was missed in the night; but was at length discovered, on the return of day, in pursuit of a large bear. He was only armed with a musket, the lock of which had been rendered useless; yet he had the resolution and intrepidity to pursue the animal, in the hope of tiring it out, and knocking it down with the but-end of his piece. Upon his return, being reprimanded by the captain, and asked the reason for his rash conduct, he answered-" I was in hopes, sir, of getting a skin for my father." On his return to England, he entered on board the Seahorse, 20, commanded by the gallant Capt. Farmer, one of a small squadron destined for the East Indies. The climate disagreeing with him, he returned to England, and on December 26, 1776, was appointed acting lieutenant of the Worcester, then under sailing orders for Gibraltar, with a convoy. On April 9, 1777, he was appointed second lieutenant of the Lowestoffe, 32, Capt. W. Locker, which proceeded to Jamaica. In a strong gale of wind, and a heavy sea, the Lowestoffe captured an American letter of marque. The captain ordered the first lieutenant to board her, which he attempted, but was not able to effect, owing to the tremendous sea running. On his return to the ship, Capt. Locker exclaimed-" Have I then no officer who can board the prize?" On hearing this, the master immediately ran to the gangway, in order to jump into the boat, when Lieut. Nelson suddenly stopped him, saying-" It is my turn now if I come back, it will be yours." In 1779, Mr. Nelson was appointed by Sir Peter Parker, then commander-in-chief on that station, to be third lieutenant of the Bristol. He rose to be first lieutenant, and was promoted to the command of the Badger sloop of war, in which he was ordered to the Mosquito shore, for the better protection of the baymen from the depredations of the American privateers. Here his conduct procured him the entire love of the settlers. On his return to Jamaica, he preserved from destruction the Glasgow, 20, Capt. Lloyd, and all the crew, the ship having taken fire, owing to carelessness in drawing off a cask of rum. On June 11, 1779, he was made post captain, and appointed to the Hinchinbrook, 20. An attack upon the island of Jamaica being daily apprehended from the French, Capt. Nelson was appointed to command the important batteries which defended Port Royal. At the commencement of 1780 he was appointed to the chief command by sea, of an expedition against the Spanish settlements, on the river St. John, in the gulf of Mexico. Not content with coldly fulfilling the strict letter of his duty, he quitted his ship, and volunteering his services up the river, through a navigation then known only to Spaniards, contributed most essentially to the capture of Fort St. Juan. Capt. Poulson, the commanding officer by land, in his public despatches, paid a well-merited tribute to his conduct. Sickness obliged him to return to Jamaica, where he had been promoted to the command of the Janus, 44. It does not appear whether he ever proceeded to sea in that ship: his health continuing much impaired, he returned to England at the close of the same year. On his speedy recovery, he was appointed, in August 1781, to the Albemarle, 28. He was sent to Newfoundland, in company with Capt. Pringle, who commanded the convoy sent thither with the outward-bound fleet, in the month of April 1782. In a cruise off Boston, he was chased by three French ships of the line, and finding, according to the seaman's phrase, that his pursuers had the heels of him, he pushed for the St. George's bank, among the shoals of which he hoped to

entangle

entangle his enemies, or induce them to discontinue the chase. One of the frigates, however, drawing less water, followed him, when being almost up with the Albemarle, Capt. Nelson very resolutely ordered his ship to be hove to for action. This instance of firmness, unexpectedly displayed by an inferior opponent, struck the pursuer with dismay: he instantly put about, and made sail from the Albemarle. Peace being concluded, he returned to England.

In the spring he was commissioned to the Boreas frigate, 28, a ship destined for the Leeward Islands, where he continued till June 1787, and was then ordered to England. In the month of March preceding, he married Mrs. Frances Herbert Nesbit, widow of Dr. Nesbit, daughter of William Herbert, Esq.

Soon after his arrival in England, Capt. Nelson was put out of commission. During a period of five years' relaxation from the fatigues of public service, the longest which he had experienced since his first entrance into it-" Capt. Nelson," observes the author of his life, inserted in the Naval Chronicle, "retired to enjoy the consolation of domestic happiness, at the parsonage-house at Burnham Thorpe, which his father gave him as a place of residence; where, imitating Zenophon in the arrangement of his little farm at Scyllus, he passed his time in rural occupation and solitude. From the age of twelve years to the period occupied at this retreat, no occasion occurs in the life of Horatio Nelson for the mind to pause; all previous to this, and since, has been a continued succession of events, arising from professional duties, amid a complication of peril and unprecedented emergencies. He now enjoyed the opportunity of strengthening, by reflection, his acquired experience; combining the various ideas which a quick, yet sound observation, had collected, and improving that knowledge of himself and of human nature, so essential to those who are called on by their country to command with firmness, and ensure obedience with alacrity. Like the celebrated Roman who retired into the country to enjoy the calm of repose, Capt. Nelson might exclaim, that he had been many years on earth, but had lived very few for himself."

On the prospect of a rupture with Spain relative to Nootka Sound, Capt. Nelson hastened to London, and anxiously solicited employment; but he was disappointed by a multitude of officers having a priority of claim, being his seniors, and the speedy adjustment of the dispute. The sudden war with France in 1793 called him once more upon the theatre of action, and how he performed his part, let the shores of the Baltic, the Channel, the Mediterranean let the ocean itself proclaim, whose waves are so many pages of a mighty book full of his matchless deeds! But in his last great closing scene, the victory off Trafalgar, he transcended his former fame; and though he survived not to wear the laurels destined for him by a grateful country, he achieved the imperishable wreath of immortal fame. See MEDITERRANEAN STATION, March 5, August 10, October 21, 1794; March 8, 1795; April 25, July 10, December 19, 1796; July 3, 1797; June 28, 1799; ST. VINCENT, TENERIFFE, NILE, COPENHAGEN, BOULOGNE, and TRAFALGAR.

NEWMAN, Capt. J. M. was born at Scaldwell, in the county of Northampton, January 10, 1767, and commenced his naval life under his relative, Rear-Adm. Alexander Hood, in the Queen, of

98 guns, September 6, 1782. After serving in different ships on the Home Station, in the West Indies, and Mediterranean, he proceeded to India, in the Crown, of 64 guns, Capt. James Cornwallis; and on November 26, 1789, was made a lieutenant into the Ariel sloop of war. In 1794, he was made commander, but was not apprized of his promotion until after having borne his share in the brilliant victory over the French fleet on June 1. When the king visited Portsmouth, after the return of the fleet to Spithead, Capt. Newman was introduced to his majesty with the rest of the officers. In August he was made post in the Vestal, of 28 guns. On October 16, 1798, he fought a most brilliant action of two hours and fifty minutes, in the Mermaid, of 32 guns and 208 men, with La Loire, of 46 guns and 664 men, troops included. His loss, owing to the judicious position of the Mermaid, and the French system of firing high, was only 3 k. and 13 w. La Loire escaped, and the Mermaid was so crippled, that she could not follow. La Loire was captured on the 18th by the Anson, of 44 guns, Capt. (afterwards Rear-Adm.) Durham; and on April 13, 1799, Capt. Newman was commissioned to her. On February 5, 1800, being in company with the Railleur, they engaged the Pallas, close in under the Seven Islands, where she was supported by a battery, when, after a night action of two hours and ten minutes, the enemy surrendered. Previous to this, the Fairy, Capt. Horton, and Harpy, Capt. Bazely, both sloops, had engaged the Pallas, when their damages enabled her to get away from them. The Pallas had 42 guns and 350 men. On April 12, 1808, Capt. Newman was appointed to the unfortunate Hero, of 74 guns, which was lost in the night of December 24, 1811, on the sands off the mouth of the Texel, when the brave and lamented captain perished, with every one of his crew.

NEW ORLEANS.-An expedition was planned against this flourishing city, the south western key of the United States, which, had it been successful, would have put the British in possession of a formidable position, and laid the trade of the western parts of the Union, down the Mississippi, completely at their mercy. The army was under the command of Major-Gen. the Hon. Sir E. M. Pakenham, K. B., acting in concert with the naval force under the command of Vice-Adm. Sir A. Cochrane. The Bayon Catalan (or Des Pecheurs), at the head of Lac Borgne, in which an American flotilla of five gun-vessels were stationed, was the contemplated point of disembarkation, the distance from the inner anchorage of the frigates and troop ships to the Bayon full sixty miles, and the principal means of transport, open boats; it was therefore impossible for any movement of the troops to take place until this flotilla was either captured or destroyed. On December 12, 1814, Adm. Cochrane placed the launches, barges, and pinnaces of the squadron, with Capt. Montresor, of the Manly, and Capt. Roberts, of the Meteor, under the command of Capt. N. Lockyer, of the Sophie, and sent them into Lac Borgne, in pursuit of the enemy; while the frigates, troop-ships, and smaller vessels, moved into the inmost anchorage, each vessel proceeding on until she took the ground. Observing, as they approached the flotilla, an armed sloop endeavouring to join it, Capt. Roberts, who volunteered to take her with part of his division, succeeded in cutting her off, and capturing her, without much opposition. After an arduous row of thirty-six hours, Capt. Lockyer closed

with the flotilla, which he attacked with such judgment and determined bravery, that, notwithstanding their formidable force, their advantage of a chosen position, and their studied and deliberate preparation, he succeeded in capturing the whole of these vessels, in so serviceable a state as to afford at once the most essential aid to the expedition; they mounted 30 guns, 2 howitzers, and 8 swivels, and had on board 245 men. The boats suffered severely, having 17 k. and 77 w. On the 23d a landing was effected, and a position taken, with the right resting on the high road to New Orleans, distant about nine miles, and the left on the Mississippi. At about eight o'clock in the evening, when the men, much fatigued by the length of time they had been in the boats, were asleep in their bivouac, a heavy flanking fire of round and grape was opened upon them by a large schooner and two gun-vessels, which had dropped down the river from the town. This was succeeded by a vigorous attack from the enemy in front, who, upon the approach of the 85th regiment, commanded by Brevet-Major Gubbins, favoured by the darkness of the night, concealed themselves under a high fence which separated the fields, and calling to the men as friends, under pretence of being part of the British force, offered to assist them in getting over, which was no sooner accomplished than the 85th found itself in the midst of superior numbers, who discovering themselves, called on the regiment immediately to surrender, which was answered by an instantaneous attack; a most extraordinary conflict ensued, officers and men absolutely hand to hand. The enemy were, however, repulsed, with the capture of 30 prisoners. A similar finesse was attempted with the 95th regiment, which met the same treatment. Reiterated attacks were made by the enemy until twelve o'clock, when the firing on both sides ceased. The enemy's force was said to be 5000 men, commanded by Major-Gen. Jackson. This division of the British army, the remainder not having come up, was commanded by Major-Gen. J. Keane. Sir E. Pakenham had waited for the arrival of Major-Gen. Lambert with the fusiliers and 43d regiment, in order to make a general attack upon the enemy's line, and on the 8th the army was formed for that object, its left on the Mississippi, a thick, extensive wood on its right, and open to its front, from which the enemy's line was quite distinguishable. It was simply straight, with a front of about 1000 yards, and a parapet, the right resting on the river, and the left on a wood which had been rendered impassable for troops. This line was strengthened by flank works, and had a canal in front, of about four feet deep generally, but not altogether of an equal width; about eight heavy guns were in position on this line. The Mississippi is here about 800 yards across, and they had on the right bank a heavy battery of 12 guns, which enfiladed the whole front of the position on the left bank.

Preparations were made, by very considerable labour, to clear out and widen a canal that communicated with a stream by which the boats had passed up to the place of disembarkation, to open it into the Mississippi, for the purpose of getting troops over to the right bank, and securing the co-operation of armed boats. Col. Thornton, with a corps of troops, and about 600 seamen and marines, under Capt. Money and Major Adair, was to pass over during the night, and move along the right bank towards New Orleans, clearing his front until he reached the flanking battery of

the

the enemy on that side, which he had orders to carry. Unlookedfor difficulties, increased by the falling of the river, occasioned considerable delay in the entrance of the armed boats, and those destined to land Col. Thornton's corps; and though the colonel ultimately and ably executed, in every particular, his instructions, yet that delay occasioned some on the left bank, and the attack did not take place until the columns were discernible from the enemy's line at more than 200 yards distance, who, as they advanced, opened a most galling fire upon them from every part of their line, and from the battery on the right bank. The brave commander-in-chief galloped on to the front, to animate his troops by his presence, and was seen, with his hat off, encouraging them on the crest of the glacis. Here he received two wounds; one in his knee, another, which was almost instantly fatal, in his body. The effect of this, in the sight of the troops, together with MajorsGen. Gibbs and Keene borne off wounded at the same time, the former mortally, with many other commanding officers, caused them to fall back in confusion. Major-Gen. Lambert, on whom the command had devolved, and who was with the reserve, did not think it prudent, under all the circumstances, to renew the attack. Col. Thornton's division was ordered back, and the army re-embarked the 27th on Lac Borgne. The killed, wounded, and missing of the army in this unfortunate expedition amounted to 2448 men; and of the navy 94.

The conduct of the officers and men of the squadron was distinguished by willingly and cheerfully undergoing the most laborious exertions and great privations for a period of nearly six weeks. From December 12, when the boats proceeded to the attack of the enemy's gun-vessels, to January 18, but very few of the officers or men ever slept on board their ships. The whole of the army, with the principal part of its provisions, stores, artillery, ammunition, &c. were transported from the shipping to the head of the Bayon, a distance of seventy miles, chiefly in open boats, and were reembarked by the same process. The hardships, therefore, which the boats' crews sustained, from their being kept up day and night continually passing and repassing in the most changeable and severe weather, were very great. The squadron employed on this service consisted of the Tonnant, 80, Vice-Adm. Sir A. Cochrane, K. B., Captain of the fleet, Rear-Adm. Edward Codrington, Capt. Alexander Skene; Norge, 74, Charles Dashwood; Bedford, 74, J. Walker; Royal Oak, 74, Rear-Adm. P. Malcolm, Capt. E. Dix; Ramillies, 74, Sir T. Hardy, baronet; Gorgon, 46, R. B. Bowden; Armide, 38, Sir E. T. Troubridge, baronet; Cydnus, 38, F. Langford; Belle Poule, 38, F. Baker; Seahorse, 38, J. A. Gordon; Trave, 36, R. Money; Sophie sloop, 18, N. Lockyer; and Meteor bomb, 18, S. Roberts.

NICHOLAS, Capt. John T. See MEDITERRANEAN STATION, May 14, 1812.

NICHOLLS, Adm. Sir Henry, K. C. B., was made a post captain December 1, 1788, and soon after appointed to the Amphion frigate, of 32 guns, on the Jamaica station: that ship was put out of commission in the summer of 1790. During the Russian armament, in 1791, he was flag-captain to Rear-Adm. L. Gower, in the Formidable, of 98 guns, which ship was put out of commission towards the close of the year. In February 1793, Capt. Nicholls was appointed to the Royal Sovereign, of 100 guns,

bearing