1796, when he was sent in the Flora frigate to join l’Aigle off Tunis. The latter ship, under the command of Captain (now Sir Charles) Tyler, was afterwards employed co-operating with the Austrian army between Trieste and Venice; and on her return from that service in February 1797, to join Sir John Jervis, was twice chased by the Spanish fleet. On the 10th of the following month Lieutenant Hamond removed into the Niger, another frigate, commanded by the present Vice-Admiral Foote, with whom he served till October 1798; on the 20th of which month he was made a Commander, and appointed to the Echo, a new sloop of 18 guns, fitting at Deptford.
In this vessel, Captain Hamond escorted a fleet of merchantmen to Elsineur, and from thence convoyed the homeward bound Baltic trade to the mouth of the Thames. He was afterwards sent to cruise on the coast of Holland, where he destroyed a French cutter privateer, and assisted at the capture of thirty large Dutch fishing vessels, which were seized in order to prevent them being employed in the threatened invasion of England. In May 1798, he conveyed Prince Frederick of Orange from Yarmouth to Cuxhaven, and received the thanks of H.S.H. for the attention he had paid to him during the voyage.
The Echo continued on the North Sea station until Sept. following, when Captain Hamond was ordered to convoy the trade bound to Halifax and Quebec 100 leagues west of Cape Clear. After performing this service he went to Marcou with reinforcements for the garrison, and then proceeded to join the squadron blockading Havre; off which port he remained till the beginning of December, when he returned to Spithead, and found himself promoted to the command of the Champion, a post-ship, by commission dated Nov. 3, 1798.
During the ensuing year, Captain Hamond was successively employed convoying a fleet of merchant vessels to the Elbe; guarding the mouths of that river and the Weser, to prevent the enemy’s gun-boats from entering; cruising off Norway; carrying money from the Thames to the British army in Holland; and watching the return of the trade from Archangel. This latter, owing to the advanced season of the year, proved a very severe service, the Champion’s station
