Eyre was then unemployed for a while, with the exception of a brief period in temporary command of from 11 February to 18 March 1801, succeeding Thomas Hardy and in turn being succeeded by William Wolseley. He finally received a posting in July 1806 when he was appointed to the 64-gun , but was soon moved to command the newly built 74-gun . "Magnificent" initially served with the Channel Fleet, which was then under Admiral Lord St Vincent, before going out to the Bay of Biscay with Sir Eliab Harvey's squadron. Eyre moved to the Mediterranean in June 1807, coming under Lord Collingwood's orders while based off Cadiz. With the Spanish rising on 2 May 1808 and the surrender of the French squadron in Cadiz on 14 June, Collingwood sent Eyre to patrol off Toulon. Shortly afterwards he was sent to Rosas to support the Spanish there, and several days later evacuated Lord Cochrane and his garrison from Fort Trinidad.