Birth and education—Anecdote of early daring—Enters the Navy—Leaves
his ship, with one of his companions, at Marseilles—Joins the Blonde,
Captain Pownoll—His activity—Anecdote of General Burgoyne—Instance of
extraordinary boldness—Campaign on the Lakes of Canada—Distinguishes
himself in the actions, of October 11th and 13th, 1776—Complimented by
Sir C. Douglas, Lord Howe, and Earl Sandwich—Appointed to command the
Carleton—Nearly takes General Arnold—Narrowly escapes being made
prisoner—Commands a brigade of seamen in Burgoyne's campaign—In danger
of killing his brother—Events of the campaign—Constructs a bridge, by
which the army crosses to Saratoga—His brother killed in
action—Recaptures a provision vessel from the enemy—Admitted to the
Council of War, and pleads that the sailors may be exempted from the
capitulation—Sent home with despatches in a transport—Defends her
against a privateer—Promoted to be a Lieutenant.
Influence of the late campaigns on his character—His extraordinary
strength and activity—Narrow escapes from drowning—Appointed to a
guard-ship—Presses for active employment, and proposes to resign his
commission—Appointed to the Licorne—Becomes First Lieutenant of the
Apollo, Captain Pownoll—Action with the Stanislaus, French frigate;
Captain Pownoll killed, enemy driven on shore—His letter on the
occasion to Earl Sandwich—Promoted to be a Commander—Anecdote in
relation to his promotion—Appointed to the Hazard—Appointed to the
Pelican—Gallant action—Promoted to be a Post-Captain—- Appointed to
the temporary command of the Artois—Captures an enemy's
cruiser—Anecdote of Captain Macbride—Marriage—Appointed to the
Winchelsea frigate—Conduct in her—Appointed to the Salisbury,
Vice-Admiral Milbanke—Anecdote of Lord Thurlow.
Becomes a farmer—Remarks on naval officers' farming—His ill
success—Omen of his future fortune—Offered a command in the Russian
Navy—Remarks on serving foreign states—War of the French
Revolution—Appointed to the Nymphe 36-gun frigate—Enters a number of
Cornish miners for her—Cornish miners—Equipment and movements of the
Nymphe—Captain Israel Pellew joins her as a volunteer—Sails from
Falmouth—Remarkable dream of one of the officers—Falls in with the
Cleopatra; her high state of equipment—Gallantry of both ships—Cap
of Liberty—Action—Death of the French Captain, Mullon; his
heroism—Captain Pellew's letter to his brother.
Presented to the King and knighted—His liberality to the widow of
Captain Mullon—Use of carronades—He suggests the employment of
independent squadrons in the western part of the Channel, to check the
enemy's cruising frigates—Value of these squadrons—Appointed to the
Arethusa, and joins Sir J.B. Warren's squadron—Action of April 23rd,
1794—Engages and captures La Pomone—Action of August 23rd, 1794 A
second squadron fitted out, and placed under his orders—Artois and
Revolutionaire; chivalrous conduct of Sir Sidney Smith—Conveys
important intelligence to the Admiralty—Appointed to the
Indefatigable, 44—His dispute with the Navy board—Allowed to fit her
according to his own plans—Success of them—Accuracy of his judgment on
a ship's qualities—Indefatigable strikes on a rock—Sir Edward nearly
lost in attempting to save two of his people—His success on different
occasions in saving lives—Wreck of the Dutton at Plymouth—He boards
her, and saves all the people—His report of the service—Honours and
rewards; created a Baronet—Captain Cole, and L'Unité French
frigate—Sir Edward's letters on the occasion to Earls Chatham and
Spencer—Notice of Captain Cole—His death, and Sir Edward's
feeling—Action of Indefatigable and La Virginie—Conduct and
gallantry of her Captain, Bergeret.
State of parties—Enemy's preparations for invasion—Reflections on
Ireland—Lord Exmouth's opinion on the Roman Catholic question—Sir E.
Pellew watches Brest with his frigates—His perseverance and
hardihood—Sailing of the expedition—He embarrasses its
movements—Arrives in England—Misfortunes of the British fleet—Enemy
arrive at Bantry Bay—Prevented from landing, and driven off the coast
by gales—Reflections on the failure of the expedition—Sir Edward puts
to sea with the Indefatigable and Amazon—Meets and engages the
Droits de l'Homme, 74—Finds himself on a lee-shore, hauls off, and
saves the Indefatigable with difficulty—Amazon wrecked—Admirable
conduct of her officers and crew—Droits de l'Homme wrecked—Horrible
circumstance of her fate—Anecdote of the French Commodore—Eventual
fate of the Captain of the Amazon.
Remarks on Sir Edward's character as a seaman and an officer—His
conduct when his ship was on fire—His consideration for his officers
and men—The Duke of Northumberland—Mutiny at Spithead—Preparations
for a second invasion of Ireland—General Daendels—Proposed expedition
baffled—Sir Edward off Brest—Proposes to burn the French
fleet—Success in capturing the enemy's cruisers—La
Vaillante—Royalist priests and Madame Rovère—His
liberality—Appointed to L'Impetueux, 78—Her mutinous
state—Observations on the mutinies in the Navy, from 1797—Sir Edward's
opinions on the subject—His precautions—Attempted mutiny in the
Indefatigable—Conspiracy in the Channel fleet—Mutiny on board the
Impetueux—His firmness and promptitude in suppressing
it—Court-martial—Earl St. Vincent's opinion of his conduct—His
conduct at the execution—His decision on the court-martial on a
mutineer—Illustrative anecdote—He commands an expedition to
Quiberon—Proposes to attack Belleisle—Cruises off Port Louis—Mr.
Coghlan cuts out La Cerbère—He directs the landing of the army at
Ferrol.
Peace—Made Colonel of Marines—His popularity—Envy in
consequence—Anecdote—Elected M.P. for Barnstaple—State of
parties—Renewal of hostilities—Appointed to the Tonnant, 80—Pursues
a Dutch squadron—Blockades a French squadron in Ferrol—His seamanship
and exertions in maintaining the blockade—Difficulty of supplying the
ships—His recall—Earl St. Vincent's naval reforms—Mr. Pitt's
opposition—Naval inquiry, March 15, 1804—Sir Edward's speech—Its
effect—Promoted to be a Rear-Admiral, and appointed to be
Commander-in-chief in India.
Character required for a Commander-in-chief—Hostility of the new
Ministry—Sir T. Troubridge sent to take the more valuable part of the
command—Oversight of the Admiralty—Dispute between the two
admirals—Sir Edward confirmed in his command—Melancholy fate of the
Blenheim, Sir T. Troubridge—Sir Edward sends Captain Troubridge in
search of his father—Actions in the Indian Seas—San Fiorenzo and
Psyché—Piedmontaise and Warren Hastings—Ferocity of the French
first lieutenant, and Sir Edward's general order in consequence—San
Fiorenzo and Piedmontaise—French privateers—Murderous contest
between the Victor and Malay pirates—Attack on Batavia Roads, and
destruction of the shipping—Captain Fleetwood Pellew at
Samarang—Attack on Griessée, and destruction of the line-of battle
ships—Sir Edward's protection of commerce—Convoy system—Resolutions
of the Bombay merchants—His care of the fleet—Establishes a naval
hospital at Madras—Punishment: Sir Edward's regulations—Encounters a
hurricane on his homeward voyage.
Declines an offer to be second in command in the
Mediterranean—Commander-in-chief in the North Sea; his activity and
energy—Receives the Mediterranean command—Affair off Toulon—His
expectations of a battle—Disposition of his force—System of the
fleet—His attention to discipline; to economy—Frigate affairs off
Toulon—Care of his officers—Nature of the service in the
Mediterranean—Daring of the crews—Effect of their
successes—Diplomatic responsibility—Sir Edward's anxiety for a
battle—Anecdote of Napoleon—Affair of November 5th, 1813—of February
13th, 1814—Capture of Genoa—Peace.
Sir Edward created Baron Exmouth—His letter on the occasion—Made
Knight of the Bath—Renewal of hostilities—Resumes the command in the
Mediterranean—Services at Naples—Services at Marseilles—Instructed to
negotiate with the Barbary Powers—Anecdote of the Pope—Causes the city
and defences of Algiers to be surveyed—Previous ignorance of the
place—General order to the fleet—Peace made with Algiers—Abolition of
slavery at Tunis and Tripoli—Second visit to Algiers—Violent
discussions, negotiation broken off, danger of the party, hostile
proceedings—Negotiation renewed—Arrangement—Lord Exmouth's anxiety at
having exceeded his instructions—Debate in the House of
Commons—Massacre at Bona—Determination of the Government to enforce
the abolition of Christian slavery.
Description of the defences—Force demanded by Lord Exmouth—Surprise of
the Admiralty at the small force he required—Lord Exmouth's
confidence—His entire satisfaction with the arrangements of the
Admiralty—He refuses to allow his relations to accompany him—His
promptitude—Sails—Preparations for the battle—A Dutch squadron joins
at Gibraltar—Preparations made by the Algerines—Particulars of the
battle—Fleet hauls off—Lord Exmouth's conduct after the battle—His
very narrow escapes—Submission of the enemy—Lord Exmouth's account of
the battle, in a private letter—Closing remarks.
Honours paid him—His exertions for his officers—Thanks of
Parliament—Activity of his mind—Command at Plymouth—Trial of the
Queen—His unpopularity, and remarks on it—His independence in
politics—Catholic question—His religious principles and conduct—Peace
of his declining years—Anxiety for the safety of the country—Death of
his daughter—Death of his grandchild; his reflection on the
occasion—Made Vice-Admiral of England—Death of Sir Israel Pellew—Lord
Exmouth's attachment to the Church, and confidence in God's protection
of it—His last illness and death.