privateer, and carried to Antigua. He shortly afterwards returned home in the Venus frigate, and was subsequently appointed to the Foudroyant 80, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Albemarle Bertie; and Neptune 98, commanded by Captain Sir Thomas Williams. The latter ship formed part of the force with which Sir John T. Duckworth pursued a French squadron to the West Indies, in 1808; and in the following year she again proceeded to the same quarter, for the purpose of assisting in the meditated attack upon Martinique.
During the operations against this colony. Lieutenant Westphal, who had previously exchanged into, and become first of, the Belleisle 74, was most actively employed on shore, first in erecting, and afterwards in fighting the batteries, under the superintendence of acting Commodore (now Sir George) Cockburn, whose fortunes he ever afterwards followed until his promotion to the rank of commander. The manner in which the Belleisle was employed immediately subsequent to the reduction of Martinique will be seen by reference to p. 424 et seq. of Suppl. Part I. In p. 208 of Suppl. Part IV. we have stated that Lieutenant Westphal commanded a sub-division of gun-boats at the attack and capture of Flushing, in Aug. 1809; but we should have added, that he was then upwards of fifty hours under the enemy’s fire. We are indebted to Brenton’s Naval History for the following account of the service in Quiberon Bay, to which we before only partially alluded:–
“The Marquis Wellesley had, in Nov. 1809, returned from Spain, thoroughly acquainted with the disposition of the Spaniards. On one point, alone, he was ignorant. Ferdinand VII. having long before the arrival of the British ambassador at Cadiz, thrown himself a willing victim into the arms of Napoleon and his treacherous generals, was hurried away captive to Valançay, Upon the character and talents of this prince, therefore, the Marquis had not the means of exercising his own judgment; but trusting to the ‘vox populi,’ he very naturally concluded that no event would be more acceptable to them, than the arrival of their king. The national songs composed at this period were burdened in every couplet with the name of Fernando, frequently associated with that of his gracious Majesty King George III., and they invoked the aid of Heaven, and England, for the restoration of their beloved monarch, at whose presence discord, war, and famine, were fondly expected to cease.
