Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/1059

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
SCUDAMORE—SEAGER—SEALE.
1045

tualling and Transport Service, and the late Vice-Admiral Wm. Young, many years Resident Agent at Deptford. In 1824, as mentioned above, he accepted the appointment of Resident Agent at Gibraltar, under an idea that the office was a permanent one; yet when it was abolished in 1833 he was refused compensation. In 1826 an order in council was issued to the effect that “no Lieutenant who had not served two years in one of H.M. ships should be promoted to the rank of Commander.” Prior to the enactment of this regulation he had, as we have shown, served nearly four years as Lieutenant; notwithstanding which, when at a later date, encouraged by his high testimonials, he applied for promotion, he was informed that he had not any service as Lieutenant that could be allowed.



SCUDAMORE. (Lieut., 1812. f-p., 39; h-p., 4.)

William James Scudamore was born 5 Aug. 1788.

This officer entered the Navy, 24 Aug. 1804, as Sec.-cl. Vol., on board the Agamemnon 64, Capt. John Harvey. After serving off Cadiz, in Sir Robt. Calder’s action, and in the Channel, he followed Capt. Harvey as Midshipman, in Sept. 1805, into the Canada 74, and sailed for the West Indies, In Dec. 1807 he joined the Cumberland 74, Capt. Hon. Philip Wodehouse, attached to the force in the Mediterranean; where, in Oct. 1809, he assisted in causing the self-destruction of the ships-of-the-line Robuste and Lion, and, in July, 1810, removed to the Leviathan 74, Capts. J. Harvey and Patrick Campbell. On 30 April, 1812, he was confirmed a Lieutenant (having acted for nearly three months as such) in the Termagant 20, Capts. Gawen Wm. Hamilton and John Lampen Manley; and while in that vessel, on the south coast of Spain, he commanded her boats at the capture and destruction of several forts and at the taking of Almeria. He also had the good fortune to save several nuns and inhabitants of the town of Xavia from being massacred by the French. In 1813-14 he witnessed the capture of Via Reggio and Genoa. After he left the Termagant he was employed – from 13 June to 14 Aug. 1814 in command, off Gibraltar and Cadiz, of gun-boat No. 25 – from 21 Jan. to 2 Sept. 1815, in the Rosario 10, Capt. Thos. Ladd Peake at Portsmouth – and from 3 Feb. 1818 until 22 March, 1821, in command of the Providence Revenue-cruizer. Since 3 Jan. 1822 he has been serving as an Acting-Inspecting-Commander and Chief Officer in the Coast Guard.

He married 6 June, 1817, and has issue nine children.



SEAGER. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 18; h-p., 36.)

John Seager died 7 June, 1846, at Florissant Rennes, near Lausanne, in Switzerland.

This officer entered the Navy, 22 March, 1793, as Midshipman, on board the Dove, Lieut.-Commander Stephen Rains, stationed in the Channel. From Sept. 1794 until Oct. 1796 he was employed in the Mediterranean, part of the time as Master’s Mate, in the Camel store-ship, Capts. Joseph Short and Edw. Rotheram, and Princess Royal 98, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Robt. Linzee; and after having again served for two years and a half in the Channel on board the Royal George 100, flag-ship of Lord Bridport, he was made Lieutenant, 20 April, 1799, into the Savage 16, Capt. Norborne Thompson, stationed in the Downs and North Sea. His succeeding appointments were – 19 June, 1800, to the Proselyte 32, Capt. Geo. Fowke, under whom he was wrecked on a sunken rock off the island of St. Martin, in the West Indies, 4 Sept. 1801 – 24 Aug. 1803 to the Repulse 74, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge, in which ship he fought in Sir Robt. Calder’s action 22 July, 1805, and passed the Dardanelles with Sir John Duckworth in 1807 – 12 Aug. 1809, after six months of half-pay, to the Désirée 36, Capt. Arthur Farquhar, attached to the force in the North Sea, where he continued until Dec. 1811 – and, 2 June, 1813, to the San Domingo 74, bearing the flag of Sir John Borlase Warren on the coast of North America. He was promoted to the rank of Commander 15 June, 1814; but did not afterwards, we believe, go afloat. Agents – Messrs. Chard.



SEALE. (Captain, 1841. f-p., 21; h-p., 26.)

Charles Henry Seale, born in Sept. 1790, at Boone House, Dartmouth, is second and youngest son of the late John Seale, Esq., by Sarah, daughter of Chas. Hayne, Esq., of Lupton; and brother of the late Sir John Henry Seale, Bart., M.P. for Dartmouth, and Lieut.-Colonel of the South Devon Militia.

This officer entered the Navy, 11 Jan. 1800, as a Volunteer, on board the Cambrian 40, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge, employed, until Jan. 1802, in the Channel and in attendance upon George III. off Weymouth. He then joined the Achille 74, Capt. Sir Edw. Buller, stationed off Rochefort; and after serving for one year and nine months at Newfoundland and in the North Sea, the chief part of the time as Midshipman and Master’s Mate in the Galgo 16, Capt. Michael Dodd, and Unicorn 32, Capt. Lucius Ferdinand Hardyman, was received, in April, 1804, on board the Scorpion 18, Capt. Philip Carteret. While in that sloop he commanded one of her boats at the destruction of some vessels in the harbour of Schiermonikoog, on the coast of Holland, was again in the boats at the taking of a fort and privateer, near La Guira, on the Spanish Main, and, after chasing the French fleet under M. Willaumez, witnessed, 14 Sept. 1806, the destruction, off Cape Henry, of the 74-gun ship Impétueux. Removing, in July, 1807, to the Comus, mounting 24 long 9-pounders and 8 3-pounder carronades, with a complement of 145 men, Capt. Edm. Heywood, he assisted, in the following month, immediately prior to the attack upon Copenhagen, at the capture of the Danish frigate Frederickscoarn, carrying 32 12 and 6 pounders, 6 12-pounder carronades, and 226 men, after a close action of 45 minutes, attended with a loss to the enemy of 12 killed and 20 wounded, but to the British of only 1 wounded. Having navigated the prize to the British fleet before Copenhagen, and witnessed the fall of the Danish capital, he followed Capt. Heywood, in Nov. 1807, into the Astraea 32, and sailed for the West Indies; where, under the command of Lieut. Edm. Potenger Greenlaw, he was wrecked on the rocks near the island of Anagada 24 May 1808. He then joined the Subtle, Lieut.-Commander Chas. Brown, and Neptune 98, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane; and in March, 1809, was nominated Acting-Senior-Lieutenant of the Star 20, Capts. Wm. Paterson, John Hendrie, and Jas. Kearny White. Continuing in the latter vessel (to which he was confirmed 15 July, 1809), until paid off in Dec. 1811, he was afforded an opportunity of aiding at the reduction of the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe and their dependencies. His succeeding appointments were – 25 Aug. 1812, to the Warspite 74, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood, in the Channel – in May, 1813, to the command, for 13 months, of gun-boat No. 3, on the river Elbe, where he took part in the operations connected with the capture of Cuxhaven, Glückstadt,[1] and Hamburgh, and was slightly wounded in the left arm – 12 May, 1815, to the York 74, Capt. Alex. Wilmot Schomberg, stationed off the coast of France for the interception of Napoleon Buonaparte – 27 Jan. 1816, as First, after four months of half-pay, to tile Cyrus 20, Capt. Wm. Fairbrother Carroll, with whom he served on the coast of Ireland until sent, in March, 1817, to the hospital from ill health – and 8 June, 1824, to the Ramillies, Coast Blockade ship, Capt. Wm. M‘Culloch. During the illness, which proved fatal, of the latter officer, Mr. Seale, as First-Lieutenant, had charge of the whole Coast Blockade. He was in consequence promoted to the rank o

  1. Vide Gaz. 1814, p. 127.