hereby materially adding to their resources and enabling them to protract their surrender, that he did not hesitate to take upon himself the responsibility of supplying him with powder, the total want of which, Dessalines assured him, had alone prevented his attacking them. In consequence of this supply, General Christophe (the late Emperor of Hayti), then second in command of the Blacks, took the field, routed the deserters, and hanged their leaders. It is beyond all doubt, that this event accelerated the surrender of General Rochambeau, at least six weeks or two months.
Captain Walker’s next appointment was to the Duquesne, in which ship he returned to England from Jamaica with only 160 men, although nearly that number of French officers and soldiers were embarked on board her; a circumstance which naturally caused him great anxiety, and rendered the utmost vigilance necessary during the passage. The Duquesne being in want of extensive repairs, was paid off soon after her arrival.
Our officer was subsequently appointed to the Thalia frigate, and sent to the East Indies. We next find him commanding the Bedford, 74, one of the squadron sent by Sir W. Sidney Smith to escort the royal family of Portugal from Lisbon to Rio Janeiro[1]. Previous to his return from thence, the Prince Regent signified his intention of conferring upon him the Order of St. Bento d’Avis; but some objections having been started by his spiritual advisers, on account of Captain Walker’s religion, H.R.H. determined to revive the military Order of the Tower and Sword[2], of which he created him a Knight Commander, in consideration of his unremitted attention to the Portuguese fleet during a long and tempestuous voyage. The Bedford was afterwards employed in the blockade of Flushing, and various other services, till the month of Sept. 1814, when Captain Walker received orders to assume the command of a squadron, on board of which was embarked the advanced guard of the army sent against New Orleans, under Major-General Keane.
The naval and military forces employed in this disastrous
