MEMOIRS OF THE FOLLOWING PERSONS ARE CONTAINED The Earl of St. Vincent. (4) Major Cartwright. Mr. Sheridan. (14) Hon. Thomas Erskine. (22) The Bishop of Meath. (9) The Duke of Leinster. (16) Mrs. Inchbald. Earl Fitzwilliam. Mr. William Godwin. The Rev. Mr. Graves. (25) Sir George Yonge. (2) The Marquis of Lansdown. (5) Doctor Harrington. Sir John Parnell. (20) Mr. Southey. Doctor Duigenan. (23) Mr. George Ponsonby. (18) Mr. Pelham. The Duke of Grafton, (8) Mr. Secretary Cooke. (17) The Duchefs of Gordon. The Duke of Bedford. (12) Mr. Haftings. (1) Lord Kenyon. (15) N. B. The figures which follow the name exprefs the number PUBLIC CHARACTERS OF 1799. JERVIS, EARL ST. VINCENT. VINCENTI CORONA. UPON that column, which a grateful country meditates to erect in commemoration of naval victories, glorious beyond example and important beyond calculation, the chiffel of the artist shall not infcribe a name more defervedly esteemed and honoured than that of Jervis, nor fhall the pen of the hiftorian record a victory more glorious than that whence this brave commander derives his title. While fculpture and hiftory thus commemorate the achievement, curiofity, laudably inquifitive, inquires the name and character of the individual who performed it; and the writer of the biographic sketch, occafionally quitting the anecdote which gratifies curiofity, rifes into the confequence of the hiftorian, and records a brilliant event in the annals of his country. Earl St. Vincent, although fixty-five years of age, fiftyfive of which have been spent in the fervice, ftill retains "A fparkling eye beneath a veteran brow." His Lordship poffeffes all the fire and energy of youth tempered with all the maturer experience and deliberative wisdom 1799-1800. B of of age. He is defcended from an ancient and refpectable family in Stafford-fhire, and is the second and youngest son of Swynfen Jervis, Efq. barrifter-at-law, counsel to the Admniralty, and auditor of Greenwich-Hofpital; and his mother was the fifter of Sir Thomas Parker, Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer. At the early period of ten years of age, his Lordship quitted Burton Grammar-School, where he imbibed the rudiments of his education, and entered into the navy, a fervice in which he was probably induced to embark from his father's fituation in the Admiralty. The foundation of those principles of naval difcipline and fuperior feamanship, which his Lordship has upon all occafions fo confpicuously and effectually difplayed, was firft laid under that distinguished officer Lord Hawke, to whose principles, although that great commander is now no more, the British navy is in no inconfiderable degree indebted for the fame it has acquired. The probationary interval of fervitude, passed in the capacity of midshipman until rising to the rank of lieutenant, affords little scope for general obfervation or public notice; it is enough, that, in this capacity, the more private but not lefs meritorious duties are performed under the eye and approbation of the fuperior officers; but it is allowed by all who knew his Lordship in that subordinate capacity, that he was here diftinguished for that prompt obedience to command which conftitutes, in the opinion of his Lordship, the life and foul of naval difcipline. Soon after the peace, his Lordship was fent to France to acquire thofe accomplishments which are requifite in an extenfive intercourfe with the world, and perfect himself in the French language, an almoft-indispensable requifite in the education of a naval officer. The limits affigned to this sketch do not allow us to trace his Lordship through the refpective gradations of lieutenant, * Mr. Meux, the brewer, was one of his Lordship's cotemporaries, or or mafter and commander, thofe more prominent points only of general obfervation and historical record must consequently form this biographic portrait, accompanied by fuch information and anecdote as may gratify reafonable curiofity, delineated with that fidelity, and, at the fame time, confiftent with that delicacy, which ought always to be observed in sketching the portrait of a living character. The dates of his Lordship's commiffion as a lieutenant and mafter and commander, together with the fervices he performed, are here not touched upon, because the splendor of his later achievements is fo confpicuous, as to render these details, (neceffary, perhaps, in other lives,) in his character, more eafily to be difpenfed with. This, therefore, we shall pafs over, with the obfervation, that, in the year 1760, his Lordship was promoted to the rank of post-captain, and served fome time upon the Weft-India ftation. In the memorable engagement between the French and British fleets, on the 27th and 28th of July, 1778, his Lordfhip commanded the Foudroyant, which was the next ship to the Victory, and as clofely engaged and as much difabled as any ship in the fleet. Indeed it is impoffible to convey a better idea of his Lordship's character and opinion, relative to that engagement, than by the following extracts from the clear, confiftent, and pointed, teftimony which he gave upon the court-martial called upon Admiral Keppel. Upon the following question being put by the Admiral, 2. Your ftation being nearest me during the pursuit of the enemy and after the action, which gave you an opportunity of obferving my conduct, and of feeing objects nearly in the fame point of view with myfelf, I defire you will state to the court any inftance, if you faw or knew of any such, in which I negligently performed my duty on the 27th or 28th of July? A. With great refpect to you, fir, and deference to the court, I hope I fhall be indulged with having that question put by the court. The Judge-Advocate, mutatis mutandis, then put the quef tion. A. I feel myfelf bound to anfwer that queftion. I believe it to be confonant to the general practice of fea courts-martial. I cannot boaft of a long acquaintance with Admiral Keppel; I never had the honour of serving under him before; but I am happy in this opportunity to declare to this court, and to the whole world, that, during the whole time that the English fleet was in fight of the French fleet, he dif played the greatest naval skill and ability and the boldest enterprise upon the 27th of July; which, with the promptitude of Sir Robert Harland, will be fubjects of my admiration and imitation as long as I live. From the evidence given upon this trial it appears, that the Foudroyant, which had got into her ftation about three, and never left it till four the next morning, was very closely engaged, and in a moft difabled ftate. Her main-maft had received a fhot very near through the head and lodged in the cheek, which paffed through the heart of the maft; and feveral other thot in different places; her fore-maft had also received several shot; a large excavation had.been made in her bowfprit near the centre; the fore-topmaft was so disabled, that it was obliged to be reefed, and the mizen was totally difabled; every rope of her running-rigging cut, and her fhrouds demolished; no braces or bowlines left, and fcarcely any hallyards: fore-stay, fpring-stay, and topfail-ties, and the foot-rope of the fore-topfail, fhot away: her fails also were very much fhattered. In this moft difabled ftate, the Foudroyant was not in a condition to chafe, but kept her station next the Victory, as far to windward as poffible. "I was covetous of wind,” said this brave officer, " becaufe, difabled as I then was, I conceived the advantage of the wind could only carry me again into ac- tion." Being afked some questions relative to the pofition of the vice-admiral and his divifion, his Lordship pointedly replied, tha |