Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v3p1.djvu/243

Spithead^[1], to the Royal Sovereign, first-rate, bearing the flag of Sir Alan (afterwards Lord) Gardner, second in command of the Channel fleet; and, in the autumn of 1800, joined the Romney 50, Captain Sir Home Popham, with whom he returned home from the Red Sea and East Indies, in April, 1803^[2]. On the 23rd June following, we find him suffering shipwreck, near the Texel, in la Seine frigate. Captain (now Sir David) Milne; and subsequently serving mider Lord Gardner, by whom he was appointed a lieutenant of the Dragon 74, Captain Edward Griffith (now Vice-Admiral Colpoys), about May, 1804. In this ship he was present at the capture of two Spanish third rates, by the fleet under Sir Robert Calder, off Cape Finisterre, July 22d, 1805^[3].

After this action, Mr. Devon was successively appointed to the Shannon 38, Captain (now Sir Philip B. V.) Broke, with whom he visited the arctic regions; and Crocodile 22, Captain the Hon, George Cadogan, of which ship he was first lieutenant when she conveyed the future Duke of Wellington to the shores of Portugal, in 1808. Towards the end of the ensuing year, he obtained the command of the Brevdrageren gun-brig, mounting twelve 18-pounder carronades, with a complement of 50 officers and men. The following is his official account of an action between that vessel and a Danish squadron, the united force of which was fifty-four long 18-pounders, and not less than 480 men; – dated Aug. 2d, 1811:

“At 5 p.m. on the 31st ultimo, being off Long Sound, on the coast of Norway, in company with H.M. cutter Algerine^[4], and the two prizes we had captured the day before, the wind light and variable, three vessels were observed standing out from the land: two boats were despatched to reconnoitre, who returned with information that the strangers were enemy’s brigs of the largest class. Having prepared every thing for battle, we made sail, and commenced sweeping from them until daylight, when

1. See Vol. I, p. 109.
2. See Suppl. Part I. p. 56, et seq.
3. See Vol. I. Part I. p. 405, and Part II. p. 507.
4. Commanded by Lieutenant John Aitkin Blow.