DRAWN FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC SOURCES, AND DISPOSED IN A BY JOHN CHARNOCK, Esq. WITH PORTRAITS, AND OTHER ENGRAVINGS, Nautæque, per omne Audaces mare qui currunt, hâc mente laborem HORACE, Sat. 1. Lib. 1. B 1709. EVERLEY, Thomas, was appointed captain of the Strombolo, on the 10th of June 1709, as fucceffor to captain Brown. We do not find any other mention made of him, during the reign of queen Anne; nor, indeed, in that of George the Firft which fucceeded, till the year 1718, when he was appointed captain of the Montague, a fourth rate of fixty guns, and ordered for the Mediterranean under fir George Byng. He very much distinguished himself in the engagement with the Spanish fleet off Meffina, one of the enemy's fhips having struck to the Montague, fupported by the Rupert. Captain Beverley remained in the Mediterranean during the continuance of the war, but without meeting with any opportunity of diftinguishing himself beyond the ordinary routine of fervice. He did not long furvive his return to England, where he died on the 26th of June 1721. BROWN, Charles, was introduced into the navy, as it is faid, under the fpecial protection and patronage of fir George Byng, afterwards lord Torrington. He was appointed captain of the Strombolo on the 18th of March 1709, but experienced a fate common to a number of brave and distinguished characters, for a very confiderable A 2 part part of the early period of his fervice passed on, and he remained totally undistinguished and unnoticed. The first mention we ever find made of him, fubfequent to his first appointment, is in the year 1717, when he commanded the York, of fixty guns, one of the fleet fent into the Baltic under fir G. Byng. He did not long continue in the above fhip, nor do we know any to which he was afterwards appointed, till the year 1726, when he was made captain of the Advice, a fourth rate of fifty guns, alfo one of the Baltic fleet, but now under the command of fir Charles Wager. This fhip was, on the return of the fleet, ordered for Sheernefs to be laid up; and captain Brown was, in the month of February following, appointed to the Oxford, of fixty guns, in which we believe him to have ferved again, under fir C. Wager, during his expedition to the Mediterranean, for the protection of Gibraltar, which was soon after formally befieged by the Spaniards. His next appointment appears to have been to the Buckingham, of feventy guns; about the year 1731, one of the fleet which had been previously kept in a state of equipment for a confiderable space of time, and was in the above year ordered again for the Mediterranean under his former admiral, fir C. Wager. We find no notice taken of this worthy and brave man after his return till his appointment, about the year 1738, to be commander of the Hampton Court, in which fhip he was ordered immediately for Jamaica; on which ftation he commanded as fenior officer, with a fmall fquadron, till the arrival of Mr. Vernon at the latter end of the year 1739. Previous, however, to this taking place, the Spaniards having manifested strong and frequent indications of an hoftile difpofition, Mr. Brown refolved at least. to retaliate on them for infults fo frequently repeated, and battered down a fort which they were then erecting between the Matterfes and the Havannah. Left it may be thought he acted with too much precipitation on the foregoing occafion, it may not be improper to obferve, he acted not merely in conformity to his own feelings but in ftrict obedience to instructions he received from England, for as foon as it was foreseen a war was unavoidable, the British miniftry took the proper measures for attacking the enemy in the Weft Indies, the South Seas, and every other part of the world where where they were thought to be most vulnerable. Orders were specially fent out to Mr. Brown to make every poffible reprifal, and neglect no opportunity of diftreffing the enemy to the utmost of his power. Mr. Brown having joined the vice-admiral at Port Royal on the 28th of October, the attack and conqueft of Porto Bello took place immediately afterwards. This having been already generally related, and at fome length, it is needlefs to take notice of this event otherwise than in fuch parts as the commodore was more particularly engaged in. The attack of the iron fort was led by the commodore, it being generally cuftomary, in finall fquadrons, to affign that poft of honour to the second in command. Unfortunately when the fhip came within a cable's length of the object of affault, it was fuddenly becalmed by the high land to windward, and before the guns could be brought to bear on the enemy, was exposed to a very smart cannonade. As foon, however, as the fhip could get to its proper ftation and was brought to an anchor, it seemed, in an instant, as Campbell expreffes himself, a cloud of perpetual thunder, and appeared to the rest of the fleet to be all on fire. This may eafily be credited, if we believe, and as we have no reafon to doubt, the affertion of the fame author, that four hundred cannon-thot were fired from that hip in the fpace of twenty-five minutes. All hiftorians are unanimous in bestowing the highest commendations on this very brave and experienced officer; and there are not wanting thofe who, with much appearance of reafon on their fide, affert, without the smallest with of taking away from the merit of the renowned and popular Vernon, that the commodore contributed, in at leaft an equal fhare with him, to this very speedy and important conqueft. After the reduction of the place; the demolition of the Gloria caftle, and St. Jeronimo fort, were particularly committed to the commodore's fuperintendance by the vice-admiral. The whole of the fervice intended to be effected by the foregoing expedition being completely carried into execution, the fquadron returned to Jamaica; and when Mr. Vernon failed in the month of February following intending to bombard Carthagena, and to annoy the Spaniards ftill farther by an attack on fort Chagre, he A 3 left |