the Ca-Ira 80; her loss consisted of seven men killed, and a lieutenant and seventeen men wounded. After the latter affair, Mr. Roberts returned home, master’s-mate of the Camel store-ship. Captain Edward Rotheram; and, subsequently, joined the Eurus 32, Captain James Ross, on the North Sea station; from which frigate he was promoted into the Serpent sloop. Captain Richard Buckoll, in Dec. 1796.
Between Jan. 5th and July 6th, 1797, the Serpent was employed in making a voyage to and from the coast of Africa, during which she detained a Swedish merchantman, laden with Dutch and Spanish property to the amount of 40,000l.; and captured a felucca, which had been despatched from Cadiz, to apprise the South American trade of the commencement of hostilities between Great Britain and Spain, She afterwards cruised off Havre, under the orders of Sir Richard J. Strachan, and, among other prizes, took a French transport laden with naval stores. On the 6th of Jan. 1798, she again sailed for Africa, where her commander fell a sacrifice to the climate, in the month of April following. There being no other man-of-war then in company, Mr. Roberts, who had been first lieutenant of the Serpent ever since he held a commission, appointed himself successor to Captain Buckoll; but as a commodore was on the coast at the time, the Admiralty did not consider the death vacancy properly filled, and therefore refused to confirm him. After interring the remains of his late commander, at James Fort, Accra, Lieutenant Roberts immediately collected a large and valuable fleet of merchantmen, chiefly bound to Surinam; and be appears to have been the first who ever conducted a convoy thither, two other officers, who had before made the attempt, having missed the land, whilst he, on the contrary, made it to a mile by lunar observations. He then ran down to Jamaica, and there received from Sir Hyde Parker an order to act as commander of the Serpent, which appointment was confirmed by the Admiralty, July 23d, 1798.
In the ensuing year, Captain Roberts, whose health had
