Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v3p2.djvu/154

 Hanoverian church, preceptor to H.R.H. the late Duke of Kent; under whose auspices he entered the naval service, in 1794, as midshipman on board l’Oiseau frigate, Captain (now Admiral) Robert Murray, whom he followed into the Asia 64, on the Halifax station, where the latter ship bore the flag of Vice-Admiral George Vandeput, from the end of 1798 until the death of that veteran, in the year 1800.

After passing his examination, Mr. Philip Westphal joined the Blanche frigate, Captain (now Sir Graham Eden) Hamond, under whom he bore a part at the sanguinary battle of Copenhagen, April 2d, 1801; on which memorable occasion, the Blanche occupied a station originally intended for a ship of the line, and sustained a loss of seven men killed and nine severely wounded.

Immediately after this conflict, Mr. Westphal was promoted into a death vacancy, and appointed to the Defiance 74, Captain R. Retalick, in which ship he continued until paid off after the treaty of Amiens. His next appointment was, about Nov. 1802, to the Amazon 38, Captain (now Rear-Admiral) William Parker; and on the 16th July, 1803, he assisted in capturing the French privateer le Felix, of 16 guns and 96 men.

The Amazon formed part of the gallant squadron with which Nelson pursued the combined fleets of France and Spain to and from the West Indies. On the 12th Sept. 1805, she captured a Spanish privateer, of 24 guns and 160 men, to the westward of Scilly. On the 13th Mar. 1806, she compelled la Belle Poule, French frigate, of 40 guns and 320 men, to surrender, after an action of nearly two hours and a half, during which her first lieutenant (Richard Seymour), the second lieutenant of marines (Edward Prior), and two men were killed, and six others wounded.

On the death of Mr. Seymour, the subject of this memoir became senior lieutenant of the Amazon; and his gallant and

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