Page:Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage.djvu/696

KNIGHTAGE. and of City of Hamburg, a special gold j medal by the King of Wurtemberg, the | Albert gold medal, and a large gold medal j by Napoleon III. ; in 1867 was offered the ] Grand Cross of Legion of Honour, and j created a Knight Com. of Order of Francis Joseph of Austria ; is a member of Iron Board of Sweden, and of Institute of Civil Engineers, and a F.R.S. ; was Pres. of Iron and Steel Institute 1871 and 1872 ; has received from Institute of Civil Engineers the Howard Quinquennial prize (gold cup) ; has been made a Member of So. of Mechanical Engineers of America, ! where the cities of Bessemer Alabama and Bessemer Michigan have been so j named in recognition of the value of his steel invention : in. 1833, Ann, da. of I Richard Allen, Esq. ; cr. K.B. 1879. | if>-,,]Denmark Hill, Camberwell, S.E. BESTEL, Sir Nicolas Gustave, son of j the late Mons. Antoine Bestel, French ' advocate, a large landed proprietor, and a member of Council ofGovt. of Mauritius ; i b. 1802 ; ed. at Roy. Coll., Mauritius, at London, and Paris (Bachelor of Law of Univ. of France 1827, and Licentiate 1828) ; was 3rd Judge of the old Cour I d'Appel [now Supreme Court], Mauritius | 1832-3, and Vice-Pres. thereof in 1833 ; Bar. Middle Temple 1841 ; practised at Colonial Bar 1842-3 ; was .substitute to Procurator-Gen. 1843-54, being 1848-9 Acting Pres. of Court of First Instance ; was acting Senior District Magistrate at Port Louis in 1854, and Senior District Magistrate there 1854-5, Acting 2nd Puisne Judge 1855-7, 2nd Puisne Judge of Su- preme Court 1857-8, ist Puisne Judge j 1858-79, and acting Ch. Justice in 1879, i when he resigned : m. 1864, Marie Rosine j Delie, da. of Mons. Francois Bestel, jun., a large landed proprietor of sugar estates ; j cr. K.B. 1880. Belmaison, Curepipc, Mauritius. BIDDULPH, Gen. Sir Michael Anthony Shrapnel, K.C.B., son of the late Rev. Thomas Shrapnel Biddulph, of Amroth Castle, Pembroke; b. 1825; entered R. A. 1844, became Major 1854, Lt.-Col. 1856, Col. 1874, Maj.-Gen. 1879, Lieut.-Gen. 1881, Col. Comdt. 1885, and Gen. 1886 ; retired 1890 ; served in Crimean Cam- paign 1854-5 (medal with four clasps, Legion of Honour, 5th Class Medjidie, and Turkish medal) ; was D.A.G. of Artillery in India 1868-71, Brig. -Gen. in command of Sialkot Brig. 1874, and in command of Rohilkund district 1876 ; served in Afghan Campaign, 1878-9, in command of Quetta Field Force ; appointed a Groom-in-Wait- ing to H.M. 1879 ; commanded a Div. of Bengal Army, 1881-6, and was Pres. of Ordnance Committee 1886-9 ; appointed Keeper of the Crown Jewels 1891 : m. 1857, Katharine, da. of Capt. Stamati, Comdt. of Balaklava ; cr. K.C.B. 1879. St. Thomas s Tower, Tower of London, E.G. ; Junior United Service Club. BIDDULPH, Lieut.-Gen. Sir Robert, G.C.M.G., C.B., son of the late Robert Biddulph, Esq., M.P. of Ledbury ; b. 1835 ; entered R.A. 1853, became Major 1861, Lieut.-Col. 1864, Col. 1872, Maj.- Gen. 1883, and Lieut, -Gen. 1887 ; served in Crimean Campaign 1854-5 (medal with three clasps, Turkish medal, and 5th class Medjidie), in Indian Mutiny Campaign 1857-8 (medal with clasp, and several times mentioned in despatches), as Mil. Sec. in expedition to China 1860 (medal with two clasps) ; was Mil. Sec. at Madras 1861-5, Assist. Boundary Commr. under Parlia- mentary Reform Act of 1867, D. A.Q.M.G. at Woolwich 1868-71, Private Sec. to Sec. of State for War 1871-3, A.A.G. at War Office 1873-8, H. M.'s Commr. at Con- stantinople in 1879 for arranging financial details of Anglo-Turkish Convention of June 4th, 1878, High Commr. at Cyprus 1879-86, Inspector-Gen, of Recruiting at Head Quarters 1886-7, Q.M.G. to the forces June to October 1887, and again Inspector-Gen, of Recruiting 1887-8, since whenhe has beenDirector-Gen. of Mil. Edu- cation : in. 1864, Sophia, da. of the Rev. Anthony Lewis Lambert, R. of Chilbolton, and widow of Richard Stuart Palmer, Esq., of Calcutta; cr. C.B. 1877, K.C.M.G. 1880, G.C.M.G. 1886. 82, Corn-wall Gar- dens, S. W. ; United Service Club. youngest son of the late Rev. W. H. Rous-Birch, of Reydon Bedfield, and Southwold, Suffolk ; b. 18 ; entered Colonial Office 1855 ; was successively Priv. Sec. to Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Bart., and Mr. Chichester- Fortescue (Secretaries of State for the Colonies) 1859-64 ; appointed Colonial Sec. of British Colombia 1864 ; and administered Govt. of that Colony 1866-7 ; resumed duties in Colonial Office as Assist. Senior Clerk 1867 ; was Lieut. -Gov. of Penang 1871-2, Colonial Sec. and Lieut. -Gov. of Ceylon 1872-8, and Executive Commr. for Ceylon at Colonial and Indian Exhibition 1886 ; is Agent to Bank of England, W. Branch, Burlington Gardens, and a J.P. for Northamptonshire: m. 1873, Josephine, el. da. of the late Jesse David Watts Russell, Esq., M.P., of Ham, Derby, and Biggin Hall, Northampton ; cr. C.M.G. 1876, K.C.M.G. 1886. i, Old Burlington Street, W. ; St. James's Club. BIRDWOOD, Sir George Christopher Molesworth, K.C.I.E., C.S.I., M.D., LL.D., el. son of the late Gen. Christopher Birdwood, of the Indian Army ; b. 1832 ; ed. at Plymouth New Gram. Sen., and at Edinburgh Univ. ; M.D. 1854, Hon. LL.D. Camb. 1886 ; entered Bombay Medical Staff 1854 ; served in Persian Campaign 1856-7 (medal with clasp); was sometime professor of Anatomy and Physiology, and of Botany and Materia Medica in Grant Coll., Bom- bay, Curator of Govt. Central Museum, Bombay, Hon. Sec. to Roy. Asiatic So. of Bombay and of Agri. Horticultural