ROYAL ^ — ' £Cj ~~ NAVAL BIOGRAPHY; OR, JWemoirg of t|je detbicetf OF ALL THE FLAG-OFFICERS, SUPERANNUATED REAR-ADMIRALS, RETIRED-CAPTAINS, POST-CAPTAINS, AND COMMANDERS, Whose Names appeared on the Admiralty List of Sea-Officers at the commence- ment of the year 1823, or who have since been promoted ; Illustrated by a Series of HISTORICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES, Which will be found to contain an account of all the NAVAL ACTIONS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS, FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE LATE REIGN, IN 1760, TO THE PRESENT PERIOD. WITH COPIOUS ADDENDA. BY JOHN MARSHALL (B), LIEUTENANT IN THE ROYAL NAVY. " Failures, however frequent, may admit of extenuation and apology. To have attempted " much is always laudable, even when the enterprise is above the strength that undertakes it. '* To deliberate whenever I doubted, to enquire whenever I was ignorant, would have protracted «' the undertaking without end, and perhaps without improvement. I saw that one enquiry only " gave occasion to another, that book referred to book, that to search was not always to find, and *' to find was not always to be informed; and that thus to pursue perfection, was, like the first «' inhabitants of Arcadia, to chase the sun, which, when they had reached the hill where he *« seemed to rest, was still beheld at the same distance from them." Johnson. SUPPLEMENT.— PART II. PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN AND GREEN, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1828. W. 1'ople, Printer, 67, Chancery Lane. CONTENTS OF SUPPLEMENT.— PART II. POST- CAPTAINS, (Continued) . Page A'Court, Edward Henry - 345 Abdy, Anthony /:-,.;> - 270 Andrews, George - 49 Arthur, Richard - 64 Austen, Charles John 74 Baily, Edward Seymour - 52 Baker, John - 267 Bartholomew, Charles 52 Baugh, Thomas Folliott - 266 Beaufort, Francis - 82 Bell, George 32 Blarney, George William - 272 Bourchier, Henry - - 435 Bowker, John - 429 Bradby, Matthew Barton - 106 Browne, Philip . - 95 Buchanan, William - 50 Buck, Richard - 350 Burton, Thomas - - 294 Byam, William Henry - 311 Cadman, George - 52 Campbell, Donald - - 399 Clement, Benjamin - 391 Clephane, Robert •*- - 314 Coe, Thomas - »', 346 Coghlan, Jeremiah - 298 Collins, James - . -. 206 Colquitt, Samuel Martin - 268 Coode, John - 276 Crispo, John - 206 D'Auvergne, Corbet James - 414 Davie, John - 46 Dawson, Hon. Henry '; - 398 Dix, Edward 55 Dixon, Manley Hall - 381 Dolling, William Brooking - 384 Douglas, Francis - • 217 Douglas, Peter John - 447 Doyle, Sir Bentinck Cavendish 346 Elliot, William - - 197 Evans, Robert Fabian, Charles Montague Fellowes, Sir Thomas Ferris, Abel Page 237 268 317 360 Festingj Robert Worgan George 446 Fisher, William - . 359 Flint, William - - 316 Foote, William Williams - 213 Forrest, Thomas 29 Fowler, Robert Merrick - 366 Goate, William - 35 Gordon, Hon. William 70 Graves, Thomas - - 111 Greene, Pitt Burnaby - 335 Grosett, Walter - - 234 Guion, Gardiner Henry - 444 Hamilton, Gawen William - 447 Hart, Henry - - 413 Harvey, Edward - 361 Harward, Richard - 32 Henderson, George - 415 Holliuworth, John - - 349 Hoare, Edward Wallis - 195 Hornby, Phipps - 70 Hudson, John - - 220 Huskisson, Thomas ..... 7.. 338 Innes, Alexander - • , • •• . 267 Innes, Thomas y '-: " "|- 213 James, Joseph - ' •* -j 39 Janvrin, Richard Gaire - 271 Jones, Hon. Alexander :( -.- 390 Keen, Robert - 207 Kittoe, Edward - 63 Lamborn, John - - 267 Lapenotiere, John Richards - 384 Lawson, John „ ^ 208 Lillicrap, James - _-.,. 221 Mainwaring, Thomas Francis Charles - * *;r - ~*| 310 Marklaud, John Duff - 351 CONTENTS. Marshall, John Willoughby - Maxwell, John Monke, George Paris Moriarty, Edmund Joshua - Mounsey, William - Napier, Charles . - Nevill, Viscount Nott, Francis John - O'Connor, Richard James Law- rence - Owen, William Fitzwilliam - Packwood, Joseph - Pasco, John Paterson, William - Pearse, Henry Whitmarsh Pechell, Samuel George Peyton, John Strutt - Prescott, Henry Purvis, John Brett - Richards, John Sanders, George Sayer, George (6) Scobell, Edward Shepheard, Lewis Page Pag? 270 Shirreff, William Henry 52 94 Simpson, John - - 54 65 Slade, James - - 213 51 Sneyd, Clement - - 349 20 Spence, Henry Hume 48 1 Stanfell, Francis - - 71 316 Stopford, Edward - - 453 236 Stupart Gustavus - - 268 Sturt, Henry Evelyn Pitfield 270 214 Swaine, Spelman - - 77 378 Thompson, John (a) - 237 314 Thrush, Thomas 20 348 Tom, Robert Brown - 220 106 Townshend, Lord James - 18 60 Tucker, Thomas Tudor - 419 74 Waldegrave, Hon. William - 338 438 Walker, Benjamin 94 107 Watson, Christopher - 208 49 White, Thomas («) - 111 9 White, Thomas (6) - 208 1? Williams, John - 316 208 Willoughby, Sir Nisbet Josiah 111 351 Worth, James Andrew - 210 237 ADDENDA. Penrose, Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Vinicombe Gore, Vice-Admiral Sir John - 455 466 ERRATA. P. 65, line 11, far 1'Amiable Nelly read 1'Aimable Nelly. 147, 8 from the bottom, far obtain read attain. > 4 ~- ,/or 10 readS. 169, first line of the note, for Sirius read la Nereide. 181, last line of the text,/or proclamation read proclamations. 187, last line, for a read as. 235, line 8, for Early in 1797 read In Dec. 1796. j 3 from the bottom, for Mar. read June. 27 1> — — 9, for mortar read Sicilian gun. 276, 15, dele the comma that precedes the parenthesis. 296, 19, for in her accompanied readia. her he accompanied. 316, 1,/w NEVILLE read NEVILL. 358, — 8, dele having first. ROYAL NAVAL BIOGRAPHY. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809, continued. CHARLES NAPIER, ESQ. • A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. This officer was made a Lieutenant Nov. 30, 1805; and pro- moted to the rank of Commander Nov. 30, 1807. On the 17th July, 1808, we find him assisting in cutting out a Spanish merchant schooner, from under two batteries at the N. E. end of Porto Rico ; which service was conducted by Lieute- nant James Robertson, of the Fawn sloop *, Captain Napier, then commanding the Pultusk brig, merely accompanying him in order to acquire a knowledge of the coast, and agree- ing that whatever was done should be attributed to that gen- tleman. After capturing the schooner, they both landed, spiked the guns in one of the batteries, and rendered the carriages unserviceable. Captain Napier was shortly afterwards appointed to the Recruit brig, of 18 guns ; in which vessel he fought a smart action with the Diligente French corvette, of 22 guns and 140 men, Sept. 6, 1808. On this occasion, the Recruit had her main-mast shot away, many of her carronades dismounted, one man killed, and several persons, including her commander, wounded. The extent of the loss sustained by the enemy's ship has not been made public, but we must suppose it to have been very heavy, to excuse her captain for having fled from the field of battle after he had so effectually crippled his antagonist. Her stern-boat, filled with small- arm men, was cutaway by the Recruit's last fire. Now Commander James R. Walker. SUPPL, PART II. 2 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. In the following year, Captain Napier assisted at the reduc- tion of Martinique; and behaved with extraordinary gallantry during the pursuit of le d'Hautpoult and two other French seventy-fours, which had been sent from Europe expressly for the relief of that colony * . His conduct on this occasion is thus officially noticed by Sir Alexander Cochrane : " The superiority of the enemy's sailing, left little chance for the Nep- tune getting up, unless some of the ships were disabled ; and if any accident had happened to the PompeVs masts, they must inevitably have all escaped : I therefore directed Captain Fahie to endeavour to cripple the sternmost ship, without bringing on the collected fire of the three, then in line a-breast. In this attempt he was most gallantly supported by Captain Napier, of H. M. sloop Recruit, who kept close up, although fired at from all their stern-chace guns, and did every thing that was possible to be done to cut away the enemy's masts and rigging, and continued on this service during the whole chase ******. Until their Lordships' pleasure is known, I have commissioned the prize, and appointed Captain Napier to the command of her, as a reward for his spirited conduct." Captain Napier's post commission was confirmed May 22, 1809, the very day on which Sir Alexander Cochrane's letter arrived at the Admiralty. During the remainder of the war with France, he successively commanded the Jason, Thames, and Euryalus frigates; the former at the Leeward Islands, and the two latter on the Mediterranean station. A very hand- some service performed by the Thames, in conjunction with the Cephalus brig, is thus described by Captain Napier, in a letter addressed to the senior officer at Palermo : " H. M. S. Thames, of Porto del Infrischi, July 21, 1811. " Sir,-— Captain Clifford, of the Cephalus, having the look-out off Pali- nuro, on the 20th instant, informed me by a Sicilian privateer, of a convoy of 26 sail attempting to gain that port, which he, with his usual activity, prevented them from doing, and compelled them to take shelter in Porto del Infrischi, off which place we arrived at 5 this evening. I immediately desired Captain Clifford to lead in and anchor, which service he performed in a most handsome style, and was closely followed by this ship, who soon silenced eleven gun-boats, and an armed felucca, carrying six long 18- pounders, two 12-pounder carronades, three brass andtwo iron 6-pounders, and" (upwards of) " 280 men, moored across for the protection of fourteen * See Vol. I, p. 717. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 3 merchant vessels " (laden with oil, potash, &c. *), "and 36 spars for the line- of-battle ship and frigate at Naples, and under cover of a round tower ; and the adjacent hills lined with musketeers from the merchantmen and peasantry. The marines were then landed under their Lieutenant, Mc Adams, and got possession of the tower, performing the light infantry manoeuvres in a very pretty style, taking an officer and 80 men prisoners, and driving the rest before them ; the boats, at the same time, under Cap- tain Clifford, took possession of the convoy, together with all the spars, ex- cept two which could not be got off: all of which were alongside, and the ship under weigh in less than two hours, without the loss of a man, and only the boatswain " (of the Cephalus) " and another man badly, and three of the brig's men, slightly, wounded : on entering the bay her sails and riggmg were a good deal cut up. I hope it will not be thought presump- tuous in me begging you will recommend Captain Clifford, and my first Lieutenant, Whiteway " (who accompanied the marines to the heights, and afterwards assisted in launching the merchant vessels) " to the commander- in-chief, particularly as this is the third convoy the former has discovered and contributed to destroy since his appointment to the Cephalus f ; the latter has been likewise, at the taking of two and destroying one since his joining the Thames. The whole of the officers and ship's company behaved in the most? steady manner; which will ever reflect the greatest credit on my predecessor, Captain WaldegraveJ, for the excellent discipline on board. Captain Clifford likewise speaks in the highest terms of his first Lieutenant, Richardson, officers, and crew. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) " CHARLES NAPIER." Rear-Admiral Charles Boyles, in his letter to Sir Edward Pellew, reporting the above exploit, expressed himself as follows : — " The complete success of the above-mentioned instantaneous and bril- liant attack on the enemy's convoy by the Thames and Cephalus, reflects much honor on the conduct and gallantry of Captains Napier and Clifford, their officers, and crews." In Sept. 1811, the Thames was placed under the orders of Captain the Hon. Henry Duncan, then commanding the Imperieuse frigate, and whose successful proceedings on the coast of Calabria, in Oct. and Nov. following, have been fully detailed at p. 993 et seq. of Vol. II. Part II. The following is an extract of an official letter written by Major Edward Dar- * The armed felucca also had a cargo of oil. f See Captain AUGUSTUS WILLIAM JAMES CLIFFORD, C. B. + Now Lord Radstock. u2 4 POST-CAPTAfNS OF 1809. ley, of the 62d regiment, reporting the military operations at Palinuro, on the 1st and 2d of the latter month : " Thames, at Sea, Nov. 8, 1811. " It would be presumptuous on my part, Sir, in attempting to pass en- comiums on the very superior judgment and heroic gallantry of the com- mandant, Captain Duncan, of H. M. S. Imperieuse, as also in the gallant manner of laying his ship alongside a strong battery and fortified tower, flanked by several gun-boats, which were shortly silenced by a powerful and well-directed fire, in conjunction with Captain Napier, of H. M. S. Thames, whereby the commandant was left in possession of the enemy's flotilla, con- voy, battery, and tower. I have also much gratification in stating, that Captain Napier, who did me the honor to accompany me on shore with a party of seamen and marines, contributed materially by his cool, judicious, and actively intrepid conduct, ably seconded by the gallantry of Lieutenant Travers, of H. M. S. Imperieuse, to surmount all difficulties in gaining the . heights — in the face of an opposing and strongly posted numerous enemy, whom we had afterwards the satisfaction of dislodging and obliging to re- treat, leaving us in full possession of the heights and telegraph tower." " To Major-General Heron, fyc. fyc. fyc., Melazzo." Sir Edward Pellew's opinion of the exploit at Palinuro will be seen by reference to p. 995 of Vol. II. Part 11. In the spring of 1812, we find Captain Napier employed as senior officer on the coast of Calabria, and making the follow- ing report to Rear-Admiral Freemantle, whose reply we shall subjoin : " I this day (May 14), in company with the Pilot, attacked the port of Sapri, defended by a strong battery and tower, mounting two 32-pounders, with an officer and 38 men, which surrendered at discretion, after being battered for two hours within pistol-shot ; but in consequence of their gal- lant defence, I allowed them to march out with the honors of war. We found 28 large vessels on the beach, loaded with oil, some of them nearly a quarter of a mile in the country, all of which were launched, and the bat- tery in ruins before sun-set. I owe much to the support I received from Captain" (John Toup) "Nicolas, who flanked the battery in a most judicious manner, and afterwards commanded the launching, assisted by my first Lieutenant, Alexander Campbell, an officer of six years' standing, as well as Mr." (.Roger) " Langlands, acting master of the Pilot, who, by his able dis- position of the marines, placed under his command (there being no officer of that corps on board) ; kept upwards of 200 armed peasantry in check, and had only one man wounded. The firing of both ships' companies was superior to any thing I ever saw, and their conduct on shore was no less praise- worthy. Neither ship lost a man on board : our bowsprit wounded iii three places is the only material injury we have suffered. (Signed) " CHARLES NAPIER." POST- CAPTAINS OP 1809. 5 " H. M. S. Milford, Palermo Bay, May 27, 1812. *' Sir,— Tn acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 14th inst., re- lative to the capture of the 28 vessels at Sapri, I have much pleasure iii conveying my sentiments of the zeal by which yourself and Captain Ni_ colas have been actuated, as well as the officers and men belonging to the Thames and Pilot. I am, &c. (Signed) " T. F. FREEMANTLE." " To Captain Napier, H. M. S. Thames." The capture of the island of Ponza, executed in a most masterly manner under the direction of Captain Napier, as- sisted by Captain William Mounsey, of the Furieuse frigate, is thus described by him, in a letter to Sir Robert Laurie, Bart, dated Feb. 27, 1813: " Agreeable to your directions, I embarked Lieutenant-Colonel Coffin*, and the second battalion of the 1 Oth regiment, on the 1 6th instant, and arrived off Ponza on the 23rd, the harbour of which is about a quarter of a mile wide, with a mole at the extreme end of it, defended by four batte- ries and a tower, mounting ten 24 and 18-pounders, two 12-pounders, and two 9-inch mortars. " Colonel Coffin and myself agreed, that the shortest and the surest road to success was, by running both ships into the mole, and carrying the place by assault ; but the weather was unfavourable for such an at- tack until the morning of the 26th, when the ships bore up in close order with a fine breeze. The enemy were prepared for our reception, and opened their fire nearly half an hour before our guns could bear : the bat- teries were, however, passed with little injury, the ships engaging on both sides, and the Thames was anchored across the mole-head, the Furieuse bringing up a little astern of her. Colonel Coffin and the troops landed the same instant, and pushed for the height near a strong tower, into which the enemy had retreated, and their appearance, together with the severe fire from the ships, induced the governor to hoist a flag of truce, and agree to the proposed capitulation. I have much pleasure in informing you, that this service has been performed without the loss of a man in either profession : our being hulled three times, and the Furieuse twice, with sails and rigging a good deal cut, is the only damage sustained. The most perfect cordiality has subsisted between the two services ; and I am much indebted to Captain Mounsey for the excellent support he gave, and his quickness in following ray motions. If the resistance had been greater, * Lieutenant-Colonel Francis William Cashell commanded the 2d batt. of the 10th regt. ; but was placed under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel John Pine Coffin, Deputy Quarter-Master-General of the British forces in Sicily. 5 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1809. I have little doubt that we should have succeeded, particularly with such a storming party as Colonel Cashell's regiment, and such a leader as Colonel Coffin. (Signed) " CHARLES NAPIER." We must here add, that the approach of the Thames and Furieuse was known at Ponza some time before their arrival ; that six privateers and several merchant-vessels had conse- quently sailed previous to the attack ; and that every prepa- ration was made by the capitaine-commandant, Jean Bap- tiste Dumont, whose garrison consisted of full as many troops as the force under Lieutenant- Colonel Coffin. A more beautiful marine subject never presented itself to the imagination of a Pocock than the advance of the British to the attack : the troops being ordered below, both ships ra- pidly closed the mole, shortened sail, and anchored, with the coolness of a common manoeuvre : the boats pulled so closely under the cliffs on which the batteries were constructed, as to elude their fire ; and the battalion having landed in a small sandy bay, soon gained the heights in the rear of and above the enemy, who being then placed between two fires, imme- diately surrendered. The small but excellent harbour of Ponza had hitherto afforded a safe retreat to those marauders who annoyed the Sicilian trade, and was subsequently of great service to the British cruisers employed watching the enemy's increasing force at Naples. The particulars of a successful service, in which Captain Napier was engaged shortly after his joining the Euryalus, are detailed in a public letter from Captain Edward Brace, of the Berwick 74, to Sir Edward Pellew, dated off Cavalacie, May 16, 1813. The following is a copy thereof : " I beg leave to acquaint you, that through the judicious management of Captain Napier, the enemy's coasting trade to and from Toulon to the eastward, was, between the 10th and 15th instant, collected in Cavalacie road, to the number of upwards of 20 sail : judging that a proper object for attack, I made the necessary arrangements to carry the place; but the surf proved too great for the people to land until this morning, when the plan was carried into execution by the boats, commanded by Lieutenant" (Henry Johnston) " Sweedland, first of this ship, and the royal marines under Cap- tain" (William T, J .) " Matthews, of that corps. Allow me to observe on the POST- CAPTAINS OF 1809. 7 prompt manner in which this service was accomplished ; for scarce twenty minutes elapsed from their reaching the beach until the batteries were taken, and a fire opened from them on the retreating1 enemy. The French national xebec la Fortune, carrying 10 long 9-pounders and 4 swivels, with a crew of 95 men, tried to effect her escape ; but the Euryalus pushing close in, cut her off, and the enemy abandoned her, leaving her at anchor with a spring on the cable, under the fire of the frigate, forts, and a divi- sion of the boats, under Lieutenant" (Mark) " White, who boarded her in time to preserve her from blowing up or sinking, as the crew had fired a shot through her bottom, and left a train to the magazine, We found in the harbour twenty-two vessels of different descriptions" (chiefly laden with oil, corn, lemons, &c.), " which were either taken or destroyed ; those scut- tled by the enemy were cleared by the Euryalus, which ship took an an- chorage to protect the working party ; and through the great exertions of Captain Napier, the officers and men employed on that service, every thing was brought away worthy of notice. " Having related my proceeding, permit me to call your attention to the officers and men who conducted this affair ; and if, in your judgment, any merit is attached to the transaction, I entreat you to bestow it on Captain Napier, the officers, seamen, and marines of both ships, whose united ex- ertions so fully accomplished my wishes, that I have only to regret the loss of one man killed, and one missing* I shall only particularise Lieutenant Sweedland and Captain Matthews ; Lieutenant" (Alexander) " Sandilands, first of the Euryalus ; together with two young men, Mr. John Monk, of the Berwick, and Mr. Crawford, of the frigate. (Signed) " E. BRACE." During the winter of 1813, the Euryalus was employed watching Toulon, under the orders of Captain Thomas Us- sher, whose heroic services we have recently described. Be- ing blown to the eastward of the Hieres islands, in company with the Undaunted, Captain Napier discovered two ships and a schooner, standing towards Corsica, whereupon he made the signal for an enemy, and instantly crowded sail in pursuit. At sun-set the high land over Calvi was seen, and no doubt remained that the strangers were endeavouring to gain that port ; Captain Ussher, however, not feeling justified in continuing the chase any longer, made the signal of recall ; but the haziness of the weather preventing Captain Napier from seeing it, the latter kept on, drove one of the fugitives aahore, and compelled the others to seek refuge under the land batteries : the former bilged on the rocks, and was af- terwards ascertained to be the Balaine, French store ship, of 8 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1809. 22 guns and 120 men, from Toulon bound to Ajaccio. Her companions were a gaberre of 30 guns and 150 men, laden with stores; and a national schooner of the largest class. Captain Napier's subsequent visit to Marseilles, in company with Captain Ussher, is noticed at p. 356 et seq. of Supp. Part I. In June, 1814, the Euryalus sailed from Gibraltar for Ber- muda, in company with a squadron under the orders of Cap- tain Andrew King, and a fleet of transports having on board part of the troops recently employed against Genoa. On her arrival at Bermuda, she was placed under the orders of Sir Alexander Cochrane, whom she shortly afterwards accompa- nied to the mouth of the Potowmac river. The laborious naval operations against Alexandria, in which she bore a very active part, are noticed at considerable length under the head of Sir James Alexander Gordon, who commanded the squa- dron employed on that brilliant service, and in whose official report we find the following mention made of her skilful and gallant commander : " To Captain Napier I owe more obligations than I have words to ex- press. The Euryalus lost her bowsprit, the head of her foremast, and the • heads of all her top-masts, in a tornado which she encountered on the 25th (Aug.), just as her sails were clewed up, whilst we were passing the flats of Maryland point ; and yet, after twelve hours work on her refittal, she was again under weigh, and advanced up the river." During the subsequent operations against Baltimore, we find Captain Napier commanding a division of boats sent up the Ferry branch of the Patapsco river, for the purpose of causing a diversion favourable to the intended assault upon the enemy's entrenched camp at the opposite side of the city. The rain poured in torrents, and the night was so extremely dark that eleven out of twenty boats pulled, by mistake, di- rectly for the harbour. Fortunately, the lights on shore dis- covered to the crews their perilous situation in time for them to retreat. The remainder, containing 128 officers, seame^ and marines, led by Captain Napier, passed up the Ferry branch to a considerable distance above fort M'Henry, and opened a heavy fire of rockets and shot upon the shore, at POST-CAFFAINS OF 1809. 9 several parts of which they could have landed with ease, had the whole of their force been together. After having drawn down a considerable number of American troops, and thereby effected his object, Captain Napier returned to the squadron with the loss of only one man, who was mortally wounded when repassing fort Mf Henry*, the position of the boats being pointed out to the enemy by a rocket, which one of the offi- cers imprudently caused to be fired. It is worthy of remark, that the British troops commenced their retreat from before Baltimore whilst Captain Napier was thus paving the way for the meditated attack. Captain Napier was nominated a C. B. June 4, 1815 ; and the Euryalus paid off by him about the same period. He married the widow of Lieutenant Edward Elers, R. N. Agents. — Messrs. Maude. JOHN RICHARDS, ESQ. A Knight of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent. ENTERED the navy in Oct. 1775, under the patronage of Captain (afterwards Sir Charles) Thompson ; and was a mid- shipman on board the Alcide 74, commanded by that gallant officer, in the different actions with the Count de Grasse, off Martinique, the Chesapeake, and St. Kitt's; in 1781, and Jan. 1782 f. He also assisted at the defeat and capture of the same celebrated French Admiral, on the memorable 12th April, 1782 J. The Alcide returned to England in June, 1783 ; and on the 15th of the following month Mr. Richards joined the Triumph 74, commanded by Captain Philip Affleck, and stationed as a guard-ship at Portsmouth, where he remained under that * Fort M'Henry is a strong work, defending the water approach to Baltimore, and situated about two miles from the city, upon the point of the peninsula that forms the south side of the harbour, which, at its en- trance, is scarcely a quarter of a mile in width. t See Vol. II. Part I. p. 62 ; and the notes at pp. 63—66. I See Vol. I. p. 35 et seq. 10 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1809. officer and his successor, Captain Jonathan Faulknor, until Feb. 28, 1786. During the Spanish armament we find him again serving with Captain Thompson, in the Elephant 74. His commission as a Lieutenant bears date Nov. 15, 1790. On the 2d April, 1791, Lieutenant Richards was appointed to the Barfleur 98, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Faulk- nor; and after the breaking up of the fleet which had been equipped in consequence of the dispute with Russia, he ap- pears to have successively joined the Falcon sloop, and As- surance 44 ; commanded by Captains James Bissett and V. C. Berkeley. Under these officers, Lieutenant Richards was principally employed at the Leeward Islands, from whence he returned home first of the Asia 64, Captain John Brown, in the sum- mer of 1794. During the previous operations against Mar- tinique he served on shore, in the seamen's battery, with 100 of her crew under his command. The hardships which he suffered, in common with the other officers of the naval de- tachment, have been noticed in our memoir of Sir Charles Ogle — vol. 1, part I, note at p. 71 1. His subsequent appoint- ments were to the Fury sloop, employed on Channel service ; and, May 15, 1795, to the Alfred 74, fitting for a foreign station. The Alfred formed part of the fleet that sailed from St. Helen's, under Rear- Admiral Christian, in Nov. 1795; and she was twice obliged to put back through stress of weather*; the latter time dismasted. After refitting at Plymouth we find her placed under the orders of Vice-Admiral Cornwallis, with whom she finally took her departure for the West Indies, Feb. 29, 1796. Early in the following month, the Alfred captured la Fa- vorite French national ship, of 22 guns ; and retook two of the convoy, which had been dispersed by a heavy gale in the latitude of Cape Finisterre f. * See p. 296 et seq. of Suppl. Part I. t Vice-Admiral Cornwallis returned to Spithead on the 14th Mar., in consequence of his flag-ship having sustained much damage by running foul of the Belisarius transport. POST- CAPTAINS OP 1809. 11 On her arrival at Barbadoes, the Alfred joined the expedi- tion then about to sail against St. Lucia : and after assisting at the reduction of that island *, she proceeded to Jamaica, capturing, on her way thither,, la Renommee French frigate, of 44 guns and 320 men. The high opinion then entertained of Lieutenant Richards by his Captain, is thus expressed in a letter from the latter to Commodore Duckworth, dated Port Royal, July 19, 1J96 : " Sir, — Having-, as senior officer at this port, given an order for the pur- chase of la Renomme'e frigate, prize to H. M. ship under my command, I have thought proper to appoint iny first Lieutenant, Mr. John Richards, as acting Captain in her for the present : and I cannot, in justice to that gen- tleman, omit recommending him to your notice, as I have always found him a worthy, attentive, good officer. His conduct while on board the cor- vette la Favorite, captured by the Alfred on the 5th March last, was such as to enable Captain Bo wen, of H.M. S. Canada, whom he fell in with on his passage to Barbadoes, to recommend him to the attention of the Admi- ralty. 1 have likewise strenuously recommended him to their Lordships on this secondary business ; and have to hope, as la Renomrne'e constitutes an appointment for a Post-Captain, that you will have the goodness to ap- point Lieutenant Richards to the vacant rank of Commander. I have the honor to be, £c. (Signed) " THOMAS DRURY." In his letter to the Admiralty, reporting the capture of la Renommee, Captain Drury says : " Injustice to the officers and company of H. M. ship under my com- mand, particularly my first Lieutenant, Mr. John Richards, I cannot help expressing my entire approbation of their steady behaviour, which I am confident would have been very conspicuous had she been a ship of equal force/' Notwithstanding the above strong recommendation, Lieu- tenant Richards was ordered by Commodore Duckworth to resume his former station on board the Alfred, in which ship he continued, under the command of Captain Drury, and that officer's successor, the late Rear- Admiral Totty, until Aug. 27, 1J98, acting as Captain of her during the absence of the former officer, in June, 1/96 ; assisting at the reduction of Trinidad, in Feb. 1797 5 and again commanding her, whilst * See Vol. I. note t at p. 134. 12 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. the latter officer was employed on shore at Porto Rico, in the month of April following*. On the 16th Feb. 1798, Lieutenant Richards volunteered to head the Alfred's boats in an attack upon a French cor- vette, which vessel had been sent to reconnoitre the Saintes, and when chased from thence succeeded in getting within range of the batteries at Basseterre, Guadaloupe, leaving- the British ship becalmed some distance in the offing. His offer being accepted by Captain Totty, and observing that the greater part of the enemy's crew were employed towing, Lieutenant Richards instantly shoved off in a fast-rowing gig, dashed alongside, and boarded her without waiting for any support. Fortunately, perhaps, for him, the Frenchmen who remained on board were so surprised at his audacity, and intimidated by the approach of the other boats, that they ran below, and were secured under hatches, without making any resistance. The prize proved to be le Scipio, of 20 guns ! We next find Lieutenant Richards joining the Queen Char- lotte, a first rate, bearing the flag of his early patron, Sir Charles Thompson ; after whose demise (Mar. 17, 1799), he proceeded with Rear- Admiral Whitshed to the Mediterranean station, and was there promoted into la Courageuse sloop, stationed as a receiving ship at Port Mahon. This appoint- ment was confirmed by the Admiralty, Dec. 26, 1799. On the 20th June, 1800, Captain Richards received an order to act as captain of the Culloden 74, which ship he brought home in a very leaky condition. His next appointment was to la Victorieuse of 12 guns, and in that vessel he went back to the Mediterranean with despatches for the commander-in- chief, whom he rejoined in Marmorice bay, Jan. 7, 1801. During the Egyptian campaign, la Victorieuse was princi- pally employed blockading Alexandria, off which port she captured several vessels laden with supplies for the French army. Captain Richards likewise assisted at the reduction of Marabout castle, situated about seven or eight miles from that place, and protecting one of the entrances to the western * See Vol. I. note at p. 1 12 et seq. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 13 harbour. For his gallantry on this occasion, he was pre- sented with a gold snuff box and shawl by the Capitan Pacha ; and several other articles of value by different Turkish com- manders. About the same period, the Peterel sloop and la Victorieuse drove a French transport brig on shore, and sent their boats to save the enemy from being murdered by the Arabs. A gale of wind suddenly came on, and the 'land being dead to lee- ward, only one boat, a gig, belonging to Captain Richards, could pull off; the remainder were stove, and their crews consequently exposed to very great danger. At this trying moment the commander of la Victorieuse ordered two spare top masts to be battened together, and boats' masts stepped in the fid-holes ; by which means the raft, having one man on it, was sailed on shore3 and every person, both English and French, rescued from destruction. On the 21st Aug. 1801, the western bogaze having been discovered and accurately surveyed *, la Victorieuse entered the port of Alexandria in company with three other British and the same number of Ottoman sloops, for the purpose of supporting the left flank of the troops under Major- General Coote, in an attack upon the French posts. On this occasion the combined squadron was led by Captain Rich- ards, under the immediate orders of Captain the Hon. Alex- ander Cochrane, then on, board la Victorieuse. At the conclusion of the campaign, Captain Richards was presented with the Turkish gold medal, in common with his brother officers. He afterwards visited Cyprus, Smyrna, and Constantinople, where he was invested with a pelisse by order of the Grand Seignor. We subsequently find him proceeding to Athens, Zante, Malta, Palermo, Cagliara, Mar- seilles, Barcelona, Lisbon, Ceuta, and Tangiers. In Nov. 1802, la Victorieuse made a second trip to the Bosphorus, for the purpose of landing Mirza Aboo Talib Khan, a distinguished Persian traveller, who had long been resident in London. Shortly after his arrival in that strait, * See Suppl., Part I, p. 479. 14 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1809. Captain Richards received a letter from the British Am- bassador at Constantinople, a copy of which we shall lay before our readers, for the purpose of shewing that the " El- gin Marbles" &c. were not so cheaply procured by the noble collector as many persons are disposed to believe : " Constantinople, Oct. 25, 1802. " Sir,— As I understand that Major Brace left you at the Dardanelles, I beg leave to address the bearer to you, in case he should be so fortunate as to meet you. I send him to Cerigo, where I am assured that a brig belonging to me foundered about a month ago. I have no direct intelli- gence, either of the accident, or of the means or hopes of recovering the vessel, or the cargo. A merchant-captain, who travelled with Major Brace to Constantinople, declares he was on the island at the time ; and that Mr. Hamilton, an English gentleman, attached to my embassy (who was on board), had engaged two large merchantmen to raise the brig, which, he adds, they expected to be able to accomplish. This merchant- captain further says, he heard you intended not proceeding to Constanti- nople, in case the northerly wind should continue. This probability makes nie venture to say, that if it does suit your plans to call at Cerigo, and examine, direct, or even assist in recovering my brig (the same for which you obligingly took an interest last year), you will confer the highest favor upon me. The vessel, in itself, is of consequence, as she is not insured ; but her cargo is infinitely more so. She had on board a number of cases of acquisitions, which I had collected with immense trouble, and expense, at Athens, and which are, in their way, invaluable. I venture to say, that, attho' the ship and cargo are my property, and cannot therefore justify my asking your interference, publicly, yet the assistance I have experienced from Lord Keith and Sir Richard Bickerton, on the subject of these acqui- sitions, gives me confidence in saying, that, in as far as they, or the com- manding officer under whose orders you may now be, are to judge, they will not pass an unfavorable opinion, on your making as much exertion, for the recovery of this vessel and cargo, as for any other merchantman : in saying this, I beg you to be assured, that I feel the decision on your part to rest solely with yourself, and that my obligation will of course be entirely to you. At all events, I am confident you will understand the anxiety I must have on this occasion, and that you will give the bearer any directions or aid which you may think useful for him. I have the honor to remain, Sir, with much respect, your faithful, humble servant, (Signed) " ELGIN." In consequence of this communication, Captain Richards immediately proceeded to Port St. Nicolo, where he used •every means in his power to recover the Ambassador's valu- POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 15 able property ; but was obliged to abandon the attempt after eleven days' most strenuous exertions, the whole of his purchases having given way, and there being no possibility of replacing them. Shortly after the renewal of hostilities (1803), Captain Richards was stationed between Capes Spartel and Trafalgar, where he fell in with and engaged two French armed vessels, but was unable to close with them in consequence of their sweeping over to the African coast, leaving la Victorieuse nearly becalmed in the offing. On the 22d of the same month (July) he sailed from Gibraltar, with Lord Nelson's despatches for the. Admiralty ; and at the latter end of Sep- tember following, he had the mortification to be put out of commission ; although his sloop was then refitted, and had been ordered to prepare for the reception of the gentleman who was at that time appointed his Majesty's representative at Washington. While on half- pay he received a letter from his Persian friend, of which the following is an exact trans- lation : " Calcutta, 29 Oct. 1803. " Dear Sir, — I have the pleasure to inform you that I arrived here a few months ago. I have since used my best endeavours to procure a white shawl for your friend, but have not been fortunate enough to find one to my wish. In the mean time I avail myself of the opportunity of a gentle- man returning to England, to forward you a green shawl, the best I could get here, addressed to you in Berners Street. When I go up to my native city of Lucknow, I am certain of procuring a white one there of the finest quality, which I shall take care to send you by the first occasion. I have have had the pleasure of meeting with, and presenting your respects ta Captain Thornhill and his daughter. In requesting you to accept of my most grateful acknowledgements for the uniform kindness and attention which I received on board your ship, I remain, Dear Sir, your most obedient faithful servant, (Signed) " ABO© TALIB KHAN." The writer of the above letter was well known in England, under the title of the " Persian Prince." A narrative of his travels, written by himself, and translated by the Hon. East India Company's Professor of Oriental Languages, was pub- lished by Longman and Co. in 1810. Speaking of his voyage in la Victorieuse, he says : 16 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1809. " As soon as I had an opportunity of shewing to Captain Richards the etters of his Majesty's Ministers to the English Consuls and Ambassadors at the different courts, and he was thereby convinced of my attachment to, and connexion with the British nation, he conducted himself to me with brotherly affection, and anticipated every wish of my heart. This voyage was therefore one of the pleasantest I had ever undertaken." Captain Richards's next appointment was, July 1, 1804, to the Broderscarp sloop, stationed as a guard-ship inWhitstable bay, where he continued until Oct. 1805. Whilst command- Ing that vessel he detained and made prize of a neutral ship, with a valuable cargo of hemp and tallow, bound to a French port. On the 18th Sept. 1806, Captain Richards commissioned the Forester, a new brig of the largest class, in which he was employed escorting the trade to and from the Baltic, and occasionally cruising on the coast of Holland, where he recaptured an English ship laden with timber, feathers, and wheat, and prevented many neutrals from entering the blockaded ports of the enemy. He also captured the Hiram, a celebrated smuggling cutter ; and burnt the wreck of H. M. late frigate Flora, in order to prevent the Dutch from ob- taining any of her materials *. In June 1808, Captain Richards was entrusted with the command of a small squadron ' stationed off Goree ; and in the following month he received orders to fit for foreign service. The Forester sailed from Spithead, with 500,000 dollars on board for the use of the Spanish patriots, and seven sail of transports under her convoy; two, laden with ordnance stores, bound to Corunna ; and the others with provisions for the West India garrisons. After a stay of eight days at Corunna, Captain Richards proceeded to Barbadoes, and there joined Sir Alexander Cochrane, by whom he was successively employed in the blockade of Martinique and Guadaloupe. * The Flora 36, Captain Loftus Otway Bland, was wrecked Jan. 19, 1808 ; and in the same gale every vessel of the Heligoland squadron, except the Forester, was likewise driven on shore. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1809. YJ On the 31st May, 1809 (about four months after the surren- der of the former valuable colony), the boats of a small squad- ron, under the orders of Captain Richards, captured a French brig letter of marque, and a schooner, lying in Port du Mo- las, where they were protected by 4 long 8-pounders and 300 soldiers. This service was conducted by Lieutenant Robert Carr, of the Attentive gun-brig, who after securing his prizes, landed, spiked the enemy's guns, and blew up their magazine. A few days afterwards, the subject of this memoir removed to the Abercrombie J4, at Antigua, of which ship he continu- ed to act as Captain until Aug. 31 following, when he left her in consequence of his having been promoted by the Admi- ralty, and appointed to the Cyclops 28 "for rank." His post commission bears date June 2, 1809. Captain Richards returned home, via Halifax, and was allowed the expenses of his passage from thence to England in a packet. Agent. — J. Hinxman, Esq. GEORGE SANDERS, ESQ] This officer was made a Commander April 29, 1802 j and appointed to the Falcon of 14 guns, about Mar. 1804. On the 10th June, in the following year, we find him engaged with a division of the Havre flotilla, and the batteries be- tween that place and Fecamp ; on which occasion his sloop suffered considerably in her sails and rigging, but had not a man slain, and only four persons wounded. The Falcon was subsequently employed affording protec- tion to the Baltic trade, and co-operating with the garrison of Dantzic, during the siege of that city by the French army under Marshal Lefebvre. The only correct account of the exertions made by the British naval force to succour the brave Prussians that has ever been published, will be found at pp. 228—233 of Suppl. Part I. Captain Sanders was next appointed to the Bellette of 18 SUPPL. PART II. C 18 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. guns, in which brig he captured the following armed vessels, on the Leeward Islands station : Jalouse French privateer, of 4 guns and 75 men ; Cqnfiance privateer, pierced for 16 guns, but mounting only 7, with a complement of 70 men ; and the Revanche letter of marque, of 6 guns and 44 men, laden with provisions, from Bourdeaux bound to Guadaloupe. This latter vessel, pierced for 18 guns, had been a very successful privateer all the war, and was intended to be again fully armed and manned, as soon as her car- go was discharged. Captain Sanders obtained post rank June 2, 1809. Agents. — Messrs Stilwell. RIGHT HON. LORD JAMES TOWNSHEND. Youngest son of George, the first Marquis Townshend, by his second lady, Anne, daughter of Sir William Montgomery, Bart. This officer was born Sept. 11, 1785 ; and he appears, by Mr. James's account, to have been first Lieutenant of the Atlas 74, in Sir J. T. Duckworth's action, off St. Domingo, Feb. 6, 1806 *. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place Nov. 14 following. On the 15th Aug. 1807, Lord James Townshend addressed an official letter to Vice-Admiral Berkeley, commander-in- chief at Halifax, of which the following is a copy : " Sir,— I beg leave to represent to you, that the five men named in the margin f, belonging to H. M. sloop Halifax, under my command -, when sent with a petty officer in the jolly-boat, in Hampton roads, on the 7th March last, to weigh a kedge-anchor, which had previously been dropped for the purpose of swinging the ship by, taking advantage of the dusk of the evening, mutinied upon the petty officer, some of them threatening to mur- der him ; but the rest interfering they desisted. However, taking the boat under their own command, they succeeded in deserting, by landing at * See Nav. Hist. Vol. IV. p. 282 j and Royal Nw. Blog. Vol. I, Part I. note at p. 262. t Richard Hubert, Henry Saunders, Jenkin Kadford, George North, and William Hill POST -CAPTAINS OF 1809. 19 Sewell's point. The whole of the above-mentioned deserters, I have since been informed, entered on board the U. S. frigate Chesapeake, and were seen by me and several of my officers parading the streets of Norfolk in triumph, under the American flag. A few daya after their desertion, I accosted one of these men, Henry Saunders, asking the reason of his de- serting, and received for answer, that he did not intend any thing of the kind, but was compelled by the rest to assist, and would embrace the first opportunity of returning. At that moment Jenkin Radford, one of the said deserters, coming up, took the arm of the said Henry Saunders, de- claring with an oath, that neither he, nor any of the rest of the deserters, should return to this ship ; and with a contemptuous gesture told me that he was in the land of liberty, and instantly dragged the said Henry Saunders away. " Finding that my expostulating any longer would not only be useless in obtaining the deserters, but in all probability have collected a mob of Ame- ricans, who no doubt would have proceeded to steps of violence, I instantly repaired to the house of Colonel Hamilton, the British Consul there, and re- lated every circumstance which occurred, and applied to him, as also to Lieutenant Sinclair, of the rendezvous for the United States' service, to re- cover the said deserters, but without effect. " Being since informed that Jenkin Radford has been recovered in action on board the U. S. frigate Chesapeake, with H. B. M. ship Leo- pard *, and is now a prisoner on board H. M. S. Bellona, I have to re- quest that you will be pleased to direct a court-martial may be assembled for the purpose of trying the said Jenkin Radford, for the within-mentioned charges of mutiny, desertion, and contempt. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " J. TOWNSHEND." From the minutes of the court-martial it appears that Jenkin Radford (a native of the British metropolis), was found in the Chesapeake's coal-hole ; and that, being seen by the Purser of the Leopard, he was immediately recognized by him as a man who had been discharged from her to the Halifax. When called upon for his defence, he stated, that the evi- dence brought against him was so strong, there was but little left for him to say ; that the reason of his hiding himself in the coal-hole was for fear of the Americans making him fight against his country, which he declared he would not do on any account : that he, with all the men who deserted from the Halifax, were persuaded by the boatswain of the Chesa- peake to enter for her, which they did, Lieutenant Sinclair * See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 892—897- c 2 20 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. asking them if they had not a second name. That about 30 men went in the first draft with him to the Chesapeake, when Captain Gordon mustered them ; and that they were mustered again in Hampton roads by Commodore Barron!" The Court being of opinion that the charges preferred by Lord James Townshend were proved, adjudged the prisoner to suf- fer death, which sentence was carried into effect at the fore- yard-arm of the Halifax, Aug. 31, 1807. Lord James Townshend's post commission bears date June 2, 1809; and we subsequently find him commanding the jEolus 32, in which frigate he encountered aViolent hur- ricane while cruizing off New York, with a small squadron under his orders, Sept, 30, 1811 *. In Feb. and Mar. 1813, he had the good fortune to capture \ six American ships, laden with cotton, logwood, rice, corn, molasses, &c. ; and one neutral with a cargo of bread and flour. His Lordship married, May 8, 1813, Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. P. Wallis, Government Cooper, at Halifax. Agent. — John Chippendale, Esq. THOMAS THRUSH, ESQ. Served as a Lieutenant of the Sans Pareil 80, under Lord Hugh Seymour ; obtained the rank of Commander April 29, 1802; was appointed to the Avon sloop, in Sept. 1806; and made a Post-Captain June 8, 1809. He resigned his commission, Jan. 14, 1825, "on the ground of the unlawful- ness of war." His "Letter to the King," published at that period, has been ably answered by Mr. William Anderson, Master Painter of H. M. Dock Yard, Portsmouth. WILLIAM MDUNSEY, ESQ. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. Fifth son of the late George Mounsey, of Carlisle, co. * See Captain FREDERICK MARRYATT, C. B. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1809. 21 Cumberland, Esq. ; and grandson of the late Rev. Robert Mounsey, Vicar of Ravenstonedale, in Westmoreland *. This distinguished officer commenced his .naval career Feb. 23, 1780, at the age of thirteen years, as a midshipman on board the Royal Oak 74, Captain Sir Digby Dent, which ship formed part of a squadron sent out, in Mayjfollowing, to reinforce Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot, on the North Ameri- can station ; it being known that M. deTernay and the Count de Rochambeau had recently sailed from Brest with a for- midable naval and military force, bound to Rhode Island. In the course of his first voyage across the Atlantic, Mr. Moun- sey witnessed the capture of a valuable French East In- diaman. The Royal Oak and her consorts arrived off Sandy Hook on the 13th July, only two days after the French commanders had reached the anchorage to which they were destined,Jand where they secured themselves so completely as to put it out of the power of the British to make an^attack with^any other prospect than that of discomfiture. From the Royal Oak, Mr. Mounsey removed with Sir Digby Dent to the Raisonable 64 ; the commander-in-chief having selected the former ship to bear his flag. Returning home with despatches, the Raisonable^ encoun- tered the tail of a hurricane, and was so much shattered that it became necessary to frap her sides together : she was con- sequently paid off immediately after her arrival. We next find Mr. Mounsey serving under Sir Digby Dent in the Repulse, a new 64, forming part of the squadron de- tached from Vice-Admiral Darby's fleet to cover the landing of provisions and stores at Gibraltar, in April 1781. While on that service she was frequently engaged with the Spanish flotilla, and previous to her departure from the bay the greater part of the besieged town was totally destroyed by the enemy's land batteries f. Towards the close of the same year, Mr. Mounsey follow- * George Mounsey, Esq. had fourteen children, twelve of whom were still living in Dec. 1827. f See Vol. I, Part I. p. 4, and note J at p. 33. 22 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1809. ed Sir Digby Dent into the Cumberland 74, which ship was shortly afterwards placed under the command of Captain William Allen, to whom he was strongly recommended by his early and constant patron, whose ill health had obliged him to retire from active service. On the 6th Feb. 1782, the Cumberland sailed for India, in company with a squadron under Commodore Sir Richard Bickerton (to whose favorable notice Mr. Mounsey was like- wise recommended), and she appears to have sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 1 1 wounded in the last battle between Sir Edward Hughes and M. de Suffrein, fought off Cudda- lore, June 20, 1783*. Mr. Mounsey returned to England in May, 1784; and served the remainder of his time as midshipman on board the Orestes sloop, Captain Manley Dixon. After passing the usual examination, he successively joined the Arethusa frigate, Captain John Stanhope ; Victory of 100 guns, bearing the flag of Lord Hood during the Spanish and Russian arma- ments ; Duke 98, flag-ship of the same noble veteran in 1792 ; and Juno frigate, Captain Samuel Hood. At the commencement of the French revolutionary war, Mr. Mounsey was again received on board the Victory, in which ship Lord Hood was then about to sail for the Medi- terranean. His promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place May 22, 1793, on which occasion he was appointed by his Lordship to the Ardent 64, Captain Robert Manners Sutton. Mr. Mounsey was now about to enter into a series of very active and hazardous services. On the arrival of the fleet under Lord Hood at Gibraltar, he received an appointment to the Lowestoffe frigate, Captain William Wolseley, under whose command he assisted at the occupation of Toulon ; the attack upon Fornelli, in Corsica ; and the reduction of St. Fiorenzo, Bastia, and Calvi. During the blockade of Bas- tia, he volunteered his services to cut out a vessel from under a battery on the island of Capraja, and the protection of nu- * See Vol. J, Part I, note at p, 425. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 23 merous troops, who, together with her crew, kept up a con- tinual fire as the Lowestoffe's boats advanced. This vessel was laden with powder, and her capture greatly accelerated the fall of Bastia. Lieutenant Mounsey returned home in the Imperieuse fri- gate, and was afterwards appointed in succession to the Tri- dent 64, Impregnable 98, Duke of similar force, Defiance 74, and Clyde 38 ; the latter ship commanded by that excellent officer, Captain (now Commissioner) Cunningham, with whom he continued until^his promotion, April 29, 1802. On the 6th July, 1801, the boats of the Clyde and her con- sorts *, under the directions of Lieutenant Mounsey, set fire to, and totally destroyed the wreck of the Jason frigate ; a service most gallantly executed, under a heavy fire from two French batteries, and in the presence of two large frigates, a corvette, and eight gun-vessels, then lying at St. Maloes f. From May 17, 1802, until the autumn of 1808, Captain Mounsey commanded the Rosario sloop ; and was succes- sively employed protecting the revenue, carrying despatches to the Mediterranean, cruising on the Irish, Boulogne, and Havre stations, reconnoitring the enemy's ports in the north of Spain, assisting at the capture of the Danish West India islands J, and escorting a fleet of merchantmen from the Leeward Islands to England. During the above period he captured two Dutch ships from Surinam and Berbice, laden with colonial produce, and ten other of the enemies' mer- chant vessels : he also assisted at the capture of 1'Atalante, French ship privateer, of 22 guns and 120 men. Captain Mounsey's next appointment was, April 18, 1809, to the Bonne Citoyenne, a flush-decked ship, mounting 18 thirty-two-pounder carronades and 2 long nines, with a com- plement of 120 officers, men and boys. In that sloop he first proceeded to Lisbon, with despatches for Earl St. Vin- cent ; and subsequently sailed from England in company with the trade bound to Quebec. On his way thither he fell in * Weazle sloop, two gun-brigs, and two luggers. t See Vol. II, Part I, p. 80. ? See Vol. I, Part I, last par. at p. 263. 24 POST- CAPTAINS OP 1809. with, pursued, and after a sanguinary battle of nearly seven hours, captured la Furieuse French frigate, armed en flute ; an event which added fresh lustre to his Majesty's arms, and fully entitled him to the marks of royal and official favor which he afterwards received. The following is a copy of his public letter to Sir John B. Warren, Bart, dated at Hali- fax, Aug. 1, 1809, reporting that brilliant occurrence : — I have the honor to acquaint you, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that, having sailed from Spithead, on the 18th June, in company with H. M. S. Inflexible and the Quebec trade, on the 2d July, in lat. 44» N. long. 27° W., I had the misfortune to lose sight of the convoy when reconnoitring a strange suspicious sail astern, and by traversing between the parallels of 43° and 44° N., edging to the westward in proportion to the distance I supposed they would sail with such winds, in order to regain the fleet, I had the good fortune on the 5th, at 3 P. M., in lat. 43° 4 I' N., and long. 34° W., to fall in with a French frigate in the act of taking possession of a large English merchant ship, which they relinquished on our approach, steering to the northward under a press of sail. Finding they did not answer the private signal, I immediately bore up in pursuit, and, after a chase of 18 hours, at 9-25 A. M. on the 6th, had the satisfaction to lay H. M. sloop alongside within pistol-shot of the enemy, who had brought to, to engage us. " A brisk cannonade with round and grape immediately commenced, and the combat continued with unabated fury, gradually closing until 4-16 P. M., when our powder being nearly expended I determined to carry her by boarding with all hands; and at the instant of laying her aboard for that pur- pose, they called out they had surrendered, and struck their colours to H. M. sloop. Thus ended a conflict obstinately maintained for six hours and fifty minutes, during which the enemy fired away more than 70 broadsides, whilst H. M. sloop, not less sparing, discharged 129 destructive broad- sides, alternately from the starboard and larboard sides, as circumstances would permit me to change her position with advantage, so as to avoid the necessity of slackening our fire from the guns being over-heated ; three of which were dismounted and rendered useless early in the action. " She jproved to be la Furieuse, a French frigate of the largest class, that escaped from the Saintes on the 1st April, pierced for 48 guns, but having only 12 forty-two-pounder carronades and 2 long twenty-four pounders on the main deck, with 6 of smaller calibre," (James says 8- pounders) ; "40 soldiers at small arms, her full proportion of officers, and a complement of 200 men, besides the Colonel, 2 Lieutenants, and a de- tachment of the 66th regiment of the line ; partly loaded with sugar and coffee ; last from Basse Terre, bound to France ; she is seven years old, and sails very fast. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1809. 25 ** After a hard contested action, a most arduous duty still remained to be performed. On taking possession, we found the frigate in a most perilous state, with 14 shot-holes between wind and water, and 5 feet water in her hold. Her top-masts, and all her yards (except the cross-jack and sprit- sail) shot away, and her lower-masts so badly wounded as to render i t almost impossible to prevent them from falling ; with more than 70 men killed and wounded : whilst H. M. sloop was reduced to a mere wreck, having all her lower-masts badly wounded in several places, the top-masts shot away, and nearly all the standing, and every part of the running- rig- ging, sails, boats, &c. cut to pieces. After securing the prisoners, the weather being very favourable during the night, by the exertions of Mr. (Williams) Sandom, second Lieutenant, and Mr. Atwater, the carpenter, several of the most dangerous shot-holes were stopped, so as to enable them to keep the ship free : but all their efforts to save her masts proved ineffectual, as the main and mizen went overboard the next day, leaving the bare fore-mast standing, wounded in three places. " The indefatigable exertions of every officer and man in the Bonne Citoyenne, in fishing and securing her masts, so as to be able to take the frigate in tow, and surmounting every other difficulty, merits my warmest praise and admiration ; and I feel highly gratified in reporting to their lordships, that nothing could exceed the animated zeal and unwearied intre- pidity of the officers, seamen, and royal marines, whom I have the honor to command, in a contest with an enemy apparently of so great a supe- riority of force ; and I beg particularly to mention the able assistance that 1 received from Mr. (Joseph) Symes, the first Lieutenant, Mr. Sandom, and Mr. (Nathaniel) Williamson, the master, which contributed greatly to the success of the action; Mr. (John N. C.) Scott, the purser, Mr. John Black, and Mr. M'Auley, passengers, in the handsomest manner, volun- teered their services, assisted at the guns, and wherever they could make themselves most useful 5 and Mr. Stewart, the surgeon, deserves much praise for his humanity and great attention to our own as well as the wounded prisoners ; indeed the patience with which all hands have borne the extreme fatigue and privation of being constantly on deck for 25 days and nights, does them infinite credit, and urges me to so long a detail. " Thus circumstanced, I was induced to make the best of my way to this port, where I arrived with the prize on the 1st instant. The Bonne Citoyenne requiring three lower-masts, top-masts, &c. to enable her to proceed in the execution of their lordships' orders. I have the honor herewith to enclose a list of the killed and wounded, and I am happy, to say our loss has been inconceivably small, which I can attribute only to the lowness of the Bonne Citoyenne's hull, and being so close under the enemy's guns *. * Bonne Citoyenne, \ killed, 5 wounded.— Furieuse, 35 killed, 37 wounded. 26 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. On his return to England, with a convoy from Quebec, Captain Mounsey received a very flattering private letter from the First Lord of the Admiralty, of which the following is a transcript : " Admiralty, Sept. 20, 1809. « Sir,— -I did not fail this day, to lay before his Majesty the particular* of your conduct in the attack and capture of the Furieuse, French frigate, on the 6th July. The enterprising gallantry with which you approached and attacked a ship bearing such an appearance of a commanding supe- riority of force, and the skill, courage, and perseverance manifested by you, and by the officers, seamen, and marines under your command, during an action of such long continuance, and so warmly contested, have received his Majesty's fullest approbation; and his Majesty has been graciously pleased to bestow on you a medal, as an honorable memorial of your very gallant and distinguished conduct on that occasion. It has given me the greatest satisfaction to sign a commission promoting you to the rank of Post-Captain, and appointing you to the command of the fine frigate, which you have so nobly added to the naval force of the country ; I have also great pleasure in notifying to you the promotion of Lieutenant Symes, to the rank of Commander, and I have to request that you will transmit to me the names of the warrant officers of the Bonne Citoyenne, with a view to their promotion in their several ranks ; together with the name of the mate, or midshipman, whom you shall recommend for the rank of Lieutenant, and the names of any very meritorious petty officers severally under the boatswain, gunner, and carpenter, who may be deserving of promotion, and qualified to receive it. I trust that this general promotion, through every rank serving in the Bonne Citoyenne, may be a satisfactory testimony of my estimation of the action which has been achieved ; and may operate as an incentive to others, to emulate an example so worthy of imitation and applause. I have the honor to be, with the highest esteem, &c. (Signed) " MULGRAVE."* " To Captain Mounsey." The Furieuse requiring a thorough repair, in consequence of her shattered state, was not got ready for commissioning * A public letter from the Secretary of the Admiralty, dated three days after the above, informed Captain Mounsey that he was to take post-rank from the day of the action, and directed him " to signify to Lieutenant Symes, that it was the intention of their Lordships, as a reward for his gallant services, to promote him to the rank of Commander, the moment he should have completed his two years' servitude aa a Lieutenant," which latter rank he did not obtain before March 13, 1808. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1809. 27 before Nov. 1811 ; at which period Captain Mounsey received orders to take charge of the outward-bound Lisbon and Mediterranean trade. During the remainder of the war with France, he was very actively employed under the command of Sir Edward Pellew, by whom he was, at first, attached to the inshore squadron off Toulon* ; secondly, sent on a cruise off Corsica, where his boats captured a French tartan loaded with wheat ; and, thirdly, placed under the orders of the senior officer on the coasts of Naples and Sicily. In Nov. 1812, and Jan. 1813, he captured the French privateers Nebrophonus and Argus, each mounting 4 guns ; the former carrying 54, and the latter 85 men. His gallant and officer-like conduct at the capture of Ponza, Feb. 26, 1813, was highly spoken of by Captain Charles Napier, a copy of whose official letter, re- porting the manner in which that island was obtained posses- sion of, will be found at p. 5 et seg. On the 7th of May following, the boats of the Furieuse, commanded by Lieutenants Walter Croker and Williams Sandom, cut out, from under the tower and batteries of Orbitello, a~xebec mounting 2 six-pounders-j in the perform- ance of which service, Mr. Webb midshipman, and three seamen were wounded, the former dangerously and the others severely. The result of an attack made upon a French convoy about six miles to the eastward of Civita Vecchia is thus described by Captain Mounsey : " H. M. S. Furieuse, at tea, Oct. 8, 1813. " On the 4th inst., running along the coast to the island of Ponza, at 1 P.M., I observed a convoy of nineteen vessels in the harbour of Marinelo, protected by two gun-boats, a fort of two long 24-pounders, and a strong fortified castle and tower ; and it appearing practicable to cut them out, as the wind was fair for that purpose, Lieutenants Croker and (William) Lester, with Lieutenants (James) Whylock and (William) Davies, R. M., gallantly volunteered to storm the fort on the land side, with the whole of the marines and boats' crews, whilst the ship anchored before it, which service was promptly performed; and after a few broadsides, I had the satisfaction of seeing the battery carried, and guns spiked, by our gallant See Commander ROWLAND MAINWARING. 28 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. I party on shore. The enemy retreated, and took the strong positions of the castle and tower overlooking the harbour, where they kept up a con- stant fire of musketry through loop-holes, without the possibility of being dislodged ; although I weighed and moved in, so that the whole fire of the ship was directed against them. Nothing could damp the ardour of the party on shore, who, together with Lieutenant Lester in the boats, lost not a moment in boarding and cutting the cables of 16 vessels, under a most galling fire,two of which were sunk in the entrance of the harbour, and four- teen got out. I have to regret the loss of 12 brave men killed and wounded -y which is less than might have been expected, as more than 500 troops arrived from Civita Vecchia, but were checked in their advance, and forced to take a circuitous route, by a well-directed fire from the ship, which allowed sufficient time for all our men to embark * * * * . The whole of this service was most successfully accomplished in three hours, and fourteen vessels deeply laden (with salt, tobacco, marble, and sundries), got off, which I was obliged to take in tow, as their sails had all been unbent, and taken on shore, to prevent our getting them out *." The Furieuse formed part of the squadron under Sir Josias Rowley, at the capture of Via Reggio and the unsuccessful attempt upon Leghorn, in Dec. 1813 f. She also assisted at the occupation of Santa Maria and the other forts, &c. in the Gulph of Spezzia ; likewise at the reduction of Genoa and its dependencies, in March and April, 1814 J. After the cessation of hostilities between Great Britain and France, Captain Mounsey proceeded from Gibraltar to Ber- muda, in company with a squadron under the orders of Captain Andrew King. We next find him conveying the 62d regiment to Halifax ; and he was subsequently employed in an expedition up the Penobscot river, where he remained until the peace with America, in command of a small naval force left behind by Rear- Admiral Griffith, to assist the troops under Major-General Gosselin in fortifying and defending the peninsula of Castine §. The Furieuse was paid off shortly after the final overthrow of Napoleon Buonaparte, since • The vessels sunk were the two gun-boats, each mounting a long brass 24-pounder and 4 swivels. One of the merchantmen was pierced for 12 guns, and had two long sixes mounted. t See Vol. II. Part I. pp. 424—428. \ See Id. pp. 428—430. § See Vol. I. Part. I. p. 558 : and Vol. II. Part. II. p. 729 et seq. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 29 which Captain Mounsey's services have not been called for. This gallant officer was nominated a C. B. in June, 1815 ; and as a further testimony of the royal approbation of his zeal and energy (on the 6th July, 1809), some honorable distinctions allusive to the capture of the Furieuse, to be borne in his armorial ensigns, have more recently been granted and assigned to him by the Kings of Arms, under the authority of the Earl Marshal. Agent. — Joseph Dufaur, Esq. THOMAS FORREST, ESQ. ' A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. WE first find this officer serving as senior Lieutenant of the Emerald frigate, Captain (now Lord James) O'Bryen, by whom the following honorable testimony is borne to his gal- lant conduct when employed on a very hazardous service, in March 1804 : " H. M. S. Emerald, off St. Pierre's, Martinique, March 13, 1804. " Sir, — I have the honor to enclose you a letter I have received from Lieutenant Forrest, first of H. M. S. under my command, who I this morn- ing sent, accompanied by 30 volunteers, on board the Fort-Diamond armed sloop, with directions to work to windward, so as to enable the sloop to weather the Pearl rock, and to bear down on an armed schooner, which had (finding it impossible to get into St. Pierre's, this ship being to leeward), anchored close in shore, under cover of the battery at Seron. I at the same time sent the boats of this ship in a different direction, in order to take off the attention of the battery from the manreuvre in contempla- tion, to be performed by Lieutenant Forrest. " It affords me particular satisfaction to bear testimony to the handsome and gallant manner in which the service was executed, Lieutenant Forrest having laid the enemy's schooner on board, under a heavy fire from her and the battery. " In the performance of this service great judgment was exhibited, as, by the mode of doing it, a chain, by which she was fastened to the shore, was broke, 20 feet of which is now hanging to the schooner's bow. The crew of this vessel" (consisting of about 60 whites and blacks), " finding it impossible to withstand British intrepidity, jumped overboard and swam ashore, which they were enabled to do from her being moored close to it. 30 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1809. "It affords me particular pleasure to inform you, Sir, that this exploit was performed without any loss on our part, two men only being slightly wounded. I have been rather more circumstantial in this detail, than per- Jiaps the mere capture of a privateer justifies, but I feel I should not do justieeto the gallant conduct of Lieutenant Forrest, the judgment he ex- hibited, and the brave and cool conduct of the petty officers and men un- der his command, which he speaks of in high terms, had I neglected relating every circumstance that took place, which has excited admiration and emulation in the breasts of the spectators ; and 1 must beg to add, that the general conduct of this officer, ever since he has been under my com- mand, has been such as to entitle him to my approbation. The captured schooner, whose name I can only guess at from a letter found on board, the only paper left, is the Mosambique, pierced for 14 guns, with 10 eighteen-pounder carronades mounted ; she is from Guadaloupe, and fitted for a three months' cruise, to all appearance perfectly new, copper-bot- tomed and fastened, sails apparently well, and seems calculated for the King's service. (Signed) " JAMES O'BRYEN." " To Commodore Hood." The subject of this memoir was made a Commander Jan. 22, 1806 ; and in the following year we find him regulating the Impress, and acting as agent for prisoners of war, at North Yarmouth. His next appointment was to the Prome- theus sloop of war. The capture of three Russian gun-vessels, each mounting 2 long 18-pounders, and an armed transport, by a detachment of boats under the orders of Captain Forrest, at Fredericsham, in the Gulph of Finland, is thus officially described by the senior officer of the squadron to which the Prometheus was at that time attached. "H. M. S. Princess Carolina, Aspo, July 26, 1809. " Having been informed that the enemy had at this place several gun- boats to protect their coasting trade, which is of the greatest consequence in supplying their army, &c. in all parts of Finland, and it having been represented to me by Captain Forrest the probability of their being des- troyed, himself having offered in the most handsome manner to command the expedition, which I immediately accepted, and having directed the boats of H. M. ships Princess Carolina, Minotaur, Cerberus, and Prome- theus (in all 17), armed in the best possible way, to put themseves under the command of Captain Forrest, and to assemble alongside the Prome- theus at six o'clock yesterday evening, I have now the happiness to inform you of a successful attack he made last night about half-past ten, on four POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 31 gun-boats, three of which he has captured, and also a new brig laden with provisions : the captured gun-boats had on board 137 nien, besides 23 in the brig. They are very complete and well found. Were it possible for me to say any thing which could add to the meritorious conduct of so gal- lant and good an officer as Captain Forrest, J should most willingly do it ; but I trust the success of this brilliant action will do more justice to the intrepidity of every officer and man employed on this service, than any language I can possibly use. (Signed) "CHARLES DUDLEY PATER." The prizes taken on this occasion were very dearly pur- chased, no less than 70 of the British being killed and wound- ed, including among the latter Captain Forrest, who in his own official letter says : " Our loss is severe indeed, as might be expected from the nature of the force, and the extreme obstinacy with which the enemy defended their charge ; the crew of one gun-boat being to a man killed or dangerously wounded. I cannot find words to express the zeal and intrepidity exhibit- ed upon this occasion by all, and the manifest superiority of our seamen when it came to the cutlass." The enemy's total loss amounted to 87 killed and wounded. Sir James Saumarez, when reporting the sanguinary affair to the Admiralty, informed their lordships that " the undaunted bravery displayed by Captain Forrest, the officers and men employed under his orders, was beyond all praise *." For his gallantry in the above action, Captain Forrest was immediately advanced to post rank, and his commission dated back to July 25, 1809. On the 9th Feb. 1812, we find him appointed to the Cyane 22, in which ship he accompa- nied Rear- Admiral Durham to the Leeward Islands at the commencement of 1814. " His meritorious conduct, not only in assiduously keeping sight of, but repeatedly offer- ing battle to the Iphigenia, a French frigate of the largest class," during her flight from the Venerable 74, was duly acknowledged by that officer, in his public letter reporting the subsequent capture of the enemy's ship f. * A lieutenant and 2 men of the Prometheus had been killed, and 4 men wounded, in a previous boat attack, which will be noticed in our me- moir of Captain Frederick E. V. Vernon. t See Captain JAMES ANDREW WORTH. 32 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. In Mar. 1814, Captain Forrest was removed to the Sybilie frigate ; and since the peace he has commanded the Ister of 42 guns, on the Mediterranean station ; and Isis 50, bearing the flag of Sir Lawrence W. Halsted, at Jamaica. He ob- tained the insignia of a C. B. in 1815. Agent. — Sir Francis M. Oinmanney. RICHARD HARWARD, ESQ. Commanded the Netley schooner, at Antigua, in June> 1805; and was a Lieutenant of the Northumberland 745 in Sir John T. Duckworth's action, off St. Domingo, Feb. 6, 1806. He obtained the rank of Commander, April 2, 1806 ; was appointed to the Delphinen brig, of 18 guns, about April 1808 ; and had the misfortune to lose that vessel, near the coast of Holland, on the 4th Aug. following. Captain Harward's next appointment was to the Parthian of 10 guns, in which sloop he captured la Nouvelle Gironde, a celebrated privateer belonging to Bourdeaux, mounting 4 twelve and 10 four-pounders, with a complement of 86 men, but only 58 on board, the remainder being absent in prizes. This scourge to the trade was taken after a chace, in light winds, of 36 hours, during which period, the Parthian's offi- cers and crew were almost constantly at the sweeps. This officer was made post July 31, 1809; and we subse- quently find him commanding the flag- ships of his father-in- law, Sir Edward Pellew, now Viscount Exmouth, on the North Sea and Mediterranean stations. GEORGE BELL, ESQ. Was born at Falmouth, CQ. Cornwall, July 1, 1768. His name appears on the books of the Hebe frigate, Captain Ed- ward Thornbrough, in 1781 and the two following years. We subsequently find him serving as Midshipman, Master's- - CAPTAINS OF 1809. 33 taate, acting Master, and Lieutenant, ; on board the Hyaena of 24 guns, Captain John Aylmer ; Orion 74, Captain John T. Duckworth ; and la Nymphe, Arethusa, and Indefatigable frigates, commanded by his friend and patron, the present Viscount Exmouth. An account of the numerous and im- portant services performed by the last three ships, between June, 1793, and the spring of 1/99, will be found at pp. 212 — 219 of our first volume. Lieutenant Bell afterwards]assisted at the capture of la Venus French frigate, and several priva- teers *. From the conclusion of the war in 1801 (at which period the Indefatigable was commanded by Captain Matthew Henry Scott), we find no mention of Lieutenant Bell until the sum- mer of 1804,. when he proceeded to India, as first of Sir Ed- ward Pellew's flag-ship, the Culloden 74. Shortly after his arrival on that station, the subject of this memoir was appointed to command the Victor sloop, and sent to the Persian Gulph, where he captured les Amis Ite- unis French privateer, May 7* 1805. The following extract of a letter from Captain Bell to the commander-in-chief, dated at Port Cornwallis, May 22, 1807> contains an account of a most singular and bloody conflict, in which he was unex- pectedly engaged on the 15th of the preceding month : *' Your Excellency has undoubtedly ere now received one of iny letters respecting the capture of four brigs out of Batavia roads. " Off Cheribon (a little to the eastward of Batavia), on the 15th April, we chased, and brought to, three proas, under Dutch colours. At five P. M., on its falling calm, we anchored, hoisted out our boats, and sent them armed to bring the proas alongside j two were brought to the lar- board-side, the other hung on the quarter : got the prisoners out of the two alongside (amounting to near 120), and placed a strong guard over them, under the direction of Lieutenant Wemyss t, as I intended sending* them away, after overhauling their cargoes. Lieutenant (Robert White) Parsons + had been on board the proa on the quarter, but returned with his people on finding it impracticable to get * See Vol. I. Part I. p. 427, and note at ditto. f The present Captain James Wemyss, M. P. then acting as Lieutenant of the Victor. J A Commander of 1816. SUPPL. PART II. 1> 34 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. the crew from below : I instantly ordered her to be hauled close up un- der the quarter, fired a carronade into her and musketry, which they re- turned by throwing spears and firing pistols, &c. I then got a gun out of the stern-port and fired into her, the sparks of which most unfortunately reached some powder (which must have been carelessly handed out of some of the proas abaft), and blew the after-part of the ship up : at this alarming moment the guard over the prisoners dropped their arms, and ran to extinguish the fire. The prisoners instantly seized their arms, and picked up several spears and knives which had been thrown on board, and attacked the ship ; by this time (eight P. M.) the fire, most providentially, by the great exertions of officers and men, was got under, proas cut adrift, and the attention of all hands directed to the defence of the ship, which was admirably performed, for in little more than half an hour eighty of them lay dead in a most mangled state, the rest driven overboard ; but sorry am I to add, not without a severe loss on our side, including those blown overboard and those who have since died of their wounds, a list of which I herewith enclose for your Excellency's satisfaction." On this occasion, the Victor's first Lieutenant (H. Blaxton) and 5 of her crew were killed outright ; her commander, gun- ner, and 24 men, either wounded by the weapons of the Ma- lays, or dreadfully injured by the explosion: Captain Bell himself was so much burnt that he was obliged to be taken below 5 and most of the wounded men died after the Victor's arrival at Penang. Captain BelFs commission as a Commander was confirmed by the Admiralty, Oct. 12, 1807; and he subsequently had the gratification of reading a letter from their Lordships' secre- tary, wherein the thanks of the Board were conveyed to him and his surviving officers and men, for their determined cou- rage in the above sanguinary contest. ,.^ We next find Captain Bell commanding^ the Culloden, and assisting at the destruction of two Dutch 70-gun ships, a cut- down two-decker, fitted as a sheer-hulk, an Indiaman of 1000 tons burthen, and a large transport, lying at Griessee ; which service completed the entire destruction of the naval force of Holland in the eastern hemisphere *. His post commission bears date July 31, 1809. Captain Bell married, Dec. 23, 1822, Lucy Martha, daughter of the late T. Michael M'Donogh, Esq. formerly commander * See Suppl., Part I, p. 404. 6*1809. 3 of a Falmouth packet. One of his brothers,, Stephen Bel}, Esq. died in command of the Francis Freeling, a vessel of si- milar description, on the same station. Another brother was blown up in the Amphion frigate, Sept. 22, 1796 *. Agent.-— 1\ Copland, Esq* WILLlAMf 66ATE, ESQ. i s \'ji Mxi'J • Cl * * ldJ' I**' "* ' * ^ : s'*|"% "/fl " ^>* SON of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Goate, of the West Suffolk militia. This officer received his first commission in Nov. 1790 5 and at the commencement of the French revolutionary war, we find him serving as junior Lieutenant of the Orpheus a 32 gun frigate, Captain Henry Newcome, on the African station, where he assisted at the capture of several mer- chant vessels, in' April, 1793 f. Proceeding to Sierra Leone, in charge of four prize-brigs, with Mr. Willoughby and two other midshipmen under his orders, Lieutenant Goate struck on a shoal off Rio Grande, to the southward of the river Gambia, and in less than a quarter of an hour his vessel went to pieces, as did likewise Mr. Willoughby's very soon afterwards. The perilous situ- ation of the whole, owing to their ignorance of the coast, and having neither charts nor pilots on board, is thus described by one of the prize- masters': " We parted company with our frigate on the 25th of April, and on the 2/th or 28th, when running along the coast of Bissaos, with a strong * See Vol. I, Part II, p. 455 et scq. f On the 22d April, 1793, the barge and cutter of the Orpheus cap- tured two French brigs in Senegal roads. One of these vessels was boarded by Lieutenant Richard St. Lo Nicholson and Mr, Nisbet J. WiU loughby, midshipman, who found a party of officers from the shore assem- bled at supper in her cabin, totally unconscious of an enemy being so near. On the 24th of the same month, the launch, barge, and cutter, com- manded by Lieutenants Nicholson, John Broughton, and Goate, cut out two brigs and a schooner, under a heavy but ill-directed fire from tht fort on Goree island. 36 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. breeze, at about 4-30 A. M ., the moon then shining1 very bright, but at times obscured by a heavy scud, two of the brigs struck almost at the same moment, and were soon dashed to pieces ; their crews, however, were fortunately enabled each to save a boat, and thereby reach the other vessels. " At this critical period, Lieutenant Goate displayed great judgment and self-possession, in adopting the only measure by which himself and hi» companions could possibly be saved ; destruction still appearing almost inevitable. " The two brigs which had not struck were both very light, and a heavy swell was setting them towards the shoal: to beat off was impossible ; and to anchor, was quite out of the question. The only chance of escape was to run over the shoal, if a passage could be found, and this desperate man- oeuvre he immediately decided upon. " At day-light, nothing could be seen to leeward but high foaming breakers ; both vessels, however, bore up, keeping as close together as circumstances would allow. From the moment we entered the reef, the sight was indescribably grand and sublime ; a hollow deceitful swell rearing its head as high as our tops, the spray dashing over us, and sheets of foaming water, in the midst of which black rocks were occasionally visible. The lead was useless ; every thing depended upon a good eye and quick helm : how many times we scraped the bottom it is impossible to say ; but certain I am that every one on board then considered death inevitable, and prepared himself accordingly. No person who has ever seen the shoals of Rio Grande will say that it was possible for us to have gone through, unless we had been specially protected by the Almighty. Had the remain- ing brigs been wrecked no boat could have lived ; and even if Providence had allowed us to reach the shore in them, we knew that slavery would have been our lot. Our escape from either death or a horrible captivity, may justly be pronounced miraculous." In Oct. 1793, the Orpheus, then under the orders of Rear- Admiral Macbride, co-operated with a detachment of the British army, commanded by Sir Charles Grey, in repelling an attempt made upon the town of Nieuport, and compelling the enemy to retire along the road to Dunkirk. On her return from this service, the Orpheus was ordered to the East India station, where she captured le Duguay- Trouin, a French frigate of 34 guns, May 5, 1794. The fol- lowing is an extract of the official letter written by Captain Newcome on this occasion : " On the 5th of May, Captain Osborne, of the Centurion, made the signal for a sail, and Captain Pakenham, of the Resistance, for seeing two j. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 37 Round Island, bearing S. W. by W., six or seven leagues. I lay-to till the strangers ran down so near to us that we could lay up for them, and then tuade the signal to chase. At 1 1-45, I got near enough to fire a shot at the ship ; at 1 1-55, I brought her to action ; and by a little after 12, I got close upon her starboard quarter, where we kept till 1-5 P. M., so very close, that at times I expected to be on board. The enemy then struck, at which time the Centurion and Resistance were about three miles astern, coming up under a great press of sail. She proves to be a French frigate, le Duguay-Trouin, formerly the Princess Royal, East Indiaman, fitted out at the Isle of France ; mounting 26 a§^m*-pounders, 2 nines, and 6 fours, and having on board 403 men. I cannot say too much in praise of the steady, cool, and brave conduct of the officers, seamen, and marines of H. M. S. Orpheus. Our loss is very inconsiderable, considering the supe- rior force of the enemy : Mr. Singleton, midshipman, killed ; Mr. Staine's master's-mate, badly wounded in the left hand ; and 8 seamen slightly. The enemy had 21 killed and 60 wounded. " I must beg leave to recommend to their lordships' notice Lieutenants Broughton and Goate ; also Mr. Staines, who commanded a division of guns in the absence of Lieutenant Hodgskin, who was unfortunately on board a Danish ship, with one mate, one midshipman, and 20 seamen. At the time le Duguay-Trouin struck, we were about two leagues from the passage between Flat-iiland and Coin-au-Mire, and one league from the shore. The other sail, a small brig, made her escape through the channel, and got safe into Port Louis.'* The Orpheus, a 12-pounder frigate, went into action with only 194 officers, men and boys ; but, on the other hand, le Duguay-Trouin's crew and passengers were so sickly that Captain Newcome was obliged to seek the first port where refreshments were likely to be procured, and the damages of his own ship repaired. He accordingly anchored at Mahe, one of the Seychelle islands, and, finding that the French had formed a settlement there, summoned it to surrender. This being agreed to, a party under Lieutenant Goate took posses- sion of the place, May 17th, captured a merchant brig, and brought off a quantity of naval and military stores. In 1795, and the following year Lieutenant Goate assisted at the capture of Malacca, Amboyna, and Banda, with their several dependencies *. His promotion to the rank of Com- mander took place September 16, 1799 ; and he was af- terwards successively appointed to the Sylph, Derwent, and * See Bulletins of 1796, pp. 50—55, and 314—318. 38 POST-CAPTAINS jq .Mosquito brigs. In the latter vessel he captured the Sol Fulgen Danish privateer, of 6 guns and 24 men, off Heligoland, May 25, 1809. The proceedings of a small force under his orders, in July following, are detailed by him in a letter to the Admiralty, of which the following is an extract : '" "I proceeded up the Elbe with H. M. vessels named in the margin*, and anchored out of gun-shot of the battery at Cuxhaven, on the 7th inst. j "and as it was too strong to be attacked by water, I was determined on landing and taking it by storm, haying previously made the necessary pre* parations for that purpose. '""At dayJight on the morning of the 8th, I disembarked with Captain Watts of the Ephira, and the commanding officers, seamen, and marines of the respective vessels ; the first boats that landed were fired upon by the enerny'i advanced post, and they then retreated to the battery. We "inarched on to storm, but from our appearance the enemy thought proper to retreat, about 80 in number, so that we took the battery (which Jjad % guns, 24-pounders, and surrounded by a ditch) without opposition. His ^Majesty's colours were then hoisted on the French flag-staff, and after- wards those of Hamburgh on the castle of Ritzbuttle. We then dismounted the guns and put them on board of vessels lying in the harbour, as well as several other small pieces of cannon, with all the shot and military stores. The battery was then undermined, and by a variety of explosions, blown up. * '"** Two French gun-boats, with 2 guns each, which were lying in the harbour, were also taken possession of. I afterwards gave the town of Cux* haven in trust to the civil governor, and embarked all the seamen and marines." This was the prelude to a more important, and equally successful enterprise, the particulars of which are given at p. 870 et seg. of Vol. II. Part II. « The zeal and ability evinced by Captain Goate" on the latter occasion, was officially acknowledged by his senior officer, Lord George Stuart. Captain Goate's post-commission bears date Aug. 15, 1809 \ and his last appointment was May 4, 1813, to the Fortunee frigate, employed on Channel service. Agents*— Messrs. Stilwell. * Mosquito 18 guns, Captain Goate ; Briseis 10, Captain Robert Pettet ; Ephira It), Captain George Edward Watts ; five gun-brigs, one armed schuyt, and one cutter/ v POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 39 JOSEPH JAMES, ESQ. SON of an opulent and ^respectable tradesman in Somerset- shire, who dying when he was very young, left him to the care of an elder brother, by whom he was sent over to Valogne, in Normandy, for the purpose of learning the French language 5 in which town he continued to reside until Louis XVI. issued an edict to seize all British ships in the ports of his kingdom, March 18, 1778 *. This officer entered the naval service in May 1779, as a midshipman, on board the Stag 32, commanded by Captain Robert Palliser Cooper f, and then employed on the Irish station; but subsequently attached to the Channel fleet, under the orders of Sir Charles Hardy. Whilst in that frigate, he assisted at the capture of many vessels, among which were the Anti-Briton French privateer, mounting 22 long sixes, with a complement of 130 men ; and la Victoire ^cutter, of 16- guns and 91 men. The former marauder was commanded by the notorious Kelly, a native of Rush, near Dublin, but holding a Lieutenant's commission in the French marine : 120 of his crew were also subjects of Great Britain. The capture of that atrocious traitor was a service of very great importance to the merchants, as he had taken no less than one hundred and seventy prizes, most of which were either destroyed, or ransomed for large sums 5 the payments being secured by the detention of sufficient hostages, until the bills drawn in his favour were honored J. Mr. James continued in the Stag until she was paid off, 1783 ; when he joined the Griffin cutter, Lieutenant James Cooke, under whom he served for a period of three years. During the Spanish armament we find him master's-mate of the Melampus frigate, Captain (now Sir Charles) Morice Pole; * See Vol. I, Part I. note at p. 235, et seq. t Superannuated Rear-Admiral R. P. Cooper died at Portsmouth, Oct. 23, 1805. I Kelly was originally a smuggler. During the latter part of his life he worked as a common porter on the quay at Bourdeaux, 40 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. and at the commencement of the French revolutionary war he appears to have obtained a similar rating on board the Royal William 80, bearing the flag of Sir Peter Parker, Bart., commander-in-chief at Portsmouth ; from which ship he was made a Lieutenant into the Inspector sloop, Nov.^10, 1793. In that vessel, Lieutenant James followed the expedition under Sir John Jervis and Sir Charles Grey to Martinique; from whence she was sent with a convoy to Jamaica, and thereby prevented taking any part in the operations against the French colonies, previous to the storming of fort Fleur d'Epee, April 12, 1J94 *. The surrender of Guadaloupe on the 22d of the same month j the departure of the squadron, for St. Christopher's ; the recapture of Grande Terre, by Victor Hugues ; Sir Charles Grey's second landing in Basse Terre ; and the return of Sir John Jervis to his former anchorage, off Grozier ; have been noticed in our memoir of Rear- Admiral John Maitland f. The storming of fort St. Ann's, about twelve or fourteen miles from the latter place ; the bombardment of Point a Pitre and fort Fleur d'Epee, by the British land-batteries and gun-boats ; an unsuccessful sortie made by the enemy, on the 26th of June ; the establishment of our advanced post, on Morne Mascot ; the repeated defeats of the French troops sent to recover that eminence ; and the disastrous result of an attempt made by Brigadier-General Symes to gain posses- sion of the heights near Point a Pitre, preparatory to the intended assault of fort Fleur d'Epe'e ; will be found described at pp. 109—113 of Vol. II. Part I. During these latter operations, Lieutenant James occa- sionally commanded a division of gun-boats ; and on the unfortunate 2d July, he entered the harbour of Point a Pitre about two hours before day-light in order to support the detachment under Brigadier-General Symes. From that fatal period he was employed affording protection to the troops * See Vol. I, Part II, note f at p. 711, See Id. note at p. 841. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 41' left in Basse Terre, until the evacuation of fort Matilda, the last post held by the British, Dec. 10th, 1794 *. The Inspector being paid off about Aug. 1795, Lieutenant James was then appointed to the Alfred 74 ; in which ship he served under Captains Drury and Totty, until she also was put out of commission, on her return from the West Indies, in the autumn of 1798. Whilst in her, he assisted at the capture of la Favorite, French national ship mounting 22 guns; la Renomme'e frigate of 44 guns and 320 men ; and le Scipio corvette, of 20 guns ; also at the recapture of two British transports ; and at the reduction of St. Lucia and Trinidad. He likewise bore a part in the unsuccessful attack upon Porto Rico ; all which will be seen by reference to our memoir of Captain John Richards, at p. 11 et seq. of this volume. Lieutenant James's next appointment was (immediately after leaving the Alfred), to command the Attack gun-brig ; » After Sir Charles Grey's final departure from Guadaloupe, the repub- lican troops remained quiet in Grande Terre until they received a consider- able reinforcement from Europe ; when they proceeded to Basse Terre, landed at Goyave and Lamentin, on the 27th Sept., and immediately marched to attack the camp at Berville, commanded by Brigadier-General Graham, who defended that position with the utmost gallantry and spirit, until the 6th of Oct., when, finding his provisions nearly exhausted, and that he was cut off from all communication with the shipping, and without hopes of relief, he was obliged to surrender; his force being reduced to 125 rank and file fit for duty. By this unfortunate event the whole of Guadaloupe, except fort Matilda, fell into the hands of the enemy. The siege of that fort commenced on the 14th Oct., and early in Dec. the enemy's batteries were increased so as greatly to exceed the artillery of the garrison. Their fire on the 6th, dismounted all the guns upon the most commanding part of the fort ; the curtain from thence to the next bastion near the town, and the faces and flanks of that bastion in many places threatened to fall into the ditch ; the number of killed and wounded was proportional to the effect made upon the work, and the place became no longer tenable. At 10 P. M., (Dec. 10th), the remains of the garrison, amounting to 621 officers and men, were safely embarked, without even the knowledge of the French, who continued firing as usual until 2 or 3 A. M« on the llth. The services rendered by the navy, during this long and painful siege, were very handsomely acknowledged in the military despatches. Sea London Gazette, Feb. 14, 1/96. 42 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1809. and in that vessel we find him covering the debarkation of the British troops near the Helder, and witnessing the sur- render of the Texel squadron *. He was also employed under the orders of Lord Nelson, during the period that that officer was invested with the chief command between Beachey Head and Orfordness, in 1801. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place April 29, 1802. In March 1804, Captain James was appointed to the Sea Fencible service in Ireland; but he had only joined that corps six weeks before he received an appointment to the Meteor bomb. The admirable manner in which that vessel was placed before Havre pier, July 23d and Aug. 1, 1804, was highly spoken of by his senior officer, copies of whose reports are given at pp. 1—3 of Suppl. Part 1. In .Oct. 1805, Qaptain James removed to the Kite brig, mounting 14 twenty-four pounder earronades, and 2 long sixes, with a complement of 93 officers, men, and boys. In her, he made several recaptures, while serving under the orders of Commodore Owen, on the Dungeness station 5 and on the 7th Feb. 1807, we find him intercepting le Chasseur French lugger privateer, of 16 guns and 60 men, 18 of whom were absent. It will be seen by reference to p. 239 of Suppl. Part I., that the Kite formed part of the light squadron engaged with the Danish praams, gun-boats, floating-batteries, &c. before Copenhagen, Aug. 22, 1807, and that "the bravery and energy of her .commander, officers, and crew, during so long jand heavy a contest" was highly praised by Admiral Gam- bier. Unfortunately, however, she then belonged to the Leith station, and was immediately afterwards ordered to return thither. Captain James consequently lost his chance of promotion, ;as well as the share of prize-money to which he would otherwise have been entitled. We should here remark, that the Kite received greater damage than any of her consorts on the above occasion ; but fortunately sustained no loss, although she was several times hulled, and in one in- * See Vol. I, Part I, note at pp. 414—417. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 43 stance by a red-hot shot, which lodged in a casej of hats stowed very near the magazine. The Kite subsequently assisted in rescuing the Marquis de la Romana and his patriotic army * ; on which occasion Captain James is officially reported to have been " indefatiga- ble iii his exertions in the various duties assigned him." At 10 P. M., on the 3d Sept. 1808, ;a few days after -Rear- Admiral Keats had sailed for Gottenburgh, with the Spanish troops under his protection, the Kite, then at anchor off Sproe island (Minx gun-brig in company), was attacked by the whole of the enemy's flotilla, then in the Great Belt, consist- ing of 22 vessels, each mounting two long 24-pounders, and manned with from 65 to 70 sailors and soldiers 5 making a total of 44 guns, and nearly 1500 well-armed men. Expecting an attack, as it was then nearly calm, Captain James had prepared for such an event, by sheeting home the top-sails, and having every other sail loosed in readiness to be set at a moment's warning. The cable was immediately cut ; but, unfortunately, a gun -boat which he had in charge got under the Kite's bows, and could not be removed for a considerable time, during which, many of the Danes ap- proached within musket-shot, keeping up a very heavy fire. The Kite at length paid off ; but when before the wind, and with top -gallant-sails set, the breeze was so very light that she had scarcely steerage way. The Minx likewise cut, but was unavoidably at too great a distance to render her consort much support, nor was there any possibility pf their closing with each other. At li o'clock, being then surrounded by £he ,enem«y, and in momentary expectation of their rowing alongside, Captain James had the satisfaction to see one gun- vessel sink, and several others collecting round the spot to pick up her crew. The contents of every gun that could be brought to bear were immediately discharged among them, and from that time the Danes contented themselves with a distant cannonade, until midnight, when they ceased firing altogether ; leaving the Kite in a very shattered cpndition, * See Vol. I, Part J, p. 347. 44 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. nineteen round shot having passed through her hull, near the water-line, and her main-mast being supported by only two shrouds and a backstay. The loss she sustained, although severe, was not so great as might have been expected, from the nature of the conflict. Of 76 persons, the total numbei on board, at the commencement of the action, only two, in- cluding Mr. Thomas Thomas, the purser, were killed outright ; and thirteen, including Captain James (slightly) wounded : — most of the latter, however, either died, or underwent amputation *. During the whole affair the Minx was so little attended to by the Danes that only two shot struck her, neither of which injured any one on board. Whilst refitting at Gottenburgh, the commander, officers, and crew of the Kite received the thanks of the Admiralty, conveyed to them through Sir Richard G. Keats, "for their bravery and great perseverance in saving his Majesty's sloop ;" and on his return to the Nore, after being frozen up in the Belt and Cattegat, for the greater part of the winter, Captain James obtained the following handsome testimonial from the respectable officer under whose orders he was serv- ing at the time of the action : " H. M. S. Dictator, Chatham, }3lh Feb. 1809. " My Dear Sir, — I am favoured with your letter of yesterday's date, requesting that I would give you my opinion of the defence you made, on the night of the 3rd of Sept. last, when attacked off the island of Sproe, in the Great Belt, by a number of the enemy's gun-boats — the Kite and Minx being then under my orders. In answer thereto, I have to acquaint you, that considering the superiority of the enemy's force, the whole of which appears to have been directed against the Kite, with every advantage which they could look for, it being nearly calm, the flotilla fresh out of Nyborg, and yourself and consort at anchor, I have no hesitation in saying that the judgment and gallantry of yourself, officers, and crew, have not been exceeded in any of the glorious actions that have graced the annals of the British navy for so many years back. From the shattered state I found the Kite in, on the morning of the 4th Sept., I cannot help, even at this distant time, expressing my astonishment how she could be saved * The Master of the Kite, and 9 men, were taken prisoners, while in a boat on detached service, three days before the action : her second Lieu- tenant and 6 men were absent in charge of prizes. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 45 either from capture or sinking ; consequently I avail myself of this oppor- tunity of returning my most cordial thanks to you, your officers, and crew. I am, my dear Sir, your sincere friend, (Signed) "DONALD CAMPBELL*." " To Captain James, H. M. sloop Kite." Captain James shortly afterwards paid his respects to Lord Mulgrave, then at the head of naval affairs, who promised to give him the first post-ship that should become vacant on the Baltic station. He accordingly returned thither, and, on the 21st Aug. 1809, was promoted into the St. George 98, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Pickmore, in the Gulph of Finland 5 where he continued during the remainder of the season. In Jan. 1810, we find the St. George refitting at Ports- mouth, where she received the flag of Rear-Admiral Rey- nolds ; by whose Captain, Daniel Oliver Guion, the subject of this memoir was superseded, in the month of May follow- ing. The lamentable fate of those officers has been adverted to at p. 63 of Suppl. Part I. Captain James's last appointment was, Aug. 10, 1814, to the Tanais of 46 guns, fitting for the Jamaica station. In May 1815, being then at Carthagena, on the Spanish Main, for the purpose of affording protection to British commerce^ he visited the celebrated Bolivar, who had encamped before that city, being refused admittance into it by another chief^ Castilto, who had constituted himself governor, and against whom he had been carrying on a desultory warfare for six weeks previous to the arrival of the Tanais. Captain James was received by that patriotic warrior with every demonstra- tion of friendship, and offered a carte blanche to settle the differences between him and his rival. The interference of a British officer could not fail to have some degree of influence with the contending parties ; and as Bolivar had no cannon, except a few field-pieces, it was arranged that he should ;••;••: .V^'.* 'jj'.'tn.-i.I to-'ill> * The Dictator had gone to complete her wood and water at Romsoe,. leaving the two brigs under Captain James, to afford protection to any British merchantmen passing through the Belt. 46 POST-CAP? Aim OF 1809. band his troops and go to Jamaica, which island he particu- larly wished to visit. He was accordingly received on board the frigate, with several of his near relations ; and the whole were soon afterwards conveyed to Port Royal in the Decou- verte, a schooner under Captain James's orders. The garrison of Carthagena were subsequently starved into a surrender ; Castilto and many of his adherents were put to death, by order of the royalist general, Morillo ; and Bolivar, had he been there, would doubtless have shared the same fate. The Tanais was paid off in May, 1816. Captain James married, in 1803, Bridget Elizabeth, second daughter of Arthur Raymond', of Lyme, co. Dorset, Esq. Agents. — Messrs. Maude and Co. JOHN DAVIE, ESQ. Third son of the late John Davie, of Orleigh, near Bide- ford, Esq. ; a gentleman of considerable landed property in Devonshire, and a magistrate for that county. The subject of this sketch was born at Orleigh, May 8, 1770 ; and he appears to have entered the naval service as a midshipman on board the Apollo frigate, Captain Charles Powell Hamilton, in 1782. We subsequently find him serving in various ships, on the Mediterranean, West India, Newfoundland, and Channel sta- tions. His promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place Aug. 28, 1793 ; on which occasion he was appointed to com- mand a gun-boat employed at Toulon. From thence Mr. Davie returned home in command of le Pompe*e 74 ; and on his arrival in England he was directed to assist Rear- Admiral Christian in making arrangements for the disposal of her crew, and numerous other French emigrants. He afterwards joined the Diana, a new 38-gun frigate, and continued in that ship for a period of three years, principally as first Lieutenant. POST CAPTAINS OF 1809. 47 In June 1797, Lieutenant Davie removed into the Royal George, a first rate, bearing the flag of Lord Bridport, under whom he had served as a midshipman during the Spanish armament ; and by whose advice he afterwards proceeded to Jamaica, where he was promoted to the command of the Tisiphone sloop, in July, 1800. Captain Davie's subsequent appointments were. May, 1801, to the Swallow brig ; May, 1803, to the Sea Fencible service at Harwich ; May, 1804, to the Hermes 16 ; and Dec. fol- lowing, to the Favorite, an 18-gun ship-sloop. In Sept. 1805, Captain Davie sailed for the coast of Africa, where he captured, after an action of 20 minutes, le General Blanchard French privateer, of 16 guns and 130 men; of whom 1 1 were killed, and 25 badly wounded : only one person, and he a passenger, was hurt on board the Favorite. On the 6th Jan. 1806, nine days after the above affair, Cap- tain Davie had the misfortune to be taken by a French squad- ron under Mons. THermite, consisting of one 80-gun ship, two large frigates, and a brig. Luckily for him, however, the enemy likewise took an English merchant brig in ballast about the same time, and the chef d' escadre determined to esta- blish her as a cartel, in order to get rid of his captives ; Captain Davie signing an agreement by which a similar number of Frenchmen, corresponding in rank, were to be exchanged for them immediately after their arriv al in England ; and in case the British government refused to accede to this arrangement, Cap- tain Davie and his companions in misfortune were bound to go over to France, and surrender themselves as prisoners. In Oct. 1806, the exchange being effected and his court- martial over, Captain Davie was appointed to the Hyacinth sloop, then on the North Sea station, but subsequently sent with despatches to Rio de Janeiro, where he removed into the Foudroyant 80, bearing the flag of Sir W. Sidney Smith ; which ship he commanded from January until May, 1809. His post commission bears date Aug. 22, in the same year. Captain Davie 's next appointments were, April 1812, to the Ardent 64, armed en flute ; and on the 7th of the follow- ing month, to the Leyden another fourth rate, fitted for the 48 POSt-CAPTAINS OF 1809. conveyance of troop?'. In the latter ship he successively visit- ed Lisbon, Alicant, Palermo, Zante, Ponza, Santander, Cron- stadt, and Dantzic. The Leyden was paid off in Dec. 1814. From this period Captain Davie remained on half-pay until Nov. 6, 1816, when he was appointed to the Conqueror 74, fitting for the flag of Rear- Admiral Plamplin, with whom he proceeded to St. Helena, where he contracted an illness which only ended with his life. He died at Heavitree, near Exeter, Feb. 13, 1825, after a continued indisposition of more than six years. The subject of the foregoing sketch was the author of a popular little work, entitled 6f Observations and Instructions for the use of the Commissioned, the Junior, and other Officers of the Royal Navy, on all the material points of Professional Duty" with a complete set of forms for Watch, Station, and Quarter Bills ; published by Steel, in 1804, and the merit of it erroneously giveri to Sir Home Popham. Captain Davie married, Feb. €, 1815, Miss J. Tappen, of Charles Street, Haymarket, London ; by whom he has left a son and a daughter. His eldest brother, Joseph, assumed the patronymic of Bassett, on succeeding to the estate of his maternal uncle, Francis Bassett, of Heanton Court, near Barnstaple, Esq. and has long been a very active magistrate for the county of Devon *. His second brother, Charles, is one of the Prebendaries of Exeter cathedral. HENRY HUME SPENCE, ESQ. NEARLY related to the late Rear- Admiral Thomas Lenox Frederick, of whom a memoir is given in the Naval Chronicle, Vol. 37, pp. 265 et seq. and 353 et seq. This officer received his first commission in 1797 > anff was senior Lieutenant of the London 98, at the capture of Rear- Adiniral Linois f. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place May 28, 1806. * Francis Bassett, Esq. was the elder branch of Lord de Dunstanville's family. t See Vol. I,, p. 436. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 49 Towards the close of the same year. Captain Spence was appointed to the Pandora, a new 18-gUn brig, in which vessel he captured 1'Entreprenant, French privateer lugger of 16 guns and 53 men, under the batteries near Cape Grisnez, Jan. 13, 1808. His post commission bears date Aug. 24, 1809. Captain Spence married, in 1807, the daughter of Mr. Charles Lowry, Purser, R. N. Agent.— JOHN BRETT PURVIS, ESQ. SON of the late Admiral J. Child Purvis, by a sister of Com- missioner Henry Garrett. This officer was made a Lieutenant May 1, 1805 ; and pro- moted to the rank of Commander Aug. 9, 1808. His post commission bears date Sept. 16, 1809 ; at which period he commanded the Delight brig, on the Mediterranean station. Captain Purvis's next appointment was Oct. 29, 1811, to the Ganymede 26, in which ship he captured the French privateer Vauteur, of 7 guns and 47 men, Aug. 18, 1813. Since the peace he has commanded the Magicienne 42, on the East India station, where he rendered essential service to the crew of one of the Hon. Company's ships, wrecked upon the Cargados Garragos reef*, for which the Court of Directors presented him with 200 guineas for the purchase of a piece of plate. Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. GEORGE ANDREWS, ESQ. SON of the late George Andrews, Esq. who was descended from an ancient family in co. Somerset; by Miss Kitty Coombs, a lady related to the families of Bond and Williams, in Dorsetshire. * See Francken's Narrative of the loss of the Cabalva. SUPPL. PART II. K 50 POST-CA-PTAINS OP 1809. He was born July 26, 1778; and entered the navy, as a midshipman on board the Barfleur 98, bearing the flag of his early and constant patron, the late Earl St. Vincent, in Aug. 1790. We subsequently find him serving under Captains James Kinneer and John Thomas Duckworth, in the Daphne of 20 guns, and Orion 74 ; the latter ship forming part of Earl Howe's fleet, on the memorable 1st of June, 1794. At the commencement of the ensuing year, Mr. Andrews removed with Captain Duckworth into the Leviathan, a third- rate, then about to sail for Jamaica, under the orders of Rear- Admiral William Parker. In her he was present at the unsuc- cessful attack upon Leogane, St. Domingo, March 22, 1796*. His commissions bear date as follow :— Lieutenant, Mar. 1797 ; Commander, April 29, 1802 ; and Post-Captain, Sept. 22, 1809 Captain Andrews has a family of four sons and three daughters. One of his sisters was married to the late Henry Redhead Yorke, Esq. barrister-at-law ; another is the wife of Mr. Highmore, an eminent surgeon, practising at Sherborne, in Dorsetshire. WILLIAM BUCHANAN, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in 1794, and served as second of the Leviathan, a third rate, bearing the broad pendant of Com- modore Duckworth, at the capture of Minorca, Nov. 15, 1798 f. The following is an extract of that officer's public letter to Earl St. Vincent, reporting the surrender of the island : " There is high merit due to Lieutenant William Buchanan, whom I landed as second in command under Captain (James) Bowen, with more than 250 seamen : there were likewise the Leviathan's and Centaur's marines with the army, to the number of 100 j but other essential service calling Captain Bowen on board his ship, the command of the seamen devolved on Lieutenant Buchanan, and, as will appear by thfe strongest accompany, ing testimony given him from the commander-in-chief of the troops, he performed the services with the army with the greatest ability and exertion." * See Captain DONALD CAMPBELL* f See Vol. I, p. 762, POST -CAPTAINS OF 1809. 51 Copy of General Stuart's testimonial. " Sir, — I have the honor to return you, and the gentlemen employed on shore under your command, my sincere thanks for your activity, zeal, and assistance, in forwarding the light artillery of the army j neither can too much praise be given to the seamen for their friendly and cheerful exer- tions under very hard labour ; — exertions that were accompanied with a propriety of behaviour which I greatly attribute to your management, and which will ever merit my acknowledgments ; and affords me the satisfaction of assuring you that I am, with sincere regard, yours, &c. (Signed) " CHAS. STUART." " To Lieutenant Buchanan." We have already mentioned, that the captors of Minorca found a brig of war on the stocks. This vessel was named the Port Mahon, and launched Oct. 31, 1799; on which occa- sion Lieutenant Buchanan was promoted, and appointed to command her. In 1800, he captured a French privateer of inconsiderable force, and several small merchantmen : he was also employed blockading Malta, previous to the surrender of that island *. In the following year, we find Captain Buchanan serving under the orders of Lord Keith, and receiving the Turkish gold medal for his services on the coast of Egypt. He returned home in the Port Mahon, July 26, 1802 ; and was appointed to the Sea Fencible service, between Dungeness and Sand- gate, at the renewal of hostilities in 1803. His post com- mission bears date Oct. 12, 1809 ; at which period he com- manded la Fleche of 16 guns, on the Channel station. Agent. — EDMUND JOSHUA MORIARTY, ESQ. Was made a Commander Aug. 11, 1779 ; and promoted to post rank Oct. 25, 1809, the day on which our. late beloved monarch entered into the fiftieth year of his reign. Captain Moriarty was subsequently employed as Agent for Prisoners of War, at Perth, N. B. Agent.* — * See Vol. I. note f at p. 281. E 2 52 POST CAFFAINS OF 1809. EDWARD SEYMOUR DAILY, ESQ. WAS made a Commander March 21, 1782; and posted Oct. 25, 1809. His only daughter married the Rev. John Turner, of Hatterley House, Gloucestershire. Agent. — GEORGE CADMAN, ESQ. THIS officer's commission as a Commander bears date April 24, 1J82. On the 20th June following, being then in the Defiance armed ship, he captured the Dutch brig Zeuze^ mounting 16 long 6-pounders and one 18 pounder, with a com- plement of 113 men. The action between these vessels took place near Portland, and lasted about two hours ; during which the enemy had 21 men killed, and 17, including the 1st and 2d Captains, wounded, the greater part of them dangerously. The Defiance was armed with 4-pounders*, and had no more than 68 persons on board, of whom only one was killed and another wounded. Captain Cadman obtained post rank Oct. 25, 1809. CHARLES BARTHOLOMEW, ESQ. WAS made a Commander Jan. 15, 1783 ; and posted Oct. 25, 1809. WILLIAM HENRY SHIRREFF, ESQ. SON of the late General Shirreff ; was made a Lieutenant March 3, 1804, and promoted to the command of the Lily sloop, on the Leeward Islands station, March 3, 1806 ; but he did not join that vessel until the close of the same year. * We have not been able to ascertain how many. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1809. 53 In March 1808, Captain Shirreff assisted at the capture of Deseada, — a service thus described by his senior officer, in a letter to Sir Alexander Cochrane : " H. M. S. Cerberus, at Deseada, March 30. " On the 29th instant I weighed from Marie Galante, with the vessels named in the margin * ; and on the 80th, at 3-30 P. M., the boats, under the command of Captain Shirreff, with a detachment of seamen and marines from each vessel, under their respective commanders (who gal- lantly volunteered their services on the occasion), stood towards the shore, which was defended by a battery of two 9-pounders, completely com- manding the narrow entrance of the harbour, together with the national troops and militia, amounting to about 70 men, who opened their fire upon the boats, when I found it necessary to anchor the squadron with springs on the cables, and commence a cannonading, which soon silenced them, and at 4 o'clock the French flag was struck ; the boats landed at 4-30, hoisted the British flag, and the whole island surrendered without further opposi- tion. I have the satisfaction to acquaint you, that this capture has been effected without loss; the commandant, national officers, and troops, are made prisoners of war, and the militia have laid down their arms. " I should not do justice to the merit of Captain Shirreff, were I not to express in the highest terms my entire approbation of his conduct, together with that of Captain (William) Ward, and all the officers and men employed on this service. (Signed) " W. SELBY t." The inhabitants of Deseada having generally taken the oath of neutrality, and their batteries, containing 3 long 24-pound- ers, 4 nines, and 2 sixes being destroyed, Sir Alexander Coch- rane did not leave any force on that island, but stationed the Lily, Express, and Mosambique there for its protection from the enemy's cruisers, as well as to prevent the arrival of any troops from Guadeloupe. On the 21st of the following month, Captain Shirreff's little squadron captured le Jean Jacques, French letter of marque, pierced for 1 8 guns, but with only 6 long 9-pounders mounted. This vessel had been sent from Bourdeaux for the express purpose of cruising in the Caribbean seas ; and from her superior sailing, she would most likely have proved a great annoyance to the British mer- I * Cerberus frigate, Lily and Pelican sloops, Express and Swinger gun- i brigs, and Mosambique schooner. t The small vessels under Captain Selby's orders were commanded by Lieutenants William Dowers, Thomas Fellewes, and J. Jackson. 54 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1809. chants,, one of whose brigs had been taken by her, but was recaptured by the boats of the Lily and her consorts. Captain Shirreff was posted into the Garland 22, on the Jamaica station, Nov. 15, 1809 ; and appointed to the Bar- rosa, a new frigate, Oct. 25, 1812. In the following year we find him serving on the coast of North America *, where he continued until the conclusion of the war. His last appoint- ment was, Sept. 10, 1817, to the Andromache 44, in which ship he returned home from the South American station, Aug. 3J, 1821 f. This officer married, June 29, 1810, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the late Honourable David Murray, uncle to the present Lord Elibank. Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. JOHN SIMPSON, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant by Lord Hood, at Toulon, in Dec. 1793 ; and afterwards successively appointed to the Sybille of 40 guns, Windsor Castle 98, Sans Pareil 80, and Pomone 40 ; in which latter ship he assisted at the capture of la Carrere French frigate, near Elba, Aug. 3, 1801 J. We subsequently find him acting as Captain of the Kent 74, bearing the flag of Sir Richard Bickerton, at Malta ; from whence he returned to England in command of la Tourterelle 30, about June 1803. His promotion to the rank of Commander was con- firmed by the Admiralty, April 19 in the same year. Captain Simpson's next appointment was, in 1805, to the Wasp of 18 guns, then fitting at Plymouth, and intended to be placed under the orders of Nelson $ but afterwards sent to join the Channel fleet, commanded by Admiral Cornwallis. * See Vol. II, Part II, p. 644, and note at the bottom. f An account of the Andromache's voyage from Valparaiso to New South Shetland, was published by Mr. Edward Bransfield, Master R. N., in 1821. J See Vol. I. Part I, p. 431. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 55 On the 28th and 29th Aug. 1805, Captain Simpson was chased by the celebrated Rochefort squadron, consisting of five two-deckers, two frigates, and two brigs. On the first day, an 80 gun-ship got near enough to fire a broadside at him ; and on the second, a large frigate and a brig, one on each quarter, engaged the Wasp for 40 minutes, within range of grape ; but her constant and well directed fire from the only 6 guns which had pot been thrown overboard to improve her sailing, so annoyed the enemy that they at length gave up the attack, and allowed her to escape. For their very great gal- lantry and persevering exertions on this occasion, Captain Simpson, his officers, and crew, received the public thanks of their commander-in-chief, and the high approbation of the Admiralty was also conveyed to them. About Oct. 1805, Captain Simpson removed into the Star sloop, in which vessel he was very actively employed on the Downs, Newfoundland, and West India stations, until after the conquest of Martinique, in 1809, when he returned home with a strong letter of recommendation from Sir Alexander Coch- rane to Lord Mulgrave, who immediately ordered him to Halifax, on promotion. In Sept. 1809, he was appointed to la Furieuse frigate, but his post commission was not confirm- ed until the 12th Dec. following. He subsequently com- manded the Coquette of 20 guns, at the Leeward Islands. Agents*— Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. EDWARD DIX, ESQ. Received the first rudiments of a classical education at the King's school, Canterbury, in which city his father, a very respectable clergyman, was then resident ; and entered the navy in 1/90, as a midshipman on board the Monarch 74, under the patronage of Captain (afterwards Admiral) Peter Rainier. He subsequently joined the Hermione frigate, and served in her, on the West India station, for a period of three years, during which he witnessed many of the horrible atro- 56 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. cities perpetrated at St. Domingo, after the revolt of the black population — acts at which humanity shudders *. The dreadful mortality which visited our ships and troops during the years 1793, 1794, and 1795, is still fresh in the recollection of many persons. Exposed as Mr. Dix invaria- bly was to the most laborious and severe duties, under the baleful influence of a tropical sun, it is not to be wondered at that he shared in the sickness so general. Though blessed by nature with a very strong constitution, and with a cheer- ful evenness of temper not easily surmounted by privations or difficulties, yet these advantages, great as they were, could not exempt him from the common lot. Three several times was he attacked by the yellow fever ; and the last of these visitations had nearly proved fatal, for he was so debilitated by it, and by a low intermitting fever and ague which suc- ceeded it, that certain death was pronounced to await him if not speedily removed to another climate : he accordingly re- turned to England. In Aug. 1797> Mr. Dix was made a Lieutenant, and ap- pointed to the Pompe'e 80, commanded by his friend Captain James Vashon, under whom he subsequently served in the Neptune 98, and Princess Royal of similar force $ likewise as flag Lieutenant from the time of that officer's promotion and appointment to the command at Leith until 1806; when, finding advancement slow and uncertain at home, he again sailed for the West Indies, with a strong recommendation from Admiral Rainier to Sir Alexander Cochrane, by whom he was appointed first of the flag-ship immediately on his arrival; and afterwards ordered to act as Captain of the Arab 20. During the short period of five weeks that Lieutenant Dix commanded the Arab, every person on board, with the excep- tion of himself and eight others, was attacked by the yellow fever : 33 fell victims to its ravages. Being the only officer who escaped, a more than double duty devolved upon him ; and the anxiety, distress of mind, and fatigue he endured, whilst in that most trying situation, beggars all description. * See Vol. X. Part II, p. 604 et seq. ; and Suppl. Part I, note at p. 227. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. 5/ It is but justice to him, however, to say, that in the midst of his avocations he still found time and opportunity to alleviate the sufferings of his officers and men. Every comfort which the nature of such a situation could admit of, was afforded ; every refreshment which his slender purse could procure, was obtained ; and he now has the pleasure of reflecting, that to his humane care and attention, under Divine Providence, the preservation of many valuable lives was owing. On the 26th Sept. 1807, Lieutenant Dix was promoted by Sir Alexander Cochrane to the command of the Cygnet sloop of war, at Tortola ; from whence he sailed for England with nine merchant ships under his convoy, five of which unhap- pily foundered with all their crews during the passage home. After undergoing a thorough repair, the Cygnet was em- ployed in the North Sea, where she captured the Danish pri- vateers Christiana and Giengielderen ; the former a brig of 14 guns and 60 men, the latter a sloop mounting 4 guns with a complement of 25 men. During the same cruise, she was warmly engaged with some batteries on the coast of Norway ; on which occasion her commander's hat was struck by a 9-pound shot, himself sustaining no further injury than a good deal of inflammation on the top of his head, and some defect in his sight, both of which, however, were removed in a few days. About this period, Captain Dix fortunately succeeded in saving the lives of 5 men, who were discovered clinging to the miserable wreck of a vessel 5 in which perilous situation they had been several days exposed to the most dreadful wea- ther, without a particle of food, their fingers and toes frost- bitten, and bereft of every hope, having seen 9 of their ship- mates perish before their eyes. At a great risk, one of the Cygnet's boats was sent to their rescue, and they were brought on board that sloop, where warm blankets and friction re- stored the use of their benumbed limbs, whilst soup was ad- ministered to them in small quantities, until their exhausted and enfeebled stomachs could bear more solid food. Little did Captain Dix think that he would need himself, in a few days, the relief he thus afforded to others. 58 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1809. Endeavouring to get into the Frith of Forth, a sudden change of wind drove the Cygnet close to St. Abb's head 3 and as the gale, which encreased to a hurricane, blew directly on the shore, from which she was only a quarter of a mile dis- tant, the destruction of all on board appeared inevitable. From the 14th to the 16th Oct., 1808, the Cygnet remained in this hopeless situation : her guns had been thrown over- board, and her masts cut away to ease her ; the whole of her officers and crew resigned themselves to their fate, and awaited In silence the moment when the only cable by which she rode, should part, and their bodies be cast upon, and lacerated by, the numerous rocks around them. But when every hope had long been relinquished, and no human aid could avail, God mercifully interposed his power to save them, the wind again suddenly shifted, and a vessel sent by Vice-Admiral Vashon to their assistance was consequently enabled to tow them into a place of safety. No sooner was this done than Captain Dix, his officers and men, walked in procession to the Episcopal Church at Leith, where they returned public thanks to the Almighty for their miraculous escape. After being refitted, the Cygnet was ordered to the West Indies ; and on the 18th Dec. 1809, we find her assisting at the destruction of two French 40-gun frigates, laden with warlike stores and provisions, moored in Ance la Barque, Guadaloupe, and defended by several batteries. The particu- lars of this service will be found detailed in the Addenda to our memoir of Vice-Admiral Bollard, at p. 878 et $eq. of Vol. I, Part II. The following is an extract of that officer's public letter to Sir Alexander Cochrane : — " From Captain Dix I received every assistance the nature of the service required ; who, I trust, stands high in your estimation.'' For his conduct on this occasion, Captain Dix was imme- diately advanced to post rank, and his commission dated back to the day of the action. During the operations against Guadaloupe in Jan. and Feb. 1810, the subject of this memoir acted as captain of the Sceptre 74, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Bollard, then serving on shore with the army. POST^CAPTAINS OF 1809. 59 Captain Dix returned to England about June 1810 ; and in the following year we find him again commanding the Sceptre, pro temporC) she being then attached to the Basque roads squadron. His next appointment was, May 19, 1813, to the Royal Oak 74, bearing the flag of Lord Amelius Beauclerk, with whom he proceeded on a cruise between the North Cape and Iceland, for the purpose of intercepting the American Commodore Rodgers, whose disgraceful flight from that sta- tion has been noticed at p. 380 et seq. of Suppl,, Part I. In May 1814, after negociating with the French General commanding at Rochelle, for a suspension of hostilities, Lord Amelius Beauclerk struck his flag, and the Royal Oak was ordered to Bourdeaux, from whence she conveyed Rear-Ad- miral Malcolm to Bermuda and the coast of America. * Shortly after his arrival on the latter station, Captain Dix was appointed by Sir Alexander Cochrane to the Menelaus frigate, in which ship he was very actively .employed, under the immediate orders of Rear-Admiral Cockburn, until the conclusion of the war between Great Britain and the United States ; at which period he received the thanks of that officer, and of the commander-in-chief, for his zealous conduct on all occasions. The Menelaus returned to England in May 1815 ; and Captain Dix was soon afterwards sent, with the Havannah frigate under his orders, to cruise off the Isle of Bas, where, with the Rhin 38 in company, he captured and destroyed a French convoy ; which piece of service, we believe, was the last of the kind performed by our navy during the usurpation of Napoleon Buonaparte. Captain Dix paid off the Menelaus in Oct. 1815 ; and was appointed in March 1816, to superintend the ships in ordinary at Chatham, on which service he remained for the established period of three years. His only daughter is married to Lieu- tenant-Colonel William Wood, h. p. of the 85th regiment. Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford and Son. * See Vol I, Part II, p. 596. 60 POST- CAPTAINS OP 1809* HENRY WHITMARSH PEARSE, ESQ. : A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. THIS officer received his first commission about Oct., 1796 ; served as a Lieutenant in the Victory, under Nelson ; and was promoted by his lordship, May 8, 1804, to the command of the Halcyon brig, mounting 14 twenty-four-pounder carronades and 2 long sixes, with a complement of 94 officers, men, and boys. His subsequent exertions for the protection of the trade, and destruction of the enemy's armed vessels in the vicinity of Gibraltar, gained him the warmest approbation of that illustrious chieftain. On the 20th Sept. 1804, he captured TEsperance French privateer, of 10 guns and 54 men. In Dec. 1806, Captain Pearse fell in with three Spanish cruisers ; and after an action, highlycreditable to him and his crew, succeeded in obtaining possession of the largest, a polacre of 14 long twelves and 72 men. The following is a copy of his official letter to Lord Collingwood on this occasion : — " H. M. sloop Halcyon, Gibraltar, Dec. 18, 1806. " My Lord, — I beg leave to inform your Lordship, that on the 13th instant, at 8 A. M., Cape St. Martin's S.S.W. 6 leagues, I perceived three sail (a ship, a brig, and a xebec) standing out from under the land towards me ; being on contrary tacks we closed fast. When within four or five miles, I discovered they were vessels of war; and shortly after they steered directly for me. Seeing they were superior, and five settees coming from the same quarter, I judged it prudent, as they seemed determined to bring me to action, to close with them as soon as possible, and decide the con- test before any assistance could be given by the others. At 10-30, being nearly within musket-shot, they hoisted Spanish colours, and commenced action. As soon as I got abreast of the second vessel, I got on the other tack, and brought them to closer action, which lasted till 12 o'clock, when their fire slackened. At half-past, being almost a calm, the brig and xebec hauled away to the southward, assisted by their boats and sweeps ; the ship, then nearest us, endeavouring to do the same to the northward. We swept after her, and in an hour got close alongside, when she struck her colours, and proved to be a polacre privateer, the Neptuno dios de los Mares, from Denia, going on a cruise between Minorca and the coast of Africa, with the other two in company ; who, I am sorry to say, made their escape, but not before their fire had been silenced. The five settees, when within three miles, seeing the ship deserted, returned into the port of Denia. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1809. 61 Though extraordinary, I am happy to say we had none killed, and only three wounded : Lieutenant Brings, my first, by a splinter in the arm, whom I beg leave to recommend to your Lordship's notice ; Lieutenant Pearse, who has been acting three years and a half in this vessel ; and one seaman. The loss of the enemy must be great. The wounded from the ship, 9 in all, are doing well. " I give your Lordship the full particulars of ,this event, and trust my attacking so very superior a force, seeing they were resolutely determined to bring me to action, will meet your approbation. Knowing I could depend upon my officers and ship's company, whose cool, brave, and steady conduct on this, as on former occasions, almost insured me success before the action commenced. They merit my warmest acknowledgments. " I cannot omit mentioning my having four passengers ; Captain Sulli- van, of the 81st regiment, who commanded the small-arms; Messrs. Purvis and Crokat, and a Neapolitan messenger, were all of great service, as we were 16 short of complement. The enemy's fire was mostly directed at our masts and rigging, in which we have suffered very materiaHy. " The force opposed to the Halcyon was the Neptuno dios de los Mares, 14 twelve-pounders and 72 men ; la Virgine de Solidad, 14 twelve and eight-pounders, 78 men; el Vives, 12 eight and six-pounders, 65 men. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) « H. W. PEARSE." Part II. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 7$ high road from Boston runs, for the purpose of cutting off all communication with that side of the country ; whilst a naval and military force, under Captain Robert Barrie and Lieutenant- Colonel John, proceeded to attack Hamden; the result of which expedition has been stated at pp. 729 — 733 of Vol. II. Part II. So soon as accounts were received from Captain Barrie, that the U.S. ship Adams was destroyed, and the force as- sembled for her protection dispersed, the troops stationed at Belfast were again embarked by Captain Stanfell, and arrange- ments made for sending them £o take possession of Machias, the only place between Castine and Passamaquaddy bay, then occupied by the enemy. This service was performed without loss, under the directions of Captain Hyde Parker, com- manding the Tenedos frigate, and Lieutenant-Colonel Pilking- ton, D.A.G. Since the peace with America, the subject of this sketch has commanded the Phaeton frigate, and Conqueror J4. In the former ship he conveyed Sir Hudson Lowe from England to St. Helena ; in the latter he served as Flag-Captain to Rear- Admiral Plamplin, during the last two years of that officer's command at St. Helena. The Conqueror was paid off Oct. 30, 1820; on which occa- sion her officers gave Captain Stanfell an elegant entertain- ment, at the Mitre hotel, Chatham, as a mark of their esteem for him, and an acknowledgment of his constant attention to their comforts. We very much regret that it is not in our power to give a fuller account of the services of such a kind- hearted man, whom we likewise most highly respect. Captain Stanfell married, Dec. 12, IblO, Elizabeth, second daughter of Captain (now Vice- Admiral) Robert Barton. One of his sisters was married to the late James Cobb, Esq. Se- cretary to the Hon. East India Company, a gentleman emi- nently distinguished by his literary attainments, as displayed in the operas of the " Haunted Tower/' " The Siege of Belgrade," &c. &c. &c. * * See Annual Biog. and Obit, for 1819, p. 363 5 and Nav. Chron. Vol. xxxix, p. 498. 74 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. SAMUEL GEORGE PECHELL, ESQ. SECOND son of the late Augustus Pechell, Esq. Receiver- General of the Customs, by Sarah, third daughter and co- heiress of Thomas Drake, D.D. rector of Amersham, co. Bucks. This officer was made a Lieutenant, Feb. 6, 1806 ; Com- mander, April 25, 1809 ; and Post-Captain, April 30, 1810. He married, Jan. 15, 1817, Caroline, daughter of William Thoyles, of Southampstead-House, co. Berks, Esq. by whom he has issue. Agent. — Isaac Clementson, Esq. CHARLES JOHN AUSTEN, ESQ. BROTHER to Captain Francis William Austen, C. B. whose services are recorded at pp. 274—283 of Vol. II. Part I. This officer entered the naval academy at Portsmouth in 1791, and embarked in 1794, as a midshipman on board the Daedalus 32, commanded by Captain (now Sir Thomas) Wil- liams ; with whom he afterwards served in the Unicorn and Endymion frigates, continuing with him until the spring of 1801, at which period he had risen to be second Lieutenant of the latter. His first commission bears date Dec. 10, 1797 *. At the renewal of hostilities, May 1803, Lieutenant Austen had the good fortune to be appointed first of the Endymion, on the application of her Captain, the Hon. Charles Paget, under whom he continued actively and successfully employed till his promotion to the rank of Commander, Sept. 10, 1804f ; on which occasion he was appointed to the Indian, an 18-gun sloop, then building at Bermuda, for the protection of the islands. During one of his first cruises, Captain Austen fell in with and was soon surrounded by four fast-sailing French frigates; * The very active services of the Unicorn and Endymion are fully noticed in our first volume, pp. 387 — 389. t See Id. p. 864 et seq. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 75 but fortunately it fell calm at the moment when his capture appeared inevitable, and byusingthe sweeps he was enabled to push between them and gain a safe distance before another breeze sprang up. The Indian was subsequently placed under the orders of Sir John B. Warren, on the Halifax station, where Captain Austen captured la Jeune Estelle, French schooner privateer, of 4 guns and 25 men, with a cargo of flour and provisions, bound to St. Domingo; a Spanish letter of marque, of similar force ; and three merchant vessels. On the 10th May, 1810, Captain Austen was posted into Sir John B. Warren's flag-ship, the Swiftsure 74 ; and shortly afterwards removed to the Cleopatra 32. in which frigate he returned home, about the summer of 1811. Captain Austen's next appointment was, Nov. 20, 181 1, to the Namur 74, bearing the flag of his early friend and patron, Sir Thomas Williams, and employed as a receiving ship at the Nore. The duties which Captain Austen had now to attend to were of no trifling nature, and attended with considerable responsi- bility, he being charged with the regulation of all the men raised for the navy in the river Thames and eastern ports, as also with the detail of manning the ships of war fitted out in the Thames and Medway. That the Lords of the Admiralty were fully satisfied with his execution of these duties during a period of nearly three years, is evident from his having been appointed to the Phosnix, a 32-gun frigate, immediately after Sir Thomas Williams's command expired. Early in 1815, Captain Austen proceeded to the Mediterra- nean; and on the renewal of hostilities with France and Naples, in consequence of Buonaparte's escape from Elba, he was sent to the Adriatic, with the Undaunted 38, and Garland 22, under his orders, for the purposes of co-operating with the Austrian army, and endeavouring to intercept some Neapo- litan men of war. After the surrender of Naples, according to the military convention of Casa Lanza, Captain Austen entered into a correspondence with the authorities at Brindisi, relative to two frigates of the largest class, then lying there, and which 76 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. the Phoenix and Garland had been watching, whilst the Un- daunted scoured the coast to the northward. The com- manders of these ships were at length induced to hoist the colours of their restored monarch, Ferdinand IV. ; and Cap- tain Austen soon afterwards received the unqualified appro- bation of Lord Exmouth for his conduct during the whole of that short campaign. We next find Captain Austen proceeding to the Archipelago, with the Phoenix, Aquilon (32), Garland, and Reynard sloop, in search of la Junon French frigate, la Victorieuse corvette, two heavy brigs, two large schooners, and several piratical vessels which had lately given interruption to the trade in that quarter. On his arrival among the islands, he had the mortification to find that the enemy's squadron was no longer there ; and the speedy restoration of peace left him nothing more to do than the suppression of piracy, a service which, for the time being, he effectually performed. We now come to the most unfortunate event in his professional career — the loss of the Phoenix, on the coast of Asia Minor, Feb. 20, 1816. Having received orders, when at Smyrna, to join Sir Charles Penrose, who was about to accompany Lord Exmouth on an expedition to the coast of Barbary, Captain Austen put to sea immediately, although the wind was foul and the weather very unsettled. Being unable to clear the Archipelago before the commencement of a violent gale, he was obliged to bear up and seek shelter in the port of Chisme ; but scarcely had he anchored when the wind flew round from S. W. to North, and blew a perfect hurricane. Every thing possible was done to save the ship, notwithstanding which she drove on shore, with three anchors a-head, after her masts were cut away. Happily no lives were lost, and he succeeded in saving the guns, stores, &c. which were conveyed to Malta by the Reynard and a merchant ship chartered for that purpose. It now only remains for us to add, that this disaster was solely owing to the ignorance of the Greek pilots, and that Captain Austen was fully acquitted of all blame, by a court-martial assembled on board the Boyne, in Tunis bay, April 22, 1816. Captain Austen's last appointment was, June 2, 1826, to POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. 77 the Aurora of 46 guns, which frigate he at present commands on the Jamaica station. The subject of this sketch has been twice married ; 1st, in 1807, to a Miss Palmer, by whom he had three daughters ; 2dly, in 1820, to a lady of the same maiden name, by whom he has one son. Agent. — J. Woodhead, Esq. SPELMAN SWAINE, ESQ. A Magistrate for the Isle of Ely. THIS officer is the second son, and eldest surviving child, of the late Spelman Swaine, Esq. of Leverington, near Wis- beach, co. Cambridge (at which place the family have resided for several centuries), by Dorothy, daughter of Walter Robert- son, of Lynn Regis, in Norfolk, Esq. The Swaines are re- lated, by intermarriage, to the descendants of Sir Henry Spelman. Mr. Swaine, the subject of this memoir, was born at Lynn Regis, Jan. 1, 1769 ; and he appears to have first embarked as a midshipman on board the Crocodile 24, commanded by Captain Albemarle Bertie, in April 1782. We afterwards find him serving under the same officer in the Recovery 32, which frigate was attached to Lord Howe's fleet at the relief of Gibraltar, and repeated his signals during the subsequent partial action off Cape Sp artel. The Recovery being paid off at the end of the American war, Mr. Swaine soon afterwards joined the Carnatic 74, Captain Anthony J. P, Molloy, with whom he served until that ship also was put out of commission. Early in 1785, having obtained an introductory letter from Lord Howe to Captain (now Sir William) Domett, Mr. Swaine was received on board the Champion 24, commanded by the latter officer, and then fitting at Woolwich. In that ship he served on the Leith station till the Dutch armament, 1787* At this period, Captain Domett was superseded, in conse- quence of his being nominated to the command of the London, a second rate, intended to bear the flag of Vice- Admiral 78 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. Alexander Hood, had the dispute with Holland been followed by a declaration of war; and in which case Mr. Swaine was to have accompanied those officers to the East India station. After being borne for some time as a supernumerary on the books of the Sandwich guard-ship, Mr. Swaine joined the Lowestoffe frigate, Captain Edmund Dod, employed on Channel service *. During the Spanish armament, he served under the first Lord Gardner, then commanding the Courageux 74. At the commencement of 1791, Mr. Swaine was removed to the Discovery, Captain George Vancouver, a vessel then about to sail for Nootka Sound, in order to obtain formal restitution of the territories recently seized by the Spaniards ; and afterwards to explore the N. W. coast of America f. During this very interesting, but tedious and perilous voyage, he was instrumental in saving the lives of Captain Vancouver, Lieutenant Peter Puget, a midshipman, and a boat's crew, when treacherously attacked by a party of Indians ; on which occasion several of the English were severely wounded, and the whole would doubtless have been sacrificed, had not the boat he commanded opportunely arrived to their assistance. The following is the account given by one of Vancouver's companions J : "We generally lauded at some sequestered spot to cook our dinner ; and upon one occasion, we were certainly in the most imminent danger of being murdered. Our boat was in the mouth of the river" (named after Sir A. Mackenzie) ; " we had been employed in taking soundings ; and the other boat, which had been in company during the morning, had separated to survey a small bay, at a little distance. A point of land lay between us, and we thought it might take them a considerable time to rejoin ; we, therefore, determined to land, and dine at a spot which seemed sheltered, and free from any savages. On nearing it, a few were discovered ; but, from them, Vancouver thought there was nothing to fear. We ac- • Captain (afterwards Rear-Admiral) Dod died at Exeter, Dec. 18, 181$ aged 81 years. t See Vol. If, Part I, p, 200 et seq. N. B. Mr. Swaine had joined the Discovery previous to the altercation between the courts of London and Madrid, but left her again in consequence of the expected Spanish war. J The late Captain John Stewart, who died Oct. 26, 1811. See N Dutch ships with cargoes of colonial produce. He also recaptured a New- castle collier. For his activity while holding these two commands, Lieu- tenant Browne was promoted into the Charwell of 18 guns, Sept. 25, 1806 ; and we shortly afterwards find him com- manding the Plover sloop of war, in which ship he detained •See Vol. I, Part II, p. 497. t Sir Charles Lindsay was drowned off Demerara, March 6, 1799. He had dined on shore ; but though the night was dark and windy, could not be persuaded from going off to his ship in a small boat ; the Daphne then at least ten miles in the offing. -The consequence was, the boat filled; and the service lost a very fine young officer, together with several valuable men. J Surinam was surrendered without opposition to the naval and military forces under Lord Hugh Seymour and Lieutenant-General Trigge, Aug. 20, 1799. § Le Lyonnaise. SUPPL. PART II. H 98 £OST-CAPTA1NS OF 1810. six homeward bound Danish West Indiamen, eleven other merchant vessels laden with timber, wine, fruit, and salt, and one brig in ballast. He likewise captured a very valu- able smuggling lugger, and no less than seven French pri- vateers ; viz. — L'Elize, 14 guns and 66 men; Jan. 1, 1807. Le Bohemienne, 2 guns, pierced for 8, and 28 men ; Oct. 30, ISO/. . L'Amiral Martin, 4 guns, pierced for 16, and 104 men ; Mar 22, 1809. L'Aurore, 16 guns and 69 men, Sept. 18, 1809. L'Hirondelle, 16 guns and 65 men ; Oct. 22, 1809. Le Lezard, pierced for 14 guns, none mounted, 57 men; Nov. 6. 1809. Le Saratu, 14 guns, pierced for 20,-and 100 men; Jan. 10, 1810. The Plover also recaptured, at various periods, twelve sail of merchant vessels, laden with spirits, wine, fruit, sugar, tobacco, provisions, fish, oil, coals, and timber. She likewise assisted at the capture of la Josephine privateer, mounting 4 guns, with a complement of 35 men. In March, 1809, Captain Browne joined Captain George M'Kinley, who was then most strenuously co-operating with the Spanish patriots under Don Pablo Murillo. On the 9th of that month, 84 French soldiers entered the town of Marin, in Vigo Bay, but a fire being opened on them from the Lively, Plover, and a gun-boat^ they made a most pre- cipitate retreat : the commander of the marauding party, and a few cavalry, benefiting by their being mounted, left their companions, who, outrunning their officers, a Captain and a Lieutenant fell into the hands of the Spaniards, and were by them delivered to the British. During the operations against Flushing, in 1809, the Plover bore the broad pendant of Commodore Cockburn, who commanded the bombs and gun-vessels placed at the S. E. end of the town. The following is an extract of his official letter to Sir Richard I. Strachan, reporting the pro- ceedings of the advanced squadron : — " I beg also to be permitted to recommend to your notice and con- sideration, Captain Philip Browne, of this ship, to whom I feel under great obligation, for the assistance he has at all times afforded me, and for the assiduity, skill, and propriety with which he has managed the various POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 99 details and arrangements of the flotilla, at the frequent periods of my being otherwise occupied, in gun-vessels, on shore," &c. The total number of smuggling vessels seized by Captain Browne, while commanding the Swan, Vixen, and Plover, was twenty ; and their joint cargoes yielded to the revenue ac/mrprofitof 47,2147. 11*. lOd. All the Danish vessels which he detained were condemned as droits of admiralty, to the great benefit of government. No less than 795 French sailors were taken prisoners by him at different times, and upwards of 200 British seamen rescued from captivity : — adding to these services, the number of vessels saved from being captured through his extraordinary vigilance, it cannot be denied that he had, by this time, proved himself a very valuable servant of the crown : his promotion to post- rank, however, did not take place until June 19, 1810. In the following year, Captain Browne was appointed pro tempore to the Dannemark 74, employed blockading Cherbourgh ; and shortly afterwards to the Hermes 20, in which ship he captured an American laden with naval stores, for the use of the Brest fleet ; and two vessels from New York and Baltimore, with tobacco, ivory, &c. He also made one recapture ; ran down la Mouche French privateer, mounting 14 guns, with 51 men on board, of whom 39 perished * ; and assisted at the capture of the Sword Fish, American privateer, of 12 guns and 82 men f. In 1813, the Hermes escorted a fleet of merchantmen to South America, from whence she returned home, in March, 1814. On the 30th of that month, a court-martial was assembled at Plymouth, for the trial of Captain Browne, on seven distinct charges preferred against him by his first Lieutenant, Mr. Charles Letch, whom he had recently been obliged to bring before a similar tribunal for gross miscon- duct, of which the latter was fully convicted. These seven charges were in no manner connected with * See Nav. Chron. v. 26, p. 347. f See Royal Nav. Biog. VoUIl. Part I. p. 282. H 2 100 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. each other; some of them embracing offences of no less -criminal a dye than fraud on the government, and false muster ; whilst others were of a description that, even if proved, censure should have been the extent of punishment attached to them ; but, though one was altogether aban- doned by the prosecutor, and most of the others disproved by his own witnesses, the court, by one sweeping clause, adjudged the whole to be in part proved, and sentenced Captain Browne to be dismissed from his Majesty's service ; a proceeding which, whether with reference to its informality as connected with charges of a serious nature, or to it& severity, stands without a precedent on record. It requires very little acquaintance with naval, or any other species of law, to discover, that such a sentence could not be legal : it would be absurd to comment on the hardship and injustice attendant upon a system which would at once confound all the varieties of offence, whether they were of a nature derogatory to the honor or moral character of the party, the result of a moment of irritation, or the conse- quence of a blameable warmth of temper. The following opinion, however, of an eminent counsel, places the subject in so clear a light, that we think it cannot fail to be ac- ceptable to our readers : — " The proceedings of naval courts-martial, as they are at present con- stituted, cannot reasonably be expected to adhere strictly to legal forms, or technical accuracy ; all that can be looked for is, that the charges should be specific, and the proofs of each charge should be separately, as well as satisfactorily made out. I say SEPARATELY, because the courts are bound to come to a decision on each, each being a distinct issue, on which they must decide $ it is, therefore, essential to justice that this should be ob- served in naval courts, because they have not the same advantage which attends a military court-martial, where, if any inaccuracy occurs (as the court is not dissolved) the sentence maybe sent back for revisal before the result is made public : but where the sentence is promulged on the decision taking place, as in a naval court-martial, the prisoner is excluded from all redress (if it is irregular) except by the interference of autho- rity, as far as goes to the restoration of those deprivations which such a sentence was calculated to inflict. Now, in the present case, it appears to me, that the prisoner has much to complain of, for he is accused of various offences of different descriptions : some (as of false musters} are POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 101 -so criminal, that, if he had been adjudged intentionally guilty of them, on proper and undoubted proof, he would have been precluded from all hope of future employment ; whilst others were of so inferior a nature, that, if guilty, a censure was the utmost to be deprecated : whilst this judgment is couched in terms so vague and uncertain, that it is impossible to collect whether he was found guilty of apart of every charge, or of some one, or of more than one of the whole charges of which ONE is a part. If i* means the former, it is in direct contradiction to the minutes, which state, that the last charge was abandoned, and for reasons which must have acquitted the defendant. Again, if it means the latter, it is ambiguous and uncertain to which of the charges it is to apply j for it is as appli- cable in terms to that which was not tried, or to any of which they thought him not guilty t as to any others ; and it would only prove that they perfectly acquitted him of some, by only finding him guilty of a part. The judgment, therefore, is so vague and uncertain, on a subject which imperatively calls for the utmost certainty, that I do not feel how the sentence founded on it can be consistently enforced. Having thus stated my impression on the case, I do not feel it necessary, nor would it become me, to analyse the evidence, in order to guess on what part of it the court formed their decision ; for, after all, it would be but guessing. I shall, therefore, content myself with stating my opinion, after having attended, with all the care I am capable of bestowing on the evidence, as applicable to the charges, as well as to the sentence, as founded on that application, that it is informal, irregular, and illegal 7 notwithstanding which, I cannot, from the nature of the subject, point out any mode in which Captain Browne can procure redress : the only amends he can look to, must be found in the justice and honorable feelings of the Board of Admiralty, in whose power it lies to restore the situation he has been deprived of, and to the prevention of which I can perceive nothing on the face of these proceedings : to that tribunal he will have a right also to submit any of those facts which, although capable of proof, did not occur to his recollection at the time of the trial. " Temple, Nov. 29, 1814." (Signed) " FRS. CONST." On receiving this most satisfactory legal opinion, Captain Browne presented a memorial to the Admiralty, containing not only the heads of the charges, but the whole substance of the minutes, and some official documents sufficient in them- selves to refute the assertions of his accuser, that he had been guilty of fraud and a, false muster. The following are extracts : — " That the facts of the case were not fairly before the court-martial, is most evident, from the circumstances well known to the Commander-in- chief at Plymouth, and every member of the court, that your memorialist 102 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. was utterly incapable of making any sufficient defence to the charges, not only from severe indisposition of body and mind, but from his being in perfect ignorance of the existence of such cm accusation till 48 hours before he was a prisoner in court. The charges were not transmitted through him, nor intimated to kirn, as is customary . He had no time to summon many witnesses whom he might have called for his justification, or to consult any friends or advisers as to his defence ; but through an excess of reliance on his own innocence, disdained to delay the investiga- tion a single hour ; and thus he suffered heavy charges to pass under trial, without taking the means of repelling them, which common prudence rendered necessary *. " Your Lordships will be unable to discover the cause of the virulent malice, which so obviously pervades the whole of the charges, without a short explanation of the motives and character of the prosecutor. Lieu- tenant Charles Letch had sailed several years with your memorialist, and had enjoyed his confidence in a very great degree ; Lieutenant John Kent had also been two years in the Hermes. Both had lived in the utmost harmony with your memorialist until a few weeks before the arrival of the Hermes, when these officers, especially the first, presuming' on the friend- ship and protection with which your memorialist had long distinguished them, fell into such relaxation of discipline, and into such habits of oppression towards the inferior officers, as made it absolutely necessary at last (however painful) for your memorialist to interfere ; which they re- sented by the many instances of faction, animosity, quarrelling, and dis- respect, which are fully detailed in the recent court-martial on Lieutenant Letch, and in many other papers before your Lordships, to which your ine- moralist refers ; and if further evidence be necessary, that the charges originated in private pique and malice, and by no means for the good of the service, it would be found in this consideration, that the facts alluded to in the first and second charges, had occurred twelve and six months re- spectively before the Lieutenants ever thought of making them the sub- ject of prosecution, although it is proved in the minutes that there were several opportunities at Ria de Janeiro of bringing your memorialist to trial, where witnesses and parties were on the spot, of whose evidence your memorialist was unfortunately deprived t. * See Nav. Chron. v. 34, p. 302. t "Adverting to what had appeared at the military trials of Captains Ca- meron and Roy, in Mar. 1 /98, on several charges, his late Majesty ex- pressed his extreme disapprobation of keeping charges (having an oppor- tunity to prefer them) until they should have accumulated, and then bring- ing them before a court martial collectively, whereas every charge should be preferred at the time the facts on which it turns are recent, or, ifknow* ingly passed over, ought neither in candour nor justice to be in future brought in question." See Id. p. 303. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. 103 " The first charge is in substance,—' That on the 25th April, 1813, in sight of Madeira, your memorialist sent for the master of the merchant- brig Recompense, on board the Hermes, and in the presence of the officers and ship's company abused him and challenged him to fight, took off his coat, and squared at him in an attitude, and aimed or made a blow at him; and the master then lying down on the deck of his own accord, that your me- morialist ordered some marines to take off his coat, and oblige to him stand up, which attempt the master resisting, the marines tore his coat : and that your memorialist then challenged him to go on shore to fight at Madeira, by which conduct your memorialist was alleged to have violated the 23d and 33d articles of war.' " The 23d article of war recites, ' that if any person in the fleet shall quarrel or fight with any other person in the fleet, or use reproachful or provoking speeches or gestures tending to make any quarrel or disturb- ance, he shall upon being convicted thereof, suffer such punishment,' &c. &c. &c. " The 33d article of war alleged to be violated, recites, ' that if any flag-officer, captain, commander,] or lieutenant, belonging to the fleet, shall be convicted of behaving in a scandalous, infamous, cruel, or oppres- sive manner, unbecoming the character of an officer, he shall be dismissed his Majesty's service.' " Such are the crimes of which your memoralist is accused, and such is the law which he is stated to have infringed. The simple facts of the case, in as far as they are in evidence before your Lordships on the minutes, are these : — " On the 3d April (.three weeks before the time of the transaction), your memorialist, proceeding from Cork, in his Majesty's ship the Hermes, with a convoy, happened to encounter the brig Recompense (not of the convoy), the master of which, by the most wilful mismanagement of his ship, ran foul of one of the convoy, which he also forced on board of his Majesty's ship, which was in imminent danger of being lost thereby. It is sworn, that the master could have prevented the accident of entang- ling the ships if he chose, but that the Hermes could not possibly avoid them. That your memorialist, in the alarm which he felt for the safety of the ship, called vehemently to the master of the brig Recompense to let go his anchor, and warned him against the lubberly mode in which he was proceeding. That the master not only refused to desist from his miscon- duct, but actually forced the other vessel foul of the Hermes ; and in reply to your memorialist's desire to let go his anchor, it is sworn, even by the prosecutor's own evidence, that the said master, without any provocation, in presence of all the officers and crew of the Hermes, called him a damned white-faced rascal, and said that if he had him on shore he would thrash him. At this time, from the dangerous situation of the Hermes, and the urgent necessity of putting his orders in execution, your memorialist had no possibility of communication with the ship-master. That three 104 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. weeks after this outrage, when in sight of the island of Madeira, the same vessel came close to the Hermes, and Lieutenant Kent pointed the master out as the aggressor, and offered to bring him on board th<» Hermes with his papers for examination ; to which your memorialist consented. That the master, on coming on board, behaved even then with great insolence and effrontery ; and that your memorialist, exces- sively irritated by his demeanor, and by the insolent threat of personal chastisement, by which the ship-master had so recently outraged his feelings, asked him what he meant by such abuse, and if he could now make good his threat, and face him as a man, and that he, the memo- rialist, would take no advantage, although in his own ship — and then threw off his coat for the purpose : that the ship-master, to avoid lighting, lay down on the deck of his own accord ; and your memorialist declaring he would not strike him when down, ordered some marines who stood by to raise him up : but his clothes were not torn ; he received no abuse except being called a damned Irishman, nor was the smallest violence offered to him ; neither did the memorialist ever attempt to strike him. That your memorialist then asked the master if he would meet him on shore singly to execute his threat ; which he refusing, your memorialist put on his coat and left him, desiring Lieutenant Kent to see him on board, to press any man that he might find liable, but gave him especial orders not to distress him» in consequence of which none were impressed. That Lieutenant Letch, the prosecutor, remarked at the time, that the captain was too warm, but that the master of the Recompense deserved worse treatment than what he had received; and that he, as well as Lieutenant Kent, repeatedly afterwards approved of the circumstance. " Such is every particular of evidence on the transaction in question, whe- therfor or against your memorialist, which the minutes of the court martial afford ; and he has the more carefully selected them, because, with the exception of the present charge, your Lordships will find, there is not a shadow of blame to be imputed to your memorialist, that can arise, by any possibility, out of the other charges, which it will hereafter be shewn, were utterly false, malicious, and vexatious. " With respect to the articles of war which your memorialist's conduct on this occasion is alleged to have violated; he humbly begs to observe to your Lordships, that the 23d article is wholly inapplicable to the case, as this article prohibits one person belonging to his Majesty's fleet from fighting with, or provoking, any other person belonging to the same fleet ; whereas, in the present instance, only one of the parties is in his Majesty's service ; moreover, that it is an article seldom or never acted upon. " But the 33d article is, in fact, that alone which is contemplated to af- fect your memorialist's case ; on which he has also humbly to observe, that he is informed, that the penal acts of parliament ought to be strictly interpreted according to the letter, and not to be in any case strained by inference against the accused. That, in this instance, the legal question POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 105 is not, whether the transaction was in itself generally that which is said to be unbecoming the character of an officer and a gentleman ; but, whether it was scandalous, infamous, cruel, oppressive, or fraudulent ; and by being which, but not otherwise, it would be unbecoming the character of a gentleman ; cruelty, oppression, and fraud, is here quite out of the question : and your memorialist most confidently submits to your Lordships' superior wisdom, to your candour and justice, that the quality of the transaction did not deserve the character of scandalous and infamous, in the sense in- tended by the article of war ; and he submits fully to your Lordships, that there is not in all the annals of martial law, in the navy, an instance or pre- cedent, of scandal or infamy being attached by the sentence of any court martial to such a transaction as the present. " But while your memorialist pleads not guilty to the charge in a legal sense — his own feelings as an officer and a gentleman, condemn him for the intemperance of passion, which hurried him into so improper an excess. He fully admits the indecorous and bad example of his conduct. He de- plores with the utmost contrition, that unhappy violence of temper, which, acted upon by sudden and irresistible provocation, has led him, when threatened with actual personal outrage, to forget that he was an officer, and to remember only that he was a man, and by no means a coward, or one that would shrink from the personal violence of any man under heaven. To your Lordships, as men of high personal courage, he appeals for indul- gence to this instance of human frailty. To such of your Lordships as are officers, and have been in his situation, he puts his case, and implores you to consider candidly the insolent abuse frequently offered by the low- bred masters of merchantmen, whose violence there is no law to punish, and whose vulgar excesses there are no feelings, except the fear of personal chastisement, to restrain. He asks your Lordships, whether allowance may not be made for a captain of one of his Majesty's ships having his passions worked up almost to frenzy on such an occasion as that ; where his ship, and the lives of his men, are wilfully put in imminent danger, as well as his character as a seaman ; and when he is told, in presence of all his crew, that but for their protection the aggressor would have thrashed him ! — The candour of your Lordships will not fail to make allowance for him : and your memorialist trusts, that when he shews that, with the above ex- ception, he is entirely guiltless of every other charge, your lordships will deem, that he has, by the disgrace he has suffered in dismissal, been already most cruelly punished for the venial offence which he committed, and that the sentence of the court martial is severe beyond all precedent, and ought to be mitigated." * * * * In consequence of this memorial, the minutes of the court- martial were laid before Sir William Garrow and Sir Samuel Shepherd, the law officers of the Crown, who unhesitatingly declared that the proceedings of the court loere informal and 106 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. irregular, and that there was nothing in the evidence which could warrant the sentence passed against Captain Browne, who was at length restored to his former rank, but not until the attention of Parliament had been called to the subject by his noble friend, the Earl of Egremont, April 20, 1815. Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. MATTHEW BARTON BRADBY, ESQ. YOUNGEST son of the late superannuated Rear-Admiral James Bradby, who died in 1809, aged J3. This officer was made a Lieutenant in July, 1/96 ; and pro- moted to the rank of Commander April 29, 1802. He sub- sequently commanded the Calypso, a fine 18-gun brig, on the North Sea station. His post commission bears date June 28, 1810. Captain Bradby married, Nov. 25, 1808, Catherine, second daughter of Vice-Admiral Billy Douglas, commander-in- chief at Yarmouth. His youngest sister is the wife of Cap- tain James Aberdour, R. N. Agents. — Messrs. Maude. WILLIAM PATTERSON, ESQ. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; and President of the Civil Court at Newfoundland, for the adjudication of all disputes respecting the Fisheries on the coast of Labrador. SON of George Paterson, of Castle Huntley, in Perthshire, Esq., by Anne, youngest daughter of John, 12th Baron Gray, in the Scotch Peerage. This officer entered the navy at an early age, under the auspices of Sir Alexander Cochrane ; and served as a mid- shipman on board his patron's flag- ship, the Northumberland 74, at the Leeward Islands ; where he was rapidly advanced to the rank he at present enjoys. The dates of his respective commissions are as follow : — POST- CAPTAINS OP 1810. 107 Lieutenant, Feb. 18, 1805; Commander, April 9, 1808 ; Captain, July 16, 1810. At the close of the war with France, in 1814, Captain Paterson commanded the Myrmidon of 20 guns : his subse- quent appointments were — April 25, 1815, to the Eridanus frigate ; and, Mar. 6, 1816, to the Minden 74, fitting for the flag of Sir Richard King, commander-in-chief on the East India station. Previous to his proceeding thither, Captain Paterson ac- companied Lord Exmouth to Algiers, where the Minden sus- tained a loss of 7 killed and 37 wounded, on the memorable 27th Aug. 1816*. For this service he was nominated a C. B. on the 21st of the following month. The Minden returned home from India, Oct. 16, 1820 ; and was shortly afterwards put out of commission. Captain Paterson received his present civil appointment in April 1825. Agent. — Sir F. M. Ommanney. HENRY PRESCOTT, ESQ. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. Only surviving son of Admiral Isaac Prescott, by a daughter of the late Rev. Richard Walter, chaplain of the Centurion with Commodore Anson, during his celebrated ex- pedition to the South Seas, and author of "Anson's Voyage"\ This officer was born at Kew Green, co. Surrey, May 4, 1783 ; and he first embarked as a midshipman, on board the Formidable 98, commanded by the late Hon. Sir George C. Berkeley, in 1796. During the last four years of the French revolutionary war, we find him successively serving in the Queen Charlotte a first rate, Penelope frigate, and Foudroy- ant of 80 guns. In the Penelope, Mr. Prescott assisted at the capture of le * See Vol. I., Part I, p. 227. N. B. Sir Richard King had previously proceeded to his command in the Magicienne frigate, Captain J. B. Purvis. t The following correction is to be made at p. 67, of Vol. I. Part I. line 5 from the bottom— ^or reputed author read author. 108 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. GuilJaume Tell, a French 80-gun ship, Mar. 31, 1800*. The Foudroyant bore the flag of Lord Keith, by whom he was promoted into the Vincejo brig, on the coast of Egypt, in 1802. Lieutenant Prescott's next appointment was to the ^Eolus 32} which frigate formed part of the squadron under Sir Rich- ard J. Strachan, and had three men wounded, at the capture of four French line-of-battle ships, Nov. 4, 1805 f. Towards the latter end of 1806, Lieutenant Prescott joined the Ocean 98, flag- ship of Lord Collingwood, who promoted him into the Weazle brig, of 18 guns, Feb. 4, 1808. On the 1st April following, being then off Sardinia, Cap- tain Prescott fell in with a French squadron, consisting of ten sail of the line, three frigates, one brig, and a store-ship, which he closely reconnoitred the next day, and then proceeded with the intelligence to his Admiral, who was at that time cruis- ing, with a more powerful force, near Sicily. Unfortunately, however, Lord Collingwood had to contend with strong westerly winds off Maritime, and the enemy having rounded Sardinia, were enabled to reach Toulon without molestation. Captain Prescott was subsequently employed on the coast of Naples, where he gave great interruption to the enemy's trade, and obliged a French brig of 20 guns to seek refuge under some land batteries. This vessel he repeatedly dared to battle; but all his endeavours to entice her out proved fruitless, al- though eleven Neapolitan gun-boats were in readiness to sup- port her. His spirited conduct on this occasion must have had a good effect, the Weazle's manoeuvres being witnessed both by the enemy's troops at Naples, and the English garrison of Capri. On the 8th Sept. 1808, Captain Prescott assisted at the cap- ture of four large gun-boats and thirty-four coasting vessels, assembled at Diamante, near the gulph of Policastro, which place he had blockaded with much perseverance, until the arrival of a sufficient force from Sicily to attack them J. * See Vol. I. Part II. p. 643 et seq. f See Vol. I. Part I. p. 239. % See Captain HENRY WHITMARSH PEARSE, C, B. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 109 In Oct. 1809, the Weazle captured le Veloce French letter of marque, of 4 guns and 83 men. On the 25th Dec. in the same year, 1'Eole, a polacre-rigged privateer, pierced for 20 guns, but mounting only 14, with a complement of 140 men, surrendered to her after a gallant resistance of one hour and thirty minutes, during which the enemy sustained a loss of 5 men killed and 9 wounded 5 the Weazle only one man slain and one wounded. Between this period and June, 1810, Captain Prescott was employed cruizing off Sardinia, on which station he made seven- teen prizes and recaptures : among the former was ITppolite, French schooner privateer, of 5 guns and 78 men. We next find him assisting in the defence of Sicily, and whilst on that service repeatedly engaged with the flotilla equipped by Na- poleon's brother-in-law for the invasion of the island. The capture and destruction of a large convoy from Naples^ at which Captain Prescott acted a prominent part, is fully de- scribed in our memoir of the present Lord Radstock f. Two days subsequent to that enterprise, Captain Prescott again landed at Amanthea, supported by a detachment of marines from the Cumberland 74 ; and after destroying se- veral vessels, succeeded in bringing off a gun, under a heavy fire of musketry, by which 3 of his men were wounded. In the course of the following month, he was twice engaged with convoys passing along shore, and captured six vessels, two of which (an armed xebec and a gun-boat) he was obliged to abandon in consequence of a sudden shift of wind, and the Weazle's main-yard being shot away, which rendered it im- possible to tow them out from under a battery, where a large body of French troops had assembled for their protection. On this occasion the Weazle had 6 men wounded, one of whom mortally. The British naval force employed on the coast of Calabria being subsequently dispersed, in consequence of Murat break- ing up his camp and retiring to Naples, Captain Prescott was then sent to Smyrna, where he was superseded, in Feb. 1811, having been promoted for his bravery at Amanthea, and his t See Supplement, Part I. pp. 190—192. 110 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. commission dated back so as to give him post rank from July 25, 1810, the day on which he had so greatly distinguished himself. Previous to his leaving the Weazle, however, he added one more vessel to the list of her captures. Captain Prescott's next appointment was, about Aug. 1811, to the Fylla of 20 guns, from which ship he removed to the Eridanus frigate, in the summer of 1813. He was nominated a C. B. June 4, 1815 ; and appointed to the Aurora 46, April 6, 1821. In June following the Aurora left Chatham fully manned, and fitted for the South American station. On his arrival there Captain Prescott found himself the senior officer on the eastern coast, and he continued as such till the return of Sir Thomas M. Hardy from the Pacific, by whom he was im- mediately despatched to fill the same situation there. In 1822, the Congress of Peru having ordered a forced con- tribution on the commerce of Lima, the British proportion of which amounted to nearly 200,000 dollars, Captain Pres- cott remonstrated, and took such decided and effectual mea- sures as compelled an abandonment of that impolitic and iniquitous exaction. The merchants, in consequence, came to the following resolution : — "At a meeting of the British merchants, held in the British Commer- cial Rooms, Lima, Oct. 12, 1822, it was resolved, that the sum of 1600 dollars be voted to purchase a testimonial of our respect and gratitude to Captain Prescott, for the services rendered us during our present differ- ences with the Peruvian government. (Signed) " JOHN MOENS, Chairman." After remaining in that ardous command for about 18 months, Captain Prescott proceeded to San Bias, and subse- quently made a coasting voyage, for the purpose of taking in specie at the different ports of Peru and Chili. The Aurora returned to England with a considerable freight, and was paid off in Feb. 1825. Captain Prescott married, July 5, 1815, Mary Ann Char- lotte, eldest daughter of the late Vice-Admiral d'Auvergne, Prince de Bouillon, by whom he has several children. His only brother, an officer in the Hon. E. I. Company's infantry, was drowned when returning to England, in 1806. Agent* — John Copland, Esq. fOST-CAPTAlNS OF 1810* 111 THOMAS WHITE, (a) ESQ. Post commission dated Aug. 7> 1810. Agents. — Messrs. Stillwell. THOMAS GRAVES, ESQ. I :';?!; ;: •''• Post commission dated Aug. 8, 1810. Agents.' — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. SIR NISBET JOSIAH WILLOUGHBY, KNT. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. It appears by the records of the College of Arms, that this officer is lineally descended from Edward Willoughby, of Cossall, in Nottinghamshire, Esq., who was the second son of Sir Percival Willoughby, Knt., by Bridget, eldest daughter and co-heir of Sir Francis Willoughby, of Wollaton, in the same county, Knt. and that the eldest son of the said Sir Per- cival (Sir Francis Willoughby, of Wollaton,) was the direct ancestor of the present Lord Middleton. It also appears, by the same records, that the before mentioned Edward Wil- loughby, of Cossall, was paternally descended from Sir Chris- topher Willoughby, Knt., summoned to Parliament as Baron Willoughby de Eresby, a lineal descendant and representa- tive of William de Willoughby, lord of the manor of Wil- loughby in Lincolnshire, in the reign of King John ; that he was maternally descended from Sir Richard Willoughby, Knt., Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in the reign of Edward II. ; and that his paternal and maternal ancestry in- termarried with and were descended from several noble and illustrious families, distinguished in the history of this coun- try. Among Sir Nisbet's paternal ancestors, we find one fighting at the famous battle of CRESSY ; another bearing a part in the glorious achievement at POICTIERS ; and a third distinguishing himself under Henry V. at AGINCOURT. 112 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. The latter gentleman, Sir Thomas Willoughby, of Parham, was brother to Robert Lord Willoughby, the last English governor of Paris, whose name is recorded among the greatest soldiers of that age, and mentioned by Hume, in chap. XX. of his English history, edit, of 1/67- Sir Francis Willoughby, who prevented the castle of Dub- lin from being seized by Roger Moore's partisans, is spoken of by Dr. Leland *; and the stout resistance made by the fifth Lord Willoughby, of Parham, against the parliamentary forces sent to reduce Barbadoes, in 1651, is noticed by Bryan Edwards, in his Political and Commercial Survey of the British West India Islands, vol. I. p. 343. The motto of that branch of the family to which Sir Nisbet J. Willoughby belongs, originally " COURAGE SANS PEUR," is now " VERITE SANS PEUR." The subject of the following memoir is a son of the late Robert Willoughby, of Cossall and Aspley Hall, both in the county of Notts, and of Cliffe, in Warwickshire, Esq., by Barbara his second wife, one of the daughters of James Bruce, of Wester Kinlock (and the family of Airth), Esq., by Janet, daughter of Sir Edward Gibson, Bart, of Pint- land, N. B. and Barbara his wife, daughter of the Hon. John Maitland, son of Earl Lauderdale. Mr. Nisbet Josiah Willoughby was born in 1777 ; and he commenced his naval career, as a midshipman on board the Latoria frigate, Captain Albemarle Bertie, May 12, 1790. Subsequent to the Spanish armament, we find him serving in the Edgar 74, Captain Anthony J. P. Molloy; Alligator 28, Captain Isaac Coffin ; andVengeance, a third rate, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Pasley, commander-in-chief at Sheerness. On the 13th Jan. 1793yMr, Willoughby joined the Orpheus 32, Captain Henry Newcome, then about to sail for the coast of Africa, where he assisted in cutting out four French brigs and a schooner, April 22 and 24 in the same year. The cap- ture of these vessels, and Mr. Willoughby's subsequent ship- wreck, when conducting one of the brigs to Sierra Leone, have * See Leland's History of Ireland, Vol. III. p. 110 et seq. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 113 been noticed at p. 35 et seq. His escape on the latter occa- sion may justly be deemed miraculous; for even if it had been within the limits of possibility to have gained the shore, he would certainly have been enslaved for life, if not instantly murdered. The manner in which the Orpheus was employed after her return to England will likewise be seen by reference to our memoir of Captain William Goate. On the 5th May, 1J94, the Orpheus, then off the Isle of France, captured le Duguay-Trouin, a French 18-pounder frigate, after a sharp action, in those days termed brilliant, of an hour and ten minutes, during which the enemy, out of 403 persons on board, had 21 killed and 60 wounded ; the British, only 194 in number, 1 slain and 9 wounded. An extract of Captain Newcomers official letter on this occasion is given at p. 36 et seq. In Aug. 1795, Mr. Willoughby assisted at the capture of Malacca. The public despatches reporting that event, inform us, that the measures adopted by the Dutch authorities, sub- sequently to the amicable proposals tendered by the British naval and military commanders, having rendered it necessary to land the troops sent against that settlement, hostilities com- menced by the Resistance frigate firing upon, and, after the ex- change of two guns, taking possession of the Constantia, a Dutch armed ship, which had warped herself into the mud, be- tween the English squadron and the fort ; — the dashing manner in which that ship was taken possession of is not mentioned. Finding the Dutch governor determined upon resistance, the signal was made by Captain Newcome for all the armed boats of the squadron to assemble near the Orpheus, as he in- tended that they should proceed under the command of one of his own Lieutenants to secure and bring out the Constantia, she being an impediment to the debarkation of the troops. Lord Camelford (of whom we have twice had occasion tb speak*), was then a Lieutenant of the Resistance, and he com- manded one of the boats that first reached the Orpheus. Im- patient of delay, and anxious to distinguish himself, his lord- ship desired Mr. Willoughby, who had the charge of a cutter, * See Vol. I. Part II. p. 715 et seq. and Vol. II. Part I. pp. 202—204, SUPPL. PART IF. 1 114 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. then lying off on her oars, to follow him : — this was done in the most quiet manner possible ; and, when at some distance from the frigate, both boats gave way,, for the purpose of boarding the enemy, one on each side. The Dutch ship being of considerable tonnage, extremely light, and well armed, with about 100 men on board, the re- sult of this attack would in all probability have proved fatal to the whole of the assailants, had not the captain of the Re- sistance fortunately perceived Lord Camelford's unauthorized proceeding, and, trembling for the consequences, opened his fire upon the Constantia, which, although distant and harm- less, gave the enemy an excuse for hauling down her colours. At this moment the two boats were close to their object, and they actually got alongside before the others had well left the Orpheus* ! * We have noticed the above circumstance, because it affords a proof how little Lord Camelford considered his personal safety when there was the least prospect of gaining fame ; and also of the injustice that has been done to his memory by comparing him with the notorious George Robert Fitzgerald — a bully and a coward. As Lord Camelford's impetuous public career and untimely end are better known to the world than his private actions, we shall here tran- scribe a passage from " The Clubs," a popular work recently published : — " Though the latter fought several duels, it is well known that he ge- nerally had sufficient provocation, and that he received several insults which he never thought worthy of public notice ; in short, his general deportment was mild, and he never sought a quarrel, for which Fitzgerald was on the constant look-out. Camelford, likewise, had a most generous heart ; for whilst the fashionable world was taken up with his eccentrici- ties, he was in the habit of performing many private charitable acts, amongst those of the poor who were ashamed to beg. His charities were invariably administered under an assumed name, and he never failed to threaten those whose curiosity he suspected, with a suspension of their salary, if they dared to follow him, or tried to find out who their bene- factor was. He usually went out on such expeditions at night, and he. has often left a crowded and brilliant assembly, to dress himself in an old brown coat and slouched hat, in order to visit some poor family in the crowded courts between Drury Lane and Charing Cross. In such deeds as these, and at the expence of several thousands a year, did this unaffected philanthropist pass the hours which he stole from the dissipation of high life ; and his protegees were not aware of the name or quality of their benefactor, until his untimely fate put a period to his munificent dona- POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 1]5 In 1796, Mr. Willoughby assisted at the reduction of Am- boyna and Banda, with their several dependencies; after which he appears to have been successively removed into the He- roine frigate and Suffolk 74 ; the former ship commanded by Captain Alan Hyde Gardner, the latter bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Rainier, by whom he was made a Lieutenant, and appointed to the Victorious 74, Captain William Clark, Jan. 13, 1798. On the 30th June following, Lieutenant Willoughby was suspended from his duty and placed in confinement, for asking his captain whether he should go into the waist himself, to see the main-sheet hauled aft, his orders to that effect not being promptly obeyed, and the captain finding fault with him for the remissness of others* Conscious of having always obeyed Captain Clark's orders with becoming alacrity, that he had never intentionally treated him with contempt or disrespect, and that by allowing him- self to be released without a proper explanation he would sub- ject himself to a repetition of such unmerited tretament, Lieutenant Willoughby declined returning to his duty, when an offer to that effect was made him, unless the captain would admit that he had placed him under arrest without any just cause. This admission being withheld, Lieutenant Willoughby applied for an investigation of his conduct \ but owing to the disposition of the ships composing Rear-Admiral Rainier's squadron, nearly twelve months elapsed before his request could be complied with ; fe and by that time," says an officer who was present, te his health was so much impaired, through want of exercise and the medicine he had been obliged to take in consequence, that he was more fit for an hospital than to stand the brunt of a court-martial. His tongue was so enlarged that articulation was painful to him, and those who were present at his trial declared, he was in such a state that he only appeared anxious to get through the busi- ness, seeming perfectly indifferent as to the result." The consequence was, the prosecutor had only to make his statement in his own way, and the court came to the conclu- i 2 116 . POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. sion that Lieutenant Willoughby, in turning round when spoken to, and asking whether he should go into the waist, &c., " did behave to Captain Clark in a contemptuous and disrespectful manner ; but in consideration of his long con- finement, and his health having been apparently injured by it," his judges did "only" sentence him to be dismissed his ship. On the 14th June 1799, the very next day after his dis- missal from the Victorious, Lieutenant Willoughby was ap- pointed to command the Amboyna, a beautiful brig, Vice- Admiral Rainier considering that his punishment had already been more than adequate to the alleged offence. Scarcely had he joined that vessel, however, when his indisposition in- creased so much that he was obliged to invalid, and remove to the Sceptre 64, for a passage to the Cape of Good Hope. On the 19th Sept. 1J99, the boats of that ship were sent to attack a French brig, moored within a reef of rocks, close to the island of Rodriguez; but after being absent a very con- siderable time, they returned with the information that no passage could be found through the heavy surf by which she was protected. Lieutenant Willoughby, having been there before, no sooner heard this report than he volunteered to conduct them over the reef ; and they were accordingly or- dered to renew the attempt, under his pilotage, and the com- mand of another Lieutenant, the present Captain Thomas Tudor Tucker. In the mean time the brig's broadside had been brought to bear on the passage ; and when the boats got within range of grape she began firing upon them : immediately after- wards she appeared in flames, and on boarding her it was found that a pile of hand grenades on the deck had exploded, killing two of her crew, wounding several others, and throw- ing the remainder into such confusion that she was carried without much resistance. She proved to be 1'Eclair privateer, of JO guns, 4 swivels, and 83 men, some of whom effected their escape to the shore. Night now approaching, and the Sceptre having a valuable fleet under her convoy, the prize was necessarily destroyed, POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 1 1J it being impossible to bring her out through such an intri- cate navigation at that late hour. Scarcely had Lieutenant Willoughby returned from this ser- vice, when he obtained additional credit by jumping overboard and endeavouring to extricate a poor fellow who was una- ble to get from between the bottom and the thwarts of a boat, swamped under the ship's quarter, owing to the mismanage- ment of the officer commanding on deck, who had ordered her to be hoisted up whilst the Sceptre was going fast through the water. This generous and humane attempt proved un- successful, and the unfortunate man consequently perished ; but Lieutenant Willoughby' s efforts to save him did not cease until his own strength was quite exhausted. On the 5th Nov. following, the Sceptre was driven on shore in Table bay, and totally wrecked, by which disaster about 290 persons lost their lives, among whom were her Captain, two Lieutenants, the Master, and four Midshipmen : most of the other officers, including Lieutenant Willoughby, were then at a ball on shore, and thus providentially escaped. A list of those who were saved will be found at p. 222 of Suppl. Part I. Lieutenant Willoughby' s next appointment was, Aug. 26, 1800, to the Russel74, Captain (now Sir Herbert) Sawyer; which ship formed part of Lord Nelson's division at the cap- ture and destruction of the Danish line of defence before Copenhagen, April 2, 1801 *. On that glorious occasion, Lieutenant Willoughby greatly distinguished himself by his gallantry in boarding the Pro- vesteen*block-ship, of 56 guns, under a heavy fire from her lower-deck, kept up in opposition to the wishes of her com- mander, who had hauled down his colours in token of sub- mission. The manner in which this service was performed excited general admiration, and obtained him three cheers from the Russet's crew, by order of their new captain, the late Rear- Admiral William Cuming. It appears that, of the Danes on the lower-deck, many * See Vol. I, Part I, note at pp. 366—371 ; and Id. Part II, note at p, 847. 118 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. were literally drunk, and the rest in a state of great excite- ment : these men not only abused their officers for striking the colours and allowing the British to come on board, but even threatened to force the hatchways, and recover possession of the upper decks ; nor did they cease firing for nearly an hour after the latter had been given up to Lieutenant Willoughby, who with his people, about 30 in number, were all that time exposed to the shot of the Isis and Polyphemus, the two ships immediately opposed to that end of the Danish line. Even after all firing had ceased on both sides, and during the whole of the ensuing night, Lieutenant Willoughby's situation was by no means pleasant, as the Danes continued extremely riot- ous, and often menaced the destruction of the ship, which there was much reason to fear they would carry into execution : for although Lieutenant Willoughby had managed to lock up the magazine, he could not spare men to guard it, nor indeed would His whole party have been sufficient to do so effectually, against such overpowering numbers as were then assembled on the lower-deck. He was therefore obliged to content him- self with guarding the hatchways until he received assistance on the morning after the battle. From Copenhagen the Russel proceeded up the Baltic^ where Lieutenant Willoughby had the misfortune to lose his commission under the following circumstances. Having incurred the displeasure of Captain Cuming, whose general character is well known, that officer deprived him of the charge of a watch, ordered him to do the duty of signal Lieutenant, and forbade him ever to quit the poop, on any occasioh whatever, during day-time, without first ac- quainting the officer of the deck that he was about to do so, and for tvhat purpose. This degrading, order, mortifying as it must have been to a young man of high spirit, Lieu- tenant Willoughby most punctually obeyed ; but, unfortu- nately, the wardroom dinner was one day announced ready just as Captain Cuming had entered into conversation with the gentleman to whom he must necessarily report his inten- tion of going below, and to whom he imprudently repeated a wish, often expressed by every one of his messmates, but POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 119 which was at length to produce an effect that none of them had ever expected. Captain Cuming was born near a borough town that gives its name to a beverage of which he was exceedingly fond, and it seems that he never sat down to dinner without expressing regret that he had none to offer his guests. On the unfortu- nate occasion to which we allude, Lieutenant Willoughby, after acquainting the officer of the watch that he was going down to dine, added, " I hope the caterer has provided some Asliburton Pop ! " upon hearing which, Captain Cuming ac- cused him of contempt, placed him under arrest, and instantly applied for a court-martial, the result of which was his dis- missal, June 23, 1801, from a service that now justly boasts of him as one of its brightest ornaments. After leaving the Russel, Mr. Willoughby joined the Levia- than 74, bearing the flag of Sir John T. Duckworth, command- er-in-chief on the Jamaica station, that officer having kindly appointed him to act as a Lieutenant, and thereby afforded him an opportunity of recovering his lost rank. f >:. On the J7th July, 1803, being then off Cape Donna Maria, Mr. Willoughby, in aboat with only two midshipmen and seven men, boarded and secured, after a row of seven or eight miles, 1'Athenaise French national armed ship, commanded by a Lieutenant de frdgate, and having on board about 50 persons, including several military officers going from Jacquemel to Port-au-Prince, and who had not yet heard of the renewal of hostilities. During the remainder of the same year, the squadron un- der Sir John T. Duckworth was particularly active and suc- cessful ; but the most important occurrence on that station was the capitulation of the French army at Cape Fra^ois, which led to the surrender of three 40- gun frigates, a brig of war, an armed schooner, two hospital-ships, and twenty sail of merchantmen. According to the terms agreed upon between the senior of ficer of the blockading force and General Rochambeau, the French men of war were to keep their colours hoisted until they got outside of the harbour, when they were each to dis - 120 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. charge a broadside in return to a shot fired athwart their bows by one of the British ships, and then to make the usual token of submission. In this manner, la Surveillante frigate, the national brig, and one hospital-ship, came out, accompanied by three or four merchantmen, on the 30th Nov. ; but owing to a sudden shift of the wind, the others were prevented from following them ; and la Clorinde frigate, having grounded under Fort St. Joseph, at the entrance of the harbour, was in so despe- rate a situation that the light boats sent from the British squadron, to assist the French in removing out of the reach of Dessalines and his black adherents, were returning to their respective ships, supposing that nothing could save her from destruction. At this critical period, the launch of the Hercule 74, which had just been hoisted out, was proceeding towards the har- bour, under the command of Mr. Willoughby, who had re- moved to that ship on her being selected for the flag of Sir John T. Duckworth, in July 1803. Anxious to rescue the numerous Frenchmen on board la Clorinde from the certain fate that awaited them, whether they remained in her or swam to the shore, (for no quarter was then given by either the blacks or their opponents) ; at the same time feeling it to be disgraceful to the character of the British navy not to make an effort in their behalf, this zealous officer took upon himself the whole responsibility, and in- stantly pulled towards the grounded frigate *. Finding, as he approached la Clorinde, that her side was crowded with troops ready to spring into the launch, and fear- ing that some disaster would happen if he took his boat along- side, Mr. Willoughby searched for, and after some time found a small punt, in which he proceeded to the frigate, resolved to put in practice every resource to save her passengers and crew, amounting, as he soon found, to at least 900 men, wo- men, and helpless children. * Mr. James erroneously states, that the Hercule's launch was among the rearmost of the boats which left la Corinde to her fate. SeeNav. Hist. Vol. iii, p. 302. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 121 On board la Clorinde was the French General Lapoype, to whom Mr. Willoughby represented, that, as by the terms of the capitulation, the ships and vessels of war were to haul down their colours when outside the harbour, it would not be a greater sacrifice of national honour, considering the situa- tion of the ship, she then heeling much and beating heavily, if he did so immediately and gave her up to him. " I will then," said Mr. Willoughby, " hoist English colours, wait upon Dessalines, and demand, not only that the British flag shall be respected, but that, if assistance cannot be procured from the shore, and la Clorinde is lost in the night, now fast approaching, the crew and passengers shall be considered as prisoners to the English, and protected as such until the se- nior officer has it in his power to send for them." General Lapoype readily assented to this proposal ; upon which Mr. Willoughby hoisted British colours, hailed Fort St. Joseph, and told the Haytian officer in command there that he wished to wait upon his chief. Permission was im- mediately granted, and Mr. Willoughby, after experiencing some difficulty in landing, obtained an interview with Des- salines, who received him kindly and promised all that he asked for. About this time, two or three other boats arrived from the Hercule ; and a favorable change taking place in the weather, la Clorinde was soon hove off, with the loss of her guns and rudder, but without having sustained any material damage. " Thus to the uncommon exertions and professional abilities of acting Lieutenant Willoughby" were owing the preserva- tion of so many people, and the acquisition to the British navy of a frigate, which continued for many years afterwards to be one of the finest of the 38-gun class. We have reason to believe that Mr. Willoughby was res- tored to the rank of Lieutenant for his excellent conduct at Cape Franyois, the commander-in -chief having recommended him most strongly to the protection of the Admiralty, in the despatch which we have just quoted *. • Sir John T. Duckworth's official letter to Sir Evan Nepean, datec Dec. 18, 1803. — N.B. The preservation of la Clorinde is noticed m Nicho- las's Imperial Encyclopedia, and also in Rainsford's Hayti. 122 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. On the 31st Jan. 1804, a squadron consisting of the The- seus 74, Captain John Bligh, senior officer ; Hercule, Captain Richard Dalling Dunn ; Blanche and Pique frigates, Captains Zachary Mudge and Charles B. H. Ross ; and Gipsy schooner, commanded by Mr. Michael Fitton, arrived off the town of St. Ann, Cura^oa ; having been sent by Sir John T. Duckworth to demand the surrender of that island upon liberal conditions, and in case of a refusal, to endeavour to reduce it by force. The following is an outline of the ope- rations that ensued ; and by comparing it with the account given by Mr. James, our readers will be enabled to correct several material errors in that part of his naval history. Captain Ross having embarked on board the Gipsy, was despatched with a flag of truce and a summons to the Dutch governor, to surrender the colony to the British. At 9-30 A.M., the Gipsy stood out of the harbour, with a preconcerted signal displayed, announcing that the proposed terms had been rejected. " The passage into the harbour is so narrow, that even with a fair wind, (and it now blew off the land) a line-of-battle ship can with difficulty ^nter ; and the batteries that command the harbour and town, including Fort R^publique, against which, from its situation, an attack by storm is impracticable, mounted nearly 100 pieces of cannon. In the harbour were lying the Dutch 36-gun frigate Hatslaar, and two French privateers. Under these circumstances, no alternative remained but to try the effect of a land- ing. Leaving, therefore, the two frigates, as well to blockade the harbour, as to cause a diversion of the enemy's force, Captain Bligh, with the two 74's and schooner, bore up for a small cove which had been pointed out by Mr. Fitton as the most eligible spot for effecting a disembarkation. *" According to a previous arrangement, the boats of the squa- dron, containing 605 officers, seamen, and marines, had as- sembled alongside the Hercule ; and the whole detachment was placed under the orders of Captain Dunn. " In passing Fort Amsterdam, situated on the S.E. side of the entrance to St. Ann, the two 74's were fired at, but without effect, the shot falling short. At 11-30, Fort Piscadero, mounting 10 Dutch 12-pounders, and protecting the intended point of disembarkation, opened a fire. This was immediately returned by the Theseus, within half-musket shot, although the ship was unable to remain alongside owing to a strong head wind and lee current. By making short tacks, however, the Theseus brought her guns i v. Hi, p. 414. PoiT-CA*»fAlNS OF 1810. 123 to bear with such effect, that the fort fired only an occasional gun when the ship was in stays. At 1 P. M. the first division of seamen and marines in the boats stormed and carried the fort without loss, and struck the Dutch colours, which the enemy, on retreating, had left flying. By a rapid movement, the British," under the command of Lieutenant Wil- loughby, " reached the heights, and, with the loss of only 4 or 5 killed and wounded, drove the Dutch soldiers from their position. This done, the remainder of the seamen and marines were landed, and the Gipsy schoo- ner anchored in the cove.*" On the 1st Feb. two 18- pounder carronades and a light field-piece were landed from the Theseus, and, with great difficulty, dragged four miles to the advanced post, situated about eight hundred yards to the westward of the town, which it in part overlooked. This post was placed under the command of Lieutenant Willoughby ; and a battery erected near it was confided to the charge of Mr. Eaton Travers, midshipman, who had most gallantly supported him at the storming of Piscadero, &c. On the 2d and 3d, two long 18- pounders, four more carro- nadeSj and one or two field-pieces were brought on shore and mounted. A Dutch 12-pounder, also, was transported from the fort to WilloUghby's battery, and a constant fire kept up between the adverse parties. " On the evening of the 4th, there was a smart skirmish between the British at the advanced post, and the enemy's sharp-shooters, in which the latter were repulsed ; and on the morning of the 5th, a more Serious affair took placef" in front of that battery, Lieutenant Willoughby having marched out with nearly his whole force, consisting of about 80 or 85 seamen and marines, for the express purpose of giving battle to about 500 Dutch and Trench, the latter privateers' men, who had landed their guns, and mounted them in a bat- tery of their own construction. On this occasion the British again defeated their adversaries, but sustained a loss of 23 killed and wounded, the whole in fair fight with muskets alone, not a man having suffered "from the cannon of Fort Republique." The senior marine officer, serving under Lieu- * James, v. iii, p. 415. t Id. p. 416. 124 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. tenant Willoughby's command, was Mr. Edward Nicholls ; and his principal naval assistant, the midshipman above men- tioned. The cannonadebetween the batteries was resumed on the 6th Feb. ; but Lieutenant Willoughby, finding it in vain to point any of his guns at fort R^publique, directed them against Fort Amsterdam and the shipping : the Hatslaar would probably have been destroyed had not two large merchant vessels, purposely placed between her and the shore, received almost every shot intended for that frigate; " In this way passed a number of successive days, the force of the British gradually decreasing, not merely by loss from the cannon of the forts, and in the different skirmishes, but from fatigue and sickness*," till at length, the only officers left at the advanced battery, of those originally stationed there, were Lieutenant Willoughby and his right-hand man, Mr. Eaton Travers. 63 men were obliged to be re-em- barked, owing to an attack of dysentery ; " a circumstance not to be wondered at, considering that both officers and men lay upon the ground, without any of those conveniences deemed indispensable in the encampment of an army. The force of the Dutch too, instead of amounting to only 160 re- gulars," as Sir John T. Duckworth had been led to believe, " consisted of 250 effective men, besides a body of local mili- tia, and the crews of the vessels in the harbour. In addition to all this, the Dutch learnt by deserters, 9 of whom quit- ted in one night, the weak state of the British force, and that the squadron must soon raise the blockade for want of pro- visions -}*•" In this state of affairs, Captain Bligh despatched Mr. Fitton to apprise the com mander-in- chief of his intention, unless any thing favorable should happen, to re-embark his people on the 4th of March. In the course of the same day, Feb. 23, the Dutch received a reinforcement ; and in the evening the * James, v. Hi, p. 416. N. B. Not even a drop of water, nor a bit of fire-wood, could be procured, unless brought from a great distance, f Id. p. 417. t>OST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 125 Pique was obliged to depart for Jamaica, on account of hav- ing damaged her rudder. About 30 of the Hercule's marines were Poles, part of the prisoners taken at Cape Fra^ois, and who had been allowed to enter the British service. On the 24th Feb., these men evinced so clear an intention of going over to the enemy, that they were obliged to be sent on board their ship with all haste. The re-embarkation of the whole remaining force could now no longer be delayed ; and on the 25th, by 9 P. M. every person had quitted the shore, except two small parties under Lieutenant John B. Hills and the subject of this me- moir ; the former left to destroy fort Piscadero, the latter remaining behind to cover the retreat from his own batteries and head quarters. After continuing there about three quar- ters of an hour, without receiving any annoyance from the enemy, Lieutenant Willoughby joined his brother officer, assisted at the demolition of the works, and embarked with him in the same boat, at 11 P. M. According to the official returns, the loss of the British, in the different skirmishes that had taken place, amounted to 18 killed and 42 wounded ; but many other men, not reported in the latter list, were obliged to be embarked from time to time, in consequence of the ulceration of bruises and slight wounds, which when first received were considered unworthy of notice : the circumstances under which Lieutenant Samuel Perrot, R. M., lost an arm, are so extraordinary as to be worthy a recital. During the 25 days that the advanced post was held by the British, Lieutenant Willoughby frequently took his meals in an exposed situation, but not, as Mr. James says, sitting in a chair upon the breast-work of the battery. " The earth was ploughed up all around, and one man, we believe, was killed close to the spot ; but still the table and chair, and the daring officer who sat there, remained untouched/' One afternoon, Mr. Perrot was induced to occupy Lieutenant Willoughby's usual seat ; but " scarcely had he done so, when a shot came, took off his left arm, badly wounded the knee upon which it had been resting, and knocked the table to POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. atoms *." We should here observe, that Lieutenant Wil- loughby, instead of being unwarrantably reckless of his per- son, had good reasons for exposing himself in the way he did : — the novelty of serving against an enemy ashore having soon worn off, the severe duties to be performed by the hand- ful of men at the advanced post, the great privations every one suffered, the extraordinary large proportion of killed and wounded, the numbers taken sick, and the utter hopelessness of ultimate success, all combined to depress the spirits of his party, jand rendered it highly necessary that he should set a more than common example of cheerfulness and daring. We must here add, that he always obliged the seamen and marines to take their meals under cover of the rampart. On the 14th Mar. 1804, we find Lieutenant Willoughby commanding the Hercule's launch, and with two light boats under his orders, capturing la Felicit£ French privateer, which vessel had sailed from one of the Spanish ports in St. Do- mingo for the express purpose of intercepting two valuable homeward bound merchantmen, then about to sail from Port Eoyal, and of whose approaching departure her commander had been apprised by the master of a neutral vessel. On this occasion, the weather being perfectly calm, and the launch having an 18-pounder carronade mounted, Lieutenant Wil- loughby directed the other boats to tow him within grape- shot distance of the enemy, and then to lay off on his beam whilst he engaged and rowed up to her. In the action which ensued the launch had a midshipman (Mr. George Lawrence Belli) and two men severely wounded : her consorts, com- manded by Lieutenant Russel and Mr. Travers, were not fired upon, and consequently sustained no loss, the enemy having struck without waiting to be boarded. , Jn, consequence of his gallant and excellent conduct on so many occasions, Mr. Willoughby was, about this period, or- dered by Sir J. T. Duckworth to take upon himself the office of first Lieutenant ; and in that capacity we find him setting another example of intrepidity to those about him, * James, v. iii, p. 41R. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. 127 Towards the latter end of Aug. 1804, the Hercule sailed on a cruise to the northward of St. Domingo,, in company with the Theseus 74, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Dacres ; and on the 6th Sept., she encountered as sudden and severe a hur- ricane as ever was experienced :— the Silver Keys then bear- ing about S. W., distant 54 miles. At this period Lieutenant Willoughby was ill, and in the doctor's list ; but knowing that the ship was by no means pre- pared for such a tremendous visitation, he resumed his duty the moment the storm commenced. Scarcely had he reached the deck when the fore-top-mast was literally blown over the side, and to his astonishment, although the Hercule had a fine ship's company, not a man stirred to clear the wreck. Seeing that even the oldest sea- men were either appalled or paralyzed, he immediately ran forward and mounted into the fore top, followed by Lieute- nant Russel and Mr. Stewart the gunner, with whose assist- ance he succeeded in cutting away the wreck, ;and thereby saving the lower mast, which was previously in a tottering state. In a short time afterwards, the mizen-ma$t went by the board ; and next morning, the main-mast was likewise rolled away. The whole of the main-deck ports and dead-lights being stove in, and the ship labouring so much as to render it almost impossible for the people to remain at the winches, the water in the hold gained upon the pumps for a very considerable period ; but by the united and extraordinary exertions of the officers and men, they were at length got to suck, and on the third day a fire was lighted for the first time since the begin- ning of the storm. The Theseus lost all her masts ; and being an old ship, she suffered still more in every respect than her consort. It has been ascertained, that upwards of 300 vessels either foundered or were totally wrecked during this dreadful hur- ricane. On the 1st Feb. 1805, the Hercule captured a merchant schooner of about 30 tons burthen, from Cuba bound to Carthagena ; and one of the prisoners having given inforraa- 128 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. tion that a fine Spanish corvette, of 20 guns and 130 men,, was lying at St. Martha, Lieutenant Willoughby immediately volunteered to attack her ; but it was not until after three days importunity that Captain Dunn would comply with his wishes. On the 4th Feb., himself, 3 passed midshipmen, and 30 volunteers, all young and active, parted company in the prize, taking with them 14 days' provisions. During the first two nights, it blew so very hard that the vessel was every minute expected to go down, the sea breaking over her in such a manner as rendered it impossible for a man to re- main at the helm, or for the hatches to be opened in order to get rid of the cargo. On the 6th, his little bark having wea- thered the storm, Lieutenant Willoughby stood into the harbour of St. Martha ; a midahipman (the present Captain Samuel Roberts, C. B.) at the helm, with a check shirt on, his head decorated with a French kerchief, and his face and hands blackened with burnt cork and grease. All the rest of the gallant band below, except two men ; one a black the other a mulatto. The schooner being well known, this deception had the desired effect : no interruption was given to her as she passed the batteries, and every thing seemed to promise success : unfortunately, however, the corvette had sailed a few days before ; and there was not another vessel at the anchorage worth bringing out. Mortified in the extreme, Lieutenant Willoughby now put about : the enemy on shore discovered the ruse that he had been practising, and the bat- teries on the island that protects the harbour immediately opened upon him, keeping up a steady fire for more than half an hour, but luckily without once striking his diminutive and slightly built vessel : — had she been hulled by a single shot, the consequences would in all probability have been fatal, as she was very rotten, and had not a boat of any des- cription belonging to her. This enterprise appears to have been one of the most hazardous ever recorded ; and we leave our readers to judge what were the feelings of Lieutenant Willoughby, then first of a flag-ship, on finding that the opportunity of stamping his character as a hero was denied him. Had the corvette been POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 129 found at the anchorage of St. Martha, we have no doubt that she would have met with a similar fate to the Hermione *, in which case he would have been appointed to command her, and a new line marked out for his future career in life. His subsequent exploits sufficiently prove what an example he would have set to those who accompanied him in Feb. 1805. On the last day of that month, Sir John T. Duckworth appointed Lieutenant Willoughby first of the Acasta frigate, in which ship he himself was about to return home, fully expecting that his protege would be promoted immediately he struck his flag, and that he should be able to obtain him the command (e of a fine sloop" as soon as he arrived in London. The Vice-Admiral's court-martial, however, put an end to these flattering prospects, and the subject of this memoir was consequently obliged to serve as a Lieutenant for at least two years longer f. Mr. Willoughby's subsequent appointments were, Aug. 11, 1805, to the Prince 98, Captain Richard Grindall ; Dec. 28, 1806, to the Formidable 98, Captain Francis Fayerman ; and Jan. 15, 1807, to the Royal George 110, bearing the flag of Sir John T. Duckworth, who was then about to proceed on an expedition against Constantinople J. The accidental destruction of the Ajax, an 80-gun ship belonging to Sir John Duckworth's squadron, has been no- ticed at p. 648 of vol. I. Lieutenant Willoughby's humane exertions and miraculous escape on that occasion, are worthy of particular mention. * See Vol. I, Part II, pp. 823—826. f Sir John T. Duckworth was tried on charges preferred against him by Captain (now Sir James) A. Wood, whom he had unjustifiably dispos- sessed of the command of the Acasta, a circumstance noticed at p. 794 of Vol. I. ; and, although he managed to obtain an acquittal, he did not retain sufficient influence to get any of his followers promoted. I See Vol. I. pp. 016, 798, and 808 et seq. N.B. The following correc- tions should be made at p. 318 of that volume :— -for 100,000, raw/ near 200,000 : and at the end of the same paragraph, for force consisted of eight ships of the line, two frigates, and two brigs, read force now consisted of seven sail of the line, two frigates, and two bombs. SUPPL. PART II. K 130 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. At the time of this dreadful disaster, the Ajax was lying at anchor close to the Royal George, and as her cable was soon burnt, the latter was obliged to cut and run out of her way. Upon the first alarm of fire, Lieutenant Willonghby had hastened in a cutter to the assistance of the unfortunate ship's company, and he very soon rescued as many men from a watery grave as his boat could possibly float with ; numbers, however, were still surrounding him — some swimming, others clinging to various buoyant articles, and many on the point of sinking, for want of that aid which it was impossible for him to render them ; the cutter's gunwale being only a few inches clear of the water, although masts, sails, and every other moveable article, except two or three oars, had been thrown overboard to lighten her. The Admiral was then so far off, that to reach the Royal George, or indeed any other ship, was quite impracticable ; but, fortunately, some launches and barges at length arrived, received the poor fellows already saved by the light boats of the squadron, and con- tinued to do so until they also were crowded. The Ajax, all this time, was drifting towards the island of Tenedos, with her stern and broadside alternately presented to the wind. Lieutenant Willoughby had picked up and discharged a second boat load, and was again nearly filled with people who had been so long in the water that they were nearly insensible, when he observed the Ajax round to, and at the same time several men hanging by ropes directly under her head. Trusting that he should be able to rescue those men, and get clear of the ship before she again fell off, Lieutenant Wil- loughby procured some more oars from other boats, then immediately dashed towards her, and succeeded in the first part of his object ; but not until the burning fabric was once more right before the wind, with the cutter across her hawse, and flames issuing from every part of her hull and rigging. To extricate himself from this unparalleled state of danger without the Divine aid was impossible ; for every moment increased the velocity with which the Ajax was going through the water, while the sea she threw up at her bows threatened his small boat with instant destruction : to add to the horror POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 131 of his situation, the men who had been lying apparently half dead, in the bottom of the cutter, endeavoured to get upon their legs, and greatly increased the confusion which very naturally prevailed among his crew. Dreadful as the scene then was, a most appalling circumstance soon took place, as if to prove the possibility of his situation being rendered still more terrific. Whilst the Ajax was propelling the cutter in the above alarming manner, the flames reached the shank-painter and stopper of her remaining bower anchor, and it fell from her bows, nearly effecting the destruction of the boat at its first dash in the water : the cable caught her outer gunwale, over xvhich it ran, apparently a complete sheet of fire : orders, or exertion and presence of mind, were now out of the question : death to all appeared inevitable ; the only alternative left was to be burnt or drowned, for every one was too much exhausted to swim : the scene was altogether indescribable. The boats at a distance saw that the cutter was enveloped in a sheet of fire, and therefore considered it impossible to assist her : all that Lieutenant Willoughby and his companions could do, while the cable was running over and binding her more firmly to the ship, was to keep the sparks and flames as much as possible from the uncovered parts of their persons. Pro- videntially, however, although the inner portion of the cable had been burnt through, the anchor took the ground, and gave the ship's head a check to windward, before the less consumed part had entirely left the tier ; and thus the very event which seemed to fix the doom of the cutter, was, in all probability, ordained by the Almighty for her preservation, the alteration in the ship's position enabling her to get clear ; but not before every individual in her was more or less dread- fully scorched, and the heat no longer to be borne. Among those who shared in the above unprecedented dangers, was Nevin Kerr, Esq. one of the principal Turkey merchants, whom Lieutenant Willoughby had just before picked up in a very exhausted state. By reference to p. 317 et seq., of Vol. I., it will be seen that the British squadron passed the Dardanelles, Feb. 19, 1807 > 132 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. and, on the 20th, brought up about 8 miles from the Turkish capital. "At 10 o'clock/' says Sir J.T.Duckworth,"! Bent Captain Capel, in the Endymion, to anchor near the town, if the wind, which was light, would permit the ship to stem the current ; and to convey the Ambassador's despatches to the Sublime Porte, in the morning, by a flag of truce ; but he found it impracticable to get within 4 miles, and con- sequently anchored at half-past IIP. M." At this latter period, Lieutenant Willoughby received an order to hold himself in readiness to leave the ship with a flag of truce, early enough to reach Seraglio Point by the first break of day : his surprise at being selected for such an im- portant service was only equalled by the pleasure he felt on the occasion. About 2-30 A. M. Lieutenant Willoughby shoved off, taking with him a letter from the Hon. William Arbuthnot to the Grand Vizier, demanding the surrender of all the Turkish men of war, with stores sufficient for their equip- ment ; and promising that, in case a favorable answer was given, every hostile demonstration should immediately cease. Lieutenant Willoughby was also charged with an energetic message from the Ambassador and Vice-Admiral, allowing the Grand Seignor only half an hour, after the translation of the letter, to determine upon peace or war. We should here particularly remark, that the British Minister had hitherto failed in obtaining an answer to any of his despatches. Accompanied by Mr. Arbuthnot's dragoman *, Lieutenant Willoughby arrived close to Seraglio Point by day-break ; at which time numerous vessels and boats, of every shape and size, crowded with men, were rapidly passing over from the Natolian shore to protect Constantinople. Ignorant of the nature of a flag of truce, many of this hete- rogeneous flotilla fired at Lieutenant Willoughby's unarmed boat, as they passed a-head of her, thereby obliging him to increase his distance from them ; even the regular sentries at the point invariably opened their fire whenever he attempted to near it ; and to add to his embarrassment, the dragoman, * Interpreter. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 133 who had resided nearly all his life at Constantinople, generally attached to the British embassy, grew so alarmed and nervous, that he used every argument that fear could dictate, or his knowledge of the Turkish character inspire him with, to return to the Royal George. Lieutenant Willoughby, however, although aware that the Porte had hitherto treated Mr. Arbuthnot's representations with silent contempt, and that the destruction of the Ottoman squadron, off Point Pesquies, would naturally enrage both the government and the populace, felt the importance of delivering the above letter and message to be so very great, as it would afford him an excellent opportunity of reconnoitring, that he determined to persevere, whatever might befal him at such a moment of general excitement *. After many ineffectual attempts to open a communication, Lieutenant Willoughby was at length allowed to approach Seraglio Point, near which a large gun-boat was stationed to receive him. Having explained to her commander that he was charged with a letter from the British Ambassador, and that he had orders, if possible, to communicate with the Turkish government, an officer came off from the point and requested that he would accompany him to the Grand Vizier. This officer proved to be Ysak Bey, of whom mention is made in Sir John T. Duckworth's despatches of Mar. 6, 1807. On his way to the dock-yard, Lieutenant Willoughby wals enabled to reconnoitre the different military positions, &c. ; and from having read and heard much of the sluggishness of the Turks, he was astonished to find the whole harbour exhi- biting as much energy and activity as could have been shown in any English port under similar circumstances. On land- ing, the same hostile spirit displayed itself; and before he left the naval arsenal, he felt perfectly convinced that but little good would be effected by negociation. The first house Lieutenant Willoughby entered was the residence of Ysak Bey, who pretended sudden indisposition, and left his guest several times, evidently for the purpose of * The affair at Navariii proves how little flags of truce are respected by the Turks. 134 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. detaining him until the breeze should die away, which was then favorable for an attack. To put an end to this farce, Lieutenant Willoughby rose, ordered the dragoman to say that he would wait no longer, and that he was determined to return on board ; upon which Ysak Bey replied he would conduct him to the Grand Vizier. After a short walk, Lieutenant Willoughby found himself at the entrance of a large building, and was. speedily ushered into a superb saloon, where 6 or 7 persons of consequence were seated. In about a quarter of an hour after, the whole Divan assembled, and the Grand Vizier was made acquainted with the object of the Lieutenant's visit ; the contents of Mr. Arbuthnot's letter, and Sir J. T. Duckworth's message, being translated and communicated to him by the dragoman. A conference, in whispers, now took place ; during which pipes, sherbet, arid coffee were passed round, according to Oriental custom. Of the latter, Lieutenant Willoughby par- took ; as he had also done at the house of Ysak Bey. Finding from the conversation, or rather the repeated ques- tions addressed to him through the dragoman, that the Grand Vizier was still trying to gain time ; and having been strictly enjoined only to allow a stated period to elapse after the de- livery of the Admiral's message, Lieutenant Willoughby rose to the very moment his orders permitted him to remain, and demanded with firmness, but in the most respectful manner, the answer he was to take back, and permission to depart ; both of which were immediately given. On his return to the Turkish gun-boat, Lieutenant Wil- loughby was again escorted by Ysak Bey, who took hold of his arm in a familiar manner, as if for support, although he had not betrayed the least symptom of indisposition while attending the Divan. In all probability, however, this ruse was of service to the British officer ; for although Ysak gained time for his countrymen to complete their warlike preparations, by obliging his companion to walk at a very slow pace, he thereby led the immense mob to believe that the negociation was proceeding in a friendly manner : had the armed rabble, then collected at Constantinople, been POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. aware that a British Admiral, with only seven sail of the line, two frigates, and two bombs, neither of them having a single soldier on board, had demanded the surrender, without resist- ance, of two three-deckers, ten other line-of-battle ships^ nine frigates, and numerous small craft, protected by cc a chain of batteries/' and ready to be defended by "near 200,000 troops/* from the enthusiastic janizary to the wild arab, there cannot be a doubt that Lieutenant Willoughby, the dragoman, and the English boat's crew, would all have fallen victims to the insulted feeling of the proudest and most haughty nation in Europe. Lieutenant Willoughby took leave of Ysak Bey, off Seraglio Point, between 9-30 and 10 A.M., at which time the wind was still favorable for the British to attack Constantinople. Anxious to see decisive measures adopted, and knowing what the result of the expedition would otherwise be, he imme- diately proceeded on board the Endymion, communicated, by telegraph, to Sir John T. Duckworth, the answer he had re- ceived (" a negociator will be sent off to the British Admiral at noon"), and then pulled for the Royal George, in order to afford every information which his chief might require, as to the state of the Turkish fleet, the batteries, &c. "At noon of the 21st./J says Sir John T. Duckworth, (e Ysak Bey came off \ from whose expressions Mr. Arbuth- not thought it impossible not to believe that, in, the head of the government there really existed a sincere desire for peace, and the negociation was carried on till the 27th •" but not one word does he mention about Lieutenant Willoughby, or his delicate mission. To the telescopes on board the Royal George, and not to the information obtained from his zealous subaltern, does he acknowledge himself indebted for the in- telligence, " that the time granted the Sublime Porte to take its decision had been employed in warping the ships of war into places more susceptible of defence, and in constructing batteries along the coast, therefore rendering ft his duty to lose no time *." This, however, is not to us so much a matter of wonder, * Extract of his correspondence, as translated from the Moiiiteur, 136 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. when we remember that even the name of Captain Dunn, his old and faithful follower, did not appear in either of the public letters which he wrote concerning that abortive expedition ; although an officer of the same rank, who volunteered to serve in the Royal George, after the accidental destruction of his own ship, is highly praised " for his able assistance in regu- lating the fire of the middle and lower decks," when first passing the Dardanelles *. To prevent any misconception on the part of the future historian, we must here add, that Lieutenant Willoughby was the only officer that landed at Constantinople, after the flight of the British Ambassador and merchants ; and that, if he had failed in obtaining an interview with the Grand Vizier, it is more than likely that the Turkish government would not have deigned to communicate with the British authorities, after contemptuously neglecting to notice, either their former threats or persuasions. The situation in which Lieutenant Willoughby was so unexpectedly placed, appears to us to have been one of the most extraordinary and dangerous nature : no one but a man of the strongest nerve could possi- bly have acquitted himself as he did 5 and no officer could have more acutely felt the official neglect which he experienced. On the day previous to Sir John T. Duckworth's retreat from before Constantinople, he addressed a letter to Lord Collingwood, of which the following is an extract : — " My Lord, — I have to inform your Lordship, that it was perceived at nine o'clock yesterday morning, that the Turks had landed on the island of Prota, near which the squadron was anchored, and were erecting a battery in a position to annoy us : I immediately ordered the marines of the squa- dron to be prepared for landing, and the boats to be manned and armed j the Repulse, with the Lucifer, having been directed to cover them, they proceeded towards the island. The Turks, on the ships firing a few grape to scour the beach, quitted the island in their boats, when all but one boat with eleven men escaped ; the which, with two guns they had intended to mount, fell into our possession." On this occasion, Lieutenant Willoughby commanded a * See Vol. I. p. 649 et seq; — and make the following correction in the note * at p. 803, for the name of each of the Captains, read the names of several Captains. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 137 double-banked cutter, in which he was lying off upon his oars, waiting for the boats of the squadron to assemble near the Royal George, at the time when the enemy began to re- embark. Perceiving that they were exerting themselves to reach the Asiatic shore, and that the whole would escape if not attacked before all the British boats could be got toge- ther, he immediately dashed on towards their main body, obliged the two sternmost boats to alter their course, and gave way to board the nearest. During the pursuit, the boats thus cut off ran alongside of each other, apparently to exchange some men, but separated again in a minute or two, and continued pulling with great velocity towards the main land. On approaching pretty close to them, Lieutenant Willoughby distinctly saw that one was manned with about 20 Greeks, and that the other had a Turkish crew, 13 in number : the former soon ceased rowing, held their hands up, and cried for mercy. No honour could be gained by capturing them, and they were, therefore, allowed to escape. After exchanging a few musket-shot with the Turks, they likewise laid in their oars ; and when Lieutenant Willoughby arrived within about twenty yards of them, their chief took his sword by the point, and presented the handle to himj thereby indicating that he surrendered. Having continued to advance, Lieutenant Willoughby was about to take hold of the sword thus offered in token of sub- mission, when, to his great astonishment, two Turks pointed their pistols towards the stern of his boat, and fired, killing one man and mortally wounding another. Enraged at this treacherous act, the remainder of the British sailors would instantly have commenced an indiscriminate slaughter ; but as Lieutenant Willoughby had kept his eye constantly fixed upon the Turkish officer, he felt convinced that it was not connived at by him, and therefore he would only allow the two guilty individuals to be slain — of the others not a man was hurt. The principal captive taken by Lieutenant Willoughby proved to be a person of rank ; and as the Turks had just before captured the Endymion's jolly-boat, with a young 138 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. midshipman and four lads, he was allowed to depart from the Royal George, for the purpose of endeavouring to effect an exchange of prisoners, promising that he would return, and again surrender himself, in case of failure : no exchange, however, took place ; neither did the Turkish officer ever afterwards make his appearance, although, if we are not greatly in error, he had been sworn, on his own copy of the Alcoran, to do so.. Mr. Harwell, the midshipman alluded to above, and his unfortunate juvenile boat's crew, were detained on board the ship of the Capitan Bey until she was taken by the Russians, off Lemnos, July 1, ISO/. Another affair, in which Lieutenant Willoughby was the commanding officer, and one of the principal sufferers, is thus described by Sir John T. Duckworth :-— " At half-after two o'clock in the afternoon" (Feb. 27) " Sir Thomas Louis" (the third in command of the squadron) " sent to inform me, that he had received intelligence of a small number of Turks being still on the island, and requesting permission to send marines to take them ; my reply was, that no risk whatever must be run, but if it could be effected without hazarding the people, it might ; and a party of the Canopus's marines was immediately sent on shore in consequence, with the most positive orders to Captain Kent, from Sir Thomas Louis, riot to pursue the object if he found it attended with any hazard. At four o'clock the party on shore made the signal for assistance, and the marines and boats were directly ordered away from the Royal George, Windsor Castle, and Standard, with particular directions to bring off the Canopus's people, but to avoid being drawn into danger. A little before sun-set, an officer was despatched with orders for the whole to return on board. On the return of the boats, which was not until after dark, I heard with the deepest regret of the loss we had sustained, a list of which I herewith transmit * -, and do most particularly lament Lieutenant Belli, a young of- ficer of the fairest promise, who had never served but with myself. To account in some degree for this unlucky affair, it appears that the informa- tion of a few Turks only having remained on the island was entirely false, as nearly one hundred of them had retired to an old convent, from loop- holes in the walls of which they defended themselves with musketry. The people of the Canopus had in the first instance advanced close under the walls, and in endeavouring to relieve them from their unpleasant situation, the others suffered." On this, as on the former occasion, Lieutenant Willoughby * Total, 2 officers, 4 seamen, and 1 marine killed ; 2 officers, 3 mid- shipmen, 6 seamen, and B manned wounded. POST- CAPTAINS Of 1810. 139 pushed on without waiting for the detachment of boats to assemble. On landing at Prota he found that the marines of the Canopus had attacked a large building situated on an emi- nence in the centre of the island, surrounded with a strong iron railing, and defended by at least one hundred Turks, two or three of whom were firing through each of its numerous loop-holes and windows. An attempt was now made to get part of the marines round to the left wing ; and Lieutenant Willoughby, perceiving three men to be much exposed, was calling to them to stoop, when two pistol-balls struck him, one entering his head just above the right jaw, and, from the upward position of his face at the moment, taking a slanting direction towards the region of the brain, where it has ever since remained. The other shot cut his left cheek in two, and he lay, for more than six or seven minutes, apparently lifeless on the ground ; but, at the very moment that his party began to retreat, one of his arms was observed to move, and he was carried off to the ship as one of whom no hopes were entertained. In short, so desperate was his case, that the surgeon of the Royal George also considered him to be mortally wounded, and officially reported him as such for three days afterwards. The commissioned officers slain at Prota were Captain Kent, R. M. and Lieutenant Belli, of the Royal George; which latter gentleman, it will be remembered, was wounded when serving under Lieutenant Willoughby, at the capture of la Felicite, in March, 1804. Among the badly wounded were Messrs. John Alexander and John Wood Rouse, midshipmen, both of whom were with him when he so gallantly pursued the Turkish boats in the morning of the same day. It is worthy of remark, that Messrs. Willoughby, Belli, Alexander, and Rouse, all belonging to the same ship, were nearly touch- ing one another when each received one or more of the Turkish shot. Although Lieutenant Willoughby's perseverance, gallantry, and sufferings, whilst employed in the sea of Marmora, were not publicly reported by Sir John T.Duckworth, with whom he had always been on the most friendly terms, his praise- 140 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. worthy conduct was afterwards represented by that officer to the Admiralty, in a private communication, and duly appre- ciated by their Lordships. Lieutenant Willoughby's discharge from the Royal George took place July 13, 1807 ; immediately after which we find him proceeding to the Rio de la Plata, as a passenger on board the Otter sloop, for the purpose of assuming the com- mand of la Fuerte, a very fine Spanish corvette, pierced for 28 guns, which vessel had fallen into the hands of the British, at Monte Video, in the month of Feb. preceding *. On his arrival in that river, Lieutenant Willoughby had the mortification to find that la Fuerte was not destined to wear an English pendant, the Spaniards having compelled Lieutenant- General Whitelocke to retire from South America, and the shipping taken at Monte Video being again in their possession. From thence, our disappointed officer proceeded in the Otter to the Cape of Good Hope, where he succeeded Cap- tain JohnDavies (a) in the command of that sloop, Jan. 10, 1808. His commission as a Commander was confirmed by the Admiralty, April 9, in the same year. The Otter's first cruise oft the Isle of France was under the orders of Captain Robert Corbett, then commanding la Nereide, a frigate universally allowed to take the lead of every other " crack " one in the British navy ; and Captain Willoughby, anxious that Iris first command should be marked by the high state of discipline in which he kept his sloop, made her vie with, and endeavour, if practicable, to excel that ship in every manoeuvre. On her return to the Cape, Vice-Admiral Bertie, then commanding on that station, received an anonymous letter, which led him to believe that Captain Willoughby had exceeded the usual esprit de corps in striving to effect his object, and he therefore thought proper to have his conduct investigated by a court-martial ; the result of which was an honorable acquittal of the whole of the charges upon which he had been tried. During his next cruise, Captain Willoughby, with volunteers from the same sloop, performed services which induced the Vice-Admiral, * See Vol. I, note at p. 625 et seq. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 141 who deeply regretted what had taken place, to give him the command of la Nereide, although he had many old followers whom he wished to serve, and a Commander was also under his orders who had been directed to receive the first Admi- ralty vacancy. Vice-Admiral Bertie did more ; for on Captain Willoughby assuming the command of la Nereide he allowed a large proportion of the Otter's best men, who volunteered, to accompany him. We shall presently have an opportunity of shewing how highly he admired, and how duly he appre- ciated the subsequent daring conduct of an officer who had first embarked as a midshipman under his command. On the 14th Aug. 1809, Captain Willoughby, then cruising in the Otter off Cape Brabant, Isle of France, discovered a brig, a lugger, and a gun-boat, at anchor under the protection of the batteries of Black River. The brig had recently arrived from France with a cargo, and the lugger was also a merchantman : thinking it practicable, notwithstanding the immense strength of the batteries, to cut out these vessels, he resolved to make the desperate attempt that same night. In the mean time, to prevent suspicion, the Otter bore away for Bourbon until dark ; then hauled up and worked back to the vicinity of Black River. At 11-30 P.M., being close enough in, Captain Willoughby pushed off in his gig, accompanied by Lieutenant John Burn in the yawl, and Mr. William Weiss, midship- man, in the jolly-boat. The plan arranged was, for the gig, supported by the other two boats, to carry the gun- vessel ; the yawl was then to secure the brig, and the jolly-boat the lugger. Favored by the darkness, the three boats got into the harbour unperceived ; and having from the same cause, and the silence of the enemy, missed the gun-vessel, they pulled alongside of and captured the lugger. After securing her, Captain Willoughby detached the yawl and jolly-boat to board the brig, and then proceeded himself in search of the armed vessel. Lieutenant Burn soon got along side the brig, and found a body of soldiers drawn up on deck to defend her. In the face of a heavy fire of musketry from them, the British boarded, and after a smart struggle carried her. The 142 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. cable was then cut by a man left in the yawl for that purpose, but not "till he had been wounded in the head by the French mate, whom he killed with a blow of his axe. Captain Wil- loughby in the mean time approached so near to the inner- most battery as to be hailed by one of the sentries : the alarm soon became general, and the batteries, four in number, im- mediately opened their fire. The brig being firmly moored to the shore, with her yards and top-masts down, and the weather very tempestu- ous, there was no possibility of bringing her off; Captain Willoughby therefore gave orders to take out the prisoners and destroy her ; but as many of them were wounded, and could not be removed, she was ultimately abandoned. The boats then took the lugger in tow, and brought her out under a heavy fire of shot and shells, from the batteries on both sides of the river. To enable them to distinguish their ob- ject, the enemy on shore threw up fire-balls of a superior de- scription, which illumined the whole river ; and they con- tinued doing so every half-minute until she was out of range. Under all these circumstances, it is rather surprising that no greater loss Was sustained by the British than one killed and three severely wounded ; particularly as the boats, when towing their prize past a particular reef, were at least ten mi- nutes directly in front of a very heavy battery. The principal advantage derived from this" attack was the evidence it afforded of the practicability of cutting out vessels from a river so strongly protected both by nature and by art. Had the gun- boat been found, there cannot be a doubt that she would have shared the fate of the lugger. The capture of St. Paul's, in the island of Bourbon, has been briefly noticed at p. 626 et seg. of our first volume. The con- spicuous part borne by Captain Willoughby on that occasion will be seen by the following extracts of the official letters published in the London Gazette, Feb. 13, 1810. Captain Josias Rowley to ^ice-Admiral Bertie. " The force intended to be landed were the detachment of his Majesty's and the Company's troops, reinforced by the marines of the squadron, and a party of about 100 seamen from this ship * and the Otter, under the * Raisonable 64. See Captain EDWARD LLOYD. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 143 command of Captain Willoughby, whose zeal induced him to volunteer the command of so small a party. *»*'**'». The guns and mortars at the different batteries and on the beach being spiked, their Carriages burnt or destroyed, and magazines blown off under the directions of Captain Willoughby, the whole of the troops, marines, and seamen, were em- barked, «****#. I beg leave to refer you for details to Lieutenant- Colonel Keating's letter ; and am happy to say he mentions in high terms the conduct of Captain Willoughby, the officers, seamen, and marines employed on this occasion." Lieutenant- Colonel Keating to the Bombay Government. " At 5 A. M. on the 21st" (Sept. 1809), " the troops were disembarked to the southward of Point de Galotte, seven miles from St. Paul's, and immediately commenced a forced march, with a view of crossing the cause- ways that extend over the lake, before the enemy could discover our de- barkation or approach to the to\vn, which we Were fortunate enough to effect ; nor had they time to form in any force until we had passed the strongest position. By seven o'clock we Were in possession of the first and second batteries, Lambou&e and la Centime ; when Captain Wil- loughby, of the royal navy, who commanded a detachment of about 100 seamen on shore, and to whose zeal, activity, and exertions, I feel much indebted, immediately turned the guns upon the enemy's shipping, from whose fire, which was chiefly grape, and well directed, within pistol- shot of the shore, we suffered much, being necessarily exposed to it dur- ing our movements upon the beach, and through the toWn. From the battery la Centiere, Captain Imlack was detached with the second co- lumn to take possession of the third, or battery of la Neuf, deserted by the enemy. On his way thither, he fell in with and was opposed by the entire force of the French, who had concentrated and taken up a very strong position behind a stone wall, with eight brass field-pieces, 6-pounders, upon their flanks. This post was instantly charged in the most gallant manner by that officer and his men : the enemy, however, maintained their position, and Captain Hannor, of the 56th regiment, was ordered to proceed with the third column to his support, who charged, and took two of the enemy's guns. The action now became warm, but never doubtful. " The enemy being reinforced from the hills, and having also received 1 10 troops of the line from the French frigate la Caroline, and the squa- dron not being able to stand in to support us, our movements being en- dangered by their fire except at intervals, which they always took advan- tage of, Captain Willoughby was directed to spike the guns of Lambou- siere and la Centiere, and with the seamen to man the third battery, la Neuf, continuing the fire from thence upon the enemy's shipping. By this arrangement, Captain Forbes, who with the reserve had covered those batteries, was enabled to advarice against the enemy, who, after an ho- norable resistance, were compelled to give way. Their remaining guns 144 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. being carried by that excellent officer, a sufficient number of men were ordered to act as light troops, and to pursue the enemy, whilst the third co- lumn, with part of the reserve, advanced against the fourth and fifth bat- teries, la Piere and la Caserne, which fell into our hands without opposition, and whose entire fire was immediately directed against the enemy's ship- ping. By half-past eight o'clock, the town, batteries, magazines, 8 brass field-pieces, 117 new and heavy iron guns, and all the public stores, were in our possession, with several prisoners. The instant the squadron perceiv- ed that the object in landing had succeeded, and that they could, with safety to the troops, stand in effectually, they immediately anchored close to the enemy's shipping, which after a short firing surrendered. The entire of the batteries being destroyed, and the town completely commanded by our squadron, the troops were re-embarked by eight o'clock the same even- ing. * * * *. "On the22d, late in the evening, the enemy appeared in some force upon the hills, and a heavy column was observed advancing from St. Denis, which I since understand to have been under the immediate com- mand of General Des IBrusleys : the commodore and myself now agreed upon the propriety of landing a sufficient force to destroy all public pro- perty j and accordingly the marines, with a few sailors, under Captain Wil- loughby" (who again volunteered), "were ordered upon this service, when I had an opportunity of again witnessing the steadiness and good conduct of the seamen and royal marines, who effectually burnt an extensive go- vernment store of considerable value ; the remaining stores were only saved from some doubt existing respecting their being public property*. " On the following morning, the entire force was put in boats to re- land and attack the enemy ; whose retreat, however, to St. Denis, during the night, prevented the necessity of any further debarkation." On this latter occasion, the boats containing the troops, armed seamen, and marines, pulled in shore and reached the intended landing place, to the eastward of St. Paul's, facing the position in which Des Brusley's army was supposed to have encamped in the night of the 22d. After waiting some time for Lieutenant- Colonel Keating to arrive and give the necessary orders, Captain Willoughby, anxious to ascertain if the French were really there, and hav- ing taken proper precautions for ensuring a speedy retreat if necessary, landed with two of his gig's crew, all the boats anxiously watching his motions, particularly when he disap- * Mr. James states, that the government store, destroyed by Captain Willoughby, contained all the raw silk which the enemy had found on board the Streatham and Europe, East Indiamen, and that it was valued at more than half a million sterling. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810* 145 peared over the sand hills, as it was then believed by every officer and man that the enemy were close at hand, ready to oppose them. From this state of suspense they were soon relieved by his re-appearance, and waving for two more men to join him. After a second absence of ten minutes, he re- turned to his gig, with a 9-inch brass mortar, taken from one of the batteries which had been dismantled on the 21st. During this reconnoissance he did not see a single French- man ; and therefore, as Lieutenant- Colonel Keating says, " the necessity of any further debarkation was prevented." Mons. St. Michiel, the military commandant of St. Paul's, being now disposed to enter into negociations, the prelimi- nary articles were drawn up, some of which it is necessary for us to subjoin j and that officer accompanying Lieutenant- Colonel Keating on board Captain Rowley's ship, they were there signed by all the parties, subject to confirmation or rejection by the French commander-in- chief, General Des Brusleys, whose chagrin at the success of his intrepid op- ponents was so great, that he rashly put an end to his ex- istence. Articles of Agreement t <$* at p. 169, that the enemy's united force would have been five heavy frigates and two corvettes ; whereas the Sirius, Iphigenia, and Magicienne, were only rated at 36 guns each ; and the latter armed in a similar manner to la Nereide. In the said note we observe a typographical error, — la Bellone and Minerve were both 18-pounder frigates — the latter, however, was pierced for 52 guns. Since the preceding sheet was printed, it has been suggested to us, that probably Captain Bouvet, on finding Plsle de la Passe in the posses- sion of the British, imagined that the districts of Savanne and Grand Port were likewise held by them, in which case his ultimate capture was inevi- table ; it being impossible for him to repass la Nereide, with the wind then blowing. To this erroneous impression on Mons. Bouvet's mind, the officers and men in the boats of la Nereide were, perhaps, indebted for their safety. It is also probable that the French captain imagined, as the boats were filled with marines and soldiers, that they belonged to the shore, and not to the British frigate. The gentleman from whom we received the above hint acquaints us, that la Bellone's best bower anchor was cut away from the bow by la Nereide's shot, but owing to the cable being stoppered in board, it did not take the ground — a circumstance much to be regretted j for had the anchor gone to the bottom, the ship in rounding to, must inevitably have got on shore, and would consequently have lain with her head exposed tola Nereide's raking broadside. M 2 164 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. -" L'Isle de la Passe, August 26, 1810. " Sir, — By my last you were informed of my intention to attack the frigates, corvette, and Indiaman in this port. (( Magicienne having joined just as the re-captured ship was about to make sail, I sent Captain Lambert orders to bring her and the gun-brig with all despatch off 1'Isle de la Passe ; and that the enemy in Port Louis should not be alarmed, I made all sail round the south side, and although blowing very hard, reached 1'Isle de la Passe next day. At noon, Nereide made signal ( ready for action ;' I then closed, and from the situation of the enemy, decided on an immediate attack ; and when her master came on board as pilot, made the signal to weigh, but when within about a quarter of an hour's run of the enemy, he unfortunately put me on the edge of the inner narrow passage. We did not get off, and that with wonderful exertion, until 8 o'clock next morning. At noon on the 23d, the Iphigenia and Magicienne came in sight ; the enemy having moved further in, and making several batteries, as also manning the East India ship, and taking many men on board the frigates, I called them to assist in the attack : having all the captains and the pilot on board, and being assured we were past all danger, and could run direct for the enemy's line, we got under weigh (at 4-40 P. M.) and pushed for our stations, viz. Sirius alongside Bellone, Nereide between her and the Victor, Iphigenia along- side Minerve, and Magicienne between her and the East India ship *. Just as their shot began to pass over us, sad to say, Sirius grounded on a small bank, not known ; Captain Lam- bert gained his post, and had hardly given the third broad- side before his opponent cut her cable f. Magicienne, close to Iphigenia, ran on a bank, which prevented her bringing * La Minerve, the enemy's van ship, was stationed just behind a patch of coral ; next to her was the Ceylon, then la Bellone, and lastly le Victor, with her stern close to the reef that skirts the harbour. t Commodore Duperre' says, that the springs of la Minerve and the Ceylon were shot away by the first broadside, and that those ships conse- quently cast to leeward and ran aground. See Gazette des Isles de France et Bonaparte, 26/A Sept. 1810. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 165 more than six guns to bear * ; poor Nereide nearly gained her post, and did in the most gallant manner maintain that and the one intended for Sirius, until Bellone cut. All the enemy's ships being on shore, and finding Sirius could not get off, the whole of them opened their fire on Nereide ; but notwithstanding this unequal contest, and being aground, she did not cease firing until 10 o'clock, and sorry am I to say, that the captain, every officer, and man on board, are killed or wounded f. " Captain Lambert would have immediately run down with the enemy, but there was a shoal a very little distance from, and between him and them ; he did all that could be done, by keeping up a heavy, although distant fire ; nothing was wanting, to make a most complete victory, but one of the other frigates to close with la Bellone. f( I must now inform you, that the moment we took the ground, every possible exertion was made to get the ship off, by carrying out stream and kedge anchors ; but both these came home together. I then got a whole bower cable and anchor hauled out (not a common exertion for a frigate), as also the stream ; but although heaving the one with the capstan, and the other with purchase on purchase, we could not move her one inch, from the nature of the ground, and the very heavy squalls then blowing. We continued lightening every thing from forward, and made many severe but fruitless attempts to heave the ship off before day-light, all, however, to no effect. At that time the Nereide was a perfect wreck, Magicienne in as bad a situation as Sirius, no possibility of Iphigenia closing with the enemy, and THE WHOLE OP THE LATTER ON SHORE IN A HEAP. We then tried the last resource, by warping the Iphigenia to heave us off, but could not get her in a proper situation until the 25th in the forenoon. " I now had a survey by the captains, masters, and carpen- * The three foremost on each side. f La Nereide did not take the ground until some hours after la Bellone and le Victor had cut, in order to get further from her fire ; and then only in < onsequence of her best bower cable and the spring beiqg shot away. Sc« p. 167. 106 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. ters, in which they agreed it was impossible to get the ship off : having the same report yesterday from Captain Curtis, and that his men were falling fast, 1 ordered Magicienne to be abandoned and burnt ; and as the enemy's frigates cannot get off*, I thought it most prudent to preserve 1'Isle de la Passe, by warping Iphigenia for its support ; and having no prospect of any other immediate protection, I considered it most advisable to quit my own ship, then within shot of all the enemy's posts and squadron, and only able to return their fire from two guns*. After seeing every man safe from Sirius, Lieutenant Watling and myself set her on fire ; and, I trust, Sir, although my enterprise has been truly unfortunate, that no possible blame can be attached to any one : never did captains, officers, and men, go into action with a greater cer- tainty of victory ; and, / do aver, that if / could have got alongside of Bellone, all the enemy's ships would have been in our possession in less than half an hour. My ship being burnt, I have given up the command to Captain Lambert, and have recommended his supporting and protecting this island with Iphigenia, and the ships' companies of Sirius and Magi- cienne. Provisions and water will immediately be wanted. " I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " S. PYM." We have already stated that Captain Lambert was obliged to capitulate to the Port Louis squadron, on the 28th of the same monthf : la Nereide's glorious defence is thus described by one of Captain Willoughby's commissioned officers, in a letter to the author : " The French force in India was now divided, and it was considered ex- pedient instantly to make an attack, as the enemy lay exposed, except from the difficulties of the navigation ; they were moored, with springs on their cables, in the form of a crescent, and supported by two flanking batteries. * The Magicienne's total loss amounted to 8 killed and 20 wounded. La Bellone hove herself off on the 26th Aug., and the other French ships were also afloat by noon on the 27th. The Sirius, if actually, " within shot of ail the enemy's posts and squadron," was wonderfully fortunate, for she had not an officer or man hurt from the beginning to the end of the business. t See Vol. II. Part II. p. 718 ; and at p. 717 make the following cor- rection :—for used every effort to prevent the French squadron from enter- ing the harbour, read succeeded in decoying the enemy into the port. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. 16? c* La Nereide had the honourable station assigned her of leading in, which was done in the most masterly style, receiving the enemy's raking fire in silence, until we had taken our station on the bow of the French commodore, and quarter of the corvette, within half-pistol-shot, when we opened an effective fire, and with the greatest confidence of success, anxiously looking for the support and assistance of the rest of our squadron, who we now perceived had grounded in rotation, leaving us in this most desperate situation, exposed to the very unequal and destructive fire of the whole French squadron*. The Sirius had grounded nearly out of gun-shot, and the other ships were in a position which would allow very few of their guns to bear : had any of our squadron floated, and come to our assistance, the contest must very soon have termi- nated in our favour. We afterwards learned that the decks of our principal opponent had been thrice cleared, and that the French, from Port Louis, re- fusing to go on board, the ship had been partly re-manned by Irish traitors, previously taken by the enemy, and enlisted into their servicef. We continu- ed this unequal conflict until nearly atton board were killed or wounded : Cap- tain Willoughby lost an eye; and the sight of the other was much impaired ; the first Lieutenant was killed ; and the second wounded in the throat, breast, legs, and arms. Finding there was no possibility of obtaining any relief, we were under the painful necessity of striking, which the enemy did not regard, but continued firing through and through us the whole of the night, during which we were in momentary expectation of being blown up by their red-hot shot, which more than once set us on fire : we were also in imminent danger of sinking ; but the latter disaster was fortunately pre- vented by the cables and spring being shot away, and the ship running aground. We were then in the most dreadful state of carnage ever wit- nessed— 92 dead bodies lying on the deck, many of the crew dying, and most of the remainder severely wounded : words cannot express the horrors of the scene. I have only to add, that this action was the most severe ever recorded in history, and that it was prolonged in the full hope and expec- tation, that some of the squadron would be able to come to our assistance ; for had we sooner yielded, all chance of success would then have been de" Btroyed, owing to the unfortunate situation of our consorts" The disastrous events of Aug. 22 and 23, and the noble conduct of Captain Willoughby on the latter day, are still more minutely described by Mr. James, who has, however, made several material mistakes, which it is now our business to correct. He says : — * Captain Pym's letter proves that, although the Iphigenia did not actually get aground, she was unable to give la Nereide any effectual support : another officer informs us, that when bringing up, la Nereide's flying jib-boom scarcely cleared la Bellone ! ! t See p. 179, last par. of the text. 168 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. " The Sirius picked up the Nereide's boat with Lieutenant Deacon on board ; and on the 22d, at 1 1-10 A. M., arrived off the island, and exchanged numbers with the. Nereide, still at anchor within it ; and who immediately hoisted the signals ' ready for action,' ' enemy of inferior force.' Having, from the situation of the French squadron, decided on an immediate at- tack, Captain Pym made the signal for the master of the Nereide. Mr. Robert Lesby accordingly went on board the Sirius, to conduct her, as he supposed, to the anchorage at the back of the island. The Sirius now made all sail, with the usual E, S. E. or trade wind, and bore up for the passage; and at 2-40 P. M., agreeably to a signal to that effect from the Sirius, the Nereide got under weigh, and, under her staysails only, stood after her consort down the channel to Grand Port. At 4 P. M., having still the Nereide's master on board, but not her black pilot, who was the only person that knew the harbour, the Sirius unfortunately grounded upon a point of the shoal on the larboard side of the channel ; and, having run down with her square-sails set, and consequently with a great deal of way upon her, the ship was forced a considerable distance on the bank. The Nereide immediately brought up, and Captain Willoughby went OD board the Sirius, to assist in getting her afloat *.'* Instead of la N ereide following the Sirius, she preceded her ; and Captain Willoughby, being personally well ac- quainted with Port S. E., would have led Captain Pym safely alongside the enemy, had not the latter officer carried so much sail that he was obliged to yaw about, in order to avoid running aboard la Nereide — it was in consequence of his being under this necessity, that the Sirius grounded. Mr. James should have added, that the master of la Nereide knew less of Port S. E. than any other officer belonging to her, as he was always left in the command of the ship, whilst Cap- tain Willoughby and his Lieutenants were either on shore or employed in sounding the harbour : — in fact, Mr. Lesby had never before been so far in as the spot where the Sirius grounded on the 22d August. " At 10 A. M., Aug. 23, the Iphigenia and Magicienne were seen beat- ing up for Isle de la Passe ; and Captain Willoughby immediately sent his master, who had returned from the Sirius, to conduct them to the anchor^ age. * * • *. At 4-40 P. M., by signal from the Sirius, the four frigates, got under way ; and, preceded by the Nereide with her black pilot ou, board, stood down the channel to Grand Port. *»***». * Nav. Hist. v, p.413. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. ^ 169 " The Nereide, still with stay-sails only, cleared the tortuous channel, and stood along the edge of the reef that skirts the harbour directly for the rearmost French ship. The Sirius, about a quarter of an hour or 20 mi- nutes after she had weighed, keeping this time too much on the starboard hand, touched the ground. Very shoal water appearing ahead, the best bower anchor was let go ; but the velocity of the ship was so great, as to run the cable out in spite of stoppers and every other effort to check her way. The small-bower was then let go, but to no purpose, the ship conti- nuing to tear both cables out with great rapidity ; and unfortunately, the helm having been put a-port, the ship struck on a coral reef, which, a minute or two before, must have been on her starboard bow. Just as the Sirius had taken the ground, the French ships began firing, and their shot passed over the Nereide *. " With the Sirius as a beacon, the Magicienne and Iphigenia succes- sively cleared the channel; but, at 5-15 P. M., while steering for her station, and of course wide of the track in which the Nereide, with the only pilot in the squadron was steering, the Magicienne grounded on a bank, in such a position, that only three of her foremost guns on each deck could bear upon the enemy ; from whom she was then distant about 400 yards. Seeing what had befallen the Magicienne, the Iphigeuia. who was close in her rear, dropped her stream anchor, and came to by the stern in six fathoms : she then let go the best bower under foot, thereby bringing her starboard broadside to bear upon the Minerve ; into whom, at a pistol-shot distance, the Iphigenia immediately poured a heavy and de- structive fire. By this time the Nereide was also in hot action, and to her we must now attend. " Just as, regardless of the raking fire opened upon the Nereide in her approach, he was about to take up his allotted position on the bow of the Victor, Captain Willoughby saw what had befallen the Sirius ; and, with characteristic gallantry, steered for, and in his 12-pounder frigate anchored upon the beam of the Bellone, at the distance of less than 200 yards. Be- tween these two ill-matched ships, at about 5-15 P. M., a furious cannonade commenced ; the Victor, from her slanting position on the Nereide's quarter, being also enabled to take an occasional part in it. At 6-15, after having received an occasional fire from the bow guns of the Magicienne, and the quarter guns of the Iphigenia, the Ceylon hauled down her colours, and Captain Lambert immediately hailed the Magicienne to take posses- sion : at that instant the Ceylon was seen with her top-sails set, running * Although the master of the Sirius was unacquainted with the har- bour, he of course attended to the steering of the ship, and took particular notice of every cast of the lead. From two charts drawn by Mr. Lesby, and now lying before us, we find that the soundings in la Nereide's track were very regular ; the dejjrth of water gradually decreasing from 16 to 5 fathoms. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. on shore. At 6-30, the Minerve, having had her cable shot away, made sail after the Ceylon. Both these ships grounded near the Bellone ; but the Ceylon first ran foul of the latter, and compelled her to cut and run aground also : the Bellone, however, lay in such a position that her broad- side still bore on the Nereide*." La Bellone did not cut in consequence of the Ceylon running foul of her ; but voluntarily, and that for the express purpose of getting further from la Nereide9 s fire, as is implied in Captain Pym's letter, and tacitly admitted by Monsieur Duperre. Mr. James continues his account in the following terms : — " At a few minutes before 7 P. M , the Nereide's spring was shot away, and the ship immediately swung stern ou to the Bellone's broadside. A most severe raking fire followed. To avoid this, and bring her starboard broadside to bear, the Nereide cut her small bower cable, and, letting go the best, succeeded so far in her object. At about 10 P. M., or a little afterwards, a piece of grape, or langridge, from one of the Nereide's guns, cut Captain Duperre' on the head, and knocked him senseless upon the deck. As the fire of the Minerve was now completely masked by that of the Bellone, Captain Bouvet removed from the former on board the latter, and took the command." La Nereide did not make use of langridge, but grape and canister she discharged in abundance 5 which no other ship was near enough the enemy to do. The fire of la Minerve was never completely masked by la Bellone. On the contrary, three of her long 18-pounders and two 36-pounder carronades continued incessantly to play upon la Nereide during the remainder of her five hours' des- perate and sanguinary battle, the whole time within hail of la Bellone. Since the early part of the action, Captain Willoughby had been severely wounded by a splinter on the left cheek, which had also torn his eye completely out of the socket. The first Lieutenant lay mortally, and the second most dangerously wounded ; 1 marine officer, 2 officers of foot, 1 of artillery, 2 midshipmen, and the greater part of the crew and soldiers, were either killed or disabled. Most of the quarter-deck, and several of the main- deck guns were dismounted ; the hull of the ship was shattered in all directions, and striking the ground astern. His frigate being in this state, and five hours having * Nav. Hist, v, p. 415. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 171 elapsed since the commencement of the action, without the arrival of a single boat from any one of the squadron, or even a signal being made to her, Captain Willoughby now ordered the feebly maintained fire of the Nereide to cease, and the few survivors of the crew to shelter themselves in the lower part of the ship. He then sent acting Lieutenant William Weiss (a very young man who had not yet served his full time as a midshipman), with one of the two remaining boats, on board the Sirius, " to acquaint Captain Pym with the de- fenceless state of the ship ; leaving it to his judgment, as the senior officer, whether or not it was practicable to tow the Nereide beyond the reach of the enemy's shot, or to take out the wounded and set her on fire ; an act that would have greatly endangered, and might have been the means of de- stroying the Bellone herself, as well as the whole cluster of grounded ships, the situation of which cannot be better ex- pressed than in the words of Captain Pym himself, — ( the whole of the enemy on shore in a heap*.' '' At about 10-45 P. M., a boat from the Sirius, with an officer of that frigate, also Lieutenant Davis of the engineers, and Mr. Weiss, whose boat had been sunk before he got well along- side of the commodore, reached la Nereide, with a message from Captain Pym, requesting her persevering commander to abandon his ship and come on board the Sirius ; but, with a feeling that did him honor, Captain Willoughby sent back word that he would not quit her, until every officer and man was first removed f. Although Captain Willoughby refused to leave his ship, he ordered all the wounded officers to be taken on board the Sirius, and they, of course, gladly availed themselves of the opportunity, with the exception of the master, who, not being dangerously hurt, remained with his heroic comman- der. At that period no one on board la Nereide supposed that the Sirius was in danger of being lost : on the contrary, those who were removed to the latter ship felt happy in having thus escaped being made prisoners, seeing that they had no- * Nav. Hist, v, 416. t The above fact was sworn to by Mr. Weiss, at the subsequent trial of Captain Willoughby, &c. 172 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. thing to fear from the enemy's distant fire. That Captain Pym himself did not then consider the Sirius in an utterly hopeless state, is evident from his anxiety for Captain Wil- loughby's removal to her, lest the conduct of the latter, in having negociated with the inhabitants of Grand Port, and distributed Governor Farquhar's proclamations, might prove prejudicial to him. "At 11 P. M., Captain Willoughby sent an officer to the Bellone, which still continued a very destructive fire, to say that the Nereide had struck ; but, being in a sinking state from shot-holes, the boat returned without having reached the French ship. At about 30 minutes past midnight, the main-mast of the Nereide went by the board. At 1-30 A. M., on the 24th, several of her ropes caught fire, but the flames were quickly extinguished. At about 1-50, after having been repeatedly hailed without effect by one or the other of the French prisoners who were on board the Nereide, the Bellone discontinued her fire. The Iphigenia and Magicienne, a portion of whose fire had already dismounted the guns at the battery de la Reine, then ceased theirs ; and all was silent *. " At day-light the Bellone re-opened her fire upon the Nereide. To put a stop to this, French colours were lashed to the fore-rigging ; but still the enemy continued their fire. It was now surmised, and very natu- rally too, that the cause of this persevering hostility was the union-jack at the mizen-top-gallant-mast-head, which could not be hauled down ; for by one account f it had been nailed there ; and, by another, the haliards had been shot away, as well as all the rigging and ropes by which the mast could be ascended. As the only alternative, the mizen-mast was cut away, and the firing of the Bellone instantly ceased J." Of la Nereide's established complement, as stated at p. 148, only 202 were on board when she went into action ; — she had sailed from the Cape (in April) with only 228 ; since then 10 had been either killed or invalided, and a master's- mate and 15 men were absent cruising in her tender. To the first mentioned number, however, should be added 3 military officers, 2 of whom were killed, the other severely wounded, 12 artillery men, 50 grenadiers, and 10 light infantry, part of those recently exchanged at Port Louis, making a total of 277 persons. Commodore Duperre' says, in his official report to General De Caen : — " Le 22, la fre'gate anglaise le Syritu se joignit a la fregate la Nereide, mouill^e sous 1'Isle de la Passe ; toutes deux firent un mouvement pour m'attaquer. Dans ce moment votre Excellence connaissant la position des * Nav. Hist. v. 417. f La Nereide's log. \ Nav. Hist. v. 418. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 173 equipages conside'rablement ajfaiblis pur Varmement des prises et les en- gagement soutenus pendant la campagne m'expe'dia un, detachement de 60 marins de la frigate la Manche et de la corvette /'Eutreprenant, sous le commandement de MM. Coste, lieutenant de vaisseau ; Vieillard, Esnouf, Junot, enseignes; et Dubosq, f^erg-os, Fautrel, Arnauld, et Descombes, aspirans ; auquel f assignai de suite un poste a lord des divers biitimens *. The loss on board the French ships,- according to Commo- dore Duperre's statement, amounted to 37 killed, and 112 wounded. Amongst the former were " MM. Montozon et Meunier, officiers de la Bellone ; Lanchon, de la corvette le Victor ; et Arnaud, aspirant." Our readers will not fail to observe, that those officers, the only French ones slain, be- longed to la Nereide's immediate opponents ; and that Cap- tain Willoughby's was the only English ship that had an officer killed. The number of men on board la Bellone at the commencement of the battle, could scarcely have been less than 400 or 420, and none were wanted to attend to the sails. The enemy's admitted loss, considering that it must nearly all have been inflicted by la Nereide, was highly cre- ditable to the skill and exertions of her officers and crew; to whose assistance not a single man was sent during the whole conflict, although, at the time when all the French ships and batteries opened upon her, or, more properly speaking, at the commencement of the second action, Captain Wil- loughby, the two senior Lieutenants, and half of her men, were already hors de combat. We say at the commencement of the second action, be- cause we consider that la Nereide fought two distinct battles on the 23d Aug. 1810— the first with la Bellone and le Victor, which ships, although supported by a flanking battery, were indisputably defeated by her ; and the second with the whole French squadron, supported by several batteries. Judging from what la Nereide effected alone, we also think that Captain Pym was perfectly justified in saying, " nothing was wanting, to make a most complete victory, but one of the other frigates to close with la Bellone ;" and that if he could have got alongside of her, all the enemy's ships would have been taken in less than half an hour. It is our firm belief, that if it had been decreed from above, that even the Magi- * Gazette des Isles de France et Bonaparte, 26 Sept. 1810. 174 POST, CAPTAINS OF 1810. cienne, the weakest of the other three British frigates, should have followed Captain Willoughby into close action, the victory would have been theirs in a very short time. The French did not take possession of la Nereide until nearly 3 P. M. Lieutenant Roussin then went on board for that purpose, spiked all the guns, liberated 20 of his country- men who had been taken by the British, and reported to Commodore Duperre, that 100 of the latter were lying dead or dying upon her decks. " M. le Lieutenant de Vaisseau, Roussin," says the Commodore, " fut envoye a mariner la Ndreide. II la trouva dans un e*tat impossible a d£- crire; 100 morts ou mourans £taient sur les ponts; son capitaine, M. Willoughby, e"tait blesse* *." In justice to the petty officers, seamen, marines, and sol- diers on board la Nereide, we must here observe, that the few who escaped unhurt, and very few there were, together with those not totally incapacitated by their wounds, most heroically kept up the unequal fight for some time after they had been left without a single commissioned or warrant officer to direct them : — the following is a list of the officers belonging to, and supernumeraries on board la Nereide, Aug. 23, 1810 : N. J. Willoughby, Captain, dangerously wounded. John Burns, 1st Lieutenant, mortally Henry C. Deacon, 2d ditto, dangerously William Weiss, [3d ditto, (acting,) no one yet joined in lieu of the former. William Lesby, Master, received a severe contusion in the side by a splinter, during the action ; and afterwards had his hand badly burnt in extinguishing the fire in the rigging. Thomas R. Pye, Lieut. R. M., not recovered from a wound received at the attack of St. Pauls ; see p. 148, par. 1. Thomas S. Cox, Lieutenant, R. M., severely wounded. John Strong, Boatswain, - - - ditto. John Constable, Gunner, } John Martin, Carpenter, > Quartered below. George Young, Surgeon, ) * French Gazette. — Of the above number, two, and two only, were killed after la Nereide ceased to resist. N. B. According to Mr. James, she had at least 137 wounded ; his statement respecting the slain, agrees with that given at p. 166: — Capt. Brenton says that 116 were killed and many mortally wounded. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. Thomas Stones, Purser, absent on duty at Bourbon. Lieutenant Davies, Mad. Eng. absent on board Sirius. Aldwinkle, Mad. Art. i ...... Morlett, 33d Regt. J J Needhall, 69th do. severely wounded. * Vice-Admiral Bertie, when reporting the destruction of the Sirius and Magicienne, and the surrender to the ene- my of the Iphigenia and Nereide, says "the latter after a GLORIOUS resistance, almost unparalleled even in the brilliant annals of the British navy" In another part of the same letter he acquaints the Admiralty that, " having found it practicable to equip the Venus," a French frigate captured by Captain Rowley, on the 18th Sept. 1810, he had not hesitated (e to commission her for the time being, under the name of the Nereide, in commemoration of the gallant defence of his Majesty's late ship bearing that name/' Captain Willoughby being now a prisoner, a council was held by General De Caen, to determine whether or not he should be punished for having intrigued with the leading people of the island, and distributed proclamations, having a tendency to subvert the allegiance of the inhabitants in gene- ral, it was decided, notwithstanding his previous liability, that, as he had been taken in honorable fight, he should be treated as a prisoner of war. On this occasion, the French governor is reported to have said, " Let the / 'outre live ; he has lost his eye and his ship, after defending her most gallantly." * We believe that la Nereide had only four midshipmen on board, one of whom, Mr. George Tim mins, was killed; another, Mr. Samuel Costerton, severely wounded. Some of the circumstances attending her famous de- fence, strongly remind us of the last battle fought by Sir Richard Grenville, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. That heroic officer, being advised to trust to the good sailing of his ship for safety, peremptorily refused to fly from the enemy, telling his officers, " that he would much rather die than leave such a mark of dishonor on himself, his country, and the Queen's ship." In consequence of this resolution, he was presently surrounded by the whole Spanish fleet, which he most gallantly fought from about 3 P. M., August 31, 1591, until the break of daynext morning, continuing to give his orders although wounded early in the action. Of his officers and crew, only 103 in number, 40 were killed and almost all the rest wounded : his masts were shot away, and his ship reduced to a perfect wreck, unable to move one way or the other. See Campbell's Lives of the Admirals, edition of 1813, Vol. I. p. 448. 176 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. It is almost needless to add that poor Johnson, the black pilot, who had been Captain Willoughby's guide in all- his landings, was immediately put to death. As for la Nereide, she was rendered so completely hors de combat before her colours were hauled down, that we doubt whether the enemy ever attempted to repair her : at all events, the British, when they captured the Mauritius, found it im- possible to do so, and she was consequently sold only to be broken up. The following statement appears in " Brenton's Naval History :" " No part of her was sheltered ; the shot of the enemy penetrated to the hold and the bread-room, where a young midshipman was killed, as he lay bleeding from a previous wound. Captain Willoughby, having lost an eye, and being otherwise severely hurt, was removed from the bread-room to the fore part of the hold, as less exposed to shot/' This passage in the u Naval History" gave rise to a cor- respondence, which we shall now transcribe, although its insertion here is not strictly according to chronological order : " Royal Naval Club, Bond Street, Feb. 10, 1826. " My dear Sir, — In reading your Naval History, I find respecting iny- self a few errors, which I trust you will correct in your second edition : the one to which I particularly allude, is in volume 4th, page 469, where you say ' I was, after being wounded, removed from the bread-room to the fore part of the hold, as being less exposed to shot.' This you will find, upon enquiry, is not the fact, as, after I was wounded, I was in no part of the ship but the gun-room and cock-pit. I remain, my dear Sir, very truly yours, (Signed) " N. J. WILLOUGHBY." " To Captain Edward Brenton, R. N." (ANSWER.) " 4, Park Lane, Feb. 10, 1826. " My dear Sir,— I am extremely sorry that any statement of mine should have caused you one moment's pain. Upon the circumstance of your removal from the bread-room to the fore-part of the ship, or fore- hold, I was mis-informed, as appears by your surgeon's letter, and the statement of other officers. I shall have great pleasure in contradicting it ; and with respect to the other inaccuracies, they shall be corrected in ano- ther edition. I remain, my dear Sir, yours very sincerely, (Signed) " E. P. BRENTON." " To Captain Willoughby , R. N. C. B. *" * Mr. George Timmins, the midshipman alluded to by Captain Brenton, was wounded at his quarters on the main-deck, and had his head shot off while sitting at the door of his mess-berth. POST-CAPTAfNS OF 1810. 177 Shortly after the capture of the isle of France, Captain Wiiloughby was tried by a court-martial, for the loss of his ship, and for his conduct from the time she anchored offl'Isle de la Passe until her surrender. The following is a copy of the sentence : " The Court is of opinion, that the conduct of Captain Wiiloughby" (on the twenty-second Aug.) " was injudicious, in making the signal ' enemy of inferior force' to the Sirius, she being" then "the only ship in sight, and not justifiable, as the enemy was superior. But the Court is of opinion, that his Majesty's late ship Nereide was carried into battle '' (on the twenty- third) "in a MOST JUDICIOUS, OFFICER-LIKE, AND GALLANT MANNED; and the Court cannot do otherwise than express its high admiration of the noble conduct of the captain, officers, and ship's company, during the whole of the unequal contest, and is further of opinion, that the Nereide was not surrendered to the enemy, until she was disabled in every respect, so as to render all further resistance useless, and that no blame whatever attaches to them for the loss of the said ship : the Court doth therefore adjudge Captain Wiiloughby, the officers, and ship's company of his Majesty's late ship Nereide, to be most honorably acquitted; and they are hereby MOST HONORABLY ACQUITTED accordingly.'* Captain Willoughby's address to the Court, corroborates what we have stated at pp. 159 and 161, respecting the enemy at Port Louis being ready for sea, and his volunteering to lead in and attack Duperre's squadron. It moreover informs us, that the signals " ready for action" and " enemy of in- ferior force '* w.ere made, to counteract the effect of an indica- tion of inability, by the appearance of a stage up la Nereide's foremast, which had been badly wounded on the 20th August. Having thus placed upon record the "glorious" and "noble" conduct of "poor Nereide/' whose officers, &c., were, in our opinion, rather to be envied than pitied, we can- not avoid remarking, how weighty a responsibility Captain Wiiloughby took upon himself, in volunteering to lead his senior officer into action ; and the anxiety he must have ex- perienced both on the 22d and 23d August : had la Nereide, from any unforeseen circumstance, got on shore when run- ning down to the enemy, a universal outcry would have been raised against him, and his judges would have passed some- thing very different to the above unprecedented , sentence. SUPPL. PART TI. N POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. We shall now make our readers acquainted with the opinion entertained by the Governor-General of India, of her sangui- nary battle at Port Sud- Est, on which occasion she had many more men killed than the whole British squadron, in the much talked-of recent affair at Navarin *, and at least 20 more than were slain in our whole fleet, at the celebrated battle off Cape St. Vincent, Feb. 14, 1797. The following are extracts of two letters from Lord Minto to Governor Farquhar, dated Oct. 19, and Oct. 21, 1810:— " It is superfluous to express the extreme concern and disappointment which tl>e occurrence of this disaster has occasioned to my mind ; but deeply as I lament the failure of the gallant attempt to capture or destroy the enemy's naval force in the harbour of Port S, E., and especially the loss of the ships which have been destroyed, and of the many valuable officers and men who have fallen on this occasion, it is yet satisfactory to reflect, that the result of it is alone to be ascribed to the operation of causes beyond the controul of human foresight and precaution, while it affords another and distinguished instance of that spii;it and heroism which cha- racterize the British navy, and which in the recent contest has been displayed in a degree seldom equalled, and perhaps, never surpassed, under the most trying circumstances of difficulty, danger, and distress." " The first feelings I am anxious to convey, are those of regret and af- fliction, at the loss of so many precious lives, and the sufferings of the surviving officers and men, in the affair at Port S. E. : that sentiment, however, is immediately succeeded by admication of the extraordinary heroism that distinguished that disastrous day, and which has attached to it a species of, and degree of glory, which fortunate events alone cannot confer. Courage which survives hope, and unbroken spirit under such complicated evils as those of the 23d August, are the highest efforts of human charac- ter, and place those who have displayed them amongst the superior beings of oar race. What are we to think, therefore, of a whole profession, which never fails to produce those deuai-gods, whenever they are called for ; and may we not reasonably be proud of a country which constantly produces, to that profession, fresh and successive crowds of; such heroes.'* Presuming that some of our readers have not perused the accounts given by Brenton and James, of Capt. Willoughby's daring conduct at Jacotel and in Port Sud-Est, we shall here give some extracts of their statements. Speaking of the * See Captain Sir THOMAS FELLOWES, C. B. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 179 successes of Commodore Rowley, previous to the reduction of the Isle of France, the former writer says : — " There was one circumstance attending the attack on this island, which, though hitherto scarcely noticed by historians, contributed greatly to en- lighten the minds of the inhabitants, till then kept in profound ignorance of the state of things. We mean the daring adventure of Capt. Willoughby, of the Nereide, who, after landing at Jacotel, penetrated into the interior of the island, and distributed the proclamations which made the inhabitants acquainted with the views of the British government, and induced them, on our forces' landing, to lay down their arms, and gladly avail themselves of British protection*." After recording the most honorable acquittal of Captain Willoughby, Mr. James thus happily expresses himself: — " To this testimony in favor of the Nereide, we shall merely add, that the noble behaviour of her officers and crew threw such a halo of glory around the defeat at Grand Port, that, in public opinion at least, the loss of the four frigates was scarcely considered a misfortune t." On the morning of the 30th Nov. 1810, the day after the debarkation of the British troops under Major-General Abercromby, " there was a slight skirmishing between the adverse pickets ; and on the 1st and-2d o£ December, an affair, rather more serious, took place between the British main body and a corps of the enemy, who with several field-pieces had, taken a strong position to check the advance of the invaders. The French, however, were soon overpowered by numbers, »**»**. Immediately after the termination of this battle, General De Caen, who, in the slight support he received from the Colonial Militia, now learnt to appreciate the effects of the proclamations so industriously spread among them by Captain Willoughby, proposed terms of capitulation ; and on the following morning, the 3d, the articles were signed, and ratifications exchanged, surrendering the island to Great Britain. The garrison of the Isle of France consisted, it appears, of no more than 1300 regular troops, including, to their shame be it spoken, a corps of about 500 Irishmen, chiefly recruits taken out of the captured Indiamen. But the militia force amounted to upwards of\ 0,000 men ; a number which General De Caen, no doubt, would have gladly exchanged for as many more regulars as he had under his command J." « Brenton, v, 481. f James, v, 431. J Id. 475. — N. B. In this we perfectly agree with Mr. James ; for Ge- neral De Caen, knowing that Captain Willoughby, at the head of only 200 men, had landed and marched upwards of 20 miles in the face of 2200* must have felt that he could stand but little chance of retaining his govern- ment, by means of the French militia, after 13,000 British and native troops had been brought against him. N 2 180 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. The opinions entertained by the English Governors of the Isles of France and Bourbon, of the beneficial effects^produced upon the French militia, by the proclamations which Captain Willoughby had circulated among them, are contained in two public letters written by those gentlemen when he was on the eve of his departure for England. The following are copies of the said documents ; and that dated Dec. 27, 1810, is the only correct one that has ever met the public eye : — GOVERNOR FARQCHAR TO CAPTAIN WILLOUGHBY. " Port Louis, 8th Jan. 1811. " Sir, — The unfortunate, though gallant affair, in which you so emi- nently distinguished yourself at Grand Port, and which for a short time interrupted all communication with you, prevented my replying imme- diately to your despatch, which I received on the 21st August, informing me of your having landed in the Isle of France, on the 1 7th and 18th that mouth j of your having destroyed the batteries and magazines at Grand Port, and distributed the proclamations with which I had entrusted you, for the inhabitants of the Isle of France. I cannot, however, permit you to quit this colony without expressing to you my warmest acknowledg- ments, for the very satisfactory manner in which you executed every part of this important duty. I feel it the more necessary now to make this official declaration of my sentiments to you, from the more intimate know, ledge I have acquired, since I assumed this government, of the beneficial effects produced by those proclamations on the minds of the inhabitants. However much, therefore, I am disposed to admire that enterprising spirit and perseverance which dared to land at the second principal port of the main island, at the head of only 200 men, and to effect a long march of 20 miles, for the purpose of destroying the defences, in the face of an enemy far superior to you ; and however much I must commend that prudence and discretion which enabled you to re-embark without the loss of a single man, after having effected every object you had in view, it is still more my indispensable duty, as being in my immediate province, to bear this public testimony of the prompt and efficient execution of the de- licate and dangerous service which you undertook, of issuing iny proclama- tions to the inhabitants of a neighbouring hostile colony ! I feel convinced that this, amongst the many other more brilliant services in which you have been engaged, and of which you bear so many honorable marks, wilt speedily replace you in a situation which will afford ample scope for the exercise of the distinguished naval talents and undaunted heroism which your countrymen, as well as the enemy, unanimously bear testimony of your possessing. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " R. T, FARQUHAR.'* POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. 181 Lieutenant-Governor Keating to Captain Willoughby. " St. Denis, Isle of Bourbon, 27th Dec. 1810. " Sir,— I cannot allow you to depart from these islands, that have so often witnessed with wonder the intrepid, daring valour of your conduct, without joining in the general wish — that qualities so valuable maybe duly appreciated by our Country, and that services so singularly eminent may be distinguished by the beneficence of our gracious Sovereign. " Among the applauses of your own service, and the admiration of ours, the testimony of my sentiments can add but little to your fame; but I should be ungrateful, did I not state how large a share is due to you in the conquest of these islands, where so much has been done by the few — so little by the many. " On my first reconnoitreing these citadels of French power in the East, I found the name of Willoughby already familiar with the inhabitants as a vigilant enterprising enemy — and a generous conqueror. " When we captured St. Paul's, it was the gallant Corbett * who recon- noitred our landing place, and enabled us to debark with a secrecy and rapidity perhaps unequalled. You then fought by my side, leading by your example 80 seamen to the most daring achievements. I felt the full value of your services j my testimony of them is on record. When I had led my force back to Rodriguez, you, ever indefatigable and on the watch for the enemy, made a landing at Jacotel, in the Isle of France, and expe- rimentally confirmed our information aa to the strength of the enemy, while your gallantry in carrying off a number of prisoners in the face of a superior enemy, was a new proof of unshrinking determination, that sur- prised even your friends. " The conquest of Bourbon was the next scene in which your conduct was displayed, and this also is on record. " After this achievement, while most were refreshing themselves after the toils, hardships, and privations, that were the lot of all, you, never in- active while any thing remained undone, volunteered to take the Isle de la Passe, commanding the chief entrance to S. E. Port, and I gave you 100 chosen men to assist in that important service. " Your next attempt was on Point du Diable, the strongest post in the south of the Mauritius, and doubly valuable as commanding the other en- trance of Port S. E. " The gallantry of this attack, its complete success without the loss of a man on your side ; your march of 20 miles afterwards, when from the dis- position of your force, you compelled a superior to retreat before you with loss ; your distribution of the proclamation of the Honorable the Governor, * Captain Willoughby's predecessor in la Nereide, of whom mention is made at p. 629, of our first volume. 182 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. which wat attended with effects so beneficial, by demonstrating the views of our country in taking possession of these colonies ; the orderly conduct of your force in abstaining from any act of irregularity, and thus gaining the confidence of the inhabitants ; these were services of no ordinary de- scription. " I now approach that period of your services, which will hand your name to posterity 'among those consecrated by the admiration of our country. Here, in the nervous language of the Governor-General, *you displayed a heroism almost fabulous, and acquired a glory of too transcen- dent a character, to be reaped by any other portion of the human racet than the seamen and soldiers of our own nation.' " Whatever I could add to a testimony so exalted, would be superfluous. I must now take my leave ; you quit those scenes where we have fought together and bled for our country j but you return to no ungrateful country ; she has long been known to reward that portion of her sons who have raised her name to the most exalted of the earth ; and in thus honor- ing the splendid exertions of superior merit, has founded the most impreg- nable bulwark of her strength. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) "HY. S. KEATING.'' On his return to England, Captain Willoughby was sur- veyed by the College of Surgeons, and in consequence of their report, a pension of BOOL per annum was granted to him, Oct. 4, 1811 ; they stating, that he had not only lost an eye, but that his other wounds were more than equal to the loss of a limb. In 1815, this pension was increased to 550/. per an- num, commencing from July 1, in that year, agreeably to H. M. Order in Council, dated Nov. 2/. Having now arrived at the conclusion of Captain Wil- loughby's naval services, during the late war, we cannot help remarking, that he had the peculiar good fortune never to be discomfited, either afloat or on shore, when the service to be performed was arranged by himself, and the plan carried into •vfcecution under his own directions. From the time of his joining the Otter until the twentieth of August, 1810, that day also included, his astonishing efforts to signalize himself were invariably successful. His only unfortunate action was fought under the orders of a superior officer ! In 1812, having no immediate prospect of employment afloat, Captain Willoughby obtained leave to go abroad ; and repaired to the Baltic, ready to serve as a volunteer wherever active service might be in contemplation. POST- CAPTAINS OP 1810. 183 Hearing upon his arrival, that Riga was about to be be- sieged by the French and Prussian forces under Marshals Macdonald and Yorck ; and that Rear-Admiral T. B. Martin had gone thither to co-operate with the Russian garrison, Captain Willoughby immediately made a tender of his ser- vices to that officer, from whom he received a handsome let- ter in return, acquainting him that there was no immediate apprehension of an attack. Upon receiving the Rear-Admiral's answer. Captain Wil- loughby's enterprising spirit led him without loss of time to St. Petersburg^ at which court Earl Cathcart was then re- siding as British Ambassador, and through whom he solici- ted permission to serve in the Russian army ; offering to fur- nish himself with all necessary equipments, and to continue under the Imperial standard, without pay or compensation of any kind, during the war then recently begun between Alexander and Napoleon. A short correspondence took place, in consequence of Ms being an English officer on half-pay ; but at length his servi- ces were accepted by the Czar, who commanded that he should repair to Riga, and put himself under the orders of General Essen, the governor df that city. While there, we find him living with the commanding officers of the British flotilla, the present Captains Hew Steuart and John Brenton. On the 26th Sept. J812, Captain Willoughby left Riga, under the command of Lieutenant- General Count Steinheil, who had lately arrived from Finland, with ISjOOO troops, supposed to be the finest corps in the Russian service, and whose intention it was to fight his way through Macdo- nald's army, for the purpose of joining General Wittgenstein, who was then besieging Polotzk, and also threatening the left flank of the French army at Smolensk. The result of this movement will be seen by the following extracts of Count de Segur's history : " By the middle of October, the Russian army at that point amounted to 52/000 men, while ours was only 17,000. In this number must be included the 6th corps, or the Bavarians, reduced from 22,000 to 1800 men, and 2000 cavalry. The latter were then absent ; St. Cyr being 184 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. without forage, and uneasy respecting the attempts of the enemy upon his flanks, had sent them to a considerable distance up the river" Diina, " with orders to return by the left bank, in order to procure subsistence and to gain intelligence. " This marshal was afraid of having his right turned by Wittgenstein and his left by Steingell (Steinheil), who was advancing at the head of two divisions of the army of Finland, which had recently arrived at Riga. Saint Cyr had sent a very pressing letter to Macdonald, requesting him to use his efforts to stop the inarch of these Russians, who would have to pass his army, and to send him a reinforcement of 15,000 men; or if he would not do that, to come himself with succours to that amount, and take the command over him. In the same letter he also submitted to Macdonald all his plans of attack and defence. But Macdonald did not feel himself authorized to operate so important a movement without orders. He distrusted Yorck, whom he perhaps suspected of an intention of letting the Russians get possession of his besieging artillery. His reply was that he must first of all think of defending that, and he remained sta- tionary. In this state of affairs, the Russians became daily more and more emboldened; and finally, on the 17th October, the out posts of St. Cyr were driven into his camp, and Wittengenstein possessed himself of all the outlets of the woods which surround Polotzk. He threatened us with a battle, which he did not believe we would venture to accept * * * *. The night which followed0 the desperate engagement at the village of Guravitchne* " was perfectly tranquil, even to Saint Cyr. His cavalry brought him wrong intelligence ; they assured him that no enemy had passed the Diina, either above or below his position : this was incor- rect, as Steingell and 13,000 Russians had crossed the river at Drissa, and gone up on the left bank, with the object of taking the marshal in the rear, and shutting him up in Polotzk, between them, the Diina, and Wittgenstein. " The morning of the 19th exhibited the latter under arms, and making every disposition for an attack, the signal for which he appeared to be afraid of giving. St. Cyr, however, was not to be deceived by these ap- pearances ; he was satisfied that it was not his feeble entrenchments which kept back an enterprising and numerous enemy, but that he was doubtless waiting the effect of some manreuvre, the signal of some important opera- tion, which could only be effected in his rear. " In fact, about ten o'clock in the morning, an aide-de-camp eame in full gallop from the other side of the river, with the intelligence, that another hostile army, that of Steingell, was inarching rapidly along the Lithua- nian side of the river, and that it had defeated the French cavalry. He required immediate assistance, without which this fresh army would speed-* See Gi 'ford's History of the Wars, Vol. I, p. 798. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 185 ily get in the rear of the camp, and surround it. The news of this en- gagement soon reached the army of Wittgenstein, where it excited the greatest joy, while it carried dismay into the French camp. Their posi- tion became dreadfully critical. Let any one figure to himself these brave fellows, hemmed in, against a wooden town, by a force of treble their number, with a great river behind them, and no other means of re- treat but a bridge, the passage from which was threatened by another army. " It was in vain that St. Cyr then weakened his force by three regi- ments, which-he despatched to the other side to meet Steingell, and whose march he contrived to conceal from Wittgenstein's observation. Every moment the noise of the former's artillery was approaching nearer and nearer to Polotzk. The batteries, which from the left side protected the French camp, were now turned round ready to fire upon thisnew enemy. At sight of this, loud shouts of joy burst out from the whole of Wittgen- stein's line ; but that officer still remained immoveable. To make him begin" (to act in concert) " it was not merely necessary that he should hear Steingell; he seemed absolutely determined to see him make his ap- pearance, " Meanwhile, all Saint Cyr's generals, in consternation, were surround- ing him, and urging him to order a retreat, which would soon become im- possible. Stv Cyr refused : convinced that the 50,000 Russians before him, under arms, only waited for his first retrograde movement to pounce upon him, he remained immoveable, availing himself of their unaccountable inaction, and still flattering himself that night would come on before Stein- gell could make his appearance. " He has since confessed, that never in his life was his mind in such a state of agitation. A thousand times, in the course of these three hours of suspense, he was seen looking at his watch, and at the sun, as if he could hasten his setting. " At last, when Steingell was within half an hour's march of Polotzk, when he had only to make a few efforts to appear in the plain, to reach the bridge of the town, and shut out Saint Cyr from the only outlet by which he could escape from Wittgenstein, he halted. Soon after, a thick fog, which the French looked upon as an interposition from heaven, pre- ceded the approach of night, and shut out the three armies from the sight of each other. " Saint Cyr only waited for that moment. His numerous artillery had already silently crossed the river ; his divisions were about to follow it and conceal their retreat, when Legrand, either from custom, or regret at abandoning his camp untouched to the enemy, set fire to it : the other two divisions, fancying that this was a signal agreed upon, followed his exam- ple, and in an instant the whole line was in a blaze. " This fire disclosed their movement ; the whole of Wittgenstein's bat- teries immediately began their fire ^ his columns rushed forward, his 186 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. sheila set fire to the town ; the French troops were obliged to contend every inch of ground with the flames, the fire throwing1 light on the en- gagement the same as broad day-light. The retreat, however, was effect- ed in good order ; on both sides the loss was great, but it was not until three o'clock, on the morning of the 20th October, that the Russian eagle regained possession of Polotzk. " As good luck would have it, Steingell slept soundly at the noise of this battle, although he might have heard even the shouts of the Rus- sian militia *. He seconded the attack of Wittgenstein during that night, as little as Wittgenstein had seconded his the day before. It was not until Wittgenstein had finished on the right side, that the bridge of Polotzk was broken down, and St. Cyr, with all his force on the left bank, and then fully able to cope xvith Steingell, that the latter began to put him- self in motion. But De Wrede, with 6000 French, surprised him in his first movement, beat him back several leagues into the woods which he had quitted, and took or killed 2000 of his menf." It is but too true, that the fine Finland corps was cut up in the manner described by de Segur, and that the French troops were thus allowed to escape from nearly four times their numbers* Among the prisoners taken by De Wrede was Captain Willoughby, whose generous conduct on this occasion entitles him to as much praise as any of his former brilliant actions : — it is thus described in " Gilford's Memoirs of Napoleon," vol. ii, note f at p. 199 et seq. — " Captain Willoughby displayed the greatest ability, as well as intre- pidity ; but became a victim to his own generosity, so far as to fall into the hands of the enemy ; for having observed two Russian soldiers badly wounded, and who were attempting with bleeding and mangled limbs, to withdraw from the scene of slaughter, he instantly dismounted, and order- ing his attendant cossack to do the same, he actually placed the wounded men upon the horses, and attended them upon foot, by which means he fell into the hands of a party of French hussars. " No sooner did the Emperor Alexander hear of this circumstance than he directed a letter to be sent to Napoleon, requesting his exchange, and offering any French officer in his possession, in lieu : to which the invader answered, that NO ENGLISHMAN would be exchanged I'* * General Wittgenstein's army was chiefly composed of enthusiastic patriots, very few of whom had ever before been called upon to face dan- ger in the field of battle. t See De Segur's History of Napoleon's Expedition to Russia, Vol. II, pp. 182—189. POST-CAPTAIN'S OP 1810. 187 Immediately after this unfortunate event, it was repre- sented to Captain Willoughby, that upon his signing a paper, pledging his word of honor to use every despatch in proceed- ing to France, by a route pointed out to him, he would be allowed to travel thither alone ; but that if he refused to give such a pledge, he would be obliged to march with the other prisoners. Although then possessed of only a few ducats, and with no prospect of being able to obtain money by bills on England until his arrival at Dantzic, Captain Willoughby readily signed the paper, thereby binding himself to proceed to Mayence in the department of Mont Tonne're : — our readers will readily conceive, how great must have been his aston- ishment and indignation, at finding that he was nevertheless ordered to march in company with the other prisoners. In vain did he complain of this shameful imputation on his honor ; and equally fruitless was his demand, that the paper should be given up to him. The limits of this work prevent us from giving a descrip- tion of the extraordinary and heart-rending scenes, which Captain Willoughby witnessed during the retreat of the French from Moscow ; neither are we able to enter into a detail of what he himself suffered from cold, fatigue, and hunger, while traversing the vast deserts of Russia and Poland, amid the dreadful storm of men and elements that accele- rated Napoleon's downfall. After reaching Minsk> Captain Willoughby was conducted by a gen d'arme to Wilna, the capital of Lithuania, where he arrived in the same shirt which he had worn ever since he was taken prisoner, and the same outward garments in which he had daily fought with the enemy^ whilst marching from Riga to Polotzk. On his arrival at Wilna, Captain Willoughby, and the other prisoners of rank, were ordered to appear before the gover- nor, Count Horgendorf, who accosted him rather rudely, and expressed his surprise at seeing a British naval officer serving with such a people as the Russians; to which he replied, that he did not care in what sort of company he fought, so long a 188 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. it was against the enemies of his country ! Nothing more passed till the following day, when he again received a sum- mons, but which none of the other captives did, to attend the governor, who he was then surprised to find could speak as good English as himself — their previous conversation having been carried on in French. Count Horgendorf, it appears, had also changed his manners with his language ; for after acquainting Captain Willoughby, that he was a Dutchman by birth, but compelled by the state of political affairs to become a French General, he stated, that he had formerly had much intercourse with Englishmen ; that he had the highest opinion of their honor, and that he therefore felt happy to have an opportunity of alleviating the sufferings of a British officer : — the Count concluded with an offer to supply his astonished auditor with whatever money he might require, not only for his present relief, but to render the remainder of his weari- some journey, as comfortable as the circumstances of the war would admit ! ! ! This unexpected generosity on the part of a political enemy, was probably the means, under Providence, by which Captain Willoughby escaped the fate of many thousands who were endeavouring to reach a milder climate by the same route as himself. It enabled him at once to put off his ragged and filthy apparel, and to procure such articles of nourishment and warm clothing as his enfeebled stomach and emaciated frame required. The horrible condition to which the unfortunate men just alluded to were reduced before death ended their sufferings, is thus spoken of by de Segur : — " After leaving Malodeczno, and the departure of Napoleon (from Smorgoni for Paris), winter with all his force, and doubled in severity, attacked us. ••••••. " Henceforward there was no longer fraternity in arms, there was an end to all society, to all ties ; the excess of evils had brutified them. Hunger, de- vouring hunger, had reduced these unfortunate men to the brutal instinct of self-preservation, the only understanding of the most ferocious animals, and which is ready to sacrifice every thing to itself: a rough and barbarous na- ture seemed to have communicated to them all its fury. Like savages, the strongest despoiled the weakest j they rushed round the dying, and fre- quently waited not for their last breath. When a horse fell, you might POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. have fancied you saw a famished pack of hounds; they surrounded him, they tore him to pieces, for which they quarreled among themselves like ravenous dogs. " On the 6th December, the very day after Napoleon's departure, the sky exhibited a still more dreadful appearance. You might see icy parti- cles floating in the air ; the birds fell from it quite stiff and frozen. The atmosphere was motionless and silent ; it seemed as if every thing which possessed life and movement in nature, the wind itself, had been seized, chained, and as it were frozen by a universal death. " The army was in this last state of physical and moral distress, when its first fugitives reached Wilna. Wilna ! their magazine, their depot, the first rich and inhabited city which they had met with since their entrance into Russia. ******. For the space of ten hours (Dec. 9), with the cold at 27 and even at 28 degrees, thousands of soldiers who fancied themselves in safety, died either from cold or suffocation, just as had happened at the gates of Smolensk, and the bridges across the Berezina J." Such were the last days of Napoleon's J. Willoughby, de haut bord de la marine Royal d'Angleterre" On the 4th Jan. 1815, a Supplement to the London Ga- zette of the preceding day, announced that H. R. H. the Prince Regent, being desirous of commemorating the auspi- cious termination of the long and arduous contest in which this empire had been engaged, and of marking, in an especial manner, his gracious sense of the " valour, perseverance, and devotion," manifested by the officers of his Majesty's forces by sea and land, had thought it fit to advance the splendour and extend the limits of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath, to the end that those officers who had had the opportunities of signalizing themselves by eminent services during that contest, might share in the honors of the said Order, and " that their names might be handed down to remote posterity, accompanied by the marks of distinction which they had so nobly earned." Without wishing to refer invidiously to the honors which were then bestowed on any of Captain Willoughby's brother officers, every one of whom who had lost a limb or an eye in battle, while holding post rank, was created a Knight Com- mander, we may be permitted to say, that the dangers which he has ever been forward to encounter, the hard fought actions in which he has been engaged, the many dangerous wounds which he has received, and the numerous honourable records of his devotion to the service of his country, were sufficient SUPPL. PART II. O POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. to excite in him a hope, that in the distribution of honors y forming as it were a scale by which professional merit would necessarily be measured in the public esteem, a higher rank might have been allotted to him than that of a Companion. We do not believe that there is an officer in either profession tfho has ever exhibited greater " valour, perseverance, and levotion :" the foregoing recital of his services will prove that he " nobly earned" the latter " mark of distinction' on ten several occasions, while commanding the Otter and Nereide : the loss of an eye in battle, after he obtained the command of a frigate, was in itself sufficient to constitute a fair claim to the higher honor of K. C. B. — added to this, he received two other nearly mortal wounds when serving as a Post- Captain ; and the College of Surgeons, as we have before observed, officially reported that, in addition to the loss of his eye, he had sustained injuries more than equal to that of a limb. We, therefore, cannot but consider, that in two points, wherein others were deemed entitled to that superior rank, he was unfairly excluded. Altogether, Captain Wil- loughby has received five nearly mortal wounds, besides others more trifling. It is no less worthy of remark, that although Captains Pym, Lambert, and Curtis, were all appointed to frigates soon after their return from captivity at the Isle of France, Captain Willoughby did not succeed in getting another command un- til Sept. 1818, when he received a commission for the Tri- bune 42 ; in which ship he served for some time on the coast of Ireland, and afterwards conveyed Rear- Admiral Fahie to the Leeward Islands station. This, his last appointment he held tillJuly 15, 1822. It affords us much gratification to add, that one of the first acts ofH. R. H. the Lord High Admiral, was to sooth the wounded feelings of Captain Willoughby, who had endured, for twelve years, that which to an honorable mind is nearly analogous to disgrace. Estimating the gallant captain's ser- vices by their own circumstances, rather than by the measure of honorary reward which had been allotted to them in 1815, H. R. Highness was graciously pleased to obtain him the honor of knighthood, June 30, 182J. More than this the POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 195 august Prince could not do, as none beneath the rank of Gene- ral and Flag-officers are now admitted to the honor of K. C. B. One of Sir Nisbet J. Willoughby's brothers, a captain in the 50th regiment of foot, was drowned at the debarkation of the British army, under Earl Cathcart, near Copenhagen, August 16, 180J. His youngest brother Ferris, perished in the Sylph sloop, off Long Island, Jan. 17, 1815. There is an excellent full length portrait of Sir Nisbet J. Willoughby (by Barber) at Wollaton, the principal seat of the head of his family, Henry Lord Middleton : the same mansion also contains one of Admiral Sir Hugh Willoughby, who was frozen to death in a desert part of Russian Lapland, when endeavouring to discover a N. E; passage to China, in the year 1553*. EDWARD WALLIS HOARE, ESQ. This officer is related to Admiral the Hon. Sir Robert Stopford, K. C.B. He was made a Lieutenant in Aug. 1796; * Dr. Robertson says : — " Richard Chancelour, the captain of the other vessel, was more fortunate ; he entered the White Sea, and wintered in safety at Archangel. Though no vessel of any foreign nation had ever visited that quarter of the globe before, the inhabitants received their new visitors with an hospitality, which would have done honor to a more polished people. The English learned there, that this was a province of a vast empire, subject to the great Duke, or Czar of Muscovy, who resided in a great city, 1200 miles from Archangel. Chancelour, with a spirit becoming an officer employed in an expedition for discovery, did not hesi- tate a moment about the part which he ought to take, and set out for that distant capital. On his arrival in Moscow, he was admitted to audience, and delivered a letter, which the captain of each ship had received from Edward VI, for the Sovereign of whatever country they should discover, to John Vasilowitz, who at that time filled the Russian throne. John, though he ruled over his ' subjects with the cruelty and caprice of a bar- barous despot, was not destitute of political sagacity. He instantly per- ceived the happy consequences that might flow from opening" an inter- course with the western nations of Europe ; and, delighted with the fortu- nate event to which he was Indebted for this unexpected benefit, he treated Chancelour with great respect ; and, by a letter to the King of England} invited his subjects to trade in the Russian dominions, with ample pro. mises of protection and favor." o 2 196 ;! POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. advanced to the ranE of Commander Sept. 25, 18(Mj and posted into the Minden 74, at Bombay, Oct. 16, 1810. In the spring of 1811, Captain Honre was despatched from Madras to the coast of Java, with two companies of troops- on board, in order to await the arrival of the-expedition then fitting out at the different ports of India for the attack of that island, the only colony in the Eastern hemisphere still pos- sessed by the enemy ; and to which so much importance was attached, that the Governor-General, Lord Minto, had re- solved to accompany the expedition in person. The follow- ing extracts of an official letter, contain an account of a battle between 200 seamen, marines, and soldiers, landed from the Miriden, and 500 of the enemy's European and native troops, near Bantam, in which the latter were routed and dispersed, with a loss of above 50 killed an 1794), and after some strong remon- strances on the part of Captain Bennett, they were at length allowed to join their shipmates as prisoners of war. From Toulon, la Mozelle's late officers, passengers, and crew were marched to Valence in Dauphine, where Lieute- nant Lillicrap remained until exchanged, in 1795 : he then embarked at Marseilles, proceeded to Genoa, and return- ed home overland, via Cuxhaven, bringing with him des- * Mr. Robert Houlton, made a Lieutenant May 18, 1797. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. 223 patches from Mr. Drake the British minister, by whom he had been treated with much kindness and attention during his short residence in the Genoese capital. Lieutenant Lillicrap's next appointment was to the Trusty of 50 guns, Captain John Osborne ; which ship, after being engaged in a variety of services, was ordered to convey Lord Macartney to his government, the Cape of Good Hope. During the mutiny in the squadron on that station, Lieu- tenant Lillicrap was selected by Rear- Admiral Pringle to command the Rattlesnake sloop ; which vessel he succeeded in placing close under the guns of the Amsterdam battery, Table bay, where the ringleaders of her crew were obliged to surrender. After witnessing the punishment of these men and their accomplices, he resumed his station as first of the Trusty, and returned home under the command of Captain Andre wTodd*, in 1799. The Trusty being then paid off, Lieutenant Lillicrap was immediately appointed to the Venerable 74, Captain Sir W. George Fairfax ; under whose gallant successor, the late Sir Samuel Hood, K. B. he bore a part in the battle off Algeziras, July 6, 1801 f. The Venerable, on that occasion, sustained a loss of 8 killed and 25 wounded. The subsequent destruction of two Spanish 3-deckers, and the capture of a 74-gun ship, in the Gut of Gibralter, have been correctly related at p. 271 of Supplement Part I. The Venerable's very gallant action with the ship which had re- cently borne the flag of Mons. Linois, but who was then on board a Spanish frigate, is thus noticed by Sir James Sauma- rez, in his public letter of July 13, 1801 : " The Venerable and Spencer having at this time come up, I bore away after the enemy, who were carrying a press of sail, standing out of the Straits, and lost sight of them during the night. It blew excessively hard till day-light, and in the morning, the only ships in company were the Ve- nerable and Thames, a-head of the Caesar, and one of the French ships at some distance from them, standing towards the shoals of Conil, besides the Spencer a-stern coming up.— All the ships immediately made sail with a fresh breeze; but, as we approached, the wind suddenly failing, the Ven- * See Vol. II, Part I, note at p. 420. t See Vol. I, Part I, p. 187 et seq. 224 POST- CAPTAINS OP 1810. erable was alone able to bring her to action, which Captain Hood did in the most gallant manner, and had nearly silenced the French ship, when his main-mast (which had been before wounded), was unfortunately shot away, and it coming nearly calm, the enemy was enabled to get off with- out any possibility of following her. The highest praise is due to Captain Hood, the officers and men of the Venerable, for their spirit and gallantry in the action, which entitled them to better success. The French ship was an 84, with additional guns on the gangway. This action was so near the shore, that the Venerable struck on one of the shoals, but was soon after got off, and taken in tow by the Thames, but with the loss of all her masts. The enemy's ships are now in sight to the westward, standing in for Cadiz." The following is Captain Hood's account of his engage- ment with the Formidable : "H. M. S. Venerable, at Sea, July 13, 1801. " Sir, — You must have observed my giving chase to an enemy's line-of- battle ship, at day-break this morning. At seven, she hoisted French colours, and I could perceive her to be an 80 gun-ship ; at half-past, being within point blank shot, the enemy commenced firing his stern-chase guns, which I did not return for fear of retarding our progress, until the light and baf- fling airs threw the two ships broadside to, within-musket-shot, when a steady and warm conflict was kept up for an hour and a half, and we had closed within pistol-shot, the enemy principally directing his fire to our masts and rigging. I had at this time the misfortune to perceive the main- mast to fall overboard, the fore and mizen-mast nearly in the same state, and since gone : the ship being near the shore, close to the Castle of Sancti Petri, the enemy escaped. It was with much difficulty I was enabled to get the Venerable off, her cables and anchors all disabled ; and it was only by the great exertion of the Thames, with the boats you sent me, she was saved, after being on shore some time *. 1 shall have no occasion to comment on the bravery of the officers and ship's company in this action, who had with much patience and perseverance, suffered great fatigue by their exertions to get the ship to sea, and not five hundred men able to go to quarters ; but I beg leave to add, I have been most ably supported by Lieutenant Lillicrap, second of the Venerable (first absent) t, all the other officers and men, who have my warmest recommendation : and have to * The Thames was commanded by Captain Alshew Paffard Hollis, who is said by Mr. James, to have poured a raking broadside into the Formida- ble, shortly after the Venerable had been laid alongside of her. t Lieutenant Thomas Collis, taken prisoner when going to assist the Hannibal in the action of July 6. He is now a Knight of Windsor, and Governor of that establishment. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 225 lament the loss of Mr. Williams, master, nn excellent officer, with many other valuable people killed and wounded, a list of whom I have the honor to enclose *. ~I am, &c. (Signed) "S. HOOD." " To Sir James Saumarez t Bart." On his return to Gibraltar, Sir James Saumarez issued the following General Memorandum : — " Ccesar, Rosia Bay, July 15, 1801. " Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, Bart, has the happiness to offer his most heartfelt congratulations to the captains, officers, and men, of the ships he has the honor to command, on the signal success with which it has pleased the Almighty God to crown their zealous exertions in the ser- vice of their country. " To the discipline and valour of British seamen, is to be ascribed their great superiority over the enemy, who, although treble the force of the English squadron, in number of guns and weight of metal, have been so singularly defeated. " The Rear-Admiral has not failed to transmit, in his late despatches, a report of the unparalleled exertions of all the officers and men in refitting his Majesty's ships after the battle of Algeziras (where their conduct and bravery were equally conspicuous,) which has led to the late glorious success." The Venerable's captain, officers, and crew, had afterwards the satisfaction of receiving the particular thanks of the Ad- miralty, in addition to the general vote of thanks from Par- liament, for their great and extraordinary exertions, by which, in conjunction with those of the other ships, Sir James Sau- marez was enabled to make an attempt, the splendour and astonishing success of which are not exceeded by any of those heroic achievements which formed and fixed the charac- ter of the British navy in the late glorious wars. Posterity will scarcely credit, that the squadron under that gallant and most worthy officer, disabled as i't had been in action only six days before f, could be in a condition to follow, and de- termined to fight, the combined squadrons, amounting to two first rates, one other 3 -decker, three 80-gun-ships, and three 74's, exclusive of the Hannibal their prize. Not all the fami- liarity of the British navy with brilliant success— not the memory of the battles of a Duncan or a Nelson — not the * 18 killed, 87 wounded. t See Vol. II, Part I, p. 265. SUPPL. PART TI. O 226 POST. CAPTAINS OF 1810. knowledge of the victory of July 13th itself, can make one con- template without emotion, the disparity of the English, whose enterprising chief had resolved, with five 2-deckers, four of which were already crippled, and only one an 80-gun ship, to pursue the enemies' united force, and, if possible, prevent a part of them from reaching Cadiz, In consequence of this glorious success, and the high terms in which Captain Hood spoke of him, Lieutenant Lillicrap, upon whom the greater part of the active duty of refitting the Venerable must necessarily have devolved, was immediately made a Commander ; but his commission did not reach him until after he returned to England, as will be seen by the following letter : — (t London, ^d Jan. 1802. " My dear Lillicrap, — Sir James Saumarez not having sent home your commission, I have obtained from the Admiralty this day a duplicate one, which, that it may be the more gratifying, as your name is not in the new list, I have taken up and enclosed. I have the more satisfaction in doing this, by knowing it was never more deservedly merited than in your con- duct under my command; and it will be ever the greatest happiness of my life in hearing of your future welfare. I remain with much esteem, dear Lillicrap, yours very sincerely, (Signed; "SAML. HOOD." " To Captain J. Lillicrap, Plymouth." About this period, Captain Hood expressed an earnest de- sire to introduce his late first Lieutenant to Earl St. Vincent ; and after doing so, he presented him at court, using the most handsome terms of commendation on each occasion. On the I2th of April, 1804, Captain Lillicrap was appointed to the Vesuvius bomb, employed on the Boulogne station, under the orders of Sir W. Sidney Smith. In Nov. 1805, that heroic officer meditated an attack upon the flotilla in Boulogne roads : — every thing was prepared, the bomb-vessels had taken their appointed stations, and Sir Sidney removed from his flag-ship to a sloop of war, in which, as she drew but little water, he meant to conduct the business in person ; — the signal was made for the gun-brigs to lead in, and a volley of rockets already discharged, when, on a sudden, the wind shifted round to the N, W., and in a POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. few minutes increased to a gale, which rendered his design abortive. On this occasion, the Vesuvius had one of her crew killed, and several very badly wounded. Captain Lillicrap's next appointment was to the Despatch, a fine 18- gun brig; in which, after performing a variety of services on different foreign stations, he sailed from the Downs in command of a light squadron, and with a large fleet of transports under his protection, embarked in which were two divisions of the King's German Legion. These troops were safely landed in the island of Rugen, at the time when a French army was besieging Stralsund, the capital of Swedish Pomerania : and Captain Lillicrap continued to carry on the duties as senior officer in Pert Bay, until the arrival of FAfricaine frigate, having on board Lord Cathcart, coinman- der-in- chief of the land forces, to be employed against Copenhagen. After the departure of FAfricaine, Captain Lillicrap re- sumed the command of the small squadron stationed off Rugen, to protect the British troops, and, if necessary, to cover the retreat of King Gustavus, who ultimately embarked on board a Swedish frigate, and sailed from thence accom- panied by the Rosamond sloop of war. During her continuance on that station, the Despatch stood over to the main land, with the Mutine and Censor in com- pany, reconnoitred the coast, and fired several broadsides at the French out-posts near Griefswaid. At length, Captain Lillicrap received orders to escort the last division of troops under Lord Rosslyn, from Rugen to Zealand ; and to superintend their debarkation in Kioge Bay. This latter service was accomplished on the 21st Aug. 1807 ; five days after the first landing of the army had been effected at Wibeck *. On joining Admiral Gam bier, off Copenhagen, Captain Lillicrap was directed to receive and mount 4 long 18-poun- ders, for the purpose of rendering his brig more effective against the Danish flotilla; and from that period we find * See Suppl. Parti, small type at the foot of p. 238. Q 2 228 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. him, as the senior commander of the inshore squadron under Captain Puget, almost daily engaged with the enemy ; parti- cularly on the 31st Aug., when the Charles armed transport was blown up close to the Despatch, by a shell from the Three Crowns battery ; and the British sustained a loss of 10 killed and 21 wounded. Strange as it may appear, al- though 17 commanders, many of them junior to himself, were included in the general promotion that followed the surrender of the Danish navy, Captain Lillicrap did not obtain superior rank until more than three years afterwards. The subjoined correspondence will enable our readers to judge whether he was entitled to claim advancement. " London, 18th Nov. 1807- " Sir,— Having, to our great disappointment, not found your name among1 the promotions of the officers of the royal uavy who were on the late expedition to Rugen and Copenhagen, we have great reason to fear, that the essential service you rendered by your indefatigable exertions and active measures, when superintending the disembarkation of the 1st and 2nd divisions of the King's German Legion at Rugen, are not suf- ficiently known ; and we therefore now consider it a particular duty (as the respective Generals then in command of the said divisions) to assure you in this public manner, that the reports we received during the afore- mentioned disembarkation from the different commanding officers of regi- ments and battalions, as also from the Assistant-Quarter-Master-General, Lieutenant Colonel Offeney, are so highly to your credit that we shall feel happy in bringing it to the knowledge of the Right Honorable the Lords of the Admiralty, should this letter not sufficiently answer that purpose. We have the honor to be, with the most perfect esteem, Sir, your most obe- dient humble servants, (Signed) " CHARLES Baron LINSINGEN, . . Major-General. " FREDERICK Baron DRECKFEL, Major-General. " To Captain LHUcrap, R. N." " Portsmouth, 22nd Nov. 1807. " Sir, — We beg leave to address you expressive of our sincere thanks for the able manner in which you conducted the fleet under your convoy from the Downs to the islands of Rugen and Zealand ; and we should con- ceive ourselves wanting in justice if we omitted to notice your great exer- tions in the disembarkation of the troops under our command, which from the Judicious manner of your arrangements greatly facilitated the service. We further add, that it will give us great pleasure in our recommendations of you to the Lords of the Admiralty, if at any future period we should POST-CAPFAINS OF 1810. 229 be permitted an opportunity. We have the honor to be, Sir, your much obliged and obedient servants, (Signed) " GEO. DRIEBERG, Colonel, ) Commanding " P. du PLAT, .... Colonel, * Brigades. " To Captain Lillicrap, R. N." " East Sheen, 26th Nov. ISO/. " Dear Sir,— Mr Tyrwhitt hath promised to send me the result of his communication with the Secretary of the Admiralty ; meaning, I believe, to abide by his advice. Your letter doth not say whether you have seen the First Lord. Depend on it, more may be done by your enforcing your claim in strong but respectful terms, than by any other channel. No one is better able to do so than yourself, and few have justice more unequivo- cally on their side. I told Mr. T., that I was ready to attend his summons, and I conclude I shall hear from him. In the mean time, do not omit seeing the First Lord, and urging the claim you have, and the injustice you and the service will suffer, if you are so neglected. You may rely on it, such representation comes with double force from the person injured than it doth from any second person who hath not a commanding influence. Yours sincerely, (Signed) " C. M. POLE." " To Captain Litticrap, R. N." " Edinburgh, Dec. 23, 1807. " My dear Sir,— I can assure you, that it has neither proceeded from neglect nor from any indifference to the object of your yvishes, that I have not written directly to yourself before this. ** The moment I learnt from Captain Bouverie, that you thought my application to Lord Cathcart, and his Lordship's recommendation, could be of any use to you, I did not fail to state in writing to his Lordship how much the service was indebted to your care and exertions in the re- embarkation of the troops from Rugen, and the landing in Kioge bay. I referred his Lordship to my former letter, written at the time j and I took the liberty to impress very strongly the great advantage to the army and to the public interest in general upon conjunct expeditions, that those offi- cers of the navy who had shewn great and marked attention to the other branch of the service should feel that we were grateful, and that the Gene- rals were disposed to exert any little interest they might possess in assist- ing their promotion. " I stated my own sentiments, as they applied to you, as I had before done ; and I am sorry to add, that if Lord Cathcart's interest cannot pre- vail, I have very little hope from my own ; indeed, I should be almost afraid that any recommendation that could be supposed to infer political friendship, or personal connexion, would be prejudicial. " I saw Lord Cathcart yesterday, who has promised me to state the case upon the grounds upon which I put it j and from his manner, I flatter 230 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. myself he will give it all the effect he can. He has" assured me that he will let me have the answer. " I shall be very sorry if the promotion your merit and services entitle you to expect does not take place ; but I can assure you, that I shall regret it also very much upon public grounds. " If, however, you wish me to do any thing else, and you should desire me to speak or write to Lord Mulgrave, I will do it ; but I think that had better be deferred till I come to town, or at least till I know the result of Lord Cathcart's application. Yours faithfully, (Signed) " ROSSLYN." " To Captain LUlicrap, R. N." " East Sheen, Jan. 3, 1808. " Dear Sir, — Lord llosslyn's letter is indeed a very handsome and satis- factory testimony of your services, at least as far as your friends and you are concerned, and I really do not see how you can be excluded from pro- motion, without the greatest injustice to the service, as well as injury to you. Your claim is so good, that with the assistance of Lord Cathcart, added to the letters from those commanding corps, which you have in your possession, I should advise you to renew your application to Lord Mulgrave, and the Board, enclosing to each another memo- rial. I am not, by this recommendation, endeavouring to avoid the awk- wardness of attending your petition to the first Lord ; but I am stating what I think the best plan for you. I can have no other objection to the attending Mr. Tyrwhitt, than a conviction that the doing so will not serve you ; but sure I am that you ought to be protected. Faithfully yours, (Signed) " C. M. POLE." Notwithstanding all the exertions made in his favor by Lord Cathcart, the Earl of Rosslyn, Sir Charles M. Pole, and the commanding officers of the German Legion, Captain Lillicrap did not obtain a post commission until Oct. 21, 1810; at which period he had been serving upwards of two years on the Jamaica station, generally in command of a de- tached squadron. When proceeding thither with a fleet of merchantmen under his convoy, he captured la Dorade French privateer, and retook a British merchantman. During his continuance in the West Indies, Captain Lilli- crap had frequent conferences with the two contending Hay- tian chiefs, Christophe and Petion ; with the former of whom he travelled into the interior of St. Domingo, and visited Fort Ferrier, an extensive fortification on the top of a very high mountain, scarcely accessible to any but the na- POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 231 lives, very few Europeans being able to sustain the fatigue of such a journey. This fortress was intended by Christophe as a place of refuge for himself and his adherents, should Petion prevail against him, or the French ever attempt, during his reign, to regain the island. It had upwards of IJO guns mounted, a magnificent palace within the walls, and a sub- terraneous space of sufficient extent to contain 6000 men, with a repository of provisions for the support of that num- ber for eighteen months. In March 1811, Captain Lillicrap received the official noti- fication of his promotion ; and finding that he was not ap- pointed to any post ship, he returned home as a passenger on board the Naiad frigate. Some time after his arrival, he received another friendly letter from Sir Samuel Hood, of which the following is a copy : — "London, 12^^^.1811. " My dear Sir, — I congratulate you on your promotion, and am truly sorry you have been laid by. It is hard after the long and trying services you have experienced. I should at any time be most happy to have you under my command ; but I have so many applications to make, that I can- not say a word about it to the Admiralty. 1 am just appointed to the East India command ; if you can get a ship and come there, I shall be rejoiced to do all I can for you. Very many thanks for your obliging congratula- tions, and believe me, in great haste, yours very truly, - (Signed) " SAMUEL HOOD." Captain Lillicrap's next appointment was, Jan. 25, 1815, to the Hyperion 42, in which frigate he visited Lisbon, and escorted home a large fleet of merchantmen from Oporto. On his return from thence, he was superseded by her proper commander, Captain W . Pryce Cumby ; and at the same time appointed to the Eurotas 46, on the Irish station. The Eurotas was lying in Plymouth sound when Napoleon Buonaparte arrived at that anchorage in the Bellerophon, and Captain Lillicrap received orders to take a station as near to the 74 as possible, in order to prevent the numerous vessels arid boats, crowded with curious spectators, from approach- ing too near. On the 29th July, all the boats of the fleet were placed under his directions by Lord Keith, and ordered to assemble alongside his frigate every evening during the 232 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. General's stay there, for the purpose of being distributed as guard-boats. After witnessing the removal of Napoleon to the Northum- berland, off Berry Head, Aug. 7, 1815, Captain Lillicrap returned to Plymouth, in company with Lord Keith ; and on the 17th of the same month, he received Generals Savary and Lallemand, three Colonels, and several other officers, late be- longing to Buonaparte's suite, as passengers to Malta, where he delivered them into the charge of Sir Thomas Maitland, on the 19th Sept. The Eurotas was paid off on her return from that service. In April, 1821, Captain Lillicrap obtained the command of the Hyperion ; and on the 19th Sept. following, he sailed for the Cape of Good Hope, with Lord Charles Somerset and suite passengers. Finding on his arrival there, that Rear- Admiral Lambert had proceeded to England, he hoisted a broad pendant, agreeably to orders received from the Admi- ralty, and continued in the command on that station until relieved by Commodore Nourse, in 1822. Previous to his departure from thence, he rendered a very important service to the East India Company, the nature of which will be seen by the following handsome acknowledgment of the Hon. Court of Directors : — " East India House, Nov. 1, 1822. " Sir, — Representation having been made to the Court of Directors of the East India Company, of the great promptitude and exertion dis- played by yourself and the officers and seamen employed under your command, in rescuing the Company's extra ship Albion, Mr. Charles Weller, Master, homeward bound with treasure and a valuable cargo of merchandise, from the situation of extreme peril in which she was placed on the 10th of June last, off the Cape of Good Hope, when in a strong gale of wind she broke from her anchorage in Simon's Bay, and drove to within the distance of a few fathoms from the rocks ; — I have received the Court's commands to acquaint you, that they have resolved to present you with the sum of Five Hundred Pounds for the purchase of a piece of plate, as a token of the Court's appreciation of your meritorious conduct upon this occasion, whereby so many lives and so much valuable property were preserved from imminent danger. " The Court also adverting to the successful exertions of the officers and seamen of His Majesty's navy, who were employed in rendering as- POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810., 233 sistance to the ship, under your directions, have further resolved to present them with the undermentioned sums ; and the Court request, that you will divide the same proportionately with your estimation of their respective services: namely — " To the Officers, Two Hundred and Fifty Pounds. " To the Men, Two Hundred and Fifty Pounds. " I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient, humble Servant, (Signed) " J. DART, Secretary." " To Commodore Lillicrap t H. M. S. Hyperion." On referring to the Minutes of the Hon. Court, we find that the Albion had on board, " treasure to the amount of up- wards of 100,000/." Many females were among her pas- sengers. During the same gale, two Russian men of war were like- wise rescued from imminent danger, for which service. Cap- tain Lillicrap received a letter of thanks from their com- manders. Captain Lillicrap subsequently visited St. Helena and As- cension ; left stores, &c., at the latter island ; and from thence proceeded to join the squadron under Sir Charles Rowley, on the Jamaica station. By that officer, he was sent with a de- tachment under his orders, to cruise off Cuba for the sup- pression of piracy ; and whilst thus employed, he had many official conferences with the Captain-General of that island, and the Spanish Admiral at Havannah ; as well as much cor- respondence on the same subject, with the principal local authorities along the coast ; occasioned by his having sat as one of H. M. Commissioners at Jamaica, for the trial of numerous pirates, many of whom were condemned and executed. On the 24th Oct. 1823, Captain Lillicrap was appointed to the Gloucester 74, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, with whom he returned to England, March 13, 1824. Since the 27th of that month, he has not been in commission. Captain Lillicrap married, Dec. 30, 1811, Frances Adams, second daughter of Giles Welsford, of Plymouth, Esq. by whom he has had a numerous family. Two of his nephews 234 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. died in the naval service — one a midshipman, the other a Lieutenant, R. M. ; — their only surviving brother, Mr. J. L. Marchant, is now serving as Purser of the Zebra sloop. Agent. — Sir F. M. Ommanney. WALTER GROSETT, ESQ. UNCLE to John Rock Grosett, Esq. M. P. for Chippenham. This officer entered the navy, Nov. 1779, as a midshipman on board the Sandwich 90, flag-ship of Sir George B. Rod- ney, under whom he shortly afterwards sailed to the relief of Gibraltar, and from thence to the Leeward Islands. He was consequently present at the capture of the Caraccas convoy, the defeat and surrender of Don Juan de Langara, and three actions with Mons. de Guichen, off Martinique ; in the first of which (April 17, 1780) the Sandwich had 18 men killed, and 51, including two Lieutenants, wounded*. We subse- quently find him serving under Captain John Rodney, in the Boreas of 32 guns, Sybil 28, and Anson 64 f. In Feb. 1784, Mr. Grosett joined the Thisbe 28, Captain George Robertson, fitting for the Newfoundland station, where he continued nearly three years. His promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place in Oct. ] 794 ; previous to which he had served for some time as master's-mate of the Boyne 98, flag-ship of Sir John Jervis ; and distinguished himself on many occasions, when employed ashore in co- operation with the army during the sieges of Martinique, St. Lucia, and Guadaloupe. Lieutenant Grosett's first appointment was to the Quebec 32, in which frigate he served under Captains Josias Rogers, James Carpenter, and John Cooke J, on the West India and Channel stations. Previous to his departure from the Lee- * See Vol. I, Part I, note f at p. 3 et seq. and note f at pp. 103—105. f The Sybil was one of Admiral Rodney's repeaters on the glorious 12th April," 1782. : See Vol. II. Parti, p. 21. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. 235 ward Islands, he received the thanks of the President and Council of Grenada, for having " very materially contributed to the preservation of that colony, and restored it to a state of tranquillity/' by his able and gallant conduct, when com- manding a detachment of about 150 seamen and marines, landed from the squadron under the orders of Captain Rogers. Early in 1797* Lieutenant Grosett was appointed to the Success frigate, Captain Philip Wilkinson (now Vice-Admi- ral Stephens) ; in Nov. following, to the Hector, J4, Captain Peter Aplin, then at Lisbon ; in Feb. 1798, to el Mahonesa 32, Captain John Giffard ; and in June, same year, to the Centaur 74, Captain John Markham. The latter ship formed part of the squadron under Commo- dore Duckworth, at the reduction of Minorca, Nov. 15, 1798 5 and was afterwards sent to cruise on the coast of Catalonia, where she captured la Vierga de Rosario Spanish privateer, mounting 14 brass 12-pounders, with a complement of 90 men. On the 16th Feb. 1799, the Centaur, Argo, and Leviathan, attacked the town of Cambrelles, and the Spaniards having quitted their battery, the boats were sent in under the com- mand of Lieutenant Grosett, who dismounted the guns, burnt five settees, and brought out a similar number ; laden with staves, wine, and wheat. Shortly after the performance of this service, Lieutenant Grosett was removed to the Ville de Paris, a first rate, in which ship, successively bearing the flags of Earl St. Vincent and the Hon. William Cornwallis, he served on the Mediter- ranean station and off Brest, until appointed to the Royal Charlotte yatch, in May, 1801. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place Oct. 6, in the same year. From this period Captain Grosett remained upon half- pay till Aug. 1802, when he was appointed to the Port Mahon brig, on the Guernsey station. In Mar. 1803, he was re- moved to the Trent 32, armed en flute, which ship, whilst under his command at Cork, successively bore the flags of 236 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. Admiral Lord Gardner, Rear- Admiral William O'Brien Drury and Vice-Admirals Whitshed and Thornbrough, as command- ers-in-chief on the Irish station. Captain Grosett's post commission bears date Oct. 21, 1810. Previous to his leaving Cork, the mayor and corpora- tion held a special meeting for the purpose of voting him the freedom of that city : the committee of merchants also as- sembled and voted him their unanimous thanks for his great attention to their interests, whilst commanding the guard- ship, a period of upwards of seven years. From the foregoing sketch it will be seen that Captain Grosett twice served under the immediate eye of Earl St. Vincent, who so highly approved of his conduct on every oc- casion as to present him with a medal, — a convincing proof of the esteem in which he was held by that celebrated chief- tain. While in attendance upon the royal family at Wey- mouth, between May and Oct. 1801, the subject of this brief memoir had likewise the honor of being most graciously no- ticed by our late revered monarch. Since his advancement to post-rank he has not been able to obtain any employ- ment. Captain Grosett's only son died at Jamaica, in 1824, aged 22 : his daughter is married to W. Hudson Heaven, of Pen- ridge House, co, Somerset, Esq. Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford and Son. FRANCIS JOHN NOTT, ESQ. Acted as Lieutenant of the Leviathan a third rate, at the defeat of the French, fleet by Earl Howe, June 1, 1794 * ; and was wounded on board the Sans Pareil 80, in Lord Brid- port's action off TOrient, June 23, 1795 f« He was made a Commander into the Cura9oa sloop, on the Jamaica station, at the latter end of 1801 : and subsequently appointed to * See Vol. II, Part I, p. 103, et seq. t See Vol. I. Part I. p. 246. POST^CAPTAINS OF 1810. 237 the Childers and Rover brigs, in which latter vessel he con- tinued until promoted to post-rank, Oct. 21, 1810. Captain Nott obtained the out pension of Greenwich Hos- pital, June J9, 1822. LEWIS SHEPHEARD, ESQ. WAS made a Lieutenant in Jan. 1797 ; promoted to the rank of Commander, in Jan. 1802 ; and afterwards appointed to the Thisbe 28, armed en flute, in which ship Lieutenant- General Whitelocke sailed from England, for the purpose of assuming the chief command of H. M. forces in the Rio de la Plata, where he arrived May 10, 1807- In 1808, Captain Shepheard was appointed to the Brazen, a new sloop, fitting for the Jamaica station, and of which he retained the command until his promotion to post-rank, Oct. 21, 1810. Agents. — Messrs. Chard. JOHN THOMPSON, ESQ. (a) OBTAINED the rank of Commander in April, 1802 ; and was very actively employed in the Fly sloop of war, during the operations against Buenos Ayres, June and July, 1807- His post-commission bears date Oct. 21, 1810. ROBERT EVANS, ESQ. YOUNGEST son of the late Meredith Evans, Esq. by Mary, daughter of Benjamin Beal, Esq., a gentleman possessed of considerable property at Bridgewater, co. Devon, a staunch adherent of the unfortunate Charles I, and father of Captain Beal, who served as first Lieutenant of the Ludlow Castle frigate, at the siege of Carthagena, in 1741 , This officer's uncle, Evan Evans, Esq., married the first cousin to Miss POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. Vernon, of Hanbury, co. Worcester, wife of Henry Cecil, Esq., afterwards Marquis of Exeter, whose marriage was dis- solved by Act of Parliament, in June, 1791. The above mentioned Meredith Evans, Esq., was the 16th in descent from Madoc, one of the sons of Ririd Vlaidd, Lord of Penllyn, Pennant, and Bryn, extensive districts in the county of Merioneth, which were eventually divided and sub-divided by the law of Gavel, among his progeny. Ririd Vlaidd lived in 1070, and acquired great reputation by his distin- guished intrepidity in many conflicts, in which he defended his country. He was also Lord of the Eleven Towns, in Shropshire ; but his favorite re- sidences were Rhiwaedog, Neuaddau, Gleision, &c., all in the vicinity of Bala, co. Merioneth. From this chieftain was descended David Lloyd, Esq., whose son married the only daughter and heiress of Sir Alexander Myddleton, constable of Montgomery castle, from which marriage are de- scended the Myddletons of Gwaenunog, near Denbigh j and of that house was the enterprising and patriotic Sir Hugh Myddleton, who brought the New River to London : — his brother, Sir Thomas Myddleton, founded the branch of Chirk Castle, and was also Lord Mayor of the British metro- polis :— from the same origin sprung another David, son of Griffith, of Pen-y-ralt, who married Lowry, daughter of Howel Vaughan, of Glan-y- Lynn Tegid, and took the name of Vaughan. In 16/2, Edward Vanghan of Glan-y-Lynn Tegid, son of another Howel Vaughan, married Mary, daughter of John Purcell, of Llangedwynn. In Nov. 1715, Ann, co-heiress of the said Edward Vaughan, married Watkin Williams Wynn, Esq., eldest son of Sir William Williams, Bart. Thomas Evans, cousin to Edward Vaughan, married the only daughter of Edward Eyton, of Wynustay, Esq. The Lloyds are connected by mar- riage with the Wynnes of Hazlewood, co. Sligo. Ririd's coat armorial will be found among the quarterings of the most respectable families in North Wales. Captain Evans, whose services we are about to notice, is the 13th in de~ scent from Jeaun Vlaidd, whose tomb is in the church of Llanuwchlyn, and thereon his figure in armour, having a conic helmet, &c. &c. The patrimony of this branch is Pen'r allt, in the parish of Llanvawr. The cognomen of Evans was first borne by Evan, son of Evan Lloyd, grand- father of Meredith Evans, and nephew to Robert Price, Baron of the Ex- chequer, who made a distinguished figure, both as a senator and a judge, in the reign of William III. The said Evan Evans fought, as an officer of cavalry, at the battle of Dumblain, in 1715. The subject of this memoir commenced his naval career, under the- patronage of Lord Dudley and Ward, uncle to the present peer. He first embarked in J782, as a midshipman, POST-CAPTAINS Of 1810. 239 on board the Blenheim 98, Captain (afterwards Lord) Dun- can ; which ship formed part of Earl Howe's fleet at the relief of Gibraltar, and was his Lordship's second in the sub- sequent action off Cape Spartel * : her loss on the latter occasion consisted of 2 men killed and 3 wounded. On the return of peace, Mr. Evans joined the Trusty 50, fitting for the flag of Sir John Lindsay, Bart. ; and during the winter of 1783, we find him in the Orestes sloop, Captain James Ellis, employed on Channel service. After assisting at the capture of several large and power- fully armed smuggling vessels, one of which defended herself until several men were killed and wounded on both sides, Mr. Evans proceeded to Newfoundland, as a passenger on board the Merlin sloop, and from thence, in the Thisbe frigate, to Halifax, where he joined the Assistance 50, flag-ship of Sir Charles Douglas, then commanding on the American station. In 1786, Mr. Evans returned home, and was removed into the Astraea frigate, Captain Peter Rainier, with whom he proceeded to Ferrol, Madeira, and the West Indies, where he continued for a period of three years, during which the Astraea visited all the British islands., and most of the French and Spanish colonies. Whilst off St. Domingo, our young officer appears to have had a very narrow escape, a boat in which he was going to Isabella Bay, having upset in a squall, and remained bottom upwards for more than three hours before she was discovered, and then only by accident. On this occasion, Mr. Evans saved the lives of two men who could not swim, by giving each of them an oar, after they had let go their hold of the boat, in consequence of the alarm excited by another mid- shipman speaking about sharks, several of which monsters were in fact seen immediately after the launch of the frigate had arrived to their assistance. In 1789, having then completed his time as a midshipman, Mr. Evans returned to England, in charge of a large and va- luable merchant ship, which had lost both her master and * See Vol. I, Part I, pp. 1 7, 106—108. 240 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. chief mate. On his arrival in England, he passed the usual examination, and immediately afterwards joined the Director 64, Captain Thomas West, under whom he served until his promotion into the Repulse 64, at the close of the Spanish armament. In April, 1791, Mr. Evans received an appointment to the Racehorse sloop, Captain David Mackey ; and on that vessel being paid off and re-commissioned, after the Russian arma- ment, he was appointed first Lieutenant of her, at the parti- cular request of the same commander. From this period, Lieutenant Evans served in the Race- horse, under Captains Mackey, George Hope, and James Leakey, until the commencement of the French revolutionary war, when he was removed into la Concorde frigate, Captain Thomas Wells. The following anecdote of a British sailor, appears to us worthy of being here recorded : — Shortly after Lieutenant Evans joined la Concorde, he was sent with a boat's crew to impress men from the homeward bound Baltic fleet. The first ship he boarded was searched for a considerable time before any of the crew, who had concealed themselves, could be discovered ; but at length, ten prime sailors were found stowed away in the run : one of them was im- mediately recognised by Lieutenant Evans, with whom he had formerly served in the Racehorse ; and on his saying " lam very glad to see you, Wil- liam Search," the poor fellow surlily replied, " I am very sorry to see you though !" After a little conversation, however, he became more good humoured, and consented to enter for the frigate : — " Then," continued Lieutenant Evans, " as I know you to be a good man, you shall go with your shipmates in my boat, board the next ship, and get all you can for me." — " That's what I will," said the tar, " come along my boys .-"—away they went, and the boat soon returned with seven other men. From that mo- ment, William Search constantly served in the same ships with Lieutenant Evans, until, through his recommendation, he was at once promoted from Rear-Admiral Raiuier's flag-ship, to be boatswain of a 64, on the East India station. In one of her cruises, la Concorde encountered a heavy gale of wind, and the ship laboured so exceedingly, that only the quarter-masters and gunner's crew would venture to go aloft : seeing this, Mr. Evans, then junior Lieutenant, took the lead, followed by a single midshipman, for the purpose of POST-C/VPTAINS OP 1810. 241 handing the main-top-sail, but scarcely had the party got above the top when the mast went, by which accident the midshipmen and four men perished : Lieutenant Evans and the remainder of his followers, fortunately saved themselves by clinging to the wreck, from whence they were extricated without sustaining any material injury. The part borne by la Concorde in an action with a French squadron, near Guernsey, April 23, 1794, has already been described in our memoir of Sir Richard J. Strachan, by whom she was then commanded * : the following is an extract of that officer's official letter, reporting the capture of 1'En- gageante frigate : — " The zealous, cool, and steady conduct of the officers and ship's com- pany, was highly meritorious in the action ; and their efforts in refitting the ship, after the fatigue they had experienced, exceeded any exertion I ever saw before. As the first Lieutenant, Charles Apthorp, was mostly with me, I had an opportunity of observing the spirit of enterprise which pervaded his conduct ; and am convinced also of the good conduct of Lieu- tenants Boys and Evans, who commanded on the main-deck." During the spirited action to which we have alluded, Lieu- tenant Evans was wounded by a splinter, and his hearing much injured by the unexpected discharge of a gun on which he was resting, as- he looked through the port, to ascertain the enemy's exact position, the smoke being then so very thick, that, although but a few yards distant, she could not be distinguished. It is worthy of remark, that the only person killed outright on board la Concorde, was a youth who had run away from Westminster school, and entered as a common sailor under a fictitious name. Another poor fellow who had been confined to his hammock, but insisted upon going to his quarters, was shot through the head whilst speaking to Lieu- tenant Evans. From this period, we find no particular mention of la Con- corde imtil March J795, when she was commanded by Cap- tain Anthony Hunt, and employed under the orders of Sir Edward Pellew, who, having received information that a convoy was about to leave Brest, placed his squadron as near * See Vol. I, p. 286, et. seq. SUPPL. PART II. » POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. the Penmarks as possible, and at day-light on the 7th, saw twenty- five sail close among the rocks, protected by one small armed ship : fifteen of this number were taken and destroyed ; the remainder ran between the rocks, in such a manner as rendered any attempt to pursue them fruitless. Out of eight brought off, two were laden with ship-timber, one with bale goods, and one partly with sugar, indigo, and linen. Several of those destroyed were set on fire by Lieute- nant Evans, who, on entering the cabin of one, found a slow inatch burning, and a train laid from it to a barrel full of powder : when about to quit another, he was surprised to see twelve well-armed Frenchmen come up from the hold, where they had secreted themselves in hopes of being able to recover possession of their vessel. 8 In June, 17$>5 la Concorde accompanied the expedition under Sir John B. Warren, to Quiberon Bay, and Lieutenant Evans was entrusted with the command of the seamen and marines, landed from her to assist at the reduction of fort Penthievre, a strong work commanding the peninsula, of which possession was obtained on the 3d of the following month. He subsequently commanded a division of boats in an expedition up the Mofbihan river, under the orders of Captain Albemarle Bertie, whose thanks he received for his gallant conduct in boarding, near Vannes, a 24-gun corvette, a cutter of 10 guns, and an armed lugger, the whole of which vessels were carried and destroyed. Several merchantmen being captured on the same occa- sion, Lieutenant Evans took charge of a large brig, which he brought out under a tremendous fire of musketry, from at least 600 republican troops, then posted at every point of the river. We should here observe, that in the course of the above service, he was accidentally but severely wounded by a pike, and that his conduct throughout the whole affair was very highly approved by the commander of the expe- dition *. * On arriving at a certain point of the Morbihan, Lieutenant Evans found himself obliged to go so close to the shore, that every person on ooard the prize would inevitably have been picked off by the enemy, had POST-CAPTATNS OF 1810. 243 La Concorde was subsequently sent to Isle Dieu, with a brig under her protection, the latter having on board arms, ammunition, and military stores, for the use of the royalists in la Vende'e : the landing of this cargo was entrusted to the superintendence of Lieutenant Evans, the Greyhound cutter being at the same time ordered to convey him in shore, and to remain there for his support until the service was effected. The transport being anchored in a convenient station near the main land, Lieutenant Evans immediately went on shore with 4000 ball cartridges, and was making arrangements for the debarkation and security of the whole cargo, when a large republican force marched out from St. Gilles, cut off his retreat to the boat, and reduced him and two of his crew to the necessity of swimming for their lives. Fortunately Lieu- tenant Wilkinson, of the Greyhound, was keeping a good look out ', the cutter immediately stood in, opened a heavy fire, and succeeded in rescuing them ; but not before Lieu- tenant Evans had received a ball in the fleshy part of his arm : his escape under such circumstances, however, may be considered miraculous, as he was the whole time exposed to a continual fire of at least 1500 muskets. The enemy were shortly afterwards attacked, and defeated with immense loss, by the royalists, under General Charette, whose force greatly exceeded what the enemy had expected, but with only six rounds each man, including the supply received from Lieutenant Evans; who, immediately resuming his task, had the pleasure of seeing the whole cargo landed, and cleared away from the beach, in less than three hours. On his re- turn to la Concorde, he received Captain Hunt's hearty con- gratulations on his safety, and warmest thanks for his zealous conduct, which was afterwards reported in the most flattering terms to Sir John B. Warren. not the Pelter gun-vessel promptly anchored, brought her broadside to bear, and kept up a heavy fire until the brig was clear of danger. We mention this circumstance injustice to Lieutenant (now Captain) Nicholas Tomlinson, who then commanded the Pelter. R 2 244 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. We next find this officer serving on shore at the occupa- tion of Isle Dieu, and subsequently assisting at the capture of rEveille* French national brig, mounting 18 guns, with a complement of 100 men *. La Concorde continued to be actively employed in co- operation with the French royalists until Nov. 1J95. In Jan. following, Lieutenant Evans again signalized himself by his intrepid and humane endeavours to succour the crew of the Hon. E. I. C. ship Dutton, when driven on shore under the citadel of Plymouth, in a tremendous gale of wind. The manner in which the crew and passengers were saved, after every attempt made by the boats of the fleet had proved abortive, has been described at p. 215, of our first volume. On the 9th April, 1796, la Concorde assisted at the capture of about twenty-five French merchantmen, and also at the destruction of la Volage, a national ship, mounting 26 guns. In the course of the same month, she likewise contributed to the capture of two fine frigates — 1'Unite, 38 guns, 255 men ; and la Virginie, of 44 guns and 340 men f. During this cruise, Lieutenant Evans had two more narrow escapes: — the first was, when setting fire to one of the cap- tured merchant vessels, a random shot from la Concorde cut a rope which he had accidentally laid hold off; the second, when employed landing arms, &c. by night, between rOrient and Quiberon, the weather very dark and tempestuous, his flat-bottomed boat dragged her grapnel, drifted into a heavy surf, and capsized over him, by which means he was kept un- der water until some of the royalists, commanded by General Georges, providentially came to his assistance. Another mi- raculous escape, which he experienced about the same period, is also worthy of notice : Cruising off Brest, in a heavy gale of wind, la Concorde brought to a large French ship, which Captain Hunt resolved to take possession of, although he was told that no boat could live in such a sea as was then running : the boat being lower- ed, the crew descended into her, and were immediately * I/Eveille was taken by Sir J. B. Warren's squadron, Oct. 15, 1795. t See Vol. l,p. 216, etteq. I i POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 245 followed by Lieutenant Evans, who had scarcely done BO when she swamped, by which accident, every one of the poor men met with a watery grave ; but fortunately he him- self succeeded in reaching a rope, and thereby escaped a simi- lar fate. Shortly after the capture of la Virginie, Captain Hunt was removed to that frigate, on which occasion he invited Mr. Evans to become his first Lieutenant, expressing himself briefly as follows : " Dear Sir, — We have been some time together, and I hope we may not separate : I am appointed to la Virginie, and shall be happy to apply for you to be my first Lieutenant. Direct to ine at Sir T. Rogers, M. P. Yours truly, (Signed) "A. HUNT." Having accepted this flattering and totally unexpected offer, Lieutenant Evans was immediately appointed to la Virginie, then just out of dock, with a clear hold, and only 25 seamen on board ; with which small number, assisted by about 30 marines, he not only rigged the ship, but stowed the hold, and got her completely ready for sea, in sixteen days after his removal from la Concorde : his Captain absent during all that period. The following short statement will shew, that she was shortly afterwards saved from destruc- tion, through his timely interference, judicious advice, and seaman-like exertions. La Virginie sailed on her first cruise in company with the Jason frigate, Captain Charles Stirling. After touching at Fal- mouth and Cork, both ships proceeded along the Irish coast to the northward, but were separated in a gale, when not far from Carlingford. The weather at this period was very thick, and la Virginie on a lee shore, with her fore-top-mast gone, which induced Lieutenant Evans to recommend that she should be kept close hauled until day-light, particularly as Captain Hunt was then ill in his cot. After seeing every thing made snug, and the wreck lashed to the ship's side, in hopes of saving the spars and rigging, Lieutenant Evans, having been on deck the whole of the night, went below at 4 A. M., in order to put on dry apparel ; but he had scarcely reached his cabin, when the officer of the watch came to in- 246 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. form him that the master, an ignorant old man, had prevailed upon the Captain to bear up, thereby exposing the ship to imminent peril. Surprised at this intelligence, Lieutenant Evans hastened to Captain Hunt, explained the dangerous situation of the frigate, and obtained permission to act ac- cording to his own discretion. At day-light, land was seen both a-head and a- stern, and rocks with tremendous breakers appeared at no great distance on the lee-bow. The wreck was now necessarily cut away, and as much sail set as the ship could possibly bear ; but, owing to the heavy sea then run- ning, her safety was long doubtful. Subsequent to this narrow escape, la Virginie proceeded to Carrickfergus roads, and Lieutenant Evans was sent to Bel- fast, for the purpose of obtaining a spare top -mast : returning from thence in a post-chaise, he was fired at by some mis- creant, whose ball passed through the windows of the vehicle, but luckily did him no harm. Having rejoined the Jason at Lough S willy, la Virginie returned with her along the west coast of Ireland, and when off Cape Clear gave chase to a large ship, which proved to be a French transport, having on board between 500 and 600 cavalry, 20 field pieces, 3000 stand of arms, 50 tons of gunpowder, and a large quantity of military stores. After securing this very valuable prize, the Jason and Vir- ginie stood to the westward, the Frenchmen having informed Captain Hunt, previous to his consort coming up, that they had sailed from Brest as part of a formidable expedition, destined to assist the Irish rebels. At midnight the enemy's fleet was discovered, and the British frigates ran close under the stern of a ship bearing an Admiral's light : no notice being taken of them, they then ran a short distance to lee- ward, and there hove to ; but at day light nothing was to be seen, although the wind was then blowing hard from the eastward. Captain Stirling thereupon determined to make the best of his way to Spithead, where, shortly after the arrival of the two frigates, Captain Hunt received orders to prepare for the reception of the Marquis Cornwallis, who was then preparing to assume the government of India. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 24J La Virginio was quite ready for sea, and the whole of his lordship's effects were embarked on board her, when the des- tination of both was changed, in consequence of the mutiny at Spithead, and other circumstances of a political nature. Unsuspicious of such an event as the former being about to take place, Captain Hunt was on shore attending to his private business, and preparing to receive the Marquis, when the general cheering took place at Spithead, and the flag of Lord Bridport was lowered by his officers, under a sense of shame to see it accompanied by the symbol of mutiny, which the delegates had hoisted on visiting the Royal George. During the conferences that took place between the Board of Admiralty and the ringleaders, the greater part of la Vir- ginie's crew were obedient and respectful to Lieutenant Evans, with whom many of them had sailed in other ships previous to their being drafted into that frigate. Their con- duct after the renewal of the mutiny was also deserving of the highest praise ; for on being directed to follow the fleet to St. Helen's, they requested him to give his orders as usual, pro- mising that every thing should be carried on according to his wishes, and expressing their regret that they durst not dis- obey the mandate of the delegates (as to la Virginie's removal from Spithead) there being about 23 or 30 disaffected fellows on board, who reported everything to them, and possessed suf- ficient influence to get any man taken out of the ship and flogged who should venture to declare his principles different to their own. As a proof of the sincerity of those loyal but overawed men, one or other of them regularly repprted to Lieutenant Evans, before 4 A. M., the whole of what had passed at the seditious meeting of the preceding night. This exemplary behaviour on their part was greatly promoted by the conduct of a gunner's mate, whose life Lieutenant Evans had saved by jumping overboard after him, for which humane action the poor fellow was ever afterwards grateful ; and as he happened to be a great favorite with his shipmates in ge- neral, his counsel was always listened to with very great attention. Of the few insubordinate characters on board la 248 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. Virginia, we shall have occasion to speak hereafter, fout merely for the purpose of proving that they were the very scum of her crew. The following verbatim copy of a curious docu- ment, now lying before us, will tend to corroborate part of what we have just stated : " To the Ship's Company of ff. M. Ship Virginie. " Whereas you are fitted for Foreign Service, and your coining to St. Helen's has happened through Mistake. " You are hereby required to obey the Orders of your officers in every respect. You have had no part in the present Differences, nor is any blame to fall on you for what has happened. " Given under our Hands this 9th Day of May, 1797. (Signed) "THE DELEGATES OF THE FLEET." Notwithstanding this order, la Virginie, when returning to Spithead, was hailed by the Defiance 74, and threatened with a broadside if she did not immediately anchor. Perceiving that the mutinous crew were preparing to carry their menace into execution, and knowing that some time must elapse be- fore they could open a fire from the stern, Lieutenant Evans pretended to obey them by giving orders to shorten sail and bring the ship to an anchor 5 but no sooner had he passed the 74' s quarter than he directed her three masts to be kept in one, by which adroit manoeuvre la Virginie was enabled to get out of range before a single gun could be brought to bear upon her. The only man of war then lying at Spithead was the La- tona frigate. Scarcely had Lieutenant Evans anchored there, when the delegates from that ship came on board la Virginie, harangued her crew from the forecastle, and endeavoured, both by persuasions and threats, to prevail upon them to cheer, — this, however, they unanimously refused to do ; and they even requested Lieutenant Evans to lay them alongside the Latona^ assuring him that if he would stand by them, neither her nor any other frigate should induce them to repeat an act so repugnant to their true feelings. Captain Hunt now occasionally came on board, and was always well received, the men being much attached to him, and indeed to all their officers. At length the baggage be- longiBg to the Marquis Cornwallis was landed, and la Vir- POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 249 ginie received orders from the Admiralty to convey the present Queen of Wirtemberg from Harwich to Cuxhaven. When passing through the Downs, she was cheered by the flag-ship and a frigate ; but still her crew continued steady, and only one solitary symptom of insubordination ever after- wards appeared amongst them. On the evening after the royal passenger was landed at Cuxhaven, two men were put in irons for disorderly conduct, and the following morning Captain Hunt was proceeding to punish them, when, at the very first lash, a fellow standing behind him called out « Stop !" Lieutenant Evans instantly turned round, dragged him forward by the collar, and the punishment proceeded. It is almost needless to add, that the audacious offender was in his turn tied up, — by which prompt measure good order was permanently restored. During Ja Virginie's passage to the Elbe ; Lieutenant Evans had the honor of being kindly noticed by his monarch's eldest daughter, but although that Princess condescended to recommend him to the favorable consideration of the Admi- ralty, the first Lieutenant of the senior officer's ship alone obtained promotion *. On her return to the Downs, la Virginie assisted in quell- ing a mutiny on board the Beaulieu frigate, by warping close alongside of her, with the band playing " God save the King," and every thing prepared for action, whilst 30 ma- rines went on board and enabled the officers to disarm and secure the crew, who had already opened a fire upon them. After this affair, la Virginie was sent to cruise between the Kentish Knock and the North Foreland, for the purpose of intercepting such of the delegates of the North Sea fleet as might attempt to escape from the Nore. We subsequently find Lieutenant Evans making a very judicious selection of persons to assist at the execution of several mutineers, by manning two boats with those who had been in the habit of * La Revolutionnaire conveyed the Duke of Wirtemberg to Cuxhaven, sailing in company with la Virginie, and the Melampus. The former frigate was commanded by Captain Francis Cole, the latter by Captain (now Sir Graham) Moore. 250 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. holding nightly consultations at Spithead ; and not allowing any others to be disgraced by accompanying them : strange as it may appear, not one of those fellows could even row an oar, and it was actually found necessary to send other boats to tow them back when the executions were over. At the latter end of 1797> la Virginie received orders to convey Sir Hugh C. Christian to the Cape of Good Hope, and the Earl of Mornington to Bengal. After touching at Ma- dras, she proceeded to Diamond harbour ; and Captain Hunt accompanied the Governor- General to Calcutta, from whence that meritorious young officer was destined never to return. In a very few days subsequent to his departure, 120 of the frigate's officers and crew were reported sick, 75 of whom, including the surgeon, died before she left the Ganges, at which period 100 men were confined to their hammocks, and 30 more unfit for duty. The cause of Captain Hunt's decease is stated in a letter from the Governor- General to Earl Spencer, of which the following is a copy : " Fort William, Aug. 24, 1798. ." My Lord, — It is with the greatest concern I communicate to your Lordship the melancholy event of the death of Captain Hunt, of la Vir- ginie frigate : he died in Fort William, after a short illness, occasioned by his own unfortunate imprudence, in exposing himself to the sun in the heat of the day. It is my duty to acquaint your Lordship, that Captain Hunt's attention to me during my passage was in every respect perfectly satisfactory to me. His character was so amiable, and his manners so pleasing, that his loss has been a subject of real grief to me and to all his acquaintance at this place. •* La Virginie proceeded to Madras on the 22nd of this month, and from thence to join Admiral Rainier's squadron. Mr. Evans the first Lieute- nant has been entrusted with the charge of the ship, by Captain Edward Cooke, now commanding in this river. I take the liberty of recommending Mr. Evans to your Lordship's protection and favor : it would give me great pleasure if your Lordship should find it compatible with the public service to forward his promotion. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) "MORNINGTON." Having obtained 50 or 60 men from the Hon. Company's ships, to assist in navigating his own, Lieutenant Evans pro- ceeded to, Madras, and continued to command la Virginie un- till superseded by Captain George Astle, who had been sent POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 251 , from England on promotion. With that officer he went to Malacca and China, for the purpose of affording protection to the homeward bound trade, the whole of which was escort- ed clear of the bay of Bengal by the Intrepid, Arrogant, and Virginie, without receiving any molestation from a very supe- rior French and Spanish force which appeared in sight just as the British merchantmen were leaving the Canton river. Whilst on this service la Virginie lost her mizen-mast, in a typhone, off the Pelew islands. On his return from China, Lieutenant Evans was appointed first of Rear-Admiral Rainier's flag-ship, the Suffolk 74 ; and in 1799, he was ordered by the same officer to act as captain of the Orpheus 32, which frigate he took from Madras to Bombay, by the southern passage, under circumstances of the most trying nature, the weather being very tempestuous during the whole voyage, and the ship exceedingly shattered and leaky, consequently requiring the pumps to be kept in continual motion for a period of seven weeks. On approaching Bombay island the Orpheus was crossed by a water-spout, which burst immediately over the fore- castle, split the fore-top-sail, and shook the ship very much, filling the fore part of her with water, whilst all abaft re- mained perfectly dry. On this occasion, the watch below rushed upon deck in their shirts, and those officers and men already there fell down motionless : amongst the latter num- ber was Captain Evans, who had just before directed the top- gallant sails to be taken in, and a gun to be fired at the ap- proaching black column, the suction of which, however, prevented the gunner's mate from obeying the latter order. The wind still continuing to blow with much violence, and it being impossible to procure a pilot under such circumstan- ces, Captain Evans instantly decided upon running into the harbour ; trusting entirely to his own slender knowledge thereof, acquired during the short time he served on board the Suffolk. In this he succeeded without the least accident occurring ; but to his great mortification, he soon found that it was impossible to allow his almost worn-out crew any rest, as owing to the state of the tides the ship could not be docked 252 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. until the following springs, unless dismantled and cleared of all her stores in less than 48 hours. No time was to be lost ; Captain Evans therefore assembled his people on the quarter deck, proposed to them to work watch and watch by night, and all hands by day, as the only means of bringing their labours to a speedy termination, and had the satisfaction of being answered with three hearty cheers : lighters were immediately sent for, one of which was swamped, with a number of guns in her, when proceeding to the shore ; but notwithstanding the unfavorable state of the weather, the work was completed without a murmur, and the ship safely docked within the time appointed, the crew thereby saving themselves from the task of constant pumping for at least another fortnight. Never did any ship enter the dock in a worse state than the Orpheus — every one wondered how she could have been kept afloat so long : the first and second mttocks might have been dug out with shovels ; — when the planks of the main- deck were taken up, the bolts across the ends of the beams were visible ; — every part of her was quite rotten, and conse- quently every thing had to be replaced. Having seen the Orpheus rebuilt with teak, prepared new rigging, and made every arrangement for speedily rendering her again effective, Captain Evans once more had the morti- fication to be superseded by an officer sent from England ; but, although thus deprived of the command of a, frigate, he was immediately appointed by Vice-Admiral Rainier to the Hobart sloop, then employed in the Eastern Seas. His com- mission as a commander, however, was not confirmed until April 29, 1802. On joining the Hobart at Amboyna, Captain Evans found that that ship was also in a very rotten state, and making two feet water an hour whilst lying at anchor. From thence he sailed for Ternate, and after beating for some time between Batyang and the rocks and shoals to the westward, without being able to find any anchorage, he was at length drifted in an irresistible manner towards a passage, or rather a water- fall, between two small islands near Gillolo, so narrow, that POST-CAPTAfNS OP 1810. 253 if the Hohart had been carried broadside on, she would have nearly touched the opposite shores at the same moment, and in the event of her grounding, every one of the crew must have perished, as the current was then running at the rate of ten knots, and nothing could have prevented her from fall- ing over. To avoid this catastrophe, and being then in soundings, Captain Evans let go an anchor, which fortunately brought her head to the rapid stream ; and then, by heaving at the capstan occasionally, so as to allow the flukes to trail the ground, he succeeded in keeping her stern to the narrow- opening, until she drifted through, and thus escaped the threatened danger. This tedious operation occupied more than two hours : the anxiety felt by all on board, during that awful period of suspense, can only be conceived by those who have been in situations of equally imminent peril. The passage through which Captain Evans thus skilfully conducted his vessel, was afterwards accurately surveyed by him, and his chart lodged in the Hydrographical Office, for the benefit of his Majesty's service : charts of many other surveys which he had made during a continuance of two years in the Eastern Seas, were at the same time deposited there. From Ternate, Captain Evans proceeded to the Celebes, and working up Goonongtalla river, against a very strong current, moored the Hobart head and stern within 30 yards of the eastern bank. He then, having obtained leave for that purpose from the Sultaun, landed the marines, carpenters, and blacksmiths ; pitched tents, mounted two G-pounders on a commanding height, set up the armourer's forge, and com- menced felling trees, in order to construct a launch ; all his boats except one, and she of little service, having been lost in a recent gale. Owing to the total want of iron, bolts were driven out of the ship's sides to make nails ; but notwithstand- ing every disadvantage, a capacious boat was completed, and 84 large bullocks collected, ready for embarkation, in the short space of 10 days *. * The Hobart was a ship of about 700 tons, originally an English West Indiauian ; she had been captured by the Dutch, and sent with a cargo la Java, where she was retaken by the Arrogant and Orpheua. 254 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. During this period, the Hobart was visited by the Sultaun, whom Captain Evans received with an appropriate salute, and entertained as sumptuously as his means would admit. In return for this friendly reception, all the British officers were invited up to Goonongtalla, which town they found to be most delightfully situated. Knowing the treacherous character of these people, and hav- ing nearly accomplished the object of his visit to the Celebes, Captain Evans would now have felt no regret in taking his final leave of the Sultaun ; but as the latter expressed a wish to see the boat launched, he considered it prudent not to ob- ject thereto, whilst so completely in his power, at the same time, resolving to have every thing brought off from the shore, and the Hobart riding by her anchor in the stream, before the hour fixed upon for the ceremony to take place. We should here observe, that several of the chiefs had cast a longing eye towards the boat, and had even been heard to say, that she would be of great service to their Sultaun. Cap- tain Evans also bore in mind the fate of Lieutenant Oakes, commander of a tender, who had put into the same river, and was basely attacked in the dead of the night by a party of the natives, whom he was then sheltering from the fury of the weather*. After saying that the boat should be put afloat about noon the next day, and that he should be happy to give the Sul- taun, his son, and principal courtiers another feast, after their curiosity had been gratified, Captain Evans returned on board? and made every arrangement for baffling any sinister design which they might have conceived. Before 6 o'clock the fol- lowing morning, every thing except the boat was removed from the shore, and his suspicions were soon afterwards strengthened by the appearance of a royal canoe, which had evidently been sent to reconnoitre, as she came out from a * Lieutenant Oakes was mortally wounded ; but his assassin met with condign punishment , a quarter-master who had charge of the deck having cut off his sword-arm with one stroke of a cutlass, and cleaved his skull with another. The remainder of the Malays were overpowered after a desperate struggle. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 255 place well calculated for concealment, and paddled with great swiftness up the river. Scarcely was the boat launched and hoisted in, the ship released from the trees to which she had been secured, and her bower cable fairly taut, when about 1000 Malays were discovered inarching over the hills, and nearly 200 canoes dropping down the river. The surprise of the Sultaun was doubtless very great, par- ticularly when, on his nearer approach, he observed a number of armed men stationed in each of the Hobart's tops : after a short pause, however, he ventured alongside, and was re- ceived as before, with every mark of friendship and respect ; nor was it until the Hobart had weighed, and got more than two miles into the offing, that he could be prevailed upon to depart, although continually urged to do so by several of those about him, who, probably fearing that some treacherous in- tention of their own had been discovered, appeared particu- larly anxious to regain the river. On leaving the Hobart, and being again saluted, the Sultaun gave three good cheers, an example which was followed by nearly 100 canoes, then lying on their paddles ; and it is but reasonable to suppose, that this parting ceremony was returned by the English crew, with at least equal good will and sincerity. From the Celebes, we find Captain Evans returning to Amboyna, where he took charge of the Princess Charlotte, an East Jndiaman, laden with spices ; which ship he escorted clear of Coupang, in the island of Timor. After encountering numerous difficulties, and escaping .many dangers, in the execution of the services assigned to him in the Eastern Seas, the Hobart daily becoming more and more defective, and all his officers being sick, himself and the gunner keeping watch and watch, Captain Evans ran through the straits of Lumbuck, the adjacent seas, the straits of Banca and Drion, to Malacca, and from thence to Prince of Wales 's island, where the sloop was repaired, as well as circumstances would allow. From thence she sailed for Ma- dras ; but in crossing the bay of Bengal, her leaks increased to six feet per hour ; which induced Captain Evans to return, and forward a letter to the commander-in-chief, informing 256 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. him of his distresses, and that it was his intention to heave the Hobart down, in hopes that he should still be able to patch her up sufficiently for the voyage. Not having heard of him for a very considerable period, Vice-Admiral Rainier had already expressed great anxiety for his safety ; and on the receipt of the above despatch, he im- mediately sent Captain Evans directions to sell the Hobart, if he found, on examination of her bottom, that she was unfit to proceed to sea, under the escort of another vessel ap- propriated to that service. The laborious task of heaving the ship down, was per- formed by her crew alone, according to Captain Evans's ex- pressed intentions ; and although it was scarcely prudent to commit himself in such a defective vessel, yet, finding that government would sustain a very great loss by the sale of her hull, stores, &c., at Prince of Wales's island, he resolved to sail from thence in company with the Victor sloop, which vessel had been sent to escort him across the bay. Previous to his final departure from that island, Captain Evans discovered that the Americans were carrying on a smuggling trade, by loading at Madras or Bengal, clearing out for America, and, instead of proceeding thither, disposing of their cargoes, under various fraudulent pretexts, at Pulo Penang, a settlement then in its infancy. Ever anxious to maintain the interests of his country, Captain Evans imme- diately resolved to put a stop to this illegal traffic, and he accordingly seized a brig named the Roebuck, commanded by Mr. James Bishop, who had arrived there on the 8th Sept. 1802, broke bulk (without first obtaining permission) on the 9th, sold part of his cargo for 6820 dollars on the llth and 12th, and completed the clandestine landing of the whole on the 19th of the same month ; thereby infringing the treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation, concluded between Great Britain and the United States, in 1/83. The condemnation of the Roebuck, after much litigation, and consequent anxiety on the part of Captain Evans, led to the formation of a government at Prince of Wales's Island, similar to those of Madras and Bombay. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 257 Having crossed the bay of Bengal without any accident, Captain Evans joined the commander-in-chief, and accom- panied him to Point de Galle, from whence he proceeded to the Malabar coast, unattended by any vessel whatever. While on her way thither, the Hobart again made six feet water an hour, and the leak was gaining fast upon the pumps, when the Sheerness 44, Captain J. S. Garden, providentially fell in with, and towed her to Bombay. After the Hobart had been examined by the dock-yard people, her safety was every where spoken of as quite a mi- racle ; for it was found that, in addition to the frame of the vessel being generally much decayed, the white ant had been so busily at work that, but for her copper, she must have foundered. Many of the main-deck beams were crumbled fo dust, and literally held together by the paint that covered them ! On the occasion of the great fire at Bombay, in Feb. 1803, Captain Evans particularly distinguished himself; having persevered in his endeavours to pull down some buildings until they were literally surrounded with the flames, which left him no other chance of escape than that of leaping from the top of a house already on fire, and afterwards making his way through them. The very great exertions of the navy during that awful conflagration were thus officially acknow- ledged : " H. M. S. Trident, Bombay Harbour, Feb. 28, 1803. " Sir,— The Honorable the Governor in Council at this Presidency having by letter of the 26th instant, expressed to me the great importance of the vigorous exertions of yourself, officers, and crew, in opposing and finally terminating the progress of the dreadful and destructive fire that lately broke out in this capital, 'tis with much satisfaction I herewith transmit, at their request, a copy of their letter to me on this occasion, and I desire you will be pleased to cause the same to be read to the offi- cers and men of the ship you command. I remain, Sir, &c. (Signed) " PETER RAINIER." *' To Captain Robert Evans." ENCLOSURE. " Public Department, Bombay Castle, 26 Feb. 1803. " Sir, — It is a duty which we owe to your Excellency, to express the very high sense we entertain of the particular and most useful assistance SUPPL. PART II. S 258 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. derived from the presence of your Excellency on the occasion of the ca- lamitous event of the 17th instant, and of the captains, officers, and men of his Majesty's squadron under your Excellency's command ; from whose active interposition, and uncommon exertions, every practicable oppo- sition was made to the extension of the conflagration ; but for which we might have had to lament far greater devastation, than what has unhap- pily occurred. " Under the most grateful impressions from the zeal and cordiality of the aid thus experienced, we have the honor to offer to your Excellency personally, our most heartfelt acknowledgments of the advantage thus derived to our capital by your presence in it, at the season of this disas- ter; and to request that your Excellency will be pleased to convey to the commanders, officers, and men, who exerted themselves so meritoriously on this awful occasion, our sineerest thanks for the great fatigue they so cheerfully underwent, the memory of which must be coeval, in this set- tlement, with its duration as a British possession. We have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " JON. DUNCAN. " J. W. CHERRY. "To ff.E. Pice-Admiral Rainier *." " THOMAS LECHMERE." The Hobart was shortly afterwards sold out of the service ; and as all the ships of war, that were ordered home, in con- sequence of the peace, had sailed for Europe, Captain Evans proceeded to Madras, where he embarked as a passenger on board the United Kingdom Indiamun, then on the point of departing for England. Soon after his arrival at St. Helena, he heard of the re- newal of hostilities ; and as the Hon. Company's ships were directed to wait there for convoy, he agreed with his fellow passengers, Major-General Baird and seven others, to remove into a whaler, the master of which undertook to run them home for 1000/. sterling ; each paying an equal proportion f. This ship was captured off Cape Clear, by le Vaillarit French privateer, of 30 guns and 240 men J, commanded by " Among the officers who particularly distinguished themselves on the above occasion was Captain J. S. Garden. See Vol. II, Part II, p. 1009. f Captain Evans's passage from Madras to England cost him altogether 500/., the whole of which was a dead loss to him, as the Admiralty refused to grant him any remuneration. t See Vol. II, Part I, p. 392. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 259 Mons. Etienne, who generously allowed the passengers to remain in her, as prisoners of war, on their parole, his own ship not affording suitable accommodation for so many gen- tlemen of rank. After beating about for 21 days, the French prize-crew came aft one night, confessed that they did not know in what quarter the land lay, and requested Captain Evans to take charge of the navigation. This being approved of by Major General Baird and the other prisoners, he complied with their wishes, directed them how to steer, and at day-light next morning pointed out the coast of Spain, near Cape Finis- terre. Owing to the light and variable winds, 24 hours more elapsed before the ship arrived near Corunna; and when stretching off in order to fetch that port, a frigate was disco- vered, which Captain Evans very soon made out to be Bri- tish. He then advised the prize-master, as escape was im- possible, to hoist the English colours, union downwards 5 but whilst the Frenchman was deliberating, a shot from the stranger passed through the gangway netting, not more than a foot from the heads of the British, (who happened to be assembled there) and went out through the breastwork on the opposite side. The frigate proved to be the Sirius, commanded by Captain William Prowse, and attached to the squadron employed off Ferrol, under the orders of Sir Edward Pellew, who immedi- ately granted Major-General Baird and his companions a cut- ter for their conveyance to Falmouth, where they were all landed in safety, at the commencement of Nov. 1803 *. In April, 1804, the twelve judges having decided that the commander of a privateer had no right to take the parole of his prisoners, Captain Evans was appointed to a command in * As another instance of the vicissitudes of fortune, we cannot refrain from stating that Dr. Coley, now an eminent physician at Cheltenham, was surgeon of the whaler in which Captain Evans sailed from St. Helena ; and that on their being recaptured by the Sirius he begged him to speak to Sir Edward Pellew in his favor. This request Captain Evans complied with ; the young man was instantly received on board the Tonnant, and in little more than a year he became a full naval surgeon. s 2 260 POST-CAPTAINS OF 18K). the Docegal district of Sea Fencibles, which lie continued to hold, being unable to obtain more active employment, for a period of four years. In April, 1808, through the kind interference of Sir Arthur Wellesley, now Duke of Wellington, Captain Evans was ap- pointed to the Leveret brig, employed on the Baltic station. Whilst in that sloop, he convoyed a fleet of nearly 300 sail to Carlscrona, and returned from thence with an equal number under his protection, passing through the Belt each time without losing a single vessel, although constantly watched and harassed by numerous Danish gun-boats. His next appointment was to the Satellite, of 16 guns ; in which brig, after serving for some time off Flushing, he as- sisted in escorting about 400 sail of merchantmen from Spit- head to Barbadoes ; and was then ordered to afford protec- tion to 120 of the same fleet, bound to St. Vincent's, Gre- nada, Cura9oa, and Jamaica ; on which latter station we find him very actively employed, under the orders of Vice- Admi- ral B. S. Rowley, who had been directed by Lord Mulgrave to place him at the head of the Admiralty list for promotion. . Early in May, 1809, a merchant ship arrived at Port Royal, with intelligence of several French privateers having commit- ted great depredations on the south side of St. Domingo, and afterwards taken shelter within the islands of Beata and de Vache. On the preceding day, (Thursday) the Satellite had returned from a four months' cruise, during which she had sprung her main-mast so badly as to require it to be replaced. There being no other man of war then in port, the Vice-Ad- miral enquired by telegraph when she could be got ready for sea^ and was told in reply, that every thing depended upon the dock-yard. On that and the ensuing day, the decks were caulked, the shipwrights' and carpenters' work completed, the new main-mast taken in, and three months' provisions and stores, received and stowed away : on Sunday morning she went out of harbour, with her men on the yards bending sails ; and on Wednesday following the enemy, seven in number, were discovered in their nest, between Beata and the main. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 261 On seeing ftie Satellite working up towards them, two ef the largest privateers came out to engage her, but fled after receiving a few broadsides, effecting their escape through the passage between Altavella and Beata. Two others were cap- tured by Captain Evans ; but the remainder were enabled to get off, owing to his brig's inferior sailing. He had the satis- faction, however, of knowing that this formidable force was dispersed through his exertions, and that the trade of St. Domingo was never again molested whilst he continued on the coast. During the very short period that elapsed between the Sa- tellite's departure from Port Royal and her arrival off Alta- vella, Captain Evans had to regret the loss of his first Lieu- tenant, Master, Purser, and several men, all of whom fell sick, and died, in consequence of the excessive fatigue and great exposure to which the emergency of the service had subjected them: the rest of his officers and crew were also very sickly. Towards the latter end of the same year, Captain Evans had the mortification to find that, notwithstanding Lord Muk grave's directions, the commander-in-chief had put one of his own followers into an Admiralty vacancy ; and unfortit- nately for him, a letter of complaint which he felt it his duty to write on the occasion, did not reach home until after that nobleman had retired from the Board. In 1810, he was or- dered to convoy the trade from the bay of Honduras to Eng- land, which vexatious arrangement deprived him of the hope he had still cherished, of being promoted abroad, and thereby kept in active employment. On entering Bellize bay, in charge of a pilot, the Satellite took the ground, but was not supposed to have received any damage until her arrival in the gulf of Florida, when it was discovered that she did not answer her helm as formerly, which induced him to put into the Havannah ; and on lighten- ing the brig, he found that two gudgeons and two pintles were knocked off. This took place on a Sunday ; the rudder lad to be landed at the dock- yard, and after it was re- 262 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. hung, nearly the whole of the stores, water, and provisions were to be hoisted in, notwithstanding which the Satellite was again at sea on Monday afternoon. The remainder of the voyage to England was very tem- pestuous ; and the Satellite suffered so much during the first gale as to render it necessary for part of her guns to be put be- low, a measure that was scarcely adopted when a second storm commenced, which it is impossible she could have weathered, had not so much dead weight been removed from aloft. Captain Evans arrived at Spithead in Nov. 1810, and found that he had been promoted to post-rank on the 21st of the preceding month. He was there superseded in the command of the Satellite, by the Hon. Willoughby Bertie, who perished, with all his officers and crew, on the very night that he first went to sea in her ! Since that period Captain Evans has applied for employ- ment regularly every year, and has often been strongly re- commended by persons of high consideration, but hitherto without effect. The following is a copy of a letter, which he received from Lord Amelius Beauclerk, in Jan. 1812 : — " My dear Sir,— I should have been very happy to have shaken you by the hand when you was in town, after so long an absence. I hope, should you come to this part, you will do me the favor of a call. I must return you my sincere thanks for your offer of service, and feel myself much flat- tered by the samej'a previous engagement obliges me to decline it, otherwise I should have been happy to comply with your wishes. I remain, my dear Sir, yours very sincerely, (Signed) "A. BEAUCLERK." Among the many distinguished characters who have ex- erted themselves in favor of Captain Evans, no one has more strongly supported his claims for employment, than the no- bleman whose signature is attached to the letter, we are now about to transcribe : — " London, May 18, 1820. " Sir, — May I request to be permitted the liberty of recommending to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, for his approbation, Captain Evans of the royal navy, to command the yacht. I should not presume to lay Captain Evans's name before his Excellency, were I not informed Captain Saurin's appointment had not taken place. Captain Robert Evans's name POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 268 is well known at the Admiralty, as a good officer— and he is a perfect gen- tleman.— I therefore cannot resist his solicitation in applying in his favor, which must plead my apology for troubling you with this letter. 1 have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " CONYNGHAM." " Right Hon. Charles Grant, dfo. Sfc. $c." In Feb. 1 823, the same nobleman applied in Captain Evans's favor to Viscount Melville, who returned the following answer : — "Admiralty, 2$th Feb. 1823. " My dear Lord,— -I have received your Lordship's letter of the 18th In- stant, and shall not fail to note your application in favor of Captain Robert Evans, to be brought under consideration whenever a proper opportunity may offer. I return Captain Evans's letter, and I have the honor to te, my dear Lord, your Lordship's very faithful, &c. ,fnnt (Signed) " MELVILLE.* " To the Marquis Conygham." Having now concluded our account of Captain Evans's professional services, we must return back to Dec. 27, 1807> on which day he addressed a letter to Lord Mulgrave, pointing out the impossibility of a continued intercourse be- tween the Malay traders and Prince of Wales's island, should ever Malacca be alienated from the British Crown ; and therefore recommending the formation of a settlement at Dil- ha, in the island of Timor, to which port they would at all times be able to resort for commercial purposes, without run- ning any risk of being intercepted and enslaved by the Dutch. In the same letter he also recommends the establishment of a British settlement between Malacca and the China seas, and mentions Sincapore as very eligibly situated with rela- tion to the whole Eastern archipelago, to China, and to India, for an extended commerce, if held as a free port under Bri- tish protection. For this, and a second communication res- pecting Dilha, he received his Lordship's thanks, in two let- ters, dated Jan. 9, and Mar. 18, 1808; and had he addressed himself to the Board of Controul, instead of to the Admiralty, we have no doubt that Sincapore would have been taken possession of long before the year 1819; and that the wild project of colonizing Melville island, in the gulf of Carpenta- ria, as a place well situated " for the encouraging of trade 264 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. and communications with the Malays/' would never have been entertained *. The population of Sincapore, previous to its occupation by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Feb. 29, 1819, did not amount to more than 200 souls ; but in less than two years from that date it exceeded 10,000. During this short period, not less than 2889 vessels are stated to have entered the port, of which 383 were owned and commanded by Euro- peans, and 2506 by natives. Their united tonnage ex- ceeded 200,000. The value of its commerce in the first two years was estimated at five millions of dollars. In the year 1822, it had augmented to 8,568,171 dollars ; and in 1823, to 13,268,397 dollars. The natives of all the neighbouring states resorted to it in abundance with goods or bullion, and many of them have erected large warehouses on the island, together with suitable habitations for themselves. The advantages to be obtained by establishing a settlement at Dilha, are set forth in a letter from Captain Evans to one of his Majesty's late ministers, dated June 24, 1824, of which the following is an extract : " In the year 1807, 1 recommended to the English government, to form a settlement to the east of Malacca, in order to have a place for the Malays to trade, when Malacca and the Dutch Islands were given up ; for I observed the situation was such, that it would be impossible for the prows to pass through the Straits to Prince of Wales's Island. I was aware at the time of the terms on which we held Malacca and all the Dutch Islands, and therefore, thought it highly necessary to form a port to the eastward, and also another port east of the Straits of Seylere. I mentioned Dilha on the island of Timor. In consequence of the hatred and revengeful disposition of the Dutch, the poor Malays, when Malacca and the islands were given up, would not be able to trade : now things are changed relative to Malacca. Sincapore is allowed to be a good place for China ships to stop at, going and returning ; and in time of war, a small fort in the straits of Drion, would secure the straits of Malacca from enemy's cruisers. Sincapore, however, will only be of service to a few Malay prows from the west coast of Borneo and the straits of Drion ; and these may be prevented by the Dutch cruizers. Not a Malay will be able to pass from the straits of Macassar to Sincapore ; — this is well known to the Dutch government. See memoir of Captain JAMES J. G. BREMER, C. B. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 265 On examining the charts, it will be seen that it is in the power of the Dutch to prevent Malays from going to Sincapore. The Malay trade should be protected : by encouraging these poor people, you would bring all the eastern trade to your port. What I proposed in the year 1807, and what I would now recommend, is, to get possession of the east end of Timor from the Portuguese, and to establish a settlement at the port of Dilha : this would secure the whole of the Malay trade in the Malacca seas. You might have had, and may yet, if not too late, the west end of Timor (belonging to the Dutch,) for Bencoolen. Your having Sincapore, Malacca would have been deserted. Timor is of no value to the Portuguese, and may be of seme consequence to us. Sincapore rendered Malacca of no value to any one. Bencoolen should have been given (if it was to be parted with,) for the west end of Timor. The port of Dilha on the N, E. side of Timor, a most excellent harbour, easy of access, may be fortified at a trifling expense, and defended from any surprise by a small force. The Malays in those seas have not a place to trade with, and dread leaving their creeks and rivers, through fear of the Dutch. I found them much inclined to trade, and considered they would in a short time be rendered fully independent of the Dutch, provided we had the port of Dilha, in the island of Timor. All the Malays who are taken by the Dutch, are reduced to slavery. The port of Dilha would embrace the Straits of Macassar, Seylere, Gilolo, east end of the island of Borneo, Celebes, Amboyna, Ceram, Banda, and all to the eastward of Java, would be opened to your trade in a short time. Two-thirds of the spices would centre at the port of Dilha, and it would not be in the power of the Dutch to prevent them. In the N. W. and S. E. monsoons, the Malay prows could reach Dilha, and return in the space of two or three weeks, exchange spices for opium and Bengal goods, or English manufac- tures. You would have sufficient in a short time to supply England, even South America. India ships trading to New Holland would call there; also Americans and Spaniards, if allowed, may go there :— the island abounds with ship timber. ******. The winds will not allow the Malays to go to Melville Island; and as the distance is very great, the Dutch may have a favourable opportunity of taking them." To this statement the following answer was returned, July 30,1824:— " Dear Sir,— -I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th June, stating the advantages which would result from a British settlement at the port of Dilha, on the Island of Timor, and to return you my thanks for the suggestions which it contains. I do not, however, think, that as our negotiation with the government of the Netherlands is now brought to a close, it would be desirable to re-open it, and it seems to me that most of the benefits which would be likely to result from it, will arise from the settlement now forming at Port Essington, on the north point of New South Wales, I' remain, dear Sir, most faithfully yours, (Signed) " C. W. WILLIAMS WYNN." 906 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. The failure of the attempt to colonize Melville Island was predicted by Captain Evans, in a letter addressed to the same Right Hon. Gentleman, of which the following is an extract: " I am sorry to find that a settlement is about to be formed on Melville Island, in Carpentaria Bay : — you may depend it will not succeed, and the expense will be great. It will not answer any one purpose : — the Malays will not be able to go there to trade, it is too far for them— during the S. E. winds it will be impossible for them to go, and the N. W. winds will pre- vent them from returning. Sir Thomas Raffles could not have known much about the place, when he recommended it for such a purpose." In another letter, dated Aug. 24, 1824, Captain Evans says : "The monsoons are different to what you find in the China seas and bay of Bengal. You have strong S. E. winds when the S. W. winds prevail ia the bay, and N. W. winds when the N. E. monsoons blow in the China seas and bay. It would take the Malays a whole monsoon to make a voyage to Port Essington, even should they escape the Dutch ; and slavery would be their portion if taken. " The port of Dilha may be reached in one night, (at least the east end of Timor) from any one of the Spice Islands ; every week or ten days in each monsoon a voyage may be made, and that without any danger from the Dutch. The Malays have active minds, are fond of trade, and when treated kindly are much attached to you." Captain Evans married Isabella, daughter of George Nesbitt,, of Woodhill, co. Donegal, Esq. and sister to Major Nesbitt, who commanded the militia of that county, his Colonel being absent, at the time when the French effected a landing in Bantry Bay. By that amiable and accomplished lady, he has one son living. Agents. — Messrs. Evans and Eyton. THOMAS FOLLIOTT BAUGH, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in Nov. 1793 ; and promoted to the rank of Commander, April 29, 1802. We subsequently find him holding an appointment in the Irish Sea Fencible service, and afterwards commanding the Clio brig, on the Baltic station, where he captured a Danish privateer of 6 guns, Sept. 21, 1808. His post commission bears date Oct. 21, 1810. .— Messrs. Stilwell. POST-CAFFAINS OP 1810. 26? JOHN LAMBORN, ESQ. Obtained a Lieutenant's commissioner! April, 1794 ; served as first of the Caesar 80, bearing the flag off Sir James Saumarez, at the battle off Algeziras, July 6, 1801 * ; and was promoted to the command of the Peterel sloop, April 29, 1802. In Mar. 1804, Captain Lamborn sailed for Barbadoes and Jamaica, in company with the West India trade ; and on the 23d. Jan. 1805, we find him destroying a French privateer of 1 gun and 27 men. In May following, he captured a Spanish privateer, mounting 1 long 18-pounder and 4 sixes, with a complement of 106 men, off St. Jago de Cuba. The Peterel was subsequently attacked, when proceeding from Jamaica to Charlestown, by a schooner full of men, who attempted to board her, but were repulsed with great loss. In the skirmish that took place on this occasion, the British had 2 killed and 4 wounded. Captain Lamborn's next appointment was to the Trinculo brig, in which vessel he continued until advanced to post rank, Oct. 21, 1810. Agent.- -J. Woodhead, Esq. JOHN BAKER, ESQ. An elder brother of Rear- Admiral Thomas Baker, C. B. This officer was made a Lieutenant in July, 1794 ; and pro- moted to the rank of Commander, April 29, 1802 : his post commission bears date Oct. 21, 1810 ; at which period he commanded the Kangaroo sloop, on the Boulogne station, where she had previously captured FEgayant French lugger privateen, of 14 guns and 31 men. Agent. — J. Hinxraan, Esq. ALEXANDER INNES, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in July, 1794 ; Commander, April 29, 1802 ; and Post-Captain, Oct. 21, 1810. * See Vol. II. Part I. p. 264 et seq. 268 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. CHARLES MONTAGUE FABIAN, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in Mar. 1795 ; Commander, April 29, 1802; and Post- Captain, Oct. 21, 1810. His appoint- ments during the late war were, May, 1803, to the Sea Fen- cible service between Sandgate and Sandown; in 1808, to la Mutine brig; and, Aug. 23, 1812, to the Piomede troop- ship. He died atTournay, Oct. 28, 1826. SAMUEL MARTIN COLQUITT, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in Feb. 1796; and Commander, April 29, 1802. From June, 1 803, until the summer of 1 809, he commanded the Princess floating battery, successively sta- tioned at Lymington and Liverpool. His next appointment was to the Persian brig, in which vessel he continued until posted, Oct. 21, 1810. Mrs. Colquitt died Nov. 3, 1823. GUSTAVUS STUPART, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in Sept. 1796 : the exploit which led to his further advancement is thus officially described : — "Success, Port Mahon, June 13, 1799. "My Lord,— -The 9th instant, standing towards Cape de Creux, in pur- suance of instructions I had recjeived from Lord Keith, I discovered a polacre in the N. W., to which I gave chase ; but in consequence of her being near the land, I could not prevent her getting into the harbour of la Seiva, a small port two leagues to the northward of the Cape : however, as she had shown Spanish colours, and there being no appearance of batteries to protect her, and the weather very favourable, I was induced to send the boats to try to bring her out, with instructions to Lieutenant Facey, who commanded, to return, should he find any opposition of consequence. At 4 P. M., Lieutenant Facey in the barge, Lieutenant Stupart in the launch, and Lieutenant Davison, of the marines, in the cutter, all volunteers on this occasion, put off from the ship ; and at 8, after a good deal of firing, I had the satisfaction of seeing the polacre coming out, round a point which had kept them from our sight for more than an hour. During the time the boats were engaged, several of the enemy's gun-boats endeavoured to get in, but were prevented by our shot. The captured vessel proved to be la Belle Aurore, from Genoa, bound to Barcelona, laden with cotton, silk, rice, &c.— • mounting 10 carriage guns, 9 and 6-pounders, and having POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 269 on board, when attacked, 113 men : she was surrounded by a netting, and supported by a small battery, and a large body of musketry on shore. I am sorry to inform your Lordship, that our loss has been great, three of those gallant fellows having been killed on the spot; and Lieutenant Stupart, an officer inferior to none in his Majesty's service, for zeal, courage, and ability, with nine others, badly wounded, one of whom died this morning. The conduct of Lieutenant Facey does him, in my opinion, great honour ; he appears to have been the first on board, and to have shown throughout the whole, great firmness and good example. The attack was made in the face of day by 42 men, in three boats, against a ship defended by 113 men, secured with a boarding netting, and supported by a battery, and a large body of men at small arms on the shore. I trust, my Lord, this fair statement of facts will be a sufficient recommendation of Lieutenants Facey and Stupart, &c. &c. &c. (Signed) "S. PEARD." " To Admiral Earl St. Vincent." This " very gallant exploit/' says Earl St. Vincent, " ap- pears to me equal to any enterprise recorded in the naval his- tory of Great Britain ; and will, I am fully persuaded, merit the approbation of the Lords Commissioners of the Admi- ralty." The manner in which the success was subsequently employed will be seen by reference to Vol. II, Part 1, p. 26. In July, 1800. Lieutenant Stupart obtained a small pension on account of his wounds, which has been increased since the peace to 250/. per annum. After the capture of the Suc- cess, he joined la Constance 24, and again distinguished himself in a boat affair, of which mention has been made in our memoir of Captain Zachary Mudge *. His commis- sion as a Commander was signed by Earl St. Vincent, April 29, 1802. At the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, Captain Stupart was appointed to the Sea Fencible service, Dartmouth district ; where he remained until the summer of 1806 ; from which period we find him commanding the Emulous brig, on the Channel and Halifax stations, till his promotion to post rank, Oct. 21, 1810. Captain Stupart's first wife died in June, 1802. His se- cond marriage, to Miss Hyndham, took place Oct. 19, 1812. Agents. — Messrs. Stilwell. * See Vol. II, Part I, p. 308. 270 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. • JOHN WILLOUGHBY MARSHALL, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in Sept., 1796; advanced to the rank of Commander, April 29, 1802 ; and appointed to the Lynx sloop in the month of June following. From this pe- riod he was actively employed on the North Sea and Baltic stations, upwards of eight years. On the 12th Aug. 1809, a small detachment of seamen and marines from the Lynx, under the orders of Lieutenant Edward Kelly, attended by the Monkey gun- brig, Lieutenant Thomas Fitzgerald, gallantly attacked, carried, and brought out three Danish privateers, from within the reef off Dais Head, near Rostock : the enemy's joint force amounted to 11 carriage guns, 4 howitzers, and 84 men. Captain Marshall obtained post rank, Oct. 21, 1810; and died at Caen, in Normandy, by the bursting of a blood vessel, Jan. 22, 1824. ANTHONY ABDY, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in Feb. 1800 ; advanced to the rank of Commander, April 29, 1802 ; appointed to the Zephyr fire-ship, in 1804 ; to the Dotterell brig, about Nov. 1808 ; and to act in the Tonnant 80, off Ferrol, about June, 1809 : his post commission bears date Oct. 21, 1810. Captain Abdy married, in 1808, a daughter of the late Ad- miral Sir Thomas Rich, Bart. Agents. — Messrs. Stilwell. HENRY EVELYN PITFIELD STURT, ESQ. Was made a Lieutenant in Feb. 1800 ; promoted to the rank of Commander, April 29, 1802; and afterwards suc- cessively appointed to the Rambler, Skylark, and Termagant, sloops. On the 7th Nov. 1807, he captured le Renarde French privateer, of 14 guns and 39 men. This vessel not surren- dering when repeatedly called to, and likewise making an POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. attempt to lay the Skylark on board, obliged Captain Sturt to fire at her, by which the French commander was wounded, and his lugger's main-mast shot away. The Termagant formed part of the squadron under Rear Admiral (now Sir George) Martin, when that officer was em- ployed in protecting Sicily from an invasion, threatened by Murat, in 1810; and Captain Sturt was rewarded with a post commission for his active services, as senior officer of the mortar-boats then stationed in the Faro of Messina. He takes rank from Oct. 21, 1810. Since the peace he has commanded the Phaeton of 46 guns, in which frigate he con- veyed the Right Hon. C. R. Vaughan, British Ambassador, to North America, in 1825 ; and afterwards brought home three millions of dollars, from the West Indies. Captain Sturt married a Portuguese lady, whom he had assisted in her flight from a convent in one of the Western Islands. Agent. — — — M'Inerheny, Esq. RICHARD GAIRE JANVRIN, ESQ. We first find this officer serving as a midshipman under Sir W. Sidney Smith, at the defence of St. Jean d'Acre, in 1799. Whilst thus employed he was wounded by a musket- ball passing through the muscle under his left arm, but which does not appear to have incapacitated him for more than a few weeks. On his recovery he was entrusted by his heroic chief with the command of the flotilla on the coast of Da- mietta. He next joined the flag-ship of Lord Keith, who, we believe, gave him a commission, in the year 1800. From this period we lose sight of Captain Janvrin until he re- ceived an appointment to a command in the flotilla attached to the Walcheren expedition. The evacuation of that island being at length determined upon, he was then charged by Sir Richard J. Strachan with the duties of the port of Flushing, and Commo- dore (now Sir Edward) Owen, who conducted the retreat from POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. that place, officially acknowledged that he found in him " a most zealous second and supporter." The bravery and spirit ma- nifested by the officers and crews of the gun-boats, and their cheerful submission to the necessary privations of that pecu- liar service, have been noticed at p. 71 et seq. of Suppl. Part 1. — "All" says Sir Richard J. Straehan, " supported the character of British seamen !" Captain Janvrin's post commission bears date, Oct. 21, 1810. He married the widow of Lieutenant Lord, R. N. Agents. — Messrs. Maude. GEORGE WILLIAM BLAMEY, ESQ. The family of Blarney, originally Blayney, is of Welsh extraction, and claims to be descended from Cadwallader, King of the ancient Britons. Captain Blarney's direct ances- tor, Edward, a younger son of Thomas ap Jevan Lloyd, after serving Queen Elizabeth in the Low Countries, accompanied the Earl of Essex to Ireland, and settled in that kingdom, of which he was created a peer by James 1, July 29, 1621. Two brothers belonging to this family fled from the " Emerald Isle," to avoid political persecution :— one went to Nor- mandy, the other took up his residence atTregony, co. Corn- wall, and changed his name to Blarney. The subject of this memoir was born at Devonport, in 1768; and he appears to have joined the Nonsuch 64, Cap- tain Walter Griffith, before he was eight years old ! Although much too young to take a part in any of the operations, he was present at the performance of many, if not all, the services in the Chesapeake and Delaware rivers, at the commencement of the American revolutionary war. In 1778, we find him again at school ; and in 1780, embarking on board the In- flexible 64, then attached to the Channel fleet under Admiral Geary, but subsequently sent to the relief of Gibraltar, under Vice-Admiral Darby. While engaged in that service, she was warmly engaged with the Spanish gun-boats, and Mr. Blarney witnessed the demolition of the greater part of the besieged town *. * See Vol. I. Part I. p. 4, and note at p. 33. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. 2/3 In 1781, this young officer was placed under the patronage of Sir Geo. B. Rodney, by whose side he served on the memor- able 9th and 12th April, 1J82 *. After the recall of that cele- brated chief, he continued in the Formidable with Admiral Hugh Pigot, under whom he completed his time as a midshipman. At the peace of 1783, Mr. Blarney joined the Culloden 74, fitting at Woolwich for the purpose of being stationed as a guard-ship in Hamoaze ; but feeling dissatisfied with a life so inactive, and having a strong desire to make himself ac- quainted with the whole coast of North America, from Hud- son's Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, he subsequently proceeded, in pursuance of that design, accompanied by two young friends possessing a similar spirit of enterprise, in whose com- pany he encountered difficulties almost insurmountable, and experienced the greatest privations, being often frozen up in his little bark without a single comfort to sustain life, some, times obliged to consume part of the vessel for want of fuel, and frequently compelled, after traversing the ice and reaching terra firma, to undergo all the varieties of misery and want. At the commencement of the French revolutionary war, Mr. Blarney joined Commodore Ford, at Jamaica, and was actively employed during the operations against the enemy in St. Domingo f. His promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place about 1 794, on which occasion he was appointed to the Success 32, Captain Hugh Pigot, with whom he bad been intimate in his early days. From that frigate Lieutenant Blarney removed to the In- trepid 64, commanded by the Hon. Charles Carpenter ; and in her he assisted at the capture of la Per9ante French na- tional ship, mounting 26 guns, with a complement of 200 men, near old Cape Frangois, Feb. 1796. Lieutenant Blarney's next appointment was to be first of the Jamaica, late la Pe^ante, from which ship he removed to the Leviathan 74, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Duckworth, with whom he returned to England in 1797* after * See Vol. II. Part I, note f at p. 52 ; Vol. I. Part I. note at pp. 35— 39 ; and id. Part II. last part of note * at p. 437. f See Vol. I, Part II, p. 505, and note t at p. 805 et seq. SUPPL. PART II. T 274 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. an absence of nine years. We subsequently find him serving as first of the Assistance 50, Captain Robert Hall, on the Halifax station, from whence that ship brought home H. R. H. the Duke of Kent, Aug. 31, 1800. During the passage to England, Lieutenant Blarney had the good fortune to obtain the favourable opinion of that illustrious personage, whose warm friendship he enjoyed until his lamented demise. Early in 1801, Lieutenant Blarney again joined the Levia- than, then bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Duckworth, who had recently succeeded Lord Hugh Seymour in the chief com- mand on the Leeward Islands station ; and in whose despatches announcing the surrender of the Danish and Swedish colonies we find the following passage : — " I intend giving an acting order to Captain John Miller Gamier, of the Hawke, and my first Lieutenant, George William Blarney, an officer whose exertions in the present expedition entitle him to my warmest support." Lieutenant Blarney was accordingly appointed to succeed Captain Gamier, and he continued in the Hawke sloop until the cessation of hostilities. While commanding that vessel he sailed round the island of Trinidad, and keeping within a mile or two of the shore, with the lead constantly going, visited every settlement, made a rough sketch of the coast, and fur- nished the Hydrographical Office with soundings which may always be depended upon. The whole of this service was performed in the course of a week. Captain Blarney's next appointment was, in 1804, to an armed vessel, employed protecting the trade in the British and St. George's Channels, on which irksome and unprofitable service he remained nearly three years. We afterwards find him commanding the Mediator frigate, armed en flute, and fitted for the conveyance of supplies to the different block- ading squadrons. In that ship Captain Blarney continued until the early part of 1809, when, having recently assisted at the embarkation of the British army at Corunna, and received on board a great number of sick and wounded soldiers, he was attacked with violent fever and ague, which induced the Admiralty to ap- point the late Captain James Wcoldridge to act for him until his recovery. POST-CAPTAIN'S OF 1810. Hearing, while at sick-quarters, that the Mediator was con- verted into a fire-ship, for the purpose of being employed against the French squadron in Aix roads, Captain Blarney hastened to rejoin her, but had the mortification not to reach the British fleet until the day after her destruction. This cir- cumstanr z naturally gave him great distress, the officer acting during his absence having been thus afforded an opportunity of gaining great fame, immediate promotion, and extraordi- nary marks of distinction *. As some compensation for his disappointment, Captain Blarney was shortly afterwards appointed to the Harpy brig, then under repair at Portsmouth, and intended to form part of the expedition preparing against Antwerp. On the arrival of that formidable armament off Walcheren, Captain Blarney was selected by Sir Richard J. Strachan to land as second in command of the naval brigade under Cap- tain Charles Richardson, to whose memoir (in Vol. II. Part II) we must refer our readers for an account of the services performed by the seamen on shore between July 30, and Aug. 15, 1809. It will be sufficient in this place to state that the " zeal and bravery" displayed by Captain Blarney were highly spoken of, both in the naval and military despatches an- nouncing the surrender of Flushing. After the evacuation of Walcheren, the Harpy was sent to Halifax, from whence she conveyed 150 troops to Lisbon. Captain Blarney's post commission bears date Oct 21, 1810. He subsequently commanded the Loire frigate, for a short period, off the Black Rocks, and the Comet of 20 guns, on the Newfoundland and other stations : the latter ship was paid off in Dec. 18 J 4. This persevering, but by no means fortunate officer, mar- ried Eunice, eldest daughter of David Pearl, of Hampton, state of Connecticut, Esq., and a grand-daughter of Major * Captain Wooldridge had the honor of breaking the enemy's boom, and was presented with a gold chain and medal in addition to the other rewards to which his conspicuous bravery so justly entitled him — post rank, and continued employment. The Patriotic Society also voted him a sword value 100/. He died suddenly, in the prime of life, at Penzance, Aug. 31, 1814. 276 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. Allen, who distinguished himself in Canada under the im- mortal Wolfe. Captain Blarney's two brothers died in the naval service : his sister married Captain, afterwards Major Hutcheson, of the 71st regiment. Agents. — Messrs. Barnett and King. JOHN COODE, ESQ. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; Knight Commander of the Royal Neapolitan Order of St Ferdinand, and of Merit ; and a Knight of the Order of Wllhelm, of the Netherlands. THIS officer was made a Lieutenant, Sept. 5, 1799; and advanced to the rank of Commander, in 1802. His post commission bears date, Oct. 21, 1810. At the commencement of 1814, Captain Coode commanded the Porcupine, a 22-gun ship bearing the flag of Rear-Admi- ral, (now Sir Charles V.) Penrose, who was then employed in co-operation with the victorious armies of Great Britain, Spain, and Portugal ; and whose eminent services in the neighbourhood of Bayonne and Bourdeaux, we shall take this opportunity of relating : — the means by which we are enabled to do so have been obtained from various authentic sources, since the publication of our first volume. It may not be amiss to state that, on the 10th Feb. 1814, the present Dauphin of France, under the auspices of Lord Wellington, then at St. Jean de Luz, issued a proclamation in the name of Louis XVIII., addressed to him (the Due d'Angouleme), and empowering him, with the usual formali- ties, to represent his uncle till the arrival of the latter in France, and authorizing him to employ himself in the re-es- tablishment of good order in the different provinces into which he might be able to penetrate, as well as in the adja- cent provinces. To this proclamation was added a brief but animated address from the Dauphin himself, to the French nation *. A few days after the promulgation of the above, the Mar- * See Elliot's Life of Wellington, 2d edit. p. 542. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 2J7 quis of Wellington removed his head quarters from St. Jean de Luz, and the combined armies began to advance through a country full of strong posts, destitute of good roads, inter- sected by rapid streams, and in the face of a brave, vigilant, and active enemy. A great deal of fighting ensued, but al- ways to the advantage of the allies, who at length drove the French across the Gave d'Oleron, and established themselves on the banks of that rivulet. In consequence of these move- ments, Marshal Soult's line of defence before Bayonne was broken in no less than three points ; his entrenched camp, near St. Jean Pied de Pont, was abandoned ; and he was obliged to establish himself on the heights above Orthes. It formed a prominent part in Lord Wellington's stu- pendous plan of operations, to take possession of both banks of the Adour, as well below as above Bayonne, and to place that city in a state of blockade, at the very moment when the army which covered it should be driven from its position. To render his lordship's scheme effectual, it was necessary to push a detachment of troops, artillery, &c. across the river in readiness to protect the formation of a bridge, to be com- posed of small coasting vessels, decked boats, cables, and planks, which Rear-Admiral Penrose had been for some time indefatigably employed in collecting and preparing, at Porto de Socca, and in the bay of St. Jean de Luz. Accordingly on the 23d Feb., 600 infantry and a small de- tachment of the rocket brigade, under the command of Major- General Stopford, were conveyed across in pontoons, and landed about two miles below Boucaut, a village situated rather more than midway from the citadel of Bayonne to the confluence of the A dour with the ocean. The strength of the tides, however, rendered it impossible to do more without the aid of the navy; and unfortunately Rear- Admiral Pen- rose, who had sailed with his flotilla the evening before, was then becalmed to the westward of Fontarabia. At day-break on the 24th, the Porcupine with her charge arrived off the bar of the Adour, where Rear- Admiral Penrose was joined by Lieutenant John Debenham, an active and zealous agent of transports, who had come in a boat from 278 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. Porto de Socca, in consequence of a message from Sir John Hope, received at a late hour the preceding night, requesting him to bring all the assistance he could, as there appeared no hope of the flotilla being able to stem the adverse current, and it had been found impracticable to get a raft across the rapid Adour. This officer informed the Rear- Admiral of the pro- gress already made by the left division of the army, and that Major- General Stopford had been attacked by an enemy of far superior force, whose attempt to dislodge his little corps it was feared would be repeated. As the passage of the bar was an operation of great difficulty and danger, we shall here enter into a minute description thereof. The Adour, for about two miles from its union with the sea, has to force its way through a sandy plain ; the consequence of which is, a vast accumulation of sand in that part of the ocean immediately contiguous to the shore, forming a bar of not less than a mile in breadth, on which at low water there is seldom more than two feet, and at the highest tide rarely above 15. Leading marks there are none, nor can there be any permanently established ; for every gale, when the wind does not blow off the land, the sand changes its position : heavy rain in the interior always produces a similar effect, by causing violent freshes to come down from the mountains ; in short, no man, however perfect his knowledge of the passage may be one day, can tell how or where it will be the next. The tides run with such rapidity, between the bar and Bou- caut, a distance of about three miles, that even a 6-oared gig can scarcely make way against them : this has been partly caused by the erection of a stone wall, about fifteen feet wide, on each bank of the river, for the purpose of guiding the cur- rent : on these walls strong posts are placed at intervals, to which the mooring hawsers of vessels waiting the change of the tide, and the warps of others going against the stream, are made fast. The wall on the Boucaut side is extended farther up the river than that on the other, but they both commence at about a mile from the bar. The spring tides had not yet commenced, and the surf on the bar was very high, when Rear -Admiral Penrose arrived POST»CAPTAINS OF 1810. 2J9 off the Adour ; but as the military operations could not be de- layed, he determined to force his way, at all hazards, as soon as the increasing strength of the breeze then blowing would enable him to make the attempt : his mortification at having been drifted, by a very strong current, to the westward, it is easy to conjecture. The whole of the vessels destined to enter the Adour were placed under the command of Captain Do well O'Reilly, of the Lyra brig, who proceeded in a Spanish-built boat, selected as the safest for the service he was going upon, taking with him the principal pilot, the boats of the British squadron, and two flats, to endeavour to find a passage through the surf: a few troops were at that time seen crossing over to the French side of the river, but evidently much in want of the boats intended for their assistance. All Captain O'Reilly's attempts, how- ever, proved ineffectual, as the surf was every where beating in an equally dreadful manner. While thus employed, Captain O'Reilly was hailed and passed by Lieutenant Debenham, who, after breakfasting with Rear-Admiral Penrose, had gone up to the Porcupine's main-top-mast-head, and was induced, from the observations he made there, to believe that he had descried a place where the passage might be attempted with greater hopes of success than at any other. Lieutenant Debenham's boat was a 6-oared gig, with five spare men in her to take alternate spells at the oars, the dis- tance of Porto de Socca from the mouth of the Adour being nearly 16 miles:1 — her lug fore-sail and mizen were at this time set, and her crew ready to give way the moment she ar- rived at the edge of the surf; — the extra hands sitting down in the bottom of the boat, at an equal distance from her stem and stern. When advanced so far that the surf broke just without her, the Lieutenant exclaimed "hurrah my boys, strike out ;" they did so, and instantly she seemed to fly amidst the deafening sound of breakers, not less than 20 feet in perpen- dicular height; Lieutenant Debenham steering with one hand, and cheering his men, by waving an old cocked hat, with the other, at the same time telling them to trust in God, 280 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810, and the Almighty would protect them. After proceeding in this manner for at least a mile, the bowmen suddenly halloed out, fe we are close to the beach, Sir !" and Lieutenant De- benham, with great presence of mind, immediately directed the rowers to be ready to unship their oars, to list the boat well to leeward, and to gather aft the fore sheet, himself at- tending to the mizen. In a moment afterwards he gave the expected orders, and strictly charged the men not to move from their respective thwarts — the boat was instantly thrown upon a spit of sand, and the receding wave left her perfectly dry ; but still the men were ordered to keep their seats, nor were they allowed to stir from them until three or four suc- cessive waves had washed her well up upon the beach 5 the sails keeping her steady and forcing her broadside on as the sea lifted her. Seeing Lieutenant Debenham dash into the tremendous surf, and not choosing to be out -done in noble daring by an inferior officer, Captain O'Reilly had instantly followed him ; but his boat, although apparently much better adapted for such an undertaking, was unfortunately upset, and five of her crew perished : he and the other survivors were all more or less bruised ; and it is nearly certain that the whole would have been drowned, had not Lieutenant Debenham and the transports' people ran into the surf and dragged them out at the risk of their own lives. All the other boats returned on board their respective vessels, to wait the result of the next tide ; it being scarcely possible that one in fifty could then have escaped a similar fate. The spit of sand upon which Lieutenant Debenham's boat was thrown, proved to be the extreme point of the right bank of the Adour ; to which spot many soldiers hastened upon witnessing his most miraculous escape. The gig was very soon dragged over it, and launched into the river, across which he immediately rowed to where a number of military officers were assembled, one of whom was Sir John Hope, who pub- licly congratulated him, and returned thanks for his promp- titude and highly meritorious exertions. It was now about 10 A. M. : — the gig instantly began to POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 281 carry over soldiers, and Lieutenant Debenham commenced the construction of a large raft, which, when completed, proved very serviceable to the army, it being capable of con- veying 16 dragoons, with their horses, at a time. By means of this raft, field pieces, waggons, forge carts, and in short every thing that was brought to him, were transported across, dur- ing the time that elapsed before the bridge could be rendered passable for any of those heavy articles. During the progress of the bridge, Lieutenant Debenham made from 12 to 14 trips daily ; and he subsequently conducted to the French side of the river the battering train of the invaders, on a larger raft, constructed by Major Todd of the staff corps. Our readers will pardon this digression ; — we shall now return to the flotilla. Finding it impossible to discover the passage into the Adour, Rear- Admiral Penrose sent his other Spanish pilot ashore, to the S. W. of the bar, with directions to walk from thence to the bank of the river, in order to make a concerted signal from within the breakers, to guide the vessels through the safest part. From the offing there appeared no interval, a long and heavy line of surf alone presenting itself. Flag- Lieutenant Edward Collins was at the same time despatched overland, to communicate with the army ; and Lieutenant George Cheyne, of the Woodlark brig, who had been received as a volunteer on board the Porcupine, and whom the Rear- Admiral then believed, and afterwards knew to be an officer of great ability and the most abundant resources, was sent to visit all the foreign vessels which had been purchased or hired for this highly important service, to stimulate their crews by promising pecuniary rewards to the first, second, third, &c. that should pass the bar : and to select as a pilot which- ever master he found to possess better nerve than the others : — he brought one to the Porcupine, who professed himself wil- ling to conduct the flotilla in at half-tide ; and he volunteered to accompany this person— an offer that gave the Rear- Ad- miral entire confidence. About 3 P. M., it being then nearly high water, and the wind favorable, the flotilla was put in motion ; each vessel POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. having a certain flag hoisted, by which she could be distin- guished. There were altogether about 70 sail of every des- cription. When they sailed from Porto de Socca, towards the close of a fine evening, the spectacle was very imposing ; but when they were seen rising and sinking alternately in the im- mense surf, it was awfully grand. At this moment, the flag of Rear- Admiral Penrose was flying at the mast-head of the Gleaner ketch ; in which vessel he ran close to the breakers, directed the movements of the flotilla, and animated his offi- cers and men to continued exertions, by his presence, ex- ample, and praises. However appalling the prospect might have been from the sea, the author of "The Subaltern *" informs us, that it was no less so from the land. "On mounting an eminence," says he, "we beheld a squadron bearing down, with all sail set, towards the bar ; over which the waves were dash- ing in white foam, being driven inwards by a strong gale. But we were not the only anxious spectators of the animating shew. The bank of the river, and all the heights near, were crowded with general and staff officers, conspicuous among whom were Sir John Hope, and, if my memory fails ine not, Lord Wellington himself. The groups were, one and all of them, speechless. The sense of sight appeared to be the only sense left in full vigour to the individuals who composed them, and even from it all objects were apparently shut out^ except the gallant squadron. " Down they came before the breeze with amazing velocity ; but the surf ran so high, and there seemed to be so little water upon the sands, that I for one felt as if a weight had been removed from my heart, when I beheld them suddenly put up their helms and tack about. * * * * Even British sailors hesitated, for once in their lives, whether they could face the danger. But the hesitation was not of long continuance." Lieutenant Cheyne resolved to succeed, or perish : Provi- dence favored him ! His boat, Spanish-built, but manned by five British seamen, was borne by the swell clear across the shoal : " and loud and reiterated were the shouts with which it was greeted, as it rushed proudly through the deep water." The next which entered the river was a large fishing-boat, manned by volunteers from the transports at Porto de Socca. She was closely followed by a gun-vessel, under the com- mand of Lieutenant John Chesshire, the first person that * The Rev. Mr. Gleig, formerly a Lieutenant of the 85th light infantry. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 283 hoisted the colours of Britain in the Adour ! Following in the track of the gun-boat was a schooner-rigged vessel ; but she unfortunately broached to, and instantly capsized. " The horror," says Mr. Gleig, " which we experienced at contempla- ting this event, though extreme for the moment, was necessarily of short du- ration j for our attention was immediately attracted to other vessels, which, one after another, drew near. Of these, all except one particular chasse- marde, succeeded in making good the passage ; — it shared the fate of the schooner. It was upset upon the curl of a wave, and went down with the whole of its crew. This last was even a more awful spectacle than the former. The little vessel, after being tossed round, rocked for a moment, as it were, upon the surf, just long enough for us to see the despairing gestures of the sailors, and to hear their shriek of consternation, — and then a huge wave striking her, she fell, not upon her broadside, but absolutely with bottom upwards." The author of the " Subaltern" likewise tells us, that the above mentioned schooner-rigged vessel was "guided by Cap- tain Elliot" (the commander of H. M. brig Martial) ; but this we can prove to be an error. " Captain Elliot," says Sir Charles V. Penrose, " was in his gig, ac- companied by Mr. Charles Norman, his assistant-surgeon : — I had spoken to him not more than two minutes before his boat overset : I observed to him how handsomely the gallant fellows were dashing in after their bold and skil- ful leader Cheyne, when he said, ' I think I see one or two rather slack,' and pulled round the gig to row towards them — I conclude he winded her the wrong way, as she was out of sight immediately in the surf. The fate of Mr. Norman was singularly unfortunate : — he managed to get safe on board a gun-boat, which was afterwards thrown up upon the beach, where he was killed by the oversetting of her 24-pounder." In addition to the foregoing disasters, three transports' boats were lost, with all their crews, and several others swamped ; one coasting vessel took the ground, after she entered the river, and remained fast for a considerable time. Notwithstanding the loss of lives sustained, it may justly be said, that the daring and highly necessary attempt to cross the bar of the Adour was attended with wonderful suc- cess ; and that the zeal, intrepidity, and skill of British sea- men never shone forth in a more conspicuous manner than on that trying and memorable occasion. Upon witnessing the approach of the flotilla, Captain O'Reilly, who had somewhat recovered from the effects of 284 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. his disaster in the morning, went to where Lieutenant De- benham was employed in preparing his raft, and directed him to go in the gig, and render any assistance he might be able to the different vessels requiring it. No sooner had the agent of transports received this order than he hastened to the edge of the inner breakers, and succeeded in rescuing many men, who but for him must inevitably have been drowned. For his conduct throughout this eventful day, the thanks of Rear- Admiral Penrose were publicly read to him on the beach by Captain O'Reilly*. Twenty-five chasse'-mare'es, &c. having entered the Adour, in the manner above described, and also several heavy gun- boats to protect the bridge, no time was lost in running them up to their proper stations, about two or two and a half miles from the bar, where they were moored in a line abreast, with large anchors ahead and astern ; the vessels at an equal dis- tance from one another. The whole were then bound toge- ther by cables passed along to the right and left from the centre vessels, as they anchored : those craft that were be- tween them and the banks of the river had on board a num- ber of old heavy guns and strong purchases, by means of which the extreme ends of this line of cables, after being passed over the walls we have spoken of, were first secured on the north bank, and then hove taut on the other : the purchase blocks were lashed to fir-trees growing near the southern bank. On the deck of each of the largest vessels was bolted a piece of timber, shaped like the bridge of a fiddle, with notches in it to keep the cables steady : — in this manner were six lines of cables extended across the flotilla, and firmly secured on shore. Planks were then laid on transversely, with holes cut at proper distances to lash them to the cables ; and " at dawn, on the following day, it was declared that infantry might cross the floating bridge with * Captain O'Reilly died at Plymouth, May 22d, 1816, aged only 29 years. When senior lieutenant of the Surveillante frigate, he greatly distinguished himself on the coast of Spain, and was, for his services there, advanced to the rank of commander, Sept. 23d, 1813 : he obtained a post commission, Aug. 29, 1815. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. 285 safety. This was the signal for action ; and hence the 25th was, at least to part of the army, a (Jay of hostile employ- ment/' Above this famous bridge, five heavy gun-boats were moored with their heads towards Bayonne ; and for its fur- ther protection a strong boom, which had been constructed at St. Jean de Luz, under the immediate inspection of Rear- Admiral Penrose, was thrown across between it and the gun-boats. This boom was conveyed to the Adour by a large brig, in charge of Lieutenant George Robert Douglas, first of the Porcupine ; and it was rather a curious circum- stance, that while he was placing it to keep off fire-rafts, &c. the French were forming one higher up the river to prevent annoyance from below. We should here observe, that a number of sappers and miners were embarked in the flotilla previous to its departure from Porto de Socca : these men had been instructed how to proceed in forming the bridge after the vessels were moored, and each of them had his proper part assigned him : in his official letter to Lord Keith, reporting the proceedings of the flotilla, Rear-Admiral Penrose highly approved of their con- duct, and afterwards expressed himself, as follows : — " That so many chasse'-mare'es ventured the experiment" of crossing the bar, " I attribute to there having been two or more sappers placed in each of them, and a captain and eight lieutenants of engineers command- ing them in divisions. The zeal and science of these officers triumphed over all the difficulties of the navigation." The following are the names of the engineer officers of whom Rear-Admiral Penrose speaks so handsomely : — Cap- tain Slade, Lieutenants Mellhuish, Read, Rivers, Robe, Sa- vage, Tinling, Wallace, and West. For some unaccountable reason or other, the Admiralty did not allow any mention, either of them or their men, to be made in the London Ga- zette. Major Todd was the officer who superintended the formation of the bridge, which altogether covered a space little short of 900 yards. Immediately after the arrival of the flotilla, Rear-Admiral POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. Penrose received a letter from Sir John Hope, in which that distinguished General expresses himself as follows : " I have often seen how gallantly the navy will devote themselves when serving with an army ; but I never before witnessed so bold and hazardous a co-operation ; and you have my most grateful thanks. " I wrote you in the course of last night, to say how much we stood in need of boats, seamen, &c. but when I saw the flotilla approach the wall of heavy surf, I regretted all I had said, for fear it might have urged your zeal beyond what you may have thought right." To this handsome acknowledgment was added the just ap- plause of Lord Wellington, who expressed himself 6( infi- nitely indebted to Rear- Admiral Penrose for the cordial assistance he received from him in preparing for the plan" (of crossing the Adour), (e and for that which he gave to Lieutenant -General Sir John Hope in carrying it into execution" The following is an extract of Lord Keith's reply to the Rear- Admiral's official letter, detailing the particulars of the above service : — " I have great satisfaction in observing, that the arduous service of entering the Adour was executed under your own immediate direction, on the 24th Feb., when the bar of that river was passed, under circum- stances where zeal, intrepidity, and judgment were never more requisite, nor were more conspicuously displayed. I most highly approve of the activity with which you appear to have collected the means for under- taking this service, as well as of the ability with which you directed its execution ; and you will be pleased to express to the officers and men who were employed on the service, my best thanks for their zealous exer- tions, and my admiration of their intrepid conduct." It is here proper to add, that the above service was per- formed without pilots, and that no one British subject con- cerned was acquainted with any of the localities ! On the 27th Feb. 1814, Bayonne was closely invested by Sir John Hope, and Marshal Soult completely routed, near Orthes, by the main body of the allies. The enemy in his retreat, left open the direct road to Bourdeaux, and Lord Wellington availed himself of the opportunity to send a detachment, under Sir William Beresford, to take possession of that city. This expedition proved of great consequence to the cause of the Bourbons, whose restoration now first POST-CAPTAINS OP 1810. 287 began to be talked of, and to be considered as not altogether hopeless. Sir William Beresford arrived at Bourdeaux on the 12th March, and was received by the principal inhabit- ants with every demonstration of joy. Ten days after this auspicious event, Rear- Admiral Pen- rose, then at Passages, received a despatch from the Mar- quis of Wellington, dated March 17, informing him of the advance of the combined forces towards Toulouse, and that it was desirable that his squadron should speedily enter the Gironde. The hopes of being thus called upon had induced the Rear- Admiral previously to send the Racer schooner off the Cor- douan light-house, and to Basque Roads, to give the cruisers on the former station notice of his probable arrival there, and to request assistance from Lord Amelius Beauclerk, which that officer most readily granted. The difficulty of getting out of Passages, except under the most favorable circumstances, is uncommonly great ; and it was not until the 24th March in the forenoon, that Rear-Admiral Penrose's anxious wish to escape from that port was gratified. The naval force which entered the Gironde under his orders, March 27, consisted of the fol- lowing ships and vessels : Egrnont (flag ship) - 74 guns, Captain Joseph Bingham. Andromache - - 38 — , - - George Tobin. Belle Poule &&i'-- • - 38 — , - - George Harris. Porcupine - - -22 — , - - John Coode. Vesuvius - bomb, - - William Hext. Challenger - brig, - - Frederick E. V. Vernon. Podargus - - - — , - - George Rennie. Martial - - - — , - Lieut. Edw. Collins (acting Comm.) Dwarf - - - cutter, - - Samuel Gordon. To which were shortly afterwards added the Reynard brig, Captain David Latimer St. Clair ; and the Nimble cutter, Lieutenant Peter Williams. It is worthy of remark, that no line-of-battle ship had ever ventured to enter the Gironde, with all her guns and stores on board, before Rear-Admiral Penrose resolved to make the experiment ; which he did under every disadvan- tage, as there was not a single person in the squadron ac- 288 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. quainted with the dangerous navigation of the river, and the weather was at first very thick and threatening, though the sky became clear after the ships had got fairly into Ihe stream. Standing on the fore -part of the Egmont's poop, with the chart spreadj)efore him, and the master by his side, he conducted the pilotage himself, to the astonishment of a Frenchman who had had charge of the Egmont when she was employed in the blockade of Rochefort, but who was wholly unacquainted with the Gironde. The most use- ful aid he received was from the enemy, when they attempted to check his progress ; for as the first shot fired from Point Coubre went over him, it shewed that he was within the Mauvaise bank, and consequently clear of the greatest danger. This information Rear-Admiral Penrose acknowledged by a thankful bow to the battery. The Regulus, a French 74, the Sans Souci corvette, two brigs of war, and several other armed vessels, were then at anchor off Royan ; but being informed, by telegraph, that the British were superior in force, they weighed and ran higher up the river ; pursued by the Egmont and her con- sorts under a crowd of sail. As all the batteries on the northern shore opened, in succession, a heavy fire of shot and shells, the whole formed a grand and imposing spectacle. Having proceeded as high as the shoal of Talmont, the French squadron entered the narrow channel between it and the main, which had been buoyed in expectation of their retreat thither ; the passage being protected by a very strong fort. It was not until the 29th March that any communication could be opened with the army. On that day, Rear-Admiral Penrose extended his small vessels up the Gironde ; and ordered Captain Hext to throw some shells in the direction of the Regulus, but only by way of practice. On the 30th, the position of the British army having caused the garrison of Castillon to retire, Rear-Admiral Penrose again removed to the Porcupine, and proceeded from Verdun road to an anchorage off the abandoned town ; taking with him the Andromache, Vesuvius, Challenger, Podargus, and POST-CAPTACNS OF 1810. 280 Dwarf. He there received several deputations from the vil- lages on the left bank of the river, all of which had displayed the white flag, but were still in great dread of Napoleon and the conscription. From Castillon, Captain Rennie was sent with a summons to the commandant of Blaye, who availed himself of the opportunity thus afforded him of displaying a remnant of revolutionary brutality, by firing a shot at the flag of truce, and obliging it to retire. On the 31st, Captain Coode was sent up as far as Pouillac, with the Vesuvius, Challenger, Podargus, Reynard, and Nim- ble, under his orders, to commence the bombardment of the ttbove citadel ; and all the armed boats of the squadron, with 200 marines, were likewise despatched with him to make an attempt upon Pate*, a small island, in the middle of the river, about six miles nearer to Bourdeaux, defended by a round tower forty feet high, mounting six long 18-pounders, and supposed to contain about 600 men. On the arrival of this detachment off Pouillac, Captain St. Claif received directions to take the boats and marines under his protection, tow them to the island, and cover their debarkation. Finding it impracticable to effect a landing, owing to the state of the weather, he reluctantly abandoned the attempt 5 and was returning towards Pouillac, when a violent storm arose and drove his brig on a sand-bank, within range of the tower, where she was high and dry in less than three hours. Providentially, it was midnight when she took the ground, and the enemy did not discover her until she was again under sail, otherwise nothing could have saved her from destruction. Captain St. Clair's exertions on this alarm- ing occasion were very great, and deserving of much praise. Notwithstanding the failure of the attempt upon Isle Pate*, the seamen and marines of Rear- Admiral Penrose's squadron very soon had an opportunity of performing a brilliant ser- vice, hardly surpassed by any exploit of the same nature that has ever been recorded. Ever since the occupation of Bourdeaux by the allies, Ge- SUPPL. PAHT If, U 290 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. neral Count De Caen, a staunch adherent of Napoleon Buo- naparte, had been making preparations to retake that city, and to punish its inhabitants for their friendly reception of Sir William Beresford. To further the Count's views, two brigs, each mounting six long 18-pounders, a fine schooner, eight gun-boats, and four armed chasse-marees, had an- chored in a line across the mouth of the Dordogne river, which falls into the Gironde about six miles above Blaye, and four leagues below Bourdeaux. At day-light on the 2d April, this flotilla was discovered near Blaye, apparently pushing for Talmont. Very few mi- nutes elapsed before the British boats were in pursuit ; and on their approach, the whole of the enemy's vessels ran ashore near the citadel, from whence 200 French soldiers marched out to protect them, although their crews were greatly superior in number to the attacking party. A smart fire was also kept up from the citadel ; but nothing could check the ardour of our countrymen, who dashed on, landed, charged the enemy, drove them into the woods with great loss, and kept possession of the beach until the tide allowed the greater part of the vessels to be brought off. They con- sisted of one brig, the schooner, six gun-boats, and three chasse-mare'es, together with an imperial state barge, row- ing 26 oars*. The other brig, gun-boats, and chasse-maree were set on fire and destroyed. In the performance of this exploit, the British had not a man slain, and only sixteen persons wounded : — two men, officially reported as missing, were afterwards recovered by Rear- Admiral Penrose, who highly commended the gallantry and excellent conduct of Lieutenant Robert Graham Dunlop, senior officer of the detachment; of whom it is said, that when the party landed, he caught a horse, twisted some rope-yarns together for a bridle, and mounted 3 observing to those near him, that unless he could keep a-head of his fine fellows, he did not know where they would stop ! The ex- emplary behaviour of Lieutenant Patrick Robertson, R. M., * This trophy was sent as a present to H. R. H. the Prince Regent. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 291 and the other officers who served under Mr. Dunlop's orders, was also highly eulogised. After the capture and destruction of the Dordogne flotilla, Rear-Admiral Penrose despatched the boats and marines to Verdun road, where they were placed under the command of Captain Harris, in order to land and storm fort Talmont, while the Egmont took advantage of high water to run over the shoal, and alongside the Regulus. At mid-night, April 6th, just as that well-appointed British ship was in the act of hoisting her jib, for the purpose of casting towards them, the French 74, corvette, and brigs were discovered to be in flames, making a most magnificent bonfire, which continued to burn until sun-rise the following morning. It appears, from this proceeding on the part of the enemy, that they were aware of the meditated attack, although Rear- Admiral Penrose and Captain Bingham had used every means to keep them in ignorance thereof. We should here observe, that the Centaur 74, Captain John Chambers White, had anchored below Verdun road on the evening of the 6th April, and that she cordially co-operated by sending her boats and marines to join the detachment under Captain Harris ; but the assistance of that ship, in the intended attack upon the Regulus, was never considered necessary, and con- sequently was not called for. The statement in the London Gazette, dated at the Admiralty, April 19th, 1814, is calcu- lated to mislead the reader. The enemy having thus voluntarily altered the nature of the service in the Gironde, Captain Harris and his party were sent to the mouth of the river, where they effected a landing ; and after destroying the battery at Point Coubre, commenced a march of fifty miles along the right bank, in the course of which 4 other batteries, 17 mortars, and 47 pieces of cannon were rendered ineffective. On his re- turn from this expedition, Captain Harris was directed to superintend the operations against Blaye, for the regular siege of which strong fortress preparations were then making by Lord Dalhousie, in concert with Rear-Admiral Penrose, by whom the Belle Poule was ordered to proceed Up the u2 292 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1810. Gironde, " in advance of the advanced squadron" as a com- pliment due to the zealous habits of her commander. Meanwhile the bombardment of Blaye was continued by the Vesuvius, which vessel had been placed by Captain Hext with great judgment for that purpose; the Porcupine and Andromache, the former ship still bearing the Rear -Admi- ral's flag, joined the advanced squadron near Pouillac, in the evening of April 6th, and the Egmont spiked all the iron guns in a deserted battery on Point de Grave, bringing off several brass cannon and mortars. The arrival of Louis XVIII. at Paris, was soon afterwards announced to the Due d'Angoul£me, in the presence of Rear- Admiral Penrose, who had gone by land from Pouillac to J&ourdeaux, at the express and repeated request of H. R. H. and Lord Dalhousie. All the public functionaries then came in as a matter of course, to pay their respects to the Dauphin, and one of them, the archbishop of that city, ended a very graceful address with the following remarkable expression, evidently intended as a compliment to the British nation : — f( Viola la Jin de V ouvrage de Monsieur Pitt !" Rear-Admiral Penrose now hoisted his flag in the Podargus, which vessel he caused to be anchored exactly opposite the principal street of Bourdeaux, near the Exchange, so that all the inhabitants could see the British colours waving in the fresh waters of France, at a distance of nearly 100 miles within the battery which first opened its fire at the mouth of the river. Thus was the spot so renowned in history, for the display of British valour under Edward the Black Prince, again the theatre of operations which redounded equally to the honor of England. The important services of the army on shore, and the equally momentous services of the squadron in the Gironde, the results which they led to, and the beauty of surrounding objects, all contributed to render the scene one of peculiar interest. In this situation, Rear-Admiral Penrose gave the Due d'Angoul£me a public breakfast on board the little Podar- gus ; and it is highly to the honor of British spirit to men- tion, that among the troops ordered out by Lord Dalhousie to POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 293 line the streets through which H. R. H. passed, first to the Rear- Admiral's hotel, and thence to his barge, were those regi- ments of militia who had volunteered to serve abroad under the Duke of Buckingham and Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. It is no less remarkable, that among other combinations caused by the late long and sanguinary wars, the soldiers of Brunswick were also brigaded on this occasion ! Whilst at Bourdeaux, some of Rear- Admiral Penrose's offi- cers met those who had belonged to the corvette burnt at Talmont, and talked over the late occurrences in a friendly way ; but not one of the Frenchmen could be brought to be- lieve that the Egmont had entered the river with all her guns on board, as the Regulus was the first ship of her class that was ever known to have been sent into the Gironde, and the pilot that conducted her thither from Aix roads, was admitted into the Legion of Honor and rewarded with a pension, though she had been lightened of her guns and stores. The retort of one of the British officers was most excellent : — " If the Egmont could not come in with her guns on board, why did the Regulus, fully armed and manned, run away ?'* To form a correct opinion of the difficulties of the enter- prise we have been describing, a reference to the chart is ne- cessary ; and to j tidge of the able manner in which it was conducted, it should be known that the above-mentioned services, and the capture of 50 pieces of ordnance, many thousand stand of arms, and an immense quantity of ammu- nition, in different vessels, at various periods, were effected by the squadron under Rear-Admiral Penrose, without the most trifling injury being sustained by any of H. M. ships, or the loss of life to any British subject. Rear-Admiral Penrose subsequently proceeded to Passages, for the purpose of facilitating and superintending the embark- ation of the army, stores, &c. destined to America, In the execution of that service, the general tenor of his public and private conduct drew forth the eulogiums of the respective officers commanding divisions and brigades. He returned to Plymouth in the Porcupine, and struck his flag Sept. 12, 1814. 294 POST-CAFI'AINS OF 1810. During the war with Murat, in 1815, Captain Coode com- manded the Queen 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Penrose ; to whose memoir, as given at p. 579 et seq. of our first volume, we shall make considerable additions, at the close oiSuppl. Part. II. The Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit was conferred upon Captain Coode, in consequence of the British flag-ship having been selected by his Sicilian Ma- jesty to convey him and his family from Palermo to Naples. On the 31st Dec. 1815, Captain Coode was appointed to the Albion, another third rate, fitting for the flag of the same officer, with whom he returned from the Mediterranean in the spring of 1819. The Albion formed part of Lord Exmouth's fleet, but as a private ship, before Algiers, on the memorable 27th Aug. 1816 *: her fire that day was noticed as peculiarly animated, a circumstance partly attributable to her having been fitted with the then newly constructed magazine ; and although her loss was very trivial, considering the nature of the service, her log-book will shew that she was well placed to annoy the enemy : when the ships were ordered off, her anchors were weighed and preserved with much good management. She had no more than 3 persons killed, and 15, including Cap- tain Coode, wounded. The subject of this memoir was nom- inated a C. B. Sept. 21, 1816 ; and he was also presented with the Order of Wilhelm, in common with his brother offi- cers who had fought in concert with the Dutch squadron under Admiral Van Capellan. Captain Coode married, Feb. 8, 1819, the eldest daughter of his old friend, Sir Charles V. Penrose, K. C. B., by whom he has three sons and one daughter. Agents. — Messrs. Maude and Co. THOMAS BURTON, ESQ. Second son of the late John Burton, Esq. who for many years held a responsible appointment under government, first in the victualling office, and latterly in the civil department • See Vol. I, Part I, p. 227. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 295 of the navy ; a gentlement of exemplary worth, and consider- able literary acquirements. Mr. Thomas Burton entered the navy, in Dec. 1792, as a midshipman on board the Hermione frigate, Captain John Hills, with whom he proceeded to Jamaica, at the commence- ment of the French revolutionary war. The first services witnessed by him were the occupation of Jeremie, in St. Do- mingo, Sept. 20, 1793 ; and the capture of more than 1900 tons of French shipping, laden with colonial produce ; two neutral vessels with cargoes, and one small armed schooner, at 1'Islet and Bay des Flamands, on the 23d and 29th of the same month *. In the following year he assisted at the re- duction of Port-au-Prince, on which occasion the Hermione had 5 men killed, and 6 wounded f. Her loss by fever, while subsequently co-operating with the British troops in their vain attempt to complete the subjugation of the French posts in St. Domingo, appears to have been very great, as was likewise that of the whole squadron employed in the same disastrous service. After continuing about four years on the Jamaica station, Mr. Burton removed with Captain Hill's successor, the pre- sent Vice -Admiral Stephens, into the Success of 32 guns, and returned to England under that officer's command, in May 1797. Immediately on his arrival, Mr. Burton joined the Scourge sloop, Captain Samuel Warren, then about to sail for the Leeward Islands, where he served in that vessel, and the Prince of Wales 98, flag- ship of the late Sir Henry Harvey, until promoted to be a Lieutenant of the Amphitrite frigate, Cap- tain (now Rear-Admiral) Ekins, Jan. 1, 1799. On the 26th June following, he assisted at the capture of le Duquesne, French privateer brig, mounting 16 guns, with a comple- ment of 129 men. About this latter period, Lieutenant Burton became first of the Amphitrite, in which capacity he assisted at the capture of Surinam, and the destruction of a settlement on the Devil's * See Vol. I, Part II, p. 505. t See id, note f *t p. 805 et scq. 296 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. Islands, a noted rendezvous for the enemies' privateers. The Amphitrite also formed part of the squadron under Rear- Ad- miral Duckworth at the occupation of the Danish and Swed- ish islands, in 1801 *. The precarious state of Captain Ekins's health, at this pe- riod, rendering a change of climate requisite, that excellent officer was sent with the naval despatches to England ; and on his quitting the Amphitrite he recommended Lieutenant Burton in such high terms, as to induce Rear- Admiral Duck- worth to give him the temporary command of her. Lieutenant Burton's next appointment was to the South- ampton 32, of which frigate he likewise became for a short time acting commander, owing to the death of Captain John Miller Gamier. While in that ship he received the thanks of the Rear-Admiral for his active exertions and judicious conduct, by which she was saved from destruction, during a most violent gale at St. Martin's. In Nov. 1801, Lieutenant Burton was removed to the Levia- than 74, and in her accompanied Sir John T. Duckworth to Jamaica, where he was promoted by that officer to the com- mand of the Woolwich storeship, in Dec. 1802. „ Being paid off on his return home, in the spring of 1803, Captain Burton remained unemployed from that time until May 1804, when he received a commission for the Romulus frigate, armed en flute, then stationed as a block-ship on the coast of Essex, and afterwards sent with troops to the river Elbe. We subsequently find him commanding the Wildboar a 10-gun brig, employed on the Lisbon station ; where he captured a French schooner, carrying some staff officers from Ferrol to Bayonne. In Feb. 1810, being then on his return to the Tagus, after landing a military officer with despatches at Falmouth, Cap- tain Burton had the misfortune to be wrecked on the Rundle- stone rock, between Scilly and the Lands'-end ; by which dis- aster 12 men perished. On the 23d of the following month, * See id. p. 765, and note f at p. 798 et seq. N. B. The Amphitrite was commanded for a short time by Lieutenant Charles Marshall Gregory, " an officer of great merit and actirity." POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 29? his conduct underwent the usual investigation ; and the court- martial having declared that no blame was imputable to him, he was immediately afterwards ordered to commission the Primrose, a new brig of 18 guns : the whole of his officers and crew were likewise fully acquitted, except the Master, who was sentenced to be broke, and placed at the disposal of the Port- Admiral. In the Primrose, Captain Burton was employed on the coasts of Norway and Jutland, until his promotion to post rank, Oct. 21, 1810. At the close of 1811, he received directions to fit out his old ship the Prince of Wales, intended for the flag of Admiral William Young, with whom he proceeded off the Scheldt, and continued till May, 1812. In the autumn of 1814, Captain Burton took charge of the Nelson a first rate, just launched at Woolwich, and conducted her under jury-masts to Portsmouth, where he found a com- mission, dated Aug. 25, appointing him to the command of the Aquilon frigate ; and from whence he immediately sailed for Gibraltar, with General Don and suite, passengers, and a fleet of merchantmen under his protection. During the remainder of the war with America, Captain Burton was employed cruising along the coast of Portugal ; and on the renewal of hostilities against France, in 1815, we find him serving under Lord Exmouth, on the Mediterranean station, where he continued until the commencement of 1816, when urgent private affairs obliged him to resign his com- mand, and return across the continent to England. Captain Burton married, Sept. 1814, Catharine Jones Crutchley, grand-daughter of the late Evan Jones, Esq. His eldest brother, Lieutenant John Burton, R, M. was drowned at the Nore, about 1795 : — his younger brothers are, George Guy Burton, a Commander of 1814 ; and William Moulden Burton, Captain R. M. One of his sisters is married to Cap- tain Samuel Warren, C. B. 5 another is the lady of Lieutenant- Colonel Long, R. M. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. JEREMIAH COGHLAN, ESQ. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath, IT is a generally received, though certainly erroneous opi- nion, that this intrepid officer was impressed into the naval service of his country : the following short statement will serve to prove that such was not the case : At p. 214, et seq. of our first volume, Part J, we have no- ticed the destruction of the Dutton, a ship belonging to the Hon. East India Company, in Jan. 1796. During the height of the storm, and before boats of any description could venture out to her assistance, Mr. Coghlan, then scarcely sixteen years of age, plunged into the sea with a rope tied round his body, and succeeded in catching hold of two men, whom he conducted safely to the shore. After saving several lives in a similar manner, and at the imminent risk of being himself beaten to pieces against the rocks, Mr. Coghlan's strength failed him, — but not so his spirit. Perceiving that the wind had in some measure de- creased, he then hastened to the Barbican at Plymouth, ob- tained a boat, with several volunteers, and instantly pro- ceeded to the wreck, from whence many persons were taken, and conveyed to different pilot vessels which had begun to approach the citadel. It is supposed that, by Mr. Coghlan's exertions on this occasion, not less than 50 men were rescued from a watery grave, before a single boat from any of the men-of-war dared venture to his assistance, — so terrible was the state of the weather. Mr. Coghlan's heroic behaviour was fortunately witnessed by Sir Edward Pellew, now Viscount Exmouth, who soon afterwards offered him his patronage if he would consent to enter the navy. An equally flattering offer was likewise made to him on the part of the Hon. Court of Directors ; and the Transport-Board marked their sense of his noble con- duct by sending him a present of 20 guineas, at the same time directing their agent to distribute thirty more between his daring companions. j POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 299 At this period, Mr. Coghlan had spent three years on board a merchant vessel, for the purpose of acquiring a practical knowledge of seamanship. Possessing a laudable ambition, and preferring the chance of obtaining fame to the ignoble pursuit of wealth, he readily accepted Sir Edward Pellew's invitation, and was received by that distinguished officer, as a midshipman, on board the Indefatigable. The im- portant services performed by that ship have been stated at pp. 216-219 of Vol. 1, Part I. In the spring of 1799, Mr. Coghlan removed with Sir Edward Pellew to the Impetueux 78 ; and during the expedition to Quiberon bay, he was ap- pointed by him to command the Viper cutter, as a reward for his gallantry on numerous occasions of boat service. This appointment was most readily sanctioned by the com- mander-in-chief of the Channel fleet, Earl St. Vincent, who, in a letter to the Admiralty, particularly requested that he might not be superseded. We should here state, that whilst Mr. Coghlan belonged to the above ships he saved the lives of several of their crews who had accidentally fallen over- board. A most brilliant exploit subsequently performed by him, cannot be better described than in the words of his first professional patron : " My Lord, — I have true pleasure in stating to your lordship the good conduct of Lieutenant Jeremiah Coghlan, to whom, for former gallant behaviour, you had given an acting commission to command the Viper cutter. This gallant young man, while watching Port Louis, thought he could succeed in boarding some of the cutters or gun-vessels which have been moving about the entrance of that harbour ; and for this purpose he entreated a ten-oared cutter from me, with 12 volunteers. On Tuesday night, the 29th ultimo*, he took this boat, with Mr. Silas H. Paddon, midshipman, and six of his own men, making with himself 20 j and ac- companied by his own boat, and one from the Amethyst, he determined on boarding a gun-brig, mounting three long 24-pounders and four 6-pound- ers, full of men, moored with springs on her cables, in a naval port of difficult access, within pistol-shot of three batteries, surrounded by several armed craft, and not a mile from a 74 (bearing an Admiral's flag) and two frigates. " Undismayed by such formidable appearances, the early discovery of his approach (for they were at quarters), and the lost aid of the other two * July, 1800. 300 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. boats, he bravely determined to attack alone, and boarded her on the quarter; but unhappily, in the dark, jumping into a trawl net, hung up to dry, he was pierced through the thigh by a pike, several of his men hurt, and all knocked back into the boat. Unchecked in ardour, they hauled the boat farther a-head, and again boarded, and maintained, against 87 men, 16 of whom were soldiers, an obstinate conflict, killing 6 and wounding 20, among whom were every officer belonging to her. His own loss, one killed and eight wounded j himself in two places, Mr. Paddon ia six. I feel particularly happy in the expected safety of all the wounded ; he speaks in the highest terms of Mr. Paddon and the whole of his party, many of whom were knocked overboard, and twice beat back into the boat, but returned to the charge with unabated courage. I trust 1 shall stand excused by your lordship for so minute a description, produced by my admiration of that courage which, hand to hand, gave victory to our brave fellows, over four times their number ; and of that skill which formed, conducted, and effected so daring an enterprise. " La Cerbere, commanded by a Lieutenant de vaisseau, and towed out under a very heavy fire, is given up, as a prize, by the squadron, to mark their admiration, and will not, I know, be the only reward of such bra- very ; they will receive that protection your lordship so liberally accords to all the young men in the service who happily distinguish themselves under your command. I enclose Lieutenant Coghlan's letter, and have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) "EDWARD PELLEW." When transmitting the above letter to the Admiralty, Earl St. Vincent expressed himself as follows : — " I did not think the enterprise of Sir Edward Hamilton, or of Captain Campbell, could have been rivalled*, until I read the enclosed letter from Sir Edward Pellew, relating the desperate service performed by acting Lieutenant Coghlan, of the Viper cutter, on the 29th July, which has filled me with pride and admiration ; and, although the circumstance of his not having completed his time in his Majesty's navy operates at pre- sent against his receiving the reward he is most ambitious of obtaining, I am persuaded the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty will do all in their power to console him under his severe wounds, and grant him pro- motion the moment he is in capacity to receive it." On the same day, Aug. 4, 1800, his Lordship addressed the following public and private letters to Sir Edward Pellew: " Sir,— -No language I possess can convey the high sense 1 entertain of the service performed by acting Lieutenant Coghlan, Mr. Paddon, and the other brave fellows under his command. I request you will return « See Vol. I, Part II, pp. 824-827, and Vol. II, Part I, p. 290, tt seq. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 301 them my thanks in the most public manner, and assure them, collective y and individually, that I shall be proud to take them by the hand, at any time, and in any place, and to tender them any service in the power of, 8ir, your most obedient humble servant, (Signed) « ST. VINCENT." (Private.') " Dear Sir,— I am quite transported with the noble exploit performed by your friend Coghlan. I have taken the liberty to enclose your private letter to Lord Spencer, and I desire you will acquaint Mr. Coghlan, that I have directed Mr. Makepeace, an eminent goldsmith, in Searle Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, to prepare a sword of 100 guineas value, which I will beg of you to present to this gallant seaman, in the most appropriate manner. Your's most truly, (Signed) " ST. VINCENT." On his arrival in port, Mr. Coghlan received, what his aspiring mind valued above all other gifts, a commission, promoting him to the rank of Lieutenant, and confirming him in the command of the Viper, although he had then served only four years and a half in the navy. On the 9th Nov. following, we find him addressing a note to H. R. H. the Duke of Kent, a copy of which we shall now lay before our readers : — " Lieutenant J. Coghlan, commander of H. M. cutter Viper, in the most respectful and humble terms, entreats the liberty of approaching your Royal Highness, on having fortunately recaptured the Diamond transport, on board of which were your Royal Highness's baggage and horses, from Halifax ; and that he may mark the high respect he feels for your Royal Highness's person, he has, on his return from sea yester- day, given directions to his agent at Falmouth to deliver the baggage and horses, free of salvage, to whoever may be sent to . take charge of them ; and he most earnestly implores your Royal Highness's permission to lay this humble tribute of respect at your feet, as the only means he can ever flatter himself with having, to evince his lively gratitude and high venera- tion for the very singular and generous instance of his most gracious Sovereign's goodness towards him, by granting him the honor and per- mission, by his gracious order in council, to bear the rank of a lieutenant in his navy, before he had completed his regular time of servitude." To this offer, Lieutenant Coghlan received the following answer : " Kensington Palace, \2th Nov. 1800. « Sirf — I am commanded by H. R. H. the Duke of Kent, to acknow- ledge your letter of the 9th instant. The very handsome terras in which 302 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. you have expressed yourself on the fortunate re-capture of the Diamond transport, by the Viper cutter, under your command, is most warmly acknowledged by his Royal Highness, who, unwilling to deprive the sea- men of the reward so justly due to their vigilance and activity, and there- fore feeling it incumbent upon him to decline any offer to your and their disadvantage, is as forcibly impressed with a high sense of the obligation conferred, as if your generosity had been accepted. His Royal Highness has much pleasure in assuring you, that your name has not been unknown to him, having himself been present at the council, when your meritorious conduct received such an honorable mark of approbation from his Majesty, before whom, it is the intention of H. R. H. to submit this fresh proof of your activity in his service, and attachment to his family and person. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) JAMES WILLOUGHBY GORDON, Aid-de-Camp and Secretary." On the 1st April, 1801, Lieutenant Coghlan captured le Heros French brig privateer, of 14 guns and 73 men. The following is an extract of a letter from Sir Edward Pellew to the Hon. Admiral Cornwallis, dated off Rochefort, Aug. 8, 1801:— " The Viper is just returned from driving into Bourdeaux the ship cor- vette Tapageur of 16 guns, after some firing, and would have taken her, had she not, in a dastardly manner, run into port." Another dashing action on the part of Lieutenant Coghlan is thus described by Sir Edward, in a letter to the com- mander-in-chief, dated, Sept. 10, 1801 : — " Having sent Lieutenant Coghlan, by signal, in the Viper, to intercept a convoy passing from Pertuis Breton to Sable d'Ollone, I cannot, in justice to him, omit making a report of his gallant conduct, although his endea- vours were not crowned with the success they merited. " On his approach to Sable d'Ollone he had cut off a loaded sloop and drove a brig on shore ; but on his boat going to take possession, a large gun-brig, two schooners of 12 guns each, and two luggers of 10, started from Sable d'Ollone, to cut off his boat : upon which he recalled her, and stood direct towards the enemy, making the gun-brig his particular object. After bearing their fire for some time, they all put their heads in shore : the gun-brig lay to, upon which he closed, within pistol-shot, and in ten minutes she was glad to bear up, and run aground in the surf; after which he drove the other four vessels before him into port again. The wind blowing strong off shore, and the| tide flowing, the brig, mount- ing 15 guns, and having on board 100 men, was again got off. The Viper received some 24-pounder shot in her hull, had one man killed, and one wounded." The Viper was put out of commission, at Plymouth, Oct. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 303 28, 1801 ; and Lieutenant Coghlan remained unemployed till the spring of 1802, when he was appointed to the Nimble cutter, and ordered to cruise for the suppression of smug- gling. In the course of the same year he received a highly gratifying communication from his native city, of which the subjoined is a transcript : — " Cork, June, 1802. " Sir, — A club of gentlemen associated in this town, under the title of the Scotch Corporation, did themselves the honor, on the 4th of last June, of unanimously electing you an honorary Member of their Society ; and have accompanied that mark of their esteem with a piece of plate, inscribed with your name : they would feel highly gratified in being enabled to present this for your acceptance at Cork ; but should your professional duties, which you have hitherto performed so much to your own and your Coun- try's honor, deprive them of an early opportunity of fulfilling that wish, I am desired to inform you, that it shall be transmitted to any place of your appointment, where it may be most likely sooner to meet that hand, whose gallant exertions have excited so much admiration. I have the honor to be, with respectful sincerity, &c. (Signed) " B. COGHLAN, Secretary.'* In addition to the above civic reward " a Court of Doyer hundred, held for the city and county of Cork, Aug. 4, 1802," unanimously agreed to admit Lieutenant Coghlan " a free- man at large, for his gallant service, performed on the night of July 29, 1800." His promotion to the rank of Commander took place, May 1, 1804 ; on which occasion he was appoint- ed to le Renard, a flush-deck ship-sloop, then at Jamaica, mounting 16-eighteen-pounder carronades and 2 long sixes, with a complement of 121 officers, men, and boys. On the 20th Mar. 1805, being then in lat. 21°-14'N. and long. 71Q-30' W., Captain Coghlan discovered and made sail after a ship to leeward, which he soon perceived was an enemy's cruiser preparing to receive him. At 2-20 P. M. she open- ed her fire upon le Renard, but not a gun was returned by the latter until within pistol-shot, at which distance Captain Coghlan placed her on the stranger's weather bow, when a fire commenced that reflects infinite praise on the officers who directed it ; for at the end of 35 minutes the enemy wai seen to be in flames, and in 10 minutes afterwards she blew up with a dreadful explosion. 304 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. " Every possible exertion was now made," says Captain Coghlan, ** to get out the only boat that could swim to the relief of the few brave but un- fortunate survivors, who had just before so gallantly defended themselves, and were now seen all around, on the scattered remnants of the wreck, in a mangled and truly distressing state ; and it is with pleasure I add, that of the few who escaped the flames, 55 in number, not a man was drowned. "The ship proved to be le General Erneuf privateer, late his Majesty's sloop Lily, commanded by Mons. Paul Gerard Pointe, seven days from Basse-terre, Guadaloupe, carrying 18 twelve-pounder carronades and 2 long guns, with a complement of 160 men, 31 of whom were soldiers, going to cruise for the homeward-bound Jamaica fleet *. " The enemy's loss was great before the melancholy scene that put an end to the action, she having between 20 and 30 men killed and wounded ; the second Captain and one Lieutenant are the only surviving officers : mine is inconsiderable, 9 men only being wounded, some slightly, I hope none dangerously. Our sails, running and standing rigging, have suffered much, the enemy's fire being principally directed against them ; this ship cruised with great success against the trade of his Majesty's subjects, hav- ing made six valuable captures, during her former cruise." At the commencement of the above action, Mons. Pointe hailed le Renard and ordered her to " strike ;" upon hearing •which Captain Coghlan took his trumpet, and coolly replied, " Aye ! I'll strike, and d d hard too, my lad, directly.'* As a reward for amply fulfilling this promise, the following communication was made to him as soon as he returned to Jamaica : " Sir, — Enclosed I have the honor to transmit you a copy of the resolu- tions of a numerous meeting of this city and parish, held here this day, at the court-house. " In performing this duty, in conveying you the sentiments of the inhab- itants at large, permit me to add the pleasure it gives me in fulfilling their wishes. I have the honor to be, Sir, &c. (Signed) «« JOHN JACQUES, Mayor of Kingston, May 6, 1805." (ENCLOSURE.) " Resolved,. that. this Meeting, duly impressed with the essential services rendered to the commercial interest of this island by the exertions of the commander of H. M. sloop Renard, his officers and men, during their late cruise, whereby it appears that they have destroyed a vessel of great force, belonging to the enemy, fitted out at Guadaloupe, expressly for the pur- pose of annoying our homeward bound trade j and in order to shew our grateful sense of the same : * The Lily had been taken by a vessel of superior force, on the Halifax station, July 15, 1804 : she then mounted only 16 guns. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 305 rc Resolved unanimously, that the thanks of this meeting be given to Jeremiah Coghlan, Esq. commander of H. M. sloop Renard, his officers and men, for their activity in bringing to action and destroying the priva- teer ship of war General Ernouf, mounting 20 guns, with a crew of 160 men, 30 of whom were soldiers of the line, commanded by a Lieutenant of the garrison at Guadaloupe. " Resolved, that the Mayor be requested to communicate the foregoing to Captain Coghlan, in behalf of the Meeting. (Signed) " JOHN JAQUES, Mayor." On the 1 1th Oct. following, Captain Coghlan captured la Bellone privateer, of 4 guns and 50 men ; and on the 28th May, 1806, la Diligente, a national brig, hauled down her colours to le Renard, without attempting the least resistance, although mounting 14 long 6-pounders and 2 brass 36-pounder carronades, with a complement of 125 men. When taken on board le Renard, the French commander, Mons. Vincent Thevenard, was struck with the smallness of that vessel, and, with much sang froid, he requested permission to return to his late brig, that he might try his skill in fight, which of course, Captain Coghlan laughed at. He then, with equal gravity, solicited a certificate, stating, that he had not acted cowardly : — Captain Coghlan replied — " No, I cannot do that ; but I will give you one, that shall specify you have acted prudently !" Captain Coghlan's next appointment was, about Aug. 1807, to the Elk brig, of 18 guns, in which he captured the Spanish letter of marque Posta de Caraccas, Oct. 19, 1807 ; and the French privateer Harlequin, Feb. 12, 1808; both of these were fine schooners, the former having on board 24,000 dol- lars in specie, and a cargo of leather and bass rope, from Cam- peachy, bound to the Havannah. During the whole time that Captain Coghlan commanded the Elk, a period of nearly four years, he was employed as senior officer of a light squadron stationed at the Bahamas for their protection, a service which he conducted with his usual activity and success. While thus engaged, he received two more testimonials of public approbation : — " Government House, Nassau, New Providence, 26th Oct. 1808. *' Sir, — I have the honor to inform you, that I have it in contemplation SUPPL. PART II. X 306 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. to avail myself of his Majesty's permission to return to England, in a few days ; and I cannot quit this colony without expressing to you my thanks for the zeal and activity which you have manifested for the protection and welfare of these islands, since you have been on this station: allow me to add my personal acknowledgments for your invariable kindness and atten- tion to myself, and to assure you, that I have the honor to be, Sir, &c. (Signed) " CHARLES CAMERON, Governor." *' To Jeremiah Coghlan, Esq. 8fc. fyc. fyc." " Government House, Nassau, 8th May, 1811. « Sir,— Your late promotion having rendered the probability of your return to these islands very remote, permit me to say, that, in your de- parture, the public, as well as individuals, will sustain a very serious loss, because, during the whole period of your command within these islands, you have not only attended more particularly to their defence and the protection of their trade, but have at all times readily accommodated yourself to the wishes of individuals, as far as a due regard to your duty would permit. I have the honor to be, Sir, &c. (Signed) " W. V. MUNNINGS, President." " To Jeremiah Coghlan, Esq. Commander of H. M. sloop Elk." Captain Coghlan's post commission was signed at the Ad- miralty, Nov. 27, 1810 ; but it will be seen, by the date of the President's letter, that he remained in the Elk for more than five months after his promotion. We next find him commanding the Caledonia of 120 guns, bearing the flag of Sir Edward Pellew, on the Mediterranean station. His ap- pointment to that ship took place, Sept. 30, 1812. In Aug. 1813, Captain Coghlan volunteered to lead a de- tachment of marines to the attack of five heavy batteries, defending the bay and town of Cassis, a place situated be- tween Toulon and Marseilles. The heroic manner in which he conducted himself oh that occasion, and the successful result of the enterprise, have been stated at pp. 353 — 355 of Suppl. Part J. Although a scarcity of seamen prevented the Toulon fleet, as a body, from making any serious attempt to put to sea during the year 1813, large divisions of it frequently came out to manoeuvre, but only when the wind was favorable for returning into port. At the latter end of October, Sir Edward Pellew was blown off his station by a succession of hard gales, which lasted POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 307 eight days ; and it was not till the evening of Nov. 4, that the inshore squadron, under Captain (now Sir Henry) Heath- cote, arrived off Cape Sicie. On the 5th, at 10 A. M., the French comniander-in-chief, Count Emeriau, was seen getting under weigh, with fourteen ships of the line, and seven frigates ; the wind then blowing strong from E. N. E. and the main body of the British fleet just hove in sight, standing under close -reefed top-sails, to reconnoitre the blockaded port. At 11-30, just as the enemy's advanced .squadron, of five sail of the line and four frigates, under a Rear- Admiral, had got outside of Cape Sepet, the wind suddenly shifted to N. W., which unexpected occurrence permitted Sir Edward Pel- lew to hope that the ships under Captain Heathcote would be able to bring them to action. At 34 minutes past noon, that officer succeeded in getting near enough to open his fire upon the French rear, and he continued to engage them, on opposite tacks, for about half an hour ; his ship, the Scipion 74, being well supported by the Mulgrave, Pembroke, Armada, and Pornpe'e. At one o'clock, the Caledonia stood in shore, athwart hawse of the Scipion, and immediately opened her power- ful broadside upon the Wagram of 130 guns, bearing the French Rear-Admiral's flag : the Boyne and San Josef like- wise got into action with that immense ship ; but unfortu- nately neither of these three-deckers could fetch her, owing to the wind heading them as they approached Point St. Mar- guerite. Having reached the wake of the Wagram, the Caledonia Wore, and hove to on the starboard tack, continuing her fire until the enemy got completely out of gun-shot. In his official report of this skirmish, Sir Edward Pellew says : " Had the body of the fleet been more advanced when the change of wind took place (at 1 1-30 A. M.), I am confident we should not only have brought the enemy to close action, but every ship we had weathered would have been our reward, although they had not been above a league east- Ward of the port, and always under cover of their batteries. " The casualties are too trifling to mention, were it not for the wounds of two fine young officers, Lieutenant Clarke, R. M. and Mr. Cuppage, x 2 308 POST- CAPTAINS OP 1810. signal-midshipman of the San Josef, who each lost a leg by one unluckjr shot." The other casualties on board the ships engaged in the above affair, and the damages they sustained, were but trifling:— Caledonia. — three men slightly wounded ; one shot through her main- mast, and 3 or 4 in her hull ; a shroud and some backstays cut, and her launch and barge destroyed. San Josef, bearing the flag of Sir Rich- ard King,— 2 men slightly wounded. Boyne, Captain George Burlton, — 1 man slightly wounded. Pompe'e, Captain Sir James Athol Wood,— 2 men slightly burnt by accident. Scipion, — 1 man killed by accident, and another slightly wounded. Armada, Captain Charles Grant, — escaped without any loss, but her launch damaged by a shot which passed through that boat and lodged in the booms. Mulgrave, Captain Thomas James Ma- ling, — no loss or damage. Pembroke, Captain James Brisbane, — 3 men slightly wounded ; part of her wheel carried away by the first French shot that took effect. Of the loss and damage sustained by the enemy we can- not speak with any degree of certainty. No chance of a general action now remaining, as the strengh of the Toulon fleet continued to be lessened by send- ing off draughts of men to Napoleon's armies, Captain Coghlan exchanged into the Alcmene frigate, and soon after captured la Fleche French national schooner, of 12 guns and 99 men, proceeding from Toulon to Corsica with 24 soldiers. On the llth April, 1814, he assisted at the capture and destruction of an enemy's convoy which had run ashore under the bat- teries of Port Maurice, in the Gulf of Genoa, a service already described in our memoir of Sir James Brisbane *, an extract of whose official letter, acknowledging the assistance he re- ceived from his brother captains, will be found at p. US of Suppl. Part I. A day or two after the performance of this service, the Alcmene and her consorts, under Captain Brisbane, met Sir Edward Pellew, and proceeded with the fleet to Genoa, off which place this formidable reinforcement arrived just after the enemy had been driven from the whole of the sea-line without the walls by the Anglo Sicilian flotilla, and the guns of all the batteries turned upon those within by the seamen * See Vol. II. Part I. p. 409. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. 309 and marines of Sir Josias Rowley's squadron. The pro- gress thus made by the small naval force under that excel- lent officer rendering the co-operation of the fleet unneces- sary, Captain Coghlan's orders to land at the head of a de- tachment of seamen were countermanded, and in the evening of the same day the besieged fortress surrendered. We next find Captain Coghlan assisting at the occupation of Corsica, and in establishing Major- General Montresor as provisional governor of that island *. During the war with Murat, in 18 15, he was sent to the bay of Naples, under the orders of Captain Robert Campbell, by whose authority he negociated with the then existing government for the sur- render of the naval arsenal and two line-of-battle ships, the Joachim and the Capri, then lying in the mole. On the 20th May, 18J5, the squadron off Naples was joined by Lord Exmouth, who had made arrangements to co- operate with an Anglo- Sicilian army, under the command of Lieutenant-General Macfarlane : on the following day, how- ever, a military convention was negociated at Teano, by which the imperialists and their allies were to have been placed in possession of the Neapolitan capital on the 23d ; but the popular feeling had by that time so strongly mani- fested itself against Murat, that he fled from the city in dis- guise, leaving the government in the hands of his wife, and of the General-in-chief, Baron de Carascosa : the former sought the security which had been assured her on board a British man-of-war ; and the latter sent to the Austrian com- mander, requesting that he would prevent the misfortunes with which the capital was menaced, by entering it immediately. Jn consequence of the disturbances which broke out at this period, Captain Coghlan landed at the head of about 500 marines, marched to a square where the rioters were drawn up, and was on the point of .charging them with the bayonet when they thought proper to submit. He then took posses- sion of all the forts, established himself in the castle of St. Elmo, and assisted the civic guard in preserving tolerable tranquillity until the 23d, when Prince Leopold, of Sicily * See Vol. II. Part I, p. 410. 310 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1810. entered at the head of the Imperial troops, in the midst of general acclamations. The Joachim and Capri were afterwards conducted to Malta by the Alcmene, which frigate Captain Coghlan paid off, at Deptford, in Nov. 1815. He at present commands the Forte 44, on the South American station. This gallant and zealous officer married Mrs. Marshall, widow of Captain John Marshall, R. N. and daughter of Charles Hay, of Jamaica, Esq. a connection of the Errol family. His nephew, Francis Rogers Coghlan, is a Lieute- nant R. N. Agent. — John P. Muspratt, Esq. THOMAS FRANCIS CHARLES MAINWARING, ESQ. This officer was made a Lieutenant by Sir Roger Curtis, at the Cape of Good Hope, in 1800 ; from which period we find him successively serving under Captains William Hotham, Lord Mark Kerr, and Thomas Dundas ; in the Adamant 50, .Fisgard 38, and Naiad of similar force; on the Cape, Chan- nel, and Mediterranean stations. In the latter frigate he witnessed the defeat of the combined fleets off Cape Trafal- gar 5 and afterwards assisted in rescuing one of our dismasted ships from destruction *. His commission as a Commander bears date Jan. 31, 1806. Captain Mainwaring's first appointment was, to the Tarta- rus sloop, fitted as a fire-ship ; and in Aug. 1807, he ap- pears to have been charged with the landing of the troops under Sir Arthur Wellesley (now Duke of Wellington) in Wibeck bay, preparatory to the investment of the Danish capital. Early in 1808, Captain Mainwaring was appointed pro tempore, to the Vanguard 74, which ship was the first of her class that ever wintered in the Baltic. He retained the com- mand of her until June following, and then rejoined the Tar- tarus. * See Vol. II. Part I. p. 149. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 311 In 1810, we find that sloop sinking two French privateers, off Pillau ; after which Captain Mainwaring conveyed Gus- tavus, the ex-King of Sweden, from Riga to England, under circumstances particularly difficult and singular ; for which service he was promoted to post-rank, Nov. 27, in the same year. During the last two years of the war, he commanded the Royal George a first rate, on the Mediterranean station. WILLIAM HENRY BYAM, ESQ. This officer is the only son of Lieutenant Edward Byam, R. IS1, who served under Rodney on the glorious 12th April, 1782, and shortly afterwards perished in la Ville de Paris, the largest ship that had then ever been taken from the ene- my. His mother was the daughter of William Gunthorpe, of the island of Antigua, Esq. The Byanis are descended from an ancient Somersetshire family, whose estates were confiscated by Cromwell, in consequence of their attachment to Charles I. Their paternal ancestor was one of four bro- thers who took up arms in support of the royal cause ; three of whom fell at the decisive and well-disputed battle of Nase- by (1645). After the restoration of Charles II. the surviving brother was appointed Governor of Surinam ; and subse- quently Captain-General of all the Caribbee Islands. Captain Byam's great-grandfather, the Hon. Edward Byam, Governor of Antigua, married Lydia, widow of Samuel Martin, of Green Castle, in the same island, Esq. and only daughter of polqnel John Thomas, of whom mention is made in our me- moir of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Byam Martin. Mr. William Henry Byam, was born in London, Feb. 17, 1776 ; and he entered the naval academy at Portsmouth, about Sept. 1789, under the patronage of the late Sir Henry Martin, Bart, a descendant of the above mentioned Colonel John Thomas, and at that time Commissioner of Portsmouth dock-yard *. * See Vol. I. Part II, note * at p. 491 , 312 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. On the 6th Nov. 1792, Mr. Byam was discharged into the Europa 50, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Ford, under whom he served at the capture of Jeremie, Cape Nichola Mole, and Port-au-Prince, in the island of St. Do- mingo, Sept. 1793, and June 1794 *. His promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place Nov. 6, 1795 ; on which occa- sion he was appointed to the Irresistible 74, Captain (now Sir George) Martin, then about to sail for the Leeward Islands, in company with a large naval and military force, under the orders of Rear-Admiral Christian and Sir Ralph Abercromby, the failure of whose attempt to get clear of the British channel has been noticed at p. 296 of Suppl. Part I. In Jan. 1796, Lieutenant Byam removed to the Vengeance 74, Captain Thomas Macnarnara Russell ; by whom he- was entrusted with the command of a detachment of seamen landed to co-operate with the army at the siege of St. Lucia f : he likewise assisted at the capture of Trinidad ; and again commanded a party of seamen on shore at the unsuccessful attack of Porto Rico, in 1797 J. Lieutenant Byam's next appointment was, Oct. 1799, to be first of the Hornet sloop, Captain John Nash ; in which vessel he was very actively employed on the Leeward Islands' station during the remainder of the war. From Aug. 1803, until Jan. 1804, he appears to have served as senior Lieu- tenant of 1'Africaine frigate, commanded by Captain (now Rear-Admiral) Manby §. At the commencement of the latter month, Lieutenant Byam joined the Courageux 74, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Dacres, and then on the point of sailing with a large fleet of merchantmen bound to the West Indies. Four days after her departure from St. Helen's, the wind, which had hitherto been fair, shifted to the S. W. and between the 15th and 28th Jan. it blew one of the most tremendous gales ever experienced, dispersing the convoy, and reducing the / See Vol. I, Part II, p. 505, and note f at p. 805 et seq. f See Vol. I. Part I. note f at p. 134. J See id. note at p. \\2et seq. § See Vol. II. Part I. p, 208. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 313 flag-ship to a mere wreck, thereby compelling her to bear up for Plymouth, where she arrived with the remnant of her scattered charge, on the 1st of February. The Courageux requiring to be docked, Rear-Admiral Dacres then hoisted his flag in the Franchise frigate, and prosecuted his voyage in that ship, accompanied by the sub- ject of this memoir, whom we shortly afterwards find com- manding the Osprey sloop, on the Leeward Islands' station : his commission as a Commander bears date Sept. 4, 1804. Captain Byam's next appointments were, Dec. 1, 1804, to the Busy, of 18 guns ; and Oct. 1805, to the Bermuda, a brig of similar force : the latter vessel was wrecked on the Memory Rock, Little Bermuda, April 22, 1808. He subsequently commanded the Opossum, of 10 guns, at Surinam, Halifax, Jamaica, and the Caribbee islands: his post commission bears date Jan. 24, 1811. In the course of that year the Thetis frigate, then under his command, had 7 midshipmen, the clerk, and 73 of her crew carried off by the yellow fever. Although Captain Byam never had the good fortune to meet with an hostile vessel of equal force to his own, we are informed that he always cruised with considerable success against the enemy's privateers and merchantmen. The last service he performed, was that of escorting home a very valu- able Jamaica fleet, at the commencement of the late war between Great Britain and America, for which he received the personal thanks of Lord Melville, who happened to be at Chatham when the Thetis arrived there. We should here remark, that very great anxiety had been felt for the safety of this convoy, as it was known that our newly declared enemy had sent out a strong squadron, under Commodore Rodgers, purposely to intercept it *. Captain Byam married, Oct. 11, 1813, his first cousin, Alicia, daughter of the late Hon. Anthony Wyke, one of the Members of H. M. Council for Montserrat, and Judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court of that island. Agent* — John Chippendale, Esq. * See Vol. II. Part II. p. 626. 314 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. ROBERT CLEPHANE, ESQ. Brother to the late Major-General David Clephane, M. P. for the shire of Kinross, N. B. This officer received his first commission early in 1793 ; and was wounded when serving as senior Lieutenant of the Courageux 74, at the capture of four French line-of-battle ships, by the squadron under Sir Richard J. Strachan, Nov. 4,- 1805 * : his promotion to the rank of Commander took place Dec. 24 in the same year. Captain Clephane's subsequent appointments were, about Mar. 1807, to the Charles hired armed vessel ; Oct. follow- ing, to the Nautilus a new brig of the largest class; and, April, 1808, to the Acorn, an 18-gun ship-sloop, in which he remained until posted, Feb. 14, 1811. The Charles was principally employed in the Baltic, and the Acorn, on the Mediterranean station f. The subject of this brief sketch died at Inveresk, N. B. in ii JOSEPH PACKWOOD, ESQ. -;.L:v v'i9V *• Offipri ; , This officer is a native of Bermuda. He first entered the navy as a midshipman on board the Virginia frigate, under the auspices of her captain, the late Sir John Orde ; and shortly afterwards witnessed the capture and destruction of an American fleet in the Penobscot river J. During the siege of Charlestown, in South Carolina, he had the misfortune to lose an arm, by a shot from Sullivan's Island §. After recovering from the effects of this disaster, Mr. Pack- wood successively joined the Chatham of 50 guns, and Roe- buck 44, both commanded by Captain Or4e, under whom he continued to serve^ on the American, North Sea, and Channel * See Vol. I. pp. 289 and 570. t See Captains EDWARD CHETHAM and JOHN DDFF MARKLAND. J See Vol. I. Part I. p. 70. § See Vol. II. Part I, note t at p. 58 et seq, POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 315 stations, until the peace of 1783 ; when he was placed for his improvement at an academy abroad. Having completed his education, Mr. Packwood was next received on board the Camilla of 20 guns, commanded by Captain J. Hutt ; from which ship he was discharged, in order that he might join his patron, who was then Governor of Dominica, and by whom he was appointed to the command of the colonial brig belonging to that island : in her, we find him present at the reduction of Martinique and Guadaloupe, by the naval and military forces under Sir John Jervis and Sir Charles Grey. In 1796, Mr. Packwood obtained a Lieutenant's commis- sion, appointing him to the Perdrix 22, Captain William C. Fahie. He subsequently served in the Matilda 24, Captain Henry Mitford, and the Caesar 80, Captain Sir James Sau- marez, in which latter ship he continued until the peace of Amiens ; and consequently bore a part in the battle off Alge- ziras, July 6, 1801. Soon after the renewal of hostilities, Lieutenant Packwood was appointed first of the Diomede 50, bearing the flag of Sir James Saumarez, at Guernsey, where he continued until Sir John Orde obtained a foreign command, when he joined the latter officer, as senior Lieutenant of the Glory 98. In the spring of 1805, Mr. Packwood was ordered by his early friend to act as commander of the Wasp sloop ; and on his leaving that vessel, her crew presented him with a handsome sword, as a token of their respect and attachment. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place Jan. 22, 1806. In 1808, Captain Packwood received an appointment to the Childers brig, on the Leith station, where he captured the Frernskernsten Danish privateer, of 4 guns, 2 swivels, and 21 men : this vessel had recently taken a British merchant sloop, which he likewise possessed himself of. His post commission bears date Feb. 14, 1811 ; since which period he has not been employed. Agents — Messrs Goode and Clarke. 316 POST-CAPTAINS QF 1811. RIGHT HON. RALPH VISCOUNT NEVILLE. Second son of Henry Earl of Abergavenny, K. T. by Mary, only child of the late John Robinson, of Wyke House, co. Middlesex, Esq. This officer was born Dec. 21, 1786 ; made a Lieutenant Jan. 22, 1806 ; and promoted to the rank of Commander, May 30, 1808. On the 6th Nov. 1809 ; being then in com- mand of the Actaeon brig, off Scilly, he assisted at the cap- ture of le Lezard, French lugger privateer, pierced for 14 guns, with a complement of 57 men. The Actaeon formed part of the fleet under Vice-Admiral Bertie at the reduction of Mauritius, in 1810 ; and Viscount Neville was posted into the Boadicea frigate, Feb. J6, 1811. His lordship married, Feb. 2, 1813, Miss Mary Anne Bruce Elcock, of Sloane Street, Chelsea ; and died at Boulogne, about May 1826. WILLIAM FLINT, ESQ. Received his first commission in April 1802 ; obtained the rank of Commander Mar. 1, 1809; and was made a Post- Captain Mar. 1, 1811. This officer married the sister of Sir Stamford T. Raffles, who procured him the appointment of Harbour- Master at Bencoolen,\ from whence he has since removed to Sincapore, as Colonial Master- Attendant. Agents. — Messrs. Stilwell. I — . JOHN WILLIAMS, ESQ. Son of an officer who perished in the Royal George, at Spithead, Aug. 29, 1782*. Mr. John Williams was born at Plymouth, in 1772; and made a Lieutenant in Oct. 1795 ; from which period he com- * See Vol. L Park II, note at p. 450, etseq. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. 517 manded an armed sloop on the West India station until 1802. His next appointment was to the Fearless gun-brig, in which vessel he had his skull fractured when in the act of capturing a Danish craft, off Copenhagen : he appears also to have been frequently engaged with the enemy's flotilla during the siege of that capital, in Aug. and Sept. 1807 *. His commission as a Commander bears date Oct. 13 following. Towards the close of 1809, Captain Williams was appoint- ed to the Hound bomb-vessel, and in her he materially con- tributed to the defence of Cadiz, in 1810 and 1811 : his pro- motion to post rank took place Mar. 4, in the latter year. Captain Williams died at Okehampton, April 12, 1824 ; leaving a widow and 8 children, 7 of whom were then under 12 years of age. SIR THOMAS FELLOWES, KNT. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; Knight of the Imperial Russian Order of St. Anne; Knight of the Royal Spanish Order of Charles III ; and a Commander of the French Legion of Honor. THIS officer is the fifth and youngest son of the late Dr. William Fellowes, of Bath, Physician Extraordinary to his present Majesty, when Prince Regent, by the eldest daughter of Peregrine Butler, of Dungarvon, co. Waterford, Esq. He is consequently brother to Sir James Fellowes, Knt. M.D. F. R. S. who received the honor of knighthood from our late monarch, for distinguished services, and was actively em- ployed as inspector of hospitals to the British army, during the peninsular war. His elder brother, William Dorset Fel- lowes, Esq. Secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlainf, officiated under Lord Gwydir at the coronation of king George IV. and executed all the details of that solemnity. His eldest sister, on the same occasion, was most graciously selected by his Majesty to lead the royal procession to West- minster Abbey, in the character of Principal Herb Woman, * See Suppl. Part I. p. 239. f See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 954—961. 318 t»OST- CAPTAINS OF 18ll. Mr. Thomas Fellowes was born at Minorca, in 1778 ; and he first went to sea, as a midshipman in the Hon. East India Company's service, about the year 1791. We are not ac- quainted with the exact date of his entry into the royal navy, but believe it to have been in 1797* on which occasion he was received on board the Royal George, a first rate, bear- ing the flag of Lord Bridport, comniander-in-chief of the channel, or grand fleet. The monotonous service of blockading Brest harbour not being suitable to his active disposition, Mr. Fellowes soon afterwards obtained permission to join the Diana frigate^ commanded by Captain Jonathan Faulknor, and employed as a channel cruiser. In that ship, he appears to have been entrusted with the charge of a watch, and admitted to mess with the lieutenants, a convincing proof of the estimation in which his abilities and general conduct were held by his superiors. We subsequently find him proceeding to Jamaica^ as master's-mate of the Crescent frigate ; and assisting at the capture of El Galgo, Spanish national brig, under cir- cumstances highly creditable to his commander, the late Commissioner Lobb*. The Crescent being short of commissioned officers, Mr. Fellowes was appointed prize-master of El Galgo ; and on his arrival at Port Royal, he joined the Queen 98 ; from which ship he was soon afterwards removed to the Sans Pareil 80, bearing the flag of Lord Hugh Seymour, com- mander-in-chief on that station. In 1801 and 1802, he suc- cessively acted as lieutenant of the Cumberland 74, Snake sloop, and Carnatic 74 ; the former third rate commanded by Captain Henry William Bayntun, the latter bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Robert Montagu. Unfortunately for Mr. Fellowes, the peace of Amiens took place before he had served the established probationary term 5 and although Rear- Admiral Montagu, with a delicate regard to his feelings, kindly offered to send him home acting in the Ambuscade frigate, rather than allow him to resume the * See SuppL Part I. p. 299, et seq. N. B. Commissioner Lobb died at Sheerness, July 28, 1814. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. duties of a midshipman on the same station, he preferred having his discharge,, to continuing in the service without any prospect of promotion ; little imagining that hostilities would so soon be renewed. His wishes being complied with by the Rear- Admiral, he immediately obtained the command of a West Indiaman, and continued in her until some time after the re- commencement of the war, when we find him joining the Culloden 74, commanded by Captain Christopher Cole, and about to receive the flag of Sir Edward Pellew, now Viscount Exmouth, by whom he was successively ap- pointed to two frigates, on the East India station : the name of the first we do not remember; the other (the Cornwallis) he was reluctantly obliged to leave, through ill health, just as she was about to make the interesting trip of which an outline has been given at pp. 1/0 — 174, of Suppl. Part I. Mr. Fellowes returned home in the Hindostan 50, and next joined the Acasta frigate. Captain Philip Beaver, an officer of great professional and literary attainments, who likewise gave him the charge of a watch, and with whom he continued until he was at length promoted into the Bel- leisle 74, bearing the flag of Sir Alexander Cochrane, at the Leeward Islands, June 29, 1807. Shortly after his advancement, Lieutenant Fellowes was appointed to the Melville sloop of war, Captain the Hon. James W. King ; and in the same year he assisted at the capture of the Danish islands, together with a large fleet of merchantmen*. We next find Lieutenant Fellowes commanding the Swinger gun-brig, and assisting at the capture of Deseada ; on which occasion he marched into the interior of that island, with forty men under his orders, for the purpose of attacking about seventy regular troops and militia, who had retreated thither after making a vain attempt to prevent the British from landing : these men having accepted the terms offered, laid down their arms and were secured by Lieute- nant Fellowes, a circumstance not mentioned in Captain Selby's letter, at p. 53 of this volume. * See Vol. I. p. 263, et seq. 320 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. Some time after that event, Lieutenant Fellowes made a gallant and successful attempt, with two boats, upon a French armed ship, lying in Bay Mahout, Guadaloupe ; the prize proved to be 1'Alert letter of marque, mounting 6 carriage guns and 4 swivels, with a complement of 40 men, besides several passengers : unfortunately, however, the captors were obliged to scuttle and abandon her, in consequence of getting a-ground under the enemy's batteries, to the fire of which, and that of a large privateer, they were exposed for fourteen hours — their loss, notwithstanding, consisted of only one killed and two or three wounded ; whereas the French had twelve slain, and several so badly wounded that they could not be removed, which alone prevented 1' Alert from being set on fire. While in the Swinger, Lieutenant Fellowes was often en- gaged with the batteries of Guadaloupe. From her he re- moved to the Unique brig of 14 guns and 7$ men; in which vessel he was present at the capture of the Saintes, and most actively employed during the blockade of Basse Terre. A very gallant exploit performed by him in sight of that place, is thus described by his friend Captain Beaver, in an official letter to Sir Alexander Cochrane, dated May 22, 1809:— " Yesterday, at seven o'clock, I discovered a schooner at anchor close under one of the enemy's batteries, to the northward of Basse Terre, and immediately recognized her to be one that had been examined by and kept company with us for two days, under Swedish colours, from St. Bar- tholomew's bound to Martinique, pretending to be leaky, and wishing to get into the Saintes ; but who, under cover of the night, had run under one of the enemy's forts. " To punish such perfidy, I permitted, contrary to my usual custom, the Julia and Unique to run under several batteries, in order to bring her out ; but she was found so fast on shore that we could not move her. Captain Dowers, a copy of whose letter I herewith transmit to you, sent Lieutenant Fellowes, who commands the Unique, on shore with twenty- four seamen, to storm the battery and spike the guns ; which service he performed with great gallantry, bringing away the colours in the presence of five times his own number of the enemy's regular troops, and not more than a mile from their hutted encampment." POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 321 ENCLOSURE. ** Sir, — On our closing with the schooner, which had warped among the rocks, under a two-gun battery, flanked by two heavy batteries nearer Basse Torre, I sent our boats with one from the Unique, the whole under the command of Lieutenant Fellowcs of that brig, with directions to land and storm the baitery. " Before they got on shore, a troop of cavalry, some infantry, and an immense number of militia had collected in the fort; and notwithstanding our people had to climb up a very steep precipice, with musketry annoy- ing them from every point, they charged and drove the enemy from their guns, spiking them, killing several men, and bringing away their arms and colours. Lieutenant Fcllowes then formed his men and retreated to the boats ; but finding the schooner so fast amongst the rocks that it was im- possible to move her, and the fire of musketry from the bushes striking the boats every instant, he very properly left her and returned on board. The loss on our part is one officer " (a midshipman of the Julia) " killed, whom Lieutenant Fellowes speaks very highly of, and seven men wounded; our damage is some shot in the hulls, sails, and rigging, and four guns dismounted. I cannot say too much in praise of the coolness and de- termination of every officer and man on this occasion. Lieutenant Fel- lowes* conduct speaks for itself; we did not fire from the brigs till the ene- my's musketry went through our hammocks. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " WM. DOWERS."* The official report made by Captain Dowers applies only to the severely wounded : — the Unique's boat, being com- pletely riddled, sunk under Lieutenant Fcllowes ; one musket- ball passed through the crown of his hat, another struck the pike in his hand, and his jacket was shot through in two places ; yet, strange to say, he was the only person of the party that escaped unhurt. Previous to this affair, the Unique had been very much weakened by the almost daily firing of her guns at the enemy's land batteries ; and as she was now become very leaky, the senior officer of the blockading squadron resolved, although possessed of very inadequate means, to convert her into a fire-vessel, for the purpose of acting against two French frigates lying at Basse Terre. * Captain Dowers, eldest son of Purser Dowers, Esq. a retired com- mander, obtained post rank Sept. 24th, 1814, and died at Antigua, Dec, 26th, 1816. He was considered a most active gallant officer, and his pre. mature loss deeply lamented by a large circle of friends, SUPPL, PART II. Y 322 POST. CAPTAINS OF 1811. On the very next day after this enterprise had been deter- mined upon, Lieutenant Fellowes reported his brig ready ; but unfortunately she had been so much lightened by the removal of most of her stores, not only for their preservation, but likewise to save the trouble of constant pumping, that she was thereby rendered incapable of performing the ap- pointed service. When endeavouring to get between the enemy's ships and the shore, a sudden gust off the land ob- liged him to luff her up, almost head to wind ; otherwise she must have capsized, and probably all on board would have perished : before the sails could be again filled, he had the mortification to find her take the ground, not far from one of the frigates ; and then, having no other alternative, he was obliged to abandon her ; first setting fire to the train, lest she should fall into the enemy's possession. Notwithstanding the failure of this attempt to destroy one or both of the enemy's ships, the explosion of the Unique had the good effect of rendering their commanders dissatis- fied with the security of the anchorage at Basse Terre : — taking advantage of a dark night, they soon afterwards put to sea ; but only to be captured — one, la Felicite, by the Latona frigate, Captain Hugh Pigot ; and the other, la Fu- rieuse, by Captain William Mounsey, in the Bonne Citoyenne sloop of war.* The following copy of a letter from Captain Beaver to Mr. Barrow, of the Admiralty, will shew the high opinion that distinguished officer entertained of Lieutenant Fellowes : " Sir, — In reply to your letter, directing me to report, for their lord- ships' information, how far Lieutenant Fellowes* statement is correct as to his want of time to remove the victualling stores and necessaries of the late brig Unique, when burnt at Basse Terre, Guadaloupe. " I beg leave to observe, that the order to prepare her as a fire- vessel was given one day, and she was burnt the next, which was rather a windy and squally day, and therefore every thing could not have been removed with that facility that they might had the weather been more favourable : it is highly probable, too, that on such an occasion, Lieutenant Fellowes' ardour to tit his vessel for her destined service might have been the cause of his overlooking some stores : his own private property I am sure he * See memoir of Captain THOMAS TUDOR TUCKER. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 323 never considered ; and from his asserting it, I am certain that the esti- mate of his losses, as Purser, is within bounds. " I cannot omit this opportunity of stating to their lordships, that I do not know an officer of greater professional abilities, or more zeal, than Lieutenant Fellowes : a few days only before the Unique was burnt, he very gallantly landed in the face of five times his number of the .enemy's regular troops, stormed a fort, and spiked the guns ; and as he was under my orders the whole time I blockaded Basse Terre, I had frequent oppor- tunities of witnessing and approving his gallantry, when under the batter- ies ; and I do most humbly beg leave to recommend him to their lord- ships as an officer of very uncommon merit. I am, &c. (Signed) " P. BEAVER." On the 16th Sept. 1809, Lieutenant Fellowes was advanced to the rank of commander, as a reward for his meritorious services in th-2 Swinger and Unique. On the 2d Aug. 1810, he received an appointment that led to his further promotion. At this latter period, the French having passed the Sierra Morena, had entered Andalusia in great force ; and among other preparations for reducing the Isle of Leon, they had began to equip a formidable flotilla, manned by the seamen originally trained to that species of service at Boulogne, and who had been sent from the Danube, by Buonaparte, pur- posely to assist at the siege of Cadiz. To annoy the enemy's naval force, and to retard the com- pletion of additional batteries at the different posts occupied by the army under Marshal Soult, eleven heavy Spanish gun-boats were officered and manned by the British squa- dron at Cadiz ; ten others were constructed there under the directions of Sir Richard G. Keats, and nine more brought from Gibraltar, making altogether thirty sail, the whole of which were for several weeks commanded by Captain Fel- low es, as appears by the following extracts of a journal now before us : " Throughout the month of Oct. 1810, the flotilla was daily engaged with the enemy's batteries. On the 9th, Captain Fellowes joined us with a reinforcement from Gibraltar, and assumed the chief command. On the llth, a large French schooner was captured under a very heavy fire from fort Catalina. On the 18th, at 3-30 A. M. a brisk cannonading com* menced in the direction of Rota, which proved to be Captain Fellowes attacking a French privateer. In the night of the 28th the gun-vessel Y2 324 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. commanded by Lieutenant William Style struck on the Los Corrales reef, by which accident a midshipman and fourteen of her crew perished : the remainder were saved through the exertions of Captain Fellowes, who treated them with the greatest kindness. On the 31st, 'the flotilla was stationed between Catalina and Rota, to intercept the enemy's gun-boats coming from San Lucar to Port Santa Maria. " Nov. 1, — observed one of the French vessels a-ground on the bar of the Guadaleto. At 10-30 A. M. the British flotilla commenced action with her and seven others, which, favored by the darkness of the night, had eluded our vigilance, and were then lying within the bar, protected by fort Conception, several redoubts, and a corps of horse-artillery on the beach. At 11, the vessel a-ground was deserted by the enemy; and at 1 1-30 she was boarded and* destroyed, under a vc-.ry heavy fire, by Captain Rainier, commanding officer of the guard-boats, who found several men killed or dying on her deck. At noon the action ceased. " Nov. 2, — At day-breuk, discovered that a considerable number of the French gun-boats had taken shelter ai, Rota. The bombs and ilotilla were ordered thither, hut recalled in consequence of the Spaniards objecting to an attack, which might have proved injurious to the inhabitants of that town. At 3-30 P. M., the enemy were seen through the haze, running before the wind and tide : the guard-boats and ilotilla immediately went in pursuit. At 4, Lieutenant Leeke, of the (lag-ship, was killed in an at- tempt to turn the headmost French vessel. At 4-10, the action became general, and the British were exposed to u tremendous fire from the shore till called off, at 4-50, by signal from the admiral : At 5, the ene- my's rearmost vessel got into Port Santa Maria. On this occasion, the guard-boats of the squadron were conducted by Captain Kiltoo, of the Milford : among the wounded on our side was Lieutenant William Hall, commander of the Bouncer gun-boat. " Nov. 12, — the English flotilla co-operated with the Spanish batteries in an attack upon fort Napoleon and other strong works near Matagorda. In the night of the 14th, the French gun-boats attempted to push past Puntales, and get into the Trocadcro channel, but were driven back by the British ; some to Port Santa Maria, outside of which harbour they never again ventured ; and the rest into the San Pedro river, from whence they . were afterwards transported overland to the marshes of the Marquilla, be- low Puerto Real. " Nov. 15, — Captain Robert Hall arrived from Gibraltar, and hoisted his distinguishing pendant in the Rambler, as senior officer of the flotilla." From this period, Captain Fellowes most ably and gallantly commanded one half of the gun-boats until April 22, 1811, when he again assumed the chief command, and continued to hold it till he was superseded in consequence of his promo- tion, For several months, not a day passed without seeing POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. 325 him engaged with the enemy. In addition to the dangers of this most arduous and harassing service, he was exposed to very great privations in his little vessel, the Watchful, whose cabin for himself and a midshipman was only 7 feet long and 3 high, out of which he never slept from Sept. 1810 until June 1811 ! An attack made upon the French gun-boats at Port Santa Maria, Nov. 23, 1810, is thus described by Sir Richard G. Keats, in a letter to Admiral Sir Charles Cotton : — " Observing the enemy to have collected several gun-boats in the river of Santa M;iria, in a situation subject to bombardment ; at a proper time of the tide yesterday, I placed the mortar and howitzer boats, under the able direction of Captain Hall, which (whilst the Devastation, Thunder, and J5tna bombs, with one division of Spanish, and two divisions of English gun- boats, under the zealous command of Captain Thomas Fellowes and Lieu- tenant William Fairbrothcr Carroll, successfully drew the attention and fire of fort Catalina) threw, seemingly with considerable effect, some hun- dred shells amongst the gun-boats and about the place of construction, until the wind coming in from- the westward made it necessary to move them out. We have not yet ascertained what has been the damage or loss on the part of the enemy ; but we have unfortunately to lament the death of two highly esteemed and respectable young otficers^ Lieutenants Tho- mas Worth and John Buckland, of the royal marine artillery, whose loss is the theme of universal regret. Mr. Samuel Hawkins, midshipman of the Norge, also fell gallantly, which, with 4 Spanish and 4 English seamen wounded, constitutes our whole loss on a service, the execution of which merits my warmest praise." On the above occasion, Captain Fellowes was engaged with fort Catalina from 2-30 P. M. until 10 o'clock at night. Towards the close of the following month, a combined at- tack was likewise made upon the enemy's flotilla below Puerto Real ; the castle of Puntales at the same time engag- ing the forts on the opposite tongue of land, and the bombs keeping Catalina in pluy. The action commenced at 1 P. M. and did not cease until all the French vessels there, seven- teen in number, were completely disabled. On the day after the glorious battle of Barrosa, Captain Fellowes greatly distinguished himself by his gallantry in storming a 4-gun battery, surrounded by a ditch and spiked stockade, at the entrance of Port Santa Maria, under a 326 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. heavy fire of grape from all the neighbouring works. In the performance of this service, he was bravely seconded by Lieutenant Style. The following is an extract of the offi- cial letter in which Sir Richard G. Keats makes mention of this exploit: — " The wind having come off the land, and the sea much abated, two landings were effected, by way of diversion, yesterday morning *, between Rota and Catalina, and between that fort and Santa Maria, with the royal marines, commanded by Captain English, 200 seamen of the squad- ron, and 80 of the Spanish marine ; one division of which was under the direction of Captain Spranger, of the Warrior } the other under Captain Kittoe : at the same time, Catalina was bombarded by the Hound and Thunder bombs ; and that fort and the batteries on the east side of the bay were kept in check with much spirit by the gun and mortar-boats, under the respective commands of Captains Hall and Fellowes. One re- doubt of 4 guns, near Santa Maria, was stormed by the marines of the Milford, led on by Captain Fottrell ; a second, to the south of the Guada- leto, was taken by Captain Fellowes ; and the guns of all the sea defences, together with the small fort of Puntilla, from Rota (which the enemy evacuated) to Santa Maria, with the exception of Catalina, were spiked, and the works dismantled." In the performance of this highly important service, the British had one gun-boat sunk before Catalina; but their whole loss amounted to only 3 men killed and 13 wounded, 2 of whom mortally. Although Captain Fellowes was advanced to post rank on the 4th Mar. 1811, he did not quit Cadiz until June follow- ing, at which period he was succeeded by Captain William Fairbrother Carroll : from the time of Captain Hall's depar- ture until then, he had been most handsomely and skilfully seconded on every occasion by Captain Frederick Jennings Thomas, whose valuable services we shall soon have to re- late. A fuller account of the occurrences at and near Cadiz, during the period that Sir Richard G. Keats commanded the naval force there, will be given under the head of Captain William Henry Smyth. The subject of this memoir was next appointed, Feb. 1812, to the Fawn, a small post-ship, in which he cruised for some time on the Channel station, and subsequently escorted a * Mar. 6, 1811. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 327 fleet of merchantmen from Cork to Barbadoes. On his arrival in Carlisle bay, he received a handsome letter of thanks from the masters of the convoy "for the excellent arrangements he made to prevent separation, and for his very great atten- tion to them during the voyage/' From Barbadoes, Captain Fellowes proceeded to the Ja- maica station, where he recaptured several British merchant vessels, one of which was the Perthshire letter of marque, mounting 14 guns, with a cargo of fish and oil. On the 9th Jan. J 813, being then employed in affording pro- tection to the trade between Cura£oa and the Spanish Main, Captain Fellowes recaptured a brig; and finding that she had been taken by one of three powerful American privateers, which he had previously obliged to fly from their rendezvous between Beata and St. Domingo, he immediately went in pur- suit of the marauder, whom, at daylight on the 10th, he discov- ered from the mast-head, close in with the land to the east- ward of Porto Cabello. A long and arduous pursuit took place, at the commencement of which the chace was fired upon by the batteries to prevent her entering the above harbour ; and at 2 o'clock in the morning of the llth, the Fawn hav- ing got within range, the weather being squally, and a heavy sea running, she was obliged to run ashore on Point Hicacos, where her commander and 24 men were drowned in attempt- ing to reach the land. The vessel thus destroyed was the Rosamond, of 8 heavy guns and 105 men : when fallen in with by the Fawn she had on board 100,000 dollars in specie, besides much valuable merchandize, the plunder of various English and Spanish vessels. Captain Fellowes shortly af- terwards received a letter from the Captain-General of the Caraccas, of which the following is a translation :— " Dear Sir,— Mr. Simon Cock has informed me of your arrival at La Guiara, at which I am extremely pleased, and only sorry at not having the pleasure of seeing you here, which I have so much desired. " This government is penetrated with the liveliest sense of gratitude for the zeal and ability which you have manifested in driving the enemies of peace and commerce from these coasts, and securing them from their prejudicial depredations. " Confident of your zeal for the general cause, I take the liberty of re- 328 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. questing you, if possible, to extend your cruise to the east coast of the province of Cumana, where the insurgents have landed at a place called Guiaia, paralyzing commerce, and obstructing the general supplies of provisions sent to the island of H. B. M. and seriously affecting the inter- ests of his afflicted ally, the Spanish nation. " Should you have it in your power to visit the capital, I shall be ei- tremely happy. 1 am, with sentiments of the highest consideration, &c. (Signed) " DOMINGO MONTE VERDE." Captain Fellowes likewise received the thanks of Major- General Hodgson, Governor of Cui^oa, for his " zealous and active exertions ;" and the merchants of that island presented him with a piece of plate, as an acknowledgment of the ser- vices he had rendered them. The Fawn was paid off in Oct. 1813, on which occasion her crew addressed a letter to Captain Fellowes, worded as follows: — ^;. , " Sir, — It is with the deepest regrette that we have this day learned that His Majesty's Ship tinder your Command is ordered to be paid off, as it deprives us of a Commander, we one, and all would wish to sail with. We beg leave, Sir ! to state that your great attention to our Comforts in our different stations has left a grateful impression on our minds, and in- duces us to take the Liberty of soliciting the favour of serving in any Ship to which you may be appointed, we hope, Sir ! that you will be pleased to Excuse this freedom as it proceeds from uo other motive than our Gratitude to a Commander we so much Esteem and Respect. We have the honor to be (Sir) Your Very humble Servants, " THE SHIP'S COMPANY IN GENIRAL." h 'ere follow 43 signatures. From this period, Captain Fellowes remained unemployed till Feb. 21, 1827, when he was appointed to the Dartmouth frigate, of 42 guns. In that ship he proceeded to the Mediter- ranean station, just after the conclusion of the treaty entered into between his Majesty and the Courts of the Tuilleries and of St. Petei-H burgh, with a view to effect a reconciliation be- tween the Ottoman Porte and the inhabitants of the Greek provinces and islands, where a contest had been carried on for several years, — marked on each side by excesses revolt- ing to humanity. In the course of the measures adopted to effect the object of that treaty, a collision, wholly unexpect- ed by his Majesty, took place between the squadrons of the contracting Powers and the Turco-Egyptian fleet. The POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 329 part borne by Captain Fellowes on that occasion, and the result of the conflict, will be seen by the following copy of the British Admiral's official letter, &c. &c. : — " His Majesty's ship 4sia, in the Port of Navarin *, Oct. 21, 1827. " I have the honor to inform his Royal Highness the Lord High Admi- ral, that my colleagues, Count Hcidcn and the Chevalier de Riguy, having agreed with me that we should come into this port, in order to induce Ibrahim Pacha to discontinue the brutal war of extermination, which he has been carrying on since his return here from his failure in the gulf of Patras, the combined squadrons passed the batteries, in order to take up their anchorage, at about two o'clock yesterday afternoon. " The Turkish ships were moored in the form of a crescent, with springs on their cables, the larger ones presenting their broadsides towards the centre, the smaller ones, in succession within them, filling up the in- tervals. " The combined fleet was formed in the order of sailing in two columns, the British and French forming the weather or starboard line, and the Rus- sian the lee line. " The Asia led in, followed by the Genoa and Albion, and anchored close alongside a ship of the line, bearing the flag of the Capitan Bey, ano- ther ship of the line, and a large double-banked frigate, each thus having their opponent in the front line of the Turkish fleet. The four ships to windward, part of the Egyptian squadron, were allotted to the squadron of Hear- Admiral de Rigny; and those to leeward in the bight of the crescent, were to mark the stations of the whole Russian squadron ; the ships of their line closing those of the English line, and being followed up by their own frigates. The French frigate Armide, was directed to place herself alongside the outermost frigate, on the left hand entering the har- bour ; and the Cambrian, Glasgow, and Talbot next to her, and abreast of the Asia, Genoa, and Albion; the Dartmouth and the Musquito, the Rose, the Brisk, and the Philomel, were to look after six fire-vessels, at the entrance of the harbour. I gave orders that no gun should be fired, unless guns were first fired by the Turks ; and those orders were strictly observed. The three English ships were accordingly permitted to pass the batteries and to moor, which they did with great rapidity, without any act of open hostility, although there was evident preparation for it in all the Turkish ships ; but upon the Dartmouth sending a boat to one of the fire-vessels. Lieut. G. W. H. Fitzroy f, and several of her crew, were * Navarin, the Pylos of the ancients, and the supposed birth-place of the venerable Nestor, is situated about 10 miles from Modonj and, con- sequently, near the most S. W. point of the Morea. f Second son of General the Hon. William Fitzroy, of Kempston Lodge, Norfolk. 330 POST -CAPTAINS OF 1811. shot with musketry. This produced a defensive fire of musketry from the Dartmouth and la Syrene, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral De Rigny ; that was succeeded by a cannon-shot at the Rear-Admiral from one of the Egyptian ships, which, of course, brought on a return, and thus, very shortly afterwards, the battle became general. — The Asia, although placed along- side the ship of the Capitan Bey, was even nearer to that of Moharem Bey, the commander of the Egyptian ships ; and since his ship did not fire at the Asia, although the action was begun to windward, neither did the Asia fire at her. The latter, indeed, sent a message, " that he would not fire at all," and, therefore, no hostility took place betwixt our ships for some time after the Asia had returned the fire of the Capitan Bey. " In the mean time, however, our excellent pilot, Mr. Peter Mitchell, who went to interpret to Moharem my desire to avoid bloodshed, was killed by his people in our boat alongside, — whether with or without his orders, I know not; but his ship soon afterwards fired into the Asia, and was, consequently, effectually destroyed by the Asia's fire, sharing the same fate as his brother admiral, on the starboard side, and falling to lee- ward a mere wreck. These ships being out of the way, the Asia became exposed to a raking fire from vessels in the second and third line, which carried away her mizen-mast by the board, disabled some of her guns, and killed and wounded several of her crew. This narration of the proceed- ings of the Asia would probably be equally applicable to most of the other ships of the fleet. The manner in which the Genoa and Albion took their stations was beautiful ; and the conduct of my brother admi- rals, Count Heiden and the Chevalier De Rigny, throughout, was admira- ble and highly exemplary. " Captain Fellowes executed the part allotted to him perfectly ; and with the able assistance of his little but brave detachment, saved the Sy- rene from being burnt by the fire vessels. And the Cambrian, Glasgow, andTalbot, following the fine example of Capitaine Hugon, of the Armide, who was opposed to the leading frigate of that line, effectually destroyed their opponents, and also silenced the batteries. This bloody and de- structive battle was continued with unabated fury for four hours, and the scene of wreck and devastation which presented itself at its termination, was such as has been seldom before witnessed. As each ship of our op- ponents became effectually disabled, such of her crew as could escape from her endeavoured to set her on fire ; and it is wonderful how we avoided the effects of their successive and awful explosions. " It is impossible for me to say too much for the able and zealous assistance which I derived from Captain Curzon, throughout this long and arduous contest ; nor can I say more than it deserves for the conduct of Commander Baynes and the officers and crew of the Asia, for the perfection with which the fire of their guns was directed ; each vessel in turn, to which her broadside was presented, became a complete wreck. His Royal Highness will be aware that so complete a victory by a few, POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 331 however perfect, against an excessive number, however individually in- ferior, cannot be acquired but at a considerable sacrifice of life ; accord- ingly, I have to lament the loss of Captain Bathurst, of the Genoa, whose example on this occasion is well worthy of the imitation of his survivors. Captain Bell, commanding the royal marines of the Asia, an excellent officer, was killed early in the action, in the steady performance of his duty ; and I have to mourn the death of Mr. William Smith, the master, admired for the zeal and ability with which he executed his duty, and be- loved by all for his private qualities as a man. Mr. L. S. Dyer, my secre- tary, having- received a severe contusion from a splinter, I am deprived temporarily of his valuable assistance in collecting and keeping up the general returns and communications of the squadron : I shall, therefore, retain in my office Mr. F. J. T. White, his first clerk, whom I have nomin- ated to succeed the purser of the Brisk. I feel much personal obligation to the Honorable Lieutenant-Colonel Craddock, for his readiness, during the heat of the battle, in carrying my orders and messages to the different quarters, after my aides-de-camp were disabled ; but I will beg permission to refer his Royal Highness for further particulars of this sort to the details of the killed and wounded, a subject which it is painful for me to dwell upon ; when I contemplate, as I do with extreme sorrow, the extent of our loss, I console myself with the reflection, that the measure which produced the battle was absolutely necessary for obtaining the results con- templated by the treaty, and that it was brought on entirely by our oppo- nents. " When I found that the boasted Ottoman word of honour was made a sacrifice to wanton savage devastation, and that a base advantage was taken of our reliance upon Ibrahim's good faith, I own I felt a desire to punish the offenders. But it was my duty to refrain, and refrain I did ; and I can assure his Royal Highness that I would still have avoided this disastrous extremity, if other means had been open to me. The Asia, Genoa, and Albion, have each suffered so much, that it is my intention to send them to England as soon as they shall have received, at Malta, the necessary repairs for their voyage. The Talbot, being closely engaged with a double banked frigate, has also suffered considerably, as well as others of the smaller vessels -, but I hope their defects are not more than can be made good at Malta. The loss of men in the Turco-Egyptian ships must have been immense, as his Royal Highness will see by the accompanying list, obtained from the secretary of the Capitan Bey, which includes that of two out of the three ships to which the English division was opposed. Captain Curzon having preferred continuing to assist me in the Asia, I have given the charge of my despatches to Commander Lord Viscount Ingestre, who, besides having had a brilliant share in the action, is well competent to give his Royal Highness the Lord High Admiral any further particulars he may require. (Signed) " EDWARD CODRINGTON, Vice- Admiral." 332 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811* According to the statement made by the Capitan Bey's secretary, the force opposed to the allies consisted of two Turkish 84-gun ships, one of which had no less than 660 men slain ; one 70-gun ship, whose killed amounted to 400; fifteen 48-gun frigates, eighteen corvettes, and four brigs : — four Egyptian doubled-banked frigates, of 64 guns each; eight corvettes, of from 18 to 24 guns each ; eight brigs, and five fire-vessels : — total, sixty-five sail. Sir Edward Codrington, however, in a general order issued by him to the allied squadrons, four days after the battle, declares that the enemy had " eighty-one men-of-war" of which number only one frigate and fifteen smaller vessels remained {f in a state ever to be again put to sea." It appears, by a letter from Zante, dated Dec. 14th, 1827, that the harbour of Navarin was reconnoitred by the Pelican sloop on the 17th Nov., at which period there were twenty- nine men of war lying there, viz. " one Turkish ship of the line, and four frigates, much damaged ; two frigates fit for service ; one of the Egyptian raz&s, in tolerable condition ; and five corvettes, eleven brigs, and five schoonws, in good condi- tion." A letter from Alexandria, dated Dec. 29th, states, that on the 27th of that month, " four frigates, eight brigs, and four cutters, with several transports," arrived there ; and that " a ship of the line (meaning, we presume, the razte) and two frigates had separated from them in a gale of wind:" there is no mention made by the Capitan Bey's secretary of any fore-and-aft rigged vessels. The following list will shew the strength of the combined squadrons, and the loss sus- tained by each ship and vessel composing them : BRITISH. Asia 84 \ flag-ship, Captain Edward Curzon, . * Commander Robert Lambert Baynes, killed, wounded Genoa ) jg 3 74, j °aPtain *** Bathuret> ............ I 26 c Commander Richard Dickinson, ...... i > I 57 33 Albion . , . .74, { CaPtain John Acworth Ommanney '-Com. John Norman Campbell, Dartmouth 42, Captain Thomas Fellowes, C. B ......... 6 Cambrian . .48, ....... Gawen William Hamilton, C. B. . . 1 10 60 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 333 killed, wounded Glasgow . . . .50, Captain Hon. James Ashley Maude .... 0 2 Talbot ...... .28, Hon. Frederick Spencer ........ 6 17 Musquito — 10, Comm. George Bohnn Martin 2 4 Rose 18, Lewis Davies 3 15 Brisk 10, Hon. William Anson 1 3 Philomel . . . .10, Viscount Ingestre I 7 Total.... 75 197 FRENCH. Syrene 60, Rear-Admiral H. De Rigny 21 42 Scipion 74, Capitaine Milius 2 36 Trident 74, Maurice 0 7 Breslati 74, De La Bretonniere 1 14 Armide 44, Hugon 14 14 Alcyone . . . sch., , 1 9 Dauphinoise , 1 8 40 130 Officers, not included in the above number .... 3 3 Total.... 43 133 RUSSIAN. Azof , .74, Rear-Admiral Count De Heiden . . 24 67 Gargoute 74, 14 37 Ezekiel 74, 13 18 Alexander Newsky 74, ^._ $ 7 Constantino 50, 0 1 Provernoy 48, 3 4 Elena 48, 0 5 Castor 48 0 0 Total.... 59 139 Grand Total,— 177 killed, 469 wounded. Copy of the General Order to which we alluded at p. 332. " H. M. S. Asia, in the Port of Navarin, 24 Oct. 1827. " Before the united squadrons remove from the theatre on which they have gained so complete a victory, the Vice-Admiral, commander-in-chief, is desirous of making known to the officers, seamen, and marines, em- ployed in them, the high sense which he has of their gallant and steady conduct on the 20th instant. — He is persuaded that there is no instance of the fleet of any one country shewing more complete union of spirit and 334 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. action, than was exhibited by the squadrons of the three Allied Powers together, in this bloody and destructive battle. He attributes to the bright example set by his gallant colleagues, the Rear-Admirals, the able and cordial support which the ships of the several squadrons gave each other, during the heat and confusion of the battle. Such union of spirit and of purpose— such coolness and bravery under fire— and such consequent pre- cision in the use of their guns, ensured a victory over the well-prepared arrangements of greatly superior numbers : and the whole Turkish and Egyptian fleets have paid the penalty of their treacherous breach of faith. The boasted Ibrahim Pacha promised not to quit Navarin, or oppose the allied fleets ; and basely broke his word. The allied commanders pro- mised to destroy the Turkish and Egyptian fleets, if a single gun were fired at either of their flags ; and, with the assistance of the brave men whom they have had the satisfaction of commanding, they have performed their promise to the very letter. Out of a fleet composed of eighty-one men of war, there remain only one frigate and fifteen smaller vessels, in a state ever to be again put to sea. Such a victory cannot be gained without a great sacrifice of life; and the commander-in-chief has to deplore the loss of many of the best and bravest men whom the fleet contained. The conso- lation is, that they died in the service of their country, and in the cause of suffering humanity. " The commander-in-chief returns his most cordial thanks to his noble colleagues, the two Rear-Admirals, for the able manner in which they di- rected the movements of the squadron ; and to the Captains, Com- manders, Officers, Seamen, and Royal Marines, who so faithfully obeyed their orders, and so bravely completed the destruction of their opponents. (Signed) " EDWARD CODRINGTON." In a letter from Rear- Admiral -De Rigny to Sir Edward Codrington, dated Oct. 23, 1827, we find the following pas- " Allow me to take this opportunity of returning my thanks to Captain Fellowes for the assistance which the Syrene received from the boats of the Dartmouth, when, with much skill and bravery, they attacked and turned off the fire-ships ready to come down upon ui." Lord Ingestre, the bearer of Sir Edward Codrington's des- patches, was conveyed to Ancona by the Dartmouth \ and Captain Fellowes subsequently returned home overland, ma Marseilles, in company with Vice-Admiral Sir John Gore, who, it is generally understood, had been sent to Malta, to obtain further information for H. R. H. the Lord High Ad- miral, upon the circumstances which led to the battle of POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 335 Navarin ; an event of so recent a date as to render any com- ment, on our part, superfluous. On the 13th Feb. 1828, a few days after the meeting of Parliament, Captain Fellowes was introduced to his Majesty, at Windsor, by the Lord High Admiral, and received the honor of knighthood for his gallant conduct at Navarin. He soon afterwards left London in order to resume the command of the Dartmouth, which frigate is still employed on the Mediterranean station. The subject of this memoir was nominated a C. B. in June 1815 : the Spanish Order of King Charles III. was conferred upon him April 26, 1821, as a reward for his gallant and zealous exertions at Cadiz, to which the safety of the inhabit- ants of that city was in a great measure owing : the insignias of the French and Russian Orders, mentioned at the com- mencement of this memoir, were sent to him after the battle of Navarin. Sir Thomas Fellowes married, 1st, in Nov. 1813, Kathe- rine Mary, eldest daughter of the late Sir William Abdy, Bart. Captain R. N. by which lady he had two sons and one daughter : — 2dly, Aug. 24, 1819, Mary Anne Catharine, only child of the late Isaac Humphrys, Esq. Colonel of the Bengal artillery, and Military Secretary to that Government, by whom he has issue two sons and three daughters. PITT BURNABY GREENE, ESQ. WAS made a lieutenant in Nov. 1790, and promoted to the rank of commander May 8, 1804. He commissioned the Foxhound, a new 18-gun brig, about May, 1807 ; and was attached to the fleet under Lord Gambier, in Basque Roads, April, 1809.* His post commission bears date March 7) 1811 ; at which period he commanded the Bonne Citoyenne corvette. In that ship he continued until Aug. 23, 1814. The Bonne Citoyenne was principally employed on the South American station 5 and Captain Greene appears to have carried on the duties as senior officer in the Rio de la Plata, • See Vol. I, Part I, p. 84. 336 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. from Dec. 1811 until superseded by Captain Peter Heywood, about Sept. 1812*. He shortly afterwards sailed from Rio Janeiro for England, with specie to the amount of half a million sterling onboard, but was obliged to put into St. Salvador, and heave his ship down, in consequence of her having sustained great damage by running on shore between that port and the Brazilian capital. Shortly after Captain Greene's arrival there, the United States' ships Constitution and Hornet likewise entered the harbour of St. Salvador ; the former commanded by Commo- dore Bainbridge, and the latter by Captain Lawrence, both of whom, and Mr. Hill, the American consul, laid their heads together, to contrive something that, without any personal risk to either, should contribute to the renown of their com- mon country : after various consultations, the following letter was written by Captain Lawrence and addressed to his consul : — " When I last saw you, I stated to you ray wish to meet the Bonne Citoyeime, and authorised you to make my wishes known to Captain Greene. I now request you to state to him, that I will meet him when- ever he may be pleased to come out, and pledge my honor that neiiher the Constitution, nor any other American vessel, shall interfere." To this challenge, Commodore Bainbridge added, " If Captain Greene wishes to try equal force, I pledge my honor to give him an opportunity, by being out of the way, or not interfering." Captain Greene's very proper reply to the challenge will be seen by the following copy of a letter from the British consul to Mr. Hill : — " Fort de St. Pedro, Dec. 29, 1812. fe Sir,— I transmitted your letter to me of yesterday to Captain P. B. Greene, to whom the substance is directed ; and, having received his reply, I herewith insert it verbatim. I am, &c. (Signed) " FREDERICK LANDSMAN." ENCLOSURE. " I hasten to acknowledge the favor of your communication, made to. me this morning from Mr. Hill, consul of the United States of America, * See Vol. II, Part II, p. 794. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 337 on the subject of a challenge, stated to have been offered through Mr. Hill, by Captain Lawrence, of the U. S. sloop of war the He met, to myself, as commander of H. B. M. ship the Bonne Citoyenne, anchored in this port, pledging his honor, as well as that of Commodore Bainbridge, that no advantage shall be taken by the Constitution, or any other Ame- rican vessel whatever on the occasion. I am convinced, Sir, if such ren- contre were to take place, the result could not be long dubious, and would terminate favorably to the ship which I have the honor to command ; but I am equally convinced that Commodore Bainbridge could not swerve so much from the paramount duty he owes to his country, as to become an inactive spectator, and see a ship belonging to the very squadron under his orders fall into the hands of an enemy : this reason operates powerfully on my mind for not exposing the Bonne Citoyenne to a risk upon terms so manifestly disadvantageous as those proposed by Commodore Bainbridge ; indeed, nothing could give me greater satisfaction than complying with the wishes of Captain Lawrence ; and I earnestly hope that chance will afford him an opportunity of meeting the Bonne Citoyenne under different circumstances, to enable him to distinguish himself in the manner he is now so desirous of doing. I further assure you, that my ship will, at all times, be prepared, wherever she may be, to repel any attacks made against her, and I shall also act offensively wherever I judge it proper to do so. I am, Sir, with great regard, &c. (Signed) " P. B. GREENE." " It would appear/7 says Mr. James, " as if the Commo- dore had purposely inserted the words, ' or not interfering,' lest Captain Greene, contrary to his expectation, should ac- cept the challenge ; for, had the two ships met hy agreement, the Constitution looked on without interfering, and the Bri- tish been the conqueror, the pledge of honour, on the part of both American commanders, would have been fulfilled ; and can any one for a moment imagine, that Commodore Bainbridge would have seen the Bonne Citoyenne carry off a United States* ship of war, without attempting her rescue ? It was more than his head was worth. Where was the gua- rantee against recapture, which always accompanies a serious proposal of this sort, when a stronger force, belonging to either party, is to preserve a temporary neutrality ?"* The Bonne Citoyenne and Hornet each mounted eighteen 32- pounder carronades ; in addition to which the former had two long 9-pounders, and the latter two long twelves: the British * Nov. Hist. VI. 276. SUPPL, PART n. z 338 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. sloop had, including 21 supernumeraries, 150 officers, men and boys; the American 173: — could Captain Greene have ac- cepted the challenge he received, we are convinced that the result would not have been long dubious. The Bonne Ci- toyenne continued at St. Salvador until Jan. 26, 1813, when she sailed from thence under the protection of the Montagu 74 : she arrived at Portsmouth in the month of April fol- lowing. Captain Greene's son, an officer in the Hon. E. I. Com- pany's military service, died on his passage from Rangoon to Madras, Aug. 23, 1825, aged 26 years. Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. HON. WILLIAM WALDEGRAVE. FOURTH son of George, fourth Earl Waldegrave, by his first cousin, Elizabeth Laura, eldest daughter of James the second Earl, and half sister to H. R. H. the present Duke of Gloucester. This officer obtained the rank of Lieutenant July 29, 1806, and commanded a division of boats at the capture and de- struction of a French convoy, in the Bay of Rosas, Nov. 1, 1809*. On the 29th of the same month he arrived at the Admiralty with despatches from Lord Coliingwood, and three days afterwards he appears to have been promoted. His post commission bears date Mar. 8, 1811. Captain Waldegrave married, July 1812, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Samuel Whitbread, Esq. M. P. by whom he has several children. THOMAS HUSKISSON, ESQ. Paymaster of the Navy. Half-brother of the Right Hon. William Huskisson, late one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State ; and of Major-General Samuel Huskisson. * See Captain JOHN TAILOUR. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 339 This officer was born at Qxley, near Wolverhampton, co. Stafford, July 31, 1784. He entered the navy under the patronage of Admiral Mark Milbanke, as a midshipman on board the Beaver sloop of war, July 22, 1800 ; and served in that vessel, under the command of Captain C. B. Jones, on the Channel station, until Oct. 24, 1800, when we find him joining the Romney of 50 guns, Captain Sir Home Pop- ham ; with whom he proceeded to the Red Sea, where he ap- pears to have been employed with another midshipman, in a small hired brig, surveying the coast of Arabia from Mocha to within a few miles of Jeddah, the port of Mecca *. He afterwards visited various parts of India, and continued in the Romney till she was put out of commission, June 2, 1803. From that period he served under Captain George Hope, in the Defence 74, until she was also paid off, in Dec. 1805. The Defence bore a very distinguished part at the battle of Trafalgar, on which occasion she sustained a loss of 7 men killed and 29 wounded : her first opponent was the Berwick, French 74, and her next the San-Ildefonso, a Spanish ship of similar force, which she compelled to surrender, and after- wards preserved from destruction, although totally dismast- ed ; — a practical proof of the benefit that might have been de- rived had the whole of the British fleet and prizes likewise anchored, agreeably to Nelson's dying injunctions. Mr. Huskisson next joined the Foudroyant 80, bearing the flag of Sir John B. Warren, in which ship he witnessed the capture of Rear-Admiral Linois, after a running fight with the London 98, and Amazon frigate, Mar. 13, 1806 f. On the 9th Aug. following, he was ordered to act as Lieute- nant of the Foudroyant ; an appointment which was con- firmed by the Admiralty, Nov. 15 in the same year. After leaving the Foudroyant, June 1807, Mr. Huskisson was appointed to the Prince of Wales 98, in which ship he performed the duty of Flag-Lieutenant to Admiral (now Lord) Gambier, during the operations against Copenhagen ; but un- * See Suppl. Part. I. p. 56. t See Vol. I, Part II, p. 435 et seq. z 2 340 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. fortunately the new regulations were at that time a bar to his promotion, as he had not served a sufficient time to qualify him for the rank of Commander. At the commencement of 1808, Lieutenant Huskisson re- ceived an appointment to the Hyperion frigate, then just commissioned ; and shortly afterwards he was ordered to re- pair on board the Melpomene 38, for a passage to Jamaica, with Vice-Admiral B. S. Rowley, who gave him the command of the Fleur- de-la-Mer schooner, and sent him to cruise on the coast of St. Domingo, where he rescued a gentleman belonging to the former island from the grasp of Christophe, under whose displeasure he had fallen, and to which he would in all probability have been sacrificed ; as was another per- son, an American, under similar circumstances. Lieutenant Huskisson subsequently visited Carthagena, on the Spanish Main, where, through his intercession, seven individuals were restored to liberty, who had accompanied General Miranda to that coast, and who had not seen day-light from the time they were made prisoners, shortly after his landing *„ In May, 1809, Lieutenant Huskisson heard of hi& pronio- tion^ and appointment to the Pelorus, a fine 18-gun brig, sta- tioned at the Leeward Islands. His commission as a Com- rnauder bears date Jan. 18, 1809. In Oct. following Captain Huskisson assisted at the des- truction of a French schooner privateer, in the bight of Point- tt-Petre, "under circumstances of considerable difficulty," and, as Sir Alexander Cochrane acquaints the Admiralty, " highly honorable to the parties employed." The following is a copy of the official letter in which the performance of this service is detailed : — " H. M. sloop Hazard, of St. Mary's, Guadaloupe, Oct. 17, 1 809. " Sir, — Cruising OH my station blockading Point-k-Petre, Pelorus in company, at day-light this morning I observed a schooner, moored under .the battery of St. Mary. I immediately determined on the capture or des- truction of her. Both sloops stood in sufficiently close to silence the bat- tery effectually, and cover our boats, which were despatched under the orders of Lieutenants Robertson and Flin, first of their respective sloops ; See Captain DONALD CAMPBELL. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. 341 «nd T am happy to say they ^ucceeded in boarding' her ; but as she was moored to the shore with a chain from the mast-head and each quarter, finding it impossible to bring her out, they shortly after blew her up. *' Injustice to the officers and men employed on this service, I cannot omit particularizing the very gallant manner in which they approached the schooner, under a very heavy fire of grape from the battery, until it was silenced by us, and of grape and musketry from the privateer till they were nearly alongside, when the enemy quitted her, and joined a long line of musketry on the beach, and two field pieces, to the fire of which they were exposed during the whole time they were preparing to blow her up, at a distance of not more than ten yards. " The privateer had one long 18-pounder OH a circular carriage, and two swivels ; about 100 tons, and appeared to have from 80 to 100 men ; she was coppered, appeared new, and left Point-a-Petre yesterday on a cruise. Our joint loss has been 15 killed and wounded * ; that of the enemy must have been very considerable, as the shore was completely lined with mus- keteers, exposed to a heavy cannonade from both sloops, as well as from the small arms in the boats. " I should be very deficient in my duty was I not to mention the very gallant style in which Captain Huskisson of the Pelorus supported me, in totally destroying the enemy's battery by a joint fire. " It is impossible for me to express my ideas of the very gallant man- ner in which Lieutenants Robertson and Flin conducted themselves on this occasion : they speak in the highest terms of Messrs. Brisbane and Hunter, midshipmen of this ship ; Mr. Ferguson, boatswain, and Mr. Scott, mate, of the Pelorus ; who, as well as every individual employed, were volunteers on the service. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " HUGH CAMERON." *' To Commodore Fahie." The Pelorus formed part of the naval force under Sir Alex- ander Cochrane, at the reduction of Guadaloupe, in 1810 ; after which conquest the subject of this memoir received an order from that officer to act as captain of the Blonde frigate, and directions to convoy home a valuable fleet of merchant- men. Captain Huskisson put the Blonde out of commission, at Woolwich, in July, 1810; and rejoined the Pelorus in Nov. following ; the Admiralty having refused to confirm his ap- pointment to the frigate, in consequence of the death vacancy which occasioned it having occurred on the Halifax station, and the right of appointing an officer to fill it being claimed * Pelorus — 2 killed, I mortally, 2 severely, and 3 slightly wounded. 342 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. by Sir John B. Warren, and admitted by their lordships, al- though the Captain who had died * was then proceeding to Barbadoes, for the purpose of placing himself under the orders of Sir Alexander Cochrane. Captain Huskisson's promotion to post rank took place Mar. 149 J811 ; at which time the Pelorus was employed on the Jamaica station. From May 1 in the same year, until June 1812, he commanded the Garland frigate. At the latter period he was removed by Vice- Admiral Stirling to the Barbadoes of 28 guns, and ordered to accompany the Poly- phemus 64, with a fleet of merchantmen, to a certain latitude. Whilst thus employed he captured, after a seven hours' chase, the United States* revenue schooner James Madison, pierced for 14 guns, but with only 10 mounted, and a com- plement of 65 men. This fine fast-sailing vessel had been hovering about the outskirts of the convoy all the preceding day, and her commander was meditating an attack upon the rear of the fleet, with a view of burning as many vessels as he possibly could, in the course of the ensuing night. A few days afterwards, the Barbadoes was separated from the convoy in a violent hurricane, during the continuance of which she lost her topmasts and main-yard, and was other- wise much disabled. After refitting at Bermuda, Captain Huskisson took charge of three small vessels bound to Halifax, and was proceeding thither with 60,000 dollars on board for the dock-yard, when, in the night of Sept. 28, 1812, the Barbadoes and two of her consorts were unfortunately wrecked on the N. W. bar of Sable Island. There being a very heavy surf between them and the shore, the boats were all stove and unfit for service before half the frigate's crew were landed ; and at the end of 48 hours, there was nothing to be seen of her except mere fragments of wreck, with which the beach was strewed^ happily, however, only one man perished on this disastrous occasion : the specie was saved by throwing it overboard, with a buoy attached to each of the cases. * Captain Charles Worsley, of the Statira 38, whose demise took place at sea, Nov. 17, 1809. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 343 The vessel that escaped was immediately despatched to Halifax with intelligence of what had happened ; and at the end of 12 days Captain Huskisson and his companions in misfortune were released from their unpleasant situation by the arrival of the Shannon frigate, and a schooner sent to their relief. The sentence of the court-martial afterwards held at Halifax, to enquire into the circumstances attending the loss of the Barbadoes, was as follows : — » " No blame is imputable to Captain Huskisson, his officers, and ship's company ; but the loss of the ship was occasioned by the extraordinary and uncertain set of the currents ; and it appears to the Court that every exertion was used for the preservation of the stores and provisions, but the state of the weather precluded every possibility of doing it : the Court doth therefore most fully acquit Captain Huskisson, his officers, and ship's company, and they are hereby most fully acquitted accordingly." From Halifax, Captain Huskisson returned to England in the Africa 64, a guest at Vice- Admiral Sawyer's table. His next appointment was, June J, 1815, to the Euryalus 42, in which frigate he proceeded to cruise off Havre, where he re- mained as senior officer of the squadron employed in watching that port and the mouth of the Seine, to prevent the escape .of Napoleon Buonaparte, until it was known that that per- sonage had surrendered himself to the Bellerophon 74. On the 25th July, 1818, Captain Huskisson was again ap- pointed to the Euryalus, then fitting at Chatham for the Leeward Islands station. On the 18th Nov. 1819, he hoisted a broad pendant at Barbadoes, the command of the squadron in the Caribbean seas having devolved upon him in conse- quence of the death of Rear-Admiral Donald Campbell, which had taken place at Tortola seven days before. On the 16th May, 1820, Rear-Admiral Fahie arrived from England, when Captain Huskisson received directions to pro- ceed to Jamaica, and place himself under the command of his friend Sir Home Popham. On the 16th June, only eight days after his arrival at Port Royal, he again hoisted a broad pendant, and assumed the command of the squadron on that station, the health of Sir Home being in so precarious a state as to oblige him to return to England, where he died on the llth Sept. following. It perhaps has never before happened 344 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. to any officer of Captain Huskissori's standing in the service, to have had a broad pendant on two stations, on each of which he held the command six months*. On the 23d Dec. 1820, Captain Huskisson was relieved by Sir Charles Rowley ; and as his health was then much im- paired he invalided, and returned home in the Sandwich packet f. In Sept. 1821, he obtained the command of the Semiramis 42, fitting for the flag of Lord Colville, with whom he continued on the Irish station till Mar. 16, 1822. His appointment to be Paymaster of the Navy took place in Mar. 1827. The subject of this memoir married, in 1813, Miss E. Wedge, the youngest daughter of an eminent agriculturist, well known in the west of Staffordshire, by whom he has * On being informed of the demise of Captain Arthur Stow, of the Ta- mar 26, whom he had recently ordered to Halifax, Commodore Huskisson appointed his first Lieutenant, Mr. Charles Peake, to command the Bann sloop, vacant by the removal of Captain Wilson B. Bigland to the Tarnar; but on the arrival of the latter ship at Halifax, Rear-Admiral Griffith thought proper to fill up the death vacancy also. Hearing this, the Commo- dore wrote to the Admiralty, requesting their Lordships not to suffer him to be deprived of the patronage which so justly belonged to him, the vacancy having occurred whilst the Tamar was still within the limits of his com- mand. The Board did not think proper to grant his request, but super- seded all the appointments that had taken place, and gave the command of the Tamar to an officer then in England ; at the same time paying off the sloop he commanded, in order to avoid promoting either of the Lieu- tenants selected by the Commodore and Rear-Admiral. Mr. Peake sub- sequently commanded the Euryalus for a short period ; and on that ship being paid off, her crew presented him with a handsome silver vase and cover, and a sword and belt, as a testimony of their gratitude and esteem for his kindness, &c. &c. He is still a Lieutenant. f In 1819, a dreadful sickness prevailed on board the Euryalus, to which many of her ship's company became victims in the short space of six weeks. She also lost a Lieutenant and 5 other very fine young men be- longing to the quarter-deck, one of whom was Mr. Joseph Thomas Mar- shall, brother to the author of this work. By the same packet that brought home an account of his death was received an unfinished letter from him, wherein he spoke of his commander in such terms, as induced his afflicted relatives to return their most grateful thanks to Captain Huskisson, for his parental kindness to the lamented youth. POST-CAPTAINS t)F 1811. 345 three sons and two daughters. His brother, George Huskis- son, Esq. is an officer in the royal marines, and Collector of the Customs at the island of St. Vincent's. One of his sisters is married to the Rev. James Walhouse, uncle to Edward John Littleton, Esq. M. P. for the county of Stafford. Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. EDWARD HENRY A'COURT, ESQ. M. P. for Heytesbury, Wilts. The A'Court family, long settled at Rodden, a hamlet si- tuate in Frome hundred, co. Somerset, has recently been en- nobled by the elevation of this officer's brother to the peerage*. We first find the subject of this sketch serving as a mid- shipman on board the Blanche frigate, off St. Domingo, in Nov. 1803 : — a gallant exploit which he performed at that period is thus described by Mr. James : " Midshipman Edward Henry A'Court, with a marine and seven sea- men, was despatched from the Blanche in the red cutter, to collect sand for the use of the ship. Although it had been ordered that youngsters, sent upon services of this kind, lest their pugnacious spirit should lead them into danger, were not to he allowed arms, the men in the boat, before they pushed off from the frigate, contrived to smuggle five or six muskets through the ports. It so happened that, in the dusk of the evening, the boat fell in with a schooner nearly becalmed. The midshipman and his little party of sanders unhesitatingly pulled towards her, and as she had the appearance of a privateer, and might open a cannonade upon them, Mr. A'Court judiciously kept in her wake. Just as the boat had approached the stern of the schooner, a fire of musketry from the latter mortally wounded one man, and badly wounded another, of the boat-party. Mr. A* Court, nevertheless, pulled straight up alongside, and, with the assistance of his five remaining hands, boarded and carried a French schooner, bound to Cape Francois, having among her passengers a detachment of between 30 and 40 soldiers, commanded by a Colonel, who had fought, bled, and distinguished himeslf, at the battle of Arcole f." Mr. A'Court was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, Feb. * Sir William A'Court, Bart., now Lord Heytesbury. f Nav. Hist. III., 295 et seg. 346 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 13,, 1804 ; and made a Commander June 10, 1808. His post commission bears date Mar. 29, 1811. Agents. — Messrs. Maude. THOMAS COE, ESQ. Received his first commission in 1800 ; obtained the rank of Commander Jan. 12, 1805 ; and was made a Post- Captain April 3, 1811. From this latter period he commanded the North Star of 20 guns, until Nov. 1815. Captain Coe's next appointment was, July 29, 1821, to the Tees, 26 ; in which ship he sailed from Spithead for the East India station, Jan. 6, 1822. After the demise of Com- modore Charles Grant, he hoisted a broad pendant on board the Liffey frigate, and carried on the duties of senior officer there, until he was relieved by Sir James Brisbane *. The Liffey returned to Portsmouth, Jan. 21, 1826. SIR BENTINCK CAVENDISH DOYLE, KNT. Obtained the rank of Lieutenant Aug. 29, 1J99 ; and was first of the St. Fiorenzo frigate at the capture of la Psyche, on the East India station, Feb. 14, 1805 ; — the following is a copy of the official letter written by his Captain on that oc- casion : — " St. Fiorenzo, Kedgeree, Feb. 17, 1805. " Sir, — I have the honor to inform you of my arrival this day off the Sand Heads, after having proceeded to the southward, in consequence of a letter received the 8th instant from the chief secretary of government, ac- quainting me of a suspicious vessel having appeared off Vizagapatam, sup- posed to be the French national frigate Psyche*, and requesting, in the name of his Excellency the Governor-General in Council, that I would either proceed towards that place, or otherwise, as I might consider most expedient to the advantage of the public service : 1 therefore thought that I should not be exceeding the limits of your orders by pursuing such a course as I conceived most probable for intercepting the said vessel, should she be bound to the northward and eastward. * See Captains Thomas Alexander, Henry Ducie Chads, Frederick Marryatt, &c. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 347 " On the 13th, at 6 A. M., in lat. 19° 35' N., long. 85° 25' E., I had the satisfaction to discover three sail at anchor under the land, who shortly after weighed and made sail to the southward. I plainly observed that one was a frigate, and the other two apparently merchant ships. I con- tinued the chase until half-past 7 P. M. the following day, when coming up with the sternmost vessel, she proved to be the Thetis country ship, prize to the French frigate Pysche*, of 36 guns and 240 men *, under the command of Captain Bergeret, then a-head at a short distance. Finding the enemy had abandoned the Thetis, I left a midshipman in charge, and continued to pursue the frigate, which was making off under all sail. At 10 minutes past 8, we commenced close action, at the distance of about half a cable's length, and continued so until half-past 11, at which time, finding all our running rigging very much cut up, we hauled off to repair the same. At midnight, bore up to renew the conflict ; but, just as we were about to recommence our fire, an officer from the enemy came on board to inform me that Captain Bergeret, from humanity's sake for the remain- ing survivors, had struck, though he might have borne the contest longer. During the action we were occasionally annoyed by the fire of 1'Equivoque privateer, of 10 guns and 40 men, commanded by a Lieutenant. She proved to be the late Pigeon country ship, fitted out by Captain Bergeret as a privateer ; which vessel, from sailing very well, I am concerned to acquaint you, effected her escape in the course of the night. " I beg leave to observe, from the able support which I received from them during the action, Lieutenants Doyle, Dawson, Collier, and Davies, Mr. Findlayson the master, and Lieutenant Ashmore of the marines, as well as the whole of the ship's company, who displayed the most gallant and spirited conduct on the occasion, merit my warmest encomiums. I also feel it a duty incumbent on me to recommend Mr. Doyle, my first lieutenant, to your attention, from his meritorious and exemplary beha- viour throughout the contest. I am grieved to relate that Lieutenant Dawson was dangerously wounded in the breast with a pike, while in the act of boarding f. " Inclosed I transmit a list of the killed and wounded of H. M. ship * The St. Fiorenzo mounted 26 long 1 8-pounders, 2 long nines, and 14 carronades, 32-pounders : she had on board 253 officers, men, and boys. La Psyche* mounted 24 long French 12-pounders, 2 sixes, and 10 carron- ades, 18-pounders. f In the middle of the action, la Psyche* fell on board the St. Fiorenzo, when Lieutenant William Dawson instantly jumped on board the enemy, but owing to the confusion of a night action, the ships separated again before a sufficient force could follow him. 348 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. under my command, also of the late French national frigate la Psyche". I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) "HENRY LAMBERT." " To yice- Admiral Rainier, Sfc. fyc. fyc." The loss of men on both sides in this action was very great, the St. Fiorenzo having 12 killed and 36 wounded ; la Psyche' 57 slain and 70 wounded. It adds much to the honor and credit of Captain Lambert, his officers, and crew, that the character of Mons. Bergeret stood very high in the French navy, he being the same officer who commanded la Virginie, when captured by Sir Edward Pellew in the Inde- fatigable* ; to which may be added the support given him by the armed ship, mentioned in the foregoing letter. All the trading part of H. M. subjects throughout India rejoiced on the occasion of his capture, as being more apprehensive of depredations on their property from his abilities and activity than from the whole remaining force of the French navy on that station. Captain Doyle's commission as a commander bears date Sept. 18, 1805. We subsequently find him commanding the Lightning sloop of war, in which vessel he continued after his promotion to post rank, April 3, 1811. His last ap- pointment was, Mar. 21, 1821, to the Glasgow of 50 guns. In that ship he conveyed the remains of the late Queen from Harwich to Cuxhaven ; Sir Edward Paget and family from Portsmouth to the East Indies ; and the Marquis of Hastings from Calcutta to Gibraltar. The Glasgow was paid off in 1824 ; and Captain Doyle received the honor of knighthood, April 20, 1825. Agents. — Messrs. Stilwell. JOHN PASCO, ESQ. OBTAINED a lieutenant's commission in 1795 ; and was badly wounded when serving on board Nelson's flag-ship, at the ever memorable battle of Trafalgar. His promotion to the rank of commander took place Dec. 24, 1805. Towards the close of 1808, Captain Pasco was appointed * See Vol. I, Parti, p. 217. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 349 to the Hindostan 50, armed enjlute, in which ship he sailed for New South Wales, about May, 1 809. He subsequently commanded the Tartarus 20, and continued in her after his advancement to post rank, April 3, 1811. In 1815, he was successively appointed to the Rota 38, and Lee 20; the latter ship he paid off at Plymouth, in Sept. 1818. Captain Pasco enjoys a pension of 250/. per annum for his wounds. Agent.— Sir Francis M. Ommanney. JOHN HOLLINWORTH, ESQ. SON of M. Hollinworth, Esq. many years a clerk of the Admiralty, and brother to Thomas Hollinworth, Esq. naval storekeeper at Devonport. This officer was made a lieutenant in 1802, and advanced to the rank of commander Jan. 22, 1806. On the 16th July, 1808, the Minstrel sloop, then under his command, captured the Italian schooner Ortenzia, pierced for 16 guns, but carrying only two long 24-pounders, six long nines, and two 3-pounder swivels. His post commission bears date April3, 1811. Captain Hollinworth married, in 1808, the daughter of John Jackson, Esq. Master Attendant at Portsmouth. Agents. — Messrs. Stilwell. CLEMENT SNEYD, ESQ. THIS officer served for many years in India. He was made a lieutenant in 1 793, and promoted to the rank of commander Sept. 25, 1806. In 1810, we find him commanding the Muros brig, on the Guernsey station, where he made several captures, but of inconsiderable value. His next appoint- ment was to the Myrtle, a ship-sloop, in which vessel he continued for some time after his advancement to post rank, April 3, 1811. Captain Sneyd married, in 1813, Ellen, third daughter of Robert Swetenham, of Somerford Booths, near Congleton, Cheshire, Esq. 350 POST-CAPTAINS OF 18)1. RICHARD BUCK, ESQ. NEPHEW to Admiral Sir Richard Goodwin Keats, G. C. B. &c. &c. We first find this officer, in Feb. 1806, serving as a lieu- tenant on board the Culloden 74, bearing the flag of Sir Ed- ward Pellew, now Viscount Exmouth. His commission as a commander was confirmed by the Admiralty, Dec. 28, 1807; previous to which he had been successively appointed to the command of the Rattlesnake and Samarang : in the latter sloop, formerly the Dutch corvette Scipio *, he assisted at the " entire destruction of the naval force of Holland," in the eastern hemisphere f. Sir Richard J. Strachan, in his despatches from the Scheldt, dated Aug. 13, 1809, acquaints the Admiralty that Captain Buck had been employed with a light flotilla, in sounding and buoying the channels of that river, to enable the fleet to advance, for the purpose of putting into execution the ulte- rior objects of the Walcheren expedition ; and that this ser- vice was executed, under the directions of Sir Home Pop- ham, with judgment and correctness. Captain Buck's next appointment was, about Dec. 1809, to the Crocus brig ; in which vessel he continued until his promotion to post rank, April 3, 1811: he subsequently commanded the Termagant ship-sloop, and Franchise frigate, on the Mediterranean station. In Feb. 1812, he drove on shore and burnt, near Cagliari, TAventurier French privateer, pierced for 16 guns, but only three mounted, with a comple- ment of 60 men ; and on the 27th September following, he assisted at the capture of a few small vessels in Tarra- gona mole. A long official letter, descriptive of this latter unimportant service, was published in the London Gazette ; and a copy thereof will be found at p. 430, et seq. of Nav. Chron. vol. 28. Captain Buck married, previous to the peace, a daughter * See Supp. Part I. p. 403. t Id. p. 405. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 351 of Mr. Macdonald, the British Consul at Algiers, whose other daughter has since been united to the Danish consul resident at that regency. EDWARD SCOBELL, ESQ. WAS born in 1784; made a lieutenant in 1801 ; and ad- vanced to the rank of commander Sept. 29, 1808. He com- manded the Vimiera brig, and assisted at the capture of the islands of St. Martin's, St. Eustatius, and Saba, in Feb. 1810*. His post commission bears date April 3, 1811 ; at which period we find him in the Thais of 20 guns. Captain Scobell was subsequently sent to the African sta- tion, where he captured the American privateer brig Rambler, of 12 guns and 88 men, Mar. 31, 1813. The cause of his giving up the command of the Thais, in Jan. 1814, is stated at p. 497, of vol. II. part I. In Aug. 1815, Captain Scobell was appointed to the Bann 20, but he never went to sea in that vessel. He married April 19, 1816, Rebecca Anne, only child of Richard Col- lins, of Brockhurst Lodge, Hants, Esq. ; and died at Poltair, near Penzance, after repeated attacks of apoplexy, April 17> 1825. JOHN DUFF MARKLAND, ESQ. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; and Knight of the Imperial Austrian Order of Leopold. This officer is descended from a family of the same name, residing near Wigan, co. Lancashire, in the reign of Edward III. His father, Edward Markland, Esq. married Elizabeth Sophia, second daughter of Josiah Hardy, Esq. H. B. M. Consul at Cadiz, and formerly Governor of the Jerseys, in North America ; a son of the first Sir Charles Hardy, Knt. by the daughter and heiress of Josiah Burchett, Esq. many * See Vol. I. Part II, p. 7)7- 352 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. years Secretary of the Admiralty, and author of a naval his- tory, published^in 1720 *. By the maternal side, Mrs. Markland was grand-daughter to Sir Thomas D'Aeth, Bart, of Knowlton Court, in Kent ; and great-grand-daughter to Admiral Sir John Narbrough, whose widow married Sir Cloudesley Shovel, Rear- Admiral of Great Britain. Mr. John Duff Markland was born at Leeds, in Yorkshire, Sept. 1-4, 1780; and he entered the navy May 27, 1795, as a midshipman on board the Hebe frigate, Captain Paul Min- chin ; which ship he quitted in order to join la Tourterelle of 30 guns, commanded by his uncle-in -law, Captain John Cooke, whose glorious death has been recorded at p. 968 et seq. of Vol. II. Part II. He subsequently served under Cap- tains John Peyton and Robert Dudley Oliver, in the Sea- horse 38. • It is not a little remarkable, that the above mentioned Sir Charles Hardy, his father, Sir Thomas Hardy, and one of his sons, the second Sir Charles Hardy, were all in the navy ; and that each of them had the honor of being knighted for his respective services. The knighthood of Sir Tho- mas was thus announced in the London Gazette : — " St. James's, October 31, 1/02. " Her Majesty has been pleased to confer the honor of knighthood upon Thomas Hardy, Esq. Captain of her Majesty's ship Pembroke, in consi- deration of his good service, in gaining and giving to Admiral Rooke the intelligence, which was the occasion of our great success at Vigo." Sir Thomas Hardy died a Vice- Admiral, in Aug. 1732. His son attained the same rank in the service, and was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty at the time of his demise, which took place Nov. 27, 1744. The second Sir Charles Hardy died commander-in-chief of the Channel fleet, May, 1780. Of this latter respected officer, Charnock thus briefly sums up the character : — " Brave, prudent, gallant, and enterprising, with- out the smallest ostentatious display of his noble qualities — generous, mild, affable and intelligent — his virtues commanded the most profound respect, enabling him to pass through days, when the rage and prejudice of party blazed with a fury nearly unquenchable, without exciting envy or dislike, without even furnishing to the most captious man of party the smallest ground of reprehension or complaint." One of his sons, Temple, was made a Post-Captain, Nov. 24, 1795 ; and died at Exeter, Mar. 29, 1814 :— another, named Charles, was killed in battle, when serving as a midship- man on board the Cerberus, frigate, June 4, 1781. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 353 From that ship, Mr. Markland was removed to la Nymphe frigate, Captain Cooke, under whom he assisted at the cap- ture of la Resistance and la Constance, French ships of war, the former mounting 48 guns, with a complement of 345 men ; the latter carrying 24 guns and 189 men *. We next find Mr. Markland in the Royal George, a first rate, bearing the flag of Lord Bridport, with whom he con- tinued until Captain Cooke was appointed to the Amethyst frigate, and ordered to convey H. R. H. the Duke of York to Holland : from that period he served under his uncle-in-law till June 1801. Amongst the prizes taken by the Amethyst, whilst commanded by Captain Cooke, were :— L'Aventure, French brig privateer, of 14 guns and 75 men, Dec, 29, 1799, Le Vaillant, - - - cutter - 15 131 - - Feb. 15 ) ,g00 Le Mars, ship 22 180 - - Mar. 31 1 On the 28th Jan. 1801, Mr. Markland witnessed the cap- ture of la D£daigneuse frigate, of 36 guns and 300 men f. His promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place June 8 following, on which occasion he was appointed to the Malta 80, Captain Albemarle Bertie J. Lieutenant Markland' s next appointment was, in Dec. 1802, to the Albion, a third rate, Captain John Ferrier, in which ship he was present at the capture of la Franchise French frigate, near Brest, May 28, 1803 ; and la Clarisse corvette in the bay of Bengal, Jan. 1804. From the latter period, he served as first Lieutenant of the Albion until Dec. 25, 1805 ; when he was obliged to invalid, and quit the East Indies as a passenger in the Tremendous 74, Captain John Osborne. On his return home the subject of this memoir found him- self promoted to the rank of Commander, by commission dated Jan. 22, 1806; but he does not appear to have been again employed until April 12, 1808 ; when he was appointed to the Bustard brig, of 16 guns. On the 28th July, 1809, Captain Markland assisted at the capture of six heavy gun-boats belonging to the Italian ma- * See Vol. II. Part II. p. 433 et seq. f See id. p. 547. I See id. Part I. p. 197. SUPPL. PART II. 2 A 354 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. rine, and ten coasting traders, laden with brandy, flour, rice, and wheat. The Bustard, at that period, formed part of the squadron employed in the gulf of Venice, under the orders of Captain John West, by whose activity the enemy's convoy was pre- vented from entering Trieste, and obliged to take shelter in Douin, a port 4 leagues farther to the N. W. defended by a strong castle. Conceiving it very practicable to capture or destroy them there, he detached the Acorn, sloop of war, and Bustard, with all the boats of his own ship, the Excellent 74, to try the experiment : about midnight, covered by the fire of the two sloops, the boats pushed on shore, and, in about half an hour, they had complete possession of every vessel in the harbour. " This enterprise" says Lord Collingwood, " was well devised and gallantly executed." Captain West thus expresses himself on the occasion : "The very masterly and complete manner in which this service has "been performed by Captains Clephane and Markland, of H. M. sloops Acorn and Bustard, and Lieutenant John Harper, in command of the boats of H. M. S. Excellent, excites my highest admiration ; every officer, sea- man, and marine, I am assured, individually distinguished himself." Captain Clephane, the senior commander, expressed his " high sense of the conduct of Captain Markland, both by his leading into a place so little known, and by the well-di- rected fire kept up by him." The loss sustained by the British, in the performance of this gallant exploit, amounted to 2 men killed, 1 mortally, 1 (the master of the Bustard) severely, and 4 slightly, wounded. Each of the enemy's gun- boats had on board an officer and 20 men. At the commencement of July 1810, the Bustard captured and destroyed nine of the enemy's vessels, in a harbour on 'the east side of Calabria : the following is an extract of a letter which Captain Markland soon afterwards received from the flag officer under whose orders he was then serving : *e I highly approve of your conduct, and of .that of Lieutenant John Hilton, which I shall not fail to make known to the commander-in-chief. I am very happy that only two of the crew of H. M. sloop under your command were wounded in the execution of this important service. (Signed) «< GEO. MARTIN, Rear-Admiral." POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 355 For three months from that period, Captain Markland commanded the sloops of war stationed in the Faro of Mes- sina, to protect Sicily from a threatened invasion by Joachim Murat, whose army, consisting of nearly 40,000 men, was then encamped on the opposite shore, and who had collected more than 80 gun and mortar-boats, between Scylla and Reggio. On the 24th July, the Bustard and Halcyon des- troyed two armed feluccas under Cape del Arme, where they were for a long time defended by their crews, some soldiers, and the neighbouring peasantry. In the performance of this service, Lieutenant John Hilton, first of the former sloop, received four wounds. The master of the Bustard having been previously promo- ted into a 74, Captain Markland and his second Lieutenant, Robert Milborne Jackson, were now obliged to keep watch and watch, and they continued to do so until the breaking up of the enemy's camp. During that time the Bustard was re- peatedly in action with Murat's land batteries and flotilla ; and Captain Markland often received the thanks of Rear-Ad- miral Martin :— the seventy of the service in which the Bri- tish sloops were engaged will be readily conceived when we state that their hammocks were scarcely ever down at night ; yet, strange to say, the official letters respecting that cam- paign were, for some unaccountable reason, withheld from the public ; — we have tried, but in vain, to obtain copies of them ; and we must therefore content ourselves with stating that Captain Markland's gallantry and meritorious exertions on every occasion were represented in such high terms to Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, that that officer gave him the very first post vacancy, telling him he did so expressly for his services in the Faro : we must here remark, that Captain Markland was not on the Admiralty list for promotion ; he had had no previous acquaintance with his new commander- in-chief, nor had he even the advantage of an introduction to him by any private friend. The total number of prizes taken by Captain Markland, in the Bustard, was 25 ; that of the vessels he destroyed amount- ed to 39. 2A2 356 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. On the 31st Jan. 1811, this active officer was removed to the Eclair of 18 guns ; and five days afterwards he received an order to act as captain of the Ville de Paris, a first rate, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Thomas Francis Freemantle, whom he afterwards successively followed into the Rodney and Milford, third rates. His post commission bears date April 18, 1811. After obtaining the liberation of 400 Christian slaves at Tunis, and cruising for some time off Toulon, Rear-Admiral Freemantle was ordered to assume the command of a squadron employed in the Adriatic^ where we find Captain Markland bearing a distinguished part in many gallant and important services, some of the most considerable of which we shall now proceed to notice. Fiume, a town of Istria, from its commercial importance, soon attracted the attention of the British Rear-Admiral, who attacked and captured it, July 3, 1813. On this occa- sion, after assisting in silencing the batteries, Captain Mark- land proceeded at the head of the armed boats, and dislodged the enemy from their last strong hold. " Nothing/' says Rear-Admiral Freemantle, " could exceed the spirit and good conduct of every captain, officer, seaman, and marine, in the squadron." The details of this service are given at p. 673 et seq. of Vol. I. Part II. After despatching his prizes to Lissa, the Rear- Admiral proceeded off Porto Re% where Captain Markland landed with Captain Hoste, of the Bacchante frigate, and found the forts abandoned by the enemy, who had spiked the guns, and destroyed the ammunition. The boats of the squadron then went up to Bocca Re, where thirteen sail of vessels were discovered scuttled, only one of which could be brought away. The guns, 10 in number, were in the mean time ren- dered entirely useless, their carriages burnt, and all the works blown up. At daylight on the 5th Aug. 1813, the boats of the Mil- ford and Weazle, under the orders of Captain James Black, succeeded in surprising the garrison of Ragosniza, to which place the enemy seem to have attached much import- POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 357 ance, for the protection of their coasting convoys. On this occasion, a tower and an open battery were destroyed ; six long 24-pounders, two 7±-inch mortars, some stores and ammunition brought off, and 63 Frenchmen taken pri- soners. In the course of the same month, the Austrians entered Fiume, and established a communication with the British squadron ; the boats of which had been very actively em- ployed, under the orders of Captain Markland, in exciting a spirit of revolt against their oppressors, among the inhabit- ants of the different islands at the head of the Adriatic. By Rear-Admiral Freemantle's subsequent despatches it appears that he had left Captain Markland, as senior officer, for a short time, off Fiume ; — the following are extracts : — *' On the 6th Sept. I arrived at Fiume, and /ozmrf^M^rrf and Wizard (sloop) at anchor off the town, and the Imperial flag flying ; the whole of Istria and Croatia (nearly) up in arms against the French, and driving them out in all directions. Sagna and Porto Re are also under the Aus- trian flag. General Nugent has his head-quarters at Lippa, about twenty- two miles from Fiume ; his force consists of 2000 Austrians, and some Croats ; the French garrison of Pola, of 600 men, with about 1500 Croats, were marching to relieve Fiume; but the Croats, on hearing that their countrymen were in arms against the enemy, surrounded, disarmed, and took the 600 Frenchmen prisoners §.******. The Milford lying at Fiume, gives General Nugent an additional force of 1000 men, which he must have left to guard it, and cramp his operations very much. There is not a single soldier there ; the town is entirely guarded by the Milford's marines, who are there; and it greatly increases the confidence of the inhabitants, having a safe retreat in case of a defeat. Almost the whole of the islands are now clear of the French yoke, from Lissa upwards. Captain Gower (of the Elizabeth 74) landed at Fontane, and has planted the Imperial flag all along that coast." Captain Markland was also present at the captures of Ro- vigno, Piran, and Capo d'Istria ; at which latter place Rear- AdmiralFreemantle remained, in constant correspondence with General Count Nugent, who was harassing the army of Eugene Beauharnois on his retreat, until the morning of the 5th Oct. § Pola was taken possession of by the Wizard sloop, part of the Milford's marines, and 50 Austrian soldiers. 358 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 1813, when he sailed for Trieste, to blockade that city. On the following day, Captains Markland and Black volunteered their services to attack the dock-yard, which; although strong- ly fortified, and within point-blank shot of the citadel, they thought might be taken by surprise : their offer was accepted, and after dark they obtained complete possession of the arsenal and every person in it, the whole of whom, with a quantity of stores, were brought off in triumph ; they also having first rendered all the guns unserviceable, and sawed the keel and stern-post of a large frigate into many pieces. This daring exploit was performed without the slightest loss, the surprise being so complete that fighting was unnecessary. About noon on the 10th Oct. the enemy endeavoured to retaliate by opening a masked battery upon the Milford, as she lay with her stern towards the shore ; but Captain Mark- land instantly got a spring upon his cable, hove his broadside round, and in a quarter of an hour demolished it. One shell exploded on the poop of the 74, but did no damage. The Frenchmen had several killed and wounded. Immediately after this little affair, the marines of the squa- dron and two field-pieces were landed under the command of Captain Markland, to assist at the siege of Trieste, which was commenced on the llth, and terminated on the 29th of the same month. " I have to thank him," says Rear-Admiral Freemantle, " for exerting himself in every way ; particular- ly in the arrangements of stores and provisions. We have at times had 1200 men on shore, at work and in the batteries; and the general good conduct of the officers, seamen, and marines, with the harmony that has invariably subsisted be- tween the Austrian troops and our people, is quite gratifying to me. When we opened against the citadel it contained 800 Frenchmen, 45 large guns, 4 mortars, and 4 howitzers. The consequences of the taking this place will be felt throughout the country." About 50 sail of vessels were taken in the port. During the operations against Trieste, the Milford had 3 men killed and 10 wounded ; the total loss sustained by her POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 359 consorts, the Elizabeth, Eagle, Tremendous, Weazle, and Wizard, amounted to 7 killed and 25 wounded. Captain Markland resigned the command of the Milford, Oct. 31, 1813; and returned home with despatches from Rear- Admiral Freemantle, on the llth Dec. following. He was nominated a C. B. in June 1815 ; and subsequently pre- sented with the cross of the order of Leopold, " in testimony of his Imperial Majesty's approbation of the distinguished services rendered by him at the capture of Trieste, and the other operations in Italy, during the campaign of 1813.*' Since his return home, he has had his left hand shattered by the bursting of a fowling piece. This officer married, Mar. 8, 1814, Helen Ellery, daughter of L. D. G. Tregonwell, of Cranborne Lodge, co. Dorset, Esq., by which lady he has two sons and two daughters living. Agents.— Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. WILLIAM FISHER, ESQ. COMMANDED the Cornwallis frigate at the capture of the Isle of France.* His post commission bears date April 18, 1811. Since the peace he has commanded the Bann of 20 guns, and Cherub 24; the latter employed on the African station. The following article appeared in the Hampshire Telegraph of Feb. 5, 1827 : " No part of our naval economy has been less attended to, and none needs so much attention, as the necessity that constantly exists in foreign, and even on home stations, of keeping1 up a supply of frtsh water for our men of war. The loss of lives in this arduous part of the service is immense, from fatigue, from accidents, from diseases incident to their long exposure to wet, and from the facilities which it affords the seamen of straggling, and getting intoxicated. Capt, William Fisher, R. N. has suc- ceeded in inventing an apparatus for this purpose, which does not require that the water casks should be removed from out of the boats, but by means of which they may be filled at the rate of a ton of water in four minutes. The apparatus consists, simply, of a forcing pump with a five- inch cylinder, which may be carried by two men, in a hand-barrow, to a See Vol. I. Part II, p. 631,.****?. 360 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. well, river, pond, or any reservoir of fresh water, and the water is then forced through some newly invented hoses to any distance. The chief merit of the plan lies in the hoses, which are manufactured under Capt. Fisher's directions, and were the result of a long-, expensive, and arduous application to the subject. They are made of canvas, in fifty feet lengths, fastened to each other by brass nozzles, which are secured by a moving screw collar ; therefore in screwing them together, the hoses need not be turned over. The hoses are made without seams, and are perfectly air and water tight, capable even of holding gas and ardent spirits ; and beside being made of canvas, are thoroughly saturated with a composition, of which catechu, or common Indian rubber, is the principal or sole ingre- dient. They are rolled to the size required over a cylinder, and by a pe- culiar press and slight heat, are rendered into a compact pliable tube, in- capable of injury, not liable to wear, proof against the effect of rot arising from damp, resisting the attacks of all vermin, and requiring no oil nor cleaning. An experiment of the usefulness of the invention was some time since tried in London, and was then so far found to answer the pur- pose required, that the Admiralty directed the apparatus and a set of hoses to be supplied for the use of his majesty's ship Barbara ; as that ship is now at Spithead, the inventor solicited that an experiment should be tried here, which was done yesterday morning at the dock-yard, in the presence of Admirals Sir George Martin and Sir Thomas M. Hardy, all the captains in commission, and a number of other naval officers, of con- siderable experience in the service. A report of the usefulness of the machine has been sent to the Admiralty, drawn up by Sir Michael Sey- mour, strongly recommending its general adoption. These hoses are particularly useful in breweries and mines, and most particularly for fire engines. The invention is secured to Capt. Fisher by a patent." Agents. — Messrs. Maude & Co. ABEL FERRIS, ESQ. WAS made a lieutenant April 22, 1799 ; and advanced to the rank of commander Oct. 10, 1807. On the 10th May, 1808, being then in command of the Wizard, a brig mounting fourteen 24-pounder carronades and two long sixes, with a complement of 95 officers, men, and boys, on the Medi- terranean station, he fought a gallant, though indecisive action, with la Requin, a French brig similarly armed, but manned with 110 persons. The details of this affair will be found in James's Nav. Hist. Vol. V. pp. 70-74. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 361 Lord Collingwood, in order to evince his opinion of the conduct of Captain Ferris, appointed him, at the earliest possible period, to the command of the Royal Sovereign, a first rate ; but his post commission was not confirmed by the Ad- miralty until April 18, 1811. In Aug. 1808, Captain Ferris assisted at the capture of a French gun-vessel and fourteen coasting traders, between Leghorn and Genoa*. This officer obtained the out-pension of Greenwich Hos- pital, Dec. 10, 1825. EDWARD HARVEY, ESQ. THIRD and youngest son of the gallant Captain John Har- vey, whose death, June 1, 1794, has been recorded at p. 613, of Vol. I. Part II. This officer was born in 1/83, and he entered the navy in April, 1796, as a midshipman on board the Prince of Wales, a second rate, bearing the flag of his uncle, the late Sir Henry Harvey, K. B. and commanded by his brother, Captain (now Vice-Admiral) John Harvey. In that ship he was present at the capture of Trinidad, and the destruction of a Spanish squadron in Shagaramus bay, Feb. 1797t« He returned home in the Zebra sloop of war, and joined the Beaulieu frigate time enough to witness the defeat of the Dutch fleet, near Camperdown, Oct. 11, 1797J. In 1799, Mr. Harvey was appointed to act as lieutenant of the Southampton frigate, and in her he assisted at the capture of the Danish and Swedish West India islands, Mar, 180H. His first commission bears date July 24, in the latter year ; at which period he was removed to the Amphitrite 28. In 1802, Lieutenant Harvey was successively appointed to the Iris 32, and Apollo 36. The destruction of the last named ship, on the coast of Portugal, April 2, 1804, is thus * See Nav. Chron. v. 21, p. 74, et seq. t See Vol. I, Part I, note at p. 1 12. J See Suppl. Part I, p. 252. § Sec Vol. I, Part II. note f at p. 798, et seq. 362 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. correctly described by Mr. Evan Lewis, a gentleman who then belonged to her : — " On the 26th March we sailed from the Cove of Cork, in company with H. M. ship Carysfort, and 69 sail of merchantmen under convoy for the West Indies. On the 27th we were out of sight of land, with a fair wind, blowing a strong gale, and steering about W. S. W. On the 2Sth, 29th, and 30th, the weather and our course were nearly the same. On the 31st, the wind came more to the westward, but did not blow so hard. On the 1st April, at noon, we observed in lat. 40° 51' N. long, per ac- count, 12° 29' W. At 8 P. M. the wind shifted to the S. W. blowing fresh, course S. S. E. At 10, up main-sail and set the main-stay-sail. At 10-15, the latter split by the sheet giving way j called all hands upon deck. At 10-30, strong breezes and squally: took in the fore-top-sail and set the fore-sail. At 11-30 the main-top-sail split ; furled it and the main-sail. The ship was now under her fore-sail, and main and mizen- storm-stay-sails ; the wind blowing hard with a heavy sea. " About 3-30 A. M. on the 2d April, the ship struck the ground, to the astonishment of every one on board, and by the above reckoning, we then conjectured, upon an unknown shoal. She continued striking the ground very heavy, by which her bottom was materially damaged, and making much water; the chain-pumps were rigged with the utmost despatch, but, in about ten minutes, she beat and drove over the shoal. On endeavour- ing to steer her, we found the rudder carried away. She then got before, the wind. The pumps were kept going ; but from the quantity of water she shipped, there was every probability of her soon foundering, as she was filling, and sinking very fast. " After running about five minutes, the ship struck the ground again, with such tremendous shocks, that we were fearful she would instantly go to pieces, and kept striking and driving further on the sands, the sea making breaches completely over her. We cut away the laniards of the main and mizen rigging, and the masts fell with a tremendous crash over the larboard side : the fore-mast went immediately after. The ship then fell on her starboard side, with the gunwale under water. The violence with which she struck the ground, and the weight of the guns, these on the quarter-deck tearing away the bulwark, soon made the ship a perfect wreck abaft : only four or five guns could possibly be fired to alarm the convoy, and give notice of danger. On her striking the second time, most pitiful cries were heard every where between decks, many of the men giving themselves up to inevitable death. I was told that I might as well stay below, as there was an equal likelihood of perishing if I got upon deck. I was determined to go, but first attempted to enter my cabin, and was in danger of having my legs broke by the chests floating about, as the bulk-heads were giving way : I therefore desisted, and endeavoured to get upon deck, which I effected, after being several times washed down POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 363 the hatchway by the immense volume of water incessantly pouring down. The ship still beating the ground very heavy, made it necessary to cling fast to some part of the wreck, to prevent being washed by the surges, or hurled by the dreadful concussions overboard, the people holding fast by the larboard bulwark of the quarter-deck, and in the main-channel, while our good Captain (John William Taylor Dixon) stood naked upon the cabin skylight-grating, holding fast by the stump of the mizen-mast, and making use of every soothing expression which could have been sug- gested to encourage men in such a perilous situation. Most of the officers and men were entirely naked, not having had time to slip on even a pair of trowsers. Our horrible situation every moment became more dreadful, until day-light appearing, about half-past 4 o'clock, discovered to us the land, at two cables distance, a long sandy beach, reaching to cape Mon- dego, three leagues to the southward of us. We afterwards perceived between 20 and 30 sail of the convoy ashore, both to the northward and southward, and several of them perfect wrecks. We were now certain of being on the coast of Portugal, from seeing the above cape, though, I am sorry to say, no person in the ship had the least idea of being so near that coast. It blowing hard, and a very great swell of the sea, or what is generally termed waves running mountains high, there was little prospect of being saved. About 8 A. M. there being every likelihood of the ship going to pieces, and the after part of her lying lowest, Captain Dixon ordered every person forward, which it was very difficult to comply with, from the motion of the main-mast working on the larboard gunwale, there being no other way to remove ourselves. Mr. Cook, the boatswain, had his thigh broke in endeavouring to get a boat over the side. Of six fine boats not one was saved, they being all stove, and washed overboard with the booms, &c. Soon after the people got forward the ship parted at the gangways. The crew were now obliged to stow themselves in the fore- channels, and from thence to the bowsprit-end, to the number of 220 j for out of 240 persons on board when the ship first struck, I suppose 20 to have previously perished between decks and otherwise. Mr. Lawton, the gunner, the first person who attempted to swim ashore, was drowned : afterwards Lieutenant Wilson, Mr. Runcie, surgeon, Mr. M'Cabe, surgeon's-mate, Mr. Standley, master's-mate, and several men shared the same fate, though excellent swimmers. About thirty persons had the good fortune to reach the shore, upon planks and spars, among whom were Lieutenant Harvey, and Mr. Callam, master's-mate. In the ensuing night our situation was truly horrid, the old men and boys dying through hunger and fatigue — also Messrs. Proby and Hayes, midshipmen. Captain Dixon remained all this night upon the bowsprit. " Tuesday morning, April 3, presented us no better prospect of being relieved from the jaws of death, the wind blowing stronger and the sea much more turbulent. About noon, however, our drooping spirits were 364 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. somewhat raised by seeing Lieutenant Harvey and Mr. Callara hoisting out a boat from one of the merchant ships to come to the assistance of their distressed shipmates. They several times attempted to launch her through the surf, but being a very heavy boat, and the sea on the beach acting so powerfully against them, they could not possibly effect it, though assisted by nearly 100 of the merchant sailors and Portuguese peasants. Several men went upon rafts this day, made from pieces of the wreck, but not one soul reached the shore ; the wind having shifted, and the current setting out, they were all driven to sea ; among whom was our captain, who, about 3 P. M. went on the jib-boom with three seamen : anxious to save the remainder of the ship's company, and too sanguine of getting safe ashore, he ventured upon the spar, saying, as he jumped into the sea, ' My lads, Pll save you all.' In a few seconds he lost his hold of the jib-boom, which he could not regain : he drifted to sea, and perished. Such was also the fate of the three brave volunteers who chose to follow his fortune. " The loss of our captain, who, until now, had animated the almost lifeless crew, as well as the noble exertions of Lieutenant Harvey and Mr. Callam, to launch the boat, not succeeding, every gleam of hope vanished, and we looked forward for certain death the ensuing night, not only from cold, hunger, and fatigue, but the expectation of the remaining part of the wreck going to pieces every moment. Had not the Apollo been a new and well-built ship, that small portion could never have re- sisted the waves and stuck so well together, particularly as all the after part from the chess-trees was gone, the starboard bow under water, the forecastle deck nearly perpendicular, the weight of the guns hanging to the larboard bulwark on the inside, and the bower and spare anchors on the outside, which it was not prudent to cut away, as they afforded resting places to a considerable number of men, there being only the fore-channel and cat-head where it was possible to live, and about which were stowed upwards of 150 persons ; it being impracticable to continue any longer in the head, or upon the bowsprit, by reason of the breakers washing com- pletely over them. The night drawing on, the wind increasing, with fre- quent showers of rain, and the forecastle being every instant expected to give way, when we must have all perished together, afforded a spectacle truly deplorable, the bare recollection of which even now makes me shudder. The piercing cries of the people this dismal night, whenever a sea came over them, which happened every two minutes, were pitiful in the extreme ; the water running down all over the body kept us conti- nually wet : the remaining strength of every one was exerted for his indi- vidual safety. From the crowding so close together in so narrow a com- pass, and the want of something to moisten their mouths with, several poor wretches were suffocated, which frequently reminded me of the Black Hole ; with this only difference, that these poor sufferers were con- POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. 365 fined by strong walls, we by water. The least movement, without clinging fast, would have launched us into eternity. Some unfortunate wretches drank salt water ; several their own urine ; some chewed leather ; myself and many more chewed lead, from which we found considerable relief, by reason of its drawing the saliva, which we swallowed. In less than an hour after the ship first struck the ground, all the provisions were under water, so that it was impossible to procure any. After the most painful night that it is possible to conceive, on day-light appearing, we observed Lieutenant Harvey and Mr. Callam again endeavouring to launch the boat. Several attempts were made without success, a number of men belonging to the merchant ships being much bruised and hurt in assisting ; alternate hopes and fears now pervaded our wretched minds ; fifteen men got safe on shore this morning, on pieces of the wreck. About three in the afternoon of the 4th, we had the inexpressible happiness of seeing the boat launched through the surf, by the indefatigable exertion of the above officers, assisted by the masters of the merchant ships, with a number of Portuguese peasants, who were encouraged by Mr. Whitney, the British consul from Figuiera. All the crew then remaining on the wreck were brought safe on shore, praising God for their happy deliverance from a shipwreck which has never had its parallel. As soon as I stept out of the boat, I found several persons whose humanity prompted them to offer me sustenance, though improperly, in spirits, which I avoided as much as possible. Our weak state may be conceived, when it is considered that we received no nourishment from Sunday to Wednesday afternoon, and were continually exposed to the fury of the elements j the greater part of us were badly bruised and wounded. After eating and drinking a little, I found myself weaker than before, occasioned, I apprehend, from having been so long without either. Some men died soon after getting on shore, from imprudently drinking too large a quantity of spirits. About 40 sail of merchant ships were wrecked at the same time on this dreadful beach; but as they drew a less draught of water than the frigate, they were of course driven much closer to the shore than her and although the number of persons that perished in them was very considerable, not a soul re- mained on board either after the first morning. Thus was lost one of the finest frigates in the British navy, with 61 of her officers and crew." The Carysfort and about 30 sail of merchantmen escaped a similar fate by wearing, without orders from Captain Dixon, shortly after the wind had shifted, in the evening of April 1st. The surviving officers and men of the Apollo had to march to Figuiera, a distance of eighteen miles, whence they were conveyed in a schooner to Lisbon, and there received on board the Orpheus frigate for a passage to Portsmouth. Lieutenant Harvey subsequently served in the Amethyst 366 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 36, Captain John William Spranger ; Amaranthe sloop, Cap- tain Edward Pelham Brenton ; and Intrepid 64, Captain the Hon. Philip Wodehouse. His promotion to the rank of commander took place Jan. 8, 1808, on which occasion he was appointed to the Cephalus, a fine 18-gun brig, on the Mediterranean station, where he captured four of the enemy's privateers and several merchant vessels. His post commis- sion bears date April 18, 1811, at which period he was acting as Captain of the Cumberland 74. He subsequently com- manded the Topaze 36, and was employed off Corfu till the month of Dec. following. That frigate being then in a very defective state, he returned to England with the homeward bound trade under his protection, and paid her off at Ports- mouth in Feb. 1812. Captain Harvey married Miss Cannon, of Sandwich. dgent. — Sir F. M. Ommanney. ROBERT MERRICK FOWLER, ESQ. This officer was made a Lieutenant early in 1800 ; and appointed first of the Investigator sloop, Captain Matthew Flinders, at the commencement of 1801. The Investigator (formerly Xenophon) was a north-coun- try-built ship, of 334 tons ; and, in form, she nearly resem- bled the description of vessel recommended by Captain Cook as best calculated for voyages of discovery. She had been purchased some years before into his Majesty's service ; and having been newly coppered and repaired, was considered to be the best vessel which could, at the time of Mr. Fowler's appointment to her, be spared for the purpose of making a com- plete examination and survey of the coast of New Holland. In this sloop, Lieutenant Fowler accompanied Captain Flinders to Terra Australis, and continued until she was laid up at Port Jackson, when he was appointed to command the Porpoise colonial store-ship, formerly the Infanta Amelia Spanish packet *, and ordered to convey Captain Flinders * See Vol. II. Part I. p. 98, POST-CAPTAINS OF 181 1» 367 back to England, in expectation of getting another ship to renew and complete his survey. The loss of the Porpoise is thus described by the latter officer: " In the beginning of Aug. (1803), the Porpoise was nearly ready to sail ; and two ships then lying in Sydney Cove, bound to Batavia, desired leave to accompany us through Torres' Strait. These were the Hon. E. I. Com- pany's extra-ship Bridgewater, commanded by Edwin H. Palmer, Esq. and the ship Cato of London, commanded by Mr. John Park. The company of these ships gave me pleasure; for if we should be able to make a safe and expeditious passage through the strait with them, of which I had but little doubt, it would be a manifest proof of the advantage of the route discovered in the Investigator, and tend to bring it into general use. On the 10th, I took leave of my respected friend the Governor of New South Wales, and received his despatches for England ; and Lieutenant Fowler having given a small code of signals to the Bridgwater and Cato, we sailed out of Port Jackson together, at 11 A. M., and steered north-eastward for Torres' Strait. * * * * On the 17th at noon, we were inlat. 23° 22', long. 155° 34', and had the wind at S. E. by S. Soon after two o'clock, the Cato being some distance on our larboard quarter, made the signal for seeing land. This proved to be a dry sand bank, which bore S. S. W. about 3 leagues ; and the Porpoise sailing faster than the other ships, they were directed to keep on their course whilst we hauled up to take a nearer view of the bank. At 3 o'clock, when it bore S. by E. 5 or 6 miles, we hove to and sounded, but had no bottom at 80 fathoms. The Catojs Bank, for so it was named, is small, and seemed to be destitute of vegetation ; there was an innumerable quantity of birds hovering about, and it was surround- ed with breakers ; but their extent seemed very little to exceed that of the bank, nor could any other reef near it be discovered. The situation was ascertained to be nearly 23° 67 S., and 155°23/E. ; and we then made sail after the Bridgewater and Cato, to take our station a-head of them as before. " Some apprehensions were excited for the following night by meeting with this bank ; but as it was more than two degrees to the eastward of the great Barrier lleefs, we thought it unconnected with any other, like the two discovered by Captain Ball and Mr. Bampton, further towards the north end of New Caledonia. I had, besides, steered for Torres' Strait in the Investigator, from reefs several degrees to the westward, without meeting with any other danger than what lay near the Barrier, or belonged to the Strait ; and by the time we had rejoined the ships in the evening, the dis- tance run from the bank was 35 miles, and no other danger had been des- cried. It did not therefore seern necessary to lose a good night's run by heaving to ; and I agreed with Lieutenant Fowler, that it would be sufficient to make the signal for the ships to run under easy working sail during the night, — to take our usual station a-head, — and to charge one of the Inves- 368 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. tigator'a warrant officers with the look-out on the forcastle. These precau- tions being taken, and the top-sails double reefed, our course was pursued to the N, by W., with a fresh breeze and cloudy weather ; arid at 8 o'clock the lead was cast, but no bottom found at 35 fathoms. The Bridgewater was then about half a mile on the starboard, and the Cato a mile on the larboard quarter ; and their distance seeming to increase at 9, when our rate of going was eight knots, the fore-sail was hauled up to keep them in sight : wind then at S. E. by E. " In half an hour, and almost at the same instant by the Investigator's carpenter on the fore-castle, and the master who had charge of the watch on the quarter-deck,— breakers were seen a-head. The helm was imme- diately put down, with the intention of tacking from them ; but the Por- poise having only her three top-sails set, double -reefed, scarcely came up to the wind. Lieutenant Fowler sprang upon deck, on hearing the noise ; but supposing it to be occasioned by carrying away the tiller-rope, a cir- cumstance which had often occurred in the Investigator, and having no orders to give, I remained some minutes longer, conversing with the gen- tlemen in the gun-room. On going up, I found the sails shaking in the wind, and the ship in the act of paying off; at the same time there were very high breakers at not a quarter of a cable's length, to leeward. In about a minute, the ship was carried amongst the breakers ; and striking upon a coral reef she took a fearful heel over on her larboard beam-ends, her head being north-eastward. A gun was attempted to be fired, to warn the other vessels of the danger ; but owing to the violent motion and the heavy surfs flying over, this could not be done immediately ; and before lights were brought up, the Bridgewater and Cato had hauled to the wind across each other. " Our fore-mast was carried away at the second or third shock ; and the bottom was presently reported to be stove in, and the hold full of water. When the surfs permitted us to look to windward, the Bridgewater and Cato were perceived at not more than a cable's length distance : and approaching each other so closely, that their running aboard seemed to us inevitable. This was an awful moment ; the utmost silence prevailed ; and when the bows of the two ships went to meet, even respiration seemed to be sus- pended. The ships advanced, and we expected to hear the dreadful crash ; but presently they opened off from each other, having passed side by side without touching ; the Cato steering to the N. E., and the Bridgewater to the southward. Our own safety seemed to have no other dependence than upon the two ships, and the exultation we felt at seeing this most immi- nent danger passed, was great, but of short duration ; the Cato struck upon the reef about two cables' length from the Porpoise : we saw her fall over on her broadside, and the masts almost instantly disappeared ; but the darkness of the night did not admit of distinguishing, at that distance, what further might have happened. " Turning our eyes towards the Bridgewater, a light was perceived at POST-CAPTA[N8 OF 1811. her mast-head, by which we knew she had cleared the reef; arid our first sensations were, that the commander would certainly tack, and send boats to our assistance ; but when a little reflection had enabled us to put our- selves in his place, it became evident that he would not choose to come so near the reef in the night, blowing fresh as it did ; and still less to send his boats and people into the breakers, to their certain destruction. "The Porpoise had very fortunately heeled towards the reef; so that the surfs which struck against her turned-up side, flew over without wash- ing any thing off the decks ; and the smooth appearance of the water under the lee, afforded a prospect of being able to get the boats out on that side. The experiment was tried with a small four-oared gig, and succeeded ; but a six-oared cutter was jerked against the sheet anchor by the violence of the shocks, and being stove was filled with water. " It was by no means certain how long the ship, being slightly built and not in a sound state, might hold together; it was therefore deemed expe- dient to lighten her, that she might drive further up the coral bank, and lie more easily. On sounding, the depth was found to be 17 fathoms on the windward side, but no more than a few feet on the reef; and Mr. Fowler ordered the main and mizen-masts, and the starboard anchor to be cut away ; but on my suggesting to him the possibility of driving over the reef, with the rise of the tide, and sinking in deep water as the Pandora had done *, the lightening of the ship was not prosecuted further. " Beyond the smooth water close under the lee, there was a line of break- ers, and further on the sea appeared to be tranquil ; it therefore seemed probable that boats might approach the ship on that side, and if this in- formation could be conveyed to Captain Palmer of the Bridgewater, that something might be speedily done towards saving the crew ; and as it was likely that my influence with him might be greatest, and being a passen- ger in the Porpoise, no charge made my presence on board immediately necessary, I proposed to make the attempt in the gig, to which Mr. Fow- ler assented. The boat being obliged to lie at a little distance from the ship, to prevent being stove, I jumped overboard and swam to her ; and we pushed through the breakers to the smooth water, receiving two or three surfs by the way, from which we hardly escaped sinking. On ex- amining into the condition of the boat, I found nothing to bale out the water, and only two oars, which did not belong to it ; and instead of the proper crew of four men, there were only three ; but under the thwarts were stowed away three others, the armourer, a cook, and a marine, who did not know how to handle an oar. These last were set to baling with their hats and shoes, and we rowed towards the Bridgewater's light, keeping under the lee of the breakers. That ship was standing from us, and I saw that any attempt to get nearer before she tacked would fce i * See Vol. II. Part II. p. 768 et seq. SUPPL. PAIIT II. 2 B 370 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. fruitless ; *nd even afterwards, it was much to be doubted whether, with two awkward oars and an overloaded boat, we could make any way against the sea on the windward side of the reef; I therefore determined to re- main under the lee of the breakers until she should approach, and to lie near the Porpoise, that in case of her going to pieces before morning, we might save some of the people. In rowing back we met the cutter, which, the men in her having got the leak partly stopped, had pushed off without an officer, and were going they scarcely knew whither ; they furnished us with a third oar, and I desired them to keep close to the gig, near the wreck, until morning. We found the bottom here to be coral rock, and the water so shallow that a man might stand up in many places without being over-head. " I wished to have got on board the ship, to let them know of the boats being safe, and what we had discovered of the reef ; but the breakers be- tween us, and the darkness of the night, cut off all hope of communication before morning. They burned blue lights every half hour, as a guide to the Bridgewater ; but her light was lost to us in the boats at 1 1 o'clock, and after 2 in the morning it was no longer seen from the Porpoise. At that time it appeared to be low water, and the ship lay so much more quiet than before, that the apprehension of her going to pieces before daylight had much subsided t to be prepared however for the next flood, Mr. Fow- ler employed his people during the night in making a raft of the spare top-masts, yards, &c. with short ropes all round it, by which the people might hold on ; and a cask of water, with a chest containing some provi- sions, a sextant, and the Investigator's log books, were secured upon the raft. "Of the poor Cato, we could neither see nor hear any thing. It appeared that Captain Park, when meeting the Bridgewater on opposite tacks, stop* ped setting his main-sail and bore away to leeward ; had he persevered, both ships must have corne upon the reef together ; but by his presence of mind on this occasion, the Bridgewater weathered the breaker and es- caped the impending danger. When the Cato struck the reef, it was upon the point of a rock, under the larboard chesstree ; and she fell over to windward, with her decks exposed to the waves. In a short time the decks and holds were torn up, and every thing washed away ; and the sole place left, where the unfortunate people could hope to avoid the fury of the sea, was in the larboard fore-channel, where they all crowded together, the greater part with no other covering than their shirts. Every time the sea struck the Cato, it twisted her about upon the rock with such violent jerks, that they expected the stern, which was down in the water, would part every moment. In this situation, some lashing themselves to the timber- heads, others clinging to the chain-plates and dead-eyes, and to each other, Captain Park and his crew passed the night ; their hope being, that the forecastle of the ship might hold upon the rock till morning, and that the POST. CAPTAINS OF 1811. Bridge water would then send her boats to save them. From tlie Porpoise they entertained no hope ; and until the signal lights were seen, they thought her gone to pieces. " At the first dawning of day, I got on hoard the Porpoise by the help of the fallen masts. Every body was in good spirits at seeing the ship hold together so well, and finding the boats safe ; for the gig, with all in her, had been given up for lost, some one having thought he saw her sink in the breakers. With the day-light appeared a dry sand bank, not more than half a mile distant, sufficiently large to receive us all, with what pro- visions might be got out of the ship j and the satisfaction arising from this discovery was increased by the Bridgewater being perceived under sail, and though distant, that she was standing towards the reef. On the other side, the appearance of the poor Cato, with the people waving to us from the bowsprit and forecastle, the only parts above water, was truly distressing. " The reef seemed to be a mile in breadth, and it extended in an east and west direction, to a distance beyond what could be distinguished from the Porpoise's deck ; but there were in it several wide, and apparently deep openings, by which the Bridgewater might run to leeward ; and there anchor or lie to, whilst sending her boats to our assistance. Having made these remarks, I left Mr. Fowler and his people getting up water and pro- visions ; and went to the bank for the purpose of being ready to go off in the gig, so soon as that ship should be near enough, and pointing out to Captain Palmer the means by which he might take on board the two crews, and what else might be saved ; but he went upon the other tack soon after- ward, and no more was seen of him during the day. *' A number of sea-birds' eggs scattered over the bank, showed that it was above high-water mark ; and I sent the gig back with this intelligence to Lieutenant Fowler. Seeing that the Bridgewater did not approach, he ordered the boat to lie opposite to the Cato ; and Captain Park and his men, throwing themselves into the water with any pieces of spar or plank they could find, swam to her through the breakers ; and were then taken to the Porpoise, where they received food and some clothing. Several were bruised against the coral rocks, and three young lads were drowned. " At low-water, which happened about two o'clock, the reef was dry very near to the Porpoise, and both officers and men were assiduously em- ployed in getting upon it provisions and their clothes ; they were brought from thence by the boats, for the depth was several feet at a distance round the bank. Before dark, five half hogsheads of water, some flour, salt meat, rice, and spirits were landed, with such of the pigs and sheep as had es- caped drowning ; and every man from both ships had got on shore. Some of the Cato's sailors appeared in officers' uniforms, given to them in the Porpoise ; and I was pleased to see that our situation was not thought so bad by the people, as to hinder all pleasantry upon these promotions. Those who had saved great coats or blankets shared with the less fortunate, and we laid down to sleep on the sand in tolerable tranquillity, being much 2B2 372 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. oppressed with fatigue ; and except from those of the Cato's men who had been bruised or cut by the rocks, there was not a complaining voice heard on the bank. " The Porpoise's two cutters and the gig were hauled up to high-water mark ; but the latter not having been well secured, and the night tide rising higher than was expected, it was carried away, to our great loss. In the morning, we had the satisfaction to see the ship 'still entire, and thrown higher up the reef j the Cato had gone to pieces, and all that re- mained was one of the quarters, which had floated over the front ledge of the reef, and lodged near our bank. Of the Bridgewater nothing could be seen ; and many fears were entertained for her safety. " For the better preservation of discipline, and of that union between the crews of the Porpoise and Cato and passengers of the Investigator, so necessary in our circumstances, it was highly expedient that they should be put on the same footing, and united under one head. The Porpoise was lost beyond a possibility of hope, and the situation of the commander and crew thereby rendered similar to that of their passengers ; I therefore considered myself authorized and called upon, as the senior officer, to take the command of the whole ; and my intention being communicated to Lieutenant Fowler, he assented without hesitation to its expediency and propriety ; and I owe to Captain Park a similar acknowledgment. * * * " A top-sail yard was set up and secured as a flag staff on the highest part of the bank, and a large blue ensign hoisted to it with the union down- ward, as a signal to the Bridgewater. We expected, if no accident had happened, that she would come to relieve us from our critical situation so soon as the wind should be perfectly moderate ; but I judged it most pru- dent to act as if we had no such resource, and this was justified by the event. Captain Palmer had even then abandoned us to our fate, and was, at the moment, steering away for Batavia, without having made any effort to give us assistance. He saw the wrecks, as also the sand bank, on the morning after our disaster, and must have known that the reef was not all connected, since it is spoken of by him as lying in patches ; but he did not seek to ascertain whether any of the openings were passable for the Bridg- water, and might enable him to take those on board who had escaped drowning. He bore away round all ; and whilst the two hapless vessels were still visible from the masthead, passed the leeward extremity of the reef, and hove to for the night. The apprehension of danger to himself must then have ceased ; but he neither attempted to work up in the smooth water, nor sent any of his boats to see whether some unfortunate indivi- duals were not clinging to the wrecks, whom he might snatch from the sharks, or save from a more lingering death : it was safer, in his estimation, to continue on his voyage and publish that we were all lost, as he did not fail to do on his arrival in India. " The wind blew fresh from the south-eastward on the 18th and 19th, but on the two following days it was moderate, with fine weather ; we — _ POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 373 worked hard on board the Porpoise, and by the 22d had got most of the water and provisions secured in a large tent made with spars and sails ; each mess of officers and men had also their private tent ; and our manner of living and working had assumed the same regularity as before the ship- wreck. " Our prospects of receiving succour from the Bridgewater having be- come very feeble, after two days of moderate weather had elapsed, I called a council of all the officers, to deliberate upon the best means of relieving ourselves from the precarious situation in which our misfortune, and Cap- tain Palmer's want of energy and humanity, had left us exposed ; and it was finally determined, that an officer and crew, in the largest of the two six-oared cutters, should endeavour to get to Sandy Cape, 63 leagues dis- tant, and from thence along the coast to Port Jackson, and pray his Ex- cellency, the Governor, to send vessels to carry us either back to that port, or on towards England. But as the safe arrival of the cutter at that sea- son of the year, when strong winds usually prevail from the southward, was a subject of much apprehension ; it was resolved that two decked boats, capable of transporting every person remaining on the bank, ex- cepting one officer and boat's crew, should be immediately laid down by the carpenters, to be built from what was already, and might be still fur- ther saved from the wreck ; and that, if the officer in the cutter did not return with assistance in two months, the boats should then, or as soon after as they could be ready to sail, proceed to Port Jackson. The first, and principal means, however, through which our deliverance was to be expected, being the safe arrival of the cutter, the choice of an officer to conduct her was next considered. Lieutenant Fowler proposed, and it seemed to be the general wish, that I should undertake the execution of the task $ and being satisfied that the preservation of order on the bank, and the saving of the stores would be left in good hands, the hope of being instrumental to the general safety induced me readily to comply. * * * " On Aug. 26, the largest cutter being ready for her expedition, was launched, and named the Hope. The morning was fine, and wind light from the southward ; and notwithstanding its being Friday, which in the seaman's calendar is the most unfortunate of the whole week to commence a voyage, I embarked for Port Jackson, with the commander of the Cato. ******. The reader has perhaps never gone 250 leagues at sea in an open boat, or along a strange coast inhabited by savages ; but if he recollect the 80 officers and men upon Wreck-Reef Bank, and how important was o"1* arrival to their safety, and to the saving of the charts, journals, and papers of the Investigator's voyage, he may have some idea of the pleasure we felt, but particularly myself, at entering our destined port *." See Flinders' Voyage to Terra Australis, II. 297—321. 374 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. An officer who remained on the bank, relating what occur- red there during the absence of Captain Flinders, says, " A saw-pit was formed, the forge set up, and every thing got in for- wardness for laying down a new boat. Our toils were for the present at an end, and we were a very comfortable community, lodged in huts made of sails, looking forward with patience to the arrival of a ship, and each amusing himself in the way best suited to his inclination. An island, situated about nine or ten miles E. by N. of us, attracted our attention, and was visited in the remaining boat, by Lieutenant Fowler, soon after the departure of Captain Flinders. It was much larger, and more perfect in its formation, than our own, being nearly a mile in circumference, abounding in birds, with turtle occasionally visiting it ; and it moreover was covered pretty deeply with vegetable soil. The birds were chiefly oceanic, and had resorted thither to hatch their young, which afforded us an opportunity of procuring eggs in plenty. The first visit to this spot repaid us with a supply of all its delicacies, for the boat returned loaded ; one turtle was caught, and the cargo was completed with eggs and birds, which was an incitement to future adventurers. About this time also, we had a heavy and productive fall of rain, which came down in such torrents one morning, that our tents were not proof against its violence, and we were turned out of our beds ; but were amply repaid for the interruption of our repose by a fortnight's supply of excellent wholesome water. This was put to the general stock, and gave confirmation to our hopes of re- lease ; for we dreaded at first want of water, which, under a hot sun, is infinitely more distressing than scarcity of victuals. Bread was the only perishable article in the ship, and it was, as you can easily suppose, spoiled by the salt water ; but we had flour in abundance, which, when mixed up with a little salt water and hog's-lard, and baked in the ashes, made a palatable substitute : of fresh water, we had never less than half a gallon a day, so that our situation was neither irksome nor painful. Half allowance, or a gill of spirits, was daily served, over which we talked in the evening ; osconomy and care were only wanting, to make the allowance adequate to our appetites*." Captain Flinders arrived at Port Jackson on the 8th Sept. 1803 : the following is an extract of his official letter to Governor King, announcing the fate of the Porpoise : " I think it proper to notice to your Excellency, that the great exer- tions of Lieutenant Fowler, and his officers and ship's company, as well as the passengers belonging to the Investigator, in saving his Majesty's stores, have been very praise- worthy ; and I judge, that the precautions that were taken will exonerate the commander of the Porpoise from the * Nov. Chron. xvi, 227 et seq. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. 875 blame that might otherwise be attached to the loss of his Majesty's armed vessel*." Governor King lost no time in engaging the ship Holla, Mr. Robert Gumming commander, then lying in Sydney Cove, bound to China, to go to the rescue of the officers and men on Wreck-Reef Bank ; and as Captain Flinders agreed with him, that the Cumberland colonial schooner, of 29 tons, was capable of performing the voyage to England by way of Torres' Strait, he directed the commissary to make that vessel over to him, and to complete her from the stores of the Investigator. The Francis, another vessel of the same description, was likewise ordered to accompany the Rolla, for the purpose of receiving and bringing back those who preferred returning to Port Jackson, and as many stores as she could carry. Every thing being prepared for his departure, Captain Flinders sailed out of the harbour on the 21 st Sept. at day- light, but did not get sight of the ensign upon the top of the bank till the 7th of the following month. " It was six weeks on this day," says he, " since I had quitted the reef in the boat, for the purpose of seeking the means to relieve my offi- cers and people. The bank was first seen from the Holla's mast head, and soon afterwards two boats were perceived under sail: advancing nearer, we saw one boat make for the Rolla, and the other returning to the bank. The Porpoise had not yet gone to pieces ; but was still lying on her beam ends, high up on the reef, a frail, but impressive monument of our misfortune. In the afternoon I anchored under the lee of the bank, in 18 fathoms coral sand, and a salute of 11 guns from it was immediately fired, the carronades of the Porpoise having been trans- ported from the wreck. * * * * " The two boats we had seen were the Porpoise's remaining cutter, and a new boat constructed during my absence j it was just completed, and Lieutenant Fowler had this morning gone out to try its sailing against the cutter. It was about the size of the Cumberland, had a deck, and was called the Resource. " On the 10th, three days after our arrival, the Rolla had received the people destined for her, with part of the provisions and stores ; and the Cumberland was ready to sail. * * * * " The officers' journals, which were to be sent to the admiralty at the conclusion of the voyage, had not been demanded at the time of our * Nav. Chron. v. 32, p. 184, 376 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. shipwreck ; Lieutenant Fowler was therefore directed to take all that were saved belonging to the officers embarked with him in the Holla ; and lest any accident should happen to the Cumberland, I committed to his charge a copy of four charts, being all of the east and north coasts which there had been time to get ready ; with these he took a short letter to the Se- cretary of the Admiralty, and one to the Victualling Board, inclosing such vouchers as had been saved from the wreck/' * * * * "At noon (Oct. 11) we parted company with three cheers, the Rolla steering north- eastward for China, whilst my course was directed for Torres' Strait »." At Canton, Lieutenant Fowler embarked as a passenger on board the Hon. E,. I. C. ship JEarl Camden, commanded by Captain Nathaniel Dance, the senior officer of a most valu- able homeward bound China fleet, consisting of sixteen sail of what are commonly denominated " 1200- ton ships," the registered tonnage of most of which exceeds 1300, and in some cases amounts to 1500 tons. On the 31st Jan. 1804, this fleet sailed from Canton, ac- companied by eleven country ships and two other merchant- men, which Captain Dance had been ordered by the Select Committee to convoy as far as their courses lay in the same direction. The Ganges, a fast sailing armed-brig, in the Hon. Company's service, likewise sailed with him, to be em- ployed in any manner that might tend to the safety or con- venience of his charge. Captain Dance's celebrated rencontre with the French Rear- Admiral Linois is described in an official letter from him to the Hon. Court of Directors, of which the following are ex- tracts : — "On the 14th Feb., at day-break, we saw Pulo Auro, W. S. W. and at 8 A. M. the Royal George made the signal for seeing four strange sail in the S. W. I made the signal for the four ships named in the margin f to go down and examine them ; and Lieutenant Fowler, R. N. late commander of the Porpoise, having handsomely offered to go in the Ganges and inspect them nearly, I afterwards sent her down likewise ; and from their signals I perceived it was an enemy's squadron, consisting of a line-of- battle ship, three frigates, and a brig. At 1 P. M., I recalled the look-out ships, and formed the line of battle in close order. " As soon as the enemy could fetch our wake, they put about; we kept * See Flinders' Voyage, v. 2, pp. 322—330. t Alfred, Royal George, Bombay Castle, and Hope. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 3/7 on our course under an easy sail : at near sun-set they were close in our rear, and I was in momentary expectation of an attack there, and prepared to support it; but at the close of the day we perceived them haul to wind- ward. I sent Lieutenant Fowler, in the Ganges brig, to station the country ships on our lee-bow, by which we were between them and the enemy j and having so done, he returned with some volunteers from them. " We lay-to in line of battle all night, our men at their quarters : at day break on the 15th, we saw the enemy about 3 miles to windward, lying-to ; we hoisted our colours, offering him battle if he chose to come down. The enemy's four ships hoisted French colours, the line-of-battle-ship carrying a Rear-Admiral's flag; the brig was under Batavian colours. "At 9 A. M. finding they would not come down, we formed the order of sailing, and steered our course under an easy sail ; the enemy then filled, and stood towards us. " At 1 P. M. finding they proposed to attack and cut off our rear, I made the signal to tack and bear down on them, and engage in succes- sion, the Royal George being the leading ship, the Ganges next *, and then the Earl Camden. This manoeuvre was correctly performed, and we stood to- wards him under a press of sail. The enemy then formed in a very close line, and opened their fire on the headmost ships, which was not returned by us till we approached nearer. The Royal George bore the brunt of the action, and got as near the enemy as they would permit her. The Ganges and Earl Camden opened their fire as soon as their guns could have effect; but before any other ship could get into action, the enemy hauled their wind, and stood away to the eastward, under all the sail they could set. At 2 P. M. I made the signal for a general chase, and we pursued them till 4 P. M. ; when fearing a longer pursuit would carry us too far from the mouth of the straits, and considering the immense property at stake, I made the signal to tack : at 8 P. M. we anchored in a situation to proceed for the entrance of the straits in the morning. As long as we could dis- tinguish the enemy, we perceived them steering to the eastward under a press of sail. The Royal George had one man killed and another wounded, many shot in her hull, and more in her sails ; but few shot touched either the Camden or Ganges *«*#*. " I received great assistance from the advice and exertions of Lieutenant Fowler, whose meritorious conduct in this instance, / hope the Hon. Court will communicate to the Lords of the Admiralty. " From Malacca, I despatched Lieutenant Fowler, in the Ganges brig, to Pulo Penang, with a packet from the Select Committee to the captain of any of his Majesty's ships, soliciting convoy to this very valuable fleet. ******. We arrived at St. Helena the 9th June, under convoy of H. M. ships Albion and Sceptre f." •••••••• The squadron under Mons. Linois consisted of the Ma- *v * Another 1200-ton ship, f See Suppl. Part I. p. 146. 378 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. rengo 74, Belle Poule and Semillante, frigates, Burceau 22- gun corvette, and Aventurier 16-gun brig ; the latter belong- ing to the colonial government at Batavia, from whence he had sailed purposely to intercept the China fleet, the pro- perty on board of which it is said was of the value of more than 11,000,000/. -sterling ! The East India Company most liberally re warded the commanders, officers, and seamen of this fleet, for their excellent conduct on the above occasion. To Lieutenant Fowler they presented 300 guineas for the purchase of a piece of plate. The Committee for managing the Pa- triotic Fund also came forward in a munificent manner. From that Society he received a sword value 50 guineas, with a suitable inscription. Captain Dance was further re- warded with the honor of knighthood, and the most marked expressions of his late Majesty's approbation *. The subject of this memoir arrived at the Admiralty, Aug. 9, 1804; obtained the rank of Commander Feb. 4, J806, and was appointed to the Crocus brig about Aug. 1808. His post commission bears date April 20, 1811. He married, June 16, 1813, Caroline Matilda, eldest daughter of James Dashwood, of Harley Street, London, Esq. Mrs. Fowler died in 1816. Agents.— Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. WILLIAM FITZWILLIAM OWEN, ESQ. Governor of the Island of Fernando Po ; and a Member of the Asfronomi- cal Society^. Brother to Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, K. C. B. M. P. &c. &c. * Sir Nathaniel Dance died at Enfield, co. Middlesex, in Mar. 1827, aged nearly 79 years. t We cannot but notice with exultation the number of naval officers who are associated in the meritorious labour of that useful body the As- tronomical Society : by subjoining their names, a proof will be afforded that our service combines a prominent scientific rank with its zeal and courage: H. II. H. the Lord High Admiral, Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen \ ; Cap- tains William D'Urban, William Henry Shirreff, Francis Beaufort I, Wil- liam F. Owen, Basil Hall, John Ross, Arinar Lowry Corry, William Ed- it Members of the Council POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 379 This officer served as a midshipman of the Culloden 74, Captain Isaac Schomberg, on the glorious first of June, 1794 j and was in the Ruby 64, Captain Edwin Henry Stan- hope, at the capture of a Dutch squadron, in Saldanha bay, Cape of Good Hope, Aug. J8, 1796*: he subsequently joined the London 98, bearing the flag of Vice- Admiral John Colpoys, with whom he quitted her during the general mutiny at Spit- head, in May 1797« For his conduct on that trying occasion, he was soon afterwards presented with a commission. At the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, Lieutenant Owen obtained the command of the Sea Flower, a 14-gun brig, in which vessel he captured le Charles, French national ketch, at the island of Rodriguez, July 15, 1806. In Sept following, we find him exploring part of the Maldiva islands, and their separating channels, which had never been regularly investi- gated : the additional information thus procured respecting them is duly acknowledged in an appendix to " Horsburgh's /Sailing Directions." On the 10th Nov. in the same year, he discovered an excellent channel, now bearing the name of his brig, situated between the islands of Se-Beeroo and Se Pora, near the west coast of Sumatra. In our memoir of Viscount JExmouth, we have stated, that the Sea Flower conducted that officer's squadron through a very intricate navigation into Batavia roads, Nov. 27, 1806 : his gallant conduct, at the destruction of the Dutch shipping lying there, is thus acknowledged in the official letter an- nouncing that event : — " The boats of the squadron assembled alongside the Terpsichore, which, with the Sir Francis Drake, had been placed as near as possible to cover them, and were led in to destroy the enemy's ships by Captain Fleet- wood Pellew, under a heavy fire from the ships and batteries. ***** " The gallant conduct of Captain Fleetwood Pellew, Lieutenant W. Fitzwilliam Owen, and Lieutenant T. Groube, first of the Culloden, the officers, seamen, and marines employed under their command, in this im- ward Parry, John Franklin, William Henry Smyth J, John George Graham, Frederick William Beechey; Commanders John Molesworth, Pringle Stokes, Henry Foster, Hon. John Frederick F. De Roos, James Clark Ross; Lieutenants George Young, William Samuel Stratford f, George Beaufoy, Charles Ramsay Driukwater, Thomas Graves, and — Kendall. * See Vol. I. Parti, p. 51. 380 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. portaut duty, is deserving of every praise. The service was directed with great coolness and judgment, and executed in the most steady, zealous, and active manner. ***** " The necessary destruction of the William corvette * has deprived me of an opportunity of rewarding the services of Lieutenant Owen on this occasion ; I therefore beg leave to recommend him and Lieutenant Groube, who were appointed to lead divisions on this service, to their lordships' protection." (Signed) " EDW. PELLEW." On the llth Dec. 1807, Lieutenant Owen assisted at the total annihilation of the Dutch naval force in the Eastern Seas f : his commission as a Commander bears date May 20, 1808. Some time afterwards, he had the misfortune to be taken prisoner, and carried to the Isle of France ; from whence he was allowed to depart in a cartel, just before the conquest of that valuable colony in 1810. Captain Owen's next appointment was to the Barracouta of 18 guns, on the East India station ; and he joined that vessel time enough to assist at the blockade of Batavia, pre- paratory to the invasion of Java. Whilst thus employed, one of his boats, with 8 men, under the command of acting Lieu- tenant George Tyrrell, was attacked by a piratical proa, hav- ing on board about 50 Malays, every one of whom was either killed or driven into the sea ; Mr. Tyrrell then secured the vessel and carried her off to the Leda frigate, which had hove in sight just at the close of the desperate conflict J. On the arrival of the expedition under Lieutenant-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty and Commodore Broughton, the sub- ject of this sketch was ordered to assist Captain Sayer, of the Leda, in directing the debarkation of the troops, at Chilling- ching ; and he continued attached to the army until after the surrender of Batavia, Aug. 8, 181 1 §. His promotion to post rank took place on the 2d May, in the same year. We next find Captain Owen commanding the Cornelia, a 32-gun frigate. On the 20th Nov. 1811, when escorting some transports from Batavia towards Bombay, he accidentally * See Vol. I, Part I, p. 223. t See Suppl. Part I, p. 404 et seq. J Nav. Chron. v. 27, p. 198. § See Vol. II, Part I. p. 355. POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 881 saw the bottom, and carried soundings of 19 and 20 fathoms over a bank now bearing his name, but the extent of which he could not stop to ascertain : at the time of his discovering it, he made the latitude 6° 46y 30" S. and the longitude by chronometer was 70° 12' JE. The ships in company with him had no soundings. The Cornelia returned home with a con- voy from China, and was paid off, in 1813. , Since 1815, Captain Owen has surveyed the Lakes in Ca- nada \ and the coasts of Asia and Africa, from Cape Comorin, along the coasts of Malabar and Surat, the whole extent of the sea-side of Persia and Arabia, the east side of Africa (in- cluding Madagascar, the Seychelles, and other islands), and the Atlantic shores of that continent, to the river Gambia. He is at present employed in forming a new settlement at Fer- nando Po, an island in the Bight of Benin ; it being supposed that it will prove not only a more healthy situation than Sierra Leone, but that it will also afford greater facilities for the prevention of the slave-trade. We very much regret, that it is not at present in our power to give a more perfect sketch of the services of this gallant, enterprising, and scientific officer. At a future period we may be enabled to do so. Agents* — Messrs. Maude and Co. MANLEY HALL DIXON, ESQ. Eldest surviving child of Admiral Sir Manley Dixon, K.C.B. by Miss Christiana Hall, of Jamaica. This officer was born in the parish of Stoke Damarell, co. Devon, June 8, 1786; and he entered the navy in June, 1794, under the immediate protection of his father, with whom he served as midshipman, master's mate, and acting Lieutenant, in the Porcupine of 24 guns, TEspion 40, the Lion 64, and le Gene'reux 74 ; on the Channel, North Sea, Irish, and Mediterranean stations, until Captain Dixon's removal to the Alexander 74, about June 1801. In TEspion, Mr. Dixon witnessed the capture of le Buo- naparte French privateer, of 17 guns and 110 men, Feb. 14, 1797 : the important services performed by the Lion have been fully described at pp. 375—378 of Vol. I. Part I. Le 382 POST -CAPTAINS OF 1811. Gdndreux, while employed in the blockade of Malta, assisted at the capture of la Diane French frigate, mounting 42 guns, but with only 114 men on board, the remainder having been landed at la Valette, to assist at the defence of that garrison *. In Aug. 1801, Mr. Dixon was appointed acting Lieutenant of the Alexander, in which ship he continued, under the com- mand of his father, until she was paid off at Portsmouth, in Aug. 1802. His first commission bears date April 18, 1802. Lieutenant Dixon's next appointment was, Oct. 1803, to be third of the Terrible 74, Captain Lord Henry Paulet, then employed in the blockade of the enemy's ports, but subse- quently forming part of the squadron under Sir R. J, Strachan, despatched to St. Helena in quest of an equal number of French line -of- battle -ships, one of which was commanded by Jerome, brother to Napoleon Buonaparte. On the 19th May, 1806, Sir Richard J. Strachan again sailed from Plymouth in pursuit of the same French squadron ; and on this occasion he was likewise accompanied by the Ter- rible. After cruising for some time off Madeira and the Ca- nary islands, he proceeded to Barbadoes, where he received so good information, that the night of Aug. 18th fell upon both squadrons nearly in the same latitude, and within a de- gree of the same longitude ; the British experiencing a tre- mendous hurricane in lat. 21° 25' N. long. 62° W. the enemy, in lat. 22° N. long. 63° W. The accidental circumstance of a day's earlier departure from Carlisle bay, might have ena- bled Sir Richard to have crossed the path of the French Ad- miral, Mons. Villaumez, as, the latter was returning to his cruising ground from the eastward, after unsuccessfully seek- ing for Jerome Buonaparte, who had unceremoniously quitted his protection, eighteen days before. In the above hurricane, which continued with unabated vio- lence for 36 hours, the Terrible was totally dismasted, and had all her boats either blown or washed away ; her tiller broke, and the spare one was scarcely shipped before it did the same :-— in this alarming situation, and left to the fury of * La Diane struck to the squadron under Captain George Martin, after a chase of some hours, and a running fight with the Success frigate, Cap- tain Shuldhain Peard. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. 383 the storm, without a vessel of any description in sight, one of her lower-deck guns nearly got adrift, but, providentially, through the active exertions of her officers and crew, the im- minent danger that at this instant seemed to threaten every one on board was speedily averted. In 48 hours after the hurricane subsided, the Terrible was completely jury-rigged, and ready to set studding sails if wanted ! ! Lieutenant Dixon quitted the Terrible, at Plymouth, in Nov. 1806; and remained upon half pay till June 4, 1807, when he was appointed second of the Horatio frigate, Captain George Scott. In Sept. following, the Horatio sailed from Portsmouth for Quebec, with Sir James Craig, the newly-appointed Gover- nor-General of Canada. She was subsequently employed on the North American and West India stations. In 1 808, Lieutenant Dixon became first of the Horatio ; and on the 10th Feb. 1809, he was badly wounded by a mus- ket-ball (which entered his left groin and passed through the thigh), while engaging la Junon French frigate, — the capture of which ship has been described at p. 147 et seq, of Vol. II. Part I. For his gallant conduct on this occasion, he was promoted to the rank of Commander, and his commission as such dated back to the day of the action. He returned to England, as a passenger on board the Hussar frigate, in the month of June following. In the summer of 1810, we find Captain Dixon serving as a volunteer under his father, on the Baltic station. Towards the latter end of the same year, he obtained the command of the Fly brig, in which vessel he continued until his advance- ment to post rank, June 28, 1811. From that period he served as flag-captain to Rear Admiral Dixon, in the Vigo and Montague, 74's, on the Baltic and South American sta- tions, until July 1813, when he exchanged with Captain Pe- ter Heywood into the Nereus 42. After accompanying the homeward bound trade to the northward as far as the equator, Captain Dixon returned to Rio de Janeiro, from whence he was sent to assume the command of a small squadron stationed in the Rio de la Plata, where he continued until relieved by Captain Sir Ed- 384 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. ward Tucker, in Aug. 1814. The Nereus was paid off in Jan. 1815. Captain Dixon enjoys a pension of 250/. per annum for the wound he received Feb. 10, 1809. He married, April 18, 1815, Harriet, second daughter of William Foot, of Devon- port, Esq. His only surviving brother, Mathew Charles Dixon, Esq. is a captain in the royal engineers. WILLIAM BROOKING DOLLING, ESQ. Nephew to Superannuated Rear-Admiral Samuel Brooking. This officer was made a Lieutenant in Aug. 1797, and he received the Turkish gold medal for his services during the Egyptian campaign : his promotion to the rank of Comman- der took place, Aug. 6, 1805. We subsequently find him in the Trompeuse corvette, on the Downs station. On the 15th May, 1809, being then in company with the Badger brig, Captain Dolling discovered eleven French armed schuyts, standing to the eastward from Boulogne ; and on his approach, they endeavoured to put into Ambleteuse ; but three of them having overshot that harbour, were obliged to go round Cape Grisnez, where they were attacked in the ensuing night by the boats of the British vessels, under the direction of Lieutenant Strong, of the Trompeuse : two of them, mounting 2 long 6-pounders and 2 howitzers, with 13 men each, were boarded and brought out under a heavy fire from the enemy's batteries and musketry on the beach ; and the third was driven amongst the rocks, where she appeared to be rendered useless. One person belonging to the Trom- peuse was slightly wounded ; the enemy had two men wound- ed, and six threw themselves into the sea. Captain Dolling's post commission bears date, Aug. 1, 1811. Agents. — Messrs. Atkins & Son. JOHN RICHARDS LAPENOTIERE, ESQ. This officer's great-grandfather, Frederick De La Penotiere, was the son of a French nobleman ; but he held the rank of Colonel in the English army, and married Bridget, daughter of the Hon. John Fielding, D, D, fifth apd youngest son of POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 385 William, third Earl of Denbigh, and chaplain to King Wil- liam III. Mr. John Richards Lapenotiere was born at Ilfracombe, co. Devon, in 1770 ; and he first went to sea in the Three Sisters, hired armed ship, under the protection of his father, Lieuten- ant Frederick Lapenotiere, in 1780 *. His first professional patron was Rear- Admiral the Hon. John Leveson Gower, a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty. In May, 1785, Mr. Richard Cadman Etches and other tra- ders entered into a commercial partnership, under the title of the King George's Sound Company, for carrying on a fur trade from the western coast of America, to China ; and in order to execute this design, they purchased a ship of 320 tons, and a snow of 200 tons ; the command of the former, and of the intended expedition, was given to Mr. Nathaniel Port- lock, a gentleman who had accompanied Captain Cook in his last voyage into the Pacific Ocean, arid who was therefore considered a proper person to conduct an adventure which required no common knowledge and experience. The novelty of this enterprise attracted the notice of several eminent per- sons, who promoted it by their approbation and countenance. Several young gentlemen, who had evinced an inclination to engage in a seafaring life, were put under Mr. Portlock's care, for the purpose of being initiated in the knowledge of a profession which requires length of experience, rather than supereminence of genius. Amongst these youngsters was Mr. John R. Lapenotiere, whose great-uncle, Samuel Salt, of the Middle Temple, Esq. M. P. was at that time Deputy-Go^- vernor of the South Sea Company, and a warm patron of the new undertaking. Mr. Portlock sailed from Gravesend, Aug. 30, 1785 ; and anchored in Margate roads, on his return home, Aug. 24, * Lieutenant Frederick Lapenotiere entered the navy under the patron, age of Daniel, seventh Earl of Winchelsea, then First Lord of the Admiralty, but who unfortunately died before his protege" had been long at sea. Lieu- tenant Lapenotiere was distantly related to the Countess of Winchelsea. SUFPL. PART II. 2 C 386 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 1788. The result of the voyage will be seen by the following extract of his narrative, published in 1/89 :— " That the King George's Sound Company have not accumulated im- mense fortunes may perhaps be true ; but it is no less certain that they are gainers to the amount of some thousands of pounds ; and that the voy- age did not answer the utmost extent of their wishes, undoubtedly was owing to their own inexperience ; for when the King George and Queen Charlotte arrived at Canton, and even a month after that period, prime sea-otter skins sold for from 80 to 90 dollars each. Of this quality, these ships had at least 2000 on board, besides a large quantity of furs of infe- rior value : but though we could have sold our cargo with ease, we were not at liberty to dispose of one single article ; the sole management of it being vested in the hands of the East India Company's supercargoes ; and at length the skins just mentioned were sold for less than 20 dollars each*." Some time after Mr. Lapenotiere's return to England, in the King George, the late commander of H. M . armed ship Bounty also returned from the South Pacific, with an ac- count of his having been turned out of her, and obliged to cross a sea of more than 1200 leagues in an open and deeply loaded boat : — all the circumstances attending that transac- tion have been truly stated at p. 747 et seq. of Vol. II. Part II. Although the mutiny to which we allude had entirely frus- trated the designs of the British government in sending out the Bounty, yet it did not lessen their zeal for benefiting the West India islands ; accordingly, as soon as circumstances permitted, a new bread-fruit expedition was set on foot under the same commander, but who, on this occasion, was pro- vided with a tender to succour him in case of a similar mis- hap. In this tender (the Assistance of 110 tons, with a com- plement of 27 men) Mr. Lapenotiere again left England, under the command of Lieutenant Portlock, Aug. 2, 1791 ; and re- turned home with that officer, at the commencement of Aug. 1793 f. During these two interesting voyages to and -from the South Seas, Mr. Lapenotiere successively visited Guern- sey, Madeira, St. Jago, Falklands and the Sandwich islands, Cook's river, Prince William's Sound, Macao, and St. Helena ; Teneriffe, the Cape of Good Hope, Van Dieman's Land, Ota- * Portlock's Voyage round the World, p. 382. t See Vol. II. Part II. note * at p. 6^0. POSt-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 387 Ireite, Coupang (Timor), the island of St. Vincent, Jamaica, and the Grand Cayman *. In Mar. 1794, Mr. Lapenotiere joined the flag-ship of Sir John Jervis, under whom he served at the reduction of. the French West India islands, after which conquests he was pro- moted by that officer to the rank of Lieutenant, and appointed to command the Berbice schooner. He returned home as first of the Resource frigate, Captain Frederick Watkinsf. In 1800, Lieutenant Lapenotiere obtained the command of the Joseph hired cutter, in which vessel he was several times engaged with the enemy, near Brest, and when employed in affording protection to the Mediterranean trade. On each of these occasions, his gallant conduct obtained him the high approbation of his commander-in-chief, Earl St. Vincent and Sir James Saumarez : that of the Admiralty was also con- veyed to him, in a flattering letter from the former officer. The Joseph was paid off in the spring of 1802 ; and Lieu- tenant Lapenotiere soon afterwards obtained the command of another small vessel, — the Pickle schooner, mounting 10 guns, with a complement of 35 men. His exertions in saving the crew of the Magnificent 74, when that ship was wrecked near Brest, Mar. 25, 1804, obtained him very great credit. The Pickle was attached to Lord Nelson's fleet at the bat- tle of Trafalgar ; a few days previous to which great and glo« rious event, she rendered an essential service, by capturing a Portuguese settee with a cargo of bullocks from Tangier, that was endeavouring with a fresh breeze at east to work into Cadiz, where such a supply was much wanted, both by the French and Spaniards. On the ever memorable 21st Oct. 1805, observing TAchille, a French J4, in flames, Lieutenant Lapenotiere hastened to the relief of her crew, and succeeded in picking up 2 women and about 100 men who had thrown themselves into the sea. This was a dangerous service, on account of her guns * Lieutenant Portlock was made a Commander in 1 793, and promoted to post rank Sept. 28, 1799 : he died at the Royal Hospital, Greenwich, after a short but severe illness, Sept. 12, 1817. t See Vol. II, Part I, p. 1 1 et seq, 2 c 2 388 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. going off as they became heated, in consequence of which 2 or 3 British sailors lost their lives, but fortunately none of the Pickle's little crew sustained any injury. One of the women thus saved was floating on an oar, and perfectly naked ; a seaman immediately pulled off his trowsers and gave them to her : when she got on board the schooner, she immediately began to relate with much seeming pleasure, the number of men she had sent to 'the bottom, for endeavouring to take the oar from her; and she appeared as happy and contented as if nothing had happened, although her husband had fallen in the battle. In return for the humanity of their conquerors, the pri- soners, one night, were heard conversing about the practica- bility of taking the Pickle into Cadiz, they being nearly treble in number to her crew. It is scarcely necessary to add that no opportunity was afforded them of making the experi- ment, all hands being constantly kept guarding them until they were removed from her. Lieutenant Lapenotiere had the honor of bringing home Vice-Admiral Collingwood's despatches, announcing that most glorious victory ; and he was promoted to the rank of Commander immediately on his arrival, Nov. 6, 1805. The Committee of the Patriotic Fund subsequently presented him with a sword value 100 guineas. In 1806, Captain Lapenotiere was appointed to the Orestes brig, mounting 16 guns, with a complement of 95 officers, men, and boys. In that vessel he was employed on the North Sea station until the summer of 1807> when we find him attached to the armament sent against Copenhagen, under Admiral Gambier. After the evacuation of Zealand, the Orestes formed part of the squadron left in that neighbourhood to protect the trade passing through the Sound. Whilst thus employed Captain Lapenotiere was most dreadfully burnt, and otherwise much injured by an accidental explosion, as will be seen by the following copy of his official letter to the senior officer then present : — " Nov. 17, 1807. " Sir,— During the time I have been- stationed in Elsineur roads, for POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. the protection of the British trade, and the blockade of that place, 1 have frequently been obliged to stand in so close with the enemy's batteries, for the purpose of ordering away the different vessels that have anchored there during the night (not knowing of the war) , as to be much exposed to their fire, and have been frequently obliged to return it. This happened again yesterday ; and in firing one of the after guns, by some unforeseen acci- dent, it communicated to a drawer, containing the powder-horns and a few cartridges, the explosion of which, I am sorry to say, has so far dis- abled me, as to prevent, I fear, my being able to perform ray duty, for some time to come. The skin of my face, ears, and neck, is completely burnt off; and the greater part of the hair off my head, the skin of which I fear must follow. But what concerns me most, is, that I am in some danger of losing my right eye likewise. The whole of the right side of my head is much contused, by a piece of plank forced against it by the explosion. I am at this moment obliged to keep my bed. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " J. R. LAPKNOTIERE." " To Captain Thomas Staincs, H. M. S. Cyane." At the time when he met with this disaster, Captain La- penotiere was endeavouring to cut off an English vessel which had been taken by the Danes. The following is a copy of the handsome letter he received in answer to the above : " Cyane, off Helsinburgh, Nov. 18, 1807. " Dear Sir, — I was extremely concerned, by the receipt of your letter of yesterday's date, to hear of the unfortunate accident which took place on board the Orestes under your command, by the explosion of a small magazine abaft, while in the act of returning the fire from the batteries near Elsineur, in obedience to the orders which you had received from me, for the protection of the British commerce, &c. and indeed, Sir, I most sincerely lament that you are so great a sufferer on this melancholy occa- sion, but more particularly so, as I fear his Majesty will, at least for a considerable length of time, be deprived of the services of so meritorious and zealous an officer. 1 hope and trust, however, that the fears which you entertain of the loss of your right eye will soon be removed, and that your speedy recovery may enable you to continue those indefatigable exer- tions in the public service which I have, with admiration, had an opportu- nity of witnessing, since I have been favoured with your co-operation under my command. I shall take the earliest opportunity of communicating to Captain Fraser, under whose command I have the honor to be, the account of your unfortunate case ; and be assured, my dear Sir, I should feel the highest satisfaction in being able, by any means in my power, to alleviate the distressing pains which you must unavoidably suffer by an accident of so serious a description. I have the honor to be, with sincere condolence on your misfortune, &c. (Signed) " THOMAS STAINES," 390 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. After his recovery, Captain Lapenotiere was employed on the Plymouth station, where he captured la Concepcion letter of marque, mounting 12 guns ; and retook an American ship bound to Plymouth with timber. On the 9th May, 1810, la Dorade French schooner privateer, of 10 guns and 43 men, was taken by the Orestes and Favorite, the latter a ship-sloop commanded by Captain Benjamin Clement. On the 27th Oct. in the same year, being then in lat. 48° 307 IS . long. 8° 56' W. Captain Lapenotiere fell in with a brig, which, from her manoeuvres, he supposed to be a French cruiser : the Orestes immediately made sail in chase, and he had the satisfaction of bringing her to close action in less than an hour ; she kept up a smart fire for about thirty minutes, when she struck, and proved to be the Loup Garou French priva- teer, of 16 guns and 100 men ; a remarkable fine vessel, well found in every thing, and calculated to do much mischief to our trade. " This capture," says Admiral Sir Robert Calder, " does very great credit to the captain, officers, and men of the Orestes, from the prompt and neat manner in which it has been effected, without any loss to his Majesty's service ; and confirms the good opinion I have long since entertained of Captain Lapenotiere as an officer, whilst serving under my command at different times." The enemy had four men wounded, two of them dangerously. Captain Lapenotiere obtained post rank Aug. 1, 1811. He married in 1805, Mary Ann, daughter of the late Lieutenant John Graves, by whom he has had seven children. One of his sons is in the navy. HON. ALEXANDER JONES. Ninth son of Charles, fourth Viscount Ranelagh (in the Irish Peerage). This officer was born Mar. 9, 1778 ; and we first find him serving as a midshipman on board the Providence of J 6 guns, commanded by the late Captain William R.Broughton, with whom he proceeded to Nootka Sound, &c. &c. &c. *. It will * See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 865—868. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 391 be seen by reference to the note at p. 222 of Suppl. Part I., that he was serving as a Lieutenant of the Sceptre 64, when that ship was driven on shore and totally wrecked in Table Bay, Nov. 5, 1799. His commission was confirmed about May, 1799. In 1804, Lieutenant Jones, then second of the Naiad frigate, had a violent quarrel with Mr. Dean, senior Lieu- tenant of that ship, whom he struck on the quarter-deck. The parties were tried by a court-martial, at Plymouth, June 15 ; when it being proved that Lieutenant Dean had behaved in an ungentlemanly manner to his messmate, he was dis- missed his Majesty's service 5 and Lieutenant Jones, for striking his superior officer, was sentenced to be shot, but strongly recommended to mercy. His sovereign's free par- don was communicated to him on the tenth day after the trial ; and he was immediately restored to his former rank in the service. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place, Jan. 22, 1806. In June 1809, Captain Jones, then in the Talbot sloop of war, captured the Loven, a small Danish privateer, off the Naze of Norway. He obtained post rank, Aug. 1, 1811; and subsequently commanded the Levant of 20 guns. Captain Jones married, in 1807* Miss Palmer, of Ports- mouth. Agents.* — Messrs. Maude & Co. BENJAMIN CLEMENT, ESQ. Son of the late Thomas Clement, Esq. a solicitor of consi- derable eminence, and extensive practice, at Alton, in Hamp- shire ; and descended from a family of great respectability, who possessed considerable landed property at Steep, near Petersfield, in the same county. This officer was born at Alton ; and he entered the navy, in 1794, as a midshipman on board the Prince 98, Captain Charles Powell Hamilton, which ship formed part of Lord Bridport's fleet, off 1'Orient, June 23, 1795 *. * See Vol. I. Part I. p. 246. 392 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. The Prince being paid off in 1796, Mr. Clement then joined the Diana 38, and continued in that frigate, on the Irish station, till July, 1797- He subsequently served under Cap - tain Edward O'Bryen, in the Nassau of 64 guns, and Mo- narch 74, the latter ship bearing the flag of Vice- Admiral Onslow, in the North Sea fleet. In Sept. 1797? Mr. Clement was sent in the Monarch's jolly-boat to the Nassau, where his men got intoxicated, and thereby exposed both him and themselves to the most imminent peril, the night closing while he was vainly endea- vouring to regain his own ship, and the whole fleet being out of sight next morning. In this perilous situation, and without any thing to eat or drink, he remained upwards of 40 hours, but was at length picked up by the Astrasa frigate, in a dreadfully exhausted state, both from cold and hunger. We have already stated in our first volume (p. 151), that the glorious battle of Camperdown was commenced by the Monarch ; — her loss on that occasion amounted to 36 slain and 100 wounded, one of whom was the subject of this me- moir, as will be seen by the following extract of a letter from his gallant captain to Mr. Clement, senior : " My dear Sir,— In justice to your son, Mr. Benjamin Clement, I beg leave to assure you that he not only merits from me the most ample testi- mony as to his general character, but deserves to be spoken of for his spi- rited behaviour, and for his conduct when under my command on board the Monarch, on the llth October, 1797. He was wounded early in the action, and was carried off the deck to be dressed, after which he returned to his duty and carried my orders to the different parts of the ship, very much to my satisfaction, until he received a second severe wound, which pearly proved fatal, and deprived me of his further services." The first wound mentioned by Captain O'Bryen was in the left thigh ; the latter, in the head, by a musket-ball ; — in the intermediate time Mr. Clement was also slightly wounded in the left arm. On the Monarch's arrival in England, Mr. Clement re- turned to his paternal residence, where he continued until his health was re-established. The wound in his thigh compel- led him to use crutches for more than four months, and that in his head continued open, with frequent exfoliations, nearly POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 393 as long: he was of course under medical care the whole time, and consequently at a heavy expence. The committee at Lloyd's presented him with 50/. in consideration of his sufferings ; but Captain O'Bryen advised him not to accept a smart-ticket, as it might weaken his claim to promotion. Immediately after his recovery, Mr. Clement re-joined the Monarch, then commanded by Captain Archibald Colling- wood Dickson, with whom he afterwards removed to the Veteran 64, in which ship we find him at the capture of the Texel squadron, Aug, 30, J/99; and the passage of the Sound, by the armaments under Vice- Admiral Dickson and Sir Hyde Parker, in 1800 and 1801*. Previous to the battle off Copenhagen, April 2, in the latter year, Mr. Clement was sent in a flat-bottomed-boat to the division under Lord Nelson, and he had the honor of being on board the Elephant in the latter part of that sanguinary combat. He afterwards assisted in removing the riotous crew of the Provesteen, a block-ship which had been boarded, under very peculiar circumstances, by Lieutenant, now Sir Nisbet J., Willoughbyf. Some time after this event, Mr. Clement's father was gra- tified with the receipt of Captain O'Bryen's letter, of which we have already given an extract : the following is a copy of the remainder of its contents : " It is very pleasing to me to learn from Captain Dickson, that your son continues to do his duty in every particular to his satisfaction. " I am happy to say, that I feel very little the effects of the blow which obliged me to leave a set of very gallant fellows in the Monarch ; but I am advised by the faculty to keep quiet some time longer, to get perfectly sound, after which, should I enter on active service, it will give me plea- sure to take your young man again under my protection. I am, with much regard, yours, (Signed) " EDW. O'BRYEN I." Mr. Clement continued in the Veteran tilljuly 1801, when he passed his examination for a lieutenant, and was imme- diately promoted to that rank, " as a reward," said Earl St. * See Vol. I. Part II. p. 759. f See p. 117, et *eq. I Captain O'Bryen obtained the rank of Rear-Admiral, Nov. 9, 1805 ; and died at Fareham, Hants, Dec. 18, 1808. 394 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. Vincent, " due to Ms meritorious and gallant conduct." From this period, be served in the Zebra bomb, on the Bou- logne station, until the peace of Amiens. On the renewal of hostilities, Lieutenant Clement was ap- pointed to the Tonnant 80, then commanded by Sir Edward Pellew, but subsequently by Captain (now Sir Charles) Tyler ; in which ship he continued, off Ferrol, Carthagena, and Cadiz, till the commencement of 1806. The Tonnant's loss at the battle of Trafalgar amounted to 76 killed and wounded. Towards the close of that ever me- morable conflict, Lieutenant Clement was sent in the jolly- boat, with two hands, to take possession of the San-Juan Nepomuceno, Spanish 74. The boat, being damaged, swamp- ed before she reached a quarter of the way, and soon after- wards a shot knocked off her quarter ; she then turned bottom upwards, and Lieutenant Clement was obliged to hold fast by the keel until one of his men, who could swim, brought him a rope by which he was hauled on board again in a very exhausted state, some time having elapsed in consequence of the ship being still engaged with the enemy. Lieutenant Clement's next appointment was to be first of la Constance 22, Captain Alexander S. Burrowes ; but he soon left that ship in order to join the Cerberus 32, Captain William Selby, then about to sail for the Jamaica station ; where he was employed in cutting many vessels out of the enemy's harbours, particularly about the Havannah. On one occasion he appears to have been placed in a most perilous situation, a gale of wind having blown the Cerberus off the land whilst he was in a Spanish vessel that had been wrecked on the Colorados, where he remained two nights and a day without any prospect of succour. On the 18th April, 1806, Lieutenant Clement was pro- moted to the command of the Goelan brig ; but, owing to his Admiralty commission having been accidentally detained at Barbadoes, he did not join that vessel till the 21st October following. Shortly after he had done so, it was found ne- cessary to heave her down, and while under repair she lost many men through sickness and desertion. In consequence POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 395 of this he was sent to the east end of Jamaica, with direc- tions to complete his complement by impressment. The execution of these orders gave great offence to the masters of merchant vessels at Port Morant, and they re- solved to insult Captain Clement the first opportunity that offered : accordingly, on the Goelan's anchoring there a se- cond time, in order to complete her water, they took ad- vantage of his absence up the country to set a large New- foundland dog upon his gig's crew, consisting of four young lads, one of whom was bitten in a most deplorable manner. On returning to the boat, and learning what had occurred, Captain Clement remonstrated with the parties, who replied that they would serve him in the same manner, and followed up their threat by instantly collaring him, and some of his officers then on the spot. Having a horse-whip in his hand, and feeling it necessary to act in self-defence, he immediately began to exercise the same upon the ruffian who had assaulted him, and very properly gave him a sound trimming. As the case originated in impressment, however, their merchants made it a pretext for an action at law, and managed to have it tried during his absence at sea, so that not one of his own witnesses could be personally examined. A verdict of 500/. damages was given against him, and the costs amounted to nearly 200Z. more. The jury ', it should be observed, were also merchants, and equally as inimical to impressment as those who had promoted the prosecution for an assault. About this period, the Goelan's boats captured, after an arduous pursuit, the Spanish schooner Berrena, of 4 guns and 30 men, on the south side of Cuba. In the course of 1807, Captain Clement experienced a dreadful hurricane off Porto Rico, and it was with great dif- ficulty that he got back to Port Royal, with the loss of all his guns. At Jamaica, Captain Clement exchanged into the Favorite, a ship-sloop, which vessel was principally employed in pro- tecting the trade from the depredations of the enemy's pri- vateers. Whilst employed on that service, the Favorite hap- ! 396 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. pened to be at Falmouth, on the north side of the island, when a fire broke out which raged with great fury, and threat- ened destruction to all around. The moment Captain Cle- ment perceived the flames, he landed with his crew to give assistance, and by uncommon exertions succeeded in saving property to a very large amount, as well as the hospital and a great number of houses. For this service he received the following vote of thanks of the justices and vestry of Fal- mouth, inclosed in a letter from James Stewart, Esq. the Custos of that parish : tf&r M Jamaica— Trelawneg, In Vestry, 30th May, 1808. " RESOLVED, that the thanks of the justices and vestry be given to Captain Clement of H. M. S. Favorite, his officers, and ship's company, for their great exertions at the unfortunate fire on Tuesday night, the 24th instant, and that his honor the Custos be requested to communicate the same in the most acceptable manner. (Signed) " JAMES BLAIR, Clk. Vestry." On the above alarming occasion, whilst encouraging his crew in their endeavours to arrest the progress of the flames, Captain Clement fell through the burning roof of a house, and thereby suffered material injury. After the fire was sub- dued he had the mortification to see his men dying hourly of a fever, occasioned by their late fatigue 5 and he at length buried the greater part of his crew, whilst he himself reco- vered from a severe attack, contrary to all expectation. Sub- sequent to this severe visitation, he took charge of 60 mer- chant vessels, and convoyed them in safety to the place of their destination. At this time the Favorite had only 45 per- sons on board capable of doing duty ; and five stout priva- teers were constantly hovering about the convoy. In this reduced state, he found it necessary to make use of an im- press warrant, for doing which two actions were brought against him; and although the instrument was regularly signed by the Governor and Council of Jamaica, and backed by a magistrate of Montego bay, in which district it was used, his prosecutors obtaining a verdict in their favor, he was compelled to pay damages and costs, amounting in the whole to 535/., for which heavy loss, incurred in the execu- POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 39? tion of his positive duty, he has never received the least remuneration. The sickness still continuing on board his sloop, Captain Clement was obliged to return to Port Royal, where, on his anchoring, he could not muster hands enough to furl the sails. The Favorite was there re-manned by part of the crew of H. M. late ship Astraea*, and in Jan. 1809 sent to the Cura£oa station, from whence Captain Clement went on a mission to the city of Caraccas. Returning from thence, he was ordered to take command of the naval department at Cura9oa where he continued until ordered to Port Royal, where he took charge of the trade bound to England. On the passage home, Aug. 27, 1809, he encountered another dreadful hurricane, during which several of the convoy foundered, and most of the others were dismasted. The Fa- vorite also lost her top-masts and sustained considerable in- jury. After the storm, Captain Clement had to perform the arduous task of erecting jury-masts in the disabled ships under his protection ; with which, and part of four other con- voys met with at sea, he arrived in the Downs on the 18th September. During his continuance in the West Indies, Captain Cle- ment had three attacks of the yellow fever, and was once nearly drowned in consequence of his boat striking, after dark, on some sunken rocks near the island of Aruba, from which dangerous situation he was rescued by the crew of an American schooner, who heard the shouts of his people, and hastened to their assistance. Previous to his return home, Captain Clement captured the Esperance Spanish letter of marque, mounting 10 guns, with a complement of 40 men ; which vessel he burnt by orders of Captain Micaiah Malbon, commanding the Adamant 50. Peace having been established between Great Britain and Spain, though no official intelligence of such an event had reached Jamaica at this period, an action was afterwards en- tered against Captain Clement in the Vice- Admiralty Court * The Astraea 32, Captain Edmund Heywbod, was \vr6cked near Ane- gada, May 24, 1808. 398 POST-CAPTAINS Off 1811. of that island; and notwithstanding a verdict was, on this occasion, given in his favor, his law expenses amounted to 300/. Captain Clement was latterly employed on the Plymouth station, where he captured, in company with the Orestes brig, la Dorade French schooner privateer, of 10 guns and 43 men, May 9, 1810. He also re-captured several British merchantmen, destroyed some of the enemy's coasting ves- sels, and on one occasion drove a convoy on shore in a bay near the Isle of Bas, under the fire of two batteries, and in the face of a national brig and schooner. As a reward for his active and unremitted services, he was advanced to post rank Aug. 1,1811. Captain Clement married Oct. 5, 1811, Ann Mary, youngest daughter of the late William Prowting, Esq. many years a magistrate and deputy-lieutenant for Hampshire, by whom he has two sons and one daughter. Agent. — John Chippendale, Esq. HON. HENRY DAWSON. SECOND son of John, first Earl of Port- Arlington, by Ca- roline Stuart, fifth daughter of John, third Earl of Bute, K.G. and heir presumptive to his brother the present peer. This officer was born July 19, 1786; made a lieutenant Feb. 16, 1805; and promoted to the rank of commander Sept. 25, 1806. In 1808 Captain Dawson was appointed, by Sir Edward Pellew, to act as governor of the naval hospital at Madras ; • and we subsequently find him commanding the Parthian brig, on the North Sea station. He is handsomely spoken of in the public despatches announcing the evacuation of Walche- ren, in Dec. 1809, on which occasion, one division of the gun-boats ordered to cover the retreat of the rear-guard was entrusted to his charge by Commodore, now Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen. The Parthian was afterwards employed in blockading the German rivers. Captain Dawson's post commission bears date Aug. 1, 1811. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 399 He married May 20, 1813, Eliza Luttrell, daughter of Ed- mund Joshua Moriarty, Esq. by Lady Lucy, daughter of Simon, first Earl of Carhampton. His next brother, Lieu- tenant-Colonel George Lionel Dawson, acted as Quarter- Master-General to the Duke of Wellington, and was wounded at the battle of Waterloo. Agents.— Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. DONALD CAMPBELL, ESQ. ELDEST son of the late Colin Campbell, of Auchendoun, in Argyllshire, Esq. and cousin-german to the present Ge- neral Duncan Campbell, of Loch- Nell, in Argyllshire. This officer was born in 1778 ; and he first embarked, in 1791, as a midshipman on board the Assistance 50, com- manded by the late Lord Cranstoun, under whom he served until the close of the Russian armament, when we find him joining the Otter brig, Captain James Hardy. At the commencement of the French revolutionary war, Mr. Campbell proceeded to the West Indies, in the Scorpion sloop, Captain Thomas Western. Between Aug. 2, 1794, and Aug. 7> 1795, that vessel captured la Guillotine French privateer, of 10 guns ; la Victoire 18, and four others of in- ferior force. She was also very successful in recapturing British merchantmen. Early in 1796 Mr. Campbell was removed to the Swift- sure 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral William Parker, commander-in-chief at Jamaica, in which ship he was pre- sent at the unsuccessful attack upon Leogane, St. Domingo, March 22, 1796*. * A division of British and Colonial troops from the garrison at Port- au-Prince landed near Leogane on the 21st Mar., under the cover of se- veral frigates and sloops. During the greatest part of the 22d a very heavy fire was maintained from the two-deckers of the squadron ; but no impression whatever having been made by them, and the place appearing much stronger than it had been represented, the forces were judged in- adequate to the enterprise, and the troops, stores, guns, &c. were there- fore re-ernbarked. On this occasion the army lost a few men, and the squadron had several killed and wounded. Shortly after this failure, Rear- Admiral Parker was attacked with the yellow fever, which obliged him immediately to sail for England. 400 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. In Jan. 1797* Mr. Campbell again joined Captain Hardy, then commanding the Ranger sloop of war ; from which vessel our young officer was soon afterwards removed into Admiral Duncan's flag- ship, the Venerable 74. We next find him acting as lieutenant on board the Russell, another third rate, commanded by Captain (now Sir Henry) Trollope, under whom he bore a part in the glorious battle off CamperdoWn, Oct. 11, 1797' The following anecdote of that distinguished veteran has been communicated to us since we published the memoir of his services : " The squadron of observation sent by Admiral Duncan to watch the Texel, arrived off that anchorage just as the enemy's fleet had put to sea- Having reconnoitred and made out their force, a cutter was despatched to Yarmouth roads with the information, and Captain Trollope immedi- ately began his arduous task of keeping close company with the Dutch- men, by placing, and ordering the Russell to be kept 2£ miles on De Winter's weather-beam. In the evening of Oct. 9th, Captain Trollope came on the quarter-deck, and asked the officer of the watch (Mr. Camp- bell) where the Dutch admiral was ? He answered, " I saw his light a few minutes ago, but it is now tbo thick to see it.'* *' Wear ship, Sir 1" was the instant reply. This order being immediately obeyed, and the manoeuvre frequently repeated, the van of the enemy was soon discovered on the Russell's weather-bow ! Upon which, Captain Trollope having been very violent, Mr. Campbell said, " 1 hope you now see that the ship was in her station, Sir?" He acknowledged that he did; and desired Mr. Campbell to make sail and get to windward again. That being accom- plished, all the lieutenants were summoned into the captain's cabin, and addressed by him as follows — " I can easily believe that you will some night call me out of my bed, by saying, we are in the middle of the Dutch fleet ; but the officer that loses sight of the enemy I will certainly bring to a court-martial." The following morning, at day-light, Mr. Campbell reported that the Adamant was so far to leeward, that if the enemy tacked, she must be cut off. Captain Trollope coolly answered, " prepare for action, I will go down to her assistance if they make such an attempt !" On the return of the victorious fleet to port, Mr. Camp- bell passed his examination, and was immediately confirmed to the Russell, in which ship he served with the Channel fleet until his appointment to the Galatea frigate, on the Irish station, in 1799. During the winter of 1800, Lieutenant Campbell was par- ticularly recommended to the commander-in-chief by Captain POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 401 Byng, now Viscount Torrlngton, for his spirited exertions in taking possession of El Pensde, Spanish letter of marque, the performance of which service is thus noticed by his lordship : " El Pense'e was taken possession of in a very dark and tempestuous night, the Galatea being: then under a close-reefed main-top-sail, and Lieutenant Campbell, whom we hoisted out in a boat from off the booms, was upwards of an hour before he got alongside the Spaniard. No sooner had he reached the prize, than his boat was stove. The weather continued so bad that we had no communication with him for ten days, during which time he had only six men with him to navigate the ship, and to keep upwards of 20 prisoners in subjection. While between us and the prize, the boat was upwards of half an hour out of our sight, and had the enemy made sail I should have been much at a loss what to do, every one believing that the boat was swamped. It was certainly the most anxious hour of my life." In another letter, written on the same subject, we find Lord Torrington expressing himself as follows : " I never had a better officer than Campbell— both as a junior, and as my first lieutenant ; he was always active, and ever ready for service. He boarded the Spanish letter of marque when the weather was so bad that, however I might have benefited by her capture, I do not think that I should have attempted to secure her that night if he had not volun- teered. To have kept sight of her, it would have been impossible." Mr. Campbell continued in the Galatea until the peace of Amiens. The following is a copy of a letter which was writ- ten in his favor to Earl St. Vincent, July 24, 1802 : " My Lord,— I was lately solicited by the friends of Lieutenant Donald Campbell, R. N. to apply to your Lordship in his behalf ; but this I declined doing till some such certificate of his services as might be satis- factory to your Lordship and myself should be procured. " I this morning received the certificate and letter which I now have the honor to enclose, and earnestly request your Lordship's good offices in the young man's favor. The chief object of his present application seems to be that of being appointed by your Lordship to the command of one of the Admiralty cutters, intended, as is generally reported, to be stationed along the coast of Scotland, for the suppression of smuggling. " He is a connection of my family, and, as my every information leads me to believe, a very deserving officer. Should your Lordship's other en- gagements interfere with the completion of his wishes, as to the particular object I have stated, it would be adding another favor to those you have al- ready conferred on me, if your Lordship would include him in your list for SUPPL. PART II. 2 D 402 POST CAPTAINS OF 1811. employment or promotion, when an opportunity offers. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " ARGYLL ».'» To this application the First Lord of the Admiralty replied, that the documents of Lieutenant Campbell's services were very satisfactory ; that he was much inclined at all times to meet his Grace's wishes, and that as the door was then shut to promotion, he would with pleasure appoint the young man senior Lieutenant of a frigate. Mr. Campbell was accord- ingly appointed first of the Carysfort 23, and he appears to have commanded the boats of that ship at the capture of a French letter of marque, mounting 6 guns, with a comple- ment of 20 men, on the Norwegian coast, in 1803. Towards the latter end of Mar. 1804, the Carysfort sailed from Cork, in company with H. M. S. Apollo and sixty-nine sail of merchantmen, bound to the West Indies. A narrative of the disasters which befel that convoy will be found in our memoir of Captain Edward Harvey f. On his arrival at Barbadoes, Lieutenant Campbell received a letter from the Admiralty, acquainting him that he was pro- moted, and appointed to a command in the Irish Sea Fencible service. In consequence of this notification, he was superseded ; but another letter shortly afterwards arrived from the late Vis- count Melville, directing the commander-in-chief to put him into the first vacancy that should occur at the Leeward Is- lands. Lieutenant Campbell was subsequently honored with the approbation of Commodore Hood, for his gallant conduct when commanding the Tobago schooner, in a successful attack made by that vessel and the Curieux sloop upon two mer- chantmen lying under the protection of the batteries at Bar- celona, on the coast of Caraccas. In July, 1805, this zealous officer was appointed to the command of the Lily sloop, and about the same period we find him entrusted with the charge of a small armament sent * John 5th Duke of Argyll, who died May 24, 1806. t See p. 362, et seq. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 403 to assist the late General Miranda in his first endeavours to promote the independence of South America, which, after a sanguinary contest, has at length been crowned with appa- rently complete success *. Unfortunately for the subject of this memoir, his appoint- ment to the Lily was not known in England until after the impeachment of Viscount Melville ; and Lord Barham's se- cretary having neglected to lay it before the latter nobleman for confirmation, another officer was inadvertently selected to fill the vacancy, as will be seen by the following extract of a letter from Sir Alexander Cochrane, K. B. to his lord- ship's successor, dated May 6, 1806 : " I am sorry to find that an appointment has arrived for Lieutenant (now Captain) Shirreff, to supersede acting Captain Campbell, of the Lily. When I relieved Sir Samuel Hood, Lieutenant Campbell, then command- * So early as 1790, Mr Pitt had conceived the project of emancipating the colonies of South America, if the dispute with Spain, respecting Nootka Sound, should cause a war between that power and Great Britain. The plan was submitted to General Miranda and some able Jesuit mission- aries, who, when expelled from those settlements, had taken refuge in Italy ; and although suspended for a time it was not altogether abandoned. A similar scheme was imagined by Mr. Addington, in 1801, but the peace of Amiens once more prevented it from being put into execution. Participating in the general domestic gloom of 1804, and feeling the im- perative duty of taking a bold step to open other markets to our manufac- tures, Mr. Pitt had again recourse to the same expedient. Miranda was called on, and a respectable naval force was destined to accompany him, under the command of Sir Hope Popham. Many thousand stand of arms were to have been embarked for the use of those who were expected to revolt, pilots were nominated, the rendezvous was to have been at the island of Trinidad, and the debarkation was to have been effected upon the banks of the Oronoco. Such was the outline of the plan meditated in Dec. 1804, when the Diadem, a 64-gun ship, was commissioned for Sir Home Popham ; but it was deranged by many disastrous military events in Europe, and the great anxiety of our cabinet to endeavour, by friendly negociation, to detach Spain from her connection with France, a power which, by the overwhelming progress of her arms over the continent, held every state not yet conquered, in the same submission from their terror, as if Napoleon's legions had already entered their capitals. The armament subsequently sent from the Leeward Islands, under acting Captain Campbell, consisted of the Lily sloop, two gun-brigs, two smaller vessels, commanded by sub-Lieu- tenants, and Miranda's own ship, bearing the present Columbian colours, 404 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. ing the Tobago schooner, stood first in the Admiralty list to he made a commander : I therefore appointed him to the Lily, upon the removal of Captain Morrison to the Northumberland. He has been nearly twelve months commanding on the Trinidad station, where he has been particu- larly active ; and as Captain Shirreffmust have sailed in the convoy for Eng- land, not knowing of his being appointed to the Lily, the peculiar hard- ships of acting Captain Campbell's case will I hope meet with due consi- deration." In answer to this remonstrance, Viscount Howick express- ed his sorrow that such injustice had been done Mr. Camp- bell, and directed Sir Alexander Cochrane to give him the next admiralty vacancy, it not being in his lordship's power to supersede Captain ShirreflPs appointment. The Lily's pro- ceedings in July and Aug. 1806, are thus described by her acting commander : " La Villa de Coro bay (Spanish Main} $th Aug. 1806". " Sir, — I have the honor to inform you that the vessels, composing the expedition attached to General Miranda, you did me honor to place under my orders, sailed from Trinidad on the 24th July, having on board 220 officers and men of General Miranda's corps, which with 75 seamen and ma- rines of H. M. vessels at present under my command, whom I ordered to be ready to land with him, under the immediate directions of Lieutenant Bedding felt, of this ship, composed his whole force. " We anchored at Coche on the 27th, where we found the minds of the inhabitants of that island so deeply impressed with the idea that General Miranda was to put to death every man who did not or could not take up arms in his favor, that they had with a few exceptions gone to Margarita : the greatest number of the few who remained joined him, which added nine to our number. " General Miranda then, conceiving his military force unequal to re- taining possession of Cumana or Barcelona, determined to make his first debarkation in this bay, and to attack Coro, where we anchored at 9 in the night of the 1st Aug. ; but from its blowing a strong gale all the following day, and the pilots, from ignorance or intention, having anchored the vessels on a lee-shore, within a few cables' length of the breakers, 7 miles to lee- war.l of the battery intended to be attacked, and there being a strong lee current, the whole of the 2d was occupied in placing the Express, Atten- tive, and Prevost, with the gun-boats, in a proper position to effect and cover the debarkation, which was accomplished at 5 o'clock in the morning of the 3d, when the first division, composed of about 60 men of the Trini- dad volunteers, under the command of Count de Rouveray, Colonel Downie with about 60 men, and 30 seamen and marines from the Lily, under the command of Lieutenant Beddingfelt, most gallantly cleared the beach of POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 405 the Spanish force which opposed them. They then stormed and carried a sea-battery of 4 guns, 12 and 9-pounders : I have to regret that on this occasion the serjeant and 2 privates of the Lily's marines, and one sea- man, were severely wounded. You may believe that, from the time the enemy had to assemble, their numbers were very great ; but I have not been able to ascertain them. " With the assistance wf the Bacchante's boats, she arriving here, the second division, composed of the American volunteers under the command of Colonel Kirkland, and the remainder of the detachment of seamen and marines to join Lieutenant Beddingfelt, were landed 10 or 12 minutes after the first, when the enemy, great as their numbers were, retreated to the bush, and left in our possession, in two forts, 14 pieces of cannon, 12 and 9-pounders ; 7 guns dismounted, and a quantity of ammunition. " It is not possible for me to mention in too high terms the brave and officer-like conduct of Lieutenant Spearing, commanding the Express, whose very gallant behaviour I have before had an opportunity of men- tioning to you, when he commanded the Lily's boats as first lieutenant of this ship ; and I must beg leave to express in equal terms the gallant ex- ertions of Lieutenant Beddingfelt in storming the fort, and his officer- like conduct and active exertions throughout this fatiguing service, which General Miranda has had a better opportunity of observing, and has made very honorable mention of*. " The conduct and exertions of the whole of the officers and crews of the small squadron you did me the honor to place under my command, on this occasion, convinced me that on any more serious service they will strenuously support their professional character. " General Miranda, with his whole force, marched to Coro, and got quiet possession of that populous city. He has returned hither to give the inhabitants an opportunity of resuming their respective occupations, and to convince them that he is not actuated by the motives which the Spanish government has succeeded but too well in impressing upon the minds o^ the people. " The three days that Captain Dacres lay here, in the Bacchante, he gave me every assistance in his power. He is now cruising off Porto Cabello, which affords us, while here, great protection. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " D. CAMPBELL." " Hon. Sir A. Cochrane, K. B. 8fc. $c. 8fC» On the same day that the above letter was written, the commandant of Coro appeared on the sand-hills near Puerto * Lieutenant George Augustus Spearing, eldest son of Lieutenant George Spearing, of the Royal Hospital, Greenwich, was afterwards killed, whilst nobly supporting the honor of the British flag, in a gallant attempt to carry three forts in the island of Martinique. See Nav. Chron. vol. 2Q> p, 167. 406 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. della Coro, and within 3 miles of General Miranda's quarters, with a force of nearly 2000 men, including Indians, collected from all quarters ; took possession of the only watering place for the vessels under Captain Campbell's orders, and surprised the master of a transport and 14 seamen who landed in the night without his knowledge. At day-break on the 9th, a party of 20 sailors landed from the Lily, under the command of her second Lieutenant (Barclay), to endeavour to rescue the prisoners ; but unfortunately only one man reaped benefit from their exertions : 10 or 12 of the enemy were, however, killed in the skirmish which took place. The firing of the combatants being observed by General Miranda, Colonel Downie was immediately sent with 50 men to attack the enemy, if he conceived it practicable to obtain any advantage ; but from their very superior force and favor- able position, he considered it prudent to retire. The Spanish commandant was soon afterwards joined by 400 men from Maracaibo ; and a council of war being assem- bled by Miranda, it was unanimously agreed, that nothing further could be effected with so small a force as that patriotic chief then had at his disposal. The motley little army was consequently re-embarked, and conducted by Captain Camp- bell, in safety, to Aruba. We have been thus minute in our relation of the circum- stances attending General Miranda's expedition to Venezuela, in consequence of a very incorrect statement which appeared in the first number of the Naval and Military Magazine, the Annual Biography and Obituary for 1827> and various other periodicals, wherein the whole credit of the enterprise is given to Captain Dacres and his second lieutenant ; whereas the Bacchante's officers and crew, although their zeal and bravery cannot be questioned, were certainly nothing more than se- condary actors on the occasion. A sense of duty induces us to add, that Miranda entertained much more sanguine ideas of success, than his slender force warranted him in doing ; and that nothing short of 1000 soldiers, inheriting the spirit of Britons, would have enabled him to obtain possession of Ca- raccas, a city where he possessed numerous friends, but who POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 407 only wanted confidence in his strength to join him. In order to convey an idea of his popularity at Coro, we shall further add, that he always walked about the city unattended ; that he frequently passed hours together in a room crowded with Spaniards of all descriptions ; and that the officer command- ing on the sand-hills had much trouble in preventing many of the Indians from joining him. Previous to their departure from the island of Aruba, a letter was addressed to Captain Campbell by his military col- league, of which the following is a copy : " Head Quarters, Aruba, 25th Sept. 1806. <( My dear Sir, — I have to return you my best thanks for the sentiments conveyed to me in your note of the 22d instant. " Permit me at the same time to express my gratitude for the attention and kindness shewn to us on board the Lily, during the late expedition. I have no doubt that the success we did obtain on our landing at la Villa de Coro, was in a great measure owing to your wise directions, and to the courage and intrepidity of the officers and men of the navy, who accom- panied us in the land operations. " I hope that, if Great Britain continues her support to this extensive enterprise, your name, Sir, will be added (if my recommendation is attend- ed to) to those that will co-operate, under the auspices of Providence, to the execution of so humane ajid interesting an undertaking, for the glory of Great Britain and the happiness of mankind. I have the honor to be, with perfect esteem and high consideration, &c. (Signed) " FRAN. DE iMiRANDA." The following is an extract of Sir Alexander Cochrane's letter to Captain Campbell, acknowledging the receipt of his despatches from la Villa de Coro and Aruba : " I am perfectly satisfied with your conduct during the expedition j and, although it has failed, I have confidence of success whenever a sufficient force is employed. You had better come up here, to be in the way for a windfall." The high estimation in which Captain Campbell's general conduct was held by the governor, council, and merchants of Trinidad, cannot be better described than in their own terms : " Government House, Trinidad, Jan. 21, 1807. *' Sir, — It was with infinite concern I learnt that your appointment to the command of the Lily had not been confirmed at home ; which is only to be attributed to your claims as an active, zealous and meritorious officer 408 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. not having been brought timely forward before the First Lord of the Ad- miralty, on the late change of administration, but who I have understood since expressed himself to that effect to Sir Alexander Cochrane, in a letter which his lordship addressed to the Hon. Rear-Admiral. " I will not doubt, however, that the justice which is due to you will, on the earliest occasion, be evinced by an order from home, to confirm you in the first vacancy which occurs — in the mean time, I cannot deny myself the gratification of offering you my sincerest assurances of the very high opinion with which your zeal, attention, and exemplary conduct in- variably impressed me in your favour, since your first appointment to this station, until I had to regret the circumstance which was to deprive the colony under my government (for the present) of your further services. I have the honor to be, with great regard, &c. (Signed) " T. HISLOP, Governor." Extract of the Minutes of H. M. Council, held at the Go- vernment House, Jan. 21, 180J. '* Trinidad. — His Excellency the Governor having laid before the Board a letter which he proposed transmitting to Captain Campbell, late com- mander of H. M. S. Lily, expressive of his opinion of the services of that officer, which, should it accord with that of the members of the Board, he would submit to them the propriety of passing such a resolution as they may think appropriate to the occasion. " It was then resolved that this Board do most fully accord in the senti- ments expressed in his Excellency's letter addressed to that officer, and are desirous that this resolution be transmitted at the same time to Captain Campbell by the Secretary. (Signed) " By command, JOHN GLOSTER, Dep. Clk. Council." From the Merchants to Captain Campbell. " Trinidad, 24th Jan. 1807. " Sir,— We learn with regret that this island is for the present to be de- prived of your services. " This station affords few opportunities of signalizing courage, or of gaining pecuniary emolument, but calls for the exertion of vigilance, acti- vity, and judgment ; qualifications of prime utility to the service, and which, from every thing we have seen of your conduct, we conceive you eminently possess. " When on a neighbouring station, you paid particular attention to the interests of this colony, and during the short time you remained on this, though called to other duties, we have seen enough to occasion our regret at being deprived of that zeal which you have always manifested for the mercantile interest. " That promotion may soon be your reward, and that such promotion POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 409 may occasion your return amongst us, is the sincere wish of, Sir, your most obedient humble servants, &c. &c." (Signed by the principals of 48 commercial houses.) In Jan. J807, Captain Campbell was appointed to the Pert brig ; in which vessel he made many captures on the Tortola station. His commission as a commander bears date May 4, 1807. On the 16th Oct. following, the Pert was caught in a hurricane, whilst lying off the island of Margarita, in com- pany with a Spanish packet which she had just before cap- tured. Unfortunately the brig had only two anchors and cables on board ; in consequence of which, she was driven ashore and totally wrecked. By this disaster, the, master of the Pert and 12 men lost their lives ; the remainder of her officers and crew escaped with great difficulty. During the same tremendous storm, the Maria schooner, Lieutenant J. Henderson, then under Captain Campbell's orders, foundered, and every person on board of her perished. From Margarita, Captain Campbell proceeded in his prize schooner to Tortola, where he was tried by a court-martial, and most honourably acquitted. The loss of the Pert, how- ever, proved doubly mortifying to him, as he was thereby prevented from joining the Cygnet, a remarkably fine sloop, to which he had recently been appointed. Captain Campbell returned to England with the minutes of his court-martial made into a despatch, to be delivered in person at the Admiralty, and a letter of recommendation from Sir Alexander Cochrane to Lord Mulgrave, who then presided at the Board ; but he did not succeed in obtaining any further employ until his appointment to 1'Espiegle brig, in Sept. 1809. With the exception of his convoying two ships to the West Indies, and exchanging into the Port d'Espagne brig, we find no further mention of Captain Campbell until Sept. 1810, when he received a commission appointing him to the Rosa- mond sloop ; in which vessel he was again employed afford- ing protection to the trade of Trinidad, " the delicate state of matters, between the Spanish provinces on the Main and 410 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. the parent state, rendering it necessary that an officer pos- sessing temper and discretion should be sent to command upon that station *." Whilst thus employed, his attention having been called to a system of smuggling carried on in the Gulph of Paria, Captain Campbell detected two American schooners and a Trinidad sloop in the act of putting sugar on board an Amer- ican brig at anchor near the Spanish main : the whole of these vessels he seized, and carried back to the island for ad- judication ; but understanding that the Judge of the Vice- Admiralty Court had declared to the Colonial Secretary, and other persons, that he was determined to liberate them, they were again got under weigh, conducted to Grenada, and there condemned, both hulls and cargo : — this transaction led to a great deal of legal discussion, which our limits will not allow us to enter into. Captain Campbell obtained post rank Aug. 1, 1811 ; but he continued in the Rosamond until May 30, 1814, during which period he was successively employed conveying a mail and some specie from Jamaica to England, escorting various fleets of merchantmen, and protecting the fisheries on the coast of Labrador and the north shores of Newfoundland. In 1 812, he captured the Friendship, an American merchantman of near 400 tons, with a valuable cargo of naval stores, from Archangel bound to Salem. This ship he chased for 14 hours, during the whole of which time he flattered himself that he was in pur- suit of an enemy's cruiser, as she was a regular built corvette, pierced for 20 guns. Whilst in the command of the Rosamond, Captain Camp- bell received three commendatory letters from his superior officers, of which the following are copies : — " Royal William, Spithead, Dec. 31, 1812. " Sir,— Captain Brisbane having reported to me the effectual assistance he received from the exertions of yourself, the officers, and ship's com- pany under your command, when the Pembroke was on shore under Dun- nose, I have to express my satisfaction at the promptitude with which you * The above is an extract of a letter from Sir Francis Laforey, com- mander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 411 proceeded oil this service, as well as your conduct in the execution thereof. I am, Sir, &c. (Signed) " R. BICKERTON." " Rosamond, St. John's, 7th Oct. 1813. " Sir, — I have received a copy of your log, your report and observations on the fisheries on the Labrador coast, and in the straights of Belleisle, and also a sketch of the bay of PAnce a Loup, by Mr. Taylor, master of the Rosamond, together with a description of such rocks on the coast of New- foundland, not laid down in the Admiralty charts, as you or he could dis- cover, or gain intelligence of; and also a copy of the proceedings of the Surrogate Court held by you; and I approve of your conduct in the services on which you have been employed during the summer. I am, &c. (Signed; " R. G. KEATS." " Prince, Spithead, Mar. 20, 1814. " Sir, — Vice- Admiral Domett having represented to the Lords Com- missioners of the Admiralty, that the Rosamond had not lost either a man or boy by desertion during the period of two months that she had been in dock, and under refit at Plymouth ; I have it in command from their Lordships, to signify to you that they have received with great satisfaction and approbation this testimony of the good state of discipline of the ship under your command. I am, &c. (Signed) "R. BTCKEHTON." Whilst refitting at Plymouth, he also received the follow- ing from his old commander-in-chief : "London, 2d Jan. 1814. " Dear Campbell,— -I have just time to say, that I will try to get you on the North American station. — I hope they will send you out. (Signed) "ALEX. COCHRANE." In May 1814, the declining health of his wife induced Captain Campbell to give up the command of the Rosamond ; but after her demise, he gladly accepted an offer made him by Sir Richard G. Keats, who expressed a wish to have him again under his command, and spontaneously undertook to procure him a ship if he would consent to return to New- foundland. The late Sir George Hope was spoken to on this subject by Sir Richard, but the appointment never took place. We have inserted the foregoing letters, and mentioned this circumstance, in order to shew that Captain Campbell was fortunate enough always to enjoy the good opinion of his su- perior officers. In 1822, Captain Campbell was appointed Inspecting 412 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. Commander of the Coast Guard at Stranraer, N. B. from whence he removed to the Aberdeen district in 1826. The subject of this memoir married, 1st, in 1808, Ann, daughter of the late Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, Bart., which lady died April 11, 1815, leaving one son and two daughters : 2dly, Aug. 19, 1819, Isabella, daughter of John Campbell, of Craignure, Argyllshire, Esq., by whom he has seven children. His eldest son, Colin, is now serving as a midshipman on board the Ocean 74. One of Captain Campbell's brothers, the senior captain of the 59th regiment, died in consequence of wounds he re- ceived, when landing with the grenadiers of that corps, at Java, in 1811. Another brother was severely wounded at the storming of St. Sebastian, and appears to have been the only officer of the grenadier company, 2d battalion 59th regiment, who survived that attack ; he afterwards suffered much from the Walcheren fever, which ultimately caused his death. The following are extracts of a letter from his commanding officer to the Colonel of the 59th, written after the battles near Bayonne, Dec. 9, 10, and 11, 1813 :— " You will find some difficulty in giving credit to my assertion, that the 59th regiment have outdone their former exploits of Vittoria and St. Se- bastian, yet nothing can be more true ; not merely in my opinion, but in that of Lord Wellington, as well as Sir John Hope, who were spectators of the conduct of the brigade, during three days hard fighting. * * * * * *. You will see by the return herewith enclosed, how severe the loss of the 69th has been in officers ; I wish I could do justice to their merits, but their praise is in better hands. Lord Wellington and Sir John Hope are lavish in encomiums upon their obstinate valor — it certainly never was surpassed. »»*•*». Lieutenant Campbell, of the gre- nadiers, for whom I have long been most warmly interested, is also among the wounded, and but lately recovered from a wound he received on the breach of St. Sebastian's, where he remained, cheering on his men, until the town was fairly in our possession. He has acted as adjutant for some time, and has exhibited qualities, in that situation, equal to his spirit in the field, which is in the true style of a British grenadier. I think this young man so deserving of promotion, that I wish to exert all the interest I am master of, to that end. He has a strong desire to get into the 104th regi- ment, or the Glengarry Fencibles; and as he has a thorough knowledge of all the northern parts of America, lie might be truly useful in that country just now j for to local information, he adds every military requisite. Do POST-CAPTAJNS OF 1811. 413 not therefore think me presuming too far, when I solicit your influence in his favor." The excellent young officer, thus highly eulogised, died a subaltern! Captain Campbell's youngest brother, Duncan, was made a Lieutenant July 10, 1826, and he at present com- mands the Monkey schooner, 01} the West India station. Agent.— Sir F. M. Ommanney. HENRY HART, ESQ. THIS officer is descended from Sir Harry Hart, who was a knight of the bath about 1650. That branch of the family to which he belongs formerly resided in Kent, but his father, the late Richard Hart, Esq. was settled at Uckfield, co. Sussex, and married Miss Blackman, whose sister, we be- lieve, was the lady of the late Sir Thomas Miller, of Froyle, near Alton, in Hampshire, Bart. Mr. Henry Hart entered the navy in 1796? as a midship- man on board the Indefatigable frigate, Captain Sir Edward Pellew, with whom he continued until the peace of Amiens*, when he joined the Foudroyant 80, bearing the flag of Lord Keith, on the Mediterranean station. From that ship he was promoted into the Medusa frigate, June 1802. It is unnecessary, in this place, to recapitulate the services in which Mr. Hart participated, while serving under the com- mand of Sir Edward Pellew: the manner in which the Me- dusa was employed will be seen by reference to an enlarged memoir of Vice-Admiral Sir John Gore, at the end of Supp. Part II. On the arrival of the Medusa at Madras, Lieutenant Hart met there the sincere and valuable friend under whose auspices he had first become a sailor, and who was then commander-in- chief on the East India station. By that officer he was immediately received on board the Culloden 74, as flag-lieutenant; and afterwards successively appointed acting-captain of the Duncan, Caroline, and Fox frigates. * See Viscount Exraouth. 414 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. The Caroline formed part of the squadron under Sir Ed- ward Pellew, at the total extermination of the Dutch naval force in India, Dec. 11, 1807*. The boats of the Fox captured and brought out from under the batteries at Sapara, la Car- ravanne, a French vessel mounting eight 4-pounders, from Batavia, bound to Sourabaya, Mar. 23, 1809. After serving nearly four years as an acting-captain, ill health obliged this officer to leave the East Indies,' and on his return home he had the mortification to find that Lord Mulgrave had only confirmed him as a commander, by com- mission dated Oct. 12, 1807- That nobleman's successor, however (the Right Hon. Charles Yorke), received him in the most handsome manner ; immediately appointed him to the Thracian brig, of 18 guns ; and followed up his disinte- rested kindness, by advancing him to post rank, on the 1st Aug. 1811. Captain Hart's next appointment was, Dec. 10, 1813, to the Revenge 74, bearing the flag of his friend Sir John Gore, on the Mediterranean station. In Mar. 1818, the same offi- cer nominated him to be his flag-captain at Chatham, but a recent regulation at the admiralty prevented this arrange- ment from being carried into effect. He subsequently com- manded the Sapphire 26, on the Jamaica station, from whence he returned home invalided, as a passenger on board the Tartar frigate, Aug. 28, 1820. Agents. — Messrs. Cooke, Halford, and Son. CORBET JAMES D'AUVERGNE, ESQ. Ranger of the Island of Jersey and its Dependencies. SON of the late Charles d'Auvergne, Esq. (a descendant of the celebrated Godfrey, first Duke of Bouillon, in France) f by his second wife Bandinel, daughter of the Seigneur de Melesches, the head of one of the most ancient families in Jersey. We first find this officer commanding the Aristocrat hired * See Suppl. Part I, p. 404, et seq. t See p. 192. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 415 armed brig, and capturing a French gun-vessel, off Cape Frehel, Feb. 19, 1800, at which period he was employed under the orders of his half-brother, Philip d'Auvergne, whom the reigning prince of Bouillon had some years before formally adopted as his son and successor, conformably to precedents established in that duchy so far back as the time of the crusades. Lieutenant d'Auvergne 's next appointment appears to have been to the Severn 44, bearing the broad pendant of the same officer on the Jersey station ; and if we mistake not he was the senior officer on board that ship when she was driven ashore and wrecked, in Grouville Bay, Dec. 21, 1804. He subsequently served as first-lieutenant of the Majestic 74, flag- ship of Vice- Admiral Thomas Macnamara Russell, who makes the following handsome mention of him in his official letter reporting the capture of Heligoland, Sept. 5, 1807 : — " I have appointed Lieutenant d'Auvergne as acting governor until their lordships' pleasure is known ; and I beg leave to add, that from his perfect knowledge of both services, his zeal and loyalty, and a high sense of honor, I know no seaman more competent to the trust." The subject of this sketch was made a commander Oct. 13, 1807, and continued at Heligoland for some time after his promotion. On leaving that island he received a very flattering address from the magistrates, aldermen, and other principal inhabitants. He subsequently commanded the Au- tumn sloop of war. Captain d'Auvergne obtained post rank, Aug. 1, 1811; and died at Havre, Feb. 2, 1825. A memoir of his brother's services will be found in the Nav. Chron. vol. 13, pp. 169-191, and vol. 36, p. 264. GEORGE HENDERSON, ESQ. Son of John Henderson, Esq. many years secretary to Ad- miral Lord Bridport. This officer entered the navy, about 1797, as a midshipman on board the Royal George, of 100 guns, bearing the flag of that highly distinguished veteran, whose steady friendship he 416 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. ever after was honored with. From Nov. 1800, until the peace of Amiens, we find him serving in the Belleisle 74, com- manded, except for two short periods, by Captain William Domett *. He subsequently proceeded to the Leeward Is- lands, as master's-mate, in the Ulysses 44, fitted for the broad pendant of Commodore Samuel Hood, in which ship he was present at the capture of Tobago, July 1, 1803 t. After that event Mr. Henderson returned home, for the pur- pose of passing his examination at the Navy Office ; and he had no sooner done so, than he proceeded to rejoin Commo- dore Hood, by whom he was made Lieutenant into the Alli- gator 28, armed enflute^ by commission dated Jan. 28, 1804. In that ship, commanded by Captain Charles Richardson, he assisted at the reduction of Surinam, May 5, 1804 J. Lieutenant Henderson was next appointed to the Centaur 74, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Samuel Hood, who had just before been created a K. B. for his numerous gallant and valuable services, but whose naval rank did not admit of his being much longer continued as comnmnder-in- chief at the Leeward Islands. After Sir Samuel's departure for England, the Centaur accompanied Rear-Admiral Cochrane to Jamaica, in pursuit of the celebrated Rochefort squadron § ; a circumstance not noticed in our memoir of her captain, the present Sir Murray Maxwell. Early in 1806, Lieutenant Henderson had the happiness to find himself again under the command of Sir Samuel Hood, who was at that period appointed captain of the Centaur, then at Plymouth, and placed under the orders of Earl St. Vin- cent, who sent him with a squadron of seven sail of the line, and some small vessels, to watch the motions of the enemy at Rochefort. The capture of four heavy French frigates (full of troops, stores, arms, ammunition, and provisions) by the Centaur, Monarch, and Mars, Sept. 25, in the same year, have been described at p. 570 et seq. of Vol. I. Part II. On * See Vol. I. p. 247, et seq. f See Id. p. 481. I See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 797— SOU h See Vol. I, p. 261. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 417 that occasion, Sir Samuel Hood received a severe wound in his right arm, which was afterwards taken out of the socket by his able surgeon, Mr. Richard Daly, to whom he presented a valuable pocket chronometer as a token of the high sense he entertained of his very great skill and attention *. Sir Samuel Hood's despatches respecting this important capture were conveyed to the fleet off Brest by the subject of this memoir, who although only fifth Lieutenant of the Centaur, was shortly afterwards directed to perform the duty of first. In the early part of 1807, Sir Samuel Hood again com- manded a squadron employed in cruising between Madeira and the Canary islands. We next find his broad pendant flying in the armament sent against Copenhagen ; and on his return from the Baltic, after the surrender of the Danish navy, and his promotion to a flag, he was sent to take possession of Madeira, in conjunction with Major-General (now Lord) Ber- esford, a measure rendered necessary in consequence of the 1 occupation of Portugal by the French : — this latter service was performed, without opposition, Dec. 26, 1807. The fol- ' lowing is an extract of Sir Samuel's official letter to the Ad- miralty, dated on the 29th of that month : — " I have to express my entire satisfaction of the captains, officers, and men of his Majesty's ships on this service ; and I send my first Lieutenant, George Henderson, with this despatch. He is a very excellent officer, and I must refer their Lordships to him for any further information j I beg leave to recommend him to their Lordships' notice." Lieutenant Henderson arrived at the Admiralty Jan. 22, 1808 ; on which day a commission was signed promoting him to the rank of Commander. From this period we lose sight of Captain Henderson till the summer of 1809, when he was placed under the orders of Captain Nicholas Tomlinson, who had been selected to com- mand the fire-vessels attached to the Walcheren expedition. The wind-up of his services in the Scheldt is thus officially described by the late Vice-Admiral Otway : — * Richard Daly, M. D. is now a practitioner in the Old Kent Road, and the author takes this opportunity of publicly acknowledging how much lie likewise is indebted to his abilities and care, particularly during a long and serious illness with which he was afflicted in the year 1826. SUPPL. PART II. 2 E 418 POST-CAPTAINS OF 181 1. " The transports necessary for the embarkation of the army having ar- rived the 25th Nov. on the following day the measures that I had pre- viously concerted with Lieutenant-General Don, for the destruction of the basin, arsenal, and sea defences of Flushing-, agreeably to instructions from the Earl of Liverpool, dated the 13th, and received on the 17th, were begun. " On this service, 600 seamen and artificers from the fleet were employ- ed, under the orders of Captain Moore of H. M. S. Marlborough, assisted by Captains Tomlinson and Henderson, of the fire-ship service. The navy having completed the portion of work allotted to them, and Lieutenant- Colonel Pilkington, commanding the royal engineers, having reported to Lieutenant-General Don, that his mines for the destruction of the gates and piers at the entrance of the basin were ready, the whole of the armyr with the exception of the rear-guards, was embarked on the afternoon of the 9th instant. " The mines were exploded yesterday *, and appear to have fully an- swered their object : the whole of the east side of the basin had been pre- viously completely destroyed ; but as the port of Flushing, west of the basin, lies considerably below the high water mark, any material injury of the west bank would have caused the immediate inundation of the whole town ; therefore our work on that side has been confined to the demolition of the careening wharf and pits. " It was at first intended to defer the burning of the store-house and other buildings in the arsenal until our final departure ; but, from the probability that with a strong east wind the flames might communicate to the town, the whole was set fire to yesterday, and is totally destroyed. , " Thus Flushing is rendered useless to the enemy as a naval arsenal ; and the basin which afforded a very secure retreat for several ships of the line during the winter, is for the present effectually destroyed, and can only be restored by great labour, and at an immense expense. " I cannot conclude without expressing my great obligations to Cap- tain Moore, for the able assistance he has rendered me in the performance of a very complicated service ; and he speaks in terms highly satisfactory of the conduct of Captains Tomlinson and Henderson, and the other offi- cers who served under his orders on shore. (Signed) " W. A. OTWAY f." Captain Henderson's next appointment was, in 1810, to the Eclipse brig, of 18 guns. After assisting at the capture of the Isle of France, he returned home acting in the Nereide * Dec. 10, 1809. t Vice-Admiral William Albany Otway died at Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, July 30, 1815. He had suffered several attacks of the Walcheren fever since he returned from that expedition; indeed it is believed by his friends, that he never perfectly recovered from it. POST -CAPTAINS OF 1811. 419 frigate, formerly la Venus *, which ship he put out of com- mission in May, 1811. His promotion to post-rank took place Aug. 1st following. On the 23d June, 1813, Captain Henderson was appointed to the Acorn of 20 guns ; from which ship he removed, April 20, 1814, to the Minden 74, bearing the flag of his valuable friend Sir Samuel Hood, then commander- in-chief on the East India stationf. Shortly after the demise of that great officer and most excellent man, he exchanged with Captain Donald Hugh Mackay, into the Malacca 42, which frigate he paid off in June, 1815. Captain Henderson married, Nov. 26, 1817* Frances, eldest daughter of Edmund Walcott, of Winkton, near Christchurch, Hants, Esq. and sister to Captain John Edward Walcott, R. N. by whom he has three sons and one daughter. One of his sisters is married to Captain William Henderson, R. N. THOMAS TUDOR TUCKER, ESQ. THIRD son of Henry Tucker, Esq. many years president of the council, treasurer, and secretary at the Bermudas, where he also held the reins of government at various pe- riods, by Frances, eldest daughter^ of his Excellency George Bruere, the governor of those islands. Mr, T. Tudor Tucker was born at the official residence of bis maternal grandfather, but at what period it is not in our power to state. He entered the navy towards the close of 1793, previous to which he had made one voyage to China* and another to Bombay, as a midshipman in the service of the Hon. East India Company. The first king's ship in which he embarked was the Argo 44, Captain William Clarke, then about to sail from the Nore for the purpose of affording protection to the homeward-bound Baltic trade. He after- * See Vol. I. Part II. p. 630. f Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood died at Madras, Dec. 24, 1814. In him it may truly be said, that the British nation lost one of its most ex- perienced and gallant defenders, a long.tried friend and companion of the immortal Nelson. 2 «2 420 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. wards successively joined the Jason frigate, Sampson 64, Victorious J4, and Monarch, of similar force, the latter third rate bearing the flag of Sir George Keith Elphinstone, commander-iii-chief at the Cape of Good Hope. During the operations which led to the capture of that colony, he served on shore with the seamen and marines landed to co- operate with the small military force under Major-General Craig*. Early in 1 796 Mr. Tucker passed his examination for a lieutenant ; Sir George K. Elphinstone having directed that the time he had served in the Hon. Company's service should be admitted by the passing captains. In addition to this extraordinary mark of favor, he was immediately afterwards promoted into the Suffolk 74, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Rainier. Mr. Tucker's next appointment was to the Swift sloop, Captain Thomas Hayward, and he appears to have quitted that vessel at Madras only a few days previous to her sailing from thence on a cruise in the China seas, since which she has never been heard of: the name of her unfortunate com- mander is frequently mentioned in our memoir of Captain Peter Heywoodf . Mr. Tucker's removal from the Swift was occasioned by a complaint of the liver, which induced Captain William Clarke to request that he might be appointed to the Victorious, as she would be a more comfortable ship for him in such a cli- mate : this application was readily granted by Rear- Admiral Rainier, and he accordingly rejoined his first patron, with whom he continued to serve until a second attack of the liver, in 1799, rendered it advisable for him to exchange into the Sceptre 64, then under orders for England. At this pe- riod the commander-in-chief was about to receive him into his flag- ship on promotion. On the 19th Sept. 1799, Mr. Tucker commanded the boats" of the Sceptre at the capture and destruction of FEclair,, French brig privateer, mounting 10 guns, with a comple- * See Vol. I. Part I, pp. 47—49. t See Vol. II. Part II. p. 762, et seq. POSt-CAPTAlNS OF 1811. 421 merit of 83 men, moored close to the shore, within a reef of rocks, at the island of Rodriguez : the manner in which this service was executed will be seen by reference to p. 116, et seq. where we have also noticed the loss of the Sceptre in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, Nov. 5, 1799. On the day previous to that melancholy disaster, Mr. Tucker, then acting as second lieutenant, requested Captain Edwards to grant him permission to attend a ball that was to be given on shore, saying he would not leave the ship until the business of the day was finished, and promising to return on board at day-light the next morning, in order to attend to his duty as the executive officer, the first lieutenant being at sick-quarters. Captain Edwards told him in reply, that as the third and fifth lieutenants were also on shore, and his standing orders were, that the ship was never to be left without at least two lieutenants and the master, he did not like to deviate from them. Mr. Tucker had previously sent to the third lieutenant to come on board in the evening and relieve him, but, as a ball was pending, he had no expecta- tion that his request would be complied with : however, while the ship's company were at their supper, he was agreeably surprised to see his messmate come alongside, and he soon afterwards went on shore, leaving orders for a boat to be sent to bring him off at day-light. During the night it came on to blow very hard ; and next morning, on repairing to the place where he expected a boat would be, Mr. Tucker found such a sea running that it was utterly impossible for one to approach the shore, and he could perceive the people on board the Sceptre busily employed in striking lower-yards and top-masts : the wind continued to increase during the day, until it blew a hurricane, and the sea to roll in from the ocean, in almost resistless billows : before 8 P. M. the Sceptre and most of the vessels in the bay were ashore ; she soon went to pieces, and her captain, the third and fourth lieute- nants, the master, the captain's son and three other mid- shipmen, two warrant officers, and about 280 of her crew perished. A list of those who escaped this terrible catas- trophe will be found at p. 222 of Suppl. Part I. 422 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. Mr. Tucker returned home with despatches from Sir George Yonge, governor of the Cape, who entrusted them to his charge in hopes that the expenses of his voyage would be paid by government ; an expectation that was not realized. On his arrival in London, May 1800, Mr. Tucker was ob- liged to pass another examination at Somerset Place, the Lords of the Admiralty having refused to make any allow- ance for the time he had served at sea previous to his entering the navy. Having done so, he was immediately appointed a lieutenant of the Prince George 98, forming part of the Channel fleet, under the command of Earl St. Vincent. At the close of the French revolutionary war we find him serving as fourth of the Prince, a very dull sailing ship of similar force, in which he received a rupture, through great exertion and anxiety to keep her in her station. Lieutenant Tucker's next appointment was to the North- umberland 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral the Hon. Alexander Cochrane. In May, 1805, he assisted at the cap- ture of a French privateer, near St. Domingo, by the boats of the Unicorn frigate; the manner in which that service was performed will be seen by the following extract of an official letter written by Captain Lucius Hardyman : " On the morning of the 6th instant, a strange sail was seen on the larboard bow, distant 7 or 8 miles ; having then light-airs, inclinable to calm, and perceiving the stranger was using every effort with his sweeps to escape, I directed Mr. Henry Smith Wilson, first lieutenant, assisted by Messrs. James Tait and Henry Bourchier, second and third lieutenants, and backed by the volunteer services of Lieutenant Thomas Tudor Tucker, a passenger belonging to H. M. S. Northumberland, Lieutenant Walter Powell, R. M. and Mr. Charles Rundle, purser of H. M. S. under my command, to proceed with four boats, and endeavour to come up with the chase. The cool and determined manner in which this service was per- formed, after a pull of many hours, and the strong opposition they met with, induce me thus publicly to express my approbation of every offi- cer, seaman, and marine engaged in it ; and I am happy to add that no lives were lost upon the occasion." The privateer proved to be le Tape-a-bord, mounting four 6-pounders, with a complement of 46 well-armed men. Lieutenant Tucker, who commanded one of the above boats, POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 423 was then proceeding with despatches from his Admiral to Sir John B. Warren. After the action off St. Domingo, Feb. 6, 1806 *, the sub- ject of this memoir was appointed to the command of the Dolphin 44, armed en flute, in which ship Rear- Admiral Coch- rane hoisted his flag while the Northumberland went to Antigua, for the purpose of repairing her damages. He was subsequently appointed in succession, by that officer, to the Dart, Curieux, Epervier, and Cherub sloops of war ; but his commission as a Commander was not confirmed until Feb. 15, 1808. Captain Tucker assisted at the capture of Martinique, in 1809f, and was subsequently placed under the orders of Cap- tain Philip Beaver, senior officer of the squadron employed in the blockade of Basse Terre, Guadaloupe. The Cherub had not been long with the above squadron before Captain Tucker, and Captain William Dowers, of the Julia brig, volunteered to go in with their vessels, and board and bring out two French frigates, then lying at Basse Terre under the protection of a very strong fort on the high land commanding that anchorage. Their spirited offer was readily accepted by Captain Beaver, who sent 60 of his own ship's company to the Julia, and offered the Cherub as many as her commander wished ; but none were accepted by him, as his officers and crew expressed a desire to have all the glory of the enterprise to themselves. After waiting many days for a favorable opportunity to make the attempt, Captain Tucker at length had the pleasure to observe that the wind blew home into the roadstead, and he immediately made the ap- pointed signal to his consort. Both sloops stood towards the frigates with as much wind, as enabled them to carry top- gallant-sails over single- reefed top-sails close hauled, received the fire of two batteries in passing them, and was confidently expecting to be soon alongside the enemy, when their sails suddenly flapped to the masts, and they were left without so * See Vol. I. Part 1. pp. 261—263 ; and Vol. II. Part I. note f at p. 280. f See Vol. I. Part I. p. 264. 424 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. much as a breath of wind. In this unlooked-for and most mortifying predicament, Captain Tucker, with great presence of mind, immediately ordered the helm to be put hard a-star- board, by which decisive measure the vessels got out of gun- shot of a third heavy battery, then just opening upon them, before they lost their way. Captain Beaver was an eye-wit- ness to the movements of the Cherub and Julia; and he afterwards told Captain Tucker that the promptitude with which he had extricated them from their perilous situation was deserving of the highest praise; that as much credit was due to him as if he had brought out the frigates, and that he would duly report his conduct. All who are acquainted with the anchorage at Basse Terre, must be aware of the difficulty of an enemy getting into that roadstead, as the high land commanding it occasions constant baffling winds and calms. Highly as Sir Alexander Cochrane admired Captain Tucker's heroic attempt, he gave strict orders that it should not be repeated. Captain Beaver, however, determined, if possible, to destroy the French frigates, and for that purpose he directed the Unique brig to be prepared as a fire-vessel ; her unavoidable destruction, before she could reach the ene- my, has been related at p. 322. On the 14th June, 1809, the guard-boats of the blockading squadron gave notice that both the frigates were getting under weigh. As the night was extremely dark, and the enemy had the choice of several passages, it was a matter of opinion with the different British captains which they would prefer. The Cherub immediately made all sail to the northward, and continued steering the same course until sun- set next day, when her commander discovered the fugitives under St. Mar- tin's, with their heads to the southward. Considering this only a feint to deceive him, he stood on, ran through the Sambrero passage, and at dawn of day, on the 16th, perceived them right a-head, but not a single British ship or vessel in sight. The enemy were now so near to the Cherub that Captain Tucker thought his crew would scarcely have time to breakfast ; but still he was determined that they should have their meal before they went into action, and he was POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 425 equally resolved to engage the enemy, in hopes of crippling them so as to render their ultimate capture certain. Unfor- tunately, the wind began to moderate, and as it slackened the frigates increased their distance : whenever it freshened again for a short time, the Cherub had evidently the advan- tage of sailing. At 2 P. M., the Latona frigate was seen from the mast head, coming up on the lee- quarter. At sun- set, the enemy's manoeuvres led Captain Tucker to believe that they intended altering their course after dark ; and as he thought it probable that they would separate, he considered it most expedient to keep a little to windward. When dark enough not to be observed by the Frenchmen, he hauled up as close as he could without taking in his royal, top-gallant, and fore-top-mast-studding sails ; on the morning of the 17th, he had the mortification to find that they had both escaped him. It subsequently appeared that one of the frigates bore up after dark, and at midnight found herself alongside of the Latona, Captain Hugh Pigot, who very soon captured her : the other braced sharp up, and was intercepted by the Bonne Citoyenne sloop of war, between Bermuda and Halifax *. The subject of this memoir assisted at the reduction of Guadaloupe, in 1810 ; and remained on the Leeward Islands' station, under the orders of Sir Alexander Cochrane and his successor, Sir Francis Laforey, in consequence of whose re- port to the Admiralty, of the excellent state in which the Cherub was kept, and the discipline of her crew, their Lord- ships were pleased to direct that she should be rated as a post-ship, and signed a commission promoting Captain Tucker to that rank, and continuing him in the same command, Aug. 1, 1811. At the end of Sept. 1812, the Cherub returned to England with ninety- six sail of merchantmen under her protection. Captain Tucker was immediately ordered to refit her for foreign ser- vice ; and in a little more than two months he sailed for the South American station. During the time that his ship was in dock, at Portsmouth, her crew were allowed a month's leave of * See Captain WILLIAM MOUNSEY, C. B. 426 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. absence to see their friends ; and although they were aware that she was again going abroad, not a man was absent from his duty at the time of her departure. On his taking leave of Sir Richard Bickerton, who then commanded at that port, Cap- tain Tucker mentioned this circumstance, and reminded him that although his people had so recently returned from the West Indies, where many of them had served at least seven years, in the Epervier and Cherub, he was about to quit England without having asked for, or wished to obtain a single man from the flag-ship •! The port-admiral replied that it was so rare an instance, he would make a point of re- porting it officially. We should here observe, that when Captain Tucker removed into the Cherub, about Dec. 1808, most of the Epervier's officers and the whole of her crew vo- lunteered to follow him, notwithstanding that that brig was then under orders to return home, and his new sloop had but just arrived on the station ! We next find Captain Tucker employed in the Pacific Ocean. On his arrival at Lima he was informed that salted provisions were not to be procured there, and he therefore determined to reserve all that remained on board for the pas- sage back round Cape Horn. He also attempted to add to that stock, which was only sufficient for six weeks' consump- tion at full allowance ; but although various modes were tried, every attempt failed, owing to the excessive heat of the weather ; and he was consequently obliged to adopt the plan of the Spaniards, who supply their vessels with beef cut in slices, and dried in the sun until it becomes as hard as wood. This substitute for salt- meat is then packed in matting, but from its nature must not be stowed in the hold, or between decks. Shortly after his departure from Valparaiso, and a few days before the last of the oxen taken on board there was slaught- ered, the rain which fell for many hours had such an effect up- on that contained in the mat packages, all of which were stowed on the main-deck, about the booms, &c. as to make it emit such a horrible smell, that many officers would doubt- less have ordered the whole to be thrown overboard : Captain POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 427 Tucker, however, took advantage of the first fine day to ex- pose it to the sun, when it very soon lost the offensive smell, resumed its former solidity, and was again re-packed. Not- withstanding this, he was afraid that the ship's company might have a dislike to eat it, and he therefore directed all the officers to make a point of doing so ; his steward was likewise told to have nothing else cooked for the use of the cabin on the day when it was to be first made use of. When that time arrived, not a man appeared in the galley to claim the meat for his mess, nor was a single piece of it taken away even after it had been surveyed and reported " wholesome food, fit for men to eat." The first Lieutenant was then de- sired by Captain Tucker to allow it to remain in the cook's charge until the usual hour for mustering at quarters, and then to throw whatever remained unclaimed overboard. On the 2d, 3d, and 4th days, the meat was cooked as before, but still no demand was made for it by any of the messes, the ship's company preferring to dine on biscuit and grog alone. On each of those days the quantity cooked was again properly surveyed, and ordered to be disposed of as before. In the afternoon of the latter day, however, a marine said to one of his companions that he was very hungry, and as the Captain and officers eat the beef every day he would go and do the same ; his messmate replied, " if you do, you will be severely punished by the ship's company;" which threat he immedi- ately reported to the officer of the watch, who lost no time in making the circumstance known to Captain Tucker. The marines were instantaneously ordered to be got under arms, and preparation was made for punishment. On the offender being brought to the gangway, Captain Tucker told him that he was not going to flog him for declining to eat the meat, but for presuming to assume an authority which was alone vested in his captain ; and which power, added he, " I will not resign to any one, as long as I have a head on my shoulders." He then ordered the boatswain of the Cherub to give the first dozen lashes ; the boatswain's -mates followed in succession, and the prisoner received as severe a punishment as he thought himself authorized in inflicting. Captain 428 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. Tucker next addressed himself to the ship's company in terms nearly as follow : « jyjy ladgj — You have now been under my command between five and six years ; and during that time you must have observed that I have ever made it a study, as it was my duty, always to get for you the best provi- sions that could possibly be procured ; I need not add, that it has always afforded me the most heartfelt satisfaction so to do, and to see you com- fortable and happy : the meat that you have refused to eat for the last four days, and which your captain and officers have eaten, was the only substi- tute for salt provisions that could be obtained in the Pacific; I believe that I have been brought up from my birth to eat as delicate food as any of you, yet I have made four dinners on that which you do not think good enough for you, and I most fervently pray to God to grant that I may never fare worse than I have this day done on that very beef. It is far from my intention to compel you to eat it, if you prefer dining on biscuit and grog ; but if you expect that I will allow the salt provisions now in the hold to be used until we arrive in those high latitudes where this beef cannot be preserved, you are very much mistaken :— return to your various duties." This firmness on the part of Captain Tucker was produc- tive of the desired effect: next day the beef was demanded by every mess, immediately after piping to dinner, and the men continued to eat it unt.i their arrival at the Sandwich Islands, where a stock of excellent pork was procured for ge- neral use. It must be allowed by all who have any know- ledge in these matters, that prompt, determined, and decisive conduct is absolutely necessary in such cases ; but justice demands that we should not attribute the conduct of the Cherub's crew, on the above occasion, to a mutinous spirit, but merely to the disgust occasioned by the beef's intolerable smell when moistened by the rain. Their attachment to Captain Tucker may be fairly inferred from what we have stated in the first paragraph at p. 426. Captain Tucker was severely wounded in both legs at the commencement of the action with the United States' frigate Essex, off Valparaiso, Mar. 28, 1814, the official account of which will be found at p. 861 et seq. of Vol II. Part II. On that occasion he returned upon deck the moment his wounds were dressed, and continued there, " using every exertion against the baffling winds and occasional calms, to close near POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 429 the enemy," until he had the satisfaction to see the American colours lowered. The Cherub returned home from Brazil in charge of a large fleet of merchantmen, and Captain Tucker was afterwards successively appointed to the Andromeda and Comus, each rated at 22 guns. He has not been employed since the end of May, 1816. This officer married, Jan. 23, 1811, Anne Byam, eldest daughter of the late D. Hill, Esq. a merchant and land pro- prietor in the island of Antigua, by whom he has issue two sons and three daughters. His eldest brother, Henry St. George Tucker, is a Director of the Hon. East India Com- pany ; his second brother, George, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the army, and Assistant-Adjutant-General to the forces under Sir Arthur Wellesley, perished in the Primrose sloop of war, when returning to the peninsula, after a short leave of ab- sence*. His next brother, Lieutenant-Colonel John G. P. Tucker, has served in India and at the Cape of Good Hope, at Monte Video, in Canada, and in France ; the next, Captain Nathaniel B. Tucker, Brigade-Major to Sir M. Nightingale, shared the melancholy fate of his brother George ; the next in point of age, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Hon. E. I. C. service, arid Deputy-Quarter-Master-General at the presiden- cy of Bombay, died at sea, when returning home on leave of absence, in 1826 ; the next, Captain Charlton B. Tucker, of the dragoons, served as aide-de-camp to Sir M. Nightingale when that officer was commander-in -chief of the army at Bombay ; and the youngest brother, Richard A. Tucker, is now Chief Justice at Newfoundland. JOHN BOWKER, ESQ. THIS officer, the second son of the late Robert Bo wker, Esq. of Queen's County, Ireland, was born Dec. 1, 1 770 ; and he entered the naval service, in Aug. 1785, as a mid- shipman on board the Trusty of 50 guns, commanded by Cap- tain William Wolseley, and then fitting for the broad pendant * The Primrose, of 18 guns, Captain James Mein, was wrecked on the Manacle rocks, near Fal mouth, Jan. 22, 1809 .—all on board perished. 430 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. of his mother's near relative, the late Admiral Phillips Cosby, who was at that time appointed commodore and commander- in-chief on the Mediterranean station, and with whom Mr. Bowker continued until his return to England, at the close of 1788*. From this period we find him serving in the Ferret sloop of war, successively commanded by the Hon. Robert Stop- ford and Captain Davidge Gould ; Gibraltar 80, Captain (af- terwards Admiral) Good all ; and London 98, bearing the flag of the latter officer, until the Russian armament in 1791, when he joined his above-mentioned relative in the Impreg- nable of 90 gunsf. Mr. Bowker was subsequently sent to the West Indies in the Proserpine frigate, under the command of Captain James Alms; but on hearing of Rear- Admiral Cosby's appointment to the chief command at Plymouth, he obtained leave to re- turn home, and once more joined that distinguished officer, whose flag was then flying on board the St. George 98, but which was removed at the commencement of the French revolutionary war into the Windsor Castle, a ship of similar force. On the 15th April, 1793, Rear- Admiral Cosby sailed from Spithead, and proceeded to the Mediterranean, where he acted as third in command, under Lord Hood, until after the capture of Corsica, when he returned to England, with his flag in the Alcide 74. * Captain Bowker*s father and mother were related before their marriage, and both descended from a very respectable Norman family, several mem- bers of which distinguished themselves as warriors during the crusades. Admiral Cosby came into possession of Stradbally Hall, Queen's County (the estate of his ancestors), on the demise of Lord Sydney, Baron Strad- bally (a title now extinct), formerly Alexander Sydney Cosby, Esq. his Majesty's representative at the court of Denmark ; and it is now in the possession of Captain Bowker's cousin, the only surviving son of his mo- ther's eldest brother. Admiral Cosby's services are recorded in the Naval Chronicle, vol. 14, pp. 353-364. f Admiral Goodall died at Teignmouth, Devon, in 1801 : — his remains, agreeably to his will, were carried *o the grave by six old seamen, accom- panied by six young maids, to each of whom he had ordered one guinea to be given. Some account of his professional career will be found in the Nav, Chron. v. 5, p. 369, et seq. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 431 Mr. Bowker, who had commanded a party of seamen on shore during the occupation of Toulon, was promoted into the St. Fiorenzo frigate, Captain Sir Charles Hamilton, Bart. July 10, 1J94; and paid off from her in the month of Nov. following. On the 8th Dec. in the same year, he received a commission appointing him to the Mars 74, Captain Sir Charles Cotton, Bart, to whose notice he had been recom- mended by Rear-Admiral Cosby, and under whom he served as fourth lieutenant during the memorable retreat of Corn- wallis, on which occasion the Mars, it will be remembered, bore the brunt of the enemy's attack, she being the stern- most ship of the British line*. On Sir Charles Cotton's advancement to the rank of Rear- Admiral, he was superseded by Captain Alexander Hood, under whose command the Mars pursued and engaged 1'Her- cule, a new French 74, which ship was ultimately subdued and taken possession of by the subject of this memoir, then second lieutenant, who on boarding her after the republican crew had cried for quarter, was met in an hostile manner by the first and second French captains with about 60 men, whom they had treacherously rallied around them. This latter circumstance has never yet been noticed by any naval historian, nor was it even mentioned by the first- lieutenant of the Mars, in his official letter to Lord Bridport ; it therefore becomes our task to relate the fact as it oc- curred. Towards the close of the battle Captain Hood received a mortal wound, and was consequently carried below. The yards of the hostile ships' had been for some time locked together, and Lieutenant Bovvker, who commanded on the lower-deck was obliged, at all risks, to fire the guns under his superintendence at nearly the whole length of their breechings, as they could not be run out without bringing them in contact with those of 1'Hercule. Finding that the enemy's fire had at length ceased, and imagining that she had surrendered, he proceeded to the quarter-deck for the purpose of receiving further or£e»e; but seeing no officer * See Vol. I, note t at p. 354. 432 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. there senior in rank to the acting-master, and the prize not yet taken possession of, he immediately jumped into her main-chains, followed by a party of boarders, and, although unexpectedly opposed, soon subdued the Frenchmen who had thus unwarrantably resumed their arms, driving the greater part of them into the main-chains of the Mars. In this hand-to-hand conflict he had the misfortune to miss his aim when making a thrust with his pike at the second cap- tain, and his foot slipping, he was precipitated from the quarter-deck down to the orlop, by which fall he lost three teeth and received a severe contusion in the right knee, but luckily he was not incapacitated from retaining the charge of 1'Hercule*. After finally subduing the enemy's ship, and getting her clear of the Mars, Lieutenant Bowker and his followers, only one of whom was wounded, had to contend with an alarming fire in four different places ; and from the great quantity of powder which they found, at day-light, had been spilled on various parts of 1'Hercule's decks, it may fairly be inferred that she was only saved from being blown up by the bodies of the killed and dying Frenchmen lying so thick in all di- rections as to prevent the formation of a continued train to the magazine. After conducting 1'Hercule to Lord Bridport's fleet, the subject of this memoir returned to the Mars, and remained in her as first-lieutenant, until the spring of 1799. From that period till the peace of Amiens we find him serving in the Prince, and another second rate, both bearing the flag of his friend Sir Charles Cotton. On the renewal of hosti- lities, in May 1803, the same amiable officer being appointed second in command of the Channel fleet, was pleased to se- lect Mr. Bowker to be his first lieutenant, in the San Josef of 120 guns ; and in the autumn of 1806 he gave him an order to act as commander of the Atalante brig, forming part of a squadron stationed off Rochefort, under the orders of Sir Samuel Hood. * Errata— Vol. II. Part II. nstc't at p. 616—after wounded, insert offi- cially reported ; and after second lieutenant, insert who had a fair claim to be included in the report. POSt-CAPTATNS OF 1811. 433 Shortly after this appointment, and during a dark night, Captain Bowker fell in with a French coasting convoy, con- sisting of twelve sail, eight of which he had the good fortune to capture and destroy. In Feb. 180J, the blockading squadron, then under the command of Commodore Keats, being blown off the land, and the Atalante being the first of the inshore division to regain her station, Captain Bowker observed two French ships under weigh in Basque roads, and all the other men of war at that anchorage with their top-sail-yards at the mast- heads braced up ready for casting. Not one of his fellow- cruisers being then in sight, and fearing the enemy would effect their escape, if not intimidated from coming out, he instantly adopted the expedient of hoisting flags and firing guns, as if making signals to the British squadron : this stratagem perfectly succeeded — the Frenchmen, already under sail, let go their anchors, and the whole were soon in the same order as though a start had never been contemplated. After the performance of this service, Captain Bowker proceeded to place his brig in a proper position for watching the enemy's motions during the night, but in doing so the Atalante unfortunately got aground, through the ignorance of the coasting pilots ; and at day-light next morning, the enemy, instead of sending boats to rescue her officers and crew from their deplorable situation, inhumanly opened a heavy fire of great guns and musketry upon them, which was kept up till two British frigates arrived to their assist- ance, and succeeded in taking them from the wreck. On the 23d of the following month, the minutes of the court-martial, assembled to enquire into the circumstances attending the loss of the Atalante, being received at the Ad- miralty, and Sir Charles Cotton having interested himself in behalf of his old follower, their lordships were pleased to confirm Captain Bowker's commission as a commander, at the same time appointing him to the Epervier brig, then employed at the Leeward Islands, from whence he was ob- liged to return home, for the recovery of his health, in Feb. 1808. SUPPL. PART II. 2 F 434 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. Captain Bowker's next appointment was, in Aug. 1809, to the ^Etna bomb, forming part of the naval force in the Scheldt, under the orders of Sir Richard J. Strachan, whose thanks he had the honor of receiving in public orders (conjointly with other officers serving under the immediate directions of Captain George Cockburn) for silencing the batteries of Doel, and covering the retreat of the advanced squadron of frigates. The J£tna was subsequently employed in the defence of Cadiz, on which service Captain Bowker remained till about Oct. 1810, when he was removed, by Sir Charles Cotton, into the Wizard, a 16 gun brig, on the Mediterranean sta- tion. In the spring of 1811, we find him acting as captain of the San Josef, once more bearing the flag of his staunch patron, with whom he soon afterwards returned to England, as a passenger in the same ship. His post commission bears date Aug. 16, 1811*. From this period Captain Bowker did not obtain another appointment till Feb. 12, 181 7> when he was nominated by Vice-Admiral Pickmore, governor and commander-in-chief at Newfoundland, to command his flag-ship, the Sir Francis Drake, of 46 guns. On the demise of that officer, Feb. 24, 1818, he hoisted a broad pendant as commodore on that sta- tion ; and early in the following month he was, by virtue of the king's letter-patent, sworn in as governor, pro tempore, of the colony, the duties of which high office he discharged with great credit until the arrival of Sir Charles Hamilton, Bart, at the latter end of July following. Having then resigned his trust into the hands of Vice- Ad- miral Pickmore's successor, Captain Bowker resumed the command of the flag- ship, and continued at St. John's till Nov. 1819, when he embarked in the Egeria 24, for a passage to England, the Admiralty having thought proper to reduce the Sir Francis Drake's establishment, and to place her under the command of a lieutenant. The other officers, and sur- plus part of the crew, returned home with their Captain, and were paid off at Portsmouth, Jan. 1, 1820. * Sec Vol. II. Part I. note f at p. 447. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 435 In 1825 Captain Bowker was appointed to command H.M. Ordinary at Plymouth, where he continued during the cus- tomary period of three years. He married, in 1801, Mary Beckford, eldest daughter of Thomas L. Yates, Esq. who was purser of the Mars when she captured 1'Hercule, and is now the senior officer of that rank in H. M. navy. Captain Bowker has one son and one daughter. HENRY BOURCHIER, ESQ. Eldest son of Captain John Bourchier, who died Lieute- nant-Govern or of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, Dec. 30, 1809*. This officer was made a lieutenant May 1, 1804: we first find him serving in the Unicorn frigate, and commanding one of her boats at the capture of le Tape-a-bord French priva- teer, of four 6-pounders and 46 well-armed men, after a long pursuit and an obstinate resistance, off St. Domingo, May 6, 1805f. His promotion to the rank of commander took place April 20, 1808, on which occasion he was appointed to the Demerara sloop, employed at the Leeward Islands. From that vessel Captain Bourchier removed to the Hawke brig, of 16 guns, about Feb. 1809; and in the latter he cap- tured le Furet privateer, of 14 guns and 86 men, on the Channel station, Feb. 7, 1811. He also witnessed the de- struction of a 40-gun frigate, near Cape Barfleur, March 25 folio wing J. The very gallant manner in which he obtained a post commission will be seen by the following copy of an official letter addressed by him to Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, Aug. 19, in the same year : — " Sir, — I beg leave to state to you, that, in obedience to your direc- tions, I proceeded, in H. M . brig under my command, to the eastward of St. Marcou, in order to intercept any of the enemy's trade bound to the westward ; at 2 P. M. St. Marcou bearing W. by N. six leagues, we ob- served from the mast-head a convoy of French vessels steering for Bar- fleur 5 all sail was immediately made in chase, and, on our near approach, * See Nav. Chron. vol. 21, p. 87. t See p. 422. I See Vol. I. Part H. p. 691. 436 POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. we perceived them to be protected by three-armed national brigs, and twu large luggers, the former carrying from 12 to 16 guns each, the latter from 8 to 10 each, apparently well-manned. Convinced, from their hauling out from their convoy in close order, it was their intention to attack us, I im- mediately hove-to to receive them, and at 3-30 P. M. Point Piercu bearing N. W. f W. 4 miles, the action commenced within half-pistol-shot, and continued with great spirit on both sides, until we succeeded in driving on shore two of the brigs, and the two luggers, with fifteen sail of their con- voy ; but, in the act of wearing, to prevent; the third brig raking us, we unfortunately grounded, which enabled her and a few of the convoy to escape, although having previously struck to us. My whole attention at this time was to getting H. M. brig off, by lightening her of her booms, spars, anchors, and a few of her guns, &c. which was effected in an hour and a half, under incessant discharges of artillery and musketry, which completely lined the shore. I thought it then most prudent to anchor, in order to replace the running rigging ; during which time I despatched the boats, under the command of Lieutenant David Price, my second lieute- nant (my first being in a prize), to bring out or destroy as many of the enemy's vessels as practicable ; he succeeded in bringing out the Heron national brig, pierced for 16 guns, mounting only 10, and three large transports, laden with timber for ship-building ; the rest 'were on their broadsides, and completely bilged, and he was only prevented from burn- ing them, by the strength of the tide being against him ; which service was conducted in a most masterly and gallant manner, under a galling fire of musketry from the beach, lined with troops. Lieutenant Price speaks in very high terms of the gallantry displayed by Mr. Smith, mas- ter, and Mr. Wheeler, gunner, who handsomely volunteered their services on the occasion. " The grateful task is now left to me, Sir, to express my sense of ad- miration of the very steady, uniform, brave, and determined conduct of the whole of my officers and ship's company, which will ever entitle them to my sincerest and warmest thanks ; and I feel I am only barely doing justice to the merits of Lieutenant Price*, in recommending him most strongly to their lordships' notice, for his spirited conduct in the action, as also in the boats, and in short on all occasions ; he is a most deserving and meritorious young officer, to whom I feel myself much indebted : nor can I pass unnoticed the zeal and attention of Mr. Henry Campling, purser, who volunteered to command the marines and small-arm men, and to whose continued and well-conducted fire I attribute the loss of so few men, which has been trifling, when the superiority of force opposed to us is considered, being only one man killed and four wounded. " It is with much satisfaction J add, that H. M. brig has suffered in nothing but the running rigging and sails, except what damage she may x^;:A Post-Captain of 1815. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 437 have received from grounding ; at present she makes nearly two feet water an hour ; and as the prizes are not in a condition to proceed by them- selves, I have judged it right to make the best of my way to Spithead with them, which I trust will meet with your approbation. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " H. BOURCHIER." Captain Bourchier was advanced to post rank on the very day that his letter reached the Admiralty, Aug. 22, 1811. His next appointment was to the San Josef, a first rate, fit- ting for the flag of Rear- Admiral Foote, who was then pre- paring to assume a command on the Mediterranean station. The narrow escape of that noble ship from destruction, in Mar. 1813, is thus described by a gentleman then resident at Plymouth : — " His Majesty's dock-yard here has been again placed in considerable hazard, by a fire which broke out in the Captain 74, lately converted into a hulk, and moored off the jetty-head. When this alarming circumstance was first discovered, the San Josef lay alongside, for the purpose of re- moving her stores, in order to be docked, and in a few minutes she would probably have been involved in a similar calamity -, but every heart and every hand being on the alert, the lashings which fastened her to the hulk were cut, and she was fortunately separated : hawsers were got out, and she was speedily removed, with other ships of war, to a safe distance. By midnight, the conflagration, aided by the fanning of a light wind, had taken possession of most of the upper parts of the ship, and by 2 A. M. the internal parts were so completely ignited, that they presented the appear- ance of iron in a state of red heat, without losing their original shape and connexion. At this period, the spectacle was one of the most magnifi- cent, but awful sights that can be conceived. The paly lustre of the moon contrasted itself at first with the fiery glare, but the latter soon assumed the predominance, and flung its influence over every object in the. vicinity, imparting a singular hue to the countenances of the numerous spectators on shore, and of those on duty in the surrounding boats. Fear- ing the ship would drift when the fire came to the bitts that held the mooring-chain, the shipwrights of the dock-yard drove large clamps in the bow, and ring-bolts through the stern, to which were attached chains, and sundry boats to convey her to the western shore. All attempts to scuttle her by the common means being found impracticable from the intense heat, some carronades and field-pieces were conveyed as near as possible in dock-yard lighters, and they discharged at intervals more than 200 shots, which penetrated between wind and water, but without effect ; for as the hulk became more buoyant by the operation of the flames, she rose considerably, and the shot-holes appeared above water. This novel POBT-CAPTAINS OF 1811. species of bombardment was rendered peculiarly grand by the attendant echoes, and continued until 4 A. M. when, being nearly consumed to the water's edge, her bow gradually drooped, the water rushed in through her ports, and she majestically glided to the bottom, contending, as she went, with the waves, which were unable, for some time, to quench the mighty mass of fire, and glorious, like the hero who once commanded her, in her exit * ! The fire was first discovered in the galley ; but how it ori- ginated cannot be ascertained. A part of the San Josef's stores, with Captain Bourchier's property, had been removed to the hulk; the re- mainder of the stores, and the luggage of the officers and crew, were to have been transferred the following day." Shortly after this disastrous occurrence. Captain Bourchier was superseded, in consequence of Rear-Admiral Foote having accepted the appointment of second in command at Portsmouth, and the San Josef being ordered to prepare for the reception of Sir Richard King, who had selected another officer to serve as his flag-captain. We subsequently find him commanding the Medina of 20 guns, and Athol 28 : he was appointed superintendant of the quarantine establish- ment at Milford, in Jan. 1 827. Agent. — J. Copland, Esq. JOHN STRUTT PEYTON, ESQ. Third son of the late William Peyton, Esq. many years in the Navy Office, Somerset Place, by Phillis, daughter of Cap- tain Lobb, who died in command of the Kingfisher sloop, on the American station, and sister to the late Commissioner William Granville Lobb. His paternal grandfather, Admiral Joseph Peyton (son of Commodore Edward Peyton) married a daughter of Commodore Strutt, and had issue four sons, viz. — William, abovementioned, whose eldest son perished in the York 64, of which ship he was the third Lieutenant ; Joseph, died a superannuated Rear-Admiral ; John com- manded the Defence 74, at the battle of the Nile, and after- wards obtained a flag f ; and Thomas, died in command of * We scarcely need remind our readers that Nelson had his broad pen- dant flying in the Captain when he boarded and captured the San Josef. f See Vol. II. Part II. note f at p. 654. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 439 the Monarch 74. His maternal grandmother was many years matron of the royal hospital at Greenwich *. The subject of this memoir was born at Kentish Town, near London, Jan. 14, 1786 ; and he entered the navy, under the auspices of the illustrious Nelson, Oct. 4, 1797. The first ship in which he embarked was the Hector J4, for a passage to join the Emerald frigate, Captain Thomas Moutray Waller, under whom he served for a period of three years. We sub- sequently find him in the San Josef 120, and St. George 98, the latter bearing the flag of his noble patron in the expedi- tion sent to act against the Northern Confederacy. After his return from the Baltic he successively joined the Revolu- tionnaire, Phoabe, and Endymion frigates. In 1804, Mr. Peyton was again received on board Nelson's flag- ship, the Victory of 100 guns, in which he served as mas- ter's-mate, till his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, about Sept. 1805. On that occasion, he was appointed to the Canopus 80 ; but his lordship very soon removed him to the Ambuscade frigate, commanded by Captain William D'Ur- ban, and most actively employed in checking the progress of the French arms on the shores of the Adriatic. In the course of that service Captain D'Urban fitted out a small vessel as a tender, armed her with the launch's carron- ade, and placed her under the command of Lieutenant Pey- ton, who soon captured several of the enemy's coasters. On one occasion, a French privateer of 6 long guns and 30 men, came out from Ancona, for the purpose of rescuing a prize he had just taken, but after an hour's manoeuvring, and firing on both sides, she sheered off and returned into port, without having injured any of the tender's crew, then consisting of only 8 men. The Ambuscade subsequently co-operated with some Ca- labrese troops under the present Colonel Lord Greenock, in an attempt to reduce the Tremiti islands, on the coast of Apulia ; but the force employed not being sufficient to accom- * Mrs. Lobb's eldest son unfortunately perished at sea. A sketch of the services of Admiral Joseph Peyton is given at p. 256 of Nav. Chron. vol. 12. He died at his seat, Wakehurst Park, Sussex, Sept. 22, 1804. 440 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. plish that object, was obliged to retire. Previous to the abandonment of the attempt, however, Lieutenant Peyton, who commanded a party of sailors on shore, swam across from the spot where his battery stood, to the enemy's princi- pal position, and with a few men succeeded in bringing off a small vessel that had for some time been lying moored close under their batteries and guard-house : this spirited service was performed under a smart but harmless fire from the French night -guard, who were not many yards distant from the vessel when she was taken possession of. In July, 1807, Lieutenant Peyton was wounded in the right arm by a musket-ball, whilst destroying an enemy's vessel which had run ashore near Ortona : being obliged to submit to amputation above the elbow, he shortly afterwards invalided and returned to England. His promotion to the rank of commander took place Dec. 1, 1807, on which oc- casion he was appointed to the Ephira brig. In that vessel, Captain Peyton accompanied the expedition to Walcheren, and was subsequently employed in the river Elbe, at Lisbon, and at Cadiz, during the siege of 1'Isle de Leon. His next appointment was, about Feb. 1811, to the Weazle of 18 guns, stationed in the Archipelago, where he captured the French privateer le Roi de Rome, a fine vessel, only forty-five days off the stocks, mounting 10 guns, with a complement of 46 men, and commanded by a person styling himself a Chevalier de POrdre Royal des Deux Siciles. Previous to this capture, the Weazle had conveyed the Archduke Francis from Smyrna to Sardinia. H. R. H. was much pleased with the voyage, and particularly with the atten- tions of Captain Peyton, to whom he presented a gold snuff- box, having his initials on it, set with brilliants, as a token of his esteem. On their arrival at Cagliari, Captain Peyton was invited to dine with the King and Queen of Sardinia ; and in return, he gave a ball on his own monarch's birth-day to their majesties and the Austrian prince, on board the Wea- zle. The singularity of the place and scene delighted the royal personages : it was the first English man-of-war on board of which the Queen had ever been, and she was in high POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 441 Spirits on the occasion. Her majesty danced with Captain Peyton, to whom, and to his officers, in return for this un- expected entertainment, a fete champetre was given, followed by a masked ball at the theatre ; while the crew of the Wea- zle were regaled with the best productions of the island in abundance. Captain Peyton was posted into the Minstrel of 20 guns, Sept. 26, 1811 ; from which period he appears to have been employed on the coasts of Valencia and Catalonia until nearly the end of the war. On the 10th Aug. 1812, Captain Peyton observed three French privateers lying under the protection of the strong fortress of Benidorme, between Alicant and Cape St. Martin. Finding that their place of rendezvous was discovered, two of them hauled ashore, landed six of their guns, and erected a battery on the beach, which was manned by their joint crews, amounting to 80 men, chiefly Genoese : under these circum- stances, he could do no more than prevent their escape. On the night of Aug. 12, a cutter was sent to row guard near the shore, under the command of Mr. Michael Dwyer, a gentleman who had been made a lieutenant nearly five months before, but was still ignorant of his promotion. This young officer considered, that if he could take the privateers' battery, he might be able to capture and bring out the vessel, which still continued afloat. With this view he had ques- tioned some Spaniard's who came from the town, and they all agreed in stating that the enemy had retreated, leaving only 30 men in the battery and 20 in the castle. Greatly as the force in the battery, even according to this information, exceeded his own, he relied upon the courage and steadiness of his boat's-crew, only 7 in number, determined upon the attempt, and accordingly landed, at 9-30 P. M. about 3 miles to the westward of the town. The moment his gallant little band began to advance, they were challenged by a French sentinel : Mr. Dwyer answered in Spanish, that they were peasants, and they continued their march till they reached the battery, which was instantly at- 442 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. tacked, and, after a smart struggle, carried, although the whole of the privateers' men were there to defend it. A few minutes only elapsed before the British boat's crew found themselves surrounded by 200 French soldiers, against whom they defended themselves till one of the heroes was killed, another severely wounded, and Mr. Dwyer himself shot through the shoulder : even then, how little intention they had of surrendering may be collected from the following anecdote : — " The man who had been wounded, who had lost his right eye, on recovering from his stupefaction, delibe- rately took a handkerchief from his neck, and binding it over the wound, said, ' though I have lost one eye, I have still another left, and I'll fight till I lose that too. I hope, Mr. Diuyer, you will never surrender' 3' But their ammu- nition was now exhausted, arid the enemy, emboldened by the cessation of their fire, rushed down upon them with their bayonets. Mr. Dwyer was too weak, from the loss of blood, to sustain a fight hand-to-hand ; he and his men were borne down1 by such overwhelming numbers, and the enemy were soon in unresisted possession of the battery. In this assault, Mr. Dwyer received no less than seventeen bayonet wounds, and all his men, except one, were likewise most severely wounded. The admiration of the enemy at their invincible courage was -without measure ; the treatment they experi- enced from them was rather like that of grateful men to benefactors who have suffered for their sakes, than that of enemies to those who have fallen into their power : when they were conveyed to the head-quarters of the French Ge- neral, Mons. Goudin, the same benevolence and solicitude, in acknowledgment of their bravery, were shewn to them by that officer and his suite. It was forgotten, in this instance, that men taken in war are prisoners : permission was given them to return to their ship, and the general sent an invita- tion to Captain Peyton to visit him on shore, that he might in person restore them, and congratulate him on having such brave men under his command : the invitation was given with candour, and accepted with confidence : Captain Peyton POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 443 dined with General Goudin, and remained on shore several hours. A gallant service subsequently performed by the Minstrel's boats is thus described by Captain Peyton in an official letter to Sir Edward Pellew, dated Sept. 30, 1812 :— ** In obedience to your orders to cruise between Denia and Valencia, for the purpose of intercepting supplies going to the enemy, I beg leave to inform you, that on the evening of the 29th 1 received information of the enemy having laden six vessels with shells at Valencia for Peniscola ; the weather being favorable, I conceived it practicable to bring them out, or destroy them. 1 despatched the boats under the direction of Lieutenant George Thomas, assisted by Messrs. Linns, Oliver, and Smith, midship- men, for that purpose, keeping the ship close in shore for their protection. They succeeded in bringing out four of them j a fifth was in their pos- session, when unfortunately the wind shifted suddenly round to the S. E. in a heavy squall, when she grounded, and I am sorry to add, was retaken, with 3 of our men on board. The bravery evinced by the officers and men employed was very conspicuous. The vessels were moored head and stern to the shore, between two batteries of two 24-pounders and two mortars, with a strong garrison in the Grao* ; their sails unbent and rud- ders unshipped. Our loss, with the exception of the prisoners, is only one man wounded, I hope not dangerously." We next find Captain Peyton commanding the Thames frigate, and assisting at the reduction of Col de Balaguer, mention of which has been made at p. 227, of Vol. II. Part I. After the raising of the siege of Tarragona, he re- ceived a letter from Rear- Admiral Hallo well, of which the following is a copy : — " H. M. S. Malta, off Balaguer, 19th June, 1813. " Sir,— The order with which the captains, officers, and men of all de- scriptions, of the squadron under my command, engaged in these co- operations with the army upon the coast of Catalonia, and the indefatiga- ble zeal and cheerfulness with which they performed the laborious duties that fell to their province, have been so conspicuous as to entitle them to the highest praise on my part. " That greater advantages to the public cause did not result is to be lamented, but ought not, and will not, I trust, discourage in the smallest degree future exertions. It is yet early in the campaign, and further operations are projected, wherein the same unwearied perseverance, the * The strand or beach of Valencia, from which that city is distant 2$ miles. 444 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. same alacrity, and cordial co-operation with the army, will have happier effects, I hope, and be crowned with complete success. " I therefore request you will express to the officers and ship's com- pany of H. M. ship under your command my grateful sense of their recent exertions, and my confidence in the continuation of them wherever the opportunity shall be given. " Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, Bart, the commander-in-chief, having moreover consigned to me the pleasing task of communicating his public thanks for the promptness and fidelity with which my orders have been uniformly executed by all ranks in the squadron, I have great satisfaction in signifying his sincere acknowledgments of the meritorious conduct of yourself, your officers, and ship's company, on this present service, of which he has received abundant testimony, and I have to request that you will make this known to them accordingly. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " BEN. HALLOWELL." " To Captain Peyton, H. M. S. Thames." Captain Peyton subsequently conveyed Lieutenant-General Sir John Murray to - Alicant, and then proceeded with des- patches to England. The Thames was put out of commis- sion at Sheerness, in Sept. 1813, since which he has not been employed. He married, Oct. 1814, the daughter of the late Lieutenant Woodyear, R.N. of the island of St. Christopher's, by whom he has two sons and three daughters. Mrs. Peyton's brother was killed when serving as brigade-major of the Royal Artillery, at the battle of Vittoria. frnuod ,Rqrr GARDINER HENRY GUION, ESQ. -qaO^dbaflo] .We first find this officer serving under Sir Joseph S. Yorke, as senior lieutenant of the Christian VII. and com- manding her boats at the capture and destruction of twelve French merchantmen, laden with wines, brandies, &c. near Rochelle, in Jan. 1810. His spirited conduct in a subsequent lir with the enemy is thus officially described : — "H. M. S. Christian m. in Basque Roads, Feb. 13, 1810. ** Three vessels, being part of a convoy of ten sail, laden with brandy, &c. that sailed last night in thick blowing weather, wind W. S. W. from the Charente, bound to the northward, having got on the reef that pro- jects from the point of Chatelaillon, between Aix and Rochelle, I directed the boats of this squadron to destroy them. This was forthwith attempted to be executed, when the enemy mode a movement to prevent it. Our POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 445 boats were eight in number, and the enemy's nine ; our's armed in the usual way, their's more formidable, all of them being gun-boats, each carry- ing1 a 12-pounder carronade and 6 swivels, and rowing from 20 to 30 oars. 1806 f- His promotion to the rank of Commander took place Feb. 17, 1807. We afterwards find him very actively and successfully employed in the Reindeer brig, on the Jamaica station ; from whence he brought home the Polyphemus 64, towards the close of 1812. His post commission bears date Nov. 26, 1811. GAWEN WILLIAM HAMILTON, ESQ. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; and Knight of the Imperial Russian Order of St. Anne. Eldest son of Archibald Hamilton Rowan, of Killyleah Cas- tle, county Down, Ireland, Esq. * See Vol. II. Part I. p. 355. t See Vol. II. Part I. p. 457. 448 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. This officer was born and educated in France. He appears to have held a command in the Donegal yeomanry, previous to his becoming a sailor. Mr. Hamilton entered the navy in 1801, and had the ad- vantage of serving the whole of his time as midshipman and lieutenant under that excellent officer Captain (now Sir Ben- jamin) Hallowell. He was consequently present at the cap- ture of St. Lucia and Tobago, in 1803*. During the operations in Egypt, after the surrender of Alexandriaf, Mr. Hamilton received a severe wound in the heel, which is still open, and likely to continue so during the remainder of his life. He was made a lieutenant in Nov. 1807, and promoted to the rank of commander early in 1810. Captain Hamilton's first appointment was to the Onyx brig, in which vessel we find him very actively employed, under the orders of Sir Richard G. Keats, during the siege of Cadiz, from whence he returned home with despatches at the commencement of 1811. He subsequently returned thither, and superintended the flotilla, of which mention has been made at p. 323, until his advancement to post rank, Dec. 4, 1811. From that period he commanded the Terma- gant of 20 guns, and Rainbow 26, on the Mediterranean station, until the conclusion of the European war, in 1814. The Termagant was first employed in opening a commu- nication with the patriots of Grenada : her proceedings are described in an official letter from Captain Thomas Ussher to Commodore Penrose, a copy of which will be found at pp. 348-350, of Suppl. Part I. Between July 22 and Aug. 29, 1812, she captured three French privateers, and destroyed several batteries and niartello towers on the coast of Valencia. The Rainbow drove an armed brigantine on shore under Cape Cavallo, in June, 1813; and her boats captured two vessels, one full of French pioneers, the other laden with wheat, in the Bay of Ajaccio, Sept. 11 following. On the 13th Dec. in the same year, Captain Hamilton vo- lunteered to land and co-operate with the Italian levy, under » See Vol. I. Part II. note at p. 481. f See id. p. 482. POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. 449 Lieutenant-Colonel Catanelli, in an attack upon Leghorn, the unsuccessful result of which is noticed in our memoir of Sir Josias Rowley*. His gallant conduct on that occasion, and the activity and zeal displayed by him during the more fortunate operations against Genoa and its dependencies, are duly acknowledged in the official letters respecting those services, copies of which are given at pp. 424-430, of Vol. II. Part I. Captain Hamilton's next appointment was to the Havan- nah 42, in which frigate he proceeded from the Mediterranean to North America. After the failure of the Baltimore expe- dition, he was left in the Chesapeake, under the orders of Captain Robert Barrie, with whom he went up the Rappa- hannock, in Nov. 1814f. The Havannah formed part of Napoleon Buonaparte's escort to St. Helena, in 1815. On the 25th July, 1820, Captain Hamilton was appointed to the Cambrian 48, in which ship he conveyed Lord Strang- ford and his family to the capital of the Turkish empire. At the commencement of the revolution in Greece, Cap- tain Hamilton was immediately selected by Vice-Admiral Sir Graham Moore to command the squadron which it was found necessary to station in the Archipelago, where, by his zealous interference and energetic measures, he rendered un- speakable service to the cause of suffering humanity, and justly entitled himself to the respect and gratitude of both the contending parties. In Jan. 1824, Captain Hamilton was sent to Tunis to de- mand the ratification of certain treaties essential to the honor and interests of Great Britain. This mission was conducted with his usual promptitude and judgment, and finally crowned with success. The Cambrian was subsequently ordered home, and put out of commission. The manner in which she was paid off reflects the highest credit on all belonging to her. Not a man left the ship till the payment was completed, when they all started in a body, enthusiastically cheering the captain and '* See Vol. I. Part II. p. 633. t See Vol. II, Part II, p. 733. SUPPL, PART II. 2 G 450 POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. officers, and receiving their hearty cheers in return, the band playing f< God save the King, Rule Britannia, and St. Pa- trick's Day" In the evening, the officers entertained Cap- tain and Mrs. Hamilton with a parting dinner at the George Hotel, Portsmouth. Owing to the able manner in which Captain Hamilton had acquitted himself during his late responsible and difficult command, he was again appointed to the Cambrian, July 9, 1824. The following is taken from the London Gazette : — "l^dmiralty Office, April<2\, 1825. " Vice-Admiral Sir Harry Neale has transmitted to this office a letter from Captain Hamilton, of the Cambrian, stating that two piratical ves- sels, carrying "one gun and about thirty men each, were captured on the 31st of January last, in the Channel of Negropont, by the boats of his Ma- jesty's ships Cambrian and Seringapatam, under the orders of Lieutenant Marsham, first of the Cambrian. " When these pirates were first discovered, they were in chase of an Ionian vessel ; and there being reason to suspect (as was afterwards found to be the fact), that they had shortly before plundered another vessel under the same flag, Captain Hamilton sent Lieutenant Marsham in one of the Cambrian's boats, with a Greek interpreter, to desire that they would come down to his Majesty's ships for examination; but the pirates having refused to comply with this desire, Lieutenant Marsham was joined by the other boats of the Cambrian, and by those of the Seringapatam, sent by Captain Hamilton's orders to his support. " On the approach of the boats, the pirates commenced firing upon them from their guns, and with musketry, and persevered in so doing, notwithstanding the endeavour of Lieutenant Marsham to prevail upon them to desist ; who, after exhausting, even under their fire, every means of persuasion, was obliged at last to attack them, and the pirate vessels were then, in the most gallant manner, boarded and carried, after a despe- rate resistance on the part of their crews, of whom few only could be taken prisoners, the greater number being killed or wounded. " The officers and men of his Majesty's ships, employed in the boats, acquitted themselves on this occasion with the utmost gallantry, and the whole of their conduct is noticed by Captain Hamilton in terms of high commendation." The loss sustained by the British consisted of 6 killed and 13 wounded: among the latter were Lieutenant William Worsfold and Mr. Horatio Nelson Atkinson, mate of the Seringapatam. The Cambrian shortly afterwards struck upon a sunken POST-CAPTAINS OP 1811. 451 and unknown rock, off the island of Skaitho, carried away the greater part of her false keel, and the whole of the gripe and forefoot, in consequence of which accident she was obliged to be hove down at Malta. On the 27th July, 1826, Captain Hamilton's boats, under the orders of Lieutenant Thomas Gregory, captured a pira- tical bombard, and burnt a mistico, at the island of Tino, on which occasion five of the Greeks were killed and several wounded. In Sept. following, another vessel was destroyed and a bombard taken, at the island of Andros, by a party of marines, under the command of Lieutenant Parker. About the same period the Cambrian and Rose sloop captured two other pirates ; one laden with gunpowder, the other having on board 80,000 piastres, 30 bales of raw silk, 30 packages of saffron, a bag of pearls, and various other valuable articles of merchandize. The Cambrian formed part of the squadron under Sir Ed- ward Codrington at the battle of Navarin ; but in consequence of her having previously been detached, she was prevented from taking any very great share in that extraordinary con- flict : her loss consisted of only one man killed and another wounded*. The Emperor of Russia has since conferred upon Captain Hamilton the order of St. Anne, of the second class, with the medal set with diamonds ; he is also decorated with the cross of the French Order of St. Louis. On the 31st Jan. 1828, the Cambrian anchored within pistol-shot of the fort of Carabusa, in company with the Isis 50, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Thomas Staines, K. C. B. the Rattlesnake 28, Zebra 18, Cameleon 10, and two French corvettes. At this period there were 14 Greek vessels lying in that port, also an Austrian ship, and an Ionian merchantman, both of which the pirates had carried there. No satisfactory answer having been received to the commodore's demand, that the marauding vessels and their crews should be given up to him, they were immediately fired upon and several of them totally destroyed, without the smallest opposition. When retiring from this scene of de- * See p. 332. 2 G 2 452 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. vastation, the Cambrian was struck on the quarter by the Isis, which threw her up in the wind, and caused her to pay off on the opposite tack to that on which it was necessary she should have done. This accident, in a narrow channel, proved fatal ; for, from having no way through the water, she could not again be tacked, and in a few minutes she fell broadside to on a reef of rocks, at a moment when a consi- derable swell was setting into the harbour. A court-martial held at Malta to enquire into the occasion of her loss, deter- mined that Captain Hamilton, his officers, and crew, were fully exonerated of all blame : in conveying the sentence of acquittal, the court expressed their commendation, in the highest terms, of the exertions and good conduct of every one on board at the time of the unfortunate accident, and the commander-in-chief subsequently assured the whole of the ship's company, that the recommendations he had sent home to the Lord High Admiral were such that the circumstance of their having been in the Cambrian, would ever operate to their advantage. Captain Hamilton, on having his sword returned to him, was addressed by the president, in the following terms : — " Captain Hamilton, it is with much and sincere pleasure, that I have to return you your sword, one that has always been used with true credit, and to the good service of your country. I cannot at the same time re- frain from expressing to you the regret which this court experiences at the melancholy wind-up of your long and arduous exertions in the Archi- pelago, performed so ably and with such advantage to the country ; and I am sure that there is not an officer or man in the squadron who does not join in this feeling." After the court-martial Captain Hamilton was charged with despatches for the Lord High Admiral ; but his health not allowing him to travel with the requisite celerity, he sent them forward from Genoa, under the care of his first lieutenant. He is at present on half-pay. Captain Hamilton was nominated a C. B. June 4, 1815. He married, in 181/, Katharine, daughter of Lieutenant- General Cockburn, of Shunagaugh, Ireland. His brother, Mr. Frederick Hamilton Rowan, midshipman, R. N. was killed at Palamos, in 18JO. POST- CAPTAINS OF 1811. 453 EDWARD STOPFORD, ESQ. Nephew of Admiral the Hon. Sir Robert Stopford, K. C. B. This officer was made a Lieutenant May 1, 1804; and he had the misfortune to be captured by la Bellone, French fri- gate, when commanding the Victor sloop of war, on the East India station, Nov. 2, 1809. After his release from captivity he was appointed to the Otter. On the 16th Dec. 1811, Captain Stopford arrived at the Ad- miralty with a despatch from his uncle, dated Aug. 28, of which the following are extracts : — " I shall confine myself, in this letter, to the relation of the circum- stances attending the naval co-operation with the army, in the attack upon the island of Java ; and I have to request you wiii acquaint my Lords Commissioners with the unconditional surrender of the capital city of Ba- tavia, on the 8th instant, and the destruction or capture of the greatest part of the enemy's European troops, by a successful assault made upon a strongly entrenched and fortified work, called Muster Cornells, on the morning of the 26th, by the troops under the command of Lieutenant- General Sir Samuel Auchmuty, who had also with him the royal marines of the squadron. " Previous to this important and decisive advantage, the General had caused batteries to be erected, consisting of twenty 18-pounders, which were entirely manned by 500 seamen under the direction of Captain Sayer, of H. M. S. Leda, assisted by Captains Festing, of the Illustrious ; Maunsell, of the Procris ; Reynolds, of the Hesper ; and Captain Stop- ford, who volunteered his services from the Scipion, where he was wait- ing for his ship, the Otter. " The enemy was enabled to bring thirty-four heavy guns, 18, 24, and 32-pounders, to bear upon our batteries ; but from the superior and well- directed fire, kept up by the British seamen, the enemy's guns were occa- sionally silenced, and on the evening of the 25th completely so ; their front line-of-defence also appeared much disabled, and many of their guns were dismounted. So favorable an opportunity was, therefore, seized by the General, and the fortunate result of the assault, on the morning of the 26th, followed, as before mentioned, " The fatigue of the seamen was great, and much increased by being exposed to the hot sun of this climate, for three successive days, during which time the fire was kept up with little interruption ; but it was borne with their characteristic fortitude, Captain Sayer, and the officers above- mentioned, setting them noble examples. 454 POST-CAPTAINS OF 1811. " I herewith enclose a list of the killed and wounded ; and it is with much regret I add the name of Captain Stopford, who had his right arm carried off by a cannon-shot, whilst actively employed in the batteries ; he is, however, doing well, and I hope soon to get him removed to a bet- ter climate." When Captain Stopford lost his arm, the seamen seeing him knocked backwards, and lying senseless, conjectured that he had been killed outright ; but as they were bearing him off the field, he recovered his senses, and feeling the hot beams of a vertical sun striking directly on his head, his hat having rolled off when he fell, he immediately exclaimed to one of his men, "Damme, Sir ! fetch me my hat" Captain Stopford was promoted to post rank on the second day after his arrival in London, from which period we lose sight of him until his appointment to the Rosamond 20, in the spring of 1814. That ship was then under orders to convoy three merchant- men to the coast of Labrador. On her arrival there, Captain Stopford's amputated arm arrested the attention of the Es- quimaux. They satisfied themselves, by feeling the stump, that the limb was actually deficient, and then appeared to wonder how it could have been lost : but when one of his offi- cers made signs to them that it had been severed with a saw, commiseration was depicted in every countenance. The Rosamond returned to the Nore,Nov. 17, 1814; when she was surveyed, and found to be totally unfit for sea, in consequence of the damage she had sustained amongst the ice of Hudson's Straits. She was accordingly put out of commission, and immediately advertised to be sold. Captain Stopford enjoys a pension of 300/. per annum for the loss of his arm. Agent.— Sir F. M. Ommanney. ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA. (Continued from Vol. 1. Part II. p. 883.) SIR CHARLES VINICOMBE PENROSE, Vice Admiral of the White ; Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath ; Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distin- guished Ionian Order of St. Michael and St. George; and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Neapolitan Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit. The family of Penrose is of great antiquity, and has been long settled in Cornwall, where its branches are very nume- rous. In the 12th of Hen. IV., John Penrose was elected M. P. for Liskard ; and in the 18th Hen. VIII. Richard Pen- rose, of Penrose, served the office of Sheriff of the county. These circumstances are sufficient to prove the antiquity and respectability of the family *. The subject of this memoir is the second son of the Rev. John Penrose, a most eloquent and truly Christian divine, 35 years vicar of St. Gluvias, co. Cornwall. Mr. Charles Vinicombe Penrose was born June 20, 1/59 ; and being intended for the naval profession, he was placed, in 1772, at the Royal Academy, Portsmouth ; from whence he was discharged, early in 1775, into the Levant frigate, Captain the Hon. George Murray, under whom he completed his time as a midshipman, on the Mediterranean, Channel, and North Sea stations ; where he assisted at the capture of several American and French privateers, together with many merchantmen. * Gilbert's History of Cornwall contains many particulars of Sir Charles and his family. The principal note respecting himself is to be found under the head of Ethy, St. Winnoe, near Lostwithiel. 456 ADDENDA, &C. In Aug. 1779, Mr. Penrose was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant ; and shortly afterwards appointed to the Cleo- patra 32, commanded by the same excellent officer ; in which frigate he witnessed the battle between Sir Hyde Parker and Admiral Zoutman, Aug. 5, 178J *. About 17S2, Lieutenant Penrose first saw the plan of nu- merary signals on board a Swedish frigate : these had been introduced by French officers into the Swedish marine, and he was much struck with their comprehensive simplicity. Being then senior Lieutenant of the Cleopatra, and Captain Murray having a small squadron under his orders, Mr. Pen- rose, with that officer's approbation, made out a code suffi- cient for its guidance, adopting the numerary system, in- stead of the tabular plan of superior and inferior flags, which was at that time in general use. Two officers then command- ing brigs, now old and distinguished admirals, were the first to whom Captain Murray and Mr. Penrose explained them, and both these commanders declared it as their opinion, that the difficulty of comprehending the numerary combinations was BO great, that they did not think they could ever be brought into general use. Now, how many seamen, marines, and boys are masters of all our signal and telegraphic prac- tice ! During the Spanish armament, Lieutenant Penrose again served under Captain Murray, in the Defence 74 ; and at the commencement of the French revolutionary war, he accom- panied him to the West Indies, in the Duke 98 ; which ship formed part of the squadron under Rear-Admiral Gardner, at the attack of Martinique, in June, 1793 f. After his return to England he successively followed his friend and patron into the Glory 98, and Resolution 74. On the 12th April, 1794, Captain Murray was advanced to the rank of Rear- Admiral ; and at the same time his protege was promoted to the command of the Lynx, a new sloop, re- cently launched at Woolwich. Captain Penrose's post com- * See Vol. I. Part. I. note § at p. 175 et seq. t See Vol. I. Part. I. p. 40 «. ADDENDA, &C. 457 mission bears date Oct. 7, 1794, at which period he was appointed to the Cleopatra frigate. When ready for sea, Captain Penrose was sent to Bermuda, to examine the harbour and channel that had been discovered by Lieutenant Thomas Hurd * ; and which is likely hereafter to become of great national importance. For his able report upon the nature of the anchorage, and the safety of the passage leading into it, Captain Penrose received the thanks of the Admiralty ; and we have reason to believe that the improve- ments since made there have been in complete accordance with the recommendations given in that report. The Cleo- patra being the first ship of war that had ever sailed through the channel, her captain named it after its discoverer ; while to the magnificent harbour he gave the name of Murray. Shortly after the performance of this scientific service, Cap- tain Penrose appears to have had a very narrow escape. The Cleopatra was crossing the Gulph Stream, under a reefed fore-sail and mizen-stay-sail, in a night rendered dark by a deep and jet black thunder cloud, which had totally ob- scured the moon. After very vivid lightning and a loud ex- plosion, the wind shifted in a heavy squall, so as to bring the ship up several points, with her head to a very high and much agitated sea ; giving her at the same time fresher way through the water. Her first plunge put the whole of the forecastle deep under, and the officer of the watch hardly ex- pected to see her rise again. Captain Penrose, who was in his cot, got a severe blow by being dashed violently against the beams. The ship, however, rose, throwing a vast body of water aft, which burst open the cabin bulk-head, breaking loose every thing upon deck but the guns. In this send-aft, the taffrail and after part of the quarter-deck were far under water. Luckily, only part of the after hatchway was open, and no great body of water went below. The fore-sail was hauled up, and the damage found to be only the loss of the jib-boom, spritsail-yard, and bumpkins ; the bowsprit and * The late Hydrographer to the Admiralty. See Vol. II, Part II. p. 557. 458 ADDENDA, &Ci fore-yard sprung ; the spanker-boom broke in two ; and the small cutter carried away from the davits*. We next find Captain Penrose commanding Vice-Admiral Murray's flag-ship, the Resolution, during the absence of Captain Francis Fender, then acting as commissioner at Ber- muda. Towards the latter end of 1J96 he again returned to the Cleopatra ; and had the melancholy satisfaction of con- veying his much respected patron to England, that valuable officer having been seized with a paralytic affection, from which he never recovered f. On his passage home Captain Penrose captured 1'Hiron- delle French privateer, of 12 guns and 70 men ; many of whom were young persons of family and fortune, whose dread of being forced into the army, as conscripts, had in- duced them to hazard their safety on the ocean. The subject of this memoir is the author of a pamphlet, entitled " Observations on Corporal Punishment, Impress- merit 9 and other Matters relative to the present State of his Majesty's Royal Navy%" In that small, but ably written book, he gives the following instances of the effect of well- timed indulgence to a ship's company, (f and seasonable ad- » When compiling our first volume, we were led to believe that the Cleopatra was commanded by Captain Israel Pellew at the time the above occurrence took place. f Vice-Admiral the Hon. George Murray, brother to John, third Duke of Athol, died Dec. 28, 1796. Throughout his long professional career he evinced a sound judgment, an unbending integrity, and a perseverance in the execution of his duty, that stamped him a truly valuable officer. It may be mentioned as an extraordinary, if not an unparalleled, circum- stance, that Mr. Penrose never served at sea under the command of any other officer until he was himself made a commander; that he was posted by him, and that he continued to serve under his flag until the Vice-Ad- miral became incapable of further service. During the long period of 22 years, not a single circumstance ever occurred to interrupt, even for a moment, the most cordial esteem and friendship which existed between them : one commanded with kindness and judgment j the other obeyed with attention and respect ; sentiments of the most sincere mutual regard blending the difference of rank in friendly intercourse. t Published by Whitaker, London, July, 1824, at which period Sir Charles Penrose had attained the rank of Vice-Admiral. ADDENDA, &C. 459 vice and explanation, where at the same time there is no re- laxation of discipline :" — " I have known an opinion entertained by some very respectable officers, but which I have always deemed erroneous, that no reasoning- communi- cations should ever be made to seamen. My practice as a captain was different. When coming into port, under circumstances which would not admit of leave of absence, I always made it a rule to inform the ship's company, before anchoring, that such must unavoidably be the case, as the necessities of the service would not allow me to grant it. On the con- trary, whenever I saw that leave could be granted (and 1 always granted it if possible), I never waited for that leave to be asked. I called the ship's company together, and told them I should direct the first lieutenant to give leave to a third or fourth watch, or a certain number at a time, while they continued to merit the indulgence. " For instance, I returned to England in the Cleopatra from the American station, with about three years* pay due. The day before the ship went from Spithead into the harbour, I informed the ship's company that the necessary repairs would keep us long in port, and that they would have leave to go on shore in divisions, as long as they continued to conduct themselves well, or till the ship came out of dock. We were thirteen weeks in harbour ; I had not one complaint : after about three weeks there was seldom a man wished to go on shore. I left the port at last with only two men absent without leave ; and I should add, that during the time the ship was in dock many were employed in the disagreeable service of fitting out other ships. From a 74 and a frigate near me, under the same circumstances of long detention in harbour, no leave was grant- ed ; boats rowed guard every night to prevent desertion, and yet the loss by desertion was very great. " More than one circumstance occurred in a short time, to shew that my indulgence had not been thrown away. My ship was the first at Ports- mouth, and I believe any where, when the payment took place Jn the one and two pound bank-notes then first issued, and I learned that the greatest possible pains were taking, by some who sought political mischief, and others who sought emolument, to persuade the people that this paper- money was of little worth, and offered, by way of favor, to give the men a low value for their notes. I explained the case, and directed that if any one offered or accepted less than a full value, the offender should in- stantly be brought to me, that he might be treated as an enemy to his king and country. The pay was cordially received, which was at the mo- ment of no small consequence, as there were many then ready to follow any bad example that might be set. To afford my ship's company ano- ther opportunity of shewing good conduct, the payment was scarcely over, and the ship was still crowded with women, children, and slopsellers, when a telegraphic signal announced an enemy's frigate off Portland ; and never 460 ADDENDA, &,C. were supernumeraries more quickly disposed of, or a ship more quickly unmoored and under sail. We were baulked of our expected prize, and returned to Spithead just before the mutiny. Here, by a little good ma- nagement and minute attention, I kept my men from cheering with the others ; and although I had daily communication in my barge with the Royal George, three days after the yard-ropes had been reeved, I punished two men, who had left their duty in the dock-yard. When I received orders for sea, not a moment's lapse of good order occurred ; but having information that letters had been received, threatening a visit from the delegates, and punishment if my people did not join in cheering, &c. I called the ship's company together, informed them that I was ordered to proceed to sea ; but that under the circumstances I was aware of, I should not do so till the night tide, when I expected they would shew their sense of the confidence I had in their good conduct by weighing with the ut- most silence and despatch. The reply was by three hearty cheers (which I would then have gladly dispensed with) and careful obedience to my orders during the night ; and I have reason to believe, that the good con- duct of my ship's company aided the able management of* the com- mander of the part of the western squadron I immediately joined, in the preservation of good order at that critical period. I had the honor of letters of approbation from the Admiralty, both on account of our long stay in harbour without desertion, and preventing my ship's company from taking part in the mutiny ; and after the ship's company had also received their lordships' thanks, they sent me a letter full of expressions of gratitude for my having, as they termed it, ' steered them clear of the troubles so many of their brethren had been involved in.' " Captain Penrose's next appointment was, early in 1799, to the Sans Pareil 80, then bearing the flag of Lord Hugh Seymour, but subsequently employed as a private ship under Rear- Admiral Pole, whom she joined off Rochefort the day previous to the bombardment of a Spanish squadron, in Aix road, of which mention has been made at p. 90, of Vol. I. Part I. After this affair Captain Penrose was ordered to escort a fleet of merchantmen to the West Indies, where the Sang Pareil again received the flag of Lord Hugh Seymour, which she continued to bear till the lamented demise of that noble- man, Sept. 11, 1801 f. * Sir Edward Pellew. t Lord Hugh Seymour went out in the Tamar frigate. A sketch of his lordship's services will be found at j>p. 157-159, of Suppl. Part I. ADDENDA, &C. 461 Respecting corporal punishment and the creiw of the Sans Parei], the subject of this memoir says : " I hope and believe that it is in all respects true, that by vigilant good management some captains have governed well, without the necessity of any corporal punishment : but it must be recollected, that they were not without the power of inflicting such punishment ; and if they had been divested of that power, they would not have had well-regulated ships. I will here exemplify the benefit of this power by an instance of its use. Captain John Gell ; but he first went to sea in the Canada 74, commanded by the Hon. William Cornwallis, with whom he sailed for North America, in Aug. 1781. The Canada formed part of the fleet under Rear Admiral Graves, when that officer proceeded from Sandy Hook to the Chesapeake, for the purpose of extricating Earl Cornwallis from his perilous situation at York Town *. She subse- quently accompanied Sir Samuel Hood to the West Indies, and bore a very conspicuous share in his brilliant actions at « Sse Vol. II. Part I. note * at p. 63» ADDENDA, &C. St. Christopher's * ; as well as in the battles between Rodney and de Grasse, April 9 and J 2, 1/8*2 ; on which latter day she sustained a loss of 12 men killed and 23 wounded. As there are many officers still alive who were eye witnes- ses of that glorious combat, they will recollect, in the latter part of the day, when the smoke cleared up a little, and there was a short interval of repose, what was the appearance of the Canada ; — she had been almost entirely unrigged in the action, her fore and main top-sail-ties were shot away, and the yards lying on the caps ; — with scarcely any canvas to set, but a fore-top-gallant-sail, sheeted home as well as the situation of the top- sail-yard would admit, she was going large ; and, as if impelled by the spirit of her commander, she kept way with the French ships, hanging on the quarter of la Ville de Paris until Count de Grasse was intercepted by the rear di- vision of the British fleet. Having then set as much sail as circumstances would permit, she went in pursuit of the fly- ing enemy, and was among the ships whose fire gilded the horizon after the close of that ever memorable day. On her arrival at Jamaica, the Canada was surveyed, and found to be in such a very rotten state, that Sir George B. Rodney determined upon sending her home in company with the prizes, and a large convoy under Rear-Admiral Graves. Previous to her departure from Port Royal, she was caulked between wind and water, and coppered higher up, to which Captain Cornwallis attributed her escape from the same me- lancholy fate that befel the Centaur, Ville de Paris, &c. &c.f The Canada was paid off soon after her return to England, on which occasion Mr. Gore followed his gallant captain into the Dragon 74. In Mar. 1783, he joined the Iphigenia fri- gate, Captain James Cornwallis, under whom he served in the West Indies till Oct. 1786. His health being now much impaired by that climate, Mr. Gore was discharged into the Royal Charlotte yacht, the com- mand of which vessel had been conferred upon the Hon. William Cornwallis, at the close of the American war. We * See Vol. II. Part I. note f at p. 63 etseq. t See Id. note f at p. 69. 2 H 2 468 ADDENDA, &C. next find him in the Robust 74, with the same officer, during the Dutch armament ; and subsequently in the Hebe frigate, Captain Edward Thornbrough, with whom he continued until Oct. 1788. At this latter period Mr. Gore rejoined his distinguished patron, who had hoisted a broad pendant in the Crown 64, and was then about to sail from England for the purpose of assuming the chief command on the East India station. Com- modore Cornwallis there promoted his eleve into the Perse- verance frigate, Nov. 29, 1789. From thence Lieutenant Gore returned home in the Crown (1791) ; and his health having suffered extremely, he did not go afloat again till the commencement of the French revo- lutionary war, when he was appointed to the Lowestoffe 32, Captain William Wolseley, then fitting at Plymouth. In that frigate he accompanied the fleet under Lord Hood, to the Mediterranean, where he was removed to the Britannia, a first rate, bearing the flag of Vice- Admiral Hotham, previous to the occupation of Toulon. While belonging to that ship, Lieutenant Gore frequently landed with a detachment of sea- men under his command, and was often engaged with the ene- my, both on shore and when employed in floating batteries. After distinguishing himself by his gallantry on various occasions, Lieutenant Gore was removed to Lord Hood's flag- ship, the Victory of 100 guns, and ordered to land at the head of a body of sailors, selected to serve as artillery- men in fort Mulgrave, an important post, against which the enemy were then bringing forward heavy guns and mortars, their repeated attempts to take it by storm having proved unsuccessful. During the bombardment that ensued, he re- ceived a severe wound in the head, which obliged him to re- turn on board for surgical assistance. On the morning previous to the evacuation of Toulon, Lieutenant Gore was ordered by Lord Hood to visit the arse- nal, and ascertain if any thing effective could be done by means of fire-vessels. In consequence of his report, he was directed to tow the Vulcan thither, to place her in a proper position, and then to put himself and his boats under the or- ders of Sir W. Sidney Smith. ADDENDA, &C. 469 After taking the Vulcan to her station, and when in the act of receiving some combustible materials from her, for the pur- pose of setting fire to the French ships in the southern basin, Lieutenant Gore was blown out of his boat by a premature explosion, of which the following notice is taken in Sir W. Sidney Smith's official letter to Lord Hood, dated Dec. 18, 1793:— " I was sorry to find myself deprived of the further services of Captain Hare : he had performed that of placing his fire-ship to admiration, but was blown into the water, and much scorched, by the explosion of her priming, when in the act of putting the match to it. Lieutenant Gore was also much burnt, and I was consequently deprived of him also ; which I regretted the more, from the recollection of his bravery and activity in the warm service of Fort Mulgrave." We next find Lieutenant Gore commanding a detachment of seamen, landed to co-operate with the small British army in Corsica, under Lieutenant- General David Dundas. The following are extracts of that officer's official despatches, de- tailing the operations against St. Fiorenzo : — ** As the enemy, besides the town, possessed several heights and points, commanding the anchorage on the west side of the gulph, it was necessary to dislodge them before the squadron could anchor in security : these points in succession, on entering the gulph, were the tower of Mortella, the redoubt and batteries of the Convention, and the tower of Fornelli, with two considerable sea-batteries dependent upon it. " Expecting little opposition from Mortella tower, and trusting from intelligence that we could approach near enough to that of Fornelli to at- tack it with light artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Moore was detached on the 8th (Feb. 1794), with the royal and 51st regiments, a small howitzer, and a 6-pounder, to effect this purpose ; but after a march of 7 or 8 miles, through a rocky, desert, and mountainous country, destitute of roads, and where the artillery was carried by a detachment of sailors, under Captain Cooke, he arrived on the heights immediately above Fornelli, and then found that the distance was too great to hope for any effect from his small guns. The same day we began from a commanding height, within 150 yards, to batter the tower of Mortella; but it was not till the 10th, after the attack made by the Fortitude and Juno *, and after establishing an 18- pounder, two 9-pounders, and a carronade against it, that we were enabled to reduce it, and take an officer and 34 men prisoners f. * See Vol. I. Part I,lP. 250. t See«(/. note tat i*. 470 ADDENDA, &C. " During this time, having been enabled to examine the mountains that skirted the western part of the gulph, and which overlooked the enemy's posts, it appeared, that if heavy cannon could be established on points where the enemy had deemed it impossible to place them, their works might be ruined, and then attacked to advantage." This operation, Captain Edward Cooke and Lieutenant Gore cheerfully undertook to perform ; each having 300 sea- men under his command, and all the aid that the squadron could afford. " By the most surprising exertions of science and labour, from the 12th to the 16th, they placed four 18- pounders, a large howitzer, and a 10-inch mortar in battery, on ground elevated at least 700 feet above the sea, and where every difficulty of ascent and surface had opposed the under- taking." The first shot fired by the enemy at Lieutenant Gore's battery dismounted one of his guns ; but another was very soon mounted in its stead. ** On the 16th/' continues the Lieutenant-General, " we opened with two batteries of three pieces of artillery each. One of these, at the dis- tance of 1000 yards, enfiladed the redoubt of the Convention; and the other^ at the distance of 800 yards, took it in reverse. The redoubt itself was of a long narrow form, occupying the summit of a detached height, and about 250 feet above the sea. " Our fire was heavy and unremitting during the 16th and 17th; and, notwithstanding the gallantry of the enemy, both in serving their guns and in repairing their works, their fire was nearly overpowered. On the even- ing of the 17th, a fifth 18-pounder was brought up by the seamen, and a sixth was also placed on an advanced point near the shore, to prevent the two French frigates in the bay from placing themselves in a situation to enfilade our proposed attack. " On the 1 7th, measures having been concerted, the 2d battalion of the royals, 25th, 50th, and 51st regiments, under the command of Lieutenant- Colonel Moore, were destined for the attempt, while the 1 1th, 30th, and 69th remained in reserve. The troops marched in three columns, and having nearly equal distances to go over, moved at the same hour (8-80 P. M.) in order to arrive at the enemy's works a little after the rising of the moon. Lieutenant-Colonel Moore on the right, with the 2d battalion of the royals, commanded by Captain M'Kenzie, and the 51st regiment, came down on the advanced point of the redoubt ; Lieutenant-Colonel Wauchope, with the 50th, advanced towards its centre; and Captain Stewart, with the 25th, keeping close to the sea-shore, was directed to enter on the left and most commanding part of the work. * Notwithstanding the whole of the ground over which the troops marched was rocky, rough, and covered with thick myrtle-bushes, they ADDENDA, &C. approached the redoubt without the enemy being certain of their progress, and, under a very heavy fire, they arrived nearly at the same time at their points, rushed into their works, prevented more than two or three dis- charges of cannon being given, and with their bayonets drove the enemy down the steep hill which formed the rear of the work.* " The judicious fire kept up from our batteries till the very moment of the attack, facilitated much the approach of the troops; and a false attack made by the, Corsicans on Lieutenant-Colonel Moore's right, served also to engage and distract the attention of the enemy, who were not aware of the extent of their dangert- The loss of the enemy, on the 16th and l?th, amount to upwards of 100 men killed and wounded, and 10 officers, in- cluding the commandant, and 60 men made prisoners, out of 550 that occupied the work }. " The enemy being now reduced to their last posts on the height of Fornelli, at about 400 yards distance, from which we were separated by a deep ravine, and fearing that their retreat would be cut off, abandoned them about midnight, crossed over to St. Fiorenzo, hauled off their frigates, and left us in possession of the tower and batteries of Fornelli, against which we otherwise must have placed cannon, and, in a delay of two or three days, probably have lost a number of men." i'jjjfid owt Fornelli was taken possession of by the detachment of seamen under Lieutenant Gore. " On the 19th, after taking measures for the march of the troops to the other side of the town, in order to cut off the enemy's communication with Bastia, a summons was sent to St. Fiorenzo. In the afternoon, a negative answer was received ; but, during the day, strong symptoms of a speedy evacuation were perceived." Lieutenant Gore had not been long in possession of For- nelli, when he discovered that the enemy were about to set their frigates on fire. He immediately sent off a report to * One hundred seamen, armed with pikes, and commanded by Lieu- tenant Gore, entered the enemy's works simultaneously with the royals, and at the head of the column of attack. t About 1200 Corsicans, under General Paoli, occupied advanced posts, and covered the flanks of the British forces, during the siege of St. Fio- renzo. t The Convention redoubt was originally an open battery, but by indefatigable labour, the enemy had converted it into a close work, mount- ing 6 twenty-four-pouiiders, 8 eighteens, 5 twelves, 1 brass nine, 2 sixes, 11 small brass guns, 4 12-iach mortars, and 4 6-inch howitzers. Of these, 7 guns, 10 gun-carriages, 1 howitzer and its carriage, and 2 mortars with their beds, were rendered unserviceable by shot and shells from the British batteries. 472 ADDENDA, &C. Lord Hood, and succeeded in drawing the spike of an 18- pounder, with which gun he played upon the nearest ship until she sunk : the other was observed in flames about 4 P. M., when a boat went off to the squadron to announce that the enemy had fled from St. Fiorenzo : the seamen and marines were then ordered to embark. Their conduct on shore is thus noticed by Lieutenant-General Dundas : — " The perseverance, spirit, and gallantry, of the officers and men of every denomination, merit the highest praise. Unprovided, as we are, with many necessary articles of preparation, the service, at this season of the year, has been severe, but undergone with the greatest cheerfulness and good-will. «.•»** Success has crowned the joint endeavours of the British arms. From the navy we have received the most effectual and essential assistance ; their exertions have been wonderful, and un- paralleled. Commodore Linzee afforded us every support *; and to the Captains Dickson, Young, Wolseley, Hood, Woodley, and Cooke, and to the officers and men who so zealously acted under their command, we feel every sense of their efficacious aid." In the town of St. Fiorenzo, there were found mounted 2 long brass 32-pounders, 7 iron 24-pounders, 2 eighteens, 6 twelves, 2 sixes, 3 brass 12-inch mortars, 2 field pieces, and 7 other light guns. The capture of Bastia has been recorded at p. 251, of Vol. I. Part I. The following is an extract of the official letter written by Lord Hood on that occasion : — " Captain Nelson, of H. M. S. Agamemnon, who had the command and direction of the seamen, in landing the guns, mortars, and stores ; and Captain Hunt, who commanded at the batteries, very ably assisted by Captains Buller and Serecold, and the Lieutenants Gore, Hotham, Stiles, Andrews, and Brisbane, have an equal claim to my gratitude, as the sea- men under their management worked the guns with great judgment and alacrity. Never was a higher spirit, or greater perseverance, exhibited ; and I am happy to say, that no other contention was at any time known, than who should be most forward and indefatigable for promoting his Majesty's service ; for, although the difficulties they had to struggle with were many and various, the perfect harmony and good humour that uni- versally prevailed throughout the siege overcame them all." dbfioi r Ji & i-foimifi J * Lord Hood was forced from the Gulph of St. Fiorenzo by a strong westerly gale, on the llth Feb., and a calm prevented Ms return from under Cape Corse until the 17th. ADDENDA, &C. 473 During that siege, the subject of this memoir received two severe contusions, notwithstanding which he continued to command a party of seamen on shore until the surrender of JBastia, May 22, 1794, when he was immediately promoted into la Fleche, a corvette found lying in the harbour. After fitting her out, he proceeded to Malta and negociated with Rhoan, the Grand Master, for a supply of seamen, stores, &c. His promotion to post-rank took place Nov. 12, 1794 ; on which occasion Lord Hood's successor appointed him to command the Windsor Castle 98, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Robert Linzee. In her he assisted at the capture of two French line-of-battle ships, by the fleet under Vice- Admiral Hotham, Mar. 14, 1795*: the Windsor Castle's loss on that day amounted to 6 killed and 31 wounded. f f b»i.i Captain Gore's next appointment was to le Censeur 74, one of the above-mentioned prizes. The recapture of that ship by a French squadron under Rear-Admiral Richery, has been noticed at p. 610, of Vol. I. Part II., and is thus officially described in a letter from Captain Thomas Taylor, of H. M. S. Fortitude, to the Secretary of the Admiralty, dated Oct. 12, 1795:— ,{ fei , s*i *o *-iiJ}q6O 9iiT " Sir, — Be pleased to acquaint my Lords Commissioners of the Admi- ralty, that I left Gibraltar on the 24th Sept. taking the first spirt of an easterly wind after my letter of the 21st, when the wind was westerly. " In coming- through the gut in the night, H. M. ships Argo and Juno, with some of the merchantmen, parted company, and, I conclude, by steer- ing more to the northward than myself with the other men-of-war and' the body of the convoy, it being near dusk in the evening before many of them got out of the bay, though the Fortitude was under weigh with the much greater part by 10 A. M. but, on the whole, their separation has turned out a most fortunate circumstance ; for, with great regret, I am to inform their lordships, that on the 7th instant, Cape St. Vincent, by account, bearing S. 83° E. 48 leagues, the wind N. by W. standing on the larboard tack, I discovered nine sail of the enemy's ships, six of the line, two of which I judged to be of 80 guns, and three large frigates, who directly gave chase to H. M. squadron under my command under a press of sail. I made every possible disposition for the better security of the convoy by divers signals, through which, had many of them been punctually obeyed, a much greater number would have escaped. I then formed the line, with the zaoii ait •: * See Vol. I. Part I. note at p. 340, 474 ADDENDA, &C. Bedford, Censeur, and Fortitude, determined, if practicable, to give them battle, and save as many of the convoy as I possibly could. " Just as the ships under my command had formed, the Censeur rolled away her fore-top-mast ; by which, having only a frigate's main-mast, she was rendered useless. The van line-of-battle ship of the enemy being then but long gun-shot off, and the rest coming fast up, I judged it proper, with the general opinion of my officers, coinciding with that of Captain Montgo- mery of the Bedford, to bear up, keeping very near together for our mutual support, and cutting down every part of the stern for the chase-guns. I ordered the Lutine frigate directly to take the Censeur in tow; but, from the very heavy fire from the enemy's van ship, it could not be effected. •' Captain Gore, who commanded the Censeur, though his ship was in so disabled a state, not half manned, and with but very little powder, made the most gallant defence ; but being at length overpowered, by two sail more of the enemy's line coming up, I had the mortification to see him strike his colours about half-past two o'clock." On his return home^ Captain Gore was tried by a court- martial, and most honourably acquitted, with a very flattering compliment from the president, Rear-Admiral Sir Roger Curtis. He was afterwards successively appointed to act as captain of the Robust 74, and Alcmene frigate. In Sept. 1796, Captain Gore obtained the command of the Triton 32 : and from that period we find him actively em- ployed on Channel service until the escape of the French fleet from Brest, April 25, 1799, when he was despatched with the important information to Earl St. Vincent, commander-in- chief on the Mediterranean station. After communicating with Lord Keith, the second in com- mand, Captain Gore proceeded, with two frigates under his orders, to reconnoitre the coasts of France and Spain, from Toulon to Cadiz ; in which latter port he at length discov- ered the enemies' combined fleets, amounting to thirty- eight sail of the line, with a suitable train of frigates, cor- vettes, &c. This very formidable force sailed from Cadiz, July 21, 1799, and Captain Gore closely watched them until they all bore up round Cape St. Vincent, and made sail to the north- ward : he then pushed past them for England, and arrived at Plymouth, with the intelligence of their junction and move- ments, five days before they reached Brest. j &C. 475 Captain Gore was subsequently sent, with a squadron of frigates under his command, to observe the enemies5 move- ments ; and while thus employed he deterred five Spanish line-of-battle ships and two frigates from entering the port of their ally through the Passage du Raz. The Triton after- wards accompanied Sir John B. Warren in pursuit of this Spanish squadron, the commander of which had very wisely returned to Ferrol, where his ships were lying dismantled when the British arrived in sight of them. After Sir John B. Warren's return to the Channel fleet, Captain Gore continued cruising in the vicinity of Ferrol, where he had the good fortune to assist at the capture of the Santa Brigida, Spanish treasure ship, an event thus described by the senior officer present on that occasion. " Naiad, off Cape Finhterre, Oct. 19, 1799. " My Lord, — I have great pleasure in being able to acquaint you, that the ships named in the margin, * which your lordship has done me the honour to put under my orders, captured yesterday morning the Spanish frigate Santa Brigida, of 36 guns, and having on board 300 men, com- manded by Don Antonio Pillou. This frigate, my Lord, in company with another called the Thetis, left Vera Cruz on the 21st August last, and I had the good fortune to fall in with them both, on the evening of the 1 6th instant, in lat. 44° 1' N. long. 12° 35' W. the Naiad then a single ship, and to which I immediately gave chase. Before midnight, I discovered them to be vessels belonging to the enemy, and was joined by the Ethalion ; when the day broke, I was also joined by the Alcmene, and the Triton was discovered far astern : still, owing to the superior sailing of the latter ship, after a chase which lasted 32 hours, I set myself down as indebted for a most valuable capture. The two frigates, at 7 A. M., perceiving them- selves not in a state to withstand our united force, took different routes, upon which I made the Etkalion's signals to pass the sternmost ship of the enemy, as she at that time took the lead in point of sailing, and stand for and engage the headmost frigate ; which was obeyed with such alacrity by Captain Young, that I make no doubt but she has experienced a similar fate to her companion-f- ; but as the Santa Brigida made a determinate push on the southern course, a separation of course took place. The latter frigate of the enemy having rounded Cape Finisterre on the morning of the 18th, her commander shoved so very close to the rocks of Monte Lora, that the Triton, then first in pursuit, Captain Gore, being regardless of every • Naiad 38, Triton 32, and Alcmene 32. t See Vol. I. Part II. p. 684. 476 At)DESTDA, &C. thing but closing with the enemy, struck upon them, going seven knots at the time • I fear her damage is considerable. However, she was soon oft again, and commenced an animated fire on the enemy, as did Captain Digby, with an officer-like presence of mind, keeping in that direction to cut off the entrance of Port de Vidre. At 8 A. M. our three frigates closed with the enemy amidst the rocks of Commarurto, at the entrance of Muros, when the Spanish colours were hauled down, and we found our- selves all in foul ground together. A fortunate breeze sprung up from the shore, and we were enabled to put the ships* heads to the sea, and had begun to shift prisoners, when an enemy's squadron, consisting of four large ships, one with a broad pendant, came out of Vigo, with an intention, I suppose, of rescuing the prize. This being the opinion of Captains Gore and Digby also, every exertion was made to secure the prisoners, and get the ships under my command ready to receive them ; but on their per- ceiving my determination they bore up and ran into Vigo. Light and variable winds have kept me still in sight of the Spanish coast, which, to day, is one continued blaze. Aware of another squadron being in Corunna, I have thought it my duty to keep altogether for the protection of the prize, which is of immense value, having on board 1,400,000 dollars, independent of a cargo of equal estimation. My companions in chase, Captains Gore and Digby, make the most favourable report of the zeal and perseverance of their respective officers and crews; and in justice to the officers and ship's company I have the honor to command, I can only say, that their anxiety to get alongside the enemy's frigates, whilst alone, was equal to what it was afterwards, when my force became superior ; and on that, as on all former occasions, I profited by the able assistance of Mr. John Houltoun Marshall, my first lieutenant, to whom I have given charge of the prize. I enclose a list of killed and wounded on this occasion, either by shot or casualties. * I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) "W.PlERREPOINT." " Right Hon. Lord Brldport, K. B. $c. $c. &» Captain Gore's share of prize-money for the cargoes of the Santa Brigida and her consort, exclusive of their hulls, stores, &c. amounted to 40,730/. 18s. ! In Feb. 1801, a melancholy accident happened on board the Triton. She was firing at a French cutter which had been driven upon the Penmark rocks, when one of the main-deck guns burst, killed the second lieutenant and2 men,and wounded 22 other persons, one of whom was Captain Gore, who re- ceived a violent contusion in the back. * Triton, one man wounded ; Alcmene, one killed ; a petty officer and eight men wounded. The Santa Brigida had two ilain and eight wounded fe v »«. UU W£*I* >YUU«UCU. ADDENDA, &C. 477 On her return to port, the Triton was taken into dock, and Captain Gore felt himself under the necessity of requesting * leave of absence. This, the Admiralty would not grant; but, upon his reporting himself ready for service again, he was immediately appointed to the Medusa, a 32-gun frigate, mounting 18-pounders on the main-deck, recently launched at Woolwich. Whilst in the Triton, he captured the following French armed vessels : — * La Jeune Emelie, brig * Le Recovery .... cutter La Difficile ship * La Furet schooner La Helene brig Name unknown . . . ship L'Arraigne schooner * La Rose'e brig L'lmproraptu brig L'Aimable Victor . . brig Le St. Jacques, national lugger, La Videtta brig Captain Gore likewise destroyed la Bayonaise, a ship of 20 guns and 200 men, and le Petit Diable cutter of 12 guns and 60 men. He also chased a cutter privateer, of 16 guns, under the batteries at Guernsey, where she was brought-to and captured by the garrison of that island, Jan. 29, 1799. During the summer of 1801, government received intelli- gence that the invasion of Great Britain by France might be certainly expected. Every preparation was immediately made, with that energy and deliberate resolution which have always marked our national character ; and the general wish of the nation, that Lord Nelson should be the guardian of that part of its southern coast, where it was expected the enemy would make the attempt, was gratified by his lordship being appointed commander-in-chief of all the naval force employed on both shores, from Orfordness to Beachy Head, inclusive. Captain Gore had been previously ordered to assume the command of a light squadron employed in watching Boulogne, and the Medusa was now selected to bear the flag of Nelson. 16 guns, 14..... 18 90 men, . 46 .206 JFeb. 11, 12, > 1 797. 4 . 50 Oct. 14, ft * * L 3 16 160 ) 1 20 .200 ....... . . . . ..1798. 'C ft. 5 . 38 . . Sept. 28, 1 14 . 70 £ Dec. I 1798. * 14 . 64 *r» 18 6 . 87 . 30 . . Jan. . . Sept. 30, 13, J1799. 14..... . 90 ..Feb. 10, 1800. Taken by the Triton, in company with other British cruisers. 478 ADDENDA, &C. On the 3d Aug. 1801, Captain Gore was directed by our great hero to place three bomb-vessels in a situation to throw shells amongst the enemy's flotilla ; and on the following day three or four large gun-vessels were destroyed. On the 15th, he was ordered to arrange an attack upon thirty-six sail lying in the mouth of the harbour. The result of this enterprise has been stated in the note f at p. 611 et seq. of Vol. I. Part II. We subsequently find the flag of Lord Nelson flying on board the Amazon frigate, and Captain Gore commanding a squadron stationed under Dungeness, to protect that part of the coast, and occasionally to menace Boulogne. From Oct. 1801 until Feb. 12, 1802, the Medusa was employed in cruis- ing against the smugglers, between the Start and the Isle of Wight. At the latter period she was sent with despatches to the Mediterranean. On his arrival there, Captain Gore was ordered to visit all the French and Spanish ports within the limits of that sta- tion ; and he subsequently commanded a squadron sent to escort King Ferdinand IV. from Palermo to his continental capital. Early in 1803, he conveyed H. M. ambassador, the Right Hon. William Drummond, from Naples to Constanti- nople. While lying at the entrance of the Black Sea, Captain Gore received intelligence that led him to believe it would not be long before another war took place between Great Britain and France. Aware that his Admiral would, in such a case, require the services of the Medusa, he immediately resolved to overlook his instructions, and hasten to rejoin the flag of Sir Richard Bickerton, by whom his conduct on this occasion was very highly approved. Captain Gore was senior officer of the inshore squadron when Nelson arrived off Toulon, and assumed the chief com- mand. From thence he was sent, with three frigates and four sloops under his orders, to cruise in the vicinity of Gibraltar, as his lordship's "advanced guard off the Straits/' and, whilst there, he had the happiness to obtain his immor- tal chieftain's most flattering approbation. ADDENDA, &C. 479 After cruising for three months outside of the Gut, Captain Gore returned to Gibraltar for the purpose of completing his stores, provisions, and water. Whilst thus employed, he ob- served a cutter coming from the westward, in action with two large French feluccas. Nearly the whole of his officers and men were then on shore, at the Dock-yard, Victualling Office, 8cc. He immediately recalled them, slipped his cable, and stretched across to Cabritta point unobserved by the enemy, who were about to board the cutter. On perceiv- ing the Medusa they both hauled off from their intended prey and stood away on different tacks ; but Captain Gore soon ran along side one of them*, put his first lieutenant on board her, and continued in chase of the other. This latter vesself suc- ceeded in regaining the Spanish shore, but in so shattered a state, from the Medusa's shot, that she never again floated. The cutter thus rescued was the British Fair, charged with despatches of the utmost importance : 2 of her crew were killed, and 6 wounded. Each of the feluccas had 2 long 12- pounders, 2 sixes, and 70 men. The capture and destruction of these, and three other French feluccas, by the Medusa, brought on Sir Thomas Trigge, Lieutenant-Govern or of Gibraltar, a long correspond- ence with the Marquis Solano, Captain -General of Andalusia, and General Castanos, Governor of Algeziras, which being referred to Captain Gore, he replied as follows : — " girj — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Excellency's letters and their enclosures from the high Spanish authorities, and in reply I have to request you will be pleased to inform those officers that so long as they countenance the French privateers lying in Tariffa and other ports, and sallying from thence to seize upon the unprotected trade of his Ma- jesty's subjects, thereby transgressing the laws of neutrality, I shall be equally heedless of them j and after the instance they so strongly dwell upon, I shall feel it my duty to pursue the French privateers into Spanish ports, and destroy them when I can, and I shall instruct the captains of his Majesty's ships placed under my orders to do so likewise. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " JOHN GORE." Shortly afterwards, the Medusa chased a French schooner j] * L* Esperance. f Le Sorcier. 480 ADDENDA, &C. privateer so close to Cadiz light-house that her shot went into the town. On the following morning, the Marquis Solano sent off his aide-de-camp to acknowledge the honor of the salute, and to request that the next time Captain Gore gave him one he would not shot his guns. The Spanish officer also handed to him a note requesting his company at dinner, and inviting the officers of the frigate to a bull fight in the evening : these invitations were accepted, and the Medusa immediately entered the harbour, where she anchored not far from PAigle French 74, and two ship corvettes, which Cap- tain Gore had been for some time watching, in order to pre- vent them from pouncing upon a fleet of merchantmen then expected from England. We should here observe, that Cap- tain Gore had lived on terms of intimacy with, the Marquis during his detention at Cadiz, after the capture of le Censeur. On the 5th Oct. 1804, the Medusa assisted at the capture of three Spanish frigates laden with valuable merchandize, and having on board specie to a very large amount. During the action that took place on this occasion, a fourth frigate blew up, by which dreadful accident 240 persons perished *. On the 8th of the following month, Captain Gore returned to Portsmouth in company with the Matilda 36, which ship had been intercepted and detained by order of Sir Richard J. Strachan, when proceeding from Cadiz to Vera Cruz, with a cargo of quicksilver worth 200,000 pounds. The Medusa being in want of considerable repairs, Captain Gore now obtained leave of absence ; and whilst his frigate was in dock, the following correspondence took place between him and the first Marquis Cornwallis ; — his god-father, and steady friend through life : — " York House, Bath, Dec. 15, 1804. " My Lord, — I have just read in the Courier that you are to be appoint- ed Governor-General of India. I do not mean to intrude any question, but if it is fact, and you think you can be more comfortable with me than a stranger, I can only state that my frigate, Medusa, is now undergoing a thorough repair at Portsmouth, and I am told will be out of dock in Fe- bruary. I shall be truly rejoiced to do every thing in my power to render * See Vol. I. Part II. p. 536. ADDENDA, &C. your voyage agreeable, and only beg that, instead of replying to this, your Lordship will signify your wishes to Lord Melville, upon whom, as well as your Lordship, I will wait the moment I return to London. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) " JOHN GORE.' " London, Dec. 19, 1804. " My dear Gore, — What you read in the Courier is perfectly true. I am told that I can be useful by going to India, and if I can render my coun- try any service it is a matter of indifference to me whether I die on the banks of the Thames or the Ganges. I therefore accept your offer with all the kindness it is made ; and have seen Lord Melville, who desires to see you so soon as you come to town, and will there make all the necessary arrangements. Believe me your attached friend, (Signed) " CORNWALLIS." Captain Gore received the honor of knighthood, Feb. 21, 1805 ; and sailed for Bengal, April 15 following. The Mar- quis Cornwallis died at Gazeepour, a village on the banks of the Ganges, about 600 miles above Calcutta, Oct. 5 in the same year. His lordship's remains were there interred by the present Sir George Abercrombie Robinson, Bart, and the other gentlemen who composed the suite of that great and lamented statesman. Sir John Gore continued at Calcutta, waiting for despatch- es, till Nov. 3, 1805, when he sailed for England with Messrs. Robinson, &c. and the treaty of peace that had been concluded with the Mahratta chief Holkar. His voyage home was per- formed with astonishing celerity, the Medusa^ having run from the Ganges to the Lizard in 84 days, two of which were spent at anchor in St. Helena roads : — she was consequently but 82 days under sail, in which time she traversed the im- mense space of 13,831 miles. Soon after his arrival, Sir John Gore remove^ to the Re- venge 74, in which ship he was successively employed off Brest, 1'Orient, and Rochefort. On the 15th July, 1806, one of his lieutenants was killed in a boat attack, which wijl be fully detailed under the head of Captain Edward Reynolds Sibly. The Revenge formed part of the squadron under Commo- dore Sir Samuel Hood, when that officer lost his arm, in an action with some French frigates, from Rochefort bound to SUPPL. PART II. 2 I 482 ADDENDA, &C. the West Indies ; but being well to windward of her consorts atthetimethe enemy were first discovered, she was too far astern of them during the pursuit to render any assistance. An ac- count of this affair is given at p. 570 et seq. of Vol. I. Part II. Early in 1807, Sir John Gore was sent to join Lord Col- lingwood, who gave him the command of the inshore squadron off Cadiz, where he continued until June, 1808, at which period the inhabitants of that city sent two officers on board the Revenge, with offers of amity, and to solicit assistance against the French. This being made known to the senior officer, Sir John Gore and Colonel Sir George Smith were immediately ordered to land and negociate with the Spanish authorities ; after which his lordship directed Ad- miral Apodaca, and the other commissioner appointed by the Supreme Council of Seville, to be conveyed to England in the Revenge, for the purpose of treating with the British cabinet on matters important to the interests of both nations. On her arrival at Portsmouth, the Revenge was taken into dock, and Sir John Gore's health being much impaired he solicited and obtained permission to retire for a time from the fatigues of active service. He accordingly gave up the com- mand of that ship, Aug. 6, 1808. His next appointment was, Sept. 12, 1810, to the Tonnant of 80 guns, in which ship we find him successively employed in conveying troops to Lisbon, cruising under the orders of Sir Thomas Williams, superintending the blockade of Brest and rOrient, and serving with the squadron in Basque roads, where he was very severely hurt by a tackle from the main- top falling on his head, contusing it badly, and giving a gene- ral shock to his whole frame. The Tonnant being in a defec- tive state was thereupon sent home, and put out of commission in Aug. 1812. On the 27th Nov. following, Sir John Gore was again ap- pointed to the Revenge, and ordered to the Mediterranean. During the whole summer of 1813, he commanded the in- shore squadron off Toulon ; and towards the close of the same year he was sent to cruise off Cape St. Sebastian, with several line-of-battle ships under his orders. On the 8th Nov. ADDENDA, &C. 483 his boats cut a French felucca privateer out of Palamos mole. Sir John Gore's promotion to the rank of Rear- Admiral took place Dec. 4, 1813; and on the 23d of the following month he received an order to hoist his flag in the Revenge. During the remainder of the war he commanded the squadron employed in the Adriatic. On the 22d Mar. 1814, having arranged a co-operation with the Austrian Field Marshal Bellegarde, Sir John Gore commenced the close blockade of Venice by sea, anchoring his squadron off the town, and stationing the boats of the different ships to watch the entrances of Chiozza and Malan- coca. A flotilla equipped by the squadron was at the same time ordered to co-operate with and sustain the Imperial troops on the Adige and Piave. Tn consequence of the successes of the allied armies in France, Eugene Beauharnois and Marshal Bellegarde en- tered into a negociation respecting the surrender and occu- pation of Italy. This having been done without Sir John Gore's knowledge, he remonstrated in the name of his sove- reign against such a partial measure, and the indignity offered to the British flag ; demanding that the ships, arsenal, timber, and naval stores of every description should be placed in his hands ; but without effect. Not having a sufficient force to sup- port his claim, he declined having any thing more to do with Venice, withdrew the whole of his squadron, &c. and submit- ted his correspondence to the decision of the British govern- ment. From Venice, Sir John Gore proceeded to Corfu, and in- formed the governor-general of the Ionian islands of the great events that had recently occurred on the continent ; but could not prevail upon him to evacuate them. He then went to Trieste, and there received instructions to attend Lieutenant- General Campbell, the commissioner appointed by govern- ment to receive possession of Corfu. On the 8th June, a French commissioner arrived to cede that island ; on the 25th the British flag was hoisted in the citadel ; on the 26th a French squadron sailed from thence accompanied by the 484 ADDENDA, &C. late garrison, 10,000 strong, embarked in English transports ; and on the 28th Sir John Gore took his departure for Minor- ca, from whence he returned to Spithead, on the 16th Aug. following. We are informed that an order was sent out for him to be left in command of the squadron, on the peace establishment, in the Mediterranean, but that he had sailed for England, in company with Lord Exmouth, before the ar- rival of the messenger to whom that despatch was entrusted. Sir John Gore was nominated a K. C. B. Jan. 2, 1815 ; and appointed commander- in-chief in the river Medway, at the buoy of the Nore, and from Dungeness to the river Tweed, Mar. 23, 1818. His flag continued flying on board the Bul- wark 76, till the end of June 1821. Since the battle of Navarin he has been to the Mediterranean on a mission from H. R. H. the Lord High Admiral. His commission as a Vice- Admiral bears date May 27, 1825. This officer married, Aug. 15, 1808, Georgiana, eldest daughter of Admiral Sir George Montagu, G.C.B. by whom he has had one son and six daughters. Residence. — Datchett, near Windsor. W. Pople, Printer, 67, Chancery Lane. PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY DA 87 .1 Marshall, John Royal naval biography Suppl, v.2