Robt. Campbell, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Thos. Lennox Frederick off Cadiz, where he was frequently employed at night in rowing guard. He continued to serve with Capt. Campbell in the Hector 74 and Santa Teresa 36 until 1802. While in the latter ship he witnessed the surrender of Malta; during the siege of which island we again find him engaged in rowing guard. He assisted also in cutting out different vessels from the coast of France; and on 8 and 21 March, 1801, was present at the landing of the troops in Egypt and at the battle fought near Alexandria, in which Sir Ralph Abercromby was mortally wounded. On leaving the Santa Teresa he joined first the Amazon 38, Capt. Sam. Sutton, and then, as Master’s Mate, the Apollo 36, Capt. John Wm. Taylor Dixon; under whom he was wrecked on the coast of Portugal 1 April, 1804. After serving as Midshipman and Acting-Lieutenant in the Railleur 18, Capt. Valentine Collard, off Boulogne, where he contributed to the capture, 24 April, 1805, of seven schuyts, carrying in the whole 18 guns, 1 brass howitzer, and 168 men, he was nominated, 3 Sept. in the same year, Sub-Lieutenant of the Calypso 18, Capt. Matthew Barton Bradby. He was made full Lieutenant, 22 Jan. 1806, into the Monarch 74, Capt. John Clarke Searle, in the Channel; he invalided from that ship in the following Sept.; and he was appointed subsequently – 13 May, 1807, to the Hercule 74, Capt. Hon. John Colville, part of the force employed in the expedition against Copenhagen, where he landed and was one of those selected to construct intrenchments under Sir Home Popham – 14 May, 1808 (after six months of half-pay), to the Majestic 74, Capts. V. Collard, Matthew Forster, and Thos. Harvey, stationed in the North Sea and Baltic, at first under the flag of Vice-Admiral Thos. Macnamara Russell – 3 Feb. 1810, as Senior-Lieutenant (a post he had latterly filled on board the Majestic), to the Vulture 18, Capt. Martin White, off Guernsey – 24 Oct. 1814, in a similar capacity (ill health had obliged him to quit the Vulture in Aug. 1810), to the Apelles 14, Capt. Alex. M‘Vicar, at Leith – 28 Dec. 1815, again as First (the Apelles had been paid off 1 Sept. preceding), to the Towey 24, Capts. Hew Steuart and Wm. Hill, fitting for the East Indies, whence he invalided in Aug. 1818 – 17 Nov. 1823, to the Perseus receiving-ship off the Tower, Capt. Jas. Couch – and, 30 July, 1825, to the Sussex Coast Blockade. He remained in the latter service as Supernumerary and First Lieutenant of the Hyperion 42, Capt. Wm. Jas. Mingaye, until promoted to the rank of Commander 18 Sept. 1828. He has since been on half-pay. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
WILSON. (Lieutenant, 1825.)
James Henry Richard Wilson is son of the late Retired Rear-Admiral Alex. Wilson.[1]
This officer entered the Navy 4 June, 1813; passed his examination in 1820; and was made Lieutenant, 10 Jan. 1825, into the Leven 24, surveying-vessel, Capt. Wm. Fitzwilliam Owen, on the coast of Africa. He returned to England in the course of the same year; and was afterwards, from 14 April, 1826, until 1 March, 1827, and from 3 June, 1831, until 18 Nov. 1834, employed in charge of the Semaphore stations on Cooper’s Hill and Putney Heath, and for a short time in 1837 in the Coast Guard. Agent – Joseph Woodhead.
WILSON. (Captain, 1830.)
John Wilson (b) is only son of Sir John Wilson, Kt., one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, and for some time one of the Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal.
This officer entered the Navy, 2 Oct. 1801, as a Boy, on board the Spider, Lieut.-Commander Harrison, in which vessel he served for 10 months on the Plymouth station. In Aug. 1803, at which period he had been for 12 months employed at Portsmouth and in the Channel, in the Blenheim 98, Capt. Philip Turner Bover, Donegal 74, Capt. Sir Rich. John Strachan, Neptune 98, Capt. Wm. O’Brien Drury, and Magnificent 74, Capt. Wm. Henry Jervis, he became Midshipman of the Dragon 74, Capt. Edw. Griffith Colpoys, under whom we find him present in Sir Robt. Calder’s action with the combined fleets off Cape Finisterre 22 July, 1805. In the following Oct. he removed to the Melpomène[2] 38, Capts. Robt. Dudley Oliver and Peter Parker, on the Mediterranean station; where, after he had again served for 10 months with Capt. Griffith as Master’s Mate in the Sultan 74, he was nominated, 1 Oct. 1808, Acting-Lieutenant of the Hind 20, Capt. John Rich. Lumley. In that ship, to which he was confirmed 16 May, 1809, he remained until July, 1810. His next appointments were – 7 Feb. 1811, for two years, to the Boyne 98, bearing the flag of Sir Harry Burrard Neale in the Channel – 19 Jan. 1814, to the Newcastle 58, Capt. Lord Geo. Stuart, with whom, after having conveyed Louis XVIII. from England to France, he sailed for the coast of North America – 23 and 30 Sept. ensuing, to the Centurion 50 and Tonnant 80, flag-ships there of Admirals E. Griffith and Sir Alex. Cochrane, under the latter of whom he served as Signal-Lieutenant in the expedition against New Orleans – and, in April, 1815, to the Bulwark 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Griffith. On 6 June, 1815, he was made Commander into the Gorée sloop; and on that vessel being laid up at Halifax, he was removed, 1 May, 1816, to the Portia 14. Her he paid off in the following Aug. His succeeding appointments appear to have been – 4 Aug. 1818, to the Salisbury 58, fitting for the flag of Rear-Admiral Campbell, Commander-in-Chief in the West Indies – 28 Dec. 1825, to the Java 52, lying at Plymouth – and, 14 May, 1828, to the Victory 104, bearing the flag of Sir Robt. Stopford at Portsmouth, where he continued until paid off in May, 1830. He has not been since afloat. His Post-commission bears date 22 Oct. 1830.
Capt. Wilson married Dorothy, daughter of Chas. Gibson, Esq., of Quernmore Park and Myerscough House, Colonel-Commandant of the Lancaster Regt. of Volunteers, and a Deputy-Lieutenant for the co. Agent – Joseph Woodhead.
WILSON. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 13; h-p., 28.)
John Wilson (a) entered the Navy, 9 March, 1806, as A.B., on board the Prospero bomb, commanded in the Downs by Capt. Gustavus Stupart; with whom and with Capt. Wm. Howe Mulcaster we find him serving, from Aug. in the same year until wrecked on Sable Island 3 Aug. 1812, as Master’s Mate and Acting-Master in the Emulous 18, on the Home, West India, and North American stations. He assisted during that period in beating off, when in the neighbourhood of Puerto Rico, 9 Nov. 1809, a French frigate mounting 32 guns, after an action, fought within pistol-shot, of an hour and 40 minutes, in which the Emulous was out to pieces and sustained a loss of 10 killed and 20 wounded; and on 26 Aug. 1811 and 30 July, 1812, he contributed to the capture of L’Adèle French letter-of-marque laden with cotton, and the Gossamer American privateer of 14 guns and 100 men. He continued to act as Master in another vessel called the Emulous and in the Arachne 18, both commanded by Capt. Wm. M‘Kenzie Godfrey, in the West
- ↑ Rear-Admiral Alexander Wilson’s good conduct, when Coxswain to the late Lord Bridport, raised him to favour and promotion. He was a Lieutenant in that nobleman’s flagship, the Royal George, in Lord Howe’s victory, 1 June, 1794, and in the action off Ile de Groix, 23 June, 1795. His advancement to Post-rank took place 2 Sept. in the latter year. He afterwards commanded the Flora frigate, and the Trusty, a 50-gun ship armée en flûte. For his services in the Trusty, in the campaign of 1801 in Egypt, he was presented with a gold medal by the Turkish Government. During the late war, being unable to procure a ship, he accepted an appointment in the Sea-Fencibles. He was superannuated with the rank of Rear-Admiral 18 July, 1814; and died, in 1834, in Wexford.
- ↑ The Melpomène, while Mr. Wilson was in her, was caught in a violent storm, which left her for five days without a rudder.
