nearly suffered shipwreck when passing through Hell Gates, on her way to Huntingdon Bay, Long Island, for the purpose of affording protection to the troops employed cutting wood foe the use of the army. The Pacific was thus employed for a period of nineteen months, and during that time experienced one of the severest winters ever known; the glass being frequently 15° below 0, and the ice so solid that the Americans meditated her capture by marching a body of troops over it to attack her: their scheme, however, was providentially frustrated by the intervention of a snow-storm, which completely dispersed them.
Previous to her departure from Huntingdon Bay, the cook of the Pacific, a man with only one arm, fell overboard, and would inevitably have perished but for the generous exertions of Lieutenant Ryves, who leaped after, and succeeded in rescuing him. A similar act of humanity had been performed by our officer when commanding tke Portland’s tender: a seaman having lost his hat overboard, jumped after and reached its, but not before his strength had failed him. This being observed by Mr. Ryves, he immediately swam to his assistance, and was fortunate enough to bring him back in safety to the vessel.
Lieutenant Ryves continued in the Pacific, himself and the Master constantly at watch and watch, until the latter end of 1780, when he joined the Fox frigate as First Lieutenant; in which capacity we find him serving on the Jamaica station, from whence he returned to England with the Hon. Captain Windsor, in the Lowestoffe of 28 guns, towards the conclusion of the war. Whilst at Jamaica, Lieutenant Ryves was the happy instrument of saving a marine centinel, who fell overboard from his post on the fore-castle, and having struck against the anchor, was completely stunned thereby. This happened on the evening of a Christmas day, and when all the crew were below regaling themselves. Providentially, Lieutenant Ryves happened to be on deck, and hearing the noise occasioned by the man’s musket striking against the anchor, immediately suspected the cause, flew to the poor fellow’s relief, and jumping off the gunwale with a rope in his hands, caught him by the head with his feet, when in the act of sinking. In performing this generous act, our officer’s
