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Rh visit to the Havannah terminated, Lord Hood proceeded with his squadron on his return to England, where he arrived, accompanied by the Prince, towards the latter end of June. In the summer of 1785, Prince William Henry, having served the regular time in the navy as a Midshipman, all the duties of which station he performed with becoming alacrity, and having undergone the usual examination, was appointed third Lieutenant of the Hebe frigate, commanded by Captain (now Sir Edward) Thornbrough; soon after the Hon. John Leveson Gower hoisted his broad pendant in that ship, and proceeded on a cruise round Great Britain and the Orkney Islands. H.R.H. was presented with an address by the inhabitants of each place at which he touched, and received every possible mark of attention and respect. The Prince continued in the Hebe until Feb. 1786, in the course of which month he was appointed first Lieutenant of the Pegasus of 28 guns; and on the 10th of April, in the same year, he received his commission as Captain of that frigate.

On H.R.H. being appointed to the command of the Pegasus, the Port Admiral at Plymouth signified to him, that it was the wish of the Captains then in harbour, to be introduced to him in form; to which the Prince with great readiness assented, and appointed the following day for his levee at the Commissioner’s House. The Admiral having introduced the several Captains to H.R.H., he expressed great surprise that his late brother officers, the Lieutenants, did not wait upon him, and signified his pleasure that they should attend his levee the next day. They were accordingly introduced to the Prince, who with a condescension that will ever do him honour, invited himself to dine with them, naming a day previous to that on which he had appointed to dine with the Captains; adding, “And then, my boys, we will have a jolly day together!”

Prince William Henry sailed from Plymouth June 5, 1786, and proceeded to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, where he landed amidst the acclamations of a numerous and loyal people. H.R.H. expressed his desire, that all military form and etiquette with respect to himself should be laid aside; but it 