after, and lay exposed to the fire of the whole fleet, for the space of an hour and twenty minutes; those ships whose guns could not otherwise be brought to bear, got springs on their cables, with a degree of celerity, that would have gained them immortal honour in a better cause: among these were (was) the Director of sixty-four guns, commanded by Captain William Bligh[1] if he could be said to command her under such circumstances. The officers of the Repulse now saw, that every energy was required on their part to save the ship’s company, who had thus rashly committed themselves; the latter seemed also determined, by their coolness and good conduct, to atone for their past misdeeds.
“The water in the hold was started, the casks stove, and a strong party sent to the pumps. In this manner the ship was lightened; and, as the tide rose, she floated off, and ran into the harbour, having received no other damage than the destruction of her lower and running rigging, some shot in her hull and masts, and only one person wounded. Lieutenant George Augustus Delano, who lost his leg. From this time the cause of mutiny rapidly declined; the ships deserted, one after the other, in quick succession[2].”
Lieutenant Douglas’s conduct during the mutiny was so very exemplary that Admiral Duncan immediately afterwards took him into his own flag-ship, the Venerable 74. The merchants of London presented him with a sword value 100l.; and the Admiralty ordered a Commander’s commission to be made out for him, but cancelled it in consequence of not knowing how to draw a line, and in order to avoid establishing a precedent!
On the ever memorable 11th Oct. 1707[3], Venerable sustained a loss of 15 killed and 62 wounded: among the latter was Lieutenant Douglas, severely in the head and hand. From that ship, the subject of this sketch followed Lord Duncan into the Kent 74, Captain (now Sir William) Hope, under whom he continued to serve until his promotion to the rank of Commander, June 2, 1800.
In Jan. 1805, Captain Douglas was appointed to the Cyclops frigate, armed en flûte, and stationed as a guard-ship off Lymington. His post commission bears date Oct. 21, 1810; at which period he commanded the Peruvian brig, of 18 guns.
- ↑ Bounty Bligh, see Vol. II, Part II, pp. 747–786.
- ↑ Brenton’s Nav. His. Vol, I, p. 436.
- ↑ See Nav. Biog. Vol. I. Part I. note at pp. 150–151.
