its guardianship, which they perform, the humblest as well as the highest, while every man, in his own sphere, strives with heart and soul to obey the injunction conveyed in these sublime words 66 England expects every man to do his

duty."

The achievements of our navy have not wanted their records; and they are now in course of fitting commemoration by the genius of one of the greatest men in England. Southey's History of the Navy will be a work of which all Englishmen will have cause to be proud; and it comes, with peculiar grace, from the biographer of Nelson. We have already innumerable narratives of the wonders wrought by us at sea; nor can we deny ourselves the pleasure of alluding to the United Service Journal, by which a knowledge of the valorous exploits of our warriors may now be spread far and wide among all classes, and justice done to many brave men who, unnamed in Gazettes, necessarily exclusive of almost all but officers of higher rank, and leaving numberless brilliant affairs to "blaze in the acting," afterwards unhonoured and unknown, might otherwise have gone down to the grave without their fame; while now their dangers and their duties, daringly encountered and performed, may be heard of far beyond their own firesides, and the memory of their virtues cherished in the hearts of their countrymen, along with the love and admiration for ever awake there for more illustrious leaders.

We rejoice to have had intrusted to our hands authentic documents for a memoir of the professional life of one of our most distinguished naval commanders, the late Sir Henry Blackwood; and while we are proud that our pages are so honoured, it is satisfactory to us to know that they will make thousands acquainted with his character and exploits, who might not have been so, had such a narrative appeared in any periodical publication, however excellent, exclusively dedicated to military and naval affairs.

Sir Henry was the sixth son of Sir John Blackwood, Baronet, and Baroness Dufferin and Clanboye. At the age of eleven years, in April 1781, he entered his Majesty's service, under the protection of Captain M'Bride, on board the Artois frigate, and was present at the Dogger Bank action under Admiral Parker, as well as at the capture of the Pylades

and the Orestes, two Dutch sloops of war, by that frigate, after a short action; and, on serving the intermediate years under Captain Montgomery in the Boreas and the Concord frigates, Hawkins Whitshed in the Rose ditto, and Commodore Corby in the Trusty, of 50 guns, he was promoted from Earl Howe's ship to the rank of lieutenant, in November 1790. In the ensuing year, 1791, he was employed on board the Proserpine frigate, under Captain Curzon; and on the commencement of hostilities with France in January 1793,' was appointed to the Active frigate, Captain Nagle, from whence he was removed in July of the same year, by the particular desire and application of the Honourable Captain Pakenham, to become first lieutenant of the Invincible of 74 guns. That good judge of merit had formed a high estimate of Blackwood's abilities; and, in a letter to Admiral Cadwell, he had said, a short time before,-"I have seen your letter to Blackwood. I have only to say, that if your knowledge of him was equal to mine, you would esteem yourself fortunate in having as exact, as attentive, as capable

1 In the year 1792, or end of 1791, being unemployed, Lieutenant Blackwood went to Angoulême to improve himself in the French language, which he acquired with particular facility, and spoke better than most Englishmen. The beginning of the French Revolution, at this time so interesting to the world at large, too strongly excited his mind to allow him to remain at Angoulême, and he left that place for Paris. He was strongly requested to convey a small book addressed to a family who had emigrated, with a positive assurance it contained neither political matter, nor private correspondence, nor danger to him, but merely on domestic subjects, or he would not have undertaken to deliver it, knowing how the violence of the Revolutionary tribunals raged at this time against the emigrants. On his arrival at Paris, the book, which concealed some letters, was discovered among his effects, when he was seized and immediately taken before the Municipal Council, and then committed to a rigid imprisonment as a bearer of treasonable correspondence, and being an agent to convey money to the emigrants. His confinement was one of the most frightful suspense, as the contents of the concealed letters were unknown to him, and he had every reason to dread the utmost vengeance that Jacobin ferocity could inflict. In a few days he was again brought forward, when it was fortunately proved the papers were free from political topics, and he was to be admitted to bail if some person of responsibility would answer for his appearance at the bar of the Convention, to which the business was to be referred. His friends at Angoulême had given him an introduction to a respectable merchant at Paris, where he lodged for a few days in this critical situation. M. Lafitteau, the name of this generous friend, came forward, and when the court demanded, in stern and threatening terms, who would answer for le Citoyen Blackwood, he arose with great energy, and putting his hand upon his head, exclaimed,—“With my head I will go bail for Mr Blackwood;

an officer as ever I have met with. Having said so much, I do heartily hope that your arrangements will allot him the most distinguished station among your officers, because I know he will, in such a station, give satisfaction. As our first lieutenant is indisposed, if Blackwood is not to be your first, let me entreat you to send him to me until ours recovers." As First Lieutenant in the Invincible, he continued to serve under the same distinguished captain, until after the actions of the 28th and 29th of May, and 1st of June 1794, under Lord Howe, with the French Fleet. The Invincible engaged the Juste, of 84 guns, a ship vastly superior to her in force (she carried nearly 300 more men-her tonnage was upwards of 2100, the Invincible's little above 1600, and there must have been nearly a corresponding difference in weight of metal), and in half an hour her astonishing fire so demolished her huge opponent, that she bore up in great confusion, and shortly afterwards became an easy conquest to the Queen Charlotte. The Achille and Juste, after that noble ship had shattered and put to flight the Montague and the Jacobin, engaged her, but rather

I know him, and he is a man of honour!" The president of the court then angrily replied, "Your head be that security-you answer with your life for the accused" his friend, turning to Sir Henry, said, "Sir, my life is in your hands, but your honour is my protection." The case was represented to several leading members of the Convention, and the day the special report of his arrest was laid before it, he heard with surprise a motion made for his discharge; though one of the most furious of the Jacobins declared, in a speech of great length, that to his knowledge the prisoner was a spy-an emissary of a hateful faction-the agent of men France disowned, and of those apostates who were then plotting, in the cabinet of tyrants, the subversion of liberty and their country:-as an amendment, he should move that the prisoner be remanded and dealt with according to the law. One of the deputies, who had taken a lively interest in favour of Sir Henry, near whom he was seated in the court, arose, and used such strong arguments in favour of his innocence, and the injustice of criminating a stranger by assertions of a stranger only, that a vote was passed for his enlargement. When he requested to know of M. Lafitteau, his protector, in what way he could evince his gratitude, he said, only "by sending me a pair of jockey (Anglais) English leather breeches," which was faithfully done.

A singular coincidence occurred some years afterwards. On returning from Egypt, Sir Henry discovered one of his prisoners of war to be a M. Tallien (or some name near it), who had been taken by one of the English cruisers, the most violent of his Jacobin enemies, who had so loudly called for his condemnation in the Assembly.

Sir Henry was in Paris during the massacre in September, from the 2d to the 6th, 1792, and staid till obliged to fly for his life. He attended the Jacobin Clubs several times with Mr Huskisson.

distantly, the Achille on the starboard-quarter, and the Juste on the larboard bow. The Invincible here engaged the Juste on the opposite side, and soon brought down her foremast, and then her main and mizen masts. The Juste now lay abreast of the Queen Charlotte to windward, silenced in her fire, but with a French jack hoisted at her bowsprit end, and a spritsail set to carry her, if possible, out of action. Two hours afterwards, the Charlotte wore, and on passing to leeward of the Juste, finding that she gave no return to her fire, Lord Howe ordered the Invincible's boat, then alongside with an officer, to take possession of the French ship. This officer was Lieutenant Blackwood, whom Captain Pakenham, seeing the crippled state of the Charlotte, had sent to say to Lord Howe that the Invincible was in a state fit to bear his flag. Her fire it was that had conquered the Juste, for owing to that ship being painted similar to the Invincible, who lay at a short distance from her, but was concealed by the smoke, the Frenchman had not attracted the attention of the Charlotte, until, wearing round, he passed under her stern, and gave her a raking broadside-one of his 36-pound shot passing through the Charlotte's wing-transom. The Invincible had 14 killed, and 31 wounded-the Juste, 100 killed, and 145 wounded, her actual complement having been 877 men. For his conduct on this occasion, Lieutenant Blackwood was promoted to the rank of commander, and immediately appointed to the command of the Magæra fireship, to serve under Lord Howe's flag in the Channel fleet, where he remained until the 2d of June, in the following year, when Lord Spencer, then at the head of the Admiralty, promoted him to the rank of Post Captain in the Nonsuch, of 64 guns, destined to guard the mouth of the Humber.

In April 1796 he was moved, at his own request, to more active service on board the Brilliant, of 28 guns, in which ship he served on the North Sea station nearly two years, under Lord Duncan, when he was moved, about March 1798, to that of Newfoundland, under Admiral Waldegrave, afterwards Lord Radstock; and in July of that year, he maintained a most unequal combat off the Island of Teneriffe, with two French 44-gun frigates, La Vertu and La Régénérée.

The following is his modest account of that skilful and daring action :—

Late in the day of the 26th of July after having chased a sail which, from the information I had, as well as the course she was steering, I suspected to be a French privateer, on her return to Santa Cruz; at night, leaving off chase, I bore up for the north-east end of Teneriffe, in order to intercept her ; but the morning of the 27th being very hazy, and thinking she might have passed me in the night, I stood close into the bay of Santa Cruz, where (when well in), perceiving two large French frigates (the one of 40 guns, carrying a broad pendant, the other of 36) in the act of getting under weigh, and making preparations to set all sail, I judged it prudent (crowding everything I could) to steer to the southward.

About 5 o'clock P.M., perceiving that the enemy had gained a good deal, and, as the wind failed us, was gaining still faster, I determined, if possible, to prolong the period of their bringing me into action, till after the close of day, and to manoeuvre in the interim, so as to prevent their engaging me both at once. In consequence of which, shifting my steering sails with expedition to the starboard side, and at the same time changing my course to the south-west, I increased my distance nearly a mile; I then reefed my topsails, keeping my steering sails set, in order that my intentions should not be suspected. When all was ready for hauling to the wind, and I had taken in my steering sails, unfortunately the wind shifted so far to the eastward, that I lay nearly along the south-east side of Teneriffe: in this situation, I had no other alternative but that of bearing up, and coming into immediate action with the headmost frigate.

About 7 P.M., the second in command of the enemy had approached so near as to commence his fire, and which I returned with such success, from four stern-chasers, that he judged it prudent to alter his attack to my lee-quarter, where (by very superior sailing) he soon took his station, and engaged me about an hour, at the distance of two cables.

Previous to this, the Commodore, from having hauled more to the wind, had gained my weather-quarter, and perceiving that he was now coming down with his people ready aloft for boarding me, I judged that if I continued in my present position, it would only depend on them to engage me with much advantage together; watching, therefore, most anxiously the moment the frigate to leeward had reached abreast of my mainmast, I bore up athwart his hawse, and raked him so effectually within pistol-shot, that in a few minutes I left him with his top-sails and top-gallant-sails down on the caps, and otherwise in such confusion, that I embraced the present as the most favourable moment to haul to the wind.

The Commodore had now neared me so much, that I expected every instant he would engage me on my weather-quarter, but judging (I conclude) from the reception his consort had met with, that he should not be more successful, instead of choosing his situation and distance for engaging me with effect, he shortened sail and bore up into my wake. By this manoeuvre, which was effected with wonderful promp