purpose of facilitating and covering the debarkation of some troops, under the command of Lieutenant-General Dundas. This object was effected on the 7th, in a Bay to the westward of Mortello*. We have stated, in our memoir of Lord Hood, that, "by the incredible exertions of the British seamen, in dragging guns up precipices almost perpendicular, the heights, which overlook the town of Mortello, were taken." In this service Captain Hood was very actively employed, for which he afterwards received the thanks of the Commander in Chief of the land forces. On the day after that on which the debarkation of the troops had been effected, it was thought expedicnt to attack the tower of Mortello, from the Bay; and the Juno, in conjunction with the Fortitude, Captain Young, accordingly commenced a cannonade against it, which lasted for two hours and a half. The attempt was ineffectual; but the bravery of the assailants was not the less conspicuous: at least it may be presumed so, from the following communication, addressed by Commodore Linzee to Captain Hood: Alcide, 9th February, 1794. MEMORANDUM.-Commodore Linzee requests Captain Hood will thank the officers and crew of His Majesty's ship Juno, (in his name,) for their steady and gallant behaviour in the action of yesterday. Captain Hood, Juno. ROBERT LINZEE. It was, we believe, on the 10th, or 11th of February, that the town surrendered, in consequence of the galling fire, which was kept up against it, from some great guns on au adjacent height. On the night of the 17th, the heights of Fornelli were vigorously attacked, and carried by assault. The enemy then retreated into the town of St, Fiorenzo, which they also evacuated on the 19th, and continued their retrcat towards Bastia. Two fine French frigates, la Minerve and la Fortunée, which were lying off the town, were destroyed. On these • Vide NAVAL CHRONICLE, Vol. II, page 38, occasions, Captain Hood again particularly distinguished himself; and, for his different services in this quarter, he had the satisfaction of receiving the thanks of the Commander in Chief. We are not exactly informed, as to the manner in which Captain Hood was employed, in the subsequent attack upon Bastia; though he certainly was attached to the fleet at that time. At the blockade and capture of Calvi, he served in l'Aigle frigate; and his conduct was mentioned by the Commander in Chief, on that occasion, as highly meritorious. Captain Hood continued in l'Aigle until the year 1796; and, during the whole of 1795, he had the command of a small squadron in the Archipelago, for the purpose of protecting the trade, and blockading a squadron of the enemy's frigates, of equal force, at Smyrna. For the unwearied activity and vigilance which he displayed, while on that station, he received the thanks of the Levant Company, conveyed in the following very handsome and gratifying letter, from Mr. Spencer Smith, His Majesty's Minister at the Court of Constantinople : SIR, Constantinople, January 9, 1796. A DISPATCH, addressed to this Embassy by the R. W. Levant Company, under the date of 29th September, has been Lately received by me, since the departure of his Excellency the Ambassador, containing the following paragraph relating to you, Sir: "The testimony given by your Excellency, of Captain Hood's activity and judgment in protecting the factory and our trade, with a force hardly superior to the enemy, is highly flattering to that gentleman, and his conduct on the occasion merits our warmest approbation. We request you will have the goodness to communicate to Captain Hood the enclosed extract of the minutes of our general court, expressive of our thanks for his gallant conduct, and attention to the protection of our trade.” In the absence of Mr. Liston, this pleasing commission has devolved to me, and I avail myself of the first opportunity to convey the above honourable testimony of your meritorious behaviour, accompanied by a copy of the extract alluded to. In presenting you my personal compliments on this occasion, allow me to add the expression of my own admiration of the edifying example afforded by your late command upon the Levant station, forming a striking contrast with the conduct of our unworthy enemies, under the eyes of the Ottoman nation, and tending to extend and perpetuate the renown of the British national character. Samuel Hood, Esq. I have the honour to be, With great respect, truth, and regard, SIR, Your very obedient humble Servant, Captain Hood had also the pleasure of receiving the subjoined communication from Mr. Werry, His Majesty's Consul at Smyrna, enclosing the thanks of the British Factory at that port: SIR, Smyrna, December 2, 1795. I HAVE the honour to transmit you the enclosed letter of thanks from the British Factory of Merchants established here, a copy of which I have also transmitted to the Levant Company, in order that their sentiments of the essential services you have rendered them may be made known, and publicly acknow. ledged. I am very anxious to have news of the safety of the Nemesis, not having any intelligence since you left us. I dispatch a boat with orders to go to Salonica, unless they fall in with that ship at sea; and wrote by an express to Mr. Smith, at Constantinople, giving him every information, and saying how necessary it was Captain Linzee should be advised of his situation, and of your departure for the Commander in Chief. The boat returned on the 28th, after being from here seven days: had not been able to weather Myteline, the wind blowing strong from southward. On the 29th we sent off your waterman, in a large boat for Salonica, and I ordered a smaller boat to cruise for ten days off the entrance of the Gulf, to put letters on board, in case he should attempt this port. Since you sailed, the Sensible, and la Sardine, have got below the Castle, nearly in your berth. Le Rosignol, the day after you was known to have been out of the Gulf, they rigged and remounted her battery: she remains in the Bay. The French division is stationed for the present as follows: la Republicaine, of 74; la Junon, of 44; and the brig, of 14 guns, cruising off Myteline; la Justice, of 36, and l'Artemise. 36, one of which is dismasted, are at the Dardanelles; la Badine, it was reported, was cruising off Serigo. We hope she has fallen in with your ship, as a smail recompense or disturbing us so unexpectedly. It is very extraordinary, however, none of them has yet made their appearance here; we conjecture from that circumstance they are looking out for the Nemesis. Whatever their real intention is, we know not; they report every where, they come to destroy the frigates and English property where they find it; at present those here have not overcome the disgrace they fell in, by not accepting the opportunity of fighting your ships. I flatter myself, Sir, I need not repeat what pleasure it will be to me if I can be made useful to you in this part of Asia. I beg to assure you how much I am, Sir, Samuel Hood, Esq. SIR, Your much obliged, And most obedient humble Servant, FRANCIS WERRY. P.S. The gentlemen of the Factory request you will do them the favour to represent to the Commander in Chief the great loss it will be to them to have the goods already purchased remain here any time, and particularly the cargoes at Salonica, which in part are perishable. We are not free of apprehensions from the insolence of the crews of this squadron, who, I have just now beard, are expected in a day or two. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your devoted Servant, FRANCIS WERRY. The following is the letter of thanks to Captain Hood, from the British Factory at Smyrna, alluded to in the above jetter: SIR Smyrna, December 2, 1795. IMPRESSED as we are with the liveliest sense of gratitude towards you, Sir, for the innumerable benefits which we have derived in our trade and persons from your protection, dusing the time you have been in those ser, we should do the greifest violence to our feelings, and justly incur the imputation of a want of this sentiment, if we were to suppress the expression of it. Permit us therefore, Sir, to offer you our warmest acknowledg ab. Chron. Wo!.XVII, D ments, for the very effectual and satisfactory manner in which you have accomplished the object for which you were sent here by the Commander in Chief in the Mediterranean, and your very condescending and obliging attention to every request of ours, consistent with your duty; and to assure you, that we shall consider ourselves as peculiarly bound to retain a deep and grateful sense of the important benefits which we are indebted to you for:-benefits which have been extended, in a great measure, to every foreign nation here, who speak in the highest terms of admiration. of the propriety and dignity which have marked your conduct; which forms such a striking contrast with that of our enemies here, that even the Turks themselves, who are partial to the French, join in the general applause, and have received so favourable an impression from it of our national character, that we assume no small degree of pride to ourselves from the circumstance. To superior merit, like yours, no commendations of ours can confer additional lustre; we therefore confine ourselves to mere matter of fact in this particular, and shall content ourselves with assuring you, that you will ever have a place in the admiration and affection of the British Factory, every individual of which would esteem himself happy in the occasion of giving you proofs of those sentiments; and our regrets that you should have experienced so many inconveniences, from the necessity of being unconnected with the shore, and considerably heightened, by this circumstance having put it out of our power to show you personally that respect and those attentions, which you are so much entitled to from us. We have the honour to be, with the most respectful attachment, Sir, your most devoted, and much obliged humble Servants, Samuel Hood, Esq. F. WERRY, Consul, JOSEPH FRANEL, JAS. LA FONTAINE, WM. TOMKINSON, EDWARD LEE, In the month of April, 1796, Captain Hood was appointed to command the Zealous, of 74 guns; in which, during that year, he was actively employed under Sir John Jervis, off Toulon; and, in 1797, off Cadiz. In the summer of the latter year, he was with Lord Nelson, at Teneriffe, when his Lord |