by John Marshall

“ Upon the renewal of the attempt at entrance, your memorialist discontinued the transportation of troops, in which he was engaged, and went down in his boat to the inner edge of the breakers on the bar of the river, endeavouring to render what assistance he could: here he saved several of those who were upset; no other boat, person, or other kind of human assistance whatever, was in attendance. ”

“ Debenham’s promotion, the Invincible had lost several commissioned officers and half her crew, by yellow fever. His exertions, in supporting the discipline of the ship, particularly in preventing drunkenness, and not allowing the men to sleep in the open air, appears to have given great offence, and caused them to clamour much against him; which coming to the knowledge of Lord Camelford, then commanding the Favorite sloop, induced that officer to invite him to become his first lieutenantSee Addenda ☞.. ”

“ In his memorial to the Prince Regent, after stating the peculiar nature of his services on the north coast of Spain, and making but very slight allusion to others which we have recorded, Commander Debenham expresses himself in the following terms:
“He earnestly desires to deprecate the idea of vain or presumptuous boasting, but he finds at length there are occasions on which not to have a proper sense of what one has done, and of what passes in the world, is to manifest a blameable apathy ”

“ I am desired by Lord Melville to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th ultimo, together with its enclosures, and to express his Lordship’s regret that, after a full consideration of the case in all its bearings, and of the claims you have set forth, he has not felt at liberty to recommend a compliance with the prayer of your memorial, although, from his Lordship’s opinion of your services, he would have felt satisfaction in being enabled to accede to your wishes. ”

“ About ten of the same night, as your memoralist was about to lie down, very much fatigued with the duties of the day, a dragoon arrived bringing a letter from Sir John Hope to Rear Admiral Penrose, then at sea, and another from Colonel (now Sir Home) Elphinstone, the commanding officer of engineers to your memorialist, stating that the army had advanced upon the Adour, and had obtained possession of both its banks; but that from the non-arrival of the flotilla, or any naval assistance, the greatest difficulty had been found in crossing over the troops and stores necessary ”

“ Debenham was then appointed, had previously lost all her lieutenants, except one, by yellow fever; both he and her captain had suffered severely from the same dreadful disease; the master and half of the ship’s company had fallen victims to it. Of the remainder of the crew, several were Irish seamen, liberated from French prisons in the year 1796, after having been well tutored how to act as apostles of rebellion in the British fleet [1] . Often, on board the Invincible, ropes were found to be cut, without any one but the recreants themselves knowing how or by whom ”

“ Returning through the same road, he went from ship to ship to collect men; the transports were small, and their complements few. By their help, and by the light of lanthorns, he dragged his boat over a long flat of oaze, in which his feet sank at every step, the tide being out.
“He embarked about midnight in his boat, with as many men as she could well contain, to proceed on his way to the Adour, being about eighteen miles distant, on the open sea, at that time running high ”

“ Lord Keith; – distinctions which he highly values, and which he trusts are no light recommendations to some more substantial recompense.
“In conclusion, your Memorialist presumes to hope that your Royal Royal Highness will, on viewing these premises, be graciously pleased to cause his name to be placed on the distribution-list. The naval commander-in-chief. Lord Keith, approves his claim; and even at the Admiralty its rejection is considered a hardship: the very boat’s crew who were with him are included in the list which he himself is called upon to furnish ”

“ He also states, “that the refusal of any compensation for this hurt, was made a ground for preventing him the attainment of an object he subsequently had in view;” and then adds, “that, on one occasion, having detained, and brought in for adjudication, a Papenbourgh vessel [errata 1] from one of the enemy’s ports bound to another, she was not only set free, but the whole expenses of the proceedings allowed to fall upon him ”

“ Gentlemen, – Having laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty your letter of yesterday’s date, transmitting an extract of a letter from Rear-Admiral Penrose, bearing testimony to the highly meritorious and unceasing exertions of your several agents on the north coast of Spain, therein named, and recommending those officers, and particularly Lieutenant Debenham, to their lordships’ favourable consideration, – I am commanded to acquaint you, that my Lords have been pleased to promote Lieutenant Debenham to the rank of commander. I am, &c. ”

“ In Feb. 1810, Lieutenant Debenham was appointed to the command of the Deptford tender, employed between Limerick and Plymouth, under the orders of Captain James Murray Northey, regulating officer at the former port, who bears strong testimony to his exemplary conduct on every occasion, during a period of nearly two years and a half. His last appointment was, in June, 1813, to be an agent of transports employed on the north coast of Spain, where he continued until Oct. ”