Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v2p1.djvu/131

 Vice-Admiral Sir Alan Gardner into the Royal Sovereign, a first rate; and he continued to serve with that highly distinguished officer till Nov. 1, 1796, on which day he was promoted to the rank of Commander in the Chichester, a 44-gun ship, armed en flute, intended to form part of a squadron about to be placed under the orders of Lord Hugh, Seymour, for the reduction of the Manillas.

On the 10th Nov. 1797, Captain Hollis, being at the Cape of Good Hope, received an order from Rear-Admiral Pringle, commander-in-chief on that station, to assume the temporary command of the Jupiter, (her Captain, the present Vice-Admiral Losack, being absent on a court-martial,) and proceed with that ship to the advanced anchorage of Robin island, Where the Crescent frigate was then lying in a state of mutiny, and whose crew he was directed to reduce to immediate obedience. The Crescent was met by the Jupiter coming into Table Bay, towed under the batteries, her ringleaders secured, brought to trial, and punished. On the 16th of the same month Captain Hollis was posted into the Tremendous 74, bearing the Rear-Admiral’s flag; and a few weeks after appointed to the Vindictive, a small frigate, in which he was ordered home as convoy to a large fleet of East Indiamen.

On his arrival in England, the Hon. Court of Directors of the East India Company presented Captain Hollis with a valuable piece of plate. His advancement to post rank was confirmed by the Admiralty Feb. 5, 1798; and the Vindictive, owing to her bad condition, was paid off May 4th following. From this latter date We find no mention of our officer until June 8th, 1801, when he obtained the command of the Thames, a 32-gun frigate, in which he performed a most essential service on the 13th of the following month, by heaving off from the shoals of Conil, and with great exertions towing into Gibraltar the Venerable 74, commanded by the late gallant Sir Samuel Hood, who, when eagerly pursuing the French ship Formidable, forming part of the combined squadrons attacked by Sir James Saumarez in the Gut on the preceding night, had unfortunately grounded, and lost all his masts.

Sir James Saumarez, in his official despatch relative to the