Havana, Cuba, Luis de Las Casas. When Russell refused to have a Spanish guard put aboard the Diana when she was docked in Havana, de Las Casas said "If this McNamara Russell were any thing but the Captain of a British Frigate, violating and opposing the orders of my Sovereign, I never knew a man who I would sooner call my friend.". Rescue of Lieutenant Perkins At the end of 1791 the slaves of the French colony on Santo Domingo had risen in revolt and Admiral Philip Affleck sent Russell and the Diana with a convoy of supplies to the French authorities. At a dinner held in his honour, he learned that a British officer, Lieutenant John Perkins, was imprisoned at Jérémie, on a charge of having supplied the revolting army with arms. Officially Britain and France were not at war and Russell requested that Perkins be released. The French authorities promised that he would be and then later refused. After numerous letters had been exchanged Russell determined that the French did not intend to release Perkins. Russell sailed around Cap-Français to Jérémie and met with the 12-gun under Captain Nowell. They agreed that Nowell's first lieutenant, an officer named Godby, would go ashore and recover Perkins whilst the two ships remained offshore within cannon shot, ready to land an invasion force if need be. Lieutenant Godby landed and through negotiations secured Perkins's release. French Revolutionary Wars Russell returned to England in 1792, and in 1796 was appointed to the third-rate, 74-gun , again for service in the West Indies, where, under Rear-admiral Henry Harvey, he took part in the reduction of Saint Lucia and Trinidad under Harvey and Sir Ralph Abercromby. The Vengeance returned to England in the spring of 1799, and formed part of the Channel fleet under Admiral Jervis during the summer, after which she was paid off, and in the following April Russell was appointed to the 98-gun second-rate , which he commanded till his promotion to the rank of rear admiral on 1 January 1801. On the renewal of the war with France in 1803 he hoisted his flag on board the . He was placed in command of a division under the orders of Lord Keith in the North Sea Fleet stationed in the Downs. Napoleonic Wars Russell was promoted to Rear-Admiral of the Red on 21 April 1804. He then raised his flag