f her; and she also bore his lordship's
flag on the first of June. After which she was sent to the
Mediterranean, and was the flag-ship of the commander in chief on that
station. In March, 1800, she was despatched by that nobleman to
reconnoitre the island of Cabrera, about thirty leagues from Leghorn,
then in the possession of the French, and which it was his lordship's
intention to attack. On the morning of the 17th the ship was
discovered to be on fire, at the distance of three or four leagues
from Leghorn. Every assistance was promptly forwarded from the shore,
but a number of boats, it appears, were deterred from approaching the
wreck, in consequence of the guns, which were shotted, and which, when
heated by the fire, discharged their contents in every direction.

The only consolation that presents itself under the pressure of so
calamitous a disaster is, that it was not the effect either of
treachery or wilful neglect, as will appear by the following official
statement of the carpenter:--

"Mr. John Braid, carpenter of the Queen Charlotte, reports, that
twenty minutes after 6 o'clock in the morning, as he was dressing
himself he heard throughout the ship a general cry of 'fire.' On which
he immediately ran up the after-ladder to get upon deck, and found the
whole half-deck, the front bulk-head of the admiral's cabin, the
main-mast's coat, and boat's covering on the booms, all in flames;
which, from every report and probability, he apprehends was occasioned
by some hay, which was lying under the half-deck, having been set on
fire by a match in a tub, which was usually kept there for signal
guns.--The main-sail at this time was set, and almost entirely caught
fire; the people not being able to come to the clue garnets on account
of the flames.

"He immediately went to the fore-castle, and found Lieut. Dundas and
the boatswain encouraging the people to get water to extinguish the
fire. He applied to Mr. Dundas, seeing no other officer in the
fore-part of the ship (and being unable to see any on the
quarter-deck, from the flames and smoke between them) to give him
assistance to drown the lower-decks, and secure the hatches, to
prevent the fire falling down. Lieut. Dundas accordingly went down
himself, with as many people as he could prevail upon to follow him:
and the lower-deck ports were opened, the scuppers plugged, the main
and fore-hatches secured, the cocks turned, and water drawn in at the
ports, and the pu