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FITZCLARENCE—FITZGERALD.
Fon privateer, of 1 gun and 43 men, and a Spanish armed schooner, the Abija – superseded, “not,” as observed by Mr. James in his ‘Naval History,’ “to be promoted to the rank of Commander, but to be turned adrift as an unemployed Lieutenant.” All he got was the thanks of the Admiralty, and a sword from the Patriotic Society valued at 50l. Unsuccessful in his exertions to procure an appointment, he remained on half-pay for nearly four years, at the expiration of which period he was at first, 15 April, 1811, and next, 16 Feb. 1812, invested with the command of the Archer and Cracker gun-brigs, on the Channel and Baltic stations. In the latter vessel he was much employed in convoying; and on one occasion he succeeded, through a train of singular manoeuvres, in alone conducting a most valuable and numerous charge safe through the Little Belt. In one instance, too, he was the means, during a violent gale, of snatching from destruction the crew of a prize belonging to the Hamadryad frigate; and, in another, he obtained salvage for rescuing, and conducting into the Downs, an American ship that had got upon a shoal near North Yarmouth, and was in a state of great distress. Being again put out of commission in 1815, the Lieutenant failed in his solicitations for further employment until 22 Feb. 1831, when he was appointed to the Ordinary at Plymouth, to which he continued attached during the usual period of three years. He was admitted into Greenwich Hospital 20 April, 1835.
During the term of his servitude in the West Indies, Lieut. Fitton had the good fortune to capture upwards of 40 sail of vessels, many of them privateers – but with little benefit to himself, from the circumstance of his having been so long in command of a tender, and only sharing in consequence with the officers on board the flag-ship.[1] His only surviving son, Frederick – the eldest having died in the West Indies, while serving with his father as a passed Clerk – holds an appointment in the Merchant Seamen’s office; and his youngest daughter is married to the only son of Sir Rich. Dobson, M.D., F.R.S., Inspector of Hospitals and Fleets. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
FITZCLARENCE, Lord, G.C.H. (Captain, 1824. f-p., .31; h-p., 2.)
The Right Honourable Lord Adolphus FitzClarence, born 18 Feb. 1802, is second (natural) son of His late Majesty King William IV.; uncle of the present Earl of Munster; brother of Lord Augustus FitzClarence, Rector of Maple Durham, co. Oxford; and brother-in-law of Lord De Lisle and Dudley, Lieut.-Col. Chas. Fox, of the Grenadier Guards, the Earl of Errol, Lord John Fred. Gordon Hallyburton, Capt. R.N., and Viscount Falkland.
This officer entered the Navy, 26 May, 1814, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Impregnable 98, Capts. Hon. Henry Blackwood and Chas. Adam, hearing the flag of H.R.H. the Duke of Clarence, in which ship he shortly afterwards escorted the Allied Sovereigns from Calais to Dover. He then, as Midshipman, joined the Newcastle 50, Capt. Lord Geo. Stuart, on the North American station; on his return whence, in 1815, he proceeded to the Mediterranean in the Tagus 38, Capt. Jas. Whitley Deans Dundas, and there continued to serve on board the Rochfort 80, flag-ship of Sir Thos. Fras. Fremantle, and Glasgow 50, Capt. Hon. Anth. Maitland, until the receipt of his first commission, bearing date 23 April, 1821. He joined, 22 Oct. following, the Euryalus 42, Capt. Augustus Wm. Jas. Clifford, fitting for the station last mentioned, and, attaining the rank of Commander 17 May, 1823, was next appointed, 26 Dec. in the same year, and 28 Feb. 1824, to the Brisk sloop, and Redwing 18, on the North Sea station. Capt. FitzClarence, who acquired his present rank 24 Dec. 1824, was subsequently appointed – 9 Feb. 1826, to the Ariadne 26, in the Mediterranean – 2 July, 1827, to the Challenger 28, in which frigate he brought home the Earl of Dalhousie, late Governor-General of Canada, and then visited Lisbon – and, 28 Aug. 1828, to the Pallas 42, employed in conveying the latter nobleman and the Bishop of Calcutta from Portsmouth to Bengal, General Viscount Combermere from India home, and Col. Fox from Halifax. Since 22 July, 1830, his Lordship has been in uninterrupted command of the Royal George and Victoria and Albert yachts.
He was appointed Groom of the Robes to William IV. 24 July, 1830; granted, 24 May, 1831, the title and precedency of the younger son of a Marquis; nominated a G.C.H. 24 Feb. 1832; and created a Lord of the Bedchamber in Ordinary 5 Jan. 1833. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.
FITZGERALD. (Commander, 1840.)
Charles Fitzgerald entered the Navy 17 March, 1809; passed his examination in 1815; and obtained his first commission 27 March, 1826. His appointments, as Lieutenant, were – 17 April, 1832, to the Coast Guard – 21 Sept. 1833 and 29 April, 1836, to the Cruizer 16, and Belvidera 42, Capts. John M‘Causland, Wm. Alex. Willis, and Chas. Borough Strong, on the North America and West India station – and, 26 July, 1838, to the command of the Buzzard 3, on the coast of Africa, where he made prize of several slavers. He invalided home in Feb. 1840; acquired his present rank 26 Oct. following; and has since been on half-pay.
Commander Fitzgerald is now Governor of the settlements on the Gambia. He married, 5 May, 1837, Lucy, youngest daughter of Dr. Austin; and became a widower 19 Nov. 1843. Agent – Joseph Woodhead.
FITZGERALD. (Retired Commander, 1846. f-p., 12; h-p., 41.)
Hamilton Fitzgerald entered the Navy, 17 Dec. 1794, as A.B., on board the Droid 32, Capt. Joseph Ellison, and, on accompanying that officer, as Midshipman, into the Standard 64, attended the expedition to Quiberon in June, 1795. On 24 Oct. 1798, having removed to the Sirius 36, Capt. Rich. King, he assisted at the capture, off the Texel, of the Dutch ships Waakzamheid of 26 guns and 100 men, and Furie of 36 guns and 153 men; subsequently to which event he joined, at Plymouth, the Garland 28, Capt. Robt. Honyman, and Cambridge and Zealand flag-ships. Being promoted to a Lieutenancy, 20 July, 1801, in, the Isis 50, Capts. Wm. Nowell, John Sutton, and Thos. Masterman Hardy, in which ship he escorted the Duke of Kent to Gibraltar, Mr. Fitzgerald was afterwards appointed – 22 Dec. 1804, to the Décade 36, Capts. Wm. Gordon Rutherford and John Stuart, one of Lord Nelson’s frigates, we beheve, in his pursuit of the combined fleets to the West Indies in 1805 – and next, as First, to the Hindostan 50, Capts. Thos. Bowen and Wm. Hole, and Achille 74, Capt. Sir Rich. King, on the Lisbon and Home stations. Having been on half-pay since 27 April, 1809, he accepted the rank of Retired Commander on the Junior List 12 July, 1831; and on 29 May, 1846, he was placed on the Senior List. Agent – John Chippendale.
FITZGERALD. (Lieutenant, 1814. f-p., 10; H.P., 33.)
Henry Fitzgerald entered the Navy, 1 Dec. 1804, as Ordinary, on board the Princess Charlotte 38, Capts. Hon. Fras. Farington-Gardner and Geo. Tobin; in which ship he continued to serve, on the West India and Irish stations, part of the time as Midshipman, until Nov. 1810. During that period he was occasionally employed in escorting convoys – took part, 5 Oct. 1805, in a severe action of an hour, near Tobago, with La Cyane of 26, and La Naïade of 16 guns, the former of which then surrendered – and served off Greenland for the protection of the whale fishery. He subsequently
- ↑ In the United Service Journal for Feb. 1835, onr readers will find, written by Lieut. Fitton himself, an account of the extraordinary manner in which, through the instrumentality of a shark, he effected the condemnation, in 1799, of au enemy’s vessel provided with false papers, and professing to be neutral.
