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BROWNE.
was advanced to Post-rank 29 April, 1802; held a command in the Lincolnshire and Sussex districts of Sea Fencibles, from Sept. 1803, until that corps was disbanded in Feb. 1810; and, with the exception of a short period in 1815, during which he discharged the duties of Regulating-Captain at Waterford, was not further employed. Capt. Browne became a Rear-Admiral 17 Aug. 1840.
He married, 6 March, 1845, Hannah, eldest daughter of the late Robt. Ogle, Esq., of Eglingham, Northumberland.
BROWNE.[1] (Retired Captain, 1840. f-p., 11; h-p., 39.)
George Browne was born, 15 Jan. 1784, at Bridgewater, co. Somerset.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 July, 1797, as Midshipman, on board the Royal George 100, flagship in the Channel of Lord Bridport, under the auspices of Sir Chas. Morice Pole, then Captain of the Fleet. In July, 1799, he removed to the Boadicea 38, Capt. Rich. Goodwin Keats, commanding the advanced squadron off Brest, and, in July, 1800, he rejoined Sir C. M. Pole in the Agincourt 64, on that officer being appointed Governor of Newfoundland. He subsequently served with him, in the St. George 98, on the Baltic, Cadiz, and West India stations, until paid off 27 July, 1802. At the renewal of hostilities Mr. Browne, in the Amphion 32, accompanied Lord Nelson to the Mediterranean, and there followed him, as Signal-Midshipman, 31 July, 1803, into the Victory 100. On 1 Aug. 1804, he was promoted by his Lordship to be one of his Signal-Lieutenants, an appointment which the Admiralty confirmed 18 Oct. in the same year. In the summer of 1805 he went to the West Indies and back in pursuit of the combined fleets of France and Spain, and, when closing with the enemy off Trafalgar, on the memorable 21 Oct., he was the officer who had the honour of receiving verbally from Lord Nelson his last immortal signal, “England expects,” &c. He was immediately afterwards sent to take charge of the foremost guns on the middle-deck, with an assurance from the hero of promotion, all hopes of which however were quickly blighted by the fall of the lamented chief. After attending the funeral of his friend, Mr. Browne returned to the Mediterranean in the Ocean 98, as Flag-Lieutenant to Lord Collingwood, with whom he removed, in 1809, to the Ville de Paris 110. On the death of that nobleman, which took place 7 March, 1810, he returned home with his remains, and in consequence of a strong recommendation in his favour, forwarded by the late Admiral a few days only previous to his demise, was advanced to the rank of Commander by commission dated back to the day on which the melancholy event occurred. Unable thenceforth to procure employment, he accepted his present rank 28 Sept. 1840.
Capt. Browne is in the Commission of the Peace for the co. of Somerset, and a J.P. for the borough of Bridgewater. He married, in 1814, the daughter of Thos. Pyke, Esq., of the latter place, by whom he has issue. It may be as well to add that, finding it impossible to obtain an appointment in the Navy, Capt. Browne entered as a student at the Inner Temple, was called to the bar in 1821, practised for some years at Exeter with great success, and ultimately became manager of the West of England and South Wales District Banks.
BROWNE, Lord. (Lieutenant, 1846.)
Lord John Thomas Browne, born 10 Sept. 1824, is third son of the Marquess of Sligo, by Lady Hester Catherine de Burgh, eldest daughter of John Thomas, 13th Earl of Clanricarde.
This officer passed his examination 31 Dec. 1843; served for a considerable time as Mate, in the Mediterranean, of the Beacon surveying-vessel, Capt. Thos. Graves; and obtained his commission 21 May, 1846. He is at present on half-pay.
BROWNE. (Rear-Admiral of the White, 1846. f-p., 27; h-p., 38.)
Philip Browne, born 16 Sept. 1772, is only surviving son of the late Capt. Philip Browne, R.N., who lost his life from over exertion at the defence of Savannah in 1779, at the age of 38; and a close relative of Rear-Admiral E. W. Browne.
This officer entered the Navy, in 1782, on board the Ruby 64, Capt. Sir John Colleris. He next joined the Crown 64, Capt. Sam. Reeve, and, in May, 1787, as Fst.-cl. Vol., the Colossus 74, Capt. Hugh Cloberry Christian, stationed in the Channel; after which he became attached, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, to the Racehorse 18, Capts. David Stow and Thos. Foley, in the North Sea, Illustrious 74, flag-ship in the Channel of Hon. John Leveson Gower, and Minerva 38, and Crown 64, both commanded by Hon. Wm. Cornwallis, in the East Indies, where he was detached for some time in 1792 into the Despatch gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander John Whitby. While in the Minerva, in 1793, Mr. Browne assisted, as Master’s Mate, at the reduction of Pondicherry, and was employed in her boats cutting out a vessel from under fire of the batteries of that place. On 22 Dec. in the latter year he was made Lieutenant into the Bien Aimé 18, Capt. Rich. King, also on the East India station, and in that capacity he was subsequently appointed – 10 April, 1795, to the Nassau 64, Capt. Herbert Sawyer, flag-ship, ultimately, of Rear-Admiral Rich. Onslow in the North Sea – 17 Feb. 1798, to the Daphne 20, commanded by Capt. Sir Chas. Lindsay, for a short period too by himself, and next by Capt. Rich. Matson, in which he beheld the capture, in the Channel, of a large Swedish convoy by a squadron under Capt. John Lawford, in the following summer, and then proceeded to the West Indies – in Feb. 1800, to the command of the Chatham cartel, for the purpose of conveying to Old Spain the Walloon guards taken at the reduction of Surinam – 28 May in the same year, to the Ardent 64, Capt. Thos. Bertie – and, 26 Feb. 1801, and 17 March, 1802, to the command of the Swan cutter, and Vixen 14, gun-brig. On 25 Sept. 1806, he was promoted into the Plover 18, in which sloop he continued until his advancement to Post-rank, 19 June, 1810. His next appointments were – 31 May, 1811, pro tem., to the Dannemark 74, employed in blockading Cherbourg – and, 9 July following, to the Hermes 20, stationed for some time on the Brazilian coast. During the 12 years of Capt. Browne’s attachment to the Swan, Vixen, Plover, and Hermes, we find him cruizing against the enemies of his country, principally in the North Sea and Channel, with the most unparalleled success. He took 11 privateers,[2] carrying in the whole 114 guns and 744 men; captured and detained 37 merchantmen, with cargoes amounting in value to 300,000l., which however became droits of Admiralty; re-took 13 valuable British trading-vessels; rescued 200 British seamen from captivity; made 868 French prisoners; and seized 20 smuggling-vessels, which produced to the Crown a clear profit of 47,214l. 11s. lOd. Capt. Browne, when in the Plover, thrice obtained official notice – first, for his zealous co-operation with Capt. Geo. M‘Kinley in support of the Spanish patriots, in the early part of 1809 – next, for the assiduity, skill, and propriety with which he managed the various details and arrangements of the flotilla under Commodore Cockburn, whose broad pendant was flying on board the Plover, at the ensuing reduction of Flushing[3] – and on another occasion, at the capture, 18 Sept.
- ↑ Brown in the Navy List.
- ↑ The following is a list of the privateers taken by Capt. Browne:– Le Lionnais, of 2 guns and 21 men; Le Petit Diable, of 4 guns and 45 men; L’Elize, of 14 guns and 66 men; La Josephine, of 14 guns and 55 men (taken in company with Amethyst and Dryad); La Bohémienne, of 2 guns and 28 men; L’Amiral Martin, of 4 guns and 104 men; L’Aurore, of 16 guns and 69 men; L’Hirondelle, of 16 guns and 65 men; Le Lézard, of 57 men; Le Saratu, of 14 guns and 100 men; La Mouche, of 14 guns and 51 men (run down); and the Sword Fish, of 14 guns and 83 men (taken in company with the Elephant).
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1809, p. 1326.
