ship. ‘I cannot promise promotion to all who expect it, there has been so much of late; but as to Captains Jackson, M‘Leod, and Edmonds, and Lieutenant Steuart, you may assure them I will soon, – but give me my own time and way, – for I consider it as a duty I owe them.’ I am, with great regard, dear Sir, your obliged humble servant,
“To Captain Jackson.”
Captain Jackson’s next appointment was to the Mosquito, a fine brig of 18 guns, fitting at Chatham for the North Sea station. On the 12th April, 1805, being off Scarborough, he discovered three sail in the offing, two of them firing guns, apparently to bring to the third. All sail was immediately made in chase of them, and the first overtaken proved to be a Guernsey sloop with a cargo of contraband goods. The other strangers were also in his possession shortly after day-light the next morning, and proved to be the Orestes and Pylades, Dutch built koffs, fitted out as French privateers, each carrying a 24-pounder carronade, swivels, and a considerable number of small arms, with a complement of 33 men.
At the latter end of the same year Captain Jackson was entrusted with the charge of a fleet of transports having on board 5000 troops and a large supply of ammunition, provisions, horses, &c. &c., for Lord Cathcart’s army in Hanover. He was at the same time directed to discharge the pilots then on board the Mosquito, and to receive others specially appointed by government. On the evening of the day following his departure from the Nore, the fleet, according to his reckoning, had approached very near to the mouth of the Texel, steering E. by S. with the wind westerly, and every appearance of bad weather. On remonstrating with the pilots for pursuing a course which would inevitably entangle them with a lee shore, they replied that they had charge of the convoy by direction of government, and would neither alter the course nor suffer any person to interfere with them; adding, “that Captain Jackson was completely mistaken as to their situation.” Confident in his own judgment, and deter-
- ↑ The late Viscount Melville was on board the Monarch during the attack of Oct. 2, 1804.
