Towards the close of the year 1795, he was appointed to the Alfred, a 74-gun ship, in which he served at the reduction of St. Lucia by Sir Hugh C. Christian and Sir Ralph Abercromby[1]. During his continuance in the Alfred, Captain Drury had the good fortune to capture two of the enemy’s ships of war; la Renommee, of 44 guns; and la Favorite, 22. He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, April 23, 1804; Vice-Admiral, April 28, 1808; and Admiral, June 4, 1814.
Our officer has recently sustained a severe domestic affliction, in the loss of his only son, who died at Jamaica, Aug. 24, 1822, aged 23 years.
SIR ALBEMARLE BERTIE,
Baronet; Admiral of the White; Knight Commander of the most honourable Military Order of the Bath.
The Berties are supposed to have come from Berteland, on the borders of Prussia, with the Saxon Conquerors. Leopold de Bertie was Constable of Dover Castle in the time of Ethelred, and the village of Berested in Kent is supposed to derive its name from this family.
The subject of this sketch was born Jan. 20, 1755; and in 1778, we find him serving as First Lieutenant of the Fox, a 28-gun frigate, one of the repeaters to Admiral Keppel’s fleet, in the action with that of France under M. d’Orvilliers[2];
- ↑ See p. 134.
- ↑ The British and French fleets, under the respective commands of the Hon. Admiral Keppel and M. d’Orvilliers, the former consisting of thirty ships of the line, carrying 2,178 guns, and 18,588 men; the latter of thirty-one ships, mounting 2,216 guns, and manned with 21,950 men, came in sight of each other on the 23rd July, 1778. The French Admiral, who had the advantage of the wind, shewed no inclination for battle, which obliged the British commander to continue chasing to windward until the 27th, when a favourable shift of wind enabled him to fetch the enemy. Upon which M. d’Orvilliers edged down in a close line-of-battle, and opened his fire on the headmost ships. The signal was instantly made to engage, and a furious cannonade was maintained for near two hours, as the
