ROBINSON. (Commander, 1844. f-p., 31; h-p., 5.)
William Robinson entered the Navy, 5 Nov. 1811, as a Volunteer, on board the Leopard 50, Capt. Wm. Henry Dillon, under whom he assisted in chasing away the French frigates Arienne and Andromaque, and brig Mamelouck (afterwards destroyed off L’Orient by the Northumberland 74 and Growler gun-brig), when engaging the Endymion 40. Between April, 1812, and Sept. 1814, he was actively employed in the Ganymede 26, Capt. John Brett Purvis, on the east coast of Spain, where he served at the siege of Tarragona, came into repeated conflict with the enemy’s forts and batteries, and contributed to the capture of several privateers. While cruizing off Havre, during the War of a Hundred Days, in the Euryalus 36, Capt. Thos. Huskisson, he again aided, as Midshipman, in making prize of a variety of vessels. After serving for about six months at St. Helena in the Newcastle 60, Capts. Sam. Roberts and Henry Meynell, and for three years in the North Sea in the Nimrod 18, Capts. John Maopherson Ferguson and John Windham Dalling, he was in succession employed as Mate – from 10 Dec. 1819 until 30 Dec. 1825, in the Pelter 10, Lieut.-Commanders Wm. Minchin, Roger Carley Curry, and John Adams, on the coast of North America – from 2 Jan. 1826 until 13 Feb. 1829, in the Spartiate 76, Ocean 80, Victory 100, and Melville 74, Capts. Fred. Warren, John Sykes, Chas. Inglis, and Henry Hill, on the Lisbon and Portsmouth stations – from 13 Feb. 1829 until 20 March, 1834, and from 4 May in the latter year until 21 May, 1836, in the Camelion, Royal George, and Badger Revenue-vessels, Lieut.-Commanders Henry Gladwell Etough, John Hill, Henry Crocker, Wm. Beckett, and Alex. Schank Wight – and from 7 July, 1836, until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 10 Jan. 1837 (more than 17 years after he had passed his examination), in the Salamander steamer, Capts. John M‘Dougall and Sidney Colpoys Dacres, stationed on the north coast of Spain during the civil war. His succeeding appointments were – 12 Jan. 1837 and 27 April, 1838, to the Fly 18, Capt. Russell Elliott, and Stag 46, Commodore Thos. Ball Sulivan, both in South America – and 12 March, 1839, to the command of the Arrow ketch of 10 guns. In the gig belonging to the latter vessel, which was at first employed on the South American and then on the Cape of Good Hope stations, he captured, 9 Aug. 1843, an armed slaver, which had been driven on shore by the Arrow, and had been there set on fire, and had a train laid to her, by her own crew, who, as the British advanced, opened a discharge of musketry upon them. He paid the Arrow off 13 June, 1844; and was advanced to his present rank 16 Dec. following.
ROBSON. (Commander, 1846. f-p., 17; h-p., 22.)
William Robson, born 17 Jan. 1796, is youngest son of the late Rev. Jas. Robson, Vicar of Aycliffe; and brother of the Rev. Jas. Robson, Vicar of Aynderby Steeple, a Magistrate for the North Riding of Yorkshire. Another brother, John, a Lieutenant of the Cornwallis 50, was drowned about the year 1807 in India, in a heavy surf, owing to his zeal in watering that ship. His cousin, William Robson, Master’s Mate of the Spartan, was killed in Sir Jahleel Brenton’s brilliant action with the Franco-Neapolitan squadron in the Bay of Naples, 3 May, 1810.
This officer entered the Navy, in May, 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Polyphemus 64, Capt. Wm. Pryce Cumby, flag-ship for some time of Vice- Admiral Bartholomew Sam. Rowley in the West Indies, where he was present, in April and June, 1809, at the capture of the French 74-gun ship d’Haupoult, and the surrender, after an arduous blockade, of the city of St. Domingo. Towards the close of 1809 he was lent to the Daedalus 32, Capt. Sam. Hood Inglefield; and while subsequently attached, with Capt. Cumby, to the Hyperion 36, he visited, as Master’s Mate, the latitude of Greenland, for the protection of the fisheries, and was for four months frozen up in the harbour of St. John’s, Newfoundland, during the winter of 1812. On leaving the Hyperion he joined, in April, 1815, the Impregnable 104, Capt. Sam. Campbell Rowley, under whom he beheld the surrender of Naples, and continued for a period of seven months. During the next 14 years Mr. Robson (he had passed his examination 1 June, 1814) was employed in the Hon.E.I.Co.’s service. He then, in Nov. 1829, again joined the Navy, and was placed as Mate on board the Echo steamer, Lieut.-Commander Geo. Bissett. In that vessel he served in the Channel and Mediterranean until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 22 July, 1830. His succeeding appointments were – 9 Sept. 1835, for three years, to the Phoenix steam-sloop, Capt. Wm. Honyman Henderson, stationed on the north coast of Spain, where his zeal and exertions as Second and First Lieutenant frequently procured him, in common with others, the thanks of Commodore Lord John Hay – 21 Nov. 1839, to the command of the Flamer steam-vessel, fitting for the West Indies, whence he returned at the close of 1842 – 10 Aug. 1844, to the Victoria and Albert yacht, Capt. Lord Adolphus FitzClarence – 26 Dec. following, to the command of the Nautilus 10, employed in protecting the Channel fisheries – and, 30 June, 1845, a second time to the Victoria and Albert. In the Flamer Mr. Robson conveyed the Right Hon. Sir Chas. FitzRoy, K.H., the new Governor-General of the Leeward Islands, on the first visit paid by him on his arrival to the different islands under bhis command; and on two occasions he conveyed General Maister, the Military Commander-in-Chief, on a tour of inspection to the islands in the Caribbean Sea. On the first occasion he was personally intrusted with the duty of examining and reporting on the nature of the fortifications and naval resources of the French islands. In the Victoria and Albert he accompanied the Queen to Scotland, Antwerp, and Tréport, and on a cruize among the Channel Islands. He continued in the royal yacht until advanced to his present rank 7 Oct. 1846.
In 1814 Commander Robson invented the transparent compass now supplied with the Admiralty charts. A few months prior to his appointment to the Flamer he was offered by the New Zealand Association the command of the ship Tory, then going out with the preliminary expedition for the colonization of those islands – but the Admiralty refused to permit his acceptance of it. He married, 12 Nov. 1828, his cousin Margaret Grey Robson, and was left a widower 15 Aug. 1834.
ROCHE. (Retired Commander, 1841.)
John Roche entered the Navy, 13 Jan. 1797, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Bedford 74, Capt. Sir Thos. Byard; and on 11 of the ensuing Oct. was present, as Midshipman, in the action off Camperdown. In May, 1798, he joined the Foudroyant 80, bearing the flags successively of Lords Nelson and Keith, and commanded, among other Captains, by Sir Edw. Berry, under whom, while at the blockade of Malta, he assisted at the capture, 18 Feb. 1800, of Le Généreux: 74 and Ville de Marseilles armed store-ship, and, 31 March following, after a desperate conflict, in which the Foudroyant (in company at the time with the Lion 64 and Penelope 36) sustained a loss of 8 men killed and 64 wounded, of Le Guillaume Tell of 84 guns and 1000 men, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Decrès. In 1801 he was present, in the same ship, throughout the operations in Egypt. On leaving her he was received, in Oct. 1802, on board the Kent 74, flagship of Sir Rich. Bickerton in the Mediterranean, where, in the ensuing Oct. and in May, 1804, he joined the Weasel sloop, Capt. Wm. D’Urban, and Niger troop-ship, Capt. Jas. Hillyar. From Feb. 1805 until Oct. 1806 he served off Boulogne and on the Cape of Good Hope, Brazilian, and Lisbon stations, as Sub-Lieutenant, in the Defender,
