Frank Austen's Family
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Francis William Austen [1] continued.
... prevent a Turkish line-of-battle ship of 80 guns, aground near the island of Aboukir, from falling into the hands of the French, 300 of whom had already commenced the work of plunder – but were driven off and their prize set on fire. The Capitan Pasha not long afterwards testified the sense he entertained of the performance by presenting Capt. Austen with a handsome sabre and pelisse.
In October of the same year (having been promoted to Post-rank on the 13th of the previous May, in consequence of the action off Marseilles) the subject of this memoir resigned the command of the 'Peterel' and returned home, where, on August 29th 1801 he became Flag-Captain in the 'Neptune' of 98 guns – to his patron Vice-Admiral Jas. Gambier, with whom he served until October 1802. At the renewal of hostilities in 1803 we find him employed at Ramsgate in raising a body of Sea Fencibles, the command of which he retained until May 7th 1804 when he was appointed to the 'Leopard' of 50 guns, flag-ship off Boulogne of Sir Thos. Louis.
On subsequently accompanying the same officer into the 'Canopus' of 80 guns, he shared in Lord Nelson's celebrated pursuit of the combined squadrons to the West Indies – and for the part he eventually bore in the action off St Domingo was presented with a gold medal, the thanks of both Houses of Parliament (in common with others) and a vase worth £100 from the Patriotic Society at Lloyds.
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