ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT.

1735-1823.

JOHN JERVIS, Second son of Swynfen Jervis, Esq., was born on the 20th of January, 1735, received his early education at the free school of Burton-upon-Trent, and completed his school career "at Swindon's academy at Greenwich." His bias towards a sea life was so strong that, at the close of 1747, he ran away from school with the view of entering the navy. His friends then exerted themselves to obtain him a commission, and he was entered as midshipman on board the Gloucester, of 50 guns, which in August, 1748, sailed from Portsmouth for the West Indies. He served on that station until 1754, when, having returned to England and passed his examination for the rank of lieutenant, he was appointed to the Nottingham, one of the ships attached to Lord Anson's expedition against Brest. Afterwards he was shifted from vessel to vessel, and saw some service in the Mediterranean, showing himself, it is to be presumed, a good and trustworthy officer, inasmuch as in 1756, when he was only twenty-one years of age, he received the command of the sloop Experiment.

When the combined military and naval expedition against the French settlements in Canada, under General Wolfe and Admiral Saunders, was dispatched in February, 1759, Jervis was appointed to the Porcupine sloop, and had the honour of piloting the ships and transports that ascended the St. Lawrence

as far as Quebec. Wolfe himself embarked on board the sloop. On the night previous to the battle which gave Canada to the British, and closed in glory the young general's brief career, he sent for Jervis; and informing him that he had the strongest presentiment that he should be killed in the morrow's fight, he drew from his breast the miniature of a young lady to whom he was tenderly attached, and placed it in his charge, earnestly soliciting him, if his foreboding were fulfilled, to return it to her on his arrival in England. The trust was faithfully discharged.

After serving in the Albany sloop on the American coast, Jervis was promoted to a post-captaincy in October, 1761, and appointed to the Gosport, of 60 guns. At the conclusion of the peace of 1763 the Gosport was paid off, and Captain Jervis was relegated to an unwelcome inaction until 1769.

He was then commissioned to the Alarm frigate, of 32 guns, and sent to the Mediterranean, where he remained until the year 1772. In March, 1770, at the outbreak of the equinoctial gales, the Alarm took shelter in the port of Marseilles. But on the 26th the gale was so terrific, and the ship laboured so much, that it was found necessary to throw many of her guns overboard. The next morning the weather moderated, and Jervis prepared to run for Minorca; but in the afternoon, with a sudden change, the wind violently increased, and on the following night it blew a hurricane. The frigate was driven from her anchors, all of them being let go in vain, and she was stranded, a helpless wreck, on a reef of rocks. Assistance was promptly rendered from the shore, and all on board were safely removed ashore. Through great exertions the vessel herself was got into safety, and, being emptied of all her cargo, was "hove down keel out," and completely repaired and refitted. In July, writing to his sister, Captain Jervis said, "The Alarm is the completest thing I ever saw on the water, insomuch that

I have almost forgot she was the other day, in the opinion of most beholders, her own officers and men not excepted, a miserable, sunken wreck,-such is the reward of perseverance."

In June, 1772, the Alarm was paid off, and Jervis, not expecting any early recall to active service, prepared to devote his leisure to intellectual culture. He was ever of opinion that an officer's zealous application must not abate, but only be directed to fresh though important duty, "when he turns his back upon his ship towards the welcome of his family." To acquire a knowledge of the French language he visited France, and studied so hard as to affect his health. Recovering, he pursued his studies with not less energy, if with more discretion. He visited Paris and all the great manufacturing towns, and examined with acute attention the manners, customs, and characteristics of the people. In the following year he was at St. Petersburg, directing his special inquiries to the condition of the naval resources of Russia. Afterwards he went to Stockholm, to Carlscrona, to the Swedish harbours, to Copenhagen, everywhere, and always diligently observant and intelligently curious.

In 1778 he was appointed to the Foudroyant, the finest twodecker in the British navy, and, as her captain, took part in the indecisive action off Ushant between the British fleet, under Admiral Keppel, and the French, under M. d'Orvilliers. The public disappointment at the result led to an angry correspondence between Keppel and Sir Hugh Palliser, his second in command, to whose misconduct it was chiefly attributable. But Palliser was defended by the political party then in power, and so it came to pass that his accusations were taken up and made the ground for demanding a court-martial on Keppel. The reader of history is well aware that the inquiry satisfactorily established the character and vindicated the conduct of Keppel; he may not know, however, that Jervis was the principal wit

ness in his favour, and that it was he who chiefly prepared his commander's cogent defence. We may add that both Keppel's and Palliser's partisans admitted that the Foudroyant had been skilfully handled and gallantly fought.

After serving for two or three years with the Channel fleet, the Foudroyant was included in Admiral Barrington's squadron, which came into collision with a French fleet beyond Ushant on the 10th of April, 1782. The signal being made for a general chase, the Foudroyant, through her superior sailing and her captain's skilful management, now drew ahead of her consorts, and at midnight overtook a French ship of the line, which proved to be the Pégase, of 70 guns. When they were nearly within hail, and before a gun had been fired, the lookout midshipman on the forecastle exclaimed, "She has put her helm up to rake us, sir." Jervis's first impulse was to put the Foudroyant's helm a-starboard, and deliver her broadside from her starboard guns; but to young Bowen the thought had already occurred that the opposite manœuvre would enable the Foudroyant to give the first fire, and, instead of being raked, to rake her opponent. So forcibly did this strike the lad that he could not help exclaiming, "Then if we put our helm to port we shall rake her." Captain Jervis immediately caught the idea. "You are right, Bowen," he said; and as the Frenchman hauled up, he also clewed up his mainsail, took in his studding-sails, and sweeping under his adversary's stern at a distance of about twenty fathoms, continued his raking fire. The slaughter was so great as to throw the enemy into confusion, and with sails and rigging in the greatest disorder she ran before the wind. Perceiving this, Jervis determined on boarding, and laid the Foudroyant on the enemy's larboard side. Headed by young Bowen, the boarders soon obtained possession of the enemy's deck, and with hearty cheers struck her colours, after an engagement of three-quarters of an hour.

The two opponents were fairly matched; for if the Foudroyant had three guns more on her broadside than the Pégase, the latter's guns were of heavier calibre, and she carried a much larger crew. Here is Jervis's simple and straightforward

account of the affair :

"At sunset I was near enough to discover that the enemy consisted of three or four ships of war, two of them of the line, and seventeen or eighteen sail of convoy, and that the latter dispersed by signal. At half-past nine I perceived the smallest of the ships of war speak with the headmost, and then bear away; at a quarter-past ten the sternmost line-of-battle ship, perceiving we came up with her very fast, bore away also. I pursued her, and at seventeen minutes past twelve brought her to close action, which continued three-quarters of an hour, when, having laid her on board on the larboard quarter, the French ship of war, Le Pégase, of 74 guns and 700 men, commanded by Chevalier de Cillart, surrendered. I am happy to inform you that only two or three of the people, with myself, are slightly wounded; but I learn from the Chevalier de Cillart that Le Pégase suffered very materially in masts and yards, her fore and mizen topmasts having gone away soon after the action."

In September, 1782, the Foudroyant was attached to the fleet sent out under Lord Howe to the relief of Gibraltar, and at the end of the year she was paid off, after having been nearly eight years in commission, during which period her crew had been brought by Sir John Jervis-he had been rewarded with the red ribbon of the Bath for his victory over the Pégase to the highest pitch of discipline. Sir John was accustomed to exercise them regularly in gunnery, while he insisted that every manœuvre, however trivial, should be executed with the utmost smartness. He paid great He paid great attention. to the education and training of his midshipmen; and in this