Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 35.djvu/109

McGrigor and since famous as the 88th or Connaught rangers. His appointment was dated 13 Sept. 1793, and his name was at first spelt in the army list MacGregor. He served with the regiment in Flanders, and in the winter retreat to Bremen in 1794-5, in which his health suffered severely. When the 88th was at Southampton soon after its return, Lieutenant-colonel William Carr Beresford, afterwards Marshal Beresford [q. v.], was appointed to the command of the regiment. Beresford quarrelled with McGrigor, laying on him the hlame of the highly insanitary condition of the regiment, although the regimental infirmary was admitted to be in excellent order, and, among other arbitrary acts, insisted on his attending all parades. McGrigor protested against this treatment, and applied, without success, for exchange to another regiment, but a better understanding prevailed after Beresford voluntarily made a very favourable report of McGrigor's services. Later in the year (1795) the regiment was ordered to the West Indies. Mistaking a sailing-signal, the transport in which McGrigor had embarked started off and reached Barbados alone, long in advance of the other troops. She was supposed to be lost, and McGrigor's place in the regiment was filled up. McGrigor accompanied a detachment of the 25th regiment to Grenada, where the negroes were in revolt (see Higgins, Hist. Bee. 25th Begt. chap, xii.), but was shipwrecked on the way. Meanwhile the 88th had embarked with Admiral Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian [q. v.], but the transports were shattered and dispersed in the great storm of November 1795. Only two companies of the 88th reached 'the West Indies, with which, after serving in Grenada and St. Vincent, McGrigor came home in the autumn of 1 796. In May 1799 he landed with the 88th at Bombay, proceeding with it afterwards to Ceylon, and in 1801 was appointed superintending surgeon of the force of eight thousand European and Indian troops sent up the Red Sea to join the army in Egypt, under Major-general David Baird [see Baird, Sir David]. McGrigor received a commission from the East India Company, so that he might take control of the Indian details. Baird's force landed at Kosseir in May-June 1801, and after crossing the desert to Kenneh, descended the Nile to Rosetta. There McGrigor had to deal with a fatal outbreak of the plague among the troops. When the army evacuated Egypt, McGrigor crossed the desert to Suez, and returned to Bombay with two companies of his regiment. The rest of the regiment returned to England, whither McGrigor followed, narrowly escaping capture by French privateers on the renewal of the war with France. McGrigor was transferred to the royal horse guards (blues), and did duty with them at Canterbury and Windsor, where he was noticed by George HI and Queen Charlotte. Lord Melville [see Dundas, Hbnky, first Viscotot Melville], when at the board of control, had made a fruitless proposal to create a fourth presidency, which should include the eastern islands, and to place McGrigor at the head of the medical board. He proceeded M.D. at Marischal College 20 Feb. 1804, and on 27 June 1805 was made one of the new deputy inspectors-general of hospitals, and placed in charge of the northern district (headquarters York), where he introduced many improvements, and, as in after years, stimulated the zeal of the officers under him by his unfailing courtesy, friendly criticism, and advice. His talents attracted the notice of the Duke of York, who transferred him to the south-western district (headquarters Winchester), subsequently placing tne Portsmouth district and Isle of Wight and a part of the Sussex district under him as well. At this time McGrigor had in medical charge the counties of Sussex, Hants, Dorset, Wilts, Somerset, Gloucester, and Worcester, and South Wales ; the medical organisation of numerous expeditions despatched from Portsmouth at this period was also entrusted to him. Once on the return of the troops from Corunna, carrying fever with them wherever they went, he declared the difficulties of the situation to be 'unsurmountable.' Nevertheless, he surmounted them.

McGrigor's reputation now stood very high. His old chief, Beresford, applied for his services as principal medical officer of the Portuguese army, but before the arrangement could be maae McGrigor was ordered to Walcheren, where the British camping-grounds were underwater and three thousand men down with malarial fever. He. was wrecked in H.M.S. Venerable, 74 guns, at the mouth of the Scheldt, and after long delay was rescued with others, in a state of great exhaustion, by the boats of the fleet from Flushing. Sir Eyre Coote the younger [q. v.], who had succeeded to the command, testified to the important services rendered by McGrigor, who was himself stricken with the fever. McGrigor was promoted to the rank of inspector-general of hospitals 25 Aug. 1809. After his return he resumed his duties at Portsmouth, and married. On 13 June 1811 he received the sinecure post of physician of Portsmouth garrison, and soon afterwards was appointed chief of the medical