Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/234

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220

COLVILLE—COMBAULD—COMBE—COMBER—COMPTON.

service on the Canadian Lakes. He subsequently obtained command, 10 Oct. 1822, 25 Feb. 1823, and 21 March, 1826, of the Townsend, Vigilant, and Asp cutters; and assumed his present rank 29 Jan. 1841.



COLVILLE, Lord. (Admiral of the White, 1841. f-p., 26; h-p., 46.)

The Right Honourable John Lord Colville, born in 1768, is son of the late Lord Colville, an officer in the army, by Miss Webber; brother of Gen. Sir Chas. Colville, G.C.B., G.C.H., K.T.S., who commanded at the capture of Cambray, in 1815, and died 27 March, 1843; and uncle of the Viscountess Newry and Morne. He succeeded his father, as 10th Baron, 8 March, 1811.

This officer entered the Navy, 12 Dec. 1775, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Isis 50, in which ship, the Stirling Castle 64, and Lennox 50, he served, under Capts. Sir Chas. Douglas and Bennett, until appointed, in June, 1781, Midshipman of the Conqueror 74, Capt. Geo. Balfour, one of Sir Geo. Rodney’s fleet in his victory over the Count de Grasse, 12 April, 1782. Returning home from the West Indies in 1783, Mr. Colville does not appear to have been again afloat, until 29 July, 1793, when he was promoted into the Santa Margaretta 36, Capt. Elias Harvey, under whom we find him assisting, as First-Lieutenant, at the capture, in 1794, of the French West India islands, and the apparent destruction, near the Penmarcks, of the French 36-gun frigate Volontaire, and corvettes Espion and Alert. After additionally serving on board the Glory, and Impregnable 98’s, both flag-ships in the Channel of Rear-Admiral Bourmaster, he obtained command, 28 Aug. 1795, of the Star sloop, employed chiefly on the Home station, where he took a privateer, Le Coup d’Essai, of 2 guns and 28 men; and, on 6 Dec. 1796, was advanced to Post-rank. His next appointments were – 16 March, 1799, to the Penelope 36, in which he served, as Senior Officer, at the ensuing blockade of Havre – 15 Aug. 1800, to the Ambuscade 36, which frigate was sent soon afterwards with convoy to the West Indies – in 1803, to the command of the Sea Fencibles on the coast of Cumberland – 13 Oct. 1804, to the Romney 50, which ship, owing to the ignorance of her pilots, was wrecked in the Texel, 19 Nov. following – in 1805, again to the Sea Fencibles, at Margate – 23 March, 1807, to the Hercule 74, in which ship he attended the expedition against Copenhagen, and in 1808 accompanied home from Lisbon the surrendered Russian fleet – and, 11 Sept. 1811, after three years of half-pay, to the Queen 74. Previously to paying off the latter ship, 21 Sept. 1814, Lord Colville, after serving for some time on the Home station; proceeded to the West Indies, whence he escorted to England a fleet of 370 sail of merchantman, the last convoy of the war. He attained the rank of Rear-Admiral 12 Aug. 1819; was Commander-in-Chief on the Cork station, with his flag in the Semiramis frigate, from 10 Nov. 1821 until April, 1825; became a Vice-Admiral 22 July, 1830; and was created a full Admiral 23 Nov. 1841. He is at present on half-pay.

His Lordship, who was elected, in 1818, one of the representative Peers of Scotland, now holds the appointment of extra-Lord in Waiting on H.R.H. Prince Albert. He married, 14 Oct. 1790, Elizabeth, daughter of Fras. Ford, Esq., and aunt of the present Sir Fras. Ford, Bart. That lady dying 19 Aug. 1819, he espoused, secondly, 15 Oct. 1841, Hon. Anne Law, sister of the Earl of Ellenborough, late First Lord of the Admiralty, and sister-in-law of Capt. Lord Colchester, R.N.



COMBAULD. (Lieut; 1827. f-p., 27; h-p., 13.)

Richard Combauld was born 11 June, 1792.

This officer entered the Navy, I May, 1807, as A.B., on board the Raposa 12, Lieut.-Commander Colin Campbell; and on removing, as Midshipman, to the Découverte 12, similarly commanded, saw much active boat-service, and witnessed the surrender of the city of St. Domingo, 6 July, 1809. He continued, until Oct. 1814, to serve on the Jamaica station, a great part of the time as Master’s Mate – in the Sappho 18, Garland 26, and Polyphemus 64, commanded, the three, by Capt. Thos. Graves – Shark sloop, Polyphemus again, Reindeer 18, and Rhodian 14, all under the orders of Capt. John Geo. Boss, who employed him on several cutting-out expeditions – Shark, Capt. John Gore – and Forrester 18, Capt. Alex. Kennedy. He then came home in the Argo 44, Capt. Wm. Fothergill; joined, in succession, the Contest 14, and Childers 18, both commanded by Capt. Jas. Rattray; passed his examination 5 July, 1815; and – after a further lapse of nearly 12 years, during which period he had been for some time in Haslar Hospital, and had served, chiefly on the Home station, on board the Pactolus 38, Capt. Wm. Hugh Dobbie, Queen Charlotte 100, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Campbell, Severn, and Ramillies, Coast Blockade ships, Capt. Wm. M‘Culloch, Ganges 74, Capt. Edw. Brace, and Victory, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Martin – was at length promoted to his present rank 28 April, 1827. In Nov. following he was reappointed to the Coast Blockade, as a Supernumerary-Lieutenant of the Hyperion 42, Capt. Wm. Jas. Mingaye, but left that service from ill health in Sept. 1828; and, on 22 June, 1839, obtained command of a station in the Coast Guard. He has been on half-pay since 1845.



COMBE. (Lieutenant, 1825.)

Matthew Combe entered the Navy 30 June, 1808; passed his examination in 1814; obtained his commission 27 May, 1825; and, on 9 Jan. 1838, obtained his present appointment in the Coast Guard.



COMBER. (Lieutenant, 1846.)

Henry Wandesford Comber served in China, as Midshipman of the Herald 26, Capt. Joseph Nias, from 1838 until 1842, and during that period was employed in the boats at the first capture of Canton.[1] He next joined, in succession, the Dido 18, Capt. Hon. Henry Keppel, and Winchester 50, bearing the flag at the Cape of Good Hope of Hon. Josceline Percy; while in the former of which ships his name appeared in the Gazette in connexion with two expeditions against the pirates in the island of Borneo, where he served each time in the boats, latterly in command of one. He passed his examination 14 June, 1844; and, when afterwards Mate of the Pagoda hired barque, had charge of a watch under very trying circumstances amongst the ice in the Antarctic regions. Since his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 26 June, 1846, Mr. Comber has been on half-pay.



COMPTON. (Lieutenant, 1844.)

Charles Talbot Compton entered the Navy 4 Sept. 1834; passed his examination 12 Dec. 1840; and, after being einployed for some time in the East Indies, as Mate of the North Star 26, Capt. Sir Jas. Everard Home, was promoted, 10 June, 1844, to the rank of Lieutenant, and appointed, the next day, to the Agincourt 72, flag-Ship on the same station of Sir Thos. John Cochrane, with whom he is still serving.



COMPTON. (Retired Captain, 1840. f-p., 13; h-p., 45.)

Henry Compton entered the Navy, 26 Jan. 1789, as A.B., on board the Cumberland 74, Capt. John Macbride, lying at Plymouth; and. Until Jan. 1796, afterwards served, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, in the Actaeon brig, Capt. Joseph Hanwell, Kite, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Lamb, Romulus 36, Capts. John Sutton and Geo. Hope, Melpomene 44, Capt. Wm. Paterson, Minotaur 74, flagship of Hon. Wm. Waldegrave, Blonde 38, Capt. Wm. Pierrepont, and Britannia 100, and Victory

  1. Vide Gaz. 1841, p. 1505.