guished character, the late Rear-Admiral John Willet Payne, in 1793. He was consequently present at the defeat of the French republican fleet, on the glorious 1st of June, 1794; and, under the command of Captain Thomas Larcom, an officer of equal merit, at the capture of three ships of the line, near l’Orient, June 23d, 1795[1]. He afterwards served under Captain Payne, in l’Impetueux 74; the Hon. Robert Stopford, in the Phaeton frigate; and Captains Sampson Edwards and Sir Edward Pellew, in l’Impetueux; of which latter ship he was appointed a lieutenant, Aug. 8th, 1799. His subsequent appointments were, in June, 1802, to the Clyde frigate, Captain John Larmour, on the North Sea station; – May, 1804, to the command of the Sheerness, hired armed cutter, employed off Brest; – and, Jan. 1805, to be senior lieutenant of the Santa-Margaritta frigate. Captain Wilson Rathborne, under whom he assisted in capturing four French line-of-battle ships, on the 4th Nov. following[2]. In the beginning of 1808, he sailed for India, as passenger on board the Barracouta sloop; and on his arrival at Madras, joined the Culloden 74, bearing the flag of Sir Edward Pellew, then commander-in-chief on that station, where he also served for some months as first lieutenant of the Blanche frigate. Captain George Bell. In Jan. 1809, he was appointed acting commander of the Wilhelmina, hospital-ship at Pido-Penang, where he continued until Feb. 1810. His commission as commander bears date April 28th, 1809.
After his supercession in the command of the Wilhelmina, the subject of this sketch returned home in an Indiaman, and was not again employed until June, 1813, when he was appointed to the Vesuvius bomb, but ordered to assume the pro-tempore command of the Unicorn frigate, and to assist Captain John Hancock, of the Nymphen, in escorting the outward bound trade to Portugal; after which he proceeded, with some merchantmen under his convoy, to Gibraltar. His subsequent services in the Gironde river were most highly
