Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v3p2.djvu/430

 

made a lieutenant in 1797; presented with the Turkish gold medal, for his services during the Egyptian campaign, in 1801; and promoted to the rank of commander Oct. 21st, 1810. He died in 1826. 



born at Deal, in Kent, Oct. 16th, 1778; and sent to France, at a very early age, in order to acquire the language of that country. He commenced his naval career in Aug. 1790; and served until the breaking out of the French revolutionary war, as midshipman on board the Cockatrice, of 14 guns, Captain Walter Locke; Pomona 28, Captain Henry Savage; and Kite 14, Captain William Lamb. He was in the Alfred 74, Captain John Bazely, at the great battle of June 1st, 1794 ; in the Blenheim 90, commanded by the same officer, at the destruction of l’Alcide 74, in the vicinity of Toulon, July 13th, 1795; in le Censeur 74, Captain {now Sir John) Gore, when that ship was taken by an enemy’s squadron, under Mons. Richery, after a most obstinate defence, Oct. 7th following; in the Isis 50, Captain Robert Watson, during the mutiny at the Nore; and in the same ship, acting as lieutenant, under the command of Captain William Mitchell, at the defeat of the Dutch fleet, near Camperdown, Oct. 11th, 1797. For his conduct on the two latter occasions, he was promoted into the Albatross sloop. Captain George Scott, on the 18th of the ensuing month.

After a short period. Lieutenant Leach was removed to the Isis, at the particular request of Captain Mitchell; and we subsequently find him serving under the late Lord Collingwood, in the Triumph 74, off Brest. His next appointment appears to have been to the Falcon 14, which sloop was converted into a fire-vessel, and sent with three others to attempt the destruction of four French frigates, in Dunkirk roads; an enterprise already noticed under the head of 