SERVICE IN THE SYBIL.—STORY OF THE CORFIELDS.—SEVERE WINTER AT
SEA.—STORY OF JOHN ICEBERG.—INVALIDED AND COMES ASHORE.—APPLIES
FOR EMPLOYMENT, AND APPOINTED TO THE ALLIANCE.—FEELINGS ON
THE SUBJECT.—GOES OUT TO THE MEDITERRANEAN.—MADE KNOWN TO SIR
JOHN JERVIS, AND APPOINTED TO THE GIBRALTAR.—STORM AND EXTREME
DANGER OF THE SHIP.—MADE FIRST LIEUTENANT OF THE AIGLE.—BUT
THE AIGLE BEING LOST, HE REMAINS FIRST LIEUTENANT OF THE
BARFLEUR.—INTERVIEW WITH LORD ST. VINCENT AND THE SUBSEQUENT
DECISION.
Soon after his arrival in England, Mr. Brenton was appointed Second
Lieutenant to the Sybil; and while the ship was lying at Gravesend, and
previous to her quitting the river, an interesting little event occurred,
which is so descriptive of the warm-hearted and affectionate character
of the Irish, that it seems due to our countrymen of the sister isle to
mention it, as related in the journal.
“A boat full of men was seen proceeding to an East Indiaman, and I, who
was at the time walking the deck with the captain, was ordered to take a
boat and examine them. I found them sheltered under a regular protection
signed by the Lords of the Admiralty, and stated to be in force for three
days from its date. The date had been omitted, perhaps purposely; and the
paper had probably been procured by a crimp, in order to cover the men
he was in the habit of sending down to the ships at Gravesend. The boat
therefore was brought alongside the Sybil; and the captain, not finding
any prime seamen amongst them, was satisfied with taking two healthy
looking Irish lads, Mike and Pat Corfield by name, one about twenty years
old, and the other under nineteen. The lads were greatly distressed at
being put on board a man of war, of which they had undoubtedly heard many
terrible things. It was however past twelve o’clock when they arrived,
and the pipe had been just given for dinner. The young Irishmen were
accordingly supplied with their portion of bread, soup, and meat; when
Pat smiling through his tears said, “Mike, let us send for mother.”
This little speech, so original, and so full of affectionate expression,
was related to the amusement of the officers for the moment, and was soon
forgotten; but many weeks afterwards, when the ship was at Spithead; a
boat came off, in which were not only the mother but also the little
brother of the Corfields. Their meeting was, as may be supposed,
affecting in the extreme, and seemed to interest every one in their
favour. The whole family were of course to live, while they remained
together, upon the allowance of the two sailors; but the officers having
interceded with the captain; little Edmund, the younger brother, about
ten years of age, was put on the books, which gave a third allowance;
in the mean time the two elder had procured and slung a hammock for the
mother, and another for the little fellow, and every accommodation was
given them by their shipmates to whom this conduct had endeared them.
The mother by washing more than furnished her quota for the mess; and the
whole were kept by her care so clean and tidy that they were noticed for
their good appearance.”
In the course of the autumn of this year, 1794, the Sybil formed part of
the squadron under Rear Admiral Harvey, and was lying many weeks in the
Scheldt, for the protection of Flushing; the French being in possession
of the isle of Cadsand, and menacing that fortress. This service was at
once harassing and mortifying; having none of the excitement or prospect
of advantage which a cruize invariably holds out; while it was in no
ordinary degree exposed to anxiety and hardship.
The Sybil was at length ordered to cruize on the Flemish bank, between
the coast of Holland and the Goodwin Sands; and was kept on this duty
during the whole of that very severe winter of 1794-5, occasionally
calling at Sheerness, to refit and complete provisions. Mr. Brenton was
appointed First Lieutenant of the ship in the October of this year. In
the month of January, 1795, the ice extended far beyond the great Haze,
and the Sybil was for many days frozen in at the little Haze, without any
communication either with the shore or other ships. The squadron, under
Commodore Payne, consisting of the Jupiter, Royal Yacht, and other ships,
were lying at Sheerness at this time, waiting for the ice to break up,
that they might proceed to the Elbe, in order to bring over the Princess
Caroline, afterwards Princess of Wales, and of so much notoriety in this
country. Of this period of service the following notices are given:—
“In February the Sybil was sent to the Weser, to assist in bringing away
the British army, after their disastrous retreat through Holland in that
awful winter. The sufferings of the troops had been dreadful during
the march. They were embarked as they reached Bremer Lee, and sailed
in detachments for England. The Sybil and her convoy were to take off
the rear, and remained in consequence until the latter end of March.
Colonels Barnes and Boardman, the first of the Guards, and the latter
of the Oxford Blues, were embarked in the Sybil. About this time an
extraordinary species of disease had begun to manifest itself among the
marines of the Sybil; and as the discovery of its cause, and the means
of its cure, must be ascribed to the acuteness of the latter of these
two gentlemen, it may be regarded as a subject of thankfulness that they
were passengers. Many of the men were afflicted with an ossification, or
hardening of the knee joint; and this had proceeded to such an extent
in several cases, that the men were lame for life. The surgeon, who was
himself afflicted in the same way, and had been lame from childhood, was
at a loss as to the cause of the malady; but Colonel Boardman at once
threw a light upon the subject by a remark not unlikely to suggest itself
to the mind of a military man. He had observed that the marines, when
dressed, had thick woollen breeches, and long worsted stockings, so that
during the day time, when on their post, the men had the knees doubly
covered. After sunset, when off guard, the parade dress was laid aside,
and canvas trowsers substituted, leaving the knee with little protection
from the cold air of the night; and he inferred that the mischief in
the joint arose from the sudden and violent change in the temperature
maintained around it. The result proved the justness of his conjecture as
to the cause of the malady; for on taking proper precautions to maintain
the warmth by clothing, no further cases occurred; and the surgeon
himself recollected, what it is singular he should ever have forgotten,
that his own crippled state had been occasioned by exposure to cold.
Trifling as this matter may seem, it is not without use to point out the
benefit that may be derived from the observation of intelligent men, even
of a different profession.
“One amusing circumstance occurred also at this time aboard the Sybil,
which it may not be improper to add, as evincing great readiness of
resource in a sailor, though in a case of much less importance than the
preceding. One of the quarter-masters, familiarly called by everybody,
“Old John Iceberg, a Swede,” had a favourite cat, which, contrary to the
reputed character of those animals, evinced as much attachment to her
master as a dog is used to do. It slept in his hammock, and when he had
the watch on deck amused itself with playing in the rigging, leaping
from it to the spanker boom, and from thence to the boat which hung
over the stern. It happened one night that the boat having been kept on
shore by bad weather, and puss not being aware of its absence, in the
course of her gambols she went overboard, to the utter despair of poor
Iceberg. He however soon recollected himself; threw the captain’s dog
overboard, and reporting to the officer on watch that the dog was in the
water, volunteered his services to go after it. While in the boat it may
naturally be supposed that the first object of his care was the cat, and
having picked her up, he proceeded at his leisure to the relief of Echo.”
Ill health, the natural consequence of a service so fatiguing, and so
exposed to extremities of cold, rendered it necessary for Mr. Brenton
to come on shore, in the latter end of 1795. On his recovery, and
application to the Admiralty for employment, he found himself appointed
Second Lieutenant to the Alliance store ship, under orders for the
Mediterranean, a situation but ill according with the feelings of an
officer, ambitious of rising in the service, and who depended solely
on his own exertions, and the opportunities that might offer for
distinguishing himself. Of this illness, and the results to which it led,
Mr. Brenton speaks thus in his private memoranda, “I became very unwell,
and was recommended to go ashore for the winter of 1795-6, which I the
more regretted from the circumstance of Captain Douglas, now Admiral John
Erskine Douglas, having been appointed to command the Sybil, an officer
of distinguished merit, and great abilities, and from whom I felt that
I should learn much. I proceeded immediately to Edinburgh, where my
father was regulating captain. I was put under the care of Dr. Munro, by
whose judicious treatment I was soon in a state of convalescence. But
the idea of being out of employment during an active war, preyed upon
my mind. I wrote to the Admiralty in the middle of December, stating my
ability to serve again, and requesting an appointment. Not receiving
an early answer, my impatience to be afloat again induced me, contrary
to the advice of my physician, to set off for London. On my arrival I
had the mortification to find that I was appointed Second Lieutenant of
the Alliance store ship, a station that I at once considered disgraceful
and degrading to an officer, who had been for some time First Lieutenant
of a frigate. I went to the Admiralty, and laid my case before Admiral
Young, then one of the board, by whom I was kindly received. Having
heard my story, he acknowledged that the Admiralty had resolved to
discountenance any officer going to sick quarters. He admitted that in
many cases the innocent would suffer with the guilty; he believed my
case to be one of this description, and recommended me to join my ship,
in the expectation that I should soon receive something better. I went
away, deeply depressed by what I had heard. I felt that all my prospects
of promotion and distinction had vanished; and was only supported by
the conviction that the disgrace, for such I considered it to be, was
unjustly inflicted; that it was contrary to my wish that I had left my
ship, but that my physician had declared that my life was endangered by
remaining.”
In order to explain the violence of the feelings produced in Mr.
Brenton’s mind by this appointment, it may be necessary to state his own
remark. “It had been then for some time the practice, impolitic in every
point of view, to appoint officers who had fallen under the censure of a
court martial to these store ships. This had been done in forgetfulness
of the value of these vessels, of the very great importance of their
cargoes to the fleets and arsenals in foreign stations, and of the small
number of officers allowed to them; which seemed to require that the
few in command should be men of experience, and men on whose character
reliance might be placed. The officer who had been appointed first of
the Alliance refused to join her. One who had been just dismissed from
his ship, by a court martial, for intemperance, was appointed second;
and I was finally appointed first of this store ship. Captain Cumming
(late Rear Admiral) commanded her, and did me ample justice by bearing
testimony to my conduct, and giving full credit to my exertions under
circumstances so discouraging and humiliating.
“The ship was fitted out and sailed in the latter end of March, with a
convoy of more than 300 sail for different parts of the world, which were
to separate at Cape Finisterre for the several places to which they were
bound.
“When crossing the Bay of Biscay a letter was sent from the Admiral’s
ship, which had been probably forgotten in England, by which I was
informed that I was to be appointed First Lieutenant of the Diamond, of
thirty-eight guns, under the command of my friend, Sir Sidney Smith, who
had commenced his career in the navy under my father, in the Tortoise
store ship; and who, while we were together in Sweden had evinced much
regard for me. Hence this intended appointment.
“It is hardly necessary to add, that had this appointment taken place,
which but for the singular oversight that led to the delay of the
letter, most certainly would have been the case, I certainly should have
followed the fortunes of Sir Sidney Smith, and should probably have
shared his long and perilous captivity in France; while I must have
forfeited the benefits arising from the patronage of my constant friend,
Earl St. Vincent, who, from the moment he first became acquainted with
me, lost no opportunity of forwarding my interests, and of placing me in
important posts.”
On receiving the letter Mr. Brenton says, “I shewed it to my captain,
requesting permission to return to England, some vessel probably leaving
the fleet, being bound thither at the time. Captain Cumming kindly
appealed to me, whether, knowing the state of the ship, and the utter
incapacity of the other Lieutenant to do the duty, he could possibly
accede to my request. The argument was but too well grounded, and I was
under the necessity of submitting. And here we have a striking instance,
that the most gloomy and unpromising circumstances may eventually
lead to the completion of our most sanguine expectations; whilst the
gratification of our immediate wishes might only end in disappointment.
I have often felt that the hand of a kind providence was peculiarly
manifested in my favour upon this occasion. The Diamond was sent to
cruize off the coast of France, and Sir Sidney Smith soon after was taken
prisoner, having landed near Havre in an enterprize against the enemy.
He was confined for a long time in the Temple. If I had not accompanied
my chivalrous friend on this occasion, which it is not improbable might
have been the case, I should at all events have lost the benefit of
his influence, and have had very little chance of promotion; whereas by
proceeding to the Mediterranean in the Alliance, I was placed in the
way of success, and in a short time attained what I had hitherto hardly
ventured to hope.
“On the arrival of the Alliance at St. Fiorenzo I addressed a letter to
the Commander in chief, Sir John Jervis, detailing the circumstances of
my present appointment; and requesting that he would not attribute it to
misconduct on my part; referring him to the different captains with whom
I had sailed for my character and abilities. To my great delight, in a
short time I received an appointment to the Gibraltar, of eighty guns, a
situation most highly gratifying, and beyond my most sanguine wishes. The
Alliance being ordered with supplies of stores to the fleet off Toulon,
I had an immediate opportunity of joining the Gibraltar; having first
waited on the Commander in chief, to thank him for the appointment. Sir
John Jervis received me in the kindest manner, saying he considered the
sons of officers as children of the service, and that he felt it his duty
to provide for them.
“On joining the Gibraltar I found the ship had been in a most unpleasant
state in consequence of a litigious spirit, which had crept in among
the officers, and which had led to numerous courts martial; so that the
captain and officers were not upon friendly terms. Captain Pakenham
however came forward upon this occasion in the handsomest manner, saying
to the officers whom he assembled for the purpose, ‘Come, gentlemen, let
us now give the new First Lieutenant a fair chance. Let us bury the
hatchet and be friends.’ The greatest cordiality and comfort ensued; and
consequently the discipline of the ship was rapidly improved. This the
Admiral attributed to my exertions, while it was the natural result of
restored harmony between the Captain and those under his command.
“The summer was passed in blockading Toulon. In the course of this season
evident indications appeared of hostile intentions on the part of the
Spaniards, who had a very powerful fleet in the Mediterranean. Sir John
Jervis felt it necessary to concentrate his force as much as possible;
and for this purpose repaired with the fleet to Fiorenzo bay, in Corsica,
leaving a small but active force off Toulon, to watch the movements of
the French in that port.
“In the latter part of October, it was found necessary to evacuate
Corsica; and the Smyrna convoy having arrived there, the Admiral sailed
with fifteen sail of the line for Gibraltar, in the beginning of
November; each ship of the line with a Smyrna man in tow. The weather was
very bad, and the winds generally shifting, adverse, and squally, so as
to render the towing of the convoy a service of difficulty and danger;
two of them were lost in consequence, being run down. The fleet arrived
at Gibraltar early in December. The Spaniards had by that time declared
war; and there was no longer any impediment to their forming a junction
with the French fleet, which would make their force exceed forty-three
sail of the line. Sir John Jervis, that he might be in readiness to
sustain the attack of the enemy, moored his ships in the form of a
crescent, extending from the Ragged staff to Rosia bay; the sternmost
ship of the weather line lying off the former place; and the last of
the sea line, the Gibraltar, being off Rosia bay, in a most exposed
situation, with scarcely any hold for her anchors from the steepness of
the bank. Here, on the 10th of December, a most tremendous gale of wind
from the E.S.E. came on, at first in heavy squalls with long intervals.
The Gibraltar brought her anchors home, and great exertions were made
during the lulls to lay them out again. As the night approached the wind
increased to a hurricane. I stated my opinion to the captain that the
ship could not hold on during the night; he appeared to be of the same
opinion, and expressed his intention, should the ship drive, to cut, and
make sail at once, so as to keep the straits open. A very heavy sea was
at the time breaking round Europa point, and against the Spanish shore
on the lee side of the bay. The captain recommended me to retire to my
cot, and get a little repose, as I was evidently unwell. I had hardly
gone down, when a tremendous squall came on, and the ship began to
drive. I ran upon deck as soon as possible; but before I reached it, I
heard the sheet cable running out, the anchor having been let go by the
captain’s order. This change of mind is to be accounted for only by the
apprehension the captain was under of the Admiral’s displeasure; and the
hope he entertained, however feeble, that the ship might be brought up;
but of this it soon appeared there was no prospect. She was off the bank
in a few minutes, with her three anchors hanging to her bows.
“The cables were immediately cut, and sail made upon the ship; but as
the topsails had been furled double reefed, it became necessary to close
reef them before they could be set. The foresail was set at once, and
the main-tack got on board; but in hauling aft the sheet, it was found
to have got a round turn, round the main top gallant yard, in the lee
rigging; nor could any efforts clear it from the shaking of the sail,
the violence of the wind, and the darkness of the night. The yard was
cut away from the main chains, and flew out to leeward, still confined
by both parts of the sheet round it, and it was found impossible to get
the sheet aft for some time. In the meantime, the topsails split, as they
were loosed from the yards; the ship had now lost the shelter of the rock
of Gibraltar, and felt the full force of the heavy sea rolling into the
bay. It was also seen breaking to a fearful height over the Pearl rock
off Cabritta point, which was under our lee; and in order to run her out
clear of it, the jib was set; thus co-operating with a deep pitch in a
heavy sea, carried away the foretopmast. She now rapidly approached the
rock; was soon in the foam occasioned by the breakers; and in another
moment struck upon the rock with a dreadful crash, and was thrown nearly
on her beam ends; but most providentially this latter circumstance, by
decreasing for the moment her draught of water, was the means of carrying
her over the rock, when she righted without striking again.
“The panic was great as may easily be conceived, and a general cry of
‘Cut away the masts’ was heard from every part of the ship. The captain
having been carried into the cabin severely hurt from a fall, just
before the ship struck, the command had devolved upon me. I prevented
the masts from being cut away, not from any prospect of saving the ship,
but in the hope of being able to run her into a sandy bay, near Cabritta
point. The first order I gave was to sound the well; when, to my great
surprise, it was reported that there was no water in it. I therefore
ordered the ship to be kept away, under her tattered sail, so as to give
her fresh way, and hauling up, gradually succeeded in getting her into
the Gut, and free from any danger of the land; when we proceeded to clear
the wreck, to shift the sails, and to bend a cable to the spare anchor.
It happened providentially that there were on board two anchors belonging
to the Censeur, a French seventy-four, a prize which had been burnt by
accident in Fiorenzo bay, and which were to have been landed at Lisbon,
when the fleet should have arrived there. These anchors were immediately
got up from the main hatchway, where they had been stowed; and after
being stocked, had cables bent to them.
“The gale continued during the remainder of the night, and through the
following morning. In the afternoon it became quite moderate, and the
Zealous, commanded by Captain Hood, was seen standing out of Tangier bay,
and approaching the Gibraltar. A boat came on board, bringing information
to Captain Pakenham that Captain Hood had slipped the cable, by which
the Zealous was riding in Tangier bay, and had left a buoy on the cable,
with a boat fast to it, in order that the Gibraltar might run in and take
advantage of it, in the natural expectation that she must have lost her
anchors in driving out of the bay.
“This was a most judicious measure, and quite characteristic of the
excellent officer who suggested it. The Gibraltar availed herself of it;
and having got to snug anchorage in smooth water, was soon able to get
the anchors which had been stocked, over the bows; which it would not
only have been difficult, but dangerous to do while exposed to a heavy
sea.”
The perilous situation of the Gibraltar, in this awful night, has
furnished an interesting subject for Captain Brenton’s pencil; when in a
leisure hour, many years afterwards, he made a drawing from recollection
of the ship during the most critical moment, and it may perhaps assist
the reader to form a notion of the extreme peril to which the ship was
exposed, when the circumstances are named, which, under providence, seem
to have been the means of her preservation.
The Gibraltar was a Spanish built ship, and on examining the injuries
done to the vessel, when docked for repairing; it was found that the
whole of the lower part of the ship was a solid mass of mahogany. No
other fabric could have stood the violence of the shock when she struck
on the reef; and enabled her to float after she was righted.
Captain Pakenham having spoken very highly to the Commander in chief
of Mr. Brenton’s conduct on this trying occasion, he was pleased to
express himself most favourably towards him; and as the Gibraltar, on
being surveyed at Lisbon, was found to have sustained so much damage
that it was necessary to send her to England; Sir John Jervis sent for
Lieutenant Brenton, and informing him of the Gibraltar’s destination,
asked him at the same time whether he had any objections to remaining
in the fleet; adding, that if such was his wish, he could give him the
choice of two ships, the Diadem, of sixty-four guns, or the Aigle frigate
of forty, to either of which he might be appointed First Lieutenant.
After some hesitation, and not a little reluctance to quit the Gibraltar,
to which ship he had become much attached; he chose the Aigle, in the
hope that in a cruizing ship, he might have the means of distinguishing
himself; and obtaining promotion; at least, greater means than could be
expected in a ship of the line. Sir John Jervis entirely approved of
his choice, and gave him a commission as First Lieutenant of the Aigle,
then up the Mediterranean; and placed him _pro tempore_ in the Barfleur,
at the request of Vice Admiral Waldegrave, whose flag was flying in
that ship. In this situation he was present at the battle of the 14th
of February, off Cape St. Vincent; but being now a junior officer, he
consequently derived no promotion from the circumstance.
The Aigle was about this time lost off Cape Farina; and Admiral
Waldegrave having shifted his flag from the Barfleur to take the command
at Newfoundland, Mr. Brenton, from seniority, became First Lieutenant
under the command of Captain Dacres. The events of this summer were
confined to the bombardment of Cadiz. At one of these attacks Mr.
Brenton volunteered his services, and was engaged in the command of the
Barfleur’s boats. In the month of August he was removed into the Ville
de Paris, bearing the flag of Earl St. Vincent; and the fleet soon after
sailed for Lisbon.
On the subject of this appointment the following particulars are
mentioned by Lieutenant Brenton, “In the month of August, Earl St.
Vincent sent for me, and informed me that it had long been his intention
to have taken me into the Ville de Paris, as one of his Lieutenants.
He said there was now a vacancy; but observed at the same time that
he scarcely thought it worth my while to quit the Barfleur (where he
understood I was very happy) for he was firmly convinced that peace
with France was at that moment signed; (this was the period of Lord
Malmesbury’s having been sent to Lille to negociate). In proof that he
held this opinion, his Lordship added that he had just laid a wager to
this effect with Sir James Saumarez of one hundred guineas. Under these
circumstances I declined the appointment, and returned to my ship.
“On communicating to my excellent friend, Captain Dacres, the result of
this interview with the Earl, I found him quite of a different opinion.
He expressed great regret at my decision, which he considered as ruinous
to my prospects, convinced as he was that there was no prospect of peace.
“Captain Dacres was to dine with the Admiral on that day, when he took an
opportunity of requesting him to renew the offer, pledging himself that
it would be accepted. The Earl, who had not yet filled up the vacancy,
ordered a commission to be made out, appointing me to the Ville de Paris,
which he gave to Captain Dacres, who, on coming on board presented it
to me, saying, ‘There, I have now turned you out of my ship, an act for
which you will undoubtedly thank me some of these days.’ I certainly
did leave the Barfleur with a heavy heart, for I highly respected and
loved my captain, and the regard was mutual. I was also much attached
to my brother officers, and had every reason to believe I carried with
me the good wishes of all the ship’s company. The Barfleur might have
emphatically been called a happy ship.”
During the winter of 1797-8 Mr. Brenton was employed by his lordship
in sounding the Tagus, between Lisbon and Salvatierra, for the purpose
of facilitating the passage of the transports up the river to procure
water. Mr. Brenton was also sent in the Thalia, commanded by Lord Harry
Paulet to survey Jeremie Bay, in order to ascertain whether there existed
any good anchorage for the fleet. In the following spring the fleet
resumed the blockade of Cadiz. The Vengeance, French frigate, was lying
there ready for sea, and was expected to take advantage of the first
opportunity which should offer of making her escape. In order to watch
her movements narrowly during the night, two boats belonging to each ship
were ordered to rendezvous every evening off the light house, under the
command of a Lieutenant of the Ville de Paris. This command was latterly
confined to two of the Lieutenants, of whom Mr. Brenton was one, and
Mr. Melhuish the other. The guard boats were frequently attacked by the
enemy’s gun boats; and upon one of these occasions Mr. Brenton had an
opportunity of distinguishing himself, so as to gain the approbation
of the Commander in chief, and to induce his lordship to promote him to
the command of the Speedy, the same in which he had already served as
a lieutenant. Adverting to this period, Mr. Brenton says, “This was a
service of much animation, and even of enjoyment. The officers in general
managed to carry with them some good things, of which the midshipmen were
invited to partake, nor were the boat’s crew forgotten. In calm weather
their voices and their mirth were distinctly heard by the Spanish troops
on the batteries; but the noble-minded Spaniard, who commanded in Cadiz,
would not on any account allow them to be fired at. He however requested
the Spanish Admiral to send off a flag of truce, informing the Earl how
completely his boats were exposed to destruction, and requesting that
they might not be permitted to persevere in behaviour, which the garrison
considered as insulting. The Commander in chief immediately made known
this communication to me, as it was my turn to command the boats that
night, desiring it might be attended to; but he did it in these words,
‘Allow no noise to be made, Sir, by your people; but go still nearer in.’”
Captain Brenton says, relative to his appointment to the Speedy, “It was
a singular circumstance that I had already served in the Speedy, both as
second and first lieutenant; and while talking over expected promotion
with my messmates, who were naming the favourite sloops to which they
should prefer being appointed, I always named the Speedy.”
Captain Brenton took his passage in the Blenheim, which was bound to
Lisbon; but the day after leaving the fleet, the Blenheim having put
into Lagos bay, he decided upon going to Lisbon by land, which he did,
accompanied by Mr. Jephson, Judge of the Admiralty, and afterwards Sir ——
Jephson, Bart. They had a most agreeable and interesting journey; and in
a few days after their arrival at Lisbon the Speedy entered the Tagus,
and her new commander joined her. From this period (the beginning of
September) until the month of February following, the sloop, of which he
had taken the command, was kept cruizing off Oporto, for the protection
of the wine trade.