Lieutenant was at length confirmed by the Admiralty on the 10th Aug. in the same year, from which period he does not appear to have served afloat till the Spanish armament, in 1790, when he joined the Queen Charlotte, a first rate, bearing the flag of Earl Howe, to whose notice he had been introduced by Sir Roger Curtis, then serving as Captain of the fleet under that nobleman’s command.
We next find Lieutenant Crawford proceeding to the East Indies, where he remained, attending to his private concerns, for several years. Returning from thence in a country-ship, he had the misfortune to be captured by a French republican cruiser; but being included in an exchange of prisoners about Mar. 1797, he was immediately after appointed to the Prince, of 98 guns, bearing the flag of Sir Roger Curtis, in the Channel fleet, where he continued to serve till his promotion to the rank of Commander, Feb. 14, 1799. During the remainder of the war he commanded the Childers brig, employed principally on the home station. His post commission bears date April 29, 1802.
Captain Crawford’s next appointment afloat was to the Champion of 24 guns, in which ship we find him co-operating with the Spanish patriots at the commencement of their struggle with the legions of Napoleon Buonaparte. From her he removed into the Venus, a 32-gun frigate, employed on the same species of service, as will be seen by the following copy of a letter from Captain George M‘Kinley, respecting the capture of Vigo in Mar. 1809:
