1810.] 
2nd with the former he went in the Preston 
to America; yet it was not till after he had 
been fourteen years in the service, that he 
was appointed . fourth lieutenant in the 
Somerset. In 1776, he went to Jamsica in 
the Hornet sloop, where he became acquaint~ 
ed with Nelson, then second liebtenant of 
the Lowestoffe, Captain Locker. This friend- 
ship of congenial minds continued the re- 
mainder of their lives ; Collingwood regularly 
succeeding his friend Nelson in every appoint- 
ment and ship which be left in the course of 
his promotion. From the Lowestofte, Nelson 
was taken into the Bristol, Admiral Sir Peter 
Varker, and Collingwood into the Lowestoffe ; 
in 1778, Nelson was appointed to the Badger 
brig, and Collingwood to the Bristol 5 in 177 9, 
Nelson was’ made post-captain in the Hinch- 
Inbrooke, and Collingwood im the Badger; in 
1780, Nelson was appointed to the Janus 
frigate, and wes again succeeded by his friend 
Collingwood. Onihis occasion, ‘Nelson was 
snatched fiom the jaws of death by being re- 
called from the cestructive Quixotic expedi- 
tion to St. Juan on the Spanish main, and 
Collingwood, whuse constitution was less 
delicace, survived the effects of that dreadful 
climate, where, in four months, out of 200 
men, who composed his sh:p’s company, _he 
buried 160! Of 1800 men, who were sent 
at different times on this expedition, only 300 
€ver returned 5 and many of them, according 
to Dr. Moseley, were literally devoured by 
the carrioa crows of the country. In August 
he quitted a station which had proved equally 
tatal to the or) :r ships that were employed. 
In December of the same year, he was ap- 
pointed to the command of the Pelican of 24 
guns, but his continuance in that ship was 
not of long duration; for, on the 4st of 
August 1781, she was wrecked upon the 
Morant Key during the dreadful hurricane 
which proved so destructive to the West In- 
Gia islands in general. 
ever saved, as well as their commander. Ie 
‘ 
was not long before an opportunity presented 
itself to resume his station in the service of 
his country. He was appointed next to the 
command of the Sampson, of 64 guns, in 
which ship he served tili the peace of 1785, 
when, she was paid off, and he was au Soimbed 
to the Mediator, and sent to the West Indies, 
where he again met his friend Nelson, who 
at that time commanded the Boreas frigate 
upon the same station. The friendship 
which subsisted between these two young 
men, who were hereafter to make so conspi- 
cuous a figure upon the great theatre of naval 
glory, appears from the letters which were 
written during this period by the latter, to 
his friend Captain Locker. In one of these, 
dated on board the Boreas, September ¢4, 
1784, he says, ‘* Collingwood is at Grenaca, 
which is a yreat loss to me, for there is no- 
body 1 can make a confidant of.” In anothe:, 
dated November 23: ‘* Collingwood desires 
mic to say hg wall write you svoa such a Jes. 
Account of the late Lord Collingwood. 
oF the Ist of June, 1794. 
The crew were how-. 
59S 
ter that you will think it a history of the 
West Indies. What an amiusble good man he 
BI? OR M fartinique, March 5, 1796, he 
writes: ‘*This ststion has not been over 
pleasant; had it not been for Collingwood, it 
would have heen the most disagreeable I ever 
saw.”? In this ship, and upon this station, he 
remained until the Jatter end of 1786, ve 
upon his return to England, the ship being 
paid off, he took the opportunity to visit lais 
native county, and renew his acquaintance 
with his family and friends, from whom be 
had been so long ‘separated, In this retires 
ment, a!ter‘a service of five-and-twenly years» 
he continued to enjoy himself in Nexthum-~ 
berland, until the year 1790, when, on the 
expected rupture with Spain, he was agatha 
called into employ in the armament then 
fitting out, and appointed to the Mermaid, oF 
32 guns, under the command of Admirsa} 
Cornish, in the West Indies. The dispute 
being hoveves adjusted without hostilities, 
and no prospect of Immediate employment 
; again at sea appearing, he ence wore return= 
ed tg his native county, and in this interval 
of repose formed a connexion with a lady of 
great personal merit, and of a family hig ghly 
regpectahle, Sarah, the eldest daughter of 
John Erasmus Blackett, esq. one of tire aldez~ 
men of Newcastle. - By this lady he has two 
daughters; Sarah, and Mary Patience, both 
Cu at their mother at Morpeth, the 
place of his lordship’s residence, during the 
short intervals of repose which he has beem 
suffered to enjoy, On-the breaking out of 
the war with France in 1793, Captain Col- 
lingwood was called to the command of the 
Prince, bearing the flag of Admiral Bowyer, 
with whom he served in that ship, and alter- 
wards in the Barflenr, until the engagement 
in this action he 
distinguished himself with great bravery, 
and the ship which he commanded is known 
to have had her full share in the glory of 
tlaat day; though it was the source of some 
painful teelings at the moment in the cap- - 
tain’s own mind, that no notice was taken of 
his services upon this occasion, nor his name 
once mentioned inthe official dispatches of 
Lord Howe to the Admiralty, Rear-Admiral 
towyer lost his leg by the side of Capcaia 
Collingwood, yet no epithet of asprobaticn 
was pincrally bestowed op the captain of 
the Barfleur! That any intended neglect of 
this modest and brave man occurred we have 
no reason to believe, and how far he was juss 
tifable in resenting the apparent unintention- 
al omission of his name it would exceed our 
limits in this sketch to inquire. When his 
Majesty visited the fleet at Spithead, he 
distributed the gold chains and medals voted 
to the commanders in that glorious action 5 
but, unfortunately, Collingwood was no lon- 
ger commander of the Barficur; be was not 
present, and received not from the hands ef 
his sovereign that meed of honour waich had 
beta wiscly and justly awardedto tue dit 
ferent 
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