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 the officer charged with Sir Charles Grey’s despatches, who was thus enabled to execute his mission in safety.

In Nov. 1794, Sir John Jervis presented Mr. Wight with an appointment to act as a Lieutenant on board the Beaulieu frigate, commanded by his friend Captain Riou; from which ship he was afterwards removed into l’Aimable of 32 guns, on the same station. This promotion was conferred upon him as a token of the Admiral’s approbation of his very distinguished conduct during the preceding campaign.

The Beaulieu was engaged in a variety of active services, and on one occasion destroyed a French troop-ship, mounting 24 guns, and laden with military stores, after an action of two hours with the battery of St. François, Guadaloupe. Previous to her being set on fire, a shot struck her fore-mast, against which Mr. Wight was leaning, and passed through it about twelve inches above his right arm. L’Aimable, commanded by Captain Mainwaring, had a very sharp contest with the Pensee, a French frigate, mounting 44 guns, with a complement of 400 men, 28 of whom were killed, and 36 wounded, whilst, strange to say, she herself had not a man slain, and only two or three persons wounded. During this conflict Captain Mainwaring and Mr. Wight were knocked down by the hammocks, &c., set in motion by the enemy’s shot, but sustained no material injury. The following particulars of the action have been furnished us by a gentleman who bore a part therein. We give them at length, in consequence of no other correct account ever having appeared in print:

“At sun-set on the 22d July, 1796, l’Aimable being on a cruise off Guadaloupe, discovered the Penseé rounding Englishman’s Head, and 