Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p2.djvu/191

  officer, the youngest son of Beamout, second Lord Hotham, of the kingdom of Ireland, (who succeeded to the title on the death of his brother, a distinguished Admiral ,) by Susanna, second daughter of Sir Thomas Hankey, Knt., relict of James Norman, Esq.; was born July 19, 1777; and in 1794, commanded the Fleche sloop, on the Mediterranean station; from which vessel he appears to have been removed successively into the Mignone, Dido, and Blanche frigates. His post commission bears date, Jan. 13, 1795.

On the 12th Sept. 1800, Captain Hotham being on a cruize in the Immortalité, of 36 guns, observed two large privateers coming out of the Gironde; these he chaced 259 miles to the westward, but in the second night they escaped. However, on the 20th, he retook the English ship Monarch, of 645 tons, laden with timber, which had been in the enemy’s possession four days. On the 22d of the same month, he gave chace to a French brig of war; and at 9$h$ 30’ P.M. had arrived within musket shot, when both vessels unexpectedly took the ground near Noirmoutier, where the brig was totally destroyed; but the Immortalite fortunately got off at day-light the next morning, without any material damage, and with the loss only of an anchor, a cable, and a boat.

On the 26th and 29th of the following month, Captain Hotham assisted at the capture of le Diable a Quatre, French privateer, of 16 guns and 150 men; and a schooner letter of marque, from Guadaloupe to Bourdeaux, laden with coffee. He subsequently took la Laure, of 14 guns and 78 men; and l’Invention, a remarkably fine, and singularly constructed vessel, carrying 24 guns on a flush deck, and 210 men. She had four masts, each rigged in the usual manner; was built on a plan entirely peculiar to herself, designed by her commander, Monsieur Thibaut, and of extraordinary dimensions,