ments after he left the Hunter (in which vessel and her boats he appears to have been actively engaged in the suppression of smuggling on the coast of Cornwall) were – 2 June, 1802, to the Neptune 98, Capts. Fras. Wm. Austen and Wm. O’Brien Drury, stationed in the Channel – 2 Oct. 1804 (having left the Neptune in the preceding April), to the Montagu 74, Capt. Robt. Waller Otway, on the north coast of Spain, where he served for about three months – 26 June, 1805, to the Prince George 98, Capt. Geo. Losack, whom he accompanied to the West Indies – 25 May, 1808, after eight months of half-pay, to the Combatant 18, Capts. Thos. Fenwick and Wm. Mather, employed in the river Weser and off Heligoland, where he had charge of four gun-boats – 16 Jan. and 4 March, 1809, to the Merope 16 and Monmouth 64, in the latter of which ships (they were both commanded by Capt. Michael Dodd) he united in the operations connected with the Walcheren expedition – in Oct. 1810, for nine months (he had quitted the Monmouth in the previous June), to the Tisiphone 20, Capt. Wm. Love, stationed as a guard-ship in the Needles Passage – 14 Nov. 1812, to the Fox 32, Capt. Wm. Paterson, attached to the force on the coasts of Spain and America – and, in June, 1813, to the command of the Bostock hired armed ship. While cruizing in the Channel in command of a tender belonging to the Tisiphone, he captured a French privateer of superior force. The Bostock, in which vessel he remained until April, 1814, was at first employed as hospital-ship to the fleet in the Chesapeake, and afterwards as a cartel between Halifax and Salem Bay and Boston. In 1828 Mr. Smith was appointed to the Ordinary at Greenhithe, but being unfortunately arrested for debt it was not in his power to avail himself of it. He accepted the rank of Commander on the Retired List 30 Dec. 1831.
He married first in 1808, and, his wife dying 7 May, 1832, a second time, in 1834. He was again left a widower 1 Oct. 1842.
SMITH. (Retired Commander, 1847. f-p., 13; h-p., 35.)
William Henry Smith is son of the late Mr. Smith, Master R.N., who lost the two first fingers of his right hand in Rodney’s action, 12 April, 1782, and died, while serving in the West Indies in the Europa 50, of yellow fever, brought on by over-exertion in saving portions of a wreck.
This officer entered the Navy, 9 March, 1799, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Romney 50, Capt. John Lawford, in which ship he accompanied the ensuing expedition to Holland and witnessed the surrender of the Dutch squadron under Rear-Admiral Storey. Being discharged from the Romney in Nov. of the same year, he next, for a few months in 1800, served at Plymouth in the Raven sloop, Capt. Ferris; and from April, 1801, until Jan. 1805, in the Vanguard 74, Capts. Sir Thos. Williams, Chas. Inglis, Jas. Walker, Lord Wm. FitzRoy, and Andrew Fitzherbert Evans. In 1803 he assisted at the capture, among other vessels, of Le Duquesne 74 and La Créole of 44 guns, with the French General Morgan and 530 troops on board. He was also present at the surrender of the town of St. Marc, St. Domingo; the garrison of which place, amounting to 1100 men, were brought off by the Vanguard and her prizes to rescue them from the vengeance of the black General Dessalines. In the course of 1805-6 Mr. Smith joined in succession, on the Jamaica, Home, and Mediterranean stations, the Fairy sloop, Capt. Geo. Adey Creyke, Triumph 74, Capt. Henry Inman, Sampson 64, Capt. Wm. Cuming, and Repulse 74, Capt. Hon. Arthur Kaye Legge. In the latter ship he passed the Dardanells with Sir John Duckworth in Feb. 1807, and assisted at the destruction of the Turkish squadron off Point Posquies. Being made Lieutenant, 8 Feb. 1809, into the Snap 16, Capts. Jas. Pattison Stewart and Thos. Barclay, he co-operated in that vessel in the reduction of the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and St. Martin’s. He invalided home from the West Indies in April, 1810, and was subsequently appointed – 30 Oct. 1810, to the Standard 64, Capts. Aiskew Paffard Hollis, Joshua Sydney Horton, and Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming – 28 Sept. 1812, after three months of half-pay, to the Lavinia 40, Capt. Geo. Digby, stationed at Gibraltar – and, 31 March, 1813, to the Warspite 74, Capts. Hon. Henry Blackwood and Lord Jas. O’Bryen. In the Standard, prior to making a voyage to the port of Lima, in South America, he served at the defence of Cadiz, and aided in destroying the fort at St. Mary’s. While attached to the Warspite he assisted in capturing a variety of vessels protected by the enemy’s batteries in Basque Roads; where, on 29 May, 1813, he was the first person, out of six boats, that boarded the American letter-of-marque Flash, of 2 long 9-pounders, 14 swivels, and 20 men. He left the Warspite in April, 1814, and accepted his present rank 9 April, 1847.
Although wounded in the Snap by a stiletto while engaged on Impress service, Lieut. Smith never received the least compensation.
SMITH. (Lieutenant, 1841.)
William Richard Smith is brother of Lieut. A. J. Smith, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy 21 March, 1827; passed his examination 18 Dec. 1833; and on the paying off of the Seringapatam 42, in which frigate he had been serving as Mate with Capt. John Leith on the North America and West India station, was promoted, 3 Nov. 1841, to the rank of Lieutenant. His appointments have since been – 31 Dec. 1841, to the Carysfort 26, Capt. Lord Geo. Paulet, fitting for the Pacific, whence he returned in June, 1845 – 2 Dec. in the latter year, as First, to the Endymion 44, Capts. Geo. Robt. Lambert, Geo. Wm. Conway Courtenay, and Hon. Geo. Fowler Hastings; under whom he was again, for two years, employed on the North America and West India station – and, 28 Jan. 1848, in a similar capacity, to the Blenheim of 450 horse-power, steam guard-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Horatio Thos. Austin. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
SMITH. (Retired Captain, 1840. f-p., 18; h-p., 36.)
William Robert Smith entered the Navy, 1 July, 1793, as A.B., on board the Concorde 36, Capts. Thos. Wells and Sir Rich. John Strachan. After serving with both those officers as Midshipman in the Melampus 36, stationed, as had been the Concorde, in the Channel, he joined, in 1795, the Defence 74, commanded at first by Capt. Wells and next by Capts. Wm. Brown and Joseph Peyton, off the port of Cadiz and in the Mediterranean, where he fought at the battle of the Nile 1 Aug. 1798. He was then nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Tonnant 80, Capt. Robt. Lewis Fitzgerald; was confirmed, 14 Aug. 1799, into the Fairy sloop, Capt. Joshua Sydney Horton; and was subsequently, from Aug. 1800 until Sept. 1809, employed, on the West India and Home stations, in the Heureux 24, Capt. Loftus Otway Bland, Argo 44, Commodore Hon. Robt. Stopford, Euryalus 36, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood, Argo again, Capt. Geo. Parker, Melampus 36, Capt. Stephen Poyntz, Cambrian 40 and Hero 74, both commanded by Capt. John Poo Beresford, and Theseus 74, Capts. J. P. Beresford, Thos. Briggs, and Chas. Jones. On 6 Feb. 1800 he was present in the Fairy as First-Lieutenant, and in company with the Loire 38, Danaé 20, Harpy 18, and Railleur 1 6, at the capture of the Pallas of 46 guns and 362 men, with which frigate the Fairy and Harpy had previously sustained a very warm and spirited action of an hour and three-quarters, attended with a loss to the former of 4 men killed and 8 wounded.[1] In the Melampus Mr. Smith appears to have assisted at the capture of two brigs, each carrying 2 long 24- pounders, 1 18-pounder, and 50 men, most of them
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1800, p. 155, where he is mentioned as a very active good officer.
