1797
1798
1799
Prince Edward, having returned from the West Indies, was appointed Commander of the Forces in Nova Scotia and its dependencies, and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. The Royal Fusiliers experienced the advantage of His Royal Highness's assiduous attention to their interests; his military virtues,—his liberality,—his care to bring merit into notice, and to procure suitable rewards for the well-conducted,[15] with his constant attention to everything calculated to promote the welfare of the regiment, endeared his name in the grateful remembrance of the officers and soldiers; at the same time, the facility with which he procured a constant supply of fine recruits for his corps, with his indefatigable efforts to inculcate the true principles of subordination in the regiment, and to bring it into a state of perfection in discipline, occasioned the Royal Fusiliers to become one of the most efficient corps in the service,—distinguished alike for its uniform and warlike appearance,—excellent conduct in quarters,—and the superior style in which it performed its exercises and field movements. His Royal Highness having returned to England on account of ill health, was created, on the 23rd of April, 1799, Earl of Dublin in Ireland, and Duke of Kent and Strathearn in Great Britain.
1801
In August, 1801, the Duke of Kent was removed to the first or the royal regiment; and was succeeded in the colonelcy by Lieut.-General Sir Alured Clarke from the fifth foot, who had commanded the Royal Fusiliers during a great part of the American war.
1802
After passing eleven years in the protection of the British North American provinces, the regiment embarked from Nova Scotia, the right wing under Lieut.-Colonel Layard, for Bermuda, and the left wing under Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Burrows for the Bahamas; and both wings arrived at their destinations in October and November, 1802.
1804
1805
While the regiment was in the West Indies, a second battalion was added to its establishment, and formed of men raised for limited service in the West Riding of Yorkshire, under the provisions of the Additional Force Act, passed in July, 1804. The second battalion was placed on the establishment on the 25th of December, 1804, and in 1805 it marched from Yorkshire to Winchester.[16]
1806
1807