by John Marshall

“ In a short time the crew of the Porcupine became perfect gunners; the Mercury’s were the same; and never, during the war, did the firing of any ship surpass that of the Imperieuse. One day, under a battery, the captain of a gun was asked by an officer why he did not fire? The man replied, “The quoin edgeways is too much, and not enough put in flat; I am chipping a bit of wood for it.” This answer shews how cool and correct his people were in handling their guns – they used to say themselves, that they would cut a frigate asunder in fifteen minutes. ”

“ From the foregoing statement, it will appear very evident to our readers, that Captain Duncan, although he never had the good fortune to encounter a frigate at sea, was both active and successful in coast operations against the enemy: he did as much along shore as any officer we have ever heard of. Having no frigates to fight, he never lost an opportunity of attacking the enemy’s convoys in their own ports, destroying batteries, and cutting out work for himself in every possible shape. ”

“ During a subsequent cruise, Captain Duncan fell in with two French squadrons, one from Rochefort, the other from Toulon, consisting altogether of nine sail of the line and seven frigates. This formidable force he continued to watch (in company with the Active) , keeping almost constantly insight of one division or the other, for nearly three weeks, at the end of which time the enemy formed a junction and put into Corfu, from whence the Porcupine was sent by Captain Moubray, the senior officer, to apprise Lord Collingwood of their arrival. ”

“ It has often been my pride with you to look into the Texel, and see a foe who dreaded coming out to meet us. My pride is now humbled indeed: my feelings are not easily to be expressed – our cup has overflowed, and made us wanton! ”

“ If the Captain of a British frigate meets an enemy’s ship of that description, he fights her, and he can do no less: the officer who goes out of his way to cut out work for himself, has the credit of the planning to be added to that of the execution of any particular enterprise. Having found it impossible to specify every individual capture made by Captain Duncan, or at which he assisted, while commanding the Porcupine, Mercury, and Imperieuse, we must content ourselves with giving the grand total of vessels taken and destroyed in his presence between Sept. ”

“ Henry Duncan actually went to sea, was the Maidstone of 32 guns, commanded by Captain Ross Donnelly (an officer possessing the esteem and confidence of all his superiors) , whom he joined at Spithead, about the 6th of April, 1800.
A few days after his embarkation, the subject of this memoir had a second narrow escape: a boat which he had just before left, in consequence of his obtaining leave to remain on shore, having upset on her return to the ship, by which accident one man perished, and the rest of her crew were for some time placed in a state of imminent danger. ”

“ After cruising for some time off Tunis, and to the westward of Sicily, where he re-captured one British merchantman and prevented several others from falling a prey to four French privateers, which he discovered dogging a large convoy, Captain Duncan conveyed Mr. Hill, his Majesty’s minister to the court of Sardinia, from Palermo to Cagliari, where he was landed on the 4th June, 1808. The Porcupine then proceeded to cruise between Naples and Toulon, where she was frequently engaged with the enemy’s land batteries^ while capturing and destroying vessels under their protection. ”

“ From thence he proceeded off Ragusa, where he took sixteen sail of merchantmen, during a cruise of only 10 days.
A short time subsequent to the capture of la Pugliese, (already adverted to) , Captain Duncan was selected by Lord Collingwood to command a squadron employed in guarding Sicily from an invasion then threatened by the usurper of the Neapolitan throne; but the Mercury, on being surveyed, was found to be too defective for further active service; and indeed declared to be even in an unfit state to go home at that season of the year. ”

“ The marines and a party of seamen were therefore landed under the command of Lieutenant Eaton gravers, first of the Imperieuse, who forced his way into the battery in the most gallant style, under a very heavy fire of musketry, obliging more than treble the number of his brave companions to fly in all directions, leaving behind about thirty men and fifty stand of arms. The guns, which were 24-pounders, were then thrown over the cliff, the magazines, &c. destroyed, and the two remaining gun-vessels brought off. ”

“ Being advised to try change of air, Mr. Duncan left Egypt in a transport, Jan. 18, 1803; and after performing full quarantine in the lazaretto at Malta, went on board the Kent 74, lying in Valette harbour, where he continued until an opportunity offered of rejoining his proper ship, in the month of April following; at which period his commission appears to have been confirmed by the Admiralty. The proceedings of the Narcissus, from that time till her departure for England, are sufficiently described in our memoir of her worthy commander [4] . ”

“ On the 17th Aug. following, Captain Duncan then reconnoitring Naples, a squadron consisting of a 74-gun ship, bearing a Commodore’s broad pendant, a frigate, a corvette, thirteen large cutter-rigged gun-boats, and nine smaller ones, got under weigh, apparently with an intention of attacking the Imperieuse and her consort, the Cephalus brig of 18 guns. Captain Duncan allowed them to approach nearly within reach, when the frigate and gun-boats, which formed the lee division, shewed an inclination to annoy him with long shot, and he ordered the brig to wear and meet them ”

“ Unfortunately they never had an opportunity of displaying their skill in so highly desirable a manner; but no battery they were ever opposed to could stand their fire many minutes. We should here remark, that very few of Lord Cochrane’s men were then remaining in the Imperieuse: it is true his Lordship first taught that frigate’s crew how to use great guns with skill and dexterity: it is also certain that Captain Duncan completed them in that important science ”

“ Having put that gentleman on board the Amphion frigate, and placed himself under the orders of Captain Hoste, the subject of this memoir resumed his former station in the Adriatic, where the Mercury’s boats, imitating those of the Porcupine, distinguished themselves by several gallant enterprises, judiciously planned by Captain Duncan, and ably executed by the brave officers and men under his command. The capture of la Leda, Venetian gun-boat, at Rovigno, on the 1st April, and of la Pugliese, French national schooner, in the harbour of Barletta, on the 7th Sept. ”

“ Duncan removed with Captain Donnelly into the Narcissus, a new 32-gun frigate, fitted with Gover’s 24 pounders on the main-deck, and then preparing to receive on board the annual presents for the Dey of Algiers, whose Ambassador she also conveyed to Barbary.
During the peace of Amiens, the Narcissus visited Gibraltar, Algiers, Malta, Toulon, Leghorn, Palermo, Messina, Syracuse, Smyrna, Athens, and most of the Greek islands; captured a large piratical galley [3] , and assisted at the evacuation of Egypt. ”

“ Next morning he wrote a letter to Sir W___ D___ , saying that he thought the duke going to the fleet would leave the Admiral no alternative but that of sending him on; and it would therefore be better to write to Vice-Admiral Thornbrough, and let him know what his Highness’s wishes were, and that the Halcyon brig would sail at 12 o’clock for the fleet, but could not wait longer, even for his despatches. Captain Duncan prevented further remonstrance with himself, by going to sea in the Porcupine. ”

“ Duncan was prevented from joining the naval force employed on that occasion, in consequence of a fever which broke out among his gallant crew, and obliged him to proceed to Mahon, where he was detained from April 10th till May 8th, 1814, previous to which all military operations in Europe had terminated. Providentially, of 250 men who went to the hospital, not a single person died.
The Imperieuse returned to England about the middle of July, 1814; and Captain Duncan, immediately on his arrival, was appointed to the Glasgow, a new frigate, mounting 50 guns ”

“ She proved to be la Conceptione, mounting 4 guns, from Genoa, bound to the island of Cyprus, with bale goods. The British, on this occasion, had 2 men killed and 8 wounded; among the latter was Lieutenant James Renwick, R.M., a most excellent and gallant officer, who received three musket-ball wounds, but happily neither of them proved mortal [10] .
Captain Duncan continued in the Porcupine till Oct. 2, 1808, when he left her at Malta, and proceeded in the Spider brig to join the Mercury of 28 guns, at Messina, the Admiralty having appointed him, without application, to that frigate ”

“ Towards the latter end of the same year, Captain Duncan requested and obtained permission to accompany a squadron under the present Sir Josias Rowley, who was then about to make a descent on the coast of Italy. “The ready and useful assistance” he afforded that officer “on every occasion,” during the subsequent operations at Via Reggio and Leghorn, was duly acknowledged by him in his official despatch, a copy of which will be found at p. ”

“ Total loss on the part of the British, 5 killed and 11 wounded. ↑ The high approbation of the Admiralty was conveyed to Captain Duncan in a letter from their Lordships’ Secretary, dated Jan. 23, 1812. ↑ See p. 293 of this volume. ↑ See Captain Duncan’s official letter to Sir Edward Pellew. ↑ See memoir of Commander Eaton Travers, and p. 423 et seq. of this volume. N.B. Previous to this event, one of Captain Duncan’s squadron had taken a convoy, consisting of 3 gun-boats and 12 merchant vessels; and another captured a large French brig, and a privateer of 3 guns and forty men. ↑ See p. 1001. ”