tyranny which he himself had, among others, contributed to erect and aggrandize. On the return of admiral. Montague from the Baltic, Lawfon was pitched upon, by the parliament, as the fitteft perfon to take the cominand of the fleet and from the measures fo prudently con-certed between admiral Montague, general Monk, and himself, the restoration of monarchy was effected with a tranquillity difpleafing to fome, and astonishing to all; a tranquillity which added new luftre to the characters of thofe who had, with fuch prudence, projected, and with. fo much firmnefs executed fo great an undertaking. One of the first acts of royalty exercifed by Charles, after, the parliamentary acknowlegement of his office and authority, was that of conferring knighthood on Lawfon, a moderate compenfation, perhaps, for the fervices rendered by him, yet ftrongly indicative of their intrinfic worth, from the time and manner in which it was beftowed. Charles, however, had fcarce taken poffeffion of his throne, when he gave fir John Lawfon a more fubftantial proof of his good opinion, by appointing him a commiffioner of the navy. Very foon afterwards the, was fent vice-admiral, under the earl of Sandwich, into the Mediterranean, and, after having affifted in the demolition of the Algerine fhipping, was left, by the earl, with a fquadron to harrafs the enemy and protect our own trade. This fervice he most effectually performed; but, during the time he was engaged in it, a mifunderstanding arose between him, and the Dutch admiral, De Ruyter, respecting a naval compliment, a falute, which afforded. the latter a pretext for withdrawing himself; and, at a future day, one to king Charles, for declaring war against the States. The conduct of fir John, in this disagreable affair, is, however, to be attributed to its true caufe,

not to any captious turn in the temper of the admiral himself, but to his pofitive orders, not to return the falute

He being knighted in Holland immediately on his arrival there with admiral Montague and the fleet, for the purpose of convoying the king to England, he was appointed to command the London foon afterwards.

On the 19th of June, 1661, at which time he removed into the Swiftfurs.

to the flips of any prince or fate whatever." In the year 1662, at the time the earl of Sandwich returned home from Lifbon, convoying the princefs Catherine, the intended queen of Charles, fir John failed for the Streights. Being then left commander-in-chief for that expedition, he removed his flag into the Refolution; and by his prudent as well as fpirited conduct, compelled the ftates of Algiers to enter into an accommodation: but the terms infifted on by him, though equitable, and, in every refpect, confiftent with the laws of nations, being fuch as were incompatible with the temper of a state fubfifting chiefly by piracy, it was broke off; and fir John had, a very few days afterwards, the fatisfaction to make prize of one of their principal corfairs, mounting thirty-four guns. Being ordered home before he had been able to reduce them, a fecond time, to reafon, he left fir Thomas Allen commander-in-chief in his room, as has been already fhewn in the life of that officer. On his return to England he found the Dutch war on the point of being declared: it was, indeed, in confequence of the approaching rupture that he was recalled, in order that he might ferve as rear-admiral of of the red under the duke of York. This compliment paid him by his fovereign was particularly flattering to him*. And it is reported by Campbell, that the advice given t by him to king Charles, would have tended much more to bring the war to a fpeedy conclufion than the conduct which really was purfued; be that as it may, the remainder of the first year, after hoftilities were refolved on, paffed over without an action, the Dutch quietly fuffering themselves to be blocked up in their ports, by the fuperior fleet of the English. But from their great exertions made during the winter and enfuing fpring, Obdam de Waffaneer was enabled to put to fea, in the month of May, 1665, with a fleet confifting of no lefs than an hundred and twenty men of war, befides fire hips. On the 3d of June both the fleets met; and, after. a long and very spirited contest, a most complete victory

* He hoifted his flag, firft, in his old fhip the Swiftfure, and, in 1665, on board the Royal Oak.

+ To direct our operations principally against their commerce; in qther relpects, to act on the defenfive only.

fell

fell to the fide of the English, a victory which hardly compensated for the lives of thofe gallant perfons which were loft in obtaining it. Among thefe was fir John Lawfon, who, on this occafion, had hoifted his flag on board the London. Wounded in the knee by a mufquetfhot at the conclufion of an engagement, in which he had fo earnestly laboured to acquire victory, he had, however, the fatisfaction of feeing thofe labours crowned with their fo much merited fuccefs. Being conveyed to Greenwich, the warmest hopes of his recovery were entertained for some days: but at length, according to the language of phyfic, matters taking an unfavourable turn, a gangrene commenced, and put a period to his existence on the 29th of June, 1665 *.

Such was the end of the gallant fir John Lawfon, a man whose name deserves remembrance, and whofe fame ought to be recorded, were it on no other account than his having faid, "that an officer had nothing to do with political difcuffions, or fpeculative opinions concerning government: his first, and indeed his only object ought to be, TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY."

MARTIN, Robert.-Nothing farther is known of this gentleman than that he commanded the Dover at the time of the restoration.

MIDDLETON, Hugh,-probably was the fon or grandfon of the celebrated fir Hugh Middleton, knight, who, in the reign of king Charles the first, projected and

*There is a curious and very interefting anecdote related of him by Clarendon, who gives him the following character. "There was an irreparable lofs this day in fir John Lawfon, who was admiral of a fquadron, and of fo eminent fkill and conduct on all maritime occafions, that his counsel was most considered in all debates; and the greatest seamen were ready to receive advice from him. Juft before he went to fea for the last time, he paid a visit to the chancellor and treasurer, and, after having opened to them the condition of his finances, which, it feems, were by no means in fo flourishing a fitua tion as the world in general thought them, he requested of them, (to ufe Clarendon's own words) that if he fhould mifcarry in this enterprize, the king would give his wife two hundred pounds a year for her life; if he lived, he defired nothing; he hoped he fhould then make fome provifion for his family, by his own induftry. The fuit was fo modeft that they willingly informed his majesty of it, who as graciously granted it; fo that the poor man went very contentedly to his work, and perished as gallantly in it.”

per

perfected the scheme of fupplying London with water: be that as it may, we are forry we have nothing further to record of this gentleman, than that, in the year 1660, he was appointed, by the duke of York, to the command of the Kinfale.

MOOTHAM, Peter,-was made commander of the Forefight, by the duke of York, in the year 1660. He was not appointed to any other fhip till the year 1665, when he was made captain of the Princefs. He continued fo till the following year, when he unfortunately fell in that action which terminated fo fatally to the lives, though not to the glory, of fuch a number of his contemporaries, on the 4th of June, 1666.

NIXON, Edward,-was appointed captain of the Phoenix in 1660, of the Mermaid in the following year, and the Elizabeth in the year 1664, all by commiffion from the duke of York.-No further mention is made of him.

NUTTON, Michael,-was appointed captain of the Norwich in the year 166c, but never had any other command.

POINTZ, John,-commanded the Richmond in the year 1660, and the Maryland Merchant in the year 1664.

POOLE, Jonas,-was appointed to the Leopard in the year 1660, and the Ann in 1661, both by commiffion from the duke of York. In 1662 he was made captain of the Newcastle of fifty guns, by the earl of Sandwich, he being then under his command at Lifbon. In 1664 he was appointed, by the duke of York, first, to command the Dover, and, fecondly, the London. The warrant authorifing him to imprefs three hundred men, for the purpose of manning this fhip, is published in the duke of York's Memoirs. In the following year he commanded the Vanguard, and, in all probability, died, or retired, foon afterwards, as, in the year 1666, we find that ship commanded by another gentleman.

POOLE, Sir William,-was defcended from an ancient and honourable family established at Poole, in the hundred of Wirral, in Chefhire. Soon after the reftoration he was appointed, by the duke of York, to command the Martin. In 1661 he was promoted to the Charity

of

of forty-fix guns. In 1663 he commanded the Advice, and was re-appointed to the fame ship in the year 1665. Soon afterwards, the action taking place between the duke of York and the Dutch, he was put into the St. George, in all likelihood to fupply the place, pra tempore, of her former commander, who had either been killed or removed into another fhip, as he does not appear to have been regularly commiffioned by the duke of York, as lord high admiral. In 1666 he commanded the Mary of fifty-eight guns, by commiffion from the joint admirals, prince Rupert and the duke of Albemarle. In 1669 he was appointed, by the duke of York, to command the Crown; and, in the year 1672, fucceffively commanded the Jerfey, Plymouth, and St. David. Towards the end of this year he was commodore of the expedition fent against Tobago, fir Tobias Bridges commanding the land forces, and to his perfonal exertion the fuccefs is principally owing. The troops being landed, in their first attempt, either through the ignorance, or treachery of the guide, in a place extremely unfavourable to future operation, and where they were momentarily in danger of being cut off, captain Poole went, himself, on fhore to fuperintend their re-embarkation, which was effected without lofs. On the following day, the 19th of December, 1672, the troops were re-landed, under cover of the St. David, after the had endured a most tremendous fire, from all the forts and batteries, for five hours. The fuccefs attending this action was as complete as the undertaking was brilliant; a capitulation being immediately propofed, and the ifland furrendered without further bloodfhed. For this fervice it is, moft probable, he was knighted. On the 27th of February, 1676, he received a commiffion from the king* to command the Leopard. In this fhip he was fent commodore to Newfoundland, and from thence failed, at the close of the year, as is cuftomary, with the convoy for the ftreights. He returned to England, having the Streights fleet under his protection, in the month of May following. On the 11th of Sep

*Who, fince the paffing of the Teft Act, and the consequent retirement of the duke of York, had undertaken to manage the affairs of the navy himself.

tember,