Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp4.djvu/462

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ADDENDA, &c.
441

Clavell returned to the Adriatic, where he continued to be very actively employed, under Captains Campbell and Moubray, until promoted by Lord Collingwood into the Glatton 54, which ship he was obliged to give up, through ill-health, very soon after his appointment to her. His post commission bears date Feb. 4, 1808.

When sufficiently recovered, Captain Clavell was immediately appointed to the Royal George, of 100 guns, but soon removed to the Laurestinus 24, in consequence of his having requested the Right Hon. Charles Yorke, then First Lord of the Admiralty, to give him a smaller ship. This latter appointment took place in May 1811; and on the 19th of the following month, without any fresh application, he received a commission for the Orlando, a new frigate, mounting 42 guns.

After a six weeks’ cruise off the Western Islands, Captain Clavell was again ordered to the Mediterranean, for which station he sailed in Nov. 1811, having on board 210,000 dollars, and with a fleet consisting of three valuable store-ships, a number of transports, and 200 sail of merchantmen under his protection.

The Orlando formed part of the Adriatic squadron, under the orders of Captain (now Sir Charles) Rowley and Rear-Admiral (afterwards Sir Thomas F.) Freemantle, until Aug. 1812, at which period Captain Clavell was selected by Sir Edward Pellew to command a detachment of sloops, &c. employed in the Archipelago, where he continued during the remainder of the war in Europe. The instructions he received with this appointment were, to conciliate as far as possible the good understanding subsisting between England and the Sublime Porte, without conpromising the British interests; to afford every protection in his power to our commercial relations in that quarter; and to use his utmost exertions for the destruction of the enemy’s cruisers, whose conduct had been such as to occasion his predecessor to have frequent altercations with the Turkish Agas, upon the violations of neutrality they permitted within the precincts of their respective governments. The great importance of preserving the most unin-