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CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CiHM/ICMH
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Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques

Th
to

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D
D

n

r
n

D

D

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D

0
D
0
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n

□

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This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/

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14X

18X

22X

26X

30X

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28X

32X

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details
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ROYAL

NAVAL BIOGRAPHY;

OR,

iHemottjSS of t^t ^erbtce^

OF ALti THE

FLAG-OFFICERS,

SUPERANNUATED REAR-ADMIRALS,

RETIRED-CAPTAINS,

POST-CAPTAINS,

AND COMMANDERS,

Whose Names appeared on the Admiralty List of Sea-Officers at the commence-
ment of the year 1823, or who liave since been promoted ;

Illustrated by a Series of

HISTORICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES,

Which will be found to contain an account of all the

NAVAL ACTIONS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS,

FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE LATE REIGN, IN
TO THE FRESENT PERIOD.

WITH COPIOUS ADDENDA.

By

JOHN MARSHALL (b),

LlKUTGNANVtW THE ROYAL NAVY.

•Ji"* V '■<

<< Failures, however frequent, may admit of extenuation and apology. To have atTfmfmfr
1 much is always laudable, even when the enterprise is above the strength that undertake* it.
' To deliberate whenever I doubted, to enquire whenever I was ignorant, would have protracted
' the undertaking without end, and perhaps without improvement. I saw that one enquiry only
' gave occasion to another, that book referred to book, that to search was not always to And, and
' to And was not always to be informed ; and that thus to pursue perfection, was, like the first
' inhabitants of Arcadia, to chase the sun, which, when they had reached the bill where he
■ seemed to rest, was still beheld at the same distance from them.** Johnion.

VOL. IV.-PART II.

ilonDoit :

PHINTBD FOB LONGMAN, REBS. ORME, BROWN. OREEN, AND LONGMAN,

PATERNOSTER ROW.

fi>'

1835.

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W. FOPLR, PRINTSIt,
"7. CHANCERY liANK.

CONTENTS OF VOL. IV. PART II.

FLAG-OFFICERS.

Colvillc, Right Hon. Lord
Gosselin, Thomas Le Marchaut
Hamilton, Sir Edward
Harvey, Sir John
Otway, Sir Robert Waller -
Rowley, Sir Charles

CAPTAINS.

Bayfield, Henry Wolsey

Beaufort, Francis

Boss, John George

Broughton, William

Bullen, Charles - - -

Burnett, William

Carew, Thomas - - -

Churchill, Lord Henry J, S.

Clement, Benjamin

Clifford, Sir Augustus W. J.

Crowdy, Charles - - -

Dance, W. Townsend -

Dickinson, Thomas (6)

Dickson, Archibald

Duff, Archibald - - -

Duncan, Hon. Sir Henry

Duncombe, Hon. Arthur

Dundas, James W. Deans

Ellice, Alexander

Fellowes, Sir Thomas -

Pitz-Roy, Lord William

Fitzroy, Robert - - -

Foley, Osborne - - . -

Porbes, Andrew '' - - ' - IX"?

Garland, James - - -

Glascock, William Nugent -

Greene, W. Burnaby -

Greville, Henry Francis

Grey, Hon. George

Hamley, AVilliam

Harrison, Joseph

Hay, Patrick Duff Henry

Hayes, John ...

Hindmarsh, John

Hotham, Charles

Humphreys, Sir Saliuibiiry Prycc

Huskisson, Thomas - -

Page

4.S6
416
431)
414
427
419

530
452
525
474
444
530
490
471
453
453
528
530
48(>
447
450
449
534
451
477
452
44€
535
4&7

47a

490
531
483
531
534
4B5
.'■)2«
i45
474
525
449
452

Pc^e

Laugharne, Thomas L. P. - 479

Laws, John Milligan • - 486

Lihou, John . - - 487

Mackay, Donald Hugh - 4r)0

Macnamara, Burton - - 526

Mansel, Thomas - - - 530

Manscll, Thomas - - 467

Marshall, James - - - 4dS

Marsham, Henry Shovell - 527

Oliver, Robert (6) - - 533

Onslow, John James - - 531

Paulet, Right Hon. Lord George 526

Percy, Hon. William Heniy 454

PhilUmore, Sir John - - 451

Radford, Samuel - - 482

Radstock, Right Hon. Lord - 451

Ribouleau, Peter - - - 441

Ross, James Clark - - 5:^5

Russell, Right Hon. Lord Edward 527

Seymour, Sir George Frahcia 456

Shannon, Rodney - - 533

Smith, George - - - 'If) I

Tayler, Joseph Ncedham - 4.54

ToSvnsliend, John - - 534

Vincent, Andrew Atkins - 482

Warren, Samuel - - 444

Williams, Charles Hftmlyn - 4«'3

Wyvill, Christopher - - 47S

COMMANb^RSf.

Addington, William Silvester 35g

Aldridge, John Williams - 391

Allen, William Edward Hughes 307

Allen, John JanMs • - 380

Allison, John - - - 172

Andoe, Robert - - - 58

Appleby,: John Frederick - 306

Arthur, Williatn Stepliens" - 14G

Atkinson, Henry Esch - 21*

Austin, Horatio ThomaA - 369

Back, George - - - 39*

BrffrweU, Paul Piercy - - 351

Biiird, Andrew - - - 18*

Baker, John Popham - - bt

Baker, George - . - 96-

Baker, Thomas - - - 389"

Caldey, Robert - - - 92

-k

IV

CONTENTS.

Page

Rail, Thomas ... 305

Barrow, William - - 383

Barton, Richard - - 169

Barwell, William . - 352

Basden, Charles . • 321

Bayly, James ... 302

Bcauclerk, Lord Fred. C. P. - 392

Beaumont, Richard • > 158

Beckford, John Leigh . •- 94

Beer, Thomas - - - 171

Belcher, Edward - - 322

Bell, Charles - - 363

Bennett, James Cooper - 211

Bevis, Thomas - - - 333

Bingham, Parker Duckworth 217

Bishop, Henry William - 357

Bissett, George . - - 360

Blackwood, Francis Price - 366

Blair, Charles - ~ - 366

Blake, George Charles - 66

Blake, Patrick John - . 349

Blftkiston, Thomas - - 60

Blanckley, Edward - - 178

Blois, John Ralph - - 58

Blow, John Aitken - - 180

Bolton, Henry ... 335

Bond, Thomas Baring -^ 176

Bond, John Holmes - - 309

Bonifant, Bartholomew . 13

Booth, James Richard - 347

Borthwlck, Alexander - 24

Boteler, Henry - - 40

Boteler, John Harvey - 349

Boultbee, Frederick Moore . 320

Boxer, William - - - 125

Boyce, Frederick - - 138

Branford, John - - - 47

Brasier, James - - - 115

Bray, Josias ... 150

Bridges, George Francis 22

Brigstocke, Thomas Robert . 53

Broke, Philip - - - 295

Brown, William Cheselden - 384

Bullock, Frederick - - 335

Burnet, Charles ... 387

Burney, James ... 347

Bushby, Thomas - - 124

Butterfield, Edward Harris • 380

Caiger, Herbert - . - 238

Cammilleri, Joseph - - 319
Capel, Algernon Henry Champagn 369
Carew, William Henry Hallowell 393

Carleton, William - - 213

Carnac, John Rivett - - 226

Carpenter, Edward John • 231

Castle, William Langford ■ 379

Caulfield, James - - 385

Chamberlayne, John • - 306

Chappell, Edward - - 182

Chasman, William • ^ 52

Page

Cheape, James - • - 216

Cheyne, George - - . 61

Chimley, John - - - 332

Christie, Peter - - - 252

Clarke, William Nehemiah - 215

Cochrane, Charles Stuart - 124

Cockercll, Richard Howe - 172

Coffin, Henry Edward - - 338

Cole, Thomas Edmund - 83

Cole, William John - . 299

Collingwood, Francis Edward 258

Conner, Richard (a) - . 294

Cook, Samuel Edward - 134

Cornwall, John - . - 212

Cotesworth, William - - 331

Cotton, Francis Vere - - 351

Cowan, Thomas ... 232

Cox, Douglas . - _ 4

Cragie, Robert - - - 311

Creagh, James - - - 216

Crease, Henry ... 56

Cririe, John ' - - 157

Croker, Charles - - - 172

Crosbie, Robert - . - 334

Crouch, Edward Thomas - 77

Crozier, Richard • - • 231

Cuppage, Adam - - - 361

Currie, Mark John - - 125

Curry, Roger Carloy - - 385

Daniell, George . - . 332

Daniell, William . ■ 212

Darley, Arthur - - - 255

Dawson, William («) - . 384

Deans, Robert ... 14

Deare, Charles ... 320

Delafosse, Edward HoUiiigworth 2

Delmg, George - - - 266

Dent, Charles Calmady . 256

Dent, Digby . - . 51

De Roos, Hon. John F. F. • 261

De Sausmarez, Durell - 365

Dickson, David John - - 244

Dickson, Sir William • . 321

Dixon, George Farhill • • 333

Dobsou, George . > . 382

Dobson, William Burdett - lb9

Douglas, Arthur James • 345

Douglas, Hugh Donald Cameron 242

Douglas, Richard - - 128

Drake, Jfohn ... 251

Drew, Andrew - - - 145

Duniop, Robert Graham - 102

Dyer, George Shepherd - 217

Eager, John ... 153

Eastwood, Heury Neville - 241

Edwardes, Hon. William - 253

Edwards, David - - - 238

Edwards, Richard - - 304

Elliot, Robert James - - 339

Eliott, Russell " - - 33^

CONTENTS.

Ellis, Henry

Elphick, James -

English, Charles

Erskine, .lolin Elphinstone -

Evance, William Devereux -

Evans, George - . -

Eveleigh, John - . -

Fair, Robert - . -

Favell, Thomas -

Fegen, Richard -

Festjng, Benjamin Morton -

Finlaison, William

Fitzgerald, John Coghlan

Foot, Matthew - - -

Forder, Robert - . -

Forster, John

Frankland, Charles Colville -

Frankland, Edward Augustus

Fraser, Charles - - -

Fraser, John > . -

Fraser, Thomas ^ - -

Frederick, Charles

Furber, Thomas - - -

Gambier, Robert Fitzgerald -

Gammon, William Snuggs -

Gardiner, Allen Francis

Garrett, John - - .

Geary, John . _ _

Gilbert, Edmund Williams -

Gooch, George Thomas

Gould, Hugh

Gordon, Hon. John Frederick

Gordon, James (a)

Gordon, James (b)

Gordon, Robert - - -

Gore, Hon. Edward

Gore, Robert - - -

Gostling, Philip - - -

Graham, Philip . - -

Greene, Thomas . - -

Gregory, Thomas

Griffith, Richard

Griffiths, Joseph

Grint, William - - -

Gunning, Orlando George Sutton

Hackett, John ...

Hagan, Robert ...

Hall, Percy Fraser

Hall, Roger

Halsted, George Anthony

Hambly, Peter Sampson

Hamilton, John (A)

Hamilton, Joseph

Hamilton, William Price

Handfield, Edward

Harding, Francis

Hargood, William

Harington, Edmund Musgrave

Harnage, George

Page

Hart, Francis ... 307

Harvey, John (a) - - 29

Haswell, William Henry - 359

Hawes, Edward ... 30I

Hay, George James - . 318

Hay, James Beckford Lewis 386

Hay, Robert Sinclair - - 253

Head, Richard John - - 32

Hellard, Samuel - - - 360

Henderson, Thomas - - 393

Hcnvey, William - - 212

Herbert, George Flower - 296

Herbert, Massy Hutchinson - 33

Herringham, William Allan > 7

Hewett, William (b) - - 211

Higgs, William Henry - - 61

Hillier, George - - 131

Holbech, George - - - 352

Holbrook, Thomas - • 268

Holt, William ... i3g

Home, Sir James Everard - 98

Hood, William John Thompson 257

Hope, George - - - 266

Hopkinson, Simon . . (»g

Hough, John James • 242

Howard, Hon. Edward • 390

Hudson, John (6) - - 379

Hutcheson, Francis Deanc > 301

Hutchinson, Hon. Coote Hely 97

Hutchinson, William (&) • 255

Hutchison, George - - 94

Inglis, Charles ... 331

Ingram, Robert ... 33g

Jackson, Caleb ... 3g

Jackson, George Vernon <* 137

James, James ... 296

Jervois, Sampson •• - 339

Johnson, Edward John - 321

Johnson, John Samuel Willes 53

Justice, Philip (b) - - 147

Keane, Richard .... 304

Keele, Charles - - - 190

Kelly, Edward (a) - . 293

Kelly, Wil!Ji.ra (c) . - 369

Kennedy, .-.vxEnder (6) - 112
Kent, Henry - - 117, and 536

Keppel, Hon. Henry - - 387

King, George Morison • 95

King, John - - - . 148

King, Richard Henry - - 304

Kingcome, John . - > 257

Kirby, Walter - - - 361

Kitchen, William Hewgili . 215

Knight, Christopher - - 99

Lake, Willoughby . . 242

Langford, Thomas Netherton 338

Lapidgc, Frederick William - 390

Larcom, Joseph Pafford Dickson 334

Lay ton, Henry ... 158

Lc Vesconte, Henry • - 256

vi

Liddon, Matthew
Lipson, Thomas - - .
Little, Jolm . ., .

Locke, Campbell
Longchamp, John
Louis, Charles Bclficltl
Love, Henry Omnianney
Low, John M'Arthur -
Lowry, James ...
Lucas, Mark Robinson
Luck raft, Alfred
Luckraft, William
M'Causland, John
M'Crea, Robert Contart
M'Douall, James
M'Dougall, John (6) -
M'Dougall, William Howard
M'Hurdy, John Bunchc B. -
Maclean, Rawdon
Madden, Charles
Maingy, Henry - - -
Mainwaring, Edward Reeves P.
Maitland, Thomas
Mandeville, Viscount -
Marsh, Digby ...
Marshall, George Edward
Martin, Nathaniel
Martin, William
Matson, George William
Matthews, Alfred
Maude, Hon. Francis -
Maxwell, John Balfour
Maynard, Joseph
Maync, Dawson - - -
Mercer, John Davrs
Meredith, Richard
Meredith, Samuel
Milne, Alexander
Minchin, William
Mcdesworth, John
Molyneux, AVilliam
Monday, John - - -
Montagu, Montagu
Morgan, James (6)
Morgan, Richard (ff) -
Morgan, William
Morinrty, William
Morrell, Artlmr -
Morris, John Chafin
Morton, Charles
Mostyn, Henry Meredith
Mudge, William - - -
nhmdy, George Rodney
Murray, James Hamilton
Narer, Henry - - -
Neame, William - ~ -
Nepean, Eran - - -
Ncvill, William -
Neville, James ...
Newell, Juliuy James Farmer

CONTENTS.

1

Page

face

9.}

Nias, Joseph . . -

251

28

Nixon, Horatio Stopford

3:<3

f)8

Nurse, Hugh ...

263

298

Oakc, Josiah ...

217

115

Oakcs, Orbell

295

40

Ogle, Tliomas . - -

295

185

Ormond, Francis

157

7

Owen, Richard ...

211

104

Paddon, Silas Hiacutt -

181

67

Paine, Reuben ...

296

341

Parker, Charles (<•)

388

169

Parker, John - - .

321

146

Parker, Sir Peter

393

135

Parrcy, Edward Jggulden

350

2

Parry, Howard Lewis -

379

41

Peard, George - - -

232

182

Pearl, James - - -

243

367

Pearse, John .. . -

151

127

Pear&on, Alexander Stevenson

50

331

Peat, David ...

58

94

Pemberton, Henry Charles -

12

162

Picking, William

317

230

Pierce, George - -

128

102

Pierson, William Henry

181

95

Pilkington, Edward William

365

15G

Fitts, Edward . - -

362

169

Pogson, Henry Freeman Young

28

84

Pole, John - - -

145 ■

366

Popham, Brunswick

266

99

Porter, Thomas - - -

104

230

Powney, John ...

353 '

218

Preston, Henry - _ -

359

175

Preston, William

392

334

Price, William - - -

60

144

Pritchard, John White

263

132

Proby, William Henry Baptist

328

293

Prowse, William Jones

182

367

Pryce, Henry . - -

77

60

Piickford, James - - -

255

177

Pulling, James - - -

336

:-;89

Quin, Michael . . -

145

252

Radcliffe, William

3C2

2

Ramsay, William

376

79

Ramsden, Frank - - .

211

394

Ramsey, Samttcl ... -

302

294

Reade, Thomas - - -

320

113

Reeve, John - - -

350

12S

Rich, Edwin Ludlow

113

154

Richards, Edwin - - -

217

247

Richards, Harry tord -

302

356

Richardson, Williitm («)

24

175!

Rlcketts, Cornwallis

378

303

Ridcout, Samuel - - -

2:iQ

308

Robertson, William (i)

2U

304

Robins, Thomas Lowton (6)

78

382

Robinson, Thomas Pitt

303

131

Rochfort, Robert

267

148

Rogers, Frederick

3? 2

307

Rookc, Leonard Charles

146

318

Roas, David

231

n

254
3;<3
263
217
295
295
157
211
181
296
388
321
393
350
379
232
243
151
50
58
12
317
128
181
365
362
28
145
266
104
353
359
392
60
263
328
182
77
255
336
145
362
76
211
302
320
350
112
217
302
24
i?8

Ross, Tlioinas

Kiissel, Robert

Russell John {li) -

Siiinthill, George Aupiistus -

Savage, William -

Scallon, l{oI)ert, -

Scott, Edward Hinton -

Seale, Cliarlcs Henry -

Sliairp, Alexander

Sliarpe, Robert -

Sliephcard, William

Shepherd, John (A)

Sfierer, Joseph

Sherwin, Thomas Cowper

Sinclair, Archibald

Skinner, Arthur M'Gregor •

Slade, Henry

Smart, Robert

Smith, Charles

Smith, Edward (a)

Smith, William («)

Smith, William (b)

Smith, William Sydney

Smyth, Spencer -
Soady, Joseph
Sparshott, Samuel
Stacpoole, Michael
Stanhope, Robert Henry
Stanhope, Sir Edwin Francis
Stanley, Edward -
Stanley, William Pearce
Stephens, Edward
Stow, George Fuller
Stuart, Richard -
Stuart, Robert
Sturt, Henry Richard -
Sw^ny, Mark Halpen -
Swinburne, Charles Henry
Swinfen, William Clement
Tait, Alexander -
Tatnall, James Barnwell
Taylor, J. {the junior commamler
Thompson, Sir Thomas R. T.
"fhompson, Thomas Sparke -

CONTENTS.

Vtt

\\\<Hi

Page

3M!)

Thoniron, Wlliijini Augu'liis

MO

;mg

Tinconibe, Geori^e

172

97

Tomkins, Richard Stevens

253

362

Triscott, Richard Shephoard -

.351

367

Trotter, Henry Dimdas

180

126

Tucker, John Jervis

241

127

Tucker, William (i) -

213

184

Turner, William - - -

297

219

Tweed, John Powell

361

212

Usherwood, William

359

369

Vassall, Spencer Lambart Himtcr

226

305

Vidal, Richard Emeric

359

348

Walcott, Charles

394

150

Walker, William [a) -

303

365

Warner, Arthur Lee

94

311

Warren, John Talbot -

387

156

Warren, William

385

267

Washington, John

390

361

Watts, William Barber

359

307

Weale, Edward Taylor

253

181

Webb, Edward -

245

187

Webb, Joseph Richard Raggett

2G7

363

Weld, Daniel -

150

251

West, Henry

372

116

Wheatley, John . - -

387

23

Whisb, William George Hymlman 176

28

Wilkinson, Frederick Augustus

133

264

Wilkinson, James

264

1

Willcox, Robert -

129

381

WilHmns, Richard (h) -

312

90

Wills, Thomas George -

49

216

Wilson, Henry Smith -

68

352

Wilson, James (fi)

317

215

Wodehouse, Hon. Edward -

363

137

WoodrifF, Daniel James

104

357

WooUnough, Joseph Chappell

270

78

Wray, Luke Henry

147

219

Wroot, Michael Milsom

239

336

Wybcrg, Peter - - -

13»

159

Wynn, John Land

179

30

Yonge, Edmund

350

r) 536

Yorke, Reginald

392

261

Young, George (t)

255

386

Young, Sir George

175

56^

hi

1"46
131

it

ERRATA.

p. 8, line 7 from bottom, after Russell insert were.

— 14,-

id

-2, -

14

— 44,-

4

— IOC,—

14

— 120,—

16

— 144,—

12

— 238,—

16

— 252,—

10

— 347,—

3

-, for flag read flags.
— , after America, insert Subsequently we find her em-
ployed on the Lisbon station.
-, for Piedro de Niembo read Pietro de Ninibo.
-, for Loving read Loring
-, for ten able read ten were able
-, for 7th read 27th
-, for Belcher read Peard
-, dele the present Sir Frederick L. Maitland.
-, for James read Johs

— 416, between lines 21 and 22 insert Vice-admiral of the White.

ERRATA IN FORMER VOLUMES.

Suppl. Part IL, p. 378, lines 22 and 23, dele Mrs. Fowler died in 1816.

IV., p. 291, lines 4 and 3 from bottom, dele first in 1801, Miss

Watts, of Newchurch, in the Isle of Wight ; and, secondly.
Vol. III. Fart I. p. 284, line 3 from bottom, dele Is said to be related to the

Earl of Bristol.

ROYAL NAVAL BIOGRAPHY.

C 0 M M A N D E 11 S.

we find her em-

^^M

e Nimbo.

aitland.

^m

te.

■'^1

%

n 1816.

St in 1801, Miss
nd, secondly,
e related to the

■<iM

(^Continued.)

SIR EDWYN FRANCIS SCUDAMORE
STANHOPE, Bart.

Son of the late Admiral Sir Henry Edwyn Stanhope,
Bart, (who died on the 1 1th of December, 1814), by Mar-,
garet, daughter of Francis Malbone, of Newport, Rhode
Island, North America, Esq.

This officer served as midshipman on board the Surveil-
lante frigate, Captain (afterwards Sir George II.) Collier;
passed his examination for lieutenant in July 1811; and was
promoted into the Castor 32, Captain Charles Dilkes, Oct.
9th following. His advancement to the rank of commander
took place August 27th, 1814.

In 1821, pursuant to an order of the Lord Chancellor, Sir
Edwyn F. Stanhope, and the other co-heirs of the late Doav-
ager Duchess of Norfolk, took possession of the mansion-
house and premises at Holme Lacy, Herefordshire. In 1826,
he assumed the additional surname and arms of Scudamore,
being the lineal descendant of Mary, wife of Sir Giles Bridges,
of Wilton Castle, in the above county ; daughter of Sir James
Scudamore, Knt. ; and sister to John, first Viscount Scuda-
more. He married, January 20th, 1820, Mary, daughter of
Major Thomas Dowell, late of the Commissary Department,
Bengal establishment, by whom he has several children.

VOL. IV. PART II. B

12 COMMANDERS.

JAMES M*DOUALL, Esq.

Obtainkd his first commission on the 22d of April 1802 ;
and was senior lieutenant of the Queen Charlotte 120^ bearing
the flag of Admiral Lord Keith, commander-in-chief on the
Channel station, in 1813 and 1814. He was promoted to
the rank of commander, October 12th, in the latter year;
and appointed to the ordinary at Portsmouth, in 1816.

MONTAGU MONTAGU, Esq.

CoMMANDEft Montagu obtained his present rank on the
Kith of June, 1815. We cannot but express our surprise
that this officer, who has had the honor of holding a naval
commission for twenty-eight years, should be ignorant that
he is not entitled to a superior appellation ; the King in
Council having commanded, in 1824, that only "officers ap-
pointed to command ships of the sixth rate and upwards
should in future be styled Captains."

Had Commander Montagu, when replying to a letter written
to him on the 4th of February 1834, addressed us in courteous
terms, we should have felt pleasure in privately referring him
to the New Naval Regulations, Chapter H. Sect. IV. Art. I. ;
and to the " Classes and Denominations of His Majesty's
Ships,'' as given in the '* Navy List, published by Authority."

EDWARD HOLLINGWORTH DELAFOSSE, Esq.

Entered the royal navy under the patronage of his present
Majesty, and first embarked on board the Cruiser 18, Captain
(afterwards Sir James) Brisbane, in which sloop he was pre-
sent at the battle of Copenhagen, April 2d, 1801. From
that vessel, he followed Captain Brisbane into the Saturn 74,
bearing the flag of Rear-Adrairal Totty ; which ship was
paid off, on her return from the West Indies, in 1802. He
then joined the Africaine frigate, Captain (now Rear- Admiral)
Thomas Manby, under whom he served on the North Sea
station until 1805, when he was removed to the Blenheim

_ia«

COMMANDERS. 9

74, flag-ship of Sir Thomas Troubridge, whose melancholy
fate he escaped sharing, by being placed on board the Fox
frigate, Captain the Hon. A. Cochrane, to prevent his remahi-
ing idle while the former ship was undergoing repair at Pulo-
Penang, after getting aground at the entrance of the Straits
of Mahicca.* When about to sail from Madras for the Cape
of Good Hope, Sir Tliomas wrote to his young friend as fol-
lows ;

" Deo. 23(1, IHOf).
" In tlic event of my other letters not reiicliing- you and Captain
Cochrane, I have reciuested hhn to disehaigc you to iMadrat-, and from
thence, if I am sailed for the Cape, you must follow with the convoy and
join me. I regret that, hiuinj^ served your time, you are not now on the
spot, as I have some vacancies. Your shicere friend,

(Signed) T. Troubridge."

Mr. Delafosse next joined the Concorde frigate. Captain
John Cramer (now Sir Josiah C. Coghill) ; and, on his return
home the York 7^, Captain Robert Barton, in which ship he
was present at the occupation of Madeira, by the naval and
military forces under Sir Sanuicl Hood and Major-General
Beresford, December 24th, 1807. In February following,
he was appointed acting lieutenant of the York ; and on the
9th of April in the same year, confirmed. In 1809, he assisted
at the reduction of Martinique and Walcheren. In March
1811, he exchanged into the Cerberus frigate, Captain Henry
Whitby, on the Mediterranean station ; and in January 1813,
being then first lieutenant, (and serving under Captain
Thomas Garth,) commanded her boats at the capture of an
armed trabaccolo, deeply laden with corn and flour, bound to
Corfu. In March following, he cut out another vessel of the
same description from under a battery near Brindisi j and a
few days afterwards, assisted in dismantling a tower and des-
troying a battery and several vessels, in a creek between the
towns of Bari and St. Vito. On the 1 1th of April 1813, two
boats of the Cerberus, in company with three others belong-
ing to the Apollo frigate, took temporary possession of
Devil's Island, near the north entrance of Corfu, where they

See Siijip. Part 1. p. 281, ft ,sry.

H 2

4 COMMANDERS.

captured two vessels laden with grain. On the ]4th of the
same month, Lieutenant Delafosse was wounded in another
boat affair at the island of Melcr.i. We next find him first
of the Wye 24, bearing the flag of Rcar-Admiral Sir Thomas
F. Fremantlc, on the Guernsey and Jersey station, in 1815.
His subsequent appointments were, — Jan. 20th, 181(3, to the
Dover troop-ship. Captain Robert 11. Rogers, at Shcerness ;
and April 11th, 1816, to the Hebrus 36, Captain Edmund
Palmer, C. B., of whieh frigate he was senior lieutenant at
the memorable ])attle of Algiers. His promotion to the rank
of commander took place Sept. 16th, 1816.

In 1828, this officer was appointed by his royal patron,
then Lord Higli Admiral, an Inspecting Commander of the
Coast Guard, in Dorsetshire. On the 3d January 1831, the
following testimony was borne to his activity and zeal while
employed on that service : —

" The magistrates of Cliristcliiirch having been on all occasions, dur-
ing the late disturbed state ot the country, readily attended to, and
their wishes anticipated in more instances than one, for the preservation
of the public peace, by the officers and men of the Preventive Service,
are happy to take this opportunity of offering their best thanks to both ;
particularly to Commander Delafosse, Lieutenants Franklin, Prowse,
and Butcher, and Mr. Bennett, for their distinguished zeal and alacrity
in co-operating with them on the measures adopted for the security of
the peace and property of his Majesty's subjects."

On the completion of his period of service in the Coast
Guard, April 1-831, Commander Delafosse received a letter,
couched in very handsome terms, from the Comptroller-
General. He has ever since been enjoying the blessings of
half-pay, although periodically requesting employment.

This officer married, Aug. 12th, 1820, Sophia, daughter
of the Rev. George Young, M. A., of Lambeth Terrace.

I

DOUGLAS COX, Esq.

Son of an old officer of the army, who was in the artil-
lery with General Burgoyne, at the unfortunate convention
of Saratoga, Oct. 17, \111 ,* previous to which he had been

Sci' Vol. 1. Part 11. p. 210.

COMMANDERS.

5

severely wounded ; and who, after returning from America,
had a company for many years in the 21st regiment (Koyal
North British Fusilevrs) .

Mr. Douglas Cox's godfather was Colonel William Doug-
las, brother to that most excellent officer and worthy nuin,
the present Vice- Admiral John Erskine Douglas, under
whose protection he first entered the navy, May (ith, 1 800,
as midshipman on board the Boston 32, which ship was very
actively employed on the Halifax station, till towards the
close of 1 804, when she returned home and was put out of
commission. *

On the 20th Dec. 1804, Mr. Cox joined the Circe 32,
Captain Jonas Rose, from which frigate he was removed to
the Northumberland 74, flag-ship of the Hon. Sir Alexander
Cochrane, commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands, July
10th, 1806. We next find him, in Mar. 1807, serving as
sub-lieutenant of the Attentive gun-brig, on the same sta-
tion, where he was frequently engaged in boat attacks, and
on one occasion, with only five companions, most gallantly
boarded and captured a large guarda-costa, of two long six-
pounders, and thirty-five men. We can nowhere find any
jjrinted record of this very dashing affair, but have been
favoured by a friend with the following particulars : —

*' The details of the various bout affairs in wliicli INIr. Cox was en-
ganfed, I cannot at this length of time recollect, except one while he was
serving under Lieutenant Robert Carr, in the Attentive. The boats of
that vessel had cut out from a small port near Trinity, on the north side

* " The true picture of a ship of war of the old school is to be found in
Roderic Random. Such it continued to ])e in 1/^2, and was not much
improved in 1792. The store-rooms were a chaotic mass of most things
requisite for a ship, although nothing was to be found when wanted. The
first instance we can remember of their being arranged in that beautiful
order, now so generally observed in the service, was on board the Boston,
when commanded by the present Vice-Admiral John Erskine Douglas.
This was done by the carpenters of the ship, under the direction of the
captain : the advantages soon became so apparent, that many captains
followed the good example ; and government, receiving into its coun-
ticls some of the most active and influential officers in the navy, adopted
the mode of filtlng store-rooms throughout the service, and great are the
benefits derived from it." — Brenton's Xaval History, III. p. 141.

6

COMMANDERS.

of Mttrtini<iuc, two drogers, on board one of which there was an Englisit
negro, who gave information that a sloop, loaded with sugar, was lying
in a harlxmr a fcAV miles to windward, and unprotected ; at the same
time offering to pilot the boats in. Mr. Cox immediately volunteered
his services, and left the Attentive at night-fall, with two jolly-boats
under his command, containing in the whole twelve persons. He unex-
pectedly met with a strong adverse tide, and did not enter the harbour
until the dawn of day, when a large armed vessel was suddenly disco-
vered, moored across the anchorage, having the sloop between her and
the shore. About fifteen minutes previous to this, Mr. Cox had de-
tached his other boat in pursuit of a small craft ; notwithstanding which,
and that he saw the whole of the guarda-costa's crew, armed with mus-
kets, drawn up on her deck from stem to stern, and two long guns
pointed directly at him, so great was his confidence in the fine fellows
with him, that the enemy was instantly boarded, and, after a slight re-
sistance, carried : in less than twenty minutes she was under sail ; and
in about two hours after he re-joined the Attentive, with only one man
slightly wounded."

On the 17th October, 1807, tlie Attentive captured, be-
tween Tobago and Trinidad, the Spanish privateer Nuestra
Senora del Carmen, of two guns and sixty-three men, three
of whom were wounded during the chase. A few days
afterwards, Mr. Cox was appointed acting lieutenant of the
Port d'UIspagne 16, Commander James Pattison Stewart;
whom we find him following into the Snap sloop, Nov. J 3th,
1808. His first Admiralty commission bears date Mar. 10th,
1809.

Mr. Cox served as senior lieutenant of the Snap at the
reduction of the French and Dutch West India islands, in
1809 and 1810; was attached to the military force, under
Brigadier Harcourt, at the capture of St. Martin's ; and
continued in the same vessel, under several commanders,
until paid off, Feb. 15th, 1811. Between Mar. 6tli and June
10th, 1811, he was first of the Lynx 18, Commander Tho-
mas Perceval, on the North Sea station ; and from the latter
date, until July 21st, 1814, we find him serving under his
early and constant patron, Captain John E. Douglas, in the
Bcllona 74, and Prince of Wales 98, which last-named ship
formed part of the fleet under Lord Exmouth at the surren-
der of Genoa in April 1814. His subsequent appointments
were, Aiui^itbt 8tli following, to the Alphcus 3G, Captain

lerewas an EngHsIi
li sugar, was lying
cted; at the same
diately volunteered
ith two jolly-boats
ersons. He unex-
; enter the harbour
as suddenly disco-
p between her and

Mr. Cox had de-
ithstanding which,

armed with mus-
id two long guns
n the fine fellows

after a slight re-
s under sail ; and
th only one man

captured, be-
vateer Nuestra
•ee men, three
A few days
iitenant of the
ison Stewart;
)p, Nov. J 3th,
ite Mar. 10th,

Snap at the

ia islands, in

force, under

lartin's; and

commanders,

6th and June

mander Tho-

^m the latter

\g under his

iglas, in the

•named ship

the surren-

>pointments

5G, Captain

COMMANDERS.

George Langford, with whom he proceeded to the East In-
dies and China ; and, Jan. 29th, 1817, to the Primrose 18,
Captain George B. R. Phillott, fitting out for the Jamaica
station ; where he was serving when promoted to the com-
mand of the Shearwater sloop, by commission dated on the
9th July in the same year. He continued in that vessel for
a period of two years and seven months ; and is now (1834)
employed as Inspecting Commander of the Coast Guard at
Carrickfergus, where he has lately seized the Rob Roy yacht,
belonging to a gentleman residing near Belfast, laden with
contraband tobacco.

WILLIAM ALLAN HERRINGHAM, Esq.

Was wounded while serving as midshipman on board the
Colossus 74, Captain (afterwards Sir James NicoU) Morris,
at the memorable battle of Trafalgar. He passed his exa-
mination in Nov. 1809; obtained a lieutenant's commission
on the 2d Nov. 1810; and was second of the Java frigate.
Captain Henry Lambert, in her long and well-fought action
with the United States ship Constitution, Dec. 29th, 1812.*
He afterwards served for four years in the Tigris frigate,
Captain Robert Henderson; had the honor of steering
H. R. H. the Duke of Gloucester, when on a visit to the flag-
ship at Plymouth, in 1817; and attained his present rank
on the 16th January, 1818.

JOHN M' ARTHUR LOW, Esq.

On the 8th Feb. 1817j this officer forwarded to the Admi-
ralty a memorial, of which the following are extracts : —

" To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for executing
the office of Lord High Admiral of Great Britain.

" The Memorial of Lieutenant John M'Arthur Low, late
acting commander of H. M. sloop Cameleon,
" Humbly Sheweth,
" Tliat your memorialist has been upwards of eighteen years engaged

*'.See Vol, in. Part L pp. 217—253.

8 COMMANDERS.

in a constant course of active service in his Majesty'* navy, as midshiiT'
man, lieutenant, and actings commander ; having in the early part served
on the coast of Africa and among the West India islands, and during the
last fourteen years in the East Indies.

" That, during ten years of the above time, viz. from Dec. 1798, until
Jan. 1809, he served as midshipman in H. M. ships Magnanime, Lap-
wing, Albion, and CuUoden; under Captains Taylor, Rotheram, and
Ferrier, and tliQ flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew.

" That, during the next seven years, viz. from Jan. 1809, at which
time he was appointed acting lieutenant, until Jan. 1816, when he was
appointed acting commander of H. M. sloop Cameleon, he served in his
Majesty's ships Arrogant, Minden, Theban, and Revolutionnaire ; with
Captains Flint, Reynolds, Hoare, Skene, Woolcombe, and Leslie ; and
part of the time in Sir Samuel Hood's flag-ship.*

" Further, that for a considerable part of the last period, your memo-
rialist had acting orders to command H. M. ships Arrogant and Minden ;
also the governments of the forts at Anjer and Marrack, in the island of
Java; having previously been engaged in the reduction of Siringan,
the defence of the temporary establishment at St. Nicholas's Point ; and
he was likewise, under Captain Hoare, zealously, arduously, and use-
fully employed in conciliating the Bantamese, supporting the cause of
Achmet, Pangorang of Bantam, and procuring, through his power and
influence in that kingdom, supplies for the naval and military forces
employed in the Java expedition.

" That, in Sept. 1810, when your memorialist was appointed to com-
mand the Minden (74), at Bombay, that ship was intended to carry the
flag of Vice-Admiral Drury, then commander-in-chief ; the Russell, his
flag-ship, being found unserviceable. The Minden's speedy equipment
became, therefore, a matter of great importance, connected with the
other preparations for the subjugation of Java and its dependencies ; but
all the ships of the squadron that could be rendered effective, being then
required ofi^ the Mauritius, your memorialist was left without the assist-
ance of any officers or seamen, notwithstanding which, on the Admiral's
return from the Isle of France, in January following, to such a state of
fonvardness had the ship been brought by your memorialist's own re-
sources, and the help of some Lascars, hired at his own risk, with a few
men impressed from India ships, that she was ready for sea, and actually
sailed in two days after the flag-captain, Avith the crew of the Russell
transferred. The exertions of your memorialist on this occasion were
thought so meritorious, that he was continued in the ship, as one of
her lieutenants, to be promoted if an opportunity offered ; but the fair
prospects of your memorialist were suddenly darkened by the lamented
death of Vicc-Adiniral Drury.

* His promotion to tUc rank of lieutenant took place May 4th, 1810.

1 1

COMMANDERS.

9

" That, in June, 1812, your memorialist, having returned to England,
second lieutenant of the Minden, after serving ten years in India, had
the honor of suhniitting to Lord Viscount Melville his claims for pro-
motion, and therewith produced various documents relative to conduct,
character, abilities, and services ; those claims were considered so just
and weighty,* that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were, in
consequence, graciously pleased to recommend your memorialist to Vice-
Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, for promotion. He was accordingly sent
back to the East Indies, as lieutenant of the same ship (Minden) in which
he had, previous to his return home, served nearly two years in that ca-
pacity ; she being destined to bear the flag of Sir Samuel Hood.

" That the constitution of your memorialist being materially injured
by the length of his former services in that unfavourable climate, but
particularly by sufferings and exposure on the Java expedition, he, on
returning again to that station in 1812, became an unhappy victim to
every disease with which Europeans are assailed ; and although the se-
verity and well-known nature of his complaints, with the repeated in-
junctions of friends, and the advice of medical men, pressed strongly for
his removal to a more temperate latitude, or to his native land, yet your
memorialist, under a thorough conviction that whenever it came to his
turn on the Admiralty list, and a vacancy offered, the purpose for which
he was sent to India would be answered : and also considering, that in
case of returning to England, or quitting the station, he might after-
wards, on preferring claims for promotion, be regarded as one who had
by such act thwarted the good intentions of the Admiralty towards him,
he continued faithfully to serve, and patiently to suffer.

" That, having arrived at the head of the list for promotions, after
thus long serving and suffering, in anxious expectation of advancement
in a profession to which he is, and ever has been, zealously and entirely
devoted, your memorialist was appointed, by Commodore Sayer, acting
commander of H. M. sloop Cameleon, at Bombay ; and that he was sub-
jected to very serious expenses in joining the said vessel, from the ne-
cessity of quitting his former ship, the Revolutionnaire, in the Straits of
Malacca, and waiting two months at Pulo-Penang and Madras, before
his appointment was received, and opportunity to join the Cameleon
offered ; also expences in purchasing a chronometer, books, charts, and
sundry equipments for his cabin and table, amounting to more than
triple his pay during the time he commanded the Cameleon.

" That your memorialist, on a fair consideration of all circumstances,
was led to consider himself a commander in H. M. n&yy, from the day
he was appointed to the Cameleon, or rather that the confirmation of
his appointment, like every one by which it had been preceded, would
be a mere matter of course : for, if any known fact had justified his
entertaining and expressing a doubt on the subject, he would have been
})rovided with such recommendations and tehlimonials, from the different
goveruuients of India, as well as from men in high public situations, as

■crj

10

COMMANDERS.

I j

it

would ^)robably have superseded tlie necessity of troubling your Lord-
ships with this memorial, and saved him from, that severe and inexpres-
sible anguish of mind to which he has been exposed by the disappoint-
ment of those hopes which he had every reason, at one time, to flatter
himself were well founded.

" That your memorialist, in proof of his disinterested zeal for the
public service, l)eg8 leave to advert to one circumstance which occurred
soon after he had been appointed to the Cameleon, and which gained
him not only the commendations of liis superior as well as brother ofti-
fers on the station, but also the approbation of Earl IMoira and the Su-
preme Council at Calcutta. In April 1816, H. M. sloop Challenger hav-
ing arrived at Madras, with 600,000 dollars on board, consigned to the
government of Bengid, and treasure to a great amount for the merchants
of Calcutta, and the senior officer being under the necessity of detaining
the said sloop, that her commander might sit as a member of a court-
martial then about to be assembled for the trial of Captain Robert
O'Brien, * your memorialist volunteered to receive on board the Ca-
meleon all the treasure in the Challenger, and convey the whole to
its destination, without benefit or participation whatever for freight-
money allow'ed by Government, or the East India Company, which he
accordingly executed, as . appears by the correspondence herewith pro-
duced.

" That your memorialist, although never wounded in battle, has re-
ceived severe hurts in the service, having had his collar-l)one l)roken by
an accident on board the Albion, and his right leg broken, in erecting
sheers on board the Arrogant, at Bombay ; your memorialist being then
charged with the duty of equipping the said ship for the purpose of
masting the Minden, at the tune she was ready to be launched.

" That your memorialist, from such long servitude in the East Indies,
has been of late years afflicted with a chronic disease of the liver, and is
At this time in a state of extreme debility, owing to a severe attack vnih
which he was seized on his arrival at Portsmouth. Witliout trespassing
further on your Lordships' time, he refers them to three certificates trans-
mitted herewith, from Dr. Wright (physician at Haslar), Mr. Morrison
(acting surgeon of the Cameleon), and Mr. Rowe (surgeon at Portsmouth).

" Your memorialist, therefore, humbly trusts your Lordships will take
all the circumstances of his services and claims for promotion into your
favourable consideration ; and your memorialist, as in duty bound, will
ever pray.

(Signed) " John M'Arthur Low."

Six days after the date of the ahove memorial, a letter was
laid before the Board of Admiralty, signed by George Spain,
ofEastCowes, in the Isle of Wight, accusing Lieutenant

* Sec Vol. 11. Part II. p. 881, ct seq.

I

COMMANDERS.

II

oubliiig your Lord-

cvere and inexpres-

by the disappoint-

)ne time, to flatter

ested zeal for tlie
ee which oet'iirrcd
and which ^aiined
veil as l)rother ofli-
Moira and the Sn-
ap Challeng-er hav-
, consiirned to the
for the merchants
:essity of detaining-
jmber of a court-
" Captain Robert
on board the Ca-
vey the whole to
tever for freidit-
inpany, which he
ice herewith pro-

in battle, has re-
r-bone broken by
aken, in crectins,^
rialist being then
the purpose of
nched.

the East Indies,
the liver, and is
ere attack mth
lout trespassing
ertificates trans-
Mr. IVIorrison
at Portsmouth),
dships will take
otion into your
uty bound, will

!V

()

Low of tyrannical conduct, and indirectly charging him with
murder ; in consequence of which representation he was
flicially informed that their Lordships could not " hold out
hopes to him of early promotion/'

On the 10th April 1817? a court-martial was assembled in
Portsmouth harbour, to investigate the serious charges thus
exhibited against Lieutenant Low. The first of the only two
witnessess called by his accuser, although seven had been
summoned, and were in attendance, was Mr. Robert Morrison,
late acting surgeon of the Cameleon, who deposed that he
had attended the punishment of George L. Spain, junior,*
for theft, drunkenness, and other offences, on the 14th June
1816; that the young man denied being guilty of theft, but
acknowledged that he had drank part of some wine stolen
from his commander's cabin lockers, by the person doing
duty as clerk ; who, so far from attempting to exculpate him-
self, or to implicate Spain, candidly avowed his own crimi-
nality, and, as far as his testimony went, completely exone-
rated the other culprit. This witness also deposed, that Spain
appeared rather dejected after his punishment; and that
he believed he had deserted from the Cameleon, in Simon's
Bay, Cape of Good Hope, on the 6th Sept. 1816, until in-
formed that his body was discovered floating alongside of the
Horatio frigate on the morning of the 19th, the very day the
Cameleon quitted that anchorage. On Mr. Morrison's cross
examination, however, it appeared, that he had not reported
the punishment (fifty-five lashes) as severe at the time of its
infliction, and that Spain was not in consequence put on the
sick list ; that he had not been put on it subsequently for
any affection of the mind ; that he knew not of any harshness
or cruelty towards him practised by acting Commander Low ;
and that the clerk's confession of guilt, and acquittal of Spain,
was after the latter had been punished.

The evidence of the prosecutor's other witness, Lieutenant
David Bolton, went to shew, that several persons were ex-
amined in the presence of Spain and the clerk, prior to the

* Son of complainant.

12

COMMANDERS.

i

i

m\

punishment, and proved that they had been drinking together
in the commander's cabin ; that Spain was punished for theft
and other offences ; and that lie confessed himself, in part,
guilty.

William VVillett, private marine, one of the few witnesses
called by Lieutenant Low, deposed, that Spain had confessed
to him his share in the robbery, offered to replace the wine
stolen, and bribe him to conceal the fact. He accurately
described the state of the commander's cabin, on the morning
after the robbery ; and was not very delicate in speaking of
the effects which the claret had apparently produced on the
stomachs of the parties concerned in the theft. His testi-
mony went farther to shew that Spain was not harshly treated
after his punishment, that he joined in the amusements of
the crew, and took the part of Serjeatit Kite, in a play called
the llerrnithig Officer ; that every body believed he had
deserted at the Cape; and that the greatest part of his effects
were either smuggled on shore, sold for grog, or otherAvise
disposed of, previous to his desertion. This witness distinctly
proved every circumstance stated by Lieutenant Low in his
defence, and went to a much greater extent. The sentence
delivered was as follows :

** Tlie Court is of opinion, that the charges of cruel and tyrannical
conduct to George L. Spain have not been proved against Lieutenant
John M'Arthur Low, but that the information upon which the prosecu-
tor grounded the complaints, stated in his letters to the Lords Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty, was totally unfounded ; and doth adjudge the
said Lieutenant John M'Arthur Low to be most fully acquitted thereof :
and the said Lieutenant John M'Arthur Low is hereby fully acquitted
accordingly."

This officer was advanced to the rank of commander, Jan.
20th, 1818. His brother, Archibald, is a solicitor at Portsea;
and he has a sister married to Mr. George Rowe, surgeon
R. N., now practising at Chelsea.

HENRY CHARLES PEMBERTON, Esq.

Son of Dr. Christopher Robert Pemberton, physician ex-
traordinary to his late Majesty George IV.

Irinking together
unished for theft
liniself, in part,

16 few witnesses
in had confessed
splace the wine
He accurately
on the niorninjr
in speakii:g of
reduced on the
!ft. His testi-
harshly treated
amusements of
in a play called
elieved he had
irt of his effects
, or otherwise
tness distinctly
nt Low in his
The sentence

el and tyrannical
gainst Lieutenant
lich the prosecu-
Lords Comniis-
otli adjiidg-e the
quitted thereof :
r fully acquitted

tnander, Jan.
or at Portsea;
owe, surgeon

COMMANDERS.

13

4

This officer served as midshipman in the Pomone frigate,
Captain Robert Barrie ; and was appointed acting lieutenant
of the Hibernia 1 20, bearing the flag of Sir VV. Sidney Smith,
on the Mediterranean station, Oct. 26th, 1812. His first
commission bears date Jan. 2')th, 1813. We next find him,
in Aug. 1813, joining the Glasgow frigate. Captain the Hon.
Henry Duncan, in which ship he continued until paid off,
Sept. 1st, 1815*. He was third lieutenant of the Minden
74, Captain William Paterson, at the battle of Algiers ; after
which he proceeded in the same ship (destined to receive the
flag of Sir Richard King) to the East Indies ; and from
thence returned home, acting captain of the Melville 74, in
Dec. 18I7« He obtained the rank of commander, Jan. 20th,
1818; and married, Aug. 31st, 1822, Caroline Ann Augusta,
daughter of the late Captain Nixon, a veteran army officer.

BARTHOLOMEW BONIFANT, Esq.

Is a native of Corsica, and was at school with Napoleon
Buonaparte. He obtained the rank of lieutenant in the
British navy. Mar. 14th, 1809; served under Captain (now
Sir Thomas J.) Cochrane, in the Ethalion frigate, on the
West India station ; afterwards under the flag of Rear- Ad-
miral Francis Pickmore, in the Mediteranean ; commanded
for some time a ship employed in conveying bullocks, &c.
from Barbary to Minorca and the fleet off Toulon j received
an appointment to the Impregnable 98, fitting out for the
flag of Sir Josias Rowley, in Mar. 1815; and was flag-lieu-
tenant to Vice- Admiral Pickmore from Feb. 12th, 1817, until
the demise of that worthy officer, at St. John's, Newfound-
land, Feb. 24th, 1818. His promotion to the rank of com-
mander took place on the 20th April following.

Esq.

hysician ex-

* See Vol. II. Part II. p. m^, et seq.

14

COMMANDKns.

1'

WILLIAM DEVEREUX EVANCE, Esq.

Is a son of Mr. Evancc, of the firm of Suttaby, Evancc,
and Co., booksellers, Stationers' Court, Fleet Street, London.
He passed his examination in Dec. 1812; obtained a com-
mission, appointing him lieutenant of the Heron sloop, Cap-
tain Francis Charles Annesley, Sept. 3d, 1814; and after-
wards served in the Tigris frigate. Captain Robert Hender-
son. On the 7th Nov. 1816, he was appointed flag-lieutenant
to Rear-Admiral Plampin, then preparing to assume the naval
guardianship of Napoleon Buonaparte : — on the 15th Aug.
1818, he was promoted to the rank of commander: — and in
Oct. following we find him in the Redpole sloop, on the
St. Helena station. He married, April 19th, 1825, Harriet,
youngest daughter of Job Dyer, Esq. of Chigwell, co. Essex,

ROBERT DEANS, Esq.

Second son of the late Admiral Deans, of Huntington,
North Britain, who died in 1815. This officer entered into
the royal navy, as midshipman on board the Woodlark sloop,
on the North Sea station, in 1804; and afterwards served
under tlie flag of Vice-Admiral (afterwards Sir Edward)
Thornbrough, Lord CoUingwood, and Sir Charles Cotton, in
the Mediterranean. His first commission bears date June
15th, 1811 ; and was presented to him by the Right Hon.
Charles Yorke, as a reward for his gallant conduct in an un-
successful attack, by the boats of the Cherokee, Clio, and
Bellette sloops (of which former vessel he was then "acting
lieutenant) upon some galliots lying at Egersund, in Norway;
on which occasion he had two fingers shot off, and was other-
wise severely wounded.

After remaining a few months at sick-quarters. Lieutenant
Deans was appointed to the Venerable 74, Captain Sir Home
Popham, employed in co-operation with the patriots on the
north coast of Spain ; where he occasionally landed in com-
mand of a division of small-arm men. During the pursuit
of the enemy from St. Ano Castle to the town of Santander,

COMMANDERS.

If)

CE, Esq.

ittaby, Evance,

Street, London.

btained a com-

ron sloop, Cap-

14 ; and after-

lobert Hendor-

l flag-lieutenant

ssume the naval

the 15th Aug.

andcr : — and in

sloop, on the

1825, Harriet,

well, CO. Essex,

af Huntington,
er entered into

oodlark sloop,
r wards served
Sir Edward)

les Cotton, in
|ars date June
I light Hon,

uct in an ini-

kee, Clio, and
|s then acting

!, in Norway;

nd was other-

rs. Lieutenant
lin Sir Home
itriots on the
ided in com-
the pursuit
l)f Santander,

he was in the act of receiving orders from Sir George Collier,
when that officer and Captain (now SirWilloughbyT.) Lake,
were wounded*. In Feb. 1813, he followed Sir Home into
the Stirling Castle 74> fitting out for the reception of Earl
Moira (afterwards Mar(|i' is of Hastings), Governor-Ciencral
of liulia, by whom lu* was higbl / complimented for his exer-
tions in saving the livc« of tvvo seamen, who fell overboard
during the voyage fo Bengal. From May 1815 until Sept.
1818, on the 9th of whi( )i latter month he was made a com-
mander, we find him servhig as flag-lieutenant to Sir Home
Popliam and Sir William J. Hope, in the river Thames and
on the Leith station. In 1817, he won the silver bugle given
by tlie royal company of Scottish archers, with whom he did
duty, as one of King George IV^'s body guard, during his
Majesty's gracious visit to Scotland.

In 1820, when the spirit of radicalism was raging in the
Mcst of Scotland, Commander Deans joined the Edinburgh
yeonuuny cavalry, of which corps Viscount Melville, then
First Lord of the Admiralty, was colonel. On the 30th April,
1827, be obtained the commaml of the Clio sloop ; and on
the 12th Nov. following, was tried by a court-martial for
having run that vessel on shore, off Coquette Island, on the
coast of Northumberland, whereby she lost her rudder and
two anchors and cables. The charge was specially grounded
on the first article of the fifth section of the new naval in-
structions, viz. :

" On all occasions, where a ship is in pilot-water, or in the neighbour-
hood of the land, of rocks, or of shoals, the captain is to take particular
care that the hand-lead be kept constantly going, whether the pilot, or
the master, thinks this precaution necessary or not ; and if it shall ap-
pear that a ship has been brought into danger of running on shore, or
has I)een wrecked, by a neglect of this precaution, the captain will be
held responsible for it."

The Court having heard Commander Deans' narrative, and
evidence of all the circumstances, agreed, that the charge of a
neglect of this instruction had been proved against Com-
mander Deans j but in consideration of his high character in

* See Vol. I. Part II. p. 707, et seq.

"M

I

mi<

1

ji i'

16

COMMANDERS.

the service, and his attention to every other part of his duty,
did adjudge him only to be reprimanded, and admonished to
be more careful in future. Mr. Sam. Birt, master of the
Clio, was afterwards tried for a neglect of the 22d article of
his instructions, which also refers to keeping the lead going
in pilot-water ; when he was, in consideration of the good
character given him by his commander, only reprimanded,
and admonished to be more careful in future.

In Nov. 1829, Commander Deans was appointed to the
Childers sloop, on the North Sea station ; and in Jan. 183 J,
he and his first lieutenant appeared before a court-martial on
charges, the nature of which Avill be seen by his

Defence.

" Mr. President and Gentlemen of this Honourable Court : — I stand
before you as the commander of one of his Majesty's ships of war, on
my trial, on charges brought forward by the friends of a midshipman,
late belonging to the Childers, under my command, for tricing him up
in the main-top, and for subsequently putting him in irons ; which
charges, I allow, of themselves imply cruelty and oppression ; but I
trust I shall not fail to make it appear, that a disposition to be cruel,
overbearing, or oppressive towards those placed under my command, is
wholly foreign to my feelings, and cannot with justice or truth be main-
tained against me — proved not only by those officers and men lately
under my command in the Clio, but most fully so by the officers and
men of the Childers.

** I trust that this Hon. Court vnll be of opinion that such a step as
that I was compelled to adopt towards Mr. CoUymore, midshipman,
was absolutely required, in justice to the maintenance of the necessary
discipline of the service, caused not only by his mutinous manner and
gestures at the time of his misconduct, but also for his repeated acts of
insubordination and contempt of orders previously ; one of which, with
the permission of this Hon. Court, I beg leave to state : — ^When H. M.
ship Childers was at anchor off Hai-wich, in the month of April of last
year, on or about the 12th day of that month, I directed a boat to be
sent at night, under the command of Mr. Donaldson, the gunner, with
Mr. CoUymore, and six men, along the coast to look out for smug-
glers ; and it blowing very hard, the boat was obliged to land. At day-
light the party returned on board. On the evening of the following day,
a person respectably dressed as a farmer came on board the Childers,
and complained to me that his house had, the previous night, been
attacked by three men and an officer, and that his windows had been
broken, and his premises had sustained other injury, and that the party
had put himself and his family in bodily fear. He suspected the men

«

of his duty,
nonished to
ister of the
i article of
lead going
►f the good
primanded,

ited to the

Jan. 1831,

-martial on

trt: — I stand
IS of war, on
midshipman,
ricing him up
irons ; which
ssion ; but I
1 to 1)0 cruel,
command, is
ruth be maiu-
d men lately
officers and

ch a step as
midshipman,
16 necessary-
manner and
jated acts of
which, with
/VTien H. M.
\pril of last
boat to be
■unner, with
for smug-
1. At day-
owing day,
e Childers,
ight, been
had been
t the party
the men

rOMMANDERS. 1/

belonired to the Childers, and therefore came to complain of tlie outrage
committed. I immediately sent for Mr. Collynmre and the boat's crew,
who in the presence of the complainant and my officers, most positively
denied any knowledge of the transaction ; and then, not doubting the
•word of Mr. CoUymore, I dismissed the complaint. Two days after-
wards, whQe I was on shore, a constable came on board the Childers,
with a deposition, taken on oath, before a county magistrate, relative to
the above case ; and on Mr. CoUymore being closely interrogated on the
subject by Lieutenant M'Douald, the then commanding officer, he unhe-
sitatingly acknowledged the facts, as I have now stated them to this Hon.
Court, and admitted that he had committed the outrage complained of.
Hereupon liicutenant M'Douald, accompanied by Mr. CoUymore, imme-
diately appeared before the magistrate, at Felixton, who, in consideration
of Mr. C.'s youth and inexperience, mitigated the severity of the fine
for this outrage, by reducing it to five pounds, which Mr. C. paid. On
Mr. C.'s return to the ChUders, I judged it necessary to express to him
mv sincere regret and astonishment at his ungcntlemanly and unofficer-
like conduct on this occasion. I pointed out to him how greatly at vari-
an"e such behaviour was wth his station in life ; and, Gentlemen, I
reminded hijn of the untruth he had spoken — that I hoped his future
conduct would be correct. Mr. President and Meml)crs of this Hon.
Court, I beg you will mark the sequel : instead of improving his conduct
by the advice I had given him, he still proceeds in a course of inattention
to his duty, and immediately aftenvards commits serious acts of insubor-
dination. The first to which I beg to call the attention of this Hon.
Court was on the evening of the 2d AprU last. Mr. CoUymore, in com-
pany with Mr. Free, also a midshipman of the Childers, quitted the ship
without leave, and did not return % her until day-light the following
morning. After giving them a severe lecture, and resorting to the minor
punishment of stopping their leave, I was induced to forgive them this
offence, assuring them that a repetition of conduct so unofficerlike and
ungcntlemanly would not fail to meet with its deserts, as I would not
again overlook such glaring acts of misconduct. But, Mr. President
and Gentlemen of this Hon. Court, instead of this admonition having
the effect I hoped it would have had, Mr. CoUymore, accompanied by
Mr. Free, before-mentioned, during the time Mr. C. had charge of the
watch on board the ChUders, took a boat and went on shore, and did not
return untU day-light the foUowing morning. Wlien this disgraceful act
was reported to me, I sent for these young gentlemen (not wishing to
resort to severe measures, which might have proved injurious to their
future prospects in life), and desired them to apply to the Admiralty for
their discharge from the ChUders, for private reasons, thereby giving
them an opportunity of rejoining the service when any officer might be
disposed to receive them. Aftei' these repeated acts of forbearance and
kindness, as well as the fatherly advice I had given these misguided

VOL. IV. PART II. C

18

COMMANDERS.

t

i:

youths (particularly Mr. CoUyinore), I appeal to the breasts of this Hon.
Court if the charge of cruelty can for a moment be substantiated agmnst
me.

" Mr. President and Gentlemen, I come now to the period when the
offence of tricijig up into the main-top is alleged agauist me ; this oc-
curred while lying at the Little Nore, and when the letters of these
young gentlemen, applying for the discharge from the service, were
under the consideration of the Board of Admiralty. I acknowledge the
correctness of that part of the evidence as regards the tricing Mr. Colly-
more up in the main-top, which measure I beg to assure this Hon. Court
I was compelled to resort to, in eonse<iuence of his direct disobedience
of my orders, in the presence of the whole of my officers and ship's
company. And here I beg to state, that I consider it as a principle due
to the discipline necessary to be maintained on board all of H. M. ships,
that the opposition of an inferior to a superior, cannot be permittetl
without striking at the very root of discipline ; and I have further to
observe, that such a course of punishment has been, and still continues
to be, customary in the service. I was induced to order the first lieute-
nant to see him seized to the rigging, in deference to his feelings, be-
cause he was yet in the situation of an officer.

" I now beg to state to you, Mr. President and Gentlemen of this
Hon. Court, the circumstance of my ordering INIr. Collymore to be
placed in irons. I have stated in the outset of my defence, Mr. Colly-
more had frequently quitted the ship without leave, and I considered he
would do so again, in opposition to all the advice and the orders I had
given to him ; I also conceived his mutinous behaviour and gestures
exhibited towards myself on this occasion, called for great severity of
punishment ; I was therefore compelled to order him, repugnant as I
felt it wa^ to my feelings at the moment, to be placed in irons, the seve-
rity of which order was far more in idea than in reality, for it appears by
the sworn evidence of Serjeant Lees, that he was so confined, for the
space only of four hours and a half, namely, from 4 p. m. to half-past 8
p. M. of the same evening, thereby disproving his charge that he was con-
fined in irons one night and part of two days. Here, sir, allow me to
remark, that Mr. Collymore had, by his disgraceful behaviour in the
Childers, forfeited the good wishes and opinions and respect of all the
officers and ship's company, who had witnessed, in so many instances,
his insubordinate and unofficerlike conduct, and who had heard him
acknowledge having committed tlie outrage I have described, which he,
but a few hours previously, in their presence, denied all knowledge of.

" Mr. President and Gentlemen, I beg to observe, that I am no
aware that I am deprived, as a commander of one of U. M. ships of war,
of the power of putting any petty officer or seaman in irons, whose con-
duct, from dis j bedience of the positive orders of his superior, amounts
to a species of nmtiny, and conse<iuently demands severity of punishment.

COMMANDERS.

19

breasts of this Hon.
ubstantiated against

he period when the
?auist me ; this oc-
he letters of these
the service, were
I acknowledge the
'■ tricing Mr. Colly-
re this Hon. Court
lirect disobedience
officers and ship's
as a principle due
*I1 of H. M. ships,
nnot be permitted
I have further to
and still continues
ler the first lieute-
I his feelings, be-

lentlemen of this
Collymore to be
ence, Mr. CoUy-
i I considered he
the orders I had
ur and gestures
freat severity of
, repugnant as I

irons, the seve-
For it appears by

onfined. for the
to half-past 8
[hat he was con-

ir, allow me to
iviour in the.

ipect of all the

lany instances,

ad heard him.

led, wliich he, .

owledge of.

at I am no
ships of war,

|s, whose con-

ior, amounts
punishment.

■2!

" And now, Mr. President and Gentlemen of this Hon. Court, unas-
sisted by the talents of counsel, or the opinions of any legal adviser, I
have thus laid before you these statements, founded in facts. I only re-
quest the patience of this Hon. Court for a short time, during the exa-
mination of witnesses, if the Court should deem it necessary to examine
tliem, in corroboration of my assertions. I merely ask, would either of
vou have a«ted differently to what I have, had your orders been set at
Ilefiance on the quarter-deck of either of your respective ships, by a
midshipman whom you had brought into the service, as I had Mr. Colly-
more, and whom you had fostered, as I had him, in every respect as a son.

" Mr. Pi-esident and Gentlemen, I have served in H. M. navy twenty-
seven years, upwards of twelve years of that period as a commander,
with a character unsullied, with a character respected by every officer
and man I have served with ; and though I have unceasingly studied to
act up to what I consider to be the true discipline of the naval service,
mv conscience accjuits me of ever having conducted myself towards any
one subordinate to me with undue severity. I have been severely wounded
in II. M. service, and have lost two fingers from my left hand in action,
and have a musquet-ball now in my right arm. Sir, my father was in
II. M. navy fifty-nine years, and died an admiral of the red squadron. I
mention this merely to shew, that I am not unworthy the rank and situ-
ation I hold in the service. Sir, on the justice or injustice of the
charges l)rought against me this Hon. Court are, I am sensible, fully
competent to determine-; and I beg to avow, that I have the highest re-
spect for this Court, and that I have every reliance on its justice, and
perfect confidence in the rectitude of my own conduct. With these
sentinfents. Sir, I close my defence, and shall cheerfully bow to your
decision."

The Court was then cleared, and after some few minutes
deliberation was again opened, when they declared their
opinion to be, that no charge had been proved against Lieu-
tenant Worsfold, his evidence therefore was admissible if
Commander Deans should think proper to call upon him.—
I should wish, said the latter, that Lieutenant Worsfold be
called, to state to the court the general conduct of Mr. Colly-
more, for the last three months he served in the Childers. —
The lieutenant was then sworn, and deposed as follows :—

" The day previous to Mr. Collymore being hauled up into the main-
top, I had mustered the ship's company at divisions, with their scrubbed
hammocks, and directed Mr. Collymore, as the midshipman of the se-
cond division, to take a list of the hammocks that were returned, fresh
marked or repairing. On the following day, on inijuiring for this list^
I sent to Mr. Collymore for it, which was brotight to me by the quarter-

c2

!20

COMMANDERS.

!.i

I;'

iifp

sr-

Mi

li.l

master of the watch. It was written in pencil, as I conceived, not in a
proper manner to be sent to me ; I accordingly sent for him on deck,
and desired him to repeat over the names that were not legible to me ;
he then told me that he had not done it himself, but that one of the
master's assistants of the same division had done it ; I reprimanded him
for not obeying my orders, which he appeared to take no notice of what-
ever ; I then ordered him to go to the mast-head ; he still continued to
treat my orders with contempt, and in fact turned himself round, his
Imck partly towards me, looking about as if insensible it was to him I
was addressing myself ; I moved towards him and repeated my orders
three or four times more, but when I asked him the question whether
lie meant to attend to what I had said, he replietl no. I immediately
went down below and told Commander Deans of the circumstance ; he
followed me on deck and ordered Mr. C. to go to the mast-head ; he
still continued to treat Commander D. as he had already done me ; I
was then desired by Commander D. to send for the main-top men, who
adjusted a half-inch rope under his arm and hauled him up into the top ;
I was then desired to go up and see him secured to the topmast rigging,
and after a great resistance by his nearly knocking me out of the top, he
was seized to the rigging by the elbows, with his face towards the mast ;
I then sent the men below, and went myself to report to the commander,
that Mr. Collymore was secured. Shortly afterwards. Commander
Deans went on shore, and I went below, but came upon deck in about
ten minutes, and looking aloft, I found that Mr. Collymore was out of
the top ; I immediately sent for the serjeant, and desired him to bring
Mr. Collymore on deck to me, judging he was below in his berth ; he
came, when I asked him if he had leave to come down ? he told me no ;
I ordered him to go aloft again ; finding he still persevered in the same
line of conduct he had previously observed, I ordered the serjeant to
take him below, and put a sentry at his berth-door, and told him he was
to consider him (Mr. C.) as a prisoner under arrest. Shortly after-
wards, considering it too great an indulgence for him to be below in his
berth, I desired the serjeant to bring him up and put him on the poop
with a sentinel over him. On Commander Deans coming on board
after four o'clock, he questioned me how he came there; I told -him
about his coming down from the top, when he ordered hun to be jdaced
in irons under the poop ; about eight o'clock he was removed to his
hammock in the steerage. The next morning he was brought up
under the poop and placed under the sentry's charge; about nine
o'clock he was sent with a sentinel below to his berth under arrest,
where he remained for three days, during the investigation that took
place by Sir Jahleel Brenton, on board the Donegal. Two or tliree days
afterwards he was discharged from the ship.

" Commander Deans. — State to the Court his general conduct for the
last three mouths. Lieutenant Worsfold. — He was in general inatten-
tive to his duty; ho left the ship twice at night time, without permission,

il

COMMAND£RS.

21

eivcd, not in a
r him on deck,
i legible to nie ;
that one of the
;primanded him
notice of what-
ill continued to
iself round, hi»
it was to hiin I
ated my orders
lestion whether
I immediately
cumstance ; he
mast-head ; he
idy done me ; I
i-top men, who
ip into the top ;
opmast rigg-injiC,
t of the top, he
i^ards the mast ;
lie commander,
s. Commander
\ deck in about
ore was out of
d him to bring^

his berth ; he
le told me no ;
ed in the same
the Serjeant to

d him he was
Shortly after-
)e below in his
m on the poop
ling on board
I told -him
n to be placed
Mnoved to his
l)rought up
about nine

under arrest,
;iou that took

or tliree days

)nduct for the
leral inatten-
it permission.

returning at day-light in the morning ; the last time he left the ship it
was his watch on deck.

" Commander Deans. — State to the Court my general treatment of
the officers and men on board the Childers. Lieutenant Worsfold —
Commander Deans has expressed his wish frequently that the officers
and ship's company should be made as comfortable as possible. No
person could do more than he did to make them so.

" Lieutenant Gordon G. Macdonald, second lieutenant of the Chil-
ders, was then called, who corroborated tlie above evidence of Lieute-
nant Worsfold, and stated that Mr. CoUymore was extremely inattentive
to his duty, so much so that he frequently expostulated with him, and
advised him to pay more attention to it. On the evening of the 14tli
April last, a man, having the appearance of a farmer, came on board the
Childers, and made a complaint, when the commander sent for Mr.
CoUymore and the boat's crew. The farmer said his house had been
attacked, the windows broken, his family had been put in bodily fear by
the threats of a party, who, when asked what they came for at that
time of night, answered, they were in search of smuggled goods ; that
he was induced to open the door, and allow them to come in ; that they
soon after departed ; and the next morning he discovered that one of
his gates had been broken, which he strongly suspected to have been
done by them. Hereupon Commander Deans immediately inquired of
Mr. CoUymore and the boat's crew if they were the aggressors, all of
whom positively denied having any knowledge of the transaction. Two
days afterwards. Lieutenant Macdonald was commanding officer, when
a constable came on board, with a warrant to take Mr. CoUymore before
a county magistrate. Lieutenant Macdonald sent for Mr. CoUymore,
and mentioned to him his suspicions that he and the boat's crew were
the parties aUuded to in the deposition made by the farmer, and advised
him immediately to acknowledge it, if it was so. After some little
hesitation, Mr. CoUymore acknowledged that he was the person who had
attacked the house. Lieutenant Macdonald immediately wrote a note to
the magistrates, to say that he would appear, with the young gentleman
(Mr. C.) the next morning ; which he did. The fact was then acknow-
ledged by Mr. CoUymore before the magistrate, which he had previously
denied. He then expressed contrition for what had occurred, and, after
a severe admonition from the magistrate, he was lined five pounds ;
which he paid. Lieutenant Macdonald then bore testimony to the
treatment of Mr. C. by Commander Deans, which he said was kind and
indulgent to such a degree as the service could possibly admit of.

" John Taylor, master's assistant, was then called, who swore to the
fact of Mr. CoUymore having left the ship during his (Mr. Taylor's)
watch, al)out half-past nine or ten o'clock at night ; and when he was to
have been relieved l)y Mr. C, the cori)orul reported that he had gone
out of the ship.

^i

COMMANDERS.

" Commander Deans then stated, that he had no further evidence to
bring forward ; when the Judge-Advocate declared that the defence was
concluded. The Court was then cleared, and after about t^vo hours
deliberation was again opened, and the following sentence delivered : —

" The Court having read the evidence in support of the charges, &e.
&c., and having maturely and deliberately considered the same, &c., is
of opinion that in giving an order to Mr. J. R. Collymore to go to the
mast-head aS a punishment, the said laeutenant William Worsfold was
borne out by the general custom of the service, and the particular cir-
cumstances of the case ; and the Court is further of opinion, that the
means resorted to, to enforce obedience, by Commander Deans, have
also been practised in the sen-ice, and were in some degree justified by
the previous incorrigible conduct of the said J. R. Collymore. The
Court nevertheless cannot but consider that those means are generally
unofScerlike and improper ; and although fully sensible that the general
conduct of Commander Robert Deans towards the officers and ship's
company under his command has been kind and indulgent, the Court
feels itself called upon to admonish the said Commander Robert Deans
to be more circumspect in his conduct for the future, and he is hereby
admonished accordingly, and the Court doth adjudge the said Lieutenant
William Worsfold to be acquitted."

The President then returned Commander Deans his sword,
which he said had been often and honourably drawn in de-
fence of his country.

On the 21st June, 1831, the Childers sailed from Ports-
mouth with despatches to South America. She was paid off
in the beginning of 1833.

Commander Deans has never been granted a pension for
his wounds, the surgeons not considering him to have sus-
tained injuries in the service equal to the loss of a limb. H e
is treasurer and a director of the Scottish military and naval
academy, and also of the Edinburgh and Leith seamen's
friend society. He married, in Feb. 1821, Mary, eldest
daughter of the late Richard Clay, of Gloucester Place,
Portman Square, London, Esq.

GEORGE FRANCIS BRIDGES, Esq.

Nephew to the kte Lieutenant-General Bridges.
This officer was a midshipman of le Tigre 74, Captain
B. Hallowell (now Sir Benjamin H. Carew)^ aaa employed

rther evidence to
t the defence was
about 't^vo hours
ice delivered : —
the charges, &c,
the same, &c., is
lore to go to the
am Worsfold was
»e particular cir-
)pinion, that the
der Deans, have
gree justified by
O'oUymore. The
ns are generally
that the general
ficers and ship's
Igent, the Court
er Robert Deans
iud he is hereby
5 said Lieutenant

ans his sword,
drawn in de-

from Ports-
B was paid off

I pension for
to have sus-
f a limb. He
ary and naval
ith seamen's
Mary, eldest
cester Place,

Esq.

ges.

74, Captain

ivi employed

COMMANDKRSi'

in a boat belonging to that ship, at the capture and destruc-
tion of a French convoy in the bay of Rosas, Oct. 3l8t and
Nov. 1st, 1809*. He obtained a lieutenant's commission on
the 1st Aug. 1811 ; and subsequently served under the flag of
Rear- Admiral Hallowell, in the Malta 80, Royal Sovereign
1 00, and Tonnant 80 ; the former ship on the Mediterranean
station, the second fitting out for Channel service, and the
latter stationed in the cove of Cork, where he jumped from
her ward-room into the sea, and thereby saved the life of an
intoxicated man, who had thrown himself overboard, Sept.
30th, 1815. He was advanced to his present rank on the
9th Sept. 1818.

Commander Bridges married, at Milan, May 19th, 1825,
Harriet, only surviving daughter of the Rev. D. D. Bergeur,
rector of Everley, co. Wilts, and chaplain to Aubrey, seventh
Duke of St. Albans.

SAMUEL SPARSHOTT, Esq.

Deputy Comptroller General 0/ the Coast Guard.

This officer passed his examination in May 1809 j obtained
the rank of lieutenant on the 22d Aug. following ; and sub-
sequently served under Captains Robert Preston and William
Bowles, in the Ganymede, Aquilon, Euphrates, and Amphion
frigates. He was advanced to his present rank on the 16th
Oct. 1818; and appointed inspecting commander of the coast
guard at Yarmouth, in July 1814. We next find him, Sept.
1.3th 1826, commissioned to the Nimrod sloop, which vessel,
when on her way from Cork to the river Clyde, having
brought up in Holyhead bay during a gale from the N.N. W.,
drove on shore and was bilged, in the night of Jan. 14th,
I827. On the account of this disaster reaching the Admiralty,
a master -attendant was sent round with succours from Ply-
mouth, but, owing to strong easterly winds, he did not arive
at Holyhead until after the Nimrod had, by very great exer-
tions f jn the part of her commander, officers, and crew, been

* See Suppl. Part III. p. 157, et m/.

24

COMMANDKBS.

ij

^f
h

m

I

floated off the rocks, and placed in a dry dock. She was sold
out of the service on tlie 3d March following ; and Com-
mander Sparshott appointed to the office he now holds, on
the 1 6th May in the same year. His younger brother,
Edward, is a captain R. N., and a Knight of the Royal Hano-
verian Guelphic Order.

ALEXANDER BORTHV^'ICK, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 12th Feb. 1802;
and the rank he now holds Dec. 7th, 1818; previous to
which he had served as first lieutenant of the Ramillies 76,
bearing the flag of Sir W. Johnstone Hope, at Leith.

WILLIAM RICHARDSON (a), Esq.

A NATIVE of Stonehouse, co. Devon ; and nephew to the
late Rear- Admiral Richard Raggett.

This officer entered the royal navy in Jan. 17^7^ as mid-
shipman on board the Prince George 98, bearing the flag of
Rear-Admiral (afterwards Sir William) Parker, in Jan. 1797;
and witnessed the defeat of the Spanish fleet off Cape St.
Vincent, on the 14th of the following month. We after-
wards find him serving under Vice- Admiral Sir Charles
Thompson, the present Sir James Hawkins Whitshed, and
the late Sir George Campbell, in the Formidable 98, Queen
Charlotte 110, and Temeraire 98, principally on the Channel
station. In the early part of 1803, he belonged to the Vic-
tory, first rate, from which ship he was promoted, by the
immortal Nelson, into the Termagant sloop, off Toulon,
April 30th, 1804. In 1807, he was lieutenant of the Gos-
hawk sloop. Captain Alexander Innes, and present at the
siege of Copenhagen. He subsequently served as first of the
Bombay, America, and York, 74*s, Caledonia 120, and Roche-
fort 80, commanded by Captains William Cuming, Josias
Rowley, Alexander W. Schomberg, and Sir Archibald C.
Dickson ; from which latter ship, in consideration of his long
service as senior lieutenant, and his meritorious conduct

COMMANDKRS.

25

. She was sold
ing ; and Com-
now holds, on
aunger brother,
he Royal Hano-

, Esq.

fth Feb. 1802;
8j previous to
5 Ramillies 7^3
'■ Leith.

, Esq.

lephew to the

1797^ as mid-

ng the flag of

in Jan. 1797;

off Cape St.
\i. We after-
Sir Charles
V^hitshed, and
)le 98, Queen

the Channel
d to the Vic-
loted, by the

off Toulon,

of the Gos-
esent at the
as first of the
3, and Roche-
ning, Josias
Archibald C.
n of his long
ous conduct

having been often represented, he was promoted to his pre-
sent rank on the 7th Dec. 1818. The following official
letters are extracted from the London Gazette.

" N. M. S. Caledonia, off Toulon, June \m, 1812.
<« Sir,— I have the honour to enclose, for the information of the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the copy of a letter and its en-
closures which I have received from Captain Rowley, of H. M. ship
America, stating the particulars of a spirited attack upon the enemy's
batteries at Languilla, near Genoa, and the capture of a convoy that
had taken shelter under them. I have the honour to be, &c.

(Signed) " Eoward Pkllew,

" Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief."

Enclosure.

" H. M. S. America, off LanfftiiUa, May \^th, 1812.

" Sir, — I have the honor to inform you, that having yesterday, in
company with the Leviathan and Eclair, fallen in with a convoy of
eighteen sail of the enemy, deeply laden, which took shelter under the
town and batteries of Languilla, and Captain Campbell concurring in
opinion with me as to the practicability of bringing them out or destroy-
ing them by getting possession of the batteries, the marines of both ships,
under the direction of Captain Rea, of the America, were landed this
morning at day-break to effect it.

" A party under Captain Owen, R. M., of the Leviathan, was de-
tached to carry a battery of five 24 and 18-pounders to the eastward,
wliich he performed in a very spirited and judicious manner, the French
officer who commanded falling in the attack : the main body in the mean
time, rapidly advancing through a severe fire of grape, carried the bat-
tery adjoining the town of Languilla, consisting of four 24 and 18-
pounders and a mortar, though protected l)y a strong body of the enemy
posted in a wood, and in several contiguous buildings, upon the latter
of which the guns were immediately turned with much effect. The
enemy were now driven from the houses lining the beach by the fire of
the Eclair, and the boats then proceeded to bring out the vessels that
were secured by various contrivances to the houses and beach, their sails
and rudders being mostly removed on shore : sixteen were towed off, as
per enclosed list, which being accomplished, the marines were re-em-
barked in the most perfect order, under cover of the fire of the Eclair,
and without molestation from the enemy, though a strong party was ad-
vancing from the town of Alassia to reinforce them.

" I regret to state, that our success has been clouded, and our loss on
this occasion much extended, by an unfortunate accident which occurred
in landing the party : the America's yawl being sunk by a chance shot
from the only gun that could bear on the boats ; and before assistance

96

COMMANDERS.

iiii

It

If,,

could be afforded, I lament to say, ten marines and one of the crew were
drowned.

" I have great satisfaction in the favourable report which I feel it my
duty to make of the officers, seamen, and marines employed on this
occasion : the gallant and able conduct of Captain Rea, who com-
manded the marines, was very conspicuous, and he reports in the most
favorable manner of Captain Owen, and Lieutenants Neame, Cock,
Garden, and Hill, and of the orderly good conduct of the whole detach-
ment. To Captain Bellamy I was much indebted for the handsome
manner in which the Eclair was swept in, and the fire she kept up to
cover and protect the troops and boats during their operations ; the
ships being prevented by the light and baffling winds from getting close
enough to act. The services of the boats in landing and embarking the
troops, (and being all armed with guns or carronades,) assisting with
their fire, and the expedition with which the enemy's vessels were
brought out, does much credit to Lieutenant William Richardson, first
of this ship, who had the direction of them, as also to Lieutenants John
Molesworth and Robert Moodie, of the America, and Alexander Dobbs
and Richard Hambly, of the Leviathan, who were employed in them. I
cannot conclude without requesting permission to recommend to your
notice Mr. John Harvey, master's mate of this ship, who has particularly
distinguished himself, both on the present and other late occasions of
boat service. I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " Jolias Rowley."

" To Fice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, Bart., 8fc. dfc. ^c."

In addition to the sixteen vessels captured and brought out,
a settee of four guns was burnt ; and another, laden with
salt, so much damaged by shot, that she could not be got
afloat. The cargoes of the prizes consisted, principally, of
brandy, leather, salt, and wine. Exclusive of the heavy loss
sustained at the onset of this dashing enterprise, four men
were killed and twenty-one wounded : — total killed, drowned,
and mortally wounded, sixteen ; thirteen severely wounded,
and seven slightly. The following order was issued by "Cap-
tain Rowley previous to his detaching the boats and ma-
rines :—

" Mem. — The detachment of royal marines from the America and
Leviathan are to rendezvous on board the Eclair at 2 a. m., and to land
under the orders of Captain Rea at the position pointed out between the
towns of Languilla and Alassia, Captain Owen with the half of his party
to proceed and carry the battery to the west of Alassia, the guns of
which he is to spike and otherAvise render useless, and then retreat on
the original position, and Captain Rea in the mean time to proceed with

• #'

'done of the crew were

>ort which I feel it ,„y
ines employed on this
l>tain Rea, who coni-
he reports in the most
nants Neame, Cock,
t of the whole detach-
ed f«»r the handsome
le fire she kept up to
heir operations; the
is from getting: close
8 and embarking the
mdes,) assisting with
demy's vessels were ■
am Richardson, first
to Lieutenants John
id Alexander Dobbs
nployed in them. I
recommend to your
vho has particularly
:r late occasions of

'fciAs Rowley."

nd brought out,
er, laden with
Id not be got
principally, of
the heavy loss
'Jse, four men
lied, drowned,
'^ly wounded,
sued by Cap-
)ats and ma-

e America and
M., and to land
'Ut between the
alf of his party
I, the guns of
hen retreat on
0 proceed with

COMMANDERS.

27

^

of '^•anguilU,
c-pin^ ic
liaviag eir ed
lair, to re< •!*«

■r», k

the main body for the purpose of carrying tlie b.i

whicli luiving effected, he is to wait there for further or

batter}' in readiness to turn against the town. The bout

tlie landing of the marines, are to return on l)oard tlie 1

the orders of Captain Bellamy for their further proceedings; it boog

intended, in the event of the line-of-battlc ships not having sufficient

wind to get near the shore, that the Eclair, with the assistance of the

arnicd boats, shall dislodge the enemy from the houses, in order to bring

off or destroy their vessels. The armed boats to be under the direction

of Lietitenant Richardson, of the America, subject to the orders of

Captain Bellamy.

" In the event of Captain Rea perceiving a favourable opportunity for
proposing a capitulation to save the town from the effects of a cannonade,
on condition of the vessels, &c. &c. being (delivered up, he is at liberty
to propose or accept it, in which case he will shew a flag of truce. The
most particular orders are to be given, and enforced in the strongest
manner, that no person shall," on any pretence whatever, enter a house,
or go into the town.

" Given on board the America, off Languilla, May 18th, 9 a. m."

Commander Richardson married the niece of Rear-Admiral
George M'Kinley. His only brother, John George Richardson,
is a captain of the royal marines, quartered at Woolwich.

WILLIAM GRIN r, Esq.

Served as midshipman on board the Britannia first rate,
bearing the flag of Earl Northesk ; and appears to have been
wounded at the memorable battle of Trafalgar. We next
find him master's mate of the Latona frigate. Captain James
AtholWood, at the capture of Cura9oa, Jan. 1st, 1807*.
His promr Lion to the rank of lieutenant took place on the
27th Jrly following. He was third of the Anson frigate.
Captain Charles Lydiard, but fortunately absent in a prize,
when that ship was totally wrecked in Mount's Bay, Dec.
28th, 18071. His subsequent appointments were : — about
April 1808, to the Vulture sloop, Captain Joseph Pearse ; —
about Nov. 1810, to the Pomp^e 74, Captain J. A. Wood j —

* See Vol. I, Part II. note at p. 741.
t See Nav. Chron. XIX. pp. 55, et seq. and 452, et seq.

ilW

28

COMMANDUHS.

\

f i<

II

and Nov. 20th, 181 1 ^ to the Zenobia sloop, in which he served
under various commanders, until the end of the war. He
obtained his present rank on the 7th Dec. 1818.

MICHAEL STACPOOLE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1812 j and commander on
the 7th Dec. 1818.

HENRY FREEMAN YOUNG POGSON, Esq.

Obtained the rank of lieutenant on the 26th April 1798;
lost the Racer, of 12 guns, in the Gulf of Florida, Oct. 10th,
1814; commanded the Eagle, revenue cruiser, on the Sheer-
ness station, previous to his further promotion in Mar. 1819;
and was appointed an inspecting commander in the Coast
Guard service, April 6th, 1830.

JOHN EVELEIGH, Esq.

Displayed great gallantry whilst serving as midshipman
of the Pique frigate. Captain Charles B. H. Ross, and em-
ployed in her boats at the capture of the Spanish armed
schooner Santa Clara, off Ocoa bay, St. Domingo, Mar. 17th,
1806. He was made a lieutenant on the 16th May 1809 ;
a ppointed to the command of the Whitworth, revenue cruiser,
on the Irish station, in June 1817; promoted to his present
rank Mar. 4th, 1819; and subsequently employed as an
inspecting commander at Bognorand in the Isle of Sheppy.

THOMAS LIPSON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in June 1809; and commander on
the 4th March 1819. In Jan. 1817, the Lapwing revenue
cutter, then under his command, was driven from her anchor-
age in Mill Bay, Plymouth, and went ashore high and dry

li I

COMMANDERS.

'29

over a ri<li?c of rocks, with comparatively but little damage.*
Hemarned, July 30th, 1812, Elizabeth, daughter of Mr.
William Took, of Weymouth.

JOHN HARVEY (a), Esq.

A SOS of Henry Wise Harvey of Harndeu, Sandwich, co.
Kent, Em|., whose father, Captain John Harvey, one of "the
bravest of the brave," was mortally wounded while com-
manding the Brunswick 74, at the memorable battle of June
1st, 1794t.

This officer was born at Harnden, on the 31st Dec. 1793 j
and entered the royal navy in Sept. 1 804, as midshipman on
board the Agamemnon 64, commanded by his uncle. Captain
(now Vice-Admiral Sir John) Harvey, under whom he served
in that ship and the Canada 74, principally employed on the
Cadiz and West India stations, until the latter third-rate was
paid off at Chatham, in Jan. 1808. During his first cruise
he witnessed the capture of four Spanish merchantmen,
laden with sugar, cochineal, indigo, coffee, &c. and having
on board specie to a very considerable amount. In the fol-
lowing year, he was present at the capture of two Spanish
line-of-battle ships, by the fleet under Sir Robert Calder|.

On leaving the Canada, Mr. John Harvey joined the Orion
74, Captain Sir Archibald C. Dickson, attached to the Baltic
fleet ; in which ship he continued until June 1 809, when he
sailed from Spithead, in the Donegal 74, Captain Edward P.
Brenton, to rejoin his uncle, then commanding the Leviathan
74, off Cadiz. In Oct. following, he witnessed the destruc-
tion, by their own crews, of two French line-of-battle ships,
between Cette and Frontignan||. In Mar. 181 1, he followed
Captain Harvey into the Royal Sovereign, first rate, on the
Mediterranean station, from whence he returned home towards

* See Vol. IV. Part I. p. 209.
f See Vol. I. Part II. note at p. 613, et seq. From a genealogical ac-
count now extant, the Harveys are traced in a direct line from Mr.
Richard Harvey, of Filmanstone, who died in 1472.

t See Vol. I. Part I. p. 405- || See id. p. 282, et seq.

'4

30

COMMANDKKS.

!{.:

fii'

the end of the tame year. We afterwards find him succes-
sively serving on board the Sceptre, Marlborough, and San
Domingo, third rates, from which latter ship he was pro-
moted into the Success 32, armed en flute, Nov. 13th, 1813,
His next appointment was, in Jan. 1814, to the Epervier 18,
Commander Richard V\^ alter Wales, the capture of which
vessel, on the 29th April following, by the United States'
sloop Peacock, has been narrated in Supp. Part IV. p. 127,
efseq. We subsequently find him serving in the Astr«Ba
frigate. Captain Edward Kittoe ; and as flag-lieutenant to his
uncle. Rear- Admiral John Harvey, commander-in-chief on
the Leeward Islands station. He obtained his present rank
on the 2d April 1819.

'i'his officer's only brother, Henry Wise Harvey, is a lieu-
tenant in the navy. His eldest sister, now deceased, was
married to Commander George Hilton.

Ill

JAMES BARNWELL TAITNALL, Esq.

Was born in 1790; and entered the royal navy in Sept.
1 803, as midshipman on board the Leander 50, bearing the
flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Andrew Mitchell, commander-in-
chief on the H alifax station, where he was scon afterwards
removed into the Boston frigate. Captain (now Vice-Admiral)
JohnErskine Douglas, He subsequently served under Lord
Cochrane, in the Pallas 32, and conducted into port one of
the richest prizes taken by that frigate, at the commencement
of the Spanish war, in 1805.

On the night of April 5th, 1806, the boats of the Pallas,
under Lieutenant John Haswell, captured the French na-
tional corvette Tapageuse, of fourteen long 12-pounders and
95 men, lying about twenty miles above the shoals of Cor-
dovan, in the Bourdeaux river, and under the protection of
two strong batteries. During their absence, three ships
were observed bearing down to the British frigate, making
many signals, and soon perceived to be enemies. ** In a few
minutes," says Lord Cochrane, *' the anchor was weighed,
and, with the remainder of the officers and crew, we chased

i

'

":i.. .-.

COMMANDERS.

31

drove on shore, and wrecked, one 24-gun ship, one of 22
guns, and la Malicieuse, a beautiful corvette of 18 guns. All
in this ship showed zeal for his Majesty's service. The war-
rant officers and Mr. Tattnall, midshipman, supplied the
place of those commissioned." Other dashing services in
which Mr. Tattnall participated are recorded in Vol. IV.
Part I. p. 157 ^t seq.

From the Pallas, Mr. Tatnall followed Lord Cochrane into
the Imperieuse 38. Towards the close of that year, while in
charge of two French luggers, which had been captured off
Kochfort, he was driven, through stress of weather, into
Belleisle, and obliged to surrender. In Dec. 1801), having
succeeded in effecting his escape from Verdun, while deprived
of parole, he joined the fleet employed in the blockade of
Flushing; and early in 1810, was sent out to the Leeward
Islands on promotion. Soon after his arrival on that station,
he joined the St. Pierre 18, as acting lieutenant ; but, owing
to a change in the naval administration, he was not confirmed
until April 18th, 181 l,atwhich period we find him appointed
to the Racehorse sloop. Commander James De Rippe, on
the Cape of Good Hope station, where he witnessed the
capture of the French frigate Renommde, and assisted in
taking possession of her late consort, la Nereide, together
with several merchant vessels, in the month of May follow-
ing.*

Lieutenant Tatnall's subsequent appointments were, — to
the Portia 14, Commander Henry Thomson, stationed in
the North Sea; President frigate. Captain Francis Mason,
under whom he served at the siege of St. Sebastian ; and Ton-
nant SO, flag- ship of the Hon. Sir Alexander I. Cochraue, by
whom he was successively appointed acting commander of
the Sophie 18, Carron 20, and Dictator troop-ship, on the
North American station. Whilst belonging to the Tonnant,
he served in her boats at the destruction of Commodore
Barney's flotilla, in the Patuxent river ; commanded a gun-
boat at the attack upon Baltimore ; and had a boat sunk

,!.; h

ti

* See Vol. II. Part II. p. 833, et seq.

( if

k

i.

'ii

!

4

}'"}]

■ r

32 COMMANDERS.

under him, and the greatest part of his crew killed and
wounded, at the capture of five heavy gun-vessels in Lac
Borgne, Dec. 14th, 1814*. His promotion to the rank of
commander, however, did not take place until April 14th,
1819; at which period he was acting in the Spey 20, on the
Mediterranean station.

RICHARD JOHN HEAD, Esq.

Obtain KD his first commission on the 12th June, 180/ ;
served as flag- lieutenant to the late Sir Charles V. Penrose,
during the period of that officer's command on the Mediter-
ranean station ; and was advanced to his present rank in
May 1819. On the 5th July 1827, the officers of the Coast
Guard, (Falmouth district), gave him a dinner, on his retiring
from the duties of Inspecting Commander. At the same
time, they presented him with a snuff-box, of heart of oak,
manufactured from a beam of St. Mawe's castle, of 200 years
standing, suitably ornamented, and with an inscription com-
memorative of the deep feelings of respect which they enter-
tained of his public character as an officer, and in grateful
testimony of the many courtesies they had individually re-
ceived.

JOSEPH GRIFFITHS, Esq.

Was niiide a lieutenant on the 19th August 17^5; and
served as such under the directions of Lieutenant William
Bissell, of the Montagu 74, at the capture of thirteen French
merchantmen, which had sought shelter under the batteries
in the port of Danenne, Oct. 12th, 1800 f* Since the gene-
ral peace he has commanded the Musquedobit schooner, on
the Irish station. He obtained his present rank on the 12th
Aug. 1819.

* See Siipp. Part IV. pp. 4—7.

t See Vol. III. Part II. p. 380.

COMMANDERS.

33

PETER SAMPSON IIAMBLY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Dec. 1805; attached to the
Gibraltar flotilla from Sept. 1810, until the spring of 1814;
and promoted to his present rank on the 12th Aug. 1819.

on

). 380.

5'
I

I

MASSY HUTCHINSON HERBERT, Esq.

Third son of Arthur Herbert, Esq., of Brewsterfield,
near Killarney, co. Kerry (an old familj. residence), by Bar-
bara, sister of the late Massy Hutchinson, Esq., of Mount
Massey, near Macroom. His grandfather, Bastable Herbert,
was married to Barbara Fitzgerald, sister of the late, and
aunt to the present Knight of Kerry ; and he is related to
the Pembroke, Powis, and Carnarvon families.
. This officer was born at Brewsterfield, in June, 1788;
and entered the navy in Oct. or Nov. 1799> as midshipman
on board the Magnificent 74, Captain (afterwards Admiral)
Edward Bowater, \mder whom he served, in company with
the Channel fleet, until paid off in the spring of 1802. He
then joined the Neptune 98, Captain (now Rear- Admiral)
Francis W. Austen, stationed as a guard-ship at Ports-
mouth ; and, in Oct following, the Loire frigate, Captain
(now ^ir Frederick L.) Maitland. On the 17th Aug. 1804,
he assisted at tb'' capture of the French frigate-built pri-
vateer Blonde,, of 30 long 9-pounders, and 240 men, after a
running fight of fifteen minutes, during which the enemy
had two men mortally, and five badly, wounded : the Loire
two severely and four slightly.

On the night of June 1st, 1805, three of the Loire's boats,
commanded by her first lieutenant (the late Sir James Lucas
Yeo), Mr. Clinch (midshipman), and the subject of this
memoir, most gallantly attacked and carried two Spanish
privateers, the largest a felucca, armed with three long 18-
pounders and four 4- pounder brass swivels; the other, a
lugger, with two long O-pounders ; both vessels moored
under a 10-gun battery, in the bay of Camarinas, near Cape

VOL. IV. PARI" II. D

Sm

34

COMMANDERS.

' 1

fi.

ii

Finistcrrc. In bis official report of this dushinc; enterprise.
Captain Maitland says, " the loss on board the lui^ger, *
cannot be ascertained. When the crew of the felucca was
mustered, nineteen out of fifty were missing; some of whom
had jumped overboard, but the greatest part were killed by the
pike and sabre, there being no other weapons used. When
we call to mind the inequality of force, there being not more
than 35 of the Loire's, officers included, opposed to 82
Spaniards, with their vessels moored to the Malls of a hcvivy
battery, it must be allowed to confer the greatest credit on
the officers and men employed on this service," — in the per-
formance of which the British had not a man slain, and
only three wounded.

On the 3d of the same month. Lieutenant Yco was sent in
the captured felucca, Avith Mr. Herbert and about thirty
men, to reconnoitre the Spanish coast. In the performance
of this duty, he w\is attacked by seven armed luggers, which
had come out from Finisterre for the express purpose of
taking him ; but, after a sharp action, this very superior
force sheered off, and sought protection under the land bat-
teries.

On the following day, Mr. Herbert assisted at the capture
of the French privateers Confiance and Eelicre ; the former a
very long corvette, pierced for 26 guns ; the latter a brig
with 20 ports; both lying in Muros Road, protected by a
fort mounting 12 long Spanish 18-pounders, on travelling
carriages, and a 2-gun battery. In the execution of this
service, and in partially destroying the fort, the Loire had
two officers and 13 men wounded ; the enemy twelve killed
and 30 wounded, f The Confiance was taken into the Bri-
tish service, and Lieutenant Yeo promoted to the command
of her as a sloop of war.

On the 24th Dec. 1805, the Loire, in company with the
Egyptienne frigate, captured off Rochefort, after an action

* Boarded 1)y Rlr. Clinch, I)ut abandoned by order of Lieutenant Yeo,
in order to secure the fcluooa.

t See Vol. II, Part I. pp. .'^9— ;?<)!.

4

CO/vlMANDERS.

35

terprisc,
LiiTger, *
L'ca was
if whom
d by the
When
ot more
1 to 82
a heavy
I'edit on
the per-
lin, and

1 sent hi
it thirty
armance
3, which
•pose of
superior
tmd bat-
capture
brmer a
• a brig
ed by a
avelling
of this
)ire had
e killed
\e Bri-
mmaiid

'ith the
action

«it Yeo,

of lialf an hour, the French national ship Libre, of 40 guns
and 280 men : twenty of whom were killed and wounded.
On lliis occasion the Loire, although the first in action, had
not a man hurt ; her consort one mortally, two badly, and
five slightly wounded.

For other services, in which Mr. Herbert participated
while belonging to the Loire, we must refer our readers to
the memoir of his enterprising and indefatigable captain,
whom he appears to have successively followed into the
Volontaire and Emerald frigates. In Mar. 1807, he was
removed into the Hibernia 110, flag-ship of Earl St. Vincent;
and about three months afterwards to the Confiance, in
which ship he served until Oct. 19th, 1807; when he was
promoted to the rank of lieutenant for his gallant conduct
at the capture of a privateer on the coast of Spain, which
service was thus officially reported by his commander, in a
letter addressed to Admiral Lord Gardner, Aug. 18th pre-
ceding : —

" I have the pleasure to acnmaint you, that in prooeecUnj^ to Oporto
agreeable to my orders, I received information of a Spanish lugger pri-
vateer, lyinjr in La Guardia, that had heen oommitting- great depreda-
tions on our trade on the coast t)f Portugal : it being calm, and we
within a few miles of that port, I despatched the boats, under the com-
mand of Lieutenant William Hovendon Walker, assisted by Messrs.
Herbert (master's-mate), and Forder (midshipman), to cut her out, which
they performed in a most gallant manner, two forts and the privateer
being perfectly prepared to receive them, and the former having opened
a heavy fire on our boats long l)efore they reached the vessel, which was
moored under them, and from the prisoners' account mounted, the one
four long 24-pouuders, the other six 18-pounders, with 150 troops. Tlie
lugger proves to be El Reitrada, of three guns and thirty men, one of
whom was killed, several wounded, and the rest jumped overboard. I
am happy to add, this service was accomplished without any loss on our
side. Lieutenant Walker speaks in the highest manner of Messrs.
Herbert and Forder, as also of all the seamen and marhies of the
party."

Lieutenant Herbert's first appointment was to the Cossack
24, Captain George Digby. On the 22d June, 1808, he was
engaged as a volunteer in a very hazardous and important
service at St. Andero, on the north coast of Spain, as will

D 2

V

I

96

COMMANDKRiii.

'; !

111

Mi

i<..

I

]Pi

% :■

be seen by the copy of an official letter given in Suppl.
Part I. p. 384, et seq. We next find him most actively em-
ployed, during the whole of a long and tempestuous night,
in embarking and bringing off the remains of Sir John
Moore's gallant army, at Corunna.

In June and July, 1810, the Cossack formed part of a
squadron under Captain (afterwards Sir Robert) Mends,
whose active operations on the north coast of Spain, be-
tween St. Sebastian and St. Andero, have been noticed in
Vol. II. Part I. p. "272 et seq. and Part II. p. 949 et seq. She
was afterwards ordered to the Mediterranean, where Lieu-
tenant Herbert continued to serve in her, latterly under
Captain Francis Stanfell, until June, 1812, when he applied
to be superseded, and was accordingly put on half-pay.

In April 1813, he joined the Antelope 50, Captain Sa-
muel Butcher, attached to the Baltic station; and during
the summer of that year, he commanded her boats at the
capture of several Danish privateers, which attempted by
night-time to molest the British trade going through the
Great Belt. On one of these occasions, he received a blow
of a sword on the head, and was only saved by having a silk
handkerchief in his hat, which was cut down to the very
brim.

On the 1st Mar. 1814, the Antelope, then under the orders
of Admiral William Young, commanding the North Sea
fleet, forced the channel between Flushing and Cadsand, ac-
companied by a Russian frigate and the Resolution hired
cutter, under a heavy fire from all parts of the extensive
chain of works which, since the Walcheren expedition, had
been thrown up on both sides of the Hondt. Whilst thus"
running the gauntlet, the Antelope received several shot in
the hull, and had a few men badly wounded, one of whom
was a Dutch pilot, whose comrade, on witnessing his misfor-
tune, lost no time in concealing himself below. The Rus-
sian frigate lost no men, nor had she any wounded ; but, un-
fortunately, the Resolution's gaff- top-sail sheet was shot
away, which occasioned her to fall astern of the ships, in-
stead of continuing a-head, and directing their course by her

I

orders

rth Sea

nd, ac-

hired

itensive

n, had

st thus'

shot in

whom

misfor-

! Rus-

it, un-

s shot

, in-

bv her

COMMANDERS. 37

soundings. When arrived abreast of Breskins, a thick fog
coming on, the marks could no longer be seen. The tide
was then setting over on the Cabot ; on which, should the
ships by any cliance have been thrown, inevitable destruction
must have been the result. This, together with the wind
having occasionally headed them, induced Captain Butcher
to approve the suggestion of the master of the fleet, then on
^ board the Antelope, and sanction her being kept on the

weather shore. Having, at length, passed the batteries, and
had it reported to him that the Antelope was nearly ad-
vanced far enough to anchor, to await the arrival of a pilot
from one of the frigates at Borselen, Captain Butcher was
busily employed on the quarter-deck in reducing the heavy
press of sail, which it had been necessary to carry, when all
at once the water shoaled from seven to four fathoms. The
helm was instantly put a-weather, and the after- sails ordered
to be taken off, but before this could be done, or the ship
could be influenced by the helm, she grounded on the tail of the
Hoogplaat, between two spits of sand, where, notwithstanding
every possible exertion, she remained immovable, within
range of the enemy's mortar batteries, from about 5 p. m.
on that day until 10 a. m. on the third, a period of forty-one
hours. In his official report of this trying accident. Captain
Butcher, after acknowledging the very great assistance he re-
ceived from Captain John Hancock, of theNymphen frigate j
and the zeal, ability, and unbounded exertions of Comman-
ders Payne and Warde, of the Cretan and Banterer sloops,
says : — " The constant attention and activity of Mr. Her-
bert {first lieutenant), and every other officer and person on
board the Antelope, can never be surpassed. During up-
ivards of thirty-six hours, not an individual had a moment's
relaxation from the severest toil, even to admit the taking of
the smallest sustenance ; and at the expiration of that time
two hours only {while waiting the return of tide) until, on
the third, the ship was hove off^."

In Oct. 1814, the Antelope being then at Quebec, Lieu-
tenant Herbert volunteered to take the command of a party
of seamen going to Lake Ontario, where he joined the St.

§ j pli

). £

:

:;<•

38

COMMANDERS.

Lawrence 98, bearing the broad pendant of Sir James
Lucas Yeo. In Oct. 1815, he was appointed by Sir Ed-
ward W. C. Owen, then commodore on the Canadian
Lakes, to act as commander of the Star, which brig-sloop
he paid off at Kingston in Sept. I8I6. On his return
home, as passenger on board the Prevoyante store-ship, he
failed in obtaining promotion ; nor was he advanced to the
rank of commander until Aug. 12th, 1819.

This officer married. Feb. 2 1th, 1827, Elizabeth, daughter
of the late Major Edward Orpen, of KiUowen, co. Kerry,
by whom he has issue. His eldest brother, Bastaple, is
vicar of Kilgaroon, co. Kerry. Another, Emanuel Hutchin-
son, who died in India, and to whose memory a monument
has been erected by his brother officers, " as a mark of their
esteem,'* was a cadet in the Hon. E. I. C. service. Another,
named Arthur, junior to himself, was a lieutenant in H. M.
3d regiment of foot, and killed at the battle of Albuera.
The next in succession, Robert, is a lieutenant, R. N., and
his youngest brother, Edward, in holy orders. His eldest
sister, Hannah, is unmarried. The second, Barbara, is
widow of the late Captain David Murphy, of the Kerry
militia. The third, Lucinda, is married to Francis Christo-
pher Bland, Esq., of Derriquin Castle, co. Keiry, who was
called to the Irish bar. The fourth, Margaret Agnes, to
Captain William Hilliard, of the Limerick militia. And the
youngest, now alive, is the lady of the Hon. Colonel Philip
Cocks, formerly of the Guards, brother to Earl Somers.

CALEB JACKSON, Esq.

This officer, the third son of George Vernon Jackson,
Esq., was born in the county of Surrey, Jan. 3d, 1 791 j and
first embarked as midshipman, on board the Vengeance 74,
Captain George Duff, at Portsmouth, previous to her sailing
for the Baltic, in the spring of 1801. On her return from
that station, the Vengeance became one of the squadron un-
der Rear-Admiral George Campbell j which, after cruising

COMMANDERS.

3!)

James
Mr Ed-
anadian
g-sloop

return
ship, he
I to the

laughter

Kerry,

aple, is

lutchm-

(iiuinent

of their

Another,

1 H. M.

rMbuera.

N., and

s eldest

•bara, is

Kerry

hristo-

ho was

nes, to

nd the

|1 Philip

ers.

f

ickson,
[1 ; and
jnce 74,
sailing
[n from
ron un-
lising

^

■?

for some time off Rochefort, was sent to Bantry Bay, for
tlie protection of that part of Ireland ; and subac'i^uently to
Jamaica, to watch the movements of the :irmament sent
from France, to attempt the recovery of the French part of
St. Domuigo from the usurped government of the Blacks.
Previous to her proceeding thither, Mr. Jackson witnessed
the mutinous conduct of the Bantry Bay s(iuadron, and the
execution of the ringleaders at Spithead.

On his return from the West Indies, in the peace of 1802,
Mr. Jackson went again to school ; where he continued until
Mar. 1806, and then joined the Edgar 74, flag-ship of Lord
Keith, in the Downs. In this ship he served, under Cap-
tains Robert Jackson and James Macnamara, until May
1809; when he was removed into the Antelope 50, bearing the
flag of Vice-Admiral John HoUoway, governor of Newfound-
land ; by M'hom he was, in the course of the same year, ap-
pointed acting lieutenant of the Comet sloop. Captain Richard
H. Muddle, then on that station. His first commission
bears date Dec. 11th, 1810.

In the early part of 1812, Lieutenant Jackson was succes-
sively appointed to the Valiant 74, Captain Robert Dudley
Oliver, and Herald 18, Captain George Jackson ; in which
latter ship he continued, under the command of Captain
Clement Milward, until removed to the Argo 44, bearing the
flag of Rear-Admiral William Brown, on the Jamaica station,
in Aug. 1814. He subsequently acted for two months as
commander of the Shark, receiving-ship at Port Royal ; and
on coming home, after being superseded, was ordered to
return thither in the Warrior 74, temporary flag- ship of
Rear-Admiral John E. Douglas, from whom he received
no less than four acting orders, neither of which, however,
was confirmed. He returned home acting commander of the
Emulous 16 ; paid off that sloop, at Deptford, in June 1816 ;
and has not since been employed afloat. He obtained his
present rank on the 12th August, 1819.

Commander Caleb Jackson married, in 1828, Ursula,
widow of Captain Andrew Dudie, H. M. 44th infantry. His
eldest and only surviving brother, (jieorge Vernon Jackson,

40 COMMAND Kits.

is a commuiulcr. Three others lost their lives in the naval
service, vi/., Thomas Vernon, died in 1809, from a cold
caught when lieutenant of the Isis ; — William, purser of the
Delight sloop, perished with all his shipmates, off the Isle
of France, in Feb. 1824; and Charles Reynolds, midshipman
of the Redwinuf sloop, shared a similar fate while in charge
of a prize, in Nov. 1H2').

CHARLES BELFIELD LOUIS, Esq.

Youngest son of the late Rear- Admiral Sir Thomas Louis,
Bart., K. F. M., &c., and brother to the present Captain
Sir John Louis, Bart., one of H. M. naval aides-de-camp.

This officer was educated at the Royal Naval College, made
a lieutenant in Aug. 1811 ; and promoted to the rank of
commander on the Tith Aug. 1819. He married, in 1825,
Mary, eldest daughter of the Kev. P. Mallock, of Cocking-
ton Court, co. Devon.

HENRY BOTELER, Esq.

Skcond surviving son of the late William Boteler, Esq.,
F. S. A., of Eastry, co. Kent, by his second wife, Mary,
daughter of Captain John Harvey, who commanded the
Brunswick 74, and was mortally wounded on the glorious
1st of June, 1794.*

* See Vol. I. Part II, note at p. 613. The Botelers were resident at
Eastry for many generations until in 1814, only four years previous to his
demise, the above mentioned gentleman, who was the last heir male of the
family, both of Heronden and Eastry, went to reside at Canterbury.
Throughout his life, he was much attached to the study of antiquities,
and, he made considerable collections for the history of his native parish,
and the neighbourhing parts of East Kent. The substance of these col-
lections was communicated by him to Mr. Hasted, who acknowledged, in
the most handsome manner, the assistance he received from him in the
compilation of his " History of Kent." As a further testimony of such
assistance, Mr. Hasted dedicated the ninth volume of the second edition
of that work to Mr. Boteler, stating that it was to him that the public

Sfl

i

COMMANOERH.

41

Mr. Hknuy BoTULEii entered the navy in Oct. 1804, as
midshipman on board the Agamemnon 6 4, commanded by his
maternal uncle, Captain (now Vice- Admiral Sir John) Harvey,
under whom he served in that ship and the Canada 74, prin-
cipally employed on the Cadiz and West India stations, until
the latter ship was paid off, at Chatham, in Jan. 1K)8.
During his Jirst cruise, he witnessed the capture of four Spa-
nish merchantmen, laden with sugar, cochineal, indigo, coffee,
&c., and having on board specie to a very considerable
amount. In the following year, he was present at the cap-
ture of two Spanish line-of- battle ships, by the fleet under
Sir Robert Calder. *

On leaving the Canada, Mr. Boteler joined the Orion 74,

were in a great measure indebted for whatever pleasure and information
they might receive from the perusal of that part of the history. Mr.
Boteler, after he went to reside at Canterbury, obtained leave of the
Archbishop and Archdeacon to arrange the papers in their F-tgistn,'.
In this employment, which he felt was of great public utility, at the same
time that it was a source of great amusement to himself, he speit much
of his time, until his increasing infirmities would no longer admit of his
leaving home. By his indefatigable exertions, aided by his ii>timate
knowledge of the history of the county, the papers in the Registry are now
arranged in an order, probably not to be seen in any other Court. Mr.
Boteler, was a man of strict honour and integrity. As a magistrate, he
was zealous and active ; as a husband, father, and friend, he was affec-
tionate and kind ; his loss will long be deplored by his Avidow and children,
and regretted by a numerous and respectable circle of ac({uaintance.
His first wife was Sarah, youngest daughter and co-heiress of Thomas
Fuller, of Statenborough, in the parish of Eastry, Es(|., by whom he had
three sons, two of whom died infants, the other, William Fuller Boteler,
Esq., barrister-at-law, is Recorder of Canterbury, and of the towns and
ports of Sandwich, New Romney, and Deal. By his second marriage,
Mr. Boteler had sixteen children, of whom five died young.

In Hasted's History of Kent (folio edit. iv. 219), this branch of the
family of Boteler is particularly mentioned, and their descent traced from
Pincerna, probably so called from his office of Chief Butler to King John,
whence his successors assumed the name of Butler, alias Boteler, some-
tunes spelt Botiller, &c., and in allusion to their office bore for their arms
one or more covered cups, differently placed and blazoned j also a grant
of arms to Richard Boteler, in 14/0, temp. Edw. IV.
* See Vol. I. Part II. p. 405,

'M

42

COMMANDERS.

H

r-

Ill

I:

i

Captain Sir Archibald C. Dickson, attached to tiic BaUic
fleet ; in Avhich ship he contimunl until June 1809, Avhen lie
sailed from Spithead, in the Donegal 74, Captain E. I*.
Brenton, to rejoin his uncle, then comniandinuf the Levia-
than 74, off Cadiz. In Oct. following he witnessed the de-
struction, by their own crews, of two French line-of-battle
ships, between Cette and Frontignun.* In Mar. 181 1, he fol-
lowed Captain Harvey into the Royal Sovereign, first rate,
employed in the blockade of Toulon; and on that ship being
ordered home, in Nov. following, he was received on board
the Caledonia 1 20, bearing the flag of Sir Edward Pellew
(afterwards Viscount Exmouth), from whom he received his
first commission, bearing date Sept. 18th, 1812.

After serving for a short time as supernumerary lieutenant
under the flag of Sir Edward, Mr. Boteler joined the Scout
18, Captain Alex. \l. Sharpe, in which sloop he continued
until Aug. 1813 ; and then exchanged with the first lieute-
nant of the Nautilus 18, Captain Thomas Dench. In Dec.
same year, his health requiring change of climate, he again
exchanged, into the Eclair 18, Captain John Bellamy, in
which sloop he returned home, and was subsequently em-
ployed on the Irish station. His last employment afloat
was, Aug. 22d, 1815, to be senior lieutenant of the Ante-
lope 50, fitting out at Portsmouth, for the flag of his uncle,
then about to assume the chief command on the Leeward
Islands station, from whence he returned to England, and was
put out of commission, in April 1819, at which period he had
been rather more than fourteen years and a half in constant
and active employment. He obtained his present rank on
the 12th Aug. 1819; and is now an Inspecting Commander
of the Coast Guard.

This officer married, in Dec. 1829, Henrietta, youngest
daughter of the late Alan Bellingham, Esq., of Castle Bel-
lingham, county Louth, Ireland. One of his brothers, Lieut.-
Colonel Richard Boteler, R. E., served under the Duke of
Wellington throughout the whole of the Peninsular war.

* See Vol. I. Part I. p. 282 ^^ scq.

COMMANDERS.

43

during which he was wounded on three several occasions.
He latterly commanded the Royal Engineers at Halifax,
N. S., from whence he was returning home, passenger on
board H. M. packet Calypso, when that vessel met with her
untimely fate, early in 1833*. Another brother, Thomas,
who was first lieutenant and assistant-surveyor in the Barra-
couta sloop, Comm. Vidal, during the extensive survey exe-
cuted on the coasts of Africa, under Captain W. F. Owen,
in the years 1822, 3, 4, 5, and 6; and who, under the aus-
pices of his present Majesty, when Lord High Admiral, was
appointed to the command of the Hecla sloop, for the pur-
pose of examining the coasts, rivers, and harbours included
between Cape Spartel and the line, as also of the islands in
the Bight of Biafra, died near the Calabar river, Nov. 28th,
1829, having been carried off, together with the greater part
of his officers and crew, by the malignant fever peculiar to
these latitudes f. His surviving brothers are — John Har-
vey, a commander in the royal navy; — Edward, fellow of
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, M. A , curate of Cliffe
rectory, near Rochester; — and Robert, a first lieutenant,
R. E. One of his sisters, Eliza, is married to the Rev.
Charles James Burton, M. A., vicar of Lydd, co. Kent.

ROGER HALL, Esq.

Passed his examination in Jan. 1810; obtauiod the rank
of lieutenant on the 26th Sept. 181 1 ; served as such, under
Captain Edward Brace, in the Berwick 74, on the Mediter-
ranean station ; and Impregnable 98, bearing the flag of
Rear- Admiral (now Sir David) Milne, at the battle of Algiers.
He was promoted to the command of the Carnation sloop,
at Halifax, Nov. 10th, 1819; and put out of commission, at
Plymouth, in the autumn of 1821.

* A correct account of Lieut. Col. R>teler's ser\ice8 appeared in the
" United Service Journal" for April 18M.

r t Some lines to Comm. T. Botcler's memory, by Sir Thomas Ehnsley
Croft, Bart, were published in the above periodical, Jan. 1831,

44

COMMANDERS.

JOHN M*DOUGALL (h), Esq.

A SON of the late Patrick M'Dougall, Esq. of Duuolly
Castle, in the county of Argyle, by Louisa, youngest daugh-
ter of John Campbell, Esq. of Ashalader, a well known clas-
sical scholar, and sister to the late Generals Sir Alexander
Campbell, commander-in-chief at Madras, and Archibald
Campbell, governor of Fort Augustus, North Britain. His
father's family are the undisputed lineal representatives of
M*Dougall, Lord of Lorn, or of Argyle, and are the admitted
chiefs of that sirname.

This officer was born at Edinburgh, in 1791 ; and entered
the navy in Dec. 1802, as midshipman on board the Cruiser
sloop. Captain John Hancock. In the course of the following
J ^ar, he was five times in action with the enemy, between
Calais and Flushing. In 1804, he was removed to the Doris
36, Captain Patrick Campbell, which ship, after being re-
peatedly engaged with land batteries, and capturing two
French gun-vessels, was set on fire and abandoned near the
mouth of the Loire, Jan. 15th, 1805, in consequence of having
struck upon a sunken rock, in the vicinity of Quiberon, and
sustained so much damage as to render it impossible to save
her.

After this disaster, Mr. M^Dougall joined the Hero 71>
Captain the Hon. Alan Gardner, under whom he served in
Sir Robert Calder's action with the combined fleets of France
and Spain, July 22d, 1805.

On the 18th Oct. 1806, Mr. M*Dougall, then belonging to
I'Unitd frigate. Captain P. Campbell, stationed in the Adri-
atic, commande i one of that ship's boats in an attack upon
five vessels under a battery, near the town of Omago. Ten
days afterwards, he assisted in storming a battery, and cap-
turing several sail of merchantmen near Point Salvooy. On
the 28th A pril 1 807, he was present at the reduction of the
island of St. Fiedro de Niembo. On the 12th June following,
he commanded a division of boats at the capture of several ves-
sels in the river Po, and the destruction of three signal posts.
On the Pith Jan. 1808, he participated in a successful attack

COMMANDERS.

45

upon a French privateer, near Ancona. On the 24th Mar.
i in the same year, rUnit«?'s eight-oared cutter, under his com-

mand, and unassisted by any other boat, captured a privateer
of 2 guns and 36 men, after a sharp engagement. On the
.5th May, he was engaged in cutting out several vessels from
under batteries. On the 4th June, he was second in com-
mand of the boats at the attack and capt\ire of three Turkish
ships and several coasting vessels, under Cape Palero, on
which occasion the enemy made a desperate resistance, and
did not yield until thirty Mahometans were slain, and several
of the assailants killed and wounded. On the 12th Jan. I8CK ,
he led to the attack of six vessels in the harbour of Vieste,
where they were protected by two batteries, and secured by
cables from their masts' heads to the shore ; which, together
with their rudders being unshipped, rendered it necessary to
abandon them after they had been fairly carried. On the 23d
April, he commanded in an attempt to cut off some vessels
full of troops, from the island of I'ano, near Corfu, under a
heavy fire of musketry from the shore. On the 30th July,
the boats, again under his command, sustained considerable
loss in cutting out two large merchantmen from under the
fort of Calanova.

In addition to the above, Mr. M* Dougall, while serving as
master's-mate and acting lieutenant of I'llnit^, assisted at
the capture of a French national xebec and three Italian
brigs, each of the latter mounting sixteen brass 32-pounder
carronades, and destined to become British sloops of war*.
Altogether he was eighteen times engaged with the enemy,
and bore an active part in the storming of a fort and three
batteries.

On rUnit^ being ordered home, Mr. M*Dougall was
strongly recommended by Captain Campbell to Lord Colling-
wood, and for his conduct as a volunteer at the capture and
destruction of a French convoy in the Bay of Rosas, Nov. I st,
1809, he was promoted by his lordship into the Villede Paris
110, from which ship, upon the demise of that gallant chief,

♦ See Suppl. Part III. p. 269.

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COMMANDERS.

i i

'1'ElR
(1

he exchanged into rUnite, then again on the Mediterranean
station, under the command of Captain Edwin H. Chamber-
layne. His first commission bears date Jan. 3d, 1810.

On the 4th July 1811, the light boats of rUnit(5, under Lieu-
tenant Joseph William Crabb, captured in Port Hercule, on
the coast of Rome, the St. Fran9ois de Paule, a brig of eight
guns, partly laden with ship -timber, and Lieutenant M'Dou-
gall, in the launch, successfully co-operated with his mess-
mate in bringing her out, under showers of grape, from a
battery on the beach. Towards the end of Nov. following,
while in charge of a large detained Austrian ship, and on his
way to Malta, Lieutenant M'Dougallfell in with three French
men-of-war, when, "with a judgment and zeal which did
him infinite credit," he immediately resolved upon putting
back, to acquaint the senior officer in the Adriatic that he had
discovered the enemy. The result was the capture of la
Pomone frigate, mounting 44 guns, with a complement of 322
men, and la Persanne of 26 guns and 190 men, both ships
partly laden with iron and brass ordnance for the squadron
and garrison at Trieste. His conduct on this occasion was
highly eulogized both by the senior officer, (Captain Murray
Maxwell) and his own commander. On the 16th June 1812,
he commanded the boats of a frigate squadron at the capture
and destruction of three vessels and several field pieces in a
small port near Cape Otranto.

On the 22d. Dec. 1813, Lieutenant M^Dougall was ap-
pointed first of the Leander 50, Captain Sir George Ralph
Collier, under whose command he was several times in action
with the enemy on the coast of North America. He served
as third of the Superb 74, Captain Charles Ekins, and received
two wounds at the memorable battle of Algiers, on which
occasion he was the senior officer capable of carrying on duty
at the close of that sanguinary conflict. In the spring of
1818, when his friend, Sir George Collier, was appointed
commodore on the coast of Africa, he applied for him to be
his first lieutenant, in the Tartar frigate ; but a flag-lieu-
tenancy being at the same time offered him by the late Rear-
Admiral Donald Campbell, then just nominated commander-

I

COMMANDERS. 47

ia-cliiof at the Leeward Islands, he, in accordance with the
recommendation of the former distinguished officer, closed
witli the latter proposal, accompanied the Rear-Admiral to
the West Indies, and was, on tlic occasion of his demise,
advanced to the rank of commander, by commission dated
Feb. 9th, 1820. In the preceding year, being at the island
of St. Thomas during a hurricane, he saved the crew of a
Danish vessel, after several unavailing attempts had been
made from the shore; for M'hich service he received the
thanks of the King of Denmark, conveyed to him through the
British Admiralty.

Commander M'Dougall was appointed to the Nimrod 20,
on the Lisbon station, Aug. 27th, 1833. In the begimiing
of 1834, the boatswain and thirteen of that ship's crew un-
fortunately perished by the swamping of one of her boats,
whilst employed in attempting to carry an anchor and cable
to the Spanish frigate Lealtad, which had been driven on shore,
in a gale of wind, near Santander, from whence Commander
M' Dougall returned to Plymouth on the 23d Jan , with in-
telligence of recent important political changes at Madrid.
> ) ne following, he accompanied the Stag frigate, having
y, loard the Portuguese Infant, Dom Miguel, from the
neighbourhood of Lisbon to Genoa.

This officer married, Aug. 22d, 1826, Sophia, only daugh-
ter of Lieut. Charles Sheldon Timins, R. N., many years com-
mander of an East Indiaman. His elder brother was killed
at the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo, in 1812. One of his
j'ounger brothers is in the army, and another in the law.

JOHN BRANFORD, Esq.

Was made lieutenant into the Swiftsure 74, Captain
Edward S. Dickson, on the Mediterranean station, April 3d.,
1813. At the end of the war with France, in 1814, he was
serving on board the Milford 74, Captain Westby Percival
(late flag-ship of Rear-Admiral, afterwards Sir Thomas F.
Fremantle), employed in the Adriatic. During the usurpa-
tion of Napoleon^ in 1815, he was flag-lieutenant to the latter

ih:'i!i

48

COMMANDKflS.

officer, at Jersey. His subsequent appointments were, July
23d, LS16, to the Rivoli 78, Captain (now Sir Charles)
Ogle, guard-ship in Portsmouth harbour; and Aug. 26th,
1818, to resume his former office under Sir Thomas F. Fre-
mantle, on whose demise he was promoted to the rank of
commander, by commission dated Mar. 1st, 1820.

EDWARD AUGUSTUS FRANKLAND, Esq.

Skcond son of the late Rev. Roger Frankland, rector of
Yarlington, and vicar of Dulverton, both in Somersetshire ;
a canon-residentiary of the cathedral church of St. Andrew,
Wells, by Catherine, sister to Vice-Admiral Lord Colville.*

Mr. Edward A. Frankland was born at Yarlington, May
23d, 1 794 ; and entered the royal navy as midshipman on
board the Repulse 74, Captain the Hon. (now Sir Arthur K.)
Legge, which ship he joined off the Dardanelles, in the sum-
mer of 1807' He subsequently served under Captain Edwin
H. Chamberlayne, in I'Unit^ 38, stationed in the Adriatic ;
and was removed from that frigate into the Caledonia 120,
bearing the flag of Sir Edward Pellew (afterwards Viscount
Exmouth), commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean fleet;
by whom he was successively appointed acting lieutenant
of the Edinburgh 74, Captain the Hon. George H. L.
Dundas ; and Cura9oa 36, Captain John Tower ; in which
latter ship he continued (his appointment to her having been
confirmed by the Admiralty, Mar. 16, 1814) until paid off
in the summer of 1815. He subsequently made a tour in

* The Rev. Roger Frankland was the youngest son of Admiral Sir
Thomas Frankland, Bart., M. P., proprietor of the l)orough of Thirsk,
CO. York, in which county his paternal relatives have been established
ever since the Conquest. One of his ancestors, the second Baronet,
became possessed of considerable property at Chiswick, co. Middlesex,
and in other counties, by the gift of his maternal uncle, the Earl of Fau-
conberg, on his marriage to that nobleman's niece, a grand-daughter of
Oliver Cromwell. Another stood high in the estimation of Queen Eli-
zabeth, in whose reign he greatly distinguished himself at the capture of
Benvick-upon-Tweed.

'A
'H

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COMM/VNDERS.

49

France and Switzerland ; after which we find liim serving as
private secretary to his cousin^ Commodore Bowles, on the
South American station.

This officer has two brothers in the army and one in the
navy, viz. — Frederick William, now possessing the paternal
estate, Muntham, co. Sussex; — Charles Colville, a com-
mander;— and George, surveyor-general in Van Diemen's
Land; — his youngest brother, Arthur, is colonial aid-de-
camp at the Mauritius. His uncle, Lieut.-Col. William
Frankland, was secretary to the Duke of Portland, during
his Grace's administration, and afterwards a Lord Commis-
sioner of the Admiralty.

THOMAS GEORGE WILLS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1806; and promoted to the
rank of commander, while employed in the Sussex coast
blockade service, by commission dated May 27th, 1820.
His last appointment was, July 6th, 1830, to be an inspect-
ing commander in the coast guard.

GEORGE HARNAGE, Esq.

{Formerly George Blackman.)

This officer is the eldest son of Sir George Harnage,
Bart., and grandson-in-law of the late Admiral Sir Edmund
Nagle, K. C. B.

He entered the royal navy, May 1st, 1807, as midshipman
on board the Penelope 36, Captain John Dick, under whom
he served off Ferrol, on the Halifax station, and at the re-
duction of Martinique*. From Sept. 26th, 1810, on which
day the Penelope was put out of commission at Plymouth,
we find him in the Defiance 74, Captain Richard Raggett,
on the North Sea and Baltic stations, until promoted to the
rank of lieutenant, Aug. 12th, 1813. His subsequent ap-
pointments were, — Feb. 4th, 1814, to the Hamadryad frigate.

* See Vol. II. Part II. p. 559, et seq.
VOL. IV. PART II. B

50

COMMANI>£RS.

I ■ 'I ,

Captain Edward Chetham, fitting out for the Newfoundland
station, from whence she returned in the beginning of the
following year; — April Uth, 1815, to be flag- lieutenant to
Rear-Admiral Sir Israel Pellew (Captain of the Mediterra-
nean fleet), which situation he held until June 29th, 1816; —
and Aug. 4th, 1818, to the Salisbury 58, Captain John Wil-
i3on, in which ship he served under the flags of Rear- Admiral
Donald Campbell, and his successor, the late Sir William
Charles Fahie, on the Leeward Islands station, until pro-
moted to the command of the Raleigh sloop, at St. Kitt's,
June 19th, 1820. He was subsequently employed under the
orders of Rear- Admiral Sir Charles Rowley, on the Jamaica
station, from whence he returned to Spithead, bringing
home 320,000 dollars, Dec. 18th, 1821. The Raleigh was
paid off at Chatham on Jan. 14th, 1822.

WILLIAM FINLAISON, Esq.

Was made lieutenant in April 1811 ; appointed to the
Tartar frigate, Commodore Sir George Collier, Nov. 4th,
1819 J and promoted to the command of the Morgiana sloop,
on the African station, Sept. 9th, 1820. While there, he
received a letter of thanks from the merchants of the English
colony on the river Gambia, for the very able manner in which
he brought to an amicable conclusion the differences between
the native chiefs and the British interests. He is now (1834)
inspecting commander of the Coast Guard at Skibbereen, in
Ireland.

J

ALEXANDER STEVENSON PEARSON, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Dec. 1814; served as
flag -lieutenant to Rear- Admiral Plampin, during the period
of that officer's command at St. Helena (1817 and following
years) ; and was promoted to his present rank on the 3d
Oct. 1820.

'1 .»

COMMANDERS.

;>!

ROBERT GORDON, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1810; obtained his first com-
mission in Sept. 1816; was appointed to the Iphigenia
frio-ate, Sept. 6th, 1819; and acting commander of the Con-
fiance sloop, on the Jamaica station, July 13th, 1820; which
appointment was confirmed by the Admiralty, Oct. 3d fol-
lowing. He returned home in the Confiance, Sept. 8th, 1821 ;
commanded the Herald, diplomatic yacht, from Nov. 20th,
1830, until paid off, Jan. 22d, 1831 ; and is now serving
on the North American and West India station, in command
of the Pearl 20.

DIGBY DENT, Esq.

Son of the late Commander Dent, R. N., who died on
the loth Nov. 1798, leaving a widow and eight children.

This ofl&cer entered the navy a short time previous to tlie
battle of Trafalgar, on which memorable occasion he was a
youngster on board the Achille 74, Captain (now Sir Richard)
King, under whom he appears to have served the whole of
his time as midshipman. He passed his examination, at
Portsmouth, in Mar. 1811; obtained a lieutenant's commis-
sion in Feb. 1812 ; joined the San Josef 120, bearing the flag
of his patron, about May 1813; was second of the Mindcn
74, Captain William Paterson, at the battle of Algiers ; and
subsequently flag-lieutenant to Sir Richard King, on the
East India station. His promotion to the rank of com-
mander took place Oct. 30th, 1820. He married at Jersey,
in 1821, the daughter of Colonel Hawker. One of his bro-
thers, Charles Calmady, is also a commander; another,
Arthur Philip, now deceased, was a purser in the navy.

JOHN POPHAM BAKER, Esq.

This officer obtained his first commission in Oct. 1802.
While serving as senior lieutenant of a line- of -battle ship,

J.: 2

52

I

COMMANDERS.

off Toulon, in 1809, he had the misfortune, through extreme
fatigue, to bring on a rupture. In 1815, he was appointed
first of the Leander 60, Captain William Skipsey, fitting out
at Woolwich ; and, in Dec. 1818, to the Newcastle, a similar
ship, fitting out for the flag of [{ear- Admiral E. Griffith,
commander-in-chief on the Halifax station. His advance-
ment to the rank he now holds took place on the 29th Jan.
1.S2I *.

The out-pension of Greenwich Hospital was granted to
Commander Baker in July 1829.

V ' I

J ?-

WILLIAM CIIA8MAN, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Oct. 1805; and distinguished
himself as second of the Kent 74, Captain (afterwards Rear-
Admiral) Thomas Rogers, at the capture of a French gun-
vessel and ten sail of deeply laden coasters, in the Gulf of
Genoa, Aug. 1st, 1808 f. He was promoted to his present
rank, while serving as first of the Superb 7^» Commodore Sir
Thomas M. Hardy, on the South American station, Jan.
29th, J 821 X.

Commander Chasman married, in 1826, the only daughter
of the late W. Ireland, Esq., H.M. dock-yard at Devonport.

JAMES GORDON (a), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Dec, 1808; and promoted to
his present rank, while serving as first of the Leander 60,
flag-ship of the Hon. Sir Henry Blackwood, on the East
India station, Jan. 29th, 1831 §.

* Tlie first anniversary of the accession of King George IV. See
Vol. III. Part II. note at p. 32.

t See Suppl. Part III. p. 364.
X See Vol. III. Part II. note at p. 32. § See id. ib.

COMMANDBR^.

53

THOMAS ROBERT BRIGSTOCKE, Esq.

Was wounded while serving as midshipman on board the
Eurotas 38j Captain (now Sir John) Phillimore, in action
with la Clorinde, French frigate, Feb. 25th, 1814*. He
passed his examination in June following; obtained his first
commission on the 29th Nov. in the same year ; became flag-
lieutenant to Admiral Sir George Campbell, at Portsmouth,
Feb. 18th, 1818; and was promoted to his present rank Jan.
31st, 1821. He has since been employed as inspecting com-
mander of the Coast Guard at Calbourne, Isle of Wight.

JOHN SAMUEL WILLES JOHNSON, Esq.

Eldkst son of the Rev. Charles Johnson, Prebendary of
Wells, rector of South Stoke, near Bath, and vicar of South
Brent and Berrow, co. Somerset, by Miss Willes, daughter
of the late Archdeacon of Wells, and grand-daughter of the
late Bishop of Bath and Wells \.

This officer was born at South Stoke, July 3d, 170.3 ; and
entered the royal navy in the beginning of Feb. 1807, as
midshipman on board the Vestal 28, Captain Edwards Lloyd
Graham, under whom he served, for nearly two years, off
Boulogne, in the North Sea, at the Azores, and on the New-
foundland station.

On the 15th Nov. 1809, the Vestal recaptured two English
merchantmen — one a ship, named the Fortitude, laden with
cotton and hides, from Brazil bound to Liverpool ; the other
a brig, laden with fish and oil, from Newfoundland to Jer-
sey. On the 19th of the same month, being in lat. 45" 40'
N., long. 10° ^& W., she fell in with two large frigates, two
corvettes, and one brig, steering N. W., wind about east. After
keeping company with them about two hours, during which

* See Suppl. Part I. pp. 245—249.
t Commander Johnson's paternal grandfather was a London banker.
His aunt is the lady of Admiral Sir Davidare Gould, G. C. B.

54

COMMANDERlJ.

time several signals were exchanged between them, from
which, and their endeavouring to avoid him, no doubt re-
mained of their being an enemy's squadron, Captain Graham
despatched Mr. Johnson, then in charge of the Fortitude,
to Lisbon and Cadiz with the intelligence, keeping to the
eastward himself, in hopes of meeting with an English
force in pursuit of them. A few hours subsequent to
their parting company, the Vestal captured the French
privateer brig Intrepidc, and Mr. Johnson, by practising
a bold ruse de guerre, saved the Fortitude from being
again taken by le Dauphin ketch, which vessel approached
so near that her guns and men were distinctly seen from
the deck without a glass, but soon hauled to the wind
and made off, on seeing her lute, but unrecognized, prize,
although without a gun on board, brace up, make sail, and
stand towards her. When the Dauphin first hove in sight,
the Fortitude was under easy sail, in order to allow the re-
captured brig, then in sight astern, to come up and keep
company. Had the former been taken, the latter would, in
all probability, have shared the same fate.

After delivering his despatches to the flag-ofl&cer in the
Tagus, Mr. Johnson proceeded to England, and on his arri-
val joined, for a short time, the Port Mahon sloop. Com-
mander Villiers F. Hatton. On the 1st Aug, 1810, we find
him sailing for the coast of Norway, in the Pallas 32, to
which ship Captain Graham had been appointed on paying off
the Vestal. Whilst on that station, he commanded a boat at
the capture of four Danish privateers and several sail of mer-
chantmen. One of the former he conducted to Leith Roads^
where he arrived the same night that the Pallas, then under
the command of an acting captain, was wrecked near Dunbar,
as stated in p. 69 of Suppl. Part II.

Mr. Johnson next followed Captain GraJiam into the
Southampton 32, fitting out at Portsmouth for the West
India station; and from that ship removed with him into the
Alcmene 38, destined to the Adriatic, where he bore a part in
several boat actions. On one of those occasions, a Franco-
Venetian trabacolo, of four* guns and thirty men, was cap-
tured near the island of Lessina, after a most sanguinary

COMMANDERS.

55

conflict, in which most of the enemy's crew were killed and
all the remainder wounded ; whilst on the part of the British
four men were slain and twenty-two officers and men wounded,
one of the former and three of the latter, in the hoat com-
manded by Mr. Johnson, then master's-mate, whose conduct
was officially mentioned in terms of high commendation *.

On the 8th Dec. 1813, Captain Graham having left the
Alcmene, Mr. Johnson joined the Pylades sloop, Commander
James Wemyss, under whom he continued to serve until the
surrender of Genoa, April 18th, 1814, when he was ordered
to act as lieutenant of the Caledonia 120, flag-ship of Sir
Edward Pellcw, commander-in-chief on the Mediterranean
station, which appointment was confirmed by the Admiralty
on the 18th May following. During the operations against
that fortress, he was landed with a party of seamen com-
manded by Lieutenant John Bewick, whose head was shot
off while standing close to him, just after possession had
been taken of the enemy's deserted batteries on the sea line,
and their guns turned upon the city f.

In 1815 and the following year. Lieutenant Johnson served
on board Lord Exmouth's flag-ships, the Boyne 98, and Queen
Charlotte 108. In the former he accompanied his noble
patron to Naples, Marseilles, and the Barbary States ; in the
latter he was present, and commanded the forecastle, at the
memorable battle of Algiers I . On the 13th Sept. 1817? he
was appointed flag-lieutenant to his lordship, then com-
mander-in-chief at Plymouth, where he continued until pro-
moted to his present rank, on the 6th Feb. 1821.

Commander Johnson married. May 14th, 1821, Eliza, only
daughter of the late John De Windt, Esq. of the island of
St. Croix, and of No. 74, Gloucester Place, London. In
1827, he published " A Journal of a Tour through parts of
France, Italy, and Switzerland, in the years 1823 — 4," One
of his sisters is married to Captain George Gosling, R. N.

* See Suppl. Part III. p. 395.

t See Vol. II. Part I. p. 430.

X See Vol. I. Part I. p. 224, et seq.

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66

COMMANDKRS.

I

ill

f

i;

■t

^11

111

f I

t

HENRY CREASE, Esq.

We first find this oflScer serving as midshij)niun on board
the Tonnant 80, Captain William Henry Jervis, stationed
off Ferrol, in 1804*. His promotion to the rank of lieutenant
took place on the 31st Jan. IHOG. From this period we lose
sight of him until the simimer of 1813, when he was ap-
pointed to the Menelaus frigate. Captain Sir Peter Parker.
On the 14th Feb. 1814, he assisted at the recapture, near
rOrient, of a richly laden Spanish ship, the San-Juan-de-
Baptista, mounting twenty guns, and having on board 600,000
dollars in specie.

In August 1HI4, the Menelaus, then under the orders of
Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, was sent up the
Chesapeake, above Baltimore, to create a diversion in favour
of the expedition against Washington. After having fre-
quently dislodged small bodies of American regidars and
militia, by landing parties of seamen and marines. Sir Peter
Parker was at length drawn into an attack upon a force which
proved to be greatly his superior in numbers, and accompanied
by artillery. The result is thus stated in an official letter
from Lieutenant Crease to the commander-in-cliief, dated off
Poole's Island, Sept. 1st, 1814: —

" Sir, — With grief the deepest it l)econies my duty to communicate the
death of Sir Peter Parker, Bart, late commander of H. M. S. Menelaus,
and the occurrences attending an attack on the enemy's troops on the
night of the 30th ultimo, encamped at Bellair. The previous and accom-
panying letters of Sir Peter Parker will, I presume, fully point out the
respect the enemy on all occasions evince at the approach of {>ur arms,
retreating at every attack, though possessing a superiority of numbers of
five to one : an intelligent black man gave us information of two liundred
militia being encamped behind a wood, distant half a mile from the beach,
and described their situation, so as to give us the strongest hopes of cut-
ting off and securing the largest part as our prisoners, destroying the
camp, field-pieces, &c. and possessing also certain information that one
man out of every five had been levied as a requisition on the eastern shore,
for the purpose of being sent over for the protection of Baltimore, and
who are now only prevented crossing the bay by the activity and vigilance

« See Vol. III. Part I. p. 2/4.

■j?

I

near

COMMANDEHS. 57

of the tender and sliips' Itoats. One hnndred and fonr bayonets, with
twenty pikes, were landed at eleven o'elock at nij^ht, under the ininiediatu
direction of Sir Peter Parker, the first divi^ioit headed by myself, and the
second division by liieutenant llobert Pearoe. On arrivini; at the ^(round
we discovered the enemy had shifted his position, as we were then in-
formed, to the distance of a mile farther. Having taken the look-out picket
immediately on our landing, we were in assurance our motions had not
been discovered, and with the deepest silence followed cm for the camp.
After a march of between four or five miles in the country, we found the
enemy posted on a plain, jurrounded by woods, with the camp in their
rear ; they were drawn up in line, and perfectly ready to receive us ; u
single moment was not to be lost ; by a smart fire, and instant charge,
we commenced the attack, forced them from their position, putting them
before us, in full retreat to the rear of their artillery, where they again
made a stand, shewing a disposition to (mtflauk us oi the right ; a move-
ment M'as instantly made by Lieufenant Ptarta's dryisi-)n to inrcc ihem
from that (piarter ; and it was at this ti'ne, whiie i<'i.>nat!iiij \\h. n\<Mi in
the most heroic manner, that Sir Peter Parker rceeivo' Ir^nitnial wound,
which obliged him to (juit the field, and he expired w a f.'iv minutes
Lieutenant Pearce, with his division, soon routed i\\it euemy. while that
under my command gained an»i passed the camp. One of X\w. f oW-pircea
was momentarily iu our possession, but we were o!>ug<;!' to quit it from
superior numbers.

"The marines, under Lieutenants Bciiyon and Poo, forroul our centre,
and never was bravery more conspicuous. FiMllng it ivn^Jc-ssiMe h) cioiie
on the enemy from the rapidity of their retreat, liitviu.,- pur.~Uv>>! tiiem U(V-
wards of a mile, I deemed it prudent to retire ♦^')i.-ard> the i)each, which
was effected in the best possible orde-, taking with us tVo»^i the fiels'
twenty-five of our wounded, the whole we could find, tlic <;neuiy not even
attempting to regain the ground they had W»t j from t\iree jn 'soiiers
(cavalry) taken by us, we learnt their force amoiruted to trve hundred
militia, a troop of horse, and five pieces of artillery ; a'ld sluce, by lUgi
of truce, I am led to believe their number much greater.

"Repelling a force of such magnitude with so small a body as we op-
posed to them, will, I trust, speak for itself; and althdigh ov.r loss hfts
been severe, I hope the lustre acquired to oiu- arms will co.n^x'iisate for
it. Permit me. Sir, to offer to your notice the conduct of IMr. James
Stopford Hore, master's-mate of this ship, wii'i ou .his, it% weli as on
other trying occasions, evinced the greatest zeal and gallaiilty. In justice
to Sub-Lieutenant Johnson, commandi),^^ the Jane temlrr, I must beg to
notice the handsome manner in which he hys at all times volunteered his
services. Herewith I beg lece Jo enclose a list of the killed, wounded,
and missing, in tl;is aflTair*. J Lave the honour to be, &c.

(Signed) " Henry Crease, Senior Lieutenao* "

* Total— -14 killed and missing ; 27 wounded.

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53

COMMANDF.RS.

Ill Sept. I8I73 Lieutenant Crease was appointed first of
the Impregnable 108, bearing the flag of Viscount Exmouth,
commander-in-chief at Plymouth, where he conthuied until
promoted to his present rank, Feb. 12th, 1821.

JOHN RALPH BLOIS, Esq.

Second son of Sir Charles Blois, Bart., by Clara, daughter
of Jocelyn Price, Esq. of Camblesworth, co. York.

This officer served as midshipman under Captain William
Mounsey, in the Furieuse frigate, on the Mediterranean sta-
tion ; obtained the rank of lieutenant in March 1815; was
appointed to the Euryalus frigate, Captain Thomas Huskisson,
fitting out for the Leeward Islands station, July 7th, 1818;
and promoted to the command of the Bann sloop, at Jamaica,
Mar. 6th, 1821. He has since been employed as an Inspect-
ing Commander of the Coast Guard. He married, Feb. 15th,
1827, Eliza Knox, eldest daughter of the Rev. John Barrett,
rector of Inniskeel, co. Donegal, Ireland.

ROBERT ANDOE, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Jan. 1801 ; and was ap-
pointed senior lieutenant of the Royal Naval College, near
Portsmouth, April 26th, 1816. He subsequently held the
appointment of Secretary to the Royal Naval Asylum, at
Greenwich, where he continued until the incorporation of
that establishment with the Royal Hospital, in April 1821.
His commission as commander bears date May 30th fol-
lowing.

DAVID PEAT, Esq.

Was born near Kirkaldy, in Scotland, June 21 st, 1/95 ;
and entered the navy under the patronage of the present
Admiral Sir Philip C. H. Durham, as midshipman on board
the Archer gun-brig, in 1810. After bearing a part in an

COMMANDEKti.

59

affair with some Danish gun-boats, he joined the Mosquito
sloop, stationed off Flushing, in which vessel he was repeat-
edly engaged with the enemy's batteries. He subsequently
served in the Dunira, Ajax, and Ganymede, (the latter ship
commanded by Captain William M^Culloch,) and was the
first officer ever sent on the service now known by the name
of the coast blockade. Whilst thus employed, he had seve-
ral desperate encounters with the Deal smugglers, and received
as many letters of approbation from the Admiralty and his
various superiors. In consequence thereof, he was made a
lieutenant on the 24th Nov. 1817.

In the summer of the following year, Mr. Peat again joined
Captain M'CuUoch, then commanding the Severn SO, and was
stationed by him at Dungeness, where, amongst other affairs
with illicit traders, in which lives were lost, he was once at-
tacked singly, in open day, by three desperadoes, against
whom he successfully defended himself, killing one on the
spot, and, although possessed of no other wer*puxi than his
regulation sword, compelling the others to scamper.

An attack of ague having compelled Lieutenant Peat to
leave the Dungeness station, he was next employed at Folk-
stone, in the neighbourhood of which place he on one occa-
sion received two pistol balls through his thigh. On the
morning of the 9th June 1821, being then on the cliffs to the
eastward, with only three men, he was attacked by a nume-
rous gang of lawless ruffians, no less than sixty of whom
were armed. In this extremely unequal conflict he received
two musket balls, six pistol balls, and ten slugs ; one of his
small party, a quarter-master, was shot through in five
places, and fell dead at his side ; the two other men were also
brought to the ground, one having received a ball in the groin,
and one being shot in the knee. For his conduct and suffer-
ings, Lieutenant Peat was immediately promoted to the rank
of commander j and, in the following year, granted a pen-
sion.

5{fci^ o^ Acwv;^ ^o^i.^^ \v-7(^ C^'^'^^^iA

ffl:

60

COVIMANDKRS.

THOMAS BLAKISTON, Esq.

Fourth son of the late Sir Matthew Blakiston, Bart.,
(whose father was Lord Mayor of London in 1760) by Anne,
daughter of John Rochford, Esq. of Clogbreanan, co. Carlo w,
Ireland.

This officer served as midshipman on board the Magnifi-
cent 74, Captain William Henry Jervis, and was wrecked in
that ship, on a sunken rock near Brest, Mar. 25th, 1804*.
He passed his examination in the beginning of Jan. 1810 ;
obtained his first commission on the 1 1 th of the same month ;
and subsequently served under Sir John Gore, in the Ton-
nant 80, principally employed off Brest, I'Orient, and Roch-
fort; Revenge 74, on the Mediterranean station; and, for
upwards of three years, as his flag-lieutenant in the river
Medway. He obtained the rank of commander on the 2d
July 1821; and married, Aug. 7th, 1H27, Harriet, fourth
daughter of Lieutenant-Col. llurvey, of Thorpe.

* di

WILLIAM MINCHIN, Esq.

Brother to Mr. T. A. Minchin, Solicitor at Portsea, was
made a lieutenant in Dec. 1796 ; and wounded on board
the Monarch 74, Captain James Robert Mosse, at the battle
of Copenhagen, April 2d, 1801 f. His commission as com-
mander bears date July 19th, 1821.

i Hi

WILLIAM PRICE, Esq.

Obtained the rank of lieutenant in Jan. 1 799 ; and was after-
wards principally employed in the command of various cutters,
gun-brigs, and revenue cruisers. On the 24th April 1805,
being then in the Archer, and attached to the squadron off
Boulogne, under Captain Robert Honyman, he witnessed the

* See Vol. III. Part I. p. 2/'!.
t Sec Vol. I. Part I. note at p. 365, f( seq.

\

COMMANDERS.

61

surrender of seven Gallo-Batavian schuyts, forming part of
Napoleon's invading flotilla, altogether mounting eight long
21-pounders, one 12, nin^ sixes, and one brass howitzer,
having on board 174 officers and men. On the following
morning, off Cape Grisnez, the Archer captured two gun-
vessels, each mounting one long 24, and two 1 2-pounders.

Whilst in command of the Harpy revenue cruiser, since
the peace, Lieutenant Price maile several valuable seizures.
He obtained the rank of comman !er July 19th, 1821.

GEORGE CHEYNE, Esq.

Passkd for lieutenant in Nov. 1810; obtained his first
commission on the 25th May 1813; was appointed to the
Woodlark sloop. Captain Robert Balfour, Dec. 2 1st, 1813;
and obtained the highest commendations of Rear-Admiral
(afterwards Sir Charles V.) Penrose, for his intrepidity in
crossing the bar of the Adour, Feb. 24th, 1814 *. He sub-
sequently served under that officer's flag, in the Queen and
Albion 74's, on the Mediterranean station. His promotion
to the rank ol commander took place on the 12th Aug. 1819.

WILLIAM HENRY HIGGS, Esq.

Commenced his naval career on the 1st Jan. 1/96, as
volunteer on board the Daphne hired armed lugger, of 18
guns, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Pearson, and em-
ployed in keeping up a communication with the French royal-
ists on the coast of Normandy. From Sept. 1st following
until April 6th, 1797, he served on board the Bravo 16, Cap-
tain D'Auvergne, Prince of Bouillon, commanding the Jersey
flotilla. At the latter date he joined the Monarch 74, Cap-
tain John Elphinstone, attached to the Channel fleet ; and
on the 11th July 1797, followed that officer into the Queen

• See Supp, Ptirt II. p. 282.

M'

11

I

i

H

'III

mm

u

62

COMMANDBRS.

Charlotte first rate, bearing the flag of Lord Keith, in which
ship he continued until June 4th, 1798. He subsequently
served, for nearly two years and a half, under Captain (now
Vice- Admiral) Koss Do"nnelly, in the Maidstone frigate, prin-
cipally employed on the West India and North American
stations. During this period, he suffered most severe sick-
ness, having had three attacks of yellow fever, and but for the
extreme, we may say almost parental, kindness of Captain
Donnelly, he could scarcely have survived. In Oct. 1800, we
find him proceeding in the Chichester store-ship, Captain
John Stephens, and afterwards in the Salamine brig. Captain
(now Rear- Admiral) Thomas Briggs, to rejoin Lord Keith,
then in the Foudroyant 80, Captain Philip Beaver, on the
Mediterranean station. During the Egyptian campaign, he
was removed into the Peterel sloop, in which vessel he served,
as master's mate, under Captains Charles Inglis, and John
Lamborn,till Mar. 12th, 1802.

On the 7th Dec. 1801, Captain Beaver, then commanding
the Determine 24, at Malta, wrote to the sister of Mr. Higgs
as follows :—

" Madam, — Although it be some time since I left Lord Keith's ship,
yet he was fortunately in this port when I received your letter concerning
your brother William.

'* Captain Aylmer, just appointed to the command of the Peterel,
was also here, going to join his ship. Lord Keith readily promised to
take care of your brother on his joining the Foudroyant, to which ship I
begged Captain Aylmer would send him without delay ; so that I trust his
promotion is not far distant. Wliatever little interest I may have, will
I ver be readily employed in the service of merit, and I know no one
who possesses more than your brother William. I have the honor to l)e.
Madam, with very great respect, your obedient and humble servant,

(Signed) " P. Beaver."

" To Miss HigffSy DaioUsh, Devon."

Unfortunately for Mr. Higgs, the Peterel was ordered home
before he had an opportunity of rejoining the Foudroyant,
into which ship, or some other belonging to the Mediter-
ranean station, he then had every prospect of being almost
immediately promoted. All his hopes of early advancement
thus destroyed, he afterwards passed a few weeks as super-

COMMANDERS.

63

numerary on board the Cambridge 80, flag-ship of the com-
mander-in-chief at Plymouth ; and subsequently served for
nine months, as Admiralty midshipman of the Hunter sloop,
under Captains George Jones and Samuel H . Inglefield, on the
West India and Channel stations. In Mar. 1803, he joined
the Conqueror 74, Captain (afterwards Sir Thomas) Louis,
then fitting out with the greatest expedition in Hamoaze: and
May 27th following, the Monarch 74, bearing the flag of
Lord Keith, on the North Sea station. His promotion to
the rank of lieutenant took place in May 1804, on which oc-
casion he was appointed to the Sulphur bomb. Captain
Donald M*Leod, employed oft* Boulogne, where he witnessed
an attempt to destroy the enemy's flotilla, by means of
" catamarans," Oct. 2d following *. His subsequent appoint-
ments were, — on the 28th of the latter month, to the Cygnet
sloop, then commanded by Captain M'Leod, but afterwards
by Captain Robert Bell Campbell, with whom he again went
to the West Indies; — Aug. 6th, 1806, at the particular request
of Captain Campbell, to be first lieutenant of the Alligator
26, in which ship he returned home from that station ; — May
9th, I8O7, to the Barfleur 98, Captain Sir Joseph S. Yorke,
employed in Channel service; and, June 8th, 1807, to I'Es-
poir sloop. Captain Henry Hope, fitting out for the Medi-
terranean ; to which quarter he proceeded wi the following
recommendation from Lord Keith to Rear- Admiral Sir
Thomas Louis :—

"Ju»e2l.<it, I8O7.
" Dear Louis,— Now that I am a gentleman at large, I must endea-
vour to push my followers among my old friends. Mr. Higgs, of
I'Espoir, may deliver you this. He is a good young man, and was with
me in the Queen Charlotte, Foudroyant, and Monarch. If you can
shew him any civility, it mil very much oblige your faithful and obedient
humble servant, (Signed) " Keith."

Unluckily, the distinguished officer to whom Lieutenant
Higgs was thus strongly recommended, had died previous to

♦ See Suppl. Part 1 . p. 45, ct seq.

4 !

. ■? i

^v

64

COMiMANDKRS.

h

k ',

the date of Lord Keith's letter *. On a former occasion, he
had met with a similar disappointment, as will be seen by
the following letter, intended for Sir Andrew Mitchell, K.
B. commander-in-chief at Halifax, but which he never had
an opportunity of presenting: —

" London, Oct. I2th, 1802.

" Dear Mitchell, — This will be presented to you by a very fine young
man, who unfortunately left me when my flag was struck, and went to the
West Indies, by which he lost promotion. If you can give him a lift, it
will be a very great favor conferred on, my dear friend, your faithful
humble servant, (Signed) " Keixh."

" P. S. — Higgs is my young friend's name."

On the 26th April, 1808, Mr. Higgs was ordered by Lord
CoUingwood to act as commander of I'Espoir. " During
the time I commanded that sloop," says Captain Hope, " he
served as my senior lieutenant, and, upon every occasion,
conducted himself very much to my satisfaction, as an officer
deserving of promotion." In the following year, being then
under the command of Captain Robert Mitford, he assisted
at the capture of the islands of Ischia and Procida ; and in
April 1810, at the capture and destruction of several Neapo-
litan vessels on the coast of Italy f. In 1812, I'Espoir
formed part of a light squadron employed in the Archipelago,
for the purpose of conciliating, as far as possible, the good
understanding then subsisting between England and the
Sublime Porte, and of affording protection to our commercial
relations in that quarter. From April 14th, 1813, imtil July
/th following, she was again commanded, pro tempore, by
Lieutenant Higgs. On the 8th Aug. in the same year, then
under the command of the late Hon. Tir Robert C. Spencer,
she assisted at the attack of Cassis, near Toulon, on which
occasion five land batteries, three heavy gun-boats, and
twenty- five French merchant vessels, were captured and de-
stroyed J.

* See Suppl. Part I. note * at p. 118.

t See Suppl. Part III. p. 123.

X Sec Suppl. Part I. j). 353, et sfq.

COMMANDERS.

()">

On the ICth Oct. 1813, the Countess Spiiifcr thu3 wrote
to the mother of Lieutenant Hij^gs : —

"Madam, — It is true thnt Captain Spencer lias inf(rinc(l »is of his inten-
tion of remainin;^ on the Mediterranoun station for some time longer. Con-
sequently, we shall not see irnn yet awiiile, I am sorry to say. But, al-
thoucfh my son may remain absent, it does not follow that your's should,
for Captain Spencer tells us that, if I'Kspoir should be ordered home, us
she probably will, he hopes to bo apj)oiuted to another vessel in the
Mediterranean, thereby j^iving us to uudorstand that, though I'Espoir
nuiy anchor any day at the Mother Bank, yet that it certainly will l>e
commanded by some one !)esides him. That it may be commanded by
your ton, Madam, I heartily hope, although, by so hoping, 1 indidge a
wish contrary to my son's interest and advantage, since in the loss of
Mr. Higgs' advice and assistance he will experience a very considerable
one, the abilities of his first lieutenant having been dwelt on by him with
great praise, when writing to us about his ship's conipiiny. 1 am.
Madam, with sincerity, &c.

(Signed) " JjAVinia Spenceh."

On the 10th Dec. 1813, Captain Spencer, then at Ports-
mouth, and still commanding I'Espoir, officially certified
that Lieutenant Higgs had invaritd)ly *' conducted himself a.s
unable, zealous, and good officer, and mucli to his satisfac-
tion." At a subsequent period he invited him to become his
first lieutenant in the Ganymede 2G, but which offer was not
accepted.

On the 25th Jidy, 1814, the subject of this slcetch was ap-
pointed to the Glasgow 50, Captain the Hon. Henry Duncan,
in which fine frigate he served as first lieutenant until paid off
at Chatham, Sept. Ist, 1815. His next appointment was,
June 27th, 1818, to the Lift'ey 50, commanded by the same
excellent officer, with whom he had been a messmate in the
Maidstone, and whose favourable notice he had particularly
attracted whilst serving in I'Espoir. On visiting the Liffey,
in the autumn of J 81 9, his late Majesty, then Prince Regent,
paid Captain Duncan and his officers the flattering compli-
ment of saying that he did so '^ because he had never seen a
ship that pleased him so much before * ;" and on the same

^i».

• Sec Vol II. Part II. p. KXX).

VOL. IV. PART 11.

m A

;#'

li

.

I !

.}

: IS

II

m

COMMANDKIIS.

occasion, 11. R. 11. 's priviite secretary, the Right Hon. Sir
licnjamin (now Lord) Bloomfield, was pleased to say to the
Liffey's first lieutenant, " I have been on board many of H.
M. ships. Sir, but never saw so perfect a man-of-war." In
consequence of this royal visit, JMr. lliggs was promoted to
his present rank on the 1 1th Oct. 1819; the twenty-second
anniversary of the memorable battle of Camperdown. In a
letter subsequently written by Captain Duncan, he says : —
" To evcri/ good qualiti/ an officer can possess, Coriwiander
Higgs adds a mildness of manner to the men hei/vnd ivhat
I ever met with." We should here state, that his appoint-
ments to the Cyi^net, Alligator, Espoir, Glasgow, and Liffey,
were specially requested by Captains M'Leod, Campbell,
Hope, and Duncan ; and that Sir Joseph S. Yorke was like-
wise desirous to have liim again imder his command. On
the 15th Jan. 1830, he received the following communica-
tion from Viscount Melville's son and private secretary : —

" Dear Sir, — I delivered your letter to Lord Melville, but he has no
recollection of havinif received the former one. lie desires nie to say,
that your case and claims are well known to him, but he is sorry that his
answer to your letter at present can only be an assurance of his willinj]^-
ness to serve you with as little loss of time as possible, and he will be
most happy, whenever he has it in his power, to jfive you an appointment.
I am. Dear Sir, your faithful and obedient servant,

" (Signed) R. S. Dundas."

On the 11th June 1831, Commander Higgs was appointed
to the Revenge 78, Captain James Hillyar, C. B. ; but for
reasons with which we are unacquainted, he was superseded
at his own request on the 20th of the same month.

GEORGE CHARLES BLAKE, Esq.

Obtaineo his first commission in April 180G ; and was
promoted to his present rank, from the Royal George yacht,
Oct. 11th, 1819. rie had previously served as senior lieu-
ten ant of the Rivoli 74, Captains Graham E. Hamond and
Edward S. Dickson, on the Mediterranean station ; Pique

^^

In a

COMMANDblilS. 67

frigate, Captain the Hon. Anthony Maithmd ; Vengeur 7'1>
Captain Thomas Alexander, guard-ship at Portsmouth ; and
Queen Charlotte 108, flag-ship of Admiral Sir George Camp-
hell, commander-in-chief on that station. He has since
commanded the Pearl 20, employed on the coast of Ireland.

'i>\i

)AS.

ul was
yacht,
r lieu-
id and
Pique

MARK ROBINSON LUCAS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 28th Mar. 17i)9 ; and after-
wards principally employed in the command of small vessels.
On the 24th May 1808, lieing then off the island of Bornholm,
in the Swan hired cutter, mounting ten 12-po;:ndcr carro-
nades, he addressed the following to Vice- Admiral Sir James
Saumarez : —

" To-day, at noon, I observed ii outter-ri;>-i>;ed vessel standinj^ out from the
land towards ine. I hove to, and hoisted aDanisli jack for a pilot, whiih
decoyed her so far from the shore that I was enabled to c(Mne up with
her before she could reach the land. At two o'clock I gave chase, and
at four had the satisfaction of getting within gun-shot of her. She then
commenced lier fire, immediately on which the l)attery on the shore
opened, we being only about a mile from the beach. The enemy, at-
tempting to get a long gun in her stern to bear upon me, she was caught
in the wind, which enabled me to get ^vithin musket-shot, and, after au
action of twenty minutes, she blew up and sunk. 'J'he state of the wea-
tlier, being nearly calm mider the land, the fire of the battery, and seve-
ral boats coming from the shore, I was under the necessity of (piitting
the wreck without saving the life of any one of her crew. The Danish
cutter appeared to be a vessel of about 120 tons, mounting eight or ten
gims, and apparently full of men. I am happy to add, not a man under
my conunand was hurt, nor did the Swan receive the least damage."

In 1809, Lieutenant Lucas was removed from the Swan to
the Censor gun-hrig. On the 25th July 1810, his boats cut
out from the harbour of Stralsund, a French privateer pierced
for four guns, with a crew of forty men, three of whom only
were on board. On the lith Nov. 1811, he captured the
French lugger Hein'euse Etoile, of four guns and twelve men,
on the Baltic station. In Sept. 1815, he was appointed to

F 2

4 , : ■

:U i1

G8 COMMANDliRB.

the Surly cutter ; and in 1810, to the Mermtiid revenue cruiser.
He obtained the rank of commander, July 19th, 18^51 ; and
died at Harwich in 1834.

HENRY SMITH WILSON, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 9th Sept. 17^^;
served tis senior lieutenant of tlie Unicorn frigate. Captain
Lucius llardyman ; and commanded the boats of that ship at
the capture of the French cutter privateer Tape-a-bord, of
four guns and forty-six men, near the island of St. Domingo,
May Gth, 180.'). He subsequently commanded the Bahama
prison ship and Surly cutter. His promotion to the rank of
commander took place on the 19th July 1821.

SIMON HOPKINSON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant July 18th, I80J ; and commander
July 19th, 1821.

JOHN LITTLE, Esq.

Agent for Ills Majesty's Post Office Steam PacJiets at Port Patrick.

Son of the late Mr. Samuel Little, an American loyalist,
and a master in the royal navy.

This officer was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia ; and first
went to sea with his father, in a merchant vessel belonging to
that port, in 1/91 . Early in the following year, he was wrecked
on one of the Seal Islands, eight leagues from the west point
of Nova Scotia, where he remained, with his parent and
thirteen other persons, for fourteen days, with nothing to
subsist on but a cat and a dog which fortunately happened to
be washed on shore.

In 1/93, Mr. John Little embarked on board the colonial
brig Earl Moira, tender to the governor of Nova Scotia, com-
manded by Lieutenant Minchin, and principally employed in
cruising against American smugglers. In 1/95, he entered

III

cruisfr.
U ; and

t. 1799;
Captain
it ship at
bord, of
►oniingo,
liahama
; rank of

nmander

Patrick.
oyalist,

\nd first
nging to
wrecked
st point
rent and
thing to
jened to

colonial
;ia, com-
floyed in

entered

COMMANDKKS.

m

the royal navy as midshipman on board the Prevoyante fri-
gate, Captain (now Sir John Poo) Beresford, under whom,
and his successors, Captains Charles Wemyss and J. Seater,
he continued, on the Halifax, Channel, and Downs stations,
luitil paid off in 1800. During this period he witnessed the
capture of several privateers and many merchantmen, tiie cut-
ting out of la Desiree French frigate from Dunkirk roads*, (on
which occasion he was employed in a boat sent to pick up the
crews of the fire-vessels, which hud been prepared for the de-
struction of the enemy's squadron), and the detention of the
Danish frigate Freya and convoy near Ostendf.

On the Prevoyante being put out of commission, Mr. Little
joined tlie Leyden 64, Captain (afterwards Vice-Admiral)
Bedford, employed in the blockade of Goree Island, coast of
Holland, from which officer he received the following hand-
son).e testimonial :

" These are to certify wliom it may oonoern, tliiit Mr. John Little
gcrved as master's mate of H. M. ship Leyden, under my fonuniiiid,
from the 26th September, 1800, to the 15th Anirnst, 1801, when I u:ave
him the command of one of the boats to be employed ajifainst the I3ou-
loijne flotilla, in which he was wounded, and all the crew (fifteen in
number) either killed or wounded (except three), and yi't he succeeded
\n makintf good his retreat ; and on my representation of his <(allant and
judicious conduct on that and other occasions, he was promoted to the
rank of lieutenant, and at my particular reijuest appointed lieutenant of
the Leyden, in which capacity he conducted himself on all occasions as
an able seaman and good officer.

(Signed) " William Bedford."

On the particular occasion alluded to by Captain Bedford,
this officer served under the iumiediate orders of the heroic
Nelson, and succeeded in boarding and carrying a French
gun- brig; but in consequence of her being secured by a chain
to the shore, and the very severe fire of grape and musquetry
kept up by the batteries and troops, he was obliged reluc-

* See Vol. II. Part I. p. 2d(\ rt srq.
t See V(.l. I. Part II. p. 8:^0,

tf.v

:n

70 CtJ.MMANDERS.

tantly to abandon her. The general result of the affair was
thus officially stated by Lord Nelson, August 16th, 1801 : —

" Havinif jiidircd it proper to attempt brinirinjf off the enemy's flotilla,
moored in tlic front of Boiilopfnc, I directed the attack to he made i)y
four divisions of hoats, for hoarding, under the command of Captains
(Philip) Souicrvillc, (Isaac) ('otgrave, (Robert) Jones, and (Edward
Thornhrouirh) Parker ; and a division of ho»vit/er l)oats under Captain
Jcdin Conn. Tlie l)oats put o If from the .Medusa* at half-past eleven
o'clock last nif(ht in the best possible order, and before one o'clock this
mornin<( the firinj; bos,'an, and I had, from the Jud^nnent of the officers,
and the zeal and ijallantry of every man, the most perfect confidence of
couiplete success ; but the <larkness i>( the nijfht, with the tide and half-
tide, separated the tlivisions, aiul from all not arriving; at the same happy
moment with Caj)tain Parker, is to be attributed the failure of success ;
but I beir to be perlVctly understood, that not the smallest blame at-
taches itself to auy person ; for althoujfh the divisions did not arrive
tog-ether, yet each (except the fourth, which could not be ^ot up before
tlay) made a successful attack on that part of the enemy they fell in
with, and actually took possession of many brigs and flats, and cut their
cables ; but many of them licinuf aground, the moment of the battle
ceasing «)n board them, the vessels were tilled w ith voUics upon voUies of
musketiy, the enemy being perfectly regardless of their own men, who
must have sufl'ered eipuilly with us, it was therefore impossible to remain
on board, even to burn them ; but allow me to say, who have seen much
.service this war, that more determined persevering courage I never wit-
nessed, and that nothing but the impossibility of being successful, from
the causes I have mentioned, could have prevented me from having to
congratulate their Lordships ; but although in value the loss of such
gallant and good men is incalculable, yet, in point of numbers, it has
fallen short of my expectatiimsf. • « » « From the nature of the
attack only u few prisoners were made ; a lieutenant, eight seamen^ and
eight soldiers, are all they brought off."

Mr. Little's commission as lieutenant bears date Aug. 18th',
1801. He afterwards served for a short time, during the
suspension of hostilities, on board the Zealand 64, Captain
William Mitchell, stationed as a guard-ship at the Norej
and subsequently commanded a Nova Scotia merchantman.
On the 2Gth June, 1803, being then a homeward bound pas-

* Nelson's flag-ship,
t Total, 4 oflicers and 40 men killed; 14 officers and 114 men
womulcd.

ro.MMANDKIti.

71

svnt^er on board thf' Lady llobtirt pucket, Captuiii VV. Dorset
Fellowcs, he voluiitcorcd to t;iUo charge, as pii/e master, »)f
a French schooner, hulen M'ith salt lish, which vessel he eon-
(lucted to Enghind, she having happily escaped the fate of her
captor, by steering a diHerent course (hning the night of the
27th * ; on this occasion, he lost the greater part of his pro-
perty, having- taken but a few articles with him when he left
the packet.

On his return home. Lieutenant Little wiis appointed to the
Vulture sloop. Commander — Green, stationed olT Boulogne,
where he bore a part in many skirmishes m ith the enemy's
batteries and flotilla. In May 1805, we find him removed
to I'Athenienne G4, Captain (now Vice-Admiral) John (iif-
fard, which ship was sent out with stores for the fleet at (lib-
raltar, after Nelson's last glorious victory, ^ihe subseciuently
formed part of the squadron under Sir VV. Sidney Smith,
employed in the defence of Gaieta, at the capture of theishuul
of Capri, and in making frecpient descents on the coast of
Calabria. When quitting I'Athenienne, Sept. 20th, liSOG,
in order to assume the command of the Zealous 74, Captain
Giffard certified that Lieutenant Little had always " conducted
himself very much to his satisfaction, and shewed himself
an attentive, zealous, deserving ofliccr."

On the 20tli Oct. 1806, rAthenienne, then commanded by
Captain R. Raynsford, was wrecked on the Esquercjues, or
Skerki, a reef of rocks in the Mediterranean sea, the exis-
tence of which had long been doubted by some, and as posi-
tively asserted by other experienced ofticcrs, but which must
have been accurately laid down in the charts of that day, as
Captain Raynsford observed, one moment before the ship
struck, " If the Esquerques do exist, we should now be upon
themf." The following account of this most melancholy
disaster was written by one of rAthenicnne's ollicers.

" II. M. ship Alhenieiuic, haviii{( -1/0 oHicers, i»on, and passcnj^ers
on board, sailed from Gil>raltar on the IGtli Oct., witli a fair wind, and

) ■

i

* Sec Vol. II. Part II, p. 951, el snj.
t Sec Brriifon's Xfti: Hist. Vol. IV. p. ofi.

ri

COMMANDKRS.

i i

arrived off Sardinia on the 20th, from whence she proceeded towards
Malta, but unfortunately, at 9-lH) p. m., when going nhie knots, she
struck on the E.squeniues. It immediately became necessary' to lighten
the ship, to prevent her from falling over on her broadside, and the
masts wore cut away for that puqiose ; but in less than half an hour
after, from t}>e violent concussion, she filled up to the lower-deck-j)orts,
and fell over to port on her beam-cuds. Oaptain Raynsford, who, from
the first, foresaw the total loss of the ship, ordered the boats to be
hoisted out, with an idea that they would be useful in towing a raft that
was constructing t«) leeward, and which miglit have been the means of
saving a great many from destruction ; but so soon as the two (juartcr
boats were lowered, and clear of tlie slnp, the men (for there were no
officers in theni) bore up, and were no more seen by tiieir unhapi>y ship-
mates who staid l)y the wreck. Tlie cutter and barge, in hoisting out,
were stove and swamped, and thirty men, unable to regain the ship, pe-
rished. By the fall of the masts several peojde wore killed, and others
desperately wounded ; — two midshipmen wore killed by the spankor-
l)oom crushing tliem between it and the side. Tlu' termination of the
surterlngs of all ajipoared fast approaching ; and the launch, l)eingthe only
boat that was not eitlier stove or .swamjied, was filled with men on the
booms, and, without having the means of mechanical power, or the ne-
cessity of using it (the sea having at this time covere<l the wlude wreck,
with the exception of the poop), she floated off the l)ooms, to the great
Joy of every one, and escaped the many dangers she had to encounter
with the floating pieces of the ship and masts. She afterwards came
under the stern, Avhere many, in attempting to swim to her; shared the
untinu'ly fate of those who had preceded them. At this time, ll-.'JO
r. M., there being iuit little hope of the ship holding together till the
morning, I lu'ged Captain Raynsford to aave himself by swinuning to the
launch, but in vain — he declaring to me that he was perfectly resigned
to his fate, and determined not to (piit his post whilst a man remained ;
but at the same tinne advising n\c to do that which I had recommended
to him. I accordingly, at the nuiment the launch (full of people) was
bearing up before the wind, leapt into the sea, and succeeded in gaining .
the boat, and providentially escaped the unhappy catastrophe of the re-
maining officers and crew, 'M7 in numlier, who, I lament to say, most
probably perished that night, as the wind continued to increase after she
first struck, and the next day it blew stronger. Early on tiie following
morning, we fell in with a Danish brig, and put two officers and some
seamen into her, to beat to windward, to endeavour to save as many of
the people as might be still clinging to the wreck— but without effect.
We afterwards continued our course to I\larotimo, an<t arrived there on
tl'eL'lst. The next day we starte<l ft»r Trapiini, in Sicily ; wlierc, find-
ing a small vessel bound to Malta, we end)arked, and arrived at Valettii
on the 2')tli, after em ountering all the liorrors of a sliipwn ck, as dread-
ful, pcriinps, in it? conM.Mlllon(•e^, i«s was over cxpcricnccil."

COMMANDiiRS. 73

The launch hud neither sail, breud, nor water, on board.
There was a compass ; and for sails the officers displayed
their shirts, and the seamen their frocks. One of the olhcers
put on board the Danish l)ri£^ was Lieutenant Little, whoso
attempt to save more of his shipmates was unhappily frus-
trated by violent and adverse winds.

In .fan. 1S07, Lieutenant Little was appointed first of the
Ueveniije 7^} Captain Sir John Gore, under whom he served
"as an able, zealous, and meritorious officer," until Aug-.
180S*. His next appointment was, in the course of the latter
niontli, to the command of the Firm iifun-brig, on the Cuern-
sey station, wiiere, under the orders of Commodore D'Au-
vergne, the nominal Duke de Bouillon, he appears to have
been for some time employed in alTordlnt^ succour to persona
secretly connnunicatin|i; Mith the partisans of the house of
Bourbon. In Jan. 1800, he captured and destroyed three
French vessels, on the coast of Normandy. On the 20th
April 1810, tiie boats of the Firm, in concert with those of
the Surly cutter f, and Sharpshooter f(un-brig, boai iled and
brought off from the mouth of Piron, where she had ran o»?
shore, I'Alcide privateer, under a heavy fire of mus(pietry frot-i
upwards of 400 troops. In the performance of this service,
which was very creditably performed under the direction of
Sub-Lieutenant Fiodgkin, of the Firm, that vess>.l had her
second master killed, and boatswain's mate wounded.

In July 1810, Lieutenant Little saved the life of a nuirine
by jumping overboard in St. Hillier's bay, Jersey. On the
12th Mar. 1811, he witnessed the capture of H. M. sloop
Challenger, by a F'rench frigate and an armed store-ship near
Morlaix ; but succeeded in effecting his own escape from the
same enemy by beating to Avindvvard within a sunken reef.
On the 28th of June follov ing, being olY CJranville, in com-
pany \vith the Fylla 22, he attacked two praam brigs which
had come out to drive away the boats employed in recon-
noitring, and were unal)le to regain their port ; but owing

* Sec Siipul. Part II. p. 48i>.
t Lioutcnnnt Hiclimd Welch, senior ofiiocr.

I'l' -.1

t;

5i

." ^>

i

H

•I

l\

: n

i

^

74 COMMANDJiRS.

to their being so flat and drawing very little water, he could
not bring the Firm near enough to engage them with effect.
On the following night, in wearing round to come out of
Cancalle Bay, after discovering that the enemy had run
ashore, the Firm took the ground at the top of high water ;
and all efforts to save her being ineffectual, she was set lire
to and destroyed, in the presence of some hundreds of
Frenchmen, who had assembled with field-pieces to prevent
it. Lieutenant Little, with his officers and crew, not one of
Avhom was hurt, were taken to J ersey in the Fylla ; and a
court-martial subsequently assembled to inquire into the cir-
cumstances attending the loss of the Firm, signified their
approbation of what had been done, by a full and honovible
acquittal.

In Dec. 1811, Lieutenant Little was appointed to the com-
mand of the Charles hired armed schooner, employed on the
Downs station, where he retook two merchant vessels, and
witnessed the capture of two French privateers. In Dec.
1813, we find him attached to the fleet under Admiral Young,
anchored off Walcheren ; and in the ensuing spring carrying
over to France part of the suite of Louis XVllL On his
return from the latter service, he was appointed to the Whi-
ting schooner, sent Avith despatches to America, and there
actively employed under the orders of Ilear-Admiral (now
Sir George) Cockburn, until the termination of hostilities in
1815. During Napoleon's 100 days' war, ho carried do-
gpatches to various places ; and, after the battle of v\'aterloo,
having removed into the Telegraph schooner, received the
thanks of his conunander-in-chief for his successful exer-
tions in raising men. at Bristol, for the fleet gohig against
Algiers. On paying oft* the Whiting, he was presented with
a service of plate by her officers and crew. On the morning
of Jan. 20th, 1817) the Telegraph was wrecked luuler the
Eastern Hoe, Plymouth, in the same violent gale of wind
which proved fatal to the Jasper sloop and Princess Mary
packet*. On the 28th, Lieutenant Little, and his officers

• Sec Vol. IV, Fan I. p. I'OH, <•/ x>'q.

^

COMMANDERS. ^5

and crew, were tried by court-martial, and all fully acquitted.
In the course of the evidence it appeared, that the schooner
was anchored in clear gromid, and partly sheltered by the
IJrcukwater; that when she struck, the staysail was hoisted,
which laid her broadside to the rocks: and by good manage-
ment on the part of Lieutenant Little, the crew were all
saved except one man, William Kells, who was crushed to
death by the side of the vessel in getting on shore ; and that
Lieutenant Little did not quit his post till he had seen every
officer, man, and woman out of her. The Court having C(ni-
sidercd all the circumstances, pronounced that the loss of
the Telegraph was occasioned by the violence of the gale,
and the insufficiency in the length of the cables, and weight
of some of her anchors ; that no blame whatever was attri-
butable to Lieutenant Little, his officers and crew, for their
coiuluct on this occasion ; but, on the contrary, that great
praise was due to Lieutenant Little, for liis coolness and judg-
ment in the management of the vessel, by which the lives of
the crew were saved.

That Lieutenant Little's conduct on this occasion was
highly approved by the Admiralty, is evident from his having
been immediately afterwards appointed to the conimand of
the l*igmy scliooner, and subsequently to the Hind revenue
cruiser, in which latter vessel he continued until the sunnner
of 1820, as will be seen by the following correspondence : —

" Custom llomr, Falmoitt/i, VM/i Jnli/, 1820.
*««««» " j,j justice to the merits of Lieuteiuuit John
Little, who has completed his tliree years in tlie commund of the Hind
revenue cutter, we take tlie lilterty of hiyin;^ before your Lordship a copy
of a report we made by the last post to (»ur Board on the subject of his
valuable and meritorious services. We are, &.i'.

(Signed) " S. Pellew.

" /t!i>'/it Hon. Fisvount E.vmouth, " J. Laffer."

" Coiumitndei'-in -chief, ^r. Phiinonlli.^*

(Coj)y) No. 413.

" Honorable Sirs, — Lieutenant John Little havinjr completed his

period of tliree years in the command of the Hind revenue cutter, on thin

station, we think we sho\U(l not <lo justiee to that meritorious olficer,

were wc not to express to your Honours the high sense \vc entertain of

\ t:

«

it

i '

J'

76 COMMANDKItS.

the activity aiul zeal displayed by hint throughout that period. His ex-
ertions have been successful, not only in several instances of seizure, but
also in the preservation of derelict cargoes to a considerable amount ;
and we are convinced his vigilance and judicious arrangements have
tended greatly to the protection of the coast of his district (rom illicit
practices. If we thought it within the line of our duiy to correspond on
this subject with the Lords of the Admiralty, we should feel happy in
making a representation of his services to their Lordships. We are, &c.

(Signed) " S. Pellew.

" To the Hon. Commminncrs, " J. Laffeb."

" Cuxtoms, London,"

On his quitting the Hind, Lieutenant Little was presented
with a silver snuff-box, from her officers and crew. His
next appointment was, Feb. 14th, 1821, to the Lady HoSart
packet, employed in carrying mails to Bermuda, New York,
and Halifax. His promotion to the rank of commander took
place July I9th, 1821. From Feb. 1st, 1823, until July 2d
following, he commanded the Countess of Chichester packet,
on a voyage to and from South America ; and on tlie 10th
April 1824, he obtained the civil appointment of agent to H.
M. post office packets at Port Patrick. His only son is a
midshipman in the royal navy.

JAMES ELPHICK, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 15th Jan. 1802 ;
and was senior lieutenant of the Magnificent 74, Captain (now
Sir George) Eyre, at the siege of St, Maura in March ami
April 1810, during M'hich he distinguished himseh" as " a very
gallant and zealous officer." He continued in t!ie same ship
successively commanded by Captains Willoughby T. Lake
and John Hayes, until tlie final termination of hostilities in
1815. His promotion to the rank of commander took place
July 19th; 1821.

ROBERT FORDER, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 18th Oct. 1804; and pro-
moted to the rank of commander July 19th, 1821.

I

COMMANDERS.

//

iuke
> in
>liice

HENKY ELLIS, Esq.

EsTERKD^as midshipman on board the Galatea frigate,
Captaiii/v George Byng (afterwards Viscount Torrington) ;
served for a short time as snb-lieutenant of the Growler gun-
l)rig, Lieutenant James Rose ; and obtained his first commis-
sion in March 1805 : during the last three years of the war
with France, he M'as senior lieutenant of the Egmont 7^j
Captain Joseph Bingham ; and subsecpiently of the Rivoli
and Ramillies, third rates. His promotion to the rank of
comuKuider took place on the 19th July 1821 ; since which
he lias been employed in the coast guard service.

HENRY PRYCE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in April 1805; and served as first
of the Nymphcn frigate. Captains K ith Maxwell and John
Hancock, from the beginning of the year 1809 until Sept.
1H!3. His subsetjuent appointments were, to the Centaur,
Spencer, and Windsor Castle, third rates. His promotion
to the rank of conunander took place on the 19th July 1821.

EDWARD THOMAS CROUCH, Esq.

Obiainkd his first commission in May 1805; and was
highly spoken of by Captain (afterwards Sir Michael) Seymour,
for his gallant conduct and " admirable exertions " as junior
lieutenant of tlie Amethyst frigate, at the capture of hi Thetis,
a French ship of superior force, in the night of Nov. 10th,
1808. He subsequently served as first of the Hannibal 7^,
commanded by the same distinguished officer, who, in an
ofiicial letter reporting the capture of la Sultane frigate, Mar.
26th, 1814, informed his Admiral, that he had "given charge
of the prize to Lieutenant Crouch, an able officer who had
served many years with him." Thejrank of commander,
however, was not bestowed upon Lieutenant Crouch until

I^U

7B COMMANDERS.

July 19th, 1821. His last appointment was, in Jan. 1833,
to be secretary to Sir Michael Seymour, then a Rear- Admi-
ral, with wliom Jie sailed from I'lvmouth for the South Ame-
rican station, In the Spartiate 78, Captain Robert Tait, on the
25th of the following month.

This officer married, Dec. 4th, 1814, the only daughter of
Captain Richard R. Bowyer, 11. N.

THOMAS LOWTON ROBINS, Esq.

Was a midsiiipman on board the Arrow sloop, Conniiander
Richard Budd Vincent, when that vessel Mas captured, after
a most heroic defence, by the French frigate Incorruptible,
Feb. 1805*. He obtained a lieutenant's commission on the
22d Oct. following ; suffered shipwreck in the Manilla '16,
Captain John Joyce, on the Haak sands, near the Texel, J.m.
28th, 1812 1; continued a prisoner in Mollaml and at Ver-
dun until the conclusion of the war in 1814; and M'as pro-
moted to the rank of commander on the 19th July 1821.

MARK HALPEN SWENEY, Esq.

Enteued the royal navy in 1/98. He was nuule a lieu-
tenant on the 22d Jan. 180G; appointed hrst of the Benbow
74, Captain R. II. Pearson, in Dec. 1813 ; granted a pension
of 9W. 5*. per annum, for wounds, Oct. lOth, 1816; subse-
quently employed in the coast blockade service, under Cap-
tain William M'CuUoch ; promoted to the rank of connnander
in July 1821 ; appointed to the Gannet sloop, Nov. 22d,
1830; and to the Vernon 50, fitting out for the flag of Sir
George Cockburn, conuiuuider-in-chief on the West India
and North American stations, April 27th, 1833. He suc-
ceeded to the temporary command of that ship, vice Captain
Sir George Augustus Westphal, invalided, in June 1:''34.

» See Vol. I. Part II. p. 917, ef seq.
t See Suppl. Part I. p. MV2y ft .wj.

COMMANDERS.

71)

JAMES xMOllGAN (b), Esq.

Is a son of the late llcv. I'atriek Morgan, rector of Killy-
Ix'gs, CO. Donetijai, Ireland. On tlie .'iOtli Jan. 1806, in con-
st'(|uence of Admiral Lord Keitli havinnf recommended him
for meritorious conduct, a commission was signed appointing
him to the Lynx sloop. Commander John Willoughby Mar-
shall, in which vessel we find him very actively employed on
the North Sea station. He subsequently served in the Agin-
court 04, Resolution 7"^? Nymphe 38, Neptune 98, Elk sloop,
and Hyperion 32, of which latter ship he appears to have
been senior lieutenant.

In 1811, the Hyperion touched at Gonaivcs, St. Domingo,
to complete wood and water, when an English merchant,
named Simpson, who was detained there as a prisoner, for
an alleged breach of blockade, immediately claimed the pro-
tection of the British flag. This was readily granted, but he
had not been many hours on board the frigate when the bat-
teries, without any previcms notice, fired simultaneously on
her boats, killed three men, and compelled her captain ( —
Brodie), marine oflicer (George Pattoun), and a master's-
mate ( — Dillon), to surrender. It being then nearly dark,
nothing could be done till next morning, but at the first dawn
of day, the ship was under a press of sail, beating up against
the land wind, through an intricate channel; after anchoring
her with a spring on the cable, in four fathoms Avater, not
more than musket shot from the shore, with one broadside
presented to the batteries, and the other to a Haytian frigate.
Lieutenant Morgan sent an ofhcer (Lieutenant George Bissett)
to accpiaint the black commandant, that if, in fifteen minutes
from the time of the boat landing, the captain and his com-
panions Mere not set at liberty, the town would be destroyed,
aiul the man-of-M-ar taken to Januiica ; this threat had the
desired eftect, and the three officers were restored to their
ship without further bloodshed.

In Mar. 1812, Lieutenant Morgan, who had been obliged
to return home for the recovery of his health, was appointed
to the connnand of the Barbara schooner, of 1 1 1 tons, mount-

£ '■

80

COMM ANDERS.

3!|

' r.

ing ten 12-poun(ler curronacles, with a comploment of fifty
men, in which vessel he cruised on the N. V\ . coast of Irehuiil
during the remainder of that year, and was subse([uently em-
ployed oft' Boulogne.

On the morning of Feb. 11th, 1813, at day- break, being
then about three miles from Boidogne pier. Lieutenant Mor-
gan o])served a lugger of 14 guns at anchor on the Barbara's
lee-bcam, and immediately made sail v ith tiic Intention of
running her on board. To avoid this measure, the I'rench-
man cut his cable, and hastened to close with six other lug-
gers, mounting fr^m eight to fourteen guns each. Having
succeeded in forming a junction, the w hole of these vessels
stood out, in two divisions, to cut oft' the retreat of the Bar-
bara ; notwithstanding which, and although her rigging was
much damaged by shot from tiie land batteries, slie continued
to approach them under a smart fire, and at 8-10 a. m.
commenced action within pistol shot. At 0-15, after mak-
ing two ineffectual attempts to board her, and sustaining a
loss of four men killed and eleven wounded, two of ^^■hom
mortally, the enemy wore round and stood in shore, evidently
in confusion, leaving the Barbara nearly unrigged, but with-
out a single person either slain or wounded. On the follow-
ing day. Lieutenant Morgan, after a short action, drove on
shore and destroyed a lugger. In the en.suing month, he was
placed under the orders of Rear-Admiral (afterwards Sir
(Jeorge) Hope, whose squadron he accompanied to the
Baltic.

On the 13th April 18I3, the Barbara stood into Aalbourg,
and cut out from that anchorage a ship of 400 tons, two gal-
liots, and a sloop, laden M'ith corn for the Norwegian nuirket.
These prizes she brought off in triumph, although closely
pursued by nine Danish armed vessels, which were at times
barely out of gun-shot. She was afterwards stationed at the
entrance of the Cattegat, and fre{[uently engaged with the
enemy's flotilla and flying artillery along shore. On the 18th
June, she brought to and examined a licensed Danish mer-
chantman, under the fire of three national brigs and five gun-
boats, close in shore oft' Christiansand. On the 'dd July, she

)ourg,
'o gal-
iirket.
losely
times
at the
h the
c 18th
mer-
e guii-
y, she

(OMMANDERg. 81

riii,'au:e(l tlie Xorge, a cutter-rigged praam, mounting two
l()iig32-|)()un(iers and six I8-pr. carronades, with a comple-
ment of 80 men, supported by several other armed vessels,
near Fladstrand ; and next day drove a sloop on shore near
the Scaw. In the course of the same month, she was sent to
Madstraiul with a flag of truce, and during her stay there lay
close to the Norge, the commander of which vessel, a captain
in the Danish nu'V, observed that now he had seen her actual
force he should know how to treat her in future In conse-
i|iicnce of tiiis remark, Lieutenant Morgan obtained permis-
sion to exchange two of his cjirronades for long G-pounders.

On the Ilth Aug. following, the boats of the Barbara,
containing 2() men, under the connnand of the second-mas-
ter, a midshipman, and Lieutenant Morgan's clerk, were
sent to destroy the signal station, and a 2-gun battery, on
tlie Great Grasholm island, which service was executed in
the most admirable style, and without any loss, the enemy
offering no resistance. On the same day the Barbara had her
foremast shot away, her other spars, hull, sails, and rigging
much cut up, and one man severely wounded, in action with
the Norge and nine gun-boats. Thus disabled, and with
three feet water in her hold, she put into Hawk roads, Got-
l;'nl)urg, and, whilst undergoing the process of heaving down,
iiKule so much water that the relieving tackles gave way, when
slie upset and sunk, but was weighed and again at sea in a
very few days after. On re- visiting Fladstrand, with a
second flag of truce. Lieutenant Morgan was informed by a
Danish ofliicer, one of his late opponents, that the loss sus-
tained by the Norge, in her hist rencontre with the Barbara,
am(mnted to three men killed and six wounded.

On the 6th Oct. in the same year, at sun-set. Lieutenant
Richard Banks, commanding the Forward gun-brig, then in
company with the Barbara, received information that a small
Danish armed vessel was standing towards an anchorage
much frequented by English merchantmen, about four miles
to the southward of Wingo Sound, to .vhich he immediately
proceeded in a 5-oared boat, having with him a Swedish pilot,
and accompanied by Lieutenant Morgan, in the sehoorjer**

VOL. IV. PART II G

U

Si

fi*

h, j. !

I i !k

H,

!

11]

•1

Svi (OM.MASUKRS.

4-oared ^ig. At 9 i'. m., the bouts got sight of the enemy,
under s, il with a light breeze, and at 9- 15 si.nulianeously at-
tacked her on the starboard bow and larboard quarter: a
desperate conflict ensued, M'hich ended in tlie capture of tlie
Dane, a cutter mounting one hoM it/xT, aiul having on board,
at the conunencement of the action, twenty-five well armed
men, of whom fi\ e were killed, and her connnander, a lieu-
tenant in the Danish navy, very badly wounded. On the
part of the assailants, one man belonging to each British
vessel was slain : Lieutenant Morgan and two of his gallant
crew were sc\eri v wounded.

Want of space i^revents us from making particular men-
tion of every service performed l)y the J3arbara, Avhilst on
the IJallic station, a period of nine months, during which she
captured aiul destroyed no less than 2,544 tons of the enemy's
shipping, navigated by 136 seamen; and, in conjunction with
the riawke privateer, of Hastings, captured a Danish priva-
teer, and retook a ship from under the batteries on Lessee
island and the fire of ten gun -boats. It is almost superflu-
ous to add, that the activity v.\u\ gallant conduct of her com-
mander were highly approved by Rcar-Admiral Hope and
his successor, the present Sir Graham Moore.

On his return from the Baltic, Lieutenant Morgan was or-
dered to Plymouth, on which station he continued until
July 1814, when the deranged state of his affairs, occasioned
by the failure of his prize-brokers at (iottenburg, obliged him
most reluctantly to resign the command of the Barbara, in
order, if possible, to obtain some kind of settlement. During
the us\n*pation of Napoleon Buonaparte, in 1815, he com-
manded the Aggressor gun-brig, to which vessel he was ap-,
pointed through the kind intervention of Sir Cieorge Hope ;
aiul subsccjuently, for a period of nearly two years and a
half, the i'ictou schooner, of 16 guns, on the Irish station.
His promotion to the rank of comnuuider took place July
19th, 1821. We here subjoin the copy of a letter addressed
to him by Sir Graham Moore, dated atCobham, Surrey, Mar.
14th, 182/:—

" Sir,— I yesterday received your letter <lated the 5th inst., in which
you request of me to pive you a certificate of my opinion of your conduct

COMMANDRKN.

Kn

I

in coiniiiand of the Barhiira scliooiu'r, \\liili-t uiidor my orders in the
Bultio, ill 181M, or that I wouhl rejiri'sont to the Lords ('olnluis^iolU'r? of
the Admiralty my opinion of you as an oHicrr.

" I am iiiiwiHiiisf to intnidc myself on their Lord-liips without a rea-
sonable pretext for so doiiiif; hut I have no scruple in c.\pre>sinir to you,
in answer to your letter, that voiir eonduct while under mv orders was
that of an uetivc, brave, and zcah)Us otlieer, and that you stood hii^h in
my estimation for your eonduct in the Barbara, which made an impres-
sion on my memory, thoufjh, at this moment, I do not reiiiemltcr tiie
particular facts, iiotwithstandintr tliey were such as jravc me a jdeasurc
when I heard of your |)romotion. As I had no accpiaiiitance with you
before we met in the Baltic, the fav(»uralde opinion 1 then formed of you,
and which I have ever suiee retained, wiis entirely owinu to your conduct
as an officer. If you conceive that my jfood opinion of you can be of
any service, y(m are welcome to make use of this letter in furtherance of
your views. I remain, with esteem, your obedient and faitliful servant.

(."^iiflied) " (illAHAM AIOORK."

In 182/, this officer Mas appointed an inspoctins^ com-
mander in the preventive service; and in June 1830, the
officers of the Whitby coast guard district presented him
with a very elegant piece of plate, " as a grateful testimony
of his kind and gentlemanly conduct towards them," whilst
under his superintendence. Since Mar. 1831, he has been
emph)yed as inspecting commander of the coast guard at
Newhaven. One of his brothers, Dr. Mill Morgaji, is a
member of the medical board at Uondmy ; and another, 1 lugh,
a lieutenant in the royal artillery. Lieutenant William
Moore Morgan, R. M., Avho fell at the battle of Algiers,
while serving on board the Granicus frigate, was also simi-
larly related to him.

which
•ondtict

THOMAS EDMUND COLE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 1 5th July, 1806; promoted
to his present rank in July 1821 ; and appointed an inspect-
ing commander in the coast guard service. Mar. 10th, 1831.
He married, in Feb. 182 J, Rebecca, eldest daughter of John
Evans, Esq., mayor of Saltash.

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WlLLIAJVl MARTIN, Esq.

Third son of Mr. Thomas Martin, of Spring Mount, co.
Cork, Ireland ; a gentleman well known to the government
of that kingdom, during the rebellion, as a magistrate and
the commander of a corps of yeomanry, who, by his activity
and zeal, helped to maintain the peace of his district, ob-
tained himself the good will of the neighbouring gentry, and
secured the esteem of General Myers, then commanding at
Cork and in the surrounding country.

Mr. William Martin was born near the village of Glamuir,
about three miles from Cork, in 1/83 ; and entered the royal
navy under the auspices of General Myers, as midshipman
on board the Dryad frigate, Captain Charles John Moore
Mansfield, employed on the Irish station, where he continued
from 1/99 until 1802. During the ensuing four years, he
served under the same highly respectable officer, in the
Minotaur 74, which ship, on the 28th May, 1803, captured
the French frigate Franchise, of 44 guns, with a reduced
complement of 1 87 men, returning from St. Domingo. She
also formed part of Nelson's fleet at the glorious battle of
Trafalgar.

On the 1st Aug. 1 806, Mr. Martin was promoted into the
Saturn 7'^i Captain Lord A melius Beauclerk, then employed
on the Mediterranean station, and subsequently exposed to
much peril, in consequence of getting on shore near Cadiz
light-house, when returning home for the purpose of under-
going repair. Notwithstanding the difficulty of the service,
however, this ship was dismantled and hove down, at Gib-
raltar, (both garboard strakes out,) re-equipped, and at sea,
with the homeward bound trade under her protection, in the
space of six weeks from the time of the accident.

Lieutenant Martin now obtained a short respite from ac-
tive service, but soon joined the Ardent 64, fitting out for
the reception of troops destined to Bermuda. On his return
from thence, he was removed into the Magnet sloop. Com-
mander John Smith («), undei- whom he served for some
time, and saw much boat service at the entrance of tlieGer-

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COMMANDERS.

85

mail rivers. His next appointment was to the Lion 64, Cap-
tain (now Sir Henry) Heathcote, in which ship he proceeded
to the Cape of Good Hope, Madras, Penang, and China.
Whilst in the vicinity of Canton, he volunteered his ser-
vices, obtained the command of the launch, and went in
quest of two American ships from Manilla, reported to be
trafficking among the neiglibouring islands, and consequently
ordered to be detained. The other boats being then em-
ployed at a considerable distance from the Lion, his whole
force consisted of only twenty men. Scarcely had he ar-
rived at the appointed rendezvous, when five piratical vessels
were discovered, each about thirty tons burthen, mounting
four or five small guns, and having on board at least thirty
men. By these the launch was vigorously attacked ; but
after an obstinate conflict of two hours and a half, during
which they made two unsuccessful attempts to run her down,
she compelled them to retreat. In this affair. Lieutenant
Martin and eighteen of his gallant companions were wounded.

We next find Lieutenant Martin in the Albion 74, Cap-
tain (now Sir John Ferris) Devonshire, cruising on the North
American station, from whence he returned home in the
Sceptre 74, commanded by the same officer, in 1814. On
the 19th July, 1818, he was appointed first lieutenant of the
Creole frigate, acting Captain W. B. Dash wood, fitting out
to receive the broad pendant of Commodore Bowles, then
commanding on the coast of South America, where he had
the mortification to be removed into the worn-out Amphion,
notwithstanding an assurance received from the Board of
Admiralty that he would not be superseded.

The Amphion, into which ship Captain Dash wood was
posted, was then under orders for England, and considered
hardly seaworthy ; the lower masts were so much decayed,
that it was found necessary to rig her as a bark, and to reef
the fore and main-top- masts to a third down : the hand-
pumps were obliged to be kept going the whole of the pas-
sage home. In this state she arrived at Deptford, and was
immediately ordered to be put out of commission.

On the 18th Nov. 1819, in consideration of his services

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rOMMANUEKS.

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and the strong recommendation of Captain Dashwood, to
whom he first became known on joining the Creole, Lieute-
nant Martin was appointed to the command of the Clinker
gun-brig, fitting out for the Newfoundland station, where
we find him performing the anomalous duties of a naval sur-
rogate, and, in April 1821, receiving an address of which the
following is a copy :

" Sir, — ^We the undersigned inhabitants of Harbour Grace, having'
learnt with sentiments of regret that duty now obliges you to leave us,
and thereby vacate that department which during your stay amongst us
you have so worthily, nay, impartially filled, conceive ourselves bound
to return you our most sincere thanks for, and to express to you our
unanimous approbation of, your conduct while filling the truly important
situation of Surrogate to the Bay, since the resign»ition of your prede-
cessor, the Rev. Mr. Leigh. Nor can we but admire the wisdom, and
the zeal for the public good evinced by his Excellency * in having thus
selected so worthy a successor to our late Surrogate. By your appoint-
ment, Sir, his Excellency has clearly manifested his desire that justice
should be impartially administered ; nor can stronger proofs of its being
so be given than the contented and tranquil state which all classes exhil)it
at the present period. Such contentment and tranquillity of the people
is perhaps a better proof than any language, however copious or eloquent,
could possibly convey. Accept then. Sir, our united thanks and senti-
ments of approbation ; and, as the conduct of every good man should
be held forth as a model to posterity, so it shall be our province to hand
your's down to our o\mi and the future inhabitants of Harbour Grace.
We have the honor to be. Sir, with sentiments of unfeigned respect
and sincerity, your most obedient and truly humble sen'ants."

(Signed by all the principal inhabitants.)
" To Lieut, iniliam Martin,

" Commanding H. M. brig Clinker."

The following are copies of two letters subsequently ad-
dressed to Lieutenant Martin : —

" H. M.S. Egeria, Neirfoimdland, 2Gth Jpril, 1821.
" Dear Sir, — It is with infinite pleasure that I offer you my congratula-
tions on finding you have so satisfactorily terminated your judicial duties
at Harbour Grace, as it so honorably appears in the paper of to-day.
The address cannot fail, I think, of accelerating that promotion which
you have so sanguinely looked for, and, as I am assured by all who have

* Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Hamilton, Bart., Governor of New-
foundland.

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COMMANDERS. 8/

known you lon^, so tcell deseri^ed. Until I aooUlcntally met you at thin
place, I had not the pleasure of ever seeing? you; but smcc that period,
I have had repeated proofs of your zeal and attention to all your duties,
which has created in me an anxious feeling in your welfare ; and I confi-
dently hope that the address which has been presented to you will be as
highly appreciated at home as I have reason to know it is in this island,
more particularly so at this period, when a petition has been forwarded
to England, complaining of the present system of administering justice
in this country, which the address alluded to most clearly contradicts.
Wishing you every success, believe me, dear Sir, veiy faithfully yours,
(Signed) " J. Toup Nicolas, Captain."

" P. S. — I am told you are to go to the southward, under my orders ;
and I can only say, that had I had to nuike the solicitation I should have
asked for the Clinker ; hence I am much pleased with the arrangement."

" AdmrndUj, 10^// July, 1821.
" Sir, — I am desired by Lord Melville to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the 25th of April, with the satisfactory testimonial here-
with returned, the contents of which have been placed upon record ; and
to acquaint you that a note has been made of your application, and that
your claims will be brought under consideration, with those of other
officers, in case any general promotion should take place. I am, Sir,
&c. &c. (Signed) " R. H. Hay."

In the mean time, Lieutenant Martin had been ordered by
Sir Charles Hamilton to explore the Grand Esquimaux lidet,
and from thence to proceed to the northward in order to find
out and communicate with the different stations of the Mora-
vian missionaries on the coast of Labrador. In performin<»'
the first part of this service, he skirted much field ice, passed
numerous bergs, communicated with the mountaineer Indians
near a fishing station about 100 miles from the entrance of
the inlet, and, leaving the Clinker at an anchor there, on
account of the shallowness of the water, proceeded in a canoe
until his further progress was prevented by a magnificent
waterfall, on the morning of the third day. His coasting
voyage from the entrance of the inlet to Okak, the northern-
most settlement, was most harassing, and pregnant wdth dan-
ger. On his arrival at that and the other stations he had been
sent to visit, he was received with great joy, no vessel of any
kind, except their own annual brig, having been there for
fifty years preceding. On his return to St. John's, New-
foundland, after an absence of exactly three months, he found

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88

COMMANDKRS.

that the Lords of the Admiralty had been pleased to promote
bim to the rank of commander, by commission dated July
19th, 182 J. He returned home passenger on board the
Egeria in May 1822. Letters, of which the following are
copies, were subsequently received by him from the secretary
to the " Church of the United Brethren :"-—

" London, /tpril ZOth, 1822.

" Dear Sir,— Your very obliging letter of the 19th Nov. 1821, ought
not to hiive remained so long unanswered, but I have been nearly the
whole of last winter travelling in different parts of England. I received
it in Yorkshire, and intended on my return to town to desire Mr. Barrow
to for^vard my answer to you.

" Your account of your visit to our settlements on the coast of Labra-
dor was highly gratifying to me and to our whole society, as likewise to
all who have read it. Tlie testimony you are pleased to bear to the cha-
racter of the missionaries, and to that of the Esquimaux congregations,
cannot but be important to those who wish to have such evidence that
Christianity has not only been adopted as a system, but that it has
brought about a favorable change of heart, mind, and conduct, in a
people naturally ignorant and barbarous. This you kindly declare to
have witnessed. I can assure you, dear Sir, that if you were gratified,
our missionaries were likewise highly delighted with your visit. Both in
their official reports and in private letters to me they express themselves
in the most lively manner of the sense they have of your goodness, affa-
bility, and generous conduct towards the Esquimaux. They feel parti-
cularly grateful to you for the good order and discipline you maintained
among your crew, insomuch that all their fears of injury to their flocks
were immediately quelled. You have thus been a messenger of peace
to the Esquimaux, who now declare that their old suspicion that the
King of England and his people were not their friends, is now entirely
done away with ; for that they see that they only mean to do them good.
The missionaries feel greatly indebted to his Excellency the Governor of
Newfoundland, for having appointed you to command that expedition,
and are desirous, if you do me the honor of a visit, that I should express
to you once more their esteem and affection, and their thankfulness for
the precautionary measures you adopted to keep them from every kind
of disturbance. I join them in assurances of sincere regard and esteem,
and remain ever, dear Sir, your most obedient and humble seri-ant,

(Signed) " C. F. Latrobe.

" London, Feb. 22d, 1823.
" Dear Sir, — It was with great pleasure that I received your very
obliging letter of the 6th inst., and I sit down to thank you for it, and
for that good will you express towards the institution of our church on

/ '

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COMMANDERS.

89

very

, and

•ch on

the coast of Labrador. Your visit to our missionaries will always he
reineinl)ered by them, and the Esquimaux under their care, with the
greatest deliffht ; and the strict discipline you kept upon board your ship,
more particularly claims their gratitude, as it contributed so jjreatly to
lessen the anxiety they first felt on the approach of a ship of war, of
the conduct of whose crew they could not form very favorable expecta-
tions. Captain Booth, who visited that coast this year, thoujfh willing
to do all and every thing that could satisfy the missionaries, did not seem
to have been aware of the necessity of using the same caution, though we
have not had any particular complaint of the conduct of the crew. They,
however, bartered a good deal with the Escjuinumx, who, as you know
and justly observe, are like children, and will give away their most useful
and necessary articles, even such as their meyaks, and fishing and hunt-
ing implements, upon which their existence depends, for any gewgaw or
unnecessary thing that happens to please their fancy. I did not hear
that they bartered any thing for gin or brandy. The missionaries, how-
ever, perceiving what was going on, not only gave the Esquimaux a cau-
tion, but spoke to Captain Booth, and he very properly made his men
disgorge and return their bargains, for which they, the Escpiimaux, were
vei7 thankful. Captain Booth called upon me some tune ago, and
seemed much pleased with his visit to Labrador. I am very sorry that
I missed your kind call in June last. I went in May with my son to the
continent. The observations you make respecting the visits of ships of
war to the coast of Labrador, are indeed very just. Unless conducted
in the manner you did, they would necessarily have a very pernicious
effect upon the mission ; and we hope, that as no particular object can
be obtained by them, that it will not become a conunon practice. You,
however, may always consider yourself a privileged man, and to see you
will always give the missioiuiries the greatest pleasure. Indeed, if it
were not for the danger of communication between the Escjuimaux and
the crews, they Avould only have to regret that such visits must necessa-
rily occur in fine weather only, and when our own vessel is there ; and
they have so nuich to do then in the concerns of their ship, that they
cannot pay that attention to visitors at that time which they would wish
to do. When my friend Lord Gambler was governor at Newfoundland,
he intended to send a sloop of war up the coast, to sun'ey it, which
would be of great use to us ; but he was soon recalled to his station at
the Admiralty. Not only do I thank you for your most judicious re-
marks on the visits of ships of war to our settlements, but more espe-
cially do I feel grateful for the spirit which dictates them, and for the
true sense you shew of the value of the mission, as it affects the spiritual
and temporal welfare of a race of men formerly the most brutal and
savage. You have with your eyes seen the change wrought by the Divine
power of the gospel of Christ ; for nothing else has brought it about. To
those who love (iod and their neighbour as themselves, such manifesta-

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COMMANDKRS.

tioiis and proofs of his mercy towards inaiikiud, revealed in tlie goispel
of our Saviour, arc delightfid and most encouraging'. With the sincerest
esteem I remain ever, dear Sir, your most ohliged and atfectionate ser-
vant, (Signed) " C. F, Latrobk "

The subject of this memoir has been twice married, — 1st,
in 1816, to Miss Henning, daughter of one of the senior pur-
sers in the royal navy, which lady died in Ireland shortly after
his return from Newfoundland : 2dly, in 1830, to a Miss O*
Donnoghue, with whom, and his two surviving children by
his first wife, he has ever since resided at his birth-place,
near Glamuir. One of his brothers, Robert, a medical man
of some eminence, was senior physician to the fever hospital
at Cork, where he fell a victim to the effects of a malady he
had successfully treated for years. Another brother, Thomas,
went out as a cadet to India, where he entered His Majesty's
service, and acted as aiJe-de-camp to Lord Lake, until the
regiment to which he belonged, the 1 9th light dragoons, re-
ceived orders for England, when, his health being much
impaired by the climate, he came home and retired on
half-pay.

WILLIAM PEARCE STANLEY, Esq.

Is, we believe, a freeholder of Northumberlandshire. He
entered the royal navy in Mar. 1798, as midshipman onboard
the Diomede 50, Captain the Hon. Charles Elphinstone (now
Vice-Admiral Fleeming), under whom he served on various
stations until Feb. ISOl, when he joined the Adamant 50,
Captain the Hon. (now Sir William) Hotham, in which ship
he returned home from the Cape of Good Hope, about Nov.
following. We subsequently find him in the Trusty 50, Cap-
tain Daniel O. Guion, and Conflict gun-brig, the latter
employed on Channel service, during the peace of Amiens.
On the renewal of hostilities, he rejoined his first captain,
then commanding the Egyptienne frigate, in which he as-
sisted at the capture of two French corvettes and one large
privateer, and was present at the defeat of the combined

COMMANDERS.

91

as-

fleets of France and Spain, by the fleet under Sir Robert
Calder, July 22d, 1805.

In Oct. following, Mr. Stanley was removed into the Superb
74, bearing the flag of the late Sir John T. Duckworth, whom
he accompanied to the West Indies in ])ursuit of a I'rench
squadron. He there joined the Northumberland 7^> flag-
ship of tlie Hon. (afterwards Sir Alexander I.) Cochrane,
under whom he bore a part at the battle of St. Domingo,
Feb. Gth, 180G. On the return of that ship to Barbadoes,
he received an order to act as lieutenant ; but this appoint-
ment was not confirmed by the Admiralty until Aug. 15th
following.

On the 3d of the ensuing month, Mr. Stanley was appoined
to the Pheasant sloop, comnumded by the late Captain John
Palmer, under whom he served as first lieutenant, on the
South American, African, West Indian, Newfoundland, Guern-
sey, and Plymouth stations, until July 1814, a period of nearly
eight years. In Jan. I8O7, he commanded that sloop, em-
ployed in the blo"k«dc oi the Spanish gun-vessels at Monte
Video, during the absence of Captain Palmer, then attached
to the army on shore under Sir Samuel Auchmuty. After
the storming of that fortress, he assisted in taking possession
of Colonia del Sacramento ; and subsequently in capturing,
at different periods, several French privateers and various
other vessels *.

Lieutenant Stanley's next appointment was to be first of
the Ethalion 42, Captain William Hugh Dobbie, in which
ship he continued for a few months on the Irish station. From
Sept. 18th, 1815, until Oct. 13th, ^ J?8, he was first of the
Tiber frigate. Captain James Richard Nacres. In April 1819,
he obtained the command of the Swallow revenue cutter, of
1 G5 tons, mounting six 6-pounder carronades and two small
brass guns, with a complement of thirty- seven men and boys.
On the 27th I'eb. 1821, he captured in the North Sea, after a
long chase and running fight, the Idas smuggling cutter, of
1 "7 tons, having on board 700 tubs of spirits and about 50

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* See Suppl. Part III. p. 405.

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COMMANDERS.

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bales of tobacco. During the chase, and after getting for a
time out of gun-shot, the greater part of this vessel's cargo
and the whole of her guns, which appear to have been 9-
pounders, were thrown overboard ; and when the Swallow
got alongside at night, she found her abandoned by her law-
less crew, about thirty in number, though four or five leagues
from the land. It afterwards appeared that three of them had
been killed and several wounded. The Swallow had two men
wounded. Both cutters suffered severely in sails and rigging.
On the 19th July following, Lieutenant Stanley was promoted
to the rank of commander.

ROBERT GORE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the Cth Dec. 1813 ; and ap-
pointed to the Horatio frigate. Captain William I J enry Dil-
lon, Jan. 26th, 1811. The manner in which that ship was
employed until the beginning of 1817> when she Avaspaid off
on her return from the East Indies, will be seen by reference
to Suppl. Part I. p. 307, ct seq. His next appointment was
Aug. 6th, 1819, to the Leander 60, fitting out for the flag of
Sir Henry Blackwood, Bart., commander-in-chief on the
East India station, where he was serving when promoted to
his present rank, July 23d, 1821. He subsequently com-
manded the Satellite 18.

ROBERT BALDEY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 27th Sept. 1809. At the
close of the war, in 1814, we find him serving as first of the
Sapphire sloop, successively commanded by Captains Henry
Haynes and Adam Brown, on the Jamaica station. He sub-
sequently commanded two small vessels, the Variable and
Decouverte, in the latter of which, an American-built schoo-
ner, of 12 guns, he conveyed the celebrated Bolivar, with
several of his near relations, from the Spanish Main to Port

COMMANDKRS.

93

Royal, in 1815*. His next appointment ww, we believe,
Sept. 1st, '"'18, to be senior lieutenant of the Leven 24, Cap-
tain David Ewen Bartholomew, on whose demise, after sur-
veying the whole of the Azores, part of the African coast, and
some of the Cape^Verd Islands, he succeeded to the command
of that ship, at the island of Mayo, Feb. lOth, 1821. He
afterwards endeavoured to make a survey of the River Gambia ;
but from the water beincf so very shoal for some miles to
seaward, it was found impossible to accomplish the object
without risking "the ship. He returned to Spithead, July
*23d, 1821, and was promoted to the rank of commander on
the *2nth of the same month. The Leven was soon afterwards
paid off at Woolwich.

1^^

MATTHEW LIDDON, Esq.

Served as midshipman on board the Thames frigate,
commanded by the present Lord Radstock, on the Medi-
terranean station, and was employed in her boats at the cap-
ture and destruction of seven heavy gun-vessels, five armed
scampavias, &c., and thirty-one sail of transports, laden with
stores and provisions for Murat's army at Scylla, July 25th,
1810 f. He was made a lieutenant on the 3d May 1811;
and appointed to the Maidstone frigate, Captain George
Burdett, Nov. 6th following. During the war between Great
Britain and the United States, he appears to have assisted in
capturing several of the enemy's armed vessels, in the Bay of
Fundy and at the mouth of the Rappahannock river J. To-
wards the close of that contest, he exchanged from the Maid-
stone, then commanded by Captain William Skipsey, into
la Hogue 74, Captain the Hon. Thomas Bladen Capel, on the
Halifax station ; and in Jan. 1819, he was appointed to the
command of the Griper brig, selected by his friend Lieutenant
(now Sir William Edward) Parry, to accompany him in an

* See Suppl. Part II. p. 45, et seq.
t See Suppl. Part I. pp. 190—192.
t See Vol. II. Part 11, p. 5/6,; and Suppl. Part I. p. 365, et seq.

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COMMANDERS.

expedition to the Arctic Seas, the proceedings and result of
which have been fully detailed in Suppl. Part IV. pp. 318 —
35;^. He paid off the Griper, at Deptford, Dec. 2l8t, 1820;
obtained the rank of commander on the 8th Nov. 1821 ; and
married, in 1827, Ann, only daughter of the late Samuel
Bilke, Esq. of Stamford Street, Blackfriars.

GEORGE HUTCHISON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 1 1th Nov. 1806; and pro-
moted to the rank of commander Nov. 9th, 1821.

ARTHUR LEE WARNER, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 6th Dec. 1813; and
was promoted to the command of the Esk sloop, on the
Jamaica station, Nov. 22d, 1821.

JOHN LEIGH BECKFORD, Esq.

Son of F. L. Beckford, Esq., of Southampton. His first
commission bears date Nov. S/th, 1810. He subsequently
served under Captains Lucius Curtis and Bentinck C. Doyle,
in the Madagascar frigate. His last appointment was, Oct.
2d, 1819, to be flag-lieutenant to Kear-Admiral (now
Sir Robert Waller) Otway, commander-in-chief at Leith,
where he continued for the usual period of three years. His
promotion to the rank of commander took place on the 30th
Nov. 1821.

This officer married, Nov. 6th, 1828, Harriet, fourth
daughter of George Ward, Esq. of Northwood Park, Isle of
Wight.

HENRY MAINGY, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Sept. 1806; and served
as senior lieutenant under Captain Henry Prescott, in the Fylla

CUMMANOKRS.

05

20, and Eridanus 36, from the beginning of 1813 until the
tinal cessation of hostilities in 1815. His subsequent ap-
pointments were, Mar. 8th, 1816, to the Spencer 76, Captain
Richard Hajjgett, stationed as a guard-ship at Portsmouth;
and, July 5th, 1821, to the Royal George yacht, Captain (now
Riar- Admiral) the Hon. Sir Charles Paget, under wliom he
had tlie !ionour of accompanying King George IV. to Ireland.
His promotion to the rank of commander took place on the
14th Dec. 1821.

GEORGE MORISON KING, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Oct. 1814; and was
wounded while serving as ninth lieutenant of Lord Ex-
mouth's flag-ship, the Queen Charlotte, at the memorable
battle of Algiers. We next find him in the Royal George
yacht, Captainthe Hon. Sir Charles Paget, under whom he had
the honor of accompanying his late Majesty to Ireland. He
was promoted to his present rank on the 14th Dec. 1821.
His last appointment was, Feb. 2d, 1 823, to be an inspect-
ing commander in the coast guard service. In 1832, the
officers and men of the Carrickfergus district, late under his
superintendence, presented him with a handsome snuff-box,
" as a testimony of their respect and esteem."

Commander G. M. King married, June 27th, 1825, Anne
Sarah, relict of Francis Hoey, Esq., of Dungan's Town, co.
Wicklow ; and sister to Matthew Forde, Esq., M. P. for
County Down.

DIGBY MARSH, Esq.

We first find serving as midshipman under the late
Captain Sir George Ralph Collier, and employed in a boat
belonging to the Surveillante frigate, at the capture of a
French merchant brig, between the batteries of St. Gull-
das and St. Jacques, in Quiberon Bay, Sept. 5th, 1810.

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COMMANDERS.

During the ensuing three years he was engaged in a variety
of active and important services on the north coast of Spain,
the detail of which will be found in Vol. II. Part II. pp. 521
— 532. He passed his examination for lieutenant in Mar.
J 812; and for his services, particularly at the siege of St.
Sebastian, where he appears to have been employed on shore
in the breaching batteries, was rewarded with a commission
dated Dec. 24th, 1813. He subsequently served on board
the Tartar frigate, bearing the broad pendant of Sir George
R. Collier, on the African station. He obtained his present
rank in Jan. 1822; and was appointed an inspecting com-
mander of the coast guard service, June 6th, 1833.

GEORGE BAKER, Esq.

Second son of Sir Robert Baker, Knt., Treasurer to the
county of Middlesex, and late chief magistrate of Bow
Street, by Harriet, daughter of Anthony Aufrere, Esq., of
Hoveton Hall, Norfolk, whose ancestor, a French marquis,
came over with his family to England at tlie revocation of
the edict of Nantes.

This officer was born at London, May 3d, l/Oo. He en-
tered the royal navy as midshipman on board the Amazon
frigate. Captain (now Sir William) Parker, Aug. 23d, 1808;
subsequently served under the late Sir Henry Hothani, in
the Northumberland 74 ; and was present at the destruction
of two large French frigates and a national brig, near
I'Orient, May 22d, 1812*. He afterwards successively
joined the Pembroke 74, Ville de Paris 1 10, and Superb 74 ;
the former ship commanded by the late Sir James Bris-
bane, and the two latter bearing the flags of Sir Harry
Neale, and Sir Henry Hotham. Previous to the receipt
of his first commission, which appears to have been ante-
dated, in order to give him rank as lieutenant from Mar.
7th, 1815, he had acted as such under Captains the Hon.

* See Vol. I. Part II. pp. 618—621 .

COMMANDER!). 97

F. W. Ayliner and W. Fairbrother Carroll, in the Pactolus
38, and Cyrus 20. His subsequent appointments were, Nov.
20th, 1818, to the Dauntless 26, Captain the Hon. Valentine
Gardner, fitting out for the East Indies; and May 11th,
1820, to the Leander 60, bearing the flag of the Hon. Sir
Henry Blackwood, commander-in-chief on that station; of
which latter ship Mr. Baker was first lieutenant for six months
prior to his promotion. He obtained his present rank Jan.
17th, 1822; and married, Jan. 17th, 1827, Elizabeth Octavia,
fourth daughter of the late William Harding, Esq., of
Barasct House, Warwickshire.

Commander Baker's eldest brother, a midshipman, died
in 1809, of yellow fever, on board H.M. ship Garland, in
the West Indies ; his two younger brothers are in the Madras
army.

JOHN RUSSELL (/.), Esq.

M. P. for K'msale.

Son of Lord William Russell. Was made lieutenant in
July 1816 ; and promoted to the rank of commander on the
29th Jan. 1822. He married, Aug 21st following, Sophia,
only daughter of the late Colonel Coussmaker, by his wife
the Hon. Catherine Southwell Clifford, eldest sister to Ed-
ward last Lord De Clifford. In Feb. 1833, the King was
plejised to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great
Seal, declaring Mrs. Russell Baroness De Clifford, she being
the eldest co-heir and representative of the late Baron, and
as such, eldest co-heir of the ancient barony of De Clifford.

HON. COOTE HELY HUTCHINSON.

Brothbr to the Earl of Donoughmore, was made lieute-
nant in Nov. 1817 J appointed to th* Phaeton frigate, Captain
(now Sir William Augustus) Montagu, fitting out for the
Halifax station, Nov. 1st, 1819; and promoted to the rank
of commander Jan. 29th, 1822. He married, in i^'S-l,
Sophia, daughter of Sir S. S. Hutchinson, Bart.

VOL. IV. PART II. H

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COMMANDERS.

SIR JAMES EVERARD HOME, Baut., F. R. S.

Eldest son of the late Sir Everard Home, Bart., F. R. S.,
Sergeant- Surgeon to His Majesty, and Physician of the
Royal Hospital, Chelsea, by Jane, daughter and co-heir of
the Rev. James Tunstall, D. D.

This officer, who is of ancient Scottish lineage, was born
in Sackville Street, Piccadilly, on the 25th Oct. 1798; re-
ceived his education at Westminster School ; and first em-
barked as midshipman on board the Euryalus frigate, Cap-
tain the Hon. George H. L. Dundas, about to sail for the
Mediterranean station, April 10th, 1810. We next find
him, in Aug. 1812, joining the Malta 80, flag-ship of the
late Sir Benjamin Hallowell Carevv, with whom he returned
home, after the conclusion of hostillities with France, in
1814. He subsequently served under the flag of the same
distinguished officer, on board the Tonnant 80, at Cork.
In JSov. 1817;, he was removed to the Sybille frigate, fitting
out for the flag of Sir Home Popham, commander-in-chief
on the Jamaica station, where he appears to have been
promoted into the Pique 36, Captain John Mackellar, July
14th, IH18. His next appointment was. May 17th, 1821,
to the Helicon 10, Commander William Robert Dawkins, in
which sloop he continued on the home station, until advanced
to his present rank, Jan. 29th, 1822. He became a F.R. S.
in April 1825; succeeded to the baronetcy on the demise of
his father, Aug. 31st, 1832; and was appointed to the Race-
horse sloop, fitting out for the West India station, Feb. 1st,
1834. His brother, William Archibald, is in holy orders ;
his eldest sister, Jane, is married to Captain Henry Forbes,
and his youngest, Charlotte, to Captain Bernard Yeoman,
both of the royal navy *. gUju) li!,t ^h^^ r> ll}^/pjii^^

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* Tlie late Sir Everard Home was one of the most eminent medical
men of his day : he embraced the profession of physic at an early age,
and practised with the greatest success in the metropolis for more than
fortv years. .

COMMANDERS.

99

CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT, Esq.

Passed his exaniinatioii in Feb. 1813; obtained a com-
mission on the 14th Dec. 18M; served as lieutenant of the
Impregnable 104, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral (now Sir
David) Milne, at the battle of Algiers; and subsequently in
the Tartar frigate. Commodore Sir George Collier, on the
African station, where he was employed in command of the
Snapper gun-brig, when advanced to his present rank by the
Admiralty, June 6th, 1822. He returned home passenger
on board the Morgiana sloop, Nov. 6th following ; and is
now an inspecting commander in the coast guard service.

in

ALFRED MATTHEWS, Esq.

Third surviving son of the late John Matthews, Esq., of
Belmont, Herefordshire; and brother to the ingenious author
of the " Diary of an Invalid." The first of tliese very worthy
and much esteemed gentlemen represented the above county
in parliament for several years, and was colonel of the first
regiment of local militia : the latter died soon after his ele-
vation to the bench in the island of Ceylon.

Mr. Alfred Matthews entered the royal navy in Jan.
1803, (then only eleven years of age,) as midshipman on

board the CuUoden 74, Captain Lane, from which ship

he followed Rear-Admiral (afterwards Sir George) Campbell
into the Canopus 80. We next find him serving under
Captain Benjamin Hallowell * in the Tigre 80, forming part
of that compact little squadron which, under the immortal
Nelson, pursued the combined fleets of France and Spain to
and from the West Indies, thereby saving our colonies from
plunder and devastation f.

* The late Admiral Sir B. H. Carew, G. C. B.
f The Tif^re, it will be remembered, was one of a few unlucky ships of
the line which, after all the irksomeness of a tedious blockade, and all the
anxieties of an arduous chase, lost by a hair's breadth chance their share

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CO:^lMANDERS.

After serving through the Bccond Egyptian campaign,
from the capture of Alexandria to its evacuation *, the Tigre
returned to England, and Mr. Matthews joined the Iphi-
genia frigate, Captain Henry Lambert, with whom he visited
Quebec, and subsequently proceeded to the Cape station.

In Aug. 1809, whilst cruising off the Mauritius, the Iphi-
genia accidentally ran on board the Boadicea frigate, and
thereby lost her bowsprit and foremast. The next night
she got aground under a heavy battery, where she was long
exposed to a veiy severe cannonade. Not thinking it pos-
sible to save her, the senior officer of the squadron sent or-
ders to set her on fire ; but, after throwing some guns over-
board, slie was at length got off, through the persevering
gallantry and uncommon exertions of her captain, officers,
and crew. In July 1810, she formed part of the squadroli
under Captain (now Sir Josias) Rowley, at the capture of
the Isle of Bourbon f.

The disastrous result of an attack made by the Iphigenia
and three other frigates, imder the orders of Captain Samuel
Pym, of the Sirius, upon a French squadron in Grande Port,
Isle of France, Aug. 23d, 1810, has been officially described
inSuppl. Part II. pp. 164 — 166. The particular share borne
by the Iphigenia in this destructive combat is more fully
shewn hi p. 169 of the same volume. Her subsequent pro-
ceedings, and surrender by capitulation, are narrated in Vol.
III. Part I. p. 242, et seq.

From this period, Mr. Matthews was a prisoner at Port
Louis until the subjugation of the Isle of France in Dec.

of the glories of Trafalgar. To have been in the immediate vicinity of
such a conflict, in such a ship, mthout any participation in its honors,
must doubtless be regarded in the nature of a permanent misfortune ;
and one which is not much mitigated by the reflection that, under other
circumstances, the Tigre's advanced station in the line, her high state of
discipline, and, above all, the zeal and devotion of her commander,
would too probably have seciu'ed her a prominent place in the foreground
of that imperishable piece.

• See Vol. I. Part II. p. 482.
t See Vol. I. Part II. p. 627, et seq.

COMMANDERS.

101

1810. We next find him serving as lieutenant under Cap-
tain (now Sir Charles M.) Schomberg, in the Astrjjea frigate,
on the Cape station. His promotion to that rank took place
Feb. 11th, 1812; and his next appointment, to the Hermes
20, Captain the Hon. William Henry Percy, fitting out for the
North American station, April 18th, 1814. The circumstances
which led to the destruction of the latter ship, on the coast
of West Florida, Sept. 5th, 1814, are detailed in two official
letters, written by her truly gallant commander, and of which
we have given copies in Suppl. Part 111. pp. 64—69. In one
of them he makes honorable mention of Lieutenant Mat-
thews, who, it appears, assisted him in performing the pain-
ful duty of setting the ship on fire, after all the other sur-
viving officers and crew had been safely removed from her.
We have only here to add an expression of our regret that
the same deliberate valor and seamanlike conduct which were
displayed on board the Hermes, in the attack upon Fort
Oowyer, had not been brought to bear on an adversary of
more equal force, in which case a much happier result might
have been confidently expected.

After this sanguinary affair, Lieutenant Matthews volun-
teered to serve with the army acting against New Orleans,
and assisted in the successful dash across the Mississippi, on
the fatal morning of Jan. 8th, 1815 *. In the following
year, he was appointed senior lieutenant of the Alert sloop,
Commander John Smith (h), on the North Sea station,
where, in one of that vessel's gallies, he captured a smuggling
lugger. In 1817, he took command of the Drake revenue
cruiser, on the Land's End and Scilly station ; and, considering
the very low ebb to which the contraband trade has been
happily reduced in that quarter, was not unfortunate in the
number of his captures. He obtained his present rank on
the 19th July, 1822 ; and subsequently commanded the Suri-
nam and Icarus sloops, on the West India station. His last
voyage appears to have been in an element not much navi-
gated by gentlemen of the naval profession — we- allude to his

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102

rOMMANOKUS.

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ascent in Mr. Green's balloon from Hereford, Oct. 1827-
In describing his aerial excursion, he says, " A field of sheep
looked like so many mites crawling about a cheese ; a wag-
gon on the Weobly road reminded me of the vehicle of
Queen Mab, ' in size no bigger than a hazel nut, drawn by a
team of little atomies;' a church like a child's toy, and
other things in similar proportion."

RIGHT HON. GEORGE VISCOUNT MANDEVILLE,

Deputy Lieutenant of, and M. P. for Huntingdonshire .

Eldest son of the Duke of Manchester, late Captain-
General and Governor of Jamaica. This officer was born
on the 9th July, 1799 ; made a lieutenant on the 20th Nov.
1818; and advanced to the rank of commander July 19th,
1822. He married, Oct. 8th, in the latter year, the daugh-
ter of Lady Olivia Sparrow.

ROBERT GRAHAM DUNLOP, Esq.

Passed his examination, at Portsmouth, in the summer of
1810 ; and was slightly wounded whilst serving as master's-
mate of the Scipion 74, (flag-ship of Rear-Admiral the Hon.
Robert Stopford,) and employed on shore at the reduc-
tion of Java, in 1811. His first commission bears date Feb.
7th, 1812. In the following year, being then a lieutenant of
the Surveillante frigate. Captain Sir George R. Collier, on the
north coast of Spain, he was again wounded, in one of the
breaching batteries on the Chofre sand-hills, opened against
the walls of St. Sebastian. He subsequently joined the
Porcupine 22, flag-ship of the late Sir Charles V. Penrose,
and was very actively employed in co-operation with Wel-
lington's army in the neighbourhood of Bayonne and Bour-
deaux *.

On the 2d April, 1814, the advanced boats of the British

See Suppl. Part II. pp. 276—293.

COMMANDBRS.

103

squadron in the river Gironde, under Lieutenant Dunlop,
were despatched in pursuit of a French flotilla, pushing
down from Blaye toTalniont. On their approach, the whole
of the enemy's vessels ran on shore near the citadel of
Blaye, from whence two hundred soldiers marched out to
protect them, although their crews were greatly superior in
number to the attacking party. A smart fire was also kept
up from the citadel ; but nothing could check the ardour of
our gallant countrymen, who dashed on, landed, charged the
enemy, drove them with great loss into the woods, and kept
possession of the beach until the tide allowed the greater
part of the vessels to be brought off. They consisted of one
brig mounting six long 18-pounders, a fine schooner, six
gun-boats, three armed chasse-mardes, and an imperial barge,
rowing twenty-six oars, which latter trophy was sent home
as a present to H. R. H. the Prince Regent. Another brig
of the same force as the above, two gun-boats, and one
chasse-marde, were set on fire and destroyed. This service
was performed with the loss of two seamen missing, and
fourteen men wounded.

We soon afterwards find Lieutenant Dunlop rejoining Sir
George Collier, in the Leander 58, fitting out for the Halifax
station. In this ship he assisted at the capture of the United
States' brig Rattlesnake, pierced for 20 gvuis, with a comple-
ment of 131 men ; and the Prince De Neufchatel, a fine
American privateer schooner, of 18 guns and 135 men. He
likewise assisted at the recapture of H. M. 20-gun ship Le-
vant, near Porto Praya, Mar. IJth, 1815.

From this period we lose sight of Lieutenant Dunlop until
his appointment. Mar. 2 1st, 1821, to tho Glasgow 50, Cap-
tain (now Sir Bentinck C.) Doyle, fitting out for the East
India station ; where he was promoted to the command of
the Sophie sloop, July 20th, 1822.

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COMMANDERS.

THOMAS PORTER, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 27th July 1814 ; appointed
to the Andromache 44, Captain William Henry Shirreff, fit-
ting out for South America, Sept. 5th, 1817; removed to the
Superb ^S, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Thomas M.
Hardy, commander-in-chief on that station. May 10th, 1821 ;
and promoted to the command of the Alacrity sloop, Aug.
26th, 1822. He returned from Brazil to Portsmouth, bring-
ing home 1,000,000 dollars, July 19th, 1823.

JAMES LOWRY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 28th Jan. 1802; and ap-
pointed first of the Ajax 74, commanded by that excellent
officer, Captain (now Sir Robert Waller) Otway, about July
1809. In 1812, we find him an agent of transports; and
in 1821, commanding the Cameleon revenue cutter, on the
Portsmouth station. He was promoted to his present rank
on the 12th Sept. 1822, previous to which his vessel had
formed part of the squadron employed in escorting King
George IV. to Scotland.

DANIEL JAMES WOODRIFF, Esq.

Eldest son of Captain Daniel Woodriff, K. N., C. B,, of
the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, whose heroic defence of
the Calcutta 50, against a French squadron, consisting of one
three decker, four 74-gun ships, three frigates of the largest
class, and two brigs, thereby preserving a valuable fleet of
merchantmen under his convoy from capture, we have re-
corded in Vol. II. Part II. p. 541, et seq.

Mr. Daniel James Woodriff first went to sea in the
Endymion 44, armed en flUte, and commanded by his father
(then a lieutenant), which ship was totally lost, in 1790, upon
a rock previously unknown, (and which has ever since retained

COMMANOKRS.

105

her name), situated about nine miles S. W. b. W. from the
middle of the southern sand isle of the Turks Islands in the
West Indian sea, on which occasion, fatal as it was, that gal-
lant and worthy officer had the satisfiiction of seeing every
person, except one man, safe off the wreck before he quitted
it, the ship then under water as far aft as the capstan.

In 1/92, Mr. D. J. Woodriff accompanied his father in
circumnavigating the globe, the latter gentleman having been
appointed to a peculiar service, the principal object of which
voyage was to afford relief to the then infant colony of Port
Jackson, in New South Wales.

On the 1st. Aug. 1801, the subject of this memoir em-
barked as midshipman on board the Princess Charlotte frigate,
bearing the flag of Lord Gardner, on the Irish station, and
commanded by his son, the Hon. Francis F. Gardner. V^\'hilst
belonging to this ship, he was detached in an open boat (in
charge of a lieutenant) from Cork, to proceed round the coast
and into the lakes of Killarney, to meet and salute the Vice-
roy, which, after much difficulty, was accomplished. We
are induced to mention this circumstance, from the supposi-
tion that the Princess Charlotte's was probably the first boat
from a man-of-war which did so, and possibly the last.

On the 1st Feb. 1803, Mr. Woodriff rejoined his father,
then commanding the Calcutta, armed en flute, and preparing
to convey 450 convicts of both sexes, to Port Philip, in Bass's
Straits, for the purpose of forming a settlement on the
southern extremity of New Holland. An outline of that ship's
voyage out and home has been given in Vol. II. Part II. p.
54 1 . During her stay at Port Philip, Mr. Woodriff went on
many excursions for the purpose of exploring the country,
and often suffered much from the want of water when be-
wildered in the woods. On one occasion, having landed at
a considerable distance from the ship, in company with some
other gentlemen, his boat was swept away from the beach
and carried by the tide to a distance of about twenty-five
miles along the coast, leaving the exploring party and boat's
crew with nothing to eat or drink. Fortunately they had
the means of kindling a fire, by which, after dark, they sat,

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106

COMMANDERS.

sung, told stories, and, one after the other, sank to sleep, but
not without experiencing previously the usual craving of
hunger and thirst. At daylight next morning, they as-
cended trees on the highest ground, but could not see any-
thing of the boat, nor any movement from the ship ; indeed
they had no reason to expect any relief from her, as they had
been supplied with provisions and water for several days con-
sumption. They now, as on the preceding day, eat a few
shell fish, which, although a momentary alleviation of hunger,
increased their thirst ; and drank some brackish water, which
at the moment seemed a relief, but the temporary gratifica-
tion was the certain precursor of increased want of drink,
accompanied by an inward burning. At length, however,
after passing many hours in this unenviable manner, they
succeeded in attracting the notice of the colonial boat, which
had left the settlement for the purpose of fishing, and had not
any previous knowledge of their situation ; the scanty supply
of bread and other refreshments which her limited means
afforded them was most acceptable — it was indeed a luxury.
Their own boat they succeeded in rescuing just as she was
about to enter a heavy surf.

On the 11th Oct. 1804, Mr. Woodriff was removed to the
Bellerophon 74, in which ship, successively commanded by
Captains John Loving, and John Cooke*, Lieutenant William
Pryce Cumby, and Captain Edward Rotherham, he served on
the Channel and Mediterranean stations upwards of three
years. The following is an extract of a certificate which he
received from Captain Cooke's immediate successor : —

" His conduct during the action off Cape Trafalgar, on the 21st Oct.
1805, was highly spirited and meritorious, as I had frequent occasion to
remark from his being stationed under my immediate notice on the
quarter-deck. (Signed) "W. P. Cumby."

The Bellerophon on this memorable occasion, had no less
than 150 officers and men killed and wounded. In the gales
of wind after the action, she rolled and laboured much, being
very light, and greatly damaged both below and aloft : the

* Killed at Trafalgar,— see Vol. II. Part II. p. %H, rf s-rq.

COMMANDERS. lOJ

numerous wounded were consequently great sufferers. In
order to relieve thein as much as possible, Lieutenant Cumby,
A' ho, with the other connnissioned officers was most anxiously
engaged on deck, directed Mr, Woodriff to do what he could ;
whereupon he conceived the idea of nailing capstan bars and
other spars longitudinally upon the deck of the captain's cabins
at such a distance from each other as only to admit one bed
between two bars tightly. This experiment succeeded, for
the fine fellows were thus rendered as comfortable as they
possibly could be, in so disabled a ship, in such bad weather,
at sea. In addition to the approbation and thanks of his
commander and the surgeon, Mr. Woodriff, when attending
the removal of the sick and wounded to Gibraltar hospital,
had the gratification of hearing those gallant men utter many
expressions of gratitude for the relief he had afforded them,
and for his constant endeavours to alleviate their sufferings.

In Oct. I8O7, the petty officers and crew of the Bellerophon
were turned over to the Bedford 74, Captain James Walker,
previous to which Mr. W^oodriff had been entrusted with the
charge of a watch. On the 1 1th Dec. following, he was pro-
moted to the rank of lieutenant ; and soon afterwards ap-
pointed to the Polyphemus 64, Captain Peter Hey wood, in
which ship he continued only for a few months, in conse-
quence of her being ordered to hoist the flag of Vice -Admiral
B. S. Rowley, commander-in-chief on the Jamaica station ;
by one of whose followers he was superseded about May
1808. In the course of the same year he received an appoint-
ment to the Achille 74 ; and, while waiting at Plymouth for an
opportunity to join that ship, we find him very active in sub-
duing a fire which had broken out in the hemp-house,
threatening the adjacent stores, &c. with destruction.

On the 1 9th Mar. 1809, being then still at Plymouth,
Lieutenant Woodriff was appointed second of the Solebay
frigate, commanded by Commodore E. 11 . Columbine, who,
on being nominated governor of Sierra Leone, with orders
to examine the windward coast of Africa, had applied for
him to assist in the surveys and drawings.

The Solebciy amved at Goree on the 24th June 1809, when

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an expedition was immediately projected and agreed upon
between Commodore Columbine and Major Maxwell, gover-
nor of that island, for the purpose of attacking Senegal,
then a French settlement, garrisoned by four hundred regular
soldiers, militia, and volunteers ; and protected by seven ves-
sels mounting thirty-five guns of different calibre. On the
4th July, she sailed, accompanied by the Derwent sloop.
Commander Frederick Parker ; Tigress gun-brig. Lieutenant
Richard Bones ; seven gun-vessels mounting altogether eigh-
teen carronades, three field-pieces, and one howitzer ; nineteen
armed boats, with necessary appurtenances for all ; and the
Agincourt transport, having on board a military detachment,
l(i6 strong. On the 7th, this armament anchored off the bar
at the mouth of the Senegal river, which is not only dange-
rous, occasioned by the heavy surf, but very difficult to pass,
in consequence of the shoal water, and the deepest part fre-
quently changing position. In attempting to cross it, on the
following morning, two vessels containing ammunition and
provisions were lost, and the commander of the Derwent, with
one of his midshipmen, and six sailors perished. The Vir-
ginia, an American-built schooner, commanded by Lieutenant
Woodriff, and in which vessel Commodore Columbine chose
to go over the bar, struck repeatedly, and would have broached
to, but for the judgment and cool presence of mind of the
lieutenant, who instantly took the helm, lowered the peaks,
jibed the sails, and, with the aid of successive seas bearing
her along, at length succeeded in entering the river, followed
by the rest of the flotilla. The military detachment and
sixty marines were then landed on the left bank, where Major
Maxwell took up a position, with a view to wait till provisions
could be passed from the frigate and brigs outside. On the
9th this position was attacked, but the enemy were speedily
repulsed, and driven within their lines at Babagud, twelve
miles up the river, and in front of which their armed vessels
were lying protected by a boom. On the 10th, Lieutenant
Woodriff having been sent up in a four-oared whale boat, to
reconnoitre and sound, was in the act of taking a plan of the
enemy's position, when a breeze suddenly sprang up, and a

COMMANDRRS.

100

schooner immediately started in pursuit of him ; he, however,
effected his escape by traclsing the boat along the beach
faster than she could have been rowed ; and, in the evening
of the same day, we find him rendering an essential service to
the expedition by getting off the colonial schooner George
(the principal vessel of the flotilla) which had grounded in-
side tlK'bjir, and there remained immoveable, notwithstanding
many formrr attempts to float her. On the 1 1th, the Solebay
and Derwent were ordered to anchor opposite the post of
Babaj^ue, and bombard it, which was executed with much
effect. During the night. In shifting her berth, the frigate,
then in cliarge of the master, all the commissioned officers
being absent, unfortunately got aground, but in a position
which enabled her still to annoy the enemy. On the morning
of the 12th, the troops were embarked, and the flotilla pro-
ceeded up the river, till just without gun-shot of the enemy's
line of defence ; and when every thing was in readiness for a
night atiacli. Commodore Columbine received information
that it was the intention of the French commandant to ca-
pitulate. At day-break on the 13th, it was discovered that
the enemy had abandoned the battery and vessels, leaving
their colours flying. Next morning the garrison laid down
their arms and were embarked. The ordnance found mounted
in the different works consisted of twenty-eight long 24-
pounders, four brass mortars and howitzers, two field-pieces,
and fourteen guns of smaller calibre. The only loss sustained
by the navy in reducing the colony of Senegal has been stated
above. On the part of the army, one officer died in conse-
quence of intense heat, when charging the enemy in the
aft'air of the 9th ; but not a man was killed, and only one
wounded.

On the 16th, the Solebay having become a wreck. Lieu-
tenant Woodriff was appointed to the command of the Agin-
court transport, for the purpose of conveying the prisoners
and part of the frigate's crew to England, previously per-
forming various duties at Senegal and Goree, during the ex-
ecution of which he had a severe attack of the fever peculiar
to Africa. He returned home and struck his pendant about

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COMMANDERS.

the end of October *. From Mar. 24th, 1810, until Oct.
10th, 1816, he was employed as an agent of transports, on
the coasts of Snain and Portugal, in the Mediterranean, and
at Halifax and Quebec. Whilst on the Lisbon station, he
was attached to the army at Salva-terra, upon the banks of
the Tagus, about forty-five miles up the river, a considerable
distance above the French lines on the opposite side, in charge
of pontoons, flat-boats, and river craft, to convey the army
across; and materials for constructing temporary bridges, and,
if necessary, to replace those at Punkete, Abrantes, and Villa
Velha. Whilst at Quebec, he had charge of the prisoner-of-
war department after the death of Captain Kempt, the prin-
cipal agent of transports on that station, and to execute
various other extra duties required of him by the commander-
in-chief upon the lakes and waters of Canada. In 1815, he
was presented with a piece of plate bearing the following
inscription : —

'* We, the Masters of Transports serving' in Canada, offer this as a mark
of the esteem l^orne by us to Lieut. D. J. Woodriff, whilst serving imder
his immediate direction."

Lieutenant Woodriff also received several very gratifying
letters from Commodore William Fitzwilliam Owen, of which
the following are extracts : —

"Kingston, Upper Canada, Dec. 16///, 1815.
" Your exertions to save the Lady Hamilton, are highly creditable to
you, and I must hope have been fully successful."

" May 5th, 1816.
" Your known zeal in the public sendee renders it unnecessary to urge
you to spare no exertion to s-'ve the Emma or her stores f."

« Mat/ 20Ji, 1816.

" I have no hesitation in certifying that his Majesty's service has very

materially benefited by your being at Quebec during the late winter, as

being the only agent or officer of the naval department to whom I could

have entrusted the duties which, during luy command, have fallen to you ;

* Senegal and Gor^e were evacuated by the British, agreeably to the
treaty of 1814.

+ Both the Lady Hamilton and the Emma were laden with ordnance
stores for the use of the navy upon the lakes.

COMMANDKKtj. Ill

I am of opinion that his Majesty's service would have suffered verj- mate-
rially had you not been there. ************ On the various
occasions of service which have occurred whilst you have been serving
within my command, I have had frecjuent occasion to express my appro-
bation to you : these certificates of your attention may be serviceable, to
shew your constant attention in the discharge of your duties with which
1 have on all occasions been satisfied."

On the 27th May, 1816, Major-General Sir Sidney Beck-
with, K. C. B. wrote to Lieutenant V\'oodriff as follows : —

" In quitting- my situation of Quarter-Master-General in Canada, I
consider it an act of justice to the service and to yourself to bear testi-
mony, to the zealous co-operation and support I have on all occasions
experienced from you in the execution of those duties connected with my
department, and I have jjreat pleasure in stating on this occasion the
satisfaction I have felt on witnessing the delicacy and attention shewn by
you to the accommodation and comfort of the numerous families called
from this country on the great body of troops leaving it. With very
sincere wishes for your health and success, I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) "Sidney Beckwith."

Lastly, Lieutenant VVoodriff was thus addressed by the
Naval Storekeeper at Montreal, Aug. 22d. 1816 :—

" Permit me. Sir, (although a subordinate officer in his Majesty's ser-
vice) as you are about to quit Quebec, to offer you the thanks of the civil
naval establishment in Canada, for the cordial co-operation, prompt, able,
and undivided attention, which have at all times been combined with
your official zeal and abilities, in the many transactions (particularly in
the lower province) which your situation as resident agent for transports,
&c. rendered absolutely necessarj% for the good of the public service; and
believe me to be, with the highest esteem. Sir, &c.

(Signed) " J. Marks."

On the 4th Mar. 1819, Lieutenant Woodriff was appointed
to the command of the Whitworth revenue cutter, stationed
on the N. W. coast of Ireland, in which vessel he continued
(although suffering much from rheumatism, with which he is
still frequently afflicted) until Sept. 22nd, 1822, when he
received a commander's commission dated four days pre-
viously.

This able officer is married and has three children. One
of his brothers, John Robert, is a lieutenant in the royal navy ;
another, Robert Mathews, who held the same rank, died in
1822.

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COMMANDERS.

EDWIN LUDLOW RICH, Esq.

Fifth son of the Rev. Sir Charles Bostock Rich, Bart.
LL. D. *, by Mary Frances, only daughter and sole heiress
of Sir Robert Rich, of Waverly, co. Warwick, Bart., and niece
to the first Carl of Ludlow.

This officer passed his examination at Portsmouth, in Nov.
1811; obtained a lieutenant's commission on the 15th Oct.
1812; served in the Volontaire frigate. Captain the Hon.
George G. Waldegrave, (now Lord Radstock) from Feb. 1813,
until the end of the war in 1814; and subsequently in the
Falmouth 20, Commander Edward Purcell, at the Leeward
Islands. He was promoted from the Surinam 18, Commander
W. M^Kenzie Godfrey, to the command of the Bustard 10,
at Jamaica, Sept. 24th, 1822.

Commander Rich married July 6th, 1820, Sophia, youngest
daughter of Captain G. F. Angelo, of Hill, Southampton.

ALEXANDER KENNEDY (h), Esq.

Passed his examination at Plymouth, in May 1810; ob-
tained a lieutenant's commission on the 25th July 181 1 ;
commanded the Hound revenue cutter (a very successful
cruiser against the smugglers) in 1819 and 1820; and was
promoted to his present rank, Oct. 9th, 1822,

This officer married, Feb. 2d, 1821, Elizabeth Rolleston,
niece to A. Boyd, Esq. of Gostler, co. Donegal, Ireland.

EDMUND MUSGRAVE HARINGTON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 22d Jan. 1806, During
the latter part of the war with France, he served as first of
the Sultan 74, Captain (now Vice-Admiral) John West, on

• Formerly Charles Bostock, Esq., who took the surname and arms
of Rich, by virtue of the royal licence, Dec. 23d, 1790 ; and was created
a Baronet June 21st, 1791.

COMMANDERS. 113

the Mjediterranean station. He obtained tlie rank of com-
mander on the 10th Oct. 1822; and married, in 1826, Jane
Anne, youngest daughter of the late Rev. Archdeacon Thomas,
of Bath.

WILLIAM MORIARTY, Esq.

Was wounded while serving as midshipman of tlie Nymphe
frigate, Captain Conway Shipley, and employed in one of her
bouts, commanded by Lieutenant Richard Standish Haly, in
an attempt to board a French brig of war lying near Belem
castle, in the river Tagus, April 23d, 1808*. He passed his
examination, at Sheerness, in the summer of 18! I ; and was
made a lieutenant into the Revenge 7^, Captain Sir John
Gore, on the Mediterranean station, Oct. '23d, 1813. His
subsequent appointments were, — Sept. 19th, 1814, to the
Tyrian sloop. Commander Augustus Baldwin ; and, April 15th,
1818, to the Topaze frigate, Captain John Richard Lumley,
fitting out for the East India station.

In 1820, the Topaze was sent to the Persian Gulph, for the
purpose of obtaining redress for injuries which the British
interests had suffered from the officers of the Imaun of Senna.
She arrived off Mocha accompanied by several of the Hon.
East India Company's cruisers, and a bomb vessel, on the 3d
Dec, and Captain Lumley, finding that the agent on the part
of the British Government had previously used every means
in his power without effect, immediately resolved on bom-
barding the place. On the 4th, the north fort appearing to
be abandoned, boats were sent to take possession of and
destroy it. This enterprise, however, failed, as it proved to
be still occupied, and the detachment was obliged to retreat
with considerable loss. On the subsequent morning, a par-
ley took place; and the following day two hostages were
sent off to the squadron, with a promise that every demand
should be acceded to in the course of a fortnight.

** It would seem," says the Vice-President in Council of

* Sec Suppl. Part I. p. 39.9.

VOL. IV. PART 11.

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COMMANDERS.

Bombay, " that the unsuccessful result of the attack on the
itorth fort, had led the Dolah (Fukee Hassan) and his people
to suppose they were impregnable, and procrastinated their
submission. The truce of fourteen days had, by one means
or other, extended to twenty, which, however, allowed time
for the whole of the property belonging to merchants under
our protection being embarked. On the 26th, the cruisers
and bomb again opened on the north fort, at day-light ; it
was breached, and the enemy driven out by half-past ten
o'clock ; and by half- past twelve, the guns were spiked,
thrown out of the embrasures, and the fort blown up. From
this period till the 30th, repeated messages were sent from
the shore, leading to no satisfactory result. On the morning
of the 30th, therefore, we commenced bombarding the south
fort, which by two p. m. was taken possession of and blown
up, the guns spiked, and the barrack burnt. These decisive
measures were productive of the desired effect. Amier Fal-
hullah, who had superseded Fukee Hassan, came on board the
Topaze, early in the morning of the 2d Jan., produced his
powers, and afforded the strongest assurances of a full admis-
sion of our demands. The late Dolah was put into close
confinement, with a guard over him, and his property seized
and confiscated by an express order of the Imaun, for having
transmitted false accounts of the state of affairs. Hajee
Futteh, another public functionary, was obliged to make "
public apology for the manner in which he had treated the
British representative at Mocha. Finally, on the 15th, copies
of a new treaty, which had been drawn up and sent to Amier
Falhullah, were returned, signed and sealed by himself and
the members of his council, comprehending the whole of the
Hon. Company's demands, and placing the British Factory
on that respectable footing on which it ought alone to be
maintained."

During the operations against Mocha, the Topaze fired
upwards of 3,500 shot into the forts. Her loss consisted of
Lieutenant Robert G. Atkinson (royal marines), Mr. C. P.
Gill (mtXster's mate), Mr. Francis S. Burnett (midshipman),
and five seamen and marines slain ; Lieutenants William

COMMANDKRS.

115

Moriarty and Charles Mayson Moncreiffe Wright, Messrs,
Robert Ward and William Stephens (Admiralty midshipmen),
and sixteen sailors and marines wounded. The Hon. Com-
pany's cruisers had four killed, eight wounded, and three
burnt by the explosion of the mines.

Lieutenant Moriarty's promotion to the rank of commander
took place on the 1st Nov. 1822. He now holds a civil ap-
pointment at Port Dalrymple, in Van Diemen's Land.

JOHN LONGCHAMP, Es^q.

Obtained his first commission on the 5th Dec. 1806.
During the latter part of the French war, he was senior lieu-
tenant of the Tyrian sloop. Commander Augustus Baldwin.
In Oct. 1814, he was appointed to the Boyne 98, Captain
(now Sir Frederick L.) jVIaitland, fitting out for the Halifax
station. He subsequently commanded the Watchful revenue
cutter. He was promoted to his present rank on the 26th
Dec. 1822; and appointed an inspecting commander of the
coast guard, Feb. 28th, 1823.

JAMES BRASIER, Esq.

Enterkd the royal navy in 17^9; and was a midshipman
in the squadron under Captain John Loring, at the evacua-
tion of Cape Fran9ois, in the island of St. Domingo, by the
French troops under General Rochambeau, in Nov. 1803.
He obtained the rank of lieutenant in June 1807; and a
commander's commission on the 26th Dec. 1822; was ap-
pointed to the Vernon 60, fitting out for the flag of Sir
George Cockburn, Dec. 20th, 1832; invalided from that ship
on the 26th April, 1833 ; and is now serving in the Cale-
donia 120, Captain Thomas Brown, on the Mediterranean
station.

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COMMANDRRS.

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JOSEPH SOADY, Esq.

Was bom about the year 1788, and made lieutenant on the
17th Aug. I8O7. The following account of an unfortunate
occurrence which took place in Basque Roads on the 27th
Dec. 1811, is extracted from the Naval Chronicle, vol. 27j
p. 65, et seg. :

" The boats of the Conquestador 74 (Captain Lord William Stuart),
and Colossus 74 (Captain Thomas Alexander), imder the command of
Lieutenants Stackpoole and Soady, attacked an enemy's convoy passing
alongshore from the northward, and would have accomplished its cap-
ture or destruction, had not the wind suddenly sliifted from N. W. to
W. S. W. just as the boats were to the southward of Chatillon reef. ITiis
shifting of the wind enabled the convoying vessels, consisting of three
gim-brigs, an armed lugger, and several pinnaces, to attack the boats, the
crews of which made several gallant attempts to board their opponents,
but the superiority of numbers on the part of the enemy rendered every
eflfort ineffectual. Undaunted by this superiority and the galling fire
from several batteries around them, our noble tars, disdaining to surren-
der to the gim-brigs, pulled coolly towards the shore, where they were
taken prisoners, 104 in number, except those in the boat with Lieutenant
Soady, who most miraculously escaped. The Conquestador and a gun-
brig were under v eigh near the scene of action, and witnessed every
part of it, without being able to give our brave fellows the least assist-
ance. Soon aften\'ards the weather moderated, when a flag of truce
was sent into Rochelle, to feqiiest that the French commodore would
allow clothes, &c. to be sent to the prisoners, and give information as to
the number of men killed and wounded. He politely replied, that he
had no objection to the clothes, &c. being sent, and was happy to say
that no more than four or five had fallen, amongst whom was a master's-
mate, commanding one of the boats. He also expressed his astonish-
ment that so few should have fallen ; and intimated that the prisoners
were in the hands of men who would treat them \vell, in consequence of
the determined bravery they had exhibited. A subscription was imme-
diately set on foot in the Colossus, Conquestador, and Arrow schooner,
by which a considerable sum was raised, and sent in with the clothes to
Rochelle." , .^

About the same time, Lieutenant Soady assisted at the
capture and destruction of seven vessels to the southward of
Isle d'Aix. His next appointment wa^:, Sept. 4th, 1812, to
the Surprise 38, in which frigate he served under Captains

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Sir Thomas John Cochrane and George W. H. Knight, oh the
West India, African, and other stations, until the cessation
of hostilities with America in 1815 *. He was on board the
Superb 74, Captain (now Sir Charles) Ekins, at the battle
of Algiers, Aug. 27th, 1816; appointed to the Revolution-
naire frigate. Captain the Hon. Fleetwood Pellew, Oct. 9th,
1818; promoted to his present rank Dec. 26th, 1822; and
selected to superintend the shipping belonging to the ord-
nance department, with a salary and allowance of 553/. per
annum, July 9th, 1830.

This officer married, Aug. 29th, 1822, Rosetta, third
daughter of the late Mr. Gray, surgeon, of Kingsand, co.
Cornwall.

EDMUND WILLIAMS GILBERT, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 29th Sept. 1808, and served
as second of the Glasgow frigate. Captain the Hon. Anthony
Maitland, at the battle of Algiers, Aug. 27th, 1816, on which
occasion he was wounded. He obtained his present rank
in Dec. 1822; and is now inspecting commander of the coast
guard at Ballycastle, in Ireland.

HENRY KENT, Esq.

Youngest son of the late John Kent, Esq., many years a
purser in the navy, and steward of the royal naval hospital
at Plymouth f.

This officer was born at Glasgow, and first went to sea as
midshipman on board the Goliah 74, in which ship he served
under Captains Charles Brisbane and Robert Barton, princi-
pally employed off Rochefort and Ferrol, from the early part
of 1803 until Feb. 1806. Whilst on the latter station he
assisted at the capture of two French corvettes, having on

• See Suppl. Part I. p. 136 ; and Part III. p. 356.
t SeeVoI.IV. Parti, p. 354.

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board part of the crew of H. M. late ship Blanche, taken by
the enemy in July 1805 *.

Mr. Henry Kent next joined the Hevolutionnaire frigate.
Captain Charles Fielding; and, in May 180/, the Hussar
38, Captain Robert Lloyd, which latter ship was present at
the bombardment of Copenhagen, and afterwards sent to the
West Indies, where she captured four letters of marque,
from Guadaloupe bound to Bourdeaux. In June 1809, he
was appointed acting lieutenant of the Horatio frigate. Cap-
tain (now Sir George) Scott; and in Aug. 1810, we find him,
removed to the Fantome sloop. Captain John Lawrence,
under whom he served on the N orth Sea station, and on the
coasts of Spain and North America, until Jan. 1814. On
quitting that vessel, he received tlie following handsome tes-
timonial of conduct :—

** These are to certify my Lords Conunissioners of the Admiralty, that
Lieutenant Henry Kent served on board H. M. sloop Fantome, under
my command, from the 4th Aug. 1810, to the 21st Jan. 1814, during
which period he distinguished himself as a brave and meritorious officer,
particularly in the different attacks made on the enemy's works iii Chesa-
peake Bay, and further that he volunteered from the said sloop to serve
on the Lakes of Canada, with a zeal highly creditable to hunself and
worthy of imitation, being in the severity of the winter, and having a
distance of nearly one thousand miles to march over an uninhabited coun-
try, covered with snow and woods : these circumstances will, I respect-
fully hope, entitle him to their Lordships' favourable consideration.

(Signed) " John Lawrence."

At the same time Captain La^vl•ence wrote to Commodore
Sir James Lucas Yeo, commanding on the lakes, as fol-
lows : —

*' Sir, — Although I have not the honor to be personally known to
you, yet the interest I take in behalf of Lieutenant Kent, detached from
H. M. sloop under my command, will I trust ensure me your pardon iii
statmg that, as he has served nearly three years and a half with me, I
know his value. He is an active, zealous, and clever officer, and whom I
beg strongly to recommend to your protection. I have the honor to
be, &c. (Signed) " John Lawrence."

♦ ^tt\o\. II. Part I. p. ;?09.

roMMANUJ£RS.

119

Up to this period, our naval force on the Canadian Lakes
consisted of corvettes, brigs, and scliooners ; but the Americans,
with their natural promptitude in military aflfairs, having
begun to construct two frigates at Sackett's harbour. Sir
James L. Yeo lost no time in laying the keels of two frigates,
and every exertion was made to complete them by the break-
ing up of the ice. Volunteers from the ships on the coaist
were called for to man them ; and such an appeal to British
sailors was not in vain, as will be seen by Lieutenant Kent's
account of his march from St John's, New Brunswick, to
Kingston, on Lake Ontario, dated at the latter place, June
20th, 1814:—

" We left Halifax in the Fantome, on the 22(1 January last, cheered
hy a large concourse of the inhabitants, and arrived at St. John's on
the 2Gth, making a passage of four days, the weather extremely bad : the
brig appeared a complete mass of ice, it freezing as fa^i^t as the sea broke
over us. The inhabitants of St. John's came forward in the most hand-
some manner in a subscription to forward us in sleighs to Frcderickston,
the seat of governnjent, a distance of eighty miles. The volunteer seamen
from the Fantome, INIanly, and Thistle were divided into three divisions,
each of seventy men, the first under Captain Collier, of the Manly, the
second under Lieutenant Russel, and the third under myself. On the
29th of January, the first division proceeded about nine in the morning,
and in the afternoon the second followed ; the next morning I disem-
barked, the rigging of all the sliips I»eing manned, and the crews cheer-
ing us. On landing, we were received by the band of the 8th reghnent,
and a large concourse of people, who escorted us to the sleighs, when
we set off at full speed. In eight hours we went fifty miles, and then
halted for the night, at a small house on the l)anks of the river ; started
again in the morning, reached Frcderickston in the afternoon, and found
the other divisions halted there. The seamen were lodged in a l)arrack,
which was walled in, but they soon scaled the walls and got scattered
about the town. Having their pockets well lined with prize-money, they
were anxious to lighten them, thinking this was the last opportunity they
would have of enjoying themselves *. After collecting them again, they
were formed into two divisions, the first under Captain Collier's com-
mand, the second under mine, as being the senior lieutenant. From
Frcderickston we continued on the ice of the river St. John, except in

* Many of the petty officers ha<l upwards of 300/. in their possession
when they left Halifax,

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places where, from shoals, it was thrown up in heaps. The country,
after Icavin^f Fredcrickston, is but thinly inhul>ited ; a settlement you
may see occasionally, hut never more than three houses toj^ether. I kept
always in the wake of the first division, halting where they ha«l tlie day
before. On the third evcninji^, at the house where I halted, I found the
master of the Thistle a corpse, havinj,' died with intense cold. On the
7th of February I reached Presipie Isle, where there is a barrack and
dcpAt for provisions, but no houses near it : this place is eijyhty-twd miles
from Frcderickston. Discharged the slei^rhs, and began making prepa-
rations for our march, being furnished with a pair of snow-shoes and
two pair of moccasuiis each person ; a toboggin, or hand-sleigh, between
every four men, aiul a camp kettle for every twelve, with axes and tin-
der-l)ox,

" At day-break on the 8th of February, we commenced lashing onr
provisions on tlic toboggins, and at eight o'clock conunenced our march.
We proceeded daily frou» fifteen to twenty-two miles, and thougii that
appears but a little distance, yet, with the snow up to our knees, it was
as nuich as any man could do. The first night we reached two snudl
Indian wigwams, the next the same accommoihition, and the third slept
in the woods. On the fourth reached the Great Falls, and next day a
small French settlement on Grande Riviere. Tin* nuirch from it to
IVIadiiwaska, another French settlement, was beyond any thing you can
conceive ; it blew a gale of wind from the northward, and the drift of
snow was so great it was almost impossible to discern a man a hundred
yards distant : before I got half-way, the men lay down, saying they
could not possibly go further. I endeavoured, by every persuasion, to
cheer them, and succeeded in getting about one-half to accompany me.
We reached it about nine o'clock at night, almost fainting, a distance of
twenty-one miles. The following n.orning, got the men all collected,
but out of 1 10 only ten able to proceed on the march ; I was therefore
obliged to halt for a day to recruit them. Tlie next morning, renewed
our march, leaving a midshipman and twelve men behind, chiefly frost-
bitten. The three following nights, slept in the woods, after going each
day about fifteen miles cm the river Rladawaska, where, finding the ice in
many places broken through, I made the men take the banks of the
river. On the 18th of February, crossed the Lake Tamasquata : it was
here we were apprehensive of being cut off by the enemy, being in the
territory of the United States ; however, we did not fall in with them.
On the 19th, commenced our march across the Grande Portage, or neck
of land between the above lake and the river St. Lawrence } this was
dreadfully fatiguing, continually marching up and down hill, and the
snow upwards of five feet deep ; got half way through this night, and
again slept in the woods. On the 20th, ascending a high hill, the St.
Lawrence opened to our view, when a general exclamation of joy was
follow ed by three cheers at the enlivening sight of our native element.

roMMAWU.

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III the uftoriiooii, reached Riviere De C'apf- i Frv .^h vill; re about three
iiiile.s distiint. The iiext<hiy, pruciired van s fi,r nil t' men to Kuiiiii-
ruikii, u tishiii^r vilhi>,'e, 47^ miles from Ki u'stoii, whi> , *|MKt' we wiTe
i)l)lif(e(l to triiverse the wiiole way on loot. On the 'J, h, r#^ael ' Hi.
Ilocqnes ; on the Jiith, hi Forte ; 2()th, St. Thomus ; 'Jjth, Ikrthi. tiid
2Hth, I'oint l<evy, opposite Qiieltee. On the foUowiii^ v •uinjf,
launched cunoes throii;(h the hnikeii ice, and crottHed over to < >■ city.
In attempting to launch one, I fell through up to my neck, and .'/<(.s two
hourn before I ccmld j(et my clothes ^^hifted. Took Hhelter on board the
/Eolus frijfute and Indian whiop, frozen up in Wolfe's Cove, and, after u
comfortable meal, allowed uU hands a cruiye on shore for twenty-four
hours.

" The first day of onr march from Quebec, wc stopped for the nij^ht
at St. Augustine ; on the M, at Cape Santc ; 4th, ut Grondiiies ; 5th, at
Baptiscu ; Gth, three miles beyond Trois Rivieres ; /th, at Maehiehe ;
8th, at Mas(piinon^e ; L>th, ut Berthier; 10th, ut La Yaltre ; and 11th,
at Rcperrij,nie. Next morning wc marched throu<,'h Montreal to La
Chiene. On passinf^ the monument erected to the memory of Nelson,
halted, and j^uve three cheers, which much pleased the inhabitants. Wc
were eleven days performini^ the journey from Montreal to Kingston, a
distance of VJO miles : the places where we stopped I have not noted,
as we seldom found u villu^^e, but mostly scattered houses, inhabited by
people of all nutions. We passed several tremendous rapids ; the Lon^
Sou in particular, which was most awfully grand to look at. W^e like-
wise passed Chrystler's Farm, where Colonel Morrison, with a mere
handful of men, defeated General Wilkinson's army. On the 22d of
March we reached Kin;,'ston, were lodged in a block-house, and allowed
four days to recniit. The oflieers and seamen of the squadron were drawn
out to receive us with three cheers. In a few days I joined the Princess
Charh)tte 42, Captain (now Sir William Howe) ftlulcaster, as first lieu-
tenant."

On the second day of his march from Presque Isle, Lieu-
tenant Kent had a severe fall on the ice, by which he broke
the bone of the fore finger of his right hand, between the
knuckle and the wrist, so that for five weeks he had his hand
in splints ; nor did the bone unite until after his arrival at
Kingston. At the subsequent attack of Oswego, the official
account of which is given in Suppl. Part. II. p. 215, et seq.,
he commanded the Princess Charlotte in the absence of her
gallant captain, who was dangerously wounded while in the
act of storming the Yankee fort, at the head of 200 seamen.
The following testimonial will shew how high he stood in
the estimation of that distinguished officer :—

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COMMANDERS.

" These arc to certify my LonIh CommiHsioners of the Admiralty, that
Lieutenant Henry Kent, when servinp on tlie Lakes of (.'anadu, was ap-
pointed by Commodore Sir James L. Yeo senior lieutenant of II. M. ship
Princess Charlotte, under my commund, tlwn on the stocks, and his exer-
tions in aid of t-ompletinif the buildinff of tliat ship — in prcparin<r her
rigging and stores — in launching and fitting her for service — were of the
most ofticerliiie, active, unremitting, and strenuous nature ; and mainly
contributed to enal>le the ship to join the expedition to Oswego, in May
1814 ; and I further certify, that his conduct in the attack of Oswego
was that of a most zealous, brave, and intelligent officer ; and I consider
his devotion to the service of that nature that their Lordships may place
entire confidence in him.

(Signed) " Wm. Howe IVIrLCASTKn."

After landing the troops and wounded men of the squadron
at Kingston, the Princess Charlotte and her consorts made
several diversions along the enemy's shore, but nothing de-
cisive took place on Lake Ontario during the remainder of
the campaign. At the close of the war, Lieutenant Kent
commanded a division of flotilla; and in the spring of 1815,
he was sent to Chippewa, above the falls of Niagara, with 120
artificers and 30 marines, to assist in constructing two large
schooners, the " Tecumseh" and " Newash," for the protec-
tion of our settlements on Lake Erie. These vessels were
laid down in the beginning of May, and launched on the 7th
August ; at which period Commodore Sir Edward W. C. R.
Owen, paid the building party a visit, expressed himself much
pleased with their exertions, and offered Lieutenant Kent a
lucrative civil appointment ; on declining which he was placed
in command of the Tecumseh, mounting two long 24-pounders
on pivots, and four carronades of the same calibre, with a com-
plement of fifty men. After making two or three trips from
one garrison to the other on Lake Erie, he passed a drt try
winter in Grand River, both shores of which being dismal
swamps, and his nearest neighbours the Six Nations, who
settled in Canada during the revolutionary war. In the
spring of 1816, he had much difficulty in getting the Tecum-
sehover the bar, there being but five feet two inches water
thereon, and her light draught seven and a half ; this task,
however, was accomplished after six days' hard labour, by

COMMANDERS. 123

heaving the vessel over on her bilge, with empty puncheuiis
under her. During the sunnuer of that year she was enii)loved
in carrying troops and supplies to the different garrisons. In
Nov. we find her rated a sloop of war, and Lieutenant Kent
appointed to the command of her sister vessel, the Newasli,
then in Mohawk bay. From thence he proceeded, with the
Tecumseh under his orders, to the Deep Hole, Turkey Point,
in whicii isolated situation both schooners remained at anchor
upwards of four months.

In April 1817, Lieutenant Kent pushed through the ice to
Amherstburg and Fort Erie, where he took under his orders
two other schooners, and embarked several companies of the
70tli regiment, destined to Drummond's Island, Lake Huron,
where they were landed in June following. He then pro-
ceeded through the Straits of Nancy to Nattawasanga and
Penetenguishene, at which latter place he arrived on the 22d
of that month. Three days afterwards despatches arrived over
land, by which he found himself appointed superintendant of
the naval ddpot then about to be established there, and also
a magistrate for the district. The former was thus announced
to him by Commodore Sir Robert Hall: —

" Kinifston, Luke Ontario, M June, 1817.
" Sir, — Beinj( fully aware of your zeal and ability, I Imve selected
you for the superintendence of the naval estahlishment at Penetenj^uish-
eue, on Lake Huron, and I inclose you your appoininient.

(Signed) " Robert Hall."

Penetenguishene harbour, one of the finest in the world, is
situated in the midst of an impenetrable forest, upwards of
100 miles from any habitation. At this place, with twenty
artificers, thirty seamen, and a few soldiers at his disposal,
Lieutenant Kent commenced the new settlement by construct-
ing suitable buildings for officers and men, in the mean tiiue
messing and sleeping under canvas. He afterwards erected
storehouses and workshops, made a careening wharf, and
continued busily employed until attacked with fever and ague
in the beginning of 1819. During his illness, which lasted
eight months, he was reduced to a mere skeleton. In con-
sequence thereof he removed to the naval establishment on

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Lake Champlain, and remained there from Sept. 1819, until
the fall of 1822, when he returned home with his ofl&cersand
men, after an absence of ten years. His promotion to the
rank of commander took place Dec. 26th, 1822, since which
he has every year applied for employment, but without suc-

cess.

This officer married, Aug. 24th, 1824, his first cousin,
Eliza, relict of the late James Charles Grant, Esq. of Burton
Crescent, London, and eldest daughter of Captain William
Kent, who died in the command of the Union 98, on th^
Mediterranean station, in 1812. His two eldest brothers are
commanders in the royal navy.

THOMAS BUSHBY, Esq.

Passed his examination for lieutenant at Sheerness, in
Dec. 1810 ; obtained his first commission on the I6th Aug.
1811 J served in the Herald 20, Captain Clement Milward?
at the close of the war with France ; and was promoted to the
rank of commander, Dec. 26th, 1822. He is now employed
in the coast guard service, at Kingstown, Ireland.

CHARLES STUART COCHRANE, Esq.

Obtained the rank of lieutenant in Sept. 1816 ; and sub-
sequently served on board the Andromache frigate, Icarus
sloop, and Superb 78, the latter ship bearing the broad pendant
of Sir Thomas M. Hardy, on the South American station. On
the 29th Aug. 1820, when returning from a short excursion on
shore, in company with his brother officer and messmate, the
Hon. Henry Finch, he was attacked by some armed Guachos *,
for the purpose of robbery, and after a sharp struggle, most
severely wounded. His companion was left dead on the spot.
He was appointed flag -lieutenant to the Hon. Sir Alexander
I. Cochrane, commander-in-chief at Plymouth, Feb. 1st,
1821 ; and promoted to his present rank, Dec. 26th, 1822.

* Paysanos of that country.

COMMANDBRS.

125

MARK JOHN CURRIE, Esq.

Harbour Muster at Swan River.

This officer passed his examination at Portsmouth about
July 1814; obtained his first commission on the 23d Sept.
following; and was promoted to his present rank, while
serving on the East India station, Jan. 9th, 1823. He married,
Jan. 14th, 1829, Jane, third daughter of the late Charles
Boynton Wood, Esq.

in

WILLIAM BOXER, Esq.

BncTHKR to Captains James and Edward Boxer, II. N.
ile was made a lieutenant on the 30th April, 1810; and pro-
moted to his present rank Jan. I5th, 1823, for great exertions
in the suppression of smuggling on the coast of Sussex. He
is now inspecting commander of the coast guard at Dunfan-
hagy, in Ireland.

ARTHUR MORRELL, Esq.

Son of a deceased naval lieutenant, and brother to Com-
mander John Arthur M orrell.

This officer passed his examination about April 1808;
btained his first commission on the 28th Julj% 1 809 ; served
for some time on board the Ocean 98, Captain Robert Plam-
pin ; and for upwards of four years, as first lieutenant of the
Termagant 20, successively commanded by the late Captains
John Lampen Manley and Charles Shaw, on the Mediter-
ranean and East India stations. In that ship he was present
at the capture of Genoa, in April 1814. His next appoint-
ment was, in Jan. 1818, to the Dorothea hired ship, Captain
David Buchan, fitting out for the discovery of a northern
communication between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The result of that enterprise will be seen by reference to Vol.
III. Parti, pp. 86—89. He subsequently served as first lieu-
tenant of the llevolutionnaire frigate. Captain the Hon. Fleet-

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CUMMAND£RS.

wood B. R. Pellew, on the Mediterranean station, from
whence he returned home in June 1822. His commission as
commander bears date April 18th, 1823. He married, Feb.
6th, 1820, a daughter of Mr. William Reid, first pay clerk
for wages at Devonport dockyard.

ROBERT SCALLON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 28d June, 1798; and pro-
moted to the rank of commander May 15th, 1823. He mar-
ried Rebecca, daughter of Mr. Saward, of Thorp Hall, Prit-
tlewell, Essex, and sister to the wife of Commander Charles
Houlton, K. H. *

ROBERT HAGAN, Esq.

Passed his examination, at Plymouth, about May 1814;
obtained his first commission on 25th Oct. 1816; and was
appointed to the command of the Thistle gun-brig, fitting out
for the African station. May 20th, J 819. With only the
means which the command of this small vessel gave him, he
captured and released from slavery upwards of four thousand
persons. Previous to his departure from the coast, the
Members of Council and Foreign Judges at Sierra Leone,
addressed a letter of thanks to him for his unwearied exertions
and gallant conduct in that quarter ; and accompanied it with
a piece of plate, as a token of their esteem. The merchants,
traders, and inhabitants of the colony, manifested their regard
by presenting him with a similar address, and a sword value
100 guineas. He returned home, paid off the Thistle, and
was promoted to the rank of commander in May 1823.
This ofl&cer is now employed in the Irish coast guard service.

* Emttum.^'Vol IV. Part I. last line, dele Esq.

COMMANDfiRS.

127

ANDREW FORBES, Esq.

Sekvkd as midshipman imder Captains Lord Cochrane and
Thomas Rogers, in the Imperieuse frigate and Kent 74, on
the Mediterranean station ; passed his examination, at Ply-
mouth, in Jan. 1813; obtained his first commission on the
17th Feb. 1815; was appointed to the Tyne 26, Captain
James Kearney White, fitting out for the West India station,
Feb. 18th, 1821 ; removed to the Scovit 18, Captain James
Wigston, July 5th, lt^22; and promoted to the command of
theTbracian sloop, June IGth, 1823.

CLddendAffi. S3Z.

I s ....

RAWDON MACLEAN, Esq.

Was wounded whilst serving as midshipman on board the
Colossus 74, Captain James N. Morris, at the memorable
battle of Trafalgar. He was made a lieutenant on the 7th
July, i806 ; and promoted to his present rank, whilst ser/iiig
as first of the Gloucester 74, Commodore Sir Edward W. C.
R. Owen, on the West India station, July 1st, 1823.

*:: :

EDWARD HINTON SCOTl^ Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 12th June 1807 ; appointed
to the Orlando frigate, Captain John Clavell, fitting out for
the Mediterranean station, June 19th, 1811 ; re-appointed to
the same ship, destined to China, Aug. 17th, 1815 ; turned
over to the iVI alabar 74, in the East Indies, about the close
of 1818 ; and paid off from her towards the end of 1819. In
a letter written by Captain Clavell we find the following
passage: — ** Mr. Edward Hinton Scott was my first lieu-
tenant for several years, and the service has not a better
officer." The manner in which he was employed will be seen
by reference to Suppl. Part IV. pp. 441—443.

On the 23d Aug. 1820, Lieutenant Scott was appointed to

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128

COMMANDERS.

I

the Cambrian 48, Captain Gawen William Hamilton, under
whom he was serving, in the Mediterranean, when promoted
to the rank of commander, by Sir Graham Moore, July 18th,
1823.

RICHARD DOUGLAS, Esq.

Son of the late Mr. John Douglas, master- attendant of
Sheerness dock-yard.

This officer passed his examination in Aug. 1808; obtained
his first commission on the 18th Sept. 1809; served under
Captain (now Rear-Admiral) M'Kinley, in the Bellona 74, at
the close of the French war ; and subsequently in the Bul-
wark 76, flag-ship of Sir Charles Rowley ; was appointed to
the coast blockade service, under Captain William M'Culloch,
Nov. 20th, 1820; promoted to his present rank, in com-
memoration of the opening of the new basin and dock at
Sheerness, Sept 5th, 1823 ; and appointed an inspecting com-
mander of the coast guard, April 6th, 1831. His first wife
died atMutley, co. Devon, in 1825. He married, 2dly, Sept.
22d, 1830, Jemima, daughter of W. Winchester, l'2sq. of
Stoke, near Plymouth.

GEORGE PIERCE, Esq.

Entehkd the royal navy in 1803 ; and served five years of
his time as midshipman under Captain (afterwards Vice-Ad-
miral) William Bedford, in the Thunderer 74, Hibernia 1 10,
bearing the flag of Lord Gardner, and Prince of Wales 98,
flag-ship of Admiral Gambier at the attack on Copenhagen.
He next joined the Apelles sloop. Captain Thomas Oliver,
and was master's-mate of that vessel in the expedition to
Walcheren. After passing his examination, in Oct. 1809, he
was sent out to the Leeward Islands on promotion ; but in
consequence of Lord Mulgrave leaving the Admiralty, he
continued serving without advancement, in the flag-ships of
Sir Alexander 1. Cochrane and Sir Irancis Laforey, until

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129

Mar. 21st, 1812, when the Right Hon. Charles Yorke was
pleased to grant him a commission. On the 1st Oct. follow-
ing he was appointed to the Miilgrave 7**» Captain Thomas
James Maling, under whom he served oflF Cherbourg and in
the Mediterranean until the summer of 1814. On the 1st
October in that year, he was appointed to the Comus 22,
Captain John Tailour, in which ship he proceeded to Africa,
and was there very actively engaged in the suppression of the
slave trade. The Comus appears to have been the first man-
of-war that ever ascended the new Calabar river as high as
Duke's Town, where her boats captured seven Spanish and
Portuguese vessels with 550 slaves embarked, after a deter-
mined resistance and much bloodshed.

In July 1816, Mr. Pierce became first lieutenant of the
Beelzebub bomb, Captain William Kempthorne, at Plymouth,
which ship had top-gallant yards across on the seventh day
jvfter her being commissioned. At the battle of Algiers, in
the following month, her large mortar was fired once in every
ten minutes.

Lieutenant Pierce was next appohited to the Tonnant 80,
flag-ship of Sir Benjamin Hallowell, at Cork; and on her
being paid off, in 1818, he joined the Windsor Castle 74,
Captain Thomas Gordon Caidfield. He subsequently served
as first of the Bulwark 76, Gloucester 74, and Prince Regent
120, successively bearing the flag of Sir Benjamin Hallowell,
in the river Medway, where he continued until advanced to
the rank of commander, Sept. 5th, 1823. On the day pre-
vious to his promotion, he had acted as aide-de-camp to
Viscount Melville, on the occasion of opening the new basin
and dock at Sheerness. He is now inspecting commander of
the coast guard at Dunmore, in Ireland.

ROBERT WILLCOX, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 16th of May,
1809; served during the last year of the French war on

VOL. IV. PART II. E

1^0 COMMANDKRS.

board the Pembroke 74, Captuiii (afterwards Sir James)
Brisbane ; and was pron\oted to bis present rank, from the
Prince Regent yacht, Sept Ctb, 1823.

ROBERT FAIR, Esq.

h'liiiffif of' till' Ititjial //(/iiorcriitu (rnrfp/iir Order.

This oibcer is a native of county Cork. We first find
him servinjif as master of the Amethyst fritjfate. Captain
({vfterwards Sir Michael) Seymour, by whom he was most
highly spoken of for his conduct at the capture of the French
44-gun frigates 'J'hetis and Niemen, JSov. 10th, 1808, and
April Gth, 1809*. lie obtained the rank of lieutenant on
the 1st July in the latter year; and was appointed to the
command of the Locust g\ni-brig, Nov. 23d, 1811. In the
following month, he drove on shore, near Calais, a French
national brig, wiiich, from the violence of the surf ,was
beaten to pieces.

The Locust was paid oft* in July 1814, and Lieutenant Fair
appointed to the Tay 21, Captain William Robilliard, on the
r)tb Sept following. He subsequently commanded the
Griper revenue cruiser; received a handsome sword from
Lloyd's for his humane and meritorious conduct on some
particular occasion ; and was promoted to his present rank
from the Royal Sovereign yacht, Sept. Gth, 1823. The
Guelphic order was conferred upon him in 1834.

CHARLES FRA8ER, Esq.

Obtain Ko the rank of lieutenant in July 1804; served as
sucli under Captains Phipps Hornby and Samuel Warren,
in the Stag frigate and Bulwark 76; subsequently com-
manded the Mermaid revenue cruiser ; and was promoted to
his present rank Sept. 29th, 1823. He married, in July
1832, Miss Mary Elizabeth Fraser, of Chichester.

* See Vol. II. Part I. p. 295, rf seq.

(OMMANDKUS.

U\

E\ AN NF.PEAN, Ksq.

Was wrecked in tlu* Hussiir frigate, and Uxkvu prisoner
while serving cis midHhipniiui inuler the present Vice-A(hniral
Stephens, in Feh. 1804*. From this period to the end of
the French war, lie remained in captivity. lie was made a
lieutenant on the 13th Feb. 1815; appointed to the Liftey50,
Commodore Charles Grant, fitting out for the Fast India
station, Oct. 22d, 1821 ; and promoted to the rank of com-
mander, Oct. 22(1, 1823. This oflicer married, June 7tl>»
1825, Mary, eldest daughter of Captain St\uirt, 11. N.

; ,;'■■!

WILLIAM PRICE HAMILTON, Esq.

Entkrbd the royal navy in 1810 ; and was appointed flag-
lieutenant to Sir Henry Blackwood, connuander in chief on
the East India station, Aug. 2()th, 1820; removed from the
Leander 50 to the Topaze 46, Captain Charles Richardson,
July 29th, 1821 ; promoted to the rank of commander Nov.
13th, 1823; and appointed to the Comus sloop, fitting out
for the West India and North American station, Oct. 31st,
1832. He married, in I83I, Harriet, only daughter of the
late R. H. Faulconer, of Lewes, co. Sussex,

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GEORGE HILLIER, Esq.

Son of a deceased warrant officer, and brother to Com-'
mander C. W. Hillier. He was made a lieutenant on the I6th
Jan. 1798; and served with great credit, under Sir W.
Sidney Smith, at the defence of St. Jean d'Acre, in March,
April, and May, 1/99. During the siege of that Syrian
fortress, he was removed from the Alliance 44, armed en
Jlilte, to the Tigre 80, bearing the broad pendant of that
chivalrous officer, with whom we find him visiting the Holy

* See Suppl. Part IV. p. 232, et seq.
K 2

132 COMMANDKUS.

Citj'^, in June, 1800 : a journal of his excursion from Jjiflfu
to Jerusalem, is given in the Naval Chronicle, vol. 23, p.
297, et seg. On the memorable 8th, lotli, and 21st of
March, 1801, he was attached to the heroic army under
Abercromby, and " conducted himself to the entire satis-
faction " of Sir VV. Sidney Smith, commanding the seamen
on shore*. At the close of the T^gyptian campaign, he was
presented with the Turkish gold medal. His promotion to
the rank of commander did not take place, however, until
Jan. 21st, 1824.

RICHARD MEREDITH, Esq.

Entkrkd the royal navy in 1/90; obtained his first com-
mission on the 15th Aug. 1806; and served, during the
peace, as senior lieutenant of the Northumberland 7^, and
Cambridge 82, under the command of Captain Thomas James
Maling, the latter ship employed on the South American
station. He was promoted to the rank of commander on the
16tli Mar. 1824 ; and appointed to the Pelorus sloop, fitting
out for the suppression of the African rflave-trade, Sept. 26th,
1831. The following is taken from the Hampshire Tele-
graph : —

** A court-martial was held on Monday," June 16th, 183-4, " on Lieu-
tenant Philip De Sausmarez, of H. M. sloop Pelorus, on the following
charge preferred against him by Commander IMeredith, viz. — For having,
on the 18th of April, 1832, whilst in charge of tlie Segunda Teresa,
slave-brig, punished Francis Brown, with twenty-four lashes, for ne-
glect of duty, contrary to the general rules of the service, and in opposi-
tion to the written orders of Commander Meredith. It appeared from
the evidence, that Lieutenant De Sausmarez was surrounded by a disre-
spectful and even mutinous crew ; that Francis Brown, the seaman who
was punished, was most conspicuously so ; that on being ordered by
Lieut. De Sausmarez to put the helm up he refused to do so, and on the
order being repeated to him, he said he could steer a ship as well as he
(the lieutenant) could. Tliat, on another occasion, being sent ashore on
duty, by the officer of the Match, he did not return to the ship until seve-

* See Vol. n. Part U. p. 852, et seq.

COMMANDERS.

133

rul hours after he ought to have done so, and then lie refused to take the
«iuarter-uiaster (Price) off to the schooner, though ordered to do so. —
Lieut. De Sausniurez, in his defence, commented on the insubordinate
state of the crew, and on the evident necessity there was, that he t^hould
make an example of Brown, hut whose punishment he did not resolve
upon until he liad consultc<l with Lieut. Huntly, then the senior officer
ttt Sierrii Leone, who not only concurred in opinion, hut sent the boat-
swain's mate and marines of his own vessel (the Lyn.x), to carry the pu-
nishment into exectition. Tlie Court decided that, under the circum-
stances, Lieut. De Sausniarez was justified in having had recourse to
such punishment, and therefore accjuitted lam. The President, Sir
Frederick L. Maitland, K. C. B.," (Admiral-Superintendeiit of Ports-
mouth dock-yard) "then returned Lieutenant De Sausnuirez his sword,
saying, ' I have great pleasure in returning you your sword, and in saying
that nothing whatever has appeared to affect your character on this oc-
casion.'— Lk'utemint De Suusmarcz hud been under arrest eighteen months
t/pon this charjre ! "

PKTEIl WYBERGII, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Prince of Wales 98, Cap-
tain (now Vice- Admiral) John Erskine Douglas, on the Me-
diterranean station, May 18th, 1814 ; appointed to the
Briseis sloop. Captain W. R. Jackson, Sept. 19th in the same
year; and subsequently served under the flag of Sir Graham
Moore, on board the Rochfort 80. He obtained tlie rank of
commander on the 31st Mar. 1824; and married, hi 1828,
Jane, second daughter of the late Archibald Tod, Esq., of
Drygrange, co. Cumberland.

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FREDERICK AUGUSTUS WILKINSON, Esq.

Second son of the Rev. W. Wilkinson, rector of Redgrave,
Suffolk; and nephew to Sir John Osborne, Bart., formerly
a Lord of the Admiralty, and M. P. for Bedfordshire.

This officer served as midshipman on board the Conqueror
74, bearing the flag of Rear- Admiral Plampin, and was pro-
moted from that ship into the Sappho sloop, at St. Helena,
Oct. 5th, 1819. His next appointment was, July 26th,

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COMMANDKIIS.

1820, to the Cambrian frigate, Captain Gawen W, Hamilton,
fitting out for the Mediterranean station. He obtained the
rank of commander Mar. 31st, 1824; and married, Feb. 9th,
1830, Emma Maria, third daughter of the late H. Bowles,
Esq., of Cuckfield, Sussex.

SAMUEL EDWARD COOK, Esq.

Knight of the Royal Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword.

Only son of the Rev. James Cook, of Newton Hall,
Northumberland.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 10th June, 1809.
We first find him serving on board the Swallow sloop. Cap-
tain Edward Reynolds Sibly, and commanding her boats at
the capture of a French armed brig, on the Mediterranean
station. The following is a copy of the official letter
written on that occasion : —

" //. M. sloop Swallow, at sea, Sept. 16//<, 1813.

'* Sir, — Being well in-shore, at day-light this morning, between the
Tiber and D'Anzo, a brig and xebec were discovered between us and
the latter harbour. Having light baffling winds at the time from the east-
ward, I thought the boats would have a chance of reaching them before
they got into port, and three were accordingly despatched, under the
direction of Lieutenant Samuel Edward Cook (first of the Swallow),
assisted by Mr. Thomas Cole, mate, and Mr. Henry Thomas, midship-
man, and, after a row of two hours, they came up with and brought out,
from close under D'Anzo, (from whence numerous l)oats, besides two
gun-vessels, had been sent to her assistance, and kept her in tow till the
moment of our boats boarding) the French brig Guerriere, of four guns,
with sixty stand of small arms. There could not have been more steady
cool bravery displayed than on this occasion. Lieutenant Cook speaks
in the highest terms of every person with him. I am sorry to say his
loss has been severe, having had two seamen killed and four severely
wounded in his boat. The enemy escaped over the bow as our men
were boarding on the quarter, therefore I have not been enabled to ascer-
tain the number that defended her, or their loss. The xebec, which also
mounted four guns, succeeded in getting into D'Anzo. I have the honor
to be, &c. (Signed) " E. R. Sibly, Commander."

" Hon. Captain Duncan, H. M. S. Imperieuse."

Lieutenant Cook subsequently served as first of the Nie-

COMMANDERS.

i:r)

men 28, Captain Sibly, and Windsor Castle 74, Captain
(now Sir Charles) Dashwood, to which latter ship he was
re-appointed on the 4th Jan. 1822. His promotion to the
rank of commander took place June 3d, 1824, at the earnest
request of King John of Portugal, by whom he had just
before been presented with the above-mentioned order, with
the insignia set in diamonds, on his resumption of the regal
authority at Lisbon, after a temporary sojourn on board the
Windsor Castle.

Commander Cook is the author of '* Sketches in Spain,
during the years 1829—32." This work appears to be valu-
able for its historical details, and is thus noticed in the Naval
and Military Gazette : —

" These sketches are the result of a three years* residence in Spain,
during which the author visited some of the most interesting portions of
that country, and indeed places but little noticed by other travellers.
The subjects to which he appears to have directed attention are, the go-
vernment of Spain ; the military and civil branches of administration ;
the ecclesiastical establishment ; the manners of the people ; the fine
arts, and natural history. These are treated with much good sense ; and
though the language is not the most correct or polished, still the descrip-
tions are full of interest, and we have no doubt that they are authentic."

This officer married, in 1832, Dorothy, youngest daughter
of the late Alexander Davison, Esq., of Swarland Park, co •
Northumberland.

ROBERT CONTART M'CREA, Esq.

Served as midshipman under the flag of Sir James (now
Lord De) Saumarez, on the Baltic station ; passed his exa-
mination, at Portsmouth, in Feb. 1812; obtained his first
commission on the 20tli Nov. following; and was appointed
to the Amphion frigate. Captain James P. Stewart, on the
North Sea station. May 5th, 1813*. He commanded the
Scourge revenue cruiser, and was very actively and success-
fully employed against the smugglers, in 1818, 1819, and

* See Siippl. Part III. p. 35^ ct scq.

136

COMMANDERS.

1820. His promotion to the rank of commander took place
on the 4th June, 1824. He sailed for the Cape of (iood
Hope, in the Zebra sloop, Sept. 24th, 1834.

GEORGE THOMAS GOOCH, Esq.

Third son of the late Venerable Archdeacon Cooch (bro-
ther to the late Sir Thomas Gcoch, Hart.), by IJarbara,
daughter of Ralph Sneyd, Esq., of Keele Hall, co. Stafford,
and grand-daughter of Sir Walter Bagot, Bart., father of the
first Lord Bagot.

This officer was born at Saxlingham rectory, co. Norfolk,
Jan. 27th, 1/97; and entered the royal navy in June 1810,
as midshipman on board the Amelia frigate. Captain the
Hon. Frederick I*. Irby, under whom he served until that
ship was paid off in April 18)3. During this period he saw
much active service on the Channel and African stations, and
was wounded in the sanguinary action between the Amelia
and I'Arethuse French frigate, an account of which is given
in Vol. 11. Part I. p. 492, et seq. He afterwards successively
joined the Rippon 74, Captain Sir Christopher Cole, em-
ployed off Rochefort * ; the Mteander 38, Captain John Bas-
tard; and Con(pieror 74, flag-ship of Hear- Admiral Plampin,
at St. Helena, where he was promoted into the Racoon 2(>,
Captain James VVallis, July 14th, 1818. His subsequent ap-
pointments were, Nov. 12th, 1819, to the Vigo 74, Captain
Thomas Brown, fitting out for the flag of Rear-Admiral
Lambert, in which ship he returned to the above island, and
continued upwards of two years ; and, in April 1823, to be
flag-lieutenant to Sir Charles Hamilton, governor and com-
mander-in-chief of Newfoundland. He obtahied his present
rank on the 8th July, 1824.

Two of Commander Gooch's brothers, John Lewis and
Frederick, are in holy orders— the former is rector of Benigar,
CO. Somerset j and the latter, fellow of All Souls, Oxford.

* See Id. Part. II. p. 517.

COiVlMANDUnS. I.'i7

lie li:iH another l)rother, Henry lidward, who was iit the
hattle of W'jiterloo, and is now u captain and licMjtiMiaiit-
eoh)nel in the Coldstream Cjiiards.

(iEOIlGE VERNON JACKSON, Ei-g,

I'^LDKsT hrother of Commander Caleh Jackson, K. N.

This oHicer ohtained liis first commission on the IHth Au^.
I8()i); and was second lieuterant of the Junon J.W, Captain
John Shortland, when that frigate, after a nohle defence, was
captured and destroyed hy a French H(piadron, to the N. E.
of Guadaloupe, Dec. l.'Uh, 1809*. He arrived at Brest on
the 23d of the foUowiiifjf month, in la Renommee frit^ate. Com-
modore Ro(juehert. I'rom this period, we find no mention
of him until July 1st, 1812, when he was appointed to the
Indefatigahle 44, Captain John Fyffe, in which ship he was
serving suhse([uent to the peace with France in 1814. His
next appointment appears to have been to the command of
the Serapis, convalescent ship at .Jamaica, Dec. 2I^d, IHIH.
He was promoted to his present rank on the l.'ith .luly, 1824;
and returned home from the West India station, in command
of the Pylades slooj), with the Bishop of .lamaica passenger,
and a valuable freight of dollars and cochineal on merchants'
account, Feb. 10th, 1828.

ROBERT STUART, Esq.

Obtainkd his first commission in Mar. 18i2; and was a
lieutenant of the Warspite 74, Captain Lord James O'Brien,
at the close of the French war in 1814. He subsequently
served under Captains William King and John Toup Nico-
las, in the Leonidas 38, and Egeria 28, the latter ship suc-
cessively employed at Newfoundland, in escorting King
George IV. to Scotland, in the suppression of smuggling on
the North Sea s ation, and in supporting the civil autho-

.Sec Suppl. Part HI. note at p. 347

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138 COMMANDERS.

rities at Newcastle during the disturbances amongst th(.'
keelmen of the river Tyne, in Nov. and Dec. 1822* . He
was promoted to the command of the Sparrowhawk sloop,
July 17th, 1824.

FREDERICK BOYCE, Esq.

Passed his examination and was made lieutenant in Feb.
1830. He was appointed, Sept. 11th, 1811, to the Tuscan
sloop. Captain George Matthew Jones, on the Mediterranean
station, in which vessel he sei-ved during the remainder of
the war. His promotion to the rank of commander took
place on the 10th Aug. 1824.

WILLIAM HOLT, Esq.

Commenced his professional career under the auspices of
the late Admiral Sir Charles Cotton. He entered the royal
navy in 1803, and served his time as midshipman under Sir
George Ralph Collier, the Hon. George C. Berkeley, Sir
Thomas Masterman Hardy, and Captain Thomas Dench.
Whilst serving with Sir George Collier, in the Minerva frig-
ate, on the coast of Galicia, he was frequently in action with
the enemy's gun-boats and batteries, as will be seen by the
following official letter addressed by that officer to the late
Sir Eliab Harvey, Oct 3d, 1806 :

" Sir, — To prove in some degree, the general correctness of the infor-
mation vhich I communicated to you in my letter of yesterday, I pro-
ceeded last night in the cutter, with Lieutenant Menzies, of the marines,
followed by the l)arge, in charge of Lieutenant James, with Mr. Holt,
midshipman, and a select party of marines, to reconnoitre the Bay of
Rocks, in the hope of falling in with some of the six gun-boats near
Carril. After a row of seven hours, we had the good luck to be hailed
by one, at anchor within pistol-shot of the shore, attended by a launch
with a brass four-pounder ; she was immediately boarded on the quarter,
and carried, as well us her attendant, without the loss of a single man.

• See Snppl. Part IV. pp. 75— S3.

the
He

oop.

COMMANDKRS.

139

She was coinmanded by Lieutenant Don Jesse Lopez, mounts a long 24-
pounder in the bow, and two short brass fours ; liad a complement of
thirty men, with some soldiers of the regunent Leon on board.

" In justice to Lieutenant James I must observe, my only motive for
making one in this affair proceeded from the knowledge I conceived my-
self possessed of respecting that bay, but it afforded me an opportunity of
witnessing his zeal and activity; Lieutenant Menzies, Mr. Holt, the
marines, and boats' crews, I have so frecjuently spoken of, that nothing
remains for me to add, but the conviction how highly they merit every
former praise. I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " G. R. Collier."

Some other services previously performed bj the boats of
the Minerva, are noticed in Suppl. Part III. p. 216, et seq.
In 1807, Mr. Molt, then belonging to the Surveillante frigate.
Captain Collier, was present at the siege of Copenhagen, and
frequently commanded a rocket boat during the bombard-
ment of that city.

On the 7th Nov. 1310, after acting for some time in the
Nautilus sloop. Captain Dench, and San Josef 112, flag-ship
of Sir Charles Cotton, Mr. Holt was appointed by his patron
first lieutenant of the Blossom sloop. Captain William Stew-
art, on the Mediterranean station. Between this period and
Oct. 1811, when he exchanged for a short time into the
Royal George, first rate, at Port Mahon, he assisted in cap-
turing upwards of twenty French and American merchant
vessels (the latter taken for attempted breach of blockade,)
in the neighbourhood of Marseilles. He was also repeatedly
engaged with the enemy's batteries and naval force in the
same vicinity. In the beginning of Sept. 181 1, we find him
employed on shore at the reduction of a French fort on the
smaller Medis Island, mounting one mortar, two long 18-
pounders, and two sixes, which service was performed in the
presence of a formidable force assembled on Cape Begu, coast
of Catalonia. On the 23d Feb. 1812, the Blossom captured
a remarkably fine schooner privateer, le Jean Bart, of 147
tons, 7 guns, and 106 men. On the 29th April following,
her boats, under the command of Lieutenant Holt, in con-
junction M'ith those of the Undaunted and Volontaire frigates,
attacked tMTutv-six vessels near the mouth of the Rhone,

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COMMANDKHS.

, including a national schooner

I!:

brought out seven, burnt twelve

of 4 guns and 74 men, and left two stranded on the beach

Lieutenant Holt next joined the Undaunted frigate, Cap-
tain (now Sir Thomas) Ussher; and was serving on board the
San Josef, bearing the flag of Sir Richard King, at the cap-
ture of Genoa, in April 1814. On the renewal of the war
with France, in 1815, he received an appointment to the
Ferret sloop. Commander James Stirling (A), and distin-
guished himself in cutting out some vessels from the harbour
of Courgiou. In the following year, the Ferret, on her
return from St. Helena, with only eight I2-pounder carron-
ades mounted, was attacked near the line by the American-
built brigantine Dolores, having on board nearly 300 slaves,
armed with one long 32-pounder on a pivot, four long 9-
pounders, and two r2-pounder carronades, which vessel she
compelled to surrender after a sharp action. Lieutenant
Holt's services in the Ferret are thus acknowledged in a
letter which he subsequently received from Commander
Stirling :

" My dear Sir, — In reply to your letter I need not say how willingly I
would bear testimony to your character as an officer whenever I may be
called upon to do so, or whenever it may be useful to you in obtaining
advancement in your profession, feeling as I do a high sense of the zeal
and ability that so uniformly marked your conduct when serving with
me.

" As first lieutenant of H. M. sloop Ferret, under my command, in
the attack of the harbour of Courgiou, your exertions called forth my
warmest approbation, particularly the promptness with which you took
possession of the French man-of-war brig, and brought her to an anchor
when she attempted to run for the rocks*.

" When engaged with the brigantine Dolores, the mention I made of
your name in my despatch was in the highest terms, which you so justly
merited; and, after a series of services with you in four of H. M. ships,
I can safely say that a more zealous officer I never had the good fortune
to meet with. Believe me, my dear Sir, yours most sincerely,

(Signed) " James Stirling, Commander R. N."

Lieutenant Holt's next appointment was, in Mar. 1823, to
be first of the Hussar frigate. Captain George Harris, fitting
out for the West India station, where he was serving when

» Sec V(J1. IV. Part I. p. 274.

COMMAND Ells.

141

promoted to the rank of commander, Aug. 20th, 1824, for
his galhuit and persevering conduct in exterminating a horde
of pirates at the south side of Cuba, on which occasion he
appears to have been severely wounded. This service is
alluded to in the following letter from Captain Harris, dated
JmicHd, 182/:—

" INIy dear Sir, — It affords me jyratifiration in complying with your
rc(|uest, to state my opinion of your character as an officer, fori can with
truth affirm that I never had a lieutenant under my command that gave
me more entire satisfaction; and I once again repeat the language I made
use of in a letter to my Lord Melville, on your leaving H. M. sliip Hussar
(having been promoted to the rank of commander), entreating him to
appoint you to some sloop, undertaking that your professional knowledge,
zeal, and determination in carrying any service into execution, would
ever merit his lordship's patronage.

" I have also much pleasure in bringing into notice your se^^'^ces when
in command of the Hussar's boats, sent against a nest of pirates who had
taken possession of the Isle of Pines : the privation and fatigue of sixty-
seven days ' absence from the ship, in open boats, in a most unhealthy
clinuite, I fully particularized in a detailed letter to Sir Lawrence W.
Halsted, dated May 17th, 1824, by which it will be perceived that com-
plete success attended the exertions of yourself and comrades. Trusting
that this candid and by no means over-rated statement will be conducive
to the furtherance of your wishes, I am, my dear Sir, yours truly,

(Signed) "George Haruis."

" To Commander fVilUum Holt."

The subject of this sketch has recently been appointed to
the Scout sloop, on the Mediterranean station.

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THOMAS FURBER, Esq.

Obta IN KD the rank of lieutenant in Oct. 1801. We first
find him serving under Captain Thomas Graves, in the
Blenheim 74, stationed off Martinique, where he commanded
that ship's pinnace and barge at the capture of the French
schooner privateer Fortun^e, of two guns and twenty-nine
men, Sep. 15th, 1803. A subsequent service of greater im-
portance was thus officially reported to Commodore Hood^
Nov. 17th following : —

*' Sir,— I have the honor to ac<piaint you, that on the 14th instant,
the French privateer schooner Harmonie, with a prize, having put into

142

COMMANDERS.

the harbour of Marin, in the bay of St. Ann, Martinique, induced me to
suggest a plan for the capture of this vessel, more destructive to com-
merce than any other which has appeared in these seas ; and for this
purpose I attempted, against a strong sea breeze and lee current, to beat
up from off the Diamond Rock to the place where she lay at anchor.
It was not until the 16th in the morning that I was able to accomplish it,
when, having reconnoitred the harbour of Marin, together with the
batteries on each side of it, and also one above the to\vn, I determined on
the attempt. I therefore ordered sixty seamen belonging to his Majesty's
ship under my command, with Lieutenants Cole and Furber, and a de-
tachment of sixty marines of the same ship, under the command of Lieu-
tenants Beatty and Boyd, to carry the enterprize into execution ; the
former in their boats to attack the privateer, and the latter at the same
time to endeavour to surprise, or in any event to storm. Fort Dunkirk,
a battery of nine guns * on the starboard side of the harbour. It was
necessary to do so, to cut off the militia from rendezvousing on Marin
Point, which being immediately in the track of coming out, and where
doubtless they would have been joined by the troops from the fort, would
have much annoyed the boats on their return. The Drake having joined
me, and Captain Ferris vohmteering his services, I directed him to take
the command of the seamen, and to add to them fourteen from the
Drake. All things being prepared, the boats with the seamen, towed by
the Drake, and the nuu'ines in four boats, towed by the Swift hired cutter,
at eleven p. m. proceeded off the mouth of Marin harbour, and by esti-
mating the time it would take for the boats to row up to the privateer,
which vessel lay three miles from the entrance of the harbour, both parties
set off so timely as to commence the attack at the same instant ; and I
am happy to add, that about three A. m. on the following morning, by
very spirited and judicious attacks, both parties succeeded ; the fort was
completely surprised, the prisoners, fifteen in number, taken, and sent
on board the cutter, the guns were dismounted and spiked, their carriages
totally destroyed, and the magazine blown up ; the barracks were spared,
as a large and ripe field of canes adjoining must have inevitably been
destroyed had they been set fire to.

" The boats with the seamen passed one battery undiscovered ; but the
privateer was on her guard, and commenced a very heavy fire on them,
who nevertheless in the most prompt and gallant manner boarded, and
in a few minutes carried her. Two men were found dead on her deck,
and fourteen were wounded. As many of the enemy threw themselves
into the sea, several must have been drowned. I am sorry to add that the
Blenheim had one man killed, and two wounded, and the Drake three
wounded, one dangerously.

* Six long 24-pouuders and three eighteens.

COMMANDERS.

143

" Tlie Harmonic was commanded by Citizen Noyer, had eij^ht carriage
.1,'uns, and sixty-six men at the attack, forty-four only of whom were
found at the time of surrender. The boats and privateer repassed the
fort on the larboard side of the harbour within musket-shot, but happily
escaped from a heavy fire unhurt.

" The spirited manner in which Captain Ferris led the boats to the at-
tack, and the ji^allant conduct of Lieutenants Cole and Furber, the petty
»)flicers and men, on the occasion, merit my warmest praise ; nor can I do
too much justice to the conduct of Lieutenant Beatty, commanding' the
detachment of royal marines. Lieutenant Boyd, the non-commissioned
ofiicers and privates, who in the most soldier-like manner, after being
challenged and fired upon by two sentinels, and perfectly ignorant of the
nature and number of the troops they had to contend with, pushed di-
rectly into the fort with fixed bayonets, when the enemy cried for quar-
ter. By the silence with which the battery was carried, one hundred
militia of the fort of St. Ann were cut off from the point of rendezvous,
and thus the place, to answer all our purposes, secured without the loss
of a man. I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " Thomas Graves."

On the 5tli March, 1804, Captam William Ferris, then
commanding the Blenheim, addressed Commodore Hood as
follows : —

" Sir, — I beg leave to acquaint you, that the barge and pinnace of
H. M. ship under my command, with fifty officers and men, under the
orders of Lieutenant Furber, on the night of the 4th inst., made a most
gallant, but unsuccessful, attempt to cut out a French national schooner,
lying close under a fort, at the town of St. Pierre. She had made for-
midable preparations, her boarding nettings being triced up to the lower
mast-heads, and so fastened that it was almost impossible to get in ; and
her sweeps rigged out on each side ; notwithstanding all this, and the
beach lined with soldiers, the forts, an armed sloop, and several other
small vessels near, keeping up a heavy fire of guns and musketry, those
brave officers and men in the two boats persevered, and cut her cables,
but it being perfectly calm, she sniing and grounded on the beach, when
all hopes of bringing her out were given up, and from the number killed
and wounded, as per enclosed list, the commanding officer very properly
ordered a retreat. I lament sincerely our loss * ; but I trust you. Sir,
will think the character of British seaman was well supported on this

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* One seaman and two marir 'is killed ; Lieutenants Furber and Mayne,
Mr. Hill, midshipman, and sixteen other persons, wounded ; three sea-
men missing.

V (

144

COMMANDBAS.

I have tlie honftr
•' W. Ferris."

occasion, for surely never was greater spirit displayed
to be, &c. (Signed)

In the beginning of 1808, Lieutenant Furber was serving
as first of the Flora frigate. Captain Loftus Otway Bland, on
the North Sea stat^ion. The following account of the loss of
that ship is taken from a letter dated at Lewarden, in Fries-
land, Jan. 26th, 1808 :—

" The Flora struck upon Schelling reef last Monday, the 18th ; about
nine o'clock that night we succeeded in getting her off, but lost our rud-
der in the attempt ; and after getting her to sea, could hardly keep her
free with all the pumps, therefore was obliged, the next day, to run her
on shore again. After making rafts, fearing that if it came on to blow
hard during the night, she would go to pieces, the captain, Furber,
Keith, Doneville, Watson, and myself, pushed off in the barge, that
being the only boat we then had, with about 130 of the crew on rafts, the
rest choosing to stay by the ship. After rowing for eighteen hours,
without sustenance, we landed on the island of Ameland, where they
made us prisoners. Those whom we left on the wreck are at Har-
lingen." • . -. ,

We lastly find Mr. Furber first lieutenant of the Lively
frigate. Captain (now Rear- Admiral) M'Kinley, employed in
co-operation with the Spanish patriots on the coast of Ga-
licia, from whence he was despatched to England in a hired
vessel with intelligence of the surrender of Vigo, M ar. 7th,
1809 *. His commission as commander bears date Sept.
1st, 1824.

JOHN DAVIS MERCER, Esq.

Obtainkd his first commission on the 8th J^ecember,
1809; and was serving under Captain Charles Gill, in the
Cleopatra frigate, at the close of the French war hi 1814.
He was subsequently flag-lieutenant to the late Sir William
Charles Fahie, on the Leeward Island and Halifax stations.
His promotion to the rank of commander took place Sept.
9th, 1824. - "

* See Vol. II. Part I. p. 446.

COMMANDERS.

Hi

JOHN POLE, Esq.

Wxvs made a lieutenant on the 1st Jan. 1821 and sub-
se(|[ucntly served under Captain Price Blackwood and Com-
modore Sir Robert Mends, in the Curlew sloop and Owen
Glcndower frigate, on the East India and African stations.
He obtained the rank of commander, Sept. 20th, 1824.

MICHAEL QUIN, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1804 ; obtained his first com-
mission " July 1812; and commanded the boats of the
Weazle sloop, Captain James Black, in conjunction with those
of the Apollo frigate, at the capture and destruction of the
tower of St. Cataldo, (the strongest between Brindisi and
Otranto,) containing a telegraph, three guns, and three
swivels, Dec. 21st, 1812. Other services in which he was
subsequently engaged on the Adriatic station, have been re-
corded in Suppl. Part III. pp. 127 — 130 and pp. 333 — 338.
After the peace with France, in 1814, he was appointed to
the Oberon sloop, Captain James Murray ; and in Oct. 1820,
to the Satellite, Captain Armar Lowry Corry, fitting out for
the East India station. His promotion to the rank of com-
mander took place Oct. 5th, 1824 ; his next appointment
was, Sept. 17th, 1 828, to the Pelorus sloop, in which vessel he
returned home from the Mediterranean, to be paid off, May
9th, 1830. Since then he has served for a few months on
board the Windsor Castle 74 ; and commissioned the Raleigh
18, destined to the East Indies,

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ANDREW DREW, Esq.

Passed his examination, at Sheerness, in May 1812; and
was serving on board the Eurotas frigate. Captain (now Sir
John) Phillimore, at the capture of laClorinde, in Feb. 1814*.

VJL

* See Suppl. Part I. p. 246, e( seq
IV. PART II. L

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COMMANDERS.

For his conduct on that occasion, he was appointed a lieu-
tenant of the same sliip, on the 4th of the ensuing month.
He obtained a commander's commission in Oct. 1824.

WILLIAM STEPHENS ARTHUR, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 6th Feb. 1821 ; and com-
mander Oct. 1 Ith, 1824.

JOHN M'CAUSLAND, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 22d Feb. 1811; appointed
to the Istcr frigate, Captain John Cramer, Oct. 8th, 1813 ; to
the Queen Charlotte 108, bearing the flag of Sir James H.
Whitshed, at Portsmouth, Feb. 8th, 1821 ; and promoted to
the rank of commander Oct. 14th, 1824. He is now serving
in the Cruiser sloop, on the West India station.

LEONARD CHARLES ROOKE, Esq.

Youngest son of the late Hon. Mr. Justice RooUe, and
nephew to Admiral Sir Harry Neale, Bart. G. C. B. &c. &c.

This officer served as a midshipman under Captains the
Hon. Henry Duncan and John Brett Purvis, in the Glasgow
and Magicienne frigates ; was made a lieutenant from the
latter ship into the Bacchus sloop, on the East India station,
Oct. 15th, 1818 J appointed to the Cambrian frigate. Captain
Gawen William Hamilton, destined to Constantinople, July
25th, 1820; promoted to the rank of commander on the 14th
Oct. 1824 ; and wrecked in the Jasper sloop, on the north
end of St. Maura, Oct. 13th, 1828. Soon after this disaster,
he was tried by a court-martial at Malta, and admonished to
be more careful in future ; his judges at the same time ob-
serving that the accident arose from his great zeal, in endea-
vouring to expedite the delivery of despatches to the governor
of that island. He married, June 24th, 1830, Elizabeth,
youngest daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel William Home.

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COMMANDKRS.

147

PHILIP JUSTICE (Ij), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 5th Aug. 1813; served
under Captain Sir James A. Gordon, in the Mjeander and
Active frigates; and subsequently under the Hon. Sir Charles
Paget, in the Apollo yacht, [je obtained a commander's
commission on the .5th Dec. 1824.

LUKE HENRY WRAY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 14th April, 1805. We first
find him serving on board the Port Mahon sloop, Captain
Samuel Chambers, who, in June 1806, made a report as fol-
lows to the commander-in-chief on tlie Jamaica station : —

" Sir, — A Spanish armed hrijif was yesterday (25tl0, chased by H. INI.
sloop Port Mahon into the intricate harbour of Banes, which is defended
by a hif^h tower mounted with two lieaxy guns. At J> p. »i. the boats
were dispatched under the conunand of Lieutenant .Fohn IMarshall, as-
sisted by Lieutenant Wray, to get her out. This morninnc, at one o'clock,
she was boarded under a heavy fire of great guns and small arms from the
vessel and battery, (to which she was moored by a hawser,) and carried.
Much difficulty attended getting her out, as she grounded within pistol-
shot of the tower, from which several shots struck her. She proves to
be the Spanish letter-of-manjue San Josef, armed with one long 18-
pounder on a pivot amidships, four 12-pounder carronades, and two long
4-pounders, with swivels, pikes, musketiy, and thirty men, from Hfivannah
bound to Campeachy, laden with l)randy, dry goods, &c. It is very gra-
tifying for me to add, that although several of the oars were broke, and
the boats damaged by shot whilst rowing to the attack, yet not a man was
hurt. I hope. Sir, you will conceive that the capture of this vessel, situ-
ated and defended as above recited, was fully adequate to the force em -
ployed, and that it reflects great credit on the officers and seamen em-
ployed. I have the honor to be, &c-

(Signcd) " Samuel Chambers."

" To Fice-Admirul J. R. Dacres, ^r. 8fc."

On the 1st Nov. 1821, Mr. Wray was appointed senior lieu-
tenant of the Andromache frigate, fitting out for the broad
pendant of Commodore Nourse, on whose demise, Sept. 4th,
1824, he appointed himself to the command of that ship, then

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returning to Mauritius from the eastern coast of Africa. Mi><
promotion to the rank of commander took place Pec. 20th,
182-^ ; and he appears to have arrived at Portsmouth in the
I'wspiegle sloop, from the Cape of Good Hope station, Dec.
lOth, 1825.

WILLIAM NEVILL, Esq.

Son of William Ncvill, Esq. of Winchester, was nuule :i
lieutenant ou the Pith Dec. 181(); appointed to the Jupiter
(>(), Captain (now Sir George A.) Westphul, fitting out for
the conveyance of Lord Amherst and suite to Jiengal, May
28th, 1822; and promoted to the rank of commander, whilst
serving in the Jascur sloop, Feb. 9th, 182.5.

JOHN KING, Esq.

Passed his examination, at Sheerness, in Jan. 1813 ; ob-
tained his first commission in Mar. 1815 ; and was appointed
senior lieutenant of the Driver sloop, Captain Thomas VVol-
rige, fitting out for the African station, Nov. 19th, 1821.
During the Ashantee M-ar, in 1823, he served under Captain
Charles Bowen, and commanded for several months, a divi-
sion of the forces employed in the field; and on the 21st
May, 1824, being then again a volunteer for land service, he
was slightly wounded in action with the barbarous enemy ;
on which occasion the British and their black allies had 88
killed, 678 wounded, and 88 missing. His conduct in this
and the preceding affairs, was highly commended by Lieute-
nant Colonel Sutherland, commanding\the military forces on
the western coast of Africa. His promotion to the rank of
Commander took place, April 25th, 1825.

tO.MMANUJiRSS.

119

t'MARLES COLVILLE FRANKLAND, Esq.

A SON of the late Rev. Roger FranklanJ, reetor of Yarliug •
Ion, ami vicar of Dulverton, both in Somersetshire, a canon-
residentiary of tlie cathedral church of St. Andrew, Wells,
by Catherine, sister to Vice-Adniiral Lord Colville.

This officer is a native of Hath. He became a student at
the Royal Naval College towards the close of 1810; quitted
that institution in the autumn of 1812 ; and first went to sea
in 1813, as midshipman onboard the Aquilon32, connnaiuled
by his cousin, Captain William l?owles, with whom he re-
turned home from South America, in la Ceres frigate, June
1814. He subsequently served under Captain (now Sir
Willoughby T.) Lake, in the Magnificent 74, on the Jamaica
station. In May 1816, he again sailed for Brazil and Rio de
la Plata, in the Amphion frigate, Commodore Bowles, by
whom he was made lieutenant into the Andromache 44, Cap
tain William H. Shirreff, in July 1818. This appointment,
however, was not confirmed at home until Mar. 2Gth, 1819;
at which period he held the confidential situation of private
secretary to his captain, then senior officer in the Pacific.

in April 1819, Lieutenant Frankland crossed the Andes
and Pampas mountains, as the bearer of despatches to the
Admiralty ; and it is a remarkable circumstance, that, in Nov.
and Dec. of the same year, he also crossed the Alps and Ap-
pennines. He remained on the European continent until
April 1821, making the tour of France, Italy, and Switzer-
land ; went to Ireland, as flag- lieutenant to his uncle. Lord
Colville, in the month of Nov. following ; obtained his pre-
sent rank on the 26th April, 1825; and shortly afterwards,
"finding himself again an idle man, once more proceeded on
his travels, making the tour of Holland, Belgium, the Rhine,
Wirtemburg, Bavaria, the Danube, TjtoI, and Austria. In
1827, he made a journey from Vienna, through Hungary,
Transylvania, Wallachia, Bulgaria, and Houmelia, to Con-
stantinople ; proceeded thence, through the Dardanelles, to
the plains of Troy, Smyrna, Greece, Cj-pnis, Syria, Pales-

1

h

160

COMMANDERS.

tine, Alexandria, Malta, and Sicily; and returned to the
Austrian capital through Italy, Istria, Carniola, and Styria.
He has since published a personal narrative of this interesting
journey, with many sketches.

Some account of Commander C. C. Frankland's family will
be found in p. 48.

THOMAS COV/PER SHERWIN, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 22d July, 17iW5; and pro-
moted to his present rank, " for long and active services,"
May 27th, 1825. During part of the late war, he com-
manded the Flamer gim-brig ; and, since the peace, the
Sprightly cutter. He was appointed an inspecting com-
mander in the Irish coast guard service in 1819; and a sti-
pendiary magistrate at the Cape of Good Hope, in 1834.

DANIEL WELD, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 10th Sept. 1799 j ad-
vanced to his present rank, " for long and active services,"
May 27th, 1825 ; and appointed an inspecting commander
in the Suffolk coast guard district, about June 1827.

JOSIAS BRAY, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Nov. 1800; and was
wounded while serving as lieutenant on board the Achille
74, Captain (afterwards Sir Richard) King, at the memor-
able battle of Trafalgar *. He subsequently commanded
the Plumper gun-brig, and in July 1812, captured three
small American privateers in the Bay of Fundy. On the
5th Dec. in the same year, he had the misfortune to lose
that vessel, on a ledge of rocks near Dipper harbour. New

« See Suppl. Part III. p. 18i.

COMMANDKHS. 151

Brunswick, when forty-two of his oflftcera, passengers, and
crow perished. At the close of the war with France, in 1814,
we find him commanding the Badger hired cutter; and some
time afterwards, the Sprightly revemie cruiser, which ves-
sel was wrecked on the rocks at Blacknor, Isle of Portland,
in a heavy gale of wind, J.m. 8th, 1821. He was promoted
to his present rank^ "for long and active services," May
27th, 1825.

.;

JOHN PEARSE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 29th Dto. 1800; and
served for se\'erd years as firsst of V\c Cruiser sloop, one of
the most active and 8U< cessf-.l cn.iscrs on the North Sea
station, where she \t;i:s si;cccHsiviiy commanded by Captains
John Hancock and Friaf^Jc S'^cduart*.

On the 24th April, iSM), Li ntenar.t Ponirse was appointed
to the command cf »f.e Oeccy t.'.ittci, wiii(h vessd }ie ap-
pears to have p;ii«( of( lit June }'Si4. We rux* lind him
commanding lae Wickiuuu i .-vo'dic eriV-ser, in i817. He
obtained his pivseiit rani;, " lor luri^^ and active services,"
May 27th, 1825.

This officer is t?ie authvJicf in article i;i the '^ UciiU^J Ser-
vice Journal," for Avfy. }r',iO, entitled, '* Observatiouj on
the present Distrilf-.ition of VVoight and Piossnrc Iv, ohips of
War." The followinr.'' is taken from the " Devoniort Tele-
graph," Sept. 7th, Jcl33. —

' MvjTiNO OF Ships. — A discoverj', y.Vuh U like!] to be attended
with iinportcuit results to tixe na\y, has recji.tl/ l»cen made l)y Com-
mander John Pearse, R. N., of Pj;'i louth, af<e:' a series of delicate and
laborious experiments, in which thi' point, accordinjif to the opinion of
those most eonvenaac ^vit.t such snbjcclJ, who have had an opportunity
of examining these e^tyerimeuicti, bus been fully demonstrated. This
officer, from va''ou.s circumstances, and, among other things, the imper-
fect systeui i>i" the prli'.ciple of masting ships, was led to doubt that the
centr? </f gravity of uship was the axis of rotation, as hitherto imagined.

* Sec Suppl. Part I. pp. 12—22, and p. 257.

152

tOMMANDKRS.

aud that this was the cause of so many errors occurring in masting. He
accordingly proceeded to ascertain the trath of his doubts l»y experiments
on different models, which he has continued for upwards of twelve months
past, and which have been so correctly made, so strictly consistent with
the laws of mechanics, and have proved so satisfactory, that the Admiralty
have been made acquainted with the whole of the facts and residts, and
which, we imderstand, cannot fail to render the science of shipbuilding
more comprehensive and demonstrative, as well as lead to the correction
of other errors in the theory ecpially worthy of consideration. It is not
in the province of a newspaper to discuss scientifically points of mecha-
nical interest, but the importance of a discovery of this nature will be
easily imderstood l)y all nautical men, and especially by those who know
any thing of naval architecture. It is a new fact in science, and practi-
cally useful in a valuable art allied to our national glories, and is there-
fore doubly interesting. The axis of rotation has been fixed by Captain
Pearsc's experiments at some distance above the centre of gravity of the
•hip, and in the point which is known by the name of the mctaccntre ;
and we understand he considers the complexity of the theory, and not
having considered the subject in a sufficiently practical shape, to have
led authors into the error of confounding the centre of gravity of the
ship with the axis of rotation ; and that this has led to the error of sup-
posing the lateral etFort of the water, or resistance to lee-way, to produce
effects contrary to truth, and from which proceeds the present imperfect
system of masting. In fact, the discovery of the true axis of rotation
will be a complete key to the improvement of naval architecture, as all
the forces, wliich are so constantly and variously acting, are estimated !)y
the distances from tlie axis of rotation to the points where they are ap-
plied."

J

WILLIAM SNUGGS GAMMON, Esq.

Was born at Swanmore, Bishop's Waltham, on the 23tl
Mar. 1780; and entered the royal navy, as midbhipman on
board the Robust 74, Captain (now Sir Edward) Thorn-
broiigh, in Sept. I7OC. He obtained his first commission
on the 5th April, 1805. From this period we lose sight of
him until the spring of 1808, when he was appointed senior
lieutenant of the Proselyte 24, Captain Henry James Lyford,
fitting out as a mortar vessel, for the Baltic station. The
loss of tliat ship, near the island of Anholt, Jan. 5th, 1809,
and Mr. Gammon's subso(|uont hazardous undertaking, to
convey intelligence of the disaster to (lottenburg, in an open

COMMA^fDEIiS.

15a

boat, and through a sea covered with ice, have been noticed
in Suppl. Part III. p. 171, et seq.

This officer's next appointment was to the Frederiksstecn
32, in which frigate he served under Captains Joseph Nourse
and Francis Beaufort, in the Archipelago and on the south
coast of Asia Minor, in 1810, 1811, and 1812*.

On the 30th June, 1813, Lieutenant Gammon was ap-
pointed first of the Severn 40, Captain Nourse, fitting out
for the North American station, where he was most actively
employed until the final cessation of hostilities in 1815 f .
lie obtained his present rank, " for long and active ser-
vices," May 27th, 1825.

JOHN EAGER, Esq.

Wk first find sei'ving as passed midshipman on board
the flag-ship of Sir J ohn T. Duclf v'orth, and volunteering to
accompany Lieutenant (now Sir Nisbet J.) Willoughby to
the attack of a large Spanish corvette, in the neighbourhood
of Cuba, Feb. Ih05 J. He obtained his first commission
on the 10th Oct. following; and distinguished himself as
senior lieutenant of the I ndaunted frigate, Captain Hichard
Thon^as, at the reduction of a French fort on the smaller
Medis island, coast of Catalonia, in Sept. 1811; and in the
command of the boats of the Undaunted, Volontaire, and
Blossom, at the capture and destruction of a national
schooner and twenty merchant vessels, near the moutli of
the Rhone, April 29th, 1812. He subsequently commanded
the Clinker gun-brig, at Newfoundland and the Leeward
Islands. His promotion to the rank he now holds took place
on the 27th May, 1825.

Commander Eager married, June 29th, 1824, Catherine,
youngest daughter of the late Commander James Bullock.

• See Siippl. Part II. pp. 8G— 93.
t Sto Vol. II. Part II. p. HHO, aiul Sitjpl. Part IV. pp. f)— 17

Sec Suppl. Part II. p. US.

m

'ii

t

ml

I II

f

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134

COMMANDERS.

JOHN CHAFIN MORRIS, Esq.

Only son of the late Jeremiah Morris, Esq., of Mere, co.
Wilts, (whose immediate ancestor emigrated from Ireland
during the great rebellion, about anno 1040) by his first
wife, Jane, claest daughter of the late Chafin Grove, Esq.
of Chantry House, Mere, (descended from the ancient
families of Chafin and Grove, of Zeal's Manor House,
in the parish of Mere, and Chisenburg House, Wiltshire).
One of his maternal ancestors was beheaded with Colonel
Penruddocke, for excessive loyalty, during the protectorate
of Oliver Cromwell, and lies buried in the church of St.
Sydling's, Exeter, where a brass plate, with the following
inscription, records his melancholj' fate : —

" Hie jacet Hufjfo Groves, de Enford, in comitate Wilts, arinijOfer, in
restituendo ecclesiani, in asserendo rcfjcm, in propugnando lej^eni, et
libertatein Anglicanam, captus, et decoUatus 16° Mali 1665. * Pro Lege
et Rege.' "

Mr. John Chafin Morris entered the royal navy in 1797,
under the auspices of the late Admiral Sir Roger Curtis ; and
served during the remainder of the French revolutionary war
as midshipman on board the flag-ships of that distinguished
officer and his successor, the late Sir Charles Cotton, in the
Channel fleet, off Cadiz, and on the Mediterranean station.
In 1H02 he joined the Donegal 80, Captain Sir Richard J.
Strachan, which ship, on the renewal of hostilities, was em-
ployed in watching the motions of a French squadron at
Cadiz ; off which port she captured the Spanish frigate Am-
phitrite, Nov. 25th, 1804*. She subsequently, when com-
manded by Captain (now Sir l^ulteney) Malcolm, accompa-
nied Nelson in his memorable pursuit of the combined fleets
of France and Spain, to and from the West Indies. On the
23d Oct. 1805, she captured El lliiyo, a partially dismasted
three-decker, forming part of the Spanish s(juadron under
Don Frederico Gravina, who, on his return to port after the
battle of Trafalgar, had been ordered to sea again, for the

See Vol, I. Part I. p. 288.

COMMANDERS.

155

purpose of attempting the rescue of some of his late con-
sorts. On the 6th Feb 1806, she bore a conspicuous part
at the defeat of a French squadron off St. Domingo, on
which occasion she sustained a loss of forty-five men killed
and wounded *.

After the latter victory, Mr. Morris was appointed acting
lieutenant of the Shark 16, on the Jamaica station ; and in
the course of t.u same year removed to the Stork 18, Cap-
tain George Le G jyt, under whom he served in an expedition
against Batabano, on tlie south side of Cuba, the result of
which has been stated in Suppl. Part III, p. 100, et seq.
His promotion to the rank of lieutenant did not take place,
however, until Sept. 22d, 1807.

This officer's next appointment was, in 1808, to the Achille
74, Captain Sir Kichard King, then employed in the blockade
of Ferrol, and subsequently in the expedition to Walcheren.
During the occupation of that island, he was entrusted with
the command of five gun-boats, and frequently engaged with
the enemy. We afterwards find him proceeding in the
Achille to Cadiz, where he arrived on the 28th Feb. 1810 ;
and commanded a Spanish gun-vessel, manned by British
seamen, and employed in the defence of La-lsla-de-Leon,
from Mar. 22d until July 17th following. Previous to his
quitting tlie Achille for that purpose, he witjiessed the de-
struction of four Spanish and one Portuguese line- of-battle
ships, three other men of war belonging to tlie former nation,
and twenty-four sail of merchantmen, driven on shore in a
terrific gale, and the greater part burnt to prevent the wrecks
becoming serviceable to the enemy. Whilst employed in
the flotilla service he was thirty-eight times engaged with the
enemy's batteries, and on every occasion conducted himself
with the utmost zeal and bravery.

On the 5th Aug. 1810, Lieutenant Morris was sent, with
100 men under his command, to assist in navigating the Glori-
oso, an old and wretchedly equipped Spanish 74, to Minorca,

* Sec Vol. 1. Part II. yy. 5i<!>— 694.

%

4 \\

15G

COMMANDERS.

M

m

it

where he {irrivod after .i most liarassing voyage of thirty-
eight days *. He afterwards Bcrved in the fleet off Toulon.
His subsequent appointments Avere, June 21st, 1814, to be
first lieutenant of tlie Prosper© sloop, Captain George Green-
sill; and, in 1820, to the command of the Richmond, revenue
cruiser, on the Irish station, where he captured a large
snmggling cutter, and by his activity prevented others from
landing their cargoes, for his *' long and active services,"
he was rewarded with a commander's commission, dated
May 27th, 1825.

This officer's brother, the Rev. Frederick Morris, was
chaplain of the Alexander 74, Captain Richard Rodney Bligh,
when that ship, after a most heroic defence, fell into the
enemy's possession, Nov. Cth, 1704t; of the Theseus 7^f
bearing the flag of Nelson, at the attack upon Tenerift'e, in
J 797; and of the same ship, at the battle of the Nile, and
when employed on the coast of Syria, where he lost his life
through an accidental explosion of shells, in 1799 X-

GEORGE EDWARD MARSHALL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 22d Sept. 1807; and after
serving under vuiious distinguished officers, promoted to the
rank of commander in May 1825. He is at present em-
ployed in the Irish coast guard service.

HENRY SLADE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 12th Nov. 1808. We first
find him serving on board the Bulwark 74, Captain Farmery P.
Ep worth, in an expedition up the Penobscot river. North Ame-
rica, where he connuanded a party of seamen on shore at the
capture of the towns of Hamden and Bangor, Sept. 3d, 1814 §.

• .Sec Vol. I. Part II. p. 8/.'3. f Sec Vol. III. Part II. p. 251.

X See Vol. I. Part 1. note f at p. .'iOO, ft seq.

§ See Vol. II. Part II. j). 731, et scq.

COMMANDERS. 157

111 Dec. 1820, ho was appointed first lieutenant of the Sering^-
aptitam frigate, Captain Samuel Warren, fitting out for tlu'
Mediterranean station; and on the 'JJth May, 1825, pro-
moted to the rank of commander.

JOHN CRIRIR, Esq.

SKiiVEDwith considerable credit under Captain (now Com-
modore) Robert Barrie. His first commission bears date
r^ov. 2d, 1809; at which period he had but recently passed
his examiiuition for lieutenant. On the 29th June, 1812, he
was appointed to the Narcissus frigate. Captain John li.
Lumley, On the 2Jtli Nov. following, he commanded the
boats of that ship at the capture of the American privateer
Joseph and Mary, of four guns and seventy-three men, be-
tween the islands of Cuba and St. Domingo, on which oc-
casion he had one man killed and another wounded. On the
12th June, 1813, the boats, again under his command,
brought out from York river, in the Chesapeake, the United
States' revenue cruiser Surveyor, of six guns and tvventy-five
men, of whom five were wounded. In this affair three of
his men were killed, and himself, a marine officer (Patrick
Savage), and four men wounded. He continued to serve
imdcr Captain Lundey lu.' Oct. 1814; and obtained the
rank of comnumder on the 27th May, 1825.

!' ■ I

FRANCIS ORMOND, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 3d Dec. 1810; and ap-
pointed to the Endymion frigate. Captain Henry Mope, fit-
ting out for the North American station. May 19th, 1813.
He commanded a division of boats, under the orders of Cap-
tain (now Commodore) Robert Barrie, in the expedition up
the Penobscot river, on which occasion the towns of Cas-
tine, Hamden, and Bangor fell into our possession, and the
United States' corvette Adams (formerly a 32-gun frigate),
a brig pierced for eighteen guns, a large privateer, and eight

158

COMMANDERS.

merchant vessels were destroyed by the enemy. He served
under the same officer in the action which led to the capture
of the American frigate President, in Jan. 1815; and was
second lieutenant of the Impregnable 104, bearing the flag
of Rear- Admiral (now Sir David) Milne, at the battle of
Algiers, in Aug. 1816. His commission as commander
bears date May 27th, 1825.

This officer married, in 1822, Fanny, daughter of J.
Hedges, Esq., of Wallingford.

RICHARD BEAUMONT, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Mersey 26, Captain
Edward Collier, on the Halifax station, Oct. 13th, 1819 ;
and promoted to his present rank, June 6th, 1825. He
subsequently commanded the Weazle sloop, in the Mediter-
ranean.

This officer married, in 1832, the fourth daughter of Lord
Macdonald.

HENRY LAYTON, Esq.

Is the second son of the Rev. Thomas Layton, M. A., vicar
of Chigwell and Theydon Bois, in Essex, and a magistrate
for that county. He was born on the 2d Feb. 1799; and
entered the royal navy. May 3d, 1812, as midshipman on
board the Barfleur 98, bearing the flag of the Hon. G. C.
Berkeley, and commandec" by Captain (now Sir Thomas M.)
Hardy, on the Lisbon station, from whence he accompanied
the latter officer, in the Ramillies 74, to North America,
where he was present at the performance of many impor-
tant services. During the operations against New Orleans,
he was employed in a boat at the attack and capture of
six gun-vessels, in Lac Borgne, an exploit already recorded
in our memoir of Captain Nicholas Lockyer *. He after-

* See Suppl. Part IV. p. 4, et seq.

COMMANDKaS.

159

or-
ins,
of
ded
ier-

wards visited Jamaica ; and, subsequent to the cessation of
hostilities, was successively appointed to the Malta 84, Cap-
tain (now Vice- Admiral) Sir Charles Ogle; Rivoli 74, Cap-
tain (now l» ear- Admiral) A. P. Hollis ; and Rosario sloop,
Captain Thomas L. Peake. In Jan. 1819, he aij^ain joined
Sir Thomas M. Hardy, then about to display a broad pen-
dant on the South American station ; and on the 2d Nov.
1821, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He next
served under Captain (now Sir Thomas) Dundas, in the Bul-
wark 76, stationed as a guard-ship in Hamoaze.

This officer was made a commander on the 10th June,
1825, in consequence of the death of his brother, Lieutenant
Thomas Layton, R. N., who had then been recently murdered
by a horde of pirates in the West Indies, to suppress whose de-
predations he was then using every gallant and zealous effort.

Commander Layton is now, we believe, employed in the
coast guard service, at Killybegs, Ireland.

ALEXANDER TAIT, Esq.

Passkd his examination for lieutenant, at Sheerncss, in
Mar. 1B12; and was promoted into the Africaine frigate.
Captain the Hon. Edward Rodney, June 1st, 1814. He
subsequently served imder Commodore Nourse, in the An-
dromache 44, on the African station j and obtaintd his pre-
sent rank July 9th, 1825.

WILLIAM BURDETT DOBSON, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1806 ; and was made a lieu-
tenant, Jan. 3d, 1814, into the Royal Sovereign, first rate,
Captain Thomas Gordon Caulfield, fitting out in Hamoaze,
for the Mediterranean station, from whence he returned home
under the command of Captain (now Vice-Admiral) Lambert,
July 29th following. His next appointment was, Sept. IJth
in the same year, to the Tanais frigate. Captain Joseph James,
then in the river Medway, destined to the West Indies, in

100

COMMANDERS.

;i-i

iji

which ship he continued until puid off, in May 1810. From
this period we lose sight of him until April 3d, 1S2I3, when
he joined the Larnc sloop, Captain Frederick Marryat, fitting
out at Portsmouth, for the East India station.

In Feh. 1824, the Larne was ordered hy Commodore
Charles Grant, to join the expedition then preparing at Cal-
cutta for the invasion of the dominions of Ava : — the follow-
ing is an outline of the services performed by Lieutenant
Dobson during the Burmese war. A " Narrative of the Naval
Operations," from the commencement to the final termina-
tion of that contest, -is given as an Appendix to Vol ill.
Part I.

On the 1 4th May, 1824, three days after the capture of
Rangoon, he assisted Captain David Ross, of the Indian army,
in taking possession of Dalla. On the four following days,
the boats of the Larne, under his directions, were employed
in placing fire-booms across the river, about a mile above
Rangoon. On the 19th, he went down tlie river with seven
boats, to attack a four gun battery, but found it dismantled
and the cannon buried. On the 20th, he went up the
Dalla creek, and captured eight large vessels laden with
paddy and dried fish. On the 21st, he was again employed
about the fire-booms, the grapnels already attached to them
having been found of insufficient weight to resist the strength
of the tide. On the 22d, he was taken very ill, from his
having been wet through for many hours daily, and con-
tinually exposed to the weather. On the 15th July, being
then convalescent^ he was ordered by Captain Marryat to
take the command of the Satellite armed transport, and to
carry on the naval duties at Rangoon during the temporary
absence of the Larne. On the li>th and 20th of the same
month, he conducted a reconnoitring party nearly thirty-five
miles up the Puzendown creek, and assisted in releasing a
few families who were desirous of returning to Rangoon,
from whence they had been driven by their armed country-
men on the approach of the invading forces*. On the 31st

Soo Siu'ul Opiradons, p. iM.

COMMANDERS.

161

a flotilla under his orders proceeded much further up the
same creek, and deprived tlie enemy of near 1500 tons o^
grain, but unfortunately the vessels containing it, thirty-five
in number, were all in a very crazy state. In bringing them
down the river, many got aground, and falling over, at low
water, filled with the next Hood. " The loss of them," says
Lieutenant Dobson, " is to be attributed to the great distance
we had to bring them, the strong tides and sudden turns,
causing eddies out of which it was difficult to get, and the
difficulty of towing such unwieldy craft, added to which the
greater part of them were with(mt eithc anchor or rudder."

On the 4th Aug. Lieutenant Dobson, with some gun-boats
under his orders, accompanied a military detachment up the
Syrian! river, and assisted in driving the enemy from the
remains of the old Portviguese fort, sitiuited upon a com-
manding height, at the mouth of the Pegu river. He was
afterwards employed in stripping the Syriam Pagoda of its
guns and bells *. On the 12th, the Satellite was directed
to relieve the Hon. Company's cruiser Teignmouth, sta-
tioned at Pagoda Point. On the 17th, Lieutenant Dobson
reported to Captain Marryat as follows : —

" In compliance with your orders, I relieved Captain Hardy, and tlie
Satellite took up the l)erth of the Tei;,'nmouth, on the 14th instant. On
the 16th, havinj^f one boat and fifteen men from the H. C. cruiser Mer-
cury, and our own people in three row {jun-boats, we pulled up the
Panlang branch, with the first of the flood-tide. Four miles from Pagoda
Point, a Burmese look-out boat was seen shovin<»' off from a hut, and
firing an alarm gun : this was repeated by other boats as we advanced,
at four or five miles distance from each other. About five miles above
the upper stakes, we came to two stockades, one on each side of the river
apparently for the protection of a large village above them. Receiving
no interruption, we passed on, and destroyed a large canoe, laden with
rice and gunpowder. Two reaches above this village, we got sight of
twenty of the enemy's war-boats, lying to under the bank of the river,
and each containing about seventy men. As we approached, they began
to row away, and I ordered our boats to open their fire, but I fear with
little effect, as the enemy took care to keep at a distance, which from
their superior speed they could easily do. We chased them till the tide

/ Ir

* See Naval Operations in Ava, p. 22, ft seq.
VOL. IV. PART II. M

162

COMM VNnKRS.

turucd and our l)oats made no progress, when we put iibout, the ent'Mijr
following at u distance."

Lieutenant Dobson's whole European force in this little
expedition was only thirty-six men. On his return to I'a-
gotla Point he received directions to join the expedition des-
tined against Tavoy and Meri^ui. On the 19th, these orders
were countermanded, and tlie troops embarked on board
the Satellite sent to other vessels. On the 11th Sept., Cap-
tain Manyat ([uitted Rangoon for Penang, lea\ing Lieutenant
Dobson, with sixteen of the Larne's crew and nine super-
numerary seamen, in charge of the Satellite, off Pagoda Point;
and on the 15th of the same month, Captain H. D. Chads, of
the Arachnc sloop, recently from England, assumed the chief
command of the combined naval force attached to Sir Archi-
bald Campbell's army. On the 21st, a movement was nuide
upon Panlang, where the enemy had established a post, and
were busily employed in constructing combustible rafts, and
boats for the destiiiction of our shipping. The military force
employed consisted of about five hundred troops, under the
command of Brigadier-General Hugh Frazer ; the naval ope-
rations were personally directed by Captain Chads, who had
embarked on board the Satellite for that purpose. In the even-
ing, heavy guns were heard, not far distant, and next morning
five stockades were seen, three on the right side and two on
the left; the Satellite manned with forty-five British sailors
and twenty soldiers, and towed by the Diana steam -vessel,
was far a-head of the flotilla, and soon ran up with the enemy's
works, receiving, as she advanced, a heavy raking fire of
great guns, musketrj-, &c., but which was not returned till
she was placed directly in the centre, when both broadsides
were opened on them, and the enemy soon fled in all direc-
tions. Some troops under Major Sale were immediately
landed with trifling opposition, and tlie whole of the stock-
ades destroyed. Fifteen guns of various calibre were taken,
and the same number of one-pounder swivels. On the 2 1th,
three other stockades, situated about twenty miles higher up
the river, were bombarded for a short tinn jKnious to the
landing of the troops, when they were all found evacuated.

COMMANDERS. JG3

1*1 rcportiiij^ liis proceedings on this occasion, Captuin Chadti
sjiys : — " During our progress, the Satellite was on shore
three times, and the Diana once, but witliout tlie sliglitest
injury. * * * * Lieutenant Dobson rendered mc every
assistance, and was of great service ; he was severely burnt
onthe22d."

On the Gth Oct., the Satellite, with Captain Chads on
board, proceeded up the Lyne river, accompanied by the
flotilla, and a military detachment under Major Thomas
Evans. On the 7th, two stockades More t<ikcn possession of
without loss, and seven newly constructed war-boats de-
stroyed. On reconnoitring the fortified village of Than-ta*
bain, about thirty miles distant from Rangoon, it was found
to be defended by three long breast-Avorks, with a very ex -
tensive stockade, constructed of large teak-beams ; and four-
teen war-boats, each mounting a gun, were anchored so as to
defend the approach to it.

" Ilavinjr coDSuhcd with Captain (^liad--," says Major Evan*, "\vc nd-
vanct'd to the assault, the stoain-hoat with the Satellite and mortar-vessel
in tow, and the tnxtps in their boats ready to land when ordered. In
jtassinjjf the i)reast-works, we received a smart runniiiif fire from jinj^als
and musketrj', which were returned with slu)wers of grape from the
Satellite; and ohservinj; the enemy evidently in confusion, I directed the
troops and sealini|f ladders to be immediately landed, and in a few minutes
every work about the place was in our possession. At six o'clock next
morning-, we again moved with the tide, and in passing a narrow neck of
Ivind at the junction of two rivers, were received with a brisk discharge of
musketry from a long line of breast works, and a cannonade from a very
large stockade on our right. The fire of the latter was soon silenced by
the well-pointed guns of the Satellite. The troops were then ordered to
land, and this formidable stockade was carried by assault without a strug-
gle. It is, without exception, the strongest work of the kind I have ever
seen."

In his official letter respecting " the brilliant and decisive
attack" on Than-ta-bain, Captain Chads again acknowledged
having " received great assistance from Lieutenant Dobson." .

On the 23d Nov., the Satellite dropped down to Rangoon,
having been relieved at Pagoda Point by the Teigmnouth. Next
day, Lieutenant Dobson received orders to take cliarge of and
fit out the Shaw-in-shaw, a new teak -ship of bet\vecn /OO

M 2

?

164

COMMANDERS.

i

and 800 tons, belonging to a merchant at Calcutta ; this was
a very unpleasant employment, and gave him a great deal of
trouble ; she had not a sail made, no portion of her rigging
fitted, nothing whatever prepared for her equipment. He
was thus employed when the enemy, encouraged by the Teign-
mouth having been driven from her station by means of fire-
rafts, in the night of Nov. 3()th, connnenced a series of most
furious attacks both by land and water upon Kemmendine *.
In consequence thereof Lieutenant Dobson and his people
had the additional duty imposed upon them of going on board
the Satellite every evening for her protection.

On the "id Dec, in the afternoon, observing that a division
nf the enemy's force had commenced throwing up works on
the Dalla side, Captain Chads directed the Satellite, in charge
of Lieutenant Dobson, with a party of seamen from the
Arachne, to the support of the Good Hope transport and se-
veral small gun-vessels, already for some time stationed theref.
During the nights of the 2d, 3d, and 4th, she was very closely
and warmly engaged with the enemy, whose shot struck her
in every direction, and greatly injured the rigging ; but as
Lieutenant Dobson had taken the precaution to stockade her
all around with bamboo, she fortunately had not a man killed
or Mounded |. She continued in the same position, inces-
santly aimoying the enemy, until their works were carried by
storm in the night of the 8th, on which occasion I^ieutenant
Dobson shewed the soldiers the way, and was almost the first
to enter. On the 14th, Captain Chads addressed a letter to
the commander-in-chief, of which the following is a copy : —

** Sir, — Lieutenant Dol)son, of H. M. S. Lame, having been left by
Captain Marryat in command of the H. C. armed transport Satellite,
stationed at Pagoda Point, where he has been near five months, perform-
ing the most important and anxious duties in every respect as a valuable
officer, I hope you will have the goodness to recommend him to the consi*
deration of the Right Honorable the Governor-General in Council, as in
a pecuniary point of view he has been a considerable sufferer by being at

?.i'

♦ See Naval Operations in Ava, p. 46, rt seq.
t See id. p. 60. % Sec id. p. 62.

COMMANOfiRS.

165

SO ^rcat a diiitance from Ran^^oon, und taken from his own mess in the
Lurne. The young' {(ontleinen, Messrs. Winsor, Tomlinson, and Pickey,
have also been sutTererd with him. I have the honor to lie, &c.

(Signed) " 11. D. Chads."

" To nr'tgndkr-Generd Sir A. Campbell, K. C. D., ^c. Sfc. <5r."

On the 22d Dec, the Sliaw-in-shaw, with a cargo of tim-
ber on board, was quite ready for sea ; and on the 25th, a
petty officer having been ordered to take charge of her, Lieu-
tenant Dobson returned to the Lame. On the 28th, he re-
sumed the command of the Satellite ; and on the 30th, was
sent back to Pagoda Point, with seven gun-boats under his
orders.

In the beginning of 1825, Sir Archibald Campbell prepared
to advance upon the Birman capital ; and, in order to leave
no obstruction in his rear, directed the enemy to be driven
from the old Portuguese fort and the pagoda of Syriam, both
which posts they had re-occupied and much strengthened
since their late unsuccessful attacks upon Kemmendine. Dur-
ing the performance of this service, by the military and naval
detachments under Lieut. -Colonel Elrington and Lieutenant
Keele, R. N., the Satellite was stationed at the entrance of
Syriam river *. In the night of Jan. 29th, an auger hole
was bored in her bottom, and she had A\ feet water in the
hold before it was discovered. This is supposed to have
been done by her carpenter, a Chinese, in order to prevent
her from proceeding up the river.

Previous to the advance upon Ava, it was necessary to
open a passage up the Lyne river, for which purpose a force
was detached from Rangoon, under Lieutenant-Col. Godwin
and Captain Chads, who captured a large stockade at Than-
ta-bain, with thirty- six guns mounted, and destroyed an im-
mense number of fire-rafts, and canoes filled with combus-
tibles, for the annoyance of the British shipping. On this
occasion, the Satellite was allowed to approach within half a
mile before the enemy opened their fire, which proved ex-
tremely heavy, and raked her " until she brought up by the

* See Xaval Operations in Ava, p. 62, et seq.

ill

t i

Li

I

ICG

COMMANDERB.

Stern with a bower anchor, the steam-vessel hamming by her,
at about forty yards distant from the enemy's works, enll-
hiding the whole of their right, and commaiidiiig their left
abreast of her; in performing which Lieutenant Dobson
rendered Captain Chads much assistance" *.
• Everything being noAV ready for the advance, SirAreiii-
bald Campbell formed stieh force as he possessed the means
of moving, into two columns ; one to proceed by land, and
the other by water. The marine column, 1 161) strong, com-
man(k'd by Hrigadier-General \N ilKmghby Cotton, Avas di-
recled to pass u[) the Fanlang river to the Irrawaddy, and
dri\ing the enemy from his stockades, to push on \vitji all
possible exjjedltion to Donoobcw.

On the Kith Feb., the troops having embarked, the Ho-
tilla moved on, escorted by the steam-vessel and Satellite,
under the innnediate command of Captain Thomas Alexan-
der, C. IJ., then recently arrived at llangoon. On the 17th,
four stockades were destroyed at and near Thesit. During
the night of the 18th, some formidable fire- rafts were
hiunched by the enemy ; but, owing to the activity of the
light division of boats, their effect was totally lost. On the
I9th tiie extensive stockade of Fanlang, and its outworks,
were taken, after a feeble resistance ; and on the same day,
Sir Archibald Campbell, with the land column, arrived at
Meondaga. The Satellite having grounded as she was
coming up from Thesit, did not assist at the capture of Fan-
lang ; and the exertions recpiired to get her afloat caused
some delay to the progress of the water colunm f . On the
23d, Lieutenant Dobson received the following order from
Captain Alexander : —

" You win aiichoi- t'.ie SatoUito off the stocktule, in ii po.-ifloii to de-
fend the <li;yereiit hraniheK of the river, with the provision lirij^s inside
of yon, towards the stockacU', with liawsers to tiie sliore, or in any other
])osition yon may jndf^e best for their seeurity affainst fu'e-raftM or war-
boats. A uiyhtly guard bout to be kept in the Dallu and Yuu-iyuin-

i,if

Sec Xaral Ojirrntinus in Avo, p. (i7
t See Id. p. "•', >'t •^'7-

COMMANDKUS. 10/

vlmy-a branches of the river, and reconnoitre tliein oocasionally, making
remarks of the 8onndinj»'s, l)earinu;s, ^v., sondini,' me the same by every
•jpportunity. Co-operate with Cai)tain Ross, the ofliccr con)niandinf( the
land force, who will fnrnish yon with seven soldiers for each transport :
a jji'uard of twenty-five of the luiropean re/>iment will be stationed on
board the Satellite, and I shall hold you responsible for the conduct of
every person afloat. Tiie property and habitations of the Carians to be
protected, as well as their reliyious buildinufs."

On the evening of the 24 th Feb. the light tmd advance
divisions took up u position in tlie Irrawaddy ; on the 2/'th,
it was found necessary to unload the steam and gun-vessels,
the last of which did not get over the bar at Yan-gain-
chay-a before the 5th of March. From this period until
April 19th, on which day he received orders to give up his
charge and rejoin the Larne, Lieutenant Dobson was inde-
fatigably employed in forwarding provisions and other sup-
plies to the army and flotilla ; an important service, well
performed, and duly appreciated, as will be seen by the fol-
lowing short extracts from Captain Alexander's letters :—

" ]Mar. 10. — From reports brouj(ht in by some Carians, it is necessary
y<m should l)e on your gtiard, as troops have ; .-eu crossed over from
DonooI)ew to intercept our sup})lies.

" i\hir. 21, — I am all anxiety for the arrivid of the 18-pounders and
nmmunition. You are to send by the first boats that can brinj^ thenj, the
Satellite's two lonjf 12-pounders.

" A})ril 10. — Shoiild any coals arrive at Panbuuf, forward them by
every early opportunity, or the steamer will be rendered useless. We
cannot get a thing here (Sarrawah), the country l)eing completely de-
serted. We only await provisions from Panlang to proceed, and hope to
be in Promc by the 21st or 22d."

In another letter. Captain Alexander says, "I am very
much pleased with your exertions, and shall not fail to re-
commend you to the notice of my Lords Connnissioners of
the Adi liralty."

On his return to Rangoon, Lieutenant Dobgoii found that
his friend Captain Marryat had at length removed into the
Tees 26, to which ship Commodore Coe had appointed him
nearly nine months before, A memorandum, of which the
following is an extract, appears to have been issued by that
officer pre\ ious to his quitting the Larne :—

'I I

f ">t

m'

Lii i j

J 08

COMMANDERS.

Captain iMarryat cannot resign tlie command of II. M. sloop Lame,
without expressing to the officers and ship's company, who have survived
tlie peculiar severity of the service upon which they have been em-
ployed, his most sincere thanks for their ready and praiseworthy support
upon every occasion. To JMr. Dobson, first lieutenant, his thanks are
particularly due, for the zeal and activity which he has invariably she\vn,
under constant sickness and prostration of strength, and more especially
since he has commanded the Satellite, and, with so few English seamen
to assist him, has rendered her more effective and useful than any of the
Hon. Company's cruisers. ******

(Signed)

F. Mauryat, Captain."

Lieutenant Dobson subsequently received the following
testimonial from the senior surviving naval officer employed
in the Burmese war: —

" Thc.^o are to certify that Lieutenant W. B. Dobson served under my
orders at Rangoon, iu command of the armed transport Satellite, and,
being stationed in tlie advance for a considerable time, performed the
most arduous and harassing duties witli zeal, ability, and gallantry, and
on three different expeditions up the river his good conduct was reported
to the senior officer in India.

(Signed) " H. D. Chads."

The Larne took her final departure from Rangoon on the
8th May, 1825, and Mr. Dobson continued to serve as first
lieutenant under acting commander John Kingcome, until
July 13th, 1820, on which day, being then at Madras^ he
received a commission from England, dated July 25th, 1825,
promoting him to the command of that sloop. During the
above period, he visited Pulo-Penang, Malacca, Sincapore,
Sydney (N. S. Wales), Van Diemen's Land, New Zealand,
and Norfolk Island; passed through Torr/^s Straits, and
touched at Melville Island and Batavia.

Commander Dobson's next appointment was, July 23d>
18tK), io the Hyperion 42, Captain W. J. Mingayc, stationed
at Newhaven for the suppression of snuigglingj in Mhtch ship
he continued until paid olT, May 30th, 1831. He is now an
inspecting connnander in the coast guard service.

COMMANDERS.

169

NATHANIEL MARTIN, Esq.

Obtained his first comniission in March 1807 j i^»<l was
serving as lieutenant of the Stirling Castle 74, Captain Sir
Home Popham, at the close of the war with France, in 1814.
His subsequent appointments were, Nov. /th, 1814, to the
Martin eloop. Captain the Hon. James Arbuthnot; and Aug.
)8th, 1818, to the command of the Grecian cutter. He was
promoted to his present rank on the 27th July, 1825. Mrs.
Martin died at Southsea, in Mar. 1820.

WILLIAM LUCKRAFi; Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 1 1th Dec. 1807. Previous
to the peace he served in the Sheldrake sloop, Meteor bomb,
and Bombay 74, and subsequently in the Spartan and Pyra-
mus frigates, the latter commanded by Captain Francis
Newcombe, C. B., at the Leeward Islands. He obtained his
present rank on the 27th July, 1825.

This officer married, in 1815, Charlotte, only daughter of
J. Camscll, Esq. of H. M. brewery at Weovil, near Gusport;
and became a widower in Oct. 1827.

RICHARD BARTON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 27th Dec. 1808. We first
find him serving on the East India station, where he acted
for some time as captain of the Bhuiche frigate ; and, in July
1810, captured a French privateer of two guns and thirty
men. On the 13th Dec. 1811, he was appointed to the
PrMice of Wales 98, in which ship he continued under the
command of Captain (now Vice-Admiral) John E. Douglas,
until June 1814. He afterwjirds served for several years
under Captain William M*Culloch, employed in the suppres-
sion of smuggling. He obtained his present rank, on the
29th July 1825 ; and was appointed an inspecting com-
mander of the coast guard, April 13th, 1831.

iro

(OMMANDliRS.

it"

H

PHILIP GllAIIAiM, Esq.

Son of LicutiMinnt-ColoucI llicliard (iruham, R. M.; ne-
j)ho\v to the liitc llumilton (jor^es, J!^s(j. M. V. for county of
Mcath ; and first cousin to the Marchioness of Thomoiul ;
l)y the dauijfhter of the kite Captain Philip Walsh, R. N.,
and ^rand-niece to the learned Dr. Vernon, first rector of
Jiloonisbury.

This otiicer was born at Stonehouse,, co. Devon ; and first
went to sea in the Rambler sloop, Captain Thomas Iinies, on
the renewal of the war with Trance, in 180.*^. lie afterwards
served in the Uranie frii^ate, Captain the Hon. Charles Her-
bert, and Prince of Wales 98, successively bearlnir the flags
of Sir Edward Thornbrouifh, Sir James (now Lord De)
Saiunarez, and the late Lord Gambler, whicli latter oflicer
he followed into the Ville de I*aris and Caledonia, first rates,
subsecjuent to the bombardment of Copenhagen, in I8O7.

After witnessing the destruction of some I'rench slups of
war, near I'lsle d'Aix, April 18(){), Mr. Graham passed his
examination, and proceeded as a volunteer to the river Scheldt,
where he connnanded a gun-boat during the occupation of
Walcheren. On his return from that severe service, he was
ordered to Lisbon, and there promoted to the command of
the Triton hospital ship, by commission dated April Htli^
I8U). J3isliking so inactive a situation, he soon got removed
into the Zealous 7'^i Captain Thomas Boys, and in the
autunni of that year, was sent as a volunteer, in the command
of several armed boats, to co-operate with the British troops
at Alhandra, where he arrived the evening on which Welling-
ton first occupied the famous lines of Torres Vedrsis. from
which period he was very actively employed under the orders
of Lieutenant (now Captain) Maurice V. F. Berkeley, until
after Massena's retreat to Santarem.

f The Zealous was next employed in cruising off the Azores :
and afterwards on the North Sea and Baltic stations. In Jan.
1813, we find Mr. Graham retiring on half-pay for the pur-
pose of attending to his pri^■ate affairs. His subsequent ap-

l

COMMANDERS.

171

point'Monts wore, July 13th, I8I3, to the JMc nhi'im J4, Capttiiii
Sjiniiu'l Wiirrcii, under whom he served us second lieuteimiit
in the North Sea and Mediterranean, for upwards of twelve
months:— A n^'. 27tii, 1H14, to the Nanuir 7'U flaij^-ship of
Sir Thomas VViliiams, at the Great Nore:— Oct. 21)th, I8H,
to he first of the Comus 22, Captain John 'I'ailour, fitting out
for the African station, where he assisted in capturing, after
a determined resistance, seven Spanish and Portuguese
slavers .— lastly, Sept. 14th, 1818, to the Severn frigate,
Captain William M'C'ulloch, under whom he was actively
'Muployed in the suppression of smuggling, on the Kentish
(roast, until May 1825 ; when he was sent to the King's
liench prison, for four calendar months, hy judgment of the
Court, for olYering acliallcnge to llohert Earl of Ilarhorougli:
during his confinement, the Lords of the Admiralty were
pleased to honor him with promotion to the rank of com-
mander, hy commissioji dated July 29th, 1825. Some time
previous thereto, . smuggler, muiied Alexander John Spence,
was executed at Dover, for attempting to shoot him while in
the execution of ills duty. \n 1830, the Royal histitution
for Preserving Lives from Shipwreck, transmitted him their
gold medallion for his gallant and hunume exertions in res-
cuing the nuister and part of the crew of the hrig Moun-
taineer, wrecked near Deal, on her voyage from the Cape to
Jiondon, when a pilot and three other persons were unfortu-
nately drowned.

Commander (jlraham's oidy brother, Fortescue, is a first
lieutenant in the royal marhies, and adjutant of the Plymouth
division.

m

THOMAS BEER, Esq.

Was horn at Stoke, near Plymouth, on the 18th Aug.
1787; imd entered the navy, as midshipman on board
1 he Rt)yal Sovereign first rate, bearing the flag of Sir Alan
(afterwards Lord) Gardner, on the Channel station, in Aug.
17%. lie was made a lieutenant on the 4th May, 1810;

'f!;!

172 ro.MMANDKRS.

and appointed to the Martin sloop, April 23d, 1811. We
next find him counnanding the Bream schooner ; and lastly,
employed in the suppression of smuggling on the Kentish
coast, where he continued, under the orders of Captain Wil-
liam M'Culloch, for a period of eight years. His promotion
to the rank of commander took plucc July 29th, 1825.

GEORGE TINCOMBE, Esq.

Obi AiNFD the rank of lieutenant in May 1810 ; and served
as such on hoard the Armada 74, Captain Charles (irant, on
the Mediterranean station, and Liffey 50, hearing the broad
pendant of the same oiliccr, as commodore in India, from
whence he returned home with despatches, in a merchant
ship, July 27th, 1825. He was made a commander on the
19th of the ensuing month.

RICHARD HOWE COCKERELL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1818; appointed to the
Drumtless 21, Captain the Hon. Valentine Gardner, Nov. 18th,
1818; removed to the Leander GO, flag-ship of Sir Henry
Blackwood, on the East India station. Mar. 8th, 1821 j and
promoted to the rank of commamler, Oct. 3d, 1825.

JOHN ALLISON, Esq.

Omiainki) the rank of lieutenant in Dec. 1794; and waa
last employed as an agent of transports. His commission as
conunander bears date Oct. 4th, 1825.

CHARLES CROKER, Esq.

Son of Edward Croker, Esq. of Ballyngninch, nciar Lime-
rick, Ireland, by Margaret Ann Hare, sister to the present
Earl of ListowcU.

m

COMMANDERS.

173

This officer entered the navy in Aug. 18()5 ; and when very
young we find liim serving as a vohuiteer in the l)oats of the
Alceste frigate, under the orders of Lieutenant Allan Stewart,
at the capture of seven Spanish tartans, under the hatteries •
of Rota*. In May 1801), he assisted at the destruction of
several armed vessels and martello towers on the coast of
Italy, likewise in bringing off a large quantity of timber from
ad^p6t at Terracina. In June following, he was present at
the capture of the islands of Ischia and Procidaf. \n May
1810, a party from the Alceste stormed a two-gun battery
near Frejus, and her boats captured and destroyetl six French
vessels in the bay of Agaye. in tiie following month, a three-
gun battery in the island of Corsica was taken, and two ves-
sels lying under its protection brougiit out, by detachments
from the Alceste and Topaze. On the 5th May, 1811, a
French national brig of 18 guns, lying in the harbour of Pa-
renza, coast of Istria, was destroyed by the former ship in
company with la Belle P(mle |. On the 29th Nov. following,
Mr. Croker participated in a severe action with two French
frigates, nej.r the island of Augusta, the result of which was
the capture of la Ponionr, mounting 44 guns with a com-
plement of 322 men §. He returned home and joiiuul the
Clarence 74, ' Captain Hein*y Vuusittart, in the autumn of
1812.

The subject of this sketch was made a lieutenant in Dec.
1814, at which period, we believe, he was serving en the
Lakes of Canada. In Aug. 1818, he was appointed to the
Redwing 18, Captain Frederick Hunn, fitting out for the St.
Helena station; and, in Sept. 1821, to the Carnation 18,
Captain J. E. Walcott, destined to the West Indies ; where
he appears to have been successively removed into the Glou-
cester 74, Commodore Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, and
Icarus lO, Captain John George Graham .

On the 20th Aug. 1824, the boats of the Icarus, despatched

■*»*.

• Se€ Vol. IV. Pnrt I. p. 222.
t See Vol. II. Part I. p. 408.

f Sec Suppl. Part I. p. 89, rf xeq.
§ See Vol. 11. Part II. p. 803, ef seq.

I'iH

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1

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174 COMMANDERS.

from Havannah, under tlu'onlirs of Lieutenant Croker, cap-
tured, in a creek within Cayo Blanco, a larjre piratical
schooner, called the Diableto, mounting six t^uns, and nianiie 1
with about fifty n>en, who, after firing a few shot without
effect, abandoned the vessel on the near approach of the
British. Some of them made their escape to the shore in
four large boats, which were afterwards taken by Lieutenant
Croker ; others having jumped overboard, and got amongst
some mangrove bushes, five of theui >vere killed by musketry
an'' several appeared M'ounded, but from the nature of the
marsh they could not be secm'ed. On boarding the schooner,
Lieutenant Croker bad the satisfaction to release the master
juul crew (nine persons) of an American brig, the Henry, of
Hartford, which bad been taken seven days before by the
pirate. They had been treated in the most inhuman mamier,
and were to have been put to deatii on the following morning,
their lives having been spared so long only for tlu> purpose of
their assisting in removing the brig's cargo. The Henry was
found in the creek, a mile ai)ove the schooner, but in a state
which rendered it impracticable to remove her to liavamiah,
and she was therefore burnt, with what remained in her.
A deserted sloop, having on board part of the Henry's cargo,
was also discovered and brought away. Sir Lawrence VV.
Halsted, commander-in-chief on the Januiica stalic.n, in re-
porting the performance of this service to the Admiralty,
highly praised "the judicious and spirited manner in which
it was conducted, as well as the zeal ajid gallantry shown
by Lieutenant Croker and the Ofiicers and men under his
orders."

ConnnandfU" Croker obtained his present rank on the ^th
Oct. 1825. 'ihreeofhis brothers are in holy onlers, and
possess valuable livings, viz : — Edward, rector of ("room ;
Robert, rector of Athlacca ; and Thomas, vicar of Adare;
all in county Limerick, and in the gift of the Croker family.
His brother Albert died first lieutenant of the Cumbriiui
frigate, in Jan. 182G; his other brothers, Richard and
William, are majors in the army : one of his sisters, Marga-
ret, is married to the Dean of Clogher ; and another, Sally,
to Major Cieorge (Jough, formerly in the 28th fi)ot.

u

COMM.VNDKKS.

1

JOSEPH MAYNARD, Esq.

Obtainkd tlu> rank of lieutenant on the 4th Mar. 181.') ;
and snbscquently served in the Brisk sloop and Andromache
frigate, the latter bearing the broad pendant of Commodore
Joseph N(mrse, on the Cape of (lood Hope station. His
commission as connnander bears date Oct. 4th, 1825. He
married, in 1828, Harriet, eldest daughter of Clark Hillyard,
\isi[. of Thorplands, Northamptonshire,

WILLIAM MLDGE, Esq.

Fi-llinr of the Anthiuin'hin Societi/.

A SON of tlie late Major (ieneral William iMudge, royal
artillery, LL. D., F. 11. ^>., F. A. S., a connnissioner of the
bojird of longitude, &c. &c. he.

This oiHcer was made a lieutenant on the 19th Sept. 181.') ;
and afterwards employed for many years as a maritime sm*-
veyor, on the coasts of Africa and Ireland. He obtained the
rank of connnander in Oct. 1825; and is now serving as
supernumerary on board the San .losef 1 10, bearing the flag
of Sir William Hargood, G.C. B., in llamoaxe. He married,
Oct. ilth, 1827, Mary Marinda, only child of William Uae,
J'3sq. of Blackheath.

SIR GEORGE YOUN(., Rart.

Eldkst son of tlie late Sir Samuel Young, Bart, of For-
nu)sa Flare, co. Berks, F. R.S. and F. A. S. *, by Emily,
daughter of Charles Bariiig, Esti- of Exmouth, co. Devon.

This olliccr was born on the 1 0th Aug. 1797 ; and ent"red

* Son of Admiral Sir (ieor»-e Yoims', Knt. who first wont to sea witli
tlio ci'U'brattMl Boscawfu, and iiically (listltii>nislu'(l liiniself at tlif sicoos
of fioni^bourii", (2n;'lM'<-, llavauuali, and I'ondlilii'rry. See A7/r. C/iroii.

V. .'51, p. 177. ''f Ki'q-

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176 COMMANDERS.

the royal navy in 1811, as midshipman on board the America
74, CaptJiin (now Sir Josias) Rowley, fitting out for the
Mediterranean statioiij from whence slie returned to England
in the autumn of 1814. He was made a lieutenant on the
9th Nov. 1818; appointed to the Spencer 74, flag- ship of
Sir Josias Rowley, on the Irish station, Oct. 27th, 1819;
and promoted to theconnnand of the Beaver sloop, at Jamaica,
Oct. 25th, 1825. He lately commanded the Hover sloop, in
the Mediterranean.

WILLIAM GEORGE IIYNDMAN WIIISH, Esq.

Passed his examination in Mar. 1816; and was made a
lieut<>nant on the 16th Sept. following. We first find him
serving on board the Impregnable 104, flag- ship of Viscount
Exmouth, commander-in-chief at Plymouth, in Nov. 1818.
His next ap] ointment was, July 13th, 1821, to the Bustard
sloop. Captain William George Martin, fitting out for the
Jamaica station, where he continued in various vessels until
promoted to the rank of commander, Nov. 11th, 1825.

This officer married, June 2d, 1828, Julia, second daugh-
ter of the late John Vivian, Esq., of Portland Place, Lon-
don, and Claverton, co. Somerset, whose third daughter was
united on the same day to Captain James Rattray, R. N.

THOMAS BARING BOND, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Raleigh sloop. Captain
George Blackman (now Harnage), at Jamaica, Oct. 3d,
1820; appointed to the Thracian sloop. Captain John Walter
Roberts, fitting out for the same station, June 19th, 1822;
and promoted to the rank of commander, Nov. 1 1th, 1825.

CUMMANDliKS.

\

U

JOHN MOLESWORTII, Esq.

Second son of the late Richard Molosworth, Esq. many
years Accountant in the Arnij'^ Pay Office, by Catiierine,
daughter of Francis Cobb, Escj., of Twickenham •, and brother
to the present Viscount Molesvvorth.

This officer is descended from Sir Walter l)e Molesworth,
one of the Knights of the Cross who accompanied King
Edward I. into the Holy Land. One of his ancestors. An-
tliony Molesworth, married a rich heiress, and fixed his resi-
dence at Fo'.heringay, co. Northampton ; but from liberal
habits, and the expenses incurred by entertaining Queen
Elizabetli at his seat, lie became so much involved, that he
disposed of the greater part of his landed possessions to dis-
charge the incumbnMices. His great grandson, Robert,
several years ambassador at the court of Denmark, was ad-
vanced to the Irish peerage in 1716. The present peer suc-
ceeded to the title on the demise of his cousin, William John,
sixth viscount, (great-grandson of the first), a major-general
in the army, and lieutenant-colonel of the ninth regiment of
foot, who perished with his lady, on board the Arniston
transport, near the Cape of Good Hope, May Slst, 1815.

Mr. John Molesworth was born at Peckham, co. Surrey,
in July, 1/89; and first went to sea in the Plover sloop. Cap-
tain Edward Galwey, in April 1800 He afte^^vards served in
the Culloden 7^4 ; and was a midshipman on board the Canopus
80, flag-ship of the late Sir Thomas Louis, at the battle of
St. Domingo, Feb. 6th, 1806; at the capture of the French
frigate Presidente, Sept. 27th, in the same year ; and in the
expedition against Constantinople under Sir John T. Duck-
worth, in Feb. 1807*. We subsequently find him in the Malta
84 and Ocean 98, the latter ship bearing the flag of Lord
CoUingwood, by whom, we believe, he was made lieutenant
into the Imperieuse frigate, Captain Lord Cochrane, on the

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* Sec Vol. I. Part I. p. 262; Vol. II. Part I. p. 281 ; and id. p. 486,

et seq.

VOL. IV, PART n. N

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178 COMMANDERS,

Mediterranean station, April 24th, 1808. His succeeding
appointments were, about Oct. 1809, to the Partridge sloop ;
and, Aug. 2Gth, 1811, to the America J'^t Captain (now Sir
Josias) Rowley, by whom he was officially commended for
his conduct at the capture of a French convoy, under tlie
batteries of Languilla, May 20th, 1812*; and when serving
on shore at the reduction of Fort Santa Maria and other
works in the Ciulf of Spezia, in Mar. Ihl4. He also bore a
part in the operations against Leghorn and Genoa, in 1813--
14 f. After the surrender of the latter city, he was employed
in fitting out the French vessels of war found in the mole,
clearing the naval arsenal, embarliing stores, and launching,
equipping and loading with timber, a J4-gun ship, which
had been found on the stocks in an unfinished state. He
continued in the America until she was paid off, about Oct.
1814. His last appointments were, in 1815, to the Impreg-
nable 104, flag-ship of Sir Josias Rowley, with whom he
returned to the Mediterranean, after Napoleon's escape from
Elba J and, in the end of 1 8 1 8, to be flug-lieutenant to the
same officer on the Irish station, where he continued until
Dec. 1821 ; on the 14th of which month he was advanced to
the rank of commander.

This officer married, Feb. 6th, 1828, Louisa, daughter of
the late Rev. Dr. Tomkins, of Buckenhill Park, co. Hereford.
One of his brothers, Anthony Oliver Molesworth, is a first
lieutenant in the royal artillerJ^

I

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EDWARD BLANCKLEY, Esq.

Son of H, S. Blanckley, Esq., many years Consul-General
at Algiers.

This officer entered the royal navy in 1805 ; and served the
whole of his time as midshipman under Captain the Hon.
Henry Duncan, in the Mercury, Imperieuse, and Glasgow
frigates. He was made a lieutenant on the 6th Feb. 1815 ;

» See p. 25, et seq. f See Vol. II. Purt I. pp. 424—430.

'lencral

'C(l the
J Hon.

1815;

COMMANDKllS. 179

appointed to the Alligator 28, Captain Thomas Alexander,
C. B., fitting out for the East India station, May 16th, 1822;
and promoted to the command of the Sophie sloop at Ran-
goon, about the end of April 1825 *. This appointment
was confirmed by the Admiralty on the 10th Dec. following,
previous to which the Sophie had been sold in India ; from
Avlience he returned home passenger in the Lifl:ey frigate,
Captain Thomas Coe, Jan. 21st, 1826.

In May 1831, Commander Blanckley was appointed to the
Pyhxdes sloop, fitting out for the South American station.
Oil his passage thither he touched at Madeira, and received
the thanks of the British residents in that island " for his
manly protection of their interests at an eventful period." In
April 1832, being then senior officer on the north coast of
Brazil, he was publicly thanked by the British merchants at
Pernambuco, " for the active protection he afforded to them
and their property, during the revolt and massacre," which
liad recently occurred in that city. In Jan. 1834, he was at
( oquimbo ; and in the beginning of April at Bahia, from
whence he returned to England, bringing home 400,000 dol-
lars on freight,'; June'4th following. The Pylades was paid
t)ff at Plymouth on the 2Cth of the latter month.

JOHN LAND WYNN, Esq.

NVe first find this gentleman serving as master's mate on
board the Euryalus frigate. Captain Thomas Huskisson,
senior officer at Jamaica, by whom he was made a lieutenant
into'*;the Tamar 26, in Nov. 1820. He obtained his present
rank on the liOth Dec. 1825; and married, in June 1827,
Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the late Mr. Robert Symons, of
Falmouth.

* Soe Naval Opcruthns in Aro, p. 84.
N 2

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COMMANDERS.

HENRY DIJNDAS TROTTER, Esq.

Entkbkd the navy in 1815; was made a lieutenant on
the Ctli Jan. 1823; promoted to the command of the
Britomart sloop, Feb. 20th, 1826; and appointed to the
Curlew, fittiui? out for the African station, July 22d, 1830,
He returned from thence, and was paid off at Portsmouth,
in June 1834.

JOHN AITKIN BLOW, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 19th Oct. 17^7;
and Mas wounded wliile serving as lieutenant on board the
Foudroyaut 80, Captain Sir Edward Berry, in action with the
French 80-gun ship Guillaume Tell, bearing the flag of Rear-
Admiral Decres, Mar. 31st, 1800 *. We next find him com-
manding the Charger gun-brig, in which vessel he captured a
Dutch privateer, on the North Sea station. May 28th, 1805.
He was subsequently employed in the Baltic, and attached to
tlie fleet under Admiral Gambier, at the siege of Copen-
hagen.

In June 1808, the Charger formed part of a small convoy-
ing squadron, one of which, the Turbulent gun-brig. Lieu-
tenant George Wood, was captured by a Danish flotilla, near
the south end of Saltholm, on the 9th of that monthf •
About May 1810, Lieutenant Blow was appointed to the
command of the Algerine cutter, which vessel had one of
her crew killed in action with three Danish brigs of war, on
the coast of Norway, Aug. 1st, 1811 J. He was promoted
to the rank of commander in Mar. 1826 ; and appointed to
the Ordinary at Sheerness in April 1834.

* See Vol I. Part I, p. 377, et seq. and Part II. p. 7/8.

t See Suppl. Part I. p. 464.

X See Vol. III. Part I. p. 228, et seq.

COMMANDERS.

181

WILLIAM SMITH (a), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 19th Mar. 1798; and pro-
moted to the rank of commander for long and active ser-
vices, Mar. 27th, 1826. At the close of the late war he
Commanded the Cheerful cutter, and subsequently the
Griper revenue cruiser.

SILAS HISCUTT PADDON, Esq.

This officer is a native of Appledore. We first find him
serving as midshipman on board the Viper cutter, commanded
by acting lieutenant Jeremiah Coghlan, under Avhom he
greatly distinguished himself, and received six. wounds, at
the capture, by a single boat, of the French national brig
Cerbere, mounting seven guns and full of men, moored
within pistol-shot of three batteries, at the entrance of Port
Louis, July 29th, 1800*. He obtained the rank of lieute-
nant in April 1804 ; commanded the Cuckoo schooner, off
rOrient, in Mar. 1808; and lost that vessel near Haarlem,
April 4th, 1810, on which occasion he was taken prisoner.
His next appointment was, Oct. 29th following, to the
Prince Frederick C 4, receiving ship in Hamoaze, wliere he
continued until the end of the war, in 1815. His commission
as commander bears date Mar. 27th, 1826. He married, in
1833, Miss P. Richards, of Padstow.

WILLIAM HENRY PIERSON, Esq.

Obtained the rank of lieutenant on the 24th Dec. 1805;
and was first of the Fylla 22, Captain William Shepheard, at
the close of the war in 1814. His commission as commander
bears date Mar. 27th, 1826. He married the only daughter
of E. Daun, Esq., of Warblington.

* See Suppl Part. II. p. 299, ct scq.

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COMMANOKK&.

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WILLIAM HOWARD M'DOUGALL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 9th May 180/ j luid coux-
mander Mar. 27th, 1826.

F.DVVARD REEVES PHILIP MAINWARING, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Plantagenet 74, on tlie
1 1th June, 180/ ; and conthiued in that ship, under various
eaptaiuH, until tlie end of the war with America, in 1H15.
He was appointed a supernumerary of the Severn 50, Cap-
tain William M'C:ulloch, commanding the Kentish coast
blockade, Nov. 4th, 1818; removed to the HamilHes 74,
Captain I'dward Hrace, at Portsmouth, Auj?. 1st, 1821 ; and
promoted to his present rank on the ^/tii JNlar. \S2i). He is
now an inspecting conmiander in the coast guard service.

WILLIAM JONES PR0W8E, Esq.

Passed his examination in July 1808; obtained his first
commission on the 22d May, 1809 ; and served under Cap-
tain Sir Thomas Staines, in the Hamadryad and Briton fri-
gates, from the spring of 1810 until July 1815. The manner
in which those ships were employed has been fully stated in
Suppl. Part I. pp. 94 — 104. Early in 1816, he was ap-
pointed to the Spey sloop ; and on the 24 th Oct., same year,
to the Conqueror 74, fitthig out for the flag of Rear- Admiral
Plampin, commander-in-chief at St. Helena, froiii whence
he returned home with that officer, in Sept. 1820. He ob-
tained his present rank on the 27th Mar. 1826.

EDWARD CHAPPELL, Esq.

Whkn midshipman of the Kingfisher sloop, Captain R. W.
Cribb, assisted in boarding and cutting out the Spanish pri-
vateer schooner Isabella la Demos, from under the batteries

COMMANDERS.

183

of a Minull bay near La Guira, on the Spanish Main, in April
1H05. On his return from this service, his captain thus ad-
dressed him : — " Mr. Chappcli, my first lieutenant," (Stan-
dish) " has informed me of your gallant conduct. Take
this" (the Spanish commander's) '* sword for your reward,
and God grant that you may always shew yourself as un-
daunted as you then were."

The Kingfisher was with the squadron under Sir John T.
Duckworth at the battle of St. Domingo, Feb. 6th, 180(5,
after which Mr. Citappell assisted in completing the destruc-
tion of two French line-of-battle ships, and bringing off
their crews through a tremendous sea *.

In May following, we find the Kingfisher employed off
Rochefort, where she rendered essential assistance to the
Pallas frigate Captain Lord Cochrane, after her gallant action
with a French squadron under the batteries of I'lsle d'Aixf.
On the *i7th Sept. 1806, she was with tlie squadron under
Sir Thomas Louis, at the capture of le l*residente frigate J.

Mr. Chappell was present at the capture of the Danish
West India islands, in Dec. 1807; fi"d belonged to the In-
trepid 64, when she engaged, and was very severely handled
by, two French frigates. He served on shore, under Cap-
tain C. J. W. Neshani, at the reduction of Martinique, in
Feb. 1 809 § ; and was severely wounded in the thigh, when
commanding a gun-boat at the defence of Cadiz, in 1810.
His promotion to the rank of lieutenant took place on the
18th April, 1811. He subsequently served under Captains
Donald Campbell and Edward Stopford, in the Rosamond
20, on the Newfoundland station ||. In Feb. 1815, he was
appointed first lieutenant of the Leven 20, Captain B. S.
Bluett, which ship appears to have been very actively em-
ployed on the coast of la Vendee, during the war of one
hundred days. His next appointment was, Aug 20th, 1816,
to the coast blockade, under Captain William M'Culloch.

terics

* See Vol. I. Part I. p. 261, et seq. f See Vol. IV. Part I, p. 158.

t See Suppl. Part I. p. 176. § See Vol. II. Part II. p. 589.

II See Suppl. Part II. p. 410, et seq, and p. 454.

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COi^rMANDRRS.

In 1818, we find him superintendent of one of the ships lent
by government for the reception of distressed seamen. He
obtained the rank of commander on the 19th April, 1826;
and is now agent for H. M. packets on the Milford station.

This officer has published two " Narratives," one "of a
Voyage to Newfoundland and the Coast of Labrador," the
other " of a Voyage to Hudson's Bay, in H. M. S. Rosamond,
containing some account of the north-eastern coast of Ame-
rica, and of the tribes inhabiting that remote region." Both
of these publications are illustrated with plates and charts.

ANDREW BAIRD, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 19th Sept. 1815; and pro-
moted from the Boadicea frigate, bearing the broad pendant
of Commodore Sir James Brisbane, to the command of the
Arachne sloop, at Rangoon, Dec. 2d, 1825 *. This appoint-
ment was confirmed at home on the 20th May, 1826. He
arrived at Portsmouth, from the East India station, Sept.
27th following.

CHARLES HENRY SEALE, Esq.

Passed his examination in Sept. 1808 ; obtained a com-
mission as lieutenant on the 15th July, 1809; and commanded
a gun-boat, under the orders of Captain (now Sir Arthur)
Farquhar, employed in reducing the enemy's forts on the-
banks of the German rivers, and at the reduction of Gluck-
stadt, in 1813 — 14 f- He obtained his present i*ank on the
8th June, 1826. His wife is the fourth daughter of Sir
William Twysden, Bart.

H

* See A-iival Opera thus in Am, p. 126.
t See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 932—935.

COMMANDKHS.

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HENRY OMMANNEY LOVE, Esq.

Eldest son of Conunaiulcr William Love, R. N. by Harriet,
youngest daughter of the late Gal)riel Aeworth, Escj. pur-
veyor of the navy *.

This officer was educated at the royal naval college, from
whence he embarked as midshipman, on board the Danne-
mark 74, Captain James Hissett, in which ship we find him
present at the attack and capture of Flushing in 1809. He
subsequently served under Captains J. Coutts Crawford and
Charles Jones, in the Venus frigate and Boyne 98, the latter
ship bearing the flag of Sir Harry Neale, off Ushant. In
July 1812, his father had the gratification to receive the fol-
lowing communication from Captain Jones :

" My dear Love, * * * » « The son you have entrusted to my
care, and who is now unpointed aftinj? lieutenant of the Tigre, a short
time sinec did a most g-uUant act. One of tlie younic midshipmen, not
exceeding thirteen years of age, whilst playing ahout the entering port,
in a strong tides way, off the cneniy's coast, fell overboard : — your son
beu»g near the spot, the instant he heard the cause of alarm, jumped
overboard, and saved the boy's life. I am also happy in saying his con-
duct has been such as to give satisfaction to both 8ir Harry Nealc and
myself, and from the thorough knowledge he seems to have of his pro-
fession, both practical and theoretical, I do not doubt but he will make
a most excellent officer. •*****! remain, dear Love, youra
very truly, (Signed) " Chaules Jones."

Sir Harry Neale, " as an encouragement to enterprise and
humanity," successively appointed Mr. Love to '^ct as lieu-
tenant of the Tigre, Sparrow, and Ville de Paris, hat he was
not confirmed until the allied sovereigns visited the fleet at
Spithead, when, being the senior passed midshipman present,
he received a commission dated June 27th, 1814. He was
next appointed, April 11th, 1821, to the Hyperion frigate.
Captain James Lillicrap, fitting out for the Cape of Good
Ho]>e, where he assisted in rescuing the Hon. E. L Com-

I

* See Vol. in. Part II. p. 362.

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piiuy's ship Albion, "homevvard bound uith a valimble car^o
of merchandise, and treasure to the amount of upwards of
100,000/., from the situation of extreme peril in M'hich she
was placed on the IQth June, \82'J, when in a strong gale of
wind, she broke from her anchorage in Simon's Bay, and
drove to within the distance of a few fathoms from the
rocks *." He subsequently proceeded in the Hyperion to
St. Helena, Ascenr.ion, and Jamaica, on which station we
find him commanding the Union and Renegade schooners,
for nearly four years. He obtained his present rank on the
10th July, 1826, and was appointed to the command of the
Columbine sh)op, in the West Indies, July 2d, 1831. 1 he
following letter was addressed by his respected and worthy
father to the Lord Mayor of London, Dec. 14th in the latter
year :—

" My Lord, — Ilj^frto apologise for a trespass on your Lordship's time;
but I rely v/ith confidence on your Lordship's indulgence, when I state
that my only object is, that those who apply and exert their minds for the
benefit of the public should enjoy that creditable reward which is most
justly their due, and which they are at all times sure of receiving from
the chief magistrate of the city of London.

" Having just read in the Albion newspaper, of the 12th instant, a
statement of a Mr. Steevens having presented to your Lordship a model
of paddles to be used, instead of wheels, by steam-vessels, it becomes my
duty, injustice to my son, Captain Henry Ommanney Love, of H. M.
S. Columbine, now on the Jamaica station, to inform your Lordship, that
I have every reason to believe that the invention and application of pad-
dles to steam-vessels rests entirely with him, and was submitted to per-
sons of distinction, and in high official situations, as far back as Christ-
mas last ; and that a model was transmitted accordingly to a Lord of the
Admiralty. I have the honor to be &c.

(Signed)

" W. Love.

The following is an extract of a letter from an officer
belonging to the Columbine, dated Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes,
Jan. 28th, 1833 :—

" On the morning of the 22d, a signal was made for a ship on shore
to windward : ours was instantly made by the Pallas frigate. Captain

* See Suppl. Part . 232, and Vol. HL Part II. p. 71, et scq.

COMMANDKRd. 187

William Walpole, to render iissistaiu-c, ami off we (<tiirtotl, imd worked up
and found her with her head in lie breakers, and her water line two fet't
out of water. As there was no time to he lost, and no etteotual assistance
could he afforded hut hy ani'horin<,'the Columldnc witliiu acalde's lenjrtii.
Commander Love <fot into the ptr, leavini^ directions for the first lieu-
tenant to stand in l)oldly, and to let jjo the anchor whenever he should
hold up his hat. This was promptly done, and the distance was so for-
tunately judjred, that after throwini^ all the sails flat aback, in order to
lay the chain cable as taut as possible, and veerin/^ out to the clinch, we
just reached the shii) "" *''^ rocks, wifh the stream cable passed out of
our stern port into her cabin window, and then hove as great a strain as
it was possible to bear. Wc then commenced removini,' part of her cargo
to schooners sent round for the purpose, assisted by the hoats of the
Pallas and Arachnc, and had the satisfaction of getting her afloat, after
forty-eight hours of incessant labour. She is now in the Carenage, ready
for heaving down. Dtiring the whole time we had not a hammock
down, or a watch below ; tlicre was not an experienced man in the whole
island, hut considered it as impossible, and nothing but the instant deter-
mination and exertion, joined with the most fortunate circumstances,
could have accomplished it. We are to sail to-morrow with troops for
Antigua, and to carry others to Demerara."

The Columbine was paid off at Sheerness, on the 1 2th Mar.
1834, after having been netirly four years in commission,
during Avhich time she did not lose a man through sickness.
Previous to their separation, her officers gave Commander
Love a parting dinner, " in token of their respect and es-
teem."

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WILLIAM SMITH (/>), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 14th July, 1813. We first
find him serving under the late Captain Thomas Alexander,
C. B., with whom he arrived at Rangoon, in the Alligator 28,
to assist in subduing the Burmese, Jan. 22d, 1825. The
following is an outline of his services during the advance of
the invading forces upon Ava.

On the 16th Feb. the water column, under Brigadier-Ge-
neral Cotton and Captain Alexander, moved up the Panlang
river ; and next day three unoccupied stockades were de-
stroyed at Thesit. A few milts above that place, a division

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COMMANDERS.

of bouts, commanded by LieutoiKint Smith, had two men
mortally wounded by musketry frt)m a stockade, which our
sailors soon burnt to the ground, the enemy flying as they
advanced to storm it. During the night of the IHth, some
formidable tire-rafts were launched by the enemy; but,
owing to the activity of Lieutenant Smith, their effect was
totally lost. On the 19th, the extensive stockade of Panlang
and its outworks were takrn ; on which occasion the Briga-
dier-General, in a letter to Sir Archibald Campbell, com-
mander-in-chief of the army, thus expresses himself: —

" The alacrity, zeal, and coura/^e manifested by the officers and men,
collectively and individually, I l)cg to bring to your notice. I have re-
quested permission of Captain Alexander to express my obligations to
Lieutenant Smith, of H. INI. ship Alligator, for the gallantry and judg-
ment with which he has conducted the light division of boats ; and I beg
leave to bring him to your particular notice. He has mentioned to mc,
that he has derived great assistance from Lieutenants Keele and Kellett,
of the royal navy *."

The light division was very actively and usefully employed
during the operations against Donoobew, in Mar. 1825. On
the 1 st April, Lieutenant Smith assumed the direction of a
breaching battery mounting four brass 12-pounders. After
the capture of that place. Sir Archibald Campbell and Captain
Alexander sent despatches to their respective superiors of
which the following are extracts : —

" I now beg leave," says the former, " to acknowledge my obligations
to Captain Alexander, C. B., senior naval officer, and commanding the
flotilla, for his hearty and cordial co-operation on all occasions since we
have served together, and for his very great exertions on the present occa- ,
sion, in bringing up stores and provisions. Since we have been before
Donoobew, eleven of the enemy's large class war-boats have been captured
by our advanced boats, under his own immediate orders ; making, with
others, evacuated by their crews, thirty-eight first rate war-boats now in
our possession ; and I have evcrj' reason to think that only five of the
large scjuadron the enemy had stationed at this place, have succeeded in
escaping. A vast number of other boats, of an excellent description,
have also fallen into our hands. By Brigadier-General Cotton, and all

•!* See A'f/vl Operatwns hi Av(t, p. 1\, et seq.

COMMANDERS.

189

the ufllcers embarked, the zeul and iucesHunt lubour of IIU Muje^ty's na\'y
lire mentioned in terms of hi^h admiration."

** In my former despatch," says (.'aptain Alexander, " I j,'ave you the
names of all officers and yonng jjentlemen commandinj^ l)»)ats •, and I
apain request you will l)e pleased to recommend them to the favorable
attention of my Lords Conunissioncrs of the Admiralty, nith tlie seamen
and marines I have had tite itleasure to command, their conduct having
been such as to merit the highest encomiums — their privations, hardships,
and fatigue, during upwards of six weeks, l)y day and night, in open
boats, have !)cen borne with cheerfulness, and every duty performed with
alacrity.

" Of Captain Chads I can only say, he has fully supported his former
character, and has my best thanks. I trust I may !)e allowed to name my
first Lieutenant, Smith, an already distinguished officer. iVlr. Watt, sur-
geon of the Arachne, a volunteer, has been of moLt essential service in
attention to the sick and wounded."

On tlic /th April, ** by the exertions of the bouts under
Lietitenaiit Smith, sent on by Captain Alexander to super-
intend the passage of the river," Sir Archil)ald's advanced
guard, consisting of two European regiments, was crossed
over to Sarrawah, and by the 12th, the whole of the land
column was on the left bank of the Irrawaddy. After tlie
occupation of Prome, the light division, under Lieutenant
James Wilkinson, of the Liffey, captured eight war-boats,
pulling from fifty to sixty oars each, and another laden with
guns, jingals, and spears.

In Sept. 1825, Lieutenant Smith was employed as a nego-
ciator at Meady, in conjunction with Lieutenant- Colonel
Tidy f. On the 2d Dec, he assisted at tiie capture of nearly
three hundred boats, laden with arms, ammunition, grain,
and military stores. On the 5th, he a^iisted in con)pleting
the discomfiture of the Burmese army ; and on the 26th we
again find him selected to act as a diplomatist J. About this
period he was appointed to the Boadicea frigate. Commodore

M

* Lieutenants Smith, Keele, Kellett, and Bazely ; acting Lieutenan
Hall; Mr. Reed, master's-mate ; and Messrs. Duthy, Hand, Pickey,
Lett, Coyde, and Murray, midshipmen.

■f- See Naval Operations, p. 90, et sey.
X See Id. p. 103.

:

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190

COMMANDERS.

Sir James Brisbane; and on the 19th Jan. 1826, he com-
manded that ship's hmnch at the capture of Melloone, on
which occasion a very ample magazine of grain, seventy-six
guns, ninety jingals, seventeen hundred muskets, two thou-
sand spears, eighteen tliousand round shot, a (piantity of
quilted and loose grape, one hundred thousand musket halls,
more than twenty ton.s of gunpowder, an immense (piantity
of refined saltpetre and sulplnn-, upwards of a ton of i\n-
wrought iron, eigliteen war-l)oats, fifty-seven accommodation
and store boats, nearly t.iree hun(h-ed canoes, and about
seventy horses, fell into tiie hands of the victors *. In less
than three weeks afterv/ards, the operations of the British,
by land and water, had released from tiie tyranny of the
enemy above 2r),0fK) persons, inhal/it<ints of the lower pro-
vinces, who hud been driven before tlie retreating forces,
many of them ever since Ihe comnienoement of the war. The
light division, under Lie'itenaiit Smith, sidjscqucntly libe-
rated numerous canoes, and was very active in annoying the
enemy's out posts.

The subject of this sketch was made a commander on the
22d July, I82() ; appointed to the Philomel sloop ii> April
18.31 ; and paid off, on his return from Gibraltar, where he
had been for some time stationed, Sept. 16th, \82'd.

CHARLES KEELE, Esq

FouiiTH son of John Keele, Esq., many years a respectable
surgeon at Southampton.

This officer entered the royal navy in April 1807, as nud-
shipman on board the Superieure sloop, conmianded by his
gaUant relation, the late Captain Hdward llushworth, and
then fitting out, at Portsmouth, for the West India station ;
and continued to serve under tiie same gentleuuvn, in various
vessels, until he gave up the command of the Satellite sloop,
in April, 1809. He next joined the Caledonia 120, flag-ship

Soe Xiivul Oftrrat'tonx, p. 10!'

libe-

COMMANDICRf.

101

I

of Lord (iivmhicr, coinmiindor-in-chicf of the Channel fleet;
and afterwards the Hoyne 98, bearinjjf the flnj^ of Sir Marry
Neale, otf Rochcfort, in which ship he continued until Jidy
1811. We afterwauls lind him on board tha Harbadoes 2S,
Captain Uushworth, olf Cherbourg.

On the 7th Sept. 1811, the Barbadoes, tlien in company
with the Cioshawk sloop, and cruisins^ to the eastward of Cape
Barfleur, fell in with seven French gun-brigs, coming from
Boulogne, each mounting three long 24- pounders and a mor-
tar, and manned with 7''> men. These the ]?arbadoes and
her consort immediately attacked and chased into Calvados,
driving one of them on shore. On the f()llo\ving day, one
of those vessels was sunk, and two others driven on the
rocks, by the Hotspur frigate, Captain the Hon. .losceline
Percy, which ship unfortunately grounded when witiiin gun-
shot, and lay exposed to a heavy fire from the brigs and the
shore for four hours, sustaining a loss of five men killed and
twenty- two wounded *.

The Barbadoes subsequently escorted a large fleet of
merchantmen to Jamaica, where Captain Ilushworth was
prematurely cut off, June 14th, 1812, in the twenty-fifth
year of his agef. From thence, Mr. Keele returned home
in the Thetis frigate. Captain W. H. Byam, which ship was
paid off at Chatham, in Sept. 1812 :|:. He then joined the
Java frigate. Captain Henry Lambert, fitting out for the
East India station ; and on the 29th Dec. following was very
severely wounded in action with the United States' ship
Constitution §. Among the mortally wounded on this oc-
casion was his brother Edward, only tliirteen years of age,

* See Siippl. Part I. p. 187.
t Captain Rusliworth was the eldest son of Edward Rnsliworth, Esq.,
by the Hon. Catherine Rnshworth, dauirhter of the late Lord Ifohncs,
and j^randsou of Captain Rushworth, R. N., who died in 1780. Ilia
remains were deposited near those of his maternal greai ancle, who died
at Jamaica in 17^0, when commander-in-chief on that station. See Xav.
Chnm. vol. 28, p. 2(i4.

X SecSuppl. Part II. p. .313.
§ See Vol. HI. Part I. pp. 217—251.

^.^

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192

COMMANDKKS.

;ind then on his fii'Ht voyjigc : — 'I'he foUowinj^ is an extract
of a letter written l)y one of the Java's oflicers, dated at St.
Salvador, Brazil, Jali. 2()th, 1813:—

" My <loar frioiKl, — I hiiv« a most unpleasant coniinission for you, or
ratluM", it woul<l be boUcr for B. to brnik it to his father, which is the
(loath of poor younir Koelc ; ho was badly wounded in the aetion, and
ol»lined 1(» have his lejjf uniputated, and in conse(|uenec died the next
<lay : — he was a fine eourai>eoU8 little fellow. The ehler Keele also,
poor fellow ! was very severely wounded in the arm, but is now <piite out
of dar\yer, and the limb safe. Hie younjrest eontinued to shew the
same uiiilannte!l spirit to the last ; when the action was over, he en-
quired if tlie sliip had struck, and seeing*- a shiji's colour spread over
him, he j>rew uneasy, until convinced it was an l')ni>lisli lias''. The wound
the elder received must have proceeded from a shot passim,'' between his
arm and side ; he was ]);irticularly noticed by his superior otlicers, for
his great coidness and bravery in action." ******

On his return to Enpfland, after heiiig exehaugcd, Mr.
diaries Keele joined the Hivoli 7^» t^aptain (now Sir Graham
E.) Ihunond, littiiii>; out for theMediter.anean station ; where
lie was servinjr when the war with France terminated, in
1814. He then, together with many other young men who,
like himself, had passed their examination, volunteered his
services against America, and was returning home from
Genoa, passenger on board the Edinburgh 74, Captain John
L. Manley, when he found at Gibralttir an oflicial notification
of his promotion, by commission dated Sept. 24th, 1814,
appointing him lieutenant of the Uivoli.

The rock being then under (piarantine, and having no im-
mediate prospect of obtaining a passage to Genoa or Malta,
Lieutenant Keele continiied in the Edinburgh until her arri-
val at the Motherbank, when he reported himself to the
Admiralty, and was immediately ordered back to the Medi-
terranean, in the Clorinde frigate. Captain Samuel G. Pe-
cliell. In the mean time, Rear-Admiral Penrose had se-
lected an officer to supply his place, and although Lieutenant
Keele presented himself on board the Rivoli, he was told
that he must await further orders before he could be received,
except as a supernumerary. In consequence of this, he waa
precluded sharing prize money as a commissioned officer for

COMMANOBRk. ^^^

the capture of the French frig.ite Melpomdnc, intercepted
on her passngc from Elliii to Naples, during the 100 days
war*. In the short but spirited action which took place on
this occasion, Lieutenant Keele, who invariably performed
the duty of a commissioned officer, received a severe blow
from one of the gun-breechings giving way. The Hivoli
brought her prize to Portsmouth in Feb. 1810; and was
soon afterwards paid off.

Mr. Keele remained on half-pay from this period \mtil
Nov. 1823, when, after repeated solicitations for employment,
he was applied for by his friend Captain II. D. Chads,
and accordingly appointed first lieutenant of the Arachne
sloop, fitting out for the East India station. The manner
in which he accpiitted himself while serving under that offi-
cer will be seen by the following outline of the operations in
which he was engaged during the Burmese war.

After touching at Lisbon, the Cape of Good Hope, Mau-
ritius, Trincomalee, and Madras, the Arachne proceeded to
co-operate with the expedition under Sir Archibald Campbell,
K. C. B., at Rangoon, where she arrived, and her commander
assumed the direction of the naval force attached to the in-
vading army, Sept. 15th, 1824.

On the 21st and 24th of the same month. Lieutenant
Keele, then commanding a division of gun- vessels and row-
boats, assisted at the destruction of eight stockades on the
Panlang river f. He subsequently connnanded the naval
part of an expedition sent to reduce and occupy the city of
Martaban, situated at the bottom of the gulf of that name,
and about 100 miles to the eastward of Rangoon. The force
under his orders consisted of six gun-vessela, one mortar-
boat, seven row-gun-boats, (and an armed transport; the
latter having on board four hundred and fifty troops, com«
manded by Lieutenant-Colonel Godwin.

On the 27th Oct. this little armament entered Martaban
river, and succeeded in destroying about thirty of the enemy's
war-boats, two of them pulling fifty oars each, and the whole

.

• See Vol. II. Part I. p. 298.
VOL IV. PART II. O

t See p. 162

I ■,

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i

I

194 (n\IM.\M>KRS.

armrd with nuiskrts, speurs, suid swivels. On l\\v '21)lh,
wlu'ti c'losinuf tlu' town, thr transport ^romuli'il too fur otV
to inako tisr of hor carronadcs with j^ootl ctToct, Tlic
Hnnnt'so thon op«MU'(l their lire from a storka<lr, which was
rrtin-nrd hy all tho row-hoats, fonnini? a line dose alont;-
shoro, until after snnset; the niortar-vessel likewise took
her position, under Captain Konnan, of the Madras artil-
h'ry, and kept tip a well-direete<l tire the whole nitrht,
killintjr, from repm't, ij^reat nnnihers of the enemy. The
defences of Martahan are thus descrihed hy Lietitenant-
Coh)nel (Jodwin : —

" Tli(> placr iTsts lU, tlio bottom of a voiy lilnk Mil. wnsliod l»y a Ix'iiii
tilul iinil cxtciisivc sInTt of walrr ; on its riiflU a rorKy iiio\m<l, on
which m»s plurd a t\v(»-fruii !>atf(>ry, uifli a thM'p nnUah niwhT it. 'fhin
hatlory oonnnjinicatcs uith tho ti.siial stockade «>r liiiihi-r, and h<'liind thin
a work of niasonry, varying' IVom twchc to twenty I'cct thick, vifh small
cini)rasun\s for citluM- cannon or nniskclry. The stockade runs nhmj;-
the margin of the water for more than three-<|n!\rters of a mile. wl\ere
it joins a Iar>>e pa^tMhi, wlindi projects into the \\at(>r in the form of a
l)asti(m. The defences then contiinie a short distance, and end at a nul-
lah, on the other side <if which all is thick jmiLjIe. The town continues
to run in an an!>le way fron> the ])ai;'oda for at least a mile, and termi-
nates in the iionse «>f the Alayoon, close to a stockade up the hill. The
whole defence is the water line, with its tlanks protected. The n-ar of
the town and work ia composed of thick jiini>le and lari^e trees, and open
to the sunujiit."

" At f) o'clock in the uiornini; of the 30th," says the
lieutenant-colonel, " the men composing; the first division
were in their boats — ninety-eij?ht of II. M. 41st regiment,
seventy-live of the 3d native light infantry, eight of the
Bengal artillery, and thirty-eight seamen of the royal navy;
and I was fully aware that these men would luivo the busi-
ness to themselves, as 1 had no where to wait for the remain-
der of the force, and every boat was already occupied."

" The advance sotuuled a little after five, and the boats rowed otf, and
soon came nnder a very heavy tire of all arms. On approachinfr the
shore, 1 perceived there had been a niisiiuderstanding with respect to the
spot at which I wished to land, and that we had t;;ot on the wron^if side
of the nullah. As we eould not carry the ladders throujfh the intid, I
onlered the bouts to push olf and put in at the place I appointed ; at

')}

roMMANDKHS.

IDa

(IiIh liiiic, II liravy fire of iirtillcry iiiul iiniHkctry was on iis, iiiid t/ir Luk-
nirs u'ouhl iiiif J'arr it. Linitcniuit, Kccic, ol' (he AriM-lmc, coiniiiarMrmK
llic iiiiviil force witli iiic, piislicd on sliorc, and |fiill!uitly went to wrc if
the nnlluli conld Ik* passed : lie came hack almost directly, and informed
me there wuh h hoat. i'l the nnllali, over which the men conhl f^o, and
that the si(h* of the rock to the hatlcry a|i]teiircd practicalth', 'I'mstinj,'
to the /,ndhintry of the peophi with me, I determined to try it ; and from
tlie men ;j:etiin;r on shore, there was not a halt till w(' hud possession of
it. It was stormed under a heavy fire of mnsketry ; the enemy did n(it
leave the fort till we were within a few paces of them, and they even
threw stones at ns, when we were too much under the fisrt for their (ire
to reach us. // in tlur to (!it/)fi/in Ihrn'ini'cx, nf II. l\l. Wat ri';;-!iii(;iif, <inil
l/ii'iitrniint Kmh; It. N., tit .wt/ t/iri/ irrrc in Jinf. I now felt secure of
the j)lace, and after wailinif till the men had recovered from the exer-
tion, aitd to ^'■(•t them t<»t;cthcr, they rnarclied down aloii'f the; works, and
cleared all liefore them. On miirchiii^' tlir(»Uf;h tlic town it was, as
usual, (lesertc.l, except hy a {.^n-at many women. The emptiness of the
houses shewed every preparation had been made, if the place was cap-
tunid, to prevent our ^ettin;,' any property. 1 enclose a return of the,
.t,nins taken, as al.^o the onlnance stores; the (piantities (»f the latter are
immense, kc|»t in a stockade ahoiit half a mile up the hill, and a regular
nuinufaelory to make the |>ow(ler. Our lo.^s has hecn comparatively
small — seven Killed and ftuirteen wounded. In this iinmcnsc place, with
so many facilities to escape, I cannot (^uess what thi^ enemy's h)ss may
have been ; hut from the prisoners, of wh»»m we have a j^reat many, and
from other sources, it must have, heen f^reat ; as allowinif that two-thirds
of the nund»er reported were \vit,'>in this place at the attack, there, must
have been between three and four thousand."

The ordiiiiMce Jiml stores captured at Martal)!iii consiHted
of sixteen ^iiiis of various calibre, one hundred wall-pieces,
live hundred muskets, seven thousand round shot, one thou-
sand five hundred grape, one hundred thousand nuisket balls,
nine thousand ))ouiuls of lead, twenty thousand flints, ten
thousand musket cartridges, six thousand ditto for wall-
pieces, twenty-six thousand five hundred pounds of loose
gun-powder, ten thousand pounds of saltpetre, and five tliou-
saiid pouiuls of sulphur. The Hon. Company's gun-vessel
Phatiton was found at this place, with her crew in irons.
Her commander had put into Martaban by mistake, and
was then a prisoner at Ava.

The loss sustained by the naval detaclmicnt was two men
killed, one dangerously wounded, and tliree severely. In con-

o 2

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COMMANDERS.

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'. -'s

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eluding his report to Sir A. Campbell, the Heutenant-colonel
expresses himself as follows : —

" Wliere every oue contended honoraldy, it would be difficult to selec t
for your particular notice. * ♦ ♦ « Lieutenant Keeh, of the
Arachne, Lieutenant Barely, of the Sophie, and theif respective crewSf
behaved ii'ith their usual gallantry. Lieutenant Keele^s unremitting ea'er^
tions with this little force, us also the share he has taken in the fall of the
place, together with the good understnndirg kept up between the services^
I leave for you. Sir, properly to appreciate."

At the same period, Lieutenant-Colonel Godwin addressed
the following private letter to Lieutenant Keele : —

" Martaban, Nov. \st, 1824.
♦' My dear Sir, — Tlie events of yesterday, in which you bore so con-
spicuous a part, call upon me thus early to offer you my warmest acknow-
ledgments of your g'allantry and judicious conduct, which tended so
much to place this town in our possession, and I shall be most happy to
state to Sir Archibald Campbell how much he owes to your l)ravery and
talents on this occasion. Believe me, my dear Sir, ever most faith-
fully yours,

(Signed) " Hy. Godwin, Lieut.-Col. 4 1st Regt."

Sir Archibald Campbell describes the capture of Martaban
as " an achievement no less honorable than beneficial to the
British arms, reflecting the highest credit on every indivi-
dual composing the force employed." On the 26th Nov.,
Mr. Secretary Swinton wrote to Sir Archibald as follows : —

" The Governor-General in Council commands me to express his fullest
concurrence in the tribute of applause which you have bestowed on Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Godwin, and the officers and men under his command,
and on Lieutenant Keele and the seamen of the royal navy, composing
the expedition fitted out against Martaban.

" The ability and judgment with which Lieutenant-Colonel Godwin
planned the attack, and the gallantry with which the place was carried
by the small force of 220 men, against the numerous and well-armed
troops of the enemy, reflects the highest credit on the professional cha^
racter of the officers in command, and the cool and resolute intrepidity
of the handful of men by whom so important and brilliant an exploit
has been achieved.

" His Lordship in Council accordingly desires, that you will be pleased
to express to Lieutenant-Colonel Godwin the very high sense which
Government entertain of his conduct on this occasion. You ivill also be
pleased to coni'ey to Lieutenants Keele and Bazely, of H. M. sloops

COMMANDERS. 197

Armhne and Sophie, the acknowleilgments of the Goi'enior-Gencrul in
Council /or the zealous and gallant edcrtiuns of themselves and the British
seamen under their command."

After arranging matters at Martaban, Lieutenant-Colonel
Godwin despatclied a party against Yeh, situated to the
eastward, which fell witliout resistance. By the capture of
tliese places, the British obtained the command of all the
Barman sea-coast to the eastward of Rangoon.

In Jan. 1825, shortly after his return from Martaban,
Lieutenant Keele, with forty-eight officers and men under his
command, accompanied Lieutenant-Colonel Elrington to the
attack of a strong hill fort, situated on the left bank of the
J'egu river, about eight miles from Kangoon, and the pagoda
of Syriam, five miles in the interior. The troops employed
on this occasion landed on the 11th about three quarters of
a mile from the fort, and the advanced party moved on until
stopped by a deep, unfordable nullah, the bridge over which
had been removed, purposely to check their progress : to
make another, with planks brought for the occasion, gave the
blue jackets an opportunity of displaying their usual activity,
skill, and steady courage. On this point the enemy kept up
a very galling fire, by which nearly thirty men were killed
and wounded, including six belonging to the navy. In a few
minutes, however, the bridge was laid, by the sailors swim-
ming across with planks ; two gun-boats were also brought
up the creek. On the soldiers gaining the opposite bank,
and rushing upon the works, the enemy instantly fled, al-
though the place was capable of making a formidable resis-
tance. Four guns were found in the fort, and upwards of
twenty swivels. At the attack of the Syriam pagoda, next
morning, the sailors assisted in manning the scaling ladders,
and " Lieutenant Keele ivas the first over" the outer stock-
ade. " Here ended the military operations, for the enemy made
no further resistance, and parties were immediately formed
to burn and destroy the works." Lieutenant-Colonel El-
rington, in his official letter on this occasion says, " the naval
part of the expeditiony under the orders of Lieutenant Keele,
was most nobly conducted." In a letter from Commodore

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198

COMMANhERS.

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1 1

Coe, to Captain Cliads, dated Mar. 29th, that officer says : —
** I liave to acknowlcdt^e the receipt of your communications
of the 14th and 17th Jan. last, and feel much gratified by tlie
continued and successful exertions of the officers, seamen,
aud marines, under your command, to whom I am as^ain to
request you will convey my warmest thanks, more particularly
to Lieutenant Charles Keele, of the Arachne."

On the 5th Feb., an expedition was sent to open a passage
up the Lyne river ; the military part under Lieutenant Colonel
Godwin, and the naval, consisting of the Satellite armed
transport, the Diana steam-vessel, the Hon. Company's
cruiser Prince of Wales, fifteen row-gun-boats, seven
boats belonging to H. M. scjuadron, and several flats and
canoes, under the command of Captain Chads. On the 6th,
at five P. M., the Satellite, towed by the Diana, advanced upon
Than-ta-bain, a strong and imposing position, upon the point
of a peninsula, measuring three-quarters of a mile on its
water front, built of teak-timber, very high, strongly stock-
aded, and abattised down to the water's edge, but entirely
open in the rear. The boats, in three divisions, were led by
Lieutenants Keele, Kellett, and Fraser. The result is thus
officially stated by Lieutenant-Colonel Godwin, who was with
Ca2)tain Chads on board the armed transport : —

" The SiitolHte laid her hroadside on so adinh-uljly. as to enfilade the
whole of the prineipal works. At half-inusket shot we were received
with thirty-six pieces of artilleiy, independently of jingals. This was
forcibly replied to by the <^nns of the Satellite, assisted by Cai)tain Gra-
ham of the Bengal rocket troop, who by his most excellent practice, from
the steam-boat, surprised them with an arm of defence that will prove a
most formidable weapon. I soon perceived the work all around was
easily assailable, and in ten minutes after the siijiud was made the place
was stormed. The resistance within was trifling, althougii the place was
garrisoned by two thousand fighting men. The enemy suffered severely,
and were followed for a mile and a half. I have again the pleasure to
mention the name of Lieutenant Keele, of H. JM. sloop Araehne, who
with Lieutenant Hall of the Alligator, iro'e the first to enter the enemtfs
position, and their conduct was most conspiciujus : these \vere followed
by Captain O'Reilly, with the grenadiers of If. M. 41st regiment. Our
loss, I am most happy to say, is comparatively nothing ; and this is ac-
coinitcd for by the boats containing the trorjps being kept under the

K> n

COMMANDERS.

190

land, out of the cuciny's fire, till they were orilercil to Htorin by big-
mil *.

Immediately after the capture of the Than-ta-bain stock-
ade, Captain Chads sent boats up both branches of the river,
under Lieutenants Keele and Kellett, who took and destroyed
many of the enemy's war-boats. On the morning of the 7th
Feb., Lieutenant Keele was again sent up the Panlang branch
to explore ; and Captain Chads, accompanied by Lieutenant-
Colonel Godwin, went up the main branch for the same pur-
pose. Both parties met with and destroyed hundreds of fire-
rafts and canoes similarly prepared, lying on the banks for
upwards of fifteen miles, some of which the enemy lighted
and launched as the boats approached. The following is an
extract of a letter from the Secretary to Government at Cal-
cutta, addressed to Sir Archibald Campbell : —

" I am (lircoted to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch relative to
the capture of the strong post ot Thau-ta-hain or Quangalec, l»y a detach-
ment of troops under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel (Jodwin,
aided hy a party of seamen under Captain Chads, and Lieutenants Keele
and Hall.

" The Governor-General in Council is happy to observe in the signal
and complete success which attended the operations against Than-ta-bain,
the same jiulgment, energy, and skill, on the part of Jjieutenant-Colonel
Godwin, which distinguished his conduct on the occasion of his being
detached against Martabau, and which again demand the uutiualified ap-
probation and applause of his Lordship in Council.

" To Captain Chads the Governor-General in Council desires to ex-
press his constant acknowledgments for the distinguished .share he bore
in the action. His Lordship in Council has also noticed, with particular
satisfaction, the characteristic gallantry displayed by Lieutenants Keele
and Hall, of H. M. ships Arachne and Alligator, who, with their boats*
crews, were the first to cuter the enemy's post, followed by Captain O'
Reilly of the grenadiers of H. M. 41st regiment. His Lordship in Coun-
cil requests that these sentiments of the Supreme Government may be
conveyed to Captain Chads, and Lieutenants Keele and Hall, through the
senior officer of His Majesty's ships, &c."

(Signed) ** Geo. Swinton."

" Fort William, 18M March, 1825."

From this period Lieutenant Keele appears to have been

* One seaman drowned; four sailors, three soldiers, and two lascars
wounded.

I I *

m

1, .

\ I

1 '

111 J,

^M

li

200 COMMANDERS.

thrown somewhat into the back-ground ; captains senior in
rank to his gallant friend having successively arrived in the
Irrawaddy, and naturally placed in the most prominent situ-
ations those with whose merits they were better acquainted.
Had Captain Chads retained the uninterrupted command of
the naval force in Ava, it is not to be doubted that the " fire
eater,'* as he was once so aptly designated by a late witty
member of parliament, would have invariably selected him to
be his second in every hazardous enterprise. During the ad-
vance upon, and operations against, Donoobew, he was at-
tached to the light division of the flotilla, under the orders of
Lieutenant (now Commander) William Smith, of whose ser-
vices at that period we have recently made mention *. On
the 14th April, 1826, Sir Archibald Campbell wrote to Cap-
tain Chads as follows : —

" Dear Sir, — In observing with the greatest pleasure the promotion
which has taken place in the navy lately sening with the army in Ava, I
much regret to remark the name of your first lieutenant, Mr. Charles
Keele does not appear in the list of promotions, feeling as I do the meri-
torious services of Lieutenant Keele, than whom no officer had more
frequent opportunities of distinguishing himself, and having been chief
in naval command at the taking of Martaban, on which occasion Lieu-
tenant-Colonel GodAvin acknowledges the unportant aid he derived from
the seamen under the command of Lieutenant Keele : that service alone
win, I should hope, still insure him his promotion. In conclusion I have
only to add, that if it is in any way in my power to contribute the name
of Lieutenant Keele to the favoral)le notice of tlie Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty, it will afford me much pleasure. I remain, my dear
Sir, yours very faithfully,

(Signed) " Archibald Campbell, Major-Gcueral."

On the 22 d July, 1826, Lieutenant Keele, then first of the
Alligator 28, to which ship he had been removed with Cap-
tain Chads, was advanced to the rank of commander, but he
did not hear of his promotion until her arrival at Portsmouth
in the end of that year. Previous thereto, Captain Chads had
addressed a letter to the Admiralty, of which the following
is an extract :

* See p. 187, it scq.

!" '1

COMMANDERS.

2()l

from

alone

I have

name

ssioners

dear

C(

I beg leave to bear most ample testimony to his forward
gallantry on all occiisions. From the time of my going to
Rangoon till tlie final treaty of peace at Yandaboo, he was
with me, and by his steady good conduct tended very con-
siderably to procure for the naval service those high enco-
miums that have been bestowed on it, and to myself indi-
vidually he has been of the greatest service."

On the night previous to his arrivalatSpithead, the subject
of this memoir nearly lost his life in attempting to save a
shipmate from a watery grave. The Alligator was paid off
at Plymouth on the 3d Jan. 1827, since which Commander
Keele has made many applications for employment, but with-
out success.

THOMAS FRASER, Esq.

Third and youngest son of the late Vice Admiral Alex-
ander Fraser, Equerry to H. R. H. the Duke of Cambridge,
by Helen, eldest daughter of John Bruce, Esq., Advocate,
and Collector of the Customs in Shetland *.

We first find this officer serving as admiralty midshipman
on board the Leander 60, Captain Edward Chetham, at the
battle of Algiers, in Aug. 1816. His promotion to the rank of
lieutenant took place on the 1 6th of the following month, but
his commission appears to have been dated back to the 5th, in
order to give him precedence of others who did not happen
to be so highly connected. He subsequently served under
Captain William Ramsden, in the Scout sloop, on the Medi-
terranean station; and, in Mar. 1823, was appointed to the
Larne 20, Captain Frederick Marryat, which ship he com-
missioned at Portsmouth on the 1st April. Previous to his
sailing for the East Indies, he assisted in taking round to the
Downs the Ramillies 74, and bringing back the Severn frigate.
The following is au outline of his services during the Bur-
mese war.

i ij

* See Vol. I. Part II. p. 458, et seq. ; and the Addenda, &c., at the end
of this volume.

1

! I

1

f

>i

'202 V O M M A N n K u s .

Ill the hoginnincf of Msiy 1824, he caiij^ht the jimcfle fever,
while iiidefatii^ahly exertiiiif himself in proeurintj a supply of
water for the Rangoon expedition, assenihled at Port Corn-
wallis, in the f^reat Andaman island *. On the 3d June fol-
lowinj^, two bouts under hia directions, proceeding from
Rangoon to Kemmendine, in advance of arecoiuioitringforce
headed by Sir Archibald Catiipbell, " carried a small stockade
and brought oft' an 18-pounder carronade : they were after-
wards engaged under a most harassing fire of great guns and
musketry from another stockade, and suftered severely,
though infinitely less than could have been expected on such
service." On this occasion, the senior naval ofticer present
officially reported, that " he had every reason to be much
satisfied with the co-operation of Lieutenant Thomas Fraser,
who commanded the Larue's pinnance, and whose exemplary
zeal and gallantry were both conspicuous f."

The numerous fire- rafts which the enemy sent down from
Kemmendine, had hitherto kept the naval force at Rangoon
in a constant and harassing state of exertion. The inces-
sant annoyance experienced from these attacks rendered it
necessary that the stockades which commanded that part of
the river should be occupied by the British forces ; ami they
were accordingly attacked and carried on the 10th June.
About three thousand troops were employed on this occasion,
commanded by Sir Archibald Campbell in person : the naval
force consisted of two of the Hon. Company's cruisers, six gun-
vessels, six row-boats, and a proa, the whole under the com-
mand of Lieutenant Fraser, whose official report is given in
p. 12, et seq, of our " Narrative of the Naval Operations."

On the 8th July, being then in command of the Satellite
armed transport. Lieutenant Fraser accompanied Sir Archi-
bald Campbell to the attack of a fortified and commanding
point of laud, which not only obstructed the navigation of
the river above Kemmendine, but affijrded an excellent situa-

* See Naval Operations in Ai'a, (Appendix to Vol, 111. Part I.) p. A.

t Sec id. p. 11.

J com-
'en in

comm.wdkhs.

203

tioM for tlio construction of firc-rafts, by t!»c judicious cin-
ploynipiit of which the enemy coiitemphited the dostruction
of our shippini^. To this post the Burmese seenuulto attach
the i^reatest iniportancc, and their stockades, three in nund)er,
were so constructed as to alford mutual support, presentiufj
difticulties apparently not to be overcome withcmt a preat
sacrifice of lives. *' f therefore resolved," says Sir A. Camp-
bell, " to try the eflFect </f shellhi!/, and consulted with Cap-
tain Marryat upon the employment of sucli armed vessels as
he mi<?ht select to breach, in the event of our mortar practice
not succeeding. The shells were thrown at too great dis-
tance to produce the desired effect, and the swampy state of
the country would not admit of any advance. The armed
vessels, viz. the Satellite, Teignmouth, Thetis, and Jessey,
the whole under the command of Lieutenant Fraser, of H.
M. S. Larne, now took their stations according to a disposi-
tion made by Captain Marryat, and opened a fire which soon
silenced that of fourteen pieces of artillery, besides swivels
and nuisketry from the stockades, and in one hour the pre-
concerted signal of ' breach practicable' was displayed at the
nuiin-mast-head. The troops, as previously arranged, entered
their boats on the signal being hoisted. The assaidt w.^s
made in the best order and handsomest style : * * * *
the enemy kept up a sharp, but ill directed fire, while the
troops were landing, but, as usual, fled on our making a lodg-
ment in the place ; * * * * the second stockade was
carried in the same style ; the third was evacuated by the
enemy. * * * * f o the officers and men of the breach-
ing vessels every praise is due ; and I much regret that
severe indisposition prevented Captain Marryat from being
present to witness the result of his arrangement *."

On the 11th July, Captain Marryat wrote to the senior
officer on the East India station as follows : —

" When I sent away the expedition, under Lieutenant Fraser, on the
/"th instant, I could only nmslcr three officers and twelve men fit for duty.

* See Xaval Operations, p. 19.

'i I.
',1

ir

■ •{

I 4

ll

204

COMMANDKRS.

The conduct of Lieutenant Frascr, in the several expe<lition8 which lie
has commanded, has been that of a gallant and steady ofHcer.*"

On the 8tli Au^., a detachment of 400 men, commanded
by Lieutenant-Colonel Kelly, proceeded in boats up the Dalla
river, accompanied by a party of seamen and marines of the
Larne, under Lieutenant Fraser.

" After entering a large creek on the east side of Dalla,
and proceeding two miles, two stockades were observed, one
on each bank of the river, immediately opposite to each
other, and both in commanding situations, particularly that
on the left bank, which the lieutenant-colonel instantly de-
cided on attacking. The boats were hove to for a short time,
to maUe the necessary preparations ; and as soon as these
were completed, the whole moved on under a heavy fire from
the guns and musketry in both stockades. The landing was
effected under an incessant fire from them, and after great
labour and exertion in getting through the mud, which was
remarkably stiff, and thigh deep, the scaling ladders were
placed, and the stockade stormed and immediately carried.
Some of the troops then re- embarked, crossed the river, and
took possession of the opposite stockade. In his ofilicial
report to Sir A. Campbell, the lieutenant-colonel expressed
himself " highly indebted to Lieutenant Fraser, whose un-
remitting exertions, throughout the affair, greatly contributed
towards the success of the day f." In a letter addressed to
the senior officer of H. M. squadron on the East India sta-
tion. Captain Marryat says, "the gallantry of the officers
employed in this expedition deserves the highest encomiums.
I am sorry that our list of killed and wounded is so heavy | ;
but it will be accounted for when 1 state, that in these attacks
the Lascars, who man the other boats, will not pull into the
fire unless they are led by the officers and men of H. M.
sloop the Larne. §"
On the 2d Sept., Lieutenant Fraser accompanied Captai'i

* See A'mutf Operations, p. 21 . f See id. p. 24

X Four killed, fifteen wounded. § See A'uval Operations, p, 25.

m

roMM.VNDKRS.

2():>

Marryat to the Dalla creek, for the purpose of dislodging the
Burmese from the stockades which they had re-occupied.
Two mr)rtar vessels and one gun-boat having been anchored
within six hundred yards of the enemy's works, and the other
gun-boats having taken up a more advanced position, in a
battering line, the whole opened their fire at 6 a. m., which
was smartly returned by the enemy, both with guns and
musketry. At 9 o'clock, a detachment of row-boats, with
troops under the command of Major 11. L. Evans, pulled up
the creek. By this time, the enemy's great guns were
silenced, and their magazine blown up ; they still, however,
held possession of the stockades, and maintained a constant
fire of small arms.

The ditches of these works had been so widened as not to
allow the scaling ladders to be planted, and a strong chevaux-
de-frise was found placed across the creek to impede the ad-
vance of the flotilla. The original intention of storming the
stockades from the river side was therefore abandoned, and
Major Evans determined to attack the smallest in the rear.
At half-past 9, he landed with J 50 men, forced his way
through the jungle by single files, and succeeded in dislodging
the Burmese. Possession having been gained, the advance
was sounded, and the boats pulled up to the main stockade,
which was stormed without loss, the enemy retreating into
the jungle. From the precision of the mortar practice, and
the excellent fire of the gun-boats, which had completely
riddled the stockades, the enemy's loss must have been con-
siderable. Leaving a sufficient force to defend the stockades,
Captain Marryat and Major Evans then pushed higher up
the creek, where they discovered between twenty five and
thirty boats and canoes, laden with arms and ammunition,
the whole of which were either destroyed or brought away.
In his official letter on this occasion. Captain Marryat says,
" the zeal and activity of Lieutenant Fraser was as highly
satisfactory to me as creditable to himself *."

,* See Ndi'iil Operations, p. 26.

I i

206

COMMANDERS.

The ciipturcd stockades now became tlvo site of constant
warfare, the enemy provhig extremely tenacious of any pas-
siige being opened up the creek leading to Thon-tai (the
capital of Dalla, and the retreat of the Rangoon people, who
had resisted the decree for a levy-en-masse) . The flotilla
and troops left to defend these works were every night as-
sailed with musketry from the surrounding jungle, and the
officers and men of the navy were constantly in their boats,
watching, grappling, and towing away fire-rafts.

On the 5th Sept., at midnight, a straggling fire was again
heard in the direction of the Dalla stockade, and shortly
afterwards a rocket was thrown up, the signal previously
arranged with the detachment, in case of immediate assist-
ance being required. With the advantage of a strong flood
tid<;, the boats of the Larne proceeded rapidly to the point of
contention, where a heavy fire was exchanged ; and as their
approach could not be perceived, in consequence of the
smoke, the officers atid men cheered, to announce that sup-
port was at hand ; and they had the satisfaction to hear it
warmly returned, both by the military and those afloat. The
attacks of the enemy had been simultaneous ; the gun-ves-
sels in tlie creek having been assailed by a number of war-
boats, while the troops on shore were opposed to a force
estimated at from fifteen hundred to two thousand men.
Upon perceiving the boats of the Larne advancing a-head of
the gun-vessels, the J3urmese war-boats made a precipitate
retreat. Chase was immediately given, and five of them,
which had been most severely handled, and could not keep
up with the main body, were successively boarded and car-
ried. " The active and zealous support which he received
from Lieutenant Fraser," on this occasion, was publicly ac-
knowledged by Captain Marryat *.

On the 9th Sept., Lieutenant Fraser was sent to search for
the passage up to Thon-tai, by way of the Dalla creek, but,
after an absence of three days, he returned without having
been able to find it. While on this service, two persons

* See Nfivaf Operations, p. 29.

)iistant
»y pas-
!vi (the
[e, who
flotilla
ght as-
ind the
r boats,

IS again
shortly
eviously
e assist-
ig flood
point of
as their
; of the
hat sup-
hear it
at. The
gun-ves-
of war-
force
nd men.
head of
ecipitatc
of them,
not keep
and car-
received
jlicly ac-

earch for
eek, but,
it having
persons

COMMANDEKS. 207

under his command were wounded, by musketry from the
shore*. * .

The scurvy was now making a rapid progress among the
crew of the Larne, in consequence of their having been for
four months confined to a diet of salt and damaged provi-
sions, added to a total privation of vegetables, and the usual
effects of a long continued wet season. Captain Marryat, there-
fore, supposing that a period of at least six weeks must elapse
before active operations could be re-commenced, determined
upon proceeding to Penang, where those comforts essentially
necessary for the recovery of his crew were then most con-
veniently to be had. In reply to Captain Marryat's repre-
sentation of the inefficient state of the Larne, Sir A. Camp-
bell says, — " In taking, I hope, a very short leave of your-
self, and the officers and men of the Larne, I shall not dwell,
as I otherwise would, on the valuable and ready aid I have
invariably received from you all, since the commencement of
the present service, embracing duties of perhaps as severe
and harassing a nature as ever were experienced by either
sailors or soldiers, and under privations of the most trying
nature. Any number of Malay sailors you may retpiire, to
assist in navigating the Larne to Penang, are at your ser-
vice.

At the rec^uest of Sir Archibald, Captain Marryat left his
first lieutenant, William Burdett Dobson, and sixteen of the
Larue's crew, in charge of the Satellite, stationed at Pagoda
Point f. He then dropped down the river, with only
twenty-seven of his original officers and men on board,
leaving the naval force at Rangoon under the command of
Captain George F. Ryves, of the Sophie sloop, the only ves-
sel of war belonging to his Majesty, then attached to the
invading army J.

On the 24th Dec, the Larne returned from Calcutta; and
soon afterwards, the army and flotilla received large rein-
forcements from Bengal, Madras, Ceylon, and Chittagong.

* See Naval Operations, p. 30. f See p. I (12.

X See Naval Operations, ji. 31.

^1

#

'.'• 1

¥ ,1 ,

S "1 '

208

COMMANDERS.

In the beginning of 1825, Sir Archibald Campbell and
Captain H. D. Chads, of the Arachne sloop, then senior
naval commander, prepared to advance upon the Birman
capital. The joint crews of the Arachne, Larue, and Sophie,
including supernumeraries, and the officers and men employed
in the flotilla, at this time amounted to no more than 237
persons *.

On the 11 th Jan. and following day, Lieutenant Fraser
assisted in driving the enemy from the old Portuguese fort,
and doubly stockaded pagoda" of Syriam : " his steady
bravery and good conduct" on this occasion was officially
reported f. On the 6th Feb. he commanded a division of
boats, under the orders of Captain Chads, at the capture of a
formidable stockade at Than-ta-bain, the particulars of which
service have been given in the preceding memoir J. On the
17 th of the same month, the Larne sailed from Rangoon, ac-
companied by the Hon. Company's cruiser Mercury, and
the Argyle transport, with 7^0 troops under Major Robert
H. Sale, for the purpose of attacking Bassein, on the west-
ern branch of the Irrawaddy. After a tedious passage, this
little armament arrived off Great Negrais on the 24th Feb. ;
and next day, the boats of the Larne, under Lieutenant
Fraser, were sent in to reconnoitre, and sound the passage,
in the execution of which service they received a harmless
fire from two stockades, apparently full of men, and distant
about a mile from each other. On the 26th, at daylight,
the Larne and her consorts stood in ; the M ercury, on ac-
count of her light draught of water, taking the lead. At
noon, the first stockade commenced firing ; and shortly
afterwards the Larne and Mercury took their positions,
within one hundred yards : the enemy soon fled, and the
troops landed and occupied the work. The second stockade
was taken in the same manner, without loss ; both of them
were burnt, and their guns, &c. either brought off or de-
stroyed. On the 27 th, at dark, the expedition anchored

* See iVaval Operations, p. 62.
t See id. p. 63. J See p. 198.

C0MMANDER3.

209

about thirty-five milcB above tlie entrance of the river. From
this point, the stream being very narrow, and the wind blow-
ing strong down every reach, the ascent became extremely
arduous ; the ships often getting on shore, towing and warp-
ing day and night, till the evening of the 3d March, when
they anchored about three miles below the town of Bassein,
then in smoking ruins and deserted by its garrison. Finding
this to be the case. Major Sale immediately landed his
troops, and took post in the area of the principal pagoda, a
strongly fortified and commanding position. He subsequently
made a reconnoissance as far as Lamina, with three hundred
troops and seventy seamen, proceeding up the river in boats,
under the command of Lieutenant Fraser, and bivouacking
at night upon the banks. All the villages he passed were found
deserted, the population having been driven into the interior
by the retreating Burman warriors. Lamina, also, although
a place of great extent, was found abandoned. On the 23d,
he returned to Bassein, bringing with him a state barge and
several war canoes. During this excursion, two men were
wounded by musketry from the jungle, five died from fatigue
and privation, and many others became incapable of service.
On the 26th Mar., the Larne weighed and dropped down
to Naputtah, a considerable village, which had accepted
British protection. On the 28th, he proceeded against the
town of Thingang, situated up a branch of the river leading
to Rangoon, taking with him fifty seamen and marines, twelve
sepoys, and fifty villagers whom he had prevailed upon to
fight against the Burmese, and armed with swords and spears.
At 3 P. M., while forming for the attack of a force reported
to consist of eight hundred men, a canoe came off witli intel-
ligence that the enemy would submit to his terms : these
were, that all arms should be surrendered, that one hundred
and fifty Naputtah men, then detained there to be forwarded
to Donoobew, should be liberated and provided with canoes
to return to their homes, and that the Wongee of the town
should be placed at his disposal. This personage, who had
commanded 1000 men at the attack of Rangoon, and been

VOL. IV. PART TI. P

' M

ui

So' :!■

5-"

i)

": If

210 COMMANDKUS.

invested with tlie gold chattali, was brought luray as a pri-

soner.

On the night of the J^Oth, the same force Avas sent, under
Lieutenant Fraser, to surprise the village of Pumkayi, where
the enemy were stated to he three hundred strong, and com-
manded by another gold chattah chief. The attnck was
successful ; the Burmese submitted to the terms proposed,
and the Wongee, who had fled into the jungle, was followed
and taken by the Naputtah men, who, in consequence of
their good conduct, were now entrusted with muskets. A
party of one hundred men, the only force that remained be-
tween Negrais and Bassein, subsequently sent in their sub-
mission.

The conduct of Lieutenant l'>aser during the above opera-
tions was reported to Captain Alexaiuler, then commanding
the naval force before Donoobew, in terms of high com-
mendation.

On the 15th April, 1825, Captain Marryat assumed the
command of the Tees 2(5, at Rangoon ; and on the 8th of the
following month, the Larne took her final departure from
thence. The manner in which she was subsequently em-
ployed will be seen by reference to our memoir of Com-
mander John KingcomCj under whom and his successor.
Commander W. B. Dobson, Mr. Fraser continued to serve
as first lieutenant, until Aug. or Sept. 1820, when he was
removed into the Athol 28, at Trincomalee. I lis pronu)tion
to the rank of commander took plcice at home, July 22d, 1820.

ALLEN FRANCIS GARDINER, Esq.

Youngest son of Samuel Gardiner, Esq., of Coombc
Lodge, CO. Oxford.

This oflicer wp.s made a lieutenant on the 13th Dec. Ihl4 ;
appointed to the Leander 60, fitting out for the flag of Sir
Henry Blackwood, .hdy 29th, 1819; removed to the Daunt-
less 24, Captain the Hon. Valer.tine Gardner, on the ^ast
India station, May 1 1th, 1S20 ; and advanced to the iauk of

,s a pri-

, under
i, where
ul com-
ick was
roposed,
followed
iience of
kets. A
lined be-
leir sub-
ire opera-
manding
gh com-

imed the
Hh of the
:ure from
Mitly em-
of Coni-
luccessor,
to serve
■n he was
ironiotion
•2d, 18*20.

COMMANDKKS. 211

commander on the 13th Sept. 1820. He married, in July

1 823, J ulia Susanna, second daughter of John Reade, Esq.,

of Ipsden House, co. Oxford; which lady died at Godshill
J'arsonage, May 23d, 1834.

RICHARD OWEN, Esq.

Son of a clergyman in county Wexford, Ireland. He
entered the royal navy in 181 1 ; obttiincd tlie rank of lieu-
tenant in Feb. 1821; and was appointed to the Leven 24,
Captian W. Fitzwilliam Owen, fitting out for a scientific
voyage, Nov. 14th, 1821 ; since which period he has been
almost constantly employed as a maritime surveyor, on the
African and West India stations. He was made a commander
in Sept. 1820; appointed to the Blossom sloop, May S/th,
1829; and is now continuing his surveys in the Thunder,
which vessel sailed from England on the 28th June, 1833.

JAMES COOPER BENNETT, Esq.

Seiivisd as midshipman on board the Sybille 44, bearing
the flag of Sir Charles Rowley, commander-in-chief at Ja-
maica ; and was made a lieutenant of tliat ship in Aug. 1821 .
He obtained his present rank on the 20th Oct. 1820 ; and is
now inspecting commander of the coast guard at BelmuUets,
Ireland.

hi

1 '■ ' ;

m

5Q.

Coombc

|ec. Ihl4;

ig of Sir
[e Daunt-

the East
Ic iiiuk of

WILLIAM HEWErr (/>), Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1805 ; passed his examination
in June 1812 ; and was promoted into the Inconstant frigate.
Captain Sir Edward Tucker, on the South American station,
Sept. 10th, 1814. During the last fifteen years, he has com-
manded the Protector and Fairy, surveying vessels, on the
North Sea station. His promotion to the rank of commander
took place on the 8th Nov. 182(5.

I. 9

I 1:

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COMMANDERS.

WILLIAM HENVEY, Esq.

Passed his examination in Jan. 1813 j obtained his first
commission on the 3d Mar. 1815; and was promoted to the
rank of commander Nov. 17th, i826.

WILLIAM DANIELL, Esq.

Passed his examination in April 1813 j obtained his first
commission on the 16th Sept. following; and was appointed
to the Crocus sloop. Captain Arden Adderley, in Jan. 1814.
He subsequently served under the flag of Lord Exmouth, in
the Boyne and Queen Charlotte, of which latter ship he was
sixth lieutenant at the battle of Algiers. His promotion to
the rank of commander took place on the 22d Nov. 1826.

JOHN CORNWALL, Esq.

Eldest son of the late John Cornwall, Esq., of Hendon,
CO. Middlesex ; and grandson of the first Viscount Gardner.
He was born on the 22d Jan. 1795 ; made a lieutenant in
April 1815 ; and promoted to the rank of commander, Nov.
22d, 1826. He married, Dec. 5th, 1822, Charlotte Susan,
daughter of Sir John Gregory Shaw Turner ; and his young-
est sister, Sophia, has since been united to the Rev. Robert
William Shaw, son of the same baronet.

ROBERT SHARPE, Esq.

Knight nf the Royal Portuguese Order of the Tower and Stcord.

Obtained his first commission on the 13th Mar. 1815;
and was a lieutenant of the Windsor Castle 74, Captain (now
Sir Charles) Dashwood, when King John of Portugal took

COMMANDERS. 213

refuge on board that ship, at Lisbon, in May 1824, His

promotion to the rank of commander took place Nov. 24th^
182G.

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WILLIAM CARLETON, Esq.

Son of the late General Carleton. Obtained his first com-
mission on the 18th July, 1810; served during the latter part
of the war with France, in the Royal George, first rate, Cap-
tain T. F. C. Mainwaring, on the Mediterranean station ;
and was promoted to the rank of commander, Dec. 2d, 1826.
He married, in 1832, Rosamond, daughter of the late Lieu-
tenant-Gencral Orde, of Westwood Hall, Northumberland.

WILLIAM TUCKER (A), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 26th Dec. 1822 ; and served
with great credit under Commodore Bullen, on the African
station, in 1824,5, and 6.

On the 6th Sept. in the latter year, after capturing a beau-
tiful Spanish schooner, the Nicanor, with 176 slaves on board.
Lieutenant Tucker, then commanding the Maidstone's ten-
der, Hope, a schooner of five guns and twenty-six men, was
ordered to scour the Bight of Benin, and examine more
particularly Lago, Whydah, and Badagry. At Whydah
there were no less than twelve vessels waiting for slaves ;
and one of these, a Brazilian brig of nine guns and seventy-
six men, was taken by the Hope, after a gallant action of
two hours and a half. A letter written by an officer of the
squadron gives us the following particulars : —

" One of those vessels, a fine brig of 287 tons, had just come over from
Rio Janeiro, with her water filled, slave-deck laid, and farina and yams
on board. She was by her papers allowed to take 701 slaves. After ex-
amining her. Lieutenant Tucker was convinced she would be off in the
course of a day or two ; and, running out of sight, placed himself in a
situation likely to intercept her. As he suspected, so it turned out, for

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COXIMANDKRS.

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the Hope was uo sooner lost sight of, thuii the brig Itcgun to cinhurk
slaves, and in the course of three hours put to sea, with 58/ men, woiiiou,
and children on board. The next morning Tucker saw her, not far off,
and, after a chase of twenty-eight hours, began an action with her, which
was severely contested for two hours and a half, when, the Hope having
two guns dismounted. Tucker made up his mind to board her, he being
at this tune slightly wounded. Under a fine young man (IMr. Robert
Lamport Pengelly) who headed the boarders, a sharp conflict took place,
but the Brazilians at length laid down their arms and Civlled for quarter.
Pengelly was shot in the side in boarding, but went on. The brig had
thirteen men killed and twelve wounded : the Hope not a man slain, and
oidy three persons wounded : three of the poor Africans were killed and
eleven wounded.

The commander of the Hope and his gallant assistant were
both promoted on the 9th Dec. 1826. The former married,
in Oct. 1827, Susannah Fortune, third daughter of Thomas
Selby, Est]., of Otford Castle, Kent ; the latter was lately
serving as lieutenant of the Asia 84, on the Mediterranean
station.

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FRANK RAMSDEN, Esq.

Passed his examination in Feb. 1816; obtained his first
commission on the 7th Nov. 1818; subsequently served as
lieutenant of the Prince Regent 120, bearing the flag of Sir
Benjamin liallowell in the river Med way ; ai'(^ was promoted
to his present rank on the 15th Dec. 1826.

BENJAMIN MORTON FESTING, Esq.

Son of Commander H. Festing, R. N., who died at Ando-
ver, in 1807; and nephew to the late Vice-Admiral Sir
Richard GrindiUl, K. C. B.

This officer obtained his first commission on the 19th Feb.
1812 ; and served, during the remainder of the war, as lieu-
tenant of the Eagle 7'^} Captain (now Sir Charles) Rowley,
on the Mediterranean station. In Nov. 1814, we find him
sailing for the East Indies, in the Tyne 24, Captain John

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COMMAS DEtt.S.

215

IJarpor. In April 1810, he was appointed to the anw non
sloop, Coiiiniandei* W. J. Mingay, on the Portsni' uth sta-
tion lie was promoted to his present rank, iJcc. 22<l,
182G.

One of Commander Festing's brothers, (Robert Worgan
George) is a captain in the royal navy ; and two others (Col-
son and Thomas Colson) are lieutenants.

WILLIAM NEHEMIAH CLARKE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the lOtli Sept. 180G; and com-
mander, Dec. 28th, 1826. During several years of the late
war, he served under various commanders, in the Redwing
sloop, on the Mediterranean station.

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WILLIAM HEWGILL KITCHEN, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 12th May, 1808 ; advanced
to his present rank m the beginning of Mar. 1827; and ap-
pointed an inspecting commander of the coast guard, July
6th, 1830. He married, in 1820, Miss Bell, of Shields, co.
Durham.

RICHARD STUART, Esq.

Obtained hi'^, first commission on the 14th June, 1809 ;
and was slightly wounded while commanding a boat belong-
ing to the Cumberland 74, at the capture and destruction of
a French convoy, in the bay of Rosas, Nov. 1st following *.
His promotion to the rank of commander took place Mar.
12th, 1827.

See Siippl. Part III. p. 15.9.

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316

tOMMANDKRS.

JAMES CIIEAPE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 5th Sept. 181C j antl coni-
muiuler Mar. 1 2th, 1827.

JAMES CREAGH, Esq.

Passed his examination in June 1816; served as mid-
shipman at the battle of Algiers, and obtained his first com-
mission on the 16th Sept. in the same year. He was made
a commander Mar. 31st, 1827.

EDWARD STEPHENS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Mar. 1796; and commander on
the 1 1 th April, 1817- He married, in 1815, Miss Jane Com-
bcii, of West Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Tliis officer is the author of ** A Plan for Renovating the
Navy, by removing the Aversion of Seamen, and establishing
a System that would insure its future Prosperity,"— pub-
lished in 1819, pp. 33, price 2*.

iU

CHARLES ENGLISH, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 21st Mar. 1812. He sub-
sequently served under Captains Charles Dashwood, Robert
Preston, Robert Tait, and G. H. Guion; in the Cressy 74,
Euphrates 36, Larne 20, and Tribune 42. His commission
as commander bears date April 17th, 1827.

This officer married, Oct. llth 1834, Jemima Georgiana,
only daughter of the late James Garden, Esq., of Bedford
Square, London.

COMMANDERS.

217

GEORGE SHEPHERD DYER, Esq.

Son of John Dyer, Ebq., late Chief Clerk of the Admi-
ralty.

Thisoffic'cr was made a lieutenant on the Ist April, 1823 ;
promoted to his present rank, April 17th, 1827; and ap-
pointed an inspecting commander of the coast guard, April
17th, 1832

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PARKER DUCKWORTH BINGHAM, Esq.

Son of the late Rear- Admiral Joseph Bingham, by Sarah,
second daughter of the late Admiral Sir William Parker,
Bart.

This officer was made lieutenant into the Myrmidon 20,
Captain H. J. Leeke, on the African station, April 28th,
1821 ; and promoted to the rank of commander, April 26th,
1827. He married, in 1833, Emily, eldest daughter of Major-
General Payne, of Weybridge.

I

EDWIN RICHARDS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in April 1811; appointed to the
Pactolus frigate. Captain the Hon. F. W. Aylmer, Sept.
14th, 1813; and promoted to his present rank on the 28th
April, 1827. He has since been employed as an inspecting
commander of the coast guard.

if

JOSIAH OAKE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Mar. 1815 ; appointed to the
Adventure surveying vessel. Captain William Henry Smyth,
Jan. 23d, 1821 ; and advanced to the rank of commander,
April 28th, 1827.

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COMM.WDKKS.

ill

JOHN J5AI,F<)l'R MAXWELL, Esq.

ENTKREn the royul navy in 1812 ; and served as niidsljip-
nian on board the Alccste frigate, Captain (afterwards ^ir
Murray) Maxwell, during Lord Andierst's embassy to China,
in 1816 — 7 *• l'« was made a lieutenant on the Cth April,
1820 ; appointed to the Briton frigate, commanded by Sir
Murray Maxwell, Nov. 30th, 1822; and promoted to the
command of the Chanticleer sloop, April 28th, 1827- His
last appointment was, June (Jth, 1833, to the (iaimet sloop,
on the Jamaica station, from whence he returned home in
1-cb. 1834.

HENRY ESCH ATKINSON, Esq.

This officer passed his examination in July 1813, at which
period he was a midshipman of the Vigo 74. He obtamed
the rank of lieutei^ant on the 16th Feb. 1815; and subse"
quently served in the Bacchus 16, Commander William Hill;
Brazen 26, Captain William Shepheard, on the Cape of Good
Hope station, from whence he returned home invalided in
1820; Queen Charlotte 108, flag-ship of Sir James Hawkins
Whitshed, commander-in-chief at Portsmouth; andBritomart
10, Commander Octavius V. Vernon, on the Jamaica station.
He was appointed a supernumerary lieutenant of the Hype-
rion 42, coast guard depot, at Newhaven, Aug. 23d, 1825;
removed to the VVeazle sloop. Commander John Dundas,
fitting out at Portsmouth, Mar. 9th, 1827; and advanced to
his present rank on the 30th of the following month.

* See Vol. II. Part II. ^^\^. 805-816.

tOMMANDKRS.

210

ALEXANDER SFIAIRP, Esq.

Oni'AiNKi) Ills first commission in Mar. 1815; and
siil)sf(|ueiitly served in the llochfort 80, and Heaver and
Nimrod sloops. Ne was made a communder on the SOtli
April, 1827.

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CHARLES HENRY SWINBURNE, Esq

Second son of Sir John Swinburne, Bart., F. A. S., by
Emma, daughter of Richard Henry Alexander Bennet, Es(j.,
of Beckenham, co. Kent, and niece to the late Frances Julia,
dowager Duchess of Northumberland.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 14th July, 1818;
appointed to the Glasgow frigate, Captain (now Sir Bentinck
C) Doyle, fitting out for the East India station. Mar. 26th,
1821 ; and promoted to the rank of commander April 30th.
1827. His last appohitment was, Sept. 7th, 1829, to the
Rapid sloop ; which vessel he paid off, at Portsmouth, July
15th, 1833. The following is his official report to Vice-
Admiral the Hon. Sir Henry Hotham, of a curious and inte-
resting discovery on the south-west coast of Sicily : —

" H. M. sloop Rapid, at Malta, Juhf 22d, 1831.

" Sir,— I have the honor to inform you that on the 11th of July,
1831, at 4 p. M., the town of Marsala hearing hy compass E. i N. 9
miles, I ohserved from on l)oard H. M. sloop under my command., a
his^h irrei^ular colunui of very white smoke or steam, hearinjjf S. by E.
1 steered for it, and continued to do so till 8-15, p. m., when havinj^ gone
about thirty miles by the reckoning, I saw flashes of brilliant light
mingled »vitli the smoke, wliich was still distinctly visible by the light of the
moon.

" In a few minutes the whole column became black and larger)
almost immediately afterwards several successive eniptions of lurid fire
rose up amidst the smoke ; they subsided, and the column then became
gradually white again. As we secured to near it fast, I shortened sail,
and hove to till daylight, that I might ascertain its nature aud exact p(t-
sition. During the night the changes from white to Idack with flashes,
and the cru])ti(»u of Are, coutinvied at irregular intervals, varying from

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COMMANDERS.

half an hour Ut an hour. At dayli,j>ht I agaui steered towards it, and
about 5 A. M., when the smoke had for a moment cleared away at the
base, I saw a small hillock of a dark colour a few feet above the sea.
This was soon hidden aj^ain, and was only visil)le through the smoke at
the intervals between the more violent eruptions.

" The volcano was in a constant state of activity, and appeared to be
discharging' dust and stones with vast volumes of steam. At 7-30, the
rushing noise of the eruptions was heard. At 9, being distant from it
about two miles, and the water being much discoloured with dark ob-
jects at the surface in various places, I hove to and went in a boat to
sound round and examine i*^. I rowed towards it, keeping on the wea-
ther side and sounding, but got no bottom till within twenty yards of
the western side, ^vhere I had eighteen fathoms soft bottom ; this was
the only sounding obtained, except from the brig, one mile true north
from the centre of the island, where the depth was 130 fathoms soft dark
brown mud. The crater (for it was now evident that such was its form)
seemed to be composed of fine cinders and mud of a dark brown colour ;
within it was to be seen in the intervals between the eruptions a mixture
of muddy water, steam, and cinders dashing up and down, and occasion-
ally running into the sea over the edge of the crater, which I found on
rowing round to be broken down to the level of the sea on the W. S. W.
side for the space of ten or twelve yards. Here I obtained a better view
of the interior, which appeared to be filled with muddy water violently
agitated, from which showers of hot stones or cinders were constantly
shooting up a few yards, and falling into it again ; but the great quan-
tities of steam that constantly rose from it prevented my seeing the
whole crater.

" A considerable stream of muddy water flowed outward through the
opening, and, mingling with that of the sea, caused the discolouration
that had been observed before. I could not approach near enough to ob-
serve its temperature ; but that of the sea, within ten or twelve yards of it,
was only one degree higher than the average, and to leeward of the island,
in the direction of the current (which ran to the eastward), no difference
could be perceived, even where the water was most discoloured ; however,
as a ' mirage* played above it near its surface, it was probal)ly hot
there. — The dark objects on the surface of the sea proved to be patches
of small floating cinders. The island or crater appeared to be 70 or 90
yards in its external diameter, and the lip as thin as it could be, consist-
ent with its height, which might be 20 feet above the sea in the highest,
and six feet in the lowest part, leaving the rest for the diameter of the
area \vithin. These details could only be observed in the intervals be-
tween the great eruptions, some of which I witnessed from the boat. No
words can describe their sublime grandeur ; their progress was generally
as follows : — After the volcano had emitted for .some time its usual quan-
tities of Mhitc stcum^ suddenly the whole aperture was filled with an

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221

enormous mass of liot cinders aiul dust, rushing upwards to tlio height
of some hundred feet, with a h»u<l roariiif*- noise, then faHinj;- into tlie sea
(Ui all sides with a still louder noise, arising in part, perhaps, from the
formation of prodigious (luantities of steam, whieh instantly took plaee.
This steam was at first of a brown colour, having eml)odied a great deal
of dust ; as it rose it gradually recovered its pure white colour, deposit-
ing the dust in the shape of a shower of muddy rain. While this was
being accomplished, renewed eruptions of hot cinders and dust were
quickly succeeding each other, while forked lightning, accompanied by
rattling thunder, darted about in all directions within the column, now
darkened with dust and greatly increased in volume, and distorted by
sudden gusts and whirlwinds. The latter were most frequent on the lee
side, where they often made imperfect water-spouts of curious shapes.
On one occasion some of the steam reached the boat ; it smelt a little of
sulphur, and the mud it left became a gritty sparkling dark brown pow-
der when dry. None of the stones or cinders thrown out appeared more
than half a foot in diameter, and most of them nmch smaller.

" From the time when the volcano was first seen till after I left it, the
barometer did not fall or rise; the sympiesometer underwent frecjuent l)ut
not important changes, and the temperature of the sea did not bespeak
any unusual influence.

" After sunset, on the 18th, soundings were tried for every hour, to
the average depth of eighty fathoms, no bottom. The wind was N. W.,
the weather serene.

" On the forenoon of the 1 9th, with the centre of the volcano bearing
by compass S. by W. J W. one mile distant, good sights, for the chrono-
meter gave the longitude 12o 41' East ; and at noon on the same day,
when it bore W. by N. ^ N. by compass, the meridian altitude of the
sun gave the latitude 37° 7' 30" North ; an amplitude of the sun the
same morning gave the variation of li point Avesterly. It is worthy
of remark, that on the 28th of June last, at 9-30 p. m., when passing
near the same spot in company with the Britannia, several shocks

of an earthquake were felt in both ships.

(Signed)

I have the honor to be, &c.
" C. H. Swinburne."

The appearance of this volcanic island, in Aug. 1831, is
thus described by Mr. Alick Osborne, surgeon of the Ganges
84, Captain George Burdett : —

*l'^

" On the 19th, we got sight of Graham Island in the afternoon ; it is
about twenty-seven miles from Sciacca on the southern coast of Sicily,
lat. 37<* 11' N., long. 12° 44' E. It appeared two hummocks, united by
a lower neck of land ; and from the southern extremity emitted a column
of smoke or vapour of uncertain density and magnitude. On the 20th,
after diligently working to windward all night, wc approached the island

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COMMANDERS.

considcralily; and the breeze sprinsfinj^ up favoiiraMe from the S. K.,
we were enul»led to heme to witliiii one mile distance, at ten oVdoek,
A. M. On (mr ajiproaeh to the ishmd we oltserved innnense shoals of
porpoises, and multitndes of sea-fowl, chiefly jjnlls, attracted, no douht,
by the fish whicli may have been destroyed by the late volcanic erup-
tions. It was very remarkable what a reffular distance these voracious
tribes kept from the land, about four or five miles, not one being ob-
served near the shore on our visit to the volcano.

" The island appeared al)out 160 feet hijjfh, presenting a various as-
pect, as the bearing by compass altered ; but in general, that of two lon-
gitudinal hills connected by intermediate low land, sending up smoke or
vapour in abundance. On the western and highest part we observed the
union flag of England waving majestically over this new and aj)palliug
scene of danger and desolation. At ten a. m., the boats were lowered
down and manned ; and in pursuance of previously concerted arrange-
ments with the connnander-in-chief, all officers impelled by curiosity or
science, desirous of witnessing the phenomenon, took their places in
them accordingly.

" We pushed off from the ship, made sail, and landed in a little bay
on the N. E. side of this sombre lonely isle. A boat from the St. Vin-
cent preceded us a few yards, and the bowman, an officer, ])repared to
be first ashore, touched the ground with the boat-hook, laid his weight
upon it, pushed it down the second time firmly, with a kind of apparent
misgiving of terrestrial stability, and jumped npon the beach. We were
all on shore in an instant, scampering up the hill to the flag-staflT, through
a dense, oppressive vapour of carburctted hydrogen gas. The flag-staflT
is on the highest j)oiTit of the island, bearing the luune of Lieiit. C(de-
mau, of the cutter Hind, and from it we had a bird's-eye view of the
wonderful scene.

" In the centre of the island, to the eastward of us, was a circular
basin, of about ninety feet diameter, of boiling salt water, of a dingy
red colour, from the peroxide of iron in solution. The active ebullition
from the centre, and emission of steam from the whole surface were evident
to every one. From the summit where we stood, this basin appeared
like a funnel a (piarter full, the bank shelving down in the same imagin-
U17 proportion. The vapour here was oppressive to most of us, aflecting
the digestive more than the respirator)' organs, producing nausea and
faintness, without any sense or feeling of .sutFocation. The pulse was
not affected in the least ; mine was 86, accelerated by the exertion of
<piickly ascending the hill, breathing a highly rarefied atmosphere, not a
little augmented by the internal caloric emitted copiously in vapour
from the earth, as well as the heat (»f a scorching sirocco sun, which was
extrenudy fervent this day.

** On the S. W. side of the island, adjoining the principal crater, was
a terrific cbullirion and agitation of tlie sen, evidenllythe commcMccMient

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223

of a new crater, with constant ascension of dense white steam, inipref]^-
nated with the carhuretteil hydroijen gas, whicli l)lackene(l the silver and
watches in tlie pockets of the observers. That this vapour was not ini-
pret^nated with sulpluir, I infer, first, from the absence of that peculiar
fetor, and its not atFecting the lungs ; secondly, from the colour of the
water in the crater, which, by coming in contact with sulphuretted hy-
drogen gas, would have l)een changed to a protoxide, and been black in
pla('(! of red. This last chemicid test I consider conclusive on this point ;
but it has been the custom to speak of sulphureous smoke, which, by-the
bye, may have been ejected in actual combustion, during the violence of
previous eruptions, but certainly not iu)w, in form of gas.

" On our descent, passing the nuu'gin of the crater, where it was not
more than twenty feet to the l)(>iliiig surface, I threw olf my jacket, and
jumped down, to the astonishment of all ])resent, anxious alike to pro-
cure something from the cauldron, and try the temperature of the water.
I plunged my hand into the margin, but cpiickly withdrew it, finding it
about 190" of Fahrenheit ; the reduction of twenty-two degrees being
easily explained, on reflecting on the extciuled surface becoming exposed
to the atmosphere in a basin, as before mentioned, of two Imndred and
seventy feet in circumference. The water was excessively salt, owing to
the continued evaporation, since the direct communication with the sea
has l)een closed (proba])ly with the last eruption), and appears something
lower than the sea, leaving evident nuirks of decrease on the coloured
masses of scoria round the margin.

" The island is about a mile in circumference, nearly round, or per-
haps an imperfect spheroid, indented at the ends, where the great crater
was at different periods connected with the sea. It is about one huiulrcd
and fifty or sixty feet high. The substance of which the island is com-
posed is chiefly ashes, the pulverised remains of coal deprived of its
bitumen, iron scoria, and a kind of ferruginous clay or oxided earth.
Ilie scoria occurs in irregular masses : some compact, dense, ami sonor-
ous ; others light, friable, and amorphous with metallic lustre, slightly
magnetic, barely moving the load-stone. I only procured oiuv native
stone, a piece of limestone about two pounds weight, thrown up with the
incumbent earth, having no marks of cond)U8tion. There was no trace
whatever of lava, no terra puzzolana, no pumice stone, no shells or
other marine remains, usually ftmnd at JFAna and Vesuvius. Around the
island, where Neptune makes his advances, the sides fall down m abrupt
precipices ; and we could discern every strata ejected by ea<'h separate
eruption ; the water evaporating, left an incrustation of salt, which now
appears a white, firm layer, plaiidy uiarking the regidar progress and
formation of the island. The surface of the island is likewise covered
with a shnilar incrustation, in some places so thick as to be visibly white
at some distance at sea.

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" From the nature of this isUin<l, there being no Itond of coherence
in its heterogeneous particles, and from the precipitous falling down of
its sides by the action of the sea, I am inclined to think, that there is not
the stability of permanence in its composition. The insatiable ocean
will encroach upon its base ; the wmds of heaven will scatter the dusty
surface to the four cardinal points of the compass ; the rain will dissolve
the saline bond of union, and the crumbling ruin will gradually sink and
extend its base, to a bank barely above the level of the sea. Its loss \vi\\
not be deplored, for the screaming sea-bird instinctively wheels and
directs his flight to a distant part of the ocean, to avoid the dark and
desolate spot ; and even the inhabitants of the deep seem to avoid the
unhallowed shore."

The following particulars respecting the disappearance of
this extraordinary phjBnomenon, appeared in the Nautical
Magazine for i\pi*il, 1832 : —

" On the 16th Nov. the island was seen by the master of a trading
vessel, between Malta and Rlarseilles, at \vhich time it had diminished to
within a very few feet above the surface of the water. The same person,
returning to Malta from Marseilles, having shaped a course for it from
Maritimo, with fine weather, passed within two miles of the place where
it had been, without seeing it.

" The master of another of these traders, on the 11th and 12th Dec.
obsei"ved the sea breaking over the place where it had been, but could
not see the island. Bad weather obliged him to bear up for Trapani,
where he was informed, l)y the officer commanding a Sicilian gun-boat,
that he had hoisted the Sicilian flag on the low hummock, which still
remained on the 1st Dec. and that, having I'eturned to it on the 9th fol-
lowing the whole had disappeared.

" The American brig Flora passed the situation of it on the IDth Dec.
being in lat. 37° 9' N. and long. 12° 43' E. at noon of that day. The
weather being fine, and the water smooth, an extensive reef was seen,
and this vessel passed about half a mile to the northward of it.

" The master of the Lady Emily (the government yacht of Malta)
passed the reef on the 9th Jan. and saw the sea breakmg on it ; and
the fishermen of Pantellaria assert that there was then six feet of water
on it.

" Tlie French Admiral Hugon searched for it unsuccessfully during a
whole day, previous to his arrival at Malta on the 14th Jan.

" Lieutenant Andrew Kennedy, commanding H. M. steam-vessel Her-
mes, passed it on the 4th and 5th Feb. and found a sensible change in
the smoothness of the water when under its lee for a short time, when
a heavy cross sea was running, and the wind was strong."

(OMMANDKUS. 225

The following official account of this bhoul is copied from
the Malta Gazette : —

" H. M. sloop Rapid, Au^. 2bth, 1932.
" Sir. — I have the honor to inform you, that, in compliance with your
order of the 18th June last, I have examined the spot where the volcanic
island appeared last summer. It has left a danujerous shoal, consisting
principally of black sand and stones, with a circular patch of rock in the
middle of it, about 42 yards in diameter, on which there are two fathoms
of water jBj'enerally, but on one spot only nine feet. All around the rock
there are from 2j to three ftithoms, deepeninjr gradually to five and six
fathoms at the average distance of 100 yards from the centre ; then more
rapidly to 10, 20, 30, 40, &c. fathoms. A small detached rock, with 15
feet water on it, lies 130 yards to the S. W. of the central patch. About
I of a mile N. W. of the centre there is a detached bank, with 23 fathoms
on it. All the rock appears to be dark colourcil porous lava ; and the
sand, which is extremely fine in the deepest water, is composed entirely
of particles of the same substance. By this the soundings near the shoals
may be distinguished, but it should be approached with great caution, as
a large extent of deep water discoloured, which lies to the south-west,
may be mistaken for it, while the real danger is seldom visible till it is
near, being composed of very dark-coloured materials, and it is so steep
that the lead cannot be trusted. Its latitude and longitude, as far as my
Ihnited means of obsen'ation enabled me to decide, are 37" 9' north, and
12° 43' east of Greenwich. In four days, during which the Mind was con-
stantly from N. W., currents were perceived from N. W., N., and N. E,,
the N. W. prevailing, and sometimes running at the rate of a mile an hour.
The temperature of the water, on and near the shoal, does not differ from
that of the sea at a distance. I have moored in three fathoms water, at
the N. W. side of the shoal, a water cask, painted white, with a pole on
it, surmounted l)y a white ball, and at the S. E. side of the shoal, in 3§
fathoms, a similar cask, painted black, bearing a black ball on a pole.
These two buoys are about 120 yards apart.

(Signed) " C. H. Swinburne."

" To Fice-Admlrul the Hon. Sir Henry Hothum,
K. C. B. 8fc. ^c. ^c"

Thus has a volcanic eruption become a most formidable
danger to our Mediterranean cruisers and trade.

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VOL. IV, PART II.

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226

COMM WDKRS.

JOHN RIVETT CARNAC, Esq.

JIInterko the royal navy in 1810; obtained his first com-
mission in Oct. 1818 ; and subseqiitntly served as lieutenant
of the Racehorse sloop, Captains the Hon. George P. Camp-
bell and Charles Abbot, in the Mediterranean ; Rochfort 80,
flag-ship of Sir Graham Moore, commander-in-chief on that
station ; Galatea 42, Captain Sir Charles Sullivan, fitting out
at Ucptford ; and Success 28, Captain James Stirling, em-
ployed in examining the western coast of New Holland,
previous to the establishment of the colony at Swan River *.
He was made a commander on the J^Oth April, 1827; ap-
pointed to the Wcllesley 74, Captain Samuel Campbell Rowley,
Sept. 2l8tj 1830 J and paid off from that ship Jan. 21st, 1832.

SPENCER LAMBART HUNTER VASSALL, Esq.

Eldest son of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Spencer
Thomas Vassall, H. M. 38th regiment, who, after twenty-
eight years of active and unremitting service, during which
he had acquired a high military reputation, ^vas mortally
wounded at the storming of Monte Video, Feb. 3d, 1807, at
the moment he had conducted his corps through the breach
in the walls of that fortress. The following is taken from a
printed memoir of that gallant officer : —

" Lieutenant-Colonel Vassall was the second son of the late John Vas-
sall, Esq., of the Crescent, Bath, and of Newfound River, in the island of
Jamaica. The latter derived his origin from a gentleman of the same
name, ^vho, as Riishworth informs us, fitted out two ships of war at his
own expence, and led them in person against the Spanish Armada, in
the year 1588. He also reckoned among his hnmediate ancestors Alder-
man Samuel Vassall, member in several successive parliaments for the
city of London, who took an active part in the political transactions of
his time. He was the first man in England who had the courage to

* See Suppl. Part IV. p. 2(M».

{OMMAXDKnS.

227

rofiise payment of the arldtrarv fax of tonnage and pountlufje. He was
one of tilt' three hundred nieinhers who sijifncd thi* protestation ♦o support
the ohuroh of England and the liberty of parliament ; and was appointed
one of the members of the council during the recess. Ilis name stood at
the head of the list of subscribers for raising money against the rebels in
Ireland ; for which purpose he bestowed the sum of 1200/. The son of
this Samuel Vassall afterwards embarked for America, and purchasing
two-twentieth shares of Rlassachussett's Bay, in New Enghmd, became
un original settler in that countrj', where the family henceforward re-
sided, and where the lieutenant-colonel and his father were both born,
the latter, who, at the commencement of the civil war, was a colonel of
militia, and one of his Majesty's council for the province of Boston, did
not attempt to conceal the sentiments of loyalty and attachment to his
sovereign, with which he wa.s animated ; and after many fruitless efforts
to support the royal cause, becoming at last convinced that any further
struggle would be ineffectual, he abandoned his native country and his
property, and came vv'ith his wife and children to England, supporting an
honourable independence on an estate which still beh)nged to him in the
island of Jamaica. Though his family was large, and the losses which
he had suffered in America were considerable, his high and noble spirit
would not allow him to accept of any remuneration for the sacrifices to
which his adherence to Great Britain had compelled hini to submit ; and
he contented himself with receiving back tliose advances which he had
actually made for the service of government. On being pressed by Lonl
(ieorgc (lermain, then H. M. secretary of state for the colonial depart-
ment, to bring forward his claims he modestly answered, * It shall never
be said, that I emigrated from my own ctmntry to become a charge on
this.' So ardent, indeed, was his attachment to our gracious sovereign,
that he never could be persuaded to use his family motto, ' Ssepe pro rege
semper pro republic.^ ;' because, though these words when properly con-
strued, are expressive of the purest patriotism, he w-as apprehensive lest
they might be misinterpreted, and considered as conveying a sentiment
unfavorable to monarchical principles. Such was the father of the gallant
Lieutenant-Colonel Vassall, who, from the first hour in which he became
a soldier, to the moment of his honorable death, seemed only to exist
for the profession which he had chosen, and for the country which he
seiTcd.

" The Vassall arms were a cup and sun ; a ship for a crest. The
lietitenant-colonel's descendants have been granted the foUowng heraldic
honors, commemorative of his heroic death : — The sun rising in full
.splendour from behind the breached bastions of a fortress, and above the
same, the words * Monte Video;' the number '38th' on a canton argent
within a branch of Cyprus and another of laurel, the stems uniting in sal-
tire ; and for their crest, on a wreath of the colours upon a mount vert,
a breached fortress, thereon hoisted a flag, gules, with tlie inscription

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228 COMMA<*nKRH.

'Montevideo,' in letters of gold ; motto, 'EvciyltnUet has its billet,'
supported by two colours on each side, half furled *."

Bcsidt'9 a M'idow (Catherine, daiii^litor of the Rev. I).
Evans, D. D., of f lavley Street, Loiulon, chupla'm to King
George 111., and reetor of West Tilbury, eo. Essex), Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Vassall left four ehildren to deplore his loss,
the elder of whom was not eight years of age at the time of
his father's death.

Mr. Si'enckr L. 11. Vassall entered the royal na^y in
May 1812, as midshipman on board the Venerable 74, Cap-
tain Sir Home Popham, and was present at the sueeessfiil
attack soon afterwards made upon the French troops in pos-
session of Lequitio, on the north coast of Spain, by a squadron
under the orders of that officer, aided by a body of guerillas.
fie subsequently witnessed the destruction of the fortifica-
tions of Bermeo and IMencia, the castle of Galea, and the
batteries of Algorta, Begona, El Campillo las Quersas, and
Xebiles ; the reduction of Castro, the attacks upon Puerta
Galletta, Guctaria, and Santander^ and the capture of the
castle of Ano f.

In April 1813, Mr. Vassall followed Sir Home Pophani
into the Stirling Castle 71 J fitting out for the conveyance of
the Marquis of Hastings to India. In June 1814, he was re-
moved into the Magnificent 74, Captain (nowSir VVilloughby
T.) Lake, with whom he proceeded to the West Indies. On his
return from thence, in Aug. 1815, he joined the Lacedemonian
frigate. Captain SamuelJackson ; and in Oct. following, sailed
with that officer, in the Niger 38, for North America. After
visiting Annapolis, Quebec, and Halifax ;{:, he was turned
over to the Harrier sloop, Captain Sir Charles T. Jones.

♦ When Lieutenont-Colonel Vassall observed any of his men stoop or
flinch, at the assault of Monte Video, he cried out as loud as possible,
" Brave 38th, my lirave men, don't liiiu-h ; crrri/ Indict lias its hlllet.
Push on, follow mo, ci8th !" lie rallied them repeatedly until he i^ot
them inside the breach.

t See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 523—527.
\ See Suppl. Part I. p. 278.

COM.MANDJiftS. 2*29

Jii June 1S18, he returned to Enghuul, for llie purpose of
passiuj^his e\;uninatioii ; tuul in Oct. foUowiiii^, \vc find him
on board the Ipliiirenia 42, Captain Hyde Pari-icr, destined
to Jamaica, where he was appointed an acting lieutenant of
that ship, by Sir Home Popham, Mar. Ilth, 1819. His
commission appears to have been confirmed at home, on the
3d July, in the same year.

Mr. V^assall's next appointment was, July 5th, 1820, totlie
Blossom 20, in which ship he served, under Captains Frede-
rick E. V. Vernon (now Harcourt) and Archil)ald M'Lcaii,
on the St. iJclena and South American stations, until Jidy
182-'?, when he was obli<;jed to return home, for the reco-
very of his liealth, whicli had been mucli impaired by two
attacks of jellow fever. In July 1824, lie joined the Prince
Regent 120, flag-ship of Sir Kobert Moorsom, in the river
Mcdway ; in July 1825, the Ranger 28, Captain Lord Henry
Thymic, fitting out for the South American station ; an»l in
April 1827, the Gang?-* 84, bearing the flag of Sir Robert
Waller OtM'ay, by whom he was promoted to the command of
the Eclair sloop, in the month of July following. His ad-
vancement to the rank of commander had then already taken
place, by commission dated April 30th, 1827- After pay-
ing ofl* the Eclair, in Sept. 1827, he remained on half-pay
till Nov. 24th, 1831, when he was appointed to the Harrier,
a new 18-gun corvette, of very superior construction, in
which vessel he is at present serving on the East India sta-
tion.

Commander Vassall's only brother is a captain in H. M.
78th regiment, the Highland, or Ross- shire. Buffs. His
eldest sister, wife of the Rev. E. P. Henslowe, chaplain in
the royal artillery, died at Tunbridge Wells, in Aug 1834 ;
his youngest sister is married to the Hon. T. Le Marchant
Sa\unarcz, son of Admiral Lord Dc Saumarez, G. C 13.

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coM.M \M)i;i;s,

HON. FRANCIS MAUDE.

Fifth and youngest son of CornwalUs, first Viscount
Iljiwardcn and Baron do Montalt, by his tliird wife, fsabolla
Elizabeth Stanley, sister to the first Viscount Monck*.

This officer was born in 1798 ; and made a lieutenant on
the 7th ()ct. 1820 ; previous to which he had been acting as
Buch in the Superb 78, bearing the broad pendant of Sir
Thomas M. Hardy, on the South American station. He
obtained the rank of commander on the 3()tb April 1827;
and subseciuently married Frances, second daughter of tlie
Hon. A. H. {'rooking, collector of H. M. Customs at St.
John's Newfoundland, and Member of the Council for that
island.

PERCY FRASER HALL, Esq.

A SON of the late V^ery i^ev. Charles Henry Hall, Dean of
Durham, who died in 1827, by the Hon. Anna Maria Bridget
Byng, third daughter of John, fifth Viscount Torrington, and
aunt to the present peer.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 16th Oct. 1821 ;
appointed to the Active frigate. Captain Andrew King, Feb.
25th, 1822; and promoted to his present rank April 30th,
J827. He married, Sept. 2.')th, in the same year, Amelia
Ourry, eldest daughter of the late Captain George Wolfe,
R. N., C. B.

THOMAS MAITLAND, Esq.

A Deputy Lieutenant of Berwickshire.

This officer entered the naval service in 1816; obtained his
first commission on the 16th May, 1823 ; and was promoted

* See Vol. IV. Tart 1. p. 424.

( um.mandkhs.

•231

to liih pi'Cbeni rank while bervinty under the Hag of Sir
l{o!)ert Waller Otway, In the Ganges &\, on the South Ame-
rican ntation, April 3()th, I827. Ho Mas iippointed to the
Sparrowhawk sloop, on the \N est India station, June 14th,
1832; and paid olT at Portsmouth, May 7th, 1^33. 'J'he
Sparrowhawk brought home 589,405 Mexican dollars, and
42 bales of cochineal. On the day after her arrival at Spit-
head, two of her crew were killed and three others wounded,
by the accidental discharge of a gun which had just before
missed fire diu'ing exercise.

Connnander Maitland married, Feb. 7tb, 1828, at Rio
Janeiro, Amelia, daughter of William Young, Esq.

RICHARD CROZIER, Esq.

Knight of the Roi/al Portuguese MiUtartf Order of the Toicer and Sword.

Son of R. B. Cro/icr, Esq., a retired military officer, of
Western Cottage, Freshwater, isle of Wight, was made u
lieutenant, while serving as midshipman of the Royal Sove-
reign yacht, Sept. C)th, 1823; and promoted to his present
rank on the 30th April, 1827.

EDWARD JOHN CARPENTER, Esq.

Was educated at the Royal Naval College ; from whence
he joined the Phaeton frigate, Captain (now Sir Wm. Au-
gustus) Montagu, Oct. 30th, 1819. He was made a lieu-
tenant in Aug. 1824 ; and promoted to the rank of com-
mander on the 30th April, 1827.

DAVID ROSS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 7t)» July, 1795 ; and com-
mander May 5th, 1827-

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232

COMMANDEIIS.

THOMAS COWAN, Esq.

Passed his examination in May 1 81 2; obtained Us first
commission on the 28th Sept. 1814 ; and was advanced to
his present rank May 5th, 1827-

GEORGE PEARD, Esq.

Eldi;st son of the late Vice- Admiral Shuldljum Peard,
by llilizabeth, third daughter of the late Admiral Sir Richard
Kodney Bligh *.

This officer was born at Gosport, Feb. I8th, 1/03; and
edvictited at the Royal Naval College, which he entered in
1807, and left in 1809, when we find him eml)arking as mid-
shipman on board the Lavinia frigate, Captain Lord William
Stuart, whom he followed, in 1810, into the Conquestador
74. On the 27th Dec. 181 1, he was sent in the barge of the
latter ship to attack a number of French coasting vessels,
proceeding alongshore between Rochelle and I'lsle d'^ix : the
unlucky result of this enterprise was thus officially reported
to Captain Thomas Alexander, of the Colossus 74 :—

" H. M. S. Conquestador, Basque Roads, 21th Dec. 1811,
" Sir, — In compliance with your desire to state the particulars, as far
as came to my knowledj^e, respectinsif the unfortunate loss of the boats
of this ship and the Colossus, I shall, in order to make every circum-
stance that relates to the transaction as clear as possible, begin with the
moment of the enemy's convoy cominj? out of Rochelle.

" At noon, several chasse-mar(^es, sloops, and other vessels were re-
ported to me by the officer of the watch, steering)' towards I'lsle d'Aix,
in consecpience of which, the Concpicstador being the inshore ship, I
made the telegraphic signal to you, * Shall I attack the enemy ? ' which
being answered with the words, • As you please,' I sent three boats, the
barge, pinnace, and launch, with directions to the officers commanding
them to run no risk, to keep a good look-out for the boats' recal, and
particularly, if the enemy's vessels got under protection of their batteries,
not on any account to attack them. The wind at their departure was
N. by W. ; shortly after 1 made the telegraphic signal, ' May I Aveigh and

* See Vol. II. Part I. p. 2.'), ef^rq.

CO.MM \Ni>b;R!:,

2.'l3

were re-

dose with bouts?' upon your {inswerliij>- in tlio ivthrniati\e, I iiumodi-
utely did so, and gtood as close in as tlie depth of water would allow me
with safety to the sliip. The Piercer gim-ltritj, by eitrnal from yourself,
weiifhed also, and I believe it was then that three boats from the ('(»-
lossus 'vent in ptirsuit of the enemy's vessels.

" At half-past two p. m., or nearly that time, perocivinjic the boats of
the two ships had ^ot very deep into the bay, between the points of Cha-
tillon and Du Rocher, I took upon myself to hoist their siirnal of reeal,
and fired ffuns to enforce it. At this time the wind shifted suddenly
from N. W. to W., and shortly after I perceived three French gun-brigs,
a gun-boat, and several armed pinnaces, weigh from under I'lsle d'Aix.
This circumstance, so unfortunate, and so impossible to have been caleu-
lated on, caused the lamentable consequences that ensued. Our boats,
by the change of wind, were placed between the shore and the enemy's
llotilla ; and seeing no chance of their escape, but by a prompt attack of
the Piercer, I despatched a boat with eighteen seamen and marines, to
enal)le her more efiectually to cope with them ; and at the same time
made the signal to her commander to protect the boats. Wliy he did
not do so — whether from the shallowness of the water, or from what
cause, it is for him to make the representation to you.

" The boats, hard pressed, and under an incessant fire from the
enemy's brigs, gun-boat, pinnaces, land-batteries, and field-pieces along
shore, which they with tlie utmost spirit returned, still stood on until
they reached half-way between Points Cliatillon and Du Rocher : the
gun-boat then came up with, and ran on board the barge of the Colos-
sus, the crew of which, though surrounded by the other vessels, were
seen fighting upon her decks for some minutes l)efore they surrendered.
The other boats (with the exception of one belonging to the Colossus,
out of danger), completely enfiladed between the fire of the enemy's
llotilla and batteries, were driven on shore, and the crews made pri-
soners.

" However the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty may judge of
this disaster, which for myself I do not hesitate to declare was solely
owing to the untoward accident of the wind shifting, I should be shame-
fully remiss, were I not to express in the strongest manner the extraor-
dinary perseverance, and determined intrepidity, shewn by the whole of
the boats of H. M. ships. Never, perhaps, Merc people placed under
more trying circumstances, and tievcr did people more nobli/y or more man-
fidly, fulfil their duty. The barge of the Colossus, and the Concjuesta-
dor's launch, exhibited a degree of persevering courage, I believe, un-
rivalled, and 1 do huml>ly hope, should the officers and men, so worthy
of a better fate, be ever restored to their country, the Lords Connnis-
sioners of the Admiralty will take them into their favourable considera-
tion. If bravory, never surpassed, when unattended with success, can
command reward, it i^s for tlicni t(» receive it. 1 herewith enclose a list

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COMMA NDliUS.

of the orticcTM and crews oHhc three houts taken and destroyed l>clungin^
to H. i\l. 8hip under my eomnumd. I have the honor to lie, &c.

(Signed) " William Stuakt."

Thus was Grf^at Britain, when on the eve of a war with h( r
hitc trans-atlautic colonics, deprived of the services of 1 1 o
galhint fellows, doomed to captivity until the ahdication of Na-
poleon Buonaparte, in 1814. Among those killed, wounded,
and taken prisoners on this occasion, were Lieutenant Ed-
mund Stackpoole, senior officer, ir. the Conquestador's launch ;
Mr. Peter Hoddcr, a passed midshipman, commanding the
barge of the Colossus ; Mr. Edwin Toby Caulfield, in charge
of the Con(|uestador's barge; Mr. John Franklyn, to whom
had been entrusted the direction of the launch of the Colos-
sus; Mr. Daniel Baird, niaster's-mate, in command of the
Conquestador's pinnace ; Messrs Francis Sutherland, George
Peard, and Donald O' Bryan, midshipmen of that ship ; and
Messrs. J. Hynson, Neil Malcolm, and William Campbell
(the latter gentleman an assistant surgeon), of the Colossus.
In June 1814, Mr. Peard passed his examination, and in
Sept. following was sent out to Lake Ontario, on promotion.
He there received from that excellent and most worthy offi-
cer. Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, an order to act as lieute-
nant in the gun-boat service, which appointment was con-
firmed by the Admiralty, July 5th, 1815. On the dismantle-
ment of the flotilla in that quarter, we find him despatched
to Lake Champlain, where he remained until the spring of
18I7> when, in consequence of the further reduction of the
naval force in the Canadas, he was ordered home, and placed
on half-pay. He afterwards served, for two years and a
half, under Captain Thomas Searle, in the Hyperion frigate,
on the Leith and South American stations. His next and
last appointment was, in Mar. 1825, to be first lieutenant
of the Blossom sloop, Commander F. W. Beechey, fitting out
for a voyage of discovery in the Pacific Ocean, and to co-
operate with Captains Parry and Franklin, in the event of
their effecting the N. W. passage. Whilst absent on this
service, he was advanced to the rank of commander, by com-
mission dated 7th May, 1827, the first one signed by his

CO.M.M WDJillS.

2X>

[)ioiscnt Majesty, whoii Lord lliu,h Admiral. Ai'lcr his pro-
luution, he coiitimicd to serve ns first lieutenant of the lilos-
som until superseded at Rio Janeiro, in Aug. 1828, u peritxl
of fifteen months. An outli)ie of the Blossom's most inter-
esting voyage will be found in Vol. III. Part I. pp. 313 —
326 ; the following is her scientific commander's account of
an attack made upon her boats, under the orders of Lieute-
nant Peard, by the natives of Easter Island, in Nov. 1825 :—

" WHicn the ship had arrived off the X. W, point of the island, she
was hove to for the purpose of taking ol)servations ; and a boat was
lowered to examine the hays, and obtain soundings near the shore.
Immediately she put off, the natives collected about the place where they
supposed she would land. The sea broke heavily upon the rocks, and
some of them apprehending the boat woidd be damaged, waved their
cloaks to caution her againsit making the attempt to land ; while others,
eager to reach her, plunged into the sea an<l so surrounded her, that she
M-as obliged to put about to get rid of them. They all showed a friendly
<lisposition, and we began to hope that they had forgotten the unpardon-
able conduct of the American master, who carried several of the islanders
away by force, to colonize Masafuera.

" Immediately the noon observation was obtained, we ran along the
.\c. "rn side of the island, towards the bay hi which Cook and Perousc
i <i t'.i anchored. The natives, as before, followed along the coast,
ai 4 i! led fires in different directions, the largest of which was opposite
the landing-place. With a view to ascertain the feelings of the inhabit-
anti3, and, if possible, to establish an amicable intercourse \vith them, 1
desired Lieutenant Peard to proceed with two boats to the shore, and by
presents and kindness to endeavour to conciliate the people, and to bring
off what fruit and vegetables he could. Lieutenant [John] Wain\vright
was directed to accompany him ; and, though I did not apprehend any
hostility, yet, as a precautionarj' measure, I armed the boats, and placed
two marines in each ; their strength was further increased by several of the
odicers, and the naturalist [Mr. George T. Lay]. Thus equipped, they
rowed to the landing-place, in Cook's Bay, ^vhile the ship renuiined at a
short distance. The islanders were collected in great numbers, and were
seen ruiming to and fro exhibiting symptoms of expectation and delight.
Son>e few, however, were observed throwing large stones at a mark
iiehind a bank erected near the beach.

" As the boats approached, the anxiety of the natives was manifested
l>y shouts, which overpowered the voices of the officers : and our boats,
before they gained the beach, were surnmnded by hundreds of swimmers,
clinging to the gunwales, the fit(>rns, and ihc ruddovs, until they liccamc
utnnaniigcable. Ilicy all appeared to lie fiicudly diH^)Ofod, and non''

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caiiic i'ii)j)ty liaiuUvl. BiiuHims, yaiiis, potatoes, siigar-caiie, nets, idols,
&c., were oilorcd for sale, and some were even thrown into the boats,
leavin!»- their vi.>itors to make what return thev eho.se. Amonij the
swimmers there were a preat many females, who were eijnally or more
. anxious to <ret into the boats than the men, and made use of every per-
suasion to induee the crew to admit them. But to have aercded to their
entreaties would have encmnbcred the party, arid subjected them to depre-
dations. As it was, the boats were so weiuhed down by persons elinnini''
to them, that for personal safety the erew were compelled to have re-
course to sticks to keep them olF, at which none of the natives took
otTenco, but rej^'ained their position the instant the attention of the per-
sons in the boats was called to some other object. Just within the <i"un-
wales there were many small thinj^'s that were hiuddy priced by the swim-
mers ; aiul the boats being brouuht low in the water by the crowds hanj^-
inif to them, many of these articles were stolen, notwithstanding' the most
viailant attention of their crews, who had lu) means of recoverinif them,
the marauders darting into the v.ater, and diving the moment they had
ct)mmitted a theft. The women were no less active in these piracies
tluui the men ; for if they were not the actual plunderers, they procured
the opportunity for t)thers, by engrossing- the attention of the seamen by
their caresses and ludicrous gestures. ****** All those in
the water were naked, and only here and there, on the shore, a thin
cloak of the native cloth was to be seen. Some had their faces painted
black, some red ; others black and white, or red and white, in the
ludicrous manner practised by oui* clowns ; and two demon-like mon-
sters were painted entirely black. It is not easy to inuigine the picture
tliat was presented by this motley crowd, unrestrained by any authority
or consideration for their visitors, all hallooing to the extent of their
lungs, and pressing upon the boats with all sorts of grimaces and ges-
tures. It was found impossible to luiul where it was at first intended ; the
boats, therefore, rowed a little to the northward, followed by the nudtitude,
and there etTected a disembarkation, aided by some of the natives, who
helped the party over the rocks with one hand, while they picked their
pockets with the other. It was no easy matter to penetrate the dense mul-
titude, and much less practicable to pursue a thief through the labyrinth
of figures that thronged around. The articles stolen were consequently
ns irretrievably lost here, as they were before in the hands of the divers.
* * * * Among the foremost of the crowd were two men, crowned
with pelican's feathers, who, if they were not chiefs, assumed a degree
of authority, and with the two demons above mentioned attempted to
clear the way by striking at the feet of the mob ; careful, however, so to
direct their blows, that they should not take elTect. Without their as-
sistance, if woidd have been almost impossible to land : the nu)b cared
very little for threats ; a mu-kct prc-entcd at them had no etrect beyond
the moment it was levelled, and was less cflicaoious than some water

i \-

COMMANDl.RS. 237

thrown upon the bysttiiKlors by those portions who wi^hc<l to forward the
views of our party. The <(entleniun who (liseiiil)arke(l first, and from
that oironnjstanoe ])rohaI)ly was considered a person of distinction, was
escorted to the top of tlie bank and seated upon a hirae bh)ck of hiva,
which was the prescribed limit to the party's advance. An endeavour
was then ma(U' to form a rin^; about him ; but it was very difficult, on
account of the islanders crowdinjr to the place, all in exjiectation of re-
ceiving somcthinsjf. The applicants were impatient, noisy, and undent :
they presented their l>ai,fs, which they had carefully emptied for the pur-
pose, and sisrnified their desire that they should be filled ; they practised
every artifice, and stole what they could, in the most careless and open
manner ; some went even furthej', and accompanied their (Iciiiunds by
tlireats. About this time one (*f the natives, probably a chief, with a
cloak and head-dress of feathers, was observed fnim the ship hastenini''
from the lints to the landinii-place, attended by several persons with short
clubs. This hostile appearance, followed by the blowinir of the conch-
shell, a sound which Cook oliscrves he never knew to portend fi-ood, kept
ourfflasses for a while rivetted to the spot. To this chief it is supposed,
for it was impossilile to distinguish amonn'st the crowd, Lieut. Peard
made a handsome present, with which he was very well pleased, and no
apprehensioiv of hostilities was entertained. It happened, however, that
the presents were expended, and this officer was retnrniim:' to the boat
for a fresh supply, when the natives, proltaldy mi>taking his intentions,
became exceedini>ly clamorous ; and the confusion was further in-
creased by a marine endeavourincf to regain his cap, which had been
snatched from his head. The natives t<iok advanta^^e of (he confusion,
and redoubled their endeavours to pilfer, wliich our party were at last
oblijred to repel by threats, and sometimes by force. At length they
became so audacious that there was no longer any doubt of ihvir inten-
tions, or that a system (jf open plunder had commenced ; %\ hich w ith
the appearance of clubs and sticks, and tlic departure of the women,
induced Lieut. Peard, very judiciously, to order his party into the lioats.
This seemed to be the sij;nal for an assaidt. The chief who had received
the present threw a lar<re stone, which struck Lieut. Peard forcibly upon
the back, and was i-nmediately followed liy a slutwer of mis.siles which
darkened the air. The natives, in the water and about the boats, in-
stantly withdrew to their comrades, who had run behind a bank out of
the reach of the nuiskets ; which former experience alone could have
taujrht tneni to fear, for none had yet been fired by us. The stones, each
of which weighed about a pound, fell incredibly thick, and with such
precision, that several of the seamen were knocked down under the
thwarts of the bout ; and every person was more or less wounded.
* * * A Idauk cartridge was at first fired over tht- heads of the crowd ;
but forbearance, which Mitli savages is generally mistaken for cowardice
or inability, only augmented their fuiy. Tlie sliowers of stones were, if

■ 'i .,: I

338

COMM ANDKRS.

l)osHllile, increased ; until tlie pei-!ii)nal safety of ull rendered it'necessary
to resort to severe measures. The chief, still urging the islanders on,
very deservedly, and perhaps fortunately, fell a victim to the first shot
that was fired in defence. Terrified by this example, the natives kept
closer under their bulwark ; and though they continued to throw stones,
and occasioned considerable difficulty in extricating the boats, their
attacks were not so effectual as before, nor sufficient to prevent the em-
barkation of the crew, all of whom were got on board. Several dan-
gerous contusions were received in the affair ; but fortunately no lives
were lost on our part: and it was the opinion of the officer commanding
the party, that the treacherous chief was the only victim on that of the
islanders, though some of the officers thought they observed another man
fall. Considering the manner in which the party were surrounded, and
the imminent risk to which they were exposed, it is extraordinary that
so few of the natives suffered ; and the greatest credit is due to the offi-
cers and crews of both boats for their forbearance on the occasion.
After this unfortunate and unexpected termination to our interview, I
determined upon quitting the island, as nothing of importance was to be
gained by remaining, which could be put in competition with the pro-
bable loss of lives that might attend an attempt at reconciliation."

Commander Belcher continued in the Blossom until her
return home, in Sept. 1 828, after an absence of three years
and a half, during which period he had sailed 7J^}000 miles,
and experienced every vicissitude of climate.

DAVID EDWARDS, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 6th Sept. 1803;
and subsequently served in the Thunder bomb, Couragcux
74, Adamant 50, and Latona receiving ship. He was made
a commander on the 1 1th May, 1827.

HERBERT CAIGER, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 13th Dec. 1800; and "con-
ducted himself like a brave officer and good seaman," while
serving as second of the Tartar frigate. Captain G. E. B.
Bettesworth, in action with a Danish flotilla, near Bergen, in
Norway, May 1.5th, 1808 *. His next appointment was,

* See Vol. IV. Part I. p. 1,33, et seq.

1803;

" con-
while
E. B.

1, in
t was,

COMMAND KRS.

2,l<)

Aug, 25th, 1800, to the Unicorn 32, in wliich ship he con-
tiiuied, under Cjiptjvins Alexander R. Kerr, George Burgoyne
Salt, and Samuel G. Pechell, on the Channel and North Sea
stations, until paid off about the end of Sept. 1814. During
that period, he assisted at the capture of the French priva-
teers Gascon and Miquelonnaise, the former of 16 guns and
113 men, the latter of 18 guns and 130 men; the letter of
marque Espcrance (formerly H. M. 22-gun ship Laurel),
with a valuable cargo of Kast India produce ; and the Ame-
rican letter of marque Hebe (formerly H. M. schooner Luura)
of'igimsand 15 men. Ho was promoted to the rank of
commander May 11th, lb-/ .

SAMUEL HIDEOUT, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 'iist Sept. 1807 ;
and served under Captain (aftenvards Rear-Admiral) James
Walker, in the Bedford 74, on various stations, from Sept.
1810, vnitil that ship was paid off, on her return from the
coast of America, in 1815 *. He was subsequently appointed
to the Northumberland 74, a guard ship commantled by the
same veteran officer. His promotion to the rank of com-
mander took place on the 11th May, 1827.

MICHAEL MILSOM WROOT, Esq.

Was born at Whitgift, near llowden, co. York. We first
find him serving on board the Rcquin brig. Lieutenant S.
Powell, employed in Quiberon Bay, where he suffered ship-
wreck on a sunken rock, in the night of Feb. 1st, 1801.
Owing to this disaster, twenty-one of that vessel's crew were
taken prisoners ; and the remainder only saved from ahnost
inevitable death or captivity by the boats of the ILxcellent "J" 4,
Captain the Hon. Robert Stopford.

i (i

* Seo Vul I. P.irt II. II. ^'yJ, rf srq.

240

COMMANDERS.

Mr. VVroot was appointed an acting lieutenant in July
I8O7 ; and obtained his first commission on the 21st Nov.
following. During the last two years of the European war,
he served under the flag of Lord Amelius Beauclerk, in the
Koyal Oak 7'^) principally employed in cruising off the
Azores, and between the North Cape and Iceland, for the
purpose of intercepting the national .ships and privateers of
America.

In May 1814, Lord Amelius having struck his flag, the
Royal Oak, then commanded by Captain Edward Dix, was
ordered to the mouth of the Gironde river, from whence siie
conveyed Rear-Admiral (now Sir Pulteney) Malcolm to Ber-
muda and the mouth of the Potowmac, accompanied by a
body of troops under Major-General Ross, destined to cap-
ture the North American capital. On the termination of the
operations against Washington, Baltimore, and Alexandria,
of which we have, in former volumes, given outlines, Rear-
Admiral Malcolm was left w^ith a squadron under his com-
mand in the Paturent, from whence he soon proceeded to
Negril bay, Jamaica, the grand rendezvous of the expedition
against Louisiana.

Lieutenant Wroot commanded the boats of the Royal
Oak at the capture of the Americim flotilla, on Lac Borgne,
Dec. 14th, 1814 * ; and had the command of a party of sea-
men on shore, brigaded under Captain Sir E. 'J\ Troubridge,
at the unsuccessful siege of New Orleans. Since then he
has served in the Active 46 ; Superb 78, bearing the broad
pendant of Sir Thomas M. Hardy, on the South American
station ; Bulwark J6 ; and, as flag-lieutenant to Lord Ame-
lius Beauclerk, in various ships on the Lisbon station ; where
he was appointed by that oflicer. May 11th, 1827, second
captain of the Spartiate 7^ j and, in the beginning of July
following, governor of the forts at the entrance of the Tagus,
garrisoned by British marines, which responsible office he
retained until the presence of the army under Lieutenant-
General Sir W, H. Clinton, sent out to protect Portugal

* See Suppl. Part IV. pp. 4 — 7.

(r

COMMANDKRS. 241

from invasion, was no longer requisite. He returned home
in the Spartiate, May Ist, 1828.

Commander Wroot married in 1832, Harriet, daughter of
Captain John Wentworth Holland, R. N.

GEORGE ANTHONY HALSTED, Esq.

Son of Commander George Halsted, R. N., and nephew to
Admiral Sir Lawrence W. Halsted, K, C. B., by whom he
was made a lieutenant, and appointed to the Hussar frigate.
Captain Geornre Harris, on the West India station, in 1824.
He obtained his present rank on the 13th June, 1827; and
was appointed inspecting commander of the coast guard at
Clifden, in Ireland, Mar. 18th, 1834.

m

HENRY NEVILL EASTWOOD, Esq.

Son of superannuated Commander Joseph N. Eastwood,
R.N.

This officer passed his examination in May 1811 ; ob-
tained his first commission on the 21st Mar. .1812 ; and was
a lieutenant of the Impregnable 98, flag-ship of Admiral
William Young, on the North Sea station, in 1813 — 4,
His promotion to the rank of commander took place June
loth, 1827.

JOHN JERVIS TUCKER, Esq.

Second son of the late Benjamin Tucker, Esq., of Trema-
ton castle, co. Cornwall.

This officer was made a lieutenant, after accompanying
King George IV. to Scotland, in 1822. He subsequently
served in the Semiramis frigate, bearing the flag of Lord
Colville, commander-in-chief on the Irish station. He ob-

VOL. IV. PART 11. R

'.r 1,1

ml

I

111

lilt

M

s,

m

1 . 'iP.

I .1;

III

f 1
':< J

il

I

I,

242

COMMAND KRS.

1

tained his present rank on the I5th June, 1827 ; and married
Oct. 16th, 1830, Sabine Ann, daughter of Vice-Admiral
James Young.

WILLOUGIIBY LAKE, Esq.

Eldkst son of Vice-Admiral Sir Willoughby T. Lake, K.
C. B., by Charlotte, daughter of the late Admiral John Mac-
bride *.

This oflicer was made a lieutenant into the Superb 7^^
bearing the broad pendant of Sir Thomas M. Hardy, con\-
mander-in- chief on the South American station, May 18th,
1821. He subsequently served as flag-lieutenant to his
highly respected father, with whom he returned from the
Halifax station, Aug 12th, 1827. His promotion to the
rank of commander took place on the 20th of that month.

HUGH DONALD CAMERON DOUGLAS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the San Domingo 74, Captain
(now Sir S. John Brooke) Pechell, on the North American
station, Jan. 11th, 1814; and advanced to the rank of com-
mander on the 28th Aug. 1827.

]iiJ

i

JOHN JAMES HOUGH, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 19th Nov. 1807;
and served under Captain (now Sir George) Scott, in the
Horatio 38, at the capture of the French frigate Junon, Feb.
iOth, 1809 f. We subsequently find him serving under
the flag of Rear-Admiral Penrose, in the Egmont 74 t ;

» See Vol. I. Part II. p. 709.
t See Vol. II. Part I. p. 147, et seij.
X See Suppl. Part (I. p. 287, <'/ seq.

Hil.

C'OMMANDBRS. 243

snul, since the peace, commanding the Active revenue cruiser.
Ho was advanced to his present rank on the 29th Sept. 1827.
Tliis officer married, Aug. 28th, 1815, a daughter of Mr.
George Thomas Tracey, purser in the royal navy.

\(t, . K\l

JAMES PEARL, Esq. (V)^

U>-

ru^, "^

N^t

Obtain KD the rank of lieutenant on the 21st Dec. 1808,
and was second of the Mediator fire-ship, Captain James
Wooldridge, at the attack of a French scpiadron near I'lsle
d'Aix, in April 1809 *. Speaking of this service, Mr. James
says : —

" Several of the fire-ships were ii,nnte(l and ahiiudoned lontf before
tliey got a!)rcast of even the northernmost of tlie two vessels stationed as
guides. Others, again, were adnural)ly conducted ; especially the INIedi-
ator, the largest and most efficient of the whole. This ship, from her
great weight, and the strength of the wind and tide, broke the boom, and
thus afforded a clear passage to the others. So determined was the Mc-
diator's gallant commander to see the service he had engaged in pro-
perly executed, that himself an<l the officers and men who had volunteered
to accompany him nearly perished, along with their vessel. The gunner
was killed, and Captain Wooldridge, Lieutenants Nicholas Brent Cle-
ments and James Pearl, and one seaman, were blown out of the ship, the
three latter slightly, but the Captain very severely scorched f.

The fortunate circumstance of the Mediator (formerly a
32 -gun frigate) being fitted as a fire-ship, M'as the means of
the success with which the British arms were so gloriously
crowned, as all the other fire-vessels were so small and light,
being mostly transport brigs, that none of them could pos-
sibly have forced the boom. She was not set on fire till long
after the boom had been broken, many minutes after the ves-
sel conducted by Lord Cochrane had exploded, nor until she
was within the buoys of I'Ocdan 120, flag-ship of Vice- Ad-
miral AUemand. Her gallant commander was immediately

I

>';■•■

* See Vol. I. Part I. p. 84.
t See N<ii: Hist. V. 154, et set/.
R 2

(I

5l

244

COMMANDBRS.

fl

advanced to post rank, and presented by order of his sove-
reign with a gold chain and medal, and by the Patriotic
Society at Lloyd's with a sword value 100/. Lieutenant
Clements was made a commander and received a sword value
60/. Lieutenant Pearl was presented with one of similar
value, but, unfortunately, he had not served sufficient time
as a commissioned officer to render him eligible for promo-
tion *.

In the ensuing summer. Lieutenant IVarl was appointed to
the Harpy sloop, Captain George William Blamey (formerly
commander of the Mediator), under whom he served in that
vessel and the Comet 20, at the reduction of Walchercn, and
on various foreign stations for upwards of five years. He
obtained his present rank on the 29th Sept. 1827. » p •

DAVID JOHN DICKSON, Esq.

A SON of the late Admiral William Dickson, and nephew
to the late Admiral Sir Archibald Dickson, Bart., both of
whom died in the year 1803.

This officer was born at Sydenham House, near Kelso, N.
B., Oct. 24th, 1790; and entered the navy as midshipman
on board the Sceptre 74, commanded by his half-brother, the
late Rear-Admiral Sir xArchibald CoUingwood Dickson, Bart,
under orders for the East Indies, April 4th, 1803. In the
following year he was removed to the Albion 74, Captain
(now Admiral) John Farrier; and subsequently into the St.
Fiorenzo frigate and Culloden 74, the latter ship bearing the
flag of Sir Edward Pellewf, commander-in-chief on that
station. We next find him in the Orion, Captain Sir A. C.
Dickson, at the reduction of Walcheren ; and shortly after-
wards (Nov. 1809) receiving a commission appointing him
lieutenant of that ship, in which he continued, principally on

See Suppl. Part II. note at p. 2/5.
t Afterwards Viscount Exmouth.

i!i

- I

( OMMANDKR^.

245

the Baltic Htatiun, until paid utf at Plymouth, in Jun. 1814.
During the first seven years of the pestce he served in several
guard-ships and sloops of war ; and sulisequently commanded
the Hound, Basilisk, and Sylvia cutters, employed in protect-
ing the revenue. From the latter vessel he was promoted to
his present rank Sept. 2flth, 1827.

Commander Dickson married, Aug. 21st, 182.'^, Hester,
youngest daughter of the late Rev. William Rawlins, M. A.,
rector of Teversal, co. Notts. His surviving brothers are.
Colonel Sir Alexander Dickson, K. C. B., K. C. H., Deputy-
Adjutant General Royal Artillery, Aide-de-Camp to the King ;
and Captain Rowland Cotton Dickson, H. E. I. C. artil-
lery. His sister, Jane, married her first cousin, Captain
Archibald Dickson, R. N., son of Gehtrai John Dick«on«

THOMAS FAVELL, Esc^,

Wb first find serving as master's-ma^.e of the Mhiorca
sloop. Captain the Hon. Henry Duncar, ot tl.;.' Mo'K^.ijrra-
nean station, in 1805. He passed \uu exarui'iaUon \n May
1809; obtained his first commission on the 9th Dt.c.. in the
same year; and was advanced to his present rank an cbp
29th Sept. 1827.

ig the

EDWARD WEBB, Esq.

Distinguished himself on several occasions while serviii^;
as lieutenant under the late Sir William Host.:, from whose
official letters, addressed to Rear-Adrairal Fremuut'e, wc
make the following selection : —

" H. M. S. Bacchante, off Ofranto, Jan. 6?'. 1813.
" Sir, — At day-break this morning, \v company ivith Tl. M. sloop
Weazle, I discovered a division of the tnemy's flotillH close to us, steering'
for the coast of Italy ; it was nearly h. calm. The enemy, on seeing us,
separated ; and I detached the .)oatj of this ship, under Lieutenant O'
Brien, to attack on^. ^^abduision, and directed the Weazle's boats, wth
one from t iie Bacchante, to pursue the otht^r, then endeavouring to gain

24()

COMMANDEHS.

the island of Funo. The Weazle was 'lirected to support her Ixtats,
whilst I continued, with what little wind there was, the chase of those my
own l)oats were after ; and I have much satisfaction in stating tlie cap-
ture of the whole, without the loss of a rnan. The enemy waited in line
to receive the attack ; but the judicious disposition of the commandinff
lieutenant, and his prompt measures for l)oardinf^ them, occasioned 'their
surrender. «*«««»»* The Weazle joined me in the
evening'', 'th the two g'un-boats she had l)een sent in pursuit of ; and
a circumstance occurred in the capture of them, which will, I trust,
recommend INIr. Edward Weld) to the notice of the commander-in-
chief. Notwithstanding,' the exertions of the Weazle, the boats were
enabled to close with the enemy before her, and the then Icadinjjf boat,
commanded by Mr. Webb, of the Bacchante, got up with the sternmost
who received him very warmly : he boarded and carried her. She
njoiuited one 14-pounder in the bow, one (J-pounder in the stern, and
had forty men on board. He left her to be taken possession of by the
boats that were coming up, and pushed on after the headmost, which he
boarded and carried in the same gallant manner. This one had a J>-
pounder in the bow, a 6-pounder in the intern, and thirty-two men on
l)oard. Mr. Webb's boat mounted an 8-pounder in the bow, and he liad
eighteen men only with him. He has passed his examination as lieute-
nant, has been two years acting, and is a very promising, meritorious
young man. The enemy had <piitted Corfu the evening before. * * «
They are very fine vessels, and sail remarkably fast. Their guns are fitted
so as to turn on a pivot, and may be fired in any direction \vithout alter-
ing the course, which enabled them to keep up a very smart fire as our
boats approached. Tlie enemy had two men severely wounded. I am
happy to say, we had no casualty whatever."

" June \2th, 1813.
" At day-light this morning we discovered an enemy's convoy under
the town of Gala Nova, on the coast of Abruzza. As I was six or seven
miles to leeward of them, with a light l)reeze, and a current against me,
I thought it l)est to detach the boats, witli discretionary orders to the first
lieutenant, S. T. Hood, either to attack them, or wait till I arrived. He
found the enemy much stronger than was expected, consistin;!' of seven
large gun-boats, each mounting one 18-pounder in the bow, three smaller
vessels with a 4-pounder in the bow, and fourteen sail of merchantmen
under their protection, four of which had guns in the bow also. The
shore astern of the vessels was lined with troops, entrenched on the beach
with two field-pieces. This was the force opposed to a frigate's boats ;
but no disparity of numbers could check the spirit of the brave officers
and men emph)yed ou this service. The attack was determined on in-
stantly, and executed with all the gallantry and s)>irit which men acctis-
toined to danger, and to despise it, have so frequently shewn ; and never

COMMANDBRg.

24/

was there a finer display of it than on tliis occasion. The boats, iwi they
advanced, were exposed to a heavy fire of grape and musketry ; and it
\va.j not till they were fairly alonjfsidc that the enemy slackened their fire,
ari<l were driven from their vessels with great loss. «*•*•*
LiP.utenant Hood speak.s in the highest possible terms of acting Lieute-
nant Webl), who distinguished himself in January last. • • • * •
I regret to say we have suffered severely, though not so much as might
have been expected. Two seamen and one marine killed, five seamen
and one marine wounded. This was a Neapolitan flotilla, from Ancona
bound to Barletta, under the direction of French officers. » » « *
* * I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) "W. Hoste."

Other dashing and important services, in which Mr. Webb
participated, have been noticed in our memoirs of Sir William
Hoste, Captain Donat H. O'Brien, and Commander Silas T.
Hood, in Vol. II. Part I., Suppl. Part IV., and Vol IV.
Part I.

Mr. Webb was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on the
14th June, 1813; appointed to the Cephalus slo^p. Captain
John Furneaux, Oct. 7th, 1814; to the Queen Charlotte 108,
flag-ship of Sir James H. Whitshed, commander-in-chief at
Portsmouth, Feb. 8th, 1821 ; to the Hind 20, Captain the
Hon. H. J, Rous, Feb. 14th, 1822; and advanced to liis
present rank, Sept. 29th, 1827-

;;ll''

CHARLES MORTON, Esq.

Is descended from a family who for some centuries have
farmed a small patrimony in the West- Riding of Yorkshire.
His father being a younger son was educated as a profes-
sional man, and practised in the British metropolis.

This officer was born in the vicinity of London ; and in
Oct. 1807, being then very young, embarked as midshipman
on board the Volontaire frigate, commanded by the present
Captain-Superintendent Charles BuUen, C. B., under whom
he had the honor to serve in every ship to which that officer
was subsequently appointed. The following is an outline of
the services in which he participated during the war.

In 1807, the Volontaire, after conveying the Duke of

■i;.:;.l

i i i ^^

1'^

f'' I,

248

COMMANDRRS.

Orleans and his brother, Count BeaujoloiB, to Malta, wat*
first attached to the in-shore squadron off Toulon, and from
thence sent to cruise on the coast of Catalonia. In 1808,
her amiable and distinguished commander was sent on a mis-
sion to the emperor of Morocco, and succeeded in obtaining
permission for supplies of cattle, grain, &c., to be exported
from his dominions for the support of the allied forces in the
European peninsula. In 1809, the island of Pomigue near
Marseilles, was taken possession of, after a desperate resis-
tance on the part of the enemy; and Fort Rioux, near Cape
Croisette, destroyed by detachments landed from the Volon-
taire. Her boats subsequently assisted at the capture and
destruction of a French convoy in the bay of Rosas, in
1810, she was very actively employed in co-operation with
the Spanish patriots, between Rosas and Barcelona.

On the 12th and Hth April, 1811, Captain BuUen, then
commanding the Cambrian frigate, took possession of the
towns of St. Philon and Palamos, destroyed the batteries of
both places, and embarked the guns. On the 16th he re-
ported to his commander-in-chief, the surrender of Figucras
to the Spaniards. He afterwards captured nineteen merchant
vessels at Cadaques, and received a severe wound while in a
battery on shore, at Selva. In June 181 1, the Cambrian was
employed in the defence of Tarragona ; after the fall of
which place she brought home a considerable number of
French prisoners from Malta.

In 1812, 1813, and 1814, Captain Bullen being on half-
pay, Mr. Morton served in the Bulwark and Pomp^e, third
rates. In the beginning of Jan. 1815, he passed his examina-
tion ; and about the same period, re-joined Captain Bullen,
in the Akbar, a double-banked frigate, fitted out for the pur-
pose of coping with the American ships of that description.
In April following, he was sent from Flushing to Antwerp,
with despatches for SirT. By am Martin, then employed on
a particular service, by whom ho was appointed acting lieu-
tenant of the Akbar, in which capacity he served until con-
firmed by the Admiralty, on his return from the H alifax sta-
tion, Dec. 10th, 1810.

COMMAS DEUS.

210

jr of

In 1819, Lieutenant Morton exliibited at the Royal Aca-
demy, of which he is now an honorary member, a sketch of
the tomb 'of Abelard and hcloise, in the burial ground of
Pere la Chaise, near Paris.

In Dec. 1823, Captain Bullen was nominated to the chief
command on the African station, and Mr. Morton appointed
to accompany him thither in the f Maidstone frigate. Between
May 1824 and June 1827, that shi] captured nineteen ves-
sels, with 2595 slaves on board ; and five others, laden with
dry goods for slave barter, all of Avhich were condemned as
prizes at Sierra Leone. The total number of vessels engaged
in this hateful traffic, captured by the squadron under the
orders of Commodore Bullen, was fifty-nine, and the number
of slaves, ten thousand eight hundred and fourteen. In
addition to this, the Maidstone and her consorts rendered
very essential assistance to the troops on the Western coast
of Africa during the progress of the Ashantee war.

The Maidstone was paid off at Portsmouth, on the 15th
Sept. 1827; and her first lieutenant, Mr. Morton, promoted
to his present rank on the 6th Oct. following.

This officer is the author of "An Essay on the Electrical
Formation of Hail Stones, in opposition to the absurd theo-
ries of the learned philosophers," published, we believe, in the
early and middle numbers of the Gentleman's Magazine, and
copied into the London Philosophical Magazine, and other
periodical works, for 1822. Among other scientific inven-
tions and improvements, he has proved by experiment the
great power and rapidity that may be acquired in swimming
by artificially increasing the surface of the hands and feet so
as to meet (without impediment) such re-action from the
water as to prevent the strength being exerted to disadvan-
tage. Equipped with propelling gloves and slippers, a man
might reach the shore from a shipwrecked vessel, with the
aid of a log-line, when it would be impossible without such
assistance.

Commander Morton has a sister married to a physician in
Yorkshire ; and a younger brother member of Trinity College,

Cambridge, and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians,

London.

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250

COMMANDERS.

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ROBERT FITZGERALD GAMBIER, Esq.

Son of Sir James Gambier, formerly H. M. consul-ge-
neral in Portugal ; and grandson of the late Vice-Admiral
Gambier, whose nephew, James, was raised to the British
peerage i:i Nov. 1807 > find died Admiral of the Fleet and a
G. C.B., in April ia33.

This officer was born at Lisbon on the 21st Nov. 1803;
and entered the royal navy, as midshipman on board tlie
Myrmidon 20, Captain Robert Gambier, fitting out for the
Mediterranean station, Feb. 27th, 1816. After serving
nearly three years in that ship, he joined the Bulwark 76,
bearing the flag of Sir John Gore, in the river Medway ;
ai;d, in Sept. 1819, the Owen Glendower 42, Captain the
lion. U. C. Spencer, destined to South America; where he
was removed to the Dauntless 28, Captain George Cornish
Gambier, in Oct. 1821. From thence he proceeded to the
Marquesas Islands, Otaheite, New South Wales, and, through
Torres Straits, to India; on which station, in Mar. 1823, he
joined the Liffey 50, bearing the broad pendant of Commo-
dore Charles G rant, by whom he was appointed acting lieu-
tenant of the Tees 26, Captain Thomas Coe, on the 1st
April following. His first commission bears date Oct. 22d,
1823.

Mr. Gambler's subsequent appointments were, in June
1824, to the Blonde 46, Captain Lord Byron, which ship
was employed in conveying the remains of the late King and
Queen of the Sandwich Islands to Woahoo * ; and, in Oct.
1826, to the Asia 84, flag-ship of Sir Edward Codrington,
imder whom he served at the battle of Navarin, and by whom
he was presented with the extra commission placed at his
disposal, dated Oct. 21st, 1827.

Commander Gambier has one brother, Mark, in the Scots
Fusileer Guards ; and another, Ferdinand, in the royal navy.
The latter was on board the Philomel sloop, Commander
Viscount Ingestric, at tlie battle of Navarin.

* Sec Suppl. Piii-t III. |>. 37^), rt srq.

f. li

COMMAND KRS.

2.) I

JOHN DRAKE, Esq

Entkrkd the royal navy in 1804; passed his examination
in Oct. 1810; was made a lieutenant, into the Northumber-
land 74, Aug. ist, 1811 ; and subsequently served, under
Captain (now Sir William Hall) Gage, in the Indus 74, and
Captain Peter Fisher, in the Wye 2(i, and Ranger of similar
force. He was first of the All)ion 74, Captain (now Rear-
Admiral) Ommanney, at the battle of Navarin, and in con-
sequence thereof promoted to his present rank, by commis-
sion dated Oct. 27th, 1827. He is now serving in the Bri-
tannia 120, Captain Peter Rainier, on the Mediterranean
station.

SPENCER SMYTH, Esq.

Obtain KD his first commission on the 2d June, 1812;
and subsequently served under the flag of Kear-Admiral (now
Sir Philip C. H.) Durham, in the Bulwark aiul Vener;d)Ie,
third rates, on the North Sea^ Channel, and \\ est India sta-
tions. In the latter ship, he assisted at the capture of a
French letter of marque, with a valuable cai^ , Dec. 181.3;
and two frigates of the largest class, Jan. ICth and 2Uth,
1814 *. He was likewise present at the subjugation of fiua-
daloupe in 1815 f.

We next find Lieutenant Smyth in the Albion 74, Captain
Richard Raggett, stationed as a guard-ship at Portsmouth,
where he subsequently had charge of the semaphoric depart-
ment. From thence he was removed to the Dartmouth
frigate, Captain (now Sir Tlionuis) Fellowes, which ship
formed part of the scpuidron under Sir Edward Codrington,
at the battle of Navarin. On that occasion he was slightly

* See Siippl. Pint II. p. 211, W .vry.
t See Vol. I. Part II note i\t p. 8(i!).

] \ f

rOMMANDKUk.

252

wounded. He was advanced to his present rank, by com-
mission dated Oct. 22d, 1827; and appointed an inspecting
commander of tlie coast guard, Mar. liith, 1833.

JOHN MONDAY, Esq.

Passed his examination at Plymouth in Sept. 1812, was
made a lieutenant in .Inne 1814, and subsequently served,
under Captain John Coode, in the Queen 74, flag-ship of the
late Sir Charles V. Penrose, on the Mediterranean station.
He was appointed first of the Semiramis 42, Captain Thomas
Huskisson, fitting out for the flag of Lord Colville, com-
mander-in-chief on the Irish station, Sept. 1st, 1821 ; and
we find him serving in the same capacity on board the Glas-
gow frigate. Captain the Hon. James Ashley Maude, at the
battle of Navarin. His commission as commander bears
date Oct. 22d, 1827. He is now employed in the coast guard
service at Valentia, in Ireland.

PETER CHRISTIE, Esq.

Is a prot^gd of Admiral- Superintendent Sir Frederick L.
Maitland, K.C. B., under whom he served, from his first
entry into the royal navy, until after the surrender of Napo-
leon Buonaparte to the Bellerophon 74, commanded by that
highly esteemed officer, the present Sir Frederick L. Mait-
land, in 1815. He was acting lieutenant of the Tartar
frigate. Commodore Sir George R. Collier, on the African
station, in 1819; and his appointment to that ship con-
firmed by the Admiralty in Sept. 1820. We lastly find
him first of the Cambrian 48, Captain Gawen William
Hamilton, at the battle of Navarin. His commission as
commander bears date Oct. 22d, 1827.

JOHN HAMILTON {b\ Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Sapphire 24, Captain
Alexander Montgomcric, on the West India station, Sept.

COMMANOKKd.

2:>3

11th, 1820. Me was first of the Brisk sloop, Captain the
Hon. William Anson, at the battle of Navariii. His com-
mission as commander bears date Oct. 22d, 1827.

HON. WILLIAM EDWARDES.

Second son of Lord Kensington, by Dorothy, daughter
of John Thomas, Esq. ; and grandson of William Edwardes,
who, having inherited, at the demise of his first cousin,
Edward Henry, seventh Earl of Warwick, in 1721, the
estates of the Rich family, was elevated to the Irish peerage
in July 177^') hy the title of Baron Kensington.

This officer was born on the 3d I'eb. 1801 ; made a lieu-
tenant, Aug. 2d, 1823; and promoted to the rank of com-
mander, Oct. 22d, 182".

i

%l

ROBERT SINCLAIR HAY, Esq.

Obtainki) his first commission on tlie 4th Oct. 1823; and
was slightly wounded while serving as senior lieutenant of
the Talbot 28, Captain the Hon. Frederick Spencer, at the
battle of Navarin. He takes rank as commander from Oct.
22d, 1827 ; and is now employed in the coast guard service.

RICHARD STEPHENS TOMKINS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1824; and served as first
of the Philomel sloop, Captain Viscount Ingestrie, at the
battle of Navarin. His commission as connnander bears
date 22d Oct. 1827.

EDWARD TAYLOR WEALE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in the beginning of Jan. 1806.
At the close of the war with France, in 1S14, we find him

'm

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254

COMMAVDKRS,

sening as first of the Pactolus frigate, Captain the Hon.
Frederick VV. Aylmer. He obtained his present rank on the
25th Oct. 1827; and was appointed an inspecting com-
mander of the coast guard, July 8th, 1830.

JOSEPH MAS, Esq.

Passed his examination in April 1814 ; and was promoted to
the ranV of lieutenant, on his return from the Arctic regions,
in the Hecla, commanded by the enterprising Parry, Dec.
26th, 1820*. On the 1st of the following month, he was
appointed senior lieutenant of the Fury, in which ship he
served under the same officer until paid off, at Deptford,
Nov. 14th, 1823 f. His advancement to the rank of com-
mander took place Nov. 11th, 1827-

WILLIAM ROBERTSON (/;), Esq.

Enterkd the royal navy in 1803; passed his examination
in the beginning of Feb, 1810; was made a lieutenant on
the 20th of that month ; and subsequently served in the Lynx
sloop. Captain John Willoughby Marshallj on the North Sea
station. He was afterwards successively appointed to the
Sarpedon sloop, Fortunee frigate, and Erne of 20 guns, in
which ship we find him serving under Captain (now Lord)
Napier, at the close of the war with France, in 1814. lie
next joined the Isabella hired ship. Captain John Ross,
fitting out for a voyage of discovery in the Arctic regions ;
and in May 1 820, the Conway 26, Captain Basil Hall, from
which ship he was removed to the Creole 42, Captain the
Hon. Frederick Spencer, on the South American station,
Dec. 2d, 1821. He was flag-lieutenant to Sir Thomas M.
Hardy, when that officer escorted a body of troops to Lis-
bon, for the purpose of supporting the Portuguese constitu-

* See Suppl. Part IV. \>]}. 318— 35;!
t Sec it/, pp. 'M]'A — .'i()l.

!!.

COMMANDERS.

255

tionalistH, in Dec. 182G ; ;uul tluring his coiniuaiul of an
experimental squadron in^l827. He obtained the ranlt of com-
mander on the 12th Nov. in the hitter year ; commissioned
the Snake sloop, in May 1832; and, after serving for some
time under Sir Pulteney Malcolm, on the North Sea station,
sailed for South America on the 15th June, 1833. Since
then he has captured a Portuguese brig, having on board 425
slaves.

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Lis-

ititu-

ARTIIUR DAllLEY, Esq.

Passkd his examination in June 1812: and was made
lieutenant into the Bellcrophon 74, bearing the flag of the
late Sir Richard G. Keats, commander- in-cliief at Newfonnd-
land, Aug. 11th, 1813. lie subsequently commanded tlie
Townsend revenue cruiser, on the Irish station ; and ob-
tained his present rank Nov. 21st, 1827.

GEORGE YOUNG (c), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 3d Maj', 1810; and com-
mander Nov. 30th, 1827.

WILLIAM HUTCHINSON (b), Esq.

Obtainkd his first commission on the 9th Feb. 1805. lie
was appointed to the command of the Pigmy schooner in
Jan. 1812; to be a lieutenant of the Ordinary at Chatham
in 1816; and to the command of the Plumper gun-brig, on
the Irish station, Sept. 1 4th, 18'20. He was promoted to
his present rank on the 3d Dec. 1827 ; a»d appointed an in-
specting commander of the coast guard, July 2 1 at, 1829.

JAMES PUCKFORD, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Alacrity sloop, Captain
the Hon. Frederick Spencer, at Brazil, Sept. 8th, 1 821 ; aiul

>< |f f i

256

COMMANDERS.

«i!

li

appointed to the Valorous *26, Captain James Murray, about
to be employed on a "particular service," Nov. 13th, 1622.
He obtained the rank of commander Dec. J 5th, 1827.

Commander Puckford married, Nov. 10th, 1834, Mary,
youngest daughter of the Rev. J. F. Muckleston, D. D., Pre-
bendary of Litchfield, &c. &c.

HENRY LE VESCONTE, Esq.

A SON of the late Mr. Philip Le Vesconte, who lost a leg
in Earl Howe's action, June 1st, 1794, and died purser of
the Royal William 84, flag-ship at Spithead, May 25th,

1807.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 27th Oct. 1800.
Towards the close of the late war he served under the flag of
the late Sir Thomas F. Fremantle, in the Rodney 74 ; and
subsequently under Rear- Admiral (afterwards Sir Charles V.)
Penrose, in the Queen 7*^5 both on the Mediterranean sta-
tion. He obtained his present rank Jan. 5th, 1828. His
brother, Philip, was made a commander in 1816.

CHARLES CALMADY DENT, Esq.

Son of the late Lieutenant Dent, R. N., and brother to
Commander Digby Dent.

This officer served as midshipman under Captain the Hon.
Henry Duncan, in the Imperieuse and Glasgow frigates, on
the Mediterranean and C'hannel stations. He was wounded
while serving as master's mate of the Minden 74, Captain
William Paterson, at the battle of Algiers ; and immediately
afterwards promoted. We next find him appointed, Feb.
6th, 1821, to the Impregnable 104, flag-ship of the Hon. Sir
Alexander L Cochrane, in Hamoaze. He obtained his pre-
sent rank on the 5th Jan. 1828.

Commander C. C. Dent married, Sept. 10th, 1829, Eliza,
third daughter of the late Thomas Shepherd, Esq. formerly of
Butcombe Court, co. Somerset.

COMMANDKUS.

257

JOHN KINGCOME, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 1st July, 1815; appointed
to the Tecs 26, Captain Thomas Coe, fitting out for the East
Indies, July 29th, J82I ; and promoted by that officer to the
command of the Lame sloop, on hearing of the death of
Commodore Grant, in 1821. Unfortunately for him, the two
ships were then far distant, and without any means of com-
munication, the one being at New South Wales, and the
other engaged in the Burmese war, which prevented him
from joining the Lame at Rangoon, until April 15th, 1825.
He subsequently conveyed the lady of Commodore Sir Jamefl
Brisbane, and her two daughters, from Madras to Penang ;
and the Archdeacon Scott, from Sydney, New South Wales,
to Van Diemen's Land.

Whilst at Sydney, the Lame was sunk in the act of heaving
down, and had her main-mast struck by lightning. From
Van Diemen's Land, she proceeded to New Zealand and
Norfolk Island, where acting Commander Kingcome and his
first lieutenant W. Burdett Dobson, were swamped in her
cutter when attempting to land. Mar. 2d, 1826. She re-
turned to Madras via Torres Straits, touching at Melville
Island, Batavia, and Sincapore.

On the 14th July following, this officer wds appointed
lieutenant of the Pandora sloop. Captain William Clarke
Jervoise, a commission having arrived from England pro-
moting Lieutenant Dobson to the command of the Larne.
His own advancement to the rank of commander did not take
place until Jan. 8th, 1828.

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WILLIAM JOHN THOMPSON HOOD, Esq.

Brother to Commander Silas Thompson Hood.

This officer passed his examination at Plymouth, May 5th,
1813; obtained his first commission on the 25th Feb. 1815;
And was promoted to the rank of commander while serving aa

VOL. IV. PART If. H

in;

2d8

C0MMANDBR8.

senior lieutenant of the Hyperion frigate, Captain W. J.
Mingay, coast guard (l«?p6t at Newhaven, Jan. 9th, 1828.
Previous to his latter advancement, he had received the thanks
of the Board of Longitude, and been presented by the Society
of Arts with the Gold Vulcan Medal, for an important im-
provement in the naval quadrant ; and the large Silver Medal
for his invention of an ice saw, for facilitating the progress
or escape of ships navigating the high polar latitudes, when
surrounded by field ice.

In 1 8'28, the Society of Arts presented him with a second

large Silver Medal, for his method of constructing a floating
bridge, from the materials to be found on board all ships of
war and vessels generally. In 1830, he received a similar
honorary reward for his invention of an improved rocket
^taif. Whilst at Newhaven, he also forwarded to the Admi-
ralty a model of an ice boat, and a plan for navigating the
polar seas.

li

i'M

FRANCIS EDWARD COLLINGWOOD, Esq.

Is descended from a very ancient family, the CoUingwoods,
of Eslington, co. Northumberland, Avho, led by their attach-
ment to the House of Stuart, suffered a great reverse of for-
tune, in J 71 5. His grandfather, Edward, successively
master- attendant of the dock-yards at Plymouth, Ports-
mouth, Chatham, and Deptford, (the first person of the name
of Collingwood whom we find mentioned in our naval annals),
sailed round the world, as midshipman, with Anson, by whom
he was ever afterwards patronised, and was master of the
Victory, first rate, flag- ship of Admiral Sir John Balchen, a
short time previous to her loss, in Oct. 1744 *.

• On the 3d Oct, 1744, the fleet under Sir John Balchen, then return-
ing home from Gibraltar, encountered a violent storm, in which several
of the ships were much shattered. On the 4th, the "Victory separated
from her consorts, and was never more heard of. It is supposed that she
struck upon a ridge of rocks off the Caskets ; as from the testimony of
the men ^vho attended the lights, and the inhabitants of the island of

I k

COWMAN nBRJ».

2:)9

Mr. F. E, CoLLiNGWooD, only son of Francis C'olUngwood,
of Greenwich, Esq., by Sarah, sister to the hite Captain
Thomas Richbell, K. N., chief magistrate of the Thames
Police, was born at Milford, co. Pembroke, Mar. 23(1, IZHi ;
and entered the royal navy, as mids^hipman on board the
America 64, commanded by his uncle-in-law, the late Vice-
Admiral Sir William Parker, IJart., in IJiB*; and subse-
quently served in the Pheasant sloop, Beaulieu and Alligator
frigates. Elephant 7'lj and Victory of 1(X) guns, the latter
ship bearing the flag of the immortal Nelson, whose death he
avenged by shooting the French rifleman who had, after re-
peated attempts, succeeded in mortally wounding that illus-
trious hero at the ever memorable battle of Trafalgar. During
that tremendous conflict, he was sent from his quarters on
the poop, where the carnage was most dreadful, with a few
men, to assist in extinguishing a fire on board the French 74-
gun ship, le Redoubtable, which service he performed in a
manner highly satisfactory to his captain, the present Sir
Thomas M. Hardy. His promotion to the rank of lieutenant
took place on the 22d Jan. 1806.

After serving for some time in the Queen 98, flag-ship of
Lord Collingwood, and Bahama 74, one of the Spanish ships
captured off Trafalgar, this officer was appointed to the. Pal-
las 32, in which frigate we find him present, under the com -
mand of Captain (now Sir George F.) Seymour, at the de-
struction of five French men-of-war, in Aix Roads, April
12th, 1809 f. In the ensuing summer, he accompanied the
grand expedition sent against Antwerp, and was constantly
employed, in guard boats and on shore, during the occupation
of Walcheren. His next appointment was, Dec. 13th, 1809,
to be first lieutenant of the Iris 30, in M'hich ship he con-
tinued for a period of five years.

Alderney, many guns were heard on the nights of the 4th and 5th, but
the weather was too tempestuous to hazard boats out to their assisiaute.
In this ship perished near one thousand men, besides fifty volunteers,
sons of the first nobility and gentrj' in the kingdom.
, • See Suppl. Part III. p. 266. f See Vol. I. Part I. p. 84.

s 2

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COMMANDKKS.

The Iris was principally employed in co-operation with the
patriots on the north coast of Spain, where Lieutenant Col-
lingwood appears to have been a constant volunteer for boat
and shore service; and on many occasions obtained the par-
ticular approbation of Captain Sir George Collier, senior
officer of the squadron on that station. A sketch of the
transactions in which he was engaged in the years 1811,
1812, and 1813, will be found in Vol. II. Part II. pp. 521—
632.

In 1813, the Iris, then commanded by Captain H. H.
Christian, captured three American letters of manpie. In
Nov. 1814, Mr. Coliingwood was appointed first lieutenant
of the Niger 38, Captain Peter Rainier, under whom he served
for a short time on the Cape of Good Hope station. In Dec.
1820, he obtained the command of the Kite revenue cruiser,
employed on the coast of Ireland, wliere he continued for the
usual period of three years. During this time he had two
ribs and his breast bone fractured, was wounded by a pike
through the leg, and received two severe contusions on the
head, hie was also washed overboard in a heavy gale of
wind, and must have perished, all his boats having been pre-
viously lost, had not a following sea thrown him on the
square-sail brace, to which he clung until assisted in-board.
His promotion to the rank of commander took place Jan.
15th, 1828.

This officer married, in May 1822, Ellen second daughter
of the late Rev. Samuel Collis, of Fort William, co. Kerry,
-ly whom he has several children. His only surviving sister
•vas tlie wife of Dr. J. D. Burke, late surgeon of H. M. dock-
yard at Pembroke, and is now the widow of the Rev. Hugh
Taylor. . • • , . .

I' '•

WILLIAM IIARGOOD, E.g

Son of Admiral Sir Williain Hargopd, G. C. B., com-
mander-in-chief at Plymouth.
„ Thifii>fficer entered the royal navy in 1813 ; and was made

COMMANDERS.

20 1

tL lieutenant into the Sybille 44, flag-ship of Sir Charles Ro\r-
ley, on the West India station, Oct 5th, 1822. He was pro-
moted to the rank of commander on the 15th Jan. 1828;
ajhpointed to the Scout sloop, July 20th, 1832 ; removed to
the Scylla sloop, on the Mediterranean station, Dec. 10th,
1833; paid off from that vessel Mar. 8th, 1834; and ap-
pointed secretary to his father, in the month of April follow
tng.

Commander Hargood married, in 1828, a Miss Catherine
Harrison.

SIR THOMAS RAIKES TRIGGE THOMPSON, Bart.

Eldest surviving son of the late Admiral Sir Thomas JB.
Thompson, Bart., G. C. B., by Anne, eldest daughter of
Robert llaikes, Esq., of Gloucester. '

This officer was born on the 1st April, 1S04 ; entered the
royal navy in Feb. 1818; obtained his first commission on
the 8th April, 1825 ; and was promoted to the rank of coui-
mander Jan. 19th, 1828. His last appointment was to the
Cadmus sloop, which vessel he paid off, on her return from
South America, May 7th, 1830.

HON. JOHN FREDERICK FITZGERALD DE ROOS.

' THrrtD aon of Lord Henry Fitzgerald (fourth son of James
first Duke 6f Leinster),by Charh)tte, Baroness De Roos.

This officer is maternally descended from Robert Dc Ros,
one of the twenty-five barons who extorted Magna Charta
from King John ; and his >vife Isabelle, daughter of William
the Lion, King of Scotland. His mother is the only daugh-
ter and heiress of the Hon. Robert Boyle Walshingham,
youngest son of Henry, first Earl of Shannon, by Charlotte,
daughter of Sir Charieb Hanbury Williams, Bart., the de-
scendant of Frances, sister to <:he sixth Earl of Rutland and
seventeenth Baron De Roou, on the demise of whose grand-

is

(T

202

COMMANDERS.

son, George, second Duke of Buckingham and eighteenth
Baron De Roos, in 1687, the latter title fell into abey-
ance, and so continued until terminated in favor of the pre-
sent peeress. May 9th, 1806, when her ladyship assumed the
additional surname of De Roos. ' - . ^

• . Tlie subject of the following sketch was bom at Boyle
Farm, co. Surrey, on the 6th Mar. 1804 ; and entered the
royal navy, as midshipman on board the Tonnant 80, flag-
ship of the late Sir Benjamin Hallo well Carew, at Cork,
Mar. 10th, 1818. He subsequently served under the late
Hon. Sir Robert C. Spencer, and his brother, Captain the
Hon. Frederick Spencer, in the Ganymede 26, Owen Glen-
dower 42, Alacrity 10, and Creole 42, on the Mediterranean
and South American stations. He was made a lieutenant,
from the Royal Georire yacht, May t30th, 1825.
'• In lb26, Lieutenant De Roos, then belonging to the Ju-
piter 50, flag-ship of Rear- Admiral (now Sir Willoughby
T.) Lake, on tlie Halifax station, made a tour of the United
States tuul Canada. In 1827, he published a "Narrative of
his travels, witli observations on the Maritime Resources of
North America, atnl present state of her Dock-yards and
Navy." In the same year, lie accompanied his present Ma-
jesty, then Lord High Admiral, in the Royal Sovereign
yacht, aw flag-lieutenant, during his first visit to the out
ports. He \\as promoted to the rank of commander, from
the Undaunted frigate. Captain (now Sir Augustus W. J.)
Clifford, Jan. lOtl^ 1828.

- This officer's next appointment was, May 14th, 1831, to
the Algerine sloop, then in South America, to which station
he proceeded, as passenger on board the Druid frigate. Cap-
tain G. W. Hamilton. In the following year, he relieved
Commander Thomas Dickinson, of the Lightning sloop, at
Cape Frio, and succeeded in getting up a considerable por-
tion of thr treasure from among the wreck of H. M. late fri-
gate Thetis *. The Algerine was put out of commission on
the 3d Dec. 1333.

♦ Sc€ Vol. IV. Tart I. pp. -'u2— 1'60.

COMMAS DKRS.

203

}f

JOHN WHITE PRITCHARD, Esq.

Was aide-de-camp to the Earl of Northesk at the memor-
able battle of Trafalgar. He passed his examination in
Dec. 1807 J obtamed his first commission on the 22d Sept.
J 808; and subsequently served in the Derwent sloop and
Akbar frigate, as agent of transports, and as senior lieutenant
of the Britannia first rate, flag-ship of Lord Northesk, when
commander-in-chief at Plymouth. He was advanced to his
present rank on the 24th Jan. 1828. >■'''

This officer married, July 9th, 1810, Miss J. M. Appleby,
of Soberton. • • " "

HUGH NURSE, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1809, as midshipman on board
the Blake 74, Captain (now Sir Edward) Codrington, under
whom he served, principally on the Mediterranean station,
for a period of four years *. In 1813, we find him proceed-
ing to North America, where he participated in much active
service under tlie late Commodore Joseph Nourse, then
commanding the Severn frigate f. 'I ne last ship in which
he served as a petty officer was the Tyne 26, Captain William
M*Kenzie Godfrey, on the Jamaica station.

On the 30th Sept. 1822, the Tyne's tender, a small hired
sloop named the Eliza, mounting one 12-pounder carronade,
and having on board a midshipman (White), and twenty-
four meii, under the command of Mr. Nurse, was attacked
at her anchorage in La Gualiava by a piratical schooner,
mounting six carriage guns, with a complement of forty
men, and a felucca, the Firme Union, of tive guns and thirty-
five men : — the result will be seen by the following, hitherto
unpublished, statement : —

" At 8-30, p, M., the schooner broujjfht up at a short distance, and
without hailing, fired two shot at the Eliza. Mr. Nurse immediately

• Sec Vol. I. Part II. pp. 6.36 anil 8/2, e( srq.
t Sec Vol. II. Part li. p. 880.

II

li

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264 COMMANDERS^.

opened a fire from his only gun, loaded with round and grape, supported
by musketry ; and after sue rounds, the slaughter on the pirate's deck
must have heen great, as the cries of the wounded were hideous. A
felucca now bore down between the schooner and the Eliza, with the
evident intention of running alongside the latter, but which she frus-
trated by getting under her bow, and instantly boarding. The defence
of the freebooters was desperate : the captain and nine men were killed,
and the remmning part of her crew, with the exception of four men,
two of whom were severely wounded, jumped overboard. She appeared
to have been fully prepared for action. Shot were heating, and the men
armed with cutlasses, each having a long knife in his left hand. On our
side two seamen were killed, and Mr. Nurse and six men severely
wounded. Perhaps in few actions of the kind has a greater degree of
cool and determined gallantry been displayed."

On this occasion, Mr. Nurse was shot through the right
arm, and received a sabre cut in the left. The former wound
has been reported by Drs. Weir and Burnett equal to the
loss of a limb, the shoulder joint having no power of motion :
his name, however, does not appear in the pension list.

On the 5th Dec. 1822, Mr. Nurse was promoted, by Sir
Charles Rowley, " for services independent of the above,"
into the PyramuH frigate. Captain Francis Newcombe, C. B.
He obtained the rank of commander Jan. 26th, 1828 ; and
married, Nov. 15th following, Amelia, only child of the late
Colonel William Bulkeley.

ROBERT HENRY STANHOPE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in, Mar. 1824 j and commander on
tlie 30th Jan. 1828.

JAMES WILKINSON, Esq.

Wb first find serving as master'? mate of the Thames
frigate. Captain Charles Napier, at the capture of the island
of Ponzn, Feb. 26th, 1813 *. He was made lieutenant into

• See Suppl. Part II. p. Ti, et ncq.

COMMANDERS*

265

I

the Niemen 38, Captain Samuel Pyni, on the North American
station, Oct. 26th, 1814; appointed to the Tees 26, Captain
Thomas Coe, fitting out for the East Indies, Jidy 29th, 1821;
and severely wounded while co-operating witli the army in
Ava, under Sir Archibald CampbQll, at the commenceuieut of
the Burmese war *. ••* • '

After the occupation of Prome, April 25th, 1825, Lieute-
nant Wilkinson, then first of the Liftey 50, and commanding
the light division of the flotilla in the Irrawaddy, under Cap-
tain Thomas Alexander, C. IJ., was despatched up thv; river,
as far as Napadee, to reconnoitre. On the 1st May he re-
turned, having captured eight wiir-boats, pulling from fifty
tc sixty oars each, and another laden with guns and small
arms. This service was performed without any loss, in pre-
sence of five hundred musketeers and fifty horsemen, part
of the force commanded by the Prince of Sarrawaddy f. The
following is an extract of a letter from Captain Coe, ad-
dressed to the Secretary of the Admiralty, June IJth, 1825 :

" Mr. James Wilkinson, senior lieutenant of H. M. ship under niy
command, latterly in eominand of the \\'/\\t divit^ion of boats, has been
spoken of in the hig-hest terms by Captain Alexander, as well as those
serving under him. I have known this officer since 1821, and while serv-
ing with me in H. M. ship Tees, and since in the Lilley, I have had fre-
quent opportunities of observing his zeal and abilities." ^ j/ .m.l ;»

This officer was promoted to his present rank on the 3 1 st
Jan. 1828.

' •>

RICHARD FEGEN, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 8th Nov. 1806; and
served in the expeditions to Monte Video and VValcheren, in
180/ and 1809. He was afterwards successively appointed
to the Favorite, Gannet, and Kangaroo sloops ; of which
latter vessel we find him acting commander, on the West
India station, in 1813. His next appointment was, we be-
lieve, Dec. 6th, 1813, to the Prince 98, flag-ship at Spithead.

* » 1 I

Sec A'aval Oprmtiong in Avn, p. 7> f^t "('1^

f Sec ///. p, 8.'1

266

COMMANOKRS.

He subsequently commanded the Misletoe schooner, Tiger
and Lapwing, revenue cruisers, and Pincher schooner, the
latter employed in the West Indies, for the suppression of
piracy, from which vessel he was promoted to his present
rank on the 9th Feb. 1828. While in the Tiger and Lap-
wing, he captured the Dart smuggling cutter, of ninety tons,
with a full cargo, and several other contraband traders.

Commander Feg-en married. May 13th, 1831, Miss Banks,
of Ryde, in the Isle of Wight.

GEORGE DELME, Esq.

Passed his examination in July 1815; obtained his first
conmiission on the 19th Sept. following; aad was made a
commander on the 21st Feb. 1828.

PHILIP GOSTLING, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Pactolus frigate, Captain
the Hon F. W. Aylmer, April 25th, 1815. He subsequently
served under the flag of the Hon. Sir Alexander I. Cochrane,
in the Impregnable 104, at Plymouth. His promotion to the
rank of commander took place Mar. 2d, 1828.

BRUNSWICK POPHAM, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1826; and commander on
the 2d Mar. 1828.

GEORGE HOPE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1822 ; and commander m!>,
the 5th Mar. 1828.

COMMANDKR&.

267

ROBERT ROCHFORT, Esq.

Passed his examination in Jan. 1810; obtained his first
commission on the 26th April, 1811 ; and commanded the
Lapwing, revenue cruiser, in 1819 and the two following
years. He was advanced to his present rank on the 10th
Mar. 1828.

ROBERT SMART, Esq.

Knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order.

This officer entered the royal navy in 1810; and was
made lieutenant into the Scout sloop. Captain William
Ramsden, on the Mediterranean station, Sept. 11th, 1820.
He obtained his present rank, while serving on board the
Cambrian frigate. Captain G. W. Hamilton, April 21st,
1828; and is now commander of the Satellite sloop, on the
South American station, where he has recently captured a
Portuguese brig, with .577 slaves on board. In 1832, he was
nominated a knight of the above order, and, we believe, re-
ceived from the King of Prussia the order of the Red Eagle
(third class), in consequence of his having been selected to
accompany a miniature frigate, presented to that monarch
by King William IV., from the river Thames to Germany.

JOSEPH RICHARD RAGGETT WEBB, Esq.

OBTAiNEn his first commission on the 17th Mar. 1806;
and served, during the last four years of the war with
France, in the Franchise frigate, the greater part of the time
under Captain Richaitt Buck. He Avas appointed to the
Portsmouth Ordinary in 1816; and subsequently commanded
the Hind revenue cruiser. He was advanced to his present
rank on the 1st May, 1828.

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268

POMMAMDKRS.

THOMAS HOLBROOK, Esq.

A SON of Mr. William Holbrook, an eminent solicitor of
Ledbury, co. Hereford, ami brother to Lieutenant Charles
Holbrook, the only commissioned officer now employed on
the Lakes of Canada.

The subject of this memoir was born at Ledbury, in Dec.
1792; and entered the royal navy in Feb. 1800, as midt^hip-
man on board the Ocean 9S, Captain Francis Pender, fitting
out for the flag of Lord CoUingwood, coilimander-in -chief
on the Mediterranean station, nliom he followed into the
Ville de Paris, first rate, in 1809. He subsequently served
under Captains J. R. Lundeyand Robert Rarrie, in the Hind
and Pomone frigates. Jn the latter ship, he was present at
the capture of the French privateer Dubourdieu, of 14 guns
and 93 men, Jan. 18th, 1811; and at the destruction of
I'Etourdie, a national brig of 18 guns and 200 men, in Mar.
following.

On the 1st May, 1811, the Pomone, in company with
rUnit(; frigate, and the Scout sloop, effected the destruction
of two large French store-ships, an armed merchantman, a
martello tower, and a 4-gun battery in Sagone Bay, island
of Corsica, after an action of ninety minutes *. At various
other times, the boats of the Pomone captured and de-
stroyed forty- two vessels, including three French privateers,
mounting altogether 23 guns, and having on board 168 men.

Mr. Holbrook continued in the Pomone until that ship
was wrecked near the Needles Point, Oct. 14l;h, 181 J. We
next find hinv in the Alcmene frigate. Captain Edwards
Lloyd Graham, employed in the Ac'-iatic, where, in less than
twelve months, he was at least ten times engaged with the
enemy, eitlier in boats or on shore. In May 1812, he was
appointed acting licuteih'wit of that ship ; and on the 23d
Sept. following, promoted into a death vacancy on board the
Eagle 74, Captain (now Sir Charles) Rowley. In April

* .^ee Vol. II. Pnrt II. p. /i-'^ ''i frq.

COMMANDERS.

209

1813, he assisted at the capture and destruction of six armed
vessels, as will be seen by the followinsf official letter : —

" Elhaheth, nffthe river Po, 29tfi /Ipril, 1813.

" Sir, — I have the honor to inform you, the bouts of the Elizabeth
and Eagle fell in, oti' Goro, with seven armed uiereliant vessels, ladeu
with oil. Four of them were captured, and the other three ran on shore
into a tremendous surf, under the protection of a two-ifun batten', two
schooners, and three settee irnn-boats, who opened a most i(allinir fire.
Notwithstandinj,'' all th(>se difficulties, one of the vessels was brouj^ht oflF,
and another detstroyed, nuich to the credit of Messrs. Roberts and
(Ireemiway, senior lieutenants of the Elizabeth and Eaf|[le, under whose
directions this arduous service was perforuied. Tiiey speak hii,'hly of
Lieuic-uant Ilolitrook, of the Eajfle, who was also there, and of all the
petty officers and men employed on this service. I am happy to add, no
person was hurt. I ha.e the honor to be, &c.

(Sitfued) ♦• E. Leveson Goweii, Captain."

" To Rear-Admiral Frcinande."

On the 8th June, 1813, the marines of the Elizabeth and
Kaple drove the enemy out of the town of Omago, on the
coast of Istria, Mliile the boats of those ships destroyed a two-
giiu battery, and brought off four vessels, loaded with wine,
that had been scuttled. Between this period and the spring-
of 1814, when the lilagle was ordered home. Lieutenant Hol-
brook appears to have been present at the capture of Fiume,
Trieste, Boca Kd, and nearly all the toM-ns and forts on the
coast of Istria an(i at the mouths of the Po; likewise at the
capture and destruction of about 150 sail of the enemy's
vessels *.

On tlie 2r)th July, 1814, Mr. Holbrook ^vas appointed to
the Wanderer 20; and subsequently to the My sh)op, in
which vessel he served for three years and a half, as senior
lieutenant, on the West India and Irish stations, where he
assisted at the capture of several contraband traders. In
182r>, we find him first of the l>ryad 42, and three times at
sea in command of that ship, during the protracted illness of
her captain, the late Hon. Robert Rodney, under whose sue-'
cessor, the Hon. George A. Crofton, he continued to serve

5 il

Sec V(d. I. Part II. p. 0/3, rt .*rq.

27(1 COMMANDERS.

until promoted to his present rank, by commisHion dated
May 6th, 1828. .,

After the demise of Captain Rodney, the Dryad proceeded
to the Irish station, where Lieutenant Holbrook again had
charge of her, during a cruise on the western coast. In July
1827, having then just returned to Plymouth, from Gibraltar,
she was inspected by his present majesty, who fully approved
of the arrangements throughout the ship. She subsequently
joined the squadron imd t Sir Edward Codrington, off Nava-
rino, from whence she was unfortunately detached to Smyrna,
just before the battle of Oct .2(Jth,forwhicli lionors and rewards
were so unprecedently bestowed. In Dec. 1827, she proceeded
to the Dardanelles to embark Mr. Stratford Canning, H. M.
ambassador at Constantinople, whom she conveyed with his
suite to Vorla, Corfu, and Anc* <iia. On his return to England,
that diplomatist represented the services of Lieutenant Hol-
brook in such a way to the Lord High Admiral tliat he was
immediately promoted. In the sun mer of 1829, he com-
menced a course of studies at the Royal Naval College, where
he continued until the end of Dec. 1831.

Commander Holbrook's eldest brother is an attorr.ey-at-
law : his only surviving sister is the wife of Captain James
Wallace Gabriel, R. N.

JOSEPH CHAPPELL WOOLLNOUGH, Esq.

Knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order.

The WooUnoughs claim descent from an ancient family
originally seated at Wenlock, co. Salop, about the time of
Henry 111., a descendant of whom. Sir William Woolno'e,
Knt., married and settled in Suffolk, temp. Edw. IV. At
this period tiie family, it may be supposed, were wealthy and
influential, Roger Woolno'e, a younger brother of Sir Wil-
liam, having married a sister of Richard Brandon, Duke of
Suffolk. A pedigree up to the period of Cooke's Visitation,

COMMANDBRS. 271

(anno 1585) with the funiily arms, will be found among the
Harleian MSS. in the British Museum.*

'J'he subject of the followinff memoir is the only son of
Mr. Joseph Chappell Woollnout^h, formerly dispenser of the
royal naval hospitals at Deal, Madras, North Yarmouth, and
the Cape of Good Mope, but now in private practice at
South Town, North Yarmouth, by Ruth Cator, daughter of
Mr. William Clarke, of Stubbs, in the county of Norfolk.
His grandfather, a Suffolk yeoman, possessed property in
Stadbrooke, which he added to by his marriage with Miss
Cybele Chappell, of the same town. In l/Z^^j he occupied
Mettingham Castle, near Bungay, renting, in addition to his
own estate, the manor and farm belonging to it. These he
very much improved ; he also laid out and beautified with
much taste and at great expense, the grounds within the walls
of the ancient castle and college, considerable portions of
which, with the principal gateway, still remain, the towers
forming a conspicuous object from many parts of the sur-
rounding country. Like most country gentlemen of his time,
he appears to have been a free liver and a great sportsman ;
an oracle among the neighbouring gentry and farmers, in all
questions relative to horses and dogs ; liberal and hospi-
table, but thoughtless and extravagant. In the latter years of
his life, he entered into some mercantile speculations for
which he was altogether unqualified, and at length died at
Dunkirk, about the year 1789.

Mr. Joseph ChappkllWoollnouch, junior, was brought
up at Stubbs, under the care of his maternal relations. He
entered the royal navy in 1800, as midshipman on board the
Monarch 74, bearuig the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Archibald
Dickson, then commanding the North Sea fleet ; and in the
course of a few months was removed, for the benefit of more
active service, into the Waaksamheidt 28, Captain Daniel

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* In the reign of James I. one of the name of Woolnoagh, or Wooll-
nough, held lands under the crown at Wymondham, as appears from a
very curious petition, preserved in the library of the British Museum.
Harleian MSS. 791.

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272 COMMANDERS.

Atkins ; but which ship he was soon under the necessity of
quitting, for the re-establishment of his health, then much
impaired by his extraordinary rapid growth, he being at
that time, although only fourteen years of age, no less than
six feet, three inches and a half in height.

The treaty of Amiens having been concluded previous to
young Woolnough's perfect recovery, his attention was next
turned to the merchant service ; and we accordingly find him,
early in 1802, embarking on board the Harriet, a beautiful
and well armed ship, belonging to Messrs. Hurry and Co.,
commanded by Mr. Frank Hurry, and usually employed in
the Honduras trade. An accident, however, which, though
sufficiently serious in itself, was in all probability the means
of preserving his health, if not his life, by checking his rapid
growth, effectually prevented his proceeding to sea in her ;
for playing one day, with another youngster, on the beams of
the hold, the ship having only a half-deck for the people, he
leaped upon an arm- chest which stood partially projecting
over the break of that deck, and both fell together, a
depth of about twenty feet, into the hold. The consequence
was a compound fracture of the right thigh, a portion of the
bone projecting through the trowsers. His recovery was
tedious, but complete. To the care and attention of Mr.
John Dinning, a skilful surgeon who resided at Shadwell,
and by whom several pieces of the broken bone were ex-
tracted, he was probably indebted for the preservation of the
limb. As soon as he had gained sufficient strength, he em-
barkexl on l)oard another vessel belonging to the same owners,
bound to Gibraltar ; where his father was then acting sur-
geon of I'Aurore prison-ship, and also attached to the naval
hospital*. ;. ,. ... —

* Some years previously, Mr. WooUnough senior had, through the
recommendation of Dr. John Weir, been appointed by Earl St. Vincent
"examining surgeon" to the Mediterranean fleet. It was his duty to
examine every reported hospital case, before the patient was allowed to
ht removed from his. ship, and none could .be received on shore without
his sanction. Tliis unique appointment ceased with his Lordship's com-
mand, if not before ; for it naturally gave pffence to the old confirmed
surgeons, nor are we aware that it was ever sanctioned by the Admiralty..

ilty.

COMMAXDBRS. 2/3

We next find our young officer, Sept. 26th, 1803, re-en-
tering the royal navy, as midshipman on board the Blood-
hound gun-brig, commanded by the late Lieutenant Henry
Richardson, and employed in the blockade of Boulogne. In
the course of the same year, he was four times engaged with
the enemy's flotilla and land batteries. On the 29th Sept.
he witnessed the destruction of two French gun-vcseels ; and
on the 10th Dec. assisted in destroying a large ship, laden
with hemp, iron, tar, &c. on the beach near Cape Grisnez.
In the night of Jan. 20th, 1804, the Bloodhound was nearly
sunk, off Dungeness, by the Arab 28, Captain Lord Coch-
rane, which ship, when in the act of wearing, ran her on
board, stove in the larboard bow, and did considerable da-
mage to her fore and head rigging.

In the ensuing spring, Mr. WooUnough was present at two
attempts made to block up the entrance of Boulogne har-
bour, by means of three large merchant ships, loaded with
masses of stone, firmly clamped and cemented together ;
leaving only spaces around the masts, filled with combus-
tibles to ensure their destruction. After the abandonment
of this hopeful scheme, the Bloodhound was incessantly em-
ployed in watching and annoying the enemy's flotilla. On
the 31st July, 1804, the thanks of the Admiralty were read
to her officers and crew, for their gallant conduct in a recent
action, of which an account is given in Vol. II. Part II.
p. 127, et seq.

On the 1 5th of the following month, Mr. WooUnough
joined the Agamemnon 64, Captain John Harvey ; in which
ship he assisted at the capture of four Spanish merchantmen,
from the Havannah and Vera Cruz, laden with sugar,
cochineal, coffee, twenty chests of silver, and nearly a mil-
lion of dollars. One of these valuable prizes, the Cleopatra,
taken off Cape St. Vincent, Dec. 29th, 1804, was entrusted
to his charge, and safely conducted to Gibraltar.

On the 31st Jan. 1805, the Cleopatra was driven on shore
in a heavy gale of wind, during which many vessels were
totally destroyed, the bay and new mole being then crowded
with shipping of every description. The Agamemnon her-.

VOL. IV. TART II. T

2/4 COMMANDERS.

self had a narrow escape, having parted one of her cables,
and drifted close to the rocks under the Devil's Bowling
Green, where she rode with two cables an end, the offset
from the rocks fortunately easing the strain.

Some months previous to this destructive storm, the
garrison at Gibraltar had been, for the first time, afflicted
with that dreadful scourge the yellow fever ; and many fa-
milies had embarked to escape the infection, which had
only just begun to assume a milder character at the period
of Mr. WooUnough's arrival. During the continuance of the
gale, the rain was incessant, and so heavy that many coffins
buried in the red sands were exposed. After its abatement
not a single case of fever occurred.

On the 8th April, while still detained with the prizes at
Gibraltar, Mr. Woollnough had the mortification to see a
French squadron from Toulon, consisting of eleven sail of the
line, seven frigates, two brigs, and a store-ship, pass the
Straits to the westward. Every eye was turned to the
Mediterranean, in expectation of Lord Nelson and his
squadron ; but he not appearing. Lord Mark Kerr, of the
Fisgard, then senior officer in the bay, immediately de-
spatched a small fast-sailing vessel with the intelligence
to his Lordship, while he himself watched the enemy until
their arrival at Cadiz.

In the beginning of May, when Nelson also passed the
rock, Mr. Woollnough was employed, together with the other
prize-masters and their crews, in fitting out the Spanish
frigate Amphitrite, captured by Sir Richard J. Strachan, and
commissioned, pro tempore, by Captain Robert Corbet, with
whose successor, the Hon. Courtenay Boyle, he returned
home early in Aug. 1805. On the 25th of that month, he
rejoined the Agamemnon, off Ushant j which ship was shortly
afterwards placed under the command of Captain Sir Ed-
ward Berry, to whose notice he appears to have been strongly
recommended by his Norfolk connections.

On the 10th Oct. the Agamemnon, then off Cape Finis-
terre, on her way to join Lord Nelson, had a very narrow
escape from the famous Kochefort squadron. Her proceed-

IIS-
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COMMANDERS. 275"

ings on this occasion are thus described by one of Sir Ed-
ward Berry's officers : —

" We sailed from Spithead on the 2d Oct., havin|r on [hoard Lord
Robert Fitzgerald, H. M. ambassador to the court of Lisbon. On the
10th, about 2 a. m., we found ourselves in the midst of several larj^e
ships, but it being excessively dark, and some difficidty arising about the
signal lights, it was day-break before we made them out to be a Froin-li
scjuadron, consisting of one three-decker, four other line-of-battle ships,
one 54 (the Calcutta, recently captured from the Britisli), two frigate.%
and a brig ; mth several sail of merchantmen in tow. At this time, the
Agamemnon was so near the three-decker, bearing the flag of a rear-
admiral, that a biscuit might almost have been thrown on board ; all the
ships going large. She was instantly hauled to the wind, and all sail
made ; and to the rapidity with which this was effected we owed our
safety. We were immediately chased by the three-decker and two other
ships; the former occasionally firing at us from her bow-guns. The
wind was so fresh, that we could barely carry top-gallant sails over single
reefed topsails, and were frequently obliged to take them in. In doing
so, we always handed them, thereby gaining some advantage, as the
enemy allowed theirs to hang loose until the squall had passed and ad-
mitted of their l)eing again set. Tlie hammocks were down, and one
watch was ordered to lie down in them ; the lee-guns were run in amid-
ships, and the weather quarter boat was cut away. Two of the enemy
gained on us ; the three-decker barely held her own ; the rest of the
squadron were soon far astern. One of the former might have brought
us to action with the greatest ease. We occasionally made signals and
fired guns, in oi ler to deceive the enemy, whose position, however,
afforded us but very faint hopes of escape. At this time. Lord Robert
Fitzgerald asked Sir Edward Berry if he thought we should be taken ?
* That, my Lord, I cannot exactly say,' he replied, ' but I can assure you
they shall only have half of her — they shall never take her into port '. '
At 10, A. Ai., one of the two-deckers was far advanced upon our star-
board quarter, and the other on our larboard beam ; notwithstanding
which their chief thought proper to recall them, and bear up after a con-
voy to leeward, the outward-bound Oporto trade, part of which he cap-
tured.

" Tlie Agamemnon, it appeared, was not to be detained by landing
Lord Robert Fitzgerald at Lisbon ; as we carried him on past Cape St.
Vincent, where we fell in with the Nautilus sloop, in which vessel he was
conveyed to the Tagus. On the following morning, Oct. 13th, we joined
Lord Nelson's fleet, then ninety-three miles due west of Cadiz."

On the night previous to the battle of Trafalgar, the situ-
ation of the Agamemnon was rather a critical one, she having

lost her main top-mast in a heavy squall, while midway be-

T 2

276 COMMANDERS.

tween her friends and the fleets of France and Spain. On
the glorious 21st Oct. 1805, after dismasting a French 74,
she took up a position under the stern of the Santissima
Trinidada, and stuck close to that huge ship until attacked
by four two-deckers belonging to the enemy's van — two on
the larboard bow, one a- beam, and one astern ; had these
ships fired steadily and low, she must have been sunk ; but
their guns were pointed so high, that not one shot in a hun-
dred struck the hull. During this conflict, Mr. Woollnough
had the command of the forecastle.

The Agamemnon subsequently accompanied Sir John T.
Duckworth to the West Indies, and formed part of the
squadron under that officer's command, at the battle of St.
Domingo, Feb. Cth, 1806. Mr. Woollnough afterwards as-
sisted at the capture of la Dame Ernoufj French privateer,
of 17 guns and 115 men; la Lutine, national brig, of 18 guns
and 95 men j and the Spanish national schooner Sevillana,
from Coruna bound to Vera Cruz.

In Sept. 1806, the Agamemnon, then commanded by Cap-
tain Jonas Rose, returned home with 275 sail of valuable
merchantmen under her protection. After refitting at Chat-
ham, she joined the expedition destined against Copenhagen,
where Mr. Woollnough was sent, with an old man and two
boys, to take charge of the Danish merchant-ship Louisa,
the crew of which were allowed to remain. Taking advan-
tage of his temporary absence on board another prize, the
Danes plied his boys with brandy until drunk, forced the old
man below, and were about to cut and run, when he, not
feeling perfectly at his ease, as the evening closed in dark,
with a westerly breeze, paddled himself alongside in a little
skiff. On reaching the deck, the first person he met was the
master's wife, an Irishwoman, with her clothes all nearly
torn off, flying from her husband, who, with a drawn dirk in
his hand, was swearing that she should not live to betray
him. On seeing Mr. Woollnough, he retreated to the cabin,
where five of his countrymen, all in the prime of life, were
finishing their potations. The mate then stepped forward,
armed with a handspike ; but, being intoxicated, he was

C0MMANDBR8. 277

easily tripped up, disarmed, and put down the forecastle,
from whence the old Englishman, who had cautiously re-
frained from drink, was at the same time liberated. Thus
checked at the outset, the whole party were easily overawed
and placed in confinement.

On the surrender of the Danish navy, Mr. Woollnough
was ordered to assist the Agamemnon's first lieutenant in
equipping and taking to England the Princess Caroline 74.
This ship was loaded with an immense quantity of knee-
timber, oak-plank, and iron, some cables, between sixty
and seventy anchor-stocks, and twenty-four spars, most of
which were calculated for line-of-battle ships' lower masts.
She also brought home 665 officers and men of H. M. 95th
regiment.

In Dec. 1807, the Agamemnon formed part of the squadron
employed in blockading the Tagus ; and on the 28th of that
month Mr. Woollnough was put in charge of the Portuguese
ship Commerciante, of 900 tons, from South America bound
to Lisbon. This ship he found in a most miserable state :
her cargo had shifted in a gale of wind, and she heeled
three streaks to port ; her waist bulwarks had been washed
away, her rudder pintles were loose, and she was so leaky
as to require constant pumping. Notwithstanding the bad
weather she had met with, her top- sails had never been
reefed, but, when it blew hard, merely lowered on the cap :
in consequence thereof, the reef-points were all fagged out,
merely with knocking against the canvas. The only instru-
ment found on board her was a mutilated quadrant j there
was not a hole to shelter the crew from the weather, though
in the midst of winter j even the cabin was filled with cocoa :
added to all this she had but one cable, and was as heavily
rigged as an English frigate. Mr. Woollnough' s prize crew
consisted of three tolerable seamen, nine other blue jackets,
and four marines. The Portuguese remaining on board
were eleven in number, principally officers.

On the 4th Jan. 1808, being then about twelve leagues
west of Cape Finisterre, at 6 a. m., Mr. Woollnough found
himself in the midst of a strange squadron, but, as the

I

\

i

*'

278 COMMANDERS.

morning was very dark and hazy, he could not make out
what they were. To attempt running away in such a ship
as the Commerciante was out of the question ; he therefore
kept on his course for England, without making any more
sail, and the strangers fortunately paid no attention to him.
At daylight, he was abreast of a frigate, and could clearly
make out six sail of the line, evidently foreign, steering to
the S. W. under a press of sail. The frigate was then a
long way astern of them, and, although close to the Com-
merciante, who shewed no colours, hurried on after her
friends, without stopping to overhaul a ship which every one
could plainly see was not English.

On the 11th Jan., about 11 p. m,, a vessel was discovered
in chase of the Commerciante ; and drawing up astern, Mr.
Woollnough soon made her out to be a large lugger, and
there was little doubt of her being a French privateer.
Ushant then bore N. E., distant about eighty miles.

The Commerciante had originally mounted twenty nine-
poundcrs ; but those, with the exception of two, were in the
hold, under the cargo, as were likewise all the shot belonging
to them. Captain Rose had supplied Mr. Woollnough with
a few cartridges of powder ; but the only substitute he could
find for shot was a compound of old iron, tin kettles,
saucepans, &e. moulded into something like form by the
hammer. ' • ' « ; ; /

■ The wind was blowing strong from the westward, and the
ship running with the fore and main topsails double reefed
on the cap, the mizen tc^sail furled. The enemy ran under
her lee without hailing, prepared for action, with a light at
every gun, and when on the quarter lowered his main lug.
One of Mr. N^^oollnough's men had a knack of imitating the
boatswain's call by piping through his fingers, and did so
while the topsails were being hoisted. The order was then
loudly given, through a speaking-trumpet, to *' stand by the
forecastle gun." **A11 ready. Sir," was promptly answered.
The enemy had now «hot before the beam, and seemed to
hesitate how to act. The fire of the 9-pounder determined
him ; his lights Avere instantly extinguished, and, shooting

COMMANDS 11^.

279

ucross the Commerciunte'is bow like an arrow, he was soon
out of sight. On the following day, this lugger was cap-
tured by a British cruiser, and proved to be a privateer of
14 guns, full of men. On tlie 14th, Mr. Woollnough, who
then had not been in bed for seventeen nights, arrived safely
at St. Helens.

Previous to his re-joining the Agamemnon, in South
America, Mr. Woollnough was successively transferred, as
supernumerary, to the Resolution 74, Captain George Burl-
ton ; H ibernia 1 10, bearing the flag of Sir Charles Cotton ;
Minotaur 74, Captain Norborne Thompson ; Royal William,
flag-ship at Spithead ; President frigate. Captain Adam
Mackenzie ; and Lightning sloop, Captain Bentinck C.
Doyle; in which latter ship he arrived at Rio Janeiro, about
Sept. 1808.

The Brazilian station, though interesting at first, from its
novelty, was altogether an inactive one. The representative
of the House of Braganza, who had recently emigrated from
Portugal with his family and court, dreaded to have any of
the British squadron go to sea. The Agamemnon, however,
had one cruise, during which the situation of Trinidad and
the rocks of Martin Vaz was correctly ascertained. On Tri-
nidad were found seven men, who stjited that they belonged
to an American whaler, and had landed on the island eighteen
months before, for the purpose of burying their legs in the
earth, as a remedy for the scurvy ; that it had come on to
blow, and, there being no anchorage, their ship had been
blown off, leaving them behind. They had ^ A't themselves
a hut, just sufficient to shelter them from the weather; and
they had subsisted on the flesh of goats and fish, the former
of wbich are numerous on the island, and tame; the fish
they caught with their hands among the rocks ; eggs also
they obtained in abundance. Their boat was lying on the
beach, but stove ; they declined being taken off, as they said
they had no doubt of their ship calling for them again, if she
eame on the coast. They appeared the very counterparts of
De Foe's " Robinson Crusoe," clothed from head to foot in
goat-skin dresses, with the hair outwards ; and their beards

i li!"

* \m

*

280

COMMANDBRtf.

of eighteen months growth, leaving but little of the " hum'oi
form divine " at first sight distinguishable.

Oil the 5th Aug. 1809, the Agamemnon was wrecked near
Gorita, an island in the Rio de la Plata. Mr. Woollnough's
exertions after the ship struck, in saving her stores, &c. were
most incessant and laborious ; they attracted the notice of
Captain Richard Turner Hancock, commanding the Foud-
royant 80, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral De Courcy, who
offered him a mate's rating in that ship, which he accord-
ingly joined on the 8th of the same month. The admiral
and his lady also paid him the most polite attention ; the
former even supplying him with body linen until his chest
could be recovered.* .. f**

Thus ended the services of Nelson's favorite ship, always
before a fortunate, and always a favorite one. Many of the
older seamen, when they went over her side for the last time,
were actually shedding tears. Her name will always be as-
sociated with that of Britain's greatest naval hero. Still,
among all our new ships, we have not an ** Agamemnon."

Mr. Woollnough's stay in the Foudroyant was but short.
He passed his examination on the 23d of August ; and, in
three days afterwards, was appointed sub-lieutenant of the
Steady gun-brig, then under the command of the late Cap-
tain Arthur Stow. While in this vessel he became a good
pilot for the Rio de la Plata and the adjacent coast of
Brazil. •» - ..i' •.•■ • ,:.- ■ ..

In the spring of 1810, the Steady was ordered to bring
home Mr. H ill, Secretary of Legation, and the bearer of a
treaty highly advantageous to the commercial interests of
Great Britain j also a Portuguese Consid for St. Petersburgh.

* To Captain Adam Mackenzie, of the Bedford 74, and the officers of
that ship ; also to Lieutenant (now Captain) Robert Ramsay, who then
commanded the Misletoe schooner, the Agamemnons were particularly
indebted for their unwearied kindness and attention to them while on the
wreck. The schooner anchored alongside, and cooked the people's din-
ners ; the Bedford's supplied their distressed brother officers mth their
daily meals.

COMMANDKRS.

381

On her arrival in England, Lieutenant Stow obtained leave
of absence, and the charge of the vessel devolved upon Mr.
Woollnough, for a period of two months. His active and
officer-like conduct during the time that she was refitting
did not escape the notice of Sir Roger Curtis, then com-
mander-in-chief at that port, who kindly asked him what his
prospects were, and what he intended to do ? Mr. Wooll-
nough frankly replied, that he had no one to whom he had
any reason to look for patronage, and that he must rely on
his own exertions. " Why then," said the gallant vete-
ran, " do you not go and wait on Mr. Yorke (First Lord of
the Admiralty), and lay your services before him?" Mr.
Woollnough thanked him for the friendly hint, and requested
his permission to visit London for that purpose. ** No,'*
said Sir Roger, " I cannot give you leave to go to Loudon,
but I will allow you to be absent from your duty for twenty-
four hours, and you may go where you like."

Mr. Woollnough was receiAcd by Mr. Yorke in the most
gentlemanly manner; his services were considered by him
as a sufficient claim to promotion j but he was told, that he
must go abroad, as no officer, " except for immediate and
particular service," would be promoted at home. Accord-
ingly, a few days after he had re-joined the Steady, an order
was received for him to proceed to Halifax, on promotion ;
but as the Steady was about to sail for the Mediterranean,
he requested permission to remain in her, and that his name
might be transferred to the list of recommended candidates
on that station : this was unhesitatingly acceded to.

On the 26th Sept. 1810, the Steady arrived at Gibraltar,
in company with the Undaunted frigate and Mediterranean
trade. On the 28th, Mr. Woollnough received an order
from Commodore Penrose to act as lieutenant of that fine
ship, then about to sail for Malta, where he was unfortu-
nately obliged to leave her in consequence of severe illness.
From thence he proceeded, in the Bustard sloop, to join the
fleet under Sir Charles Cotton ; and on his arrival at Port
Mahon, found himself promoted into the Leviathan 74, com-
manded by his friend Captain John Harvey, and then re-

282

COMMANDUHS.

fitting at Gibraltar. This appointment was confirmed by the
Admiralty, Jan. IPth, 1811.

Having joined the Leviathan before his health was re-
established, Lieutenant VVoollnough soon had a relapse, and
was ultimately obliged to invalid. He returned home in the
Hotspur frigate, Captain the Hem. Josceline Percy ; and on
presenting himself at Haslar hospital, appeared so ill that
the medical officers insisted on his remaining there as a
patient. On his recovery, he again applied for employment,
and was immediately appointed to the l*rovidcnce armed
brig. Captain Peter Rye, on the North Sea station. We
next find him in the Arab sloop. Captain John Wilson, em-
ployed in taking out a Spanish ambassador for the court of
St. Petersburgh; and bringing home from Gottenburg the
despatches containing an account of the burning of Moscow,
and commencement of Napoleon's retreat from Russia. This
momentous intelligence Lieutenant Woollnough had the
honor to convey to London; and although he could not
expect promotion before he had served the allotted period,
he reasonably hoped that at a future period it would be re-
membered in his favor.

The Arab was afterwards employed in escorting a fleet of
merchantmen to Barbadoes, where shortly after his arrival.
Captain Wilson, whose health had been extremely bad,
found himself under the necessity of going to sick-quarters ;
and was succeeded in the command of his sloop by Lieu-
tenant Robert Standly, the officer next on the Admiralty list
for promotion *.

In April 1813, the Arab detained four vessels under
Swedish colours, two of which were condemned ; but the
prize agent, a Mr. Burridge, having failed, no money was
ever received for them. In the summer of the same year.
Lieutenant Woollnough returned home in the Tartarus 20,
Captain John Pasco ; from which ship he appears to have
been appointed to the Blazer sloop. Captain Francis Banks,
Oct. 8th following. v / v i i --

If* •••(»,

* Mr. Standly was confirmed into tlie Crane sloop, which vessel
foundered with all on board, Sept. 30th, 18 11.

COMMANDERS.

283

Owing to the movements of the Blazer, then aelivcly cm-
ployed in the rivers Elbe and Weser, Lieutenant Woollnough
could not join her until after the capture of the enemy's forts
at Cuxhaven, Dec. Ist, 1813.* The subsequent operations
against Gliickstadt, in all of which he bore an ample share,
are officially det.iiled under the head of Captain (now Sir
John) Marshall.f

After the fall of the latter place, the Blazer returned to
Cuxhaven, where she remained in charge of the flotilla and
French prisoners, until the breaking up of the ice, in Mar.
1814. The prisoners, about 300 in number, including seve-
ral ladies, were placed under the directions of Lieutenant
Woollnough, in the " chateau," with every regard to their
comfort.

During the severe frost of 1814, this officer, who had also
charge of the stores on shore, imposed upon himself the
voluntary duty of patrolling the towns of Cuxhaven and
Rltzbuttle twice or thrice every night, thereby preventing
many depredations which the foreign troops, sent by Count
Walmoden to assist in guarding the prisoners, would other-
wise have committed.

In March, General the Count de Bennigsen having in-
vested Hamburgh, then occupied by a French army under
Marshal Davoust, he applied to Commander Marshall, of the
Shamrock sloop, for the assistance of the British flotilla.
The gun-boats at Cuxhaven were consequently equipped
with all possible speed, and movsd up in company with the
Shamrock and Blazer, the formei sloop having wintered at
Gluckstadt. Their crews consisted of British and Danish
seamen, some Hanoverian peasantry, and 300 Russian sol-
diers. The only officers to command this motley group
were Commanders Marshall and Banks, Lieutenants Wooll-
nough and Edgecombe, two second masters, and two mid-
shipmen ; those who had been employed in them during the
sieges of Cuxhaven and Gluckstadt having gone home with
the Heligoland squadron.

* See Suppl. Part III. p. 251.

t See Id. p. .'390, et scq.

i! i

284

COMMAND KUS.

Shortly after their arrival before Hamburgh, a division of
these gun-boats, under Commander Marshall and Lieutenant
Edgecombe, in flanking a reconnoissance of the troops invest-
ing Haarburgh, had some sharp firing with the enemy's bat-
teries, during which one of them was sunk, but no loss in
men sustained.

Although the allies entered Paris on the 30th March, the
restoration of Louis XVIIL was not fully known before Ham-
burgh until late in ApriL when the Count de Bennigsen lost
no time in sending a summons to Davoust. After this, it
was evident that great excitement existed in the city, Napo-
leon's colours being hoisted on several of the forts, while
others displayed those of Louis. Under these circumstances,
Lieutenant Woollnough was directed to go in with a flag of
truce, bearing a letter from Commander Marshall, sanction-
ing, on the part of England, the convention by which Ham-
burgh was to be surrendered. He was also directed to insist
on the flotilla being considered an independent co-operating
force, and not at the disposal of the Count de Bennigsen, as
the Russian officers had affected to represent it. In this Mr.
Woollnough perfectly succeeded.

After the embarkation of the French army, the charge of
the arsenal at Hamburgh was given to Commander Banks ;
and Lieutenant Woollnough was sent with some gun-boats to
Gluckstadt, to claim the brass guns and mortars belonging
to that fortress, and to equip and bring away the late Danish
flotilla. On his arrival at Stadt, he had the mortification to
find that the transports which were to have received the guns,
&c., had sailed for England ; and at Gluckstadt, where he
was left with only twelve seamen (the Danes, Hanoverians,
and Russians having all been discharged,) every possible
obstable was thrown in his way. On the 19th May, 1814,
Commander Marshall, then at Altona, wrote to him as fol-
lows:— . , ,.. ;,^ . .. ..;,.,, /;

" My dear Sir,— Your letter of the 17tli reached me this morning. I
be£f to express my sense of your exertions on the service in which you are
at present employed. You have done perfectly right in making every
?ffort to place the ci-devant Danish flotilla and brass ordnance in the

COMMANDKR8.

285

actiiiil possession of our Siiuadron. I beg you will persevere in your acti-
vity, and I am induced to hope tliat we sliall yet succeed in getting every
thing clear of Gluckstadt. I remain, dear Sir, &c.

(Signed) " John Marshall."

The flotilla alluded to consisted of an armed brig, a galliot,
and nine gun- vessels.. During the absence of the British
force, the masts of the former had been cut away above
the deck, and two of the latter sunk ; added to which, the
greater part of the rigging, sails, &c., of the whole, had
been stolen from the storehouses. Notwithstanding all these
difficulties, and the extremely limited means at his disposal.
Lieutenant WooUnough had the satisfaction of bringing away
all the vessels, except those sunk, together with forty-nine
heavy guns and mortars. This service was performed in an
incredibly short time, to the astonishment of the Danish
naval officers, who had offered heavy beta that, with the few
men he had, it would not be accomplished in a month, if at
all. The galliot and gun-boats were sold ; the brig, in com-
pany with our own flotilla, arrived at the Nore, Aug. 1st,
1814. About this period. Lieutenant WooUnough received
letters from Commander Marshall and the Count de Bennig-
sen, of which the following are copies : —

" My dear Sir, — It is particularly gratifying to me, when on the eve of
resigning the command of the Elbe squadron, to notice the good conduct
of the officers who served in it. I therefore feel very great pleasure in
expressing my sense of your services ; although I am assured the captain
of your own sloop will not neglect to observe your merits. Your great
zeal and e.vertiona are honourable claims, and will, I trust, lead you to
promotion, of which I am confident your efforts will, on every occasion,
render you worthy. I have the pleasure to remain, yours very faithfully.

(Signed) " John Makshall."

" Monsr. Lieutenant WooUnough. — Sa Majestd I'empereur de tout les
Russes, sur ma representation, a bien voulu rendre justice k la bravour
et aux talens militaires dont vous avez donn6 des preuves pendant le
blocus de Hamburg et Haarburg — surtout dans la dernier affaire navale
contre les fortifications de Haarburg. Pour vt .s donner une marque
de son contentement, Sa Majestfe a daignd vous conferer son ordre de St.
Vladimir, 4™* class, dont je joins ici les signes pour vous en decorer.
(Signed) "Cont de Bennigsen,"

Commandant-in-chef de I'Armde de Pologne,
Generale de Cavallerie."
•• No. 689. ^ 6 Juillet, 1814."

■'■iJi;

286

COMMANDERS.

As the order of St. Vladimir conferred no distinction in
England, nor was even noticed by a distinctive mark on the
navy list. Lieutenant WooUnough did not then apply for the
royal permission to accept and wear it ; but in 1 827, when
his present Majesty, then Lord High Admiral, was graciously
pleased to direct that the names of officers having foreign
orders should be inserted in that list, and a distinguishing
mark placed against their names as they stood in seniority, it
became desirable to attain itj and he accordingly applied
through the proper channel. About twelve months after-
wards, he was told that the Board of Admiralty could not
recommend him to his Majesty for permission to wear the
order, as it did not appear that he had been under fire while
before Hamburgh. Captain Marshall, Commander Banks,
and Lieutenant Edgecombe, had each received permission to
wear their respective orders ; though the only firing which
took place at Hamburgh was on the occasion mentioned in
p. 284, which led to no result, and where the former and the
latter officers only were present, Conunander Banks, as well
as Lieutenant WooUnough, being on the other side of the
river, separated from them by a long range of islands. On
no occasion was Commander Banks under fire, that Lieutenant
WooUnough was not so likewise j yet the former gentleman
obtained permission, and the latter was denied it. Lieutenant
WooUnough could not help feeling also, that on him, under
the direction of Commander Banks, had rested the equip-
ment of the gun-boats for this service in the first instance ;
that he had been afterwards selected for the rather delicate
missions to Davoust and the Danish authorities at Gluck-
stadtj and that he had finally received the thanks of the
senior officer for his exertions. To the determination of
their Lordships, he felt it to be his duty to bow without a
murmur ; but still he could not help feeling, that, whatever
regulations might have been more recently made, his own
case was a hard one.

The Blazer was paid oflF, at Sheemess, Aug. 18th, 1814;
and on the following day, we find Lieutenant WooUnough
appointed to the Hearty sloop, Commander James Rose, on

'il

COMMANDERS. 287

tlie Nortli Sea station. He soon afterwards volunteered to
serve in Canada, the only quarter M'hich then appeared to
afford an opening for a zealous officer's exertions : but nego-
ciations for peace between Great Britain and America having
commenced about the same period, probably prevented his
appointment. In the spring of 1815, when the return of
Napoleon Buonaparte from Elba again called forth the ener-
gies of the British nation, permission was given for a certain
number of seamen from the ships in commission, to join
the army in Belgium, as volunteers, for the purpose of work-
ing guns and managing pontoons. Lieutenant VVooUnough
lost not a moment in offering his services for this duty, but
was told that all the officers intended to be so employed
were already appointed.

After the battle of Waterloo, the Hearty was employed
in suppressing a very serious riot among the seamen in the
river Tyne, for which service her commander, officers, and
crew Mere honored with the thanks of H. M. ministers.
She was paid off, at Dcptford, Dec. 1st, 181.5. Up to this
period. Lieutenant VVooUnough had witnessed the capture
and destruction of 44 sail of the line (French, Spanish, and
Danish), 11 frigates (one of which was a Russian seized at
Spithead), 19 sloops, 57 gun -boats, and 13 merchant ves-
sels, mounting altogether 4337 guns.

In 1816, Lieutenant Woollnough laid before the Hon.
Court of Directors of the East India Company a plan of
what he considered a mucli shorter route than that com-
monly used, for the conveyance of despatches, &c. overland
to and from Calcutta ; offering his own services to establish
its practicability. The Court complimented him on the
occasion, but did not think it expedient to adopt his propo-
sition.

In 1817, having resided for several months at Cartmell,
in Lancashire, this officer's attention was drawn to the num-
ber of lives lost on the extensive sands which separate that
promontory from Lancaster and Furness ; and which are
daily crossed, between half ebb and quarter flood, by great
numbers of persons in their way to and from the market

2B8

COMMANDERS.

«

towns of Lancaster and Ulverston. These sands, from
shore to shore, on the Lancaster side, are ahout nine miles
across ; and the great danger arises from the passengers
being overtaken by fog, thick weather, or darkness, and
thus prevented from distinguishing the land, or the guide
who attends at the bed of the rivers to shew the ford ; in
which case, and should he deviate from the proper route, he
would run serious risk of being overtaken by the tide, or
overwhelmed in a quicksand. Lieutenant Woollnough drew
up a plan and estimate for rendering this passage more safe,
which he submitted to Lord George Cavendish, and various
gentlemen of property residing in the same neighbourhood.
His Lordship's opinion thereon was conveyed to him in a
note, of which the following is a copy : —

" Lord George Cavendish's compliments to Lieutenant Woollnough,
is much obliged to him for the communication, and sketch of the ves-
sel, for insuring the safety of passengers crossing the sands. It appears
to be very ingenious, but he should much fear the practicability of carry-
ing it into effect. There would be great difficulty in securing the vessel
being stationary, and the expense attending it would not be easily de-
frayed, or likely to be adopted by the county." ,

Subsequently, in exploring the sands and adjacent coasts,
Lieutenant Woollnough soon discovered that they were very
erroneously laid down in the existing charts j and he there-
fore set about constructing one of Morecambe Bay and the
coast, from the north end of Walney Isle to the entrance of
the Ribble, including the river Lune. This he effected at
great personal risk, and immense labour, arising from the
want of proper assistance. It was presented to the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, who honored him, through
their secretary, with a very handsome letter of thanks.

liieutenant Woollnough also published, in the Lancaster
newspaper, plain and easy directions for crossing the above
mentioned sands, when overtaken by fog, &c. He subse-
quently presented a copy of his survey to the corporation of
Liverpool, for which he received a vote of thanks.
i^ In 181 7 and 1818, when the disturbances in the large
manufacturing towns in the north of England, agitated by

COMMANDERS. 28d

Meeers. Hunt and Co., assumed a very serious aspect. Lieu-
tenant WooUnough offered his services to the Secretary of
State for the Home Department, in any way in which they
could be rendered available ; and had the honor of receiving
Lord Sidmouth's thanks for his zeal. In May 1819, he was
appointed to the command of the Tartar revenue cruiser,
and stationed in her from the Goodwin Sands to the coast of
Essex, including the entrances to the Thames. On a ser-
vice of this kind, an officer who turns his whole attention,
as it is his duty, to the suppression of smuggling, cannot ex-
pect to be very fortunate in seizures, as the very activity
which prevents the successful pursuits of the illicit trader
drives him to try some other part of the coast, which he
hopes to find less vigilantly guarded. Lieutenant WooU-
nough, however, captured about 1000 tubs of spirits while
on this station, and was moreover successful in materially
checking the contraband trade. In 1822, when the revenue
cruisers were placed under the orders of the Comptroller-
General of the Coast Guard, the Tartar was removed to the
Weymouth station. While there. Lieutenant WooUnough
superintended the building of a similar vessel, at Brid-
port, and the equipment and launch of another, at Has-
tings. He was not superseded in the command of the
Tartar until Dec, 1822, seven months after the expiration
of the usual period of service. Previous to this, his attach-
ment to maritime surveying, which he was in the habit of
having recourse to as an amusement, whenever opportunities
of doing so occurred without interfering with his immediate
duties, had procured him the friendship of the late Captain
Hurd, many years hydrographer to the Admiralty, and with
whom he kept up a correspondence until his death. Captain
Hurd having requested that he would transmit to him such
remarks as he had made while in the Tartar, he laid down
the soundings, &c., and forwarded them with his observa-
tions, which produced a letter containing the following pas-
sage:— . .
" I understand, with the rest of the world, that a promotion mil most

VOL. tV, PART II. . ,ir

i I

I )i:

ij

iy

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290 COMMANDERS.

probably tal{c place at the ensuing coronation, and most sincerely shall
I rejoice at finding your name included therein. I am, however, sorry to
add, that I possess no influence at head-quarters which can be made
useful to you, beyond that of an official reference being made to me
on the subject of character and abilities. Should any such be made
or called for, in consequence of your intended application to Lord Mel-
ville, I shall be most happy to testify my opinion of your zenl, abilities,
and strong desire to be made useful to this department. With my best
wishes for your success, I remain, my dear Sir, &c.

(Signed) " Thomas Hcrd."

In 1823, Lieutenant WooUnough made experiments on
the antiseptic properties of various substances, with a view
to their possible utility at sea. The result was laid before
the Admiralty. He also analyzed the water of a mineral
spring called the Holywell, near Cartmell, celebrated for its
salutary effects on the health of the lead-miners from Alston-
Moor. The result was published in the Quarterly Journal
of Science and the Arts, in 1824.

On the 12th Jan. 1825, Lieutenant WooUnough was ap-
pointed to the command of the Surly cutter, then on the
North Sea station, but afterwards employed in conveying
specie to Dublin. In Oct. following, he was ordered to the
river Wear, to act in aid of the civil power, the seamen there
having struck for higher wages, and had recourse to some
dreadful acts of violence, while attempting to prevent ships
from proceeding to sea. He continued on this duty until Oct.
1826, when he was enabled, with the sanction of the Sun-
derland magistrates, to report that there was no farther ne-
cessity for an armed vessel to remain there. During his
stay in that port, the inhabitants and ship-owners were so
satisfied with his conduct, that, as we have been given to
understand, they wrote through the Marquis of London-
derry, a letter strongly recommending him to the favorable
notice of Viscount Melville. In l^7j he was similarly
employed at Shields; and on both those occasions he ap-
pears to have had an additional party of marines; with a
commissioned officer of that corps under his command.
While at Sunderland, he constructed a chart of the harbour
and roads, in which some dangerous rocks, unnoticed in any

I;'

COMMANDERS. 29 L

former charts, were (aid down ; and on this occasion he was
honored with the following communication : —

" Prince Regent, in the Medtcay, Aug. 1827-
" Memo.— Having laid before his Royal Highness the Lord High Ad-
miral your survey of the harbour and road of Sunderland, I have it in
command to express to you H. R. H.'s satisfaction therewith, and with
the zeal you have manifested in making the said survey.

(Signed) " H. Blackwood, Vice-Admiral."

" To Lieutenant JVoullnough."

The Surly was next employed on the coast of Scotland,
where she continued till the beginning of the winter of 1827,
during which season we find her stationed in the entrances of
the Thames, for the suppression of a system of smuggling,
supposed to be carried on to a great extent in loaded mer-
chant vessels, and which it was extremely difficult to detect.
For this purpose, the Asp cutter, tender to the flag-ship in
the river Medway, was placed under his orders, together with
a draft of men from the Prince Regent and Gloucester.
During his continuance on this service no smuggling trans-
action was heard of.

While thus serving under the command of Sir Henry
Blackwood, Lieutenant WooUnough, at his desire, drew up
a memoir of what he believed to be the present state of the
contraband trade carried on about the entrances of the
Thames, and the probable mode of prevention. On the 8th
May, 1828, he received a most gratifying note from that
officer, to the following effect :— i .

" Sir Henry Blackwood derives much pleasure in the transmission of
the annexed notification of promotion to Lieutenant, now Commander
WooUnough, and begs to wish him joy on the occasion, as being so well
merited."

Commander WooUnough was superseded on the 17th of
the same month, since which he has not been employed. In
1829, he submitted to the Lords of the Admiralty the advan-
tage of adopting a shorter and lighter piece, in small vessels
of war, in lieu of the present long and heavy musket ; and
also a comparative estimate of the expense of the hired
transports, and that of a certain class of men-of-war, fitted

u2

w

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i

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292 COMMANDERS.

for the conveyance of troops. In 1831, the following appli"
cation was made in his favour to Lord Durham, and, we
believe, transmitted by that nobleman to Sir James Graham :

•* My Lord,— We, the undersigned merchants and ship-owners of the
port of Sunderland, do most respectfully beg leave to solicit your Lord-
ship's recommendation of Commander J. C. Woollnough, R. N., to the
favourable consideration of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.

** During the riots of the seamen at this port, in 1825, Commander
Woollnough, then lieutenant, commanding H. M. cutter Surly, was sta-
tioned here, and by his very active and judicious conduct, not only restored
and preserved the tranquillity of the port, but also by his prompt and
obliging readiness in rendering assistance to our vessels on every occa-
sion, gained the good will and esteem of all the respectable inhabitants.
He has since been made a Commander, and is anxious to obtiun em-
ployment : but although his services are before the Lords of the Admi-
ralty, his personal character is unknown to Sir James Graham.

" He has been twenty-seven years in the navy, seventeen of which he
was lieutenant, and during the war was in the battles of Trafalgar, St.
Domingo, &c., &c., and otherwise frequently engaged with the enemy.
He has several times been honoured with the thanks of the Admiralty, and
of the commanders under whom he served, the details of which are now
before the Admiralty ; and he has also had conferred upon him the order
of St. Vladimir, for services in Germany. We are given to understand
some ships of war are about to be commissioned, suitable to his rank ; and
if your Lordship should deem it proper to intercede in his favour, and pro-
cure him an appointment, it would be conferring a great obligation on the
inhabitants of this port generally: and we feel confident that Com-
mander Woollnough would do honor to the appointment.

" Hoping your Lordship \vill pardon the liberty we have taken in this
recommendation, we are, my Lord, &c." - •

(Signed by the chairman of the ship-owners' society, and 33 of
the most respectable merchants and ship-owners of the port.)

On the 18th Aug. in the same year. Sir Henry Blackwood
wrote to Commander Woollnough as follows :—

" My dear Sir, — I have received your letter of the 16th, and beg to
assure you that it always gives me pleasure to bear testimony to the good
conduct of the officers who have served under my flag ; and am happy to
have it in my power on this occasion to testify my opinion of the talent
and zeal displayed by you in the public service on all occasions when in
command of his Majesty's cutter Surly, under my orders in the North
Sea ; and I shall be at all times extremely happy to see you again under
my flag. With best wishes for your success, I remain, dear Sir, yours
fEiithfully. (Signed) ^TSf ** Henry BiiACkwood."'

COMMANOKR«.

293

In the beginning of 1 834, the King was gracioutily pleased
to confer on Commander WooUnough the insignia of the
Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order. • - >

This officer is the author of several letters on the educa-
tion of young gentlemen on board H. M. ships, in which he
particularly, and very properly ^ condemns the old system of
putting them to mess with warrant officers. These letters
appeared in the latter volumes of the Naval Chronicle.

Commander WooUnough married, Feb. 16th, 1833, Sophia,
youngest daughter of the late Richard Williams, Gent., one
of the solicitors of the Lord Mayor's Court, and widow o^
Charles Waylock, Gent., of West Wratting, co. Cambridge,
and Stoke Newington, in Middlesex, also a solicitor of the
same court.

SAMUEL MEREDITH, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 24th Nov. 1815 ; and ap-
pointed, as supernumerary, to the Severn frigate. Captain
William M*Culloch, superintendent of the coast blockade,
Oct. 4th, 1820. He subsequently served in the Prince Regent
120, bearing the flag of the late Sir Benjamin H. Carew,
stationed off Gillingham. He obtained his present rank on
the 7th May, 1828.j and was appointed an inspecting com-
mander of the coast guard in July, 1830.

This officer married, June 21st, 1819, Lydia, third daughter
of John Dyer, Esq., Secretary of Greenwich Hospital.

M

I i

wu

EDWARD KELLY (a), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 27th Dec. 1803; and ap-
pointed to the Lynx sloop. Captain John Willoughby Mar-
shall, on the Baltic station, in the spring of 1809. He
obtained great credit for his conduct in the command of that
ship's boats, at the capture of three Danish armed luggers,
near Rostock, Aug. I3th, in the latter year*. His last

• See Suppl. Part II. p. 270.

2W COMMANDRRS.

appointment during the war was, Aug. 17th, 1812, to the York
74, Captain (now Rear-Admiral) A. W. Schomberg, then
cruizing off the Scheldt, but subsequently employed on the
Channel station, and in conveying troops from Bourdeaux to
Quebec. He obtained his present rank on the 12th May,
1828.

WILLIAM MORGAN, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1795 ; obtained his first com-
mission on the 9th April, 1803; and was promoted to his
present rank May 14th, 1828 j previous to which he had
commanded the Dexterous gun-brig, and Nimble and Lap-
wing revenue cruisers. He was appointed an inspecting
commander of the coastguard in July, 1830; but quitted
that service, and joined the Malabar 74, Captain the Hon.
Josceline Percy, in Oct. 1832. He appears to have invalided
from that ship in June, 1833.

•

RICHARD CONNOR (a), Esq.

A SON of Daniel Connor, Esq. of Ballybricken, near
Cork; and brother-in-law to Admiral Superintendent Sir
Frederick L. Maitland, under whom he commenced his naval
career as midshipman on board the Loire frigate, early in the
late war. On the 17th Aug., 1804, he was wounded in action
with the French frigate-built privateer Blonde, of 30 guns
and 240 men *. His first commission bears date Jan. 5th,
1810. He subsequently served under the flag of Lord Keith,
in the San Josef and Queen Charlotte first rates ; and with
Captain F. L. Maitland, in the Boyne 88, and Vengeur and
Genoa, third rates. He obtained his present rank on the 19th
May, 1828. .. ,^>. .; > .,-...,. ..

. .'i

♦ See Vol. II. Part I. p. 387.

^

COMMANDERS.

295

K-

ORBELL OAKES, Esq.

Son of O. R. Oakes, Esq., of Newton and Bury St. Ed-
munds, CO. Suffolk.

This officer was appointed acting lieutenant of the Con-
queror 74, flag- ship of Rear- Admiral Planipin, at St. Helena,
Mar. 4th, 1820; but not confirmed at home until Oct. 14th
following. He obtained his present rank on the 10th May,
1828; and married at Florence, in 1832, Caroline, daughter
of William Bryan, Esq.

THOMAS OGLE, Esq.

Entehkd the royal navy in 1809; obtained the rank of
lieutenant Aug. 20th, 1817; and subsequently served in the
Active frigate. Captain Andrew King. He was made a com-
mander on the 26th May, 1828; appointed to the Spartiate 76,
Captain (now Rear-Admiral) Frederic Warren, on the 28th
of the same month ; and paid off from that ship on her return
from the Mediterranean, April 12th, 1830. His last appoint-
ment was Aug. 6th, 1831, to the Isis 50, flag-ship of Rear-
Admiral Warren, with whom he returned home, from the
African station, Nov. 2l8t, 1834. ,

' GEORGE EVANS, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1811 ; and obtained his first
commission, while serving as midshipman of the Owen
Glendower frigate. Captain the Hon. Robert C. Spencer, Jan.
1st, 1821. He was promoted to his present rank, while
commanding the Lightning steam- vessel, June 2d, 1828;
and appointed to the Rhadamanthus steam-ship, now on the
West India station, Oct. 4th, 1832. ,, ,

"f y

PHILIP BROKE, Esq.
Eldest son of Rear-Admiral Sir Philip B. V. Broke, Bart.
K. C.B., by Sarah Louisa, daughter of Sir William Middle-
ton, Bart.

^6 COMMANDERS.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 16th Aug. 1834 j
promoted to the rank of commander^ June 7th, 1828; and
paid off from the Erebus bomb, on his return home from the
Mediterranean, July 20th, 1830.

REUBEN PAINE, Esq.

Was wounded while serving as midshipman on board the
Isis 50, Captain (afterwards Rear-Admiral) James Walker, at
the battle of Copenhagen, April 2d, 1801 ; and again, as
senior lieutenant of the Erebus rocket ship. Captain David
E. Bartholomew, in the Potowmac river. North America,
Sept 6th, 1814*. He was promoted to the rank of lieute-
nant in Jan. 1809; granted a pension of five shillings per
diem, for wounds. May 28th, 1816; made a commander
on the 19th June, 1828; and appointed to the coast guard
service April 6th, 1831.

Tliis. officer married, Dec. 10th, 181/^ Miss Cave, of
Portsmouth.

JAMES JAMES, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 16th Nov. 1790;
and subsequently commanded the hired armed brig Alfred,
the Eagle prison-ship, and the Buckingham, Matilda, and
Argonaut hospital- ships, in the latter of which he continued,
off Chatham, for nearly twenty-four years. He was made a
commander on the 1st of July, 1828.

GEORGE FLOWER HERBERT, Esq.

Eldest son of Joseph Herbert, Esq., President of the
island of Montserrat.

This officer passed his examination in Oct. 1809; obtained
his first commission on the 16th May, 1811; and subse-
quently served in the San Josef, first-rate, flag-ship of Lord

■!J>]n,.--' 1'^ ■'"• ■ ■ --^■i'' ■ ■ '• '■ ■{

* Sec Suppl. Part IV. p. 456. i .-

the

lined

Ibse-

iord

COMMANOBRg. 2^7

Keith, on the Channel station j Ulysses 44, Captain Thomas
Hrowne, employed on the coast of Africa ; and Impregnable
104, bearing the flag of Viscount Exmouth, in Hamoaze. He
afterwards commanded the Harpy revenue cruiser. His pro-
motion to the rank he now holds took place on the 7th July,
1828.

This officer married Maf y, youngest daughter of the late
Captain Harding, and niece to Reor-Admiral Bowen.

WILLIAM TURNER, Esq.

Son of Mr. William Turner, wine-merchant, of Ports-
mouth, was made a lieutenant on the 30th May, 1823 ; and ap-
pointed to the Sybille frigate. Commodore (now Sir Francis
A.) Collier, fitting out for the African station, in 1827. The
following account of the action for which he was advanced to
his present rank, is taken from the Hampshire Telegraph j —

" PorttmonthyJuly \2th, 1828.
*' The Black Joke, Lieut. W. Turner, tender to the Sybille, on the
Ist of May fell in with a Spanish privateer brig. The Black Joke had on
board forty-three men, with one long gun on a swivel ; the Spaniard
mounted fourteen carriage guns, 12 and 24-pounder8, on Cover's princi-
ple, with a crew of eighty-seven men of all nations. Two days previously
she had been boarded by the Sybille, and had exhibited a regular commis-
sion from the King of Spain, to cruise as a privateer against the vessels
of the South American States. These two vessels fell in together in the
night, and at day-light the Spaniard was observed with a red ensign
(English) i on approaching within hail, he promised to send a boat on
board the Black Joke, but immediately aftenvards sud he had no boat
that could swim, and requested one to be sent to him. Lieutenant romer
consequently sent a boat vrith two men and a master's-mate*, who were
compelled to go on board the pirate, who immediately sent an officer
and five men, in the same boat, to the Black Joke, Avith a demand to look
at her papers. Lieut. Turner, not wishing to compromise the safety of
his people on board the Spaniard, shewed his commission, and Com-
modore Collier's order to cruise ; which, after a parley, were desired to
be sent to the privateer to be compared with the signature of the commo-
dore, who had preriously put his name to the back of the Spanish com-
mission. Lieutenant Turner, however, prudently detained the officer and
two men, as hostages for his own people. A demand was then made

* Mr. Edward Lyne Harvey.

I,i

296

COMMANDER.*!.

that the Black Joke should send fifteen of her crew on board the priva-
teer, who would send the like number of men to the former, and that both
vessels should go to Prince's Island ; this having been of course refused,
the privateer immediately fired into the tender a broadside, when the
Black Joke, taking a position on the Spaniard's bow, engaged him for
two hours, principally with grape-shot, and nearly unrigged him. The
Spaniard then hoisted a flag of truce, and sent our people on board,
whose lives had been several times attempted during the action, but who
were saved solely by the intervention of the captain. The Spaniards
would not confess what their loss had been ; several wounded men, how-
ever, were seen. Fortunately, the Black Joke had none of her people
hurt, though her sails and rigging were much cut up. Too much enco-
mium cannot be given to Lieut. Turner, for his intrepidity and judgment
on the occasion."

For the gallantry lie evinced in this action. Lieutenant
Turner was made a commander by the Lord High Admiral,
July 14th, 1828. He has since served on the African sta-
tion, under Commodore John Hayes, in the Dryad frigate.

CAMPBELL LOCKE, Esq.

A SON of Vice Admiral Walter Locke, by a sister of Cap-
tain Michael Head, R. N.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 30th May, 1814 ;
and promoted to his present rank while serving in the Vic-
tory 104, flag-ship of the commander-in-chief at Ports-
mouth, July 17th, 1828.

HON. JOHN FREDERICK GORDON.

Third son of George, fifth Earl of Aboyne, and first Baron
Meldrum, by Catharine, second daughter of Sir Charles
Cope, of Breweme, co. Oxford, Bart.

This officer was made a lieutenant into the Rochfort 80,
flag- ship of Sir Graham Moore, on the Mediterranean sta-
tion, Dec. I3th, 1821 ; advanced to the rank of commander,
Aug. 6th, 1 828 ; and paid off from the Pandora sloop, on
his return from the East Indies, in Feb. 1830.

?t

COMMANDERS.

2d9

WILLIAM JOHN COLE, Esq.

. Obtained his first commission on the 18th July, 1810;
and subsequently served under Captain William Elliot, in
the Crocodile 28, on the Guernsey and Lisbon stations. On
the 31st July, 1821, he was appointed to the Northumber-
land 78, Captain T. J. Maling, employed as a guard-ship
in the river Medway. In the beginning of 1828, we find
him commanding the Onyx, 10-gun brig, and proceeding to
the coast of Africa, from whence he returned to Portsmouth
after an absence of five months. He was advanced to his
present rank on the 8th Aug. 1828 j and appointed an in-
specting commander of the coast guard, July 6th, 1831. On
completing his three years service, in command of the south-
ern district, he was presented by the chief officers, the district
surgeon, and the boats* crews of the Crouch River station,
with a superb silver snuflF-box, " in testimony of the grateful
sense they entertain of his kindness toward them whilst
under his command, in combining the strictest discipline
with unremitting attention to their interest and welfare."

This officer married, Oct. 23d, 1818, Elizabeth, eldest
daughter of Robert Trace, Esq. of Lechdale, co. Gloucester.

jr,
)n

HON. EDWARD GORE.

Eldest son of the second Earl of Arran, K. P., by his
third countess, Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Underwood,
Esq.

This officer was born in Ireland, May 14th, 1/97 j and
entered the royal navy in Feb. 1810, as midshipman on board
the Revenge 74, Captain the Hon. Charles Paget, employed
in the blockade of Cherbourg. On the 15th Nov. following,
he witnessed an attack made by a squadron under the orders
of Captain (now Sir Pulteney) Malcolm, on two French fri-
gates, lying at anchor between the batteries of La Hogue and
. Tatillon, the result of which was the destruction of I'Elize, a

300

COMMANDERS.

new ship mounting 44 guns *. On this occasion he was
slightly wounded in the face by a splinter.

Mr. Gore subsequently served under Captain Malcolm and
the late Sir Home Popham, in the Royal Oak and Venerable,
third rates, the latter ship employed in co-operation with the
patriots on the north coast of Spain, where he. was present at
the capture of several forts and towns, including those of
Lequitio, Bermeo, Plencia, Galea, Algorta, Bagona, £1 Cam-
pillo las Quersas, Xebiles, Castro, and Anof. He after-
wards re-joined the Hon. Captain Paget, and proceeded with
that officer, in the Superb 74, to North America, where he
was very actively employed, principally in the neighbour-
hood of New London, until the termination of hostilities in
1815. Among other boat services in which he participated,
we find him, June 13th, 18H, assisting in the destruction of
the ship Fair Trader, of 444 tons, quite new, built for a letter
of marque, and intended to mount eighteen long 12-pound-
ers ; the brig Independent, of 300 tons, pierced for fourteen
guns, and about to be launched as a privateer ; 1778 tons of
merchant shipping ; and a cotton manufactory, lately built,
near Wareham, in Buzzard's Bay, the value of which, with
tlie stores it contained at the time, was estimated by the
principal inhabitants at half a million of dollars. This ser-
vice was performed, without loss, by a division of boats
under the command of Lieutenant James Garland, first of
the Superb, in the face of a numerous militia. Mr. Gore
was also in a rocket boat at the bombardment of Stonington,
Aug. 11th, 1814. He returned home under the flag of the
late Hon. Sir Henry Hotham, and continued in the Superb,
on the Channel station, until after the surrender of Napoleon
Buonaparte, in July 1815. ,, , ,

We next find Mr. Gore serving as master 's-mate of the
Fury bomb. Captain C. R. Moorsom, at the battle of Algiers ;
and subsequently in the Egeria 28, on the Newfoundland
station, where he was acting lieutenant of the Fly sloop.

i.i;'

* See Vol. II. Part I. p. 300, et leq.
t See Vol. II. Part II. pp 623—627.

•.•.,• J

COMMANDERS.

mt

Captain John Baldwin, in Oct. 1817* I'his appointment
appears to have been confirmed at home on the 9th Dec.
following. '■:'•■ ' ''';■; : ■'.'.:.

The Fly was wintering at St. John's when Vice-Admiral
Pickmore died there in Feb. 1818. The next day she was
ordered to commence cutting through the ice, for the pur-
pose of conveying despatches and the remains of the deceased
governor to England ; but although several hundred men
were employed in assisting her crew, many days elapsed be-
fore she got fairly to sea*. On her passage home, she met
with a tremendous gale, and had her best bower anchor
washed from the bow, although secured by extra lashings.

Lieutenant Gore's next appointment was, April 26th, 1819,
to the Tamar 26, in which ship he visited the coast of La-
brador, where she was re-equipped by her own officers and
crew, without any additional assistance, after getting ashore^
and losing her main and mizen masts and rudder.

In Sept. 1827, the subject of this sketch was appointed to
the Melville 74 ; in. Nov. following, to the Victory 104 ; and
in June 1828, to the Royal Sovereign yacht, as flag-lieutenant
to the Lord High Admiral, by whom he was promoted to
his present rank on the 8th Aug. in the same year.

"'-! (•'

FRANCIS DEANE HUTCHESON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 19th Jan. 1822 ; advanced
to his present rank Aug 9th, 1828 ; and appointed an in-
specting commander of the coast guard in Ireland, Mar. 20th,
1832.

'- 1

EDW^ARD HAWES, Esq.

Passrd his examination in May 1815 ; served at the bat-
tle of Algiers ; and was made a lieutenant on the 1 6th Sept.
1816. We subsequently find him in the Andromache fri-

• See Suppl. Part IV. p. 207.

302

COMMANDERS.

gate, Commodore Joseph Nourse, on the African station.
He obtained the rank of commander Aug. 18th, 1828; and
married, Oct. 6th, 1829, Mary Anne, daughter of the late
Captain William Buckley Hunt, R. N.

HENRY LORD RICHARDS, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 12th Nov. 1809 j
and lost the Fearless gun-brig, near Cadiz, in 1812. He
subsequently served under Captain Sir Charles Sullivan, in
the Penelope troop-ship and Galatea frigate. His advance-
ment to the rank of commander took place Aug. 20th, 1828.

This officer married Miss E. Worth, of Plymouth. His
two youngest children (a boy aged six years, and a girl only
four) died of malignant scarlet fever, in July 1834. His
brother, John, is a purser in the royal navy.

SAMUEL RAMSEY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 11th July, 1811 ; and ap-
pointed to the Tigre 74, Captain John Halliday (now Vice-
Admiral Tollemache), on the Channel station, Nov. 21st
following. We next find him serving under the late Hon.
Sir Robert C. Spencer, in the Carron 20, at the attack of
Fort Bovryer, in West Florida, Sept. 15th, 1814 *. He ob-
tained his present rank on the 22d Aug. 1828.

JAMES BAYLY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Oct. 1805; and commander
on the 25th Aug. 1828.

* See Suppl. Part III. p. 268.

COMMANDERS.

303

WILLIAM WALKER (a), Esq., K. T. S.

Obtained his first commisBion in Aug. 181 1, and subse-
quently served under Captains James Nash and Charles
Dashwood, in the Saturn 56, and Windsor Castle 74, on the
Halifax and Lisbon stations. The London Gazette of April
iOth, 1825, notified that permission had been granted to him
to accept and wear the insignia of a Knight of the Royal
Portuguese military order of the Tower and Sword, which
King John was pleased to confer upon him on visiting the
latter ship, after his temporary deposition in May 1824.
He was advanced to the rank of commander on the 25th
Aug. 1828.

GEORGE RODNEY MUNDY, Esq.

A SON of Lieutenant-General Godfrey Basil Mundy, by
the Hon. Sarah Brydges, youngest daughter of the late
Admiral Lord Rodney.

This officer was made a lieutenant in Feb. 1826; advanced
to the rank of commander on the 25th Aug. 1828 ; and ap-
pointed to the Favorite sloop, fitting out for the Mediterra-
nean station, Aug. 29th, 1833.

THOMAS PITT ROBINSON, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Mar. 1812; and sub-
sequently served under Captains Robert Henderson and John
Tailour, in the Tigris frigate and Tonnant 80 *, on the West
India and Irish stations. He was advanced to his present
rank on the 26th Aug. 1828; and has recently been ap-
pointed an inspecting commander of the coast guard.

3]

m

[ * Flag-ship of the late Sir Benjamin Hallowell Carew.

304

COMMANOBAS.

'<: RICHARD EDWARDS, Esq.

Obtain Ro his first commission on the 4th July, 1812;
and subsequently served under Captain Hyde Parker, in the
Tenedos frigate, on the North American station. He was
advanced to his present rank on the 26th Aug. 1828.

This officer married, Oct. 16th, 1834, Emily, daughter of
William Taylor, Esq., of Parkfield House, Purbrook, co.
Hants.

RICHARD KEANE, Esq.

Passed his examination, at Plymouth, in Nov. 181 1 ; ob-
tained his first commission on the 6th July, 1814; and was
advanced to his present rank, Aug. 26th, 1828. He subse-
quently commanded the Victor sloop, on the Jamaica station,
from whence he returned home, April 28th, 1831.

RICHARD HENRY KING, Esq.

Passed for lieutenant in May or June 1811; obtained his
first commission on the 12th July, 1813 ; and subsequently
served under Captains Joseph G. Garland and Thomas J.
Cochrane, in the Alert sloop and Forte frigate, the latter
employed for some time on the West India and Halifax
stations. He was advanced to his present rank on the 27th
Aug. 1828.

This officer married, May 4th, 1830, Mary, daughter of
the late Samuel Twyford, Esq., of Trotton, co. Sussex.

HENRY NAZER, Esq.

Is a nephew to Admiral John Ferrier, under whose flag
he was serving at the close of the war with France, in 1814,
as lieutenant of the Scarborough 74, on the North ^k? sta-
tion. His first conunission bears date May 2d, 18Ub.

t .'W

COMMANDERS.

305

We next find this officer commanding the Vigilant revenue
cruiser, which vessel was wrecked, through missing stays,
when working out of Torbay, Dec. 5th, 1819. He lastly
commanded the Badger, and, in that cruiser captured, near
Dover, a large smuggling cutter, after a running fight at-
tended with bloodshed. This prize, valued at near 30,000/.,
was lost to the captors, through the mismanagement of the
then solicitor of the Board of Customs, who instead of prose-
cuting the prisoners as smugglers, tried them for piracy and
murder, on which charges they were acquitted, and the vessel
in consequence released. The solicitor was very properly
dismissed from his office ; but Lieutenant Nazer obtained no
compensation, either for his disappointment or for a wound
which he received while pursuing the smuggler.

This officer was advanced to his present rank on the 28th
Aug. 1828. He married a Miss WooUnough.

THOMAS BALL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 2d Jan. 1809; and ap-
pointed to the Clio sloop. Mar. 9th following. He continued
in that vessel, under various commanders, until the peace
with America, in 1815; and subsequently served in the Sa-
tellite sloop and Valorous 26, both commanded by the late
Captain James Murray, on the Mediterranean and Newfound-
land stations. His next appointment was, Nov. 13th, 1822,
to the Owen Glendower frigate. Commodore Sir Robert
Mends, with whom he proceeded to the coast of Africa, in
the beginning of 1823. His advancement to the rank of
commander took place on the 28th Aug. 1828.

i :!

JOHN SHEPHERD (6), Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1805 ; passed his examination,
at Plymouth, in Oct. 1811; obtained his first commission
on the 2d Feb. 1813 ; was made a commander on the 28th

VOL. IV. PART II. X

;■■!!

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^■ '.

306

COMMANDERS.

Aug. 1828; and is now serving under CapUdn Edwatd
Sparshott, flag-ship of the Hon. Sir T. fi. Capel, on the
East India station.

■>', I'.U;

f . j'I«S .-''I .' . 1

?y \ ■ 'ii'i.n- ____________________

"^ JOHN CHAMBERLAYNE, Esq. '^^

Was made lieutenant into the Weazel sloop, Captain'
(now the Hon.) Frederick Noel, on the Mediterranean sta-
tion, Jan. 1 1th, 1814. He obtained his present rank on the
28th Aug. 1828.

JOHN FREDERICK APPLEBY, Esq.

Son of Mr. John Appleby, a respectable yeoman, of
Soberton, in Hampshire.

This officer was born at Soberton, and entered the royal
navy in the beginning of 1S05, at an early age, as midship-
man on board the Queen 98, bearing the flag of Rear-Ad-
miral (afterwards Sir John) Knight, then about to sail for
Gibraltar, but destined to form part of the squadron under
Lord Colling wood, employed in the blockade of Cadiz. He
subsequently served under Vice- Admiral Sir Charles Cotton,
second in command of the Channel fleet ; and in the Minstrel
sloop, on the Mediterranean station. In 1811, here-joined
Sir Charles Cotton's flag ship, the San Josef 1 10, and re-
turned with that officer to England. In June 1812, he passed
his examination at Portsmouth; and in Jan. 1813, was ap-
pointed acting lieutenant of the Bristol 64, armed en jiutey
Captain George Wyndham, in which ship he was present at.
the siege of Tarragona, by the military and naval forces
under Lieutenant-General Sir John Murray and the late
Vice-Admiral Sir Benjamin H. Carew. In 1814, we find
him proceeding to Halifax, as midshipman on board the
Akbar frigate. Captain Archibald Dickson, under whose suc-
sessor. Captain Charles Bullen, by whom he was strongly
recommended for promotion, he continued to serv^e until ad-

COMMANDERS. 307

vanced to the rank of lieutenant^ Feb. lOth, 1815, previous to
which he had again held an acting order.

Mr. Appleby's next appointment was, May 3d, 1815, to
the Nimrod sloop. Commander George Hilton, employed on
the Irish station. In July 1817) he joined the Queen
Charlotte 108 ; and for eleven years and one month from
that period he commanded the tender to the flag ships of
Admirals Sir Edward Thornbrough, Sir George Campbell,
Sir James Hawldna Whitshed, Sir George Martin, and the
Hon. Sir Robert Stopford, successively commanders-in-chief
at Portsmouth. He was promoted to his present rank, by
the Lord High Admiral, Aug. 28th, 1828; and appointed an
inspecting commander of the coast guard service. Mar. 4th,
1831. This officer is married, but has no family.

WILLIAM EDWARD HUGHES ALLEN, Esq.

Son of the late Admiral William Allen, was made a lieu-
tenant on the 25th Mar. 1807 ; advanced to his present rank
on the 28th Aug. 1828 ; and appointed an inspecting com-
mander of the coast guard. Mar. 31st, 1831.

EDWARD SMITH (a), Esq.

Passed his examination at Plymouth, in July 1810; ob-
tained his first commission on the 26th Feb. 1812; and sub-
sequently served under Captain Charles M. Fabian, in the
Diomede troop-ship. He was advanced to his present rank
on the 30th Aug. 1828.

This officer married, in 1816, Miss White, of Bingham
Town, near Gosport, CO. Southampton. ^

JAMES NEVILLE, Esq. '

This officer's name appears in the list of those who re-
ceive pensions for wounds. He obtained his first commis-
sion on the 3d Dec. 1802 ; and was senior lieutenant of the

X 2

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m

308

COMMAXDKRS.

Forth frigate. Captain Sir William Bolton, on the North Sea
station, at the close of the war with France, in 1814. His
advancement to the rank of commander took place Sept. 2d,
1828.

JOHN HACKETT, Esq.

Passed his examination in July 1808; obtained his first
commission on the 1 1th May, 181 1 ; and subsequently served
under Captains Thomas Barclay and Richard Walter Wales,
in the Success troop-ship and Epervier sloop. On the 23d
Feb. 1814, he assisted in capturing, off Cape Sable, the
American privateer Alfred, of 16 guns and 110 men. On
the 29th April following, he had his left arm shattered by a
shot, and received a severe splinter wound, in an action with
the United States* ship Peacock, the unfortunate result of
which has been stated in Suppl. Part IV. pp. 12/ — 129. On
the 23d Oct. 1815, he was granted a pension of 182t. 10*.
per annum ; and on the 2d Sept. 1828, we find him advanced
to the rank of commander. He was appointed to the Jaseur
sloop, fitting out for the Mediterranean station, Nov. 4th,
1833.

- )

JAMES HAMILTON MURRAY, Esq.

Passed his examination,' at Portsmouth, in May 1812;
obtained his first commission on the 12th Dec. following;
and was appointed to the Menelaus frigate. Captain Sir Peter
Parker, Jan. 23d, 1813. He assisted in re-capturing a richly
laden Spanish ship, mounting 20 guns, and having on board
600,000 dollars in specie, near I'Orient, Feb. 14th, 1814 ; and
was left in command 6f the Menelaus when his gallant cap-
tain and the two senior lieutenants landed to attack an Ame-
rican encampment at Bellair, in the month of Aug. follow-
ing ^. He was advanced to his present rank on the 2d Sept.
1828.

* See p. 56 et seq.

COMMANOKRS. 309

This officer married, in 1834, Frances, yoi ingest tlaitf.ater
of the Hon. Mrs. Pelham, of North Place, CI elteuham.

JOHN HOLMES BOND, Esq.

Lost a leg while serving as master's-mate of the Penguin
brig-sloop. Captain James Dickinson, in action with the
United States* ship Hornet, Captain James Biddle, near the
island of Tristan-d'Acunha, Mar. 23d, 1815. Previous to
giving the details of this action, we shall point out a few of
the circumstances under which the combatants met.

The Hornet mounted eighteen 32-pounder carronades and
two long 18-pounders, and had on board 163 men (officers
included) and 2 boys. She had musketoons in all her tops,
each piece throwing fifty buck-shot at a discharge, and upon
each quarter a brass swivel, three or four pounder, fitted on
a chock. Her crew were provided with leather caps, fitted
with narrow plates of iron, crossing at the top, and bending
upward from the lower edge of the crown, to prevent a
cutlass from striking the shoulder after having glanced on
the head.

The Penguin, after having been run up by contract, in tibe
usual slight and hurried manner, was commissioned for the
first time in Nov. 1813, and ordered to be fitted out for the
Cape of Good Hope station. Her armament consisted of
sixteen 32-pounder carronades and two long sixes. In re-
spect to captain and officers generally, she might compete
with any brig of her class ; but as to men, when she did get
them all on board, which was not until June 1814, they were,
with the exception of not being disaffected, a worse crew
than even the Epervier's *. Except a portion of her petty
officers, they were either very eld or very young ; the former
discharged ineffectives, the latter recently impressed : among
the whole number, twelve only had ever been in battle. On
falling in with the Wasp, she mustered only 105 officers and
men (including 12 supernumerary marines) and 17 boys.

* See Suppl Part IV. p. 127 et seq.

310

COMMANO£R6.

The actiun between the Penguin and Hornet commenced
at 1-45 p. M. within about pistol-shot distance. The Ame-
rican's star and bar shot soon reduced the British brig's rig-
ging to a state of disorder ; while tolerably well-directed
broadsides of round and grape made a sensible impression
upon her hull, meeting no adequate return, as her carronades,
owing to their insecure mode of mounting, turned half round
almost every time they were discharged. At 2-15 p. m., as
the Penguin drifted nearer, the Hornet bore away, with the
semblance of retiring from the contest, but in reality to take
a more favorable position for doing execution with her gun-
nery. Captain Dickinson, on this, bore up with the inten-
tion to board : before, however, he could put his plan into
execution, he received a mortal wound.

Lieutenant James M' Donald, who now succeeded to the
command, aware of the brig's disabled state, saw that the
only chance of success was to follow up his captain's inten-
tion. Accordingly, at 2-25 p. m-, the Penguin ran her bow-
sprit between the Hornet's main and mizen rigging, on the
starboard side. The heavy swell lifting the ship a-head, the
brig's bowsprit, after carrying away the Hornet's mizen
shrouds, stern davits, and spanker-boom, broke in two, and
the foremast went at the same moment, falling in-board,
directly upon the foremost and waist guns, on the engaged
side. These guns becoming in consequence completely dis-
abled, and the after carronades being equally so, from the
drawing of the breeching- bolts, an attempt was made to bring
a fresh broadside to bear j but the Penguin was in too un-
manageable a state to be got round. In this dilemma no
alternative remained; and at 2-35 p. m.. Lieutenant McDo-
nald hailed to say that the Penguin s.irrendered. After a
lapse of twenty-five minutes, an officer from the Hornet came
on board to take possession.

The Penguin had her commander, boatswain, and four
men killed ; her second lieutenant (John Elwin), master 's-
mate, one midshipman (John Noyes, who lost a leg), and
twenty-nine men wounded, four of whom mortally. The
Hornet received a few shot in the hull, one of which was so

COMMANDBItS.

311

low down as to keep her men constantly at the pumps. She
had, by the acknowledgment of her officers, only two men
killed and eleven wounded; but several of her crew told
some of their former shipmates, whom they discovered among
tlie P'enguinfi, that the Hornet had ten men killed by the
first and second broadsides. Lieutenant Elwin, whose
wounds were very severe, counted sixteen of the Hornet's
crew ying in their cots.

Mr. Bond's promotion to the rank of lieutenant took place
on the 20th Feb. 1815, nearly six weeks previous to the
above action. He was granted a pension of 91/. 5*. per
annum, for the loss of his leg, July 1st, 1816; appointed to
the Bulwark JQ, flag-ship of the late Sir Benjamin H. Carew,
in the River Medway, June 29th, 1821 j and advanced to
his present rank Sept. 5th, 1828.

..u

RICHARD GRIFFITH, Esq.

Is, we believe, a nephew to the late Admiral Sir Richard
G. Keats, G. C. B., luider whom he served in various ships
on the Mediterranean station. He was made a lieutenant
on the 14th Dec. 1821; and subsequently appointed second
of the Redwing sloop. Captain (now Lord Adolphus) Fitz
Clarence. His promotion to the rank of commander took
place on the 9th Sept, 1828. "

; \H

»H

ARTHUR MCGREGOR SKINNER, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 22d Oct. 1823 ; and com-
mander Sept. 9th, 1828.

ROBERT CRAGIE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 9th Jan. 1823 ; and com-
mander Sept. 16th, 1828.

if.

312

COMMANDERS'^

' ': RICHARD WILLIAMS (b\ Esq. '

• Eldest son of the late Lieutenant Thomas Williams, R. N.,
an old and meritorious officer, who lost his right leg, and
was otherwise wounded, while serving on board the Chatham
50, Captain (afterwards Sir Andrew Snape) Douglas, in ac-
tion with the French frigate Magicienne, near Boston, North
America, Sept. 2d, I78I *.

The subject of this memoir was born at St. Columb, co»

* Lieutenant Thomas Williams (a descendant of the ancient and re-
spectable family of that name, in Carnarvonshire, North Wales) was very
actively employed during the greater part of the American revolutionary
war. He served under Captain A. S. Douglas in the Roebuck 44, and
foUo'.vcd him from that ship into the Chatham. The ser>'ices in which
he participated are thus briefly alluded to by his gallant commander :

" On the 15th May 1780, my uncle. Sir Andrew S. Hamond, being
ordered to England with despatches, I was directed to take the command
orf the Roebuck during his absence. Through the kindness of my uncle,
a confirmation was sent to me from the Admiralty, as captain of the
Roebuck, in which ship I remained until July 1781 ; having during that
time been very actively employed, and having taken two rebel frigates—
viz. the Confederacy 36, and Protector 28, besides several privateers.
■ •• In July 1781, the Roebuck being ordered home, .1 was appointed
captain of the Chatham; in the command of which ship I continued
during the war, upon the coast of North America, where I captured or
destroyed, during the last twenty months, fifty sail of merchant vessels, -
one French frigate of 32 g^ns and 280 men, and several stout American
privateers. The frigate engaged the Chatham half-an-hour, although
close alongside, and had eighty-six men killed and wounded : we had
only two men slain and four wounded."

Lieutenant Thomas Williams married Miss Bond, of a highly respecta-
ble family in Cornwall ; and at the time of his demise was one of the.
officers of the Royal Hospital, GreenAvich. His uncle, the late Captain
Ricluird Williams, was a shipmate of the illustrious Nelson, who, many
years afterwards, paid him a very flattering compliment. On his entering
the waiting room at the Admiralty, in which a number of distinguished
officers attending the First Lord's levee were assembled, the hero shook
him heartily by the hand, and said, " Gentlemen, permit me to introduce
to you Captain Williams, an officer to whom I owe all I have gained in
the service ; tor he first made me a seaman."

COMMANDBRS.

313

Cornwall ; and entered the royal navy as midshipman on
board the Belliqueux 64 n He subsequently served in the
Plumper and Tickler, gun-vessels, commanded by his father ;
and, early in 1801, was received on board the Neptune 98,
flag-ship of Vice-Admiral (afterwards Lord) Gambler, then
third in command of the Channel fleet. During the peace
of Amiens, he was successively removed to the Endymion
frigate and Isis 50, in which latter ship he accompanied the
Vice-Admiral to and from Newfoundland. On her passage
thither, she encountered a hurricane, was thrown on her
beam ends, lost her top-masts and jib-boom, had all her sails
blown to shreds, and was obliged to cut away her mizen-
mast : the main-mast was about to follow, when she fortu-
nately fell off, partially righted, and at length shewed her
stern to the wind. After her return home, she received the
flag of Rear- Admiral (now Sir Edward) Thornbrough, and
cruised for a short period in the North Sea. During her
second trip to Newfoundland, several of her midshipmen,
including Mr. Williams, were borne on the books of the
Puissant, receiving ship at Spithead, having been left behind
for the purpose of passing the usual examination at the Navy

Ofiice. . . .-li ,..

In the summer of 1804, Mr. Williams again sailed for St.
John's, under Vice-Admiral Gambler's successor, the late
Sir Erasmus Gower, by whom he was appointed acting lieu-
tenant and commander of the Mackerel schooner, mounting
four small carronades, with a complement of fifteen oflicers
and men. In this pigmy man-of-war, which he jolaed, and
fitted out at Bermuda, we find him rendering essential as-
sistance to the Tartar frigate, Captain Edward Hawker, by
carrying out a bower anchor, and receiving and landing her
main-deck guns, after she had parted her cables in Murray's
Reads, and struck on one of the reefs forming the eastern
passage. Subsequently, the Mackerel, with fifty-seven
French prisoners of war on board, was driven from her an-
chorage in a N. W. gale, and in rounding St. Catherine's
Point, for the purpose of taking shelter under the lee of the
island, she repeatedly grazed the rockb ', the foam and spray

op

314

COMMANDERS.

obscuring all the mnrks, and totally bewildering the pilot : —
the anchors were quickly cut away, and she brought up, but
continued to strike until the cables snapped asunder, when
she providentially drifted to sea, clear of the innumerable
sunken rocks surrounding the Bermudas. For these ser-
vices Mr. Williams, who had been promoted to the rank of
lieutenant on the ll^th Dec. 1804, received the thanks of Sir
Andrew Mitchell, commander-in-chief on the Halifax sta-
tion.

The Mackerel was afterwards employed in protecting the
fisheries on the S. W. side of Newfoundland, where Lieute-
nant Williams seized the cargoes (whale oil) of two American
vessels, and ordered them from the coast. She subsequently
had the honor of twice receiving the flag of Sir Erasmus
Gower.

We next find Lieutenant Williams serving under Captain
Thomas White (A), hi the Avenger sloop, employed in afford-
ing protection to the homeward bound Newfoundland trade.
On his way up Channel, he assisted in destroying the French
cutter privateer Hazard, of sixteen guns and fifty men, which
vessel, mistaking the Avenger (a north-country built ship)
for a merchantman, had run athwart hawse, and made an in-
effectual attempt to board her. On this occasion, two Bri-
tish seamen and the whole of the French crew, with the ex-
ception of four persons, perished j le Hazard having sunk
before boats could be sent to her assistance.

Soon after his arrival in England, Lieutenant WilUams
was appointed third of the Jupiter 50, Captain H. E. R.
Baker, in which ship he visited India and China. During
the voyage out, her officers and crew were much distressed
for water, being for some weeks, withm the tropics, on a
pint each pereon per diem. On her return homeward, after
experiencing tremendous gales off the Cape of Good Hope,
she lost nearly twenty men by scurvy.

After refitting, the Jupiter was ordered to the coast of
Spain, for the purpose of receiving on board part of the
gallant army under Sir John Moore ; but, unfortunately, she
struck on a sunken rock, in Vigo Bay, and was totally

COMMANDERS.

315

of
the
she
ally

wrecked, in the night of Dec. 10th, 1808. On their return
to Plymouth, Captain Baker, his officers, and ship's com-
pany, were tried by a court-martial, when, it appearing that
he had not endeavoured to get a pilot, or bring the ship to
an anchor, the court adjudged him to be admonished to act
with more precaution for the future. The officers and ship's
company were acquitted of all blame. . . wf

In Mar. 1809, Lieutenant Williams was appointed to the
H elder 32, Captain John Serrell, fitting out for the Jamaica
station ; in which ship he continued till she was ordered
home, about Aug. 1810, when he got removed into the Rein-
deer sloop. Previous to this, the Helder, in the course of
six weeks, had lost one lieuteziant, two masters, two pursers,
five midshipmen, and about eighty sailors, &c., all by the
yellow fever : the only officer who escaped an attack was a
lieutenant of marines.

In April 1811, Lieutenant Williams obtained the com-
mand of the Decouverte brig, of 14 guns and 64 men ; in
which vessel he appears to have been for some time actively
employed among the Bahamas, and in the gulfs of Florida
and Mexico; where he captured a brig with a cargo of
slaves ; a schooner under Swedish colours, laden with dry
goods, French pi-ize property ; and the American privateer
Nonpareil, the master of which vessel intended to attack and
burn the defe' celess town of Harbour Island. Returning to
Jamaica, he fell in with, and gave chase to, the Comet pri-
vateer, of 5 guns and 80 men, but was compelled reluctantly
to abandon the pursuit, after being within long gun-shot for
upwards of two hours, the Decouverte's fore-top-gallant mast
having gone over the side in a squall, and both her lower
masts being sprung, the fore-mast badly.

On her arrival at Port Royal, the Decouverte was ordered
to undergo a thorough repair, and nearly nine months
elapsed before she was again ready for sea. In the mean
time Lieutenant Williams, with his crew, in the Confiance
schooner, lent by the merchants of Kingston, was employed
in escorting several vessels to St. Jago de Cuba and Cartha-

31G

COMMAND KR9.

gena, and in carrying despatches to Santa Martha and Porto
Bello.

After her re-equipment, the Decouverte captured two
American schooners, laden with flour and logwood; she
likewise drove from ^ the coast two privateers, whose supe-
rior sailing enabled them to escape. She was subsequently
obliged to cut away her masts in Murray's anchorage, Ber-
muda, where she rode out a heavy N. VV. gale within two
cables' length of the rocks. Returning through the Caycos
passage, in July 1813, with convoy from New Providence to
Cape Fran9ois and Jamaica, she prevented a colonial schooner
from being captured by the Saratoga privateer, of far supe-
rior force.

In 1814, Lieutenant VN'illiams was appointed by Rear-
Admiral Brown to the command of the Edward, a brigantine
of 360 tons, 12 guns, and 74 men, with a view to his pro-
motion ; but after the failm-e of the expedition against New
Orleans, to which that vessel was attached, he had the mor-
tification to be superseded by a commander sent from Eng-
land. Previous to his quitting the Jamaica station, he re-
ceived a letter of thanks from the mayor and principal
merchants of Kingston, for the many services he had ren-
dered the trade of the island. He returned home, with an
impaired constitution, in 1815; and was not again employed
until Aug. 1825, when he became first lieutenant of the Ra-
millies 74, and was placed in charge of the centre division of
the coast blockade, the whole of which service he superin-
tended for three months, during the illness and consequent
absence of Captain William M*Culloch. After the demise of
that officer, he continued to serve under his successor, Cap-
tain (now Sir Hugh) Pigot ; by whom he was introduced,
and strongly recommended, to his present Majesty, when
visiting the Ramillies, as Lord High Admiral, in Sept. 1828.
We need not add, that his promotion immediately followed.

Commander Williams married Elizabeth Eleanor, eldest
daughter of John Henderson, Esq., of Deal, many years
(secretary to Admirals Lords Bridport and Gardner, and late

COMMANDERS. 31/

paymaster of the civil department of the Ordnance at Wool-
wich. He is consequently brother-in-law to Captain George
Henderson, R. N , and to the wife of Captain W illiam Hen-
derson, R.N. One of his brothers, George Williams, now
surgeon of the Vestal 2(>, on the West India and Halifax
station, was promoted to his present rank for gallant conduct
when assistant surgeon of the Maidstone frigate. Commodore
BuUen, and employed in her tender, the Hope, at the cap-
ture of the Prince of Guinea, a slave ship of far superior
force, on the coast of Africa. Another brother, Henry, is
assistant surgeon of the Endymion 50, Captain Sir Samuel
Roberts, on the Mediterranean station.

JAMES WILSON (A), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1806 j and commander on
the 18th Sept. 1828.

WILLIAM PICKING, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1799 ; obtained his first
commission on the 10th Oct. 1807 ; was senior lieutenant of
the Redpole sloop, Captain Alexander Fraser, at the close
of the war with France, in 1814 ; and subsequently served in
the Southampton 50, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral (after-
wards Sir William C.) Fahie, commander-in-chief at the
Leeward Islands, and on the Halifax station. He was
advanced to his present rank on the IKth Sept. 1828, and
appointed to the Asia 84, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral (now
Sir William; Parker, on the Lisbon station, Aug. 15th, 1832.
He shortly afterwards had a narrow escape, a spent ball
having grazed his shoulder whilst he was on shore, view-
ing an attack made by the Miguelites upon Don Pedro's
lines near Oporto. At the same moment, Mr. Vidal, purser
of the Asia, then in company, received a musket-ball in the
body. He was paid off, on his return from the river Tagus^
in the summer of 1834.

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COMMANDERS.

I

GEORGE JAMES HAY, Esq.

Second son of the late Lieut.-General Hay, Lieutenant-
Governor of Edinburgh Castle.

This officer passed his examination, and was made a lieu-
tenant, in July 1815. He served under Captain (afterwards
Sir Murray) Maxwell, in the Alceste frigate, during Lord
Amherst's embassy to China, in 1816-17*; and subse-
quently under Captain Fairfax Moresby, in the Menai 26, on
the Cape of Good Hope station. He obtained his present
rank in Sept. 1828; and married, June 24th, 1830, at the
Hague, Georgiana Middleton, fourth daughter of Sir John
R. Whitefoord.

JOSEPH HAMILTON, Esq.

Served the last three years of his time, as midshipman,
under Captain the Hon. Henry Duncan, in the Liffey 50 ;
obtained his first commission on the 29th Jan. 1822; and
was advanced to his present rank Oct. 4th, 1828.

!

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JULIUS JAMES FARMER NEWELL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Mar. 1815; appointed to the
Pandora sloop, Captain C. G. Randolf, fitting out for the
Cork station, Jan. 29th, 1819 ; and advanced to his present
rank on the 20th Nov. 1828.

In Mar. 1834, a novel mode of transporting an anchor,
projected by Commander Newell, was tried at Devonport,
before the officers of H. M. dock-yard. It consisted in
lashing two canvass bags of a conical shape each side, and
the whole length of the shank. The base of the cone cor-
responded with the projection of the stock from the shank,
the apex or point well secured to the crown of the anchor j

* See Vol II. Part II. note f at p. 814.

COMMAS DKRS.

3ig

tlie bags were inflated with air by the assistance of a pair of
blacksmith's bellows, and, when immersed in the water,
caused the stock to appear above, with the ring, &c., whereon
three men placed themselves, but produced little effect on
the buoyancy, until the anchor had been immersed about
half an hour. It was theji found that the air had escaped a
little, which may be accounted for, owing to the rough man-
ner in which it was made by a common sail-maker, and the
canvass being devoid of preparation. The weight of the
anchor was about 17cwt. 2qrs.

JOSEPH CAMILLERI, Esq.

We first find serving as midshipman on board the Active
frigate. Captain (now Sir James A.) Gordon, stationed in the
Adriatic, v/here he was employed in her boats at the capture
and destruction of three gun- vessels and twenty-eight sail of
merchantmen, chiefly laden with grain for the French troops
at Uagusa, July 2/th, 1811*. He was made a lieutenant
on the 25th Feb. 1815 ; appointed to the Dover 28, flag-ship
of Rear-Admiral (now Sir Robert W.) Otway, on the Leith
station) Oct. 20th, 1819; and advanced to the rank of com-
mander Jan. 1st, 1829.

H

JOHN FOSTER, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 2d Feb. 1808 j and
was severely wounded while serving as lieutenant of the
Apollo frigate. Captain B. W. Taylor, at the capture and
destruction of a French convoy in the Bay of Rosas, Nov.
1st, 1809 f. His next appointment was, Sept. 7tli, 1810, to
the Galatea 36, Captain Woodley Losack, which ship fortned"
part of the squadron under Captain (now Sir Charles M.)

* See Siippl. Part IV. p. 107.
t See Suppl. Part III. p. 160.

820

COMMANDRRS.

Schomberg, and suffered severely in an action with three
French frigates, off Madagascar, May 20th, 1811*.

Towards the end of 1814, we find Lieutenant Foster pro-
ceeding from England to the West Indies, as first of the
Palma frigate, Captain James Andrew Worth. He subse-
quently served under Captain Henry Hart, in the Sapphire
26, on the Jamaica station, from whence he returned home
invalided, in 1820. He was advanced to the rank of com-
mander, Jan. 2d, 1829.

This officer married, Oct. 1st, 1818, the second daughter
of John Davidson, Esq., of Cork-street, Piccadilly, London.

CHARLES DEARE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 20th Aug. 1824 ; advanced
to his present rank Jan. 5th, 1829; and appointed an in-
specting commander of the coast guards Isle of Wight dis-
trict, Mar. 18th, 1834.

THOMAS READE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Feb. 1805 ; granted a pension
of five shillings per diem for wounds, Sept. 26th, 1814;
appointed to the Ordinary at Portsmouth, in 1819; and ad-
vanced to the rank of commander Feb. 7th, 1829.

FREDERICK MOORE BOULTBEE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant from the Egeria 24, Captain John
Toup Nicholas, into the Grasshopper sloop. Captain David
Buchan, at Newfoundland, Dec. 13th, J821. He obtained
his present rank on the 1 1th Feb. 1829.

* See Suppl. Part I. p. 33.

COMMANDERS.

321

CHARLES BASDEN, Esq.

Passkd his examination at Portsmouth, in July 1810;
and subsequently commanded a mortar-vessel attached to
the Cadiz flotilla *. He was made lieutenant into the Tre-
mendous 74, Captain Robert Campbell, May 2d, 181 1 ; and
continued to serve under that officer until the end of the war
in 1815. He obtained his present rank on the l/th Feb.
1829 ; and was appointed inspecting commander of the coast
guard at Carne, Ireland, Mar. 18th, 1834.

This ofl&cer married a niece to the late Sir Manaseh-
Masseh Lopes, Bart., who left her a handsome legacy.

JOHN PARKER, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 29th Nov. 1814 ; advanced
to the rank of commander Feb. 20th, 1 829 ; and appointed
to the Hastings 74, fitting out for the flag of Sir William H.
Gage, now commanding on the Lisbon station, April 1 1th,
1834.

EDWARD JOHN JOHNSON, Esq.

Was slightly wounded when serving as volunteer, first class,
on board the Nassau 64, Captain Robert Campbell, in action
with the Danish 74-gun ship Prince Christian Frederick,
near the island of Zealand, Mar. 22d, 1808 f. He passed
his examination, at Portsmouth, in June, 1813; obtained
his first commission on the 28th Feb. 1815 ; and was pro-
moted to the rank of commander. Mar. 4th, 1829. , ;

SIR WILLIAM DICKSON, Bart.

Eldest son of the late Rear-Admiral Sir Archibald C.
Dickson, Bart., by Harriet, daughter of the late Admiral
John Bourmaster.

* SecVol. III. Paitl.p. 131.
VOL. IV. PART FI.

t See Vol. I. Part II. p. 640.

V

:pI

•1

1 '■'■•*

'J

iHii

[> '■

32^2 CO.MMA>D£RS.

This officer was born on the 10th June, 1/^8; became a
student at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, Aug. Ist,
1811 ; and was discharged from thence into the Cumberland
74, Captain (now Sir Thomas) Baker, May 16th, 1814. Be-
tween July 2Gth, 1815, and Mar. 24th, 1816, he served on
board the Caledonia 120, Rochfort 80 (commanded by his
father), and Eridanus frigate. At the latter date he joined
the Minden 74, Captain William Paterson, fitting out for
the flag of Sir Richard King, commander-in-chief on the East
India station, in which ship he bore a part at the memorable
battle of Algiers. We afterwards find him in the Trinco-
malee 46, Vengeur 74, AthoU 28, Liffey 50, Ramillies 74,
and Royal Sovereign yacht ; from which vessel he was ad-
vanced to the rank of lieutenant, Oct. 16th, 18*22. His sub-
sequent appointments were, to the Queen Charlotte 104,
Seringapatam 46, Revenge 7^f and Raleigh 16.

Lieutenant Dickson succeeded to the baronetcy, on the
demise of his father, in June, 1827; and was ship-wrecked
on the coast of Portugal, when proceeding to the Mediterra-
nean, as passenger on board the Terror bomb. Captain David
Hope, Feb. 19th, 1828 *. He was promoted to the command
of the Raleigh, Mar. 4th, 1829 ; and appointed to the Orestes
sloop, at Portsmouth, Sept. 28th, 1833. Since then he has
been employed on the Lisbon station.

Sir William Dickson's brothers are, Archibald, an officer
in the army ; Colpoys, in the Hon. E. L Company's military
service; Alexander CoUingwood Thomas, a lieutenant in the
royal navy; and John Bourmaster, midshipman. One of
his sisters, Harriet Jane, is married to Captain Thomas Wren
Carter, R. N.; and another, Mary Madeline, to Captain
Claud Douglas, H. E. I. Company's army.

EDWARD BELCHER, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1812 ; obtained his first com-
mission on the 21st July, 1818; and invalided from the

I

• Sec Vol. III. Part II. p. 122.

COMMANDERS. S'^.l

Myrmidon sloop, Captain Henry John Leckc, on the African
station, in 1820. His next appointment was, Sept. 30th,
1821, to the Salisbury, 58, fitting out for the flag of Rear-
Admiral (afterwards Sir W. C. Fahie), commander-in-chief
on the Halifax station. In Jan. 1825, he was selected to
accompany Captain Frederick W. Beechey, as assistant-
surveyor, in the Blossom sloop, on a scientific voyage to the
Pacific Ocean. Before the end of that year, he appears to
have had two remarkable escapes from a premature death, at
Oeno, a coral formation, to the northward of Pitcairn'a
Island *. An outline of the Blossom's proceedings between
May 19th, 1825, the day of her departure from Spithead, and
Oct. I2th, 1828, when she was paid off at Woolwich, will be
found in Vol. III. Part I. pp. 313—326. Mr. Belcher's pro-
motion to his present rank took place on the 16th Mar. 1829.

In Aug. 1831, the iEtna surveying vessel, commanded by
the subject of this sketch, arrived at Portsmouth, after a
severe service of seven months on the African station. The
principal object of her survey was to ascertain the extent of
the Arguin shoals, on which the celebrated shipwreck of the
French frigate Meduse occurred some years since. She had
also been employed in closely surveying the whole coast from
Cape Blanco to Rio Grande. To the southward of Rio
Grande, Commander Belcher discovered a river, up which
his boats proceeded fifteen miles ; he found it perfectly navi-
gable for that distance, and supposed it to be another mouth
of the Rio Grande. From the constant exposure of boats,
under a vertical sun, the crew of the iEtna were at length
afflicted with scurvy ; and as a necessary change of provisions,
a remedy always successfully resorted to, could not be ob-
tained on that part of the coast^ she was compelled to return
to England.

On the 25th and 26th Aug. 1831, a court-martial was held
at Spithead, to try Lieutenant Francis Godolphin Bond, se-
cond of the J&tnti, at his own request, on charges of alleged

♦ See Vol. III. Part I. p. 315.
Y 2

\t\

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324

tOMMANDKRS.

misconduct adduced against him by Commander Belcher.
The court decided that the charges had been in part proved,
inasuuich ix» the said Lieutenant Bond was negligent in not
taking measures to prevent the desertion of two Kroomen,
who left a boat under his command, at Sierra Leone ; and also
in not placing some person to look out for any sigiuds which
might be made from the ship whilst the boats were away wa-
tering at the Isles do Los, by which she was detained for some
hours in dangerous ground, waiting for their return. The
court therefore adjudged the said Lieutenant Bond " to be
admonished to be more careful hereafter."
' (in the 23d and 24th of the following month, another
court-martial was held in Portsmouth harbour, to try Mr.
Henry Grainger Backhouse, midshipman of the iEtna, on
the following charges, alleged iigainst him by Commander
Belcher : —

" ' For having-, during the present year, on the western coast of Africa,
been guilty of repeated insubordination, neglect of duty, and disrespect-
ful, contemptuous, and insolent conduct, towards Commander Belcher,
his superior officer ; and for having, since the ship's arrival in England,
namely, the 14th August last, and between that day and the 20th instant,
been guilty of insulting conduct towards Commander Edward Belcher
and the first lieutenant of the ship, and of insubordination in quitting the
ship in defiance of the first lieutenant's refusal of leave of absence ; and
dso for having absented himself from his duty when it was his watch on
deck/"

" The first witness called was Edward Craydon, gunner of the iEtna,
who was examined by the prosecutor. On a straw-hat being produced
by Commander Belcher, he was asked if he could identify it. Witness
replied yes, he had seen the prisoner wear it repeatedly. On a particular
day, when the prisoner had, oh the quarter-deck, neither shoes nor stock-
ings on, and wearing the hat produced. Commander Belcher ordered
him below. In answer to a question put by the Court, he said he was not
near enough to hear what passed, but he did not see any disrespect on
the part of the prisoner, when ordered below.

" John Harrison, the boatswain, was next called ; the hat produced he
had taken charge of, by order of Commander Belcher ; the hat then was'
not so flat as it is now, but the ragged part was the same. Did not know
that orders had been given that the prisoner was not to do his duty as
mate of the main-deck. In his examination by the prisoner, witness said
he thought the hat was much dirtier than when he wore it, from being
kept in the store-room among the dust and cobwebs. In reply to ques-

COMMANDERS.

325

Icher.
oved,
m not
:)men,
dalso
which
ly wa-
r some
The
'to be

nother
ry Mr.
na, on
nander

f Africa,
srespect-
Belcher,
[England,
|i instant,
Belcher
tting the
ice; and
watch on

Iduced he

I then was'

lot know

duty as

^ness said

jm being

to ques-

.tions by the Court, witness said he was not aware of any disrespect on
the part of the prisoner t«»wards Coininan«h>r Belcher, or of any iiejjlect of
duty on his part. On one occasion, witness experienced sonic ditliculty ii»
being relieved from a watch, when the first lieutenant interfered, and re-
primanded the prisoner. The prisoner's warrant was withdrawn, l)ccaus(>
he appeared on deck in a straw hat. He never heard the prisoner answer
Commander Belcher disrespectfully, nor did he know of any act of insult-
ordination on his part. He knew that [>risouer could not get relieved
sometimes until three (juarters of an hour after the time. The prisoner
never wore the hat, to his recollection, after the warrant had l)een taken
from him.

" Mr. Robertson, mate of tiic /Etna, was then called. He superseiled
prisoner in command of tlie second barge ; he was not aware why ; he
never observed any disrespect or insubordination on the part of the pri-
soner, nor was he aware of any neglect of duty on the part of Mr. Back-
house. Witness had often seen nearly every olHccr of the siiip walk on
the quarter-deck without shoes or stockings on, both at forenoon, after-
noon, and all hours of the day. He had seen officers without shoes or
stockings on, while under way, when he believed the duty of the ship was
carried on by Commander Belcher. For want of men, lie had seen the
mate of the deck assisting in cleaning her. The prisoner was on the
. sick list for a month, from a severe cut in the finger, in consequence of
being obliged to clean fish for the mess, as they could not make their
servant, who was a Krooman, do it. The midshipmen took it by turns
to clean the knives and dishes.

" Mr. Francis Logan, surgeon of the vEtna, was next called. The
prisoner was on the sick list on the 28th or 29th May; he lieard l)y re-
port only that the prisoner had endeavoured to leave the shij) ; and the
impression left on his mind was, from the conversation he had heard,
without leave. Witness was not aware of any neglect of duty on the
part of the prisoner, or of any disrespectful conduct towards Commander
Belcher. On being examined by the prisoner, witness said he remem-
bered prisoner being confined for three days and three nights under a
tarpaulin screen, where neither light nor air was admitted, and no officer
of the ship allowed to speak to him — the only air that could be got being
under the edges of the screen, which was fastened close to the bulk-
head. He understood from Mr. Quin, the first lieutenant, he was so
confined by the order of Commander Belcher. The prisoner, he believed,
was reUeved at witness's suggestion.

" Lieut. Thomas Mitchell, (who had joined the .Etna as first lieutenant
since her arrival at this port), stated, tt^it he was on deck when the pri-
soner asked Commander Belcher it his discharge had come down.
Before Commander Belcher came up the side, the prisoner crossed over
to speak to him, scarcely giving him time to put both feet on deck, with
his face almost touching the commander's, and said — ' Is my discharge

! .

Ui

I'f

326

COMMANDERS.

I

come down ? ' As far as witness could recollect, he did not salute Iiim,
but spoke in a sharp and demanding tone. Prisoner had absented him-
self from the ship without witness's permission, his leave having been
stopped. Was not aware of any disrespectful conduct ou the part of .
the prisoner, save in the case he had alluded to, and putting his hands in
his pockets when speaking to the commander or witness — ^upon which
latter offence he had often reprimanded him.

" Mr. R. Hopkins, midshipman, did not consider the prisoner's man-
ner respectful, when he asked about his discharge.

" Lieutenant Miles, assistant-surveyor of the ^tna, was on deck when
the prisoner addressed Commander Belcher about his discharge. He
came up in an abrupt manner, and said, * Is my discharge come down.
Sir ? ' I think his manner was not respectful. In answer to another
question, witness said, the prisoner was in one of the barges, and Com-
mander Belcher reproved him for some neglect of duty ; the prisoner at
th's time was sitting on the deck of the boat, and did not get up during
the conversation, which witness thought disrespectful ; he also sang very
loud on another occasion, on quitting the commander's cabin, as if he
wished him to hear him, but witness did not think it was meant to insult
him. The prisoner's manner generally was abrupt, but not disrespect-
ful. He observed the prisoner touch his hat to Commander Belcher,
when he asked about his discharge. The prisoner dined with the prose-
cutor on the voyage home, and was treated >vith the same coiirtesy as the
rest of the officers. Witness should have thought that when prisoner
was asked to the commander's table, all had been forgotten. Witness
had seen officers on the quarter-deck without any shoes or stockings, and
he believes in Commander Belcher's presence, for it was not a remark-
able occurrence.

" Lieut. Quin, late first of the .lEtna, deposed, that Commander
Belcher had suspended the prisoner from duty on the quarter-deck.
Prosecutor gave him an order not to go below to mess with the midship-
men, because he considered his conduct to be mutinous. Witness told
Commander Belcher he thought the prisoner in a deranged state of
mind, which he considered the cause of such conduct. He also men-
tioned to Commander Belcher, that on the cutter being manned to take
a young gentleman who had dined with the midshipmen on shore, that he
found Mr. Backhouse stowed away in the fore part of the boat, and on
his coming on deck he found him in an intoxicated state. He did not
see the prisoner wear the hat produced more than once on deck. The
effect of the remainder of witness's evidence was in corroboration of
what had fallen from those who had preceded him, with regard to pri-
soner's conduct to the prosecutor.

" The Court was then cleared, to take into consideration whether
Commander Belcher should be allowed to give evidence respecting the
prisonei 's conduct, which was objected to by prisoner, who considered

ate hiittf
led him-
ng been
! part of .
hands in
)n which

er's man-

eck when
Tge. He
me down,

0 another
and Com-
)risoner at
up during

1 sang very
n, as if be
at to insult
disrespect-
er Belcher,

the prose-
rtesy as the
;n prisoner
I. Witness
ckings, and
a remark-
Commander
larter-deck.
he midship-
Vitness told
red state of
e also men-
med to take
lore, that he
)oat, and on
He did not
deck. The
oboration of
egard to pri-

;ion whether
especting the
0 considered

COMMANDBRS. 327

that as Commander Belcher had been in court, and conseciuently heard
all the evidence of the witnesses, he should not be permitted to do so.
The Court opened after ten minutes ' deliberation, when tlic President
informed prosecutor that he might give his evidence, but confine himself
to the conduct of Mr. Backhouse while he was in the cabin with him
alone.

** The prosecutor being sworn, deposed, that Mr. Backhouse entered
his cabin abruptly, with a bill of exchange for him to indorse, and that
he. Commander B., told the prisoner that he had not complied with tlic
regulation under which he had engaged to be a party to his money
transactions ; but that if Mr. Backhouse thought it would enable him to
appear in a more officer-like manner, he would attach his signature. The
prisoner then left the bill on the table for that purpose, and ({uitted the
cabin. In a few minutes, prisoner returned in a most insulting manner,
walked up to the table where the bill was, demanded it, and told Com-
mander B. that he neither required his signature nor assistance ; he left
the place as abruptly, and his (Commander B.'s) impression was, that he
tore the bill in his cabin.

*' Mr. Minchin (the prisoner's professional adviser) read an elaborate
defence, which was supported by the following evidence : —

" Mr. Henry George Shoot said the general conduct of the prisoner was
very respectful, doing his utmost to please Commander Belcher, never
seeing any act of insubordination on the part of the prisoner.

" Samuel Adney, a marine, proved that he was engaged to make a cap
for prisoner out of the tails of prisoner's coat, and was ordered by him to
get it ready as soon as possible.

" Mr. Strong, second master, also stated that the prisoner was not dis-
respectful ; and that the gig was manned for the commander to leave the
ship when prisoner asked if his discharge was come down.

** Mr. Hooper, clerk, said that prisoner asked witness to request Com-
mander B. to sign a public bill, which he refused on account of Mr.
Backhouse not having a spy-glass. Prisoner asked if his discharge was
come down when the commander was going out of the ship, and in a
very respectful manner, touching his hand to his hat.

" Mr. Christopher Ludlow deposed to the same effect.

" John Ingle, Serjeant of marines, deposed that Mr. Backhouse was
under his- charge as prisoner at large on the occasion, when he was se-
cured in on themtun deck with a tarpaulin large enough to hang a cot in;
the tarpaulin was nailed close to the ship's side. Witness received orders
not to allow any one to speak to Mr. Backhouse. Never saw any thing
disrespectful in prisoner's conduct towards the commander. To the best
of witness's belief, prosecutor was on board during the time Mr. B. was
confined, and went round the deck during one of those days.

" Joseph Shilleto, carpenter of tlie Mtna, sworn. — Made a screen for
prisoner on the main deck, in which he was confined by the orders of

328

COMMANDERS.

Mr. Johnson, the master, which screen was composed of a tarpauKn
naUed to a carlin, 5 ft. 6 in. in length, 6 ft. 3 in. in breadth. Witness
asked Mr. Johnson if he might open one of the ports to give Mr. B. air;
to which he replied, that the Commander had ordered him to be closely
confined. Gave Mr. B. a chair, as he had none to sit on. Did not see
him again for three or four days, till he saw him in the midshipmen's
berth. Neither light nor air could be admitted. Prisoner's conduct
was in general very respectful, and he was very attentive to his duty.

*' The evidence in behalf of the defence having been concluded, the
Court was cleared, and after a deliberation of one hour and a half, re-
opened, when the following sentence was delivered : —

" * The Court is of opinion that the charge against the said Mr. Henry
Grainger Backhouse, of insubordination in quitting the ship in defiance
of the first lieutenant's reftisal of leave ol absence, has been proved ; but
that the other charges against the said Mr. H. G. Backhouse have not been
proved. And the Court doth adjudge the said Mr. H. G. Backhouse to
be discharged from H. M. surveying-vessel the Mtna., and to be repri-
manded, and admonished to be more circumspect in his conduct in fu-
ture ; and the said Mr. H. G. Backhouse is hereby discharged from H.
M. surveying-vessel the ^Etna; and is reprimanded, and admonished
to be more circumspect in his conduct in future accordingly.'"

The i£tna was subsequently stationed in the River Douro,
for the protection of British property, during the contest be-
tween Dons Pedro and Miguel. From thence she was sent
to survey the Esquerques, or Skerki, a reef of rocks in the
Mediterranean Sea. She returned to Portsmouth in Aug.
1833, and was paid off on the 10th of the following month.

Commander Belcher is a member of the Geological and
London Geographical Societies. He married, Sept. 11th,
1830, Diana Joliffe, grand-daughter of Colonel Simpson, of
Plean House, Falkirk, N. B., and step-daughter of that ami-
able man and excellent officer the late Captain Peter Hey-
wood, R. N.

WILLIAM HENRY BAPTIST PROBY, Esq.

Eldest son of the late Rev. John Baptist Proby, rector
of St. Mary's, Lichfield, co. Stafford*, by Mary Su-

* Eldest son of the late Dean of Lichfield, and nephew to the late
Commissiouer Proby, of H. M. dock-yard at Chatham.

ey-

late

COMMANDERS.

329

sannah, youngest daughter of the late Sir Nigel Gresley,
Bart.

This officer was born at Lichfield, on the 15th Oct. 1794;
and entered the royal navy, in Mar. 1807, as midshipman on
board the Centaur 74, bearing the broad pendant of his
cousin-in-law, the late Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, K. B.,
under whose auspices he continued to serve until the demise
of that highly distinguished officer, in Dec. 1814*. He was
consequently present at the bombardment of Copenhagen,
and surrender of the Danish navy, in Aug. and Sept. 1807 j
the occupation of Madeira, Dec. 26th, in the same year ; and
the capture and destruction of a Russian 74, on the Baltic
station, in Aug. 1808 f. He was also at the reduction of
Walcheren, in Aug. 1809.

In 1810, M. Proby followed Sir Samuel Hood into the Hi-
bernia 120, on the Mediterranean station. He subsequently
accompanied him to the East Indies ; and on the 28th June,
1813, then serving as midshipman of the Hussar frigate,
CajJtain the Hon. George Elliott, assisted in storming the
defences of Sambas, a piraticul state on the western coast of
Torneo |. The following is a copy of the senior officer's
c Jficial report to Captain George Sayer, commanding a squa-
dron in the Eastern Seas : —

" Sir, " Sambas, June 2dth, 1813.

" It affords rae much satisfaction to communicate the good conduct
and indefatigable exertions of the party of seamen belonging to H. M.
ship Hussar, which you did me the honor to place under my orders, to
co-operate with the detachment of troops commanded by Colonel Watson,
of H. M. 14th regiment, for the reduction of the batteries at Sambas.

" During a six hours' march, in an almost impenetrable jungle,
through which, for the greater part of the way, a path was cut by a
division of the seamen (the remainder of the party having been appointed
to carry the scaling ladders), that ardour so common to British sailors
was eminently conspicuous ; and in the assault made on five batteries

* Sir Samuel Hood married the eldest daughter of the Earl of Sea-
forth, governor of Barbadoes, by his Countess, the daughter of the above-
mentioned Dean of Lichfield.

t See Vol. n. Part H. pp. 649—652.
X See Vol. n. Part I. p. 367, et leq.

k

Kl

^1

[J

^

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(I

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33()

COMMANDERS.

succeasively, all of which were carried in Iialf aii hour, I caunot suffi-
ciently commend their intrepid behaviour, while exposed to a heavy fire
in advancing with the troops, as well as their spirited exertions in cutting
down the fences which surrounded the batteries. T7ie very animated
exertions of Lieutenant Henrtf Hoghton, of the Hussar, and Mr. fVilliam
H. B. Probp, midshipman, during the whole of this service, entitle them
to my warmest thanks and every possible praise. I have the honor to be,
&c. (Signed) '" S. Leslie, Capt. H. M. S. Volage*."

For his gallant conduct on this occasion, Mr. Proby re-
ceived the public thanks of Colonel Watson, and was ap-
pointed by Sir Samuel Hood acting lieutenant of his flag-
ship, the Minden J A. He appears to have been confirmed
into the Hesper sloop, Captain Charles Biddulph, Jan. 9th,
1814; and we subsequently find him serving on the same
station, in the Leda 36, Wellesley 74, and Owen Glendower
36, which latter ship, commanded by Captain Brian Hodg-
son, wa^ paid off May 23d, 1816.

Lieutenant Proby spent part of the ensuing six years in a
free trader to India, being unable to obtain employment in
the navy until Feb. 14th, 182^ when he was appointed to
the Queen Charlotte 104, flag -ship of Sir James H. Whit-
shed, commander-in-chief at Portsmouth. His subsequent
appointments were, about June 1823, to the Cambridge 82,
Captain T. J. Maling, destined to the Pacific Ocean, in which
ship he continued until June 21st, 1827 ; and Dec. 8th, 1828,
to be first of the Southampton 50, fitting out for the flag of
Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, then recently nominated com-
mander-in-chief on the East India station. After equipping
the Southampton, he was advanced to his present rank, by
commission dated Mar. 19th, 1829.

Commander Proby married, April 28th, 1831, Louisa
Mary, only daughter of the late Rev. Samuel How, of Stick-
land, in Dorsetshire, and Southleigh, co. Devon. His bro-
ther, the Rev. John Caryfort Proby, is a chaplain in the Hon.
E, I, Company's service, at Bengal.

* See Siippl. Part III. p. 90 et seq.

COMMANDERS.

331

CHARLES MADDEN, Esq.

A SON of the late Captain Madden, of Portsmouth, agent
for officers of the royal marines ; and brother to Mr. Lewis
Madden, master of the ceremonies at Southampton.

This officer was made lieutenant into the Wasp sloop.
Captain Thomas Wren Carter, at Jamaica, Sept. 23d, 1819;
appointed to the Ringdove 18, Captain George F. Rich, fit-
ting out for the West India station, Dec. 3d, 1822 ; and ad-
vanced to the rank of commander Mar. 30th, 1829.

WILLIAM COTESWORTH, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 16th Sept. 1816; appointed
to the Revolutionnaire frigate, Captain the Hon. Fleetwood
B. R. Pellew, fitting out for the Mediterranean station, Aug,
20th, 1818; and advanced to his present rank on the 5th
April 1829. We are informed that he was selected to super-
intend the mining establishment at Cata Branca, in Brazil,
in 1833.

CHARLES INGLIS, Esq.

Eldest son of the late Commissioner Charles Inglis,
R. N., who died at Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, Feb. 27th,
1833.

This officer was made a lieutenant, July 1st, 1814, at the
request, we believe, of the Emperor Alexander, whose atten-
tion is said to have been particularly attracted when review-
ing the British fleet at Spithead, by a boat belonging to
Captain Inglis presenting the miniature appearance of a per-
fect man-of-war. He subsequently served under Captains
Francis Newcombe, Robert Tait, and Charles M. Schomberg,
in the Chesapeake frigate, Larne 20, and Rochfort 80, the
latter ship bearing the flag of Si. Graham Moore, com-
mander-in-chief on the Mediterranean station. He obtained
his present rank on the 23d April, 1829.

W

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832

COMMANDEKS.

JOHN CHIMLEY, Esq.

Was wounded while serving as master's-mate on board
the Monarch 74, flag-ship of Vice- Admiral Onslow, at the
battle of Camperdown, Oct. 11th, 1797. He was made a
lieutenant in Feb. 1802; and served for several years in the
Aboukir 74, latterly commanded by the present Rear- Admiral
Norborne Thompson. He was advanced to his present rank
while commanding the Basilisk cutter, May 1st, 1829.

CHARLES FREDERICK, Esq.

Passed his examination, at Sheerness, in July 1816 ; sub-
sequently served under the flag of Vice-Admiral Pickmore,
in the Sir Francis Drake frigate, at Newfoundland ; obtained
his first commission on the 20th April, 1818; and was ad-
vanced to his present rank. May 6th, 1829, for gallant con-
duct when commanding a boat belonging to the Alacrity
sloop, at the capture of a piratical mistico, on the Mediter-
ranean station. In performing this service, he was severely
wounded ; as were also three of his party, including Mr. C,
C. Austen, midshipman. .

GEORGE DANIELL, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1810. We first find him
serving as admiralty midshipman on board the Leven 24,
Captain W. F. Owen, emp ayed in surveying the coast of
Africa, where he was appointed acting lieutenant of that
ship's consort, the Barracouta sloop. Captain A. T. E. Vidal,
about the end of 1822. His first commission bears date
May 15th, 1823.

Mr. Daniell's next appointment was, May 7th, 1827, to
the Musquito sloop. Captain George B. Martin, under whom
he served as first lieutenant at the battle of Navarin. He
was advanced to his present rank, as soon as eligible for

COMMANDERS. 333

promotion, by commission dated May 7th, 1829. He ob-
tained the command of the Dispatch sloop, fitting out for the
West India station, June 7th, 1832 ; and has since captured,
to windward of Barbadoes, a Spanish schooner, of only 75
tons, having on board 292 slaves of both sexes, mostly under
twelve years of age.

GEORGE FARHILL DIXON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Mar, 1823; and advanced to
his present rank, while serving as first of the Dryad frigate.
Captain the Hon. Geo _,e A. Crofton, June 12th, 1829. A
few days afterwards, on paying off that ship, her gun-room
officers gave him a farewell dinner, at Devonport, in token of
their esteem, and in congratulation on his promotion. Next
day, the midshipmen gave their late officers a public break-
fast, and presented Commander Dixon with a handsome
piece of plate. He has since served for three years in the
Caledonia 120, latterly commanded by Captain James Hill-
yar, C. B., which ship was paid off in May 1833.

HORATIO STOPFORD NIXON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in July 1819; promoted to the
command of the Arachne sloop, on the West India station,
July 14th, 1829; and paid off from that vessel, at Devon-
port, July 13th, 1830.

THOMAS BEVIS, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 24th Sept. 1806;
and was slightly wounded while serving as senior lieutenant
of the Galatea frigate. Captain Woodley Losack^ in action
with a French squadron near Madagascar, May 20th, 1811*.

* See Suppl. Part I. p. 33^ et seq.

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334

COMMANDBRS.

He continued in the same ship until July 1814 ; and subse-
quently served as first lieutenant of the Bombay 74, Captain
Henry Bazely, and Euryalus 42, Captain Thomas Huskisson,
off the Azores, and on the Mediterranean and West India
stations. He was advanced to his present rank on the 3d
Aug. 1829.

ROBERT CROSBIE, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 10th Mar. 1807;
and was a prisoner of war, at Verdun, in Dec. 1813. He
was made a commander on the 3d Aug. 1829.

JOSEPH PAFFARD DICKSON LARCOM, Esq.

Son of the late Commissioner Joseph Larcom, of Malta
dock-yard, a zealous and good officer, who died at Gibraltar,
on his way co England, Feb. 17 th, 1818, universally la-
mented.

This officer was educated at the Royal Naval College, from
whence he embarked on board the Blossom sloop. Captain
Francis Beaufort, destined to the Mediterranean, in June
1810. He subsequently served under the same officer in the
Ville de Paris, first rate, off Toulon, and Frederikssteen fri-
gate, on the coast of Asia Minor *. He was made lieute-
nant into the Castor 32, Captain Charles Dilkes, Sept. 26th,
1814 ; appointed to the AthoU 28, Captain Henry Bourchier,
fitting out for the Halifax station, Nov. 28th, 1820 j and ad-
vanced to the rank of commander, Aug. 8th, 1829.

: DAWSON MAYNE, Esq.

Was wounded while serving as midshipman on board the
Leander 60, Captain Edward Chetham, at the battle of Al-

* See Suppl. Part U. pp. 86—93.

rOMMANDBRS.

335

giers. He was made lieutenant into the Newcastle 60, flag-
ship of the late Sir Edward Grifi&th Colpoys, on the Halifax
station, Feb. 5th, 1821 ; and advanced to his present rank on
the 14th Aug. 1829. He subsequently commanded the
Sparrowhawk sloop, on the West India station.

FREDERICK BULLOCK, Esq.

A SON of the late superannuated Commander James
Bullock.

This officer passed his examination, at Portsmouth, in
1811 ; obtained his first commission on the 22d Jan. 1812;
was appointed to the Revolutionnaire frigate. Captain John C.
Woolcombe, i'^ov. 3d, 1813; and subsequently commanded
the Snap surveying vessel, on the Newfoundland station.
In 1824, he accompanied Captain Lyon from England to the
coast of Labrador *. He was advanced to his present rank
on the 26th Aug. 1829 ; and has been borne on the books of
the William and Mary yacht, at Woolwich, ever since the
30th Oct. in that year.

Commander Bullock is well known as a scientific officer in
the hydrographical department of the service.

HENRY BOLTON, Esq.

Was wounded while serving as midshipman under Cap-
tain (now the Hon. Sir John) Talbot, in the Victorious 74,
at the capture of the French line-of-battle ship Rivoli, Feb.

22d, 1812t.

This officer passed his examination in April 1815, and
was made lieutenant into the Blossom 24, Captain Frederick
Hickey, on the South American station, July 14th, 1818.
He obtained his present rank on the 26th Aug. 1820; and
was appointed inspecting commander of the coast guard, at
Donaghadee, Ireland, Mar. 20th, 1832.

* See Vol. III. Parti, p. HO.
t See Vol. I. Part II. p. 745, ^/«ry.

■J I

336

COMMANDICRS.

WILLIAM CLEMENT SWINFEN, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in Jan. 1816 ; obtained his first
commission on the 29th April^ 1825 ; and was advanced to
his present rank^ Aug. 26th^ 1829.

RUSSELL ELIOTT, Esq.

Entkrkd the royal navy in Nov. 1815 ; obtained bis first
commission in Jan. 1825 ; and was made a commander on
the 6th Sept. 1829.

JAMES PULLING, Esq.

Passed his examination at Portsmouth, in April 1810;
obtained his first commission on the 23d Feb. 1815; and
was subsequently employed in the suppression of smuggling
on the coast of Hampshire. The following account of a
trial which took place at Winchester, in July 1825, is taken
from the Hampshire Telegraph :

" James Pulling and William Young, the former a lieutenant in the
navy, the latter a seaman employed in the preventive service, were
charged mth having, at the parish of Milton, >vilfiilly murdered James
Reade.

" John Goddard, of Christchurch, surgeon, deposed that on the
morning of the 4th June last, he was called to attend on the deceased,
who he found had been shot in the belly, just above the navel : deceased
was in great pain, and witness extracted a leaden ball from the right
buttock, soon after which he died of the wound. During his illness,
deceased told witness, on inquiries from him, that it was a person by
the name of Evans, on tlie preventive service, who had shot him, and
that at the time they were about four or five yards apart : that he was
positive of the man, but he did not think the aim was taken at him (de-
ceased) in particular ; that no goods were landed at the time ; that there
was an assembly of about sixty persons ; that he was paid for going out
at nights, and was owed thirty shillings for seven nights ; that on being
shot he fell senseless, and on coming to himself, crawled away from the
spot on his hands and knees. — Timothy Dawkins had often worked at
Hurst Castle, and Imows the prisoners, About eleven o'clock in the

COMMANDKRS. 33/

night of the 3d June last, witness was iit Milton, and heard the report of
pistols, which seemed to come from a place called Lobb's Hole. He
hastened that wsiy, the firing' still continuing, and met a number of per-
sons coming away from shore. Witness turned back with them, and
they had not proceeded far when Lieutenant Pulling, with two more
persons, ran up to them, crying out, ' What are you up to here ?' Some
one replied, * We are not up to much.' He then stopped and con-
versed with his men, while his (witness's) party walked on. He soon,
however, ran after them, and seized on a man, who was struggling, when
Pulling demanded, * Are you ready, for we are.' No one made reply
to this, and the prisoner stepped buck and fired a pistol at the man. A
number of persons were round him at the time. Prisoner then com-
manded his men to fire, and some one immediately did so. Witness saw
the prisoner. Young, there. Williams, one of PuUing's men, chopped
with his cutlass at a person who was endeavouring to assist the man who
was shot. — ^William Gibbs was present on the night in question. He
was going home when a party of men came shouting after him, and they
all proceeded together, lliree persons came up to them (as described
by last witness), and one of them canght hold of James Reade, saying
' I'll have you for the first,' and directly after, shot him. The person
who shot Reade commanded the others to load and fire. Witness was
certain that the prisoner Young was one of the three, and he believed
Lieutenant Pulling was the man who shot Reade, but he could not posi-
tively swear to him. Several other witnesses corroborated the above
testimony, but would not positively swear that Lieutenant Pulling was
the man who shot, although, before the coroner. Fuller had sworn that
he was. The evidence for the Crown having been gone through. Lieu-
tenant Pulling read his defence, stating, that being on duty on the night
in question, they met a party of smugglers, who used the most abusive
and menacing language, and challenged them to put down their arms
and fight like men : they declined to do this, there being about sixty
against three or four ; but asserted they would not use their fire-arms
except in their own defence. Prisoner then observed some of them get-
ting out something from under their frocks, and fearing danger, fired
his pistol. The whole band then rushed on Lieutenant Pulling's party,
and but for the timely assistance of one of his men, he himself must have
been slain by a blow which was aimed at his head. On the smugglers
retiring, prisoner saw that a man was wounded, and ordered his men to
render assistance. His men said the wound was not much, at which pri-
soner exclaimed, ' Thank God.' Tliis was all that passed, nor did pri-
soner hear more of the matter till his apprehension. — Young, the other
prisoner, said nothing in his defence, but bore testimony to the truth of
Mr. Pulling's statement. A great number of witnesses, on behalf of the
prisoners, proved this narration to be correct, and the most respectable
and unqualified evidence was adduced as to Lieutenant Pulling's previous
VOL, IV. PART II. Z

I"

^^^ COMMANDlillS.

excellent ehanictor, as un olliccr and as a iiuui. He \v;vs represented In
I'onvincinjf terms as of firm ujorul principles, and a truly humane dispo-
i^ition. — The Judy:e tlien sumineil up with the utmost minuteness, and
the Jur)', after a few miniites deliheration, dnrinjf whieh the most intense
anxiety prevailed throujfhout the Court, returned a verdiet aj^ainst Lieu-
tenant Piillinjr— r;«///// of Mtinsliniiilitrr ; and aocjuitted Younp, who was
dischar^'ed. A (piestion of law arisinjf in arrest of judjyment, his Lordship
suspended senteiu'c to some future opportunity, and in the interim di-
rected that Lieutenant Pullinj^ should be adiritted to bail, which wa»
immediately put in, and he was liberated accordingly."

Til is trial was followed by that of a smuggler named James
Pilman, charged with having, in the night of June 3d, 1825,
with other persons, obstructed Lieutenant Pulling and his
men in the execution of their duty. The desperado was
sentenced to six months' imprisonment and hard labour in
the House of Correction.

Lieutenant Pulling was promoted to his present rank on
the 8tli Sept. 1 829 ; and appointed an inspecting commander
of the coast guard in Oct. 1831.

HENRY EDWARD COFFIN, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in July 1814; and commander on
the 19th Sept. 1829. He married Nov. 10th in the latter
year, Charlotte, youngest daughter of the late William Curry,
Esq., of Southampton.

M

THOMAS NETHERTON LANGFORD, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Nov. 1826, and commander on
the 19th Sept. 1829. . .. . ..

ROBERT INGRAM, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Sept. 1806, and commander on
the 28th Oct. 1829. He married, Sept. 7th, 1806, Miss
Wilniot, of Oyster Street, Portsmouth.

.i/j 'ji.

COMMANDERS.

;}39

ROBERT JAMES ELLIOT, Esq.

Wa8 made a lieutenant in Aug. 1808 ; and commander on
the 27th Aug. 1814.

EDWARD HANDFIELD, Esq.

Only son of the late Colonel Charles Handfield, of Her-
mitage, near Lucan, Duhlin, twenty-four years commissary-
general of Ireland, whose father, Lieut -Colonel John Hand-
field, commanded the 40th regiment of foot at the siege of
Louisbourg, in 1/58.

This officer passed his examinR.tiDn, a\ Pclr^noulh, hi Mar.
1811 J obtained his first commissioi'. in Aiif,;. f« uowing;
served as lieutenant under Captains Clot vorthy Upton and
tlie Hon. Fleetwood B. R Pellew, m the ixnion ;,.ad Revo-
lutionnaire frigates, on the Halifax und iVl ed'.terranean ,« lo-
tions; and was promoted to the ccjmuiaiul of tue Jaacur
sloop, in South America, Aug. 2d, IS9.Q, Jle is no-s^ Inspeo*;-
ing commander of the coast guard, at Dundalk, in hiAaii.l.

SAMPSON JERVOLS, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in Nov. 1801 ; .iiuj. served until
June 1804, under Captain (afterwards ReMi'-Adniiral) the
Hon. Francis F. Gard .er, in the Princess Charlotte 38, Kiiby
64, and Gelykhied 68, on the Irish and N'lrth Sea sLationy.
The former ship bore the flag of the first Lord Gi rdner, at
Cork, during the peace of Amiens, und ^vi s subsequently re-
commissioned by his son, with whom Mr. J ^'vois sjiied for
Jamaica in Sept. 1 804. V/hilst on that station, he assisted
at the capture of numerous ^dluable Spanish merchant ves-
sels and a French privatctr brig, le Regulus, of fourteen
guns and eighiy four lat-n.

The Princess Charlotte was next ordered to the Leeward
Islands, where, Captain Gardner having invalided, Mr. Jer-

z 2

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Mry^-'

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li

•!-

^^^m:^

V

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i i '.

'MO

COMMANDEK?.

vols joined the Humillies 74, Captain (afterwards Vice-Ad-
miral) Francis Pickmore, in which ship he returned home
towards the end of 1805.

The Ramillies formed part of the squadron under Sir John
B. Warren, at the capture of the French 80-gun ship Ma-
ren£,o and frigate Belle Foule, the former bearing the flag of
Rea» Admiral Linois, Mar. 13th, 1806*. She afterwards
escorted a hirge fleet of merchantmen to the West Indies,
and, in Dec. 1 807, was present at the surrender of the Danish
islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix f.

In April, 1808, Mr. Jervois was received on board the
Belleisle 74, flag-ship of the Hon. Sir Alexander I. Coch-
rane ; in June following, we find him appointed acting lieu-
tenant of the Demerara sloop. Captain Henry Bourchierj
and shortly afterwards removed to the Asp 1 8, Captain Ro-
bert F. Preston. He witnessed the capture of la Junon
French frigate, after a severe action with the Horatio 38,
Feb. 10th, 1809 :J: ; and commanded the boats of the Asp
during the successful operations against Guadaloupe in Jan.
and Feb. 1810 §. His appointment to that vessel was not
confirmed by the Admiralty until Dec. 24th, 1809.

Lieutenant Jervois retiirned home in June, 1810; and
served under Captains Spelman Swaine, in the Talbot 20,
principally employed on the Irish station, from the beginning
of 1812 until Nov. 1813. His subsequent appointments
were, — Nov. 15th, 1813, to the Majrtial sloop. Captain
George Elliot ; — in June, 1816, to be first of the^Perseus 22,
Captain Thomas Richard Toker, fitting out for the New-
foundland station J — in Feb 1817, to be senior lieutenant of
the Sir Francis Drake 38, flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Pick-
more, governor and commander-in-chief of that colony ; — in
Nov. 1818, to the Dauntless 26, Captain the Hon. Valentine
Gardner, fitting out for the East India station— in Dec. 1823^

• See Vol. I. Part II. p. 436, et seq.

t See Vol. I. Part I. p. 263, et seq.

X See Vol. II. Part I. p. 147, et seq.

§ See Vol. I. Part I. p. 265.

COMMANDERii. 341

only three moiithis after his return home, to the Brisk 10,
Captain (now Lord Adolphus) Fitz Clarence ; and— in Mar.
1824, to the Redwing 18, commanded by the same officer, in
which latter sloop he remained, on the North Sea station,
until paid off, at Chatham, in 1825.

Lieutenant Jervois attended the public funeral of his old
friend and patron, Vice-Admiral Pickmore, at St. John's,
Newfoundland, Mar. 3d, 1818. In the Dauntless, of which
ship he was first lieutenant for nearly five years, he visited
Madras, Ceylon, Manilla, Singapore, China, New South
Wales, New Zealand, the various ports of Chili and Peru, the
Marquesas Islands, Otaheite, and the Society Islands ; re-
turned through Torres Straits to Calcutta; and touched at the
Isle of France, the Cape of Good Hope, and St. Helena. His
promotion to the rank of commander took place on the 27th
April, 1827.

:— m

ALFRED LUCKRAFT, Esq.

Kmght of the French Legion of Honour,

Wk first find this officer serving as midshipman on board
the Mars 74, Captain George Duff, at the battle of Trafalgar,
on which memorable occasion he was wounded. He was
afterwards sub-lieutenant of the Steady gun-brig, and pro-
moted from that vessel into the Hyacinth sloop, Sept. 3d,
1810. During the latter part of the war with France, he
served under the flag of Hear- Admiral John Ferrier, in the
Scarborough 74, on the North Sea station ; and subsequently
under Captains John Parish and Thomas Warrand, in the
Foxhound sloop.

In Jan. 1828, Lieui-enant Luckraft was appointed first of
the Blonde frigate. Captain Edmund Lyons, under whom he
greatly distinguished himself at the reduction of the " Chc^-
teau dc Mor^e," in Oct. 1828, as will be seen by the follow-
ing extracts and copies of official letters relative to that ser-
vice :—

" H. M. S. Blonde, off Patras, Oct. I'th, 1828.

" Sir, — Captain Spencer's letter, by the Echo, will have informed you
of the capitulation of Patras. I have now the honor of sending you the

.

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342

COMMANDERS.

terms ; in defiance of wliich five agas, with i'ruin 1200 to 1600 troops,
have thrown themselves into the Morea Castle, and refuse to surrender,
unless a written order to do so be produced from Ibrahim Pacha of
Egypt, or Ibrahim Pacha of Lepanto.

" Under these circumstances. General Schneider has resolved on com-
mencing- offensive operations aga'nst the castle, and intends, on the night
of the 19th instant, to open his batteries near the walls, hoping that this
operation, accompanied by a demonstration on the part of the allied
naval forces here, may induce the agas to surrender. If this should fail,
the General will prepare for battering in breach. •****»*
I have promised to approach the fort on the 19th instant, as near as the
wind and other circumstances will admit, under the hope that the dread
of a naval attack may have the same eflFect that it undoubtedly had in the
surrender of Patras. ♦»••»* l have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " Edmund Lyons, Captain."

" To rice-admiral Sir Piilteney Malcolm, K. C. B., ^c. Sfc. Sfc"

"H. M. S. Blonde, 30th Oct. 1828.

" Sir, — In obeying your orders to act in concert with the senior officer
of His IMost Christian Majesty's ships, I have had the good fortune of find-
ing myself associated with those distinguished officers. Captains Mauduit
Duplessis, of la Ditchesse de Berri ; Hugon, of VArmide ; and Ville-
neuve, of la Didon ; and in detailing the proceedings of the Blonde, I
at the same time describe those of the French frigates : for I assure you^
that throughout an arduous service of twelve days and nights, in very
unfavourable weather, the most perfect concert and hearty co-operation
have been invariably manifested.

" On the 18th inst.. General Schneider expressed a wish that four
18-pounders should be landed from each ship ; and in less than four
hours they were on shore, with all their appointments } the difficulties
occasioned by the surf on the beach being overcome by the fine spirit
which animated all — French and English being in the water, mutually
assisting each other. In this operation, the zeal and intelligence of
Lieutenant Thomas Saumarez Brock, were very conspicuous.

" On the 20th, Lieutenants Alfred Luckraft and Sidney Colpoys
Dacres ; Messrs. Mockler, Hay, Blair, and Austen, mates ; and Messrs.
De Sausmarez, Kennedy, Hawkins, and Dor, midshipmen ; landed with
a party uf sciimen and comm<;nccd making the batteries, under the direc-
tion of the French officers of engineers tuid artillery.

" At nine o'clock on the 22d, the Marine battery opened its fire on
Morea Castle, and in a fen- hours silenced the guns opposed to it ; but
as the army advanced in their approaches to the breaching batteries, the
castle opened fresh guns, which rendered it necessary for the Rlarine
battery to fire at intervals, for eight days and nights.

" Lttst evcnuig, the guns of the frigates, with two 24-pounder6 which

COMMANDiiKS.

343

Admiral De Rigny hiiuled from the Cuuqiiei-aat ou his arrival, uud such
of the battering train Oij the weather enabled us to disembark, were
fairly established in the two ^-reaching batteries, named by Lieut. -Gen.
Maison, Charles X. and George IV., the French and English guns being
promiscuously placed in each ; and at day-light this morning, together
with the mortar battery and the iEtna bomb, opened such a tremendous
fire on the castle as to produce, in four hours, an unconditional sur-
render.

" I am sure you will be glad tv) ( nd, that the zeal and professional
talent exhibited by Captain Stephcu Lushington, his officers, and ship's
company, have excited the admiration of all. The ^Etna was worked
up in the night, under reefed courses and close-reefed topsails, an-
chored, and sprung with such precision, within eight hundred yards of
the castle, as to enable that intelligent officer. Lieutenant George Logan,
of the royal marine artillery, to throw 102 shells into the castle, only the
first four going too far. Captain Lushington assures me that he received
the most valuable assistance from Lieutenant Baldwin Wake Walker.

" I am persuaded. Sir, that in youi- well-known wish to appreciate
and encourage merit, I shall find an excuse for dwelling so much on the
conduct of my officers and ship's company ; and really. Sir, when I re-
flect on the peculiar situation in \vhich they have been placed, and know
that their gallantry in the batteries, their excellent discipline in their
tents, (which were in the centre of the French army,) are highly extolled
by the Fren-'h officers, I feel it to be but fair that it should l)e reported
to their admiral.

" Any thing I could say in praise of Lieutenants Luckraft and Dacres
would fall far short of the universal feeling in the French army in their
favor ; but, perhaps, I may be permitted to say, that the former has been
nearly twenty years * a lieutenant. All the mates are highly descr\ iug,
and have passed many years.

" My duties having frequently called me from the ship, the command
devolved on the second lieutenant, the Hon. Edward Roper Curzon,
whose conduct fully justified all I had expected from an officer of first-
rate professional talent.

" The French had many casualties in the batteries, but I am happy to
add we have only one man severely wounded. I have the honor to be,
&c. (Signed) " Edmund Lyons, Captain."

" To Sir PuKenei/ Mulcolin, A'. C. D., Sfc. i>fc. ^r."

i;:i;

•• //. M. S. Asia, offPoros, 2Gth Nov. 1828.
" Sir, — In acknowlcdgiiiLi," the receipt of your letter of tlie .'JOth ult.,
detailing your [jroceedings, in conjunction with the French naval force

which

* Upwardb of eighteen years.

H

^l

344

COMMANDERS.

and a division of the French army, against the Morea Castle at Patras, I
have satisfaction in assuiing you of my entire approbation of the manner
in ^vllic•h you liave conducted the service there, and of the exertions and
good conduct of the officers and ship's company of the Blonde. I have
not failed to make known the same to the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty, and to recommend, in particular, to their Lordships* favora-
ble notice, the merits of Lieutenant Luckraft. I have much pleasure in
sending for your perusal a copy of a letter which Vice-Admiral De Rigny
has addressed to me on the occasion, expressive of his admiration of the
services of the Blonde and ^Etna, and of the cordiality of feeling mani-
fested bet^veen the forces of the two nations. I am, &c.

(Signed) " Pulteney MALroLM, Vice-Admiral."

" To Captain Lyons, H. M. S. Blonder

Copies of the letters from Sir Pulteney Malcolm to the
Admiralty, and from Mons. de Rigny to the British Vice-
Admiral, are given in Vol. III. Part II., p. 88, et seq. On
the 31st Oct. 1828, the Marquis Maison, commander-in-chief
of the French army in the Morea, wrote to the minister-of-
war as follows : —

" Tlie deliveiy of arms, among which were some very beautiful sabres
jind yatsigans, was severely felt by the Turks ; but I wished to punish
them for their resistance to the capitulation of Patras, and I was there-
fore inflexible. I have distributed these arms among the general and su-
perior officers of the different corps, the artillery, and superior officers
of the French and English squadrons.

" The five batteries had received names. The first was called Charles
the Tenth ; the second George the Fourth. The other three were those
«)f tlie Dauphin, the Duke de Bordeaux, and the Marine. The English,
who served four cannon (the officers of the frigate Blonde and those of
the bomb-vessel ^Etna), were extremely pleased with the attention which
we had shewn them, and giving the name of their king to one of our bat-
teries. We owed them such a compliment for the zeal and frankness
which they have displayed on all occasions. I cannot too highly praise
Lieut. Luckraft. He is an old and worthy officer, who directed the bat-
tery during the whole siege with great ability."

The following are extracts of a private letter from an officer
of the Blonde : —

" Tliere were no sailors, either English or French, admitted into the
breaching batteries, except the Blonde's and Conquerant's. Ours was
the central battery, and the nearest to the castle. Lieutenant Luckraft
held the chief command, and next to him was Lieutenant Dacres. They
behaved with so much bravery, and so ably maintained the unshaken

COMMi^NDERS. 345

character of British seamen, as to merit the public approbation of the
French commander-in-chief. -♦*»♦♦ The exertions of Captain
Lyons have seldom been equalled, certainly not excelled, by any British
officer ; he was almost constantly in the trenches, and exposed to a tre-
mendous fire of great guns and musketry. Lieutenants Luckraft and
Dacres were twelve days and nights in the trenches ; the three last of
which they worked their battering guns with such effect as to expend
upwards of 1000 eighteen-pound shot, and 6000 lbs. weight of powder:
never were four guns worked with greater dexterity than those of the
Blonde's, which were placed on George the Fourth's battery. » * « •
Vice-Admiral De Rigny ought to have commanded the naval part of the
expedition, but this he waived in favor of Captain Lyons."

The insignia of the French Legion of Honor was imme-
diately afterwards conferred upon Lieutenant Luckraft ; but
his promotion to the rank of commander did not take place
until Oct. 28th, 1829, previous to which the Blonde had con-
veyed the British ambassador from Tenedos to Con-
stantinople.

This officer's subsequent appointments were, Nov. 30th,
1829, to the command of the Cameleon sloop, which vessel
he paid off on the 22d Mar. 1830 ; and June 20th, ia3I, to
the Revenge 7^j in which ship he served under Captains
James Hillyar and Donald Hugh Mackay, principally on the
Lisbon station, until put out of commiK")ion, Mar. 13th,
1834.

m H

ARTHUR JAMES DOUGLAS, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in Feb. 1816 ; obtained his first
commission in Feb. 1825 ; and was advanced to his present
rank on the 20th Nov. 1829.

JOHN COGHLAN FITZGERALD, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in Oct. 1812; obtained his first
commission in April, 1325, and was advanced to his pre-
sent rank on the 27th Nov. 1829. In April, 1831, being
then in command of the Alert sloop, and on his way to San

W 'i

"f'

■ill

■

• 11

I

44

346 COMMAS DKUt?.

Bias from Callao, he met with an ishind not laid down in the
charts, lut. 18° 24' N., long. 1 14" 33' W.

ROBERT RUSSELL, Esq.

Is, we believe, related to the Marchioness of Cleveland.

This officer passed his examination on the 8th April, 1826,
being then upwards of twenty years of age ; obtained his first
commission on the 30th April, 182/; served as lieutenant
under Captain (now Sir Thomas) Fellowes, in tlie Dartmouth
frigate, at the battle of Navarin ; and was promoted to the com-
mand of theWolf sloop, on the Mediterranean station, Dec. 2d,
1829. He joined that vessel, from the Dartmouth, Feb. 12th,
1830 ; and was dismissed the service for getting her ashore at
the back of the Isle of Wight, on the night of March 10th fol-
lowing. His trial by court-martial took place at Portsmouth,
and his judges agreed that the Wolf " was run on shore by
the inattention and neglect of her commander, and of Mr.
Richard Hodges, her master, by not making a proper allow-
ance for the flood tide, and by disobeying the standing orders
stated in the general printed instructions, at page 87, — that
on all occasions when a ship is in pilot water, or in the
neighbourhood of land, of rocks, and of shoals, the captain
or commander is to take particular care that the lead is
kept constantly going, whether the pilot or master think it
necessary or not; and at page 107j — that the master is to be
always attentive to the manner in which she is conducted,
and to see the lead carefully hove. In addition to the dis-
missal of Commander Russell, Mr. Hodges was sentenced to
be severely reprimanded, and placed at the bottom of the list
of masters.

The subject of this sketch was restored to his former rank
about Nov. 1830; and appointed to the Victor sloop, lying in
the River Douro, destined to the West Indies, Dec. 27th,
1831. He subsequently captured a Spanish vessel from
Africa, bound to Cuba, having on board 526 slaves. He re-
turned home, via Halifax and Newfoundland, Sept. 23d,
1834.

COMMANDERS.

347

JAMES RICHARD BOOTH, Esq.

Son of an old purser in the royal navy.

This officer entered the service in 1805; passed his exa-
mination at Portsmouth, in Nov. 1811 ; and was made lieu-
tenant into the Gorgon 44, armed en fiiite, Commander R. B.
Bowden, Dec. 30th, 1813. He subsequently served under
Captains John Parish and Thomas Warrand, in the Fox-
hound sloop. We afterwards find him successively appointed
to the Kite, Favorite, and Drake sloops, the latter employed
on the Newfoundland station. He obtained his present
rank on the 8th Dec. 1829 ; and is now commander of the
Trinculo sloop, on the African station. His appointment to
that vessel took place in April, 1832, at which period she
was fitting out for a special service.

JAMES BURNEY, Esq.

A SON of the late Dr. Burney, of Gosport, co. Hants, who
had the credit of having educated more naval and military
officers, during the wars occasioned by the French revolu-
tion, than any other teacher in the kingdom.

This officer was made a lieutenant by the Board of Admi-
ralty, on their visit to Portsmouth, in company with the
allied monarchs, in the summer of 1814 ; appointed to the
preventive service in the island of Sheppy, in Dec. 1821 ;
advanced to the rank of commander on the 24th Dec. 1829;
appointed to the Wasp sloop, July 19th, 1833 ; and removed
to the Arachne sloop, on the West India station, in the
month of December following. He married, Jan. 24th,
1822, at Weymouth, Mary, only daughter of P. L, Burnett,
Esq.

JAMES ELPHINSTONE ERSKINE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in the beginning of Jan. 1826 j
and commander on the 24th Dec. 1829.

4^

348

COMMANDKRS*

JOSEPH SHERER, Esq.

We first find serving under Captain George Francis Lyou,
in the Hecla discovery ship, on a voyage to the Arctic regions,
in 1821, 2, and 3*. He was made a lieutenant during his
absence from England, by commission dated Dec. 26th,
1822; and advanced to his present rank, Dec. 30th, 1829,
for his activity while commanding the Monkey schooner, on
the West India station, where, within eight months, he cap-
tured three large vessels, bound to Cuba, having on board
743 slaves.

The Monkey was a vessel of only 75 tons, mounting one
long 12-pounder on a pivot, with a complement of twenty-
six men. One of her prizes was the brig Midas, belonging
to Havannah, of 360 tons, mounting four long 18-pounders,
and four medium 12-povmders, with a crew of fifty-seven
men: she was heavier rigged than a British 10-gun brig; the
boom of her fore-and-aft mainsail was as long as the Monkey
altogether. The following account of her capture was trans-
mitted to us in 1 829 : —

" On the 27tli June, about 9 A. m., on rounding the Beminis from the
southward. Lieutenant Sherer discovered a brig at anchor on the bank,
distant about six or seven miles, with her top-sail yards at the mast heads,
and other suspicious appearances. On seeing the Monkey approach, she
weighed and stood off and on under easy sail, apparently undecided how
to act. Wlien the schooner got within about three miles of her, she
again anchored, with a spring on her cable, keeping her top-sails set,
Avith the yards slung and sheets stoppered. There being but little wind,
a consid8ra1)le time elapsed before the Monkey got within point-blank
range, when the brig let fly an ill-directed broadside, which was not re-
turned until the schooner got near enough to make eveiy shot tell. At
the expiration of half an hour, part of the slaver's crew hailed to say they
had struck, whilst the remainder kept up a fire of musketry from the
forecastle. Three or four more discharges of grape and canister settled
the business, and all resistance ceased. She proved to be from the river
Bonny, with four hundred slaves on board, of whom two hundred and
fifty-one perished within nine weeks after her capture. On her passage
from the African coast, one hundred and fifty-seven of her original cargo

* See Suppl. Part IV. pp. 353—361 ; and Vol. III. Part I. p. 108.

COMMANDERS.

349

had (lied of small-pox. The Midas had one of her crew killed, and three
wounded ; the Monkey not a man hurt ; but she, as well as her antajfo-
nist, suffered greatly in the hull and rigging. Three English sailors, for-
merly belonging to a Liverpool vessel wrecked on the above coast, were
found in arms on board the slaver, sent home, tried for piracy at the Old
Bailey, and condemned to death, but had their sentences commuted to
transportation for life."

Commander Sherer was appointed to the coast guard ser-
vice at Lymington, Feb. 2(3th, 1831 ; and removed to the
Weymouth district in Oct. 1832.

, she
how
she
set,
wind,
blank
ot re-
At
they
, the
ettled
river
d and
assage
cargo

08.

JOHN HARVEY BOTELER, Esq.

A SON of the late William Boteler, Esq. F. S. A., of
Eastry, co. Kent, by his second wife, Mary, daughter of Cap-
tain John Harvey, who commanded the Brunswick 74, and
was mortally wounded in Earl Howe's action, June 1st,
1794*.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 19th Sept. 1815 j
and subsequently served under his uncle-in-law, the present
Sir Thomas Harvey, K. C. B., and Captain (now Kear-Ad-
miral) T. J. Maling, in the Northumberland 78, stationed as
a guard-ship in the River Medway. His next appointment
was, Dec. 3d, 1 822, to the Ringdove sloop. Captain George
F. Rich, fitting out for the West India station. He obtained
the rank of commander on the 14th Jan. 1830; and married,
Aug. 15th, 1832, Helen Agnes, fifth daughter of the late
James West, Esq., of Bryanstone Square, London.

1 :

PATRICK JOHN BLAKE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 19th July, 1823, and com-
mander Jan. 15th, 1830.

* See pp. ^O— 43.

ji'"

350

COMMANDERS.

JOHN REEVE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 22d Feb. 1808 ; and subse-
quently served, for about three years, in the Prometheus
sloop, under Captains Hercules Robinson and William B.
Dashwood, on the Jamaica and Channel stations. We next
find him in the flag-ship of Sir Edward Thornbrough, com-
mander-in-chief at Portsmouth.

On the 7th Nov. 1818, after displaying great activity in
favor of Captain Sir Murray Maxwell, at the recent West-
minster election. Lieutenant Reeve was appointed to the
command of the Starling cutter, which vessel he paid off, and
re-commissioned, Oct. 14th, 1820. He afterwards served
under Sir Murray Maxwell .and Captain Benjamin Clement,
in the Briton and Shannon frigates, on the South American
and West India stations. His promotion to the rank of
commander took place on the 2d Feb. 1830.

This officer married, Sept. 8th, 1818, Miss Emma Caplin,
of Charlton, co. Sussex.

'I
'I

u

p

:U

EDMUND YONGE, Esq.

Passed his examination at Plymouth, in Sept. 1814 ; ob-
tained his first commission on the 6th Mar. 1815; was ad-
vanced to his present rank Feb. 10th, 1830 ; and appointed
to the Melville 74, flag-ship of Sir John Gore, on the East
India station, Nov. 16th, 1830.

EDWARD IGGULDEN PARREY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Liverpool 50, Captain
(now Sir Francis A.) Collier, on the East India station, Nov.
28th, 1820; and appointed to the Primrose sloop. Com-
mander T. S. Griffinhoofe, fitting out for the African station,
Aug. 9th, 1827. The following is taken from the " Hamp-
shire Telegraph :"

" Letters from Sierra Leone, dated Mar. 2d, 1829, state that his Ma-

t

COMMANDERS.

351

jesty's bliip Primrose was then ly'mjf there, waiting the event of the trinl
of a sfuUiot (formerly the yacht of Alderman Sir William (..'urtis), whieh h
pinnace under the command of Lieut. Parrey, first of the Primrose, had
captured in the River ("aciiao, with thirty-eif,'ht slaves on l)oard. This
active otlicer had, on the previous day to the capture of the ;^alliot, taken
a I'ortujifuese vessel of four fjuns an<l forty men, with two hundred and
twenty-five slaves, l>y Itoarding'. This vessel was formerly the Saucy
Jack, American privateer. liieut. Parrey proceeded up the River Noo-
naz, where he found two schooners, one French and one Spanish, (juitg
ready for slaves. He also fotuid there an 1ilni>-lish hug, the Lochiel, of
Liverpool, and what is remarkable, without a livinjj soul on lioard, the
captain, mate, and all her crew having been discovered below dead. He
consequently, with much praiseworthy exertions, brought her down the
river, which is a dangerous one, and witliont a pilot, to the Primrose,
which ship carried her to Sierra Leone, where her agent had allotted
to the Primrose a salvage of 190/."

Lieutenant Parrey was advanced to the rank of commander
Feb. 10th, 1830.

FRANCIS VERE COTrON, Esq.

Is, we believe, a nephew to General Viscount Conibermere,
G. C. B., &c. 8ic., formerly Sir Stapleton Cotton. He was
made a lieutenant on the 1st Jan. 1821 ; advanced to his
present rank, Feb. 12th, 1830; and appointed to the Race-
horse sloop, on the West India station, Jan. 3 1st, 1832.

PAUL PIERCY BAGWELL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in July, 1812; and commander on
the 15th Feb. 1830.

)tam
iNov.

"om-
ktion,
jamp-

|19

Ma-

RICHARD SHEPHEARD TRISCOTT, Esq.

Appears to have been afoUower of the late Admiral Vis-
count Exmouth, under whose flag he served as midshipman
on board the Caledonia and Queen Charlotte, first rates, at
the blockade of Toulon and battle of Algiers. His first com-
mission bears date Sept. 5th, 1816. He was appointed to

I

\

il

1

1'

353

COMMANDERS.

the Sapphire 26, Captain Henry Hart, fitting out for the
West India station, Aug. 26th, 1818; and we subsequently
find him senior lieutenant of the Alacrity sloop, Captain G.
J. Hope Johnstone, employed in the Mediterranean.

On the 9th April 1826, and following day, the boats of the
Alacrity, commanded by Lieutenant Triscott, made two very
gallant attacks on, and succeeded in destroying, three Greek
piratical vessels, near the island of Ipsara. Lieutenant Tris-
cott and three seamen were severely wounded on this occa-
sion; and Lieutenant John Wheatley, second of the Alacrity,
very dangerously burnt. Forty of the Greeks were killed,
and seventy taken prisoners in a tower which protected the
vessels.

This officer was advanced to his present rank on the 22d
Feb. 1830; and appointed an inspecting commander of the
coast guard in June, 1832. He married, in April, 1833,
Eliza Jope, youngest daughter of R. J. Kinsman, Esq., of Fal-
mouth, CO. Cornwall.

If: :

ORLANDO GEORGE SUTTON GUNNING, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Morgiana sloop. Captain
William Finlaison, on the African station, Sept. 25th, 1821 ;
and promoted to the command of the Infernal bomb, Feb.
26th, 1830. He returned home in that vessel, from the Me-
diterranean, May 27th, 1830; and was paid off, at Chatham,
on the 11th June following.

WILLIAM HARWELL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Mar. 1822; and commander on
the 26th Feb. 1830. :

GEORGE FULLER STOW, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 23d April, 1822 ; and pro-
moted to the command of the Badger sloop, employed as a

COMMANDKRS. 953

mooring- vessel at Mauritius, Feb. 2Gth, 1830. The Badger
was converted into a receiving hulk, and Commander Stow
placed ou half- pay, in 1833.

JOHN POWNEY, Esq.

Youngest son of the late Pennyston Portlock Powney,
Esq., of Ives Place, Maidenhead, Berks, Lieutenant-Colonel
of the Berkshire militia, Custos Rotulorum of that county,
Ranger of the Little Park, Windsor, and many years repre-
sentative in parliament of the borough of New Windsor ; who
died in 1794, universally regretted.

This officer entered the royal navy in 1800, at a very early
age, and served, during the latter part of the French revo-
lutionary war, as midshipman on board the Cambrian frigate,
successively commanded by Captains the Hon. Arthur Kayc
Legge and George H. Towry, on the Channel station.
During the peace of Amiens, we find him serving under Cap-
tain (now Sir Edward W. C. R.) Owen and the present Rear-
Admiral Vansittart, in the Nemesis and Magicienne frigates ;
the latter employed in conveying a number of disbanded
Dutch troops from Lymington and Jersey to the Texel and
Helvoetsluys. After the renewal of hostilities with France,
he followed Captain Vansittart into the Fortun^e 38, on the
North Sea station ; and subsequently joined the Phaeton 38,
Captain (now the Right Hon. Sir George) Cockburn, with
whom he sailed for North America and the East Indies,
Sept. 25th, 1803.

The Phaeton, with one of the Hon. E. I. Company's ships
under her convoy, left Chesapeake Bay on the 28th Jan.
1804, and arrived in Madras Roads May 26th. She was next
employed in the blockade of the Mauritius and Isle Bourbon,
during which service Mr. Powney repeatedly distinguished
himself in boat expeditions, particularly at the capture and
destruction of a ship which had run ashore, for protection,
under a fort situated on Point CannoniSre. He returned
home Jan. 7th, 1806, in the Howe 38, into which ship Cap-

VOL. IV, PART II. 2 a

354

COMMANDERS.

i

tain Cockburii had exchanged, on the 5th June preceding,
for the purpose of bringing to England, from Bengal, the
Marquis Wellesley (late governor-general) and suite.

The Howe was paid off in Feb. 1806 ; between which pe-
riod and Sept. following, Mr. Powney served under Commo-
dore Owen and Captain J. W. Loring, in the Clyde and
Niobe frigates. On the 13th of the latter month, he was
made lieutenant into the Bergere sloop. Shortly after join-
ing that vessel, which was successively commanded by Cap-
tains the Hon. Granville Proby, Thomas Whinyates, and
James Boxer, he gave great offence to the papists of Malta, by
an act of indiscretion committed during a religious proces-
sion, and in consequence of their complaint he was tried by
a court-martial, and sentenced to be placed at the bottom of
the list of lieutenants. May 8th, 1808. But for this unfor-
tunate occurrence, he would now, in all probability, have
been an old captain.

Mr. Powmey's next appointment was to the Zenobia 18,
Captain Alexander Richard Mackenzie, on the North Sea
station, where he served for a considerable period. In that
vessel he was present at the siege and capture of Flushing,
and bore a part in all the subsequent operations of the VVal-
cheren expedition. On the 19th May, 1813, he was ap-
pointed second lieutenant of the Endymion frigate, Captain
Henry Hope, fitting out for the North American station,
where he assisted at the capture of the Perry letter of marque,
Dec. 3d, in the same year; the Meteor schooner, of three
guns and thirty-one m^n, Feb. 7th, 1814 ; and the Mars priva-
teer of 15 guns and 70 men. Mar. 7th, following. The Meteor
was taken by the boats of the Endymion, off New York, and
Lieutenant Powney'e conduct on that occasion obtained him
honourable mention in the London Gazette,

The Endymion formed part of the squadrons under Rear-
Admiral Griffith (afterwards Sir Edward G. Colpoys) and
Captahi (now Rer.r- Admiral) Sir Thomas M. Hardy, in an
expedition to the Penobscot river, and at the capture of the
islands in Passamaquoddy Bay*. In the coui*8e of these

* See Vol. II. Part II. p. 729 j wid id. Part I. p. 166.

COMMANDERS.

355

leding,
;al, the

ch pc-
Dinmo-
^dc and
he was
er joiu-
jy Cap-
es, and
ialta, by
proces-
tried by
jttom of
is unfor-
ity, have

lobia 18,
orth Sea
In that
^lushing,
the VVal-
was ap-
Captiun
station,
marque,
of three
ars priva-
te Meteor
fork, and
Ined him

ler Rear*-
oys) and
dy, in an
re of the
of these

■5.

sfervices, Lieutenant Powney suffered so much from fatigue
and privations that he was unfortunately obliged to invalid,
a short time previous to the capture of the United States'
ship President, Jan. 15th, 1815*. He returned home first of
the Martin sloop, Captain (now Sir Humphrey F.) Senhouse.
On the escape of Napoleon Buonaparte from Elba to
France, in the spring of 1815, Lieutenant Powney was ap-
pointed to the Caledonia 120, destined to hoist the flag of
Sir John Gore ; but which ship was paid off immediately after
the battle of Waterloo. In September following, he received
an appointment to the Vengeur 74, Captaui Thomas Alex-
ander, stationed at Portsmouth ; the tender of which ship,
employed in the suppression of smuggling, he commanded
for two years. In 1818, he was appointed to the command
of the Camelion revenue cutter, in which vessel he cruised,
with considerable success, against illicit traders, in the Bri-
tish Channel, for a period of three years, occasionally attend-
ing upon our late monarch in his aquatic excursions.

In 1822, at the particular request of that admirable sea-
man, Captain John Hayes, C. B., Lieutenant Powney v i.s
appointed to command the Arrow, a cutter of his consti ac-
tion, of about 160 tons, mounting ten guns, embracing sta-
bility under canvas with little ballast, great buoyancy, better
stowage, and sv/ifter sailing qualities, than any niodel ever
before designed by known schools of naval architecture. In
this vessel, the construction and management of which re-
flected equal credit on Captain Hayes and Lieutenant Pow-
ney, when competing with many other cutters of greater
tonnage, the latter officer was employed, for nearly three
years, in protecting the oyster fisheries alK>ut Jersey, during
which period he succeeded in capturing many smugglers.

In 1825, Lieutenant P( wney was appointed to the Royal
George yacht, and he subsequently, while commanding her
tender, the Calliope, conveyed the Mexican charge d'affaires,
Senor Rocafuerte, with a treaty of commerce, from England
to New Spain, where he was presented by the govcrnnient of

U .;Sn'^|

See Suppl. Part I. p. 31 I, ct srq.
2 A 2

356

COMMANDERS.

that republic with a table iservice of plate. He brought home
from thence a freight of considerable value, April 12th, 1827.

In the spring of the same year, the Calliope having been
found unfit for further service, Lieutenant Powney was lent,
with the crew of the Royal George, to the Royal Sovereign
yacht. Captain Sir William Hoste, in which ship the late
Queen of VVirtemburg (Princess Royal of England) returned
to her native country, on a visit to her august relatives, after
an absence of twenty years. He subsequently had the honor
of accompanying his present Majesty, then Lord High Ad~
miral, and his royal consort, on several marine excursions,
at the termination of which he was presented by that illus-
trious i-ersonage with a commander's commission, dfi^ed
June 26th, 1827. His last appointment was, April 6th,
1831, to be inspecting commander of the coast guard at Aid-
borough, where he remained for the usual period of three
years.

This officer, than whom we know no one more zealously
devoted to his profession, married Elizabeth, daughter of the
late Captain Carleton, H. M. I6th foot, and niece to the late
Lord Carleton, Chief Justice of Ireland.

HENRY MEREDITH MOSTYN, Esq.

Served as midshipman onboard the Alceste frigate. Cap-
tain (afterwards Sir Murray) Maxwell, during Lord Am-
herst's embassy to China, in 1816, and was wrecked in that
ship, near the island of Pulo-Leat, Feb. 18th, 1817 *. He
was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1823; and advanced to his
present ra.ik on the 26th Feb. 1830.

Commander Mostyn married, in Nov. 1832, Susanna,
daughter of the late J. S. Townshend, Esq., of Trevallyn, co.
Denbigh.

* See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 805—816.

COMMANDERS.

367

HENRY RICHARD STURT, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in July, 1823j and commander on
the 27th May, 1830.

HENRY WILLIAM BISHOP, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the let Nov. 1806; and
served, during the latter part of the war with France, under
Captain (now Rear-Admiral) John Maitland, in the Barfleur
98, on the Mediterranean station. He was appointed to the
Royal Sovereign yacht. Captain Sir Edward Berry, July 28th,
1814 J to the Lacedemonian and Niger, frigates, commanded
by Captain Samuel Jackson, in 1815 * ; and to be senior lieu-
tenant of the Tribune 42, Captahi (now Sir Nisbet J.) Wil-
loughby, Oct. 19th, 181 9 f. We next find him commanding
the Manly sloop, on the Halifax station ; and sent, in July
1829, by Vice- Admiral Sir Charles Ogle, to look for and de-
termine the position of the Virgin Rocks, lying in the direct
track to Cape Race, Newfoundland, the point which vessels
bound to Quebec generally endeavour to make. He was ac-
companied on this service by Mr. Edward Rose, master in
the royal navy, commanding the Inspector tender.

That the situation of the Virgin Rocks should have re-
mained uncertain, and even that their existence should have
been doubted, to a very recent period, affords an instance of
one among the many difficulties with which hydrographers
have to contend in the construction of charts. Although re-
peatedly sought for, they were known only to a few fishermen,
who frequent the Banks of Newfoundland, until the en-
lightened views of Sir Charles Ogle, for the safety of our
North Auicrican traders, led to their complete discovery.
They are situated in hit. 46" 26' 15" N., long. 50' 66^ 35" W. j

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t Sec Suppl. Tart II. p. VJ4.

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^58

COMMANDERS.

and described as extending in an irregular chain, or cluster,
800 yards in the direction of N.E, b. E. and S. W. b. W.,
their breadth varying from 200 to 300 yards. Tliey were
distinctly seen under water, particularly a large white mass
of rock, in 4^ fathoms, having from 5 to 6| fathoms round
it. The shoal was traced in 7 fathoms, on detached rocks,
near the edge of it, having deeper water between them. On
the southern edge of the shoal, from S. E. to W., the depth
increases gradually to 30 fathoms, at the distance of half-a-
mile from the shoalest part. The same depth was found to
the N. W. and N. E. of the shoal, at the distance of one-
third of a mile, and also between N. E. and S. E. at the dis-
tance of one mile. In an easterly gale, which would he
attended with the whole swell of the Atlantic Ocean, no
vessel could pass over these rocks.

This officer's promotion to the rank of commander took
place on the 22d July, 1830.

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WILLlAiM SILVESTER ADDINGTON, Esq.

Obtainkd his first commission on the 12th Mar. 1807;
served as lieutenant under Captain (now Sir John) Harvey,
in the Leviathan 74 ; and was advanced to his present rank
on the 22d July, 1830.

HUGH GOOLD, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 16th June, 1808; and dis-
missed from the transport service, in 1827, in consequence of
his having taken Mrs. Goold to Lisbon for the benefit of her
health. This heinous offence, in the sight of one Board, ap-
pears to have been considered venial by another, its superior,
from which he received a commander's commission, dated
July 22d, 1830. He married, July 1st, 1819, Harriet,
diiughter of Mr. Knight, of Landport Terrace, near Ports-
mouth.

COMMAND ;hS.

359

WILLIAM liARBER WATfS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Goshawk sloop, June
20th, 1808 ; and advanced to the rank of commander on the
22d July, 1830.

WILLIAM HENRY HASWELL, Esq.

Is the son of a naval officer, who died suddenly ou the 5th
Jan. 1831, aged 'JT. He passed his examination in July
1808; obtained his first commission on the 28th Feb. 1809 ;
'ierved under Captain the Hon. (now Sir) Charles Paget, in
vhe Superb 74, on the Channel and Halifax stations, from
Sept. 1812 until Aug. 1814 ; and was ad.'anced to his present
rank July 22d, 1830. He is now an inspecting commander
of the coast guard.

RICHARD EMERIC VIDAL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 10th July, 1809. He
commanded the boats of the CornM'allis frigate. Captain
(now Sir W. A.) Montague, at the capture of a Dutch brig,
lying under the fort of Manippa, laden with turtle, fowls,
fruit, and eago, bound to Amb(jyna, Feb. 1st, 1810. He ob-
taiued his present rank on the 22d July, 1830.

HENRY PRESTON, Esq.

Passed his examination in May 1808 \ obtained his first
commission in Nov. 1809 ; and was advanced to his present
rank on the 22d July, 1830.

WILLIAM USHERWOOD, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Sabine sloop, Captain
George Price, Dec. 23d, 1809; and commanded the boats

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COMMANDERS.

of that veBscl at the capture of three French privateers, eacli
mounting two long four-pounders, with a complement of
twenty-five men, lying at the anchorage of Chipiona, near
Cadiz, May 26th, 1811. He subsequently served in the
Sabine, under Captains William Wrottesley and William
Hall, on the Newfoundland station. His promotion to the
rank of commander took place July 22d, 1830. He is now
an inspecting commander of the coast-guard.

This officer has been twice married : — 1st, to Ann, eldest
daughter of the Rev. Digory Jose, of Ponghill, Cornwall ;
and 2dly, in Aug. 1832, to Eliza Dennis, eldest daughter of
the late Rev. John Kingdon.

SAMUEL HELLARD, Esq.

Passed his examination in Aug. 1808 ; obtained his first
commission on the 29th Oct. 1810 j and subsequently served
in the Podargus 14, Benbow 74, and Scout 18. The follow-
ing is taken from the Naval Chronicle for 1815, vol. 34,
p. 163:

" A court-martial was lately held on Lieutenant S. Hellard, late of
II. M. sloop Scout, for threatening to shoot or drown T. Smith, who
liad deserted from the said vessel, if he returned ; and for disrespect to
Captain James Arthur Murray. The court were of opinion that the
charges were proved against the said Lieutenant S. Hellard ; but, in con-
sideration of his former high character, did only adjudge him to be most
severely reprimanded, and to be placed at the bottom of the list of lieu-
tenants of H. M. navy."

This officer was advanced to his present rank on the 22d
July 1830, and appointed an inspecting commander of the
coast-guard, April 13th, 1831.

GEORGE BISSETT, Esq.

Passed his examination in Feb. 1810; and was made
lieutenant into the Hyperion frigate, on the Jamaica station.

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COMMANDERS.

361

Jan. 28tli, 1811 *. He was advanced to his present rank on
the 22d July 1830, and appointed inspecting commander of
the coast-guard at Poole, co. Dorset, Aug. 30th, 1832.

WALTER KIRBY, Esq.

Son of the late W. Kirby, M. D., of Maldon, co. Essex.

This officer was made a lieutenant in Feb. 1811, and com-
mander July 22d, 1830. He married Hannah, youngest
.daughter of the late James Smith, Esq. of Langford, Essex.

CHARLES SMITH, Esq.

Passed his examination at Portsmouth, in Feb. 1812;
obtained his first commission in May 1813; was advanced
to his present rank on the 22d July, 1830; and is now an
inspecting commander of the coast-guard in Ireland. He
married, in Dec. 1830, Eliza, eldest daughter of John Slight,
Esq., naval officer and agent victualler at Gibraltar.

ADAM CUPPAGE, Esq.

Second son of the late General Cuppage, Hon. East India
Company's service.

This officer passed his examination at Plymouth, in Feb.
1811 ; was made a lieutenant on the 26th May 1814; and
advanced to the rank of commander July 22d, 1830. His
wife is Frances, eldest daughter of the late Colonel Haldane,
royal engineers.

JOHN POWELL TWEED, Esq.

Obtain BD his first commission on the 26th May 1814;
served under Captain John Tancock and Commanders Tho-

* Sec p. 79.

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362 COMMANOKRS.

inas Herbert and Alfred Matthews, in the Bann 20, and
Icarus sloop ; and was advanced to his present rank J uly
22d, 1830.

GEORGE HOLBECH, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 16th June 1814 ; and in a
few days afterwards appointed to the Rodney 74, Captain
Charles Inglis. He subsequently served under Captain
Samuel G. Pechell, in the Clorinde frigate. His promotion
to the rank of commander took place on the 22d July 1830.

EDWARD PITTS, Esq.

KniglU of the Royal Portuguese Militart/ Order of the Totcer and Sword.

This officer was made a lieutenant in Mar. 1815, and
commander on the 22d July 1830. The insignia of the
above order was conferred upon him after King John IV's
visit on board the Windsor Castle 74, Captain (now Sir
Charles) Dash wood, lying off Lisbon, in May 1824.

WILLIAM RADCLIFFE, Esq.

Served as midshipman at the battle of Algiers, in Aug.
1816 ; obtained his first commission on the 16th of the fol-
lowing month ; and was advanced to the rank of commander
July22d, 1830.

GEORGE AUGUSTUS SAINTHILL, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Feb. 1819 j and subse-
quently served under Captain Adam M'Kenzie, in the Superb
78, on the Plymouth station. He was made a commander
July 22d, 1830; appointed to the Donegal 78, Captain Ar-
thur Fanshawe, Aug. 22d, 1833 ; and paid off from that ship,
on her return from Portugal with the Infante Don Carlos of
Spain, his family and suite, passengers, in the summer of 1834.

COMMANDERS.

36?

CHARLES BELL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 9th Nov. 1821 j and com-
mander July 23d, 1830.

FRANCIS HARDING, Esq.

Entbrbd the royal navy in 1812; obtained his first com-
mission on the 30th Mar. 1822; served under Captain G. F.
Lyon, in the Griper bark, on a voyage of discovery to Re-
pulse Bay, in 1824 * ; and succeeded to the command of the
Hecla surveying vessel, on the African station, vice Thomas
Boteler, deceased, in Nov. 1829. He was promoted to the
command of the Jaseur sloop, July 23d, 1830; removed into
the Warspite 76, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral (now Sir
Thomas) Baker, on the South American station, Sept. 16th,
1831 ; and paid off from that ship, at Portsmouth, Mar.
26th, 1833.

HON. EDWARD WODEHOUSE, Esq.

A SON of Lord Wodehouse, by Charlotte Laura, only
daughter and heiress of John N orris, Esq., of Wilton Park,
CO. Norfolk ; and nephew to Vice- Admiral the Hon. Philip
Wodehouse. He entered the royal navy in 1815 ; obtained
his first commission on the 24th Feb. 1823; and was pro-
moted to the command of the Ferret sloop, July 23d, 1830.

V *i

WILLIAM SYDNEY SMITH, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1813 ; obtained his first com-
mission on the 25th April, 1823 ; was advanced to his pre-
sent rank July 23d, 1830 ; and appointed to the Larne sloop.

» See Vol. III. Part I. pp. 108—123.

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304

commamjkrs.

on the North Sea station, Sept. 24th, 1832. The follovvini,'
18 taken from the Naval ami Military Gazette : —

" Portsmouth, 19M /Ipril, 1833.
" A court-martial assombled yesterday on board 11. M. S. Victory, to
try Commander W. S. Smith, of tlie I.arne, for having run the said ship on
shore, on the 4th inst., and for his conduct on that occasion. It appeared
by the evidence, that the Larne, being on a cruise in the narrowest part
of the Channel, between Calus and the South Foreland, on the morning
of the 4th instant, fell in with and detained a Dutch galliot, from Villa
Nova, bound to Rotterdam, and having placed the master and a pilot on
board, took her in tow and made all sail for the Downs. The weather
was thick and rainy, and at 10-30 the steeple of Calais bore about S. E. by
S. four miles, the \vind S. S. W., and steering N. W., at half-past 12 ; the
wind drawing rather to the westward, the - ourse was altered to W. N. W.,
and sails trimmed accordingly, and immediately afterwards the ship
struck ; the hands were on deck at the time, the guns, except five, were
thrown overboard, together >vith the spars and every thing else on deck,
for the purpose of lightening the ship ; assistance from the men of war
in the Downs was promptly sent, as well as pilot boats and craft from
Deal ; and after great exertions at th> next tide she floated off. It seemed
probable that after a long prevalence of easterly winds, a sudden change
to the westward might have considerably accelerated the velocity of the
eastern current, and thus set the ship unaccountably to leeward; a
branch pilot was on deck looking out, but the lead was not going. At
two o'clock the case for the prosecution closed ; and time being re-
quested by Commander Smith to prepare his defence, the court adjourned
to this day at nine o'clock, when Commander Smith entered upon his
defence, in support of which he called the look-out men, who t/ere sta-
tioned in the usual manner to give warning of the approach lo danger ;
and also Captains Nicholas Lockyer and Henry Eden, who both bore testi-
mony in the strongest terms to the general ability and zeal of Comman-
der Smith in the discharge of his duty during the last winter, while
cruising in the North Sea. At ten o'clock the court was cleared, to deli-
berate on the evidence adduced ; at half-past eleven pronounced sen-
tence, finding that the Lame took the ground on the outer side of the
Goodmn Sand, in consequence of the course recommended by the pilot
having been shaped without sufficient regard to the strength of the current;
and that Commander Smith had not attended to the first article of the
general printed instructions, page 91, respecting pilotage ; but that in
consideration of the general vigilance and zeal displayed by him during
the late winter's cruise, and the great and effectual exertions used in ex-
tncating the ship from the perilous situation in which she was placed, the
court adjudged him to be reprimanded, and admonished to be more at-
tentive to the said instructions in future."

COMMANDERS. ^Ch>^

The Larne soon afterwards uaile'l for the West IiuUa ami
Halifax etation, where slie id at present empU)ycd.

ARCHIBALD SINCLAIR, Esq.

Fourth aon of the Right Hon. Sir John Sinclair, Bart.,
of Ulbster, co. Caithness, cashier of the excise in Scotland,
LL.D., F.R. and A. S., &c. &c., by his second wife, Diana,
youngest daughter of Alexander, first Lord Mac Donald.

This officer was born on the 20th Sept. 1801 ; entered the
royal navy in 1814 ; and obtained his first commission on the
22d Oct. 1823 ; previous to which he had acted as lieutenant
of the Dauntless 24, Captain George C. Gambier, on her
voyage home from the East India station. In April, 1826,
he was presented with the honorary medallion of the Royal
Humane Society ; and, on the 22d July, 1830, advanced to
the rank of commander. We lastly find him returning home
from the Cape of Good Hope station, in command of the
Jaseur sloop, Sept. 29th, 1832.

DURELL DE SAUSMAREZ, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1812 ; obtained his first com-
mission on the 10th May, 1824; was advanced to the com-
mand of the Zebra sloop, on the East India station, July
23d, 1830; invalided from that vessel, at New South Wales,
in Feb. 1832 j and returned home in the Strathfieldsaye
whaler.

EDWARD WILLIAM PILKINGTON, Esq.

Entered the naval service in 1817; obtained his first
commission on the 29th April, 1826 ; and was advanced to
his present rank Aug. 16th, 1830.

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COMMANDERS.

CHARLES BLAIR, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Rochfort 80, flag-ship of
Sir Graham Moore, on the Mediterranean station, Mar. Sth,
1822 ; and subsequently served in the Doris frigate, in South
America, where he assisted in saving a French national brig
and a Brazilian corvette from destruction, in 1825. He ob-
tained his present rank on the 30th Sept. 1830.

GEORGE WILLIAM MATSON, Esq.

Is the son of a London wine-merchant. He obtained the
rank of lieutenant on the 1st Feb. 1815 j and subsequently
served under Captains Sir Charles T. Jones, George French,
and William J. Purchas, in the Harrier, Sophie, and Esk,
sloops, on the Halifax, East India, and African stations,
from which latter he returned home in command of the
Swinger gun-brig. On paying off that vessel, at Portsmouth,
July 26th, 1826, her crew presented him with an elegant dress
sword, belt, and epaulette, in token of their very great
esteem. He was advanced to his present rank on the 22d
Nov. 1830.

FRANCIS PRICE BLACKWOOD, Esq.

Second son of the late Vice- Admiral the Hon. Sir Henry
Blackwood, Bart., K. C. B., by his third wife, the daughter
of Francis Gore, Esq., of Ireland.

This officer entered the royal navy in 1821 ; obtained his
first commission on the 8th Aug. 1828 ; and was advanced to
his present rank Nov. 22d, 1830. He now commands the
Hyacinth sloop, in the East Indies, for which station he
sailed on the 7th May, 1833. His half brother. Sir Henry
Martin Blackwood, Bart., is a captain in the navy.

COMMANDERS.

367

ALEXANDER MILNE, Esq.

Son of Vice- Admiral Sir David Milne, K. C. B. j was
made a lieutenant into tlie Cadmus sloop, Commander
Charles Gordon, on the South American station, Sept. 8th,
1827 J and advanced to his present rank Nov. 25th, 1830.

FRANCIS HART, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 20th Jan. 1818;
and subsequently served under the flag of Lord Colville, in
the Semiramis frigate, at Cork. He was made a commander
on the 26th Nov. 1830.

JOHN BUNCHE BONNEMAISON M'HARDY, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in May 1812; was made a
lieutenant, Aug. 19th, 1824, for his services against pirates
on the coast of Cuba; and advanced to his present rank,
Dec. 20th, 1830, for his exertions in suppressing the slave
trade, but particularly for the capture of a formidable armed
slave vessel, the Bolodoro, while in command of the Pickle
schooner, on the Jamaica station. On the 8th Mar. 1831,
he was appointed an inspecting commander of the coast
guard ; and, in 1834, on his quitting that service, the lieute-
nants employed in the district under his superintendence gave
him a farewell dinner at Wells, in Norfolk, ** in testimony of
their esteem for so active and enterprising an ofl&cer."

WILLIAM SAVAGE, Esq,

Was made a lieutenant on the 17th Sept. 1806; granted
a pension of five shillings per diem for wounds, July 1st,
1815} and advanced to the rank of commander Dec. 31st,
1830.

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366 COMMANOSRS.

JOHN GEARY, Esq. '

Was wounded while serving as midshipman on board the
Monarch 74, Captain (now Sir Richard) Lee, in action with
a squadron of French frigates, Sept. 25th, 1806 *. His pro-
motion to the rank of lieutenant took place on the 29th
May, I8O7. The following is taken from the Naval Chro-
nicle, vol. 24, p. 434 :

" On the 9th, 10th, and 12th Nov. 1810, a court-martial was held on
Lieut. John Geary, of H. M. schooner Mullet, for not having done hia
utmost to execute the orders of Sir Robert Calder, in proceeding with
the mails to Surinam, Berbice, and Demerara, but returned twice to
port. Lieutenant Geary's defence was, that the sickly state of his crew
prevented him. The Court sentenced him to be severely reprimanded."

We next find Lieutenant Geary serving under Captain
Robert Henderson, in the Tigris frigate, on the Irish station,
and at the Leeward Islands. In April 1818, he was ap-
pointed first of the Phaeton 46, Captam William Henry Dil-
lon, fitting out for a voyage to the East Indies ; and on his
return home, in Oct. 1819, he was dismissed from that ship
and severely reprimanded, by thei sentence of a court-martial,
for having concealed two deserters from the band of H. M.
18th regiment, whilst under sailing orders at Portsmouth.
He appears to have subsequently commanded an East India-
man. His advancement to the rank he now holds took place
on the 17th Feb. 1831.

JOHN ERASER, Esq.

Passed his examination, at Plymouth, in July 1812 ; was
made a lieutenant into the San Juan, sheer-hulk and receiv-
ing ship at Gibraltar, Jan. 1st, 1813; and advanced to his
present rank on the 22d Feb. 1831.

»A/ tij

* Sec Vol. I. Part II. p. 670, e< seg.

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COMMANDERS.

369

WILLIAM KELLY (c), Esq.

Passed his examination, at Portsmouth, in Sept. 1814;
obtained the rank of lieutenant. Mar. 8th, 1815; and was
made a commander on the 25th April, 1831.

ALGERNON HENRY CHAMPAGN CAPEL, Esq.

Was advanced to his present rank on the 25th May, 1831 ;
and appointed an inspecting commander of the coast guard,
June 6th, 1833.

HORATIO THOMAS AUSTIN, Esq.

Enter BO the royal navy in 1813 ; obtained his first com-
mission on the 9th Sept. 1822; was appointed to the Chan-
ticleer sloop, Dec. 12th, 1827 ; and promoted to his present
rank May 26th, 1831. His subsequent appointments were,
Nov. 27th, 1832, to the Salamander ; and, Jan. 30th, 1834,
to the Medea (steam-ships) ; in the former of which he
esorted Donna Maria to Portugal, in 1833 ; and in the lat-
ter attended Queen Adelaide to Holland, in July 1834.
Since then he has visited all the ports on the north coast of
Spain, from Bilboa to Coruna.

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WILLIAM SHEPHEARD, Esq.

Entered the royal navy, Jan. I4th, 1804, as midshipman
on board the Temeraire 98, Captain (afterwards Sir Eliab)
Harvey, under whom he bore a part at the ever-memorable
battle of Trafalgar, on which occasion his conduct was thus
noticed by that distinguished officer, in a private letter, dated
Nov. 9th, 1805 :—

" This is the first opportunity I have had of senduig you any informa-
VOL, IV. PART II. 2 B

3*0 COMMANDERS.

tion roHpcctlng iShephcai'd, since our fight on the 21st October ; he be-
haved witli great courage, and has been admired by us all.

(Signed) " E. Hahvey."

On the 1st Dec. 1806, Mr. Shepheard joined the Tonnant
80, Captahi Thomas Brown, in which ship he served until
July 1 6th, I8O7. Wc next find him in the Amelia frigate.
Captain tlic Hon. F. P. Irby, from Mar. IJth, 1808, until
Mar. 9th, 1809j when he rejoined the Tonnant, and conti-
nued in her, under Captains Brown and Anthony T. Abdy,
upwards of six months.

On the 28th Sept. 1809, he was again received on board
the Amelia; and on the 6th April, 1813, he obtained the fol-
lowing testimonial from his gallant commander : —

'• This is to certify, that during the time Mr, W. Shephcard served on
board 11. J\I. ship under my command, he ever conducted himself much
to my satisfaction, and I consider him to be a very promising young
officer : he was particularly active * during tlie action with the French
frigate Arethnsc f ; and subsequently, when the whole of the lieutenants
were killed, it made his attentions the more valuable ; and I was only
prevented from appointing him to act as lieutenant, from his age not
corresponding with the regulation on that head, and there being an
officer on board, invalided for change of climate.

(Signed)

F. Paul Irbt, Captain.'

On the 22d May 1813, Mr. Shepheard was removed into
the Rivoli 74, Captain (now Sir Graham E.) Hamond, where
he continued until Oct. 5th following. On the day after-
wards, he passed his examination, and from that time re-
mained at home with his friends until promoted to the rank
of lieutenant, Feb. 24th, 1815.

On the 21st Nov. 1816, Mr. Shepheard received an ap-
pointment to the Phaeton frigate, then at St. Helena, but
was prevented from going out to join that ship, by an Admi-
ralty order, stating that she was on her voyage home. His
subsequent appointments were, Jan. 5th, 1818, to the Spar-
tan frigate. Captain W. F. Wise ; and April 29, 1828, to be
first of the Sama.ang 28, Captain W. F. Martin. The fol-
lowing are copies of testimonials from those officers : —

* As master's-mate.

t See Vol. II. Part I. p. 492 ct seq.

COMMANDEUS. '^7^

These arc to certify, that Lieutenant William IShoplioard sene<l «>ii
board H. M. ship Spartan, under my command, from Jan. \'M\, 1S18,
to Jan. 31st, 1821, during the whole of which time his conduct was such
as to merit my warmest approbation : his unwearied zeal for the service
was only equalled by his abilities as an ofticer and a seaman ; and I can
safely say, that in all these essential points, I never met his superior, or
one who is more calculated to be a credit to that service to which he is
so warmly attached.

(Signed) " W. F. Wise."

" //. M. S. Smnamiii; Mi April, 1H.31.
" This is to certify, that Mr. W. Shepheard served as first lieutenant
of H. IM. S. Samarang for three years, under my command ; and I feel
in justice bound to bear testimony to the admirable manner in which he
has discharged every part of his duty ; no service is too diHicult and irk-
some, or too trifling, to secure his ready and cordial assistance in its execu-
tion ; and the ability and seamanllke manner in which he carries it into
effect, is equalled only by his indefatlgulde zeal. I have often had occa-
sion to notice the great temper and judgment lie shews in those impor-
tant parts of a first lieutenant'.s duty, connected with the treatment and
management of the ship's company. I can truly assert, that in Mr.
Shepheard is united, with the strictest propriety of conduct, the most
intimate accpuiintance with all part.i {»f his duty, and the greatest devotion

to the service.

(Signed) " W. F. Martin, Captain."

A few days previous to the date of this latter certificate,
the captain of the Donegal 7^» wrote to X^ieutenant Shep-
heard as follows :

" Dear Sir, — As I find the Samarang is to be immediately paid off, I
lose no time in mentioning to you, that the senior lieutenancy of this
ship is vacant, and it would give me pleasure to see it filled by an officer
of your high character aiul ipialifications.

(Signed) " John Dick." ,

About the same time, Lieutenant Shepheard received si-
milar invitations from other captains ; " btit," said he, when
addressing Sir James Graham, " your memorialist owes it
to himself to decline those offers, and to throw himself upon
your equitable administration of the patronage of the First
Lord of the Admiralty, in the confident hope tluit you will
be pleased to give him such employment as will hold out
a fair prospect of his advancement to flic rank of coin-
mander."

2 u 9

h

^72 COMMANDERS.

The Samaraiig was paid off on the 1st June, 1831; and
two days afterwards her late first lieutenant obtained his
well merited promotion. On the 30th Sept. following, he
was appointed to the Melville 74, fitting out for the flag of
Sir John Gore, who, without any recommendation on the
part of friends, or personal solicitation, selected him to serve
us couimaiidcr on board that ship, having formed the most
favorable opinion of his conduct while serving in the Sama-
rang.

Commander Shepheard invalided from the Melville, on
the East India station, in June 1833.

FREDERICK ROGERS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Mar. 1815, and commander on
the 3d June 1831.

HENRY WEST, Esq.

Second son of the late Rev. Edward Matthew West, rec-
tor of Clifton-Mabank, and vicar of Bradford-Abbas and
Haydon, co. Dorset, by Anne, daughter of the late Rev.
Edward Cotes, vicar of Sherborne and Caundle-Bishop's,
both in Dorsetshire, and many years chaplain to his great-
uncle, William, Lord Digby.

This officer entered the royal navy in May 1801, as mid-
shipman on board the Resistance 38, Captain (now Sir Henry)
Digby, destined to North America; and continued in that
ship, under Captain (now Vice-Admiral) the Hon. Philip
Wodehouse, until she was wrecked near Cape St. Vincent,
on her way to the Mediterranean, May 31st, 1803*. He
subsequently served, for about four years, in the Victory,
first rate, flag-ship of the immortal Nelson; Termagant
sloop, Amphion 32, Africa 64, and Lavinia 38.

» See Vol. I. Part II. p. 763; and Vol. IV. Part I. p. 38.

on

COMMANDKRS. 3/3

The Amphion, Captain Samuel Sutton, formed part of
the squadron under Captain (now Sir Graham) Mooro, at
the capture of three Spanish frigates, laden with treasure,
and the destruction of their consort, la Mercedes, off Cape
St. Mary, Oct. 5th, 18()4 *. In the following year she ac-
companied Lord Nelson to the West Indies, in pursuit of the
combined fleets of France and Spain f. The Africa, Captain
Henry Digby, bore a part at the ever-memorable battle of
Trafalgar, on which occasion Mr. West, then master's-mate,
had charge of the signal department, and was severely
wounded.

In 1807, while in charge of a prize taken by the Lavinia,
Captain Lord William Stuart, the subject of this sketch had
the misfortune to be captured by a Spanish corvette, off
Ushant ; and he appears to have remained a prisoner, at
Bilboa and St. Sebastian, until the French took possession of
the latter city, on the abdication of Charles IV., when he
made his escape to St. Andero, and was sent home by the
British Consul- General with despatches from the Junta of
Oviedo to Mr. Canning, then Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, by whom we find him afterwards employed on a
mission to Coruna. His first commission, appointing him
lieutenant of the Merope sloop, bears date Aug. 16th, 1808.

In the course of the same year, Mr. West rejoined the La-
vinia, of which frigate he was third lieutenant at the reduc-
tion of Walcheren, in Aug. 1809. He subsequently served
in the same ship, under Captain George Digby, on the Medi-
terranean station. His next appc' J, nent was, April 24th,
1813, to be first of the Jaseur sloop, ^ aptain George Edward
Watts, then recently launched, and destined to North
America.

The Jaseur's first cruise was off the Delaware, where she
captured several of the enemy's vessels. Judging it expe-
dient to land his prisoners, Captain Watts sent an officer
with a flag of truce, for this purpose. The prescribed period

* Sec Vol. I. Part II. p. 536.
t See i(f. p. 590.

(I

nf

11

■ m

■p

M

i

■A h

374 COMMANDEKS.

for his return having long elapsed, it was apprehended some
accident had befallen him, to ascertain whichj Lieutenant
West was despatched (Nov. 26th, 1813) with a second flag
to Lewes, a town within the entrance of the above river.
The treatment he met with on landing, was of so ungenerous
and unmanly a nature as to reflect disgrace upon the Ame-
rican name. He was surrounded, bullied, and insulted;
while all his boat's crew, excepting one man, were enticed
from their allegiance, and induced to desert. With the as-
sistance of that man only, he pushed off when nearly dark,
and notwithstanding a tempestuous night and heavy sea,
succeeded in reaching his ship, at a distance of six or seven
leagues, bringing with him an illitemte and impudent letter
from the Yankee commandant, commenting upon the in-
formality of the flag of truce, and interdicting any further
intercourse of a similar nature. A debilitating fever was the
consequence of this great exertion of body and mind, from
the eftocts of which it was many years before Lieutenant
West recovered.

We next find the Jaseur employed in the Chesapeake,
v.here her first lieutenant, in a boat containing only six men
besides himself, captured and brought out from under a bat-
tery, the American privateer Grecian, mounting four car-
riage guns and five swivels, with a complement of twenty-
seven men. For this service, by which a fine schooner,
pierced for twenty guns, was added to the British navy, Mr.
West received a letter of thanks from Vice-Admiral Sir
Alexander I. Cochrane. He afterwards assisted at the cap-
ture of the towns of Benedict and Marlborough, on the banks
of the Patuxent * j and during his stay in the waters of the
Chesapeake, above thirty vessels of different descriptions
were taken and destroyed by boats under his command.

In Oct. 1814, Lieutenant West, then acting commander
of the Jaseur, ^^as charged with despatches and ordered by
Rear-Admiral Griffith to convoy some transports from Hali-

w

i

1

^ 1

f. §

1 f

1

* ?pe Vol. II. Pitrl li. p. 7-?. ct ■"C'l-

I i

rOMMANOKRli. 3^5

fax and Shelbunic to Cjistine. He returne«l home, under
the command of the late Captain Nagle Lock, in 1810.
Letters of which the following are copies were subsequently
addressed to him : —

" 16, Surrey Street, Strand, Bth Aug-. ISKi.

" IMy dear Sir, — In reply to your letter, reiiuestins^ my o])iMioii of
your professional conduct and character, during the period you served
as first lieutenant of the Jaseur, under my command ; I beg to assure
you, that the only fear I entertain is, tliat my pen will Itarely do justice
to its ollice ; when I say that, if zeal and ability as an oilicer constituted
a fair claim to consideration, you ought not to have been overlooked in
the list of candidates for promotion, it would be saying what might with
truth be said of hundreds in the same profession ; but when I add, that
to your zeal and ability you unite the qualities of l)ravcry, and in private
life those requisites which decidedly mark the gentleman, I sum up a
grand total not commonly to be met with in one individual.

" The courage and conduct you evinced when you so gallantly boarded
and captured the Grecian, in a boat containing only six men besides
yourself, is at once a fact \vhich speaks for itself, and supersedes almost
the necessity of eulogium.

" It has rarely fallen to my lot to perform so gratifying a task as thus
to bear testimony to the merits of one who ever occupied a high place in
my good opinion ; and admitting the past to be a guarantee for the future,
I rim no hazard in asserting that in whatever situation of professional ser-
vice you may be placed, you will do credit to your employers. I remain,
my dear Sir, with real esteem, most faithfully yours.

(Signed)

G. E. Watts.

" Carlsruhe, 2ethJan. 1831.
** Sir, — In reply to your letter of the 31st Dec, I regret to say that,
from the want of official documents, I am unable to comply with your
request. I perfectly recollect that the event you mention took place, but
from the distance of time I am unable to speak to particulars. Tlxe let-
ter you received from Captain Watts, dated 8th Aug. 1816, is so much in
your favor, that I should consider it as fully sufficient to lay before the
Admiralty ; and as Sir Thomas Hardy is now a member of that Board, he
may possibly recollect your very gallant conduct in capturing the priva-
teer with so inadequate a force. I sincerely wish you every possible suc-
cess, and have only to regret that your applications to the late Admiralty
were not attended with that success which your conduct merited. I re-
main. Sir, &c. (Signe'i) "Alex. Inglis Cochrane."

In Feb. 18.'3J, Lieutenant West was appointed first of the
Windsor Castle 70, Captain the Hon. X>. P. liouverie, then

i

ftiJ

i!

'^i7^ COMMANDKRS.

at Cork, destined to the Tagus. In June following, he was
paid off from that ship; and on the 25th of the same month
promoted to the rank of commander.

This officer married, first, in 1822, his cousin, the only
surviving daughter of the Rev. Henry Cotes, vicar of Bed-
lington, CO. Durham; and secondly, April 29th, 1828,
Frances Anne Hussey, youngest daughter of the late Sanmel
Huthwaite, Esq., of Hartley Lodge, co. Northumberland.

WILLIAM RAMSAY, Esq.

Was made lieutenant into the Brazen 26, Captain William
Shepheard, on the St. Helena station, Sept. 8th, 1821 ; and
appointed first of the AthoU 28, Captain Alexander Gor-
don, fitting out for the coast of Africa, May 13th, 1829.
The following is an account of a gallant action which led to
his further promotion : —

"On the 22d April, 1831, the Black Joke brig, tender to the Dryad
frigate. Commodore Hayes, C. B., anchored at Fernando Po, where her
commander, Lieutenant William Ramsay, learned from Mr. Mather,
commanding one of the colonial vessels, that he had just left, in the Old
Calabar river, a large armed Spanish slave-brig, supposed to be almost
ready for sea : he described her as the finest slaver that had been on the
coast for some years, carrying one pivot and four broadside guns, with a
crew of about seventy picked men, some of whom were reported to be
English. The vessel appeared by her movements to be in complete man-
of-war order, but as no one was permitted to go on board, her interior
arrangements could not be exactly ascertained. Mr. Mather had dined
on shore several times in company with her officers, and he stated, that
in course of conversation, they made no secret of their intention of fight-
ing if necessary, and even laughed at the idea of being taken by the Black
Joke, with whose force * they were well acquainted ; and as for the two
gun-brigs that were on the station, they were totally out of the question,
on account of their bad sailing.

" The Black Joke immediately proceeded to the Old Calabar, and
commenced a strict blockade, anchoring every night at the entrance of

* One pivot long IS-pounder and one carronadc of the same calibre,
with a complement of forty-four officers and men.

COMMANDERS. 3/7

the river, weighing? before day-light, and running out with the land hreezc
tar enough not to be seen from the shore. This plan was pnictist'd
until the 25th, when about 11 A. m., a large brig was seen front the
mast-head, under all sail, standing out of the river. The Blaek iFctke's
top-sails were immediately lowered, by which means the stranger wa.s
within sight from the deck before he made out who bin intended antago-
nist was. Ae then altered his course so as to cross the tender's bow, and
pass between Fernando Po and tlie main. All sail was now made in
chase, and every recjuisite preparation for a severe contest ; in (loins'
which a spirit was evinced, both by the officers and men, that left no
doubt as to the result, whatever might he the stranger's superiority of
force. The slaver sailed so well, that it was 9 p. m. before the Black
Joke could get within range of her ; indeed, if she had not got becalmed
under the lee of Fernando Po, it is very doubtful whether she would not
have made her escape. A shot, however, was now fired a-head of her,
as a signal to bring to, which she immediately returned by three of her
broadside guns, and the wind fell so light that both vessels had recourse
to their sweeps, making in this way a running fight, until about 1-30
A. M. on the 26th. The Black Joke was then so near, that it became
evident a close action must ensue ; upon which the Spaniard hauled up
bis courses, and with his sweeps so managed his vessel as to keep up a
determined fire, almost every shot telling upon the spars, rigging, and
sails of the tender. Lieutenant Ramsay, in consideration of the superior
number of guns of his adversary, as well as to spare, if possible, the
lives of the wretched slaves, resolved upon boarding without delay ; for-
tunately a light air favored his intentions, and the helm was put a-star-
board. Meanwhile the men were ordered to lie down, to be sheltered
from the enemy's fire. Two steady men were to be ready to lash the
vessels together ; the two guns were loaded with grape, and their cap-
tains were ordered to fire directly the word " board " was given. All
being prepared, the Black Joko ran alongside the Spaniard — the order
to board was given — the guns ^/ere iired — and Lieutenant Ramsay, with
INIr. Charles John Bosanquet, 'Me mate, and about ten men, leaped on
board ; but from the force \vith which the two vessels met, they unluckily
separated again before the rest of the boarders could follow. Mr. Hinde,
however, a midshipman not fifteen years of age, the only officer left on
board, with extraordinary presence of mind, ordered all hands to the
starboard sweeps, pulled alongside, got the vessels lashed, and then
boarded, leaving only one or two wounded men behind. With this re-
inforcement, the combat was soon decided — those who continued to
resist were quickly cut down; the rest ran below and begged for
quarter.

" The prize proved to be the Spanish brig Marincrito, of 303 tons,
one of the most l)eautiful vessels ever seen afloat, mounting five 18-
poimders, with a complement of seventy-seven officers and men, of whom

fi ,1

i

.^^
*■}■

■ ^j

37B COMWANDKIIS.

fifteen were killed or drowued, four desperately wounded, and several
others severely and sU^htly. She had on hoard 496 slaves, of whom,
horrible to say, owin/jf to the necessity of conlinin<r them below durinfi;
the action, and perhaps aided by terror, 2G were found dead, althoujfh
the hatches were ojjcncd the instant that complete posse.soion had been
obtained. Of the remainder of the slaves, 10/ were in such a state, from
want of air durinjf their confinement below, that it was thoujfht advisable
to land them at Fernando Po, as the only chance of saving their lives,
and of these about sixty died : the rest were ultimately put on shore at
Sierra Leone. The Black Joke had only one man killed, and Lieutenant
Ramsay, Mr. Bo^auquet, and five men wounded, the former officer
severely."

We must not dismiss this spirited and successful action
without noticing the alacrity with which Commodore Hayes
testified his approbation of the service j and we are gratified
to add, that the strong recommendations which he made
upon the subject, procured the promotion of Lieutenant
Ramsay, Mr. Bosanquet, and Mr. Richard Douglas (assist-
ant-surgeon), on the 15th Aug. following.

Commander Ramsay is at present employed in the Dee
steam-ship, to which he was appointed May 28th, 1834.

1^

CORNWALLIS RICKETTS, Esq.

Eldest son of Rear-Admiral Sir Tristram R. Ricketts,
Bart., by Rebecca, daughter of Richard Gumbleton, Esq., of
Castle Richard iu the county of Waterford, and co-heiress to
her brother, Eduiund Gumbleton, Esq.

Mr. Cornwallis Ricketts was born on the 27th Feb. 1803.
He passed his examination in Oct. 1822; was made a lieu-
tenant on the 20th Mar. 1823 ; obtained the rank of com-
mander Aug. l*^th, 1631 ; and married. May 31st, 1834,
Henrietta, youngest daughter of Colonel Tempest, of Tong
Hall, in Yorkshire.

COMMANDERS.

879

id several
of whom,
ow (lurinji;
, althouffh
had been
tate, from
: advisable
their lives,
II shore at
jieutenant
ler officer

il action
e Hayes
gratified
le made
eutenant
(assist-

the Dee
334.

WILLIAM LANGFORD CASTLE, Esq.

Entered the royal nn,vy in May 1813; obtained his first
commission on the 25th Aug. 1824; and was advanced to
his present rank Oct. 20th, 1831 ; previous to which he had
acted as commander of the Medina 20, on the African sta-
tion. He was appointed to the command of the Salamander
steam- ship, Feb. 15th, 1834.

JOHN HUDSON (b), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant, Aug. 26th, 1822, into the Bann
20, Captain Charles Phillips, on the African station, from
whence he came home invalided. May 21st, 1823, as pas-
senger on board the Thistle gun-brig. He was advanced to
his present rank Dec. 5th, 1831 ; and appointed an inspect-
ing commander of the coast guard, June 6th, 1833.

This officer married, April 12th, 1832, Emily, only daugh-
ter of the Rev. Patrick Keith, rector of Ruckinge and Stalis-
field, both in the county of Kent.

'•' (t

.lik

m

licketts,
Esq., of
eiress to

b. 1803.
e a lieu-
of com-
t, 1834,
of Tong

HOWARD LEWIS PARRY, Esq.

Passed his examination, at Portsmouth, in June 1814;
obtained his first commission on the 10th Mar. 1815; and
was advanced to his present rank, Feb. 10th, 1832, *' for
gallant conduct and severe wounds received in the coastguard
service."

This officer has a pension of five shillings per diem for
his wounds. In 1834, King Louis Phillipe sent him a gold
medal, for his exertions in saving the crew of a French fish-
ing vessel, wrecked off Rye in IHJl.

^^

380

rrtSIMAXDKRS'.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS THOMSON, Esq.

Wk first find spoken of in an oiFicial letter from the pre-
sent Earl of Dundonald, addressed to Vice- Admiral (now Sir
Edwnrd) Thornbrough, of which the following is an extract :

" H. M. S. Pallas, Sth April, 180(5.

♦' Sir, — Having received information, which proves correct, of the
situation of two corvettes in the river of Bourdeaux, a little after dark,
on the evening of the 5th, the Pallas was anchored close to tlie shoal of
Cordovan, and it gives me satisfaction to relate that, about 3 a. m., the
national corvette la Tapageuse, of fourteen long 12-pounders and ninety-
five men, which had the guard, was boarded, carried, and cut out, about
twenty miles above the shoals, between two heavy batteries, in spite of
all resistance, by the first lieutenant (Haswell), Mr. SutheiUiud (the
master), and Messrs. Perkyns, Crawford, and Thomson, together with
the quarter-masters, and such of the seamen and marines as were fortu-
nate enough to find place in the boats.

" The tide of flood ran strong at day-light ; le Tapageuse made sail ; a
general alarm was given ; a sloop of war followed, and an action com-
menced, which was continued, often within hail, till, by the same bravery
by which la Tapageuse had been carried, the sloop of war, after about
an hour's firing, was compelled to sheer off", having suffered as much in
the hull as la Tapageuse in the rigging.

" The conduct of the officers and men employed will be justly appre-
ciated. With confidence I shall now beg leave to recommend them to
the notice of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. * * * *

(Signed) " Cochu.ane.'*

In the performance of this brilliant exploit, three men
were badly vvounded, but not one of the assailants was slain.
Other dashing services in which Mr. Thomson participated
are recorded in Vol. IV. Part I. p. 157, ^t seq. He was
made a lieutenant on the 20th Oct. 1806 ; and advanced to
the rank of commander, Feb. 15th, 1832.

EDWARD HARRIS BUTTERFIELD, Esq.

Second son of Captain William Butterfield, R. N., by his
present wife, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of the late C, Harris,

COMMANDERS.

381

Esq., Deputy Auditor of the Impress, at the Royal Hospital,
Chelsea.

This officer was horn and educated at Chelsea. He en-
tered the royal navy about Mar. 1821, as midshipman on
board the Glasgow 50, Captain (now Sir Bentinck C.)
Doyle, which ship was successively employed in conveying
the remains of tlie late Queen Caroline from Harwich to
Cuxhaven ; Sir Edward Paget from Portsmouth to the East
Indies; and the late Marquis of Hastings from Bengal to
Gibraltar.

Mr. E. H. Butterfield obtained his first commission on the
5th Jan. 1830; and highly distinguished himself, as senior
lieutenant of the Primrose sloop, Commander William
Broughton, in boarding and carrying the Spanish ship Velo
Passagero, from Wydah bound to Havannah, mounting 20
guns, with a crew consisting of about 155 men, and having
on board 555 slaves. The particulars of this gallant affair
will be given in our memoir of Captain W. Broughton *.

Lieutenant Butterfield' s next appointment was, April
16th, 1831, to the command of the Brisk, a brig peculiarly
armed for the suppression of slavery. On the 7th Mar.
1832, being then only just eligible for promotion, a commis-
sion was signed by the Admiralty, advancing him to the
rank of commander. He returned home from the African
station, passenger on board the Southampton 52, flag- ship of
Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, Oct. Uth, 1832.

EDWARD STANLEY, Esq.

Was wounded at the battle of Algiers, while serving as
midshipman on board Lord Exmouth's flag-ship, the Queen
Charlotte, 120. He was made a lieutenant on the 31st Jan.
1824; advanced to the rank of commander. Mar. 31st, 1832;
appointed to the Dee steam- ship, Nov. 9th, 1833; and re-
moved to the Wolf sloop, fitting out for the East India

* See Addenda to Captains

382

COMMANDERS.

!

Station, May 27th, 1834. He sailed from Plymouth, Oct.
2d, following.

WILLIAM NEAME, Esq.

Was slightly wounded at the battle of St, Domingo, Feb.
6tli, 1806, while serving as midshipman on board the Spencer
74, Captain the Hon. (now Sir) Robert Stopford. He ob-
tained his first commission on the 28th June, 1808; and, as
senior lieutenant of the Scout sloop. Captain A. R. Sharpe,
received a severe wound in action with two French store-
ships, an armed transport, a battery, and a martello tower,
in the bay of Sagone, Corsica, the whole of which were de-
stroyed, May 1st, 1811 *.

Lieutenant Neame continued in the Scout, latterly under
the command of Captain .1. A. Murray, until the end of the
war; and subsequently rejoined Captain Sharpe, in the Hy-
acinth 24. He was one of the first officers appointed by the
Treasury to the preventive service, in which and the coast
guard he continued, we believe, from 1816 until promoted
to his present rank, April 4th, 1832. He was appointed
inspecting commander of the coast guard in the district of
Bray, Ireland, Mar. 18th, 1834; and has lately been removed
to the Dublin district, with orders for him to discharge the
duties of Assistant-Inspector-General, which office has been
abolished since the demise of Commander Jonathan Chris-
tian f.

GEORGE DOBSON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1824, and commander on
the 9th May 1832.

* See Vol. II Part II. p. 724, et seq.
t The Inspector-General of the Coast Guard in Ireland was a mid-
shipman of the Hyacinth when Commander Neame was first lieutenant
of that ship, and never served afloat as a commissioned officer.

COMMANDERS.

383

WILLIAM BARROW, Esq.

Son of John Barrow, Esq. second secretary of the Admi-
ralty, LL. D. and F. R. S.

This officer was made lieutenant into the Blonde frigate.
Captain tldmund Lyons, on the Mediterranean station, Oct.
28th, 1829. 'J'he following is an extract of a letter from a
gentleman belonging to that ship, dated Constantinople,
Jan. 25th, 1830 :

•' On Friday last, the Blonde was honored vAth the company at dinner
of the Capitan Bey, second in command of the Turkish navy, Reale Bey,
u rear-admiral, and Leman Reis Bey, the naval commissioner, with Cap-
tain Kelly, an Enj^lishman, the commander of the steam navigation ; but
unfortunately the harmony of the evening' was suddenly interrupted by
the breaking out of a fire on the Galata side of Constantinople, which
soon assumed a most alarming appearance. Tlie flames spread like
wild-fire ; and having taken a direction in the line of the custom-house,
it was deemed advisable, as well for the safety of the town as that of the
shipping, to send a large force from the Blonde, to assist in arresting the
progress of that destructive element. Consequently Lieutenant Burrow,
Mr. Turton, the master. Lieutenant Hayes of the marines, and one
hundred seamen, with a division of marines, landed, aivd their iwompt
conduct excited great admiration. Finding they could make little pro-
gress in arresting the fury of the flames by the engmes, they turned to
and tore down, by main force, a range of houses which lay betwixt the
custom-house and the direction which the fire had taken ; and thus, by
sacrificing eight or ten houses, they saved the extensive towns of Top-
hana, Galata, and Pera, perhaps the Turkish navy% and the thousands of
merchant ships of all nations that are lying along the Galata and Pera
wharfs ; for had the fire once reached the custom-house, where there are
numerous stores of combustible materials, it would have been impossible to
prevent its communicating to the merchant shipping ; and these breaking
loose, would soon have drifted amongst the Turkish ships of war, and
thus have fired the dock-yard, the city of Constantinople, and perhaps
the Seraglio : owing, however, to the exertions of our people, the fire
was got under by eleven o'clock at night. Al)out forty houses have been
consumed. It is Imt right to observe that the Capitan Bey took an
active part in extinguishing the flames, and sewne<l to vie with our offi-
cers la braving the fury of the element. Captain Kelly was also very
conspicuous on this occasion, and rendered himself particularly useful
in assisting our people to tumble <lown the houses. For this very im-
portant service, the ship's company of the Blonde has had the honor of

it

If i

i

384

COMMANDERS.

receiving the unqualified thanks of the Turks, as well as the Franks of
this place. The French Ambassador's lady. Countess Guillenunot, in
speaking of it, compares the English sailors to Angela, and their actions
to every thing bordering on the miraciUous."

Lieutenant Barrow was advanced to the rank of com-
mander May 9th, 1832; and appointed to the Rose sloop,
fitting out for the East India station, June 2d, 1834. He
sailed from Portsmouth on the 17th Aug. following.

WILLIAM CHESELDEN BROWN, Esq.

Was shipwrecked in the Carron sloop. Captain John Fur-
neaux, on the coast of Orissa, Bay of Bengal, July 6th,
1820; on which occasion two officers and about twenty men
were drowned. The remainder of the officers and crew, after
providentially gaining the shore, through a tremendous surf,
had to traverse, in a scorching heat (the thermometer being
near 120"), with no food, and scarcely any clothing, a thick
jungle of 150 miles, to the nearest Hindoo village, whence
they were forwarded, on camels, to the nearest Residency.

Mr. Brown obtained his first commission on the 9th
Oct. 1827 ; was appointed flag-lieutenant to Sir John Gore,
on the 26th Nov. 1831 ; and promoted into a death vacancy
on the East India station, Jime 13th, 1832. The sloop
which he was then appointed to command having previously
sailed for England, he returned home passenger on board the
Zebra 18, acting Commander Lord Frederick C. P. Beau-
clerk; arrived in the spring of 1833; and has since re-
mained on half-pay.

WILLIAM DAWSON (a), Esq.

Received his first commission, dated Dec. 14th, 1821,
while serving as midshipman of the Royal George yacht.
He was promoted to his present rank on the 6th July, 1832.

Ai •: ^

iU

COMMANDERS.

385

JAMES CAULFIELD, Esq.

Nephew to the late Captain Thomas Gordon Caulfield,
R.N.

This officer served as midshipman under Captain the Hon.
Henry Duncan, in the Imperieuse and Glasgow frigates, on
the Mediterranean and Channel stations. He was made lieu-
tenant into the Leander 60, flag-ship of the late Hon. Sir
Henry Blackwood, on the East India station, Feb. 6th,
1821 J advanced to his present rank on the 27th Aug. 1832 ;
and appointed an inspecting commander of the coast guard
in 1834.

after

WILLIAM WARREN. Esq.

Entered the royal navy in Mar. 1809; obtained his first
commission on the 9th Feb. 1825 ; and was promoted to his
present rank, Aug. 31st, 1832, for ** capturing three slave-
vessels, (two of them well armed), and other services in the
West Indies," while commanding the Speedwell schooner.

B;l'|

ROGER CARLEY CURRY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 17th Jan. 1810; and ap-
pointed to the Contest sloop. Captain James Rattray, Dec.
18th, 1812. He was wounded while gallantly commanding
the boats of that vessel and the Mohawk sloop, at the capture
and partial destruction of the American national schooner
Asp, mounting one long 18-pounder and two carronades of
the same calibre, with a complement of twenty-five men, in
Yeocomio river, where she was lying close to the sliore, pro-
tected by a large body of militia. In this affair, the boats had
two men killed and five wounded ; the Asp, her commander
(a lieutenant in the United States' navy) and nine men killed
and wounded.

We next find Lieutenant Curiy appointed, Jan, 3d, 1820,

VOL. IV. PART II. 2 C

I

286

COMMANDERS.

first of the Egcriu 24, Captain John Toup Nicolas, fitting out
for the NewfouncUand station; from whence he returned
home commander of the Pelter gun-brig. He obtained his
present rank on the 21st Sept, 1832 ; and was appointed an
inspecting commander on the 18th Mar. 1834.

THOMAS SPARKE THOMPSON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Oct. 1824 ; and promoted to
his present rank Oct. 4th, 1832, on the reduction of the Royal
Charlotte Dublin yacht.

JOHN JAMES ALLEN, Esq.

Eldest son of John Lee Allen, Esq., of Errol Park, N. B.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 5th April, 18*27 ;
and commander in Oct. 1832. He married, Aug. 28th, in
the same year. Lady Henrietta Dundas Duncan, eldest daugh-
ter of the Earl of Camperdown.

JAMES BECKFORD LEWIS HAY, Esq.

Enterkd the royal navy in 1810; passed his examination,
at Sheerness, in Feb. 1816 ; and was made a lieutenant into
the Tecs 20, Captain George Rennie, at St. Helena, April 10th,
1819. His subsequent appointments were, Aug. 1st, 1821,
to the Ramillies 74, Captain (now Sir Edward) Brace, sta-
tioned at Portsmouth; — Nov. 26th, 1822, to the Gloucester
74, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore (now Rear-
Admiral) Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, with whom he pro-
ceeded to the West Indies ; — and Dec. 8th, 1828, to be flag-
lieutenant to the same officer, in the Southampton 52, on
the East India station. He was made commander into that
ship, Oct. 14th, 1832; and paid off from her, at Chatham,
Jan. 21st, 1833.

COMMANDERS.

387

CHARLES BURNET, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Nov. 1821 ; and commander on
the 4th Dec. 1832.

JOHN WHEATLEY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 9th Jan. 1823, in conse-
quence of the death of Admiral Sir George Campbell, com-
mander-in-chief at Portsmouth. He obtained his present
rank on the 5th Dec. 1832.

THOMAS GREGORY, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 20th July, 1810; and sub-
sequently served under Captains Daniel Barber, John Han-
cock, Matthew Smith, and the Hon. Fleetwood I?. R. Pellew,
in the Dauntless sloop, and Nymphen and Revolutionnaire
frigates. He obtained his present rank on the 7tb Jan. 1833.

HON. HENRY KEPPEL.

Fourth son of the Earl of Albemarle, by his first countess,
Elizabeth, fourth daughter of Edward Lord De Clifford.

This officer was made a lieutenant in Jan. 1829; advanced
to the rank of commander on the 30th Jan. 1833 ; and ap-
pointed to the Childers sloop, fitting out for the Mediterra-
nean station, May 16th, 1834. He sailed from Portsmouth
on the 27th July following.

JOHN TALBOT WARREN, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in Jan. 1806; and served for
nearly four years as midshipman, under Captain Sanuiel
Jackson, in the Mosquito sloop, and Superb 74, on the
Downs, Baltic, Channel, and North Sea stations. The Mos-

2c2

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388

COMMANDERS.

quito, after being weveral times engaged with the Boulogne
and Calais flotillas, was attached to the Copenhagen expe-
dition. In the Superb, bearing the flag of the late Sir Rich-
ard G. Keats, Mr. Warren witnessed the rescue of the
Spanish army under De la Romana, Au^^. 1 1th, 1808 ♦ ; and
was present at the reduction of Walcheren, in Aug. 1809.
He subsequently joined the Desiree frigate. Captain (now
Sir Arthur) Farciuhar, employed in blockading the Texel j
on which station he assisted in cutting out a French lugger
of twelve guns and forty-two men, a schuyt privateer of four
guns, a Dutch gun-vessel, and a small row boat ; likewise in
destroying a French lugger of six guns. May 29th, 1810 f.

On the 10th Mar. 1811, the Desirde captured the French
cutter privateer Velocifere, of fourteen gims and fifty-seven
men ; and on the 12th Dec. following, her boats, in one of
which Mr. Warren was then serving, boarded and carried
le Brave, of fourteen guns and sixty men, near the island of
Schelling J. Between this period and the end of 1812, they
a]>pear to have taken and destroyed several other armed
vessels.

In 1813, we find Mr. \*/arren accompanying Captain Jack-
son, in the Lacedemonian frigate, to North America, where
he assisted at the capture and destruction of seventy-five
vessels, and property valued at more than half a million ster-
ling §. Since the peace he has served in the Diamond fri-
gate, Ganges 84, Victory 104, and Winchester 52. He ob-
tained his first commission on the 17th Feb. 1815 j and was
made a commander (after twice acting as such in the West
Indies) Mar. 1st, 1833.

CHARLES PARKER (c), Esq.

Son of the late Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, Knt., by his
second wife, Frances, youngest daughter of Admiral Sir

♦ See Vol. I. Part I. p. 347.

t Sec Vol. IV. Part I. p. 149. j See id. iO.

§ See Siii>pl. Part I. p. 278.

COMMANDERS. 880

Richard Onslow, G. C. B., Lieutenant-General of the Royal
Marines.

This officer entered the royal navy in 1812 ; and was made
lieutenant into the Iphigenia frigate, commanded by his
half-brother. Captain Hyde Parker, Jan. 20th, 1820 ♦. He
subsequently served under Captains George Tyler and Ed-
ward Curzon, in the Fly sloop, on the Leith station ; and
was promoted, Sept. 8th, 1829, from the Barham 50, flag-
ship of the Hon. Charles E. Fleeming, at Jamaica, to the
command of the Slaney sloop ; which vessel he put out of
commission on the 29th Jan. 1831.

WILLIAM MOLYNEUX, Esq.

Was made lieutenant into the Falmouth 20, Captain Ed-
ward Furcell, on the West India station, Feb. 21st, 1822;
appointed flag-lieutenant to Vice-Admiral the Hon. C. E.
Fleeming, at Jamaica, Mar. 23d, 1829; and ordered to act
as commander of the Fairy sloop. Mar. 10th, 1830. He re-
turned home in that vessel on the 16th June 1830 ; but was
not advanced to his present rank until Mar. Tith, 1833.

THOMAS BAKER, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 20th Sept. 1815 j
served as flag-lieutenant to his father, Rear-Admiral Sir
Thomas Baker, K. C. B., on the South American station ;
and was made a commander on his return from thence. Mar.
29th, 1833.

THOMAS ROSS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 20th Mar. 1822; and ad-
vanced to his present rank, " for exertions in the coast guard
service" (of which he is now an inspecting commander),
April 19th, 1833.

* See Siippl. Part I. p. 262.

390

COMMANDJ^RS.

MArrHEW FOOT, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 2(1 Feb. 1826; jind
served as flag-lieutenant to Admiral Sir Manley Dixoii,
commander-in-chief at Plymouth, from May 1830, until
advanced to his present rank. May 5th, 1833,

HON. EDWARD HOWARD.

Fourth son of the Earl of Carlisle, by Lady Georgiana,
eldest daughter of William, fifth Didce of Devonshire.

This officer was born on the 23d Dec. 1809 ; made a lieu-
tenant in Sept. 1829 j appointed to the Pelican sloop, Com-
mander Joseph Gape, fitting out for the Mediterranean sta-
tion, April 15th, 1830j and promoted from that vessel to
his present rank June Oth^ 1833.

THOMAS GREENE, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in June 1823, and commander on
the 2d July 1833.

JOHN WASHINGTON, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in the beginning of Jan.
1821 J and served as flag- lieutenant to Vice- Admiral Sir
John P. Beresford, in the River Medway, from Aug. 1830
until advanced to the rank of commander, Aug. 14th, 1833.

This officer married, Sept. 3d, 1833, Eleonora, youngest
daughter of the Rev. H. Askevi^, rector of Greystoke, co.
Cumberland.

FREDERICK WILLIAM LAPIDGE, Esq.

We first find this officer serving as mate on board the
Iiiiperieuse frigate, Captain the Hon. Henry Duncan, by
whom he was ordered to act as master of that ship, Dec.

on

COMM ANDERS.

31)1

27t1i| 1811; M lieutenant of the same, April 21th, 1H13 ;
and its lieutenant of the Swallow eloop, Sept. 9th, 1813. He
obtained hin first commission on the 9th April, 1814; and
subsequently served in the Tay and Raleigh sloops. We
next find him appointed, June 27th, 1822, to the Superb 78,
Captai/1 Adam M'Kenzie, stationed as a guard-ship at Ply-
mouth. 1/'" rommandcd the Leveret brig, employed on va-
rious services, from Dec. 1831 imtil advanced to his present
rank, Oct. 2d, 1833 ; and is now commander of the Ring-
dove sloop, on the Plymoutli station.

This officer married, in 1817, ii sister of Captain William
ERiot, R. N., C. B.

HON. EDWARD ALFRED JOHN HARRIS.

Second son of the Earl of Malmesbury, by Harriet Susan,
daughter of Francis Dashwood, Esq., of West Vale, co.
Lincoln. He was bom on the 20th May, 1807 ; made a
lieutenant in Feb. 1828; appointed to the Stag frigate. Cap-
tain Nicholas Lockyer, C. B., Sept. 24th, 1832 ; and ad-
vanced to the rank of commander on the 21st Nov. 1833.

JOHN WILLIAMS ALDRIDGE, Esq.

Was a midshipman on board the Rippon 74, Captain Sir
Christopher Cole, at the capture of the French frigate Wcser,
Oct. 21st, 1813 *. He passed his examination, at Plymouth,
Nov. 3d, following ; obtained his first commission on the
4th Feb. 1815 ; and subsequently served in the Tonnant 80,
and Bulwark 76, flag-ships of the late Sir Benjamin Hallowell
Carew, at Cork and in the river Medway. His subsequent
appointments were, — Oct. 3d, 1821, to the Genoa 74, Captain
Sir Thomas Livingston, stationed at Sheemess ; — Dec. 9th,
1822, to the Prince Regent 120, then on the stocks at Chat-
ham, intended for the flag of Sir Benjamin Hallowell ; — and

* See Vf»l. II. Part II. p. 51/.

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392

COMMANDBR)}.

June 6thj 1831, to be first of the Rattlesnake 28, Captain
Charles Graham, fittinp^ out for the South American station*
He was made a commander on the 18th Nov. 1833; and
presented with the honorary medallion of the Royal Humane
Society, for rescuing a fellow-creature from a watery grave,
Jan. 8th, 1894.

JOHN GARRETT, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant into the Euryalus frigate. Captain
(now Sir Augustus) CliflFord, on the Mediterranean station.
Mar. 26th, 1822; and advanced to his present rank on the
19th Nov. 1833.

REGINALD YORKE, Esq.

Obtained his fir'st commission on the 2d Aug. 1826 ; and
was appointed to the Donegal 78, Captain John Dick, May
25th, 1831 . He continued in that ship, under the flag of Sir
Pulteney Malcolm, on the North Sea station, during the
blockade of the Dutch ports ; and in May 1833, became flag-
lieutenant to Sir William Hargood, commander-in-chief at
Plymouth. His promotion to the rank of commander took
place on the 20th Nov. following.

WILLIAM PRESTON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant in Mar. 1823 j and commander on
the 28th Dec. 1833.

RIGHT HON. LORD FREDERICK C. P. BEAUCLERK.

Second son of the late Duke of St. Albans, by Maria
Janetta, only daughter of John Nelthorpe, Esq., of Little
Grimsby House, co. Lincoln.

This officer was born on the 28th June, 1808; and first
went to sea, from^the Royal Naval College, in the Victor sloop.

Iptain

and
lane
rave.

and

COMMANDERS. 393

Captain Thoma8 Prickett, destined to the coast of Africa,
in 1823. He was made a lieutenant on the 13th Sept. 1828 ;
appointed acting commander of the Zebra sloop, on the East
India station, Aug. 8th, 1832; paid off from that vessel, at
Chatham, in the spring of 1833 j and advanced to his present
rank on the 6th Jan. 1834.

THOMAS HENDERSON, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 2d Feb. 1830 ; advanced to
the rank of commander, *' for his exertions in the coast guard
service," Feb. 12th, 1834; and appointed to the Columbine
sloop, at Sheerness, June 2d following.

WILLIAM HENRY HALLOWELL CAREW, Esq.

A SON of the late Admiral Sir Benjamin Hallowell Carew,
G. C. B., and brother to Captain Charles H. Carew, R. N.
He was made a lieutenant in June 1828; appointed to the
Barham 50, Captain (now Sir Hugh) Pigot, Mnr.26th, 1831 j
and promoted to the rank of commander on the 14th Feb.
1834.

SIR PETER PARKER, Bart.

Only surviving son of the late Captain Sir Peter Parker^
Bart., R. N., by Marianne, daughter of Sir George Dallas,
Bart., of Petsall, co. Stafford. He was made a lieutenant on
the 7th June, 1829 ; appointed to the Vernon 50, flag-ship
of the Right Hon. Sir George Cockburn, fitting out for the
West India station, Dec. 12th, 1832; and advanced to the
rank of commander, Feb. 26th, 1834.

J

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391

COMMANDERS.

RICHARD MORGAN («), Esq.

Passed his examination, at Sheerncss, in Mar. 1B13|
obtained his first commission on the 6th Feb. 1815 ; and was
advanced to his present rank, April 23d, 1824, after serving
as flag-lieutenant to Vice-Admirul Sir Pulteney Malcolm, on
the Mediterranean station.

CHARLES WALCOTT, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant, in May 1819; and advanced to
his present rank on the 5th June, 1834, a " special promotion
on Sir Thomas M. Hardy leaving the Board of Admiralty."

JAMES GORDON (fc), Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 27th June, 1826; and pro-
moted to the rank of commander, June 6th, 1834.

GEORGE BACK, Esq.

This officer was born at Stockport, co. Cheshire, Nov.
6th, 1796; and entered the royal navy in Sept. 1808, as
midshipman on board the Arethusa frigate. Captain (after-
wards Sir Robert) Mends, fitting out for Channel service.
On the 26th Nov. following, he witnessed the capture of le
General Emouf, French privateer, of sixteen guns and fifty-
eight men, near Cherbourg.

In Feb. 1809, the Arethusa was ordered to the north coast
of Spain, where Mr. Back saw some active service, previous
to his being taken prisoner while serving as a volunteer on a
boat expedition, in the month of April following *. On that
occasion he was marched from the vicinity of St, Sebastian

* See Vol, II. Part I. p. 271 ^ srq.

Nov.

COMMANDERS.

395

to Bourdeaux and Verdun, at which depot he continued
nearly five years.

Mr. Back returned home, vi>i Dieppe, May 6th, 1814 ;
and afterwards served under Captains Archibald Dickson and
Charles Bullen, in the Akbar 60, bearing the flag of Sir T.
Byam Martin, at Flushing, in 1815, and subsequently em-
ployed on the Halifax station *. He passed his examination
in seamanship at Bermuda, July 21 st, 1816; and in mathe-
matics, at the Royal Naval College, Feb. 5th, 1817. His
next ship, in which he continued from Mar. 1817 until Jan.
1818, was the Bulwark 7^9 bearing the flag of Sir Charles
Rowley, commander-in-chief in the Medway.

On the 14th Jan. 1818, Mr. Back joined the Trent hired
brig, Lieutenant (now Sir John) Frankliuj fitting out for a
voyage of discovery in the neighbourhood of Spitzbergen,
under the orders of Captain David Buchan, whose proceed-
ings have been related in Vol. III. Part I. p. 86 et seq. In
the beginning of 1819, he was selected to accompany the
former officer in an expedition over land, from Hudson's
Bay to the Copper-mine River. The narrative of this peril-
ous and unprecedentedly daring enterprise is one of the most
interesting that ever issued from the press ; and the repeated
acts of self-command, genuine courage, and intrepidity, re-
corded of Mr. Back, are in the highest degree honorable to
him, and truly creditable to his perseverance and talents f .
His journey on foot, in the depth of winter, from Fort En-
terprise to Fort Chipewyan and back, is among the many
instances of extraordinary exertion and determined perse-
verance which this expedition afforded. The following is a
copy of his ofiicial report to Captain Franklin on rejoining
him, " after an absence of nearly Jive months, during which
time he had travelled 1104 miles, on snow-shoes, and had no
other covering at night, in the woods, than a blanket and
deer-skin, with the thermometer frequently at —40°, and

* See Vol. II. Part II. p. 699 et seq.
t See Vol. HI. Part I. pp. 5—50,

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396 COMMANDSRS.

once at — 57"; and sometimes passing two or three days
without tasting food."

** On qmtting Fort Enterprise, with Mr. Wentzel and tAvo Canadians,
accompanied by tAvo hunters and their wives, our route lay across the
barren hills. We saw during the day a number of deer, and occasionally
a solitary white wolf; and in the evening halted near a small knot of
pines. Owing to the slow progress made by the wives of the hunters,
we only travelled the first day a distance of seven miles and a half.
During the night we had a glimpse of the fantastic beauties of the aurora
borealis, and were somewhat annoyed by the wolves, whose nightly
howling interrupted our repose. Early the next morning we continued
our march, sometimes crossing small lakes (which were just frozen
enough to bear us), and at other times going large circuits in order to
avoid those which were open. The walking was extremely bad through-
out the day ; for independently of the general unevenness of the ground,
and the numberless large stones which lay scattered in every direction,
the unusual warmth of the weather had dissolved the snow, which not
only kept us constantly wet, but deprived us of a firm footing ; so that
the men, with their heavy burdens, were in momentary apprehension of
falling. In the afternoon a fine herd of deer was descried, and the
Indians, who are always anxious for the chase, and can hardly be re-
strained from pursuing every animal which they see, set out immediately.
It was late when they returned, having had good success, and bringing
with them five tongues and the shoulder of a deer. We made about
twelve miles this day. The night was fine, and the aurora borealis so
vivid, that we imagined, more than once, that we heard a rustling noise
like that of autumnal leaves stirred by the wind ; but after two hours of
attentive listening we were not entirely convinced of the fact. The
coruscations were not so bright, nor the transition from one shape and
colour to another, so rapid, as they sometimes are, otherwise I have no
doubt, from the midnight silence which prevailed, that we should have
ascertained this yet undecided point.

" The morning of the 20th was so extremely hazy that we could not
see ten yards before us ; it was therefore late when we started ; and
during our journey the hunters complained of the weather, and feared
they should lose the track of our route. Towards the evening it became
so thick that we could not proceed ; consequently we halted in a small
wood, situated in a valley, after having only completed a distance of six
miles. The scenery consisted of high hills, which were almost destitute
of trees ; and lakes appeared in the valleys. The cracking of the ice
was so loud during the night as to resemble thunder, and the wolves
howled round us. We were now at the commencement of the woods ;
and at an early hour on the 21st, continued our journey over high hills
for three miles, when the appearance of some deer caused us to halt.

COMMANDERS. 397

and nearly the remaiudcr of the day was passed in hunting them. In
the evening' we stopped within siglit of Prospect Hill, after having killed
and concealed six deer.

" A consideral)le quantity of snow fell during the night. The sur-
rounding country was extremely rugged ; the hills divided hy deep ra-
vines, and the valleys covered with broken masses of rocks and stones :
yet the deer fly (as it were) over these impediments with apparent ease,
seldom making a false step, and springing from crag to crag with all the
safety of the mountain goat. After passing Reindeer Lake (where the
ice was so thin as to bend at every step for nine miles), we halted, per-
fectly satisfied with our escape from sinking into the water. While some
of the party were forming the encampment, one of the hunters killed a
deer, a part of which was concealed; to be ready for use on our return.
This evening we halted in a wood near the canoe track, after having tra-
velled a distance of nine miles — the wind was S. E., and the night
cloudy, with wind and rain. On the 24th and 25th, we underwent some
fatigue, from being obliged to go round the lakes which lay across our
route, and were not sufficiently frozen to bear us. Several rivulets ap-
peared to empty themselves into the lakes. No animals were killed, and
few tracks seen. The scenery consisted of barren rocks and high hills,
covered with lofty pine, birch, and larch trees.

" October 26. — We continued our journey, sometimes on frozen lakes,
and at other times on high craggy rocks. When we were on the lakes
we were much impeded in our journey by different parts which were not
frozen. There was a visilde increase of wood, consisting of birch and
larch, as we inclined to the southward. About ten A. m. we passed Icy
Portage, where we saw various tracts of the moose, bear, and otter ; and
after a most harassing march through thick woods and over fallen trees,
we halted a mile to the westward of Fishing Lake. Our provisions were
now almost expended. The weather was cloudy, with snow.

" On the 27th, we crossed two lakes, and performed a circuitous
route, frequently crossing high hills to avoid those lakes which were not
frozen. During the day one of the women made a hole through the ice,
and caught a fine pike, which she gave to us : the Indians would not
partake of it, from the idea (as we aftenvards learnt), that we should not
have 'sufficient for ourselves : — * We are accustomed to such privations,*
said they, * but you are not.' In the evening we halted near Rocky
Lake. I accompanied one of the Indians to the summit of a hill, where
he shewed me a dark horizontal cloud, extending to a considerable dis-
tance along the mountains in the perspective, which he said was occa-
sioned by the Great Slave Lake, and was considered as a good guide to
all the hunters in the vicinity. On our return we saw two untenanted
bears' dens. The night was cloudy, with heavy snow ; yet the following
morning we continued our tedious march. Many of the lakes remained
still open ; the rocks high and covered with snow, which continued to

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398

COMMANDERS.

full all day : consequently we etfected but a trifling distance, and that too
with nmch didiculty. In the eveninif we halted, havins? only perfonned
about seven miles. One of the Indians ••ave us a fisli which he had
caHifht, though he had nothing for himself; and it was with much trou-
ble that he could be prevailed upon to partake of it. The night was
cloudy, with snow.

** On the 2yth, we set out through deep snow and thick woods ; and
after crossing two small laker, lopped to breakfast j sending the women
on before, as they had already complained of lameness, and could not
keep pace with the party. It was not long before we overtook them, on
the banks of a small lake, which though infinitely less in magnitude than
many we had passed, yet had not a particle of ice on its surface. It was
shoal, had no visil)le current, and was surrounded by hills. We had
nothing to eat, and were not very near an establishment where food
coiild be procured. However, as we proceeded, the lakes were frozen,
and we quickened our pace, stopping but twice for the hunters to smoke :
nevertheless the distance we completed was but trifling ; and at night we
halted near the lake, the men being tired, and much l)ruised, from con-
stantly falling amongst thick broken woods and loose stones concealed
under the snow. The night was blomng, and hazy, with snow.

" On the 30th we set out with the expectation of gaining the Slave
Lake in the evening ; but our progress was again impeded by the same
cause as hefore, so that the whole day was spent in forcing our way
through thick woods and over swamps covered with snow. We had to
walk over pointed and loose rocks, which sliding from under our feet,
made our path dangerous, and often threw us down several feet on sharp,
edged stones lying beneath the snow. Once we had to climb a towering
and almost perpendicular rock, which not only detained us, but was the
cause of great anxiety for the safety of the women, who being heavily
laden with furs, and one of them with a child on her back, could not
exert themselves with the activity which such a task required. Fortu-
nately nothing serious occurred, though one of them once fell with con-
siderable violence.

** During the day one of the hunters broke through the ice, but was
soon extricated ; when it became dark, we halted near the Bow String
Portage, greatly disappohited at not having reached the lake. The
weather was cloudy, accompanied with thick mist and snow. The In-
dians expected to have found here a bear in its den, and to have made a
hearty meal of Its flesh ; indeed it had been the subject of conversation
all day, and they had even gone so far as to divide it, frequently asking
me what part I preferred ; but ^vhen we came to the spot — oh ! lament-
able I it had already fallen a prey to the devouring appetites of some
more fortunate hunters, who had only left sufficient evidenc liuvi such a
thing had once existed. One of our men, however, caught a fish, which,
with the assiatance of some weed ticraped from the rocks (trqte de roche),

CO^IMANDUUS.

39»

which forms a glutinous bubstance, made us a tolerable supper ; it was
not of the most choice kind, but yet pood enousjh for hunjjry men.
While we were eatinjy it, I perceived one of the women busily employed
scrapinjf an old skin, the contents of which her husband presented us
with. They consisted of pounded meat, fat, and a greater proportion of
Indians' and deer hair than either ; and though such a mixture may not
appear very alluring to an English stomach, it was thought a great
luxury after three days' privation in these cheerless regions of America.
Indeed, had it not been for the precaution and generosity of the Indians,
we must have gone without sustenance until we had reached the fort.
On the 1st of November our men began to make a raft, to enable us to
cross a river which was not even frozea at the edges. It was soon
finished, and three of us embarked, being seated up to the ancles in
water. We each took a pine branch for a paddle, and made an effort
to gain the opposite siioie, in v.uich, after some time, and not mthout
strong apprehensions of drifting into the Slave Lake, we succeeded. In
two hours' time, the whole party was over, with a comfortable addition
to it in the shape of some fine fish, which the Indians had caught ; of
course we did not forget to take these friends with ks ; and after passing
several lakes, to one of which we saw no termination, we halted within
eight miles of the fort. The Great Slave Lake was not frozen. In
crossing a narrow branch of the lake, I fell through the ice, but received
no injury ; at noon \vc arrived at Fort Providence, and were received by
Mr. Weeks, a clerk of the North West Company, and in charge of the
establishment. I found several packets of letters for the officers, which
I was desirous of sending to them immediately ; but as the Indians and
their wives complained of illness and inability to return before they had
rested, a flagon of mixed spirits was given them, and their sorrows were
soon forgotten, and in a quarter of an hour they pronounced themselves
excellent hunters, and capable of going any where ; however, their boast-
ing ceased with the last drop of the bottle, when a crying scene took
place, which would have continued half the night, had not the magic of
an additional quantity of spirits dried their tears, and once more turned
their mourning into joy. It was a satisfaction to me to behold these poor
creatures enjoying themselves, for they had behaved in the most ex-
emplary and active manner towards the party, and with a generosity and
sympathy celdom found even in the more civilized parts of the world ;
and the attention and affection wliich the Indians manifested towards
their wives, evinced a benevolence of disposition and goodness of nature
which could not fal' to secure the approbation of the most indifferent
observer.

*• The accounts I received of our goods were of so unsatisfactory a
nature, that I determined >'o proceed, as soon as the lake was frozen,
to Moose-Deer Island, or if necessary to the Athabasca Lake ; both to
inform myself of the grouncs of the unceremonious and negligent man-

t»

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ner in which the expedition had been treated, and to obtain a sufficient
supply of ammunition and other stores to enable it to leave its present
situation, and proceed for the attainment of its ultimate object.

" November 9. — I despatched to Fort Enterprise one of the men with
the letters and a hundred musket balls, which Mr. Weeks lent me on the
condition that they should be returned the first opportunity. An Indian
and his mfe accompanied the messenger. Lieutenant Franklin was made
acquainted vnth the exact state of things, and I waited with much im-
patience the freezing of the lake.

" November 16. — ^A band of Slave Indians came to the fort wth a few
furs and some bears' grease. Though we had not seen any of th-^m, it
appeared that they had received information of our being in the country,
and knew the precise situation of our house, Avhich they would have
visited long ago, but from the fear they had of being pillaged by the
Copper Indians. I questioned the chief about the Great Bear and Mar-
tin Lakes, their distance from Fort Enterprise, &c. ; but his answers
were so vague and unsatisfactory, that they were not worth attention ;
his description of Bouleau's route (which he said was the shortest and
best, and abounded in animals) was very defective, though the relative
points were sufficiently characteristic, had we not possessed a better
route. He had never been at the sea, and knew nothing about the mouth
of the Coppermine River. In the evening he made his young men dance,
and sometimes accompanied them himself. They had four feathers in
each hand. When one commenced moving in a circular form, lifting
both feet at the same time, similar to jumping sideways ; after a short
time a second and a third joined, and afterwards the whole band was
dancing, some in a state of nudity, others half-dressed, singing an unmu-
sical \vild air wth (I suppose) appropriate words ; the particular sounds
of which were. Ha! ha! ha! uttered vociferously, and with great dis-
tortion of countenance, and particular attitude of body, the feathers
being always kept in a tremulous motion. The ensuing day I made the
chief acquainted with the object of our mission, and recommended him
to keep at peace with his neighbouring tribes, and to conduct himself
with attention and friendship towards the whites. I then gave him a
medal, telling him it was the picture of the King, whom they emphatic-
ally term * their great father.*

" November 18. — ^We observed two mock moons at equal distances
from the central one ; and the whole were encircled by a halo ; the colour
of the inner edge of the large cu-cle was a light red, inclining to a faint
purple. •■'

** November 20. — ^Two parhelia were observed, with a halo ; the colours
of the inner edge of the circle were a bright carmine and red lake, in-
termingled with a rich yellow, forming a purplish orange; the outer
edge was pale gamboge.
" December 5.— A man was sent some distance on the lake, to see if

COMMANDERS.

401

tt sufficient
its present
t.

men with
me on the
An Indian

was made
much im-

with a few
f th'^m, it
e country,
ould have
^ed by the
and Mar-
is answers
attention ;
lortest and
he relative
d a better
the mouth
nen dance,
eathers in
rm, lifting
ter a short
i band was
^ an unmu-
lar sounds
great dis-
le feathers
[ made the
ended him
ict himself
ave him a
emphatic-

1 distances

the colour

to a faint

he colours

1 lake, in-

the outer

, to see if

U was sufficiently frozen for us to cross. I need scarcely mention my
satisfaction, when he returned with tlie pleasing information that it was.

" December 7- — I quitted Fort Providence, being accompanied by Mr.
Wentzel, Beauparlant, and two other Canadians, provided with dogs and
sledges. We proceeded along the borders of the lake, occasionally
crossing deep bays, and at dusk encamped at the Gros Cap, having pro-
ceeded a distance of twenty-five miles.

" December 8, — We set out on the lake with an excessively cold N. W.
wind, and were frequently interrupted by large pieces of ice which had
been thrown up by the violence of the waves during the progress of con-
gelation, and at dusk we encamped on the Rein-Deer Islands. Tlie night
was fine, with a faint aurora borealis. Next day the ^vind was so keen,
that the men proposed conveying me in a sledge, that I might be the less
exposed, to which, after some hesitation, I consented. Accordingly, a
rein-deer skin and a blanket were laid along the sledge, and in these I
was ^vrapped tight up to the chin, and lashed to the vehicle, with just
sufficient play for my head, to perceive when I was about to be upset
on some rough projecting piece of ice. Thus equipped, we set off
before the wind (a favorable circumstance on a lake), and went on very
well until noon ; when the ice being driven up in ridges, in such a man-
ner as to obstruct us very much, I was released ; and I confess not un-
willingly, though I had to walk the remainder of the day. There are
large openings in many parts where the ice had separated, and in at-
tempting to cross one of them the dogs fell into the water, and were
saved with difficulty. The poor animals suffered dreadfully from the
cold, and narrowly escaped being frozen to death. We had quickened
our pace towards the close of the day, but could not get sight of the
land ; and it was not till the sun had set, that we perceived it about four
miles to our left, which obliged us to turn back and head the mnd. It
was then so cold that two of the party were frozen almost immediately
about the face and ears. I escaped, from having the good fortune to
possess a pair of gloves made of rabbit-skin, with which I kept constantly
chafing the places which began to be affected. At 6 p. m., we arrived
at the fishing huts near Stoney Island, and remained there the night.
Tlie Canadians were not a little surprized at seeing us, whom they had
already given up for lost, nor less so at the manner by which we had
come ; for they all affirmed that the lake near them was quite free from
ice the day before.

** December 10. — ^At an early hour we quitted the huts, lashed on
sledges as before, with some little addition to our party ; and at 3-30
p. M., arrived at North- West Fort on Moose-Deer Island, where I
was received by Mr. Smith, with whom I had been acquainted at the
Athabasca. He said he partly expected me. The same evening I visited
Messrs. M*Vicar and M'Aulay at Hudson's Bay Fort, when I found the
reports concerning our good^ were but too true, there being in reality

VOL. IV. PART II. 2 D

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hut five packages for us. I also was iaforinetl, that two Esquimaux,
Auffustus the chief, and Junius his servant, who had been sent from
Fort Churchill by (jovernor Williams, to 8er\-e in the capacity of inter-
preters to the expedition, were at the fort. The men were short of sta-
ture, but muscular, apparently good natured, and perfectly ac<iuainted
with the purpose for which they were intended. They had built them-
selves a snow-house on an adjacent island, where they used fre(iuently to
sleep. The following day I examined the pieces, and to my great disap-
pointment found them to consist of three kegs of spirits already aduU
terated by the voyageurs who had brought them ; a keg of flour, and
thirty-five pounds of sugar, instead of sixty. Tlie ammunition and to-
bacco, the two most essential reciuisites, were left behind.

" I lost no time in making a demand from both parties ; and though
their united list did not furnish the half of what was required ; yet it is
possible that every thing was given by them which could be spared con-
sistent with their separate interests, particularly by Mr. M'Vicar, who,
in many articles, gave me the whole he had in his possession. These
things wore sent away immediately for Fort Enterprize, when an inter-
preter arrived with letters from Lieutenant Franklin, which referred to a
series of injurious reports said to have been propagated again v us by
some one at Fort Providence. Finding a sufficiency of goods coidd not
be provided at Moose Deer Island, I determined to proceed to the Atha-
basca Lake, and ascertain the inclinations of the gentlemen there. With
this view I communicated my intentions to both parties ; but could only
get dogs enough from the North- West Company to carry the necessary
provisions for the journey. Indeed, JMr. Smith informed me plainly, he
was of opinion that nothing could be spared at Fort Chipeywan ; that
goods had never been transported so long a jou.-:>ey in the winter sea-
son, and that the same dogs could not possibly go r.nd return. Besides,
it was very doubtfiil if I could be provided with dogs there ; and finally,
that the distance was great, and would take sixteen days to perform it.
He added, that the provisions would be mouldy and bad, and that from
having to walk constantly on snow-shoes, I should suffer a great deal of
misery and fatigue. Notwithstanding these assertions, on the 23d of
December I left the fort, with Beaupai'lant and a bois-brul6, each having
a sledge drawn by dogs, laden with pemmican. We crossed an arm of
the lake, and entered the Little Buffalo River, which is connected with
the Salt River, and about fifty yards wide at its junction with the lake ;
the water is brackish. This route is usually taken in the \vinter, as it cuts
off a large angle in going to the Great Slave River. In the afternoon
we passed two empty fishing huts, and in the evening encamped amongst
some high pines on the banks of the river, having had several snow
showers during the day, which considerably impeded the dogs, so that
we had not proceeded more than fifteen miles.

" December 24 find 26. — We continued along the river, frequently

luimaux,
ent fruiii
of inter-
rt of 8ta-
"(luainted
lilt theni-
[iiently to
iat disap-
idy adul-
lour, and
lU and to-
ld though
1 yet it is
ared con-
i;ar, who,
1. These
I an inter-
erred to a
in V us by
covM not
the Atha-
re. With
;ould only
necessary
dainly, he
v'an; that
winter sea-
Besides,
nd finally,
jerform it.
that from
;at deal of
lie 23d of
ich havinj^
an arm of
ected with
the lake;
•, as it cuts
afternoon
d amongst
,reral snow
gs, so that

frequently

COMMANDERS.

i03

making small portages to avoid going round the points, mu\ ^mAnff grtini'
small canoes, which the Indians had left for the winter. T. e snow waN
80 deep that the dogs were obliged to stop every ten minutes to rest
themselves ; and the cold so excessive, that both the men were badly
frozen on both sides of the face and chin. At length, having come to a
long meadow, which the dogs could not cross that night, we halted in an
adjoining wood, and were presently joined by a Canadian who was on his
return to the fort, and who treated us with some fresh meat in exchange
for pemmican. During the latter part of the day, we had seen nu-
merous tracts of the moose, buffalo, and marten.

" December 26. — The weather was so cold that we were compelled to
run to prevent ourselves from freezing ; our route lay across some large
meadows, which appeared to abound in animals, though the Indians
around Slave Lake are in a state of great want. About noon, we
passed a sulphur stream, which ran into the river ; it appeared to come
from a plain about fifty yards distant. There were no rocks near it, and
the soil through which it took its course was composed of a reddish clay.
I was much galled by the strings of the snow-shoes during the day, and
once got a severe fall, occasioned by the dogs running over one of my
feet, and dragging me some distance, my snow-shoe having become en-
tangled with the sledge. In the evening we lost our way, from the great
similarity of appearance in the country, and it was dark before we found
it again, when we halted in a thick wood, after having come about sixteen
miles from the last encampment. Much snow fell during the night. At
an early hour on the 27th December, we continued our journey along
thij surface of a long but narrow lake, and then through a wood, which
brought us to the grand detottr on the Slave River. The weather was
extremely cloudy, with occasional falls of snow, which tended greatly to
impede our progress, from its gathering in lumps between the dogs'
toes ; and though they did not go very fast, yet my left knee pained me
so much that I found it difficult to keep up with them. At 3 p. m., we
halted within nine miles of the Salt River, and made a hearty meal of
mouldy pemmican.

" December 28 and 29. — ^We had much difficulty in proceeding, owing
to the poor dogs being quite worn out, and their feet perfectly raw. We
endeavoured to tie shoes on them, to afford them some little relief ; but
they continually came off when amongst deep snow, so that it occupied
one person entirely to look after them. In this state they were hardly of
any use amongst the steep ascents of the portages, when we were ob-
liged to drag the sledges ourselves. We found a few of the rapids en-
tirely frozen. Those that were not, had holes and large spaces about
them, from whence issued a thick vapour, and in passing this we found
it particularly cold : but what appeared most curious, Avas the number
of small fountains which rose through the ice, and often rendered it
doubtful which way we should take. I was much disappointed at find-

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injf several falls (which I had intended to siteteh) frozen almost even witfi
the upper and lower parts of the stream. The ice was connected Ity a
thin arch, and the rushing of the water underneatli niijiflit l>e heard at a
considcralde distance from the place. On tlie hank of these rapiils there
was a constant overflowing' of the water, hut in such small (|uantitie8 as
to freeze before it had reached the surface of the central ice ; so that we
passed hctween two ridj^es of i<'icles, the transparency of which was
beautifully contrasted by the flakes of snow and the (lark j^recn branches
of the overhangiuff pine. Beauparlant complained bitterly of the cold
whilst among the rapids ; but no sooner had he reached the upper part
of the river, than he found the change of the temperature so great that
he vented his indignation against the heat — " Mtiis c'est terrible," said
he, to be frozen and sun burnt in the same day. The poor fellow, who
had been a long time in the countrj', regarded it as the most severe pu-
nishment thsvt could have been inflicted on him, and would willingly
have given a part of his wages rather than this disgrace had happened ;
for there is a pride amongst " old voyageurs " which makes them consider
the state of being frost bitten as effeminate, and only excusable in a
" pork eater," or one newly come into the country. I was greatly fa-
tigued, and suffered acute pains in the knees and legs, both of which
were much swollen when we halted a little above the Dog River.

" December 30 and 31. — Our journey these days was by far the most
annojing we had yet experienced ; but independently of the vast masses
of ice that were piled on one another, as well as the numerous open
places about the rapids (and they did not a little impede us), there was a
strong gale from the north-west, and so dreadfully keen, that our time
was occupied in ndibing the frozen parts of the face, and in attempting
to warm the hands, in order to be prepared for the next operation.
Scarcely was one place cured by constant friction, than another was
frozen : and though there was nothing pleasant about it, yet it was
laughable enough to observe the dexterity which was used in changing
the position of the hand from the face to the mitten, and vice versd. One
of the men was severely affected, the whole side of his face being almost
raw. Towards sunset I suffered so much in my knee and ancle, from a
recent sprain, that it was with difficulty I could procefed, wth snow shoes,
to the encampment on the Stoney Islands. But in this point I was not
singular; for Beauparlant was almost as bad, and without the same
cause.

" 1821. January 1. — We set out with a quick step, the wind still blow-
ing fresh from the north-west, which seemed in some measure to invigo-
rate the dogs ; for towards sunset they left me a considerable distance
liehind. Indeed my legs and ancles were now so swelled, that it was
excessive pain to drag the snow shoes after me. At night we halted on
the banks of Stoney River, when I gave the men a glass of grog, to com-
memorate the new year ; and the next day, January 2d, we arrived at

COMMANDERS.

405

Fort Chlpcy** an, after a j«>urncy of ton days aud four hours— the shortest
time in whi> li tlie distunee had Iteen done at the Hanie season of the
year. I found Messrs. (i. Keitli and S. !M'(iilli\vay in eharj^e of the
fort, who were not a little surprised to see ine. As the roiiinienceineut
of the new year is the rejoicing season of the Cana<lians, when they are
generally intoxicated a few days, I postponed making any demand till
this time of festivity should cease ; but on the same day I went over t<»
the Hudson's Bay Fort, and delivered Lieutenant Franklin's letter to
Mr. Simpt^n. If they were astonished ut one side to see me, the
amazeuKMi was still greater on the other ; for reports were so far in
advance, tliat we were said to have already fallen by the spears of the E.x-
quimaux.

" January 3. — I made a demand from both parties for supplies, such
as ammunition, gim-flirts, axes, files, clothing, tobacco, and spirits. I
stated to them our extreme necessity, and that without their assistance
the expedition must be arrested in its progress. The answer from the
north west gentlemen was satisfactory enough ; but on the Hu«lson's Bay
side I was told, ' that any further assistance this season entirely depended
on the arrival of supplies, expected in a few weeks hence from a distant
establishment.' I remained at Fort Chipcwyan five weeks, during which
time some laden sledges did arrive ; but I could not obtain any addition
to the few articles I had procured at first. A packet of letters for us,
from England, having arrived, I made preparations for my return ; but
not before I had retjucsted both companies to send, next year, from the
depdts, a quantity of goods for our use, specified in lists furnished to
them. The weather, during my abode at Chipcwyan, was generally
mild, with occasional heavy storms, the greater part of which were gene-
rally anticipated by the activity of the aurora borealis ; and this I ob-
served had been the case between Fort Providence and the Athabasca, in
December and January, though not invariably so in other parts of the
country. One of the partners of the north-west company related to me
tlie following singular story : — ' He was travelling in a canoe on the
English River, and had landed near the Kettle Fall, when the corusca-
tions of the aurora borealis were so vivid and low, that the Canadians
fell on their faces, and began praying and crying, fearing they should be
killed : he himself threw away his gun and knife, that they might not
attract the flashes ; for they were within two feet from the earth, flitting
along with incredible swiftness, and moving parallel to its surface. They
continued for upwards of five minutes, as near as he could judge, and
made a loud rustling noise, like the waving of a flag in a strong breeze.
After they had ceased, the sky became clear, with little wind.'

" February 9. — Having got every thing arranged, and had a hearty
breakfast (with a coup d'eau de vie, a custom amongst the traders), I
took my depai'ture, or rather attempted to do so ; for on going to the
gate there was a long range of women, who came to bid nie farewell.

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406

COMMANDERS.

'Hiey were all dressed (after the manner of the country) in blue or green
cloth, with their hair fresh greased, separated before, and falling down
behind, not in careless tresses, but in a good sound tail, fastened with
black tape or riband. This was considered a great compliment ; and
tlie ceremony consisted in embracing the whole party, I had with me
four sledges laden with goods for the expedition, and a fifth one, belong-
ing to the Hudson's Bay Company. We returned exactly by the same
route, suffering no other inconvenience but that arising from the chafing
of the snow shoes, and bad weather. Some Indians, whom we met on
tlie banks of the Little Buffalo River, were rather surprised at seeing us ;
for they had heard that we were on an island which was surrounded by
Esquimaux. The dogs were almost worn out, and their feet raw, when,
on February the 20th, we arrived at Moose-<leer Island, Avith our goods
all in good order. Towards the end of the month, two of our men ar-
rived with letters from Lieutenant Franklin, containing some fresh de-
mands ; the major part of which I was fortunate enough to procure
without the least trouble. Having arranged the accounts and receipts
between the companies and the expedition, and sent every thing before
me to Fort Providence, I prepared for my departure ; and it is but jus-
tice to the gentlemen of bo*^h parties at Moose-deer Island, to remark,
that they afforded the means of forwarding our stores in the most cheer-
ful and pleasant manner.

" Murch 5. — I took leave of the gentlemen at the forts ; and in the
afternoon, got to the fisheries near Stoney Island, where I found Mr.
M 'Vicar, who was kind enough to have a house ready for my reception ;
and I was not a little gratified at perceiving a pleasant looking girl em-
ployed in roasting a fine joint, and afterAvards arranging the table, with
all the dexterity of an accomplished servant.

" March 6. — We set out at day-light, and breakfasted at the Rein-deer
Islands. As the day advanced, the heat became so oppressive, that each
pulled off his coat, and ran till sun-set, when we halted, with two men
who were on their return to Moose-deer Island. There was a beautiful
aurora borealis in the night ; it rose al)out N. b W., and divided into
three bars, diverging at equal distances as far as the zenith, and then
converging until they met in the opposite horizon : there were some
flashes at right angles to the bars.

" March 7- — We arrived at Fort Providence, and found our stores
safe and in good order. There being no certainty when the Indian who
was to accompany me to our house would arrive, and my impatience to
join my companions increasing as I approached it, after making the ne-
cessary arrangements with Mr. Weeks respecting our stores, on the 10th
of March I quitted the fort with two of our men, who had each a couple
of dogs, and a sledge laden with provisions. On the 13th, we met the
Indian, near Icy Portage, who was sent to guide me back. On the 14th,
we killed a deer, and gave the dogs a good feed ; and on the 17th, at an

COMMANDKRS.

407

early hour, we arrived at Fort Enterprise, having travelled about eighteen
miles a day. I had the pleasure of meeting my friends all in good
health."

Mr. Back was advanced to the rank of lieutenant on the
Ist Jan. 1821 ; and subsequently appointed to the Superb 7B,
Captain Sir Thomas Staines, in which ship he visited Gibraltar
and Barbadoes. Towards the close of 1823, his Majesty's
Government having determined upon another attempt to
eft'ect a northern passage by sea between the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans, and Captain (now Sir W. E.) Parry, the
commander of the two preceding expeditions *, having been
again entrusted with its execution, success, as far as ability,
enterprise, and experience could ensure it, appeared likely to
be the result. Yet, as the object was one for which Great
Britain had thought proper to contend for 'ipwards of three
centuries, it seemed to Captain Franklin that it might be
desirable to pursue it by more ways than one ; he, therefore,
submitted a plan for an expedition overland to the mouth of
the Mackenzie River, and thence, by sea, to the north-western
extremity of America, with the combined object, also, of sur-
veying the coast between the Mackenzie and Copper-mine
Rivers.

Captain Franklin was well aware of the sympathy excited
in the British public by the sufferings of those engaged in the
former overland expedition, and of the humane repugnance
of Government to expose others to a like fate j but he was
enabled to show satisfactorily that, in the proposed course,
similar dangers were not to be apprehended, while the objects
to be attained were important at once to the naval character,
scientific reputation, and commercial interests of Great Bri-
tain. In consequence of his proposal, he received directions
from Earl Bathurst to make the necessary preparations for
the equipment of an expedition, to the command of which he
had the honor to be nominated.

Captain Franklin's much valued friend. Dr. John Richard-
son, offered his services as naturalist and surgeon, and also

* See Suppl Part IV. pp.318— 3H1.

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408 COMMANDERS.

volunteered to undertake the survey of the coast to the east-
ward, while his commander should be occupied in endeavour-
ing to reach Icy Cape. Lieutenant Bushnan, who had served
under Captains Ross and Parry, was likewise appointed to
accompany Captain Franklin, as assistant- surveyor ; but, long
before the party was to leave England, he had to lament the
premature death of that excellent young officer, who was
eminently qualified for the service, by his skill in astrono-
mical observations, surveying, and drawing.* " Many naval
officers, distinguished for their talent and ability, were rfc-
sirous of filling the vacancy, but Captain Franklin* s friend
and former companion, Lieutenant Back, having returned
from the West Indies, the appointment was offered to him^
and accepted tvith his wonted zeal."

Previous to his departure from England, a public dinner
was given to Lieutenant Back, on which occasion, says the
editor of the Stockport paper,

" Captain (now Sir Salusbury Pryce) Humphreys, R. N. was in the
chair, and on the right sat the heroic young man, so justly the pride of
his fellow-townsmen. When we considered the unprecedented sufferings
he had endured, and the unheard-of privations which once reduced his
frame to the extremity of weakness, and brought him to the verge of dis-
solution, it was impossible not to feel a high degree of pleasure at behold-
ing him again in apparent possession of health and vigour. J. Lloyd,
Esq., Prothonotary of Chester, performed the office of croupier on this
most gratifying occasion."

During his absence from Great Britain, Lieutenant Back
was promoted to the rank of commander, for his services on
the first overland expedition, by commission, dated Dec. 30th,
1825. The proceedings and result of the second expedition
have been briefly sketched in Vol. IIL Part L pp. 50—67.

Our readers will remember that Captain Franklin, after his
return from the Arctic Sea, remained at Great Bear Lake
until Feb. 20th, 1827, when he set out on foot for Fort
Chipewyan, accompanied by five men, for the purpose of
hastening home, via Montreal and New York j the other

See Annual Obituary and Biography for 1825.

'Vi

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409

officers and men, the boatij, and all the collections of natural
history, rough journals, notes, and astronomical, magnetical,
and atmospherical observations, were left in the charge of
Commander Back, who was directed to remain at Fort Frank-
lin until the breaking up of the ice, and then to proceed to
York Factory, where he was to embark with the British part
of the expedition in the first Hudson's Bay ship bound to
England. In addition to this mark of confidence. Captain
Franklin, at the end of his written instructions, thus addressed
him:— • , , . .

" I am happy in having this opportunity of thanking you for your uni-
form kindness to me personally, and of renewing my testimony to the
ability, zeal, and assiduity you have evinced throughout the progress of
the expedition, and of expressing my fervent hope that your services may
be rewarded by promotion."

Commander Back arrived at Portsmouth on the 10th Oct.
1827, only a fortnight after Captain Franklin and Dr.
Richardson had landed at Liverpool. On the 13th and 15th
of the same month, his friend, the captain, wrote to him as
follows : —

" I hope you will have seen the Lord High Admiral and Sir George
Cockburn before we meet — to both I have urged yoiu* claims to promo-
tion, as well as those of Lieutenant Kendall, in the strongest manner,
and they expressed themselves much pleased with yoiu" zeal, attention,
and ability."

" I have written this day officially to Mr. Barrow, to convey my opinion
of your conduct, a- well as that of Kendall, and strongly to recommend
you both to the favorable notice of the Lord High Admiral, and to the
members of his Royal Highness's Council."

On the 7th July, 1827, his late Majesty in Council directed
that the period of time (one year) required to elapse before a
commander can be promoted to the rank of captain shall
be actually served by such officer on board a ship or vessel in
commission. Although Commander Back had then been
upwards of two years and four months on what may well be
considered active service, this Order in Council was enforced
against him ; and notwithstanding repeated applications for
employment in the active line of his profession, he never ob-
tained an appointment. We may here remark, that several of
Captain Parry's officers were promoted on their return from

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410

COMMANDERS.

an unsuccessful expedition, whilst Captain Franklin, with
more success than has crowned any former endeavour since
the time of Cook, and with the good and favorahle opinion
of all parties, had not the influence to obtain the smallest
advancement for any of his party.

On the 8th April, 1828, Commander Back addressed the
Lord High Admiral as follows : —

*' Sir, — ^In reflecting on the recent voyages of discovery to the Arctic
regions, which have been prosecuted with so much zeal and ability by the
able officers who have commanded them, one cannot but regret that the
portion of the American coast compr«hended between Repulse Bay and
Point Tumagain, should still remain unexplored while there exists any
probability of finally completing so desirable an object.

** To effect this, I would propose that a small vessel, properly fitted out
with boats, and supplied with provisions for two years, should proceed to
Repidse Bay ; and having anchored there, that a party should be dis-
patched across the Melville Peninsula, which is said to be only three days'
journey, and if after examination it was foimd that the country was not
too uneven for the transporting of goods on wheel carriages, in the man-
ner we passed Portage la Locke (a distance of seven miles) on our return
from the overland expedition, it would not be difficult to convey two
lK)ats, and whatever else might be thought requisite, to the opposite side,
and lay them up in some secure place for the winter. Then in the fol-
lowing season, the party intended to coast as far as Point Turnagain, being
provided with sledges, might proceed with the remainder of what was
necessary for the voyage, and crossing to the boats, start on the first
opening of the water. For such a service, the boats should be about
twenty-four feet long, with a good beam and a flat floor, so as to dra>v
little water ; and the provisions for the crews ought to be entirely com-
posed of pemmican, ira, and sweetened chocolate, a sufficient quantity of
which might be deposited at jutting or other prominent points, for con-
sumption on the return to the vessel, which it is supposed would be in time
enough to ensure her getting out of the Straits the same season. The
expences which at first sight would seem unavoidably connected mth an
undertaking of this nature, might however be greatly dimtnished from
the experience already acquired in the knowledge of what Mraa indispensa-
bly useful for its completion. • • • » I remain your Royal High-
ness's most dutiful and obedient servant,

(Signed) '* Georok Back."

This plan for exploring the country between Repulse Bay
and Point Tumagain was recommended by Sir George Cock-
burn, but it appears that the Lord High Admiral had already

COMMANDERS.

411

>»

determined not to send any more expeditions to the northern
regions. Early in 1829, we find Commander Back oflFering
his services to accompany Captain Hoppner on a voyage of
discovery to tlie south pole.

Towards the close of 1832, strenuous exertions were made
to equip an expedition, with the object of ascertaining the
situation of Captain (now Sir John) Ross, who had left this
country in the summer of 1829, to effect the long- sought
north-west passage. A meeting was held at the office of the
Royal Geographical Society (the Right Hon. Sir George
Cockburn in the chair), by the friends of Captain Ross, at
which it was agreed that he and his companions might
be still alive, and possibly be extricated from their peril-
ous situation by efforts to be made for their relief. This
conclusion was founded on the extent of his preparations,
which were calculated to meet the wants of his party for
three years — on the quantity of stores which it is presumed
he would find untouched in the wreck of the Fury, in
Prince Regent's Inlet *, — and on the fact, that the crews
of two Hudson's Bay vessels, cast away on Marble Island,
in 1/69, subsisted nearly three years on what they could
find, as related by Hearne, and quoted by Barrow, in his
" Chronological History of Arctic Voyages." His Majesty's
Government consented, on certain conditions, to furnish
2000/. towards forwarding the expedition j the sum of 5000/.
was raised by subscription for the same purpose ; the Hud-
son's Bay Company gave directions to provide boats, &c. for
the party free of expence, and gave Commander Back, who
had volunteered to conduct the enterprise, a commission
investing him with full command throughout their extensive
territories, and unlimited authority over all their servants,
the governor alone excepted.

Commander Back sailed from Liverpool, on his errand of
humanity, Feb, 16th, 1833 ; accompanied by Mr. King^ of
the Royal College of Surgeons, in the capacity of surgeon

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* See Suppl. Part IV. p. 363.

1 I*

412

COMMANDERS.

and naturalist to the expedition, and also by three of his
former companions.

The reception of this little party at New York was of the
most gratifying description — a compliment to themselves, to
science, and to philanthropy. The Government of the United
States honoured itself by refusing to receive the duties on
the transit of the articles brought by the expedition through
its territories ; the directors of the Hudson River Steam-
boat Association tendered a vessel for their conveyance to
Albany ; and many were the letters addressed to Commander
Back from different parts of the Union, expressive of the
interest which the writers took in the fate of the expedition.

On the 29th March Commander Back and Mr. King par-
took of a dejeune a la fourcheite given by the British Con-
sul at New York, on which occasion there were present a
numerous assemblage of gentlemen of that mercantile metro-
polis. On the 9th of April, they arrived at Montreal, and
were there joined by four volunteers from the brigade of ar-
tillery quartered in that to\vn. They took their departure
from thence on the 25th April, and during the summer of
1833, reached to about 109 miles from Bathurst's Inlet.

On the 25th April, 1834, a packet from the " Managing
Committee of the Arctic Land Expedition," intimating the
safe return of Captain Ross and his party, and directing him
to confine himself for the future to an exploration of the
territory for scientific purposes, reached Commander Back,
who was then preparing to depart from his winter quarters.
Fort Reliance, at the east end of Great Slave Lake. Pre-
vious to the receipt of this intelligence, he had written to the
Geographical Society as follows : —

" We have had a most distressing winter in this more than Siberian
solitude, where desolation reigns in unbroken repose. Even the animals
have fled from us, as it were by instinct, and many, very many, of the
unhappy natives have fallen victims to famine in situations the most re-
volting to human nature. The fish also, on which I in some measure
relied, left us ; in places which we were told never before failed we have
not caught a fish ; and during the whole season scarcely a living creature
has been seen, except on one occasion a raven, which, in wheeling over
the house, startled me with his croak, so uniform was the silence around

COMMANDERS.

413

e of his

as of the
selves, to
e United
iities on
tlirough
Steam-
yance to
nmander
e of the
pedition.
[ing par-
ish Con-
resent a
e metro-
real, and
de of ar-
leparture
mmer of
ilet.

lanaging
iting the
ting him
n of the
;r Back,
[quarters,
e. Pre-
m to the

n Siberian
le animals
iny, of the
e most re-
3 measure
(I we have
!? creature
eling over
cc around

lis. I ran out, but when it saw me it screamed, and again made off to
tlie western mountains, in the dark shade of wliich it was speedily h»st.
IMy party has been thus much dispersed in quest of food, and every
message has brought me tidings of their encountering severe privations.
Mr. IM'Leod (an agent of the Hudson's Day Company attached to the
party) and his young family are at this moment somewhere on the lake
fishing ; and you may imagine what it costs me to see them also exposed
to the rigours of this severest of all winters, for the mean of three ther-
mometers has been far below the lowest we ever registered in our former
expeditions. After this narrative you may believe that, in spite of all
my care and economy, some part of the provision laid up for our voyage
has been necessarily consumed. Tlie most experienced man in the
country could not have foreseen this ; nor was there any possibility of
avoiding it. My anxiety is immeasurable on account of it ; but I still
hope that the Indians may be enabled to procure us dry food, or in short
something that may afford sustenance, so that the fondest wishes of my
heart may not be frustrated. Of that, however, in one sense, there is
no danger, for come the worst, I can always reduce my men, and go in
one boat. Do not, therefore, let this affect you, for I feel confident of
overcoming it. Another misfortune is, that pinched as we are for pro-
visions, we must drag our boats and luggage almost 100 miles over rock
and ice before we can reach open water. This we have ascertained
through the winter ; but never mind, this also shall be done, and it will
be a new feature in discovery. In our former expeditions, we had none
of these tremendous obstructions to contend mth, though we had to
take our bark canoes some distance in sledges. But I have perfect con-
fidence in my men, and they, good fellows, thhik that I cannot err."

The last letter written by Commander Back, which has
yet reached England, is dated " Fort Reliance, April 29th,
1 834." He and his party were then all well. It is very sa-
tisfactory to know, from despatches received by the com-
mittee of the Hudson's Bay Company, that supplies suffi-
cient to support the expedition during the present winter
were timely forwarded to him.

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414

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFICERS.

SIR JOHN HARVEY, K. C. B.

Fice-Admiral of the Red.
{Fol. I. Part II. p. 613.)

Is the second son of the late Captain John Harvey (who
commanded the Brunsmck 74, and was mortally wounded
on the glorious 1st of June 1794*), hy Judith, daughter of
Henry Wise, of Sandwich, co. Kent, Esq.

We first find this officer commanding I'Actif sloop, which
vessel foundered off Bermuda, Nov. 26th, 1794. He obtained
post rank on the 16th Dec. in the same year ; and was sub-
sequently appointed to the Prince of Wales 98, flag-ship of
his uncle, the late Sir Henry Harvey, K. B. f, under whom
he served at the reduction of Trinidad, in Feb. 1797 1*
During the latter part of the French revolutionary war, he
commanded the Southampton and Amphitrite frigates, on
the Leeward Islands station. In Mar. 1801, he assisted at
the reduction of the Virgin Islands, by the military and naval
forces under Lieutenant-G^ieral Trigge and Rear-Admiral
Duckworth §.

Captain Harvey's next appointment was to the Agamem-
non 64, which ship he commissioned at Chatham in Aug.
1804.

On the 1st Nov. following. Captain Harvey sailed from
St. Helens, in company with a squadron, under Sir John
Orde. On the 18th of the same month, being then off Cadiz^
he was ordered to chase and detain a Spanish frigate, which
surrendered without opposition. Although bound to the

* See Vol. I. l^art II. note at p. 613 et seq.

t See id. p. 191.

X See Vol. I. Part I. p. 112.

§ See Vol. I. Part II. note f at p. 798 et seq.

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFPICERS.

415

colonies, with despatclies announcing the commencement of
hostilities between England and Spain, Sir John Orde di-
rected Captain Harvey to escort this ship back to her own
port. Her consort, the Amphitrite, was soon afterwards
intercepted by Sir Richard J. Strachan, who, being unchecked
by the presence of a superior officer, conducted her to Gib-
raltar, where she was condemned as a prize, and added to
the British navy. On the 27th, the Niger frigate joined
company, with orders to detain all Spanish shipping ; and
in the course of the same day, a large dismasted merchant-
man, from Vera Cruz, was taken possession of by Sir John's
flag-ship, the Swiftsure 7^. On the 30th, Captain Harvey
captured the brig Pomone, from Havannah, laden with sugar
and twenty chests of silver. On the 9th Dec. he was sent to
cruize off Cape St. Vincent, where, in the course of that
month, he had the good fortune to intercept three ships with
cargoes of cochineal, coffee, indigo, sugar, &c., and having
on board 967,461 dollars.

The perilous situation of the Agamemnon, at Gibraltar,
during a most destructive storm, Jan. 31st, 1805, we have
recently noticed *. She rejoined Sir John Orde on the 3d
Feb., and was at anchor off St. Lucar, with main-yard un-
rigged, hold unstowed, and employed in receiving provisions
and stores from transports, when a French squadron from
Toulon, under Mons. Villeneuve, hove in sight, and induced
the British admiral to retire from his station before Cadiz.
The expeditious manner in which she was got ready for
action on that occasion, drew forth the thanks of Sir John
Orde, with whom she returned to England. We next find
her assisting at the capture of two Spanish line-of-battle
ships, by the fleet under Sir Robert Calder, July 22d, 1805 f ,
on which occasion, being stationed in the van, she was much
cut up in her spars and rigging, and had several men wound-
ed. On the 22d Aug. following, she was present at an at-

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* See p. 273 et seq.
t See Vol. I. Part I. p. 406.

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416

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFICERS.

tack made by the veteran Cornwallis upon the rear of the
Brest fleet, then manoeuvring in Bertheaume Bay *.

In Sept. 1805, Captain Harvey was appointed to the
Canada 74, fitting out for the Leeward Islands station, which
ship he paid off at Chatham in Jan. 1808. His subsequent
appointments were, — in June 1809, to the Leviathan 74,
then off Cadiz; — October 1810, to the Royal Sovereign
110, employed in the blockade of Toulon j and Aug. 12th,
1812, to one of the royal yachts. The Leviathan assisted in
driving three French line-of-battle ships and a frigate on
shore, near the mouth of the Rhone, Oct. 25th, 1809 f ; and
had her main- mast shivered by lightning in the summer of
1810. The Royal Sovereign was ordered home from the
Mediterranean in Nov. 1811.

This officer obtained the rank of rear-admiral in Dec. 1813.
He was appointed commander-in-chief at the Leeward Islands
in Aug. 1815 j advanced to the rank of vice-admiral in May
1825; and nominated a Knight Commander of the Most
Honorable Military Order of the Bath, in June 1833.

THOMAS LE MARCHANT GOSSELIN, Esq.

{rol. I. Part II. p. 671.)

Entered the royal navy on the 2d Aug. 1778; and
served under Captain Philip Boteler, in the Actaeon 44, and
Ardent 64, until the latter ship was captured by the com-
bined fleets of France and Spain, in sight of Plymouth, Aug.
16th, 1779 1-

On his return from France, Mr. Gosselin joined the Bar-
fleur 98, bearing the flag of Sir Samuel (afterwards Viscount)
Hood, in which ship he served from Oct. 11th, 1780, until
the peace of 1783. During this period he witnessed the
capture of St. Eustatia, by the naval and military forces
under Sir George B. Rodney and General Vaughan § j and

• See Suppl. Part IV. p. 411, et seq.
See Vol. I. Part I. p. 282. % See id. note * at p. 421.

§ See id, note at p. 127.

ADDENDA tO FLAO-OPPICERS. 417

was in six different actions with the French fleet under Count
De Grasse, viz. off Martinique, April 'iOth, 1781 * ; off the
Chesapeake, Sept. 5th, 1781 f ; off St. Kitts, Jan. 25th and
26th, 1782 1; and off Guadaloupe, April 8th and 12th fol-
lowing, on whicJi latter day the gallant De Grasse was com-
pelled to surrender. On the 17th of the same month, Mr.
Gosselin was present at the capture of two French 64-guu
ships, a frigate, and a corvette, endeavouring to escape
through the Mona passage §. He returned home with Lord
Hood, June 26th, 1783; at which period his present Ma-
jesty was serving as a midshipman on board the Barfleur.

We afterwards find Mr. Gosselin successively serving in
the Carnatic 74, Captain Anthony J. P. Molloy, stationed
at Plymouth; the Nautilus sloop. Captain Maurice Del-
garno; the Grampus 50, bearing the broad pendant of
Commodore Edward Thompson, on the coast of Africa ; and
the Triumph 74, and Barfleur 98, both bearing the flag of
Lord Hood. His first commission bears date Dec. 1st,
1787.

In Sept. 1788, Lieutenant Gosselin was appointed to
the Atalanta sloop. Captain Delgarno ; and in Jan, 1789,
he sailed for the East Indies, in company with a squadron
under Commodore the Hon. William Cornwallis, who re-
moved him into his own ship, the Crown 64, shortly after
their arrival on that station. In Nov. 1791, he followed the
commodore into the Minerva 38, and served as first lieute-
nant of that frigate until promoted to the command of the
Dispatch armed brig, April 23d, 1793.

We next find this officer appointed. Mar. 19th, 1794, to
the Kingsfisher sloop, then on the Downs station, but subse-
quently attached to the North Sea and Channel fleets. On
the 7th June, 1795, being then in company with a squadron

• See Vol. II. Part I. p. 62.

t See Vol. I. Part I. note at p. 133.

X See Vol. II. Part I. notes at pp. 63—65.

§ See td. note f at p. 62, and Vol. I. Part I. note at pp. 35—39.

VOL, IV, PART II.

2 K

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418

ADDENDA TO FLAn-OPFICKRS.

f

under Vice- Admiral Cormvallis, off Bellcislo, lie assisted at
the capture of part of a French convoy from Rourdeaux,
laden with ^vine and naval stores. On the 4th July foUow-
inj?, the Vice-Admiral sent him an order to act as captain of
the Brunswick 7"^^ which appointment was confirmed on the
23d of the same month. This command he held until Oct.
1795.

Captain Gosselin's next appointments were, April 22, 1/96,
to the Diamond 38 ; and July 25th, to the Syren 32 ; hoth
on the St. Marcou station. In Mar. 1798, he was employed
in convoying to the Leeward islands and Jamaica, a large
fleet of merchantmen, the masters of which presented him
with a valuable sword. On the 20th Aug. 1799, he was pre-
sent at the surrender of Surinam to the naval and military
forces under Lord Hugh Seymour and 1/ieutenant-General
Trigge ; after which he escorted another fleet to England.
During the summer of 1 ^'OO, he was in attendance upon King
George IH. at Weymouth. In Feb. 1801, he again took
charge of the outward-bound West India trade ; and on the
23d Oct. following, removed into the Melampus 36, at Ja-
maica J from whence he returned home, and was paid off, in
June, 1802.

On the 2d Feb. 1804, Captain Gosselin was appointed to the
Ville de Paris 110, bearing the flag of Admiral Cornwallis, then
commander-in-chief of the Channel fleet, in which ship he
remained until Sept. following, when he was removed to the
Latona 38, and entrusted with the command of the in-shore
squadron off Brest. For his services while thus employed,
he received the thanks of Admirals Cornwallis, Lord Gardner,
and Sir Charles Cotton. On the 4th Feb. 1806, he assumed
the command of the Audacious 74.

Among the captures made by Captain Gosselin, in the
Syren and Latona, were several French and Spanish priva-
teers. One of the latter was the Amphion, of twelve guns
and seventy men.

On the 1 9th May, 1806, the Audacious, then forming part
of a squadron under Sir Richard J. Strachan, sailed from
Plymouth in pursuit of six French line-of-battle ships j and on

Alil)£Ni)A TO FLAr.-OFKICKns.

419

the 8th Aug., after having cruised for some time off Madeira
and the Canaries, anchored in Carlisle Bay, Harbadoes. A
few days afterwards, when about eight degrees to the north-
ward of that island, she was totally dismasted in a hurricane.
In I8O7, we find her attached to the Channel fleet; aiul in
the beginning of 1808, employed in the blockade of Ferrol.
She subsequently accompanied the army under Sir John
Moore from the Downs to Sweden. This force came back to
England under her protection in the month of July following.

In Aug. 1808, Captain Gosselin, with Sir Harry Burrard
and other general officers as his guests on board the Auda-
cious, convoyed a large body of troops to Portugal j and after
their debarkation at Mariera, proceeded to the River Tagus,
where he continued under the orders of Sir Charles Cotton,
until the retreat of Sir John Moore to Coruna, from whence
he escorted home a fleet of transports. In Jan. 1809, he
received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, for his
" unremitted exertions " in embarking the army after the
battle of Coruna, the official despatches relative to Avhich were
written by Lieutenant-General Sir John Hope, on board the
Audacious.

Captain Gosselin resigned his command in Mar. 1809;
and was prevented by ill-health from accepting a subsequent
appointment to the Cressy 74. He obtained the rank of
flag-officer on the 4th June, 1814 j and became a Vice-
Admiral in May 1825.

The subject of this memoir was married. Mar. 18th, 1809,
by the Archbishop of York, to Sarah, daughter of the late
Jeremiah Hadsley, Esq., of Ware Priory, Herts.

■»"**•

I":

SIR CHARLES ROWLEY, K. C. B., K. M. T.

Fice-Admiral of the White. — One of the Lords Commissioners of the

Admiralty, and a Groom of his Majesty^ s Bedchamber.

{rol. I. Part II ij. 6/2.)

This officer is the fourth son of the late Vice- Admiral Sir

Joshua Rowley, Bart., by Sarah, daughter of Bartholomew

Burton, Esq., Deputy-Go^'crnor of the Bank of England,

and a grandson of the late Sir William Rowley, K. B., Ad-

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420 ADOSNDA TO FLAG-OFFJCKRS.

miral of the Fleet, Vice- Admiral of England, and a Ijord of
the Admiralty, who died on the Ist Jan. 1/68.

The subject of this memoir was made a lieutenant in 1/89 ;
and appointed acting captain of the Hussar frigate in the
summer of 1794. He subsequently commanded the Lynx
sloop, and captured numerous French merchant vessels, on
the North American station. In Mar. 1796, being then act-
ing captain of the Cleopatra frigate, he captured I'Aurore,
French privateer, of ten guns. He afterwards resumed the
command of the Hussar, at Halifax, and continued in that
ship until paid off, about the end of the same year. His ad-
vancement to post rank took place on the 1st Aug. 1795.

We next find Captain Rowley commanding 1* Unite 36, and
displaying great firmness during the general mutiny in 17^^7'
He subsequently captured the French 18-gun corvette Decou-
verte, the brig- privateer Brunette, of ten guns and eighty
men, and several other armed vessels, on the Channel station.
Captain Rowley left I'Unitd, in consequence of bursting u
blood-vessel ; but after the lapse of a few months, he was
appointed to the Prince George 9^, fiag-ship of his brother-
in-law, the late Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, IJart. In the
spring of 1801, he was removed into the Boadicea frigate,
and entrusted with the command of a light squadron, em •
ployed in Quiberon Bay, where he greatly molested the
enemy. On the 20th Aug. following, his boats, in company
with those of the Fisgard and Boadicea frigates, cut out from
the harbour of Coruna, a new Spanish national ship. El
Neptuna, pierced for twenty guns, a gun-boat mounting one
long 32-pounder, and a merchant vessel.

In 1804, Captain Rowley commanded the Ruby 64, suc-
cessively employed in the North Sea and off Cadiz, on which
latter station, whilst under the orders of Sir John Orde, he
destroyed two of the enemy's privateers. Subsequently to
his return from thence, we find liim stationed off the Scheldt j
and in Nov. 1805, appointed to the Eagle 74, destined to
the Mediterranean, which ship he joined at Spithead.

The Eagle formed pait of the squadron under Sir W. Sid-
ney Smith, employed in disarming the coasts of Naples and
Calabria, in the summer of 1806. The following are ex-

ADUKNDA TO FLAG-OFFICK IIS.

421

tracts of that officer's public letter, rcportiiii^ the capture of
the island of Capri : —

** Ccipri, from its situation, protecting' the coastinjjf communication
southward, was a great object for the enemy to keep, and by so much
one for me to wrest from him. I accordingly summoned the French
commandant to surrender (May 11th, 1806), and, on his non-ac(iuies-
cence, directed Captain Rowley to cover the landing of marines and
boats' crews, and caused an attack to be made under his orders. That
brave officer placed his ship judiciously, nor did he open his fire till she
was secured, and her distance marked by the effect of musketiy on the
quarter-deck, where the first lieutenant, Janies ('rawley, was wounded,
and a seaman killed. An hour's firing from both decks of the Eagle,
with that of two Neapolitmi mortar-boats, drove the enemy from the
vineyards within their walls ; the marines were landed, and gallantly led
by Captain Bunco ; the seamen, in like manner, under Lieutenants Mor-
rell and Redding, of the Eagle and Pomp^e, mounted the steps, for siu'li
M'us their road, headed by the officers, nearest to the narrow path, by
which alone they could ascend. Lieutenant (W. F.) Carroll had thus an
opportunity of particularly distinguishing himself. Captaui Stanners,
commanding the Athenienne's marines, gallantly j»ressing forward, carried
the heights, and the French commandant fell by his hand ; this event
being known, the enemy beat a parley, * * * the capitulation annexed
was signed, and the garrison allowed to march out, and pass over to
Naples, with every honor of war."

The loss sustained by the Eagle on this occasion amounted
to no more than two men killed, and her first lieutenant and
ten men wounded. Captain Rowley was afterwards severely
injured by a shell, while employed on shore in the defence of
Gaieta, to which fortress, on hearing of the straitened cir-
cumstances of its garrison, he had hastened from the Bay of
Naples. Previously to the surrender of Gaieta by the Nea-
politan Governor, Captain Rowley brought off the guns which
before his arrival had been landed from British men-of-war.
He likewise superintended the embarkation of the troops of
His Sicilian Majesty.

The Eagle was attached to the grand armament sent against
Antwerp, in 1809 ; and we find part of her officers and crew
employed in the defence of Fort Matagorda, near Cadiz, in
April, 1810*. She captured the French frigate Corceyre,
pierced for 40 guns, mounting 28, ^vith a complement of 1/0

• See Vol. in. Part I. p. 212, et teq.

.4

rS^'

iv- <; (

(m

1 '^

■ i . ■■■,-
I" ■■

M

t'I'iS

Ua

422

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFICERS.

iJ

men, having on board 130 soldiers and three hundred tons of
wheat, from Trieste bound to Corfu, Nov. 27th, 1811. At this
period Captain Rowley was the senior officer in the Adriatic.

On the 20th July 1812, the marines of the Eagle, and a
military detachment under Captain Rutherford, of H. M.
35th regiment, stormed and destroyed the battery of Cape
Ceste. On the 22d of the same month, her boats, command-
ed by Lieutenant Augustus Cannon, captured a Franco-
Venetian gun-boat ; and in Sept. following, that officer was
mortally wounded while making a successful attack upon an
enemy's convoy, near the mouth of the River Po : two gun-
boats and fifteen armed merchant vessels, the latter laden
with oil, were captured on this occasion.

In June, 1813, the boats of the Eagle, in conjunction with
those of the Elizabeth 74, destroyed a two-gun battery at
Omago, on the coast of Istria, and brought out four vessels
laden with wine, which had been scuttled near that town.
At the same time the marines of those ships obliged about
100 French soldiers to decamp. Captain Rowley's gallant
conduct at the capture of Fiume, July 3d, 1813, was highly
conspicuous, as will be seen by the following copy of an
official despatch, addressed to the commander-in-chief on
the Mediterranean station : —

" //. M. S. Mll/ord, off Porto R^, July 6th, 1813.
" Sir, — I have the honor to acquaint you, that on the 28th ult. I left
Melada, and on the 30th, assembled the Elizabeth and Eagle, off Pro-
montorio. On the 1st inst. the squadron entered the Quarnier Channel,
and on the 2d, in the evening, anchored about four miles from Fiume,
which was defended by four batteries, mounting fifteen heavy guns. On
the 3d, in the morning, the ships named in the margin * weighed with a
light breeze from the S. W. with the intention of attacking the sea line of
batteries (for which the arrangement had been previously made and com-
municated), leaving a detachment of boats and marines with the Haughty,
to storm the battery at the mole head, as soon as the guns were silenced :
but the wind very light, shifting to the S. E., mth current from the river,
broke the ships off, and the Eagle could only fetch the second battery,
opposite to which she anchored. The enemy could not stand the well-
directed fire of that ship. This being communicated by telegraph, I made
the signal to storm, when Captain Rowley, leading in his gig the first de-
tachment of marines, took possession of the fort, and hoisted the king's

* Milford 74, Elizabeth 74, Eegle 74, Bacchante 38, and Haughty gun-brig.

d tons of
. At this
Adriatic,
e, and a
)f H.M.

of Cape
)mmand-

Franco-
ficer was

upon an
two gun-
ter laden

tion with
attery at
ir vessels
at town,
ed about
s gallant
IS highly
jy of an
chief on

//, 1813.
1 ult. I left
2, off Pro-
• Channel,
)m Fiume,
juns. On
lied with a
sea line of
and com-
! Haughty,
silenced :
the river,
d battery,
1 the well-
)h, I made
le first de-
the king's

ADDENDA TO Ki.AG -OFFICE US. 423

TJolours, whilst Captain Hostc, with the marines of the Milford, took and
spiked the guns of the first battery, which was under the fire of the Mil-
ford and Bacchante, and early evacuated. Captain Rowley, leaving a
party of seamen to turn the guns of the second battery against the others,
without losing time, boldly dashed on through the town, although annoyed
by the enemy's musketry from the windows of the houses, and a field-
piece placed in the centre of the great street ; but the marines, headed
by Lieutenants Lloyd and Nepean, and the seamen of the boats, pro-
ceeded with such firmness, that the enemy retreated before them, draw-
ing the field-piece until they came to the square, where they made a
stand, taking post in a large house. At this time the boats nith their
carronades, under Captain Markland, opened against the gable end of it
with such effect, that the enemy gave way at all points, and I was grati-
.fied at seeing them forsake the town in every direction. Captain Hoste,
with his division, followed close to Captain Rowley, and on their junction,
the two batteries, with the field-piece, stores, and shipping, were taken
possession of, the governor and every officer and man of the garrison
having run away. Considering the number of troops in the town, above
three hundred and fifty, besides natives, our loss has been trifling ; one
marine of the Eagle killed; Lieutenant Lloyd, and five seamen and ma-
rines wounded. Nothing could exceed the spirit and disposition mani-
fested by every captain, officer, seaman and marine, in the squadron.

" Although the town was stormed in every part, by the prudent ma-
"i-. •> 'nt of Captains Rowley and Hoste, not an individual has been
; !. ..'^' /ed, nor has any thing been taken away, except what was afloat,
anu in the government stores.

*' I heremth send a return of the property and vessels captured, and
have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " T. F. Fremantle, Rear- Admiral."

" To Fice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, Bart. 8fc"

" A List of Vessels, Stores, 8fc, taken and destroyed at Fittme, on the 3d

July, 1813.
** Ninety vessels, more than half of the smaller class were returned to
the proprietors, thirteen sent to Lissa, laden with oil, grain, powder, and
merchandise ; the rest were destroyed. Fifty-nine iron guns (part only
mounted), rendered totally useless. Eight brass 18-pounders and one
field-piece, taken away, five hundred stand of small arms, two hundred
barrels of gunpowder, rations of bread for 70,000 men, and two maga-
zmes, with stores, &c., burnt.

(Signed) , " T. F. Fremantle."

On the 5th July 1813, the squadron under Rear- Admiral
Fremantle moved from Fiume to Porto R^, then abandoned
by the enemy. A detachment of boats went up to Bocca Rd,

' gun-brig.

ici

434

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFICERS.

I HI

where thirteen vessels were scuttled ; one of them only could
be recovered. The guns at this place, ten in number, were
rendered useless, the carriages burnt, and the works blown
up. At Porto Rd, the enemy had spiked the guns, and
thrown their ammunition into the sea. Two days after-
wards, the fortress of Farasina, mounting five I8-pounders,
was attacked by the Eagle, and after some resistance, stormed
and destroyed, under cover of her fire, by a party of seamen
and marines ; the former, headed by Lieutenants Richard
Green and William Hotham, the latter by Lieutenant Samuel
Lloyd.

Sailing along the coast of Istria, Aug. 2d, 1813, in com-
pany with the Bacchante frigate. Captain Rowley discovered
a convoy of twenty-one smI at anchor in the harbour of Ro-
vigno. Conceiving the capture of them feasible, he com-
municated his intentions to Captain Hoste, who led in, and
a firing was commenced on the batteries. After some re-
sistance they were abandoned; when the royal marines of
each ship landed, drove the enemy out of the town, disabled
the guns, and demolished the different works, without suffer-
ing any other accident than one pvivate, belonging to the
Eagle, wounded. The enemy scuttled the greater part of the
vessels ; but by the active exertions of the officers and men
employed, the whole were either completely destroyed or
brought off, and others, building or under repair, burnt.

The operations against Trieste, in which Captain Rowley
bore a most conspicuous part, are thus detailed by Rear-
Admiral Fremantle :

" H. M. S. Milford, Oct. 31*/, ISls!
" I arrived at Capo D'Istria on the 21st ultimo, and remained there,
in constant correspondence with General Count Nugent, who was ha-
rassing the army of the Viceroy • on his retreat, until the morning of the
6th instant, when I sailed for Trieste. Count Nugent, who continued to
follow the enemy, left some troops near Trieste, and the port was com-
pletely blockaded by sea. On the 10th, about noon, the enemy surprised
us by opening a masked battery upon the Milford. The marines and
two field-piecea were landed. On the 11th, Count Nugent returned

* Eugene Beauharnois.

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFICKKS.

425

nly could
jer, were
ks blown
uns, and
ys after-
)ounders,
, stormed
if seamen
Richard
Lt Samuel

in com-
iscovered
ar of Ro-

he com-
1 in, and
some re-
larines of
, disabled
(Ut suffer-
ng to the
^art of the

and men
troyed or
urnt.
n Rowley
by Rear-

Ut, 1813.
ained there,
vho was ha-
rning of the
:ontinued to
rt was com-
ly surprised
narines and
nt returned

from Oorizia, having obliged the Viceroy to pass the Isonzo. It was
then determined to lay siege to the castle. By the 16th, in the morning,
we had twelve g^uns in two batteries, which opened their fire and con-
tinued nearly the whole day ; towards the evening the enemy was driven
from the Windmill, which was taken possession of by the Austrian troops,
and two howitzers advanced there. The firing was continued occasion-
ally until noon on the 23d, by which time Captain Rowley had got a
32-pounder within t>vo hundred yards of the Shanza, where there was a
strong building with one gun, and loop holes in it, standing upon a hill,
with a wall round it nearly fourteen feet high, an officer and sixty men.

" We had had some communication with the castle in the morning,
and the truce was broke oiF at a very short notice by the enemy, who
opened on all sides. The 32-pounder was fired upon the Shanza. The
first shot the gun recoiled, and the ground giving way, it fell backward
off the platform, which was six feet above the level. It was fine to see
Captain Rowley and his people immediately get a triangle above the
u'ork, and the 32-pounder ^vith its carriage, run up to its place again
under a shower of grape and musketry, which occasioned a severe loss.
Towards evening, the enemy in the Shanza held out the white flag, and
surrendered to Captain Rowley. Having now possession of the Shanza,
which commanded the castle and the Windmill hill, we set to work upon
some advanced batteries within four hundred yards of the castle ; but the
weather was so wet, and the labour so great, that it was not until the
morning of the 29th that they were complete, when the enemy acceded
to our altered propositions for surrendering the castle. We were pre-
pared to have opened with eleven 32-pounders, twelve 18-pounders, four
mortars, and four howitzers.

" Every captain, officer, and person in the squadron has done his duty.
Captain Rowley has been, as usual, most prominent on every occasion.
I admired the example he shewed at the attack of the Shanza, with the
coiu^e and activity of Lieutenants Hotham and Moore, and Mr. Hib-
bert, midshipman of the Eagle. Captain Angelo, of the 21st regiment,
was foremost in shewing where to place fascines to protect the men,
whilst the gun was getting up.

" I beg to recommend to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty,
Captain Moresby, of his Majesty's sloop Wizard. He commanded one
of the batteries from the 16th until the 24th, when he was ordered to
form a battery with four 32-pounder8, within breaching distance : in the
course of nfty-six hours, under all the disadvantages of weather, &c. he,
with fifty men from the Milford, and twenty from the Wizard, completed
the whole without any assistance whatever. And I must also mention the
good conduct of Mr. William Watts, acting master of the said sloop, who
was severely wounded. Captain Dunn, of the It^ermaid, was also very
assiduous on every occasion. Captain Markland commanded the ma-
rines, and I have to thank him for exerting himself in every way ; par-
ticidarly in the arrangements of stores and provisions. Wc have at timcp

r%;'r

m\

■'■ J

426

ADDENDA TO PLAG-OFFIC£RS.

\m.

!; 3

i

had one thousiuul two hundred men on shore, at work and in the bat-
teries, and the general good conduct of the officers, seamen, and marines,
with the harmony that has invariably subsisted between the Austrian
troops and our people, is quite gratifying to me.

'* When we opened against the citadel it contained eight hundred
Frenchmen, forty-five large guns, four mortars, and four howitzers.

" The consequences of the taking this place will be felt throughout this
country; and General Nugent has deservedly all the merit of having
liberated these provinces in the space of two months, with so small a force.
About fifty sail of vessels were taken in this port. Our loss has not been
so great as might have been expected under all the circumstances."
— (Eagle, 4 killed, 7 wounded — total loss, 10 slain, 35 wounded).

Captain Rowley continued to serve in the Adriatic until
the fall of Ragusa made the allies masters of every fortress
in Dalmatia, Croatia, I stria, and the Frioul, with all the
islands in that sea. In April 1814, he attended Louis 18th
from England to France ; and in the following month, he
obtained the royal permission to accept and wear the insignia
of a Knight of the Imperial Military Order of Maria Theresa,
which had been conferred upon him by the Emperor of Aus-
tria, " in testimony of the high sense entertained by that
sovereign of his distinguished gallantry and services." He
was advanced to the rank of rear-admiral on the 4th June
1814, nominated a Knight Commander of the Most Honor-
able Military Order of the Bath, Jan. 2d, 1S15; and ap-
pointed to the chief command in the River Medway, towards
the close of the latter year.

fciir Charles Rowley's next appointment was, in the au-
tumn of 1820, to be commander-in chief on the Jamaica sta-
tion, then much infested with pirates. Immediately on those
desperadoes attempthig to insult the flag of Great Britain,
this active ofl&cer took such effectual steps that many vessels
were captured and destroyed by the cruisers under his orders.
Of the survivors of their lawless crews, about thirty were
sentenced to death, and executed at Port Royal. He returned
home, with his flag on board the Sybille 44, in May 1823 j
was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral in May 1825 ; no-
minated a Groom of His Majesty's Bed-chamber, Nov. 23d,
1832 ; and appointed one of the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty, in Dec. 1834.

Sir Charles married Elizabeth, youngest daughter of the

I in the but-
uul marines,
he Austrian

ht hundred
vitzers.
oughout this
it of having
nail a force,
las not l)een
uinstances."
ded).

iatic until
ry fortress
th all the
L^ouis 18th
iionth, he
le insignia
ft Theresa,
or of A US-
id by that
L-es." He
! 4th June
st Honor-
; and ap-
y, towards

n the au-
niaica sta-
y on those
it Britain,
ny vessels
Ills orders,
lirty were
e returned
lay 1823;
1825; no-
Nov. 23d,
ers of the

;er of the

ADDENDA TO FLAQ-OFFICERS.- 42/

late Admiral Sir Richard King, Bart., and sister to the re-
cently deceased commander-in-chief at Sheerness. One of
his sons, Richard Freeman Rowley, is a captain in the navy * ;
his youngest daughter is married to the Earl of Kinnoul.

SIR ROBERT WALLER OTWAY, Bart. K. C. B.

yice-Adniiral of the fFhite, and one of the Grooms of His Majesty's Bed-
chamber in Ordinary.

{Fol.I.Partll. p.m\.)

The property acquired by one of this officer's ancestors,
in Ireland, during the c^vil wars, is known by the name of
Castle Otway. His father was Cooke Otway, Esq. an officer
of dragoons ; and his mother, a daughter of Sir Robert
Waller, Bart, of Lisbrian, one of the commissioners of the
Irish revenue, and M. P. for Dundalk (who died in Aug.
1780), was niece to Robert, first Viscount Jocelyn, a lawyer
of great eminence, who filled the offices of solicitor and at-
torney-general in the reigns of George I. and II., and was
nominated Lord High Chancellor of Ireland on the 7th Sept.
1739.

During the action between the Thorn and le Courier
National, May 25th, 1795 \, a shot from the enemy broke
Captain Otway's sword in two, whilst he was holding it
across his legs, without doing him any injury.

Captain Otway's services during the Carib war in the
island of St. Vincent |, having attracted the attention of
Sir John Laforey, who had succeeded Vice-Admiral Cald-
well in the chief command on the Leeward Islands station,
he promoted him to post rank in la Matilde 24, but in
consequence of a change at the Admiralty, and his commis-
sion as commander not having been confirmed, he was
ordered by the new Board to resume his former situation as
lieutenant of the Majestic. However, upon a representation
of the circumstance by Sir John Laforey, Earl Spencer imme-

* See Vol. III. Part II. p. 125.
t See Vol. I. Part II. p. 693. t Sec id. id.

::;}

m

428

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFICEIlS.

32, by

commission
is an extract of Sir

diately posted him into the Mermaid
dated Oct. 30th, 1795. The following
John's letter, addressed to Evan Nepean, Esq. : —

" Upon this occasion, I cannot dispense with doing justice to Captains
Vaughan and Otway, by a representation to their lordships of their
merits. Upon my arrival at Martinique, the former, who commanded
la Matilde, and the latter the Thorn sloop, were recommended to my
notice in very strong terms by both the commanders-in-chief, for their
great activity, diligence, and exertions in their line of duty. Captain
Vaughan had been remarkably active in several instances ; Captain Ot-
way has particular and signal services to speak for him ; for one, I will
beg leave to refer to Vice-Admiral Caldwell's letter to you. Sir, dated at
Spithead, the 29th July, 1795, \vhieh I have seen published, giving an
account of his having captured a French ship of war, le Courier National,
of eighteen 9 and 6-pounders and 119 men, by boarding her. He has
had a present of a gold-hilted sword made him by the legislature
of this island, for his activity and vigilance in the protection of it, when
stationed here. The highest encomiums of him have been transmitted
to me from the legislature of St. Vincent during their distresses,
where I had sent him for their protection ; and he has obtained my
approbation of his gallant and spirited conduct there in more instances
than one, particularly when there was a necessity for forcing a strong
post the enemy possessed, and the land force was not sufficient ; he landed
with his men, and led the way to the attack, when the opposition was so
great that the private men of the troops could not be induced by their
officers to advance. I knew nothing of either of these gentlemen when
I came here, but on account of their merit, I removed Captain Vaughan
to the Alarm, a larger frigate, and gave post rank to Captain Otway in
la Matilde."

The late Admiral George Bowen, who was captain of the
Carnatic 74, and witnessed Captain Otway 's conduct in de-
stroying a Spanish guarda-costa, and saving the Trent and
Ceres frigates from being wrecked in the Gulf of Mexico *,.
subsequently wrote to him as follows : —

" Those ships (without any flattery or compliment) would never have
got off the shoal had it not been for your prompt and personal courage
and seamanship. I sent you all my boats, and took the liberty of sug-
gesting to you, by one of the lieutenants I sent, that as long as the Spanish
gun-boats' heavy stern-chasers bore on the direction where the boats
were towing out the anchors and cables, it would be impossible to save

Ii:

(

/ See Vol. I. Part II. p. 696.

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFFCBRS.

429

either of the frigates ; and also, that I observed from tlie mast-head, in
the oflinj^, that large detachments of cavalry were coming in all directions
to protect the gun-vessel on shore. Upon your being informed of these
circumstances, you took your own and the Carnatic's boats, gallantly
rowed up to the gun-vessel, boarded and set her on fire ; then got off
your own frigate, by being able to lay out an anchor, and then
heaved off Bagot's fine new frigate, which, upon his death shortly after,
you had given to you as a reward for being the sole cause of saving both
ships."

On the 7tli April, 17^*9, eight days after the capture of
I'Alexandre and le Revenge, French privateers, a Spanish
armed brig, and some coasters, oh the south side of Porto
Rico *, the boats of the Trent cut out two Spanish armed
vessels from Aguada Bay, at the N. W. end of the same
island f.

The follovring is an extract of a letter written by Captain
(now Sir Thomas) Ussher, in Nov. 1826 :—

" I am most anxious to add my testimony to that of others in stating
the meritorious and gallant services of my friend Sir Robert Otway, when
I was lieutenant of the Trent. In a national point of view it is right to
do so, for it is right that services and activity like his should be recorded
as examples to the service. He is, in my humble opinion, one of the
best seamen in the service, certainly that I ever sailed iindcr, and as un-
doubtedly the most active. It is also most tnie of him, that he had
courage to execute whatever his head planned, however daring might be
the attempt. There was also so much method in his manner of carrying
on the service, that his ofBcers and men, though in a constant state of
activity, had perhaps as much leisure as any other ship's company, and
no one was more attentive to the comforts of both officers and men. I
may also mention that the Trent was considered the most perfect man-
of-war in the West Indies, and always ready to go into action in five
minutes : there was no unnecessary display on board of polished bolts or
nail-heads ; but every rope and spar was in its place, and the decks con-
stantly kept clear. When at sea, and after the men had l)een exercised
at quarters, the captain visited every gun, and saw that it was ready and
in order ; after which inspection not a rope-yarn or chip was to be seen
at or near any of the guns. With respect to nerve or presence of mind
in real danger, no man possessed more ; as an extraordinary instance of
which I may state the following :

•* When cruising oflf the coast of South America, I was ordered by

li;r

* Sec Vol. I. Part II. p. 697.
t See Supp. Part I. p. 324, et teq.

'ISO

ADDRNDA TO riAri-OFrKKAf.

:;f

('nptnlii Ottvny (it Mii(f tny wntrli on i]vvU) (o rrconiiittlrn l<n^iitrn, ntul
l(» Mniid woll ill for tlint. piirponn. As I I<H(mv wlini " Htnml wi-ll in •'
inoiinl, 1 ntood williin Knii-nliot o(°lli<< tou-n ; Inif tho wind <lyin^ Hiiddi-tily
jMvny, I wont down niid ii«'<|niiinlpd tlio niptiiin of the rirrnniHtnncr, wlin,
coniinp' npon di>rl<, mid porn'ivinif onr i-ritind Hihiation, iind tliiit w«>
Rlionid Im< ()X|)ORod lo H liPiivy fin* from llic iMillnicH, it inHtiintly ocnirrt'd
to him, tliiil, linvini; Nome 5piiniHli piiRoncrN on lioiird, il wonid Im< ii ^rood
opportunity to Rxidinn^fn Ihom ; iind lie iiiHtanlly lioiKlod ii tlit^ of tniro
for Unit piirpoNO. Hnl iit tliiit moinnit w Itoiit wiih oliHcrvcd coming fnnii
the Hlior«*( mid on arriving iilongHidc, Ciiptnin (Mwtiy wiih luvpimntod lliiii
nn uido-dc-nimp of llic jjovornor luid Hovcnd pt'0|d(' of diHtinrtion wrro
hi her, nnd (liat tlicy liiid <*oino to demand the Hiirrcndrr of tin* nliip,
n»n»idorinjr ln»r to ho so no«r fho hattrrios an to rondor iiroIohh any nt-
tonipt to ffot nway. Ho oivilly invited iIkmii on hoanl flio Tront, niul
(lion .sont a luial oif to llio ^ovornor, to nay tliat if n shot wiih firod at tho
Trout, ho would hang' ovory Spaniard at llio yard-arniH, and hiow the
t«m-n alionl his cars. To iiihI<o it appoar tliat ho wan in oarno.st, In; in-
stantly Iio^an roovin>f yaid-ropos and oloarin^' for aotion, which ho intiiiii-
datod tho povornor, that ho <piio(ly ropliod, ho would jrivo him twonly-
fonr honrs to jfot from nndor tho hatforioH. Thns !»y hin promptitudo,
onorjry, ftnd roadlnoHs, did wo 08oapo n Spaiiinh prinon.

'* Whon wo woro oruisin^ ofi'the oonst of I'orlo llioo, looking' out for
vossols oxpootcd Blon^r nhoro, Lioutcnant WIloy, of tho Sparrow cnltor,
came on hoard for ordorn, and to know how noar tho shoro ho was to
keep; whon Captain (Mw»y told him he expooiod tho Sparrow wonId
alwaya ho at ni^ht on thr vitsh offhr surf. In thin rospoot ho iilwayH Hot
H nohlo oxaniplc hiniRolf; nnd it was n inattor of p<<rfoot in<lifl\'ronoo lo
him whothor it was a loo or woathor nhoro j whorovor tho onoiny wiih
expet'tod there wan tho Tront, with loadH.man in tho oliaiiiH and anohorH
roa«iy. With rog^anl tosoiuiinj>- hoats on sorvioo, if the duty to ho por-
forinod was oonsidorod dan^ormis, he ponorally wont hiinsolf (as a volnn-
toer\ nnless the silnation of tho ship ro<piirod him to remain on hoard ;
and ho several times did me the honor to come in the hoat, advisinjjf, but
not comtuandin^."

Whon tho floot timlor Sir Hyilc Parker, destined to act
against the Northern Confederacy *, arrived in the Cattcgat,
a consultation took phice between the fljig-oflicers and senior
captains, as to the best means of carryhig into effect the ob-
ject of the expedition ; and it was at hist decided that it
should be by the Belt.

" Captain OtM-ay was not present at the consultation ; hut after it had

• See Vol. I. Part II. p. 6.98.

AnnFNT»A TO vi.\<t'nvvirr.ni.

431

l»rt>krn lip, and NrlMdn mwl thr otlirr miprrlor oflflrrrH liiul ((one rm lioRrd
fliclr rr«|»rctiv«' hIi'hh, tin" «iirnn1 wns rrmflf fur tlif tti'ci to tn.'ik^ Mail, and
the l';«l|^iir (7i) \vm iirtimlly lfa«rm(( tlirori((li ttic WvU, wlifn (lupffiin Otwfiy
niiiicto ft kiirt\vl«M|)rc »if tlir irirnHiin' wliirli luwl li'-rri dfrldcd «»n. Tli»>in,'|i
lie wftH Rtlll II ymitijf poHt-rapfain, IiIh coinitrrhffiHivj' m'lrifl iriMtarifly told
hirii, that if mirh mrasiirr* wvro prrsrv^Trd in, flic uliolc oltjcrt, of tlic
rxpc'dirioii wonid lie ilcffatcd ; that, tin- j(<tinjf roiin«l to (!r»pfnhai(('n l»y
tlip ti'dioHH puHHii^'P of tlif Hcit, would Uv aU«-nd»'»l with diflinilticK vvliich
could ncvfT \w Hiirnioiint(*(l by i-vfn thr «'n«Tp5oH of (tritiKh sfiiinr'n, an
the ulioln of tlir jriins and hnivy «f,orcH hrlonxinif to the linc-of-l»at.tl(;
Hlii|m iniiHf Imvc liccn tiikcn out. to nuildf tliciii to pass tlic • (ironndH.'
HIh Hitnatioii was fxtrnnt-ly rloliratc ; \\u' plan had hrcn docidrd on by
nil the Ha^cR of thr fleet ; hnt with Hiieh a eonviction on hin mind, Oap-
tain Otway determined on layinjf hi« opinion bef(»re the eomniaiider-in-
<'hief. l''ortunately his intimacy with Sir Ifyde Parker ffreutly faeilitated
this deHirnlde object ; and it waw etpially fortunate that Sir llyde was not
n man to persevere in an error when pointed out. 'I'lie interview almont
inHtiintly took place, and the admiral ofl Hoon became convinced that he
waH n«»t taking the Rhrtrte^t n»iite to victory, which was apeedily acknow-
led»^e«l l»y the captain of the fleet, the late Sir William Domett. The
fleet was ajjain brouj^ht to, and Oaptain Otway was Rent tr) apprise liord
NcIhou of the reaHonn. On explaining to hin fiordHhip the alteration
that had been made in t'je route, he exclaimed, ' I don't care a d — n by
which paHsajfe we ^o, ho i!uit we fijrht thf^m.' He det(!rmined to return
with (laptain Otway to the eommand(!r-in-chief, and, in consequence of
the wind blowinjj fresh, was hoisted out in one of the boats ; and on hia
arrival on board the liondon, every thinj; was finally arranged agreeably
to the plan suggested by Oaptain Otway*."

The particularH relating to the attack on the Danish fleet
before Copenhagen, we have detailed in our memoir of Sir
Thomas Foley f.

•' Owing to the London not forming part of the division ordered to
engage the enemy, there appeared at the commencement of the battle
but little probability of Captain Otway taking uny share in it : yet he
became one of the principal actors ; and we will venture to say, that bis
services on that occasion were equal to those of any other officer em.
ployed. Lord Nelson's alone excepted. The early part of the action waa
viewed by him at a (listance : it was an anxious period, and must have
been mortifying to all those who, like hunself, possessed an ardent desire
to signalize themselves in such a contest. When Sir Hyde saw the cri«

ri

m

S)''.

• Rnlfe's Naval Biography, vol. 4. p. 11, et seq.
t See Vol. L Part I. note at pp. 365.-37L

%

432

ADDKNDA TO FLAG-OFriCBRS.

tical situation of the a(|uadron under Nelson, it became a question h(v
tween him and the captain of the fleet whether he should make the si^al
to leave off action ; but as that measure was strongly opposed by Captain
Otway, it was determined that the captain of the fleet should proceed to
Lord Nelson to ascertain the situation of afliiirs : he went below to adjust
some part of his dress; l)Ut whilst he was so doing, Captain Otway
solicited and obtained leave from Sir Hyde Parker to execute the intended
mission. At this moment a boat was passing the London ; she was in-
stantly hailed, and Captain Otway pushed oli* in her, with that promptness
and alacrity which are congenial with his whole conduct and character.
The boat had on board a large hawser ; but Captain Otway would not
wait to have it discharged ; and in that dangerous vehicle passed through
the enemy's fire to the Elephant. Had a shot struck her, she must have
sunk like a stone ; but Captain Otway fortunately reached his destination
in safety. Before he got on board, the signal to leave off action was
made : it was, however, disregarded by Nelson ; and as Captain Otway
had verbal authority from Sir Hyde Parker that the battle should continue
if he saw there was a probability of success, the action was continued till
the enemy submitted ; and Captain Otway had thus the opportunity of
being present at that most interesting and important event. His exer-
tions, however, did not terminate with the fight. On the 2d April he
displayed his activity and courage ; and on the 3d he became equally
celebrated for judgment and presence of mind. But before we narrate
his conduct on that occasion, we shall insert the particulars of the cir-
cumstance alluded to, from Clarke and M'Arthur's Life of Nelson. They
say, ' Finding that one of the line-of-battle ships, the Zealand, which had
struck the last, and was under the protection of the Trekroner, had re-
fused to acknowledge herself to be a captured ship, and made some
quibble about the colours and not the pendant having been hauled down,
his Lordship ordered one of our brigs to approach her, and proceeded in
his gig to one of the enemy's ships which were within that battery, in
order to communicate with the commodore, whose flag was still flying on
board the Elephanten. When he got alongside, he found it tq be his old
acquaintance MuUer, whom he had kno\vn in the West Indies He in-
vited himself on board, and acted with so much ability and politeness
towards his friend and the officers assembled, that he not only explained
and gained the point in dispute about the Zealand, but left the ship as
"much admired by his enemies, as he had long been by those who were
his intimate friends in his own fleet.' This account is followed by Mr.
Southey, who, in addition, says, that ' it was a brig and three long-boats
that Nelson ordered upon this service ; and that when he had gained the
point with the commodore, through his own dexterity and urbanity, the
men from the boats lashed a cable round the Zealand's bowsprit, and
the gun-vessel towed her away.' Now whatever merit belonged to this
enterprise (and certainly it was merit of the very highest order), it is due

AbbKKDA TO FLAG-OFFICKRS.

433

to Captain Otiraff, and to liim atone. It was pcrfitrined l»y him nntl a
eingle boat's crew ; and we will venture to allirin, that it stands unparal*
leled in naval history. In the first plaee, \ve have to observe, that // iras
the HoUtein, and not the Zralaiul, which was the object in dispute: two
officers had been sent to demand and j^et i)ossession of her, hut had fnilcd.
Lord Nelson then wrote a note to Sir Hyde Parker, statinj? that the
Holstein had struck her colours in the action, but that when she was
some hours after attempted to be taken possession of, the Danish captain
refused to surrender, under tlie subtcrfuflfe that his pendant va/t still
flyings ; and actually fired musketry (it bein<f nearly <lark) at the l>oat3
that were ordered to take possession of her. His Lordship then proposed
that she should be peremptorily demanded : and concluded by saying,

* You HAD BETTEll SEND OtWAY ON THIS DELU'ATK AFFAIU.'

** Such a mark of his Lordship's opinion of Captain Otway's judgment
and abilities could not fail of being highly ^ratifyinr; Ut li's f'l^lings' • {<>
be chosen to perform an important duty ia at all timci flattening; i»ut to
be seUcted to perform that which otheis with cqi5»l aic uia had be. •. un-
able to achieve, is the highest gratification ihut an nckoic -i-irit can
desire. Having obtained Sir Hyde Parker's perMJsvvn t.> adoj^t and
follow his own plan for the capture or recovery of (.•,.; Ho. .4 .-in. Cup-
tain Otway instantly went on board the Eling ^cjr.ono"^ b lut^l a fl.it,'
of truce, and anchored off the bow of the ".nimy's .'Vii), >vhich nus r.l.
anchor within pistol-shot of one of the Cioviii huttcrit?, Her p<Mi('v,o'.
was still flying, though her colours were dov.n, is.ui ^he was jiropyjic.tr t.^
warp into the arsenal. Seeing there vvas u(;l o moir.-a*^ tc be. lo.V,
Captain Otway immediately pushed alongside of her in the TuViug'a bm\i..
having ordered the coxswain (a bold and determined rliiiiri'.ctcr) to take
the opportunity, \vhile he was claiming the ship from the sut vi-jng offi •eni,
to proceed, unperceived if possible, through 'ho main-chaiiis, ir:to tie
main-top, haul dotrn the pendant, and convey it into the hi>n\. Stratij^e as
this may appear, it was accomplished to the very ktter'j llie attention of
the whole crew being directed towards Captain Ohvay, who wa.". s^tniidlog
on the quarter-deck demanding possession of the ship, which they Ftll
refused to give up, bu( referred him to their commodore, who was <» i
board a two-decker close by in the arsenal ? liiakiug use of ':licir foruKi"
plea, that the pendant (though it was then in the Eling's boat) tens still
flying. Thus far successful in his object, rvA ).is situation beir.<[ such
as, in the event of a discovery, would not have been a stry pleasant one.
Captain Otway gladly embraced the ofFo,' of a reference to the commo-
dore. He accordingly proceeded to his ship in one of the Danish boats
and accompanied by a Danis>i cinccr, having ordered the Eling's boat,
containing the pendant, to /i^vurn to t!ie schooner. Finding on his arri-
val that the cotnm^idoi!?: spoke English very fluently, Captain Otway im-
mediately entered on the object of his \isit, and demanded that the ship
should be given up. He was met with the old objection, that her colours

VOL. IV. PART ir. 2 F

U^;

M

^1

434 ADDENDA TO PLAG-OPFICERS,

had been shot away in the action, and tiiat she had not surrendered ; as
a proof of which he said her pendant stili remained flying. But this ar-
gument had been eflfectually removed, and Captain Otway replied, * I
believe. Sir, you are even mistaken on that point.' With the utmost
confidence the commodore requested him to woJk to the stern-gal-
lery, saying, ' I will soon convince you that it is you who are mistaken,
a~ l not I.' On seeing that the penilant was actually down, he expressed
tlie (most astonislii'jcnt, l)ut was cimstraincd to acknowledge that she
was a lawful prize, and sent an order l)y the Danish officer who had ac-
companied Captain Otway for her delivery ! Captain Otway then hailed
the Eling, and desired her commander to take possession of the Hol-
8tein, to cut her cable (the wind being off the land), and to make the
signal for immediate assistance. The Harpy gun-brig instantly slipped
her cable, and towed the prize out to the British fleet. During this
transaction. Lord Nelson, who ^vas rowing round the prizes, learned that
Captain Otway was on board the Danish commodore, and seized the
opportunity of following him, in order, as lie said, to look round him,
in the event of a renewal of hostilities. The arrival of a flag of truce
was reported to the commodore, wiulst himself and Captain Ot\vay Avere
taking some refreshment (the latter not having had any since the pre-
ceding day), and Captain Otway was informed that the officer in the boat
wished to speak to him. On going upon deck he was e<iually pleased
and surprised to find that the officer was Lord Nelson ; he was immedi-
ately invited on board, when the chiefs recognized each other, having
both commaiuled frigates in the West Indies at the same time. An inte-
resting conversation immediately ensued, and the parties aftenvards se-
parated, mutually pleased and satisfied. Such are the particulars of
Captain Otway's conduct on that memorable occasion, and will for ever
stamp his name as an active, brave, and judicious officer." *

The following are extracts of letters ironi the late Admiral
the Hon. Sir William Cornwallis, respecting the attack made
on the Brest fleet, Aug. 22d, 1805 :--.t

*' Dear HoUoway, J — It was a pleasing struggle the other day between
Otway and Strachan ; you will believe I was not in a hurry to put an end
to such honorable zeal, happy, if we could have done any thing, to have
bad two such men at hand."

** Dear Otway, — I remember with much pleasure your services when
under my command, and most particularly your anxious zeal and struggle

* Ra/fe, Vol. IV. p. 12, et seq.

t See Vol. I. Part II. p. 698, and Suppl. Part IV. p. 411, et aeg.

X Ludy Otway'e father, tlie lute Admiral John Holloway.

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFICERS.

435

for the point of honor with Sir Richard Stracliau, wliirh I very much
admired, at the time the enemy had ventured out of the harbour, but
continued under their batteries near Brest. I can, I am sure, Mith the
greatest truth say, tliat tliere is no officer whose services I shouUl have
preferred, either as a captain or an admiral."

At a subsequent period, Earl St. Vincent wrote to this
officer as follows i —

** Dear Sir, — I have great pride and pleasure in bearing testimony to
the correctness of your conduct in the Channel fleet, in the Montagu and
Royal George ; and I perfectly well rememl)cr the remark I made upon
the good condition of the masts, yards, and furniture of the first named ship,
when she rejoined after an uncommonly long cruise in the Bay, at a period
when I had cause to complain of the number of masts and yards crippled
through neglect and unskilful management ; and I can with confidence de-
clare, that when you arrived with the account of the impression made upon
the floating and other batteries at Copenhagen, the King would have
been advised to confer some mark of distinction on you, had not the ill
state of his JNIajesty's health prevented it, I do farther declare, that, in
my judgment, there is not an officer in his Majesty's na; y oi greater zeal
and promise than Rear-Admiral Otway ; and I foretel, that, if Justice is
done him, he will rival all the heroes of the last two wars.

(Signed) " St. Vincent."

In Feb. 181.5, Rear-Admiral Otway received an address
from Sir William John Struth, Knt., and six other gentle-
men, then resident in London, who were members of the
council at St. Vincent during the Carib war iu 1795 — 6 : —

"We," say they, "who have mtnessed your conduct both on land
and sea, can testify to it in repeated acts of personal bravery. We could
state various instances in which wc consider your claim to particular and
distinguished notice as an officer as indisputable. We should not hesitate
to recapitulate the instances alluded to, and we only omit to mention
them iu delicacy to your own feelings ; but should it ever be necessary,
we pledge ourselves to the proofs of your well-earned title to every
dignity that valor can deserve or honor bestow on the defenders of the
country. Were ihe whole of the surviving inhabitants of that disastrous
period here with us, we are confident there would not be a dissenting
voice to the sentiments we express, and the attachment we profess
towards you ; on the contrary, we are persuaded there would be but cue
unanimous sufi'rage to your unqualified deserts."

On the 20th April, 1815, the Earl of Egremont, when
addressing the House of Lords on the subject of a recent

2 F 2

IdmH

i i.h '

436 ADDENDA TO FLAG-OFFICERS.

court martial, described Rear-Admirai Otway (the president)
as " an officer honorable in his profession, and beloved in
society ; of whom it is impossible for any man who knows
him to speak but in the highest terms of esteem, aflfection,
and respect."

In the beginning of 1826, Rcar-Admiral Otway was offered
the chief command in the East Indies, which he declined,
but shortly afterwards accepted the appointment of com-
mander-in-chief on the South American station. On this
occasion he received a letter from his present Majesty, dated
Bushy Park, Feb. 19th, of which the following is an ex-
tract : —

" The appointment to the command in South America is, I trust,
acceptable to you. Under the very extraordinary situation of those coun-
tries off which you will have to cruise, the command cannot fail hems;
intcrestinpf ; and I rejoice that so cool and valuable an officer as your-
self has been selected for this sini,nilar and especial purpose. The
Duchess unites with me in every kind wish towards Mrs., I)ut I trust
shortly Ladi/, Otway, to « hom I beg to be particularly remembered.

(Signed) " William."

This excellent officer was nominated a Knight Commander
of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath in June
1826; advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral on the 22d
July, 1830 ; appointed one of the Grooms of his Majesty's
Bedchamber in Ordinary, Dec. 23d, 1830 ^ and created a
Baronet of the United Kingdom in Sept. 1831.

RIGHT HON. JOHN LORD COLVILLE,

llce-Admmtl of the Dine.
(Vol I. Part 11. p. 754.;

This officer was born in the year 1768. He entered the
royal navy under the auspices of Sir George B. Rodney, and
was present at the defeat and capture of Count De Grasse,
April r2th, 1/82. As first lieutenant of the Santa Marga-
ritta frigate. Captain (afterwards Sir Eliab) Harvey, we find
him assisting at the capture of all the French West India
islands, by the naval and military forces under Sir John Jer-

resident)
eloved in
lio knows
affection,

IS oflPered

declined,

of com-

On this

ity, dated

ail ex-

is, I trust,
hose coun-
; fail hems;
er as your-
osc. The
)ut I trust
hered.

liLlAM."

tnmander

in June

the 22d

Vlajesty's

created a

.LE,

tered the
ney, and
; Grasse,
I Marga-
we find
ist India
ohn Jer-

ADDKNUA TO FLAG -OFFICE 113. 437

vis and Sir Charles Grey, in J 794*. He subsequently
served in the active squat'ron commanded by Sir John B.
Warren, off Brest, where he assisted at the destruction of
a French frigate (la Felicity) and two corvettes (1' Alert and
I'Espion) in Aug. 1794 f. His next appointment was to the
Impregnable 90, Captain (afterwards Sir Andrew) Mitchell,
attached to the Channel fleet, froai which ship he appears to
Jiave been promoted to the comma id of the 18-gun-brigStar,
one of the first vessels of that description ever armed with
32-pounder carronades, in 1795. He continued in that sloop,
principally in the North Sea (under the orders of Lord Dun-
can)^ and on the Channel station, until posted, Dec. 6tli,
1796. Previous to his commissioning 1' Ambuscade, in 1800,
he had acted for some time as captahi of the Penelope
frigate, and been entrusted with the command of the squadron
stationed off Havre J.

The following correspondence took place after the loss of
the Romney, near the Texel, and the consequent captivity
of her commander, officers, and crew :

" Rear-Admiral Kirkhert" {comiufinder-in-cfiief of the Datavlan fleet)
TO THE Britannic Captain Colville, at the Helder.

" Brutus, in the New Diep, 22d Nov. 1804.
" Sir,--Havinjr learnt this morning that the crew of the Ilonmcy have
not heen treated according to my intention, I have sent two officers to
make the necessary arrangements, and to give such orders as will insure
that they shall be so treated henceforward as to prove that they are no
longer considered as enemies ; and I Iteg you to be assured, that so long
as yourself and countrymen shall continue under my care, it shall be my
endeavour to prove to you how desirous I am to soften the rigour of
your misfortunes. I have stationed on shore a naval officer, culled
Toussaint, in order that you may avail yourself of the opportunity which
will be offered through him of conveying to me any complaint, if, con-
trary to my wishes, any cause should arise ; and if you should have
occasion to make any rc(inest of nie, you may send it by one of your offi-
cers, wlio, under the conduct of the above-named lieutenant, will be at
lilterty to go at all times wherever you may desire. The application
which you have made for shirts, &c. for your people, shall be forwarded

* See Vol. T. Part I. p. 19. f See u/. p. 213, et seq.

X The name of the former ship was afterwards changed to the *• i^'eine.'

[1

m

-i;.il

^1

m

>i

•,',»

.438

AUDKNOA TO FLAG-OFFICERS.

to Government, because there are not the means of procuring them
here. I have the honor to salute you.

(Signed) "A. Kirkhert *."

** Captain thb Hon. John CoiiViLtB to Rbar-Admiral Kirkhert.

" Ht'lder, 1st Deccmher, 18()4.

" Sir, — Previous to leaving this place, where our captivity has been
rendered so void of its usual attendant sufferings, permit me to offer to
you, on the part of myself and fellow sufferers, late of H. B. M. ship
Romney, the only proof that the unfortunate like ourselves can offer
of their gratitude, in the unfeigned assurances that the recollection of
the humane attentions wc have experienced from you can never be erased
from our memories.

*• To Captain Verdooren, and the other captains and officers of the
ships under your command, we rc<iuest you to tender oUr assurances of
the sense we feel of all their kindness to us,

" I will not trespass on your time with a long letter ; the recollection
of having exercised to the unfortunate all the kindest offices of humanity
must be sufficiently gratifying to Adniiral Kirkhert ; but we should fed
in some measure unworthy of them, had we departed from the Holder
without offering this humble tribute of our gratitude.

" Permit me. Admiral, to assure you of the very high consideration
and respect with which I have personally the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) "J. CoLViLLEf-"

L'Hercule % formed part of the fleet under Admiral Gam-
bier, at the siege of Copenha- en in 1807 j and on her return
from thence was ordered to the coast of Portugal. His Lord-
ship commanded the Queen, 74, between three and four
years, and was employed in her on the coasts of France
and Spain, as well as in the North Sea and West Indies,
from which latter station he escorted home, without the loss
of a single vessel (even missing), the last Leeward Island
convoy, consisting of no less than 370 sail. Before giving
up the command of that ship, he assisted in bringing home
the army which embarked in the Garonne, after the peace
with France, in J 814,

* The above is translated from the original in French,
f This copy of Captun Colville's original letter to his generous and
humane enemy, we have obtained since the publication of our first vo-
lume, containing as perfect an account of his services as we were then
able to produce. That which wc published as a copy, in 1823, is, it now
appears, merely a re-translation from the Dutch papers.

X See Vol. I, Part II. p. 756.

ADDENDA TO FLAG-OKFICKRB. 439

Lord Colville retained the chief command on the Irish
station until May 1825; aiid was advanced to the rank of
Vice-Admiral on the 22d July, 1830.

SIR EDWARD HAMILTON, Bart., K. C. B.

Rear-Admirul of the Red.
(Fol. I. Part 11. p. 829.;

On the 22d Jan. 1802, a court-martial assembled on board
the Gladiator 44, in Portsmouth harbour, to try Sir Edward
Hamilton, then captain of the Trent frigate, for seizing his
gunner, Mr. William Bowman, up in the main rigging, on
the 11th of that month.

The first lieutenant of the Trent stated in his evidence,
that Sir Edward, on going out of the ship, between nine and
ten o'clock in the forenoon, gave very particular orders to
have the guns and carronades on the quarter-deck cleaned,
which orders he repeated to the gunner ; that Sir Edward
returned about eleven o'clock, swore his orders had not been
complied with, called the gunner a d d old rascal, and in-
stantly ordered him and his whole crew to be seized up in
the rigging. The witness further stated, t . ^ 'Jie guns, car-
riages, &c. appeared to him to have been remarkably well
cleaned. A rope-yarn, or part of a swab, lay on the muzzle
of one carronade ; the carriage of another was marked by the
feet of the top-men ascending the shrouds, which he ex-
plained to Sir Edward, but to no purpose. These facts were
corroborated by other officers and the quarter-master of the
watch. It appeared that the gunner, an elderly man with a
family, remained seized up about an hour and a half, and re-
quested the surgeon, who was walking the quarter-deck, to
represent to Sir Edward, that if he was not taken down he
should faint : — that, in consequence of the surgeon's repre-
sentation, he was tuken down and brought aft, where he
actually fainted ; that he requested Sir Edward repeatedly,
if culpable, to try him by a court-martial, and, in pity to
his age and infirmities, not to seize him up. This transac-

I if!

■i$.

440

AUDKNDA TO FLAO-OPPICKRS.

tion took place during frosty weather. The gunner's crew were
kept up in the rigging until half-past three in the afternoon.
Sir Edward Hamilton, in his defence, said, that motives
of humanity had often restrained him from bringing the gun-
ner to a court-martial for repeated intoxication, as he had a
family, and was an old man ; that he had not the least inten-
tion to hurt him ; and that the punishment was ordered in
the heat of violent passion, in consequence of the gunner
having disobeyed his orders. After maturely and consider-
ately weighing the whole of the evidence, as well as Sir
Edward Hamilton's defence, the Court were of opinion that
the charge had been proved, and therefore sentenced him to
be dismissed his Majesty's service. Sir Edward was re-
stored to his former rank in June 1802.

441

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

■mf!i

PETER RIBOULEAU, Esq.

(rol. If. Part IT. p. SfiO.;

Entkred the royal navy in 17B0, tlien only eleven years
of aj(c, as midshipman on board the Prince William 64,
Captain Stair Douglas *, which ship accompanied Sir Samuel
(afterwards Lord) Hood to the West Indies, and formed part
of the fleet under his command in the action with Count De
Grasse, off Martinique, April 29th, 1781 f. He subse-
quently served under Captain Douglas in the Triumph 74,
Grafton 74, and Cambridge 80. In 1783 he left the latter
ship and joined the Assistance 44, Commodore Sir Charles
Douglas, under whom we find him serving, in the West In-
dies and on the Halifax station, till the end of 1786. He
was then removed to the Actaeon troop-ship.

Towards the close of 1789, Mr. Ribouleau was received
on board the Goliah 74, Captain Sir Andrew Snape Douglas,
under whom he served in that ship and the Alcide, 74, for
a period of three years. The latter formed part of Lord
Howe's fleet during the Spanish armament.

At the commencement of the French revolutionary war,
Mr. Ribouleau was serving on board the Duke 90, flag-ship
of Lord Hood, with whom he soon afterwards proceeded to
the Mediterranean, in the Victory first rate. Previous to
the occupation of Toulon, in 1793, he was taken prisoner by
the republican fleet in the outer harbour, while conveying a
letter from the commander-in-chief to Lieutenant (afterwards
Captain) Edward Cooke, then employed in negociating with
the Committee-General for the surrender of that city and its

* Uncle to the late Rear-A(hniral Stair Douglas.
t See Vol. il, Pwt I. p. 62.

[:« T i

1 1

Ji

"

1 ■' .

;]*!

'■'■ i: .

i^'

I

If '

1:1

; h

442

ADDENDA TO CAri'AINS.

defences *. On regaining his liberty, during the confusion
which arose from conflicting opinions among the French
Siiilors, he was immediately promoted to the rank of lieutenant,
and appointed aide-de-camp to Captain George K. Elphin-
stone f , governor of Fort la Malgue and its dependencies X .
Whilst in the power of the rebel commodore, St. Julien, he
suffered much ill treatment.

i^fter the evacuation of Toulon, Lieutenant Ribouleau was
appointed, through the intervention of Captain Elphinstone,
to take charge of FArethuse frigate, manned with a Jacobin
crew, under the Bourbon colours, in which ship he accom-
panied two other French men-of-war and a large convoy to
England, escorted by the Robust 74. On his arrival he was
removed into the Glory 98, Captain John Elphinstone, under
whom he served at the glorious battle of June 1st, 1/94 §„

Lieutenant Ribouleau's next appointment was to the Bar-
fleur 98, flag-ship of Sir George K. Elphinstone, attached
to the Channel fleet. In the beginning of 1795, he followed
that officer into the Monarch 74 ; and on the 2d April in the
same year sailed with him for the Cape of Good Hope.
During the operations against that colony I|, he served on
shore with a party of seamen.

The Monarch subsequently proceeded to Madras, where
Mr. Ribouleau, then first lieutenant, was promoted to the
rank of commander, and sent home, in a merchant ship, with
despatches announcing the surrender of Columbo and its
dependencies, in the island of Ceylon ^. In 1800, he com-
manded the Astrsea troop-ship, employed in conveying part
of the guards to Vigo, and afterwards attached to the Egyp-
tian expedition.

An account of the landing of the British army in Aboukir
Bay will be found in our memoir of Admiral Sir Alexander I,
Cochrane**. The following are extracts of Sir W.Sidney

* See Naval Chronicle, Vol. II. 3/8, ct scq. f The late Viscount Keith.

X See Vol. I. Part I. p. 46. § See hi. p. 76-

II See id. p. 47, ct seq. If See id. note at p. 49, et scq.

*• See id. note f at p. 259, et seq.

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

443

Smith's official letter to Lord Keith, relative to the memorable
battles of Mar. 8th, 13th, and 21st, 1801, on which hitter day
the heroic Abercromby received his mortal wound : —

" March Uth.
" It would be superfluous for me to relate to your Lordship the ad-
mirable manner in which the officers and men you appointed me to com-
mand went into action with me on the day of the di:>embarkation, as you
were yourself a witness of the j^allant and judicious conduct of Captains
Maitland and Stewart, in covering the flanks of the line with the armed
launches ; and must, as well as myself, have admired the bravery, activity,
and perseverance of Captains Ribouleau, Guion, Saville, Duni, and
Hillyar, together with that of the officers and seamen under their ordtis ;
by whose unparalleled exertions the cannon were disembarked at the
same n)oment with the troops, and moved forward with them in action.

• ««**« 'I'liQ deternnned courage of this gallant army in the
close contest they had to maintain on the beach, at the critical time of
forming, secured the victory to us oa that day ; and it is with hcarltelt
satisfaction that I have now to congratulate your Lordship on tlie bril-
liant success of the army yesterday. ••***«**»•
The commander-in-chief has again been pleased to express his approba-
tion of the exertions of the seamen and their oflicers ; and I am happy in
being able to testify that their conduct was, if possible, more praise-
worthy than on the day of disembarkation ; the labour they had to go
through was considerably greater, and the fire they had to undergo in tlie
passive employment of dragging up cannon for more able gunners to
fire, was much more heavy and of longer duration. It is impossible to
distinguish any particular officer, where all behaved equally well, each
doing his utmost to keep the guns up with the line ; which was, of
course, difficult in sandy imeven ground, when the troops pressed for-
ward in their eager approach to, and ardent pursuit of the enemy. * •

• * * * Captain Ribouleau, the senior communder, exerted himself
in the most praiseworthy manner along the whole line on shore." §

" March 22d.
" The n;enaced attack of our whole line took place just before day-
light yesterday morning. Tlie army was under arms to receive the
enemy ; the same order, steadiness, and courage which gave victory to
our excellent array on the two former occasions, have again given us a
most complete one. • * ♦ • Captain Ribouleau, the other comman-
ders, officers, and seamen attached to the field-pieces in the line, behaved
with their usual energy and braver}' : they have been indefatigable in the

§ See Vol. II. Part II. p. 852, et seq.

*^i

^•'v^f.

i1

444

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

execution of all the arduous duties required of them, and merit your
Lordship's approbation." ♦

On Sir Sidney Smith rejoining his ship, Captain Iliboulcau
succeeded to the command of the naval detachment on shore,
where he continued until obliged by ill-health to re-embark.
On his return home, he was advanced to post rank for his
services in Egypt, by commission dated April 29th, 1802.
His next appointment, the only one he could obtain during
the late war, was, in 1803, to the sea fenciblcs. From Mar.
1822, until May 1825, he commanded the Semiramis frigate,
flag'-ship of Rear- Admiral Lord Colville, on the Irish station.

SAMUEL WARREN, Esq. C. B.

{FolII.Partn.p.bT2.)

This officer was appointed to the William and Mary
yacht, July 22d, 1830, and captain-superintendent of Wool-
wich dock-yard, with the full powers and authority of a
commissioner, Dec. 1st, 1831.

CHARLES BULLEN, Esq. C. B.

\rol. II. Part I/, p. 600).

This officer commanded the African squadron from May
1824 until June 1827, a period of three years and one month ;
in which comparatively short time no less than 10,814 slaves
were taken, besides vessels with slave cargoes. During the
Ashantee war, he " rendered cordial co-operation and as-
sistance " to his Majesty's troops, as was publicly acknow-
ledged by their commandant, Lieutenant-Colonel Sutherland.
The Maidstone frigate, bearing his broad pendant, lost
seventy-two of her officers and ship's company whilst on that
station. By promotions, invaliding, vacancies, and deaths^

* See Vol. II. Part I. p. 385, et seg.

ADDENDA TO C APTA1N6.

445

slic had twenty-nine lieutenants, four pursers, and two sur-
geons, appointed to her. He paid off that ship at Ports-
mouth, Sept. 15th, 1827 J ai"^ was appointed captain-super-
intendent of Pembroke Dock-yard on the 16th July 1830.

JOHN HAYES, Esq. C. B.

This officer's proficiency in the important science of naval
architecture, has been noticed at p. 682 of Vol. II. Part II.,
which portion of our work was written during the absence
of his first experimental ship, the Champion 18, on a cruise
to the westward of Scilly, in company with the Thetis fri-
gate and two sloops of war, the Orestes and Pylades, built
by Professor Inman and Sir Robert Seppings.

Throughout the various trials which took place on that
occasion, and were conducted so perseveringly, and in such
a manner, by Captain Sir John Phillimore, of the Thetis, as
to prove the ships under all circumstances, so that every
excellency in each might be fairly ascertained, it was evident
that the Champion could carry more sail, and worked quicker,
and behaved better, in a gale of wind and a heavy sea, than
either of her consorts. Every subsequent account proves her
to be a very superior vessel.

In Dec. 1826, Captain Hayes commissioned the Wolf
18, a second corvette built on fixed principles known by
no other person. The Lords of the Admiralty had some
time before "made him a grant of £1000, as their first
compensation, in consideration of the benefits he has rendered
to his country by his improvements in ship-building, as
exemplified in the Champion and the Arrow cutter *." His
28-gun frigate Challenger, built at the same time as the
Wolf, and likewise commanded by him, is thus spoken of by
one of her officers, in a letter dated April 28th, 1827 :

" The Challenger is the finest vessel I ever saw ; excellent quarters,
the best accommodations, and every good quality. We carry our ports

m

■ ■]

* See p. 355.

446

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS,

6 ft. 7 in. out of the wnter ; stow four months provisions under hatches ;
27 tons of water in tanks, and W in casks. Our rate of Hailinjf is a» fol-
low'H : — On a wind, under all sail, li^ht hroezc, ei^Mit and nine niik-s an
hour; with top-gallant sails, more wind, nine and ten miles an liour; otV
the wind, under the aI»ove sail, from eleven to thirteen miles an hour.
She sits like a duck on the water, never wets her nutin-deck, and is a
nu)st excellent sea-boat. To-day we started with tiio Sa|)phirc 2H, and
distanced her completely."

Respecting the Challenger and Wolf, Mr. R. Beecroft,
late master of the Crocodile 28, has thus written to Captain
Hayes :

" As you may not have heard from any other sotircc of the followinjf
circumstance, which is so very favorable to the Challeng'er and Wolf, I
take the liberty to communicate it to you. While those two vessels were
on the East India station, they were ordered to Canton, and had to make
the passage from Singapore, across the ('hina Sea, during the height of
the N. E. monsoon ; consequently had to work up the whole way — the
latter through the Palamon passage, and the Challenger direct. Both
performed it with ease and expedition, though it is considered very diffi-
cult at such times, and impracticable to any but good ships. We tried
the same passage in the ('rocodilc, at an earlier period, before the mon-
soon had reached its greatest strength, and when the sea was compara-
tively smooth ; but the ship only reached up to the North Natanas, after
three weeks trial, and we ultimately had to abandon it altogether, and
bear up for Singapore."

In 1827, Captain Sir Charles Malcolm, then just appointed
Superintendent of the Bombay Marine^ promised Captain
Hayes he would order a ten-gun brig to be constructed on
his principle. In 1830, he addressed him as follows :

*' I did intend writing to you long ago, but have put it off from time
to time, to have a report of a trial between the Euphrates and Tigris
brigs— the former built from a plan of the navy board, and the latter on
your plan. They are both superior vessels : the Tigris is by far the
iiaudsomest of the two ; and Captain Sawyer says she is the best sea-boat
of all the men-of-war, and the best sailer. She is the first vessel that has
made the direct passage to the Gulph of Persia in the height of the S. W.
monsoon ; and I have no hesitation in saying, that upon the whole, the
Tigris is by far the finest vessel of her class now in existence."

With respect to the experimental cutters and ships built
by Captain Hayes, we can but add, that they all have

AD1>RNDA TO CAPTAINS. 447

performed precisely as he predicted. He clearly pointed out
that the restrictions respectinuf tonnage would prevent them
from hvhiir so perfect as a greater scope woidd enable him to
make them, but that each should, notwithstanding, prove
superior to her class at the time in existence j and in this he
has been most decidedly borne out. The constructing a
cutter, named the Seaflower, to sail on an even keel, was at
the time considered and stated to be an act of insanity, not-
withstanding which she beat the six vessels sent to try their
good qualities with her, and is now said to be the safest
vessel in bad weather in the world.

Captain Hayes was appointed commodore on the coast of
Africa in May 1830 ; and sailed for that station, in the Dryad
42, Sept. 29th following. He was put out of commission
on the 13th Sept. 1832; and is now, unrestricted as to ton-
nage, but confined to masts and yards of certain dimen-
sions, employed in building a 36-gun frigate, to mount
on her main-deck guns similar to line-of-battle ships' lower-
deckers.

This officer's sc(!ond daughter, Emily, married, Mar. 2d,
1831, the Rev. Sanniel Slocock, minister of St. Paul's, South-
sea^ and rector of Wasing, co. Berks.

II

i»'

ARCHIBALD DICKSON, Esq.

(rol. II. Part II. p. 712).

This officer is the son of General John Dickson, by Eliza-
beth, daughter of Alexander Collingwood, Esq. of Unthank
Hall, Northumberlandshire. He was born at Morpeth, in
the same county, June 26th, 1772; and entered the royal
navy in Aug. 1786, from which period he served as midship-
man on board the Goliah 74, Diana frigate, Racehorse sloop,
and Queen Charlotte first rate, until promoted to the rank of
lieutenant, July 24th, 1794. The latter ship bore the flag of
Earl Howe on the " glorious first of June.'*

We next find Mr, Dickson serving as lieutenant of the
Seahorse frigate, Captain (afterwards Sir Thomas F.) Fre-

U'

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448

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

I !|

mantle, and receiving a wound at the attack made by Nelson
upon Santa Cruz, in July 1797 *.

On the 17th Jan. 1798, the Seahorse, then commanded by
Captain (afterwards Sir Edward James) Foote, on the Irish
station, captured la Belliqueuse, French privateer, of 18 guns
and 120 men. She subsequently jiroceeded to the Mediter-
ranean, where Lieutenant Dickson assisted at the capture of
la Sensible frigate^ after a short action^ near the island of
Pantellaria, June 27th, 1/98 f.

Lieutenant Dickson's next appointment was to the Ville
de Paris 110, bearing the flag of Earl St. Vincent, in which
ship he continued until advanced to the rank of commander,
Jan. 1st, 1801. His post commission bears date April 29th,
1802.

Captain Dickson commanded the Sea Fcncibles at Dingle,
in Ireland, from June I8O7 until the dissolution of that force
in 1810; r.nd the Akbar frigate, mounting CO guns, from
May 181.'3 luitil Nov. 181-1, part of which time he was em-
ployed on the Halifax station. He married his first cousin,
Jane, daughter of the late Admiral William Dickson, and
sister to Commander David John Dickson |.

RIGHT HON. LORD WILLIAM FITZ-ROY, C.B.

{rol. n. Part n. p. S63.)

This officer served as midshipman under Lord Hugh
Seymour, in the Sauo Pareil 80 § ; commanded the Mutine
and Fairy sloops, in 1802 and 1803; was posted into the
iEolus frigate, at Jamaica, Mar. 3d, 1804 ; sailed from thence
with the homeward bound trjule, on the 6th of the following
month ; assisted at the capture of four French linc-of-battle
ships, by the squadron under Sir Hichard J. Strachan, Nov.
4th, 1805; took despatches to Halifax in 1807; and was

* See Vol. I. Part I. note f at p. 391, et seq.

t See Vol. I. Part II. p. 55i), vt seq. J See p. 244.

§ See Suppl. Part II. p. 460.

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

449

present at the reduction of Martinique, by the military and
naval forces under I^icutenant-Gcneral Beckwith and Sir
Alexander I. Cochrane, in Feb. 1809*.

On the 1st Oct. following, Lord William exchanged into
the Squirrel 24, on the Halifax station, and soon afterwards
returned to England. His next and last appointment was,
about June-1810, to the Mficedonian 38. In April 1811, he
was dismissed from H. M. service, by the sentence of a
court- martir)l held at Lisbon, for oppressive and tyrannical
conduct, in putting the master of that ship in irons. The
latter officer was afterwards tried for contempt to his lord-
ship, and not only dismissed the service, but rendered inca-
pable of serving again as an officer f. On the 2'2d Aug. in
the same year. Lord William was restored to the rank of
post-captain.

SIR SALUSBURY PRYCE HUMPHREYS.

(/'«/. II. Part 11. p.m\.)

Was nominated a Companion of the Most HonoraMe
Military Order of the Bath in Sept. 1831 ; and a Knight
Commander of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order hi
Feb. 1834. This long neglected, gallant, and patriotic officer,
received the honor of knighthood on the 21st of the latter
month.

tm

M ; \

n

HON. SHI HENRY DUNCAN.

{Fol. II. Part II. p. 979.)

This officer was appointed one of H. M. naval aides-de-
camp on the 4th Aug. 1830; and Storekeeper of the Ord-
nance on the 30th Dec. following. He was presented at
court, " on being granted the precedence of the son of an
earl," Feb. 21st, 1834; and has recently received the honor
of knighthood, on retiring from office, and being nominated

• See Vol. I. Part I. p. 264.
t See Naval Chronicle, vol. 26, p, 349.
VOL. IV. PAllT n. 2 G

if

n

I

450

ADDFA'DA TO CAPTAINS.

ft Knight Coniniander of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic
Order. His brother, Viscoinit Duncan, was created Earl of
Caniperdown in 1831.

ARCHIBALD DUFF, Esq.

{Siipi)!. Part I. p. 17.)

Was tried by a court-martial, Mar. 2*2d, 18(1.5, for usiucr
un-officcrlike lauijfuaii^e, and giviiij^ superior ratinirs to per-
sons not (puilified. He appears to have been oidy admo-
nished, and desired to be more circmuspect in his conduct
for the future.

•V;\

DONALD HUGH ^L4CKAY, Esq.

{Siiitpl. Part I. p. T)!.)

In Dec. 1804, four actions Mcrc brought against this
oflicer, in the C(mrt of King's licncb, by some privileged
merchant seamen, avIio claimed protection from impressment.
The proceedings were interrupted by tlie counsel for the
plaintiffs, who said the proceedings were not instituted for
the sake of damages, but to teach naval officers that they
must respect protections ; and added, that he would be con-
tent with a shilling damages in each cause. Lord Ellen-
borough observed, that it was very handsomely done on the
part of the plaintiffs, and he hoped it Mould have the desired
effect. — Verdict for the plaintiffs accordingly.

Captain Mackay was appointed to the Revenge JS, in
Nov. 1831 ; and put out of commission on the I3th Mar.
1834.

J\

SIR GEORGE FRANCIS SEYMOUR, Knt. C. B.

AND K. C. H.

(Sitppl. Part I. J). \{\0.)

In May 182/ this officer wa,; appointed to the Briton fri-
gate, for the purpose of conveying Iiis noble relative, the

ADDENDA TO CAPTAIN?.

ATA

Marquis of Hertford, to St. Potcrsburujh. lie was nominated
one of the Kind's naval aides-de-camp, in Aupf. 1830; niaster
of the robes to his Majesty, on the 1.3th of the followinjUf
month ; and a Knight Commander of tlie Royal Hano\ (^ian
Guelphic Order, April 12th, 1831.

RIGHT HON. LORD UADSTOCK.

(.%>/>/. Pitrt I. i>. \\)\.)

Was appointed one of his Majesty's naval aides-de-eanij),
in Sept. 1831.

SIR JOHN PHILLIMORE, Knt. C. B.

Was appointed one of his Majesty's naval aides-de-camp
ill Sept. 1831. He married, Feb. 17th, 1830, KatJjerine
Harriet, daughter of Captain Kaigersfeld, U. N.

.■<' ■'It.

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■>,?:^^l

JAMES WHITLEY DEANS DUNDAS, Esq.

Was appointed to the Prince Regent 120, flag-ship in the
River Medway, Aug. 6th, 18.30; and nominated <mc of his
Majesty's naval aides-de-camp in Sept. 1831. He paid ott'
the Prince Regent on the 21st I'eb. 1832; and in the same
year succeeded to the landed property, in Kent and Berk-
shire, of his deceased father in-law and uncle. Lord Ames-
bury, whose case is supposed to be the first instance of a
peerage having been created and become extinct in the short
space of one month.

Captain Dundas represented the borough of Greenwich in
the first reformed parliament ; and was appointed a deputy
lieutenant of the county of Berks in 1834.

-.1

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i t

452

ADDENDA TO CAI»TAINS,

FRANCIS BEAUFORT, Esq.

(,Suppl. Part II. p. 94.)

Was appointed Hydrographcr to the Admiralty in May
1829.

SIR THOMAS FELLOWES, Knt. C. B., &c.

(.Suppl. Part II. p. 335.)

After the battle of Navarin, his present Majesty, then
Lord High Admiral, presented this officer with a sword,
bearing the royal arms on one side the guard, and his own
arms on the other.

Captain Fellowes returned hoiae from the Mediterranean
in Feb. 1830; and paid off the Dartmouth frigate, at Chat-
ham, on the 15th of the following month. On the 23d June
in the same year, the honorary degree of Doctor in Civil
Law was conferred on him at Oxford. Dr. Bliss, Deputy
Professor, in presenting him to the heads of the University,
after Viscount Combermere, observed, — " You behold an-
other chieftain, glorious as a conqueror like the former,
though he has warred upon another element. Covered like
the former with insignia, which display the gratitude of
foreign courts and nations, his glory is not only that of con-
quest, but that of having preserved from death by fire and
water, thousands, not only of his friends and fellow-country-
men, but even of inveterate enemies ; thus fixing the banner
oi mercy and love on the hostile mast of deadly enmity."

THOMAS HUSKISSON, Esq.

{_Suppl. Part II. p. 344.)

This officer was appointed one of the captains of the
Royal Hospital, Greenwich, on the 15th Oct. 1830. His
eldest son, Thomas, midshipman of the Cordelia sloop, died
at Malta in June 1833, aged 18 years. Possessing the most
amiable and gentlemanly qualities, he was loved and esteemed
by all who knew him.

ADDENDA TO CA rAINM.

453

SIR AUGUSTUS WILLIAM JAMES CLIFFORD.

{Suppl. Part III. p. 86.)

This officer received the honor of knighthood in Aug.
1830; and paid off the Undaunted frigate, at Portsmouth,
Nov. 2d following. On the latter occasion, the officers and
midshipmen of that ship gave him a parting dinner, when,
his health being drank, he addressed them nearly as fol-
lows : —

" Gentlemen, — From the kind and flattering manner in which you
have drank my health, I can scarcely express to you what I feel at this
moment. After having closed near three years service, I conceive that
th*? feelings which have induced you to shew me this mark of your re-
gard, are not only gratifying to myself, but beneficial to the service. I
assure you I am on this occasi )n powerfully influenced by different mo-
tives— if, on the one hand, after having been in various parts of the
world, and having, as you know, suffered much indisposition, I rejoice
to leave our old ship in safety, and to return to my own fauiily ; on the
other hand, I feel a deep and sincere regret in parting from those with
whom I have served during a period which I shall always consider as one
of the most fortunate and most agreeable parts of my life. I trust we
shall all look buck with sutisfivction to the last three years ; and there is
one circumstance connected with our early history, which I am sure we
shall always remember with pride and pleasure, which is that the Un-
daunted is a singular instance of any frigate having borne the flag of the
Lord High Admiral of England, now our most gracious and beloved
Sovereign. I vv'ill now only express u hope that we may all meet at some
future time, and drinking each and all your good healths, I return you
many thanks for the honour and kindness you have now shewn me."

Sir Augustus has since been appointed Usher of the Black
Rod, and a Gentleman Usher Daily Waiter to his Majesty
King William IV.

BENJAMIN CLEMENT, Esq.

(.Suppl. Part IL p. 393.)

The flat-bottomed boat commanded by this officer at the
battle of Copenltagen, April 2d, 1801, was attached to the
RuHscl 7'4j whose lieutenant, the present Sir Nisbet J. Wil-

■ 'I

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y

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ADDENDA TO CAITAINS.

iou^hby, lie assisted in boarding and sejuring a Danisli
block-ship, the Provestccn 56, which had struck her colours,
but kei)t ujj a fire from tlie lower-deck for some time after
her officers had surrendered *.

On this occasion, a Dane snapped his pistol in Lieutenant
Clement's face, but it fortunately missed fire, and was im-
mediately '^vrested from him by a British seaman named
Ford, who soon settled his business, first knocking him
down with the butt end, and then despatching him.

Captain Clement's last appointment was, in Sept. 1828,
to the Shannon 46, fitting out at Chatham for the West India
station, from whence he returned to Spithead on the 22d
Nov. 18131. During his absence, in Feb. 1830, he was
elected a burgess of Southampton.

HON. WILLIAM HENRY PERCY.

(%>y>/. Part III. p. 61.)

In the sanguinary affair with Fort Bowyer, this officer had
the narrowest possible escape, a grape-shot having cut open
the collar of his coat, without inflicting any material injury.
The military officers on shore, who were waiting the effect
of his tire to storm, and who were passive spectators of the
scene, describe the manner in which the Hermes was laid
alongside of the fort as being beautiful, and truly Nehonian.

JOSEPH NEEDHAM TAYLER, Esq. C. B.

{Siippl. Part III. p. 137.)

Wk iiuve already stated that this officer, when lieutenant
of the Maida 74, commanded a party of seamen landed from
that ship, to co-operate with the army under Lord Cathcart,
at the siege of Copenhagen, in 1807. Whilst landiiig long
24-poundcrs, to form a breaching battery, the triangles sup-
plied by the army to get the guns on shore were destroyed.

♦ See Suppl, Part II. p. 117, >'( scq.

ADDKNDA TO CAPIAINS, 455

Poicciviiig this, luul that the bouts were likely to be kept
waitiiitif until others were sent from the fleet, he solicited,
and with much difficulty obtained permission to land u gun
from the Maida's launch, by the following method, which
the captain of the beach considered impracticable.

The grapling was thrown over in deep water, with a spring
to keep the broadside of the launch on with the beach. The
tompion and vent being well secured, a hawser was made
fast to the breeching ring of the gun, from the shore. The
gun was lying fore-and-aft on the thwarts, a-midsliips. Two
bars were placed projecting over the gunwale of the boat and
under the side of the gun, resting on two of the thwarts.
Two ropes were brought imder the gun, with both ends on
shore as a parbuckle. All being ready, and the oars, masts,
€and sails secured in the boat, the crew were directed to sit
firm a-midships, inclining their bodies to the motion of the
boat. The order to "pull away" was then given ; the gun
rolled over the gimwale, bringing it under water, and was
quickly dragged on shore. When freed from this heavy
weight, the launch righted with a tremendous weather roll,
threw up the spray, and all was >vell again. In this manner
every boat landed her gun.

Another difficulty now presented itself. Only one tran-
sporting gun-carriage could be obtained, and the seamen
employed in dragging the gmis were, on rounding the main
road, exposed to the enemy's fire. On this occasion. Lieu-
tenant Tayler's fertile genius produced a substitute, " by the
adoption of which," said the late Vice-Admiral Billy Doug-
las, " many brave fellows would have been saved at the Cape
of Good Hope." Sir Charles Hamilton and the late Sir
Joseph Yorke likewise, when Lieutenant Tayler submitted
his plan to the Admi- .'Ity, strongly recommended it, but to
no purpose — " it tvas not the estaldhhmcnt I "

In 1B08, when serving on board the Spencer 7 % this offi-
cer invented a transparent compass, to avoid shewing the
light on deck, with a pendulum, hung horizontally, and
floated in water to lesson oscillation ojcusioned by the con-
cussion of the guns or other causes.

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In 1812, while commanding the Sparrow I'loop, on the
north coast of Spain, Captain 'I'aylcr rendered himself emi-
nently useful in survey in^if different harbours, particularly
Socoa and St. Jean de Luz ; and in ascertaining the strength
of the different French garrisons along the shore of Biscay, in
drawing plans of their works, and in obtaining correct informa-
tion respecting their forces in the interior of that province *.
These services were very highly appreciated by Sir Home
Pophani, the senior officer on that station, who promised to
apply for him as liis captain, should he be ordered to hoist a
broad pendant. At this period, Captain Tayler was the
junior commander under Sir Home's orders.

When so dreadfully wounded by a shell, in the breaching
battery before St. Sebastian, July 24th, 1813 f, Captain
Tayler was holding a telescope belonging to Sir George
Collier, which that officer had just before lent him to use as
a baton in cheering up his men. We mention this circum-
stance in consequence of its having been insinuated that
Captain Tayler was not on duty in the battery, and neglected
to use due precaution. We happen to know that Sir George
Collier called alongside the Sparrow for Captain Tayler,
having previously sent on board an intimation that he was
to accompany him to the battery. At the time he received
his wounds. Captain Tayler was in the act of levelling a gun,
and consequently not aware of the approach of the shell J.
The services of the Sparrow during the winter of 1812,
when frigates were not allowed to be to leeward of Cape
Machicao §, as officially noticed by Lord Keith, together
with the wounds he received in the breaching battery at St.
Sebastian, induced Lord Melville to send for Captain Tayler,
and, unsolicited, to offer him the command of a post ship j
but finding him still upon crutches, he regretted his unfor-
tunate situation, and assured him his conduct and sufferings

• See Suppl. Part III. p. 138. f See irl. p. 145.

X Tlie varnish on the telescope was scorched off, leavl-ig the impres-
Bion of Captain Tayler's fingers.

§ See Suppl. Tart III. p. 110.

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS. 457

had been noticed, and that he should be employed whenever
an opportunity offered. When the attack of Algiers was
projected, he requested an appointment, but without effect,
as it was not necessary to commission any additional ships
for that expedition. On the appearance of a Spanish army
on the frontiers of Portugal, he again offered his services,
hoping that a local knowledge of the coast would be deemed
an additional recommendation. In April 1828, he applied
to the Lord High Admiral, stating that he was in the prime
of life, quite recovered from his wounds, and ready for any
service or climate. About the same time he submitted to H.
R. lliglniess ''A Plan of Internal Defence." In Nov. 1829,
he laid before the Board of Admiralty some remarks on the
best mode of checking pestilential fevers, and offered his
personal services to carry them into effect at Gibraltar. In
i\ug. 1831, he requested an appointment from Sir James
Graham, observing that " if the crew of a frigate was re-
quired, he could obtain volunteers to man one with dispatch.*'
The i'irst Lord replied, that he had " made a memorandum
of his application for active service, which he should be happy
to take into consideration, together with those of other offi-
cers, as opportunities offered." On the ICth of the same
month, having received intimation that one of the principal
naval commands had been offered to Sir Philip C. H. Dur-
ham, he tendered his services as flag-captain to that officer,
and received the following answer : —

" My dear Taylcr, — I can assure you I have tlie highest esteem for
you. Of all the inidshipinen that ever served with uie, I thought you
were the most promising ; and your gallant conduct on all occasions has
proved I had judged right. Since I was ol)liged to give up the command
at Sheerness, I have not been offered any other ; not but I may be in

course of time. Should I serve, my captain, , is in the — —

by my nomination, waiting me ; and I have two or three old officers on
my list. You, my old shipmate, may not be aware that you arc not old
enough to be captain of a first rate : you must be twenty years a captain.
The Admiralty would not appoint Captain to the , as flag-
captain to Sir , and he was a captain of eighteen years. I feel

much obliged by the offer of such an officer to serve under the flag of
his old friend. I am, my dear Taylcr, very truly yours,

CSigucd) "^P.C. H. DURHA-M."

458

ADDKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

Oil the 2.^(1 Nov. IKTl, Captain Taylor forwrniod to the
ManjuiiJ of Lansdowtic a Plan for the Reii^istry of Soainoii.
The followincf are extracts of his correspondence with the
Admiralty on the huhjcct of his various inventions : — *

" ParUftmntf Sijwirr, Frh. Wth, 1H15.

*' IMy Lord, — I l»ey leave to oirer (or your inspection an iinprovomeni
on ^iirlits for ships' ^nins and carronudes, coinbinint^ the elevation and
Hue of hi;;iit in one focus, hy two sijfht.s, one at the mu/zlc astraj-cl,
and the other at the second reinforce rinjf ; ifiviufi:, with the object
fired at, three ni,.rk.s in one, founded on practical cxperinients,
proved on board H. M. sloop Sparrow, under my command, on the
nortii coast of Spain, and more particularly at the defence of Castro,
during which shells were thrown from the Sparrow's carronades with
threat precision, aiul the practical effec. of the firiuff from the breachiujif
battery at St. Seltastian's, over the heads of the storming party, by the
seumcn from the s«pnidri»n, prove the utility of tliis invention. JMy
wounds, received at the altove sit'ne, prevented an earlier introduction,
as I considered it necessary that the experiments slu)ul(l take place in my
presence, f()rmcr plans having been sui)mitted to the opinion and trial of
persons who were not interested in he introduction thereof, and certainly
not so caj)able of giving the neees.-ary explanations.

" I have been urged by several scientific officers, who have witnessed
the precision with which the Sparrow's crew fired by these sights, to
bring this invention forward, convinced of its great importance to naval
giuinery, if adopted in the service.

" During many experiments on board the Sparrow and other ships,
I have observed expert gunners in the old system unable to strike a
boat's sail, when the sliip was under weigh, notwithstanding .'hey rigidly
adhered to the principles now adopted in the service ; whereas, by the
plan of three objects in one, as produced by my sights, four shots passed
through an aperture made by the first shot, in the centre of a boat's sail,
without enlarging the hole more than the diameter of a 24-pound shot :
these shots were driven home in canvas, to reduce the windage. In
firing from carronades, quoins were u-'ed : indeed carronades should in-
varial)ly be fired with (|Uoins, screwing the gun tight down on the quoin,
to prevent the piece from rising when fired.

" With the present elevating sights, it is morally impossible to elevate
and point a gun when under weigh, from not having the line of sight
and elevation in one focus. At point-blank, with my sights, not one shot
will be fired in vain, as the rolling or veering of a vessel will not affect
the aim, when the objects are in one with the sights. The sights have

♦ Sec Suppl. Part 111. pp. 113 and US.

aiji)I':m)A to caitajns.

450

■,\

i\cfivvMA (if olcvatiuit fixed i.» tliciii, and by luiviii^ tln'olevation (if tlu- ^ir^t
shot uliifh takes pUoc made known tu the captuias of the ^(iins, all the
hattery would he inimediately hrouiflit to the same dt'i^ree of tlevution,
the «|Uoins heiuir dissecteil to correspond with tlie elevation us to distance.
This is supposing the vessel to he heyond p(tiiit-l)liink ; otherwise it
merely rc»|iares the first dejrree of elevation, an<i every shot would take
clleet. This method of (dttainiuif the ran!,''e is the most simple and ex-
peditious, as four ijuns laid at ditVerent de!,'rees of elevation, ajfreealdv to
the tauifent si;fht, woidd immediately >(ive the recpiired distance and
elevation. Ships euyairiu!; at anchor, at point-ldank, every shot would
take ellect ; whilst hy I lie method now in use four shot out of five would
pass ahove tlie mark fired at — even the firinjf would cause the ship to roll
and alter the elevation, from the si;,'hts not i)eing combined with the ele-
vation in one focus. * * * * I ain, my Lord, &c.

(Si;rned) " J. i\. Taylkr."

" To the Wirlit lion. Lord n.srmnl Mrli-Ult', ^(htiiraUi/."

Ill reply to this letter, Captain Tayler was merely in-
formed, that his " plans had heen laid hefore the Board."

" Drrhi's, Fil>. \'Mh, 1822.

" My Jiords, — Havins>- lately read a puldication by Sir Howard Doug'-
las. Oil naval ;ruiiiiery, I'oiitainin;,' a new invention of sijfhts for ships'
^nins, bearinif date 1R17, I befif to call your Lordships' attention to a
similar invention forwarded by me to the Board in the beginniiij^ of 1816.

" Presumiii;;* from the silence observed that it was not deemed prudent
to brinj,'' into jfi'iieral practice any inqiortant improvements mftde durinjj;
peace, I refrained from troublini»' your Lordships with other plans con-
nected therewith ; but as Sir Howard Douglas's publication u under the
.sanction of the First Lord of the Adm'rraUji, and an order given for its
general adoption, I beg to attach this invention to the naval service,
having transmitted it to the Admiralty two years previous to Sir Howard
Douglas having even thoi;ght of it, as he distinctly states, in order to
account for its not being laid before the Board till 1822.

" If it is correct that a committee of naval officers are to be appointed
to arrange a new system of navjil gunnery, I wish to know if any practi-
cal oliservations, made during the war, will be deemed useful for their
information ; as no doubt, if numerous plans were sent in by officers who
have made it their study, a most useful and improved work on naval
gimnery might be compiled.

" The sights I had tlie honor of transmitting, I gave to Captain
Parish in the year 1812, and he states that, after witnessing the surprising
[irecision with which the captains of his guns fired at a cask, he called a
boy who had just Joined, and directed him to point a gun and fire when
the sigiils were in one fucus with the object to be fired at. The boy
levelled the gun, and shot away the flag-stalT fi.Ked on the cask, although

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ADDKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

the ship had considerable motion. *»**♦» 1 ndced I would
not hesitate in firing with a rifleman, if the ship was in smooth water.
The advantage of combining the elevation and line of sight needs no
further elucidation. I am, my Lords, &c.

(Signed) " J. N. Tayler."

" To the Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty."

In reply, the Secretary to the Admiralty mformed Captain
Tayler that the publication he alluded to "was not under
the sanction of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty."

" Devizes, 8th Jan. 1824.
*' My Lord, — Having before transmitted some practical experiments
respecting naval gunnery, and which have been subsequently brought
into action, I have ventured to lay before your Lordship the model of
an improved gun-carriage, with some other nautical remarks ; but as I
have not the means of reducing it to practice, I hope your Lordship's
candour will pardon any errors it may contain, and favor me with an
opportunity of explaining the advantages of this model over the gun at
present in use. I am, &c.

(Signed) " J. N. Tayler."

" To the Right Hon. Lord discount Melville.**

The above letter was accompanied with a plan for concen-
trating the whole broadside to one angular focus ; and an-
other^ of a platform for elevating guns on the booms.

" Devizes, Zd January, 1828.
" My Lords, — As bomb-vessels on their present construction are soon
rendered incapable of sustaining heavy firing from sea mortars, and are
totally unfit for sea service after maintaining a long bombardment, I
have ventured to submit to your Lordship's consideration a method of
rendering bomb vessels as effective as any class of H. M. ships, after a
rapidity of firing, and to enable them to carry three mortars on board
each vessel, viz. — Two strong main beams under the deck, resting
upon either gunwale, with a strong sleeper bolted to the cross beams.
On the latter (or on either gunwale) an iron socket is fixed to receive a
counterpoise beam connected with the centre mortar box, which traverse
on a circular platform to fire over either side, supported on sleepers in-
dependent of the counterpoise , a spindle, fixed to the mortar box, passes
down the hatchway and is fixed to an air vessel floating in a box ten feet
square, which mil support a ton weight (although the pressure would be
optional from one cwt. to a ton). By this plan the mortar would be
much higher, allowing a free expansion of the powder, whilst on the
present method the shock is much increased by the mortar being so low
between decks, acting like a mine when fired.

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

461

•' To prepare for action, the mortar being fixed in the box, unscrew
the pressure bolt and adjust the re-action bolt. Tlie upper part of the
mortar jiort should be made to sway up, and the lower part to fall out-
ward on hinges. Then, suppose a mortar weighs four tons, and that the
recoil force pressing downwards was equal to one ton. To the counter-
poise beam fix the weight equal to five tons, the spindle pressure would
raise the mortar box to the height of the pressure bolt ; it is then ready
for action, and would continue so during any length of firing upon un-
erring principles. The counterpoise lever projecting over either gun-
wale, with a concave weight lowered by a chain under water, would
regulate the concussion ; and the pressure on the air-vessel would nega-
tive the shock on board. The strain on the pivot bridge, which may be
altered at pleasure, according to the charge of powder, from the pivot
socket on the cross beam to the pivot socket upon either gunwale, would
be equal and regular, consequently no concussion more than a common
discharge from the broadside of lower-deck guns would be felt.

" It is presumed by this plan shells may be thrown with more preci-
sion, and the powder reduced according to its resistance, shewn by the
counterpoise beam on firing the mortar. If a pound of powder will at
an angle of 45° throw a shell a given distance, it will raise the lever
bar (say) one inch, and every range in like manner will oe shewn by an
index wire fixed to the beam, and a useful correction obtained. Should
the powder on board be damp, or of less strength than range powder,
the distance cannot be accurately obtained, as now practised, conse-
quently this advantage would be highly important in night bombardment.
The quantity of powder for each range will not be correct if damp or
deficient in strength ; but the recoil force is shown at every discharge,
and the range by the index always visible to the eye. I have tried this
plan, and found it to answer upon a small scale, and hope the utility of
the invention will attract the attention of your Lordships to so important
an object. I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed)

J. N. Tavi^er."

" To the Right Hon. Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty."

" Devizes, 24th Sept. 1829.

" My Lords, — Having observed in the public papers that some im-
provements are about to take place at Portsmouth, in reference to the
naval ordnance, I beg to call your Lordships' attention to the inventions
I have at various periods brought forward for the benefit of H. M. ser-
vice ; and although I have not been so fortunate as to see the whole of
them adopted, yet I flatter myself, in respect to my improvement in ship
guns, the following observations will be found deserving of your Lord,
ships' attention.

" It is stated, that a method has been discovered by which guns in
ships or batteries may be pointed in any direction, with much greatec

v I

462

ADDfiiiriA TO CAPTAINS.

ease and (inickness than at present. This invention is similar, though
very inferior, to a plan I invented several years since, and which met
with the approbation of several men of science in the na\7 and artillery.
In addition to the improvement suggested at Brighton, of non-recoil
trucks, my plan contained an elevating screw, of momentary action,
which not only raised the gun, but gave the degree of elevation corres-
ponding to any range, the scale of which was painted on the carriage,
whilst the traversing circle gave the line of the object fired at ; conse-
quently a ship steered to one point, or moored mth springs, might fire
with the greatest rapidity, as the gun would run in and out in the same
line of fire. The crow-bar and handspikes (so very inconvenient) were
thus rendered unnecessary, two men being enabled to train the gun,
whilst half the usual niiml)er could run it out, l»y the purchase being
applied to the fore trucks, llie breeching was brought through a hole
in the carriage (to prevent the gun from jumping during a heavy fire),
and passing under the gun, was brought out through the breast-piece and
secured to the opposite port rings. By this means the gun would run in
square, in the line fired, whilst the .sides would be perfectly clear for
loading, and only a single rope used for side tackle from the fore truck.
In the carriage at present used in the naval service, the l)reeching, when
not rendering through the rings, causes the gun, on being fired, to run
in a diagonal direction across the deck. The tedious operation of housing
lower-deck guns was also dispensed \vith (the gun being always horizon-
tally laid ready for battle), thereby obtaining room for another tier of
hammocks fore and aft. All ships previous to leaving harbour, in still
water, should take the extreme angular bearing of their guns. All the
grins (by the plan I proposed to your Lordships some years since) should be
concentrated to one angular point, and the points of bearing painted on
the binnacle head ; by which means a ship in chase would not be kept
too much away to bring the bow guns to bear. The whole broadside,
when concentrated and discharged by unerring principles, the elevation
and line of sight in one focus, under the guidance of the captain by word
of command, requires no comment. One broadside eflfectually discharged
into a ship would destroy her. The sides of the gun carriage being per-
fectly clear, the grape and canister cases were slung in a neat manner,
ready at a moment. There was also a case of tin cylinders for loading,
containing 24 rounds. These are most important for expedition and
economv. The difficulty of getting out a shot with a ladle, and after-
wards the wet powder, when the water has got into the gun, or loading
in rough weather, is thus completely obviated. Ships going into battle
woTild frequently reload if practicable. A cylinder of tin, equal to the
diameter of the shot, contains the cartridge, with round, or grape, or
loose musket-balls, similar to a canister-shot case cut horizontally through
to the wood at the top. A laniard passing through the wad enables the
gtin to be at all times unloaded with facility; and if the cylinder were

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

463

used for loadinf^, the rapidity of firing would Ik: increased, as it would
require only once ramminj^ home with a short rammer ; indeed carron-
ades might be loaded without the use of a rammer by this invention ;
and all accidents by fire l)eing left in after spungiug, be entirely prevented.
The cylinder may be used for shells and hot shot. The saving of cordage
and powder by the use of the cylinder would be very considerable.
Should your Lordships consider these suggestions deserving of trial, and
would recommend Lord Melville to remove me from an irksome life,
which I have endured suice my l)eing wounded in 1813, by honoring me
with an appointment, I should be proud to carry them into execxition at
my own cxpence. I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " J. N. Tayler."

** To the Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralti/."

" Devizes, 21 th Dec. 1830.
" Sir, — I have received Mr. Barrow's letter of the /th instant, acknow-
ledging the receipt of my letter, requesting to l)e acknowledged as the
author of the new system of directing a broadside of a man-of-war to one
focus ; and I have again to beg you will move the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty to cause my claim as the original inventor of this im-
proved mode of firing to be exiimined into, and to award me that credit
for the invention to which I feci I am so justly entitled. I am, &c.

(Signed) " J. N. Taylkr."

" To the Hon. George Elliot, Admirultij."

" Admiralty Office, 4th Jan. 1831.
" Sir, — ^With reference to your letter of the 27th ultimo, renewing
your claim to an invention for concentrating the fire of a ship's broad-
side, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to
acquaint you, that although their Lordships have ordered Mr. Kennish •
to be paid a sum of money, it was not awarded to him on account of any
new system of directing a l)roadside of a ship of war to a given focus,
but for the invention and purchase of an instrument made at his expence,
as well as to cover his personal expenses while attending the experi-
ments on board the Excellent, by an order from their Lordships. I
am, &c. (Signed) " John Barrow."

" Devizes, lith Jan. 183L
" Sir, — I have received your letter of the 4th instant, in reply to my
letter of the 27th ultimo, requesting their Lordships to refer to the plans
I had the honor to transmit them for concentrating a ship's broadside,
long before Mr. Kennish or any other person made any proposal on this
subject ; and to beg their Lordships to admit that I was the original in-
ventor of this " new mode of concentrating the fire of a broadside."

m

* Carpenter of the Hussar frigate.

|i,.

464

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

U

My object, I heg you to assure their Lordships, is not to get an award of
money. I am fully repaid in the gratification I experience whenever any
of my plans are found beneficial to that service whose well-being I have
so much at heart, the navy ; but I do earnestly request, as I feel myself
the first inventor of this improved mode of firing a broadside, that their
Lordships will do me the justice to simply admit me to be the inventor,
and the first person who transmitted them the plan for concentrating the
fire of a broadside of a man-of-war. I feel confident their Lordships
will pardon my feelings when they know that I have been subjected to
the mortification of my plans being transferred to others on a similar
occasion. On the 11th Feb. 1815, 1 transmitted the method of combining
the elevation and line of sight for ships' guns, as now in use, and which
was brought for^vard by Sir Howard Douglas as a military invention,
under the sanction of the Admiralty, several years after the date of uiy
letter. I am. Sir, &c. (Signed) " J. N. Tayler."

" To the Hon. George Elliot, Sfc."

" Devizes, 4th Nov. 1831.

" Sir, — I have lately observed with some surprise and great regret,
that Captain Smith, of the royal artillery, has obtained the credit of being
the projector of the plan of concentrating the broadside of a man-of-war
to one angular focus ; which method was communicated by me to the
Board of Admiralty, in a book of observations on the best method of
raking an enemy and discharging broadsides.

" I therefore, being anxious to claim this as a naval invention, refer
their Lordships to my book, which accompanied the gun-carriage I had
the honor to transmit to them ; and I beg you. Sir, to move the Board
of Admiralty to do me the justice of awarding me as a naval officer the
credit which is justly due to me, of being the inventor of this improved
and effectual mode of firing. I am, &c.

(Signed) " J. N. Tayler."

" To the Hon. George Elliot, Sfc."

" Devizes, 5th Feb. 1832.

" My Lords, — Having submitted several inventions to the late Board
of Admiralty, amongst others a traversing carriage, in 1824, 1 may ven-
ture to state that the improvement I have now added to the old carriage,
so admirably adapted to co-operate with the army, simple and efficient,
whilst its celerity of motion, by a train wheel, elevating screw, improved
truck, &c. enables half the number of men to work the gun. The marks-
man has complete controul over the elevat'ng and pointing of the gun,
and can guide it to the object during the operation of running out, a
most important acquisition to the science of gunnery ; whilst the side is
perfectly clear for loading ; the awkward handspike, long side tackles,
and crow bar, being entirely done away with.

" I have also completed a percussion lock for great guns, a water-proof

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

465

tube to facilitate the tedious operation of uuloadiiiif a gun to insure an
effectual broadside, admirably adapted for sbells and heated shot, and
increasing the rapidity of firing, llie gun will travcrjic as fur as the size
of the port will admit, the trucks Iteing brought back more to the
angle of resistance, whilst the gun is prevented tipping l)y a pivot piece.
The helm must ever be considered the grand travcrsiug bar, keeping
Bu opponent within the bearing of the guns by my angular extreme
bearing plate, united to my plan for concentrathig the broadside of a
man-of-war, and to be fixed on the binnacle, which will prevent a ship
being too much yawed to bring the bow gun to bear in chase. I beg to
express my acknowledgments to your Lordships for your attention to my
former letter, and hope the model which accompanies this letter, with
the saving of powder and cordage, will induce your Lordships to allow
me a fair trial of this improved method of working a giui ; having been
subjected to the mortification of seeing many of my plans transferred to
the credit of others and adopted in the service. I am, &c.

(Signed) " J. N. Tayler."

" To the Right Hon. the Lord^ Commlssloncn of the Adinimlti/."

In answer to this letter, Captain Tayler was acquainted
" that their Lordships coukl not order any tried of his im-
proved gun-carriage to be made at tlie expence of Govern-
ment ;" upon which he addressed himself to their secretary
as follows : —

" Devizes, \2th Feb. 1832.

** Sir, — I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th
instant. Presuming that I was in error in requesting a trial of my in-
vention at the expence of Government, I beg to request a similar indul-
gence as granted to Commander Marshall may be extended to me ; and
that their Lordships will permit me to attend at Portsmouth arsenal the
alteration of an old carriage ut my expence; being convinced of the
utility of my improved carriage, and tenacious of introducing it as a
naval invention.

** The facility afforded to military men in carrying into effect their
inventions at Woolwich, no doubt creates a stimulus, and gives them a
decided advantage over naval men in bringing science to the acme of
perfection. I am, &c. (Signed) " J. N. Tayler."

This application was attended with the same provoking
result as the former. Mr. Barrow was commanded to ac-
quaint Captain Tayler that his request could not be com-
plied with. Thus terminated his correspondence with the
Admiralty on the subject of naval gunnery. The model of
his gun-carriage is now deposited in the United Service Mu-

VOL, IV. PART II. 2 H

»<>--

406

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

seum, and has been greatly admired. Some other inven-
tions, and a plan for manning the royal navy without resort-
ing to impressment, will be noticed in an Appendix. ^^

In Oct. 1834, a very handsome service of plate was ** pre-
sented to Captain Taylcr by his fellow-townsmen and friends,
in token of the higli esteem they entertain for him, and in
testimony of his active and independent exertions in pro-
moting, upon all occasions, the prosperity of his native town,
and the welfare of its iidiabitants." The plate was sent to
him, accompanied by an appropriate address from the com-
mittee (deputed for the purpose), with a list of the contri-
butors ; to which he returned the following reply :-^

" Gentlemen, — I have had the hii>h liononr and ji^ratlfication of re-
oeiviniy the very munificent present of my fellow-townsmen and friends,
tojnfether with your truly friendly address. It would be in vain to attempt
to descriite to you, in adequate terms, the feelings with which it has
inspired me ; for, however it may have been induced by a too generous
estimation of my conduct and hundjle services, I shall ever look upon it
as the higliest tribute that can be paid to an hidividual. In the very long
list of the names of those who have united to pay me this handsome
compliment, I find that of my worthy friend, the chief magistraie of the
town — the luiiversally esteemed justice of the borough, and others of the
authorities — the whole of the resident clerg}' — nearly all the professional
gentlemen — most of the respectable ti'adesmen — a large portion of the
honest and independent operatives — and others, my most valued friends ;
to all of whom, in expressing my gratefid acknowledgments, I can only
say, that it shall be my study to retain the good opinion they have formed
of me.

** Gentlemen, — I can never forget the very handsome manner in which
the body corporate of Devizes presented me with the freedom of the
borough, on my return from active naval service. This is now upwards
of eighteen years ago, the greater part of which time I have resided
amongst you. To find, therefore, that I have not only lived in your
respect and esteem (which must at all times be a source of happiness and
of pride), but that my conduct should have excited you to some especial
mark of your fa\'our, is indeed a tribute, which, as I have before said,
inspires me with feelings not to be described.

" Water is, of course, my favorite clement ; but, should his Msyesty
not again require my services, I trust I shall spend the remainder of my
days in terms of friendship and sociability among my fellow-townsmen.
I h^ve the honor to l)e, (ientlcmen, your very grateful and faithful servant,

(Signed) " Joseph Needham Tavleb."

' *''Dcllevue.Hot(se, Devizen, Oct. 1831."

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

40/

THOMAS MANSELL, Esq.

Kn'tg'ht of the Royal Sii-nlii/t AJili/ari/ Ordrr of the Sword.

Is the third son of Thomas Maiiscll, Esq. of Guernsey,
ami was born in that ishvnd on tlie 9th Feb. 1777- He en-
tered the royal navy, as midshipman on board the Crescent
frigate. Captain (now Lord De) Saumarez, in Feb. 1793; and
served under that highly distinguished officer during tlio
greater part of the wars occasioned l)y the French revolution.
On the 20th Oct. 17913, he assisted at the capture of the re-
publican frigate Ke-Union, near Cherbourg, after a close ac-
tion of two hours and ten minutes ; and subsequently, of two
privateers in the Bay of Biscay*. In December following,
he accompanied an expedition under Earl Moira and Rear-
Admiral M*Bride to the coasts of Normandy and Brittany f ;
and on the 8th June 1794, we find him in action with an
enemy's squadron of very superior force, from which the
Crescent escaped by most bold and masterly manoeuvres, as
will be seen by reference to our memoir of her gallant and
skilful commander.

Mr. Mansell afterwards followed Sir James Saumarez into
the Orion 74, of which ship he was mascer's-mate in Lord
Bridport's action near I'Orient, June 23d, 1795 ; at the de-
feat of the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent, Feb. 14th,
1797j on which occasion he was wounded ; and at the ever-
memorable battle of the Nile, Aug. 1st, 1798 %' For Iiis
uniform good conduct on those occasions, he was so strongly
recommended by Sir James Saumarez, that, previous to t'n
completing the usual period of service as a petty officer, tiiv!
immortal Nelson was pleased to appoint him an acting lieu-
tenant. He returned home in 1' Aquilon 74, one of the prizes
taken in Aboukir Bay, and was confirmed in his rank by an
Admiralty commission dated April 17tb, 1799. We next
find him serving on board the Impregnable 98, Captain

'^^^>

P

{!■

•r

I

:fe

* Sec Vol. I. Part I. p. 178. t See Vol. I. Part II. p. 502.

X See Vol. I. Part I. pp. 24<), et seq., 21, e( seq., and 180, ct srq.

2 H 2

II'

i*:i

468

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

Jonathan Faulkner, in which ship he was wrecked near
Chichester harbour, Oct. 19th, 1799. During the remainder
of that war, he served under Captain (afterwards Admiral)
John Child Purvis, in the London 98, and Royal Georj^e,
first rate, attached to the Chainiel fleet. The former ship
was in the expedition against Ferrol, under Sir John B.
Warren and Sir James Pulteney, in Aug. 1800 *.

On the renewal of hostilities, Mr. Mansell was appointed
to the Cerberus 32, Captain William Selby, which ship bore
the flag of Sir James Saumarez, at the bombardment of
Granville, in Sept. 1803. In his official letter on this occa-
sion. Sir James says, — " The Cerberus, after getting under
sail " to renew the attack, " grounded on a sand bank, and
remained above three hours before she floated. Nine of the
enemy's gun-vessels, perceiving her situation, endeavoured
to annoy her, and kept up a heavy fire upon her for some
time, but were silenced by the Charwell and Kite, sloops,
and also by the fire from the Sulphur and Terror, bombs,
and by the carronade launch of the Cerberus, under the or-
ders of Lieutenant Mansell, assisted by the Eling, schooner,
and Carteret, cutter, which obliged them to take shelter in
their port." tie adds, "The steadiness and good conduct
of all the officers and men in the Cerberus, during the time
the ship was aground, do them infinite credit f ."

The situation of the Cerberus was rather more perilous
than would be inferred from the above extract, the receding
tide having left her nearly on her beam-ends. The boats of
the squadron were placed under the direction of Lieutenant
Mansell, who succeeded in distracting the attention of the
French flotilla, and thus saved the ship from the serious
consequences which at one time threatened her ; for which
service he obtained the applause and personal thanks of the
Admiral. Previous to his quitting the Cerberus, he became
first lieutenant of that ship, and commanded her boats at the

* See Vol. I. Part I. note at p. 220,,
t See Suppl. Part I. p. 44, et seq.

ADDENDA 10 CAI'TAINS.

4G9

capture of several French vessel", cut out from different an-
cliorages within the limits of the Guernsey station.

In 1804, Lieutenant Mansell was removed to the Diomede
50, then heai'ing the flag of Sir James Saumarez, but subse-
quently attached to the squadron under Sir Home Popham,
destined against the Cape of Good Hope. During the ope-
rations which ended in the reduction of that colony, he su-
perintended the landing of the troops under Major-General
(now Lord) Beresford, and commanded the seamen attached
to his brigade at Saldanha Bay. On his return from thence
to Table Bay, he was selected by Sir Home Popham to be
his first lieutenant, in the Diadem 64.

Shortly afterwards, information having been received that
a French squadron under Jerome Buonaparte had arrived in
the vicinity of the Cape, Lieutenant Mansell was sent in an
armed transport with despatches to the Admiralty, his friend.
Sir Home Popham, hoping that his promotion would follow.
Being disappointed in this expectation, probably in conse-
quence of a recent change of ministry, he then rejoined his
early patron. Sir James Saumarez, with whom he served as
flag-lieutenant in the Diomede, Hibernia, and Victory, on
the Guernsey, Channel, and Baltic stations, until promoted
by him to the command of the Rose sloop, Sept. IJth, 1808.

The Rose formed part of the squadron under Captain (now
Rear-Admiral) A. P. Hollis, at the capture of the island of
Anholt, May 18th, 1809*. She subsequently engaged and
beat off a Danish flotilla, in a calm, near the Scaw, as will be
seen by the following official letter from Captain Mansell
to the senior officer at Gottenburg, dated April 29th, 1810 :

" Sir, — Yesterday morning being becalmed in H. M. sloop Rose, the
Scaw bearing W. by N., distant about seven miles, four of the enemy's
gun-vessels, with other ro\ving boats, were seen coming towards us, and
at 11-45, A. M. began to engage, but at such a distance as to have ren-
dered a return of our fire ineftectual, and at the same time have placed
it in their power of ascertaining the range of our guns ; but this was
prevented, and they continued advancing until 0-45, p. m., when, being

H

i-

Sec Vol. II. Part I. p. 121,

4/0

ADDENDA TO t AITAINS.

within u sh()rt raiijfc of j^rape shot, we coinincnced our fire, wliich con-
tinued until two o'clock, when the enemy was seen ui apparent confu-
aion, and one of their row-hoats sunk. Tliey soon afterwards retreate<l,
and I liave every reason to Itclievc, from the well-directed fire of the
Rose, with consideral>l(; loss. I have to lament that during this time
(it bein^ n perfect calm, and the ship only manaj^ed by the assistance of
a boat towing, and her sweeps) I had not the power of checking a spirit
of enterprize evinced l)y the enemy, seldom equalled, as they were at the
time the action ceased a distance of nine miles from the land. It affords
me great pleasure when I relate, that considering the time and manner
we were engaged, little injury has been sustained, having had no one
killed, and but five slightly wounded, owing, as I presume, to the pre.
caution taken, of keeping the men down at their <iuarters, during up-
wards of an hour's destructive fire to our hull, rigging, and sails. The
ship having received nineteen shots in her hull, wheel shot away, the
main yard and mizen mast rendered unserviceable, besides rigging and
sails much cut up. I beg to speak in the highest terms of approbation
of the conduct of my officers and ship's company, and to add, that had
a better occasion given scope to their spirit, and animated conduct which
prevailed, I have every reason to feel the fullest confidence in the result.
The enemy's boat sunk I took on board, which proved to have been an
English six-oared cutter, with the arms, &c. still in her. I have the
honor, &c. (Signed) " Thomas Mansell."

" To Captdhi Pater, H. M. S. Caroline."

On the 10th May, 1810, Sir James Saumarez, then in
Yarmouth Roads, wrote to Captain Mansell as follows : —

" Sir, — Having transmitted for the information of the Lords Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty your letter addressed to Captain Pater, detailing
the particulars of an attack made on H. M. sloop Rose, under your
command, when off the Scaw, by four of the enemy's gun-vessels, in
which great gallantry and good conduct was displayed by you and the
officers and crew of the Rose, I have the satisfaction to inform you that
their Lordships have signified their approbation of your conduct in the
above-mentioned action. I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed)

^' Ja«. Saumarez."

In 1812, Captain Mansell was presented by Viscount
Cathcart, the British ambassador at St. Petersburgh, with a
valuable diamond ring, M^hich his Lordship had been directed
by the Emperor Alexander to forward to him, as a mark of
the high sense that monarch entertained of his services,
especially in conducting safely through the Belt a Russian
squadron, under the orders of Vice- Admiral Crown. In the
course of the .same year^ he A\as honored by King Charles

ADDENDA TO CAITAINS. 471

XIII. with tlic insignia of Knight of the Koyal Military
Order of the Sword, in testimony of the high scnHo his Swe-
dish Majesty likewise entertained of his services, which mark
of distinction was sanctioned and confirmed by the i*rincc
Regent of Great Britain, June 20th, 1813.

On the 23d Aug. in the la*ter year, Captain Mansell was
appointed to the Pelican sloop, in which vessel he continued
mitil advanced to post rank, June 7th, 1814. While com-
manding the Rose and Pelican, a period of nearly six years,
his conduct gained him the approbation of every officer under
whom he served ; his zeal and activity were conspicuous on
every occasion ; and his success as a cruiser against the
enemy almost unprecedented ; he having captured at least
170 vessels of various descriptions, including the American
letter of marque Siro, Jan. 13th, 1814. This vessel was
a schooner of 225 tons, pierced for sixteen guns, mounting
twelve long 9-pounders, wivh a complement of 49 men. She
had been chased by several other British cruisers in the Bay
of Biscay; but escaped through superior sailing, and was
intended to cruise against our trade, after landing her cargo
(cotton) at Bourdeaux.

Captain Mansell married Catherine, daughter of John
Lukis, Esq., of Guernsey, and has eight children. His
second son, Arthur Lukis, was educated at the Royal Naval
College, and first went to sea in the Rainbow 28, Captain
Sir John Franklin. His brother, Bonamy, is a lieutenant in
the royal navy ; and another, William, is on the retired list
of the Hon, East India Company's surgeons.

r i *■ ^ ■ .1

■' '>

'^

RIGHT HON. LORD HENRY JOHN SPENCER

CHURCLHLL.

(rol. III. Part I. p. 286.)

This officer entered the royal navy in April 1811, as mid-
shipman on board the Revenge 74, Captain John Nasli, under
whom and his successor, Captain Charles P. B. Bateman, he
served on the Cadiz station till July 9th, 1812. He then
joined the Alfred 7"!? Captain Joshua Sydney Horton; and

4/^2 ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

soon afterwards the Superb, third rate, in which latter ship,
successively commanded by Captains the Hon. (now Sir
Charles) Paget, Alexander Gordon, James Garland, and
Humphrey F. Senhouse, on the Channel and North American
stations, he continued until May 22d, 1815. We subse-
quently find him serving under the Hon. (now Sir Henry)
Duncan and Captain Robert Preston, in the Glasgow and
Euphrates, frigates, on the Channel and Mediterratiean sta-
tions. He passed his examination for lieutenant on the 4th
June, 1817; at which period lie had been exactly six years
and two months in constant active employment. On the 3d
Nov. following, he was appointed mate of the Andromache
44, Captain VV. H. Shirreff, fitting out for the South Ame-
rican station, where he was removed into the Amphion 38,
bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Bowles, April 1 st,
1818. His first commission, appointing him lieutenant of
the latter ship, bears date July I4th, 1818. Although ad-
vanced to the rank of commander on the 25th April, 1823,
he continued in the Martin*, under Captain Henry Eden,
until Sept. 19th following, from which period he commanded
the Hind until Aug. 20th, 1825.

Lord Henry is still a bachelor. It was his brother who
married the lady mentioned in p. 280 of Vol. III. Part I.

JAMES GARLAND, Esq.

Served h^s midshipman on board the Ganges 74, Captain
(afterwards Sir Thomas F.) Fremantle, at the battle of
Copenhagen, April 2d, 1801 f; arid was promoted to the
rank of lieutenant Jan. 4th, 1808. We next find him in the
Revenge 74, Captain Alexander R. Kerr (acting), which ship
formed part of a detachment from the fleet under Admiral
Gambler, sent to complete the discomfiture of a French
squadron in Aix Roads, April 12th, 1809, on which occasion

* See Vol. III. Part I. p. 28fi.
t See Vol. I. Part I. note at p. 365, et seq.

im,*'

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS. 473

he received two severe contusions. His next appointment
was, Sept. 8th, 1812, to the Superb 74, Captain the Hon.
(now Sir Charles) Paget, under whom he assisted at the
capture of several American vessels, whilst employed on the
Channel station. On the 14th June, 1814, Captain Paget,
then commanding the squadron stationed off New London,
in the state of Connecticut, made the following official re-
port to Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander I. Cochrane: —

" Sir, — Havin? received intelligence that a tine ship and brig, just
built, the former for a letter of marciue, the other for a privateer, were,
with several other vessels, lying at a place called Wareham, at the head
of Buzzard's Bay, I proceeded hence * and detached the Nimrod through
Quick's Hole, with the boats of this ship and two from that sloop to
destroy them, xinder the direction of Lieutenant James Garland, first of
the Superb ; and I am happy to add, that the service was perfectly per-
formed without any loss on our part, though it was achie^'ed under cri-
tictil circumstances. The extreme intricacy of the navigation rendered
it too hazardous to attempt the enterprize without the assistance of day-
light, which, however, necessarily exposed the boats upon their return
down the narrow-stream, to a fire of musketry from a numerous militia,
whicli had collected from the vicinity on the first alarm being given.
The foresight and prompt resolution of Lieutenant Garland completely
succeeded in obviating the danger that was thus to be apprehended ; for
having first destroyed all the vessels and a valuable cotton manufactory,
he then secured the principal people of the place as hostages for a truce
tiU the boats were conducted back out of the reach of difficulty. Tlie
influence that these persons had over the militia that collected and
threatened a cross fire upon the boats from both banks of the river, has
been fully proved by their abstaining to molest them, and of course the
hostages were afterwards relanded at the first convenient spot. The
cotton manufactory had been lately built at great expence, was full of
stores, and belonged to a company of sixty merchants at Boston. I
cannot in justice omit to report to you the steady and exemplary con-
duct of the seamen and marines, wlio, though exposed to incessant
temptation of liquor, &c. did not in any single instance fail to spurn the
offers made to them, and strictly to hold sacred private property. I
have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " Charles Paget."

On this occasion 2522 tons of American shippiiijj- were
destroyed, including the intended letter of marque, pierced

II

F.,*
'•••/^,

I

k:-.

\* ■

'::, (I

'^■i

:,^5

Martha's Vineyard Sound.

I

474 ADDENDA To CAPTAINS.

for eighteen long 12-pounders, and a privateer ready for
launching, pierced for fourteen guns. The value of the cot-
ton manufactory, with the stores it contained at the time,
was estimated by the principal inhabitants at 500,000 dol-
lars.

Lieutenant Garland obtained a commander's commission
in Aug. 1815. On quitting the Superb, he was presented
by his late messmates with a very elegant silver ladle, by the
midshipmen with a silver cup and snuff-box, and by the
ship's company with a handsome piece of plate, as " a tri-
bute of esteem and gratitude."

This officer was advanced to the rank of captain on the
15th October, 1828. He married, in 1818, Mary Anne,
youngest daughter of Thomas Inman, of Great Hayes, co.
Somerset, Esq. ; and died on the 18th May, 1830, after a
lingering illness, in the 44th year of his age.

JOHN HINDMARSH, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Aug. 1803 ; served as
senior lieutenant of the Nisus frigate. Captain Philip Bea-
ver, in the expedition against Java, 181 1 ; was made a com-
mander on the 15th June, 1814; and promoted to the rank
of captain, Sept. 3d, 1831. He is said to have passed
Portsmouth, Sept. 24th, 1834, in the Nile steam vessel,
bound to Alexandria, for the purpose of assuming a high
command in the Egyptian navy.

WILLIAM BROUGHTON, Esq.

Son of the late Captain William Robert Broughton, R. N.,
C. B., colonel of the royal marines, a distinguished officer
and circum-navigator, who died at Florence on the 12th
Mar. 1821, and nephew to General Sir John Delves Brough-
ton, Bart.

The subject of this memoir was born on the 23d Oct.
1804, at Doddington Hall, Clieshire, the seat of his grand-

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS. 47.5

father, the Rev. Sir Thomas Broughton, Bart. ; and entered
the royal navy in 1817, ^s midshipman on board the Spencer
70} commanded by his father, and stationed as a guard- ship
at Plymouth, ile shortly afterwards went to the Royal
Naval College, from whence he was discharged Mar. 1820,
into the Rochfort 80, fitting out for the flag of Sir Graham
Moore, commander-in-chief on the Mediterranean station.
In June 1823, he joined the Rose 18, Commander Henry
Dundas, and in Jan. 1821, the Cambrian 48, Captain Gawen
W. Hamilton, C. B., which ship, after having been employed
for three months in blockading Algiers, returned to England m
the month of June following. We next find him proceeding
to India, in the Boadicca 46, bearing the broad pendant of
Commodore Sir James Brisbane, C. B., by whom he was en-
trusted with the command of a boat attached to the expe-
dition against Ava, for a period of four months, during
which he was in three severe battles and several skirmishes,
the particulars of which are given in Chapter IV. of the
Appendix to Vol. III. Part I.

Mr. Broughton's promotion to the rank of lieutenant took
place April 8th, 1825, but his commission, appointing him
fourth of the Liffey 50, did not reach him until Jan. 1st,
1826, previous to which he had suffered greatly in health
from the climate and severe privations.

After the treaty of Melloone, Lieutenant Broughton was
sent to Rangoon with despatches, and an order to join the
Alligator 28, of which ship he had charge during the subse-
quent operations of the combined flotilla in the Irrawaddy *.
His next appointment was, Mar. 8th, 1827, to the Briton 46,
Captain the Hon. William Gordon, under whom he conti-
nued to serve until paid off in April 1830. In this latter
ship he visited St. Petersburgh, North and South America,
the British West India islands, and IJavannah. His promo-
tion to the rank of commander took place Feb. 5th, 1830,
on which occasion he was appointed to the Primrose sloop,
employed on the African station. Four days after joining

* See Ntautf (tpn-otions in Ava, pp. 107-— 120,

iiui'i

;f*(yi

4/6 ADDENDA TO CAl'TAINS.

that vessel, he was severely wounded in action with a large
Spanish slaver, the capture of which ship he thus briefly re -
ported in an official letter addressed to Captain Alexander
Gordon, of H. M. ship Athol, dated at the island of Ascen-
sion, Oct. 5th, 1830 :—

" Sir, — Proceeding in execution of your orders of the 3d Sept., I had
the good fortune to fall in, at 11-30 p. m. on the 6th of that month, with
the Spanish ship Velos Passagero, Jose Antonio de la Vega, master, from
Wydah, hound to Havannah, pierced for 28 guns, hut having only 20
mounted ; and from the officer whom I sent to board not l)eing allowed
to examine her below, as usual, I concluded she had slaves on board.
Finding I had much the advantage of her in sailing, and wishing to avoid
the effusion of blood by a night action with a vessel crowded with slaves,
I remained by her until morning, when, being within hail, and still re-
solutely refused permission to search her, we opened our fire, which she
returned immediately, the ships nearly touching each other ; after the
second broadside we laid her on board, and in ten minutes carried her,
with a loss on our side of three killed and twelve wounded ; the Velos
had 46 killed and 20 wounded, out of a crew of as near as I could ascer-
tain 155 men of different nations, and having on board 555 slaves, five of
whom were killed. Being myself wounded in the act of boarding, my
place was ably taken by Lieutenant Butterfield, seconded by acting Lieu-
tenant Foley, Mr. Fraser, acting master, and Mr. Bentham, midshipman,
to each of whom I feel deeply indebted for their zealous exertions ; as
also to Mr. Williamson, acting purser, who rendered his services on deck
during the action ; and I feel myself called upon to notice in particular
the conduct of the acting surgeon, Mr. Lanes, who, though dangerously
ill, exerted himself in an extraordinary manner in his attention to the
wounded, having no assistant on board. I cannot speak too highly in
praise of the gallantry and good conduct of the warrant and petty officers
and ship's company, who distinguished themselves not only for their
steadiness in action, but for their great personal exertions in refitting the
two ships afterwards. I enclose the list of killed and wounded *.*'

The Velos Passagero had been on the African coast at
least two years, trafficking for a cargo of slaves, and endea-
vouring to obtain 1400 or 1500; but having been closely

* Killed. — One seaman and two marines. Wounded. — Mr. Watts,
boatswain, and one marine, dangerously ; Commander Broughton, Mr.
Fraser, acting master, and two men, severely ; Mr. Bentham, midship-
man, and five men, slightly.

m*

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS. 477

watched by the British squadron, she was unsuccessful, and
about to proceed on her return voyage : fortunately for the
objects of humanity, the Primrose fell in with her. In the
act of boarding. Commander Broughton received a thrust
from a pike in the abdomen, and was obliged to return to his
own quarter-deck, faint from loss of blood, the intestine
being partially cut. The enemy, who had been driven from
their guns, were now strongly posted on the forecastle, and
fought most desperately, imagining that they would not receive
quarter. Of the twenty wounded men, six died. The Spanish
commander had his arm amputated above the elbow, and an-
other man underwent a similar operation close to the shoulder
joint. The total number of officers, men, and boys on board
the Primrose at the commencement of the action, including
25 native Africans, who secreted themselves until its termi-
nation, was 135. The Velos Passagero had not a single boy
among her crew. For his gallant conduct on this occasion.
Commander Broughton was advanced to the rank of captain,
Nov. 22d, 1831 ; and as a further mark of the approbation
of the Admiralty, his first lieutenant, Butterfield, was shortly
afterwards promoted.

Captain Broughton married, in 1833, Eliza, eldest daugh-
ter of John Perfect, of Pontefract, co. York, Esq.

1

:i =■»'{'! Ml!

ALEXANDER ELLICE, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1806 ; served as midshipman
on board the Imperieuse frigate. Captain the Hon. (now Sir)
Henry Duncan ; obtained his first commission on the 30th Oct.
1813; was fifth lieutenant of the Minden 74, Captain Wil-
liam Paterson, at the battle of Algiers, Aug. 27th, 1816; and
continued to serve in that ship until paid off, on her return
from the East Indies, with the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir
Richard King, in 1820. He was made commander Feb.
19th, 1823; appointed to the Victor sloop, May 17th, 1831 ;
promoted to the rank of captain, while serving on the coast
of Portugal, Dec. 20th, 1831 ; and selected by Vice- Admiral

i\

^7^ ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

the Hon. C. E. Fleeming, to command his flag-ship, the
Ocean 80, in the River Medway, Aug. 16th, 1834.

This officer married, Sept. 28th, 1826, Lucy Frances,
daughter of the late Charles Locke, Esq., and grand-daughter
of the late Duchess of Leinster.

CHRISTOPHER WYVILL, Esq.

We first find this officer serving as midshipman on board
the Thames frigate, commanded by the present Lord Rad-
stock, and employed in one of her boats at the capture and
destruction of seven large Neapolitan gun-vessels, five armed
scampavias, and thirty-one transports, laden with stores and
provisions for Murat's army at Scylla, July 25th, 1810*.

On the 5th Oct. following, Mr. Wyvill assisted at the
capture of ten transports, near Agricoli, in the Gulph of
Salerno; and on the 10th June 1811, at the destruction of
ten large armed feluccas, on the beach near Cetraro. He
shortly afterwards followed Captain Waldegrave into the
Volontaire frigate, and was particularly mentioned by him in
an official letter addressed to the commander-in-chief on the
Mediterranean station, reporting the capture and destruction
of two batteries and fourteen merchant vessels, at Morjean,
near Marseilles, Mar. 31st, 1813 f. His first commission
bears date July 5th, 1813.

After serving on board several ships, and for nearly three
years as flag-lieutenant to Sir John P. Beresford, commander-
in-chief on the Leith station, Mr. Wyvill was made com-
mander, July 29th, 1824 J and in 1827, he appears to have
been appointed to the Cameleon sloop, employed in the Me-
diterranean. On his passage thither in the Dartmouth 42,
that fine frigate narrowly escaped being burnt, owing to
some men having set fire to a cask of spirits which they had
clandestinely opened. Her preservation was greatly attri-
butable to the spirited behaviour and personal exertions of

* SeeSuppl. Part I. p. 1.91.

t See ifi. p. 194.

pfl»

ADO EN DA TO CAPTAINS. 479

Commander VVyvill, who, with one of the gunner's-mates,
plusfj^etl tlic cask and shing it, apparently in the midst of
the flame. On the 31st Jan. 1828, he was present in the
C'amelcon at the destruction of several Greek piratical ves-
sels, lyinj^ in the port of Carahousa *. He obtained the rank
of captain Feb. 22d, 1832.

THOMAS LAMB POLDEN LAUGIIARNE, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 8th April 1806;
served as second lieutenant of la Nereide frigate. Captain
(now Sir Nisbet J.) Willoughby ; and was one of the gallant
companions of that heroic officer when he landed at Jacotel,
in the Isle of France, April 30th, 1810 f. We subsequently
find him first of the Boadicea, Captain (now Sir Josias)
Rowley, by whom he was recommended to tlie " favorable
notice " of Vice- Admiral Bertie, commander-in-chief on the
Cape station, for " the steadiness and zeal he manifested "
at the re- capture of H. M. ship Africaine, in the presence of
two French frigates, near Isle Bourbon^ Sept. Ivjth, 1810 1.
On the 21st of the same month. Captain Rowley reported
the capture of la Venus frigate commanded by Mons. Hame-
lin, senior officer of the French squadron in India ; and the
recapture of H. M. ship Ceylon, having on board Major-
General the Hon. John Abercromby and his staff §. The
following is an extract from the official letter addressed to
Vice- Admiral Bertie on this occasion : — "To Lieutenant
Laugharne I feel much indebted, for his able assistance in
taking charge of and conducting into port the Africaine and
la Venus ; and I beg you will have the goodness to recom-
mend him to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty."

A few days afterwards, Lieutenant Laugharne was pro-
moted to the command of the Otter sloop, and ordered to
England with despatches announcing the Vice-Adniirara

* See Suppl. Part II. p. 451, et seq.
X See Vol. I. Part II. p. 629, et seq.

t See id. p. 148, et seq.
§ See id. p. 630, et seq.

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480 ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

intention of resuming the blockade of Port Louis. On his
passage to the Cape of Good Hope, he fell in with a dan-
gerous shoal, lat. 33° 56' S., long. 36° E., seemingly very
extensive, and no part of it visible above w^ater. His ad-
vancement to the rank of commander took place Feb. 12th,
1811.

This officer's next appointment was, about Feb. 1812, to
the Alert sloop (formerly a Newcastle collier), mounting
fourteen 18-pounder carronades and two long sixes, with a
complement of 86 officers, men, and boys ; destined to the
Halifax station. On the 13th Aug. following, being then
in search of the United States' ship Hornet, he fell in with,
and after a short action was captured by the Essex frigate,
of 46 guns and 328 men. His " conspicuous gallantry " in
bearing down upon the enemy, " entitled him," says Mr.
James, " to a better ship than the Alert, a better first lieu-
tenant than Andrew Duncan, who gave him no support, and
u better crew than his officers and men, who, except Johanson
Clering, the master, and William Haggerty, the purser, went
aft to request him to strike the colours. Captain Porter (of
the Essex) disarmed his Jine prize, and sent her, with the
prisoners, as a cartel, to Newfoundland ; where, on the 8th
Oct., Commander Laugharne and his officers and men were
tried for the loss of their ship. The commander, master,
and purser were most honorably acquitted; the first lieu-
tenant was dismissed the service ; and the remaining officers
and crew obtained, along with their acquittal, the marked
disapprobation of the court*."

The subject of this sketch was appointed to the Achates
sloop about July 1814 ; and to be an inspecting commander
of the coast guard in Nov. 1823. For his exertions in the
latter service, he received a captain's commission dated April
4th, 1832.

Captain Laugharne married, in 1820, Mary Amelia, eldest
daughter of the late Sir Stewkley Shuckburgh, Bart.

* Naval History, vol. vi. p. 128.

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

481

GEORGE SMITH (a), Esq.

Obtained the rank of lieutenant in Sept. 1815; and
served as such on board the Dispatch sloop, Comm. William
Clarke Jervoise, on the Mediterranean station. In 1830,
being then a commander, he was appointed to superintend
the instruction of officers and seamen in gunnery, on board
the Excellent 58, at Portsmouth ; and all inventions relating
to this part of the equipment of a man-of-war, were referred
for his opinion. He was promoted to the rank of captain
"for improvements in gunnery," April 13th, 1832.

This officer is the inventor of very superior sights for
ships' guns, and of a moveable target, at which the crews of
H. M. ships are now generally practised, for the purpose of
instructing them in the art of pointuig the great guns. The
target is thus spoken of in the Hampshire Telegraph :—

'* As the advantage of dispart or top-sights is now generally acknow-
ledged, the object is — first, to teach seamen the application of them, as
simply and expeditiously as possible ; and, secondly, how to fire when
their ship /* rolling, or when firing at a moving object. The principle of
the invention is entirely novel, and its name does not convey an adequate
idea of its nature and utility. The following may make it intelligible : —
On one end of a wooden bar, or lever, about eight feet long, is hung a
light frame, three feet square, filled with canvas ; on one side a white
cross is painted, on the other a circle, with a bull's eye. ITic lever
vibrates from the centre, on a pin attached to an octagon block of wood,
eighteen inches in length, and eight in diameter, on which is the requi-
site machinery to allow it a vertical and lateral motion, either singly or
together, and to stop them both at the same instant : the lever is ba-
lanced by a weight at the opposite end, the whole suspended by an iron
bar, about three feet long, to cne of the foremost beams on the main
deck, cither object of the target facing aft. A gun, ascertained not to be
loaded, is run in under the half deck, and the men taught the first prin-
ciple of pointing, by being made to bring the sights and a fixed object
directly in one, the target being stationary. The lever is then made to
vibrate, which causes the olyect to pass and repass before a man's eye,
as he keeps the sights in one, so as to represent the effect of his ship
when rolling ; and by the simple application of a line (the main feature
of the invention) rove through a fair leader at the ventfield, representing
a lock lanyard, and carried along under the beams to a trigger in the
machinery of the target, a man, who is made to stand \\\i\x it at a dis-

VOL. IV. PART II. 2 I

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ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

tancc, as if the gun would recoil, has the power of stopping the motion
of the lever as quick aa the action of a great gun lock, and, conso-
(piently, fixing the olyect where it happens to be when he pulls the
trigger line ; he is then to look along the sights on the gun, and see if he
has fixed the object in a direct line with them ; if he has, he has fired a
good shot { if not, it is presumed he leould not have hit his nuirk if
actually firing. The lever is made to move laterally, so as to represent
an olyect to fire at opening- from forward or uft. Wlien it is wished to
increase the difficulty of hitting the mark, the lateral and vertical motion
can be given at the same tintc, to shew the effect of the combined pitch-
ing and rolling motion. This inboard exercise is calculated to teach
men to fire a good shot, by quickening their eye ; and to be a sure and
easy test of a man's abilities as a marksman. It can be carried on with-
out interrupting the ordinary duties of a ship at sea or in harbour ; and,
though it is (save the explosion) the same as firing, it is not intended to
curtail the expenditure of powder and shot, but to prevent any from
being thrown away. As the crew of one gun only is thus exercised at !\
time, the important part of working the guns can be attended to in an-
other part of the ship. The utility of this Lever Target, as it is now
called, is ol>vious, when an officer wishes to ascertain, in a newly com-
missioned ship, what men are fittest to l)e selected as first and secon<l
captains of guns, as a man will shew what manner of man he is in one
exercise. It is equally adapted to all classes of vessels, and can be fixed
upright on deck, or hung to a beam. It is sufficiently portable, as it
stows away in a box the size of a grape shot-box. In order that its effect
on a ship's company may be exemplified, its inventor has suggested a
plan for a floating target, being merely an old hammock, stretched and
painted, in a light iron frame, to stand up in the water at right angles,
on a spar frame, moored by grapnels abreast of the ship. The intention
is to present a conspicuous object, that may be repeatedly struck, and to
prevent the expenditure of casks, which are often destroyed by the first
sliot that strikes them."

SAMUEL RADFORD, Esq.

Whose services arc recorded in Vol. IV. Part I., was
promoted to the rank of captain May 31st, 1832.

'm'

ADDENDA TO CAPTAtNS.

463

CHARLES HAMLYN WILLIAMS, Esq.

(Formerly Charles Hnmlyn, Esq. See Fol. IV. Part I. p. 330J

Wa8 appointed to the Racehorse, of 18 guns, Sept. 21st,
1830; and removed from that sloop to the Champion 18,
which vessel he paid off June 23d, 1832. He obtained the
rank of captain on the 4th of the following month, as a
reward "for important services at Jamaica during the late
insurrection of the slaves;" and married, Aug. I5th, 1833,
Harriet, youngest daughter of the late Sir Nelson Rycroft,
Bart.

:'lti

'f%l*^j

'"'/•f(A.

\\>\

HENRY FRANCIS GREVILLE, Esq.

Is a son of Henry F. Grevillc, Esq., by Ciithcrinc, second
daughter of Sir Bellingham Graham, Bart., of Norton
Conyns, in the west riding of Yorkshire. His grandfather,
Fulke Greville, Esq., Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary to the Court of Munich, was the son of the
Hon. Algernon Greville, second son of Fulke, fifth Lord
Brooke, ancestor of the present Earl of Warwick, by Mary,
daughter and co-heiress of Lord Arthur Somerset, fifth son
of the Duke of Beaufort. His grandmother was Miss
Macartney, of Granard, county Longford, Ireland, a rich
heiress. His father's sister married the late Lord Crewe ;
one of his uncles was united to Lady Charlotte Bentinck,
daughter of the Duke of Portland ; another is retired Captain
William Fulke Greville, R. N., a man of very large fortune.

This ofl&cer was born at Ebberston, co. York, Aug. 24th^
1794 ; and entered the navy, as midshipman on board the
Renown 74, Captain (now Sir Philip C. H.) Durham, in
Mar. 1806. We next find him, about Sept. 1808, joining
the Arethusa frigate, Captain (afterwards Sir Robert) Mends,
under whose command he saw much active service, and was
shot through the leg in a boating expedition, on the north
coast of Spain, in 1809. He was subsequently removed to
the San Josef 110, flag-ship of Sir Charles Cotton, com-

2 I 2

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484

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINI.

niander-in-cliief on the Mediterranean atation j and, about
July 1810, to the Volage 22, Captain Phipps Hornhy, ^Tlncll
ship formed part of the squadron under Captain William
Hoste, in the brilliant action off Lissa, Mar. 13th, 1811*.
From Sept. following until Mar. 1812, he served under
Captain Philip Carteret, in the Naiad frigate, on the Boulogne
station, where he assisted at the capture of two French 16-gun
privateers. He was afterwards actively employed on the
coast of North America, in the Junon frigate, Captain James
Sanders, and as commanding officer of the Aheona, tender
to Sir J. B. Warren's flag-ship, from which he was ap-
pointed, in July 1813, to act as lieutenant of the Woolwich
44, arm^e en Jlute, Commander T. B. Sulivan, with whom
he suffered shipvrreck on the north end of the island of Bar-
buda, during a dreadful hurricane, Nov. 6th in the same
year. His promotion to the rank of lieutenant took place
Jan. 4th, 1814.

Mr. Greville's subsequent appointments were, in 1814, to
the Minerva and Araxes, frigates; — July 31st, 1820, to be
senior lieutenant of the Menai 26, Captain Fairfax Moresby,
on the Cape of Good Hope station j — and, in May 1821, to
command that ship's tender, the Wizard, manned partly
by government slaves from the Mauritius, and employed on
a special service in Southern Africa f, where he continued
until Feb. 1822. He was promoted to the command of the
Heron 18, at the Cape^ July 19th following ; and has since
commanded the Espoir sloop on the same station. He ob-
tained his present rank on the 27th Aug. 1832.

Captain Greville married, June 1816, Harriet Dorothea,
only child of General John Despard, and niece to Sir Thomas
Dalrymple Hesketh, Bart., by whom he has had several
children. His eldest brother is senior major of H. M. 38th
regiment of foot.

See Siippl. Part IT. p. 70.

t See Suppl. Part III. p. 365.

>'*

ADDENDA TO CAPTAIMS.

486

JOSEPH HARRISON, Esq.

Son of ail old naval lieutenant, who died agent for tran-
Bports at Plymouth in 1808. He obtained his first commis-
sion on the 10th May, 1807; '^nd wim appointed to the
Achillo 74, Captain Sir Ricliard King, Nov. lOth, 1809. In
the summer of 1810, he commiinded a Spanish gun-vessel,
manned by that ship, and employed in the defence of Cadiz.
He subsequently served off Toulon, on the coast of Sicily,
in the Adriatic, off Cherbourgh, and on the South American
station, from whence he returned home, and was put out of
commission, in the autumn of 1816; at which period the
Achille had been under the command of Captain {now Rcar-
Admiral) HoUis upwards of five years*.

Lieutenant Harrison was made a commander in Sept.
1818 ; and promoted to the rank of captain, while serving in
the Favorite sloop, on the coast of Africa, Oct. 9th, 1832.
H*» continued in that vessel until paid oflf, at Portsmouth, in
Aug. 1833.

This officer married, April 15th, 1820, Catherine, second
daughter of Mottley, Esq., of Portsmouth.

JAMES MARSHALL, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 4th Mar. 1815. His ad-
mirable system of mounting naval ordnance, an Invention
which, from its importance to H. M. service, cannot be too
highly appreciated, led to his promotion to the rank of cap-
tain, Nov. 19th, 1832.

In 1827, this officer's new gun-carriage was tried repeat-
edly on board the Galatea frigate, under the inspection of
Rear- Admiral Sir Thomas M. Hardy, and was found greatly
superior to the common gun-carriages, in facility and rapidity
of training and firing, as well as in allowing a greater tra-

* Sea Vol. II. Part I. p. 122.

.. ,: -1,

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486

ADDJiNDA TO CAPTAINK.

versing of about a point each way fore and aft. A series of
experiments were subsequently carried on at Portsmouth,
under the able management and impartial scrutiny of Cap-
tain Thomas Hastings, on board the Excellent 58, giving
proof upon proof of the excellencies of the new system, in
economy of labour, in time of manoeuvring, in tlie number
of hands to serve the gun, in command of range, elevation,
depression, and last, not least, in precision of fire. The
breechings, too, underwent the severest tests, establishing
facts beyond the power of biassed opinion to controvert. In
consequence thereof, a very strong and unqualified report in
favour of adopting the plan in our navy was sent by Cap-
tain Hastings to the Admiralty ; and, in 1833, an order was
issued for all ships to have their stern and bow guns mounted
upon Marshall's principle.

THOMAS DICKINSON (&), Esq.

{Fol. IK Part I. pp. 261—261.)
Was advanced to the rank of captain Nov. 29th^ 1832.

JOHN MILLIGAN LAWS, Esq.

NfiPUEW to Sir Robert Seppings, Knt., late Surveyor of
the Navy*.

This officer was made a lieutenant on the 11th Nov. 1818 j
appointed to the Spartan frigate, Captam W. F. Wise, Oct.
14th, 1819 1 J to the Aurora frigate, Captain Henry Pres-
cott, April 7th, 1821 J ; to command his uncle's experi-
mental ship, the Sapphire 28, in 1826 ; and to act as captain
of the Southampton 62, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral
Sir Edward W. C. R. Owen, on the East India station, April
17th, 1831. He obtained a commander's commission July

* Sec Vol. III. Pait II. pp. 306—311.
t See Suppl. Part I. p. 152. % Sec Suppl. Part II. p. 110,

ADDKNDA TO CAPTAINS. 467

Ist, 1836; returned home in tlic Southampton, Oct. 12th,
1832 ; and was promoted to the rank of captain Jan. 7th,
1833.

OSBORNE FOLEY, Esq.

Nephbw to the late Admiral Sir Thomas Foley, G. C. B.,
Rear-Admiral of Great Britain, who died commander-in-
chief at Portsmouth, Jan. 9th, 1833.

This officer entered the royal navy in 1812; obtained his
first commission on the 5th Feb. 1821 ; and was promoted
to the rank of commander, while serving under the flag of
Sir Edward Codrington, in the Asia 84, on the Mediterra-
nean station, April 28th, 1827. He was made a captain,
in compliment to the memory of his gallant uncle, Jan. 16th,
1833.

', ■ VI

JOHN LIHOU, Esq.

Nephew to Admiral Lord De Saumarez, G. C. B., Gene-
ral of Marines, &c.

This officer obtained a lieutenant's commission in Oct.
1811; and was appointed to the Tonnant 80, flag-ship of
the Hon. Sir Alexander I. Cochrane, on the Halifax station,
in the beginning of 1814. He subsequently entered into the
merchant service, and commanded the ship Zenobia, of
Calcutta, for some years in the East Indies and Pacific.
The following is extracted from tlie Sidney Gazette, April
1823 :—

" The Zenobia, Captain John Lihou, is the first ship, wc believe, which
has ever succeeded In passing Torres Straits from the \\'cstward, the
general course being from the eastward. This essay of nautical skill was
accomplished after the loss of four anchors and the rudder. Tlie ship
was afterwards brought up with guns in a fine and extensive harbour in
Endeavour Strait, which Captain Lihou reports to be capable of affording
commodious and safe anchorage to a first-rate man-of-war, having 6i fa-
thoms, with a mud bottom, within a bar that crosses the entrance, but
over which the Zenobia, of 550 tons, glide<l with ease. This h»rbour,

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488

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

which had not previously been discovered by any British commander
unless Captain Kin^, R. N. should have gone in that direction, afforded
plenty of excellent fresh water."

We are not aware that any vessel has ever succeeded in
effecting a passage in this direction since the Zenobia ; nei-
ther did Captain King visit this harbour, to which Mr. Lihou
gave the name of Port Yarborough, and which is particularly
valuable from being the only one known in these dangerous
straits.

On the 12th May 1827, Mr. Lihou was promoted to the
rank of commander. In 1829, he obtained letters patent for
some improvements which he had made in the mode of
hanging ships' rudders, whereby great facility was given to
their working, repairing, and management. In the same
year, a vessel fitted with his rudder was launched from the
building-yard of Messrs. Curling and Smith, in the presence
of a concourse of curious and scientific persons, among whom
were a number of naval officers and merchant captains, who
all bore unequivocal testimony to the value of the Invention.
The following " Report of a Survey held at the royal dock
yard, Woolwich," was transmitted to the Admiralty, Aug.
26th, 1830:—

" In pursuance of the directions of the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty, we, the undersigned, have minutely examined the rudder
fitted to H. M. S. Raleigh by Commander Lihou, royal navy; have
unshipped and reshipped it with great facility ; and are of opinion that it
possesses the follo^ving advantages : viz. —

** I. It is easier repaired if knocked off, by the pintle and its brace
being separate, and can be readily replaced, under any circumstances, at
sea, by each ship being supplied with a spare set of pins.

'* II. Tlie rudder working in a rule-joint in the stern-post, facilitates
its being shipped at sea ; and fitting so closely at the heel, it precludes
the possibility of any ropes getting in between.

" III. The rudder is found to work easier in consequence of these
pintles being turned in a lathe ; and we recommend the upper pintle
(which is of iron, and upon the old plan) to be altered so as to corres-
pond with the others, which we consider will make the plan most
perfect.

" IV. Tlie pins of the pintles, being cylindrical, must, in the event of
their breaking, full out of the googings ; consequently possess, in our
opinion, a decided advantage, inasmuch as it precludes the necessity of

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINg.

4B9

either docking a ship, heaving her down, or even returning into port,
which must be the case wlien the brolcen pintles are hard jammed in.

** V. A towing strap (with a pendant attached to it) on the head of
the rudder, we consider preferable to the rudder penc' jnts and chains,
from the facility it affords in veering the rudder clear of the stem, and
getting it alongside for hoisting in.

" VI. Two straps round the rudder-head (used as slew ropes), to which
straps the relieving tacliles are hooked ; and by this simple plan, two
men to each moved the rudder \vith perfect ease from side to side, an-
swering all the purposes of the horns, chains, and pendants, which may
be discontinued, and therel)y a considerable expence saved.

(Signed) " Samuel Warken, Commodore.

" David Ddnn, Captain.
*' Francis Fead, Captain."

The following are selected from a great number of similar
testimonials, communicated by individuals of known ability
and long experience in their profession : —

" London, 2d August, 1830.
" I hereby certify that the barque ' John Pink,' under my command,
has made a voyage from London to Jamaica and back, with a rudder
fitted on the plan of Captain Lihou. I further certify, that it has an-
swered in all respects, during every variety of weather, to my entire sa-
tisfaction ; and that, besides the facility of rehanging it in case of damage,
the rudder moves with much greater ease than rudders on the old plan,
to which I consider it far superior.

(Signed) ** Robert Nixon, Master."

"H. M. R. C. Stork, Leith Roads, Aug. 30, 1830.
** Sir, —It gives me much satisfaction to state, that tlie rudder on your
plan, fitted to the Stork revenue cutter, under my command, works well
and easy ; and I have no hesitation whatever in saying that it answers
every expectation. I am. Sir, &c.

(Signed) " S. Barrett, Lieut, and Comm'.

" To Commander Lihou, R. N."

" London, Sept. 9, 1830.
" I hereby certify, that the ship Chieftain, under my command, has
made a voyage to the West Indies and back to London, with a rudder
fitted on Captain Lihou's plan ; and I consider it but simple justice to
state, that during an experience of thirty-three years, commanding ves-
sels out of this port, I have never before met with an invention so im-
portant to shipping. A child of six years old can steer my ship on the
present plan ; and in the event of the rudder being knocked off, and the
pintles broken, I have the means of repairing them, and re-hanging it at

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490

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

sea or on any foreign coast, in a few hours, at no additional expence,
as complete a manner as is now done by returning to port and gettinir
new pintles. (Signed) " Thomas Pattison, Rlaster."

In the same year a general order was issued by the Com-
missioners of the Navy, for fitting the rudders of all such of
His Majesty's ships, as may hereafter be built or repaired,
on Commander Lihou's improved plan, which has since been
adopted by foreign nations, its advantages having become
universally known and appreciated.

On the 1st Feb. 1833, Commander Lihou was appointed
to the Victory 104, bearing the flag of Sir Thomas Foley, at
Portsmouth ; where, in Sept. following, he had the gratifi-
cation to witness the launch of the Neptune 120, fitted with
his patent pintles to her rudder. As a reward for his valu-
able invention, he was advanced to the rank of captain, Feb.
4th, 1833.

THOMAS CAREW, Esq.

(rol. ir. Part I. p. 207.)

Was promoted to the rank of captain on the 1st Mar.
1833.

WILLIAM NUGENT GLASCOCK, Esq.

Went first to sea in Jan. 1800, as midshipman, on board
the Glenmore frigate, Captain George Duff, on the Irish
station, and followed that distinguished officer into the Ven-
geance 74, attached to the Channel fleet, early in 1801.

After the battle of Copenhagen, the Vengeance was sent to
reinforce the Baltic fleet ; and we subseqently find her em-
ployed off Rochefort, whence she was ordered to Bantry
Bay, for the protection of that part of Ireland. Upon this
station she continued until the signature of the preliminaries
of peace, when she was selected to form part of a squadron
under Rear-Admiral (afterwards Sir George) Campbell, des-
tined to Jamaica, for the purpose of watching the movements
of an armament sent from France, to attempt the recovery

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

491

of the French part of St Domingo from the usurped govern-
ment of the blacks. Previously to his departure for the West
Indies, Mr. Glascock witnessed a mutiny in the Bantry Bay
squadron, and the execution of the ringleaders at Spithead.

On the renewal of hostilities, in 1803, Mr. Glascock joined
the Colossus 7^5 Captain (now Sir George) Martin, whom
he followed into the Barfleur 98, of which ship he was signal
mate in Sir Robert Calder's action with the combined fleets
of France and Spain, July 22d, 1805.* On that occasion,
the master of the Barfleur and two men were killed, and her
first lieutenant (Peter Fisher) and six men wounded. On
the 22d of the following month, Mr. Glascock witnessed the
brush between the van ships of the fleet under Admiral
Cornwallis, and the rear of the French line in Bertheaume
Bay, near Brest, of which we have made mention in Vol. I.
Part II. p. 698, and Suppl. Part IV. p. 411, et seq.

Mr. Glascock passed his examination for lieutenant in
Sept. 1808, and was promoted into the Dannemark 74, Cap-
tain (afterwards Rear- Admiral) James Bissett, on the 8th
Nov. following. That ship formed part of the squadron under
Sir Richard J. Strachan, at the attack and reduction of
Flushing, in Aug. i809,t and Lieutenant Glascock subse-
quently suffered much from the Walcheren fever, of which
h*> had several relapses. His next appointment was, about
July 1812, to the Clarence 74, Captain (now Rear- Admiral)
Henry Vansittart, employed in the blockade of Rochefort, on
which station he participated in one or two boating affairs
with the enemy.

After the close of the European war, in 1814, he joined
the Tiber 38, Captain J. R. Dacres. We subsequently find
him serving as first lieutenant of the Madagascar and Me-
ander frigates (both commanded by Captain Sir James Alex-
ander Gordon), and displaying much coolness and presence
of mind when the latter ship struck on the Garbard Sand,
near Orfordness, in a gale of wind, Dec. 19th, 1816.| On

* See Vol, I. part I. p. 405. f See id. p. 290,

X See Vul. II, Part II. p. \m.

492 ADORNDA TO CAPTAINS.

that occasion^ without waiting for orders, he directed i\ii>
helm to be put up, to run the ship, if possible, over the shoalj
had it not been for which she would, in all probability, have
stuck fast and soon gone to pieces.

In the spring of 1818, Mr. Glascock was appointed first
lieutenant of the Sir Francis Drake 38, flag- ship of Sir
Charles Hamilton, governor ^r Newfoundland, from whom
he received an order to act as commander of the Carnation
sloop, Nov. 20th following. This appointment was confirmed
by the Admiralty on the 3 1st Dec. in the same year. He
commanded the Drake brig from May until Dec. 1819, when
he was obliged to invalid. He subsequently was appointed
to the Orestes ship-sloop, which vessel he joined at Lougli
Swilly, Aug. 12th, 1830, and paid off at Portsmouth, Oct.
1st, 1833, four months after his advancement to the rank of
captain.

The Orestes was first employed in cruising on the coast
of Galway, where she encountered a terrific storm on the
19th Nov. 1830. During this tempest many vessels were
stranded, four of which Commander Glascock succeeded in
getting off the rocks, and restoring to their owners, long
after their total abandonment.

The following is an extract of his official report on this

occasion :

" Galway Roads, Jan. \st, 1831.
** Having upon the coming of the spring tides made previous arrange-
ments, four parties, each commanded by an officer, the whole under my
personal superintendance, were, on the 27th ult. severally despatched to
perform the various duties of excavating rocks, cutting channels, laying
out anchors, buoying with casks the bottom of each vessel, and bringing
to the fore-foot of two of the largest the most powerful purchases which
could be procured from H. M. sloop. The result of this arduous and
truly laborious undertaking, which I need scarcely add, fell heavily upon
so small a complement of men, has been, that by the persevering exertions
and seaman-like conduct of the two lieutenants, the master, and three
warrant officers, togethci- with the cheerful alacrity and orderly demean-
our of the crew of the Orestes, during five days and three nights of the
most harassing and incessant labour, three valuuble vessels * have not
only been rescued from plunder and total destruction, but have, i^ i

* Two Barmouth brigs and a Grangemouth schooner.

In^f'

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

493

l»effectly uninjured state, been restored to their owners, and safely
stfciir jd within the piers of this port."

On the 25th Jan. Commander Glascock reported that the
fourth vessel, a sloop belonging to Dumbarton, had, by the
greatest exertions on the part of his officers and crew, been
got off, and likewise safely secured in Galway harbour. The
only reward which he received for these services, not having
made any claim for salvage, was, the official approval of
his commander-in-chief. Rear- Admiral the Hon. Sir Charles
Paget.

Commander Glascock was next sent, in May 1831, to the
river Tyne, to tranquillize the dissatisfied seamen of New-
castle and Shields. His situation there was beset with diffi-
culties of a critical nature, arising from political causes,
the prejudices peculiar to the seamen of the north, and the
anomalous jurisdiction of the river, added to the circum-
stance of his possessing no definite official instructions to
guide and govern his public conduct. After four months of
unenviable service, however, he succeeded, to the satisfaction
of all parties, in subduing the riotous, and restoring order,
for which he received a public expression of thanks from the
mayor and corporation of Newcastle. He was subsequently
employed as senior officer on the Irish station.

Pending the civil war in Portugal, Commander Glascock
was entrusted with the command of the naval force in the
Douro, which he retained for nearly a year. During the
greater part of this time, the city of Oporto was in a constant
state of actual siege, and the British squadron as constantly
exposed to the incessant cross-fire of both belligerents, and
in hourly danger of explosion from the int;rminable suc-
cession of shells bursting and falling in the river. No
instance stands on record of an officer of the same rank
holding a command replete with such personal responsibility,
and fraught with consequences of such international and
political import. The following is an outline of the occur-
rences in that quarter during the period of his command :

The Orestes entered the Douro on the 23d Sept. 1832, in
company with the Childers sloop, Commander Robert Deans,

.Ui,

i

i

494

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

the then senior officer. On the 28th of the same month, the
captain's steward of the latter ship was mortally wounded
by a shot in the loins, when standing on the forecastle.
" The circumstance at the time," says Commander Glascock
" occasioned a great sensation, — for we were then strangers
to the assassinating system of murdering individuals, by
musketry across the river, and of course had not calculated
that lookers-on were as likely as others to lose their lives.
The accident originated in a foolish frolic on the part of
some of the Oporto watermen, who had, early in the morn-
ing, capsized from the cliff abreast of the British sloops, a
number of empty pipes, which it had been supposed the
Miguelitcs had there placed, for the purpose of building a
battery. Encouraged by their morning's work, these brave
barcadoes were again induced to ascend the hill : but hardly
had they reached the summit before they were seen scamper-
ing down, flying from a handful of armed guerillas." Taking
to their boat, they sought shelter under the lee of the Brito-
mart, a British bark, moored close to the Childers, and thus
brought upon that sloop and her consort a most galling fire,
the merchant vessel having just before given great offence by
discharging on the constitutional side a cargo of heavy gxuis.
On the following day, Mr. Emeric, E. Vidal, purser of the
Asia 84, was dangerously wounded whilst on shore viewing
a desperate attack made by the Miguelites upon Don Pedro's
lines near Oporto.*

On the 1 1th Oct. three musket-balls were fired, and to all
appearance purposely, at the Orestes, from the summit of a
hill known by the name of the ** Quarantine Ground." The
party firing were attired as soldiers. One shot fell close
alongside. There being no object whatever then in the vi-
cinity of the Orestes to provoke a fire, her commander was
quite at a loss to conjecture the cause of such an egregious
violation of neutrality — " particularly after the extraordinary
forbearance which had been recently manifested by both of

* Navnl Sketch Book, 2(1 series. Vol. II., pp. 15y and ir..5

! ,!■!•

ADDENDA TO CArTAJNS.

495

H. M. ships under circuniBtunces so peculiarly annoying."
On the 1 9th, Commander Glascock was under the necessity
of complaining to Colonel Hodges, commandant of the British
brigade in the service of Don Pedro, that two privates of
that corps had conducted themselves, when passing close by
the Orestes, in a manner truly insulting to His Britannic
Majesty's flag.

On tJie 5th Nov., the Childers having quitted the Douro,
Commander Glascock became senior officer of the squadron
in that river, then consisting of the Orestes 18, Nautilus and
Leveret 10 gun brigs, yEtna surveying vessel, aiul Echo
steamer. About the same time part of Don Pedro's naval
force, under Vice- Admiral Sartorious, crossed the bar, and
moored in positions best suited to defend the Foz, or to act
as occasion might require. On the 9th, a mortar battery
compelled some of these vessels to make a move ; and next
day the Sampaio, a formidable fortress commanding the
mouth and lower extremity of the river, unmasked, opening
a tremendous fire on one of the corvettes. The retreat of
the constitutional scjuadron created no little confusion : then
it was that the British men-of-war and merchantmen became
in an awkward dilemma ; for in taking up their new posi-
tions, Sartorious's ships had mingled with both the former.

In a letter to Rear- Admiral Parker, dated Nov. 10th,
Commander Glascock says : " Placed as I am in a situation
of such responsibility — removing the whole squadron from
side to side as the batteries open from contending parties—
I trust you will excuse my not being able to enter into a full
detail of the operations so suddenly commenced this day.
Don Miguel's general (the Viscondc de Santa Martha) has
opened batteries, which if not carried by a coup-de-main on
the part of Don Pedro's troops, must inevitably destroy his
shipping in the river ; and it will be extremely fortunate if
the British vessels, men-of-war as well as merchantmen,
escape the fire of the contending parties. At this moment,
when I write, shell and shot are passing in all directions be-
tween and over the masts of H. M. ships."

On the 12th, at 8 a. m,, a shell was thrown so close to the

f

'I'

496

ADDKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

Leveret that it burst under her bow, producing a concussion
which threatened serious damage. The same day, a heavy
gale of wind broke most of the ships in the river adrift ; but,
with the exception of a few spars, little or no damage was
done to the British squadron. Don Miguel was then prepar-
ing, not only to bombard the city, but to cut off all communi-
cation by land as well as by sea, with a view of eventually
starving the inhabitants of Oporto. On the morning of the
14th, at day-light, Don Pedro's troops made a sortie from
the Sierra convent, with a view of supporting Sartorious's
seamen, who landed from their ships to storm a mortar bat-
tery on the summit of the Quarantine Ground. The sailors
were repulsed, and their leader. Captain Morgul, was mor-
tally wounded ; but the troops, (under Colonel Schwallbach,
a fine old German soldier,) though only twelve hundred
strong, took one hundred and sixty prisoners. Had three or
four thousand men been sent instead of twelve hundred, the
probability is, the troops of Don Pedro would have destroyed
all the batteries on the southern side. From the heavy cross
fire of musketry to which H. M. ships were exposed. Com-
mander Glascock was apprehensive some damage would have
ensued ; but from keeping their crews below, he was happy
to report, that with the exception of stranding a shroud here
and there, of the lower and top-mast rigging, net a single
accident occurred.

On the 17th Nov. a sortie was made by the British and
French troops in Don Pedro's service, on the north of their
lines. A few Miguelites were made prisoners, and several
huts in their camp destroyed j but this was no compensation
for the number killed and wounded on the constitutional
side. On the morning of the 19th, an occurrence took place
which might have led to political consequences of the most
serious nature.

Previously to the blockade of the Douro, which was fully
established by the opening of the Sampaio battery, the Raven
cutter, tender to the iEtna, had been sent to complete a sur-
vey of soundings without the bar ; but bad weather coming
on, she was compelled to procure an offing, and consequently

ADDENDA TO CAFFAINS. 4fc

was ignorant of the existing state of things within. Not
distinguisliing the sign:il made to her to keep to sea^ she
attempted with the flood tide to run over the bar, and was
deliberately fired at by the Miguelite batteries. IVrceiving
that he was the object of the fire from the fort, the lieutenant
commanding the cutter hove in stays, tliereby evincing the
most ready disposition to put back to sea ; but still the can-
nonade was provokingly continued until he got clear out of
reach of shot. In reply to the joint remonstrance of Com-
mander Glascock and the British Consul, the Miguelite Ge-
neral assumed somewhat of a lofty tone ; yet, though he
attempted to justify the act, it was manifest in his answer to
their subsequent protest, that he did not altogether divest
himself of that subtlety and subterfuge so characteristic of
Portuguese diplomacy. The Visconde asserted that the con-
tinued fire of which the protest complained was not directed
at the Raven, but at Don Pedro's fort, St. John's, on the
opposite side of the entrance of the river, which fort, he said,
returned a fire upon his battery with a view of protecting the
British cutter. In addition to Commander Glascock's tes-
timony, as well as that of the officers of the Orestes, we have
seen depositions on the subject from Commanders Lord
George Paulet and Edward Belcher, of the Nautilus and
iEtna ; the former stating, that " to the best of his know-
ledge, the number of shot fired in the direction of the Raven
must have amounted to fifteen, the greater number of which
were fired after she had put about with an intention of re-
turning over the bar;" and the latter, ** firmly believing the
shot were intended for the cutter, as they were not in the
direct line for St. John's, and struck the water near the cross
rock between his boat and her whilst she was standing to
seaward." We should ob'serve, that Commander Belcher,
perceiving the Raven could not distinguish the signal to keep
to sea, proceeded down the river in his boat, and reached
alongside when the forts were still firing at the cutter,
*^ whose blue ensign, pendant, and pilot- jack were during
the whole time flying." On the 20th Nov. the commander-
voL. IV. PAUT II. 2 k

n>%^

im

ADUGNDA TO CAPrAINS.

in-chief of H. M. squadron in the Tagus wrote to Com-
mander Glascock as follows :— . ,

" Sir, — I have this morning received l»y the Leveret your severftl
letters of the 10th, 15th, and 17th instant, the two former detalllmr the
late important events between the contending' parties on the hanks of the
Doiiro { and I have to express n>y entire approl>ation of tlic zeal and
judgment manifested throughout l)y your correspondence duriu;'- im
anxious and delicate scnicc. I am, &c.

(Signed)

" W. Paukeii, Rear-Admiral."

On the 23d Nov., two British brigs, having on board
horses and forage for the constitutional army, forced the
blockade in opposition to a heavy fire that was opened on theni
from a battery on the heights of the southern bank of the river.
Both the brigs were struck by four or five shot — one was not
in the least damaged, the other was hulled between wind and
water, and had one horse killed. They attempted to take
shelter under cover of his Majesty's ships, a step which was
not sanctioned by Commander Glascock, who consequently
insisted upon their being warped a-head of the squadron.
The Miguelites continued firing upon them, pointing their
gims between the masts of the Orestes and i£tna, but with-
out doing either ship any damage. On the 27th, the Pedro-
ite schooner Gracioso, with colours flying, forced the block-
ade in excellent style, and ran up the river, returning with
her pop-guns the fire of the Sampaio battery. On the fol-
lowing day, Don Pedro's troops made some sixty or seventy
prisoners, and massacred as many more when in the act of
laying doivn their arms. The number of killed and wound-
ed on the Miguelite side could not be ascertained. About
seventy of the constitutionalists were seriously wounded.
On the 30th, Oporto was bombarded for several hours; se-
veral hundred shells had previously been thrown into the
town, but not more than five or six persons had perished.
On the 1st Dec, Commander Glascock reported to the Ad-
miralty as follows :— t ;• v. :.:n: .. .- ii... . . ...

" In consequence of the Visconde de Santa Martha leaving requested the
removal of H. M. squadron higher up the river, for the purpose of en-

I

ADDENDA TO CAI'TAINS. 499

Hl)Ving the batteries of Dow Miguel to open an uiiiiiterrUptud fire upon
bU opponents, H. M. 8liip-> were thU duy removed to tlie position pro.
posed by me and a;freed to by the Yisoonde ; imt scarcely had the Orestes
taken up her anchoraije* before a licnvy fire of musketry was not only
opened upon her decks, but us well upon the boats which were employed
in laying out the ncccsHitpy stern-fasts to secure her. Three nuisket-balls
were put into the bow of the barj,'C, and several others in and about the
masts and bulwarks of H. M. ship. Their Lordslups will appreciate
the great forbearance Mianifested !)y British seamen, when they arc
informed that the priiici .al part of the fusilade proceeded from a/ratn--
nity offriurs."

This hostile proceeding called forth a stroncf remonstrance
on the part of Commander Glascock, who, in his letter to the
Miguelite General, thus expressed himself : —

" Luckily no lives have been lost ; but I must now forcibly remind
your Excellency, that there are limits beyond which patience and for-
bearance cannot be carried \ and I do therefore trust that prompt and
decisive means will be resorted to by your Excellency to prevent even
the possibility of the recurrence of such outrages, otherwise conse-
quences may ensue for which I neither can nor will be responsible."

To this, the Visconde de Santa Martha made ati apologetic
reply ; and Commander Glascock, on the 2d Dec, informed
Rear-Admiral Parker that his remonstrances with the
contending parties appeared " for the present to have
silenced the fusilade which had been so long kept up from
both sides of the river."

Dissensions had now for some time prevailed at Oporto ;
resignations consequently followed : the Duke of Braganza
appeared to be quite at a stand still for want of money, am-
munition, and a general-in-chief to whom he could intrust
the execution of any important military measure. At the
same time a most obstinate pertinacity prevailed amongst
the owners and masters of British merchant vessels. Al-
though the Consul, Colonel Sorrell, recommended as many
as possibly could to depart the Douro, the masters appeared
as it were callous to all reasonable advice, indulging in the

■ •>■■']
Mf,

* Under the walls of the convent of St. Antonio.
2k2

500

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

opinion that his Majesty's Government, to use their own
vulgar expression, would " see the British flag righted."

Between Nov. 29th and Dec. 2d, several hundred shells
were thrown into the toM'n, with a view, as the Miguelites
gave out, of practising their artillery and ascertaining the
range, preparatory to a regular bombardment and assault.
A convent was burnt down to the ground, and some houses
on the river side suffered considerably ; but singular to say,
there were not above three or four persons killed, and about
as many wounded.

On the 3d Dec, the Visconde de Santa Martha wrote to
Commander Glascock, complaining that the British flag had
been worn by a large Portuguese boat in which was a Cagix-
dore officer. In reply, his Excellency was acquainted that
the boat alluded to had been retained for the use of His
Britannic Majesty's squadron, as the boats of the men-of-
war were not at all times calculated to cross the dangerous
bar of Oporto; and that the " Caqadore officer" was no
other than the second lieutenant of the ^tna. On this oc-
casion, the Visconde conveyed to Commander Glascock " a
flattering expression of the sentiments he entertained of the
British naval service, and the confidence he reposed in him
with respect to the continued observance of a strict and ho-
norable neutrality."

On the 5th and during the night of the 7th Dec, Oporto
was severely bombarded. Dissensions still continued ; and
the non-payment of the troops in Don Pedro's service, par-
ticularly the British battalion, gave rise to much dissatisfac-
tion and disorder. On the night of the 5th, two of Sartori-
ous's brigs left the Douro ; the batteries opened upon them,
but they escaped unhurt. On the latter day a most dis-
graceful deception was practised by a steam-vessel belonging
to Mr. George Brown, of the Baltic Coffee House, London,
as will be seen by the following extract of an official letter
from Commander Glascock to Captain Markland, of H. M. S.
Briton, the senior officer without the bar, dated Dec. 8th,
1832 ;—

i*r<»-

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

501

;ir own
d."

shells

fuelites

ing the

Jissault.

houses

to say,

about

I'ote to
ag hiu]
i Cafu-
3d that
of His
len-of-
igerous
ras no
his oc<
ck 'f a
of the
n him
nd ho-

)porto

; and

, par-

isfac-

rtori-

them,

: dis-

iging

idon,

letter

8th,

I

fi

" An occurrence Imppcned yestcrduy of a very (lisagreetible nature—
as a British otticer I could not but feel highly indignant. The ' Lord of
the Isles,' merchant steani-hoat, (William Beuoon, master,) wiMi three
hundred troops from Brest, and several barrels of gunpowder on l)aurd,
entered the Douro with a British red ensign and mast-head pendant, both
Hying until the latter was I)y my directions hauled down, with a view of
prosecuting the party according to the act of 3 Geo. IV. Chap. 110,
sect. 2.

" I regret that an al)use of the British flag, and such]^ an ^usur-
pation of the pendant, should have occurred at this moment ; but
believing that it was one of H. M. packets, the officer command-
ing the fort at Sampaio permitted the ' Lord of the Isles ' to pass per-
fectly unmolested, l^pon investigating the circumstance, I discovered
that the master of the steam-vessel was excessively drunk, and that an
officer from the ' Don Pedro,' now cruising without the bar, had been
sent on board the steamer to conduct her into the river. I shall take
upon myself to protest officially against such an unjustifiable proceeding,
and I hope that H. M. Government will approve of the measure. The
British flag has been already so much abused, that it will be to me a mat-
ter of the greatest difficulty to remove from the mind of the Viscondc dc
Santa Martha the impression that I, as senior officer in the Douro, have
not participated in the deception practised.

*' Upon the instant the deception was discovered, I sent Commander
Belcher to communicate verbally with the General in couunand on the
southern side of the Douro. He was not so fortunate as to see the Vis-
conde de Santa Martha, but communicated with an officer of rank, who
seemed to be satisfied with his statement. I trust the deception in ques-
tion will not eventually affbct the egress and ingress of H. M. steamer
Echo. The position in which H. M. squadron are placed precluded the
possibility of seeing the steam-boat usui-ping H. M. pendant until she had
anchored."

Commandei* Glascock's prompt and unexpected disavowal
of any participation in this gross deception, considerably
tended to remove those suspicions and unfavorable opinions
which, from the constant abuse of the British flag, the royalists
had much reason to entertain ; but, from that moment, he
was stamped by the constitutionalists as a " rank Miguelite,"
and rumoiu's of the most malicious tendency were circulated
to his prejudice throughout the city of Oporto. Previous to
the arrival cf the " Lord of the Isles," for want of powder,
the constitutional batteries were unable to return their op-
ponents' fire.

■J:

4.

5(i2

ADDKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

Oil the afternoon of the 7th Dec, a brig captured by the
Pedroite cruisers, a schooner said to have had on board artil-
lery from the Western Islands, and a French brigantine,
were destroyed by the Miguelite batteries, when attempting
to force the passage of the bar. On the 10th Commander
Glascock wrote to the Visconde de Santa Martha as follows :

" Excellent Sir,— I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt ot your
communication of the 8th inst,, and to return my acknowledgments for
the prompt manner in which, through youi- Excellency's medium, a con-
tract for fresh beef has been effected for his Britannic Majesty's squadron.
1 take the opportunity to inclose your Excellency a copy of a menio-
randum forwarded to me yesterday from an officer signing himself loao
Pigott, ChetFe d'Estado Maior. o; .. ■..'..■ ^

" To prevent any future mistake, I must take leave to apprise your
Excellency that, as H. B. M. Government ha,ve decided that the British
vessels of war in the Douro are to continue here for the protection of
British persons and property, it becon^es a matter of ^♦ecessity that they
be from time to time supplied with provisions from H. B. M. ships or
transports without the bar; To effect this object, it may be sometimes
necessary, particularly with so uncertain a bar, to use every means in my
power to promote the utmost despatch in the transport of these supplies.
I therefore must impress upon the mind of your Excellency, that the
means afforded me to effect the above" object, or any other on H. B.
Majesty's service, must be inno ways limited. Any impediment offered on
your Excellency's part, or on the part of any of your Excellency's officers,
will only tend to disturb the reciprocal relations which now exist between
H. B. Majesty's Government and the Government of Portugal; and I am
sure your Excellency will agree with me in opinion, that at the present
crisis, any unguarded step to affect the neutral position now existing be-
tween the two nations, would by no means tend to ameliorate the condi-
tion of the Government of Portugal. I have now to assure your Excel-
lency, and I do so advisedly, that British forbearance has been carried to
Us utmost limit. I am the more induced to make this remark, from the
perusal of the minutes of the court-martial which your Excellency had
the goodness to transmit to me. Not one iota of truth appears in evi-
dence relative to the statements made respecting H. B. M. ships under
my command hanng fired artillery in the first instance, and musketry
some hours subsequent. No artillery had been fired on the occasion
alluded to, but a blank cartridge to enforce the signal for a pilot ; and
the fire of nmsketry was that which, at stated periods, namely, sunset,
sunrise, and at eight o'clock at night, had always before been fired ; a
practice which will be rontiimcd, according to the custom of H. B. M.
service, during the stay of tiie British vessels of war in the Douro. I

Vi

0i'0

ADDEyi/A TO CAPTAINS.

ooa

have only to le-.issiire your Exfellency, thai I shall Btudiously endeavour
to comply with your wishes, so long as they do not impede the proinotioft
of those duties which H. B. M. Government have called upon me to dis-
charge in this river ; and I therefore repeat, that all means of communi-
cation with H. B. M. ships and vessels of war, without the bar, must be
left open to my discretion. I may require the Echo, or one, or ten
boats, to pass and re-pass the bar of the Douro on the same day.

" I have frequently assured your Excellency of my determination to
preserve a strict and honorable neutrality, and from your Excellency's
courteous correspondence with me, I feel satisfied that you will still re-
pose in me that confidence which your Excellency has more than once
been pleased to express. With the highest consideration and respect, I
have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) *' W. N. Glabcock."

On the 15th Dec, a shell from one of Don Pedro's bat-
teries burst orer, and fell on board the Echo, but without
doing any material damage. On the 17th, at 7 a. m., a con-
siderable number of the constitutional troops were most un-
expectedly discovered crossing the river in large boats, pul-
ling directly for the landing place in close proximity with
the neutral position taken up by the British squadron; a
position purposely selected to guard against the wonted
dangers of the winter " freshes."

The assailing party were permitted to land unmolested,
although thirty or forty expert marksmen, from the windows
of the Quinta, situated close to the water side, and in which
a strong picquet was co- staritly stationed, might have pre-
vented the landing of double the number. From the many
large boats, and particularly " river-men " employed on the
occasion, it was obvious that the object in view was to em-
bark a considerable quantity of wine stored in a neighbouring
" Lodge " — the property of the " Portuguese General Com-
pany " — upon which it is said, together with the collateral se-
curity of the island of Madeira, Don Pedro expected to raise
a loan.

Anticipating the result, a general signal was immediately
made by Commander Ghiscock to " veer cable," in order to
afford sufficient room for the Pedroites to effect a landing
clear of H. M. sqTiadron. The half ports of the Orestes were
shipped on both sides, — the hammocks stowed high, — the

Ml/m^

•//*.

m-

W

o04

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

gratings and dead-lights placed over the hatchways and sky-
lights,—the crew kept below,— and every precaution taken to
guard against accident likely to result from both the bel-
ligerents' musketry. As anticipated, after about forty mi-
imtes skirmishing on the southern heights, during which the
convent of St. Antonio was broken open, and much sacerdotal
property stolen and embarked by the boatmen of Oporto, the
Pedroites had to retreat in the greatest disorder. A heavy
fire of musketry was then opened on them; and the boats
left the beach in the utmost confusion. Some took shelter under
cover of H. M. ships, and two boatmen threw themselves on
board the Orestes, affecting to be wounded. Upwards of
forty soldiers, including several severely wounded, succeeded
in getting on board of two English merchant brigs, lying
close alongside the Orestes, and a boat full of troops at-
tempted to take shelter on board the Echo; but being u
neutralist, and in the face of one belligerent party, her com-
mander. Lieutenant Robert Otway, felt it his duty to decline
making her a place of refuge for the other party. For four
hours and upwards (during which time one of the most
beautiful convents on the river-side was burnt) a heavy fire
of musketry was kept up from both sides of the river, as
also from some of Don Pedro's troops retreating in the boats.
The damage done to the squadron by the incautious and pro-
miscuous fire of the latter, particularly to the rigging, was
very considerable. In a letter addressed to Captain Mark-
land, dated IJth Dec. 1832, 9 p. m.. Commander Glascock
says:

" In my letter of the 15th inst., I took occasion to mention the total
absence of all precaution on the part of Don Pedro's troops in throwing
their * curved artillery ;' but the carelessness of his soldiery this day, in
the direction of their general fire, great guns as well as small arms, was
truly disgraceful to military men. The damage done to the rigging and
bulwarks of the British squadron is sufficient to justify the assertion ; nor
can I refrain from remarking, that in almost every instance in which the
troops of Don Pedro have become the assailing party, a neutral position
has been somehow selected, as if to facilitate their purjjose. \Miether
designedly or not, it is not for me now to decide ; but I unhesitatingly
assert, tluit H. M. shios have more or less suffered from the repulsed
party availing itself *a their neutral position to cover a iuisty retreat.

bee
adt
pos
pit!
a(f(

*f'(»

ADDBNDA TO CAPrAINS.

505

•* In cousciinence of fabrications of the most malicious tendency liaving'
been circulated throughout the town of Oporto, I deemed it expedient to
address tlie British Consul upon the subject. How such falsehoods can
possibly originate, I cannot conjecture. Every facility to convey the hos-
pital stores of Don Pedro, sent from England and from Lisbon, has been
afforded to the Duke of Braganza, through the medium of the British
squadron ; and medical aid, for the last two months, has been daily sent
from the Orestes to his hospitals ; — but the fact. Sir, is, any officer who
observes a strict and honorable neutrality is suspected to be an enemy by
the little-minded partizans of Don Pedro.

" This communication is kept open In order to ascertain, should time
permit, the loss sustained by Don Pedro's troops in the ill-conceived and
badly e^ ecuted attack of this morning. You will be surprised to learn
that no naval officer in Don Pedro's service was prepared to expect such
an attack ; nor had they the management of a single boat in conveying
the troops across the river. The result was, that the boats which effected
the transit of the troops, instead of being reserved for a ready retreat,
were, by the drunken rivermen, filled with church property and pipes of
wine. The scene of the soldiers' retreat was of the most appalling
nature, — some were seen swimming until they reached the chain cables
of the two British merchant brigs already alluded to, where, ultimately,
the heavy fire of their oppon(Mits caused them to sink, bleeding and life-
less, to the bottom : — several watermen were also drowned, and I appre-
hend it will be a matter of some difficulty to ascertain the exact loss iu
this unfortunate affair. I witnessed one field-officer killed, and other
officers of inferior rank severely wounded. The loss sustained on Don
Miguel's side cannot be ascertained, but it is generally admitted to be
comparatively trifling."

Previous to his writing this dispatch. Commander Glas-
cock had acquainted Captain George, the senior officer of the
Pedroite vessels of war then in the Douro, of the number of
the suffering troops on board the British merchant brigs, at
the same time requesting their removal to the hospital on
shore, several being dangerously wounded. After sending,
at the suggestion of Commander Glascock, a couple of boats
with silent and steady crews, to effect the removal of the
sufferers — for the process became a business of stealth —
Captain George called alongside the Orestes in his gig, and
begged to speak to her commander. " Good heavens. Sir !"
exclaimed he, on ascending the side, " how little does this
act of humanity accord with the villainous reports now pro-
pagated in the town, by which you and the officers of the

'! V

I

50(5

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

squadron are calumniated, and are made out to be the most
diabolical monsters that ever existed in the forms of men !
But when I go on shore I will give the lie to their vile inven-
tions." So anxious was Captain George to contradict the
vile rumours then afloat, that, in his haste, he inclosed to
Don Pedro's Minister of Marine the original hurried note he
had received from Commander Glascock. It ran thus : —

" Half-past 5 p. m., \1th Dec. 1832.
" My dear Sir, — Pray lose no time in sending boats for the unfor-
tunute wounded now on board the two British brigs, Lusitania and Red-
port. Send silent steady hands (Englishmen), and no*^ d — d noisy jal-
ftering- Portuguese. Yours, &c." • .

In removing the wounded from these vessels, which were
moored within a very short distance of the Miguelite piquet-
house, silence was every thing — the least noise would have
brought on a heavy fire. : .

On the night of the 17th Dec, Commander Glascock also
wrote to the British Consul as follows :

" Sir, — I have to request you will be so good as to take the earliest
opportunity to communicate with Don Pedro's Minister for Foreign
Affairs on a subject which has excited in me, as well as generally through-
out the British squadron, the utmost indignation. I have no time to
expatiate upon the system of invariably making all attacks under the
shelter of British ships, and bringing upon them a galling cross fire. One
of the seamen of H. M. sloop Orestes I fear has been mortally wounded,
and the ship, in her masts, yards, rigging, and bulwarks, has suffered
considerably. Most of the fire proceeded from Don Pedro's side, bits of
shell, grape, and canister-shot were picked up on the decks of the Orestes.

" But, Sir, the immediate subject of this communication is to request
that the vile fabrication, now circulated so currently in the town, of
the British ships of tear having fired upon Don Pedro's troops tchen re-
treating in their boats, may be distinctly and indignantly denied. This
falsehoocl even surpasses in mischievous malignity the nimour of the
Orestes having landed powder for Don Miguel's service. I demand a
public denial of both fabrications from the Government authority ; and I
call upon you, as his Britannic Majesty's Consul, to assist me in obtain-
ing this denial. ^__. .,

" Humanity led me even to risk my own men by sending medical aid
on board the • Red-port ' and ' Lusitania ' brigs, which received some of
the wounded of Don Pedro's troops. I even visited the wounded men
myself, and was personally fired at, when going on board those vessels to

ri

ADDKNDA TO CAPTAINS. 50/

ftce how fur I could succour the party sutferhig. Time prevents my say-
iiii>" more upon this subject. I hojje, however, yovi will see the propriety
of immediately complying with my request. I have tl»e honor to be, &c.

(Sijrned) " W. N. Glascock."

The rumour of the Orestes having landed powder for Don
Miguel's service, originated in this way. The squadron within
the Douro being in want of provisions, the Echo was pur-
posely dispatched to procure a supply from the Nimrod sloop,
at anchor without the bar. So soon as the steamer had re-
ceived her cargo, she re-entered the river, and, without
anchoring, ran at once alongside the Orestes, to avoid the
double trouble of loading and unloading boats. It was nearly
dusk. The Echo's decks were lumbered with bags of bis-
cuit, and a considerable quantity of beef and pork in casks.
These casks of salt meat were, by the people of Oporto,
magnified into barrels of powder — and twelve river boatmen
were ready on oath to attest before the ministerial authorities,
that one hundred barrels from the Orestes had been landed
on the south side, immediately abreast of the ship. On the
19th Dec, we find Commander Glascock addressing the Vis-
conde de Santa Martha as follows :

" Excellent Sir, — As you may naturally suppose from the -position in
which His Britannic Majesty's squadron had been placed on the morning
of the 17th, the ships were exposed to a fire of ho inconsiderable degree.
From the careless manner in which the troops of your ExceUcnoy had
directed their musketry, considerable damagie has been done to H. B. M.
ships; and I regret to state that, from the incautious fire of your Excel-
lency's troops, a seaman of H. M. S. Orestes has received, it is feared, a
mortal wound. The damage done to the rigging and equipage through-
put the squadron, will be reported to H. B. M. Government.
; " I cannot pay so poor a compliment to your Excellency, as commander-
in-chief of the army of operations, as to anticipate so weak a- plea in ex-
cuse as that of ' uncontrollable troops;' — because such a plea would at
once amount to a libel upon your own authority — nor do I altogether
complain of the conduct of your soldiery during the heat of action ; but
I must complain of that unmanly and unmilitary practice of keeping up a
fire for hours after the retreating party had crossed the river. ITiis fire
of which I complain, was opened in the direction of H. B. M. ships ; and
your Excellency's troops, long after any necessity existed, divided them-
selves, and were seen scattered behind trees and rocks, apparently taking
deliberate aim at the Echo steamer. Fortunately, the commander of

9 1 ;' ■

It!

-^1

il

508

ADDKNDA TO I.Al'TAINb.

that vessel did not communicate to mc the circumstance at the tinie,--it
broadside from the whole British squadron would have been the
result; and had but the British once commenced hostilities in tlu-
Douro, the example would have soon been followed by the liue-<»f-buttle-
ships at Lisbon. I caution your Excellency in time, and must re-
iterate what I have already stated in a former comnmnication — * lintish
forbearance has been carried to its utmost limit.' In conclusion, I luu e
only to regret that the conduct of your Excellency's troops, on the morn-
ing, and more particularly on the afternoon, of the l/th, should now
compel me to adopt a tone so contrary to thut which I have hitherto ob-
served in all communications with your Excellency. I have the honor to
be, &c. . (Signed) "W. N. Glascock."

On the same day. Commander Glascock made Captain
Markland acquainted with a circumstance of which he was
ignorant when writing to that officer on the 17th. He says :

" So soon as the Ca^adores had ascended the decks of the Echo, they
took possession of the paddle boxes and began loading their pieces, with
a view to fire from that vessel on the troops of Don Miguel. Lieutenant
Otway detecting that perfidy from a party affecting to seek shelter in his
vessel, soon compelled them to return to their boats and depart from the
Echo."

In a letter to Rear-Admiral Parker dated Dec. 21st, Com-
mander Glascock acquainted him that the town, as usual,
daily underwent a bombardment for an hour or two ; and in
one dated Dec. 24th, he says :

" In my last despatch I omitted to mention my motive for addressing
the Visconde de Santa Martha on the 19th instant.

" On receiving the official returns of the damage H. M. ships had
respectively sustained, I immediately visited them, inspecting each mi-
nutely, making every inquiry into the cause and effect of the belligerents*
fire. Commander Belcher, and the officers of the ^Etna, informed me,
that for some hours after Don Pedro's troops had retreated across the
river, and were quite out of their opponents' fire, the soldiers of Don Miguel
dispersed themselves behind rocks and trees, taking deliberate aim at the
iEtna. Lieutenant Thomas Mitchell, first of that ship, was slightly
wounded by a musket-ball in the leg, and he avers he distinctly saw the
soldier pointing at his person. The commander of the Echo, Lieutenant
Robert Otway, together with those of his officers who were on deck, have
also affirmed, that apparently the same premeditated aim, and a similar
fire, of which Commander Belcher and the officers of the .^tna com-
plain, had been taken and opened upon the Echo. Under these circum-
stances, I felt myself called upon to communicate with the "Visconde upon

V f

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

509

tho subject, animadverting in a tone consistent mth the nature of the
comjihiint — a tone which, I trust, will meet with the approbation of
H. M. (iuvcrnmeut.

" N()twithstandin<y assurance had been given to the British Consul by
Don Pedro's Government, that the curliest opportunity should be taken
to deny, in the official gazette, the malicious fabrications which had been
circulated, and are still increasing ia mischievous tendency to the pre-
judice of the British sciuadron in the Douro, not a single syllable has yet
appeared ; and it is my own unbiassed opinion, that many of the parti-
zans of Don Pedro use every endeavour to create an anti-British feeling
in the town of Oporto. To expatiate upon the want of courtesy, to say
nothing of the higratittide of the Duke of Braganza and his ministers,
might appear incompatible with the tone which ever should characterize
an official despatch ; but when it is recollected that, through the medium
of H. M. ships, all the hospital stores for the party in question have been
conveyed, and moreover, that the surgeons and assistant-surgeons of the
British squadron in the Douro have, at considerable risk of their lives,
daily visited and attended on the wounded troops of Don Pedro, in the
town, for a period of nearly three months, and not even the slightest
acknowledgment made, or notice taken, by his Government for such
medical aid, some notion may be conceived as to the extent of amity
the Duke of Braganza and his ministers entertain for all British subjects
who here preserve a strict and honorable neutrality.

" The base fabrications in question not having been officially reported
to you, it may be necessary. Sir, to apprise you of their mischievous and
malignant extent.

" It has been insidiously and industriously circulated throughout the
town of Oporto, that the British squadron not only fired upon Don
Pedro's retreating troops, when crossing the river in their boats, but
that the seamen had been seen, hatchet in hand, hewing down the
already wounded, helpless, and unfortunate creatures who had been
clinging to the cables of one or two of H. M. ships. Never, Sir, has the
sanctity of truth been more grossly and basely violated ; nor should such
falsehoods, purporting to calumniate the character of the British naval
service, be treated otherwise than with indignant contempt, were it not
that the silence observed by official authorities seem as it were to lend
something more than a semblance of sanction to the propagation of
slanders unparalleled in atrocity.* I am happy to state, that the seaman

Him' ■
^,1

'II*

* Don Pedro had the good taste, in reply to a spirited appeal from

Lieutenant-Colonel H , to remark, that ** he was compelled to give

credence to the statement of his own officers," one of whom, a certain
colonel, who had been the last to land and/r*/ to fly, was the inventor
auid chief propagator of the calumnies.

i

510

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

who was wounded on board the Orestes still survives, and thougli the
ball has not been extracted from his chest, some hopes are entertained
of his recovery."

On the same day that this report was made to Rear-
Admiral Parker, the senior officer in the Douro addressed the
Visconde de Santa Martha as follows :—

" Excellent Sir, — I regret that I am again compelled to complain of
the misconduct of some Of your piquets in the vicinity of the convent of
St. Antonio.

" Hardly had the fresh beef for the British squadron been brought
down to the beach yesterday, by the contrai-tor on the southern side,
before some of your soldiers fired at the boat which had been purposely
sent to bring it on board the Orestes. On some days your troops appear
to condtict themselves with the greatest propriety ; on others quite the
reverse, taking every opportunity to fire from under cover of rocks an<l
trees at boats passing in the direction of H. B. M. ships. On Saturday
last, your Excellency's piquets conducted themselves in a manner becom-
ing a steady soldiery ; but yesterday afternoon, and this morning, they
appeared as if desirous to provoke a fire upon themselves, for the picjuots
at these periods were not firing at their enemies. The continuation of
these provocations is not, I am persuaded, sanctioned by your Excel-
lency ; but I must again unpress upon your mind, that a recurrence of
such outrages will be met by measures (and I say it advisedly) little cal-
culated to benefit your Government. In conclusion, I have only to
remark, that the tone of yoxir Excellency's last letter Las in no way
influenced my determination to continue the same undeviating observance
of a strict and honorable neutrality ; and it shall not be my fault,
should the reciprocal relations subsisting between our respective
Governments be in any way disturbed. With the highest consideration
and respect, I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " W. N. Glascock."

Oil the 30th Dec. at 8 p. m., Don Miguel's batteries in the
vicinity of Villa Nova commenced a heavy bombardment.
Upwards of 130 shells were thrown into the town of Oporto
by half-past ten o'clock. The custom-house was set on fire,
and British property estimated at £12,000 sterling destroyed.
Fortunately the conflagration was only of a partial nature :
had the Whole building been burnt, British property to the
amount of £150,000 must have been inevitably destroyed.
Several houses sustained considerable damage. A few days
previous to this event, the " City of Edinburgh," steameri

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINU.

511

m

had arrived from Vigo, bringing accounts that upwards of
150 seamen had deserted from the constitutional squadron;
and that the Spanish authorities had decided that Sartorious
should leave the bay with his ships^ and not again take
shelter nearer than the anchorage under the Bayonne Islands.
This decision, it was apprehended, would materially affect
the Vice-Admiral's means of procuring supplies for Oporto,
as well as for the Pedroite vessels of war in the Douro. The
city was then becoming seriously distressed for provisions,
and it appeared to be the object of Don Miguel to adopt
every means in his power to cut off his opponent's supplies.

On the morning of January 5th, Don Miguel's troops
brought some field -pieces on the heights opposite to the
Seminaria, and succeeded in sinking the Pedroite schooner
Coquette, and two gun-boats. On the afternoon of the same
day, the Fulmini^nsia, a large bark under Brazilian colours,
having on board 118 soldiers discharged from the constitu-
tional service, when going out of the river, was fired at by
the Sampaio battery, and compelled to anchor immediately
under that fortification. Five of these men were killed and
three dangerously wounded.

On the 7th, Commander Glascock made the following
report to Rear -Admiral Parker : —

" Captain George, of Don Pedro's service, having communicated to
me, that it was apprehended many were wounded on board the vessel in
question, and that he had no medical aid to send to her assistance, I
immediately sent Commander Belcher with an official intimation to the
officer commanding the fort at Sampaio, acquainting him that, in the
cause of humanity, I requested, when sending on board surgical assistance,
no molestation might be offered to the boats of H. M. squadron. Though
Commander Belcher communicated with the fort at 5 p. m., I did not
receive a written reply till half-past two on the following morning. The
surgeons of H. M. ships had, however, in the first instance, accom-
panied Commander Belcher, who had obtained verbal permission for
them to proceed on board the Brazilian bark. On returning to the
squadron, notwithstanding intimation had been given, our boats were
fired at by the piquets of Don Miguel ; and on the following afternoon,
when medical aid was again sent to the same vessel, a battery on Don
Pedro's side of the river threw shells at the moment the boats of the
British squadron were accompanying their o'vn wounded on shore, Don

•I' 9

ii.

513

AODBNnA TO CAPtAINS.

Miguel's General having insisted that they should be landed on the
southern side, and conveyed up to his military hospital.*

" Last night, I received a letter from the nmster of the Brazilian Imrk,
appealing to my humanity as a British officer to send him on board pro-
visions ; stating that he had 92 Englishmen and 26 French on board,
and that he had nothing to give thenj to eat. This application I imme-
diately sent to Captain George, not believing it possible that a vessel
having on board upwards of 130 persons, including her crew, could be
sent to sea by Don Pedro's Government without a necessary supply of
provisions. The whole of the discharged troops have since been made
prisoners by Don Miguel's General."

These men were sent over land to Lisbon, and eventually
conveyed to their respective countries. They drew up a
statement, which appeared in some of the English papeVs,
expressive of the kind treatment they received at the hands
of the Miguelites. In the same letter. Commander Glascock
says : —

" The difficulty of communicating by boats in the Douro is almost
inconceivable. Be the service of a nature consistent with that line of
conduct which a strict and honorable neutrality would prescribe, or be
it even in the cause of humanity, both belligerents appear to vie with
each other in offering impediments to the prosecution of every measure
which may not accord with their respective notions of neutrality. I,
however, hope, since the command of the liberating army has now de-
volved upon a General of great experience, that the troops of Don Pedro
will become better disciplined ; for it will hardly be credited that this
last week the volunteers of Oporto have stationed themselves at the Tour
de Marco, amusing themselves in firing rifle balls at solitary individuals on
the other side, and at the party bringing down fresh beef for the British
squadron. On one of these occasions (Jan. 2d), three balls were lodged
in the quarter-deck bulwarks of the Nautilus, and Lord George Paulet
had a very narrow escape in coming on board to acquaint me of the cir-
cumstance. Finding that all the remonstrances hitherto made upon this
unmilitary practice had no effect upon the authorities on Don Pedro's
side, I took the earliest opportunity to communicate with Marshal So-
lignac upon the subject, who immediately gave orders, and had them
executed, that the practice should no longer continue."

On the morning of the 10th Jan. Commander Belcher was
sent to St. Ovidio, with a communication to the Miguelite

* The surgeon of the Orestes had a narrow escape — a piece of shell
fell at bis feet.

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

513

Gencnil in command of the Villa Nova divibion, of which the
following is a copy :

" Excellent Sir, — A most wanton outrnafc has just been comnuttcd by
some of your troops in the vicinity of the St. Antimio convent. A l)oat
of H. B. IM. S. Orestes, with her cnsij^n tlyinir, has been fired into, and
another man shot *. I demand that you will take instant steps to <,'ive
up the offender to me, or that you will satisfy mc, and that immediately,
tliat the party offendinjf will be instantly nunished. I wait your reply
until two o'clock this afternoon. If not then received, I shall despatch
a vessel direct to Admiral Parker, in the Tagus, ac<iuaiuting him of this
gross violation of neutrality. I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) " W. N. Glascock."

Long before Commander Belcher had reached St. Ovidio,
the offender had been apprehended, lodged a prisoner in the
guard-house, and the General's aide-de-camp sent on board
to learn the particidars of the case. On the night of the
Hth, Oommander Glascock received a letter from the Mi-
guelite chief, Jose Antonio d'A Lemos, acquainting him that
it was his intention to inflict corporal pmiishment upon the
culprit, and intimating a desire that an officer of the British
squadron should be present. Commander Glascock availed
himself of this opportunity to visit the besiegers' head qiuir-
ters, accompanied by Commander Belcher.

** On my arrival at the camp," says Commander Glascock, " General
Lemos drew out his troops under arms, according to the customary mode
when military punishment is about to be inflicted. Thinking it more
becoming in a British officer to recommend an act of clemency (parti-
cularly at the present crisis, and having previously succeeded in obtaining
the satisfaction demanded), than to exhibit any feeling manifest iiig a
spirit of revenge, so soon as the prisoner was brought forward, I solicited
the General to pardon him, which request, after making an impressive
speech to the troops, was complied with, not more to my satisfaction
than to that of General Lemos, who appears to be a truly humane and
well-disposed man."

Immediately after despatching Commander Belcher to

^

r*

* John Connor— his wound was of a very slight nature, and he soon

returned to his duty. It is a singular fact, that out of five men wounded

in the British squadron, three were named Connor,

VOL. IV. PART II.

2l

•'>i4 AnDKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

General Lemos, on the lOth Jan., Commander Glascock had
occasion to complain to Marshal Solignac of one of the
Pedroite volunteers having drawn his bayonet upon a mil-
shipman whom he sent on shore to ascertain the name of a
person who had fired two musket-balls into the bow of the
Orestes. He subsequently wrote to the Marshal as follows :

" I must do the Miijuclite piquets the justice to say, that they have
for Eome time past shewn great forbearance ; and their return of fire has
been invariably provoked by the volunteers of Don Pedro and crew of
the vessel of war designated the " Twenty-third of July." I have to
return your Excellency my best thanks for the prompt manner in which
you caused an investigation to be made into the complaint I had occa*<iou
to make to you yesterday."

The poo I* of Oporto were at this period suffering consider-
ably, and a subscription was set on foot by the English, in
order, if possible, to administer to their wants. The wea-
ther was unfavorable for military operations, and both bel-
ligerents appeared to be at a stand still. Nothing of im-
portance occurred previous to the 24th Jan., with the excep-
tion of Vice-Admiral Sartorious having appeared off the bar,
and exchanged a few shots with the batteries.

On the afternoon of the 24th, Marshal Solignac marched
out of the town of Oporto, with a large body of troops,
towards the vicinity of Foz. His object was to take posses-
sion of the hill of Castro, to destroy a neighbouring battery,
and ultimately to cut off the right ^ving of Don Miguel's
line from the main body of his force to the northward. The
squadron under Sartorious had instructions to co-operate
with Solignac, and it \/as said that the Marshal lost much
time in waiting for the vessels of war, at anchor off the bar,
to weigh. One frigate got under sail, but the crew of the
" Reinha," flag-ship, mutinied at a most unseasonable mo-
ment, and refused to lift the anchor. By this untimely re-
volt, the Vice-Admiral was prevented from co-operating
effectually with the army. After a severe resistance, the hill
of Castro was taken by the second British battalion, under
Major Brownston. The French, at one time, were com-
pletely repulsed j but they again rallied, and came in time to

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

515

the succour of the British. The Castrllo do Quejo battery
on the beach in the neighbourhood of the hill of Castro, was
not taken ; and the captured eminence was abandoned before
9 p. M. The movements of Santa Martim are said to have
been highly judicious, and Ins enemies gave his troops every
credit for the brave and steady soldier-like manner in which
they met the assault. As usual, the British and French
were the principal sufferers. Two English officers were
mortally wounded, and four or five severely. Many of Don
Pedro's tenth regiment went over to the Miguelites on the
night of the 24th.

On the 1st Feb. 1833, the surgeons of the British squadroit
pronounced the appearance of tlie cholera in the city of
Oporto, where three or four cases had already proved fatal.
On the 2d, about 4-30 p. m., three shot were fired, in quick
succession, from the Sampaio battery, at a boat belonging to
the iEtna, returning from an ineffectuil attempt to com-
municate with H. M. steam-ship, Rhadamanthu«, then out-
side the bar. On the 6th, the crew of the bar-l)oat returned
to their ship after an absence of twenty-four days. They
had been caught outside m a heavy gale of wind, and com*-
pelled to bear up for Matozinhoz, a small Miguclite town
northward of Oporto. Lieutenant Legard, of the ^^"Ltna, who
had charge of the boat, nearly lost his life in beaching her ;
and was laid up on board his ship for several weeks after-
wards. In making various attempts to return to the Douro,
they were fired at by the piquets of both belligerents. The
lieutenant, however, reported that his party had been well
treated whilst at Matozinhoz. On the 15th Feb., an English
merchant, named Wright, lost his arm by a cannon shot,
when sitting at dinner in his house. The position of Don
Pedro had now become extremely critical— his opponents
W6Te erecting batteries in all directions, with a view of com-
pletely cutting off his supplies— report said there was scarcely
ten days' provision in the town of Oporto. On the 18th,
Commander Glascock reported that some large pieces of shell
had lately fallen on board the Orestes and iEtna, but without
doing any injury to their crews. ' -

2 I 2

tfHT 1« Mri

516

ADDKXDA TO CAPTAINS.

On the moriiiiig of Mar. 4th, at day -light, after bombarding
the toAvii during the niglit, the troops of Don Miguel made
a grand attack in the direction of Lordello and St. John De
Foz. A diversion had been made in the vicinity of Agua-
dante, but it soon became perceptible that the main object of
attack was towards the Lordello line. The Miguclites Mere
completely repulsed, and sustained considerable loss. (3n
the constitutional side, the Scottish corps suffered most —
one officer was killed, and almost every other, with the ex-
ception of its commander. Major Shaw, wounded. On the
same day, the Migiielite piquets fired several shot across the
M'ater at the place where the British boats generally landed,
and Commander Glascock nearly received a musket-ball in
the arm.

On the 6th March, the Pedroite brig of war " Twenty-
third of July," secured to the quay on the northern side of
the river, in a line with two British merchant brigs— one
close a- head of her, and the bowsprit of the other over her
taffrail —was sunk by a solitary gun on the heights over head.
She attempted to return the fire, hvt not one of her guns
(18- pounder carronades) could be elevated half the height re-
quired. Three of her crew were killed, and fourteen wound-
ed. Her commander was a fine gallant fellow, and had lost
an arm in the service of Donna Maria. On the 8th, Com-
mander Glascock complained to General Lemos that a system
of fusilade had again commenced on the banks of the Douro.
On the night of the 10th, seventy-two boats, laden with
cattle and other supplies for Don Pedro, landed their cargoes,
without molestation, in the vicinity of the light-house. On
the night of the 12th, a transport succeeded in disembarking
240 Irish troops : a considerable quantity of provisions was
also brought safe on shore. On the 17th, at 11 a. m., the
British merchant brig Avon, which had been for some days
at anchor off the bar, watching an opportunity to land a
cargo of flour, oil, and other supplies for the town of Oporto,
slipped her cable, and, taking advantage of a squall, bore up
for the river, carrying at her mast-head a British red ensign
reversed, the usual signal of distress; "but," says Com-

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS. 517

rnantler Glascock, " I cannot persuade myself, notwithstand-
ing the assurance of the master of that vessel, that in break-
ing the blockade distress was his only motive. The master
complained that he was riding heavily at his anchor, pitching
bows under, and ♦he brig making water, but when he did slip
he made no effort to stand to sea on the starboard tack, the
wind being about N. W. b. N., to gain that offing which two
other vessels at the same time had obtained. So soon as the
British flag became within shot, the batteries opened upon the
Avon, and hulled her several times. She had the wind right
aft, and had her crew conducted themselves with any degree of
coolness the vessel might have escaped comparatively unhurt :
but, so soon as she arrived in the vicinity of the Foz, the
master and crew abandoned her. She soon drifted over to
the south side, and gro\inded immediately abreast of the
Sampaio battery, on the top of high water. The Miguelito
troops took possession of her before sunset, and burned her
about 9 p. M. A small Portuguese vessel was also destroyed
the same day in attempting to run over the bar."

On Lu. 24th March, the Miguelites made an attack upon
three • ?edroite posts, and were repulsed with consider-

able loi i wo hundred and forty-seven constitutionalists were
killed and wounded, including among the latter Major Sadler
and Captain Wright, mortally, and several other British
officers, severely. On the 25th, H. M. steamer Confiance had
two men killed by accident, whilst weighing her anchor out-
side the bar. On the 26th, about 260 French troops, and
supplies for the army at Oporto, were disembarked in the
vicinity of the Foz. On the 27th, the boats of the Nautilus,
returning from the Druid frigate, then outside of the bar,
were fired upon from the Carsto and other batteries.

On the 4th April, the British Consul received a communi-
cation from General Lemos, requesting no time might be lost
in separating the British merchantmen from the shipping of
Donna Maria, only one of which then remained afloat, four
vessels having been scuttled and sunk alongside the jetty, to
save them from the fate of the " Twenty-third of July." At
this time there was a " fresh" hi the river ; and if the s(iiuidrou

\8

ADDENDA TO CAl'TAINS.

had not assisted in wcigliiiig their anchors, warping therii
across the river, and securing them on the southern side,
they must have remained exposed to the Miguelite fire.
Their removal, however, gave great offence to Don Pedro's
Ministry ; — an official correspondence took place upon the
subject between them and Colonel 3orrell, part of which was
transmitted to Commander Glascock, and forwarded by him
for Rear-Admiral Parker's perusal. The same Ministers
afterwards addressed a letter to the Consul, declaratory of
their determination to fire upon the vessels which had been
removed, should they attempt to take in a cargo, though that
cargo nmst hsixe come from the town of Oporto. Whilst
thus attempting to bully the British, they were permitting
their opponents to build with impunity, on the Gaia hill, a
formidable and commanding battery, which did more niis-
cliief to Oporto than all the others the Miguelites had before
brought to bear upon the city.

On the evening of the 9th April, the Pedroites made an
attack upon Monte Cabello, a hill about three himdred yards
in advance of Aguardente. Their object was to secure that
position, and to take from their opponents an unfinished
redoubt which had been commenced a i^ight or two previous,
in which they succeeded. On the following morning, at 5
o'clock, the Miguelites attempted to regain their lost posi-
tion, but were repulsed after several hours fighting, and a
general skirmish along the lines. The number killed and
wounded on the side of the constitutionalists was between 80
and 100 men, including two captains and two subaltern
officers. About forty Miguelites were taken prisoners by the
British brigade, but the iunount of their los@ cpuld not be
ascertained.

About this period, the Pedroite schooner Liberal, having
been raised and re-equipped without molestation, effected her
escape from the Douro. Whilst dropping down the river,
with the first of the night ebb, she had one volunteer killed,
and two seamen wounded, by the fire from theMiguelite bat-
teries. On the 18th April, 316 French troops arrived oft*
Oporto, 200 of M liom were lauded, witli a considerable

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

519

iiuanjtrty of supplies, in tlie vicinity of the Foz. On the 21st,
Commander Glascock waited upon Marshal Solignac, to
complain of misconduct on the part of the officer command-
ing the battery of Torre do Marco. After his return to the
Orestesj a shot was fired between the masts of that ship, and
a most provoking fire brought on, to no possible purpose.

Towards the end of April, the iEtna was ordered to Lis-
bon, for the purpose of subsequently undertaking a survey in
the Mediterranean. On the 2d May, a shot from a carronade
under the Torre do Marco, which was kept constantly firing
at solitary soldiers, passed so close to the Orestes, that it was
a matter of surprise her bowsprit had not been struck, or
some of the men on the forecastle killed.

On the 3d June, 1833, the First Lord of the Admiralty
wrote to Commander Glascock as follows : —

" Sir, — It has afforded me sincere pleasure to mark my high sense of
your meritorious conduct and claims, by this day promoting you to the
rank of captain in the royal navy. You will not, however, at present be
relieved in the command of the Orestes, as we are desirous of the benefit
of your services, in your present important station, a little longer. 1
have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed)

J. R. G. Graham."

On the 11th June, Vice-Admiral Sartorious was superseded
in the command of Donna Maria's fleet, by Captain Charles
Napier, alias Carlos de Ponza. On the 5th July, the
latter officer obtained a decisive victory over the naval
forces of Don Miguel, in the neighbourhood of Cape St.
Vincent.

On the 8th July, an officer of the Miguelite piquet at the
Cava9o, perceiving a shore boat with an English gentleman
going alongside the Orestes, snatched a musket out of the
hand of one of the sentinels at the gate, walked deliberately
to the beach, fired, and dangerously wounded the waterman
in the side. This cowardly act was immediately represented
by Captain Glascock to General Lenios, who took prompt
steps to inquire into the misconduct of the lending party.
On the 22d of the same month, about 3 i». m., a few of the
piquets belonging to the Cava9o were bathing close to the

520

ADDKNDA TO CAITAINS.

Orestes, when a fire of musketry was opened from the car-
ronade battery imderneath the Torre do Marco, by some of
the Pedroite troops. The officer commanding the battery
was immediately made acquainted with this disgraceful con-
duct, but made no other reply, than that the fire was com-
menced by the troops on the southern side. On the follow-
ing day, the piquet at the St. Antonio convent wantonly
fired across the river at two little boys who were rowing in
a canoe near the Orestes. In both instances. Captain Glas-
cock made formal complaints to the belligerent Generals.

On the 24th July, Captain Glascock received a letter from
the British Consul, inclosing a communication from the
Marquis ue Loul^, stating that a flotilla of boats was col-
lecting on the south side, for the purpose of conveying the
Miguelites, under General Lemos, across the river ; and re-
quiring H. M. squadron to change its position, and to take
up an appointed anchorage, more exposed to a cross-fire
than perhaps any other that could have been selected. Sa-
tisfied of the impossibility of any boats being launched in
the vicinity the Marquis apprehended, and reflecting upon
the very opposite conduct pursued by the Pedroite Govern-
ment on the 17th Dec. 1832, when, without any intimation
being given, or any anxiety manifested for the safety of
H. M. vessels, the troops of the Duke of Braganza effected
a landing under their immediate shelter, and thereby brought
upon the Orestes and her consorts a most galling fire ; Cap-
tain Glascock replied that it was not his intention to risk
the lives of his officers and men by taking up any other
anchorage. On the following mor Ang, an attack was made
upon the lines of Oporto ; but, as the captain justly antici-
pated, no troops had been transported across ]the river.
Fortunate it was that the squadron did not move. Had the
anchorage under the Arabade hill, pointed out by the Mar-
quis de Louie, been taken up, the ships would have been
directly in the face of two of the heaviest batteries the Mi-
guelites brought to bear upon their principal points of attack,
and much damage and loss of life must have been the cou-
eequent result. As it was, a considerable number of shcil

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

591

burst over the squadron, and one fell into the water and
exploded between the Orestes and Echo, then only a few
fathoms apart.

On this occasion, the Miguelites, under Marshal Bour-
mont, made four successive assaults in the vicinity of Lor-
dello. In the last attempt, that position would have been
forced, but for the indomitable courage of the British and
Scotch brigades, who charged their opponents with the
bayonet, and routed them in every direction. The loss sus-
tained by the assailants was supposed to exceed 1000 men ;
the constitutionalists had about 200 killed and wounded, in-
cluding Colonel Cotter, of the ' ish brigade, and Captain
Almaida, one of the aides-de-camp to General Saldanha.

On the night of July 26th, 1833, the Duke of Braganza
and his Ministers embarked for Lisbon in the Britannia
steam-vessel, leaving General Saldanha in command of the
garrison of Oporto. Between this period and the middle of
i\ugust, both belligerents, notwithstanding the repeated re-
monstrances of Captain Glascock, persevered in the repre-
hensible practice of firing across the river at unarmed indi-
viduals, thereby endangering the lives of the officers and men
of the British squadron.

The last service performed by Captain Glascock during
the civil war in Portugal, was the saving from conflagration
upwards of 150,000 pounds worth of wine and brandy, the
property of British merchants at Oporto. The following
account of his proceedings on this occasion was officially
addressed to Captain Lord John Hay, of H. M. S. Castor,
senior officer without the bar, Aug. 17th, 1833 :

" My Lord, — From the previous information I had jjiven your Lord-
ship, relative to the destruction of the Portuguese Compiiny'a wine in
the ^^cinity ofVilla Nova, you will not be now surprised to learn that the
threat of Don Miguel's General has at length been put into execution.
Several thousand pipes of wine were yesterday destroyed; the houses
containing the wines were undermined, and the property in (juestion
blown up at one o'clock.

" When it is recollected that the ' lodges ' belonging to the Portuguese
Company were intermingled with those of the Britisli merchants, it becomes
a matter of astonishment how the property of the latter has escaped ; but it

522

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

seeina every precaution had been taken on the piut of Don Miguel's
(ieneral, to prevent the possibility of doint,' injury to British property.
The most expert engineer had been selected to undertake the destruction
of the wines in question. The flames, however, extended beyond the
calculation of tlie engineer, and two or three British lodges Mere in
imminent danger ; one store, the property of Mr. Oiuerod, containing
upwards of two thousand pipes of wine, was actually on fire.

" Upon being made acquainted with this circumstance, I considered
it my duty to act with promptitude, satisfied that the protest officially
fonvarded from the British Consul to the General commanding on the
southern side, would be of little avail in rescuing from destruction the
property of Mr. Omerod, I therefore, withotit receiving the authority of
the British Consul, took upon myself the entire responsibility of landing
the crews of H. M. squadron in the Douro, for the purpose of extin-
guishing the fire, which had already reached one of the British lodges.

*' I must accjuaint your Lordship, that I took the precaution to send
Lord George Paulet expressly up to the commanding officer at Caudal,
for the purpose of aciiuainting him that it was my intention immediately
to land the crews of the British squadron — that my only object was to save
British property, then in imminent danger — and that there was nothing which
might be even mistaken for an act of hostility contemplated on my part.
I also took the precaution to request the officer commandmg the piquet
abreast of the British squadron would accompany the seamen and
marines of H. M. ships, in order that he might explain our intentions to
the officers commanding the inner piquets ; but so much tune had
elapsed before Lord George Paulet could have an interview with Marshal
Count d'Almar, that I was compelled to land, with a force of 130 men,
and proceed direct to Villa Nova, before the sanction of the Marshal
could be obtained. Fortunately I did not await the return of Lord
George, or hesitate to put into immediate execution the project I had
planned. Half an hour's delay, and Mr. Omerod's property must have
been inevitably destroyed. .j .

" Your Lordship may imagine that the easiest mode to have preserved
from destruction the ^^'ines of the British subjects would have been to
disembark the seamen of the squadron on the beach at Villa Nova ;
but Ifhis mode, for many reasons, was found to be impracticable. In
the first place, the flames were so extensive that it would have been
impossible to approach the lower • lodges : ' in the next, the path-
ways leading to the British stores became impassable from the torrents
of boiling wine that were then running into the river : and lastly (I
am sorry I am compelled to record such an act of perfidy), the officer
commanding at the Serra convent was directing a heavy fire of artillery
at the vicinity of Villa Nova, even long after he must have perceived the
people employed in extinguishing the flames were composed of the crews
of H. M. squadron — nor could there be any excuse for thif? treachery, for

ADDiiNUA TO CAFTAINS.

523

Hi

the IJritifth hliio cnsijfu \va^< displayed on the siuiirnit of Mr. Oinerod's
• Iodide,' aii<l an officer had been previously despatched to (ieneral Sal-
danha, requesting his Excellency would give immediate direction! to cause
the tire ot the Serra battery to cease.

" It may be necessary to apprise your Lordship that the delay on the
part of Lord George Paulet entirely originated in a mere matter of eti-
([uettc. Count D'Almar protested against the British force being armed,
and insinuated that he had several thousand men ready to repel what he
was pleased to term an act of violation. Your Lordship, who is well ao-
(juainted with the locality of this country, and the intrigues and treachery
on the part of its people, will, I am sure, accord with me in opinion, that
I should have been highly culpable had I disembarked any body of men
totally unarmed ; and the result bears me out : for two Portuguese piquets,
in the immediate vicinity of Villa Nova, attempted to arrest the progress
of the party under my immediate command.

" To prevent any future caviling upon this point, I nmst acquaint your
Lordship tluit the seamen of the squadron carried with them only a cut-
lass and a bucket each ; the carpenters acting as pioneers, with crow-
bars and hatchets ; and that the marines, twenty in number, were armed
with their muskets, solely for the purpose of planting them as sentinels,
should occasion require. I must also inform your Lordship, that a par-
ley, coqimeucing rather warmly, took place between Marshal Count
D'Almar and myself, when in the very act of extinguisliiiig the fire of
Mr. Omerod's store, upon what the INIarshal termed the impropriety of
landing with an armed force. I, however, soon succeeded in convincing
him that my object was solely and undisguisedly the rescue of British pro-
perty, then in such imminent danger. At length satisfied, the Count Avit-
nessed the departure of the seamen and marines, and I am happy to ac-
quaint your Lordship that not a single accident occurred, nor was a
single complaint alleged against any individual of H. M. ships ; and this
your Lordship will readily appreciate when I apprise you that the seamen
and marines had to march to Villa Nova through villages crowded with
an excited population, when wines were attainable in every direction.

" In conclusion, I feel dt my duty to represent to your Lordship the
ready assistance aflforded to me by Lord George Paulet, whose activity
upon this occasion, together with the arrangements made by his Lord-
ship for disembarking the seamen of H. M. sloop Nautilus, are deserving
of the highest encomiums. Nor should I be doing justice to Lieutenant
Otway, of H. M. steam-vessel Echo, did I omit to mention the personal
services of that officer, in assisting to extinguish the fire at Mr. Ome-
rod's * lodge.' To Lieutenants Corbet and Montgomery, of the Orestes,
and Lieutenant Dickson, of the Nautilus, every credit is due. These
officers, in arresting the projfress of the fire at Villa Nova, personally
exposed themselves to imminent danger; and the orderly manner in
which they (.'onductcd the landing and re-emburkation of the seamen.

524

AODKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

was the general adiniratiun of the populutiuu on liotU Hides of the Dourtr
The conduct of Mr. Jonns Coaker, acting master, who was left ui cliarge
of the Orestes, merits my approbation. This otticer, in my altKcncc,
procured fire-engines from the town of Oporto, but failed in his efl^()rt^t
to transport them to the vicinity of Villa Nova. I have the honor to
be, &c.

(Signed) " W. N. Glascock."

This disinterested and hazardous service, in the respon-
sibility of which tlie British Consul refused to share, was not
even acknowledged with one solitary expression of thanks
on the part of the British merchants ; Captain Glascock's
conduct, however, obtained him the official approbation of
the commander-in-chief in the Tagus.

On the day after the destruction of the wines at Villa
Nova, the constitutional General, Saldanha, resolved upon
making a sortie. He accordingly left the town of Oporto at
midnight, broke through his opponent's line, destroyed part
of his camp, pursued him as far as ^'^alonga, took about 200
prisoners, and captured 600 barrels of gunpowder. On the
night of the 19th August, the Miguelites on the southern
bank of the Douro withdrew their piquets, and the entire
force at St. Ovidio marched about nine leagues to the rear of
that town. On the 20th, Villa Nova was in possession of
the constitutionalists, the Douro was again accessible to
vessels of all nations, and people were passing to and fro
perfectly unmolested. Don Miguel was then, with the
Spanish Infanta Don Carlos, at Coimbra, to which place a
field officer was posting with accounts of the demise of
the King of Spain. On the 18th of the following montli,
Captain Glascock departed from the Douro, after a truly
arduous and most unenviable service, in that river, of nearly
twelve months.

This officer is the author of the ** Naval Sketch Book,"
** Tales of a Tar," and other professional publications. The
following are the names of the officers who served under his
orders during the siege of Oporto :

Commanders Lord George Paulet and Edward Belcher, of the Nauti-
lus and iEtna. Lieutenants William Dickey, Kynaston Corbet, and

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

525

Alexander Leslie Montjjfomery * ; Jttlm Gibson Dickson and Langton
Browellf; Thomas Mitchell (/<)f James Aidahy Lcgard, niid Henry
Kellett I ; Robert Otway § ; William Frederick Lapidge || ; and William
Arlettlf. Masters Jonas Coaker, acting • ; Andrew William Quinlan f ;
and John Sheppard J. Surgeons John Monteith *, Rol)ert Wylie f, and
John Kidd J. Pursers Thomas Giles ♦, John Dennis f, and Henry
Price J. ^ssisfnnt-Sitrgeons John Rees *, Henry Walsh Alahon f, David
G. IMiUer J, Thomas Kidd (/>)§, David Deas ||, and William Graham f.

I

CHARLES HOTHAM, Esq.

Obtained his first commission in Sept. 1825; and was
advanced to the rank of commander, by H. R, H. the Lord
High Admiral, Aug. I8th, 1828, for distinguished services
whilst senior lieutenant of the Terror bomb. Commander
David Hope, on the coast of Portugal **. He was appointed
to the Cordelia sloop, Mar. 17th, 1830; and made captain on
the 28th June, 1833— "a special promotion for the late Vice-
Admiral Sir Henry Hotham," under whose orders he had
been for some time serving on the Mediterranean station;
from whence he returned home in the Cordelia, Oct. 15th
following.

JOHN GEORGE BOSS, Esq.

(^See Fol IF. Part I. p. 32.)

This officer was elected M. P. for Northallerton imme-
diately after the passing of Earl Grey's Reform Bill; and
promoted to the rank of captain on the 14th Nov. 1833. He
married, 2dly, Elizabeth, daughter of the late T. Wylie, Esq.

* Orestes. t Nautilus^ % iEtna. § Echo.

II Leveret. If Raveu.

** See Vol. III. Part II. p. 122,

526

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

PATRICK DUFF HENRY HAY, Esq.

{See Fol. IF. Pari I. p. .398.)

Was advanced to the rank of captain on the 15th Nov
1833.

BURTON MACNAMARA, Esq.

Brother to Major Macnamara, M. P. for county Clare,
Ireland.

This officer passed his examination for lieutenant at Ports-
mouth, in the summer of 1814; obtained his first commis-
sion on the 1st July, 1815 ; and was made commander from
the Cambrian frigate, Captain Gawen William Hamilton,
into the Chanticleer sloop, on the Mediterranean statit)ii,
July 19th, 1822. He was appointed an inspecting com-
mander of the coast guard, June 1 st, 1 825 ; and promoted
to the rank of captain Nov. IGth, 1833.

Captain Macnamaru married. Mar. 1st, 1832, Jane,
daughter of Daniel Gabbett, Esq. of Limerick.

RIGHT HON. LORD GEORGE PAULET.

Third son of the Marquis of Winchester, by Anne, second
daughter of John Andrews, Esq. of Shotney Hall, co. Nor-
thumberland.

This officer was born on the 12th Aug. 1803 ; entered the
royal navy in Feb. 1817 J obtained his first commission on
the 9th Feb. 1825 ; and was made a coimuander Feb. 28th,
1828. He was appointed to the Nautilus sloop in Mar. 1830 ;
and, after serving for upwards of three years on the Lisbon
station*, promoted to the rank of captain, Nov. 18th, 1833.
On the Nautilus being paid off, he gave his officers a sump-
tuous entertainment, at Portsmouth.

* See pp. 495—524.

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

527

RIGHT HON. LORD EDWARD RUSSELL.

Second son of John, sixth Duke of Bedford, by his second
wife, Lady Georgiana, youngest daughter of Alexander, fourth
Duke of Gordon.

This officer entered the royal navy in 1819, at the age of
fourteen years ; was made lieutenant into the Philomel sh)op,
Oct. 18th, 1826; and promoted to the rank of commander,
Nov. 15th, 1828. His subsequent appointments were, —
Nov. 22d, 1830, to the Britomart 10;— Jan. 10th, 1831, to
the Savage 10;— and, April 9th, 1832, to the Nimrod 20, the
command of which vessel he resigned, from ill health, whiisi;
employed on the Lisbon station, in Aug, lJ5i33. His Lonl
ship was made a captain on the I9th Nov. foXi'fvr.nf, ; uud
appointed to the command of the Actaion 26, ittin^ oiV tit
Portsmouth, Nov. 17th, 1834.

i!

HENRY SHOVELL MARSHAM, Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1807 ; obtained hi? fir^t «.::oii3.
mission on the 30th June, 1813 ; and, subseo-iratly to the
peace, served for several years in the Fochfort 80., succi^s-
sively bearing the flags of Sir Thomas F. Fremantie and Sir
Graham Moore, on the Mediterranean station. Tlis nsy.\ ap-
pointment was, July (ith, 1824, to the Cambrian 4.*^, Ciptaii>.
Gawen W. Hamilton, in which ship he continued until ad-
vanced to the rank of commander, April 21st, 1825.

On the 25th Feb. 1831, this officer was appointed to the
St. Vincent 120, Captain (now Sir Htimphvey F.) Senhousc,
under whom we find him serving for a pericd of nfavly ihree
years, on the Lisbon station and in the Mediterranean. His
promotion to the rank of captain took pi. je on the 24th Dec.
1833, at which period he was actinjpf ir *he Mj.labar 74. Pre-
vious to his quitting the St. Vi )ccnl, the junior officers of that
ship entertained him ii» vary handsome style; the gun-room
was fitted up in an elegant manner, sixty sat down to dinner.

528

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

and a l)all followed — altogether one of the best things of the
kind ever witnessed. He arrived at Plymouth, and paid off
the Malabar, in July 1834.

CHARLES CROWDY, Esq.

Was born in Mar. 1786, at Highworth, co. Wilts, where
his father practised for many years as a solicitor, and realii^ed
a considerable fortune.

This officer entered the royal navy, in Sept. 1799> as mid-
shipman on board la Decade frigate. Captain James Wallace,
fitting out for the Jamaica station, from whence he returned
home in the Brunswick 74. He next joined the Ganges 74,
Captain (afterwards Sir Tliomas F.) Fremantle, to whom he
served as aide-de-camp at the battle of Copenhagen, April
2d, 1801.

During the peace of Amiens, Mr. Crowdy again visited the
West Indies, where he remained until the renewal of hos-
tilities with France, in 1803. On the Ganges being paid off,
in 1805, he was received on board the Urania frigate. Captain
tlie Hon. Charles Herbert, from which ship he was removed
into the Hibernia, first rate, bearing the flag of Earl St. Vin-
cent, commander-in-chief of the Channel fleet, early in 1806.
He passed his examination for lieutenant on the 1st Jan. in
the latter year, and was promoted into the Hazard sloop,
Captain Charles Dilkes, on the 17th Mar. following. During
a service of nearly two years under that active officer, he was
frequently employed in boats cutting out French merchant
vessels from the vicinities of Rochfort and Bourdeaux *. In
the last affair of this kind, he was shot through the right arm,
below the elbow joint, for which wound the Patriotic Society
voted him a gratuity of £50.

Lieutenant Crowdy subsequently served in the Pilot sloop,
Cornelia frigate, and Diomede 50, the former on the Medi-
terranean, the two latter ships on the East India station.

Sec Suppl. Part I. p. 452,

»s of the
1 paid off

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

529

;s, wliere
realized

as mid-
VVallace,
returned
nges 74,
^honi he
n, April

sited the
of hos-
paid off,
Captain
enioved
St.Vin-
in 1806.
Jan. in
1 sloop,
During
he was
erchant
:*. In
ht arm,
Society

t sloop,

Medi-

station,

from whencf; he was obliged to return home in consequence
of ill health. His next appointment was Mar. 6th, 1813, to
the Rippon 74, Captain Sir Christopher Cole. On the 21st
Oct. following, he assisted at the capture of the French 44-gun
frigate Weser; and in Feb. 1814, he was present at the re-
capture of a Spanish treasure ship of great value, by the
Menelaus frigate, off L'Orient.*

In 1821, Lieutenant Crowdy was appointed to the Bulwark
7&, flag-ship of the late Sir Benjamin H. Carew, stationed in
the river Medway. He was made commander from the
Maidstone frigate. Mar. 25th, 1824; appointed to the Badger
sloop, on the North Sea station, Dec. 29th, 1825; and ad-
vanced to the rank of captain, from half-pay, Jan. 13th, 1834.

On the 3d Mar. 1828, a court-martial was held on board
the flag-ship at Portsmouth, to try Lieutenant Raymond
Evans, of the Badger, on a charge preferred against him by
Commander Crowdy, of a breach of part of the 22d ar*'.cL
of war, in disobeying his commander's orders relative to a
proposed alteration in berthing the men; when, after a
minute investigation of all the circumstances, the court de-
clared that the charge had not been proved, and did adjudge
Lieutenant Evans (who had been six weeks under arrest on
tlie charge) to be fidli/ acquitted. On the 11th of the same
month. Commander Crowdy was tried by court-martial on
charges preferred against him by Lieutenant Evans, for un-
officerlike, ungentlemanly, and oppressive conduct to the
officers and crew of the Badger. On the 17th, the court re-
assembled to hear Commander Crowdy's defence, and agreed,
that part of the first charge (striking some of the crew when
the ship was in danger, they no*^ exerting themselves), was
partly proved, for which the couTt adjudged him to be
admonished.

This officer married, in 1816, the only daughter of the
late John C. Lewis, Esq. of Westbury, near Bristol, and
niece to Charles Lewis, Esq. of St. Pierre Park, near Chep-
stow, CO. Monmouth, by whom he has had several children.

* See Vol. II. Part II. p 51?.

VOL. IV. TART II.

2m

5;jo

ADDKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

His eldest brother, William, is a solicitor at Highworth, co.
Wilts ; and his youngest, Uichard, a solicitor at Farringdon,
CO. Berks. He has a sister married to the Rev. H. Dunsford,
rector of Slimbridge, co. Gloucester.

THOMAS MANSEL, Esq.

{Fol. IF. Part I. p. 23:9).

Was appointed an inspecting commander of the coaal
guard (Falmouth district) in July, 1827; and advanced to
the rank of captain on the 12th Feb. 1834.

WILLIAM BURNEIT, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 31 st Dec. 1818,
and subsequently served under Captains Peter Fisher and
Sir William Hoste, in the Wye 26, and Albion 7 A. He wah
made a commander on the 28th April, 1827 j appointed to
the Blanche 46, Commodore (now Sir Arthur) Farqidiar,
fitting out for the West India station. Mar. 8th, 1830; and
advanced to the rank of captain. Mar. 11th, 1834.

HENRY WOLSEY BAYFIELD, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 20th Mar. 1815 j com-
mander on the 8th Nov. 1826; and captain, for exertions as
a maritime surveyor, June 4th, 1 834.

WILLIAM TOWNSEND DANCE, Esq.

Obtained his first commission on the 12th July, 1813;
and subsequently served under the late Captain Thomas
Graham, in the Doris frigate, on the South American station.
He was made a commander on the 23d Oct. 1823; and ad-
A'anced to the rank of captain (from half-pay), " a special pro-
motion on Sir Thonuih M. Hardy leaving the Board of Admi-
iiUty," Juno 5th, 183 J.

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

tM

WILIJAM BURNABY ,REENE, Esq.

Son of Captain Pitt Burnuby Greene, R. N.

This officer entered the royal navy in IB 10; and served nb
midshipman under Captain John Brett Purvis, in the Gany-
mede 26, on the Mediterranean station. He was made a
lieutenant on the 9tli Nov. 1818; appoii ted to the Rose
sloop, Commander Thomas Ball Clowes, fitting out for
foreign service, May 22d, 1821 ; removed to the William
and Mary yacht. Captain (now Sir Charles) Malcolm, sta-
tioned at Dublin, July 18th, 1822; promoted to the command
of the Medina sloop, Dec. 30th, 1826; appointed to the
Kent 78, July 22d, 1830; paid off from that ship Dec. 1 3th,
1831 ; and advanced to the rank of captain June 6th, 1834.

HON. GEORGE GREY,

Fourth son of Ear' Grey, by Mary Elizabeth, daughter of
Lord Ponsonby, and grand-daughter of Viscount Molesworlli.

This officer was born on the 16th May, 1801); and entered
the royal navy in 1822. He was made a lieutenant on the
17th Feb. 1829 ; appoijited to the Alfred 50, Captain Kobert
Maunsell, fitting out for the Mediterranean station, Feb. 23d,
1831 ; promoted to the command of the Scylla sloop, Sept.
3d, 1831; removed to the Scout sloop, Dec. 10th, ia33;
and advanced to the rank of captain July 14th, 1834.
He arrived at Plymouth, from the coast of Egypt, in Nov.
1834.

JOHN JAMES ONSLOW, Esq.

A YOUNG KR son of the late Admiral Sir Richard Onslow,
Bart., G. C. B., Lieutenani-General of Marines (who so
highly distinguished himself as second in command of the

2m2

;

532 ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

British fleet under Duncan at the memorable battle off Cam-
perdown, Oct. 11th, 1797), by Anne, daughter of Commodore
Matthew Mitchell *.

This officer was made lieutenant on the 5th Sept. 1816 ;
promoted to the rank of commander on the 23d April, 1822;
and appointed to the Clio sloop, fitting out for the South
American station, April 30th, 1830. During the ensuing
two years, he was actively employed round Cape Horn, and
visited all the principal ports in Chili, Peru, Panama, and
the western coast, as far as Guagmas, in the Gulph of Cali-
fornia, said to be one of the finest harbours in the world.
On his return from the Pacific, he was sent by Rear- Admiral
Sir Thomas Baker to reclaim possession of the Falkland
Islands, which lapse of time had encouraged the Buenos
Ayreans and other foreigners to consider as absolutely aban-
doned by the British. In Dec. 1832, he arrived at Port
Egmont (West Falkland), exercised the rights of sovereignty,
and employed his boats in examining Brett's Harbour, By-
ron's Soimd, and other anchorages as far to the westward as
Point Bay, a distance of sixty miles from where the Clio lay.
He then proceeded to Berkeley Sound (East Falkland), an-
chored at Port T.;ouis, and ejected a Puenfos Ayrean force
stationed there under the protection of a schooner of war.
He arrived at Portsmouth on the 3d June 1833, from Rio
Janeiro, bringing home upwards of 880,000 dollars on mer-
chants' account ; and was put out of commission on the
17th of the same month. His advancement to the rank of
captain took place on the 27th Aug. 1834.

ANDREW FORBES, Esq.

(P. 127.)
Was advanced to the rank of captain on the 27th Aug.
1834.

• For a portrait and biographical memoir of Admiral Sir Richard
Onslow, see Nof. Chmn. xiii. 249—259.

^DDKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

533

RODNEY SHANNON, Esq.

(Ao/. ///. PHi-t I. p. 284.)

Is a protege of the Marquis of Bristol, but not in any way
related to that nobleman.

This officer entered the royal navy in Jan. 1801, as mid-
shipman on board the Zephyr fire -brig, Captain Clotworthy
Upton ; and nearly perished in one of her boats, which was
sunk by a shot, when in the act of going alongside the
Amazon frigate. Captain Edward Riou, at the commence-
ment of the celebrated battle of Copenhagen. After that
tremendous conflict was over, he returned to the Zephyr,
in which vessel he continued until the peace of Amiens.

In 1804, Mr. Shannon entered the Royal Naval College
at Portsmouth; and in 1807, joined the Sybille frigate,
commanded by Captain Upton, on the Irish station. He
was made a lieutenant into the Lightning sloop. Captain
(now Sir Bentinck C.) Doyle, June 15th, 1810; &c. &c. as
stated in Vol. III. Part I.

ROBERT OLIVER (/.), Esq.

Entered the royal navy in 1800; obtained his .. :t com-
mission on the 22d Feb. 1810 ; and subsequently served un-
der Captains Charles Warde and the Hon. (now Sir Henry)
Duncan, in the Banterer sloop and Glasgow frigate. He
was made commander from the Victory 104, flag -ship at
Portsmouth, Oct. 29th, 1827; appointed to the Dee steam-
ship in June 1832 ; removed to the PhcEnix steamer on the
6th Nov. 1833 ; and promoted to the. rank of captain Aug.
28th, 1834. The Dee was attached to the North Sea squa-
dron, during the blockade of the Dutch ports in 1833 ; and
afterwards conveyed Vice-Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm to
Lisbon. The Phoenix attended Queen Adelaide to Rotter-
dam in the summer of 1834.

53 J

ADIJKNDA TO CAPTAINS.

WILLIAM IIAMLEY, Esq.

(A'o/. ir. Port /. p. 2G1.)

Rkturned home from the East India station in April
1834; paid off the Wolf, at Plymouth, May 10th; and was
advanced to the rank of captain on the 20th Oct. following.

JOHN TOWNSHEND, Esq.

Eldest son of the late Lord John Townshcnd (second
son of George first Marquis Townshend, and a godson of
King George II.), a distinguished and respected nohloman,
who accompanied Earl Howe, as a volunteer, to the relief of
Gibraltar in 1/82 ; subseqncntly filled the posts of a Lord
of the Admiralty and Paymaster of the Forces ; and at va-
rious periods represented in Parliament the university of
Cambridge, the city of Westminster, and the borough of
Knaresborough ; who in political life early attached himself
to the late Right Hon. Charles Fox, and by the grace of his
manners, his genius, wit, and elegant literature, l)ccame re-
markable amongst the associates of that celebrated states-
man.

This officer was made lieutenant into the Rochfort 80,
flag-ship of Sir Graham Moore, on the Mcditerranciin sta-
tion, May I3th, 1822; and advanced to the rank of com-
mander Jan. 26th, 1828. His commission as captain bears
date Oct. 22d, 1834. His sister is the lady of Captaiii Sir
Augustus W. J. Clifford, R. N., C. B., &c. &c.

HON. ARTHUR DUNCOMBE.

Fourth son of Charles first Lord Feversham, by Lady
Charlotte, only daughter of William, second Earl of Dart-
mouth.

This officer was born on the 24th Mar. 180G; and entered
the royal navy in 1819. Hi; was made u lieutenant on the

ADDENDA TO CAITAINS.

535

n April

[Itul M'.IS

owing.

^second

HOIl of

)I(Mnan,
olief of
.'I Lord
at va-
•sity of
ugh of
himself
i of his
me re-
states-

)rt 80,

m sta-

com-

bears

in Sir

26th Jan. 1826; appohited to the CJiallongor 28, Jan. 28th,
1828; and promoted to the rank of commander on the
18th Aug. following. His next appointments were, Aug.
Cth, 1830, to the Prince Regent 120, bearing the flag of
the commander-in-chief in the River Mcdway, which ship
was paid off on the 21st Feb. 1832; and, June 27th in
the latter year, to the Champion 18, fitting out for the
Mediterranean station, from whence he returned to Ply-
mouth, Aug. 25th, 1834. His commission as captain bears
thite Oct. 24th following, at whicli period he was on sick
leave, and his sloop proceeding to Newfoundland, under the
temporary command of Lieutenant Edward Herrick.

JAMES CLARK ROSS, Esq.

Was made a lieutenant on the 26th Dec. 1822; com-
mander Nov. 8th, 1827 ; and capt*in Oct. 24th, 1834.

This officer is the only individual who accompanied the
whole of the expeditions of discovery to the polar regions,
to which hazardous service he has devoted sixteen of the best
years of his life. We understand that the world is indebted
to him for the greater part of the scientific results of the late
expedition under his uncle. Captain Sir John Ross, R. N.,
C. B., &c. The thanks of the Common Council of London
were voted to him on the 5th Dec. 18133, at whicli period he
was serving as commander on board the Victory 104, flag-
ship of Sir Thomas Williams, at Portsmouth, preparatory to
his further advancement.

Lady
Dart-

tered

\ the

ROBERT FITZROY, Esq.

This officer is related to the Duke of Grafton's family.
He entered the royal navy in 1818; obtained his first com-
mission on the 7th Sept. 1824 ; and subsc(|uently served
under Captains Sir John Phillimore and Arthur Batt Bing-
ham, ill the Thetife frigate, on the Mediterranean and South

536

ADDENDA TO CAPTAINS.

American stations. In Aug. 1828, he was appointed flag-
lieutenant to Rear- Admiral (now Sir Robert W.) Otway, at
Rio Janeiro ; and in Nov. following, promoted to the com-
mand of the Beagle surveying vessel, which he paid off and
re-commissioned in June 1831. He is now employed in
completing the survey of the Straits of Magellan. His ad-
vancement to the rank of captain took place Dec. 3d, 1834.

ADDENDA TO COMMANDERS.

HENRY KENT, Esq.

(P. 117.)

This oflicer was appointed a stipendiary niagistrute at
Jamaica in Nov. 1834. He has three children — viz. Henry,
Mary Carlisle, and Hunter.

JOHN TAYLOR, Esq.

This officer obtained his first commission on the 5th
Jan. 1799. He was senior lieutenant of the Leda frigate.
Captain (now Rear- Admiral) Robert Honym...i, employed
off Boulogne, in 1803. While on that station, he com-
manded boats in frequent nightly excursions along the
coast, was engaged in several warm skirmislies with
the land batteries, " and always strongly evinced a
daring intrepidity." His conduct as commander of the
Devastation bomb, employed in the defence of Cadiz,
from Dec. 1809 until the raising of the siege of I'lsla-de-
Leon, in 1811, was equally meritorious. During a great

ADDENDA TO COMMANDERS.

537

part of that time, his vessel was at anchor ahnost within
point-blank rar.ge of the enemy's formidable works ; in ad-
dition to which, he rowed guard alternately with three other
commanders of bombs during his continuance on that ser-
vice. .• ;; " ■'" ;.--■--'-

We next find Commander Taylor appointed, Sept. 2d,
1812, to the b'spiegle sloop, in which vessel he proceeded
from Portsmouth, Jan. 22d, 1813, to Surinam, Demerara,
and Barbadoes. He was afterwards employed in protecting
the trade bound to Nassau, New Providence. In the spring
of 1814, he was tried by a court-martial at Portsmouth, on
charges brought against him by the Admiralty, " in conse-
quence of complaints having been made to the Board, that
his treatment was such to the ship's company as to keep
them in a state bordering upon mutiny ; refusing them,
when in harbour, the usual indulgence of the service, and
exercising towards them continual acts of severity and cru-
elty, such as starting the sick, and flogging persons in the
sick list ; also, failing in his duly when in pursuit of the
American sloop Hornet, after the capture of the Peacock ;
for neglecting to exercise the ship's company at the great
guns ; for acts of tyranny towards his officers, particularly
towards the carpenter ; for using scandalous language to-
wards them ; for drunkenness j and for unofficer-like and
ungentleman-like behaviour.

** 'i'he Court agreed that he had used some acts of severity
towards the sloop's company ; that he had neglected to ex-
ercise them sufficiently at the great guns ; that he had exer-
cised acts of oppression towards some of the officers of the
ship ; that he had made use of most scandalous language to
Lieutenant Dyer ; and that his conduct had been unlike an
officer and a gentleman : but that the charges of ill-treatment
of the sloop's company, so as to keep them in a state bor-
dering on mutiny ; that he refused them, when in harbour,
the usual indulgence of the service ; that he had been fre-
quently in a state of drunkenness ; and that he had failed to
do his duty when in pursuit of the Hornet, had not been

VOL. IV. PART II.

2 N

rtds

ADDENDA TO COMMANONKS.

proved ; but that the latter charge wan scandalous and un-
founded.

** The Court, therefore, sentenced Commander Taylor to be
dismissed from his Majesty's service ; but, in consideration
of his long services and former meritorious conduct, did
strongly recommend him to the favorable consideration of
the Admiralty*." : ,,.

This officer's name was replaced in the Navy List in 1818,
ever since which he has remained on half-pay as " The
Junior Commander." Had he been restored to his former
seniority, Oct. 13th, 1807j there would now, Dec. 1834,
have been only fifty-six of his brother officers between him
and the senior commander.

* Naval Chronicle, xxxiii. p. 429.

THE END.

m^

W. Pople, Printer,
67, Chancery I«nr.

.^«.7

r I 57