During Jervis’s command, the Foudroyant was continuously attached to the Channel Fleet, whose duty, as the name implies, was to protect the English Channel and its approaches; a function which often carried the ships far into the Bay of Biscay.  Thus he took a prominent part in Keppel’s battle off Ushant in 1778, in the movements occasioned by the entrance into the Channel of an overpowering Franco-Spanish fleet in 1779 and 1781, and in the brilliant relief of Gibraltar by Admiral Howe towards the end of 1782.  His most distinguished service, however, was taking, single-handed, the French seventy-four Pegase, in the spring of the latter year.  The capture was effected after an action of fifty minutes, preceded by a chase of twelve hours, running before a half-gale of wind.  The Foudroyant was unquestionably superior in battery to her enemy, who, moreover, had but recently been commissioned; but, as has justly been remarked of some of the victories of our own ships over those of the British in the War of 1812, although there was disparity of forces, the precision and rapidity with which the work was done bore incontrovertible testimony to the skill and training of the captain and crew.  Single combats, such as this, were rare between vessels of the size of the Foudroyant and Pegase, built to sail and fight in fleets.  That one occurred here was due to the fact that the speed of the two opponents left the British squadron far astern.  The exploit obtained for Jervis a baronetcy and the ribbon of the Order of the Bath.

Sir John Jervis did not serve afloat during the ten years of peace following 1783, although, from his high repute, he was one of those summoned upon each of the alarms of war that from time to time arose.  Throughout this period he sat in Parliament, voting steadily with his party, the Whigs, and supporting Fox in his opposition to measures which seemed to tend towards hostilities with France.  When war came, however, he left his seat, ready to aid his country with his sword in the quarrel from which he had sought to keep her.

Having in the mean time risen from the rank of captain to that of rear-and of vice-admiral, Jervis’s first service, in 1794, was in the Caribbean Sea, as commander of the naval part of a joint expedition of army and navy to subdue the French West India islands.  The operation, although most important and full of exciting and picturesque incident, bears but a small share in his career, and therefore may not be dwelt upon in so short a sketch as the present aims to be.  Attended at first by marked and general success, it ended with some severe reverses, occasioned by the force given him being less than he demanded, and than the extent of the work to be done required.  A quaintly characteristic story is told of the admiral’s treatment of a lieutenant who at this period sought employment on board his ship.  Knowing that he stood high in the old seaman’s favor, the applicant confidently expected his appointment, but, upon opening the “letter on service,” was stunned to read:—­