Capt. Wolrige in the Wasp 18; in which vessel he continued for two years on the Mediterranean station. He next, in Aug. 1819, joined the Superb 74, hearing the broad pendant of Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy in South America, where he removed, in Jan. 1821, to the Créole 42, Capts. Thos. White, Thos. Bourchier, Thos. Jas. Cotton Evans, and Hon. Fred. Spencer. He was officially promoted, after having acted as Lieutenant of the latter ship, 31 Jan. 1824; and was subsequently appointed – 5 Nov. 1825, to the Gloucester 74, Capt. Joshua Sydney Horton – 1 March, 1828, as Senior, to the Icarus 10, Capt. Thos. Best, equipping for the West Indies – and, 17 Dec. 1829, to the Shannon 46, Capt. Benj. Clement, on the same station. While at anchor at Kronstat in the Gloucester (which ship had been selected to carry out the Duke of Devonshire on the occasion of his embassy to the Court of St. Petersburg) Mr. Stanley landed, at the head of 100 seamen and marines, for the purpose of suppressing an alarming fire which had broken out, 26 June, 1826, in Fort St. John. This service he happily succeeded in accomplishing. On the following evening, another fearful conflagration having burst forth in the store-yard for timber adjoining the Mole, where lay 400 vessels, most of them laden, he again landed, as second in command, under Capt. Horton, of a body of 300 seamen and marines; and had it not been for the exertions made, not only would the merchantmen have fallen, in all probability, a sacrifice to the devouring element, but also the Russian fleet which lay at anchor close by. As a reward for these important services the Emperor of Russia forwarded three rings of great value to be distributed among the chief officers in command on the two occasions, accompanied by a recommendation of the recipients to the British Government for promotion. Through some extraordinary mistake, the ring intended for Mr. Stanley – the only person of his rank engaged in the second afiair – was given to another, and he in consequence lost both the present and the promotion to which it would have led. He was advanced to the rank of Commander, however, soon after the paying off of the Shannon, 31 March, 1832; and in that capacity he served, from 5 Aug. 1833 until put out of commission 21 March, 1839, in the Dee steamer and Wolf 18, on the Home, Cape of Good Hope, and East India stations. In the latter vessel, to which he was appointed 27 May, 1834, he displayed so much zeal during the war with the Caffres that he received, 5 Feb. 1835, the public thanks of Sir Benj. D’Urban, Governor of the Cape. He was likewise so successful, during the years 1836-7-8, in the suppression of piracy in the Straits of Malacca and the adjacent seas that he obtained testimonials of the most flattering description from the Governor-General of India in Council (dated 16 Aug. 1837), from the Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir Thos. Bladen Capel (dated 4 Feb. 1838), from the Governor of Prince of Wales Island, and from the Chambers of Commerce of Penang, Madras, and Singapore. By the latter body he was presented with a sword valued at 100 guineas. He was promoted as a recompense, for his valuable services to Post-rank, while yet in the Wolf, 28 June, 1838; and since 18 July, 1845, he has been in command of the Calliope 26, again in the East Indies.
On 20 Jan. 1841, happening to be close to the Grand Surrey Canal, Capt. Stanley observed two boys fall through the ice into deep water. Perceiving that not a moment was to be lost, he instantly jumped in with his clothes on, swam through the broken ice, and rescued one of them. He then attempted to save the other, but got so benumbed that he narrowly escaped perishing himself, and was taken out of the water nearly senseless. As an acknowledgment for his humane and intrepid conduct he was presented with the medaUion of the Royal Humane Society. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
STANLEY, F.E.S., F.R.A.S. (Captain, 1844. f-p., 19; h-p., 4.)
Owen Stanley, born 13 June, 1811, is eldest son of the Right Rev. Edw. Stanley, Bishop of Norwich, by Catherine, daughter of the Rev. Oswald Leicester, Rector of Stoke, Salop; and nephew of Lord Stanley, of Alderley. His youngest brother, Charles Edward, is a Captain in the Royal Engineers.
This officer entered the Royal Naval College 5 Aug. 1824; and embarked, 8 Jan. 1826, as a Volunteer, on board the Druid frigate, Capt. Sam. Chambers, stationed in the Channel. In the following March he became Midshipman of the Ganges 84, fitting for the flag of Sir Robt. Waller Otway, Commander-in-Chief in South America; where he removed, in Dec. 1827, to the Forte 44, Capt. Jeremiah Coghlan, and in Jan. 1830 joined the Adventure sloop, Capt. Philip Parker King, employed in surveying the Straits of Magellan. Returning to England in the ensuing Nov. he was next (he had passed his examination 28 June, 1830) nominated, 14 March and 8 June, 1831, Mate of the Belvidera 42 and Rainbow 28, Capts. Hon. Rich. Saunders Dundas and Sir John Franklin, both in the Mediterranean. He left the latter ship 4 July in the same year, having been advanced at home to the rank of Lieutenant by a commission bearing date 14 May, 1831; and he was subsequently appointed – 18 July and 19 Oct. 1831, 22 Oct. 1832, and 28 March, 1834, to the Kent 78, Capt. Sam. Pym, Procris 10, Capt. John Thos. Talbot, Malabar 74, Capt. Hon. Josceline Percy, and Mastiff 6, Lieut.-Commander Thos. Graves, all in the Mediterranean – 11 May, 1836, to the Terror bomb, Capt. Geo. Back – and 21 Dec. 1837, to the command of the Britomart 10. In the Mastiff he assisted in surveying the Grecian Archipelago; and in the Terror he had charge of the Astronomical and Magnetic Observations during the Polar Expedition which sailed from the Orkneys 23 June, 1836, and returned to Lough Swilly 3 Sept. 1837. Between those dates he took a survey, for the first time, of the north-eastern shore of Southampton Island; and made various views of the coast. While in the Britomart, in which vessel he remained until 27 April, 1843, Capt. Stanley, whose promotion to the rank of Commander took place 26 March, 1839, aided in forming the colony of Port Essington, made a track survey of the Arafura Sea (see his published chart), and visited and surveyed various harbours in New Zealand and the Tenasserian province. He attained his present rank 23 Sept. 1844; and since 20 Sept. 1846 has been in command of the Rattlesnake, another surveying-vessel, now in the East Indies.
Capt. Stanley is a Fellow of the Royal and Astronomical Societies. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
STANLEY. (Capt., 1838. f-p., 27; h-p., 22.)
William Pearce Stanley entered the Navy, 12 March, 1798, as Midshipman, on board the Diomede 50, commanded by the late Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming, at first in the North Sea and East Indies and then at the Cape of Good Hope, where he removed, in Feb. 1801, to the Adamant 50, Capt. Wm. Hotham. Between the ensuing Oct. and Oct. 1805 he served, on the Home station, in the Unité 36, Capt. Thos. Harvey, Trusty 50, Capt. Dan. Oliver Guion, Conflict 10, Lieut.-Commanders John Sibrell and Chas. Fegen, and, as Master’s Mate, in the Egyptienne 40, Capt. Hon. C. E. Fleeming. While in the latter ship he assisted at the capture of L’Epervier of 16 guns and 90 men, L’Actéon of 16 guns and 126 men, and La Chiffonette privateer of 14 guns and 80 men. He was also present in Sir Robt. Calder’s action 22 July, 1805. On leaving the Egyptienne he sailed, in the Hind, Capt. Fras. Wm. Fane, for the port of Cadiz; whence, on his removal to the Superb 74, Capt. Rich. Goodwin Keats, he proceeded, in pursuit of a French squadron, to the West Indies. After sharing, in the Northumberland 74, flag-ship of Hon. Alex. Cochrane, in the battle fought off St. Domingo, he was successively, 13 March and 15 April, 1806, nomi-
