Captain Butterfield was promoted to post rank, April 29, 1802; and appointed principal agent to the transports attached to Sir Home Popham’s expedition against the Cape of Good Hope, in June 1805. On the passage out the fleet touched at Madeira, for the purpose of refreshing the troops, and completing the water of the ships of war, transports, and Indiamen under convoy, which was performed under the able superintendence of Captain Butterfield, who never quitted the beach for four days. His services at the reduction of the Cape were officially acknowledged by the Commodore[1].
After the conquest of that colony, Captain Butterfield received part of the Dutch garrison on board a division of the transports, and proceeded to St. Helena, where he rendered great assistance to the Hon. Captain Percy, of the Volontaire, by manning that frigate with part of the crews under his command, and supplying their place with prisoners, whom he prevailed upon to assist in working the different vessels in which they were embarked.
Captain Butterfield subsequently served in the Sea Fencibles at Tralee; and on the breaking up of that corps, in 1810, he was appointed pro tempore to the Courageux of 74 guns. At the latter end of the same year he removed into the Malacca, a new frigate, and sailed for the Cape station; from whence, after cruising for some time off the Isle of France, he was ordered to the East Indies, where he had the mortification to be dismissed his ship by the sentence of a court-martial, held at Madras, in Aug. 1812. The circumstance that led to his trial was briefly as follows:- On his arrival in India, finding himself senior officer there, in consequence of the recent demise of Vice-Admiral Drury, as stated at p. 514, and the absence of Commodore Broughton, he proceeded to Calcutta, and despatched the Minden, 74, to England with the October convoy, at the urgent request of the merchants, but without sufficient authority for so doing. His
- ↑ It is worthy of remark, that Captain Butterfield and the other agents transports, Lieutenants Cochrane and Patey, did not receive any prize-money for the capture of the Cape, although the commanders and mates of the Hon. East India Company’s ships did; the former receiving 1000l., and the latter 500l. each.
