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severely wounded; and who, after returning from America, had a company for many years in the 21st regiment (Royal North British Fusileers).

Mr. Douglas Cox’s godfather was Colonel William Douglas, brother to that most excellent officer and worthy man, the present Vice-Admiral John Erskine Douglas, under whose protection he first entered the navy, May 6th, 1800, as midshipman on board the Boston 32, which ship was very actively employed on the Halifax station, till towards the close of 1804, when she returned home and was put out of commission.^[1]

On the 20th Dec. 1804, Mr. Cox joined the Circe 32, Captain Jonas Rose, from which frigate he was removed to the Northumberland 74, flag-ship of the Hon. Sir Alexander Cochrane, commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands, July 10th, 1806. We next find him, in Mar. 1807, serving as sub-lieutenant of the Attentive gun-brig, on the same station, where he was frequently engaged in boat attacks, and on one occasion, with only five companions, most gallantly boarded and captured a large guarda-costa, of two long six-pounders, and thirty-five men. We can nowhere find any printed record of this very dashing affair, but have been favoured by a friend with the following particulars:–

“The details of the various boat affairs in which Mr. Cox was engaged, I cannot at this length of time recollect, except one while he was serving under Lieutenant Robert Carr, in the Attentive. The boats of that vessel had cut out from a small port near Trinity, on the north side

1. “The true picture of a ship of war of the old school is to be found in Roderic Random. Such it continued to be in 1782, and was not much improved in 1792. The store-rooms were a chaotic mass of most things requisite for a ship, although nothing was to be found when wanted. The first instance we can remember of their being arranged in that beautiful order, now so generally observed in the service, was on board the Boston, when commanded by the present Vice-Admiral John Erskine Douglas. This was done by the carpenters of the ship, under the direction of the captain: the advantages soon became so apparent, that many captains followed the good example; and government, receiving into its counsels some of the most active and influential officers in the navy, adopted the mode of fitting store-rooms throughout the service, and great are the benefits derived from it.” – Brenton’s Naval History, III. p. 141.