East Indies in the Hindostan 54, and on his arrival in the following July was placed in acting-command of the Dédaigneuse 36. Owing, however, to ministerial changes at home he was not confirmed to Post-rank until 5 Sept. 1806. In reference to a rencontre, on 21 Nov. 1808, hetween the Dédaigneuse and French 36-gun frigate Semillante, which terminated in the latter effecting her escape into Port Louis, Isle of France, Capt. Proctor, from a feeling of dissatisfaction entertained by the Commander-in-Chief at his conduct, applied for a court-martial. After the fullest investigation, that tribunal declared “that the conduct of Capt. Proctor appeared to have been marked by the greatest activity, zeal, and anxiety for the service; that the manoeuvres of the Dédaigneuse, while in the presence of the enemy, were directed with judgment and skill very honourable to Capt. Proctor; and that the escape of the enemy’s frigate resulted entirely from the bad-sailing of the Dédaigneuse.” Capt. Proctor was of course fully acquitted. He returned home for the recovery of his health in Nov. 1809, and has not been since afloat. He attained Flag-rank 23 Nov. 18il.
Sir Wm. Beauchamp Proctor married, 20 May, 1812, Anne, daughter of Thos. Gregory, Esq., and niece and heir of Thos. Brograve, Esq., of Springfield Place, Essex, by whom he has issue three sons (the eldest, Thomas William Brograve, an officer in the army) and four daughters. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
PROTHEROE. (Lieut., 1826. f-p., 16; h-p., 20.)
Samuel Rosser Protheroe entered the Navy, 22 Sept. 1811, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Swiftsure 74, Capts. Temple Hardy, Jeremiah Coghlan, and Wm. Stewart, stationed in the Mediterranean. In Aug. 1812 he followed Capt. Stewart as Midshipman into the Stately 64, commanded subsequently by Capt. Chas. Philip Butler Bateman, with whom, after having served off Cadiz, he removed, in April, 1813, to the Impétueux 74, attached to the force off Lisbon. In the course of the same year he joined in succession the Eridanus and Ceres frigates, Capts. Henry Prescott and Jas. Prevost, both lying at Chatham, and the Orontes 36, Capt. Nathaniel Day Cochrane, whom he accompanied to the West Indies. He was next, from Feb. 1815 until paid off in Jan. 1817, employed in the East Indies in the Horatio 38, Capt. Wm. Henry Dillon; from March, 1818, until May, 1821, on Home service (as Master’s Mate), in the Ferret and Helicon sloops, each under the orders of Capt. Wm. Pettman; and from Sept. in the latter year until July, 1826, in North America, at Plymouth, and in the West Indies (as Master’s Mate and Admiralty-Midshipman), in the Dotterel 18, Capts. Wm. Hendry and Rich. Hoare, Britannia 120, Capt. Philip Pipon, and Rattlesnake 28, Capt. John Leith. He then (having passed his examination in Feb. 1819) became Acting-Lieutenant of the Beaver 10, Capt. Joseph O’Brien, to which vessel, also on the West India station, he was confirmed 25 Aug. 1826. He returned to England and was paid off in Feb. 1828; but did not succeed in his exertions to procure further employment until Nov. 1846. He has since been in command of the Crocodile 8, receiving-ship at Cork. Agents – Messrs. Chippendale.
PROWSE. (Commander, 1843. f-p., 29; h-p., 11.)
William Prowse entered the Navy, 27 Feb. 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Excellent 74, Capt. John West. In the boats of that ship he assisted as Midshipman, in Nov. 1808, at the defence of Rosas, a citadel at the north-eastern extremity of Spain; and contributed, 29 July, 1809, under a covering fire from the Acorn and Bustard sloops, to the cutting-out, with but trifling loss to the British, of six Italian gun-vessels armed with long 18 and 24-pounders, and each manned with 20 men, together with a convoy of 10 laden trabacolos, lying in the harbour of Duino, near Trieste. Removing, in April, 1810, to the Standard 64, Capts. Aiskew Paffard Hollis and Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming, he served during the next two years and a-half in the Baltic, off the port of Cadiz, and in South America. In the Baltic we find him commanding the Standard’s barge at the capture of a Danish convoy, and, at Cadiz, serving in a boat at the defence of that place. From Dec. 1812 until May, 1814, he was employed in the Channel in the San Josef 110, Capt. Robt. Jackson, and Queen Charlotte 100, flag-ship of Lord Keith; and on 16 Aug. in the latter year, after having acted as Lieutenant in the Reynard 10, Capt. David St, Clair, and in his former ship the Queen Charlotte, he was confirmed in that rank. He served next, for a few months in 1814-15, in the Leveret sloop, Capt. Jonathan Christian, employed in escorting convoy to Lisbon; and was subsequently appointed – 24 Jan. 1824, to the Coast Blockade, in which service he continued as Supemumerary-Lieutenant of the Ramillies 74 and Hyperion 42, Capts. Wm. M‘Culloch and Wm. Jas. Mingaye, until Dec. 1828 – in March, 1829, and March, 1831, to the command of the Tartar and Rose Revenue-vessels – 3 May, 1833, to the charge of a station in the Coast Guard – 25 March, 1837, to the command of the Active, another Revenue-vessel – and, 27 March, 1840, a second time to the Coast Guard. In consideration of his long and faithful services in the Revenue, and of his having been five times severely beaten and wounded in attacks made by large bodies of smugglers, he was advanced to his present rank 11 Jan. 1843. Since 10 May, 1845, he has been serving afresh in the Coast Guard, as an Inspecting Commander.
PROWSE. (Captain, 1841. f-p., 22; h-p., 24.)
William Jones Prowse is son of the late Geo. Bragge Prowse, Esq., Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st Somerset Regt. of Militia.
This officer entered the Navy, 15 Nov. 1801, as Third-cl. Boy, on board the Narcissus 32, Capts. Ross Donnelly and Chas. Malcolm. Under the former he was at first employed in the Mediterranean, and afterwards, as Midshipman, at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope and Buenos Ayres in Jan. and June, 1806. During his passage to the Cape he assisted in taking Le Prudent privateer of 12 guns and 70 men, in re-capturing the English merchant-ship Horatio Nelson mounting 22 guns, and in driving on shore the Napoléon privateer of 32 guns and 250 men. With Capt. Malcolm Mr. Prowse continued actively employed, as Master’s Mate, on the Channel and Lisbon stations undl transferred, in the early part of 1809, to the Captain 74, Capts. Sir Jas. Athol Wood and Christopher John Williams Nesham. Of that ship, after having witnessed the capture, on the West India station, of the French 74 D’Haupoult, he was constituted, 11 July, 1809, an Acting-Lieutenant. He had however, although the intelligence had not reached him, been promoted by the Admiralty on 22 of the preceding May. He left the Captain in Dec. of the same year, and was subsequently appointed – 1 May, 1810, and 15 June, 1812, to the Hamadryad 42 and Briton 46, both commanded by Capt. Thos. Staines, under whom he visited Newfoundland, Lisbon, St. Helena, and the Brazils, and served with activity both on the coasts of France and Spain and in the Pacific until Aug. 1815 – 24 Oct. 1816, to the Conqueror 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Robt. Plampin at St. Helena, where he remained, for the purpose of guarding the person of Napoleon Buonaparte, until the close of 1819 – and, 27 Oct. 1823, as First-Lieutenant (a post he had latterly filled on board the Conqueror), to the Superb 74, in which ship, commanded by Capt., then Sir Thos., Staines, he was for two years employed on the West India and Lisbon stations. Attaining the rank of Commander 27 March, 1826, Capt. Prowse, from 1 Oct. 1827 until June, 1830, served as Second Captain of the Isis 50, also commanded by Sir Thos. Staines, in the Mediterranean, where he aided in destroying several piratical vessels. He has since
