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Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. 



QdcT. 



thence returned with convoy, in the 

 Andromeda, wliich was soon afterwards 

 paid oiY. 



In 1796, his Lordship was put in com- 

 mission for the Monmouth, of C4 guns, 

 and employed in the North Sea, under 

 Lord Duncan, until May, 1797; when 

 the spirit of disaffection, which had ori- 

 ginated in the Channel Fleet, unfortu- 

 nately spread to that squadron, and the 

 Monmouth was one of the ships brought 

 to the Nore. 



In 1800, Lord Northesk was appointed 

 to the Prince, of 9!i guns, in the Channel 

 fleet, under Earl St. Vincent. In that 

 shi]) he continued till the peace of 

 Amiens, in 1802, when he again enjoyed 

 a brief period of relaxation from his pro- 

 fessional duties. In the same year, he 

 was elected, for the second time, one of 

 the Sixteen Representative Peers of 

 Scotland. 



On the removal of hostilities, in 1803, 

 his Ijordship was appointed to the Bri- 

 tannia, of 100 guns, in which he served 

 in the Channel fleet, under the Hon. 

 Admiral Cornwallis, till May, 1804, 

 when he was promoted to the rank of 

 Rear-Admiral of the AVhite Squadron. 

 He hoisted his flag in the same ship, 

 and continued to serve in her, in the ar- 

 duous blockade of Brest, during the 

 tempestuous winter of 1804, and until 

 August in the following year, when he 

 was detached with a squadron, underthe 

 orders of Vice-Admiral Sir llobert 

 Calder, to reinforce Vice-Admiral Col- 

 lingwood, ofl' Cadiz. 



In the battle of Trafalgar, Lord 

 Northesk, whose flag was still in the 

 Britannia, bore a noble and distin- 

 guished part. Previously to the action, 

 it had been directed by Lord Nelson, 

 the commander-in-chief, that the Bri- 

 tannia, in consequence of her heavy 

 rate of sailing, should constantly take 

 a position to windward of him ; and, on 

 the morning of October 21, he ordered, 

 by signal, that she should assume a sta- 

 tion as most convenient, without regard 

 to the order of battle. Subsequently, 

 he sent verbal directions to Lord North- 

 esk, by the Captain of the Sirius, 

 to break through the enemy's line 

 astern of the fourteenth ship. This his 

 I^ordship effected in the most masterly 

 and gallant manner, though the Britan- 

 nia was severely galled in bearing down, 

 by a raking fire from several of the 

 enemy. Preceded by the Victory, Te- 

 meraire, and Neptune in passing through 

 the line, and hauling up, the Britannia 

 was the fourth ship of the van division 

 in action ; and, in a very short time, she 

 completely dismasted a French shi}) of 



80 guns, which waived a white handker- 

 chief in token of submission. She after- 

 wards singly engaged, and kept at bay, 

 three of the enemy's van ships, that 

 were attempting to double upon liord 

 Nelson's flagship, the Victory, which 

 was at that time warmly engaged with 

 two of the enemy, and much disabled. 



During this long and bloody conflict. 

 Lord Northesk most zealously imitated 

 the conduct of his illustrious leader, dis- 

 plaj'ing the most heroic courage, tem- 

 pered by the coolest judgment and pre- 

 sence of mind. After the action, his 

 skill and promptitude, in the arduous 

 task of securing the captured ships, were 

 equally cons])lc'aous. 



As a matter of course, his Lordship 

 was honoured with the thanks of both 

 Houses of Parliament, the Corporation 

 of London, and several other cities and 

 public companies. Nor were his splen- 

 did and important services overlooked 

 by his Majesty. On the 5th of June, 

 1800, the noble Admiral had the honour 

 of being invested with the Order of the 

 Bath ; and the King was further pleased 

 to express his approbation of his con- 

 duct, by granting him certain additions 

 to his armorial bearings. 



On the 14th of June, 1814, his Lord- 

 ship was promoted to the rank of Admi- 

 ral of the Blue Squadron ; and, at a 

 subsequent period, he was further ad- 

 vanced to that of Admiral of the White. 



B_v his marriage. Lord Northesk had 

 a family of nine children; of whom the 

 eldest, George, Lord Ilosehill, a mid- 

 shipman on board the Blenheim, was 

 unfortunatelv lost at sea with Sir Thomas 

 Trowbridge, in 1807, at the age of six- 

 teen. 



His Lordship died at his residence in 

 Albemarle-street, in .June last, and was 

 succeeded by his eldest son, William 

 Hopetoun, now Earl of Northesk. 



THE RIGHT HON. JOHN CALCRAFT, M.P. 



The llight Hon. John Calcraft, M,P., 

 whose existence was recently terminated 

 under very melancholy circumstances, 

 was the son of Mr. Calcraft, who, as an 

 army agent, accumulated a large fortune, 

 and became proprietor of the borough of 

 Wareham, in the county of Dorset — one 

 of the boroughs which, under the new 

 reform bill, are to be disfranchised. He 

 was born in the year 17C6 or 1767- At 

 the general election of 1790 he was re- 

 turned ]\I. P. for Wareham, and con- 

 tinued to represent that borough until 

 he was elected for llochester. He gene-- 

 rally voted with the Ojjposition ; but, 

 for a time, he attached himself more par- 

 ticularly to the interests of his late 



