’ city. 
-at firft appeared to be fatal. 
656 : 2 
in the Wett Indies, where he was made Lieu- 
tenant of a floop of war; and being employed 
_tocut an Englith merchantman, which had 
been taken by,a French privateer under the 
guns of the Dutch fettlement of St. Euftatia, 
and with the connivance of the Governor, 
out of that harbour, he executed the difficult 
and dangerous enterprife in fuch a manner, as 
to produce the be fanguine expectations of 
his future fervices. In 1735, Lieutenant 
Howe was with Admiral Vernon in the 
Downs, but was in a fhort time raifed to the 
rank of Commander, in the Baltimore floop of 
‘war, which joined the fquadron then cruizing 
on the coaft of Scotland, under the command 
of Admiral Smith. \ During this cruize an 
action took place, in which Captain Howe 
gave a fine example of perfevering intrepi- 
The Baltimore, im company with an- 
other armed veffel, fell in with two French 
frigates of -30 guns, with troops and ammuni- 
tion for the fervice of the Pretender, which 
whe inftantly attacked, by running between 
them. Inthe a€tion which followed, Capt. 
Howe received a wound in his head, which 
He, however, 
foon difcovered figns of life, and when the 
neceflary operation was performed, refumed 
#il his former a@ivity, continued the action, 
it poffible, with redoubled fpirit, and obliged 
the French fhips, with their prodigious fupe- 
/Yiority in menand metal, to fheer off, leaving 
the Baltimore, at the fame time, in fucha 
fhattered condition, as to be wholly difquali- 
fied to purfue then. He was, in confequence 
of this gallant fervice, eanicdiltehy made 
Poft Captain, and on the rcth of April, 1746, 
was appointed to the Triton frigate, and or- 
dered to Liibon, where, in confequence of 
Capt. Holbourne’s bad ftate of health, he was 
transferred to the Rippon, deftined for the 
Coaft of Guinea. But ke foon quitted that 
ftation to join his early patfon Admiral 
Knowles in Jamaica, who appointed him firft 
Captain of his fhip of 80 guns and at the 
conclufion of the war in 1748, he returned in 
her to England. In March 1760-51, Capt. 
Howe was appointed to the command of the 
Guinea ftation, in La Gloire, of 44 guns; 
when, with his ufual fpirit and ativity, he 
checked the injurious proceedings of the 
Dutch Governor-General on the Coaft, and 
adjufted the difference between the Englith 
and Dutch fettlements. At the clofe of the 
year 1751, he was appointed to the Mary 
yacht, which was foon exchanged for the Dol- 
phin frigate, in which he-~ failed to the 
Streights, where he executed many difficult 
and important fervices. Here he remained 
about three years; and foon after, on his re- 
turn to England, he obtained the command of 
the Duakirk of 60 guns, which was among 
the fhips that were commiflioned ‘rom an ap- 
p*ehenfion of a rupturé with France. This 
ihip was one of tie fleet with which Admiral 
Lefcawen failed to obitruét the pafiage of the 
French fleet intothe Guiph of St. Lawrence, 
feeding of Lord Howe. 
4 to carr y water 
[Sept 
when Capt. Hows took the Alcide, a Frency 
fhip of 64 guns, off the Coaft of Newfound- 
land. A powerful fleet being prepared, in 
1757, under the command of Sir Edward 
Hawkey to make an attack upon the French 
coaft, Captain Howe was appointed to the 
Magnanime, in which fhip he battered the 
fort onthe ifland of Aix till it furrendered. 
In 1758, he was appointed Commodore of a 
fmall fquadron, which failed to annoy the 
enemy ontheir coafts. This he efteéted with 
his ufual fuccefs at St. Malo, where an hun- 
dred fail of fhips and feveral magazines were de- 
ftroyed; andthe heavy gale blowing into dhore, 
which rendered it impracticable for the troops 
to land, alone prevented the executing a fimi- 
lar mifchief in the town and harbour of Chere 
bourg. On the rft of July he returned to St. 
Helen’s. This expedition was foon followed 
by another, when Prince Edward, afterwards 
Duke of York, was entrufted to the care af 
Commodore Howe, on board his thip the 
Effex. The fleet failed on the 1ft of Auguft 
¥7;8, and on the 6th came to an anchor in 
the Bay of Cherbourg; the town was taken, 
and the bafon deftroyed. The Commodore, 
with his Royal Midfhipman on board, next 
failed, to St. Malo, and as his inftruGtiens 
were to keep the coaft of France in continual 
alarm, he very efteCtually obeyed them. 
The unfuccefsful aftair of St. Cas followed. 
But never was courage, fkill, or humanity, 
more powerfully or fuccefsfully difplayed 
than on this occafion. He went in perfon in 
his barge, which was rowed through the 
thickeft fire, to fave the retreating foldiers ; 
the reft of the fleet, infpired by his condud, 
followed his example, and at leaft feven hun- 
dred men were preferved, by his exertions, 
from the fire of the enemy or the fury of the 
waves. In July, inthe fame year (1758), 
his elder brother, who was ferving his coun- 
try with equal ardour and heroifm, i in Ame- 
rica, found an early grave. ‘That brave and 
admirable officer was killed in a fkirmith be- 
tween the advanced guard of the French, and 
the troops commaded by General Abercrom- 
bie, in the expedition againtt Ticonderago. 
Commodore Howe then fucceeded to the titles 
and property of his family. In the following 
year (1759), Lord Howe was employed in the 
Channel, on board his old fhip the Magnani- 
me; but no opportunity offered to diftinguifh 
himfelf till the month of November, ‘when 
the French fleet, under Conflans, was de- 
feated. When he was prefented to the King 
by Sir Edward Hawke on this occafion, his 
Majefty faid, <* Your life, my Lord, has 
been one continued feries of fervices to your 
country.” In March 1760, he was appoint- 
ed Colonel of the Chatham divifion of ma~ 
rines; and in September following, he was 
ordered by Sir Edward Hawke to reduce the 
French fort on the ile of Dumet, in order to 
fave the expence of the tranfports employed 
for the ufe of the fleet. 
Lord Howe continued to OTELNes as occafion re= 
quired, 
