In 1779, the Romney, of 50 guns, which ship, bearing his father’s flag at Newfoundland, he had commanded for a period of two years, being ordered to receive the broad pendant of Commodore Johnstone, Captain Montagu was appointed to the Pearl frigate, and hurried to sea, on a pressing and important service, before his crew could be either watched or quartered, with only 10 men who had ever been in a ship of war before. On the 14th Sept., about four weeks after his departure from port, he fell in with, and after a gallant action of two hours, which “stamped his name with a eulogy far beyond any thing that even a partial pen could say,” captured the Santa Monica, a Spanish frigate of 32 guns, 900 tons, and 280 men, 38 of whom were slain, and 45 wounded. The Pearl mounted the same number of guns as her opponent, but was only 700 tons burthen, and had a very small proportion of seamen among her crew, which consisted of 220 officers, men, and boys. Her loss on this occasion was 12 killed and 19 wounded.
Towards the latter end of the same year, Captain Montagu sailed with Sir George B. Rodney to the relief of Gibraltar, and was consequently present at the capture of the Caracca convoy, with which he returned to England, in company with the Africa, 64[1]. Some time after this event, he was ordered to America, with intelligence of a French squadron, with troops on board, being about to sail from France, for the purpose of making an attack upon New York. The fleet on that station, under Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot, having proceeded with Sir Henry Clinton’s army to besiege Charlestown, in South Carolina, Captain Montagu on his arrival found himself senior officer at New York, and the security of that place necessarily dependent on his exertions. From thence he went on a cruise off Bermuda; and, on the 30th Sept., captured l’Esperance, a French frigate of the same tonnage as his former prize, with a valuable cargo, from St. Domingo bound to Bourdeaux, mounting 32 guns, and having on board near 200 men, including about 15 or 20 officers of the army, and privates, passengers. This ship appears to have made a most
