Captain
Charles Tyler took command of
Meleager in 1790. In 1793 Lieutenant
Thomas Masterman Hardy served aboard her.
Meleager was among the vessels that shared in the capture, on 5 August 1793, cf the
Prince Royal of Sweden.
Meleager was part of the fleet under
Lord Hood that occupied
Toulon in August 1793. With ,
Robust, and , she covered the landing, on 27 August, of 1500 troops sent to remove the republicans occupying the forts guarding the port. Once the forts were secure, the remainder of Hood's fleet, accompanied by 17 Spanish ships-of-the-line that had just arrived, sailed into the harbour. On 16 November she and captured the French gunboat
Ca Ira. In 1794 Sir
George Cockburn commanded her. In early 1794 she was among the British vessels present when
Sir David Dundas captured the town of San Fiorenzo (San Fiurenzu) in the Gulf of
St. Florent in Corsica. There the British found the French frigate
Minerve on 19 February 1794, and were able to refloat her. They then took her into service as a 38-gun
frigate under the name .
Meleager shared in the prize money for both
St Fiorenzo and for the naval stores captured in the town. In April captured the
Mars (3 April) and
Aurora (15 April) in the presence of
Courageux, , , and
Meleager. Next, she took part in
the Battle of Genoa (14 March 1795), and the fight at Hyeres (12 May 1795).
Meleager was among the vessels that shared in the prize money for the ,
Censeur, and
Expedition (formerly ), captured during or after the raid on Genoa. The British returned
Speedy to service. Around this time
Meleager was among the vessels that shared in the capture of the Genoese vessel
Fortuna and the
tartane Concezione. They also captured the Genoese and Venetian
polacres and luggers
Madona del Grazzie e Consolazione,
Volante de Dio,
Madona del Grazzie de Padua,
Buena Forte and another small vessel. On 24 December 1796,
Meleager, , and captured the Spanish vessel
Mejor Amigo. On 2 January 1797, the same vessels plus captured
Nostra Senora de la Misericordia. That same day the same vessels captured the French privateer
Foudroyant, for which head money was paid in August 1801. Also in early 1797,
Meleager was in company with these British vessels and some others when they captured the Spanish ship
San Francisco, which was sold in Lisbon. On 30 January
Meleager was among the eleven vessels that shared in the capture of the
Purissima Conception. Then on 25 February,
Meleager, under Captain Charles Ogle, and captured the Spanish ship
Santa Catalina. At some point
Meleager captured the Spanish ships
St. Natalia and
Cartada, alias
Cubana. In May 1798,
Meleager received the net proceeds of an insurance of £3000 on the Spanish ship
Teresa, which she had captured on 21 February 1797.
Meleager transferred to the
Jamaica station, where she served in the squadron under Admiral Sir
Hyde Parker. In June 1799 she captured a Spanish
settee carrying sugar from
Veracruz to
Cádiz. On 23 and 24 July
Meleager was in company with when they captured the Spanish vessels ''Virgin D'Regla
, Jesus Maria
, and Jose''. Between end-July and end-October 1799
Meleager and
Greyhound captured five more Spanish vessels: • ship
Santa Anna, of 12 guns, 24 men, 320 tons, sailing from Havana to Veracruz with a cargo of wine, wax, tar and the like; • cutter
Vecourso, of two guns, 12 men and 50 tons, sailing from
Nantes to Veracruz with a cargo of steel, bale goods and the like. • brig
Animas sailing from Havana to Veracuz with a cargo of brandy, bales, etc. • schooner
Saint Juan Baptiste sailing from Cádiz to Veracruz with a cargo of wine and cloth. • settee
Saint Miguel y la Virgin de Regla sailing from Cádiz to Veracruz with a cargo of paper, oil, etc. Alone,
Meleager also captured a Dutch schooner sailing from
Jacmel to
Curaçao with a cargo of coffee. Between end-October 1799 and 20 February 1800,
Meleager took a number of prizes: • Dutch schooner
Minette of ten men and 40 tons, sailing with coffee from Jacmel to Curaçao; • Danish schooner
Hazard, of 12 men and 40 tons, sailing from
Aux Cayes to St Thomas with coffee; and • French schooner
Virgin, of 30 tons, sailing from Aux Cayes to St Thomas with coffee and rum.
Meleager destroyed a number of the quite small vessels sailing from Aux Cayes to St Thomas: • French schooner of ten tons with rum; • French boat with rum; • French sloop with rum; • French schooner with coffee; and • Spanish schooner, of 40 tons, sailing in ballast. Then she took as prizes: • Spanish schooner, of 50 tons, sailing in ballast; and • Spanish Schooner
Aimable Marie, of 22 men, 110 tons, sailing from Cádiz to Veracruz with bale goods. Together with she captured: • Spanish vessel
St. Francisco, sailing from Cuba to St. Martha with bale goods; • Spanish vessel
Nostra Senora de los Dolores, sailing from
Portobelo to
Cartagena with tobacco and copper; and • Spanish vessel
Nostra Senora del Carmen, sailing from Saint-Domingue to Cartagena with naval stores. Between 28 February and 20 May,
Meleager captured two small vessels: • Spanish
xebec Pacaro; and • Spanish brig
Maiste, sailing from Veracruz with copper, hides, and soap. Between 20 May and 3 August 1800,
Meleager captured further vessels. First, she detained the American ship
Gadson, which was sailing from Porto Cavello to Charleston with indigo, coffee, and tobacco. Then with
Crescent and
Nimrod she took a Spanish
felucca sailing from Havana to Veracruz and a Spanish xebec sailing from
Campeche to Havana. Next,
Meleager took four more vessels: on the Jamaica station but less than a year later, in 1801, she came under the command of
Thomas Bladen Capel. ==Fate==