274
DEANS—DEBENHAM—DE BLAQUIERE.
American and Home stations, as Mate of the Curaçoa 24, Capt. Jenkin Jones, and St. Vincent 120, flag-ship of Sir Edw. Codrington. His appointments since his promotion, which took place 20 Oct. 1843, have been – 19 April, 1844, to the Hecate steam-sloop, Capt. Jas. Paterson Bower, employed on Particular Service – 17 Sept. 1845, as Additional, to the Vindictive 50, flag-ship in North America and the West Indies of Sir Wm. Fras. Austen – and, 16 March, 1846, to the Persian 16, commanded on the same station by Capt. Hen. Coryton.
He married, 13 April, 1844, Caroline, daughter of the late G. Arundel Nixon, Esq., of Brown’s Barn, co. Kilkenny.
DEANS. (Captain, 1838. f-p., 18; h-p., 25.)
Robert Deans, born 4 Oct. 1792, at Huntington, N.B., is second son of the late Admiral Deans of that place, who died in 1815.
This officer entered the Navy, 11 Jan. 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Glatton 50, Capt. Jas. Colnett, flag-ship at Leith of Rear-Admiral Jas. Vashon. Until Dec. 1810 he afterwards served on the same, and on the Lisbon and Mediterranean stations, in the Texel 64, Capt. Donald Campbell, Woodlark 12, Lieut.-Commander Thos. Innes, and Kent, Royal Sovereign, Ville de Paris, and San Josef, flag-ships of Admirals Edw. Thornbrough. Lord Collingwood, and Sir Chas. Cotton. On 1 May, 1811, having been appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Cherokee 10, Capt. Wm. Ramage, he took part, with the boats of that vessel, and of the Clio and Bellette, in an unsuccessful attempt to cut out some galliots lying at Egersund, on the coast of Norway, and on that occasion lost two fingers of the left hand, and received a musket-ball in the right arm, which has never yet been extracted. For his gallantry he was confirmed by the Admiralty 15 June following; subsequently to which we find him appointed – 19 March, 1812, and 15 Feb. 1813, to the Venerable and Stirling Castle 74’s, both commanded by Sir Home Popham – and, 23 June, 1814, 1 June, 1815, and 8 July, 1816, as Flag-Lieutenant, alternately at Leith and in the river Thames, to Sir Wm. Johnstone Hope and Sir Home Popham, in the Latona, Iris, and Ramillies. When in the Venerable, Mr. Deans was in very active command of a detachment of seamen on the north coast of Spain, where he assisted at the capture of several forts, and of the town of St, Andero. In the Stirling Castle he accompanied Earl Moira, as Governor-General, to India, and on the passage acquired the particular notice of that nobleman for his exertions in saving the lives of two seamen who had fallen overboard. The subject of this memoir, who assumed the rank of Commander 9 Sept. 1818, was afterwards appointed, on the Home and Lisbon stations, to the command, 30 April, 1827, and 24 Nov. 1829, of the Clio and Childers sloops. While in the latter vessel, which he paid off in 1832, he appears to have been senior officer of a small squadron employed in the river Douro during the struggle between Pedro and Miguel. He has not been afloat since the receipt of his Post-commission, 28 June, 1838.
Capt. Deans, in consideration of his severe wounds, was presented with a gratuity from the Patriotic Fund in 1812, but was refused a pension. he married, first, 1 Feb. 1821, Mary, eldest daughter of the late Richard Clay, Esq., of Gloucester Place, London; and secondly, 2 March, 1830, Charlotte Sophia, youngest daughter of Duncan Stewart, Esq., of Glenbuchie, co. Perth. He has issue two daughters. Agent – J. Hinxman.
DEBENHAM. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 22; h-p., 37.)
John Debenham was born in 1772.
This officer entered the Navy, 3 Nov. 1788, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Fairy sloop, Capts. Jas. Geo. Manley and Thos. Spry, employed on the African and West India stations; subsequently to which he removed to the Discovery sloop, Capt. Geo. Roberts, lying at Dcptford; and, on proceeding to the East Indies in the Thames 32, Capt. Thos. Troubridge, was present at the capture of Tippoo Saab’s “Fortified Islands,” close to Onore, on the coast of Malabar. After witnessing, in the Duke 98, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Geo. Murray, the unsuccessful attack on Martinique in June, 1793, Mr. Debenham joined the Glory 98, and in that ship, under Capt. John Elphinstone, distinguished himself in Lord Howe’s victory of 1 June, 1794. For his ensuing exertions, as Midshipman of the Prince of Wales 98, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Henry Harvey, in conducting into port one of the three French 74’s taken in the action off Ile de Groix, 23 June, 1795, he was presented by the latter officer with a commission, appointing him, 12 Sept. 1796, to the Invincible 74, Capt. Wm. Cayley, on the Leeward Islands station. In April, 1798, having previously assisted in an attack on some batteries at St. Eustatius, and also in the reduction of Trinidad, he became, at the instance of Lord CameU’ord, First Lieutenant to that nobleman in the Favorite sloop, commanded afterwards in the North Sea by Capt. Joseph Westbeach. Mr. Debenham’s next appointments appear to have been – 15 Aug. 1800, to the Formidable 98, Capts. Edw. Thornbrough and Rich. Grindall, on the Channel and Jamaica stations – 21 April, 1804, as Senior Lieutenant, to the Devastation bomb, Capt. Alex. Milner, under whom we find him in daily collision with the Boulogne flotilla – and, 3 Feb. 1806, to the command of the Furious gun-brig. While in the latter vessel, independently of a vigilant blockade of Calais, Ostend, and the intermediate ports, he conducted, in a six-oared boat, and without other aid, many perilous cutting-out affairs in the very teeth of the enemy’s batteries; and he was also successful in the capture of numerous merchantmen. In Dec. 1807, however, in consequence of a violent contusion of the foot, and of the dislocation of three of his toes, by the firing of a gun, Lieut. Debenham was compelled to resign the command of the Furious, and for several months to move upon crutches. While next employed, from Sept. 1808, to Oct. 1809, as Agent for Transports, he was most efficiently present at the battle of Corunna, and in the attack on Flushing; after which he zealously commanded the Deptford tender, between Limerick and Plymouth, in connection with the Impress service, for a period of more than two years and a half. Resuming his duties as Transport Agent in July, 1813, he proceeded to the north coast of Spain, and rendered himself particularly conspicuous by his important co-operation with the British army immediately preparatory to the investment of Bayonne. On 24 Feb. 1814, especially, when a flotilla under Rear-Admiral Penrose had arrived off the fearful mouth of the Adour, for the purpose of entering that river, and enabling the troops to occupy both banks, Lieut. Debenham, in a six-oared cutter, was the first officer who summoned resolution to face the tremendous surf which beats over the bar.[1] He, however, happily accomplished the dangerous feat, and afterwards succeeded, by his intrepid exertions, in snatching from destruction many others who followed in his wake, but were upset in their progress. In consideration of these, and of many other sterling instances of good conduct, which we find procured him the particular mention of Lieut.-General Sir John Hope,[2] he was promoted, on the recommendation of his Admiral, to the rank of Commander, 27 Aug. following, but since that period he has not been able to procure employment.
He is married and has issue.
DE BLAQUIERE. (Lieutenant, 1844.)
The Honourable William Barnard De Blaquiere, born 16 Dec. 1814, is second and youngest son of Lord De Blaquiere, by Lady Harriet Townshend, daughter of George first Marquess Townshend; brother of the Hon. John De Blaquiere, a
