Danish cutter-privateers, each mounting 1 long gun and 4 howitzers on pivots, and manned between them with 80 men. This exploit the Admiralty acknowledged by a letter of thanks, which was read to those who achieved it on the quarter-deck of the Ganges. In April, 1811, Mr. Wallis removed to the Royal George 100, bearing the flag of Sir Thos. Williams in Quiberon Bay; and in the ensuing Oct. he joined the Tremendous 74, Capt. Robt. Campbell. In that ship, accompanied by the Poictiers 74, Capt. Sam. Jackson, he was for about 36 hours, in the early part of 1812, in pursuit, in the Bay of Biscay, of a French squadron consisting of four ships-of-the-line and two frigates. When afterwards in the Adriatic he assisted at the blockade of Venice and the reduction of Trieste. For eight weeks he was employed in the ship’s barge, without more than once having his clothes off. During that period he was twice, 24 Nov. and 1 Dec. 1813, in action under Capt. Fairfax Moresby, of the Wizard sloop, with the French troops, in the river Po. In May, 1815, he was present at Naples at the surrender, to a force under Capt. Campbell, of two Neapolitan line-of-battle ships and a frigate. In the course of the same month (he had passed his examination in 1811) he was placed on half-pay, having been advanced, 10 Feb. preceding, to the rank of Lieutenant. He has not been since afloat.
Lieut. Wallis married, 10 Feb. 1818, Miss Mary Anne Dalton.
WALLIS. (Captain, 1819. f-p., 22; h-p., 30.)
Provo William Parry Wallis is only son of Provo Featherstone Wallis, Esq., of Halifax, Nova Scotia, for some years Chief Clerk in the office of the Commissioner of H.M. Naval Yard in that colony. His sister, Lady Elizabeth Townshend, widow of Capt. Lord Jas. Townshend, R.N., K.C.H., was married in 1844 to Capt. Wm. Honyman Henderson, R.N., C.B.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 May, 1795, as A.B., on board L’Oiseau 36, Capt. Robt. Murray, employed on the Halifax station; where he served from May, 1796, until Sept. 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., in La Prevoyante, Capt. Chas. Wemyss, and again with Capt. Murray, from May, 1799, until Sept. 1800, in the Asia 64. During the remainder of the war he was a Midshipman, on the same station, of the Cleopatra 32, Capt. Israel Pellew; which frigate, in Oct. 1804, he rejoined under the command of Sir Robt. Laurie. After a brilliant and self-sought action of nearly three hours, and a loss, out of 200 men, of 20 killed and 38 wounded, the Cleopatra was captured, 17 Feb. 1805, by La Ville de Milan, a French ship of 46 guns and 350 men, 10 of whom were slain. Owing to the damage she had sustained, the latter fell an easy capture, six days afterwards, to the Leander 50, Capt. John Talbot; who at the same time retook the Cleopatra. The French frigate being added to the British Navy as the 38-gun frigate Milan, the command of her was given to Sir Robt. Laurie; with whom Mr. Wallis continued to serve, on the coast of North America, until there nominated, 6 Nov. 1806, Acting-Lieutenant of the Triumph 74, Capt. Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy. In Feb. 1808 he was superseded and placed as Master’s Mate on board the Bellona 74, Capt. John Erskine Douglas; but on 30 Nov. in the same year he was promoted officially into the Curieux 16, Capts. Andrew Hodge and Hon. Geo. Moysey. In her he was wrecked while at the blockade of Guadeloupe, 3 Nov. 1809. His next appointments were – on 29 of the latter month, to the Gloire 38, Capt. Jas. Carthew – in the course of 1810, to the Observateur, Capt. Fred. Augustus Wetherall, Driver, Capts. John Lawrence and Thos. Swinnerton Dyer, and Emulous, Capt. Wm. Howe Mulcaster – and in Jan. 1812, to the Shannon, of 50 guns, throwing a broadside weight of 538 lbs., and 306 men, Capt. Philip Bowes Vere Broke. On 1 June, 1813, he assisted as Second-Lieutenant at the famed capture of the 'Chesapeake' of 50 guns, yielding a broadside of 590 lbs., and 376 men; an exploit achieved after 15 minutes of desperate combat, wherein the British had 24 men killed and 59 wounded, and the Americans 47 killed and 115 wounded. Lieut. Geo. Thos. L. Watt, the First-Lieutenant of the Shannon, being killed in the moment of victory, and Capt. Broke being severely wounded, the command, at the close of the action, devolved upon Mr. Wallis;[1] who for his gallantry was promoted, 9 July following, to the rank of Commander, besides receiving a letter of thanks from the Admiralty and a sword from his Captain. From 19 Jan. until 28 Dec. 1814 Capt. Wallis served at Sheerness in the Snipe 12: he was advanced to Post-rank 12 Aug. 1819; and he was afterwards, from 4 June, 1824, until Nov. 1826, from 14 April, 1838, until Sept. 1839, and from 13 Oct. 1843 until April, 1846, employed on the Cape of Good Hope and Halifax, the North America and West India, and the Mediterranean stations in the Niemen 28, the Madagascar 46, and the Warspite 50. In the Niemen he commanded the first experimental squadron, consisting of the Champion, Orestes, Pylades, Calliope, and Algerine; and while engaged, in the Madagascar, in watching the French operations before Vera Cruz he received the thanks of the British merchants for his attention to their interests. When Senior officer, in the Warspite, at Gibraltar, he obtained the approval, in 1844, of H.M.’s Government for his judicious arrangements with the Prince de Joinville; whose attack upon Tangier and destruction of Mogador he was afforded an opportunity of witnessing. On the latter occasion he was the Senior British officer present, as he was likewise during the civil war on the coast of Syria, throughout the whole of the year 1845.
Capt. Wallis was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to the Queen 5 Aug. 1847. He married, 19 Oct. 1817, Juliana, second daughter of the Venerable Geo. Massey, of Chester, Archdeacon of Barnstaple and Prebendary of Exeter, by whom he has issue two daughters. Agent – J. Hinxman.
WALPOLE. (Lieutenant, 1845.)
The Honourable Frederick Walpole, born 18 Sept. 1822, is third son of the present Earl of Orford (High Steward of the borough of Lynn and Colonel of the West Norfolk Militia), by Mary, eldest daughter of the late Wm. Augustus Fawkener, Esq., one of the Clerks of the Privy Council. His eldest brother. Lord Walpole, is married to the only child of Rear-Admiral Hon. Sir Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew, Kt., C.B., K.C.H.
This officer passed his examination 26 April, 1843; served for some time as Mate in the Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Sir Thos. Hastings and from 1844 until 1848 was employed in that capacity and as Lieutenant (commission dated 30 Dec. 1845) in the Collingwood 80, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Fras. Seymour in the Pacific.
WALPOLE. (Captain, 1819. f-p., 24; h-p., 20.)
William Walpole entered the Navy, in June, 1803, as Midshipman, on board the Glatton 60, Capt. Jas. Collnett. On his return from a voyage to New South Wales he removed, in Oct. 1804, off Boulogne, to the Leopard 50, Capt. Jas. Nicoll Morris; on accompanying whom into the Colossus 74, he was afforded an opportunity of sharing, 21 Oct. 1805, in the glories of Trafalgar. In the following Feb. he joined the Ajax 74, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood; and, on the destruction of that ship by fire off the island of Tenedos 14 Feb. 1807, he was received on board the Endymion 40, Capt. Hon. Thos. Bladen Capel. In her he was present at the ensuing passage of the Dardanells. He was made Lieutenant, 8 Aug. 1808, into the Warspite 74, commanded by his former Captain, Blackwood, in the North Sea and Channel, and also in the Mediterranean; where he served, from Oct. 1810 until promoted to the rank of Commander 15 June, 1814, in the Impérieuse 38, Capt. Hon. Henry Duncan.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 1329.
