in getting clear of the others, they having caught hold of his coat-tail, and thereby increased his personal danger. Disentangled at length from these poor fellows, and being an excellent swimmer, he succeeded in reaching the boat; but, although he contrived to right her several times, and as often got into her, she was again and again turned over by the tremendous breaking sea. In this desperate situation, the Lieutenant managed to pull off his coat, and lash it to a thwart, trusting that the despatches, by being washed on shore, would still reach their destination, even if he should perish. Providentially, however, it was ordered otherwise, as he succeeded in reaching Cape St. Mary, on which point of land his remaining companion was likewise thrown; the latter quite exhausted.

Having thus miraculously escaped from the waves, Lieutenant Staines immediately ran over to the other side of the island, and engaged an old fisherman, a woman, and a little boy, to assist him in removing his man to the boat, she being then on the river side, and in smooth water. After performing this humane action, he took an oar, and rowed all the way up to Faro, where he was hospitably received by the Governor, who entertained him until the ensuing day, when he returned on board the Peterel, to the great surprise and joy of Captain Digby, who had witnessed his disaster, but could not send him any assistance, from the conviction that any other boat would have met with a similar fate.

On the 12th of October following, the Peterel was captured near the Balearic Islands, by four Spanish frigates, one of which is said to have given her a broadside after she surrendered. The enemy also behaved most shamefully to their prisoners after removing them from the sloop, plundering them of their clothes, bedding, and every other article, and murdering a seaman who attempted to defend his little. property.

This squadron was chased the next day by several British ships, under the orders of Commodore Duckworth; and the Peterel, in endeavouring to escape round Majorca, was fortu

nately retaken by the Argo 44. The frigates, however, completely outsailed their pursuers, and returned to Carthagena, from which port they had recently been sent with supplies for the garrison of Minorca.

After a detention of fourteen days at Carthagena, Lieutenant Staines and his fellow-prisoners were embarked in a merchant brig bound to Malaga; but they did not arrive there until the 24th of December, a westerly wind having obliged the vessel to anchor off Almeira, where she was detained upwards of three weeks, during which period her passengers were confined on shore.

From Malaga our countrymen were marched to Gibraltar, under a strong escort of soldiers, who treated both officers and men with great brutality, but particularly Lieutenant Staines, who received a sabre wound in the wrist, whilst parrying a blow which one of those ruffians had aimed at his head. On their arrival at the Rock, a court-martial was assembled to investigate the circumstances attending their capture by the Spanish squadron: and as no blame could be attached to any individual, the whole of them were sent back to the Peterel immediately after their acquittal.

At the time of her falling into the hands of the enemy, the Peterel was commanded by Captain George Long, who afterwards fell in a sortie whilst employed defending the island of Elba. On the 3d of February, 1799, that gallant officer was superseded by Captain Francis William Austen, with whom Mr. Staines continued as first Lieutenant until October 16. in the same year, during which period he was present at the capture of three French frigates and two brigs of war; also of an armed galley, a transport brig laden with brass guns and ammunition, and twenty merchant vessels, most of which were cut out from the enemy's harbours by boats under his own directions. It is worthy of remark, that the gentleman who

Each frigate had on board 50,000 dollars. This money was all thrown overboard during the chase, to prevent the British from obtaining possession of it.

succeeded him as senior Lieutenant of the Peterel was killed in a boat attack, near Barcelona, on the third day after Mr. Staines was removed from that sloop.

In May, 1799, the Peterel was sent to inform Lord Nelson, then at Palermo with only one line-of-battle ship, that a powerful fleet from Brest, having eluded the vigilance of Lord Bridport, had passed the Straits of Gibraltar (intending to form a junction with the Spanish naval force at Carthagena, to embark troops at Toulon, and to act successively against Minorca, Ischia, Procida, and Sicily).

On his arrival off the north-west end of Sicily, the wind being easterly, Captain Austen despatched Lieutenant Staines with the important intelligence, overland to the capital, where he arrived at nine o'clock in the evening of May 13., having performed a journey of at least twenty-four miles in two hours and a quarter, notwithstanding the road was very bad, and his horse so little used to such great exertion that it died the following morning. For his very zealous conduct on this occasion, Lieutenant Staines had the honour of receiving Nelson's personal thanks on board the Peterel, and of being ever afterwards kindly noticed by that great hero.

Upon leaving the Peterel, Mr. Staines became third Lieutenant of the Foudroyant 80, bearing the flag of Lord Nelson, in which ship he assisted at the capture of two French Rear-Admirals, Messieurs Perrée and Decrès, February 18. and March 30. 1800.

After Nelson's departure from Leghorn for England, June, 1800, the Foudroyant received the flag of Lord Keith, under whom Lieutenant Staines served as signal officer during the whole of the Egyptian campaign. The superior medal of the Turkish Order of the Crescent (or more properly speaking, of the Star and Crescent) was presented to him for his services at that memorable period.

On the 3d of December, 1801, Lieutenant Staines was appointed to act as Commander of the Romulus troop-ship, during the illness of Captain John Culverhouse; and in her we find him employed conveying a detachment of the 54th

regiment from Alexandria to Malta, where he rejoined the Foudroyant, January 9. 1802.

On the 15th of May following, Lieutenant Staines was promoted by Lord Keith into the Camelion brig; and this appointment appears to have been confirmed at home, July 24. in the same year.

During the remainder of the short peace, Captain Staines was employed keeping up a communication between Malta and Naples; but immediately on the renewal of hostilities with France, he entered upon a series of services much more congenial to his active mind and enterprising spirit.

On the 28th of June, 1803, the Camelion joined Lord Nelson off Toulon; and after a short cruise in the Gulf of Genoa, Captain Staines was sent to Barcelona, ostensibly to procure bullocks, but in reality to obtain all the information he could respecting the intentions of the Spanish government towards Great Britain; a convincing proof of the confidence that Nelson reposed in his ability and discretion.

Captain Staines returned to the blockading squadron on the 2d of August, and was immediately detached to his former cruising ground, where the Camelion and her boats very soon succeeded in capturing nine sail of merchant vessels, and a French packet from Corsica bound to Toulon. One of the former prizes, a polacre ship, was cut out from under the batteries near Genoa, on which occasion the British had one man killed, and a Lieutenant (Jones) and six men wounded; the enemy four killed and seven wounded. On the 29th of August, the Camelion had also an officer and nine men wounded, whilst endeavouring to capture five vessels which had taken shelter under the batteries at Rimasol; and on another occasion her boats sustained some loss in boarding a settee off Alassio, which vessel they brought out, in conjunction with those of the Niger frigate.

On the 16th of November, 1803, whilst lying nearly becalmed off Cape Corse, and in sight of the British fleet, Captain Staines discovered an armed schooner with a transport under her convoy the Camelion's sweeps were imme

diately manned, and he soon had the satisfaction of securing the former, which proved to be a French national vessel, mounting twelve guns, with a complement of ninety men. Her consort was afterwards taken possession of by an English 64.

Between this period and the month of August, 1804, Captain Staines was most actively employed along the coasts of Italy and Provence, from Genoa to Marseilles; off which latter place he not only offered battle to a large corvette and a brig of war, but actually chased them back to their strongly protected anchorage. During this cruise, the Camelion and her boats captured ten vessels, destroyed one under the batteries at Port Maurice, assisted at the capture of three others, and brought off a raft of spars and timber from the beach near Hieres.

In September, 1804, Captain Staines was sent up the Adriatic, with permission from Lord Nelson to cruise for three months according to his own discretion; but we are not aware of his having met with any success on that station. From December, 1804, until April, 1805, he was principally employed affording protection to the Levant trade; and we subsequently find him accompanying a large homeward bound fleet as far as Gibraltar. On the 15th of June, 1805, whilst in the Straits, he was attacked by a flotilla of Spanish gunboats; but on seeing the Camelion get out her sweeps, and a light breeze springing up at the same time, the enemy retreated without doing her any damage.

Captain Staines was next stationed off Carthagena, under the orders of Captain George Digby, commanding the Beagle sloop of war; and on one occasion, when reconnoitring that port, the Camelion appears to have run along the north side of Isle Ascombrera, and stood out through the eastern passage, under a heavy but harmless fire of shot and shells from the different batteries.

A few days after this hazardous proceeding, Captain Staines observed six merchant vessels going to the eastward under the protection of a guarda-costa, and immediately despatched