Cochrane on this and other occasions did not pass unnoticed. In September, 1800, he was promoted to the rank of master and commander, and appointed to the Speedy gun-brig of fourteen guns. This vessel was under the orders of Lord Keith in the Mediterranean, and her commander’s exertions were eminently successful in making numerous captures. Among others was that of the French brig La Caroline, laden with ordnance stores, in February, and some Spanish xebecs in April, 1801. On the 6th of May, cruizing off Barcelona, he took, after a chace and very warm action, the Spanish xebec frigate El Gamo. The inequality in size, weight of metal, and number of men in the contending ships, is particularly worthy of notice. The Spaniard mounted 32 guns, 22 of which were long 12-pounders, eight nines, and two heavy carronades; and carried a crew of 319 men. The Speedy mounted fourteen 4-pounders, and including officers, men, and boys, had only 54 on board. This great disparity of force induced Lord Cochrane to decide the contest by boarding; which he, in a most resolute manner, accomplished himself at the head of his crew. Such was the impetuosity of the attack that the Spaniards flew from their quarters and struck their colours. They had 15 killed and 41 wounded; the loss of the Speedy was only 3 killed and 8 wounded.
It cannot be doubted that this spirited achievement led to his lordship’s promotion to the rank of post-captain, which was conferred on him on the 8th of August, 1801, when he was appointed to La Raison frigate: but the suspension of hostilities, which so speedily followed, prevented him for a time from gathering fresh laurels.
The war, however, soon re-commenced. The merits of so aspiring an officer could not be overlooked; and accordingly, we find him soon after, in October 1803, to the Arab. From this ship he was, the year following, removed to the Pallas frigate of 32 guns, in which he proceeded to the Newfoundland station, and where he remained but a short time. In the beginning of 1805, he was sent from England with dispatches to his uncle, Admiral Cochrane, who was then blockading Ferrol; and while cruising off the coast of Spain, his lordship had the good fortune to fall in with and take the Fortuna, a Spanish vessel from Rio de la Plata, with diamonds, gold silver, dollars, and a quantity of valuable merchandize, reported altogether to be worth £300,000.—The generosity of Lord Cochrane, his officers, and ship’s company on this occasion, to the Spanish captain and supercargo, well deserves to be recorded for the lasting honour of the national character.
When the Spanish captain, accompanied by the supercargo, who was a merchant and passenger from New Spain, went on board the Pallas, they appeared extremely dejected, as their private property, amounting to 30,000 dollars each, was on board the prize. The papers of the Fortuna being examined, they informed Lord Cochrane that they had families in Old Spain, had now lost all their property, hardly earned by commerce, during nearly twenty years, in the burning 3T2
