Sir Benjamin Hallowell, 1760-1834

Vice-Admiral of the White; Commander-in-Chief in the River Medway; Knight Commander of the most honourable Military Order of the Bath, and of the Neapolitan Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit.

This officer is the son of a gentleman who was the last surviving Commissioner of the American Board of Customs, and died at York, in Upper Canada Mar. 28, 1799. He entered the naval service at an early age, and was made a Lieutenant by Sir Samuel (afterwards Viscount) Hood, on the 31st August, 1781, five days previous to the partial action off the Chesapeake; or which occasion his ship, the ALCIDE, of 74 guns, commanded by the late Admiral Sir Charles Thompson, sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 18 wounded.

Soon after this event, Sir Samuel Hood returned with his squadron to the West Indies, and Lieutenant Hallowell was subsequently removed into the ALFRED, another 74, which shi formed part of the fleet under the orders of the same gallant Commander, when attacked by-the Count de Grasse at the anchorage in Basseterre Road Jan. 25 and 26, 1782. In the battle of the 9th and glorious victory of the 12th April following, the Alfred was attached to the red division of Sir George Rodney's fleet, and sustained a loss of 12 men killed, and 40 wounded, including among the former her Captain, W. Bayne, to whose memory a monument was afterwards erected by order of parliament. She also formed part of the detachment sent under Sir Samuel Hood in pursuit of the flying enemy and was consequently present at the capture of two ships of the line, one frigate and a corvette., in the Mona Passage, on the l9th of the same month.

During the ensuing peace, Lieutenant Hallowell served first in the FALCON sloop, on the Leeward Island station; and subsequently in the Barfleur with Lord Hood, at Portsmouth until his promotion to the rank-of Commander, which took place about 1791. In that and the succeeding year I we find him in the Scorpion Sloop, stationed on the coast of Africa. At the commencement of the war with the French Republic, he was appointed to the CAMEL storeship and proceeded in her to the Mediterranean, where he was removed into the ROBUST of 74 guns the former commander of that ship having been appointed Governor of Port la Malgue, on the occupation of Toulon by the Allied forces. His post commission bears date Aug. 30, 1793.

In our memoirs of Viscount Keith Lord Radstock, and Sir W. Sidney Smith, we have already related the proceedings of the British up to the l9th December, on which day the French fleet and arsenal at Toulon were destroyed, and the town evacuated, a measure rendered necessary by the immense assemblage of republicans in its vicinity. The embarkation of the troops on that occasion was successfully performed under the able management of the former officer aided by the skilful and zealous conduct of Captains Hallowell and Matthews. Subsequent to this event the British fleet anchored in Hieres Bay; and Captain Elphinstone having resumed the command of the Robust, Captain Hallowell was appointed to the COURAGEUX, of the same force, in which ship he continued until the return of Captain Waldegrave from England, whither he had been sent with despatches from Toulon.

We next find our officer serving at the siege of Bastia, on which occasion he had the charge of the flotilla appointed to watch the mouth of the harbour, and was employed on that fatiguing service every night until the garrison surrendered. He subsequently served on shore as a volunteer, under the orders of the heroic Nelson, at the reduction of Calvi; and upon Captain Cunningham being sent to England with the despatches relative to the final subjugation of Corsica, be was appointed to succeed that officer in the command of the Lowestoffe frigate. In Lord Hood's official account of the capture of Calvi, we find the following just tribute of applause paid to his merits:

The journal I herewith transmit from Captain Nelson, who had the command of the seamen, will show the daily occurrences of the of the siege; and whose unremitting zeal and exertion I cannot sufficiently applaud, or that of Captain Hallowell, who took it by turns to command in the advanced batteries, 24 hours at a time; and I flatter myself they, as well as the other officers and seamen, will have full justice done them by the General; it is therefore unnecessary for me to say more upon the subject.

From the Lowestoffe, Captain Hallowell was again appointed to the COURAGEUX of 74 guns, which ship formed part of the fleet under Vice-Admiral Hotham, when that officer encountered the enemy off the Hieres Islands, July 13, 1795. From this period we find no further mention of him until after the evacuation of Corsica, in Oct 1796 when proceeded in company with the rest of the fleet to Gibraltar and arrived at that early place early in December. On the l9th of the same month the COURAGEUX parted her cables in a violent gale of wind, and drove nearly under the Spanish batteries before she could be brought up. It being absolutely necessary to remove her from so dangerous a situation, she was got under weigh and made two or three boards under close reefed topsails, with a view of gaining the anchorage in Rosia Bay; but the wind increasing to a perfect hurricane, and the rain falling in torrents attended by a tremendous storm of thunder and lightning, rendered every attempt abortive. About 9 p.m. being then under her courses, and stretching over to the African coast she unfortunately ran against the steep shore of Apes Hill, and in a very few minutes was a complete wreck. By this melancholy accident nearly 500 brave fellows lost their lives; not more than 124 having escaped to relate the unhappy fate of their companions. The survivors lived about a week on a very small quantity of dried beans, and were six days more in marching through the country; at which time, however the Moors gave them as much bread once a day as they could eat.

They at length reached Gibraltar in a state of entire destitution.

At the time the COURAGEUX was driven from the anchorage in Gibraltar Bay Captain Hallowell was attending a court-martial. Being made acquainted with her situation, he wished very much to go on board previous to her moving from the neighbourhood of the Spanish batteries; and it being in the power of the Court to release him from his attendance he asked permission to do so; but the President, Vice-Admiral Thompson, refused to comply with his request, and thus the life of a valuable officer was preserved to the service and his friends.

In the memorable action off Cape St Vincent, Feb. 14, 1797, the subject of this memoir served as a volunteer on board the VICTORY; and Sir John Jervis was so much pleased with his conduct on that occasion, that he strongly recommended him to the Admiralty, and sent him home with the duplicates of his despatches. He was in consequence immediately appointed to the Lively frigate, and again ordered to the Mediterranean station.

On the 28th May, in the same year, the boats of that ship and LA MINERVE, under the direction of Lieutenant (now Sir Thomas Masterman) Hardy, cut a French brig of war, LA MUTINE of 14 guns and 130 men, out of the bay of Santa Cruz, notwithstanding a heavy fire from the town, and a large vessel at anchor there. Captain Hallowell's next appointment was to the SWIFTSURE of 74 guns, which ship formed part of Sir Horatio Nelson's squadron at the capture and destruction of the French fleet in Aboukir Bay, Aug. 1st, 1798.

Our officer having been directed to reconnoitre the port of Alexandria, previous to the discovery of the enemy, was prevented assisting at the commencement of the battle; and being afterwards obliged to alter his course, in order to avoid the shoal that had proved so fatal to the Culloden, it was eight o'clock before he got into action, and total darkness had enveloped the combatants for some time, which was dispelled only by the frequent flashes from their guns; the volumes of smoke now rolling down the line from the fierce fire of those engaged to windward, rendered it extremely difficult to take his station; it was scarcely possible to distinguish friend from foe. The SWIFTSURE was bearing down under a press of sail, and had already got within range of the enemy's guns when her commander perceived a ship standing out of action under her foresail and fore-top sail, having no lights displayed. Supposing that she was an enemy he felt inclined to fire into her; but as that would have broken the plan he had laid down for his conduct, he desisted: and happy it was that he did so; for the vessel in question was the Bellerophon, which had been obliged to withdraw from the conflict. At three minutes past eight the SWIFTSURE anchored, taking the place that had been occupied by that ship; and two minutes later began a steady and well directed fire on the quarter of the FRANKLIN, and bow of L'ORIENT. At 9h 3' a fire was observed to have broken out in the cabin of the latter; to that point Captain Hallowell ordered as many guns as could be spared from firing on the Franklin, to be directed, and, at the same time, that the marines should throw the whole fire of their musketry into the enemy's quarter, while the Alexander on the other side was keeping up an incessant shower of shot to the same point. The conflagration now began to rage with dreadful fury; still the French Admiral sustained the honour of his flag with heroic firmness; but at length a period was put to his exertions by a cannonball, which cut him asunder; he had before received three desperate wounds, one on the head and two in his body, but could not be prevailed on to quit his station on the arm chest. His Captain, Casa Bianca, fell by his side. Several of the officers and men, seeing the impracticability of extinguishing the fire, which had now extended itself along the upper decks, and was flaming up the masts, jumped overboard; some supporting themselves on spars and pieces of wreck, others swimming with all their might to escape the dreadful catastrophe. Shot flying in all directions dashed many of them to pieces; others were picked up by the boats sent to their assistance, or dragged into the lower ports of the nearest ships; the British sailors humanely stretching forth their hands to save a fallen enemy, though the battle at the moment raged with uncontrolled fury. The SWIFTSURE, whose distance from L'Orient did not exceed half-pistol shot, saved the lives of the First Lieutenant, Commissary and 10 men. The situation of the SWIFTSURE and Alexander was perilous in the extreme. The expected explosion of such a ship as L'ORIENT was to be dreaded, as involving all around in certain destruction. Captain Hallowell, however, determined not to move from his station, though repeatedly urged to do so. He observed the advantage he possessed of being to windward of the burning ship. Captain Ball was not so fortunate; he twice had the mortification to perceive that the fire of the enemy had communicated to the Alexander. He was obliged therefore to change his berth and move a little further off.

About ten o'clock the fatal explosion took place. The fire communicated to the magazine, and L'ORIENT blew up with a crashing sound that deafened all around her. The tremulous motion, felt to the very bottom of each ship, was like that of an earthquake; the fragments were driven such a vast height into the air that some moments elapsed before they could descend; and then the greatest apprehension was formed from the volumes of burning matter which threatened to fall on the decks and rigging of the surrounding ships. Fortunately however, no material damage occurred. Two large pieces of the wreck fell into the fore and main-tops of the SWIFTSURE; but happily the men had been withdrawn from those places.

An awful silence reigned for several minutes, as if the contending squadrons, struck with horror at the dreadful event, which in an instant had hurled so many brave men into the air, had forgotten their hostile rage in pity for the sufferers. But short was the pause of death; vengeance soon roused the drooping spirits of the enemy. The Franklin again opened her fire on the Defence and SWIFTSURE, and thus gave the signal for renewed hostilities. Captain Hallowell being disengaged from his late formidable adversary, had leisure to direct the SWIFTSURE's whole fire into the quarter of the foe who had thus presumed to break the solemn silence; and in a very short time, by the well-directed and steady fire of these two ships, and the LEANDER on her bows, the Franklin was obliged to call for quarter.

The Alexander and Majestic, and occasionally the SWIFTSURE, were now the only British ships engaged; but Captain Hallowell, finding that he could not direct his guns clear of the former, and fearful lest he should fire into a friend, desisted, although he was severely annoyed by the shot of the French ship TONNANT, which fell thick about him.

About three o'clock in the morning of the 2nd of August, the firing ceased entirely, both squadrons being equally exhausted with fatigue. It was, however, subsequently renewed between the rear of the enemy and a few of the British ships. In the morning of the 3rd, there remained in the bay only the TIMOLEON and TONNANT of the French line, that were not captured or destroyed. The crew of the former escaped in their boats after setting fire to her; the latter struck without further resistance, just as the SWIFTSURE was in the act of casting, for the purpose of supporting the THESEUS and LEANDER, which ships had already approached the enemy. This completed the conquest of the French fleet. The loss sustained by the SWIFTSURE was seven men killed, and twenty-two wounded. On going into action she received a shot several feet under water, which proved a considerable annoyance; the chain-pumps were obliged to be kept constantly at work nor could the leak be kept completely under; she had four feet water in the hold from the commencement to the end of the battle.

On the 8th, Captain Hallowell took possession of Aboukir Island, and brought off 2 brass 13-inch mortars, and 2 12-pounders of the same metal. The iron guns be throw into the sea, and destroyed the platforms. On the 10th a vessel was discovered in the offing, the SWIFTSURE was ordered to chase and immediately got under weigh; in the evening Captain Hallowell came up with and took her; she proved to be LA FORTUNE corvette of 16 guns and 10 men. on the same day Sir Horatio Nelson, who had been wounded in the late battle wrote to Earl St. Vincent from the mouth of the Nile; and in his letter we find the following passage:

I should have sunk under the fatigue of refitting the squadron, but for Troubridge, Ball, Hood And Hallowell; not but all have done well; but these are my supporters.

Subsequent to the departure of Rear-Admiral Nelson from the shores of Egypt, the SWIFTSURE formed part of a squadron under the orders of Captain (afterwards Sir Samuel) Hood employed in co-operation with the Turks and Russians, in harassing the French Army, on which service Captain Hallowell remained until Feb. 14, 1799, when he sailed for Palermo, where he joined his gallant Chief on the 20th of the following month.

Eleven days after her arrival at Sicily the SWIFTSURE sailed for Naples, in company with three other ships of the line and some smaller vessels, the whole under the command of Captain Troubridge, of the CULLODEN. On the 2nd April they stood into the Bay and as it was known that many of the inhabitants were desirous of returning to their allegiance, Captain Hallowell, accompanied by the Hon. Mr. Rushout, now Lord Northwick, whose acquaintance with the country as well as with the Italian language proved of great service on many occasions, landed on the Isle of Procida. They were received with enthusiasm and joy and ascended to the castle amidst the acclamations of the people; the French tree of liberty was cut down, the tri-coloured flag struck and the royal Neapolitan ensign hoisted in its stead. In the meantime the squadron anchored between Procida and the main; a party of marines were sent to Ischia to take possession of that island, and the fort was given up to them without opposition.

The squadron continued in the vicinity of Naples until the 15th May, when it returned to Palermo and from thence proceeded on a cruise of Maritimo. On the 23rd of the same month, Captain Hallowell presented Lord Nelson with a coffin made from the wreck of l'Orient accompanied by the following letter:

My Lord:- I have taken the liberty of presenting you a coffin made from the main-mast of l'Orient, that when you have finished your military career in this world I you may be buried in one of your trophies - but that that period may be far distant, is the earnest wish of your sincere friend,

BEN. HALLOWELL.

On the bottom of this singular present was pasted a certificate written on paper, to the following effect:

I do hereby certify, that every part of this coffin is made of the wood and iron of l'Orient, most of which was picked up by His Majesty's ship under my command, in the Bay of Aboukir.

SWIFTSURE, May 23, 1799. BEN. HALLOWELL.

The astonishment that prevailed amongst the crew of the Vanguard, Lord Nelson's flag ship, when they were actually convinced it was a coffin which had been thus conveyed on board, will be long remembered by their officers: "We shall have hot work of it indeed" said-one of the seamen; "you see the Admiral intends to fight till he is killed, and there he is to be buried." Lord Nelson highly appreciated the present and for some time had it placed upright with the lid on, against the bulk-head of his cabin, behind the chair on which he sat at dinner, and viewed it with the undaunted mind of a great warrior. At length, by the tears and entreaties of an old servant, he was prevailed upon to allow its being carried below. When his Lordship left the VANGUARD, the coffin was removed into the FOUDROYANT, where it remained for many days on the gratings of the quarter-deck. Whilst his officers were one day looking at it, he came out of the cabin: "You may look at it Gentlemen" said the hero, "as long as you please; but depend on it none of you shall have it."

In the month of June, 1799, Lord Nelson having been reinforced by a squadron under Rear-Admiral Duckworth, proceeded to Naples where he arrived o the 24th, and found that a treaty had been signed between Cardinal Ruffo, and the insurgent Neapolitans, by which the latter consented to capitulate, on condition that they should be allowed to march out of the castles Nuovo and Uovo, with the honours of war, and be provided with vessels to transport themselves and families with their property, to France. This treaty his Lordship set aside, and his Sicilian Majesty had ordered that no terms were to be entered into with the rebels, but that their surrender was to be unconditional. They were accordingly brought into the fleet, disarmed, and their leaders placed in irons.

The enemy still retaining possession of the castles of St. Elmo, Gaieta and Capua, preparations were instantly made for their subjugation; and on the 29th June, the trenches were opened before the former fortress, under the direction of Captain Troubridge, who had been selected to conduct the operations on shore; and the place was summoned to surrender; but the Commandant, Mr. Mejan, determined to stand a siege. At first, Captain Ball, of the Alexander, was second in command; but that officer's services being required at Malta, his place was most ably supplied by the subject of this memoir.

On the 3rd July, a battery of three 36-pounders and four mortars was erected about a hundred toises from the walls of St. Elmo; also a battery of four 36-pounders was constructed at the opposite angle by a body of Russians belonging to the army of General Suvorof. Some Turkish Auxiliaries were at the same time employed in guarding particular depots, and in the main behaved very well.

It was the intention of the British commander to storm the castle in different places as soon as practicable breaches could be made. On the 5th, another battery two 36-pounders was opened. In the meantime, the three-gun battery being entirely destroyed, and the guns dismounted, Captain Hallowell was directed to erect another at the distance of ninety toises from the walls. The quick and well-directed fire of this new battery (which was admirablyconstructed, and cost immense labour), aided by a smart cannonade from the others, induced the enemy to surrender; and an officer appeared on the walls with a white flag. The terms of capitulation were soon agreed upon; and the French marched out and delivered up the castle to the British. Commodore Troubridge next proceeded to Capua accompanied by Captain Hallowell, and took the command of the motley force before that place batteries of guns and mortars were erected, and on the 25th, opened their fire upon the enemy, who returned it with equal spirit; but from the rapid approach of the besiegers, whose trenches were advanced on the following day to within a few yards of the glacis, they were at length induced to capitulate; and on the 29th the garrison marched out and grounded their arms. Gaieta immediately afterwards surrendered to Captain Louis of the Minotaur; and the whole kingdom of Naples was thus delivered from the yoke of the French - an event principally brought about by British sailors.

The enemy, however, still occupied the Roman States; from which, according to their own admission, they had extorted, in jewels, plate, specie, and requisitions of every kind to the enormous amount of 8,000,000 l. sterling: yet they affected to appear as deliverers among the people whom they were thus cruelly plundering; and they distributed portraits of Buonaparte, with the blasphemous inscription - "This is the true likeness of the holy saviour of the world!" The people, detesting the impiety, and groaning beneath the ex actions of these perfidious robbers were-ready to join any regular force that should-come to their assistance; but they dreaded Cardinal Ruffo's rabble, and declared that they would resist him as a banditti, who came only for the purpose of pillage. Lord Nelson perceived that no object was now so essential for the tranquillity of Naples as the recovery of Rome, which, in the present state of things, when the Russians were driving the French before them, would complete the deliverance of Italy. He therefore sent the SWIFTSURE to Civita Vecchia, to offer the garrison there, and Castle Saint Angelo, the same terms which had been granted to Gaieta, etc.

The SWIFTSURE sailed from Naples on the 7th Aug., and on her arrival off Civita Vecchia a French officer of distinction came on board with a flag of truce; but nothing was then decided. Captain Hallowell however, subsequently entered into a negotiation, and had paved the way for the enemy's surrender when he was taken from his station by Captain Foley of the Goliath; that ship, together with the SWIFTSURE, being ordered by Lord Keith to proceed to Gibraltar.

Our officer soon after received the insignia of the Neapolitan Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit, and a box with the royal cypher set in diamonds, as a reward for the services he had rendered to the Sicilian monarch.

The SWIFTSURE, after touching at Palermo, Minorca, and Gibraltar, proceeded to Lisbon, at which place she arrived on the 30th Nov. in company with the Leviathan, Powerful, Vanguard, and Bellerophon, the whole under the orders of Rear-Admiral Duckworth. On the 6th Dec. the squadron again put to sea, and cruised for some time in very stormy weather, on the coast of Spain, during which Captain Hallowell captured two merchant vessels. In the month of Feb. 1800 after once more visiting the Tagus, he accompanied the same detachment to Gibraltar, where, as the SWIFTSURE had suffered a great deal in the late gales, it was thought necessary to caulk and repair her, for which purpose she was taken into the Mole.

We next find Captain Hallowell cruising with Rear-Admiral Duckworth in order to intercept a fleet about to sail from Cadiz for Lima; and on the 5th April the squadron had the good fortune to fall in with it. Two frigates and several merchantmen were captured, but the Sabina a fine frigate richly laden, and four merchant vessels, got off. Had not the SWIFTSURE been sent in chase to the southward, in all probability not one of them would have escaped. The prizes had quicksilver on board to the amount of 140 tons, which was intended to work the mines of Peru and Mexico. Five days after this event, Captain Hallowell took a Spanish schooner from Malaga bound to Vera Cruz, which had taken shelter under the guns of the Moorish Castle of Larache, but put to sea again as soon as the remainder of the squadron left the African coast on their return to Gibraltar. The SWIFTSURE subsequently received the flag of Sir Richard Bickerton; who after blockading Cadiz for some time, proceeded to Alexandria in her, where he removed into the KENT, of 74 guns.

Although the SWIFTSURE had been in a very leaky condition for a long time, yet she was obliged to retrace her steps to the Egyptian coast without receiving the repairs she stood in need of. At length Lord Keith sent her with a convoy of cartels and light transports, from the Bay of Aboukir to Malta. Captain Hallowell on the passage received intelligence of a strong squadron of the enemy being in those seas. Prompted by a laudable zeal for the service, and considering the comparative insignificance of his charge, he formed the resolution to quit it, and make the best of his way to reinforce Sir John B. Warren, then lying at the latter place. Unhappily, on his passage he fell in with the hostile squadron on the 24th June, 1801. Perceiving the very superior force of the enemy, he endeavoured to escape from them; but the leaky and foul condition of the SWIFTSURE was ill-matched for the fast sailing Frenchmen. Captain Hallowell finding there was no prospect of getting away from them by keeping on a wind, determined to bear down and engage the ships to leeward, consisting of two sail of the line and a frigate, in hopes that if he crippled them he might obtain his object; but in this he was disappointed. The INDIVIDIBLE, of 80 guns bearing the flag of RearAdmiral Ganteaume, and the Dix-Aout, 74, being in close order and within half gun-shot of the SWIFTSURE, opened their fire; this was instantly returned, and a severe action took place, and continued notwithstanding the great disproportion of force, for an hour and seven minutes, during which, Captain Hallowell made several efforts to get to leeward of his opponents, but their superior sailing baffled every attempt.

The other two line-of-battle ships, the Jean Bart and Constitution, of 74 guns each, now tacked in order to fetch into the SWIFTSURE's wake, and were ranging upon her quarter within gun-shot, reserving their fire until they closed, when, her masts, yards, and rigging cut to pieces, the decks lumbered with the wreck, all hopes of escape cut off, and no prospect of succour presenting itself, Captain Hallowell, to avoid further useless effusion of blood, determined to surrender to superior numbers; and with pain, as he truly expressed himself, he ordered the colours, which he could no longer defend, to be hauled down.

The Frenchman's principal object having been to dismantle the SWIFTSURE, her loss in killed and wounded was not so great as might have been expected: only 2 men were killed, and 8, including Lieutenant Davis, wounded, 2 of them mortally: but the ship was so much out up that although the whole of the Artificers of the French squadron were employed in repairing her damages it was six days before the Indivisible, by which she had been taken in tow, cast her off to make sail. The enemy's loss amounted to 33 killed and wounded.

When Lord Keith despatched the SWIFTSURE for Malta, he took out many of her best men, by which means she was 86 short of complement besides having 59 sick on board from a bad fever brought off by those who had acted with the army before Alexandria. Had it been Captain Hallowell's good fortune to have had with him such a force as might have attacked the French squadron with any fair estimate of success, the result cannot be questioned.

In his public letter, our officer speaks highly of the handsome treatment received from the French Rear-Admiral, who did everything in his power to render the situation of his prisoners as comfortable as possible; and in M. Ganteaume's account of the action, the gallant defence of the SWIFTSURE was correctly admitted.

Having obtained permission to return from Toulon to Minorca on his parole, a court-martial was assembled Aug. 18 1801 on board the Genereux, at Port Mahon to try Captain Hallowell for quitting the convoy, and for the loss of his ship. After a' minute investigation the court were of opinion, and it appeared to them from the narrative of Captain Hallowell supported by the best possible evidence to be obtained - that the fleet under his charge was of very little importance in any point of view; that his determination to leave the said fleet and join Sir John B. Warren, was dictated by sound judgement and zeal for the service of his King and Country; and the Court were farther of opinion, that the loss of the SWIFTSURE was unavoidable, and that the conduct of Captain Hallowell, his officers and ship's Company, in her defence was high meritorious, and that Captain Hallowell displayed great judgement In the mode he adopted, to avoid so superior a force, and equal gallantry in the execution of the plan so formed; they did therefore adjudge him and them to be HONORABLY ACQUITTED of all blame on the occasion.

During the ensuing peace Captain Hallowell was appointed to the chief command on the coast of Africa and proceeded thither with his broad pendant in the Argo, of 44 guns. Touching at Barbadoes, on his return to Europe he there learnt that hostilities were likely to be renewed between Great Britain and France; and Sir Samuel Hood, the Commander-in-Chief on that station, being daily expected from Antigua, he resolved to await the arrival of that officer, whom he afterwards accompanied on an expedition against St. Lucia and Tobago.

"To Captain Hallowell's merits" says the Commodore, in his official despatch relative to the conquest of the former of these islands, "it is impossible for me to give additional encomium, as it is so generally known; but I must beg leave to say that on this expedition his activity could not be exceeded; and by his friendly advice I have obtained the most effectual aid to this service, for which he has been a volunteer; and after the final disembarkation, proceeded on with the seamen to co-operate with the army." In a subsequent letter from Tobago, Sir Samuel Hood thus expresses himself: "The royal marines and a body of seamen were landed to co-operate with the army, under the command of Captain Hallowell; and it is scarcely necessary for me to add, his zeal and exertions were equally conspicuous as on the late expedition to St. Lucia. He is charged with this despatch and will give their Lordships any further information they may desire on the subject."

The Argo sailed from Tobago early in July and arrived at Portsmouth on the 14th Aug. At the commencement of the following year Captain Hallowell proceeded in the same ship to Aboukir, with Elfi Bey, an artful and deceiving Chief or the Mameloucs; who, being obliged to leave Egypt, had endeavoured to impose upon the liberality and integrity of the British nation. Our officer, on returning to Malta, in his letters to Earl St. Vincent and Viscount Nelson, entered at considerable length on the insidious character of this Bey, and transmitted much valuable information respecting the then state of Egypt. In the ensuing summer he escorted the homeward-bound trade from the Mediterranean to England; and immediately on his arrival was appointed to the TIGRE, of 80 guns, in which ship he returned to the Mediterranean, and from thence accompanied his friend Nelson to the West Indies, in pursuit of the combined fleets of France and Spain.

We next find Captain Hallowell commanding the naval part of an expedition sent from Messina in the spring of 1807, destined to take possession of Alexandria. The troops, consisting of about 5,000 men, under the orders of Major-General Fraser, were landed on the 17th and 18th March near the ravine extending from Lake Mareotis to the sea. As soon as the whole were collected and formed 'd they moved forward and attacked the enemy's advanced works, which were carried with little loss. The British force them went round by Pompey's Pillar, to the southward; and on the afternoon of the 20th, finding that farther opposition would be useless, the Governor offered to capitulate. Terms were accordingly agreed upon; and, on the 21st, the place was in the full possession of the English. In the old or western port were taken two Turkish frigates and a corvette all mounting brass guns; one of the former carrying 40, the other 34, and the corvette 16. Major-General Fraser thus speaks of the assistance he received from his naval co-adjutor on this occasion: "To Captain Hallowell, and the officers and seamen of H.M.S. TIGRE, I cannot sufficiently express my acknowledgements for the assistance they afforded me, and for the readiness with which they stood forward on all occasions. Captain Hallowell landed and marched with me to the attack of the enemy's retrenchments , and to the very gates of the city, and remained on shore until the place surrendered, and from his advice and local knowledge I derived much useful information."

Subsequent to the evacuation of Egypt by the British which took place in September following, the TIGRE appears to have been principally employed in watching the port of Toulon, but without any event of importance occurring until Oct. 23, 1809; when in company with a squadron under Sir George Martin, she drove on shore three french line-of-battle ships and a frigate near the mouth of the Rhone. On the 30th of the same month, Captain Hallowell was entrusted with the command of a detachment from Lord Collingwood's fleet, sent to attack some armed vessels and transports that had separated from the above ships and made for the Bay of Rosas. The enterprise proved successful, and at day-break on the morning of Nov. lst, every one of the enemy's vessels was either burnt or brought off, notwithstanding the protection afforded them by the Castle of Rosas, Fort Trinity and several newly erected batteries. The convoy thus intercepted was from Toulon, bound to the relief of Barcelona, then in the possession of the French, and which had long been besieged by the Spaniards.

At the general promotion, July 31, 1810, Captain Hallowell was nominated a Colonel of Royal Marines; and he continued to command the TIGRE until his advancement to the rank of Rear-Admiral, which took place Aug, 1st in the following year. He soon after hoisted his flag in the MALTA, of 84 guns; and in Jan. 1812 again went to the Mediterranean where he remained until some time after the conclusion of the war, during the latter part of which he commanded the squadron employed in co-operation with the patriots on the south coast of Spain.

On the 2nd Jan. 1813, our officer was created as K.C.B. He subsequently obtained the chief command on the Irish station, which he held during the customary period of three years, and in the summer of 1821, succeeded Sir John Gore as Commander-in-Chief in the River Medway, where his flag is now flying on board the PRINCE REGENT, 120 guns. His commission as Vice-Admiral bears date Aug. 12, 1819.

Sir Benjamin Hallowell married Feb, 17, 1800, a daughter of Commissioner Inglefield, of Gibraltar Dockyard. His eldest son obtained the rank of Lieutenant, Aug 30, 1820, and is now serving as his flag officer.

The Canadian Boy who Slapped Sir John Jervis on the Back & Who Gave Nelson the Coffin in which the Hero of Trafalgar was Buried and who Became a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy.

No harder seaman than Sir John Jervis ever served in the Royal Navy. A man of iron, who feared neither enemy nor mutineer, he was merciless to inefficiency and his discipline was so strict that one of his flag-officers once challenged him to a duel. Altogether he was about the last man a junior would choose as an object of familiarity, especially on his own quarter-deck.

On the morning of February 14th, 1797 Sir John, from the deck of his flag-ship VICTORY grimly watched the Spanish ships off Cape St. Vincent. Spain had joined France against Britain, and Napoleon had ordered the Spanish fleet to leave Cartagena, pass the Straits of Gibraltar, sail north to Brest and joining the French fleet there make up a combined force greater in numbers than anything Britain could bring against them. To stop this junction was Sir John's business and he had 15 ships of the line to do it with. And as the tough old man - he was 62 - watched the enemy he remembered that England badly needed a victory.

The story is told by two historians of the Royal Navy:

As the mist lifted the flag-lieutenant reported, "There are eight sail of the line, Sir John."

"Very well sir."

"There are twenty sail of the line, there are twenty-five, Sir John."

"Very well sir."

"There are twenty-seven sail of the line Sir John, near double our own."

"Enough of that sir; if there are fifty sail I will go through them!" answered the undaunted admiral.

"That's right, Sir John, and a damned good licking we'll give them", cried Captain Ben Hallowell, a gigantic Canadian thumping his commander-in-chief on the back in his exhilaration, probably the first and last time that such a liberty was ever taken with "0ld Jackie".

Six hours later four of the enemy were prizes and the rest in flight and a few months later Sir John Jervis was raised to the peerage as Earl St. Vincent.

But who was Hallowell? He was born in 1760 and his father, who was the last surviving Commissioner of the American Board of Customs died at York, U.C. in 1799. Before this the family lived at what is now Picton, where the name is perpetuated in Hallowell Township and Hallowell's Mills, as beautiful little cove as there is in all the beautiful Bay of Quinte. When the town was incorporated in 1837 there was a long and bitter dispute as to whether it should be named Hallowell, or Picton after Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton who was killed at Waterloo, but who so far as can be learnt never had anything to do with the place.

Hallowell joined the Royal Navy as a youngster and rose to the rank of Captain at 35. He was a volunteer at St. Vincent his ship having been wrecked two months before. He must have been held blameless for this however as the following year he commanded SWIFTSURE of 74 guns at the battle of the Nile. Here he laid the SWIFTSURE opposite the French flag-ship l'ORIENT of 130 guns, and so battered her that she blew up. But Hallowell salvaged a piece of her main-mast and out of it he had a coffin made which he presented to his friend and commander, Admiral Nelson. It is said that ever afterwards Nelson kept this grim reminder of glory and death in his cabin, even having it placed behind his chair when he was dining. When Nelson was buried in St. Paul's following the battle of Trafalgar, this coffin contained his body.

Hallowell was knighted in 1815 and promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1819. He died in 1834. Like many other Canadian heroes, Hallowell is unknown to most Canadians. But this boy from an obscure Ontario settlement served his King and Country with gallantry, with exuberant humour and with distinction.

"The King has been pleased to grant unto Sir Benjamin Hallowell, of Beddington-park, in the county of Surrey, and of Orpington in the county of KENT, Knight Companion of the most Honourable Military order of the Bath, Commander of the Royal Sicilian Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit and a Vice-Admiral of the Red Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet, his royal license and authority, that he and his issue may, in compliance with a clause contained in the last will and testament of Anne Paston Gee, late of Beddington-park and Orpington aforesaid, widow, deceased, take and use the surname of Carew, in addition to and after that of Hallowell, and bear the arms of Carew quarterly with those of Hallowell; such arms being first duly exemptified according to the laws of arms, and recorded in the Herald's office, otherwise His Majesty's said license and permission to be void and of none effect.

And also to command, that the said royal concession and declaration be registered in His Majesty's College of Arms,"

On the death of Sir Benjamin Hallowell's cousin, Mrs. Anne Paston Gee, he succeeded to the estates of the Carews of Beddington, and pursuant to her will, assumed the name and arms of Carew to which family however, he was not in any degree related. The estates had come to Mrs. Gee by the will of her husband's brother, and now came to Hallowell (1828) very much in the nature of a windfall; but to a friend who congratulated him on it he answered, "Half as much 20 years ago had indeed been a blessing, but I am now old and crank."