tained himself a force which he deemed sufficient to master the galleons before any succour could reach them. The undertaking was subjected to all the vicissitudes incidental to the element upon which it was formed. In the month of January he set sail from Port Royal, but had the mortification to discover that his intended prizes would lie safe in the harbour of Porto Bello until May. Returning, therefore, to his station, with a hope of lulling them into a belief that he was deterred from any enterprise by the consciousness of inferior strength, he remained inactive until the middle of May, when he weighed anchor again, and had the misfortune to encounter a severe storm, in which his squadron, which consisted of only three sail of the line, and a fire-ship, was much damaged. The predicament in which he now lay was extreme; if he returned to port he ran the risk of missing his object, and if he remained at sea, his shattered state, and the superior numbers of the enemy, rendered his success highly problematical. With the usual intrepidity of the profession, he determined upon the latter course, and carried himself through every obstacle with exemplary spirit. The enemy, to the number of seventeen sail, were discovered at daybreak on the 28th of May, off Carthagena, and seemed indifferent to any movement which the small body of English could offer. They bore on boldly in their course, as if the superiority of their means must deter an attack; but, finding themselves pursued, endeavoured to weather the island of Baru, and failing in the effort, formed in line, and evinced a determination to end all anxiety, by a decisive engagement. Wager got alongside of their centre and largest ship about sunset, and immediately began the fight. But, notwithstanding the resolution of this act, his companions, the Kingston and Portland, failed in their duty, and both kept to windward, out of their stations, though repeatedly hailed by the commodore, and challenged by his boats. Undepressed by this cowardice, Wager's ship, the Expedition, continued hotly engaged with the Spanish Admiral for an hour and a half, when the latter blew up by accident, and only eleven of the crew were saved from the wreck. About ten o'clock he came up with the rear-admiral, and firing upon him at hazard in the dark, had the fortune to lodge a broadside so effectually in his stern, that he was disabled from making any farther way. Soon after this second conquest, the Kingston and Portland came up, and after a short fight the enemy surrendered, and the prizes, which proved highly valuable, were safely captured. This affair had no sooner been completed, than Wager received despatches from England, which acquainted him with his promotion to the flag of Rear-admiral of the Blue squadron. On the 2d of December, 1708, he rose to be Rear-admiral of the White, and continuing in the command of the West Indian station until the ensuing autumn, let slip no opportunity of maintaining the superiority of his country upon the seas over which he commanded. Returned to England, he enjoyed the satisfaction of receiving the most flattering proofs of public approbation. The Queen treated him with great respect; and her ministry made him a knight, and Rear-admiral of the Red; addresses and votes of thanks poured in upon him from all quarters, and he stood established in a very high character for judgment, vigilance, and integrity. An interval of relaxation now occurred, and Wager led a private life until George the I. ascended the throne, when he was nominated to command in the Mediterranean. There remains, however, nothing more to relate of his career, but a list of honourable appointments, and frequent promotions; for, though frequently called out on duty, he met with no opportunities for striking distinction. On the 16th of June, 1716, he was advanced to the flag of Vice-admiral of the Blue; on the 1st of February, 1717, he became Vice-admiral of the White; and on the 15th of March, 1718, rose to be Vice-admiral of the Red. From the year 1722 to 1730 he was vested with several important commissions, and upheld his popularity by steady abilities. His last voyage was made in 1731, when a French invasion was menaced, and a large flotilla was reported to be collecting at Calais and Dunkirk. The fears of the nation, however, were proved to have been vainly excited, and Wager, who was gazetted Admiral of the Blue, in the month of July, repaired to Cadiz, with twenty ships of the line, for the purpose of seeing a treaty ratified, which was brought about between the Emperor of Germany and the King of Spain, through the mediation of his Britannic Majesty. Age now in some degree disinclined Wager from active em 1 ployment, but he filled several civil offices with a purity and talent which greatly augmented the reputation of his professional character. In 1733 he was called upon to act as first commissioner for executing the duties of Lord High Admiral, in which place he continued until March, 1742, when increasing infirmities induced him to accept of the less fatiguing situation of Treasurer of the Navy. For the probable ease of this transition, however, he was not spared, his death having occurred ten months after, as has been already specified on his epitaph. SIR PETER WARREN, K. B. THE monument to the memory of Sir Peter Warren is also placed in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. It is a costly and imposing structure, executed by Roubiliac, with all the nicety for which that artist has been commended, and all the figurative mystery for which the sculpture of the country down to the present day has almost invariably been reproved. The back-ground is gracefully occupied by a falling flag, in front of which is a figure of Neptune placing a half-body bust of the Admiral upon a pedestal. An able personification of Navigation regarding the bust with a fine expression fills the other extremity. This is the inscription : Sacred to the memory of SIR PETER WARREN, Knight of the Bath, and Vice-Admiral of the Red Member of Parliament For the City and Liberty of Westminster. He derived his descent from an ancient His fame and honours from his virtues and abilities. With what vigilance and spirit they were exerted In the various services wherein he had the honour to command, Will be more properly recorded in the annals of On this tablet, Affection with Truth must say, Whom alone he feared, and whose gracious pro- Was pleased to remove him from a place of honour On the 29th day of July, 1752, The place of Sir Peter Warren's birth is not known: but the date of it, if the representation of his epitaph be true, must have been the year 1703. It is generally reported that he entered the navy at an early age, and yet no account has been preserved of his services, until the year 1727, when he was a Post Captain on board the Grafton, which was one of the ships under Sir Charles Wager in the Mediterranean. Upon this station he could have spent no great time, for he is soon after found sailing to the West Indies, in the Soleby frigate, for the purpose of executing the conditions of a peace with Spain. From this voyage he returned in 1729, and was removed into the Leopard, of 50 guns, with which he joined Sir Charles Wager, at Spithead, and there remained for two years in consequence of the unsettled state of our foreign relations. In 1742, he was again in the Mediterranean, but on board a new ship, the Launcestor, of 40 guns, in which he captured the Peregrina, an 18 gun privateer, off Port Mahon. His next ship was the Superb, of 60 guns, and his next station the West Indies, where he became commodore of a small squadron at Antigua, and distinguished himself by the alacrity of his exertions, and the success of his movements; for, between the 12th of February and the 24th of June, 1744, he captured no less than four-and-twenty prizes. In 1745 an attack was made on Louisbourg, the capital of Cape Breton, in North America, and Commodore Warren was sent from the Leeward Islands to superintend the naval operations connected with the siege. Arriving at Canso, in Nova Scotia, with four ships of 40 guns each, on the 25th of April, he found the troops prepared for service, and re-embarking on the 29th, came to an anchor in Gabarus Bay, which is only a mile below Louisburg, on the 30th. The opposition offered to a descent was feeble in the extreme; and while the city was formally invested by military, under General Pepperel, Commodore Warren disposed the fleet with vigilance and fortune. Receiving a reinforcement of three ships of the line, he seized upon two French frigates and a snow on the 20th of May. The following morning he sailed in pursuit of a large ship, which was reported to be hovering off the station, came up with her during the course of the day, and after a short but earnest contest, made her a capture. She proved to be the Vigilante, a new French man-of-war, mounting 64 guns, carrying 560 men, and commanded by the Marquis de Fort Maison. Her destination was the relief of Louisburg, for which she was heavily laden with stores, cannon, and gunpowder, besides the proper equipments for a seventy gun ship, which was on the stocks at Canada. While this advantage was acquired in one direction, a French Brigantine, charged with brandy and provisions, made her appearance nearer shore, and was also taken with ease. The beneficial consequences of these enterprises soon became evident. The French saw themselves bereaved of all succour, and the garrison was reduced to an extremity. On the 14th of June, the preparations for a general assault by land and sea were completed, but at four o'clock on the following morning a flag of truce came from the city, and tenders of capitulation were submitted to the besiegers. The messenger was ordered to return for an answer on the following day, when the commanders thought proper to take possession of the place, upon the condition of trans |
