We all pray, sincerely pray, for your recovery-may the Lord be pleased for to heal your Wounds quickly, that you may be able to obtain all that so good and so brave a Commander as you are is worthy of-believe us, my good Sir, that there is not a man in the Ship's Crew that would not risk his life in your defence. We humbly request your honor will excuse our troubling you in your present situation. We remain your ever obedient and humble Servants, (Signed) "Petty Officers and Seamen of his Majesty's Sloop Sparrow." This letter requires no comment; but we cannot refrain from adding, that when Captain Tayler was hoisted over the side, to go to sick-quarters, every sailor and marine in the brig shed tears. The first lieutenant, of whose treatment they complained, is now no more. Captain Tayler was landed at Plymouth, Aug. 9, 1813, at which time his shattered bones were protruding about four inches through the integuments of the leg, accompanied with a laceration and destruction of the surrounding fleshy parts, more extensive than any injury of the kind (where the limb was saved) that had ever come under the observation of Dr. Andrew Baird, then an Inspector of Naval Hospitals, who says, "I can never forget the tranquillity of mind he evinced, and the patient resignation with which he bore his long confinement and severe sufferings, to which may be ascribed his recovery." It is also certified by Stephen Love Hammick, Esq. the late surgeon of Plymouth hospital, through whose great practical skill, and constant kind attention, Captain Tayler was at length enabled to go about upon crutches, "that he was confined to his bed for twenty-eight weeks, without having it once made up ;" nor was he sufficiently recovered to leave that institution till May 26, 1814: "the present appearance of the leg will prove the extent of his sufferings and danger; it has become considerably shortened, and is greatly exposed to inflammation, so as to render his situation much less fortunate than if it had been altogether removed." Captain Tayler was advanced to post rank Aug. 6, 1813; granted a pension of 2007., since increased to 2507. per annum, Nov. 12, 1814; and nominated a C. B. in Oct. 1815. On the latter occasion, he received a letter from his early patron and steadfast friend, of which the following is a copy: "Dear Sir, I need not assure you of the infinite satisfaction afforded me by the information which I received some days ago from Lord Melville, of the intention of H. R H. the Prince Regent to confer upon you a mark of distinction, in consideration of your zealous and meritorious services. I am, dear Sir, Your sincere friend, "SIDMOUTH." In addition to the above honorable rewards, the Patriotic Society voted Captain Tayler 1007. for the purchase of a sword or vase; and the Corporation of Devizes presented him with the freedom of that borough, in a manner highly gratifying to his feelings. Captain Tayler has always been considered the first broadswordsman in the naval service; and the very same exercise which he introduced in the Leopard, Maida, Spencer, Heroine, Goldfinch, and Sparrow, has since been adopted at the Horse Guards; but even there some superior cuts are not known, that he is able to shew. During his voyage from the West Indies to England, in 1811, he framed a code of signals, to be made by means of telegraphic SHADES instead of FLAGS; and invented a transporting carriage for ships' guns, when landed for field service, the want of which was much felt by the naval brigade at Copenhagen: his improved sights for sea-ordnance we have already noticed. Since the peace, he has submitted different plans to the Admiralty, with many practical observations on naval gunnery; the following is an extract of his correspondence : 66 "My Lords,-Having lately read a publication by Sir Howard Douglas and Colonel Congreve on naval gunnery, exhibiting a new invention of sights for ships' guns, I beg to call your lordships' attention to a similar plan I had the honor of transmitting to the Board of Admiralty in the year 1815. Presuming, from the silence observed, that their lordships did not deem it prudent to bring into general practice any important improvements made during peace, I refrained from troubling them with other plans connected therewith; but as Sir H. Douglas's publication is now sanctioned by your lordships, I beg leave to know if it is correct that a committee of naval officers are employed arranging a new system of naval gunnery; and if so, whether any practical experiments made during the war will be deemed useful for their information * * * * *. I gave the sights I invented on board the Sparrow to Captain John Parish, in the year 1812, and he states, that after witnessing the surprising precision with which the captains of the guns fired, he called a boy, and directed him to fire when the sights were in one with the object-the boy levelled the gun and shot away the flag-staff, notwithstanding the vessel had considerable motion. When practising on board the Sparrow, three successive shot passed through the aperture made by the first shot in the centre of a target. In stating these facts to your lordships, I merely wish to attach this invention to the naval service. This officer's eldest brother, Lieutenant Samuel Tayler, of the 13th light dragoons, was killed in Portugal; another, Major Thomas Tayler, of the Bengal 9th native infantry, died in the East Indies. His sister is the widow of the Rev. Bowen Thickens, of Broughton Hall, near Lechdale, Gloucestershire. Agents.-Messrs. Maude and Co. JOHN FORDYCE MAPLES, Esq. A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. ENTERED the navy, as a midshipman on board the Triumph 74, commanded by the late Admiral Philip Affleck, Oct. 5, 1782; and subsequently had the honor of serving with Prince William Henry (now Duke of Clarence) in the Hebe frigate, bearing the broad pendant of the Hon. J. Leve. son Gower *. He afterwards joined the Blonde 32, Captain William Affleck; and removed from her to the Centurion 50, flag-ship of his early patron, on the Jamaica station, in 1791 †. On the 16th April, 1793, Mr. Maples, then master's-mate of the Penelope 32, Captain Bartholomew S. Rowley, assisted at the capture of le Golan French corvette, and in Sept. following, he was present at the occupation of Jeremie, St. Domingo, by the naval and military forces under Commodore Ford and Lieutenant-Colonel Whitelocke; also at the capture of about 2000 tons of shipping laden with colonial pro * See Vol. I. Part I. pp. 7 and 167 duce, two neutral vessels with cargoes, and an armed schooner, in the bays near St. Louis. On the 25th Nov. l'Inconstante frigate, struck her tri-coloured flag to the Penelope and Iphigenia, after exchanging a few broadsides, and sustaining a loss of 6 men killed and 21, including her captain, wounded. In this affair, the former British ship had 1 man slain and 7 wounded. At the commencement of 1794, the Penelope was employed in the blockade of Port-au-Prince; and soon afterwards in covering the debarkation of the troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Whitelocke, near Cape Tiberoon. She subsequently engaged the batteries of Aux Cayes, and brought out from thence several loaded merchantmen. Mr. Maples next joined the Europa 50, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Ford, at Cape Nichola Mole, where he appears to have been employed for several weeks, in a fort named after that officer, by whom he was appointed lieutenant of la Magicienne 32, a few days subsequent to the reduction of Port-au-Prince, which took place June 4, 1794*. La Magicienne's loss by yellow fever, while co-operating with the army under Brigadier-General Whyte, in the vain attempt to complete the subjugation of the French posts in St. Domingo, amounted to about 70 officers and men. In the spring of 1796, la Magicienne, then commanded by Captain William Henry Ricketts, was employed off Havre, under the orders of Sir W. Sidney Smith; and in the ensuing autumn, we find her returning to the Jamaica station, where she soon made many captures. Among them were le Cerf Volant corvette, having on board despatches for the French Directory, and delegates from the southern department of St. Domingo to the National Assembly; la Fortune privateer, of 8 guns and 74 men; le Poisson Volant, of 12 guns and 80 In Jan. and men; and two Spanish brigs, laden with cocoa. Feb. 1797, her boats, under the command of Lieutenant Maples, cut out two French privateers and a Spanish armed brig from different anchorages at the west end of Porto Rico; * See Vol. I. Part II. note † at p. 805 et seq. and on the 6th April following, in conjunction with those of the Regulus 44, they effected the destruction of eleven sail of merchantmen in the harbour of Cape Roxo, spiked 4 guns on shore, and brought out two vessels, without the loss of a man. At this period, Mr. Maples was first lieutenant of la Magicienne. A "spirited and well-timed attack" subsequently made upon an armed sloop and some schooners, employed as transports, by which the whole of our western possessions in St. Domingo were prevented from falling into the hands of the enemy, is thus officially described by Captain Ricketts :— "La Magicienne, in Carcasse bay, April 24, 1797. "On Sunday the 23d instant, when doubling Cape Tiberoon, in company with the Regulus and Fortune, schooner, we discovered a 6-gun sloop and four schooners at anchor in this bay, which convinced me that the post of Irois was attacked. Soon after, the alarm gun was fired at the fort. As no time was to be lost in endeavouring to counteract the views of the enemy, we stood in and anchored; then commenced a heavy cannonade, and had the good fortune, in a short time, to drive them into the mountains. Their field-pieces, ammunition, provisions, and vessels laden with necessaries for carrying on the siege, fell into our hands. "The good conduct of every officer and man belonging to our little squadron, manifested itself upon this occasion, as well as upon many others since I have had the honor to command it. I have to regret the loss of 4 men killed, and Mr. Morgan, master's-mate, and 10 men wounded in la Magicienne's boat, when endeavouring to tow out the sloop." That vessel was boarded and taken in tow, by Lieutenant Maples, under a tremendous fire of round shot, grape, and musketry. On the 28th Sept. following, he had 2 men badly wounded in an unsuccessful attack upon some small privateers at Porto Paix; and he also commanded the boats of la Magicienne at the capture of one, mounting 2 guns, near Cape Causedo, Dec. 22, in the same year. Five days afterwards, le Brutus of 9 guns, a merchant ship, three brigs, and a schooner, were taken in Guadilla bay, Porto Rico, by the squadron under Captain Ricketts. The frigate, on this latter occasion, had 5 men wounded. La Magicienne and her consorts were next employed in dislodging a large body of brigands, who had established themselves in Platform bay, and began to fortify an eminence |