had the happiness of being under your command. Your continued attention to our comforts is more than we ever experienced in any Ship, and more than we posably can do with any other Captain – from gratitude for your past goodness to us, we humbly hope our best services will still be exerted under your command, and hope you will not lave us. Every one is praying for your continuance with us. We humbly beg to say that we will fight and spell the last drop of our blood under your command, more willingly than any other Ship’s Company up here will do, and only wish we had the oppertunity of convincing you by the capture of any two Frinch Frigates that we might be lucky enough to fall in with, and in as short time and as much to your satisfaction, as any other frigate posably could do – for in fighting under your command we fight under a Captain to whom we owe Eternal gratitude, and to whom we have the strongest attachment. We humbly Beg Pardon for the liberty we have taken, and remains with the greatest reapect and duty, Sir, your very humble Servants.
(Signed)The Ship’s Company of the Imperieuse.”
In April 1813, Captain Duncan left Mahon, in the Imperieuse, Sir Edward Pellew having not only yielded to the wishes of her crew, but likewise added to their gratification by appointing their favourite Captain to the command of a squadron, consisting of three frigates and two brigs, employed watching the Neapolitan marine, then composed of one 74, two frigates, and a corvette, besides several smaller vessels of war and numerous gun-boats; to which was afterwards added a second line-of-battle ship.
In addition to the duty of blockading Naples, Captain Duncan was directed to annoy as much as possible the enemy’s trade along the coast, between that city and Leghorn; but those orders were rendered nugatory in a considerable degree, through his being obliged to pay particular attention to the island of Ponza, which the enemy had threatened with an attack. He, however, captured a French privateer, and one or two merchant vessels; nor did he quit that station without giving the Neapolitans frequent opportunities to engage his very inferior force. On one occasion we find him standing in with his frigates, and challenging the line-of-battle ships by firing several broadsides at them, as they lay at their anchors; but although they got under sail, and he remained in sight all the next day, they were not sufficiently high-minded to leave the bay, and resent so great an insult.
In Sept. 1813, a French convoy having collected at Port
