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 act against Spain, in the event of a rupture with that country. He obtained the rank of Lieutenant Nov. 22, 1790.

In the ensuing spring Mr. Tobin was appointed third Lieutenant of the Providence of 16 guns, commanded by Captain William Bligh, under whom he served during the bread-fruit expedition in 1791, 1792, and 1793.

Previous to his return from that service he received letters from England, informing him that Captain Horatio Nelson, (who had a few years before married a Nevis lady, related to his mother) had kept the third Lieutenancy of the Agamemnon 64, open for some time, in hopes of his joining her; but little calculating on the subsequent greatness of that officer, Mr. Tobin was rather pleased than otherwise at being out of the way of accepting the offer, and particularly so when, a few months afterwards, he found himself second Lieutenant of the Thetis, a fine frigate, commanded by the Hon. Alexander Cochrane, who had already proved himself a very zealous and active officer, and with whom he continued upwards of four years.

The Thetis, after cruising for some time, in the winter season, on the coast of Norway, was attached to a squadron under the orders of Rear-Admiral George Murray, with whom she proceeded to the Halifax station in May 1794. The 