valuable convoy laden with arms, ammunition, entrenching tools, &c., sent to Buonaparte for the purpose of enabling him to carry on the siege of Mantua. The Commodore’s account thereof will be found at p. 519 et seq. of Vol. I. On a subsequent day he writes thus:
“In my public letter it was impossible to enumerate every individual; but next to Captain Cockburn stands Captain Stuart of the Peterell. Spicer commanded the boats which first boarded the ketch[1], under a heavy fire, and had a little skirmish when on board; and to him the commander surrendered.”
In the following month, Commodore Nelson shifted his broad pendant into the Captain of 74 guns, on which occasion the whole of the Agamemnon’s officers, with the exception of one Lieutenant and the Master, were exchanged, and followed him.
About this period the French army, under Buonaparte, entered Leghorn, and Nelson immediately commenced a vigorous blockade of that port. H soon after took possession of Porto Ferrajo, in order to prevent the island of Elba from falling into the enemy’s possession, in which case the safety of Corsica would have been rendered extremely doubtful.
On the 18th Sept. in the same year Capraja, an island situated about 37 miles from Corsica, was also secured by the squadron. On this occasion, as appears by the Commodore’s account of the operations, “a party of seamen were landed under Lieutenant Spicer, who dragged cannon up the mountain with their usual spirit and alacrity.”
It was on the 13th Feb. in the eventful year 1797, that Commodore Nelson again hoisted his pendant in the Captain, from which he had occasionally removed it into other ships, for the purpose of superintending the evacuation of Corsica, and the removal of the naval establishment and stores from Porto Ferrajo, measures that had become necessary in consequence of the turbulent disposition of the Corsicans, the recent declaration of war by Spain, and the want of a sufficient
- ↑ La Genie, of three 18-pounders, two 4-pounders, four swivels, and 50 men.
