Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p1.djvu/453

 From this period until Jan. 1806, when he obtained the rank of lieutenant, Mr. Vincent served in l’Unité 38, Captain (now Sir Charles) Ogle, on the Mediterranean station. His first appointment, as a commissioned officer, was to the Laurel 22, Captain John Charles Woolcombe, in which ship he proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope station, where, after a long cruise off the Isle of France, we find him exchanging into the Grampus 50, Captain James Haldane Tait, with whom he returned home in the summer of 1809: previously receiving the thanks of Vice-Admiral Albemarle Bertie, for his activity in assisting to extinguish a fire on board the Lightning sloop of war. His subsequent appointments as lieutenant, were, about Feb. 1810, to be senior of the Owen Glendower 36, Captain William Selby, which ship was successively employed in blockading two French frigates at Cherbourg, in convoying the outward bound trade to Quebec, and assisting at the defence of Cadiz:– Oct. 2d. 1812, to the Belle Poule 38, Captain George Harris, then stationed in the Bay of Biscay, and afterwards forming part of the squadron under Rear-Admiral Penrose, employed in the river Gironde: – lastly, Nov. 24th, 1814, to the Cornwallis 74, fitting out for the flag of the late Sir George Burlton, commander-in-chief on the East India station.

While serving under Captains Selby and Harris, the subject of this sketch assisted in capturing the under-mentioned French privateers and American letters of marque, the latter with valuable cargoes, from New York and Charlestown, bound to Bourdeaux:

On the night of April 6th, 1814, Lieutenant Vincent witnessed the destruction by fire (to avoid being captured) of the French 74-gun ship Regulus, the corvette Sans Souci, and two brigs of war; which squadron, having been pursued