he served under Sir Gordon Bremer during the war in China – 9 Feb. 1842 and 15 April, 1844, to the Formidable 84 and Queen 110, both commanded by Sir Chas. Sullivan on the Mediterranean station – and 21 Aug. 184.5, to the President 50, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Jas. Rich. Dacres at the Cape of Good Hope. He attained his present rank 12 Jan. 1846; and has since been on half-pay. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
KERR. (Lieut., 1823. f-p., 14; h-p., 24.)
Patrick Kerr entered the Navy, 20 Sept. 1809, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Désirée 36, Capt. Arthur Farquhar, employed off the Texel; and from Aug. 1810, until April, 1815, served on the North Sea and American stations, chiefly as Midshipman, in the San Domingo 74 and Cleopatra frigate, both commanded by Capt. Chas. Gill – the former as flag-ship to Sir Rich. Strachan and Sir John Borlase Warren. He then returned to England in the Tonnant 80, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane; and in Oct. 1815, after his name had been borne for short periods on the books of various ships, he removed to the Towey 24, Capts. Hew Steuart and Wm. Hill, fitting for the East Indies, where he was employed for a period of three years. He next, in April, 1819, joined the Dover 28, bearing the flag at Leith of Rear- Admiral Robt. Waller Otway, with whom he remained until Nov. 1821 . In the early part of 1822 we again find him sailing for the East Indies in the Liffey 50; of which ship, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Chas. Grant, he was created an Acting-Lieutenant 23 Dec. in the same year. He was confirmed, 7 March, 1823, into the Madagascar frigate, Capt. Evan Nepean; but since his arrival home in the following Oct. has been on half-pay.
KERR. (Commander, 1838.)
Robert Kerr entered the Navy 2 Dec. 1819; passed his examination in 1826; and on the occasion of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, 23 Aug. 1828, was appointed to the Arachne 18, in which vessel he served with Capts. Nixon, Erskine, and Deare, on the West India station. Until the summer of 1830. His succeeding appointments were – 17 Feb. 1832, to the Conway 28, Capt. Henry Eden, employed at first in the North Sea, and afterwards in the Tagus and South America – and 6 May, 1837, to the Castor 36, Capt. Edw. Collier, on the Mediterranean station. He attained his present rank 28 June, 1838; and since 11 Oct. 1842 has been employed in the Coast Guard.
KEVERN. (Retired Commander, 1827. f-p., 19; h-p., 43.)
Richard Kevern entered the Navy, in 1785, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Irresistible 74, Capt. Sir Andrew Snape Hamond, guard-ship at Chatham, where he served for a period of four years. He was next, until Nov. 1794, employed on the Newfoundland station, part of the time as Midshipman, in the Pegasus, Capts. Herbert Sawyer and Wm. Domett, Assistance, flag-ship of Sir Rich. King, and Trepassey cutter, Lieut.-Commander Jahleel Brenton – of which latter vessel he was created a Lieutenant 24 Oct. 1793. His succeeding appointments .were, on the Home station – 7 Jan. 1795, to the Caesar 80, Capts. Chas. Edm. Nugent and Roddam Home – 2 June, 1798, to the Caesar 80, Capt. Collis – 5 April, 1799, to the St. George 98, Capt. Sampson Edwards – in 1801, to the San Josef 110, Capt. Wm. Wolseley, which ship was paid off in the following year – 6 March, 1804, to the Jamaica 24, Capt. Jonas Rose – 21 May, 1805, to the command of the Exertion gun-brig – 11 Jan. 1806, to the Sea Fencibles at Weymouth – and 26 April following, as Senior, to the Sheldrake 16, Capt. John Thicknesse. On 12 Oct. 1806 Lieut. Kevern took part in an action of an hour and a quarter, fought in the Bay of Erqui, between a British squadron, consisting of the Sheldrake, Constance 22, Strenuous gun-brig, and Britannia cutter, on the one hand, and, on the other, a French force, amounting to the Salamandre of 26 guns and 80 men, a 2-gun battery planted on a hill, and one or two field-pieces, together with a few troops, on the beach; the termination whereof was the surrender of the enemy’s ship, after a loss to herself of about 29 men killed, independently of several wounded, and to the British of 10 killed and 23 wounded. The assistance afforded by Lieut. Kevern on the occasion was particularly noticed by Capt. Thicknesse, who, in his letter to the Admiralty, described him as a most meritorious and able officer, and recommended him in consequence to their lordships’ favourable attention.[1] He left the Sheldrake in a state of ill health in the following Nov., and accepted his present rank 3 Dec. 1827.
He is married, and has issue a son, the present Lieut. Rich. C. Kevern, R.N.
KEVERN. (Lieutenant, 1841.)
Richard Charles Kevern, born 20 July, 1811, is son of Retired Commander Rich. Kevern, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 14 April, 1825, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Britannia 120, Capt. Philip Pipon, lying in Hamoaze; and after a servitude of nearly twelve months in the Channel on board the Camelion 10, Capt. Michael Seymour, became Midshipman, in Aug. 1826, of the Windsor Castle 74, Capt. Edw. Durnford King. Removing, in Feb. 1828, to the Blonde 46, Capt. Edm. Lyons, he was for upwards of three years employed in that ship on the Mediterranean station; after which we find him doing duty as Mate, off Lisbon, again in the Mediterranean, as also in the West Indies and in China, on board the Romney troop-ship, Master-Commander Chas. Brown, Thunderer 84, Capt. Wm. Furlong Wise, Crocodile 28, Capt. Jas. Polkinghorne, and Blenheim 72, Capt. Sir Humphrey Le Fleming Senhouse. For his services in the latter ship during the early part of the hostilities with the Chinese he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 8 June, 1841, but he did not receive his commission until the middle of the following Oct., by which period he had further assisted at the capture of Amoy and Chinghae.[2] He then became First of the Larne 18, Capt. Patrick John Blake, with whom he returned home and was paid off in July, 1842. His last appointments were for short periods – 9 Sept. 1844, to the Cruizer 16, Capt. Edw. Gennys Fanshawe, fitting at Chatham – 21 Oct. 1845, as Additional, to the Penelope steam-frigate, Commodore Wm. Jones, on the coast of Africa – and, 3 March, 1846, to the Pantaloon 10, Capts. Edm. Wilson and Henry John Douglas. He came from the West Indies at the commencement of 1847, and has since been on half-pay.
KEY. (Commander, 1845. f-p., 13; h-p., 1.)
Astley Cooper Key entered the Navy 2 Aug. 1833; passed his examination 19 Aug. 1840; and after an intermediate servitude as Mate in the Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Sir Thos. Hastings, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 22 Dec. 1842. His succeeding appointments were, 28 Feb. 1843 and 9 Feb. 1844, to the Curaçoa 24, Capt. Sir Thos. Sabine Pasley, and Gorgon steam-sloop, Capt. Chas. Hotham, both on the South American station. On 20 Nov. 1845 it was his lot to command the Fanny tender, and to be slightly wounded, during the battle of the Parana; on which occasion the combined squadrons of England and France effected the destruction, after a hard day’s fighting, of four heavy batteries belonging to General Rosas at Punta Obligado, also of a schooner-of-war mounting 6 guns, and of 24 vessels chained across the river.[3] He was in consequence promoted to his present rank by commission dated 18 Nov. 1845;[4] and since 3 May, 1847, has been in command of the Bulldog steam-sloop, of 500 horse-power, on the coast of Portugal.
