1808.] 
off the coaft of France, he fell in with, and 
captured almoft without refiftance, a privateer 
belonging to Bayonne, called the Sultan,— 
Equalling as it did in force the veflel which 
Mr. Kingfmill himfelf commanded, the 
adroitnefs and eafe with which he effe@ted 
his conqueft refleéted no lefs honour en him 
than he could poflibly have acquired by the 
moft hard.fought ation. Being confirmed on 
the 3d of July following in that rank and 
ftation, which had before been only tempo- 
rary, he was ordered tothe Weft Indies as 
commander of the Bafilifk bomb-ketch. 
This veflel formed one of the armament or- 
dered thither with rear-admiral, afterwards 
lord Rodney, on an expedition plan-ed again 
the ifland of Martinico. The armament 
failed from Spithead on the 18th of Oétober, 
and arrived off Martinico on the 7th of Ja- 
nuary. The whole ifland having fubmitted 
to the Britifh arms on the 13th of February, 
all the reft of the French pofleilions and: co- 
fonies in that part of the world, as though 
confidering refaftance was fruitlefs again! men 
who had fo rapidly forced fume of the ftrong- 
eft fortified helds either in that or any other 
country, immediately furrendered ;-and the 
iflands of St. Lucia, Grenada, together with 
St. Vincent, paffed into the poffeffion of the 
conquerors of their countrymen, without the 
fmalleft attempt towards their defence: . This 
fervice being fo fuccefsfully aceomplifhed, 
Mr. Brice was ordered back to England, and 
immediately on his arrival appointed to com- 
mand one of the yachts then equipping for 
the purpofe ef convoyins from Stade the 
Princefs Charlotte of Mecklenburg, the be- 
_trothed queen to his prefent: majefty, toge- 
ther with her fuite. This honourable and 
complimentary command was not held, how- ' 
ever, without danger, the whole ficet being 
efiailed by a moft tremendous ftorm of long 
continuance, in the courfe of which not only 
the yachts, but the fhips of war which con- 
voyed them were in the utmoft peril. Ne- 
verthelefs, feamanfhip and exertion enabled 
them all to weather it, and bring their illuf- 
trious charge to England in perfect fafety. 
The yacht being paid off, captain Brice re- 
mained unemployed from the conclufien of 
the year 1761, till the 26th of May in the 
enfuing fpring, when he was raifed to the 
rank’ of poft captain, and appointed to the 
Crefcent frigate —-He was immediately fub- 
fequent to this advancement ordered to the 
Weft Indies, where he remained till the end 
‘of the year 17643; being then ordered to 
England, he was ‘paid off early in the enfu- 
ing {pring, and retired for a time from. the 
fatigues of a long, laborious, and uninter- 
rupted fervice, to the relaxation attendant oa 
a private life, and the.comforts of dumettic 
fociety, In 1766, he married Mifs Kingf- 
‘mill, a Berkfhire lady of very refpectable 
‘family, and in’confequence of that union ob- 
tained pofleffion of avery confiderable Janded 
property, and likewife received his Majefty’s 
permifhon to affume the name of Kingfmill. 
The a@ivity of his mind being rather jl 
RE ters we Ri ae Ra can 
Account of the late Admiral Kingfinill 
. 81 
fuited to the nature of the fervice required in 
time of profound peace; his petuniary cir- 
cumftances very affluent, and ~himfelt- pof- 
feffing no defire to encounter the fatigue and: 
trouble of a naval:life when he could fo very 
immaterially contribute to the fervice of his 
country, he declined accepting any commif 
fion from the time of his quitting the Cref- 
cent till the beginning of the year 1778, 
when the infidious condu& of the court of 
France rendering a rupture ‘more than proba- 
bie, and: holding «forth indeed every expec 
tation of a long, fevere, and bloody conteft, 
he quitted, without the fmalleft regret, the 
pleafures of retirement, together with all 
thofe focial comforts which he had enjoyed, 
and accepted the command of the Vigilant, 
ef 64 guns, then under equipment for -tHe 
channel or home fervice. 1n this thip he was 
prefent on the 27th of July following, at 
the memorable encounter which took place 
eff Ufhant between the French ficet com- 
manded by the Count D’Orvilliers, and that 
of Britain by Admiral Keppel ; and although 
very materially engaged, yet was fo fortunate 
as to have no more than two of his people 
killed, and three wounded. The rage of 
party, and the known independence of cap- 
tain Kingfmill’s principles, caufed the coun- . 
try to lofe the advantage of his knowledge 
and abilities during the greater part of the 
war which had then commenced.” The Vi- 
gilant being ordered at the conclufion of the 
year to the Weft Indies, this gentleman re- 
moved from that fhip, and was not appointed 
to any other till after the great political re- 
volution which took place im the month of 
April, 1782. Not long after’ this, he ré- 
ceived a commiliion appointing him to comi- 
mand the Elizabeth, of 74° guns, a: ihip 
which had immediately before. received fo 
complete a repair as to be confidered nearly 
to one juft launched. The delays which un- 
avoidably impede even. the civil departments 
of the naval fervice, in time of war, pres 
vented this thip from being ready for fea at 
the time the late earl, then lord vifcount, 
Howe failed for the Streights ta attempt the 
relief of Gibraltar, in the face of the. com= 
bined fleets :of France and Spain. Griev+ 
ous muft have been the difappointment: to 
an officer poflefling fo much energy and ac- 
tivity of mind, fo much true zeal to diftine 
guifh himfelf in the fervice of his. country, 
at finding himfelf precluded by unavoidable 
circumftances fron: being perfonally concerned 
in an enterprife which appeared to promife 
fuch great opportunity of acquiring renown. 
During the abfence of this armament he was 
appointed to conduct a.fmall {quadron, of 
which the Elizabeth formed a part, that was 
ordered to be fitted for the Eaft Indies. .The 
delays naturally incident to the complete 
equipment of a naval force, intended for 
long and a&tive fervice in a far diftant- fla= 
tion, were very confiderably. augmented by 
the inclemency of the weather, fo thatit was 
the 17th of January before’ captain Kinfmill 
was enabied to fail from Spithead.-. Toe 
ri 
Lorem 
