wandering about the streets in this deplorable condition, and Lieutenant Gourly,the moment he heard of their distress,invited the whole of them to dinner, after which he went on shore and requested the Hon. John Erskine, then commissary-general, to cash him a bill for 55l. which sum was all that they required for their present support. That gentleman refused to take the bill, but offered to lend him as many dollars as he wanted. Lieutenant Gourly then mentioned how he intended to apply them, upon which his friend said, “I will not lend the money to you for any such purpose – I will lend it to the men myself – the loss of such a sum might greatly hurt a poor officer, but will not harm me if I were to lose it, which I am sure I shall not: there is the cash, tell the poor fellows I will trust them with double the amount if they want it.” In a few days afterwards, the Vanneau took these men to Leghorn, from whence they promptly remitted every shilling to their generous benefactor. One of them is at this time a meritorious officer in the navy.
In June, 1796, when General Buonaparte took possession of Leghorn, Lieutenant Gourly contributed by his exertions to rescue the British Factory, and property of considerable value. On the 10th of the following month, he witnessed the surrender of Porto Ferrajo, in Elba, to the forces under Commodore Nelson and Major Duncan, R.A. the latter of whom had sailed from Corsica under the protection of the Vanneau.
In a short time after the occupation of the above place, orders were given by Sir Gilbert Eliot, Viceroy of Corsica, to take possession of Capraja, an island then belonging to the Genoese, but which had long afforded shelter and protection to French privateers, as well as to pirates of all nations. Having embarked a body of soldiers, under Major Logan, of the 51st regiment, on board the Captain 74, and Gorgon troop-ship. Commodore Nelson sailed from Bastia, accompanied by the Vanneau and Rose, the latter vessel a cutter, commanded by Lieutenant ____ Walker. On the following day, la Minerve frigate. Captain George Cockburn, joined him, and was attached to the expedition.
During the passage thither, Lieutenants Walker and
