SIR THOMAS WILLIAMS,
Vice-Admiral of the Red, Knight Commander of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath; Groom of the Bed-chamber to H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex; and a Vice-President of the Naval Charitable Society.
This officer, when first Lieutenant of the Assurance, a 44-gun ship, stationed on the coast of America during the war with the colonies, his Captain being at sick quarters, was ordered on a cruize, and in a very short period took several prizes of considerable value. On his return to port, he was promoted by the late Hon. Admiral Digby into the Rhinoceros, stationed as a guard-ship at the mouth of the North river. From that period we find no farther mention of him until the Spanish armament in 1790, when he commanded the Otter sloop, employed in the Channel. On the 22d Nov. in the same year, he obtained post rank; and at the commencement of the war with the French Republic, was appointed to the Lizard of 28 guns, in which ship he captured several of the enemy’s privateers.
From the Lizard, Captain Williams was removed into the Daedalus frigate, and thence to the Unicorn, mounting 38 guns. The former was stationed in the North Sea. In the latter he cruized principally on the coast of Ireland.
On the 30th Aug. 1795, the Unicorn captured the Comet Dutch brig of war, mounting 18 guns. The day before, in company with the Diana and Seahorse, she had also taken an East Indiaman and a South Sea whaler, both of whom had been convoyed from the Cape of Good Hope by the Comet.
At day-break on the morning of the 8th June, 1796, Captain Williams being on a cruize to the westward of Scilly, in company with the Santa Margaritta frigate, gave chase to two large French frigates and a corvette. At 4 P.M. the sternmost ship, finding it impossible to escape, bore round up to rake the Santa Margaritta, in which he was foiled by a skilful manoeuvre of her Commander, who laid his ship most
