by John Marshall

“ The zeal and number of the persons so employed, soon led to the discovery they desired. In a rude, retired hovel, far from any inhabited quarter, they came upon some men whose looks were not so inhuman but they could recognize under them the six desperate Greeks of Fribourg’s regiment! ”

“ It now fell calm, and Lieutenant Badcock ordered four of his men to the oars, in order to get the prize’s head off towards the frigate, and increase her distance from the shore. Whilst thus employed, a shot fired at the gig unfortunately drew his attention, and the prisoners, instigated thereto by the Anglo-Italian, rose, and regained possession of the vessel, but not until they had wounded him in the hand, and stunned him by a blow on the head, stabbed one of his men, and thrown two others overboard; leaving only four persons to resist the whole seventeen. ”

“ We next find the Melpomene conveying a spy, with despatches, from Palermo to the bay of Naples, and Lieutenant Badcock volunteering to land him under cover of night, which, after being twice discovered, and the alarm guns fired, he at length succeeded in doing, close to the walls of the town. On this occasion, being well aware of his fate if taken prisoner, he recommended his men to fight to the last, should they be attacked, as they would find it better to be shot than hanged. From thence the Melpomene proceeded off Leghorn. ”

“ The old donkey he bestrode marched leisurely along the un-frequented bye-way, and flapped his long ears to disturb the pestilent flies which lived thereon, much, however, to the inconvenience of his master, whose nose received the migratory swarm, and was discomposed much beyond the degree permitted by the usual serenity of the man. ”

“ We must do them the justice, however, to say, that they did not allow those who were in the sea to perish.
At the expiration of three months, Lieutenant Badcock had the good fortune to get exchanged; and he appears to have been on board the Madras 54, at Malta, waiting for an opportunity to rejoin his frigate, when a magazine was accidently blown up, by which sad accident near 300 people were killed and wounded ; among the former was the gunner of the Madras, who lost his life by a shell bursting over her. ”

“ This circumstance serves to shew how much an Order of Merit is wanted in the naval service; for how many hundreds of sailors and marines have, like Patrick Gallaghan, richly deserved medals, or some other honorary distinctions, who, for the same reason, could not be made petty or non-commissioned officers.
It will be seen by reference to pp. 9–14, that Captain Badcock commanded a subdivision of boats in the Washington expedition: we have, therefore, only to add, that he was away from his ship 18 days and nights; the whole time in an open boat. ”

“ Shortly afterwards, Sir John B. Warren gave over the command of the armament to Sir Edward Pellew, and proceeded on a cruise off the Western Islands, in hopes of falling in with some of the Spanish treasure ships from South America. The manner in which the Renown was employed between Nov. 1800 and July 1804, is described in our memoir of Captain John Chambers White, with whom Mr. Badcock returned to England, in the Kent 74 [2] . ”

“ It seemed that many of their measures were but the natural and excusable projects of men scarcely yet reclaimed from barbarism, certainly not modelled into the prime pieces of mechanism which older soldiers become. ”

“ At 2, most tremendous squalls, with rain, thunder, &c. the storm-slay-sails blew to atoms, the ship entirely unmanageable, and whole seas breaking over her. The rudder-head gave way, chocked the rudder, and secured it with the pendants. At 3-30, the main-top-mast went in three pieces; and at 4, both the rudder-chains gave way. At 6, a man fell from the fore-yard on the best-bower anchor, but was not killed. All the pumps obliged to be kept constantly going. ”

“ At about 9-15, the main-mast was struck by lightning; the fluid exploded by the pumps, and hurt an officer and a sailor [4] . 16th, wind more moderate, and steady; examined the main-mast, found it severely splintered in many places, particularly about the hoops and in the wake of the trusses, where copper had been nailed on. Stood towards Barcelona, in hopes of rejoining the Orion. 17th, at 9 a.m. the sea rising all around us, with water-spouts and flashes of lightning in every direction; furled all the sails, and prepared for another gale ”

“ It was in vain to attempt their forcible expulsion; threats were of no avail; and all milder negociations were prohibited by the stern policy of the military commander, who insisted upon immediate and unqualified submission. In storming and carrying the other parts of the fort, three men belonging to the 44th regiment were killed, and Lieutenant Badcock appears to have had a narrow escape, a ball having passed close to his ear just as he entered one of the works. ”

“ In a few hours they were sentenced to the death they had so long succeeded in parrying; and in the last instant of life they manifested the same heroic bearing which has left in the minds of all who saw them a recollection glowing and full of admiration for the last of Fribourg’a regiment [7] .”
The Melpomene afterwards proceeded up the Adriatic, where her boats, occasionally commanded by Lieutenant Badcock, captured several merchant vessels, and continually harassed the enemy’s coasting trade. She returned to England, with Lord Pembroke and his suite, passengers from Trieste, in Nov. ”