received a letter from Captain Lawford, of which the following is an extract:
“I wrote yesterday to Mr. Budge (who is private secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty) respecting Bartholomew, and pressed his appointment to the Polyphemus, in the event of making lieutenants, with all the energy I was capable of; setting forth all his merits in Holland, my own knowledge of him, and Sir Andrew Mitchell’s approval of his conduct; and you, my good friend, must push your influence, and together, I trust, we shall accomplish his appointment.”
It has been stated in a former part of this work, that Mr. Bartholomew was the only midshipman entrusted with the charge of an explosion vessel, at the first trial of the “catamarans,” near Boulogne pier, on the night of Oct. 2, 1804[1]. When his patron attempted to destroy Fort Rouge, Dec. 8, in the same year, he was doing duty as lieutenant of the Antelope, and took charge of the first machine intended to be applied. The following mention is made of him in Sir Home’s official report to the commander-in-chief:
“I very much regret that Mr. Bartholomew could not fetch the fort, for I am positive he would have lashed the carcass to the piles: I take this opportunity of most particularly recommending Lieutenant Steuart to your lordship’s notice, which, I hope, will also he extended to Mr. Bartholomew; your lordship must he alive to the enterprising conduct of these two officers on a former occasion[2].”
A few days after this event, Mr. Bartholomew removed with Sir Home Popham, from the Antelope, to the Diadem 64; and on the expedition destined against the Cape of Good Hope reaching Madeira, he received an Admiralty commission, dated July 20, 1805, appointing him lieutenant of the latter ship, in which he was present at the reduction of the said colony, and at all the subsequent operations in the Rio de la Plata[3]. The following is an extract of Rear-Admiral Murray’s official despatch, reporting the debarkation of the army under Lieutenant-General Whitelocke, near Ensinada de Barragon, June 28, 1807[4].
