113
BOYS—BOYTER—BRACE.
commanded one of the boats of that frigate in a disastrous attack on two French privateers off Civita Vecchia, when the former were repulsed, with the loss of 8 killed and wounded; and, on 4 Aug. in the same year, while prize-master of a settee, one of two at the taking of which he had a few days previously assisted, he was captured by a French squadron. On escaping from captivity, 10 May, 1809,[1] Mr. Boys was immediately allowed to pass his examination, and, in a few days afterwards, the 25th, was appointed liieutenant of the Arachne 18, Capts. Sam. Chambers and Chas. Hope Watson, in which sloop, after attending the expedition to the Walcheren, he proceeded to the West Indies, where for a short period he officiated as Acting-Commander. His subsequent appointments, as Lieutenant, were, in 1813-14, to the Rhin 38, Capt. Chas. Malcolm, Queen 74, Capt. Lord John Colville, and Venerable 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Philip Chas. Durham, all likewise stationed in the West Indies. He was confirmed in the command of the Dunira of 18 guns, 8 July, 1814, but in Sept. following was placed on half-pay, and has not since been afloat. He was latterly employed, from 16 Sept. 1837 until the close of 1841, as Superintendent of the Dockyard at Deal.
He is married, and has a second son, Henry, a Lieut. R.N. His third son, Richard, a young officer of the greatest promise, was killed in the boats of H.M.S. Fantome, during an affray with some pirates on the coast of Barbary, 12 May, 1846.
BOYS. (Lieutenant, 1845.)
George Sayer Boys passed his examination 4 Aug. 1835; and served, as Mate, on the Mediterranean, Home, and Cape of Good Hope stations, in the Vernon 50, Capt. Wm. Walpole, Albion 90, Capt. Nich. Lockyer, and Mutine 12, Capt. Rich. Borough Crawford. He obtained his commission 13 Aug. 1845; became, a few days afterwards, Additional-Lieutenant of the Winchester 50, flag-ship at the Cape of Hon. Josceline Percy; removed, 23 Nov. following, to the Thunderbolt steam-sloop, Capt. Alex. Boyle, on the same station); and since 21 Aug. 1846, has been employed in the East Indies as First of the Childers 12, Capt. John Charles Pitman.
BOYS. (Lieutenant, 1846.)
Henry Boys is second son of Commander Edw. Boys, R.N.
This officer, while Midshipman of the Edinburgh 72, Capt. Wm. Wilmott Henderson, was much applauded during the operations of 1840 on the coast of Syria, particularly for his conduct at the capture of Beyrout, where he was intrusted with the duty of removing the powder from the castle. He was afterwards wounded at the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre. Having passed his examination 30 July, 1843, and been intermediately employed, as Mate, in the Vanguard 80, commanded, on Particular Service, by Capt. Geo. Wickens Willes, Mr. Boys, on 7 Feb. 1846, was promoted to a Lieutenancy in the Snake 16, Capt. Thos. Bourmaster Brown, with whom he is now serving at the Cape of Good Hope.
BOYS. (Commander, 1846.)
William Boys passed his examination in 1829; and obtained bis commission 26 Jan. 1835. His ensuing appointments were – 7 Feb. 1835, as Supernumerary Lieutenant, to the Hastings 74, Capt. Hen. Shiffner, off Lisbon – 17 Aug. 1836, to the Harlequin 16, Capt. John Elphinstone Erskine, in the Mediterranean – 12 Nov. 1840 (after two years of half-pay), to the Britannia 120, bearing the flag on the latter station of Sir John Acworth Ommanney – 29 July, 1841, to be Agent for Transports afloat – 2 July, 1844, to the Coast Guard – and, 8 Aug. 1845, again to the Transport service, in which he continued until the attainment of his present rank, 28 Oct. 1846.
BOYTER. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 31; h-p., 10.)
Alexander Boyter entered the Navy, 10 March, 1806, as Midshipman, on board the Volontaire 46, Capt. Hon. Josceline Percy, then at the Cape of Good Hope; and, from July following until Sept. 1815 (except from Dec. 1812 to March, 1814, when he appears to have been employed with the same officer in the Channel, on board the Hotspur 36), served with Capt. Hen. Hope, the greater part of the time as Master’s Mate, in the Espoir brig, Glatton 54, Leonidas 38, Topaze 38, Salsette 36, and Endymion, of 48 guns and 319 men, on the Mediterranean and North American stations. During that period he served, on the night of 31 Oct. 1809, in the boats of the Topaze, and of a squadron under Lieut. John Tailour, at the capture and destruction, after a furious struggle, and a loss to the British of 15 men killed and 55 wounded, of the store-ship Lamproie, of 16 guns and 116 men, bombards Victoire and Grandeur, and armed xebec Normande, with a convoy of 7 merchantmen, defended by numerous strong batteries, in the Bay of Rosas.[2] He also, in 1810, witnessed the taking by the Topaze of a privateer and battery at the entrance of the river Barbate. While in the Endymion, Mr. Boyter was severely wounded, 9 Oct. 1814, in an ill-fated boat attack on the American privateer Prince de Neufchatel, of 18 guns and 130 men, on which occasion the British were repulsed, with a loss of 28 killed and 37 wounded; and slightly, at the memorable capture, after an action of two hours and a half, a loss to the enemy of 35 killed and 70 wounded, and to the British of 11 killed and 14 wounded, of the President frigate, of 56 guns and 465 men, 15 Jan. 1815. We are informed that the subject of this memoir was present on shore at the battle of North Point. He obtained his commission on 18 Feb. 1815, and continued in the Endymion, latterly in the Channel, until paid off as above. He was appointed, 17 Oct. 1825, to the Coast Guard, and in that service he remained until invested with the command, 4 Aug. 1842, of the Pike steam-packet, now employed on the Portpatrick station.
BRACE. (Captain, 1827. f-p., 18; h-p., 24.)
Francis Brace is nephew of the late Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Brace, K.C.B., who died Commander-in-Chief at the Nore in Dec. 1843; also of Admiral Stephen Poynta; and cousin of Capt. Herbert Brace Powell, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 5 March, 1805, as Fst.-cl. Boy, on board the Iris 32, commanded by his uncle, Capt. Edw. Brace, with whom, after cruizing for some months off Ferrol and Corunna, he removed to La Virginie, of 46 guns and 281 men. In that ship, during a servitude of four years and a half on the North Sea and Cork stations, he contributed, as Midshipman, to the capture of two Spanish privateers of 14 guns each, and, 19 May, 1808, of the Dutch frigate Guelderland, of 36 guns and 253 men, after an obstinate conflict of an hour and a half, in which the enemy’s loss amounted to 25 killed and 50 wounded, and that of the British to only 1 killed and 2 wounded. He next, in March, 1810, joined the Clyde 38, bearing the broad pendant at Flushing of Commodore Sir E. W. C. R. Owen; was transferred, in Sept. following, as Master’s Mate, to the St. Albans 64, Capt. Edw. Brace, employed for a whole twelvemonth at the defence of Cadiz; was wrecked shortly after his removal to the Ephera fire-ship, Capt. Thos. Eyerard, on the Porpoises, near Cadiz, 26 Dec. 1811; then rejoined his uncle in the Berwick 74, in which he passed his
- ↑ For an account of the manner in which Commander Boys effected his emancipation from imprisonment, we refer our readers to his ‘Narrative of a Captivity and Adventures in France and Flanders between the years 1603 and 1809,’ – a volume of stirring interest, published in 1827. In 1831 appeared his ‘Remarks on the Practicability and Advantages of a Sandwich or Downs Harbour.’
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1809, p. 1907.
