duce the other French colonies, Mr. Schomberg, whose appointment had been confirmed in July 1793, was removed by Sir John Jervis into the Solebay 32, Captain William Hancock Kelly; and he appears to have been entrusted with the command of fifty seamen, landed from that ship, to co-operate with the army under Sir Charles Grey, during the whole of the laborious and extremely harassing operations against Martinique, St. Lucia, and Guadaloupe[1]. He also served on shore when an attempt was made to re-conquer the posts in the latter island, which had been unexpectedly and successfully attacked, during the hurricane season, by a republican force under the notorious Victor Hugues[2].
In common with most of his companions in arms, Lieutetenant Schomberg suffered severely from the effects of such constant exposure, excessive fatigue, and very great privations; and at length he had so violent an attack of yellow fever, that his life was only saved by the commander-in-chief ordering him a passage home in the Dictator 64. His next appointment was, in June 1795, to be second of the Glatton 56, Captain (now Sir Henry) Trollope, whose celebrated action with an enemy’s squadron, consisting of a cut-down 74, five frigates, a brig, and a cutter, July 15th, 1796, we have recorded in Vol. I. p. 147, et seq.
During this remarkable combat, which took place in a quarter-less-five fathoms water, close to the Brill light-house, Lieutenant Schomberg commanded on the lower-deck, and, finding that his men were not sufficiently numerous to fight all the guns on both sides, he resorted to Lord Anson’s expedient of forming them into small gangs, to load and run out in quick succession, leaving only two picked hands at each gun to point and fire it. His gallant and judicious conduct on this occasion was highly approved and publicly acknowledged by Captain Trollope.
On the Glatton’s return into port. Lieutenant Schomberg was appointed first of the Amphion frigate, Captain (now Sir
- ↑ See Vol. II. note at p. 107 et seq.; and Vol. I. pp. 19, 711, and 841.
- ↑ See Vol. II. pp. 109–113.
