Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/612

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608 TYRREL. at Plymouth, a rupture with France being then appre hended. He was afterwards appointed to the Bucking ham, and ordered to the West Indies, where we find him, in 1758, in company with the Cambridge, attacking a fort, in Grand Ance Bay, in the island of Martinico. Here they levelled the fort with the ground, destroyed three privateers, and took a fourth, which they converted into a tender. When the fort was demolished, a village near it presented a strong temptation to the men flushed with victory, to attack, and they solicited warmly for leave to plunder it; but their generous commander replied,— “Gentlemen, it is beneath us to render a number of poor people miserable, by destroying their habitations and little conveniences of life. Brave Englishmen scorn to distress even their enemies, when not in arms against them.” This seasonable harangue diverted the seamen from their pur pose, and preserved the lives and properties of the innocent villagers. In the month of November, the gallant Tyrrel was ordered by Commodore Moore, to cruise in the Buck ingham to windward of Martinico. Between the islands of Montserrat and Guadaloupe, he fell in with the Weasel sloop, commanded by Captain Bowles, and immediately after descried a fleet of nineteen sail, under convoy of a seventy-four gun ship, which proved to be the Florissant, and two large frigates. Captain Tyrrel immediately gave chase with a l l the sail h e could carry; and the Weasel, running close t o the enemy, received a whole broadside from the large ship, but without sustaining any consider able damage. I n consequence o f this Captain Tyrrel gave orders t o Mr. Bowles, her commander, t o keep aloof, a s his small ship was incapable o f withstanding such heavy metal. The Florissant, unwilling t o rely o n her superiority over the Buckingham, bore away, firing a l l the time her stern-chase guns, while the two frigates raked the enemy fore and aft. Tyrrel, however, steadily kept o n his course, and a t length came alongside the Frenchman, within pistol-shot, i n which situation h e poured i n his broadside, which did terrible execution. The captain o f the Florissant 1 .