July, 1842, of the city of Ching-Kiang-Foo he was wounded while in the act of scaling the walls.[1] As a reward for his important services, Capt. Watson was advanced to his present rank 23 Dec. 1842,[2] and nominated the next day a C.B. He has been in command, since 28 Feb. 1846, of the Brilliant 20, at the Cape of Good Hope.
He married, 1 Feb. 1845, Helen, second daughter of the late John Bettington, Esq., of Pittville.
WATSON. (Retired Commander, 1840.)
William Watson died, we believe, in 1846. This officer entered the Navy, 4 Jan. 1784, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Europa 50, Capt. John Fisher, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Alex. Innis at Jamaica; where he continued employed until May, 1790, in the Severn, Capt. Lauchlan Hunter, and Aurora, Capt. John Sutton. He served next, chiefly on the Home station – from May, 1790, until March, 1794, in the Melampus 36, Capt. Chas. Morice Pole, Savage sloop, Capt. Alex. Fraser, and Ranger cutter, Lieut.-Commander Isaac Cotgrave – from March, 1794, until Nov. 1797, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, in the Sampson 64 and Hector 74, both commanded by Capt. Robt. Montagu – and, from Dec. 1797 until April, 1798, as Master’s Mate, in the Cumberland 74, Capt. R. Montagu, and Royal George 100, flag-ship of Lord Bridport. Being nominated, 3 May in the latter year, Acting- Lieutenant of La Pique 36, Capt. David Milne, he was in that ship wrecked on the coast of France at the capture, 29 June following, of the French frigate La Seine of 42 guns and 610 men (including troops), after a running action of about five hours, in which the enemy sustained a loss of 170 killed and 100 wounded, and the British (whose force consisted, in addition to La Pique, of the Jason 38 and Mermaid 32) of 9 killed and 18 wounded. Mr. Watson’s steady and cool behaviour on the occasion was much praised.[3] He was officially promoted 4 Aug. 1798. He was afterwards employed on the Home and West India stations as First-Lieutenant, until Dec. 1802, in the Bonetta sloop, Capt. Henry Vansittart, Lowestoffe frigate, Capt. Robt. Plampin, Blenheim 98, Capt. Philip Turner Bover, and Magicienne 32, Capt. Henry Vansittart; and from Dec. 1803 until Feb. 1811, with the officer last mentioned, in the Fortunée 36. When off the Havana in the summer of 1806, in company with the Surveillante 38, Hercule 74, an armed schooner, and a homeward-bound convoy, the Fortunée fell in with a number of Spanish gun-vessels under the protection of a 74-gun ship and two guoarda-costas. Being detached in pursuit, she succeeded, with the aid of the schooner, in capturing the guarda-costas and upwards of 20 sail, deeply laden with sugar, &c., the whole of which were destroyed. On leaving the Fortunée, Mr. Watson joined, for a few weeks, the Trent frigate, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Edw. Thornbrough at Cork. His last appointment was, 5 March, 1813, again as First-Lieutenant, to the Albion 74, Capt. John Ferris Devonshire; from which ship, employed in the North Sea and at Halifax, he invalided in the ensuing Oct. He was admitted to the Out-Pension of Greenwich Hospital 7 Nov. 1840, and placed on the list of Retired Commanders 23 Dec. in the same year.
In consideration of a wound he received during the war, which occasioned him the loss of the use of the right leg and foot, he was allotted a pension of 91l. 5s. per annum 13 April, 1812. Agent – Joseph Woodhead.
WATTS. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 16; h-p., 34.)
George Edward Watts, a native of Scotland, is only son of the late John Watts, Esq., an officer in the army, who fell while serving under the Duke of Kent at the storming of Fort Bourbon, Martinique, in 1794, by Miss Agnes Skene, a lady nearly related to the family of Skene, of Skene, co. Aberdeen, whose founder married a sister of Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland, and received from that monarch the name by which his descendants are now known. Capt. Watts’ paternal grandfather, a Captain of infantry, who fought under the Duke of Cumberland at the battle of Culloden, was himself the grandson of Capt. Jas. Watts, R.N. (1686), and first-cousin of the celebrated Dr. Isaac Watts.
This officer entered the Navy, 2 Nov. 1797 (under the auspices of H.R.H. the Duke of Kent), as Fst.-cl.Vol., on board the Driver sloop, in which vessel and the Prevoyante frigate, both commanded by Capt. John Seater, he was for nearly three years employed, a great part of the time as Midshipman, on the Halifax and Home stations, where he served afterwards as Midshipman and Master’s Mate in the Assistance 50, Capt. Robt. Hall, Waakzamkeidt 24, commanded by the same officer, Leander 50, bearing the flag of Sir Andrew Mitchell, and Lily and Diligente sloops, Capts. Wm. Lyall and Wm. Lloyd. He was confirmed a Lieutenant, 1 May, 1804, into the Fly 18, Capt. Robt. O’Brien, on the Jamaica station; and was appointed next – 20 Aug. and 13 Oct. in the same year, to the Elephant 74 and Ardent 64, Capts. Geo. Dundas and Robt. Winthrop, in the West Indies and Channel – 4 April, 1805, to the Dauntless 18, Capts. Hugh Pigot and Chas. Jones, also in the Channel – 29 Nov. 1806, to the Centaur 74, as Flag-Lieutenant to Commodore Sir Sam. Hood at Portsmouth – and, 8 Dec. 1806, as Senior, to the Comus of 32 guns, Capts. Conway Shipley and Edm. Heywood. While cruizing in the latter ship among the Canary Islands he took command, in March, 1807, of her boats, and displayed much judgment and energy in capturing six merchant-vessels moored in the Puerto de Haz, Grand Canaria, and defended by the cross fire of three batteries. Having escorted the prizes to Gibraltar, the Comus returned to the same ground, experiencing on her way back a sharp encounter with a division of the Algeciras flotilla. On the night of 8 May Mr. Watts entered the port of Grand Canaria, and with the cutter alone boarded the San Pedro, a large felucca of 6 guns and at least 65 men, which had been for three days lying under the protection of a strong fort and two batteries. Although exposed to a severe fire from between 30 and 40 soldiers sent to assist in her defence, he had nearly cleared the deck before two other boats dispatched from the Comus arrived to his support. On the vessel being taken in tow, a hawser just under the water astern was manned in the fort, and she was dragged nearly under the muzzles of the guns before it could be cut. “This exploit was achieved,” says Capt. Shipley in a letter to Sir Sam. Hood, “with the loss of 1 man killed and 5 wounded. Mr. Watts has several wounds, but none of them dangerous; and I feel convinced his gallant conduct, with the exertions of every officer and man employed, will meet your approbation. Twenty-one of the enemy’s troops were made prisoners, 18 of whom are wounded; the rest, excepting a few who swam to the shore, were killed, as was her Captain and some of her crew.”[4] Independently of the hawser, the San Pedro had been secured to the shore by three cables ahead and astern; and, the enemy being fully prepared, her resistance was desperate beyond description. Mr. Watts’ first reception was a bayonet in the face, which forced him overboard; and, when he at length succeeded in scaling the vessel’s side, he maintained for a considerable time a single-handed fight, during which he was often knocked down, had his jacket pierced in eight places with bayonets, and received five severe and eight lesser wounds, besides numberless contusions. As a reward for his valour and the injuries he sustained, he was presented by the Patriotic Society with a sword valued at 50 guineas and a donation of 100l. Under Capt. Heywood, Mr. Watts, after having escorted three General officers and their suites, together with a fleet of transports, to Elsineur, assisted at the capture, in Aug. 1807, immediately prior to the attack upon Copenhagen, of the Danish frigate Frederickscoarn, carrying 32 12 and 6 pounders, 6
