218
COLLINS—COLLINSON—COLLIS—COLMAN.
wrecks, distinguished himself by his hazardous intrepidity. Since 29 July, 1840, he has again been in the latter service, and now commands the Jarrow station, the post of honour on the Tyne.
Lieut. Collins, the originator of several useful inventions, received a piece of plate for saving a valuably laden brig while in command of a Liverpool steam-vessel. He is Senior Lieutenant of 1813. In the early part of the peace, he married Georgina, daughter of John Foster, Esq., of Royston Chapel, Lenham, co. Kent, and has, with three daughters, three sons, of whom the eldest, Henry Foster, Second-Master R.N., is now serving in the Erebus discovery-ship, Capt. Sir John Franklin.
COLLINS. (Retired Commander, 1843. f-p., 19; h-p., 34.)
William Collins, born in April, 1782, lost his grandfather and brother both in the Army.
This officer entered the Navy, 13 Dec. 1794, as a Volunteer, on board the Ariadne 20, Capts. Robt. Gambier Middleton, Robt. Plampin, H. Ball, Jas. Bradby, and Patrick Campbell; under whose successive command he continued to serve, latterly as Midshipman, until paid off in June, 1802. During that period he witnessed one of Hotham’s actions in 1795 – was at the landing, in 1796, of the troops at Ste. Lucie – and aided in the capture of several privateers and other vessels. While afterwards serving, from June, 1803, to Nov. 1804, on board the Bloodhound 10, Lieut.-Commander Henry Richardson, he assisted, in 1804, at the bombardment of Havre de Grace, and was repeatedly in conflict with the Boulogne flotilla. Having passed his examination 4 Sept. 1805, Mr. Collins was promoted, on leaving the Bloodhound, to an Acting-Sub-Lieutenancy in the Earnest gun-brig, Lieut.Commander Rich. Templar, and, in consideration of his subsequent services off Ostend, and in the rivers Elbe and Weser, was made a full Lieutenant 12 June, 1807, and appointed, a few days afterwards, to the Royalist 18, Capt. John Maxwell; during his two years’ servitude in which vessel he contributed to the capture, in the Downs, of one Danish and two French privateers. Assuming command, 10 May, 1809, of the Mary hired cutter, of 8 guns, he made several prizes, beat off on one occasion two of the enemy’s privateers, and for the general importance of his services, especially for his promptitude in communicating to Admiral Young the intelligence of the French fleet having descended the Scheldt as far as Flushing, received the thanks of that gallant officer in the presence of the assembled Captains of the squadron. The Mary having been placed out of commission 24 April, 1812, Mr. Collins was next, as First-Lieutenant, appointed, 20 Sept. 1813, to the Daphne 20, Capt. Jas. Green, in which he beheld the evacuation of Danzig. He was finally paid off 14 Sept. 1815; and awarded his present rank 6 April, 1843.
In 1801 and 1804, Commander Collins, then in the Ariadne and Bloodhound, was twice compelled to enter the Hospital at North Yarmouth, in consequence of severe injuries received in the execution of his duty. He married, 20 June, 1807, Mrs. Eleanor Skee, daughter of Mr. Thomas Sherrid, Pilot, of North Yarmouth.
COLLINSON, C.B. (Captain, 1842.)
Richard Collinson entered the Navy 2 Dec. 1823; passed his examination in 1831; obtained his first commission 23 March, 1835; was appointed, 28 Sept. following, to the Sulphur surveying-vessel, Capts. Fred. Wm. Beechey and Edw. Belcher, and, 16 June, 1838, to the President 52, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Chas. Bayne Hodgson Ross, both in South America; and, on 24 Jan. 1840, joined the Wellesley 72, Capt. Thos. Maitland, bearing the broad pendant, subsequently, of Sir Jas. John Gordon Bremer, Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies. During the operations against Canton, in March, 1841, he was officially praised for his very skilful and highly-meritorious exertions in piloting the Modeste 18, Capt. Harry Eyres, to an excellent and effective position without 600 yards of the last fort protecting the approaches to the city; and he obtained every favourable consideration, also, for his useful eflrorts in next sounding, conjointly with Lieut. Henry Kellett and Mr. Rich. Browne, Master of the Calliope, and conducting several men-of-war safely to an anchorage off Canton itself.[1] At the capture, in May following, of the whole line of defences, extending about two miles from the British factory, Mr. Collinson was further active in getting the ships into their respective positions.[2] He likewise, on 26 Aug., having assumed command of the Bentinck brig, of 10 guns, evinced his skill in sounding the Channel ahead of the station occupied by the Wellesley in the attack on the island of Golongsoo, and in then gallantly anchoring within the entrance of the Bay.[3] In Oct. of the same year we find Mr. Collinson assisting at the recapture of Chusan and the storming of the fortified heights and citadel of Chinghae.[4] The Admiralty having promoted him, 18 June, 1841, to the rank of Commander, and appointed him, 19 Feb. 1842, to the Plover surveying-vessel, he subsequently, on the night preceding the capture of Chapoo, 18 May ensuing – prior, however, to his actual removal to the Plover – sounded, thoroughly and eflectively, between the anchorage of the ships and the shore;[5] and, cooperating again with Commander Kellett, was engaged, during the months of June and July, in surveying the channel before Woosung preparatory to the attack on its batteries – also in the hostilities against Shanghae – and in commendably overcoming all the difficulties in the navigation of the Yang-tse-Kiang during the advance of the British on the city of Chin-Kiang-Foo.[6] Capt. Collinson, who continued in the Plovek until 1846, was promoted for his services to Post-rank 23 Dec. 1842,[7] and nominated a C.B. the day following.
COLLIS. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 14; h-p., 28.)
Samuel Collis entered the Navy, 30 April, 1805, as Midshipman, on board the Warrior 74, Capts. Sam. Hood Linzee, Michael Seymour, and John Wm. Spranger, in which ship he proceeded to the Mediterranean, and there joined successively, in Aug. 1809, and March, 1811, the Unite 36, and Leviathan 74, both commanded by Capt. Patrick Campbell. In the boats of the two latter ships, particularly of the Leviathan, he appears to have taken part, under the orders of Lieut. Alex. Dobbs, in a variety of dashing services, and to have assisted at the capture of many of the enemy’s vessels, frequently in the teeth of a destructive opposition. He next, in Oct. 1813, removed to the Urgent 12, Capt. Gamaliel Fitzmaurice, on the Home station; and, having passed his examination, 6 April, 1814, was promoted, 10 Feb. 1815, to the rank of Lieutenant. On the paying-off of the Urgent, in Sept. 1815, Mr. Collis became attached to the Cyrus 20, Capt. Wm. Fairbrother Carroll, under whom he served, off the coast of Ireland, until again placed out of commission in Sept. 1818. Since that period he has been on half-pay.
COLMAN. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 10; h-p., 32.)
George Colman entered the Navy, 1 June, 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Cruizer 18, Capt. John Hancock, stationed in the North Sea, where he assisted at the capture, 13 Nov. following, of Le Vengeur privateer, of 14 guns. In Feb. 1806, he removed, as Midshipman, to the Ruby 64, Capts. Hardy and John Draper, employed in the Channel; and while afterwards serving, from June, 1807, to Feb. 1812, in the Racehorse 18, and Cornwallis, alias Akbar, 50, Capts. Wm. Fisher and Henry Drury, aided in taking L’Amiral Ganteaume privateer, of 4 guns, and, as we are informed, cooperated, in the capacity of Master’s Mate, at the
