14th May, in the following year. On the 21st of the same month, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, and immediately appointed to the Monarch of 74 guns, Captain (afterwards Sir Joshua) Rowley.
Whilst belonging to this ship, Lieutenant Hoar introduced the life-buoy into the service. An experiment, much to the satisfaction of Captain R., his officers, and people, was first made of its utility, at Spithead; and it soon afterwards became general in the Channel fleet. On the 27th July, in the same year, the Monarch led the van division in the action between Keppel and d’Orvilliers, and had 2 men killed and 9 wounded[1].
In the month of December following, when Captain Rowley hoisted a broad pendant on board the Suffolk, Lieutenant Hoar removed with him into that ship. On the 25th the Commodore sailed from Spithead with a squadron to reinforce Admiral Byron, in the West Indies, and joined that officer at St. Lucia, about the latter end of March, 1779.
In the action off Grenada, July 6, in the same year[2], Mr. Hoar’s friend, who had recently been promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, commanded the rear division of the British fleet; and the Suffolk appears to have been very warmly engaged, having sustained considerable damage, and a loss of 32 men killed and wounded. In the month of December following, the boats of that ship, under the orders of our officer, destroyed two of the enemy’s vessels close to the shore of Martinique, in the execution of which service, although twice engaged with the militia of that island, only 1 man was killed on the part of the British.
In March, 1780, Lieutenant Hoar accompanied Admiral Rowley from the Suffolk into the Conqueror; which ship formed part of Sir George B. Rodney’s fleet in the actions with de Guichen, April 17, and May 15 and 19[3]. In these engagements, the conqueror had 18 men killed and 69 wounded.
In the ensuing month of July, Mr. Hoar became Flag-Lieutenant to Admiral Rowley, and continued to hold that ap-
