Whilst there, the British and French commanders dined together at the Danish Governor’s table.
The Pensée being at length refitted, Captain Mainwaring took under his protection a number of English merchantmen, and sailed from thence to the northward; but not before he had given the enemy an opportunity of again meeting him in battle, by laying to for twelve hours as near the shore as the laws of neutrality would allow, which Mons. Valto, the French Captain, did not think proper to avail himself of.
Mr. Wight subsequently removed into the Ariadne of 28 guns, and returned to England at the latter end of 1796. On the passage home his ship experienced very tempestuous weather, parted company with the greater part of a fleet under her convoy, and was obliged to throw all her guns overboard. His commission as a Lieutenant was confirmed by the Admiralty on the 5th Sept. in the same year.
Lieutenant Wight’s health being at this period much impaired by the West India climate, he solicited and obtained permission to come on half pay; but an invitation from Captain Riou, who, although a young officer, had recently been appointed to the command of the Augusta yacht, induced him to join that vessel, from which he was promoted in consequence of her bearing the Admiralty flag, and forming part of the royal squadron when his late Majesty proposed visiting the victorious fleet under Lord Duncan at the Nore[1].
Early in 1798, Captain Wight was appointed to the Admiral Devries, a Dutch 68-gun ship, armed en flute, and placed under the orders of the Transport Board, for the purpose of being employed in the conveyance of the prisoners taken in Ireland during the unhappy rebellion in that kingdom.
After encountering much bad weather, and springing her main-mast, the Admiral Devries reached Cork and Waterford, at which places she received on board 400 of those deluded men, with a detachment of the 60th regiment, and proceeded with them to Martinique. On the passage out two dreadful explosions took place in the gun-room, owing to the carelessness of the gunner and his crew when fumigating the
