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 St. Helena; and oh her return from thence, with only eight 12-pounder carronades mounted, captured, after a running fight of two hours, the brigantine Dolores (having on board nearly 300 slaves) armed with one long 32-pounder on a pivot, four long 9-pounders, and two 12-pounder carronades. On this occasion, she suffered severely from the slaver’s fire, and sustained a loss of three men killed and two wounded.

Commander Stirling married, July 6th, 1820, Mary, daughter of Day Hort Macdowall, of Castlesemple, Renfrewshire, Esq. 



his examination for lieutenant in July 1809; and subsequently served in the Milford 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Fremantle, on the Mediterranean station. In Feb. 1813, he commanded a division of the Sicilian flotilla, under the orders of Brigadier (afterwards Sir Robert) Hall, and behaved with distinguished bravery at the storming of some batteries on the coast of Calabria, a service thus officially reported to Lieutenant-General Lord William Bentinck:

“Messina, Feb. 16th, 1813.

“My Lord, – I have the honour to inform your lordship, that since the attack of the 21st July, the enemy had thrown up new works at Pietra Nera, and felt such confidence in their protection, that a convoy of fifty sail of armed vessels had assembled within a few days past, to transport to Naples timber and other government property. Conceiving it necessary to destroy this confidence, and having gained your lordship’s sanction, I proceeded on the night of the 14th, with two divisions of the flotilla, and four companies of the 95th regiment, under the command of Major Stewart. Light and contrary winds prevented the boats arriving until nearly daylight, when about 150 men, with an auxiliary party of seamen, under the command of Lieutenant Le Hunte, were landed; and Major Stewart, without waiting the arrival of the rest, pushed up immediately to the height, which we had previously concerted to occupy, and which a complete battalion, with two troops of cavalry, and two pieces of artillery, were prepared to dispute. Aware of the enemy having cavalry, I landed a detachment of the rocket corps, under the direction of Corporal Barenbach, the fire of which threw them into confusion, and facilitated the approach of