happily at sea with the detached squadron. He was still in the Canada in September 1798, when he received intelligence from Keats of the sailing of a French expedition, carrying some five thousand troops, which it was intended to land on the west coast of Ireland, where—in Killala Bay—an advanced body of some eleven hundred men under General Humbert had been already put on shore. Warren immediately followed with three ships of the line, five powerful frigates, and some smaller vessels. Off the north-west of Ireland on 11 Oct. he came up with the enemy, whose force consisted of one 74-gun ship the Hoche, and eight frigates mostly smaller than the English. There is no question that the French, even in nominal force, were altogether outmatched; and when on the 12th Warren succeeded in bringing them to action, the Hoche and three of the frigates were captured after a sturdy defence. The others scattered and fled, but three more of the frigates were captured within a few days, either by the ships of Warren's squadron or others that had followed [see Thornbrough, Sir Edward; Martin, Sir Thomas Byam; Durham, Sir Philip Charles Henderson Calderwood; Moore, Sir Graham]. Two frigates and a schooner got back to France. The Canada herself was not engaged, but Warren's conduct of the affair was deservedly commended, and the complete success which he had achieved, at a time of great public tension, insured his popularity; the thanks of both English and Irish parliaments and a gold medal were awarded to him and his gallant companions.
On 14 Feb. 1799 Warren was advanced to the rank of rear-admiral, and in July hoisted his flag on board the Téméraire, in which he continued throughout the year with Lord Bridport off Brest, or detached into the Bay of Biscay or off Ferrol. In 1800 he commanded a detached squadron in the Bay of Biscay, and was afterwards with Lord Keith off Cadiz [see Elphinstone, George Keith, Viscount Keith]. In 1801 he was in the Mediterranean, where, while Keith was co-operating with the army in Egypt, he was for the most part in charge of the western basin till the peace. In 1802 he was nominated a member of the privy council, and was sent to St. Petersburg as ambassador-extraordinary, principally, it would seem, on a complimentary mission to the emperor on his accession. On 9 Nov. 1805 he was made vice-admiral. In 1806 he had command of a small squadron in western waters, with his flag in the Foudroyant; and, stretching well to the southward, on 13 March fell in with and captured the French 74-gun ship Marengo and the frigate Belle Poule, homeward bound from the East Indies [see Neale, Sir Harry Burrard; Parker, Sir William, (1781–1866)]. On 31 July 1810 Warren was promoted to the rank of admiral. Early in 1813 he was appointed commander-in-chief on the North American station, from which he was relieved in the following spring. On the extension of the order of the Bath in 1815 his K.B. was replaced by the new G.C.B. He had no further service, and died suddenly at Greenwich, while on a visit to Sir Richard Keats, on 27 Feb. 1822. He was buried in the family vault at Stretton Audley in Oxfordshire. There is a tablet to his memory in Attenborough church, Nottinghamshire.
He is described by Sir William Hotham [q. v.] as ‘more an active and brave man than an officer of any great (particularly practical) professional knowledge.’ It appears now, from his time at sea in the junior ranks, and from the intermittent way in which he served in a harbour ship, that his knowledge of practical seamanship must have been extremely limited. ‘In his person he was above the middle size, with a pleasing countenance and good figure, and had much the air and appearance of a man of rank and fashion. He was one of the grooms of the bedchamber to the Duke of Clarence.’
Warren married, in December 1780, Caroline, daughter of Lieutenant-general Sir John Clavering, and had issue by her three daughters and two sons, the younger of whom died in infancy; the elder, a lieutenant in the guards, was killed in Egypt. The two younger daughters also predeceased their father; the eldest, Frances Maria, his sole heiress, married George Charles, fourth lord Vernon, and was mother of George John Warren Vernon, fifth baron Vernon [q. v.] The widow died at Stapleford in December 1839. A portrait of Warren, by Opie, belonged in 1867 to Sir John Warren Hayes, bart. (Cat. of National Portraits, South Kensington Exhibition, 1867).
