at Toulon, in 1793[1]. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place in 1795.
On the 5th Dec. 1800, Captain Lind, then commanding the Wilhelmina troop-ship, sailed from England for the Red Sea, in company with a squadron sent thither, under Sir Home Popham, to assist in the frustration of the designs of republican France, which was afterwards so successfully accomplished by the Anglo-Turkish forces in Egypt, as already mentioned in the course of this work.
Captain Lind’s next appointment was to the Sheerness 44, in which ship he captured, by stratagem, l’Alfred, French privateer, of 14 guns and 80 men. Observing l’Alfred in chase of the Sheerness, he disguised her as much as possible, and by standing away from his pursuer, and setting and taking in sail in the style of a merchantman, completed the deception, and ensured the capture of the enemy. After a short chase, the privateer ranged upon his quarter, fired a broadside, and commanded him to strike. Her summons was answered by a fire which killed 3 and wounded 6 of l’Alfred’s crew, when the astonished Frenchmen immediately hauled down their colours. The Sheerness fortunately had not a man hurt. This little affair occurred off Point de Galle, May 5, 1804: Captain Lind’s post commission had been confirmed at home on the 6th March preceding.
On the 17th Sept. in the same year, the French Rear-Admiral Linois, who had some time before been defeated by the homeward bound China fleet, seized on some country boats off Masulipatam, who gave him intelligence of Captain Lind’s former ship, the Wilhelmina, having left that place a few days previous for Vizagapatam road, with the Princess Charlotte Indiaman under her protection. Expecting to obtain some compensation for his late disappointment, M. Linois immediately proceeded thither, and the following day commenced a furious attack upon the Centurion of 50 guns, which ship Vice-Admiral Rainier had a few days before substituted for the Wilhelmina, having ordered the latter to convoy two other Indiamen, with some treasure on board to Calcutta. The particulars of what followed are contained in a letter from Captain Lind to the Vice-Admiral from whom he had
