Admirals Hon. A. K. Legge and Sir John Gore,[1] to the latter of whom he became First-Lieutenant – in the course of 1815, after seven mouths of half-pay, to the Leviathan 74, Capt. Thos. Briggs, Alcmène 38, Capt. Jeremiah Coghlan, and Boyne 98, flag-ship of Lord Exmouth, all in the Mediterranean – and 3 July, 1816, to the Queen Charlotte 100. For his conduct as First-Lieutenant of that ship, which also bore the flag of Lord Exmouth, at the bombardment of Algiers, where, in the Queen Charlotte’s barge, he boarded and in 10 minutes set fire to a frigate,[2] he was promoted to the rank of Commander 16 Sept. 1816. On 20 Oct. 1826 Capt. Richards obtained command of the Pelorus 18, in which vessel he continued on the Mediterranean station until advanced to Post-rank 17 Sept. 1828. His appointments have since been – 19 Dec. 1831, to the Asia 84, bearing the flag of the present Sir Wm. Parker off Lisbon, whence he returned in the summer of 1834 – 1 Nov. 1835, for nearly two years, to the Volage 28, in the Mediterranean and – 5 April, 1841, and 27 Feb. 1845, to the Cornwallis 72 and Hibernia 104, flag-ships of Sir Wm. Parker, with whom he is now serving in the Mediterranean. While in the Cornwallis, which ship was paid off at the close of 1844, Capt. Richards bore a distinguished part during the operations on the coast of China, where he served on shore in the attack on the enemy’s entrenched camp on the heights of Segaon,[3] and at the taking of Chapoo,[4] Woosung,[5] Shanghae, and Chin-Kiang-Foo[6] As a reward for the admirable gallantry, spirit, and judgment he had throughout displayed, he was nominated a C.B. 24 Dec. 1842. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
RICHARDS. (Lieut., 1815. r-p. 10; h-p., 32.)
William Richards entered the Navy, 9 April, 1805, as Sec.-cl. Boy, on board the Zealous 74, Capts. John Okes Hardy, John Giffard, Wm. Pierrepont, Thos. Boys, and Jas. Anderson. Continuing in that ship until 1814, he assisted, as Midshipman, in blockading the French and Spanish squadrons at Cadiz, was at Gibraltar when the fleet came in after the battle of Trafalgar, served in a gun-boat against the French on the coast of Spain, escorted the Russian fleet to England after the Convention of Cintra, aided in embarking the remains of General Moore’s army at Corunna, commanded a telegraph in a redoubt on the lines of Torres Vedras, and was engaged in affording protection to the trade in the Baltic. From Oct. 1814 until May, 1815, he served in the Chatham 74, Capt. David Lloyd, and cruized during that period among the Western Islands in pursuit of three American frigates. Since the date last mentioned he has been on half-pay. His commission bears date 7 Feb. 1815.
RICHARDSON, K.C.B. (Vice-Admiral of the White, 1847. f-p., 30; h-p., 30.)
Sir Charles Richardson entered the Navy, 23 Nov. 1787, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Vestal 28, Capt. Rich. John Strachan. He shortly afterwards proceeded on an embassy to China, and, on removing with Sir Richard to the Phoenix 36, was present, 19 Nov. 1791, while cruizing off the Malabar coast in company with the Perseverance frigate, in an obstinate engagement (produced by a resistance on the part of the French Captain to a search being imposed by the British upon two merchant- vessels under his orders) with La Résolue of 46 guns, whose colours were not struck until she had herself sustained a loss of 25 men killed and 40 wounded, and had occasioned one to the Phoenix of 6 killed and 11 wounded. While on the East India station Mr. Richardson was for several months employed in the boats in co-operating, up different rivers, with the army under Sir Robt. Abercrombie in its operations against Tippoo Saib. On his return to England in 1793 he joined (he had previously attained the ratings of Midshipman and Master’s Mate) the Alexander 74, Capt. West, attached to the Channel fleet; and on 4 Aug. 1794, after having fought in the Royal George 100, flagship of Sir Alex. Hood, in Lord Howe’s actions of 29 May and 1 June, he was made Lieutenant into the Circe 28, Capt. Peter Halkett. Of that frigate he was First-Lieutenant during the great mutiny at the Nore; where his exertions in preventing the crew from acquiring the ascendancy gained him, in common with his Captain and the other officers of the ship, the thanks of the Admiralty. The Circe forming one of Lord Duncan’s repeaters in the action off Camperdown 11 Oct. 1797, Lieut. Richardson on that occasion achieved an important exploit. Fearing lest the Dutch Admiral, De Winter, after his own ship had been dismasted and silenced, should effect his escape on board some other, he volunteered to go in an open boat and take him out. Succeeding in his object he had the honour of presenting him in person to the British Commander-in-Chief; who in consequence received him on promotion in Jan. 1798 on board his flagship the Venerable 74, and made him, 6 March following, his Signal-Lieutenant in the Kent 74, Capt. Wm. Johnstone Hope. In the following year, being sent with the expedition to Holland, Lieut. Richardson commanded a division of seamen attached to the army under Sir Ralph Abercromby from the period of the debarkation near the Helder until the surrender of the Dutch squadron under Admiral Storey. He was then ordered home in charge of a Dutch 68-gun ship. Some time after he had rejoined the Kent he sailed with Sir Ralph Abercromby for Egypt, where he assisted in landing the troops and fought in the battle of 8 March, 1801. In the course of the same month he removed to the Penelope 36, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood; and on 12 July, 1802, having previously conveyed Sir Alex. John Ball to Malta, he was nominated Acting-Commander of the Aligator 28, armée en flûte. While in that ship, to which he was confirmed 9 Oct. 1802, Capt. Richardson directed the movements of the flotilla employed at the reduction of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice in 1803, and was highly spoken of in the public despatches for his exertions at the taking of Surinam in the spring of 1804.[7] On 6 July in that year he was in consequence invested by Sir Samuel Hood with the command of the Centaur 74, the ship bearing his broad pendant, an act which the Admiralty confirmed 27 Sept. ensuing. He returned to England in March, 1805; and was subsequently appointed – 11 Jan. 1806, to the Caesar 80 – 21 April, 1810, to the Semiramis 36, in which frigate, employed in the Channel, off Lisbon, and at the Cape of Good Hope, he continued until Aug. 1814 – 29 July, 1819, and 29 July, 1821, to the Leander 60, bearing the flag of Hon. Sir H. Blackwood, and Topaze 46, both on the East India station – and, in 1822, again to the Leander, from which ship he invalided 14 Oct. in the same year. In the Caesar Capt. Richardson went in pursuit, under the flag of Sir Rich. Strachan, of a squadron which had escaped from Brest, was employed off Rochefort, and proceeded to the Mediterranean in quest of another French squadron under Rear-Admiral Allemand. He assisted in the same ship under Rear-Admiral Stopford at the destruction of three French frigates beneath the batteries of Sable d’Olonne, and of the enemy’s squadron in Aix Roads, in Feb. and April 1809; and in the following July sailed, again under Sir Rich. Strachan, with the expedition to the Scheldt. On the town of Camvere offering to sur-
- ↑ On the night of 8 Nov. 1813, having handsomely volunteered his services, Mr. Richards took command of the boats of the Revenge, and succeeded, without a single casualty, in bringing out from the harbour of Polamos [errata 1] a felucca privateer carrying 49 men, 20 of whom jumped overboard and effected their escape. – Vide Gaz. 1814, p 124.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1816, p. 1791.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1842, pp. 2386, 2389, 2390.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1842, pp. 3692-3.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 3399.
- ↑ At Chin-Kiang-Foo Capt. Richards landed at the head of 200 marines, and was wounded. – Vide Gaz. 1842. pp. 3389, 3403.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1804, pp. 755, 761.
