SIR JOHN SUTTON.
255
officers, public stores to the amount of 200,000l. sterling was embarked, and transported to Porto Ferrajo, the whole of which must have been lost but for their admirable firmness and address [1].
On the 14th Feb. 1797, when Sir John Jervis, with fifteen sail of the line, defeated a Spanish fleet of nearly double that number[2], the Egmont was one of the ships composing the British squadron; and Captain Sutton, in common with the other commanders, received a gold medal for his conduct on that occasion. In the month of October following he returned to England, and after serving some time with the Channel fleet, removed into the Superb, of 74 guns, the command of which ship he retained until Feb. 1801, when he was ap-
- ↑ In our memoir of Admiral Wolseley, we have already hinted at the manner in which Corsica became subject to the British crown. It was on the 14th June, 1794, that the general assembly held at Corte, declared unanimously, the separation of that island from France, and with the strongest demonstrations of satisfaction and joy, agreed to an union with England. On the 19th, the formal surrender was made to Sir Gilbert Elliot, who, as his Britannic Majesty’s Viceroy, took an oath “to maintain the liberties of Corsica, according to the constitution and the laws:” the members of the assembly, on their part, taking the oath of allegiance and fidelity to their new sovereign. The great body of the Corsicans were perfectly satisfied, as they had good reason to be, with the British government, sensible of its advantages, and attached to it; but when they found that the English intended to evacuate the island, they naturally and necessarily sent to make their peace with the French. The partisans of France found none to oppose them. A committee of thirty took upon themselves the government of Bastia, and sequestered all the British property; armed Corsicans mounted guard at every place, and a plan was laid for seizing the Viceroy. Commodore Nelson, who was appointed to superintend the evacuation, frustrated these projects. On the 14th Oct. 1796, he sent word to the committee, that if the slightest opposition was made to the embarkment and removal of British property, he would batter the town down. A privateer moored across the mole-head pointed her guns at the officer who carried this message, and muskets were levelled against him from the shore. Hereupon Captain Sutton pulling out his watch, gave them a quarter of an hour to deliberate upon their answer. In five minutes after the expiration of that time, the ships, he said, would open their fire. Upon this the very sentinels scampered off, and every vessel came out of the mole. During the five following days the work of embarkation was carried on; the property of individuals was saved, and public stores, as stated above, to the amount of 200,000l.
- ↑ See p. 21, et seq.
