Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/30

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

26 COSBY. the St. George, of ninety-eight guns. He retained this com mand only for a short time; as, in the spring of 1798, he shifted his flag into the Windsor Castle, of ninety-eightguns; and on the 15thof April, sailed from Spithead, with a squad ron under his command: part of which proceeded to the West Indies with a convoy; part returned to Spithead; and the rear-admiral, with the rest of the squadron, proceeded to the Mediterranean, where he acted as third in com mand under Vice-Admiral Lord Hood. In the month of November, he was detached, with several ships of the fleet, to Leghorn, in order to bring back from thence, live stock, wine, and other supplies of provisions, for the allied troops in garrison at Toulon. On the 11th of April, 1794, Mr. Cosby was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral of the red squadron, on which occasion he shifted his flag to the Alcides, of seventy-four guns. He was afterwards present at the capture of Cor sica, and of Toulon; and, towards the close of the year, he sailed for England. On the 12th of November, he arrived at Spithead with a squadron of ships of war, and a large fleet of merchantmen under convoy from Portu gal and the Mediterranean. He also escorted home three French ships, which had been taken at Toulon. On his arrival in England, the vice-admiral struck his flag. On the 1st of June, 1795, he was made vice-admi ral of the red; on the 14th of February, 1799, admiral of the blue; on the 1st of January, 1801, admiral of the white; and on the 9th of November, 1805, admiral of the red squadron; that rank having been restored in the royal navy, immediately after the victory off Trafalgar by the immortal Nelson. Admiral Cosby commanded the impress service in Ire land, until the peace of 1801. He died on the 10th of January, 1808, in his 78th year, upwards of sixty of which he had spent in an active and faithful discharge of his duty to his king and country, and highly honourable to himself as an officer of the British navy. On the 16th, his remains were interred in the