Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 44.djvu/100

 few months later to the Ruby. In November 1746 he was appointed to the Exeter, in which he went out to the East Indies, and continued there under the admirals Thomas Griffin [q. v.] and Edward Boscawen [q. v.] On his return to England in April 1750 he brought charges of misconduct against Griffin, who was tried by court-martial and dismissed the service. Two years later Griffin brought several charges of misconduct against Powlett, who was ordered to be tried by a court-martial which assembled on 1 Sept. 1752. Many of the charges were extremely serious, including misappropriation of stores, not engaging the enemy and abject cowardice when engaged, as well as gross breaches of discipline, which ought to have been tried at once, on the spot. After five years Griffin could produce no witnesses in support of his accusations; the court at once acquitted Powlett, but no further action was taken against the malicious slanderer.

In January 1753 Powlett was appointed to the Somerset, guardship at Chatham; on 26 Aug. 1754, by the succession of his father to the dukedom, he became, by courtesy, Lord Harry Powlett; and on 4 Feb. 1755 he was appointed to the Barfleur of 90 guns, attached to the grand fleet under Sir Edward Hawke, which sailed in July for a cruise to the westward. On 22 Aug. Powlett was ordered to chase a sail that was seen to the south-east; during the night he lost sight of the fleet, and for the next two days cruised independently, going on the 25th to Hawke's rendezvous, intending to await Hawke's return. But the carpenter reported that the stern-post was loose, and was dangerous. Powlett ordered the first lieutenant and master to examine the defect, and, acting on their report, he returned to Spithead, where, on 20–22 Oct., he was tried by court-martial for separating from the fleet and for returning into port. For separating from the fleet he was admonished, but on the charge of returning into port he was acquitted. It was afterwards shown by the dockyard officials that the carpenter's report was grossly exaggerated. The admiralty accordingly cashiered the carpenter as incompetent; but public opinion, based on sentiment rather than on evidence, held that the blame rested with Powlett, and that he was the actual author or suggester of the carpenter's report. Powlett was thenceforth known as ‘Captain Stern-post.’ He had no further service: it was said that the king agreed with the popular notion.

On 4 June 1756 he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of the white, and on 14 Feb. 1759 to be vice-admiral of the white. It was reported that Boscawen wished him to accompany him to the Mediterranean, as second in command, but that the king would not sanction the appointment. From 1762 to 1765 he represented Winchester in parliament; on 5 July 1765, by the death of his elder brother, he succeeded as sixth Duke of Bolton. He became admiral of the blue on 18 Oct. 1770, and admiral of the white on 31 March 1775; but had no further interest in naval affairs, beyond signing and, indeed, organising the memorial to the king, protesting against the court-martial on Keppel in December 1778. He was governor of the Isle of Wight from 1766 to 1780; and on 6 April 1782 was again appointed governor of the Isle of Wight and lord lieutenant of Hampshire. He died at his seat of Hackwood in Hampshire, on 25 Dec. 1794. He was twice married; but dying without legitimate male issue, the title became extinct. The name has often been written Paulet. The spelling Powlett is from his own signature.

[Charnock's Biogr. Nav. v. 5; Doyle's Baronage; Minutes of Courts-Martial, Commission and Warrant Books and other documents in the Public Record Office. The version of the stern-post incident in Johnstone's Chrysal is a tissue of misstatements.] 

PAULET, HARRY (d. 1804), master-mariner, is said to have been the master of a small vessel trading to North America; to have been captured by the enemy in 1758, and taken to Quebec; and, being known as a good pilot for the St. Lawrence, to have been sent a prisoner to Europe. The ship in which he sailed put into Vigo, and Paulet, being allowed access to the cabin, laid hold of a packet of despatches, carelessly left within his reach, and dropped overboard. There were two English men-of-war in the river, and Paulet, with the packet of despatches in his mouth, swam to one of these and was taken on board. The despatches proved to be of great value, and Paulet was sent with a copy of them to Lisbon, and thence in a sloop of war to England. In London he was examined by the authorities, and, on the information which he gave and that which was contained in the despatches, the expedition of 1759 was organised, Paulet being rewarded with ‘the pay of a lieutenant for life.’ This annuity of 90l. a year enabled him, it is said, to purchase a vessel, in which he ran cargoes of brandy from the French coast. On one voyage he fell in with the French fleet which had escaped out of Brest ‘while Hawke lay concealed behind the rocks of Ushant.’ Paulet, risking his brandy for the love of his country, ran to find the English fleet, and demanded