consequence of the peace which took place in 1783, she was soon after put out of commission.
Our officer was not called upon again till January 1787, when he commissioned the Sybil, and proceeded to the Leeward Islands; on which station he remained, under the orders of that excellent officer, the late Sir William Parker, till the year 1790; but as general tranquillity then prevailed throughout Europe, he was not concerned in any transaction immediately deserving of record.
In February 1792, he succeeded to the title, on the demise of his father[1]; and in the following year commanded the Ruby, of 64 guns. He afterwards removed to the Ramillies, 74, and cruised with Lord Howe, in the Bay of Biscay, during the autumn of 1794.
In Oct. 1794, the Ramillies carried General Sir John Vaughan to the West Indies, where she continued till July, 1795, and was then ordered to Newfoundland, from whence she returned to England in the month of November following. During the whole of the ensuing year, Sir Richard Bickerton served in the North Sea, under Admiral Duncan. In 1797, he was appointed to the Terrible, of 74 guns, forming part of the Channel fleet, at that period commanded by Lord Brwlport, on which service he continued till promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, Feb. 14, 1799. In the autumn of that year, he hoisted his flag at Portsmouth, as Assistant PortAdmiral; a situation requiring an extraordinary degree of vigilance and activity.
On the 13th May, 1800, Sir Richard sailed for the Mediterranean, in the Seahorse, being appointed to a command on that station, under Lord Keith. The lamented Generals Abercromby and Moore, and the present Lord Hutchinson, were passengers on board the same frigate.
Previous to the expedition against the French in Egypt, Sir Richard Bickerton was employed during a period of five months in the blockade of Cadiz; he afterwards proceeded with Lord Keith to Alexandria, which port he blockaded until it surrendered to the British arms.
The naval and military Commanders-in-Chief, in their
- ↑ The late Sir Richard Bickerton, at the period of his decease, was representative in parliament for the city of Rochester.
