eldest daughters have been long settled in life; whether the youngest is married or single we know not.

Though Dr. Somerville's life was extended to almost a patriarchal length, one of his sisters still survives.

For the foregoing Memoir we are indebted to a lady who was for many years intimately acquainted with Dr. Somerville.

386

No. XII.

SIR CHARLES MORICE POLE, BART.

LATE M. P. FOR PLYMOUTH; ADMIRAL OF THE RED; GENTLEMAN AND MASTER OF THE ROBES TO HIS MAJESTY; KNIGHT GRAND CROSS OF THE MOST HONOURABLE MILITARY ORDER OF THE BATH; A VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE NAVAL CHARITABLE SOCIETY; AND FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY.

THREE families of the name of Pole have obtained the honour of Baronetage: viz. the Poles of Shute in Devonshire; the Poles of Walthamstow in Essex; and the subject of the following Memoir, who was a junior branch of the first-mentioned Poles, and derived his descent from Sir John Pole, the third Baronet of that line, who married Anne, youngest daughter of Sir William Morice, of Werington, county of Devon, Knight, one of the Secretaries of State to King Charles II., by whom he had four sons; the youngest of whom, Carolus, Rector of St. Breock, in Cornwall, married Sarah, eldest daughter of Jonathan Rashleigh, of Menabilly, in the same county, Esq. and left issue two sons and one daughter.

Reginald Pole, of Stoke Damarell, county of Devon, Esq., the elder son, married Anne, second daughter of John Francis Buller, of Morvall, in Cornwall, Esq., by whom he had three sons and two daughters: viz. 1. Reginald *; 2. Charles Morice, born at Stoke Damarell, county of Devon, January 18. 1757; and 3. Edward, who is married and has issue. The daughters were: Anne, who

Some years since, this gentleman added the name of Carew to that of his own, pursuant to the will of Sir Coventry Carew, of Anthony, in Cornwall; and he also represented the boroughs of Fowey and Lostwithiel, in several successive Parliaments, until he was appointed one of the auditors of public accompts; which office he relinquished at the general election in 1802, when he was again returned for Fowey. In the following year he was appointed Under Secretary of State for the home department, which he resigned on the termination of Mr. Addington's administration, in 1804; and, in 1805, he was sworn a Privy Counsellor. He married, in 1784, Jemima, only daughter and heiress of the Hon. John Yorke, fourth son of Philip, first Earl of Hardwicke, then Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.

married Charles, the first Lord Somers; and Sarah, who married Henry Hippisley Coxe, of Stone Easton, in Somersetshire, Esq., and died without issue.

Charles Morice Pole, the second son, being intended for the sea service, and having received a suitable education at that excellent institution, the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth, embarked as a Midshipman, with Captain Locker, the late Lieutenant-Governor of Greenwich Hospital *, in the Thames frigate, in 1772: he afterwards served in the Salisbury, of 50 guns, with Sir Edward Hughes, whom he accompanied to the East Indies; where he received his promotion to a Lieutenancy in the Seahorse frigate, from which ship he was removed into the Rippon, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Vernon, and was engaged in the indecisive actions fought between that officer and Mons. Tranjolly. He was also employed in the command of a body of seamen and marines, at the siege of Pondicherry, the capital of the French settlements on the continent of Asia; on the surrender of which important place, October 17. 1778, being advanced to the rank of Commander, in the Cormorant sloop, he returned home with Sir Edward Vernon's despatches; and, on the 22d of March, 1779, ten days after his arrival, obtaining a Post Commission, was appointed Captain to the late Admiral Darby, in the Channel Fleet.

In 1780, he was nominated to the command of the Hussar, of 28 guns; but this ship, in entering the passage of what is termed Hell Gates, in North America, was thrown on the Pot-rock by the unskilfulness of her pilot, and totally lost, the officers and people, except one, being all saved. As no blame whatever could be imputed to Captain Pole in this accident, he was immediately charged with Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot's despatches to the Admiralty; and, soon after his arrival in England, received an appointment to the Success, of 32 guns and 220 men, in which frigate, March 16. 1782, being in company with a store-ship then under his convoy, he fell in with, engaged, and took, after a severe action of two hours and twenty minutes, the Santa Catalina, of 34 guns and 316 men, 38 of whom were killed and wounded. In this affair much bravery and seamanship were displayed; and what rendered

*Lieutenant-Governor Locker died Dec. 26th, 1800. This gentleman was the nautical tutor of the late Lord Nelson, who loved him with the sincere affection of a friend, revered him as a foster-parent, and seized with avidity every possible opportunity of publicly declaring he was indebted for the honours he had been so fortunate in acquiring, to the instructions and knowledge he had received from this good and gallant man.

the victory still more satisfactory, it was achieved with the loss of only one man slain and four wounded on the part of the British. The following is a copy of Captain Pole's letter on the subject, addressed to the Secretary of the Admiralty:

"Spithead, March 30. 1782.

“SIR, — I have the honour to desire you will inform my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on the 16th inst. at daylight, in lat. 35° 40′ N., Cape Spartel bearing E.N.E. eighteen leagues, the wind at S.W., standing for the Gut with the Vernon store-ship, we discovered a sail right ahead, close hauled on the larboard tack. As soon as I could discover her hull from the mast-head, which the haze and lofty poop magnified, I made the Vernon's signal to haul the wind on the starboard tack, and make all sail.

At a little after five,

"Soon after hauling our wind, the strange sail tacked and gave chase. At half-past two P. M., finding the chase gain on the Vernon, I shortened sail to let her go ahead, and then brought to, in hopes at least to make him shorten sail, and to divert his attention from the ship under my convoy. We soon after discovered him to be only a large frigate with a poop. he hoisted a Spanish ensign with a broad pendant, and fired a gun : at six, being within random shot astern of me, I wore and stemmed for his lee bow, till we had just distance sufficient to weather him, then hauled close athwart his fore-foot, giving him our whole fire within half pistol shot; passed close to windward engaging, while the enemy, expecting us to leeward, were firing their lee guns into the water. The disorder our first fire threw them into they did not recover. We then wore, and placed ourselves to great advantage, which our superiority of sailing allowed us to do, supporting without intermission a most astonishingly close and well served fire, at never more than half a cable distance, till the enemy struck, which was about twenty minutes past eight. She proved to be the Santa Catalina, Don Mig. Jacon commander, of 34 guns; twenty-six long Spanish twelves on the main-deck, and eight 6-pounders on the quarter-deck. The number of men I have not been able to ascertain. We have on board 286 prisoners. The captain and officers say they have between 25 and 30 killed, and only 8 wounded.

"Don M. Jacon is a captain in the line, hath a distinguishing pendant as such, and is senior officer of the frigates cruizing off the Straits; had a very particular description of the Success sent him, whom he was particularly directed to look out for; had been cruising three weeks for us; had seen us four times; chased us twice, with a squadron of four and six sail, from whom he parted

two days before. He speaks with much displeasure of the beha viour of his ship's company.

“Lieutenant Oakley, whom I had appointed to take charge of the prize, was indefatigable in clearing the wreck. Her mizenmast fell some time before she struck, the main-mast a short time after, and her foremast must have shared the same fate, if the water had not been remarkably smooth: in short, without assuming much presumption, I may add, our guns did as much execution in the little time as could have been done; her hull was like a sieve, the shot going through both sides.

"From this state of the prize, their Lordships may imagine my hopes of getting her to port were not very sanguine. While we were endeavouring to secure her foremast, and had just repaired our own damages, which were considerable in our masts, yards, and sails, at daylight of the 18th six sail appeared in sight, two frigates, some of whom had chased and were reconnoitring us. I instantly ordered the Vernon to make all sail, hoisted all my boats out, and sent on board for Lieutenant Oakley and the seamen, with orders to set fire to the Santa Catalina before he left her. She blew up in a quarter of an hour.

"The wind being at S.E., I made all sail from the six sail, and determined on proceeding with the Vernon to Madeira, she being now in want of provisions and water. We had 286 prisoners on board, whose intention to attempt rising we had fortunately discovered, encouraged by the superiority of numbers, which appeared very striking to them.

"The spirited behaviour of every officer, and of the ship's company, is superior to my praise; their real value and merit on this occasion hath shown itself in much stronger and more expressive terms than I am master of: but still it becomes a duty incumbent on me to represent them to your Lordships, as deserving their favour and protection. I have particular pleasure in so doing. Lieutenant M'Kinley (2d), assisted by Mr. James, master, were very assiduous in getting the Success's damages repaired, as well as they could admit. Lieutenant Pownal, of the marines, by the greatest attention and good example, formed a party that would do honour to veteran soldiers.

"From the reports given me since, it adds to my satisfaction to know, that had I not been obliged to set fire to the Santa Catalina, she could not have swum; a gale of wind coming on immediately after, which obliged us to lay to, under a storm stay-sail. She was the largest frigate in the King of Spain's service; her exact dimen