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 off the island of Malta, a proceeding of which its inhabitants complained as an insult to their neutrality. During Hawke's operations in the Channel in the summer of 1759 ‘Hervey and Keppel were the eyes and hands of the fleet,’ and both secured their chief's enthusiastic commendation. As commodore, he watched the French fleet in Brest, and in the sight of twenty ships of the line in that harbour gallantly cut off with his boats some of the enemy's vessels that were seeking its shelter. On 28 Sept. in that year he again distinguished himself by rowing at night in the Monmouth's barge, in company with four other boats, into the harbour, and carrying off a little yacht belonging to the French admiral. Though a shot passed through his coat, he was not wounded, and he won the gratitude of the sailors who supported him by surrendering to them his share of the prize and head money. With this in-shore work off Brest Hervey's ship, the Monmouth, was so worn out that he was obliged to come home, and thus experienced the mortification of missing his lawful share in Hawke's victory of Quiberon (November 1759). By way of reward, he was appointed in the spring of 1760 to command the Dragon, a new ship of 74 guns. He now served under Keppel at Belleisle, when he made an unsuccessful attempt to seize the isle of Groa, near Quiberon. In the autumn of 1761 Hervey was ordered to proceed with Commodore Barton to the West Indies to join Rodney in his expedition against the French island of Martinico. Here he aided in the successful attack, and was afterwards ordered by Rodney to proceed in the Dragon with five other vessels to demand the surrender of St. Lucia. The island was at once given up (February 1762). An expedition, the naval part of which was under the direction of Sir George Pocock, had sailed from England against the Havannah, and this was joined by a portion, including Hervey's ship, of the fleet previously under Rodney's command. Hervey captured the castle which defended the river Coximar, and, at Keppel's direction, under whose immediate command he now acted, hastened to cannonade with three other vessels from the seaward the fort of Moro Castle, which commanded the entrance to the harbour of the Havannah. He had the misfortune to be grounded, but persevered in firing until ordered to desist, when his ship was obliged to withdraw in order to be refitted. After a terrible loss of life Moro Castle was taken nearly a month later, and the Havannah was soon afterwards surrendered. Hervey was despatched to England with the news, and on his way captured a large French frigate laden with military stores for Newfoundland, which the enemy had a short time before made a descent upon. Peace quickly followed, when Hervey resigned his command and accepted the captaincy of the Centurion of 50 guns under the Duke of York.

Hervey's active life at sea now ceased. He had long been in parliament. At the general election of 1754 he, Lord Petersham, and his uncle, Felton Hervey, were all returned for the family borough of Bury St. Edmunds, and the two latter were declared elected. Hervey succeeded to a vacancy in 1757, and he was again returned in 1761. In February 1763 he vacated his seat, and in December 1763 represented Saltash in Cornwall, and sat for Bury from 1768 until he succeeded to the peerage in 1775. During this period his preferment was rapid. On 6 Nov. 1762 he was created colonel of the Plymouth division of marines, when the corporation of Plymouth made him a freeman of the borough (12 Jan. 1763). For a short time in 1763 he was commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, and in that year was made a groom of the bedchamber. When his elder brother became lord-lieutenant of Ireland, Hervey was appointed his chief secretary, and was sworn a member of its privy council (14 Oct. 1766), but resigned on 6 July 1767 through a difference with his brother concerning their relations with the Grenville family. From 26 Jan. 1771 he held a lordship of the admiralty under Lord Sandwich, but on succeeding, 18 March 1775, to the earldom of Bristol and to considerable wealth, he resigned all his offices. In the last month he was advanced to be rear-admiral of the blue, and in January 1778 he was promoted to be vice-admiral of the blue.

Hervey was a frequent speaker in parliament, and a constant writer in the newspapers. He and his elder brother arranged the reconciliation of Lord Temple and George Grenville in 1765. Through his connection with the Duke of York he took an active part in May 1766 in the debates on the grants to the royal dukes, and made himself so obnoxious to the Rockingham ministry that Rockingham thought of depriving him of his posts. When the Grafton-Chatham cabinet was formed, he moved the address in the commons with ‘a directly opposition speech’ (November 1766). In the subsequent year he made himself popular in the navy by a measure for raising the half-pay of lieutenants from 2s. to 3s. a day, and in 1771, when just appointed to the admiralty under Sandwich, and eager to maintain its efficiency, he made a candid speech on the address of thanks on the convention with Spain (, Debates, ii. 305–7). While Hervey