Lord Heytesbury as Governor-General to India. That nobleman’s appointment being, however, cancelled in consequence of a change of Ministry, and the Jupiter being paid off, Mr. Simpkinson was received, in Oct. of the same year, on board the Sulphur surveying-vessel, Capt. Fred. Wm. Beechey, then on the point of sailing for South America; where, on his removal to the Samarang 28, Capt. Wm. Broughton, he was present, it appears, at Bahia during the insurrection of the black population, and at Callao during the hostilities between Chili and Peru in 1839. In Feb. 1840, having passed his examination 17 Sept. 1838, he was appointed Mate of the Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Sir Thos. Hastings; and in the following Aug. he was admitted to the Royal Naval College. After he had studied for a period of 12 months at that institution, and distinguished himself as second on the list at the general examination, he joined in succession, in Aug. and Sept. 1841, the Warspite 50, and, as Gunnery Mate, the Cambrian 36, Capts. Lord John Hay and Henry Ducie Chads. By the latter officer, on the arrival of the Cambrian in China, he was sent on shore with a party of seamen to assist at the defence of the island of Chusan. He returned to England in Sept. 1842; and was next, between Sept. 1843 and Feb. 1844, employed on Home service in his former ship the Excellent, and in the Albion 90, Capt. Nich. Lockyer. Since the date last mentioned he has been attached to the Royal Magnetic Observatory at Hobart Town, V.D.L. His commission bears date 9 Dec. 1845.
SIMPSON. (Lieutenant, 1846.)
Henry George Simpson was Midshipman of the Princess Charlotte 104, flag-ship of Sir Robt. Stopford, during the campaign of 1840, on the coast of Syria, including the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre; and Acting-Mate, in 1842, of the Harlequin 16, Capt. Hon. Geo. Fowler Hastings, during the operations on the Yang-tse-Kiang and in an attack upon pirates at Sumatra. He passed his examination 4 May, 1843; was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 31 Jan. 1846, while serving at Portsmouth in the Excellent gunnery-ship, Capt. Henry Ducie Chads; was reappointed to the Excellent 3 Feb. following; and since 24 Nov. in the same year has been employed in the Rattlesnake surveying-vessel, Capt. Owen Stanley, now in the East Indies.
SIMPSON. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 9; h-p., 32.)
James Simpson (a) entered the Navy, 28 Aug. 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Nightingale 16, Capt. Wm. Wilkinson, and in the following year accompanied the expedition against Copenhagen. Removing as Midshipman, in Dec. 1808, to the Sirius 36, Capt. Sam. Pym, he sailed in that frigate for the Cape of Good Hope, and was present in her at the capture, in Sept. 1809 and July, 1810, of the town of St. Paul’s and the Ile de Bourbon. On 9 of the latter month, after having assisted at the cutting-out of a privateer schooner under the batteries at St. Paul’s, he went in pursuit, in the barge, carrying 21 men, under the orders of Lieut. Wm. Norman, of Le Petit Edouard privateer, of 4 12-pounder guns (pierced for 16) and 30 men; which vessel, after a hard row of nearly 12 hours, was overtaken, boarded, and gallantly carried, under a heavy discharge of musketry, which wounded three of her assailants. In Aug. of the same year, Mr. Simpson (who had been placed in charge of Le Petit Edouard) served with the storming-party, and was slightly wounded, at the capture of the Ile de la Passe, the key to Grand Port, in the Isle of France; and on the ensuing recapture, off Port Louis, of the Wyndham Indiaman, he was sent in her as prize-master with despatches for the Government of Bourbon. The Sirius being destroyed during his absence (see Sir Samuel Pym), he was received, 12 Sept. 1810, on board the Boadicea 38, Capt. Josias Rowley, by whom, in the course of that month, we find him directed to assume charge of the British 38-gun frigate Africaine (then just retaken from the French). Continuing in that ship, with Capts. Benjamin Street and Thos. Graham, he served in her under the flag of Vice-Admiral Albemarle Bertie at the capture of the Isle of France; on which occasion he was also employed, in command of the launch belonging to the William Pitt Indiaman, in covering the landing of the right wing of the first division of the army. On the Africaine being paid off, he joined, in April, 1811, the Leopard 50, Capt. Wm. Henry Dillon, with whom he proceeded off Lisbon. During the summer of the same year he was engaged, as a Supernumerary, in the Druid 32, Capt. Thos. Searle, at the defence of Cadiz. Being again, in May, 1812, placed under the orders of Capt. Pym in the Niemen 38, he saw much service in that frigate on the coast of America, where he blockaded Delaware, assisted in the boats, four in number, at the cutting-out of three schooners, one of them mounting 6 guns, and was ultimately, 21 Sept. 1814, while Prize-Master of a packet-sloop, captured and taken into Boston by the York privateer. He attained the rank of Lieutenant 18 Feb. 1815; and was lastly, from 26 Aug. 1834 until the early part of 1835, employed in the Coast Guard.
SIMPSON. (Lieutenant, 1845.)
James Simpson (b) passed his examination 18 Nov. 1839; commanded the pinnace belonging to the Zebra 16, Capt. John Jas. Stopford, and had 3 marines wounded in the attack upon Tortosa, 25 Sept. 1840;[1] and between the commencement of 1842 and the date of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant B Dec. 1845, was employed on the East India and Home stations in the Driver steam-vessel, Capt. Sam. Fielding Harmer, Algerine 10, Capt. Sam. Brooking Dolling, and Queen 110, and Trafalgar 120, both commanded by Capt. Wm. Fanshawe Martin. He was then appointed Additional of the Vernon 50, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Sam. Hood Inglefield on the south-east coast of America; he served next, from 21 Jan. 1846 until the spring of 1848, in the Superb 80, Capt. Armar Lowry Corry, in the Channel and Mediterranean; and since 17 Aug. in the latter year he has been in charge of a station in the Coast Guard.
SIMPSON. (Captain, 1809.)
John Simpson was born in 1766 at Chatham, and was educated at the Greenwich School.
This officer (whose name had been borne from 1774 until 1779 on the books of the Medway 74, Capt. Affleck) embarked, in 1781, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Cerberus frigate, Capt. Robt. Mann; previously to following whom, in 1782, into the Scipio, he assisted at the relief of Gibraltar, After serving for a short time as Midshipman in the Clinton, he joined, in 1783, L’Abondance store-ship, Capt. Phillips, and in the course of the same year was charged with the duty of ceding New York to General Washington. Between 1783 and Dec. 1793 he was employed on the Newfoundland, Home, and Mediterranean stations, in the Winchelsea 32, Goliath 74, Capt. Dickson, Carysfort 28, Capt. Smith, Ferret sloop, Capt. Davidge Gould, Mercury 28, Capt. Montgomery, Bedford 74, Capt. R. Mann, and Leander 50, Romney 50, Princess Royal 98, and Victory 100, flag-ships of Admirals Peyton, Goodall, and Lord Hood. On leaving the Goliath in Dec. 1785 he passed his examination, and in the Ferret and Mercury he was for three years Acting-Master, from 1788 until 1791. In the Victory he was present at the occupation of Toulon. He was made Lieutenant, 7 Dec. 1793, into the Bedford 74, Capt. Mann; and from March, 1795, until 1802. he served in that capacity at Home and in the Mediterranean in the Sybille 40, Capt. Cooke, Windsor Castle 98, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Mann, Sans Pareil 80, Capt. Lord Hugh Seymour, Royal William, flag-ship of Sir Peter Parker, Anacreon, commanded by himself, Cormorant 24
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1840, p. 2607.
