Records of the clan and name of Fergusson, Ferguson and Fergus

286 CLAN FERGUSSON
services which Captain Ferguson of the Brane was charged with,
preparatory to, and in the progress of the various movements of
the army, from the time of the first descent on York Island.")
('In the month of March 1777 he commanded the naval part of
an expedition sent up the North river to demolish an American
magazine at Peek's Hill, a service that was very completely and
successfully executed.)
' On quitting the Brune, as we believe him to have done in the
West Indies, whither he was ordered in 1779, he was appointed to
the Venus, of 36 guns, one of the ships then employed on the
same station, where he also distinguished himself at the time of the
encounter that took place, in the month of April 1780, between the
fleet commanded by Sir George Rodney and the Count de Guichen.
He acquitted himself no less honourably than he had done under
Lord Howe, and is most distinguishedly mentioned by the Com-
mander-in-Chief in his despatches. " When night came on," says
he, " I formed the fleet in a line of battle ahead, and ordered the
Venus and Greyhound frigates to keep between his Majesty's and
the enemy's fleet to watch their motions, which was admirably
well attended to by that good and veteran officer, Captain Fer-
guson." Immediately after the foregoing event this gentleman was
appointed to the Intrepid as successor to Captain St. John, who was
killed from that ship. He afterwards removed into the Terrible, of
74 guns, one of the line-of-battle ships employed on the same
station. He accompanied the admiral to North America on the
approach of the hurricane months, but nothing sufficiently memor-
able to demand our notice took place during the time he was absent
there, or indeed after his return to the West Indies, till the capture
of St. Eustatia. This too being effected without any resistance on
the part of the Dutch, is to be mentioned merely as an occurrence.
In the month of April following he was present, under Sir Samuel
Hood, at the encounter with the French fleet off the island of
Martinico, but the action, owing to the extreme caution of the
Count de Grasse and his wish of avoiding the contest, having been
extremely partial, the Terrible was one of the ships which was very
trivially, if at all engaged. Captain Ferguson resigned his com-
mand, and returned to England very soon after this time, nor do
we believe him ever to have taken upon him any subsequent one
till the month of June 1782, when he was appointed to the
Egmont, one of the ships then under equipment for the main or
Channel fleet. He accompanied Lord Howe in this ship to Gib-