On the 3l8t Jan. 1811, this active officer was removed to the Eclair of 18 guns; and five days afterwards he received an order to act as captain of the Ville de Paris, a first rate, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Thomas Francis Freemantle, whom he afterwards successively followed into the Rodney and Milford, third rates. His post commission bears date April 18, 1811.
After obtaining the liberation of 400 Christian slaves at Tunis, and cruising for some time off Toulon, Rear-Admiral Freemantle was ordered to assume the command of a squadron employed in the Adriatic, where we find Captain Markland bearing a distinguished part in many gallant and important services, some of the most considerable of which we shall now proceed to notice.
Fiume, a town of Istria, from its commercial importance, soon attracted the attention of the British Rear-Admiral, who attacked and captured it, July 3, 1813. On this occasion, after assisting in silencing the batteries, Captain Markland proceeded at the head of the armed boats, and dislodged the enemy from their last strong hold. “Nothing,” says Rear-Admiral Freemantle, “could exceed the spirit and good conduct of every captain, officer, seaman, and marine, in the squadron.” The details of this service are given at p. 673 et seq. of Vol. I. Part II.
After despatching his prizes to Lissa, the Rear-Admiral proceeded off Porto Ré, where Captain Markland landed with Captain Hoste, of the Bacchante frigate, and found the forts abandoned by the enemy, who had spiked the guns, and destroyed the ammunition. The boats of the squadron then went up to Bocca Ré, where thirteen sail of vessels were discovered scuttled, only one of which could be brought away. The guns, 10 in number, were in the mean time rendered entirely useless, their carriages burnt, and all th6 works blown up.
At daylight on the 5th Aug. 1813, the boats of the Milford and Weazle, under the orders of Captain James Black, succeeded in surprising the garrison of Ragosniza, to which place the enemy seem to have attached much import-
