lieutenant; but her commander did not obtain superior rank until nearly twenty months afterwards, during which period he was most actively employed on the Heligoland station, where several of his crew were killed and wounded in various skirmishes with the enemy. Among other captures made by him in 1812, were a French lugger privateer, and an armed custom-house vessel, the latter cut out from the port of Delfzyl, in the river Ems.
In March, 1813, Lieutenant Devon, then just returned to Heligoland, after a six weeks’ cruise in very tempestuous weather, received information of the distressed state of the French forces at Cuxhaven, and of the entrance of a Russian army into Hamburgh. His sub-lieutenant, second master, and many men, were then absent in prizes, and himself and the remainder of his crew almost worn out with excessive fatigue; notwithstanding which he hastened to represent to Lieutenant Francis Banks, commanding the Blazer gun-brig, the necessity of going immediately to the Elbe, and at length prevailed upon him to proceed thither, accompanied by the Brevdrageren. The timely appearance of these vessels at the entrance of that river, prevented the escape of two large gun-schuyts, which they took possession of and destroyed, and led to the destruction of eighteen others by the enemy themselves, which formidable flotilla would otherwise have been removed to Holland, under the superintendence of a French naval officer[1].
On the same day, Mar, 16th, Lieutenant Devon landed, and opened a communication with the castle of Ritzbuttel, on which the Hamburgh flag was at that time displayed, the French troops, 1200 in number, having already commenced their retreat from Cuxhaven to Bremen: the result of his interview with the provisional authorities was an agreement, subsequently ratified and acted upon by his senior officer, that the above colours should be hoisted in conjunction with
- ↑ See Admiral Young’s orders to Captain John M‘Kerlie, at p. 190 of Suppl. Part III.
