Royal Naval Biography/Campbell, Donald
DONALD CAMPBELL, Esq.
[Post-Captain of 1811.]
Eldest son of the late Colin Campbell, of Auchendoun, in Argyllshire, Esq. and cousin-german to the present General Duncan Campbell, of Loch-Nell, in Argyllshire.
This officer was born in 1778; and he first embarked, in 1791, as a midshipman on board the Assistance 50, commanded by the late Lord Cranstoun, under whom he served until the close of the Russian armament, when we find him joining the Otter brig, Captain James Hardy.
At the commencement of the French revolutionary war, Mr. Campbell proceeded to the West Indies, in the Scorpion sloop. Captain Thomas Western. Between Aug. 2, 1794, and Aug. 7, 1795, that vessel captured la Guillotine French privateer, of 10 guns; la Victoire 18, and four others of inferior force. She was also very successful in recapturing British merchantmen.
Early in 1796 Mr. Campbell was removed to the Swiftsure 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral William Parker, commander-in-chief at Jamaica, in which ship he was present at the unsuccessful attack upon Leogane, St. Domingo, March 22, 1796[1].
In Jan. 1797, Mr. Campbell again joined Captain Hardy, then commanding the Ranger sloop of war; from which vessel our young officer was soon afterwards removed into Admiral Duncan’s flag-ship, the Venerable 74. We next find him acting as lieutenant on board the Russell, another third rate, commanded by Captain (now Sir Henry) Trollope, under whom he bore a part in the glorious battle off Camperdown, Oct. 11, 1797. The following anecdote of that distinguished veteran has been communicated to us since we published the memoir of his services:
“The squadron of observation sent by Admiral Duncan to watch the Texel, arrived off that anchorage just as the enemy’s fleet had put to sea. Having reconnoitred and made out their force, a cutter was despatched to Yarmouth roads with the information, and Captain Trollope immediately began his arduous task of keeping close company with the Dutchmen, by placing, and ordering the Russell to be kept 21/2 miles on De Winter’s weather-beam. In the evening of Oct. 9th, Captain Trollope came on the quarter-deck, and asked the officer of the watch (Mr. Campbell) where the Dutch admiral was? He answered, “I saw his light a few minutes ago, but it is now too thick to see it.” “Wear ship. Sir!” was the instant reply. This order being immediately obeyed, and the manoeuvre frequently repeated, the van of the enemy was soon discovered on the Russell’s weather-bow! Upon which. Captain Trollope having been very violent, Mr. Campbell said, “I hope you now see that the ship was in her station. Sir?” He acknowledged that he did; and desired Mr. Campbell to make sail and get to windward again. That being accomplished, all the lieutenants were summoned into the captain’s cabin, and addressed by him as follows – “I can easily believe that you will some night call me out of my bed, by saying, we are in the middle of the Dutch fleet; but the officer that loses sight of the enemy I will certainly bring to a court-martial.” The following morning, at day-light, Mr. Campbell reported that the Adamant was so far to leeward, that if the enemy tacked, she must be cut off. Captain Trollope coolly answered, “prepare for action, I will go down to her assistance if they make such an attempt!”
On the return of the victorious fleet to port, Mr. Campbell passed his examination, and was immediately confirmed to the Russell, in which ship he served with the Channel fleet until his appointment to the Galatea frigate, on the Irish station, in 1799.
During the winter of 1800, Lieutenant Campbell was particularly recommended to the commander-in-chief by Captain Byng now Viscount Torrington, for his spirited exertions in taking possession of El Pensée, Spanish letter of marque, the performance of which service is thus noticed by his lordship:
“El Pensée was taken possession of in a very dark and tempestuous night, the Galatea being then under a close-reefed main-top-sail, and Lieutenant Campbell, whom we hoisted out in a boat from off the booms, was upwards of an hour before he got alongside the Spaniard. No sooner had he reached the prize, than his boat was stove. The weather continued so bad that we had no communication with him for ten days, during which time he had only six men with him to navigate the ship, and to keep upwards of 20 prisoners in subjection. While between us and the prize, the boat was upwards of half an hour out of our sight, and had the enemy made sail I should have been much at a loss what to do, every one believing that the boat was swamped. It was certainly the most anxious hour of my life.”
In another letter, written on the same subject, we find Lord Torrington expressing himself as follows:
“I never had a better officer than Campbell – both as a junior, and as my first lieutenant; he was always active, and ever ready for service. He boarded the Spanish letter of marque when the weather was so bad that, however I might have benefited by her capture, I do not think that I should have attempted to secure her that night if he had not volunteered. To have kept sight of her, it would have been impossible.”
Mr. Campbell continued in the Galatea until the peace of Amiens The following is a copy of a letter which was written in his favor to Earl St. Vincent, July 24, 1802:
“My Lord,– I was lately solicited by the friends of Lieutenant Donald Campbell, R.N. to apply to your Lordship in his behalf; but this I declined doing till some such certificate of his services as might be satisfactory to your Lordship and myself should be procured.
“I this morning received the certificate and letter which I now have the honor to enclose, and earnestly request your Lordship’s good offices in the young man’s favor. The chief object of his present application seems to be that of being appointed by your Lordship to the command of one of the Admiralty cutters, intended, as is generally reported, to be stationed along the coast of Scotland, for the suppression of smuggling.
“He is a connection of my family, and, as my every information leads me to believe, a very deserving officer. Should your Lordship’s other engagements interfere with the completion of his wishes, as to the particular object I have stated, it would be adding another favor to those you have already conferred on me, if your Lordship would include him in your list for employment or promotion, when an opportunity offers. I have the honor to be, &c.
(Signed)“Argyll[2].”
To this application the First Lord of the Admiralty replied, that the documents of Lieutenant Campbell’s services were very satisfactory; that he was much inclined at all times to meet his Grace’s wishes, and that as the door was then shut to promotion, he would with pleasure appoint the young man senior Lieutenant of a frigate. Mr. Campbell was accordingly appointed first of the Carysfort 28, and he appears to have commanded the boats of that ship at the capture of a French letter of marque, mounting 6 guns, with a complement of 20 men, on the Norwegian coast, in 1803.
Towards the latter end of Mar. 1804, the Carysfort sailed from Cork, in company with H.M.S. Apollo and sixty-nine sail of merchantmen, bound to the West Indies. A narrative of the disasters which befel that convoy will be found in our memoir of Captain Edward Harvey[3].
On his arrival at Barbadoes, Lieutenant Campbell received a letter from the Admiralty, acquainting him that he was promoted, and appointed to a command in the Irish Sea Fencible service.
In consequence of this notification, he was superseded; but another letter shortly afterwards arrived from the late Viscount Melville, directing the commander-in-chief to put him into the first vacancy that should occur at the Leeward Islands.
Lieutenant Campbell was subsequently honored with the approbation of Commodore Hood, for his gallant conduct when commanding the Tobago schooner, in a successful attack made by that vessel and the Curieux sloop upon two merchantmen lying under the protection of the batteries at Barcelona, on the coast of Caraccas.
In July, 1805, this zealous officer was appointed to the command of the Lily sloop, and about the same period we find him entrusted with the charge of a small armament sent to assist the late General Miranda in his first endeavours to promote the independence of South America, which, after a sanguinary contest, has at length been crowned with apparently complete success[4].
Unfortunately for the subject of this memoir, his appointment to the Lily was not known in England until after the impeachment of Viscount Melville; and Lord Barham’s secretary having neglected to lay it before the latter nobleman for confirmation, another officer was inadvertently selected to fill the vacancy, as will be seen by the following extract of a letter from Sir Alexander Cochrane, K.B. to his lordship’s successor, dated May 6, 1806:
“I am sorry to find that an appointment has arrived for Lieutenant (now Captain) Shirreff, to supersede acting Captain Campbell, of the Lily. When I relieved Sir Samuel Flood, Lieutenant Campbell, then commanding the Tobago schooner, stood first in the Admiralty list to he mode a commander: I therefore appointed him to the Lily, upon the removal of Captain Morrison to the Northumberland. He has been nearly twelve months commanding on the Trinidad station, where he has been particularly active; and as Captain Shirreff must have sailed in the convoy for England, not knowing of his being appointed to the Lily, the peculiar hardships of acting Captain Campbell’s case will I hope meet with due consideration.”
In answer to this remonstrance. Viscount Howick expressed his sorrow that such injustice had been done Mr. Campbell, and directed Sir Alexander Cochrane to give him the next admiralty vacancy, it not being in his lordship’s power to supersede Captain Shirreff’s appointment. The Lily’s proceedings in July and Aug. 1806, are thus described by her acting commander:
“La Vila de Coro bay (Spanish Main) 8th Aug. 1806.
“Sir,– I have the honor to inform you that the vessels, composing the expedition attached to General Miranda, you did nme honor to place under my orders, sailed from Trinidad on the 24th July, having on board 220 officers and men of General Miranda’s corps; which with 75 seamen and marines of H.M. vessels at present under my command, whom I ordered to be ready to land with him, under the immediate directions of Lieutenant Bcddingfelt, of this ship, composed his whole force.
“We anchored at Coche on the 27th, where we found the minds of the inhabitants of that island so deeply impressed with the idea that General Miranda was to put to death every man who did not or could not take up arms in his favor, that they had with a few exceptions gone to Margarita: the greatest number of the few who remained joined him, which added nine to our number.
“General Miranda then, conceiving his military force unequal to retaining possession of Cumana or Barcelona, determined to make his first debarkation in this bay, and to attack Coro, where we anchored at 9 in the night of the 1st Aug.; but from its blowing a strong gale all the following day, and the pilots, from ignorance or intention, having anchored the vessels on a lee-shore, within a few cables’ length of the breakers, 7 miles to leewad of the battery intended to be attacked, and there being a strong lee current, the whole of the 2d was occupied in placing the Express, Attentive, and Prevost, with the gun-boats, in a proper position to effect and cover the debarkation, which was accomplished at 5 o’clock in the morning of the 3d, when the first division, composed of about 60 men of the Trinidad volunteers, under the command of Count de Rouveray, Colonel Downie with about 60 men, and 30 seamen and marines from the Lily, under the command of Lieutenant Beddingfelt, most gallantly cleared the beach of the Spanish force which opposed them. They then stormed and carried a sea-battery of 4 guns, 12 and 9-pounders: I have to regret that on this occasion the serjeant and 2 privates of the Lily’s marines, and one seaman, were severely wounded. You may believe that, from the time the enemy had to assemble, their numbers were very great; but I have not been able to ascertain them.
“With the assistance of the Bacchante’s boats, she arriving here, the second division, composed of the American volunteers under the command of Colonel Kirkland, and the remainder of the detachment of seamen and marines to join Lieutenant Beddingfelt, were landed 10 or 12 minutes after the first, when the enemy, great as their numbers were, retreated to the bush, and left in our possession, in two forts, 14 pieces of cannon, 12 and 9-pounders; 7 guns dismounted, and a quantity of ammunition.
“It is not possible for me to mention in too high terms the brave and officer-like conduct of Lieutenant Spearing, commanding the Express, whose very gallant behaviour I have before had an opportunity of mentioning to you, when he commanded the Lily’s boats as first lieutenant of this ship; and I must beg leave to express in equal terms the gallant exertions of Lieutenant Beddingfelt in storming the fort, and his officerlike conduct and active exertions throughout this fatiguing service, which General Miranda has had a better opportunity of observing, and has made very honorable mention of[5].
“The conduct and exertions of the whole of the officers and crews of the small squadron you did me the honor to place under my command, on tills occasion, convinced me that on any more serious service they will 5tTenuously support their professional character.
“General Miranda, with his whole force, marched to Coro, and got quiet possession of that populous city. He has returned hither to give the inhabitants an opportunity of resuming their respective occupations, and to convince them that he is not actuated by the motives which the Spanish government has succeeded but too well in impressing upon the muids of the people.
“The three days that Captain Dacres lay here, in the Bacchante, he gave me every assistance in his power. He is now cruisiug off Porto Cabello, which affords us, while here, great protection. I have the honor to be, &c.
(Signed)“D. Campbell.”
“Hon. Sir A. Cochrane, K.B. &c. &c. &c.”
On the same day that the above letter was written, the commandant of Coro appeared on the sand-hills near Puerto della Core, and within 3 miles of General Miranda’s quarters, with a force of nearly 2000 men, including Indians, collected from all quarters; took possession of the only watering place for the vessels under Captain Campbell’s orders, and surprised the master of a transport and 14 seamen who landed in the night without his knowledge. At day-break on the 9th, a party of 20 sailors landed from the Lily, under the command of her second Lieutenant (Barclay), to endeavour to rescue the prisoners; but unfortunately only one man reaped benefit from their exertions: 10 or 12 of the enemy were, however, killed in the skirmish which took place.
The firing of the combatants being observed by General Miranda, Colonel Downie was immediately sent with 50 men to attack the enemy, if he conceived it practicable to obtain any advantage; but from their very superior force and favorable position, he considered it prudent to retire.
The Spanish commandant was soon afterwards joined by 400 men from Maracaibo; and a council of war being assembled by Miranda, it was unanimously agreed, that nothing further could be effected with so small a force as that patriotic chief then had at his disposal. The motley little army was consequently re-embarked, and conducted by Captain Campbell, in safety, to Aruba.
We have been thus minute in our relation of the circumstances attending General Miranda’s expedition to Venezuela, in consequence of a very incorrect statement which appeared in the first number of the Naval and Military Magazine, the Annual Biography and Obituary for 1827, and various other periodicals, wherein the whole credit of the enterprise is given to Captain Dacres and his second lieutenant; whereas the Bacchante’s officers and crew, although their zeal and bravery cannot be questioned, were certainly nothing more than secondary actors on the occasion. A sense of duty induces us to add, that Miranda entertained much more sanguine ideas of success, than his slender force warranted him in doing; and that nothing short of 1000 soldiers, inheriting the spirit of Britons, would have enabled him to obtain possession of Caraccas, a city where he possessed numerous friends, but who only wanted confidence in his strength to join him. In order to convey an idea of his popularity at Coro, we shall further add, that he always walked about the city unattended; that he frequently passed hours together in a room crowded with Spaniards of all descriptions; and that the officer commanding on the sand-hills had much trouble in preventing many of the Indians from joining him.
Previous to their departure from the island of Aruba, a letter was addressed to Captain Campbell by his military colleague, of which the following is a copy:
“Head Quarters, Aruha, 25th Sept. 1806.
“My dear Sir,– I have to return you my best thanks for the sentiments conveyed to me in your note of the 22d instant.
“Permit me at the same time to express my gratitude for the attention and kindness shewn to us on board the Lily, during the late expedition. I have no doubt that the success we did obtain on our landing at la Villa de Coro, was in a great measure owing to your wise directions, and to the courage and intrepidity of the oflicers and men of the navy, who accompanied us in the land operations.
“I hope that, if Great Britain continues her support to this extensive enterprise, your name. Sir, will be added (if my recommendation is attended to) to those that will co-operate, under the auspices of Providence, to the execution of so humane and interesting an undertaking, for the glory of Great Britain and the happiness of mankind. I have the honor to be, with perfect esteem and high consideration, &c.
(Signed)“Fran. de Miranda.”
The following is an extract of Sir Alexander Cochrane’s letter to Captain Campbell, acknowledging the receipt of his despatches from la Villa de Coro and Aruba:
“I am perfectly satisfied with your conduct during the expedition; and, although it has failed, I have confidence of success whenever a sufficient force is employed. You had better come up here, to be in the way for a windfall.”
The high estimation in which Captain Campbell’s general conduct was held by the governor, council, and merchants of Trinidad, cannot be better described than in their own terms:
“Government House, Trinidad, Jan. 21, 1807.
“Sir,– It was with infinite concern I learnt that your appointment to the command of the Lily had not been confirmed at home; which is only to be attributed to your claims as an active, zealous and meritorious officer not having been brought timely forward before the First Lord of the Admiralty, on the late change of administration, but who I have understood since expressed himself to that effect to Sir Alexander Cochrane, in a letter which his lordship addressed to the Hon. Rear-Admiral.
“I will not doubt, however, that the justice which is due to you will, on the earliest occasion, be evinced by an order from home, to confirm you in the first vacancy which occurs – in the mean time, I cannot deny myself the gratification of offering you my sincerest assurances of the very high opinion with which your zeal, attention, and exemplary conduct invariably impressed me in your favour, since your first appointment to this station, until I had to regret the circumstance which was to deprive the colony under my government (for the present) of your further services. I have the honor to be, with great regard, &c.
(Signed)“T. Hislop, Governor.”
Extract of the Minutes of H.M. Council, held at the Government House, Jan. 21, 1807.
“Trinidad. – His Excellency the Governor having laid before the Board a letter which he proposed transmitting to Captain Campbell, late commander of H.M.S. Lily, expressive of his opinion of the services of that officer, which, should it accord with that of the members of the Board, he would submit to them the propriety of passing such a resolution as they may think appropriate to the occasion.
“It was then resolved that this Board do most fully accord in the sentiments expressed in his Excellency’s letter addressed to that officer, and are desirous that this resolution be transmitted at the same time to Captain Campbell by the Secretary.
(Signed)“By command, John Gloster,
Dep. Clk. Council.”
From the Merchants to Captain Campbell.
“Trinidad, 24th Jan. 1807.
“Sir,– We learn with regret that this island is for the present to be deprived of your services.
“This station affords few opportunities of signalizing courage, or of gaining pecuniary emolument, but calls for the exertion of vigilance, activity, and judgment; qualifications of prime utility to the service, and which, from every thing we have seen of your conduct, we conceive you eminently possess.
“When on a neighbouring station, you pdd particular attention to the interests of this colony, and during the short time you remained on this, though called to other duties, we have seen enough to occasion our regret at being deprived of that zeal which you have always manifested for the mercantile interest.
“That promotion may soon be your reward, and that such promotion may occasion your return amongst us, is the sincere wish of. Sir, your most obedient humble servants, &c. &c."
(Signed by the principals of 48 commercial houses.)
In Jan. 1807, Captain Campbell was appointed to the Pert brig; in which vessel he made many captures on the Tortola station. His commission as a commander bears date May 4, 1807.
On the 16th Oct. following, the Pert was caught in a hurricane, whilst lying off the island of Margarita, in company with a Spanish packet which she had just before captured. Unfortunately the brig had only two anchors and cables on board; in consequence of which, she was driven ashore and totally wrecked. By this disaster, the master of the Pert and 12 men lost their lives; the remainder of her officers and crew escaped with great difficulty. During the same tremendous storm, the Maria schooner, Lieutenant J. Henderson, then under Captain Campbell’s orders, foundered, and every person on board of her perished.
From Margarita, Captain Campbell proceeded in his prize schooner to Tortola, where he was tried by a court-martial, and most honourably acquitted. The loss of the Pert, however, proved doubly mortifying to him, as he was thereby prevented from joining the Cygnet, a remarkably fine sloop, to which he had recently been appointed.
Captain Campbell returned to England with the minutes of his court-martial made into a despatch, to be delivered in person at the Admiralty, and a letter of recommendation from Sir Alexander Cochrane to Lord Mulgrave, who then presided at the Board; but he did not succeed in obtaining any further employ until his appointment to l’Espiegle brig, in Sept. 1809.
With the exception of his convoying two ships to the West Indies, and exchanging into the Port d’Espagne brig, we find no further mention of Captain Campbell until Sept. 1810, when he received a commission appointing him to the Rosamond sloop; in which vessel he was again employed affording protection to the trade of Trinidad, “the delicate state of matters, between the Spanish provinces on the Main and the parent state, rendering it necessary that an officer possessing temper and discretion should be sent to command upon that station[6].”
Whilst thus employed, his attention having been called to a system of smuggling carried on in the Gulph of Paria, Captain Campbell detected two American schooners and a Trinidad sloop in the act of putting sugar on board an American brig at anchor near the Spanish main: the whole of these vessels he seized, and carried back to the island for adjudication; but understanding that the Judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court had declared to the Colonial Secretary, and other persons, that he was determined to liberate them, they were again got under weigh, conducted to Grenada, and there condemned, both hulls and cargo:– this transaction led to a great deal of legal discussion, which our limits will not allow us to enter into.
Captain Campbell obtained post rank Aug. 1, 1811; but he continued in the Rosamond until May 30, 1814, during which period he was successively employed conveying a mail and some specie from Jamaica to England, escorting various fleets of merchantmen, and protecting the fisheries on the coast of Labrador and the north shores of Newfoundland. In 1812, he captured the Friendship, an American merchantman of near 400 tons, with a valuable cargo of naval stores, from Archangel bound to Salem. This ship he chased for 14 hours, during the whole of which time he flattered himself that he was in pursuit of an enemy’s cruiser, as she was a regular built corvette, pierced for 20 guns.
Whilst in the command of the Rosamond, Captain Campbell received three commendatory letters from his superior officers, of which the following are copies:–
“Royal William, Spithead, Dec. 31, 1812.
“Sir,– Captain Brisbane having reported to me the effectual assistance he received from the exertions of yourself, the officers, and ship’s company under your command, when the Pembroke was on shore under Dunnose, I have to express my satisfaction at the promptitude with which you proceeded on this service, as well as your conduct in the execution thereof. I am. Sir, &c.
(Signed)“R. Bickerton.”
“Rosamond, St. John’s, 7th Oct. 1813.
“Sir,– I have received a copy of your log, your report and observations on the fisheries on the Labrador coast, and in the straights of Belleisle, and also a sketch of the bay of l’Ance a Loup, by Mr. Taylor, master of the Rosamond, together with a description of such rocks on the coast of Newfoundland, not laid down in the Admiralty charts, as you or he could discover, or gain intelligence of; and also a copy of the proceedings of the Surrogate Court held by you; and I approve of your conduct in the services on which you have been employed during the summer. I am, &c.
(Signed)“R. G. Keats.
“Prince, Spithead, Mar. 20, 1814.
“Sir,– Vice-Admiral Domett having represented to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that the Rosamond had not lost either a man or boy by desertion during the period of two months that she had been in dock, and under refit at Plymouth; I have it in command from their Lordships, to signify to you that they have received with great satisfaction and approbation this testimony of the good state of discipline of the ship under your comuiand. I am, &c.
(Signed)“R. Bickerton.”
Whilst refitting at Plymouth, he also received the following from his old commander-in-chief:
“London, 2d Jan. 1814.
“Dear Campbell,– I have just time to say, that I will try to get you on the North American station. – I hope they will send you out.
(Signed)“Alex. Cochrane.”
In May 1814, the declining health of his wife induced Captain Campbell to give up the command of the Rosamond; but after her demise, he gladly accepted an offer made him by Sir Richard G. Keats, who expressed a wish to have him again under his command, and spontaneously undertook to procure him a ship if he would consent to return to Newfoundland. The late Sir George Hope was spoken to on this subject by Sir Richard, but the appointment never took place. We have inserted the foregoing letters, and mentioned this circumstance, in order to shew that Captain Campbell was fortunate enough always to enjoy the good opinion of his superior officers.
In 1822 Captain Campbell was appointed inspecting Commander of the Coast Guard at Stranraer, N.B. from whence he removed to the Aberdeen district in 1826.
The subject of this memoir married, 1st, in 1808, Ann, daughter of the late Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Douglas, Bart., which lady died April 11, 1815, leaving one son and two daughters: 2dly, Aug. 19, 1819, Isabella, daughter of John Campbell, of Craignure, Argyllshire, Esq., by whom he has seven children. His eldest son, Colin, is now serving as a midshipman on board the Ocean 74.
One of Captain Campbell’s brothers, the senior captain of the 59th regiment, died in consequence of wounds he received, when landing with the grenadiers of that corps, at Java, in 1811. Another brother was severely wounded at the storming of St. Sebastian, and appears to have been the only officer of the grenadier company, 2d battalion 59th regiment, who survived that attack; he afterwards suffered much from the Walcheren fever, which ultimately caused his death. The following are extracts of a letter from his commanding officer to the Colonel of the 59th, written after the battles near Bayonne, Dec. 9, 10, and 11, 1813:–
“You will find some difficulty in giving credit to my assertion, that the 59th regiment have outdone their former exploits of Vittoria and St. Sebastian, yet nothing can be more true; not merely in my opinion, but in that of Lord Wellington, us well as Sir John Hops, who were spectators of the conduct of the brigade, during three days hard fighting. * * * * *. You will see by the return herewith enclosed, how severe the loss of the 59th has been in officers; I wish I could do justice to their merits, but their praise is in better hands. Lord Wellington and Sir John Hope are lavish in encomiums upon their obstinate valor – it certainly never was surpassed. * * * * *. Lieutenant Campbell, of the grenadiers, for whom I have long been most warmly interested, is also among the wounded, and but lately recovered from a wound he received on the breach of St. Sebastian’s, where he remained, cheering on his men, until the town was fairly in our possession. He has acted as adjutant for some time, and has exhibited qualities, in that situation, equal to his spirit in the field, which is in the true style of a British grenadier. I think this young man so deserving of promotion, that I wish to exert all the interest I am master of, to that end. He has a strong desire to get into the 104th regiment, or the Glengarry Fencibles; and as he has a thorough knowledge of all the northern parts of America, he might be truly useful in that country just now; for to local information, he adds every military requisite. Do not therefore think me presuming too far, when I solicit your influence in his favor.”
The excellent young officer, thus highly eulogised, died a subaltern! Captain Campbell’s youngest brother, Duncan, was made a Lieutenant July 10, 1826, and he at present commands the Monkey schooner, on the West India station.
Agent.– Sir F. M. Ommanney.
- ↑ A division of British and Colonial troops from the garrison at Port-au-Prince landed near Leogane on the 21st Mar., under the cover of several frigates and sloops. During the greatest part of the 22d a very heavy fire was maintained from the two-deckers of the squadron; but no impression whatever having been made by them, and the place appearing much stronger than it had been represented, the forces were judged inadequate to the enterprise, and the troops, stores, guns, &c. were therefore re-embarked. On this occasion the army lost a few men, and the squadron had several killed and wounded. Shortly after this failure, Rear-Admiral Parker was attacked with the yellow fever, which obliged him immediately to sail for England.
- ↑ John 5th Duke of Argyll, who died May 24, 1806.
- ↑ See p. 362, et seq.
- ↑ So early as 1790, Mr Pitt had conceived the project of emancipating the colonies of South America, if the dispute with Spain, respecting Nootka Sound, should cause a war between that power and Great Britain. The plan was submitted to General Miranda and some able Jesuit missionaries, who, when expelled from those settlements, had taken refuge in Italy; and although suspended for a time it was not altogether abandoned. A similar scheme was imagined by Mr. Addington, in 1801, but the peace of Amiens once more prevented it from being put into execution.
Participating in the general domestic gloom of 1804, and feeling the imperative duty of taking a bold step to open other markets to our manufactures, Mr. Pitt had again recourse to the same expedient. Miranda was called on, and a respectable naval force was destined to accompany him, under the command of Sir Hope Popham. Many thousand stand of arms were to have been embarked for the use of those who were expected to revolt, pilots were nominated, the rendezvous was to have been at the island of Trinidad, and the debarkation was to have been effected upon the banks of the Oronoco. Such was the outline of the plan meditated in Dec. 1804, when the Diadem, a 64-gun ship, was commissioned for Sir Home Popham; but it was deranged by many disastrous military events in Europe, and the great anxiety of our cabinet to endeavour, by friendly negociation, to detach Spain from her connection with France, a power which, by the overwhelming progress of her arms over the continent, held every state not yet conquered, in the same submission from their terror, as if Napoleon’s legions had already entered their capitals. The armament subsequently sent from the Leeward Islands, under acting Captain Campbell, consisted of the Lily sloop, two gun-brigs, two smaller vessels, commanded by sub-Lieutenants, and Miranda’s own ship, bearing the present Columbian colours.
- ↑ Lieutenant George Augustus Spearing, eldest son of Lieutenant George Spearing, of the Royal Hospital, Greenwich, was afterwards killed, whilst nobly supporting the honor of the British flag, in a gallant attempt to carry three forts in the island of Martinique. See Nav. Chron. vol. 20, p. 167.
- ↑ The above is an extract of a letter from Sir Francis Laforey, commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands.