and tracing the different transactions of perfons whofe conduct has not been in fome degree confpicuous, may eafily be credited, and has proved one of the most infurmountable bars to the completion of the biographical history of any particular clafs of men. The defect is not, as we have before observed, to be remedied by any other means than private communications from the immediate relations or defcendants of the person in question; and, as in the present inftance, where that is wanting we can only lament the deficiency.

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At length, after a long service of near thirty-four in the station of a private commander, he was, on April 6, 1742, promoted to be rear-admiral of the blue. His advancement was now as rapid as it previously had been flow; on the 9th of Auguft 1743, he was appointed rear-admiral of the white, and on the 7th of December following vice-admiral of the blue. In 1744 he served as fecond in command of the fleet sent to Lisbon, under the unfortunate fir J. Balchen, to relieve fir C. Hardy, who was blocked up in the Tagus by a very superior French force; and, previous to his failing on that fervice, was, on the 19th of June, advanced to be vice-admiral of the red. He does not appear to have ever gone to fea as a naval commander after his return to England; but, on the 15th of July 1747, was made admiral of the white, and declared, as it is faid by fome, on November 22, 1750, admiral and commander-in-chief of the fleet. We rather apprehend the above date to be erroneous as to the year, the appointment having, as we believe, taken place on the 22d of November 1751, in confequence of the death of fir Chaloner Ogle, who previously enjoyed it. Admiral Stewart died in the above very elevated station on the 30th of March 1757:

TREVOR, Robert,-was, on the 2d of March 1709, appointed captain of the Royal Ann galley. No other mention is made of him till after the acceffion of George the First; a confiderable difficulty then arifes, there having been two naval commanders of the fame name, and no difcrimination being made in any account that is given of their fervices: this confufion continues till the year 1723, when captain Robert Trevor is particularly diftinguished as commander of the Bredah, of feventy guns;

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but of fo little confequence was the purpofe for which that and other fhips were at the fame time put into commillion, it is not even known whether they ever went to fea. In 1726 he commanded the Northumberland of feventy guns, one of the fleet fent to the Baltic under fir Charles Wa ager. No other particulars have come to our knowledge concerning this gentleman, except that he died at Jamaica in the year 1740, being at that time commander of the Chichefter, of eighty guns, in which fhip he had failed with fir Chaloner Ögle, when fent out with the reinforcement to Mr. Vernon.

VANBURGH, Charles, was, on the 21st of February 1709, made commander of the Feverfham frigate; but no other mention is made of him during the reign of queen Anne, nor indeed after the acceffion of George the First have we any proof of his having commanded a ship of the line till the year 1718, when he was appointed to the Burford, a third rate of feventy guns, one of the fleet ordered to the Mediterranean under fir George Byng. He there had, with his other brave cotemporaries, a fignat opportunity of diftinguishing himself in the action off Cape Pallaro, This he appears to have improved to the utmoft of his power, which may readily be credited even from our fimply relating that he was one of the commanders detached under captain, afterwards fir Geo. Walton,

purfuit of the divifion commanded by the marquis de Mari, the whole of which was either taken, burnt, or deftroyed. He is not known to have had the good fortune of meeting with any fecond opportunity of materially benefiting his country, or acquiring renown to himself, during his fubfequent continuance in the Mediterranean; nor have we, after his return from thence, any account of him till the year 1729, at which time he commanded the Naffau, a third rate of feventy guns, employed as a guardfhip. He quitted that employment early in the fummer; and we do not again find him in any command till the year 1733. He was then captain of the Cornwall, an eighty gun fhip; but we cannot find any trace of his being employed in any fervice worth commemorating. The relative fituation of Britain at that time, as well with refpect to Spain, which nation was the principal object of jealoufy, as other countries which were held in an inferior

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light, compelled government to keep a formidable fleet in an almost perpetual state of equipment. The political appearance of affairs conveyed the idea of an armed truce with a conftant preparation for renewing hoftilities, rather than what it was called, a time of profound peace. A period like this is tirefome to the nation itself, irksome as well as diftreffing to the officer, and painful to the hiftorian; nothing occurs but a dull repetition of uninterefting events and preparations, which have juft confequence enough to awaken the attention, which is no fooner roufed than difappointed. Captain Vanburgh is not mentioned as having held any command after the above time, nor any other notice taken of him, except that he died in England on the 2d of November 174c.

WADE, Caleb,-was, on the 18th of November 1709, appointed captain of the Adventure. He continued commander of this fhip till the conclufion of the war. In the early part of the year 1711 he was principally employed as a cruiser at the entrance of the Channel, a fervice in which he had fome fuccefs, having made two or three prizes of no inconfiderable value. He was afterwards ordered to Newfoundland, from whence he returned in the month of November without having met with any extraordinary occurrence. His name does not again occur in the service till the year 1720: he was at that time appointed to the Falmouth, a fifty gun fhip, one of the fleet fent into the Baltic during that and the enfuing fummer, under the chief command of fir John Norris. After the end of the latter feafon he was ordered to join the fleet collected under fir Charles Wager. This ar mament, as we have already obferved, was prevented, by the fubmiffion of the Portuguefe, whom it was intended to chaftife, from ever putting to fea; and captain Wade not long afterwards retired from his former line of fervice, being appointed master-attendant at Portsmouth on the 3d of November 1722. He died, according to the information afforded us by rear-admiral Hardy, fome time in the year 1732; but, according to other accounts which we believe more authentic, not till the year 1738.

WALDRON, Beaumont,was, on the 14th of December 1709, promoted to be captain of the Loo. He never was fortunate enough to obtain any command more

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confequential than that of a frigate, or to be employed in fuch a line of fervice as was likely to procure him renown. He died on the 20th of March 1718-19, being at that time commander of the Gibraltar, a frigate stationed as a cruifer in the Channel

1710.

BASILLE, or BESSILLE, William,-was, on the 29th of Auguft in the above year, appointed captain of the Roebuck. His name again occurs as taking post in the Seahorse from the 1ft of Jan. 1712-13. We entertain, however, fome doubts whether he is properly entitled to a place here as having had his rank in either inftance confirmed. No mention is made of the time of his death.

CHUNDWICK, or CHADWICK, Robert,-was, on the the 23d of February 1710, appointed captain of the Fowey. He continued to command this frigate many years, at least till after the year 1714. We find no other notice taken of him, except that he died in England on July 10, 1719, being at that time captain of the Guernsey.

COLE, Ambrofe,-was, on the 24th of March 1710, made commander of the Ludlow Caftle, being quickly afterwards promoted to the Ranelagh. He died on the 27th of October 1711.

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COLLIER, William, was, on the 10th of May 1710, appointed captain of the Mermaid. We do not find his name again occur till the year 1717, when he commanded the Falmouth of fifty guns, one of the fleet ordered for the Mediterranean under fir George Byng; but we believe he never failed on that expedition in confequence of his fhip not being in a proper state of equipment when the rest of the fleet put to fea. No other notice is taken of him, except that he died captain of the Fubbs yacht on the 4th of December 1736.

ELFORD,

ELFORD, William,-was, on the 10th of October 1710, appointed captain of the Hector. He continued to command this hip till the peace of Utrecht, being principally employed as a cruifer, in which fervice he met with fome fuccefs. His prizes were, however, mors to be remembered on account of their number than their confequence, the most confpicuous of them being only a privateer, belonging to Bourdeaux, mounting eighteen guns, which he captured in the month of February 1712. His name does not again occur till the year 1720, when we find the York, a fourth rate of fixty guns, belonging to the fleet ordered for the Baltic under fir John Norris, to have been commanded by a captain Elford, but have been unable to fix, with precifion, whether it was the identical William Elford, of whom we are now speaking, or his brother captain Matthew Elford, of whom we are hereafter to give fome account. Captain William Elford is no farther mentioned than as having died in the West Indies captain of the Lynn, on the 31st of March 1723.

FUZZER, or FURZER, John,-was, on the 16th of March 1710, appointed captain of the Shoreham. No farther notice is taken of him during the war; but after the peace at Utrecht he was made commander of the Kinfale frigate, and fent to the Mediterranean, where he continued fome time, In 1718 he was appointed captain of the Dorsetshire, a third rate of eighty guns, under rearadmiral Delaval, who was commander in the third poft dur ing the expedition to the Mediterranean under fir George Byng. After his return from that service, in which he was engaged till the conclufion of the war, he was appointed to the Hind, and was unhappily drowned, off Guernsey, on the 7th of December 1721. The fhip having ftruck on a funken rock, the greater part of the crew most unfortunately perished with her.

JERMY, Seth, had a commiffion as a naval officer before the revolution; and, as far back as the year 1692, ferved as fecond lieutenant of the Northumberland, of feventy guns, commanded by captain Cotton. He did not, however, obtain the rank of captain till the 25th of April 1710, when he was appointed to the Antelope. He had attained fo advanced an age, that in the year 1712 he was put on the fuperannuated lift with a penfion equal to

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