365
FITZROY—FLEMING.
afterwards under Capts. Sir John Phillimore and Arthur Batt Bingham, in the Thetis frigate, on the Mediterranean and South American stations; and in Aug. 1828 became Flag-Lieutenant at Rio Janeiro to Rear-Admiral Robt. Waller Otway. From 13 Nov. in the latter year, on which date he was promoted to the rank of Commander, until the close of 1836, Capt. FitzRoy, whose Post-commission bears date 3 Dec. 1834, commanded the Beagle Surveying-vessel on the coast of South America.[1] He has not since been officially afloat. Capt. FitzRoy sat, in 1841, as M.P. for the city of Durham; was appointed, 21 Sept. 1842, Acting-Conservator of the River Mersey; and, since 3 April, 1843, has filled the post of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the colony of New Zealand. He married, 8 Dec. 1836, Mary Henrietta, second daughter of the late Major-General Edw. Jas. O’Brien, by whom he has issue. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
FITZ-ROY, Lord, K.C.B. (Rear-Admiral of the Red, 1837. f-p., 17; h-p., 36.)
The Right Honourable Lord William Fitz-Roy, born 1 June; 1782, is third son of Augustus Henry, third Duke of Grafton, by his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Sir Rich. Wrottesley, Bart.; and uncle both of the present Duke of Grafton and of Capt. Robt. FitzRoy, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 21 April, 1794, on board the Phaeton 38, Capts. Wm. Bentinck and Hon. Robt. Stopford, one of Lord Howe’s frigates in the ensuing action of the 1st of June. He next joined the Leviathan 74, commanded by Lord Hugh Seymour, and, when with the same officer in the Sans Pareil 80, he took part in Lord Bridport’s action, 23 June, 1795. After an occasional attachment to the Niger 32, Capt. Edw. Jas. Foote, Phoenix 36, Capt. Lawrence Wm. Halsted, and Cambrian 40, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge, he rejoined Capt. Foote, in Feb. 1798, on board the Seahorse, of 46 guns and 292 men; in which vessel we find him, off the island of Pantellaria, assisting at the capture, 27 June, 1798, after a close action of eight minutes, a loss to the British of 2 men killed and 16 wounded, and to the enemy of 18 killed and 37 wounded, of the French frigate La Sensible, of 36 guns and 300 men. Being promoted to a Lieutenancy, 13 May, 1800, in the Penelope 36, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood, he witnessed the surrender of Malta, and attended the expedition to Egypt. On 31 Oct. 1801, he became Acting-Commander of the Salamine sloop, and, being confirmed, 7 Jan. 1802, in the Mutine, was afterwards employed, from 26 Jan. 1803, until 29 Feb. 1804, in command of the Fairy. As a Post-Captain, a rank he attained on 3 March in the latter year. Lord Wm. FitzRoy appears to have commanded the Duquesne and Vanguard 74’s, Aeolus 32, and Macedonian 38, on the Jamaica, Channel, Irish, Halifax, and Lisbon stations; and, in the Aeolus, to have been present in Sir Rich. Strachan’s action, off Ferrol, 4 Nov. 1805, and at the reduction of Martinique in Feb. 1809. His Lordship, who has not been employed since 7 April, 1811, was promoted to Flag rank 10 Jan. 1837.
The Rear-Admiral was nominated a C.B. 4 June, 1815, and a K.C.B. 4 July, 1840. He married, 9 Aug. 1816, Georgiana, second daughter of the late Thos. Raikes, Esq., and by that lady has issue a son and three daughters.
FLEMING. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 22; h-p., 31.)
John Fleming entered the Navy, in May, 1794, as Midshipman, on board the Hornet 18, Capt. Christmas Paul; and, from Feb. 1795, until Oct. 1800, served, as Master’s Mate, in the Flora 36, Capt. Henry Lidgbird Ball, Lowestoffe 32, Capt. Robt. Plampin, and Tamar 38, Dictator 64, and Fisgard 38, all commanded by Capt. Thos. Byam Martin. During that period he saw, in the Lowestoffe’s boats, much active service in the Mediterranean – was in the Tamar during the unsuccessful attack on Puerto Rico in April, 1797 – and when in the Fisgard, whose force consisted, of 46 guns and 281 men, assisted at the capture, 20 Oct. 1798, of L’Immortalité, of 42 guns and 580 men, after a close and obstinate conflict of great length, a loss to the British of 10 killed and 26 wounded, and to the enemy of 54 killed and 61 wounded.[2] He also aided in the Fisgard’s boats, and was highly spoken of for his conduct, at the cutting out, 11 June, 1800, within the Penmarck rooks (and in opposition to a heavy battery, three armed vessels, and a constant fire of musketry from the shore), of a gun boat, two chasse-marées, and eight merchantmen;[3] besides which he contributed, 12 days afterwards, to the destruction of three batteries, mounting 7 24-pounders, on the banks of the Quimper river; and, on 1 July, was instrumental to the further destruction of five national vessels, carrying altogether 50 guns, and of 15 others laden with valuable cargoes, lying under the protection of six strong batteries and of other defences, near the south-east part of Noirmoutier. In Nov. 1803, Mr. Fleming, who had been promoted to a Lieutenancy, 2 Oct. 1800, in the Garland 28, was wrecked in that vessel off St. Domingo. Becoming then Senior Lieutenant of the Theseus 74, Capt. John Bligh, he witnessed the surrender of the French squadron with the remains of General Rochambeau’s army from Cape François on board; and in the early part of 1804 he shared in the unsuccessful attack on Curaçoa. During a subsequent attachment of 18 months, also as First-Lieutenant, to the Franchise 36, Capts. Hon. John Murray and Chas. Dashwood, he landed on the latter island, with a party of seamen and marines under his orders, and destroyed several batteries; and he also, on separate occasions, commanded the boats at the hard-wrought capture of two French privateers. On the night of 6 Jan. 1806, Mr. Fleming performed an act of singular gallantry in taking, in Campeachy Bay, the Spanish corvette El Raposa, carrying 12 guns and 75 men, besides swivels and cohoons, which vessel, after an obstinate conflict of 10 minutes’ duration, and a loss to the enemy of 5 men killed and 26 wounded, was boarded and carried by the British, who, in three boats with 64 men, of whom only 7 were wounded, had also to contend against a brig of 20 guns, a schooner of 8 guns, and 7 gun-vessels. For his meritorious conduct on this occasion, Mr. Fleming was presented with a sword from the Patriotic Fund, but he was nevertheless suffered to remain on the List of Lieutenants until the conclusion of the war, although Lieut. Peter John Douglas, who was only second in command, was promoted to the next step in his profession, and notwithstanding that he himself had been strongly recommended by his Captain as an officer of distinguished merit and bravery.[4] After commanding for a few months the Découverte schooner, he was invested with the acting-command of the Drake sloop, in which vessel, and similarly in the Bramble, he served, on the Jamaica station, until the summer of 1812, when he joined the San Domingo 74, bearing the flag of Sir John Borlase Warren on the coast of North America. He there, when afterwards in temporary command of a prize, effected several captures; and on being promoted hy the Admiral to the command, in March, 1813, of the Barbadoes 16, had the good fortune to effect the capture, not without opposition, of four American privateers, carrying in the whole 29 guns and 288 men. His appointment to the Barbadoes being confirmed by commission dated 2 Nov. 1814, he subsequently, in 1815, assisted, by the well-directed fire of his sloop, in covering the debarkation of the troops at the reduction of Guadeloupe.[5] Since his return to
- ↑ See ‘Narrative of a Ten Years’ Voyage of Discovery round the World by H.M. Ships Adventure and Beagle,’ written by Capt. FitzRoy, in connexion with Capt. Philip Parker King, R.N. 8vo. Lond. 2 vols. Colburn, 1841.
- ↑ On the surrender of L’Immortalité, Mr. Fleming was appointed second in command of the prize.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1800, p. 694.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1806, p. 464.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1815. p. 1914.
