but a few days before his death, and was among the presents on the table, related that, showing it to a friend, Sir James had exclaimed, "This is the close of my labours." — As its distinguished author was now removed from the possibility of receiving the customary vote of thanks, His Lordship concluded, by proposing that the grateful feelings of the Society might be expressed to Lady Smith for this last gift of their revered President.

319

No. XXIV.

SIR THOMAS BOULDEN THOMPSON,

KNIGHT AND BARONET, AND GRAND CROSS OF THE MOST HONOURABLE MILITARY ORDER OF THE BATH; VICE-ADMIRAL OF THE RED; TREASURER OF GREENWICH HOSPITAL; A DIRECTOR OF THE CHEST; AND A VISITOR OF THE WEST INDIA NAVAL SCHOOL.

THIS

HIS gallant officer was born at Barham, in the county of Kent, on the 28th of February, 1766. His father, Mr. Boulden, married the sister of the late Commodore Edward Thompson, an officer of very distinguished eminence, and a gentleman extensively known both in the polite and in the literary world.

In the month of June, 1778, Mr. Thomas Boulden's uncle, by whom he had been tutored from his infancy, was appointed to the command of the Hyæna frigate; and at the same time his nephew, assuming the name of Thompson, and having previously been borne on the books of a King's ship, entered into active service on board of the same vessel, which was mostly employed on the home station until January, 1780, when she accompanied the fleet under Sir George B. Rodney to the relief of Gibraltar, from whence she returned to England with the duplicates of that officer's despatches relative to the capture of a Spanish convoy, and the subsequent defeat of Don Juan de Langara.

In the following year we find Mr. Thompson serving in the West Indies, on which station he, on the 14th of January, 1782, obtained a Lieutenancy; and being intrusted with the command of a small schooner, distinguished himself by capturing a French privateer of very superior force.

Some time after the termination of the colonial war, he joined the Grampus, of 50 guns, bearing the broad pendant of his uncle, who had been nominated to the chief command on the coast of Africa; and on the death of Commodore Thompson in 1786, he was promoted by his successor to the command of the Nautilus sloop, in which he continued about twelve months, when he returned to England, and was paid off. His post commission bears date Nov. 22. 1790.

From this period we find no mention of the subject of cur memoir, until his appointment to the Leander, rated at 50, but mounting 60 guns, at the latter end of 1796. In that vessel he joined the Mediterranean fleet, then under the orders of Earl St. Vincent; and shortly after his arrival at Gibraltar was selected to accompany Sir Horatio Nelson on an expedition against Santa Cruz, in the attempt upon which place he was among the wounded.

The rumoured arrival at Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe, of the Viceroy of Mexico, with some treasure ships from South America, bound to Cadiz, and the represented vulnerability of that town to a well-conducted attack by sea, induced Earl St. Vincent to attempt the enterprise; and he accordingly detached upon that service a squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral Nelson, consisting of the Theseus, Culloden, and Zealous, 74s; Seahorse, Emerald, and Terpsichore, frigates; Fox, cutter; and one mortar-boat; to which was afterwards added the Leander, the local knowledge of whose Captain was chiefly relied upon by the Commander-in-Chief, as appears from the following extract of a letter written by the noble Earl to Sir Horatio Nelson:

-

"My dear Admiral, - If I obtain a reinforcement of four ships of the line, as I have reason to believe I shall, from the strong manner I put the necessity of the measure in my public letter to Nepean, and private correspondence with Lord Spencer, I will detach you with the Theseus, Culloden, Zealous, Leander, Emerald, and Andromache, with orders to attempt the surprise of Santa Cruz, in the Grand Canary. Terpsichore Bowen shall also be of the party; but I rely chiefly on

the local knowledge of Captain Thompson of the Leander. Turn this in your mind; for the moment the expected ships arrive, I will dash you off."

The plan of attack was, that the boats should land in the night, between the fort on the N. E. side of Santa Cruz bay and the town, make themselves masters of that fort, and then send a summons to the Governor. By midnight, on the 20th of July, 1797, the three frigates, cutter, and mortar-boat, having the party of seamen and marines on board which was intended for this debarkation, approached within three miles of the place; but owing to a gale of wind in the offing, and a strong current against them in-shore, they were not able to approach within a mile of the landing-place before daybreak; and then being seen, their intention was discovered. It was now resolved, that an attempt should be made to get possession of the heights above the fort. The men were accordingly landed under the orders of Captain Troubridge; each Captain, under his direction, commanding the detachment of seamen from his own ship, and Captain Oldfield of the marines the entire detachment from that corps, he being the senior marine officer present; the line-of-battle ships stood in at the same time to batter the fort, for the purpose of distracting the attention of the garrison: circumstances, however, prevented them from getting within a league of the shore; and the heights were by this time so secured, and manned with such a force, as to be judged impracticable. Thus foiled in his plans by wind and tide, Sir Horatio Nelson still considered it a point of honour that some attempt should be made. This was on the 22d of July; he re-embarked his men that night, got the ships, on the 24th, the day on which he was joined by the Leander, to anchor about two miles N.E. of the town, and made show as if he intended to attack the heights. At eleven P. M. the boats of the squadron, containing about 700 seamen and marines, with 180 on board the Fox cutter, and from 70 to 80 in a boat which had been taken the day before, numbering, with a small detachment of royal artillery, under Lieutenant Baynes of that corps, about 1100 men, commanded by the Rear-Ad

miral in person, proceeded in six divisions towards the town. They were to land on the mole, and thence hasten as fast as possible into the Great Square; then form, and proceed as should be found expedient. They were not discovered till about 1 30' A.M., when, being within half gun-shot of the landing-place, Sir Horatio directed the boats to cast off from each other, give a huzza, and push for the shore. But the Spaniards were excellently well prepared; the alarm-bells answered the huzza, and a tremendous fire from 30 or 40 pieces of cannon, with musketry from one end of the town to the other, opened upon the invaders. The Fox received a shot under water, and instantly sunk, by which unfortunate circumstance Lieutenant Gibson, her commander, and 96 of the brave fellows that were on board, met a watery grave. Another shot struck the Rear-Admiral on the right elbow, just as he was drawing his sword, and in the act of stepping out of his barge. Nothing, however, could check the intrepidity with which the assailants advanced.

The night was exceedingly dark; most of the boats missed the mole, and went on shore through a raging surf, which stove all to the left of it. The Captains Thompson, Freemantle, and Bower, and four or five other boats, found the mole, and instantly stormed and carried it, defended, as it was by about 400 men, and six 24-pounders. Having spiked these, they were about to advance, when a heavy fire of musketry and grape-shot from the citadel and the houses at the mole-head mowed them by scores. Here the gallant Captain Richard Bowen, of the Terpsichore met a glorious death; and here, indeed, fell nearly the whole of the party, by death or wounds.

Meanwhile, Captain Troubridge, of the Culloden, having missed the mole in the darkness, pushed on shore under a battery close to the south end of the citadel. Captain Waller, of the Emerald, and two or three other boats, landed at the same time. The surf was so high, that many others put back; and all that did not were instantly swamped, and most of the ammunition in the men's pouches was wetted. Having