Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp1.djvu/58

 a respectable officer, who thus expresses himself on the subject:

“Captain Duff, when Lieutenant of H.M. late ship Queen Charlotte, at the time she was burnt, was the means of saving the lives of several men, through his humane and feeling exertions, by over-ruling the objections of those in the boat with him against receiving any more; of which number I was one of the fortunate individuals saved on that melancholy occasion.

(Signed)“William Ferguson, Lieut. R.M.”

After remaining for some time on board the Minotaur 74, Mr. Duff was appointed to command the Bonne Citoyenne sloop of war; but the Admiralty refusing to confirm his acting order, he was obliged to join the Guillaume Tell, a French 80, taken by Lord Nelson’s squadron, and to continue in her until Lord Keith shifted his flag from the Minotaur to the Foudroyant, when he became first Lieutenant of the latter ship, in which capacity, and as acting commander of the Mondovi brig, he continued during the most important part of the campaign in Egypt.

On the surrender of Grand Cairo, the Mondovi was selected to carry home Captain Richard Curry and Major Henry Montressor, the officers charged with the naval and military despatches announcing that conquest ; and on her return to the Mediterranean, Lieutenant Duff resumed his former station on board the Foudroyant, but was shortly afterwards appointed by Lord Keith to the command of the Lutine prison-ship, stationed at Minorca, where he remained until she was ordered to be broken up, in consequence of the peace of Amiens. His commission as a Commander was confirmed about the same period. We should here observe that the Mondovi was attacked by seventeen Spanish gun-boats in the Gut of Gibraltar, and succeeded in beating them off, notwithstanding their immense superiority of force. She also captured several French vessels with troops, whilst commanded by Captain Puff, and employed on the coast of Egypt.

Shortly after the renewal of the war, in 1803, Captain Duff was appointed to the Megaera fire-ship, and a few small vessels were occasionally placed under his command for the