Biographia navalis; or, Impartial memoirs of the lives ... of officers of the navy of Great Britain from ... 1660, Volume 5

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Page 463 - of March in the following year, to the fame rank in the red fquadron. When the complete and memorable change of miniftry took place in the fpring of the year 1782, he was advanced to the dignity of a peer of Great Britain, by the title of Vifcount Howe, of Langar, in the county of
Page 326 - admiral did not make the neceffary preparations for fight; did not put his fleet into a line of battle, or into any order proper either for receiving or attacking an enemy of fuch force; but, on the contrary, although his fleet was already difperfed and in diforder, he, by making the fignal for feveral
Page 328 - fleet. This was difgraceful to the Britifh flag, for it had the appearance of a flight, and gave the French admiral a pretence to claim the victory, and to publifh to the world that the Britifh fleet ran away, and that he purfued it with the fleet of France, and offered it battle.
Page 326 - was the more unaccountable, as the enemy's fleet was not then in diforder, nor beaten, nor flying, but formed in a regular line of battle on that tack which approached the Britifh fleet, all their motions plainly indicating a defign to give battle, and they edged down and attacked it whilft in diforder. By this unofficer-like
Page 327 - at all, others were not near enough to the enemy, and fome, from the confufion, fired into others of the king's mips and did them confiderable damage, and the vice-admiral of the blue was left alone to engage fingle and unfupported: in thefe inftances the faid admiral Keppel negligently performed the duty impofed on him.
Page 425 - to pay the charges to London; and my proportion fell fo fhort, that it was, by calculation, barely enough to pay for horfes, without a farthing for eating a bit upon the road, or even for the very turnpikes. Thofe I was obliged to defraud by riding as hard as I could through them all, not paying the
Page 327 - were ready and fit to renew it, were then to windward and could have bore down and fetched any part of the French fleet, if the fignal for battle had not been hawled down, or if the faid admiral Keppel had availed himfelf of the fignal appointed, by the
Page 201 - Royal Caroline, fometime a director of Greenwich-hofpital, an elder brother of the Trinity-houfe, and one of his majefty's juftices of the peace for the county of Kent, &c. After a long and faithful
Page 328 - by a wind, which fignal was applicable to the occafion for renewing the engagement with advantage, after the French fleet had been beaten, their line broken, and indiforder; in thefe inftances he did not do the utmoft in his power to take, fink, burn, or
Page 425 - up. Having been abfent fo many years, and in all that time never having heard a word from home, I knew not who was dead or who was living, where where to go next, or even how to pay the coachman. I

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