to Government, because there are not the means of procuring them here. I have the honor to salute you.
“Captain the Hon. John Colville to Rear-Admiral Kirkhert.
“Sir,– Previous to leaving this place, where our captivity has been rendered so void of its usual attendant sufferings, permit me to offer to you, on the part of myself and fellow sufferers, late of H.B.M. ship Romney, the only proof that the unfortunate like ourselves can offer of their gratitude, in the unfeigned assurances that the recollection of the humane attentions wc have experienced from you can never be erased from our memories.
“To Captain Verdooren, and the other captains and officers of the ships under your command, we request you to tender our assurances of the sense we feel of all their kindness to us.
“I will not trespass on your time with a long letter; the recollection of having exercised to the unfortunate all the kindest offices of humanity must be sufficiently gratifying to Admiral Kirkhert; but we should feel in some measure unworthy of them, had we departed from the Helder without offering this humble tribute of our gratitude.
“Permit me, Admiral, to assure you of the very high consideration and respect with which I have personally the honor to be, &c.
L’Hercule[3] formed part of the fleet under Admiral Gambier, at the siege of Copenhagen in 1807; and on her return from thence was ordered to the coast of Portugal. His Lordship commanded the Queen, 74, between three and four years, and was employed in her on the coasts of France and Spain, as well as in the North Sea and West Indies, from which latter station he escorted home, without the loss of a single vessel (even missing), the last Leeward Island convoy, consisting of no less than 370 sail. Before giving up the command of that ship, he assisted in bringing home the army which embarked in the Garonne, after the peace with France, in 1814.
- ↑ The above is translated from the original in French.
- ↑ This copy of Captain Colville’s original letter to his generous and humane enemy, we have obtained since the publication of our first volume, containing as perfect an account of his services as we were then able to produce. That which we published as a copy, in 1823, is, it now appears, merely a re-translation from the Dutch papers.
- ↑ See Vol. I, Part II. p. 756.
