1794 — 1798 .]

HONORARY MEDALS.

21

On the 11th of October in the same year, Admiral Adam Duncan havingdefeated the Dutch Fleet off Camperdown, the two Admirals who were in theengagement were presented with the Large Medal, namely, Admiral Duncanand Vice-Admiral Richard Onslow; and the fourteen following Captains re-ceived the small Medal; Captain William Bligh, of the Director; Sir ThomasByard, Knight, of the Bedford; William O’Brien Drury, of the Powerful;William Henry Essington, of the Triumph; William George Fairfax, of theVenerable; George Gregory, of the Veteran; William Hotham, of the Ada-mant; John Inglis, of the Belliqueux; John Knight, of the Montagu;William Mitchell, of the Isis; Edward O’Brien, of the Monarch; HenryTrollope, of the Russell; James Walker, of the Monmouth; and John Wells,of the Lancaster. 5 Captain Richard Rundell Burgess, of the Ardent, fellin the action; and the manner in which the Medal, to which he wouldhave been entitled, was disposed of has not been discovered. The Medalswere inscribed, mutatis mutandis, thus, John wells esquire captain ofH. M. S. THE LANCASTER ON THE 11 OF OCTOBER 1797. THE DUTCH FLEETDEFEATED.

The decisive victory, by the Squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nel-son, 'K.B. over the French Fleet at the Nile on the 1st of August 1798, causedanother distribution of the Naval Medal. The Large Medal was conferred uponLord Nelson, and the smaller one on the thirteen Captains of Ships of the Line,namely, Captain Alexander John Ball, of the Alexander; Edward Berry, ofthe Vanguard; Henry D’Esterre Darby, of the Bellerophon; Thomas Foley,of the Goliah; Davidge Gould, of the Audacious ; Benjamin Hallowed, ofthe Swiftsure; Samuel Hood, of the Zealous; Thomas Louis, of the Mino-taur ; Ralph Willett Miller, of the Theseus; John Peyton, of the Defence;Sir James Saumarez, Knight, of the Orion; Thomas Boulden Thompson, ofthe Leander ; and Thomas Troubridge, of the Culloden. The last named shiphaving unfortunately grounded on a shoal, was prevented from taking herpart in the conflict; and a doubt arose whether Captain Troubridge wasstrictly entitled to the Medal, the distribution of which had always been con-fined to Captains who were actually engaged. Lord Nelson, however, with

5 The only Captain that did not receive the Medal for the Battle of Camperdown, was JohnWilliamson of the “ Agincourt,” who was tried by a Court Martial for misconduct in the Action, andsentenced to be placed at the bottom of the list of Captains, and rendered incapable of any Navalemployment.