I am well pleased with the motto ("In Deo spero") you have substituted. It is the one I had fixed upon before; but wishing to have reference to the action made me adopt the other, though not without much consideration, as I allow it appeared as if I no longer had thattrust which I hope will never forsake me in any event through life.
On the 21st of January Sir James detached the Warrior, Defence, Bellona, and Zealous, of 74 guns each, to follow the French squadron to the West Indies. These ships were placed under the command of Captain Tyler, of the Warrior, who was senior officer, and had directions to proceed to Jamaica and join Sir John Duckworth, the then commander-in-chief on that station: at the same time the Phaeton, Captain Morris, was despatched to England with the intelligence of the above circumstances. The Leda, Captain Hope, had been sent to Cadiz to receive for safety the specie belonging to the merchants, and to obtain information respecting the movements of the ships in that harbour. It was then ascertained that the French ship Duquesne, of 80 guns, had arrived there in distress, having parted from a convoy bound to St. Domingo. She was accompanied by a French frigate; and, both having troops on board, no doubt could be entertained of their destination, as well as that of the squadron under Rear-admiral Gantheaume. Several transports and troop-ships arrived from Malta and Egypt, having on board part of the army employed on the reduction of Alexandria, and were despatched to England.
An unexpected event now plunged the garrison of Gibraltar into deep affliction. The gallant and highly-respected governor was seized with a malignant illness, which terminated his life in five days. With this mournful intelligence Sir James despatched the Penelope frigate to England, and another frigate to Lord Keith, at Malta. The following is a copy of his letter to Mr. Nepean on that occasion:
Sir,
I request you will be pleased to inform my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that I have thought it necessary to despatch the Penelope to England, in order that the King's ministers may be apprised as speedily as possible of the loss his Majesty's service has sustained in the death of Governor O'Hara, who departed this life early this morning. I cannot on this occasion refrain from expressing my deep concern at the loss of an officer from whom the naval service in particular has always experienced the utmost attention.
I am, sir,
Your obedient humble servant,
James Saumarez.
General Burnet succeeded, pro tempore, to the command of the garrison; and Captain Gaskill, the late governor's aide-de-camp, was the bearer of the despatches to Government. It was about this time that the 54th regiment, commanded by Colonel Ross, arrived from Egypt to relieve the Cambrian Rangers, part of which went home in the Penelope, and the remainder in the Dido, troop-ship.
The colours were hoisted half-mast on board all the ships until the 3rd of March, when General O'Hara's funeral took place; on which occasion the boats of the squadron, joined by those of the foreign men-of-war, rowed in procession to the Ragged Staff, while minute-guns were fired by the flag-ship and the garrison. The solemnity of this scene could not but be rendered more impressive by the recollection of the investiture of Sir James with the Order of the Bath, in which the venerable and gallant general had performed so distinguished a part only a short time before.
This event was followed by one of the same mournful description, namely, the death of Admiral Brenton, father to the gallant captain of the Cæsar, a venerable and highly-respected officer. As family affairs required Captain Brenton's presence in England, he exchanged with Captain Downman, of the Dorothea, by mutual consent, and with permission from the Admiral. This exchange accordingly took place on the 17th March 1802, when Captain Downman joined the Cæsar.