109
BOWYEAR—BOWYER—BOXER.
in face of 1500 French soldiers, near Stralsund), he proceeded, in 1813, to South America, and was for twelve months employed in protecting our trade in the Rio de la Plata – a service which appears to have been gratefully acknowledged by a complimentary address from the British merchants residing at Buenos Ayres. Capt. Bowles returned home in April, 1814, on board the Ceres 32, but in May, 1816, he again sailed for the same station, where, with his broad pendant successively in the Amphion 32, and Creole 42, he commanded in chief until 1820. His constant attention to the interests of British commerce during that period was once more home testimony to by the mercantile representatives of Buenos Ayres, who voted him a piece of plate. Capt. Bowles’s next appointments were – 23 Jan. 1822, to the William and Mary yacht – and, 8 July following, to the Comptroller-Generalship of the Coast Guard, which he retained until advanced to his present rank, 23 Nov. 1841. Being intrusted with the conduct of a Particular Service, he hoisted his flag, 29 May, 1843, on board the Tyne 26, but shifted it afterwards to the Caledonia 120, in which it continued until May, 1844. Rear-Admiral Bowles – who had been appointed an extra naval Aide-de-Camp to William IV., 5 Sept. 1831, and nominated a C.B. 18 April, 1839 – filled a seat at the Board of Admiralty from 13 May, 1844, until the summer of 1846. He is at present unemployed.
The Rear-Admiral is M.P. for Launceston. He married, 9 Aug. 1820, the Hon. Frances Temple, sister of Viscount Palmerston, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, but has been a widower since 1838.
BOWYEAR. (Lieutenant, 1840.)
George Le Geyt Bowyear entered the Navy 2 Dec. 1830; passed his examination in 1836; and was promoted from the Andromeda 26, Capt. Robt. Lambert Baynes, to a Lieutenancy, 19 April, 1840, in the Racehorse 18, Capts. Edw. Alfred John Harris, John Coghlan Fitzgerald, and Edm. Peel, employed on the North America and West India station, where he officiated for some time as First-Lieutenant. He has been serving in the East Indies, since 15 July, 1843, on board the Pilot 16, Capts. Wm. Henry Jervis and Geo. Knyvett Wilson.
BOWYER. (Capt., 1830. f-p., 25; h-p., 19.)
William Bohun Bowyer was born 1 Aug. 1789.
This officer entered the Navy, 9 May, 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Mercury 28, Capt. Hon. Duncombe Pleydell Bouverie, on the Jersey station, where he attained the rating of Midshipman 12 July following, and was often in action with the French flotilla. Removing, next, into the Aeolus 32, Capt. Lord Wm. FitzRoy, he was present at the capture, by the force under Sir Rich. John Strachan, of the four French ships of the line which had escaped from the battle of Trafalgar, 4 Nov. 1805; and, on joining the Ramillies 74, Capts. Fras. Pickmore and Robt. Yarker, he witnessed, as we are informed. Sir John Borlase Warren’s capture of the Marengo of 80 guns, with the French Admiral Linois on board, and 40-gun frigate Belle Poule, 13 March, 1806; besides sharing in the reduction, in Dec. 1807, of the Danish West India islands of St. Thomas and Santa Croix. In Oct. 1808, Mr. Bowyer was transferred, as Master’s Mate, to the Venus 32, Capt. Jas. Coutts Crawford, one of the two frigates employed at the siege of Vigo, subsequently to the surrender of which place, 27 March, 1809, he was sent with some Spanish gun-boats to assist in destroying the bridge of St. Payo, in order to obstruct the advance of the French army to its relief. On 26 June, 1809, he became an Acting, and, on 4 May, 1810, a confirmed Lieutenant, of the Norge 74, Capt. John Spratt Rainier, attached to the squadron at the defence of Cadiz, where, in 1810-11, being detached on boat service, he was very efficiently engaged against the enemy’s gun-vessels and otherwise. Lieut. Bowyer’s succeeding appointments were – 9 April, 1811, to the Thais 18, Capt. Edw. Scobell, on the coast of Africa, whence his health obliged him to invalid in Feb. 1812 – 20 June following, to the Aquilon 32, Capt. Wm. Bowles, on the Baltic and Brazilian stations – 15 April, 1814, to the Ceres 32, commanded by the same officer – 30 May, 1815, to the Queen Charlotte 100, Capt. Chas. Inglis, fitting for the Mediterranean – and, 3 Oct. following, to the Amphion 32, Capt. W. Bowles, which frigate he left in April, 1816, previous to her departure for South America. From 14 Feb. 1817, until April, 1828, he was next employed as an Inspecting-Commander in the Coast Guard, for his services in which capacity he obtained a second promotal commission, 15 Jan. 1823, and was also advanced to Post-rank, out of the Despatch of 18 guns, 17 Feb. 1830. Since that period Capt. Bowyer has been on half-pay.
He married, 25 May, 1819, Frances, daughter of the late Capt. Beck of the Hon. E.I.C. Service.
BOXER, C.B. (Capt., 1823. f-p., 32; h-p., 17.)
Edward Boxer, born at Dover in 1784, is brother of Capt. Jas. Boxer, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 July, 1798, as A.B., on board the Doris 36, Capt. Lord Viscount Ranelagh, in which ship he soon attained the rating of Midshipman, and continued to serve under Capts. John Halliday and Chas. Brisbane until Jan. 1802. During that period, on the night of 21 July, 1801, he served in her boats, with those of the Beaulieu and Uranie, all commanded by Lieut. Keith Maxwell, at the cutting out, under the batteries in Camaret Bay, near Brest, a position deemed almost impregnable, of La Chevrette corvette, of 20 long nine-pounders and 350 men, after an heroic conflict in which the enemy lost their Captain, 6 other officers, and 85 men killed, and 1 Lieutenant, 4 Midshipmen, and 57 men wounded; and the British, 1 Lieutenant R.M., 1 Midshipman, and 9 men slain, and 2 Lieutenants, 1 Master’s Mate, 3 Midshipmen, and 51 men wounded. Mr. Boxer next accompanied Capt. Brisbane, in the Trent 36, to the West Indies, and, after a three years’ attachment with that officer to the Goliath 74, followed him, in July, 1805, as Master’s Mate, into the Arethusa 38. On 28 June, 1803, while in the Goliath, he assisted at the taking of the 18-gun corvette La Mignonne, near the west end of St. Domingo. We subsequently find him serving in L’Unité 38, Capt. Chas. Ogle, on the Mediterranean station – in the Ocean 98, bearing the flag off Cadiz of Lord Collingwood – and, from 28 Sept. 1806, until confirmed, 8 Jan. 1807, as Acting-Lieutenant in the Sophie sloop, Capt. Wm. Mansell, and Tigre 80, Capt. Benj. Hallowell. During the expedition to Egypt, in March, 1807, Lieut. Boxer commanded a detachment of seamen landed to co-operate with the army under Major-General Thos. Fraser;[1]and, at night, on 31 Oct. 1809, he headed, with great credit to himself, a division of boats at the capture and destruction, in face of the most desperate opposition, occasioning the British a loss of 15 killed and 55 wounded, of the French store-ship Lamproie of 16 guns and 116 men, bombards Victoire and Grandeur, and armed xebec Normande, with a convoy of seven merchant vessels, defended by numerous strong batteries in the Bay of Rosas.[2] From the Tigre he removed, with Capt. Hallowell, on the latter hoisting his flag as Rear-Admiral, to the Malta of 84 guns, 28 Oct. 1811; and from that period he continued to be employed, under the same officer, in the capacity of First-Lieutenant (except for about a month in the summer of 1813, when he assumed temporary charge of the Volcano bomb), until appointed, 5 Oct. 1814, to the acting-command of the Wizard brig, which he left shortly previous to the receipt of his second Admiralty commission, 1 March, 1815. Capt. Boxer – who had the direction of all the gun-boats under the orders of Rear-Admiral Hallowell at the siege of Tarragona in 1813 – was next appointed, 6 Sept. 1822, to the Sparrowhawk 18, on the Halifax sta-
