by John Marshall

“ In the course of that year the Thetis frigate, then under his command, had 7 midshipmen, the clerk, and 73 of her crew carried off by the yellow fever.
Although Captain Byam never had the good fortune to meet with an hostile vessel of equal force to his own, we are informed that he always cruised with considerable success against the enemy’s privateers and merchantmen. ”

“ The last service he performed, was that of escorting home a very valuable Jamaica fleet, at the commencement of the late war between Great Britain and America, for which he received the personal thanks of Lord Melville, who happened to be at Chatham when the Thetis arrived there. We should here remark, that very great anxiety had been felt for the safety of this convoy, as it was known that our newly declared enemy had sent out a strong squadron, under Commodore Rodgers, purposely to intercept it [6] . ”