Alexander Colville , 7th Lord Colville of Culross Vice - Admiral Alexander Colville , 7th Lord of Culross ( also spelled Colvill ) ( 28 February 1717 – 21 May 1770 ) served as the Commodore and Commander in Chief of His Majesty ' s Ship ' s and Vessels in North America from 1757 to 1762 . Colville is known for his well - preserved series of detailed , well written , letters to various other military leaders , his family , the King , and other influential people . These letters have provided more historical information about that time period than many other forms available . His writing was so prolific , that many of his letters can still be found in antique shop s from London , to Halifax to New York City . He is a poorly - remembered , but important , contributor to the UK control of the North American seas and the battles of the Seven Years ' War . Early career . Colville joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer in 1732 . in 1739 he was present at the sieges of Portobelo in Panama and of Cartagena in Colombia during the War of Jenkins ' Ear . In 1740 he was given command of HMS " Leopard " in which ship he captured or destroyed many enemy ships . Seven Years ' War . Attack on Louisbourg . Colvill came to Canada during the summer of 1757 with the rank of Captain R . N . , in command of the 70 gun HMS " Northumberland " , which formed part of Vice - Admiral Holburne ' s fleet ordered to attack Louisbourg . The attack was called off due to the strength of the French fleet , and because the British squadron had been caught and scattered by a September hurricane . On 14 November 1757 , Colville assumed command at Halifax with the rank of Commodore as instructed by Holburne . He remained in Halifax over the winter flying his broad pendant in the " Northumberland " ( Capt . Henry Martin , R . N . ) . On 19 March 1758 , Rear - Admiral Sir Charles Hardy arrived at Halifax from England and took over the squadron with instructions from Vice - Admiral Edward Boscawen to blockade Louisbourg . Colville reverted to Captain and re - assumed command of the " Northumberland " in which he served under Boscawen at the successful Siege of Louisbourg . He returned to England with Boscawen , spent the winter there , and came out to Louisbourg again in the spring of 1759 , arriving on 14 May still in command of the " Northumberland " . Siege of Quebec . He served at the siege of Quebec as part of Rear - Admiral Philip Durell ’ s force of great ships which patrolled the Gulf of St . Lawrence during the campaign . On 16 October 1759 , Colville was appointed by Vice - Admiral Charles Saunders , to the position of Commander - in - Chief in North America with the rank of Commodore . He spent the winter at Halifax , flying his broad pendant in the " Northumberland " , ( Capt . W . Adams ) . In April 1760 , he led his squadron to Quebec to find that a small force under Captain Swanton on HMS " Vanguard " had relieved the British garrison which was under attack by 11 , 000 French troops commanded by General Lévis . Colville remained in St . Lawrence until early October when , observing that Vaudreuil surrendered Canada to General Amherst , he dispersed the ships and returned to Halifax , sailing from the Île d ' Orléans on 13 October and arriving in Halifax 24 October . Next day HMS " Greyhound " arrived with Admiralty instructions for Swanton to relieve Colville as Commander - in - Chief , with the rank of Commodore . Swanton had been instructed by Colville to escort the transports to England as soon as the French prisoners were on board — a date estimated to be 20 October . The " Greyhound " was therefore sent back to the St . Lawrence to look for the " Vanguard " with instructions to return to England if the latter had sailed . Colville reported that he would carry on as Commander - in - Chief until relieved . Swanton was not found and Colville spent his third winter in command at Halifax , still a Commodore and still in the " Northumberland " . Burying the Hatchet Ceremony . He remained as Commander - in - Chief over the winter of 1761 / 62 . On June 25 , 1761 , he participated in the “ Burying the Hatchet ceremony ( Nova Scotia ) ” that was held at Governor Jonathan Belcher ’ s garden on present - day Spring Garden , Halifax in front of the Court House . The ceremony ended seventy years of warfare between the Mi ' kmaq and the British . Relief of St . John ' s , Newfoundland . He went to the relief of St . John ' s , Newfoundland in August 1762 . Finally he got back to England in the autumn of that year and was promoted Rear - Admiral of the White on 21 October 1762 . In January 1763 he took over from Rear Admiral Philip Durell as Port Admiral at Plymouth . Return to Halifax . After less than a year in the United Kingdom Colville was again appointed to the North American Station in June 1763 . He sailed in HMS " Romney " on 31 August 1763 and arrived in Halifax on 13 October . He remained there for the next three years thus establishing a record for command of the station . Little of importance occurred during these years and the Admiral ’ s dispatches report that his main concerns were smuggling and desertion . Successors . Lord Colville was succeeded by Vice - Admiral of the Blue , Philip Durell , but the latter died on 26 August 1766 just four days after his arrival at Halifax . However , this melancholy event did not delay Colville in his departure . He sailed for England on 5 September leaving instructions for Captain Joseph Deane of HMS " Mermaid " to take command until the arrival of a new Commander - in - Chief . Death of Colville . Colville apparently held no other command and received no further promotion . He died at Drumsheugh in Scotland on 21 May 1770 .