Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp4.djvu/474

 received a letter from Captain Lawford, of which the following is an extract:

It has been stated in a former part of this work, that Mr. Bartholomew was the only midshipman entrusted with the charge of an explosion vessel, at the first trial of the “catamarans,” near Boulogne pier, on the night of Oct. 2, 1804. When his patron attempted to destroy Fort Rouge, Dec. 8, in the same year, he was doing duty as lieutenant of the Antelope, and took charge of the first machine intended to be applied. The following mention is made of him in Sir Home’s official report to the commander-in-chief:

A few days after this event, Mr. Bartholomew removed with Sir Home Popham, from the Antelope, to the Diadem 64; and on the expedition destined against the Cape of Good Hope reaching Madeira, he received an Admiralty commission, dated July 20, 1805, appointing him lieutenant of the latter ship, in which he was present at the reduction of the said colony, and at all the subsequent operations in the Rio de la Plata. The following is an extract of Rear-Admiral Murray’s official despatch, reporting the debarkation of the army under Lieutenant-General Whitelocke, near Ensinada de Barragon, June 28, 1807.

