Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/1002

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ROBERTSON—ROBILLIARD.

Mate of the Immortalité he was in frequent action with the enemy’s flotillas along the Dutch and French coasts. On 31 of the month last mentioned he became Acting-Lieutenant of the Tigre 74, Capt. Benj. Hallowell. While in that ship, to which he was confirmed 26 Jan. 1805, he went with Nelson to the West Indies in pursuit of the combined squadrons of France and Spain, and, joining in the operations of 1807 in Egypt, served on shore with a brigade of seamen, and was wounded, in the attack bn Rosetta. Being next, 19 March, 1808, appointed to the Belle Poule 38, Capt. Jas. Brisbane, he assisted, 15 Feb. 1809, at the capture of Le Var of 26 guns, laden with corn for the relief of the French garrison at Corfu; and was present, in 1809-10, at the capture of the islands of Zante, Cephalonia, and Sta. Maura. He invalided from the Belle Poule in June, 1810; and, after serving for upwards of two years in the Channel in the San Josef 110, Queen Charlotte 100, and Ville de Paris 110, flagships of Lord Keith, was promoted to the rank of Commander 9 Dec. 1816. From 24 June, 1834, until Aug. 1837, he was employed in the Ordinary at Plymouth – the last 12 months with his name on the books of the San Josef. He attained his present rank 28 June, 1838, and has since been on half-pay.



ROBERTSON. (Commander, 1847.)

Richard Murdoch Robertson entered the Navy 7 Dec. 1823; passed his examination in 1830; and obtained his first commission 28 June, 1838. His succeeding appointments were – 4 Aug. 1838, to the Orestes 18, Capt. Peter Sampson Hambly, fitting for South America – 25 Sept. 1839, to the Stag 46, Commodore Thos. Ball Sulivan, on the Brazilian and Cape station – 28 Aug. 1841, to the Formidable 84, Capts. Sir Edw. Thos. Troubridge and Sir Chas. Sullivan, employed in the Mediterranean and off Lisbon – 23 April, 1844, to the Queen 110, also commanded by Sir C. Sullivan, with whom, in the course of the same year, he returned from the Mediterranean – and, 7 Nov. 1845, to the St. Vincent 120, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Ogle at Portsmouth, where he continued, latterly in the capacity of First-Lieutenant, until promoted to the rank of Commander 5 June, 1847. Agents – Messrs. Chard.



ROBERTSON. (Lieutenant, 1840.)

Robert Robertson entered the Navy 26 Oct. 1826; passed his examination in 1833; and obtained his commission 1 Aug. 1840. His appointments have since been – 31 Oct. 1840 and 17 Sept. 1841, to the Indus 78 and Vesuvius steam-sloop, Capts. Sir Jas. Stirling and Erasmus Ommanney, both in the Mediterranean – 18 Dec. 1844, as First, to the Rattler screw steamer, Capt. Henry Smith, with whom he served for nearly 12 months on the Home station – 12 June, 1846, in a similar capacity, to the Porcupine steam surveying-vessel, Capt. Fred. Bullock employed in the river Thames – and, 30 Aug. and 31 Oct. 1847, as Additional (for surveying-service), to the William and Mary yacht and Fisgard 42, bearing each the broad pendant of Sir Jas. John Gordon Bremer at Woolwich. Agents – Holmes and Folkard.



ROBERTSON. (Capt., 1837. f-p., 24; h-p., 20.)

William Robertson entered the Navy, 9 June, 1803, as Midshipman, on board the Defence 74, Capt. Geo. Hope. After serving in the North Sea and sharing in the glories of Trafalgar he removed, in Dec. 1805, to the Fame 74, Capts. Graham Moore and Rich. Henry Alex. Bennett, attached to the force in the Channel, where, in June, 1807, he rejoined Capt. Hope, as Master’s Mate, on board the Theseus 74. In the following Nov., having previously, in the Spencer 74, Capt. Hon. Robt. Stopford, accompanied the expedition against Copenhagen, he was taken prisoner. Escaping in May, 1809, he joined, 15 Aug. in that year, the Victory 100, flag-ship in the Baltic of Sir Jas. Saumarez, by whom he was nominated, 20 Sept. ensuing, Acting-Lieutenant of the Dictator 64, Capt. Rich. Harrison Pearson. He was confirmed a Lieutenant 26 Feb. 1810; and was subsequently appointed – 1 March, 1810, to the Lynx sloop, Capts. John Willoughby Marshall and Thos. Percival, in the Baltic – 30 Aug. 1811, to the Sarpedon 10, Capts. Jas. Green and Thos. Parker, on the Leith station – 7 Oct. 1812, to the Fortunée 36, Capts. Geo. Fras. Seymour, Hon. Fred. Wm. Aylmer, and Wm. Goate, on the coast of Ireland – 4 March, 1814, to the Erne 20, commanded by the late Lord Napier, with whom he served on the North American and West India stations until Sept. 1815 – 14 Jan. 1818, to the Isabella sloop, Capt. John Boss, in which vessel he was employed, until paid off in the next Dec, in exploring Baffin Bay and in inquiring into the probability of effecting a north-west passage to China – 1 May, 1820, 2 Dec. 1821, and 6 May, 1824, to the Conway 26, Créole 42, and Diamond 46, Capts. Basil Hall, Hon. Fred. Spencer, and Lord Napier, all on the South American station, where, in the Conway and Diamond, he filled the post of First-Lieutenant – and, 5 Dec. 1826, to the Galatea 42, as Flag-Lieutenant to Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy, under whom he escorted to Lisbon a body of troops intended as a reinforcement to the Portuguese Constitutionalists, and took part in an experimental cruize. Attaining the rank of Commander 12 Nov. 1827, he served in that capacity, in the Snake 16, on the North Sea and South American stations, from 30 April, 1832, until the spring of 1835; and in the Castor 36, Capt. Lord John Hay, on the north coast of Spain, from 14 May, 1836, until advanced to his present rank 10 Jan. 1837. He has not been since afloat.

Capt. Robertson married, in 1838, Elizabeth, daughter of the late H. Pater, Esq., of Bristol. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.



ROBILLIARD. (Lieut., 1835. f-p.,21; h-p., 12.)

John Robilliard, born 5 Nov. 1800, is son of the late Nicholas Robilliard, Esq., Jurat of the Court of Alderney; and is a relative of Commander Nicholas Robilliard, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 29 Aug. 1814, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Tay 20, Capt. Wm. Robilliard, stationed in the Channel. Removing, in Feb. 1815, to the Malta 84, Capts. Wm. Chas. Fahie and Thos. Boys, he witnessed in that ship the surrender of Naples, and co-operated in the boats with the Austrian troops under Baron Laner at the siege of Gaeta. After serving for nearly three years with Capt. Boys in the Ramillies 74, on the North Sea station, part of the time in the capacity of Midshipman, he joined, in Dec. 1818, the Dauntless 24, Capts. Hon. Valentine Gardner, John Campbell, and Geo. Cornish Gambier, and sailed for the East Indies, whence, in 1821, he returned to England with General Sir Thos. Hislop as a passed Midshipman in the Alligator 28, Capt. Jas. Wilkie, then recently launched. He was next, from April, 1824, until Aug. 1827, employed in the West Indies on board the Primrose 18, Capts. John Stoddart, Geo. Vernon Jackson, and Octavius Vernon Harcourt – the last two years as Acting-Master, a rank to which he had been advanced, in consequence of a death vacancy, by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Lawrence Wm. Halsted. Not wishing to continue in the line of Master, he joined as Mate (shortly after the Primrose had been paid off) the Revenge 76, Capts. Norborne Thompson and Hon. Chas. Orlando Bridgeman. In that ship he served in the Mediterranean until transferred, as Admiralty Mate, in Oct. 1830, to the St. Vincent 120, Capt. Hyde Parker, under whom, on being turned over to the Asia 84, we find him stationed at first on the coast of Holland during the Dutch embargo, and next, until July, 1834, under the flag of the present Sir Wm. Parker off Lisbon during the hostilities between Pedro and Miguel. He served subsequently, from Sept. 1834 until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 9 July, 1835, at Plymouth, in the San Josef 110, Capt. Gordon Thos. Falcon; and, from 12 Aug.