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MEMOIRS OF CELEBRATED PERSONS, WHO HAVE DIED WITHIN THE YEARS 1824-1825.

No. I.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM
WALDEGRAVE,

BARON RADSTock, of castlETOWN, QUEEN'S COUNTY; ADMIRAL
OF THE RED, K. G. C. B.; PRESIDENT OF THE NAVAL CHARIT-
ABLE SOCIETY; COMMISSIONER OF THE CORPORATION LAND-
TAX; A
VICE-PRESIDENT OF the CLERGY ORPHAN SOCIETY;
OF
THE SOCIETY FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF VICE; OF THE
BLIND ASYLUM; OF THE FEMALE ORPHAN ASYLUM; OF THE
MARY-LE-BONE GENERAL DISPENSARY, &c. &c.

THE family of Waldegrave, formerly written Walgrave, of which this gallant and excellent nobleman was a member, is denominated from a place of their own name in Northamptonshire, where they resided before the year 1200. Lord Radstock's uncle, James, the second Earl of Waldegrave,

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married Maria, daughter of Sir Edward Walpole. She afterwards became the consort of the late Duke of Gloucester, brother of George the Third; and died in August, 1807.

Lord Radstock was the second son of John, third Earl of Waldegrave, by Lady Elizabeth Gower, sister of Granville, first Marquis, and aunt of the present Marquis of Stafford. He was born the 9th of July, 1758. The profession of the navy was his own particular choice, and he was happily placed under the tuition of such officers as were calculated to improve his early genius for nautical science. Having gone through the inferior gradations of service in the Mediterranean and Western Seas, he was promoted to the command of the Zephyr sloop about 1775, and on the 30th of May, 1776, advanced to the rank of post captain in the Rippon of 60 guns, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Edward Vernon.

Captain Waldegrave's time passed on in the usual routine of service until August 10, 1778, on which day the Commodore, being on a cruise off the coast of Coromandel, fell in with a French squadron under M. Tranjolly. An action ensued and was maintained with great obstinacy for two hours, when the enemy, availing themselves of the crippled condition of the British ships, made sail and steered for Pondicherry. On the 21st Sir Edward again got sight of them, but their superiority in sailing prevented his being able to bring them to action; they, however, quitted the coast, which gave the Commodore an opportunity of taking possession of the anchorage in Pondicherry-road, by which means he was enabled to co-operate with the army in the reduction of that place. In October it surrendered to the British arms.

In the above-mentioned action the number of ships on each side was equal. Those of the English mounted 148 guns; those of the French 180. The loss of the former consisted of 11 killed, and 53 wounded (the Rippon had 4 killed, and 15 wounded); the loss of the enemy was never ascertained. The Sartine French frigate, mistaking the British for her own squadron, was afterwards taken.

The climate of the East Indies not agreeing with Captain Waldegrave's health, he returned to England, and immediately on his arrival was appointed to the Pomona of 28 guns. In this ship he captured the Cumberland American privateer, of 20 guns, and 170 men. This was an important service, for the enemy's vessel had been exceedingly destructive to our trade. Some months after, Captain Waldegrave removed into La Prudente of 38 guns and 280 men, and after making a voyage to the Baltic was attached to the Channel fleet.

On the 4th of July, 1780, Captain Waldegrave having been sent by Sir Francis Geary to cruise off Cape Ortegal, in company with the Licorne of 32 guns, fell in with, and, after an obstinately contested action of four hours, captured La Capricieuse, a new French frigate, pierced for 44 guns, but mounting only 32, with a complement of 308 men, above 100 of whom, including her Commander, were either killed or wounded. Upon taking possession of the prize she was found in so disabled a state, owing to her gallant defence, that upon the report of a survey, held by the carpenters of the British frigates, Captain Waldegrave ordered her to be burnt.

La Prudente bore the brunt of the above action, and was consequently a greater sufferer than her companion. She had four midshipmen and 13 seamen killed, her second lieutenant, one midshipman, and 26 men wounded. The Licorne had only three men slain and seven wounded.

In the spring of 1781, Captain Waldegrave accompanied Admiral Darby to the relief of Gibraltar, and towards the close of that year he assisted at the capture of a number of French transports that were proceeding with troops and stores to the West Indies, under the protection of M. de Guicher. The skill displayed by the British squadron on this occasion, in presence of an enemy's fleet, nearly double in numbers and force, deserves to be recorded. The following are the particulars of this affair, which reflected credit on all present.

In the month of November 1781, the French fleet, consisting of nineteen sail of the line, many of which were first and se

cond rates, besides two 64-gun ships, armed en flute, and several frigates, put to sea from Brest, to escort their East and West trade safe to a certain latitude. The British Government were no sooner apprised of this, than a squadron of twelve sail of the line, one ship of 50 guns, and four frigates, under the command of Rear-Admiral Kempenfelt, were dispatched to intercept them. On the 12th December, at day-break, being about 35 leagues to the westward of Ushant, the enemy were discovered, and appeared much dispersed, the ships of war being very considerably to leeward of the merchantmen. With a force so much beyond his own, the Rear-Admiral could not in prudence hazard a general action; but having the weather-gage, he determined to sail parallel with the enemy, and to watch a fit opportunity of bearing down upon their rear, and cutting off their charge. In the course of a few hours the van and centre of the French fleet had shot considerably a-head of the rear, and the merchant-vessels, under the protection of four or five frigates, had fallen considerably to leeward. Upon observing this, the British squadron bore up in line of battle a-head, the van engaging the rear of the enemy; the remainder of the ships passed to leeward, and effectually cut off and captured fifteen of the transports, and sunk four of the frigates that had rashly endeavoured to protect them. This manoeuvre having brought his squadron above half a league to leeward of the enemy, and the wind blowing directly fair for the coast of England, Rear-Admiral Kempenfelt formed his ships into two divisions, the first of which took the prizes in tow, and the other kept up a running fight with the French Fleet; and in this order, under a great press of sail, he carried the whole of the captured vessels into Plymouth, in the face of the enemy, and in spite of their utmost endeavours to prevent him.

Having terminated his progress through the American war with infinite credit, the state of Captain Waldegrave's health required him to seek a milder climate than that of England; he accordingly repaired to the Continent, where he remained several years, during which period he visited Paris, Mar

seilles, Constantinople, Smyrna, and several of the islands in the Archipelago, and made a tour of the greater part of Greece.

It is well known that in 1790, a dispute took place with Spain, relative to a settlement which had been made on the western coast of America, in 1788; and that preparations, both naval and military, were recurred to by each party, in consequence of it. The court of Madrid being conscious of its utter inability to enter into a contest with Great Britain, applied for the assistance of France. The National Assembly, however, exhibited great reluctance to enter into a war about so insignificant an object; and a convention was soon after signed at the Escurial, by which, not only the settlement of Nootka Sound was restored, but the free navigation of, and the right of fishery in those seas, were conceded to Great Britain. During this discussion, Captain Waldegrave commanded the Majestic of 74 guns. At the commencement of the year 1793, Captain Waldegrave was appointed to the Courageux, of 74 guns, and in the following spring accompanied Vice-Admiral Hotham to the Mediterranean.

By this time, Louis XVI. had experienced a violent death on a public scaffold; and France had declared herself a republic. But, while this new commonwealth smote all her foreign enemies, and carried terror and desolation on her victorious banners, her own provinces were a prey to domestic factions and civil wars.

The squadron under Vice-Admiral Hotham was speedily followed by the main body of the fleet destined to act, under the orders of Lord Hood, in concert with the Royalists of the southern departments of that distracted country. Upon the arrival of his Lordship in the Mediterranean, he proceeded off Toulon, the inhabitants of which place and Marseilles, had manifested evident signs of a disposition to free themselves from the oppressive yoke of their new masters. Lord Hood availed himself of these dissentions to open a negotiation with the commandant, and principal residents of Toulon, for the delivering up of the town, arsenal, forts, and

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