309
DRURY—DU CANE—DUFF.
ter of Capt. Chas. Smythe, and niece of Sir Wm. Smythe, Bart., of Hill Hall, co. Essex; and, secondly, in 1833, Jane, daughter of Sir Geo. Williams, Bart., by whom he has left issue two daughters. Agents – Messrs. Chard.
DRURY. (Commander, 1845. f-p., 18; h-p., 1.)
Byron Drury is son of the late Rev. Henry Drury, of Harrow; of the school at which place that gentleman, and his father, Dr. Drury, were masters for about 70 years.
This officer entered the Royal Naval College in 1828; and embarked, 13 Aug. 1830, as a Volunteer, on board the Aetna surveying vessel, Capt. Edw. Belcher. He afterwards served for upwards of three years, latterly as Midshipman, in the Rainbow 28, Capt. Sir John Franklin, on the Mediterranean station; and, joining next the Racehorse 18, Capt. Sir Jas. Everard Home, took an active part, as Mate, in the siege of Paria [errata 1], in 1835, where he was for several days in action with the enemy’s batteries. With Sir Gordon Bremer, in the Alligator 28, Mr. Drury subsequently assisted in surveying the harbour at Port Essington, in South Australia, during the formation of that place into a settlement. On eventually proceeding to India, he there became, 30 Nov. 1839, Acting-Lieutenant of the same vessel, in which he continued until his removal, 6 July, 1841, to the Calliope 26, Capt. Augustus Leopold Kuper. He had, previously to that event, borne a part in most of the hostilities against the Chinese – had commanded a division of boats at the first capture of Canton[1] – and had been officially promoted, by commission dated 8 June, 1841. While in the Calliope, he rendered himself particularly useful by his valuable exertions in surveying and sounding the channels in the Yang-tse-Kiang, preparatory to the ascent of the fleet to Nanking. Mr. Drury’s next appointments appear to have been – 30 Sept. 1843, to the Shearwater steamer, Capt. Chas. Gepp Robinson, employed in surveying the coast of Scotland – and, 10 Feb. 1845, to the Herald 28, Capt. Henry Kellett, fitting for the Pacific. He was superseded from the latter ship on promotion to his present rank, 22 May, 1845; and, since 23 Feb. 1846, has been reborne on the books of the Shearwater, in the capacity of Additional-Commander.
He married, 9 June, 1846, Helen Stewart, daughter of Robert Morris, Esq., of Moorburn, Ayrshire. Agent – J. Hinxman.
DRURY. (Captain, 1841. f-p., 19; h-p., 29.)
Henry Drury is son of the late Mr. Drury, Ordnance Storekeeper at Cork; and nephew of Vice-Admiral Wm. O’Brien Drury, who distinguished himself in command of the Powerful in the action off Camperdown, as he had done on other occasions, and died Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, 6 March, 1811.
This officer entered the Navy, 24 July, 1799, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board L’Engageante, guard-ship at Cork, bearing the flag of Sir Robt. Kingsmill; and, on next joining La Determinée frigate, armée en flûte, Capt. Alex. Becher, was wrecked, off Jersey, 24 March, 1803. Between the latter date and his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 14 Sept. 1807, he further served, as Midshipman, on the Channel, Mediterranean, and Irish stations, in the Dreadnought and Neptune 98’s, Capts. Edw. Brace and W. O’B. Drury, Fisgard 38, Capt. Lord Mark Robt. Kerr, and Dryad 36, Capt. Adam Drummond. He then joined the Monmouth 64, bearing his uncle’s flag in the East Indies; and, after a brief attachment to three other ships (the Cornwallis 50, Capt. Fleetwood Pellew, Russel 74, Capt. Thos. Gordon Caulfeild, and Fox 32, Capt. Henry Hart), was successively invested with the acting-command, in 1810-11, of the Hesper sloop, Minden 74, and Akbar 50 – the latter employed in the hostilities against Java. Capt. Drury, whose second promotal commission bears date 10 Sept. 1811, was subsequently appointed, for the usual period of three years – 10 June, 1831, to the Coast Guard – and, 1 Aug. 1836, to the Victory 104, Capt. Thos. Searle, guard-ship at Portsmouth. Since the date of his Post-promotion, 23 Nov. 1841, he has been on half-pay.
He is married, and has issue eleven children. Agents – Messrs. Chard.
DU CANE. (Commander, 1815. f-p., 14; h-p., 30.)
Charles Du Cane entered the Navy, 26 June, 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Beaver 14, Capts. Chas. Pelly and Chas. Mars Gregory, stationed in the North Sea, where he attained the rating of Midshipman in June, 1804. From Aug. 1805, until April, 1809, we find him employed, under Capts. Pelly and Jas. Alex. Gordon, in the Mercury 28, and Active 38; as Master’s Mate of the former of which ships he served in the boats, with Lieut. Allan Stewart, at the cutting-out, 4 April, 1808, of seven Spanish tartans from under the very muzzles of the guns in the batteries at Rota.[2]’ Rejoining Capt. Pelly, in July, 1809, on board the Bucephalus 36, Mr. Du Cane presently attended the expedition to the Walcheren, and, during the operations against that island, had command of a gun-boat. On its evacuation he returned to port as Acting-Lieutenant of the Parthian brig, Capt. Hon. Henry Dawson. Being confirmed by the Admiralty on 2 Dec. 1809, he next, in succession, joined the Egeria 18, Capt. Lewis Hole, and Egmont and Spencer 74’s, Capts. Joseph Bingham and Rich. Raggett, employed on the Home and North American stations. He attained the rank he now holds 30 Aug. 1815, and afterwards, in 1824-5, officiated as Inspecting-Commander of the Coast Guard. He has since, we believe, been on the half-pay list.
Commander Du Cane married, in 1823, Frances, second daughter of the Rev. C. Prideaux Brune, of Prideaux Place, co. Cornwall.
DUFF. (Rear-Admiral of the Red, 1840. f-p., 18; h-p., 41.)
Archibald Duff entered the Navy, 29 June, 1788, as a Boy, on board the Champion 24, Capt. Sampson Edwards, on the Leith station. In Jan. 1791, he became Midshipman of the Martin sloop, Capt. Geo. Duff, and with that officer he continued employed, in the Resource 23, Duke 98, Ambuscade 32, and Glenmore 50, until May, 1798. In the Duke he served under the broad pendant of Commodore Murray during the expedition against Martinique, in June, 1793. Having been awarded, when in the Ambuscade, a commission, dated 8 Dec. 1798, Mr. Duff, on leaving the Glenmore, was appointed to a Lieutenancy in the Foudroyant 80, Capt. Sir Thos. Bayard, on rejoining which ship, after a brief attachment to the Barfleur 98, we find him, while at the blockade of Malta, present with Lord Nelson at the capture, 18 Feb. 1800, of Le Généreux 74, and Ville de Marseilles store-ship. He soon after removed to the Queen Charlotte 100, bearing the flag of Lord Keith, and, on 17 March following, narrowly escaped involvement in the destruction of that ship, being on board when she took fire in Leghorn Roads. In the course of the same year he was promoted from the Minotaur 74, Capt. Thos. Louis, to the acting-command of the Bonne Citoyenne sloop; but his confirmation not taking place, he joined the Guillaume Tell 80, and next became First Lieutenant to Lord Keith, in his old ship the Foudroyant. After figuring in the Egyptian campaign, for his services during which he received the Turkish gold medal, Mr. Duff, who had been invested with the temporary command of the Mondovi brig, returned to England with Capt. Rich. Curry, R.N., and Major Henry Montressor, the officers charged with the naval and military despatches announcing the surrendar of Grand Cairo. Prior to his official promotion to the rank of Commander, 29 April, 1802,
