officer he was, at the later period, promoted into the Bien Aimé sloop, Captain (now Sir Richard) King. His subsequent appointments were, Mar. 1795, to the Nassau 64, Captain Herbert Sawyer; in 1798, to the Daphne 20, Captain Sir Charles Lindsay, Bart.; Feb. 1800, to command the Chatham cartel; and in the course of the same year, to the Ardent 64, Captain Thomas Bertie.
The Daphne formed part of the squadron under Captain John Lawford, at the capture of a Swedish convoy, in the summer of 1798[1]; and Lieutenant Browne acted as captain of that ship, for some time, after the death of Sir Charles Lindsay[2]. In the Chatham, he conveyed the Walloon guards, taken at Surinam, from that colony to Old Spain[3].
Early in 1801, Lieutenant Browne was appointed to the command of the Swan hired cutter, in which vessel he intercepted and seized several notorious smugglers. His next appointment was. May 1802, to the Vixen gun-brig ; and in her he made the following captures:–
“Eight smuggling vessels, one French privateer [4], one merchant brig laden with sugar, one ditto with marble, one ditto with wine, and two Dutch ships with cargoes of colonial produce. He also recaptured a Newcastle collier.
For his activity while holding these two commands. Lieutenant Browne was promoted into the Charwell of 18 guns, Sept. 25, 1806; and we shortly afterwards find him commanding the Plover sloop of war, in which ship he detained
- ↑ See Vol. I, Part II. p. 497.
- ↑ Sir Charles Lindsay was drowned off Demerara, March 6, 1799. He had dined on shore; but though the night was dark and windy, could not he persuaded from going off to his ship in a small boat; the Daphne then at least ten miles in the offing. The consequence was, the boat filled; and the service lost a very fine young officer, together with several valuable men.
- ↑ Surinam was surrendered without opposition to the naval and military forces under Lord Hugh Seymour and Lieutenant-General Trigge, Aug. 20, 1799.
- ↑ Le Lyonnaise.
