Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p1.djvu/156

126 Captain Reynolds, afterwards Lord Ducie, being on a cruise in the Bay of Biscay, in company with the Medea, a small frigate, fell in with the Triton, a French line-of-battle ship. At 5 P.M. the Jupiter brought the enemy to close action, in which she was joined by the Medea; but unfortunately, at the commencement of the engagement, a 36-pound shot entered the bow of the latter, under water, and compelled her to bring to, for the purpose of stopping the leak it had occasioned. Captain Reynolds, however, continued the action with great bravery till eight o’clock, when the French ship made sail, and bore away for Ferrol; where it was reported that she arrived, with the loss of her Captain, and 200 men killed and wounded. The gallantry of Captain Reynolds and his officers was greatly enhanced by the circumstance of the Medea having been totally prevented from affording him any effectual assistance.

On the return of the Jupiter to England, Captain Reynolds made a point of recommending all his officers, and obtained the rank of Commander for his first Lieutenant, Mr. Bickerton; a sufficient proof of the able and proper manner in which that gentleman had conducted himself.

At the close of 1779, a squadron, under Captain Charles Fielding, was sent to intercept a fleet of Dutch merchantmen, said to be destined to France, laden with warlike stores. On the 2d Jan. 1780, they were discovered a little to the westward of the Isle of Wight, escorted by two ships of the line and two frigates, commanded by Admiral Count Byland. The British Commodore desired that he might be allowed to search the merchant vessels, which the Count persisted in refusing, and fired at the boats in their attempt to board them; to resent which insult the Commodore ordered a shot to be directed a-head of the Dutch Admiral, who instantly discharged a broadside into the Namur, and upon her returning it, struck his colours. On this occasion the Commodore employed Captain Bickerton, then in the Swallow sloop of war, to assist him in detaining such Dutch ships as might fall in his way, and expressed himself highly pleased with the vigilance he displayed. Seven of the merchant vessels, laden with naval stores, were detained, and Count Byland was given to understand, that he was at liberty to hoist his colours and