Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p1.djvu/412

382  until Aug. 10, 1782, on which day he was made a Commander, into the Duc d’Estitac sloop. During the remainder of the war, we find him actively employed on a variety of services both on the coast of America and in the West Indies. He returned to England in the summer of 1783, and was soon after put out of commission.

On the 20th May, 1788, the subject of this memoir married Catherine Dorothy, daughter of Peregrine Bertie, of Low-Layton, Essex, Esq. (of the late Duke of Ancaster’s family) whose name he assumed, and has since borne alone, agreeably to the will of that gentleman.

Captain Bertie was advanced to post rank, Nov. 22, 1790, and, at the same period, appointed to the Leda; that frigate, however, was soon after put out of commission, and he was not again called upon till the autumn of 1795, when he obtained the command of the Hindostan, a 54-gun ship, then at Spithead, under orders for the West Indies, where he arrived, after a long and tempestuous passage, in company with a squadron commanded by the present Admiral George Bowen, and a fleet of transports having on board several thousand troops, under the orders of Major-General White, destined to attack St. Domingo; nearly the whole of whom fell victims to the climate, without having been employed on any service of importance.

Captain Bertie was himself seized with the yellow fever, whilst commanding at Port-au-Prince, and he was obliged to apply to be surveyed. This accordingly took place at Cape Nichola Mole; and being invalided, he left the West Indies in an American ship, in the month of Oct. 1796. On the 29th March, 1797, after he had recovered his health, he was appointed to the Braakel of 54 guns, stationed at Plymouth. In October following, he succeeded to the command of the Ardent, 64, vacant by the death of his old shipmate, Captain Burgess, who fell in the memorable battle off Camperdown.

It may here be proper to mention an improvement which our officer effected on the 42-pounder carronades, belonging to the Ardent’s main-deck; particularly as it was afterwards generally adopted in all his Majesty’s ships having that description of ordnance on board. Observing, when