Summary of the events concerning Corsica between 1794 and 1796

In 1794 Britain sent a fleet to Corsica under Admiral Samuel Hood. It was during the fighting to capture Calvi the then-Captain Horatio Nelson lost the sight in his right eye. For a short time, Corsica was added to the dominions of King George III, chiefly by the exertions of Hood's fleet, and Paoli's cooperation.

The constitution could be considered democratic for its time. A viceroy represented the King. There was an elected unicameral Parliament, and a Council that was the executive body of the Kingdom.

Sir Gilbert Elliot represented the king's government as viceroy. Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo was procureur-general-syndic (chief of the civil government), and later president of the council of state.

The relationship between Paoli's government and the British was never clearly defined, however, resulting in numerous questions of authority; in particular, tensions arose from the conflict between Sir Gilbert's loyalty to the British monarchy, and Paoli's republican leanings and desire to defend Corsican autonomy. There was also a pronounced division between Corte, the traditional capital and an inland stronghold, and Bastia on the coast, where Sir Gilbert moved the capital in early 1795, and which was the centre for French and Corsican royalists. At last the crown invited Paoli to resign and return to exile in Britain with a pension, which, having no alternative, he did in 1796. With Spain coming in on the side of the French, the British realised their position in the Mediterranean was on precarious hold, so they had to withdraw their forces from the island before October. On October 19, 1796, the French reconquered Bastia and Corsica became a French département

Wikipedia

Gardiner was an Agent for Transports by Navy Board (established 1794) and stationed at the Meditterrenean Coast of Spain & Portugal from Jul 1794, when Corsica is conquered by the English, until Oct 1797

In Oct 1796 the English withdraw their forces from Corsica and also in 1796 Gardiner Henry Guion is sailing in the Mediterranean between Nice and Marseille on "the Tartar"  (see on his chart). (ADM52)

Dec 1797, he arrives in London and writes a  "Request for a leave of absence" to settle his personal afairs. (ADM1/ADM12)

The same year Ann Guion, his mother, resigned as a Matron of the London Hospital (she was appointed 22 Apr 1790)

Obviously Gardiner traveled with Polini on the Tartar from Corsica to probably Gibraltar bef Oct 1796.

Polini probably must have lived on Gibraltar until Gardiner took her to London dec 1797

Jun 1798 Gardiner's aunt Charlotte (Guion) wrote him a letter (ADM12)

3 months later Anne Mary Guion, daughter of Gardiner and Polini, is born 4 Nov 1798 in Sheerness (Census 1851). Almost 4 years later she is baptized on 6 Aug 1802 in St. George the Martyr, Queen Square, Holborn, short after Gardiner Henry married Harriet Grindall Holt on 27 Jul 1802. (See Harriet's last Will, she was buried 17 jul 1806 in Mylor). Most likely Polini must have died in childbirth or short afterwards.

ADM 1/3730
An unspecified marriage register, (but I don't think for the whole Navy).

ADM 1/3730 More Transport Board correspondence.

ADM 1/3730
A letter dated 3 November 1794, from the Transport Board to the Admiralty reporting damage to Tartar, (Army Victualler), sustained on 13 September 1794  whilst in the charge of Captain Hollamby and a consequent delay in her departure for Gibraltar. It is now suggested that she is ready to sail for the Mediterranean.

This is almost certainly William Hollamby who was promoted to Lieutenant on 31 May 1781 and to Commander on 13 Dec 1783.  He is reported to have died in 1794.  I suppose it is reasonable to assume that he died around the time of the accident, (perhaps as a result of),  but this is not stated.

ADM 1/2680
Captain Henry Warre, aboard HMS Mermaid, on 1st April 1795 reports to the Admiralty  the arrival in Guernsey Roads of five transports including Tartar from The Downs.

ADM 1/2894
This is the letter from GHG himself dated 1 Dec 1797 to the Admiralty informing them of his dismissal from the Transport Board and requesting that he be given leave prior to a new posting.

ADM 1/1765
The letter from Captain Elphinston  dated 7 March 1798, requesting that GHG be appointed to Diomede under his command.

ADM 6/429

Sheerness Dockyard Church, Kent; baptisms (1688-1798), marriages (1744), burials (1730-1806). Minster-in-Sheppey, Kent; baptisms, marriages and burials (Oct 1808 -Apr 1809).
Covering dates 1688-1809

In 1795, GHG again appears, this time as the subject of a letter by a Captain under the heading of Transports. (This reference has still to be followed).

There was nothing in 1796 but in 1797 in Lieutenants' Letters I found a reference marked 'Leave' and dated 1 Dec 1797. Please see below for further details.

In 1798, there was a 'Promiscuous' reference, (it means 'Miscellaneous' in this context), from Charlotte Guion about her nephew.  The letter was dated 29 June 1798 but I regret to tell you that Promiscuous correspondence was discarded in 1808.

Also in 1798, there was another Captain's letter about GHG's appointment to HMS Diomede. (This reference has still to be followed).

The 1st December 1797 letter is handwritten by Gardiner Henry Guion, Lieut who in a letter to Evan Nepean, (Secretary to the Admiralty), says 'inter alia' that he was dismissed by the Agent for Transports on 29th Nov 1797 and now requests two months leave as he had been continuoulsy abroad for three years. A clerical note dated 4 December says that he is to be granted two months leave to settle his affairs. (I arranged for a photocopy of this letter).  Have you seen a copy of this before?

These dates show that GHG was in service with the Agent for Transports as late as 29th November, long after HMS Tartar had sunk which further confirms that if he was on a vessel called Tartar, it was not that one.

Apart from the references which I have so far not followed, (but could do so if you wish), there is the question of trying to locate the Hired Vessel Tartar which will  not be easy and indeed may be impossible. I have also identified the following records which may be of interest:

ADM 36/11544 is the Muster roll for HMS Tartar during 1797, I searched both the crew and the supernumeraries' (passenger) lists, but Gardiners' name was in neither. I did notice that the Captain's name was Elphinstone.

ADM 36/11912
I then searched the muster roll for HMS Boston to follow Daniel's Career, This shows that Daniel joined HMS Stately following his discharge from HMS Boston in February 1793 - There is a conflict of dates between the muster roll and the Lieutenants' passing certificate here.

ADM 36/12110
This is the muster roll for HMS Stately from February 1793 - January 1794. As Daniel Oliver Guion was not listed here, I also searched ADM 36/12111, (February 1794 -January 1795) and was unable to find him in this muster book either. Therefore I have been unable to trace Daniel's service any further.

ADM 36, (ships' musters), searched for Tartar

I am convinced that this is HMS Tartar as distinct from another vessel called Tartar chartered by the Transport/Victualling Board. I do not think that GHG was aboard this vessel.  However, my earlier view that if she was in the Atlantic or the Indies then she could be eliminated has not emerged.
She was in the Mediterranean at least until May 1796.

I again studied your map which shows GHG and the Tartar off the French coast in 1796, (although I cannot see a more precise date) and this track is not reflected in the log of HMS Tartar that I could see in the time I had available.

However, I noted the other marking on the chart which seems to say that GHG was on a vessel called Tribune, presumably on a different occasion.

ADM 107

I found that Gardiner Henry was awarded his Lieutenants' passing certificate on 17th April 1794, additionally his date of death was indicated as 27th September 1832, unfortunately, the actual passing certificate, which I had expected to find in ADM 107/18 was not available.
I had another look for Gardiner's passing certificate and found that the index to ADM 107 was misleading and that I should not have looked in ADM 107/18 but in the one for 1793 which is held in ADM 107/17. On searching this record, I found Gardiner's passing certificate and an accompanying baptismal certificate showing that he had been baptised at St Olave's, Hart Street, London on 1st April 1772 and the parents were Daniel and Ann (the same as for Daniel).

ADM 107/18
This document contains the Lieutenants passing certificate for Daniel Oliver Guion, a photocopy of which is enclosed. The search showed Daniel's service up to 14th February 1794, when he was aboard HMS Boston.

ADM 108/5, (1796), for IN letters to the TRANSPORT BOARD.

ADM 108/29 (1794 to 1799), for OUT letters from the Transport Board to Overseas Agents. A lot of this file was taken up with instructions to officers/agents on transferring money from UK to POWs (Prisoners of War) in France, but I could not see any involvement of GHG.

ADM 108/148, (Transport Board Ships' Ledgers, 1793 to 1799)
Here I found an entry for Tartar which clearly showed that she was a vessel chartered by the Victualling Board, ( subsidiary of the Transport Board), from 12 July 1794 to 3 May 1800.  The Master was James Crichton and the vessel was owned by Geo. Brown & Co. In view of this very clear evidence that Tartar had served with the Transport Board, I returned to musters of the Tartar.  I chose a different, (later), one from the one I copied and sent to you in ADM 36/11544, which was for the latter part of 1797. Again, GHG was not onboard.

After some reflection, I decided that there must be two Tartars. I referred to Colledge's List of Ships of the Royal Navy and to Lyon's British Sailing Ships and found that HMS Tartar had sunk off St Domingo, (in the West Indies), in January 1797. This did not comply with the information you had about the Tartar operating in Mediterranean waters. There was another Tartar shown in Lyon's as a Hired Vessel, but with no other details.  I returned to the indices to ADM 36, (ships' musters), and ADM 53, (ships' logs),  but could not find a second Tartar. Actually, very few hired vessels appear in these records and as ADM 108/148 had indicated that James Crichton was MASTER of the Tartar in Victualling Board service, I finally grasped that the hired vessel was not Royal Navy but probably Merchant Navy.