147
BURGOYNE.
vessel’s subsequent long and brilliant night actions of 31 July and 28 Sept. 1801, with the French frigate L’Artemise, of 44 guns and 350 men, off the north coast of Spain, in both which instances the enemy was beaten off, he elicited the warm official approbation of his Captain, but, strange to record, was left unpromoted for 15 years, although the latter was at once advanced to Post-rank. His ensuing appointments were – 6 June, 1803, and 3 Feb. 1804, to the command of the Content and Pigmy cutters, of 6 and 16 guns, both on the Guernsey station, where he assisted at the bombardment of Granville, 14 and 15 Sept. 1803, was frequently engaged with the enemy’s gun-boats and batteries, cut out from under their protection a French sloop, otherwise captured three smuggling luggers, and retook two merchantmen. Notwithstanding all this, he was suspended in Aug. 1804, and appointed to the Prince 98, Capts. Rich. Grindall and Wm. Lechmere, under the former of whom he was afterwards present, 21 Oct. 1805, at the battle of Trafalgar. Having paid the Prince off, as her First-Lieutenant, early in 1807, he next, with Capt. Lechmere, joined, in a similar capacity, the Dreadnought 98, one of the Channel fleet; and, on 19 Oct. in the same year, was placed in command of the Pincher, a 12-gun brig, employed successively in the North Sea and Baltic. During the nearly six years of his attachment to the last-named vessel, Lieut. Burgess evinced particular zeal and activity. He captured three privateers, two armed boats, and two small smuggling luggers – assisted Lord Geo. Stuart, by his indefatigable exertions, in reducing the batteries of Cuxhaven and Bremerlehe, and in expelling the enemy from Gessendorf[1] – destroyed, in company with the Badger and Bruizer, a French brig-of-war – and took between 60 and 70 sail of merchantmen, five of which were cut out from a small creek by the boats of a squadron under his orders, consisting, besides the Pincher, of the Paz schooner. Prince of Wales hired cutter, and a gun-boat. When at length, as might be supposed, he had well earned his long-expected promotion, he found himself, on 30 April, 1813, superseded by a Commander, his brig having been recently rated a sloop; and, although promised the next Lieutenant’s command that should become vacant, he remained on half-pay until 25 Aug. following, on which date he was appointed to the Vixen gun-brig. For the next 17 months we find him protecting the different convoys traversing the North Sea, and, on 25 March, 1815, appointed to the Boyne 98, flag-ship in the Mediterranean of Lord Exmouth, to whom he became Flag-Lieutenant, in the Queen Charlotte, of 100 guns, 3 July, 1816. On the memorable 27th of August, Lieut. Burgess was the officer selected to convey to the Dey of Algiers those requisitions, the non-compliance with which ultimately reduced his colossal fortifications to a pile of ruins, and, at the close of the bombardment, he was again deputed with, and received the potentate’s assent to, the repetition of the same demands. Lieut. Burgess, who was at last advanced to the rank of Commander, on the arrival of the despatches in England, 16 Sept. 1816, was afterwards appointed, 24 Jan. 1827, to the Alert 18; in which sloop, on proceeding to the South American station, he made the quickest passage ever performed from Monte Video to Valparaiso, was for some time employed in collecting treasure at the Intermedios, and then went to Guaymas, a port higher up the Gulf of California than had been before visited by a man-of-war. On 27 Nov. 1829, he was posted into the Warspite 76, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Thos. Baker; and, on 29 Nov. 1830, he assumed command of the Thetis frigate, then about to proceed from Rio Janeiro to England with specie on board to a vast amount. Unfortunately, however, on the night of 5 of the following month, the ship struck on a rock off Cape Frio and instantly went down, occasioning a loss of life to 20 persons, and barely allowing time for the remainder to escape. Capt. Burgess has since been on half-pay.
He married, 9 Feb. 1805, Elizabeth, daughter of the late Capt. Isaac Cotgrave, R.N., and sister of the present Commander E. S. and Lieuts. R. and R. B. Cotgrave, R.N. He is now a widower.
BORGOYNE. (Captain, 1815. f-p., 33; h-p., 24.)
Frederick William Borgoyne, born 28 May, 1778, is second son of the late Major-General Sir John Burgoyne, Bart., Colonel of the 19th Light Dragoons, by Charlotte, eldest daughter of General Johnstone, of Overston, co. Northampton (wife, afterwards, of Lieut.-General Eyre Power Trench, brother of the first Earl of Clancarty); and uncle of the present Sir John Montagu Burgoyne, Bart.
This officer entered the Royal Naval Academy in Sept. 1790, and embarked, in Dec. 1793, as Midshipman, on board the Hannibal 74, Capt. John Colpoys, stationed in the Channel. Joining next the Montagu 74, Capt. Jas. Montagu, he had an opportunity of being present in Lord Howe’s action of 1 June, 1794. After that event he joined La Nymphe 36, Capt. Geo. Murray, with whom he took part in Lord Bridport’s encounter with the French fleet off Ile de Groix 23 June, 1795. He subsequently became attached to the Irresistible 74, commanded by the same Captain, Barfleur 98, and Victory 100, flag-ships of Lord Radstock and Sir John Jervis, and Comet fireship, Capt. Edw. Hamilton, in which latter vessel he was for many months very actively engaged off the coasts of France and Italy, and was frequently in collision with the enemy both on shore and afloat. Immediately after his examination, which he passed before Lord Nelson in Dec. 1796, Mr. Burgoyne received an order to act as Lieutenant of the Blenheim 74, Capt. Thos. Lennox Frederick, and on his subsequent transference, in a like capacity, to the Britannia 100, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Chas. Thompson, he shared in the battle off Cape St. Vincent, 14 Feb. 1797. Being officially promoted on 7 of the following March, he was subsequently appointed – 17 Nov. in the same year, to the Arethusa 38, Capt. Thos. Wolley, in the Channel – 29 April, 1799, to La Seine, Capt. David Milne, off the coast of Africa – 13 July, 1800, to the Queen 98, Capt. Man Dobson, in the West Indies – 15 Feb. 1801, to the Decade 38, Capt. Wm. Gordon Rutherford, under whom he was employed on numerous cutting-out expeditions on the north side of St. Domingo and coast of South America – 1 April, 1802, to the Rattler 16, Capt. Spread, for passage home – 16 March and 14 Nov. 1803, to the Ardent 64, and Ariadne 24, Capts. Robt. Winthrop and Elphinstone, on the Home station – 27 Sept. 1804, to the Hyaena 36, Capt. Wm. Chas. Fahie, in which ship he sailed for Barbadoes – between 23 Jan. 1805, and 7 Jan. 1806, to the Centaur 74, Commodore Sir Sam. Hood, and Alligator, Capt. Fras. Aug. Collier, and to the temporary command of the Express gun-brig, and Cyane 18, on the West India station – 24 Aug. 1807, to the Sea Fencibles at Dover – and, 19 Jan. and 3 July, 1809, to the successive command of the Defender and Transit gun-brigs, employed in the Channel. He obtained his second promotal commission 22 Oct. 1810; was afterwards appointed, 3 Aug. 1811, 7 Feb. 1812, and 1 Dec. 1814, to the Tyrian 10, and Port Mahon and Sparrowhawk, of 18 guns each, on the Home and Mediterranean stations; became a Post-Captain 20 Sept. 1815; and, having visited Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, with Lord Exmouth, returned home in June, 1816, with the despatches announcing the liberation of all the Christian slaves there in bondage. From 1 Nov. 1824, until the spring of 1831, he next held a command in the Coast Guard at Kinsale and Wexford; and he lastly, from 6 Aug. 1841, until Sept. 1844, as Captain of the San Josep 110, flag-ship at Devonport of the Admiral Superintendent, Sir Sam. Pym, had charge of the Ordinary at that place. He accepted the retirement 1 Oct. 1846.
Capt. Burgoyne married Miss Wallis, and by that lady has an eldest daughter, Charlotte Frances, who
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1809, p. 1212.
