of their right. Heavy 
 rsuns obliged him to defer this attempt till the 10th Nov. on 
 which day it was n>ade in columns of divisions, each led by a 
 General Officer, and having its own reserve ; a detachment 
 from Sir George Collier's squadron at the same time making 
 a naval demonstration in the rear of Socoa, and keeping the 
 enemy employed in the batteries, from the fire of which the 
 Sparrow, Captain Lock, received some slight damage in her 
 hull and sails. After a variety of actions, which occupied the 
 whole day, the allies obtained the desired position, and the 
 enemy were obliged to retreat to an entrenched camp near 
 fiayonne. The result of this operation was the ejectment of 
 the French from positions they had been fortifying with great 
 labour for three months, and taking from them 51 pieces of 
 cannon, and 1400 prisoners. 
 
 Soon after this important event, Sir George Collier was 
 appointed Jn succession to the Newcastle^ and Leander, ships 
 
 '1^ 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 G 
 
 O 
 
 • 4|I««C 
 
 o 
 
 o o 
 
 Oo o°o o 
 
 o 
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 o 
 
 GO 
 
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 Oo 
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 o 
 
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 £) 
 
o 
 
 KJ 
 
 o 
 
 ) 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 'tbcsquadroii» 
 loye'8 services 
 id he has been 
 this coast, and 
 well as that of 
 1(1, as he will, 
 ected with this 
 1 information. 
 I the mouth of 
 the army : it 
 r to be, &c. 
 Collier." 
 
 into France 
 
 the Bidas- 
 
 ions, which 
 
 i, wounded, 
 
 Oon Carlos 
 
 disengaged 
 
 blockading 
 
 n executiow 
 
 josted near 
 
 heir centre, 
 
 ;ht. Heavy 
 
 1 Nov* on 
 
 ch led by a 
 
 etachment 
 
 tne making 
 
 keeping the 
 
 which the 
 
 lage in her 
 
 cupied the 
 
 and the 
 
 camp near 
 
 ctment of 
 
 with great 
 
 pieces of 
 
 oilier was 
 ider, ships 
 
 ®, 
 
 ^- 
 
 C^ 
 
 o o 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 533 
 
 built of pitch pine, mounting 58 guns each, and intended to 
 cope with the large American frigates. During his first 
 cruise on the Halifax station, he captured the United States' 
 brig Rattlesnake, pierced ft)r 20 guns, with a complement of 
 131 men *. 
 
 For several months from this period, Sir George Collier was 
 employed off Boston, watching the Constitution of 56 guns, 
 and using every endeavour to induce her to come out and 
 fight the Leander. His anxiety to engage the enemy, is proved 
 by the following authentic anecdote: 
 
 One day a fishing boat came off with several Americans, 
 who asked permission to visit the Leander, which was imme- 
 diately granted. Sir George Collier and his first Lieutenant 
 accompanied them round the decks, wh«i one of them ob- 
 served, " You are a larger ship, but I do not think your men 
 are so stout as oicrs on board the Constitution." To which 
 Sir George replied, " They may be very little, but their hearts 
 are in the right place ; and I will thank you to inform the 
 American Captain, that if he will come out and meet the 
 Leander, I will pledge my word and honor that no British 
 ship shall be within twenty leagues ; and further, if my ship 
 mounts more guns than the Constitution, I will throw the ad- 
 ditional guns overboard." This challenge the American 
 visitor, who we have no doubt was an officer belonging to the 
 Constitution, promised to convey ; but we do not venture to 
 assert that the Captain of that ship actually received it. 
 
 The Leander was at length obliged to return to Halifax 
 for the purpose of completing her stores, provibions, and 
 water, and Sir George Collier, when returning to his station, 
 had the mortification to hear that the Constitution had suc- 
 ceeded in putting to sea unobserved. This information was 
 communicated to him by Lord George Stuart and Captain 
 Alexander R. Kerr, of the Newcastle and Acasta, who at the 
 same time expressed their belief that the ship which he had 
 long been so eager to get alongside of, was gone on a cruise 
 in company with two other heavy frigates, and that they were 
 to be joined on a certain rendezvous by the Hornet sloop of 
 
 • The enemy had thrown their £r\ins overboard during the cliase. 
 VOL. II. 2 N 
 
 o ■ . "^^ 
 
 .-^ 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 O 
 
 oo 
 
 m 
 
 © 
 
 o 
 
 m 
 
 ( "* 
 ^'i 
 
1; 
 
 
 if i 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 1,1 
 
 534 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 war. Sir George Collier at this time had orders from Rear 
 Admiral Griffith to send the Acasta into port, she being 
 much in want of a refit ; but yielding to the entreaties of her 
 commander, he determined to deviate from his instructions, 
 and allow her to accompany the Leander and Newcastle in 
 pursuit of the enemy, whom he expected to fall in with near 
 the Western Islands, imagining that their first object would 
 be to intercept our homeward bound trade. He shortly after 
 captured the Prince de Neufchatel, a remarkably fine Ameri- 
 can privateer schooner, mounting 18, and pierced for 22 guns ; 
 which vessel, instead of being sent to Bermuda or Halifax, 
 where she would have sold for a very handsome sum, and 
 from whence it is very probable she would have passed again 
 into the hands of her original owners, was immediately des- 
 patched to England with the intelligence of an enemy's squad- 
 ron being at sea, by which means the Admiralty were en- 
 abled to make timely iirrangements for the protection of the 
 Taluablc fleets then on their passage home *. 
 
 Coutinuing hia search for the enemy, Sir George Collier 
 discovered a large brig, which he approached under easy sail, 
 40 as not to show any p.articular anxiety, suspecting from cir- 
 cumstancea that she was a British vessel in the possession of 
 the enemy, and being desirous of obtaining information ftxim 
 the prize-master by imposing the Leander upon him as an 
 American ship. Nothing could have happened better : the 
 brig proved to be the John, of Liverpool, lately captured by 
 the Perry privateer ; and the person in ciiarge of her went on 
 board the Leander, in his own boat, without the slightest hesi- 
 tation, llie moment he gotnpon deck, he congratulated the 
 officers on the squadron being at sea, and in a situation where 
 
 they would do " a tarnation share of mischief to the d d 
 
 English sarpcnts, and play the devil's game with their rag of 
 u flag." lie then observed, that he knew the Leander the 
 moment ho saw her, by her black painted masts and sides, 
 and the cut of her sails, to be the President, as he wab in 
 
 • So hif^hly was tlie Princn do Nciifohatcl nilinired, that orders «cro 
 given for Iifr model to be taken and preserved in DeptfonI doek-yard ; bi4 
 owinft to Rome Hccnlent or other her l)ack was broken whilst there, and she 
 was afterward* sold for a mvrc triflf . 
 
 I 
 
 ^ 
 
!ra from Rear 
 
 rt, she being 
 
 rcatics of her 
 
 instructions, 
 
 Newcastle in 
 
 in witli near 
 
 object would 
 
 i shortly after 
 
 y fine Ameri- 
 
 i for 22 guns ; 
 
 a or Halifax, 
 
 luie sum, and 
 
 passed again 
 
 lediately des- 
 
 emy's squad- 
 
 ilty were en- 
 
 tcction of the 
 
 eorg« Collier 
 
 ider easy sail, 
 
 ing from cir- 
 
 possession of 
 
 rmation fwrn 
 
 him as an 
 
 better : the 
 
 captured by 
 
 icr went on 
 
 ightcst hesi- 
 
 'atulat( d the 
 
 lation where 
 
 the d d 
 
 their rag of 
 
 meander the 
 
 s and sides, 
 
 s he wab in 
 
 t onlers woro 
 oik-yard ; bi4 
 there, otid she 
 
 fi-.j'y; •\'J''';f'U ■'•■;•.' ^;;■■•f ■" '^'z •%; -.fy '■ ' ■'-■;%->>■• v." -a; •^• 
 
 posT-cAPTAms OF 1902. !';;M^:-:'^h;^'.v^l|'^J^ 
 
 New York Just before she sailed : after these obsefvations he 
 walked up to Sir George Collier, and making his bow, ad- 
 dressed him as Commodore Decatur, reminding him at the 
 same time of having once seen him at New York. He then 
 presented the John's papers, and complained of his men, 
 whom he described as a mutinous set of fellows, in whose 
 hands his life was not safe, at the same time requesting that 
 some of them might be changed for so many of the President's 
 crew, and that ouc in particular might have a sound flogging. 
 All this Sir George Collier promised, with great gravity, should 
 be done, and the first Lieutenant was ordered to have aa many 
 men ready in rxchange as those complained of. Jonathan 
 was then asked into the cabin, and Sir George, after retiring 
 for a moment, returned with a chart, in which the Lcander's 
 track was marked, over which was written, " President, from 
 New V'ork, on a cruise ;" and placing his finger upon these 
 words, as if by accident, they immediately caught the eye of 
 the American, wJio repeated that he knew the President the 
 moment he saw her, and *' Nick " himself could not deceive 
 him. He was then asked by Sir George, pointing to the 
 Acasta, if he knew her ; his reply was, " she is the Mace- 
 donian" ; but when asked what the Newcastle was, he said 
 he did not know her ; on which Sir George told him she was 
 the Constitution : he replied, he recollected she was, though 
 not painted as she used to be. After pumping him as much 
 as possible, his papers wore returned to him in great form, 
 and Sir George Collier, wishing him a good voyage, desired 
 he would not forget to let it be known that he leftComnu. 'ore 
 Decatur and his squadron in good health and spirits. The 
 Yankee took liis leave with great apparent satisfaction; but 
 when about to (juit the Leander her first Lieutenant apprised 
 him of his real situation, and on seeing the British Captain 
 come up ill his \miform, ho became almost frantic. 
 
 Sir George Collier, convinced that then> was no probability 
 of meeting with the Constitution and her supposed consorts 
 so far to the nortljward, now resolved to search for them in 
 the neighbourliood of the Cape de Verds. The following ac- 
 count of his conduct in presence of tlie enemy <m the llth 
 Mar. 181.5, written by his ftrst Lieutenant, and corroborated 
 
 2n2 
 
 •• '. • ' "... 
 
 '.■•■:•■'< ■'■'/'■■rv'v'' 
 
 V 
 
^T^fft^i"^*^ "l 
 
 V" ''.':■' 
 
 ..:.;•'-' ■'.- PosT-CAPTAiNs OF 1802. .</>'>:■^;]^■v^t^'.^;■^'f;-v•■ 
 
 by the logs of the Leandcr, Newcastle, antl A casta, copies of 
 which arc in our possession, will effectually rescue his nie- 
 mory from any illiberal reflections that an incorrect passage 
 in a late publication may have given rise to *. 
 
 ** P. M. Moderate and hazy weather. At 12*' 20' saw the 
 land of St. Jago from E. N. E. to N. W. by N. At Pi*- 25' 
 observed three ships, apparently frigates, getting under weigh 
 in Porto Prayaf: the Newcastle and Acasta about half a 
 mile on the wcatlier (juartor. On tlie strangers being reported 
 to Sir George Collier, who was tlien coming out of his ca])in, 
 he immediately called, * down with the main tack.'— I sub- 
 mitted, as they appeared very close to us, from the haziness 
 of the weather, and we laying up for them, to beat to (luarters 
 first : he said, ' No, no, make sail, I will lay him on board !' 
 Shortly afterwards we fell off, and on bringing them abeam, 
 tacked |. Weather very thick and hazy — took the two stern- 
 most ships for frigates, the headmost, from appearance, a much 
 larger ship, for the Gucrriere, who we understood had long 
 ;»2-pounders on her main-deck. Made private signal, which 
 was not answered — hoisted our coloius and fired a shot to 
 windward. Shortly afterwards the stermuost ship tacked, 
 and Sir George directed the Acasta's signal to be made to 
 tack after her ; but countermanded the order on observing 
 that she w<)\ild gain tlu; anchorage before the Acasta could 
 dose with her. At this time Sir George called me aft, took 
 hold of my arm, and desired I would see everything properly 
 cleared for action ; adding, ' We shall, I dare say, have sharp 
 work, but I would not give a (ig for our fellows unless they 
 knock tluMu up in half an hour— we must secure them all, or 
 John Hull will not be satisfied, although they have (iuerriere 
 with them §. 1 am seldom uiuler fire without getting a lick ; 
 
 • Soo .lainoh's Naval History, vol. fi. p. M", rl srq. 
 
 t i'liv ni'iti~>l) s(|iiti<lroi) wus at this time stiindin}; in for ilio land with 
 Blurlioaitl lacks on Itoaiil. Thf ciiciiiy, it uppoars, rut tlu'ii' cables, IVarini.': 
 lltoy should ()C attacked at luichor, alllioii^li in a neutral port. 
 
 ♦ Tin' Ncwcnstlc was now two miles uhcud of tho licnndcr, and one 
 mile on the Icc-iutw ol' ihc Acasta. 'Ihc enemy standing to tlu; east- 
 ward. 
 
 § The (incrnore. rati>d us ;i 1 l-^ain Irigatc, wii>< n new slilp, miniitinn 
 
M - 
 
 ■3 S--! 
 
 le. 
 
 ta, copies of 
 cue his me- 
 rect passage 
 
 20' saw the 
 At 12" 25' 
 
 under weigh 
 
 ibout lialf a 
 
 ing reported 
 
 of his cabin, 
 
 ick.'— 1 sub- 
 
 the haziness 
 
 t to (luarters 
 
 11 on board ! ' 
 
 lieni abeam, 
 
 le two stern- 
 
 ance, a nuich 
 
 >od had long 
 
 ignal, which 
 
 [h1 a shot to 
 
 hip tacked, 
 
 jc made to 
 
 observing 
 
 asta couhl 
 
 le aft, took 
 
 g properly 
 
 have sharp 
 
 nless they 
 
 them all, or 
 
 e (invrriere 
 
 ing a lick ; 
 
 Uin land with 
 •iiblcB, fciiiinjr 
 t. 
 (Icr, and our 
 
 to tll<! *"M\- 
 
 ip, tiKUnfinR 
 
 
 ■'Vj t-'vii'." 
 
 5:fe^<^^V^^:; 
 
 CAPTAINS, oj -ismMf^^^^:' m 
 
 if 1 aiii 60 uftfbkiinate'M^ iaS ^ fe I^#af9^' te "^^ 
 
 the charge that devolves upon you, and in God's name doiill^" 
 think of striking, let the consequences be what they will.— f ' 
 have now every confidence in the crew, and they handle their 
 guns to my satisfaction, but I should like to talce the enemy 
 by boarding* !' --^^ J '•.■T^'>'"^^:^.::^•x^'U'i-i^}^b^ 
 •^•'- " Shortly after this conversation, the other ship tacked, 
 and Sir George Collier ordered the Acasta's signal to be 
 made to tack after her f. In making the signal the Acasta's 
 distinguishing pendants got foul, and before they could be 
 cleared the Newcastle mistook it for a general signal. Fear- 
 ing the consequences of such a mistake, Sir George desired 
 the optional signal to be hoisted with the Newcastle's pen- 
 dants, and I am positive that he never intended her to tack J. 
 " When the Acasta had filled on the starboard tack, I ob- 
 served to Sir George, that if the ships standing in shore were 
 really fri^^atcs, which it was impossible to ascertain, owing to 
 
 56 guns, 28 of which were 32-pouuclers, called Columbians, resemhling 
 .Miuse used in the British navy under the names of their inventors. Cover 
 and Congreve. 
 
 * Mr. James tells us that the Leander pesspssed one of the worst crews 
 in the service; and adds, " Well was it, indeed, that she never fell in with 
 on« of the American 44 's." The Mornuig Chronicle of March 30, 1824, 
 contains a letter from Captain Francis Fead, asserting that the Leander 
 had as 6ne a ship's company as ever he would wish to command. 
 ., t The enemy's second ship, hove in stays on the Leander's weather 
 beam. The Arasta then bore N. E. and Newcastle S. E. by E. The 
 headmost American, then 5 or 6 miles to windward of the Newcastle, was 
 furereaching on the squadron, and nearly out of sight from the Laander's 
 deck i the Newcastle was dropping fast to leeward, and the Acasta wea< 
 thering on the Commodore. 
 
 X Sir George Collier, confiding in the zeal and judgment of the Captains 
 under his orders, had previously informed them that whenever a certain 
 flag was hoisted with any signal addressed to either of them, they were at 
 libcrt/to disregard the signal, if they considered that by following the 
 onler conveyed thereby the object in view was not so likely to be at- 
 tained, as by acting in contrariety thereto. The flag alluded to was en- 
 tered pro tempore in the signal books, under the designation of the " op. 
 tionalflag." On its being hoisted with the Newcastle's pendants, as above 
 staled, that ship made answer by signal, "the flags are not distinguishable." 
 
 
 
Ml 
 
 :• Hll 
 
 
 'SBSSsp 
 
 
 m 
 
 
 0° * -'lAjl 
 .-^ Sots * , 
 
 »^ 
 
 iti^ 
 
 .' 1' 
 
 MiA^^^i:C<gx:jft 
 
 
 
 
 ■ — - - ■ i . 
 
 .__ ...» „,.«i; 
 
 'i^lP^Lt 
 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 the haziness of the weather, they would be rti&t€ than h match 
 for the Acasta. He replied, " It is true, Kerr can do wonders, 
 but not impossibilities ; and *I believe I must go round, as 
 when the ship that tacked first hears the Acasta engaged, 
 she will naturally come to her consort's assistance *." Sir 
 George then asked me if I saw the headmost ship and the New- 
 castle. I went with my glass to look, and observed the latter 
 but could not see the former!. He then, after looking 
 through his glass, ordered the helm to be put down ; and 
 shortly after we had filled the Newcastle was observed to 
 tack, which circumstance displeased him very much ; but he 
 remarked that he was satisfied if she had been gaining upon 
 the enemy's ship and keeping her in sight, Lord George 
 would never have discontinued the chace : shortly afterwards 
 we opened our fire upon the ship we had tacked after, and to 
 our great mortification observed she was a corvette or 20-gun 
 ship. She ran in shore and let go her anchor, and the Acasta's 
 signal was made to take possession of her. We were obliged 
 to anchor to communicate with the Governor, in consequence 
 of several of our shot having gone on shore amongst the 
 houses. About 9 or 10 P. M. it fell calm, and continued so 
 during most of the night. On leaving the anchorage Sir 
 George Collier displayed the greatest zeal and anxiety to 
 
 * The Acaata's log informs us that the enemy's force was discovered to 
 consist of one large frigate and two sloops, so early as 1 P. M. the time 
 when the British squadron first tacked to the eastward. If so, we arc 
 sorry that a signal to that effect was not made, by which Sir George Col- 
 lier's mind would have been set at ease as to the capability of the Acasta 
 to cope with the two ships which had put back ; and the T^cnnder, having 
 nothing else to engage her attention, would of course have continued in 
 punuit of the other. It is very natural for junior Captains to feel a de- 
 licacy in addressing signals to their commanding officer when in presence 
 of an enemy; but as Sir George Collier had formed his opinion of the Ame- 
 ricans' force from the report of Captain Kerr and Lord George Stuart, he 
 certainly could not have taken offence had he been informed that the 
 Acasta alone was more than capable of annihilating the two ships which 
 she had tacked after. 
 
 t The Newcastle, according to her log, lost bight of the headmost Ame- 
 rican, in thick hazy weather, at 2^ 50' 1*. M. 
 
 ^h 
 
 
 Ol 
 
 
air--^-!<>xiv^,gV^S^;Tvv/iJ>B5 
 
 
 
 
 ban a match 
 do wonders, 
 ► round, as 
 a engaged, 
 ice*." Sir 
 id the New- 
 d the latter 
 ter looking 
 down ; and 
 )bserved to 
 ch ; but he 
 lining upon 
 3rd George 
 afterwards 
 fter, and to 
 I or 20-gun 
 he Acasta's 
 ere obliged 
 pnscquence 
 longst the 
 mtinued so 
 lorage Sir 
 anxiety to 
 
 iscovered to 
 I. the time 
 
 80, we arc 
 jeorge Col- 
 
 the Acasta 
 fider, having' 
 continued in 
 to feel a dc- 
 in presence 
 of the Anic- 
 e Stuart, he 
 cd that the 
 8hip« which 
 
 most Amc* 
 
 
 
 meet tlie Constitution; and if we had not fallen in with an 
 American vessel that gave us authentic information of the ig^^; 
 peace, there is little doubt but the Leander would have met ^^^^^^^ 
 her sindv, havinsr taken up the exact position that would •|^•^M|| 
 
 have ensured a junction. '.Mi^^mmmm^^^^^^i^^M^^ 
 
 (Signed) •* I. M'Douoall, Commanilery H. IV. and tote "^^z? 
 ;&/i.i .;,. ,.;,..i. ... , , ... . first Lieutenant uf the Leander." 
 
 The ship ttiikcn on this occasion proved to be the Levant 
 of 20 guns, captured, in company with the Cyanc 32, by the^„^^,,„^ 
 Constitution, off Porto Santo, on the 20th of the preceding '■■^■^■'■:^'' 
 month*. 
 
 From St. Jago the British stjuadron made all sail for the 
 West Indies, still hoping to intercept the fugitives on their 
 return to America. Leavinff the Newcastle and Acasta to C^litt^; 
 windward of Barbadoes, Sir George Collier took up a cruising !?£^h!-j' 
 ground off the north end of Cayenne, with the intention of 
 remaining there ten days ; but only four had elapsed when he 
 fell in with an American schooner, the master of which gave 
 him an authentic account of the peace between Great Britain 
 and the United States. It afterwards appeared by the Con- 
 stitut ion's log, that she made the north end of Cayenne, 
 only two days after the L<;ander had left that spot to rejoin 
 the other ships ; so that had she not met with the above 
 schooner, her crew wcmld have had an excellent oppor- 
 tunity of shewing, under their gallant connnander, whe- 
 ther they were not capable of taking an American forty- 
 four single-handed. Captains M'Dougall wid Fead, have 
 done Sir George Collier and his men such ample justice as 
 renders any fiu'ther comment unnecessary. ;.<:! 
 
 The Leander returned to England with 52 traneports, and 
 12,000 troops under her convoy, from Canada, in July 1815. 
 Sir George Collier had previously been raised to the dignity 
 of a Baronet of Great Britain f, and honored with the in- 
 signia of a K. C. Bj., as a reward for his long and mcritor'ious 
 services. In May 1818, he was appointed Commiodore on 
 
 * See Cuptttins IIom. CrKORCB DuuubAs, and Gorson Thomab Vmucws . " 
 
 t July 30, 181 4. 
 J Jan. 2, 1815. 
 
 i>m 
 
n 
 
 
 
 
 
 lioltl that edniiiiaiul, 
 
 with his broad pendant on board the Tartar frigate till 
 
 ^^Jrg Sept. 21, 1811), during which period he did all that it was 
 
 ^^^' "1^^^ for humanity, zeal, and superior intelligence to effect, 
 
 JS^I':^ under the existing national treaties, with a view to the sup- 
 
 f:-^||"> pressioii or mitigation of that abominable traflic, the Slave 
 
 ^■"^t?;fi!^!; Trade. The country at large duly appreciate his excellent 
 
 ^^SH^^ conduct in this respect, and regret, as we most sincerely do, 
 
 his melancholy and untimely death, the particulars of which 
 
 ''Z^:t' are too well known to require repetition +. No officer of his 
 
 .v£?^/i^!^; standing in the service was more generally known or higher 
 
 I'lllf"? "* estimation, as a brave, experienced, clever seaman, and 
 
 M'4-^^% most generous, warm-hearted, friendly man. " As well," 
 
 ^if^S'K*^'- said an officer of high rank, on a late painful occasion. 
 
 ^'^^"^^.^t^ " might fear be attributed to Lord Nelson, as to Sir George 
 ■:^^^ Collier. 
 
 ■ '^-p\-*v/' 
 
 It is certainly as impossible to impute to his con- 
 duct the want of personal courage, as to deny the natural 
 urbanity and courteousness of his manners. No British sailor 
 i^M* ^V- t ^^^^ ^^^^ more anxious to fight the enemies of his country — 
 ■^^ff^^0' ill private life, no individual was ever more universally 
 si;>T-<<*i:'^fe5 esteemed. ...„...; 
 
 'A?J»-. 
 
 ^mi- 
 
 
 
 "^^'^^";f)j^,The subject of this memoir mai*ried. May 18, 1805, Maria, 
 daughter of John 'Lyon, M. D. of Liverpool; but he has left 
 no issue by that amiable lady, who still survives to deplore 
 
 ''U ' - 
 
 his loss. 
 
 
 i^mMm:a DANIEL WOODRIFF, Esq. 
 
 f 
 
 I': 
 
 ,^\ 
 
 ^■':. 
 
 ^^^B&4--i;'*^ 
 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant April 1, 1783: and 
 obtained the rank of Post-Captain, April 28, 1802. Towards 
 the close of the latter year he was appointed to the Calcutta, 
 a 50-gun ship armed enjlute, and fitting for the conveyance 
 
 il 
 
 t Sir George Collier was elected an honorary Life Member of the A'ri- 
 cun Institution, May 17, 1820. His Annual Reports to the Admiralty on 
 the state of the Slave Trade were printed by order of the House of Com- 
 mons, and laid before Purliamcut. Il is almost superfluous to say that 
 they ore very much valued. He died 24th March, 1824. 
 

 5? ^"■■■''■'■Ji-, 
 
 lat comniauci, -^ 
 ir frigate till 
 
 that it was 
 ence to effect, 
 vv to the sup- 
 ic, the Slave 
 
 his excellent 
 sincerely do, 
 ars of which 
 officer of his 
 )wn or higher 
 
 seaman, and 
 
 " Ab well," 
 ful occasion, 
 ) Sir George 
 te to his con- 
 ly the natural 
 British sailor 
 lis country— 
 universally 
 
 1»05, Maria, 
 it he has left 
 8 to deplore /• 
 
 1783: and 
 2. Towards 
 le Calcutta, 
 conveyance 
 
 >erof the A*n- 
 Adtniralty on 
 louse of Cum- 
 )U8 to say that 
 
 »>4 
 
 convicts, to esiauiisn <i new ssi-iLiement 
 Bjiiis's Straits, on the Kouthcrn extremity of New Hollaiid. 
 
 
 B.' 
 
 Captain Woodriflii sailed from Spithead, April 2S, 1803,;?^^; 
 W'-\ '^"^^ arrived at the place of his destination on tiic Tith Oct^^^j^ 
 ^ ' «( following ; but on surveying that port and the adjacent coast, u|*Ji^ 
 
 
 it was found totally ineligible for the purpose intended, tlm r^||^^| 
 
 difficulty of egress, on account of the prevailing winds, beingf^ 
 very great, fresh water remarkably scarce, and the soil ^^n-f^^^^ 
 commonly poor. He therefore removed to the river Derwent,^f-^:; 
 on the south coast of Van Dieman's Land, where a settle- wS'M? 
 ment, named Hobart, was established, and from whence he 
 proceeded to Port Jackson, for the purpose of taking on board *f^^V^|i 
 800 tons of large 
 July 23, 1804*. ^J 
 
 After her return from ISJew Jsouth Wales, tlie Calcutta wasj??^f^^; 
 fitted for sea as an effective 50-gun ship, and then sent tOj^jpwt 
 St. Helena to bring home such merchantmen as might b&jj;yp*|v 
 waiting there for the protection of a man of war. Whilst ii»|^5^^ 
 the performance of this service, she fell in with and was cap- -*^^-, 
 tured, after a gallant defence, by a French squadron, consist- , -ii^^ 
 ing of one 3-decker, four ships of 74 guns each, three "1^*1.^^^ 
 gim frigates, and two brigs of war. The circumstances ot^^f^j^^ 
 the action are thus related by Captain Woodriffe, in his lettei?§<%ei^ 
 to the Secretary of the Admiralty, dated on board the Miy'es''^^^^ 
 
 \ '■!.•* 
 
 Wk tueux, at Teneriffe, Nov. 7, 1805 tm^'S^^i^^^^±Mi^&W^- 
 ' " In obediente to the orders of the Right Hon. the Lords Comini8«^|^^S;; 
 
 "^ sioners of the Admiralty, I waited at St. Helena until the 3d _\ujf -^*-^ ■-■ ' 
 collecting such of the Hon. Company's and other ships us might arrive, ,-,„.,. 
 and were willing to take the protection of H. M. ship. On that mornin^^f^^^^i 
 I sailed, having under my convoy the extra ship Indus from Madras ; 
 the African, whaler, from Desolation ; Fox, whaler, from the Mosambique 
 Channel; and Grand Sachem from the coast of Peru, all full ships; the 
 Wilhelmina, under Prussian colours, detained by the Calcutta on her pas- 
 sage out ; and the (>arolina, a large Swedish ship from China, which 
 claimed my protection. Nothing material happened during the passage 
 
 • The Calcutta left Rio Janeiro on her passage out, July 1!); touched at 
 the Cape of Good Hope, Aug. 16, 1803 ; sailed from Port Jackson, on her 
 return home. Mar. 17, 1804; doubled Cape Horn, and arrived at Rio 
 Janeiro on the 22d May ; thus accomplishing a voyage round the world, 
 besides discharging and receiving a cargo, in ten months and three days, 
 

 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1902. 
 
 ^^|g|^^l|; until the 14th Sept., when I fell ia with the ship Brothers, (tf London, 
 
 §^f-i^^^tp!j:Krirom Tobago, beinpf one of a very largo fleet from the Leeward Islands, 
 
 l^'^^^Juudcr convoy of II. Rl. S. Illustrious, from which she had separated in a 
 
 ^^^^^l^'gale of wind, with many others. This ship being very leaky, and nmch in 
 
 ^imm 
 
 i^^WllI'"^''^*"'' ^* provisions, the uiaster rf<iucstcd n»y protection and assistance. 
 
 ;^^^y§^.|^.'HJ accordingly gave him instructions, and sent two men to assist at the 
 ^tl^^%^?P^'°P^ ) '^**^ ^^'^ ^^^^ ^" ''' found, and sailed so heavy, that she detained us 
 ■i^^^2 at least one-third of our daily distance. 
 ;'?m^-J^^f}f »1 " On the evening of the 24th, the Grand Sachem re<iiicsted permission 
 
 ™- -PI 
 
 
 ., o^..¥ to part company, being bound to Milford, which she did accordingly the 
 ^^^^^^'^- next morning. We were then to the northward, in the stream of Sciily, 
 ' -'teilfer/; and in long. 12** VV. At noon we oaw several ships to the W. N. W., but 
 
 too distant to form any positive idea of their being either friends or ene- 
 mies. It was then nearly calm ; but a light breeze springing up from the 
 westward enabled them to near us fast, and night coming on, I kept be^ 
 twcen them and the convoy. 
 
 ■■'•S?^.""?ia4^l4-->r 
 
 ^\^|=f]f|t " ^^^ day-light on the 2Gth they had ncared us considerably ; and the 
 
 '., „Vh §!?.& '^''^t^*^^^ sailing so njuch worse than the rest of the convoy, kept n)e con- 
 
 '^?ll^^^^l'S^^^'*'®'''^'^^y J^teni. Had I not been unfortunately detained by this ship, all 
 
 l°il^^^^ woukl have been well. At six A. M. observing the nuuil)er of strange 
 
 ;^^:^1%*: ships increased to thirtccu, apparently large vessels, closely connected, 
 
 ■"•'"'■ "'and evidently in chase of us, I made the necessary arnuigcmeuts for the 
 
 escape of ray convoy, should they prove an enemy's squadron. At 1 1, I 
 
 
 '&;;:jf'^fV made the private signal, and waited until noon for its being answered, 
 
 f0' 
 
 ^.p^j/fM Avhich did not take place. I then hailed the Indus, informed the Cap- 
 
 . Jsjii^^'^W***"' that it was an enemy's squadron hi chase of us, and ordered liim 
 i^l^v^ ^ to make all possible sail ahead with the convoy, and at the same time the 
 !%|^^?t signal was made to them that an enemy was in 8iglit..^^|i5i5?^^i25;>;«f JjSs^S 
 " The squadron nearing us fast, I soon perceived a three-decker, and 
 ;.-r.Va four other ships of the line, witli frigates and smaller vessels ; and as I 
 Jl^j^S^ saw it was next to impossible for both H. M. ship and the convoy to 
 ^^^1 escape, I determined to protect the latter, and favour their escape at all 
 i^V?^^?^ll events. My own convoy having made all sail ahead, 1 again dropped 
 ' " ' astern to speak the Brothers, and recommended him to haul upon a wind 
 to the northward, which he immediately did. I then made sail to inter- 
 cept a large frigate, which was drawing up fast with the convoy. At three 
 P. M. this frigate being on our starboard bow, having passed me out of 
 gun-shot, began firing her stern-chase guns, which we returned with a 
 bow chase. This continued until, by the frigate's shortening sail, we got 
 obreast of her, when both ships opened their fire, but without any ma- 
 terial effect, in consequence of the distance the frigate preserved by her 
 superior sailing, and my leading off to the southward to favor the convoy 
 escaping. The distant cannonade continued upwards of an hour, when 
 the frigate hauled cntinsly out of gun-shot. During all this lime I kept 
 running to the southward, in hopes of drawing the enemy's squadron after 
 
 
 
 
 E'-V'-'f 
 
 3 ','^Sy 
 
 b| 
 sll 
 
 if 
 tl 
 
 >%'.- 
 
iftf'SsS^I 
 
 ?Si.'^»?' ■-?, ■'.; til'"". 
 
 ^?*#;r 
 
 hers, of London, 
 Leeward Islands, 
 lad se[)arated in a 
 'akjr, and niudi in 
 i>n and aislstancc. 
 to assist at the 
 itghe detained us 
 
 icsted permission 
 d accordingly the 
 stream of Scilly, 
 c W. N. W., I)ut 
 r friends or cne- 
 ging up from the 
 K ou, I kept be- 
 
 crably ; and the 
 y, kept me con- 
 by this ship, ail 
 nl)er of straii^re 
 )ficly connected, 
 gcroents for the 
 (Iron. At J 1,1 
 >eing answered, 
 rmed tiie Cap- • 
 id ordered him 
 same time the 
 
 ee-decker, and 
 icls ; and as I 
 the convoy to 
 
 escape at ail 
 again dropped 
 
 upon a wind 
 
 »ail to inter- 
 oy. At three 
 'd me out of 
 turned with a 
 g sail, we got 
 out any ma- 
 jrvcd by her 
 »r the convoy 
 
 hour, wheu 
 s time I kept 
 luadron after 
 
 ■■-%, 
 
 
 
 mc, and am happy to find it had the desired eflect ; for this partial actiott-i,1J^|^^^-; 
 broucht the whole of the squadron down, except the Sylph brig, whicU-§r;-l&^§^ 
 was detached after the Brothers. At five tne headmost linc-of-battlc shiri.yi'ArVi^;^^^^^ 
 began firing her bow-chase guns, which was rctun»e< 
 stern-chasers, still running to the southward undo 
 
 but with very little wind. As the liuc-or-battle ship was close upon ouK'B'i;'^^" 
 starboard quarter, and the Thetis about a quarter of a mile on our hir* fl^^'^^^ .^-^ 
 board quarter, I was of opinion the sooner I attacked the line-of-l>attla.-« 1%°^^^^.^ 
 ship the better, as disabling her was the only chance remaini.igof escape. j*^><fe^§. 
 I immediately put the helm aport, and when within pistol shot coinmence<l;:!it:^f^i-^^'"^|_ 
 tlie action ; which was instantly retunictl by the enemy, and continue(J^y.;;TSV->^^tf" 
 without intermission for fifty minutes. '■'T-t^r'f'^'''''^ 
 
 " As I »vas under the necessity of brii^ing the ship to action under nft*f.-i?^;i' 
 possible sail, she was soon completely unrigged by the enemy's fire.'.,¥;{^;'2t^;^|'- 
 Finding the ship totally unmanageable, and our escape rendered i"U>t>s-%^|t;^3jf?'|^;; . 
 sible, by the near approach of the rest of the encnty's sfpiadron, I saw^ttf-f^Xpfi ^ 
 that it would be only sacrificing the lives of my people to contend 'i>^n^ i^'i^'/M^r^ 
 
 'i'^iM 
 
 
 longer, and I was therefore under the painful necessity of ordering hi8ig?;g"^~:;^i-: 
 Majesty's colours to be hauled down. At <lay-light next morning I hadf'*^?^;i=l:l'^^ 
 much satisfaction in finding that His Msyesty's ship had not been uselessly>;}^^^f^^^- 
 sacrificcd ; foi the ships of the convoy beii»g oil out of sight (except the 4'fef\^^'- 
 Brothers, which was brought in by the Sylph), I trust they will arrive iiifj-f^'f 
 safety. I am further gratified, that in consequence of their escape, iiu;i';iJ-t.;*^']^ 
 formation will be given of this powerful squadron cruising immediately in *.^!{v'|;4S'^^S 
 the tract of our homeward bound trade 5 and the certainty, if my convoy' j?«/^^xs?^|£^ 
 arrived safe, of a superior squadron being immediately sent after then),.-;^§^!;|^^^«|t 
 determined the Commodore to quit that latitude, ami run to the S. W.^ *;.?v^lfe-^^ 
 but not till he hod captured seven sail of the lUustrious's convoy, 
 destroyed twenty-four neutrals iu the course of the cruise, to prevent 
 formation of his situation. 
 
 ■'** During the action, both with I'Armide frigate and la Magnanimc nnc»;y|^:y£g-^; 
 of-battle ship, though in the face of the squadron, the officers and men t'^fr:}J^^^i 
 had the honor to command did their duty like men, so truly couragcouH, y^^lfi^' 
 that no superior force had power to depress them. Much praise is due to , ;/|^^^^,^ 
 Mr. J. Tuckey, my first Lieutenant, Lieutenant R. Donovan, and acting f^^^^|?>;',' 
 Lieutenant, J. Collas, for their spirited conduct and active exertions during -j^;^, 
 the pursuit by the enemy and subsequent action ; and though His Ma- ';fS!,'^"^%*v 
 jcsty's ship has been captured, I trust the country has been materially "'•■-■•'' 
 benefited by the escape of the convoy, and its 8ub3e<iuent consequences." 
 Captain Woodriffe, his officers, and crew, after being tiircc 
 months on board the French squadron, and experiencing very ;^S,-.iC^ 
 bad treatment, were landed at lloch«He,'and marched irom'^!;^^:.,' 
 thence to Verdiui, a distance of 600 miles, iu the inclement 
 
 'i >\ 
 
 j4.~t;;ft'H 
 
 W»\ 
 
 <^iM 
 
IMS' .'<■_• ••■ 
 
 KfeffSS' months ol" J mi. and Feb. I80(>. Whilst at that clcpot, Cap- 
 tain Woodriffc made several applications to Talleyrand to 
 procure his release, but without success. About June, 180^. 
 however, he received an order, signed by Buonaparte, then in 
 Poland, directing him to proceed immediately to England, 
 ^nd to take the route of St. Maloes, a town which no English- 
 man AvaH at that time permitted to enter. On his arrival 
 there he found that all his letters, directed to him at Verdun, 
 ^^|.^^, had been forwarded from the latter place by order of the 
 5^'^||5^,%^>ench government; and on his proceeding to engage a 
 /^^Ifi^^i^essel to convey him to England, for which he expected to 
 ,,, 4#|f'''^ay 40 or 50 guineas, he was told that one was already pro- 
 fllJ'^C'?^ vided for him, free of every expence. The British govern- 
 ment, not to be outdone in generosity, immediately released 
 ;S|i^4*il#,^ French officer of tiie same rank as Captain WoodrilTe, and 
 sent him to France on terms of equal liberality. It is almost 
 needless to say, that the sentence of the court-martial, sub- 
 sequently assembled to try Captain Woodriffe for the loss of 
 his ship, contained a most honorable acquittal of all on board 
 of her in the action, and pronounced his conduct to have been 
 |hat of " a brave, cool, and intrepid officer." 
 
 At the close of 1808, Captain Woodriffe was appointed 
 agent for prisoners of war at Forton, near Gosport. Towards 
 the latter end'of the war we find him residing as Commissioner 
 at Jamaica. One of his sons is a Commander, and another a 
 Lieutenant, 11. N. His eldest daughter married the late 
 Lieutenant Colonel Tomkins of the 58th regiment, and died 
 
 m 1820. •^■°#% 
 
 4e-m/.— Messrs. Maude. '""^'^'^I!^^;^^^^'-:^^^^^^^^-:^^^'. 
 
 '-'■■'.•''''Hi' 'i**-'-"'"^ 
 
 £arA.f 
 
 mm\ 
 
 '??«.> 
 
 'r'A 
 
 r',%' 
 
 vS • •.'i-h" C-S*» •?"J« 
 
 '^V 
 
 i0i^^- 
 
 J ■ ■ 
 
 
 :^yj£rM 
 
 JOHN WENTWORTH LORING, Esq. ^^PH 
 
 ;fI/^S^; .^ Companion of the most lionorahle Military Order of the Batfk 
 
 . :.:;^f:^g^^. Iticutenant-Governor of the Royal Naval College. 
 
 a 
 
 W^-£f • *' 
 
 
 Fhis officer is a son of the late Joshua Loring, Esq., who 
 
 was permanent High Sheriff of the province of Massachusetts, '^^' 
 
 «_%>, 
 
 LXJ 
 
 n 
 
depot, Ciip- 
 lUeymnd to 
 June, I8O7, 
 irte, then in 
 to England, 
 no English - 
 1 his arrival 
 1 at Verdun, 
 )rder of the 
 ) engage n,v 
 expected to 
 ilready pro- 
 ish govern - 
 ely released 
 lodrilTe, and 
 It is almost 
 lartial, sub- 
 ' the loss of 
 ill on board 
 
 have been 
 
 1 appointed 
 ^V^^owards 
 fnrnissioner 
 1 another a 
 J the late 
 , and died 
 
 'Mi 
 
 • j«?i 
 
 '-&|%^, 
 
 & 
 
 
 
 K-> 
 
 ^•': 
 
 4' 
 
 SQ. 
 
 ff Bath ; and 
 
 Esq., who 
 lachusetts, 
 followed 
 
 
 I| the fortunes of hi 
 peace of 17^3 ^fri 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 
 
 Sl^ He was born in America^ Oct. tS, tffti ; chtereci the naval i^® 
 ( service of his Sovereign, as a iVIidshipnian on board the Salis- -.^^p^l 
 
 bury of 50 guns, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Milbank, .^.f^^ 
 on the Newfoundland station, in June 1789 ; and continued in tv^i.^ 
 that ship, under the command of Captain, (now Sir William) |fe^ 
 Domett, and his successor, the present Viscount Exmouth Tij||^ 
 
 
 till the conclusion of the Russian armament, when he vvas /(^^.^ 
 removed into the Alcidc, a third rate, conmianded by Sir An- v^^f^ 
 drew Snape Douglas, and employed as a guard-ship at Ports- ^^p|, 
 
 f mouth. Wc subsequently find him serving under Captains- ^"^•^> 
 Domett, Ijord Augustus Fitzroy, Edward Brown, and John4i|^|2J| 
 
 ^i Kniglit ; in the Romney 50, Orestes sloop of war, Conflagra- J^^J|| 
 
 feion fire-ship, and Victory of 100 guns ; the former bearing I^^iji 
 -^1:116 flag of Rear-Admiral Goodall, the latter thq||. !||i||if rd 
 
 'Hood on the Mediterranean station. t-^fjaC ^,,..^ 
 
 Durinff the occupation of Toulon by thelJritish forces and *Si^^^ 
 tlicir allies, Mr. Loring served as a volunteer at Fort Mul-5f^^^i 
 grave ; and on the night of Dec. 17, 1793, when that place -f|^ 
 was stormed and carried by the republican troops f, he iip-^>^^.^^ 
 Dears to have been severely wounded by a musket-ball !<V^ 
 just below his knee, which obliged liim to proceed in thef^^^ 
 Dolphin hospital-ship to Gibraltar, for his recovery. Froni;^^||^:,^|r. 
 thence, when scarcely convalescent, he look a passage ^ 
 in the Inconstant frigate ; and having rejoined the Victory -^ 
 at Corsica, again served as a volunteer at the reduction of-sK>':' 
 IJastia, commanding on that occasion a gun-boat, in which •*'*?' 
 he went every night at dusk to watch at the mole-head, and ,; ,,4^ 
 kept his station till day-liglit in the ensuing morning. '^^^^'^ 
 
 On the surrender of Bastia, after a siege of thirty-seven >|^ 
 days, besides four spent in negociation |, Mr. Ltn-ing was'^'is^ 
 
 Mr. Joshtir Mrtfi^S WllWf ^vas a C 
 
 oniinodorc in the British navy^ ' #2 
 
 aixl cuininanded ou the Lukes during the war with the colonies. Ills hro- 
 Iher, Captiiiii Jolin Lorini;', U. N., distinguished himself as a l)rave, intel^^:;,'-! 
 ligent, and active ollicer. in the late \vars with France, and died at F'are-riJ 
 liiuii, Hants. Nov. J>, 1S08. ■ik'j-^'&'^&t^ 
 
 ■§;« 
 
 if^^f 
 
Oo° 
 
 'O 
 
 o 
 
 % 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 G^o 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 f 
 
 i"! 
 
 :^ 
 
 o 
 
 pcP 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 ^ o ' o 
 
 546 _ O MsT-CAPf ATN9 OP 1H02. 
 
 i r^ 
 
 promoted to the rank of Lleutonatit, in la Flech6, a prize 
 V corvette, but soon after removed into the St. George of 90 
 guns, at the particular request of Sir Hyde Parker, whose flag 
 was then flying on board that ship. On the 14th March, 
 1795, he assisted at the capture of the Ca Ira and Censcur, 
 Q French two-deckers ; and in July following, witnessed the des- 
 truction of VAlcide 74, by the fleet under Vice-Admiral 
 ^ Hotham *. At the commencement of 1796, he accompanied 
 Sir Hyde Parker and the whole of the St. George's officers, 
 into the Britannia of 1 10 guns ; and at the conclusion of the 
 same year, we find him proceeding to Jamaica, as a passenger 
 in the Comet fire-ship, for the purpose of re-joining his pa- 
 tron, who had recently been appointed to the chief command 
 C on that station, and gone thither in the Queen, a second 
 O rate. 
 
 Lieutenant Loring was advanced to the rank of Commander 
 O in the Rattler sloop of war, about June 1798, and shortly 
 (|v after ordered to superintend the evacuation of the Caymites 
 Islands, near St. Domingo, in conjunction with Brigadier (now 
 C* Lieutenant-Gcneral) Sir Brett Spencer, G. C. B. The man- 
 ner in which this service was executed being reported as very 
 creditable to Captain Loring, he was, in September following, 
 gratified with an appointment to the Lark, a vessel superior 
 _ to any other of her class on that station. „ . o 
 
 Captain Loring continued in the Lark, cruizing with con- 
 
 O siderable suc^^ess against the enemy (capturing eight of 
 
 (d their privateers, and twenty-seven merchant vessels), till May, 
 
 Q 1801 ; when in consequence of the expedition with which he 
 
 O had re-equipped her at Port Royal, after being dismasted in 
 
 a hurricane. Lord Hugh Seymour, who had succeeded Sir 
 
 Hyde Parker in the chief command, was pleased to remove 
 
 3 him into the Abergavenny of 54 guns, and he was subse- 
 
 ' quently appointed to the Syren, an active frigcite, from which 
 
 o he was paid off at Plymouth in October, 1802. His post 
 
 coginiission bears date April 28th of the same year. 
 
 In 1803 and 1804, he commanded the Utrecht of 64 guns, 
 bearing the flags successively of Rear-Admirals Robert Mon~ 
 
 o 
 
 >9) 
 
 OqO 
 
 00^- 
 
 See Vol. I. 
 
 O 
 
 p. 364. O 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 u 
 
 ooo 
 
 o 
 
 00 
 00 
 
 o 
 
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 4^0 
 
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 f,n 
 
 J >- 
 
a 
 
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 QW 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 ech6, a prize 
 George of 90 
 Br, whose fla^ 
 J 14th March, 
 and Censeur, 
 essed the dcs- 
 Viee-Admiral 
 accompanied 
 rge's officers, 
 elusion of the 
 s a passenger 
 ining his pa- 
 lief command 
 3n, a second 
 O 
 
 Commander 
 , and shortly 
 the Caymites 
 ■igadier (now 
 The niun- 
 )rted as very 
 cr following, 
 ssel superior 
 
 ig with con- 
 ig eight of 
 s), till May, 
 ;h which he 
 ismasted in 
 ceeded Sir 
 to remove 
 was subse- 
 roui which 
 His post 
 
 >f 64 guns, 
 bert Mon- 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 Jo 
 
 n 
 
 <j 
 
 ;^T 
 
 /•'?> 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 547 
 
 o.. 
 
 A 
 
 tagu, Philip Patton, and John Holloway, on the Downs sta- 
 tion. In 1805 ho was appointed in succession to tlio Aurora, 
 Thames, and Santa Margaritta frigates ; but did not join the 
 two latter, there being an unexpected delay in launching the 
 Tliamcs, awl the generosity of his disposition preventing liini 
 from using liis commission for the other, when he found that 
 it would be unpleasant to the feelings of the gallant officer 
 then in command of her, were he obliged to remove into a 
 ship of the line, as at that time intended by the Admiralty *. 
 
 Captain Loring appears not to have been a loser by his for- 
 bearance on this occasion, as he was soon after appointed to 
 the Niobe of 40 guns j in which fine frigate he was despatched 
 to reconnoitre the enemy's ports. On his arrival off I'Oricnt, 
 March 28, 1806, he observed three large French frigates and 
 a corvette, standing out to sea 5 and, notwithstanding their 
 great superiority ,he immediately made sail in pursuit, succeeded 
 in coming up with the sternmost during the night, which for- 
 tunately was very dark with drizzling rain, and silently t(X}k 
 possession of ber by running close alongside and dropphig 
 two boats from the quarters full of men. Tlie success of this 
 undertaking depended upon the promptitude of the boarding 
 officer. Lieutenant Barrington Reynolds, who in the most 
 skilful and resolute manner secured her without being ob- 
 served by the remainder of the squadron. Tho prize proved 
 to be le Nearque of 16 guns and 97 nien, victualled and stored 
 for five months. This transaction was thus noticed by Earl 
 St. Vincent, in a letter to the Secretary of tho Admiralty, 
 dated on the .5th of the following month : 
 
 " Sir, — I Iiave great pleasure in forwarding to you for the information 
 
 of the Ailmiralty, the very modest relation of a neat action performed Ijy 
 
 Captain Ijorio}'' of the Niohe, who has just joined with the corvette his 
 
 prize, and as the Crescent has many defects, which require looking into, 
 
 I have dirccte<I Captain (Jarthew to receive the prisoners on board that 
 
 ship, and to proceed witl. the prize to Plymouth Sound. I am, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " St. Vincent." 
 " To miliam Marsdeti, E>q." 
 
 On the 20th (X^. 1810, Captain Loring captured I'Hiron- 
 delle French privateer, of 4 guns and 30 men ; and in tho 
 
 O 
 
 * See Captain Wilson Rathborne, C. B. 
 
 |C' 
 
 o 
 00 
 
 
 ^^' 
 
 rP 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 O 
 
 
 

 ■k» 
 
 :!'l 
 
 fi • 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 r 
 
 ■ --D' 
 
 548 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 course of the following month, he received the approbation of 
 the Admiralty, for the zeal and gallantry displayed by him in 
 an action with two frigates under the batteries of la Hogue, 
 the particulars of which have already been given under the 
 head of Captain Charles Grant, C. B.* 
 
 The Niobe was suhsequently employed watching the port 
 of Havre, and on the 4th March, 1811, captured le Loup 
 Marin privateer of 16 guns and 64 men. On the 24th of the 
 same month, she assisted at the destruction of one of her 
 above mentioned antagonists, near Cape Barfleur, by a squa- 
 dron under the orders of Captain (now Rear-Admiral) Mac- 
 namaru tj of whose oilicial letter the following is a copy. 
 
 " H. M. S. Dermch, offCherbourgh, March 25, 1811. 
 
 " Sir, — Having sailed from St. Helen's in H. M. S. under my cotninaiid, 
 in the afternoon of the 23d inst., I stood over to the French coast nnder 
 easy sail all night ; and at day-light the next morning, Barfleur light bear- 
 ing S. \ E. distant about twelve or thirteen miles, I observed a large sail 
 S. by E. running along the slioro. I immediately gave chase, and obliged 
 her to haul in for a small rocky bay, about one mile to the westward of 
 Barfleur light-house, where she anchored with the loss of her rudder ; at 
 eight, the Ice tide making strong, I was under the necessity, to avoid the 
 rocks and shoals which surrounded us, to anchor H. M. S. about two 
 miles to the nortluvard of the enemy, which proved a frigate of the largest 
 class. 1 had previously called in the Amelia frigate, the Goshawk und 
 Hawkc sloops, and ordered them to anchor, thinking an attack by boats 
 practicable when the weather tide should make. 
 
 " At noon, the Niobe joined from the eastward : the flood making at 
 four P. M. the squadron weighed, and having relintiuished the plan of at- 
 tack by boats, on account of the rapidity of the tides, I ordered the Nio!)c, 
 by signal, to lead as close to the enemy as the safety of the ships would 
 admit ; which wus performed with great judgment, the Amelia and Berwick 
 following in snccession. 
 
 " Surroundetl by rocks und shoals, our (ire could only be partial in the 
 act of wearing; at six P. M. I hauled off ; and on standing in this morning 
 with the intention of renewing the attack, the enemy set fire to the frigate, 
 and I had the satisfaction of seeing her burnt to the water's edge * * • 
 
 •♦ I am, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) •* J. Macnamara." 
 " Sir Roger Curtis, Hart., Admiral uf the 
 " lied, ^c <^r. Portmouth." 
 
 * Sec Vol. M. Part. I. p. :m),rtm;. 
 t See Vol. I. p. fi'M. , 
 
 h>- 
 
o*'vi;^t^;;'?v'vV-'*-''v-;^''v '■;■ 
 
 s>r,^|^v,, 
 
 •_c, • 
 
 ipprobation of 
 
 ^ed by him in 
 
 of la Hogue, 
 
 en under the 
 
 hing the port 
 arod le Loup 
 le 24th of the 
 f one of her 
 ir, by a squa- 
 dmiral) Mac- 
 i a copy. 
 ^farch 25, 1811. 
 ir my command, 
 tch coast under 
 ■fleur light bear- 
 rved a large sail 
 ase, and obliged 
 the westward of 
 her rudder; at 
 ity, to avoid the 
 I. S. about two 
 :e of the largest 
 : Goshawk and 
 attack by boats 
 
 lood making at 
 the plan uf at- 
 :red the Niol)c, 
 he ships would 
 ia and Berwick 
 
 partial in the 
 
 tliis morning 
 
 to tlic friguti', 
 
 :dge • • • 
 
 fAMAIlA." 
 
 4 
 
 t»OST-GAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 540 
 
 Soon after this event, Captain Loring was obliged to come 
 on shore for the recovery of his health ; and it was not until 
 September following, that he found himself able to resume 
 the command of the Niobe, which ship had been kept vacant 
 for him by the appointment of a Captain to act in her during 
 his absence. During the latter part of the war, he commanded 
 the Impregnable, a second rate, bearing the flag of Admiral 
 William Young, commander-in-chief on the North Sea station. 
 
 Captain Loring was nominated a C. B. in 1815. He suc- 
 ceeded the late Captain Wainwright as Lier'enant-Governor 
 of the Royal Naval College, Nov. 4, 1819; and has since 
 received a diamond ring, value one hundred guineas, from the 
 Empress of Russia, for his attention to a young protege of 
 her Imperial Majesty, who completed his education at that 
 excellent school, and afterwards embarked as a Midshipman 
 in the British service on board the Active frigate. 
 
 The subject of this memoir married, July 18, 1804, Anna* 
 second daughter of Vice-Admiral Patton, who then held a 
 seat at the Board of Admiralty * ; and by that lady has three 
 sons and three daughters. 
 
 The Lieutenant-Governor's eldest brother. Dr. Henry 
 Lloyd Loring, died Archdeacon of Calcutta, in 1822. The 
 character of this excellent clergyman is correctly drawn in 
 the Gentleman's Magazine for April 1323. Another brother, 
 Captain William Loring, of the Horse Artillery, served under 
 Sir John Moore during his celebrated retreat, from the fa- 
 tigues of which he never recovered, and died at Madeira in 
 1809. A third brother. Major R. R. Loring, still living, was 
 Military Secretary to Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Drum- 
 mond, G. C. B., Governor of the Canadas, during the late war 
 with America. 
 
 ■V-; 
 
 JOHN WINNE, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieulc: iv.it in 1790 ; commanded 
 the Rambler cutter, attached to Lord Howe's fleet, and ren- 
 dered essential lervice to the cri'w of the distressed Vengeur, 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 • See Vol. II Part I., uote •, at p. 93. 
 2o 
 
 se. 
 
650 
 
 [*Oii'r-cArTAiNs OF 1802. 
 
 til *;^.?' 
 
 on the memorable Hi June, 1794 ; served as first Lieutenant 
 of the Monarch 74, in the battle off Camperdown, Oct. 11, 
 1797 J obtained the rank of Commander, April 21, 1799; 
 and Post-Captain, April 28, 1802. He subbcquently com- 
 manded a district of Sea Fenciblea on the western coast of 
 England. ._ 
 
 Agetit—John Hinxroan, Esq. \.'.- .-. 
 
 K^<> 
 
 J , J « :.. . 
 
 ; Sir ROBERT HOWE BROMLEY, Bart! 
 
 :■■: Tiiis officer is the only sou of the late Sir George Bromley, 
 Biirt., representative of the very ancient family of Pauiicefote, 
 of whom mention is made in Doomsday Book, by Esther, 
 eldest daughter of Asheton, First Viscount Curzon, grand- 
 father of the present Earl Howe. 
 
 He was born Nov. 28, 177S» commanded the Inspector 
 sloop of war in 1801 ; and obtained post rank April 28, 1802. 
 XHiring the late war be commanded the Champion of 24gun8» 
 and Solebay and Statira frigates. On tiie 23d July, 1805, we 
 find him distinguishing himself in an action witk the *oncU 
 flotilla, on which occasion the Chaiupion was much r,.. \p 
 in her bull, masts, sails, and rigging, and sustained a . » -:' 
 2 men killed and 3 wounded. He succeeded to the Baronetcy 
 on the demise of his father, Aug. 17, 1808; and married, 
 June 8, 1812, the youngest daugliter of Daniql WUdon, of 
 Palham Tower, co. Westmoreland, Esq. „.,^^ ♦«iuii ,<■, 
 
 ^ ^i^c»/#.— Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. jr} > V» > .Ltv-ff 
 
 Hon. DUNCOMBE PLEYDELL BOUVERIE. 
 
 This officer ii the scctmd son of Jacob, present Earl of 
 Radnor, by Anne, daughter and co-heiress of Anthony Dun- 
 combe, Baron Faversham (a title now extinct). He was born 
 Juno 28, I7BO ; entered at the Royal Acidemy at Portsmouth, 
 in January 1793; and lemovod from thence to the Latona 
 frigate in April 1795. 
 
 Mr. Bouverie having completed the established period of 
 service ..s a Midshipman on board the Lntona and Cambrian, 
 under the command of Cjtptain the Hon. A. K. l-^-gge, was 
 
;.S?-'' 
 
 t Lieutenant 
 vn, Oct. 11, 
 121, I79&; 
 uently com- 
 ern coaat of 
 
 ■■ > , »* ; 
 
 Bart. 
 
 ^e Bromley, 
 
 Pauncefote, 
 
 by Esther, 
 
 :on, grand- 
 
 e Inapector 
 •U28, 1803. 
 I of 24 s^ma^ 
 y, 1805, we 
 the 'oncU 
 ueh c. II, 
 d a ..:■,- \ 
 i3aronet(ey 
 married* 
 Vyiiion, of 
 
 i".t ti - / 
 
 ERIE. 
 
 It Earl of 
 ony Dun- 
 was born 
 •rtsmouth, 
 10 L^kt^na 
 
 period of 
 ambrian, 
 ^ge, was 
 
 4 
 
 POSt-CAPtAlNS OP 1802. 
 
 prdmoted to the rank of Lieutenant on the 16th Feb. 1/99 { 
 he subsequently accompanied Vicc-Admiral Sir Roger Curtis 
 to the Cape of Good Hope, in the Lancaster of 64 guns, from 
 which ship he was made a Commander into the Penguin 
 sloop of war, by commission dated in Feb. 1801. His promo- 
 tion to the rank of Post-Captain took place April 28, 1802, 
 on which occasion he was appointed to the Braave of 40 gunft. 
 
 At the renewal of the war, in 1803, we find Captain Bou* 
 verie commanding the Mercury, a 28 -gun frigate, fitted as a 
 floating battery for the defence of Guernsey. In Dec. 1804 
 he sailed from Portsmouth as convoy to the outward-bound 
 Mediterranean trade: and on the 4th Feb. following, he cap- 
 tured El Fuerte de Gibraltar, a Spanish vessel of 4 guns and 
 59 men, from Cadiz bound to Algeziras. His next appointment 
 was about Aug. 1805, to I'Aimable 32, in which shij) he fell in 
 with and was chased by a French squadron under M. Richery, 
 when proceeding to join Lord Nelson's fleet off Cadiz. Early 
 in 1806 he was removed to the Medusa frigate, then under 
 orders for the East Indien, but afterwards sent to the Rio de 
 la Plata, where he joined the squadron under Sir Home Pop- 
 ham, Oct. 7> 1806, and continued to serve till the final evactl- 
 ation of Spanish America, Sept. 9, I8O7. The Medusa re- 
 turned to Sptthead with Lieutenant-General Whitelocke and 
 his staff on the 7th Nov. in the same year ♦. 
 
 On the 4th April 1808, Captain Bouverie captured TActif 
 French privateer of 14 guns, near Dunnose. He was sub- 
 sequently ordered to the coast of Labrador, where he remained 
 three months under the orders of Captain Thomas Manby 
 of the Thalia frigate f. On his return from that inhospitable 
 station, we find him employed as a cruiser in the British 
 Channel, and Bay of Biscay, where he captured the French 
 privateers 1' A venture, of 14 guns and 82 men, THirondelle, of 
 
 * The Medusa lusiiited at the cnpture of the town of Maldoi^do, and 
 Hie island of Gorrite, in Oct. 1806. The operations of the Brilith from 
 tiiut period till the final evacuation of Spanish Ainericn, have already been 
 dciftiled in our mcmoin of Sir Jotian Rowley, and other oflTicers. Sec v«)l. 
 '. note at p. 62 i, et »eq. 
 
 t S«>p vol. II. part I. p '210, ri *rg. » - *'.^ 
 
 2 o 2 
 
.;^4: 
 
 Wsfv 
 
 1W 
 
 ■•■K% 
 
 14 guns and 75 men, and several other of the enemy's vessels : 
 and about the same period he appears tp haye been electf i^ 
 M. P. for Downton, in Wiltshire. '^k^'^^^-^Mrf^s^^^,:^ 
 
 In the night of June 4, 1812, the boats of the Medusa, 
 under the directions of Lieutenant Josiah Thompson, were 
 sent by Captain Bouverie to attack a French store-ship lying 
 in the harbour of Arcasson ; and notwithstanding the rapidity 
 of the tide and the intricacy of the navigation, succeeded in 
 getting alongside, although discovered and hailed by the ene- 
 my before they arrived within musket-shot. The Frenchmen 
 it appears were at their quarters, and perfectly prepared to 
 resist the attack ; but nothing could baffle the impetuosity of 
 Lieutenant Thompson.who rushed on board at the head of his 
 gallant party, and carried the ship after a desperate struggle, 
 ill which the whole of her crew, excepting 23 men, were either 
 killed or compelled to jump overboard : among the latter was 
 her commander, a Lieutenant de vaisseau, severely wounded. 
 The prize proved to belaDorade, mounting 14 guns, with a 
 complement of 86 men, and a full cargo of ship timber. At 
 day-light she was got under weigh ; but after proceeding about 
 a league down the harbour ihe grounded on a sand-bank, 
 and the tide then running out with great violence, the captors 
 were obliged to set her on fire, by which means she was soon 
 completely destroyed. In the execution of this spirited enter- 
 prise the Medusa had none killed, and only 5 men wounded. 
 
 From this period Captain Bouverie was employed in a 
 series of active operations on the north coast of Spain, and his 
 zeal and exertions were repeatedly noticed in Sir Home 
 Popham's despatches, extracts from which will be found 
 under the head of Sir George Collier, Bart, at p. 523, et seq. 
 He left the Medusa in June 1813, and has not since been 
 afloat. 
 
 Captain Bouverie married, Dec. 27, 1808, Louisa, second 
 daughter of the late Joseph May, of Hale House, co. Wilts, 
 Esq., and by that lady has one daughter. 
 
 RICHARD GODDARD, Esq. 
 
 Poit comuiUititm dated April 29, 1802. 
 
 .V! 
 
 >».. 
 

 iy*s vessels : 
 )een elected 
 
 iMVv 
 
 i(§ MeStisa, 
 ipson, were 
 e-ship lying 
 the rapidity 
 lucceeded in 
 by theene- 
 5 Frenchmen 
 prepared to 
 ipetuosity of 
 i head of his 
 ate struggle, 
 , were either 
 he latter was 
 ily wounded, 
 guns, with a 
 timber. At 
 eeding about 
 sand-bank, 
 the captors 
 lie was soon 
 lirited enter- 
 wounded, 
 ployed in a 
 tain, and his 
 Sir Home 
 ill be found 
 523, et seq. 
 since been 
 
 lisa, second 
 e, CO. Wilts, 
 
 'iii^B^&j}:;: 
 
 ' This officer was made a Lieutenant, 
 
 tained post rank, April 29, 1802. He has been grinci^all;|r 
 
 employed in the Transport and Impress services.. ^MF^f^^^^^lS 
 
 ^■^' 
 
 "..-«• 
 
 
 ,! This officer entered the naval service as a Midshipman on 
 *$ board the Monarca of 70 guns, commanded by Captain John 
 Gell, in 1780, and bore a part in the battles between Sir Ed- 
 ward Hughes and M. de Suffirein, Feb. 17, April 12, July 6, 
 and Sept. 3, 1 782, as also in the action off Cuddalore, June 
 20, 1783*. The Monarca's total loss on those occasions 
 amounted to 28 men killed and 106 wounded. He subse. 
 quently served in the Nautilus sloop of war, and Stately of 
 64 guns, under the respective commands of Captains Thomas 
 Boulden Thompson and Robert Colder, the former employed 
 on the coast of Africa and at Newfoundland, the latter 
 forming part of the grand fleet during the Spanish armament. 
 
 Mr. Otter received his first commission in 1790, and we 
 find him serving as second Lieutenant of the Crescent frigate 
 at the capture of le Reunion of 36 guns, near Cherbourgh, 
 Oct. 20, 1793t. He was first Lieutenant of the same ship 
 when she encountered a French squadron off Guernsey, 
 June 8, 17941 ; and also of the Orion 74, in Lord Bridport's 
 action off I'Orient, June 23, 1795 § j on which latter occasion 
 he was advanced to the rank of Commander. 
 
 Captain Otter commanded the Morgiana sloop of war 
 during the Egyptian expedition, and brought home the du- 
 plicate despatches announcing the fall of Alexandria in 1801. 
 He afterwards accompanied a squadron under Rear- Admiral 
 George Campbell to the West Indies, from whence he returned 
 
 *t 
 
 ^;^Vt: 
 
 v?!, 
 
 • Sec V(»l. r. iiotcf ul p. 421, eliteq. 
 
 tSee Vol. I. p. l/M. j See />/. if<. 
 
 $ See hi. p. 17!' ami '2 Hi, tt tei/. 
 
'4 
 
 K 
 
 W4fj« V'' ^ Portsmouth, May 17, 1802. His promotion to post rank 
 ^^lln^took place on the 29th of the preceding month. ".<fr^-im'\imp-:} 
 From this period we lose sight of Captain Otter till the 
 autumn of 1807, when he obtained the command of the Pro- 
 
 
 
 -X^J|*<*Berpine, mounting 40 guns, with a complement of 250 men, 
 ..«•«, ,j^ which ship he shortly after conveyed Lord Leveson Gower, 
 
 '.AK'S,, 
 
 2;i^5i?^^^ the British Ambassador to the court of St. Petersburgh, from 
 "' Ix.'-v fvGottenburgh to England. His capture by a French squadron, 
 f-^^l*! oflF Toulon, is thus described by one of the officers then under 
 
 
 his command : 
 
 .-^ 
 
 " On the evening of the 27 Feb. 1809, the Proserpine was at her station 
 
 /^f^^'^of^ Cape Side, and had in the day reccmnoitred the French fleet in tlie 
 
 ;l'^^^>^^ iJ^IT'Oade and inner harbour; two frigates had been making a short excursion, 
 
 ^^;I;Y, but went in a^^ain towards dusk and anchored. Several sail of small coast. 
 
 ■ '■' tng vfissejs were out, and running down alongshore towards Marseilles, 
 
 which induced Captain Otter to run in and endeavour to cut some of them ofif; 
 
 failing, however, in that attempt, and having little wind, we stood off 
 
 again for the night, and strict orders were given to keep a very sharp look 
 
 ^^, ., .. out, and to stand in again in time to catch some of them in the morning. 
 
 f^4^*|\' Having the middle watch to keep, I went early to bed j the ship was nearly 
 
 
 &*a 
 
 ;:v>:> 
 
 j'Mi^T^^b^calmed, at about 6 or 6 miles from the Cape, and on my relieving the 
 f^-Jj»X'5.{^* <lcck, I found her, as near as I could guess, in the very same place, and 
 ''^.?^ "not a breath of wind ; it was as fine a moonlight morning as I ever saw ; 
 ■'^^,^ but the moon being to seaward, prevented us from seeing vessels that then 
 might be running along shore, and our ship being between them and the 
 moon, gave them a decided advantage. Mr. Brown, tlie Master, who 
 died afterwards in France, was the officer of the watch, and kept a con- 
 stunt good look out. Mr. Carslake, first Lieutenant, had left orders for 
 the men to scrub their hammocks on the main-deck, and that the mate of 
 the watch should occasionally attend to the same ; this caused me bome- 
 times to quit the deck for a few minutes. At 4 o'clock, I asked Mr. Brown 
 how I should mark the log ; he answered, ' head round the compass.' I 
 then called Mr. Rigby, second Lieutenant, to relieve Mr. Brown, and oa 
 coming up again I heard a man, at the look-out on the larboard gangway, 
 sing out, ' I think I see a vessel. Sir.' Mr. Brown took a glass, and on 
 looking, told me he thought she looked like a man of war : he ran down 
 to the (yaptain, and I went and called all the officers : when I got on deck 
 again I looked through my glass, and plainly discovered two ships, with 
 all tail set, very close to us, yet I could scarce make them out witli the 
 naked eye. All hands were immcdiutely called, and we in vain (it being 
 calm) attempted to escape the enemy, who were coming up fast, with a 
 fine land breeze : we made the private night signal, but they returned 
 no answer. 
 " At length we got a little breeze, and as (Captain Oticr knew the ihip 
 
 l 
 
 
 aui 
 ab 
 loo 
 
 sh( 
 

 ^!^.' 
 
 
 'ii\?.^: 
 
 post rank 
 
 ter till the 
 f the Pro- 
 230 men, 
 Dn Gower, 
 irgh, from 
 squadron^ 
 hen under 
 
 ; her station 
 fleet in the 
 t excursion, 
 small Goasto 
 Marseilles, 
 of them offj 
 e stood off 
 sharp look 
 16 morning, 
 was nearly 
 elieving the 
 I place, and 
 [ ever saw ; 
 Is that then 
 em and the 
 aster, who 
 :ept a con- 
 orders for 
 he mate of 
 me some- 
 Mr. Brown 
 mpass.' I 
 ^n, and on 
 gaujfway, 
 88, and on 
 ran down 
 )t on deck 
 hips, with 
 It witli the 
 I (it being 
 it, with » 
 returned 
 
 ■■I 
 
 mm^m 
 
 <P0Sf -CAPTAIN*. Of 1802|Ks^|i 
 
 sdifedl^iliyiy Btcro, he ordered the two bo#fi^r li^ ffiid cibfat, to 
 answer the doable purpose, I suppose, of atem-chasers and b&ilast. At 
 about 20 minutes past 4, one of the ships ranged up on the larboard side, 
 looking very large — her ports all up, lights on the main-deck fore and aft : 
 she had shortened sail, and was perfectly ready for commencing the action ; 
 the other ship was coming up on our starboard side, when the wind en- 
 tirely died away, leaving the poor tittle Proserpine in a very hopeless sifua- 
 tion; as by this time we discovered two 74*8 coming down to assist in the 
 unequal combat. Captain Otter hailed one of the ships, and was answered 
 by a single gun. He took the bint and beat to quarters. When the enemy 
 heard our drum they gave us a whole broadside, which salute we returned 
 in as polite a manner as we could : the ship yawed a little, and left her 
 consort in a safe position astern, where she continued raking us all the ac- 
 tion, withon' ir being able to fire a shot at her, as the two bow-guns 
 had been left i)y those who were getting them aft, when we beat to quar- 
 ters, and were no small nuisance, as on our larboard side two guns were 
 disabled for 20 minutes by tJiem, till they were got to their places : rery 
 fortuitately they fired high in the ship astern, to prevent our escape by 
 flight, as they had before witnessed that we coukl sail very fast. At a 
 little after 5 o'clock the ship alongside piped h la bordage ! and the cry of 
 Hve VEmpcreur ! h la bordage ! rent the air ; a light breeze which spnmg 
 up would have favored them in this design, had not Captain Otter called 
 all the officers, and consulted with them ; the result of wliich was, that as 
 the Proserpine wa^ almost a wreck, her rigging, masts, and sails cut to 
 pieces, 4 1 hands short of complement, with no chance of being able to aave 
 tlie ship, and the two 74's coming up fast, it was necessary to surrender, to 
 save the lives of the crew. The colours were then ordered to be struck, 
 after which they fired two broadsides at ut>, then took possession, and 
 carried us into Toulon. The two ships that took us were the Penelope 
 and Paulme, of 44 guns and 360 men each; tlie Proserpine had one 
 seaman killed outright, one marine mortally^ and eleven men slightly 
 wounded. The French officers stud they had none killed or wouuded, but 
 several of the crew secretly told us that they had several killed, and that 
 many wounded men were sent at night to the hospital*." 
 
 \\ 
 
 the ship 
 
 ■ • The squadron sent out to cut off the Proserpine, consisted of the fol- 
 lowing ships: the Suftrein and Ajax 74's, and Penelope, Pauline, and Po- 
 mone frigates, each mounting 44 guns, and carrying from 3()0 to 'AM) 
 men. The writer of the above narrative, when below superintending the 
 men scrubbing tlieir hammocks, heard one of thcnj scold another who had 
 twin sons on board, for breaking his own rest to wash for them, as he 
 said they were big enough to do it themselves. The poor fellow replied, 
 " Oh ! they wiH grow up men soon, and then will not forget my doing this 
 for them ; and provided lliat a shot does not lake my head off, ihcy will 
 tffut me to many a glass for washing for tlicni now." lu lc?8 than two 
 
 
||^^p9|}Captain Otter continued in France as a prisoner till th<*^# 
 HS^f conclusion of the war. On the 30th May, 1814, he was tried 
 W^sl^mil'^ by a court-martial for the loss of the Proserpine, and honor- 
 9l?^^W^ ably acquitted of all blame on that occasion, the court agree- 
 'M^^^j^f ''t ing that the ship was defended in the most gallant and 
 
 "<,i.v.-.-.',;H.»5(3»'v. .■■ j_^ ; J J ii._^ I __i i _i i_ 
 
 W^'^i 
 
 
 determined manner, and that her colours were not struck 
 until resistance was of no avail. 
 
 
 tig'^fi- 
 
 ■w-i.^t.^^^K^^sents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 3 ,'^iiy 4- , 
 
 
 •% . 
 
 THOMAS HURD, Esq. 
 
 
 
 •^^ 
 
 ■■'.i».-*.i??:\»~.' 
 
 rAff ^oart/ of ytdmiralty ; Superintendant of Chro^ 
 
 f-'r vi ^-^^ ',"sv Commmionerfor the D'ucovery of Longitude. 
 
 ^'%!S"^t" ' PaKvious to the first American war we find this officer 
 assisting in a survey of Newfoundland, and afterwards com- 
 pleting his time as a Midshipman on board the flag-ships of 
 Wei&^j^i!- tbe late Admiral Gambler and Earl Howe, by the latter of 
 |SS-^"S whom he was made a Lieutenant into the Unicorn frigate, 
 '^^' commanded by Captain J. Ford, in 1777. i%;^3S^2^||ip^;^ 
 ;&^^he Unicom being coppered, was enabled to come up with 
 ■:f{^y and capture an unusually large number of American priva- 
 teers and merchantmen, and Lieutenant Hurd, in conse- 
 W^W"^- <iuence, realized a considerable sum, as had been predicted 
 
 
 ■^Mil 
 
 
 'li^^lSk hours after he said the words, a shot actually took his head clean off; and 
 ^^^^- the heart-rending scene that ensued, on the boys 6nd'ng out that it was 
 i^SsS* ..»V jjjgjj. faiijgr, beggars all description. He was the only man killed outright. 
 The marine who was mortally wounded, knew his end was very fast ap- 
 proaching, and begged to be allowed to die on board the Proserpine ; but 
 he was sent on shore to the hospital at Toulon, and although he could 
 scarcely speak from his wounds, when he passed under the stem of the 
 French Admiral's flag-ship, seeing numbers on her poop looking at the boat» 
 which was the Proserpine's cutter, he made an effort to raise himself up iu 
 his cot, and cxclumed, 
 
 " You Frenchmen, don't talk of your fighting, 
 
 " Nor boast of this deed you have done : 
 " Don't think that Old England you'll frighten* 
 " So easy as Holland and Spun." 
 He then attempted to sing " God save the King," but cor.ld not, being 
 faint from loss of blood and exertions ; this gallant man was firm and col- 
 lected to his last moments, and affurded a proof of that sterling and truly 
 British heroism for which our scaiucn and morines have ever been noted. 
 
 
 tyh- 
 
 i^l^v 
 
 
 
 cc 
 sc 
 
 tl 
 
<S'i 
 
 j«,Vt 
 
 >ner till the 
 lie was tried 
 
 and honor- 
 court agree- 
 gallant and 
 
 not struck 
 
 
 rffffl/ 0/ Chro- 
 ngitude. ^^S:'- 
 this officer 
 vards com- 
 ag-ships of 
 he latter of 
 >rn frigate, 
 
 ne up with 
 can priva-" ' 
 in conse- 
 1 predicted 
 
 lean off; and 
 It that it was 
 lied outright, 
 very fast ap- 
 serpinej but 
 gh he could 
 stem of the 
 ^ at the boat, 
 liimself up iu 
 
 d not, being 
 irm and col- 
 iig an<l truly 
 >cen noted. 
 
 
 K^i 
 
 
 ■«.•.•!*'%*;•& 
 
 f.«/»-*.!!< 
 
 
 
 .n 
 
 
 POST-CAPIAIN^S Of. 1802. • ' ^^^-557 
 
 by the ^DoVe' hdblenian, who, on presenting him with hig 
 commission, had advised him to purchase an iron chest *<*^™^°^^?K-^'^ 
 secure his prize-money in ♦. In May 1779, she formed part oi^iVi^E' 
 the squadron under Sir James Wallace, at the capture of lai'i^l^l^ 
 DanUe French frigate, and the destruction of several othe|:^^M^ 
 national vessels in Concale bay, on the coast of France f. SCtJ^i^S^itovi, 
 Mr. Hurd was appointed to the Hercules in 1781 j and^f|^S''^^' 
 commanded her main-deck guns, as second Lieutenant, on|^%J, 
 the glorious 12th April in the following year J. He wasa;:^^;^ 
 
 He was;^^^: 
 subsequently removed, as first Lieutenant, into the Ardent, aK?pf42i^ 
 
 64-gun ship, recaptured from the French on that roemorabl%e||^^^!^i 
 
 occasion, and afterwards attached to the ill-fated convoy that^V^^fg|m 
 sailed from Jamaica under Rear- Admiral Graves, and sufferedlC^#S*^f* 
 SO dreadfully in the hurricane of Sept. 17, 1782 §. .^y^J^^^ 
 
 
 'M 
 
 During the ensuing peace he was employed on various^^ifl^ywa, 
 services : and it is to his scientific knowledge and seduloustf^^^ 
 exertions that we are indebted for our present knowledge 00*^1^^^ 
 Murray's anchorage, on the north side of the Bermudas. Th^?!^^^! 
 geographical situation of those islands, as well as of the manj^^A^I^^^ 
 banks and reefs, which on the north, east, and west sides,' :'^^,'^-®n^' 
 
 te^j^pf 
 
 extend to the distance of three, four, and five leagues, waa^^^j 
 also first determined by him, and with the same fidelity as th^s^ 
 
 kir-Ml 
 
 mM 
 
 
 channels leading to Castle Harbour and other places of an<ii?^|1 
 cborage. He afterwi 
 and in the summer 1 
 
 off Brest, the result of which was the production of an accu^j-y^^^pj^^jr 
 rate chart denoting the soundings, and pointing out the exacj^o|^^^]fv 
 position of the sunken rocks in the neighbourhood of tha^^g; 
 port. He succeeded Mr. Dalrymple as Hydrographer to th«^^^- 
 Admiralty in 1808, and died April 30, 1823. tihM^sf^MM 
 
 RICHARD PELLOWE, Esq. 
 
 This offiqer was made a Lieutenant in 1790, and served as 
 third of the Nymphe at the capture of la Cleopatra, Frencj^^^g 
 
 • The experiment of covering ships' bottoms with copper was first $%'"\2^* 
 tried on the Alarm frigate in 1/61 ; but the plan was not generally ^^^P^^f^;;*^^ 
 cd lor manv vears afterwards. '*''j?^4'F' " 
 
 many years afterwards, 
 t See Vol. I. p. 68. J See id. p. 602. 
 
 
 
 '#itei^;1i3iviff^^ 
 
 
IP 
 
 ,^tS«%f.^igate, June 18, 1793*. He afterwards commanded the 
 |p^^;^?;^ptter fire-sliip. During the late contest with France he was i'-i 
 ^i^^P^^rincipally employed as an agent for prisoners of war. ^.',y-%yU'- 
 ^mS^^m::: Captain PelloMe married, Sept. 7, 1805, Miss Sparg, J'Va 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^^^^m^enryn, in Cornwall. That lady died April 29, 1812^ •; ^^uJi I 
 
 ."V. 
 
 ^i?^^'^^^^^:^ JOHN DICK, 
 
 ■^f'"^"'' "° Ig^ir^M*? Imperial Ottoman Order of the Creif^H'i.' 
 
 
 This officer is a son of the late James Dick, Esq. who 
 
 ,, passed his life in the civil department of the navy, and a 
 
 |^:fl^^|!^^feousin of Colonel Sir William Dick, Bart., representative of 
 
 l-^'Sv^li^lshe ancient family of that name, long settled at Braid, in 
 
 >:Mid-Lothian, N. B. ^j.?;%tj-^i_^;^ ^^••.1:>4^■•_,°^.;^;:r^z.■:■•.•..; 
 
 
 s*^ .^^"^ 
 
 He is a native of Rochester, and entered the naval service 
 
 ^^|)iinder the patronage of Sir Andrew Snape Hamond in 1789. 
 
 His time as a Midshipman was completed under the respective 
 
 commands of that excellent officer, and Captains John Drew, 
 
 t^g^l-JFrancis Laforey, and Andrew Snape Douglas. In 1795 he 
 
 "''^'"''^ obtained the rank of Lieutenant in the Victorions of 74 guns; 
 
 .„,,,., and he subsequently served as such in I'Aimable frigate and 
 
 -p'^'f^the Majestic 74, bearing the flag of Sir John Laforey, in the 
 
 West Indies. His promotion to the rank of Commander took 
 
 ^|^|)lace in 1796, and on that occasion he was appointed to the 
 
 ;^^^3Bull Dog sloop of war, in which vessel he returned to England 
 
 ' * "S^* ^^^ period when our seamen were unhappily engaged in 
 
 Jacts of open treason, the expected disastrous effects of which 
 
 •-'jj. • 
 
 
 fete 
 
 ?^*|were prevented by the exertions of himself and those of his 
 M^J^i^fiNbrother officers selected to direct the operations of a flotilla 
 v-yi^'J^-^lJequipped for the express purpose of reducing the mutineers .vr^ 
 
 ^■^IfjfBt the Nore to obedience. 
 
 •-^•r;l,-j,. 
 
 y 
 
 t?|5| Captain Dick was soon after aprpolMed to the Discovery :j^A:| 
 
 i^p;ibomb, on the North Sea station. In 1799, lie accompanied ^^|||^^ 
 
 'j.l^5vtlic expedition gent against the Helder, covered the landBnffi|3<l; 
 
 S'^ffA'of the troops, and served on shore with the army till thfw^>^E 
 
 ^^^feiinal evacuation of Holland f. Early in 1800 he removed into^'ty^ 
 
 ';g5^.5;lhc Cynthia of 18 guns, and proceeded to the Mediterranean,^^'"^.>^'| 
 
 where he was moat actively employed during the remainder J'^'f4|. 
 
 • Sec Vol. I, \). 2\2. 
 
 t Sec Vol. I, aotcut i». i[4,ctset/, -^'•j'-"' •" 
 
:.:V^%- fi&:%,-:'>s' i:vf<, f^ 
 
 of uiiB wi^; "wis Vigitaiiee as aetifior office#aftMl^fg^1^ 
 other veasels composing the in-shore squadron employed in th#;^^^ 
 blockade of Alexandria, and co-operating with the Turks at i^f§ 
 the capture of Damietta, was highly meritorious, and pi*o-;^T*M 
 cured him the esteem of Sultan Selim, by whose command he'';?sM 
 was knighted, and invested with the insignia of a K. C. of the 
 third class, on the 8th Oct. 1801*. His post commission f"*'''^ 
 bears date April 29, 1802. 
 
 Captain Dick's next appointment 
 24 guns, in which ship he was employed on the Channel and 
 Newfoundland stations from 1803 till 1807. He then re- ,^s^ 2;,i§>?»^ifi^ 
 moved into the Penelope frigate ; and after serving for somes^j^l^^^ 
 time in tlie Channel, was ordered to join the squadron in, ?^^^rf*as" 
 America, under the orders of Sir John B. Warren, by whom 
 he was selected to convey Major- General Sir George Prevostv^i^-j^^j: 
 
 y^mi^mm 
 
 (^& 
 
 to Barbadoes, and escort thither four chosen regiments dcs- i^^^l'' 
 tined to assist at the reduction of Martinique f. The landing ^|^^|^^ 
 of the main body of the army employed on that occasion is/^^4^f; 
 /,^thus described by the officer to whom the superintendence of 
 Jl^the debarkation had been committed : ;;:|S^#^^^l^sSf<:*f ;;§^^ 
 ^;;.jj^ " H.M.S. Jcastu, liai Mi)Serl^^ihi. iiJPl^f: ''^^^^^ 
 
 :.\'\^vi Sir, — I have the honor to inform you, that at day-dawn of yeslerday.H^^^^^^' 
 ■/ the division of transports carrying the arnay under tiie coniinand of Lieu- >jt|fe#' 
 , ; • tenant'Genentl Beckwith, were four leagues to windward of the Carvelv^^^l: 
 
 „^,irock. I immediately bore up for Bay Robert, being joi nod io my waj5^^«| 
 -,-" thither by the Ethalion, Forester, Ringdove, Haughty, and Eclair, the i^^^/^ 
 ,'{ ' V Eurydice having joined me the preceding evening. sS^^"^^^. 
 
 i^v\ " The weather was uncommonly windy and squally, and there was ^:~'§t^:^^^J^^P 
 'hi'. **''y considerable swell as far Oiit as Loup Oarou. Neither of the small K^^^ 
 \%k.v ' ft-igates (the Cleopatra or Circe) had joined to go in with the transports j S§i«r»j, 
 ^-.^.'and not knowing what opposition might be made to a landing, I deter- p^^^P 
 '"^v^ mined to enter the Cul de Sac with all the men of war, that I nii;rhtf J'-^m 
 % effectually protect the troops, if occasion required, which I could not !^^|/|t^- 
 \ possibly have done had I anchored as far out as Loup Garou. Having " " * ' 
 '' therefore placed boats with flags on the edges of the shoals, I led in 
 i^ with the Acasta, followed by the Penelope and trans^prtSjj and anchored 
 ■; the whole of them about neon. ■■^B.Ji^^MiiS$i^ 
 
 " This decision* I trust Sir, you will approve, as it enabled me to land 
 the first and second brigades, amounting to 460() men, with a certain pro- 
 portioji of artillery and horses before sunset, which I could not otherwise 
 have done , and this morning by 7 o'clock all the reserve were landed. 
 
 
 
 

 U CD OO 
 
 .*j5' 
 
 o 
 
 OO 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 
 o 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1902. 
 
 oO° o 
 
 o o o 
 
 o o • 
 
 " To Captains Cochrane of the Ethalion, and Bradshaw of the Eury. 
 
 dice, I am indebted for arranging the boats for the first landing ; and more 
 
 particularly to Capt^n Dick of the Penelope, for superintending that 
 
 CD arraugement, and leading in the transports, which he did with great judg- 
 
 ^ mant. • • • •. I have the honor to be, &c. ^ 
 
 o (Signed) «• P. Bbavkr." 
 
 ^ Q) 0» fo 'the Hon Sir Alexander Cochrane^ K, B. 
 
 ^C. ^C. ^C." 
 
 'W o o 
 
 ^ After performing the services mentioned in the above letter. 
 Captain Dick landed with a party of seamen, and succeeded 
 in securing Fort Trinite, and other works on the windward 
 side of the island. He subsequently returned to the Halifax 
 station, and continued there till the latter end of 1811 or 
 
 ^ early in 1812, since which time he has been on half pay. 
 
 h^ ^ (p „ He married a daughter of B. Goodrich, of Saling Hall, 
 
 "- Essex, Esq., and has several children. , 
 
 Agents, — Messrs Goode and Clarke. 5 
 
 
 "^ 
 
 (J 
 
 OOQ. 
 
 cP 
 
 
 PETER RIBOULEAU, Esq. 
 
 ?? 
 
 it,. 
 
 40 
 
 gjO Tms ofinceJr commanded the Astrea troop-ship, and greatly 
 distinguished himself during the Egyptian campaign in 1801. 
 His post commission bears date April 29, 1802; and we 
 subsequently find him holding a command in the Sea Fen- 
 cibles. He is at present serving as Flag-Captain to Lord 
 Colville on the Irish station. ^^^ ^ ^ . ' ' 
 
 Agent. — ^Thomas Stilwell, Esq. O 
 
 >,'>=^^\^ ,S,^o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 1^ 
 
 tl!{ 
 
 
 ^, 
 
 ^c^' 
 
 JOHN NASH, Esq^ . 
 
 t This ofl&cer is a son of the late Richard Nash, Esq., Pur- 
 ser, R. N., and a brother of Captain James Nash, who ob- 
 tained post rank the same day as himt^elf, April 29, 1802. 
 
 -HA . , H* ">; 
 
 
 -\r- 
 
 ^STEPHEN RAINS, Esq. 
 
 iSn 
 
 m 
 
 This officer commanded the King George cutter, attached 
 to Admiral Duncan's fleet in the battle off Camperdown, 
 Oct. 11, 1797. He obtained the rank of Post-Captain April 
 29, 1802 ; and was employed during the late war as a resident 
 agent of transports. He died Feb. 1, 1824, in his 59lh your. 
 
 M3 
 
 
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 Co 
 
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 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 THOMAS HAND, Esq. 
 
 561 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant Nov. 6, 1778 ; and 
 commanded the Tartarus bomb during the expeditions to 
 Ostend and Egypt, in 1798 and 1801. He obtained post 
 rank April 29, 1802 j and subsequently held an appointment 
 in the Sea Fencible service. 
 
 Agent. — Thomas Stilwell, Esq. ' 
 
 FARMERY PREDAM EPWORTH, Esq. 
 
 Is the eldest son of the late Reor-Admiral Epworth, by 
 Jane, daughter of William Cuming^ Esq. an Alderman of 
 Totness. 
 
 The Epworths can V>'*ast a vsry :csptetabie ancestry, as 
 will appear from the followii/.g genoalogical jiarticulars : — 
 Lieutenant William ThoKjpscr ,^ whf > iied from iiie battle of 
 Worcester, Sept. 3, 1651 , with Charlec IL, ai\ii coatinued 
 abroad until the restore lion,, wii), the firnt k -5,0 that V'i^'«ped 
 on shore to challenge any persOL to .'Ingil^ combat wlw /should 
 oppose the King's lanc^mg. He icarriec? the dsiughter ol 
 Sir Thomas Lowther, a membsr of l\]s fainily iVom whic'a fi 
 descended the present Eari of Jx>na(iale. 
 
 Lieutenant Th»^mp3on*s daugh'^eif mafried a Ycrksbire 
 gentleman named Willio, whose ancestor accompanied l'i')g 
 £dward the First into Scotland, In the year l*2iif>. His 
 daughter married John Giii&o»i, j^;eat graiidwon csf Mausou 
 Htirrison, Esq., Envoy at the Hague, who was united to a 
 Dwtch lady named Breaderord, a niece t»3 tbe Eavls of Eg- 
 mont and Horn *. ^ , 
 
 Mr. Gillson's daughter married Faraiery, father of the late 
 Rear-Admiral Epwoith i , and graivdscr. of Christopher Ep- 
 worth, owner of the n>yalty ot Ke?lby in Yorkshire, Viciu: of 
 the same place, a'li Rector of Cioxton. 
 
 Farmery Prcdum Epworth, the subject of this memoir, waa 
 
 * There are large possessions in Holland to which Captain Epworth baft 
 a Jegal claim. _ f . 
 
 t Rear.Adioiral Epworth Am\ at Totncas, Mar. 18, 1804. 
 
 .« (J 
 
 o 
 
 
 O 
 
 G 
 
 G 
 
 U 
 
 ( ,) 
 
 €) 
 
 
 O 
 
 00® 
 
 C7^ 
 
 U,, 
 
562 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1902. 
 
 w 
 
 Ti 'I ! 
 
 born at Totncss, co. Devon, Nov. 30, 1766, and entered the 
 naval service in 177^» on board tlic Squirrel a 20-gun ship, 
 commanded by his father, with whom he appears to have con- 
 tinued but a few months. In the following year he joined the 
 Foudroyant of 80 guns, Captain John Jervis, under whom he 
 served at the relief of Gibraltar by Vice-Admiral Darby and 
 Earl Howe, and at the capture of le Pegase, a French 7^, 
 April 21, 1782*. 
 
 Towards the conclusion of the American war, Mr. EpwortU 
 removed with Sir John Jervis into the Salisbury of oO guns. 
 In Dec. 1782, he was made a Lieutenant, and appointed to 
 the Wasp sloop, Captain John Hills. The activity of this 
 vessel in suppressing smuggling was such as to call forth the 
 thanks of the Commissioners of the Customs, who sent a 
 Bum of money to be distributed amongst the officers and 
 crew, as a reward for their exertions f . 
 
 At the commencement of the French revolutionary war 
 Lieutenant Epworth'proceeded to the West Indies, on which 
 station he was frequently employed in boats, capturing the 
 enemy's vessels, and cutting them out of their harbours. 
 We next find him serving in the Alexander of 74 guns, com- 
 manded by the late Sir Richard Rodney Bligh, whose memo- 
 rable defence of that ship against a French squadron of five 
 sail of the line and three frigates, can never be forrottcn J. In 
 his official letter respecting the capture of the Alexander, that 
 excellent commander recommended Lieutenant Epwnrth, and 
 the other officers who were his supporters on the arduous 
 occasion, to the favor and protection of the Admiralty. The 
 following is a translation of the French commander-in-chiefs 
 reply to a memorial presented by them on their arrival at 
 Brest : 
 
 '* On board the AfonMifnc, in Brest Road, 22d Germinal, in the third 
 year of the RrpnhVw, oite <tnd indivriiblc. ' 
 
 " Gentlemen, — I have received the letter y«a dwl me the honor Ito 
 
 • SccjVol.I.p. 15. • •' 
 
 f In our memoir of Admiral Sir John Wi-lla xvc have erroneously deicribed 
 that officer as the romuiaiidcr of the ^Viisji at tho period alluded to above. 
 X An account of tho acliuu will lie givou under the head (»f Coininander 
 
 JaMKS (loOFNCII. 
 
■ --N.-<»,*»t^^,* 
 
 li-'^^K J 
 
 
 %'•■ 
 
 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 663 
 
 !red the 
 in ship, 
 .ye con- 
 ined the 
 horn he 
 rby and 
 nch 74, 
 
 Ipwortli 
 guns. 
 in!ed to 
 of this 
 brth the 
 » sent a 
 ers and 
 
 ary war 
 
 n which 
 
 ring the 
 
 arbours. 
 
 ^8, com- 
 
 meino- 
 
 of five 
 
 on J. In 
 
 ler, that 
 
 )rth, and 
 
 arduous 
 
 ty. The 
 
 n-chiefs 
 
 rrival at 
 
 the thiftl 
 
 r 
 
 honor Do 
 
 described 
 
 to above. 
 
 iinmander 
 
 write to me for the purpose of procurim? for you either permission to 
 return to England on your parole of honor, not to serve till after being 
 exchanged, or to ameliorate your condition l»y placing you in security *. 
 
 " You are not ignorant, doubtless, of the arrival of an English com- 
 missary a few days since, in one of our ports in the Channel, scut by your 
 government to treat for the exchange of prisoners of war. The represen- 
 tatives of the people immediately sent a courier extraordinary to the 
 Committee of Public Safety, to n^certam if they would enter upon nego- 
 ciations on the subject. We await with impatience the answer of thiH 
 despatch, which I hope will be fai'orablc to you ; but if tny hopes should 
 be disappointed, I can assure you, gentlemen, on the part of the represen- 
 tatives, that you will, in a very few days, be sent to Quimper, where you 
 will enjoy your liberty, and that respect which is due to your rank, and to 
 your distiiiguliihed conduct in the Alexander — conduct which gives you n 
 claim to the esteem of all Frenchmen, and to mine in particular. I kave 
 tin; honor to be, very sincerely, Gentlemen, your very humble aiul obe- 
 dient servant, 
 
 (Signed) " Vill.^ret JoYEU8R,Vu'o-Admiral and Commander 
 of the naval forces of the Republic."- 
 '* To the offictirs composing the etat major 
 
 of the late Engitth thip Alexnntler." ■.•..) 
 
 On his return to Englaiad Lieutenant Epworth was ap* 
 pointed to eonnnand the Pilote brig, and employed conveying 
 despatches to the West Indies and Channel fleet. H? ob- 
 tauied the rank of Comman ler in the Wasp sloop of war in 
 Dec. I7O6; and was posted into the Portk\nd, a 50 gun ship» 
 April 29, 1802. .; 
 
 In 18C ', we find him acting as Captain of the Prince Geo<^ 
 98, ill the Channel fleet, and subsequently commanding the 
 Goliah 7^) P^o tempore, off the Black Rocks. His next ap*- 
 pointnient was to the Sea Fencible service ; and he doeu not apt. 
 pear to have been called again into active employment till June 
 181 i, when he received a commission for theNijadenol86^n». 
 
 On the 14th Mar. 1812, being on his passage from Lisbon 
 to England with despatches and the post-office mail. Captain 
 Epworth fell in with five French line-of-battlc ships which 
 had escaped out of I'Oricnt a few days before. This squad- 
 ron chased the Nijuden the whole day, and was at onetime so 
 near as to exchange shot with her. Three large ships, which 
 afterwards proved t(» he the Northampton, Monarch, and 
 
 .'-.'■■ * " Ell >i)Ui cnvityant en inuUionncmciit.*' .' . 
 
 ,"}■■'■ • 
 
 ..tPt s . •.' .^ .». *• '" 
 
■|y!Sf!.t 
 
 It,*!?****-*' 
 
 '^*''^'^fm.^Si^„f«-'^ns^!!»~~ 
 
 ■i-- \ 
 
 € 
 
 !»<•. 
 
 11,: 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 tt:c-< 
 
 564 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Euphrates, homeward bound Indiaiuen, were then in sight, 
 standing directly for the enemy ; and had it not been for the 
 signals made by Captain Epworth, and his masterly manceu- 
 vres, they must inevitably have been captured. 
 
 Soon after this event the Nijaden was ordered to be broken 
 up, and Captain Epworth received an appointment to the 
 Nymphe frigate, rated at 38 guns, in which he was employed 
 blockading the port of Boston in North America for a period 
 of two years ; and so great was his vigilance that he com- 
 pletely stopped the coasting trade between the southern and 
 northern ports, and compelled the enemy to have recourse 
 to land carriage for the supply of flour and corn. 
 
 In Sept. 1814, the boats of the Nymphe took possession of 
 a fort in Sandy Bay, near Cape Ann, spiked and threw the 
 guns, four in number, into the sea, and brought off the guard, 
 and all the vessels at the anchorage, without the loss of a man. 
 
 Towards the conclusion of the war with the United States, 
 Captain Epworth was appointed to the Bulwark 7^, stationed 
 off Boston to watch the American line-of-battle ship Indepen- 
 dence, then lying in that harbour ready for sea. During his con- 
 tinuance on that station, in the Nymphe and Bulwark, he cap- 
 tured six privateers, carrying in the whole 41 guns and 309 men; 
 took and destroyed sixty-three sail of the enemy's coasting 
 and other traders; and recaptured eight British merchantmen 
 with valuable cargoes. 
 
 Hostilities having at length ceased, the Bulwark was or- 
 dered to Bermuda, from whence she conveyed Rear-Admiral 
 Griffith, now Colpoys, to Halifax. Captain Epworth was 
 then sent to Quebec, to superintend the embarkation of 7000 
 troops, and found on his arrival there, that the transports were 
 in a very deficient state as to their equipment. This, however, 
 was remedied through his exertions, and the whole were 
 escorted by him, with great dispatch to Portsmouth, where 
 ■ they arrived soon after the renewal of the war in Europe, 
 occasioned by Buonaparte's return from Elba, and conse- 
 quently in time to render essential service to their country by 
 joining the British army in the Netherlands. The Bulwark 
 was paid off at Chatham in June 181.'). 
 
 Agent, — J. Copland, Esq. 
 

 rOST-CAPTAIXS OF 180*2. 
 
 5(>;-i 
 
 ^^ MATTHEW BUCKLE, Esq. 
 
 This officer, a son of the l:ite Admiral Buckle, was made a 
 Lieutenant in 1791 ; commanded the Camel store-ship in 
 1801 : and obtained post rank April 29, 1802. During the 
 late war he was employed in the Sea Fencihle service, and 
 as Captain of the Adamant, a 50 gun ship, and Latona 
 frigate. 
 
 Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 .-W^.^^ 
 
 :Z. JOHN ALLEN («), Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant April 21, 1781^5 J^n^l Ji 
 Post-Captain, April 29, 1802. (^^ /yW*^ 
 urgent. — William Marsh, Esq. 
 
 /fj;3 
 
 ^, »g^'^;N* 
 
 JAMES NOBLE, Esq. 
 
 This officer is the second and only surviving son of a 
 patriotic gentleman, descended from a respectable mercantile 
 family settled at Bristol, co. Somerset, who after sacrificing 
 considerable property in the royal cause, was killed by a 
 party of American rebels, when proceeding to New York 
 on public service *. 
 
 He entered the navy in 1788, and served his time as a 
 Midshipman on board the Impregnable, a second rate; Ter- 
 
 * During the war witli the colonics, Captuui Noble's father raiaeil an 
 intlependcnt corps, consisting chioHy of (icrnians cnjploycd at the iron 
 works on his estate in the Bergen (*ounty. East Jersey ; and was nomi- 
 nated a Mtyor in Colonel Buskirk's regiuient, attached to General Skin- 
 ner's brigade ; l)Ut liaving received a bayonet wound in his right eye, and 
 his skull being fractured in an alFair with the repul)licans, he was thereby 
 deprived of hix reason for upwardH of eighteen months, during which time 
 the majority was l)C8towc(l on ant)ther. Having at Icngtii recovered, he 
 obtained an appointment as Assistant Commissary from Sir Henry ( 'linton, 
 in which sitnution he died, leaving three sons to lament his loss -, vix. 
 Richard, who was drowned in la Dorade, a French privateer, prize to the 
 Clyde frigate f ; James, the subject of this memoir ; and Dcjoncourt, 
 who fell a victim to the yellow fever when serving as a Midshipman ou 
 board the Vanguard of 71 gims, in the West Indies. 
 
 t See Vol. 11, Part I. n«ite • at p '^l 
 
 VOL. II. 2 !• 
 
 "t t< 
 
'S*. 
 
 
 'kiCf^ ^"j'^ J. 
 
 
 
 ^m^ 
 
 
 
 .•i-^i*),. 
 
 
 ihagant, arid Ferret, sloops ; Bedford, 74 j and Britannia of 
 100 guns. During the occupation of Toulon by the allied 
 forces, in 1793, he was engaged with a party of small arm 
 men in the various services on shore : he also bore a part in 
 the actions between the British and French fleets, March 1 4, 
 jind July 13, 1795*. 
 
 In October of the same year Mr. Noble was appointed 
 to act as a Lieutenant on board the Agamemnon of 64 
 guns, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Nelson, 
 and in the following month he fell into the enemy's handH 
 when employed carrying despatches from that officer to the 
 ;^ustrian camp near Savona. A few days after his enlarge- 
 ment, he received a very dangerous wound in an affair with 
 the enemy at LoHno, as will be seen by the following letter 
 from Nelson to Sir John Jervis, dated April 25, 1796: 
 
 *' This morning', having received information that a convoy laden with 
 stores for the French army bad anchored at Loano, I lost no time in pro- 
 ceeding off that place with the Meleager, Diadem, and Petcreli. Oa my 
 approach, I wu sorry to observe that instead of a convoy, only four ves- 
 sels were lying uuder the l>atteries ; which opened on our nearing them, 
 and the tire was returned as our ships got up, under cover of which our 
 boats boarded the vessels, and brought them off: but these vessels lying 
 5%Xi^ery near M»e shore, a heavy fire of musketry was kept up on the boats, 
 and it is with the greatest grief I have to mention, that Lieutenant James 
 Noble, a most worthy and gallant ofHcer, is, I fear, mortally wounded. 
 From our ship's keeping uiuter the fire of their batteries, we sustained no 
 loss ; the Agamemnon was, I believe, the only ship struck by shot. The 
 principal part of this service fell on our boats, whose conduct and gallantry 
 could not on any occasion have been exceeded ; imd I wish fully to expresi^ 
 the sense I entertain of Hie gallantry of every officer iMuI man employed Q|i 
 this occasion f." ^^:^ vi!f 
 
 In July following. Lieutenant Noblo, having recovered 
 from the wound which had caused such apprehensions for his 
 life, was appointed to the temporary command of la Cienie, 
 
 
 f>%' 
 
 • See Vol. I. notes at pp. M\ and 2T>t. 
 t The officers employed in the boats of the sqiuitlron were Meutenant-i 
 Suckling, Noble, Comptoii, t^ulverhouse, and Ryder. Not a mun war, 
 killed, and only three persons wounded, including Mr. Noble. The prizes 
 conshted of a ship, a ketch, mid two galleys, laden with corn, rice, wine, 
 powder, 8 brass guns, and IfiOO stand of arms. 
 
 
 •r'lijre 
 
 

 
 
 nilia of 
 e uUicd 
 lall arm 
 part in 
 arch 14, 
 
 )pointed 
 1 of 64 
 
 Nelson, 
 s hands 
 
 to the 
 enlarge4^5,> 
 
 "r with 
 ig letter 
 
 adcii witft 
 le ill pro- 
 Oa my 
 
 four vcs- 
 in^ them, 
 which our 
 9seld lying 
 the boats, 
 ant James 
 
 wounded, 
 stained no 
 bot. The 
 I gallantry 
 to express 
 ployed oil 
 
 L'covered 
 IS for his 
 I Genie, 
 
 ..... • -'»»^^ 
 
 ieutcnants 
 
 tnun was 
 
 The prizes 
 
 rit'(«, wine, 
 
 
 »5.^'*i 
 
 
 v'j'>''i^°.i'°° 
 
 a ketch recently taken it *5t Pier tl'ArpTi'x '^, armed with 
 three 18-poi'nders, and employed \n the blockade of Leg- i-^^^ 
 horn. A short time previous to this appointment he had ^^^fe; 
 been transferred with the Commodore's broad pendant, and ''•^^'"^"•'' 
 most of his brother officers, from the worn out Agamemnon 
 I , , . ito the Captain of 74 guns f. 
 
 ^ "" During the remainder of the 5'ear 1796, Mr. Noble was 
 employed on a variety of important services as flag Lieuten- 
 ant to the enterprising Nelson, in the Captain and la Minerve, 
 particularly at the capture of Porto Ferrajo, and the island of 
 Capraja, the evacuation of Corsica, and the capture of the 
 Santa Sabina, a Spanish frigate of 40 guns, commanded by a 
 descendant of King J.imes II J. 
 
 On the latter occasion Lieutenant Noble received several 
 bad wounds from splinters. \ repetition of Nelson's own 
 words will in themselves afford the praise best adapted to his 
 general conduct. Writing an account of the action to Sir 
 
 " John Jervis, he says, — " You will observe. Sir, I am sure, 
 with regret, amongst the wounded, Lieutenant James Noble, 
 who quitted the Captain to serve with me, and whose merit, '^^^^^ 
 and repeated wounds received in fighting the enemies of our 
 
 
 mv 
 
 
 ^•gi-'-r. 
 
 
 13.T- 
 
 
 
 f^'! 
 
 ;j'-i 
 
 country, entitle him to every reward which a grateftd nation |''|, 
 
 can bestow. 
 
 
 
 "S^IS 
 
 »^;V? On the memorable 14 Feb. Ji^^ the subject of this me- ^.#i^^^^ 
 moir was one of the officers who, under the heroic Nelson, *■ -^^-'"^-^ 
 boarded and carried two Spanish ships of the line, one of 
 which was a first rate, mounting 112 guns ! The particulars 
 of tills almost incredible exploit have siheady been given in 
 our memoir of near-Admiral Sir Edward Berry §. To that 
 account we shall now add some extracts from the Captain's log- 
 hook, which in the plainest and most unadorne<l, though not 
 on that account less iiitrrrsting style, sets forth not only the 
 
 ♦ SerVol! p. 51-) 
 t When the A^aniiMiinoii was dDcki'd in (hi. I /!>♦>, she had not a mast, 
 yard, or sail til. for sorvirc llfi liull liad lircii for a limi>' lime secured 
 and kept together liy caldcs pasM'd iiiidcr iier hotlom. 
 
 ♦See Vol. I., p .>20; and Vol. 11. part I. note at p. I5.*i. 
 § Sre Vol I. p. 771 1/ nftf 
 
 2 p 2 
 
 m 
 
 
 M'i^.it- 
 
vj^^j^pading events of the action itself, but tho&e also which iiii- ^^ 
 
 StS?S 
 
 H^'^it^^^iediately preceded it : 
 
 
 ■from la Minerve. •«*•*•»• Midnight, tacked per signal. 
 
 " A. M, ditto weather — between 2 and 3 o'clock, heard the report of (^i';'*! 
 several guns to the southward. • • * At day-light made the signal for a %i^ 
 
 m 
 
 il5i'^j>'^:^'->'vl^'^^^'C'l ^3 **" ^^^ other tack ; Cape St. ViiKcnt bearing North 10 leagues. 1 
 
 "^^y '•f''-- *^^ ■^ ^®*^ minutes before noon, we opened our fire on their leading ship, and Ci- |j| 
 
 exchanging broadsides as we passed J. 
 
 minutes before one, the Captain having 
 
 the last of the enemy's line of nineteen sail, i£"Jf 
 _ .,- -t, ■'t-'">t^ i 
 
 ^J-r^/%|^^j;g?i^fhidh were on the larboanl tack, the Spanish Admiral, in the Santissinia ^'-rv; 
 l^^^^ll^* '^ Trinidada, bore up, evidently with a design to join a division of his fleet, of -^^^^^ 
 . M^'^^"^ V eight sail of the line, which were on the Captain's lee-bow. Seeing th's tlie V 
 |.&-;^^'*^^;^^"f$^^^^^ ordered the ship to be wore ; and passing between the Diadem 
 
 '^_j^„^^..>j0'vland Excellent, she was immediately engaged by the Suntissima Trinidada^ ja: 
 §^^.^^*;0;;\4 a four-decked ship, two three-deckers, and several two-deckers ; so that atJk 
 ''t-l'^j?^;r?Jone time we were engaged by 9 line-of-lmttle ships, in which we were most . :-, 
 y^-l'-f't nobly supported by Captain Trowbridge, of the Culloden. The Spanish = 
 -! W"M:t'^^^^^ desisted from his attempt, and hauled to the wind on the larboard 
 
 " •^.^;J%|''/^,tack. About 2, the Culloden having got between us an<l the enemy, we 
 ,!^f^)?vj'jt'* ceased firing for 10 minutes, till we got a head of her, and became engaged 
 
 'as before. • • • 2*" 30' our sails and rigging being almost cut to pieces, . 
 
 :^r%"^ 
 
 iJi-Rfi! 
 
 XKjJf'':. 
 
 the Blenheim passed between us and the enemy. At 3, we engaged several 
 of the enemy's line, particularly the San Josef and 8:in Nicholas. Saw a 
 Spanish two-decker s rike to the Excellent, and soon after we shot away 
 the San Josefs mizen-mast ••«•••••*. 
 
 At 3^ liO' the Excellent passed us to windward, engaged the San Josef 
 within pistol shot, and caused her to fall on board tho San Nicholas. 
 The Captain, whose fore-top-masi was at this time shot awuy, immedi* 
 ately luffed alongside the latter ship, prepared for boarding, and, having 
 engaged very sharply for a few minutes, in which wo had 15 ni«-n 
 killed and wounded, the ConinMidorr onlered her U> be laid on l)(»ar(l ; when 
 himself, Lieutenants Uerry, Noble, and Pearson, and Messrs. SnmwHl, 
 
 
 I Nelson in his uecouni says 17 sail 
 
 
 'lufvV. 
 
 r5->a 
 
 ^M'^'iihi^ 
 

 IS." ■ 
 
 Withers, and Williams, IVIiiUliipinen, at the head of the boarders and 
 troops, entered the San Nicholas on the larboard quarter, and from her 
 boarded the San Josef, whose colours they hauled down at 5 minutes before 
 4 o'clock; the latter mountinif 112 guns, Rear-Admiral Winthuysen ; 
 and the former 81 guns. Commodore GerraHelino ". Found the San 
 Nicholas on fire, but extinguished it. At 5, all firing ceased. While wc 
 were entangled with both ships, discovered the San Nicholas to be on fire 
 again ia the fore hold, but it was happily extinguished by our firemen. 
 Commodore went on board the Irresistible. At six got clear of the prizes. 
 Wore to join the fleet, having been between them and the cueniy, who 
 stood towards us with a fresh breeze, but hauled their wind again. Em- 
 ployed cutting away the remnant of the fore-sail, and clearing the wreck 
 of ttte fore-top-mast. At 7, la Miner;'e took us in tow ; our standing and 
 running rigging, with all the bending sails, being cut to pieces ; our wheel, 
 fore-top-mast, and fore-top, shot away, and our masts severely wounded ; 
 the main-mast having three shot through the heart. Employed filling 
 powder, getting up shot, knotting and splicing the rijrging, and j)reparing S^- 
 to renew the battle. • • • f !.:% :-lgfe^^, 'MM^-^^^i^^^^fM^^^^^^Si 
 
 "•***. Found wc had ^4 meii ki!le(l, and "Sff wbuhdetfr In the *''" 
 Spaniards we took, the slaughter must have been very great, as there 
 were people employed all night throwing the dead overbonrd." 
 
 'JTic document just given is more peculiarly valuable, inas- 
 much as it is a plain relation of facts, given in the most 
 sununary way, on the instant of their taking place ; and 
 serves to establish beyond controversy a point, which those 
 who are sceptically inclined, might otherwise demur to '^i^jx^^'^t^i 
 
 
 .^v>y 
 
 ;:& 
 
 mMm 
 
 Lieutenant Noble was promoted to the nmk of Commander 
 Immediately after this brilliant action ; but his health being 
 very much impaired, he was under the necessity of returning 
 to England, and accepting a command in the Sea Fencible 
 .service on the coast of Sussex, where he continued from 
 March 1798 till the conclusion of the war. His post com- ,4^t^ 
 mission bears date April 29, 1802. '^--•^'^:s^^'^fii^S^:J<i^^ 
 i Captain Noble married, in 1801, Sarah, daughter of James 
 Lamb, of Rye, Sussex, Esq. jmd by that lady, who died in 
 
 hA'-\ ■;.•■''■; 
 
 * • Those officers were both mortally wounded, and died soon after the 
 action. 
 
 t A Flag-Officer, to whom the author is indebted for many acts of 
 kindness, doubts the possibility of Commodore Nelson's ship and her 
 prizes falling into the hands of the enemy ; and speaking of the passage to 
 that effect in Vol. I, p. 26, says, " it is a hardy assertion, and not borne 
 out by the position of the fleets as there staled." 
 
 ■ ^^ 
 
 
1818, he had seven sons and three daughterb, the whole of 
 ^^^ whom, we believe, are still living. He married, secondly, in 
 
 
 SW 
 
 Jl^ 1820, Dorothy, daughter of the late 
 
 ^■}'¥f whom he has no issue. 
 
 Halliday, M.D.by 
 
 
 SAMUEL WARREN, Esq. v <;-C^.?^ 
 
 
 ^•fi^^J^.v, ^ Compumon of the mo^i Honorable Mt'itartj Order of the Bath, 
 »f r5.v^4;,|; 'f HIS officer was born at Sandwich, co. Kent, Jan. 9, 17(>9 ; 
 
 ^:i^ entered the naval service in Jan. 1/82 ; and served his time 
 iSiM ^^ ^ Midshipman on board the Sampson G4, Busy cutter, 
 '^0^ Druid frigate. Colossus 74, London 98, and Royal Sovereign 
 l.#!siFlf; of 100 guns. The former ship was commanded by the late 
 
 ••«-. 
 
 :m 
 
 m*^^|rf^f^ gallant Captain John Harvey *, and formed part of the fleet 
 "*"f^4v under Lord Howe at the relief of Gibraltar, and in the subse- 
 #H'^WW4 quent action with the combined forces off Cape Spartel, on 
 rt"..;^ Jifhich occasion she had two men killed. 
 ^«^'* Mr. Warren obtained the rank of Lieutenant, Nov. 3, 1790; 
 ||i: and served as such successively in the Argo of 44 guns, Ra- 
 f miUies 74, and Royal George, a first rate. ' ^i^'^^^^^^^i' 
 W^^y£^^X^ The Ramillies, conmianded by Captain Henry Harvey, 
 brother of Lieutenant Warren's former commander, bore a part 
 in the battles of May 29, and June 1, 1794, and was much cut 
 up in her sails and rigging ; fortunately, however, she only 
 sustained a loss of 5 men killed and 7 wounded. The Royal 
 George bore the flag of Lord Bridport in the action off I'Orientj 
 June 23, 1795 f- 
 
 Lieutenant Warren was promoted to the rank of Comman- 
 der in March, 1797 ; and from that period till July 1800, he 
 commanded the Scourge sloop of war at the Leeward Islands, 
 
 ,ie.^.° on which station he captured several large privateers and mer- 
 
 
 chantmen. Among the latter were a letter of marque and a 
 brig, bound to la Guira with wine, brandy, and merchandise. 
 Previous to his return home he received the thanks of the 
 Counsel and Assembly of Tobago, for the great attention he 
 had paid to their interest, whilst employed in the protection of 
 the trade of that island. The Scourge arrived in England 
 
 ."H^. 
 
 m Aug. 22, 1800. 
 
 vcM^, 
 
 • Stc Vol. I. note at p. 61.1 
 f See Vol. I. pp. 7&» «'uid 2 1<>, rf xetf. 
 
 
f^^-iXTJ-^ p nljsv •<<^, 
 
 
 
 lole of 
 tUy, in 
 .D.by 
 
 !.%.*:'.f""i'_'s'y-..yip-i' '-' 
 
 1761); 
 
 is time 
 cutter, 
 
 ereigii 
 he late J, , 
 le fleet 
 
 siibse- 
 rtel, on , - 
 J-" c 
 ,1790; It 
 ns, Ra» J! "^ 
 
 .A 
 
 s-* 
 
 Harvey, 
 e a part 
 uch cut 
 
 2 Koyal?^;.- 
 'Orient,^ ii 
 
 ►mman- 
 SCO, he 
 
 tid mer-p^ 
 e and a?!-^- "' 
 landisct 
 
 3 of thCLt- " 
 ition he 
 ictioM of 
 England 
 
 fefell' 
 
 Vi. 
 
 
 " IJaptain Warren's next appointment waa lo tlie *Wsu^^^ 
 bomb, fitting at Portsmouth. His post commission bears date i^^^Sf^^^ 
 ^jVpril29, 1802. 
 
 
 i4^»M 
 
 ?t*^^3.^aatthat 
 
 In the summer of 1805, he was selected by Rear- Admiralv:S^^°v,^i... 
 ^^'^"Domett to serve as his Flag-Captain in the Channel fleet ; butv^^^^ 
 ill health obliging that officer to give up the idea of going to ^^'^^i ^ 
 
 it period, theGloryof 1)8 guns, which had been fitted^i^lj^^^ 
 for his reception, was ordered to receive the flag of Rear- Ad- ili||§^^ 
 J,;"' ^%lirul Stirling, under whom Captain Warren served in the actiwr^il^' 
 between Sir Robert Calder and M.Viileneuve, on the 22d July viin^^l?#^. 
 in the same year. The following are extracts from the Rear- |^^| 
 .^Admiral's letter to the commander-in-chief, dated July 24. 
 
 '^»> j^ . 
 
 \'-'':'\ ':■ ' " '^^^ great object I had in view was to obey your orders, by keeping in p^^aS^*;*!/ 
 L'?;' a foiunact line, whilst the signal for that purpose remained in force ; amf >l'^rS,M;i'. 
 ^J^_ therefore, as the Ruisionable closed with you, my Captain took care that /Lvl^^#^4*( 
 nothing could pass between her and this ship. • • • • We had only 1 'ihi^S^^^^ 
 man killed and 4 wounded j ♦ • • ♦. I have great pleasure in bearing tes- }'S^i^^'$^^:> 
 
 tiinony to the zeal of Captain Warren and his officers, and feel much con(i- ?^^• /.>?!; 
 
 dence from the good conduct of the crew belonging to the ship where my !^i'^?i^t^-^i;, 
 Htig is flying, if our good fortune should again lead us against the foes of ';'^''I'^^«?vv^^ 
 our country." M0):^§1^f^^MMf&^M&^^:^^ 
 
 ;•" In the ensuing year. Captain Warren accompanied Rear- il;^^^^' 
 Admiral Stirling to the Rio de la Plata, as a passenger, on ll|^I\ 
 board the Sampson 64; and on his arrival off Maldonado, he;%^^v^ 
 assumed the command of that officer's flag-ship, the Diadem fe^::^li 
 of similar force. His services during the sieee of Monte v-'-^^k-Si 
 
 I'- 'fi 
 
 S»i.,»' 
 
 "■<*V ?" 
 
 1| ^-^yitleo, on which occasion the Diadem was frequently left with fa*f ^1^^. 
 
 '/' only ,'30 men on board, were duly acknowledged in the naval 4>?l'-^'^5 
 and military dispatches aimouncing the capture of that for- r^^P& 
 tress, an account of which will be found in our first volume, at " ^ "" " 
 p,406.etseq. ., , .^ 
 
 Some time after his return from South America, Captain :^^^i^m' 
 Warren was appointed to the Bellerophon 74, bearing the ItSf^*^^ 
 flag of Rear-Admiral Lord Gardner, in the North Sea. We S^r^ 
 subsequently find him on the Baltic station, where he was 
 very actively employed under the orders of Sir James Sauma- 
 rcz, Bart. * 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ?vv»;^': • An account of the destruction of a Russian battery by the Bellero- 
 phon's boats, will be found under the hea<l of Commander Robsrt 
 
 ;^^1i^^^ 
 
 '■i.i:'^ 'K." :-'i£"**;:;yr'.-j^- , 
 
kflM%^^ His next appointment was, about Sept. 1810, to the Presi--^ \h ' 
 '^.-3mv^!5 vdent frigate, in which he assisted at the reduction of Java '"•> 
 
 ■^^^|t and its dependencies by the military and naval forces undef 
 P^^^' Sir Samuel Auchniuty and Rear-Admirnl Stopford. Whilst;^ 
 l|:T;sS} on that service he was sent to Cheribon with a flas: of truce, 
 ^■S':Sv»;v to demand the surrender of that place ; and after hoisting then ,, 
 
 Irflli ^^W/^\s -^"S^^^^ colours on the fort, succeeded in securing the per*-,""^ *,* - 
 d°5s;^f? sons of General Jamelle, commander-in-chief of the enemy's 
 troops, M. Knotze aid-de-camp to the Governor of Java, and 
 M. Rigaud, an officer of infantry, who had stopped at the Land- 
 ^^•».J^^ roost's, some distance from Cheribon, for the purpose of 
 ""*■ "j-ir| changing their horses, and who would have effected their 
 ^^4^'K escape to the eastward but for his promptitude in running thi»»-:,^^ 
 ^^M>^W: ther with only a few marines, to arrest them in their flight. 
 ''^^*' The fort of Cheribon mounted 12 guns and 4 brass swivels, 
 and had a garrison of 133 men. This and other services 
 ■ja performed by a squadron of frigates, to which the President ^ 
 f was attached, were of great importance to the ultimate re- 
 ^!!p^^^t of the campaign f. 
 
 j^-^'^"^'^^ Captain Warren has since commanded in succession tlifc|^>w?-ti 
 %^^f Blenheim and Bulwark, third rates, and Seringapatam of 46 "-tC^ 
 v'i^ •' guns. The latter ship conveyed Sir Benjamin Bloomfield, Aiipi|f5^^^ ^-^M 
 bassador to the Court of Sweden, to Stockholm, in the sum- 
 mer of 1823 ; and was paid off at Portsmouth, Feb. 5, 1824. 
 Previous to their separation her officers gave Captain Warren 
 Jjail'^S a sumptuous farewell dinner, and presented him with a gold 
 ^il*^ snuflf-box, value thirty guineas, as a small token of th^ijFJi^ffj^. 
 ;ir.r. s-^^'-^t^ci sn^arm attachment and sincere respect. ^'^^vv^l 
 
 ' Paptain Warren married, in Dec. 18()0, a daughter of ^ v'«^.?tj 
 Barton, Esq. Clerk of the Cheque at Ciiatham, and by that ' ■^^H 
 lady has had seven children, five of ..wKoni.iire noj*^ ..liyipg. l-l 
 He was nominated a C. B. in 1815.^^i^S^ijSM^^T\f jM 
 4^m^5.— Messrs. Brine, Chards, and Co. i^^^^^^Miferil^^ 
 
 on the coast of Fiiifend' ^i1l¥(!^olrc«(f ? 
 
 "S-vj 
 
 
 
 'V^ 
 
-ny--^ r-^<-'''''^''^^-^~v'rVp>^g. 
 
 ■M'^S'- 
 
 W.f^ty^\ ANSELM JLOHN GRIFFITHS, EsQ- ^^.^^ 
 [ "T^ *j<"jYj^ officer is ii sm of the late Rev. John Griftit'Mf '0! 
 ' ' "^ Kingston-upon-Thames. He entered the naval service as a 
 . ^ 'Midbhipman on board the Juno frigate, commanded by Cap- 
 I'^v^'' tain James Montagu, in Jan. l/Bl ; obtained his first commis-«4.'^^^3^ 
 ;^ ^ ' bion Nov. 22, 17^^ J and after serving for some time as first 
 i-*'"" ^ Lieutenant of the Fly sloop, on the Newfoundland station, 
 
 :\vas appointed, in Nov. 1792, to the Culloden of 74 guns, in f;;^^ 
 which ship he continued, under the respective commands o§-'^'^^^ 
 '' * ^Captains Sir Thomas Rich, R. R. Burgess, Isaac Schom-^^^^^^ 
 f ? « i-bcrg, and Thomas Troubridge, till his promotion to the rank ' 'M^||g 
 
 i^S'-y-: of Commander, March 8, 1797- 
 
 If-- ■ 
 
 K.^ 
 
 
 lS^'^^ The Culloden formed part of Earl Howe's fleet in the battle f--^^^^ 
 I^'" >-;^ of June 1, 1794; and bore a principal part in Vice-Admirj^l^-^I^Js.^ 
 'f?.; " Hotham's action, July 13, 1795. Her loss on each of thos^^^K 
 ^^t/'^^t'days was 2 men killed and 5 wounded. The services she ?fS^^ 
 v^^-'f^ performed on the memorable 14th Feb. 1797, have already #'^^| 
 r^','^Z- been alluded to in the course of this work*, and were thuil^^f -'<^ 
 ^7' ^' noticed by Sir John Jervis, in a private letter to Earl Spencer^iM^jl^:^ 
 respecting the conduct of certain officers concerned in the;^"^^! 
 engagement : ,p4py^^-Sf-*« ''Y^Mt^WA£^rt^^Wii''^'fi^^''-'i'''-'^~^ 
 
 " Rly Lord,-- -The cdtlfeet WndiTcf of 6very bflfieer ana iiiah in the sqiiii- 
 
 (Iron on the 14th inst,, made it improper to distinguish «)ne more than 
 another in my public letter, because I am confident that had those who 
 were least in action been in the situation of the fortunate few, their beh|l| 
 ^ , / viour would not have been less meritorious. Yet to your Lordship it be- 
 ?/.<-- %'} comes me to state, that Captain Troubridge, in the Culloden, led the . ^, 
 i^ ;''!ll squadron through the enemy in a masterly style, and tacked tiic instant <i*Ȥ v^^^i 
 i fy. ^^\i signal flew ; and was gallantly supported by the Blenheim, Prince Georg<^^!|^l^ 
 -01 "•*- v^ , 'M|||^-y»vM Orion, Irresistible, and Colossus. The latter had her fore and fore-top-sii^:*''*^'^" 
 )y that 'i^^^Vj^j^^^it'-'- y«»rd3 wounded, and they unfortunately broke in the slings in stays, which ^^]^a; 
 1:. ,;,,., */r' 't?.iliM%,,^^ threw her out and impeded the tacking of the Victory. Commodore Ncl- :\:^^m- 
 l^M'*1-fZ '*^"' ^^**' ^^^ ^" ^'*^ ^^^^ 0" ^^^ starboard tack, took the lead on the lar- :^^^fe 
 K^^'it* ^^^^^^' ^"*^ contributed very much to the fortune of the day, as did Captaiiif^t:.^^^^! 
 
 
 
 ■ !?;«;^ 
 
 /#;vf:'.i both." 
 
 
 '^^^ ^ ol- I PP- -1.25, and 7/5, also memoir of ("aptain James 
 
 ^.^^ ^"BLE, ivt p. 567 r( se'i- of this part. <-^g^SiNM^rN 'i.'''°' ^i'Wi' 
 
 |V?Si^!^"^'=^- 
 
 
o 
 
 o, 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 oo 
 
 (.^ o'^y f, — r VOfcT- CAPTAINS OV 
 
 M^S o% We have iiiBertcd the above document from two motives : 
 
 "^ oo 
 
 o Q) 
 1802. 
 
 
 W <3 
 
 o 
 
 o _ 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 G O 
 
 O 
 
 IOCdO 
 
 O^C? 
 
 ']°o 
 
 oo 
 
 o 
 
 that of she whig tlio estimation in which the Culloden's ser- ; 
 vices were held by the <iommander-in-chief ; and that of en- 
 
 O deavourhlg^o do away a misconception which has prevailed, 
 respecting the veteran Admiral himself, in consequence of 
 
 b'ljis having omitted specifically to notice the exertions of such 
 officers as most effectually contributed to the success of the 
 
 P^action*. It is now only necessary to add, that the Captain 
 and CuUoden alone, turned the whole van of the Spanish fleet, 
 consisting of three first rates, and several two-deckers j and 
 that the latter ship, at the close of the action, was in a worse 
 state tlian any other of the British squadron, the Captain 
 3i)^cO alone excepted. Her loss consisted of 10 men killed and 47 
 1^0° wounded. "o^C5o ^ "^ o" ^ ^ ^^ O 
 
 r>The subject of this memoir was promoted, at the period 
 
 Q o,-X)^^^ hTivii already mentioned, for his conduct as first Lieu- 
 
 '^ '^ tenant of the Culloden on the above glorious occasion ; a»id 
 
 iluring the ensuing dght months we find him holding an ap^ 
 
 pointment in the Sea Fencible service, in the Isle of Wight. 
 
 QHe obtained the command of the Atalante of 16 guns, in 
 
 Nov. 1798 J and was posted from that vessel, after eruising 
 
 Owith considerable activity against the etiemy's prurateers, in 
 
 Q the (Jjiannel and North S^^ April 29, 1802 f. ^® o 
 
 0^' * Charnock, in hk " Biogra];)liical Memoirs of Lord Nelson," at p. 74, 
 
 O says, " No particular observation is made on the conduct of Lord Nelson q 
 
 {in the official or Gazette account] : and that circumstance, perhaps, paVa- 
 
 ^ o doxjcal as it may appear, is in itself a matter of the hifjhest praise ; for it is 
 
 the natural infirmity of the human mind, to be silefit as to tiie promulgation 
 
 •^ of that worth, which it feels itself shrink os i^ were fron^ the task of payiug 
 
 o sufficient tribute to." 
 
 ToO o t ^n t'»e lOlh Aug. 1801, a gallant little exploit was performed by Mr. 
 2P 0( Francis Smith, a Midshipman of the Atali|j)tc, who with eight men, in u 
 ^°n O c^'^*^*"*^^ cutter, captured a French national lugger mounting two 
 ^o ( i4-poundcrs and four swivels ; the cool intrepidity with which he rowed up 
 
 >3 o^ ° in face of a brisk discharge of cannister and grape from the vessel, and a 
 ^ o ocross fire from two small land batteries, excited his commander'^ admi- 
 l)aD° o ration. The lugger was lying about mukset shot from the Frettch shore ; 
 notwithstiiiiding which she ivas boarded and brought off without any body 
 ^"0^^° being hurt on the part of the British, who jumped on board at the moment "j O 
 to "^ °; her I'low wi'To deserting her. ,^ ,^ 
 
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 In Sept. following, Captain Griffiths was appointed to tht» 
 Constance of 24 guns, which ship appears to have been suc- 
 cessively employed in the blockade of the Elbe, and as a 
 cruiser on the coast of Portugal, and in the Channel. In July, 
 1806, he removed into the Topaze frigate, on the Irish station, 
 from whence he proceeded to Davis's Straits, for the pro- 
 tection of the whale fishery, in company with Captaui, now 
 Rear- Admiral, Maitland, of the Boadicea. He v/as subse- 
 quently ordered to the Mediterranean, where he left the To- 
 paze and joined the Leonidas frigate in the month of July, 
 1809; a short time previous to which his boats, commanded 
 by Lieutenant Ciiarles Hammond, made an attack on nine of 
 the enemy's vessels lying at anchor in the road of Demata, on 
 the coast of Albania ; and, notwithstanding the opposition of 
 a very superior force, five of them being regularly armed for 
 war, and in complete preparation for resistance, succeeded in 
 bringing them all out, with the lo^ of only one man killed 
 and another wounded *. 
 
 The Leonidas formed part of the squadron under Captain 
 Spranger, at the capture of Ccphalonia, Oct. 4, 1809 f, and 
 assisted at the reduction of St. Maura, by the military and 
 naval forces under Brigadier-General Oswald, Jind Captain 
 George Eyre, in March and April, 1810. The particulars of 
 that service are detailed in the latter officer's public letter, a 
 copy of which will be found at p. 404, et seq. of Vol. II. part 1. 
 
 Captain Griffiths left the Leonidas, in 1813, and has not 
 since been afloat. He married, June 7, 1802, Miss Parker, 
 of Arundel. 
 
 ^gcnt. — Harry Cook, Esq. 
 
 ■T * 
 * The vessels captured on this occasion were h>adetl with timber uud 
 brandy on government account, and were bound to Corfu, where their 
 cargoes were much needed. They consisted of three armed vessels curry- 
 ing in the whole 15 guns, 6 swivtU> and \)'i ninn \ two gun-boats ; uud 
 four trabaccolas. Lieutenaut Hammond had previously received a severe 
 wound, wheieUy hte right hand was rendered nearly useless, when cutting 
 out two vessels on the same coast ; he subsequently distinguished himself 
 at the destruction of a French convoy in the bay of Rosas, an account of 
 which will !)c given in our memoir of Captain John Tailolu. 
 
 (*) X !See Vol. I, p 7iy. 
 
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576 
 
 POST-CAPTAINg OF 1802. 
 
 GEORGE BURDETT, Esq. 
 
 This officer was first Lieutenant of the Egmont 74, com- 
 manded by the present Admiral Sir John Sutton, in the action 
 oflF Cape St. Vincent, Feb. 14, 1/97 J a»d commanded hi 
 Sophie sloop of war, on the Newfoundland station, during the 
 last three years of the French revolutionary war. He was 
 nominated to a command in the Irish Sea Fencibles about 
 Dec. 1803 ; and appointed to the Maidstone frigate towards 
 the latter end of 1811. From that period he was principally 
 employed on the Halifax station, till the close of the contest 
 between Great Britain and the United States. 
 
 On the 1st of Aug. 1812, the boats of the Maidstone and 
 Spartan destroyed two American privateers in the bay of 
 Fundy ; and two days afterwards attacked and brought out a 
 revenue cutter of 6 guns, pierced for 10, and three schooners 
 mounting 2 guns each. On the 17th Oct. following, the same 
 ships captured the Rapid, a fine privateer brig, of 14 guns and 
 84 men. 
 
 In Feb. 1813, we find Captain Burdett employed in the 
 Chesapeake, with a squadron of frigates under his orders, the 
 activity of which, hi annoying the eneniy, may be inferred 
 from the following copy of a general memorandum issued by 
 liear-Admiral Cockburn : 
 
 " //. M. S. Marlborough, Ltjn -haven Day, Chesapeah', Mar. 4, 181.'}. 
 " Ocii. Mem. — Cuptain Burdett having tranbinlttcd to mc the copy of u 
 letter, daledFcl). 9, 1813, which he has written to the coiiiinandcr-in-chicf, 
 piving an account of the capture of the Lottery (a schooner of 12 guns) in a 
 most gallant style, by a division of boats under the command of liieutenant 
 Nuzer ; and the copy of another letter, dated the 14th Feb., stating the in- 
 variably gallant, active, and zealous conduct of every officer and man of 
 the small squadron of frigates lately employed in this bay under his orders, 
 ' cannot resist anticipating the commander-in-chief in taking public noiicc 
 thereof, and in requesting the respective Captains of the said frigates to 
 make known to their officers and crews, the high sense I entertain of their 
 good conduct — the honor such behaviour does to themselves and their 
 country — and to assure them how higldy satisfied the commander-in-chief 
 will be when he receives these accounts, and that I am sure he will not fail 
 to inform the Admiralty and their Country thereof, with due encomiums. 
 I have also io request the respective Captains will trauismit iuuncdiatcly to 
 

 ^^r 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 ^77 
 
 tlic Secretary of ilie Patriotic Fund, the neccsaary certiftcatcs to obtain, 
 with the least possible delay, fur those who have been wouuded, the usual 
 necessary rewards. • 
 
 (Sjp;no(|) " Geo. Cockhi;rn, Rcar-Admiral." 
 
 " To the Ciiptn'ms of (he MaUhtonr, 
 Jie/nitht'ff, Junon, Stntim, and Laurexttnux." • ° '^ -^ 
 
 Ciiptaii) Bnrdett married, first, in 1802, a daughter of 
 Lieutenant-Gencral Whitelocke, at that period Lieutenant- 
 Governor of Portssmouth ; and, secondly, May 15, 1806, tlie 
 only daughter of Colonel Brown, of Glcnnagary, in the 
 comity of Dublin. 
 
 Agent. — ^J. Copland, Esq. ^ 
 
 JAMES NASH, Esq. 
 
 This officer is a brother of Captain John Nash, R. N. His 
 post commission bears date April 29, 1802, 
 ylgent. — John Chippendale, Esq. 
 
 J 
 
 PETER SPICER, Esq. 
 
 Of this officer's services whilst a Lieuti ant, it would he 
 sufficient to say that he served as such unch^r Nelson, in his 
 favorite ship tlu Agamemnon ; but as he had the honor of 
 being repeattilly mention' d by tliat great man, in his official 
 accounts of the immerous actions in which the officers anil 
 men under his orders were engaged, it may not i-e ami^s to 
 introduce a few cxtracta from those despptches respecting him. 
 
 On the 2()tli Aug. 1795, the boats of the Agamemnon and 
 other ships, ctil out of tlie bay of Alassio, la liesolu, French 
 national polacrc, of 10 guns, 4 swivels, and 87 nicjj ; la Ke- 
 publique, of G guns and 49 men ; twj armed gallics ; iuid 
 
 • Th«« bottory was from HalliMoro bound to Bourdcaux, witli a carjifo 
 of cotl't'o, HU|{ar, and bt^wood. Au obstinate wur her defence, that of a 
 coniph;mcnt of l^S men, no Ichs than i!^ including her commander, were 
 dan^n'rously wonmled. The British boul. iiad only <> wounded. Having 
 but an imperfect li«t at |in'senl of the nnmeroiis captures in which Captain 
 Bnnh'tt was c<»ncerned whilst on ihi; American coaPt, we siiall dt-for no- 
 ticing I hem more fully until the puldicution t^f our promised Supplement 
 to the Addenda contained in \ ol. 1. 
 
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 three tianspoits laden with powder, shells, and wine ; two 
 others in ballast ; and dcstroj'ed three vessels laden with 
 ammunition and provisionr,. -^_ ., 
 
 This enterprise was soon succeeded by another, which did 
 not terminate quite so successfully. It is detailed in the 
 following letter from Nelson to Vice-Aduural Hotham, dated 
 Vado Bay, Aug. 30, 1795 : 
 
 " Sir, — Having received information that a ship lailcn with provisions 
 was arrived at Oncglia, I yesterday afternoon niaiinc<l the two small gallics 
 taken on the 26th, with 44 officers and men from the Agamemnon, and 
 10 men belonging to the Southampton, under the command of Lieutenant 
 (icorge Andrews, and Lieutenant Peter Spiccr of the Agamemnon ; and 
 ordered Lieutenant Andrews to proceed to Oneglia, and to endeavour to 
 tal\C the said ship. On his passage down, about nine at night, he fell in 
 with three large vessels with lateen sails, which lie engaged at ten o'clock. 
 One of these >vas carried by boarding ; but the men belonging to her re- 
 tiring to the others, cut her adrift, the three vessels being made fast to- 
 gether. At half past ten the attack on the other two was renewed with 
 the greatest spirit ; but the number of men en board was too great, united 
 with the height of their vessels, for our force; and my gallant officers and 
 men, after a long contest, were obliged to retreat. It is with the greatest 
 pain 1 have to render so long a list of killed and wounded. The spirited 
 and officer-like conduct of Lieutenants Andrews and Spicer, I cannot 
 sufficiently applaud ; and every praise is due to each individual, for their 
 exemplary bravery and good conduct. The vessels had no colours hoisted, 
 but a Greek flag has been found on board the prize." 
 
 In this UTifortunate affair tlu; gallanf party had no less than 
 4 men killed and 13 wounded. The following additioruil 
 information is extracted frt)m a letter to Mrs. Nelson, dated 
 
 Sept. 1, 17J>5. -z::^ ;. \i\. " .-■: :-^.J '/" x '^ :;,• 
 
 " \Vc have made a small expedition witi; the K(]ua<lron, and taken a 
 I'Vcnch corvctK! «»nd some other vessels, in which affair I lo^t no men ; , 
 but since, I b vc uoi been so successful. I detached Mr. Andrews* to 
 cut oil u .-ship from Oneglia. On his passafjr he fell in with three Turki.sh 
 vessels, as it has riiiice (urneti out, who killed and wounded 17 of my poor O 
 fellows. S(»ven are alruady <lca(l, and more wiust be loai by the badnesit r\ 
 of their wounds. I am .>«)rry to tuhl that titc Turks got into Genoa, with 
 six millionH of hard cosh : however, they who play at bowls must cxpoci 
 nibs ; Aiid the worse success now, the better, I hope, anot! m timo." o^ £}> 
 
 
 
 On the 3ht Ma\ , 17^)0, 
 
 • I<i«!ut(Miant .•\ndrewi wn;* afterwarcU ujude u I'osM'aptain 
 
 Nelson's Minadron (aptiired a 
 
 He died ^'^ 
 
 at Tiverton, July IS. IHIO. 
 
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 POST-CAPTAINS d# 1802. 
 
 
 valucibte convoy laden with arms, ammunition, cntrcnchii»g^° ^ 
 tools, &c., sent to Buonaparte for the purpose of enabling 
 him to carry on the siege of Mantua. The Commodore's 
 account thereof will be found at i>. 519 et sea. of Vol. I, On 
 a subsequent day he writes thus : " - ^^%S*'," 
 
 " In my public letter it was impossible to enumerate every individual ;'^^ifi °.' 
 but next to Captain Cockburn stands Captain Stuart of the Pctercir, PoY°\i 
 Spicer comman('<cd the boats which first boarded the ketch *, under a hcavv ° o o 
 fiiT, and had a liit.le skirmish when on board ; and to him ihc commander^ o'^ oo°^ 
 
 ' O _( 
 
 siirrcndercd." 
 
 ■AR" 
 
 ■■i<° °&.^^0 % 
 
 In the following month, Commodore Nelson shifted his ;\„o| 
 
 
 OOq 
 
 broad pendant into the Captain of 74 gu"s, on which occa- 
 sion the whole of the Agamenmon's officers, with the oxccp'' °°°° 
 tion of one Lieutenant and the Master, were exchanged^ atul 
 [\)n()wed him. -^^&:^;:^-^^« ^^ .. ?f%:^s ^ji.^,if?^^f^ir'^^ _ o - o o 
 
 About this period the French army, under Buonaparte, 
 entered Leghorn, and Nelson immediately conjmenced a 
 vigorous blockade of that port. He soon after took posses- ^^ 
 sion of Porto Ferrajo, in order to prevent the island of J'^lba ^o 
 from falling into the enemy's possession, in which case thco ^ 
 safety of Corsir'i would have been rendered extremely n ° o' 
 doubtful. ^ Q<^^ 
 
 On the 18th Sept. in the same year Capraja, an i^and o O q 
 situated about 3; miles from C'orsica, was also secured by the ^ O 
 
 sipiadron. On this occasion, as appears by the Comnmdore's q 
 
 account of the operations, *' a party of seamen were lauded^'"' o^ ^ 
 under Lieutoniint Spicer, who dragged cannon up the mounJ} q q 
 tain with their usual spirit and alacrity." ^ o o ^^^ 8 ^ 
 
 It was on the l.'kh Feb. in the eventful yeir \J97i that 
 Conunodore Nelson again hoisted his pendant in the Caplnin, Q 
 
 fiom which he had occasionally renu)ved it into qther ships, Q CPO 
 for the purpose of superintending the evacuation of Crtrsica, CD '^ 
 1 the removal of the naval eHta!)lishment and storcf^ from ^ 
 
 ant 
 
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 I'orlo Ferrajo, measiuTs that had beconu' necessary in eoipQ q 
 se(|iu'nce of tlie turbulent disposition of the (!orsican!i, the 
 
 r^ivvnt declajation of wju- by Iblpuiu, and the wa'st of a surtitMent O 
 
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 'victories i?veF vecordetl in our naval annals. 
 
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 It would be su-^- • C-X^;-* -,; 
 perfluous to repeat any of the c'rcunistances of that proud ^^•^r^,'^' 
 event, in this place. A particular account thereof will be •^^"' 
 found under the head of Earl St. Vincent ; and the conspicuous .^ . 
 *art acted by the Captain, in our memoirs of ll^^^-Admiral , " ° 
 Sir Edward Berry and Captain James Nobler*: .^o ,3^ ^^^ q 
 
 iS 0.0 
 
 Soon after the above glorious event, Lieutenant Spicer was 
 
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 promoted to the command of tljo Arab, and subsequently re-o 'e^°'b 
 moved into le Henard of 20 guns ; the latter sloop he left iii^ ^° ^ 
 1801. 'h^^ o '^ \." ^ 
 
 On the 29th April, t802, Captain Spicer ^ras incradca in 
 
 J'o.°o <%, 
 
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 the list of officers who were advanced to post rank, in con- q 
 sequence of the cessation of hostilities. Soon after the re- 
 newal of the war we find him commanding the San Josef, a> 
 <^ first rate, and subsequently the Foudroyant of 80 guns. The 
 latter ship he appears to have quitted about June 1804, from 
 vv^iich period there is no further mention of him until the sum- 
 mer of 1810, when he was appointed to regulate the impress 
 service at Swansea. Captain Spicer obtained the out pension ^ 
 of Greenwich Hospital, March 18, 181G. He is a burgesy of 
 Saltash, iti ODrnwaIl,^^uid was formerly ati alderman of that 
 borough. ^ " - Q 
 
 » 
 
 ^ 
 
 M 
 
 JAMES SEWARD, Esq. % $ 
 
 "^ This officer was made a Lieutonant, July lU), XT]^'., and 
 commanded la Sireime sloop of war, oh the Jamaica station, m 
 \\\ I7O6. He subsequently held ah uppointujciit in tbo Sea 
 Fenciblcs on tlio coast of Hampbhirc. His post commission # 
 
 Ci>ears date April 2<X, 1802. ' . 1^ 
 
 Captain SeSvfird yiarrled, in 1800, a daughter of Colonel, 
 (tiow Lieu^c^iant-Geiieral) EveUigh, of thf* Hoyjd Engineers. 
 
 That lady (Hed in 1813. Q ^ 
 ^/tj-ewr— Thortias Stilwell, Es(j 
 
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 ^gent. — Sir F. M. Ommanney, M. P. 
 
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 THOMAS PHILIP DURELL, Esq. o §^^^^ 
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 io° ^0° April i;, 1778. He obtained post rank April 29, 1802. o^ 
 
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 ° o This offi,ccr is the fourth and only surviving son of tliO^I 
 Oo John Beohe, Esq., a Commandcir 11. N. Hd >rRs jiorn at 
 
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 Q o^'Sheet-End* (Iti Staffordshire) near Stourbridge, co. W^i-cesfcr^ 
 Q AprilG, 1770 ; received his education at the iiiaritiiiM? aca-^ 
 Q Odemy, Chelsea ; entered the naval service on bohlfd the La-^^ 
 tona frigate about March 1783; and served nearlj^^igh^Vears 
 ^ ® as a Midshipman in that ship^ the Carysfort 2^, TrusR 5(V and 
 0lVarl of 28 guns, on the VVcst India and M^ iterrafiean sta- 
 tionsi during which time he distingufslied'^himself by his 
 ^ assiduity in making astronoinical obscfvatliViiKi, ai(d surveys 
 9 . of the various p^accs;y^isited by the different ships to which 
 ,® # he belonged. 
 
 • In Feb. 1791/' being then at Gibraltar without the least 
 3 f* prospect of pi-omotioni he introduced himself to Rear-Ad- 
 iniral Peyton by a letter, stai^iug tK!*t he ^^ as the son of a 
 deceased ofQqer, ahd that h, I:ad made such ()l)scr\ atirtijii and 
 surveys between that place au() ConstantiuKple as niiglU 
 probably be foihul useful to the squadron ; mentioning at the 
 aanie tinw; that t|)e drawii;gs Klltuled to hf\d been forwarded 
 to the AcTmiralty by the Captain!^ uncU'r whom he had had thi- 
 honor of serving, q 1^ ^^ 
 
 q" Th<i Rear-Admiral received this letter in a very kind mai\> 
 ner, and instantly ordered him to be dischafii^ed Into his flaii: 
 s'up, the Lcandrr of ul^gunsj from whcncu he })ronu)tv<l 
 
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 fu" . ?°f;l As a Lieutenant, Mr. Becher dfi|i0V*:d^ mtfl^iFe time^ii^l: 
 
 
 °oifc 
 
 
 <s o ^ 'Studying naval tactics, composing signals, and forming plans, :; «;. "<; iiiiL-tr r .u 
 
 „^ v^° « o Inany of which he has since l|aj[l tb^.. plcpjSwe #.£ seeing ado|)tei£ ° % 4 
 
 <'^"' ": by the Admiralty. '^^f^^{¥^^m^^^k^f^^U}fAjp.:;$ 
 
 At the commencement of the French revolutionary war wc 
 
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 ,ofind him serving on board the Proserpine frigate, and com- li'"/^ 
 
 
 had 
 
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 o •'"j^roved to be the first pri/e captured orj that station. ;i| .■§3f^> o' iSte'/ '^■•^^^'^bf th{ 
 ^00 He subsecpiently joined the Defence of 74 gnrs, fonti^ o° °'°t'^^^^ m^ 
 
 0° 
 
 |tnanded by Captf^in (noW Lord) Gambier, under whom he 
 o° Vrved as fourth Lieutenant in the battle of June 1, 17^)1 
 J The foUowing anecijote, with which we have been furnished °,'' »../g'ai 
 since the publication of his T^rdship's ujcmoir, will serve as^j^^ 
 
 o«" 
 
 o o C 
 O 
 
 ^dp t^^^hat effect, became so far advanced that an oftiecr 
 
 C "^uggesto^-^o Captain Gamb^r the propriety of bringing to a 
 
 O little tow£«t for the othe'r ships. Il(^ smilingly repliedj * No, 
 
 lip, JSir, the signal is made? and 1 shall ob^y it ; every man 
 
 •^ must answer fbr' his own conduct this daV'.* The Defence 
 
 ^™ - continued her course, was the first ship that broke through 
 
 the ,ei;eniy'8 line, and presently in th^ thickest of their ftre." 
 
 ^ The loss and dat^^age sustained by heV has been correctly de»^ 
 
 _Bcribet|jit pp. 78 ^d/9 of Vol. L .^ , 
 
 ,.In thc_ following month Lieutenant IJedljer was ren^<!)ved 
 
 ^ imo the lloyal George^ a first rate, f)earing the flag of his 
 
 •bouij^ 
 
 been i] 
 ® his command, and treated with g^eafc iudignit^ b3(_^icr crew, 
 during thq gerteral mutiny at Spjtthpad in Mi»y 17^^) Captain 
 Eaton, of the Medusa tr(iO|)-ship,was api)()intetl by L»)rd Bi id- 
 port to succeed him] artd Mr. Becher, at tli:^, period' first 
 
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 . ^od-father tne late Lord l^ridport, unuci- whouij^ served iii^ i 
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 Ijie Oaptain of the Marlborough braving been depriml of ^ 
 
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 ^^|/;.; of the officer^B^^{Uflt4 those who mi^ht feel diKposed^fe^tf^jC^^^^^ 
 
 
 
 i/ 4;||:;i succeeded in restraining the violent, disposition of his crew, ..; j-s^'-Vi/i 
 
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 •* 
 
 ;'''-4of the Admiralty, by whom Lord 15ridport\s appo 
 • ^° been confirmed on the death of Captain Eaton *. ' " "l^^o '»'*'} 
 
 J^l We next find Captain Hccher proceeding to Gibraltar, "'^^.'/'^aJL'^i 
 ^;,J?^{ where he had thL* misfortune to be wrecked, whilst under ^'^ ^^-f^l 
 orders to join Lord Nelson in the Medite^rrailean, where tlie 
 
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 '^ «b Medusa was to hru'e been established as a poslship undei»his o*'® 
 
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 ^employed in equipping the ^xj^edition destined against Mi-^^o o V 
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 '°o .jtjubs6^(|(ie)iitly iield a command in the Sea Fencibl(!'s ' at Fe- 
 
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 '^1S02; a smficicnt PjF^of that iho tjobl^mau theil [)residing at 
 
 "^thc Admiralty^ and \ylid had w>l.f^cssb<l 'the Medusa's fat^' did 
 
 not'attacli J^ny blame to her trmmander, whatever he rrtight 
 
 have laid to^^iis own charge, i}n :{c*count of her loss |:^ 
 
 Captain l^^chwss last nji&!)intmc]»i hflout \tn^inwSe|W. IH02,* 
 
 o Q o o o ^ Q 
 
 "'" * The ui'Iiiely death oi,-ihpUm\ Kutou Is (loscrihcd hy, Ct^ptaiu 
 © Brftltton in liis ^KlVill Ilistory, Vol . I, p. 45f). ,-Q > 
 
 "^ t The MedusQvas lost ^ipoiigh the iaU'ifercncc of^arl Sr. Vinrcnt, "' 
 
 pronsioiicd f>y his Lordahip'sTrnpatience nKj^f^cr out of (libraltaj: inole. ^ OO 
 "AV'c Iiave been tuhliiy an old Po!it<.('ai>U^niv(not the snhject of thi»-4iinnoir) 
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 '•'®*"'^-^'^" again unfortunate. On the 24th Mar. 1803, having received :^X'§i? 
 
 HfiihtH*, a trigate armed en Jluti, ni which he was* *^v 
 
 W''Ar»«' 
 
 
 
 
 ships passed through the pa%v._^_^.^ 
 sage of the Great Russel. The weather beinij fine and winiir^vfe" "4^.'^ 
 
 
 5^ 
 
 of course prepared, and in momentary readiness for 
 ng. In about f.ve minutes after the helm was put a- lee. 
 
 
 
 ?^^5^^l^o,^ °„ the ship came instantly to the wind, and the :iftcr yards Avcre ^^^s^ 
 '^^^^^- ^'^^""g J ^^^^ the main-hrace was scarcely behvyed when she :^ 
 
 'iw^'Viii struck on a rock, and in less tlian tliree minutes the wv^^WQi "' 
 1^' •°>V'*J°2f inside of lier was of equrd Iieiglit with the surface of the scjfc';' i 
 
 .Wo *•<>. ^lV ij_: I •..._ e. Ai . _.._ ii. . r ^i.., i.:.i„ aI.-a 4.1.-.'=*? 
 
 hi-: 
 
 
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 lieing apprehensive, from the strength of tlie ti(h;, that tlie^.; 
 ^* ship might fall into deep water, Captain lieclior ordered botfli^*''. 
 1 anchors to be let go, which was done, and the cables l)itted "°*<^ ^^ 
 
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 £5 
 
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 W* V "s^"^- '""^ stoppered. The panic that prevailed among the soldiers' 
 
 '••^•jVl wives and children occasioned indescribable confujsion, and 
 
 .i)i\'4*.*' ; every effort to suppress it proved ineffectual. The sails were 
 
 \»o by this time clewed up, and the top-gallant -sails handed ; 
 
 but Captain Bedher fearing that the weight of the men on the 
 top-sail-yards might tend to upset the ship, ordered them 
 down to hoist the boats out. The large cutter was soon over 
 the side; but the anxiety of the people who crowded into her 
 plainly foretold their fate. In vain did Captain Hecltt^r re- 
 monstrate on the folly and impropriety of their conduct, and 
 solicit them to let the women and children only go in tlie 
 lioat : both reason and persuasion had lost thch* influence. 
 Tho ship nov fell on her broadside, and Captjiin Bc^her with 
 inany others Wtre thrown into the sea, where they ro^iifiinjQd 
 tin n\inute» before they could regain the wj:Qck ; but at 
 leh^h, U^aviug reached the mimi-top, lie ha,d^V>iicc more an 
 oj)portunity of a(|'5'1aing those left with hira now to save their 
 O C) livOB, though still ui>^l)le to pretrent many ffom jumping into 
 lije water. Too much praise camjpt be gii^en to the officehr^ 
 and men sent to his assistance : by their rxertirhii, altb(^ugh 
 
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 POST -CAPTAINS OV 1802. 5^;^g^>^>|;?:; 
 
 
 
 the tide was ruivning near six knots per liour, in the course 
 of three liours and a half every person was renvoyed,^a|id thpi ./. /^fi-r-.rf. 
 "^S:.^;^.oniy did Captain Becher quit his post. A-j/'J;^: ^ -^ ■^^^^'^'^iM^^ 
 
 |||^ Jjjtf^ On the 5th April following a court-martial, nssembled at :^fe'l^1 
 l:C%!V Popfcsmouth, determined that no blame was imputable to r ■«-'-4?^J 
 " \!»*s;* Captain Becher for his conduct on the occasion of la Deter- ..%'^.'^ 
 ' •? minee's loss ; that he used every means in his power to ob- '^^^,^^ 
 tain a pilot for Jersey, both before he sailed from Spithead, j?]^^- 
 ,.f.>-jm^- %:^0- and during the voyage, without effect ; that he was actuated l^/'>^ "o^ 
 ■°^ ^!^ ^^y commendable zeal for the service in attempting to cnteir <;r'' 
 ri.- the harbour by endeavouring to follow the Aurora's tracte--f 
 and that his cool and otlicer-iike conduct, after she struck, 
 was highly meritorious, especially in ordering the anchors to 
 let go, to prevent her drifting into deep water, by which ^g 
 
 
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 means many lives were in all probability saved ; the coiifli^'KI * ••" 
 
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 .'«<\,i 
 
 did therefore adjudge him to be acquitted of all blame *?%^4f^*^^^^*^ 
 
 Captain Becher subsequently commanded the Sea Fencibles 
 ^ Ahiwick, in the county of Northumberland. He married, ^^ 
 
 1793, Frances, daughter of the Rev. Scott, of .°° 
 
 !l^ueen'a College, Oxford, Rector of Kingston and Port Royal 
 "n^'Hn Jamaica (and brother of the present Countess of Oxford), 
 by whom he has issue Alexander Bridport f, a Lieutenant 
 jfe. N., and acting pro tempore as Hydrographer to the Ad- q 
 miralty ; Elizabeth Emma Maria, married to Captaltl Wood, 
 son of General Wood ; Ann, married to Lieutenant Charles 
 W. Nepean, son of General Nepean, and nephew of the latjC^ 
 Right Hon. Sir Evan Nepean, Bart., Governor of Bombay ; 
 two other sons, and three daughters. Four of his childr^ 
 died in their infancy. His eldest brother, the Rev. Michael q 
 Thomas Becher, of King's College, Cambridge, was Jrlead 
 Master of the Royal Foundation School at Bury St, j^dmunds, 
 during a period of 21 years. ^ u o4D 
 
 Agent. — J. Woodhead, Esq. ' o O 
 
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 This officer was madq a Lieutenant by Sir Robert Harhmd^ 
 
 ^ 0» L.1 L^tcrinin(^e's crew and j^Ficngert-' were all saved, with the exc 
 ^ ccption ui^l!r|)erson's, O O Oq ,-^ pj 
 
 T^^ is liUhci a >ii)i,ailar «:ii'cuujL)t mce that Lyrd Bridport ^si»ou^ )\\x\er 
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*4.2^.|n I78*i. His exemplary conduct as first Lieutenant of the 
 *i^.^^iSt. George, when a mutiny existed on board that ship, ofl^';ap«>o 
 
 s| 
 
 ^ftsjV'* Cadiz, in July 1797, and 
 ^fs moted to the rank of Com 
 
 for which he was deservedly pro-»° <> 
 mniander, has already been noticed irP^ • 
 ., "^1*^ .s?^he first part of this volume, at p. 23, et seq^ He subset « 
 ^••x " "fH^^'^^b' commanded the Winchelsea., a 32-gun frigatea arme^ 
 o'jiBnHute, and employed in the conveyance pf troopsoto jJa- 
 , ^titoaica and the Mediterranean ; on which latter station his 
 jBervi( I'H obtained him the gold medal of the Turkish Order ot^^ 
 S&iH Crescent. He formed part of the procession at the funeral 
 ^ of Britain's idol, tht immortal NelS^n ; imd afterwaxds serveu ^ 
 as Captain of the Boadicea frigate, and Raisoftable 64, in tl^ 
 ^lidiari seas. O) ^ 
 
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 ^ ^0°^- dPRANClS HOLMES C^FglN^sgPO 
 
 C) O This officer obtainedjidbicutenant's rammis^n in 1701.^ 
 
 and dfslinguishecrliunself wheiT) serving on shore with a de- O 
 
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 tachment oTseam^Qit the rrauction of the Cape of Good 
 
 Hope, by tW^naval a^ ^litary forcetO^nuer the ordersnpf _^ 
 
 Sir Orjrge Keith^lphinatone, and-Majdi^Qeneral Cjyg/lHit ^~^ 
 
 more^articularly on the JBth ^Auffw^ 1795, when the (J^^^P^ 
 
 Commandant, endfiavoiO-ing^ regam tt^osiQon wrested fromjO ^ 
 
 him on the-precMing d^y; drew out his whole force from '^^ 
 
 QCape towiVoogdlier/-with/oight pieces of cannon Ox)n that '^ 
 
 occasion, says the Major^eneralQ" Captain Hardy and O qq-^ 
 
 Lieutenant vioffin crossed the wffter \^th tha ^eaniQ and JD 
 
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 Q would noHiave discremt^ veteran troops."Q />^ ^ 
 
 Lieukmant Coffin, ax that time belonging to the Rattlesnake ^ 
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 ~ ^ ^^imself and tfic Dutch Kehr^dmiral, Lucas, relative to the 
 
 surrender ^g, srjSk^ron belonging to the Batavian repuWic, O 
 qcP^Q in Saldanda bay *, o cO ^ O r^ O ^ 
 
 °o<^ °o •c^J^c'VqJ, P, PI., 47-^. N.B, Since tUPpuhlication QXord Kcith't 
 
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 a^iriCoffin'iJ post cuinmission beats date April 2d, 180^. 
 
 vC|^e bad previously commiinded the Spliynx sloop of war, on 0"qo oi 
 
 the €apc station ; and held an i^ppointment in thd^Sea Fep-) O 
 
 ciblc service. During the late war he was appointed ^^'coni- q (^ 
 
 mand a porlion^f the fliiin^ corps at Tralee, iuIrelaW; and O CI. 
 
 after its dis^)lution wcxIiniBuii^ living Q tte^ Arcthi^ fri- ^ 
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 JEFFERY RAIOpnSFELD, Esq. 
 
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 O riu^)flioer is ch^scended frbm a noble Gerntlm family. He 
 ^ (-, obt;iinedf}n()st ranW "April 29, 1802; and married, about th^ 
 h^ue pcrk)d, a daughtpr^of the Rev. Peter Hawker, Hector of 
 C^^ Windcheater, and of H^mMetlQco. Groucestet Q JQ^ 
 
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 y^ This oftici^r is a son of the late Christoplier Neshau^dEst^ 
 whoQcrved ^8 Aid-de-cainp to Colonel Monson^t liie cap- 
 ture of JVlSinlla, iV 1762,Q)y Mary V^arasPtrstpr of the 
 (2^rcsent Admiral Freeman, and a relativ&^f the Mc Lord 
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 OO patronage of his nudernal uncle in (782vAnd served aa a AW-o rj ^ 
 
 O Memoir, we have aelQi-taincdtluiU|ieintelligeDcQfu Dutch £uuadronb(M^ r\^^ ^ 
 
 on ij^siy from the Texel to the Cape of^^ootl Hope, wii/forwarded to ^^^K) ^J 
 O thatomcer^ Georg^aldwln, Esq., H(^. Consul-Gen^l irt%ypt. QcR^^Oa^^^ 
 
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 nQ)erly. His youngest son, Cliristoj^i-Avas a Caotaiu iotlw 63d w^ ^O QQ{ 
 
 gWicnt, but left >he army on beM preaMitedrvaih 9^\W apiiointu ^ ^ 
 
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 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 
 I.C 
 
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 ■so "^^ 
 
 115 
 
 ■ 2.2 
 £^ |i£ 12.0 
 
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 (71«) S73-4S03 
 
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^88 POST-CAPTAINb OK 1802. 
 
 shipnian on bojird the Juno frigate, Captain Janies Montai,ai, 
 in the action between Sir Edward Hughea and M. de Suffrein, 
 off Cuddalore, June 20, 1783 *. 
 
 On his return from the East Indies, in 1785, Mr. Nesham 
 joined the Druid of 32 guns, in which ship he continued un- 
 til qualified for the rank of Lieutenant, when he was sent to 
 a college in France, where he had the gratification of saving 
 an honest man from the fury of a blood-thirsty mob. 
 
 The person alluded to was Mons. Planter, a government 
 agent, in charge of a large corn depot at Vernon-sur-Seine, 
 whom the revolutionists were hurrying through the streets 
 a la lanterne. Thoughtless of his own danger, Mr. Nesham 
 rushed among the sanguinary multitude, and throwing his 
 arms round their prisoner, declared that if they destroyed one 
 innocent man they should the other. The extraordinary 
 generosity of this heroic action was not lost on the surround- 
 ing spectators ; and those very people, who but for him would 
 have exulted in the destruction of their victim, now carried 
 M. Planter and his deliverer before the municipality, from 
 whom Mr. Nesham received the freedom of the town. A na- 
 tional sword, dedicated to such purposes, was also presented 
 to him, and a civic crown placed on his head, at Paris. 
 
 Mr. Nesham returned from France, and joined the Salis- 
 bury, a 60-gun ship, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Mil- 
 banke, and commanded by the present Viscount Exmouth, in 
 1790. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant at the 
 latter end of the same year. 
 
 In 1791 and 1792, we find him serving onboard the Drake 
 sloop of war and Niger frigate, in the British Channel ; and 
 subsequently in the Adamant of 50 guns, on the West India, 
 Newfoundland, Lisbon, and North Sea stations. He was first 
 Lieutenant of the latter ship during the mutiny in Admiral 
 Duncan's fleet, and in the battle off Camperdown, Oct. 11, 
 1797 f. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place 
 in Jan. 1798 ; and on that occasion he was appointed to la 
 Suffistmte sloop of war, in which vessel he continued, on 
 Channel service, till posted, April 29, 1802. 
 
 • Sec Vol. I, nolo at p. 425. 
 
 t See Vol. I, pp. 160, 580, and 581. 
 
fO!>T-CAl>TAlNS OK 1802. 
 
 589 
 
 III 1804 and the following year, Captain Nesham com- 
 manded the Foudroyant of 80 guns, bearing the Hag of Sir 
 Thomas Graves, in the grand fleet. His next appointment 
 was to the Ulysses 44 ; and in the autumn of 18()7 we find him 
 convoying a fleet of merchantmen from England to the West 
 Indies, where he was most actively employed in that ship, 
 the Intrepid 64, and Captain 74, for a period of three years, 
 during which he assisted at the capture of Mariegalante, and 
 served on shore at the reduction of Martinique *. The fol- 
 lowing are extracts from Sir Alexander Cochrane 's oflicial 
 account of the latter event, dated Feb. 25, 1809 : 
 
 " While the batteries were kept constantly firing on the enemy from 
 the western side. Captains Barton and Nesham, of the York and Intrepid, 
 with about 400 seamen and marines, continued to be employed in getting 
 the heavy cannon, mortars, and howitzers up to Mount Sourier, from the 
 eastern side of the fort (Edward), which was a service of the utmost labour 
 and dilficulty, owing to the rains and deepness of the roads ; but notwith- 
 standing vvhich, a battery of four 24-pounders, and four mortars, was 
 finished by the 22d, and the guns mounted ready for service. 
 
 " On the following day some more guns were got up, and ready to be 
 placed in an advanced battery, intended to consist of eight 24-pounders ; 
 • • • • rpjjg jj|.g j^gpj. yp jjy jijg batteries was irresistible j the enemy 
 
 was driven from his defences, his cannon dismounted, and the whole of the 
 interior of the work ploughed up by the shot and shells, within five days 
 after the batteries opened. • • • • 
 
 " I have already informed their lordships, that I entrusted the whole of 
 the naval arrangements on shore to Commodore Cockburn * * *. He 
 speaks in terms of high approbation of the able support and assistance he 
 received from Captains Barton, Nesham, and Brcnton, whom I had se- 
 lected to act with him. To all these officers, and the Lieutenants and 
 other officers, seamen and marines, inrmediately under their commands, I 
 feel truly obliged, for performing the arduous duties imposed upon them. 
 The 7-gun battery at Folville was entirely fought by seamen, from which 
 the enemy suffered severely." 
 
 The Captain 7^) being found unfit for service, was paid off 
 in 1810 ; and the subject of this memoir has not since been 
 employed. He married, in 1802, Margaret, youngest daugh- 
 ter of the late Admiral Lord Graves, by whom he has one 
 son and a daughter. Mrs. Nesham died iu 1808. 
 
 • Sec Vol, r, p. 264. 
 
 VI 
 
590 
 
 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 r 
 
 CHARLES BULLEN, Es<j. 
 
 A Cvmpunion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; and 
 Commodore on the coast of Africa. 
 
 This officer is a son of the late John Bullen, Esq. (Sur- 
 geon-General of the naval force employed on the coast of 
 America, under Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot, in 1/79, 1/80, and 
 I78I), by Ruth, daughter of Charles Liddell, of Newcastle- 
 upon-Tyne, Esq., and second cousin of the present Lord High 
 Chancellor of Great Britain *. 
 
 He was born at the above place, Sept. 10, 1769 ; and em- 
 barked, when little more than ten years of age, as a Midship- 
 man on board the Europe 64, bearing the flag of Vice-Ad- 
 miral Arbuthnot, under whose patronage, and the immediate 
 protection of his father, he proceeded to New York, where he 
 was removed, at his own request, into the Renown of 50 guns, 
 for the purpose of seeing more active service than the flag- 
 ship was likely to be engaged in. 
 
 On her passage to Quebec with a large fleet under her pro- 
 tection, the Renown encountered a heavy gale of wind, during 
 which she was totally dismasted, and only saved from 
 destruction by the active exertions of her first Lieutenant, 
 the present Rear-Admiral Sir James Athol Wood. The 
 greater part of the merchantmen having either foundered or 
 dispersed, she returned to New York, where Mr. Bullen 
 joined the Loyalist sloop of war, commanded by Captain 
 Ardesoif, with whom he continued on the American station 
 till I78I, during which period he was present at the reduction 
 of Charlestown, in South Carolina, and other services of 
 importance f. 
 
 The Loyalist being paid off on her return to England, and 
 a general peace approaching, Mr. Bullen availed himself of 
 the opportunity afforded him, by prosecuting nautical and 
 other necessary studies, till 1786, when he again embarked, 
 
 • The Earl of Eldoti's mother and Captain Dullen's grandmother were 
 tirst cousins. 
 
 t SJco Vol. II, part I, note f «t V- S^- 
 

 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 591 
 
 on board the Culloden 7^t Captain Sir Thomas Ricli, Bart., 
 under whom he served upwards of three years. In Dec. IJ^-N 
 he joined the Leander of 50 guns, bearing the Hag of Rear- 
 Admiral Peyton, by whom he was appointed to act as a Lieu- 
 tenant on board the Mercury frigate, in 1791. He was soon 
 after confirmed by the Admiralty to the Eurydice of 24 guns, 
 on the Mediterranean station. 
 
 In Dec. 1/92, the Culloden, having undergone a complete 
 repair, was again commissioned by Sir TJiomas Rich, and 
 Lieutenant BuUen appointed to her at the particular request 
 of his old commander. In Mar. 1793, she formed part of the 
 squadron sent to Martinique, under the orders of Rear-Ad- 
 miral Gardner ; and after the failure of the attack made upon 
 that island, she appears to have afforded shelter to more than 
 1000 French royalists, men, women, and children, of all ages, 
 who were embarked in St. Ann's Bay under the most distress- 
 ing circumstances, the brigands having literally driven them 
 into the water ; and conveyed them in safety to Barbadoes *. 
 
 Lieutenant Bullen's next appointment was to the Ramillies 
 74, which ship bore a part in Lord Howe's actions of May 
 28 and 29, and the memorable battle of June 1, 1794 f; 
 and was subsequently employed on the West India, New- 
 foundland, and North Sea stations. From her he removed 
 into thi Monmouth 64, as first Lieutenant to the Earl of 
 Northesk, under whom he was serving when the mutiny broke 
 out in Admiral Duncan's fleet J, on which occasion he was 
 brought to trial by the rebellious crew, one of whom, a man 
 who had received many favors from him, went so far as ac- 
 tually to throw a noose over his head. He, however, had 
 the good fortune not only to escape with his life, but also to 
 see the deluded part of the ship's company return to obe- 
 dience, and redeem their character by conduct more natural 
 to British seamen, in the glorious battle off Camperdown, 
 Oct. 11, 1797. 
 
 The Monmouth on that day compelled the Alkmaar and 
 Delft, two Dutch ships of 50 guns each, to surrender ; the 
 
 ^V 
 
 ;V: 
 
 X 
 
 • See Vol. I, i». 40 ». t •'^•-'c p. 570. I See Vol. I, [k -'00. 
 
 ifl 
 
5()2 
 
 POsT-CAPrAINS OF 1802. 
 
 (X. 
 
 I > 
 
 former she condueted to Yarmouth Roads *", the latter was 
 taken possession of by Lieutenant BuUen, who found her in 
 very shoal water, and so dreadfully cut up, that it was with 
 great difficulty he could get her clear of the shore. She sunk 
 under him, when in tow of the Veteran 64, two days after the 
 action, and took down with her 1 80 Dutchmen, together with 
 .'') British seamen and marines. The remainder of the persons 
 on board were saved by boats sent from the Veteran to their 
 assistance, on observing " the ship is sinking," chalked on a 
 board, and exhibited by them. A frigate, which had likewise 
 been engaged by the Monmouth, but finally captured by the 
 Beaulieu, was wrecked near West Capel. The loss sus- 
 tained by the Delft in killed and wounded has never been 
 ascertained ; but according to the Dutch accounts, the Mon- 
 mouth's other opponents had no less than 76 men killed, and 
 102 wounded, whilst she herself had but 5 slain and 22 
 wounded. 
 
 For his bravery and exertions in and after the above battle. 
 Lieutenant Bullen was deservedly promoted to the rank of 
 Commander at the commencement of 1798, and from that 
 period he enjoyed the pleasures of his domestic circle till 
 June 1801, when he obtained an appointment to the Wasp 
 sloop of war, fitting at Plymouth. 
 
 After accompanying the Newfoundland convoy to a certain 
 latitude, he received orders to proceed, without loss of time, 
 to Madeira and the coast of Guinea ; and he appears by the 
 following documents to have reached Sierra Leone at a very 
 critical period : 
 
 " Fort Thornton, Dec. 2, 1801. 
 " Sir, — We, the governor and council of this colony, to whose care the 
 livcH and property of H. M. subjcctH, as well as the interests of the Sierra 
 Leone company are entrusted, feel it to be our duty, at this critical junc- 
 ture, to represent to you that the presence and aid of H. M. sloop Wasp, 
 under your command, may materially contribute to the preservation and 
 security of the colony, by co-operating with our force by land against a 
 formidable confederacy of the Timniany chiefs ; who, though repulsed in 
 their attack on Fort Thornton, in the morning of the 18th ult., still per- 
 
 Sec Vol. I, p. 8M». 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 593 
 
 sist ill their design of plunder and extermination ; and, according to the 
 intelligence we have lately received, are now collecting a numerous force 
 to the eastward, as well as endeavouring to maintain and recruit their num- 
 l)ers at Cape Sierra Leone, with a view to attack us as soon as we are 
 deprived of the aid of H. M. sloop. 
 
 " The object we have at heart is, without loss of time, to reduce tlie 
 enemy to such terms and conditions of peace, as will afford us a reason- 
 able satisfaction for the past, and entire security for the time to come. 
 
 " We expect an answer in the course of this or the following day to a 
 proposition we have made to King Firarna, the Sovereign of the Timmauy 
 nation, through Smart and Moribundoo, our allies, to enter into a treaty ; 
 that answer will, in a great measure, determine our future operations. 
 
 " We shall be happy at all times to receive the benefit of your counsel 
 and advice, upon the best means of attaining the end wc have in view. 
 We have the honor to be, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Wm. Dawes, Governor. 
 
 " J. Gray, 1st in Council. 
 " Rd. Brioht, 2d Ditto. 
 " T. LuDLAM, Counsellor, /)ro tempore.'' 
 " To Charles Dullen, Esq. Com- 
 manding H. M. sloop Wasp." 
 
 " Fort Thornton, Jan. 24, 1802. 
 
 *' Sir, — Wc enclose a copy, which we have just received, of a represcn- 
 tation from the principal private merchants in the colony. 
 
 " When we had the honor of addressing you in an official manner, to 
 request that you would sail direct for England with our despatches, we di<l 
 not attach that degree of credit to the advices received from different 
 quarters, * tliat the enemy were determined to renew their attack in a very 
 few daya,' which subsequent information has now convinced us they me- 
 rited. Mure than once their forces have been in motion to execute the 
 design of plundering and destroying this colony; but they have been 
 stopped by their leaders, who thought it advisable to postpone offensive 
 operations till the departure of the Wasp. In addition to the above, in- 
 telligence from a respectable quarter, and of a nature highly probable in 
 itself, has been received by the governor, announcing the accession of a 
 very powerful and enterprising chief to the confederacy already formed 
 against us. A detail of the grounds upon which our apprehensions are 
 founded shall be communicated to you as soon as possible. With such 
 strong and just impressions of the public danger upon our minds, it would 
 be inconsistent with our duty to be silent. We intreat you therefore to 
 remain upon this station, till circumstances have taken a more favorable 
 turn, which we shall use our utmost exertions to effect. A compliance 
 with this entreaty will (humanly speaking) prove the means of preserving 
 from imminent risk, the lives of 120<) of his Majesty's subjects, fogotlier 
 with property to the amount of upwards of 7<>,000/. sterling. 
 
 
 I; 
 
 Wr 
 
594 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 " Wc conclude with assurinjj yoii, that we are unanimous in thlnkinpf^ 
 that the departure of the Wasp at this most critical juncture, would in all 
 probability occasion the total ruin of the colony, by exposing the craft, 
 stores, provisions, and other valuable property, afloat and on shore, alonir 
 the water line, to the irresistible force which the enemy, in a night attack, 
 by means of their numerous canoes, might bring against that defenceless 
 quarter. We have the honor to be, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Wm. Dawes, 
 
 " To Charles BuUen, Esq. SfC. ^c- Sfc." " R. Bright, 
 
 " T. LUDLAM." 
 
 In consequence of the receipt of those letters Captain 
 Bullen remained in the Sierra Leone river till April 1802 ; 
 when the rainy season being about to commence, and having 
 the inward satisfaction of knowing the colony to be safe, he 
 landed such ordnance stores as could be spared by his sloop, 
 and proceeded to the West Indies on his way to England. 
 Previous to his departure from iVfrica, he received a letter 
 from Governor Dawes and Counsellor Bright, of which the 
 following is a copy : 
 
 " Fort Thornton, March 31, 1802. 
 " Sir, — The letter of the 27th inst,, which we bad the honor to receive 
 from you, engaged our immediate attention, and would have been duly 
 answered if, according to the intimation given by the Governor, we had 
 not entertained a hope of receiving despatches of a very important nature 
 from England in the course of a few days. Being, however, disappointed 
 in this respect, and unwilling to add to the long detention of H. M. sloop 
 Wasp in her present ill-provided state, though we think that the presence 
 of a ship of war in this port is still very desirable, we are happy to state 
 to you our opinion that the original purposes of her detention, which were 
 to assist in preventing or repelling an attack ; to afford time to strengthen 
 the works at Fort Thornton by intimidating the enemy ; and to enable us 
 to negociate under more favorable circumstances, have been fully answered. 
 We trust the motives which influenced you, upon our solicitation, to depart 
 from the letter of your instructions, will receive the sanction and approba- 
 tion of the Lords of the Admiralty. It will be our duty to represent them 
 in a proper light to our superiors. With grateful acknowledgments for 
 the iniportant services rendered to this government by yourself, and by the 
 othcers and men under your command, upon every public occasion, and 
 with the most friendly wishes for your and their prosperity, wc have the 
 honor to be, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Wm. Dawks, 
 
 •* Rd. Bright." 
 " To Chnrlrs Dulifu, Esq. Commander 
 H. M. sloop /Faftp" 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1 802. 
 
 595 
 
 On his arrival in England, Captain Bullcn found that he 
 had been promoted to post rank for his services in Africa, 
 by commission dated April 29, 1802. The Wasp was paid 
 off at Portsmouth in July following. 
 
 On the renewal of hostilities, in May 1803, he was ap- 
 pointed pro tempore to la Minerve frigate. Captain Jahlcel 
 Brenton, her proper commander, having met with an accident 
 which compelled him to remain for some time on shore. In 
 that ship he had the good fortune to fall in with twenty-three 
 sail of French vessels laden with timber and other valuable 
 stores, bound to Brest, tlie whole of which were either cap- 
 tured or totally destroyed. He shortly after detained a fri- 
 gate of the largest class, but she was ultimately released by 
 the British government, in consequence of her having been 
 employed on a voyage of discovery. 
 
 Captain Bullen subsequently commanded a district of Sea 
 Fencibles, and the flotilla equipped in the Thames and Med- 
 way, for the purpose of repelling an invasion threatened by our 
 late implacable enemy Napoleon Buonaparte. In June 1804, 
 being applied for by the Earl of Northesk, he assumed the 
 command of his lordship's flag-ship, the Britannia, a first 
 rate, forming part of the Channel fleet, but afterwards de- 
 tached under the orders of Sir Robert Calder to reinforce 
 Vice- Admiral CoUingwood's squadron off Cadiz. The part 
 borne by her in the celebrated battle of Trafalgar has been 
 described in our first volume ; but in justice to Captain 
 Bullen we must add, that although from her heavy sailing, 
 which was remarkable on all occasions, she could not get into 
 action as soon as some other ships, no Tt'rt was wanting on 
 his part to place her in the most conspicr ms situation. For 
 his gallantry on that eventful day, he was rewarded with a 
 gold medal commemorative of an event, the recital of which 
 will ever excite admiration in the breast of Britons *. 
 
 Lord Northesk being obliged to resign his command on 
 account of ill health. Captain Bullen, after refitting the Bri- 
 
 • The battle of Trafalgar was fought on the very day that General Mack 
 and the Austrian garrison of Ulin passed under llie yoke of the claimant 
 to an unlimited conuuaml of " ships, colonies, and commerce." 
 
 \ 
 
 if 
 
 m 
 
 / 
 
 ( 
 
596 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 / 
 
 tannia at Gibraltar, returned with her as a private ship, anil 
 three of the prizes under his protection to England. He was 
 put out of commission at Plymouth, in June 1806. 
 
 11 is next appointment was, in 1807t to the Volontaire, a 
 38-gun frigate, in which he conveyed the Duke of Orleans 
 and his brother. Count Beaujolois, to Malta. He was after- 
 wards actively employed under the orders of Lord Colling- 
 wood, occasionally cominanding the in-shore squadron off 
 Toulon, and cruising on the coast of Catalonia. At the com- 
 mencement of the war between France and Spain, we find 
 him charged with a mission to the court of Morocco, and 
 travelling by land from Fez to Tangier, in consequence of 
 not finding the Emperor in his capital. The result of his 
 embassy, which had for its object the procuring of supplies 
 for the European peninsula, proved highly satisfactory to the 
 commander-in-chief, and very advantageous to the common 
 cause ; the minister, Abdallah Slouey, with whom alone he 
 had an opportunity of conferring, having granted permission 
 for the necessary articles to be exported from his master's do- 
 minions for the support of the oppressed patriots. 
 
 In 1809, the island of Pomigue, near Marseilles, was taken 
 possession of, after a desperate resistance on the part of the 
 enemy ; and Fort Rioux, near Cape Croisette, with 14 guns, 
 destroyed by detachments landed from the Volontaire, under 
 the orders of Lieutenant Shaw. Pomigue was afterwards 
 evacuated, for want of men to defend it. Several French 
 officers were made prisoners, and a code of signals found in 
 Fort Rioux. On the latter occasion the enemy had 5 men 
 killed and 8 wounded ; the English only 2 wounded. 
 
 On the 23d Oct. 1809, Captain Bullen being off Cape St. 
 Sebastian, in company with the fleet under Lord CoUingwood, 
 and on the look out to windward, at 8 P. M., discovered a 
 French squadron, and about twenty sail of transports, coming 
 down from the eastward, and gave immediate notice, by 
 signal, of their approach. The manner in which the ships of 
 war were disposed of has been described in our memoir of the 
 officer who commanded the division sent in pursuit of them *. 
 
 • See Vol. I, pp. 2S2 and 28.'^. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 597 
 
 The capture f d destruction of the transports will be fully 
 detailed under the head of Captain John Tailour. In the 
 execution of the latter service the Volontaire had a Lieute- 
 nant * and 1 seaman killed ; 2 supernumerary officers, and 13 
 of her own crew wounded. The assistance rendered by 
 Captain Bullen in the preparation of fire materials, and pro- 
 viding his boats with every implement that contingency 
 could require, was officially noticed by the commander-in- 
 chief. 
 
 In 1810 and 1811, Captain Bullen commanded a small 
 squadron employed in active co-operation with the Spanish 
 troops on the coast of Catalonia, as will be seen by the fol- 
 lowing letters, reporting his proceedings to CoUingwood's 
 successor, the late Sir Charles Cotton : . ' 
 
 " H. M. S. Volontaire, off Cape St. Sebastian, Sept. 28, 1810. 
 
 " Sir, — Fearful my letter of the 22d inst. may not come to your hands 
 so soon as this, I beg to repeat, that on the 5th inst. the Spanish army, 
 under General O'Donnel, left Tarragona, and on the 13th got to Arens 
 del Mar, at which place he divided his forces, himself taking the road to 
 Besbal ; and so rapid were his movements, the enemy was not apprised of 
 his arrival till within a quarter of an hour of his entering the town. This 
 happened on the 14tli, when a smart action took place, but of very short 
 duration ; when the French General, Swartz, with 600 men, were taken 
 prisoners. On the same day St. Felice, Palamos, and Begu, vvere seve- 
 rally attacked, and all surrendered ; the total of French taken being ai)out 
 1400 men, besides canuon, &c. &c. ; so that this coast from Rosas, with 
 the exception of the Modas islands, is again in the possession of the 
 Spaniards. 
 
 " General O'Donnell, I am sorry to say, is badly wounded in the leg f , 
 but there are hopes of his doing well. The whole of the prisoners arc at 
 Tarragona, where the General now is, with only the inhabitants doing the 
 duty of the garrison, which makes him anxious about their being removed. 
 
 " Upon the whole, there is every prospect of the enemy being soon 
 driven out of this province. I was yesterday at Escala, in the bay of 
 Rosas, where the French had a depot of corn, &c., all of which I have 
 got on board this ship. 1 was gratified to hear that, on Monday last, the 
 French were defeated at Bascarra, where they were attacked by 500 
 Spaniards, who took from them an immense convoy of provisions, (which 
 
 * LieuteniuU Dulhousie Tait, an excellent young officer, who had dis- 
 tinguished himself on many occasions. . , . 
 
 t See Captain Fraxcis William Fane. , 
 
 VOL. II. 2 B 
 
 ts., 
 
 ,x:. 
 
 11 
 
>9fe 
 
 POSr-CAPTAlNS ov 1802- 
 
 wat on its way ffom Ccrpignan to relieve Gcroua,) besides 400 prisottcrB. 
 Gtnerj^l MactloAald was at Severn a few days since, but so retiirced in his; 
 army, having now only 6000 men, that it is generally thought he will not 
 get back to Barcelona. Cadaques, and all the small holds the French had 
 near tlosas are al>andoned, and the whole are gone to that garrison. The 
 French Mt als6 in a bad way before Tortosa, as all the fofts which they 
 had throvvn up Imve hetn washed down by the heavy tains. • • • »." 
 
 " €amhrt(tn*, off Rosas, /Ipril \^, 1811. 
 
 " Sir,— I have great pleasure in sendinij to you, by the BlossoM, the 
 iipportant intelligenoc of the surrender of Figueras to the Spaniards, on 
 the 1 0th instant, and that St. Philon and Pulainos were taken possession of 
 by the Cambrian and Volontaire on the 12th and 14th, the guns all em- 
 barked, and the batteries destroyed. I am now on my way to Rosas and 
 Cadaquds, aftd I have reason lo hope the latter place, with Selva, will also 
 %hMti\^ be oUra. 
 
 " The fall of Figueras has roused the Spaniards, who aro armmg in all 
 directions) and Hostalrich and Gerona are at this moment garrisoned by 
 Spanish troc^s. The only correct account I can learn is, that 400 Italians, 
 with 200 French troops, were left to protect Figueras; and that the former,. 
 disgUBted with the treatment they daily received from the French, and 
 being also Italf starved^ opened the gates of the fortress to a body of 
 Spaniards, apprised of their intention, who rushed into tite castle, and put 
 every Frenchman to the sword. About 2000 effective Spanish troops are 
 in full possession of this important place ; and General Sarsiield is on his 
 way with more, as well as supplies of every hind. 
 
 " Tlie French General, d'Hitliers, who has the command in Catalonia, 
 on hearing of the fiall of Hguerash, lias abandoned all his holds in Spain, 
 except Barcelona, and is collecting the whole of his force to attack it, as 
 well as to prevent supplies from getting in ; but I am told a quantity of 
 provisions was concealed ui the town, unknown to the French, which has- 
 been giv«i up to the Spanish troops in the castle, who are in the highest 
 spirits possible. The Termagant continues to watch Barcelona ; and I 
 purpose remaining off here with the Volontaire, ready for any tiling that 
 may offer, as under all the eiasting circumstances, I think it likely Rosas 
 may give in. 
 
 " I also beg leave to hiforra you, that a large settee, deeply laden with 
 grain fw Barcelona^ was, the night before last, most Iwmdsomely cut out 
 from under the M edas islands and batteries, by the boats of this ship, led on 
 by Ueutenant Conolly^ without a man being hurt. I beg leave to offer you 
 
 • Captain Fane being taken prisoner at Palamos in Dec. 1810, Sir 
 CJhftWii COttbn Very hafifidso'mfely appointed Captain BuUen to the Cam- 
 brian, she being a much larger and finer frigate than thfe Volontaire. He 
 Iwwever left the lafttei* <^'fth ndtch reloctitrtce. 
 
POSr-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 599 
 
 ray congnttilations ou the fall of Fi^eras, and the fair prospect it opens. 
 1 have the huuor to be, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Charles Bullen." 
 
 " P. S. Since writing the above, I have spoke a small boat from Begu, 
 Avhich tells me the French General had made a rash attempt to recover Fi- 
 gueras two days since, and lost 700 men." 
 
 At Cadaqu6s, one of the places alluded to above, Captain 
 BuUen succeeded in capturing nineteen merchant vessels ; six 
 of which, being laden with grain and wine, were sent to 
 Tarragona for the use of the garrison. At Selva, he received 
 a severe wound whilst in a battery on shore, the effects of 
 which he still labours under. 
 
 On the receipt of the foregoing letter. Sir Charles Cotton 
 increased the naval force stationed on the coast of Catalonia, 
 in order to afford a more effectual co-operation with the pa- 
 triots, and ensure supplies reaching Figueras, and other 
 places in their possession. The squadron thus augmented 
 was placed under the orders of Captain (now Sir Edward) 
 Codrington, with wliom Captain Bullen served till the fall of 
 Tarragona in June 1811 *, when he was sent to the command- 
 er-in-chief with an account of that unfortunate turn of affairs. 
 
 The Cambrian subsequently refitted at Gibraltar, and then 
 proceeded to Malta, from whence she convoyed home a con- 
 siderable number of French prisoners. She was paid off at 
 Plymouth in Dec. 1811. 
 
 Captain BuUen's health being now very much impaired, he 
 remained on shore from this period till Nov. 1814, when he 
 was appointed to the Akbar C'f 60 guns, a ship fitted pur- 
 posely to cope with the heavy American frigates, and intended 
 for the East India station 5 io which, however, she did not 
 proceed, the war between Great Britain and the United States 
 being soon after terminated by the treaty of Ghent. 
 
 The Akbar's next orders were to receive the flag of Sir 
 T. Byam Martin, whom she conveyed from Plymouth to the 
 Scheldt, on a particular service, we believe that of superin- 
 tending the partition of the fleet and naval stores at Antwerp, 
 for which purpose the Rear-Admiral had been nominated a 
 Commissioner, in conjunction with Sir George Wood, of the 
 
 » Sep Vol. II, Part I, note at p. 225 et seq. 
 2r2 
 
 \ 
 
 llli 
 
tiOO 
 
 POiT-CAFIAlNS OF 1802. 
 
 Royal Engineers, and Joseph Tucker, Esq., a Surveyor of 
 the Navy. That service being soon terminated, Captain 
 Bullen was sent to the Halifax station, where he remained as 
 second in command till Nov. 1816. He was put out of com- 
 mission at Portsmouth, in Jan. 1817 ', and having no induce- 
 ment to leave a happy home during a time of profound peace, 
 remained on half-pay till Dec. 1823, when he was appointed 
 to succeed his old friend and messmate, the late Sir Robert 
 Mends, as Commodore on the coast of Africa, the arduous 
 duties of which command he is now performing, with his 
 broad pendant on board the Maidstone frigate. He was no- 
 minated a C. B. for his general services in 1815. 
 
 Commodore Bullen married, about 1791> Miss Wood, a 
 distant relation. He had previously become possessed of 
 some property at Weymouth, in Dorset, by the demise of his 
 father ; and when on shore, has ever since resided there. 
 
 j^gents. — Messrs. Evans and Eyton. 
 
 JOHN WIGHT, Esq. 
 
 This officer was born at Eyemouth, a sea-port town in Ber- 
 wickshire J and having lost the protection of his father, who 
 changed his name to White, and died a Purser, R. N., was 
 destined by his mother for the medical profession ; but feeling 
 a predilection for the naval service, he embarked at a very 
 early age as a Midshipman on board the Culloden 7^) under 
 the patronage of his worthy relative, and future father-in-law, 
 ^.lie late Admiral Schanck, of whom a memoir will be found at 
 p. 324 et seq. of our first volume *. 
 
 In 1791, after serving about a year in the Culloden, Mr. 
 Wight joined the Trial, a cutter built with sliding keels, ac- 
 cording to a plan proposed by Captain Schanck ; and in the 
 following year he removed into the Orion 74, commanded by 
 
 * Captain Wight's mother was a member of the ancient and rcspcctaltle 
 family of Greive, well known in Berwickshire, and a first cousin of Ad- 
 miral Schanck, of whom farther mention will l>e made in the Supplement 
 to the Addenda, already promiacd at p. 883 of Vol. I. Hin hulf-brother, 
 George White, is a Lieutenant, R. N. 
 
POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 601 
 
 the late Sir John T. Duckworth, under whom he serred on 
 the Channel, West India, and North American stations, till 
 the latter end of 1793, when he was received by the lamented 
 Captain Riou * on board the Rose frigate, attached to the ex- 
 pedition about to sail for the reduction of Martinique, Gua- 
 daloupe, &c. 
 
 During the operations carried on in the former island, he 
 landed with his gallant commander, and was entrusted by him 
 with the charge of a 3-gun battery, constructed by the Rose's 
 crew on Point Carriere, at the distance of between two 
 and three hundred yards from the walls of Fort Louis, on the 
 opposite side of the Carcnage. Whilst thus employed he had 
 two remarkable escapes ; a sailor, named John Williams, 
 being killed by a splinter of a shell, when in the act of re- 
 ceiving a biscuit from his hand, on which occasion he was 
 covered with the blood of the unfortunate man ; and another 
 of his party, James Wamsley, being slain by a shot whilst in 
 close conversation with him f. 
 
 From this battery he accompanied Captain Faulknor, of 
 the Zebra, to a spot close in the enemy's front, where that 
 heroic officer made such observations as afterwards enabled 
 him to lay his little sloop alongside the walls of Fort Louis ; 
 the result of v/hich enterprise has been already stated luider 
 the head of Rear- Admiral Williams J. 
 
 Mr. Wight's conduct during the six days he held the above 
 command, was so exemplary as to induce Captain Riou to 
 place him at the head of a division of men to be employed 
 ill the grand attack upon Fort Louis ; and although but a kud, 
 
 * Captain Riou was killed at Copenhagen in April 1801 ^ he will be 
 more particularly spoken of in a subsequent part of this work. 
 
 t Mr. Wight, when a boy at school, had a very narrow escape, his coat 
 tails being accidentally shot through by a Mr. John Planta ; and when 
 serving as a Midshipman of tlie Trial cutter, he was twice cast away in 
 her boats, and each time obliged to swim for hh life. In addition to these 
 instances of the miraculous interposition of ]> evidence, it appears thut, 
 although twenty times in action with the enemy during his professional 
 career, and frequently knocked down by the wind of shot, 8cr., he never 
 received a wound ! 
 
 X Sec Vol. 1, note * at p. 85fi ; and for other particulars rcsp«oting 
 i'apluin Faulknor, sec Vol II, part f, p. ■J20, et neq. 
 
 'u; 
 
602 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 
 he had the good fortune to be among the foremost of those 
 who BO bravely stormed the enemy's works ; thus setting a 
 noble example to the party under his orders. 
 
 His juvenile gallantry being duly reported to Sir John Jer- 
 vis, the commander-in-chief, Mr. Wight was taken by that 
 officer into his own flag-ship, the Boyne, a second rate, where 
 he had a very severe attack of the yellow fever, and nearly 
 fell a victim thereto. On his recovery he was landed with a 
 party of seamen attached to the army under Sir Charles Grey, 
 and was frequently engaged with the republican troops com- 
 manded by Victor Hugues, who, during his illness, had suc- 
 ceeded in recovering possession of fort Flcur d'Epee, and 
 other posts, in the island of Guadaloupe *. 
 
 After the evacuation of Grand Terre, the Boyne proceeded 
 to the relief of Fort Matilda, then closely invested by the 
 enemy ; and Mr. Wight was sent in the jolly-boat with an 
 officer, bearing despatches from Sir Charles Grey to General 
 Preecott, who commanded there. On his arrival opposite 
 the sea front of that fortification, he hailed the garrison, in 
 order to obtain an escort from the beach to the sally-port ; 
 but receiving no reply, and the night being dark, he deter- 
 mined on landing in the town of Basse Terre, and proceeding 
 through the main street, which was the only road by which 
 he could approach the draw-bridge. Taking with him one 
 man belonging to his boat's crew, he passed through the town 
 without molestation, although many soldiers were distinctly 
 seen by the reflection of the lights, sitting at the doors with 
 muskets in their hands, and arrived at the ditch surrounding 
 the works at a moment when the republicans were firing in all 
 directions. After a considerable pause on the part of General 
 Prescott, the draw-bridge was lowered, and the gate of the 
 fort was fortunately opened at the moment when a French 
 dragoon, who had rode up to Mr. Wight, was in the act of 
 taking out his pistol to fire at him. Having informed the 
 General of the object of his visit, and that the enemy were 
 in possession of the town, a suitable force was sent to guard 
 
 See Vol. I, note at p. 841 ; and Vul. If, part I, p, lOBe/ fry. 
 
fp 
 
 a 
 
 y 
 
 a 
 
 rOST- CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 603 
 
 the officer charged with Sir Charles Grey's despa^hes^ who 
 was thus enabled to execute his mission in safety*. 
 
 In Nov. 1794, Sir John Jervis presented Mr. Wight with 
 an appointment to act as a Lieutenant on board the Beaulieu 
 frigate, commanded by his friend Captain Hiou ; from which 
 ship he w^s afterwards rempvcd into I'Aim^bli? of 32 guns, 
 on the same station. This promotion was conferred upon 
 him as a token of the Admiral's approbation of faia very dis- 
 tinguished conduct during the preceding campaign. 
 
 The Beaulieu was engaged in a variety of active services, 
 and on one occasion destroyed a French trp(^-ship, mount- 
 ing 24 guns, and laden with military 8tor?^, a^^v an ^ctjou 
 of two hours with the battery of St. Francois, Guadaloupe. 
 Previous to her being «et on hre, a shot struck her fore-mast, 
 against which Mr. Wight was leaning, and passed through it 
 about twelve inches above his right arm. L'Aimable, com- 
 manded by Cujpt^in Mainwaring, had a very sharp contest 
 with the Pens^e, a French frigate, mounting 44 guns, with 
 a complement of 400 men, 28 of wh(mi were killed, and 36 
 wounded, whilst, strange to say, she herself had not a man 
 slain, and only two or three persons wounded. During this 
 conflict Captain Mainwaring ^nd Mr. Wight were knocked 
 down by the hammocks, &c., set in motion by the enemy's 
 shot, but sustained no material injury f. The following par- 
 ticulars of the action have been fumish^id us by a gentleman 
 who bore a part therein. We give them at length, in con- 
 sequence of no other correct account ever having appeared in 
 print : 
 
 "At sun-set on the 22A July, 1796, I'Aiwable bisinii; w a cruise o(i 
 Ciuadaloupe, discovered t)%e Pen&<^c rQundii\i; ^j^UshiniVi'* Head, ojid ia- 
 
 * Fort Matilda ^rmerly Fort St. Charles) had a very bigb wall Next 
 the sea, md was completely ^ummaoded mi the other diree aides hy laud ; 
 MO that« aiiUo\^h impregnaUe ugiMfiat a» attack by aliips, it was not capa- 
 ble of inaintaiNtuif a long 4l«^«nce a^M^at u vigavuufl cneoiy on shore. 
 It was taken l)y the Uritisb, April 82, J 794, und o^jicuated Dec. 10, i« the 
 same year. 
 
 t Captain .frmmct Mainwaring was lost in lu Dabcl, irnhix pusauifc t" 
 t.k« West liidit'.s in IWU. 
 
 ■MH' II'' 
 Kin 
 
 \i 
 
 WIS^- 
 
604 
 
 POST-CAFfAINS OF 1802. 
 
 rtlanlly made sail to prevent her getting into Ansc-lu-Baniiic. Wliilst 
 stretching inshore. Caption Mtunwaring assembled his officers and ship's 
 company, consisting altogether of 192 men and boys, pointed out to them 
 the superior force of the enemy, and assured them that if they did not 
 despair of coping successfully with tlieir republican foe, he would lead 
 them into action with sincere pleasure. " To glory or death!" was the 
 enthusiastic response, and in less than 30 minutes the ships were closely 
 cngn<(ed. The battle continued an hour and three quarters, during which 
 time there was little or no wind, and the sea perfectly smooth. The com- 
 batants being greatly cut up in their sails and rigging, and Captain Alain- 
 waring seeing no likelihood of terminating the action speedily, except by 
 boarding, availed himself of a light breeze that now sprung up, and being 
 a little to windward of his opponent, kept away for that purpose ; but in 
 attempting to cross the Pens^e's stern, was thrown on his back as above 
 stated, and before he could recover himself from the shock sutGciently to 
 give the necessary orders the enemy had put his helm up, and run athwart 
 I'Aimable's bows. He soon after made sail before the wind, and by day- 
 light next morning had increased his distance about six miles, although no 
 effort was wanting on the part of Captain Mainwaring to overtake him, all 
 possible sail having been set in pursuit, the stays slackened, the wedges of 
 the masts loosened, and the ship brought to her best sailing trim by the 
 shifting of guns, &c., to bring her to her proper bearings. About 8 A. M., 
 on the 23d, the French commander, observing the inferiority of the frigate 
 opposed to him, hove to, with the seeming determination of renewing the 
 action. Preparations were now made for lashing the Pens^e's bowsprit 
 to TAimable's main-mast; but on Captain Mainwaring arriving within 
 pistol shot of the enemy's weather quarter, the latter filled and set his 
 courses, having first greeted the British frigate by pulling off his hat to 
 her commander and waving it over the hammocks, his officers foUowuig 
 his example. This apparently chivalrous salutation was very naturally 
 returned ; and our countrymen's feelings may readily be conceived when 
 they found it a mer« ruse de guerre. L'Aimable, however, immediately 
 bore up ; end her flying-jib-boom passing close to the Pensde's taffrtdl, she 
 had an opportunity of pouring in a broadside through the enemy's cabin 
 mndows. A very close action now commenced, both ships running before 
 the wind under their top-sails alone, and was kept up for nearly half an 
 hour ; when the Pensde having fore-reached on I'Aimable sheered off, and 
 succeeded in effecting her escape. The trivial loss sustained by the latter 
 must be attributed to her antagonist having fired high. The slaughter on 
 board the former is easily accounted for, she being much loftier than 
 I'Aimable, whose guus had but little elevation given them." 
 
 Three days after this gallant affair, I'Aimable arrived at the 
 island of St. Thomas, where she found the Peiisee with her 
 niain-niast out, and obtahied correct uiformation of her loss. 
 
 ft I 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 605 
 
 Whilst there, the British and French commanders dined 
 together at the Danish Governor's table. 
 
 The Pensee being at length refitted, Captain Mainvvaring 
 took under his protection a number of English merchantmen, 
 and sailed from thence to the northward ; but not before he 
 had given the enemy an opportunity of again meeting him in 
 battle, by laying to for twelve hours as near the shore as the 
 laws of neutrality would allow, which M ons. Valto, the French 
 Captain, did not think proper to avail himself of. 
 
 Mr. Wight subsequently removed into the Ariadne of 28 
 guns, and returned to England at the latter end of 1796. On 
 the passage home his ship experienced very tempestuous 
 weather, parted company with the greater part of a fleet under 
 her convoy, and was obliged to throw all her guns overboard. 
 His commission as a Lieutenant was confirmed by the Ad- 
 miralty on the 5th Sept. in the same year. 
 
 Lieutenant Wight's health being at this period much im- 
 paired by the West India climate, he solicited and obtained 
 permission to come on half pay ; but an invitation from Cap- 
 tain Riou, who, although a young officer, had recently been 
 appointed to the command of the Augusta yacht, induced 
 him to join that vessel, from which he was promoted in con- 
 sequence of her bearing the Admiralty flag, and forming part 
 of the royal squadron when his late Majesty proposed visiting 
 the victorious fleet under Lord Duncan at the Nore ♦ . 
 
 Early in J 798, Captain Wight was appointed to the Ad- 
 miral Devries, a Dutch 68-gun ship, armed en flutes and 
 placed under the orders of the Transport Board, for the pur- 
 pose of being employed in the conveyance of the prisoners 
 taken in Ireland during the unhappy rebellion in that kingdom. 
 After encountering much bad weather, and springing her 
 main-mast, the Admiral Devries reached Cork and Waterford, 
 at which places she received on board 400 of those deluded 
 men, with a detachment of the 60th regiment, and proceeded 
 with them to Martinique. On the passage out two dread- 
 ful explosions took place in the gun-room, owing to the 
 carelessness of the gunner and his crew when fumigating the 
 
 i( 
 
 • Sm Vol. I, p. Ibi. 
 
GOG 
 
 POSr-CAl'TAINS OP 1802. 
 
 ship; but by the exertions and cool intrepidity of her com- 
 mander, the fire was each time subdued, and the lives of 900 
 men, women, and children, preserved. She subsequently 
 sprung a leak off St, Domingo, whilst on her way to Jamaica; 
 and being surveyed at the latter island, was found utterly 
 unfit again to cross the seas, 
 
 Captain Wight now removed his pendant into the London 
 transport, and embarked a detachment of troops ordered to 
 Savanna la Mer, at which place he received on board a party 
 of the York hussars, for a passage to England. Whilst thus 
 employed he wfts attacked by the yellow fever, from which he 
 had scarcely recovered when the London sprung a leak under 
 the chesstree, about four feet beneath her water line, and was 
 with great difficulty kept afloat until her return to Port 
 Royal, where she was discharged from the service, and her 
 passengers removed into other vessels. 
 
 Having at length returned home in safety, he received an 
 offer of further employment in the same Hue of service ; but 
 it not being his wish to avail himself tliereof, he declined an 
 appointment to a frigate under the Transport Board, and re- 
 mained on half-pay till July 1800, when he obtained the 
 command of the Wolverene, a brig fitted according to a plan 
 proposed by Commissioner Schanck, with guns on the inclined 
 plane, and grooves in her deck, by which, she could fight them 
 all on one side *. 
 
 On the I9tb of the following month. Captain Wight, being 
 at anchor near the islands of St. Marcou, on thci eoast of Nor- 
 mandy, discovered two large French sloops attempting to 
 make their escape from the river Isigpny, and lost no time in 
 pursuing them, with the Wolverene, two gun-.brigs, and a 
 cutter. The eneniy finding themadives h«rd pressed, ran into 
 the bay of Grand Camp, and anchored under cover of two 
 batteries, which Captain Wight immediately attacked and 
 kept in play, while his boots, under Lieutenant John Gre- 
 gory, boarded and s«t fire to the largest vcmcI, lying aground 
 within half pietol-shot of the be^ch, on which !300 men with 
 inuskeis and three field-pieces »verc posted. The other sloop 
 
 • See Vol. I, note » at p. 332. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 607 
 
 was at the same time so much cut up by the Wolverene's 
 shot as to render it impossible for her to proeeed. 
 
 Captain Wight's abilities as a seaman were no less con- 
 spicuous than his zeal and bravery as an officer on this occa- 
 sion, he having taken charge of the Wolverene upon her pilot 
 declining to conduct her within gun-shot of the heavy battery 
 to which she was about to be opposed, and laid her within 
 pistol-shot of the enemy's works, where her keel was only 
 a few inches free of the ground. His spirited example was 
 followed by the officers under his orders, their pilots having 
 likewise disclaimed all responsibility. This gallant exploit 
 being performed in sight of the garrison at Marcou, he re- 
 ceived the most hearty congratulations on his return to that 
 anchorage, and afterwards had the satisfaction to hear that 
 the Admiralty highly approved of his conduct. The enemy, 
 it appears, had 4 men killed on the beach ; but although 
 their troops came down to the margin of the water, the 
 British had not a man slain or wounded by their fire. The 
 Wolverene, however, had three of her crew dreadfully shat- 
 tered by an explosion on board one of the sloops, and suffered 
 some damage in her sails and rigging. 
 
 In the following month Captain Wight captured a vessel 
 laden with naval stores, near Havre ; and on the 4th Nov. in 
 the same year he drove a French cutter on shore to the west- 
 ward of Cape Barfleur, where it is supposed she went to 
 pieces during a gale of wind from the southward, which ob- 
 liged him to haul off and leave her surrounded by breakers. 
 Five days after this event he encountered a tremendous 
 storm, the disastrous effects of which among the shipping in 
 the Channel have seldom if ever been exceeded. The Wol- 
 verene's escape, indeed, may be considered miraculous, as 
 she actually struck on the Goodwin Sands, but providentially 
 forced her way Into the North Sea, and arrived at Yar- 
 mouth in safety. The anxiety experienced by his family at 
 this critical period may be inferred from the following pas- 
 sage contained in a letter written to him by Commissioner 
 Schanck, on hearing of his arrival at that port : 
 
 ** My dearest John, — I never knew how much I loved and vahic<l you 
 till I thought I had lust you for ever. I mod sincerely return God thanks 
 
 
 1*11 
 
 IIP 
 
G08 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 I 
 
 for your preservation. I have only time to say, every moment of my life 
 shall he employed in being useful to you in all manner of ways. * * * 
 • • •» 
 
 111 a preceding letter, alluding to the affair in Grand Camp 
 bay, the worthy Commissioner says : 
 
 " Go on and trust in God. • • ♦. I will try and find out an actin;; 
 Master for you. You may think as you please, but your beinjir able to 
 take charge of the ship is a strong recommendation to you, and will please 
 
 Admiral ■ , as it does me. • • • •. You are much talked of at 
 
 all the Boards ; and indeed it makes me a most happy man. Take care 
 of your health ; and I am sure you will do your duty." 
 
 Captain Wight subsequently received a note from Earl St. 
 Vincent's private secretary, acquainting him that his Lordship 
 was very glad to find he had, through his meritorious conduct, 
 procured the rank then enjoyed by him ; and recommend- 
 ing him to persevere in his exertions, as the only path to 
 obtain promotion. That this advice was not disregarded we 
 shall soon have the pleasure of shewing. 
 
 On the 5th May, 1801, Captain Wight, being off Havre, 
 discovered a large sloop coming down the Seine, and made 
 sail towards her. The enemy having anchored just before 
 dark, the Wolverene was brought up in an advantageous po- 
 sition to the eastward of the Trouville bank, and a boat under 
 Lieutenant Gregory sent to attack the French vessel, which 
 he boarded without resistance, her crew retreating to the 
 shore as he advanced. She proved to be laden with mer- 
 chandise ; and strange as it may appear, although considerably 
 up the river, the captors were allowed to bring her out un- 
 molested. On the 15th of the following mouth. Captain 
 Wight drove a similar vessel on shore, under the cover of 
 three batteries at St. Vallery, where she was cannonaded by 
 him ; but owing to the strength of the tide, and a heavy sea,, 
 it was found impracticable to bring her off. A few days 
 after, whilst cruising off the Seine, he discovered a division 
 of the enemy's flotilla on the southern shore, coming from the 
 westward, and notwithstanding the great inferiority of his 
 force, lost no time in offering them battle. They, however, 
 crowded sail, and pushed into Havre, closely pursued by the 
 Wolverene. , • .^ 
 
POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 mj 
 
 lliin 
 
 Captain Wight was now placed under the orders of the late 
 Captain Newman, who was employed with a small squadron 
 watching the port of Havre, where a considerable force had 
 been collected for the purpose of assisting in the meditated 
 invasion of Great Britain. Thirty-six sail of brigs, luggers, 
 and other armed vessels, being moored in the form of a half 
 moon between the heads of the piers, and Captain Wight 
 feeling confident that the Wolverene's easy draught of water 
 und peculiar armament would enable him to annoy them con- 
 siderably, he prevailed upon his commanding othcer to sanc- 
 tion an attack by her alone, although the appearance of the 
 flotilla lying in shoal water, close to the shore, and under the 
 protection of a formidable citadel and several land batteries, 
 aflforded but little probability of her being able to dislodge the 
 enemy without the aid of other small vessels. 
 
 Captain Wight's first attempt proved ineffectual ; and after 
 maintaining a close action with the flotilla and batteries for 
 nearly an hour, he was obliged to haul out without making 
 any apparent impression on them. He, however, had the 
 gratification of being saluted on his return by three hearty 
 cheers from Captain Newman, and all the oflicers and men 
 who had witnessed his gallant conduct. The next day it was 
 agreed upon that he should lead the Loire and Maidstone 
 frigates as close as possible along the southernmost side of 
 the bank de la Jambe, and denote the soundings by signal 
 as he proceeded. His second attack was commenced with 
 great spirit, the Wolverene approaching close to the enemy's 
 centre, and sustaining a very heavy fire for about an hour, in 
 little more than twelve feet water. Captain Wight at length 
 determined upcm boarding some of the outermost vessels, but 
 had scarcely filled his main-top-sail for that purpose, and 
 directed the whole of his fire against six of them, when they 
 cut their cables, and were drifted by the flood tide into the 
 harbour. The wind now dying away, the Wolverene was 
 unavoidably driven so near the piers that the French troops 
 began to engage her with musketry ; and it is said that the 
 present American Comntodore Rodgers, then at Havre, per- 
 sonally directed the fire of a heavy piece of artillery against 
 her. Her situation had indeed become rather alarming ; but 
 
 m 
 m 
 
 Mill' 
 
 ^1 
 
 if 
 
GIO 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 1 
 
 fortunately a light breeze from the land enabled Captain 
 Wight again to close with the British squadron, where he was 
 again received in the most gratifying manner. The next 
 morning he had the additional pleasure of finding that the 
 whole of the enemy's vessels, dreading a renewal of the at- 
 tack, had moved into the harbour daring the night, nor were 
 they ever afterwards seen outside of the pier-heads. Napo- 
 leon Buonaparte, then First Consul of the French republic* 
 expressed his displeasure at their conduct, but at the same 
 time stated that they were not in an efficient state to combat. 
 What then bad become of all his celebrated artillerists, a 
 portion of whom had been ordered for the service of each di- 
 vision of tfec flotilla on which he had rested his fondest hopes ? 
 but such excuses from his mouth were by no means un- 
 common. 
 
 The Wolverene being ordered into port for the purpose of 
 repairing her damages, was applied for by Lord Nelson, as 
 a desirable vessel to be employed in his intended attack on the 
 Boulogne flotilla, but he was told by the Admiralty that she 
 could not be spared from the Havre station, where Captain 
 Wight continued to serve with his usual activity and zeal, re- 
 peatedly receiving the public approval of his superiors, during 
 the continuance of the war. Among other vessels taken by 
 him were a immber of neutrals, the whole of which were con- 
 demned as lawful prizes. He was put out of commission 
 April 15, 1802, and promoted to post rank on the 29th of the 
 same month, the first Lord of the Admiralty at the same time 
 passing some high encomiums on his professional character. 
 On paying off the Wolverene he made a favorable report of 
 that vessel's qualities, and spoke of the utility of the shell 
 shot invented by the late General Melville, and used by her 
 in common with solid 24-pound shot, in her different actions 
 On the French coast. The "General's own ideas on the latter 
 subject will be gathered from the following document : 
 
 " Breiper Street, London, Aug. 31, 1801. 
 
 " General Melville, who for many years past has been tlisqualificd from 
 
 writing letters with his signature, must take tlie pleasure of acknowledging 
 
 in this, his usual mode, Captain Wight's very obliging favor of the IStli 
 
 instant, with a P. S. relative to General Melville's friend Captain Walker, 
 
 
POSt-CAPtAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Gli 
 
 1 
 
 s 
 
 of the Tartar, and a sketch made by Captain Wight liiinself of the lati- 
 operations against tlie enemy at Havre-de-Grace ; fur all which troulilc 
 General M. begs leave to assure Captain Wight of his best thanks. Ah 
 General Melville was the first proposer very long since, of that species of 
 artillery between the howitzer and cannon, with a view to unite as far as 
 might be the advantages of both, without the peculiar disadvantages of 
 either, and which were afterwards called carronades, from the first place 
 of their construction in 1779, he has always been a zealouf? advocate for 
 their use, eopecialiy of those of the largest sort ; being fully persuaded 
 that these pieces with shell or carcase shot, as might best suit the case, 
 might be a permanent advantage to the British, if the boldest and closest 
 fighters, as he trusts they are and always will be. General Melville bus 
 already given, and will continue to give, communications to proper per- 
 sons, of what Captain Wight has so clearly and satisfactorily stated to 
 General M. on the success of the shell shot, and of the best manner of 
 putting them either into the carronades or long guns ; but whether any 
 means will be found to impress these ideas sufficiently upon the mind of 
 the present first Lord of the Admiralty ♦, with whom General M. has not 
 the honor to be personally acquainted, if averse to them, is very doubtful. 
 General M. however should think that if Captain Walker and others would 
 join in an application for a proportion of the shell shot, it might be useful, 
 and that the late adoption of howitzers by Lord Nelson, on his secomi 
 expedition against Boulogne, may be considered as a favorable omen of 
 a growing opinion for the more general use of the shell shot from large 
 carronades, or guns, as being often fit to produce either alarm or execu- 
 tion, in cases when neither could be the efiTects of solid shot of the same 
 calibre. And \fere the Shell shot in some proportion once established. 
 General Melville would not doubt but that some fit number also of carcase 
 shot would be added ; for there are certainly cases when these last might 
 be also used to good purpose. 
 
 " General Melville's very ingenious friend. Commissioner Schanck, is 
 now with Mrs. S. in Devon^hure ; but on his return he and General M. 
 will have conversation on the contents of (^aptain Wight's communications, 
 which, with his successful practice against the enemy, do not only much 
 honor to his zeal, judgment, and exertions, but furnish very instructive, 
 as well as strong grounds, for the farther prosecution of such methods of 
 practice on fit occasions." 
 
 Captain Wight's next uppoititment was, in 1805, to tlic 
 Cleopatra of 32 guns, in which frigate he served for a con- 
 siderable time on the North American station, where he 
 made many valuable captures, but from whence he was ob- 
 liged to return through ill-health, arising from a disorgan- 
 
 li.i 
 
 |i 
 
 • Earl St. Vincent. 
 
012 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 izcil liver, and the powerful medicines he had been compelled 
 to take in order to subdue that disorder. 
 
 In May 1824, Captain Wight invented a rudder " for the 
 more easy and safe conducting all classes of H. M. ships, and 
 those in the'merchants' service," by the use of which he is 
 of opinion they will be enabled to perform the evolutions of 
 tacking and wearing with less helm, and require less manual 
 force on the wheel or tiller. From the description we have 
 seen of this invention, we have no doubt that it will be found 
 to possess many advantages over the rudder now in use, par- 
 ticularly in cases where it may be necessary suddenly to alter 
 the vessel's course ; and on the other hand to prevent her 
 broaching to when scudding in a heavy gale of wind, a dis- 
 aster which has too often caused the loss of ship and lives. 
 We regret our inability to attempt a philosophical descrip- 
 tion of it. 
 
 Captain Wight is at present very actively employed as a 
 Commissioner of Roads and Bridges at Teignmouth, in De- 
 vonshire. His lady died there in May, 1812, leaving issue 
 three sons and one daughter, the survivors of whom are, by 
 their late grandfather's will, to take the name and arms of 
 Schanck, on the demise of his respected widow *. The Admi- 
 ral's property is, we believe, left to Admiral Viscount Ex- 
 mouth, in trust for those children, one of whom is now 
 serving as a Midshipman under Commodore Grant, in the 
 East Indies, and another studying the law. His daughter 
 is also living; but the other child, a god-son of Lord 
 Prudhoe, and intended for the naval profession, was drowned 
 in the river Teign at twelve years of age. 
 
 Agent, — ^Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 ; 
 
 HENRY FOLKES EDGELL, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant in 1790 ; commanded 
 the Pluto sloop of war, principally employed on the New- 
 foundland station, from 1798 till his promotion to the rank 
 
 * Mrs Schanck is the mother-in-law of the late Mrs. Wight, who was 
 the Admiral's onlv child by his first wife. 
 
/ / 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 m'^ 
 
 of Post- Captain, April 29, 1802 ; and subsequently held an 
 appointment in the Sea Fencible service, between Dungeness 
 ^nd Sandgate. He was afterwards appointed in succession 
 to the Cornelia frigate, and Cornwallis of 74 guns : the former 
 ship assisted at the capture of the Isles of France and Java, 
 in the years 1810 and 1811. 
 , ^gent, — Harry Cook, Esq. 
 
 CORNELIUS QUINTON, Esq. 
 
 This officer was a Lieutenant of the Leviathan 74, 
 commanded by the late Lord Hugh Seymour, in Earl 
 Howe's battle, June 1, 1794*. He obtained post-rank, April 
 29, 1802. 
 
 Agent. — Hugh Stanger, Esq. 
 
 SIR JAMES DUNBAR, Bart. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant in 1790; and a Post- 
 Captain April 29, 1802. He received the honor of knight- 
 hood in 1809 ; and was created a Baronet of Great Britain, 
 July 30; 1814. His lady is a daughter of James Coull, of 
 Ashgrove, in Elginshire, Esq.; a niece to Sir Archibald 
 Dunbar, Bart., of Northfield, in the same county ; and a 
 cousin of Viscount Arbuthnot, Lord Lieutenant of Kinr 
 . cardineshire. 
 
 Agent, — ^Thomas Stilwell, E^q. 
 
 WILLIAM BUTTERFIELD, Esq. 
 
 This officer is related by his mother's side to the late 
 William Masterman, of Restormel Park, near Ix)stwithiel, 
 Cornwall, Esq. M. P. for the borough of Bodmin, in the same 
 county ; under whose patronage he entered the naval servic/e 
 as a Midshipman on board the Buffalo of 60 guns, commanded 
 by Captain William Truscott, in Mar. 1781 . He afterwar48 
 
 m. 
 
 m 
 
 yof.. II. 
 
 • See Vol. II, Part I, p. 103. 
 
614 PyST-CAPTAINb OF 1802. 
 
 remoyed^itn that officer into the Nonsuch 64, and continued 
 to serve with hin^i till the peace of 17^. The former ship 
 iiore a part in the "Dogger Bank action, Aug. 5, 1781 *, on 
 which occasion ^he sustained a loss of 20 nien Itilled and 64 
 wounded. The Nonsuch formed part of Sir George Rodney's 
 fleet in the battles of April 9th and 12th, 178*H J and sub- 
 sequently proceeded to New York, for the purpose of bringing 
 home a body of Hessian troops, in British pay. She was 
 paid off at Chatham in Aug. 1/83. 
 
 From this period Mr. Butterfield served successively in the 
 Grampus 50, bearing t!ie broad pendant of Commodore Ed- 
 Wrd Thompson, on the African station ; Winchelsca frigate, 
 eommahded by the present Viscount Exmouth, employed 
 at Newfoundland ; Culloden 74, and Melampus of 36 guns, 
 on Channel service. He passed his examination for a Lieu- 
 tenant in 1788 ; a circumstance which we are induced to men- 
 tion in consequence of an opinion being prevalent that he was 
 originally impressed ihto the navy. 
 
 In 1790, an unfortunate fracas between Mr. Hancorn, junior 
 Lieutenant of the Melampus, and some of her Midshipmen, at 
 a Well-known tavern on Portsmouth Point, led to a trial at 
 Winchester; but the latter party consenting to lipologize for 
 their intemfperate conduct, the business was allowed to ter- 
 minate without the infliction of any punishment, it being very 
 clearly seen that the assault complained of by the Lieutenant 
 had been produced by his own tyrannical conduct, particularly 
 towards the subject of this memoir, whom lie had on one 
 occasion caused to be lashed to a grating and triced up to the 
 mizen-peak, where he was exposed to the gaze of all the ships 
 at the anchorage, and this for ho greater bffence than th,'>t of 
 coming pn deck /«% equipped^ before he- acquainted him 
 that tlie first Lieutenant, then absent, had just t)eforc con- 
 sented to his dining out of the ship ; or to use Mr. Haii- 
 ^cpm's own expression, for " getting nniter Way before he 
 had received his sailing orders." 
 
 • See Vol. I, note § at p. 1 75 et acq. 
 t See Vol. II. Part I, note f ut p. 62 ; uiul Vol. I, note • at p. 35» 
 Hteq. 
 
POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 615 
 
 Disgusted at this trefitment, Mr. Butterfield quitted the 
 navy, and made several voyages in the merchants' service. 
 At the commencement of the French war in 1/93, he was 
 impressed from the Anna, an American vessel lying in the 
 Thames, and sent with a draft of men from the Enterprise 
 tender to complete the complement of the Majestic 74, com- 
 manded by the late Sir Charles Cotton, who soon restored 
 him to his former station on the quarter-deck ; and by the 
 exertion of his interest obtained him a commission, appointing 
 him junior Lieutenant of the same ship, April 11th, 1/94. 
 
 On the memorable first of June, when Earl Howe defeated 
 the republican fleet under M. Villaret de Joyeuse, the Ma- 
 jestic was stationed a-stern of the Royal George, bearing the 
 flag of Sir Alexander Hood, who publicly acknowledged the 
 support she afforded him during the battle. Her loss amounted 
 to 3 men killed, and 18 wounded. 
 
 In Sept. following, the Majestic was ordered to convey 
 Vice-Admiral Caldwell to the Leeward Islands, where Lieu- 
 tenant Butterfield was allowed to exchange into the An- 
 dromache frigate, for the purpose of re-joining Sir Charles 
 Cotton, who had been suddenly removed into the Impreg- 
 nable 98. 
 
 Proceeding from the West Indies to Halifax, on her way 
 to England, the Andromache was totally dismasted in a hur- 
 ricane. After sailing from the latter place she detained an 
 American brig, supposed to be laden with French property, 
 which was put in charge of Mr. Butterfield, who ultimately 
 returned home as a passenger on board I'Oiseau of 3(5 guns, 
 and on his arrival was appointed to the Mars, a third rate, 
 commanded by his patron Sir Charles Cotton, in which ship 
 he continued under the command of that officer, and his suc- 
 cessor, Captain Alexander Hood, till his promotion to tiio 
 rank of Commander, in consequence of his being senior 
 Ldeutenant in the action between the Mars and I'Hercule, 
 wliich is thus described by Schombeig, in his Naval Chrono- 
 logy, Vol. Ill, p. 98 et seq. 
 
 " On the 21st April, I7i>^> Captain Huud, in the Mars, was dircctud, liy 
 si|i{nul from Lord Dridport, to chase a strange suil ^ceii iiisliorc, whii h, un 
 his approach, he ub^tcrvcd (o W an cncmy'^ ship of the linu. and that ihe 
 
 2s'I 
 
 If! 
 
 '*. 
 
 \ 
 
I 
 
 616 
 
 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 was endeavouring to escape through the Passage du Raz ; hut the tide 
 proving contrary, and ihe wind easterly, obliged her to anchor at the mouth 
 of the passage. This afforded Captain Hood an opportunity of attacking 
 her, which he performed in a most noble and gallant manner, laying the 
 Mars so close alongside the enemy, as to unhinge several of the lower- 
 deck ports. In this situation a most bloody conflict commenced, and 
 continued an hour and a half, when she surrendered. Towards the close 
 of the battle Captain Hood received a wound in the thigh, which proved 
 mortal ; he lived to receive the joyful news of the enemy's submission, 
 and expired covered with immortal glory *. She proved to be I'Hercule, 
 of 74 guns and 700 meti, the first time of her being at sea, from TOrient, 
 going to join the Brest fleet. The carnage on board the enemy's ship 
 must have been dreadful ; upwards of 400 men were killed and wounded ; 
 her hull on the larboard side was shockingly burnt and torn to pieces. 
 The loss sustained by the Mars amounted to 1 7 killed, 5 died of their 
 wounds, 60 wounded f, and 8 missing, in all 90 I." 
 
 The subject of this memoir was soon after appointed to 
 the Hazard sloop of war, employed on the Irish station, 
 where he captured le Neptune French national ship, formerly 
 the Laurel English East Indiaman, of 10 guns and 53 men, 
 having on board 2/0 soldiers, from the Isle of France, bound 
 to Brest. The enemy having brought all his guns on one 
 side, made an obstinate defence of an hour and fifty minutes, 
 and had upwards of 20 men killed and wounded. The Hazard 
 had only 6 men wounded. 
 
 From this period Captain Butterfield was employed in 
 keeping up a communication between the flag at Cork and 
 the different squadrons cruising off Ireland. In Nov. 1798, 
 he assumed the temporary command of the Foudroyant, an 
 80-gun ship, vacant by the death of Sir Thomas Byard, on the 
 30th of the preceding month ; and after conducting her from 
 
 * Captain Hood wa!> a nephew to Lords Bridport and Hood. He re- 
 ceived a rouiket-ball in the femoral artery. 
 
 t Among the woimded were Messrs. Qeorge Argles and George Arnold 
 Ford, third and fifth Lieutenants of the Mars. The former officer, however, 
 remained at his post, and acquired as much credit for his bravery in the 
 action as for his local knowledge and professional skill, which enabled 
 him to pilot the Mars alongside the enemy. The conduct of Mr. Joha 
 Bowker, the second Lieutenant, was also very exemplary. Both these 
 gentleman have since attained post rank. 
 
 X The cost of simply making good the damages I'Hercule hod ixa- 
 (ained by the fire of the Mars, was estimated at 12,600/. 
 
IPOST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 ftl7 
 
 liough Swilly to Plymouth, rejoined the Hazard, in which 
 vessel we find him affording protection to the trade between 
 Ireland and the Downs, during the remainder of the war. 
 
 There is no service more arduous and unprofitable than that 
 of convoying merchantmen. Most of those placed under 
 Captain Butterfield's care were heavy sailers, deeply ladenj 
 weakly manned, badly found, and sometimes leaky ; demand- 
 ing the greatest skill, perseverance, and patience, to keep 
 them together. Privateers were continually on the watch, 
 waiting only for a gale of wind, or a fog, to separate the un- 
 skilful from the re«t ; yet, with all these difficulties to con- 
 tend with. Captain Butterfield had the good fortune never tu 
 lose a single vessel confided to his charge. 
 
 In addition to the above services, Captain Butterfield, whilst 
 in the Hazard, on one occasion fell in with a transport- ship, 
 totally dismasted, and in a miserably shattered state, she 
 having been twice run foul of by other vessels at sea. By great 
 exertions on his part this ship was brought safely into port, and 
 her valuable cargo, intended for the use of the army serving 
 against the I'ebels in Ireland, forwarded to its destination. 
 For his meritorious conduct in this instance he received the 
 public thanks of Sir Robert Kingsmill, commander-in-chief at 
 Cork. Returning to port with his prize, le Neptune, he dis- 
 covered a large French privateer, with the Britannia, an 
 English extra India ship in tow. Being crowded with pri- 
 soners, and short of complement, several of the Hazard's 
 tjrew having been sent away in a recaptured vessel previous 
 to the action, any attempt to secure the enemy or his prize 
 must have proved abortive. He, however^ gave such correct 
 information of their position and course to a British frigate 
 which he afterwards met with, as enabled the lattor to retake 
 the Britaiuiia. On another occasion he rescued the Triton 
 Indiaman from imminent danger on the coast of Ireland, her 
 €rew, principally Lascars, being completely done up by the 
 severity of the weather, and several privateers hovering about 
 her, when first seen by the Hazard. For this service, and 
 conducting her safe to Portsmouth, the house of David Scott, 
 and Co., of London, presented him with a piece of plate value 
 J. 50 guuicas. 
 
 1, 1= 
 
 It 
 
618 
 
 rosT-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Captain Butterfiold was promoted to post rank, April 29, 
 1802; and appointed principal agent to the transportH at- 
 tached to Sir Home Popham's expedition against the Cape of 
 Good Hope, in June 1806. On the passage out the fleet 
 touched at Madeira, for the purpose of refreshing the troops, 
 and completing the water of the ships of war, transports, and 
 Indiamen under convoy, which was performed under the ahle 
 superintendence of Captain Butterfield, who never quitted the 
 beach for four days. His services at the reduction of the 
 Cape were officially acknowledged by the Commodore *. 
 
 After the conquest of that colony, Captain Butterfield re- 
 ceived part of the Dutch garrison on board a division of the 
 transports, and proceeded to St. Helena, where he rendered 
 great assistance to the Hon. Captain Percy, of the Volontaire, 
 by manning that frigate with part of the crews under his com- 
 mand, and supplying their place with prisoners, whom he 
 prevailed upon to assist in working the different vessel*: in 
 which they were embarked. 
 
 Captain Butterfield subsequently served in the Sea Fen- 
 cibles at Trake ; and on the breaking up of that corps, in 
 J 810, he was appointed jf>ro tempore to the Courageux of 74l 
 guns. At the latter end of the same year he removed into 
 the Malacca, a new frigate, and sailed for the Cape station ; 
 from whence, after cruising for some time off the Isle of 
 France, he was ordered to the East Indies, where he had the 
 mortification to be dismissed his ship by the sentence of a 
 court-martial, held at Madras, in Aug. 1812. The circum- 
 stance that led to his trial was briefly as follows:— On his 
 arrival in India, finding himself senior officer there, in conse- 
 quence of the recent demise of Vice- Admiral Drury, as stated 
 at p. 514, and the absence of Commodore Broughtou, he pro- 
 ceeded to Calcutta, and despatched the Minden, 7'4)to England 
 with the October convoy, at the urgent request of tlie mer- 
 chants, but without sufficient authority for so dohig. His 
 
 • It is worthy of remark, that Captain Butterfield and the otlier agents 
 of tran8j)ort8, Lieutonaiiis ("uchranc and Patey, did not receive any prize- 
 money for the capture of the Cape, although the tominandcrB and mutes 
 of the Hon. East India Company's ships did ; the former recoiviug 1000/,, 
 and the hitter .^(H)/. eaoh. 
 
 I 
 
POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 619 
 
 seal for the public service ^ave offence to Commodore Brough- 
 ton, who, on ^lis return from Java, where he had beep joined 
 by the Mahiqca, applied to Sir Samuel Hood, the new com- 
 mander-in-chief, fpr a court-martial, which terminated in 
 Captain Buttcrfield's dismissal from tha|, frigate, to the great 
 regret of Iter crew, from whom he received a warm and affec- 
 tionate address previous to his return to England, as a pas- 
 senger on board the Modeste, an address alike gratifying to 
 his feelings, and honorable to his character *. 
 
 At the general promotion in June 1814, Captsun Butterfield 
 was appointed to succeed Sir Home Popham in the command 
 of the Stirling Castle 74 ; but peace with France having pre- 
 viously taken place, the only service he had an opportunity of 
 performing in her was that of bringing the guards from Bour- 
 deaux to England. We are sorry it is not in our power to insert 
 a copy of a very handsome letter which we know he received 
 from the officers of that distinguished corps, acknowledging 
 the attention he paid to their comforts during the passage. 
 The Stirling Castle was paid off at Plymouth about Nov. 1814. 
 
 Captain Butterfield has been more than once married, and 
 is the father of a large family. One of his sons is a Midship- 
 man in the R. N. 
 
 uigent. — ^Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 RfCHARD BYRON, Esq. 
 
 yt Companion of the most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. 
 
 It being our intention to present the reader with some very 
 i:urious and interesting particulars of tlie Byron ifamily, under 
 tlie head of their representative, the present Captain Lord 
 Byron, we shall merely state in this place that the officer 
 now before us is the eldest son of the late Hon. and Rev. 
 Richard Bvroii, by Mary, daughter of Richard Farmer, of 
 Leicester, JEsq., and sister of JDr. Richard Farmer, Master of 
 Emanuel College, Cambridge, a Canon residentiary of St. 
 
 * Captaii), Butterfield, previous tu \m Icuvinir the Mari, was presented 
 by tliat ship's company with a very elegant sword, as a token i>f tlieir ijra- 
 'itudc fur Uiii constant humane attentions tr* tlie Aick. 
 
 . 
 
. 
 
 620 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Paul's, and the celebrated commentator on Shakespeare, sd 
 frequently mentioned by Malone and Steevens *. 
 
 Mr. Richard Byron was born in 1/09 ; and entered the 
 naval service at the commencement of 1782, as a Midship- 
 man, on board the Andromache frigate, commanded by his 
 first cousin, the late Captain George Anson Byron, then about 
 to sail for the West India station, where he arrived in time to 
 witness the defeat and capture of Count de Grasse, by the 
 fleet under Sir George B. Rodney f. He was also present at 
 ihe relief of Gibraltar by Earl Howe, at the latter end of the 
 same year %. 
 
 • The Hon. and Rev. Richard Byron, third son of William, foiu'th 
 Lord Byron, by Frances, second daughter of iVilliam, Lord Berkeley, of 
 Stratton, was bom at Newstead Abbey, Oct. 24, 1 724. His brother, the 
 late Hon. Vice-Admiral John Byron, served as a Midshipman under Com- 
 modore Anson, during his celebrated voyage round the world ; and having 
 had the misfortune to be cast away in the Wager, on a desolate island ofif 
 the coast of Chili, suffered great hardships for more than five years. He 
 was an able and gallant seaman ; but, on the whole, an unfortunate com- 
 mander, having always the elements to contend with rather than the enemy. 
 His action with M. d'Estaing, July 6, 1 ^^9, though indecisive, was highly 
 honorable to the British fleet ; for it is evident that the French Admiral 
 declined coming to a close engagement, though the force under his com- 
 mand was vastly superior to his opponents. Vice-Admiral Byron died 
 April 10, 1786. 
 
 t Captain G. A. Byron was instrumental in bringing on the battles of 
 April 9 and 12, 1782 ; for, being stationed off the Diamond Rock, he kept 
 the strictest watch upon the enemy, by sailing into the mouth of the har- 
 bour wh^re de Orasse lay^ and gave Rodney such immediate notice of the 
 French Admiral's motions, that the British ships, by slipping their cables, 
 were enabled to intercept and bring him to action. He also rendered an 
 essential service in the midst of the conflict on the 12th, by putting fifty 
 barrels of gunpowder on board the Monarch 74, without causing that ship 
 to lose her station in the line for a moment. The Andromache was after, 
 wards selected to carry home Lords Cranston and Robert Manners ; the 
 former charged with Rodney's despatches relative to the victory, the latter 
 returning to England on account of his wounds; and Captain Byron^s 
 conduct was reported in the most honorable terras to the Admiralty. 
 Unfortunately for his country, Loni Robert Manners only survived about 
 « week after his removal from the ship he had so gallanrV/ >» amanded, 
 during which period he was closely attended by Mr. Richard i^ron. When 
 his Lordship's death was announced at Court, the King told the Duke of 
 Portland, he would rathrr have lost three of the best ships in his setvice\ 
 
 \ 
 
 f lost three of the best 
 X See Vol. I, pp. 17 and 106. 
 

 POBT-CAPTAINS OF 1802. G2l 
 
 )Vir. Byron subsequently served for several years in the 
 JDruid frigate ; and early in 1789, we find him accompanying 
 his cousin to the East Indies, in the Phcenix of 36 guns, form- 
 ing part of the squadron sent thither under the orders of 
 Commodore Cornwallis. Ever active, Captain Byron sought 
 the first occasion of assisting in the war against Tippoo Saib ; 
 and, at the very outset, performed a signal service, by inter- 
 cepting the Sultan's transports, loadied with military stores. 
 After this he distinguished himself by landing some of his 
 guns, and leading a party of his men to assist the Bombay 
 army in reducing the fortress of Cannanore, and other strong 
 holds on the Malabar coast, and in re-establishing the Kajah 
 of Travancore, whose dominions had been over-run and occu- 
 pied by Tippoo. For these services he was publicly praised 
 in the official accounts that were sent home ; but, unfor- 
 tunately, he fell a victim to his alacrity and zeal ; for, on 
 crossing the bar of Billiapatnam river, near Cannanore, in 
 'order lo communicate with Major-General Abercromby, who 
 was then marching towards Seringapatam, his boat was over- 
 set by a heavy sea ; and when endeavouring to extricate him- 
 self, her gunwale struck him twice upon the breast with so 
 much violence, that on being taken up it was not supposed 
 he could survive the shock his frame had sustained. He how- 
 ever lingered about a year after his return to England, and 
 survived his \tife several months. He died at Dawleish, 
 in Devonshire, June 11, 1^93. 
 
 The subject of this memoir was made a Lieutenant into the 
 Perseverance frigate at Trincomalee, about Oct. 1/92 ; and serv- 
 ed as such on board the Impregnable, a second rate, bearing the 
 flag of Rear- Admiral Caldwell, in the battle of June 1, 1794. 
 > From her he removed into the Queen Charlotte of 100 guns, 
 which ship formed part of Lord Bridport's fleet in the action 
 aS rOrient, June 23, 1795 *. We subsequently find him 
 
 • See Vol. J, note at p. 75 et seq. and Vol. II, Part I, note at p. 54. 
 Lieutenant Byron on the latter oi^'casion was placed in a very honorable 
 postfhis Captain, Sir Andrew Snape Douglas, having directed that his division 
 of gunii, the seven foremost on the lower deck, should alone commence 
 the action ; the remainder to consider his firing as a signal for them to 
 begin with effect. He accordingly waited until his guns pointed directly 
 
 I 
 
 ,.'» 
 
 !l!-' 
 
 •il 
 
 I': 
 
622 
 
 roST-C.^PTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 
 rierviiig as tiist Lieutpnant of the Doris frigate^ commanded by 
 Lord Ranelagh, and employed as a cruiser in the Channel. 
 
 In 17^7 9 Mr. Byron was appointed flag Lieutefiant to Sir 
 Hugh C. Christian, K. B., >vhom he accompanied tq the Cape 
 of Good Hope in la Virginie, of 44 guns, l^e there joined 
 the Tremendous 74, from which ship he was promoted tq t^e 
 command of the Cqrnwallis brig in Mar. 179S *• His iif^t 
 appointment was to thp Rosario sloop of war, Acting at Ply- 
 mouth for the Jamaica station, whpre he was employed during 
 the peace of ^Jniens, watching the motions of a fleet sept 
 from France to co-operate with General le Clerc, in his at- 
 tempt to recover pqssession of St. Domingo. Captain ^yrop's 
 post commission bears date April 29, 1802. He fit^ied o^t 
 the Inconstant frigate in 18Q4 ; and obtained the command 
 of the Belvidera, rate.d at 3(5, but mounting 42 guns, Fel^. 11, 
 1810. On the 22d July following, the boats of that ship, in 
 company with tho^e of the Nemesis 28, captured, after J^ smart 
 action, the Danish schooners Balder and Thor, each car^rying 
 two long 24-pounders, 6 howitzers, and i5 men ; they also 
 destroyed a sloop, mounting one 24-pounder, with a jcomple- 
 ment of 25 men. Of this gallant affair, which took place on 
 the coast of Norway, an account will be found under the head 
 of Captain WilUav Henry Brii,ce, who served as a Lieutenant 
 on that occasion. 
 
 The Belvidera was afterwards ordered to the Halifax sta- 
 tion, where she had a rencontre with an American squadron, 
 the particulars of which are thus related by Capt^n Byron in his 
 qfjlicial letter to Vice-Admiraji Sawyer, dated Ji^e 27, 1812 f : 
 
 ** Sir, — I beg leave to inform you, that in pu^f^uance of the 
 
 for the French Formidable's broadside, when he l^t ^y, and every 
 shot from the Queen Charlotte was thus expended to good purpose. 
 It should be remarked, that the enemy's three sternmost ship? had pre- 
 viously opened a heavy fire upon her, but without shaking tlic determina- 
 tion of her commander, not to throw %way a shqt in vain. 
 
 * La Virginie conveyed Lord Mornington (now Marquis Welleslpy), 
 from England to the Cape of Good Hope, froui ^vl)ence the Cornwallis 
 returned hou^c with despatches. 
 
 t The United States had dcclurcd war against G^^cat Pritain nine days 
 l^revious to the date oiilfis letter. 
 
i I 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 623 
 
 y 
 
 orders I had the honor to receive frotn you ;\t Iknmidii, the 
 Belvidera was on the 23d mutant in Ut, 39' 26' N., long. 71* 
 10' W., in expectation of the French privateer Marengo 
 coming out of New London. At break of d?iy, the officer of 
 the watch informed me the upper sails of five vessels were 
 seen in the S. W. I stood towardp them to reconnoitre ; 
 and when about six miles from us they hauled to the wind 
 by signal in chase of the Belvidera, *. I tacked from them, 
 and made sail in consequence of their not answering the 
 private signal f. At 1 !•« 30' A. M. we hoisted our colours, 
 and the strange squadron shewed the American flag. The 
 breeze falling light with me, but still favouring them, brought 
 their van ship, which 1 believe to have been the President J, 
 within point blank distance on our weather quarter. At 
 4*" 20' P. M. she opened her fire from her foremost guns. 1 
 had given the most positive orders to my Lieutenants to prick 
 the cartridges, but not to prime the guns § . Although ig- 
 norant of the war, we were of course prepared ; and about five 
 minutes afterwards opened ours, with two 32-pounder car- 
 ronades, and two long 18-pounders from the stern ||. In light 
 winds the President sailed better than the Belvidera j and as 
 her second, a very heavy frigate ^, sailed as well, I acknow- 
 
 * The enemy whea first seeti were steering to the eastward, with the 
 wind blowing a moderate breeze from W. N. W. 
 
 t This was at about S** 15' A. M. The Belvidera kept away bet>veeu 
 four and five points. 
 
 X Captain Byron's conjectures were right. His nearest opponent was 
 the President, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Rodgcrs, and 
 mounting thirty-two long 24 pounders, and 22 carronades, (42-pounders,) 
 exclusive of top guns; with a complement of 475 meo. The Belvidera 
 mounted twenty-six long 18-pounders, and 16 carronadcs, 14 of which 
 were d2-pounders, the other 2 only nines. She had on board only 230 
 officers, men, and boys. 
 
 § This was done to prevent the possibility of any such charge bemg laid 
 against the Belvidera, as had been made so much of in the case of the 
 Little Belt. See Captain Arthur Batt Bingham. 
 
 II The wind bad by this time shifted to VV. S. W. ; the Belvidera and her 
 pursuers continuiqg their course to the N. E. was consequently running 
 nearly before it. 
 
 ^ The President's second was the Congress, of twenty-eight long 
 IS-pounders, twenty 32-pr. carronades, and two long nines. Her com- 
 plement was 440 men. 
 
624 pbsT-cAPTAiNs 6v 1806. 
 
 ledge 1 was much surprised at the nearest ship yawing re* 
 peatedly, and giving starboard and larboard broadsides, when 
 it was fully in her power to have run up alongside the Belvi-' 
 dera *. I thought it my duty to make a fitm retreat from 
 three frigates of the largest class, accompanied by a small 
 frigate or sloop, and a brig of war, two of which bore broad 
 pendants f. The cannonading continued on both sides until 
 seven o'clock. About half an hour previous to the close, the 
 President's second began an ineffective fire^ At 10i> 30', by 
 the good advice of the Master, I shifted the course at once 
 six points to starboard : the enemy hauled up after us, but with 
 less decision, evidently apprehensive of losing some of her 
 consorts ; and at 1 ll> 30', there being a fine moon, we saw her 
 ^vear, and heave to on the opposite tack ; also her second 
 'and the other frigate ; and I conclude the two sternmost did 
 the same as they came up. The necessity of retreat was 
 painful to every one on board the Belvidera. The s^ern and 
 quarters are damaged, main-top-mast shot through, and cross- 
 jack-yard cut away in the slings ; the sails are also damaged^ 
 with some standing and running rigging. The President must 
 have suffered considerably from the excellent direction of the 
 two quarter-deck guns by Lieutenant John Sykes, first of this 
 ship, an officer of seventeen years standing ; and the firing of 
 the two 18-pounders was very quick u.d well-directed by 
 Lieutenants William Henry Bruce, and the Hon. George Pryse 
 Campbell ^. To the Lieutenants I am much indebted, and 
 equally so to Mr. James Ker, the Master, for his speedy re- 
 
 • One of the President's 24-pounders burst ten minutes aftc sho had 
 opened her fire. By this accident 16 persons were killed and wounded, 
 including amoup the latter Commodore Rodgers himself severely in the 
 thigh ; and the main and fofecastle-decks near the gun were so much 
 shattered, as to prevent the use of a bow-chaser on that side for some 
 time. 
 
 t The third American ship was the United States, Commodore De- 
 catur, armed precisely the same as the Pres'.ilent, with the addition of an 
 18-pounder travelling carronade, used through a port at the gang-way. 
 She also carried a howitzer in each top. The other vessels were the 
 Hornet and Argus sloops of war. 
 
 X No less than 300 round shot were discharged frou the main-deck 
 stem^hasers. 
 
f 7 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS Or J8U*" 
 
 625 
 
 fitment of the rigging, as it was shot awa; ana his ^ <irited 
 activity in resetting the studding sails, as 'leir halia s were 
 cut. Much praise is due to Lieutenant James Cani^tbell of 
 the royal marines, for the determined example he shewed to 
 his party. I am infinitely satisfied with the valorous anr 
 steady conduct of the warrant and petty officers, seamen, an(i 
 marines, of the Belvidera. Herewith I enclose the small list 
 of killed and wounded, which in some measure is to be attri- 
 buted to the endeavour of the enemy to dismantle us. John 
 Hill the armourer, and William Gould of the fore-castle, 
 were very good men *. I feel obliged to account for not 
 waiting on you personally, having received a contusion above 
 my knee, by one of the carronades breaking loose in firing, 
 but which will very soon be well. 'J'he bearer of this, Lieu- 
 tenant John Sykes, is an excellent officer, and will give you 
 every information. I hope my conduct will meet your ap- 
 probation. I have the honor to be, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " R. Byhon f/* 
 
 " To Herbert Sawt/er^ Esq. 
 Vice-Admiral of the Blue, 
 Sfc. Sfc. 8fc." 
 The conduct of Captain Byron on this occasion was highly 
 applauded both by government and the public. Had it not 
 
 * It is related of John tlill, that after having both arms amputated he 
 wanted to go on deck to have another shot at the enemy. He died the day 
 after the action, two of his ribs having been fractured and dilTcn into his 
 lungs. 
 
 The Belvidera had only the above men killed, and 22 wounded, in- 
 cluding among the latter her Captain and second Lieutenant. The Pre- 
 sident, according to the American official account, had 2 Midshipmen and 
 1 marine killed ; Commodore Rodgers, 1 Lieutenant, 1 marine officer, 3 
 Midshipmen, and 12 seamen wounded ; t of whom mortally, and several 
 severely. 
 
 t The long bolts and breechings of the Belvidera's carronades gave way 
 repeatedly during the action. Captain Byron was in the act of pointing 
 and firing one of them when the bolt drew, and the carriage slide turning 
 suddenly round, the corner of it came in contact with his groin. The 
 wound inflicted was very severe, although he treated it so lightly in his 
 public letter* Such instances of modesty, although by no means rare, aro 
 always praise-worthy. It is something singular that Commodore Rodgcr% 
 should also have been wounded in the thigh. 
 
G26 
 
 PO»T-CAPTAiNS OF 1802. 
 
 been for his discretion and promptitude on first falling in with 
 the American squadron ; his perseverance in leading Com- 
 modore Rodgers out of the track of a valuable Jamaica fleet, 
 which both parties knew was then on its passage to £ngland 
 under a very trivial escort * ; and his bravery in defending 
 the Belvidera, during a long and arduous chase, while en- 
 gaged with a force so greatly Superior ; the country would 
 have sustained a much greater loss than that resulting from 
 the capture of six or seven insignificant merchantmen, which, 
 with one solitary recapture, were the only trophies of Com- 
 modore Rodgers' prowess, obtained by him during a cruise of 
 two months and eight days, although he had sailed from New 
 York with the singular advantage of his hostile intentions 
 being unknown to any British cruiser. 
 
 On the 5th of the following month. Captain Byron sailed 
 from Halifax in company with a squadron sent to cruise off 
 the enemy's coast, under the orders of Captain (now Sir Philip) 
 Broke ; and eleven days after assisted at the capture of the 
 Nautilus of 14 guns and 106 men, off Sandy Hook f. At 3 
 P. M. on the same day, a strange sail was seen in the wind's 
 eye, which afterwards proved to be the Constitution of 56 
 guns, on her way from Chesapeake Bay to New York. A 
 general chase ensued, and was continued during the night. 
 At day-light on the 17th, it being then calm, the enemy's 
 ship and her pursuers hoisted out their boats to tow, and at 
 1^ 30' the former began warping herself ahead, in 24 fathoms 
 water. She then bore from the Belvidera S. W. b. S. distant 
 four miles. At 9 o'clock a light air sprang up from the S. S. £., 
 and the Belvidera trimmed sails on the larboard tack. At 
 lO*" 30' the breeze freshened, but in a few minutes died away 
 to a calm j when Captain Byron, observing the benefit that 
 the Constitution had derived from warping, immediately 
 
 * Captain Byrou's position at day-light ou the 23d June is stated in the 
 above letter. The West India fleet just alluded to were that day, at noon, 
 in lut. 39o 35' N,, longf. 61o 38' W. From the course that Commodore 
 Rodgers was steering when first discovered l)y the Belvidera, and from 
 the circumstance of his bringing a westerly breeze from the American coast, 
 it is obvious that he had every chance of coming up with the convoy, 
 t See Vol. II. Part I, p. 370. 
 
POST-CAFTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 627 
 
 commenced tlic same operation, bending all his hawsers to 
 Olio another, and working two kedgc anchors at the same 
 time, by paying the warp through one hawse-hole as it 
 was run in through another opposite. The effect of this 
 was soon visible ; and at noon the American, whose booms 
 had just before been thrown overboard, was within gun-shot 
 of the Belvidera. At 2 P. M. the enemy opened a fire from 
 Im8 stern- chasers, which was returned occasionally by Captain 
 Byron's bow-guns. At 3, a lig'h't breeze enabled the Con- 
 stitution to gain ground, and the firing ceased ; but the chuse 
 continued till day-light on the 18th, by which time she was 
 four miles a-head, arid being a clean ship she ultimately ef- 
 fected her escape. The pursuit was finally given up by the 
 British jtt 8 A. M. on the 19th, a little to the southward of 
 DelaAvare Bay, the wind at that time blowing very fresh, and 
 the enemy's hull being no longer visible *. I'he Belvidera's 
 situation when chased by Commodore Rodgers was far more 
 critical than that of the Constitution on this occasion, she 
 being ignorant of the war, and having to sustain the fire of a 
 ship vastly superior in force. 
 
 Oh the 21st Aug. in the same year, the Belvidera captured 
 the Bunker's Hill schooner privateer of 7 guns and 72 men ; 
 and oh the 8th Feb. 1813, her boats assisted at the captm-e of 
 the Lottery letter 6f marque, moimting 1 guns, with a va- 
 luable cargo from Baltimore, bound to Bourdeaux. Tlie active 
 manner in which Captain Byron was employed at the latter 
 period will be seen by reference to the copy of a memorandum 
 issued by Rear-Admiral Cockbuni, and inserted in our me- 
 moir of Captain George Burdett at p. 576. The following 
 acknowledgment of his liberal and humane conduct towards 
 the wounded inen of the Lottery, was made by Captain Stew- 
 art of the Constellation frigate, dated in Norfolk Harbour, 
 Feb. 15 : 
 
 " Sir, — Captain Gould has handed me a note you addressed to huh on 
 the 1 1th inst., in which you state, * by authority of the senior Captain of 
 H.B. Majesty's squadron in Lyn-haven Bay, that Captain Southootnb and his 
 two wounded men will be delivered to any vessel that may come for them,' 
 
 * The enemy being a clean ship just out of port, sailed nuich belter 
 than any of tlie BritLsh squadron, either in light or strong breezes. 
 
628 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 I send a flag down to you for the purpose of receiving those men, an({ 
 avail myself of this opportunity to thank you for your attention and hu- 
 manity to the unfortunate. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your 
 obedient servant, 
 
 (Signed) " Charles Stewart, Senior Officer. 
 
 " P. S. Dr. Ray goes with the flag to attend the wounded men, should 
 there be any necessity." 
 " To Captain Richard Byron, 
 
 H. B. M. S. Belvidera." 
 
 The Belvidera subsequently captured the United States* 
 schooner Vixen, pierced for 18 gnns ; and destroyed the 
 Mars privateer, carrying 15 guns and 70 men. She also re-^ 
 captured the Nocton, a Falmouth packet, which had been 
 taken by the Essex frigate on the coast of Brazil. She was 
 paid off at the latter end of 1814 ; and Captain Byron re- 
 ceived the insignia of a C. B, as a reward for his meritorious 
 services in 1815. 
 
 The subject of this memoir married, Sept. 23, 1801, ^ 
 daughter of the late James Sykes, Esq., Navy Agent, of 
 Arundel Street, Strand, London, and by that lady has four 
 sons, viz. Richard, a passed Midshipman, now serving on 
 board the Spartiate 76, hearing the flag of Sir George Eyre, 
 commander-in-chief in South America ; James, an Ensign in 
 the 8th, or King's regiment ; John, a student at Exeter 
 College, Oxford; and William, at Emanuel College, Cambridge, 
 
 ^gent. — Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 
 WILLIAM YOUNG, Esq. 
 
 This officer was a Midshipman on board the Portland, of 
 50 guns, bearing the flag of Vice- Admiral James Young, on 
 the West India station ; and served in her tender under the 
 orders of Mr. (now Captain) George F. Ryvcs, at the com- 
 mencement of the first American war *. He obtained a 
 J^ieutenant's commission in 1783 ; and served as principal 
 Agent of Transports during the Egyptian campaign, at the 
 close of which he received the gold medal of the Turkish 
 Order of the Crescent, and was presented by the Masters of 
 
 • See Vol II, Part I, p. 13/. 
 
POST-CAPTAIXS OF 1802. 
 
 629 
 
 the ships under his orders with a handsome sword, as a token 
 of tlieir gratitude and esteem. His post commission bears 
 date April 29, 1802. He has been for many years residwit 
 agent of transports at Deptford. 
 urgent. — J. Hinxnian, Esq. 
 
 GEORGE TOBIN, Esq. 
 
 A Comptin'wn of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath, 
 
 This officer is the second son of the late James Tobin, Esq., 
 a proprietor in Nevis, by Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the 
 late George Webbe, Esq., of the same island. His youngest 
 brother is a Lieutenant-Colonel of the royal artillery *. 
 
 He was born at Salisbury, Dec. 13, 17^8 ; and entered the 
 naval service under the patronage of the late Admiral Herbert 
 Sawyer, as a Midshipman on board the Namur, a second rate, 
 forming part of the Channel fleet, in June 1780. 
 
 At the commencement of 1782, the Namur, then com- 
 manded by the late Commissioner Fanshawe, accompanied 
 Sir George B. Rodney to the West Indies, where she bore a 
 conspicuous part in the memorable actions of April 9th and 
 12th, in the same year f. She returned to England, and was 
 put out of commission in consequence of a general peace 
 taking place in 1783. 
 
 Mr. Tobin then joined the Bombay Castle 74, stationed as 
 a guard-ship at Plymouth ; where he continued till the spring 
 of 1785, when he proceeded with his friend Commodore 
 Sawyer, in the Thisbe frigate, to Nova Scotia, «>ii which sta- 
 tion he completed his time as a Midshipman on board the 
 Leander of 60 guns. He subsequently served in the Assist- 
 ance, a ship of similar force. Between the autumn of 1788 
 and the summer of 1790, we find him making a voyage to 
 Madras and Chiaia in an East Indiaman ; and soon after hii 
 return to England he appears to have joined the TremcndouH 
 "J Ay fitting at Chatham as part of the armament destined to 
 
 • Captain Tobin's eldest brother, and three others junior to himself, 
 arc dcceoiicd. 
 t See Vol. II, Piirt I, note f at p. ^2 ; und Vol. I, note at p. 35 «i ifj. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 •> 
 
 r 
 
630 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 18(j2. 
 
 act against Spain, in the event of a rupture with that country. 
 He obtained the rank of Lieutenant Nov. 22, 1790. 
 
 In the ensuing spring Mr. Tobin was appointed third Lieu- 
 tenant of the Providence of 1 6 guns, commanded by Captain 
 William Bligh, under whom he served during the bread-fruit 
 expedition in 1791, 1792, and 1793*. 
 
 Previous to his return from that service he received letters 
 from England, informing him that Captain Horatio Nelson, 
 (who had a few years before married a Nevis lady, related to 
 his mother) had kept the third Lieutenancy of the Agamem- 
 non 64, open for some time, in hopes of his joining her; but 
 little calculating on the subsequent greatness of that officer, 
 Mr. Tobin was rather pleased than otherwise at being out of 
 the way of accepting the offer, and particularly so when, a 
 few months afterwards, he found hini«elf second Lieutenant of 
 the Thetis, a fine frigate, commanded by the Hon. Alexander 
 Cochrane, who had already proved himself a very zealous and 
 active officer, and with whom he continued upwards of four 
 years f. 
 
 The Thetis, after cruising for some time, in the winter 
 season, on the coast of Norway, was attached to a squadron 
 under the orders of Rcar-Admiral George Murray, with whom 
 she proceeded to the Halifax station in May 1794. The cap- 
 
 • The IVovidcnoe sailed from Spitliead in company with her tender, 
 the Assistant brig' of 6 guns, commanded l)y Lieutenant Nathaniel Porth)ck, 
 Aug. 2, 1/91 ; and proceeded to Otuheite, for the purpose of taking on 
 boanl a cargo of brca<Ufruil and other plants for the use of the West 
 hidia colonics. The object of thid voyage wa^ accomplished in the most 
 satisfactory manner, 3()0 plants being landed in excellent order at the 
 island of St. Vincent, and the remainder at Jumaicu, in Jan. and Feb. 1 71'3. 
 Captain IMigh returned to England in Aug. following, bringing with him 
 two of the natives of Otuheite, one of whom died soon after \m arrival. 
 
 t The following extracts from Nelson's letters to his wife, will serve 
 to corroborate what we have said respecting the intended appointmcut of 
 Lieutenant Tobin to the Agamemnon: — June 13, 179(>, *' What id be- 
 come of (icorge Ttibin ? he is a line young nuui : it is a pity he has not 
 got uiorc forward." ./k/v 12, 175>7. " I «»» sure the time is past fordoing 
 any thing fur George Tobin ; hnd he been with me he would long shice 
 hnve been a Captain, and I should have liked it, as being mostexcceilingly 
 pleased with him." See Clurhe and M* Arthur's I/i/v of Nelson, 4to ctlit. 
 Vol. I, p. 290 : and Vol. II, p. 28. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 631 
 
 ture of two French store-ships hy her and the Hussar, already 
 noticed at p. 259 of our first volume, took place at a time 
 when Mr. Tohin commanded the Princess of Wales schooner, 
 employed as a tender to those frigates. He subsequently 
 became first Lieutenant of the Thetis, and continued as such 
 till his removal into the Resolution 74, bearing the flag of 
 the commander-in-chief, by whom he was promoted into the 
 Dasher, a new sloop of war, about Aug. 1/98*. 
 
 After commanding this vessel for twelve months on the 
 coast of America, Captain Tobin was ordered to convoy the 
 homeward bound trade : and on his arrival in England he 
 used every effort to have her sent to the Mediterranean, 
 in order to be near Lord Nelson ; but had the mortifica- 
 tion not to succeed, she being placed under the orders of 
 Sir Thomas Pasley, at Plymouth, and chiefly employed oflT 
 the Isle of Bas, in the irkfc;omc, but rarely successful service, 
 of endeavouring to prevent the enemy's convoys passing 
 along-shore. During the last two years of the war we find 
 her attaciicd to the Channel fleet, successively commanded 
 by Earl St. Vincent, and the Hon. Admiral Cornwallis, She 
 was paid off at Plymouth, Oct. 10, 1801 f. 
 
 • Tlie Dasher was built of cedar, a; Bermuda. 
 
 t Lieutenant Bedford, now the senior officer of his rank on the esta- 
 Mishinent of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, lost his leg whilst serving; 
 under the oru^rs cf Captain Tohin. As the official letter relating to hi» 
 misfortune never reached the public, it muy not be amiss in this place to 
 give a brief statement of the circumstances that led to that very respect- 
 able officer's secession from active service. Wo do so the more readily, 
 in consequence of our being poraonally uriacqiiuintcd with him, although 
 by no means ignorant of his private worth. Tlir energetic manner in 
 which wc have often lieard him plead in fuvoiir of the distressed widows, 
 or|)hans, and parents of deceased odicorH, at the (jiiartcrly meetings of the 
 Naval Charitable Society, and the sight of bis honorable scars, have long 
 caused us to view him with jnorc than common rcixurd. 
 
 In June 1801, the Dasher, while cliasing a French convoy on the oOast 
 of Poilou, gol on shore near Ic I'oiit ti'^'cu, but without receiving any 
 material Injury. In conscrpiencc of this untoward accident, the bouts 
 under Lieutenant Bedford, who Imt too readily met Captain Tobin'4 
 wishes, (supported .ly Lieutenant Nicholson in the Suwarrow .schooner), 
 were sent in pursuit. Two brigs were set on fii • by the enemy to prevent 
 th^ir being captured ; but one of the boats was nnforlunutely sunk by a 
 
 2 t2 
 
632 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Captain Tobin obtained post rank at the general promo- 
 tion, April 29, 1802 ; and was appointed to the Northumber- 
 land 74, bearing the flag of his friend the Hon. Rear- Admiral 
 Cochrane, off Ferrol, in Sept. 1804. The manner in which he 
 was employed during the ensuing twelve months will be seen 
 by reference to Vol. I, p. 261 . 
 
 In Sept. 1805, he was removed by the Rear-Admiral, then 
 commander-in-chief on the Leeward Islands station, into the 
 Princess Charlotte, a o8-gun frigate, with a complement of 
 264 men ; and on the 5th of the following month, being off 
 Tobago, he captured the Cyanc French corvette, (formerly 
 British) mounting 20 long sixes, 2 long fours, and six 12- 
 pounder carronades, with a complement of 190 men, com- 
 manded by M ons. Masnard, Lieutenant de Vaisseau ; the 
 Naiad brig, of 16 long 12-pounders, and 170 men, was in 
 company with the Cyane, but by taking a more prudent, though 
 annoying situation, and superior sailing, effected her escape. 
 When first discovered, these vessels were so far distant, that 
 Captain Tobin saw no chance of overtaking them by an 
 avowed pursuit ; he therefore disguised his frigate as much 
 as possible, which had the desired effect of bringing them 
 down to her in the night of the 4th, when a close action took 
 place, and continued above an hour, during which the Princess 
 Charlotte was so much cut up in her sails and rigging, the 
 enemy firing high on purpose to disable her, as rendered the 
 subsequent pursuit of them a very perplexing one. The 
 Cyane was defended in a very gallant manner, and sustained 
 a loss of 3 men killed and 9 wounded. The Princess Char- 
 lotte had 7 wounded, 2 of whom died soon after. The Naiad 
 was taken by tlie Jason frigate on the 13th of the same 
 month *. 
 
 shot from the stcrn-'cliaser of a national schooner, which <leprivc(l Iter 
 gsllant and perncvcring commamler of itis loft k>K, and at tlic same tinio 
 slightly wounded a seaman and tliree murines. Lieutenant Bedford hud 
 once before been obliged by wounds to seek a temporary retirement ; but 
 this last severe one closed all his hopes of ever being again actively cn»- 
 ployeil ; and he reluctantly withdrew from service, by accepting an appoint- 
 ment to (ireenwu-h Hospital. 
 
 * The Pruiceia Charlotte was W meu short of coinplcinent. 
 
f 1 
 
 I 
 
 Let' 
 juu 
 lud 
 jut 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 633 
 
 III tlie summer of 1806, Captain Tobiii was attached ^to 
 » homeward bound convoy; and soon after his arrival in 
 England he received orders to proceed to the Irish station; 
 from whence he escorted u fleet of merchantmen to Barba- 
 does and Jamaica, in the spring of 1809. On his return from 
 the West Indies he was sent to St. Helena, to bring home 
 the trade collected at that island ; for which service he was 
 presented by the Hon. East India Company with ^K) gui- 
 neas, for the purchase of a piece of plate, " as an acknow- 
 ledgment of his care and attention." 
 
 The Princess Charlotte having rejoined the flag at Cork, 
 Captain Tobin had the gratification of receiving a handsome 
 piece of plate from the Commercial Insurance Company of 
 Dublin, accompanied with a document^ of which the following 
 is a copy : 
 
 " At a meeting of the Directors of the Commercial Insurance Company 
 of Dublin, on Thursday, Oct. 5, 180.9, 
 
 " Alderman Nathaniel Hone in the chair. 
 
 " Resolved, — That the sum of one hundred pounds be laid out in the 
 purchase of a piece of plate to be presented to George Tobin, Esq., 
 commander of H. M. S. Princess Charlotte, with an address and suitable 
 inscription, expressive of the high opinion the Directors of the Commer- 
 cial Insurance Company entertain of his very active services in saving the 
 .ship Maria, John Murphy Master, on the 11th day of March last, wlien 
 under his convoy, laden with a cargo of merchandise, bound from Dublin 
 to Madeira, after being run down by a ship in the fleet. 
 
 " Resolved, That Alderman Hone, Mr. Wilkinson, and Mr. Sparrow, 
 be a Committee for carrying the foregoing resolution into effect. 
 
 " Signed by order of the Directors, 
 
 " Samuel Bruce, Secretary." 
 
 Mr. Bruce's letter accompanying the above present, was 
 replied to by Captain Tobin in the following terms : 
 
 " //, M. S. Princess CharltUte, Cove u/ Cor It, J una ,i, 18 10. 
 
 " Sir, — I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2()tii 
 ult., accompanied with the very handsome piece of plate voted to me on 
 the 5th Oct. last, by the Directors of the Commercial Insurance Company 
 of Dublin. 
 
 " Be assured. Sir, that such a mark of attention was unexpected on my 
 part, as the affair of relieving the Maria had been passed in my mind as 
 one of those casualties frequent in a large convoy ; but I shall appreciate 
 the gift the more, as the ' Resolution of the Directors of the Commercial 
 Insurance Company of Dublin ' is the only acknowledgment I ever re- 
 
(i34 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 ceived, notwithstanding it has been my good fortune, by the zeal and ex- 
 ertions of the officers and men I have had the happiness of commanding, 
 to have frequently given aid to vessels in distress. 
 
 " In begging your acceptance of my thanks for the polite manner in 
 which you have communicated the * Resolution' of the Company, I am. 
 Sir, &c. &c. 
 '* To Samuel Bruce, Esq. (Signed) " Geokoe Tobin." 
 
 During the remainder of the Freneh war Captain Tobin 
 was actively employed on the Irish and Channel stations, and 
 in the Bay of Biscay, where he was fortunate enough to cap- 
 ture several of the enemy's armed vessels. In Jan. 1812, his 
 frigate was ordered to be called the Andromache, her former 
 name being transferred to a first rate, building at Portsmouth. 
 
 The Andromache formed part of the squadron under Sir 
 George Collier, during the siege of St. Sebastian ; and after 
 the fall of that strong fortress * she escorted the French gar- 
 rison to England. On the 23d of the following month, Oct, 
 1813, Captain Tobin fell in with a large frigate, under jury- 
 masts, which surrendered after a short action, and proved to 
 be laTrave, mounting twenty-eight French IS-pounders, and 
 sixteen 18-pounder carronades, only nine months off the 
 stocks, with a complement of 321 men. 
 
 Captain Tobin, in his official letter, detailing the capture 
 of la Trave, says, " such was the disabled state of her masts 
 previously to our meeting, that any further opposition would 
 have been the extreme of rashness ;" and it is but an act of 
 justice towards a brave enemy to add, that her commander, 
 finding it impossible to escape by sailing, and aflt'r endea- 
 vouring for a cbnsiderable time to dismantle the Andro- 
 mache with his stern-chasers, received that ship in a manner 
 creditable to him as a gallant man, and sustained a close 
 action for fifteen minutes, until a destructive fire obliged him 
 to surrender. In addition to the disadvantageous circum- 
 stance of his being under jury-masts f, a strange ship of war 
 
 • Sec p. 628 et scq. 
 t La Trave had been dismasted in a gale uf wind on the 16th Oct. and 
 engaged by a British brig of war two days previous to her capture by tho 
 Andromache. See Captain Isaac Hawkins MonnisoN. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 635 
 
 was approaching from the N. E. quarter, which he had no 
 doubt of being an enemy, and which indeed proved to be the 
 Eurotas frigate. Captain John Philliniore *. 
 
 La Trave had 1 man killed ; her commander, Jacob Van 
 Maren, Capitaine de Vaisseau, and Member of the Imperial 
 Order of Reunion, the second Lieutenant, 2 Midshipman, 
 (one of them mortally) and 24 seamen wounded. The An- 
 dromache had only her first Lieutenant f severely, and 1 
 seaman slightly wounded. 
 
 Captain Tobin was in company with Rear-Admiral Pen- 
 rose on the 27th Mar. 1814, when that officer, in a most 
 skilful and gallant manner, forced the passage of the Gironde, 
 and anchored in that river with the Egmont 74, the An- 
 dromache, and other ships of war ; an event which will be 
 more particularly described in our memoir of Captain John 
 Coode, C. B. 
 
 The Andromache formed part of the fleet assembled at 
 Spithead during the visit of the allied sovereigns in June 
 1814 J and was paid off at Deptford on the 23d of the follow- 
 ing month. 
 
 Captain Tobin was nominated a C. B. Dec. 8, 1815. He 
 married, in 1804, the widow of Major William Duff, of the 
 26th regiment, daughter of the late Captain Gordon Skelly, 
 11. N., by whom he has one son and a daughter. Mrs. Tobin's 
 only child by her first husband is married to Captain Rowland 
 Main waring, R. N. 
 
 Agents. — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 JAMES SANDERS, Esq. 
 
 This officer entered the naval service as a Midshipman on 
 board the America, of 64 guns, commanded by his maternal 
 uncle, the late Rear- Admiral Samuel Thompson X^ April 5, 
 
 * The Saintea at this time bore E. by S., distant 14 leagues, 
 t See Commander Thomas Dickinson, (A). 
 X Rear-Admiral Thompson, a brave officer and excellent seaman, died 
 at Titchfield, Hants, Aug. 13, 1813, on which day he had completed lu» 
 t'Sth year. His eldest son, Norbornc, is a Captain R. N. 
 
636 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 1780j and continued in that ship on foreign service till 
 the peace of 1783 ; during which period he bore a part iii 
 the actions between Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot and Mons. de 
 Ternay, Mar. 16, 1781 ; Rear-Admiral Gmves and the Count 
 de Grasse, Sept. 5, 1781 ; Sir Samuel Hood and the same 
 French commander, Jan. 25 and 26, 1782 j and in Rodney's 
 battles of April 9 and 12 in the same year. On the latter 
 day the America led the centre division of the British fleet, 
 and sustained a loss of 12 men, including 2 Lieutenants, killed, 
 and 22 officers and men wounded, besides being greatly cut 
 up in her masts, sails, and rigging, notwithstanding which 
 she was far advanced in pursuit of the flying enemy when 
 the Ville de Paris surrendered*. 
 
 The America returned to England in July 1783 ; and from 
 that period Mr. Sanders was constantly employed in different 
 ships till May 1 792, when he was removed from the Duke of 
 90 guns into the Lion 64, commanded by the late Sir Erasmus 
 Cower, who entrusted him with the command of the Jackall, 
 a brig of 101 tons, originally a Welch coaster, which vessel 
 had been purchased into the service, and fitted as a tender to 
 the embassy under Lord Macartney, then about to proceed to 
 the court of Pekin f. 
 
 * For au account of the above actions see Vol. I, pp. 40 and 133 ; Vol. 
 II, Part I. p. 63, et seq. : and Vol. I, note at p. 35 et »eq. 
 
 t Captain Gower was appointed to the Lion at Lord Macartney's 
 express desire, and gratified with the choice of his own officers, whooi ho 
 selected from a personal knowledge of their merit. The nomination of a 
 Captain was far from being a matter of indifference to the Ambassador ; 
 for, beside the proper qualifications to conduct any very long voyage, 
 with safety nnd comfort to the passengers and crew, still more might 
 possibly be requisite in an undertaking in which a new tract of sea was to 
 be explored ; as it became u part of the plan to sail directly for the harbour 
 next to the capital of China, through the Yellow Sea and the Gulf of Pekin, 
 for a space of IQo of latitude, and more than half that quantity of lon- 
 gitude, no part of which had ever been described by any European 
 navigator. To every branch of the gea service Captain Gower was known 
 to be fully equal. In addition to the military exertions of this spirited 
 and able officer, he had twice, at an early age, been round the world, 
 having suffered, and materially contributed to surmount, the vast variety 
 of evils incident to such perilous and protracted voyages, by which his 
 mind was inured to, and provided with resources against, the accidents 
 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 637 
 
 Every arrangement having been made to ensure the suc- 
 cess, and add to the splendour and accommodation of an em- 
 bassy, which had long engaged a considerable share of the 
 public attention ; all those who were to accompany the Am- 
 bassador, to the amount of near 100 persons, besides soldiers 
 and servants, joined his Excellency, at Portsmouth, in Sep- 
 tember, 1792 J and on the 26th of that month the Lion sailed 
 from Spithead, with an easterly breeze, accompanied by her 
 tender, and the Hindostan, a large East Indiaman, the latter 
 having on board the presents destined for Tchien Lung, the 
 Chinese Emperor ; and those persons of Lord Macartney's 
 suite who could not be accommodated on board the King's 
 ship. 
 
 The squadron had made but little progress down Channel 
 when the wind became adverse, and soon increased to a gale. 
 The Jackall, being unable to weather Portland, parted com- 
 pany during the night of the 28th, and was left to perform the 
 voyage to the Straits of Sunda by herself, with only nine 
 working hands on board, and those totally unprovided with 
 the means of defending themselves against any hostile attack. 
 
 After encountering much bad weather, Mr. Sanders succeeded 
 in reaching Madeira on the 22d October ; and there received 
 a letter from Sir Erasmus Gower, expressing great uneasiness 
 for his safety ; directing him to lose no time, after completing 
 his provisions, in following him to the Cape de Verds j and, 
 in the event of his not finding him at St. Jago, to proceed ' 
 without delay to North Island, near the Straits of Banca ; 
 where he was to remain until joined by the Lion. 
 
 Mr. Sanders had scarcely brought up in Funchal Road before 
 a gale from the S. W. compelled him to slip his cable, and run 
 to sea ; where he remained, contending with very tempestuous 
 weather, for a period of seven days, at the expiration of which 
 the wind shifted to the eastward, and enabled him to regain 
 
 of untried routes. Numberless applications were made to serve under him 
 upon the present interesting occasion ; and young gentlemen of the most 
 respectable families, glowing with all the ardour and enterprise of youth, 
 were admitted on board the Lion, considerably beyond her proper comple- 
 ment of Midshipmen. Three of those gentlemen were placed under Mr. 
 Sanders in the Jackal! . 
 
638 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 the anchorage. On the 30th October, the Jackall, after re- 
 covering the anchor that had been left behind, and taking on 
 board a supply of provisions and water, was again under way ; 
 and eleven days after we find her anchoring in Porto Praya 
 Bay, where Mr. Sanders received additional instructions for 
 his guidance, from Sir Erasmus Gower, who had sailed from 
 thence only two days previous to his arrival. 
 
 The island of St. Jago was at this period in an absolute 
 state of famine. Little or no rain had fallen there for about 
 three years before. The rivers were, almost all, entirely dry. 
 The surface of the earth was, in general, destitute of herb- 
 age. The greatest part of the cattle had already perished, 
 not less through drought than want of food j many of the 
 inhabitants had migrated, and many died through hunger. 
 Under those calamitous circumstances, the license contained in 
 Sir Erasmus Gower's letter, to make a reasonable tarry in Porto 
 Praya Bay, for the purpose of refreshing his little crew, only 
 served to excite discontent ; and it was not without having 
 recourse to strong measures that Mr. Sanders could induce 
 them to prosecute their voyage. 
 
 From St. Jago to the Straits of Sunda, the Jackall only ex- 
 perienced one heavy gale of wind. It took place to the east- 
 ward of Madagascar, blowing violently in all directions, and 
 occasioning an uncommonly confused sea, attended with inces- 
 sant rain, loud peals of thunder, and lightning of the most 
 awful description. There was, however, a very great swell 
 from the S. W. during the whole passage, and frequently 
 without any apparent cause. On the I3th Feb. 1793> Mr. 
 Sanders made the island of St. Paul ; and on the 23d of the 
 followmg month he had the happiness of joining his com- 
 mander at the appointed rendezvous, after a painful separation 
 of nearly six months. 
 
 The following is an extract from Sir George Staunton's 
 
 " Account of the Embassy," a work to which we must refer 
 
 our readers for a detail of the subsequent proceedings of Lord 
 
 Macartney and those in his train : — 
 
 " Very soon after the Lion's return to this spot (North Island) the long- 
 lust Jackall cauie in sight. It had been conjectured that in the stormy 
 night, in which she lost company of the ships, or in her attempt afterwards 
 
POST -CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 030 
 
 l. 
 
 to follow them, she had met tvith some severe uiiafortunc. Siie ha<l been 
 manned by a part of the Lion's crew ; and their former companions, who 
 knew not then of Great Britain being at war, could not have even the con- 
 solation of supposing their fnends, though captive, yet alive. The joy of 
 seeing her was very general : she had, in fact, been damaged in the begin- 
 ning of the voyage, returned into port to repwr, and afterwards used every 
 diligence to re-join the ships. She was obliged to stop for refreshments at 
 Madeira, where she arrived a short time after the Lion had left it. She 
 pursued the latter to St. Jago, which she reached, likewise, some days too 
 late. From thence to North Island she did not once come to anchor. She 
 was what navigators call a good sea-boat, being conjpactly built, and little 
 liable to perish by mere foul weather ; but neither did she afford much 
 shelter against the hardships of a rough voyage, or make her way so quickly 
 as larger vessels against violent waves. Her provisions were damaged by 
 salt water ; and her crew were reduced to a very scanty pittance when she 
 joined the Lion. Mr. Sanders, who commanded her, got much credit for 
 his conduct throughout the voyage •." 
 
 On his return to England, in Sept. 1794, Mr. Sanders was 
 recommended for promotion by Lord Macartney ^ and soon 
 after advanced to the rank of Lieutenant in the Prince George, 
 of 98 guns, which ship formed part of Lord Bridport's fleet at 
 
 * The Lion, on her passage from Batavia to North Island, struck upon n 
 knoll in three fathoms water, with six or seven fathoms all round it. Had 
 the knoll risen nearer to the surface, the accident might have been attended 
 with serious consequences ; and the want of a tender was now much felt, as 
 she might have preceded the ships, and sounded the depth of water in any 
 unknown or suspected place The East India Company's Commissioners 
 at Canton had destined two small vessels for this purpose; but in their late 
 despatches to Lord Macartney, received by him at Batavia, they expressed 
 their regret that those vessels were still otherwise employed. It appeared, 
 that, even should the Jackall join, another vessel would still be useful ; and 
 his Lordship sent back to Batavia to purchase such a one as the service re- 
 quired ; to which, as a mark of respect to the Duke of Clarence, H. R. H.'s 
 name was given. The seeds of dangerous diseases had by this time taken 
 root on board the Lion and Hindostan ; and the evil consequences of a long 
 voyage in so small a vessel, with a very limited allowance of food, and that 
 not of the most wholesome description, began to shew themselves among 
 the Jackall's crew immediately after their arrival, although no previous signs 
 of debility had been exhibited by them : their cases, however, soon yielded 
 to the kind treatment they experienced, aided by salutary refreshments ; 
 whilst by moving to different parts of the coasts of Java and Sumatra, in 
 order to find out the healthiest and coolest spot, the number of persons on 
 the sick-lists of the Lion and Hindostan was gradually reduced. 
 
GIO 
 
 POST CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 I . 
 
 the capture of three French 2.deckcrs, off 1 'Orient, on the 23d 
 June, in the following year *. 
 
 In the autumn of 1795, the Prince George received the flag 
 of Rear-Admiral Christian, and made an ineffectual attempt to 
 clear the Channel, in company with a large armament destined 
 to act against the enemies' colonies in the West Indies. The 
 Glory, another second rate, into which Lieutenant Sanders 
 had removed with the Rear-Admiral, being equally unsuc- 
 cessful f , he returned to the Prince George in July, 1/96 ; and 
 on the 14th Feb. following, had the honour of participating in 
 the victory obtained by Sir John Jervis over the Spanish fleet 
 off Cape St. Vincent. On that memorable occasion, the Prince 
 George bore the flag of Rear-Admiral William Parker, and 
 sustained a loss of 8 men slain and 7 wounded. 
 
 Lieutenant Sanders' next appointment was in March 1797> 
 to the Victory of 100 guns, bearing the flag of his commander- 
 in-chief, whom he afterwards accompanied into the Ville de 
 Paris, also a first rate. During the time he belonged to the 
 latter ship he was twice engaged in her boats with the Cadiz 
 flotilla, and on one of those occasions received a severe wound. 
 His promotion to the rank of Commander took place about 
 November, 1798. 
 
 On the 22d Feb. 1799, Captain Sanders, in I'Espoir, a brig 
 mounting 14 long 6-pounders, with a compleaient of 70 men, 
 part of whom were absent in a detained neutral, after a sharp 
 conflict of an hour and fifty minutes, captured a Spanish 
 national xebec, of 14 long 4 -pounders, 4 swivels of the same 
 calibre, and 1 13 men. The following is a copy of his official 
 letter on the occasion : — 
 
 " Sir, — At a quarter past noon, the town of Murbello bearing N. N. W. 
 distant 3 leagues, u brig and two xebecs in the S. E. quarter appearing sus- 
 picious, I shewed my colours to them, when the brig and one of the xebecs 
 hoisted Spanish; upon which a Moorish brig in tow was cast off, and i'£spoir 
 hauled to the wind in chase. It was soon perceived they were armed ves- 
 sels ; but not being so fortunate as to weather them, we exchanged broad- 
 sides with both in passing. L'Espoir, being tacked, soon brought the 
 xebec to close action, which continued for an hour and a half, wlien a 
 favorable opportunity of boarding her was embraced, and after a sliarp 
 
 * See Vol. I. p. 246. 
 t Sec Vol. I. note t, at p. 89 et seq. and Vol. II. Part I. p. 96 etseq. 
 
 «' 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Gil 
 
 ;: 
 
 contest of about twenty minutes she sunciulerc«l, and provod to ho tlic A(- 
 rica, commanded by Josepho Sulijado, in the service of the Iviiii,' of Spain, 
 mounting i-1 long 4-poumlers and 4 brass 4-pr. swivels, having on board 7^ 
 seamen and 38 soldiers, from Algosamus bound to IMalaga. Lieutenant 
 Richardson, in whom 1 have much confidence, and all the olficers anid sea- 
 men of his Majesty's sloop I have the honor to command, behaved with 
 the same courage they have done on former occasions. During the action 
 the brig, which, I have since learned, mounted 18 guns, stood in-shore and 
 anchored. L'Espoirhad 2 seamen killed and 2 wounded ; the Africa I ofli- 
 ccr and S seamen killed, her captain, 2 officers, and 25 men wounded." 
 
 " Coptain Cuthbert, H. M- S. Majestic:' 
 
 The officer to whom this letter was addressed, when trans- 
 mitting it to Earl St. Vincent, said, it was r/ot in the power of 
 his pen siifficiently to extol the mcritorions conduct of Captain 
 Sanders and his creiv in the actioti, ivhich he had himself 
 witnessed^ but at too great a distatice to be able to assist 
 fEspoir*. 
 
 Some time previous to this gallant affair, Captain Sanders 
 had been sent to examine the Barbary coast for a watering 
 place ; and it is to him that we are indebted for the discovery 
 of a valuable run of fine water in Mazari Bay, or 7 miles t/> 
 the eastward of Tetuan river, which has since been of infinite 
 service both to his Majesty's ships and the garrison of Gib- 
 raltar. In June following I'Espoir formed part of Lord Keith's 
 fleet, and joined in the pursuit of a French scjuadron under 
 Rear- Admiral Peree,whose capture we have already recorded f. 
 
 Subsequent to this event, Captain Sanders, being at Ciib- 
 raltar, observed several Spanish gun-boats capture a merchant 
 brig between Cabritta Point and Ceuta. Having obtained 
 permission to that effect from the senior officer then present. 
 
 M 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 * It appeared by information afterwards received, that the Spanish vessels 
 made sure of carrying I'Espoir into IMulaga ; also, that the brig which with- 
 drew from the fight and anchored ir>--hore, was ultimately destroyed. 
 
 t See Vol. I. p. 267, and Vol. li. Part 1, Note f, at p.276. We should 
 here observe that Captain Bland, who commanded I'Espoir before the 
 subject of this memoir, considwcd her as scarcely sea-worthy, her upper 
 works in particular being in ?t most deplorable state. Captain Sanders, 
 however, continued to command her for twelve months, and when oft" Cape 
 delle Melle, with Lord Keith's fleet, in June 17!'!^ went in chase, althongh 
 her starboard-side had been stove in and nearly laid Hat on the deck by the 
 Emerald frigate ruimlng foul of her during the preceding night 
 
642 
 
 POST-( APTAIVS OF 1802. 
 
 li : 
 
 he weighed at sun-set iinohserved by the enemy, succeeded 
 in recapturing the English vessel, sunk one of the gun-boats, 
 and compelled the others to make a hasty retreat. In addition 
 to those services, he rescued several British merchantmen at 
 different times from the hands of the Algeziras flotilla, and 
 captured and destroyed several privateers and trading vessels 
 on the coast of Spain ; in doing which I'Espoir was more than 
 once warmly engaged, though, fortunately, without sustaining 
 any material loss or damage. 
 
 Captain Sanders paid ofTl'Espoir at Sheerness in Dec. 1/99; 
 and on that vessel being taken into dock, several feet of her 
 counter fell out the moment tlie copper was removed ; a suf- 
 ficient proof that his predecessor's fears were not groundless. 
 Towards the conclusion of the war he commanded the Raven 
 of 18 guns, on the West India station. His post commission 
 bears date April 29, 1802. 
 
 In the spring of 1805, we find him acting in the Ariadne, a 20- 
 gun ship, during the temporary absence of her proper Captain, 
 the Hon. Edward King, and stationed off the enemy's coast,with 
 a small squadron under his orders, for the purpose of watch- 
 ing the French flotilla between Dunkirk and Calais. While 
 thus employed he submitted a plan to Lord Keith for attack- 
 ing the armed vessels lying off the former place. His pro- 
 posal being approved, a number of fire-ships, &c. were as- 
 sembled in the Downs for that purpose ; but the enemy, anti- 
 cipating an attack from the force collected, availed himself of 
 the first favorable opportunity to mov^ from Dunkirk Roads 
 and force his way to Boulogne and Calais, which he effected 
 after a sharp brush with the British cruisers, on which occa- 
 sion each party had several men killed and wounded *. 
 
 In Nov. 1807, Captain Sanders was appointed to the Atlas 
 of 74 guns, bearing the flag of Ilear-Admiral Purvis, on the 
 Cadiz station, where he was most cictivcly employed for a 
 period of nearly three years. 
 
 The late war in the Peninsula will be memorable above all 
 
 •Cnptnin K'nj,' had resinnoil thocnnimnndof liis sliip, and llic scinudnm, <i 
 few (luy* previous to the action, lie was aftcnvards appointed to llie 
 Alr.Miiidiiu frigate, uiid died uii IIip Went ludiu - tatiun in ISO/. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 64IJ 
 
 t)f modem times. It stands alone for the perfidiousness with 
 Avhich the French commenced it, and the atrocious system 
 upon which it was persevered in by an individual the most 
 ambitious of the human race, who was intoxicated with suc- 
 cess, and whose heart and conscience were equally callous. 
 For many months previous to its commencement, the Atlas 
 was employed blockading Cadiz ; but no sooner had the spirit 
 of patriotism burst forth in Andalusia, than the officer whose 
 flag she bore was seen hastening to offer every assistance in 
 his power to the cause of the oppressed inhabit; nts. We 
 should greatly exceed our limits were M'e to enter into a de- 
 tailed account of the transactions in that quarter during the 
 long protracted siege of Cadiz : an idea of the dangers to which 
 the British officers and seamen were constantly exposed will 
 be readily conceived, when we state, that the Atlas scarcely 
 passed a day without being under the fire of the enemy's bat- 
 teries, and that her loss amounted to at least 50 men killed 
 and wounded, including the casualties that occurred in gun- 
 boats manned by detachments from her crew. 
 
 In August 1810, the Council of Regency having assented to 
 a proposal made by Lieutenant-General Graham and Sir 
 Richard G. Keats, (successor to Vice-Admiral Purvis,) for 
 tlio formation of a canal, navigable for gun-boats at low water, 
 within the fort of Puntales, Captain Sanders was selected to 
 survey the spot and discuss the points connected with it, in 
 conjunction with several other British and Spanish officers. 
 The destruction of Fort Catalina was likewise cftccted under 
 Ids superintendance. 
 
 The Atlas being found defective, was at length ordered 
 home and put out of commissifm in Dec. 1810. Previous 
 to her departure from Cadiz, the Junta of that city made 
 arrangements by which a large sum of money was sent to 
 I'^ngland in her, as a reward for Captain Sanders' exertions at 
 that place. 
 
 Captain Sanders remained on half-pay till Mar. 9, 1812, when 
 he was appointed to the Junon of 4(> guns, in which ship we 
 find him cruising o(T the Chesapeake, and rupturing scveiul 
 ])ri/.es at the couuneneentent of the lute war with America. 
 lie uiso led the squadron under Sir John li. Warren, wiieu 
 
044 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 I : 
 
 that officer first entered the same bay for the purpose of estab-* 
 lishing a strict and active blockade, which was afterwards 
 most rigidly enforced by the Junon and other frigates under 
 the orders of Captain Burdett ; to whose memoir we must 
 refer our readers for a copy of the general order issued by 
 Rear-Admiral Cockburn on the 4th Mar. 1813, acknowledg- 
 ing the " gallant, active, and zealous conduct of every officer 
 and man of the small squadron" employed on that arduous 
 service. 
 
 On the 20th June following, Captain Sanders being at the 
 entrance of Norfolk river, in company with the Narcissus and 
 Barrossa frigates, was attacked by fifteen American gun-boats, 
 several of which were disabled, and the whole compelled to 
 retreat, after an action of three hours, during which the Junon 
 had 2 men killed and 3 wounded. Fortunately for the 
 enemy, the shoalness of the water, and their proximity to the 
 shore, enabled them to effect their escape *. 
 
 In the following month Captain Sanders was entrusted with 
 the blockade of Delaware Bay, where the boats of the Junon 
 and Martin gallantly attacked and carried an American gun- 
 vessel, mounting one long 32-pounder and one 4-pounder, 
 with a complement of 35 men. Great credit is due to Cap- 
 tain Sanders for the promptitude with which he despatched 
 the boats on this service, the enemy's vessel being part of a 
 flc/iilla that had come out to attempt the destruction of the 
 Martin, then lying aground on the outer ridge of Crow's 
 Shoal, and not more than two miles and a half from the beach. 
 This gallant affair will be more fully spoken of iu our memoirs 
 of Captain H. F. Scnhouse and Commander Philip Westphal. 
 
 Captain Sanders continued actively and 8ucces.^fully em- 
 ployctl on the American station till Sept. «K), 1813, when he 
 was obliged to exchange into the Sybille frigate and return to 
 England for the recovery of his health, which had by this time 
 become much impaired by a long and laborious course of ser- 
 vice, during which, as we have already shewn, he had assisted 
 ait the capture and destruction of three first-rates, eleven other 
 
 * The Narcissus ami Barrossa used every oxertjou to close with the enemy, 
 l»iit owiii|{ to ilic ti(k- couKI not reach ilteir stalionit till ihc gun-boats were 
 about to retire. . . ' 
 
POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 045 
 
 ships of the line, four frigates, and three sloops of war, be- 
 sides upwards of one hundred sail of smaller armed vessels, 
 privateers, and merchantmen. He left the Sybillc on the 15th 
 Mar. 1814, and has ever since been on half-pay. He married, 
 in May, 1801, Miss M*Adam, of Ayrshire. 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY WEBLEY PARRY, Esq. 
 
 [lATK WEBLEY.] 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorable Milititry Order of the liatlt ; awl a 
 linight Companion of the Royal Swedish Order of the Sword. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant Sept. 21, 1790; and 
 was serving as such on board the Juno frigate when she made 
 her extraordinary escape from Toulon harbour, on the night 
 of Jan. 11, 1794 ; a circumstance to be attributed, in a great 
 measure, to his presence of mind, as will be seen by the fol- 
 lowing narrative of that event, sent by his gallant commander, 
 the late Sir Samuel Hood, to the commander-in-chief on the 
 Mediterranean station : 
 
 "Juno, in Hieres Day, Jan. 13, 1794. 
 
 " My Lord, — I beg leave to enclose your Lordship a narrative of the 
 fortunate escape of II. M. S. Juno, under my command, from the port of 
 Toulon, after having run ashore in the inner harbour on the night of the 
 1 1th instant. The Arm, steady, and quiet manner in which my orders wore 
 carried into execution by Lieutenant Turner, supported l>y the able assist' 
 ance of Lieutenants Mason and Webley, in their respective stations ; tht, 
 attention of Mr. Kidd, the Master, to the steeragr, &e. with the very good 
 conduct of every officer and man, were the means of the ship's preservation 
 from the enemy, and for which I must request pern)issiou to give them my 
 strongest recommendation. I have the honor to be, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) "Samuel Hood." 
 
 " To the Right Hon. Admiral Urd Hood." 
 
 " On the M inst. I left the island of Malta, having on board 1/30 super, 
 numerarics, 46 of whom are the officers and private maruies of II. M. S. 
 Romney, the remainder Maltese, intended for the fleet *. On the night of 
 the 7th I passed the S. W. point of Sardinia, and steered a course for Tou- 
 Ion. On the 9th, about 1 1 A. M., made Cape Sicie, but found a current 
 liad set us some leagues to the westward of our reckoning : hauled our 
 
 * The Juno had been sent to Malta for reinforcements previous to the 
 evacuation of Toulon, in Dec. 1 7^3. 
 VOL. 11. 2 u 
 
646 
 
 POST-CAl»TAINS OF 1802. 
 
 wind, but it blowing hard from the eastward, with a strotijj; lee current, w* 
 could but just fetch to the westward of the above Cape. The wind and 
 current continuing, we could not, till the evening of the 11th, get as far to 
 windward as Cape Sepet : finding, a little l)efore ten o'clock, that the ship 
 would be able to fetch into Toulon, I did not like to wait till morning, hav- 
 ing so many men on hoard, and considering it my indispensable duty to get 
 in as fast as possible. At ten I ordered the hands to be turned up to bring 
 the ship to anchor, being then abreast of Cape Sepet, entering the outer 
 harbour. Not having a pilot on board, or any person acquainted with the 
 port, I placed two Alidshipmcn to look out with night glasses for the fleet; 
 but not discovering any ships until we got near the entrance of the inner 
 harbour, I supposed they had moved up there in the eastern gale ; at the 
 same time seeing one vessel, with several other lights, which I imagined to 
 be the fleet's, I entered the inner harbour under the top-sails only ; but 
 finding I could not weather a brig, which lay a little way above the point 
 called the Grand Tour, I ordered the fore-sail and driver to be set, to be 
 ready to tack when we were the other side of her. Soon alter the brig 
 hailed us, but I could not make out in what language : I supposed they 
 wanted to know what ship it was, and told them it was an English frigate 
 called the Juno. They answered yivu; and after asking in English and 
 French for some time, what brig she was, and where the British Admiral 
 lay, they appeared not to understand me, but called out, as we passed under 
 their stem, Luff! Luff! several times ; which made me suppose there was 
 shoal water near : the helm was instantly put a-lee, but we found the ship 
 was on shore before she got head to wind. There being very little wind, 
 and perfectly smooth water, I ordered the sails to be clewed up and handed : 
 at this time a boat went from the brig towards the town. Before the peo- 
 ple were all off the yards, we found the ship went a-stem very fast by a 
 flaw of wind that came down the harbour ; we hoisted the driver and 
 roizen-stay-sail, keeping the sheets to windward to give her stern way as 
 long as possible, that she might get further from the shoal. The instant 
 she lust her way we let go the best bower anchor, when she tended head 
 to wind ; but the after part of the keel was aground, and we could not move 
 the rudder. I ordered the launch and cutter to be hoisted out, and put the 
 kedge anchor with two hawsers in them, to warp the ship farther off. By 
 the time the boats were out, a boat came alongside, after having been 
 hailed, and we thought answered as if an oAicer had been in her : the peo- 
 ple were all anxious to get out of her, and two of them appeared to be 
 oflicers; one of them said he came to inform me it was the regulation of 
 the port, and the commanding officer's orders, that I mutt go into another 
 branch of the harbour to perform ten days' quarantine. I kept asking him 
 where Lord H(io<i's ship lay ; but from his not giving me any satisfactory 
 answer, and one ttf the Midshipmen liavini; said, " tlii!y were national cock- 
 ade?," I looked at one of their hats more stcdfastly, and, by the moon- 
 light, clearly tjintinguished the three colours. Perceiving they were sus- 
 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 G47 
 
 pectcii, and on my questioning them again about Lord Hood, one of them 
 replied, " Soyez tranquille, lex Jnglois sont dc braves gens, nous les trnit- 
 ons hient ; I'Ainiral Anghis est sortie il y a quelqne terns •." It may be 
 more easily conceived than any words can express, what I felt at the mo- 
 ment. The circumstauce of our situation, of course, was known throueh- 
 out the ship in an instant ; and saying we were all prisoners, the officers 
 soon got near me to know our situation. At the same tin>e a flaw of wind 
 coming down the harbour, Lieutenant Webley said to me, ' I believe, Sir, 
 we shall be able to fetch out, if we can get her under sail.' I immediately 
 perceived Ave should have a chance of saving the ship ; at least, if we did 
 not. we ought not to lose her without some contention : I therefore ordered 
 every person to their respective stations, and the Frenchmen to be sent 
 below. The latter, perceiving some bustle, began to draw their sabres ; 
 on which I directed soipe of the marines to take the half-pikes and force 
 them below, which was soon done : I then ordered all the Maltese between 
 decks, that we might not have confusion with too many men. I believe, in 
 an instant, such a change in people was never seen ; every officer and man 
 was at his duty; and I do believe, within three minutes, every sail in the 
 ship was set, and the yards braced ready for casting. T^" steady and active 
 assistance of Lieutenant Turner, and all the officers, prevented any con- 
 fusion from arising in our critical situation. As soon as the cable was 
 taut, I ordered it to be cut, and had the good fortune to sec the ship start 
 from the shore. The head sails were filled : a favourable flaw of wind 
 coming at the same time, gave her good way, and we had every prospect of 
 getting out, if the forts did not disable us. To prevent our being retarded 
 by the boats, I ordered them to be cut adrift, as also the French boat. Tlie 
 moment the brig saw us begin to loose sails, we could plainly perceive she 
 was getting her guns ready, and we also saw lights on all the l)attericj. 
 When we had shot far enough for the brig's guns to bear on us, which was 
 not more than three ships' lengths, she began to fire, also a fort a little on 
 the starboard bow, and soon after all of them, on both sides, as they could 
 bring their guns to bear. As soon as the sails were well trimmed, I beat 
 to quarters, to get our guns readyi but not with an intention of firing till 
 we were sure of getting out. When abreast of the centre part of Cape 
 Sepet, I was afraid we should have been obliged to make a tack ; but as 
 we drew near the shore, and were ready, she came up two points, and just 
 weathered the Cape. As wc passed very close along that shore, the batte- 
 ries kept up a» brisk a fire as the wetness of the weather would admit. 
 When I could aflford to keep the ship a little from the wind, I ordered some 
 guns to be fired at a buttery that hw\ just opened abreast of us, which 
 quieted them a little. Wc then stopped firing till wc could keep her away, 
 with the wind abaft the beam, when, for a few minutes, we kept up a very 
 
 • Make yourself easy ; the English are good people ; we will treat them 
 kindly ; the Hiiglish Admiral hva departed some time. 
 
 2u2 
 
648 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 lively fire on the last battery we had to pass, and which I believe must 
 otherwise have done us great damage. At half-past twelve, being out of 
 reach of their shot, the firing ceased. Fortunately we had no person hurt. 
 Some shot passed through the sails, part of the standing and running rig- 
 ging cut away, and two French 36-pound shot, that struck the hull, was 
 all the damage we received *. 
 
 (Signed) "Samuel Hood." 
 
 We are not exactly informed as to the manner in which 
 Mr. Webley was employed from this period till the memorable 
 battle of the Nile, when he served as first Lieutenant of the 
 Zealous, 74, commanded by Captain Hood f. Being pro- 
 moted for his conduct on that occasion, he was subse- 
 quently appointed to the Savage sloop of war, and continued 
 to command her till the peace of Amiens. 
 
 It does not appear that he was again called into service till 
 the latter end of 1806, when we find him commanding the 
 Centaur 74, bearing the broad pendant of his friend, Comrao- 
 
 • Lieutenant Joseph Turner, the officer alluded to in the above narrative, 
 was made a Commander, October 7, 1794 ; and died about the month of 
 May, 1816. 
 
 t Captain Hood was the officer who first discovered the French fleet in 
 Aboukir Bay. On being asked l)y Nelson, " what he thought of attaching 
 the enemy that night F" he replied, " ff'e have now eleven fathoms trater; 
 and, if you will give me leave, I icill lead in, making known my soundings 
 by signal, and bring their van ship to action." Late as it was, the firmness 
 of this answer decided the Rear-Admiral, who said, '• Go on, and I wish 
 you success." During this conversation the Goliah passed the Zealous, and 
 took the lead, which she kept; but, not bringing up alongeide the first ship, 
 went on to engage the second. On this Captain Hood exclaimed to his 
 officers, " Thank God! my friend Foley has left me the van ship." He 
 soon after took such a position on the bow of the Guenicre, the ship in 
 question, as to shoot away all her masts, and effect her capture, in twelve 
 minutes from the time that the Zealous commenced her fire. He after- 
 wards engaged the flying ships tmtil called off" by signal. The Zealous, 
 strange as it may appear, had only eight men killed and wounded on this 
 glorious occasion. After this victory, Sir Horatio Nelson proceeded to 
 Naples, leaving part of his s(|uadron on the coast of Egypt, under the orders 
 of Captain Hoo<l, who kept the port of Alexandria closely blockaded ; took 
 and destroyed upwards of thirty of the neutral transports which had been 
 employed in the service of the French army ; and contributed, in a mate- 
 rial degree, to the interests of (ireat Britain, by his am-^able commuoica- 
 tions with the servants of the tiraud Seignior. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 649 
 
 dore Hood, with whom he served during the expedition 
 against Copenhagen ; and whilst there we find him displaying 
 great promptitude in extinguishing an alarming fire which 
 broke out in the naval arsenal during the night of Sept. 22, 
 
 1807. 
 
 On his return from Copenhagen Sir Samuel Hood was sent, 
 in conjunction with the present Lord Beresford, to take pos- 
 session of Madeira, which was effected without resistance on 
 the 26th Dec. in the same year. He subsequently went to 
 the Baltic, as second in command of the fleet stationed there, 
 to act in concer*^ ith the Swedes *. On the 25th Aug. 1808, 
 he sailed from Oro Road, in company with the Implacable 74, 
 and a Swedish squadron under Rear- Admiral Nauckhoff; 
 and on the following day succeeded in capturing and destroy- 
 ing the Sewolod, a Russian 74, and compelling the rest of 
 the enemy's fleet to take shelter in the port of Rogerswick, 
 for which service the late King of Sweden presented him 
 (as also Captains Martin and Webiey) with the Order of the 
 Sword, an honor never conferred but in acknowledgment of 
 victory. 
 
 Sir Samuel Hood's official letter to Sir James Saumarez, 
 
 the commander-in-chief, describing the above event, has been 
 
 greatly admired for its perspicuity. It would be an act of 
 
 injustice towards the captains, officers, and men, who fought 
 
 under his orders, were we not to insert it at full length : 
 
 " Centaur, off Rogerswick, Aug. 27, 1808. 
 " Sir,— It is with pleasure I acquaint you that the Russian squadron, 
 under the command of Vice-Ad miral Hanickoff, after being chased thirty- 
 four hours by his Swedish Majesty's squadron, under Rear-Admiral Nauck- 
 hoff, accompanied by this ship and the Implacable, under my orders, have 
 been forced to take shelter in the port of Rogerswick, with the loss of 
 one 7-1-gun ship. I shall have great satisfaction in detailing to you the 
 services of the captains, officers, seamen, and marines, under ray com- 
 mand ; and have also to state, that in no instance have I seen more energy 
 displayed than by his Swedish Majesty's squadron, although from the in- 
 feriority of their sailing they were prevented from getting into action 
 Rear-Admiral Nauckhotf, and the captains under his command, from their 
 perseverance and judicious conduct, were enabled to give conlidunce to 
 
 Sir Samuel Hood vva» nnide a Rear-AiimirHlOct. J, 1807 
 
I : 
 
 i ! 
 
 650 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OK 1802. 
 
 our Bhips ; and could wc Iiave forced the etiemy to a general action, tbc 
 whole of their s({uadron must have fallen to the superior bravery of the 
 united force of our respecflve Sovereigns, tn so just and honorable a cause. 
 
 " My letter of the 25th will have acquainted you of the Russian squa- 
 dron having appeared offOro Road on the 23d. The arrangements for 
 quitting that anchorage, after his Swedish Majesty's ships from Jungfur 
 Sound had joined Reur-Aduiiral Nauckhoff, were completed on the evening 
 of the 24th. Early the next morning the whole force put to sea ; and soon 
 after the Russian fleet was discovered off* Hatagu Udd, the wind then at 
 N. E. Not a moment was lost in giving pursuit, and every sail pressed 
 by the Swedish squadron. From the superior sailing of the Centaur and 
 Implacable they were soon in advance ; and at the close of the evening the 
 enemy were noticed in the greatest disorder, apparently avoiding a general 
 battle*. On the morning of the 26tb, about five o'clock, the Implacable 
 was enabled to bring the leewardmost of their line-of-battle sltips to close 
 action, in a most brave and gallant manner ; and so decidedly and judiciously 
 was the manoeuvre executed, that the Russian Admiral, who bore tip with 
 the whole of bis force, could not prevent that marked superiority of dis- 
 cipline and seamanship being eminently distinguished. Although the 
 enemy's ship fought with the greatest bravery, she was silenced in about 
 twenty minutes ; and only tlie near approach of the whole Russian fleet 
 could have prevented her then falling, her colours and pendant beiiig both 
 <iown i but I was obliged to make the signal for the Implacable to close 
 with me. Captain Martin's letter, stating the brave and gallant conduct 
 of Lieutenant Baldwin, his other officers and men, I send herewith ; and it 
 would be needless for me to add more on their meritorious conduct. If 
 words of mine could enhance the merit of this brave, wortliy, and ex- 
 cellent officer, (CaptEun Martin) I could do it with the most heartfelt 
 gratification ; and the high esteem I have for him as an officer and « friend, 
 no language can sufficiently express *. 
 
 *' The Russian Admiral, having sent a frigate to tow the disabled ship, 
 again hauled his wind ; and the Implacable being rfeady to make sail, I 
 immediately gave eltase, and soon obfiged the Mgate to cast off her tow, 
 when the Russian Admiral was again under the necessity to support her, 
 by several of his line-of>battle sihips bearing down, and I had «very pros- 
 pect of this bringing on a general action ; to avoid which he avuled him- 
 self of a favorable slant of wind, and entered the port of Rogerswick. 
 
 " The line-of-battle ship engaged by the Implacable having fallen to 
 leeward, grounded on a shoal just at the entrance of the port ; there being 
 then some swell, I had a hope she most have been destroyed : but the 
 wind moderutuig towards the evening, she appeared to ride at her anchor, 
 and exertions were made to repair her damage. At sunset, finding the swell 
 
 * Captain T. Byam Martin has since been created a K. C. B., and 
 advanced to the rank of Vicc-Admiral. See Vol. I, p. 4fM et «tq. 
 
POST-CAPTAIN? OF 
 
 1802. 
 
 051 
 
 abated, and boats sent from the Russian fleet to tow her into port, I di- 
 rected Captain VVcbley to stand in and endeavour to cut her off. This was 
 executed in a manner that must ever reflect the highest honor on Captain 
 Webley, the oflicers, and ship's company of the Centaur, for their valour 
 and perseverance in the support of my orders. Tlie Iwats had made a 
 considerable progress, and the enemy's ship was just entering the port, 
 when we had the good fortune to lay her on board ; her bowsprit taking 
 the Centaur's fore-rigging, she swept along with her l)ow grazing the 
 muzzles of our guns, which was the only signal for their discharge, and 
 the enemy's bows were drove in by this raking fire. When her bowsprit 
 came to our inizen-rigging, I oniered it to be laahed, which was performed 
 in a most steady manner by the exertions of Captain Webley, Lieutenant 
 Lawless, Mr. Strode, the Master, and other brave men, under a very heavy 
 fire from the enemy's musketry, by which, I am sorry to add. Lieutenant 
 Lawless is severely wounded. The ship being in six fathoms water, I had 
 a hope I should have been able to have towed her out in that position ; 
 l)ut an anchor had been let go from her unknown to us, which rendered 
 it impossible. At this period much valour was displayed on both sides, 
 and several attempts made to board by her bowsprit ; but nothing could 
 withstand the cool and determined fire of the marines under Captain 
 Bayley and the other oflicers, as well as the fire from our stem-chase guns ; 
 and in less than half an hour she was obliged to surrender. On this occa- 
 sion I again received the greatest aid from Captain Martin, who anchored 
 his ship in a position to heave the Centaur ofl'', after she and the prize had 
 grounded, which was fortunately effected at a moment when two of the 
 enemy's ships were seen under sail standing towards us, but who retreated 
 when they saw us extricated from this difliculty. 
 
 " The prize , proved to be the Sewolod, of 7^ guns. Captain Roodneff. 
 She had so mu^h water in her, and bein^ fast on shore, that after taking out 
 thO' prisoners and wounded men, I was obliged to give orders for her beuig 
 burnt ; which service was completely effected under the direction of Lieu- 
 tenant Biddulph of this alnp, by seven o'clock in the mormng. 
 
 " I cannot speak too highly of the brave and gallant coitduut of Captain 
 Webley, and every oSicer and man under his command ; and I beg leave to 
 recommend to you, for the notice of the Lords Commissioners of the Ad- 
 miralty, Lieutenant Lawlci^s, for bis exertions and gallant conduct, and 
 who has severely suffered on this occa^iion : I also must beg leave 
 to recommend Lieutenant William Case, tlic senior officer of this ship ♦. 
 
 " Herewith you will receive a list of the killed and wounded on board 
 this ship and the Implacable ; and from every information that it was 
 
 • Lieutenant Paul Lawless was made a Commander on the l!)th of 
 the ensuing month. Lieutenant Case did not obtain promotion till 
 Aug. 7, 1812. 
 
I I 
 
 !' i 
 
 652 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 possible to collect, that of tlie enemy's ship captured*. I have the 
 honor to be, &c., 
 
 (Signed) " Samukl Hood." 
 
 " To Sir James Saumarez, Bart. \ 
 Sfc. SfC. fyc." 
 
 Captain Martin's letter, alluded to by Sir Samuel Hood, 
 was couched in the following modest terms : 
 
 " Sir, — The action this morning between the Implacable and the rear 
 ship of the Russian line, was so immediately under your own observation, 
 that it would be superfluous to trouble you with any statement upon that 
 point ; but in transmitting a list of killed and wounded, I trust I may be 
 allowed the opportunity to express my thankfulness to the officers and 
 ship's company of the Implacable, for their eager and active exertions to 
 close with the enemy, and the truly noble and splendid conduct which they 
 displayed during the engagement ; but it is my duty to acknowledge, in a 
 more particular manner, the great assistance I derived from Mr. Baldwin, 
 the first Lieutenant, and Mr. Moore, the Master ; and if the fact of our 
 opponent being completely silenced, and his colours (both ensign and 
 pendant) down, when the approach of the whole Russian fleet occasioned 
 your recalling me, can tend to make the affair worthy of being distinguished 
 by any mark of approval from the Lords Coumiissionera of the Admiralty, 
 it is impossible that patronage can be bestowed upon a more thoroughly 
 deserving officer than Mr. Baldwin. I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " T. B. Martin." 
 " To Sir Samuel Hood, K. B. 
 Rear- Admiral of the IFIiite f." 
 
 Early in 1 809, we find Sir Samuel Hood and Captain Web- 
 ley employed at Corunna, under the orders of Rear-Admiral 
 de Courcy ; and subsequently receiving the thanks of Par- 
 
 * Centaur 3 killed, 27 wounded; Implacable 6 killed, 26 wounded; 
 Sewolod 303 killed, wounded, and missing ; 43 of this number were slain, 
 and 80 wounded, in her action with the Implacable ; but 108 fresh sailors 
 and soldiers were brought to her by the boats from Rogerswick. 
 
 t The allied force on the above occasion consisted of uvelve two-deckers, 
 mounting in the whole 882 guns { Ave frigates, mounting 208 guns ; and 
 one brig. The enemy had only nine sail of the line, but two of them were 
 three-deckers, and they carried altogether 7^6 guns ; three of their frigates 
 mounted 50, and two others 44 guns each ; besides which they had six 
 other vessels mounting 124 guns, and four whose armament could not be 
 ascertained. Allowing the latter as a set off against the Swedish brig, the 
 numbers will be found to be as follow : — British and Swedes, seventeen 
 'sail and lOfJO guns; Russians, twenty sail and HIS guns. Upwards of a 
 third of the Swedish sailors were either ill in bed with the scurvy, or had 
 previously been sent to sick (juartcrs at Carlscruna. 
 
 I 
 
POST-CAFrAiNS OF 1802. 
 
 653 
 
 the 
 
 liament for the prompt and effectual assistance rendered by 
 them daring the embarkation of the army lately commanded by 
 the lamented Sir John Moore*. In 1810 and 181 1, they served 
 together in the Centaur, on the Mediterranean station ; and on 
 Sir Samuel's appointment to the chief command in India, 
 vacant by the death of Vice- Admiral Drury, we believe that 
 the subject of this memoir was again selected to be his Flag- 
 Cap tain. 
 
 Captain Webley assumed the name of Parry about 1815, 
 in which year he commanded the Swiftsure 74, at the Lee- 
 ward Islands. He was appointed to the Prince Regent of 
 120 guns, bearing the flag of Sir Benjamin Hallowell at 
 Chatham, Dec. 6, 1822 ; and is now completing the usual 
 period of service under that officer's successor. 
 
 EDWARD GALWEY, Esq. 
 
 Towards the close of 179/, when the Vanguard of 74 
 guns was commissioned for the flag of Sir Horatio Nelson, 
 Mr. Galwey was selected by that officer to act as his first 
 Lieutenant, from which circumstance we conclude that he 
 had already served under that celebrated conmiander, and 
 shared in some of his battles. Be that as it may, we find the 
 following short account of him in a letter from Nelson to 
 Earl St. Vincent, dated May 8, 1798 : 
 
 " My first Lieutenant, Galwey, has no friends, and is one of the best 
 officers in my ship." 
 
 During the dreadful conflict in Aboukir Bay, Aug. 1, 1798, 
 Lieutenant Galwey was sent in the only boat which had not 
 been cut to pieces by the enemy's shot, to assist the distressed 
 crew of rOrient ; and subsequently to take possession of le 
 Spartiate. He was promoted to the rank of Commander in 
 consequence of that ever memorable victory ; and during the 
 latter part of the war we find him commanding the Plover, an 
 1 8-gun sloop, employed on Channel service. His post com- 
 mission bears date April 29, 1802. 
 
 Captain Galwey commanded the Dryad frigate during the 
 
 • Sec Vol. I, p. 335. 
 
, 
 
 S' 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 L 
 
 654 
 
 POSt-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 expedition against Walcberen in 1809; and subsequently on 
 the north coast of Spain, under the orders of the late Sir 
 Robert Mends *. On the 23d Dec. 1812, he drove a French 
 national brig of 32 guns, on the rocks near Isle Dieu, where 
 she was completely wrecked : the Dryad on this occasion was 
 hulled several times by shot from the shore, and had her fore- 
 mast badly wounded, but not a man hurt. 
 
 Returning from Newfoundland, Mar. 2G, 1814, Captain 
 Galwey fell in with the Clprinde, a French frigate, endeavour- 
 ing to escape fi*om the Eurotas of 46 guns, with which ship she 
 had had a very severe action on the preceding day, an account 
 of which wiill be found in our memoir of Sir John Phillimore, 
 Knt., C. B. The enemy, having only his fore-mast standing, 
 and more than one third of his crew already killed and 
 wounded, struck his colours on receiving one shot from the 
 Dryad, after an absurd attempt to obtain terms previous to 
 his surrender ; a proposition that would not have been acceded 
 to even by a British brig of 18 guns, t|ien in sight ,tp lee- 
 ward. Captain Galwey, after towing tjiie captured frigate 
 'into port, was put oat of comm^^^ion. lie has not since 
 4)een employed. 
 
 Agent. — ^Thomas Collier, Esq. 
 
 RICHARD JONES, Esq. 
 
 This officer was first Lieutenant of the Defence 74, com- 
 manded by the late Rear- Admiral John Peyton, in the me- 
 morable battle off the Nile f, and obtained the rank of Com- 
 mander for his conduct on that occasion. We subsequently 
 find him commanding the Diligence sloop of war ; the Chep- 
 stow district of Sea Fencibles ; and the flag-ships of the late 
 Vice-Admiral Thomas Wells J, and the present Sir Manley 
 Plxon. His post commission bears date April 29, 1602. 
 
 • See Vol. II,. Part J, pp. 272 and 273. 
 
 t See Vol. I, p. 181. The Defence hsd 4 ooen kjlled and 11 wounded. 
 <Bear-Adtniral -Peytqn died at Priestland, near Lyn^iugton, Hants, Aug. 2, 
 1809. ^ •" 
 
 X Vice-Admiral Wells (^ed at I^olme, iu Huntingdonshire, Oct. 31, 181 1. 
 
 '^ "tjs i^<^q-- 
 
 CcU- s 0(J(s\:<:. vh'iy 
 
 ^ 
 
 I 
 
Fovr-c.vrrAiNs of 1802. 
 
 ()55 
 
 RICHARD HAWKINS, Esq. 
 
 Tins officer was born at Saltash in I7O8 ; and served as a 
 Midshipman in the boats of the Windsor (/astle, a second 
 rate, at the evacuation of Toulon in 1793. He also distin- 
 guished himself in an affair with the French republicans near 
 Hieres Bay, the particulars of which will be found at p. 813 
 of this volume. 
 
 On the 1st Aug. 1798, when Sir Horatio Nelson defeated 
 the enemy's fleet under Admiral Brueys in Aboukir bay, we 
 find Mr. Hawkins serving as first Lieutenant jf the Theseus 
 74, commanded by the late Captaij U. W MilU r, and his 
 name returned among those won/»ded in th^i ?rigagv^ment*. 
 At the close of the war he comuianded the GiiV'^o of 14 guns, 
 from which vessel he was poated April '20, ?S02. 
 
 In I8O7 Captain Hawkins obtained i>.a corn; aand of U Mi- 
 nerve frigate; and on the 6th May, I BOS, Liis boats aitacked 
 and carried a battery mounting o'l? ly-poundi-v, wLidi was 
 immediately turned again-^t ft biot?ldiouKe coirmjauJJsjg y 
 small bay near I'Orient ; but u large parky of soldU f"» tiiviei'i 
 having opened a heavy fire through their iocp-fholr'.H, and 
 killed Lieutenant Cook wlib direrled tncv.tt'JC'V, theaasariants 
 were obliged to content themselves with i?|uking the ^un and 
 bringing off the body of their leai^r, Oii the 2'>d Sept. 
 foUowiiig, Captain Hawkins fell in -with a brig, Vhioh overset 
 just as lie had arrived within gun-shot of ber^, after a chHse rf 
 seventy-^five miles. La Minerve being instantly J;r(iU|);htto, 
 succeed'ed in saving 16 of the unfortimate vessds crciv ; ^mt 
 her commander and 33 men ivere drown rd From iJic ac- 
 count of the survivors it t^peared that she was the Josephina, 
 a French letter of marque, nkcur'tiiig ^ gun.", pierced for; 18, 
 from St. Sebastidn, bound to Guadaloupe, with a cargo of 
 flour, brandy, wine, "nJ clothing, and intended to cruise 
 against our trade in ; ht West Indies, she having already done 
 much mischief :<■> British commerce as a privateer. 
 
 • The Tbesetis, although hulled in more than seventy places, had only 
 5 men killed and .30 wounded. Captain Miller lost his life by an expto< 
 sion of shells, in May 1799 ; see Vol. H, Part I, note t at p. 383. 
 
656 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 ! i 
 
 Captain Havrkins continued to command la Miner ve till 
 1814, but does not appear to have had any opportunity of 
 distinguishing himself whilst in her. He has ever since been 
 on half- pay. 
 
 Agent. — J. Copland, Esq. 
 
 THOMAS COWAN, Esq. 
 
 This officer was first Lieutenant of the Swiftsure 74, com- 
 manded by the present Vicc-Admiral Sir Benjamin Hallowell, 
 K. C. B. in the battle of Aug. 1, 1798; and, if we mistake 
 not, he received the Turkish gold medal for his subsequent 
 services in Egypt. He obtained post rank, April 29, 1802. 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY DANIEL, Esq. 
 
 This officer is the eldest son of the late Captain William 
 Daniel, R. N. by Miss M. Dawson, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
 and a brother of Lieutenant Robert Savage Daniel, who was 
 mortally woun^led on board the Bellerophon 74, in the battle 
 offtheNile, Aug. 1, 1798 ♦. 
 
 He was born in London in 1763 ; and his name first en- 
 tered op a ship's books Dec. 20, 1766; but his actual entry 
 into the naval service did not take place till 1773) when he 
 joined the Dublin 74 at Plymouth. On the 31st March, in 
 the following year, he was received into the Royal Academy 
 at Portsmouth, where he continued upwards of four years. 
 Whilst there he was frequently employed to drill the other 
 scholars at small arms ; and on one of those occasions was 
 twice stabbed with a sword by a lad named Marmaduke Price, 
 who insisted on having the command. One of the wounds 
 was at flrst considered mortal ; but fortunately the sword had 
 
 * Mr. R. S. Daiiit'l wait first Lieutenant of the Dellerophon, and foufj^ht 
 her with great bravery, after <'aptuiii Darby was wounded, till one of hia 
 legs wus rarrted off by u cannon Inill. On his way tothu cockpit, a grape* 
 ttliot pa.sdcd through the body of the man who was carrying him down, and 
 grazed his own back ; but this latter woinid, although it caused his death, 
 was not discovcied by the Surgeon uuiii after he had expired. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802, 
 
 657 
 
 been prevented from entering the abdomen, in consequence 
 of its striking one of the short ribs on the left side. 
 
 On the 7th Dec. 1776, the rope-houses in Portsmouth 
 dock-vfird were wilfully set on fire, by a miscreant commonly 
 culled " Jack the Painter," and considerable damage was 
 done before the flames could be extinguished. Shortly after 
 this diabolical act, whilst Mr. Daniel was looking at the men 
 employed clearing the camber of the pitch, tar, and other 
 combustible articles that had been thrown into it for security, 
 the sheers erected for that purpose gave way, struck him on 
 the back of the head, and knocked him down apparently 
 lifeless. The effects of this accident are still felt by him on 
 all occasions of exertion. 
 
 Mr. Daniel removed from the Royal Academy to the Prince 
 of Wales, a second rate, bearing the flag of Rcar-Admlral 
 Barrington, April 16, 1778 ; and shortly after proceeded to 
 the Leeward Islands, where he was placed under the care of 
 the late Sir Charles Thompson, who at that period com- 
 manded the Boreas of 28 guns ; in which ship Mr. Daniel saw 
 much active service, and was twice engaged with the enemy*. 
 On the 7th May 17^> be joined the Sandwich of 90 guns, 
 
 • On the 18th Dec. 17/8, the Bcrea- uiatle u gallant attack upon a 
 French convuy ironi Marseilles, hound tu ]Martini(|ue ; and after an action 
 of more than six hours, during which «lie was successively exposed to the 
 fire of two 74*8, t\» / frigates, many arsned merchantmen, and the Diamond 
 Rock, Pigeon Island, and other lund-batterics, succeeded in capturing a 
 ship and a polacre with valuable cargoes, driving several others on shore 
 at the entrance of Port Royal, and compelling six or sewn sail to bear 
 up and surrender to part of the British fl«et which hud by this time arrived 
 from St. Kitts. In the following year she captured, after a short but 
 spirited action, le Compass, a large ship, armed en flute, laden with 
 colonial produce from AMartiDi(|ue, bound to Kurope, with a complement 
 of 2W men, and having on board about the same number of invalids, &c., 
 from 'he French army and shipping. The Boreas had 4 men killed and 
 several wounded during the action, and about 20 others much burnt, by an 
 explosion of gunpowder on board Ic Compass after her surrender. The 
 enemy's loss was likewise very severe. 
 
 About this latter period Mr. Daniel was nearly drowned whilst em- 
 ployed on a watering party, and had a narrow escape from assassination 
 whilst lying in an exhausted state in a hut to which he ha«i beer taken ia 
 a state of auspeniled animHtion. 
 
1 " 
 
 G58 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 bearing the flag of Sir George B. Rodney ; and a few days 
 afterwards witnessed two partial actions between that officer 
 and M. de Guichen, whose shyness alone prevented a general 
 battle *. 
 
 In July following, Mr. Daniel received an appointment to 
 act as a Lieutenant on board the Magnificent 74, which ship 
 was soon after ordered to convoy a valuable fleet from Ja- 
 maica to England, where she arrived in a sinking state, after 
 a tempestuous passage of thirteen weeks, during which she 
 was obliged to be frequently fothered, and her crew became 
 so completely exhausted as to fall down at the pumps f. 
 
 Having passed his examination at the Navy Office, Mr. 
 Daniel was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant J an. 22, 1781 ; 
 but he does not appear to have been employed on any service 
 worthy of notice during the remainder of the American war. 
 In Mar. ]783, he obtained an appointment to the Iphigenia 
 frigate, commanded by Captain James Cornwallis ; which 
 ship, after conveying Lord Northington to his Vice-royalty 
 in Ireland, was sent to the Jamaica station, and employed 
 principally on the Spanish Main for a period of three years. 
 She was paid off at Sheemess in Oct. 1786 !• 
 
 During the Dutch armament, in 1787> Lieutenant Daniel 
 was employed in raising men for the fleet at a rendezvous in 
 London ; after which he remained on half-pay till 17^0, when 
 he served for a short time on board the Illustrious 74, com- 
 nuinded by Sir C. M. l»ole. His next appointment was in 
 
 • See Vol. I, note at p. 104 et $eq. 
 
 t The Thunderer and Stirling Castle, of 74 Rwos caih, part of the sqiia- 
 «lr(in sent to escort the Magnificent and her charge through the Gulf of 
 Florida, wore totally lost, and several of the other ships much damaged. 
 The disastrous effects of the hurricane hy which they suffL'red, were also 
 felt throughout the Leeward Islands, as we have already mentioned in our 
 memoir of Admiral John Holloway. See Vol. I, p. 10'). 
 
 X Whilst Lord Northington was on board the Iphigenia he fell on the 
 sky-light over the gun-room, and it being uncovercl, lie would in all pro- 
 bability have su8t<iined consivlerable injury, hivd not Lieutenant Daniel 
 fortunately caught hold of his coat, and held him fast till others came to 
 his assistance. For this service his Lordship made him a public offer of 
 any sinecure situation that ho might find vacant on his arrival nt Dublin, 
 but which was declined by Lieutenant Daniel, as he coiisidered he had 
 donr no more than his duty on that occasion. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 (559 
 
 Mar. 1/93, to the Courageux of p/.niilar force, in which ship 
 he assisted at the occupation of Toulon by the forces under 
 Lord Hood *, and had his left leg broken, besides receiving 
 three severe contusions in the head, breast, and left foot, 
 whilst engaging the batteries and towers near St. Fiorenzo t. 
 Mr. Daniel at this latter period became first Lieutenant of 
 the Courageux on the ^r-i\\-h of Mr. Shield, who fell in the 
 action ; and finding that his Japtain was also seriously hurt by 
 the poop-ladder being shot from under him, he neglected his 
 own wounds in order to attend to the refitment of the ship, 
 she having suffered very considerably in her hull, masts, sails, 
 and rigging. This arduous duty he performed on crutches ; 
 and so great was his zeal for the service, that on one occa- 
 sion he sat up all night, keeping only a quarter-master on deck 
 with him, in order that the crew might be refreshed for their 
 labour on the following day. 
 
 Previous to her return to Toulon, the Courageux struck on 
 a reef of rocks near Cape Corse, unhung her rudder, and made 
 upwards of seven feet Mater per hour. To add to her mis- 
 fortunes, tlie carpenter and nearly all of his crew were most 
 severely burnt by an accidental explosion of some powder-horns, 
 whilst employed fixing the tiller, and before they had finished 
 plugging the numerous shot-holfB in her bends and other 
 parts. 
 
 The Courageux b^Vng afterwards hove down at Toulon, her 
 shattered state excited universal surprise, every one wonder- 
 ing how she could have been kept afloat. Her false keel was 
 entirely gone, and not two inches of the main one remained 
 under the fore-hj.tchway, amidships, and under the mizen- 
 inast ; the lower part of the gripe was carried away, the bolts 
 of the main-keel were driven upwards, the trunnels and plank 
 of the garboard- streak started in several places, as also many 
 higher up ; one of the gxidgcons of the rudder was broken, 
 the dead wood so bent as to start the copper nails half way 
 up the stern-posts, and for sixteen feet forward ; the rudder 
 exceedingly battered, and only two pintles renuMtied service- 
 able. She was, however, repaired in time to quit that port 
 previous to its falling into the hands of the rej ublicans, her 
 " See Vol I, |.. (iO. I Sio Vol II, IVt F, note t at p. 1^!). 
 
G60 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 
 rudder being hung, sails bent, and rigging set up, by th(^ 
 light of the fire that had been made for the destruction of the 
 French arsenal and shipping. 
 
 Captain Matthews, who had been appointed to act in the 
 Courageux during the absence of her proper commander, the 
 present Lord Radstock, was employed on shore at the evacu- 
 ation of Toulon ; and finding on his return to the ship that she 
 was not only ready for sea but actually clear of danger, he 
 declared that it was the happiest moment of his life : what 
 then must have been the sensations of Lieutenant Daniel, 
 through whose devoted zeal the Courageux had been thus pre- 
 served, first from destruction, and lastly from the ignominy 
 of wearing a tri-coloured flag. 
 
 It cannot, however, be supposed, that such exertions could 
 have been made with impunity ; the stimulus to energetic 
 efforts having ceased, his strength soon gave way, and on his 
 arrival at Gibraltar, in company with the fleet and the French 
 ships brought from Toulon, he found it absolutely necessary 
 to retire for a time from duty. Whilst there he became seri- 
 ously ill, and a survey being held on him by the proper ofli- 
 cers, they strenuously advised him to seek the benefit of his 
 native air. To this recormendatioti he reluctantly yielded ; 
 and a passage being ordered him in the Colossus, he returned 
 home as an invalid on the I7th Mar. 17^4. 
 
 A vacancy at this time occurring in the Impress service at 
 Gravesend, Lieutenant Daniel was induced to accept an ap- 
 pointment under his father, who was then employed as Regu- 
 lating Captain at that place. He shortly after had the grati- 
 fication of receiving the following letter from his former 
 commander, dated on board the Courageux, off Cape Corse, 
 June 22, 1704 : 
 
 " Deur Sir, — Among tlie many unplensiint chan^eii I fuund in the Cuu- 
 rageux, on my rcUirn from iMiglumI, tliut of your aliseucc wits not tlic 
 least. 1 should hope thut your native air, and the (-omfortii you meet with 
 at home, may soon restore your health ; after which, when opportunity 
 offers, I shall be very happy to hava again the pleasure of seeing you on 
 board the Courageux, or ony otiicr ship I may command. I urn. dear Sir, 
 very faithfully your*!*, 
 
 (Signed) " Wsi. Waldkoravk." 
 
 During the mutiny in the North Sea fleet, a merchant 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 ()(>1 
 
 { 
 
 vessel that had been boarded and plundered by the ships at 
 the Nore, arrived oil Gravesend with information that the 
 delegates, although in the habit of searching and stripping 
 every vessel attempting to pass them, not being able to pro- 
 cure a sufficient supply of provisions, had determined to take 
 the fleet over to an enemy's port, and had already commenced 
 getting up their yards and top-masts in preparation for sailing. 
 On the receipt of this intelligence. Captain Daniel and the 
 commanding officer of the military determined to send a des- 
 patch to the Board of Admiralty ; but Lieutenant Daniel 
 seeing that much time would thus be lost, suggested the pro- 
 priety of sending letters, by horsemen, to Margate and Mai- 
 den, desiring the revenue cutters to cut away tlie buoys of 
 the different channels before day-light the next morning. 
 This suggestion was acted upon, and the cutters, although 
 discovered, succeeded in their object, to the great annoyance 
 of the mutineers, among whom symptoms of disunion soon 
 after began to appear. 
 
 Subsequent to this event. Lieutenant Daniel, acting as aid- 
 de-camp, pro temporey to Colonel Nisbett, the military com- 
 mandant, succeeded, at the imminent peril of his life, in seizing 
 several of the delegates who were proceeding up the Thames 
 to bring the Lancaster, of 64 guns, frr i Purfleet to the Nore, 
 and who were directed by Parker, the ringleader, to fire upon 
 the town of Gravesend, in case the inhabitants did not prevent 
 the batteries from molesting them. 
 
 For these and other important services performed by Lieu- 
 tenant Daniel at this alarming epoch, the court-martial as- 
 sembled to try the mutineers strongly recommended him for 
 superior rank ; but it was refuacd on the ground that his' ap- 
 pointment at Gravesend reruk'red him ineligible, although his 
 predecessor had been promoted from that situation to thu 
 rank of Commauiler. The following is an extract of a letter 
 from the Duke of York's Secretary to Colonel Nisbett, dated 
 " Horse Guards, June /, 17<)7." 
 
 " His lluyal Highncsii doiiires timt yuii will express hU thanks tu Captain 
 Daniel and hiHSon.amI assure tliein that H. R. H. will not fail to ooiiiatuni- 
 (iurablc I 
 
 I your 
 
 I report < 
 
 L'tivity 
 
 LI 
 
 The Society of Mereltautit; eijtuliliiilicd in Lunilnn for tlu- purpose («l 
 
 VOL. II, 
 
 J \ 
 
^'2 
 
 I'OST-CAPIAINi. OF 
 
 1802. 
 
 Disgusted with a situation which precluded him from ad- 
 vancement, Lieutenant Daniel immediately applied for em- 
 ployment afloat, although his health was then far from being 
 re-established. He accordingly received a commission, ap- 
 pointing him to the Glory of 98 guns, on board which ship 
 the spirit of disaffection, though apparently quelled, was by 
 no means eradicated. 
 
 On the 12th March, 1798, about 8 P. M. whilst walking on 
 the quarter-deck with his Captain, he heard a great noise 
 below, and on going down to ascertain the cause, perceived 
 about 40 or 50 men endeavouring to remove the officers' beer 
 cask from the wardroom door, in which attempt they were re- 
 sisted by the centinel and servants. Assisted by a few of the pet- 
 ty-officers, he immediately endeavoured to secure some of the 
 rioters ; but in doing so he received a severe wound on the 
 joint of his fore-finger, which after remaining in a state of 
 violent inflammation for several weeks, became rigid, and has 
 ever since pk evented him from using his right hand with full 
 effect, particularly in cold weather, when it is of but little use 
 to him. 
 
 Some time subsequent to this tumult, the particulars of a 
 diabolical plan, formed by about 150 of the crew, to throw all 
 the officers overboard, and take the Glory into Brest har- 
 bour, was communicated to Lieutenant Daniel by the senior 
 officer of Marines, one of whose party had been implicated 
 in the conspiracy, but who had taken offence at their 
 refusing to spare the Captain's son, a young gentleman 
 about 14 years of age, from whom he had received frequent 
 acts of kindness *. 
 
 Rising from his cot, to which he had but just retired, Lieu- 
 tenant Daniel, without waiting to consult with his Captain, 
 who had likewise gone to bed, immediately adopted measures 
 
 devuing means to counteract the designs of the mutinous seamen, presented 
 handsome swords to Lieutcni. st Daniel and his Father, as a rewanl for their 
 meritorious conduct. 
 
 • The Glory was commanded by the lute Admiral James Brine, who 
 died at Blondford, in 1H14 ; see Vol. II. Part I. p. 442. The youth alluded 
 to is now a Post-Captaiu. 
 
 SI 
 A\ 
 
 C 
 
 d 
 r 
 c 
 t 
 
 ^ 
 I 
 ( 
 
 i I 
 
rosT-rviMAiNf) OF ISO'i. 
 
 (3<)3 
 
 ad- 
 eni- 
 
 for securing the promoters of tliis plot ; in which he happily 
 succeeded without experiencing any opposition, so completely 
 were they taken by surprise. The Glory was at this time 
 within three leagues of Ushant, and two miles inshore of the 
 commander-in-chief's light ; the wind at West, weather mo- 
 derate and hazy, and the moment fixed for carrying their nefa- 
 rious design into execution fast approaching ; added to which 
 circumstances in their favour, two Frenchmen belonging to 
 the after-guard, who were formerly fishermen at Brest, had 
 agreed to pilot the ship into that port ; and so determined 
 were the mutineers to persevere in their object, that they had 
 unanimously resolved to fire two of the lower-deck guns, on 
 each side, down the main- hatchway, in an oblique direction, 
 and thereby sink the ship, rather than yield, should they be 
 pursued and overtaken by any other of the fleet. It is but 
 justice to the remainder of the crew to say, that they were 
 always favourable to good order and discipline, but that the 
 ringleaders of the mutiny had intimidated them by magnifying 
 the number of their own adherents. 
 
 For his meritorious conduct on this occasion, Lieutenant 
 Daniel was again recommended, by a court-martial, to llu* 
 favorable consideration of the Admiralty, and he at length 
 obtained the rank of Commander in October, 17i)8. Several 
 of the Glory's men were about the same time executed, and 
 others punished in various ways, according to the degree of 
 their criminality. 
 
 In June following. Sir Home Popham being ordered on a 
 particular service, applied to Earl Spencer tor the subject of 
 this memoir to accompany him ; which he'iw^ granted, they 
 took a passage in the Inflexible troop-ship from North Yar- 
 mouth to Revel, where they found a Russian squadron assem- 
 bled, with 8000 troops of that nation on board, bound to 
 Holland. 
 
 From Revel, Sir Home Popham proceeded on a mission to 
 the Emperor Paul, then at Cronstadt, leaving Captain Daniel 
 to superintend the embarkation of other troops, furnished by 
 the Czar in conformity to a treaty between his Imperial Ma- 
 jesty and Great Britain. This service being completed on the 
 the 2Hth August, Captain Daniel, after arranging his accounts 
 
 2x2 
 
664 
 
 POSTf'APTATNS OF 1802. 
 
 f 
 
 with the different authorities, embarked on board the Blonde 
 frigate, and proceeded, in company with the troop-ships, to 
 the Texel, where the whole arrived in safety, after a passage 
 of three weeks. 
 
 During the ensuing two months Captain Daniel served on 
 shore as naval aid-de-camp to Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph 
 Abercromby, and was employed in a variety of services, such 
 as gaining information respecting the sluices ; making obser- 
 vations on the tides, so as to enable a brigade to advance 
 along the sands during the absence of the sea ; directing a 
 party of seamen in the erection and destruction of bridges as 
 occasion required ; removing wounded men from the field of 
 battle J burying the slain ; arming fishing-boats to cover the 
 advance of the army along the coast, and others to carry des- 
 patches, and assisting in the final evacuation of Holland ; on 
 whidi occasion he was the last person that left the shore. 
 The following is an extract from the General Orders issued at 
 Alkmaar, Oct. 5, 1799: 
 
 " The service rendered l)y tlie gun-boats, directed by Sir Home Popbam, 
 and commanded by Captain Goddard, Captain Turquand, Lieutenant Rowed, 
 Messrs. Stoddard, Lord, Baker, and Caldwell, and the seamen under their 
 command ; as also b)r Captain Daniel, and the seamen attached to Sir Ralph 
 Abercroniby's column ; have been no less honorable to themselves thau 
 highly advantageous to the public cause : and H. R. H. begs those gallant 
 officers, and the officers and men under their orders, will rest assured how 
 fully sensible he is of their merit. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 'J. KiRKMAN, Aist.-yldjt.-GeneralJ 
 
 On the 29th Nov. 1 799, just seven days after his arrival in 
 £ngl and. Captain Daniel received orders to place himself once 
 more under the directions of the Transport Board, and follow 
 those of Sir Home Popham for his future proceedings. In 
 compliance with those instructions he proceeded to North 
 Yarmouth, and from thence to Berkstoff, near Blyntsimd, \\x 
 Norway ; the Elbe, his original destination, being found totally 
 inaccessible, on account of the immense quantity of ice accu- 
 mulated in that river. 
 
 From Berkstoff he cut his way, in the Swift cutter, to Moss 
 harbour, and there hired a sledge for his conveyance to Stock- 
 holm, where he arrived on the llth Feb. 1800, after travelling 
 through ice and snow at the average rate of forty-five miles pejr 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OK 1802. 
 
 665 
 
 I 
 
 day. On his arrival in the Swedish capital he found Sir 
 Home Popham preparing to set out for St. Petersburgh, but 
 owing to the want of carriages they were detained in that city 
 till the 25th. At seven A. M. on the 28th they commenced 
 their journey across the Gulph of Bothnia, which had been 
 frozen over in one night ; and after encountering many perils, 
 in consequence of the ice not being sufficiently firm in all 
 parts to bear the weight of their sledges^ condiiotors, baggage, 
 &c., arrived in twelve hours on a part of the FUnnish shore 
 seventy-seven miles distant from the spot whence ♦hey had 
 started. That this journey was an undertaking of no little 
 hazard, may be inferred from the circumstance of the ice break- 
 ing up on the following day sufficiently to enable passengers 
 to cross over in boats to Sweden. 
 
 Passing through Abo, the capital of Finland, and Hclsing- 
 fors, a town near which many of the galley fleet are laid up in 
 time of peace, Captain Daniel reached Borgo in the evening 
 of Mar. 13, and continued at that place till May 21, when he 
 received a letter from Sir Home Popham, then at St. Peters - 
 burgh, directing him to return without delay to England. In 
 consequence of this order he embarked on board a Swedish 
 brig, bound to Gottenburgh, and sailed dow^n the Baltic to 
 Elsineur. After visiting the Danish capital, and communicat- 
 ing with the British Consul resident there, he crossed the 
 Great and Little Belts, passed through the canal of Kiel and 
 the city of Hamburgh, and embarked at Cuxhaven for Yar- 
 mouth, where he landed on the 24th June, 18(X) ; since which, 
 we believe, he has never been employed. His promotion to 
 post-rank took place April 21), 1802 ; and he obtained the 
 Out Pension of Greenwich Hospital Feb. 1, 1815. 
 
 Captain Daniel married, in Sept. 1800, Miss A. Edge, 
 daughter of the late Captain Edge, of the 53d regiment, who 
 was severely wounded at the battle of Bunker's Hill, in North 
 America ; by whom he has three sons and three daughters. 
 His eldest son is studyhig at the University of Cambridge j and 
 another has recently embarked as a Midshipman in the 
 Royal Navy. 
 
 Agvnt, — .1, Hinxman, Esq. 
 
 11-; 
 
6(56 
 
 ro.vr-cAPi'AiNs ok 1802. 
 
 r 
 
 JACOB WALTON, Esq. 
 
 This officer received his first commission, as a Lieutenant, 
 in 1793 } served as a Commander, on tlie Halifax station, at 
 the close of the French revolutionary war ; and was advanced 
 to post rank, April 29, 1802. He obtained the command of 
 the Amethyst frigate about Sept. 1809 ; and on the 20th Mar. 
 1811, was severely reprimanded by the sentence of a court- 
 martial, for the loss of that ship in Plymouth Sound during 
 the night of Feb. 16 preceding. He has not since been 
 employed. 
 
 Captain Walton married, Nov. 24, 1809, Sarah, second 
 daughter of Major-General Gabriel Johnstone, formerly of the 
 Hon. East India Company's service. He has resided for 
 some time past at New York, North America. 
 
 Agent. — Sir F. M Ommanney, M. P. 
 
 DAVID COLBY, Esq. 
 
 This officer lost an arm when serving as first Lieutenant 
 of the Robust 74, commanded by Captain (now Sir Edward) 
 Thombrough, in the action between Sir John B. Warren 
 and Mons. Bompart, Oct. 12, 1798 *. He subsequently com- 
 manded the Dido, a small frigate armed- en-flute, and em- 
 ployed as a troop-ship on the Mediterranean station. His 
 promotion to post rank took place April 29, 1802 j previous 
 to which he had received the Turkish gold medal, for his 
 services on the coast of Egypt. During the late war we find 
 him serving as Flag Captain to his former commander, on the 
 North Sea and Mediterranean stations. He married. May 
 22, 1806, Mrs. Costin, formerly of Bedford. 
 
 AUGUSTUS BRINE, Esq. 
 
 This officer, a son of the late Admiral James Brine f, was 
 made a Lieutenant in 1790; and a Commander Dec. 6, 1798. 
 
 * See Vol. I, p. 171. 
 t Sec note * at p. 66i>. 
 
I I 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OV 
 
 1802. 
 
 667 
 
 His post commission bears date April 29, 1802. During the 
 late war he held an appointment in the Sea Fencible service ; 
 and commanded the Medway, a third rate. In July, 1814, he 
 captured the United States' brig of war Syren, pierced for 18 
 guns, with a complement of 137 men. 
 
 ^getit.- 
 
 -John Hinxman, Esq. 
 
 JAMES COUTTS CRAWFORD, Esq. 
 
 This officer is a son of the late James Crawford, Esq. by 
 Helen Coutts, first cousin of the late wealthy London banker 
 of that name. 
 
 He was born at his father's residence in Dundee, July 20, 
 1760; and after making several voyages in the Carolina and 
 Virginia trade, entered the naval service, in April, 1777) as 
 a Midshipman, under the protection of the present venerable 
 Admiral John Henry, who at that period commanded the 
 Vigilant, a ship on the establishment of a sloop of war, but 
 armed with heavy cannon for the purpose of battering forts, 
 and covering the operations of the King's troops serving 
 against the rebels in North America. 
 
 Towards the latter end of the same year Mr. Crawford 
 removed with his friend. Captain Henry, into the Fowey, of 
 20 guns ; and on the 24th Oct. 1778, he was appointed to act 
 as a Lieutenant on board the same ship, an officer of that rank 
 being obliged to invalid in consequence of his having been 
 severely wounded during a recent expedition against the enemy 
 near Boston. 
 
 Among the many services in which Mr. Crawford partici- 
 pated whilst on the American station, the defence of Savannah 
 and reduction of Charlestown * appear the most conspicuous. 
 On the former occasion he was entrusted with the command 
 of the Fowey's guns, mounted in a battery on shore ; and we 
 find his meritorious conduct particularly mentioned in the 
 public letters of General Prevost and Captain Henry, the latter 
 of whom commanded the small squadron which so materially 
 contributed to the preservation of that important post. 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 Ml 
 
 lil 
 
 * See Vol I, p. (\5, et seif. and Vol. If, Part I, Note t at p. ."iH, rt sr^f. 
 
668 
 
 Post-captains of 1802. 
 
 il 
 
 'ft 
 
 After the surrender of Charlestown, Mr. Crawford, who 
 jstill continued to act as Lieutenant, accompanied Captain 
 Henry into the Providence, ta prize frigate of 32 guns, which 
 ship was shortly after ordered home with despatches, and on 
 her arrival put out of commission. He subsequently served 
 about two months as a Midshipman on board the Britannia, 
 of 100 guns, bearing the Ihig of Vice-Admiral Darby ; from 
 whom he received another acting order, appointing him to 
 the command of the Repulse, a vessel mounting five Spanish 
 26-pounder8, stationed at Gibraltar, in April 1781. 
 
 It was about this period that the memorable siege of Gib- 
 raltar began to wear a most serious aspect, the enemy having 
 brought no less than fifty 13-inch mortars and sixty-four heavy 
 guns to bear upon the garrison from the land side, whilst their 
 vast superiority by sea enabled them to annoy the southern part 
 of the rock with impunity, and rendered it extremely difficult 
 for any supplies to reach that fortress, unless thrown in under 
 cover of a powerful fleet. The zeal, gallantry, and indefa- 
 tigable exertions of the few British officers on the spot, how- 
 ever, were such, as induced the Governor to repose the utmost 
 confidence in their abilities — a confidence which, as the re- 
 sult proved, was not misplaced. 
 
 About five A. M. on the 7th Aug. 1/81, a signal for an 
 enemy was made by the Spaniards at Cabritta Point ; and 
 the British garrison soon after discovered a brig becalmed at 
 the entrance of the bay, and fourteen of the Algeziras flo- 
 tilla, each carrying a 26-pounder, with several armed launches, 
 proceeding to intercept her. Captain Roger Curtis, of the 
 Brilliant frigate, the senior officer present, immediately sent 
 Sir Charles H. Knowles, of the Porcupine, to receive any 
 despatches the vessel might have on board, whilst he him- 
 self attended the towing out of the Repulse and Vanguard, 
 the only available force he possessed, to attempt her rescue *. 
 
 * The Repulse and Vanguard had formerly been small brigs, but were 
 cut down and converted into prames, for the purpose of acting against the 
 enemy's flotilla. The latter vessel mounted two 26 and two 12-pounder8. 
 Twelve gun-boats, on a new construction, sent from England in frames at 
 the commencement of 1782, and put together at the rock, proved highly 
 usi'ful to the garrison during the latter part of the siege. 
 
PbST- CAPTAINS OP l802. 
 
 669 
 
 By eight o'clock the Spaniards had commenced the attack, 
 and a spirited action ensued between them and the brig ; but 
 appearances were so greatly against the latter that the gar- 
 rison almost gave her up, supposing it scarcely possible that 
 the two gun-vessels under Captain Curtis would venture near 
 enough to render her any material assistance : they however 
 pushed on in a most gallant manner, and were placed so 
 judiciously as to cover the brig, and greatly annoy the enemy. 
 At length coolness and discipline prevailed over superior num- 
 bers : the steadiness and bravery with which the brig de- 
 fended herself, aided by the well-directed fire from the Re- 
 pulse and Vanguard, succeeded in obliging the flotilla to 
 retreat, notwithstanding the approach of a formidable xebec 
 to their assistance. She, finding her friends perfectly sub- 
 dued, also hauled off, and left the British at liberty to tow 
 the stranger into the New Mole, which she entered amidst 
 the applauding shouts of all who had beheld the combat. The 
 circumstance is thus alluded to by Governor Elliot, in a letter 
 to the Secretary of State : 
 
 " I received your despatch of the 20th July, by H. M. sloop Helena, 
 Captain Roberts, who arrived by dint of perseverance and bravery, with 
 the assistance of our two gun-boats, the Vanguard and Repulse, posted by 
 Captain Curtis himself. He personally conducted the attack in his barge, 
 with distinguished success, notwithstanding a constant and heavy fire of 
 round and grape from the enemy's gun-boats for nearly two hours *." 
 
 After commanding the Repulse about thirteen months, 
 during which he was often warmly engaged with the Spanish 
 gun and mortar-boats, Mr. Crawford was ordered to act as 
 first Lieutenant of the firilliant; and on that ship being 
 scuttled in the New Mole previous to the enemy's grand 
 attack, he joined the naval battalion encamped at Europa, 
 under the command of Captain Curtis, to whom he served as 
 Brigade-Major during the awful conflict of Sept. 13, 1782, 
 
 * Captain Roberts, the officer alluded to above, was promoted to the 
 rank of Commander for his good conduct as first Lieutenant of the Que- 
 bec frigate, in a desperate action with the Surveillante, a French ship of 
 40 guns, which ended in the total destruction of the former by fire, and 
 the loss of nearly all her crew, Oct. 6, I77I>. He was deservedly advanced 
 to post rank for his gallant defence of the Helena. 
 
 IHWI 
 
G70 
 
 POST-tAl'TAINS OK 1802. 
 
 ! ^m 
 
 '111 
 
 till account of which will be fouiul in our memoir of Captain 
 Charles Tinling *. 
 
 The Brilliant being raised again a few days after the enemy's 
 defeat, Mr. Crawford re-embarked with her crew, and con- 
 tinued in that frigate till the departure of Captain Curtis with 
 the fleet under Lord Howef, when he was removed by Sir 
 Sir Charles H. Knowlos into the San Miguel o! 72 guns, a 
 Spanish ship that had been driven on shore near the garrison 
 and compelled to surrender, in Oct. 1/82 |. 
 
 On the rith Nov. the enemy's flotilla made an attack upon 
 the San Miguel, but did not succeed in doing her any mate- 
 rial damage. On the 18th of the following month twenty-nine 
 gun and mortar-boats made a second attempt to destroy her 
 and other ships lying at anchor off Buena-Vista, and were sup- 
 ported by the Spanish land butteries with a very animated 
 cannonade. The mortar-boats composed the centre division, 
 and the whole flotilla were drawn up in a line-of-battle ex- 
 tending about two miles. They got their distance the first 
 round, and retained it with such precision, that almost every 
 shell fell within fifty yards of the San Miguel, which was 
 the principal object of their attack. The 74th shell fell 
 on board, burst on the lower deck, killed 4, and wounded 1 1 
 men, 3 of whom died soon after. Fortunately, however, she 
 received no further injury, although the enemy did not retire 
 until they had expended the whole of their ammunition. 
 Three days after this event the San Miguel was driven from 
 her anchors more than half-bay over, and every effort to 
 recover her station proved inefl'i^-tual, till an eddy wind 
 brought her about, and enabled Sir Charles Knowles to run 
 her aground within the New Mole, where she was repeate<lly 
 fired upon by the enemy diu'ing the continuance of the 
 siege. 
 
 In Mar. 1783, Mr. Crawford was re-appointed to the liril- 
 liant by his former connnander, Sir Roger Curtis, who had 
 returned to (iibraltar, and hoisted a broad pendant as Com- 
 modore on the Mediterranean station. His commission as a 
 
 • See V'«)!. II, Part I, pp ,«(c'— .'Jdfi. 
 
 I 
 
 t Sco V«)| I, pp. 17 an'l lOf. rf rrq 
 
 t Sec id. nolc t af p. Ill 
 
 I 
 
 * 
 
il^ 
 
 posr-cAriAiNs OK 1802. 
 
 (vl 
 
 m 
 
 Lieutenant was at length confirmeil by the Aihniralty on the 
 lOth Ang. in the same year, from which period he does not 
 appear to have served afloat till the Spanish armament, in 
 l/W, when he joined the Queen Charlotte, a first rate, hear- 
 ing; the flag of Earl Howe, to whose notice he had been intro- 
 duced by Sir Roger Curtis, then serving as Captain of the 
 fleet under that nobleman's connnand. 
 
 We next find Lieutenant Crawford proceeding to tne East 
 Indies, where he remained, attending to his private concerns, 
 for several years. Returning from thence in a country-ship, 
 he had the misfortune to be captured by a French republican 
 cruiser ; but being included in an exchange of prisoners ab(»ut 
 Mar. 1/97) lit> was immediately after appointed totiic Prince, 
 of 98 guijs, bearing the flag of Sir Roger Curtis, in the Chan- 
 nel fleet, where he continued to serve till his promotion to the 
 rank of Commander, Feb. li, IJT^O. During the remauuler 
 of the war he connnanded the Childers brig, employed prin- 
 cipally on the home station. His post connnission bears date 
 April Ji), IH()2. 
 
 ('aptain Crawford's next appointment afloat \ iS to the 
 Champion of 2-1 guns, in which ship we find him co-opeiating 
 with the Spanish patriots at the commencement of their strug- 
 gle with the legions of Napoleon IJuonaparte. Fro;.) her he 
 removed into the Venus, a 32-gun frigate, employed o. the 
 same species of service, as will be seen by the following <:opy 
 of a letter from C'aptain George M'Kiuley, rchpecting the 
 raptiire of Vigo in Mar. I8()9 : 
 
 " //. M. S. r/:vfly, of rii>n, Mnr. i>!>. 
 " Sir,— In conftequence of a letter I received at X'illa^farria fn»in Oaptaiii 
 CrawfunI, uf tlie Venus, infornuMK ine that the loyal j.oasantry were in 
 I'onsuleruble force arounil the castle and town uf Vij;o, and that the pre- 
 sence of anutiicr frifjotc would very inueh (>onliil»utc to the surr'niler of 
 that fortress, I juincd him on the cvenltit( of ihe'J3«l iiHtknt 'liie next 
 inorniuR J went to the head.i|uartcn of Don Joao de Almadu de Siuuo 
 Silva, who eunuuuMded the patriot!*. At that iiiUaiit a HiiiiiinonH wan sent 
 to the (lovemor of Vijro to surrender at dincrelion, and led to a nejjocia- 
 tion lietwceu hint luid the French, whicli continued till the 2fith, when 
 Don Paldo Murillo, cunuiiandin^ u n-giilur force of IfftM) men, composed 
 of retired soldiers in thi.- province, arrived, and sent in uiioihiT :>iiinnion.'^ , 
 In conset|ueiice ttf which, on the fidlowinn day, proposal' were hrouj^ht oii 
 
 m 
 
672 
 
 POST-CAPFAINS OF 1802. 
 
 board I)y Don Publo, accompanied by three French officers. The answers 
 to them were delivered at five P. M. by Captain Crawford, who concluded 
 tho capitulation ; and the whole of the f;;arrison, consistini^ of a colonel, 
 <15 officers, and about 1300 or 1400 men, were embarked the next 
 morning. 
 
 " I should be wantinjj in every feelinaf of an officer, were I not to ac- 
 knowledge the liberal attention and zealous services of Captain Crawford. 
 It also l)ecomcs most gratifying that 1 am enabled to inform you of the 
 spirit and determination of the Spaniards to expel from their country the 
 invaders of ail that is dear to a brave and luyal people. No doubt of 
 success could have arisen had the enemy persisted in holding out, from 
 the able and prompt conduct of Don Pablo Murillo, and the good order 
 of his troops, the strongest proof of his zeal in the just cause of his King 
 and country. The ardour of the peasantry is beyond all description. I 
 have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Gkorgb M'Kinley." 
 
 " To the Hon. yice-Admlrnl lierkeletj *." 
 
 During the ensuing siege of Vigo by the French army un- 
 der Marshal Ney, Captain Crawford commanded a party of 
 geamen and marines landed from the Lively and Venus to 
 assist in the defence of the castle, where he continued till the 
 defeat of the enemy at the bridge of San Payo, and his con- 
 sequent retreat towards Lugo ; the particulars of which event 
 are fully detailed in the Naval Chronicle for July 1800. 
 
 Captain Crawford was .subsc([ucntly appointed in succes- 
 Bion to the Hussar and Modeste frigates, in the former of 
 whicli he assisted at the reduction of Java, by the forces 
 under Sir Sanuiel Auchmuty and Rear- Admiral Stopford, in 
 Sept. 1811. In the latter ship he captured le Furet, a re- 
 markably fine French privateer, of 14 guns and 1)8 men, near 
 Scilly, at the commencement of Feb. 1813. He was put out 
 of commission at the ^lose of the war, and has ever since been 
 on half>pay. 
 
 Captain Crawford has been twice married, and is now a 
 widower. By his first wife, Anne, eldest daughter of Alex- 
 ander Duncan, Es(|., of I'^dinburgb, he had one child, wh<» has 
 recently been united to the Hon. Captain Henry Duncan, 
 
 • By » subsequent letter it appears, that while the British frigates were 
 in the act of ombiirking the French garrison, a dotachmcfit (»f .MX) men, 
 sent from Fuy to relieve Vigo, was nncouiit(>rcd and totally routed by Dun 
 Publo Murilluf who took many of Tue enemy prijuMu->'ii. 
 
POST-CAI'TAINS OK 1802. (Y/li 
 
 R. N. C. B. By his second lady, Jane, eUleht daughter of 
 the lute Vicc-Admiral John Inglis, he had a son, who still 
 survives *. 
 
 .Agents. — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 JOHN HAYES, Esq. 
 
 ^ Companion of the mo^t Flonorahlt: MiUtnry Orthr of I he Ihtlh. 
 
 Tills officer ia distantly related to the Hays of North Bri- 
 tain, a family descended from the Anglo-Norman Hays, who 
 came into England with William the Concjueror, and .'it pre- 
 sent represented by the Earl of Errol, Hereditary Lord Higli 
 Constable of Scotland. 
 
 His name was first entered on the books of a King's ship 
 about the termination of the American revolutionary war, at 
 which period he was but little more than seven years of age j 
 but his juvenile predilection for the naval service was shortly 
 after over-ruled by his great-uncle, the late Adam Hayes, 
 Es(|., Master Shipwright of Deptford dock-yard, who being 
 without any children of his own, was particularly anxious to 
 have a junior branch of the family educated as a naval archi- 
 tect under his immediate directions; and therefore selected 
 Mr. John Hayes for tiiat purpose, hoping, as he said, to (|ua- 
 lify him for the appointment of Surveyor of the Navy, or at 
 all events to be succeeded by him as Builder at Deptford. 
 
 In consecjuence of this arrangement, a nephew whom he 
 had previously been instructing, but whose abilities did not 
 answer his expectations, was discarded, and the subject of 
 thiii memoir passed four or five years under the sole controul 
 of his great uncle, to whom his father had resigned all au- 
 thority over him ; but immediately on the demise of the old 
 gentleman, an event occasioned by a violent attack of gout in 
 the stomach, he laid aside the rule and compass, and (|uitling 
 the drawing board, embarked as a Mi(l.-,hipmaii on board thi* 
 Orion 74, connnanded by the late Sir Hyih? I'arker, '.mder 
 whom he sc.ved during the Dutch armament, in 17^7- 
 
 * ViiT-Adiiiiral lii^lis coniiitiuulfil iln; Hi-lliqiicux Ttl, in ilic ImIiU- ull 
 Caiii{)ciUiivvii, Oil. II, i;!»r i aiiii •|i*-ti ul LdiiilHirtili, iii IHO^ 
 
 f : I 
 
w 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 ! t^ 
 
 .i id 
 
 ()7I 
 
 l'OST-( AJM.VINr OK l^l()2. 
 
 Mr. Hayts suh.-cquontly joinitl ii brig uiuiti ilu' conmiund 
 of Captain (nfti>r\varcls Admiral) Cobb, Mitb uliom be (rou- 
 rinued, on Ibc Cbannt-l station, till 17*M), wbcn we find bini 
 entrusted witb tbe ebart^c of a watcii on board tlie IVarl fri- 
 j^ate, eonunanded by bis friend CJuptain ii. \\. A. Conrtenay, 
 v.'boni be nltiniately accompanied to tbe Newfoundland sta- 
 tion, as an acting Lieutenant, in tbe Boston, of 32 guns and 
 217 men. 
 
 In Jidy, 1703, Captain Coiirtenay pr(»ceeded towards New 
 York, in bopes of niei'ting and trying tbe fortune of war witb 
 I'Andjuscade, a I-'rencb frigate of 'M\ guns and 3 10 men, com- 
 manded l)y M. lionjpard, wbo bad arrived on tbe American 
 coast, witb anotber s'inp of tbe same description under bis 
 orders, and already connniltetl great depiedutiuns upon l^ritisb 
 commerce in tbat jjuarter. 
 
 On tbe Hoston's arrival oft' Sandy Hook, sbe stood in 
 towards tbe sbore nndcr Frencb colours, and adopted sucli 
 otber deceptive measures as induced a boat, sent from I'Am- 
 b\iscade, under tbe impression tbat sbe was a friend, to come 
 boldly alongside witb orders for ber supposed commander's 
 guidance. \>y tbis stratagem M. l5ond)ard was deprived of 
 tbe services of u Lieutenant and 12 of bis crew ; but, vmfor- 
 lunalely. Captain Courlenay, in tbe ensuing action, bad also 
 to regret tbe reduction of bis complement, by ibe absence of 
 an oliicer and 12 men in a small cantured vchscI. 
 
 Mr. Hayes was now sent into New Y(.rk witb a formal 
 challenge from Captain Conrtenay to M. Bompard, wbo, after 
 consulting with bis ofticeri<, determined upon putting to sea 
 and engaging tbe Boston, wbieb be at cordingly did on 
 tbe morning of July lUst, at a sbort distance from tbe land. 
 The action was long and bloody, but proved indecisive, al- 
 tbougb the object of tbe British was in part accomplished, as 
 the damage sustained by the republican frigate incapacitated 
 her for a considerable time from olTering any further annoy- 
 (uice to the Knglish trade. Her loss consisted of about r)0 
 men killed and wounded, whilst tbat of tbe Boston was pro- 
 portionably severe, the gallant (aplain Cf)urtenay, a marine 
 otVicer, and H men being slain, and 2 Lieutenants, ii Midship- 
 men, and ID men wounded. The combat was viewed i»y 
 
aU 
 us 
 
 loy- 
 
 JIO- 
 
 rliu' 
 .ip- 
 
 hy 
 
 I»(K>T-CArTAIN!> OK 1802. ()/'» 
 
 crowds of Amci'icaiio standing on Ihv Jir«fy bcarii, few of 
 wlioni, oil sceinj^ the Boston haul olV from rAnil)iiscadi', 
 whose superior si/.e attraeted every one's notice, were so pre- 
 jiidieed as net to udmit that she had done her utmost to obtain 
 a victory. His Kite Majesty, in consideration of Captain 
 Coiirtenay's intrepid conduct, was graciously pleased to settle 
 a pension of .KX)/. a year on his widow, and an aimuity of 
 50/. on each of his children. 
 
 Mr. Hayes returned to England in consequenet of thedcatii 
 of his patron, whose high opinion of him may he inferred from 
 the circumstance of his having chosen him, although so young 
 a man, to be one of his executors. 
 
 Upcm his arrival in London, he appeared before the Hoard 
 of Admiralty, and gave so satisfactory an uccoimt of the 
 recent aflFair at New ^fork, and his own conduct therein, that 
 their liordships were induced to grant him a dispensing order, 
 by which he wau enabled to pass his examination for a Lieu- 
 tenant, without completing the usual period of service as a 
 rafid Midshipman ; and in the following month he received a 
 connnission, appointing him to the Dido, of 28 guns, com- 
 manded by Sir Charles Hamilton, Bart, with whom he after- 
 wards removed into the St. Fiorenzo frigate, on the Mediter- 
 ranean stati(m. 
 
 His next appointment was to the Brunswick 7U i" which 
 '.ship he served for some time under l^ord Lecalc *, in the 
 Channel fleet ; and subsecpiently accompanied the late Sir 
 Richard Uf)dney Bligh to the West Indies, where he joined 
 Ihe Queen, a second rate, bearing the flag of Sir Hyde Parker, 
 who promoted him to the rank of Comii.u.aler on the 1st 
 March, 17<)<). 
 
 From this period we fiiul Captain Mayes actively employed 
 in various sloops of war on the Jamaica station, till his 
 advancement to post rank, by a comnussion from the Admi- 
 ralty, dated April 'il), 18(12. In Jan. 1801), he commanded a 
 
 • Lortl liCi'iilc was « son ol' Jiiincs, fiidt Duke of li( luster, by Fiady 
 Kmilirt iVIary, •liiiii{lit(«r of Clsiirlos, sfcond Duki" (if UicliiixtiMl. Ifc oli- 
 liiiiied posl-rank Muy 'S.i, IT^^O ; himI diiil a Vici'-Ailmiriil of iIm- lied, pel*. 
 17, IHIO. The Irish Uuroiiv id" l,or;i|t! lu'cami' cxtinrt, in coiHCijiH'mT of 
 111 i lord lii|> dyiii:; vvillioiit i>bUt.'. 
 
 !i| 
 
 ■ j.'l 
 
li;; 
 
 ri 
 
 
 G70 
 
 P06T-( Al'TAINi OF 180*2. 
 
 small s(iiiaclron, left by Sir Sqmiiel Hood at Vigo, to cover the 
 embarkation of part of the retreating army under Licutenant- 
 Gcneral Sir John Moore ; and on his return from that service 
 he was removed from the Alfred JA, in which ship he had 
 been acting, to the temporary command of the Achille, another 
 third rate, attached to the expedition then about to sail for 
 the Scheldt; from whence he brought home 700 French 
 soldiers, who had been taken prisoni^rs at Flushing. 
 
 Immediately on his arrival. Captain Hayes obtained the 
 command of the Freija frigate, as a reward for his very 
 xealous conduct in voluntarily taking upon himself the sole 
 charge of navigating the Achille to and from the Roompot, 
 although he had never before been employed on any part of 
 the North Sea station. This act of temerity, as his friends 
 termed it, was committed by him in consequence of the abso- 
 lute impossibility of procuring a sufficient number of pilots 
 for the vast fleet destined to that quarter, and his ardent wish 
 to share in the dangers, and expected glories, of the ensuing 
 campaign. 
 
 At the close of 1809, Captain Hayes proceeded to Barba- 
 does, and joined the flag of Sir Alexander Cochrane, who, 
 confiding in his ability, entrusted him with the command of a 
 scjuadron, employed on the north side of Guadaloupe, during 
 the operations which terminated in the surrender of that colony 
 to the British arms*. His official account of a very gallant 
 exploit performed by the boats of the Freija at Bay Mahaut, 
 will be found under the head of Commander David Hope, in 
 our next volume. 
 
 The Freija proving very defective, returned home in Sept. 
 1810, and was soon after put out of commission ; a circum- 
 stance that occasioned Captain Hayes to remain on half-pay 
 till the autumn of 1812, when he was appointed, />/'o tempore, 
 to the Magnificent 74, which fine ship was rescued from a 
 most perilous situation by his cool intrepidity "id superior 
 seamanship, during a heavy gale of wind on the 17th Dec. in 
 the same year. His masterly conduct on tiic occasion alluded 
 to is worthy of record, and will serve as an example for the 
 
 officers, who mav be, hereafter. 
 
 I 
 
 :xpt 
 
 ay 
 
 Sec Vol. I.p. 2G0. 
 
 II! 
 
 ih 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OK 18()2. 
 
 677 
 
 plated in a similar state of danger. It is thus described by 
 an officer who served under him at that period : 
 
 " The ship was anchored in th« eveninjf of Dec. Ifith, 1812, between the 
 reef nf Chasseron ami that of Isle Rh<l, nearly niid-channcl, in .sixteen 
 t'utiioius water ; the courses reefed, top-sails close reefed, and top-<rallant 
 yards jjot down. At eight o'clock, the weather appearing suspicious, and 
 the wind beginning to !)low, the t.>p-gallant-niasts were got down on deck : 
 at half-past it came on u({ually, and we veered away to a cable and a half. 
 At nine the ship was found to lie driving, and in only eleven fathoms water ; 
 the sruidl bower was instantly let go, which brought her up in ten fathoms. 
 The lower-yards and top-masts were now struck, as close down as they 
 could be got. The moun was not visible, but we had sufficient light to 
 shew us our dangerous situation ; the sea lircaking with great violence on 
 the reef, about a quarter of a mile astern, and on the starboard quarter. 
 As doon as the top-masts were down, orders were given to heave in upon 
 the best-bower, which appeared to be slack, as though the anchor had 
 liroken. Three <|uarters of a cable were got in, when the stock appearing 
 to catch a rock, it held fast : service was of course put in the wake of the 
 hawse, and the calde secured. The iimer best bower cable was then un- 
 spliced, and bent to the spare anchor; and a man was placed in the chains 
 to heave the lead, the same as though the ship had been underway; whilst 
 the deep-sea lead, thrown over the gangway, was carefully attended to by 
 a (piarter-master. By means of the hand-lead the ship was found to be 
 inniiediately over a rock, three fathoms in height, and in this state, with 
 the wind at W. S. W. blowing a gale, with small rain, and a heavy sea, we 
 remained till day-light, when the man at the gangway declared the ship to 
 be driving. The spare anchor was directly cut away, and the range taken 
 out, when she brought up again. On the ebb tide making she took the 
 whole cable service, and rode with the two bowers a-head, and the spare 
 anchor broad on the starboard bow. The gale uppeared to increase ; and 
 as the sea broke sometimes outside the ship, it proved that she was in the 
 midst of rocks, and that the cables could not lemain long without being 
 cut. The wind at this period was West, St. ^iarie church Itore Emt, and 
 the shoalest part of the reef was only about two cables' length distant. 
 The wind afterwards shifted a point lo the northwanl ; but to counteract 
 this favourable cl<ang(\ it was a Ice tide, and a heavy sea setting right on 
 to the reef: neither oil' ••■is nor men thought it possible, in any way, to cast 
 lier clear thereof, and to niake sail, more particularly as the yards and top- 
 masts were down. Captain Hayes, however, gave orders to sway the fore- 
 yard two-thirds up outside the top-iuasts; and, while that was doing, to 
 pajs a haw^icr from the .starboard qu.irtcr, and beml it to the spare cal)lc, 
 as a spring to cast the ship by ; but before the latter couhl be accomplished 
 the cable parted. The main-yard was next swayed up in a manner similar 
 to the fore, and the spring fastened to the small-bower cable. IVcple 
 were sent alol't to stop each yard-arm of the top-sails and toursfn in four 
 
 VOL. ir 'J V 
 
 
 I^RII 
 
078 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 or live pluccs with spun-yarn, tic<l in u single how, and to cast off all the gas- 
 kets : those men were strictly enjoined to be «iuick in obeying the commands 
 ^ivcn them, nnd to be extremely ciiutious iiot to let a suil full, unless itwa^ 
 particularly named ; as any mistake in that respect ivould occasion the lo^d 
 of the ship. The yards were all braced sharp up for caHtint,' from the reef, 
 and making sail on the slarbourd tack. The tacks and sheets, top-sail 
 sheets, and main and mizcn stay-sail haliards, were nianncd> and the sprin;;' 
 hove taut : Captain Hayes now told his crew that they were goinif to work 
 for life or death ; if they were attentive to his orders, and executed them 
 I)ropcrly, the ship would be saved ; if not, the whole of them \vould be 
 drowned in a few minutes. Things being in this state of preparation, a 
 little more of the spring was hove in, the quarter-masters at the wheel re- 
 ceived their instructions, and the cables were instantly cut ; but the heavy 
 sea on the larboard bow would not let her cast that away, the spring broke, 
 and her head paid in towards the reef. The oldest seaman in ihi- ship at 
 that moment thought all lost; but the probability of her casting to star- 
 board had happily been foreseen by Captain Hayes, who now, in the coolest 
 manner, gave orders to ' put the helm hard a-starboard ; sheet home tlui 
 fi>re-top-suil ; haul on board the fore-tack, and aft fore-sheet • ; keep all 
 the other sails fast ; square the main, mizen-top-sail, and cross jack yards ; 
 and keep the main-yard as it was.' The moment the wind came abaft the 
 beam, he ordered the mizen-top-sail to be sheeted home, and then the hehu 
 to be put hard a-port — when the wind was nearly aft, to haul on board the 
 main-tack ; aft main-sheet ; sheet home the niain-top-sail ; and brace the 
 cro88-Jack-yard up. When this was done, (the whole of which took only 
 two toinutes to perform,) the ship absolutely flew round from the reef, like 
 a thing scared at the frightful spet-tacle. The quarter-masters were onlered 
 to keep her South, and Captain Hayes declared aloud, ' The ship is safe.' 
 The gaff was down, to prevent its holding wind ; and the try-sail was bent 
 ready for hoisting, had it been wanted. The fore-top-mast stay-sail was 
 hois'ted iK'fore the cables were cut; but the main and mizen-stay-sails, 
 although ready, were not required. Thus was the ship got round in les-i 
 than her own length; but in that short <listance she altered the soundings 
 five fathoms. And now, for the first time, I believe, was seen a ship at sea 
 under reefed courses, and close reefed top-sails, with lower yards and top- 
 masts struck. The sails ill stood remarkably well; and, by this novel 
 method, wa« saved a beautiful 7U *vith 550 persons on board." 
 
 Oh his return to port, after pcrformins' the above extraor- 
 
 dinary piece of 
 
 seuinaiiship, Captain Hayes proposed the cut- 
 ting down of some ships of the liiie^ and fitting them out fur 
 
 • Tlie yards being all bra<'ed sharp up for the starboard tack, it is obvi- 
 ous that the fore-sail and fore-top-sail were set as flat a-baek as they could 
 be ; and that there was no necessity for alteriuf^ them in bringing the ship 
 to her course, ia the way she was manoeuvred. 
 
Post-captains of 18<>i. 
 
 ()79 
 
 the express purpose of roping with the heavy Americ.in fri- 
 gates. His plaji being approved, he was appointed, in Jan. 
 1813, to the Majestic, a third rate, ordered to be reduced, and 
 armed, according to his suggestion, with twenty-eight long 32- 
 pounders, and the same number of 42-pr. carrouades, to which 
 was added one long 12, as a chase gun. When ready for 
 sea, he proceeded to join the squadron employed under the 
 orders of Sir John B. Warren, on the Halifax station ; and 
 during the remainder of that year we find him charged with 
 the blockade of Boston, in which port the Constitution was 
 then lying ready for sea. On the 3d Feb. 1814, he captured 
 a French frigate in the vicinity of the Azores, whither he had 
 gone in quest of the American forty -four ^ which ship had 
 eluded his vigilance during a snow storm on the first of the 
 preceding month. We here subjoin an extract from his offi- 
 cial letter to Sir J. B. Warren, reporting the above capture: 
 
 " Mojcstic, at S':ii, Feb. 5, 18 N. 
 
 " At day-light on tlic morning of the third instant, in lat. 'St° and long. 
 'JO", being then in cliase of a ship in the N. E. supposed to he one of the 
 enemy's cruisers, tlirec ships and a l>rig were discovered about three leagues 
 off, in the S, S. K. of very suspicious appearance ; and they not answering 
 tiie private signal. I gave over the pursuit of the other, lioisted my colourc, 
 and proceeded to reconnoitre tiicni, when two of the ships immediately 
 gave chase to me. On cloising witliin four miles, I discovered them to be 
 two-14-giiii frigates, u sh.p mounting 20 guns, and a brig, which I could 
 not perceive to l»e armed. I determined on forcing thern to shew their 
 c(d()urs, (wliichthey appeared to wish to avoid,) wind for that purpose stood 
 directly towards the hcit.iinost frigate, when she shortened sail, and brought 
 to for tlie other to dose. 1 now made all sail, in the hope of being able to 
 get alongside of her before it could be ettoctcd, but in this I was foiled, by 
 her wearin;^', joiiiing the oilier, au'i t.ikiiiir a station a-heud ;ind a-stcrn, wilh 
 the l*0-irun ship and bri;^' on tlieir weal her bow. Tlicy stood to the S. S. E. 
 with larboard stud'ling-sails, and all the canvas tliat could be carried ; the 
 sternmost hoisting iTonth colours. At 2'> 15' V. M. she opened a fire 
 from the aftermost ginis upon us ; and at ihriie o'clock, being in a good 
 position, (going ten knots an hour,) I commeiced firing with considerable 
 effect, the shot going either through, or just o/er the starboard (juartcr to 
 the forecastle, and parsing over the larboanl bow. At 4*' 19' she struck 
 her colours to H. M. S. under my command. The wind increasing, the 
 prize being in a state of great conrusiiui, aiul night fast approaching, 
 obliged nie to stay by her, and to surt'er the other frigate, with the ship 
 and brig, to escnpe. The sea got up so very ff st that only 100 of the pri- 
 
 o V 2 
 
 f 
 
I 
 
 * a 
 
 680 
 
 POST- CAPTAINS OF 180*^ 
 
 ! • 
 
 •oners could be removed ; and even ineffectinjf that, one boat was lost, and 
 2 Frenchmen were drowned : this, I hope, Sir, will plead my apology for 
 not bringing yon the whole of them The captured ship is the Terpsi- 
 chore, of 44 guns, 18 and 24-pounder8, and 320 men, commanded by 
 Francois Ddsird Breton, capitainc de frcgate ; the other wai the Atalante, 
 exactly of the same force : they sailed from the Scheldt on the 20th Oct. 
 and went to I'Orient, from whence they sailed again on the Blh ultimo, in 
 company with la Yade, a similar ship, which parted frrsu them iu lat. 45" 
 and long. Ifi" 40'. The enemy had 3 men killed, C wounded, and 2 
 drowned ; tlie ATajestic none •." 
 
 On the 22(1 May following, Captain Hayes captured the 
 American letter of marque Dominica, (formerly H.M. schooner 
 of that name,) mounting 4 long six-pounders, with a com- 
 plement of 36 men. 
 
 The chief command on the coast of America had by this 
 time been transferred to Sir Alexander Cochrane ; and Cap- 
 tain Hayes was subsequently sent with a small squadron to 
 cruise oflF Sandy Hook, for the purpose of intercepting Com- 
 modore Decatur, who wa;^ about to sail from New York with 
 an armament intended to annoy our commerce in the East 
 Indies and China seas, and for which purpose he had hoisted 
 his pendant on board the President, a ship mounting thirty- 
 two long 24-pounders, twenty carronades of the same calibre 
 as the Majcstic's, one 8-inch brass howitzer, and six smaller 
 pieces of ordnance iu her tops. 
 
 Notwithstanding the utmost endeavours of C'l-ptain Hayes 
 to keep bis squadron close in with Sandy Hook, he had the 
 mortification to be repeatedly blown off by frequent gales ; 
 but the very great attention paid to his instructions by his 
 associates. Captains Hope and Lumley, of the Endymion and 
 Pomone frigates, prevented separation; and whenever the 
 
 * The vessel that Captain Hayes was in pursuit of, when he discovered 
 the French frigates and their companions, was the Wasp, an American 
 privateer of 20 guns; and the other ship alluded to in the al>ove letter, a 
 Spaniard, with a valuable cargo from Lima, captured by the enemy only a 
 few hours previous. The Atalante's commander has been justly censured 
 for not supporting his friend by closing with the INlajcstic; but the l>chavinur 
 of that officer does not lessen the credit due to (Japlain Hayes for his gal- 
 lantry in bearing down to attack the frigates, under circumstances which 
 rendered it doubtful whether he had not fallen in with an American 
 xpiadron. 
 
i 
 
 P08T-CAPTAINS OF 1802". 
 
 est 
 
 wind did force him from the coast, he invariably, on the gale 
 moderating, placed the ships under his orders on the point of 
 bearing fwm the Hook that he supposed, from existing cir- 
 cumstances, would be the enemy's track. That his indefati- 
 gable exeitions were crowned with success will be seen by 
 tlie following extract from a letter addressed by him to Rcar- 
 Admiral Sir Henry Hotham, dated Jan. 17, IHl^ : 
 
 " On Friday (Jan. K^), the Tencdos joined aic, with your order, to talve 
 Captain Parker in that sliip under my command. We were then in com- 
 pany witit the Endymion and Pomonc, off the Hook, and in sif^ht of the 
 enemy's ships ; i)Ut that tiii^ht the squadron was hlown off again during a 
 violent snow-storm. On Saturday, the wind and weather hecame favor- 
 able for the enemy, and I had no doubt but he would attempt his escape 
 that night. It was impo6sil)le, from the direction of the wind, to get in 
 with tlie Ilook ; and, as before staled, (in preference to closing the land 
 to the southward) wc stood away to the northward and eustwani, till the 
 squadron reached his suppose<l track. At the very instant of arriving at 
 that point, an hour before day-light, Sandy Hook bearing W. N. W. 15 
 leagues, we were made happy by the sight of a ship and a brig standing to 
 the S. E., and not more than two miles on the Majestic's weather bow; 
 the night signal for a general chase was immediately made, and promplty 
 obeyed by all the ships. 
 
 " In the course of the day, the chase became extremely interesting by 
 the endeavours of the enemy to escape, and the exertions of the Captains 
 to get their respective ships alongside of him ; the former by cutting away 
 his anchors, and throwing overboard every moveable article, with u great 
 quantity of provisions ; and the latter by trimming their ships in every 
 way possible, to eflTcct their purpose. As the day advanced the wind dc« 
 dined, giving the Endymion an evident advantage in sailing ; and Captain 
 Hope's exertions enabled him to get his ship alongside of the enemy, and 
 commence close action, at .')•> .3(K P. M., which was continued with great 
 gallautry and spirit on both sides for two hours and a half, when the En- 
 dymion's sails being cut from the yards, the enemy got a-head. Captain 
 Hope taking this opportunity to bend new sails, to enable him to get his 
 ship alongside again, the action ceased, till the Pomone getting up at 
 ll** 30' P. M. fired a few shot, when the enemy hailed to say he had 
 already surrendered. The ship on being taken possession of, proved to 
 be the President, commanded by Commodore Decatur. The vessel in 
 company with her was the Macedonian brig, which made her escape by 
 very superior sailing *. 
 
 « Commodore Decatur had left the remainder of his squadron at Staten 
 Island, with directions for them to join liim at the island of Tristan 
 d'Acunhn. 
 
 % 
 

 IMAGE EVALUATION 
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 L25 1 
 
 ^^ III 
 
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 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
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 " And now, Sir, a very pleasing part of my duty is the bearing tes- 
 timony to the able and masterly manner in which the Eadymion was con- 
 ducted, and the gallantry with which she was fouglu ; and when the effect 
 produced by her well-directed fire upon the President is witnessed, it 
 cannot be doubted but that Captain Hope would have succeeded in either 
 capturing or sinking her, had none of the sqiuidron been in sight." 
 
 To the above account of the President's capture we shall 
 now only add an extract from Sir Henry Hotham's letter to 
 the commander-in-chief, enclosing Captain Hayes' report of 
 the action *. 
 
 " The present season of the year, and the «lark nights of which he 
 availed himself, have not enabled him (Commodore Decatur) to elude the 
 vigilance of Captain Hayes, and the commanders of H. IM. ships under his 
 orders, who have well discharged the in)portant duty I assigned to them ; 
 and I beg leave to offer you my congratulations on the design of the Ame- 
 rican Government being defeated. * • • • The judicious conduct of Cap- 
 tain Hayes, in the direction of the force entrusted to his charge, and the 
 exertions exhibited by him, and by Captains Parker, Hope, and Luniley, 
 have justified the confidence I had placed in their zeal, and have rendered 
 thcin worthy of your approbation." 
 
 The Majestic being paid oif at the termination of the war 
 with America, Captain Hayes remained without further em- 
 ployment till April, 1819, when he was appointed to super- 
 intend the ordinary at Plymouth. He received the insignia 
 of a C. B. as a reward for his meritorious services, at the 
 establishment of that order in 1815. 
 
 Captain Hayes is the author of a pamphlet on the subject 
 of Naval Architecture, his proficiency in which important 
 science is the result of many years professional experience 
 and deep consideration. His proposed system, we under- 
 stand, meets a point hitherto considered impiacticable, viz : — 
 that of building a thousand vessels, if required, from a 
 given section, without the variation of a needle's point, re- 
 ducible ftom a first rate ship to a cutter, each possessing 
 excelling powers and advantages of every description, in their 
 respective class. Since the publication of the above pam- 
 phlet, in which he carefully abstained from saying, or even 
 hinting, that he had made any progress in the formation of 
 
 * The respective loss and damages sustained by the Endymion a.d Pre- 
 sident, with other particulars relative to those ^ hips, will be given in our 
 memoir of Captain Henry Uove^ V. h. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 683 
 
 Btich a system, two vessels have been built, in a royal dock- 
 yard, on his projection : the first, a cutter of about one hun- 
 dred and sixty tons, is said to embrace stability under canvas 
 with little ballast, great buoyancy, better stowage, and swifter 
 sailing qualities, than any model yet designed by known 
 schools of naval architecture. The second, a sloop of war, 
 is at present absent on her first experimental cruise, in com- 
 pany with two other vessels of the same class, one of which 
 was designed by Sir Robert Seppings ; and the other built 
 by the students of Portsmouth dock-yard, under the super- 
 intendence of Professor Inman. Delicacy forbids us saying 
 any thing more on this interesting subject at present ; but our 
 readers may rest assured that it will be renewed at a proper 
 opportunity. 
 
 SAMUEL CAMPBELL ROWLEY, Esq. 
 
 This officer, a brother of llear-Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, 
 Bart., K. C. B. M. P., was made a Commander April 6, 1709; 
 commanded the Terror bomb, during the expedition against 
 Copenhagen, in 1801 ; and obtained post rank, April 29, 1 802; 
 from which period we find no mention of him till his appoint- 
 ment to the Laurel frigate, which took place about Feb. 181 1 . 
 On the 31st Jan. in the following year, he had the misfortune 
 to be wrecked, in consequence of striking on a sunken rock, 
 called the Govivas, when proceeding through the Teigncuse 
 passage, in company with the Rota and Rhin. His beha- 
 viour on this disastrous occasion was highly praise-worthy, 
 he having remained on the wreck, exposed to a heavy and 
 well-directed fire from the French batteries and field pieces, 
 till every ofticcr, man, and boy, had been removed by the 
 boats sent from other ships in the ofting to their relief. A 
 long account of the circumstances attending the Laurel's loss 
 will be found in the Naval Chronicle, v, 2/, p. 228 et scq., by 
 which it appears that two of her crew, inspired by gratitude. 
 Captain Rowley having once pardoned them for attempting 
 to go on siiore without leave, expressed thoir determination 
 of staying by him to the last, with the view of supporting 
 him in the watcr^ shoidd the ship go to pieces before any 
 
 ! 1 
 
684 
 
 I'OST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 r 
 
 iiisaistance could arrive ; and it is added, that from their un- 
 common dexterity as swimmers, they would most proba- 
 bly have succeeded. By the same account we learn that 
 the jolly-boat, with 2 men, broke adrift, and was supposed 
 to have been lost among the rocks, and that 96 officers and 
 men were taken prisoners ; among the former were 2 Lieu- 
 tenants, who had been sent on shore to solicit assistance from 
 the enemy, and to request the French commandant to cease 
 firl.:g, but which he inhumanly refused, notwithstanding a 
 flag of truce and the signal of distress had previously been 
 displayed. 
 
 Captain Rowley was tried by a court-martial, and acquitted 
 of all blame on account of the loss of his ship, Feb. 19, 1812. 
 In 1815, he commanded the Impregnable of 104 guns, bearing 
 the flag of his brother, on the Mediterranean station ; and he 
 has subsequently served as flag Captain to the same officer 
 on the coast of Ireland. He married, Sept. 16, 1805, Miss 
 Thompson, of Cork ; and received the freedom of that city in 
 a silver box, in 1819. His lady died about June. 1821. 
 
 ylgents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 BULKLEY MAC WORTH PRAED, Esq. 
 
 This officer is related to the London banker of the same 
 name ; and a proteg6 of the late Earl St. Vincent. He com- 
 manded the Crash gun-brig during Sir Home Popham'a ex- 
 pedition against Ostend in May, 1/98 j and was captured by 
 the enemy on the coast of Holland, Aug. 26, in the same year. 
 His commission as Commander is dated April 21, 1/^; ^"(1 
 that of Post-Captain April 29, 1802. During the late war he 
 held an appointment in the Sea Fencible service. 
 
 SAMUEL MOTTLEY, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant, May 30, 1782 ; and 
 obtained the rank of Commander, April 29, 1799. In the 
 spring of 1801 we find him proceeding to the Cape of Good 
 Hope, m the Hindostun, a 54-gun ship armed cnjlutci and 
 
POSt-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 685 
 
 subsequently commanding the Rattlesnake sloop of war, and 
 Diomede of 50 guns, on the same station ; from whence he 
 returned to England as a passenger on board the Leopard 50, 
 in Feb. 1803. His post commission bears date April 29, 1802. 
 During the late contest with France he held several appoint- 
 ments as a Regulating Captain of the Impress, and an Agent 
 for Prisoners of War j but we believe he was never called into 
 active service. 
 
 EDWARD WALPOLE BROWNE, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant in Nov. 1790 ; Com- 
 mander, June 25, 1799; and Post-Captain, April 29, 1802. 
 He was employed in the Sea Fencible service during part of 
 the late war. 
 
 JOHN ROUETl^ SMOLLEIT, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant in 1794 ; Commander, 
 Aug. 28, 1799; and Post-Captain, April 29, 1802. 
 uigent. — Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 WILLIAM RICKETTS, Esq. 
 
 The subject of this memoir commenced his naval career 
 under the patronage of Sir John Jervis, afterwards Earl of 
 St Vincent ; served as a Midshipman on board that officer's 
 flag-ship, during the Spanish armament, in 1790 ; and was 
 made a Lieutenant by him into the Woolwich 44, when pro- 
 ceeding to the attack of the French West India colonies, at 
 the latter end of 1793 ; previous to which he had acted in a 
 similar capacity on board the Queen, an armed vessel, em- 
 ployed on the Leith station. 
 
 During the operations carried on against the enemy in the 
 island of Martinique, Mr. Ricketts served on shore with the 
 naval battalion, commanded by Captain Josias Rogers, whom 
 he accompanied to the memorable assault of Fort Royal, on 
 the 20th March 1794*. He subsequently received an ap- 
 
 • See Vol. I, note at p. ^b'J. 
 
 U 
 
 I 
 
 i I 
 ■si* I 
 
686 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 pointmeiit as first Lieutenant to the same officer, and pro- 
 ceeded with him in the Quebec, of 32 guns, to the coast of 
 America, where he was obliged to quit that ship for the pur- 
 pose of recruiting his heahh. In 1798, we find him serving 
 as first Lieutenant of TAig^e frigate, on the Lisbon station ; 
 and afterwards re-joining his noble patron in the Ville de 
 Paris, a first rate ; from whence he was promoted to the com- 
 mand of £1 Corso, a brig mounting 18 guns, about the au- 
 tumn of 1799. 
 
 El Corso formed part of the squadron under Lord Nelson 
 at the capture of Ic Genereux, a French 74, bearing the flag 
 of Rear- Admiral Perree, and a large armed transport ; the 
 former having a number of troops on board, and the latter 
 laden with stores, provisions, &c., for the relief of Malta, in 
 Feb. 1800. 
 
 The French army was at this time in possession of Egypt; 
 and Napoleon Buonaparte, feeling it necessary to conciliate 
 the Bashaw of Tripoli, had sent an emissary with some rich 
 presents to that chieftain's court ; and had so far succeeded 
 in his views as to cause the dismissal of Mr. Lucas, the 
 British Consul General, whose return at any future period 
 was positively forbidden by the barbarian government. Lord 
 Nelson, however, conceiving that the re-establishment of the 
 same functionary was irttimately blended with the dignity of 
 Great Britain, no sooner heard of that gentleman's arrival at 
 Palermo, than he instructed him to prepare for his immediate 
 return, and selected El Corso for his conveyance to Tripoli ; 
 a circumstance which produced a strong remonstrance from 
 Mr. Lucas on the inadequacy of that vessel's force for the 
 accomplishment of a service which he himself supposed would 
 require the presence of a strong squadron, and an officer of 
 very commanding rank. " My Lord," said he, " the cruelty 
 and perfidy of those barbarians can only be restrained by their 
 fears j and you force me to return to a place where my life is 
 threatened, not with a squadron, not even in a frigate, but 
 simply in a small brig." ** I know it,' replied Nelson, coolly, 
 " / know what I am about ; we do not want a squadron at 
 this time to bfoiv the ]iashnw\s palace about his head, we 
 trant oitli/ the British Jfag, and an offieer who has sms^ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 GS7 
 
 enough not to commit himself in nmv circumstances, and spirit 
 sufficient to repeat what I say when he arrives. Let Buona- 
 parte send his diamonds and his legions ; I send the represen- 
 tative of the British nation, and the Britishjlag." " It will 
 not do, my Lord," exclaimed Mr. Lucas ; " you know not 
 the man ; his hands have been already dipped in the blood of 
 his father and brother ; he will think it an insult that 1 am 
 forced upon him in a brig of 18 guns." " Let him" re- 
 turned his lordship, ** and what then ?" " I shall have the 
 bow-string at my throat," said the Consul in a mournful tone. 
 " Let him" repeated the hero, energetically, while fire seemed 
 to flash from his eye ; " only let him, I say, do that — / ivish 
 he would." " My Lord !" exclmmed Mr. Lucas with as- 
 tonishment. " Let him, I say," his lordship added, " and 
 ive tvill have a glonous burning pile." Then turning to 
 Captain Ricketts, and handing him the copy of a letter which 
 he had written to the Bashaw, with an intimation that he was 
 to guide himself by its contents, he directed him to put the 
 original into the Bashaw's own hands, and to see that Mr. 
 Lucas was fully reinstated in his office. " This," said his 
 lordship, " must be complied with ; and at all events, nothing 
 but force is to prevent you from landing him in the town; then 
 let the Bashaw do his worst : but do not fail to tell him, in a 
 way he cannot misunderstand, that the British Consul must 
 he honorably received, or I and my jieet will soon he there." 
 
 In compliance with the orders of his determined chief, Cap- 
 tain Ricketts proceeded on his delicate mission, accompanied 
 by Mr. Lucas, whose alarm did not subside until he was con- 
 vinced that the menace of the British Admiral had made a 
 salutary impression upon the mind of the Bashaw, who after 
 some hesitation consented to receive him in his former capa- 
 city, with all due honours. 
 
 It should here be remarked, that the diiiiculties which 
 Captain Ricketts had to encounter were greatly aggravated 
 bv the desertion of two of his crew, who took shelter in the 
 palace of the Bashaw's mother, and declared their resolution 
 to become Mahometans ; but who were given up to him on 
 his making a peremptory demand to that effect. 
 
 % 
 
 m 
 
ii 
 
 I 
 
 688 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 The address displayed by Captain Ricketts throughout his 
 negoeiation with the Bashaw, relative to Mr. Lucas, induced 
 Lord Nelson to send him a second time to Tripoli, on a bu- 
 siness of much delicacy, which he executed with nearly equal 
 success. Whilst thus employed it became necessary, from 
 diplomatic considerations, for him to give a dinner to the 
 different Consuls residing at that place, and to invite some of 
 the Bashaw's principal officers. Among the latter was the 
 Admiral of his ships, a Scotch renegade, who, after drinking 
 very freely, began to boast of his many successful enter- 
 prises ; and added, with furious imprecations, that the bright- 
 est prospect of his life had been forfeited by his own cursed 
 delicacy. This prospect, it appears, was his share of the 
 ransom that would have accrued from the seizure of the King 
 of Naples, whom he had once discovered amusing himself in 
 a fishing boat without guards, at a considerable distance from 
 Palermo ; and the delicacy alluded to was his abstaining from 
 making that monarch a captive, at a time when Naples and 
 Tripoli were at peace. This circumstance he had communi- 
 cated to the Bashaw ; who, so far from feeling a similar sen- 
 timent of delicacy, expressed considerable anger on the occa- 
 sion, and sternly charged him never again to let any thing 
 stand in the way of his capturing a King, and thereby se- 
 curing a royal ransom. With this splendid project still in 
 view, the Admiral had his flag then flying on board an English 
 built merchant vessel, armed with upwards of 20 guns, and 
 intended on all occasions, when near Palermo, to sail under 
 British colours, hoping that fortune would again favour him 
 with a sight of the illustrious fisherman. This momentous in- 
 telligence was communicated at the earliest opportunity to 
 Commodore Troubridge, who undertook to apprise the King of 
 his danger ; but we cannot venture to say positively that it 
 contributed to save that august personage from so great a 
 calamity as captivity in Barbary ; for although we have been 
 told that he afterwards followed his favorite amusement with 
 greater caution, it is quite certain that not the slightest thanks 
 for information respecting the pirate's project were ever 
 transmitted to Captain Ricketts j which appears the more ex- 
 
I; 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 689 
 
 traordinary, as his Majesty's gratitude was subsequently 
 evinced by the distribution of rings, snuflf-boxes, and hono- 
 rary titles, on a variety of less important occasions. 
 
 We shall conclude this part of our memoir of Captain 
 Ricketts by observing, that during his visits to Tripoli he had 
 frequent interviews with the ruler of that province, who ap- 
 peared remarkably solicitous to show him evei-y public honor, 
 and entered into conversation with him, not only with the 
 frankness of equality, but with what appeared to be the novel 
 delight of meeting a young man, whose conversation seemed 
 totally uninfluenced by any considerations of his grandeur, 
 his prejudices, or his power. The Bashaw, though his hands 
 had been so deeply stained in blood, as before stated, was 
 himself little more than thirty years of age, of a fine com- 
 manding person, open countenance, and generally frank 
 manner. 
 
 Captain Ricketts was subsequently employed in the block- 
 ade of Genoa ; and on one occasion we find him dispersing a 
 convoy laden with grain, for the use of the famishing garrison ; 
 an event which greatly accelerated the fall of that important 
 city *. He also rendered an important service to the army 
 under Sir Ralph Abercromby, by giving that General timely 
 information of the disastrous turn of affairs occasioned by the 
 battle of Marengo, and cautioning him of the danger he would 
 have incurred by continuing his course towards the Genoese 
 capital, which had been re-occupied by the French, and from 
 whence he was but a short distance when fallen in with by 
 El Corso. 
 
 The subject of this memoir was next -mployed by Lord 
 Keith as senior officer in the Adriatic. His early proceedings 
 on that station are thus ofiicially related by himself : 
 
 " El Corso, Ancona, Aug. 28, 1800. 
 " My Lord, — In compliaDcc with your order to destroy the vessels in 
 the harbour, and make a proper example of the town of Ceseuatico, I pro- 
 ceeded with his Alajesty's cutter the Pigmy, off that port ; but, finding it 
 impossible to get within grape-shot of tlie mole, was under the necessity of 
 deferring tlie attempt till the night of the 26tli, when the boats of both 
 vessels, under the orders of Lieutenant Yeo, first of El Corso, proceeded 
 
 ,,i ;■ 
 
 m 
 
 )' ii 
 
 • See Vol. I, p. 53. 
 
690 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF J 802. 
 
 
 'I 
 
 to Cescnatico, !'.ii(l soon after day-liglit I pprcouTil iliom i/i jjossestilon of 
 the town, successfully inaintainiu^ a position a^uinst some French troops 
 in tlie neighbourliood ; but, about eight, observing a party of horse in 
 full speed from Cervia, I judged it prudent to call them immediately on 
 board, tliouj^rh not before wo had the satisfaction of seeing that the gal- 
 lantry of Lieutenant Yeo, aided by Mr. Douglas, Master of the Pigmy, 
 had been crowned with the fullest success, the vessels and harbour at that 
 time forming but one flame ; and, that the intent of this enterprise might 
 not be lost on the coast, I shortly afterwards sent in the attached note. I 
 havo the honor likewise to enclose the report of Lieutenant Yeo, and 
 remain, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " W. RicKETTS." 
 
 ** To the Right Hon. Vice.j4dmh'nl 
 Lord Keith." 
 
 " To the Inhahitantg of Cescnatico. 
 " The treachery of your municipality, in causing to be arrested an 
 officer with despatches, has been long known to the British Admiral in 
 these seas. The municipality rnay now sadly know, that the severity of 
 judgment, long delayed, is always exemplary. That the innocent suffer 
 with the guilty, though much to be regretted, is the natural feature of 
 war ; and the more terrible infliction on this occasion, the more striking 
 the example should prove to surrounding muncipalities. 
 
 (Signed) " W. Rickktts." 
 
 Report. 
 " Of thirteen vessels of different descriptions lying within the mole of 
 Cescnatico, two were sunk and eleven burnt, one of them deeply laden 
 with copper money and bale goods ; the harbour choked by the wreck of 
 four, sunk in the mouth of it, and both piers entirely consumed. 
 
 (Signed) " J. L. Yeo." 
 
 For this service Captain Ricketts received the thanks of 
 Lord Keith ; a letter of approbation from the Board of Ad- 
 miralty; and a congratulatory epistle from the Austrian 
 General Melas ; whilst his success at one time promised to 
 be productive of very important results. The people of the 
 Cisalpine states, irritated and disgusted by the pillage and 
 impiety of the French, had it seems come to a resolution of 
 throveing off their yoke, and by a general massacre freeing 
 themselves as they hoped for ever from Gallic tyranny ; but 
 as to those views they confessedly united the splendid and 
 alluring project of establishing the independence of their 
 country, fears were justly entertained by the leaders of the 
 insurrection that insurmountable obstacles would be thrown 
 in their way by the Austrians ; and to obviate this difficulty. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 G91 
 
 they were ilcsir' is at this moment of obtaining the protec- 
 tion of the British flag. For that purpose some of their chiefs 
 cntei ed the town of Ancona in disguise, obtained an interview 
 with Captain Kicketts, and after a few preliminary precautions, 
 explicitly opened to him the whole of their plans, which were 
 in substance the pouring down, at an appointed time, large 
 bodies of men from the Appenines, divided into three co- 
 lumns, whose march in the first instance would be directed 
 against as many principal cities, where the inhabitants on 
 their approach were prepared to rise and massacre all the 
 French, who were to be found in office, or bearing arms, and 
 then instantly to proclaim their independence, which they 
 doubted not would spread a similar spirit like wild fire over all 
 the states of Italy. With the government of Great Britain 
 there was not time to communicate, neither did they wish for 
 any present supply of men, arms, or money, their sole object 
 being the protection of a flag, which would at least neutralize 
 the conduct of the Austrians, and give confidence to their par- 
 tizans at the general rising ; but this they conceived could not 
 be effected unless Captain Ricketts was personally among 
 them, and ostensibly their leader ; and they proposed that one 
 of his officers should hold an important command wherever 
 the British colours were displayed ; concluding with a positive 
 assurance that large bodies of men were already collected in 
 the mountains, and that the lower classes of the people were 
 genenilly prepared, and every where ardently disposed to rise. 
 Considering the safety of El Corso as of very little mo- 
 ment, when compared with the important consequences 
 that might result from encouraging this insurrection. Captain 
 Ricketts scarcely hesitated a moment to take on himself the 
 responsibility of the measure ; but he naturally required some 
 proofs of the existence of so extensive a conspiracy, beyond 
 the mere assertions of four utter strangers ; nor could he 
 under any circumstancea authorise so shocking a retaliation 
 as that contemplated by them. After some discussion, in a 
 second interview, it was agreed that the French and their 
 partizans not actually opposing themselves in arms against 
 the insurrectionists, should be spared ; and generally, that all 
 those opposed to the rising of the people should be considered 
 
 
692 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 f 
 
 I 
 
 'If, 
 
 as prisoners of war. To obviate the other objection respectincf 
 the authority and means of the negociators, a plan of attack 
 was agreed on, in which the officers and seamen of El Corso 
 could co-operate, without the British flag being committed in 
 any way inconsistent with its humanity or its glory ; and it 
 was finally determined that, on a certain night. Captain Rick- 
 etts, with nearly the whole of his crew, should proceed in 
 certain prize-vessels, drawing but little water, off the mole 
 head of Pcsaro, then in possession of the French, and under 
 cover of the night wait for the commencement of an attack 
 by the insurrectionists on the land side. Accordingly, on the 
 night specified. Captain Ricketts proceeded with Lieutenant 
 Yeo, his surgeon, several other officers, and about 90 men, 
 embarked on board some trabacolos prepared for the occasion, 
 and waited off the mole, with extreme anxiety, until after the 
 day had dawned, totally unable to account for his disappoint- 
 ment ; which, however, was sufficiently explained in the next 
 interview with the chiefs, as well as by the voice of public 
 rumour, which stated that the Austrians had totally disap- 
 proved of the enterprise, and that their out-posts had refused 
 to suffer any of the persons connected with it to pass. It is 
 worthy of observation, that an Austrian column afterwards 
 marched through the Cisalpine territory, and took possession 
 of the different towns on the coast. 
 
 In the course of the same year Venice, the grand depot of 
 stores for the Imperial armies, was thrown into the greatest 
 consternation by the approach of a formidable French force, 
 and both the Minister of Marine and the Austrian Command- 
 ant wrote to Captain Ricketts, in the most urgent and de- 
 sponding terms, for the assistance of the vessels under his 
 orders ; the latter repeatedly stating that he was " their only 
 hope," although at this time they had not only ships of the 
 line in their harbour, but frigates and numerous gun-boats at 
 sea, or on their canals ! He accordingly proceeded thither 
 with El Corso and the Pigmy, and took the necessary mea- 
 sures for assisting in the defence of that place, the inhabitants 
 of which were soon after relieved from their fears by an ar- 
 mistice between the contending powers. His promptitude 
 and judiciotis arrangements on this occasion obtained him the 
 
POST-CAPTAINS or 1802. 
 
 693 
 
 most public and grateful thanks of the principal Austrian 
 authorities ; in addition to which he had the honor of receiving 
 a communication from Lord Minto, the British Ambassador 
 at Vienna, expressing his Imperial Majesty's " marked ap- 
 probation" of his conduct in hastening to the succour of a 
 city whose commerce had once been the wonder of the world, 
 whilst her fleets were the dread of the remotest of the Medi- 
 terranean shores. 
 
 On the 4th Jan. 1801, the merchants of Trieste presented 
 Captain Ricketts with a handsome diamond ring, accompanied 
 by the following letter, as an acknowledgment of his services 
 in the Adriatic : 
 
 " Sir, — The honorable nature of your proceedings in the Adriatic, the 
 protection you have afforded our commerce against the t-orsairs of France, 
 and the assistance which, on all occasions, you have rendered to the friends 
 of his Britannic Majesty, exact on our part, at the commencement of the 
 year, the warmest expressions of gratitude ; and in wishing you a happy 
 beginning of it, in the name of this body of merchants, we wish to mark 
 our acknowledgments ; and, in order to preserve us in your memory, have 
 presumed to accompany this with a small token of our respect. Wishing 
 you ail manner of felicity, we remain, the deputation of the mercantile 
 body, ( 
 
 (Signed) " J. Manzewany ; Luzovick Govanuchi ; 
 
 "J. Reyes; Fran. Potte ; J. Catraro ; 
 
 " SoRREi Rede." 
 
 To this letter Captain Ricketts replied in the following 
 terms : 
 
 " El Corso, Trieste, Jan. 5, 1801. 
 
 " Gentlemen, — After five months incessant cruising on the shores of the 
 Adriatic, it is with singular satisfaction tl\at, at the commencement of the 
 new year, I have received your elegant a-ud flattering mark of approbation ; 
 and it is with peculiar earnestness I wish you to believe, that if any thing 
 on earth could augment my zeal in the cause we are labouring for, it 
 would be so honorable a testimony of successful service * from such re- 
 spectable characters as those who compose the trading community of 
 Trieste. I am, &o. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Wm. Ricketts." 
 
 On his return from the Adriatic, Captain Ricketts touched 
 at Corfu, and there found letters from Lord Elgin, the British 
 
 • Among the numerous prizes captured by El Corso and her consort 
 during their continuance in the Adriatic, we find several armed vetfsels, but 
 none of force sufficient to merit particular notice. 
 
 VOL. II. 2 z 
 
 i 
 
 ■i'v 
 
604 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1902. 
 
 Ambassador at Constantinople, addressed to Sir John Borlase 
 Warren, earnestly requesting that ofl&cer to proceed with the 
 squadron under his orders to Zante, for the purpose of dis- 
 possessing a Colonel Calander, who had usurped the com- 
 mand in that island, and fomented an insurrection against the 
 Turks, under the unauthorised sanction of the British flag, at 
 a moment when the least interruption of the harmony sub- 
 sisting between England and the Porte would most likely have 
 proved beneficial to France, and might have been productive 
 of alarming consequences to our gallant army in Egypt. It 
 is obvious tliat a service which Lord Elgin considered as 
 requiring the presence of an Admiral with a powerful squa- 
 dron, was but little likely to be effected by the commander of 
 a sloop of war, whose comparative insignificance might rather 
 invite opposition, and lead to slaughter, than terrify into 
 obedience, or produce pacific results : but the contents of his 
 Excellency's letter, and the exposed situation of the above- 
 mentioned army, seemed not to admit of a moment's delay ; 
 and Captain Ricketts accordingly resolved to try what could 
 be done. Accompanied by the President and Consul-General 
 of the Ionian republic, and followed by three Turkish frigates, 
 he immediately proceeded to the scene of revolt, succeeded 
 in overcoming all obstacles, (although a formidable band of 
 Alhanians were in the service of the usurper, who had ordered 
 furnaces to be prepared for heating shot) and restored the 
 island to its rightful masters. In the performance of this ser- 
 vice he appears to have had a very narrow escape, a musket- 
 b<ill fired from the shore having passed between him and the 
 coxswain of his boat. 
 
 The letter of thanks which Captain Ricketts afterwards 
 received from Lord Elgin for his zealous exertions, was 
 couched in the most handsome and energetic terms ; but it 
 has been said, that, from circumstances not necessary to be 
 recited in this place, the service alluded to was not viewed by 
 the Foreign Office in an equally striking light. Be that as it 
 may, the Board of Admiralty evinced their perfect approval 
 of Captain Ricketts* conduct, by promoting him to post ruuk 
 on the 2()th April, 1K)2. He subsequently commimded the 
 Dido of 28 guns ; and during the greater part of the late war 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 695 
 
 we find him holding an appointment in the Kentish district 
 of Sea Fencibles. 
 
 It is well known to those officers who held commands 
 previous to the peace of Amiens, that the private signals 
 then in use were much exposed to discovery in a variety of 
 cases, and consequently might, in the possession of an enemy, 
 have led to disastrous results. To obviate this danger, Cap- 
 tain Ricketts turned his attention to the subject, and planned 
 a code on an entirely different system, at once so simple as 
 to be readily understood by the meanest capacity ; and so safe 
 from discovery, that even if they lay open before an inquisitive 
 stranger, or fell into the hands of the keenest of our enemies, 
 no danger could be incurred, because it would be impossible 
 under such circumstances to comprehend them. This im- 
 proved code he submitted to his patron, the Earl of St. Vin- 
 cent, who entered at once into its merits, and lost no time in 
 returning a letter expressive of his strong approbation, ac- 
 knowledging the absolute necessity that existed for its adop- 
 tion, and offering to recommend it himself to the Admiralty, 
 although he feared he had no longer any influence there, 
 having some time before retired from office. This offer was 
 gratefully accepted by Captain Ricketts, who subsequently 
 made several applications on the subject, in consequence of 
 a report that a change was about to take place in the private 
 signals ; but at length, after the lapse of several years, he had 
 the mortification to receive his own code back without the 
 slightest comment, and to see another, somewhat similar, 
 though much more complex, brought into general use. 
 
 Captain Ricketts' zeal for the public service does not appear 
 to have been damped by this disappointment. In " Phillips's 
 Guide to all the Watering and Sea-Bathing Places," published 
 about 1809, we find the following notice under the head of 
 « Folkstone :" 
 
 " In 1808, the temporary rudder of Captaia Ricketts wai first used in 
 steering one of the Folkstone boats , and it was in ne Clyde frigate, com- 
 manded by Commodore Owen, that the same officer's Sea Friend, better 
 known by the name of the Folkstone Machine, was successfully tried, and 
 found to perform the operation of working the great chain pumps of that 
 ship without the slightost axsistanoe from any person on board." 
 
 2z2 
 
 if 
 
 II 
 
 liiil 
 ill 
 
696 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 The first of the above inventions was a temporary rudder^ 
 which might be applied, under any circumstances, in a short 
 space of time, by means of a resource highly approved of by 
 H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence, as being also well adapted to 
 Pakenham's rudder. The second was a machine occupying 
 little space, and easily placed so as to pump out ships by the 
 power of their way through the water. Captain Ricketts was 
 indebted to the kindness of Sir Richard Bickerton for an order 
 ^or the latter to be tried on board the Clyde, whose commander 
 reported favorably of its merits ; but at last, worn out by ill 
 health, the apathy of others, and accumulating expenses, he 
 ceased to prosecute an invention that might have been of in- 
 calculable advantage to the navy and ships in general. The 
 apparatus, we believe, is still to be seen in Portsmouth dock- 
 yard. 
 
 The copy of an interesting paper on the subject of water- 
 spouts, transmitted by Captain Ricketts to Sir Joseph Banks, 
 in 1802, and afterwards deposited in the archives of the 
 Royal Society, will be found in the Naval Chronicle, Vol. xx, 
 p. 392 et seq. Several letters from its assiduous author, 
 containing the description of a nipper invented by him for the 
 purpose of facilitating the weighing of an anchor in cases 
 where it may be necessary, cither from the weakness of the 
 messenger, or the insufficiency of the capstan's power, to 
 apply an additional purchase ; and various valuable sugges- 
 tions on other subjects also appear in the same rich repository, 
 at Vol. XX, p. 446 ; Vol. xxi, pp. 38, 212, 398 ; and Vol. xxiii, 
 p. 292. Their great length, and our scanty limits, prevent ub 
 from giving them a place in this work, which we should other- 
 wise have felt great pleasure in doing. 
 jigent. M'fnerheny, Esq. 
 
 ALEXANDER SKENE, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant in 1793 ; and obtained 
 the rank of Commander, in the Lynx sloop of war, on the 
 Halifax station, Nov. 18, 1/99. His post commission bears 
 date April 29, 1802. At the commencement of the late war 
 lie commanded the Lapwing of 28 guns ; and subsequently 
 
^ 1 
 
 ■n \ 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 69/ 
 
 the Leauder 50, bearing the flag of the late Sir Andrew 
 Mitciiell, on the coast of America. His next appointment 
 was to the Guerriere frigate, in wliich he captured the Mal- 
 vina and Peraty, French privateers, the former of 14 guns and 
 60 men, the latter (formerly H . M. cutter Barbara) of 12 guns 
 and 90 men. The Peraty was discovered cruising in the 
 track of a valuable Jamaica fleet, of which she had obtained 
 most correct information, as to their strength, number, and 
 situation, from the master of an American brig, who had 
 himself claimed and received the protection of that convoy, 
 which he betrayed to the enemy in twenty-four hours after 
 parting company. 
 
 Captain Skene was afterwards appointed in succession to 
 the Hussar frigate, and several line-of-battle ships, on various 
 stations. Towards the close of the late contest with America 
 he served as Flag-Captain to the Hon. Sir Alexander Cochrane ; 
 as also during part of that oflicer's recent command at Ply- 
 mouth. He married. Mar. 30, 1814, Miss Charlotte Fordyce, 
 niece to the Marquis of Huntley ; and died at Edinburgh, 
 Sept. 14, 1823. His brotiier John, a Lieutenant of the 42d 
 regiment, fell a victim to the Walcheren fever, Oct. 3, 1810. 
 
 A miniature of Captaiii Skene, by A. Robertson, was ex- 
 hibited at the Royal Academy, in 1805. 
 f 
 
 HON. WILLIAM LE POER TRENCH. 
 
 Secretary to the Board of Customs and Port Duties in Ireland. 
 
 This officer is a brother of Richard, Earl of Clancarty, 
 G. C. B., his Majesty's Ambassador to the King of the Ne- 
 therlands ; also of the Right Rev. Dr. Trench, Archbishop 
 of Tuam; and of the gallant Colonel Sir Robert Trench, 
 K. C. B. K. T. S. He was born in July 1771 » niade a Lieu- 
 tenant in 1793 ; promoted to the rank of Post-Cuptain, April 
 29, 1802 ; and appointed to his present situation in 1819. 
 
 EDWARD bNEYD CLAY, Esg. 
 
 In Sept. 1793 we And this officer serving on board the 
 AlcidCj u third rate, forming part of the b(|uudrou under Cum- 
 
698 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 modore Linzee, employed in co-operation with the Corsican 
 General Paoli *. He was a Lieutenant of the Venerable, and 
 received a severe wound, in the battle ofTCamperdown, Oct. 11, 
 1797 1 } after which he removed with Lord Duncan into the 
 Kent, a new 74-gun ship, in which he continued till Aug. 
 1799j when he was selected by that nobleman to carry home 
 his despatches announcing the fall of the Helder, and the 
 consequent opening of the Texel to the British fleet %. Lord 
 Duncan, on that occasion, adverting to his want of time to 
 give a more detailed account of the proceedings of the ex- 
 pedition sent against Holland, referred the Board of Admiralty 
 to Lieutenant Clay for further particulars, and described him 
 as " an intelligent and deserving officer." 
 
 Lieutenant Clay was promoted to the command of thfe 
 Zebra bomb, Dec. 3, 1799 ; and in the following year he 
 accompanied Vice-Admiral Dickson to Elsineur, on a service 
 already noticed at p. 348 et seq. of our first volume. He also 
 served during the expedition against Copenhagen in the 
 spring of 1801 §. His post commission bears date April 29, 
 1802. 
 
 From this period we find no particular mention of Captain 
 Clay till Dec. 18, 1810, when he had the misfortune to be 
 wrecked in the Nymphe frigate, under his command, at the 
 entrance of the Frith of Forth ; a disaster occasioned by his 
 pilot mistaking a lime kiln, burning at Broxmouth, for the 
 May light, and the latter for the Bell rock, in which opinion 
 the Muster of the Nymphe unfortunately coincided. 
 
 Agent. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 THOMAS RICHBELL, Esq. 
 
 Retident Magittrate of the Thatnet /*olice Office- 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant Jan. 14, 1780; a Com- 
 mander Dec. 26, 1799 ; and a Post-Captain April 29, 1802. 
 He regulated the Impress service at the Tower during the 
 whole of the late war ; and succeeded the late Mr. Harriott 
 
 * See note f at p. 189. f See Vol. I, note at p. ISO <>/ leq. 
 
 X Ste j(/, note at p. 414 et teq, § See id. p. 365 «t «#f . 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 699 
 
 as a Thames Police Magistrate in 1816. Several of the pro- 
 ductions of his pencil have been exhibited at the Royal Aca- 
 demy, of which he is an Honorary Member. 
 
 BENJAMIN CARTER, Esq. 
 
 This officer is a son of the late Rev. H. Carter, Rector of 
 Whittenhani, Berks. ; and a nephew of the celebrated Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Carter. He entered the naval service, in 1785, as 
 a Midshipman on board the Weazle sloop of war, commanded 
 by the late Sir Samuel Hood, with whom he continued in 
 that vessel, and the Thisbe and Juno frigates, on the Halifax, 
 Jamaica, and Channel stations, till 1/93 ; when he joined the 
 Royal George, a first rate, bearing the flag of the late Lord 
 Bridport, under whom he served till his promotion to the 
 rank of Lieutenant, which took place a short time previous to 
 the battle of June 1, 1/94. 
 
 After serving between two and three years in the Assistance 
 44, Mr. Carter returned to the Royal George, of which ship 
 he became first Lieutenant prior to the resignation of Lord 
 Bridport in April 1800, when he received a Commander's 
 commission ; but he does not appear to have been employed 
 in that capacity. He obtained post rank April 29, 1802. 
 
 Captain Carter's subsequent appointments were to com- 
 mand the Sea Fencibles in the Isle of Thanet ; and to regidate 
 the Impress service, first at Liverpool, and latterly at Cork. 
 He has been on half-pay ever since the early part of 1812*. 
 
 AgenU — Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 CHARLES INGLIS, Esq. 
 
 This officer was first Lieutenant of the Jason frigate, com- 
 manded by the present Vice-Admirul Stirling, and greatly 
 distinguished himself in the action with la Seine, of 42 guns 
 and 610 men, as will be seen by the following extract from 
 his Captain's official letter to Admiral Lord Bridport, dated 
 July 2, 1798: 
 
 " In the early part of the battle I hud the uiortificution to be wounded, 
 
 • Captain Carter bai two brothers in H. M. servict. S«e p. 7W. 
 
 II 
 
 I 
 
700 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Ii 
 
 r 
 
 and was obliged to leave the deck ; but my misfortune is palliated by the 
 reflection that the service did not suiTer by my absence, for no man could 
 have filled my place with more credit to himself, and benefit to the state, 
 than my first Lieutenant, Mr. Charles Inglis, whom I beg leave to recom- 
 mend in the strongest manner for his bravery, skill, and great exertions •." 
 We next find Lieutenant Inglis serving in the Penelope 
 frigate, under the command of Captain (now Sir Henry) Black- 
 wood, at the capture of le Guillaume Tell, a French 80-gun 
 ship, bearing the flag of Rear-Adniiral Decres f, on which 
 occasion he received the following letter from his friend Lord 
 Nelson : 
 
 " ]My dear Sir, — How fortunate I did not permit you to quit the Pene- 
 lope, to be a junior Lieutenant in the Foudroyant. You will now get your 
 promotion in the pleasantest of all ways, by the gallant exertions of your- 
 self and those brave friends who surrounded you on that glorious night. 
 What a triumph for you — what a pleasure to me ! What happiness to 
 have the Nile fleet all taken under my orders and regulations ! Black- 
 wood's coming to me at Malta, and my keeping him there, was something 
 more than chance. Ever, my dear Sir, believe me your truly sincere 
 friend, 
 
 (Signed) " Nelson and Brom te." 
 
 " To Lieut. Inglis, Gme. Tell, Syracuse." 
 
 The subject of this memoir was subsequently made a Com- 
 mander, and appointed to the Peterel sloop of war, which 
 vessel he joined at Rhodes, in Oct. 1800. His post com- 
 mission bears date April 29, 1802. His services during 
 the greater part of the late war are identified with those of 
 Admiral Sir George Martin, whose flag ship he at present 
 commands |. 
 
 Agents. — Messrs Goode and Clarke. 
 
 CHARLES CARTER, Esq. 
 
 This otticer is a brother of Captain Benjamin Carter, R. N., 
 whose name appears immediately above the preceding sketch ; 
 and of Brevet-Major Carter, R. M. He entered the naval 
 
 * For an account of the action see Vol. I, p. 403. 
 t Sec id. p. G43. 
 \ Sir George Martin succeeded Sir James Hawkins Whitshed as com- 
 mander-in-chief at Portsmouth, in Feb. 1824. His flag is on board th« 
 Victory of 104 a.\.w\». 
 
 . 
 
POST-CAFPAINS OF 1802, 7^1 
 
 service in the summer of 1783, as a Midshipman on board 
 the Hermione frigate, commanded by Captain John Stone, a 
 friend of his uncle, John Carter, Eigq., one of the senior Ma- 
 gistrates of Kenti with whom he continued on the West 
 India and Halifax stations till the latter end of 1785. He 
 subsequently served under Sir Charles M. Pole, in the Crown 
 of 64 guns ; from which ship he removed, at the commence- 
 ment of 1787) into the Scorpion sloop of war, at that time 
 employed on Channel service, but afterwards sent to the 
 coast of Guinea and the Leeward Islands, from whence she 
 returned under the command of Sir Charles Hamilton, after 
 an absence of nearly three years. 
 
 The Scorpion being paid off at the commencement of the 
 Spanish armament, Mr. Carter was turned over with her 
 other petty officers and crew to the Leopard of 50 guns ; but 
 as that ship was destined for foreign service, and he had 
 nearly served a sufficient time to qualify him for a commis- 
 sion, his uncle's intimate friend, the late Admiral Sir Thomas 
 Pasley, kindly consented to receive him on board the Belle- 
 rophon 74 ; and when he had passed his examination recom- 
 mended him to the patronage of Earl Howe, from whose 
 flag-ship he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, Novem- 
 ber 22, 17()0. 
 
 During the Russian armament, in 1791> he served on board 
 the Barfleur, a second rate, bearing the flag of Vice -Admiral 
 Faulknor ; and we subsequently find him crossing the Channel 
 for the purpose of acquiring a knowledge of the French lan- 
 guage, fencing, &c., in which manner he employed his time 
 until the beginning of 1793, when he returned home in con- 
 sequence of the approaching war between Great Britain and 
 France. 
 
 On his arrival in England, Lieutenant Carter reported him- 
 self to the Admiralty, and was immediately appointed to the 
 Trimmer sloop of war, on the Jersey station, where he assisted 
 at the capture of one* of the first armed vessels taken under 
 the tri- coloured flag. 
 
 The Trimmer being paid off, on account of her defective 
 state, shortly after Mr. Carter had returned from conducting 
 the above prize into Falmouth, he was then appointed third 
 
702 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1803. 
 
 i 
 
 ;•! 
 
 Lieutenant of the Alexander 7^i commanded by Captain 
 R. R. Bligh, whom he gallantly supported in his memorable 
 defence against a powerful French squadron under Rear- 
 Admiral Neilly, an event already alluded to in our memoir of 
 Captain F. P. Epworth, and which will be more fully noticed 
 hereafter. 
 
 The treatment experienced by Lieutenant Carter and his 
 fellow captives, affords us an instance of the brutal and fero- 
 cious conduct of the friends of " Liberty and Equality^'' 
 towards those who had the misfortune to fall into their hands 
 at that unhappy epoch. On their arrival at Brest, after being 
 stripped of every article of property, except the clothes on 
 their backs, they were put on board a prison ship, but soon 
 transferred from thence to a castle (originally a receptacle 
 for culprits under sentence of death), where they were con- 
 fined in cells with naked walls, having neither tables, chairs, 
 nor any other furniture, and obliged to sleep on straw, with- 
 out the least covering. In this miserable abode they passed 
 three months, during which the fever, so common in crowded 
 gaols, proved fatal to many, and numbers died for want of 
 the common necessaries of life, their diet consisting of nothing 
 more than black bread, horse-bean soup, and occasionally a 
 scanty supply of salt fish '**'. 
 
 In order to escape from such a scene of wretchedness. 
 Lieutenant Carter agreed with Captain Cracraft, late of H. M.S. 
 Daphne, and Lieutenant Godench of the Alexander, to try 
 
 * " Officers and men shared the same lot ; they were denied the com- 
 monest rations of provisions, and reduced to starvation. A wretched dog 
 that had crept into the cells was killed, and his head alone sold for a dollar, 
 to satisfy the cravings of nature. A prisoner, in a state of delirium, threw 
 himself into the well within the prison walls: his dead body, after 
 lying some time was taken out, but no other water allowed to the people 
 to drink. An English lady and her daughters, confined along with the 
 men, had no separate apartment, and all their privacy was supplied by 
 the generous comttiisseration of the British vailors, who, standing side by 
 side close together, with their backs towards the fair captives, formed a 
 temporary screen while they changed their garments." 8ee Brbnton's 
 Naval His{orff,yo\.l,p. 364. N.B. The number of prisoners confined 
 in the castle amounted originally to 700, among whom were many women 
 Mid cluldren. 
 
PO«T-CAPrAINS ov 1802. 
 
 703 
 
 the experiment of scaling the castle wall, and breaking their 
 way into a depot of military equipage adjoining the back wail 
 of their dungeon. This enterprise was undertaken in the 
 dead of the night, while all but those engaged in the plpt were 
 asleep; and at dawn of day they were enabled, by forcing a 
 door of' the store room, to reach the extremity of the prison 
 court-yard, which led by a circuitous road to the town of 
 Brest. 
 
 Pushing on with rapid strides, and singing the favorite 
 national air of the Carmagnoliy Lieutenant Carter and the 
 other two officers, dressed in the garb of sailors, and 
 wearing the tri-coloured cockade as a deception, succeeded 
 in reaching the hotel de la Republique, a house used by 
 the masters of American vessels, one of whom had pre- 
 viously made arrangements for secreting them there until 
 an embargo then existing should be removed, when it was 
 hoped they would be able to smuggle themselves on board 
 his ship. In this expectation, however, they were unfor- 
 tunately disappointed ; for on approaching the place of 
 embarkation. Lieutenant Carter was recognized by a young 
 aspirant belonging to the Marat, with whom he had formerly 
 conversed in French, and who now caused him to be seized, 
 and conducted with Captain Cracraft, under an escort, to the 
 Amiral, a place of security erected near the quay, where they 
 were locked up in a small room, admitting little or no light, 
 and detained, with nothing to support nature but bread and 
 water, and without a chair or any resting place till the next 
 day, when they were conducted back to the castle, which, 
 with all its horrors, was a palace when compared to their 
 temporary prison. Lieutenant Godench, by mixing with the 
 crowd on the quay, fortunately effected his escape. 
 
 After this unsuccessful attempt. Lieutenant Carter was 
 agreeably surprised to find the republicans relax a little in 
 their rigorous treatment of himself and his fellow prisoners, 
 it being ordered that two persons from every mess, without 
 discrimination, should be permitted to go out of the castle 
 and receive their rations at the Commissary's office, which 
 was situated about a furlong from the gate, instead of having 
 their wretched portion brought to them by the gaolers ; an 
 
 li 
 
704 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 
 '. 
 
 
 indulgence they gladly availed themselves of, as it afforded 
 them the benefit of a little fresh air, than which nothing could 
 have been a greater luxury. 
 
 On one of those occasions a noted gaoler, known by the 
 name of Peter,seized the subject of this memoir by the collar, in 
 order to give the preference of going out to a seaman whom he 
 knew. Indignant at this attack upon his person, Lieutenant 
 Carter lost all command of himself, and with his fist knocked 
 the rascal bleeding to the ground, where he lay for some time, 
 vociferating " corporal dti garde" with all his might. A file 
 of soldiers soon arrived on the spot, and proceeded to search 
 for the offender, who, listening to the advice of his friends, had 
 in the interval put on a female dress, as the only chance of 
 escaping their vengeance, an assault on a republican being 
 deemed a capital offence, and mercy out of the question. A 
 strict scrutiny ensued ; but Lieutenant Carter had the good 
 fortune to elude the enemy's vigilance, and remain undis- 
 covered in his metamorphosed state, till time and a coup 
 d'argent had had the effect of allaying the resentment of the 
 wretch through whom his life had thus been brought into 
 jeopardy. 
 
 It was about this period that the Alexander's officers re- 
 solved to make their distressing situation known to Admiral 
 ViDaret de Joyeuse, who commanded the French naval forces 
 at Brest, and to request his interference with the government 
 in their behalf. Accordingly a memorial, drawn up by Lieu- 
 tenant Carter, and bearing their respective signatures, was 
 forwarded to that officer, whose reply thereto, and their 
 subsequent removal to Quimper on parole, are presumptive 
 proofs that he as an individual ought not to be charged with 
 having contributed to their sufferings *. 
 
 Encouraged by tliis favorable commencement. Lieutenant 
 Carter now entered into correspondence with other French 
 authorities ; and at length, in May 1795, he was ordered to 
 be exchanged for Mons. la Cosse, an officer of the same rank, 
 ■who had been captured by Earl Howe on the 1st June, 1794, 
 
 On his return to England, in a neutral vessel from Morlaix, 
 
 • For a copy of the Frencti Admiral's letter sec pp. 662 and 563. 
 
'•V) 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 705 
 
 he was appointed to the Magnificent 74, on the North Sea 
 station; and we subsequently find him serving as first Lieu- 
 tenant of the Galatea, a 32-gun frigate, forming part of a 
 squadron employed in the Channel under the orders of Sir 
 John Borlase Warren, who makes very honorable mention of 
 his conduct in boarding and assisting at the destruction of 
 I'Andromaque, of 44 guns and 300 men, near Arcasson, on 
 the 23d Aug. 1796, the particulars of which event, and others 
 not already noticed in our memoir of his commander, the 
 present Admiral Sir Richard G. Keats, will appear in the 
 supplement to this work. 
 
 Lieutenant Carter continued in the Galatea, and shared in 
 a series of active services under the command of Captain 
 Keats, and his successor, Captain Byng, now Viscount Tor- 
 rington, until promoted to the rank of Commander, May L5, 
 1800; on which occasion he was appointed to the Adventure, 
 a 44-gun ship, armed en Jlnte, and attached to the armament 
 then about to sail from Cork for the purpose of making a 
 diversion on the enemies' coasts, and of ultimately joining the 
 grand expedition destined against the French army in Egypt. 
 To his great disappointment, liowever, the Adventure, after 
 conveying tiie 82d regiment to Belleisle, Corunna, Cadiz, 
 Tetuan, and Minorca, was found to be in so leaky a state as 
 to render it impossible for her to continue on that service; in 
 consequence of which she was ordered to carry Sir James 
 Pulteney and his staff, with the 52d regiment to Lisbon, from 
 whence she returned home in the spring of 1801 ; and being 
 surveyed, was soon after put out of commission. 
 
 Captain Carter was advanced to post rank April 29, 1802, 
 and appointed to a command in the Sea Fencible service about 
 July, 1803; from which time he appears to have been sta- 
 tioned in the Isle of Wight till the dissolution of that corps 
 in March 1810. During his continuance there he made re- 
 peated applications for an appointment more congenial to his 
 zealous disposition ; and two days after the discharge of the 
 above force we find him endeavouring to prevail upon the 
 nobleman then at the head of the Admiralty to employ him 
 actively afloat, by oflfering to serve without pay, depending 
 on his own exertions against the enemy for remuneration ; 
 
 n 
 
 n\ 
 
 H 
 
 111 
 
 t 
 
 m 
 
 I 
 
706 
 
 POgT-CAPTAlNS OF 1802. 
 
 
 ':!' 
 
 
 i; 
 
 but this, like all his former efforts, proved unavailing, and 
 he was again compelled to yield to a state of painful inactivity, 
 whilst his more fortunate brother officers were reaping laurels, 
 and laying the foundation of future ease for themselves, and 
 competence for their families. 
 
 In Aug. 1818, the subject of this memoir was appointed to 
 superintend the Impress service at Gravesend ; and he sub- 
 sequently received a commission to command El Corso as a 
 post ship, in consequence of his suggesthig the propriety of 
 placing the vessel destined to receive the men under the direct 
 controul of the Regulating Captain ; by which means, among 
 other advantages, the prompt co-operation of her boats with 
 those belonging to the establishment on shore, might always 
 be depended upon. 
 
 £1 Corso was paid off at the termination of the war in 
 1814 ; but on the renewal of hostilities in the following year. 
 Captain Carter commissioned the Port Mahon, and resumed 
 his station on the river Thames, where he continued, under 
 the orders of Sir Home Popham, till Aug. 12, 1816, since 
 which he has not been employed. 
 
 Captain Carter married Sophia Holmes, youngest daughter 
 of that excellent officer, the late Admiral Sir Richard Rodney 
 Bligh, G. C. B., under whom he had so bravely fought at the 
 commencement of the French revolutionary war. By that 
 lady he has issue six sons and two daughters, the whole of 
 whom are under age. 
 
 THOMAS BROWNE, Esq. 
 
 This officer entered the naval service at an early age as a 
 Midshipman on board the Thetis frigate, commanded by Cap- 
 tain John Blankett, to whom he had been recommended by 
 the late Hon. Admiral Barrington, whose patronage he en- 
 joyed in consequence of a family connexion. 
 
 After serving for a considerable time in the Thetis, and 
 witnessing Captain Blankett's spirited conduct in resenting an 
 insult offered to the British flag by a Venetian Commodore #, 
 
 * D ring the general peace which succeeded the contest between Qreat 
 Britain and her American colonies, the Thetis, on entering the bay of 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 70? 
 
 Mr. Browne joined the Carj'sfort of 28 guns, in which ship 
 he completed his time as a petty officer on the Mediterranean 
 station. We subsequently find him on board the Barfleur 
 and Royal George, three-deckers, bearing the flag of Vice- 
 Admiral Barrington ; with whom he continued till his pro- 
 motion to the rank of Lieutenant about the close of 1790. 
 
 £arly in 170<^ Lieutenant Browne received an appoint- 
 ment to the Intrepid 64 ; and during the ensuing four years he 
 appears to have been engaged in a great variety of services on 
 the West India station, particularly at St. Domingo, where 
 he was frequently landed with a division of seamen, to assist 
 the British troops in their contest with Toussaint de TOuver- 
 ture, and other native chiefs in the French interest ; a contest 
 attended with an alternate series of good and bad fortune, but 
 from which our brave countrymen were at length obliged to 
 retire, in consequence of the sad reduction of their force by 
 that dreadful scourge the yellow fever, which is said to have 
 carried off no less than 12,000 soldiers and 500 sailors, pre- 
 vious to the evacuation of the island. 
 
 In Feb. 1796, the Intrepid chased a French ship of war 
 into a small cove near Porto Plata, on the north side of 
 St. Domingo, where she was boarded and taken possession of 
 by Lieutenant Browne, whose conduct on this occasion is 
 deserving of great praise, he having volunteered to attack her 
 
 Tunis, accompanied by the Spliyux of 20 guns, was fired at three times by 
 a Venetian 84, bearin<^ the broad pendant of a (Jommodore, and forming 
 part of a large squadron then employed in the blockade of that port. 
 Indignant at such conduct, and observing that the last shot passed close 
 under his bows. Captain Blankett lost no time in anchoring alongside of 
 the Venetian, and demanding an ample apology. In this situation the 
 ships remained till the following day ; when the Commodore, who had 
 previously sent a corvette to communicate with his Admiral in the ofBng; 
 suddenly got under weigh and proceeded to sea. Captain Blankett here- 
 upon made the signal to slip and chase ; and on closing with the fugitive 
 gave her a shot, which being allowed to pass unnoticed, a second was dis- 
 charged with so much precision, aa to graze the nul of the stern-gallery, 
 where the Commodore and his officers were assembled. This unexpected 
 salute caused the Venetian to bring up all standing ; and the British ships 
 having soon after anchored, with springs on their cables, in a very advan- 
 tageous position, her commander was at length constrained to make the 
 required apology. 
 
 lii 
 
 it 
 
 !■! 
 
 : i 
 
708 
 
 POST-CArXAINS OF 1802. 
 
 
 ■!; 
 
 I 
 
 with the boats, after hia Captain, the Hon. C. Carpenter, had 
 been induced to haul off from the shore, through the repre- 
 sentations of his pilot, and an officer commanding a cutter 
 under his orders, the former of whom refused to take charge 
 of the Intrepid if any attempt were made to follow the enemy, 
 whilst the latter, who had been sent to reconnoitre, reported 
 that they had landed some guns and thro\\'n up a battery for 
 the purpose of defending their ship, which then lay aground. 
 She proved to be la Per^ante, of twenty 9-pounders, and six 
 brass 2-pounders, with a complement of near 200 men, the 
 whole of whom fled on Lieutenant Browne's approach, and 
 groped their way through the prickly-pear bushes to a town 
 at some distance. The prize being got off without damage, 
 was taken into the King's service, and named the Jamaica. 
 
 Lieutenant Browne returned to £ngland with his health 
 greatly impaired by the pestilential climate of St. Domingo; 
 notwithstanding which he continued in active service until 
 promoted to the command of the Chapman armed ship, in 
 1800, previous to which he had been appointed, as first Lieu- 
 tenant, to several frigates, and the Elephant of 74 guns. His 
 post commission bears dat€ April 29, 1802. 
 
 We now lose sight of Captain Hrowne till the spring of 
 1806, when he assumed the command of the Tonnant, an 
 80-gun ship, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Eliab Harvey, 
 under whom he served in the Channel fleet till May 1809. 
 He subsequently held an appointment in the Sea Fencibles j 
 and after the dissolution of that corps acted as Flag-Captain 
 to Rear-Admiral T. Byam Martin, in the Aboukir of 74 guns, 
 which ship he commanded during the siege of Riga ; on which 
 occasion between 3(X) and 400 of his crew were daily lent to 
 the gun-boats employed in the defence of that city. 
 
 Captain Browne was next appointed to the Ulysses 44, 
 and stationed in the Belt, for the protection of convoys passing 
 to and from the Baltic. In Dec. 1813, he conducted the 
 army under Sir Thomas Graham to the Scheldt ; and in the 
 following summer escorted a fleet of merchantmen to Jamaica. 
 On his return from thence he was nominated Commodore on 
 the ccaat of Africa, where he had the satisfaction of destroy- 
 ing the only two British slave factories that had been suffered 
 
 i 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 ro9 
 
 an 
 
 to exist until his arrival, one of which contained three hundred 
 houses and a great quantity of stores. The squadron under 
 his orders also captured thirty sail of vessels employed in the 
 negro trade ; and many more would no douht have shared 
 the same fate, but for the circumstance of his being obliged to 
 leave the station in order to procure supplies at St. Helena, 
 the provisions of the ships ordered to convoy the homeward 
 bound trade having been completed from the Ulysses. 
 
 At St. Helena, Captain Browne received information of 
 Buonaparte's flight from Elba ; and finding a very valuable 
 fleet of Indiamen waiting there for the protection of a ship 
 of war, he resolved to sacrifice his prospects of making a 
 fortune rather than allow them to run the risk of being cap- 
 tured. Unfortunately the passage home presented him with 
 no opportimity of resigning his charge to any other ship of 
 force J and tranquillity having been restored in Europe pre- 
 vious to his arrival, the service he had rendered was not 
 looked upon in so important a light as it otherwise would 
 have been. It was, however, fully appreciated by the Hon. 
 East India Company, who voted him a larger sum for the 
 purchase of plate than had ever been given to any Captain 
 before him *. Since that period he has not been employed. 
 
 Mrs. Browne is the eldest daughter of the late Jen- 
 kins, Esq., who was lost in a hurricane on the West India 
 station, just after his promotion to the command of the Gua- 
 chapin sloop of war. Her grandfather and great-grandfather 
 were also commissioned officers in the royal navy. 
 
 Agents. — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 RIGHT HON. LORD EDWARD O'BRYEN. 
 
 This ofl'icer is a brother of the Marquis of Thomond, and 
 of Lord James O'Bryen, Captain 11. N. f He obtained post- 
 rank April 29, 1802 ; and was Private Secretary to Lord 
 Mulgrave, during that nobleman's naval administration. 
 
 His lordship has been three times married j viz. Ist, in 
 1805, to Diana, eldest daughter of General George Hotham, 
 
 • Tlic fleet alluded to was worth I(),(KM»,(HK)/. stciiing. 
 t Seep. 2\2. 
 VOL. 11. W A 
 
 f I 
 
yiO i^OSf-GAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 and niece of William Lord Hotham : 2dly, April II, 1815, 
 Gertrude Grace, youngest daughter of Paul Cobb Methuen, 
 Esq., of Corsham House, co. Wilts, by whom he had two 
 children : and, 3dly, April 16, 1822, Lady Elizabeth Somer- 
 set, second daughter of the Duke of Beaufort. 
 Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 FRANCIS GODOLPIIIN BOND, Esq. 
 
 This officer received his first commission May 14, 1782; 
 served as first Lieutenant of the Providence armed ship, under 
 the command of Captain William Bligh, during the bread- 
 fruit expedition in 1791 and following years * ; and ob- 
 tained the rank of Commander for his active exertions in the 
 Netley schooner on the Lisbon station, towards the con- 
 clusion of the French revolutionary war. He was made a 
 Post-Captain April 29, 1802, and appointed to a command 
 in the Sea Fenoibles about June 1803 j from which pcrio(' we 
 find no farther mention of his name. 
 
 Agent.'-Ji Hinxman, Esq. 
 
 ! I 
 
 STEPHEN FOLVIL, Esq. 
 
 This officer was educated at the college of Navarre ; and 
 prepared for the naval service at Bettesworth's celebrated 
 marine academy, so often tncntioned in the course of this 
 work. He embarked ad a Midshipman on board the Nar- 
 cissus, of 20 guns, commanded by the late Vice-Admiral 
 d'Auvergne t in 1787; and subsequently served under Cap- 
 tains Salisbury, Hicks, and Archibald Dickson, in the An- 
 dromeda frigate, Powerful 74, and Egmont of the same force |, 
 
 * See note • at p. 630. 
 
 t Cuptaiu Polvil is directly descended fruin the ancient and highly 
 respectable family of la Tour d'Auvergne : Ititt he is not, as has been 
 supposed, in any >Vay rehtted to the hte V!ce-Adin!ral d'Auverj^ne. 
 
 X Whilst ih tiie Andromeda Mr. Folvil had his ifose and right leg broke 
 by the snapping of a hawser ; and previous to his leaving that ship he 
 appears to fiavc had a very narrow escape, a boat in which he wns em- 
 ployed being swamped during a gale of wind in a dnrk night, by which 
 accident 7 out uf U persons were drowned. 
 
l'OST-CAI*'rAINS OP 1802. 
 
 711 
 
 we 
 
 which latter ship formed part of Lord Hood's fleet at the 
 occupation of Toulon in 1793 ; a»d was afterwards employed 
 in the reduction of St. Fiorenzo, on which occasion Mr. Fol- 
 vil assisted in person at the capture of M ortclla tower, and 
 the attack of Convention redoubt, &c., services already de- 
 scribed at p. 250 of our first volume. He was also employed 
 on shore with the army during other operations in the island 
 of Corsica. 
 
 On the promotion of Captain Dickson, Mr. Folvil removed 
 into the Britannia, a first rate, bearing the flag of Vice -Ad- 
 miral Hotiiam ; but aftpr a week's absence returned to the 
 Egmont, then commanded by the present Sir John Sutton, 
 under whom he served as a Lieutenant in the actions of March 
 14 and July 13, 1795 ; at the evacuation of Corsica; and in 
 the memorable battle of Feb. 14, 1797. He likewise com- 
 manded a boat under that ofiicer's directions at the capture 
 of a frigate and some other armed vessels at Tunis, in the 
 spring of the preceding year *. 
 
 Mr. Folvil returned to England as first Lieutenant of the 
 Egmont 'f and afterwards served with Captain Sutton in the 
 Superb of 74 guns, on the Irish, Channel, and Mediterranean 
 stations. His promotion to the rank of Commander took 
 place during Earl Spencer's visit to the grand fleet, about 
 Dec. 1800 J and was rendered the more gratifying by his 
 being the only one, out of thirty officers filling similar situa- 
 tions, who obtained advancement on that occasion. During 
 the remainder of the war he commanded the Sally armed ship, 
 and was employed in convoying the trade to and from the 
 Baltic sea and German rivers. Whilst on that service he 
 apprehended a man who had formerly belonged to the ill- 
 fated Herniioiie ; and was fortunate enough to have an oppor- 
 tunity of affording protection to that gallant veteran the late 
 iVince of Conde. His post commission bears date April 29, 
 1802; subsequent to which he held an appointment in the 
 Sea Fencible service, on the N. W. coast of Ireland, but was 
 never employed afloat, although strongly recommended. 
 
 Captain Folvil married a daughter and co-heiress of Robert 
 
 ■ S 
 
 ' n 
 
 • See Vol. I, [}. 254. 
 3a2 
 

 111 
 
 r ■ 
 
 712 POST CAPTAINS Of^ 1802. 
 
 Nesbitt, of Moylagh, co. Tyrone, Esq., by whom he has two 
 sons and three daughters. t . 
 
 ] Agent, — J. Copland, Esq. 
 
 ARCHIBALD DICKSON, Esq. 
 
 This officer obtained the rank of Post-Captain April 29, 
 1802 ; and commanded the Akbar of 50 guns, on the South 
 American station, at the close of the late war. 
 
 Agent, — Harry Cook, Esq. 
 
 \]\ju y /-^ec. 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY BROWN TREMLETf, Esq. 
 
 This officer is a son of the late Mr. George Tremlctt, a 
 Master in the R. N., by Mary, only child of Mr. Tuck, Soli- 
 citor, of Langley Hall, near Chippenham, in Wiltshire*. He 
 was born at Dartmouth, where his uncle held the situation A 
 Collector of the Customs, Nov. 15, 1777> a»d embarked as a 
 Midshipman on board the Salisbury 50, bearing the flag of 
 Rear- Admiral Elliot, in 1788. During the Spanish and Rus- 
 sian armaments he served in the same ship, under Vice- 
 Admiral Milbanke, on the Newfoundland station f ; and at 
 the commencement of the French revolutionary war we find 
 him joining the Royal Sovereign, a first rate, in which ship 
 he assisted at the defeat of the French fleet on the memorable 
 1st June, 1794 %. 
 
 The Royal Sovereign formed part of the squadron under 
 Vice-Admiral Cornwallis, when that veteran officer effected 
 his highly celebrated retreat § j soon .ifter which Mr. Trem- 
 lett was made a Lieutenant, and appointed to the Lion, a 
 
 * Captain Tremlett's father was broiiglit up in the royal navy, and 
 served as a Midshipman durinfr the reign of George II. He was on board 
 the Zephyr of 14 guns, when that sloop beat off a French .'3G-gun frigate, 
 after a battle of four hours. His cousin, the Rev. John Gandy, is the 
 present venerable and truly respectable Rector of St. Andrews, Plymouth. 
 Captain T.'s grandfather was a merchant at Exeter. 
 
 t The Salisbury was successively commanded by Captains Erasmus 
 Gower, William Domett, and Edward Pellcw. 
 
 X Sec Vol. I, p. 336. § Sec id. note • at p. 354. 
 
 C-' r ■,■: 
 
// 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 13 
 
 64-gun ship, attached to the expedition then about to sail 
 for the West Indies, under Rear- Admiral Christian. 
 
 In 1796, the Lion was employed on the North Sea station, 
 wheie Lieutenant Tremlett brought himself into notice by his 
 intrepid conduct in rescuing the crew of the Reunion frigate 
 from the very perilous situation in which they were placed by 
 her striking on a sand bank*, where she was afterwards 
 totally wrecked. For his " humane and manly exertions'* on 
 this occasion, the thanks of the court-martial assembled to 
 investigate the circumstances attending her loss, were con- 
 veyed to Lieutenant Tremlett, through their President, the 
 late Admiral Savage, who publicly declared that he deserved 
 to have a civic crown placed on his head, and expressed a 
 hope that the Board of Admiralty would do him justice, by 
 immediately advancing him to superior rank. 
 
 The Lion subsequently proceeded to the Mediterranean, 
 where Lieutenant Tremlett assisted at the capture of the 
 Santa Dorothea, a Spanish frigate, of 42 guns and 370 men, 
 on the 15th J»dy, 1/98 f. A few days previous to that event 
 he appears to have been engaged in a desperate affair with an 
 armed Greek, off Malaga, and exposed to the most imminent 
 peril through the misconduct of two boats under his orders, 
 they having deserted him at the moment when he was pushing 
 alongside, and their flight not being observed by him until 
 too late to attempt a retreat. In consequence of this shameful 
 dereliction of duty on the part of those from whom he expected 
 support, he had the mortification of seeing destruction dealt 
 with an unsparing hand among his brave companions, 20 of 
 whom were either killed or wounded, whilst himself and 3 
 men only escaped unhurt. This sanguinary business occu- 
 pied no more than seven minutes, during which no less than 
 that number of shot passed through his hat and coat, whilst 
 another knocked off the handle of his dirk ; yet, strange to 
 say, his person was never touched ! ! 
 
 Mr. Tremlett's next appointment was, as first Lieutenant, 
 to the Santa Dorothea ; in which ship he assisted at the cap- 
 ture of the San Leon, a Spanish national brig of 16 guns, and 
 
 ♦ S.'(; Vol. I. p. 643. 
 
 t See /(/. p. :iJC. 
 
714 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Several smaller vessels *. He also bore a part in an action 
 with seventeen gun boats, by which she was attacked when 
 entering Gibraltar bay with a fleet of merchantmen under her 
 protection. For those and other services he was advanced to 
 the rank of Commander on the 1st Jan. 1801 ; and posted 
 April 29, in the following year. 
 
 His next appointment was to the Sea Fencible service at 
 Cromer, where he met with a serious accident whilst exer- 
 cising that corps at their great guns in June 1804, a grape- 
 shot, weighing eight ounces, having entered his right foot, 
 where it remained two years and a half before it could be 
 extracted. 
 
 Captain Tremlett was appointed to the Alcmene, a 32 gun 
 frigate, about April 1808; and in June following be entered 
 into communication with the Spanish authorities at Corunna, 
 assisted in their councils for three days, and then embarked 
 the deputies sent from Galicia to solicit the assistance of 
 Great Britain in the war about to commence between France 
 and Spain. On his return to Corunna with those gentlemen. 
 Sir Charies Stuatt, and a quantity of specie, he received the 
 raink of General in the patriotic army, which was the first 
 instance of such a mark of distinction being conferred upon 
 an Eiiiglishman. 
 
 On the 22d Dec. in the same year, Captain Tremlett gave 
 chase to two French frigates of the largest class, which he 
 compelled to take shelter under the citadel of St. Martin's, on 
 Isle Khfe, aft^r a i^Un of 130 miles. The following day he 
 resolved to attack one of them at her anchorage, and endea- 
 vour to carry her by boarding ; but was prevented from exe- 
 cuting his bold design by the Alcmene running aground 
 through the ignorance of her pilot. He however blockaded 
 them so closely as to prevent their escape, which was of itself 
 a service of no little importance, they being full of troops, 
 bound to the relief of Guadaloupe. 
 
 Captain Trenllctt's exertions were unfortunately terminated 
 by the loss of his ship on a rock near the Loire in 1809, pre- 
 vious to whrch he had captured and destroyed Jipv.ttrds of 
 
 • 8ee Vol. 11, Part I, p. 191. 
 
POST-CAPTAIN& OF J802. 
 
 715 
 
 fifty sail of the enemy's vessels on various parts of the coast 
 between Isle Dieu and Cape Finisterre. He subsequently 
 made repeated visits to his Spanish friends, whose efforts 
 in the cause of liberty form the subject of a long letter ad- 
 dressed by him to the conductors of the Naval Chronicle in 
 May 1812*. 
 
 The subject of this memoir's eldest brother, George Neate 
 Tremlett, served as a Midshipman in the battle of June 1, 
 1/94 ; assisted at the capture of three French men of war off 
 rOrient in June 23, 1795 ; and was present at the defeat of 
 M. Bompard by Sir John B. Warren, Oct. 12, 1798. His 
 name still appears on the list of Lieutenants, to which rank 
 he was promoted Aug. 1, 1794. Another brother, Richard 
 Stiles Tremlett, Lieut. R. N., who had previously shared the 
 sufferings of the gallant Riou in H. M. S. Guardian, was 
 killed in a duel with the late Lord Ca»nelford, at Martinique. 
 
 Agent.— i. Hinxman, Esq. 
 
 SAMUEL PYM, Esq. 
 
 This officer was juromoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 
 Mar. 1796 ; and served as such, for some time, on board la 
 Babet, a 2()-gun ship, stationed at the Leeward Islands. 
 
 On the 16th Jan. 1/98, he volunteered to proceed with 
 two boats in pursuit of a schooner which had been standing 
 towards la Babet, but hauled off on discovering her to be a 
 ship of war, and was then sweeping away between Martinique 
 and Dominica. After a fatiguing pull of four hours, during 
 which his own boat left her companion considerably behind, 
 he arrived within gun-shot of the stranger, who opened and 
 kept up a steady fire until he got alongside, when a desperate 
 struggle took place, which ended in the schooner's submiso 
 sion, just as the other boat rowed up to his assistance. The 
 prize proved to he la Dcsiree, French national vessel, of 6 
 guns and 46 men, 4 of whom were slain, 8 drowned, and 15 
 badly wounded. Lieutenant Pym fortunately had only 1 man 
 
 killed^ and another drowned ; but 5 of his gallant little band 
 
 ■• '*• ' .,, ,><• 
 
 • See Nav. Cliron. Vol. 28, p 203, ef xef. 
 
716 VOST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 were severely, and himself and all the remainderj 5 in num- 
 ber, slightly wountled. 
 
 Subsequent to this exploit we find Lieutenant Pym serving 
 in the Ethalion frigate, and assisting at the capture of the 
 Thetis, a Spanish treasure ship *, on which occasion his com- 
 mander, the present Rear- Admiral Young, when writing to 
 Lord Bridport, made the following mention of his abilities and 
 meritorious conduct : 
 
 " I beg leave to recommend to your Lordship's notice Lieutenant Pym, 
 the senior officer : the able assistance I rec«ived from him on tlie quarter- 
 deC'iv, and his indefatigable exertions in shifting the wounded masts and 
 yards on board the Thetis, do him the utmost credit." 
 
 We now lose sight of the subject of this memoir till his 
 advancement to post rank, April 29, 1802 ; and from that 
 period find no mention of him till his appointment to the 
 Atlas of 74 guns, which ship he commanded in the action off 
 St. Domingo, Feb. 6, 1806 f. His conduct at St. Paul's, in 
 the island of Bourbon, Sept. 21, 1809, was thus described in 
 a respectable periodical publication : 
 
 *' The capture of St. Paul's was eflFected by the cruising squadron from 
 off the Isle of France, under Commodore Rowley J, assisted by a party of 
 the 66th regiment, and some Bombay sepoys, under Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Keating. It appears that the soldiers, 136 royal marines, and 100 seamen, 
 were lauded before day-break, and soon carried three of the forts. The 
 squadron went in, tired tLe'.r broadsides, and then hauled out. The Sirius 
 frigate stood in again; and Captain Pym §, anxious to avail himself of the 
 only opportunity that offered, anchored her within half-musket shot of 
 la Caroline French frigate, two captured East Iiidiamen, and a brig of war, 
 in which position he opened so heavy a fire, that in twenty minutes the 
 whole of them struck their colours. Both navy and army joined in praise 
 of this brilliant enterprise, declaring they had never seen or thought it 
 possible for a ship to keep up so tremendous a fire as the Sirius (lid on 
 that occasion ; and we understand it was principally owing to the very 
 great exertions of Captain Pym, his officers, and crew, that the two India- 
 men were saved from being burnt." « 
 
 Captain Pym displayed his usual zeal and ability whilst 
 assisting at the reduction of Bourbon, in July, 1810 (|, after 
 
 • See Vol. I, p. 684. t See Vol. I, note at p. 2fi2. 
 
 t For a list of the sqtmdrnn and other particulars, see Vol. I, p. 626 
 et seq. 
 
 § Captain Pym was appointed to the Sirius in 1808. 
 II See id. p. 627 et seq. 
 

 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 717 
 
 which he resumed his former station off the Isle of France, 
 and succeeded in obtiiiniiig possession of I'lsle de la Passe, 
 situated near Port Sud-Est, the works on which were gal- 
 lantly stormed by a detachment of sailors and marines, under 
 the immediate directions of Lieutenant H. D. Chads. 
 
 Subsequent to this event the Sirius, whilst cruising off 
 Port Louis, recaptured the Wyndham, a British East India- 
 man, recently taken by two French frigates and a corvette, 
 under the orders of M. Dupert^ ; and Captain Pym learning 
 from some English sailors whom h€ found on board, that 
 that officer had forced his way into Port Sud-Est, imme- 
 diately hastened thither for the purpose of attacking him, and 
 rescuing another of the Hon. E. I. Company's ships, which 
 he had captured in company with the Wyndham. 
 
 On his arrival off I'lsle de la Passe, Captain Pym was 
 joined by the Nereide, a 12-pounder frigate, under the com- 
 mand of Captain Willoughby, whom he had left in charge of 
 that post, and who had used every effort to prevent tjie 
 French squadron from entering the harbour. That gallant 
 officer having instantly declared his readiness for action, and 
 the situation of the enemy affording a prospect of success. 
 Captain Pym decided on an immediate attack ; but his in- 
 tentions were unfortunately frustrated by the Sirius running 
 aground in the inner passage, and remaining fast for many 
 hours, during which the enemy moved farther in, erected 
 several batteries, prepared the Indiaman for defence, and 
 strengthened the crews of the frigates and corvette. ' • 
 
 In consequence of this accident, and the enemy's increased 
 means of defence. Captain Pym was under the necessity of 
 deferring the attempt until the arrival of the Iphigenia and 
 Magicienne frigates, commanded by Captains Henry Lam- 
 bert and Lucius Curtis, whom he had already recalled from 
 their stations to the northward. 
 
 Those ships having joined company on the 23d Aug., and 
 Captain Pym being assured by persons who professed to know 
 the navigation that he was past all danger, and could run 
 direct for the enemy's line, the signal was made to weigh at 
 five P. M., and each ship pushed for her station, viz. the 
 Sirius alongside the French Commodore, Nereide to bru)g 
 
718 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 180?. 
 
 1 
 
 up between him and the corvette, Iphigenia abreast of the 
 other frigate, and Magicienne between her and the Iiidianian ; 
 but, sad to say, just as the enemy's shot began to pass over 
 them the former grounded on a small bank, where she remained 
 immoveable ; and the Magicienne also stuck fast in a por- 
 tion that prevented her from bringing more than six guns to 
 bear. To add to this misfortune. Captain Lambert was pre- 
 vented by a shoal from closing with his opponent, whose 
 cables had been cut shortly after the Iphigenia opened her 
 fire ; and the enemy were in consequence ena3)led to direct 
 their whole attention to the Nereide, whose heroic com- 
 mander had taken the station intended for the Sirius, and per- 
 sisted in maintaining the unequal contest, until every officer 
 and man under his orders were either killed or wounded *. 
 
 During the ensuing night every exertion was made to get 
 the Sirius and Magicienne ailoat, but all without effect, the 
 nature of the ground, and the squally state of the we other, 
 rendemg it impossible to move them a single inch 'w, any 
 direction. At day-light on the 24th the Nereide was dis- 
 covered lying on her broadside, a perfect wreck ; and the 
 enemy's ships also aground, but in such a position as enabled 
 them still to annoy the Magicienne, 28 of whose crew were 
 killed and wounded on this disastrous occasion. Thus situ- 
 ated, and having no prospect of immediat ^ «iUccour, Captain 
 Pym was under the painful necessity of burning his own ship 
 and her unfortunate consort, after which he retired with their 
 officers and men in the Iphigenia to I'lsle de la Passe, and 
 cthere resigned his command to Captain Lambert, who being 
 almost destitute of provisions, and having expended nearly 
 the whole of his ammunition in the late contest, was obliged 
 to capitulate to a French squadron &ent from Port Louis, un- 
 der Commodore Jtiamelin, on the 28th of the game month f. 
 
 Although this enterprise proved so unfortunate, no possible 
 blame can be attached to Captain Pym. whom we subse- 
 
 * See Captain Nisbet Josiah Willouohby, C. B. 
 t The Ipliigcnia's loss in the above action was 5 men killed, and 12, 
 •including her first Lieutenant, wounded. The Sirius does not appear to 
 have had a man hurt. M. Uuperr^ acknowledged a loss of 8/ Hlain ami 
 112 wounded. 
 
 '«vf,,. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 719 
 
 V ♦ fi ■ 
 
 quently find commanding the Niemen, a 38- un fVigat' on 
 the American station, where he captured severa of the enc ly 's 
 armed vessels. He was nominated a C. B. in 1815. 
 
 Captain Pym married, May 25, 1802, a daughter of E, 
 Lockyer, of Plymouth, Devon., Esq. 
 
 Agent. — SirF. M.Ommanney, M. P. 
 
 GEORGE ARGLES, Esq. 
 
 This officer's meritorious conduct as third Lieutenant of 
 the Mars 74, at the capture of I'Hercule, and the wound which 
 he received on that occasion, have already been noticed at 
 p. 616. His post commission bears date April 29, 1802. 
 During the late war he commanded the Trusty of 50 guns, 
 and Diamond frigate, on the North Sea and Jamaica stations, 
 but does not appear to have had any opportunity of distin- 
 guishing himself. He married, Sept. 9, 1813, Miss Jane 
 Atkinson, of London. 
 
 Agents. — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 SAMUEL BUTCHER, Esq. 
 
 This officer served as a Midshipman under Earl Howe in 
 the memorable battle of June 1st, 1794 j and was soon after 
 promoted to the rank of Lieutenant for his good conduct on 
 that occasion. He subsequently distinguished himself by 
 cutting an enemy*s ship out of a harbour in the West Indies, 
 at noon day, although she was lashed to the shore, and pro- 
 tected by large batteries in everj' direction. For this and 
 other services on the same station he was made a Commander, 
 and appointed to the Guachapin of 16 guns, in which vessel 
 he captured el Teresa, a Spanish letter of marque, mounting 
 eighteen brass 32 and 12-pounders, with a complement of 
 120 men, after a smart action, on the 16th Aug. 1800. His 
 post commission bears date April 29, 1802. 
 
 Captain Butcher commanded the Antelope of 50 guns, on 
 the Baltic station, in 1813 ; and obtained great credit for his 
 steady courage and unwearied exertions whilst lying aground 
 in the West Scheldt, exposed to a heavy cross tire from tlu' 
 
720 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 batteries of Flushini? and Cadsaiul, on the 1st, 2d, and 3d 
 Mar. 1814*. In tlie ensuing sunnner he escorted a large 
 fleet of transports and merchantmen to the coast of America, 
 from whence he returned at the commencement of 1815. 
 
 ROBERT JACKSON, Esq. 
 
 This officer obtained the rank of Lieutenant Nov. 22, 1790; 
 and received the Turkish gold medal as a reward for his 
 services on the coast of Egypt, during the celebrated cam- 
 paign of 1801, at which period he commanded the Bonne 
 Citoyenne corvette. On the Slst Dec. in the preceding year 
 he captured a Spanish privateer of 10 guns and 80 men, near 
 Minorca. His post commission bears date April 29, 1802. 
 He subsequently served as Flag-Captain to Lord Keith in the 
 Monarch, Ville de Paris, and San Josef. 
 
 Agent. — 
 
 -Muspratt, Esq. 
 
 IVeA^t^H 
 
 ROBERT BARRIE, Esq. "''^ » <q^Jlne^ 
 
 A Cotnpanion of the most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; and 
 acting Resident Commissioner at Kingston, in Upper Canada. 
 
 In 1791, this ofiicer accompanied Captain Vancouver on 
 a laborious and anxious voyage of discovery, an abridged ac- 
 count of which will be found at p. 200 et seq. of this volume. 
 On his return from that expedition, in 1795, he was promoted 
 to the rank of Lieutenant ; and we subsequently find him 
 serving on board le Bourdelois of 24 guns, commanded by 
 his old shipmate, the present Captain Thomas Manby, with 
 whom he sailed for the West Indies at the close of 1^90 f. 
 
 ♦ See Naval Chronicle, Vol. 31, p. 193. 
 
 t The following is a copy of Cuptain Mauby's official letter respecting 
 the two merchant veasela alluded to at p. 205 : 
 
 " H. M. S. Bourdelois, offr€neriffe,Jan, 16, 1801. 
 
 " Sir, — On the Sth iust., off Palina, in a calm, I despatched two boats 
 under the orders of Lieutenant Barrie, in pursuit of a strange sail in the 
 S. E. At 2 P. M. after a fatiguing row of fourteen hours, he gallantly 
 Imarded her with only one boat, although opposed by 10 Frenchmen, who 
 kept np a smart fire from four 4-pounders. She proved to be the Ad- 
 venture of London, one of the vessels which had parted company in the 
 
POST-CAri'AINS OF 1802. 
 
 72 i 
 
 
 Mr. Barric's conduct as first Lieutenant of Ic Bourdelois, 
 in the action between that ship and a small French squadron, 
 near Barbadoes, Jan. 28, 1801, on which occasion he received 
 a wound, " but disdained to quit the deck,'* was warmly ap- 
 plauded by Captain Manby, who recommended him to the 
 notice of the Admiralty " as an officer highly worthy of 
 advar cement." 
 
 VVc are not aware of the exact period at which he obtained ^td^ug^ 1^ 
 promotion to the rank of Commander, or of the manner in ^^ i^^ 
 which he was employed previous to the winter of 1804, when 
 he commanded the Brilliant, a small frigate stationed in the 
 Channel. His post commission bears date April 29, 1802. 
 
 Captain Barrie's next appointment was, about May, 1806, 
 to the Pomone of 38 guns, in which ship he gave repeated 
 proofs of his zeal and ability. The following is a copy of his 
 official letter to Sir Richard J. Strachan, relative to the cap- 
 ture and destruction of seventeen French vessels from Nantz, 
 bound to Brest, on the 5th June, 1807 : 
 
 " Sir, — I have the honor to acquaint you, that yesterday, when working 
 up to windwai'd, in order to gain the station you had pointed out to uie by 
 signal, at about /'> 30' A. M. three vessels were reported from the mast. 
 Iiead, bearing N. E., and we soon made them out to be armed brigs. As 
 the distance of the squadron rendered it impossible for me to communi- 
 cate this circumstance to you, I took upon myself to give chase to these 
 brigs, conceiving it my duty to do so, as I thought I could cut them off 
 before they could get into the Sables d'Ollone. As we approached the 
 shore, a convoy was observed under escort of the brigs, one of which we 
 got within random shot of about 9 o'clock, when the breeze unfortunately 
 
 first gale of wind. INe French prize-master was wounded by a cutlass, 
 the only blood spilt on the occasion. Gaining information from the Ad- 
 venture, that on the same day she was taken by the Mouche, of Bour- 
 deaux, th& privateer likewise captured a valuable copper-bottomed ship 
 bound to Barbadoes ; and as both vessels had orders to proceed to Santa 
 Cruz, I considered it my duty to push thither ; and by plying hard with 
 my sweeps all the 9th, I arrived off that port on the morning of the lOlh, 
 when I had the pleasing satisfaction of rescuing the above-mentioned 
 British ship from the hands of the enemy. She proved to be the Aurora 
 of London. I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " T. Manby." 
 
 " To Captain Brudby, H. M. S. Andromeda:* 
 
722 
 
 rOST-CAITAlNS OF 1802. 
 
 11 ' 
 
 fuilcd us, and I had the mortification to observe that \vc should not be 
 able, in the ship, to cut off the brigs, especially as wc were obliged tu 
 make a tack. iSome of our shot reached the convoy, two of which ran on 
 shore ; a third was deserted by her crew. I therefore despatched Lieu- 
 tenant J. Jones in the 6-oared cutter, to take possession of the latter, 
 and of any others of the convoy that were not close to the land. This 
 service he performed with great judgment and gallantry, and fortunately 
 without loss, though the grape from the shore and armed brigs passed 
 through and through his boat. One of the gun>brigs making a show of 
 sweeping out, I sent Lieutenant James Wallace Gabriel, first of this ship, 
 with three boats, to meet her ; but as she retreated under the protection of 
 the land batteries, and also within musket-shot of the numerous soldiery 
 which lined the beach, I would not allow my gallant friend to make the 
 attack under such great disadvantage, but directed him to proceed with the 
 l»oat towards St. Gillis's, where several vessels were observed nearly 
 becalmed. At about ll** 30^ the boats got up with the easternmost brig ; 
 and by 2'' 30' P. M. they were all, (fourteen in number) in our possession, 
 except one, which drove on shore and was lost. The crews of the enemy's 
 vessels took to their boats ; but I fear, as the sea ran very high, some of 
 them were drowned in attempting to land. Had the breeise fortunately 
 continued, I have no doubt but we should have taken and destroyed the 
 whole convoy, which, exclusive of the gun-brigs, consisted of twenty- 
 seven brigs, sloops, and chasse mart^'cs. I have the pleasure to add, that 
 the officers and seamen employed on this service, performed it to my 
 satisfaction, and to their own credit. Enclosed is a list of the vessels 
 taken and destroyed, with their cargoes ♦. I have the lionor to be, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Roukrt Daurie." 
 
 " To Renr-/ldmiral 
 Sir R. J. Strachun, Dart:* 
 
 Subsequent to this event Captain Barrie was placed under 
 the orders of Lord CoUingwood on the Mediterranean sta- 
 tion, where he captured a Neapolitan privateer, commanded 
 by no less a personage than the Chevalier de Boissi, Adjutant* 
 
 "1 
 
 • Fourteen brigs, &c., laden with wheat, flour, provisions, iron, and 
 timber, captured \ two brigs laden with naval stores, and another with 
 wheat, destroyed. Sir R. J. Strnchan, enraptured with the boldness of 
 the above enterprise, and rejoicing at the success attending it, «m seeing 
 the prizes come out, telegraphed to his scpiadron " The Pomone hn» great 
 merit;" and again expressed his admiration of her conduct when trans- 
 mitting the foregoing letter to Captain Barrie's uncle, the late Admiral 
 Lord Gardner, who then commanded the (.'hannel fleet. 
 
 Captain Barrii'b bouts, in company with those of the Huzurd sloop, had 
 a few weeks bdori' tut four luggcrt* laden with wine, brandy, &c , out of a 
 harbour in l«Ic KM. 
 
 .1 ■ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 723 
 
 General de France, whose motive for exposing himself to 
 almost certain capture in a small vessel of o guns and 53 men, 
 could never be satisfactorily ascertained, not a single paper 
 being found on board except those that related to the pri- 
 vateer ; though from the circumstance of Captain Barrie having 
 fallen in with him off Cape Bon, on the coast of Africa, it is 
 very probable he had been charged with a mission to some of 
 the Barbary States. 
 
 On the 22d Oct. 1809, we find Captain Barrie joining Lord 
 ColHngwood off Cape St. Sebastian, and informing him of 
 the approach of a French convoy from Toulon, which port he 
 had watched with indefatigable perseverance during his lord- 
 ship's absence on the Spanish coast. On the following morn- 
 ing the enemy hove in sight ; and in the course of the day, 
 Captain Barrie being far to windward of the British squadron, 
 succeeded in coming up with and destroying five transports, 
 laden with provisions for the relief of the French army in 
 Spain. The men of war were in the mean time pursued by a 
 detachment under Rear- Admiral George Martin, who obliged 
 three line-of-battle ships and a frigate to run a-shore between 
 Cette and Frontignan, where two of the former were burnt by 
 their crews ; and on the 1st Nov. the remainder of the store- 
 ships and transports were successfully attacked by the boats 
 of a squadron under Rear-Admiral Hallowell, who had the 
 satisfaction of reporting that every vessel was either taken or 
 destroyed*. 
 
 On the 18th Jan. 181 1, Captain Barrie captured the Du- 
 bourdieu French privateer, of fourteen 12-poundersand 93 
 men. In March following he chased I'Etourdie, a national 
 brig of 18 guns, laden with ordnance stores, into a small cove 
 on the N. W. side of Monte Christo, where she was set on 
 fire by her crew, consisting of 200 men, whom he found it 
 impossible to attack in consequence of a gale of wind pre- 
 venting his boats from landing, and the time fixed for the 
 Pomone's return into port having already arrived. A gidlunt 
 nnJ successful exploit performed by a squadron under bin 
 orders at Corsica, on the 1st May, 1811, is thus described by 
 
 Set' Vol. I, pp. lisy uiul m. 
 
724 
 
 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 him in a letter to Adniiriil Sir Charles Cotton, who had heen 
 appointed to the chief command in the Mediterranean on the 
 demise of Lord Collingwood : 
 
 " H. M. S. Pomone, off Sagone, May, 2d, 1811. 
 
 " Sir,— My letter of the 23d ult. would acquaint you with the intelli- 
 ffenoc I had received of the enemy's force in Sagone, and that it was my 
 intention, under particular circumstances, to attack them. 
 
 " I have now the honor to inform you tiiat, on the evening of the .'30th, 
 I arrived off the bay, the Unitd and .Scout in company • ; the Scout joined 
 in the morning, and Captain Sharpe having very handsomely volunteered 
 his services to take charge of the landing party in the projected attack, I 
 consented to take him under my orders. At sun-set the Unit6 made the 
 signal for an enemy's frigate at anchor. By day-break on the 1st, the 
 Pomone was close olF Liamonc, and I had the satisfaction to observe the 
 enemy's three ships at anchor in Sagone l>ay. It was nearly calm ; and 
 the variable winds which prevail at this season having thrown the Unitd 
 a long way astern, I abandoned my design of attempting to take the tower 
 and battery by surprise ; and it was fortunate I did so ; for, as the day 
 opened, we could clearly observe the enemy in full possession of the 
 heights, and ready to receive us. He appeared to have about 200 regular 
 troops, with their field-pieces, &c., and a number of the armed inhabitants. 
 The battery, mounting 4 gun% and 1 mortar, presented a more formi(Ial>lc 
 appearance than 1 expected ; and a gun was mounted on the martclio 
 tower, above the battery : the three ships were moored within a stone's 
 throw of the battery, and had each two cables on shore, their l)roadsides 
 presented to us. The smallest (la Girafle) hoisted a broad pendant. She 
 appeared to be a sister-ship to le Var f, and shewed 13 guns on each side 
 of the main-deck. The other ship (la Nourrice) was much larger, and 
 shewed 14 guns : her lower-deck ports were open, but she had no guns in 
 them. The armed merchant ship was partly hid by la Nourrice, so that 
 wc could not make out her force. 
 
 " The bay is so small that it was impossible to approach without being 
 exposed to the raking fire of the whole. Notwithstanding their strong 
 position, the crews of our ships came forward in the most noble manner, 
 and volunteered their services to land ; or, as it was quite calm, even to 
 attack the enemy with the boats. Captains Chambcrlaync and Sharpe 
 both agreed with mc that we could do nothing by landing, and it would 
 have been madness to send the boats. However, I signified by tclcgmph, 
 that it was my intention to attack as euon as a breeze sprung up. As 
 the calm continued, at b'^ '^0> P. M. I gave up all hopes of the sea brec/.c ; 
 
 ♦ The former a 3f»-gun frigate, and the latter an 18-gun brig, com- 
 manded by Captains Edwin Henry Chaniberluync, and Alcxwidcr Rcutou 
 Sharpe. 
 
 t Sec p. 103. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1802. 
 
 725 
 
 and fearing any longer dehy would enablo the enemy to increase his force, 
 I determined on towing the ships in. My pen is too feeble to express my 
 admiration of the zealous und spirited conduct of the bouts' crews em- 
 ployed on this service. The same zeal animated each ship's company ; 
 and by six o'clock, having towed into a position within range of grape, 
 we commenced the action, which lasted without any intermission till 
 about half-past seven, when smoke was observed to issue from la Giraffe. 
 Soon after la Nourrice was in a blaze, and tiie merchantman was set on 
 fire by the brands from her. At this time tiie l)attery and tower were 
 silenced, and in ten minutes the three ships were completely on fire. I 
 lost no time in towing out of harm's way, and then waited the explosions, 
 which took place in succession. La Giraffe blew up about ten minutes 
 before nine. La Nourrice soon after exploded ; and some of her timbers 
 falling on the tower, entirely demolished it, whilst the sparks set fire to the 
 battery, which also blew up. The object of our attack being thus com- 
 pletely executed, I stood out to sea to get clear of the \vrccks, and to repair 
 our damages. No language of mine can do justice to the gnUantry of 
 those I had the honor to command. 
 
 " I am particularly indebted to Captains Chamberlayne and Sharpe for 
 their spirited exertions and cordial co-operation throughout the whole of 
 the affair. I am sensible my narrative is already too prolix ; l)ut I cannot 
 conclude without assuring you that the officers and crews of the ships 
 behaved with the greatest courage and coolness. The Potnone, from being 
 enabled to choose hi'r station, was of course exposed to the brunt of the 
 action, and has consequently suffered most ; though considering the 
 enemy's fire and position, our ships have escaped much better than could 
 have been expected. When all conspicuously distinguish themselves, it is 
 impossible to select individuals ; but I should be most shamefully wanting 
 in my duty to my country, and to the merits of a most deserving set of 
 oflicers, if I were to neglect acquainting you, that I received from them 
 every assistance ic wao possible to expect. Lieutenant .fames Wallace 
 Gabriel, first of the Poinone, conducted himself with the same spirit and 
 zeal wliich have utrformly distinguished his conduct. I enclose the report 
 of killed, woimded, kc. It is but justice to declare that the enemy kept 
 up a very smart fire, and behaved with great bravery. I can form nu 
 opinion of their loss. I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " RoDKRT Bahrie." 
 
 After writing the above report, Captain Barrie iiad the sa- 
 tisfaction to learn that the result of his judicious and well- 
 planned attack would considerably retard the completion of 
 the enemy's ships then building at Toulon ; those destroyed 
 by him being deeply laden with timber, of which material 
 that arsenal would not be able to obtain another supply from 
 Corsica till the vnsuirig season. The loss sustained by his 
 
 vol.. II. 3 b 
 
 U 
 
726 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 squadron on this occasion was comparatively small, when tlic 
 nature and extent of the service performed, and the force 
 opposed to him, are considered ♦. It amounted to no more 
 than 2 men killed and 25 wounded ; the former, and 19 of 
 the latter, belonged to the Pomone. 
 
 Having thus afforded a specimen of the services performed 
 by Captain Barrie, and the brave officers and men under his 
 command, we shall now adduce, as an instance of their dis- 
 interested feeling on all occasions, an act ofgenerosity tow irds 
 a prisoner, whom many others would probably have deemed 
 iHiworthy of such liberal treatment. 
 
 Among the numerous captures made by the Pomone, whilst 
 on the Mediterranean station, was a vessel in which Lucien 
 Buonaparte had embarked, with the plunder collected by him 
 from every country where he had had an opportunity of evinc- 
 ing his rapacity. Tliough nearly related to the implacable 
 enemy of Great Britain, and himself a rank and determined 
 republican, he was treated with respect, and every article of 
 his ill-gotten gains considered as private property, conse- 
 quently held inviolate. How different this treatment from 
 that experienced by many of our own countrymen who had 
 the misfortune to be taken prisoners during the wars occa- 
 sioned by the French revolution ! How striking the contrast 
 between the situation of the heroic Alexander's and their 
 female companions in a vile dungeon near Brest, and th.-it of 
 a Corsican adventurer and hie family on board a British 
 
 frigate t '• ! 
 
 In consequence of the handsome manner in M'hich the 
 Pomone's crew had followed the example of Captain Barrie 
 and his officers, by relinquishing all claim upon the ship and 
 property, Lucien Buonaparte gave directions for 300/. to be 
 
 • The enemy having observed the British frigates on the 30th April, 
 bad mude every preparation to give them a warm reception. Tiie regular 
 troops pouted on the heights were more than 2(M) strong, exclusive of the 
 marines from the ships, and a body of armed pciisantiy. The quarter- 
 deck guns uf la Nourrice had also been landed, and were used on the oc- 
 casion. The ships destroyed were of the following tonnage : la Nourrice 
 1 100, la Girafle 900, and the armed merchantman 600 tons- The crews 
 uf the two former consisted of 300 men. 
 
 t See p. 702 ct seq. ' 
 
/( 
 
 POST -CAPTAINS OP 1902. /'27 
 
 distributed amongst them, and a bill for that amount was 
 accordingly handed to the petty-officers, who, without mr- 
 nifying their real intentions, asked permission to wait on the 
 donor for the purpose of thanking him. Being indulged in 
 their request, they nobly returned the bill, saying they did 
 not war with individuals, especially women and children ; but 
 if lie chose to give them a glass of grog each, they had no 
 objection to drink to the health of himself and his family ! 
 The following day the. whole crew were regaled with some 
 porter at Lucien's expense. 
 
 The Ponione was unfortunately wrecked, by striking on a 
 sunken rock, about two cables' length S. W. from the Needles 
 Point, in the evening of Oct. 14, 1811. The court-martial 
 assembled at Portsmouth on the 25th of the same month, to 
 try Captain Barrie for the loss of his ship, agreed, that no 
 blame was imputable on the occasion to him or any of his 
 officers, except the Master, who was severely reprimanded 
 for not having taken accurate bearings of Hurst light-house 
 before he attempted to go through the passage, and for not 
 having paid sufficient attention to the observations of Captain 
 Barrie, as to the said light-house. Captain Barrie and all his 
 other officers were most fully acquitted. 
 
 It was our intention, when we commenced this memoir, to 
 have attempted a description of Captain Barrie's method of 
 governing a ship's company, the happy effects of which were 
 very apparent to all those officers who ever fell in with the 
 Pomone ; but as we have yet to follow him through the late 
 war on the other side of the Atlantic, and as an account of 
 his services in that quarter will necessarily occupy a large 
 portion of our remaining pages in this volume, we must take 
 leave of that frigate for the present, and reserve auch obser- 
 vations as may be necessary on the subject of her internal 
 discipline till the time shall arrive for us to notice the ser- 
 vices of the officer whom Captain Barrie, in one of the pre- 
 ceding letters, so justly styles " his gallant friend" 
 
 Captain Birrie was appointed to the Dragon, a third rate, 
 in the spring of 1813 ; and from that period he was employed 
 in a series of active services on the coast of America, till the 
 tennination of hostilities in 1815. • 
 
 \S b2 
 
 l#«| 
 
728 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 I t 
 
 The winter of 1813 was remarkable for its uncommon 
 severity, even in this comparatively mild climate ; the 
 extreme horrors of that season in North America will never 
 be forgotten by those officers who were then employed off the 
 Chesapeake, the blockade of which river was entrusted to 
 Captain Barrie, who maintained it, under every privation, so 
 successfully, that only orte of the enemy's cruisers escaped *. 
 The commander-in-chief so appreciated his professional know- 
 ledge that he continued him there, notwithstanding orders 
 from home to the contrary ; and fortunate was it for his 
 country that he did so. It is a fact which cannot be too ge- 
 nerally known, that to the information he acquired we are 
 indebted for those signal successes under the brave and la- 
 mented Major-General Ross, which ended in the capture of 
 the American capital and public stores, to the amount, as the 
 enemy themselves admitted, of more than 7>000,000 dollars f. 
 
 Captain Barrie retained the command of the squadron em- 
 ployed off the Chesapeake from Sept. 1813, till the arrival of 
 Rear- Admiral Cockburn in May, 1814, during which period 
 several of the enemy's armed vessels, and a very great number 
 of coasting traders, were either captured or destroyed by the 
 ships under his orders. The following extracts from the Lon- 
 don Gazette contain an account of his subsequent exertions : 
 
 "On the 1st June, 1814, Captain Barrie, with the St. Lawrence 
 ■chooner, and the boats of the Albion and Dragon, fell in with the flotilla 
 standing down the Chesapeake, and retreated before it towards the Dragon, 
 tlien at anchor off Smith's Point %. This ship having got under weigh. 
 Captain Barrie wore with the schooner and boats ; but the flotilla made 
 off, and escaped into the Patuxent river. The Dragon being obliged to 
 come again to an anchor, and the boats not being strong enough to attack 
 the flotilla, (captain Barrie endeavoured to induce the enemy to separate 
 Lis force, by detaching two boats to cut off a schooner under Cove Point ; 
 but the Americans suffered this vessel to be burnt in the face of the flotilla, 
 without attempting to save her. 
 
 " On the 6th, the flotilla retreated higher up the Patuxent ; and Captain 
 Barrie being joined on the following day by the Loire frigate and Jaseur 
 
 • The Adams frigate. She was afterwards destroyed by a force under 
 hia orders. 
 
 t See Vol. I, p. 624 et seq. ' 
 
 X Captain Barrie hiul been sent with the schooner and boats to act against 
 the flotilla flttcd out at Baltimore, under the orders of Commodore Barney. 
 
POST-CAPFAINS OF 1802. 
 
 72d 
 
 brig, he proceeded up tlie river with them, the St. Lawrence schooner, and 
 the boats of the Albion and Dragon. Tlie enemy retreated into St. Leo* 
 nard's creek, into which they could only be pursued l)y the boats, which 
 were too inferior in force to allow of any attack bein(r made with them 
 alone. Captain Barrie endeavoured, however, to provoke the enemy by 
 rockets and carronades from the boats, to come down within reach of the 
 ships' guns. Tike flotilla was at one time so much galled by these attacks, 
 that it quitted its position and chased the boats ; but after a slight skirmish 
 with the smaller vessels, returned precipitately to its original position. 
 
 " With a view to force the flotilla to quit this station, detachments of 
 seamen and marines were landed on both sides of the river ; and the 
 enemy's militia, though assembled to the number of from 300 to 400, 
 retreating before them into the woods, the marines destroyed two tobacco 
 stores, and several houses which formed military postti. 
 
 " On the 15th, the Narcissus frigate joined, and Captain Barrie deter- 
 mined to proceed up the river with twelve boats, having in them ISO 
 marines, and 30 of the black colonial corps. They proceeded to Benedict, 
 whence a party of regulars fled at their approach, leaving behind several 
 muskets, and part of their camp equipage, with a 6-pounder, which was 
 spiked ; a store of tobacco was also found there. Captain Barrie advanced 
 from thence towards Marlborough ; and although only eighteen miles 
 from IFaghingtott, took possession of the place, the militia and inhabitants 
 flying into the wood. A schooner was loaded with tobacco, and the boats 
 plentifully supplied with stock ; after which, having burnt tobacco stores, 
 containing 2^800 hogsheads, the detachment re-enibarked. The enemy 
 collected 360 regulars, and a party of militia, on some cliffs which the 
 boats had to pass ; but some of the marines being landed, traversed the 
 skirts of the heights, and re-embarked without molestation ; and the enemy 
 did not show himself again till the boats were out of guamhot. 
 
 " Captain Barrie commends, in high terms, the conduct of all the 
 officers, seamen, and marines, under his orders, as well as that of the 
 colonial carps, composed of armed blacks ; and Rear-Admiral Cockburn 
 expresses his high sense of the personal exertions and able conduct displayed 
 by Captain Barrie." 
 
 The Dragon was now ordered to refit at Halifax, where 
 she received the flag of Rear-Admiral Griffith ; from whose 
 official letter to Sir Alex. Cochrane, stating the result of an 
 expedition to the Penobscot river, in Sept. 1814, we select 
 the following passage as an introduction to Captain Barrie's 
 account of the proceedings of a detached force under his own 
 personal directions : 
 
 " H. M. S. Endi/mion, off Caitine, entrance of tht 
 Penobtcot River, Sept. J), 1814. 
 
 " Sir,— My letter of the '2'iA of August, from Hulifux, by the Rover, 
 
730 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 !!)l 
 
 I 
 
 will have made you acquainted with my intentioa of accompanying the 
 expedition then about to proceed under the command of his Excellenoy 
 Sir John Sherbroolc, K. B, for this piece. 
 
 " I have now the honor to inform you, that I put to sea on the 26th uU. 
 with the ships and sloop named in the margin *, and ten sail of transports, 
 having the troops on board, and arrived off the Metinicus Islands on the 
 morning of the 31st, where I was joined by the Bulwark, Tenedos, Rifle- 
 man, Peruvian, and Pictou. From Captain Pearcc, of the Rifleman, I 
 learned that the United States' frigate Adams had a few days before got 
 into Penobscot, but not considering herself in safety there, had gone on to 
 Hamden, a place twenty-seven miles higher up the river, where her guns 
 had been landed, and a position was fortifying for her protection; 
 
 " Towards evening, the wind being fair and the weather favorable, the 
 fleet made sail up the Penobscot bay. Captain Parker, in the Tenedos, 
 leading. We passed between the Metinicus and Green islands, about 
 midnight, and steering through the channel formed by the Fox islands and 
 Owl's Head, ran up to the eastward of Loug island, and found ourselves 
 at daylight in the morning, in sight of the fort and town of Castine. As 
 we approached, some shew of resistance was made, and a few shot were 
 fired ; but the fort was soon after abandoned and blown upi At about 
 eight A, M. the men of war and transports were anchored a little to the 
 northward of the Peninsula of Castine, and the smaller vessels taking a 
 station nearer in for covering the landing, the troops were put on shore, 
 and took possession of the town and works without opposition. 
 
 " The General wishing to occupy a post at Belfast, on the western side of 
 the bay (through which the high road from Boston runs), for the purpose 
 of cutting off all communication with that side of the country, the Bac- 
 chante and Rifleman were detached with the troops destined for this service ; 
 and quiet possession was taken, and held, of that town, as long as was 
 thought necessary. 
 
 " Arrangements were immediately made for attacking the frigate at Ham- 
 den ; and the General having proffered every military assistance, six hun- 
 dred picked men, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John, of the 
 COth regiment, were embarked the same afternoon, on l)oard his Majesty's 
 sloops Peruvian and Sylph, and a small transport. To this force were 
 added the marines of the Dragon, and as many armed boats from the 
 squadron as was thought necessary for disembarking the troops and 
 covering their landing, and the vvhole placed under the command of Cap- 
 tain Barrie, of the Dragon ; who with the Lieutenant-Colonel made sail up 
 the river at six o'clock that evening. 
 
 " I have the honor to enclose Captain Barrie's account of his proceedings ; 
 and taking into consideration the enemy's force, and the formidable 
 
 * "Dragon 7^, Endymion and Bacchante frigates, and Sylph sloop 
 of war. 
 
p6ST-CAPTAl^fS OF 1802. 
 
 731 
 
 *trength of his position, too much praise cannot lie given him, the officers 
 and men under his command, for tlie judgment, decision, and gallantry 
 with which this little enterprise has been achieved." 
 
 " H. M. S. St/lph, off Bangor, in the Penobscot, Sept. 3, 1814. 
 "Sir, — Havina; received on board the ships named in the margin* a 
 detachment of twenty men, of the royal artillery, with one five and half, 
 inch howitzer, commanded by Lieutenant Garstoa ; a party of 80 marines, 
 commanded by Captain Carter, of the Dragon ; the flank companies of 
 the 29th, 62d, and 98th regiments, under the command of Captains Gell 
 and Caker, Majors Riddel), Keith, and Crosdailc, and Captain M'Pherson ; 
 also a rifle company of the 7th battalion of the 60th regiment, commanded 
 by Captain Ward ; and the whole imrlcr the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel 
 John, of the fiOth regiment ; I proceeded, agreeably to your order, with 
 the utmost despatch, up the Penobscot. Light variable winds, a most in< 
 tricate channel, of which we were perfectly ignorant, and thick foggy 
 weather, prevented my arriving off Frankfort before two I'. M. of the 2d 
 inst. I)ere Colonel John and myself thought it advisable to send a mes- 
 sage to the inhabitants ; and having received their answer, we pushed on 
 towards Hamden, where We received intelligence that the enemy had 
 strcngly fortified himself. On our way up several troops were observed 
 on the east side of the river, making for Brewer ; these were driven into 
 the woods without any loss on our side, by a party under the orders of 
 Major Crosdaile, and the guns from the boats. The enemy had one killed, 
 and several wounded. 
 
 " At five P. M. of the 2(1 instant, we arrived off Ball's Head Cove, 
 distant three miles from Hamden. 
 
 " Colonel John and myself landed on the south side of the Cove, to re- 
 connoitre the ground and obtain intelligence. Having gained the hills, we 
 discovered the enemy's piccjueta advantageously posted near the highway 
 leading to Hamden, on the north side of the Cove. 
 
 *' We immediately determined to land 150 men, under Major Riddell, 
 to drive in the picquets, and take up their ground. This object was ob- 
 tained by seven o'clock ; and notwithstanding every difficulty, the whole of 
 tfie troops were landed on the north side of the Cove by ten o'clock ; but 
 it was found impossible to land the artillery at the same place. The 
 troops bivouacqued on the ground taken possession of by Major Riddell. 
 It rained incessantly during the night. At day-break this morning, the 
 fog cleared away for about a quarter of an hour, which enabled me to 
 reconnoitre the enemy by water ; and I found a landing place for the ar- 
 tillery about two-thirds of a mile from Ball's Head. Off this place the 
 troops halted till the artillery were mounted, and by six the whole ad- 
 vanced towards Hamden. 
 
 * " Peruvian and Sylph sloops of war, Dragon's tender, and Harmony 
 transport. 
 
732 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 1; I 
 
 " The boats under the iaimediate command of Lieutenant Pedler, tha 
 first of the Dragon, agreeably to a previous arrangement witli Colonel 
 John, advanced in line with the right flank of the army. The Peruvian, 
 Sylph, Dragon's tender, and Harmony transport, were kept a little in the 
 rear in reserve. 
 
 " Our information stated the enemy's force at HOU men ; and he had 
 chosen a most excellent position on a high hill. About a quarter of • 
 mile to the southward of the Adams frigate, he had mounted eight 18- 
 pounders. This fort was calculated to command both the highway by 
 which our troops had to advance, and the river. On a wharf close to the 
 Adams, he had mounted fifteen IS-pounders, which completely commanded 
 the river, which at this place is not above three cables' length wide, and 
 the land on each side is high and well wooded. 
 
 " A rocket boat, under my immediate direction, but manoeiivfed by 
 Mr. Ginton, gunner, and Mr. Small, midshipman, of the Dragon, was 
 advanced about u quarter of a mile a-head of the line of boats. 
 
 " So soon as the boats got within gun-shot, the enemy opened his fire 
 upon them from the hill and wharf, which was warmly returned. Our 
 rockets were generally well-directed, and evidently threw the enemy into 
 confusion. Meantime our troops stormed the hill with the utmost gal- 
 lantry. Before the boats got within good grape-shot of the wharf battery, 
 the enemy set fire to the Adams, and he ran from his guns the momeot 
 our troops carried the hill. 
 
 " I joined the army about ten minutes after this event. Colonel John 
 and myself immediately determined to leave a sufficient force in posses- 
 sion of the hill, and to pursue the enemy, who was then in sight on the 
 Bangor road, flying at full speed. The boats and ships pushed up the 
 river, preserving their original position with the army. The enemy wom 
 too nimble for us, and most of them escaped into the woods on our left. 
 
 " On approaching Bangor, the inhabitants, who had opposed us at Ham- 
 den, threw off their military character ; and aa magistrates, select men, &c. 
 made an unconditional surrender of the town. Here the pursuit stopped. 
 
 " About two hours afterwards, Brigadier-General Blake came into the 
 town, to deliver himself as a prisoner. 
 
 " The General and other prisoners, amounting to 191, were admitted 
 to their parole. 
 
 " Enclosed I have the honor to forward you lists of the vessels we 
 have captured or destroyed, and other necessary reports ». I am happy to 
 
 • Captured, Two ships, one brig pierced for 18 guns (afterwards lost), 
 six schooners (one of which was the Decatur privateer, pierced for 16 guns, 
 afterwards lost), and three sloops. Destroyed by the British at Bangor » 
 One ship, one brig, three schooners, and one sloop. Burnt by the enemy 
 at Hamden, Tlie Adams of twenty-six 18-pounders, and two ships, one of 
 them armed. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 733 
 
 inform you our loss consists only of 1 seaman, belonging to the Dragon, 
 killed; Captain Gell, of the 29th, and 7 privates, wounded; 1 rank and 
 file missing. ••»•••. i can form no estimate of the enemy's ab- 
 solute loss. From different stragglers I learn that, exclusive of killed and 
 missing, upwards of 30 lay wounded in the woods. I have the honor 
 to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Robert Barrie, Captain H. M. S. Dragon." 
 
 After the failure of the Baltimore expedition under Rear- 
 Admiral Cockburn and Major-General Ross *, the command 
 in the Chesapeake again devolved upon Captain Barrie, 
 whose subsequent proceedings were conducted principally 
 with a view to harass the enemy's troops, by keeping them 
 on the alert ; and to create a diversion in favor of the ope- 
 rations then going on in other quarters. 
 
 In Nov. 1814, he proceeded up the Rappahanock river 
 with the boats of his squadron, and part of that excellent 
 corps the Royal Marine battalion, commanded by Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Malcolm ; landed on the 29th at Tappahanock, and 
 brought off from thence a quantity of flour and tobacco, to- 
 gether with a stand of colours, some arms, ammunition, and 
 baggage, which had been left behind by the enemy's troops 
 in their hasty retreat to a neighbouring hill, from whence 
 they afterwards retired in confusion on being attacked by 
 the British. 
 
 On the 4th of the following month, Captain Barrie landed 
 at the town of Tappahanock ; and learning that the Ameri- 
 cans had assembled 600 armed militia at Farnham Church, 
 about seven miles from the place of debarkation, he proceeded 
 thither, and attacking the enemy in a strong position, drove 
 them into the woods, with the loss of several men killed and 
 wounded, captured a large field-piece, and released several 
 negroes who had been confined to prevent them from joining 
 the British. It is worthy of notice, that the colours taken 
 during this expedition, bore on one side the inscription " Down 
 with the Tyrant,* and on the other the American eagle^ 
 with the motto " Death or Victory." 
 
 Soon after his return from the Rappalianock river. Captain 
 Barrie was ordered by Rear>Admiral Cockburn, who had 
 
 
 
 • See Vol. I, p. 627. 
 
1^ 
 
 > I 
 
 734 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 resumed the command in Chesapeake bay, to proceed with 
 the Dragon, Reguhis, and Bnine, to the coast of Georgia, 
 where he was joined by some other ships of war, having,- on 
 board two companies of the 2d West India regiment. On 
 the 11th Jan. 1815, lie tool« possession of Cumberland Island, 
 without meeting any resistance ; and pasaing from thence in 
 boats to the main land, disembarlied on the 13th at a small 
 distance from the fort on Point Petre, which he entered after 
 a sharp skirmish witii the American riflemen, who had taken 
 post in a jungle through which he had to pass on his way to 
 the town of St. Mary's. The result of this enterprise will 
 be stated in our memoir of Captain Charles B. H. Ross** 
 
 Intelligence of peace between Great Britain and America 
 having arrived at Cumberland Island soon after the capture 
 of St. Mary's, Captain Barrie was not called upon to give 
 any farther proof of his prowess. " Whether it may be re- 
 served to him to enjoy in security and peace the delightful 
 intercourse of social life, or again to be called to vindicate 
 the rights of his country, and to chastise the insolence of her 
 enemies, he will carry with him," said the highly respectable 
 Chairman of his numerous friends assembled at a festive 
 meeting which we are about to notice, " our best wishes for 
 his health and prosperity — he will carry our well-grounded 
 assurance, tliat in no hands can be more safely placed the 
 honor and dignity of Great Britain." 
 
 Previous to their separation, the Dragon's officers presented 
 Captain Barrie with a piece of plate, value 100 guineas, as a 
 testimony of their sincere attachment ; and on the 21st Dec. 
 1815, a public dinner was given at Preston, in commemora- 
 tion of his professional services, and more especially those 
 which he had recently rendered to his country on the coast 
 of America. Among the company were several gallant officers 
 who had served under him, and whose attachment had induced 
 them to travel several hundred miles in order to join in this 
 tribute of esteem conferred upon their favorite commander. 
 
 ' * Captain W. S. Badcock, of the Brune troop-ship, accompanied Cap- 
 tain Barrie in his expeditions to Rappalianock river and St. Mary's, and 
 displayed great gallantry on every occasion that offered- 
 
POST-CAPFAINS OP 1802. 
 
 735 
 
 One of those gentlemen, the present Captain J. W. Gabriel, 
 on his health being drunk, returned thanks in the following 
 terms : 
 
 " Gentlemen, — I cannot express my gratitude for the honor which you 
 have done me ; but I conceive it to l)e my duty, and feel it to bo my high- 
 est pleasure, to testify to the justice of the approbation you have bestowed 
 upon the gallant services of my old commander. You are well aciiuainted 
 with his merit : nothing can surpass his conduct in warlike achievements ; 
 but his private character is no less worthy your applause than his public 
 services. This you will acknowledge, when I give you a recital of his 
 generous actions. On board he was at much more expense in support of 
 the sick, than in the maintenance of his own table. When we have put 
 into a port where the rate of exchange was against us, he has told the Mid- 
 shipmen not to draw bills upon home, but come into his cabin, where 
 there was a bag of dollars at their service. Frequently, when the ship was 
 putting to sea, and the sailors' wives were ordered out of her, has he di- 
 rected his steward to give them a guinea each. On all occasions he has 
 sacrificed his own interests to those of his officers and crew. To Captain 
 Barrie I am indebted for my advancement ; and so attached did I feel to him, 
 that T have frequently re(iue8ted he would not make application to the 
 Admiralty for my promotion, in order that I might continue to have the 
 pleasure of serving under his command." 
 
 Captain Barrie was nominated a C. B. in June 181.5 ; and 
 appointed to superintend the naval establishment at Kings- 
 ton, Upper Canada, in 1819. He married, Oct. 24, 1816, 
 Julia Wharton, sixth daughter of the late Sir John Ingilby, 
 Bart., of Ripley, co. York, and Kettlethorpe Park, in Lin- 
 colnshire. 
 
 Agent. - 
 
 -Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 CHARLES BAYNE HODGSON ROSS, Esq. ' 
 
 A Companion of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath. 
 
 Tins officer, a son of the hite Lieutenant Ross, R. N., 
 received his first commission in 1796, and was advanced to 
 the rank of Commander in 1800. Towards the latter end of 
 the same year he had the misfortune to be wrecked in the 
 Diligence, a brig of 18 guns, on the Honda bank, near Cuba ; 
 but happily his officers and crew were all saved by the Thun- 
 derer 74. 
 
 Captain Ross obtained post rank Oct. 15, 1802 ; and sub- 
 
 wiJ^J 
 
 
 ^ 
 
736 
 
 POST-CAITAINS OF 1802. 
 
 • i 
 
 . 1 
 
 V 
 
 sequently commanded the Desirte and Pique frigates, on the 
 Jamaica station. In Aug. 1803, we find the former ship 
 employed in the blockade of St. Domingo, on which service 
 she continued till the evacuation of that place by the French 
 troops under General Rochambcau, an event already noticed 
 at p. 815 of our first volume *. Among the armed vessels 
 taken by the Pique in 1804 and 1805, were le Terreur French 
 cutter, of 10 guns and 75 men ; and the Orquijo, a Spanish 
 corvette, mounting 18 guns. The capture of two French 
 brigs of war in the following year ia thus described by Cap- 
 tain Ross in his official letter to the commander-in-chief : 
 
 " H M. S. Pique, off St. Catharine's, 11th Mar. 1806. 
 " Sir, — I have the honor to iiiform you, that yesterday, crossings over 
 from St. Domingo to Curaqoa, I fell in with two men of war brigs, 
 standing in for the land. At one P. M. being within long range, I com- 
 menced firing to prevent their getting in with the shore ; and from supe- 
 rior sailing closed with them at two, when a most destructive fire con- 
 tinued for about twenty minutes ; but a flaw of wind favouring us, the 
 helm was put down, which placed us immediately across the hawse of the 
 Commodore. She was directly boarded by Lieutenants Ward and Baker, 
 and every inch of her decks most obstinately defended. The slaughter on 
 both sides was dreadful ; and it is with real concern I state the loss of Mr. 
 (John) Thompson, the Master, who was killed, with 8 seamen ; and Lieu- 
 tenants Ward and Baker, with 12 seamen and marines, wounded f . The 
 contest was very severe ; but in about five minutes the colours were hauled 
 down : the other struck after a few broadsides more, and we took posses- 
 sion of the Ph&eton and Voltigeur, of 16 guns and 12U men each, French 
 brigs of war, beautiful vessels, and only nine months old. It was impos- 
 sible for two vessels to be more obstinately defend>'d, every thing beinj^ 
 cut to pieces, and nearly one half of their crews killed or wounded. I un- 
 derstand they had been roughly handled by an English man of war brig the 
 day before J. 
 
 " I beg leave to recommend to your notice my first Lieutenant, (Wil- 
 liam) Ward, whose good conduct at all times has merited the highest ap- 
 probation J he is, I am afraid, dangerously wounded §. • • • • The 
 
 * The Desirde's boats appear to have captured and destroyed a great 
 number of vessels laden with supplies for the eoemy's garrison. 
 
 t The boarding party consisted of not more than 30 ofliccrs and men ; 
 but Captain Ross, who bad gone in chase of the other brig, lont no time in 
 sending a fresh supply, when he discovered that; the enemy were not in- 
 clined to yield so tamely as bad been expected. 
 
 \ Sec Captain John FvrPB. 
 
 § Lieutenant Ward hod previously distinguished himself when foin> 
 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 737 
 
 :thc 
 
 ap. 
 The 
 
 wound of Lieutenant (P. H.) Baker I rejoice to uay, will only lay him by for 
 a short time. • • • • \A'e had only 1 man wounded on board ; all the 
 others were killed and wounded on the brig's deck. The ship's company 
 behaved uncommonly well ) and I trust the conduct of all will merit your 
 approbation. I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Charles B. H. Ross." 
 
 *' yice Admiral J. R. Dacret, 
 Sfc. Sfc. 8fc" 
 
 On the 1st Nov. in the same year, Captain Ross sent three 
 boats to intercept a schooner, coming round the S. W. end of 
 Porto Rico; but owing to a very heavy squall, with ra'n, 
 they lost sight of her in the night. However, Lieutenant 
 Bell, who commanded the detachment, pushed in for Cabaret 
 bay, where he destroyed a battery of three guns, and captured 
 a very fine Spanish brig, pierced for 12 guns. The next day. 
 Lieutenant Baker, in the launch, after some skirmishing, 
 drove a French privateer, of 2 gims and 26 men, upon the 
 reef off Cape Roxo, where she was totally lost. Returning to 
 join his ship, the same officer captured, after a very long 
 chase, another privateer, of 1 gun and 20 men. 
 
 During the late contest between Great Britain and Ame- 
 rica, the subject of this sketch served as Flag-Captain to 
 Rear-Admiral Cockburn in the Marlborough, Sceptre, and 
 Albion, third rates*. The particulars of the warfare in 
 which he was engaged will be found in our memoirs of that 
 officer, and those under his orders, who commanded in person 
 on various occasions. We are not aware of Captain Ross him- 
 self having bce!i detached on any service of greater importance 
 than that of an expedition up St. Mary's river, from whence he 
 returned to Cumberland island, on the coast of Georgia, with a 
 ship loaded with timber, and an English East Indiaman, which 
 had been captured by an American privateer. He also embarked 
 all the produce collected at the town of St. Mary's in the 
 vessels taken there by Captain Barrie, blew up the fort on 
 Point Petre and another battery, and destroyed the barracks 
 
 inanding the Pique's \(\g and yawl, by boardinf^ and carrylnji; the Santa 
 Clara, a Spanish schooner of one 9.pounder and 28 men, completely 
 equipped fi)r war. 
 
 • The Marlborough captured the Lconore French privateer, of 10 guns 
 and 80 men. off Scilly, in Oct. 1812. 
 
738 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 1 i 
 
 
 and store-houses, together with some merchandise and guns 
 that were not deemed fit to bring away *. This was one of 
 the last acts of hostility committed by the force under Sir 
 George Cockburn, who previous to his departure from the 
 Halifax station, returned his public thanks to Captain Ross 
 and his other gallant companions, in a General Memorandum, 
 of which the following is a copy : 
 
 " Albion, Bermuda, 7th April, 1815. 
 
 " Gen. Mem. — In taking leave of the several Captains, Field-Officers, 
 Coininauders, other Officers, Seamen, and Marines, lately composing the 
 force acting under my immediate orders against the enemy in Georgia, 
 the Chesapeake, &o. I have the highest satisfaction in having the direc- 
 tions of the commander-in-chief to convey to tlieni his entire appro!)ation 
 of their good conduct, and of their invariable zeul and exertions in their 
 country's service, as set forth in my reports, and to which he has ii.foruK'd 
 me he «vill not fail to draw the notice and consideration of my Lords Com- 
 missioners of the Admiralty. 
 
 " Whilst promulgating this flattering testimony of the commander-in- 
 chief's favorable consideration of the forces lately acting under my orders, 
 I cannot refrain from making known to them also that their invariably 
 cheerful, gallant, and steady behaviour, was as gratifying t,o me as hono- 
 rab'.e to themselves ; and for which 1 must therefore beg leave to offer 
 them my warmest acknowledgments, and to assure them how happy it 
 will make me to have the good fortune of again acting with them, in the 
 event of our country calling for our services at any future period. 
 
 (Signed) " G. Cookuurn, llear-Admiral." 
 
 ** To the Captains, Fictd-Officers, Commanders, 
 
 other Oncers, Seamen, and Marines, lately 
 
 a?iinff under my orders in America, and on 
 
 the coast thereof** 
 
 Captain Ross's next appointment was to the Northumber- 
 land of 78 guns, which ship it will be remembered was se- 
 lected to convey the late Napoleon Buonaparte to St. Helena f. 
 He was nominated a C. B. Dec. 8, 1815; appointed to 
 superintend the Ordinary at Portsmouth, in 1819 ; and to be 
 Resident Commissioner tit Jamaica, in July, 1822. 
 , He married, in 1803, Miss Cockburn, of Kingston, Ja- 
 maica, sister-in-law of Vicc-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 
 G. C. B. 
 
 ./#^«i/s.— Messrs. Maude. 
 
 * Fort Petrc mounted six 24-poundcr8 oud two brass G-peunder.*. 
 
 A ,1 \ A I t See Vol. I, p. 6L7. 
 
 /\ \lu4 (XMr^J-^r}^^^^^ " ' 
 
 ^^ 
 
#OST.CAPTAINS OF 1802. 730 
 
 WILSON RATHBORNE, Esq. 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorablf; Militur;/ Order of the Ihitli. 
 
 Tk:« officer is the son of a Clergyman of the established 
 Church, and a grandson of Commodore J. Wilson, who served 
 with great credit dm-ing Queen Anne's wars. 
 
 He was born near Loughrea, co. Galway, Ireland, July 16, 
 1748; entered the naval service as a Midshipman on board 
 the Niger of 32 guns, in Sept. 1763 ; and continued in that 
 frigate, under the respective commands of his patron Sir 
 Thomas Adams, Bart., and Captain Andrew Wilkinson, till 
 the latter end of 17^8, when he rejoined the former officer 
 in the Boston, a ship of similar force, employed on the Ame- 
 rican station. 
 
 In 1769, Mr. Rathborne removed with his friend into the 
 Romney of 50 guns, bearing the broad pendant of Commo- 
 dore Samuel Hood, in which ship he returned to England 
 under the command of Captain Robert Linzee, who had been 
 appointed to her on the death of Sir Thomas Adams, in 1770. 
 On her arrival in England, the Romney was ordered to the 
 ■ owns with the flag of Rear-Adrairal John Montagu, with 
 whom Mr. Rathborne continued till the spring of 1771, when 
 he was discharired into the Royal William of 80 guns, at the 
 particular request of her Captain, the late Lord Hood. 
 
 We next find him in the Hunter sloop of war, commanded 
 by Captain Thomas Mackenzie *, under whom he served on 
 shore at Quebec, with the rank of a first Lieutenant in the 
 naval battalion, composed of the crews of the King's ships 
 and merchant vessels, during the siege of that important for- 
 tress by the American army, in the winter of 177^ !• He re- 
 
 • Sew Vol. I, note J at p. dbA. 
 t The Hunter, after cruUing for some time on the Irish station, was 
 sent with despatches to Boston, where she arrived shortly after the nie> 
 tnorablc battle of Bunker's Hill. See Vol. I, note * at p. 1()6. During 
 the ensuing winter she was hauled on shore at Quebec, and her crew at- 
 tached to the naval battalion, whose important services were duly acknow- 
 ledged by Sir (iuy Cnrleton, in his despatches announcing the retreat of 
 the enemy, after a desperate, Ihoug^h inetiectiial attempt to curry tli^ place 
 
 TO 
 
 4 «^ V(- 
 
740 
 
 POST-CAPTAIMS OP 1802. 
 
 jl 
 
 V 
 
 t\ 
 
 il 
 
 turned to England as acting Master of the same sloop early 
 in the ensuing year j and to his great mortification found him- 
 self obliged to remain in that situation, notwithstanding the 
 assurance he had received from the senior ofl&cer at Quebec, 
 that he would be superseded immediately on his arrival *. 
 
 Steadily refusing to accept a Navy Board warrant, Mr, 
 Rathborne continued in the Hunter as acting Master for 
 nearly four years, during which she was almost constantly 
 employed on the American coast, and formed part of several 
 expeditions against the enemy in the Jerseys. At length,^ 
 through the kind interference of Captain Alexander Hood, 
 nephew of the officer with whom he had served in the Rom- 
 ney and Royal William, he was once more restored to the 
 line of promotion, and allowed to take a passage home in a 
 merchant vessel, at the commencement of 1780. 
 
 On his arrival in London he was introduced by his former 
 commander. Captain Mackenzie, to Earl Sandwich, then first 
 Lord of the Admiralty ; who the very next day, Mar. 18, 
 1780, presented him with a Lieutenant's commission for the 
 Bedford, of 7^ guns, commanded by the late Sir Edmund 
 Affleck, to whom he had previously been recommended by 
 the above officer. 
 
 The Bedford formed part of the squadron under Vice-Ad- 
 miral Arbuthnot, in the action with M. Ternay, Mar. 16, 
 1781 ; and bore a share in the engagement between Rear- 
 Admiral Graves and the Count de Grasse, on the 6th Sept. 
 in the same year f. Subsequent to the latter event, Captain 
 Affleck hoisted a broad pendant on board her, and proceeded 
 to the West Indies, where he highly distinguished himself in 
 
 by escalade, early in the morning of Dec. 31, 1776> on which occasion Mr. 
 Rathborne, then on duty with the picciuet guard, personally assisted in 
 cutting off the retreat of the atoriniug party, every one of whom was either 
 killed or taken prisoner. 
 
 * Sir Charles Douglas arrived at Quebec with a reinforcement on the 
 day of the Americans' defeat ; and having occasion to send the Hunter 
 home with despatchen, insisted upon Mr. Rathborne taking charge of her 
 as Master, there being no other person in the squadron sufficiently qua- 
 lified to do so. 
 
 t See Vol. I, p. 40, and note at p. 133. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 741 
 
 the memorable conflicts .between Rodney and do Grasse, 
 April 9 and 12, 1782*. 
 
 Mr. Rathborne having become first Lieutenant of the Bed- 
 ford, in consequence of the promotions that followed Rodney's 
 victory, continued to serve as such till that ship was paid oft* 
 at Portsmouth in the summer of 1 783. During the Dutcli 
 and Spanisli armaments in 1787 and 1790, he was appointed 
 to the Atlas of 98 guns, and Colossus 74, the former fitting 
 for the flag of Sir Edmund Affleck, the latter commanded 
 successively by Captains Hugh C. Christian and Henry Har- 
 vey. In 1792 he obtained an appointment, as first Lieute- 
 nant, to the Captain, a third rate, then under the orders of Earl 
 Howe, but subsequently attached to the Mediterranean fleet. 
 After the occupation of Toulon, in Aug. 1793, the Captain 
 was sent by I^ord Hood to dismantle the forts and batteries 
 on the Hieres islands and opposite shore ; the latter and most 
 difficult part of which duty was executed in a very judicious 
 manner by Lieutenant Rathborne, in the presence of a vastly 
 superior republican force. He afterwards distinguished him- 
 self by his exertions in weighing the Imperieuse, a large 
 frigate that had been scuttled by the French in Port Especia ; 
 and on her being commissioned by Captain Charles Cunning- 
 ham, he was appointed to act as Commander in the Speedy 
 of 14 guns, from which vessel he returned to the Captain, in 
 consequence of his being superseded a few days after by one 
 of the Admiral's own Lieutenants, the present Sir George 
 Cockburn. 
 
 During the ensuing siege of St. Fiorenzo, in Corsica, Lieu- 
 tenant Rathborne served on shore under the orders of Captain 
 Samuel Hood ; and in Vice-Admiral Hotham's action, Mar. 
 14, 1795 t, he had the misfortune to lose the sight of his right 
 eye, and receive so much injury in his right arm, as to render 
 it nearly useless. His promotion to the rank of Comman- 
 der took place Nov. 9th in the same year. 
 
 • Commodore Affleck was created a Baronet for his gallant conduct, 
 May 28, 1782; elected M. P. for Colchester in the course of the same 
 year; and promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, Feb. 10, 1784. He 
 •liedDec. 15, 1787. 
 
 t See Vol. ], note at p. .'MO. 
 
 VOL. II, 3 c 
 
II' it 
 
 1)1 
 
 
 742 
 
 POST-CAFfAINS OF 1802. 
 
 Frani this period we find no mention of Captain RathbOTne 
 till 1797j when he was appointed to the Good Design, an 
 armed ship, employed in convoying the trade from Leith to 
 Elsineur and the Elbe. At the close of 1739, he removed 
 into the Racoon, a brig of 18 guns, stationed off Boulogne, 
 and afterwards successively employed in the Channel, Medi- 
 terranean, and West Indies. His post commission beturs date 
 Oct. 18, 1802. 
 
 The Santa Margaritta, into which frigate he had been pro- 
 moted at Jamaica, having returned home in 1803, and re- 
 fitted at Sheerness, was subsequently sent to cruise off the 
 French coast, and on various other services connected with 
 the duties of the Channel fleet. Whilst thus employed, she 
 fell in with the squadron under Sir Richard J. Strachan, 
 whose success in capturing four French line-of-battle ships^ 
 commanded by M. Dumanoir, on the 4th Nov. 1805, may 
 be, in a great measure, attributed to the persevering exertions 
 and gtiYlant conduct of C^ain Rathborne ; who, availing him- 
 self of his frigate's superior sailing, closed with and harassed 
 the enemy for three hours and a half, before any other ship 
 could get within gun-shot ', and then, in conjunction with Cap- 
 tain Baker of the l^cenix, who had previously been chased by 
 them, kept their rear in play until the Commodore and his 
 companions could arrive sufficiently near to bring on a gene- 
 ral action *. The Santa Margaritta on tbis occasion, although 
 repeatedly hulled by the enemy's shot, had only her boat- 
 swain killed, and one man wounded. 
 
 Captain Rathborne was soon after appointed to the Fou- 
 droyant of 80 guns, a circumstance that gave him considerable 
 p»in, as independent of his disinclination to remove from a 
 crtusing frigate into a blockading ship, he was very unwilling 
 to part from his officers and crew, whose conduct on every 
 occMion had ^ven him the greatest satisfaction, and in whom 
 he had every confidence. Captain Lioring, the officer who 
 had been appointed to succeed him in the Santa Margaritta, 
 observed his distress, and generously forbore to use the com- 
 mission he had received from the Admiralty, until the pleasure 
 of their lordships could be ascertained — a forber "aace worthy 
 
 • See Vol. I, p. 289. N. B, Lina 12, for frigates read frigate. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OV 1802. 
 
 743 
 
 of record. The result proved highly gratifying to both par- 
 ties ; Captain Rathfoorne being continued in the command of 
 the Santa Margaritta, and his worthy brother-officer soon 
 ^er compensated for the spontaneous sacrifice he had made, 
 by an appointment to a frigate of superior class *, 
 
 The Santa Margaritta was subsequently employed on the 
 Channel, Lisbon, West India, and Irish stations ; but being 
 at length completely decayed, was put out of commission in 
 Dec. I8O7. Captain Rathborne was soon after appointed to 
 the command of the Essex Sea Feneibtes ; and, in 1809, to 
 regulate the Impress service at Shields, Sunderland, and 
 Newcastle, He js a resent charged with the superinten- 
 denee of the ships in ordinary at Chatham. His nomination 
 to be a C. B. took place on the establishment of that class of 
 the Okrder, in 1815. A pension for the loss of his eye was 
 granted to. kim May 19, 1810, and has since been augmented 
 to 300L per annum. . . - 
 
 Captain Rathborne married, iu 1805, the youngest daughter 
 of John French, Esq., late of Loughrea, co. Galway. His 
 sister was the mother of John Wilson Croker, Esq., Secre- 
 tary to the Admiralty, and M . P. for Bodmin, in Cornwall. 
 
 Ay* 
 
 '1 r 
 
 HENRY MATSON, Esq. x yi /^> 
 
 This officer was born at Sandwich, co. Kent j and entered • xt WJ*"'* 
 the naval service, in 1790, as a Midshipman on board the .,^ 
 Arrogant, of 74 guns, commanded by his maternal uncle the 
 late Captain John Harvey, whose heroic conduct on the me- 
 morable 1st June, 1794, we have already noticed at p. 613 of 
 our ftrst volume. 
 
 From the Arrogant Mr. Matson was very soon removed 
 Into 1^ Rose of 28 guns ; in which ship, and tb^ Hussar 
 IHgate, he completed his probationary term of service on the 
 Halifax station, where be was promoted to the rank of Lieu- 
 tenant hi the Rover, a Bermuda built sloop of war, about the 
 nioDth of June, 1796. 
 
 • Sec p. 547. 
 3c2 
 
! ill i 
 
 744 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF J 802. 
 
 In the following year Lieutenant M atson proceeded to tlie 
 West Indies, and joined the Prince of Wales, a second rate, 
 bearing the flag of his uncle the late Sir Henry Harvey, 
 K. B., by whom he was made a Commander, and appointed 
 to the Cyane of 18 guns. Mar. 22, 1799. His post com- 
 mission bears date Dec. 15, 1802. 
 
 After serving for some time as Flag-Captain to Commo- 
 dore Sir Samuel Hood, he commanded the Blenheim of T^ 
 guns, as a private ship, till July 1803, when he joined the 
 Venus frigate, and sailed for England as convoy to the home- 
 ward bound trade. During the ensuing four years we find 
 him employed as a cruiser on the Irish, Boulogne, and Lee- 
 ward Islands' stations. On the 10th July, 1805, he captured 
 I'Hirondelle, French privateer, of 16 guns and 90 men; and 
 early in 1807, la Determinee, of 14 guns and 108 men. He 
 returned to England with a valuable fleet under his protection 
 in the autumn of 1807 ; and on his arrival was presented by 
 the masters thereof with a piece of plate, as a testimony of 
 their gratitude for the attention he had paid to them during 
 the voyage. 
 
 Captain Matson's next appointment was, in Mar. 1809, ta 
 the St. Fiorcnzo of 40 guns, which frigate formed part of the 
 expedition sent against Walcheren in the summer of that 
 year. He was put out of commission in Mar. 1810 ; and has 
 ever since been on half pay. 
 Agents, — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 CHARLES MALCOLM, Esq. 
 This officer is the youngest brother of Vice- Admiral Sir 
 Pulteney Malcolm, K. C. B., under whom he served as a 
 Midbhipman in the Fox frigate, and Suflblk of 74 guns, of 
 which latter ship he was appointed a Lieutenant by Vice- 
 Admiral Rainier, Jan. 12, 1799*. In Aug. 1801, he was 
 promoted by his patron to the rank of Commander, in the 
 Albatross sloop of war, on the East India station, from whence 
 he returned to England in the Eurydice of 24 guns. Mar. 27, 
 ]803. His post commission bears date Dec. 29^ 1802. 
 
 • See Vol. I, pp. 582, 584, et seq. 
 
rOST-CAPTAINi OK 1802. 
 
 745 
 
 -7 
 
 A 
 
 - Captain Mftlcol in '^ next appointment was, Sept. 24, 1806, 
 to the Narcissus frigate ; and on the 30th Jan. following, we 
 iind him receiving a severe wound in the head whilst leading 
 liis boats to the attack of a French convoy lying in Conquet \ 
 "bay, near Brest, under the protection of several heavy bat- 
 teries, two armed brigs, and a cutter. In this gallant but 
 unsuccessful enterprise the boats had 7 "^c" killed and 15 
 Wounded. , 
 
 On the 18th Aug. in the san»e year, Captahi Malcolm ciip- 
 tured the Cantela, a Spanish schooner, pierced for 12 guns ; , \ 
 and in the ensuing month he drove three of the enemy's row^ 
 hoats on shore, near Oporto. He also assisted at the reduc- 
 tion of the Saintes, in April, 1809. The following are extracts 
 from the public letters of Sir George Beckwith and Major- 
 General Maitland on that occasion : 
 
 " Fort Royal, Martinifae, April 20, 1809. 
 :. " The French squadron, consisting of three sail of the line and two fri' 
 gates, from i'Orieut, having taken shelter in the Saintes, in the vicinity of 
 Guadaloupe, where they were blockaded by Sir Alexander Cochrane with 
 a superior force, I detached a corps, of between 2000 and 3000 meil, 
 under the command of Major-General Maitland, to co-operate with the 
 navy in the reduction of those islands, and to destroy or capture the ships 
 of the enemy, or to force them to sea. I have the satisfaction to report to 
 your lordship *, for lus Majesty's information, that after three days of 
 great toil and most active service, the forts were reduced, and the troops 
 surrendered prisoners of war. The French ships of the line pushed to 
 sea early in the night of the 14th ; on the 16th the Admiral was within 
 four miles of them ; and, I trust, will be enabled to bring them to close 
 action f. 
 
 " The navy have most cordially supported us. Oaptun Beaver, of 
 H' M. S. Acasta, has increased that character which I know kis conduct at 
 Bay Robert, Martinique, in your presence gained him. • • « * Cap- 
 tain Carthew of the Gloire, and Captain Malcolm of the Narcissus, also 
 jncrit the warmest acknowledgment." 
 
 Captain Malcolm was soon after appointed to the Rhin, 
 an 18-pounder frigate, employed in the British Channel, where 
 he captured four French privateers, carrying in the whole 58 /\^ 
 guns and 310 men. On the 31st Jan. 1812, he escaped 
 
 i 
 
 * Viscount Castlereagh. 
 t One of the French ships was captured by Captain (now Rear-Admiral) 
 fahie. Sec Vol. J. p. 717. The others effected their escape. 
 
746 
 
 PPST-CAPTAINS OF 1802. 
 
 , 11 
 
 ! i 
 
 t.\ 
 
 Glaring |he fate of the Laarel frigate, by his proni|ytitude in 
 ohaogiDg the Rbfai's course, at the very moment when her 
 consort Btruck on the Govivas rock in the Teigneuse paaeiige, 
 from whence he himself was then not half a cable's length 
 ^tant. Nor were his exertions after clearing the ^nger 
 less creditable than his coolness on that occasion ; for not- 
 withstanding the remonstrances of his pilot, he worked th« 
 Rhin among the breakers, and contributed very materially t9 
 the , preservation pf the officers and men remfuning on the 
 wreck, which was much exposed to a heavy fire from the 
 enemy's hmd bfUteries *, 
 
 Iii'theflbllowing summer Captaki Malcolm was very ac- 
 tively emfdoyed on the north coast of Spain, under the orders 
 of Sir Home Popham, aa will be seen by a reference to the 
 extracts from that officer's despatches, which we h»v« io* 
 seited at p. d23 etseq. of tiiis Tolume. 
 
 The Rhin was subsequently sent to the West Indies, where 
 she captured the American privateer schooner Decatur, a 
 beautiful vessel of ^2S tons, commanded by M. Diron, a 
 celebrated Frenchman, who had some time before succeeded 
 i« boarding and carrying H. M. €chooner Dominica, of 1;^ 
 ffUDS and 77 n^n t* 
 
 Captain Malcolm being put out of commission on his re- 
 turn to England, after the termination of hostilities, remained 
 on half pay till Sept. 15, 181/, when he was appointed to 
 the Sybille frigate, fitting for the flag of Sir Home Popham^ 
 with whom he served during the whole period of that officer'^ 
 command on the Jamaica atation^^. His last appointment 
 was, July 6, IdSQ, to the William and Mary yacht, stationed 
 at Dublin, to attend upon the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, on 
 which service he is at present employed. 
 
 The subject of this memoir married, in 1808, a daughter of 
 C. Pasley, Esq., and a niece of his maternal uncle, the late 
 Adnural Sir Thomas Pasley, Bart. 
 
 •^^en^-^Thprnas Stil well, Esq. - 
 
 ' ■ _ • 
 
 • 8«e p. 683. 
 t See JoofteB'd Naval History, vol. 5, p. 397 et sgq. i. 
 
 I Sir Home Pophau died at Gheltenkaii], Sept. 1 1 , 1830, agod 58. 
 
 ^ 
 
POST-CARrAlNS OF 1803. 
 
 747 
 
 JOHN SERRELL> Esq. 
 
 " This officer received his first commission in 1793 ; was 
 tnade a Commander into the Echo sloop of war, at Jamaica, 
 in 1800; and posted into the Garland frigate on the same 
 station, Jan. 2/, 1803. He subsequently commanded the 
 Cumberland of 74 guns ; Victory, a first rate, fitting for the 
 flag of Sir James Saumarez j and Helder frigate. The latter 
 ship was employed for several years on the Baltic station. 
 
 Captain Serrell married, in 1904, Miss E. Dean, of Liverpool. 
 
 AgeiiL — Hugh Stanger, Esq. 
 
 PETER HEYWOOD, Esq. 
 
 This officer is a son of the late Peter John Heywood, Esq. 
 a Deemster of the Isle of Man, and Seneschal to his Grace the 
 Duke of Athol, by Elizabeth, daughter of James Spedding, 
 of Whitehaven, co. Cumberland, Esq. ; and was born at his 
 father's residence, the Nunnery, near Douglas, June 6, 1773 *. 
 
 He entered the naval service as a Midshipman, Oct. 1 1 , 
 1786 ; and made his first voyage in the Bounty, a ship of 
 about two hundred and fifteen tons, which had been purchased 
 by government and fitted up for the purpose of conveying the 
 bread-fruit and other plants from Otaheite to the West India 
 islands, in consequence of the merchants and planters having 
 represented that essential benefit would be derived from the 
 introduction of the former as an article of food for the inha- 
 bitimts of those colonies. 
 
 The deplorable result of this undertaking is well-known to 
 the public, though the extraordinary circumstances that oc- 
 curred on board the Bounty, previous to tlie fatal morning of 
 April 28, 1789, have either escaped the notice, or not been 
 deemed worthy the attention of other writers on naval sub- 
 jects. To her commander's " Narrative of tlie Mutiny" 
 which broke out on that day, it would be folly to look for any 
 statement having a tendency to implicate his own conduct : 
 Captain Schomberg, when compiling his " Naval Chrono- 
 
 * Mr. P. J. Heywood was the son of Thomas Heywood, Esq. Chief Jus. 
 tke of the Isle of Man. His sister tnartted the late Admiral Sir Thomas 
 Paslcy, Uart. 
 
 'aV 
 
 ■ M 
 
 Md ril!' 
 
 
 \m 
 
748 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 V? 
 
 ii- 
 
 i 
 
 \V-A' 
 
 
 logy," appears to have placed implicit reliance on Lieutenant 
 Bligh's assertions ', and in fact we have met with only one 
 publication intended for professional use, in which the least 
 hint is given of the unjust and harsh proceedings which gave 
 rise to that unhappy transaction *. A private journal, long 
 in our possession, the publication of which was only pre- 
 vented by the death of its original owner, the late Mr. James 
 Morrison, Gunner of H. M. S. Blenheim f, who had the mis- 
 fortune to witness all that he hiis related, enables us at 
 length to withdraw the veil by which the world has been so 
 long blinded. 
 
 On the 23d Dec. 1787> the Bounty sailed from Spithead 
 under the command of Lieutenant William Bligh, in whose 
 person were united the offices of Commander and Purser, as 
 had hitherto been the custom in all our voyages of discovery. 
 This was done with a view to the more economical manage- 
 ment of the provisions and victualling stores ; but it proved 
 on this, as on all former expeditions to the Southern hemi- 
 sphere, the cause of very serious discontent among the officers 
 and crew. • 
 
 A few days after her departure from Santa Cruz, at which 
 place she had anchored for the purpose of completing her 
 water, and procuring such scanty refreshments as the island 
 of Teneriffe at that season afforded. Lieutenant Bligh ordered 
 the cheese to be hoisted up and exposed to the air ; which 
 was no sooner done than he pretended to miss a certain quan- 
 tity, and declared that it had~^been stolen. The cooper, 
 Henry Hillbrant, informed him that the cask in question had 
 been opened by the orders of Mr. Samuel, his clerk, who 
 acted also as steward, and the cheese sent on shore to his 
 own house, previous to the Bounty leaving the river on her 
 way to Portsmouth. Lieutenant Bligh, without making any 
 further enquiry, immediately ordered the allowance of that 
 article to be stopped, both from queers and men, until the 
 deficiency should be made good, and told the cooper he would 
 give him a d d good flogging, if he said another word on 
 the subject. 
 
 The next day, in conformity to his order, butter only wa» 
 
 • See Brenton'vS Naval Histnrj/, vol. f. |». So, rt srq. 
 t Sec the ILl of tlic Bounty's offitcis and cilmv, at p. 762. 
 
as 
 
 POST-t AP-fAINS OF 18013. 
 
 749 
 
 issued, which the cretv refused, alleging that their iicceptaiice 
 of it) without cheese, would be a tacit acknowledgment of the 
 supposed theft : John Williams, a seaman, at the same time 
 asserting that he had been employed to carry the cheese to 
 Lieutenant Bligh's house, together with a cask of vinegar, 
 and several other articles of provisions, which had been sent 
 up the river in a boat from Long Reach. The ship's com- 
 pany persisting in their refusal to take the butter singly, it 
 was also kept back for two banyan days, and no more notice 
 taken of the affair. ■ . 
 
 On approaching the equator, some pumpkins, purchased at 
 Teneriflfe, began to decay, and as they v.ere h: general too 
 large for the use of Lieutenant Bligh ant' his lat ssmutes (the 
 Master and Surgeon), the clerk r?«:oM/ed uirectknui co issue 
 them in lieu of bread. The crew, on einniifing at what rate 
 the exchange was to be made,, were tolr^ tlvat m/e pound jf 
 pumpkin was to be considered as, a;i eqia=alent ioc tvr> 
 pounds of biscuit, of which lattet r>i't\v)i tbey had bcs u on 
 two-third's allowance ever sijr.ie their departure hot.: S^rsta 
 Cruz. Their evident reluctance to accept th<^ ); ropohii d siub- 
 stitutc, on such terms, being reported to Lieut'.j.iant B'ii,!^, 
 he flew upon deck in a violent rage, tVirncd ^h^ handa up, and 
 ordered the first man on the list of each me?.s to be called by 
 name j at the same time Haying, " I'll sec who will dnro to 
 refuse the pumpkin, or any thing else i may order to b-e 
 tserved out j" to which he added, " Y^u d — '— d iiifemal 
 scoundrels, I'll make you eat grass, or any tbiii^, you cam 
 catch, before J. have done with you." This speech had the 
 desired effect, every one receiving the puaipkin; even tbf ':ffi' 
 cers ; but they having still a good private stock ol potatoes, 
 did not feel the want of bread sc* seiiisibiy u the men. 
 
 To this grievance another quickly succeeded. As the com- 
 mander's private stock decKV-acd, the beef and pork issued to 
 the ship's company bc*^a?i to aj^j ear very light j but as the 
 contents of the c! ikd had never been weighed, it was sup- 
 posed that viioiic i-ecently opened did not contain the quantity 
 Tiiarked on them, and a representation to that effect was ac- 
 cordingly made in the quiet and orderly manner prescribed 
 by the 21st article of war ; but Lieutenant Bligh, instead of 
 directing the n)eat to be cut up and issued in the regular 
 
 i!*'<.'^: 
 
 
 '.'■f-*l 
 
 ■il tl 
 
|i 
 
 l! 
 
 7iiO POST- CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 manner, called the crew aft, told them that every thing re- 
 lative to the provisions was transacted by his orders, that it 
 was therefore needless for them to complain, as they would 
 get no redress, he being the fittest judge of what was right 
 or wrong, and that he would flog the first man who should 
 tic e attempt to make any complaint in future. To this im- 
 perious menace they bowed in silence, and not another mur- 
 mur was heard from them during the remainder of the voyage 
 to Otaheite, it being their determination to seek legal redress 
 on the Bounty's return to England. The officers, on the 
 contrary, did not refrain from talking among themselves of 
 Lieutenant Bligh's unjustifiable conduct in causing the prime 
 pieces to be constantly appropriated to his own use, whilst 
 they were obliged to take their chance «)f what remained, in 
 common with tlie men, and that without having the satis- 
 faction of even knowing the weight of those very inferior 
 pieces which often fell to their share. 
 
 On the 23d March, 1788, the coast of Terra del Fuego was 
 discovered, and a sheep which had died that morning was 
 served out instead of the day's allowance of pork and peiise, 
 Lieutenant Bligh observmg that it weighed upwards of .501bs. 
 and would make a delicious meal. The men, however, not co- 
 inciding with him in that opinion, took the first opportunity 
 of throwing their respective shares overboard, and some dried 
 shark supplied its place for a Sunday's dinner. 
 
 Lieutenant Bligh, in his " History of the Bounty's Voyage 
 to the South Seas," at p. 31, says, « Sunday, 13 April, 1788; 
 —This morning, owing to tlie violent motion of the ship, the 
 cook fell and broke one of his ribs ;" our journalist informs 
 UB, that at that period " wheat and barley were boiled every 
 morning for breakfast, instead of burgoo ; but the quantity 
 was so small, that the division of it caused frequent l>roiIs in 
 the galley, and was sometimes attended with bad conse- 
 <]ucnce«. In one of those disputes the cook had two of his 
 ril)8 broken; and at another time, Charles Churchill, the 
 master at arms, was badly scalded in the hand. The pro- 
 portion of pease and oatmeal had previously been reduced to 
 so low a scale that the officers, ' unable to stand the brunt 
 with the men,* frequently went without their share j but the 
 cabin inmates always took cure to have theirs." 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 751 
 
 Proceeding to p. 33, we find Lieutenant Bligh describing 
 the tempestuous weather he experienced in his attempt to 
 reach the Society Islands by the way of Cape Horn, but 
 without bestowing the least commendation upon his officers 
 and crew for the cheerfulness with which they had invariably 
 performed their duty. His intentions thi^oughout the volume 
 are apparent — he studiously conceals every circumstance cal- 
 culated to reflect credit upon them, or lead to an inference 
 that any cause of discontent existed previous to their meet- 
 ing with the fair inhabitants of Otaheite, to whose fascinating 
 endearments he so ingeniously ascribes his subsequent mis* 
 fortunes. In the MS. before us appear the following passages : 
 
 *' The hard duty and continued fatigue whicli the rigorous season re- 
 qiiVed, together with their constant exposure to wet; the intense cold, 
 uud the unwholesome state of the lower>deck, the hatches being continu- 
 ally battened down, caused several of the crew to fall sick, and the duty of 
 course fell heayier on those who were able to work, but it was still carried 
 on with alacrity and spirit. On the 22d April, Lieutenant Bligh ordered 
 the healthy part of the crew aft, returned them his thanks for their unre- 
 mitted good behaviour in such a trying situation, and informed them of 
 his intention to bear a>vay for the Cape of Good Hope. This intimation 
 was received wHh universal joy, and returned will three hearty cheers." 
 
 The Bounty anchored in Simon's Bay May 24 ; sailed from 
 thence July 1 ; and arrived in Adventure Bay Van Dieman'a 
 Land, Aug. 20, 1788. ^v, . . . *v. , «-. , ^ ,. o 
 
 " Whilst there the seeds of eternal discord were sown between LieuteiN 
 ant Bligh and some of Us oiBccrs. He confined the carpenter, and found 
 »o much fault widi the others as to cause continual disputes amon;^ them, 
 each endeavouring to thwart the others in their duty. The men, on ol>- 
 serving this, redoubled their excrtioits in order to avoid the impending 
 storm, and rejoiced in private at their good success. 
 
 " During the passage from Van Diemon's Land to Otaheite, Lieutenant 
 Dligh and his messmates quarrelled and divided their privato stock, from 
 which time thej seldom spoke to each other, except on duty, and even 
 then with inuoh reserve. Previous to their arrival in Matavic Bay, n dis- 
 pute took place between Mr. Bligh and the Master, who,for reasons best 
 known to himself, refused to sign some books cumiected with the ship'* 
 accounts. Upon tltis the crew were called aft, and the Articles of War, 
 with part of the (General Printed Instructions read to them ; after which 
 the books in question were pro<luccd, and the commander said, ' now, sir, 
 sign these books ;' to which the other, taking up a pen, replied, ' I sign in 
 obedience to your orders, l)ut this may be cancelled hcrnaftcr.' The books 
 were then handed to the clerk, and the people returned to their duty, 
 
 " Iiomcdiatciy ou anchoring in Matavic Buy, (Oct. 20,) lui order was 
 
 \^ 
 
 f 
 
 )'J 
 
 if. 
 
r52 
 
 pobT-CArrAiNs Of 1803. 
 
 stuck upon the inlzcn-mast, prohibiting the purchase of curmUies, or nny 
 thing except provisions : — there were very few, if any, instances of this 
 injunction being disobeyed, for no curiosity struck the crew so forcibly as 
 a roasted pig and some bread-fruit. Those inviting objects canic in abun- 
 dance, and the articles of trade possessed by the men were freely parted 
 with in exchange. The King's allowance of every species, except spirits, 
 was from that moment stopped, but some time elapsed before the means 
 ,oi' barter were issued from the public store. 
 
 " The ship being moored, a tent was pitched on Point Venus for the use 
 of the botanist, and the gunner sent to trade for hogs. Mr. Fletcher 
 Christian, Mr. Peter Hcywood, and 4 men, were also sent as a guard, in 
 case the natives should behave amiss. 
 
 " As long as the salting continued provisions were in great plenty, each 
 man being allowed two pound* of the bones and such other parts as were 
 not fit for that purpose, per diem, which added to their own purcliases en- 
 abled them to live extremely well ; but the supply of hogs at length bcr 
 coming slack. Lieutenant Bligh seized on all that came to the ship, whe- 
 ther large or small, dead or alive, claiming them as his property, and 
 serving them out as the ship's allowance, in the proportion of one pound 
 per diem. He also seized on those belonging to the Master, and slaugh- 
 tered them for the use of the crew, although he had more than forty of his 
 own ou board at the time, and others were to be bought in the market at 
 very little more than the price first paid. When the Master remonstrated 
 with him on the subject, he replied, that ' he would convince him that 
 every thing became hit as soon as it was brought on board ; that he would 
 take nine-tenths of any man's property, and let him see who dared to say 
 any thing to the contrary.' The sailors' pigs were seized without cere- 
 mony, and it became a favor for a man to obtain an extra pound of hia 
 own meat. 
 
 " The natives being aware of this proceeding, and not knowing but that 
 their hogs would be taken from them also, became ver)' shy of bringing any 
 into Lieutenant Dligh's sight, either on board or a-shore, but availed them- 
 selves of every opportunity, whilst he was out of the ship, to supply the offi- 
 cers and crew. He, however, observed their movements, and finding that his 
 diligence was likely to be evaded, ordered a book to be kept in the binnacle 
 drawer, and the officer of the watch to enter therein the number of hogs 
 ()rought on board, with the weight of each. To obviate thiii difficulty, 
 ■the natives cut them, and wrapping the ditfcrcnt joints in leaves, 
 covered them with bread-fruit, &c. by which means they eluded his vigio 
 Jancc, and full bellies were still the order of the day. 
 
 " We removed from Matavie to Oparrc, the latter affording a more 
 secure anchorage, on the 25th Dec. 1 7HH ; and kept our Christinas on the 
 l28th, each man having double allowance of spirits, for which a provision 
 iiud already been made by stopping the allowance of all thoHc who had not 
 crossed the eijuator previous to this voyage. On new-year's day a similar 
 indulgence was grunted, atior which all handj wore put on half ullowuncc ; 
 but as wc Iwd plenty of cocoa-nut milk, the qrog wu?' nut missed. Our 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1903. 
 
 753 
 
 and 
 
 hogs 
 
 friendly islamlers kept hs well supplied with cocna-nuts, notwithstanding 
 tlie frequent seizures made by Lieutenant Bligh. 
 
 " The object of our visit to the Society Islands being at length accom- 
 plished, we weighed at 6h 30' A. M. on the 4ih April, 1/89 ; but for want 
 of wind was obliged to tow and sweep the ship out of the harbour. Every 
 one seemed in high spirits, and began to talk of home as though they hud 
 just left Jamaica instead of Otaheite ; so far onward did their flattering 
 fancies waft them. On the 23d we a-ouored off Annamooka, the inhabit- 
 ants of which island were very rude, m.' attempted to take the casks and 
 axes from the parties sent to fill water and cut wood. A musket pointed 
 at them produced no other effect than a return of the compliment by pois- 
 ing their clubs or spears with menacing looks ; and as it was Lieutenant 
 Bligh's orders that no person should affront them on any occasion, they 
 were emboldened by meeting with no check to their insolence They at 
 length became so troublesome that Mr. Christian, who commanded the 
 watering party, found it difficult to carry on his duty ; but on acciuainting 
 Lieutenant Bligh with their behaviour, he received a volley of abuse ; was 
 d— — d as a cowardly rascal, and asked if he were afraid of naked savages 
 whilst he had weapons in his hand ? To this he replied in a respectful 
 manner, ' the arms arc of no effect, sir, while your orders prohibit their 
 use.' 
 
 " Having completed the water, and taken on board large quantities of 
 yams, cocoa-nuts, plantains, &c. we weighed with a light air about noon 
 on the 2()th. The ship's company were then drawn up under arms, and 
 three native chiefs, who had not yet taken their leave, were made prisoners, 
 in conseciuencc of a boat's grapnel, stolen on the preceding day, not being 
 restored. Expressing great displeasure at such treatment, they were soon 
 after forced below and compelled to peel cocoa-nuts for Lieutenant Bligh's 
 dinner. The officers and crew were subsequently dismissed, but not with- 
 out being told that they were a parcel of lubberly rascals, and that their 
 commander would undertake to be one of five men with broomsticks who 
 would disarm the whole of them. He even went so far as to present a 
 pistol at William IM'Koy, and threaten to shoot him for not paying suffi- 
 cient attentionjto his very flaUering complimcnf.l 
 
 " About 4 P. M., seeing no appearance of the grapnel, the chiefs were 
 allowed to depart in the only canoe that had ventured to remain near the 
 ship. In her were several females weeping bitterly, and giving further 
 proofs of their anguish by inflicting terrible wounds on their own persons. 
 The eldest of the chiefs also acted in a similar manner ; and the whole, 
 when going away, appeared like men who only smothered their resent- 
 ment, seeing they had not the power of revenging the insult which had 
 been offered to them. It was the opinion of most on board, that if a weak 
 manned ship were to come in their way, her crew would have cause to de> 
 plore this day's transaction." 
 
 " TI1118 far," says Lieutenant Bliqhy " the voyat;L' had 
 advanced in a course of uninterrupted prosperity, and had 
 
 
 Pi ■ !l 
 
 ', 1 ! 1 ' 
 
764 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 been attended with many circumstances equally pleasing and< 
 satisfactory. A very difTerent scene was now to be experi- 
 enced. A conspiracy had been formed, which was to render 
 all our past labour productive only of extreme misery and 
 distreso. The means had been concerted and prepared with 
 so much secrecy and circumspection, that no one circum-> 
 stance appeared to occasion the smallest suspicion of the im- 
 pending calamity.'* It is now our business to shew, that so 
 far from a conspiracy having existed prior to the Bounty's 
 departure from the Society Islands, the plot was conceived 
 and carried into execution between the hours of 4 and 8 A.M. 
 on the 28th April, the second day after she quitted Anna- 
 mooka. 
 
 " In tbe afternoon of ihe 27th," adds the writer of the MS. *• Lieuten- 
 ant Blip;h came upon deck, and missing some of the cocoa-nuts, whicli liad 
 been piled up between the guns, said they had been stolen, and could not 
 have been taken a^vay without the knowledge of the officers, all of whom 
 ^vere sent for and questioned on tlie subject. On their declaring that they 
 liad not seen any of the people touch them, he exclaimed, ' Then you 
 must have taken them yourselves ;' and proceeded to enquire of them, se- 
 parately, how many they had purchased. In the mean time, Mr. Elphin- 
 stone, Master's Mate, was ordered to see every nut in the ship brought 
 aft. On coming to Mr. Christian- *hat gentieraan answered, ' I do not know, 
 sir, but I hope you don't think me so mean as to be guilty of stealing 
 
 yours.* Mr. Bligh replied, ' Yes, you d d hotmd, I do — You must 
 
 have stolen them fVom me, or you would be able to give a better account 
 
 of them :' then, turning to the other officers, he said, ' God d n you, 
 
 yoa scoundrels, you arc all thieves alike, and combine with the men to rob 
 me : I suppose you'll steal my yams next ; but I'll sweat you for it you 
 rascals — I'll make ho'f of you jump overboanl before you get through 
 Endeavour's Str^s.' This threat was fnllowed by an order to the clerk 
 to ' stop the villains' grog, and give them but half a pound of yams to* 
 morrow ; if they steal then. Til reduce them to a quarter.' He then went 
 below, and the officers were heard to munnur very much at such foul as- 
 persions being cast upon their characters ; whilst the men, fearing lliat 
 their yams would soon meet with the same fate as the cocoa-nuta, imme* 
 diately set about concealing as many of them as possible, the circumstance 
 of their havmg purchased a large quantity being well-known to Lienteuant 
 Dligh. 
 
 " In the morning of the 2Sth the boatswain came to my hammock, and 
 after awakhig, told me, to my great surprise, that Mr. Christian had taken 
 poHscssion of the ship. I hurried on dock, and saw Licntciuint Bligh in 
 his shirt, with his hniids (led behind him, and Mr. Christian, with a drawn 
 bayonet, standing by his s'ulc. Several of the men were under arms, the 
 Kiwall cutter was already hoisted out, and the large cutter getting ready. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 755 
 
 1 applied to the Boatswain to know how I should proceed, but he was as 
 much at a loss as myself, and therefore toUl me to lend a band in deariiig 
 the boat, which I did. When she was out, and the small cutter hoisted in 
 again, Mr. Christian desired Messrs. Hayufard tiid Hallet, the Midshipmen 
 who had been in the habit of keeping watch with him, to go into tlte bout 
 alongside, and ordered Churchill to send the Master and Clerk out of the 
 ship also. Lieutenant Bligh now began to reason with Mr. Chrisitian, but 
 he only replied ' Mfi moo*, sir, not a word, or death is your portion.' 
 Messrs. Hayuiard and Hallet begged, with tears in their eyes, to be allow- 
 ed to remain in the ship ; but they were likewise ordered to be silent. The 
 boatswain and carpenter came aft and asked for the launch, which after 
 much hesitatiim was granted. While I was clearing her, the Master came 
 up and spoke to Lieutenant Bligh : he afterwards came to mc, and asked 
 if I hud any haiul in the mutiny. I said No ! and was then desired by him 
 to try and raise a party for the purpose of rescuitig the ship, which I pro- 
 mised him I would <lo. John Millward, who was near at the time, swore 
 he would stand by me, and went to Muspratt, Biukitt, and the boatswain, 
 in order to pro<'ure their assistance. Churchill, having observed the Mas- 
 ter speaking to me, came and demanded what he had said. I told him \\vx.\, 
 he was asking al>out the launch ; but amutmeer, who stood on the other 
 
 side of the booms, told him to look sharp after me, saying, ' tis a d d 
 
 lie, Charles, for I saw him and Millward shake hands when the Master 
 spoke to them.' He then called to the other mutineers to stand to their 
 arms, which put them on the alert ; and as I saw no one near mc inclined 
 to make a push, but on the contrary, the officers fand all of those who had 
 not taken a part in the mntinyj busily employed m getting tlie launch out, 
 I was induced to follow their example. That business ver, every one has- 
 tened to get what he could into her, as the officers «\eic immediately hur- 
 ried over the side. 
 
 " Lieutenant Bligh, finding that he must go, again implored Mr. Chris- 
 tian to relent, saying " I'll pawn my honor, I'll give my bond, Mr. Chris- 
 tian, never to think of this if you will desist : conskler my wife and fa- 
 mily :' to which the other replied, ' No, Captain Bligh, if you had had 
 any honor, things would not have come to this extremity ; and if you have 
 any regard for your wife aud family, you should have thought of them be- 
 fore, and not behaved so much like a villain as you have done.' Lieutenant 
 Bligh attempted again to speak, but was ordered <o be silent; the boat- 
 swain then tried to pacify iVIr. Christian ; but he said, * tis too late, I've 
 been in hell for this fortnight past, and am determined to bear it no longer 
 — you Laow, Mr. Cole, that I have been treated like a dog all the voyage f.' 
 
 *' Mr. Fryer, tb« Master, solicited permission to remain, Imt without 
 success i and Churchill was told to see that no arms were taken away. A 
 dispute took place between him and Mr. Purcell about the tool-chest. 
 
 • , . * Silence, according to the Otaheitean dialect, 
 
 t It is worth while to compare the above passage with the correspond- 
 ing one in " Bligh'x Narrative," 
 
 Oli/t- i ><■.(. '.i 
 
 , r '5 
 
756 
 
 POST-CAl'TAINS OF 1803. 
 
 if i 
 
 ■ l 
 
 which Churchill wished lo keep in the ship, but Mr. Christian desire'l liiut 
 td let it ^0. The carpenter's mates and the armourer were ordered to he 
 detained on board. 
 
 " The boat being very deep iu the water, Lieutcuant Bligli requested 
 that the Master and some of the people might In* suffered to remain. — 
 ' The men,' said Mr. Christian, ' may stay, sir, but the Master must go 
 with you.' The Lieutenant then called out ' Never mind, my lads, yoit 
 can't all go with me, but I'll do you justice if ever I reach England.' He 
 was then taken to the gangway, where his hands were cast loose previous 
 to his descending into the launch. 
 
 " While the boatswain was getting his cloathes, &c. over the side, I tohl 
 him my intention was to stay and take my chance in the ship, reminding 
 him of Lieutenant Uligh's promise, and observing that I had no occasion 
 to point out the danger to which he was about to expose himself, as he 
 could see that the boat swam scarcely seven inches free of the water. Mr. 
 Cole repeated Lieutenant Bligh's promise, and added ' God bless you my 
 boy ; were it not for my wife and family I would stay myself.' 
 
 " After Lieutenant Bligh was in the boat, he asked for his commission 
 and a sextant, which were given to him, together with his pocket-book, 
 private journal, and a book of nautical tables : the latter and the sextant 
 were handed to him by Mr. Christian, who said ' there Captain Bligh, that 
 book Is sufficient for every purpose, and you know my sextant to be a 
 good one. 
 
 " The launch was now veered a-stcrn, and when put to rights Lieuten* 
 ant Bligh requested that a musket might be given to him; but this was re- 
 fused by Mr. Christian, who, however, allowed him to have four cutlasses. 
 I handed in twenty-five or twenty-six double pieces of pork (four pounds 
 each) and two gourds of water. Several other articles were given to hint 
 previous to his being turned adrift, which took place about 8A.M. 
 
 " Messrs Heyteood and Stewart, both of whom had been confined be- 
 low, by Churchill's directions, were now allowed to come upon deck, and 
 Mr. Christian related the cause of this sad affair In terms to tlie following 
 etfect. 
 
 " Fmding himself much hurt by the treatment he had received from 
 Lieutenant Bligh, he had determined to quit the ship the preceding even- 
 ing, and informed the boatswain, carpenter, and two midshipmen (Messrs. 
 Stewart and Haywnrd), of his intention to do so. By them he was sup- 
 plied with part of a roasted pig, some nails, beads, and other articles of 
 trade, which he put into a bag that was given him by the last named gen- 
 tleman, (the bag was produced, and I recognized It to be one tvhtch I had 
 made for Mr. Hayttard some time before.) This bag he put into the clue 
 of Robert Tinkler's hammock, where it was discovered by that young gen- 
 tleman when going to bed at night, but the business was smothered, uA 
 passed off without any further notice. He also fastened some stavea to % 
 stout plank, with which he intended to make his escape; but finding be 
 could nut effect it during the first and middle watches, as the ship h»d uo 
 way througli the water, and the people wre all moving about, bt laid 
 
 / 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 757 
 
 do\vn to rest about Imlf-paiit three in the morning. \\Tien Mr. Stewart 
 called him to relieve the deck at four o'clock *, he had hut just fallen 
 asleep, and was much out of order; upon oliserving which Mr. Stewart 
 strenuously advised him to aliandon his intention. Soon after he had taken 
 charge of the deck, he saw Mr. Hay ward, the mate of his watch, lie down 
 on the arm-chest to take a nap ; and finding that Mr. Hallet, the other 
 Midshipman, did not make his appearance, he suddenly formed the resolu- 
 tion of seizing the ship. Disclosing his intention to Matthew Quintal and 
 Isaac Martin, both of whom had iteen previously flogged by Lieutenant 
 Bligh, they called up Charles Churchill, who had al!>c tasted the cat, and 
 Matthew Thompson, both of whom readily joined in the plot. Alexan- 
 der Smith, John Williams, and William M'Koy, evinced equal willingness, 
 and went with Churchill to the armourer, of whom they obtained the keys 
 of the arm-chests, under pretence of wanting a musket to fire at a shark 
 then alongside. Finding Mr. Hallet asleep on an arm-chest in the main- 
 hatchway, they roused and sent him on deck. Charles Nornan, uncon- 
 scious of their proceedings, had in the mean time awaked N.t. Hay ward 
 and directed his attention to the shark, whose movements he was watching 
 at the moment that Mr. Christian and bis confederates came up the fore- 
 hatchway, after having placed arms in the hands of several men who were 
 not aware of their design. One man, Matthew Thompson, was left in 
 charge of the chest, and he served out arms to Thomas Burkitt and Robert 
 Lamb. Mr. Christian then proceeded to secure Lieutenant Bligh, the 
 Master, Gunner, and Botanist. The former was brought upon deck in the 
 state I have already described, and the latter were strictly guarded by two 
 centmela, one posted AVth6 Master's cabin door, and the other at the top 
 of the after-cockpit ladder. 
 
 " When Mr. Christian related the above circumstances, I recollected 
 having seen him fasten some staves to a plank lying on the larboard gangway^ 
 as also having heard ihe Boatswain say to the Carpenter, ' It will not do to 
 night.' I likewise remembered that Mr. Christian had visited the fore- 
 cockpit several times that evening, although he had very seldom, if ever, 
 frequented the warrant officers' cabins before. 
 
 " The conduct of the officers on this melancholy occasion was dastardly 
 beyond description ; none of them ever making the least attempt to coun- 
 teract Mr. Christian's intentions, which might easily have been effected, 
 as several of the men who were armed had no idea of what was al)out to 
 take place. Robert Lamb, whom I found standing sentry at the fore 
 hatchway, when I first came upon deck, was one of those who went away 
 in the launch with Lieutenant Bligh ; and Isaac Martin, who was one of the 
 first persons Mr. Christian invited to assist him, threw his arms aside and 
 jumped into the boat, but waa compelled to return nti board again. The 
 officers' passive obedience to Mr. Chiistian'H onlers even surprised him 
 
 • Mr. Christian received a written order to do duty as a Lieutenant 
 shortly after the Bounty sailed from Tencriffc, hu<I fron\ that pi-rind he 
 had had charge of a watch. " • b 
 
 VOL. II. 3d 
 
 ! ■."! 
 
 11 
 
 f 
 
, ■ 
 
 758 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 self, as he said, immediately after the launch had quitted the ship, that 
 something more than fear had possessed them, or they would not have suf- 
 fered themselves to be sent away in such a manner, without offering to 
 make retiistance *." 
 
 Lieutenant Bligh landed in a cove on the N. W. aide of 
 Tofoa, hoping to obtain an immediate supply of bread-fruit 
 and water, but on climbing the heights could only find a few 
 cocoa-nuts and plantains. The weather becoming boisterous 
 he was obliged to take shelter in an adjacent cave. On the 
 1st May, several of the inhabitants brought them a small 
 supply, and retired peaceably in the evening. The next day, 
 their number greatly increased; some of the principal persons 
 arrived in canoes, and amongst them was one of the identical 
 chiefs whom he had treated so shamefully at Annamooka. 
 They offered to accompany him to Tongataboo, when the 
 weather should be moderate ; but some symptoms appearing 
 of a design to obtain by force the articles which he could not 
 afford to spare them, he resolved to depart that evening, as 
 they did not seem inclined to retire. They had previously sold 
 him some spears ; and now allowed his people to carry their 
 pn>perty into the boat, but endeavoured to prevent him from 
 embarking. A contest ensued, in which one Englishman was 
 killed, and every one of the others more or less wounded by 
 stones. The launch arrived at Coupang, in the island of 
 Timor, without any further accident, on the 1 4th June j and 
 Lieutenant Bligh proceeded from thence in a small schooner 
 to Batavia, where he embarked with his clerk and one mai> 
 in a packet bound to Europe, leaving the remainder of his 
 companions to be provided with a passage in a fleet ofmer- 
 chtint vessels then preparing to sail for Holland. A list of 
 those who were turned adrift with him will be found at p. 
 762 t. 
 
 • We are inclined to attrilnite the conduct of the officers to lukewarm- 
 ness, rather than to fear. Lieutenant Bligh made no effort himself, ex- 
 cept liy words, even when his hands were at liberty. 
 
 t On looking over Mr. Morrison's MS. we find that one of the Mid- 
 shipmen who was sent awity with Lieutenant Bligh had been confined in 
 irons, by his order, from Jan. 5 till March 23, 1789, for sleeping on his 
 watch, and thcroby aflfording three men an opportunity of running away 
 with the small cutter. The desertion of these men, and their subsequent 
 recovery, are m(;nliuned ut pp. 1 13 and 118 of " Jilitf/i's Voyage" but 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803, 
 
 759 
 
 The Bounty returned to Matavia Bay on the Cth June, 
 having in the meantime touched at Toobouai, a small island 
 situated several degrees to the southward of Otaheite, and 
 which Mr. Christian had selected for his future residence ; 
 preferring it to the latter^ as being less exposed to visits from 
 Europeans. 
 
 On their arrival, the mutineers availed themselves of the 
 fiction which had been hitherto supported respecting Captain 
 Cook ; asserting that they had fallen in with him, and that he 
 had sent the ship back for all the live stock that could be 
 spared, in order to form a settlement at a place calicd 
 Wytootacke, which they pretended Lieutenant Bligh had dis- 
 covered in his course towards the Friendly Islands. The 
 inhabitants gave credit to this story, and vied with each other 
 who should furnish most for the service of a man whom they 
 all adored ; so that about 460 hogs, 50 goats, and a great 
 number of fowls, were collected in the course of ten days. A 
 bull and cow, which had been left behind by Captain Cook, 
 were also delivered to Christian, in exchange for a few red 
 feathers ; and a number of dogs and cats were likewise taken 
 on board, to clear Toobouai of the rats by which that island 
 was infested. Seventeen male natives, ten women, and a 
 young girl, emigrated with the mutineers — 13 of the former 
 having concealed themselves below until the Bounty had 
 cleared the land. Among them was Heete-heete, a very in< 
 telligent person, who had formerly sailed with Captain Cook, 
 and now hoped to meet him again ; but who expressed no 
 dissatisfaction when informed of the ship's real destination ; 
 and that, in all probability, he would never be able to return 
 from thence*. 
 
 Notwithstanding Mr. Christian had received considerable 
 
 
 sh^' n 
 
 w 
 
 B' 
 
 but 
 
 not a word of the Midshipman's misconduct. The latter was in England, 
 and had frienda whose hostility might have proved detrimental to the ob- 
 ject of that work. It is well known that the tide of public opinion long 
 ran in favor of the author. 
 
 * Lieutenant Watts, in the Lady Penrhyn transport, touched at Otaheite 
 after landing convicts in New Holland, and thought proper to conceal the 
 death of Captain Cook, in whose name he made several presents to the 
 chiefs. Lieutenant Bligh, on his arrival, passed himself off for the son of 
 their benefactor, whose death he likewise kept them in ignorance of. 
 
 3d2 
 
'!; 1- 
 
 'i 5 
 
 1 > 
 
 1 ; 
 
 ;i 
 
 '■■' 
 
 ' 1 ; 
 
 •i 
 
 "v 
 -•* 
 
 hi 
 
 760 
 
 POST-CAPTAINb OF 1803. 
 
 opposition from llie Toobouaitcs, on his first visit to their 
 island, he caused the Bounty to be warped about four miles 
 to the eastward of the opening in the reef, described by Cap- 
 tain Cook, and moored (head and stern) in three fathoms 
 water, within a cable's length of the shore. He then pre- 
 vailed on his companions to undertake the labour of con- 
 structing a fort for their security against surprise, working 
 liiniself with a pick-axe, as an example, in laying the foun- 
 dation, and alluring them to exertion by an extra allowance 
 of grog. The ground being at length cleared, the British 
 colours were displayed, and the work was laid out in a qua- 
 drangular form, measuring eighty-eight yards on each square, 
 surrounded by a ditch eighteen feet wide, and twenty feet 
 deep, from the top of the parapet. Over the ditch it was in- 
 tended to have a draw-bridge facing the beach ; and the 
 Bounty's guns were to have been mounted on the fort in such 
 a manner, that two 4-poundcrs and four swivels might be 
 brought to bear in any direction, without the least delay *. 
 
 During the progress of this work, Mr. Christian allowed 
 two men to sleep on shore each night, and the whole of them 
 to spend their Sundays in any manner they pleased , but in 
 every other respect he maintained the strictest discipline, and 
 enforced his orders witii an uncommon degree of firmness. 
 He resolutely opposed those who wished to bring the 
 Toobouaite females on board by force ; and when two of the 
 mutineers behaved insolently to him, after absenting them- 
 selves a whole night without his permission, he clapped a pis- 
 tol to the head of one of them, and placed both in irons till they 
 expressed contrition for their conduct, and promised future 
 obedience. It was his intention, when the fort should be 
 completed, to remove every thing thither, and take the 
 Bounty to pieces ; but the evident reluctance of many, who 
 had not been active in the mutiny, to end their days in exile y 
 and the hostility of the neighbouring chiefs, who took every 
 opportunity of annoying his men, when they were sent in 
 quest of provisions, compelled him to abandon his design of 
 
 • The Bounty mounted fonr 4-poiin<lcr3 and ton swivels. Mr. Chris- 
 tian's plan t^as to place one gun at each angle, and two swivels on each 
 side of the fort ; the remaining swivels to be siriftc<r ahout as occasion 
 might require. 
 
P0ST-CArTAIN3 OF 1803. 
 
 701 
 
 settling foi' life at Toobouui, and to seek some otlier place of 
 refuge for himself, and those who were still inclined to follow 
 his fortunes. He accordingly sununoned all the Bounty's 
 people together on the 11th Sept., when it was decided by 
 u shew of hands, 16 against 9, that the former number should 
 be landed at Otaheite, with a fair proportion of the arms, 
 ammunition, and every description of property on bouril ; 
 and that the Bounty should then be resigned, with her sails, 
 tackle, and furniture complete, to Mr. Christian and his adhe- 
 rents, for their conveyance to any other island that they 
 might think proper to fix upon. * 
 
 This decision being made known to the ruler of the district 
 in which they resided, he requested to be taken on board, 
 saying that their departure would be the signal for his de- 
 struction by the other chiefs, whose jealousy had been ox- 
 cited by the alliance formed between him and the English. 
 The Otaheitean men, whom the mutineers had u:sually em- 
 ployed as servants, were then sent to collect the stock which 
 had been dispersed about the island ; but in this they were 
 opposed by the hostile natives, and several severe conflicts 
 took place before the animals could be recovered. On one of 
 those occasions, Mr. Christian was severely wounded in the 
 right hand, and Thomas Burkitt received a spear in his body ; 
 which were the only casualties sustained by the British 
 during their stay at Toobouai. The natives on the contrary 
 appear to have had eighty-four killed, and a great number 
 wounded, in the different battles that were fought, from the 
 time of the Bounty's first arrivid, till that of her final depar- 
 ture, in Sept. 1789. 
 
 The Bounty anchored a third time in Matavia Bay, on the 
 22d of the same month, and those who had voted for that 
 measure were then landed, together with the Toobouaitu 
 chief, Heete-heete, and most of the Otaheitean men ; but the 
 servants of the chief, 3 other males, 12 women, and an infant 
 girl, remained with Christian, who sailed suddenly in the 
 night, and proceeded to Pitcairn's Island, where the only sur- 
 viving mutineer was discovered by an American slilp, in Fob. 
 1808, as will be more fully noticed in a subsequent part of 
 this work. 
 
 Having thub taken leave of the Bounty for tlio pic^ent, wr 
 
II! 
 
 
 I 1 
 
 r' 
 
 li li 
 
 762 POST- CAPTAIN 8 OF 1803. 
 
 shall now exhibit a correct list of the officers and men who 
 were on board when the mutiny took place, shewing as far 
 as lies in our power, the manner in which each individual 
 was afterwards disposed of. The sufferings endured by Mr. 
 Peter Heywood will next occupy our attention. 
 
 Turned adrift in the Launch. 
 
 1. William Bliqh, Lieutenant and Commander; — Died a Vice-Admi- 
 ral, in Dec. 1817 ; aged 63 years*. 
 
 2. John Fryer, Master; — Deceased. 
 
 3. William Elfhinstone, Master's Mate j-^-Died at Batavia, iuOct. 
 1789. 
 
 4. John Hallet, Midshipman; — Died a Lieutenant, on board the 
 Penelope frigate, in 1793. 
 
 5. Thomas Hayward, Ditto ; — Perislied in the China Seas, when com- 
 
 manding the Swift sloop of war, in 1 797- 
 
 6. RoDERT Tinkler, Ditto ;— Nephew to the Master, died a Com- 
 mander R. N. ...» 
 
 7. William Peckover, Gunner. 
 
 8. William Cole, Boatswain. 
 
 9. William Purcell, Carpenter ; — ^Resides at Greenwich. 
 
 10. Thomas Den man Ledward, Surgeon's Mate; — Remained at Ba- 
 
 tavia f. 
 IL John Samuel, Clerk and Steward; — Returned to England with 
 
 Lieut. Bligh. Died a Purser, R. N. 
 
 12. David Nelson, Botanist; — Died at Coupang, July 20, 1789. 
 
 13. Lawrence Labogue, Sailmakcr ; — Deceased. 
 
 14. Peter Linkletter, Quarter-Master; — Died at Batavia, in Oct. 
 
 1789. 
 
 15. John Norton, Ditto ;— ^Killed by the natives at Tofoa* Sec p. 
 768. .,j 
 
 16. George Simpson, Quarter-Master'a-Mate; — Deceased. 
 
 17. Thomas Hall, Ship's Cook ;— Died at Batavia, in Oct. 1789. 
 
 18. John Smith, Commander's Cook ; — Deceased. 
 
 19. Robert Lamb, Butcher ;— Died on the passage from Batavia to 
 
 England. 
 
 Settled at Pilcairn's Island. 
 
 1. Fletcher Christian, Acting; Lieutenant ; — Brother of the present 
 
 Chief Justice of the Isle of Ely— Murdered by a Toobouaite. 
 
 2. Edward Young, Mid8hipmnn;--.Nephew to Sir George Young, Bart. 
 
 Died of asthma, , . ,.,,.. 
 
 ' '"♦ ' ' ' ' ■■•■'■''—•■ 
 
 * For farther particulars of Lieutenant Bligh, see Wentworth's Descrip- 
 tion of New South Wales, p. 166 ct seq. 
 
 f Mr. Thomas Huggan, the Surgeon, died at Matavia, previous to the 
 mutiny. , . ; * 
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 r63 
 
 3. William M'Koy, Seaman; — Became insane, and threw hiinEclf from 
 a rock into the sea. 
 
 4. Matthew Quintal, Ditto j — Killed in a drunlten quarrel. 
 
 5. John Williams, Ditto; — "1 
 
 G. Isaac Martin, Ditto ; — \ Murdered by the islanders. 
 
 7. John Mills, Gunner's Mate; — j 
 
 8. William Brown, Botanist's Asssiatant ; — Murdere<l hy the islanders. 
 i). Alexander Smith, nlitit John Adams, Seaman ; — Was still living 
 
 in 1822. Sec Memoir of Sir Thomas Staines, K. C. B. 
 
 Lr/l the Bounty at Otaheite. 
 
 1. Peter Heywodd, Midshipman; — The auhject of this memoir. 
 
 2. Geurge Stewart, Ditto; — Drowned in irons on board H. M. S. Pan- 
 dora. See p. 770. 
 
 3. James Morrison, Boatswain'a-Matc ; — Perished in the Blenheim 74, 
 
 about Mar. 1807 •. 
 
 4. Charles Churchill, Master at Arms;— Murdered by Matthew 
 Thompson. 
 
 5. Matthew Thompson, Seaman; — Put to death by the friends of 
 Charles Churchill f. 
 
 6. John Sumner, Ditto ; — 
 
 7. Richard Skini — , , ^ , „ , ^ «-,/^ 
 
 o tF M n 4 S>. Pandora. See p. 770. 
 
 8. Henry Hillurant < V"in<'r — i r • • 
 
 NER, Ditto ; — "^ 
 
 JKINNRR, Ditto ; — i 
 
 LLURANT, Cooper ; — 3 
 
 Drowned in irons on board II. M. 
 
 * James Morrison was sentenced to death because the testimony of the 
 other prisoners could not be received as evidence in his favor. The court- 
 martial were compelled io find him guilty, but the King's free pardon, and 
 Lis immediate promotion, arc sufficient proofs that he was not in reality 
 thought so. He ever after^vards enjoyed the patronage of Sir Thomas 
 Troubridge, Bart, whose fate he shared when serving as Gunner of his un- 
 fortunate tlag-ship, the Blenheim. See Captain Sir £dward Thomas 
 Trouuridob, Bart. 
 
 f Charles Churchill, after residing a short time at Matavta, accepted an 
 invitation to live with Waheadooa, who was sovereign of Teiarraboo when 
 Captain Cook last visited that peninsula. Thompson accompanied him 
 thither, but they very soon disagreed. Waheadooa dying without chil- 
 dren, Churchill, who had been his tayo or sworn friend, succeeded to his 
 property and dignity, according to the established custom of the country. 
 Thompson, envious of Churchill's preferment, and in revenge for some 
 fancied insult, took an opportunity of shooting him. The natives rose to 
 punish the murderer of their new sovereign, and stoned Thompson to 
 death. This wretch had previously slain a man and a child through mere 
 wantonness, but escaped punishment for that crime in consequence of a 
 mistake as to his person, Mr. Hcywood being taken for him, and about to 
 be sacrificed, when making a tour of the island in com{>any with an old 
 chief, whose timely interposition atone saved him from destruction. 
 
 'I' 
 
 - ii- 
 
!l : ! 
 
 764 
 
 POST-CAITAINS OK 1803. 
 
 I "'. 
 
 m 
 
 Executed at Spithead, Oct. 29, 1 792. 
 
 9. Thomas Bubkitt, Seaman ;— ] 
 
 10. John Millward, Ditto ; — 
 
 11. Thomas Ellison, Ditto • ;~] 
 
 12. WaLtAM MuspRATT, Commander's Steward ;— Sentenced to death, 
 
 but respited. 
 
 13. Joseph (JoLEMAN, Armourer; — -v 
 
 14. Charles Norman, Carpenter's Mate ;— I Tried by Court Mar- 
 16. Thomas M'Intosh, Carpenter's Crew;— jtial, and acquitted. 
 16. Michael Byrne f. Seaman ; — -^ 
 
 Total, 44 jjersoiis. 
 
 We now return to Mr. Peter Heywood, who had not com- 
 pleted his Kith year, at the time when the fatal mutiny took 
 place ; previous to which, says Lieutenant Bligh^ when writing 
 to Colonel Holwell, an uncle of the unfortunate youth, " his 
 conduct had altvays given me much pleasure and satisfac- 
 tim Xr 
 
 Compelled by circumstances over which he had no controul, 
 
 * John Millward and WiUiarojH<jiJBBitt took up arme for no other pur- 
 pose but to assist in rescuing the shTp. This, however, they had no 
 means of proving ; and as the circumstance of their having been armed was 
 sworn to by the witnesses aj^ainst them, the Court, as in Morrison's case, 
 could do no otherwise flian find them guilty. Ellison, ulthcugh rated an 
 A. B. was only a mere youth. 
 
 f Michael Byrne's sight was bo "xtremcly defective that be could have 
 been of no service to either party. 
 
 X Lieutenant Bligh, although he thought proper to brand Mr. Peter 
 Ileywood with the vile appellation of mutineer, did not dare to charge him 
 with any specific act that would have justified the use of such an epithvt. 
 On the contrary, he declared in writing that he had had the highest esteem for 
 him till the moment of the mutiny, and that his conduct during the whole 
 course of the voyage was truly commendable. He even went so far as to 
 say to Mr. Wilson, the Deputy Receiver lieneral of tbe Isle of Man, that 
 his greatest hopes of assistance in suppressing the mutiny were from his 
 depend.'nce on Mr. Heywood, whom he expected would fornt a party in 
 bis favor. We must here observe, that his confidence in the other officers 
 could not have been very great, or he would have made some etfort more 
 powerful than mere words, when his hau<is were at liberty, instead of con- 
 fiding in the exertions and ability of a boy, and looking to him for the re- 
 covery of his authority. This reflection, if he ever had any feeling, must 
 have distressed him \i\ the subsequent part of his life — but tyrants are gc« 
 nerally as insensible of remorse, as they are deficient in true courage. 
 His conduct when deposed at New .'South Wales, is sulUcient to cunviucc u* 
 that he did not possess too great a share of personal intrepidity. 
 
 % 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 ro:* 
 
 to nssociute for a time with the inisguidod men who h:id ho 
 grossly offended against the laws of their country, Mr. Hey- 
 wood felt great pleasure at the prospect whicli their return 
 from Toobouai, to procure stock at Matavia, afforded him, of 
 being able to make his escape, and secrete himself until their 
 final departure. Mr. Christian, however, suspecting that such 
 a course would be adopted, if possible, by some of those who 
 had taken no part in the nmtiny, directed an oath to be ad- 
 ministered, by which the others were bound to demand from 
 the natives the restoration of any person who might run away, 
 and then to shoot the deserter as an example to the rest. 
 Independent of this precaution, he caused so good a look out 
 to be kept by those upon whom he could rely, as to render 
 the attempt alniO!!«t impracticable. 
 
 His design being thus frustrated, Mr. Heywood saw no 
 other alternative but to roturn with the mutineers, and re- 
 main as contented ns possiljjlp' at Toobouai till the masts 
 should be taken out, af.'cording to Christian's intention ; and 
 then, by seizing the largest boat, and privately destroy i ^g 
 the purchase blocks, at once effect his purpose, and render it 
 impossible for the ship ever to come in (juest of him. In this 
 enterprise he was to have been joined by Mr. Stewart, James 
 Morrison, and John Millward ; bttt, providentially, the hos- 
 tility of the natives, and the want of unanimity amongst his 
 own countrymen, rendered it unnecessary for him to try his 
 fortune at such a hazard. 
 
 lleleased at length from the authority of Christian, Messrs. 
 Heywood and Stewart claimed the protection of an old chief, 
 possessing considerable landed property at Matavia. whose 
 friendship they had previously enjoyed, and under whose 
 roof they now resolved to li^e as tpiietly as possible, until a 
 ship should arrive from Europe in search of the liounty, and 
 thereby afford them an opportunity of returning to their un- 
 live land. The other 14 persons whose names appear in the 
 third part of the foregoing list, also went to reside with their 
 former tui/os in the northern districts, and thu whole were 
 treated witl. the same hospitality as during their first visit to 
 the island. 
 
 About seven weiks .iftir their return, the conhtruetion of a 
 ucLuuncr wub uuderlidieu by the two earpenici^. aruiourer, 
 
 hi 
 
 !;. 
 
": 1 
 
 ll 
 
 »!i 
 
 766 "* 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803, 
 
 cooper, and others, at the suggestion of James Morrison, who 
 being conscious of his innocence, and extremely desirous of 
 returning to civilized society, entertained hopes of reaching 
 Batavia time enough to secure a passage home in the next 
 fleet bound to Holland. To this measure Messrs. Heywood and 
 Stewart offered no opposition, although it was their own fixed 
 determination not to leave Otaheite before the arrival of a 
 King's ship, as they very naturally concluded that one would 
 be sent out to search for them, whatever might have been the 
 fate of Lieutenant Bligh and his companions. 
 
 In pursuance of their plan, Morrison and his assistants built 
 houses at Point Venus, where land and bread-fruit trees were 
 assigned for their support ; the natives being led to believe 
 that nothing more was intended than to construct a vessel for 
 the purpose of cruising about the island. To this little band 
 of architects, Morrison, who was himself a tolerable mechanic, 
 acted both as director and chaplain, distinguishing the sab- 
 bath-day by reading to them the Church Liturgy, and hoisting 
 the British ijolours on a flag-staff erected near the scene of 
 their operations. To be brief, the schooner's keel was laid 
 Nov. 12,1789; and after encountering numerous obstacles^ 
 occabioned by the want of proper materials, and submitting 
 Avith patience to the failure of several experiments, they at 
 length succeeded in completing a vessel fully adequate to the 
 intended purpose, which was launched amidst ibo acclama- 
 tions of the islanders, and the bencviictions of their priests, 
 on the 6th July, 1790. 
 
 Unfortunately for thoso persevering men, serious disnrdrt 
 respecting the sovorei;^iity of Otaheite then prevailed among 
 the most powerful chiefs ; and those of Oparre '/cing unwil- 
 ling to lose the military services of their English friends, 
 took care to prevent them from obtaining a sufficient (juan- 
 tity of matting to serve as sails for so long a voyage ; supply- 
 ing them oidy with enough to ecjuin their vessel for cruising; 
 about the island. Their object was consetjuently defeated ; 
 but they nevertheless, felt obliged from motives of policy, as 
 well as of gratitude for former hospitality, to take part against 
 tiie hostile districts, which, by means of their fire-arms, were 
 speedily reduced to snbntission. 
 
 On the '2'M Mar. 1791 j jt'st eighteen months after the 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 m 
 
 . I i 
 
 Bounty's last (kparture from Matavia Bay, the Pandora ar- 
 rived there in search of that ill-fated ship. Scarcely had she 
 anchored, when Messrs. Heywood and Stewart paddled off 
 in a canoe, and made themselves known to her commander, 
 the late Admiral Edward Edwards, who instantly ordered 
 them to be put both legs in irons, and ever afterwards treated 
 them as though they had been " piratical villains," as he then 
 thought proper to designate them — a convincing proof that 
 Lieutenant Bligh, when reporting the loss of his ship, had 
 made no discrimination between the innocent and the guilty. 
 
 The other survivors of the Bounty, twelve in number, who 
 were then at Otaheite, being shortly after collected from dif- 
 ferent parts of the island, handcuffs were made and fitted to 
 the wrists of the whole party ; and a sort of prison, appro- 
 priately stiled Pandora's box, being only eleven feet in length, 
 was built upon the after part of the quarter-deck, in order 
 that they might be kept separate from the crew, and the more 
 effectually prevented from having any communication with 
 the natives. Such of those friendly creatures as ventured to 
 look pitifully towards them were instantly turned out of the 
 ship, and never again allowed to come on board. Two ccn- 
 tinels were kept constantly upon the roof of the prison, with 
 orders to shoot the first of its inmates who should attempt to 
 address another in the Otaheitean dialect. A Midshipman 
 was stationed in front of the bulk-head, through which the 
 only air admitted, found its way by means of two iron 
 gratings, each about nine inches square. The master at arms 
 received directions not to converse with the prisoners on any 
 other subject than that of their provisions. Spare hammocks 
 supplied the place of beds until they became crowded with 
 vermin, after which the sufferers were obliged to sleep on the 
 bare deck. The heat of the prison, during calm weatlier, 
 was so intense, that the perspiration ran in streams from 
 their bodies; ii;id to add to their misery, they were inces- 
 santly assailed by the eflluvia proceeding from two tubs 
 placed near the u for necessary purposes. In short, nothing 
 was wanting to render their situr.tion truly pitiable. 
 
 From Otaheite the Pandora proceeded to the westward, 
 rniising amongHlthe dilTerent islands in her route, hut wilh- 
 out gaining any intelligence of (he Bounty. During tlilt- 
 
 m 
 
 ",t 
 
i' 
 
 768 
 
 rOST-CAl'IAlNS OK 1803. 
 
 search ahc lobt a Midsliipman and several men, who were 
 blown out to sea v/hen rcliinung from Pahncrston's Isles, in 
 the jolly-boat, and thereby exposed to a lingering death 
 through hunger. The schooner which had been built by the 
 Bounty's people, and eomniissiuned as a tender by Captain 
 Edwards, also parted company in a gale of wind j but after 
 encountering many dangers, succeeded in reaching the island 
 of Java, from whence she was sent as a present to the Gover- 
 nor of Timor, as a return for his hospitality towards the 
 Pandora's oflicers when they arrived with their prisoners at 
 Coupang, after being shipwrecked on the reef between New 
 Holland and New Guinea, a disaster which we feel the more 
 pain in relating, as it is impossible to do so without again 
 reflecting upon tlicir commander's inhuman conduct *. 
 
 The Pandora got sight of the reef in (juestion on the. 28th 
 Aug. J791> and her second Lieutenaiitf was innnediately 
 sent to ascertain if any opening existed through which she 
 could pass. At 5 P. M. he made a signal in the affirmative ; 
 but Captain Kdwai^iMivishing to be well informed on the 
 subject, contiiuie(^'^|M^-to until seven o'clock, by which 
 time the current had set the ship so near to the reef that 
 soundings were obtained with iitty fathoms of line, although 
 no bottom could be previously found with more than double 
 that quantity. The main-yaril was then braced up, in order 
 to stand off; but, before the courses could be set, she truck 
 with great violence upon a patch of coral, and aliiost instantly 
 bilged. The sails were scarcely furled, and boats hoisted out, 
 when the carpenter reported that she had nine feet water in 
 the hold. 
 
 Three of the Bounty's people (Coleman, Norman, and 
 
 • The schouiier'a diiucuiiioiis were »s fulluw i — length of lltv ki;l,'M 
 feet ; length un dvrk, 'Mj fret ; <\vlrvme lit\it(lth, !> icil (I iiicheH ; depth of 
 the hold, 5 foci. iShc sailed reiiiarkuMy well ; uiid, Iieliiij afterwards em- 
 ployed iti the aca-olter trade, made the ([idekenl pa.ssajjo ever known Irum 
 China to the Sandwich Islands. This ntemoraldu little vessel, also, hcln^' 
 purchased at Canton liy the late Captain Uroutrhiun, to assist him in survey. 
 in;( the coast uf Tartary, liccanie the means of pivservin^^ the crew of II- 
 M. S. Providence, Il'J in number, when wrecked to the eastward nl For- 
 mosa, on the irihMiiy, \T-^1. See Memoir of l<ord <ii:oiHir. SruAiir. 
 
 t Mr. Hobert Corner, laic Supcrintoudent of the Marine Police af 
 Malta. 
 
•k 
 
 ar 
 
 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1803. JGi) 
 
 M'Intosh) were now k?. out of irons, and sent to work at the 
 pnmps. The others offered their assistance, and begged to 
 he allowed a chance of saving their lives ; instead of which 
 two additional ccntinels were placed over them, with orders 
 to shoot any who should attempt to get rid of their fetters. 
 Seeing no prospect of escape, they betook themselves to 
 prayer, and prepared to meet their fate, every one expecting 
 that the ship would soon go to pieces, her rudder, and part of 
 the stern-post being already beat away. About ten o'clock, 
 however, she bea^ over the reef, and wa» brought to an 
 anchor in fifteen fathoms water. 
 
 At this dreadful crisis, the wind blowing very strong, and 
 the ship being surrounded by rocks and shoals, all the people 
 who could be spared from the pumps were employed thrumb- 
 ing a sail to fodder her bottom ; but this scheme was soon 
 abandoned, iji consequence of one of the chain-pumps giving 
 way, and the water gaining rapidly upon the other, which 
 rendered it necessary for every person to bale at the hatch- 
 ways, in order that she might be kept afloat till tkvylight. 
 Whilst thus engaged, one man was crushed to death by a 
 gun breaking loose, and another killed by a spar falling from 
 the skids into the waist. All the boats, excepting one, were 
 in the mean time kept at a distance from the ship, on account 
 of the broken water, and the high surf that was running 
 near her. 
 
 About half an hour before dav-break a consultation was 
 held amongst the officers, who were unanimously of opinion 
 t'.iat nothing more could be done to save the ship, and that 
 every effort should be directed towards the pre [^"vatiou of tlie 
 crew. Spars, hen-coops, and every thing buoyant, were ac- 
 cordingly thrown overboard to afford them support until the 
 boats could come to their aid ; but no notice was taken of the 
 prisoners, as is falsely stated by Loe author of the " Pandora's 
 Voyage," although Captain Edwards was entreated by Mr. 
 lleywood to have mercy upon them, when he passed over 
 their prison to raakc his own escape, the ship then lying on 
 her broadside, with the larbonrd bow completely under 
 water. Fortunately the master-at-arms, either by accident 
 or desigL', uhen slippin^^ from the roof of Pandora's Box 
 into the se.i, let thel cys of the irons fall lluouglilhc scuttle, 
 
770 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803, 
 
 A > 
 
 m 
 
 
 or entrance, which he had just before opened, and thus ena- 
 abled them to commence their own liberation, in which they 
 were generously assisted, at the imminent risk of his own 
 life, by William Moulter, a boatswain's mate, who clung to 
 tlie coamings, and pulled the long bars through the shackles, 
 saying he would set them free, or goto the bottom with them*. 
 
 Scarcely was this effected, when the ship went down, 
 leaving nothing visible below the top -mast cross-trees. The 
 master at arms, and all the centinels, sunk to rise no more. 
 The cries of them, and the other drowning men, were awful 
 in the extreme j and more than half an hour had elapsed be- 
 fore the survivors could be taken up by the boats. Among 
 the former were Mr. Stewart, John Sumner, Richard Skin- 
 ner, and Henry Hillbrant, the whole of whom perished 
 with their hands still in manacles f.' ' 
 
 • On this melancholy occasion, Mr. Heywood was the last 
 person but three who escaped from the prison, into which 
 the water had already found its way through the bulk-head 
 scuttles. Jumping overboard, he seized a plank, and was 
 swimming towards a small sandy quay, about three miles dis- 
 tant, when a boat picked him up, and conveyed him thither 
 in a state of nudity. It is worthy of remark, that James Mor- 
 rison, whose name we have so frequently had occasion to 
 mention, endeavoured to follow his young companion's ex- 
 ample, and, although handcuffed, managed to keep afloat 
 until a boat also came to his assistance. 
 
 The survivors being all assembled on a quay, only ninety 
 yards long and sixty wide, it was found that thirty-nine men, 
 
 • The entrance to tlic prison was through a scuttle in the roof, about 
 eighteen inches square, secured by an iron bolt passed through the 
 coamings. William Moulter was subsequently made a warrunUofliccr 
 through Captain Heywood's hifluence. 
 
 t Mr. Stewart was a native of the Orkneys ; and Lieutenant Bligh ac- 
 knowledges Imving received so many civilities from his fu.'iily, when he 
 touched ut those islands on his return from the South Seus, with Captain 
 Ciore, in 1 780, that he wouM gladly have received him on board the 
 Bounty on that account only, " but independent of this recommendation, 
 he was a seaman, and had always borne a good character.** See " Bounti/'s 
 yoyage;* p. 161. 
 
 An aflfecting account of the young female with wliom Mr. Stewart co- 
 habited whilst at Otaheite, will be found in the Appeudix to " The Dufl'a 
 Missionary Voyage," at p. .'Jlfi. 
 
 4 
 
 (H'i 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 771 
 
 including the above, had met with a watery grave. The only 
 articles of provisions saved from the wreck were three bags of 
 biscuit, a small keg of wine, and several barracoes of water : 
 the number of persons to subsist thereon was ninety-nine ; 
 and the distance they had to proceed in four open boats, bo- 
 fore a fresh supply could be hoped for, at least IKK) miles. 
 Thus circumstanced, the strictest economy became necessary ; 
 and orders were accordingly given, that only two ounces of 
 bread, and one gill of wine, or the same quantity of water, 
 should be served to each man once in twenty-four hours. 
 
 The boats' sails were now converted into tents for the 
 l*undora's crew, most of whom had landed in a very ex- 
 hausted state, and required a little rest previous to their de- 
 parture. The prisoners, however, were kept at a distance 
 from them, without the least covering to protect their naked 
 bodies from the scorching rays of a vertical sun by day, and 
 the chilling effect of heavy dews at night. A spare sail, 
 which was lying useless on the quay, being refused them by 
 Captain Edwards, they tried the experiment of burying 
 themselves neck-deep in the sand, which caused the skin to 
 blister and peel off from head to foot, as though they had 
 been immersed in scalding water. The excruciating torture 
 which they suffered from thirst, aggravated as it had been by 
 involuntarily swallowing salt water, whilst swimming from 
 the wreck, was, if possible, increased by the sight of rain, 
 and their total inability to catch any of it. Exposed in this 
 manner to alternate heat and cold, in the latitude of 11 „ S. 
 some conception may be formed of their suiTcrings, but words 
 will be found wanting to describe them. 
 
 The damages sustained by one of the boats ha\ ing been 
 repaired, and such other preparations made for their voyage 
 as circumstances \\oi'^d admit, the whole party embarked at 
 noon on the 31st iVug. and proceeded towards Coupatjg, 
 where they arrived in a miserable condition at 5 P. jM. on the 
 Kith of the following month. Whilst there, Mr. Heywood 
 and the other prisoners wore closely confined in the castle ; 
 but, although for several days treated with great rigour by 
 tlioir Dutch gaolers, they do not at any time appear to have 
 suffered so many [irivations at once, as when in the sole cus- 
 tody of a British Captain ! 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 m 
 
 , 
 
 m 
 
 
 Idi ' 
 
 
 1 
 
 HI 
 
 |i 
 
 ^ .:|! 
 
'I 
 
 '."f 
 
 H 
 
 77'^ POST-CAPTAINS OP 1803. 
 
 The mutability of human greatness was excellently pour- 
 trayed whilst the Pandora's officers remained at Coupang, — 
 a captive King in chains being compelled to blow the bellows 
 for the English armourer, whilst he was employed forging 
 bolts and fetters for his own countrymen. See Hamilton's 
 Account of the Pandora" s Voyage f\i.\AQ, ' 
 
 From Coupang they were conveyed in the Rembang, a 
 badly found and worse managed Dutch Indiaman, to Sama- 
 rang, and Batavia, at which latter place they anchored on 
 the 7th Nov., after a very dangerous passage of 33 days, 
 the ship being twice nearly driven on shore, and proving so 
 leaky as to render it necessary for every person on board to 
 work at the pumps — a species of liberty which the prisoners 
 were allowed to enjoy until their strength entirely failed 
 them, when they were agaui placed in irons and suflfered to 
 rest their weary limbs on an old sail, alternately soaked with 
 rain, salt water, and the drainings of a pig-stye under which 
 it was spread. 
 
 At Batavia Captain Edwards distributed the purchase mo- 
 ney of the schooner among his people, in order that they 
 might furnish themselves with nankeen apparel ; and the 
 prisoners, having their hands at liberty, availed themselves of 
 this opportunity to obtain some articles of clothing, by 
 making straw hats for sale, and acting as tailors to those who 
 had thus become comparativuly rich by the produce of their 
 labour as shipwrights. It was in a suit thus purchased that 
 Mr. Hcywood arrived at Spitheatl, after an absence of four 
 years and a half all but four days. The patience, fortitude, 
 and maidy resignation evinced by him at that early period of 
 life, were such as excited the admiration of his family and 
 friends J and may be i'^ferrcd from the following passages 
 contained in letters written by him at a period when charged 
 by his persecutor, Lieutenant Bligh, witli the crimes of 
 ingratitude^ mutiny, and desertion — charges sufficient to 
 shake the strongest nerves. 
 
 " Ilildi'ia, AW. 2<>, 1791. 
 ** I am afruUl to nay ii hundrcdili part of wluit I have j^ot in store, for 
 this is written by stealth, as the use of pens, ink, and paper, is <lcnicd 
 me. • • • • My sufTerinjis 1 have not power to (leserilif ; liut though 
 tlicy are jifreat, yet I thank (lod for enabling inc to l)car them without 
 repining ! I endeavour to (piallfy my allliction with these throe oonsidcr- 
 
POBT-CAPTAINS OP 1803. 
 
 773 
 
 ations, first, my innocence, not deservin/)^ them ; secondly, that they can- 
 not last long ; and third, that the change may be for the better. The first 
 improves my hopes ; the second, my patience ; and tlie third, my courage. 
 I um young in years, but old in what the world calls adversity : and it has 
 had such an effect as to make me consider it the most beneficial incident 
 that could have occurred at my age. It has made me acquainted with 
 three things which are little known, and as little believed, by any but 
 those who have felt their effects. Ist, the villainy and censoriousness of 
 mankind ; 2d, the futility of all human hopes ; and, third, the happiness 
 of being content in whatever station it may please Providence to place me. 
 In short it has made me more of a philosopher than many years of a life 
 spent in ease and pleasure could have done. 
 
 " As they will no doubt proceed to the greatest lengths against me, I 
 being the only surviving officer, and they most inclined to believe a prior 
 story ; all that can be s^aid to confute it will probably be looked upon as 
 mere falsity and invention. Should that be my unhappy case, and they 
 resolved upon my destruction as an example to futurity, may God enable 
 me to bear my fate with the fortitude of a man, conscious that misfortune, 
 not any misconduct, is the cause, and that the Almighty can attest my in- 
 nocence. Yet why should I despond ? I have, I hope, still a friend in 
 that Providence which hath preserved me amidst many greater dangers, 
 and upon whom alone I now depend for safety. God will always protect 
 those who deserve it. These are the sole considerations which have ena- 
 bled me to make myself easy and content under my past misfortunes. 
 
 " Though I have been nearly eight months in close confinement, in a 
 hot climate, I have preserved my health in a most surprising manner, 
 without the least indisposition, and am still perfectly well, in head as well 
 as body ; but without any cloathing except one shirt and a pair of trow, 
 sers *. I have, thank God, a contented mind, and am entirely resigned to 
 his divine will, which enables me to soar above the reach of unhappiness. 
 You will, most probably, hear of my arrival in England before I can 
 again write to you, which I most earnestly long for an opportunity of do- 
 ing at length, that I may explain things which it is not now in my power 
 to mention* Yet, I hope this will be sufiicient to undeceive those who 
 have been so ungenerous as to declare me criminal, as well as those who 
 have been credulous enough to believe their undeserved aspcrtiions. I 
 send this by one of the Pandora's men, who is to sail from hence shortly 
 in the first ship ; we shall follow in about ;i week after, ami I expect to 
 see England in about seven months." 
 
 The Pandora and Bounty's people were conveyed from 
 Batavia to the Cape of Good Hope in thtee Dutch ships, 
 each division under the charge of a Lieutenant. Dur- 
 ing that voyage the prisoners slept on bare planks, and were 
 ordered to be victualled in the following mimner, viz. three 
 
 • Those were furnished him by two generous young sailors belonging to 
 the ship, previous to his obtaining any by the meanii above mentioned. 
 
 VOL. II. 3 K 
 
 ^M^: i 
 
774 
 
 POST-CAI'TAINS OF 180'*. 
 
 pdiiiids of exocrahlf meat ; one pound and a half of stock 
 iish; llie same weight of tamarinds and sugar ; gee, and ran- 
 cid oil, of each half a pint; and one pint of vinegar, per man, 
 euery fortnight : — two drams of arrack, equal to one-third 
 of a pint, per dinf : — and an e(|ually scanty proportion of the 
 very worst rice, instead of bread. Miserable as this allow- 
 ance was, the Dutch pursers contrived to distribute it in such 
 a manner as to make fourteen rations lawt for sixteen days ! 
 
 Mr. Hey wood was removed into the Gorgon, of 44 guns, 
 lying in Table Bay, March 19, 1792; and from that period 
 till his arrival in England he appears to have been allowed the 
 inestimable indulgence of walking upon deck for six or eight 
 hours every day, whilst at other times he was only confined 
 with one leg in irons. On the 21st of June, two days after 
 his return to Spithead, he was transferred to the Hector 74, 
 commanded by Captain (now Sir George) Montagu, who 
 treated him with the gre; test humanity both before and after 
 his trial, which took place in September following, when we 
 find him delivering the following address in vindication of his 
 character : 
 
 " I cull that God to witness, before whose awful tribuniil I must one day 
 appear, Ihai I was entirely ignorant of the mutiny, whicli happened oil 
 hoard his Majesty's ship Bounty, previous to Us perpetration on the 
 morning of the 28th of April, 17S9, or any circumstances relative to it. 
 
 '• On the preceding evening, Monday, at eight o'clcoiv, 1 went upon 
 deck, and kept the first watch, with Mr. John Fryer, the master, who 
 ordered me to keep the look-out upon the forecastle ; and I remained there 
 till past twelve o'clock, when I was relieved by Mr. Edward Young, a 
 Midshipman, upon which I went down below into my berth, situated on 
 the larboard side of the main hatchway, and r.lept in my hammock till 
 about an hour after day-light, (perhaps it might have been earlier, I can- 
 not positively tell) when I awoke, and laying n)y cheek upon the side of 
 my hammock, chanced to look into the hatchway, where I saw Rlatthew 
 Thompson, seaman, sitting upon an ann-chcst, which was there secured, 
 with a drawn cutlass in his hand ; and as I knew him to be a man who had 
 kept the middle wat(;h, with Mr. William Peckover, the gunner, I was 
 struck with surprise at a sight so unusual. Unable to conjecture the rea- 
 son of his being there at so early an hour, I immediately got out of bed, 
 went to ihe side of the berth, and asked him what he was doing there ? 
 Upon which he replied, • that INIr. Fletcher Christian had taken the ship 
 from the Captain, whom he had confined upon di'ck, an«l was going to 
 carry hint home as a prisoner ; and that they should have more provisions 
 and better usage than before.' Mr. Elphlnstone, one of the Mastcr'i 
 iNIatcs, who was lying awake in his hauuuock, which hung at the outside 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 775 
 
 of the opposite berth, likewise heart! wliiU this man said to mo. I imme- 
 diately (Iresseil myself, and went up the fore hatchway : having got upon the 
 booms on the larboard side, I walked aft as far as the quarter of the boat, 
 and saw the Captain standing on the larboard side of the quarter-deck, u 
 little before the binnacle, in his shirt, with his hands tied behind him, and 
 Mr. Christian standing on the right hand aide of him, with a drawn bayo- 
 net in his hand, and a small pistol in his pocket. He (Mr. (Jhristian) was 
 giving orders to Mr. Cole, the boatswain, to hoist the large cutter out, the 
 small one having been got out some time before. Upon this, I came a 
 little further forward, and crossing over to the other side, saw Mr. Chris- 
 tian beckon to Rlr. Thomas Hayward, who, with Mr. John Hallet, was 
 standing on the quarter-deck, between the two 4-pounders ; he said to 
 him, 'Get yourself ready to go in the boat, Sir.' Mr. Hayward made 
 answer, * Why f Mr. Christian, what harm did I ever do you that yot; 
 should be so hard upon me i I hope you wop't insist upon it.' Mr. 
 Christian repeated the same order to him, and to Mr. Hallet, who seem? 
 ed to be in tears, and answered, * I hope not. Sir.* Hearing this, and be- 
 ing afraid that if I came in his sight he might give me similar orders, which 
 I feared very much, because I had just before asked one of the men, whom 
 I saw with a musket in his hand, why they were getting the boats out ? and 
 he answered, ' that the Captain, with some individuals, were to be sent 
 on shore at Tofoa, in the launch ; and he believed that all the rest who were 
 not of Mr. Christian's party, might either accompany them, or remain on 
 board and Ve carried to Otaheitc, where they would be left among the na- 
 tives, as the ship was going there, to procure refreshments and stock, to 
 take to some unknown island, mi order to form a settlement.' Hearing 
 this, I was so perplexed and astonished, that I knew not what to do or 
 think ; but sat down on the gunwale of the ship, on the starboard side, 
 just under the fore shroudss and weighed the diflerence of those two dreadful 
 alternatives in my mind. I considered that thu Indians at Tofoa, be- 
 ing of the same stock as those at Annamooka, a|vpcared to mc to be a very 
 savage sort of people when unawed by the sight of iirc-artns, and from 
 whom nought but death could be expected, in order to facilitate their ob- 
 taining possession of the boat, and whatever she might contain of most 
 value to them ; thinking also, that their natural ferocity might be sharpened 
 and increased to revenge by the treatment some of the chiefs of Annamoo- 
 ka had received on board the ship, two days before, when we left that 
 island, as they had been confined on board, in order to make them pro- 
 duce a grapnel which had been stolen ; the news of which, I made no 
 doubt, had by this time reached Tofoa ; and besides, I considered that a 
 small boat, deeply laden with a number of men* and provisions for their 
 sustenance, would be a very precarious and forlorn hope to trust life to, 
 in sailing across so vast an cxpuni<e of ocean as lay between that island 
 and the nearest civilized port : that in pursuing this plan, death appeared 
 to mc inevitable in the most horrid and dreadful form of starvation. On 
 the other hand, I knew the natives of Otaheile, from the experience I had 
 had of them during a stay of twenty-three weeks on shore there, to be re- 
 
 3 E 2 
 
 t 
 
 1! 
 
fiS^ "vvj- 
 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 ^' 
 
 
 
 
 4e. 
 
 :/- 
 
 f/. 
 
 LO 
 
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 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 .. * 
 
 tnarkahly friendly and hospitable to strangers ; and by their kind assistance 
 and benevolence, I had some hopes, if I could get there, that my life 
 might be preserved till a ship arrived from England, which I doubted not 
 would be the case if the Bounty's absence greatly exceeded the limited time 
 for her return to Europe. This appeared to me the only course by which I 
 could ever expect to revisit my native countr>, or even to preserve my 
 life. Tlius, self-preservation, that first law of nature, was the sole motive 
 that induced me to resolve upon the latter alternative. Having sat on the 
 gunwale till the large cutter was over the side, I saw some of the people 
 clearing the launch of the yams which had been stowed in her, among 
 whom was Mr. Thomas Hayward ; I went into her to assist, at the desire 
 of Mr. Cole, the boatswain ; and after being there a short time, Mr. Hay- 
 ward asked me what I intended to do in the present situation of affairs ? I 
 answered, * To remain in the ship ;* and said, * do you imagine I would 
 voluntarily throw my life away ?' Upon which he replied, " Aye, I wish I 
 might have that liberty granted me, but Christian has ordered me to get 
 into the boat.' I then told him my reasons for wishing to remain in the 
 ship, which I have just now fully explained : I likewise told the same t* 
 George Simpson, who was a man that I regarded, as he had washed for 
 me, and had taken great pains to instruct me in several parts of practical 
 seamanship : he was present in the launch at the time when I was talking 
 with Mr. Hayward, and must have heard all that passed betwixt us. 
 
 " I next saw Mr. Fryer, the Master, who I understood had been confined 
 in his cabin, but was recently permitted to come on the quarter-deck, step 
 towards Mr. Christian on the larboard side : I was then sitting upon the 
 fore part of the booms, on the starboard side of ' no man's land,' and 
 though I could not hear what he said to Mr. Christian upon his first conn- 
 ing up, yet a little while after I could distinctly hear him say these words : 
 ' Why, Mr. Christian, you had better let me stay in the ship, for you cer« 
 tainly will not know what to do with her.' I did not hear what answer 
 Christian made, but Mr. Fryer was soon after forced down into his cabin 
 again. The Master being now the third officer, besides Mr. Samuel, the 
 Captain's Clerk, who bad asked permission to remain in the ship, or at 
 least upon receiving orders to go in the boat had sheivn such reluctance as 
 made it appear they secretly wished it might be otherwise \ and knowing 
 them all to have had long experience in the naval service, I assured my- 
 self that their desire to remun was not improper ; and it served to con- 
 vince me, that in our present situation, my intentions to do so were like- 
 wiM blameltss. I was confirmed in thia opinion by Mr. Bligh'i telling 
 several of the men who were endeavouring to follow him into the launch, 
 ' For God's sake, my lads, don't any more of you come into the boat } I'll 
 do you justice if ever I should get heme *.' Thus he prevented tbeu, 
 and they remained in the ship. 
 
 " Perhaps it may be asked, why I did not go ; J Captain Bligh, and tell 
 him that I intended to remain in the ship, and my reasons fur it, as some 
 
 • This, the reader will observe, was a repetition of the promise he had 
 made previouR to his being forced into the launch. See p. 7^6. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 777 
 
 others did ?— To which, with the utmost integrity of heart, the true dictates 
 of which I now express, I can answer, that being but young, not then six- 
 teen years of age, and sent out under the immediate care and protection of 
 Captain Bligh, it being my first voyage to sea, it occurred to me he would 
 bav« thought me too inexperienced to judge for myself in an affair of such 
 moment, and have ordered me to accompany him, which I certainly would 
 have done if he had sent to me to do so, notwithstanding the idea I was 
 so strongly impressed with, that a miserable and untimely end would have 
 been the consequence, which I firmly believed, at that time, must inevit- 
 ably have been the fate of all those who went in the launch. Thus cir- 
 cumstanced, therefore, and being convinced that it was only compulsion, 
 which caused some of the officers to go in the boat, and not any wish of 
 their own that had influenced them ; I thought it would be something 
 like an act of suicide on ray part to go in her voluntarily, by being in some 
 measure accessary and consenting to my own death, which I supposed 
 must have taken place if I had gone, either from the savage fury of the 
 natives on shore, or from the dangers that awaited the launch from so long 
 a voyage as she must have made to arrive at the nearest civilized settle- 
 ment. 
 
 " Though I did not request any of the persons to whom I communicated 
 my intentions of remaining in the ship to inform Captain Bligh of my de- 
 termination, yet it is natural to suppose, that some one or other of them, 
 if asked by him concerning me, when in the boat, would have told him my 
 reasons for remaining behind *. 
 
 " I do most solemnly declare, that, during the whole time I was upon 
 deck, I was in nowise accessary to, or aiding in any respect whatever in 
 the most trivial act tending to mutiny, or mutmous proceedings, either in 
 word or deed, nor in any shape advise or encourage any other person whatso- 
 ever so to do — but, on the contrary, it was ray raost ardent wish that some 
 of those officers who were upon deck would make some endeavour to retake 
 the ship, which if any of them had attempted, I certainly would with the 
 greatest satisfaction, and all the alacrity in my power, have followed their 
 example ; yet, I must candidly confess, that as I saw persons so much older 
 and more experienced than myself, quite backward in taking such mea- 
 sures, it made me entertain too mean an opinion of my own abilities, being 
 a mere boy in comparison with them, to have had the presumption to think 
 that any step I could take singly, young as I was, could have had the least 
 shadow of success ; although, at the same time, I did hope that my feeble 
 endeavours to assist, when added to their knowledge and experience, if 
 put in force, would have had some effect. I therefore waited in hope and si- 
 lent expectation, that through their means affairs might have taken a different 
 turn, without shewing any outward appearance of what I so ardently wish- 
 ed i but the boat quitted the ship without any such exertions being made. 
 
 " When nearly all the officers and men who went away had got into the 
 
 * It is probable that some of those persons informed Lieutenant 
 Bligh of Mr. Hey wooil't determination, without stating the reasous he had 
 assigQed. 
 
 
 !»* 
 
778 
 
 POSt-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 ! \ 
 
 launch along-side> and as I was standing upon the booms on the starboard 
 side, abreast of the main hatchway, Charles Churchhill, the master-at- 
 arms, came up to me, with a bayonet and cartouch-box buckled round his 
 waist, and a small pistol, (the same which I had before seen sticking out 
 of Christian's pocket) in his hand, and said to me, ' What are ^ou going to 
 do ?' I answered what I thought leaned to the side of rectitude, and added, 
 ' I think I shall remain in the ship.' Just then Mr. George Stewai t came 
 towards me, and asking the same question, I gave him a similar answer. But 
 he said, ' Don't think of it ; for, if you stay, you'll incur an equal portion of 
 guilt with the; mutineers, though you're no hand in the mutiny—^come down 
 to the berth with me ; let us get two or three necessaries, and go in the 
 launch with the Captain.' Churchill then turned to him, and said, * Why* 
 Mr. Stewart^ I thought yon had been a man of more spirit :' to whom he re- 
 plied, * yes, Churchill, but I won't bite off my nose to be revenged upon my 
 face.' I knowing Mr. Stewart to be an experienced naval officer, was at 
 once persuaded by him ; yet I had some doubts of bis knowledge when I 
 called to mind the wishes of the other officers, (so similar to my own, to 
 remain in the ship) who ought likewise to know as well; I was, thereforCji 
 in the most painful dilemma. However, taking his advice, I jumped down 
 the hatchway with him, but no sooner had we got into our berth, than 
 Churchill called down to Matthew Thompson, the sentry over the arm- 
 chest, saying, ' Don't let either of them come out of the berth till I give 
 you orders.' Mr. Stewart having taken his pocket book out of his chest, 
 attempted to leave the berth ; but thompson pointed a pistol towards his 
 breast, saying, * Don't yon hear the orders I have just received, you had 
 better stay where you are.' Mr. Stewart then hailed Churchill, and said, 
 ' If you won't let us go, I desire you'll inform the Captain that we are de- 
 tained by force.' To which he replied* * Aye, aye, I'll take care of that.' 
 I remained in the berth till Churchill told Thompson to let me come upon 
 deck, but the launch v^as then far astern *." 
 
 Mr. Heywood, in the succeeding portion of his defence^ 
 gives a brief account of his sufferings in consequence of the 
 rash and unjustifiable conduct of Mr. Christian ; after which, 
 and describing in the most pathetic manner his anxiety for 
 the safety of those who had been so inhumanly turned adrift, 
 he proceeds as follows : 
 
 " Immediately on the arrival of the Pandora, I voluntarily, and without 
 any reluctance or hesitation, resigned myself to Captain Edwards, who 
 confined me as a prisoner in irons, until the ship was lost in Endeavour 
 Mtraits, on the a9th Aug. 1791, when I had a very narrow escape of going 
 
 * Mr. Stewart was no sooner released than he demanded of Christian 
 the reason of his detention; upon which the latter denied having given any 
 directions to that effect, and his assertion wns corroborated by Churchill, 
 who declared that he had kept both him and Mr. Ileywuod below, know-' 
 ing it was their intention to go away with Bligh ; " in which case," added 
 he, " what would become of us if any thing should happen to you ; whu 
 is there but yourself and them to depend upon in navigating the ship )" 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 m 
 
 down with her in fetters. We were upwards of a fortnight in the boats be- 
 fore we reached Coupang, during which time we suffered much from him- 
 ger and thirst, and encountered innumerable perils and dangers. Wc 
 sailed from thence on the 6th of October, and arrived at Batavia about a 
 month afterwards. It is well known by what means wc have arrived since 
 in England. 
 
 " I have now concluded my most melancholy narrative, the truth of 
 which I do most solemnly attest ; and after hearing the relation of the dis- 
 tressed situation I was placed in, and all the motives which induced mc to 
 remain in the ship, if a candid and impartial hearer should be able to dis- 
 tinguish the least criminality, I can then advance nothing further in my 
 own defence, but must, with the most profound respect and humility, throw 
 myself upon the mercy of the honourable Gentlemen of which this tribunal 
 of earthly justice is composed ; trusting, that in pity and commiseration to 
 my youth, the short period I have been in the service, and the many hard- 
 ships and dangers I have undergone, during a grievous confinement of 
 nearly eighteen months, they will impute the whole to my ignorance and 
 inexperience, and will be inclined to shew an instance of merciful clemency 
 to their most submissive, and truly unfortunate Prisoner." 
 
 In the naval service it is a well understood axiom, " that 
 those who are not for us, are against usj" and according to 
 the tenor of martial law, however severe it may appear to 
 civilians, the man who stands neuter, in cases of mutiny, is 
 equally culpable with him who lifts his arm against his supe- 
 rior. In short, a military tribunal must either fully acquit, 
 or sentence the prisoner to death ; there is no medium be- 
 tween perfect innocence and absolute guilt. The strong 
 points of Mr. Heywood's defence were his extreme youth 
 and consequent inexperience, and his voluntary surrender to 
 the Pandora's Captain immediately on that ship's arrival at 
 Otaheitej but these proved inauflBcient, as v/ill be seen by the 
 following extract from a letter written by him to the Rev. Dr. 
 Patrick Scott, a friend of his afflicted family, dated on board 
 the Hector, Sept. 20, 1792: 
 
 " Honoured and dear Sir, — On Wednesday, the 12th instant, the awful 
 trial commenced, and I now communicate to you the melancholy issue of 
 it, which, as I desired my friend Mr. Graham to inform you of immediately, 
 will be no dreadful news to you. The morning lours, and all my hope 
 of worldly joy is fled far from mc ! On Tuesday, the ISlh inst. the dread- 
 ful sentence of death was pronounced upon me ! to which (being the de- 
 cree of that Divine Providence who first gave me breath) I bow my devoted 
 head, with that fortitude, chearfulncss, and resignation, which is the duly 
 of every member of the church of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer 
 CiniiBT Jesus ! To him alone I now look up for succfiur, in full hope, 
 that perhaps a few days more will open to the view of my astonished and 
 fearful soul his kingdom of eternal -wA incomprehensible blUi, pre|mied 
 
 it:,v 
 
 
780 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 only for the rij^hteoua of heart. I have not been found guilty of the slightest 
 act of the detestable crime of mutiny, but am doomed to die for not being 
 active in my endeavours to suppress it. Could the witnesses who appear- 
 ed on the cour>,-martial be tried, they would also suffer for the same and 
 only crime of which I have been guilty— but I am to be the victim ! 
 •••••• As this is too tender a subject for me to inform iiy 
 
 unhappy and distressed mother and sisters of, I trust, dear Sir, you will 
 either shew them this letter, or make known to them the truly dreadful 
 intelligence, in such a manner as, assisted by your wholesome and paternal 
 advice, may enable them to bear it with Christian fortitude. The only 
 worldly feelings I am now possessed of are for their happiness and welfare ; 
 but even these, in my present situation, I must endeavour, with God's as- 
 sistance, to eradicate from my heart. How hard soever the task 1 1 must 
 strive against cherishing any temporal affections. £ndeavour, dear Su-, to 
 mitigate my afflicted mother's sorrow ; give my everlasting duty to her, 
 and unabated love to my disconsolate brothers and sisters, and all the 
 other relatives I have; encourage them, by my example, to bear up with 
 fortitude, and resignation to the divine will, under their load of misfortunes, 
 almost too great for female nature to support ; and teach them to be 
 fully persuaded that all hopes of happiness on earth are vun ! As to my- 
 self, I still enjoy the most easy serenity of mind, and am, dearest Sir, 
 your greatly indebted and most dutiful, but ill-fated 
 
 (Signed) •* Peter Heywood*.'* 
 
 The gentleman alluded to above was the late Aaron Graham 
 Esq. formerly a Purser, R. N. and afterwards well known and 
 deservedly respected for his vigilance and integrity as a police 
 magistrate in London. His communication fortunately 
 reached Dr. Scott by the same packet that conveyed Mr. 
 Peter Heywood's letter ; and the worthy divine was thereby 
 enabled to assure his distressed friend that her beloved son 
 was not only considered innocent by all who had attended his 
 trial, but that his enlargement and speedy restoration to her 
 arms might confidently be expected. The following is an 
 exact copy thereof : 
 
 " Portmouth, Tueiday, Sept. 18, 1792. 
 
 " Sir,— Although a stranger, I make no apology for writing to you. 
 I have attended and given my assistance at Mr. Heywood^ trial, which 
 was finished, and the sentence passed, about half an hour since. Before 
 I tell you what is the sentence, I must inform you that his life is safe, 
 notwithstanding it is at present at the mercy of the King, to which he is 
 in the ttrongest terms recommended by the Court. That any unnecessary 
 
 * Mr. Heywood, senior, paid the debt of nature on the 6th of Feb. 
 1790, and was thereby spared the heart-rending affliction to which his 
 unhappy widow was doomed. 
 
POST-CAPTAIN* OF 19D3. 
 
 781 
 
 fears may not be productive of misery to the family, I must add, that 
 the King's Attorney General, who with Judge Ashurst attended the trial, 
 desired me to make myself perfectly easy, for that my friend was as 
 safe as if he had not been condemned ! I would have avoided making 
 use of this dreadful word — but it must have come to your knowlege, and, 
 perhaps, unaccompanied by others of a pleasing kind. The mode of 
 communication to hb mother and sisters I must leave to your discretion ; 
 and shall only add, that, although from a combination of circumstances, 
 ill-nature, and mistaken friendship, the sentence is in itself terrible, yet 
 it is incumbent on me to assure you, that from the same combination of 
 circumstances, every body who attended the trial is perfectly satisfied in 
 his own mind, that he teat hardly guilty in appearance — ^in intention he 
 wat perfectly innocent. I shall of course write to Commodore Pasley, 
 whose mind, from my letter to him of yesterday, must be dreadfully 
 agitated, and take his advice about what is to be done, when Mr. Hey- 
 \vood is released. I shall stay here till then ; and my intention is after- 
 wards to take him to my house in town, where I think he had better stay 
 till one of the family calls for him, as he will require a great deal of 
 tender management after uU his sufferings ; and it would perhaps be a 
 necessary preparation for seeing Mrs. Hey wood, that one or both of his 
 sisters should be previously prepared to support her upon so trying an 
 occasion. I can only say that they would make me very happy in taking 
 the charge out of my hands ; and if to spend a few days in London will 
 not be disagreeable to them, I have a daughter, who, though young, 
 will feel herself bound to make their stay, however short it may be, as 
 agreeable as possible. I have the honor to be« tec. .. , 
 
 ., , ,. (Signed) ** A. Graham.'* 
 
 In a subsequent letter from the same gentleman to Dr. 
 Scott j we find the following passage : ^ , ■ n, 
 
 " It will be a great satisfaction to his family to learn that the declara- 
 tions of some of the other prisoners, since the trial, put it past all doubt 
 that the evidence upon which he was convicted must have been, to say 
 nothing worse of it, an unfortunate belief on the part of the witness, 
 of circumstances, which either never had existence, or were applica- 
 ble to another gentleman who remained in the ship, and not to Mr. 
 Hey wood." 
 
 The points of evidence alluded to by Mr. Graham wel!« 
 as follow : — 1st. That Mr. Peter Hey wood assisted in hoist- 
 ing out the launch. 2d. That he was seen by the Carpenter 
 resting his hand upon a cutlass. 3d. That upon being called 
 to by Lieutenant Biigh, he laughed. And^ 4th, That he re- 
 mained on board the Bounty, instead of accompanying Lieu- 
 tenant Bligh in the launch. Mr. Heywood's comments on 
 this evidence are here tiubmittcd to the reader's cousideratioi^ 
 
 n 
 
 i 
 
782 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 II, ■',; 
 
 ih the exact form in which they were transmitted by him to 
 Lord Chatham^ then presiding at the Admiralty. 
 
 "Peter Heywood'a Remarks upon material parts of the Evidence 
 which was given at his Trial on board the Duke> in Portsmouth 
 ' Harbour. 
 
 *• First, That I atiisted in hoisting out the Launch.'—Tlm boat was 
 asked for by the Captain and his officers, and whoever assisted in hoisting 
 her out were their friends ; for if the Captain had been sent away in the 
 cutter (which was Christian's first intention), he could not have taken with 
 him more than nine or ten men, whereas the launch carried nineteen. 
 The Boatswain, the Master, the Gunner, and the Carpenter say, in their 
 evidence> that they considered me as helping the Captun on this occa- 
 sion*. 
 
 " Second, That t wait seen hy the Catpenter resting iny hand upon a cut- 
 lass. — •! was seen in this position by no other person than the Carpenter — 
 no other person therefore could have been intimidated by my appearance. 
 Was the Carpenter intimidated by it ?— No. So far from being afraid of 
 me, he did not even look upon me in the light of a person armed, but 
 pointed out to roe the danger there was of my being thought so, and I 
 immediately took away my hand from the cutlass, upon which I had 
 Very innocently put it when 1 was in a state of stupor. The Court was 
 particularly pointed in its enquiries into this circumstance, and the Car- 
 penter was pressed to declare, upon the oath he had taken, and after ma- 
 turely considering the matter, whether he did at the time he saw me so 
 situated, or had since been inclined to believe> that, under all the circum- 
 stances of the case, I could be considered as an atmed man — to which 
 he uneijuivocally answered — No ; and he gave some good reasons (which 
 will be found in his evidence) for thinking that I had not a wish to I'e 
 armed during the mutiny. The Master, the Boatswain, the Gunner, 
 Mr. Hayw^rd, Mr. Hallet, and John Smith, (who with the Carpenter 
 were all the witueMeti belonging to the Bounty) say, in their evidence, 
 that they did not, any of them, see me armed; and the Boatswain and 
 Carpenter further say, in the most pointed terms, that they considered 
 me to be one of the Captain's party, and by no means as belonging to the 
 mutineers : and the Master, the Boatswain, the Carpenter, the Gunner 
 all declare that, from what they observed on my conduct during the 
 mutiny, and from a recollection of my bchavioiu* previous thereto, they 
 were convinced I would have afforded them all the assistance in my 
 power if an opportunity had offered to retake the ship. 
 
 " Third, That upon being called to by the Captain, I laughed.— li this 
 
 ^.iwv, a- 
 
 r.,i( ii>\i » 
 
 ** On the 4th July, 1792, Mr. Heywood received a letter from Mr. 
 Pryer, the master, containing these words : " Keep your spirits up, for 
 t am of opinion no one can say you had an active part in the mutiny ; 
 and be assured of my doing you justice when called upon.'* 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 783 
 
 Was believed by the Court it must have had, I am afraid, a very great 
 effect upon its judgment ; for if viewed in too serious a light, it would 
 seem to bring together and combine a number of trifling circumstances, 
 which by themselves could only be treated merely as matters of suspicion. 
 It was no doubt, therefore, received with caution, and considered with 
 the utmost candour. The <!uuntcnance I grant, on some other occasions, 
 may warrant an opinion of good or evil existing in the mind ; but on the 
 momentous events of life or death, it is surely by much too indefinite and 
 hazardous even to listen to for a moment. The different ways of ex- 
 pressing our various passions are, with many, as variable as the featdres 
 they wear. Tears have often been, nay generally are, the relief of ex^ 
 cessive joy, while misery and dejection have many a time disguised them- 
 selves in a smile ; and convulsive laughs have betrayed the anguish of an 
 almost broken heart. To judge therefore the principles of the heart by 
 the barometer of the face, is as erroneous as it would be absurd and un- 
 just. This matter may likewise be considered in anotlier point of view. 
 Mr. Hallet says I laughed in consequence of being called to by the Cap- 
 tain, who was abaft the mizen-mast, while I was upon the platform near 
 the fore hatchway — a distance of more than 30 feet. If the Captain 
 intended I should Jiear him, and there can be no doubt that he wished it, 
 if he really called to me, he must have exerted his voice, and very consi- 
 derably too, upon such an occasion, and in such a situation, and yet Mr. 
 Hallet himself, who, by being upon the quarter-deck could not have been 
 half the distance from the Captain that I was — even he, I say, could not 
 hear what was said to me : — ^how then, in the name of God, was it possi- 
 ble that I should have heard the Captain at all, situated as I must have 
 been, in the midst of noisy confusion? And if I did not hear him, whkh 
 t most solemnly aver to be the truth, even granted that I laughed (which, 
 however, in my present awful situation, I declare I believe I did not), 
 it could not have be6n at what the Captain said. Upon this ground, then, 
 I hope I shall stand acquitted of this charge ; for if the crime derives its 
 guilt from the knowlege I had of the C ntun's speaking to me, it follows 
 of course, that if I did not hear him spva^: there could be no crime in my 
 laughing. It may, however, very fairly be asked, why Mr. Hallet did 
 not make known that the Captain was calling to me ? His duty to the 
 Captain, if not his friendship for me, should have prompted him to it; 
 and the peculiarity of our situation required this act of kindness at his 
 hands. I shall only observe further upon this head, that the Boat- 
 swain, the Carpenter^ and Mr. Hayward, who saw more of me than any 
 other of the witnesses, did say in their evidence that I had rather a sor- 
 rowful oountenance on the day of the mutiny. 
 
 "Fourth, That I remained on board the ship, instead of going in the 
 fwat teith the Captain. — ^That I was at first alarmed, and afraid of going 
 into the boat, I will not pretend to deny ; but that afterwards I wished 
 to accompany the (./aptain, and should have done it, if I had not been 
 prevented by Thompson, who confined me below, by the order of 
 Churchill, is clearly proved by the' evidence of several of the witnesses. 
 
 :'!I 
 
 ^:^i 
 
784 
 
 POBT -CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 The Boatswain says, that just before he left the ship I went below, and 
 in passing him said sometliing about a bag, — (it was that I would put a 
 few things into a bag and follow him) ; the Carpenter says he saw me 
 go below at this time ; and both those witnesses say, that they heard the 
 master-at-arms call to Thompson 'to keep them below.* The point, 
 therefore, will be to prove to whom this order, ' keep them below,* would 
 apply. The Boats\yain and Carpenter say they have no doubt of its 
 meaning me as one ; and that it must have been so I shall have very 
 little difficulty in shewing, by the following statement : 
 
 " There remained on board the ship after the boat put off, 25 men. 
 Messrs Hayward and Hallet have proved that the following men were 
 under arms :— Christian, Hillbrant, Millward, Burkitt, Muspratt, Ellison, 
 Sumner, Smith, Young, Skinner, Churchill, M'Koy, Quintal, Morrison, 
 Williams, Thompson, Mills, and Brown — ^in all 18. The Master, and 
 upon this occasion I may be allowed to quote from the Captain's printed 
 narrative, mentions Martin as one ; which makes the number of armed 
 men 19, none of whom, we may reasonably suppose, were ordered to be 
 kept below. Indeed Mr. Hayward says that there were at the least 18 
 of them upon deck when ho went into the boat ; and if Thompson, the 
 centinel over the arm-chest, be added to them, it exactly agrees with the 
 number above named : there remuns then 6, to whom Churchill's order, 
 ' Keep them below,' might apply, viz. Hey wood, Stewart, Coleman, Nor- 
 man, M'Intosh, and Byrne. 
 
 " Could Byrne have been one of them ? No, for he was in the cutter 
 alongside. Could Coleman have been one of them ? iVio, for he was at 
 the gangway when the Captain and officers went into the launch, and aft 
 upon the taffrail when the boat was veered astern. Could Norman have 
 been one of them ? No, for he was with Coleman, speaking to the Cap- 
 tain and the officers. Could M'Intosh have been one of them ? No, for 
 he was with Coleman and Norman, desiring the Captun and the officers to 
 take notice that they were not concerned in the mutiny *. It could then 
 have applied to nobody but Mr. Stewart and myself : and by this order 
 of Churchill's, therefore, was I prevented from going with the Captain in 
 the boat. 
 
 ** The foregoing appear to me the most material points of evidence on 
 the part of the prosecution. My defence being very full> and the body of 
 evidence in my favour too great to admit of observation in this concise 
 manner, I shdl refer fcr an opinion thereon to the mmutes of the court- 
 martial. 
 
 (Signed) "P. Hbywood.'* 
 
 We have reason to believe that these comments produced 
 as great an effect upon the mind of Lord Chatham, as even 
 the recommendation to royal mercy, which had been for- 
 warded by Mr. Hey wood's judges. Certain it is, that they 
 
 1o "i:»rno irH 
 
 See the Bounty's Voyage, p. 157* 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. JQo 
 
 greatly accelerated his restoration to liberty, which took 
 place Oct. 27, 1792. 
 
 The King's free and unconditional pardon having been 
 read to Mr. Heywood by Captain Montagu, he addressed 
 that officer in the following terms, the sincerity of which has 
 been amply proved by his subsequent conduct : 
 
 " Sir, — ^Vhen the sentence of the law was passed upon me, I received 
 it, I trust, as became a Man ; and if it had been carried into execution, I 
 should have met my fate, I hope, in a manner becoming a Christian. 
 Your admonition cannot fail to make a lasting impression on my mind. — 
 I receive with gratitude my Sovereign's mercy, for which my future life 
 shall be faithfully devoted to his service." 
 
 Digressing for a moment from our " straight forward " 
 course, we shall here introduce an extract from a letter writ- 
 ten by one of Mr. Peter Heywood's brothers, describing his 
 serenity of mind during the awfiil period of five weeks and 
 four days, that elapsed between his trial and liberation. • ' ° 
 
 ** While I write this, Peter is sitting by me, making an Otaheitean vo- 
 cabulary, and so happy and intent upon it that I have no opportunity of 
 saying a word to him. I assure you he is at present in excellent spirits, 
 and I am perfectly convinced they get better and better every day *." 
 
 It will be seen by the foregoing statement of undeniable 
 facts, that Mr. J^eter Heywood's professional debut was a 
 most unpromising one ; yet, ultimately, the misfortunes of 
 his youth proved highly beneficial to him. The greater part 
 of those distinguished officers who had sat as members of 
 the court-martial, justly consideruig him much more unfor- 
 tunate than criminal, extended their patronage to him imme- 
 diately after his release, and through their good offices and 
 
 • The vocabulary alluded to by Mr. James Heywood, proved highly 
 useful to the missionaries who were afterwards sent to Otaheite, and is 
 thus spoken of at p. 13 of the " Duff's Voyage." 
 
 " An ingenious clergyman of Portsmouth kindly furnished Dr. Haweis 
 and Mr. Greatheed with a manuscript vocabulary of the Otaheitean lan- 
 guage, and an account of the country, which providentially he preserved 
 from the mutineers who were seized by the Pandora, and brought to 
 Portsmouth for their trial, which was of unspeakable service to the mis- 
 sionaries, both for the help which it afforded them to learn before their 
 arrival much of this unknown tongue, and also as giving the most inviting 
 and encoiutiging description of the native«»«i|d the corifii|l reception which 
 they might expect." '^i '>*' w i^T 
 
 I 
 
786 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 his own meritorious behaviour, he was subsequently advanced, 
 step by step, to the rank he at present holds. The duties 
 which have fallen to his share he has ever performed with a 
 zeal not inferior to that of any other officer in the service, 
 and entirely to the satisfaction of his superiors. The young 
 men who have had the honor of serving under him, many of 
 whom now enjoy commissions, will readily and gratefully 
 acknowlege that, both by precept and his own example, he 
 invariably endeavoured to form their characters, as men and 
 officers, on the solid principles of religion and virtue. In 
 short, we do not hesitate to say, that his King and Country 
 never had a more faithful servant, nor the naval service a 
 more worthy and respectable member. *^"" 'r'-i' f 
 
 It is very natural to suppose that Mr. Heywood, after his 
 release, would lose no time in hastening to the arms of his 
 family, whose emotions on seeing him again at liberty, and 
 that with an unblemished reputation, may readily be conceiv- 
 ed. By their affectionate treatment, his health, which had 
 been greatly impaired through long confinement and unme- 
 rited sufferings, was at length completely re-established ; and 
 on the 17th May, 1793, we find him joining the Bellerophon, 
 a third rate, bearing the broad pendant of his uncle Commo- 
 dore Pasley, who, previous to the court-martial, had taken 
 great pains to investigate the circumstances attending the 
 Bounty's mutiny, and in letters written by him to Mrs. Hey- 
 wood, expressed his perfect conviction of the innocence of 
 her son. i .u,- , 
 
 We should here state that Lord Hood, who presided at 
 Mt. Heywood*s trial, had earnestly recommended him to 
 embark again as a Midshipman without delay, and offered 
 to take him under his own immediate patronage, in the Vic- 
 tory of 100 guns. This proposal, however, was declined by 
 Commodore Pasley, who soon after placed him under the 
 protection of the Hon. Captain Legge, then commanding the 
 Niger fngate, with whom he served as Master's Mate till 
 the 23d Sept. following, when he was received on board the 
 Queen Charlotte, a first rate, bearing the union flag hoisted 
 by Earl Howe, as commander-in-chief of the Channel or 
 grand fleet. 
 
 In that ship Mr. Heywood served as Signal Midshipman 
 
or 
 
 l>OST- CAPTAINS. OF 1803, 7^7 
 
 and Master's Mate, under his Lordship's own eye, and the 
 respective commands of Sir Hugh C. Christian and Sir An- 
 drew Snape Douglas, who together with Sir Roger Curtis, 
 the Captain of the Fleet, were members of his court-martial, 
 and who all gave him the most flattering proofs of their 
 esteem and approbation, not only whilst he served with them, 
 but as long as they severally continued in existence. 
 
 In the actions with the French fleet. May 28 and 29, and 
 June 1, 1/94, Mr. Heywood did his duty on the quarter-deck 
 as an aid-du-cariij) to Sir Andrew S. Douglas *; and after the 
 return of the victorious fleet to Spithead, he had the honor 
 to be selected as one of the two Midshipmen appointed to 
 attend the side whenever his late Majesty visited the Queen 
 Charlotte, or went to and fro in her barge. 
 
 Some doubts having arisen about this period as to the pro- 
 priety of giving naval rank to a person who had been placed 
 in Mr. Hey wood's late critical situation, his friend Sir Roger 
 Curtis was kind enough to consult an eminent lawyer, whose 
 opinion on that subject we now lay before our readers. 
 
 "July 21, 1/94. 
 
 " The warrant for the execution of some of the offenders, and the par- 
 don of Mr. Heywood, states the charge to have been ' for mutinously run- 
 ning away with the armed vessel the Bounty, and deserting from his Ma- 
 jesty's service.' This you will find to be the 15th in the catalogue of 
 offences enumerated in the act of 22 Geo. II. c. 33 ; and it is thereby en- 
 acted that the offender shall tuffer death. Nothing is said of any incapa- 
 cities whatever, and indeed if would have been strange to have superad- 
 ded incapacities to a capital punishment. 
 
 " The judgments which p court-martial is empowered by that act to 
 pronounce are of three oistinct kinds : the one discretionary ; another 
 capital ; and a thud, incapacity ever to serve in the navy. The last (ex- 
 cept so far as it is included in discretionary sentences) is enacted in one 
 instance only, namely the 18th, which respects the taking on board any 
 other goods than gold, silver, jewels, &c. Upon this state of things it 
 should seem clear, that Mr. Heywood having received judgment of death, 
 the onUj judgment which the act empowers, the court-martial to pro- 
 nounce, and his Majesty havmg been pleased to dispense with the execu. 
 tion of that sentence, the plain principle of the Common Lata ought to 
 take place, by which Mr. Heywood is in point of cnpacity to hold any 
 station, civil or military, no way now distinguished from any other subject. 
 
 • See Vol. 11. Part I. note at p. 54, 
 
 I 
 
 -sTifc. 
 
788 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 I. I; 
 
 You will moreover observe, that the directions of this act must be liter' 
 allj observed, being in a matter highly penal, and that no disabilities or 
 incapacities can be introduced by inference. I should myself clearly con- 
 ceive, that an offence attended with judgment of death, having been par- 
 doned by his Mi^esty, the supposed offender is in this case, in the same 
 situation as if no such judgment had ever been passed.'' 
 
 In Aug. 1794, Earl Howe gave Mr. Heywood an order to 
 act as a Lieutenant on board the Robust 7 A, then in Torbay ; 
 but another officer having been appointed to her by the Ad- 
 miralty, previous to the receipt of his Lordship's promotion 
 lists, he was superseded on his return to that anchorage in 
 October following, and with several other gentlemen, similarly 
 situated, obliged to rejoin the Queen Charlotte. He, however, 
 received a commission from the Board, appointing him to the 
 Incendiary fire-ship, on the 9th of March, 1795. 
 
 Lieutenant Heywood's next appointment was April 7) in 
 the same year, to la Nymphe of 40 guns, commanded by 
 Captain George Murray; and on the 23d of June following 
 we find him present at the capture of three French line-of- 
 battle ships, by Lord Bridport's fleet, near I'Orient *. Sub- 
 sequent to this event, la Nymphe was stationed in the North 
 Sea, under the command of Captain George Losack, with 
 whom he remained until paid off at Plymouth, towards the 
 close of 1795, -i ■ - ; V .; , . 
 
 • On the ]3th Jan. 1796, Lieutenant Heywood was appoint- 
 ed to the Fox, of 32 guns, in which frigate he served on the 
 North Sea station till the ensuing summer, when she sailed for 
 India as convoy to the outward bound trade. On her arrival at 
 the Cape of Good Hope, he became the senior Lieutenant, and 
 in that capacity he continued till June 18, 1798, when he re- 
 moved with his Captain, the present Sir Pulteney Malcolm, 
 into the Suffolk, a third rate, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral 
 Rainier, to whom he had been previously recommended for 
 promotion by Earl Spencer, the same nobleman who had 
 signed his first commission, and whose good opinion of him 
 will be seen by the following copy of a letter dated at the Ad- 
 miralty, Jan. 13, 1797 1 : — • ? ' 
 
 * See Vol. I. p. 246. N. B. Captain Murray on that occasion com- 
 manded the advanced squadron of frigates. 
 
 t The manner in which the Fox was employed whilst under the com- 
 mand of Captain Malcolm, has been described in our first volume, at p.584. 
 
POST-GAFrAINS OF 1803. 
 
 789 
 
 i 
 
 *• Sir, — ^I iihould have returned an earlier answer to your letter o: the 
 Cth inst., if I had not been desirous, before I answered it, to look over 
 >vith as much attention as was in my power, the proceedings on the Court- 
 martial, held in the year 1792, hy which Court Mr. Peter Hey wood was 
 condemned for bein^ concerned in the mutiny oa board the Bounty. 1 felt 
 this to be necessary, from having entertained a very strong opinion that it 
 might be detrimental to the interests of his Majesty's service if n person under 
 such a predicament should be afterwards advanced to the higher and more 
 conspicuous situations of the navy : but having, with great attention, perused 
 the minutes of that Court-martial, as far as they relate to Air. Peter Hey- 
 wood, I have now the satisfaction of being able to inform you, that I think 
 his case was such an one, as, under all its circumstances (though I do not 
 mean to say that the Court were not justified in their sentence) ought not 
 to be considered as a bar to his further progress in his profession ; more 
 especially when the gallantry and propriety of his conduct, in his subse- 
 quent service, is taken into consideration. I shall, therefore, have no difli- 
 I'ulty in mentioning him tc the Commander-in-Chief on the station to 
 Avhich he belongs, as a person from whose promotion, on a proper oppor- 
 tunity, I shall derive much satisfaction, more particularly from his being 
 so nearly connected with you. I have the honor to be. Sir, with 
 great truth, &c. &c. (Signed) " Spencer." 
 
 " To Sir Thomas Pasley, Bart." ' 
 
 On the 17th May, 1799, Vice-Admiral Rainier being in 
 daily expectation of a despatch announcing the fall of Seringa- 
 patam, and the £arl of Mornington, contemplating that event, 
 having previously applied to him for an armed vessel to carry 
 home the important intelligence, was pleased to select the 
 subject of this memoir for that service ; and accordingly ap- 
 pohitcd him Lieutenant and Commander of the Amboyna brig, 
 then cruising with the squadron off Mangalore. To Mr. 
 Heywood's great mortification, however, he found on his ar- 
 rival at Madras, after a passage of only nine days, that the 
 Governor-General's despatches had been sent away in a mer- 
 chant vessel before he left the Suffolk; — ^Tippoo Sultan having 
 been slain, and the Mysore capital carried by storm, thirteen 
 day's prior to the date of Admiral Rainier's order. In conse- 
 quence of this disappointment o rejoined the Suffolk, and 
 continued in her till Aug. 1800, when he was promoted to the 
 command of the Vulcan bomb, and sent in an armed transport 
 to join her at the island of Amboyna. 
 
 Captain Heywood subsequently commanded the Trincoma- 
 ke of 18 guns. Trident 64, Leopard 60, and Dedaigneuse 
 frigate. His post commission was confirmed by the Admi- 
 
 VOL. II. 3 F 
 
790 
 
 POST CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 ralty April 5, 1803 ; and he remained on the East India sta- 
 tion, chiefly employed on confidential detached services, till 
 Jan. 1805, when he was obliged to resign his ship on account 
 of a debilitated state of health, and the recent demise of his 
 eldest brother rendering it necessary for him to attend the 
 settlement of some important family affairs. His applica- 
 tion for permission to do so was thus answered by the officer 
 mider whose command he had then served for an uninter- 
 rupted period of more than eight years : 
 
 " Trident, Port CorntoaUis» Pr'mee of f^alet*s Island, 
 Jan. 23, 1805. 
 
 " Sir,— In answer to yeur letter of yesterday's date, requesting permis- 
 sion to resign the command of H. M. S. la Dedaigneuse, in order to 
 attend to some very pressing and important family concerns, the ma- 
 nagement whereof indispensably demands your presence in tiondon, I 
 have to acquaint you, that I think it but justice dne to yobr very meritori- 
 ous and faithful services, to grant you that permission ; and in farther 
 gratification of your request, I shall, with much pleasure, assure my 
 Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty of my firm persuasion that your 
 application has originated from no other motive than that you have 
 stated, which I have no doubt will appear perfectly satisfactory to their 
 Lordslups, and, when the state of your private affairs will admit, induce 
 them to attend to your solicitation to be agtda appointed io the command 
 of one of H. M. slnps. 
 
 " I cannot help testifying my sincere regret on parting with so able and 
 active an officer as yourself from the squadron I have the honor to com- 
 mand ; and I request your acceptance of my best wishes for the successful 
 accomplishment of the business that has been the occasion of it. I re- 
 main \rith much respect. Sir, your very fiuthful humble servant. 
 
 (Signed) " Pstbr Rainisr." 
 
 «' To Peter Heytoooi, Bt^ 
 
 Captain H. M. S. Dedaigneuse." 
 
 Captain Heywood, white commanding the Leopard, was 
 ordered to survey the east coast of Ceylon, more especially 
 the shoals off the N. £. part of that island, and the whole 
 extent between them and Point Calymere, then utterly uii» 
 known. In addition to the performance of this valuable ser* 
 vice, he ascertained the exact position of almost every place 
 on the Indian coast, and of the different islands to the east- 
 ward, which enabled him to render material assistance to 
 James Horsburgh, £sq. (the present hydrographer to the 
 Kaat India Company), as will be seen by the following ex- 
 
 t AfnnJ 
 miraJty, 
 
 '"'■"O" hill] 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1803. 
 
 791 
 
 a- 
 LiU 
 int 
 
 his 
 
 the 
 
 ica- 
 
 icer 
 
 iter- 
 
 land, 
 
 rdcr to 
 
 le »»*- 
 ndon, I 
 actitori- 
 fartlier 
 jure n»y 
 hat your 
 you Uavc 
 ^ ta tbeir 
 
 Icomino^ 
 
 |o able and 
 jt to com- 
 8ucce«8ful 
 It. IW- 
 
 ^ard, 'wa« 
 BBpccVally 
 ^hc vrholo 
 tterly uiv- 
 [uable ser- 
 
 rcry P^c® 
 the eaat- 
 Lstancc to 
 >er to the 
 [owing ex- 
 
 tract from a memoir of that scieiltific gentleman^ published in 
 1812*: 
 
 " Mr. Horsburgh had the good fortune to sail for Engldhd in the Clren. 
 cester (East Indiabian), Captain Thomas Robertson. • • • • Cap- 
 tain Peter Hey wood, of the navy, was his fellow passenger ; and from that 
 experienced and intelligent oflScer, while arranging his works for publica- 
 tion, he derived great assistance. Since that period too, he has fre({uently 
 benefited by commtnunications from the sanie friendly soiii-ce." 
 
 The prinicpal work published by Mr. Horsburgh, at that 
 period, is entitled ** Directions for sailing id and from the 
 East Indies, China, New Holland, the Cape of Good Hope, 
 and interjacent Ports** Exclusive of sailing directions, arid 
 local descriptions of winds, weather. Currents, coasts, &c. ; 
 the geographical situations of particular head-laiids, islands, 
 ports, and dangers, are stated from actUd obscf nations of sun, 
 moon, and stars ; Or by good tlme-keejiei'^. The titiliiy and 
 iiecessity of a work of this kind had long been evident to ha- 
 vigators, all former directories having been compiled fi'Om a 
 mass of heterogeneous materials, obtained when ships were 
 navigated by dead rcbkoning, prior to the iiivatudblc a|)plica- 
 tion of chronometers^ atid lunar obst;i'^ations to hhutical 
 science, consequently fraught with trrot, tind of very little 
 use in the present improved state of navagatioh f. 
 
 On the 20th Oct. 1806, Rear-Admiral George Mufray be- 
 ing appointed to the cotnmand of a secret ahd i^()ortant 
 expedition, was pleased to select his foriher Li^Utcnilht, the 
 subject of this irieinoir, tb be Jlis Flag-Cal^itin, iri the Poly- 
 l)hehiu^, of G4 guns ; which ship, attefided by ^ sitiall squadron, 
 arrived at the Ca^c of Good Hope, rtnfl Was tHer6 joined by 
 p. fleet of transport*, having oh board upwards faf 4,000 
 troops, towards the lattfer end of Marth, 1807. 
 
 The military commandeil', Brl^adief'-Geheral Craufurd, liad 
 just before received a despatch from Rear-Admiral Murray, 
 ac(j[uainting him that the destination of the armament had 
 been changed in consequence of the reverses sustained by the 
 British army in South America, and that instead of going 
 by the eastern route to Lima, as was originally intended, 
 
 • See Naval Chronicle^ v. 28, p. 441, et se^. 
 t Many of Captain Hcywood's charts have been published by the Ad- 
 miralty, to whom he presented his whole collcetiou, when ho returned 
 from India in 1805. His name is affixed to all those now in u^e. ; , . - 
 
 3 F 2 
 
 If 
 
 
 \ r 
 
 H 
 
792 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803, 
 
 they were now to proceed to the Rio de la Plata^ and act 
 in conjunction with the forces to be there assembled for the 
 recovery of Buenos Ayres. The unsuccessful termination of 
 the campaign in that quarter has been already described in 
 our memoir of Vice-Admiral Stirling *. 
 
 Captain Heywood continued to command the Polyphemus 
 imtil she was ordered to receive the flag of Vice-Admiral B. 
 S, Rowley, in May, 1808. He was subsequently appointed 
 to act in the Donegal, a third rate, during the absence of her 
 proper compander. Captain Pulteney Malcolm ; and on the 
 18th March, 1809, we find him receiving the thanks of the 
 Admiralty (conveyed through Rear- Admiral Stopford) for his 
 conduct in the presence of a French squadron which had es- 
 caped ftom Brest, and for his gallantry in the attack made 
 upon three frigates belonging to the said squadron, which had 
 anchored in the Sable d'Olonne, and were there destroyed on 
 the 23d of the preceding month f. 
 
 In May following. Captain Heywood was appointed to the 
 Nereus, a new 36-gun frigate, in which he served for some 
 time on the Channel and Mediterranean stations. He 
 returned to England with the remains of that great and good 
 officer, Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood^ in the month of 
 April, 1810. 
 
 Captain Heywood was next placed under the orders of 
 Vice-Admiral De Courcy, who employed him on various con- 
 fidential services in the Rio de la Plata, where his zeal and 
 ability proved of great benefit to British commerce, as is fully 
 acknowledged by a numerous body of merchants then resid- 
 ing at Buenos Ayres, from whom he received the following 
 letters of thanks, dated July 27 and Dec. 8, 1811. 
 
 " Sir,-wWe have received the two letters dated the 21st inst. (July) 
 which you did us the honor of writing to ua, accompanied with copies of 
 those you had the goodness to address to his Excellency Don Francisco 
 Xavier Elio, at Monte Video, respecting the British vessels illegally and 
 forcibly detained in that port, and subjected in consequence of the siege to 
 great distress for want of provisions |. 
 
 • See Vol. I. p. 407, et seq. 
 t See Vol. I., p. 617 ; and note * at p. 
 
 696. 
 
 X We need not remind the reader that a civil war then raged in the Pro- 
 viuccs of la Plata ; it is, however, necessary to state, that the decree of the 
 Spanish Regency at Cadiz, conceding to Great Britain the power of carry- 
 
]*OSt-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 793 
 
 " We beg leave to express to y«u our high sense of gratitude for these 
 prompt and energetic exertions, and for the frequent proofs you have been 
 pleased to give u/ of your constant attention to protect and advance our 
 interests since you came to this station. It is highly satisfactory to us to 
 observe, and truly gratifying to our minds to confess, that such dispositions 
 are guided by judgment, temper, and conciliating manners ; calculated to 
 overcome dilBculties, and to fix our entire confidence in you. Being 
 unanimously impressed with these sentiments, we request you will accept 
 our sincere thanks for all the kind attentions and good offices you have 
 been pleased to shew to his Majesty's subjects, individually and collec- 
 tively, in the Rio de la Plata, since we have had the happiness of your 
 presence amongst us, and our assurance of the personal esteem and high 
 respect with which we have the honour to bci Sir, &c. 
 
 (Signed by " Alex. Mackinnon," Chairman, and the prin- 
 cipals of 43 mercantile houses.) 
 " To Peter Heyvoood, Esq. Captain R. N. 
 ^c. ^c. fyc. 
 
 " Sir,— Being now (Dec. 8, 1811) on the point of leaving this station, 
 we cannot in justice to our own feelings refrain from repeating to you our 
 sincere thanks for the constant and uniform protection you have been 
 pleased on every occasion to shew towards our general and individual in- 
 terests. The respectable manner, governed by good tense and temper, 
 in which you have supported the dignity and honour of the British flag, 
 under circumstances of much difficulty, cannot be sufficiently appreciated 
 by private persons, but we trust the discernment of our government, and 
 the liberality of our country, will recognize and reward such meritorious 
 conduct. Allow us to assure you, that as we sincerely regret your depar- 
 ture, we have only to express to you the sentiments of our high respect and 
 esteem ; and that we shall ever remember you with the warmest gratitude. 
 
 " We sincerely wish you a speedy and happy return to England, and 
 uninterrupted success in rising to the summit of your honorable profession. 
 With these unanimous sentiments we have the honor to subscribe ourselves. 
 Sir, your much obliged and faithful humble servants." 
 
 {Signed as he/ore.) 
 *' To P. Hey wood, Esq. Captain H. M. S. Nereus, 
 and Senior Officer in the Rio de la Plata." 
 
 Captain Heywood received the latter testimonial when 
 about to rejoin his commander-in-chief at Rio Janeiro^ from 
 whence he sailed for England, in Jan. 1812. 
 
 Circumstances subsequently occurred which induced go- 
 vernment to send the Nereus back to South America; a 
 determination which must have been very mortifying to her 
 officers and crew, who were thereby prevented from bearing 
 
 ing on commerce with the insurgents of Buenos Ayres and other districts 
 had not yet been made known to the Royalist commander, Elio. 
 
794 P03T-C4PTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 a part in the war then about to take place between Great 
 Britain and the United States ; but Captain Heywood's local 
 knowledge, and the manner in which he had acquitted him- 
 self in his intercourse with the Spanish authorities, were too 
 highly appreciated tq 9t4>^H pf ^ny other ^^r^ngeii^ent b?ipg 
 made. 
 
 After escorting the outward boimd East India fleet to a 
 certain latitude, and communicating with Lord Strangford, 
 the British Ambassador at Rio Janeiro, Captain Heywood 
 resumed his station as senior officer in la Plata ; and continued 
 to afford the most effectual protection to the merchants re- 
 siding on its banks till July 1813, when he returned to the 
 Brazilian capital, and was appointed by Rear-Admiral Dixon, 
 then commander-in-chief on that station, to the Montagu of 
 74 guns, in whiph ship he soon after took his final departure 
 for England, 
 
 On his arrivajl at Portsmouth, (early in Oct. 1813), Captain 
 Heywood had the satisfaction of finding that the merchants 
 concerned in the trade which he had so long and ably sup- 
 ported, were equally grateful for the benefits they derived 
 from his great exertions in their favor, as those who, from 
 being on the spot, had had constant opportunities of witness- 
 ing them. Their letter to the Board of Adiiiiralty will serve 
 as a corroboration of what we have stated : 
 
 •• London, 9th Oct. 1813. 
 " To the Lords Commistionera of the Admiralty. 
 
 " May it please your Lordships, — The account which we have some 
 time past received from our agents in the Rio de la Plata, stating the ad- 
 vantages derived to our commerce in that quarter, from the judicious and 
 impartial conduct of Captain Peter Hey wood, late commander of H. M.S. 
 Nereus, imposes on us the pleasing duty to express to your Lordships 
 our gratitude for the selection of so meritorious an officer for that station, 
 in the difficult situation of preserving a strict neutrality between contend- 
 ing and exasperated parties, and at the same time effectually protecting 
 the British trade. Cajitaifi Heywood ha9 uot only attained these objects, 
 but at the same time conciliated the respect and confidence of the Spanish 
 authorities at Monte Vidoo, the Government of Buenos Ayres, and of the 
 British residents ii-; thoie countries. The government of Buenos Ayres 
 has on this occasion addressed Lord Strangford, H. M. Ambassador at 
 Rio Janeiro, for the purpose of acknowledging their high sense of Captain 
 Heywood's conduct during his command in the Rio de la Plata. We also 
 are pcrsiuded that the permission lately given by that government for the 
 exportation of specie, was in a great measure owing to the influence of 
 
\ I 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 795 
 
 *' Jacob Wood. 
 
 '' NlCHOLIiS,SEWBIiL, 
 
 AND Co. 
 " FuIiTON'8 & Co." 
 
 Captain Heywood, who has most probably insured to us the permanent 
 facility of receiving remittances in specie without risk. 
 
 " We trust that, under these circumstances, your Lordships tvill excuse 
 us for this public declaration of our sentiments, and allow us to express a 
 hope that, provided the public service admits it, Captun Heywood may 
 again be employed on that stadon, for which his abilities and local know- 
 ledge so eminently qualify him. We have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Si^rned) 
 
 ** J. & R. M'Kerrell. *' John Hodgson. 
 
 " Samuel Winter. ** William Hayne 
 
 " O'Reilly, Young, and Co. 
 
 and Co. " T. Hayn« 9i Co. 
 
 " Hallett,Brothers, " Brown, Rogers, 
 AND Co. and Brown. 
 
 A line-of-battlc ship being considered unfit for the service on 
 which the Nereus had been so successfully employed, the 
 M ontagUj after refitting, was ordered to the North Sea station, 
 where Captain Heywood continued^ under the orders of Ad- 
 miral William Young and H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence, 
 until the restoration of Ltouis XVIII. in April 1814. 
 
 After accompanying the French monarch to his native 
 shores, the Montagu hoisted the flag of Rear- Admiral Foote, 
 and sailed for Etourdeaux in company with a squadron sent 
 to convey part of the British army from thence to England. 
 At the ensuing grand naval review, she bore the flag of Sir T. 
 Byam Martin, who led the fleet through the different man- 
 ceuvres exhibited before his present Majesty and the allied 
 sovereigns on that triumphal occasion *. 
 
 In the following year, when Napoleon Buonapeui:e returned 
 from Elba, Captain Heywood was ordered to the Mediterra- 
 nean, where he joined the squadron under Lord Exmoutb, 
 who nominated him to the command of a detachment em« 
 ployed in co-operation with the Austrians during the war 
 with Joachim Murat. Owing to the sudden turn of affairs, 
 however, he did not arrive in the Adriatic until the deposition 
 of that usurper, and the re-establishmcnt of the ancient 
 dynasty, in the person of Ferdinand IV., which was effected 
 by a military convention, at Capua, on the 20th May, 18 J 5. 
 
 Captain Heywood subsequently conducted a large body of 
 British and Imperial troops from Naples to Genoa and Mar- 
 
 V 
 
 SecVol. I, pp. Hand 132. 
 
 
7^ POST-CAPTAINS OF 1903. 
 
 seilles. During the remainder of the same year we find him 
 carrying on the port duties at Gibraltar, where he remained 
 as senior officer until Feb. 1816, when he was recalled from 
 thence for the purpose of accompanying Lord Exmouth on 
 his first mission to the Barbary States, which terminated, as 
 our readers are well aware, in the release of nearly 1800 poor 
 wretches who had been dragged into the most miserable and 
 revolting state of slavery, whilst innocently following their 
 commercial pursuits. 
 
 The sentiments contained in the following lines are so 
 highly honorable to the character of Captain Heywood, that 
 we cannot refrain from giving them a place in this work ; 
 particularly as they were sent to him at a moment when his 
 ship's company were about to be freed from the restraints of 
 naval discipline, and consequently not liable to the imputa- 
 tion of seeking his favor by undue adulation. We have 
 already had occasion to notice the presentation of numerous 
 swords, snuff-boxes, rings, &c. but we have never yet met 
 with an instance of a naval commander receiving a tribute of 
 
 « 
 
 respect and esteem" from his crew, better calculated to 
 gratify a benevolent and humane mind than " The Seamen's 
 Farewell to H. M. S. Montagu, when put out ofcommh- 
 sion at Chatham, on the \Qth July, 1816." 
 " Farewell to thee, Montagu ! yet ere we quit thee 
 
 *' WeMI give thee the blessing so justly thy due ; 
 " For many a seaman will fondly regret thee, 
 ■ , f *' And wish to reJMn thee, thou gem of true blue. > 
 
 " For stout were thy timbers, and stoutly commanded ; 
 ^ "In the record of Glory untarnished thy name ^ 
 
 " Still ready for battle when Glory demanded, 
 " And ready to conquer or die in thy fame. 
 
 " Farewell to thee, Hbtwood ! a truer one never 
 
 " Exercis'd rule o'er the sons of the wave ; 
 " The seamen who served thee, would serve thee for ever, 
 ^ ' : " Who sway'd, but ne'er fetter'd, the hearts of the brave. 
 
 " Haste home to thy rest, and may comforts enshrine it, 
 " Such comforts as shadow the peace of the bless'd ; 
 
 " And the wreath thou deserv'st, may Gratitude twine it, 
 *' The band of true seamen thou ne'er hast oppress'd. 
 
 " Farewell to ye, shipmates, now home is our haven, 
 ** Let our hardships all fade as a dream that is past \ 
 
 \\ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 797 
 
 1 " And be this true toast to Old Montagu giv'n — ' 
 " She was our best ship, and she was our last •." 
 Captain Heywood married, July 31, 1816, Frances, only 
 daughter of Francis Simpson, Esq. of Plean House, Stirling- 
 shire. His only surviving brother, Edwin Holwell Heywood» 
 Esq. is a solicitor at Whitehaven, in Cumberland. Another 
 brother, formerly a Lieutenant, R. M. died in the Hon. E.ist 
 India Company's service, at Madras. 
 
 SIR MURRAY MAXWELL, Knt. 
 
 ^ Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; and 
 
 Fcllote of the Royal Society. 
 
 This officer is a nephew of the late Sir William Maxwell, 
 of Monteith, N. B. Bart, whose daughter Jane married 
 Alexander, 4th Duke of Gordon. 
 
 He commenced his naval career under the auspices of the 
 late Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood ; obtained his first com- 
 mission as a Lieutenant in 1796; and was promoted to the 
 command of the Cyane sloop of war, at the Leeward Islands, 
 in Dec. 1802. 
 
 The Cyane formed part of Commodore Hood's squadron at 
 the reduction of St. Lucia, June 22, I803j and Captain 
 Maxwell was immediately afterwards appointed to the Cen- 
 taur, a third rate, bearing the broad pendant of his patron, 
 under whom he also served at the capture of Tobago, Deme- 
 rara, and Essequibo, in July and September following. His 
 post commission was confirmed by the Admiralty on the 4th 
 Aug. 1803. 
 
 Captain Maxwell was subsequently employed in the block- 
 ade of Martinique ; and in April 1804, we find him accompa- 
 nying Commodore Hood and Major-General Sir Charles 
 Green, on an expedition against Surinam, the only colony 
 then possessed by the enemy in Dutch Guiana ; Berbice 
 having surrendered to the British soon after the above men- 
 tioned Batavian settlements. 
 
 On the 25th April, the Centaur anchored about ten miles 
 from the mouth of the Surinam river ; and the next day a 
 
 * The above lines were written by one of the Montagu's crew, and sent 
 to Captain Heywood by desire of the whole skip's company. 
 
 ^ . 
 
796 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 I'll 'B 
 
 division of the army, corainand^d by Brigadier-General 
 Maitlandj was sent under convoy of the Hippomenes cor- 
 vette, to effect a landing at Warappa creek, about thirty 
 miles to the eastward. The object of this operation was to 
 obtain a communication by water with the Commewyne, and 
 to procure a sufficient nuuil>er of plantation boats to transport 
 the troops down that stream, towards its jimction with the 
 Surinam, and thereby facilitate their approach to a position 
 in the rear of Fort New Amsterdam, situated on the conflu- 
 ence of those rivers, and mounting upwards of 80 guns. 
 
 In order that no time should be lost, preparations were also 
 made for landing a body of troops to take possession of 
 Braam's Point, on which was a battery of seven 18pounders, 
 completely commanding the entrance of the Surinam. Bri- 
 >gadier-General Hughes undertook to superintend this service ; 
 and the wind proving favorable. Captain Edward O'Brien, of 
 the Emerald frigate^ pushed over the bar with the rising 
 tide, and anchored close to the fort, followed by the Pandour 
 troop-ship, and Drake sloop of war. The enemy kept up a 
 brisk fire as the Emerald approached, but it was soon silenced 
 by a few broadsides from that ship and her consorts. A 
 party of the 64th re^ment then landed, and secured forty- 
 five prisoners, three of whom were wounded. In the course 
 of the following day most of the ships were got into the river, 
 but the Centaur was obliged to remain outside, on account 
 of her great draught of water. 
 
 At this period Captain Maxwell and the Major-General's 
 Aid-de-Camp were sent with a summons to the Dutch 
 Governor, whose answer, conveying a refusal to capitulate, 
 was not received until the morning of the 28th. Commodore 
 Hood, and his military colleague, having previously removed 
 to the Emerald, now used every effort to get up the river 
 before dark ; but owing to the shallowness of the water, that 
 ship was obliged to force her way through the mud, in three 
 feet less water than she drew, and it was not till late at night 
 that she arrived near the lower redoubt, nan>ed Frederici, on 
 which were mounted twelve heavy pieces of cannon. 
 
 We should here observe, that the Surinam coast is very 
 difficult of approach, being shallow and full of banks : a land- 
 ing is only to be attempted at the top of high water, and at 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 799 
 
 particular points ; the land is uncleared, and the soil vcry 
 nmrshy ; so that it is impossible for an army to penetrate 
 into the interior, except by the rivers and creeks. The shores 
 on both sides of the Surinam river below Frederici redoubt* 
 with the exception of one spot on the eastern shore, are 
 equally difficult of access, and the enemy, by means of their 
 forts, ships of war, armed merchantmen, and gun-boats, 
 were completely masters of the navigation between Frederici 
 and Paramaribo, the capital of the colony. 
 
 On the 29th, Lieutenant-Colonel Shipley, of the engineers, 
 went on shore at the above mentioned spot, where a planta- 
 tion had lately been established i and having explored the 
 road through the woods, he reported on his return that a 
 body of men might be condycted from thence to the rear of 
 fort Frederici. In consequence of this information a detach- 
 ment, consisting of 140 soldiers belonging to the 64th regi- 
 ment, and 30 others equipped as pioneers, was placed under 
 the command of Brigadier-General Hughes, who landed about 
 11 P. M. and immediately commenced his marcli, accompa- 
 nied by Captaiu Maxwell, and 30 seamen under bis orders. 
 
 A great qujintity 'of rain having recently fallen, it was 
 found that the path, at all times difficulty had become almost 
 impassable; but no obstacle could damp the enterprising 
 spirit of our brave countrymen, who overcame every obstacle, 
 and after a laborious march of five hours, arjlved near the 
 place of their destination. Thq alarm was then given, and 
 the enemy opened a heavy fire of grape-shot upon them 
 whilst forming into columns, previous to their quitting the 
 wood, and of musketry as they advanced to the battery, 
 which was stormed and carried with the greatest intrepidity. 
 Brigadier-General Hughes and Captain Maxwell then moved 
 on to Fort I^eyden, a place of equal strength ; and by a repe- 
 tition of the same impetuous attack, soon obliged the enemy 
 to call for quarter. The nuqiber of prisoners taken on this 
 occasion was 121 ; the remainder of the garriju)ns effected 
 tlieir escape across the Commewyue to Fort New Amsterdam. 
 
 By this brilliant affair a position was secured, from whence 
 a heavy fire could be directed against fort New Amsterdam ; 
 and a communication with the Gommewyne river being open- 
 ed, the means of fprming a junction with Brigadier-General 
 
800 
 
 POST-CAPTAINg OP 1803. 
 
 M aitland were established. The British at the same time ob- 
 tained possession of the finest part of the colony, abounding 
 with resources of every description. Captain Maxwell's ex- 
 ertions upon this occasion were highly meritorious, and much 
 of the success attending the enterprise may justly be attribut- 
 ed to his animating example. 
 
 On the same day, April 30, Sir Charles Green received 
 information that Brigadier- General Maitland had effected a 
 landing at the Warappa creek, under the able superintendence 
 of Captain Conway Shipley, commanding the Hippomenes, 
 assisted by Captain Kenneth Mackenzie of the Guachapin, 
 who had with great zeal quitted his sloop fifty leagues to 
 leeward, finding from baffling winds and currents she could 
 not get up, and proceeded with 50 of her crew in boats to aid 
 that part of the army. 
 
 Under these circumstances no time was lost in disembark- 
 ing the remainder of the troops, about 1000 in number, at 
 fort Leyden, and pushing them on by the north bank of the 
 ■ Commewyne, to meet the others on their passage down that 
 river. The artillery, stores, and provisions, were at the same 
 time conveyed by boats ; and an armed flotilla established in 
 the Commewyne by the indefatigable exertions of the navy *. 
 
 On the 3d May Brigadier-General Maitland, having taken 
 possession of the enemy's post at Warappa creek, after a 
 short resistance, and with great diligence procured a num- 
 ber of boats to convey his corps, appeared coming down the 
 river in very good order, and landed at a plantation on the 
 south side, where he was soon joined by part of the forces 
 from the opposite bank. 
 
 This desirable object being effected, and the enemy's com- 
 munication cut off by the activity of the ships' boats, 
 the army being on the advance, and every preparation made 
 by the squadron for attacking fort New Amsterdam, the Ba- 
 tavian Commandant thought proper to send out a flag of 
 truce, with proposals to surrender on terms of capitulation. 
 The negociations for that purpose were conducted on the part 
 of the British by Captain Maxwell and Lieutenant-Colonel 
 
 * The flotilla was commanded by Captain Charles Richardson, of the 
 Alligator troop-ship, whose conduct and exertions throughout the cam- 
 paign are very highly spoken of in the public despatches. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OV 1803. 
 
 801 
 
 Shipley, and at 5 P. M. on the 5th May, the fortress was 
 taken possession of by an advanced corps under Brigadier- 
 General Maitland. 
 
 The valutble colony of Surinam was thus added to the 
 British dominions : a frigate of 32 eighteen-pounders, a 
 corvette mounting 18 guns, and all the other national vessels 
 in the rivers, were liltewise surrendered. The total number 
 of prisoners taken, exclusive of the staff and civilians, was 
 2001 ; the loss sustained by the English amounted to no 
 more than 8 killed and 21 wounded; 5 of the former and 8 
 of the latter were naval officers and seamen. We shall close 
 our account of this conquest with an extract from Sir Charles 
 Green's official report to Earl Camden, dated " Paramaribo, 
 May 13, 1804 :" 
 
 " In all conjunct expeditions the zealous co-operation of the navy be- 
 comes of the most essential importance ; but such is the peculiar nature of 
 the military positions in this country, that our success depended chiefly 
 upon tlteir exertion^, no movements bein^ possibly made without their as- 
 sistance. It is therefore incumbent on me to bear my sincere testimony 
 to the cordial, zealous, and able support the army has received from Com- 
 modore Hood, and all the Captains and other officers of the squadron 
 under his command, which must ever be remembered with gratitude. 
 Captain Maxwell, of the Centaur, having been more particularly attach- 
 ed to the troops under my immediate command on shore, I am bound to 
 notice his spirited and exemplary behaviour." 
 
 Captain Maxwell returned to England with the Commo- 
 dore's despatches in June, 1804 ; and we subsequently find 
 him commanding the Centaur as a private ship on the Ja- 
 maica station, where he removed into the Galatea frigate in 
 the summer of 1805. His next appointment was to the 
 Alceste of 46 guns, formerly la Minerve, one of the frigates 
 ' captured by part of a squadron under Sir Samuel Hood, in 
 Sept. 1806 •. 
 
 On the 4th April, 1808, Captain Maxwell being off Cadiz 
 with the Mercury 28, and Grasshopper brig under his orders, 
 observed a fleet of Spanish vessels coming along shore from 
 the northward, under the protection of about twenty gun- 
 boats, and a formidable train of flying artillery. On their 
 arrival off Rota he stood in with his little squadron, and com- 
 menced a vigorous attack upon them, which continued from 
 
 '■-..■•iKii^ '.'- . > u'n.' 
 
 • Sec Vol. I, p. 570. 
 
802 
 
 i»ost.cAPTAli<is OP 18()3. 
 
 4 o'clock until &" 30' P. M. when two of the fldtlUu 
 being destroyed, the remainder obliged to retreat, the batte- 
 ries at Rota silenced, and many of the merchantmen driven 
 on shore, tiie boats of the frigates were sent in under the 
 directions of Lieutenant Allan Stewart, who boarded and 
 brought off siBven tartans, loaded with valuable Jihip timber, 
 from undier the very itiuz^les of thfe enemy's guns, althougli 
 supported by numerous armed barges and pinnaces sent from 
 Cadiz to assist in their defence. This spirited service was 
 performed in the teeth of eleven French and Spanish line-of- 
 battle ships then lyitig ready for sea, and must therefore be 
 considered as reflfecting the highest credit on Captain Max - 
 well and his brave Companions, whose situation during the 
 action was rather a critical one, as the wind blew dead iipon 
 the shore, and the ships were compelled to tack every fifteen 
 minutes, in order to avoid the dangerous shoals near Itota. 
 The loss sustained by the British was confined to the 
 Grasshopper, whose noble conduct will be mote particularly 
 notieed in our membir of her commahder, the present Captain 
 Thomas Searle, C. B. 
 
 Subsequent to this event Captain Maxwell was actively 
 employed on the coast of Italy, where he assisted at the 
 destruction of several armed vessels and martello towers, as 
 also in bringing off a large quantity of timber from a dep6t 
 belonging to the enemy at Tfcrracina. On the 22d May, 
 1810, a party from the Alceste landed near Ffejus, stormed a 
 battery of two 24-pounder8j spiked the guns, broke the 
 carriages, blew up the magazine, and threw the shot into the 
 sea. A few days afterwards her boats attacked a Frerich 
 convoy bound to the eastward, captured four vessels laden 
 with merchandise, drove two others on shore, and obliged 
 the remainder to put back. 
 
 In the ensuing autumn Captain Maxwell was attached to 
 the inshore squadron oflF Toulon j and in the spring of 181 1 
 we find him cruizing on the coast of Istria, under the orders of 
 Captain (now Sir James) Brisbaue, to whose tnemoir wc 
 must refer our readers for an account of the destruction of a 
 French national brig in the small harbour of Parenza, by the 
 Belle PouJc and Alceste, on which occasion each ship had 
 
POST.CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 803 
 
 two men killed and the same nmnber wounded *. The ac- 
 tion afterwards fought in the Adriatic by a squadron under 
 the command of Captain Maxwell, is thus described by him in 
 his public letter to the senior officer on that station, dated off 
 Lissa, Dec. 1, 1811. 
 
 " Sir, — H. M. ships tuidei- toy orders having heen driven frcin their an- 
 chorage before Lu^na, by strong gales, had taken shelter in Lissa, when 
 the telegraph on Whitby hill signalized " three Suspicidus sail south." 
 The Alceste, Active, and tJoitd were warped out of Port St. George the 
 moment a strong EL N. E. wind would permit ; and on the evening of the 
 28th ultimo, off the south end of Lissa, I met with LieUten&nt M'Dougal, 
 of his Majesty's ship Uuitd, who, with a judgment and zeal which do 
 him infinite credit, had put back, when on his voyage to Alalta in « neu- 
 tral, to acquaint me lie had seen thrfee French frigates forty miles to the 
 southward. All sail wAS no\V carried in chase, and at 9 A. M. on the 29th, 
 the enemy were seen off the island of Augusta : he formed in line upon the 
 larboard tack, and stood towards Us for a short time ; but finding H. M. 
 ships bear up under all sail, in close lifle abreast, he also bore op to the 
 N. W. and set studding-sails. At 1 1 the rear ship separated, and stood to 
 the N. E.^ I immediately detached the Unit^ after her, and Captain 
 Chamberlayne'a report to me of the result I have the honor to enclose f. 
 At l^2(y P. M. the Alceste commenced action with the other two, by en- 
 gaging the rearmost in passing to get at the Commodore ; but an unlucky 
 shot soon afterwards bringing down our main-top-mast, we imavoidably 
 dropped a little astern : cheers of ' Vive I'Empereur ' resounded from both 
 ships ; they thought the day their own, not aware of what a second I had 
 in my gallant friend. Captain Gordon, who pushed the Active np under 
 every sail, and brought the sternmoat to action, within pistol-shot ; the 
 headmost then shortened sail, tacked, and stood for the Alceste, which, 
 though disabled in her masts, I trust he experienced was not so in her 
 guns. After a warm conflict of two hours and twenty miirates the French 
 
 • See Vol. n. Part I. p. 408. 
 
 t Captain Chamberlayne reports the capttu'e of la Peraanne, a French 
 store-ship, mounting 26 uinc-pounders, with a complement of 190 men, 
 having in her hold 120 iron guns and several pieces of brass ordnance. 
 She kept up a running fight from noon till 4 P. M. and did not surrender 
 whilst the least chance remained of escaping from her very superior 
 opponent. The Unitd was much cut up in her masts, yards, sails, and 
 rigging, by a galling fire from the Frenchman's stcrn-chusers, but fortu- 
 nately only one of her crew was wounded. The enemy, whose masterly 
 manoBUvres and persevering resistance reflect great credit on her comman. 
 der, Mons. Satic, had 2 men killed and 4 wounded. La Pcrsannc, be- 
 ing found unfit for the British navy, wa4 sold at Malta to an agent of the 
 Tunisian gov rnmcut, fur 15,5(KV. 
 
804 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 Commodore made off to the westward, which, from my crippled state, I 
 was unable to prevent. The other surrendered, after i)eiii^ totally dis- 
 masted, with five feet water in her hold, and proved to be la Pomoiie, of 
 44 guns and 322 men, commanded by Captain Rosamel, who fought hi» 
 ship with a degree of skill and bravery that has obtained for him the re- 
 spect and esteem of his opponents. The other was la Pauline, of similar 
 force, commanded by Mons. Montford. They were from Corfu, going 
 to join the squadron at Trieste *. The Alceste had 20 killed and 
 wounded. Active 35, and Pomone 50 ; and it is with poignant regret I in- 
 form you, that Captain Gordon has lost a leg ; but, thank God, be is 
 doing well. His merits as an officer I need not dwell upon; they are 
 known to his country, and he.lives in the hearts of all who have the happi- 
 ness to know him. His first Lieutenant, William Dateman Dashwood, 
 lost his arm soon after he was wounded, and the ship was fought by Lieu- 
 tenant George Haye, in a manner that reflects the highest honor upon him : 
 his services before had frequently merited and obtained the highest appro- 
 bation and strong recommendation of his Captain,, who also speaks in the 
 warmest praise of acting Lieutenant Moriarty; Mr. Lothian, the Master; 
 Lieutenant Meers, R. M. ; and every officer, seaman, and marine under 
 his command. 
 
 " Although our success was not so complete as I trust it would have 
 been could the Alceste have taken up her intended position alongside la 
 Pauline, instead of that ship, from the fall of our topmast, being ena- 
 bled to manoeuvre and choose her distance, I feel it my duly to state, that 
 every officer and man here behaved most gallantly. I was most ably as- 
 sisted on the quarter-deck by my first Lieutenant, Andrew Wilson : and 
 Mr. Howard Moore, the Master : the main-deck guns were admirably di- 
 rected by Lieutenant James Montagu and Mr. James Adair, acting in the 
 place of Lieutenant Hickman, left at Lissa with the gun-boats f. In 
 justice to two very deserving officers. Lieutenant Miller, R. M., of the 
 Active, and Lieutenant Lloyd, R.. M. of the Alceste, it is necessary to 
 mention that they were ashore with most of their respective parties at 
 Camesa castle and Hostc's islands, for the defence of Lissa, hourly threat- 
 
 • La Pomone had in her hold 42 iron guns, 9 brass ditto, and 220 iron 
 wheels for gun-carriages. She was one of the largest class of French fri- 
 gates, and had been built by the citizens of Genoa for that nautical mush- 
 room, Jerome Buonaparte, to whom she was presented on his obtaining 
 the rank of u Captain in the imperial marine. 
 
 t Lieutenant John Collman Hickman, 1 midshipman, and 30 seamen, 
 were left in three prize vessels for the protection of the island against the 
 designs of Marshal Bertrand, the Alceste having also left behind 1 lieu- 
 tenant, 1 Serjeant, 2 corporals, and 48 privates of the royal marines, had 
 on board only 218 officers and men. The Active was e«|ually short of 
 complement. For farther particulars of the action, see Captain !Sir 
 James Alexander Gordon, K. C. B. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 805 
 
 cned with an attack from the enemy, assembled in great force at Lesina. 
 «•«•••«• I ijjjyg t]|g honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Murray Maxwell." 
 
 ** To Captain Rowley, H. M. S. Eagle, 
 Senior officer of the Adriatic squadron.'" 
 
 We now lose sight of Captain Maxwell till July 2, 1813, 
 when he had the misfortune to be wrecked in the Deedalus 
 frigate, on a shoal near Ceylon, whilst convoying a fleet of 
 Indiamen to Madras. In. Oct. 1815, he was re-appointed to 
 the Alceste, at the particular request of Lord Amherst, who 
 was then about to proceed on an embassy to China, the result 
 of which is so well known as to render any remarks in this 
 place superfluous. 
 
 The Alceste sailed from Spithead Feb. 9, 1816, touched at 
 Madeira, Rio Janeiro, the Cape of Good Hope, Anjere, and 
 Batavia ; entered the China sea by the straits of Banca ; com- 
 municated with Canton ; passed through the straits of For- 
 mosa, into the Tung-Hai, or Eastern Sea, and finally anchor- 
 ed in the gulf of Pe-tche-lee, on the 28th July, after a passage 
 of only 15 days from the neighbourhood of Macao. Her 
 consort, the Lyra brig, commanded by Captain Basil Hall, 
 had previously been despatched thither to announce the ap- 
 proach of the embassy. V'f.' •;?-•.' ;w.i iM 7^'. I 
 
 Lord Amherst having landed at the mouth of the Pei-ho 
 river on the 9th Aug. and it being certain that several months 
 must elapse before his Excellency could return from Pekin to 
 Canton, the place where he intended to re-embark for Eng- 
 land, Captain Maxwell determined to employ the interval in 
 examining some parts of the different coasts in that unfre- 
 quented portion of the globe. The first object which seems 
 to have attracted his attention was to obtain a complete 
 knowledge of the gulf of Pe-tche-lee ; and for this purpose he 
 took to himself the northern part, assigning the southern to 
 Captain Hall, and so directing the return of the General Hewitt 
 as to enable her commander to explore the central passage *. 
 The course taken by the Alceste led to a partial survey of 
 the gulph of Leo-tong, never before visited by any European 
 
 * The General Hewitt, Indiaman, Captain Walter Campbell, had been 
 taken up by the Hon. Court of Directors, for the conveyance of the pre^ 
 aents intended for the Emperor of Clihia. . ' ' ,< 
 
 VOL. II. 3 o 
 
 ' i\ 
 
u 
 
 i! ' '' 
 pi 
 
 806 J»0ST-C^PTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 sfhlp. In coasting along the western shore, a view xvas ob- 
 tained of the Great Wall of China, extending its vast, hut un- 
 availing defences, over the summits and along the skirts of 
 hills and mountains. Stretching across to the opposite shore, 
 she anchored, and completed her water, in a commodious 
 bay, situated in lat. 39» 33' N., long. 121° 19' E. From 
 thence Captain Maxwell proceeded to the southward until he 
 reached the extreme Tartat pomt of the gulf; and then, 
 steering in the same direction, passed through a cluster of 
 islands, named by him the Company's Groupe, whicli, with 
 those at Mee-a-tau, may be said to divide the Yellow Sea 
 from the gulf of Pe-tche-lee. He then stood to the eastward, 
 and put into Ghe-a-tow bay, oil the coast of Shan-tung, where 
 he found the General Hewitt, and was soon after joined by 
 Captain Hal], who had kept the coast of China in sight as 
 much as possible, and obtained a complete knowledge of that 
 pari of the gulf lying between the Pei-ho nd the p ace of 
 rendezvous. 
 
 Had Captain Maxwell sailed from hence to Chu-san, and 
 there awaited the change of the monsoon, any expectations 
 originally formed by him would have been more than grati- 
 fied by the result of this hasty survey : little, indeed, could 
 lie have anticipated the further extension and increased im- 
 portance of discoveries that awaited him. 
 
 Leaving the G«nelral Hewitt to complete the ulterior ob- 
 jects of her voyage, the Alceste aAd I^yra sailed from Che-a- 
 tow bay on the 29th Aug, and proceeded to examine the 
 •S. W. coast of Corea, wh«P6 they had some interesting com- 
 munications with the natives, who appear to have been pre- 
 vented by the strict orders of their government from encou- 
 raging an intercourse, which, if liberated from this restraint,, 
 their inclinations would have led them to cultivate. The re- 
 eeardies of Captain Maxwell in this quarter enabled him to 
 .rectify an euof mous geographical etror respecting the penin- 
 jpula of Corea, and rewal the existence of myriads of islands, 
 forming an archipelago, a fact before unknown and unsus- 
 pected. It is to be remarked, that the Lion, of 64 gims, 
 employed to convey Lord Macartney, the former Ambassa- 
 dor, was the only ship wliich had ever before penetrated into 
 the gulph of Petclie-lec ; but her commander, Sir Erasiiius 
 
 w 
 
 .K .au7 
 
I 
 
 i*OST- CAPTAINS OF 180S. 
 
 m 
 
 Giower, kept tlic coast of China aboard only, and neither 
 touched at the Tartar nor Corean side. Cooke, Perouse, 
 Brdughton, and others, had well defined the bounds on the 
 eastern coast of this country, but the western had been laid 
 down by the Jesuits in their map, from Chinese accounts and 
 their own Imaginations only ^. 
 
 Having thus materially benefited nautical science. Cap- 
 tains Maxwell and Hall visited the Great Loo-Choo island, 
 anchoring in Napa^kiang roads on the 16th Sept. The na- 
 tives at first shewed the same disinclination to intercourse as 
 those of Corea, and it required great discretion and mildness 
 to produce a contrary feeling. In this object, however, they 
 succeeded. The judicious forbearance manifested by them on 
 their first arrival secured the favorable opinion, and disarmed 
 the jealousy of the public authorities ; whilst their uniform 
 kindness of manner won the general regard of this truly ami* 
 able people, from whom they received the moat liberal as* 
 sistancc and friendly treatment, during a stay of six weeks ; 
 at the end of which time their separation took place, under 
 circumstances of mutual esteem and regret. Whetlier the 
 Loo-Choo islands can be rendered either of political or com- 
 mercial utility, may deserve consideration ; and looking to 
 the possibility of the question being decided in the af&rmative, 
 the information thus obtained respecting them, and the favor- 
 able impression produced, must be deemed both interesting 
 and important*)*, 'r-'ptr'tl-u' s-jr-T' *,//?! ;'»•>•['••'» r - •' ,«/ .; 
 '■ Returning from Loo-Choo, the Alceste and Lyra passed 
 the Pa-tchou islands, and the south end of Formosa, crossed 
 
 I 
 
 , * Captaia Maxwell fuuud the main land of Gorca from 100 to 130 miles 
 farther to the castvvard thau his charts led him to believe. 
 
 t Captain Hall, on his return to England, published a very intercsthjg' 
 narrative of the " Foyagc to Corea, and the island of Loo-Choo." This 
 work he dedicated to Sir Murray Maxwell, " to whose al)ility in conduct- 
 ing the voyage, zeal in giving encouragement to every inquiry, sagacity in 
 discovering the disposition of the natives, and address in gaining their con- 
 fidence and good will," he attributes " whatever may be found interesting" 
 m his pages. 
 
 The first edition of Captun Hall's publication, whicli gives a full account 
 of the voyage to Corea and Loo-Choo, is divi<lcd into a Narrative, an Ap- 
 pendix, containing charts and various nautical and scientific notices, and a 
 Vocabulary of tlie Loo-Choo language. The jccond edition is confined to 
 
 3g 2 
 
808 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 the straits in very boisterous weather, and arrived off Lin-tiii 
 on the 2d day of November. ;•»•.' ; '' , . .^ 
 
 Captain Maxwell now lost no tinte in applying to the 
 Viceroy of Canton, through the local authorities, for a pass 
 to carry the Alceste up the Tigris, to a secure anchorage, 
 where she could undergo some necessary repairs. Evasion 
 after evasion, accompanied by insulting messages, were the 
 only proofs that he obtained of his application having been 
 received. He therefore determined to proceed without permis- 
 sion ; but had scarcely approached the narrow entrance of the 
 river, when an inferior mandarin came on board, and desired, 
 in a high and domineering tone, that the ship should be di- 
 rectly anchored ; stating, that if Captain Maxwell presumed 
 to pass the Bocca, the batteries would instantly sink her. 
 
 Fully satisfied that the tame submission of others had only 
 added to the arrogance, and fostered the insolence of the 
 Chinese — convinced also, that the petty tyrant who attempted 
 to dishonour his country's flag would not respect the person 
 of her Ambassador the more on account of his forbearance. 
 Captain Maxwell calmly told the mandarin that he would 
 first pass the batteries, and then hang him at the yard-arm 
 for daring to come off with so impudent a message. His 
 boat was then cut adrift, and himself taken into custody. 
 ' Orders were now given for the Alceste to be steered close 
 under the principal fort. On her approach the batteries and 
 seventeen or eighteen war-junks endeavoured to make good the 
 threat, by opening a heavy, though ill-directed fire. The return 
 of a single shot silenced the flotilla; and one broadside, poured 
 in with three hearty cheers, proved quite sufficient for her more 
 formidable opponent. The other batteries being soon after 
 quieted, the Alceste proceeded without further molestation to 
 the second bar, and subsequently to Whampoa, at which 
 latter place she remuned until the arrival of Lord Amherst 
 and his suite, in Jan. 1817. • '• •. ' ■ 
 
 • The effects of Captain Maxwell's decisive conduct was soon 
 evinced by the anival of all kinds of '•"pnlies to his frigate^ 
 
 the narrative alone, to the exclusion of all technical and other details, not 
 calculated to interest the fireueral reader. The former is a 4to. voIuok^ 
 price 21. 2« —the latter, contaioinir four plates, and a general chart show- 
 ing the track of the Alceste and Lyra, is a snoall 8vo. price 7<. 6(/> 
 
I»OST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 809 
 
 and a cargo to the General Hewitt, before withheld on the 
 plea of her being required to carry back the tribute which 
 she had brought from England to the celestial empire : also 
 by the publication of an edict *, endeavouring to make the 
 atfair at the Bocca Tigris appear to the natives as a mere 
 salute, or ** ching-chinning" ceremony, although the report 
 of their loss, promulgated previous to this official fabrication, 
 stated it to be 47 killed, and many others " spoiled," 
 (wounded), which probably was near the truth, as the Chi- 
 nese warriors stood rather thick in the batteries, and the Al- 
 ceste's 32-pounder carronades were well loaded with grape. 
 It likewise came to pass, that the viceroy thought proper to 
 send down a high mandarin, attended by one of the hong, or 
 security merchants, to wait upon Captain Maxwell, welcome 
 him into the river, and compliment him with all possible po- 
 liteness ! 
 
 Lord Amherst having re-embarked, the Alceste sailed from 
 Whampoa, on the 21st Jan. 1817 ; exchanged friendly salutes 
 >vith the guardians of the Bocca Tigris ; touched at Macao, 
 and Manilla; rounded the numerous clusters of rocks and 
 shoals lying to the westward of the Philippines, and to the 
 N. W. of Borneo ; and then shaped a course for the Straits of 
 Caspar, which she entered soon after day-light on the 18th of 
 February. 
 
 The morning was fine, the wind fresh and favourable, and 
 the Alceste moving rapidly through the water ; every appear- 
 ance promised a rapid passage into the Java sea, for which 
 Captain Maxwell, who had been on deck the whole of the 
 preceding night, was steering the course laid down in the 
 most approved charts, and recommended by the sailing direc- 
 tions in his possession, when the ship struck against a sunken 
 rock, three miles distant from Pulo Leat, or Middle Island, 
 and having grated over it for a few seconds, took a slight 
 heel to starboard, and became immoveable. The rapidity of 
 her motion at the instant of striking, rendered it highly pro- 
 bable that she had received serious injury ; and every doubt 
 on this subject was soon removed by the appearance of her 
 
 • The word " edict" appears to be applied by the Chinese to any piece 
 of common information, whether it is from the Emperor, or has the forctt 
 •f a law, or not. 
 
 (I 
 
 
 ' 
 ^ 
 

 i 
 
 8M) 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 false keel floating alongside j and the report of the car- 
 penter, wlio stated that the water in the hold had increased 
 from 2^ to 7 feet, and that it was gaining rapidly on the 
 pumps. ' 
 
 The sails, which had at first been thrown a-back, were 
 now furled, and the best-bower anchor was dropped, to keep 
 her fast, from the apprehension, if she went off the rock, of 
 her instantly sinking. At this alarming crisis, not the slightest 
 confusion or irregularity occurred : every necessary order was 
 iis coolly given, and as steadily obeyed, as if nothing unusual 
 had happened ; every one did his duty calmly, diligently, and 
 effectually. 
 
 The boats being hoisted out, Lord Amherst and the gentle- 
 men of his suite, within half an hour after the striking of the 
 ship, were in the barge, and making for the nearest part of 
 the above-mentioned desert island. After leaving the Alceste,. 
 they saw more accurately the dangerous nature of her situ- 
 ation. The rock on which she had struck was distinctly 
 seen from the boat, extending oidy a few yards from her. 
 Beyond, the water was dark and de^ for neai'ly half a mile ; 
 it then became so shallow, that the beautiful but fatal coral 
 was continually seen as they approached the shore. When 
 about r mile from Pulo Leat, rocks, covered by not more than 
 from one to three feet water, surrounded them on all sides.. 
 The barge struck several times, but was saved from any seri- 
 ous accident by the t^ill of Lieutenant Hoppner, who com-; 
 maiided her. After soling or rowing for about an hour, they 
 gained what had appeared from the ship to be land covered 
 with wood, but to their mortification discovered nothing but 
 insulated masses of granite, interspersed with mangrove 
 trees growing in the water. Being now joined by a cutter, 
 with the servants of the embassy, and part of the guard, they 
 proceeded along shore in quest of a more convenient place for 
 debarkation. Several creeks, which seemed to penetrate in- 
 land, were in vain explored ; they all terminated in deep 
 swamps* Similar attempts were reiterated, till anlxiety to 
 send back the boats determined his Excellency to land on the 
 first rocks which should be found sufficiently large or nume- 
 rous for the reception of the party. This intention was at 
 length effected in a small bay, where the rocks were so 
 
»'» 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. S\\ 
 
 mingled with the trees as to aiford firm hand-hold. The boat<i 
 were then immediately despatched to assist in bringing on 
 shore whatever could be sa,ved from the wreck. A more con- 
 venient landing place being subsequently discovered near an 
 eminence on which an encampment might be formed> the 
 whole party removed thither, leaving a marine behind to 
 communicate with the boats as they successively approached 
 the shore, , , ^ .. :...-. 
 
 The heat of the day as it advanced, and the exertions of the 
 men in clearing the ground, for the reception of persons aiid 
 baggage, produced great thirst, and rendered it necessary to, 
 search for water, of which none had been brought on shore, 
 except a very small quantity collected from the dripstones oil, 
 deck. A search for this purpose was conducted in several di- 
 rections without success ; and night coming on, it was relin- 
 quished in the hopes of better fortune on the morrow. During 
 the whole day, and till a late hour in the evening, the boats^ 
 were constantly employed conveying articles from the wreck, 
 and towing ashore a raft on which had been placed the bag- 
 gage, stores, and a small supply of provisions, rescued with 
 much labour and difficulty, under the superintendence of 
 Captain Maxwell, whose exertions and self possession were 
 most highly spoken of by all his fellow-suiferers. 
 
 Towards midnight, as the tide rose, the swell of the sea 
 lifted the ship from the rock, and dashed her on it again witb 
 such violence, as to render it necessary for the top-maots to be 
 cut away. In doing this, two men were very severely 
 bruised. 
 
 The following morning. Captain Maxwell landed * 5 and 
 after consulting with Lord Amherst, it was determined that 
 his Excellency, and the gentlemen of the embassy, should 
 proceed without delay to Batavia in the barge, with a picked 
 crew, commanded by the junior Lieutenant (Mr. Hoppner) : 
 one of the cutters was also prepared to accompany them, for 
 the purpose of assisting in case of attack or accident. The 
 master of the Alceste was sent on board the latter to navigate 
 the boats. At this season there was no probability pf the 
 
 * The water had by this time risen to the main-deck from below -, and 
 was beating over it through the starboard ports as the ship lay on her beam 
 ends. 
 
812 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 passage to fiatavia exceeding 60 hours^ the distance being 
 only 197 miles ; the inconvenience to which his Excellency 
 would be subjected was, consequently, very limited in dura- 
 tion ; and much additional expedition in the despatch of 
 relief might be expected from his personal exertions at Bata- 
 via. The stock of liquors and provisions furnished to the 
 boats was necessarily very small) and only sufficient on very 
 short allowance to support existence for four or five days ; 
 only seven gallons of water could be spared for the whole 
 party, consisting of 47 persons ; but they were fortunately 
 visited by a heavy fall of rain on the day after their departure, 
 which more than supplied the place of what had already been 
 expended. The following extracts from " Ellis's Journal,*'* 
 contain a rapid outline of subsequent occurrences, which the 
 interesting narrative of the late Dr. M' Leod, Surgeon of the 
 Alceste, have rendered a more detailed account of unne- 
 cessary. 
 
 " The boats left the island on the evening of the 19th, and after what 
 may be considered a tedious passage, made Carawang Point on the evening 
 of the 22d, to the great joy of all on board, and to the relief of the crews, 
 who were beginning to sink under the continued exertion of rowing, and 
 the privations to which all were equally subjected. It was judged advisable 
 by Mr. Mayne, the Master, to come-to for the night, as well to rest the 
 men, as from a consideration that little advantage could be derived from 
 reaching the roads before dayligkt,. During the night, one of the sailors 
 suffered from temporary delirium, caused, no doubt, by a want of sufficient 
 fluid aggravated, however, by large draughts of salt water, from which no 
 injunctions or entreaties could induce some of the crew to desistf. All the 
 provisions and liquors were distributed during the passage with the most 
 scrupulous equality ^ if ever a difference was made, it was in favour of the 
 men. Messrs. Hoppner and Cooke X, and some of the other gentlemen, 
 occasionally relieved the men at the oars ; and, on the whole, it may be 
 said, that as the danger and difficulty were common, the privations and fa- 
 tigue were not less so. 
 
 " The boats had advanced but a short distance towards the roads on the 
 
 * Henry Ellis, Esq. Third Commissioner of the Embassy. 
 
 t " Salt water," says Dr. M'Leod, " although an article of Materia 
 Medica iu very extensive use, has never been known to take the direction 
 of the head." 
 
 X Lieutenant J. (Jooke, R.M. commauded the Ambassador's guard of 
 honor during his travels through China, and was now sent with 7 marines 
 to assist in protecting his Excellency in case of the boats being attacked 
 by pirates between Pulo Leat and Batavia. 
 
iili^ll 
 
 POST-CAFfAIXS O. 
 
 18UJ. 
 
 813 
 
 , the 
 .uid on 
 > Bata- 
 
 morning of the 23(], when one of the sailoi , in washin, lU face ov«r the 
 side of the barj^e, discovered that the water was fresh, 'i le di8iM)v ^ooo 
 became general, and, although the circumstance was much lufr 
 exultation of all on board almost equalled that of the ten tbr 
 catching the first glimpse of the sea ; for the conscious proximity 
 via had not carried such complete conviction of the termination of uur trou- 
 bles, as the unexpected abundance of fresh water. It w^ soon ascertained 
 that we were opposite the mouth of a river, and that the flowing in of the 
 stream freshened the sea-water for a considerable distance*. The sailors 
 pulled with renewed vigour, and we got alongside the Princess Charlotte, 
 an English merchant ship, soon after ten o'clock. 
 
 " Letters were immediately sent by his Excellency to the Dutch Gover- 
 nor and to Mr. Fendall, whom, with the other British Commissioners, we 
 were fortunate enough to find still on the island f. All parties were alike 
 zealous to afford every assistance to those who had arrived, and to send re- 
 lief to the larger body that had remained behind. The East India Com- 
 pany's cruiser, Ternate, was luckily in the roads, and that vessel, together 
 >vith the Princess Charlotte, were got ready for sea by the next morning, 
 when they sailed for Pulo Lcat. The sincere friendship I felt for Captain 
 Maxwell, and my regard for the officers of the Alceste generally, had led mc 
 to promise, on leaving thera, that I would return with the first succours ; 
 and I was happy to have an early opportunity of redeeming my pledge, by 
 embarking on board the Ternate. 
 
 " This vessel, owing to the skill and unremitting attention of Captain 
 Davison, succeeded in reaching an anchorage 12 miles distant from the 
 nearest point of Pulo Lcat, on the 3d of March. She was unable to ap- 
 proach nearer, from the strength of the current rendering it impracticable 
 to work against the wind, then also unfavourable. On coming to an an- 
 chor we observed a fleet of Malay proas, or pirate boats, off the extremity 
 of the island, in the act of precipitately getting under weigh, evidently 
 alarmed by our arrival ; the circumstance increased our anxiety for the 
 situation of our companions, whose discomfort, if not sufferings, must have 
 been aggravated by the presence of a barbarous enemy. Indeed, under 
 every view of the case, it was impossible not to feel the most serious ap- 
 prehensions as to what might be their actual condition. When we left them 
 their whole stock of provisions did not exceed one week at full allowance ; 
 only two casks of water had been saved ; and though on digging to the depth 
 of 12 feel a prospect existed of obtaining water by further perseverance, 
 it had not then actually been realized, much less its quality ascertained. 
 Should sickness have appeared amongst them, the total want of comfort, or 
 even protection from the inclemency of the weather, combined with the 
 
 • " We were now opposite the Carawang river, whose waters, from their 
 lower specific gravity, rolled on the surface of the sea." yide " Abel's 
 Narrative," p. 260. 
 
 t The Alceste took out duplicate despatches, ordering the British troops 
 to evacuate Java. 
 
 v. I 
 
I!:i 
 
 I 
 
 814 
 
 rOST-CAPTAINS OK 1803. 
 
 deficiency of medical stores, must have rendered its progress inost destruc- 
 tive. Fourteen days liad now elapsed, and the evils under which they were 
 likely to suffer were certain to increase in intensity from the mere daily 
 continuance. The firmness and commanding character of Captain Max- 
 well were sufficient security for the maintenance of discipline ; but even 
 upon this head it was difficult to be wholly without alarm. 
 
 " Soon after sunset our anxiety was relieved by the arrival of a boat 
 with Messrs. Sykes and Abbot on board ; from them we learnt that water 
 had been procured from two wells, in sufficient quantity for the general 
 consumption. Only one casualty had occurred, and that too in the person 
 of a marine, who had landed in a state of hopeless debility*. The Malay 
 proas had made their appearance on the 22d February, and had been 
 daily increasing in numbers. The first Lieutenant (Hickman) and a de- 
 tachment of the crew had, in consequence of their approach, been obliged 
 to abandon the ship, and another raft that had been constructed. The pi- 
 rates had subsequently set fire to the wreck, which had burnt to the water's 
 edge. Supplies of provisions, liquors, and arms had, however, been ob- 
 tained from it. The creek, where the boats of the ship were laid up, had 
 been completely blockaded by the proas, sixty in number, carrying from 
 8 to 12 men each, until the appearance of the Ternate, when they had all 
 hastened awayf. 
 
 " Captain Maxwell had carried his intention into effect of establishing 
 himself on the top of a hill near the landing-place. Dy cutting down trees 
 and clearing the underwood, an open space had been obtained sufficient for 
 the accommodation of the crew, and the reception of the stores and bag- 
 gage. The trees and underwood cut down had furnished materials for de- 
 fences, capable of resisting a sudden attack from an enemy unprovided with 
 artillery ; platforms had been erected at the most commanding points, and 
 a tcrre pletne of some yards extent had been formed immediately without 
 
 * This poor fellow had contracted a liver complaint in Chitia, wUilst ac- 
 companying the Ambassador as one of his guard. The only tVmg he com- 
 plained of ill his enfeebled state, n:as his inability to turn out and face the 
 Malays with his comrades. Another man, who was a foreigner, and a very 
 troublesome character, thouglit proper to leave his shipmates on the third 
 day after they landed, saying, he considered himself free from the English 
 service after the frigate was wrecked. He may have been bitten by a ser- 
 pent in the woods, and died there, or hv^ve. fallen into the hands of the sa- 
 vages i but he was never afterwards heard of. See M'Leod's Voyage, 
 p. 272, 
 
 f On the 26th May, Lieutenant Hay, in the second barge, pursued 
 two proas, one of which he came up with, and was on the point of board- 
 ing, when she sunk with 4 of her crew. The remaining six swam with 
 great dcxtprity, and refiising quarter, continued to fight with their spears 
 until quite exhausted, when two of them dived and were seen no more. The 
 others were taken prisopers, but two died soon after they had been dragged 
 into tlie boat. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OK 1803. 
 
 815 
 
 the defences to prevent surprise ; some hundred rounds of ball cartridge 
 hud l)cca lijude up and distributed to the men with the small arms : pike», 
 however, some of bamboo with the ends pointed and hardened in the fire, 
 were tiic weapons of the majority. None had been exempted from their 
 share of guard-duty, nor had the slightest want of inclination been maui- 
 fested ; in fact the wise arrangements and personal character of Captain 
 Maxwell, white they liad really given security, had inspired proportionate 
 confidence ; and it might safely be asserted that an attack from the Malays 
 was rather wished for than feared. 
 
 " On the evening preceding our arrival. Captain Maxwell had addressed 
 the men upon their actual situation, the dangers of which he did not en- 
 deavour to conceal, but at the same time he pointed out the best means of 
 averting them, and inculcated the necessity of union, steadiness, and discir 
 pline. His address was received with three cheers, which were repeatetl by 
 the party on guard over the boats, and every heart and hand felt nerved to 
 ' do or die*.' The appearance of theTernate, however, prevented this des- 
 perate trial of their courage being made. We may attribute the precipitate 
 retreat of the Malays to their habitual dread of a square-rigged vessel, and 
 their not considering the actual circumstances of the case, which rendered 
 the Ternate almost useless for the purposes of assisting the party on shore, 
 the anchorage being too distant to allow of any effective co-operation. . ; 
 
 " My expectations of the security of the position were more than rea^ 
 iized when I ascended the hill ; the defences were only pervious to a spear, 
 and the entrances were of such difficult access, and so comniaudcd, that 
 many an assailant must have fallen before the object could be effecteC 
 Participation of privation, and e(]ual distribution of comfort, had lightened 
 the weight of suffering to all; and I found the universal sentiment to be ah 
 enthusiastic admiration of the temper, energy, and arrangements of Cap>' 
 tain Maxwell. No man ever gained more in the estimation of his comrade^ 
 by gallantry in action, than he had done by his conduct on this trying oc- 
 casion : his look was confidence, and his orders were felt to be security. 
 
 " The next and part of the following day were employed in embarking 
 the crew and remaining stores on board the Ternate. We sailed in the af- 
 ternoon of the 7th, and reached Batavia on the evening of tlie 9th. The 
 Princess Oarlotte, from inferiority of sailing and other adverse cir?- 
 cumstances, did not reach the Straits of Caspar till the 17th, and was the^ 
 obliged to come-to at a much greater distance from the island than the 
 Ternate had done. 
 
 " His Excellency and Captain Maxwell having deemed it adviseable to 
 combine the conveyance of the embassy with that of the officers and crew 
 of the Alceste to England, the ship Caesar was taken up for those purposes; 
 and all the necessary arrangements being completed, we sailed from Batih 
 via Roads on the morning of the 12th April, and anchored m Siipon's Buy, 
 after a voyage of 45 days." . - ;,,.,. • . . »r 
 
 '< I . ■ 
 
 For Captain Maxwell's speech, sec " M'Lcod's k'oyage," p, 255, 
 
816 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 • ," 
 
 On his passage home Captain Maxwell had an interview 
 with Napoleon Buonaparte, who remembered that he had 
 commanded at the capture of la Pomone, and said to him 
 " Fbus etiez tres mechant — Eh, bien ! your goverment must 
 not blame you for the loss of the Alceste, for you have taken 
 one of my frigates*." That his government had no cause to 
 censure him will be seen by the decision of a Court-Martial^ 
 held on board the Queen Charlotte at Portsmouth, in August, 
 
 1817:— 
 
 '* The Court is of opinion that the loss of H. M. late ship Alceste, was 
 caused by her striking on a sunken rock, until then unknown, in the straits 
 of Caspar. That Captain Murray Maxwell, previous to the circumstance, 
 appears to have conducted himself in the most zealous and officer-like nian< 
 ner; and, after the ship struck, his coolness, self-collection, and exertions, 
 were highly conspicuous ; and that every thing was done by him and his 
 officers within the power of man to execute, previous to the loss of the 
 ship, and aftenrarda to preserve the lives of the Right Hon. Lord Amherst, 
 H. M. Ambassador, and his suite, aa well as those of the ship's company, and 
 to save her stores on that occasion ; the Court, therefore, adjudge the said 
 Captain Murray Maxwell, his officers and men, to be mo»t fully acquitted." 
 
 Amongst the witnesses examined on this occasion was 
 Lord Amherst, who stated " that he had selected Captain 
 Maxwell, on the occasion of the embassy, from motives of 
 personal friendship, as well as from the high opinion he en- 
 tertained of his professional character, which opinion hud 
 been much increased by the events of the voyage." 
 
 Captain M:ixwell was nominated a C. B. in 1815, and re- 
 ceived the honor of knighthood on the 27th May, 1818. 
 At the general election in the same year he stood as a candi- 
 date for the city of Westminster, and sustained severe per- 
 sonal injury from the vile rabble with which the hustings in 
 Covent Garden is on such occasions surrounded. On the 
 20th May, 1819, the Hon. £ast India Company presented 
 him with the sum of 1500/. for the services rendered by him 
 to the embassy, and as a remuneration for the loss he sus- 
 tained on his return from China. He was appointed to the 
 Bulwark, a third-rate, bearing the flag of Sir Benjamin Hal- 
 lowell, at Chatham, in June, 1821; and removed to the 
 Briton frigate, on the 28th Nov. 1822. He is at present cm- 
 ployed on the South Americau station. 
 
 ■ Sec '• 3/'Z,m/'* /%f/^c," p. 32(). 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1803. 817 
 
 Sir Murray is one of nine brothers, six of whom, besides 
 himself, devoted themselves to their country's service. Two, 
 Keith and John, were brought up in the navy : the former 
 died a Post-Captain, and the latter has also obtained that 
 rank. • .. 
 
 Agent. — Sir Francis Ommanney, M. P. ; j i-; 
 
 CHARLES MARSH SCHOMBERG, Esq. 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; and 
 Knight Commander of the Royal Portuguese Order of the Totter and 
 Sword. 
 
 This officer is the youngest son of the late Sir Alexander 
 Schomberg, Knt. by Mary Susannah Arabella, daughter of the 
 Rev. Chalmers, and niece of Sir Alleyn, Knt. 
 
 He was born at Dublin, and entered the navy as a Mid- 
 shipman, on board the Dorset yacht, commanded by his 
 father, the last 32 years of whose life was spent in attendance 
 upon the different Viceroys of Ireland, from one of whom he 
 received the honor of knighthood, in 1777*. 
 
 At the commencement of the French revolutionary war, 
 Mr. Charles M. Schomberg entered into active service, under 
 
 * Sir Alexander Schomberg obtained the rank of Lieutenant, Dec. II. 
 1747 ; and was made a Post-Captain, into the Richmond frigate, April 5, 
 17^7' He commanded the Diana of 32 guns, at the reduction of Quebec, 
 in 1759, [See note at p. 4,] and greatly distinguished himself during the 
 siege of that important fortress by a FVench army, under Mons. Levi, in 
 May 1760. 
 
 The enemy being repulsed in their attempt to recover possession of Que- 
 bec, Captain Schomberg was selected by Lord Colville, the naval com- 
 mander-in-chief, to carry home the tidings of their defeat ; and on his ar. 
 rival, the King (George H.) desired the Admiralty to give him the com- 
 mand of the Essex, a new 64-gun ship, in which he was employed under 
 the orders of Sir Edward Hawke, and H. R. H. the Duke of York, until 
 the conclusion of hostilities, in Feb* 1 763. He was appointed to the Lord 
 Lieutenant's yacht in Dec. 1771 ; and continued to command her tilt his 
 demise, which took place about the spring of 1804. 
 
 Sir Alexander was uncle to the late Commissioner Isaac Schomberg, 
 who served as first Lieutenant under the veteran Cornwallis, in the memo- 
 rable battle between Rodney and de Grasse ; also under the command of 
 H. H. H. Prince William Henry, in the Pegasus of 28 guns ; and who rom« 
 Dfianded the Culloden, 74, in Lord Howe's engagement, June 1, 1794. 
 The Commissioner died at Chelsea, Jan. 20, 1813. 
 
 "P . -l 
 
 4} 
 
B18 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 i 
 
 la 
 
 the auspices of the late Admiral Machride, with whom he con- 
 tinued, in the Cumherland and Minotaur, third-rates, until 
 his promotion to a Lieutenancy, April 30, 1795. 
 
 After serving for some time in the Rattler sloop of war, 
 under the present Rear-Admirals L:ike and Cochet (the former 
 his patron's son-in-law), he returned to the Minotaur, then 
 commanded by the late Sir Thomas Louis ; and, nominally, 
 the flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Macbride*. 
 , Subsequent to the general mutiny in 1797j the Minotaur 
 was sent from England to reinforce the fleet off Cadiz ; on 
 which station we find Lieutenant Schomberg personally en- 
 gaged in several severe boat actions with the Spanish flotilla 
 and land-batteries j a mode of warfare wisely adopted by Earl 
 St. Vincent commander-in-chief, to employ the minds of his 
 seamen, and divert them from following the mischievous ex- 
 ample of their brethren at Spithead and the Nore. It is un- 
 necessary to say more on this subject, than that the unhappy 
 Spaniards were made to feel the effects, and deplore the 
 consequences, of a popular commotion in the British navy. 
 . The Minotaur continued with the in-shorc squadron off 
 jtadiz till May 24, 1/98, on which day she sailed for the 
 Mediterranean, in company with a strong detachment under 
 the orders of Captain Thomas Troubridge, whose junction 
 with Sir Horatio Nelson, near Toulon, the long cruise which 
 Succeeded in quest of a French armament commanded by 
 )Vapoleon Buonaparte, and the great victory achieved by the 
 British squadron in Aboukir Bay, have already been described 
 in a note at p. 180 et seq, of our first volume. 
 • Tiie Minotaur on that glorious occasion sustained a loss of 
 23 men slain and 64 wounded. Her conduct ia thus noticed 
 by Nelson's biographers (Messrs. Clarke and M*Aithur), at 
 pp. 79» 80, &c. of tlieir highly valuable work»i .^'.^ j 
 
 • VJce-Admlml Macbride retired from his command in the North Sen, 
 towards the close of 1 79fi, at u-htch period Mr. Schomberg was serving as 
 first Lieutenant of the Rattler ; and he does not appear ever afterwards to 
 have hoisted his (hg. He became an Admiral of the Blue, Fel». 14, 179!> ; 
 nnd died at the Sprinp: Garden Coffee House, London, Feb. 17, 1800. It 
 \va3 in consequence of his recommendation that the experiment of armin|[f 
 1ine-of-baitlc ships with heavy carronadcs, Instead of long !).p(nmdcrs, on 
 the <|uartcr-deck and forecastle, was first tried on board the Minotaur. Sec 
 James's Nav. Hist. Vut. H. p. 126. 
 
POST-CAITAINS OF 1803. 
 
 819 
 
 h Sen, 
 \ng as 
 inls to 
 179!); 
 It 
 rining 
 irs, on 
 r. Sec 
 
 ' " Wliilc the advanced officers in the British squadron* were proving 
 thcmselvci worthy of that experience and decision which directed tlic whole, 
 the Rcar-Admiral himself had entered into action with the remainder of his 
 force ; and was the first that anchored on the outer 8i<le of tlie enemy, 
 within half pistol-shot of le Spartiate, the third ship in the French line of 
 battle. »»»•♦♦ 
 
 " The Vanguard having thus anchored in eight fathom water, at 6'' 30' 
 P. M. veered half a cable, and in a minute opened a most destructive fire 
 so as to cover the approach of the other ships, the Minotaur, Bellerophon, 
 Defence, and Majestic, which respectively passed on a-hcad of their Ad- 
 miral. Captain Louis, in the Minotaur, nobly supported his friend and 
 commander, and anchoring next a-hcad of the Vanguard, took off the fire 
 of I'Aipiilon, the fourth in the French linef. 
 
 " During the heat of the battle, and when Nelson had received his severe 
 wound in the Iicad from a piece of langridge shot, some circumstances 
 occorred which marked his character and dii^position. On being wounded, 
 he had been assisted in going below, where, desiring that he might wait 
 until his turn came, it was some time before he was discovered by the sur- 
 geon. The pain was intense, and Nelson felt convinced that his wound was 
 mortal. A large piece of the skin of his forehea<l, which had been cut to 
 the bone, hung down over his eye, and not having any sight from the other, 
 he was left perfectly blind. Mr. Jefferson assured him, on probing the 
 wound, that there was no immediate danger. He would not, however, in- 
 dulge any hope ; and having desired Mr. Coinyn, the cliaplain, to convey 
 his dying remembrance to Lady Nelson, he ordered the Minotaur to be 
 hailed, that he might thank her gallant Captain for coming up so nobly to 
 the support of the Vanguard — the interview afTectcd all who beheld it." 
 
 " FHrnteU, dedr Louis," said the hero, " /shall never forget the oftli- 
 gntiun I am under to pott for your Imive and gvneroiis conduct ; and note, 
 whatceer may become of me, my fnind k at peace J." 
 
 L'Aquilon being totally dismasted, and completely over- 
 powered by the Minotaur's superior fire, struck her colours 
 some time previous to the destruction of TOrient, and was 
 immediately taken possession of by Lieutenant Schomberg, 
 whom we subscqaeAtly find employed, as first of the Mino- 
 taur, in a series of active and rmpoitant services, on the coast 
 of Italy, the nature of which Will be seen by the following 
 
 * Captains ThoniM Foley, Samuel liood. !^r JMncs Siiiimarez, Davidge 
 Gould, and Ralph Willct Miller, of the Goliath, Zealoua, Orion, Aoda- 
 tiouii, and Theseus ; wltidi ships bad anchored within the enemy's line. 
 
 t The Alexumlori Swiftsifro, and Leander, it will be remcmbcTc<l, did 
 not close with tho enemy until a consideruMe time after thft eoromencc- 
 •ment i>f the action. 
 
 X The nhovQ {Nuiago in tloticR ii extracted from a rncmoh' of Sir Thomas 
 Lonk, publishod in thi> Naval <JiinoniclcOH(K!). ""i •••■"*• -. < -. 
 
 t'ii 
 
 '.'•v 
 
820 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1808. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 outline of occurrences in that quarter, between Nov. 1798, 
 and October 1799. 
 
 After the establishment of the blockade of Malta, and the 
 surrender of Gozo, an adjacent island, in Oct. 1798*, the 
 Minotaur returned with Nelson to Naples, where she re- 
 ceived on board part of a Neapolitan army, destined to occupy 
 Leghorn, at which place she arrived in company with the 
 Vanguard, Culloden, and Alliance, towards th& latter end of 
 November. A summons was immediately sent on shore, in 
 the names of the allied commanders ; and no resistance being 
 offered, the troops were soon landed under General Naselli, 
 who took possession of the town and port, whilst the squa- 
 dron secured two Genoese armed vessels, and several others 
 loaded with corn, which were found lying outside the mole. 
 
 The occupation of Leghorn was undertaken by Nelson with 
 a view to frustrate the machinations of the French emissaries 
 then at Florence, and thereby preserve Tuscany from the 
 anarchy and plunder to which that fine country was shortly 
 afterwards subjected, through native treachery and Sicilian 
 imbecilityf. 
 
 In December following, the French army having invaded 
 
 the Neapolitan territory, and the superior inhabitants of the 
 
 capital displaying strong symptoms of disaffection, his Sicilian 
 
 Majesty found it expedient to embark in Nelson's flag-ship, 
 
 and to proceed with his family to Palermo |, at which place 
 
 he was landed in safety on the 26th of the same month. 
 
 ; . . . • ■.- ; •,,.' ■ ' 
 
 • See Vol. I. note f at p. 838. 
 
 f Tlie principal Tuscan traitor was the Marquis ManflPedini, who endea-. 
 voured to make his countrymen believe that all the horrors of war and the 
 loss of their property were inevitable, if the good will of the " Great Na- 
 lion" were not purchased. This jacobin had been tutor to the Grand 
 Duke, and was at that period his Prime Minister. 
 
 The disgraceful flight of the Neapolitans from Rome, to which city they 
 had advanced for the avowed purpose of restoring the Pope, has been 
 briefly noticed in our memoir of Sir Benjamin Hallowell, K.C.B. See 
 Vol. I. note fat p. 472. 
 
 I General Championet entered Naples on the 23d Jan. 1799, but not 
 without great opposition on the part of the Lazzaroni, who although half- 
 starved, nearly naked, wholly undisciplined, and without a leader of the 
 least rank, displayed considerable resolution, even when the republicao 
 army and its artillery had obtained possession of the principal streets. 
 
 At this critical period, Championet thought be might meet the super- 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 821 
 
 ': Whilst such was the deplorable state of Naples, and the 
 painful situation of His Sicilian Majesty, whose. hopes and 
 comforts equally rested upon the British squadron ; the affairs 
 of Tuscany, and the cruel insults to which the King of Sar- 
 dinia was then exposed, demanded also a large share of Nel- 
 son's judgment and decision. Throughout the whole of the 
 subsequent proceedings in that part of Italy, his Excellency 
 the Hon, W. Wyndham displayed an energy and impartiality 
 
 stitious ideas of this loyal body, by publishing an account of his regard for 
 their national patron, St. Januarius ! This had the desired effect ; his con- 
 version flew like lightning through the city, and did more in his favour than 
 "all the ammunition he had expended. One of their chiefs delivered an 
 oration, ordered them to cease firing, and to lay down their arms. He ^va8 
 listened to with reverence, and obeyed with alacrity. The horrors of war 
 were followed by acclamations of joy, and the French General's hand wap 
 kissed in token of submission. 
 
 Thus suddenly the Lazzaroni became the advocates of republicanism. 
 They plundered the royal palace, which but a short time before they would 
 have defended to the last extremity ; and were with difficulty restrained 
 from committing still greater excesses. Championet left the city in charge 
 of General Duhesme, and encamped his army on the adjacent heights. 
 Having disarmed the inhabitants, the French commander, in person, pro- 
 claimed to his troops, that henceforth they should be styled " The Army 
 of Naples j" which decree was accompanied by the shouts of the multitude 
 and a tremendous discharge of cannon. 
 
 The clergy and many of the nobles celebrated this event. Even the Car- 
 dinal Archbishop paid servile court to the invaders, and actually practised 
 fraud to complete the overthrow of monarchy. In consequence of long and 
 earnest prayers, the phial, which contained a precious portion of the patron 
 saint, so much respected by the iithabitanis, exhibited undoubted marks of 
 miraculous interposition, an event inupediately communicated to the cre- 
 dulous multitude. After this, a day was appointed for a solemn Te Deum, 
 when the citizens were to return thanks for the glorious entry of the French 
 troops, who had come to '* regenerate the nation, and consolidate its hap- 
 piness" — to promulgate the blasphemous tenets of a frenzied republic, and 
 to reduce all classes to one common level. At the same time the traitorous 
 prelate intimated, that 8t. Januarius had greeted their arrival in the kindest 
 manner, " his blood having miraculously liquefied in the evening of that very 
 day on which the French forces had taken up their abode in the capital *." 
 Immediately after this, Naples was proclaimed a commontvealth, uiider 
 the designation of *' The Parthenopean Republic," and the provi- 
 sional government confided to twenty-one citizens, chosen by Champiopct. 
 
 * St, Januarius was subsequently punished fur his jucobini«m. Sec Vu]. I. 
 note • at p. 280. 
 
 VOL. II. 3 H 
 
822 
 
 FO»T-CAPTAINS OF J 803. 
 
 I ( 
 
 li 
 
 
 which all the artifice of French intrigue could not affect ; and 
 the co-operation of the Minotaur, stationed off Leghorn, was 
 at all times worthy of her commander's professional cha- 
 racter. 
 
 Towards the end of Jan. 1799, the arrival of a very valuable 
 convoy from England was hourly looked for, and the British 
 Minister accordingly presented a note on the subject to the 
 Grand Duke. On the 28th, the principal merchants decided 
 that the fleet, instead of entering the port, should be placed 
 under the protection of the Minotaur, and remain in the roads 
 until Captain Louis could devise further means for its secu- 
 rity. The threats of Salicetti, Envoy from the French Direc- 
 tory*, who declared openly that Tuscany would be revolu- 
 tionized in the ensuing Lent ; and the suspicious conduct of 
 the republican generals, then in the neighbourhood of Flo- 
 rence, kept the Duchy at that time in a very agitated state ; 
 and, as Mr. Wyndham added in his note, " there was reason 
 to believe, that if the French had not yet attacked the govern- 
 ment, it was only because they waited the arrival of this rich 
 convoy, in order to ensure its capture." 
 
 During these proceedings, the King of Sardinia and his fa- 
 mily, justly apprehensive of French treachery, had arrived at 
 Florence, and were lodged in one of the Grand Duke's 
 palaces, about a mile without the city. His Majesty, driven 
 from Piedmont, intended to seek an asylum at Cagliari ; and 
 afterwards proceeded thither in a Danish frigate, escorted by 
 a British man of warf. Mr. Wyndham, in his letters to 
 Nelson, gives an account of the various circumstances that 
 had preceded and attended this transaction : —from those 
 letters we make the following extracts :— 
 
 " Florence, Feb. 6, 1799.— The King of Sardinia in very grateful to your 
 Lordtbip for leaving a force off Leghorn. I feel roost sincerely your at- 
 tention in sending Captain Louis, whose conduct gives great satisfaction to 
 this Court, and who in every respect is a proper person for the service ; 
 uniting cool judgment and address with every other quality necessary for a 
 military character, and concurring with me candidly for the public service. 
 * * * *. His Majesty is still here and suffers much from convulsions, 
 occasioned by the hard usage and violent treatment he is obliged to put up 
 
 * Salicetti was a native of Corsica, a disciple of Robespierre, a Member 
 of the Council of 600, and an avowed enemy of Italy, 
 t See Vol. 1. p. 839. 
 
 i ; • ■ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1803. 
 
 823 
 
 and 
 
 cha- 
 
 with from the French commissary who attends him, and others who are 
 appointed to thwart his wishes, and contradict him on frivolous and vexa- 
 tious pretexts. When the King, three days since, tallced of goinsr on his 
 journey to Leghorn, the Commissary Chiboux said to him, ' f^ovs ne par- 
 tirez point, ce v^est pas h vous ii commander, c'est h vous h regevoir nog 
 ordres.' I am sorry to say his Majesty is not better treated by Venturi, a 
 jacobin nobleman." 
 
 "Feb. 16, 1799. — His Sardinian Majesty proposes sailing to-morrow, 
 or next day at latest, from Leghorn, if the wind permits. His cruel situ- 
 ation could not fail to call forth the feelings of any man who possesses loy- 
 alty and honour. I therefore proposed and concerted with a person in 
 H. M. confidence, to secure the Royal family from any future insults on 
 their passage by sea ; and the same person was accordingly employed by 
 me, to arrange with Captain Louis a mode of escorting the King and hin 
 suite to Cagliari in such a manner that the French commistiary should not 
 know an English ship was engaged to attend on the voyage. We had some 
 idea of au intent of the enemy to intercept H. M. on the passage by their 
 privateers ; and the noted Franceschi, chief of the French and Corsican 
 marauders in these seas, had been peculiarly active of late in arming and 
 equipping a number of vessels best suited for resistance, apparently in con- 
 cert Mdth the French commissary and consul. The total impossibility of 
 knowing how events might turn out after the King's landing in Sardinia, 
 has induced H. M. to negotiate with me for the security of his person, and 
 the protection of the only state which now remains to him. I caimot suf- 
 ficiently commend Captain Louis for his generous zeal and kind concurrence 
 in this affair." 
 
 The King of Sardinia was not able to sail from Leghorn 
 until the 23d of February. On his arrival at Cagliaria his 
 Majesty published a protest against the conduct of the French, 
 dated March 3, 1799, in which he declared, " Upon the faith 
 and word of a King, that he not only had never infringed, 
 even in the slightest degree, the treaties that had been made 
 with the French republic ; but, on the contrary, had observed 
 them with such scrupulous exactness, and with such demon- 
 strations of amity and condescension, as far exceeded the 
 obligations he had contracted." 
 
 The arrival of the expected convoy, March 14, only served 
 to encrease the alarm of the Tuscan government. Upwards 
 of 1,000 French had already arrived at Pistoia, and other de- 
 tachments were on their march to that place. A large body 
 of horse and foot, with artillery, had set out from Bologna for 
 Florence ; and two frigates were cruising off Genoa, for the 
 purpose of co-operating in an attack on Leghorn. 
 
 In the midst of this consternation, intelligenca was re- 
 
 3 II 2 
 
 ^f ;^i 
 
 ir 
 
824 
 
 POBT-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 
 ceived of the rapid advance of General Scherer, ex-minister at 
 war, who had succeeded Championet as commander-in-chief 
 of the army of Lorabardy, and whose first military movement 
 was the invasion of Tuscany. On the 25th of March, Flo- 
 rence fell into his possession, and Leghorn was occupied the 
 same day by a division under General Miollis.. The Grand 
 Duke, instead of making any resistance, published a declara- 
 tion, requesting, as a proof of " the attachment and affection 
 of his faithful subjects^ that they ivould respect the French 
 Army*.'* All the property found at Leghorn belonging to Great 
 Britain, Portugal, Austria, Russia, Turkey, and the States of 
 Barbary, was subjected to sequestration by the enemy, whose 
 mortification was very great when they discovered that not 
 only the English merchandize recently arrived, but also much 
 more of their expected booty had been placed beyond their 
 reach through the active es;ertions of Captain Louis, and the 
 officers under his orders, 
 
 The Minotaur returned to Palermo at the latter end of 
 March, and Nelson immediately laid before her commander a 
 plan he had formed for the effectual blockade of Naples, and 
 recovery of the islands in that neighbourhood. This plan had 
 been sanctioned by His Sicilian Majesty on the 18th of that 
 month, and had been received with much gratitude by the 
 King and his Ministers, who could not but contrast the gene- 
 rous solicitude of the British Admiral with the cold and selfish 
 apprehensions of his natural ally, the Rmperor of Austria. 
 
 On the 31st of March, the CuUodcn, Zealous, Minotaur, 
 Swiftsure, and some other ships of war, proceeded to execute 
 their Admiral's instructions ; and on the seventh day after 
 their departure. Nelson had the pleasure of hearing that they 
 were in complete possession of Procida and Ischia, the inha- 
 
 * The King of Sardinia was constrained to perform an act of still greater 
 degradation when he signed an act of abdication, dictated by the republican 
 General Joubert, Dec. 9, 1798. Stipulating only for the exercise of the 
 Catholic religion for his subjects, the security of his own person, and the 
 enjoyment of liberty and property for the Prince de Carignan ; the ill-fated 
 monarch was obliged to renounce the exercise of all his power and autho- 
 rity on the continent, to order the Piedmontese troops to consider them- 
 selves as belonging to the French army, and to surrender the citadel of 
 Turin, as a pledge that no resistance whatever should be attempted against 
 i^ aiit " tohie^ em'inated purelj/ from his oto/t wiil." , ■ ,. 
 
POSt-CAl^TAlNS Ot 1903. 
 
 825 
 
 feitants of which islands had joyfully hoisted the royal colours j 
 cut down the trees of liberty, and delivered up the municipa- 
 lities, composed of detestable jacobins, all of whom were either 
 confined on board the squadron, or in the chateau of Ischia, to 
 await the punishment due to their crimes. 
 
 Captain Troubridge, the senior officer, lost no time in send- 
 irtg to Palermo for a judge to try the offenders, but it seemed 
 to be the wish of the imbecile Ministry to cast the odium of 
 every execution upon the British, as was but too successfully 
 done in the case of Prinde Caraccioli, to which we have alluded 
 in a preceding part of this work *. Captain Troubridge, how- 
 ever, " out-manoeuvred" thenij although some time elapsed 
 before he could obtain the object of his desires. Writing to 
 Nelson on this subject, he says : — . : i . 
 
 {April A, 1/99.) " I pray your Lordship to send an honest Judge here 
 to try these miscreants on the spot, that some proper examples may be 
 made : it will be impossible to go on else, the villains encrease so fast on 
 my hands, and the people are calling for justice. Eight or tea of them must 
 be hung." 
 
 {April 13.) " The Judge is arranging his papers ; to-morrow he begins. 
 I have given him good advice ; he appears to me to be the poorest creature 
 I ever saw, and to be frightened out of his senses. He declares that seventy 
 families are concerned, and talks of its being necessary to have a Bishop to 
 degrade the Priests before he can execute them. I told him to hang 
 them first, and if he did not think that degradation sufficient, to send them 
 afterwards to me." 
 
 {April 18.) " The Judge made an oflfer two days since, if I wished it, to 
 pass sentence ; but hinted that it would not be regular on some. I declined 
 having any thing to do with it. By his conversation, I found his instruc- 
 tions were to go through it in a summary manner, and under me. I told 
 him the latter must be a mistake, as they were not British subjects." 
 
 {May 7.) " My Lord : — I have just had a long conversation with the 
 Judge. He tells me he shall finish his business next week ; and that the 
 custom with his profession is to return home the moment they have con- 
 demned. He says, he must be embarked immediately, and hmted at a man 
 of tear. I found also from his conversation, that the Priests must be sent 
 to Palermo to be disgraced, by the King's order, and then to be returned for 
 execution to this place. An English man of war to perform all this: at 
 the same time making application to me for a hangman, which I positively 
 refused. If none could be found here, I desired he would send for one from 
 Palermo. I see their drift : they want to make us the principals, and to 
 throw all the odium upon us. I cannot form the least idea of their law pro- 
 
 ^1 
 
 
 :i( 
 
 ik 
 
 • See Vol. ]. p. 565. 
 
B26 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 cesa as carried ou against the prisoners ; for the culprits are seldom pre* 
 sent while the trial is proceeding. By the Judge's account, he is making a 
 rapid progress : several of the villains are very rich." 
 
 Some of the loyalists, with the characteristic impetuosity 
 of Italians, did not wait for the decision of a Judge, as ap- 
 pears hy the following extraordinary letter which Captain 
 Troubridge received early one morning, with his usual basket 
 of grapes for breakfast, from the shore : — 
 
 Salerno, j4prit26, 1799. Sir,— As a faithful subject of my King, Fer- 
 dinand IV., whom God preserve, I have the glory of presenting to yotu* 
 Excellency, the head of D. Charles Granozio di Giffoni, who was employed 
 in the administration directed by the infamous Commissary Ferdinand 
 Ruggi. The said Granozio was killed by me in a place called 11 Puggi, dis- 
 trict of Ponte Cagnaro, as he was running away. I beg your Excellency 
 to accept the sud head, and consider this operation as a proof of my attach- 
 ment to the Royal Crown. I am mth due respect, the futhful subject of 
 the King, J. M. V." 
 
 So wretchedly were the affairs of the Sicilian government 
 administered, that although the number of loyalists in Procida 
 and Ischia, including emigrants from the main, amounted to 
 at least 50,000 persons, a considerable period was allowed to 
 elapse before any attention was paid to their wants, and had 
 it not been for the flour with which they were supplied from 
 the squadron, and the private stores, which the officers hu- 
 manely distributed amongst them, many of those poor suf- 
 fering creatures must actually have perished through hunger ; 
 all supplies from Naples and Castel-a-mare having been sus- 
 pended immediately after the arrival of the British. 
 
 " The distress for bread is so great," says Captain Troubridge, *' that it 
 would move even a Frenchman to pity. I am furly worn out with fretting for 
 the breach of my word given to the inhabitants, in consequence of her Ma- 
 jesty's promise to me. Cannot a subscription be opened ? 1 beg to put 
 ray name down for twenty ducats ; I cannot afford more, or I would give 
 more. I feed all I can from a large private stock I had, but tliat will not 
 last long. No halt shall attach to us. Palermo is full of grain, as is the 
 neighbourhood : the French, I fear, have more interest there than the 
 King." •••<(] know Strabia, and feel much hurt that I am made 
 the tool of luit deception. In short, my Lord, these islands must return 
 under the French yoke, as I see the King's Ministers are not to be relied 
 on for supplies. I trust your Lordship will pardon my stating the case s 
 plainly ; but I think I should be highly culpable, if from delicacy I were to 
 sacrifice the lives (^50,000 inhabitants." 
 
 Even Nelson's remonstrances on this occasion proved 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 827 
 
 unavailing — the love of country was never yet cherished by a 
 sordid courtier. Writing to Earl St. Vincent, the hero 
 expressed himself as follows : — " This day brought me letters 
 from dear Troubridge. He has been obliged to give all his 
 flour to keep the inhabitants of the islands &om starving. I 
 have eternally been pressing for supplies, and have repre- 
 sented that 100,000/. given away just now in provisions 
 might purchase a kingdom." 
 
 Troubridge was in reality what he described a certain 
 foreign Governor to be, whom he met with in the course of 
 service ; but whose name does not appear in the correspond- 
 ence we arc now making so free with : — *• an honest man, 
 who studied his Sovereign's interest in every thing ; without 
 the little dirty policy of making money himself." Not so 
 the Sicilian grandee, whom we have just seen him charge 
 with deception. That Strabia also deserved to be stigmatised 
 as a peculator of the basest description, is very evident, at 
 least to us ; and the Rev. Cooper Willyams must have enter- 
 tained a similar opinion, for at p. 184 of his publication 
 respecting the battle of the Nile, &c.*, we find a passage to 
 this efiiect :— ' 
 
 " The people at Procida being now in the utmost distress for bread, 
 some provisions were sent to them from the British squadron. On the Idth, 
 however, several vessels arrived from Sicily with corn for the islands of 
 Procida and Ischia ; but instead of a free competition to supply them with 
 it, a particular grant was issued from the Grown for Prince Strabia to issue 
 it solely : the consequence was, that it came in too small quantities to be 
 of essential service, and the Prince was so exorbitant in his demands, that 
 the poor were literally starving." . w, \ : . 
 
 Whilst Captain Troubridge was thus venting his just com- 
 plaints against a corrupt administration, the ships under his 
 orders were employed paving the way for a counter-revolution 
 at Naples, by maintaining a close blockade, and thereby 
 preventing corn or any other supplies from reaching that city 
 by sea. The towns of Castel-a-mare and Salerno were occu- 
 pied by detachments landed from the Minotaur, Swiftsure, 
 and Zealous, but found untenable, on account of the enemy's 
 superior numbers. In retiring from the latter place, the 
 British had several men killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. 
 
 n\ 
 
 li I ^^ 
 
 * See Vol. I, note J at p. 483. 
 
828 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 
 
 1803. 
 
 In the evening of May 5, 1799> a powerful fleet from Brest 
 entered the Mediterranean and proceeded towards Cartha- 
 gena^ for the purpose of forming a junction with the Spanish 
 ships in that port, after which it was the enemy's intention to , 
 embark a large body of troops at Toulon, to wrest Minorca 
 from the English, raise the blockade of Naples, and make a 
 joint attack upon Sicily. All those objects, however, were 
 frustrated through the supineness of the Spaniards, and the 
 vigilance of the British Admirals to the westward. 
 
 The enemy's arrival within the Straits of Gibraltar was no 
 sooner made known to Nelson, than he resolved to collect his . 
 line-of-battle ships, and cruise with them o£f Maritimo, in 
 order to protect Sicily from the threatened invasion, and at 
 the same time to cover the frigates and sloops left off Naples, 
 under the command of Captain (now Vice-Admiral) Foote, 
 to whose memoir we must refer our readers for a sketch of 
 the occurrences on that station^ from the period of his prede- . 
 cessor's departure for Palermo, until the return of Ferdinand 
 IV. to his capital, in the month of July following *. 
 
 Although Ferdinand IV. had abandoned his capital, he was ; 
 not wholly forsaken by his subjects ; the inhabitants of the ^ 
 provinces, in particular, still retained an affection for their 
 absent King, and were ready to sacrifice their lives in his 
 cause. 
 
 Cardinal F. Ruffo was very assiduous in cherishing these ■■ 
 loyal sentiments. This ecclesiastic, one of the most extra- 
 ordinary characters of the age, had, in consequence of some 
 disputes with the Pope, taken refuge at Naples, and been ap- ' 
 pointed Intendant of Caserta, an appointment by no means 
 suitable to the dignity of the Roman purple. Having accom- 
 panied the King to Palermo, at a period when all the cour- 
 tiers despaired of the restoration of the monarchy, he ob- 
 tained leave to repair to Calabria, on purpose to erect the 
 standard of royalty there. Although accompanied" by five 
 persons only when he landed at Scylla, this fortunate adven- 
 turer was soon joined by a number of inhabitants, headed by 
 Don Reggio Renaldi, rector of Scalca, who had already* 
 organized an insurrection, and waited only the arrival of a 
 chief, to direct the movements of his colleagues. 
 
 • See Vol. I. pp. 560—566. . 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 B'iO 
 
 The warlike Cardinal, after collecting a number of new 
 levies, in the capacity of General, recurred to his sacred 
 functions as a priest, on purpose to arouse the fanaticism of 
 a people whom he knew to be both superstitious and barba- 
 rous in the extreme. In virtue of his spiritual authority, lie 
 excommunicated all those who would not take up arms, while 
 he enjoined every true catholic to wear a red cross in his hat, 
 as a signal of faith, and promised such as might die in battle 
 the immediate enjoyment of paradise. In addition to many 
 of the peasantry, his Emihence was isoon joined by a multi- 
 tude of galley-slaves, criminals from the different gaols, and ' 
 robbers who had infested the highway : these were immedi- 
 ately formed into divisions, under three chiefs ; the first of 
 whom was called Francisco Diabolo, a monk, who, after beitig 
 expelled from his convent, became the leader of a desperate 
 band of freebooters ; the second was the gaoler off Salerno^ 
 who marched at the head of his prisoners j and the third, 
 Pauzanera, who, as reported, had committed folirtedri acts of 
 homicide. Such were the troops on whom Cardinal Ruffo 
 bestowed the appellation of " The Christian Army" himself 
 assumhig, at the same time, the designation of " His Sicilian 
 Majesty's Vicar-General and Vicegerent." With this rabble 
 he attacked and obtained possession of the towns of Avigliano, 
 Cotrona, and Cantanzaro ; after which he proceeded against 
 Maples, and there acted in the reprehensible manner described 
 by Captain Foote, when vindicating his conduct as senior 
 officer on that station, during the absence of Captain Trou- ' 
 bridge, in May and June, 1799. The subsequent operations 
 against fort St. Elmo, Capua, Gaieta *, Civita Vecchia, and 
 Rome, are recorded at pp. 475 and 476 of our first volume. 
 
 In announcing to Nelson the surrender of Rome, the once 
 celebrated capital of the world, Commodore Troubridge 
 says ! — 
 
 " The staff tlie Frencli proposed made me sick, the Amhassador was the 
 cause of it y the.thief is afr«ti<l to go to France ; he would sooner stay where 
 
 * Gaieta surrendered to Captain Louis, Aug. 2, 1799 ; and the French 
 garrison, consisting of 5,000 men, were embarked under the superintend- 
 ence of Lieutenant Sehomberg, duruig the night of tlie 3d. In that for-- 
 tresft were taken ?< battering guns, mostly brass, 19 mortars, and 2 field- 
 pieces of the same metal. \ - ..' . " ; 
 
 i pi 
 
 •^ 
 
 \ 
 
 m\ 
 
830 
 
 POST-CAPTAIKS OF 1803. 
 
 he is not wauted. He trailed the Roman territory the property of tfte 
 French Republic by right of conquest ; I settled that by sayinsf, Wt mine 
 by re-conquest, and he was silenced. I have sent Louis up to Bouchard to 
 secure the tranquillity of Rome. The Austriaos offered any terms, but I 
 out-mancBuvred them, brought General Garnier on board the Culloden, and 
 settled all, as your Lordship will see. / have received the greatest assist- 
 aneefrom Captain Louis and Lieutenant Schomherg •." 
 
 In a letter dated Oct. 30, 17^9, the Commodore informs 
 Nelson, that a large quantity of artillery belonging to the 
 King of the Two Sicilies, with his valuable geographical and 
 marine plates, those of Herculaneum, and a variety of other 
 articles of great value, were found at Civita Vecchia, to which 
 port the Anny of Naples had sent the plunder of that king- 
 dom, on its way to France. 
 
 We next find the Minotaur beiiring the flag of Lord Keith, 
 off Genoa ; where she continued until the surrender of that 
 city to the combined forces of Great Britsun and Austria^ 
 June 6, 1800 f. 
 
 On the 3d Sept. following. Lieutenant Schomberg com- 
 manded the Minotaur's boats in a gallant and successful 
 attack made upon two Spanish corvettes, off Barcelona, the 
 particulars of which are given under the head of Capt. James 
 Hillyar, C. B., the officer who conducted that enterprise %. 
 
 Lieutenant Schomberg subsequently accompanied Lord 
 Keith to the coast of Egypt, in the Foudroyant of 80 guns, to 
 which ship he had been removed, on promotion, soon after 
 the brilliant affair off Barcelona. During the Egyptian cam- 
 paign he was appointed Flag Lieutenant to that officer, and 
 sent to Grand Cairo for the purpose of keeping up a commu- 
 nication between his Lordship and the Turkish army. 
 Whilst employed on that service, he received a notification of 
 his advancement to the rank of Commander, and i^pointment 
 
 * Captain Louis was the first Englishman who ever governed Rome. 
 During his absence the Minotaur remained off Civita Vecchia, under the 
 command of Lieutenant Schombei);, who likewise arranged the enw 
 bttrication of the French troops. 
 
 t See Vol. I. p. 63. N.B. Lieutenant Schomberg was the bearer of all 
 the flags of truce sent by Lord Keith to General Masscna, whilst negoti- 
 ating tor the evacuation of Genoa. 
 
 X See p. 850, of this Volume. .); ; n 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 831 
 
 to the Termagant sloop of war, notwithstanding which, he 
 continued with the Capitan Pacha until the termination of 
 hostilities *y when he joined the Charon, a 44-gun ship armed 
 en JlutCf and assisted in conveying the French troops from 
 Alexandria to Malta, on which service he was employed 
 during the greater part of the peace of Amiens. We should 
 here state that Captmn Schomberg is one of the officers who 
 received the gold medal of the Imperial Ottoman Order of the 
 Crescent. 
 
 The evacuation of Egypt being at length comp etely effect- 
 ed. Captain Schomberg was next sent to Tunis, on a pecu- 
 liarly delicate mission, the successful result of which induced 
 Sir Alexander I. Ball, Governor of Malta, to present him 
 with a handsome piece of plate, for his able conduct on that 
 occasion. His post commission bears date Aug. 6, 1803. 
 
 From this period. Captain Schomberg commanded the Ma- 
 dras 54, stationed at Malta, till the spring of 1807. Lord 
 CoUingwood's intention of removing him into I'Atheniene of 
 64 guns, having been frustrated by the melancholy disaster 
 which happened to that ship on the 27 Oct. 1806 f. 
 
 The Madras being dismantled and laid up in Valette har- 
 bour. Captain Schomberg returned to England as a passenger 
 on board some other ship, the name of which has escaped our 
 memory. On his arrival, after an absence of more than ten 
 years, he was appointed to the Hibemia, a first rate, destined 
 for the flag of Sir W. Sidney Smith, and immediately des- 
 patched from Torbay, by Lord Gardner, to open a communi- 
 cation with the British Minister at Lisbon, and announce the 
 approach of a squadron, sent to protect the royal House of 
 Braganza firom the insidious designs of Napoleon, whose 
 myrmidons were then about to pass the Portuguese frontier. 
 Tempestuous weather and baffling winds, however prevented 
 Captain Schomberg from reaching his destination until the 
 arrival of the other ships off the Tagus^ and the negociations 
 which ensued were consequently conducted under the imme- 
 diate directions of Sir W. Sidney Smith, with whom he aft,cr- 
 
 * The procoediugs of the Anglo-Turkbh flotilla arc described at pp. 
 462. et seq. 
 
 t See note at p. 8-l!>. 
 
 t 
 
832 
 
 POSt-CAPTAINS OF 1803; 
 
 wards proceeded to Rio Janeiro, in his former ship, the FoiiiU 
 royant. 
 
 The following extract from the Naval Chronicle throws 
 considerable light on a Subject that gave rise to many coun- 
 ter statements, and much diversity of opinion at the period 
 we are now speaking of i-^ 
 
 "Sometime in June last (1808) at Rio de Janeiro, the Prince of 
 Brazil, talking over Eurofiean news, in a circle of which two Captains and 
 a Lieutenant of our Navy formed part, expressed liimself somewhat indii^- 
 nantly at the London Gazette making him appear under the tuition of the 
 English Charg<f-d^.nffuires, explaining that he had taken his decision to 
 evacuate Portugal on the 25th Novemiier(1807), in consequence of a letter 
 from the Admiral on the 22d : that he embarked on the 27th, and tried to 
 sail on the 28th, but the wind was adverse, and would not let him leave the 
 Tagus till the 29th. In point of fact, concluded the Prince, emphaticaU 
 ly, ' Je n'ai vii Milord S. tju* aprhs le passage de la barre, J'ai s^ii quHl 
 etoit abord la MMuse, avec M. D'Aranjo ; et j« me suis lev(f h 4 heures 
 pour le recevoir; mais il n' est pas venu- Et le vent ^tant 6on, je faisois 
 lever Vnncre comme J'avois d/jh donn^ Vordre ; le premier Anglais que 
 J'ai vH it cstte epoque ^toit le Capitaine Schombcrg, envotj^de la part de 
 rAmirai:'" r.r ; ; 
 
 The period alluded to by the Prince^ when speaking of Cap- 
 tain Schombierg, was the morning of tbe 29th, just after H. 
 R. H. had passed the bar of Lisbon. Sir W. Sidney Smith 
 had formed a line of battle, ordered his ships to be prepared 
 for action, and sent Captain Schomberg to ascertain in what 
 light the Portuguese Were to be considered — whether as 
 friends or as enemies. If coming out with pacific intentions, 
 he was directed to congratulate the Prince Regent, in the 
 name of Sir W. Sidney Smith, oil the wise measure he had 
 adopted, and to assure H. R> H. that the Britinh squadron 
 was ready to afford him protection. The interview proved 
 most gratifying to both parties ; and the Prince, at a subse- 
 quent date^ decorated Captain Schomberg with the insignia of 
 a K. T. S., on account of his having been the first English- . 
 man whom he saw on that memorable occasion f, i^ ■t,> -r-. - 
 
 ;ii', 
 
 li'ti. 
 
 • See Nav. Chron. v. 21, noie • at p. 380. 
 
 t The closing of the Portuguese ports against British vessels, the de- 
 parture of our Char g^-d' -affaires from Lisbon, the emigration of the 
 House of Braganza, and the revival of the ancient Military Order of the 
 Tower and Sword, by the Prince Regent in compliment to his alliex, arc 
 •uhjccts already noticed at pp. 319, 321, 637, and 852, of our first volume. 
 
 4 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 833 
 
 About the commencement of 1809, several changes took 
 place in the squadron at Rio Janeiro, which do not appear to 
 have been sanctioned by the Admiralty. Amongst others 
 was the removal of Captain Schomberg from the Foudroyant 
 to the President ; Captain Adam Mackenzie of that frigate 
 having been appointed to succeed Captain James Walker, in 
 the Bedford JA. At the expiration of several months, the 
 latter officer returned to Brazil by order of the Board, and 
 Captain Mackenzie being likewise directed to rejoin his pro- 
 per ship, Captain Schomberg had the mortification to find 
 himself unexpectedly deprived of command ; his friend, Sir 
 W. Sidney Smith, having previously been relieved by Rear- 
 Admiral De Courcy. He was consequently obliged to return 
 home, as a passenger, in the Elizabeth, of 74 guns, command- 
 ed by the Hon. Henry Curzon, with whom he arrived at 
 Spithead, in April 1810. 
 
 Captain Schomberg's next appointment was, about Julj'^, 
 1810, to the Astreea, a contract-built frigate, rated at 36 guns, 
 and fitting for the Cape of Good Hope, to which station he 
 proceeded in company with the Scipion 74, bearing the flag 
 of Rear- Admiral Stopford, by whom he was detached, with 
 the Phuibe frigate under his orders, to reinforce the squadron 
 employed off Mauritius, where he continued for some time as 
 senior officer during the absence of Captain Philip Beaver, 
 who had gone to India, for the purpose of collecting treasure. 
 Captain Schomberg's hard fought action with a French squad- 
 ron, near Madagascar, is thus described in his official letter, 
 dated May 21, 1811 :— ... .. : 
 
 "Sir, — I had the honor of conitnunicatiiig to you, from off Round 
 Island, my determination to (|uit that station, in order to follow the three 
 enemy's frigates with troops on board, which had appeared otf Mauritius 
 on tile 7th iustant, and also my reasons for supposing tliey would push for 
 a near point, perhaps Tamatftve. < •* . <•! ..\j < 
 
 " I have now the satisfaction to report to you, that the enemy were dis« 
 covered on the morning of the 20th instant, fur to windward, and well in 
 with the land, near Foul Point, Madagascar. The signal to chase was 
 promptly obeyed by H. M. ships Phoebe, Galatea, and Racehorse sloop. 
 The weather was most vexatiuusly variable during the whole of the day, 
 which, combined with the efforts of the enemy to kcrp to windward, ren- 
 dered it impossible to close them till nearly 4 o'clock, when the Astraea 
 buing about a mile a-head and to windward, they wore together, kept uwuy, 
 •nd flvinced a disjiositton lu bring ui to action. Tlie enemy then com- 
 
834 
 
 POST -CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 raenced firing ; I regret to say at a long range, which soon to efTectualiy 
 produced a calm to leeward, as to render our squadron unmanageable for 
 three hours. No exertion was omitted to bring his Majesty's ships into 
 close action, during this very critical and trying period, but all was ineffec- 
 tual. The enemy's rear frigate neared the Astrsea a little, while she lay on 
 the water, almost immoveable ; only occasionally bringing guns to bear. 
 His van and centre ships, preserving a light air, succeeded in rounding the 
 quarters of the Phoebe and Galatea, raking them, with considerable effect, 
 for a long time. 
 
 " At this, his favourite distance, the enemy remained until nearly dark, 
 when a light breeze enabled the Phoebe to close the nearest frigate, in a 
 good position to bring her to a decisive action. In half an hour she was 
 beaten. Her night signals drew the other two frigates to her assistance ; 
 the Phoebe was, in consequence, obliged to follow the Galatea, which ship 
 brought up the breeze to me. At this time I was hailed by Captain Losack, 
 who informed rae, 'that the Galatea had suffered very considerably, and, 
 as she was passing under my lee, I had the mortification to see her mizen, 
 and, soon after, her fore-top-masts fall. Having shot a-head, she made 
 the night signal of distress, and being in want of immediate assistance ; I 
 closed to ascertain the cause, when I was again hailed by Captain Losack, 
 and informed, that the Galatea was so totally disabled as to prevent her 
 head being put towards the enemy to renew the action, as I before had 
 directed. 
 
 " My determination was immediately communicated to Captain Hillyar, 
 to recommence action when the Phoebe was in a state to support me. She 
 was promptly reported ready, although much disabled. The Astrsea 
 then wore, and led towards the enemy, followed by the Racehorse and 
 Phoebe ; the conduct of which ship, as a British man of war, did honor 
 to all on board. The enemy was soon discovered a little a-head, and his 
 leading ship, the Commodore, was brought to close action by the Astrsea. 
 In 25 minutes she struck, and made the signal to that effect, having pre- 
 viously attempted to lay us athwart hawse, under a heavy fire of grape and 
 musketry from all parts of the ship. Another frigate, on closing, struck, 
 and made the signal also ; but, on a shot being fired at her, from her late 
 Commodore, she was observed trying to escape. Chase was instantly 
 given, sod continued till 2 A. M., with all the sail both ships were enabled, 
 from their disabled state, to carry ; when I judged it advisable, as she gained 
 on us, to wear for the purpose of covering the captured ship, and forming 
 a junction, if possible, with the Galatea. At this moment, the Phoebe's 
 fore>top-inast fell ; sight of the Galatea or captured ship was not regained 
 until day light, when, to the credit of Lieutenants Royer (second of the 
 Astrsea) and Drury (R. M.), who, with five men, were all that coold be 
 put on board the latter in a sinking boat, she was observed making an ef- 
 fort to join us, n perfect wreck. 
 
 L " The captured frigate proves to be la Renomtn^e, of the first class (as 
 are the other two), of 44 guns, and 470 men, (200 of whom were picked 
 troops,) commanded by C'apitainc dc Vaisseau Roquebert, ofScier de la 
 
POfiT-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 835 
 
 Legion d'Hoiineur, holding the rank of Commodore, who fell while f^al- 
 lantly fighting his ship. The senior officer of the troops, Colonel Barroia, 
 membre de la Legion d'Honneur, is dangerously wounded. The ship that 
 struck and escaped, was la Clorinde • ; the one disabled by the Phoebe, 
 la Nercide ; having each 200 troops on board, besides their crews. 
 
 " This squadron escaped from Brest in the night of the 2d Feb., and 
 was destined to reinforce Mauritius, having arms and various other warlike 
 stores on board. 
 
 " I beg to apologize for so lengthened a detail } but few actions have 
 been fought under such a variety of peculiarly trying and vexatious diffi- 
 culties. I am, however, called upon by my feelings, and a sense of my 
 duty, to bear testimony to the meritorious conduct of the officers and 
 ships' companies of H. M. ships Pliwbe and Astrsea. To the discipline of 
 the former I attribute much ; but as Captain Hillyar's merit as an officer is 
 so generally, and, by you, so particularly appreciated, it is needless for me 
 to comment on it, further than to observe, that the separation of the Gala- 
 tea was amply compensated by the exertion manifested in the conduct of 
 the ship he had the honour to command. 
 
 " To the officers, seamen, and marines of the Astrsea, I am for ever in- 
 debted; their cool and steady <;onduct, when in close action with the 
 enemy, and on fire in several places from his wadding, merit my admiration 
 (particularly as the ship's company have been so recently formed). A 
 diffisrence in the personal exertion of each officer was not distinguishable ; 
 but I cannot allow the efforts and judgment of Lieutenant John Baldwin, 
 first of this ship, to pass without particular encomium; I received the 
 greatest assistance from him, and also from Mr. Nellson, the master. 
 
 " The moment the Phoebe and Astraea are in a state to get to windward, 
 the prisoners exchanged, and la Renommde rendered sea-worthy, I shall 
 proceed off Tamatave for further information, as I have reason to think it 
 in possession of the enemy. * 
 
 " I have the honour to transmit returns of the killed and wounded on 
 
 * La Clorinde returned to Brest, Sept. 24, 1811 ; and in March follow- 
 ing, her Commander, Mons. St. Cricq was dismissed from the French ser- 
 vice, and the Legion of Honor ; and sentenced to three years' imprison- 
 ment, for misconduct in the action, and subsequent disobedience of orders. 
 Napoleon Buonaparte, when on his way to Elba in the Undaunted, said to 
 Captain Ussher, " I did all I could to have St. Cricq shot, 6ut he wui tried 
 by French naval officeri ! Had he done his duty, the English squadron 
 would have fallen into our hands.— Roquebert waa a brave man ; — so was 
 le Maresquier" (the Captain of la Nereide). 
 
 Fmding on hia return to France that M. St. Cricq had been restored to 
 his rank by Louis XVHL Napoleon ordered him to be again confined, and 
 he continued in prison during the short reign of that usurper. His account 
 of la Clorinde'a proceedings will be found in the Natet Chronicle, vol. 26, 
 pp. 388—394. 
 
 fl 
 
 i : 1 
 
 i I 
 
 ' ■; : 
 
 I 
 i 
 
836 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1903. 
 
 The luss on board la Renomm^c is excessive — 145 
 Galatea having parted company, no return f . I have 
 
 C. M. SCHOMBERG." 
 
 board H. M. ships • 
 killed and wounded, 
 the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) 
 " To Captain Beaver, H. M. S. Nisus, 
 
 Senior Officer at the Isle of France." 
 
 The subsequent recovery of Tamatave, a small settlement 
 in Madagascar, and the capture of the Phoebe's late opponent 
 la Nereide, is reported by the subject of this memoir to the 
 same officer in the following terins : 
 
 H. M. S. Mtrau, Tamatave, May 28, 1811. 
 
 " Sir, — In my letter of the 20th instant, detailing the action between his 
 Majesty's ships under my orders and those of the enemy, I had the honor 
 to inform you, that it was my intention to reconnoitre this port, as I had 
 received information that the enemy had landed and surprised the garrison 
 on his first arrival on the coast. 
 
 " The state of H. ]\I. ships Astraea and Phcebe did not admit of their 
 beating up quickly against the currents and very variable winds ; the 
 Racehorse sloop was therefore despatched in advance, to summon the gar- 
 rison of Tamatave to surrender immediately. 
 
 ** On the eveuing of the 24th, Captain De Rippe rejoiced me, reporting 
 his having seen a large frigate anchored in that port ; a strong gale pre- 
 vented H. M. ships from getting in sight of her until the afternoon of the 
 25th, when every thing being ready to force the anchorage, I stood in, and 
 observed an enemy's frigate, placed in a most judicious position within the 
 reefs of the port, for the purpose of enfilading the narrow passage between 
 them, supported by a strong fort in her van, within half musket-shot, full 
 of troops ; there were also new works in forwardness, to flank the ancho- 
 rage. 
 
 " Not having any body of local knowledge in either of H. M. ships, and 
 it being almost impracticable to sound the passage between the reefs, 
 which was intricate, and completely exposed to the whole concentrated fire 
 of the enemy within grape distance, I judged it expedient, under existing 
 circumstances, (both ships being full of prisoners, and having a proportion 
 of men absent in la Renommde, besides sick and wounded,) to defer, until 
 necessary, risking his Majesty's ships. I therefore summoned the gar- 
 rison and frigate to surrender immediately ; when, after the usual inter- 
 course of flag of truce, I have the honor to inform you, that the port of 
 Tamatave, its dependencies, the frigate and vessels in the port, together 
 with the late garrison (a detachment of the 22d regiment), were surren- 
 dered to, and taken possession of, by H. M. ships under my orders. I was 
 
 * Astreea and Phoibe's joint loss — 9 kilted, 40 wounded, one man died 
 soon afler the action, and two others were in a very dangerous state when 
 Captain Schomberg closed his report. 
 
 t See Captain Woodlev Losack. ,\ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 837 
 
 induced to grant the terms, a copy of which I have the honor to enclose, in 
 order to prevent the destruction of the fort of Tamatave, the frigate and 
 the vessels'— a measure they intended to adopt. 
 
 *' The enemy's frigate proves to be la Nereide, of 44 guns, and 470 men, 
 lately commanded by Capitaine le Maresquier, Membre de la Legion 
 d'Honneur, who fell in the action of the 20th instant, in which she suf- 
 fered very considerably, having had 130 men killed and wounded. She 
 was much engaged by the Phcebe. 
 
 " The crew of la Nereide. together with tho French garrison of Tama- 
 tave, I intend sending to Mauritius as soon as possible, 50 excepted, who 
 are too severely wounded to survive removal. The whole detachment of 
 H. M. 32d regiment retaken, being ill of the endemic fever of this coun- 
 try, I mean to embnrk on board la Nereide, so soon as she is in a state to 
 receive them ; w u, after having dismantled the fort, and embarked the 
 guns, &c. I shall proceed with her, under convoy, to Mauritius, in com- 
 pany with the Phoebe. I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 ' "' (Signed) • "' ' •* C. M. Schombero." 
 
 *' To Cttptain Beaver, ^e. Sfc. Sfc. ' ,' ,: • « : > ;?/ . , , .1 
 
 Articles of Capitulation. 
 
 I. " La Nereide frigate, together with all the vessels and property at 
 Tamatave, the fort, &c. of the said place, shall be surrendered without 
 injury to his Britannic Majesty's ships under my command. 
 
 n. " The officers, crews, and troops, now actually at Tamatave, or on 
 board la Nereide, shall be sent, as soon as possible, to Mauritius, and 
 from thence be conveyed to France, without being considered as prisoners 
 of war ; the officers and petty officers only shall keep their swords. 
 
 in. " The wounded shall remain at Tamatave, under the care of a 
 French Surgeon, until they are recovered, when they shall be sent to 
 France by the first opportunity *." 
 
 On the demise of Captain Beaver, which took place iu 
 April, 1813 1, Captain Schomberg was appointed to the 
 NisuB, a 38-gun frigate ; and shortly afterwards sent from 
 the Cape station to Brazil, from whence he convoyed home a 
 large fleet of merchantmen, collected by him at Rio Janeiro, 
 St. Salvador, and Pernambuco. This service, although it 
 afforded him no opportunity of enhancing his reputation in 
 a military point of view, must still be considered as one of 
 great importance, the French Emperor having at that moment 
 made his final effort to cripple English commerce, by sending 
 13 frigates of the largest class, from different ports in the 
 
 If 
 
 ^ ; 
 
 ; ■ ■ 1 
 
 :::|i 
 
 ii 
 
 : (J 
 
 ! I 
 
 b'^ 
 
 HK^i 
 
 m.^ 
 
 j|H ^^K*.^ 
 
 ili,Bk<«A 
 
 Bij' 
 
 wK'*^ 
 
 
 
 ■kl 
 
 
 W 
 
 mX ^mfr^ 
 
 W'^ 
 
 ff'< '^K"'^ 
 
 Hi ,f 
 
 
 • The above Articles were signed by Captain Schomberg and the senior 
 surviving officers of la Nereide. 
 
 t See Nav. Chron. Vol. 3(i, p. 42. 
 VOL. II, 3 I 
 
 ;i 
 
836 
 
 I^O^lt-CAPtAlNS OF 1B03. 
 
 channel to eruise in the traclvs of our homeward bound con- 
 voys. The immense vahie of the fleet under Captain Schom - 
 berg's protection may be inferred from the circumstance of 
 2 fngate^ and 2 sloops being ordered by Sir Manley Dixon, 
 comirtander-in-chief at Brazil, to accoii!pany him to thie 
 northward ias far as the equator ; from Captain Schomberg 
 having deemed it expedient, in consequence of the numerous 
 American armed vessels then at sea, to exceed his instruc- 
 tions by withdrawing the brigs from their station and bring- 
 ing them with him to England ; and from the Board of Ad- 
 miralty fully approving of a measure which nothing but the 
 most pressing necessity can ever justify. - • ■ 
 
 Ifhe Nisus arrived at Portsmouth in Mar. I8l4, and htteX' 
 being docked, was preparing to join the fleet on the coast of 
 North America, when orders suddenly arrived to put her out 
 of commission, and to shift her maets into the Menelaus 
 frigate, tommanded by Sir Peter Parker, Bart, who was siib- 
 ieqitfently eittployed on the very service which Captain Schofti- 
 berg had considered as marked out for himself : Sir Peter, 
 it will be remembered, was killed near Baltimore, in Sept. 
 1814. ^- .'■.. . ■ ••' ' ---. ■ ' - 
 
 Captain Schomberg obtained the insignia of a C. B. in 
 '1815 ; and was appointed to the Rochfort 80, fitting for the 
 Hag of Sit Gi*aham Moore, April 15, 1820. He feturned 
 from the Mediterranean with that officer in Mar. 1824, and 
 l^as paid tiff afGhfttham on tihe 20th of the foHowihg month. 
 
 FRANCIS WILLIAM FANE, Esq. 
 
 This ofl&cer is a son of John Fane, Esq. M. P. for Oxford- 
 shire, cousin to John, tenth Earl of Westmoreland, by Lady 
 Elizabeth Parker, daughter of Thomas, third Earl of Maccles- 
 field. 
 
 In 1796, we find him serving as a Midshipman on board 
 the Terpsichore, of 32 guns, commanded by Captain Richard 
 Bowen, whose gallant action with the Mahonesa, a Spanish 
 frigate of superior force, has been recorded i.i the preceding 
 part 6f this Wortc ♦. r . ^ .. 
 
 » Sec Vol. II. Part I. p. 411, fl t^. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 
 
 1803. 
 
 839 
 
 ccm- 
 
 hom- 
 
 ce of 
 
 ixon, 
 
 ) th<B 
 
 hbetg 
 
 lerous 
 
 struc- 
 
 bring- 
 
 )f Ad- 
 
 ut the 
 
 1 hftet 
 oast of 
 [ler out 
 jnelaus 
 as sub- 
 Jchotti- 
 • Peter, 
 1 Sept. 
 
 , B. in 
 
 for the 
 itumed 
 !4, and 
 month. 
 
 >i 
 
 3xf6rd- 
 y Lady 
 accles- 
 
 board 
 Ikhard 
 panish 
 ceding 
 
 . Oil the 12th Dec, in the same year, while cruising to the 
 westward of Cadiz, the Terpsichore discovered an enemy's 
 ship about four miles on the weather quarter. Chase was im- 
 mediately given, and continued, with much manoeuvring on 
 both sides, for nearly 40 hours ; during which, from the wea- 
 ther being extremely squally, the Terpsichore sprung her 
 top-masts. At length, however, the stranger, finding it im- 
 possible to avoid an action, brought to ; and about 10 P. M. 
 on the I3th, Captain Bowen had the satisfaction of getting 
 alongside. A most spirited battle immediately commenced, 
 yard-arm and yard-arm ; and, after a hard contest of nearly 
 two hours, the enemy was obliged to surrender. She proved 
 to be la Vestale, French frigate, of 36 guns, and 2/0 men, 30 
 of whom, including her commander, were killed, and 37 
 wounded. The Terpsichore, whose complement, from various 
 causes, had previously been reduced to 166, officers, men, and 
 boys, sustained a loss of 4 killed and 19 wounded ; among the 
 latter were Mr. Fane and Captain Bowen's brother, who was 
 the only Lieutenant then on board. 
 
 Both ships had by this time drifted near the rocks of St. 
 Sebastian, and it was with great difficulty that the 'J''erpsi* 
 chore could gain an offing, after putting the Master and a 
 boat's crew on board la Vestale. On the following morning. 
 Captain Bowen stood in and anchored a-head of his prize, 
 then totally dismasted, riding in shallow water, between 
 Cadiz and Conil. In the evening, a favorable slant of wind 
 gave him an opportunity of getting under weigh, with la 
 Vestale in tow ; but the hawser getting foul of a rock, he wiis 
 obliged to abandon her, and stand off again for the night. 
 During his absence the prisoners rose upon the small party 
 of Englishmen, and the next morning he had the mortification 
 to see a number of Spanish boats towing her towards the 
 harbour, which she reached in safety, notwithstanding all his 
 efforts to prevent her. Captain Bowen, after a painful detail 
 of the unfortunate sequel to the exertions of himself and his 
 brave followers, adds — " As we frel conscious of having done 
 our duty to the utmost of our power, we endeavour to con- 
 sole ourselves with the expectation of our conduct being 
 approved." How well this expectation wa« answered, the 
 
 • tim .T ■■•. -k. ,mt • »• 
 
840 
 
 POgT-CAFl'AINS OF 1808. 
 
 following honorable testimony, from the pen of his coni' 
 mander-in-chief, will shew : — 
 
 " yictory, in the Tagus, Jun. 16, 1797- 
 
 " Dear Buwen, — The intelligence we received from the patrons of tw» 
 pilot boats, when off Cadiz, on the 17tli Dec, that the French frigate then 
 lying between the Diamond and Porques rocks, had been dismasted and 
 captured by an English frigate, impressed us all with an opinion that the 
 Terpsicliorc had achieved this gallant action. I lament exceedingly that 
 you and your brave crew were deprived of the substantial reward of your 
 exertions : but you cannot fail to receive the tribute due to you from the 
 government and country at large. 1 was very much agitated with the 
 danger you apprehended your brother was in, when you wrote : I have, 
 however, derived great consolation from the report of Captain Mansfield, 
 that he was much recovered, and able to walk down to the Mole, before 
 he sailed from Gibraltar *. The account you gave of Francis Fane is very 
 grateful to my feelings, and I have sent your postscript to Lady Elizabeth, 
 as the greatest treat I could give to a fond mother, and a h'^h-rainded 
 woman. •*••.! desire you will remember me kindly to your 
 brother, and to all the good fellows in the Terpsichore, and believe me to 
 be, most truly your's, 
 
 (Signed) ** John Jervis.*' 
 
 Mr. Fane subsequently joined the Emerald frigate, com- 
 manded by Captain , Jacob Waller t J under whose eye 
 he performed a philanthropic action highly deserving of 
 notice. The circumstance is thus described by the Rev. 
 Cooper Willyams, in his account of the Swiftsure'a ** Voyage 
 up the Mediterranean," at p. 93, et seq. 
 
 " The next day (Sept. 2, 1798) the Emerald made a signal for a sail 
 bearing E. by S. We accordingly gave chase, and off the Arab's Tower 
 saw a cutter standing towards the shore. The Emerald fired several shot 
 to bring her to, but she persisted, and at length ran aground a little to the 
 west of the tower of Marabou X. Our boats, and those of the Emerald, 
 were sent to bring her off: the French, in the mean time, made good their 
 landing ; but a high surf soon destroyed the cutter. At this moment no- 
 thing was to be seen but barren and uncultivated sands as far as the eye 
 could reach ; but in a short time we descried several Arabs advance, some 
 on horseback, others on foot. The French now perceived their error, but 
 
 • Lieutenant George Bowen was severely wounded in the shoulder by a 
 shot fired after la Vestale had actually struck. He also received several bad 
 contusions in different parts of his body. .. 
 
 t See Vol. II. Part I. note * at p. 327. 
 
 X The Emerald was at this time attached to the squadron left by Lord 
 Nelson, after his glorious victory in Aboukir bay, to watch the coast of 
 Egypt, and cut off the supplies seut from Franco for the Republican army 
 i» that country. 
 
POST-CAPTAINi OF 1803. 
 
 841 
 
 it ^was too late ; some of them, indeed, were so fortunate as to get on hoard 
 our boats, which pulled towards the shore in hopes of savinfj^ their unfor- 
 tunate enemy, and a Midshipman from the Emerald [Mr. Fane], with a 
 iioble spirit of humanity, threw himself into the water, and swam through 
 a high surf to the shore, having a rope in his hand, by which the French 
 Captain and 4 seamen were saved. From him we learned, that the cutter 
 was called I'Anemone, of 4 guns and 60 men. Citizen Gardon commander ; 
 having on board General Carmin and Captain Valette, aid-de-camp to Ge- 
 neral Buonaparte ; also a courier with despatches, and a party of soldiers. 
 Perceiving there was no possibility of escape from ua, the General ordered 
 Captain Gardon to run the cutter ashore, who urged the dangers of a high 
 surf, and the numerous hordes of wild Arabs that infested the coast. The 
 General said he would cut his way through them to Alexandria, ^vltich was 
 not more than 2 or 3 leagues off, the tuwers and minarets being plainly to 
 be seen. No sooner had he landed, however, and perceived the Bedouins, 
 who till this time were hid behind the sand-hills, but now began to show 
 tliemselves, than dismay and terror seized on all ; nor could we behold their 
 distress without commisseration, although they had so entirely brought it 
 on themselves by refusing to surrender to us, and had fired on our boats 
 when escape was no longer in their power. We perceived that the officers 
 and men suffered themselves to be stripped without resistance. Many were 
 murdered in cold blood, apparently without any cause, and among them 
 the unfortunate General and Aid-de-camp, who, on their knees, entreated 
 for mercy. An Arab, on horseback, unslung his carbine and drew the 
 trigger, but the piece did not go off; he renewed the priming, and again 
 presented at the General, but the shot killed the Aid-de-camp, who was on 
 his knees a little behind him ; he then with a pistol fired at the General, 
 who instantly fell. The courier also, who endeavoured to escape, was pur- 
 sued and murdered. An Arab who got possession of his despatches, in- 
 stantly rode away with them ; and we have since learned that they were af- 
 terwards recovered by the French for a sum of money. We now perceived 
 a troop of horse from Alexandria marching along the strand, and the Arabs 
 retired into the desert with their surviving prisoners. The French troops, 
 proceeding towards the scene of action, at length arrived on the spot where 
 lay the remains of their murdered countrymen ; but, probably, fearing that 
 they should be surrounded with superior numbers, they wheeled about and 
 retreated to the city. The commander of the vessel most gratefully ac- 
 knowledged the hutnane treatment he met with from our people, and ex- 
 tolled the gallantry of the young Midshipman who had thus saved him at 
 the risk of his own life." 
 
 The above account is confirmed in all its particulars^ in a 
 a letter from the late Sir Samuel Hood to Lord Nelson, pub- 
 lished in the London Gazette, and dated " Admiralty Office, 
 Nov. 23, 1798," which closes with this passage : — 
 
 " On the approach of our boats, the French cutter fired on thorn, cnt 
 her cable, and ran among the breakers. General Curinin, and Aid-clc-canip 
 
 lll 
 
 ill 1 
 
 M ;! 
 
 1 ll^mk 
 
 11 
 
 IH 
 
842- 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1803. 
 
 V^l^tte, having luudud with the despatclies and the whole of the Crtw, were ' 
 immediately attacked by the Arabs. The two former and some others 
 were killed, and all the rest stripped of their clothe?. Her commander and 
 a few of the men made their escape, nuked, to the beach ; where our boats 
 had by this time arrived, and begged, on their knees, to be saved. I am 
 happy in saying, the humanity of our people extended su far as to induce 
 them to swim on shore with lines and small casks to save them, which they 
 fortunately effected. Amongst these was particularly distinguished a young 
 gentleman. Midshipman of the Emerald, who brought off the French com- 
 mander, at the hazard of his own life, through the surf." 
 
 Captain Fane obtained post rank, Aug. 30, 1803 ; and sub- 
 sequently commanded the Lapwing, Hind, and Cambrian 
 frigates, the latter employed on the Coast of Catalonia in 
 co-opnation with the patriot General O'Donnell, whom he 
 conveyed to Tarragona^ in a wounded state, after recovering 
 several towns from the enemy, and taking about 1400 French- 
 men prisoners *. 
 
 On the 12th Dec. 1810, the Cambrian joined a squadron 
 under the orders of Captain (afterwards Rear-Admiral) 
 Thomas Rogers, who had been sent by Sir Charles Cotton, 
 to cut off the supplies intended for Barcelona, where the 
 enemy had assembled in great numbers, with but little means 
 of subsistence. A French ketch of 14 guns and 60 men, two 
 xebecs of 3 guns and 30 men each, and eight merchant vessels 
 laden with provisions, were then lying in the mole at 
 Palamos, and the senior officer, relying on Captain Fane's 
 knowledge of the place, immediately determined to attempt 
 their destruction. The unfortunate result of this enterprise 
 is thus described by Captain Rogers in his report to the com- 
 mander-in-chief : 
 
 *' I tlierefore formed my plan, and Captun Fane did me the favor to 
 volunteer the command of 350 seamen, 250 marines, and 2 field-pieces, 
 selected from the ships under my orders t, and well appointed for this 
 desirable service. The enemy's vessels lay in the mole, protected by two 
 24-pounders, one in a battery which stoo'' high over the mole, and the 
 other with a 13-inch mortar on a very commanding height ; there were 
 also, from the information I received, about 250 soldiers in the town. 
 
 ■ • ■ "^ '■ ' ' ' • Seep. 697. 
 
 t Kent 74, Captain Thomas Rogers ; Ajax 74, Captain Robert Waller 
 Otway} Cambrian 38, Captain Fane j Minstrel 18, Captain Colin Camp- 
 bell ; and Sparrowbawk 18, Captain James Pringlc. 
 
POST-CAl'TAINS OK 1803. 
 
 m 
 
 . " II was ucar unc o'clock in the afternoon of tUQ I3ih, l)cfore we could 
 get far enough into the bay to put the men on shore ; and they \ver« soon 
 after landed on the beach in. the finest order under cover of the Sparrow- 
 hawk and Minstrel sloops, without harm, the enemy having posted them- 
 selves in the town, supposing we should be injudicious enough to ga into 
 the mole without (Uslodging them ; soon after our men moved forward to 
 take the towu f^n4 batteries in the rear, and the enemy withdrew to a 
 windmill on a hill, where tiiey remained almost quiet spectators of the 
 fletachment taking possession of the batteries and the vessels. The 
 iQortar was spiked and the cannon thrown down the heights into the sea ; 
 the magazine blown up, the whole of the vessels burnt and totally 
 destroyed, save two which were brought out ; in short, the object had 
 succeeded to admiration : and at this time with, the (qs^ of na more thi^n 
 4 or 5 men from occasional skirmishing ; but I aui soivy to relat^^ that 
 in withdrawing our post from a hill which nv. ocouyied to keep the enemy 
 in check until the balkries aiid vc^scio were u<£tvi,yed, I fear that our 
 people retired with some digcvru':rj wi'.'rh e'li.'ou/Kged the enemy, who had 
 received a reinforcement from St. Fe!i<'C, to aavauce upon them, and by 
 some unhappy fatality, instead of iiir<Mi)iig thtii; ictreat to tko beach where 
 the Cambria^, Sparrowhawk, ani rvrtustr*^;? lay pj. t jJvcj U]e.k ci/ibuckation, 
 the brave but thouglitles^ m)f>vt«"atc n>,c« cnm^ thnu .^ii the towr* "icvn 
 to the mole: the enemy liaujsdsatc^y occt'picd t'uo v^\h r/,»({ b.Jirscs, 
 from wh)ch they kept up a .'i.-verc fue upon the bosits crowded ".vitft twu, 
 and dastardly fired upon and killed sRverc ' vho 1ia«i *je« .a h'\ on ths D»ok, 
 and were endeavouring to swim to the boalt.. Nothi!!;':^ couW exceed tl.t 
 good conduct of Captains Prinylc and Gi iw.p*i»iM, and Licwteui^ni Caa<A\y 
 of the Cambrian, (who commanded ^hat nW:^ »q thi a'jtsvjaco df C^ptaiiiii 
 F»nc) bp|;h in the landing and withdrawing the men, and the ofHooiv ia 
 fhe launches with carrp|iades, ani the f! inortar-boaVj ci the Cantirriin , 
 indeed the officers and men of ail the hf<rA:^ distinpni'il'.ed tiiei>.seh«s 
 beyond all praise in going to the move to br\u/r off ch.? mon w ho had been 
 left behind. In performing this arduous scrvic** tlicy s ift<!red mucl., but 
 I had the satisfaction to perceive the fire of the)': carronudes and mortars 
 upon the enemy was very de&trucdve. 
 
 " Unfortunately Captaiu Fane, as I am iiiifui'med, was at the wolc 
 giving directions to destroj' <he v(ssph, when our men were withdrawn 
 from the hill; he remained tbert< witL Srmuess to the last, and is among 
 the missing, buw I ha^^e received a satisfactory account that he is well. 
 ' '^ I feel, Sir, u'th uafeigned grief, that our loss has beep severe, but 
 b^d it QOt been Tor laj indiscsetion of the people straggling from their 
 poi^ aud « '>ui:ag into the town, contrary to njy caution, the enemy would 
 not have dar^d to approach them, and the loss would have been very in- 
 considerable, compared with the importance of the service performed. 
 The French had entered Catalonia with an army of 10,000 men, and as I 
 was ordered to this coast for the express purpose of depriving them of 
 their expected supplies, I considered that some pncrgy and oi|tcrprise were 
 necessary to a«cotnpli»h \{ ; the force I employed was fully ud©<]uule t(» 
 
 i . it 
 
844 
 
 t»OST-CAPTAlNS OF 1803. 
 
 
 this service ; and I confided the execution of it to an oflicer of reputa' 
 tion." ^] 
 
 The total loss sustained by the British on this disastrous 
 occasion was 2 officers, 19 seamen, and 12 marines, killed; 
 15 officers, 42 seamen, and 32 marines, wounded ; and 2 
 officers, 42 seamen (including one deserter from the Kent), 
 and 43 marines, missing. 
 
 Captain Fane subsequently commanded the Pomone fri- 
 gate. He married, July 20, 1824, the youngest sister of Sir 
 Charles William Flint, Knt. Resident Under Secretary of 
 State for the affiiirs of Ireland. 
 
 Agent. — Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 PETER HUNT, Esq. 
 
 This officer served as a Midshipman on board the Alcidc 
 74, at the occupation of Toulon by the fleet under Lord 
 Hood ; and was promoted into the Courageux a ship of simi- 
 lar force immediately after the attack made upon Fomelli ohi 
 the 30th Sept. 1793 ♦. He received the Turkish gold medal 
 for his subsequent services in Egypt ; obtained the rank of 
 Commander in 1802; and was posted on his arrival in Eng- 
 land with Sir Samuel Hood's despatches announcing the sur- 
 render of Demerara in 1803. His last appointment was, 
 about May 1805, to the Raisonable of 64 guns. He died at 
 Cheltenham, much esteemed and regretted, Dec. 4, 1824. 
 
 Hon. GEORGE ELLIOT. 
 
 
 This officer is the second son of Gilbert, first Earl of Minto, 
 by Anna Maria, eldest daughter of Sir George Amyand, and 
 sister to the prer ,.ic Sir George Cornewall, Bart. 
 
 HewsHborn Aug. 1, 1784; made a Lieutenant in 1800; 
 Commander in 1802 ; and Post-Captain, Jan. 2, 1804. The 
 ships commanded by him at different periods were the Ter- 
 magant, sloop of war j and Maidstone, Aurora, Modeste, and 
 Hussar, frigates ; the two former employed in the Mediter- 
 ranean, the three latter on the East India station. 
 
 In Oct. IHOH, Captain Elliot captured la Jena, French na- 
 • Sec |>. 65!) and note t hIJ). IH1>. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1804. 
 
 845 
 
 lional corvette, of 18 guns (pierced for 24) and 150 men, 
 after a running action of nearly an hour, in which the Mo- 
 deste had her master killed and one seaman wounded. On the 
 15th July, 1809, his boats, under the direction of Lieutenant 
 William Payne, cut a Dutch schooner of 8 guns and 22 men, 
 out of a bay in the Straits of Sunda, from under the protec- 
 tion of two batteries and five other armed vessels. 
 
 We next find Captain £lliot assisting at the reduction of 
 Java ; and m 1813, accompanying an expedition sent against 
 Sambas, a piratical town in Borneo, the result of which has 
 already been stated in our memoir of Captain George Sayer, 
 C. B. He subsequently assisted Colonel Macgregor in re- 
 instating the Sultan of Palambang, and received the thanks 
 of his commander-in-chief for the "judicious and excellent 
 arrangements" made by him on that occasion *. 
 
 Captain Elliot married in 1810, Eliza Cecilia Ness, a lady 
 residuig at Calcutta, by whom he has several children. His 
 father was at that period Governor-General of Bengal, in 
 which high office he was succeeded by the Marquis of Has- 
 tings, Nov. 18, 1812 1. 
 
 Agents. — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 WILLIAM DURBAN, Esq. 
 
 Doctor of the Civil Law. 
 
 Thr proper orthography of this officer's name is D* Urban, 
 but from a mistake in his passing certificate, it has always 
 been spelt Durban in the Admiralty lists and other official 
 documents. 
 
 He is the son of a military officer, and descended from a 
 very ancient and noble family who early settled in the Duchy 
 
 * See Captain Samuel Lbblib. ' . 
 
 f On the 10th Jan. 1812, the unanimous thanka of both houses of 
 Parliament were voted to Lord Minto, for the wisdom and ability with 
 which tlie military resources of the British empire in India, under his 
 Lordship's frovcmment, had been applied in the reduction of the power 
 of the enemy, in the eastern seas. In remuneration of his jistinffuislted 
 senrices thr dignity of an Earl was conferred upon him Feb. 2, 1813. He 
 died June 21,1814. It was this nobleman who f^overncd Corsica from 
 the time of its subjugation, until evacuated by the British in \1%. See 
 Vol. I. note * at p. 255. 
 
 v■^ . 
 
846 
 
 I'OST-CAFFAINS OF 1804. 
 
 of Milan, and were engaged under Guff^edo di Bouglion in 
 the holy wsirs. 
 
 Mr. D'Urban served the first three years of his naval life 
 as a Midshipman on board the Sphinx of 24 guns, commanded 
 by Captain, now Admiral Markham, on the Mediterranean 
 station; and completed his time under the late Admiral John 
 Elliot, who was, we believe, one of the first officers by w^oui 
 lunar obacrvations were brought into practice at sea. Mr. 
 D'Urban having been educated under the well known mathe- 
 matician Mr. I. Dalby, who was employed with Colonel 
 Mudge in the great trigonometrical survey, became particu- 
 larly useful to Admiral Elliot, both in making and calculating 
 his observations, wliich Induced that officer to request, as a 
 personal favor, that Earl Howe would promote him to the 
 rank of Lieutenant — a request which his Lordship imme- 
 diately complied with *. 
 
 At the commencement of the French revolutionary war. 
 Lieutenant D'Urban embarked with his friend Captain Mark- 
 ham, in the Blonde frigate, and soon after accompanied an 
 armament sent under Sir John Jervis to the West Indies, 
 where he was engaged in a variety of active services, particu- 
 larly during the siege of Martinique. 
 
 Soon after his return to Europe he joined the Monarch of 
 74 guns, bearing the flag of Sir George Keith Elphinstone, 
 by whom he was attached to the advanced guard of the army 
 at tlie reduction of the Cape of Good Hope, in 1795. lie 
 also assisted at the capture of a Dutch squadron in Saldanha 
 bay, Aug. 18, 1790 f- 
 
 Amongst the promotions which took place on this latter 
 occasion, was that of Lieutenant D'Urban, who received a 
 commission from Sir George appointing him Captain of the 
 Castor frigate. The Admiralty, however, only confirming 
 him in the rank of Conmiandcr, he was subsequently removed 
 Jnto the Rattlesnake sloop of war. 
 
 His next appointment was to the Wea/le of IG guns, eni- 
 
 ■ ployed on the Jersey station, where he performed i\\\ esuen- 
 
 itial service by establishing marks for the inner cimnnelb along 
 
 tlie French coiist, between St. Maloes and Brest ; by which 
 
 I. / * • .. • hiiriM). ,„..., . 
 
 t StT V(tl. I., pp. -17— 61. • •. w 
 
POST-CAl'TAINS OF 1804. 
 
 847 
 
 tlie convoys bound to the last named port might be inter- 
 cepted. For this service, which, from tlie nature of the 
 coast, was attended with many difficulties . and much risk, 
 and which he undertook without orders to do so, he received 
 the thanks of the Admiralty Board, as also those of Earl 
 Spencer, who then presided over that department. 
 
 On the 22d Jan !i02. Captain D'Urban sailed from Ply- 
 mouth, for the Mediterranean, with despatches relative to 
 the peace of Amiens *j and during the agitation of the ques- 
 tion respecting the surrender of Malta, he was employed by 
 the Governor to ascertain the capability of Lampadosa, as a 
 naval station. 
 
 It was likewise through his negociation with the Grand 
 Master and Knights of Malta, assembled at Messina (to whom 
 he was sent by Sir Alexander J. Ball, on account of hia dip- 
 lomatic skill and knowledge of the Italian language) that the 
 island was not surrendered to the Order, agreeably to the 
 treaty with France. The importance of this service induced 
 his friend, the Governor, to represent the ability which he 
 had displayed, and recommend him to the notice of his Ma- 
 jesty's ministers. He was subsequently sent on several de- 
 licate missions to Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers, the whole of 
 which he executed in a manner highly creditable to his talents, 
 and beneficial to the commerce of his country. 
 
 Captain D'Urban's services having gained him the esteem 
 of Nelson, his Lordship gave him a post-commission for the 
 Ambuscade of 32 guns, which he received but a few hours pre- 
 vious to the arrival of an official despatch from England an- 
 nouncing his promotion, and appointment to the very same 
 frigate by Earl St. Vincent, on the 17th Jan. 18()4. 
 
 A renewal of hostilities with Spain being some time after 
 expected by our great hero, he sent Captain D'Urban to Bar- 
 celona, for the purpose of obtaining information as to the 
 general state of Europe, giving him authority to open any 
 public despatches that might be forwarded from the British 
 Ambassador at Madrid for his Lordship. Tliis service he 
 managed with sue!) address, as not only vo avoid giving rise to 
 any suspicions on tlic part of the Spanisl authorities, but also 
 
 * The WpHzIc touched ut (iibraltor and rcuchcd IVlalta after n passage 
 of only fourteen days. « • . .^ 
 
 •' ■ "! U 
 
 « W 
 
848 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 to induce them to allow him to sail in company with a con- 
 voy having on board troops, stores, &c. for placing Minorca 
 in a state of defence, the whole of which he captured, with 
 the assistance of Nelson's look-out ships, which he got within 
 signal distance of the day after leaving that place with de- 
 spatches confirming his Lordship's apprehensions. 
 
 Captain D'Urban returned to England with the flag of Rear- 
 Admiral George Campbell, in Jan. 1805 ; but sailed again for 
 the Mediterranean, conveying thither the late Sir Thomas 
 Louis, in the month of March following. 
 
 During the defence of Naples by the Anglo-Russian army, 
 to which Captain D'Urban was attached, we find him em- 
 ployed at the request of the Russian commander-in-chief to 
 examine the passes, &c. between that city and Rome. On 
 the evacuation of Naples he was sent up the Adriatic to co- 
 operate with the Russian fleet, under Vice-Admiral Siniavin, 
 in checking the progress of the French forces on the coast of 
 Dalmatia and the adjacent isles. From thence he proceeded 
 to the Spanish coast, where he continued till the defects of 
 his frigate required her to be sent home and put out of com- 
 mission. 
 
 Having thus given an outline of Captain D'Urban's valuable 
 services, it remains only for us to state that there is perhaps 
 no individual who possesses so much local knowledge of the 
 Mediterranean as he obtained during upwards of twelve years 
 spent on that station, or who is so intimately acquainted with 
 the manners, customs, and prejudices of the diiTerent nations 
 on both its shores as himself. It was on this account that 
 Nelson and his successor, Collingwood, as also other supe- 
 rior officers employed him frequently as a negociator on 
 matters of so secret a nature that it would be impolitic 
 even now to make them public, particularly one mission re- 
 lating to the Venetian Government. Although his services 
 have not been of that brilliant cast with those of many whose 
 exploits we have recorded, yet they have nevertheless proved 
 in many instances highly beneficial to his country, and as 
 such gained him the thanks and esteem of all the Admirals 
 he ever served under, although, at the same time they de- 
 prived him of cruises, the advantages of which were reaped 
 by the mere sailor, who is now enjoying his golden harvest, 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 849 
 
 wliile the labours of Iub more scientific cotemporary, are in a 
 great measure forgotten. 
 
 In 1810, the late Mr. Arrowsmith published " a Chart of 
 the Dangers in the Channel between Sardinia^ Sicily and 
 Africa" formed from the original surveys of Captain D'Urban, 
 viz. Ist. Of the £squirques, two reefs of very large rocks, 
 lying about two miles north and south of each other, sur- 
 rounded by a bank of sand, the surface of which is chequered^ 
 by patches of coral and large round stones of a bright red 
 colour. 2d. Some dangers never before noticed, of a vol- 
 canic production, which he named Keith's reef and shoal in 
 compliment to his friend the late Viscount ♦. 3d. A Survey 
 of all the dangers on the N. W. coast of Sicily, between Tra- 
 pani and Marsala, with the adjacent islands and channels of 
 Favigana, Lavanso, Formiche, the rocks of Porcelli, &c. 
 
 The positions of the dangers here enumerated were deter- 
 mined by Captain D'Urban from the mean result of six chro- 
 nometers ; their rates having been carefully examined both 
 previous to, and after the survey was finished. The sound- 
 ings were taken in boats, and laid down from angles taken 
 from vessels anchored on the shoals. 
 
 jigent. — Thomas Stilwell^ Esq. 
 
 JAMES HILLYAR, Esq. 
 
 j4 Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. 
 
 Tins officer was made a Lieutenant in 1794; and on the 
 3d Sept., 1800, we find him commanding the Niger troop-ship, 
 and leading her boats in conjunction with those of the Mi- 
 notaur 74, to the attack of two Spanish corvettes, lying in 
 the road of Barcelona, and reported to be destined for the 
 relief of Malta, then blockaded by a British squadron. 
 
 The following is a copy of the oflicial letter written by the 
 late Sir Thomas Louis to Vice-Admiral Lord Keith, giving 
 
 * II. M. S. ship rAtheniene of (A ^uns was wrecked on Keith's reef 
 Oct. 27, 1806, when 397 persons perished, amongst whom was hercoiQ« 
 miuNler, Captain Rayniford, who was then on his way t(> Malta for the 
 purpose of exchani^ing ships with Captain Schomherg uf the Madras. 
 Step. 831. 
 
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850 
 
 POST-CAl'TAINS OF 1804. 
 
 an account of the enterprise, and of Captain Hillyar's dash- 
 ing conduct on that occasion : — 
 
 " Minotaur, Sept. (5, 1800. 
 
 " My Lmxl,— Knowing how anxious and desirous your Lordship was, 
 as well as the service I should render to my country, by cutting out or 
 destroying the two corvettes, lying in Barcelona road, mentioned in your 
 Lordship's letter to Captain Oliver ; and, in order to check the two ships 
 sailing upon this intended secret expedition, induced me to persevere in 
 the following attempt. 
 
 " On the evening of the .3d instant, after having delivered Captain 
 Hillyar his orders to join your Lordship, a breeze sprung up from the 
 westward, with every appearance of a close night. I again called him on 
 hoard, with the signal at the same time to prepare boats. Captain 
 Hillyar and Lieutenant Schomberg • volunteered their services, assisted 
 by Lieutenants Warrand, Lowry, and Healy; Mr. Rcid, Master; and 
 Lieutenant Jewell, of the marines. The boats left the Minotaur about 
 8 P. M., and the firing begaii from all quarters before nine o'clock. 
 About ten, I had the pleasing satisfaction to see two ships dropping out 
 of the road under a heavy fire from four strong batteries, ten gun-boats, 
 and two schooners, each mounting two 42-pounders — the fort of Montjoui 
 at the same time throwing shells. The Minotaur and Niger were well 
 placed in good season to cover the party, and the service was performed 
 tliroughout with an enterprising spirit, good conduct, and in a gallant 
 style. The loss in killed and wounded fell principally upon two boats, 
 but is not great when compared to the situation so many men were placed 
 in for a considerable time t. The ships, about eleven o'clock, were per- 
 fectly free from the fire of the enemy's batteries and gun-boats ; the men 
 of war checking the movements of the latter. 'J'he prizes, named El Es- 
 meralda and la Paz, are about 400 tons each, mounting 22 brass guns, 
 12 and 9'poundcrs, laden with provisions, stores, &c. supposed for Ba- 
 tavia, and on Dutch account -. they were to have taken 300 troops of the 
 regiment of Batavian Swiss on hoard from the island of Majorca. I found 
 several Dutch officers on board £1 Esmeralda. The officers and several 
 men of la Paz quitted her in boats during the action. She is a very 
 fine ship, quite new, sails remarkably well, and I make no doubt your 
 Lordship will find her in all respects calculated for his Majesty's service : 
 fil Esmeralda is also a very fine ship. I beg leave strongly to recommend 
 ta your Lordship's notice, Captain Hillyar and Lieutenant Schomberg : 
 their tenrices upon this occasion denerve the first attention and highest 
 
 * Lieutenant, noiv Captain, Charles Marsh Schombero, tee p. 830. 
 
 t Two seamen killed ; one ofiicer, four seamen, and one marinc« 
 woundo4l i the latter niortaliy. The eivcuiy had 3 men killed and J^i 
 wounded. ' ' , 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 851 
 
 praise ; at tlie same time I cannot pass without notice the general j^ood 
 conduct of every officer and man serving under my command. I have 
 the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Thomas Louis." 
 
 This daring act was nobly accomplished by Captain Hillyar 
 and Lieutenant Schomberg, with the officers and men under 
 their directions, but has been greatly misrepresented ; It 
 having been stated that Captain Hillyar availed himself of 
 the neutrality of a Swedish galliot to get alongside of the 
 enemy unperceived or unsuspected. The fact is, that one of 
 the eight boats placed under his orders by Captain Louis was 
 employed overhauling the Swede at the moment when the 
 others shoved off from the Minotaur, and it was for the ■>ur- 
 pose of giving instructions to the officer commanding her 
 that he went along side the galliot, where he continued while 
 that vessel stood in towards the mole of Barcelona, the place 
 ,of her original destination. When within long-gun shot the 
 boats quitted the galliot, and pulled in with such alacrity 
 and resolution, that the crew of the enemy's outer ship had 
 neither time nor inclination to reload their guns >vhich had 
 been discharged when the boats were first discovered. As 
 the British boarded, the enemy retreated into the cabin, whe»^ 
 they barricadoed themselves, and made an obstinate defence, 
 but v(rere at length obliged to surrender. Three cheers from 
 the assailants aUnOunced this conquest, upon which the other 
 corvette commenced firing round and grape. Her fore-top- 
 sail had been loosed in order to cast her towards the mole- 
 head, wtiere the Spaniards intended to seek refuge ; unfortu- 
 nately for them, the sail took the wrong way, wid she was 
 boarded with complete success, her crew making but little 
 resistance. Her cable was then cut, and both vessels were 
 towed out in triumph, under the heavy fire described in the 
 foregoing letter. 
 
 Such was the result of Uris gallant enterprise, which, the 
 enemy, ashamed of their defeat, attempted to prove was done 
 under the disguise of a neutral flag ; forgetting that the ex- 
 ploit was achieved after dark, when no flag could be distin- 
 guished. It is however, to be regretted that the galliot was 
 m company; for, altlmugh her presence neither eentribiited 
 to the success of the attempt, nor the safety of the boats, 
 
 
 ! f 
 
 i 
 
 il 
 
852 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 
 the representations of the Swedish and Spanish governments 
 are said to have made an impression to the disadvantage of 
 Captain Hillyar and his gallant companions. The Admiralty, 
 however, after much explanation, saw it in its true light, 
 and through Lord Nelson's kind interference he was at length 
 advanced to post rank, though not until he had given fresh 
 proofs of his zeal and bravery, as will be seen by Sir W. 
 Sidney Smith's public letter relative to the debarkation of 
 our army in Aboukir bay, and the celebrated battles of Mar. 
 8andl3,l801, 
 
 " British Camp, on the heights, three miles 
 from Alexandria, Mar. 14, 1801. 
 " My Lord, — It would be superfluous for lue to relate to your Lordship 
 the admirable manner in which the officers and men you appointed me to 
 command went into action with me, on the day of the disembarkation, as 
 you were yourself a witness of the gallant and judicious conduct of Cap. 
 tains Maitland and Stewart, in covering; the flanks of the line with the 
 armed launches ; and must, as well as myself, have admired the bravery, 
 activity, and perseverance, of Captains Ribouleau, Guion, Saville, Bum, 
 and Hillyar, together with that of the officers and seamen under their 
 orders ; by whose unparalleled exertions the cannon were disembarked at 
 the same moment with the troops, and moved forward with them in action. 
 If I were to say any thing particular in praise of Lieutenants Prevost, 
 Hillier, Campbell, and Fisher, who were nearest me, and conducted them- 
 selves to my entire satisfaction, it would be injustice to Lieutenants 
 Cameron, Davies, and Stoddart, who, though hidden from ray view by 
 the intervening sand-hills, mnsf have been equally well, and as successfully 
 employed in other parts of the line, the result having been so completely 
 satisfactory to Sir Ralph Abercromby, as to induce him to extend the 
 most unequivocal praise to the whole of the naval officers and men, as well 
 afloat as on shore ; saying, that without our exertions he could not have 
 brought his brave troops into action as he did. The determined courage 
 of this gallant army in the close contest they had to maintain on the 
 beach, at the critical time of forming, secured the victory to us on that 
 day ; and it is with heartfelt satisfaction that I have now to congratulate 
 your Lordship on the brilliant success of the army yesterday. If we 
 admired their cool orderly conduct, and determined bravery on the 8th., 
 how much must we be struck with those characteristic qualities in the 
 superior degree wherein they were displayed on thia occasion : die troops 
 marched into battle, and forced the enemy's strong position on the heights, 
 between the head of lake Mahadic and the sea, with the same regularity 
 and ease that exercise, on an ordinary fleld day, is performed, in spite of 
 an opposition, which is reckoned more strenuous than any the troops 
 have met with before from the ene<my in other countries. It would not 
 become me to attempt describing the manoeuvres by which this victory 
 
 L 
 
 aj 
 in 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 853 
 
 was obtained ; it is incumbent on mc, however, to make known to your 
 Lordship that the commander-in-chief has again been pleased to express his 
 approbation of tlie exertions of the seamen and their officers ; and lam happy 
 in being able to testify that their conduct was, if possible, more praise-wor- 
 thy than on the day of disembarkation, the labour they had to go through was 
 considerably greater, and ths fire they had to undergo in the passive employ- 
 ment of dragging up cannon for more able gunners to fire, was much more 
 heavy, and of longer duration. It is impossible to distinguish any parti- 
 cular officer, where all behaved equally well, each doing his utmost to 
 keep the guns up with the line : which was, of course, difficult in sandy 
 uneven ground, when the troops pressed forward in their eager approach 
 to, and ardent pursuit of the enemy. The great and lamlable efforts of 
 Lieutenants Fisher and Davies, with the petty officers and men, at the 
 iSwiftsura's and Northumberland's field-pieces, at a most trying moment, en- 
 abled them to recover their station in the line, which they had lost only by 
 the impossibility of keeping up with the troops : such service, under a 
 heavy fire of grape and musketry, could not be performed without loss ; 
 that of the Tigre's men has been the greatest ; but Lieutenant Hillier 
 informs me, the remainder redoubled their exertions, and brought the 
 guns on most opportunely, at the moment the 00th repulsed a charge of 
 cavalry. Captain Ribouleau, the senioi' Commander, exerted himself iu 
 the most praiseworthy manner, along the whole line on shore, together . 
 with Captains Guion, Saville, and Burn, each in his division : Captain 
 Hillyar kept the enemy in check, on the left, by the occasional fire of the 
 armed flat-boats on the lake, and tlie troops on that flank seem sensible of 
 their utility, in preventing the enemy's numerous cavalry from attempting 
 to turn them where the isthmus widens into a plain. Lieutenant Wood- 
 house, of the Foudroyant, (a volunteer on the ground) very handsomely 
 offered his services to supply the place of Lieutenant Wright, who was 
 actively employed near Sir Ralph Abercromby, and undertook to convey 
 my orders along the line on foot, which was particularly acceptable and 
 useful, at a time when my orderly dragoon was wounded, and both our 
 horses disabled by a discharge of grape ; 1 have to request your Lordship, 
 to excuse his delay in returning to his duty on board, as I undertook to 
 justify his stay in the field. We are now on the heights at the head of 
 the lake Mahadic, with our left to the canal of Alexandria, and our right 
 to the sea ; the enemy occupy a very strong position on the ridge imme- 
 diately between us and the Rosctta gate of Alexandria. I have made an 
 excursion, with a few dragoons, on the road to Damanhour, to open an 
 intercourse with the Arabs ; I find them friendly, and the markets begin 
 to be supplied. We are all much indebted to Captain Cochrane, and the 
 officers under him, for the ample supplies of ammunition and provisions 
 which he has forwarded to the army by the lake ; the boats' crews of the 
 whole fleet have been indefatigable in this important service. Eleven 
 French boats, seized on the enemy's right by Lieutenant Wright, have 
 been likewise employed therein, under Captain Hillyar, and aUo in con- 
 veying the wounded, both English and Frcuch, to the hospital, su that 
 VOL. II. 3 K 
 
S54 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 
 none remained the night on the field of battle. The cotnmander-in<chief 
 expresies himself very grateful to the navy for their humane exertions on 
 this occasion, and I am happy in observing, that both services seem sensible 
 of the support they mutually give each other in the operations, so that the 
 utmost harmony prevails. I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " W. Sidney Smith." 
 
 " Admiral Lord Keith, 
 ffc. 9fc. Sfd* 
 
 The castle of Aboukir capitulated on the 18th. Mar. and 
 three days afterwards the British obtained another splendid 
 yictory on the spot where they had halted after the battle of 
 the 13th *. On the 25th a Turkish squadron formed a junc- 
 tion with the English fleet in Aboukir bay, and landed a 
 body of troops, with whose assistance Colonel Spencer, at the 
 head of a detachment from the army before Alexandria, suc- 
 ceeded in obtainuig possession of Rosetta a place of consider- 
 able importance, situated near the western mouth of the Nile. 
 The reduction of fort St. Julian by the allied forces, and the 
 progress of the combined flotilla from that place towards 
 Grand Cairo, have already been noticed in our memoir of 
 Captain Richard Curry f. 
 
 The subject of this memoir was employed in a gun-boat 
 during the whole of that fatiguing campaign ; and, after the 
 surrender of the Egyptian capital we find him succeeding 
 Captain Curry in the command of the Betsy, an armed djerm, 
 the latter officer having been charged with despatches to Lord 
 Keith immediately after the capitulation had been agreed to> 
 
 The following is an extract from Lieutenant-General, now 
 Lord, Hutchinscm's letter to government announcing the 
 result of the expedition : 
 
 " The exertions of Captain Stevenson and the navy have been extremely 
 laborious and constant during this long march ; they have done every thing 
 that viras possible to forward our supplies: and indeed, without their 
 powerful aid, it would have been impossible to have proceeded. Your 
 Lordship will recollect, that the river is extremely low at this season of 
 the year, the mouth of the Nile impassable for days together, and the 
 distance from Rosetta to Cairo between 160 and 170 miles. Captain 
 Stevenson has been ably supported by Captains Morrison, Curry, and 
 Hillyar, who were employed under him. — The service in which they have 
 
 b< 
 th 
 at 
 an 
 
 • For Sir W. Sidney Smith's official letter, see Vol. II. Part I. p. 385. 
 t See Id. pp. 462—468. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OK 1804. 
 
 855 
 
 beeu engacfed has not been a brilliant one, but I hope it will be recollected 
 that it has been most useful, and has required constant vigilance and 
 attention ; it has lasted now for many weeks ; the labour has been excessive, 
 and the fatigue greater than I can express *." 
 
 The attention of the allies was next directed to Alexandria, 
 which place now contained within its walls, and its harbour, 
 all that remained of the mighty force which had arrived from 
 Toulon, under Buonaparte, in 1798, and no time was lost in 
 completing the circuuivallation of that town. The tower of 
 Marabout, standing on a small island at the western side of 
 the port, commanding one of the channels, surrendered on the 
 21st July, and Captain, now Sir Alexander, Cochrane imme- 
 diately entered the harbour with 4 British and 3 Turkish 
 corvettes, whilst the flotilla, under Captain Stevenson, ren- 
 dered important services on Lake Mareotis. Thus pressed 
 and hemmed in on every side. General Menou began to feel 
 that his power was at an end ; as the probability of relief 
 from France was too distant to afford a ray of hope. He con- 
 
 Mi 
 ■t if 
 
 ' a 
 
 385. 
 
 * On the 6th July, 1801, ten days after the surrender of Grand Cairo, 
 the French disinterred the body of General Kleber for the purpose of con- 
 veying it with them to France. The following day, Captain Hillyar rode 
 to Heliopolis a place where formerly stood a famous temple of the Sun. 
 On the I2th he went by invitation to dine with the (>olonel of the Mame- 
 lukes attached to the republican army. The repast was served up in the 
 tower of Mekias, which proved to be the handsomest building he had seen 
 Egypt. The pillar on which the rise of the Nile is measured is the 
 
 in 
 
 centre of the edifice and stands in a large octagon well which communi" 
 catcs by a subterranean passage with the river. The pillar is graduated in 
 Arabic counddes, a measure nearly equal to the ancient cubit. Over the 
 well stands a handsome dome, ornamented profusely with painted glass, 
 Sec. The Colonel's wife, a fair Syrian, was dressed i» a Frenchwoman, 
 though her usual habit was that of an officer in her husband's corps. She 
 had been with him in several battles with the Bedouin Arabs, and in con- 
 sequence obtained the appellation of his fighting wife. 
 
 At daylight on the 1 6th July, the whole of the British, Turkish, and French 
 vessels weighed and sailed down the Nile. The number of djerms, &c. 
 employed in conveying the effects of the three armies amounted to 269. 
 We cannot take our leave of Grand Cairo without relating an instance of 
 the depravity of the captives : among other articles of what they called 
 their private property, they brought some Grecian women whom the 
 fortiuie of war had transferred to theni ; and these unfortunate victims of 
 their rapacity and their lust, they sold, without reserve or remorse, as in a 
 public market, to the Turks. 
 
 3k2 
 
856 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 sequcntly demanded an armistice, which very soon led td a 
 final capitulation ; hastened no doubt by the intelligence that 
 the British army was in daily expectation of receiving con- 
 siderable reinforcements from India. The capitulation was 
 ratified by the British commanders-in-chief on the 2d Sept. 
 General Menou and his followers were allowed to return 
 home upon the same terms as had been granted to the garri- 
 son of Grand Cairo, 312 pieces of cannon, 14,000 filled car- 
 tridges, 195,0001bs. of gunpowder, 1 ship of the line, 3 fri- 
 gates, several corvettes, and numerous merchant vessels, fell 
 into the hands of the allies, and Egypt was at length freed 
 from the tyranny of those who had invaded that country as a 
 preparatory step to the subversion of the British empire in 
 India. 
 
 ** The nature of this service," says Lord Keith in his letter 
 to the Admiralty, ** has demanded from most of the officers 
 and seamenof the fleet, and particularly from those of the troop- 
 ships, bombs, and transports, the endurance of labour, fa- 
 tigue, and privation, far beyond what I have witnessed before, 
 and which I verily believe to have exceeded all former ex- 
 ample J and it has been encountered and surmounted with a 
 degree of resolution and perseverance, which merits my 
 highest praise, and gives both officers and men a just claim 
 to the approbation of their Lordships, and of the Country. 
 The number of officers to whom I owe this tribute does not 
 admit of my mentioning them by name ; but most of the 
 Captains of the troop-ships have been employed in the super- 
 intendence of these duties, and I have had repeated and urgent 
 offers of voluntary service from all." ii . ' 
 
 . During the ensuing peace we find Captain Hillyar convey- 
 ing General Oakes and a number of recruits for the garrison 
 of Gibraltar, from England to that fortress. On the 20th 
 Jan. 1804, his staunch friend, the immortal Nelson, addressed 
 the following letter in his favor to Earl St. Vincent who at 
 that period presided over our naval affairs : 
 
 " Captain Hillyar is most truly deserving of all your Lordship can do 
 for him, and in addition to his public merits has a claim upon us. At 
 twenty-four years of age, when I made him a Lieutenant for his bravery, 
 he maintained his mother, sisters, and a brother. For these reasons he 
 declined the Ambuscade which was offered him ; because, although he 
 
f >l 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804, 
 
 857 
 
 might thus get bis rank, yet, if lie were put upon lialf-pay, liis family would 
 be the sufferers. From all these circumstances, so honorable to Captain 
 Ilillyar, independent of his services, which every one thought wouhl have 
 obtained him promotion in the late war, I beg leave to submit, as an act 
 of the greatest kindness, that as the Niger is a very fine fast sailing frigate, 
 well manned, and in most excellent condition, she may be fitted with the 
 Madras's 32 oarronades, which are not so heavy as her present Q-pounders, 
 and that your Lordship would recommend her being considered as a post- 
 ship. Captain Hillyar's activity would soon complete the additional num- 
 ber of men, and she would be an eflicient frigate. I will not venture to say 
 more, I am sensible of your attention to merit." 
 
 In consequence of this recommendation the Niger's estab- 
 lishment was altered, and Captain Hillyar appointed to 
 command her as a 32-gun frigate by commission dated Feb. 
 29, 1804. In the following autumn he discovered a very fine 
 watering place about five miles to the westward of Porto 
 Torres, in Sardinia, which proved essentially advantageous to 
 the British ships employed in watching the motions of the 
 Toulon fleet. Lord Nelson in his diary mentions, that " at 
 the springs, about 200 yards from the beach, forty casks may 
 be filled at the same time," and in a letter written by him to 
 one of the British Consuls he says " I can assure you, that we 
 have found Pulla (the place of anchorage) the most healthy 
 spot the fleet has ever been at. So far from a man being ill 
 from the thousands who went on shore, they have all derived 
 the greatest benefit from the salubrity of the air brought down 
 by that fine river." 
 
 On the 1 1th Dec. in the same year. Captain Hillyar arrived 
 at the Admiralty with despatches from his patron, with whom 
 we again find him serving, off Cadiz, a few days previous to 
 the glorious battle which deprived us of our greatest hero. On 
 the 2d May, 1806, he captured a Spanish schooner bound to 
 la Guira with despatches ; and at the latter end of 1807, as- 
 sisted in escorting Sir John Moore's army from Gibraltar to 
 England *. He subsequently commanded the St. George a 
 second rate bearing the flag of Rear-Adrairal Eliab Harvey 
 on Channel service. 
 
 Captain Hillyar's next appointment was to the Phoebe a 
 36-gun frigate, with a complement of 295 men and boys, 
 which ship formed part of the naval force employed at the 
 
 • Seu Vol. II. Part I. p 422. 
 
858 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 reduGtion of the Mauritius in Dec. 1810*; and sustained a 
 loss of 7 men killed, and 24 wounded, in an action with a 
 French squadron, near Madagascar ; the particulars of which 
 will be found under the head of Captain Charles Marsh 
 Schomberg, who in his official letter bears the most ample 
 testimony to Captain Hillyar's gallant conduct on that occa- 
 sion. The Phoebe likewise assisted in recovering possession 
 of Tamatavd, and capturing her late opponent la Nereide of 
 44 guns and 470 men f. 
 
 On the 20th Aug. 1811, Captain Hillyar arrived at Batavia, 
 in company with the Nisus and President frigates, forming 
 part of the squadron under Rear- Admiral Stopford, who, in 
 the Scipiun 74, had previously proceeded from the Cape 
 station to assist in the reduction of Java. The marines of 
 the Phoebe and her consorts were immediately landed, and 
 thankfully received by Sir Samuel Auchmuty, whose army 
 was already much diminished by sickness : the arrival of those 
 frigates from the Isle of France may indeed be considered as 
 a most fortunate circumstance, as they very materially contri- 
 buted to ease the press of duty so severely felt in that pesti- 
 lential climate, and in no trifling degree accelerated the suc- 
 cessliil termination of the expedition J. 
 
 On the 31st day of the same month, the Nisus, President, 
 and Phoebe, accompanied by the Hesper sloop of war pro- 
 ceeded to Cheribon for tlie purpose of intercepting the enemy's 
 troops in their retreat from Meister Cornelius towards Sa- 
 marang, Rear- Admiral Stopford relying upon those ships for 
 the performance of that sorvice, and, as he says, they fully 
 answered his expectations. Their proceedings are thus de- 
 tailed by Captain Beaver, senior officer of the squadron :— 
 
 " H. Af. S. Xiius, offChirihon, Sept. 4, 18'!. 
 
 " Sir, — I Imvc the honor to inform you, that, with the Nisus, President, 
 and Phoebe, I got within 7 or B miles of this place last nij(ht at dark, wlicn 
 I anchored. 
 
 " At day-light this morning, I despatched Captain Warren, of the Pre- 
 sident, in u boat, under a flag of truce, wiili the accompanying luuimons 
 
 • Sec Vol. I. p. (i.-^ I etteq. 
 
 t Sec pp. K13 — H37 "f this Volume. 
 
 : See Vol. I. p. 367. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 850 
 
 to the commandant of Cheribon, and immediately after weiglied with tlie 
 three frigates, stood towards the fort, and anchored them as near as we 
 could get to it, in three and a quarter fathoms ; when the French colours 
 were hauled down, and English hoisted in their place. The marines, 
 amounting to 180, were immediately landed, and took possession of the 
 fort ; and I have the satisfaction to inform you, that just at that moment, 
 the French General Jamelle, arrived at the Landroost's, from Buitenzory, 
 and was made our prisoner, together with an aide-de-caurp of General 
 .Tannsen's, and a Lieutenant of infantry *. 
 
 " From the French General I learned that he left Buitenzory the night 
 before our troops arrived there, and that detachments of the enemy were 
 on their march from that place to this — about three hundred infantry, and 
 250 cavalry of which were hourly expected to arrive here — I therefore 
 immediately landed 150 seamen, to garrison and defend the fort of Che- 
 ribon ; leaving all the marines to act offensively against the enemy in the 
 field, if occasion should require it, and placed 3 launches with cnrronades 
 in the river, to enfilade the two chief approaches to the fort. • • • 
 
 " The Ilesper sailed so ill, that I was obliged to proceed without her, 
 but expect her appearance every hour, as well as the Sepoys, who are to 
 act under Colonel Wood, on whose arrival I shall immediately re-embark 
 the marines, and proceed toTaggall and Samarang; without whose as- 
 sistance wo should bo too weak to make any impressir >. on the latter 
 place." 
 
 Sept.r,, 1811. 
 " In consequence of a summons having been despatched yesterday to 
 the government storekeeper of Carang Sumbung, about 35 miles distant 
 on the road to Buitenzory, to deliver up some very valuable stores of 
 cotFoe under his charge, a despatch was early this morhing received from 
 hijn, in which he says he is ready to deliver over the above property to 
 any person sent for that purpose ; but, he is very fearful if we do not send 
 troops there immediately, the French, who are arriving in small parties, 
 will when they bear of our being in possession of Cheribon, destroy the 
 ! tores, and disperse ; und it having been represented to me in conse- 
 quence, that a (]uick movement to Carang Sunibang, w'tli the marines 
 and a party of seamen, mi^rlit not only preserve those stores, but either 
 make prisoners of, or disperHc the enemy there collected. I placed, at the 
 written request of Colonel Wood, who is at present without any troops of 
 the line, all the marines, and 50 seamen, under his immediate commtuid, 
 and they will march this evening at 6 o'clock. They are all mounted, 
 seamen us well u^i marines, and u relay of horses is prepare<l for them half 
 way. The llcsper arrived this morning, <md I have appointed Captain 
 Reynolds /)n> tempore, commandant of Cheribon." 
 
 * (kneral Jamelle and his companions were taken prisoners by Cap- 
 lain Warren at the head of a few marines^ Sec {•. ^T2. 
 
 '■. W 
 
 1 < 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
800 
 
 POST-CAPrAlNS OF 1804. 
 
 Sept.T, 1811, 
 " A party, detached from the seamen and marines under Colonel Wood, 
 arrived lust night, with nine wa^^gons laden with money, and 30 prisoners, 
 from the Boogas, a place half way between this and Carang Saml)ang, 
 which they left in the morning at 6 o'clock, when our men were about to 
 advance ; and this morning the Brigade Major returned with intelligence 
 that all the stores at the latter place, to a great amount*, are given up to 
 us, and that all the troops there arc made prisoners of war : thus, every 
 object for which the seamen and marines were advanced into the country, 
 has been happily attained, and no one loft in arms against us for a space of 
 35 miles. 
 
 Sept. 11. 1811. 
 " The lust party of marines returned from Carang Sambang late last 
 night, and were embarked on board the Nisus at one this morning. I have 
 thus re-embarked every seaman and marine of the 330 whom I landed on 
 the 4th instant, after having made about 700 prisoners, including 1 General, 
 2 Lieutenant-Colonels, 1 Major, 1 1 Captains, 42 Lieutenants, and about 180 
 Non-commissioned oflicers and European privates, the rest being Creoles and 
 Malays, without having had a single man either killed or wounded, and, I 
 am happy to say, with very few sick indeed, and those chiefly from great 
 fatigue, whom, I trust, a few days will restore to their wonted vigour. 
 Although it bus not been our good fortune to have had it in our power to 
 do any thing brilliant, yet, I hope, that having been able to secure so great 
 a proportiuii of the enemy's officers, ami European troops, may contribute 
 in some degree, to the speedy reduction of this important colony." 
 
 Ciiptain Hillyar Bailed from Cheribon on the llth Sept. 
 and the next day took possession of the fort at Taggall, to- 
 gether with the goveriniient stores about five miles distant 
 from thence, which he found were capacious, and well filled 
 with coffee, rice, and pepper. He then re-joined Rear- Ad- 
 miral Stopford at Samarang, and proceeded with him to Sou- 
 rabaya, where intelligence was received of tlie capitulation 
 for the B\r. render of Java and its dependencies having been 
 conchidcd on the 18th of the same month. 
 
 From this period we lose sight of Ciiptain Hillyar till Mar. 
 IHlJi, when he sailed from England for the purpose of de- 
 stroying tiu» Americans' fur-establishment i.p(»n the banks of 
 Columbia river, the ,exe'Mition of which service he foimd it 
 necessary to entrust to another officer, in conse(iuence of his 
 receivin*^- certain intelligence, at the island of Juun Fernandez, 
 that the United States' frigate Esbex of 46 guns und 328 men 
 
 • The cotfec i\l(iiie, taken nt (,'nrnn;, **rtmbiing, was valued at 260,000 
 Spanish dollars. 
 

 POST-CAPTAINS OK 1804. 861 
 
 had been for some time committing great depredations upon 
 British commerce in the South Seas, and that several of her 
 prizes had been armed in order to assist in doing still further 
 mi:icljief. 
 
 The Racoon and Cherub, sloops of war, having joined the 
 Phojbe at Rio Janeiro, and accompanied her round Cape 
 Horn, Captain Hillyar, on his arrival off the Gallipago islands, 
 despatched the former vessel to Columbia river, and proceeded 
 himself, with the Cherub in company, to explore the gulf of 
 Guayaquil, and the coasts between that and Valparaiso, at 
 which latter place he anchored close to the American frigate, 
 and three of her prizes, on the 8th Feb. 1814. His subse- 
 quent action with the Essex is thus described by him in a 
 letter to the Admiralty, dated at Valparaiso, on the 30th 
 Mar. 1814 : 
 
 " Sir, — I have the honor to uc(iuahit you, for the information of my 
 Lords Coiiimissiunors of the Adinirulty, that at a lUtle past 3 P. I\I. on the 
 i.'8th instant, after nearly five months anxious goarch, and six weeks stilt 
 more uiixious look-out for the Essex and her companion *, to (|uit the port 
 of Valparaiso, we saw the former under weigh, and immediately, accom« 
 panied hy the Cherul), uiade sail to close with her. On rounding the outer 
 point of the bay, and hauling her wind for the purpose of endeavourin):^ to 
 weather us, and escape, she lost her main-top-mast, and afterwards, not 
 succeeding in an effort to regain the limits of t\n\ port, bore up, and 
 anchored so near the shore, (a few miles to leeward of it), as to preclude 
 the possibility of passing a-head of her without risk tc his iMaJesty's ships. 
 As we drew near, my intention of going close under hei stern was frustrated 
 by the ship breaking ofl", and from the wind blowing e:ttremely fresh, our 
 first fire, commencing a little past four o'clock, and continuing about ten 
 minute?, produced no visible effect. Our second, a few random shot only, 
 froii) having increased our distance by wearing, was not apparently more 
 successful, and having lost the use of our main-sail, jib, and main-stay, 
 appearances were a little inauspicious. On standing agaiw towards her, I 
 signified my intention of anchoring, for which we were net ready before, 
 with springs, to Captain Tucker, directing him to keep ui ler weigh, and 
 take n convenient station for annoying our opponent. (}\i closing the 
 Essc\, at 5-35, the firing re-commenced, and before I gained my 
 intendtMl position, her cable was out, and a serious cji.flict ensued ; 
 the guns of his Majesty's ship gradually becoming more destructive, and 
 her c.cw, if possible^ more animated, which lasted until I -20, when it 
 
 • The Ekhox junior of 10-long-sixcK, KNcightvcn-poundcr "•ari'onadcs, 
 and !)5 men, part of whom arv said to have been on board ihc fr'gatc 
 whilst cnguj{cd with the British. 
 
862 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 f 
 
 pleased the Almighty Disposer of Events to hiess the efforts of my galluut 
 companions, and my personal, very humble one, with victory. INIy 
 friend Captain Tucker *, an officer worthy of their Lordships' best atten- 
 tion, was severely wounded at the commencement of the action, but re- 
 mained on deck until it terminated, using every exertion against the 
 baffling winds and occasional calms which followed the heavy firing, to 
 close near the enemy : he informs me, that his officers and crew, of whose 
 loyalty, zeal, and discipline, I entertain the Mghest opinion, conducted 
 themselves to his satisfaction. •••••• The conduct of my 
 
 officers and crew, without an individual exception that has come to my 
 knowledge, before, during, and after the battle, was such as become good 
 and loyal subjects, zealous for the honor of their much loved, though 
 distant, King and Country. 
 
 •' The defence of tbe Essex, taking into consideration our superiority of 
 force, the very discouraging circuuistance of her having lust her tiiain-top- 
 most, and being twice on tire, did honor to her brave defenders, and most 
 fully evinced the courage of Captain (David) Porter, and those under his 
 command. Her colours were not struck until the loss in killed and 
 wounded was so awfully great, and her shattered condition so seriously 
 bad, as to render further resistance unavailing. 
 
 " I was much hurt on hearing that her n.en liad been encouraged, when 
 the result of the action was evidently decided, some to take to their boats, 
 and others to swim on shore ; many were drowned in tlie attempt ; U> 
 were saved by the exertions of my people ; and others, I believe between 
 .10 and 40 effected their landing. I informed Captain Porter, that I con- 
 sidered the latter, in point of honor, us my prisoners ; he said the encou- 
 ragement was given when the ship was in danger from fire, and I have not 
 pressed the point. The Essex is completely stored and provisioned for at 
 least six months, and although much injured in her upper works, masts, 
 and rigging, is not in such a state as to give the slightest cause of alarm, 
 respecting her being able to perform a voyage to Europe with perfect 
 safety. Our main and mizcn-masts, and muin-yard, are rather seriously 
 wounded ; these, M-ithafew shot-holes between wind and water, which we can 
 got at without lightening ; and a loss of canvas and cordage, which we can 
 partly replace from our well-stored prize, are the extent of the injuries 
 his Mijcsty's ship has sustained. ••••»••! have the iion<.r 
 to b8, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " James Hillyah." 
 
 " To J. ir. Croker, Emq." 
 
 Hic loHS sustained by the BritUh shipi) on this occaoion 
 was only 5 killed and 10 wounded, including among tlie fcjr- 
 iTier Mr. Williuni Ingram, first Lieutenant of the Pluube, u 
 brave and excellent officer. That of the American frigate 
 woa very severe, 2.'J inc ii having been found dead on her 
 dcckfci, aiid 42 wounded among the prisoners (161 in iniuiber) : 
 
 • See Captain Tiioaias Tuuur Ti;cker> 
 

 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1804. 
 
 863 
 
 3 otliers were acknowledged to have been removed by a boat 
 belonging to her consort, just before she surrendered ; and at 
 least 40 are supposed to have perished in their attempt to 
 reach the shore; but as not a single document relative to 
 the number serving in her at the commencement of the action 
 was found by Captain Hillyar, it is impossible for any person, 
 not an American, to arrive at a correct conclusion on that 
 subject. We can only express our regret that the Essex 
 junior did not venture out of port, in which case the Cherub 
 would have been of course detached in pursuit of that ship, 
 and the Phoebe no doubt have given an equally good account 
 of her immediate opponent *. 
 
 Captain Hillyar arrived at Plymouth with his prize, Nov. 
 13, 1814 ; and in the course of the following year we find him 
 receiving the insignia of a C. B. as a just reward for his long 
 and meritorious services. 
 
 He married, July 14, 1805, a daughter of N. Taylor, Esq. 
 Naval Storekeeper at Malta. One of his brothers is a Com- 
 mander, and another a Surgeon, R. N. The latter has re- 
 cently received permission to accept and wear the insignia of 
 a K. T. S. which the King of Portugal was pleased to confer 
 upon him, when that monarch visited H. M. S. Windsor Castle, 
 at ]>isbon, in May, 1824. 
 
 Jgent. — Sir Francis Ommaney, M. P. 
 
 RIGHT HON. LORD WILLIAM FITZ ROY. 
 
 // Companion of the Mott Honorable *1Uitary C^iler of the Hath. 
 
 This officer is a younger son of Augustus Henry, third 
 Duke of Grafton, by hia second Duchess, Elizabeth, daughter 
 of the late Rev. Sir Richard VN'rottcoley, Bart. He was born 
 
 • The Phcrbe mounted 26 long lS-poundcr«, 4 long J>'a, 14 th»rty-t»»'o. 
 pounder carronsdcs, und 2 boat-gunn j the Kssex, 40 thirty-i A'o.poundcr 
 carronadcs, and six long nines. Th*< foriuar had on board 3(K) officers, men, 
 and l>oya, including a few volunteerH from two Uritisb merchantmen lying 
 at Valparaiso j we arc jusiified by the declaration of Captain Porter himself 
 in stating that tho luttcr had ut least 260 peniou8, exclusive of those sent 
 from the Essex junior to her assistance. The (lierub mounted 18 thirty- 
 two-poundei carronadcs, r» cighteens, 2 long-sixes, and I boat-gun ; her 
 total complejncnt was 121. 
 
 
 
864 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 J,une 1, 1/82; made a Lieutenant in 1800; Commander in 
 1802, and Post-Captain, Mar. 3, 1804. 
 
 His Lordship commanded the ^Eolus frigate in Sir Richard 
 J. Strachan's action, Nov. 4, 1805 ; and at the reduction of 
 Martinique, in 1809 *. Previous to the latter event, he had 
 been elected M. P. for Thetford, in which borough the Grafton 
 family appear to have possessed great influence for a long 
 series of years, one of the titles attached to the dukedom 
 being " Viscount Thetford." His last appointment v as, 
 about June, 1810, to the Macedonian frigate, in which he 
 served on the Lisbon station, until dismissed from the service, 
 for a breach of the 33d Article of War, April 7, 1811. 
 
 I-/ord William was restored to his rank in the navy at the 
 latter end of August, in the same year ; and nominated a 
 C. B. in 1815. He married, Aug. 9, 1816, Georgiana, second 
 daughter of Thomas Raikes, Esq. and by that lady has issue. 
 
 Towards the close of 1823, a small pamphlet was printed 
 and circulated, among the higher ranks in the navy, tinder 
 the title of " A brief Statement arising out of a Passage 
 contained in the third volume of James's Naval History of 
 Great Britain, on the Conduct and Character of Lord JVil- 
 liam Fitz liny, in the year 1805." To this " Statemknt" 
 Mr. James published " A Rkplv," in January, 1824. The 
 circumstance which gave rise to those pamphlets has been 
 discussed by Captain Brcnton in the third volume of his 
 Naval History — We have neither time nor inclination to enter 
 into the subject. 
 
 RIGHT HON. LORD GEORGE STUART, 
 
 A Companion of the Mont Honorable MilUary Order of the Bath. 
 
 This officer is nearly related to the present Manjuis of 
 Bute, and consequently descended from Hubert 11. King of 
 Scotland. 
 
 We are not acquainted with the particulars of his birth, 
 but have been told that he was educated at Eton ; and that 
 he entered the naval service towards the close of 1/93, as a 
 Midshi])man on board the Providence of 16gun6, commanded 
 l)y the late Captain William R. Broughton, with whom he 
 " Sec Vol. I. pp. 2H!» and LHM. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1804. 
 
 865 
 
 proceeded first to Nootka Sound, and then on a service well 
 calculated to render him an expert navigator, and able ma- 
 rine surveyor. 
 
 The Providence, on her voyage to the N. W. coast of 
 America, touched at Teneriffe, Rio Janeiro, New South 
 Wales, Otaheite, ^d the Sandwich Islands, where CaptaJn 
 Broughton received intellif^ence that Captain Vancouver, 
 under whose orders he had been directed to place himself, had 
 already taken his departure for England*. He, however, 
 proceeded to Nootka Sound, where he anchored on the i7th 
 Mar. 1796, after a passage of thirteen months and two days 
 from Plymouth. 
 
 The siiip having proved leaky was now hove down, which 
 led to the discovery of a bolt-hole in the garboard- streak 
 through which it was supposed no bolt had ever been drove 
 to the floor-timber. The augur boring remained perfect ; 
 nor was there any appearance of decayed iron. The thin 
 copper which covered it had cracked round the hole, and by 
 that means the water was admitted. It was also exactly in 
 the same place the carpenters had supposed, on examining the 
 limbers, and whence the coming in of the water was per- 
 ceived. Indeed there was no other part of the bottom of the 
 ship that appeared to be bad, although the copper in some 
 parts was much worn, a circumstance which caused Captain 
 Broughton to regret that she had not been sheathed with 
 wood, and then coppered over all. 
 
 At Nootka, Captain Broughton received letters dated Mar. 
 1705, which informed him that Captam Vancouver had sailed 
 from Monterrey bay, in Calitbrnia, on the 1st Dec. 1794; 
 and that the Spaniards had delivered up the port, &c. to 
 Lieutenant Pierce, of the marines, agreeably to the mode of 
 restitutio!) settled between the Courts of London and Madrid. 
 His future proceedings now depending on his own discretion, 
 and as he wished to employ the Providence in such a manner 
 as might be deemed most eligible for the improvement of 
 geography and navigation, he proceeded along the coast to 
 Montcrry, and there demanded of his officers their sentiments 
 in writing, respecting the manner in which the discretionary 
 powers allowed to him might most effectually be employed. 
 ■ See Vol. 11, Part I. p. 201. 
 
 
 \ 1: 
 
 
866 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 The result of their opinions, he was happy to find, coincided 
 with his own, wliich was to survey the coast of Asia, com- 
 mencing at the island of Sachalin, situated in lat. 52°. N., in 
 the southern part of the sea of Lama ; and ending at the 
 Nan-king river, in Lat. 30°. N. His intention was also to 
 survey the adjacent islands, viz. the Kurilles, and those of 
 Jesso and Japan, left unfinished in Captain Cook's last voy- 
 age. He considered that such a survey would be very ac- 
 ceptable to geographers ; for the limits of Asia and America 
 would then be known as far as navigation was practicable, 
 and a knowledge of the Northern Pacific Ocean would be 
 completed. He therefore determined to spend his time in 
 that pursuit till Christmas, then to go to Canton for storco 
 and provisions, and to continue the survey early in the en- 
 suing year. A log of his proceedings from the time he left 
 £ngland until his arrival at Macao, after surveying the land 
 of Jesso, the Kurille isles, and thot^e of Japan, is contained 
 in the first six chapters of a quarto volume published by him 
 in 1804. At Macao, Captain Broughton purchased a small 
 schooner to assist him in his survey, which he found to be 
 the identical vessel built by some of the ill-fated Bounty's 
 people, during their involuntary exile in the South Seas, and 
 which had been brought from Otaheite to Samarang, by Cap- 
 tain Edwards, of the Pandora. This proved a most fortunate 
 circumstance for the officers and crew of the Providence, as 
 that ship was wrecked near Ty-pin-san, an island lying be- 
 tween Formosa and the Great Loo-Choo, when about to pro- 
 secute the object of her researches. The following is Cap- 
 tain Broughton's account of that disastrous event : 
 
 " About 7-30 P. M. (May J 7, 1797), white water was seen a-liead and 
 upon each bow, a id reported to the officer of the watch, Lieutenant James 
 (j. Vashon ; and almost directly after, the ship struck upon a reef of coral 
 rocks. Having felt the shock, which was not violent, I instantly went 
 upon deck, and by the way met IMr. Vashon coming to acquaint mc with 
 the disaster. The officers and men were upon deck in a moment, and the 
 sails directly braced a-back. It appeared to mc the helm was a-weather, 
 and the ship's head about E. N. E. *, sails all full. Had the helm been 
 put a-lee on seeing the danger, F think we should have escaped it. 
 
 • When Captain Broughtou left the deck a few minutes before, she 
 was lying tip N. E. j^ N. with the larboard tacks uu board, and going at 
 the rate of 4& knots per hour. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 867 
 
 be- 
 
 " The proper signals were made to the schooner, and the Master sent 
 to anchor her as near as possible, to lieave by her. The ship soon after 
 paid off, witli her head to the eastward ; and wc liauled up tlie main-sail, 
 sliivcring the other sails, to let her go round oflf without nc<|uiring head- 
 way : before she paid off to the southward, she again struck fore and aft, 
 and remained fixed at last with her liead due south. Breakers were then 
 upon each Itow, and we had from 5 to 15 fathoms in the starboard chains, 
 and only 2^ fathoms at times both a-head and a-stern. Having chocke<l 
 the ru<lder, the top-masts were struck ; and we began hoisting the boats 
 out, the lower-yards liaving been kept up for that purpose. At this time 
 the ship did not strike violently, and Iiad only made 1!) inches water. 
 
 Unfortunately the wind freshened from the N. N. W., and the sea l)egaa 
 to break with great force, which soon knocked the rudder off: we secured 
 it with hawsers. It was now 9 o'clock, and we only waited the schooner's 
 anchoring, to attempt heaving off; and in the mean time began hoisting 
 out the long-boat -. during which period the ship made water very fast ; 
 and the violent shocks she received, rendered it doubtful whether the 
 masts would stand. The water increased so much upon the pumps, that 
 before the long-boat was out we had 7 feet water in the hold. At this 
 time the schooner had anchored near us in 25 fathoms, and the Master 
 returned on board, when the ship suddenly changed her position, swinging 
 round from S. to N. by E., and striking more violently than ever. Before 
 wc could carry our hawsers to the schooner, the carpenter reported the 
 water up to the orlop-deck, and the ship having bilgeil forward ; we there- 
 fore gave up the idea of attempting to heave off, for had we succeeded, the 
 ship must inevitably have foundered. The spare pumps were down the 
 fore hatchway, but the water still increasing upon the gun-deck, rendered 
 all our exertions useless. The officers were unanimous with me in 
 opinion, that nothing could be done to save the ship ; and to cut away the 
 masts would have no effect upon her, as she was settling fast forward from 
 her being bilged, as we imagined, in her larboard bow. It now became 
 highly necessary to preserve the people, and the boats were ordered ready 
 for their reception ; while they were employed trying to collect arms and 
 ammunition, with armourer's and carpenter's tools ; but the ship laying 
 nearly on her beam ends, and the gun-deck being full of water with the 
 washing of the bulk-heads to and fro, chests, &c. prevented their saving 
 many. On one side of the sliip wc had only C feet water, and on the other 
 3& fathoms. The fore part of her was iijitnersed in the sea, and the surf 
 breaking over the upper-deck. As nothing more could be procured for 
 the present, the crew were sent into the boats, which was happily effected 
 without any accident ; and soon after 1 1 o'clock they reached the schooner 
 in safety, but with the loss, both officers tnd men, of every thing belonging 
 to them. The pinnace returned for myself and the remaining officers ; and 
 at half an hour after midnight we quilted the Providence, leaving her a 
 perfect wreck to the mercy of the sea." 
 
 This disaster having taken place during the S. W. monBoon, 
 
 r 
 
 Li> 
 
 
 Fi 
 
 
 ii 
 
 . 1 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 » 
 
 
 i 
 
 ) 
 1 
 
 p 
 
 '' ;l 
 
868 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 the situation of 109 persons witijout clothing *, crowjed in a 
 small vessel only capable of admitting one-third of that num- 
 ber below at a time, may readily be conceived. Fortunately, 
 however, they met with the most friendly and hospitable re- 
 ception at Ty-pin-san, the natives of which place loaded their 
 little bark with provisions, and thereby enabled them to reach 
 Whampoa, in China, without feeling the pangs of hunger and 
 thirst, too often experienced by persons placed in similar situ- 
 ations of danger. 
 
 The schooner, having met with no bad weather, nor any 
 other obstacle, passed the Bocca Tigris on the 4th June, 1/97, 
 remained in the neighbourhood of Canton for a few days, and 
 then worked down towards Macao roads, where a division of 
 her officers and crew took place — 43 being discharged into the 
 Swift sloop of war for the disposal of Rear- Admiral Rainier ; 
 30 into a fleet of homeward bound Indiamen ; and 35 retained 
 by Captain Broughton for the purpose of completing his sur- 
 vey. Among those sent home were the first Lieutenant 
 (now Captain) Zachary Mudge, Lord George Stuart, and the 
 present Hon. Captain Alexander Jones. It is here worthy of 
 remark that the Providence was the ship in which " Bounty 
 Bligh" ultimately conveyed the bread fruit to St. Vincent's 
 and Janipica ; that Captain Broughton, when warping into Ma- 
 tavia bay, Nov. 30, 1 795, swept an iron-stocked anchor which 
 the Bounty's mutineers left behind them when they cut their 
 cable and bade an everlasting farewell to Otaheite, Sept. 22, 
 ) 789 J that the schooner built by the poor fellows who had been 
 innocently involved in their guilt was, as we have stated above, 
 the vessel destined to preserve the crew of the Providence j 
 and that the 43 officers and men who were drafted into the 
 Swift, were doomed to perish under the command of an officer 
 who was one of Bligh's companions when turned adrift in the 
 Bounty's launch by Christian and his colleagues. Strange as 
 the coincidence may appear, what wc have stated admits of 
 no contradiction. 
 
 • The Providence left England with a complement of 116 officers, 
 seamen, and marines. Of thij number one had died a natural death, three 
 been killed by accident, and two murdered by the natives at one of the 
 Sandwich Islands. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 869 
 
 Lord George Stuart was made a Lieutenant in 1800, a 
 Commander in 1802 ; and confirmed in liis post rank Mar. 3, 
 1804. If we mistake not, he was in tlje East Indies at each 
 of those periods. 
 
 About the 7th Jan. 1805, a hurricane commenced at Cey- 
 lon, during which the Sheerness 44, then commanded by 
 the subject of this memoir, parted her cables, and drove 
 on shore. Very little time had elapsed, before the water 
 rose above the orlop-deck, the main-mast went by the board, 
 and pumping proved ineffectual. At the commencement of 
 the storm. Lord George, his first Lieutenant, and others, 
 used every possible exertion to get on board, but their boat 
 swamping, they with difficulty regained the shore. The 
 launch, sent to their assistance, was also swamped, and two 
 of her crew drowned. 
 
 His Lordship subsequently commanded the Duncan frigate, 
 and on the 8th April, 1806, captured a French privateer of 
 8 guns and 71 men. In the summer of 1807, he was ap- 
 pointed to I'Aimable 32, on the North Sea station, where lie 
 intercepted another marauder of the same description, mount- 
 ing 16 guns, and having on board a number of British priso- 
 ners. In the summer of 1808, he appears to have assisted 
 in escorting the army under Sir Arthur Wellesley, from Cork 
 to Portugal, and it has been said that he was a spectator of 
 the celebrated battle which led to the inglorious convention 
 of Cintra *. 
 
 On the 3d Feb. 1809, Lord George Stuart, having returned 
 to his former station, captured, after a chase of 28 hours, and 
 a short running fight, I'lris, French national ship, pierced for 
 32 guns, but only mounting 22 24-pounder carronades and 2 
 long twelves, vrith a complement of 1 10 men, having on board 
 640 casks of flour for Martinique, victualled and stored for 
 four months. L'Aimable, on this occasion, had 2 men 
 wounded, and suffered materially in her masts, spars, sails, 
 and rigging. The enemy sustained a loss of 2 killed and 8 
 wounded. 
 
 In July following. Lord George assumed the command of 
 a light squadron employed at the mouth of the Elbe, and on 
 the 26th of that month he performed an important serviccj 
 
 • See Vol, I. p. 695, and note f at p. 431 et ieq. 
 VOL. 11, 3 J, 
 
 
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 23 WHT MAIN STMIT 
 
 WnSTH.N.Y. USIO 
 
 (71«) •73-4S03 
 
 
 Ci^ 
 
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870 
 
 l>0»T-CAt»TAINS OF 1804. 
 
 the particulars of which arc thus stated in his official report 
 to the officer under whose orders he was then placed : 
 
 H. M. S. PAimable, off Cuxhaven, July 29, 1809. 
 
 *' Sir, — ^The French troops id Hanover, not content with frequent pre- 
 datory and piratical incursions in the n^^ighbourhood of Cuxhaven, bad 
 the audacity to enter the village of Ritzbuttle with a body of horse at 
 mid-day on the 26th instant, and very narrowly missed making several 
 officers of the squadron prisoners *. In consequence I was induced to 
 land a detachment of seamen and marines from the vessels composing the 
 squadron under my orders, for the purpose, if possible, of intercepting 
 tfaem. In the ardour of pursuit, we advanced until we got sight of the 
 town of BreB)er>Iehe, into which we learnt they had retreated. The in- 
 formation was incoirect. On entering the town we were assured that the 
 enemy, to the number of about 250, occupied the town of Gessendorf, 
 two miles distant, and further, that it contained a depdt of confiscated 
 merchandise. It was resolved instantly to attack it. For this purpose. 
 Captain Goate of the Mosquito, advanced with a detachment, while I 
 directed Captain Pettet of the Briseis, to proceed by a circuitous route, 
 and take a well-constructed battery of four 12-pounders, commanding the 
 river Weser, in flank, while the remainder, under my o^rn immediate di- 
 rections, headed by Captain Watts, of the Ephira, advant^d to attack it in 
 front. The road we had to pass subjected us all to a galling fire of round 
 and grape from the battery, the guns of which were all pointed inwards, 
 and which we could only answer by discharges of musketry. Gesseudorf, 
 though certainly tenbble with the aumben the enemy had opposed to ours, 
 was on the approach of Captain Goate precipitately evacuated. The 
 enemy being previously informed of our approach, had put into requi- 
 sition a number of light waggons for the transportation of tlie foot, in the 
 rear of which 60 well mounted cavalry drew up. 
 
 " The enemy in the battery seeing us determined, notwithstanding their 
 lire, to carry our point, and that we were making preparations for fording 
 a deep and wide creek in tlieir front, abandoned it, and embarked in boats 
 on the Weser ready for their reception, under a severe fire of musketry 
 from our detachment, with the loss on their part of several killed and 
 wounded. From a foreknowledge of our intentions on the part of the 
 enemy, we made but four prisoners, the commandant of the battery 
 (Mona. le Murche), a Lieutenant, and two inferior officers. The battery- 
 gima were burst in pieces, the etn'brazursa demolished, the gun-carriages 
 burnt, together with the magaxioe, guard-houses, &c. &c. The powder 
 we brought off, as also six wi^ggun loads of confiscated merchanilise. * * * 
 
 " The distance from Gessendurf to Cuxhaven is 28 miles ; I leave it 
 then to their Lordships to estimate the spirit, alacrity, and expedition with 
 which this service has been performed, when I stbte, that in 24 hours from 
 
 * Cuxhaven and Ritzbuttle had recently been taken possession of by the 
 British. Sea CiqiuiA Wn,bMM Goati. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 871 
 
 oar departure, the whole detachment returned, and were safely embarked 
 on board their respective ships, without the loss of an individual *. I have 
 the honor to he, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " G. Stvart." 
 
 " To Rear-Mmiral Sir R. I. Strac/mi, Bart. A'. B." 
 
 A^ the importance of this service cannot be estimated by 
 Lord George Stuart's official letter alone, we shall in explana- 
 tion state, that the heroic Duke of Brunswick Oels^ having 
 at that moment nearly effected his fine retreat through the 
 heart of Germany, arrived a few days afterws^rds on the op- 
 posite hank of the Weser, and by the previous dispersion of 
 the enemy, and the destruction of their fortress, which enfi- 
 laded the whole of that river, was enabled to embark and 
 bring away his brave companions in arms, without meeting 
 with those obstructions which would otherwise have impeded 
 his progress, enabled his pursuers to come up with him, and 
 in all likelihood have led to the capture or destruction of his 
 whole detachment. 
 
 His Lordship's next appointment was, about Sept. 1810f 
 to the Horatio, a 38-gun frigatC) the boats of which ship, 
 under the directions of Lieutenant Abraham Mills Hawkins, 
 performed a very gallant exploit on the coa&t of Norway, in 
 Aug. 1812, which we shall give a full account of in our me- 
 moir of that meritorious officer, who was soon after promoted 
 for his persevering bravery and severe sufferings on the occa- 
 sion now alluded to. 
 
 The reverses of Napoleon Buonaparte, who, after losing tlic 
 flower of his army in the inhospitable cUme of Russia, in the 
 winter of 1812, had been obliged to retreat, during the whole 
 of 1813, before his accumulating enemies, till at length they 
 pursued him into France, gave occasion to a revolution in 
 Holland. The consequence of this political change was the 
 recall of the Pripce of Orange, whose departure from Kng- 
 land, and landing at Scheveling, we have already noticed f. 
 An application was also made to the British government for 
 
 * Captain George Edward Watts " particularly" diatinguished himself* 
 and was the ooly person wounded. The passages contained in the above 
 letter which we have onalttcd, are reserved for insertion in our menaoin of 
 that gallant officer, and others to whose conduct thev immediately refer, 
 
 t See Vol. I. p. 663. 
 
 31.2 
 
872 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1804, 
 
 assistance, which was readily granted ; and by the end of the 
 year, the whole territory of the Seven United Provinces was 
 cleared of the enemy, with the exception of a few fortified 
 places. The assistance contributed by Lord George Stuart 
 towards the accomplishment of this desirable event, will be 
 seen by the following extracts from his public letters to the 
 late Admiral Sir William Young, under whom he had been 
 for some time serving : 
 
 " Yesterday morning (Dec. 7, 1813) some pilots brought off a letter, 
 from a gentleman who had been in the British service, requesting aid to 
 drive the French from Zierick-zee *. I lost no time in working up, and 
 anchored just out of gun-shot of a heavy battery, which totally commanded 
 the passage. As it was necessary to pass in execution of your orders, I 
 made the disposition for attacking it. I therefore collected 50 marines 
 and 70 seamen from the Horatio, with the same number from the Am- 
 phion, with a determination of storming it from the rear, as soon as the 
 tide would answer for the boats to leave the ship, which could not be till 
 9 P. M. During the interval, a deputation from the principal citizens 
 came on board under a flag of truce, from the French General, requesting 
 tliat, in onier to save the effusion of blood, and prevent the disorders 
 which were likely to ensue in the city, then in a state of insurrection, 
 terms of capitulation should be granted, by which the French, with their 
 baggage, should be allowed to withdraw and be conveyed to Bergen-op- 
 zoom : this I peremptorily refused, * * * and sent back the terms here- 
 with enclosed f. The thickness of the weather prevented the deputation 
 fiuiii quitting the ship before 10 P. M., which induced me to extend the 
 time till midnight. I had not proceeded any considerable distance from 
 the ship before the signal (3 guns), in token of submission, was made. I 
 landed at the battery, which having secured, I went forward to the town, 
 and found the native French had made their escape. I directed the sea- 
 men to remain at the gate, and entered with the marines, amidst the ac. 
 clamations of an immense multitude. Proceeding to the town-hall, I was 
 
 * Zierick-zee h the capital of Schowen, an island of Zealand, lying be- 
 tween Qoeree and North Beverland. 
 
 t " Sir, — ^With a view to spare the effusion of blood, as senior officer 
 in command of H. B M.'s forces, I feel it my duty, after the communi- 
 cation I have received, and the resources which I at present have, to sum- 
 mons yon with the French oflicers and troops under your immediate com- 
 mand, to surrender prisoners of war. No other conditions will be ad- 
 mitted. I expect a decisive answer by 12 o'clock this night ; my autho- 
 rity will not admit of the tuspe/^sion of hostilities longer than that period. 
 
 (Signed) " 0. Stuart." 
 
 •• TV the Prtnch Communiant:* 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 873 
 
 wet by the most respectable inhabitants in a body, and then having dig< 
 solved the French municipal authorities, I directed the ancient magistrates 
 of the city to resume their functions. This morning (Dec 8), in compli- 
 ance with my directions, the magistrates of the town of Browcrshaven 
 reported their having driven the French from thence, and they received 
 similar injunctions with respect to their provisional government. I took 
 possession of a brig of 14 guns, formerly H. M. B. Bustler, which the 
 enemy had attempted to scuttle, also a French gun-boat, and a consider- 
 able quantity of powder. In the course of this day I have collected 20 
 prisoners, and more are expected. 
 
 " I feel happy in having obtained so important an acquisition as the 
 ^vhole island of Schowen, without bloodshed, thereby facilitating the means 
 of opening a communication with the allied forces in tlie south of Holland *. 
 
 " Having received information that the French had augmented their 
 forces in the island of Tholen with 400 men, and it being necessary to 
 secure the battery at the point of Steavinesse, in order for the ships to 
 pass up the Keeten, I despatched the boats of the two ships at 10 P.M. 
 (Dec. 9), with the boats' crews only, when they landed two miles in the 
 rear of the battery : immediately on their approach, the French precipi- 
 tately fled, and did not enable our brave fellows to oppose them, wc there- 
 fore made only 3 prisoners. The battery mounted six 24-pounder8. 
 Lieutenants Whyte and Champion, of the Horatio and Amphion, with the 
 officers and men under their command, dismantled the battery, spitted the 
 guns, destroyed the carriages, &c. and returned on board at 3-30 A* M." 
 
 Lord George Stuart, whose great promptitude of decision 
 to storm the batteries on the island of Schowen, and very 
 spirited preparation for doing so, if the enemy had not imme- 
 diately submitted, were highly commended by Admiral Young, 
 was soon after appointed to the Newcastle of 58 guns, built 
 for the express purpose of coping with the American ships of 
 similar force. The particulars of his cruise in quest of the 
 Constitution and her supposed consorts will be found at 
 p. 533, et seq. of this volume. His Lordship was nominated 
 aC. B. in 1815. 
 
 Agent, — ^Tliomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 SIR JAMES LIND, 
 
 A Knight Commander u/ the Moat Honorable Military Order of the Bath- 
 
 This officer received his first commission in 177^; and 
 
 served as senior Lieutenant of the Princess Royal a second 
 
 rate, forming part of Lord Hood's fleet, during the operations 
 
 . * The ordnance taken at Zierick-zee, consisted of 12 iron 36 and 24* 
 pounders, 2 brass 13-inch mortars, and 2 six-poundcrn. 
 
m 
 
 POST-CAPTAINi OF 1804. 
 
 at Toulon, in 1793 *. His promotion to the rank of Com^ 
 mander took place in 1795. 
 
 On the 5th Dec. 1800, Captain Lind, then commanding 
 the Wilbelmina troop-ship, sailed from England for the Red 
 Sea, in company with a squadron sent thither, under Sir 
 Home Popham, to assist in the frustration of the designs of 
 republican France, which was afterwards so successfully ac^ 
 complished by the Anglo-Turkish forces in Egypt, as already 
 mentioned in the course of this work. 
 
 Captain Lind's next appointment was to the Sheerness 44^ 
 in which ship he captured, by stratagem, I'Alfred, French 
 privateer, of 14 guns and 80 men. Obserring I'Alfred in 
 chase of the Sheerness, he disguised her as nuieh as possible, 
 and by standing away from his pursuer, and setting and taking 
 in sail in the style of a merchantman, completed the decep- 
 tion, and ensured the capture of the enemy. After a short 
 chaSe, the privateer ranged upon his quarter, fired a broad- 
 side, and commanded him to strike. Her summons was an- 
 swered by a fire which killed 3 and wounded 6 of I'Alfred's 
 crew , when the astonished Frenchmen immediately hauled 
 down their colours. The Sheerness fortunately had not a 
 man hurt. This little affair occurred off Point de Galle, May 
 5, 1804 : Captain Lind's post commission had been confirmed 
 at home on the 6th March preceding. 
 
 On the 17th Sept. in the same year, the French Rear-Ad- 
 miral Linois, who had some time before been defeated by the 
 homeward bound China fleet, seized on some country boats 
 off Masulipatam, who gave him intelligence of Captain Lind's 
 former ship, the Wilhelmina, having left that place a few 
 days previous for Vizagapatam road, with the Ptincess Char- 
 lotte Indiaman under her protection. Expecting to obtain 
 Bome compensation for his late disappointment, M. Linois 
 immediately proceeded thither, and the following day com- 
 menced a furious attack upoh the Centurion of 50 guns, which 
 ship Vice-Admiral Rainier had a few ddys before substituted 
 for the Wilhelmina, h^kving ordered the latter to convoy two 
 other Indiamen, with some treasure on board to Calcutta. 
 Ute ptirticulats of what followed are Contained in h \ettet 
 from Captain Lhid to the Vice-Admiral from whom he had 
 
 • Sue Vol. I. p. g.Jf). 
 
POST-fcA|»TAtNS OF 1804. 
 
 875 
 
 ireceived an acting order to command the Centurion in the 
 absence of her proper Captain, then dangerously ill at sick- 
 quarters. The following is a copy of the letter to which we 
 have alluded, dated Sept. 19, 1804 : 
 
 " Yesterday mornini'', whilst at anchor in this (ViEafapatam) road, an^ 
 waiting tilt the Indiaman and the country ship (Barnaby), which you di- 
 rected me to convoy to Madras, were loaded, 3 iihips were perceived under 
 the land in the S. W., coming down before the wind with all suls set. 
 About 9-30 A. M. it was seen that they were enemies, a line-of-battle ship 
 and 2 frigates : the former hoisted, 'vUh her colours, a flag at the mizen- 
 top-uiast head, and I believe was the Marengo, Admiral Linois, and I shall 
 80 call her in this letter ; the frigates appeared to be of 36 or 40 guns 
 each *. For the information of the convoy, the signal of an enemy being 
 in sight was hoisted, and^ soon aftenvurds one for the convoy, as they were 
 best able, to p"*; into a port in view. This was done that the two ships 
 we had taken under convoy might get close in shore for protection, or, 
 if necessary to run on it : the Barnaby complied with this signal ; she ran 
 t>n shore, but unfortunately afterwards got into the surf, and was totally 
 lost. 
 
 " About 10 A. M., the headmost of the enemy's ships, a frigate, was 
 about half a mile from the Centurion, without any colours flying. Several 
 shot were fired at her. About the same time the cable was cut, and top- 
 sails sheeted home, which were already loose for the purpose; by this 
 means the broadside was brought to bear upon the enemy, and prevented 
 the ship from being boarded or raked ; by this manoeuvre, likewise, a fri- 
 gate, that was within a cable's length of the Centurion, and appeared to 
 have an intention to board, got a close and well-directed broadside into 
 her. The action soon became general, the enemy's three ships directing 
 their fire on the Centurion, their only object, for the Princess Charlotte 
 Lad very early struck her colours. The Centurion stood in shore, the 
 Marengo and one frigate on the starboard quarter, the other frigate on 
 the larboard ; they were all less than half a mile distant, and kept firing, 
 which the (Centurion returned : her fire was chiefly directed against the 
 Marengo. About 10-45, the French ships stood to sea ; and immediately 
 •fter this I got on board, though with much difficulty and danger. I had 
 been en shore to expedite the sailing of the convoy, and was not present 
 in this early part of the action, for, till now, the Centurion had been under 
 the direction of the first Lieutenant, Mr. James Robert Philips : and before 
 I proceed any further in this account, permit me to notice the judicious 
 conduct ^ this deserving and old officer, and his gallant defence of the 
 slii^ against so superior a force as that of the enemy. I hope. Sir, his 
 conduct will be thought worthy of a reward, and that he will be esteemed 
 deserving of promotion. 
 
 i 
 
 I^^B 
 
 
 ffj^^^H 
 
 
 f ^H ''^^?^ 
 
 ;> ^HH VV.';''.> 
 
 ", ^^H K-'lt; 
 
 
 it 'i^H^^^i 
 
 ^:'ft> 
 
 1 1^H '^i'i 
 
 * Tiie French squadron consisted of the Marengo, Semillanle, and 
 Atalantc , the former an 80-gun ship, the two latter 40-gun frigates. 
 
m 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 " On my comitig on board, I found the suls and rigging so very much 
 cut as to render the ship not in a state to be worked, and therefore anchored 
 at the hack of the surf, about a mile and a half to the N. E. of the town : 
 this situation was the best I had in my power to take, both for defence, and 
 to prevent her falling into the possession of the enemy if overpowered. 
 
 " A battery of three guns at the town, under the command of Colonel 
 A. Campbell, of H. M. 74th Regiment, had kept a fire on the enemy whilst 
 within reach, but now we were too far distant to receive any support from 
 it. I sent on shore to request guns might be brought on the beach nearer 
 us : this I have since been convinced was totally impracticable, or it would 
 have been done. We prepared again foraction ; and whilst thus employed, 
 the enemy wore and stood towards us : the Marengo, after having repeatedly 
 tried the range of her guns, came to an anchor abreast of us, and about a 
 mile distant ; clewed up her top-sails, furled her courses, and commenced 
 cannonading. This threatening appearance of being determined to perse- 
 vere and to succeed, only served to animate the ofGcers and men of H. M. 
 ship to greater exertions of defence with the lower-deck guns, the only ones 
 that would reach the enemy, for she was too far distant for the carronades ; 
 but all the enemy's shot reached us *. In the mean time one of the fri- 
 gates kept under sail on our quarter, nearer than the Marengo, and an- 
 noycd us much by her fire ; the other frigate carried off the Indiaman from 
 her anchorage in the road. At 1-15 P. M , nearly two hours after this 
 cannonading had commenced, and which had been kept up with much 
 vigour on both sides, the Marengo cut her cable, hoisted her jib, and stood 
 to sea. By some of her last shot our cable ivas cut, and we made some 
 sail, and got further off shore before we brought up with the sheet anchor* 
 When the Marengo first made sail, I supposed she intended to make a 
 short stretch, tack, and renew the action nearer, and therefore made all 
 necessary preparations to receive her; but she, the frigates, and the cap- 
 tured Indiaman stood to sea, and a little before sun-set bore up to the 
 N. E., towards the bottom of the bay. What damage the enemy has sus- 
 tained, or from what cause they declined further contest mth. us I cannot 
 teU. 
 
 . *' After this full account of the transactions of the day, I feel it a duty 
 incumbent on me not only to repeat the high sense I have of Lieutenant 
 Philips' services, but likewise to inform you that the other Lieutenants of 
 this ship, David Pringle, Richard Coote, and William Furbrother Carroll, 
 displayed great gallantry and spirit on the occasion ; the last-mentioned, 
 though a young officer, has seen much service, and as bis commission ifl 
 not yet confirmed by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, may I 
 request that you will be pleased to represent his great merit, to induce 
 their Lordships to do it ? To the zeal and eneif;y of Lieutenant Warring^, 
 R. M. I am much indebted. *' 
 
 * The Centurion had long twenty-fours on her lower-deck, and 32- 
 pounder carronades hud been substituted for the long twelves which she 
 had formerly mounted on the main-deck. 
 
't; 
 
 P08T-CAPTA1NS OF 1804. 
 
 877 
 
 '* To insert any thing in this letter in praise of the veteran and gallant 
 crew of the Centurion, must be needless to you, Sir, who are well acquainted 
 with them ; but I cannot refrain from saying that they displayed great 
 experience, and cool courage. The good discipline of the ship was con- 
 spicuous, and does great credit to their proper commander, Captain (John 
 Sprat) Rainier. 
 
 " H. M . ship has received considerable damage in her masts, yards, and 
 rigging. The fore-mast, mizen-mast, and main-yard are badly wounded, 
 as well as several smaller masts and yards ; several shot remain in the 
 bottom, between wind and water ; one came through into the gunner's 
 store-room. It is with pleasure I acquaint you, that very few men con« 
 sidering the long action, have suflfercd ; none were killed, and only nine 
 wounded ; one of whom is since dead ; the others arc not in apparent 
 danger. 
 
 (Signed) " J. Linu." 
 
 Captain Lind in the foregoing letter alludes to the difficulty 
 and danger he experienced in getting on board the Centurion. 
 This requires some little explanation. 
 
 Immediately the approach of the strange squadron was 
 announced to him, he hurried down to the beach, and jumped 
 into a boat manned with natives, who rowed him some dis- 
 tance, ignorant of the cause of his hurry ; but, immediately 
 the fire commenced, they expressed a wish to pull back. 
 This he very naturally refused, but neither by threats nor 
 promises could he prevail upon them to proceed ; whilst the 
 firing lasted. For some time the boat was in the line of fire, 
 and as he would not allow them to return towards the shore, 
 the affrighted rowers were with great difficulty prevented by 
 him from jumping overboard and swimming thither. At 
 length a favorable oppoi '-riity was afforded by the enemy, 
 and he succeeded in getting m board his ship at the crisis he 
 has mentioned. His conduct during the second attack was 
 most highly applauded by the commander-in-chief, who, when 
 writing to the Admiralty, declared that he did not hesitate to 
 rank the Centurion's action " with the most famous of the 
 defensive kind in the glorious annals of the British navy." 
 
 Captain Lind received the honor of knighthood on his 
 return to England, in the spring of 1806 ; obtained the in- 
 signia of a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815 ; and died at Southampton 
 on the 12th June, 1823. At the latter period we had not 
 advanced sufficiently far in our present pursuit to apply to 
 him for information — should this hasty sketch meet the eye 
 
 » < 
 
 I 
 
878 
 
 POST-CAPTAINfi OF 1804. 
 
 of any of his friends we beg leave to say that any authentic 
 documents relative to Sir James Lind's services, if sent to us 
 for the purpose of being published in the Supplement to this 
 work, shall be carefully returned, when copied. 
 
 A painting (by F. Sartorious) representing the discomfiture 
 of Mom. Linois, was exhibited in the Antique Academy, in 
 1805. 
 
 JOSEPH NOURSE, Esq. 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant Dec. 10, 1/99; and 
 served as such on board the Couragoux, of 74 guns, com- 
 manded by the late Vice- Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, K. B. by 
 whom he was successively advanced to the rank of Com- 
 mander and Post-Captain. 
 
 On the 29th Aug. 1800, Lieutenant Nourse volunteered to 
 assist in cutting out an enemy's ship from under the batte- 
 ries in Vigo bay, which service was gallantly performed by 
 the boats of a squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren. 
 The enemy made a most desperate resistance, her commander 
 having secured the hatchways to prevent his people from re- 
 treating, and cheered the British as they advanced to the attack 
 She proved to be la Guepe, French privateer, of 300 tons, 
 mounting 18 nine-pounders, with a complement of 161 men ^ 
 25 of whom were killed, and 40 wounded. The boats, (20 in 
 number) had only 4 men killed, 1 drowned, and 20 wounded. 
 Among the latter were Lieutenants Henry Burke (the senior 
 officer) severely, John Henry Holmes, and Joseph Nourse, 
 slightly *. 
 
 At the latter end of 1802, when Sir Samuel Hood resided 
 at Trinidad as one of his Majesty's joint Commissioners for 
 that island. Lieutenant Nourse commanded the Advice, a 
 small vessel employed as a tender to the colony ; and when his 
 friend succeeded to the chief command on the Leeward Islands' 
 station, vacant by the death of Rear-Admiral Totty, he ac- 
 companied him into the Blenheim T^, from which ship Sir 
 
 • La Gufepc was afterwards the British sloop of war Wasp. 
 p. 592 et sef. 
 
 See 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1804. 
 
 8/9 
 
 Satiiucrs broad pendant was afterwards removed into the 
 Centaur of similar force. 
 
 After assisting at the reduction of St. Lucia and Tobago, 
 in 1803, Lieutenant Nourse was promoted to the rank of 
 Commander in the Cyane sloop of war. On the 2d Jan. 
 1804, he re -captured an English coast of Guinea trader ; and 
 in the course of six weeks from that period, we find him cap- 
 turing three French privateerSj carrying in the whole 30 guns 
 and 236 men. His post-commission bears date April 30, 
 1804. 
 
 In our memoir of Captain Frederick L. Maitland we have no- 
 ticed the capture of le Braave, a French privateer on the Irish 
 station. Mar. 16, 1804. This vessel was purchased by the 
 merchants of Barbadoes, presented by them to Government, 
 commissioned as a post-ship, and placed under the command 
 of Captain Nourse, who on the fourth day of his first cruise, 
 Oct. 17, 1804, after a chase of 13 hours, and an exchange of 
 bow and stern-chasers, captured the Napoleon, French pri- 
 vateer, of 18 guns and 150 men. A few days afterwards 
 I'Heureux, of 10 six-pounders and 80 men shared a similar 
 fate ; and on the 8th April, 1805, la Desiree, of 14 guns and 7 1 
 men, was added to his list of prizes. This latter vessel, a fine 
 schooner, after being decoyed within musket-shot, had the 
 temerity to return his fire, by which she suffered a loss of 
 7 men killed and wounded. 
 
 Captain Nourse subsequently commanded the Frederick- 
 %tein, Volontaire, and Severn frigates, on the Mediterranean 
 and North Anierican stations. The following account of a 
 novel proceeding, extracted from the Naval Chronicle, may 
 not prove unacceptable to those who have never before heard 
 it related i 
 
 " On the 30th Aug. 1811, a Court-Martial assembled on board H. M. 
 shipHibemia at sea (oflf Toulon)— President, Rear-Admiral Sir Richard 
 Goodwin Keats, K. B. The Court proceeded to the trial of Mr. John 
 M'Arthur, Purser of H. M. ship Volontaire, on charges preferred against 
 him by Lieutenant Shatv, first of the said ship, namely— disobedience of 
 orders; disrespect to him; and mutinous expressions at the gutt-room 
 table. Captain the Hon. George Granville Waldegrave, prosecutor. The 
 Court having been duly sworn, the prisoner read a paper, purporting, that 
 he had been put into arrest at the time when the offence was said to have 
 been committed, and continued in arrctt for the space of fourteen days ; 
 
 I 
 
 m. 
 
 -H 
 
 i. 
 
880 
 
 POST-CAPFAINS OK 1804. 
 
 that, wishiug to avoid a court-martial, he proposed making an apology, 
 which was acceded to, and he accordingly did make an apology on the 
 quarter-deck of the same ship, in the presence of Captain Nourse (who 
 then commanded the Volontaire) and all the officers who were present at 
 the time the alleged offence was committed : that in consequence of the 
 said apology, he was released from bis arrest, and continued in the full 
 execution of his duty ; that he dined at the Captain's table in turn, accord- 
 ing to the usage of the ship ; and that he humbly conceived the humane 
 intentions of the law would be frustrated, if he were, under such circum- 
 stances, amenable to a court-martial ; and, therefore, begged to submit 
 these considerations to the honorable court. The Court was cleared for 
 deliberatiou ; and, on the opening. Captain Nourse was called and sworn ; 
 he fully corroborated the foregoing statement. The Court, therefore, 
 without going further into the business, adjudged the prisoner to be 
 acquitted^ 
 
 Captain Nourse was appointed to the Severn about July 
 1813, and in Nov. following he sailed from England with a 
 fleet of transports and merchantmen under his protection, 
 bound to Bermuda. We next find him employed under the 
 orders of Rear-Admiral Cockburn during the expeditions 
 against Washington and Baltimore, in Aug. and Sept. 1814 *. 
 His conduct on those occasions is thus mentioned in that 
 officer's despatches relative to the latter enterprise : 
 
 " Captain Nourse, of the Severn, was good enough to receive my flag 
 for this service ; he rendered me great assistance in getting the ships to 
 the different stations within the river (Patapsco) ; and when the storming 
 of the fortified hill was contemplated, he hastened to my assistance with 
 a reinforcement of seamen and marines. I should consider myself wanting 
 in candour and justice, did I not particularly point out. Sir, to you, the 
 high opinion I entertain of the enterprise and ability of this valuable officer, 
 not only for his conduct on tlus occasion, but on the very many others on 
 which I have employed him since with me in the Chesapeake." 
 
 Captain Nourse subsequently proceeded to the coast of 
 Georgia, and assisted at the capture of St. Mary's a town 
 near Point Pctre, Jan. 13, 1815 f. Among the captures 
 made by him on the American station were two privateer 
 schooners, and a letter of marque, carrying in the whole 22 
 guns and 241 men. 
 
 The Severn being paid off on her return to England, Cap- 
 tain Nourse remained on half-pay from that period till Nov. 
 1^ 1821, when he was appointed Commodore and Commander- 
 
 " .' • See Vol. I. pp. 524— 627. 
 
 •' t Sec p. 734, and note • at p. 738 of this volume. ' 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 881 
 
 in-chief on the Cape station, where he fell a sacrifice to the 
 climate of Eastern Africa, having caught the fever of that 
 country whilst prosecuting various interesting services which 
 it does not fall within our province to record. He died on 
 hoard the Andromache frigate, when returning from the 
 island of Mombass to Mauritius, Sept. 4, 1824, having pre- 
 viously run down the western coast of Madagascar, visited 
 the extensive bay of Bembatooka, passed the Comoros, and 
 touched at the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, belonging to 
 the Imaun of Muscat. 
 
 ROBERT O'BRIEN, Esq. 
 
 Manager of the Dublin and London Steam Packet Company. 
 
 This officer is a brother of Sir Edward O'Brien, Bart. M. P, 
 for the county of Clare in Ireland, and representative of a 
 family, the elder branch of which received a patent of baronet- 
 age in 1686. • 
 
 He obtained the rank of Lieutenant in VJ9J ; was made a 
 Commander in 1800 ; and posted into the Clorinde frigate, at 
 Jamaica, May Ist 1804. 
 
 Captain O'Brien's next appointment was, about Jan. 1813, 
 to the Doris of 42 guns ; and in the course of the same year, 
 we find him escorting the outward bound trade to China. 
 His subsequent proceedings in the East Indies met with the 
 marked disapprobution of the Admiralty, as will be seen by 
 the following oMcial letter of their Lordship's Secretary to 
 the senior officer on that station, dated Feb. 17, 1816 : 
 
 " Sir,— Haviag laid before my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty a 
 letter from Captain O'Brien, dated at Madras the 7th October last, statinj^ 
 that in consequence of the death of Rear-Admiral Sir George Burlton, and 
 in the absence of Captain Sayer, of H. M. S. Leda, on a distant part of the 
 station, he had assumed the temporary command in the Indian seas, re- 
 moving from his proper ship the Doris into the Wellesley, and hoisting in 
 the latter a Broad Pendant. ....... 
 
 " I have their Lordships' commands to signify their direction to you to 
 express to Captain O'Brien their Lordships' entire disapprobation of bis 
 presuming to hoist a Broad Pendant and assume a command contrary to 
 the Rules of the Service, and without any kind of authority for so doing, 
 and it ii their LordsihipB' further direction that Captain O'Brien be imme- 
 
 IS 
 
 
 tl> 
 
 
 
 -*«■ 
 
 LV 
 
 '.^1 
 
 ''-»! 
 
882 
 
 POST-CAPrAINS OF 1804. 
 
 diately ordered to return to England in any ship in which he may be at the 
 receipt of Utis letter. I am, Sir, your most humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) " John Barrow." 
 
 " The senior officer cfH. M. ships, East Indies.** 
 
 Previous to the receipt of the above, Commodore George 
 Sayer had written to the Admiralty informing the Secretary 
 for their Lordships' information, that it was his intention to 
 try Captain O'Brien by a Court-Martial, for " pursuing a 
 CO irse of conduct subversive of the first principles of the Ser- 
 vice, grounded on jjretensions as futile as irreconcilcahle 
 with the Discipline of the Navy." To this communication 
 he received the following reply : 
 
 " Jdmiraltj/ Office, 20th August, 1816. 
 
 " Sir, — I have received and Imd before my Lords Commissioners of the 
 Admiralty, your letter of the 20th March last, representing the conduct 
 of (Japtaiu O'Brien acting in the command of H. M. S. Cornwallis, and 
 seating that you had ordered a Court-Martial to assemble and try him for 
 his conduct ; and I am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you that 
 they approve of your ordering the Court-Martial in question. I am, 
 8ir, &c. 
 
 (Signed) *• John Barrow." 
 
 " To Commodore Styer, fyc." 
 
 Captain O'Brien's trial commenced April 6, 1816; a Court- 
 Martial having been assembled for that purpose on board the 
 Cornwallis J4, at Madras, in pursuance of an order addressed 
 to Captain Henry Weir, of the Thais, by •* Commodore George 
 Sayer, senior ofUcer in the conimand of H. M.'s shipe and 
 vessels employed in the East Indies and seaw adjacent." 
 
 The charges preferred against him on that occasion, were 
 in substance as follow : — , , • - <• 
 
 " For having carried a dittinguishiog Broad Pendant, and officially de- 
 signated himself Commodore and Senior Officer of H. M.'s ships and vessels 
 in the East Indies and Indian seas, in direct disregard and violution of the 
 Naval Instructions, and in contempt and defiance of the command and au- 
 thority which had devolved on Captain George Sayer, his senior officer, by 
 the decease of Rear-Admiral Sir George Burlton, K. C. B. 
 
 •• For sending to England, in the Wellesley •, the leaders of a mutiny on 
 board the Cornwallis, without reference to Commodore Sayer, the only 
 coiDp«teat authority to have taken legal measures thereon ; a proceeding 
 ■triking at the fouudation of all discipline, and fraught with danger to his 
 Mm'esty'n naval service. 
 
 * Coptuin O'Brien removed himself from the Welleiley to the Corn- 
 wtllii about Nov. 1, 1816. * 
 
POST-CAPTAINl OF 1804. 883 
 
 " For ordering H. M/s brig Cameleon to be commissioned wbi'e building, 
 and appointing a Lieutenant to be Commander of tlie said vessel, an exer- 
 cise of authority beyond even ivhat was vested in the late coinmander-iu- 
 chief: and, 
 
 " For disrespect to the Commodore, by styling him Captain Saver, in 
 various orders issued to other officers of the squadron, exhibiting in him- 
 self t!iereby a most dangerous example of disobedience and insubordina- 
 tion subversive of discipline and injurious in the extreme to hiH Majesty's 
 service." 
 
 On the 11th April, Captain O'Brien having closed his de- 
 fence, without producing any evidence whatever in his justi- 
 fication, either oral or documentary, the following sentence was 
 read by Mr. John Stigant, Acting Judge Advocate : 
 
 " At a Court-Martial assembled on board H. M. S. Cornwallis, in Ma- 
 dras Roads, the 6th day of April 1816, and held by adjournment frvtn day 
 to day (Sunday excepted) until this 1 1th day of April, 1816. 
 
 " Present, 
 " Henry Weir, Esq. Captain of H. M. S. Thais, President. 
 
 " Joseph Prior, Esq Acorn. 
 
 " Charles Shaw, Esq Termagant. 
 
 " John Allen, Esq Tyne. 
 
 " Henry Forbes, Esq. Commander of H. M. sloop Challenger. 
 [Here follows the usual preamble respecting the order for assembling the 
 
 Court-Martial, &c. &c.] 
 " The Court having read the orr^rna/ documents, and certified copies in 
 corroboration thereof, and having received the prisoner's voluntary admis- 
 sion of his having taken upon himself the authority of a Commodore ; and 
 the prisoner producing no evidence in refutation of the charges exhibited 
 against him ; and having very maturely and deKI)erat«ly weighed and con- 
 sidered the whole and every part of the charges against him, are of opinion 
 that the charges nre proved, and do therefore adjudge him to be ditmitietf 
 %it Aftyeity't tereice, and ht it hereby dismitittid pceordingly." 
 
 (Signed by the Members, and Acting Judge Advocate.) 
 
 The subject of this sketch returned to England as a pas- 
 senger on boand an Indiaman, he preferring that mode of 
 Conveyance to the accommodation offered him on board ft 
 King's ship, 'in Mar. 1617, be was fortunate enough to be 
 reinstated ; and in June iollowing, we find him publishing a 
 pamphlet wherein he says that *^ his immediate restoroHon to 
 his rank is the best proofs that the Jtlustriais Character at 
 the Head of the Government, and the Lords Commissioaera 
 of the Admiraitiff who recommended it, have acquitted htm 
 honorably of the i>ile charges laid to him ******, 
 
 <(•••••• jy^f reception he has met with at 
 
 !1j (I 
 
>^ili' I 
 
 884 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 the Admiralty mtisjies his mind that there is no loss of cha- 
 racter there ; — and although the discipline of the navy de- 
 mands that the authority of Courts- Martial should be up- 
 held, still a feeling of deep regret is manifest there, both at 
 the constitution of the Court, its proceedings and sentence." 
 Captain O'Brien having, in his preface, at p. ii., called upon 
 the officers of the British Array and Navy to mark their de- 
 cided abhorrence of the conduct of the parties concerned, but 
 without enabling them to judge fairly for themselves, we shall 
 close this brief notice by subjoining a copy of a letter which 
 he had previously received from the Admiralty in answer to 
 one from himself requesting their Lordships to determine on 
 the legality of the Court-Martial, as well as of the sentence 
 which had had the effect of suspending his rank in the naval 
 service:— 
 
 " Admiralty Office, 16M Nov. 1816. 
 " Sir, — Having laid before my Lords Commisisioners of the Admiralty 
 your letter of the 13th in8t. I have it in command to acquaint you in 
 reply, that their Lordships having examined the minutes of the (Jourt- 
 Martial held upon you, and considered the sentence, see no reason to doubt 
 the legality of the same. I am. Sir, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " John Barrow." 
 
 " Robert O'Brien, Etq." 
 Agents. — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 KEITH MAXWELL, Esq. 
 
 A brother of Captain Sir Murray Maxwell, C. B. whose 
 services, as far as our information extends have been de- 
 scribed at p. 797> ft seq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant in 1794 ; and obtained 
 the rank of Commander for his gallant conduct in cutting out 
 la Chevrette, French national corvette, of 20 nine-pounders and 
 350 men, from under the batteries in Camaret bay, near Brest, 
 in the night of July 21, 1801. This daring exploit stands so 
 high in point of credit to the British arms, and glory to those 
 brave officers and men who so nobly achieved it, that we 
 cannot refrain from entering most fully into the particulars. 
 
 In the month of July, 1801, the Dori«, BeauUeu, and Uruie frigates, 
 commanded by Capttuns Charles Brisbane, Stephen Poyntc, and William 
 Hall Gage, were anchored near Brett, for the purpoie of watching the 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 88b 
 
 combined fleets of France and Spain, then lying in tliat harbour. From 
 their anchorage they had a full view of Camaret bay, and consequently of 
 la Chevrette, the commander of which vessel felt himself as secure in that 
 seemingly impregnable position, as if he had been riding under the imme- 
 diate protection of his Admiral. The sight of the tri-coloured flag, as on all 
 former occasions, only served to inspire British seamen with a wish to haul 
 it down ; and Captain Brisbane, aware of the impatience of his squadron to 
 make the attempt, resolved to gratify them. 
 
 The enemy, having seen some English boats hovering about the bay, at 
 day-break on the 20th, concluded that an attack was meditated, and .al- 
 though they judged it a measure of extreme rashness, were resolved to 
 omit no possible preparation. In the morning of the ^Ist, they got the 
 corvette under weigh, moved her a mile and a half farther up the bay, 
 moored her under the batteries, and crowded her decks with troops from 
 the shore. Temporary redoubts were at the same time thrown up upon 
 the points, and a vessel mounting two 32-pounders was moored at the 
 entrance of the bay as a guard-boat. Having taken these precautions, they 
 in the afternoon displayed a large republican flag above an English ensign, 
 as a signal of defiance. 
 
 All these manoeuvres were well observed from the Beaulicu, the crew of 
 which ship evinced extraordinary ardour to engage in this enterprise. 
 Lieutenant Maxwell who had just before volunteered to carry a fire vessel 
 into Brest harbour *, gladly embraced thb opportunity of practising his 
 boat's crew preparatory to the grand object, and resolved, with his Captain's 
 permission, to head his own shipmates in the attack on la Chevrette. This 
 resolution, so congenial to their wishes, the Beaulieu's crew heard with 
 much satisfaction, and at 9-30 P. M. her six boats, manned with about 90 
 volunteers, formed a junction with seven others belonging to the Doris and 
 Uraiiie, and two sent from the Robust of 74 guns. About 9*45 Lieutenant 
 Woodley Losack, who had been selected by the Admiral to conduct the 
 enterprise, went with his own and five other boats in pursuit of a small vessel 
 supposed to be on the look-out, and therefore necessary to be secured* 
 For a considerable time after he parted company, the remainder of the 
 boats continued aa he had desired them, lying to on their oars and occa- 
 sionally pulling easy. Finding the senior oflicer did not return, consider- 
 ing that the boats were yet at least six miles from the corvette, and aware 
 of the time requisite to row that distance against a fresh breeze, Lieutenant 
 Maxwell judged it expedient, in order that the undertakuig might have 
 the best chance of succeeding, to proceed immediately towards the entrance 
 of the bay ; a situation evidently more eligible for them, should it even be 
 necessary to delay making the attack, than where they then were. He 
 therefore, gave way a-hcad with the boats of the Beaulicu, and arrived within 
 sight of the enemy about half an liuur after midnight. 
 
 Having now taken upon himself the command, and made every arrange- 
 ment for cutting la Chevrette adrift and loosing her sails immediately upou 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 • See Vol. I. p. 736. 
 3m 
 
886 
 
 POST -CAPTAINS OP 1804. 
 
 boarding. Lieutenant Maxwell determined to lose no more time in making 
 the attack, particularly as the wind was favorable for bringing her out of 
 the bay. The sky being clear, the boats were soon seen by the enemy, 
 who instantly hailed, ami opened a heavy fire of grape and musketry both 
 from the ship and batteries, by which several men were killed and many 
 wounded before they got alongside. The attempt to board was then roost 
 obstinately opposed by the French, armed at all points with muskets, 
 pistols, sabres, tomahawks, and pikes, and who, in their turn, even boarded 
 the boats. 
 
 Notwithstanding this resistance the British gained their point, and in 
 less than three minutes la Chevrette was adrift, with her head towards the 
 sea, and top-sails ready for sheeting home. The prompt execution of these 
 operations proved decisive. The moment the enemy saw the sails fail, 
 and found themselves, as if by a miracle, under way and drifting out, they 
 were seized with astonishment and consternation. Some of them jumped 
 overboard, others threw aside their arms, and tumbled down the hatchways. 
 In less than five minutes the quarter-deck and forecastle were nearly 
 covered with dead bodies. 
 
 The rest of the enemy, having now retreated below, kept up a heavy 
 fire of musketry from the main and lower-decks. They also frequently 
 set off large trains of gunpowder, endeavouring to blow up the quarter- 
 deck, and throw their assailants into confusion. This obliged Lieutenant 
 Maxwell to divide his men into two parties. One division to guard the 
 hatchways and gangways, and return the enemy's fire with their own arms 
 and ammunitk)n * ; the other to make sail ; in order to clear the decks for 
 which purpose, it was necessary for them to throw overboard two or three 
 dozen Frenchmen, and several of their own gallant companions who had 
 fallen in the conflict. 
 
 Owing to the wind dying away, la Chevrette was for a considerable time 
 exposed to showers of musketry and grape from the shore, but fortunately 
 the enemy fired too high to annoy the British materially, and a light 
 breeze springing up, at length enabled them to run her out of gun-shot. 
 
 The firing on board continued nearly two hours, during which the 
 British seamen had managed to get the top-gallant-yards across, and to 
 set every sail in the ship. Being then clear of the batteries, and Lieutenant 
 Maxwell having threatened that he would give the surviving Frenchmen 
 no quarter if they did not instantly submit, they were induced to cease 
 their opposition, and surrender themselves prisoners of war. ...•'" 
 
 About this period some boats were perceived coming from the direction 
 of Brest, and Lieutenant Maxwell, supposing them to be enemies, pre- 
 pared for a fresh conflict, but on nearer approach they proved to be those 
 with which Lieutenant Losack had gone in chase. Then, and not till then, 
 did the latter ofScer have any thing to do with la Chevrette. 
 
 • The British lost all their fire-arms whilst boarding, and Itad nothing 
 remaining but their swords when they gained la Chcvrette's decks. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1904, 
 
 887 
 and 
 
 The morning's dawn displayed to tlie combined fleets of France 
 Spain tlie mortifying spectacle of a republican ship of war brought out in 
 tlieir immediate presence from a position deemed inaccessible to an enemy, 
 and proceeding to join the British frigates then at anchor above Point St. 
 Matthew's. On mustering the boats' crews it was found that 1 1 men had 
 been killed, 57 wounded, and 1 drowned ; la Chevrette 92, including her 
 Captain and 6 other officers slain ; and I Lieutenant, 4 Midshipmen, and 
 57 men wounded. Among the British who fell on this brilliant occasion 
 was Lieutenant Sinclair of the marines, and Mr. Warren, Midshipman of 
 the Robust. Lieutenants Henry Walter Burke, of the Doris, and Martin 
 Neville, of the Uranie, 1 Master's Mate and 3 Midshipmen, were the only 
 officers wounded • : 
 
 The credit of this almost unparalleled enterprise was, for a 
 considerable time, given to Lieutenant Losack, who, as we 
 have already shown, had been sent from the Admiral's ship 
 to conduct the attack. Owing to an unfortunate concurrence 
 of untoward circumstances, the fact of Lieutenant Maxwell 
 having commanded the boarding party, was not at first com- 
 municated to the commander-in-chief. Admiral Cornwallis, 
 but as soon as it was made known to him, he ordered a Court 
 of Inquiry to be held on board the Mars (Aug. 9, 1801), the 
 result of which investigation fully satisfied him that the merit 
 of the achievement was due to Lieut. Maxwell, who shortly 
 afterwards received a very flattering letter from him, enclosing 
 a commission as Commander, which the Admiralty had trans- 
 mitted in a most handsome manner, as a reward for his dis- 
 tinguished bravery. 
 
 Captain Maxwell obtained post rank May 1, 1804 ; and on 
 the 31st July in the same year we find him commanding the 
 Tartar frigate on the Jamaica station, and capturing, by means 
 of her boats, THirondelle French schooner privateer of 10 
 
 * Lieutenant Burke died in Plymouth Hospital of a fever occa- 
 sioned by a grape-shot wound in his shoulder. He was a brother of the 
 gallant officer whose name we have mentioned at p. 8/8. Lieutenant 
 Neville died a Commander, at Honduras, in 18(>.'3. He was one of six 
 brave brothers all of whom perished in his Majesty's service, three by the 
 sword, himself and two others by ruthless disease. In the conflict above 
 described he was wounded in the head, breast, and shoulder ; and it is said 
 that the French Captain fell by his hand in single combat. A memoir of 
 him will be found in the Naval Chronicle, v. 39, p. 265 — 274. Lieutenant 
 Sinclair was killed when in the act of defending a wounded Midshipman, 
 Mr. Crofton, of the Doris. Many of the men had their arms cut uQ' by 
 the enemy's tomahawks when endeavouring tci board. 
 
 3 M 2 
 
 
 im 
 
 i 
 
 I' 
 
ii 
 
 888 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1804. 
 
 4-pounders and 50 men *. He subsequently commanded the 
 Arab of 22 guns, on the Boulogne and African stations. His 
 conduct in an action with a Dutch flotilla, oif Cape Grisnez, 
 July 18, 1805, was handsomely noticed by Commodore Owen 
 as will be seen by reference to p. 131 et seg. of this volume j 
 and it may not be amiss to add, as a circumstance highly flat- 
 tering to the Arab's officers and crew, that on the following 
 day, she received three cheers from the Immortalite, after 
 the ceremony of burying their dead. 
 
 During this action, a large shell struck the Arab's main- 
 mast-head, carried away part of the top, and every thing that 
 came in its way, and finally lodged on the gun -deck. A 
 sailor, named Clorento, with the most admirable coolness, 
 instantly endeavoured to extract the fuse, which Mr. Edward 
 M. Mansell, Master's-Mate, observing, and being more aware 
 of the danger of a moment's delay, he instantly, with the 
 assistance of Clorento and two other seamen, got it out of a 
 port, and a few seconds after the people quartered in the well 
 and wings were alarmed with the idea of the ship having 
 struck on a rock, so great were the eiTects and concussion 
 from its explosion in the water. This accident did not for 
 one moment interrupt the fire, not even of the two guns be- 
 tween which the shell fell ; nor was any one acquainted with 
 the danger they escaped, by the intrepidity of Mr. Mansell 
 and his assistants, till some time afterwards, except those 
 quartered nearest the spot ; as the violent shock the ship 
 received, in her then situation, could be and was imputed to 
 various other causes. We mention this as an instance of the 
 good discipline prevailing among her crew +. " , 
 
 Captain Maxwell's next appointment was, about Jan. 1809, 
 
 to the Nymphen a 36-gun frigate j and in the course of the 
 
 • same year, the Society of Arts, &c. presented him with their 
 
 gold medal for a valuable communication on telegraphs and 
 
 telegraphic signals. 
 
 The Nymplien formed part of the frigate squadron, imdcr 
 
 * See Captain Nicholas Lockver, C. D. 
 f The Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's voted Mr. Mansell 50/. and the three 
 seamen 30/. each, for their exertions in the aflfair of the shell: 125/. re- 
 ceived from the same source, were afterwards distributed among her 
 wouudcd men, eight in number. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1804. 
 
 889 
 
 Lord William Stuart, which forced the passage between the 
 batteries of Flushing and Cadsand, Aug. 1 1th, 1809; and was 
 subsequently employed on the North Sea station. An account 
 of Ci^tain Maxwell's trial by a Court-Martial, for contempt 
 and disrespect to the late Vice- Admiral Thomas Wells, com- 
 mander-in-chief at Sheerness, and for retarding the public 
 aervice (which ended in a sentence of reprimand and admoni- 
 tion, Nov. 13, 1809) will be found in the Naval Chronicle, 
 vol. xxii. pp. 409 and 423 inclusive. Captain Maxwell died 
 April 22, 1823. 
 
 MATTHEW GODWIN, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant in 1794, and a Com- 
 mander in 1802. His post commission bears date May 8, 
 1-804. 
 
 Agents. — Messrs. Brine and Chards. 
 
 HUGH PIGOT, Esq. 
 
 r€^ 0' 0<')lr^.Jt^ 
 
 This officer is nearly related to Lieutenant-General Sir 
 George Pigot, whose father commanded the left wing of the 
 British army at the battle of Bunker's-hill, in North America, 
 and was presented by his late Majesty with the Colonelcy of 
 a regiment, for the activity, bravery, and firmness displayed 
 by him on that memorable occasion. '«^ 
 
 Captain Pigot obtained post rank. May 8, 1804 j and sub- 
 sequently commanded the Alligator, Circe, Latona, Orpheus, 
 and Nymplie, frigates. In April 1807, he captured I'Austcr- 
 lltz, French privateer, of 18 guns and 125 men. 
 
 On the 2d Mar. 1808, the island of Mariegalante, which 
 had long afforded shelter to the enemy's small cruisers, and 
 interfered considerably with the blockade of Guadaloupe, was 
 taken possession of by a detachment of seamen and marines, 
 under Captain Pigot, who found it in the highest state of cul- 
 tivation, and a large quantity of colonial produce in the stores. 
 This service was performed without loss, and Captain Pigot's 
 arrangements met with due commendation. On the 31st Oct. 
 following, he captured the Palineur, French national brig, of 
 
 ;^*^ 
 
890 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 it' 
 
 16 guns and ^^ men, near Martinique. His ship (the Circe) 
 sustained a loss of 2 men killed and wounded, owing to the 
 enemy having sought refuge under a battery on the Diamond 
 rock. The Palineur paid dearly for her obstinacy, having 
 had 7 slain and 8 wounded. 
 
 At the commencement of 1809, Captain Pigot commanded 
 the blockading squadron off Guadaloupe, and on the 10th Feb. 
 in the same year we find him assisting at the capture of la 
 Junon, French frigate, of 44 guns, which ship had been well 
 beaten before he could close with her by Captain George 
 Scott, of the Horatio *. On the 17th April following he wit- 
 nessed the surrender of d'Hautpoult 74 1 J and on the 18th 
 June captured ]a Felicity, pierced for 42 guns, but having 
 only 14 of her main-deckers mounted, with a complement of 
 174 men. She had left Guadaloupe in company with another 
 frigate, and was loaded with coffee, sugar, &c. for the use of 
 the mother country. 
 
 During the latter part of the war, Captain Pigot was em- 
 ployed on the American station, where he captured the United 
 States' ship Frolic of twenty 32-pounder carronades, two 
 long 18's, 539 tons, and I7I men, April 20, 1814. The Or- 
 pheus had previously destroyed a privateer of 20, and a letter 
 of marque mounting 8 guns. In accomplishing the destruc- 
 tion of the latter vessel. Lieutenant William Martin Collins, 
 the only person hurt, was mortally wounded. 
 
 ^gent, — Sir Francis Ommaney, M. P. 
 
 JAMES MASTER, Esq. 
 
 This officer is distantly related to Viscount Torrington. 
 He was made a Commander in 1802, and posted May 8, 
 1804. We are not aware of his ever having been em- 
 ployed in any way beyond the common routine of service. 
 
 • See p. 147. 
 i SeeVol. I. p. 717. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 891 
 
 SALUSBURY PRYCE HUMPHREYS, Esq. 
 
 A Magistrate for the Counties of Buckingham, Chester, and Lancaster. 
 
 This oflicer is the third 8on of the late Rev. E. Humphreys 
 M. A. Rector of Montgomery, in North Wales, and of Clungun- 
 ford, near Ludlow, in Shropshire, by Mary, eldest daughter 
 and co-heiress of the late Rev. Salusbury Pryce, D. D. 
 
 He was born at Clungunford Rectory, Nov. 24, 1778 ; and 
 entered the naval service as a Midshipman on board the Ar- 
 dent 64, commanded by Captain, now Admiral, Vashon, 
 during the Spanish armament, in 1790. From that ship he 
 was removed to the Trusty of 30 guns, bearing the flag of Sir 
 John Laforey, Bart, commander-in-chief at the Leeward 
 Islands ; by whom he was successively placed under the pro- 
 tection of Captains Matthew Squire and Francis Laforey, 
 commanding the Solebay frigate and Fairy sloop of war, in 
 which latter vessel he returned to England after the capture 
 of Tobago, April 15,1793. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys next joined the Severn a 44-gun ship 
 fitting for the conveyance of Lord Dorchester, his family, and 
 suite, to Quebec, from whence she returned to the home 
 station in 1794. He subsequently removed with Captain 
 Paul Minchin into the Hebe frigate, and continued to serve 
 under that officer, and his successor, the present Vice-Admi- 
 ral Scott, until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant by his 
 patron, Sir John Laforey, at the Leeward Islands, in April, 
 1796. 
 
 We next find Lieutenant Humphreys co-operating with the 
 army under Sir Ralph Abercromby, during the siege of St. 
 Lucia ; and the Fury sloop to which he had been appointed 
 appears to have brought home that officer's despatches rela- 
 tive to the unsuccessful attack upon Porto Rico, in April, 
 1797*. His gallant conduct, and a miraculous escape ex- 
 perienced by him when serving on the coast of Holland, in 
 Aug. 1799, have already been noticed at pp. 235 et seq. of 
 this volume. 
 
 After the occupation of the Helder, Aug. 28, 1799, Lieu- 
 tenant Humphreys left the Juno frigate and joined the Isis 50, 
 
 « See Vol. I., notes at pp, 134 and 113. ' 
 
 
 '0B 
 
892 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 
 HI 
 
 bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Mitchell, whom he accom- 
 panied up the Zuyder-Zee, in the Babet of 20 guns *. At 
 the termination of the expedition against Holland, he was 
 appointed to the Stag cutter, which vessel formed part of the 
 squadron sent under Captain Henry Inman, of the Andro- 
 meda, to attempt the destruction of four French frigates, at 
 Dunkirk, in the summer of 1800 f. His promotion to the 
 rank of Commander took place, while serving with Sir An- 
 drew Mitchell, in the Windsor Castle, April 26, 1802 j and 
 his advancement to post rank, while commanding the Pros- 
 pero bomb, at Portsmouth, May 8, 1804. 
 
 In the month of May, 1806, Captain Humphreys was ap- 
 pointed to the Leander of 50 guns, at Halifax ; but removed 
 shortly after his arrival there into the Leopard, of similar force, 
 a more efficient ship, which had been sent from England to 
 receive the flag of the Hon. George Cranfield Berkeley, com- 
 mander-in-chief on the American station. 
 
 From the circumstance of Vice-Admiral Berkeley living 
 principally on shore, the Leopard was employed as a private 
 ship, in common with the rest of the squadron ; and thus it 
 was that Captain Humphreys had to perform a very unplea- 
 sant duty, the nature of which will be seen by the following 
 ofiicial documents : — s 
 
 *'% the Hon. G. C. Berkeley, Vice-Admiral of the White, 
 CommandeT'tn-Chie/, ^c. 8fc. Sfc. 
 
 " Whereas many seamen, subjects of his Britannic Majesty, and serving; 
 in his ships and vessels, &» per margin X> while at anchor in the Chesapeake, 
 deserted and entered on hoard the United States' frigate, called the Chesa- 
 peake, and openly paraded the streets of Norfolk, in sight of their officers, 
 under the American flag §, protected by the magistrates of the town and 
 the recruiting otficer belonging to the above-mentioned American frigate, 
 which magistrates and naval officer refused giving thera up, although de- 
 manded by his Britannic Majesty's Consul, as well as the Captains of the 
 ships from which the said men had deserted. 
 
 *' I'he Captains and Commanders of his Majesty's ships and vessek 
 
 under 
 meeti 
 limits 
 to rc( 
 
 • See Vol. I. note at p. 416 e/ *ff9. 
 t See Vol. II. Part I. p. 290. 
 X Bellona, Belleislc, and Triumph 74's } Chicester sture-ship, Halifax 
 lluop, and Zenobia cutter. 
 
 § See Captain Lord James Townsuend. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 893 
 
 under my command arc therefore hereby required and directed, in case of 
 meeting with the American frigate the Chesapeake at sea, and without the 
 limits of the United States, to shew to the Captain of her this order, and 
 to require to search his ship for the deserters from the before-mentioned 
 ships, and to proceed and search for the same ; and if a similar demand 
 should be made by the American, he is to be permitted to search for any 
 deserters from their service, according to the customs and usage of civilized 
 nations, on terms of peace and amity with each other. 
 
 *' Given under my hand at Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 1, 1807. 
 
 (Signed) " G. C. Berkeley." 
 
 " To the respective Captains and Commanders 
 of hit Majesty's Ships and Fessels on the 
 North American station." 
 
 H. M. S. Dellona, offWiUoughby's Point, Virginia, 
 June 23, 1807. 
 
 *' Sir, — I have the honor to enclose you a copy of a letter, I received 
 this evening, from Captain Humphreys, of H. M. S. Leopard, representing 
 to me, that in carrying your orders of the 1st instant into execution, he 
 was under the necessity of firing into the U. S. frigate Chesapeake ; and 
 am sorry to say, that I have been informed several men were killed and 
 wounded on board her. The Chesapeake is returned to Hampton roads, 
 and as she passed us this morning, I observed that her hull, masts, and 
 sails had suffered material injury. As Captain Humphreys has so fully 
 explained every circumstance, it becomes unnecessary for me to say more 
 on this subject — only that I beg leave to state, I am perfectly convinced 
 Captain Humphreys could not have fulfilled your instructions, without 
 having recourse to the measures which he adopted. I have the honor 
 to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) ** J. E. Douglas." 
 
 " To the Hon. Fice-Jdmiral Berkeley, fyc. Halifax:' 
 
 " H. M. S. Leopard, at Sea, 22d June, 1807. 
 
 " Sir, — In obedience to your signal this morning, to weigh and recon- 
 noitre S. E. by E. I have the honor to acquaint you, tliat having arrived 
 off Cape Henry, to the distance of about four or five leagues, I bore up, 
 pursuant to orders from the commander-in-chief, to search for deserters 
 ou board the United States' frigate Chesapeake. On arriving within hail, 
 an ofiicer was despatched, according to my instructions, to show the order 
 to her commander, together with the following note from myself : — 
 
 " ' The Captain of his Britannic Majesty's ship Leopard has the honor 
 to enclose the Captain of the United States' frigate Chesapeake, an order 
 from the Hon. Vice-Admiral Berkeley, commander-in-chief of his Majesty's 
 ships on the North American station, respecting some deserters from ships, 
 therein mentioned, under his command, and supposed now to be serving 
 as a part of the crew of the Chesapeake. 
 
 " ' The Captain of the Leopard will not presume to say any thing in 
 addition to what the commander-in-chief has stated, more than to express 
 a hope, that every circumstance respecting thein may be adjusted in sucli 
 
 ! 
 
 .^ 
 
894 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 I'lk ^1 
 
 i^' 
 
 a iimuner, tliat the hurinony subsisting liclweeii tiie two countries may 
 remain undisturbed.' 
 
 " The boat, after an absence of three quarters of an hour, returned with 
 the following answer : — 
 
 " ' I know of no such men as you describe ; the officers that were on 
 the recruiting service for this ship, were particularly instructed by the 
 government, through rae, not to enter any deserters from his Britannic 
 Majesty's ships : nor do I know of any being here. 
 
 " ' I am also instructed, never to permit the crew of any ship that I 
 command to be mustered by any other but her own ofHcers : it is my dis- 
 position to preserve harmony ; and I hope this answer to your despatch 
 will prove satisfactory, 
 
 " ' James Barron, 
 " ' Commander of the U. S. ship Chesapeake *.' 
 
 " On the receipt of this letter, motives of humanity, and an ardent 
 desire to prevent bloodshed, induced me, if possible, to endeavour to make 
 the search, without recurring to more serious measures, by repeatedly 
 hailing and remonstrating, but without effect. I then directed a shot to be 
 fired across the bow ; after which he was again hailed : the answers again 
 were equally evasive. Conceiving, therefore, that my orders would not 
 admit of deviation, I lament to state, that I felt myself under the necessity 
 of enforcing them, by firing into the United States' ship : a few shot were 
 returned, but none struck this ship. At the expiration of ten minutes 
 from the first shot being fired, the pendant and ensign of the Chesapeake 
 were lowered. I then gave the necessary directions for her being searched, 
 according to my instructions ; and herewith send you a statement of the 
 number and names of the deserters found on board. Several other English 
 subjects composed part of the crew of the frigate ; but as they did not 
 claim the protection of the British flag, and were not within the limits of 
 my orders from the commander-in-chief, I therefore allowed them to 
 remain t« 
 
 *' After the search had been made, and previous to separation, the 
 American Captain sent me a note, which, with my answer, I have the 
 honor to subjoin, &c. &c. 
 
 (Signed) /*S. P. Humphreys." 
 
 " 1\) John ErsMne Douglas, Esq. 
 Captain of H, M. S. Bellona." 
 
 * He at the time was a Commodore, and had a Captain (Charles 
 Gordon) serving under him. 
 
 t Four men belonging to the Melarapus frigate and Halifax sloop were 
 seized as deserters ; about twelve men and boys, British subjects, were 
 allowed to remain on board the Chesapeake for the reasons stated above. 
 
 "S 
 delivc 
 boat 
 
 obcili' 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1804. 
 
 81)5 
 
 Copy OP A LETTER FROM COMMOUORE BaRRON TO 
 
 Captain Humphreys, 
 " Sir,~I consider the frigate Cliesapcake as your prize, and uin ready to 
 deliver her to any officer authorised to receive her. By the return of the 
 boat I shall 'Expect your answer ; and have the honor to be, Sir, your most 
 ohcdi«:at huuiLiC servant, 
 
 (Signed) " James Barron." 
 
 " At Sea, June 22, 1807." 
 
 Answer. 
 " H. M. S. Leopard, at Sea, June 22, 1807. 
 " Sir, — Having, to the utmost of my power, fulfilled the ingtructions 
 of my commander-in-chief, I have nothing more to desire ; and must, in 
 consequence, proceed to join the remainder of the squadron, repeating, 
 that 1 am ready to give you every assistance in my power ; and do most 
 sincerely deplore, that any lives should have been lost in the execution of 
 a service which might have been adjusted more amicably, not only with 
 respect to ourselves, but to the nations to which we respectively belong. 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 (Signed) " S. P. Humphreys *." 
 
 Vice-Admiral Berkeley's approbation of the conduct of 
 Captain Humphreys on this occasion was conveyed to hiui in 
 a letter of which the following is a copy : — 
 
 " Halifax, July A, 1607. 
 " Dear Sir, — I received Captain Douglas's account, with your official 
 letter, of the transaction which took place on the 22d ult. with the Ame- 
 rican frigate ; and as far as I am enabled to judge by it, you have conducted 
 yourself most properly. It is a matter, however, that will create much 
 discussion, and I trust you have taken minutes of every thing which passed 
 between the time of your boat coming on board, and the time when you 
 were compelled to act with decision. I have despatched a cutter to 
 England with every circumstance which has hitherto reached me, and Mrs. 
 Humphreys is apprised of your perfect safety, and of your having fulfilled 
 my directions. I hope you mind the public accounts which have been 
 published of this affair as little as I do ; we must make allowances for the 
 heated state of the populace, in a country where law, and every tie, both 
 civil and reUgious, is treated so lightly. It is the business of the French 
 party to inflame the minds of the multitude, and possibly it may be the 
 inclination of their rulers to fan that flame. The Norfolk newspaper ap- 
 pears to me, to have other views in its abuse of you and the English nation, 
 which in due time will be developed. I have left the arrangement of the 
 ships in the Chesapeake to the direction of Captain Douglas, as their 
 operations must be governed so much by local events, that it is impossible 
 
 * The American ship had 3 men killed, 8 badiy^ and 10, including the 
 Commodore, slightly wounded. 
 
!!^: 
 
 896 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 \ 
 
 i'fli 
 
 for mc to give decisive opinions, until I receive his Majesty's ministers* 
 oflicial documents, by wliich I must be governed in my future conduct. 
 • ••••••••••••••, I remain, with great 
 
 trutj, your's very sincerely, 
 
 (Signed) '* G. Bbrkelev." 
 
 The correspondence which ensued between Captain Douglas 
 and the Mayor of Norfolk, already alluded to at p. 652 of our 
 first volume, the resolutions of the citizens of New York ; 
 and the proclamation of President Jefferson, requiring all 
 Armed vessels, bearing commissions under the government of 
 Great Britain, immediately and without delay to depart from 
 within the harbours and waters of the United States, are given 
 at length in the Naval Chronicle for 1807 *. An official 
 letter from Colonel John Hamilton, the British Consul at 
 Norfolk, in Virginia, to Captain Douglas, dated June 25, ISO/, 
 describing the violent conduct of the inhabitants of that town 
 and Hampton, is also given in the 28th volume of the same 
 work, from which we make the following extract :— 
 
 " I have this moment the honor of your letter of the 23d instant, with 
 the copy of that written to you by Captain Humphreys, explaining the 
 circumstances under which he found himself obliged, in the execution of 
 his orders from the commander-in-chief, to fire into the United States' 
 ship of war the Cher-ipcake. However sincerely I deplore with you that 
 a mutual accommodation for the search for deserters being refused by 
 Commodore Barron, under his construction of the orders of his govern- 
 ment, rendered it necessary, on the part of the Captain of H. M. ship 
 Leopard, in pursuance of his orders, to resort to force, yet I am happy to 
 find, that the firmness and moderation which he employed, previous to the 
 last appeal, were such, as might have been expected from Captain Hum- 
 phreys, no less as a British officer, than in his individual capacity." 
 
 It is imposible for us to enter into the detail of the volu- 
 minous correspondence which afterwards took place be- 
 tween the governments of Great Britain and America. By 
 what has been stated, it must be sufficiently evident, that 
 from the commencement to the close of the affair between 
 the Leopard and the Chesapeake, the behaviour of Captain 
 Humphreys was not only unimpeachable, but, in a very high 
 degree, praise-worthy. We cannot but regret that those 
 ships, under the same commanders, had not been opposed to 
 each other during the late conflict with America, although 
 
 • Seo Nnv. Chron, Vol. XVIIF., pp. 118 to 128 inclusive. . 
 
POST-CAPTAIN3 OP 1804. 
 
 897 
 
 the British *'^ line-of-battle ship*" was inferior in size* 
 weight of metal, and men, to the United States* " 36-gun fri- 
 gate," there is very little reason to suppose that the result 
 would not have been similar to that of their encounter in 
 I8O7. This, however, was not to be the case — Captain Hum- 
 phreys having returned to England with his Admiral in 1808, 
 has ever since been on half-pay ; his sword converted into a 
 ploughshare, and his naval uniform exchanged for a magis- 
 terial gown. Commodore Barron being tried by a court- 
 martial for his conduct, was sentenced to be suspended from 
 all command in the American navy for five years, and to 
 receive no pay during that period— the President confirmed 
 this sentence ; and he has never since been employed afloat f. 
 
 Captain Humphreys married, first, in 1805, Jane, eldest 
 daughter and co-heiress of John Tirel-Morin, of Weedoii 
 Lodge, near Aylesbury, Bucks, and Hanover Square, London, 
 Esq. .By that lady, who died in 1808, he had one son, upon 
 whom his grandfather's estate is entailed. Secondly, May 31, 
 1810, Maria, daughter and heiress of William Davenport, of 
 Bramall Hall, near Stockport in Cheshire, Esq. by whom he 
 has issue five sons and two daughters. His eldest brother, 
 Thomas, a D. D. and one of the six residentiary Prebendaries 
 of Chester cathedral, changed his name to that of Trevor, on 
 the death of an uncle whose property he inherits, and married 
 the eldest daughter of the late Chancellor Briggs, of the same 
 diucesc. Another brother, John, is in the law. 
 
 jigent, M'lnerheny, Esq. 
 
 JOHN TOWER, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant in 1/97 J Commander 
 in 1802 ; and Post-Captain May 8, 1804. He subsequently 
 commanded the Camilla, Iris, and Curagoa frigates ; the 
 
 • See Commodore Barron's report to the Secretary of the Americau 
 navy, in Nao. Chron. Vol. XXVllI. p. 357 et seq. 
 
 t The Leopard mounted 22 long 24-pounder8, 22 twelves, 2 nuies, and 
 six 24-pounder carronades— total 52 guns. The Chesapeake had 28 long 
 eighteena, 2 twelves, and 16 32-pounder carronades. The former was 
 1()44 tons hurthen ; and had on board 356 officers, men, and boys (in- 
 cluding 13 supernumeraries); the latter 1 135 tonH, with 415 of her re- 
 gular crew on board, besides several paisen^j^ers. 
 
 ' ' 
 
 
 »l 
 
 I 
 
898 
 
 POiT-CAPTAIiNS OP 1804. 
 
 !i 
 
 latter employed in active co-operation with the Spanish pa- 
 triots on the coast of Catalonia. Among the prizes taken by 
 him at different periods were the Marsouin and Venns, French 
 privateers, each mounting 14 guns, and carrying in the whole 
 127 men. 
 
 On the 27th June 1812, the Curagoa had 6 men killed and 
 wounded in an af&ir on the coast of Genoa, already noticed 
 at p. 293 of this volume. On the 20th May, 1813, three 
 feluccas of considerable tonnage, deeply laden, were scuttled 
 by the enemy, and sunk in the harbour of Campo del Porto, 
 Elba, the marines and boats of the Curagoa and I'Aigle having 
 first paved the way by routing a considerable body of military, 
 taking a batteiy of two 1 2-pounders, and a tower with a 
 6-pounder mounted on the martello principle, besides killing 
 several of the enemy, and making a few prisoners. On the 
 following morning, the boats captured three settees ; and on 
 the 28th two feluccas of the largest class were taken hr them 
 from the beach, at Mesea, near Port Espccia : in the per- 
 formance of this latter service, the British had 3 men killed 
 and 5 wounded. 
 
 y/^CTi^5.— Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 KENNETH MACKENZIE, Esq. 
 
 This officer completed his time as a Midshipman under the 
 flag of the late Sir Henry Harvey, K. B. by whom he was 
 made a Lieutenant and appointed to the Requin brig, at the 
 Leeward Islands, in 1798. He subsequently commanded a 
 small sloop employed as a tender to the Daphne of 20 guns, 
 on the same station. 
 
 After taking several privateers and recapturing many mer- 
 chant vessels, Mr. Mackenzie established his character as a 
 bravo officer, by boarding and carrying I'Eclair a French 
 national schooner, moored under the batteries at Trois Ri- 
 vieres, Guadaloupc, and folly prepared for action. The par- 
 ticulars of this exploit are thus detailed by Rear-Admiral 
 Duckworth in a letter to tlie Admiralty, dated Feb. 9, 1801 : 
 
 " Captain Matson, of the Daphne, informs inc that on the IGtliullimn, 
 »><)acrvnig some coastors near the shore, under convoy of a schooner, he 
 «lotn«ho(l I/ioutenant Mackenzie, with the boats of the Cyane, under Lieu- 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 899 
 
 tenant Peaclicy ; but on their approaching, alt the enemy's vessels succeeded 
 in getting under cover of the butteries at Basseterre, one excepted, which 
 anchored near Vieux fort, but in the course of the night was boarded and 
 brought off by Lieutenant Mackenzie, under a heavy cannonade. The next 
 morning they observed, from the Saintes, the above-mentioned schooner 
 work up in shore, and anchor at Trois Rivieres, covered by a battery, and 
 flanked by two others, Notivithstanding these difficulties. Lieutenants 
 Mackenzie and Peachey volunteered to bring her out, which Captain 
 Matson was at last prevailed upon to sanction ; but, for want of wind, this 
 gallant attempt was not made until after sun-rise on the 18th, when Mr. 
 Mackenzie, in a manner which exceeds all praise, ran the schooner on 
 board, though a superior enemy, and evidently prepared for him. He 
 then entered with Lieutenant Peachey and 30 men, and after a contest of 
 fifteen minutes, succeeded in bringing her off under a most tremendous fire 
 from the batteries, she being moored so close to the shore as to have a 
 stern hawser fast on the beach. In this contest the French Captain, his 
 2 Lieutenants, and 6 men, were wounded ; besides 1 killed and 2 drowned. 
 In the tender, 2 men were killed and 3 wounded. Though I was not an 
 observer of this exploit, which appears to be amongst the first traits of 
 gallantry in the course of the war, their Lordships will be able to appre- 
 ciate the value of Lieutenant Mackenzie's conduct, which, I must further 
 add, is, in its probable consequences, of the greatest moment to the trade 
 of our islands, as I'Eclair sails rapidly, and when fully armed will carry 
 12 six-pounders, besides 20 one and a half-pounder brass guns, mounted as 
 swivels. She was going to Point Petre to complete her armament, having 
 left Rochefort with only 4 brass 4-pounder8, the 20 small guns and 5U 
 
 men. 
 
 For this gallant action, Lieutenant Mackenzie was de- 
 servedly rewarded with the command of rEclair, in which 
 vessel he continued till the peace of Amiens, when he ob- 
 tained the rank of Commander and was appointed to the 
 Guachapin a small brig of 14 gun8, in which vessel we find 
 him assisting at the capture of Tobugo and St. Lucia, soon 
 after the renewal of hostilities in 1803. His zealous coiuluct 
 during the expe<lition against Surinam, in 1{!K)4, has already 
 been noticed at p. 800 of this volume. 
 
 Captain Mackenzie's next appointment was to the Hippo- 
 menes of 14 guns, a much more desirable vessel than the 
 Guachapin, but wretchedly manned, her crew consisting 
 chiefly of discontented foreigners. 
 
 On the 2l8t June, 1804, he fell in with one of the largest 
 privateers belonging to Guadaloupe, Ic Buonaparte, of 18 
 long 9-pounderH and 146 men. Captain Muckenzio was thou 
 cruising to windward of Antigua, and had disguised his ship 
 
 ■11 
 
 i« 
 
 
900 
 
 POBT-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 ¥ '■ 
 
 as a Guinearaan, purposely to decoy the enemy's cruisers. 
 The stratagem succeeded in this instance, and an action com- 
 menced with tolerable spirit on both sides. In the course of 
 ten or twelve minutes, le Buonaparte became entangled with 
 her antagonist, and Captain Mackenzie instantly ordered the 
 enemy's bowsprit to be lashed to his own mainmast : he 
 then jumped on her deck, sword in hand, followed by his 
 officers and a few brave seamen j but unfortunately the re- 
 mainder of his crew shrunk from so close a contest. With 
 this small force, however, he obtained a footing, the French- 
 men retreating abaft the main-mast, where they rallied on 
 finding that their assaillants were not more than 18 in number. 
 Of this gallant little band, 5 were killed, 8 wounded, and 
 the remainder obliged to retreat. Only 9, including 4 of the 
 wounded, succeeded in regaining their own ship before the 
 lashing gave way, and le Buonaparte made off under all sail^ 
 her commander having no wish to renew the combat, and the 
 Hippomenes being left without a Sxwgle officer capable of 
 giving orders for pursuit, even if her dastardly crew had felt 
 inclined to obey them. Captain Mackenzie himself received 
 many severe wounds, and fell senseless in the Hippomenes' 
 main-chains the moment he bad quitted the enemy. Te 
 Buonaparte's loss has never been ascertained. 
 
 In 1806, we find Captain Mackenzie commanding the Carj's- 
 fort 28, and assisting at the capture of la Lutine, French na- 
 tional brig, of 18 guns and 100 men, from I'Orient bound to 
 Martinique, with despatches *; his subsequent appointments 
 were to the Champion 24, and Venus frigate, in which latter 
 ship he continued until the termination of the war in 1814. 
 On the 10th June 1815, he obtained a pension of 250/. per 
 annum, for the wounds he had received in the above action, 
 the effects of which, we have reason to believe, were a source 
 of great affliction to his family for some time previous to his 
 demise. He died at Salisbury, Nov. 5, 1824; aged 45 
 years 
 
 / See Vol. I. p. 779, ] 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1904. 
 
 EDWARD HAWKER, Es^ 
 
 901 
 
 This officer is a son of the late Captain James Hawker, 
 who commanded the Hero 74, forming part of Commodore 
 Johnstone's squadron, at Porto Praya, in 1781 *. 
 
 He received his first commission in 1796, and subsequently- 
 served as senior Lieutenant of the Garland and Thames fri- 
 gates. In June 1803, he was appointed to the command of 
 the Swift, hired cutter ; and from her promoted into the 
 Mignonne sloop of war. His post commission bears date 
 June 6, 1804. 
 
 A narrative of Captain Hawker's proceedings in the The- 
 seus 74, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Dacres, during a 
 hurricane encountered by that ship and I'Hercule of the same 
 force, between Sept. 4 and 15, 1804, will be found in the " 
 Naval Chronicle, at p. 477 et seq. of the 12th volume. 
 
 Immediately after this event. Captain Hawker was removed 
 into the Tartar frigate, and sent from Jamaica to the Halifax 
 station, where he captured I'Observateur, French national 
 brig, of 18 guns and 104 men, June 9, 1806. In the course 
 of the same year, he exchanged ships with Captain Poyntz of 
 the Melampus ; the Tartar being ordered to England under 
 reduced masts, in consequence of the damages she had sus- 
 tained in a recent hurricane. 
 
 At the commencement of 1809, we find Captain Hawker 
 convoying a fleet of transports from Halifax to Barbadoes ; 
 and afterwards capturing le Colibri, another French brig of 
 war mounting 16 guns, with a complement of 92 men, having 
 on board 570 barrels of flour and a large quantity of gunpow- 
 der, for the relief of St. Domingo. The enemy's vessel on 
 this occasion had the temerity to fire into the Melampus after 
 she had got fairly alongside, and did not surrender until 3 of 
 her crew were killed and 12 wounded. In Dec. following, 
 Captain Hawker intercepted le Beauharnois of 16 guns and 
 109 men, laden with flour and warlike stores, from Bayonne 
 bound to Guadaloupe. The Melampus, in effecting this cap- 
 ture, had 2 men wounded ; the enemy, through persisting in 
 her endeavours to escape, one man killed and several persons 
 much injured. 
 
 • See Vol. I. note • ut p. 208 el xeq. 
 VOL. n. 3 N 
 
 ) 'V 
 
 i.1 
 
 
 
902 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804, 
 
 I': 
 
 H 
 
 V After assibting at the reduction of Guadaloupe *, and cap- 
 turing, in company with the Driver sloop of war, la Fantome, 
 French letter of niarque, pierced for 20 guns, with a comple- 
 ment of 74 men ; Captain Hawker n turned to the Halifax 
 station, where he continued till 1812, at which period the 
 Melampus was ordered to England, and put out of commission. 
 He subsequently commanded the Bellerophon 74, and Salis- 
 bury 58, bearing the flag of Sir Richard G. Keats at New- 
 foundland, from whence he returned with that officer at the 
 expiration of his government and command. Proceeding 
 thither, in Dec. 1813, the Bellerophon captured le Genie 
 French privateer, of 16 guns and 73 men. 
 jigents. — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, Esq. 
 
 This officer, a grand nephew of the late Earl of Crawford, 
 was made a Lieutenant in 1797 ; and had the good fortune 
 to escape the melancholy fate of his shipmates in the Queen 
 Charlotte, when burnt near Leghorn, Mar. 17, 1800 f- He 
 received the Turkish gold medal for his subsequent services 
 in Egypt ; and was successively advanced to the rank of 
 Commander and Post-Captain, by his patron, the late Admiral 
 Viscount Keith. At the renewal of the war with France, in 
 1803, he obtained the command of the Amethyst frigate ; and 
 in June 1804, he was dismissed from that ship, and placed at 
 the bottom of the list of Captains, by the sentence of a Court- 
 Martial, held at Sheerness, for misconduct in an action with 
 four Dutch vessels, off the coast of Norway. He died at 
 Bath, Mar. 15, 1825. 
 
 CHARLES RICHARDSON, Esq. 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. 
 
 This officer entered the naval service as a Midshipman on 
 board the Vestal of 28 guns, roiv^manded by Sir Richard I. 
 Strachan, Nov. 19, 1787. In that ship he made two long 
 voyages from England ; ouv. to the Straits of Bauca, the other 
 
 • See Vol. I. p. 2()5. 
 
 t 'See p. 4iy it xe'f. , . ^ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 903 
 
 to Bombay * ; and from her he removed with his patron into 
 the Phcenix 36, attached to the squadron under Commodore 
 Cornwallis on the East India station, where he saw much 
 active service during the war with Tippoo Saib, being em- 
 ployed for several months in boats sent up the different rivers 
 to co-operate with the Malabar army under Sir Robert Aber- 
 crombie. He was also present in the action between the 
 Phcenix and la Resolu, occasioned, as we have already stated, 
 by the pertinacity of the French commander in refusing to 
 allow some suspected vessels under his convoy to be examined 
 for contraband stores f. ' 
 
 On his return to England, in 1793, Mr, Richardson joined 
 the Alexander 7^} fitting at Chatham j from which ship he 
 removed, after passing his examination, in the spring of 
 1794, to the Royal George, a first rate, bearing the flag of Sir 
 Alexander Hood, under whom he served in the battles of 
 May 29, and June 1, 1794 J. On the 4th Aug. following, 
 be was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and appointed to 
 the Circe 28, of which frigate he was first Lieutenant during 
 the general mutiny at the Nore, in 1797 : on that occasion 
 the rebellious seamen made strong efforts to obtain the com- 
 mand of the Circe, but were prevented by the firmness of her 
 Captain and his officers, to whom the thanks of the Admi- 
 ralty were afterwards given for their judicious conduct at that 
 alarming juncture §. 
 
 In our memoir of Vice- Admiral Halkett we have stated 
 that the Circe formed part of the squadron left off the Texel 
 under Sir Henry TroUope, to watch the Dutch fleet j and that 
 she was one of Admiral Duncan's repeaters in the battle off 
 Camperdown. Wc have now to add, that her first Lieute- 
 nant was the officer who conveyed the Batavian commander- 
 in'chief from his late flag-ship to the Venerable. — Observing 
 the Vryheid dismasted and silenced, and thinking it probable 
 that Admiral de Winter would endeavour to get on board 
 gome other ship of his fleet, then near him and still in action, 
 Ldeutenant Richardson volunteered to go on board in a boat 
 
 • Sec Vol. I. p. 284. 
 
 t See id. p. 285 ; ami Vol. II. Part I. note t at p. 319. 
 
 X Soc Vol. I. p. 24(i. 
 
 § See iii. p. 67^ 
 
 3n2 
 
 ^ii 
 
I! 
 
 I 
 
 904 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 and take him out, which he accomplished without accident, 
 rowing clear of the enemy's fire, and presenting him in per- 
 son to the British Admiral. 
 
 On his return to port. Lord Duncan, as a mark of his ap- 
 probation, applied for Mr. Richardson to be appointed one of 
 his Lieutenants, and he was accordingly removed into the Ve- 
 nerable, on promotion. He subsequently served with the same 
 gallant veteran in the Kent 74, and we find him commanding 
 u detachment of seamen, attached to Sir Ralph Abercromby's 
 army, from the period of debarkation near the Helder, until 
 the surrender of the Dutch squadron under Rear- Admiral 
 Storey, in Aug. 1799 *• The nature of the service in which 
 he was personally engaged will be seen by the following ex- 
 tract from his lordship's public letter to the Admiralty : — 
 
 '* I shall not enter into a detail of the landins^ of the troops, or what 
 happened on Tuesday, as their Lordships will have that stated by Vice- 
 Admiral Mitchell ; suffice it to say, the troops rowed towards the shore at 
 day-break, and landed, though immediately opposed by numbers, and front 
 that time till half-past four P. M. -.vere continually in action." 
 
 . Lieutenant Richardson returned from the Texel in com- 
 mand of a Dutch 68-gun ship j but afterwards rejoined the 
 Kent and served under Lord Duncan till that nobleman's re- 
 signation, at the commencement of 1800. He subsequently 
 accompanied the present Sir W. Johnstone Hope to the coast 
 of Egypt t> assisted at the landing of the British troops in 
 Aboukir bay, and was present in the battle of Mar, 8, 1801. 
 His next appointment was, as first Lieutenant, to the Pene- 
 lope frigate, commanded by the Hon. Henry Blackwood, n'ith 
 whom he continued on the Mediterranean station till the 
 spring of 1802. 
 
 The Penelope, after refitting at Portsmouth, was ordered to 
 convey Sir Alexander I. Ball and suite to Malta. Lieutenant 
 Richardson, on his arrival at that island, was promoted to the 
 command of the Alligator a 28-gun frigate, armed en Jhite. 
 On his return to England, in April, 1803, he was sent to join 
 Commodore Hood on the West India station ; and he appears 
 to have been entrusted by that officer with the direction of a 
 flotilla employed in the reduction of Demerara, Essequibo^ 
 
 • See Vol. \.^.4\bet seq. 
 t See id. p. 512. 
 
< / 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 905 
 
 and Bcrbice, in Sept. 1803. His conduct during the opera* 
 tions against Surinam between April 25 and May 5, 1804, an 
 account of which will be found at p. 797 et seq., was highly 
 spoken of both in the naval and military despatches relative 
 to the conquest of that colony, and led to his further advance- 
 ment ; the Commodore appointing him to command the Cen- 
 taur 74, vice Captain Maxwell, and the Admiralty confirming 
 that appointment by a commission dated Sept. 27 in the same 
 year. 
 
 Captain Richardson returned home with Sir Samuel Hood 
 in the spring of 1805 ; and on the 2d Jan. 1806 was appointed 
 to the Caesar 30, bearing the flag of his old friend and patron 
 Sir R. I. Strachan, then about to sail in pursuit of a squadron 
 which had recently escaped from Brest. Towards the end of 
 1807, we find him employed off Rochefort, and in Feb. 1808 
 accompanying the same officer to the Mediterranean in quest 
 of another French squadron under Rear-Admiral AUemand, 
 ■who, however, had the good fortune to reach Toulon without 
 molestation. 
 
 On the 23d Feb. 1809, the Caesar, then bearing the flag of 
 Rear-Admiral Stopford, but still commanded by Captain 
 Richardson, assisted at the destruction of three French fri- 
 gates in the Sable d'Olonne, and on that occasion sustained 
 considerable damage in her bowsprit and rigging, by the fire 
 from several batteries under vv'hich they had sought refuge *. 
 She was also present at the attack made upon the enemy's 
 fleet in Aix roads, April 11, 1809 f; and appears to have 
 been one of the ships which passed the French batteries and 
 brought up at that anchorage, with a view of renewing the 
 attack in the evening of the following day. Her loss, accord- 
 ing to Lord Gambler's official return, consisted of 3 persons 
 killed, and 1 man missing, supposed to have been drowned. 
 
 In July following. Captain Richardson was attached to the 
 Walcheren expedition; the object, conduct, and result of which, 
 have been so much canvassed, and are now so generally 
 known, as to render it unnecessary for us to offer an opinion 
 tliereon. The following extracts from official and other well- 
 
 • SeeVol. I. p.617. * 
 
 t Sec id. pp. 84 and 356. . > 
 
 ■ \ . 
 
 ft. < 
 
 1 
 
 ' .1 
 
 • 1 fel 
 
 '^f 
 
 
 ^ ll»n 
 
 
 i 
 
906 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 I 
 
 authenticated documents, will shew the manner in which the 
 subject of this memoir was employed : — 
 
 Sir Richard I. Strachan to the Admirnlttj, Aug. 4, 1809. 
 
 " As soon as the ships were secured [in the Roompot], measures were 
 instantly taken to land the army on the island of Walcheren. I did not 
 wait for the gun-boats cominfr up, but ordered those who happened to be 
 pear the Venerable, together with the mortar-brigs, to push in shore, 
 cover the landing, and force the Derhaak battery. 
 
 " Having accomplished this first object, I lost no time in directing the 
 bombs and gun-vessels to proceed up the Veere Gat, off Camvere ; and 
 having given Sir Home Popham permission to employ them as the service 
 Inighf require, he the next morning (July 31) began to cannonade Cam- 
 vere, which had been summoned, but held out. The fire of the gun-boats 
 was exceedingly well-directed, and did much damage to the town. The 
 officers and men engaged in that service had a great claim to my admira- 
 tion for their conduct. Three of our gun-boats were sunk. In the after- 
 noon it blew fresh, and as the strength of the tide prevented the boats from 
 acting, I directed the flotilla to fall back, preserving a menacing position. 
 
 " At night. Captain Richardson, of the Caesar, who was in the dyke on 
 shore, threw some rockets at the nearest battery of Camvere, and soon 
 after the commanding officer of the town sent out an oiTer to surrender. A 
 copy of the terms acceded to by Lieutenant-General Fraser, and Captain 
 Richardson, the senior naval officer on the spot, accompanies this letter*." 
 
 jtear- Admiral fF. A. Otway to Sir R. I. Strachan, Aug. 16, 1809. 
 *' I We the honor to enclose for your information, a report from Cap. 
 tain Richardson of H. M. ^. Caesar, who commanded the brigade of sea- 
 men that landed on the 30th ult. with the division of the army under 
 the orders of Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Cootc, K. B. ; and I beg 
 leave to add, that I am authorised by the Lieutenant-General, who com- 
 manded the siege of Flushing, and under whose orders the naval brigade 
 more immediately acted ; as likewise by Major-General M'Leod, com- 
 manding officer of the royal artillery, to express their high approbation of 
 the bravery and zeal so very cimspicuon^ in the conduct of Captains 
 Richardson and Blamey, and the whole of the officers and men under their 
 command, during the continuance of a long and most arduous service." 
 
 Captain Charlet Richardson to Rear-Admiral Otway, Aug. 16, 1809. 
 
 *■* I beg leave to inform you, that in obedience to your general order 
 issued on the 28th ultimo, I landed with the army on the sand-hills, near 
 Che signal-post on the island of Walcheren, on the 30th ultimo. Tlie 
 officers and seamen you did me the honor to place under ray orders, were 
 compowd of three divisions, having charge of nine pieces of ordnance, 
 which were drawn and worked by them. At 8 A. M. on the Slst, the left 
 
 ♦ See Naval XJhronicle, vol. 22, p. 146. N. B. Camvere was strong in 
 its defences, and had a garrison of 609 men. 
 
POSr-CAPTA! s o» 1804 
 
 907 
 
 'a agre( 
 
 I at illSlH' ,4 
 
 M, when Jt 
 rawiiiirh«Avy 
 
 division took post before Tcr Vcrre * uml juinc' u the attack of that 
 place, throwiug several cases of rockets into it w. )i good r ^ ct ; duriui; 
 the night a flag of truce was received, and the terms of capit 
 to aud signed by Lieutcnant-Gcneral Fraser and myself. On 
 the troops quitted Ter Verre, on their way to fort Ranuni 
 were constantly employed in the construction of works, and 
 cannon, till it also capitulated on the 3d at night t. The detachment thrn 
 proceedetl to East Zouberg, and were employed day and night in cutting 
 fascines, erecting batteries, and drawing heavy ordnance into them ; the 
 artillery horses being found inadequate to perform that service from the 
 narrow roads, darkness of the night, and difficulty of driving clear of the 
 ditches, into which they had thrown several 24-pouudcr guns and carriages. 
 This important duty, from the heavy rains and soft muddy soil, was attended 
 with the greatest difficulty and fatigue. 
 
 "After having assisted in mounting all the batteries, and otherwise com- 
 pleting them, on the 12th, General Sir Eyre Coote honored me with the 
 command of a new work juet lined out for six 24-pounders ; we made 
 every possible exertion to complete it under a galling fire from the enemy's 
 ramparts, distant only 600 yards ; during the day four were killed and one 
 ivounded in the battery. At sun-rise on the 14tb we opened a most de- 
 structive fire on the rampart and town in front of us, and in two hours 
 every gun we could bear upon was silent. Our fire was kept up incessantly 
 until about 7 P. M., when I received an order to cease, as did all the other 
 works. We immediately put the battery in a state for renewing the fire. 
 if found necessary ; and at nine we opened again by order, with still greater 
 effect, and continued our fire until two o'clock, when we ceased, by order, 
 the French General having agreed to capitulate on the basis of the garrison 
 becoming prisoners of war. I cannot conclude this report, without as- 
 suring you that I have received every possible support from Captain 
 Blarney, and the Lieutenants of the different ships under my orders ; and 
 I beg to recommend them to your attention and protection X." 
 " Letters from Flushing-," hy an officer of the 81*^ regiment, (p. 165.) 
 
 '* Of the batteries which chiefly distinguished themselves in the bom- 
 bardment, one of them commanded by Captain Richardson, of the Cxsar, 
 astonished us all. It consisted of six 24-poundcrs, and played on the 
 enemy incessantly. Every discharge seemed to be followed by a vast crash 
 and ruin in the town. I must observe, by the way, that the seamen arc all 
 
 • Camvere. 
 
 t The occupation of fort Rammekens by the British, completed the in- 
 vestment of Flushing — Middleburgh, the capital of Walcheren, having 
 previously surrendered. It also enabled the small armed vessels and gun- 
 boats to pass through the Slough into the Western Scheldt, for the pur- 
 pose of preventing succour^ from reaching the enemy by the canal of 
 Ghent. 
 
 X Lieutenants John Wyhorn, — Nicholson, Eaton TAvers, — Hilton, 
 — Howell, — Mcdway, and — Hall. 
 
906 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 'i 
 
 11 
 
 engineers, and manage the batteries as well, I had almost said better, than 
 any of our artillery officers. They fire their batteries by broadsides, and 
 the reports of the individual pieces are seldom distinguishable. They al- 
 ways play, moreover, agunst a certain point till they have demolished it. 
 • • • •. Their 6-gun battery invariably went off as if only one gun." 
 
 £arly in 1810, Captain Richiirdson was ordered to Lisbon, 
 where he exchanged into the Seniiramis frigate, about the 
 month of April in the same year. On the 24th Aug. 1811, he 
 undertook a very daring and hazardous enterprise, in com- 
 pany with Captain William Ferris, of the Diana, the parti- 
 culars of which are contained in the subjoined letters on 
 service :— 
 
 *' Captain Ferris to Renf'Admiral Sir Thomas Willianis. 
 " I have the honor to inform you, that, while standing towards the Cor- 
 dovan light-house, in company with H. M.S. Semiramis, in the afternoon 
 of the 24th instant, I discerned four sail inside of the shoals at the mouth 
 of the Gironde, under escort of a national brig of war. I meditated either 
 their capture or destruction, which could only be accomplished by artifice 
 and promptitude, without the sacrifice of many lives. Stratagem was used, 
 which had the desired effect, as they sent a vessel, with pilots, to our as- 
 sistance, and I anchored, after dark, the two ships midway between the 
 Cordovan and Royan, under whose guns the brig had taken refuge, and 
 close to the brig stationed for the protection of the several convoys passing 
 either way. I despatched three boats, under the orders of Lieutenant 
 Sparrow, Lieutenant Roper, and Mr. Holmes, Master's-mate, from this 
 ship, seconded by four boats, under the orders of Lieutenants Gardner, 
 Grace, and Nicholson, and Mr. Reneau, Master's-mate, from the Semiramis, 
 to capture or destroy the convoy then anchored up the river, about four 
 miles distant ; but the tide prevented their accomplishing it until late in 
 the night ; and at day-light, finding the captured vessels mth the boats far 
 up the river beyond the two brigs, 1 determmed to attack the latter with 
 the ships, but not without using the same artifice as before to prevent sus- 
 picion * ; and so convinced were they of our being friends, that the Captain 
 of the port. Monsieur Dubourg, Capitaine de fregate, and commanding the 
 in-shore brig, came on board to offer his services, and was not undeceived 
 until he had ascended the quarter-deck. The Diana laid the outer brig on 
 board, and Lieutenant Robert White Parsons (first Lieutenant), Lieutenant 
 Madden R. M., and Mr. George M. Noble (Boats warn), headed about 30 
 seamen and marines, as many as could be spared by the absence of the 
 boats, and succeeded in getting possession of H. M. late gun-brig Teazer, 
 mounting 12 18-pounder carronades, and 2 long eighteens, commanded 
 
 • The two frigates hoisted French colours, and the Diana a Commodore's 
 broad pendant. 
 
posT-cArrAiNs OF 1804. 
 
 909 
 
 by M, Papineau, Lieutenant de vaisseau, with a coinpleraent of 85 men, 
 and without loss on either side. It adds to the lustre these officers and 
 men achieved, the humanity they displayed to the overpowered captives in 
 putting them below without the force of arms, and an unnecessary eflfusion 
 of blood. It was at this time that alarm was given, and the batteries opened 
 their fire upon the ships ; when Captain Richardson, in a manner which 
 characterizes the officer and seaman, pursued, drove on shore, and burnt, 
 under the guns of the batteries, le Pluvier French national brig, of 16 
 guns and 136 men, whose Captwn I have before spoken of, was decoyed 
 on board. 
 
 " Having obtained the object in view, I anchored in the Gironde, out of 
 gun-shot, to repair the damages sustained by the different vessels. The 
 services I received from Captain Richardson, the officers and ship's com- 
 pany of the Semiramis, merit my warmest acknowledgments ; and I should 
 be committing a great injustice to the officers and crew I command, were 
 I not to speak in terms of the highest admiration of their steadiness and 
 zeal throughout the whole affair. Could I add stronger encomiums to one 
 than another, it would be from the great assistance I received from Lieu- 
 tenant Parsons, and IMr. David Bevans, the Master, whose unremitted at- 
 tention in piloting the ship, in the most intricate navigation, greatly 
 tended to insure the object of pursuit. I enclose you a letter from (Cap- 
 tain Charles Richardson, narrating his attack upon the brig, and enclosing 
 a list of wounded in the affray." . ■ . 
 
 (Signed) " W. Ferris." 
 
 Captain Richardson to Captain Ferris. 
 
 " As socn as the Diana ran on board the enemy's outside brig, her 
 consort immediately cut her cable and made sail for the beach near the 
 battery of Royan, where she grounded. I followed in to five fathoms, 
 anchoring with a spring ; the broadside was brought to bear on the enemy's 
 brig, and bow-guns on the battery, vvithin grape-shot of both. 
 
 " After engaging some time, I found the guus oi the enemy's vessel 
 almost silenced, and perceived the boats haul up to quit her. 
 
 ** At this time the barge, pinnace, and cutter rejoined me ; I ordered 
 Lieutenant Gardner, with these boats, immediately to board the enemy, 
 which was gallantly effected after receiving her broadside. She proved to 
 be the French national brig Pluvier, of 16 guns and 136 men. 
 
 " The prize being fast on shore, the ebb-tide runnuig most rapidly, and 
 my own ship in only twenty feet water, I found it necessary to burn her, 
 which being completely effected I made sail to join you." 
 
 The Semiramis on this occasion had only 3 persons wounded: 
 Captains Ferris and Richardson received the thanks of the 
 Admiralty " for the peculiar neatness" to use the words of the 
 late Mr. Perceval, " with which they had conducted the 
 business *." Among numerous captures subsequently made 
 
 • Captain William Ferris, C. 13. was the second son of the late Thomas 
 
 hm 
 
 i 
 
I 
 
 I I 
 il 
 
 910 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1804. 
 
 by the latter officer was u Frencli privateer, the Ciraiid Jean 
 Bartj of 14 guns and 106 men. The Semiramis was paid off 
 at Portsmouth, Aug. 29, 1814 ; and Captain Richardson was 
 shortly after nominated aC. B. as a reward for his meritorious 
 conduct during a period of more than twenty-six years, passed 
 in active service at sea and co-operation with troops on shore 
 in every quarter of the globe. 
 
 Captain Richardson's next appointment was, July 29, 1819, 
 to the Leander of 60 guns, fitting for the flag of Sir Henry 
 Blackwood, commander-in-chief on the East India station. 
 On the demise of Captain John R. Lumley, in July, 1821, he 
 consented to take the command of the Topaze frigate ; and 
 proceeded in her from Pulo Penang to China, where 14 of 
 his crew were dangerously wounded by the natives, while 
 employed filling water at Lintin. The remainder of the 
 watering party were fortunately preserved through the firm- 
 ness and judgment of Lieutenant William Hamilton (6), the 
 senior officer then present. 
 
 Two Chinese having been killed by the Topaze's fire, dis- 
 putes ensued with the authorities at Canton, whicli led to the 
 suspension of all commeixial intercourse, the embarkation of 
 the British factory without passes, and the departure of all 
 the Hon. Company's ships then lying in the Tigris. At 
 length, however, a Mandarin of high rank was sent on board 
 the frigate to discuss this unpleasant aflfair ; and he proving a 
 sensible and moderate man, the business was satisfactorily 
 adjusted, and matters restored to their former footing, in the 
 spring of 1822. Captain Richardson then returned to India, 
 and re-joiued the Leander a short time previous to Sir Henry 
 Blackwood being relieved by Commodore Grant; but his health 
 being in a very dangerous state he was obliged to invalid at 
 the Cape of Good Hope, Oct. 14 in the same year. 
 
 Jgeiit. — ^Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 Ferris, D. D. Dean of Battle. He obtained the rank of Post<Captain wlieu 
 under 21 years of age. His career though short was brilliant, he hnving 
 hlghly distinguished himself on many occasions in the West Indie:*, Dutch 
 Guiana, the Nortli Sea, and Dritivh Ciianuel. He died at Chelsea, May 
 IH, 1822, in hi* 40lh year. 
 
POST-CAFIAINS OF 1805. 
 
 911 
 
 GEORGE ALDHAM, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Lieutenant June 27, 1/02; and 
 obtained the rank of Commander in 1802. On the 9th Aug. 
 
 1804, we find him commanding the Nautilus sloop of war, 
 and recapturing a ship of great value from Demcrara bound 
 to Liverpool. His post commission bears date Feb. 28, 
 
 1805. He married, in 1806, the widow of Captain Boger, 
 R. N. 
 
 Agent. — Thomas Stilwell, Esq. 
 
 FRANCIS TEMPLE, Esq. 
 
 This officer received his first commission in 1793, and was 
 promoted to the rank of Commander for his gallant conduct 
 in attacking and capturing the French national brig Venteux, 
 of 10 guns and 82 men, an event already noticed in our me- 
 moir of Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland, from whose official 
 letter to Sir John Colpoys we make the following extract : — 
 
 " When it is considered that the Vcntcux, perfectly prepared, manned 
 with 82 men, all of whom were upon deck, and covered with very heavy 
 batteries, was opposed to the crews of two of our boats (as the third, from 
 rowing heavy, did not get up till the hrig was completely gained possession 
 of) I feel confident you will view it in the light that I do, as one of those 
 brilliant exploits which add lustre to the British :trms ; of which, though 
 80 many instances occurred during the late war, no one has before been 
 happy enough to have thrown in his way during the present. The success 
 of Mr. Temple's daring attempt speaks sufficiently for his conduct, and that 
 of every one under his command, to render it superfluous for me to enter 
 into any eulogium on the present occasion." 
 
 Captain Temple's advancement to the rank of Commander 
 took place July 4, 1803 ; and in Jan. following the Com- 
 mittee for managing the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's voted him 
 a sword, value 50/., as a token of the sense entertained by 
 that society of his distinguished merit in combat with an 
 enemy of such superior force. His post commission bears 
 date Mar. 12, 1805. Towards thi- close of the war we find 
 him commanding the Armide frigate on channel service. Ho 
 married, in 18l6, Susan, youngest daughter of the late George 
 Wurrcn, of Pcnpool, Cornwall, Esq. 
 AgefU.^-^S'iY Francis M. Oiumanucy, M. P. 
 
 *1 
 
 if ''>■ 
 
912 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1805. 
 
 RICHARD BUDD VINCENT, Esq. 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. 
 
 This officer is a native of Newbury, in Berkshire, where 
 his father resided for many years, as a banker. He com- 
 menced his naval career under the auspices of Vice- Admiral 
 Barrington, and accompanied that officer to the relief of 
 Gibraltar, in 1782. The Britannia, a first-rate, bearing his 
 patron's flag, appears to have been one of the ships particu- 
 larly engaged in the subsequent skirmish between Lord Howe's 
 fleet and the enemies' combined forces, off Cape Spartel ; her 
 loss on that occasion consisting of 8 men killed and 1 3 wounded, 
 and the grand total being only 72 slain and 193 wounded *. 
 
 From the peace of 1783, until his promotion to a Lieu- 
 tenancy, Nov. 3, 1790, we find Mr. Vincent serving succes- 
 sively in the Salisbury 50, Trimmer sloop of war, Pegase and 
 Carnatic third rates, and Prince of 98 guns : the former ship 
 bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral I. Campbell, commander-in- 
 chief at Newfoundland ; the latter, that of Sir John Jervis, in 
 the grand fleet, during the Spanish armament. 
 
 Mr. Vincent's first appointment as a Lieutenant, was to 
 the Wasp sloop of war, employed in the Channel, for the sup- 
 pression of smuggling. He subsequently joined, in succes- 
 sion, the Terrible 74, commanded by Captain Skeffington 
 Lutwidge ; Victory, a first rate, bearing the flag of Lord Hood, 
 commander-in-chief on the Mediterranean station ; and Tri- 
 umph 74, commanded by the late Sir Erasmus Gower. 
 
 In 1793 and the two following years, Mr. Vincent saw 
 much active service, the Terrible forming part of Lord Hood's 
 fleet at the occupation, defence, and evacuation of Toulon ; 
 as also during the siege of Corsica f ; and the Triumph being 
 one of the small squadron under Vice-Admiral Cornwallis, 
 when that officer effected his masterly retreat in the face of a 
 
 • The British had 34 uail of the Hue. N. D. The Hon. Samuel Bar. 
 ringtoii, Senior Admiral of the White, and General of Marines, died at 
 Bath, Aug. 16, 180(), in the l\ii year of his age. A portrait and memoir 
 of that highly diatinguished officer will be found in the Naval Chronicle, 
 vol. iv. p. 169 et seq. 
 
 t See memoirs of Viscount Keith, Lord Radstock, Admiml Purvis, Sir 
 W. Sidney Smith, Admiral WoUciey, &c. &c. iu our first volume. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 913 
 
 povrerful French armament, off Bellelsle, June 16, 1795, on 
 which trying occasion her conduct was so highly meritorious 
 as to draw the following encomium from the gallant chief : — 
 " the Triumph and Mars," says he, " being the sternmost 
 ships, were, of course, more exposed to the enemy's fire ; 
 # * » #, The Triumph has shifted and repaired some 
 of her sails, but any damage she has received is so trifling, at 
 least in her Captain's eye, that Sir Erasmus Gower has not 
 thought it worth reporting ; indeed, the cool and firm conduct 
 of that ship was such, that it appeared to me the enemy 
 dared not come near her *." 
 
 In April 1797, we find the Triumph cruising offtheWestern 
 Islands, in company with a squadron under Lord Hugh Sey- 
 mour, for the purpose of intercepting some Spanish ships of 
 war then expected from the Havannah, with the late Governor 
 of Mexico, and treasure to the amount of more than a million 
 sterling. It appears, however, that only two frigates, freighted 
 with a very considerable sum, ha/.arded the voyage at that 
 period ; and they succeeded in eluding his Lordship's vigi- 
 lance. The manner in which they were afterwards disposed 
 of will be seen by reference to vol. i. p. 280. 
 
 About three weeks after her return from this cruise, the 
 Triumph was ordered to reinforce the North Sea fleet ; and 
 during the mutiny at the Nore, she was for some time under 
 the charge of her first Lieutenant, the subject of this me- 
 moir, who, by his firm and judicious conduct, considerably 
 repressed the spirit of insubordination that prevailed amongst 
 her crew f. 
 
 A few days previous to the memorable battle off Camper- 
 down, Lieutenant Vincent was removed to the Zealand 64, 
 at the particular request of his friend, the late Admiral Lut- 
 widge, under whose flag he served in the different ships to 
 wliich it was removed between that period and the peace of 
 Amiens, when he obtained the rank of Commander, by com- 
 mission dated April 29, 1802. We should here remark that 
 few officers have ever experienced greater disappointments 
 with regard to advancement than he himself had since the 
 
 • * 
 
 • See Vol. I. note • at p. liM. 
 t Captain William E^sington had previously succeeded Sir Erasmui 
 Quwer, in tlie cuinmaiid of the Triumph. 
 
 
 <o^ 
 
 . vi 
 
!l 
 
 914 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 close of 1794, when he left the Terrible, of which ship he had 
 become first Lieutenant, to join the Victory on promotion :— 
 this first prospect was frustrated by Lord Hood's sudden 
 secession from active service, in May, 1795 *. Mr. Vincent's 
 I'eraoval from the Triumph was productive of a still greater 
 mortification, as in addition to the loss of promotion, it pre- 
 vented him from sharing in the glorious victory achieved by 
 those very men whom he had been instrumental in restoring 
 to a proper state of discipline. His hopes were again excited 
 on hearing that the late King had embarked at Greenwich 
 for the purpose of honoring Lord Duncan's fleet with a visit ; in 
 which case, being senior Lieutenant of the Port-Admiral's 
 flag ship, he flattered himself with the expectation of prefer- 
 ment, according to the usual custom on such occasions : un- 
 fortunately a gale of wind, and state business of importance, 
 compelled his Majesty to return without carrying into eflfect 
 the gracious object for which he had left his capital. The 
 fourth and last instance occurred in Aug. 1799* when a 
 Dutch squadron in the Texel surrendered to the late Sir An- 
 drew Mitchell, at the very moment an action was confidently 
 expected to take place by every oflficer and man under his or- 
 ders f. — Lieutenant Vincent was then on board the Overj^sscl 
 64, from which ship Admiral Lutwidge's flag had been re- 
 moved pro tempore, his presence being required to conduct 
 the port duties at Deal. 
 
 On the 17th May, 1802, Captain Vincent was appointed to 
 the Arrow, a curiously constructed sloop of war, mounting 28 
 32-pounders, with a complement of 121 men. In this vessel 
 he cruised for some time against the smugglers on the coast 
 of Devonshire, and to the eastward thereof; but owing to 
 her peculiar appearance, she soon became well-known to those 
 illicit traders, who easily recognized her at a distance, and 
 were thereby enabled to elude the vigilance of her commander. 
 She was paid off at Portsmouth, in Fel). 1803. 
 
 A contemporary writer, speaking of the Arrow and another 
 
 • The cause of Lord Hood's reaij^nation is stated to have been a dispute 
 with the Admiralty, as to the force necessary to l)c employed at that junc> 
 ture in the Mediterraucaii. — See Buenton'8 Nnvnl History, vol. ii. 
 p. 177. 
 . - t Sec Vul. I. p. 152, and note at p. 41-1 el setf. 
 
POSr-CAPTA!NS ov 1805. 
 
 915 
 
 experimental vessel, both designed by General Samuel Bent- 
 ham, Inspector-General of his Majesty's naval works, says :— 
 
 " They were in shape much sharper than vessels of war in jjencral, and 
 projected, or raked for\vard at each end, like a wherry. Their breadth 
 increased from the water-line upwards ; whereby it was considered that 
 they would be stitfer, and less liable to overset than ordinary vessels. The 
 decks were strait fore and aft, and the frames or ribs of less curvature 
 than usual. They were constructed to carry twenty-four 32-pounder3 
 upon the main-deck, and were afterwards fitted to receive two more car- 
 ronades of the same nature on each of their two short-decks, which we 
 may call the quarter-deck and fore-castlc. All these carrouadcs were fittetl 
 upon the non'recoil principle. It is believed that both the Arrow and 
 Dart • sulisequently took on board, for their quarter-tlecks, two additional 
 32*8. They proved to be stiff vessels and swift sailers, but it was found 
 necessary to add some dead wood to their bottoms, in order to make them 
 stay better f." 
 
 Captain Vincent was re-appointed to the Arrow, Mar. 1, 
 1803 J and every effort was immediately made by himself and 
 his officers to complete her complement, but without effect. 
 Finding that, from her novel appearance, she was not likely 
 to attract volunteers, and as very few men were to be picked 
 up along shore, or from the coasting traders and other small 
 craft. Captain Vincent obtained permission from Lord Gardner, 
 the Port-Admiral, to send a Custom House cutter into the 
 offing, under the command of one of his Lieutenants, for the 
 purpose of impressing from vessels passing up Channel. 
 This being repeated several times, the Arrow waB nearly 
 completed with a choice crew of effective seamen, when the 
 exigency of the service obliged his Lordship to cause the 
 greatest part of them to be suddenly drafted into a troop-ship, 
 under orders for the West Indies. In consequence of this 
 mortifying event, the Arrow was obliged to sail for a foreign 
 station nearly one-third short of complement, notwithstand- 
 ing Captain Vincent had procured a few volunteer landsmen 
 from his native town, at a considerable expense to himself. 
 
 From July 1803, till the end of that year, we find the 
 Arrow escorting the trade to Portugal, Gibraltar, Malta, &c. ; 
 and in 1804, employed on various imjrartant services, afford- 
 ing Captain Vincent an opportunity of visiting the capitals of 
 
 • Sfo note • at p. 291 of (his volume. 
 f Srr Jamk-i's iVai: Hist, vol i. note Q * at p. -l^^. 
 
 
 
 1 
 
916 
 
 POST-CAPTAIXS OF 1805. 
 
 Sicily, Naples, Sardinia, and Turkey ; Corfu, Zante, and the 
 neighbouring islands ; Venice, Trieste, Fiume, and Smyrna ; 
 together with many other places of inferior note, in Sicily, 
 the Adriatic, Archipelago, and Sea of Marmora. 
 
 On entering the Dardanelles with some merchant vessels 
 under her protection, in Mar. 1804, the Arrow was fired at 
 by the castle on the European shore. It blowing very hard 
 at the time. Captain Vincent found it impossible to demand 
 satisfaction on the spot for an insult thus offered to our flag ; 
 but on his arrival at Constantinople he reported the circum- 
 stance to Mr. Stratton, the British Minister, who laid his 
 representation before the Divan, by whom the Turkish Go- 
 vernor was mulcted in a very considerable sum for his mis- 
 conduct. 
 
 During Captain Vincent's stay at Constantinople, he re- 
 ceived much flattering attention from the Capitan Pacha, 
 who allowed him to inspect the arsenal and ships of war ; 
 presented him with an elegant sabre ; and accepted in return 
 a pair of pistols, the workmanship of which attracted his ad- 
 miration, whilst visiting the Arrow in company with numerous 
 other officers belonging to the Ottoman marine. 
 
 The destruction of I'Actif French privateer, under the 
 island of Fano, June 3, 1304, will be noticed in our memoir 
 of Captain C. F. Daly, the oflScer to whom Captain Vincent 
 entrusted the command of the boats employed on that ser- 
 vice. 
 
 Oh the 18th Oct. following, the Arrow, while cruising oflf 
 Cape Spartivento, was struck by lightning, which shivered 
 her main-mast ; but fortunately the sails, being clewed up, 
 and thoroughly drenched with rain, did not take fire ; neither 
 was there a single person hurt, although the main- top-mast 
 went instantly by the board. 
 
 Towards the latter end of December, in the same year, 
 Captain Vincent received directions to take charge of the 
 homeward bound trade, collected at Malta ; and to sail for 
 England as soon as possible after the arrival of some mer- 
 chant vessels, then on their way from Smyrna :— also to take 
 under his orders the Acheron bomb, commanded by Captain 
 Arthur Farquhar, whose services will form the subject of our 
 next memoir. He, at the same time, had the satisfaction of 
 
 leamin 
 approv 
 foUowi 
 others 
 in the 
 
 «//■ 
 hation 
 formed 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1805. 917 
 
 learning that his conduct on all occasions had been fully 
 approved by the illustrious Nelson, as will be seen by the 
 following extract from his Lordship's last letter to him [many 
 others of un equally gratifying nature, are given at full length 
 in the Naval Chronicle for Oct. 1807] • — 
 
 " I take this opportunity to convey to you my full appro- 
 bation of your zealous activity in the various services per- 
 formed by his Mqfesty's sloop under your command, and J 
 am sorry that the state of that vessel deprives the station for 
 the present of your further services*." 
 
 We cannot do better than by describing Captain Vincent's 
 subsequent proceedings in his own words, and illustrating his 
 narrative by extracts from that of Captain Farquhar. 
 
 " The first part of our passage," says Captain Vincent, 
 " was favorable until we reached the westward of the island 
 of Ivica, when we met with strong westerly winds, and a 
 series of bad weather, by which the convoy suffered some 
 damage ; one vessel was supposed to have foundered, and two 
 others separated ; but as the damage sustained was not of suffi- 
 ciently serious consequence to delay the convoy, I was urged 
 to pursue the voyage, with the anxious hope of soon having 
 an easterly wind to carry us through the Straits of Gibraltar. 
 
 " Early in the morning of the 3d Feb. (1805), per log, the 
 Duchess of Rutland transport, which had been missing some 
 days, joined. The weather was then quite moderate, with 
 light breezes from the N. E. At 8 A. M. 1 made the signal 
 for the convoy to steer W. by N., Cape Caxine (near Algiers) 
 bearing south ; the Acheron and thirty-two sail in company. 
 At 8-30, altered course to W. N. W., being well to the south- 
 ward, and made the signal for the sternmost ships to make 
 more sail. Two sail had been observed drawing up a-stern, 
 bearing E. S. E. ; 1 had hopes they were the missing vessels, 
 but soon perceived they were large. At half-past ten I asked, 
 
 • The Arrow bud suffered much through teiupcstuous weather suice her 
 arrival on the Mediterranean station ; and Lord Nelson was under the 
 necessity of sending her home to he ducked, in con!4C((uehce of the Master 
 Shipwright at Malta declaring that she was too weak to undergo the pro- 
 cess of heaving down. The wooden tanks fitted in her hold for the Itutter 
 stowage of water, and many interior parts of her hull, were quite rotten ; 
 and the carpenters uppuinled to survey her reported chat »he was goucrully 
 defective. 
 
 VOL. II. 3 u 
 
 IS 
 
 I 
 
! 
 
 1 
 
 
 ii 
 
 1 
 
 i. 
 
 f 
 
 . 
 
 ! 
 
 I 
 
 918 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 the Acheron (then in the rear of the convoy), per telegraph, 
 ' what they were ?' On answering my signal, she immediately 
 wore, p.tood towards them, and made the private signal ; 
 which not being answered, she told me * they were sus- 
 picious.' At 11-15, I made the signal for the vessels of the 
 convoy on each quarter to close j the Arrow then leading the 
 convoy with the brig Adventure in tow. This vessel was 
 leaky and her rudder shaken ahnost to pieces ; we were 
 heaving part of her cargo overboard in the hope of stopping 
 her leaks, and if possible, by lightening her, to unship the rud- 
 der, and repair it on board the Arrow. At 1 1-50, the Acheron 
 made the signal * they were frigates.* At noon, Cape Al- 
 batel bore S. by W. J W. 10 or II leagues *. 
 
 " On the 4th, at two minutes past noon, I slipped the Ad- 
 venture, wore, and hauled to the wind on the larboard tack, 
 for the purpose of joining the Acheron, which ship had wore, 
 and was returning to the convoy under all sail with light 
 winds. At 10 minutes past, made the Duchess of Rutland's 
 signal * to lead the convoy, steering the same course, &c.' 
 and directed the convoy ' to follow her motions, though the 
 men of war acted otherwise.' At a quarter past, made the 
 signal ' for the convoy to make all sail possible.' About one, 
 I tacked to the northward, and shortened sail for the Acheron 
 to close me. At 1-15 she made the signal, * the strange ships 
 were enemies ;' dittOf made the signal to the convoy ' that 
 an enemy was in sight, to make all possible sail, and proceed 
 to the appointed rendezvous ;' which was enforced by several 
 guns at different times, and repeated by the Acheron in the 
 same manner ; also by Lieutenant Coggan, agent of trans- 
 ports, in the Trial brig bomb tender, who remained with the 
 convoy f. At 2, the Acheron closing but slowly, brought to 
 for her, the frigates continuing their course about W. N. W. 
 under all sail with light winds. About 4, the Acheron joined 
 me, and Captain Farquhar came on board the Arrow. I con- 
 sulted with him the best means to protect the convoy, and 
 
 * Captain Farquhar had by this time approached the strangers sufBc'icntly 
 near to discover that they were large frigates, with their spare anchors 
 stowed in the main chains, which led him to suppose they were French. 
 
 f The Duchess of Rutland was tha only transport belonging to the convoy -. 
 twenty-nine sail were British mert Imot vessels ; and one a Spanish prize 
 which had recently joined the fleet and received instructions from Captain 
 Vincent. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 919 
 
 atland's 
 3e, &c.' 
 ugh the 
 ade the 
 [)ut one, 
 Acheron 
 je ships 
 y « that 
 irocced 
 several 
 in the 
 trans- 
 ith the 
 ught to 
 N.W. 
 joined 
 I con- 
 |oy, and 
 
 jifficicntly 
 anchors 
 
 Trench. 
 
 i convoy : 
 
 fish prize 
 Captain 
 
 we determined to keep between them and the enemy (who 
 had not shown any colours, nor altered their course to chase 
 the Acheron when reconnoitring them *,) for the purpose of 
 collecting the vessels of the convoy, having guns on board, 
 and to form a line of battle as soon as possible, agreeably to 
 an order and form previously given out to the armed vessels 
 of the convoy. At this time the enemy were about five miles 
 from us. At 5, the convoy all becalmed, bearing N. W. by 
 W. 3 miles : the land between Cape Albatel and Cape Ten- 
 nis S. S. W. I W. 11 leagues. From this time until 10, light 
 airs and calms ; ship's head round the compass ; when it 
 sprung up a light breeze from the S. W., the body of the con- 
 voy W. N. W. 4 miles, the frigates N. N. E. 3 miles. Steered 
 for the convoy, but the Acheron having increased her distance 
 ta the southward, I tacked again to close her, hailed Captain 
 Farquhar to keep close to the Arrow, and shortened sail to 
 her rate of sailing. At midnight, light breezes from the 
 S. W. laying up W. N. W. but broke off gradually to north. 
 About 3 A.M. passed the two stemmost brigs of the convoy, 
 to leeward of which the enemy had passed without firing at, 
 or taking any notice of them. At 3-45, perceived that one of 
 the frigates had tacked, and was nearing us on the starboard 
 tack. About 4-15, one of them hailed me in Rnglish, when 
 I asked * what ship it was ?* and was answered by desiring 
 me to hoist my boat out, and come on board. A few minutes 
 after she was hailed by the Acheron, when the frigate opened 
 her fire, which was immediately returned by the Aipow and 
 Acheron, until she passed : the other frigate, by the light 
 baffling winds, had been somewhat separated, but soon closed, 
 passed under our lee, and went a-head of us : however, the 
 Acheron fired several guns at one of them with effect f. As 
 
 * The Acheron hoisted her colours and fired a gun at 12-30, but the 
 strangers paid no attention thereto. 
 
 t Captain Farquhar, speaking of this brush, says, " I hailed, asking 
 * what ship is that?' she answered, ' what ship are you ?' and immediately 
 gave us her broadside of round and grape, which did very considerable 
 damage to our rigging, sails, &c. but did not kill or wound any one. We 
 returned her fire, then hove about, gave her the guns from the other side, 
 and kept firing as long as our shot would reach her. The second frigate 
 passed the Arrow without firing — a little afterwards she appeared us if it 
 were her intention to wear, and having her stem towards us, we gnvu her 
 
 3o2 
 
 ,; i 1 
 
 u'l 
 
 H 
 
 m 
 
 ^%| 
 
920 
 
 POST-CAIMAINS OF 1805. 
 
 the night had been very dark, I was anxious for day -light, to 
 ascertain the general position of the convoy, that I might act 
 in the best manner for its defence ; seeing an action was in- 
 evitable, without being able to get to my assistance the armed 
 vessels as intended. The frigates stood from us to the west- 
 ward, and at dawn of day, the wind being light and variable, 
 their heads to the southward, I observed the headmost with 
 French colours up, and she soon after hoisted a broad pen- 
 dant at the main. At 6, I made the Duchess of Rutland's 
 signal ' for action ;' and the Acheron's * to close.' The for- 
 mer, being the most effective ship of the convoy, probably 
 would have been of service, had she immediately obeyed the 
 signal and bore up, by the very appearance only of coming 4o 
 my assistance ; but she did not even answer it. I then made 
 sail on the starboard tack, to get between the enemy and 
 protect the rear of the convoy ; the former wore to the east- 
 ward, and hauled on the larboard tack, apparently with the 
 intention of engaging us to leeward. Set the spanker, to 
 keep the ship to, the wind being very light, to prevent their 
 passing a-head and raking us. About 7j the headmost in 
 passing to leeward gave us her broadside, when the action 
 commenced: at this time the Acheron was close on our 
 starboard quarter, and the body of the convoy to windward, 
 bearing N. W. 4 miles, mostly on the larboard tack, much 
 scattered, and making all sail to the westward. As the 
 enemy passed, the action was kept up on both sides at the 
 distance of half a cable's length, when they wore and gave me 
 an opportunity of raking them ; but the wind became so 
 light, the Arrow would not steer, which left me much exposed 
 in different positions to their joint fire. About this time the 
 Aclieron passed under our stern, and Captain Farquhar hailed 
 me, but it was impossible to make out what he said. Soon 
 after she had passed, the largest frigate hauled after her, but 
 not until we had received much of the enemy's fire in our 
 starboard quarter *. We were then left to the other frigate, 
 
 two ruundii from the larboard guns ; she then hauled her wind and stood 
 towards the other iVi^utc. 
 
 • " About 7-25," adds Captain F., " the headmost frigate beinj,' abreast 
 of the Arrow, dlsclmrgcd her broadside, which was imnjcdialely returned 
 by Captain Viuoent. At 7-30, she was abreast of, and gave us a broadside 
 —we then cominencod firing upon her, and continued to do so until the 
 •econd frigate came alongsi(lc and fired into ua, havin;,' already engaged 
 
FOST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 921 
 
 which 1 continued to engage closely for some time : but our 
 nuHiini,' rigging being cut to pieces ; the impossibility of 
 managing; the ship ; the lower masts being badly wounded ; 
 the standing rigging, yards, and sails much cut ; many shot 
 between wind and water ; four guns dismo\mted on the star- 
 board side; the rudder machinery disabled ; 13 men killed, 
 and 27 wounded ; induced me to cause the cchnus to be 
 struck about half-past 8, after an action of an hour and twenty 
 minutes, to the French national frigate I'lncorruptible, Mons. 
 iiilliet, Capitainc de frcgate, commander, of 42 guns and G50 
 men, including troops : conceiving from the above disabled 
 state of the Arrow, that further resistance would only increase 
 the loss of lives, without the hope of saving his Majesty's 
 sloop from such superior force ; particularly as she was 
 making considerable water, and the surviving officers and 
 crew could scarcely be removed from her, before she settled 
 on her beam ends and sunk *. 
 
 " When I was under the painful necessity of thus yielding to 
 I'lncorruptible, the Acheron was standing to the southward 
 towards the land under all sail, the large frigate THortense 
 in chase ; and I cherished the hope that if the breeze had 
 freshened, she would be able to outsail the enemy and draw 
 him to a considerable distance, or get in with the land so as 
 to prevent her falling into his hands : but she was obliged 
 to submit to the same fate as the Arrow, and was afterwards 
 burnt. At this time the convoy were considerably to the 
 westward, and to windward, effecting their escape on diffe- 
 rent tacks f. 
 
 t!ie Arrow in passing. Our fire was now turned upon this skip, and con- 
 tinued till wc came close up with thu Arrow, which had just put her helm 
 a-weatlier to ral<e the French Commodore. Wc hauled our wind to keep 
 clear of her, as she appeared to he wearing ; and I asked Captain Vincei>t 
 if he meant to a^ain come to the wind upon the starboard tack, but I could 
 not understand what he said in reply. As soon as we cleared the Arrow, 
 our fire was again directed against the Commodore's frigate." 
 
 • Lieutenant Edward Elers, second of tlie Arrow, and several men, 
 jumped overboard to avoid going down in her ; and were picked up by 
 I'Incorruptible's boats, alt those belonging to the British sloop having been 
 destroyed by the enemy's shot. 
 
 t The gallant commander of the Acheron concludes his account in the 
 following terms: " Wo continued to engage the French Commodore until 
 
922 
 
 P08T-CAITAINS OF 1805. 
 
 f 
 
 [-'- 
 
 " I cannot conclude this narrative without rendering Cap- 
 tain Farquhar my fullest approbation for his able and steady 
 support ; and particularly for his leF.ding away I'Hortense in 
 a direction from the convoy. Nor can I omit this opportu- 
 nity to give my public testimony of the good conduct and 
 bravery displayed by the officers, crew, and passengers, on 
 board tlie Arrow ; who by their exertions on this occasion 
 surprised the enemy by a resistance which I apprehend was 
 but little expected : and though his Majesty's ships fell a 
 sacrifice to superior force, I have no hesitation in believing 
 the damage and delay caused to the enemy by this event, 
 afforded the greater part of my charge time to effect their 
 escape ; and when I reflect that three vessels only were cap- 
 tured by them out of 32 sail, I cannot but express my admi- 
 ration and thanks to the officers, crews, and passengers, of 
 his Majesty's ships Arrow and Acheron, for their zeal and 
 courage in so unequal a contest ; and attribute the preserva- 
 tion of the convoy to their manly and united efforts, by which 
 the ultimate object of my wishes has been fulfilled *** 
 
 with the greatest grief, I saw the Arrow obliged to strike, being no longer 
 able to contend with the great superiority of force opposed to her. She 
 had I conceive received much damage in the act of wearing, as she lay a 
 considerable time with her head to the enemy. The Acheron being now 
 very much disabled iu yards, masts, sails, and rigging ; part of her stern- 
 post being also carried away ; I considered further resistance on my part 
 could answer no good end, and unwilling to sacrifice the lives of men who had 
 given me the highest proof of their courage, I determined to make what 
 sail I could, with little hopes of saving the ship, but with a view to pro- 
 crastinate my capture, in order to give the convoy a greater chance of 
 escaping : the superiority of sailing on the part of the enemy's frigate 
 rendered the chase but short; about 8-45, having already received one 
 broadside and part of another during the pursuit, and the enemy being 
 now very near, with the greatest concern we were obliged to sur- 
 render to I'Hortense of 44 guns, commanded by Mons. de la Marre de la 
 Mellerie. We were then taken possession of, and as soon as the officers 
 and crew of the Acheron were removed, the enemy finding her much dis- 
 abled, thought fit to bum her." 
 
 * The total number of officers, men, and boys, on board the Arrow at 
 the commencement of the action was 132. The Acheron mounted only 
 eight 24-pounders, and had no more than 67 persons at quarters. L'Hor- 
 tense, the Commodore's frigate, mounted 48 guns, and was crowded with 
 troops, like her consort. The enemy's joint force was consequently 90 
 
post-captains ok 1805. 
 
 923 
 
 The Arrow spreading aloft, and the muzzles of her guns 
 not projecting beyond the port-sills, caused her to be set on 
 fire two or three times during the action ; in addition to which 
 she was greatly annoyed by the enemy's small arms, the state 
 of the weather enabling the French troops to take a part in 
 the combat. Her boats being totally destroyed, those of I'ln- 
 corruptible were sent to take out the prisoners, who lost every 
 article of property except the clothes then on their bucks. 
 Notwithstanding the haste with which Captain Vincent was 
 obliged to quit the ship he had so bravely defended, he did 
 not forget the sabre that had been presented to him by the 
 Capitan Pacha, at Constantinople j but a French officer ma- 
 naged to obtain it from one of the Arrow's crew, under a 
 feigned pretence, and every endeavour to recover it proved 
 unavailing ; redress was not to be had of people who re- 
 spected no principles of honor. 
 
 The frigates proved to be part of the Toulon fleet, com- 
 manded by Mons. Villeneuve *, from whom they had sepa- 
 rated during the tempestuous weather which prevailed pre- 
 vious to their falling in with the British convoy. Captain 
 Vincent could never ascertain the actual loss they sustained, 
 but many circumstances concurred to convince him it was 
 very great. L'Incorruptiblc's dead were thrown overboard 
 before he reached that ship, and her wounded were carefully 
 concealed from his view. One of the three vessels captured 
 by the enemy was the Duchess of Rutland; and in addition 
 to her commander's former misconduct, Captain Vincent had 
 to complain of his unpardonable neglect in not destroying the 
 Convoy Signals and Instructions ; fortunately, however, the 
 Frenchmen were too much mauled to think of profiting by 
 such excellent means of decoy, and obliged to push for the 
 nearest port in order to repair their damages. 
 
 L'Incorruptible anchored off Carthagena on the 8th Feb., 
 and the Arro% s late commander, officers, crew, and passen- 
 gers, were detained as prisoners in that town and a neigh- 
 bouring village, until the early part of May, when they were 
 allowed to embark for Gibraltar in a cartel brig sent by Lord 
 
 guns and at Icaat 1300 men : that of the British 36 guns (all carronades) 
 and 199 mm. 
 
 • Sec Vol. I note at p, 589, 
 
 '•¥ 
 
921 
 
 
 POST-C ATTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 1,1 
 
 
 ! 
 i 
 I 
 
 v- 
 
 Nelson expressly to receive them. On his arrival at the 
 rock, Captain Vincent had the gratification to find that his 
 exertions in their defence had been duly appreciated by the 
 masters of the vessels which had escaped thither, who pre- 
 vious to their departure for England drew up, and caused the 
 following address to be published in the garrison gazette : — 
 
 " Gibraltar, March 1 7, 1 805. 
 
 " We, the uiidersigne! M?.3ter8, who departed from Malta under convoy 
 of n. M. sloop Arrow, Captain Vincent, and Achero;i bomb. Captain 
 Farquhar, prompted by the truest sense of gratitude, offer tliein our sincere 
 thanks for their unremitting and assiduous care of our ships, during a pas- 
 sage of perpetual and tremendous gales ; and for their exertions, uniting 
 with their abilities, by which they constantly kept the fleet in order, until 
 the unfortunate morning of the 4th February, when two heavy French 
 frigates attaciied the convoy. 
 
 " T.4e annals of history never yet produced, we conceive, a contest more 
 unequal, skill and activity more exerted, nor magnanimity more displayed, 
 than in that event. Captains Vincent and Farquhar's manner of attack, 
 and drawing the enemy to leeward of the fleet, merit great praise, as the 
 only possible means of saving us. The well-directed fire from both the 
 Arrow and Acheron must have done considerable execution to the enemy ; 
 whose superior force, after a long and severe battle, compelled Captains 
 Vincent and Farquhar to yield a victory, by the enemy as dearly bought, 
 as by them unwillingly resigned. An engagement thus commenced, and 
 supported for the honor of our country, for the protection and interest of 
 its commerce, cannot fail to obtain the enthusiastic admiration of their 
 fellow subjects, and become a memorial of their bravery, enrolling their 
 names in the list of British Heroes." 
 
 Captain Vincent and his officers sailed from Gibraltar for 
 England, in the Camel store-ship, on the 28th May, and ar- 
 rived at St. Helen's aftpr a passage of only seven days. On 
 the 17th June, a Court-Martial assembled in Portsmouth har- 
 bour to try them for the loss of their sloop, after a minute 
 enquiry into all the circumstances, pronounced the following 
 sentence : — 
 
 " The Court is of opinion, that the loss of his Majesty's sloop Arrow 
 was occasioned by her falling in with a very superior force of the enemy, 
 and l)uing under the necessity of surrendering her, after a brave, deter- 
 mined, and well-fought action of nearly an hour and a half, sooa after 
 which she sunk from the injuries she received in the action. And that 
 the conduct of Captain Richard Dudd Vincent, his officers and ship's com- 
 pany, as well as of the passengers, waa highly meritorious and praise-wor- 
 thy i and particularly that of Captain Vincent, by the judicious arrange- 
 ments he made for the preservation of the convoy under hit charge, both 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1805. 
 
 925 
 
 previous to, and during the action ; by which nearly the ..iiole of them 
 were prevented from falling into tlie hands of a superior force : and doth 
 udjud,t>;e them to be most honorably acquitted; and the said Captain 
 Richard Budd Vincent, his officers and ship's company, are hereby most 
 HONORABLY ACQUITTED accordingly." 
 
 On the second day after his trial. Captain Vincent received 
 a post commission dated April 8, 1805 j and on the ensuing 
 3d July, the following resolution of the committee for ma- 
 naging the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's, was communicated to 
 him by the Secretary : — 
 
 " Resolved, — That a sword, of the value of 100/. and a piece of plate of 
 the same value, with an appropriate inscription, or that sum of money at 
 his option, be presented to Captain Richard Budd Vincent, acting at Com- 
 modore on the occasion, for so nobly supporting the honor of the British 
 flag, and successfully protecting the convoy under his care." 
 
 The following letter was also transmitted to John Turnbull, 
 Esq. Chairman of the Merchants trading to the South of 
 Europe : — 
 
 " LloytPt Coffee House, Jul;/ 3, 1805. 
 
 " Sir, — The very gallant conduct of Captains Vincent and Farquhar, 
 and the oflScers and crews of his Majesty's sloop Arrow, and bomb Acheron, 
 entitles them to every possible testimony of gratitude from their country- 
 men at large ; but more particularly from the merchants and underwriters 
 interested in the convoy under their care ; which was so nobly and suc- 
 cessfully protected, by the unequal conflict they maintained with the French 
 frigates rilortense and I'lncorruptible. 
 
 " The (Committee of the Patriotic Fund have voted honorary rewards to 
 the commanding officers ; given donations to the wounded; and made pro- 
 vision for the families of those who fell in thus supporting the honor of 
 the British flag. But the rules of that Institution extend no further ; and 
 it is a tribute still due to those brave men who have lost their own pro- 
 perly in so resolutely defending that of others, to provide, that on their 
 return from imprisonment, they should at least be furnished with neces- 
 saries to «quip them for his Majesty's service. 
 
 " With this view we address ourselves to you. Sir, as Chairman of the 
 merchants trading to the Mediterranean, that you may recommend the 
 subject to their consideration. We shall be happy to learn that it meets 
 their concurrence, and to join them in such measures as shall appear best 
 calculated to carry it into effect. We have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " J. ANOERsrim. 
 
 " R. Shkodon. 
 " J. Marrtatt. 
 
 In consequence of this letter the following communication 
 
 was made to Captain Vincent, on the 26th Aug.:— 
 
 
926 
 
 I'OST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 " Mr. Turnbuli presents Ins coinplimcnts to Captain Vincent, and lias 
 the pleasure to enclose him a statement of the proportioned donations 
 which the Committee have been enabled to raise, in order to replace the 
 loss of clothes and necessaries which the officers and crew of his Majesty's 
 sloop Arrow may have sustained in conse(juence of their gallant action in 
 the Mediterranean. The amount in all being A'JTt. 10*., Captain Vincent 
 will be pleased to draw for it, at ten days sight, on Joseph Marriot, Esq. 
 and distribute it according to the list sent herewith. Exactly the same 
 donations have been made to the officers and crew of the Acheron : and it 
 gives Mr. Turnbuli much pleasure to have had the opportunity on this 
 occasion of contributing to establish a precedent, for indemnifying those 
 brave men, who may have lost their little property in the service of their 
 country *. 
 
 In May 1806, Captain Vincent was appointed to succeed 
 Captain Robert Barrie in the Brilliant of 28 guns, on the Irish 
 station ; and directed to assume the temporary command of 
 the Pomone 38, then waiting at Spithead for that officer to 
 join her. After exchanging ships with Captain Barrie, he 
 proceeded to Cork, and was sent from thence by his com- 
 mander-in-chief, Lord Gardner, on a cruise to the westward 
 of Ireland, where he fell in with and took charge of sever«' 
 West India traders, stragglers from the homeward bound cc 
 voy ; the whole of which he escorted safely into the Britit • 
 Channel. 
 
 Towards the close of the same year, Captain Vincent was 
 obliged to resign the Brilliant, through ill health ; and it was 
 not till 1808, that he found himself sufficiently convalescent 
 to go again afloat. He then applied for active employment, 
 and was immediately appointed to the Hind 28 ; but as that 
 ship was then stationed in the Mediterranean, he received, 
 with his commission for her, an order to act as Captain of 
 the Cambrian, a frigate of the largest class, fitting at Ply< 
 mouth, to convoy a fleet of merchantmen to that quarter, 
 and on his arrival to exchange with Captain Francis W. 
 Fane, then conmianding the Hind. 
 
 On his arrival off Cadiz, Captain Vincent fell in with the 
 squadron under Vicc-Admiral Purvis, who was then paving 
 the way for an amicable intercourse between his Majesty's 
 
 * The sums were thus proportioned :— to Captain Vincent, 50/. ; to 
 the Lieutenants, Master, and a passenger of similar rank, 2U/. each \ to 
 the warrMt officers, 10/. each ; to tlie Midshipmcu and other petty oiliccrH, 
 £/. ca<:bi aud to the seamen, &c, 2/. 10«. each. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 927 
 
 forces and the patriots of Andalusia. After a detention of 
 several days, during which her charge was confided to the 
 protection of a smaller ship, the Cambrian proceeded to 
 Gibraltar, and from thence, after communicating with Lord 
 Collingwood, to join Rear-Admiral George Martin at Minorca, 
 By that officer Captain Vincent was sent to the coast of Ca- 
 talonia, where he joined the Hind, and continued to cruise 
 under the orders of Captain (now Rear-Admiral) Otway, until 
 recalled for the purpose of being despatched on a mission to 
 Algiers. 
 
 After twice visiting that regency in a diplomatic character. 
 Captain Vincent was ordered to refit his ship at Malta, where 
 he found Captain Robert Bell Campbell, of the flag-ship, at 
 the point of dissolution ; and Sir Alexander J. Ball, the 
 Governor and Port-Admiral, greatly distressed for want of 
 an experienced officer to assist him in the discharge of bis 
 naval functions. Yielding to the urgent entreaties of Sir 
 Alexander, Captain Vincent reluctantly consented to quit the 
 Hind and assume the command of the Trident 64, thereby 
 abandoning every prospect of adding to his well-earned fame, 
 and sacrificing every personal consideration to a sense of 
 public duty. 
 
 Soon after his removal to the Trident, the merchants of 
 Malta presented Captain Vincent with a valuable service of 
 plate, commemorative of his gallant action with the French 
 frigates, in 1805, and at the same time wrote him a handsome 
 letter, the counterpart of which will be found at p. 932. 
 
 About the same period, a commission arrived from Eng- 
 land, appointing him to the Topaze of 32 guns ; but as he had 
 now embarked with Sir Alexander Ball, he conceived himself 
 bound to adhere to his engagement with that officer ; who, 
 on his part, undertook to explain in the fullest manner, to the 
 Admiralty, how he was situated. The Governor, accordingly, 
 informed their Lordships, that in the execution of his multi- 
 farious and arduous duties he felt it an object of importance 
 to attach to himself the services of an officer in whom he 
 could repose the greatest confidence, and that he had been 
 induced, for the good of his Majesty's service, to urge Cap- 
 tain Vincent, not only to quit the Hind, but to abstain from 
 making use of the comuiission with which they hud more re- 
 
 I 
 
 ■iR' 
 
 *. 
 J 
 
 '? 
 
 
 
 4-' 
 
 VJ 
 
 .^ '^.. 
 
 ^1 
 
 3 
 
 t'i-'''i 
 
1 if 
 
 ■II 
 
 '1 
 
 928 
 
 POST-CAITAINS OF 1805. 
 
 |i 
 
 I 
 
 ccntly honored him, until their Lordbhips' pleasure should 
 he known. This explanation proved perfectly satisfactory to 
 the Board, and Capt;un Vincent continued to serve under Sir 
 Alexander Ball, till that officer's lamented demise, in Oct. 
 1809*. 
 
 Released by this melancholy event from an engagement so 
 detrimental to his personal interests. Captain Vincent used 
 every endeavour to obtain the command of a cruising ship, 
 but without success ; and he was therefore obliged to remain 
 stationary at Malta, under the respective flags of Rear Admi- 
 rals Charles Boyles, John Laugharne, and Charles V. Penrose, 
 till the termination of hostilities in 1814. From that period he 
 conducted the various duties of the port, as senior oflicer, 
 until the commencement of 181G ; when we find him remov- 
 ing into the Aquilon of 32 guns, and proceeding to Naples 
 and Leghorn, for the purpose of joining the squadron imder 
 Lord Exmouth, by whom he was sent to Mahon, Gibraltar, 
 and England, with despatches, about the month of March in 
 the same year. 
 
 We should not do justice to the subject of this memoir, 
 were we to omit stating, that during a period of nearly eight 
 years spent at Malta (in the course of which many thousands 
 of the inhabitants fell victims to a dreadful malady) he inva- 
 riably obtained the approbation, not only of the different 
 Governors, with whom, in his official intercourse, he pre- 
 served the greatest unanimity, but also of every superior 
 officer whom he had occasion to co-operate with for the fur- 
 therance of the public service. 
 
 • Sir Alexander Jolm Bull, Dart. K. F. M. was one of NlIsoh's sup- 
 porters in the glorious battle of Aug. 1, 1798, as will be setn by reftTcnce 
 to p. 4/2 of our first volume. His commission as a Rear-Admirul of the 
 Red was dated on the very day of his decease, Oct. 25, 1809. He was 
 most exemplary in virtue, honor, and friendship. In him the public lost a 
 zealous and faithful servant— Captain Vincent, and many other officers, a 
 sincere and estimable friend. His memory will ever be respected by all 
 who had the honor of his acquaintance. A letter from Malta, dated 
 Nov. 6, says, " He was rather devoted to the Maltese interest ; but he was 
 certainly in the right. We Dritish are too apt to despite foreigners : he 
 found it necessary to protect them as he did. We buried him yesterday in 
 • fort close to that in which the rcnaiits of Sir Ralph Abcrcromby arc 
 interred." ' 
 
POST-CAI»TAINS OF lb05. 
 
 929 
 
 The Aqiiilon was paid off at Deptfortl, iii April 181G j and 
 Captain Vincent has not since been employed. He was no- 
 minated a C. B. at the first establishment of that order, in 
 June, 1815. 
 
 j4gents. — Messrs. Goode and Clarke. 
 
 ARTHUR FARQUIIAR, Esq. 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath; Knight 
 
 of the Rot/at Hanoverian Guelphic Order; and Knight of the 
 
 Swedish Order of the Sword. 
 
 This officer is the sixth son of the late Robert Farquhar, 
 of Kincardineshire, N. B. Esq. by Agnes, daughter of James 
 Morison, ofElsich, Esq. who was Provost of Aberdeen in the 
 memorable year 1745, and who particularly distinguished 
 himself at that trying period, by his firm attachment to the 
 illustrious House of Brunswick *. 
 
 Mr. Arthur Farquhar was born at Newhall, a small paternal 
 estate in the above county, and educated there under a pri- 
 vate family tutor. He commenced his naval career in Oct. 
 17B7, and served his time as a Midshipinjiu on board the 
 Lowestoffe frigate, Hytena of 24 guns, and Alcide 74 j the 
 two former employed as cruisers on the Channel, Mediter- 
 ranean, Milford, and Irish stations ; the latter a guard-ship at 
 J*ortsmouth, commanded by his earliest and principal pro- 
 fessional patron, the late Sir Andrew Snape IJouglas f. 
 
 After passing the usual examination for a Lieutenant, Mr. 
 Farquhar was induced to cpiit the royal navy, and proceed to 
 the East Indies as a free mariner ; but he had scarcely arrived 
 there when a war broke out between Great Britain and the 
 French Republic, which caused him to change his plans, and 
 
 ' Provost Morison had several narrow cst-apos duriui? the rebellion. 
 On one occasion he was seized and carried l>y force to the cross of Aiier- 
 dcen, where the rebels forced a Riass of wine down his throat, to the health 
 of the Pretender. His duughterj Aj?iic3, was the mother of 18 children, 
 live of whom were devoted to II. M. service, viz. Robert, now Purser of 
 the ArKonuiil. hospital ship at Chatham ; James, Surgeon R. N., drotvncd 
 ia 1818 ; Thomas, an officer in the (luards, deceased \ William, a Lieute- 
 nant-Colonel, (Javernor of .Sincapore; and Arthur, the Bubject of this 
 tiiemoir. 
 
 t See note • ut p. 54. «. : 
 
 t\ 
 
 I! 
 
 :,y^' 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
930 
 
 P09T-CAPTA1N8 OF 1805. 
 
 seek an opportunity of returning to the King's service : it was 
 some time, however, before he succeeded in accomplishing 
 his intention. 
 
 The first man of war which Mr. Farquhar joined in India 
 was the Hobart, a ship-sloop, commanded by Captain B. W. 
 Page ; from which he was soon removed into the Suffolk 74, 
 bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Rainier, commander-in-chief 
 on that' station. In the early part of 17i^> we find him as- 
 sisting at the capture of the Harlingen, Dutch national brig, 
 of 14 guns and 45 men * ; also at the reduction of Amboy na 
 and Banda, on which latter service he held the rank of Lieute- 
 nant, in a Dutch armed vessel under his command f. 
 
 Mr. Farquhar subsequently served as a supernumerary 
 Lieutenant on board the above mentioned brig, which had 
 been purchased for government, named the Amboyna, and 
 commissioned by Lieutenant Dobbic. His good conduct as 
 commanding officer of that vessel, when attacked by a large 
 party of Ladrones^ near Macao, will be noticed in the memoir 
 already referred to. He was afterwards appointed in succes- 
 sion to the Swift sloop of war, and Carysfort and Heroine 
 frigates, in which latter ship he returned home, as first Lieu- 
 tenant, under the command of the Hon. John Murray, in 
 July 1798. 
 
 From tliis period. Lieutenant Farquhar appears to have 
 been actively employed in the Superb 74, iEolus 32, and 
 Acasta40, on the Channel, Mediterranean, Baltic, and North 
 Sea stations, until advanced to the rank of Commander, April 
 29,1802. 
 
 Captain Farquhar's first appointment after this promotion 
 was, Jan. 16, 1804, to the Acheron bomb, in which vessel he 
 made a most heroic defence against an enemy of overwhelm- 
 ing superiority, on the 4th Feb. 1805, as will be seen by refe- 
 rence to our memoir of his gallant colleague. Captain Richard 
 Budd Vincent, at p. 917 et seq. of this volume. It is scarcely 
 
 « 
 
 * See memoir of Captain William Hugh Dobbie. 
 t Amboyna surreiulcred, without resistance, Feb. 16 ; and Banda, 
 Mar. 8, 1796. The public property t- ken in those islands consisted of 
 147,787 rix^lollars, 515,940 pounds weight of cloves, 84,777 ditto of 
 nutmegs, and 19,587 ditto of mace; besides merchandise and stores to a 
 large amount. 
 
POaT-CArXAINS OF 
 
 1805. 
 
 931 
 
 necessary to add the result of his trial by a court-martial 
 assembled on board the Royal Sovereign, in Palma Bay, Sar- 
 dinia, on the 28th Mar. following. The sentence, however, 
 was of so gratifying and honorable a nature that we cannot 
 refrain from inserting it : — 
 
 " The Court is of opinion that on ihe 3d Feb., (yaptain Farquhar ap- 
 prised llie Arrow as early as possible of the approach of the enemy, and 
 afterwards obeyed the signals and ordi^rs of Captain Vincent, which seem 
 to have been well calculated for the preservation and protection of the 
 convoy entrusted to their care; that on the two enemy's frigates arriving 
 up with the sloops, on the morning of the 4th., the Acheron gallantly sup- 
 ported the Arrow in action with a very superior force, until the latter was 
 obliged !■ .Ike, when she made sail in an opposite direction to the con- 
 voy, and drew the attention of I'Hortense, of 44 guns, to which ship she 
 was ultimately obliged to surrender after being completely disabled, and 
 thereby considerably facilitated the escape of the merchantmen : the Court 
 therefore is further of opinion that the conduct of Captain Farquhar on 
 both days was highly meritorious, and deserving imitation, and that he was 
 bravely supported by the ofliccri and ship's company on the occasion, and 
 doth most lionorably acquit Captain Arthur Farquhar, tiie ofBccrs and 
 company of his Majesty's late bomb-vessel Acheron, of all blame, and they 
 are hereby most honorably acquitted accordingly." 
 
 After the delivery of this Sentence, the President, Sir 
 Richard Bickerton, Bart., addressed Captain Farquhar in terms 
 to the following effect : — 
 
 " Captain Farquhar, I return your sword with the greatest pleasure, and 
 hope you will soon be called upon to serve in a ship that will enable you to 
 meet I'Hortense upon more equal terms — the result of the contest may 
 prove more lucrative to you, but it cannot be more honorable," 
 
 Captain Farquhar was promoted to post rank April 8, 1805, 
 and the Committee of the Patriotic Fund subsequently voted 
 him a sword, value 100/., for his noble conduct in the above 
 action. At the commencement of 1806, he attended the pub- 
 lic funeral of his late commander-in-chief, the immortal Nel- 
 son : and in the course of the ensuing spring we find him 
 receiving a commission for the Ariadne, rated at 20 guns, in 
 which ship he was employed on the Baltic and North Sea 
 stations, occasionally blockading the German rivers, till Feb. 
 24, 1809. During this period he captured three French and 
 two Danish privateers, carrying in the whole 44 guns and 
 216 men. The following letter from the British merchants 
 at Malta was received by him whilst on half pay in April, 
 1809:— 
 
 1; '.4. 
 
 ::V^ 
 
 > 
 
 y 
 
 V^ 
 
I 
 
 932 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 " Commercml Rooms, la Faletle, Malta, 19M Sept. 1808. 
 
 " Sir, — We the undersigned Merchants, Underwriters, and others resi- 
 dent in this island, beg leave to express to you the high sense which we 
 entertain of your gallant and judicious assistance in the defence of a va- 
 luable convoy, when commanding his Majesty's bomb-vessel Acheron, and 
 attacked by a far superior force on the 4th Feb., 1805 ; and as a public 
 testimony of our esteem and respect we beg your acceptance of a piece of 
 plate to commemorate the gallantry and judgment displayed by you on that 
 occasion, notiiing short of which could have saved the greatest part of the 
 convoy from falling into the hands of the enemy. 
 
 " We beg leave to assure you that our not having offered sooner this just 
 tribute of our regard should not be attributed to a want of due estimation 
 of the important service rendered by you to "ritish commerce. 
 
 " The action we wish to commemorate was performed during the infancy 
 of trade in this island ; its late rapid increase has collected such a number 
 of regular mercantile establishments as form a respectable united body, 
 whose public testimony we flatter ourselves will now deserve your consi- 
 deration. Your receiving it after a lapse of nearly four years is perhaps 
 the strongest proof we can offer of your conduct having made such an im- 
 pression on our minds as cannot be effaced. We have the honor to remain. 
 Sir, your most obedient and faithful servants." 
 
 (Signed by the principals o/3G mercantile establishments, SfC *.) 
 
 In Aug. 1809, Captain Farquhar was appointed to the Desiree 
 frigate ; and during the three following years we find him com- 
 manding a squadron employed in the blockade 6f the Texel, 
 on which station he captured four French privateers, carry- 
 ing 46 guns and 176 men ; destroyed a gun-boat and three 
 other armed vessels; and recaptured a DaniL'h bark, laden 
 with timber for Sheerness dock-yard. His subsequent ser- 
 vices in the Weser and Elbe were of much greater impor- 
 tan<ie, as will be seen by the following outline. 
 
 In Oct. 1813, the Desiree arrived at Heligoland, with 12 
 gun-boats, and Captain Farquhar immediately assumed the 
 command of a light squadron which had been sent thither 
 in the preceding summer, to open a communication with the 
 Russian commander-in-chief at Hamburgh. 
 
 The first measure adopted by Captain Farquhar was to 
 send part of his force to seize two corvettes recently built at 
 Braak, in the Duchy of Oidenburgh, and all other vessels, 
 naval stores, &c. which could be found there belonging to the 
 enemy. Thi.s service was most ably performed by Captain 
 
 • The value of the plate thus presented to Captain Far«|uliar was fixed 
 at 110 guineas. 
 
 John MJ 
 a strong 
 teries atl 
 secured 
 gun-bri§ 
 same m( 
 in a stat 
 the Sens 
 His nl 
 tioned b| 
 of whicl 
 the eneij 
 Britain 
 Abou 
 war anc 
 blockad 
 that rivt 
 the allie 
 his squB 
 at Cuxh 
 reported 
 letter di 
 lowing < 
 <' I hav 
 days the 
 Radinger 
 reducing 
 800 offict 
 provision 
 quantity 
 
 The 
 Farquh 
 Glucks 
 several 
 until J 
 
 t Iti 
 artillerj 
 before 
 Dlexen 
 enemy'i 
 vol 
 
Post-captains op 1805. 
 
 933 
 
 John M*Kerlie, of the Calliope, who, with one gun-vessel and 
 a strong division of row-boats, pushed past the French bat- 
 teries at the mouth of the Weser, proceeded up that river, and 
 secured the corvettes, each pierced for 20 guns, as also two 
 gun-brigs, and several other vessels. On the 30th of the 
 same month. Captain Farquhar landed at Braak, put that town 
 in a state of defence, and commenced a correspondence with 
 the Senate of Bremen, then lately restored to authority. 
 
 His next operation was the reduction of the above men- 
 tioned batteries (Bremer- lehe and Blexen), by the surrender 
 of which both banks of the Weser were perfectly cleared of 
 the enemy, and the intercourse between Bremen and Great 
 Britain revived, to the great joy of the Senate. 
 
 About this period. Captain Farquhar detached a sloop of 
 war and two gun-vessels into the Ems, for the purpose of 
 blockading Delfzyl, a strong fortress on the Dutch side of 
 that river, then about to be besieged by a detachment from 
 the allied army*. He then proceeded with the remainder of 
 his squadron, to co-operate in an attack upon the French forts 
 at Cuxhaven, the succe8sf\il result of which enterprise was 
 reported by him to the late Admiral Sir William Young, in a 
 letter dated Dec. 1, 1813, from which we have taken the fol- 
 lowing extracts :— 
 
 " I have very great pleasure in stating to you. Sir, that in the last ten 
 (lays the small detachment of Russian troops, commanded by Colonel 
 Radinger, assisted by H. M. squadron under my orders, have succeeded in 
 reducing four strong batteries, consisting of 50 heavy guns, 4 mortars, and 
 800 officers and men • • • •. These batteries were complete with 
 pr«)visions of all kinds for six weeks, and contained a very considerable 
 quantity of ammunition and military stores of every description f." 
 
 The last and most important service performed by Captain 
 
 Farquhar and his gallant companions was the reduction of 
 
 Gluckstadt, an extremely strong fortress, which had been 
 
 several times besieged by powerful armies, but never taken 
 
 untilJan. 5, 1814 ; when it surrendered to a division of the 
 
 • Sec Captain Thomas Barker Devon 
 f It is proper to remark that the Russians were totally unprovided with 
 artillery, and that the British seamen had to encounter many difficulties 
 before they could place their guns in battery against Bremer-lehe and 
 Blexen ; the roads being almost impracticable, and much exposed to the 
 enemy's fire. 
 
 VOL. II. 3 P 
 
 'l^Hi 
 
 1 
 
 ^H 
 
 i'^ 
 
 r H 
 
 r ''"' 
 
 i mm 
 
 1 
 
 
 m 
 
 f 
 
 
 
 
 ) 
 
 
 
 mi 
 
 
 4 , \%t 
 
934 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 I 
 
 Crown Prince of Sweden's army, under the cfvninaud of Baroiji 
 de Boy^, and that part of the British squadron then remaining 
 with Captain Farquhar, after an investment of sixteen, and a 
 most effectual bombardment of six days. The allies on this 
 occasion obtained possession of 161 gims, mortars, and howit- 
 zers ; two magazines containing an immense quantity of am- 
 munition, military stores, &c. ; and a flotilla consisting of one 
 brig and seven gun-boats. The total loss sustained by the 
 British, although continually exposed to a heavy fire from 
 30 pieces of cannon, was only 3 men killed and 16 wounded. 
 The officers mentioned by Captain Farquhar as having parti- 
 cularly distinguished themselves during the siege, were Cap- 
 tains Marshall, Banks, and Rose, of the Shamrock, Blazer, 
 and Hearty sloops; Captain Green, commanding the sea- 
 men's batteries on shore ; Lieutenants Kneeshaw, Hanmer, 
 Henderson, Haultain, Archer, Jack, and Sir George Keith ; 
 Mr. Riches, Master's-Mate ; and Messrs Hallowes and 
 Richardson, Midshipmen. The opinion entertained by su- 
 perior authorities of his own exertions will be seen by the 
 subjoined copies of letters from H. R. H. the Crown Prince 
 of Sweden, Admiral Young, and the Hanoverian Minister : — 
 
 •* Head Quarters, Kiel, StkJan. 1814. 
 " Captain Farquliar, — The King, my Sovereign, having authorised me 
 to confer the Cross of bis Military Order of the Sword upon such officers, 
 whether belonging to the Sviedish army or to the allied forces* as may 
 distinguish themselves in fighting for the common cause, I cannot make a 
 more worthy use of the power with which his Majesty has been pleased to 
 honor me, than in creating you a Knight of that Order. I transmit to you 
 h«rewith the decoration so well deserved, by the activity and talents which 
 you displayed at the siege of Giuckstadt, and by which you so largely con- 
 tributed to the reduction of a fortress tliat resisted the efforts of one of the 
 most celebrated Generals of the 30 years* war. I pray God, Captain Far- 
 quhar, to take you into his holy keeping. 
 
 (Signed) " Charles Jean." 
 
 " Impregnable, in the Roompot, \7th Jan. 1814. 
 " Sir, — I have received your letters of the 2d and Cth instant, detailing 
 the operations at the attack of Giuckstadt, and the very honorable conclu- 
 sion of them by the surrender of that place, which it is impossible that I 
 should mad without considering the zeal, energy, spirit, and intelligence, 
 with which you have conducted the naval part of these operations, by which 
 a place of such strength, and of such importance, has been so speedily re- 
 duced, as deserving the highest commendation ; and 1 have no doubt of 
 
 " Sir,—] 
 H. R. H. tl 
 
 tinguished i 
 the ships tb 
 reducing tb 
 pleased to n 
 Order, the ( 
 initting to y 
 
 Captain 
 frigate, M 
 employed 
 since whi( 
 insignia oi 
 dom of Al 
 
 We sha 
 report to t 
 tain Farqu 
 celebrated 
 
 " Sir,-A(l 
 Sights, suggt 
 to Portsmout 
 have notr the 
 although I CO 
 ing the sight 
 this principle 
 Avhich I, in a 
 engagement, 
 afforded me a 
 the invention 
 see them cast 
 ever new ones 
 
 " To J. H' 
 
 Captain ] 
 of James M 
 in Oct. 181( 
 living. 
 
 Agents.- 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 935 
 
 the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty thinking as highly of your 
 meritorious conduct on this occasion as I do. " • • * * ♦. 
 
 (Signed) " W. Young." 
 
 " 21, Piccadilly, 3\tt Dec. 1816. 
 *' Sir, — It gives me very great pleasure to have to inform you that 
 H. R. H. the Prince Regent, in consideration of the very al)le and dis- 
 tinguished manner in which, in the years 1813 and 1814, you assisted, with 
 the ships then under your command, the forces of his Majesty's allies in 
 reducing the forts of the enemy on the Elbe and Wescr, has been graciously 
 pleased to nominate and appoint you. Sir, a Knight of the Royal Guclphic 
 Order, the decoration of which I shall take an early opportunity of trans- 
 mitting to you. I remain, Sir, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Munster." 
 
 Captain Farquhar was appointed to the Liverpool, a 40-gun 
 frigate. May 4, 1814 ; and he continued to command that ship, 
 employed principally on the Cape station, till April 3, 1816, 
 since which period he has been on half-pay. He obtained the 
 insignia of a C. B. in 1815 ; and was presented with the free- 
 dom of Aberdeen, Sept. 22, 1817. 
 
 We shall close this sketch with a copy of Lord Exmouth's 
 report to the Admiralty on the gun-sights suggested by Cap- 
 tain Farquhar, and used by his Lordship's squadron in the 
 celebrated attack upon Algiers : — 
 
 " Queen Charlotte, at Sea, 18M Sept. 1816. 
 
 " Sir, — Adverting to your letter of the 13th July last, relative to Brass 
 Sights, suggested by Captain Farquhar for long guns, and which were sent: 
 to Portsmouth to be fitted to any guns I might wish, on experiment, I 
 have notr the honor to state my approbation on the merits of the project, 
 although I conceive it admits of a very material improvement, by extend- 
 ing the eight as far out as the muzzle ring of the gun. Wooden sights on 
 this principle were titted to all the guns of the squadron by my orders, to 
 which I, in a great measure, ascribe the good effect of their fire in the late 
 engagement. We had a very extensive practice on our voyage out, which 
 afforded me an opportunity to form a deliberate judgment on the utility of 
 the invention ; and so perfectly satisfied am I with it, that I should wish to 
 see them cast as fixtures on all the guns to be used for sea service, when- 
 ever new (mes may be required. 
 
 (Signed) " Exmodth." 
 
 " To J. fF. Croker, Esq. 
 f^c.Sfc.fyc." 
 
 Captain Farquhar married, Aug. 15, 1809, Jane, daughter 
 of James Murray, Esq. of Camvere. By that lady, who died 
 in Oct. 1816, he had four children, two of whom are now 
 living. 
 
 jigenta. — Messrs Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 3 !• 2 
 
 I ' !' 
 
 \ I 
 
 
 '/ 
 
 '^ 
 
93G 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1805. 
 
 HENRY GORDON, Esq. 
 
 This officer received his first commission in 1798; obtained 
 the rank of Commander in 1802 ; and was posted for his gal- 
 lant defence of the Wolverene, mounting 13 guns, with a 
 complement of 76 men, against the Blonde, French privateer, 
 of 30 guns and 240 men, by which ship he was attacked 
 when on his way to Newfoundland with a convoy, Mar. 28, 
 1804. The Wolverene on that occasion had 5 men killed 
 and 10 wounded : the remainder of her crew had not been 
 long removed before she went to the bottom. 
 
 Captain Gordon appears to have been many years a prisoner 
 in France. The manner in which he returned from that 
 country has been vai'iously stated. We shall probably be 
 enabled to speak more confidently on the subject in our Ad- 
 denda. His post commission bears date April 8, 1805. 
 
 I 
 
 |i 
 
 SIR WILLIAM BOLTON, Knt. 
 
 This officer has been frequently described to us as a ne- 
 phew of the late Vice-Admiral Viscount Nelson : such, how- 
 ever, is not the case ; he being the eldest son of the Rev. 
 William Bolton, Rector of Hollesby, co. Suifolk, and of Bran- 
 caster, in Norfolk ; brother of Thomas Bolton, Esq. who 
 married Susannah, eldest sister of that great officer, under 
 whose auspices he commenced his naval career at the com- 
 mencement of 1793, and with whom he continued to serve, 
 as a Midshipman and Lieutenant, during the greater part 
 of the French revolutionary war. He was advanced to the 
 rank of Commander in 1801, appointed to the Childers sloop 
 of war in 1803, and posted April 10, 1805. 
 
 Captain Bolton subsequently commanded the Eurydice, 
 Druid, Endymion, and Forth frigates, on the Mediterranean, 
 Irish, Channel, and North American stations. Among the 
 captures made by him in those ships were le Basque, French 
 national brig, of 16 guns and 1 12 men, laden with flour, &c. 
 for the relief of Guadaloupe ; le Milan, privateer, of 14 guns 
 and 80 men ; and the Regent, American letter of marque, of 
 5 guns and 35 (uen. . .' >/ . 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 93/ 
 
 In May, 1803, Captain Bolton acted as proxy for Lord 
 Nelson at his installation as a K. B., and on that occasion 
 received the honor of knighthood. He maiTied his first cou- 
 sin, Catherine, second daughter of the above mentioned Tho- 
 mas Bolton, Esq. of Cranwich, Norfolk, (whose eldest son is 
 presumptive heir to the Nelson Earldom). 
 
 jlgeiits, — Messrs Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 SIR JAMES ALEXANDER GORDON. 
 
 Kntght Commander of the Most Honorable Militani Order of the Bath. 
 
 This officer is the eldtat loa of Cha.ies Gordon, of Ward- 
 house, in Aberdcenijhlre, Esq. by a di)r.;jhter of the late Major 
 James Mercer, of AacbnajMiit. \i\ Uie same county. 
 
 He appears to have entered the naval service about the 
 commencement of the French rt'/olutionary war, and to have 
 had the honor of sharing in ^he partial 3<!>:on oil Frvjufi, July 
 13, 1/95 ; and tht.' gr.at battles of Feb. 14, 17^/, lud Aug. 
 1, 1798 *. In 1800j ve find bmt ^{;rvl;\g as s?0€:/nd Lieute- 
 nant of le Bourdelais, a po&t-'ibir», riuier the '.oinmand of 
 Captain Thomas Manby, by whom ho wafj particuioiiy 7:ije:\- 
 tioned as having sigji»liied himself in an engagrniej?! ahfady 
 described at p. 205 et seg. oi thia volume. His cojiduct in 
 other actions on the Jamaica sLition Tvi!i be aeen by Khe fol- 
 lowing letter from the Ixite Caotiiiu Austin Bifesrjllj of the 
 Racoon brig, to the coinmander-in- chiefs dated off that island, 
 Juiy 10, 1803 : 
 
 ** Sir,— I beg leave to acqaaLu you, that at ll-.SO A M, on the lllh 
 iiist. while workin^r bettvecn the inland o^Onauabu uivl St. Domingo, I ob- 
 served a French national l)''ig lying at anchor in Leogane roads, and I im- 
 mediately bore up for tivr. On a pprop.ohjng I found her preparing to re- 
 ceive us with springs on her cables, ^ c. At 2-45 P. M. I anchored with 
 springs, within tK'rty yards of t!'c « nemy, and immediately commenced an 
 action, which wqs continued for 30 minutes, when she cut her cables and 
 beg^n ^0 utake off. i instantly cut and followed her ; and, after about ten 
 irinuv<;s more of well-directed fire, we so completely unrigged her that 
 she struck her colours, and called out she had surrendered. We were 
 obliged to anchor again immediately, to prevent driving on shore. Shu 
 proves to be Ic Lodi, pierced for 20 guns, but had only ID mounted, com- 
 
 * See Vol. I. pp. 254, 20 et seq. and note t at p. 180 et seij. 
 
 V 
 
 
 ;l 
 
 - I' 
 
 k 
 
 i' '1 
 
 'I 
 
 r " ' 
 
938 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 
 
 manded by M. Pierre Isaac Taupier, Capitaiue de fregate. Our sails and 
 ''?g^"R ^^^ ^ t^ood (teal cut, l)ut I am happy to say I had not a man killed ; 
 and the only person wounded is Mr. Thomas Gill, Master's-Mate, whose 
 left arm was rarried off by a shot— a very worthy, promisin^f young man, 
 who has served his time in the navy, and will, if he survives, do credit to 
 your patronage. The loss of the enemy is one killed and 13 or 14 wounded, 
 by their own account. 
 
 " The conduct of Mr. James Alexander Gordon, the first Lieutenant, 
 on this as well as many other recent occasions, has been highly exemplary 
 and praiseworthy ; and I have much pleasure in informing you, that the 
 whole of the ofhcers and ship's company behaved fully to my satisfaction. 
 I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Austin Bissell." 
 
 " 7'o Sh- J. T. Duchrorth, K. D. 
 Commander'in-Chief, SfC. SfC.*' 
 
 Some time after this affair. Captain Bissell was promoted 
 into the Creole frigate, and Lieutenant Gordon appointee' ♦/ 
 succeed him in the command of the Racoon. Amongst otlicr 
 captures made by the latter, during his continuance on the 
 Jamaica station, was I'AUiance French privateer, of G guns 
 and 68 men. His post commission bears date May 16, 1805. 
 
 From this period Captain Gordon docs not appear to have 
 been again employed until the spring of 1807, when he ob- 
 tained the command of the Mercury, a 28-gun frigate, in 
 which he convoyed some merchant vessels to Newfoundland ; 
 and on his return from that service was sent to join Lord 
 Colling wood, on the Mediterranean station. An exploit per- 
 formed by the Mercury and her companions, oif Cadiz, on 
 the 4th of April, 1808, has been noticed in our memoir of Sir 
 Murray Maxwell, who reported in becoming terms, the gal- 
 lantry and excellent conduct of all the officers aqd men em- 
 ployed under his orders. 
 
 About the month of August following, Captain Gordon was 
 removed into the Active frigate, rated at 38, but mounting 46 
 guns, as the particulars of several gallant exploits achieved 
 by his boats singly, and in conjunction with thove of other 
 ships, bctwctin June 2i), 1810, and July 27, 1811, will be 
 given in a t^ubscquent part of this work ♦, we shall here 
 merely insert an extract from his senior officer's public letter, 
 relative to an important service performed at Ortano, on the 
 
 • Sec Mrmoim of (/aptain William Henukrson, and Cuiumandcra 
 William Si.AU<}iiTiK and (ieorub Hayc. 
 
 •••vr 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 939 
 
 coast of Italy, and then proceed to point out the briUiaiit 
 actions in wliich he was afterwards more inintcdiately en- 
 gaged. 
 
 " I feel particularly iiHlebtcd to Captain Gordon for the judicious niaii- 
 ner in whicii bia ship was placed, by which means he prevented any liody 
 uf the enemy from forming in tl>c r.';ar of our men ; and the promptitude 
 and zealous co-operation I have constantly experienced from him since wu 
 have been serving together. 
 
 (Signed) " Henry Whitby." 
 
 Captain H. IM. S. Cerberus. 
 
 The most important naval event which had fur home time 
 occurred in the Mediterranean, or indeed on any other sta- 
 tion, was the victory obtained by Captain (now Sir William) 
 Hoste, over a French squadron, near Lissa, on the 13th Mar. 
 1811. For its extent, the engagement was unquestionably 
 one of the most severe, and for our countrymen, one of the 
 most brilliant that took place during the late war. Captain 
 lloste'fl force consisted of tlic Amphion, Cerberus, Active, 
 and Volage, mounting in tlie whole 15G guns, and carrying 
 only 879 men. To those four ships were opposed six frigates, 
 one brig, and four smaller vessels, numbering in guns 284, 
 and in men 2655 * ! The enciny were totally discomfited, 
 after a conflict of six. hours : two frigates being captured, 
 another destroyed, and the remainder obliged to fly from the 
 scene of action. The British sustained a joint loss of .')() 
 killed and 150 wounded ; only 9 of the former, and 26 of the 
 latter belonged to the Active— a convincing proof that the 
 number of casualties on board any particular ship is not to 
 be considered as a sure criterion by which to judge of the 
 part borne by her in a general battle. Captain Hoste, in his 
 oflicial letter, which we have inserted at full length in its 
 proi>er place, does such ample justice to tlie subject of this 
 memoir us to render any farther observations (m our part 
 superfluous. 
 
 On the 29th Nov. following, another severe engngrnient 
 look place near the same spot, in which Captain Gordon was 
 the principal actor, and his ship the greatest sufferer. The 
 result was the capture of la I'omonc, French frigate, of 44 
 guns and 322 men, by the Active, unassistinl by her consorts, 
 the Alceste and Unite ; and of l;i l'cr.samie, a 2(>-gun ship, by 
 
 • Sec note • at p. 17*'. 
 
 1^ 
 
 .,i-\ 
 
 ' . '-'■'-''I 
 
 ht 
 
940 
 
 POBT-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 
 the latter frigate. Another ship of similar force to la Pomone 
 was enabled to escape in consequence of the Alccste having 
 unfortunately lost her main-top-mast when leading into action, 
 and being afterwards nmch disabled in her sails and rigging *. 
 
 From a letter written by one of the Active's officers, wc 
 learn that about the middle of the action. Captain Gordon, 
 while giving his orders with the greatest coolness, lost his 
 leg. He was standing on a shot-rack, and leaning on the 
 capstan, when a 36-pound shot came in through a port-hole, 
 grazed the carriage of a carronade, took off a seaman's leg, 
 and struck the Captain on the knee-joint, carrying all off as if 
 it had been done with a knife, and leaving the leg hanging by 
 the tendons. Although he instantly fell, he did not become 
 insensible, but calmly directed the first Lieutenant (William 
 Bateman Dashwood) to fight the ship, and, as he was being 
 carried below, told the second Lieutenant (Geoi^e Haye), who 
 commanded on the main-deck, to do his best, should any mis- 
 chance befal his senior officer. As though these words had 
 been prophetic, poor Mr. Dashwood very soon after lost his 
 arm, and was likewise conveyed below. Mr. Haye then 
 assumed the command, and closed the action. When the 
 Alceste came up with the Active, Captain Maxwell, libendly 
 considering la Pomone as the fair trophy of the latter ship, 
 most nobly and honorably sent the sword of the French com- 
 mander to Captain Gordon, as his right by conquest. 
 
 The Active on this occasion had 8 persons killed, and 27, 
 including 2 mortally, wounded. Her opponent's loss has 
 been stated at p. 804, where we find Captain Maxwell draw- 
 ing his brave friend's character in the most lively and glow- 
 ing colours : — he says '* it is with poignant regret I inform 
 you** (Captain Charles Rowley), " that Captain Gordon has 
 tost a leg: hut, thank God, he is dmng well; his merits as 
 an officer I need not dwell upon, they are known to his conn- 
 try, and he lives in the hearts of all who have the happiness 
 to know him." 
 
 Captain Gordon fortunately survived the amputation of liis 
 limb, and, returning soon after to England, rapidly recovered 
 his health. In the autumn of 1812, he was appointed to the 
 
 • La Poiiioiii' liiul (III lumrd ul Icasl l!H» men more tbuii the Avtivt. 
 Sicnotr t a' p t^OI. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 
 
 1805. 
 
 941 
 
 his 
 
 Seahorse, another fine fiigate, which had just hccn thoroughly 
 repaired, and was then fitting for foreign service. Tlie Board 
 of Admiralty about the same time presented him with a gold 
 medal, descriptive of the action off Lissa, to be worn with his 
 uniform in the usual manner *. 
 
 From this period we lose sight of Captain Gordon till Nov. 
 13, 1813, whc:. 'le fell in with a large French lugger, which 
 surrendered afi "^ a chase of three hours, but not until she was ' 
 so much damaged by shot that she immediately afterwards 
 went down, and the Seahorse was only able to save 28 of her 
 crew, one of them severely wounded. She proved to be the 
 Subtile privateer, of 16 guns and 72 men. 
 
 Captain Gordon subsequently joined Vice-Axlmiral Sir Alex- 
 ander Cochrane on the American station, where he displayed 
 his usual zeal, courage, and ability, as will be seen by the 
 following account of his services in that quarter. 
 
 Previously to the commander-in-chief entering the Pa- 
 tuxent, in Aug. 1814 1, he sent Captain Gordon up the Po- 
 towmac, with a squadron under his orders J, to bombard fort 
 Washington, situated on the left bank of that river, about 10 
 or 12 miles below the American capital, with a view of de- 
 stroying that fortification, and opening a free comumnication 
 above, as well as to cover the retreat of the British troops 
 from Washmgton, should their return by the Bladensburg 
 road be found too hazardous from the accession of force the 
 enemy might obtain from Baltimore, and other places to the 
 northward and westward. 
 
 The Seahorse and her companions entered the Potowmac 
 on the 17th Aug.; but being without pilots to guide them 
 through that difficult part of the river called the Kettle Bot- 
 toms, and having contrary winds, they were unable to reach 
 fort Washington until the evening of the 27th. Nor was this 
 eflccled but by the severest labour. Each of the ships was 
 not less than twenty times aground — each time they were 
 obliged to haid off by main strength ; and their crews were 
 employed warping for five whole successive days, with the 
 
 • See note * at p. i'^u 
 t See Vol. I. p. .i24. 
 t Seahorse »lHi liluiyHhit. .'Mi; Dcvastaliun, liliiu, uiid iMcteor, boinltc ; 
 Liebiu loiket-ie^ocl, uiul Aiiiia Mnr'u lender. 
 
 ■* ' 
 
 * '« 
 
 jpi 
 
942 
 
 rOST-CAPTAIN& OF 1805. 
 
 exception of a few hours, a distance of more than fifty 
 miles. 
 
 The bomb vessels were placed in the evening of the 27th, 
 and immediately began the bombardment of the fort, it being 
 Captain Gordon's intention to attack it with the two frigates 
 at day-light the following morning. On the bursting of tlie 
 first shell the Americans were observed to retreat ; but sup- 
 posing some concealed design. Captain Gordon directed the 
 fire to be continued. At eight o'clock, however, his doubts 
 were removed by the explosion of the powder magazine, 
 which destroyed the inner buildings ; and ut day-liglit on the 
 28th he took possession. Besides the principal fort, there 
 was a battery on the beach, a martello-tower, and a battery 
 in the rear, containing altogether 21 heavy cannon and six 
 field-pieces. The whole of these guns were already spiked 
 by the enemy, and their complete destruction, with that of 
 their carriages also, was effected by the seamen and marines 
 sent on that service, in less than two hours. 
 
 The city of Alexandria tlms lost its only defence ; and 
 Captain Gordon declined giving any answer to a proposal 
 made to him for its capitulation, until the following morning, 
 when he vas enabled to place his squadron in such a position 
 as ensured assent to the peremptory and humiliating condi- 
 tions which he had determined to enforce. The following is 
 a copy of the articles which were acceded to by the Common 
 Council of that place :— 
 
 " The town of Alexandria, witfi the exception of public works, shall 
 not he deatroye<), unless hostilities are coiniiienccd on the part of the 
 Americans ; nor shall their dwcllin{( houses he entered, nor the inhahitants 
 niuleatod in any manner whatever, if tlic fullowini^ articles aro strictly cum- 
 plied with : — 
 
 " I. All naval and ordnance stores, public or private, must be inline- 
 diately ^nven up. 
 
 " II. Possession will be immediately taken of nil shipping, and their fur- 
 niture must be sent on board by the owners without <k>lBy. 
 
 " in. The ve^iscls that have been sunk must be delivered up in the state 
 they wore in on the ll>th August, the day the txpuvdron puascd the Kettle 
 Bottoms. 
 
 •' IV. Merchandise of every do8crij)tion must be instantly delivered up ; 
 and to prevent any irregulurilies that might be committed in its embarka- 
 tion, the merchants have it in their option to load the vcsuels generally 
 employed for that purpose, when they will be lowed off by us. 
 
POST-CAPTAIN8 OF 1805. 
 
 943 
 
 " V. All merchandise that has been rcuoved from Alexandria since the 
 ]f>th instant ia to be included in the above article. 
 
 " VI. Refreshments of every description to be supplied the ships, and 
 paid for at the market price, by bills on the British government. 
 
 " VII. Officers will be appointed to see that the articles Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 
 5, are strictly complied with, and any deviation or non-compliance on the 
 part of the inhabitants of Alexandria, will render this treaty null and void. 
 
 (Signed) " James A. Gordon." 
 
 This capitulation was signed by the President of the Com- 
 mon Council on the 29th Aug. and the whole of the captured 
 vessels that were sea worthy, twenty-oue in number, were 
 fitted and loaded by tlie 31 st, when Captain Henry Lorainc 
 Baker, of the Fairy brig, arrived with despatches from Sir 
 Alexander Cochrane, and confirmed tlie rumours which had 
 already reached Captain Gordon, of strong measures having 
 been taken by the enemy to oppose the return of the squad- 
 ron ; the Fairy having had to fight her way up the river, past 
 a battery of five guns and a large military force. In conse- 
 quence of this intelligence. Captain Gordon deemed it prudent 
 to quit Alexandria without wsuting to destroy those remaining 
 stores which he had not the means of bringing away. 
 
 Contrary winds agEun occasioned our countrymen the labo- 
 rious task of warping the ships down the river, in which a 
 day's delay took place, ~Iiig to the Devastation getting 
 iiground. The Americans took advantage of this circumstance 
 to attempt her destruction by means of three fire-vessels, 
 attended by several row-boats ; but their object was defeated 
 through the promptitude and gallantry of her commander. 
 Captain Thomas Alexander, who pushed off with his own 
 boats, and being followed by those of the otlier sliips, chased 
 the enemy's boats up to the town so recently evacuated. The 
 cuul and steady conduct of Mr. John Moore, Midshipman of 
 the Seahorse, in towing the nearest fire-vessel on shore, whilst 
 the others were removed by the smaller boats of the Devasta- 
 tion, gained him Captain Gordon's highest commendation. 
 
 The Meteor and Fairy, asfcistcd by the Anna Maria tender, a 
 prize gun -vessel, and a boat belonging to the Euryalus, armed 
 with a howit/ter, had greatly inq)ede<l the progress of the 
 enemy in their works, notwithstanding which they were en- 
 abled to increase their battery to eleven guns, with a furnace 
 for heating shot. On the 3d, the wind changing to the N. W., 
 
 MK< 
 
 n 
 
944 
 
 POST-CAITAINS OF 1805. 
 
 the Etna and Erebus succeeded in getting down to their 
 assistance, and the following day they were joined by the 
 frigates and prizes ; but the Devastation, in spite of every 
 exertion, still remained five miles higher up the river. 
 
 The Erebus, being placed by Captain Bartholomew in an 
 admirable position for harassing the workmen employed in 
 the trenches, was now attacked by three field-pieces, which 
 did her considerable damage before they were silenced. 
 Another attempt was likewise made to destroy the Devasta- 
 tion ; but the enemy's fire-vessels were immediately obliged 
 to retreat by some boats under Captain Baker, whose alacrity 
 in proceeding to her assistance was highly extolled by the 
 Commodore. His loss, however, was considerable, owing to 
 the Americans having sought refuge under some guns in a 
 narrow creek, from which it was impossible for him to dis- 
 lodge them. 1 : , 
 
 On the 5th, at noon, the wind coming fair, and Captain 
 Gordon having made all his arrangements, the Seahorse and 
 Euryalus anchored within short musket-shot of the batteries, 
 while the whole of the prizes passed between them and a 
 shoal; the bombs, &c. firing as they passed, and afterwards 
 anchoring hi a favorable position for facilitating the further 
 removal of the frigates. At 3 P. M., having completely 
 silenced the enemy's fire, the latter cut their cables, and the 
 whole fleet proceeded to the next position taken up by the 
 American troops, where they had two batteries, mounting 
 from 14 to 18 guns, on a range of cliffs, extending about a 
 mile, under which the British were of necessity obliged to pass 
 very close. Captain Gordon did not intend to make the 
 attack that evening ; but the Erebus grounding within range, 
 the other men of war were necessarily called into action. 
 On this occasion, the fire of the Fairy had the most decisive 
 cffeot, as well as that of the Erebus, while the bombs threw 
 their shells with excellent precision, and the guns of the bat- 
 teries were thereby silenced about eight o'clock. 
 
 At day-light on the ()th, Captain Gordon made signal to 
 weigh, and so satisfied were the whole of the parties on shore * 
 
 * " Cominmlorc Ilodgcrs, with a chosen body of acamcn from the liuer- 
 rierc, at iMiiliulclpiiiu ; Cuptainit IVrry, Purler, uiul olhi>r ' difttin^ruishcii 
 utiJccrs / a party of uiliccrs niul uica Iroiu the Cutistellutiuii, ul Norfolk ; 
 
 of tb 
 whole 
 It 
 the b 
 none 
 mac 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 945 
 
 of their opposition being ineffectual, that they allowed the 
 whole of the shipping to pass without furtfier annoyance. 
 
 It has been justly said, that " of the many expeditions up 
 the bays and rivers of the United States, during the late war, 
 none equalled in brillancy of execution that up the Potow- 
 mac to Alexandria*." " Captain Gordon's farther success,*' 
 says Sir Alexander Cochrane, in his despatches to the Admi- 
 ralty, " has exceeded my most sanguine expectations ; having 
 forced the populous city of Alexandria to capitulate, and 
 having brought down the river in triumph, through a series of 
 obstacles and determined opposition, a fleet of 21 enemy's 
 vessels. The difficulties which presented themselves to these 
 ships in ascending the river, impeded by shoals and contrary 
 winds, and th<; increased obstacles which the enemy had pre- 
 pared against their return with a confident hope of obstruct- 
 ing their descent, were only to be overcome by the most inde- 
 fatigable exertions. I trust, therefore, that the resolution and 
 gallantry displayed by every one employed upon this service, 
 which deserve my warmest applause, will be further honored 
 by their Lordships* approbation." We shall only add, that 
 the hammocks of the squadron were down but two nights 
 during the whole of the operations in the Potowmac, com- 
 prising a period of 23 days. Happily, the loss in this 
 " during enterprise" did not exceed / killed and 35 wounded. 
 Amongst the former was Lieutenant Charles Dickinson, of 
 the Fairy ; and in the latter list we find the names of Captains 
 Charles Napier and David Ewen Bartholomew, of the Eury- 
 alus and Erebus. The latter vessel appears to have suffered 
 more than any other of the squadron. 
 
 We are not exactly aware of the manner in which Captain 
 Gordon was employed from the period of his rejoining Sir 
 Aleximder Cochrane, in the Chesapeake, until the month of 
 December following, when he formed a junction with the 
 naval and military forces proceeding against New Orleans ; 
 but he is mentioned in the public despatches relative to that 
 unfortunate expedition, as having afforded his " unwearied 
 
 the men that hud belonged to Barney's flotilla, rcfi:iilar troops, riflemen, 
 artillerists, and militia; all flocked to the shores of the Potowmac, to ' pu^i^<ll 
 the base incendiaries.' " Sec Jamrh's Nav. Occ. p. liM. 
 
 • See id. p. 381. 
 
 H i 
 
 .»"' 
 
946 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1806. 
 
 and cheerful assistance" to Rear- Admiral (now Sir Pulteney) 
 Malcolm, during the whole of the operations, a detail of which 
 will be found in our memoir of Sir Edward Codrington, 
 K. C. B. * Since the peace he has commanded in succession 
 the Madagascar, Meander, and Active frigates. The follow- 
 ing extract from a respectable periodical publication, contains 
 an account of a miraculous escape which he experienced in 
 the month of Dec. 1816. 
 
 " The Meander, Captain Sir James Alexander (Jlordon f, is arrived at 
 Sheernesa, in a sinking state, having strucic upon a shoal, lying about IS 
 miles S. E. of Orfordncss. She sailed from Shcerncss for Loitli on th<; 
 16th Dec, but owing to thick weather she was obliged to anchor occa- 
 sionally until the 18th. On the l!)th, at 8-30 P. M. having been working 
 to windward the whole day, endeavouring to gain an anchorage in Yar- 
 mouth Roads, it then blowing a gale of wind, breakers were reported on the 
 lee-bow and beam ; the ship, under her fore and main-top-sails and fore- 
 sail, would Dot stay, and in falling off she struck upon the shoal, in 24 feet 
 water : fortunately she went over it, and was immediately anchored in 1 7 
 fathoms. In a few minutes afterwards the carpenter reported nearly six 
 feet water in her hold ; ' and here,' says an officer belonging to her, ' it 
 will be necessary to pause for a moment, at the dangerous and awful situa- 
 tion of the ship's company — the wind blowing a gale, with a tremendous sea, 
 the ship making upwards of 20 feet water an hour, and nearly twelve hours' 
 darkness before them : not a moment was to be lost, for not a hope of safety 
 was entertained, save in the mercy of the Almighty, and the united exertions 
 of every soul on board.' By the zeal and energy of the Captain and his 
 officers, and the almost unparalleled exertions of the men, the ship was 
 kept free until the morning: during the night, most providentially, the 
 Great Disposer of all Events had lulled the storm, and hushed the raging 
 sea. Minute guns were fired the whole time, and every blue.light in the 
 ahip wBi burnt, in the hope of drawing the attention of vessels near; but 
 it was not until long after day-light on the 20th, that several vessels were 
 seen approaching, some of which were afterwards directed to stay by the 
 Meander, in the event of its becoming necessary to quit her. The wind 
 and tide being fair for Sheemess, the cable was cut, and sail made by the 
 officers, !t not being possible to remove a man from the pumps : at this 
 moment the leaks had iscreised ; but two sails, fitted with thrums, were 
 then dropped over the bows, and had a wonderful effect in checking the 
 leaks. At noon, on the ship's arrival within signal distance of Sheemess, 
 her distressed state was made known, and the greatest and most prompt 
 assistance was immediately afforded by the Captains of the different ships. 
 
 * See vol. I. note at p. ()37, et seg. N. B. Captain Gordon superin- 
 tended the landing of the advanced guard of the army on Isle aux Puix. 
 f Captain Gordon wa« nominated a K. C. U. Jan. 2, 1815. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 947 
 
 and the Hon. Commissioner Boyle, with the officers and men under their 
 respective commands ; hut it was not until the 22d, with all the eldll and 
 exertions employed, that tlie ship was safely secured in dock. On exami- 
 nation, it was ascertained she had carried away the whole of her fure-foot, 
 about ten f«et of the garboard strake on the larboard side, and a great part 
 of her false and main keels. While these serious and alarming defects evi- 
 dently shew what must have been the exertions at the pumps, for upwards 
 of 20 hours, before any personal assistance was afTordcd, they also most 
 satisfactorily prove what gracious goodness and mercy must have been 
 vouchsafed to them by that Almighty Beini,'', whose arm alone can save the 
 wandcfrers of the trackless deep. * • • • 'j'he officers of the Meander 
 speak of Captain Cordon in terms of the highest ''cspect and most afTec* 
 tionate regard ; his firmness and zeal gave animation to all around him in 
 the midst of this awful time, in which not a murmur was heard, nor the 
 slightest disposition shewn towards intoxication. It appears that the pilot 
 of the ship is a clever, steady, deserving man, and not the slightest blame 
 whatsoever is to be attached to him. The Meander is ordered by the Ad- 
 miralty to be fitted with all possible dispatch." 
 
 Sir James A. Gordon was presented with the freedom of 
 Aberdeen in 1817. He married Aug. 27, 1812, the youngest 
 daughter of John Ward, of Marlborough, Wilts, Esq. 
 
 j4gent. — J. Copland, Esq. 
 
 r/: \ 
 
 
 
 HON. FREDERICK WILLIAM AYLMER. 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath; anrl a 
 
 Knight Commander of the Neapolitan Order of St. 
 
 Ferdinand and of Merit. 
 
 This officer is the third son of Henry, fourth Lord Aylmer, 
 by Catharine, second sister of Charles, Earl Whitworth, 
 G. C. B. 
 
 He was born Oct. 12, 1777 J and first went to sea in the 
 Syren of 82 guns, commanded by the late Vicc-Admiral John 
 Manley, in which frigate H. R. H. the Duke of York embarked 
 for Holland^ at the commencement of the French revolutionary 
 war. 
 
 Mr. Aylmer served as a Lieutenant on board the Swiftsure 
 74, in the memorable battle of Aug. 1, 1798 j and was fre- 
 quently employed on boat service during the subsequent ope- 
 rations in the neighbourhood of Aboukir, and on the coast 
 of Italy *. His name is frequently mentioned by the Kev. 
 
 t '. 
 
 Sec vol. I. pp. 469—478 ; and vol. 11. pp. 820—830. 
 
-'f 
 
 948 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 Cooper Willyams, and it is from that gentleman's publication 
 that we make the following extract : — 
 
 " Wljen the Swiftsure appeared off Civita Vccchia, a Frencli ofliccr of 
 distinction came on board with a flag of truce ; liut nothing vvus then de- 
 cided upon. At another time, when some Neapolitan vessels, supposini; 
 lh« place was evacuated hy the French, were makin<j towards it, the 
 French armed-hoats, and cfun-vessels of a large size, pushed out to briiip 
 them in ; but the boats of the Swiftsure were sent to their assistance, and 
 80on made the enemy retire, pursuing thcra with great spirit till under the 
 gims of their own batteries, and nearly capturing them. Licutcnunt 
 Alymer, in the launch, had a narrow escape ; a shot from the shore, which 
 killed a man who was in the act of taking aim, having struck the powder- 
 horn from his hand. Captain Hallowell had already entered into a nego- 
 ciation with the enemy, atul paved the way for the surrender of the place 
 when he was recalled to attend the Admiral at Palermo." 
 
 Lieutenant Aylmer received the Turkish gold medal, at 
 the close of the Egyptian campaign ; and obtained the rank 
 of Commander in 1802 ; previous to which he had acted as 
 such in the Fury bomb, during the absence of Captain 
 Richard Curry, whom we have already described as the bearer 
 of Lord Keith's dispatches relative to the surrender of Grand 
 Cairo, June 26, 1801 *. 
 
 We subsequently find Captain Aylmer commanding in suc- 
 cession the Delight and Wasp, sloops of war ; and in July, 
 1803, capturing a French privateer, on the Mediterranean 
 station. From the latter vessel he was posted into the Glory, 
 of 98 guns, bearing the flag of Sir John Orde ; but he appears 
 to have been soon afterwards superseded, in consequence of 
 that second rate being required for the flag of Rear- Admiral 
 Domett, who had selected an old shipmate to command her. 
 His post commiaeion bears date May 18, 1805. 
 
 After quitting the Glory, we lose sight of Captain Aylmer 
 till July 1809, when he assumed the command of the Narcis- 
 sus, a 32-gun frigate, employed on Channel service. Early 
 in the following year he captured the French privateers 
 Duguay Trouin, of 14 guns and ^h men ; and Aimable Jose- 
 phine, of 14 guns and 105 men. A merchant brig, which had 
 been taken by the former, was also recaptured by him. 
 
 The result of an expedition, undertaken by the late Com- 
 modore Sir Robert Mends, in conjunction with the Spanish 
 
 • Seevol. l,p. 468. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1905. 
 
 949 
 
 Brigadier-General Porlier, in the summer of 1810, has al- 
 ready been stated at p. 2/2, et seq. The following is the 
 detail, we there promised, of the proceedings of the naval 
 brigade, commanded by Captain Aylmer. 
 
 Early on the 5th of July, 500 Spanish patriots, and a de- 
 tachment of seamen and marines from the squadron, were 
 landed on the beach to the westward of Santona, and the 
 allied commanders immediately pushed fonvard to the town, 
 which they entered without loss, the French troops having re- 
 tired across the river. The British advanced guard, under 
 LieutenantDesbrisayR.M., with the Spanish tirailleurs, suc- 
 ceeded in stopping a part of the enemy's rear guard, killed 
 two, wounded a few more, and took several prisoners. In the 
 course of the day, Brigadier-General Porlier sent off some of 
 his men on the road to St. Andero, and Mr. Hugh Pearson, 
 first Lieutenant of the Arethusa, was detached with a party 
 of seamen to destroy the guns in the forts, which he com- 
 pletely effected. The 6th was spent in examining the ground, 
 as there was reason to expect the enemy would advance in 
 force from St. Andero. 
 
 The following morning, Captain Aylmer directed the boats' 
 carronades to be placed on a hill which commanded the 
 isthmus leading to the town ; and the men were at the same 
 time posted along the hedges and vineyards in front of the 
 position, the main body of the Spaniards on a sand-hill to the 
 right, and the English, with the tirailleurs, in the centre and 
 to the left. At about 11 A. M. a firing was heard, and the 
 advanced parties retired, in the most perfect order, closely 
 followed by the enemy. Very shortly after, the French were 
 observed advancing rapidly in three columns, but they were 
 almost immediately checked by the steadiness of the recep- 
 tion they met with, and at length Obliged to retire, leaving 
 many killed and wounded on the field. 
 
 " The enemy's force," says Captain Aylmer, " appeared to consist of 
 betiveen 700 and 800 men, and I have only to regret that they did not 
 advance nearer ; for had they done so, I am convinced a most complete and 
 entire destruction of their whole force would have taken place. Brigadier- 
 General Porlier detached his sharp-shooters to harass their rear : they suc- 
 ceeded *n killing and wounding several, and making tome prisoners. On 
 the whole I conceive the loss of the French in killed, wounded, and pri- 
 soners, amounts to about 150 men. The whole of the guns, &c. in San- 
 
 VOL. II. 3 Q 
 
 i:; 
 
 (J"'' d 
 
 rltl 
 
 ■ m 
 
 A".' 
 
 Ill 
 
950 
 
 roST^CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 ! 
 
 tona and Laredo are destroyed, consisting of twenty-two 24-pounder9, and 
 four 13-inch brass mortars." 
 
 The importance of this service may be inferred from the 
 expressions of gratitude contained in a letter of thanks which 
 the Junta of Gallicia sent to Sir Robert Mends *, who, when 
 reporting the proceedings of his squadron to Lord Gambier, 
 declared himself much indebted to " the zeal and ability of 
 that excellent officer" (Captain Aylmer), " as well as to 
 Captain Bowles, of the Medusa, who most anxiously lolicited 
 to be attached to the brigade, and acted as second in com- 
 mand." 
 
 From this period we have no certain information respecting 
 Captain Aylmer, until the summer of 1815, when we find him 
 conducting an expedition up the Gironde, after an ineffectual 
 attempt to open a communication with General Clausel, com- 
 mandant at Bourdeaux, the inhabitants of which town, al- 
 though principally staunch royalists, were still kept in sub- 
 jection by a considerable body of the ex-imperial troops. 
 The complete success attending Captain Aylmer's enterprise, 
 will be seen by his official letter to Viscoimt Keith, dated 
 on board the Pactolus ftigate, in the Gironde, July 14, 
 1815 :— 
 
 ** My Lord, — I arrived off tliis port on the 3d instant, and in compliance 
 with the wishes of General Donnadieu, sent in a flag of truce, mth one of 
 his aides-de-camp, for the purpose of communicating with General Clausel, 
 commanding at Bourdeaux ; but as two days more elapsed without any 
 answer or news of the aide-de-camp, I sent another flag in to a corvette 
 lying in the river ; and I learnt from her commander that he had received 
 the most positive orders from General Clausel not to hold any kind of com- 
 munication with us. In addition to this we received a proclamation, signed 
 by the General, declaring Bourdeaux. and its whole vicinity in a state of 
 siege, and threatening with military execution any who manifested signs of 
 disaffection to his government. The aide-de-camp, it appeared, was de- 
 tained. 
 
 " While this negociation was attempting, the Hebrus (frigate) arrived 
 with the charge of a small expedition, with arms and supplies for the 
 royalists ; and when it became evident that no good could arise out of any 
 attempt to conciliate General Clausel, Captain (Edmund) Palmer made me 
 a very strong representation upon the necessity which he conceived there 
 was for hiH attempting to enter the Gironde, and open a direct communi- 
 cation with the royalist party. After weighing the circumstances, I^ thought 
 
 • See p. 273, 
 
 N, 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1805. 
 
 951 
 
 !t my duty to accede to the proposal, and I united the ships for the prose- 
 cution of the service. General Donnadieu being anxious to pursue his 
 mission on tlie coast, I dispatched the Lame with him to Passages. 
 
 " On the 11 th, the H(iuadron weighed from an outer anchorage wc had 
 taken, and formed for the purpose of entering the river; but, as wo 
 stood in, the enemy's corvette was observed to weigh and raanccuvrc in the 
 north entrance, while five sail pushed out through the southern passage to 
 sea. Under these circumstances it became necessary for the intercepting 
 these vessels, that the squadron should separate for the time ; and conse- 
 quently the forcing of the river was given up for that day. During the 
 night the squadron united again, after having examined the vessels which 
 had sailed in so suspicious a manner, and which circumstance was dcve. 
 loped by the embargo having been that morning discontinued in the 
 river. 
 
 *' Yesterday the wind being favorable, the squadron again weighed, and 
 formed in a close line for entering the Gironde. The Pactolus led, the 
 Hebrus followed, and the Falmouth (of 20 guns) brought up the rear ; the 
 two former had transports in tow. As we proceeded, a person came off, 
 with a message from the people of the town of Royan, saying, that they 
 would not fire at us, provided we did not assail them. We passed on, with 
 the royal colours of France at our mast-head : the tri-coloured flag flew 
 along the batteries, which were all in preparation ; but no act of hostility 
 occurred until we reached the heavy battery at Verdun, which opened its 
 fire upon us, and continued it until the ships reached the anchorage. No 
 injury, however, was sustained, and the squadron did not return a gun, for 
 I was unwilling to disturb the feeling which appeared so generally and so 
 happily to prevail. 
 
 " Directly the ships were secured, a communication was sent up, with 
 a flag of truce, to General Clausel, by the Comte de Lasteur, deputed by 
 M. la Duchesse d'Angouleme, and we are in expectation of his answer. In 
 the mean time nothing can wear a more favorable aspect than the face of 
 things in this river. I beg to assure you that every measure shall be adopted, 
 in conjunction with the Baron de Montalembert, to arm and organize the 
 royal party, and establish the power of predominance of liis Majesty the 
 King of France, in the vicinity of wherever our means can operate. 
 
 " I lose no time in despatching the Falmouth to your Lordship, and 
 Captain Knight will explain our situation, as well as that we are taking 
 every precaution in respect to the defence of the river, in the event of 
 General Clausel sending down any strong force to stifle the spirit of the 
 people. I shall also write to Sir Henry Hotham, and perhaps the Rcar- 
 Admiral may strengthen our means here, so that we may fully avail our- 
 selves of such opportunity of pushing the royal cause with vigour and ce- 
 lerity, and of cherishing the excellent disposition with which all hens seem 
 inspired. I have just learnt that the enemy evacuated the fort of Verdun 
 last night, and retired with his garrison. We have sent a force on shore 
 to dismantle and destroy the guns, &c. Thia is the fort which disputed 
 our entrance, and it is a very strong work. 
 
 3o2 
 
 i 1 
 
 
 ! i 
 
 ■'1 
 
 i 
 
 
 ! * 
 
 1 '; 
 
 
952 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS or 1805. 
 
 (( 
 
 I have also tlie pleasure to add, that the proposU'ions of the Baron do 
 MoDtalenthort, and bis mission, have hitherto been every >vberc attended 
 with success. The forts and the positions are gradually puUincr down their 
 tri-coloured flujfs, and hoisting that of their le^timatc sovereign ; and seve- 
 ral of them have saluted the squadron upon their hoisting the white flag. 
 While writing this letter, another battery has followed their example, and 
 there now remains only the fort at Mv\che with the tri*coIoured flag. * • 
 • • I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) ** F. W. AvLMEn." 
 
 " To Admiral Lord Vkcount Keith, Sfc:* 
 
 General Clausel soon after heard of the events at Paris, 
 occasioned by tlie second abdication of his master ; and know- 
 ing well the disposition of the inhabitants of tlie country 
 around him, those of Bourdeaux in particular, he at length 
 entered into negociations with Captain Aylmer and the 
 French King's officers, which ended in the royal colours 
 being hoisted on the castle of Bourdeaux, and over all the sur- 
 rounding districts. 
 
 Early in 1816, Captain Aylmer was appointed to the Severn 
 of 50 guns, which frigate formed part of Lord Exmouth's 
 fleet at the memorable attack upon Algiers, on which occa- 
 sion she is said to have expended nearly 13,000 lbs. of pow- 
 der, and 2920 round shot *. Her loss consisted of 37 men 
 killed and wounded. A full account of that splendid achieve- 
 ment will be found at p. 225 ct seq. of our first volume. 
 
 For his conduct on that glorious day. Captain Aylmer was 
 nominated a C. B. immediately after the tidings of the victory 
 hud been received in England j and the insignia of a K. F. M. 
 was conferred upon him in consequence of his having con- 
 veyed to Naples, the whole of the emancipated Italian slaves, 
 anu 357,000 dollars, which the Dey of Algiers had been com- 
 pelled to return to the King of the Two Sicilies. 
 
 Captain Aylmer is heir-presumptive to his bn'*her Major- 
 General Lord Aylmer, K. C. B., Adjutant-General in Ire- 
 land f. 
 
 yi^^en/*.—Me8«r8» Cooke, Halford, and Son. 
 
 • See " Salamk'h Narrative of the exiMHlition to Algiers," p. l'-. 
 
 t Tlie first liord Aylmer was a page to the celebrated Duke of Hacking. 
 
 ham, and through his persuasion eujbraccil the naval profession. He acted 
 
 an Hccond to Russell in the battle off Cape la Hogue, and was made a 
 
 llear-Admirul in con8e(|uencc of the valour and good conduct displayed by 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1805. 
 
 RICHARD THOMAS, Esq. 
 
 953 
 
 This officer is the brother of Dr. Charles Thomas, Physi- 
 cian to the Devonport and Stonehouse Public Dispensary. 
 He was born at Saltash in Cornwall, entered the royal 
 navy at an early age, and served as Midshipman from June 
 1/90 till Jan. 1797, on board the Cumberland 74, commanded 
 l)y Captain John M'Bride ; Blanche frigate. Captain Robert 
 Murray ; Nautilus sloop of war. Lord Henry Paulet ; and 
 Boync and Victory three-deckers, bearing the flag of Sir John 
 Jcrvis, whose patronage he obtained by his gallant conduct 
 at the storming of Fort Royal, Martinique, Mar. 20, 1794, an 
 event already described at p. 859 of our first volume*. 
 
 We next find Mr. Thomas serving as a Lieutenant on board 
 the Excellent 74, commanded by Captain Cuthbert Colling- 
 wood, in the battle off Cape St. Vincent, which took place a 
 very few weeks after his promotion f. On that glorious oc- 
 casion the Excellent is acknowledged by Nelson to have taken 
 a very distinguished share, and to hav^ rendere<l him the 
 most effectual support in the hottest pan of the battle, as will 
 l>c seen by the following laconic note, which he addressed to 
 her commander, and an extract from his own account of 
 the transactions in which he himself \vaB personally en- 
 gugcdt:— 
 
 " Dear Collingwood ! — ^ friend in need is n friend 
 indeed." 
 
 him un tliat renowned occasion. In the succeeding reign he rendered him- 
 self forntiduhle to the Uurl)ury cursair:*, and greatly enhani-od his reputa- 
 tion by compelling the piratical slatCH of Algiers, Tunix, and Tripoli, to con- 
 clude a peace, ei(<ittll/ humiliating to tltcm, and lionuralile to the cause of 
 humanity' IJ'3 obtained an IriHli liurony in I7l^i and died Aug. IK, 1720. 
 Captain Aylmcr's father was his great-grandson. 
 
 * The Cumberland formed part of the 8(|uudron sent to the West Indies, 
 under Kcar-Admiral Cornish, during the Spanish nrmament in X'JW. The 
 Nautilus assisted at the capture of Tobago, April 15, 17!^^^; and at (he 
 rcdu( lion of Martinique and St. Lucia, in 17!)4. The Uoyne was destroyctl 
 by fire, ut Spithcad, May 1, 17!^5. Sec vol. I. pp. b'J, 514, and l!> ; ulso 
 vol. II. part I. p. S.'l. 
 
 t See memoir of Eorl St. Vincent, In vol. I, 
 
 X The document alluded to is givcu at full length in vol. I. at p. 77 i, 
 el iiq. 
 
 Ii 
 
 '.: 1 m 
 
 
 «; 
 
 I M 
 
954 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 " At this time (about 2-15 P. M.) the Salvador del Mundo and Sati 
 Isidro dropped astern, and were flrcd into, in a masterly style, by the 
 Excellent, Captain Collingwood, who compelled the San Isldro to hoist 
 English colours ; and I thought the large ship, Salvador del Mundo, had 
 also struck ; but Captain Collingwood, disdaining the parade of taking pos- 
 session of a vanquished enemy, most gallantly pushed up, with every sail 
 set, to save his old friend and messmate, who was to appearance in a criti- 
 cal state ; the Blenheim being a-bead, the Culluden crippled and a-stern. 
 The Excellent ranged up within two feet of the San Nicholas, giving a 
 most tremendous fire. The San Nicholas luffing up, the San Josef fell 
 on board her ; and the Excellent passing on for the Santa Trinidada, the 
 Captain resumed her station abreast of them, and close alongside •." 
 
 Lieutenant Thomas continued in the Excellent until Oct. 
 1798, at which period he was appointed to the Thalia frigate, 
 from whence he removed into the Defence 74, commanded 
 by his former Captain, Lord Henry Paulet, with whom he 
 served till the year 1800, when he rejoined the worthy Col- 
 lingwood, whose flag, as a Rear-Admiral of the White, v.-as 
 then flying on board t!»e Triumph, another third-rate, sta- 
 tioned off Brest. He subsequently followed the same officer 
 into the Barfleur of 98 guns, and remained with him, on 
 Channel service, till the suspension of hostilities in 1802. 
 His last appointment as a Lieutenant was to the Cambrian 
 frigate, from which ship he appears to have been promoted to 
 the rank of Commander, in the Chichester 44, at Halifax, 
 Jan. 18, 1803. 
 
 Returning from Nova Scotia, as a passenger on board tho 
 Lady Hobart packet, commanded by William Dorset Fel- 
 lowcs, Esq. (no'V Secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain 
 of England), Captain Thomas experienced shipwreck on an 
 island of ice ; but after being exposed to the most imminent 
 p'fil in an open boat for seven days, with scarcely any tinny 
 to subsist on, succeeded in reaching Island Cove, to the 
 northward of St. John's, Newfoundland, from whence he re- 
 turned to Bristol in a merchant vessel, Aug. 3, 1803. Tho 
 
 • The Excellent succeeded ui getting cloue undc. the lee of the SantissU 
 ma Trinidtula, mounting 13() guns, and ongnged her for nearly an hour, 
 assisted by the Orion, Irrt-aistiblc, and nienheim. According to an entry 
 in the Orion'a log. this huge ship was rompellvd to haul doNvn her colours, 
 and hoist a British ensign \ but the approach of 13 other Spanish ship:* pre. 
 vented her opponents front |)r()fiting by tho udvnnlagc they had gained. 
 The ExccUent's total Iu8» w li men killed and \2 wounded. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 955 
 
 Jo and Sail 
 Je. by the 
 ro to hoist 
 undo, had 
 aking pos- 
 every sail 
 
 in a criti- 
 |<1 a-sterii. 
 
 giving^ a 
 Josef fell 
 idada, the 
 e •.'» 
 
 ntil Oct. 
 I frigate, 
 imandcd 
 'horn he 
 thy Col- 
 lite, was 
 ite, sta- 
 e officer 
 ^ini, on 
 In 1802. 
 ambrian 
 noted to 
 Halifax, 
 
 )ard the 
 ict Fel- 
 iberlain 
 k on an 
 imincnt 
 y tinny 
 to the 
 ! he re- 
 . The 
 
 Saiitissi. 
 an hour, 
 nn entry 
 coloura, 
 iip» pre. 
 gained. 
 
 following arc extracts from the official narrative of Captain 
 Fellowes, published by authority soon after their arrival. 
 
 After giving an account of his sailing from Halifax, June 
 22, ] 803, and the capture of a French schooner on the 2Gth, 
 laden with salt fish. Captain Fellowes, thus proceeds : — 
 
 •* Tuesday 29th ./Mnr.— Blowing hard from the westward, with a lieavy 
 sea and hazy weather, with intervals of thick fog. Ahout 1 A. M., the ship 
 then going liy the log at the rate of seven miles an hour, struck against an 
 ialand of ice, wi»h such violence, tliat several of the crew were pitched out 
 of their hammocks, ffeinif roused out of my sleep l>y the suddenness of the 
 shock, I instantly ran upon deck. The helm being put hard a-port, the ship 
 struck again about the chcst-trec, and then swung round on her heel, her 
 stern-post being stove in, and her rudder carried away, before wc fould 
 succeed in our attempts to haul her otf. At this time the island of ice 
 appeared to hang <|uitu over the ship, forn)ing a high peak, which must 
 have been at least twice the height of our mast-head ; and we suppose the 
 length of the island to have been from a quarter to half a mile. 
 
 *' The sea was now breaking over the ice in a dreadful maimer, tlie 
 water rushing in so &i8t as to till the hold in a few minutes. Hove the 
 guus overboard, cut away the anchors from the bows, got two sails under 
 the ship's bottom, kept both pumps going, and baling with buckr^ts at the 
 main-hatchway, in the hope of preventing her from sinkiiig ; but in less 
 than a quarter of an hour she ticttled down to her fore-chains in the 
 water. 
 
 " Our situation was now become most perilous. Aware of the danger 
 of a moment's delay in hoisting out the boats, I consulted Captain Thumn.s 
 of the navy, and Mr. Bargus, my INIaster, as to the propriety of making 
 any further efforts to save the ship ; and as I was anxious to preserve tli<' 
 mail, I requested their opinion as to the possibility of taking it into the 
 boats, in the event of our being able to get them over the ship's side. 
 These gcntlcraea agreed with me, that no time was to be lost in hoistinif 
 them out ; and that, as the ve.^scl was then settling fast, our tirst and only 
 consideration was to endeavour to preserve the crew. 
 
 " Having fortunately succeeded in hoisting out the cutter and jolly-boat, 
 the sea then running high, we placed the ladies in the former. One of 
 them, IVIiss Cotenham, was so (erritied, '.hat she sprung from the gunwale, 
 and pitched into the bottom of the boat with considerable violence. This 
 accident, which might have been pnMluetivc of fatal conse-juences to her- 
 self, as well as to ut all, was uni.ttended by any bad elTects. The few pro- 
 v'.sions which had been saved from the men's berth.'* wore then put into the 
 l>oats, which were quickly veered a-stern. Uy this time the miiin-deck 
 fu.'ward was under water, and nothing Itut the <]iiarter-(lcck appeared: I 
 then ordered my men into the boats ; and having previously l^ished iron 
 pigs of ballMt to the mail, it was throtvn overboard. 
 
 " I now perceived the ship was linking fust, and called out to thn men 
 tv haul up and receive mc, intending to drop myself into the cutter from 
 
 
 \'4 
 
956 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 I 
 
 the end of the trysaii-boom, fearing she might be stove under the counter • 
 and I desired Mr. Bargus, who continued with me on the wreck, to go over 
 first. la this instance, he replied, that he begged leave to disobey my 
 orders ; that he must see me save over before he attempted to go himself. 
 Such conduct, and at such a moment, requires no comment ; but I should 
 be wanting to myself, and to the service, if 1 did not faithfully state to their 
 Lordships every circumstance, however trifling : and it is highly satisfac- 
 tory to me to luive this opportunity of recording an incident so honorable 
 to a meritorious officer. 
 
 " The sea was running so high at the time we hoisted out the boats, 
 that I scarcely flattered myself we should get them out in safety ; and in- 
 deed, nothing but the steady and orderly conduct of the crew could have 
 enabled us to effect so difllcult and hazardous an undertaking: it is a jus- 
 tice to them to observe, that not a man in the ship attempted to make jsc 
 of the liquor, which every one had in his power. Whilst the cutter v/as 
 getting out, I perceived one of the seamen (John Tipper) emptying a 
 demijean, or bottle, containing five gallons, which, on inquiry, I found to 
 be rum. He said that lie was emptying it for the purpose of filling it with 
 water from the scuttle-cask on the quarter-deck, which had been generally 
 filled over night, and which was then the only fresh water to be got at : it 
 became, afterwards, our principal supply. I relate this circumstance, as 
 being so highly creditable to the character of a British suiior. 
 
 " We had scarce quitted the ship, when she suddenly gave a heavy lurch 
 to port, and then went down head foremost. • • • • • I caunot 
 attempt to describe my own feelings, ur the sensations of my people 
 Exposed as we were, in two small open bouts, upon the great Atlantic 
 ocean, bereft of all assistance, but that which our own exertions, under 
 Providence, could afiurd us, we narrowly escaped being swallowed up in 
 the vortex. Men used to vicissitudes are not easily dejected ; but there are 
 trials which human nature alone cannot surmount. The consciousness of 
 having done our duty, and a reliance upon a good Providence, enabled us 
 to endure our calamity ; and we animated each other with the hope of a 
 better fate. •••••• 
 
 " Having at length surmounted dangers and difliculties which baffle all 
 description, we rigged the foren^ast, and prepared to shape our course ui 
 the best manner that circumstances would admit of, the '.vi?»d blowing from 
 the precise point on which it was nesessary to sail, to reach the nearest 
 land. An hour had scarcely elapsed from the time the ship struck, till 
 she foundered. The distribution of the crew had already been made in tuc 
 following order, which we afiervvards preserved : 
 
 " In the cutter, of the following dimensionsi viz. 20 feet long, 6 feet 4 
 inches broad, and 2k feet deep, were embarked three ladies and myself; 
 ('aptain Richard Thomas, of the navy ; the French commander of the 
 schooner ; the ma^ter's-mate, gunner, steward, carpenter, and eight seu> 
 men ; in all IH people : whose weight, together with the provisions, brouglm 
 the boat's gunwale down to .vithin (i or 7 inches of the water. From this 
 conliiiud space, scum idea uiay be foruted of our crowded stulc > but it is 
 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 957 
 
 the counter ; 
 k, to go over 
 disobey my 
 > go himself, 
 hut I should 
 state to their 
 hly satisfac- 
 )o honorable 
 
 t the boats, 
 ■iy i and in- 
 
 could have 
 
 it is a jus-. 
 ■0 make jse 
 
 cutter v/as 
 emptying a 
 
 I found to 
 ling it with 
 :n generally 
 e got at : it 
 mstancc, as 
 
 leavy lurch 
 I cauoot 
 tny people 
 at Atlantic 
 ons, under 
 >wcd up in 
 t there are 
 
 3U8nC8S of 
 
 iiablcd us 
 hope of a 
 
 I baffle all 
 course in 
 ving from 
 'ic nearest 
 truck, till 
 ide in tuc 
 
 , (i feet 4 
 I myself; 
 ;r of the 
 light SCO. 
 , brought 
 Vom this 
 but it is 
 
 «carcely pos!>ibiv for the imagination to conceive the extent of our sufler- 
 ings in coiiseipicnec of it. 
 
 " In the jolly-boat, 14 feet from stem to stem, 5|: feet broad, and 2 
 feet deep, were embarked Mr. Samuel Bargus, Master ; Lieutenant-Colo- 
 iiel George Cooke, of the First Regiment of Guards * ; the boatswain, sail- 
 maker, and seven seamen ; in all 1 1 persona f 
 
 " The only provisions, &c. we were enabled to save, consisted of between 
 40 and 50 pounds of biscuit ; one vessel containing 5 gallons of water ; a 
 small jug of the same, and part of a small barrel of spruce beer ; one dcmi- 
 jean of ruin, a few bottles of port wine, with two compasses, a <iuadrant, a 
 spy-glass, a small tin mug, and a wine-glass. The deck-Ianleni, which had 
 a few spare caudles in it, had been likewise thrown into the boat ; ami the 
 cook having had the precaution to secure liis tind«r~lio.\ and some matches 
 <tlmt were kept iu a bladder, wc were afterwards cnabkd to steer by night. 
 
 " The wind was now blowing strong from the westward, with a heavy 
 seai aud the day had just dawned. Estimating ourselves to be at the dis- 
 tance of 350 miles from St. John's, in Newfoundland, with a prospect of 
 a continuance of westerly winds, it became at once necessary to use the 
 strictest economy. I represented to my companions in distress, that our 
 resolution, once made, ought on no account to be changed ; and that we 
 must begin by sufTering privations, which I foresaw would be greater than 
 I ventured to explain. To each person, therefore, were served out half a 
 Jiiscuit and a glass of wine, which was the only allowance for the ensuing 
 2A hours, all agreeing to leave the water untouched as long as possible X- 
 During the time we were employed in getting out the boats, I had ordered 
 the blaster to throw the main-hatch tarpauling into the cutter ; which being 
 afterwards cut into lengths, enabled us to form a temporary bulwark against 
 the waves. I had also reminded the carpenter to carry with him a:i many 
 tools as he could : he bad accordingly, among other things, put a few nails 
 in his pockets, and we repaired the gunwale of the cutter, which had been 
 stove in hoisting her out. Soon after day-light we made sail, with the 
 jolly-boat in tow, and stood close-hauled to the northward aud westward, 
 in the hope of reaching the coast of Newfoundland or of being picked up 
 by some vessel. Passed two islands i.i Ice, nearly as large as the tirst. Wc 
 now said prayers, and returned thanks to God for our deliverance. At 
 
 • The present Lieutcnant-General Sir (leorge Cooke, K.C.B., who com- 
 inumlcd tliu (iuards, and lost an arm, at the baule of Waterloo. 
 
 t Two French prisoners arc included among the seamen mentioned 
 in the above lists. Two of the schooner's crew were left on board tu 
 assist in navigating her into port. The rcmuiitder were put uit board two 
 English merchantmen, for a passage to Newfoundland, soon after her 
 capture. 
 
 I Tltissmall allowance was obliged to be curtailed on the following day, 
 in consciiuencc of Ihu biscuit being much duiuagcd by ualt water during 
 thv night. 
 
958 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 I 
 
 noon, observed in lat. 4(1" ,«' N. ; St John's bearing alioul W. J N., (lis- 
 tunt 350 miles." 
 
 It was not until the 4th July, after encountering a succes- 
 sion of heavy gales, and being reduced by famine to ahnust 
 the lowest possible state of existence, that they made the 
 land in Conception Bay, on the coast of Newfoundland. 
 Those alone who have been in similar situations, can accu- 
 rately judge of the sensations experienced by them on seeing 
 the shore. By Captain Fellowcs they are thus afiFectiiigly 
 described : — 
 
 " I wish it were possible for ine to describe our sensations at tliis inte- 
 resting moment. From the constant watcbiii^r aru! fati^ruo, and from tbn 
 ian^or and depression arising from our exhausted state, such accumu- 
 lated irritability wen brought on, that the joy of a speedy relief atlectcd us 
 all in a most remarkable way ; many burst into tears ; some looked at each 
 other with a stupid stare, as if doubtful of the reality of what they saw ; 
 several were in such a lethargic state, that no consolation, no animating 
 language, could rouse them to exertion. 
 
 " At this affecting period, though overpowered by my own feelings, 
 and impressed with the recollection of our sutferings, and the sight of no 
 many deplorable objects, I proposed to offer up our solemn thanks to 
 Heaven for our miraculous deliverance. Every one cheerfully assented ; 
 and as soon as I opened the pmycr-book (which I had secured the last time 
 I went down to my cabin), there was an universal silence ; a spirit of de- 
 votion was 80 singidarly manifested on this occasion, that to the bcnetits 
 of a religious sense in uncultivated minds, must be ascribed that discipline, 
 good order, and exertion, which even the sight of land could scarcely 
 prcduce. 
 
 " The wind having blown with great violence from off the coast, we did 
 not reach the landing-place at Island Cove till four o'clock in the evening. 
 All the women and children in the village, with two or three tislienncn (the 
 rest of the men being absent), came down to the beach, and appearing 
 deeply affected at cur wretched situation, assisted in carrying us up the 
 craggy rocks, over which we were obliged to pass to get to their 
 habitations. 
 
 " This small village affonled neither medical aid nor fresh provisions, of 
 which we stood so much in need ; p' ' itoes and salt fish being the only food 
 of the inhabitants. I determined, tlitteforc, to lose no time in proceeding 
 to St. John's, having hired a small schooner for that purpose. On the 7th 
 July we embarked in three divisions, placing the most infirm in the 
 schcoocr; the master's-mate having charge of the cutter, and the boat- 
 swain of the jolly-boat : but such was the exhausted state of nearly the 
 whole party, that the day was considerably advanced before we could got 
 undci' weigh. • " • •. Towards dusk it came on to blow hani in 
 !«|Ualls off the land, when wc loU i<ight of the cutter, and were obliged 
 
P08T-CAPTAiN8 OF 1805. 
 
 959 
 
 soon after to come to an anchor outside of St. John's harbour. We were 
 under greut apprehensions for the cutter's safety, as she had no grapnel, 
 and lest she should be driven out to sea ; but at day-light we perceived her 
 and the schooner entering the harbour; the cutter, as we afterwards 
 learned, having ha'^ the good fortune to fall in with a fishing-vessel, to 
 which she made fast during the night. . 
 
 " The ladies, Colonel Cooke Captain Thomas, and myself, conducted 
 by Mr. Lilly (a planter resident at Island Cove) in the jolly>boat, having 
 left the schooner when she anchored, notwithstanding the badness, as well 
 as extreme darkness of the night, reached the shore about midnight. We 
 wandered for some time about the streets, there being no house open at 
 that late hour ; but were at length admitted into a small tenement, where we 
 passed the remainder of the night on chairs, there being but one miserublo 
 bed for the ladies. Early on the following day, our circumstances being 
 made known, hundreds of people crowded down to the landing-pluce : 
 nothing could exceed their surprise on seeing the boats that had carried 
 2') persons such a distance over a boisterous sea ; and when they beheld su 
 many miserable objects, they could not conceal their emotions of pity and 
 concern. I waited on Brigadier-General Skerrit, who commanded the 
 garrison, and who immediately, upon being informed of our situation, or- 
 dered down a party of soldiers to take the people out of the boats, and 
 with the utmost kindness and humanity directed beds and every necessary 
 article to be prepared for the crew •." * 
 
 Being anxious to return to England, Captiun Fellowea en- 
 gaged the cabin of a small vessel bound to Oporto ; and ou 
 the 11th July he embarked with Lieutenant-Colonel Cooke, 
 Captain Thomas, and Mr. Bargus, leaving the Mate in charge 
 of his late crew. 
 
 " During a voyage of 15 days we had a few difficulties to encounter, 
 such as pumping continually, the vessel having sprung a leak in a gale of 
 wind ; and we were obliged to throw overboard a considerable part of her 
 cargo. On the 2Gth July, we fell in with an American ship, the Bristol 
 Trader, of New York. The owner, Mr. William Cowley, being told our 
 distressed situation, and that we had been shipwrecked, immediately hove 
 to, and, with a benevolence and humanity that will ever reflect the highest 
 he i')r on his character, received us on board, and brought us safe tu 
 Bristol i where we had the happiness to arrive on the 3d August t. 
 
 * The greatest circumspection was found necessary in administering 
 nourishment to the men, who were so much frost-bitten as t<» rctjuirc con- 
 stant surgical assistance. Many of then^ lost their toes ; and it was dutcr- 
 mined they should continue at St. John's until the whole were in a fit state 
 to be removed to Halifax in a schooner hired by ( aptain roliowes fur that 
 purpose. 
 
 t The Oporto tmdcr was never heard of after Captain i'cllowes and hit 
 
 f. 
 
 if 
 
960 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 i 
 
 " PosTSURirx. / regret that, in the hurry of drmring up this iXarru- 
 live, I ihould have omitted to make more pnrticular mnntion of Cuptu'm 
 Richard Thomas, R. N., from whose great professional skill and advice, 
 throughout the tehole of our perilous voyage, I derived the greutcxt 
 assistance.'* 
 
 The cliaractcr of the work from which we have made the 
 foregoing extracts, and the praise to which Captain Fellowes 
 and his associates in misfortune are entitled, for their firm 
 and pious conduct in the hour of danger, are so admirably 
 touched in the following minute tliereon, made by their Lord- 
 ships the Post-Master-General, as to render any farther eu- 
 logium on our part unnecessary. 
 
 "August Ifi, 1803. 
 
 " We have perused this report with a mixed sentiment of sympathy and 
 admiration. \Vc are satisfied, that in the \ms of the packet and of tiie pub- 
 lic correspondence, no blame is imputable to Captain Fellowes, to his offi- 
 cers, or to his seamen. In their exertion after the ship had struck on the 
 floating mass of ice, and in their subsequent conduct, they appear to have 
 shewn all the talents and virtue whicli can distinguish the naval cha- 
 racter. 
 
 " Let a proper letter be written in our names to the friends and family 
 of the very worthy French officer who perished *. And we shall be solici- 
 tous to learn the entire recovery of the other passengers, who met such 
 dangers and sufferings with the most exemplary fortitude. 
 
 *• Mr. Freeling will return the Narrative to Captain Fellowes, with our 
 permission to him to communicate it to his friends ; or, if he shall think 
 proper, to give it to the public. It cannot faU to impress on the minds of 
 all who may read it, the benefit of religion, and the consolation of prayer 
 under the pressure of calamity ; and also an awful sense of the interposi- 
 tion and mercies of Providence, in a case of extreme peril and distress. 
 To seamen it will more especially shew that discipline, order, generosity of 
 mind, good temper, mutual benevolence, and patient exertion, are, under 
 the favor of Heaven, the best safeguards in all their difficulties. 
 
 '* With respect to Captain Fellowes, we feel highly gratified in having 
 
 companions left her ; but there is every reason to believe that she perished 
 in the same gale that proved so fatal to H. M. sloop Calypso, and the 
 Jamaica fleet under her protection, in Aug. 1803. 
 
 • M. Rossd, commander of the French schooner captured by the Lady 
 Hobart, threw himself overboard in a fit of delirium, on the 3d July. lie 
 had for some days laboured under a despondency which admitted of no con- 
 solation. One of the other prisoners, at the same time, became so out- 
 rageous, that it was found ucccsiiary to lush him to the bottom of the 
 boat. 
 
 -^ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 961 
 
 it in our power so immediately to give him a promotion, which wc have 
 reason to believe will be particularly acceptable. 
 
 (Signed) " Auckland. 
 
 " C. Spencer ♦." 
 
 Tlie subject of this memoir commissioned the ^Etiia bomb 
 in Dec. 1803, and soon after joined the Heet under Lord Nel- 
 son on the Mediterranean station, where he was very actively 
 employed covering Sardinia, and on various other services, 
 till the glorious battle of Trafalgar ; from which period he 
 served as Flag-Captain to Lord Collingwood, in the Queen, 
 Ocean, and Ville de Paris, 3-deckers, until the death of that 
 gallant and worthy nobleman, which took place off Minorca, 
 on the 7th Mar. 1810. His post commission bears date Oct. 
 22, 1805. 
 
 It should here be remarked, that Lord Collingwood, satis- 
 fied with the ability of his protege^ wholly dispensed with the 
 assistance of a Captain of the Fleet, and consequently much 
 of the duty of that office was performed by Captain Thomas, 
 who continued in the command of the Ville de Paris, as a 
 private ship, till the autumn of 1810, when he gave her up in 
 consequence of private concerns requiring his attendance in 
 England. 
 
 Captain Thomas's next appointment was, about Feb. 1811, 
 to the Undaunted, a fine 38-gun frigate, employed in co-oper- 
 ation with the Spanish patriots on the coast of Catalonia, 
 where he displayed great zeal and activity on a variety of oc- 
 casions, for which the thanks of the Admiralty were conveyed 
 to him through his senior officer, the present Sir F Iward 
 Codrington. He was subsequently entrusted with the com- 
 
 * Captain Fellowcs, who then held the rank of a commander in the 
 navy, by commission dated in 18()0, was appuintc<l A^ent for the Packets 
 stationed at Holyhead, in Aug. 1803, and held that office till his retirement 
 from the service in 18 i 5. He became Private Secretary to the late Lord 
 Gwydir in 1819 ; and received his present appointment as Secretary to the 
 Lord Great Chamberlain of England, in I82(). He is the author of " An 
 Account of the celebrated Juiy 1816," written to Lord Gwydir; and of 
 " A Visit to the Monastery of h\\ Trappe, and the interesting country of La 
 Vendee." His eldest brother, James, served as Physician to the Britiith 
 army during the peninsular war, and received the honor of knighthood. 
 Mar. 21, 1810. Another brother, Thomas, who greatly distinguished him- 
 self as a commander of flotilla at Cadiz, obtained post rank Mur. 4, 1811 ; 
 and was nominated u C. B. \\\ 1815. 
 
 ail 
 
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 I 
 
 4 
 
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962 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 mand of a S(iuadron stationed in the gulf of Lyons ; and on 
 the 29th April 1812, we find him directinj^ an attack to be 
 made by the boats of his own ship, the Volontaire frigate, 
 and Blossom sloop, upon a fleet of French njcrchantmen near 
 the town of St. Mary's. This service was ably performed 
 under the orders of Lieutenant John Eager, who succeeded 
 in capturing seven vessel;?, and destroying thirteen others, 
 laden with provisions and stores, together with a national 
 schooner of 4 guns and 74 men, under whose protection they 
 were proceeding to the relief of Barcelona. 
 
 In Aug. following. Captain Thomas was charged with the 
 blockade of Toulon, which port he watched with a squadron 
 consisting of four frigates and two brigs, during the absence of 
 Sir Edward Pellew, who had determined to try the experiment 
 of watering his fleet at the mouth of the Rhone, and afterwards 
 to create a diversion in favor of the army under Sir John 
 Murray, by proceeding to the Spanish coast, and making a 
 shew of attacking the enemy's posts in the bay of Rosas. 
 This object being effected. Captain Thomas was sent back to 
 resume his command off Marseilles, where he remained till 
 Jan. 1813, when ill-health obliged him to resign his ship 
 and return to England. He has recently been relieved in the 
 superintendence of the Ordinary at Portsmouth, to which 
 service he was appointed in Ap^il, 1822. 
 
 JOHN QUILLIAM, Esq. 
 
 This officer may be truly styled a favorite of Fortune. He 
 is a native of the Isle of Man, and was impressed into the 
 navy, but at what period we have not been informed. As a 
 commissioned officer we first find him serving as third Lieu- 
 tenant of the Ethalion frigate, commanded by Captain Jamea 
 Young, who bore official testimony to his good conduct at 
 the capture of a Spanish treasure ship, Oct. 17, 1799. Mr. 
 Quilliam's share of prize-money on that occasion exceeded 
 5000/.* 
 
 The Ethalion was aoon after doomed to experience a sad 
 reverse, she being wrecked on the coast of France in little 
 
 • See Vol. I. p. 684. 
 
; and on 
 ack to be 
 re frigate, 
 tmen near 
 )erfornied 
 succeeded 
 n others, 
 national 
 :tion they 
 
 with the 
 squadron 
 bsence of 
 periment 
 'terwards 
 Sir John 
 making a 
 )f Rosas. 
 
 back to 
 
 kined till 
 
 his ship 
 
 ed in the 
 
 to wliich 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 963 
 
 more than two months after the above capture*. A narra- 
 tive of her loss is given at full length in Schomberg'a Naval 
 Chronology, vol. iii. p. 210 et seq. After that disaster, we 
 lose sight of Mr. Quilliam until the glorious 21st Oct. 18()5, 
 on which day he served as first Lieutenant of Nelson's flag- 
 ship, the Victory of 100 guns, — a circumstance which secured 
 his promotion to post rank, without ever having been a Com- 
 mander ; and at the same time produced nmch mortification 
 to those of Nelson's followers who were senior to himself, 
 and whom the hero had ordered to perform the duties of junior 
 Lieutenants, for no other reason than that of avoiding a con- 
 stant succession of executive officers — the whole of them 
 being before Mr. Quilliam on his Lordship's list for promo- 
 tion. We state this on the credit of a Post-Captain, who, 
 when mentioning the subject, evinced not the slightest dispo- 
 sition to detract from his former messmate's merits. 
 
 Captain Quilliam's post commission bears date Dec 24, 
 1S05 ; but being put in charge of the Ildefonso, a Spanish 74, 
 and having to refit her at Gibraltar, he did not arrive in Eng- 
 land till May 16th in the following year. He subsequently 
 commanded the Alexandria, Inconstant, and Crescent frigates ; 
 the latter employed on the NeAvfoundland station, where ho 
 captured an American privateer, pierced for 14 guns^ with a 
 complement of 66 men, Sept. 16, 1813. 
 
 Agents, — Messrs. Barnett and King. 
 
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 into the 
 I. As a 
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 9. Mr. 
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 in little 
 
 JOHN PILFOLD, Esq. ■^fak^ik 
 
 A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order ofilte Duth. 
 
 This officef is the second son of the late Charles Pilfold, 
 Esq. by Bathia, daughter of William White, Esq. both of 
 Horsham, co. Sussex, of which place he is a native. 
 
 Mr. Pilfold first went to sea as a Midshipman on board the 
 Crown 64, bearing the broad pendant of the Hon. William 
 Cornwallis, in which ship he continued from Oct. 1788, until 
 her return from the East Indies, in May, 1792. 
 
 Soon after his arrival at Spithead he joined the Bnmswick 
 74, then commanded by Sir Roger Curtis, Burt., and forming 
 
 • SecVol. I. p. 72{>. 
 
 
 
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964 
 
 POBT-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 part of the fleet of observation under Lord Hood ; but subse- 
 quently commanded by Captain John Harvey, and attached 
 , to the grand fleet under Earl Howe, by whom he was re- 
 ceived into the Queen Charlotte on promotion, through the 
 recommendation of his dying commander, whose particular 
 notice he had attracted during the lengthened contest between 
 ,the British and French forces, which terminated with such 
 glory to the former on the memorable first of June, 1794 *. 
 
 On the 14th Feb. 1795, Mr. Pilfold received an order from 
 Earl Howe to act as a Lieutenant on board the Russel 74, 
 which appointment was immediately confirmed by the Ad- 
 miralty; he consequently bore a part in Lord Bridport's 
 action off I'Orient, June 23d following, on which occasion three 
 French line-of-battle ships were compelled to surrender ; the 
 Russel sustaining a loss of 3 men killed and 10 wounded. 
 
 Mr. Pilfold's next appointment was, Sept. 1795, to the 
 Kingsfisher sloop of war, in which vessel he continued for a 
 considerable time, under various commanders, and assisted 
 at the capture of several privateers, principally on the Lisbon 
 station, where he received 'the thanks of Earl St. Vincent for 
 his spirited conduct in suppressing a daring mutiny among 
 her crew, several of whom were slain before subordination 
 could be restored, as will be seen by reference to our memoir 
 of Rear-Admiral Maitland, with whom he was then serving 
 as first Lieutenant. 
 
 During his continuance in the Kingsfisher, Lieutenant Pil- 
 fold was successively appointed to his old ship, the Russel, 
 and to the Commerce de MarseilleSy a first rate, at the request 
 of Sir Hugh C. Christian and Sir Charles M. Pole ; but the 
 kind intentions of those distinguished officers towards him 
 were frustrated in consequence of no other gentleman being 
 •ent to supply his place, which rendered it impossible for him 
 to obtain his discharge from that vessel. In 1798, however, 
 we find him on board the Impetueux 73, of which ship he 
 also became first Lieutenant previous to her being paid off at 
 Plymouth, April 14, 1802. A gallant action performed by 
 him in the Morbihan river, June 6, IdOO, called forth the 
 
 • Sec Vol. I. note at p. 613 et stq. and aiemoir of Captain Rowland 
 Bevaw. N. B. The Brunswick had no less than 158 officers and men 
 killed and wounded. Mr. Pilfuld was then serving as Master's Mate. 
 
POSt-CAPTAINS OF 1805. 
 
 965 
 
 marked approbation of Earl St. Vincent, then commanding 
 the Channel fleet, and is thus noticed by his own Captain, 
 the present Viscount Exmouth, in his public letter to that 
 noble Admiral, reporting the transactions of a squadron em- 
 ployed in co-operation with the French royalists * :— 
 
 " On the 4th the Thames, Cynthia, and small force, attacked the S. W. 
 end of Quiberon, silenced the forts, which were afterwards destroyed l)y ft 
 party of troops landed under Major Ramsay ; several vessels were brought 
 off, and some scuttled ; the only lo«3 2 killed and 1 wounded on board the 
 Cynthia. • • • • On the 6th, before day, we succeeded in an at- 
 tempt Upon the Morbihan, from whence were taken 2 brigs, 2 sloops, 
 2 gun-vessels, and about 100 prisoners ; a corvette, I'Insolente of 18 guns, 
 was burnt, with several other small craft, the guns all destroyed, and the 
 magazine blown up. ;r , ;< • •, i' t„r , • " > ., . ' . f, ., 
 
 " Three hundred of the Queen's regiment were employed upon this ser- 
 vice ; and the gun-launches and naval force were under the direction of 
 Lieutenant John Pilfold of this ship, who boarded the corvette with tnuch 
 bravery, and performed the service with much judgment and officer-like 
 conduct ; tlte loss was only one seaman killed in his boat, and some slight 
 hurts." ... 
 
 'ji'ti. 
 
 ,i;r 
 
 ■!' 
 
 At the renewal of the war, in 1803, Lieutenant PilfolS was 
 appointed to the Hindostan 54; and subsequently to the 
 Dragon and Ajax third rates ; of which latter ship he was 
 first Lieutenant in the action off Ferrol, July 22, 1805 ; and 
 commanding officer in the glorious battle off Cape Trafalgar, 
 on the 21st Oct. in the same year, his Captain (William 
 Brown) being then absent attending the trial of Sir Robert 
 Calderfor his conduct on the former day. • •? Ur.,\ . pi,^s 
 
 According to Mr. James's account of the Trafalgar fight, 
 the Ajax was only approaching lintrepide French 74, when that 
 ship surrendered. Captain Brenton, in his view of the hostile 
 fleets, places the Orion close to Tlntrepide, but takes no notice 
 of the Ajax. This, we think, is giving too much credit to 
 one officer at the expence of another. The fact is. Lieute- 
 nant Pilfold had been long engaged with I'lntrepide (as well 
 as Captain Codrington, who was lying on his starboard quar- 
 ter) ; but the enemy having hauled up athwart hawse of the 
 Ajax, enabled the Orion to drop alongside, which obliged 
 Lieutenant Pilfold to make way for fear of entangling the 
 whole. He ultimately towed the prize to windward of the 
 
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 I H 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 • See Vol. I. p. 219. 
 
 3 H 
 
966 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 fleet, but was (^iged to cut her adrift in the fatal gale which 
 succeeded that unparalleled victory, and she was finally de- 
 stroyed by the Britannia *, as was the Argonauta, a Spanish 
 80, by the Ajax. 
 
 Passing Over the intermediate step of rank, the subject of 
 this sketch was made a Post-Captain, Dec. 25, 1805 ; and soon 
 after presented with a gold medal for his services on tbe above 
 occasion. In April, 1808, our late Monarch was graciously 
 pleased to grant him an honorable augmentation to his family 
 arms ; and he obtained the insignia of a C. B. at the first 
 establishment of that order in June 1815. . . .,rn , , 
 
 Captain Pilfold married, June 20, 1803, Mary Anne Hor- 
 ner, daughter of the late Thomas South, of Donhead, co. 
 Wilts, Esq., and niece of the late Hiomas Homer, of Mells 
 i^ark, in Somersetshire, Esq., by whom he has issue two 
 daughters. One of his sisters is tlie lady of Sir Timothy 
 Shelley, Bart., nnother is married to Thomas Grove, of Fern, 
 Esq., and a third is the widow of the Rev. Gilbert Jackson, 
 
 D.D, 
 
 ^gent.^-Haary Cook, Esq. , 
 
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 WILLIAM HENNAH, Esq: 
 
 This offioet is the son of a clergyman, formerly resident at 
 St. Austle, in Cornwall. H^e received his first commission in 
 1793 ; had the good fortune to be senior Laeutenant of the 
 Mara 74) in the glorious battle off Cape Trafalgar ; and having 
 succeed to the command of that ship on the death of Cap- 
 tain George Duff, who fell during the conflict f, was promoted 
 to post rank on the fttst day of the following year (1806). 
 He is married, and has a large fnmily. 
 
 Jl'^«n#«.^— Mesfin. Stilwell. -.yJiii ":t'\ 
 
 I 
 
 WILLIAM PRYCE CUMBY, Esq, 
 
 « I 
 
 This officer is the only surviving son of the late Captain 
 David Pryce Cumby, R.N., by his first wifie, Eleanor, second 
 
 • See vol. I. p. 207. 
 t See Captain Norwich Duff. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1806. 
 
 967 
 
 daughter of William Jepson, of Heigbington, co. Durham, 
 Esq.* • 'i.**!!! 
 
 He was born at Dover, in Kent, Mar. 20, 1771 ; and en 
 tered the naval service in May 1784, as a Midshipman on 
 board the Kite cutter, commanded by Lieutenant Henry 
 Gunter, and employed as a cruiser against the smugglers on 
 the N. E. coast of England. That vessel being paid off in 
 Nov. 1786, he then embarked on board a merchantman, and 
 made several voyages to Holland, the Baltic, and Canada, for 
 the purpose of improving himself in nautical science. In 
 1789 we find him joining the Brazen, a King's cutter; and 
 during the Spanish armament, he appears to have been suc- 
 cessively removed into the Alfred 74, Meleager 32, and Le- 
 viathan, a tliird-rate, the latter commanded by tlie late Lord 
 Mulgrave, who subsequently placed him under the protection 
 of Captain Henry Savage, of the Pomona frigate, a most active, 
 zealous, and experienced officer, with whom he continued until 
 the termination of tlie Russian armament, towards the close 
 of 1791. Mr. Cumby then joined the Hebe, of 38 guns, and 
 served in that ship, under the command of Cnptain Alexander 
 Hood, on the Channel station, till Mar. 1 792 ; when he passed 
 his examination &r a lieutenant, and was soon afterwards 
 sent by Lord Midgrave to the Newfoundland station, in the 
 Asisistance 50, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Sir Richard 
 King, Bart., with whom he seturned to iilugland at the com- 
 mencemeut of tlie ensuing winter. ... . i. , 
 
 On his arrival at Portsmouth, Mr. Cumby had the grief and 
 mortification to learn that his excellent friend and powerful 
 patron had paid the debt of nature ; his Lordship having died 
 at Spa but a very few weeks before. The prospect of a war, 
 however, with republican France, still induced him not to de- 
 spair of promotion ; and his hopes were fortunately realized, 
 through the influence of the present Lord Mulgrave, in Oct. 
 1793, when he received a commission as third Lieutenant of 
 the Assistance, at that time commanded by Captaui Nathan 
 
 * Ui> grapdfHthcr, Mr* John Cuiuby, died of fever, when Herving aa 
 Master of the flag-ship at Jamaica ; his great uocle, David Pryce Cuioby, 
 died a Master aud Cuiuinandcr i and his maternal uncles, Anthony and 
 Sandford Jepson, were LieutenuntH in tlie royal navy. > < V ■('> '■> " ■» 
 
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968 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 Brunton, under whom he had before served in the Meleager 
 frigate *. 
 
 Mr. Cumby's next appointment was, in May 1795, to the 
 Astrcea 32, commai::ded by his old shipmate, Lord Henry 
 Paulet, who had requested him to become his first Lieuten- 
 ant, and whom he afterwards followed into the Thalia 3(V, 
 where he continued until his Lordship's removal from the 
 command of that frigate, by the sentence of a court-martial 
 assembled off Cadiz, in the month of June, 1798t. c-sp^rn.. 
 ; From the Thalia, Mr. Cumby was removed into the Excel- 
 lent 74, Captain Cuthbert Collingwood, in which ship he 
 remained, as third Lieutenant, until paid off, at the latter end 
 of the same year. In June 1799, he was again called into 
 service ; and for three years from that period we find him 
 holding the appointment of Flag-Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral 
 Graeme, commander-in-chief in the Medway. 
 
 At the renewal of the war between Great Britain and 
 France (May 1803), Lieutenant Cumby obtained the com- 
 mand of the Swift cutter, on the North Sea station ; and in 
 May 1804, he received an appointment to the Norfolk dis- 
 trict of Sea Fencibles ; from which service he was removed 
 in Nov. following, the late Captain John I-oring having 
 applied for him to be appointed jhis first Lieutenant, in the 
 Bellerophon of 74 guns. Fortunately for Mr. Cumby's inte- 
 rests, Captain John Cooke, who succeeded to the command 
 of that ship, consented to his remaining with him in the same 
 capacity ; and it consequently fell to his lot to command a 
 third rate in the most glorious battle ever fought at sea. 
 ' The Bellerophon, it will be remembered, was one of Lord 
 Nelson's fleet, and bore a most distinguished part in the memo- 
 rable engagement off Cape Trafalgar. The death of Captain 
 Cooke is thus described by the subject of this memoir, in a 
 letter addressed to the brother of that heroic officer : — 
 
 • Captain Nathan Brunton had served under Lord MulgraTC, in the 
 Courogeux 74, and was long honored with that nobleman's friendship and 
 confidence. He was afterwards promoted to the rank of Vice-Admirul, 
 and died at Stockton-iipon-Tces, Nov. 19, 1814. 
 
 t Lord Henry Paulet's trial will lie more fully noticed in cm S^upple- 
 meut to the /Addenda, see Vol. L p. 883. 
 
"i 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OV 1806. 
 
 969 
 
 " You will naturally expect to know the circumstances attending Cap- 
 lain Cooke's death, which must ever reflect the highest honor on himself, 
 and endear his memory to his friends and country. Having, with the 
 greatest gallantry and judgment, conducted the Bellerophon into action 
 and broke through tlie enemy's line, under the stern of a Spanish 74 
 (Monarca), in hauling up to engage her to leeward, we fell on board the 
 French ship, I'Aigle, which the smoke hindered us from seeing till too late 
 to prevent our laying her on board on the weather quarter. She being a 
 much loftier ship than ours, and full of troops, our quarter-deck, poop, 
 and forecastle, became exposed to their musketry, from which we suffered 
 much. About this time I was sent down by Captain Cooke to explain to 
 the officers on the main and lower-decks the situation of the ship, and with 
 his orders to direct their principal efforts against the ship we were foul of, 
 viz. to take the beds and quoins from under the guns, and blow up the 
 enemy's decks. On my return to the quarter-deck, a few minutes after, 
 I found he had fallen at 1 1 minutes past one o'clock, whilst in the act of 
 reloading his pistols, which he had discharged two or three times. He' 
 was taken below, and on the surgeon opening his waistcoat, he found him 
 just dead, having received a musket-ball or grape-shot in his right-breast, 
 which had broken two of the ribs, and passing through the lungs, occa- 
 sioned almost instant death. On iniiuiring of the men who carried him 
 below, I find that when seeing him fall, they asked him if they should take 
 him down — ^he answered, * Let me lay one minute,' which they did j — 
 these were the last words he spoke •." * • . ■ ' 
 
 At this early period of the battle, the Bellerophon was 
 closely engaged with the Monarca, as well as I'Aigle, and ex- 
 posed to a distant cannonade from three other of the ene- 
 my's ships. Lieutenant Cumby, however, had soon the satis- 
 faction to see his more immediate opponent disentangle her- 
 self and drop astern, of which he took advantage by pouring 
 several broadsides into her stern as she was in the act of 
 falling off; and then directing his fire against the Monarca^ 
 compelled her to surrender. 
 
 In this tremendous conflict, the Bellerophon had no less 
 than 150 officers and men killed and wounded f : I'Aigle is 
 supposed to have lost nearly two-thirds of her crew. The 
 
 •ill c** 
 
 ; ^.'.i 
 
 * It had ever been Capt^n Cooke's strongest wish, even when he had 
 no thought of employment, to be once placed under the command of Nel- 
 son : — to be in a general engagement with Lord Nelson, would, he used to 
 say, crown all his military ambition. By the concurrence of events, this 
 actually happened, and they were both doomed to fall at the same moment, 
 and ulmoat iu the same manner. . , 
 
 t Sec Vol. I. p. 205. " 
 
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 Pdst-CAPf AiJfs OP 1806. 
 
 Mortarca must also have suffered severely, but her loss has 
 never been recorded. 
 
 On his return to England, Lieutenant Cumby was pro- 
 moted to the rank of Post-Captain, by commission, dated 
 Jan. 1, 1806j as a reward for his gallant conduct ; and in the 
 course of the same month he had the melancholy gratification 
 of following the remains of Nelson to the tomb. In July, 
 1807j he was appointed pro tempore to the Dryad 36, in 
 which frigate he made several valuable captures during a 
 three months' cruise on the Irish station. His next appoint- 
 ment was. May 1808, to the Polyphemus 64, fitting for the 
 flag cf his friend Vice- Admiral B. S. Rowley, commander-in- 
 chief at Jartiaica ; to which station he proceeded in July fol- 
 lowing, convoying thither a large fleet of merchantmen, the 
 whole of whom he conducted safely to their respective desti- 
 nations. 
 
 The Vice-Adniiral residing constantly on shore, his flag 
 tvas frequently shifted to the Shark sloop, for the purpose of 
 affording Captain Cumby opportunities of cruising against the 
 enemy. On one of those occasions the boats of the Polyphe* 
 nius captured the Colibry, French national schooner, of 3 
 guns and 63 men, reputed the fastest sailing vessel attached 
 to the colony of St. Domingo. 
 
 In June, 1809, Captain Cumby vras appointed to command 
 a squadron sent from Port Royal, with a military detachment, 
 under Major-General Hugh L. Carmichael, to co-operate with 
 the Spanish troops investing the city of St. Domingo. Tlie 
 following extracts from Vice-Admiral Rowley's public letter 
 to the Hon. W. W. Pole, will shew the success which at* 
 tended his exertions. 
 
 " Sir.-x-I have the honor to acquaint you^ for the inforinatioa of my 
 tiords Oommisisioners of the Admiralty, that H. M. sloop Tweed arrived 
 here last night, from off St. Domingo, bringing me a despatch from Cap- 
 tain Cumby of the Polyphemus, announcing the surrender on the 6tb inst. 
 (July) of the French troc^s composhig the garrison of tbat city. * • • 
 * * The exemplary vigilance and unremitted exertions of the officers 
 and men composing the crews of his Majesty's ships and vessels named in 
 the margin *, employed during this short but vigorous blockade, under the 
 
 * Polyphemus, Aurora, Tweed, Sparrow, Thrush, Griffin, Lark, Moselle, 
 Fleur-de>la-Mcr, and Pike. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 971 
 
 immediate orders of Capt^n Cumby, have contributed most essentially to 
 accelerate t)ie reduction of this last possession of the enemy on the Jamaica 
 station. The fullest testimony is borne by Major-General Carmichael to 
 the conlial support which he received from them after the arrival of the 
 British troops ; and I have no doubt that the conduct of Captain Cumby, 
 and that of the officers, seamen, and marines imder his orders, will be dis- 
 tinguished by their Lordships' approbatiop, m i% has already beea by mine^ 
 I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " B. S. RowL?y." 
 
 Soon after the death of Admiral Rowley, Oct. 7, 1811, 
 Captain Cumby proceeded to Vera Cruz apd Havannab, on 
 his way to England, in the Hyperion of 42 guns, to which 
 ship he had been appointed in the preceding month of March. 
 After refitting at Portsmouth, he was ordered to Davis's 
 Straits, where he cruised for the protection of the whale 
 fishery during the whole summer of 1812. He subsequently 
 took a convoy from Newfoundland to Barbadoes, and then 
 returned to St. John's harbour, where his ship was frozen up 
 almost immediately after her arrival. 
 
 By the above statement our readers will observe that the 
 Hyperion had been twice in the West Indies, spent a whole 
 summer amidst icebergs, and commenced a long and severe 
 winter at Newfoundland, all within twelve months : an in- 
 stance of sudden and repeated change from one extreme of 
 temperature and climate to the other, rarely equalled. The 
 health of her crew, however, suffered less from these rstpid 
 and severe changes than might have been e^^peqted, owing in 
 a great degree to the precautions taken by Captain Cumby, 
 who obliged his men to purchase a large supply; I'varmcloath- 
 ing wheij they received their arrears of pay at Fv. rt&piouth. 
 
 In Nov. 1813, Captain Cumby sailed from Newfoundland 
 with the trade bound to Portugal under bis protection ;, and 
 during the remainder of the war we find him employed 
 cruising in the British Channel and Bay of Biscay, where he 
 captured, nfter a long chase, the American privateer Rattle- 
 snake of 16 guns, an uncommonly fine brig, nearly new, 298 
 tons burthen, whiqh had already taken twenty-eight of our 
 merchant vessels, (several with valuable rargoes) j and from 
 her extraordinary faat sailing, would no doubt have done still 
 greater injury to the trade of his Majesty's subjects. The 
 Hyperion was paid off at Portsmouth, Aug. 3), 1815. 
 
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972 
 
 POBT-CAPI'AINS OF 1806. 
 
 Captain Cumby marriecl, first, in 1801 , Miss Metcalf, of 
 Richmond, in Yorkshire ; and by that lady, who died in Jan. 
 1815, he had two sons, one of whom is intended for holy 
 orders ; the other has already embarked as a Midshipman 
 R. N. Secondly, Dec. 29, 1818, Elizabeth, eldest daughter 
 of the late Rev. Thomas Wilson Morley, of Eastby House, 
 near the same town, by whom he has one son. He has also 
 a daughter by his former marriage. His half brother, Charles 
 Cumby, is a Commander in the navy. ' " > ' '; 
 
 -(^g'cw^— Isaac Clementson, Esq. 
 
 ,;,I.^ 
 
 • lO . 
 
 i < 1 
 
 GEORGE DIGBY, Esq. ' 
 
 This officer was made a Commander in 1802, and obtained 
 post rank Jan. 2, 1806. He appears to have been almost 
 constantly employed during the whole of the late war, com- 
 manding in succession the Fleche of 16 guns. Beagle 18, 
 Cossack 24, and Lavinia frigate. He married, Sept. 13, 1821, 
 Elizabeth, only daughter of Sir John Walsh, Bart. : - - . 
 
 Agents,— 'Me&STB. Brine and Chards. -.^^ ., •■ ., •, 
 
 ) _ 
 
 JAMES RICHARD DACRES, Esq. j 
 
 This officer is the only surviving son of the late Vice- 
 Admiral, J. R. Dacres*, by Rleanor Blandford, daughter and 
 heiress of Pearce, of Cambridge, Esq. 
 
 He entered the naval service at a very early age; was 
 made a Lieutenant, Nov. 15, 1804 ; promoted to the com- 
 mand of the Elk sloop of war, July 5, 1805 ; and posted into 
 the Bacchante of 24 guns, on the Jamaica station^ Jan. 14, 
 1806. ' ""' '''' ' 
 
 On the 14th Feb. 1807, Captain Dacres captured the 
 French national schooner Dauphin, of 3 guns and 71 men ; a 
 vessel which had done much mischief to British commerce 
 in the West Indies, and was then returning, from a successful 
 cruise, to St. Domingo. 
 
 Finding that the Dauphin was well known at Samana, and 
 
 \ 
 
 • See Vol. II. Part I. i». 29. 
 
 li'^i' 
 
 it 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 973 
 
 having consulted with Captain William Furlong Wise, of the 
 Mediator 44, who had witnessed her capture, Captain Dae res 
 determined to send her in under French colours, to disguise 
 the Bacchante as a prize, and the Mediator as a neutral; 
 which stratagem so completely deceived the enemy, that he 
 got through the intricate navigation of the harbour, and an- 
 chored within half a mile of the fort, before they discovered 
 their mistake. A heavy cannonade was now commenced on 
 both sides, and continued for four hours, when the fort was 
 gallantly stormed by a detachment of seamen and marines, 
 landed under the command of Captain Wise, assisted by Lieu- 
 tenants Baker, Norton*, and Shaw. Possession was then 
 taken of two French schooners, fitting for sea as cruisers j an 
 American ship and an English schooner, both of which had 
 been recently captured by privateera. The Mediator appears 
 to have been the greatest sufferer on this occasion, the fire of 
 the enemy being chiefly directed against her, but not so much 
 as might have been expected from the commanding situation 
 of the fort, which was manned principally by the crews of the 
 schooners. Her loss consisted of 2 men killed and 12 
 wounded ; the Bacchante had not a man slain, and only 4 
 wounded. The fort and cannon were afterwards destroyed 
 by Lieutenant Goi^ld, and the place was evacuated by Cap- 
 tain Dacres on the 21st of the same month. ''" * ' '' ' "; ' 
 From this period we find no mention of Captain Dacres 
 until his appointment to the Guerriere frigate, which took 
 place about April 1811. The following is a copy of his offi- 
 cial letter to Vice-Admiral Herbert Sawyer, describing his 
 action with the United States' ship Constitution, on the 19th 
 
 Aug. 1812t:— 
 
 ' ' •*■- <( j3o«/ofl, September 7, 1812. 
 " Sir,— I am sorry to inform you of the capture of H. M. late ship 
 Guerriere, by the American frigate Constitution, after a severe action ou 
 the 19th of August, in lat. 40» 21' N. and long. 55" W. At two P. M. being 
 
 ;:»• 
 
 lii 
 
 ,"■<;- 'nil 
 
 
 
 
 i'::r 
 
 SI 
 
 * Lieutenant Norton had previously distinguished himself by his gal- 
 lantry in an attack made by the boats of the Bacchante, upon a brig and 
 two feluccas lying in the harbour of St. Martha, the whole of wliich he 
 brought out in triumph under a tremendous fire from the shore. ^ 
 
 t The following notes are extracted from Mr. James's account of the 
 action. ,. 
 
974 
 
 POST-CAPTAIN B OF 1806. 
 
 by the wiiid on the starboard tack, we saw a soil on our weathcr-bcain 
 bearinjir down on us. At 3 made her out to be a man of war ; beat to quarters, 
 and prepared for action. At 4, she closing fast, wore to prevent her rakinjv 
 us. At 4-10, hoisted our colours, and iired several shot at her; at 4-20, 
 she hoisted her colours, and returned our firci wore several times to avoid 
 being raked, exchanging broadsides. At 5, she dlosed on our starboard 
 beam, botli keeping up a heavy fire and steering freCi her intention being 
 evidently to cross our bow. At 5-20, our mizen-mast went over the star- 
 board quarter, and brought the ship up in the wind ; the enemy tlu:n placed 
 himself on our larboard-bow, raking us, a few only of our bow-guns bear- 
 ing, and his grape and riflemen sweeping our deck. At 5-40, the ship not 
 answering her helm, he attempted to lay us on board : at this time, Mr. 
 (Samuel) Grant, (Master's-Mate), who commanded the forecastle, was 
 carried below, badly wounded. I immediately ordered the marines and 
 boarders from the main-deck ; the Master was at this time shot through 
 the knee, and I received a severe wound in the back. Lieutenant (Bartho- 
 lomew) Kent was leading on the boarders, when the ship coming to, we 
 brought some of our bow-gum to bear on her *, and had got clear of otir 
 opponent, when at 6-20, our fore and main-masts went over the side, leav- 
 ing the ship a perfect unmanageable wreck. The frigate shooting a-head, 
 I was in hopes to clear the wreck, and get the ship under eommaad to 
 renew the action ; but just as we had cleared the wreck, our spritsail-yard 
 went ; and the enemy having rove new braces, &c., wore round within 
 pistol-shot, to rake us, the ship lying in the trough of the sea, rolling her 
 main-deck guns under water f, and all attempts to get her before the wind 
 being fruitless: when, calling my few remaimng oiBcers together, they 
 were all of opinion, that any further nsistance would only be a needless 
 waste of lives, I ordered, though reluctantly, the colours to be struck. 
 
 " The loss of the ship is to be ascribed to the early fall of the mizen- 
 mast, which enabled our opponent to choose his position. I am sorry to 
 say we sufiered severely in killed and wounded, and mostly whilst she lay 
 on our bow, from Iter grape and musketry j in all, 15 killed, and 63 
 wounded X* many of tliem severely. None of the wouoded oiScers quitted 
 the deck till tlie firing ceased. 
 
 " The frigate proved to be the United States' ship Constitution, of thirty 
 24-pounders on her main-deck, and twenty-four 32-pounders and two 
 18-pounders§ on her upper-deck, and 476 men; her loss in comparison 
 
 * Some of the wads of which set firu to the Constitution's cabin, but the 
 flames were soon extinguished. 
 
 t To secure which required increased efforts, the rotten state of the 
 breachings, as well as of the tiraher«hcads through which the long bolts 
 passed, having caused many of them to break loose. 
 
 i Six mortally, thirty-nine severely, and eighteen slightly* 
 
 § These wore English 18's, bored to carry a 24-pound shot. The Guer- 
 ri^re mounted thirty long I8's, sixteen 32-pounder carronadea, aad two 
 long nines. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS Of 1806. 
 
 975 
 
 with ours is ti-iilin<T; tiie first Lieutenant of marines* and 8 men killed ; 
 the firdt Lieutenant and Master of the ship, and 1 1 men wounded ; her 
 iswer masts badly wounded, stern much shattered, and very much cut up 
 about the tigging. 
 
 " The Guerritire was so cut up, that all attempts to ^et her in would 
 have been useless. As soon as the wounded were got out of her, they set 
 her on fire ; and I feel it my duty to state, that the conduct of Captain Hull 
 and his officers to our men has been that of a brave enemy, the greatest 
 care being taken to prevent them losing the smallest trifle, and the greatest 
 attention being paid to the wounded, who, tlu-ougb the attention and skill 
 of Mr. Irvine, Surgeon, I hope, will do well. 
 
 " I hope, though success has not crowned our efforts, you will not think 
 it presumptuous in me to say, the greatest credit is due to the officers and 
 ship's company for their exertions, particularly when exposed to the heavy 
 raking Are of the enemy : I feel particularly obliged for the exertions 
 of Lieutenant Kent, who, though wounded early by a splinter, continued 
 to assist me; in the second Lieutenant (Mr. Henry Ready), the service ha3 
 suffered a severe loss j Mr. (Robert) Scott, the Master, though wounded, 
 was particularly attentive^ and used every exertion in clearing the wreck, 
 as did the warrant officers. Lieutenant Nicholl, of the royal marines, and 
 his party, supported the honorable character of their corps, and they suf- 
 fered severely. I must recommend Mr. (William J.) Snow, Master's 
 Mate, who commanded the foremost main-<leck guns, in the absence of 
 Lieutenant (John) Pullman, and the whole after the fall of Lieutenant 
 Heady, to your protection, he having received a severe contusion from a 
 splinter. I must point out Mr. (John) Garby, acting Purser, to your 
 notice, who volunteered his services on deck, commanded the after quarter- 
 deck guns, and was particularly active, as well as Mr. (John W.) Bannister, 
 Midshipman. 
 
 "I hope, iti considering the eircumstancct, you will think the ship en- 
 trusted to my charge was properly defended ; the unfortunate loss of our 
 masts, the absence of the third Lieutenant, sec:<nd Lieutenant of marines, 
 three Midshipmen, and twenty-four men, coo'/iderably weakened our crew, 
 and we only mustered at quarters 244 men and 19 boys, on coming into 
 action ; the enemy had such an advantage from his mariaes and riflemen, 
 when close; and his superior sailing enabled him to choose bis (^stance. 
 _ "I have the honor to be, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Jas. R. Dacres." 
 
 Qn the 2d Oct following, a court-martial was assembled on 
 
 board the Africa 64, at Halifax, to try Captain Dacres for 
 
 surrendering his ship to the enemy: tlie following is, we 
 
 believe, a correct copy of the address, which was delivered by 
 
 him, after the evidence had been gone through : — 
 
 m 
 
 f. 
 
 ':ii( 
 
 
 iiill 
 
 1t¥ 
 
 
 
 II : :„ 
 
 * He was killed by a British marine when leading his party forward to 
 board the Gucrritire at 5-40 P. M. 
 
976 
 
 rOST-CAlTAINB OF 1806. 
 
 " Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Court, — By my letter to Vice- 
 Admiral Sawyer, and the narrative of the principal officers, I tniat that 
 you will be satisfied that every exertion was used in defending the ship, as 
 long as there was the smallest prospect of resistance being useful. In my 
 letter, I mention the boarders being called : it was my intention, after 
 having driven back the enemy, to have boarded in return; and in cunsc- 
 quencc I ordered the first Lieutenant down on the main-deck to send evi-ry 
 body up from the guns ; but finding his deck filled with men, and every 
 preparation made to receive us, it would have been almost impossible to 
 succeed. I therefore ordered the men down again to their ({uartcrs, and 
 desired Mr. Kent to direct part of his attention to the main-dock, the 
 second Lieutenant being killed. The main-mast fell without being striu-k 
 by a single shot, the heart of the mast being decayed ; and it was carried 
 away solely by the weight of the fore-mast *. Though every thing was 
 was done, we could not succeed in getting the ship under command ; and, 
 on the enemy wearing round to rake us, without our being able to muke 
 any resistance, and after having used every exertion, to the best of my 
 abilities, I found myself obliged to order the colours to be struck ; which 
 nothing but the unmanageable state of the ship (she lying a perfect wreck) 
 could ever have induced me to do, conceiving it was my duty not to sacri- 
 fice uselessly the lives of the men, without any prospect of success, ur of 
 benefit to their country. 
 
 " On the larboard side about thirty shot had taken effect, nearly five 
 sheets of copper do^vn ; the mizen-mast had knocked a large hole under her 
 starboard counter, and she was so completely shattered, that the enemy 
 found it impossible to refit her sufficiently to attempt carrying her into 
 port, and they set fire to her as soon as they could get the wounded out. 
 What considerably weakened ray quarters was, permitting the Americans 
 belonging to the ship to quit their guns, on the enemy hoisting the colours 
 of that nation, which, though it deprived me of the men, I thought it was 
 my duty to do. 
 
 " I felt much shocked, when on board the Constitution, to find a large 
 proportion of British seamen among her crew, many of whom I recog- 
 nized as having been foremost in the attempt to board. 
 
 " Notwithstanding the unlucky issue of the affiiir, such confidence have 
 I in the exertions of the officers and men who belonged to the Guerribre, 
 and I am so aware that the success of my opponent was owing to fortune, 
 that it is my earnest wish, and it would be the happiest period of my life, 
 to be once more opposed to the Constitution, with them under my com- 
 mand, in a frigate of similar force to the Guerri^re. 
 
 " I cannot help noticing, that the attachment of the ship's company in 
 general to the service of their King and Country, reflects on them the 
 highest credit ; for though every art was used to encourage them to desert. 
 
 * The main-mast had been struck by lightning some months previuub tu 
 the action. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 977 
 
 anil to inveigle them into the American service, by high i)ountic8 and preat 
 promises, in direct contradiction to the declaration of the American officers 
 to me, that they did not wish such a thing ; only eight Englishmen liave 
 retnained behind in the United States, two only of which number have vo- 
 limteercd to serve in the Constitution. 
 
 " Leaving the character of my officers and ship's company, as well as 
 my own, to the decision of this honorable Court, the justice of whose 
 sentence no person can presume to question, I close my narrative, craving 
 indulgence for having taken up so much of their time." 
 
 Having attended to the whole of the evidence, and also to 
 the defence of Captain Dacres, the Court agreed,— '•' 
 
 " Tiiat the surrender of the Guerrifcre was proper, in order to preserve 
 the lives of her valuable remaining crew ; and that her being in that la- 
 mentable situation was from the accident of her masts going, which was 
 occasioned more by their defective state, than from the fire of the enemy, 
 though so greatly superior in guns and men. The Court did, therefore, 
 unanimously and honorably acquit Captain Dacres, his officers, and 
 crew, of all blame on account of her capture." 
 
 Captain Dacres was subsequently appointed to the Tiber 
 frigate, the command of which ship he retained until she was 
 paid off at Deptford, on the 13th Oct. 1818. He married, 
 in 1810, Arabella Boyd, third daughter of Lieutenant-Gcne- 
 ral Sir Hugh Dalrymple, Bart. 
 
 Agents. — Messrs. Maude. 
 
 ., t' .^- 
 
 ,f •[.'•■ 
 
 hy. 
 
 J 
 
 i:' 
 ,11 
 
 PETER RAINIER, Esq. ■ ' 
 
 ^ Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. , . 
 
 This officer obtained post rank, Jan. 17, 1806 ; his pro- 
 ceedings at Uatavia in Oct. following are thus described by 
 himself, in an official letter addressed to Rcar-Admiral Sir 
 Thomas Troubridge, Bart, commander-in-chief in the Eastern 
 
 Seas : — 
 
 "H. M. S. Caroline, off Batuvia, Oct. 19, 1806. 
 " On the morning of the 18tli instant, I captured ttmall brig from 
 Bantam, and learnt that the Ph«nix, a Dutch frigate of 36 guns, was un- 
 dei^oing repairs at Onroost. It appearing to me that she might be brought 
 out, I was making the best of my way there, when between Middleby and 
 Amsterdam islands, 1 discovered two men of war brigs at anchor, one of 
 which I captured, the other made her escape by being too close in shore 
 for us to pursue her ; the captured brig was the Zeerop of 14 guns, com* 
 manded by Captain Qroot. Whilst taking posteHiion of her, I obienred 
 
 ■hM 
 
 l''(:- 
 
 I 
 
 
978 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 the PhoDoix slip from Onroost and run for Batavia road. From the offi- 
 cers of tfac Zcerop wc gained intelligence, that the Maria, a Dutch frigate, 
 was lying in the roads, manned from the shore, being aware of our ap- 
 proach. A short time after I observed her, and likewise the William sloop 
 of war, with the brig that before escaped us. * * . 
 
 " As I distinctly made out the frigate to be the largest ship in the road, 
 I ran for her with springs on both cables ; the enemy commenced firing at 
 us as soon as we were within gun-shot, which was not returned till we 
 came as close as the wind would allow us, which was within half-pistol-shot, 
 when wc opened our fire. The action continued about half an hour, when 
 the enemy hauled down her colours. On boarding, she proved to be the 
 Dutch republican frigate Maria Reygersbergen, of 3G guns, 18-poundcrs 
 on the main-<}eck, and 270 men, commanded by Captain Jager, second in 
 command. The Maria was launched in 1800, and is a fast sailing ship. 
 We had to encounter, besides the frigate, the William of 20 guns. Patriot 
 18, andZeeplong 14, with several gun-boats ; and there were thirty gun- 
 boats lying in shore, which did not attempt^to come out. I beg leave to 
 state, that when the action commenced we were short of complement, by 
 men away in prizes, sick at hospitals, &c. 57 in number. 
 
 " I am sorry to say that it was not in my power to capture either Phoenix, 
 WilKam, Patriot, or Zeeplong, as H. M. S. Caroline and the Maria were 
 after the action in four fathoms water, and surrounded by many dangerous 
 shoals. Whilst running out of the roads I oliscrved the Phoenix, with 
 the vessels above mentioned, and all the Dutch merchant ships run on 
 shore. 
 
 " I have not been able to get a correct account of the killed and wound- 
 ed on board the prize, but from the surgeon's report they had 50 killed 
 and wounded *." 
 
 On the 27th. Jan. 1807, Captain Rainier discovered a strange 
 sail in the neighbourhood of the Phillippinc islands, and im- 
 mediately bore up in chase of her. When nearly within gun- 
 shot, she hoisted Spanish colours and Ared a gun to windward. 
 As the Caroline approached, the enemy was taken aback 
 with the land wind, and having studding-sails set on both 
 sides, Captain Rainier got close alongside before she could 
 take them in j when either from temerity, or not knowing 
 the force of her opponent, slie commenced firing, and it was 
 not until 27 of her crew were kiUed and wounded, that she 
 haided doM'n her colours. She proved to be the St. Raphael 
 ^alias Pallas), Spanish register ship, belonging to the Phillip- 
 
 • The Caroline was an IH-pounder frigate, mounting 42 guns, and had 
 on board 204 men and boys, 3 of whom were killed, 6 mortally and PJ 
 slightly wounded. Four Dutch prisoners, confined in the hohi, were also 
 •lain by the Maria's fire. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OK 1806; 
 
 979 
 
 piitc company, mounting 16 guns, with a complement of 9/ 
 men, having on board 5(X),000 dollars in specie, and I7OO 
 quintals of copper, besides a valuable cargo. In securing 
 this rich prize tlie Caroline had 7 men wounded. .>r i r 
 
 In Nor. 1813, wc find Captain Rainier commanding the Ni- 
 ger, a 38-gun frigate, and capturing the Dart, American let- 
 ter of marque, pierced for 16 guns, but only 6 mounted, from 
 New Orleans boimd to France. On the 6th Jan. 1814, ho 
 assisted at the capture of ia Ceres, French frigate, of 44 guns 
 and 324 men, after a long and anxious chase, in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the Cape de Verd islands * . He was nominated 
 aC.B.inl8I6. ^ v , , I 
 
 Agents. — Messrs. Maude. . > .; f{f • . 
 
 •,ii> '» 
 
 . . . '.i :•■. 
 
 ;• 1 ii 1 i.i 1- ,• ri, 
 
 I.' ; 
 
 > HON. HENRY DUNCAN, 
 
 A CompuHioH of the Most Honorable Militart/ Order of the Bath, , 
 
 The Duncans are a vei-y antient and highly respectable fa- 
 mily in Perthshire, N. B. of which the late Lord Duncan 
 became the representative on the death of his brother, to 
 whose estates he succeeded, in 1797« We need scarcely add, 
 that they owe their present elevated rank to one of our most 
 splendid naval victories. 
 
 The late Admiral Viscount Duncan entered Jhe naval ser- 
 vice when very young, and distinguished himself under Kep- 
 pel, at the reduction of Goree, Belleisle, and the Havannab, 
 in 1759, I76I, and 1762. He commanded the Monarch ot 
 74 guns, in the action between Rodney and de Langara, Jan. 
 16, I78O J and on that occasion compelled a Spanish two- 
 decker to surrender, after a sharp conflict, in which she was 
 assisted by two other ships, each mounting 70 guns. He 
 also commanded the Blenheim, a second rate, at the relief of 
 Gibraltar by Lord Howe ; and bore a part in the engage- 
 ment with the combined fleets, off Cape Spartel, in Oct. 1782. 
 At the age of 66 years, after a life of hard service, it fell to 
 his lot to obtain a victory, which at once excited the gratitude 
 of his country, and gained him the honors of the British 
 
 111 
 
 I'll J. 
 
 it 
 
 , i!h('il 
 
 Is 
 
 f'-J 
 
 
 •See Captain Philip Pipon. 
 
990 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 peerage. His patent of nobility passed the Great Seal, on 
 the 30th Oct. 1/97. • ' '"■ v ' * 
 
 Numberless are the instances of Lord Duncan's greatness of 
 mind, which shone forth in an uncommon degree during the 
 general mutiny that took place the second year after his ap- 
 pointment to the chief command of the North Sea fleet. At 
 that alarming epoch, being deserted by the rest of his ships, 
 he blockaded the Dutch fleet for many weeks, amidst the most 
 tempestuous weather, with only the Venerable 74, and Ada- 
 mant of 50 guns, anchoring whenever it was possible in the 
 narrow channel leading out of the Texel j — by his firmness 
 and sage advice, prevented the contagion from spreading 
 among their crews j and, by his masterly manoeuvres, deter- 
 red Admiral de Winter from sailing to the assistance of the 
 rebellious forces in our sister kingdom *. On one occasion, 
 when the enemy shewed a disposition to force the passage, he 
 desired the Master of the Venerable to sound, and let him 
 know what depth of water there was ; and on being told, he 
 coolly observed, that " should the ship be sunk, his flag would 
 still be seen flying !" This proves what his resolution was ; 
 and it was his conduct at this dread period which caused the 
 peers of Great Britain to pay him the compliment they did, 
 by ordering that all the Lords should be summoned to at- 
 tend the House on the occasion of returning him thanks : " a 
 distinction," as stated by the Lord Chancellor when address- 
 ing the noble Admiral, " unprecedented, but called for by the 
 general admiration his conduct had inspired." 
 
 We cannot on the present occasion omit to present our read- 
 ers with a copy of the speech which Admiral Duncan is said 
 to have made to the Venerable's crew, June 3d, 1797 ; bearing, 
 as it does, every mark of authenticity in its unaffected piety, 
 its ardent patriotism, its indignant grief, and its simple yet 
 impressive eloquence, so admirably adapted to the hearts and 
 understandings of its auditors. , . , t ■ , , ,» .; 
 
 " My lads, — I once more call you together, with a norrowful heart, 
 occasioned by what 1 have lately seen — the disaifection of the fleets : I call 
 it dinaffection, for the crews have no grievances. To he deserted liy my 
 fleet, in the face of an enemy, u a dlsgmce which I believe never be- 
 fore happened to a British Admiral ; nor could I have supposed it pos- 
 
 • Sec Vol. l,noteat p. 581. 
 
POBT-CAm>AINS OP 1806. 
 
 961 
 
 occasion. 
 
 slble. My greatest comfort, under Ood, is, that I have been supported by 
 the officers, seamen, and marines, of this ship ; for which, with a heart over 
 flowing with gratitude, I request you to accept my sincere thanks. I flatter 
 myself much good may result from your example, by bringing those de- 
 luded people to a sense of the duty which they owe, not only to their King 
 and Country, but to themselves. 
 
 " The British navy has ever been the support of that liberty which has 
 been handed down to ua by our ancestors, and which, I trust, we shall 
 maintain to vhe latest posterity ; but that can only be done by unanimity 
 and obedience* This ship's company, and others who have distinguislied 
 themselves by their loyalty and good order, deserve to be, and doubtless 
 will be, the favorites of a grateful country : they will also have, from their 
 inward feelings, a comfort which will be lasting, and not like the fals^ and 
 fleeting confidence of those who have swerved from their duty. 
 
 " It has often been my pride with you to look into the Texel, and see a 
 foe who dreaded coming out to meet us. My pride is now humbled indeed : 
 my feelings are not easily to be expressed — our cup has overflowed, and 
 made us wanton ! The all-wise Providence has given us this check as a 
 warning, and I hope we shall improve by it. On Him then let us trust, 
 where our only security can be found. I know there are many good men 
 among us ; for my own part, I have full confidence in you ; and once more 
 I beg to express my approbation of your conduct. 
 
 " May Gou, who has thus far conducted you, continue to do so : and 
 may the Dritish navy, the glory and support of our country, be restored to 
 its wonted splendour ; aud be not only the bulwark of Britain, but the ter- 
 ror of the world. This can only be effected by a strict adherence to our 
 duty ; therefore let us pray that the Almighty God may keep us in the 
 right way of thinking. Goo bless tou all." . 
 
 This speech is s^d to have so affected tjie Venerable's 
 crew, that scarce a dry eye was to be seen on their retiring 
 from the quarter-deck. On a subsequent day, when con- 
 versing with the Captains who had been sent to reinforce him^ 
 the veteran chief wound up his observations respecting the 
 probability of a battle soon taking place, with the following 
 laconic and humorous address : — " Well, gentlemen, when 
 Winter does approach, I have only to advise you to keep up 
 a good /ire !" The result of his combat with Admirad de 
 Winter has been stated in a note at p. 150 et seq. of our first 
 volume. '. 
 
 The hero of Campkrdown married Henrietta, second 
 daughter of the Right Hon. Robert Dundas, Lord President 
 of the Court of Session in Scotland, M. P. for Edinburgh^ 
 and elder brother of the late Viscount Melville. By that 
 lady he had eight children, one of whom, Henry, the youngest 
 
 VOL. II. 3 s 
 
 \m 
 
 ':mh\ 
 
 ; 14 \\ 
 
 > - 
 
 j1 
 m 
 
 / 
 
 > lu 
 
982 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 son, is the officer whose services we are about to notice. His 
 Lordship retained the chief command on the North Sea sta- 
 tion till the commencement of 1800 ; from which period he 
 enjoyed the sweets of retirement, the delightful retrospect of 
 a long life spent in the service of his country, the otium cum 
 dignitate in the fullest force of the expression, till his lament- 
 ed demise, which took place at Cornhill, in the county of 
 Durham, when on his way from London to Edinburgh, Aug. 
 4,1804. ' 
 
 The Hon. Henry Duncan was born at Gosport, in Hamp- 
 shire, April 27, 1786 ; his father then commanding the Edgar 
 74, stationed at Spithead as a guard-ship. 
 
 Having evinced an early predilection for the royal navy, he 
 was allowed to quit the High School, Edinburgh, in order to 
 join the Lutine frigate ; but happily Lord Duncan changed his' 
 mind as to the officer under whose protection he should place 
 his son, the very evening before that ship sailed from North 
 Yarmouth with specie for the British army in Holland, and 
 only twenty-four hours previous to her total destruction on a 
 sand-bank near the Texel*. 
 
 The first ship in which Mr. Henry Duncan actually went 
 to sea, was the Maidstone of 32 guns, commanded by Captain 
 Ross Donnelly (an officer possessing the esteem and confi- 
 dence of all his Superiors), whom he joined at Spithead, about 
 the 6th of April, 1800. ' '" ' - 
 
 A few days after his embarkation, the subject of this me- 
 moir had a second narrow escape : a boat which he had just 
 before left, in consequence of his obtaining leave to remain 
 on shore, having upset on her return to the ship, by which 
 accident one man perished, and the rest of her crew were for 
 some time placed in a state of imminent danger. 
 
 From this period the Maidstone was employed convoy- 
 ing the trade to and from Quebec and Oporto, and cruising 
 on the Havre station, till the suspension of hostilities in 
 1801, when Mr. Duncan removed with Captain Donnelly into 
 the Narcissus, a new 32-gun frigate, fitted with Gover's 24 
 pounders on the main-deck, and then preparing to receive 
 
 • Oct. 9, 1 799, Sec note at p, I fi of thi* volume. ' ♦ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OV 1906. 
 
 983 
 
 on board the annual presents for the Dey of Algiers^ whose 
 Ambassador she also conveyed to Barbary. 
 
 During the peace of Amiens, the Narcissus visited Gib- 
 raltar, Algiers, Malta, Toulon, Leghorn, Palermo, Messina, 
 Syracuse, Smyrna, Athens, and most of the Greek islands ; 
 captured a large piratical galley *, and assisted at the evacua- 
 tion of Egypt. While engaged in the latter service, Mr. 
 Duncan, who had previously received an order from Lord 
 Keith to act as a Lieutenant, was nearly carried off by a dis- 
 order which proved fatal to many persons^ both naval and 
 military, then employed at Alexandria. , , „j ... , ... i ni.-.t 
 
 Being advised to try change of air, Mr. Duncan left Egypt 
 in a transport, Jan. 18, 1803 ; and after performing full qua- 
 rantine in the lazaretto at Malta, went on board the Kent 74, 
 lying in Valette harbour, where he continued until an oppor- 
 tunity offered of rejoining his proper ship, in the month of 
 April following ; at which period his commission appears to 
 have been confirmed by the Admiralty, The proceedings of 
 the Narcissus, from that time till her departure for England, 
 are sufficiently described in our memoir of her worthy con»- 
 manderf. . • -^ .•,,... *, i 
 
 Mr. Duncan continued to fill the station of Lieutenant on 
 board the Narcissus until that ship was ordered home, in Sept. 
 1804. He then exchanged into the Royal Sovereign, a first- 
 rate, bearing the flag of Sir Richard Bickerton, Bart., and 
 was serving as junior Lieutenant of that ship when his excel- 
 lent father's death was communicated to him ; on which me- 
 lancholy occasion he received a letter from Lord Nelson, par- 
 ticularly characteristic of that great man, who was always 
 peculiarly happy in choosing the moment proper for confer- 
 ring his favors. The following is a copy : — > 
 
 " riciori/, Oct. .4, 1804. 
 
 " My dear Sir, — ^Thcre is no man who more sincerely laments the heavy 
 loss you have sustained than myself: but the name of Duncan will never 
 be forgot by Britain, and in particular by its navy, in which service the 
 remembrance of your worthy father will, I am sure, grow up in you. 
 
 " I am sorry not to have a guud »loop to ^ivc you, but still an openings 
 offers which I think will ensure vour confirmation as u Commander : it is 
 
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 * Sec vol. I. p. 664 • •. 
 t See vol. 1. p. 665, et sei/. 
 
 3 8 2 
 
984 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 occasioned by tfae very ill state of health of Captain Corbett, of the Bif. 
 tern, who has requested a few wesks' leave to reside on shore at the hoa- 
 pital. You will be confirmed before he reiuiiies his command. 
 
 ** You had better get your things on board the Seahorse this afternoon, 
 as she will go to Malta in the morning. I am ever, my dear Sir, with every 
 kind wish, most faithfully yours, 
 
 (Signed) ** Nelson & Bronte." 
 
 " Hon. H. Duncan:' 
 
 Finding on his arrival at Malta, that Captain Corbett had 
 recovered his health sufficiently to retain the command of the 
 Bittern, and that he did not feel disposed to give her up, Cap- 
 tain Duncan returned to the fleet, as a passenger, in the Active 
 frigate, and served as a volunteer on board the Royal Sove- 
 reign, during Nelson's excursion to the coast of Egypt in 
 quest of M. Villeneuve, whose ships, it will be remembered, 
 were dispersed in a heavy gale shortly after their departure 
 from Toulon, and thereby escaped for a time an encounter they 
 so much dreaded ♦. 
 
 Captain Duncan's commission as a Commander having 
 been confirmed Nov. 6, 1804, he returned home in the Re- 
 nown, a third-rate, commanded by Sir Richard J. Strachan, 
 Bart. ; and after a short stay with his friends in Scotland, was 
 appointed to the Minorca, a new brig of 18 guns, which ves- 
 sel he commissioned at Chatham on the 21st Aug. 1805. 
 He obtained post rank, while serving under the orders of Lord 
 Collmgwood, on the Mediterranean station, Jaa 18, 1806 ; 
 but was not superseded in the command of the Minorca until 
 April 19th following, when he joined the Britannia of 100 
 guns, at Gibraltar, for a passage to England, where he ar- 
 rived in company with three of the Trafalgar prizes, on the 
 17th of the ensuing month. 
 
 From this period. Captain Duncan used every effort to 
 obtain another appointment ; but having at that time no other 
 claim than his father's services, they were not deemed suffi- 
 cient by the then first Lord of the Admiralty, and he did not 
 succeed until Lord Howick was replaced at that Board by 
 Mr. T. Grenville t, -who immediately nominated him to the 
 Porcupine of 24 guns, then recently launched at Plymouth, 
 
 • See id. at note p. 589. 
 t In the spring of 1807. 
 
POST-CAFFAINS OF 1806. 
 
 985 
 
 iii which ship he sailed for the Mediterranean with despatches 
 and specie^ on the 10th July ; and joined Lord Collingwood 
 off the Dardanelles, Sept. 2, 1807. During the remainder of 
 that year, we find him most actively employed in the Adriatic, 
 where the Porcupine and her boats captured and destroyed 
 upwards of forty vessels, laden chiefly with grain and wine for 
 the French garrisons at Ragusa and Cataro ; also an Italian 
 gun-boat, mounting one long brass 24-pounder and several 
 swivels, with a complement of about 50 men ; and a traba- 
 colo loaded with ordnance stores of every description neces- 
 sary for fortifying the island of Curzola. Th j importance of 
 this service was thus acknowledged by his commander-in- 
 chief, in an official letter, dated on board the Ocean, at Syra- 
 cuse, Dec. 21, 1807 :— 
 
 " I cannot too strongly express iny high approval and admiration of the 
 zeal and activity with which you have annoyed the enemy in their opera- 
 tions off Cataro, and prevented their supplies, a service which at this mo- 
 ment is particularly important, aud I beg you will express my approbation 
 of tl)e conduct of Lieutenant Price and the o£Qcers and men under his 
 orders in the attack and capture of la Safo gun-boat, ua also in the other 
 instances you have particularized *. I am, &c. 
 
 (Signed) " Collingwood." > 
 
 " Hon. Captain Duncan." 
 
 In Jan. 1808, Captain Duncan captured two large French 
 armed ships, laden with grain and gunpowder for the relief of 
 Corfu, and having on board a reinforcement for the garrison 
 of that island. A Russian transport mounting 18 guns, a 
 merchant brig under similar colours, and a French vessel laden 
 with hospital stores, were also intercepted by him in the course, 
 of the same month ; but, unfortunately, the state of the weather 
 obliged him to destroy many of his former prizes ; and one of 
 the above ships, although quite new, foundered alongside of 
 the Porcupine, in consequence of some deficiency in the fast- 
 ening of her stem ; by which accident 2 men were drowned, 
 and 23 others narrowly escaped sharing the same fate. 
 
 During a subsequent cruise, Captain Duncan fell in with^ 
 two French squadrons, one from Rochefort, the other from 
 Toulon, consisting altogetl^er of nu^e sfiil of the line ^nd s^ii^n,. 
 
 * The particulars of several gallant exploits performed by the Porcu- 
 pine's boats, will be given in our memoir of her first Lieutenant, the pre- 
 sent Captain George Price. 
 
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^85 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1806. 
 
 frigates. This formidable force he continued to watch (in 
 company with the Active), keeping almost constantly insight of 
 one division or the other, for nearly three weeks, at the end of 
 which time the enemy formed a junction and put into Corfu, 
 from whence the Porcupine was sent by Captain Moubray, 
 the senior officer, to apprise Lord Collingwood of their ar- 
 rival. His Lordship, however, had not the good fortune to 
 ineet with them on their return to the westward, and they 
 were consequently enabled to reach Toulon in safety. :•'•.' 
 
 After cruising for some time off Tunis, and to the west- 
 ward of Sicily, where he re-captured one British merchant- 
 man and prevented several others from falling a prey to four 
 French privateers, which he discovered dogging a large con- 
 voy, Captain Duncan conveyed Mr. Hill, his Majesty's mi- 
 nister to the court of Sardinia, from Palermo to Cagliari, 
 where he was landed on the 4th June, 1808. The Porcupine 
 then proceeded to cruise between Naples and Toulon, where 
 she was frequently engaged with the enemy's land batteries, 
 while capturing and destroying vessels under their protection. 
 
 On the 25th June, Captain Duncan fell in with a French 
 schooner, near Monte Christo, which he captured, after a 
 chase of eleven hours, the enemy having in vain endeavoured 
 to run her on shore, about four leagues south of Bastia. She 
 proved to be la Nouvelle Enterprise, a remarkably fine letter 
 of marque, pierced for 14 guns, mounting six 6-pounders, 
 with a cargo of bale goods, from Leghorn bound to Turkey. 
 Alluding to this capture. Lord Collingwood, in a letter written 
 OffCadiz, says:— . 'h'la-nsd 
 
 ' '^ I approve of your having seen this vessel into Palermo, for the reasons 
 you have assigned *. I hope you will have had further success against the 
 enemy in your return to Toulon along the coast of Italy— at least I feel 
 satisfied that your exertions will merit it ; but those things depend much on 
 chance, and the enemy are very cautious in getting out of gun-shot of their 
 numerous batteries. As the schooner appears well calculated for the ser- 
 vice of Malta, I have ordered her to be surveyed and valued, and if found 
 fit, to be taken into the service, to supply the place of the late Ventura." 
 
 In July 1808, on the revolution breaking out in Spain, the 
 Duke of Orleans, who was at the time residing at Palermo, 
 wished to be sent to Spain to join the insurgents against the 
 k*'rench under Buonaparte, and persuaded our minister in Sicily 
 
 * The Porcupine's crew consisted entirely of impressed men. 
 
POST- CAPTAINS OF 1806. ^^ 
 
 to Bpply to Captain Duncan^ then connnaiuling the Porcu- 
 phie in Palermo bay, to convey his Highness to Cadiz. Cap- 
 tain Duncan was sent for by Sir W— — D , and the wishes 
 
 of the duke, backed by those of the minister, communicated 
 to him in presence of his Highness. Captain Duncan would 
 have wished tliat the minister had consulted with him private- 
 ly ; but as he did not do so, he took upon himself to refuse. 
 He saw at once that a Frenchman was not the person to go 
 
 to Spain at that moment. It was in vain that Sir W and 
 
 the duke tried to bring him to their way of thinking ; the 
 first by pointing out to him the responsibility he would incur, 
 the latter by flattering him with the idea that he would have 
 the honor of conveying a Prince of Bourbon to head an army 
 about to restore that family to the throne of France. At 
 length, somewhat irritated, the duke said he was surprised at so 
 young a man * standing out against their opinions, and added, 
 ** If an officer in our marine had refused to do what a minister 
 ordered him, he would have been broke for it." The cool 
 answer was, " Please your Highness, it is perhaps our mis- 
 fortune that our marine has not yet attained to the perfection 
 yours had: but our commander-in-chief is not under any 
 minister. I am young, it is true ; but I am to do what he 
 would do if he were here : and I am sure he would never con-; 
 sent to your going to Spain." They then asked him to con- 
 vey the duke to the fleet ; he replied he would take till next 
 day to consider of it. Next morning he wrote a letter to Sir 
 
 W D , saying that he thought the duke going to the 
 
 fleet would leave the Admiral no alternative but that of send- 
 ing him on ; and it would therefore be better to write to Vice- 
 Admiral Thombrough, and let him know what his High- 
 liess's wishes were, and that the Halcyon brig would sail at 
 12 o'clock for the fleet, but could not wait longer, even for 
 his despatches. Captain Duncan prevented further remon- 
 strance with himself, by going to sea in the Porcupine. A 
 day or two after a ship of war arrived at Palermo, took the 
 duke on board, conveyed him to Cadiz, where he was not 
 permitted to land, and Lord CoUingwood returned him forth- 
 with to Palermo. 
 
 " Captain DMQcan was tbcn little more than 22 years of age, > A>'i 
 
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IMA 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 On the 9th of the* same month, Captain Duncan, then off 
 Mount Circello, on the coast of Romania, observed two 
 French gun-boats, with a merchant vessel under their con- 
 voy, going along-shore to the westward ; and as the Porcu- 
 pine was becalmed, he sent his boats in pursuit of them, 
 under the orders of Lieutenant Price; who, after a row of 
 eight hours, in a hot sun, drove the latter on shore, and 
 forced the gun-boats to take shelter under the batteries of 
 Port d'Anzo, At this time, seeing three very suspicious 
 vessels coming down with a fresh breeze from the westward. 
 Captain Duncan was obliged to recall the boats ; but before 
 he could cut the strangers off, they also got into the same 
 harbour. Next morning, observing that one of them, a 
 large polacre ship, lay farther out than the others, and wish^ 
 ing to give a check to the trade . along the coast, which 
 the enemy imagined, from their numerous fortifications, they 
 could carry on without molestation, he determined to attack 
 her. As soon as it was dark the boats went in, under the 
 command of his first Lieutenant, and succeeded in bringing 
 her out from under the heavy fire of two batteries, a tower, 
 and three gun-boats. In the execution of this service the 
 British had 6 men severely, and 2 slightly wounded. Tlie 
 prize was loaded with salt, mounted eight long 6-pounders, 
 and had on board between 20 and 30 men, perfectly prepared 
 for the attack. 
 
 ■ Eleven days after this event, Captain Duncan drove on 
 shore, near Mount Circello, a French polr ^re ship, which was 
 afterwards completely destroyed by his boats, under the com- 
 mand of Lieutenant Francis Smith, and vrithout any loss, 
 though exposed to the fire of a tower, mounting two guns, 
 -within pistol-shot of her ; she was about 200 tons burthen, 
 from Naples, loaded with iron hoops and staves. 
 
 On the 8th Aug. the Porcupine chased another French ship 
 into the p^sage between Planosa and Elba, where she took 
 refuge under a tower and battery : at night Captain Duncan 
 pent Lieutenant Smith with the boats and a party of marines 
 to attack her ^ and notwithstanding the heavy fire of the vessel, 
 the orts, the French soldiers who lined the beach to which 
 she was moored, and one of her guns which had been land- 
 ed, they most gallantly boarded and brought her out. Sh^ 
 
POST-CAPTAIN* OF 1806. 
 
 989 
 
 fyroved to be la Conceptione, mounting 4 gune, from Genoa, 
 bound to the island of Cyprus, with bale goods. The 
 British, on this occasion, had 2 men killed and 8 wounded ; 
 among the latter was Lieutenant James Renwiclc, R. M., a 
 most excellent and gallant officer, who received three 
 musket-ball wounds, but happily neither of them proved 
 mortal *. 
 
 Captain Duncan continued in the Porcupine till Oct. 2, 
 1808, when he left her at Malta, and proceeded in the Spider 
 brig to join the Mercury of 28 guns, at Messina, the Admi- 
 ralty having appointed him, without application, to that 
 frijgate ; a change by no means so gratifying to him as their 
 Lordships doubtless intended. Writing to the commander- 
 in-chief on the subject of his removal, he says, " 1 am parti- 
 cularly sorry at the change of ships, as this is, in my opi- 
 nion, inferior to the Porcupine in almost every respect, and 
 is so old and so bad, that 1 am afraid she will soon be 
 obliged to go home, which is, of all things, what 1 wish least." 
 Notwithstanding the Mercury was so old and defective, she 
 was destined to perform greater services before her departure 
 from the Mediterranean, than several of our crack frigates 
 were during the whole war. * \ f '? ;.: 
 
 After serving very actively and efficaciously, as senior 
 officer, on the coasts of Sicily, Calabria, and Naples, where 
 he assisted in capturing a French ship, loaded with bale 
 goods, from Tunis bound to Leghorn ; and a settee with a 
 cargo of cotton, from Barbary, bound to Marseilles j as well 
 as in destroying several coasting traders j Captain Duncan 
 conveyed Mr. (now Sir Charles) Stuart to Trieste, on his way 
 to the Austrian court, then about to declare war against the 
 French Emperor. 
 
 Having put that gentleman on board the Amphion fri- 
 gate, and placed himself under the orders of Captain Hoste 
 the subject erf this memoir resumed his former station in 
 the Adriatic, where the Mercury's boats, imitating those 
 of the Porcupine, distinguished themselves by several gal- 
 lant enterprises, judiciously planned by Captain Duncan, 
 
 • Lieutenant Francis Smith had previously distinguished himself in the 
 Porcupine's boats, particularly at the capture of la Safo, and of the polacre 
 ship, cut out of Port d'Anzo.— See Memoir of Captain GfiOKOE Price. 
 
 V' 
 
 'im. 
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 
 ' iH- ; 
 
990 
 
 POST-CAPtAlNS OP 1806. 
 
 and ably executed by the brave oflicers and men under his 
 command. The capture of la I.«da, Venetian gun-boat, at 
 Rovigno, on the ? st April, and of la Pugliese, French na- 
 tional schooner, in the harbour of Barletta, on the 7th Sept. 
 1809, will be found amply described in our forthcoming me- 
 moir of Captain Watkin Qweti Pell, who commanded the 
 boats on each of those occasions. -^ '''> "' ' 
 
 In April, 1809, Captain Duncan co-operated with the Aus- 
 trian forces in obtaining possession of Capo d'Istria, a town 
 near Trieste, during the course of which service the Amphion 
 and Mercury were obliged to anchor on a lee shore, in a gale 
 of wind, and to destroy the signal posts in order to prevent 
 the enemy having a knowledge of their situation, and bring- 
 ing guns against them from Venice. 
 
 Subsequent to this event, the Mercury assisted at the 
 attack of Pesaro and Cesenatico, the result of which was the 
 destruction of the enemy's fortifications at the entrance of 
 those harbours, and the capture of twenty-five sail laden with 
 oil, hides, hemp, almonds, grain, &c., besides one large vessel 
 loaded with iron, burnt in the latter port ; and the seizure of 
 a large quantity of hemp and iron, which had been collected 
 in the magazines on shore *. <Uaptuin Duncan's conduct in 
 these attacks is thus noticed by Sir Jahleel Brcnton, the 
 gallant officer under whom he was then serving : — 
 
 ** As the enemy made no active resistance (at Pesaro), I can only ex. 
 press my admiration of the zeal and promptitude with which Captain 
 Hoste and the Hon. Henry Duncan executed the orders they received, 
 and the manner in which tliey placed their ships. 
 
 " The Mercury, from Captain Duncan's anxiety t<i place her as near 
 the town (of Cesenatico) as possible, took the ground, but in so favor, 
 able a position as gave the fullest effect to her fire : she was, however, 
 hove oflf by 6 P. M. without having sustained any injury. I never wit- 
 nessed more zeal and energy than were evinced by Captun Duncan on thi? 
 occasion." 
 
 Returning down the Adriatic, on his way to Malta, Cap- 
 tain Duncan observed seven large trabacolos and several 
 smaller ones, hauled upon the beach at Rotti, near Manfrc- 
 donia, and sent a flag of truce to desire them to be given up, as 
 he was unwilling to hurt the town j which being refused, the 
 Mercury was anchored within half gun-uhot, in four fathoms ; 
 
 • See p. 267 of this volume. 
 
iPDSt-CAPTAINS OP 1806. 
 
 991 
 
 and after a few broadsides the boats' crews and marines were 
 enabled to land and destroy them, under the directions of 
 Lieutenant Robert James Gordon, who had already distin^ 
 guished himself on many occasions, and who was in this 
 instance severely burnt by an explosion of gunpowder, while 
 blowing up one of the vessels. 
 
 Two days after the affair at Rotti, Captain Duncan, being 
 off Cape St. Angelo, discovered three ships and a cutter 
 in the N. E. coming down before the wind, and four French 
 privateers in chase of and firing at them. He immediately 
 hauled towards the strangers, and had the satisfaction of 
 saving four Sicilian merchantmen, with valuable cargoes, 
 from being captured. On the Mercury's approach, the 
 enemy hauled their wind, and Captain Duncan did not pur- 
 sue them, he having on board important despatches from the 
 British Ambassador at Vienna, and there being but little or uo 
 prospect of cutting them off from the land. It is almost su- 
 perfluous to add,^ that his continued exertions were duly ap- 
 preciated by Lord CoUingwood, who expressed, " great satis- 
 faction that the Mercury had been able to effect such good 
 
 Bervice. 
 
 f^.i'.*.' 
 
 .>v'7', 
 
 -tr^'. 
 
 On his return to the Adriatic, Captain Duncan was sent, 
 with the Redwing of 18 guns under his orders, to blockade a 
 French frigate and several brigs of war, then lying at Ancona. 
 Whilst off that harbour, he captured three merchant vessels, 
 destroyed several signal posts in the vicinity of the port, and 
 challenged the frigate, but could not induce her commander 
 to come out and fight him. From thence he proceeded off 
 Ragusa, where be took sixteen sail of merchantmen, during ^ 
 cruise of only 10 days. ' -■ • r - 
 
 A short time subsequent to the capture of la Pugliesc, (al- 
 ready adverted to), Captain Duncan was selected by Lord Col- 
 lingwood to command a squadron employed in guarding Sicily 
 from an invasion then threatened by the usurper of the Nea- 
 politan throne j but the Mercury, on being surveyed, was 
 found to be too defective for farther active service ; and indeed 
 declared to be even in an unfit state to go home at that sea- 
 son of the year. Circumstances, however, rendering it neces- 
 sary for all the effective ships on the station to be retained, 
 Captain Duncan ' ;:ceivcd orders to take charge of th^ tmUvj^ 
 
 ¥1 
 
993 
 
 POBT>CAPTAlNS OP 1806. 
 
 then collecting at Malta, the whole of which he escorted in 
 safety to the Downs, where he arrived, after a tempestuous 
 passage, in the month of Feb. 1810. 
 
 The Mercury was paid off, at Woolwich, shortly after her 
 arrival ; and in June following Captain Duncan received an 
 appointment of a much more gratifying description, it being 
 to the Imperieuse, a fine 38-gun frigate, of which he assumed 
 the command at Gibraltar, on the 22d Sept.^ having fol- 
 lowed her thither, as a passenger, in the Milford 74., 
 
 In May 1811, the Imperieuse and Resistance were de- 
 tached to Algiers, in quest of two French frigates ; but not 
 meeting with them. Captain Duncan was obliged to content 
 himself with obtaining the release of a Cephalonian brig, 
 which had been carried into Tripoli by an Algerine cruiser. 
 He was afterwards sent on two short cruises, under the 
 orders of Captains Blackwood and Dundas, duripg which he 
 assisted at the capture of ten merchant vessels. With the 
 exception of those three trips he was constantly attached to 
 the inshore squadron off Toulon, for upwards of nine months ; 
 a service of tLe most irksome nature to an officer of his en- 
 terprising spirit. The time, however, was approaching, whea 
 his talents for conducting operations along shore were again 
 to be called into action. 
 
 In July, Sir Edward Pellew, who had recently succeeded 
 Sir Charles Cotton in the chief comm&nd of the Mediterranean 
 fleet, relieved Captain Duncan from his mortifying situation, 
 by sending him to Naples on a special service, for the 
 able execution of which he received that officer's particular 
 tlianks. < ' .' ' : '. '.' ^ i' ■'...-) « 
 
 On the 11th Oct. 1811, being the fourteenth anniversary of 
 Lord Duncan's victory, his son commenced a series of active 
 operations in the Imperieuse, by attacking three of the ene- 
 my's gun-vessels, each carrying an 18-pounder and 30 men, 
 moored under the walls of a strong fort, near .the town o£ 
 Possitano, in the Gulf of Salerno. 
 
 About 11 A. M. the frigate was anchored within range of 
 grape, and in a few minutes the enemy were driven from 
 their guns, and one of the gun-boats was sunk. It, however, 
 became absolutely necessary to get possession of the fort ; 
 for although silenced, yet (from iti being regularly wullcd 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 90S 
 
 round) the ship could not dislodge the soldiers and those of 
 the vessels' crews who had made their escape on shore, and 
 taken shelter in it. The marines and a party of seamen were 
 therefore landed under the command of Lieutenant Eaton 
 Travers, first of the Imperieuse, who forced his way into the 
 battery in the most gallant style, under a very heavy fire of 
 musketry, obliging more than treble the number of his brave 
 companions to fly in all directions, leaving behind about 
 thirty men and fifty stand of arms. The guns, which were 
 24-pounders, were then thrown over the cliff, the magazines, 
 &c. destroyed, and the two remaining gun-vessels brought 
 off. The Imperieuse, on this occasion, had her fore-top-sail- 
 yard shot away, and sustained a loss of 3 men killed and 
 Avounded. ' ' ' . 
 
 On the 19th and 21st of the same month, the boats of the 
 Imperieuse, assisted by those of the Thames frigate, under 
 cover of both ships, anchored close to the shore for their sup- 
 port, captured ten armed polacrcs loaded with oil, which they 
 launched and brought off from the beach near Palinuro, on 
 the coast of Calabria, where the vessels were banked up with 
 sand, and defended by a large detachment of Neapolitan 
 troops. This service was likewise executed under the direc- 
 tions of Lieutenant Travers, whose intrepidity and judgment 
 we shall hereafter have frequent occasion to notice. 
 
 The above capture led to one of still greater importance, as 
 will be seen by Captain Duncan's official report to Rear- 
 Admiral Freemantle, dated at Melazzo, in Sicily, Nov. 7, 
 1811 :— 
 
 "On the 21st ult. the Imperieuse and Tiiamcs discovered ten of the 
 enemy's gun-boats in the port of Palinuro, with a number of merchant 
 vessels, and a quantity of spars intended for tlie equipment of the Neapo- 
 ntan navy, hauled up on the beach ; hut, from the strength and situation of 
 the harbour, I did not think the force I then had sufficient to attack it with 
 a prowpcct of complete success; I therefore sent the Thames to Sicily to re- 
 quest the assistance of a detachment of soldiers, and on the 2Hthshe rejoined 
 me with 250 of the G2d regiment, under M^or Dailey, but unfortunately at 
 the commencement of a S.W. gale, which precluded all possibility of landing 
 till'the evening of the 1st instant, when the troops, together with the ma- 
 rine* of both ships under Lieutenant Pipon, and a detachment of seamen 
 under Lieutenant Travers, the whole commanded by Captain Napier, were 
 disembarked from the Thames at the back of the harbour, and immcdiatelf 
 ascended and carried the heights in a very gallant stylo, under a heavy (ire 
 
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9M 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1906. 
 
 from the enemy, who were assembled in force to oppose them, and wh» 
 soon after dark endeavoured to retake tlieir position ; but one volley obliged 
 them instantly to retire. The Imperieuse had in the mean time been endea- 
 vouring to occupy the attention of the gun>boats and battery in front ; but 
 the light and baffling winds prevented our getting any nearer than long range 
 during the evening. Next morning, tinding that nothing could be done on 
 the land side against the battery and a strong tower that protected the 
 vessels on the beach, and within pistol-shot of which the gun-boats were 
 moored, I ordered the Thames to close ; and, having directed Captain Na- 
 pier to return on board her, we bore up at the commencement of the sea- 
 breeze, end running along the line of gun-boats within half musket-shot, 
 otiliged them almost instantly to surrender. Two were sunk. We then 
 anchored close to the fort, which in about fifteen minutes was completely 
 silenced, and in a quarter of an hour more the colours were struck to his 
 Majesty's ships, and it was instantly taken possession of by Lieutenant Tra. 
 vers, who, on seeing us stand in, had moat gallantly pushed down the hill 
 with a party of seamen and marines, and was waiting almost under the walls 
 of the fort, ready to take advantage of any superiority the ships might have 
 over it. The guns, 24-pounders, were then thrown into the se*., the gun- 
 boats secured, and the crews of both ships sent to launch the vessels and 
 spars, which could not be completed till after noon next day ; when the 
 troops, who had all this time remained in undisputed possession of the 
 heights, were re-embarked, the marines withdrawn from the tower, which 
 was completely blown up, together with two batteries, and a signal-tower 
 on the hill, the ships and prizes putting to sea with the land breeze. 
 Caraccioli, Captain of a frigate, commanded the division of gun-boats; 
 and General Pignatelli Cercaro the land forces, which consisted latterly of 
 about 700 men, including peasantry. ♦•••••, Enclosed is 
 a list of the vessels taken and destroyed, and a return of the killed and 
 wounded : among the former I have to regret Lieutenant Kay of the G2d 
 regiment, and Lieutenant Pipon, R. M. of the Imperieuse *." 
 
 Having escorted his prizes to Melazzo^ and disembarked 
 the troops at that place, Captain Duncan proceeded to Mi- 
 norca for the purpose of rejoinuig the fleet, and on his pas- 
 sage thither re-capturcd an English ship from Newfoundland. 
 On his arrival at Mahon, he had the gratification of receiving 
 the following letter from the commander-in-chief, dated Dec. 
 19,1811:— 
 
 " Sir,— I have received and read with great satisfaction your letters of 
 
 * One gun-vessel, carrying two 18-pounders and 50 men, and three others 
 of one 18-pounder and 30 men each, destroyed. Six vessels of the latter 
 description, twenty-two feluccas laden with oil, cotton, figs, raisins, silk, 
 &c. taken ; and 20 large spars brought off from the beach. Total loss on 
 the part of the British, C killed and 1 1 wounded. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 995 
 
 tlie 24tii Oct. and 9tb Nov., stating the services you have performed on 
 the coast of Calabria, in company with Captain Napier of H. M. S. 
 Thames. I have forwarded them to the Admiralty, recommending to their 
 Lordships*' notice these testimonies of your zeal and gallantry, and of 
 those who have served under your orders. I sincerely regret the loss you 
 have sustained on this occasion. I desire you will convey to Captain 
 Napier, and to the officers, seamen, and marines employed on these eer- 
 vices, my entire approbation of their excellent conduct, and I have di< 
 rected Admiral Frecmantlc to express to Major Dailey, and the officers 
 and men of the detachment of the 62d regiment, acting with you at Pa- 
 linuro, my thanks for their co-operation. 
 
 " I have requested their Lordships' attention to the distinguished services 
 of Lieutenant Eaton Travers, first of the Imperieuse, on this and former 
 occasions. I am, &c. 
 
 (Signed) 
 
 " Enw. Pellew." 
 
 " Hon. Capt. Duncan*." 
 
 With the exception of his capturing a Neapolitan cutter, 
 while on a cruise with the Swallow brig under his orders, we 
 find no farther particular mention of Captain Duncan till 
 June 27, 1812, on which day he assisted at the destruction of 
 a French convoy, and the batteries of Languilla and Alassio, 
 in the Gulf of Genoa, by a squadron under the command of 
 Captain Patrick Campbell f. In the execution of this ser- 
 vice the Imperieuse had 4 men killed, and a Lieutenant 
 (William Walpole) and 10 other persons wounded. ^ 
 
 On the 17th Aug. following, Captain Duncan then recon- 
 noitring Naples, a squadron consisting of a 74- gun ship, 
 bearing a Commodore's broad pendant, a frigate, a corvette, 
 thirteen large cutter-rigged gun-boats, and nine smaller ones, 
 got under weigh, apparently with an intention of attacking the 
 Imperieuse and her consort, the Cephalus brig of 18 guns. 
 Captahi Duncan allowed them to approach nearly within 
 reach, when the frigate and gun-boats, which formed the lee 
 division, shewed an inclination to annoy him with long shot, 
 and Ire ordered the brig to wear and meet them ; which her 
 commander, the lute Captain Edward Flin, did in a very 
 handsome style, under a heavy fire, and actually obliged the 
 whole to tack from him. The line-of- battle ship was at this 
 time on Captain Duncan's weather quarter, and had it fully 
 
 * The hi;,'!) approbation of the Adinirulty was conveyed to Captain 
 Dunrau in a letter from their Lordships' Secretary, dated Jan. 23, IHI2. 
 
 t See p. 21)3 of this volume. -.. . , - 
 
 
 
 If; 
 if: 
 
 iri 
 
996 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1806. 
 
 in her power to run doum and close with him; but she 
 seemed not to wish to leave her own shore at a greater dis- 
 tance ; and on the Imperieuse making all sail towards her, 
 she took in hers, and continued firing at long range. It was 
 now sunset, and every likelihood of a calm ; the British 
 therefore gave the headmost vessels a well-directed broad- 
 side, and stood off. The enemy hauled close under the land, 
 except the gun-boats, which, trusting to their oars, followed 
 the Imperieuse and Cephalus a short time, keeping up a dis- 
 tant fire. At day-light, on the 18th, Captain Duncan ob- 
 served that the whole had returned to their anchorage. It 
 was his intention, had the breeze continued, to have laid the 
 74 on board ; and with such men a» he commanded there is 
 no doubt that she would easily have been carried. The en- 
 thusiastic zeal of the crews of the Imperieuse and Cephalus 
 exceeded any thing he had ever witnessed, and made him 
 ** doubly regret, that the situation of the enemy would not 
 allow of his giving full scope to their valour *." This spirited 
 affair took place before thousands of spectators ; and certainly 
 did not leave King Joachim much to boast of the improve- 
 ment of his navy. We believe the 74 bore his name j she 
 fell into the possession of the British^ by the capitulation of 
 Naples, in 1815. 
 
 ' Captain Duncan continued off Naples, with two frigates 
 under his orders, till the defects of the Imperieuse rendered* 
 it necessary for her to leave that station in order to be re- 
 fitted. He then escorted a fleet of transports, having troops 
 on board, from Palermo to Alicant, and returned fiY)m the 
 latter place to Mahon, where his ship was hove down and 
 new coppered. Whilst there he received an appointment to 
 the Resistance 38, and was at the same time offered the Un- 
 daunted, another beautiful frigate of the same class, should 
 he prefer her to the other. The following genuine epistle 
 from his crew, however, prevented him from accepting 
 either : — 
 
 " Sir,— Being informed you are going to lave us, v. 1 ive taken the 
 Kberty at the unanimous request of all bands, to return you our most grate- 
 ful thanks for your continued goodness and indulgence to us since we have 
 
 * See Captain Duacaa's official Utter to Sir Edward Pelievv. 
 
fosT-CAPTAiMt or 1806. 
 
 997 
 
 had the happinetiB of being under your command. Vour continued atten^ 
 tion to our comforts is more tlian we. ever experienced in any Ship, and 
 more tlian we potably can do with any other Captain — from gratitude for 
 your past f^oodness to us, we humbly hope our bedt services will still be 
 exerted under your command, and hope you will not lave us. Every one 
 is praying; for your continuance with us. We humbly beg to say that we 
 will fight and $pell the last drop of our blood under your command, more 
 wilHngly tlian any other Ship's Company up here will do, and only wish 
 we had the oppertunity of convincing you by the capture of any two 
 Frinch Frigates that we might be lucky enough to fall in with, and in as 
 short time and as much to your satisfaction, as any other frigate posably 
 could do— for in fighting under your command we fight under a Captain 
 to whom we owe Eternal gratitude, and to whom we have the strongest 
 attachment. We humbly Beg Pardon for the liberty we have taken, 
 and remaina with the greatest respect and duty. Sir, your very humble 
 Servants. 
 
 (Signed) " The Ship's Company of the Imperieuse." 
 
 In April 1813, Captain Duncan left Mahon, in the Irape- 
 rieuse. Sir Edward Pellew having not only yielded to the 
 wishes of her crew, but Hkewise added to their gratification 
 by appointing their favourite Captain to the command of a 
 squadron, consisting of three frigates and two brigs, employed 
 watching the Neapolitan marine, then composed of one 74, 
 two frigates, and a corvette, besides severe*! smaller vessels of 
 war and numerous gun-boats ; to which was afterwards added 
 a second line-of-battle ship. 
 
 In addition to the duty of blockading Naples, Captain 
 Duncan was directed to annoy as much as possible the ene- 
 my's trade along the coast^ between that city and Leghorn ; 
 but those orders were rendered nugatory in a considerable de- 
 gree, through his being obliged to pay particular attention to 
 the island of Ponza, which the enemy had threatened with an 
 attack. He, however, captured a French privateer, and one 
 or two merchant vessels ; nor did he quit that station without 
 giving the Neapolitans frequent opportunities to engage his 
 very inferior force. On one occasion we find him standing 
 in with his frigates, and challenging the line-of-battle ships 
 by firing several broadsides at them, as they lay at their an- 
 chors ; but although they got under sail, and he remained m. 
 sight all the next day, they were not sufficiently high-minded 
 to leave the bay, and resent so great an insult. 
 
 In Sept. 1813, a French convoy having collected at Port 
 VOL. II. 3t ^ 
 
 ii 
 
 ■ II I 
 
 ii-*'' 
 
 , i, 
 
 ;i I' 
 
 
998 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1806. 
 
 d'Anzo, Captain Duncan proceeded off that harbour, and 
 waited for an opportunity to make a dash at the enemy ; but 
 none occurred previous to the arrival of the Edinburgh 74, 
 which ship had been despatched from Palermo, in conse- 
 quence of the intelligence he had sent thither by Captain 
 Manley, of the Termagant. The result of the attack has 
 been stated in our memoir of the Hon. George H.L.Dundas, 
 who, being senior officer, of course assumed the command ; 
 he, however, adhering to the judicious arrangements al- 
 ready made by the subject of this memoir, who had a few 
 days before lessened the enemy's means of resistance, by 
 causing the destruction of a strong martello tower *. 
 
 Towards the latter end of the same year. Captain Duncan 
 requested and obtained permission to accompany a squadron 
 under the present Sir Josias Rowley, who was then about to 
 make a descent on the coast of Italy. " The ready and use- 
 ful assistance" he afforded that officer " on every occasion,'* 
 during the subsequent operations at Via Reggio and Leghorn, 
 was duly acknowledged by him in his official despatch, a 
 copy of which will be found at p. 424 el seq. 
 
 Soon after the termination of this expedition. Captain Dun- 
 can was appointed to ihe command of a squadron employed 
 on the coasts of Sardinia and Corsica ; but hearing that an 
 armament was preparing at Palermo to renew the attack 
 upon Leghorn, he again volunteered his services, and assisted 
 in escorting 5000 troops to that place, where they were landed 
 without opposition, the French garrison having been with- 
 drawn previous to their arrival. 
 
 The evacuation of Leghorn was speedily followed by the 
 reduction of Genoa and its dependencies ; but Captain Dun- 
 can was prevented from joining the naval force employed on 
 that occasion, in consequence of a fever which broke out among 
 his gallant crew, and obliged him to proceed to Mahon, where 
 he was detained from April 10th till May 8th, 1814, previous 
 to which all military operations in Europe had terminated. 
 , j " 
 
 « See memoir of Commander Eaton Travers, and p. 423 et seq. of tliis 
 volame. N.B. Previous to this event, one of Captain Duncan's squadron 
 had taken a convoy, consisting of 3 gun-boats and 12 merchant vessels ; 
 and another captured a large French brig, and a privateer of 3 guns and 
 forty men. > • 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806, 
 
 999 
 
 Providentially, of 250 men who went to the hospital, not a 
 single person died. 
 
 The Imperieuse returned to England about the middle of 
 July, 1814 ; and Captain Duncan, immediately on his arrival, 
 was appointed to the Glasgow, a new frigate, mounting 60 
 guns ; in which he conveyed Viscount Melville from Ports- 
 mouth to Plymouth, at the commencement of October ; and 
 then cruised between Scilly and Cape Finisterre, until the 
 final conclusion of the war with America. He had not the 
 good fortune, however, to meet with any of the enemy's 
 cruisers ; and the recapture of one British meivhantman was 
 the only service which he had an opportunity of effecting. 
 
 On the return of Buonaparte from Elba, the Glasgow was 
 placed under the orders of Admiral Lord Keith ; and after a 
 short cruise on the coast of la Vendee, Captain Duncan was 
 nominated by the Admiralty to the command of a squadron, 
 intended at first to be employed between Capes Finisterre and 
 St. Vincent, but ultimately sent to cruise across the Bay of 
 Biscay, in order to intercept the fugitive usurper. Hearing at 
 length of Napoleon's surrender to the Bellerophon, and ob- 
 serving the royal colours displayed at Brest, Captain Duncan 
 put into that port, where he remained four days, and then 
 returned to Plymouth. 
 
 From the foregoing statement, it will appear very evident 
 to our readers, that Captain Duncan, although he never had 
 the good fortune to encounter a frigate at sea, was both active 
 and successful in coast operations against the enemy : he did 
 as much along shore as any officer we have ever heard of. 
 Having no frigates to fight, he never lost an opportunity of 
 attacking the enemy's convoys in their own ports, destroying 
 batteries, and cutting out work for himself in every possible 
 shape. If the Captain of a British frigate meets an enemy's 
 ship of that description, he fights her, and he can do no less ; 
 the ofiUcer who goes out of his way to cut out work for him- 
 self, has the credit of the planning to be added to that of the 
 execution of any particular enterprise. Having found it im- 
 possible to specify every individual capture made by Captain 
 Duncan, or at which he assisted, while commanding the Por- 
 cupine, Mercury, and Imperieuse, we must content ourselves 
 with giving the grand total of vessels taken <ind destroyed in 
 
 3t2 
 
 If 
 
1000 
 
 POST-CAPTAFNS OF 1806. 
 
 his presence between Sept. 1807 and Jan. 1814 ; viz. fifteen 
 gun-boats, one national schooner, three armed transports, two 
 privateers, three letters of marque, and upwards of two hundred 
 merchantmen, exclusive of six recaptures ; — he also assisted at 
 the destruction of eight towers and thirteen batteries. For hi*s 
 indefatigable exertions and valuable services,he was deservedly 
 rewarded with the insignia of a C. B. in June 1815. The proof 
 of the value of those services is, that they led to the promotion 
 of four Lieutenants serving under his immediate command *. 
 The Glasgow being paid off at Chatham, Sept. 1 following, 
 and Great Britain then at peace with all the world. Captain 
 Duncan did not attempt to obtain further employment until 
 June 1818, when he was appointed to the Liffey of 50 guns, 
 in which ship he conveyed Field-Marshal Lord Beresford 
 from Portsmouth to Lisbon, and then proceeded on an anti- 
 piratical cruise round the West India Islands. 
 
 After touching at Port Royal, and the Havannuh, Captain 
 Duncan returned to Spithead j and in the autumn of 1819, we 
 find him attending on his present Majesty, then Prince Re- 
 gent, during his aquatic excursion in that neighbourhood. 
 Whilst thus employed, the Liffey had the honor of hoisting the 
 royal standard, tlie Prince having condescended to visit her, 
 at the same time paying Captain Dui, an the flattering com- 
 pliment of saying that he did so "because be had never 
 seen a ship that pleased him so much before." 
 
 The Liffey subsequently conveyed Sir Charles Bagot, H. M. 
 Ambassador to the court of St. Petersburgh, from North Yar- 
 mouth to Cronstadt j and on her return from thence was des- 
 patched in company with the Active frigate, under sealed or- 
 ders, to Naples ; where she continued from the 6th. Oct. 1820, 
 until the end of Feb. 1821. ■ 
 
 ■ Captain Duncan was next sent to Lisbon, on secret service 
 of a highly important nature ; and whilst there he received 
 the thanks of the Cortes for his exertions in subduing a fire 
 which had broke out in one of the public buildings. He had 
 also the honor of a private audience with the King of Portugal, 
 when that monarch arrived in the Tagus, from Rio Janeiro, 
 after an honorable exile of nearly fourteen years. " 
 
 •Seep 1001. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 JOO) 
 
 In Aug. and Sept. 1821, we again find the LUTi v attcikdii. 
 upon our own sovereign, whom she accompanied first to Ire 
 land, and afterwards to Calais. On her return from the latter 
 service, she was ordered to be paid off at Portsmouth ; and 
 Captain Duncan has not since been afloat. 
 
 Previous to their separation, Oct. IJ, 1821, the officers of 
 the Liffey gave a superb entertainment to their late commander 
 — upwards of thirty persons sat down to dinner. The accus- 
 tomed patriotic toasts having been given, the President, after 
 an appropriate speech, in which he expatiated on the uninter- 
 rupted harmony that had reigned among all classes, proposed 
 " the health of the Hon. Captain Duncan, under whose com- 
 mand they had all enjoyed so large a portion of comfort and hap- 
 piness ; who both in his public and private character, had ac- 
 quired, and would ever retain their utmost respect and esteem." 
 This toast was hailed with the most enthusiastic and long con- 
 tinued bursts of applause. — t^laptaiu Duncan, in an animated 
 speech, returned thanks ; and expressed his approbation of 
 the conduct of all his officers, whose lot, he observed, it had 
 been to visit together several European capitals, in all of which 
 he was proud to say, they had left impressions highly favor- 
 able to the British name. Many other appropriate toasts fol- 
 lowed, and the evening was spent in the greatest concord 
 and conviviality. >„. % .r. . .. :.i , ,; j* 
 
 Captain Duncan's great anxiety has always been, to push 
 on the officers serving under his command ; and in this re- 
 spect he has been particularly successful. Not one of his first 
 Laeutenants possessed interest, yet no less than five of them 
 were made Commanders, and a sixth individual may be said 
 to have obtained that rank through him. Lieutenants Price, 
 Pell, and Travers, whom we have already mentioned in the 
 course of this memoir, were promoted for their respective 
 services in the Porcupine, Mercury, and Imperieuse. The 
 action at Languilla and Alassio, June 27, 1812, led to the 
 advancement of Lieutenant William Walpole *. The Prince 
 Regent's visit to the Liffey was followed by the promotion of 
 Lieutenant William Henry Higgs ; and his successor, Wil- 
 liams Sandom, although not made until after the ship was paid 
 
 
 See p. 995, 
 
1002 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 
 
 1806. 
 
 off would in all probability have been a Lieutenant still, but 
 for the fortunate circumstance of his having attracted Captain 
 Duncan's notice during the war, by which means alone he 
 obtained an appointment to the Liffey. 
 
 There is another point which Captain Duncan has great 
 reason to pride himself upon ; namely, his attention to Na- 
 val Gunnery ; and a recital of the circumstance which we 
 are told first led him to see the necessity of attending thereto, 
 may be a useful lesson to our young officers. 
 
 A few weeks after the Porcupine was manned. Captain 
 Duncan chased a ship during the night in the Archipelago, 
 which proved to be an American merchant vessel. While 
 hailing her, and when the two ships were almost touching each 
 other, a gun on board the Porcupme went off by accident, 
 and a whole broadside followed. The guns were all double 
 shotted^ and Captain Duncan naturally supposed the neutral 
 ship would be cut to pieces. Although happy to hear she 
 had not suffered, his surprise was very great to find that a 
 broadside could be fired so close without producing any effect : 
 from that moment he saw the absurdity of the common 
 form of exercise, which he had been accustoiped to pay as 
 much attention to as is generally done ; and that real exercise, 
 and the greatest and most constant attention to it, was neces- 
 sary. In a short time the crew of the Porcupine became per- 
 fect gunners ; the Mercury's were the same ; and never, dur- 
 ing the war, did the firing of any ship surpass that of the !m- 
 perieuse. One day, under a battery, the captain of a gun 
 was asked by an officer why he did not fire ? The man re« 
 plied, " The quoin edgeways is too much, and not enough 
 put in flat ; I am chipping a bit of wood for it." This an- 
 swer shews how cool and correct his people were in handling 
 their guns — ^they used to say themselves, that they would cut 
 a frigate asunder in fifteen minutes. Unfortunately they 
 never had an opportunity of displaying their skill in so highly 
 desirable a manner ; but no battery they were ever opposed 
 to could stand their fire many minutes. We should here re- 
 mark, that very few of Lord Cochrane's men were then re- 
 maining in the Imperieuse : it is true his Lordship first taught 
 that frigate's crew how to use great guns with skill and dex- 
 terity: it is also certain that Captain Duncan completed 
 
/.■ 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 1003 
 
 them in that important science ; and it is but justice to both 
 to add, that Captain Duncan has been often heard to declare 
 how much he admired and how much he had profited by 
 his Lorddhip's system of gunnery. Lord Cochrane proba- 
 bly did not think otherwise of Captain Duncan's, when he re- 
 commended him as his successor to his favorite ship, although 
 unacquaint ed with him until they had met on service a few 
 months before *. The crew of the Glasgow, perhaps the finest 
 set of men ever collected on board a ship, were well trained 
 to their guns under Captain Duncan ; and the perfection to 
 which he brought the Liffey's firing, aided by Sir William 
 Congreve's sights, is sufficiently shewn in the extract from 
 his journal, published in a treatise on that subject by the latter 
 ingenious ofiQcer. . 
 
 Captain Duncan married, April 22, 1823, Mary Simpson, 
 only daughter of Captain James Coutts Crawford, R. N. and 
 grand-daughter of the late Alexander Duncan, of Restalrig 
 House, near Edinburgh, Esq. by whom he has a son, born 
 June 23, 1824 ; and a daughter, born May 31, 1825. 
 
 Agent,'^^, Woodhead, Esq. ^^ i. 
 
 • vc/* ^ »' 
 
 HENRY VAUGHAN, Eiq. -— 
 
 This offieer, a descendant of the late Earl of Carberry, 
 was born in VJhT. He entered the naval service as a Mid- 
 shipman on board the Boyne of 70 guns, commanded by 
 Captain Broderick Hartwell, in 1774 ; and afterwards joined 
 in succession, the Foudroyant 80, Captain John Jervis ; 
 Galatea 20, Captain J. Jordan f ; Ardent 64, Captain James 
 Gambler ; and Sandwich, a second-rate, bearing the flag of 
 Sir George B. Rodney; by whom he was appointed first 
 
 • During a debate od naval affairs in the House of Commons, Lord 
 Cochrane complained that the Admiralty did not pay attention to the re- 
 commendation of officers. Mr. Croker said in reply, " that his Lordship 
 should be the last to make such an accusation, as the Board had atte^idcd 
 to his recommendation, even so far as to the appointment of a successor 
 to his ship," or words to that effect. We state this from memory, conse- 
 quently cannot give the exact date when the conversation alluded to took 
 place. 
 
 t The Galatea assisted at the reduction of New York in Sept. 1776. 
 
 "i 
 
 V^ 
 
 i 
 
1004 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 Lieutenant of the Panther 60, Captain John Harvey, imme- 
 diately after the defeat of Don Juan de Langara, in Jan. 1780. 
 His commission was confirmed by the Admiralty, Oct. 3d, in 
 the same year. 
 
 Soon after Mr. Vaughan's promotion, the chief command 
 of the naval force employed in the defence of Gibraltar, de- 
 volved on Captain Harvey; and never perhaps was cool 
 judgment and firm resolution more necessary, than in the 
 dangerous situation he was soon placed in. During the night 
 of June 6, 1780, a bold and well-concerted effort was made 
 by the Spaniards to destroy the British squadron ; several 
 fire-ships were sent over for that purpose, attended by a large 
 number of boats. Don Barcello's squadron lay at the entrance 
 of the bay to intercept the British, if they should cut their 
 cables and endeavour to escape. Many favorable circum- 
 stances seemed almost to ensure success : the wind was mo- 
 derate from the N. W., the night cloudy, and, considering the 
 season of the year, uncommonly dark : the foremost of the 
 fire-ships was within hail of the Enterprise frigate before they 
 were discovered — not a moment was to be lost, the danger 
 was instant and alarming : to endeavour to avoid it by 
 putting to sea, was to full into the hands of the enemy. 
 
 Captain Harvey, with great coolness and presence of mind, 
 ordered all his boats out to grapple the fire-ships, and tow 
 them on shore — the largest, equal in size to a 50-gun ship, 
 drove past the New Mole head within the distance of 150 
 yards ! Not only the size of the ship, but the violence of the 
 heat, rendered it impracticable for the boats to grapple her : 
 had she got within the mole, every vessel lying there, to- 
 gether with the storehouses in the naval yard, must have been 
 destroyed. Three others were secured together with chains 
 and cables j yet with uncommon resolution and activity, the 
 British seamen separated, and towed them ashore. The 
 Panther was in the utmost danger : three of the enemy's ships 
 were directed towards her : one, notwithstanding the exertions 
 of the boats, came so near as to melt the pitch on her side } 
 auJ as some of the sails were set for canting her, part of the 
 crew were constantly employed in wetting them. By the 
 strong light of these 8even ships, all blazing at one time, two 
 other vessels of the same description were seen on the larboard 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 1005 
 
 l)ow of the Panther ; but so heavy and well-directed a ftre did 
 «he keep up, that their crews were obliged io abandon them 
 before they could be placed in a situation to produce any 
 mischievous effects. Thus was the attempt of the enemy 
 rendered ineffectual by the valour of British seamen, under 
 the guidance of Captain Harvey, Lieutenant Vaughan, and 
 other resolute and skilful officers. 
 
 Orders having been sent from England, about this period, 
 for the Panther to take the first opportunity that offered for re- 
 turning home, she slipped out of the bay, with an easterly 
 wind, during the night of July 2d, succeeded in eluding the vi- 
 gilance of Don Barcello, captured a Spanish packet in her pas- 
 sage, and arrived at Spithead on the 25th of the same month. 
 Lieutenant Vaughan subsequently accompanied Captain 
 Harvey to Barbadoes, and was present at the reduction of St. 
 Eustatius, Feb. 3, 1/81. A few hours after that event, the 
 Panther assisted at the capture of a Dutch convoy, richly 
 laden, as will be seen by the following letter from Captain 
 Francis Reynolds (afterwards Lord Ducie) to Sir George B. 
 Rodney :— 
 
 " Monarch, off Saba, Feb.b, 1781. 
 
 " Sir,— I have the pleasure to inform you, that yesterday morniog I fell 
 in with the convoy you did me the honor to send me in pursuit of. About 
 ten o'clock I ordered the Mara, a Dutch ship of 60 guns, to strike her 
 colours ; which she refusing to do, occasioned some shot to be exchanged. 
 The Monarch received no damage, excepting 3 men wounded : I am not 
 informed of the number the Dutch had killed and wounded ; but among 
 the former is their Admiral, though his flag was not hoisted at the time of 
 the action. From some shot in her masts, I have ordered the PurUher to 
 take her in tow. 
 
 " By the activity of Captain Harvey, and Lord Charles Fitzgerald *, wc 
 were enabled to take possession of the whole, and to make siul with them 
 by four o'clock in the afternoon." 
 
 From this period to the Ist Aug. 1781, the Panther conti- 
 nued cruising among the different islands : when, as she was 
 an old ship, considerably weakened by being constantly at 
 Bea, Sir George B. Rodney sent her home with the Triumph 
 74, as convoy to a large fleet of merchantmen. In Jan. 1782, 
 she was ordered into dock at Portsmouth ; and we find no far- 
 ther mention of Mr. Vaughan until the commencement of the 
 
 * His Lordship commanded the Sybil of 28 guns. , 
 
 
 I 
 
 \ 
 
 it 
 
1006 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 French revolutionary war, when he was appointed first Lieu- 
 tenant of the Russell 74, commanded by Captain John Willet 
 Payne, with whom he continued until his promotion to the 
 rank of Commander, which took place immediately after the 
 glorious battle of June 1 , 1794. 
 
 In 1801, Captain Vaughan was appointed to the Imogene 
 of 18 guns, then employed cruising against the smugglers ; 
 but subsequently sent with important despatches to the Cape 
 of Good Hope, where she arrived after a passage of only 58 
 days. He was afterwards employed on the coast of Guinea, 
 and at the Leeward Islands, from which latter station he 
 sailed for England with the homeward-bound fleet at the com- 
 mencement of 1805. His post-commission bears date Jan. 
 22, 1806; since which date he has not been afloat. In 1807 
 he was appointed to the Sea Fencible service in Ireland, 
 ivhere he continued until the dissolution of that corps, in 
 1810. 
 
 Captain Vaughan married the eldest sister of Captain James 
 Katon, R. N.* 
 
 j^getit, ^-^ohn Chippendale, Esq. 
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL, Esq. 
 
 This officer was made a Commander in 1794 ; and advanced 
 to the rank of Post-Captain, Jan. 22, 1806. He commanded 
 the Wright, hired armed ship, previous to the peace of 
 Amiens ; and obtained the out-pension of Greenwich Hospital, 
 Aug. 19, 1817. 
 
 JOSEPH LAMB POPHAM, Esq. 
 
 This oflicer is a half-brother of the late Rear- Admiral Sir 
 Home Popham, K. C. B. He was made a Lieutenant in 1794, 
 advanced to the rank of Commander in 1797i and posted Jan. 
 22, 1806. He married, June 17, 1801, Miss Wallis, of Tre- 
 vamo, near Hclstone, in Cornwall. * 
 
 See p. 460. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806, 
 
 1007 
 
 JOHN SURMAN GARDEN, Esq. 
 
 This officer is the eldest son of the late Major Garden, a 
 member of the Templemore family in Ireland, by Miss Sur- 
 man, of Treddington, near Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, 
 at which place he was born on the 15th Aug. 1771* 
 
 At the commencement of the dispute with our colonies, Mr. 
 Garden, senior, (then a Lieutenant in the army) proceeded to 
 America, where his services on many occasions were so con- 
 spicuous as to obtain him the rank of Major in a provincial 
 regiment, **The Prince of Wales's Royal Americans.'* During 
 his absence, her late Majesty, Queen Charlotte, attending to 
 the recommendation of General Rooke, commanded Mrs. Car- 
 den to return from Ireland, and take charge of one of the royal 
 progeny, as nurse ; at the same time nominating her son, the 
 subject of this memoir, a page to the King, and procuring 
 him an ensigncy in his father's regiment. Unfortunately, 
 however, Mrs. Garden declined accepting the proffered situa- 
 tion until she could receive her husband's consent ; a re- 
 fusal which put an end to the youngster's prospects of 
 advancement, either at court or in the army ; his name being 
 immediately erased from the list of pages, and subsequently 
 struck off the strength of his regiment, which extreme youth 
 had prevented him fi'om joining, although repeatedly ordered 
 to do so. Mrs. Garden shortly after departed this life, at the 
 age of 26 years ; and was soon followed by the Major, who 
 died of wounds received in action with the enemy, leaving two 
 eons and two daughters. 
 
 Mr. John Surman Garden having ultimately determined 
 to become a sailor, and obtained an introduction from the 
 late Duke of Beaufort to Captain Charles Thompson of the 
 Edgar 74, was received as a Midshipman on board that ship, 
 in 1788. In the following year we find him proceeding to 
 the East Indies in the Perseverance frigate. Captain Isaac 
 Smith, with whom he returned to England at the commence- 
 ment of the Freiirh revolutionary war ; when he joined the 
 Marlborough 74, commanded by the Hon. George C. Berke- 
 ley, under whom lie continued to serve until his promotion to 
 
 fi- 
 
1006 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 the rank of Lieutenant, which took place immediately after 
 Lord Howe's battle, June 1, 1794*. 
 
 Lieutenant Garden, whose sight had been materially in 
 jured by an explosion of gunpowder during the above en- 
 gagement, subsequently followed Captain Berkeley into the 
 Formidable, a second-rate ; and on leaving that ship, joined 
 the Barfleur, another three-decker, commanded by the late 
 Vice-Admiral Dacres. His next appointment was to the 
 Queen Charlotte, of 100 guns, bearing the flag of his friend. 
 Sir Charles Thompson, through whose influence he became 
 first Lieutenant of the Fisgard frigate, fitting at Plymouth, 
 in Sept. 1798. His commission as Commander, dated Oct. 
 25, in the same year, was presented to him on account of his 
 gallant conduct in an action with I'lmmortalite, of 42 guns 
 and 580 men, the capture of which ship has already been de- 
 scribed in our memoir of Sir Thomas Byam Martin, K. C.B. f, 
 from whose official letter to Lord Bridport we make the fol- 
 lowing extract : — 
 
 " I should wish to reconmend the steady good conduct of Mr. Garden, 
 first Lieutenant of the Fisgard, on this occasion, but not to the prejudice 
 of any other person, as every oflicer and man on board behaved with that 
 courage and intrepidity which at all times distinguish his Mi^esty's sub- 
 jects in the presence of an enemy." 
 
 In the summer of 1800, Captain Carden was appointed to 
 the Sheerness, a 44-gun ship, armed en flute, attached to the 
 expedition then about to sail for the Helder, where he com- 
 manded a division of boats at the debarkation of the army* 
 under cover of a warm and well-directed fire from the bombs, 
 gun-brigs, and other small vessels J. 
 
 During the remainder of the war, he appears to have been 
 employed in co-operation with the French royalists, on the 
 coast of la Vendee ; and conveying troops to the Mediterra- 
 nean and Red Sea, for the purpose of reinforcing the British 
 army in Egypt. 
 
 This latter service afforded Captain Carden an opportunity 
 of crossing the desert of Suez, and visiting Grand Cairo, from 
 whence he returned to his ship, bringing with him, as volun- 
 
 . . • Sec note t at p. 15 of this volume. ....... 
 
 ^ " t See vol. I. p. 493. 
 
 % See id. note at p. 415. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1806. 
 
 1009 
 
 teers for the different regiments in India, many of the very 
 men whom he had previously landed at Minorca. On his 
 return from the Red Sea he surveyed the ports of Zeyla and 
 Barbora, in the Arabian Gulf (ports which had never before 
 been entered by any European ship), and with much difficulty, 
 as well as personal risk, succeeded in establishing a source of 
 supply for his countrymen, should any reverse have obliged 
 the army to approach that quarter. His exertions at this pe- 
 riod are thus noticed in a letter written by the late Rear-Ad- 
 miral John Sprat Rainier, dated Dec. 23, 1820 : 
 
 " My tiear Garden, — I look back with pleasure to our arduous services 
 in the Red Sea and India ; though being performed in that remote region, 
 they are unknown and unnoticed in this quarter of the globe. The (iover- 
 nor of Bombay attributed the preservation of the magazines, arsenal, and 
 dock, almost entirely, to the zealous and active exertions of the navy, when 
 that rich and combustible city was nearly reduced to ashes : your distin- 
 guished conduct on that occasion, I well remember. But our exertions 
 did not terminate here ; we rescued the property of thousands, and the lives 
 of many, at the extreme peril of our own. I imagine Sir Home Popham, 
 if alive, would have borne testimony to the value of your assistance in that 
 remarkable and most essential service of enal)ling the British army to cross 
 the desert between Cossire and the Nile, which it is allowed would have 
 been impracticable but with the aid the squadron afforded at the very crisis 
 of commencing their march •." • • • • 
 
 The fire alluded to by Rear-Admiral Rainer, broke out at 
 Bombay on the l/th Feb. 1803, and burnt down the greater 
 part of the town, leaving only the dock-yard, arsenal, castle, 
 and European buildings. In the midst of the conflagration. 
 Captain Garden distinguished himaelf by his intrepidity in 
 forcing open a magazine, the outer door of which had already 
 caught fire, and setting a noble example to his men, by seizing 
 the nearest barrel of gunpowder, carrying it, covered with his 
 jacket, to the ramparts, and throwing it from thence into the 
 ditch. By this daring act, the lives of many hundred persons 
 were saved ; yet, strange to say, the only reward Ca|)tain 
 Garden ever received was the thanks of the Governor and 
 Council, conveyed to him, in common with other officers, 
 through the naval commander-in-chief. He was soon after 
 obliged to invalid in consequence of hepatitis, brought on by 
 his great exertions, and return home as a passenger on board 
 an Indiaman. 
 
 • See the remainder of Rear-Admiral Rainier'* letter at p. 1010. 
 
 i: 
 
 ir 
 
 
1010 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 Captain Garden's next appointment, which took place im- 
 mediately after his arrival in England, was to command 
 the Sea Fencibles quartered on the borders of the Frith of 
 Forth, where he continued until appointed to the Moselle 
 brig in Dec. 1804. Previous to his quitting North Britain, 
 he was presented with the freedom of the united boroughs 
 of Burntisland, Kirkaldy, Kinghorn, and Dysart. His post- 
 commission bears date Jan. 22, 1806 ; but he does not appear 
 to have given up the command of the Moselle until the 
 month of March following. A letter from Captain George 
 Mundy, bearing testimony to his attentive and able conduct 
 while engaged in the blockade of Cadiz, will be found at p. 
 336 of this volume. 
 
 In Jan. 1809, we find Captain Cardcn commanding the 
 Ville de Paris, a first-rate, and assisting at the embarkation of 
 the unfortunate army which had entered Spain under Sir 
 John Moore. Speaking of this service, his friend, Rear-Ad- 
 miral Rainer, continues his letter in the following terms : — 
 
 " • • • * Sir David Baird will join me in this •, as well as in tho 
 estimation of your services at Corunna. The services of the navy upon 
 this occasion, liave been depressed by the misfortunes of the period, in- 
 cluding the state of the weather, which caused the fleet to disperse, and 
 was destructive of all order ; and they have been obscured by political 
 misrepresentations. The fact was this, that with the boats of the men of 
 war and transports only, and under the disadvantage of a gale of wind, and 
 night operations, we embarked the whole army, amounting, if my memory 
 be correct, to 24,000 men, in about 36 hours. In all this, you performed, 
 as upon other occasions, a zeak)U8 and important part. Believe me ever, 
 my dear Garden, most truly yours, 
 
 (Signed) " J. S. Rainier." 
 
 Captain Cardcn was afterwards appointed in succession to 
 the Ocean 98, Mars 74, and Macedonian frigate. His cap- 
 ture, by an American man of war, is thus described by him 
 in a letter to John Wilson Croker, Esq. dated at sea, Oct. 23, 
 1812 :— 
 
 *' Sir, — It is with the deepest regret I have to acquaint you, for the in< 
 formation of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that H. M . late 
 ship Macedonian, was captured on the 25th instant, by the U. S. ship United 
 States, Commodore Decatur, commander : the detail is as follows : 
 
 Sec p. 1009. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 1011 
 
 " A short time after day-light, steering N. W. by W. with the wind from 
 the southward, in lat. 29° N. and long. 29° 30' W., in the execution of 
 their Lordships' orders, a sail was seen on the lee beam, which 1 imme- 
 diately stood for, and made her out to be a large frigate under American 
 colours. At 9 o'clock, I closed with her, and she commenced the action, 
 which we returned ; but, from the enemy keeping two points off the wind, 
 I was not enabled to get as close to her as I could have wished. After an 
 hour's action the enemy backed and came to the wind, and I was then 
 enabled to bring her to close battle. In this situation I soon found the 
 enemy's force too superior to expect success, unless some very fortunate 
 chance occurred in our favor ; and, with this hope, I continued the battle 
 to two hours and ten minutes ; when, having the mizen-mast shot away by 
 the board, top-masts shot away by the caps, main-yard shot in pieces, lower- 
 masts badly wounded, lower rigging all cut to pieces, a small proportion 
 only of the foresail left to the yard, all the guns on the quarter-deck and 
 forecastle disabled but two, and filled with wreck, two also on the main- 
 deck disabled, and several shot between wind and water, a very great pro- 
 portion of the crew killed and wounded, and the enemy, who had now shot 
 a-head, comparatively in good order, and about to place himself in a raking 
 position, without our being enabled to return his fire, being a perfect wreck 
 and unmanageable log ; I deemed it prudent, though a painful extremity, to 
 surrender his Majesty's ship ; nor was this dreadful alternative resorted to 
 till every hope of success was removed, even beyond the reach of chance ; 
 nor till, I trust their Lordships will be aware, every effort had been made 
 against the enemy by myself, my brave officers, and men : nor should she 
 have been surrendered whilst a man lived on board, had she been manage- 
 able. I am sorry to say our loss is very severe ; I find, by this day's muster, 
 36 killed, 3 of whom lingered a short time after the battle ; 36 severely 
 wounded, many of whom cannot recover ; and 32 slightly wounded, who 
 may all do well. Total 104 •. 
 
 " The truly noble and animating conduct of my officers, and the steady 
 bravery of my crew, to the last moment of the battle, must ever render them 
 dear to their country. 
 
 " iWy first Lieutenant, David Hope, was severely wounded in the head, 
 towards the close of the battle, and taken below ; but was soon again on 
 deck, displaying that greatness of mind, and exertion, which, though it may 
 be equalled, can never be excelled ; the third Lieutenant, John Bulford, 
 was also wounded, l)Ut not obliged to quit his quarters ; the second Lieu, 
 tenrnt, Samuel Mottley, and he, deserve my highest acknowledgments. 
 
 I 
 
 • " In bearing down to attack the American ship, the whole of the Mace- 
 donian's carronades on the engaging side, had their chocks, which, in thi« 
 frigate, were fitted outside, cut away by the raking fire of the United States. 
 Thus was disabled the entire upper-deck Imttcry of the IMacedonian, before 
 she had well l>egun the action." — See James's JVuv, Occ. p. 154. 
 
I0I2 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1906. 
 
 Tlie-cool and steady conduct of Mr. Walker, the Master, was rery conspi- 
 cuous durinfif the battle ; as also that of Lieutenants Wilson and Magill, of 
 the marines. 
 
 " On being taken on board the enemy's ship, I ceased to wonder at the 
 result of the battle. The United States is built with the scantling of a 74 
 gun-ship, mounting thirty long 24-pounders (English ship guns) on her 
 main-deck, and twenty-two 43-pounder carronades, with two long 24- 
 pounders on her quarter-deck and forecastle, howitzer guns in her tops *, 
 and a travelling carronade on her upper-deck ; \wth a complement of 47& 
 picked men. 
 
 " The enemy has suffered much in masts, rigging, and hull, above and 
 below water ; her loss in killed and wounded I am not aware of, but I 
 know a Lieutenant and 6 men have been thrown overboard f. 
 
 (Signed) •* John S. Garden." 
 
 * Eight-pounders, one in each top. 
 
 f " The loss of the United States is stated by Commodore Decatur at 
 no more than 5 killed and 7 wounded. Among the latter is included, 
 ' Lieutenant Funk, who died four hours after the action.' Mr. Clark 
 (editor of a naval work published at Philadelphia, Jan. 3, 1814), also notices 
 one of the seamen as having been mortally wounded ; which coincides with 
 Captain Garden's statement, that a Lieutenant and 6 men had been thrown 
 overboard. According to the proportions between the killed and wounded, 
 the American slightly wounded cannot have been enumerated ; a circum- 
 stance that receives confirmation from the fai:t, that the American officers, 
 when questioned on the subject of their los8« told each a different story." — 
 See James's A^av. Occ. p. 158. 
 
 By reference to the minutes of the court-maitial afterwards he.u on Cap- 
 tain Garden, &c., it will be seen that one of the Macedonian's quarter-mas- 
 ters, an old British seaman, made oath, that he served his time with many of 
 the United States' crew, out of an English port ; that his first cousin was one 
 of the traitors, and that they had declared to him that the American ship had 
 18 persons slain in the action. Captain Garden, in a letter to Mr. James» 
 dated May 17> 1824, and afterwards published in the Hampshire Telegrapht 
 says, that the United States was pumped out every watch till her arrival in 
 port, from the effect of shot received under water, and that two 18-pounders 
 had passed through her main-mast in an horizontal line ; he adds, " had 
 such roast been the size only of the Macedonian's, that is the same diameter, 
 it would most probably have fallen early in the action, five of her main 
 shrouds having been cut away by the Macedonian's shot, on the side en- 
 gaged." In reply to Mr. James's assertion, " that the British frigate bore 
 down to the attack in a heedless and confident manner, and that the United 
 States opened a fire from her long twenty-fours, almost every shot of which 
 •truck either the hull or the masts of the Macedonian," (oeo Nav. Hist. 
 V. 5, p. 304,) Captain Caitien declares, that every shot of the enemy's 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OP 1806. 1013 
 
 As no correct account of the Macedonian's armam'int has 
 hitherto been published, we shall here give an authentic state- 
 ment, shewing the comparative force of that ship and her 
 formidable opponent. 
 
 ■"' MACEDUNIAV. UNITED STATES. 
 
 Main-deck ... 28 loiig eighteeu-pounders 30 long twenty-four-pounder*. 
 
 Quarter-deck, "^ ^16 thirty-two-pounder carronades, "J T 22 f urty-two-poundcr carionadea, 
 and LJ 2 long twelve-pound<!rt, and KJ and 
 
 Forecastle, j 1 2 ditto brait eiglit-poundcrs *. j 1 ^ 'onR twcnty-four-pounderf. 
 
 Toltl 48 guns, exclusive of a boat's car- 64 guns, exclusive or three howil- 
 ronade. zer-pieces in (he tops, and 
 a travelling carronaiie. 
 
 Broadside weight or meta, { [ZS.'^}»^ P0""'>'-{crrr'oS.^2}^ Po""'i'- 
 
 ! Officers BS-\ ( ^ 1 
 
 Seamen and Mariso 178 f ^^^^ 297 t . . < *^** > Total 609 ^. 
 
 Landsmen .... 61 T | nonci i >' 
 
 Boys 85 I • t 1 J 
 
 Size in tons 1081 1670 1|, 
 
 ./ 
 
 broadside fell far short, and that one of the first that struck her was a 
 fortp-ttoo-T^ounder, which killed the serjeant of marines. The inizen top- 
 mast was shot away at the cap about the same time, and fell forward into 
 the main-top. 
 
 • The two brass 8-pounders (prize guns) were only fired once — the 
 solder by which pieces of metal for securing the locks had been affixed to 
 them having run the first discharge, and filled the touch-holes. 
 
 t Among the Macedonian's crew were many men gaid to be native 
 Americans, and other foreigners, eight of whom refused to fight, and were 
 consequently sent below. This reduced the number actually at quarters to 
 289 officers, men, and boys : few of the latter were worth ship room in 
 time of action. 
 
 X There is no rating for landsmen allowed in the American navy. 
 
 § Captun Garden, in his official letter, gave the United States a com. 
 plement of 478 men ; but he did not include in that number 30 officers, 
 whose names were not entered in lier victualling book, from whence he 
 took his account. 
 
 II Taken from the register of New York dock-yard. — ^The United States 
 was superior to any ship of her class in the American navy. Her sides, 
 on the cells of her main-deck ports, were of the same scantling as our 
 74-gun ships on their lower-deck port-cells, composed of live-oak ; and her 
 sides such a mass of this wood, that carronade grape would scarcely pene- 
 trate them. She was termed the " Waggon of the American Navy," from 
 her thick scantling, having been originally intended for a larger class ship ; 
 and her masts were precisely the name dimensions as those of our then 
 second class stventy-fours. • . , n 
 
 VOL. II. 3 u 
 
 <l 
 
 I 
 
1014 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1906. 
 
 The manner in which Captain Garden was received by his 
 generous enemy, after the surrender of the Macedonian, is 
 worthy of mention^ On presenting his sword to Commo- 
 dore Decatur, the latter started back, declared he never could 
 take the sword of a man who had so nobly defended the honor 
 of it, requested tlie hand of that gallant officer, whom it had 
 been his fortune in war to subdue, and added, that though he 
 could not claim any merit for capturing a ship so inferior, he 
 felt assured Captain Garden would gain much, by his perse- 
 vering and truly gallant defence *. The Commodore subsc- 
 «|uently gave up all the British oflicers' private property, 
 extending his generosity to even a quantity of wine, which 
 they had purchased at Madeira for their friends in England. 
 
 Captain Garden, his officers, and surviving crew, returned 
 to Bermuda in Mar. 1813 ; and on the 27th May following, 
 a court-martial was assembled on board the St. Domingo 7^, 
 to inquire into their conduct during the above action, and to 
 try them for surrendering their ship. The following is an 
 extract from the sentence : — 
 
 " The Court having most striclly investigated (during its silting of four 
 days) every circumstance, and examined the difFerent officers, and many 
 of the crew, and having very deliberately and maturely weighed and con- 
 sidered the whole and every part thereof, is of opinion — 
 
 " Tliaf, previous to the commencement of the action, from an over 
 anxiety to keep the weather gage, an opportunity was lost of closing with 
 the enemy ; and that, owing to this circumstance, the Macedonian was 
 unable to bring the United States to close action, until she had received 
 material damage ; but as it does not appear that this omission originated 
 in the most distant wish to keep back from the engagement, the Court is 
 of opinion, that Captain John Surman Cardcn, the officers, and ship's 
 company, f« every instance throughout the action, behaved with the firmest 
 and most determined courage, resolution, and coolness, and that the co- 
 lours of the Macedonian were not struck until she was unable to make 
 further resistance. The Court does, therefore, most honorably acquit Captain 
 John Surman Carden, the officers and remaining company of his Majesty's 
 late ship Macedonian ; and they arc most iioNonADLv acquittep ac- 
 cordingly. 
 
 1- :-i 
 
 * The national legislature voted their thanks to Commodore Decatur, the 
 officers, and crew, of the frigate United States; also a gold medal toJCom- 
 modorc Decatur, and silver medals to each of the officers, in honor of the 
 brilliant victory gained by iXi^i frigate over the Macedonian ! Sec James's 
 Nav. Occ. Appendix, p, xxxi. 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 1015 
 
 " The Ct>urt cannot dismiss Captain Garden, witlioiit expressing its ad- 
 miration of tlie uniform testimony whicli has been borne to his gallantry 
 and good conduct tltrougliout the action ; nor Lieutenant David Hope, the 
 other officers, and sliip's company, without expressing the highest appro- 
 bation of the support given by him and tliem to their Captain, and of their 
 courage and steadiness during the contest with an enemy of very superior 
 force ; a circamstance, that whilst it reflects high honour on them, does no 
 lesa credit to the dimpline of the Macedonian. The Court also feels it a 
 gratifying duty to express its admiration of the fidelity to their allegiance, 
 and attachment to their King and Country, which the remaining crew ap- 
 pear to have manifestetl, \\\ resisting the various insidious and repeated 
 temptations which the enemy held out to seduce them from their duty, 
 and which cannot fiul to be fully appreciate*!." 
 
 The President, Commodore Henry Hothani, on returning 
 Captuin Garden his sword, highly extolled the distinguished 
 valour displayed hy him, and concluded by saying, that 
 whenever the honor of the British flag should be entrusted 
 to him, he felt assured it would receive additional glory. 
 
 The approbation of an enormously thronged court, on this 
 occasion, was enthusiastic to a degree. Captain Carden was 
 immediately charged, by the commander-in-chief, with de- 
 spatches for the Admiralty, and he arrived in London the 
 very morning previous to a discussion in the House of Com- 
 mons * on the " desjwmkiit and heartless state of the British 
 navy," when the gallant defence made by the Macedonian 
 appears to have been adduced by Ministers as the criterion 
 of British valour, as well as to confute tlie unjust charge pre- 
 ferred by Lord Cochrane, the fraraer of the motion ; in reply 
 to whose animadversions, Mr. Croker, Secretary to the Ad- 
 miralty, expressed himself in terms to the following effect : — 
 
 *' He would assert, without the fear of contradiction, that no person iu 
 tkiit House, or in the Country, except the noble Lord liimsuir, ever thought 
 of attributing tlie captures made from us by the Americans, to the de- 
 spondent spirit and heartless state of our crews, and not to the superior 
 dimensions and weight of metal of the enemy's ships. What would be the 
 consequence, were the noble Lord's assertions to be admitted by the 
 House? What was the fact with regard to the Java and the IMacedonian ? 
 Were the brave and gallant men who fought the Macedonian against an 
 overbearing superiority of size and numbers, and an overwhelming supe- 
 riority of metal, despondent, faint, and heartless ? The Rlaccdonian had 
 been fought with such determined gallantry, and such persevering intrc- 
 
 ♦ July 5, 1313. 
 3 u2 
 
 i 
 
1016 
 
 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 
 
 pidity, as to give the officers and men an honor, that was as justly mc 
 rited as it was pure and untainted ; and it was only now attempted to be 
 blown upon by the noble Lord. He would state one fact respecUn^ the 
 courageous and dauntless character maintained by the crew of that frigate 
 in the extremity and crbis of danger. — Immediately before the surrender 
 of the Macedonian, loud, cordial, and repeated cheering was given— he 
 could not better describe the nature of these cheers, nor more adequately 
 praise the noble spirit displayed by her crew, than by assuring the House, 
 that the cheering proceeded from the cockpit ; and that the wounded and 
 the dying were those who rused the patriotic shouts. Would the noble 
 Lord call these men depressed and heartless, who were not only suscepti- 
 ble of such manly and generous feeliags, but who were capable of giving 
 to them, even in the bitter moments of bodily anguish, and inevitable 
 death, the energetic tone and expression so truly characteristic of OritisU 
 seamen }" , . > 
 
 On the day after the debate alluded to, several members of 
 the House of Commons waited upon Captain Carden, congra- 
 tulated him on his arrival in England, and declared they had 
 never witnessed more enthusiastic applause than the recital of 
 his gallant defence had the night before created. On revisit- 
 ing his native place he was received with unbounded accla- 
 mations of joy and respect ; and soon after honored with the 
 freedom of Worcester, Gloucester, and Tewkesbury. The 
 following is an extract from the Naval Chronicle, vol. 30, 
 p. 182:— 
 
 '* On the 23d Aug. (1S13), the Earl of Coventry entertained the Mayor 
 and Corporation of Worcester with a splendid dinner at Croorae j after 
 which a most interesting ceremony followed, in the presentation of the 
 freedom of that city to the gallant Captain Carden, by the Earl of (Jo- 
 ventry, at the head of the Body Corporate, who had previously voted it 
 to him at a Chamber Meeting. Upon which occasion the noble Earl ad- 
 dressed Captain Carden in the following words : — 
 
 " Captain Carden, — I feel proud to have the honor of presenting the 
 Freedom of the ancient and loyal City of Worcester, conferred on you by 
 this respectable assembly, in testimony of the high sense they entertain of 
 the signal and meritorious services you have so eminently and repeatedly 
 displayed in the defence of your King and Country ; and more particu- 
 lizrly for your gallant and memorable defence of H. M. S. Macedonian, 
 against so superior and overwhelming a force. The sentence of the court- 
 martial on tlus occasion has afifurded universal satisfaction ; and I doubt 
 not that an early opportunity will be offered you of adding fresh lustre to 
 the renown already acquired by the exercise of those professional talents 
 and valour hitherto so conspicuous, and on which I have this day the hap- 
 piness to congratulate you." ^ • »^ 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1806. 1017 
 
 On looking over Mr; James's account of tVie battle between 
 the Macedonian and United States, we find that gentle- 
 man, after commenting upon what he terms the ineffectual 
 fire of the British frigate, expressing himself as follows : — 
 " A Captain, where he knows that his men, for want of prac- 
 tice, are deficient in gunnery, should strive his utmost to 
 close with his antagonist ; especially when he also knows, 
 that that antagonist excels in an art, without some skill in 
 which, no American ship of war would trust herself at sea." 
 That the crew of the Macedonian were constantly exercised 
 at the great guns, whilst commanded by Captain Carden, is 
 sufficiently proved by the letters which he received from his 
 late third and first Lieutenants, the present Captain George 
 Richard Pechell, and Commander David Hope. The follow- 
 ing are extracts from those letters : — 
 
 *' Aldwich, Chichester, May \A,\9,2A. 
 *' My dear Sir, — From havlnjf served as junior Lieutenant in the Muce- 
 donian, for nearly two years, under your command, till within a few weeks 
 of the action with the United States, I cannot refuse myself the satisfac- 
 tion of declaring, that in no ship in which I had served, was the exercise 
 of the great guns so constantly attended to, as in the JVIacedonian. That 
 nearly every afternoon whilst at sea, the guns were cast loose and practised, 
 and the system altogether, striking me at that time as so extremely beneficial, 
 that I instantly adopted the same principle of exercise when commanding 
 his Majesty's sloop Colibri, which took place three months from my quit- 
 ting the Macedonian. So far did I consider the crew of the Macedonian 
 from being deficient in gunnery, and so confident was her commander of 
 the result of his continued exertions in training his crew, that whilst em- 
 ployed in shore of the squadron i.> Basque Roads, every opportunity was 
 as eagerly seized, and aa confidently anticipated, to bring the enemy's ad- 
 vanced frigates to battle. Scarcely was there a day in which the Mace- 
 rfonian for months was not engaged, either with the batteries, or stopping 
 the convoys, and not an enemy's vessel in that roadstead even moved 
 without the Macedonian's signal being ma le to advance ! — which alone 
 gave repeated occasions for manoeuvring and firing. And nothing but the 
 intricacy of the navigation, and the shallc ness of the water, prevented the 
 success which otherwise would have fift. nded this harrassing service. The 
 precision of the fire from the Macedonian was never more observable than 
 on the evening of the 6th of August, 1813, when a French lugger was chased 
 on shore under the batteries, near I'lsle d'Aix, which vessel was brought 
 out the same evening, by the boats you did me the honor to place under 
 my command; and to recapture which an attempt was made by the enemy, 
 with two frigates, the followin:; morning ; i)ut which, on the Macedonian's 
 approaching to gun-shot, 'ustairtly retreated to their anchorage ; and it 
 
 i 
 
lOld 
 
 HOST-CAri'AlNS OK 1806. 
 
 may here be only proper tu remark, in refntation of Captain Garden's wiah 
 to keep at Ionj( range, (which in the passage above Mr. James alludes 
 to) — that on approaching the French frigates close to the batteries of I'lsle 
 d'Aiz, a gun accidentally went off, (when at long range), which drew forth 
 from Captain Carden, a most severe reprimand, to those who had been 
 guilty of such apparent want of caution, as compromising tlte dignity of 
 a British man-of.war.<— I am, dear Sir, 
 
 " Your very humble and most obedient servant, 
 
 " Gbo. R. Pkchbll." 
 ** To Captain J. S. Carden, R. N." 
 
 " Newton, by Musselburgh, Jung 22, 1824. 
 
 " Dear Sir,— I have just received your letter of the 10th instant, in 
 which you mention that Mr. James, in his Naval History, has stated that 
 you knew the ship's crew of the Macedonian were, for want of practice, 
 deficient in gunnery. That statement is certainly totally unfounded ; as in 
 no ship in the British service could there have been more attention paid to 
 the practical part of gunnery than was done by you to the crew of the Ma- 
 cedonian : the cruise previous to our unfortunate capture we were under the 
 command of Sir P. C. Durham, in Basque Roads, and stationed in-shorc, 
 where we were almost every day engaged with the enemy. They were not 
 only well-trained, but the greatest attention was paid to every department 
 relating to the guns. The magazine was examined every week by the first 
 Lieutenant, to see that the cartridges and powder were in good order, 
 and ready for action ; there was general exercise every evening before sun- 
 set ; a division exercised through the day, and frequently fired at a mark ; 
 in fact, every thing was done to make the ship in all respects ready to 
 meet the enemy. 
 
 " As to the state of discipline in the ship, that has been so strongly ex- 
 pressed by the sentence of the court-martial, where the evidence was exu- 
 mined upon oath, that any comment of mine wt '.Id be umiecessary, were I 
 not called upon by you to state my opinion. I now do so, as an ofilcer 
 who has served his country nearly twenty-eight years ; and having been 
 frequently in action with the enemy, in no instance did I ever see men 
 more devoted to the honor and service of their country than the ship's 
 company of the Macedonian. •••••. 
 
 " And you must recollect that circumstance. Sir, which happened to- 
 wards the end of the action, when the Unite<l States was observed makin^r 
 sail to get from under our Ice ; and as we hud not a yard standing except the 
 foNfUd, with a small piece of the foresail, the helm was put a weather us 
 • last resource, to try and luy her on board on the weather ((uarter, whe<) 
 the fore brace was shot away, and the sail fell aback and prevented us. 
 At that moment tvcry man was on deck, several, who bad lost an arm, 
 and the universal v/icer wus, ' Let us conquer or Jf.' 
 
 " I remain, dear l*ir, yours oltedi' ntly, 
 
 •* Daviu Hoi'K." 
 
 " To Ciiptuin J. 4'. Curdcn, li A'." , i , i 
 
POST-CAPTAINS OF 1906. 
 
 1019 
 
 That Britons were opposed to Britons^ in the Macedonian's 
 action, i^ no less true than lamentable. Most of her gallant 
 defenders recognised old shipmates in the British navy 
 among those who had fought under the American flag. We 
 have already ptatcd, that a quarter-master discovered his first 
 cousin in the person of a traitor. Two other seamen met 
 with brothers from whom they had been long separated ; and 
 Mr. James, in his Naval History, informs u^, that an officer's 
 servant, a young lad from London, named William Hearnc, 
 found his own brother among the United States' crew ; that 
 the hardened wretch, after reviling the English, and applaud- 
 ing the American service, used the influence of seniority, in 
 trying to persuade the lad to renounce his country ; and that 
 the loyal youth, with tears in his eyes, replied : — '* If you 
 are a d — d rascal, that's no reason why I should be one.'* 
 It is also worthy of remark, that many of the guns on board 
 the United States were named after British ships and some 
 of our most celebrated naval commanders. Captain Garden 
 observing " Victory" painted on the ship's side over one 
 port, and ** Nelson" over another, asked Commodore De- 
 catur the reason of so strange an anomaly — he answered, 
 ** the men belonging to those guns served many years with 
 Lord Nelson, and in the Victory. The crew of the gun named 
 Nelson were once bargemen to that great chief, and they 
 claim the privilege of using his illustrious name in the way 
 you have seen !" The Commodore also publicly declared to 
 Captain Carden, that there was not a seaman in his ship who 
 had not served from five to twelve years in a British man of 
 war ! These indisputable facts being duly considered, as 
 also the disparity of force above stated, we feel assured that 
 our readers will join with us in allowing that, although vic- 
 tory did not attend the exertions of Captain Carden and his 
 brave companions, the Macedonian " did all that human 
 nature could effect, and that the names of her defenders de- 
 serve to be handed down to posterity with love and ad- 
 miration *." 
 
 Agent. — John Chippendale, Estj. 
 
 • Sec Lord D^vUnleyS Speech iii the IIuuso df IVtr.i, Mny II, 1813, 
 
 JiND OK VOL. IT. 
 
 \ 
 
3"» 
 
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 W. I'oplf, Priiitf r, 
 87|ChiinceryL«ne.