Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/1007

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ROBINSON.
993

ing the broad pendant of Commodore John Hayes. On 10 Sept. 1831, being at the time detached in the Fair Rosamond tender, Lieut.-Commander Henry Vere Huntley, armed with 1 gun and having only 21 effective men on board, he was afforded an opportunity of assisting at the very gallant capture of the Regulo and Rapido slavers, carrying between them 13 guns and 140 men. For his conduct in that affair he was promoted by the Commodore, on a death vacancy occurring, to the rank of Lieutenant, and placed in charge of the Fair Rosamond. In about a year afterwards he returned to England in that vessel and paid her off; but to his mortification he was not confirmed. In Dec. 1832 he joined the Griffon brigantine, Lieut.-Commander Jas. Edw. Parlby, for the purpose of again proceeding to the coast of Africa. Before that vessel however had sailed he was received on board the Vernon 50, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Cockburn, Commander-in-Chief on the North America and West India station, where he was by him promoted, 30 April, 1834, into the Dispatch 16, Capt. Geo. Daniell. His next appointments were – 13 Aug. 1835, to the Forte 44, Capt. Watkin Owen Fell, and, 24 March, 1836, to the command of the Skipjack schooner, both in the West Indies, whence he came home in the summer of 1839 – 2 Oct. 1841, to the Queen 110, fitting for the flag of the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, Sir Edw. W. C. R. Owen, to whom he became Flag-Lieutenant 10 March following – and, in May, 1842, to the acting-command of the Devastation steamer. In the latter vessel he continued until a few weeks after his official promotion to the rank of Commander, which took place 5 Sept. 1843. On the occasion, during that period, of an earthquake and hurricane, he had on board Sir Stratford Canning and suite, two Persian Princes and a Princess, together with others from the different embassies at Constantinople – in all about 60 persons. Towards the close of 1843, having removed to the Orestes 18, he was sent by Sir Stratford to settle a dispute with the Pacha of the island of Lemnos, accompanied by a nephew of the Consul at the Dardanells as interpreter. When matters, as he conceived, had been placed upon a proper footing. Commander Robinson took his departure, leaving the latter to arrange the details. As soon as the Turks imagined that the Orestes had quitted the island they attacked the interpreter, threatened to bastinado him, and forthwith turned him out of the town. Thus insulted, the Consul’s nephew made the best of his way along a mountainous road of nine miles to the beach, where he contrived to communicate with the British sloop. Landing immediately with 100 men as a guard, Commander Robinson marched with him back, and, surrounding the Pacha’s palace before his Highness was aware of his approach, compelled him to summon his divan, hold an open court, and make a public and ample apology as well for the indignities he had offered the interpreter as for offensive observations he had permitted to be made in regard to the Queen of England. For his conduct on this occasion he had the gratification of receiving the approval of his Admiral, of Sir S. Canning, and of the Foreign Office. His last appointments were – in Jan. 1844, pro tem., to the Belvidera 38, in the Mediterranean – and, in the following April, to the Second-Captaincy of the Caledonia 120, Capt. Alex. Milne. He was in the latter ship when she was fitted out in four-and-twenty hours on the eve of a voyage to Tangier, and received for her alacrity the thanks of the Admiralty. He has been on half-pay since April, 1845.

Commander Robinson married, at Campobello, New Brunswick, 9 July, 1839, Cornelia, second daughter of Rear-Admiral Wm. Fitzwilliam Owen, and niece of Admiral Sir Edw. W. C. H. Owen, G.C.B., G.C.H. Agent-J. Hinxman.



ROBINSON. (Lieutenant, 1826.)

Joseph Robinson (b) entered the Navy 25 April, 1812; passed his examination in 1820; and obtained his commission 13 Feb. 1826. From 3 May, 1830, until 1834, and again from 2 July, 1840, until Oct. 8144, he commanded; a station in the Coast Guard; he then served for nearly 12 months as Admiralty Agent on board a contract mail steam-vessel; and since 8 Jan. 1847 he has been afresh employed in the Coast Guard.



ROBINSON. (Commander, 1837. f-p., 19; h-p., 24.)

Louis Augustus Robinson, born at Sherburn, in Yorkshire, is son of Dr. Robinson.

This officer entered the Navy, 10 April, 1804, as Midshipman, on board the Courageux 74, Capts. Chas. Boyles, Rich. Lee, and Jas. Bissett. Under Capt. Lee he fought in Sir Rich. Strachan’s action 4 Nov. 1805 (previously to which he had escorted a convoy to St. Helena), and shared in the celebrated pursuit after Jerome Buonaparte. He was also present at the capture, 13 March, 1806, of the Marengo 80, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Linois, and 40- gun frigate Belle Poule. In May, 1808, he became Master’s Mate of the Alaart 18, Capt. Jas. Tilliard, stationed in the Baltic; where, in a prize belonging to that vessel, he succeeded, in July, 1809, in beating off one, and capturing the other, of two armed boats, by whom he had been simultaneously attacked. When in charge, 9 Aug. ensuing, of a second prize, carrying but 7 men, with small-arms, he gallantly repelled three attempts made to board him by a Danish privateer lugger, mounting 4 guns, with a crew of 40 men, 9 of whom were killed and 11 wounded; and while acting, in the course of the same year, as Lieutenant of the Sheldrake 16, he served in the boats of that sloop in an attack upon several vessels lying under the protection of a battery on the coast of Jutland. One of these was brought out, and the remainder compelled to slip and run on shore, with a loss to the British of a Lieutenant, Watson, and 3 men killed. After serving for some months, again as Midshipman, in the Owen Glendower 36, Capt. Wm. Selby, and Monarch 74, commanded by his former Captain, Lee, he sailed, towards the close of 1810, for the East Indies, in the Malacca 36, Capt. Wm. Butterfield, Becoming, in the summer of 1811, Acting-Lieutenant of the Leda 36, Capt. Geo. Sayer, he assisted on shore in that capacity at the reduction of the island of Java. He was confirmed a Lieutenant 7 Feb. 1812; and was subsequently appointed – 18 Aug. 1812, for a passage home, to the Modeste 36, Capt. Jas. Coutts Crawford – 9 June, 1813, after three months of half-pay, to the Drake 10, Capt. Gregory Grant, under whom he served in the North Sea and West Indies, and partook, 15 Feb. 1815, of two actions with the American brig Chasseur – 25 May, 1815, to the Warrior 74, Capt. John Tremayne Rodd, in which ship he returned home from the West Indies in the ensuing Sept. – 9 Sept. 1818, as First-Lieutenant, to the Mersey 26, Capt. Edw. Collier, fitting for the North American station, where he remained for three years – 11 March, 1823, to the Superb 78, Capts. Adam M‘Kenzie and Sir Thos. Staines, employed, until Nov. 1825, in the West Indies and off Lisbon – and 3 April, 1834, to the command of the Viper brigantine of 6 guns. In the latter vessel he served on the coasts of Portugal and Spain until two months after his promotion to the rank of Commander 10 Jan. 1837. He has since been on half-pay.

For injuries sustained so early as the year 1806, Commander Robinson was awarded a pension 15 Aug. 1844. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Clayton, Esq., of Keppy, co. York. Agent J. Hinxman.



ROBINSON. (Commander, 1838. f-p., 22; h-p., 8.)

Richard Robinson was born in June, 1804, and died 11 Jan. 1848, in Dublin.

This officer entered the Navy, 23 Nov. 1817, as Midshipman, on. board the Favorite 26, Capt. Hercules Robinson, employed at St. Helena and in