452 
tles of Dettingen, and Val, alias Lafeldt, ‘in 
Germany, and was alfo prefent at the battles 
of Fontenoy, Falkirk and Culloden, !and at 
the capture of Guadaloupe. 
After a few days illnefs, M. Nelfon, efg. 
ene of the fecretaries to the Navy. Board, and 
elder brother to Lord Nelfon; he was thortly 
to. have received an appointment of com- 
miffioner of Cuftoms or Excife, till a va- 
cancy fhould have happened at the Navy 
Board, co which he would then have been 
removed. 
General Sir Ralph, Abercromby, of the 
wounds he received in a hard-fought hat- 
tle, at the head of the Britifh army in 
Egypt. For himfelf, it might have been 
happier, if the battle had been finally 
decifive of the fate of that country.—Sir , 
Ralph Abercromby was of a very ancient and 
diftinguifhed, but not opulent, family in 
‘North Britain. His father had a numerous 
family, and the fons were deftined for a€tive 
employments, one having been brought up to 
the law, another to maritime purfuits, and 
two more to a military life. Of thefe, the 
third brother, Jz was killed in America, 
in the battle of Bunker’s Hill, being at that 
time a lieutenant-colonel in the 22d foot. 
His furviving brother, Robert, is, or was 
lately, Colonel of the 75th, or Highland re- 
gement, ftationed at Bombay. His judicious 
and fuccefsful march acrofs a vaft extent of 
country, to effect a jun@ion with the army 
of Lord Cornwallis, at Seringapatam, in 
1792, entitled him to his full fhare in the 
amount of glory in the campaign. againft the. 
reftlefs and afpiring Tippoo Sultaun. The 
fenior brother filled, with great reputation to 
his charaéter, the honourable office of a Lord 
of Seffion, in which hedied. The firft com- 
miffion this able officer bore was as Cornet of 
the 3d Dragoon Guards, into which he enter- 
ed on the 23d of May, 1756. He obtained 
a Lieutenancy in the fame regiment, on the 
t2th of February, 1760, and continued in 
this corps till the 24th of April, 1762, when. 
he obtained a company in the 3d regiment of 
horfe. In this laft regiment, he rofe tothe 
rank of Major and Lieutenant-colonel, to the 
former on the 6th of June, 1770, aa to the 
-latter May i9, 1773. In November, 1730, 
he was included in the lift of brevet- -colonels, 
and on the 3d of the fame month, next year, 
was made Colonel of the 103d or King’s Irish 
Infantrv, a new-raifed regiment, but which 
being reduced at the peace of 1783, the colo- 
nel was placed on half-pay. 
September, 1727, he was promoted to the 
rank. of Major-general.. On the sth of No- 
vember, 1795, he obtained the command of 
the 7th regiment of Dragoons. Sir Ralph 
was employed on the Continent foon after 
the prefent war broke out. On the 2sth of 
April, he had the local rank of Licutenant: 
general conferred on him, and enjoyed, on all 
ovcalions, the coniideace and eftcem of the 
4 
- Account of Sir Ralph Abercromby: 
On the 28th of - 
[June d, 
Duke of York. He commanded the advanced 
guard in the-a@tion on the heights of Ca- 
teauy when the Duke of York, in his dif~ 
patches relative to this affair, made a com- 
mendatory reprefentation of his condu&, and 
was wounded at Nimeguen, on the 27th of 
Otober following: He condudted the march 
of the guards from Deventer to Oldenfaal, in 
the retreat of the Britifh troops out of Hol- 
land, in the winter of 1794—5. In.Auguft, 
1795, he was appointed to fucceed Sir. Charles 
Grey, as commander in chief of the British 
forces in the Weft Indies. On the 24th of 
March, 1796, Grenaca was fuddenly attacked 
and taken by a detachment of the army under 
his orders, He efterwards obtained poffeffion » 
of the fettlements of Demerara and Iffequibo. 
St. Lucia was next taken by more difficult ex~ 
ertions, in which the ability of this eminent 
commander was fignally difplayed. St. Vin- 
cents was likewife, by the middle of June, 
added to the Britifh conquefts. Trinadada, in 
Feb. 1797, fhated the fame fate. An unfuc— 
cefsful attempt upon the Spanith ifland of 
Porto Rico, concluded his campaign of 17975 
in the Weft Indies. His military reputation, 
however, fuftained no lofs by the failure of 
the expedition, On his return to Europe, he 
was, in reward for fuch important fervices, 
invefted with the red-ribbon, appointed to 
the command of the regiment of Scotch Greys, 
intrufted with the governments of the Ifle of 
Wight, Fort Gros and Fort Auguftus, and 
on the 26th of January, 1797, raifed to the 
high rank of Lieutenant-general. Sir Ralph - 
was next fixed upon to take the chief com- 
mand of.the forces in Ireland, where the fer- 
ment threatened every day to break out into 
a flame. In that command, he laboured 
alike to maintainthe difcipline of the army, 
to fupprefs the rifing rébellion, and to proteét 
the people from military oppreffion. - Frora 
that flation he has fince been appointed to 
the chief command of the-forces in North 
Britain, and foon after employed under the 
Duke of York, in the great enterprife again 
Hoiland, where it was confefied by Dutch, 
French, and British officers, that even victory . 
the moft decifive could not have more confpi- 
cuoufly proved the talents of this aétive and 
intelligent General, than the conduét purfued 
by him in an arduous ftruggle againft the dif- 
ficulties of the ground, the inclemency of 
the feafon, inconvenient, yet unavoidable, 
delays, the diforderly movements of the Ruf- 
fians, and the timid duplicity of the Dutch. 
His country applauded the choice, when he 
was invefted with the principal command 
of our army in the-Mediterranean, and wag 
fent with an army to difpoffefs the French of 
Egypt. Here he accomplifhed the firft duties 
of a general, in landing with his army. (in 
health, in fpirits, and with the requifite in- 
telligence and fupplies) in {pite of the extra= 
ordinary fpirit, and pre-concerted refiftancey 
evinced by what were thought to be.the — 
bravelt. 
