which was at length to produce an effect that none of them had ever expected.
Captain Cuming was born near a borough town that gives its name to a beverage of which he was exceedingly fond, and it seems that he never sat down to dinner without expressing regret that he had none to offer his guests. On the unfortunate occasion to which we allude, Lieutenant Willoughby, after acquainting the officer of the watch that he was going down to dine, added, “I hope the caterer has provided some Ashhurton Pop!” upon hearing which. Captain Cuming accused him of contempt, placed him under arrest, and instantly applied for a court-martial, the result of which was his dismissal, June 23, 1801, from a service that now justly boasts of him as one of its brightest ornaments.
After leaving the Russel, Mr. Willoughby joined the Leviathan 74, bearing the flag of Sir John T. Duckworth, commander-in-chief on the Jamaica station, that officer having kindly appointed him to act as a Lieutenant, and thereby afforded him an opportunity of recovering his lost rank.
On the 17th July, 1803, being then off Cape Donna Maria, Mr. Willoughby, in a boat with only two midshipmen and seven men, boarded and secured, after a row of seven or eight miles, l’Athenaise French national armed ship, commanded by a Lieutenant de frégate, and having on board about 50 persons, including several military officers going from Jacquemel to Port-au-Prince, and who had not yet heard of the renewal of hostilities.
During the remainder of the same year, the squadron under Sir John T. Duckworth was particularly active and successful; but the most important occurrence on that station was the capitulation of the French army at Cape François, which led to the surrender of three 40-gun frigates, a brig of war, an armed schooner, two hospital-ships, and twenty sail of merchantmen.
According to the terms agreed upon between the senior officer of the blockading force and General Rochambeau, the French men of war were to keep their colours hoisted until they got outside of the harbour, when they were each to dig
