310
DUFF—DUFFILL—DUFTY.
he appears to have repulsed an attack made on the Mondovi by 17 Spanish gun-boats in the Gut of Gibraltar, and to have been in command of the Lutine prison-ship at Minorca. Capt. Duff’s first appointment on the renewal of hostilities was, 25 Oct. 1803, to the Megaera fire-ship, in which, with a few small vessels occasionally under his orders, he was employed watching the enemy’s ports in the Channel. Assuming Post-rank 22 Jan. 1806, he next joined, 28 May, 1807, the Muros 20, and in that ship, after convoying a fleet of merchantmen to Halifax, was unfortunately wrecked on a reef at the entrance of the Bay of Honda, in Cuba, 24 March, 1808. His last employment was in the command, from 23 April, 1814, to Aug. 1815, of the President 38, on the Irish station. He attained Flag-rank 17 Aug. 1840.
Rear-Admiral Duff, when a Lieutenant of the Foudroyant, received a gold medal from the Royal Humane Society for his “intrepid and manly exertions” in jumping overboard, in a dark night of Sept. 1799, and saving the life of a man who had fallen into the sea. He married, 1 Dec. 1815, Frances, third daughter of the late Rev. Meredith Jones, of Guestling, co. Sussex. Agent – John P. Muspratt.
DUFF. (Captain, 1822. f-p., 13; h-p., 29.)
Norwich Duff, born about 1793, is only surviving son of the late Capt. Geo. Duff, R.N.,[1] by Sophia, second daughter of Alex. Dirom, Esq., of Muiresh, co. Aberdeen; and is descended from William, first Earl of Fife. His father’s grand-uncle, Robt. Duff, died a Vice-Admiral.
This officer entered the Navy, in June, 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Mars 74, commanded by his father. After participating in the battle of Trafalgar, 21 Oct. following, he successively joined the Euryalus 36, and Ajax 74, both commanded by Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood, and was on board the latter ship until the moment of her destruction by fire, near the island of Tenedos, 14 Feb. 1807. Obtaining then a Midshipman’s berth in the Active, of 46 guns, Capts. Rich. Hussey Moubray and Jas. Alex. Gordon, he was present at the ensuing passage of the Dardanells, where he served in the boats at the destruction of a formidable Turkish battery on Point Pesquies. He subsequently witnessed the capture, 26 March, 1808, of the Friedland Venetian brig-of-war of 16 guns; and, on 13 March, 1811, was present in the memorable action of Lissa, when a British squadron, carrying in the whole 156 guns and 879 men, utterly routed, after a conflict of six hours, and a loss to the Active of 4 killed and 24 wounded, a Franco-Venetian armament, whose force amounted to 284, guns and 2655 men. Mr. Duff, who had previously beheld the bringing out, 29 June, 1810, of a numerous convoy from the harbour of Groa, again served in the boats at the capture and destruction, 27 July, 1811, of 28 sail of merchantmen, defended, in a creek of the island of Ragosniza, by 3 gun-vessels and a body of 300 troops.[2] On 29 Nov. in the latter year he appears to have further shared in a hard-fought action of an hour and a half, which, in rendering the Active captor of the Pomone, of 44 guns and 332 men, 50 of whom were killed and wounded, occasioned her a loss of 8 killed and 27 wounded, including Capt. Gordon, who lost a leg. At the close of the battle Mr. Duff was sent to take charge of the prize. Being officially promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 14 Nov. 1811, and appointed to the Active, he continued to serve with Capt. Gordon in that frigate and in the Seahorse 38 – assisting intermediately at the destruction of Le Subtile privateer, of 16 guns- and 72 men – until nominated, 29 Dec. 1813, Flag-Lieutenant, in the Asia 74, to Sir Alex. Cochrane. In command of the Espoir sloop, to which he was promoted 15 June, 1814, Capt. Duff took part in the expeditions to Washington, Baltimore, and New Orleans. Having paid the latter vessel off in Oct. 1816, we next find him appointed, on the Jamaica station – 1 Jan. 1817, to the Beaver 10 – and, 3 Sept. following, to the Rifleman 18, which sloop was put out of commission 11 Aug. 1818. Since his Post-promotion, 23 April, 1822, Capt. Duff has been on half-pay.
He married, 10 June, 1833, Helen Mary, only child of the late John Shoolbred, Esq., M.D., of Marlborough Buildings, Bath, by whom he has issue five children. Agent – J. Hinxman.
DUFFILL. (Captain, 1846.)
John Duffill entered the Navy 4 March, 1812; was wounded, we understand, on board the Glasgow 40, Capt. Hon. Anthony Maitland, at the battle of Algiers, 20 Aug. 1816; and passed his examination in 1821. He subsequently, as Master’s Mate of the Larne 20, Capt. Fred. Marryat, contributed, by his zealous exertions and cool intrepidity, to the successful result of various attacks made on the enemy in the river Rangoon, during the Burmese war, in 1824-5.[3] After acting for fourteen months as Lieutenant of the Druid, Bustard, and Espiègle, he was at length confirmed in the latter vessel, by commission dated 8 Sept. 1827. We next find him appointed – 20 May, 1828, again to the Druid – 19 Nov. 1828, to the Coast Blockade, in which he served for nearly two years and a half as Supernumerary-Lieutenant of the Ramillies and Talavera 74’ s, Capt. Hugh Pigot – and, 31 March, 1831, to the Coast Guard. He assumed the successive command, on various stations, 17 Oct. 1832, 16 Dec. 1834, 1 April, 1835, and 15 April and 21 June, 1836, of the Carron, Meteor, Pluto, Salamander, and again of the Pluto steam-vessels. He was confirmed, 4 April, 1839, in the command of the Niagara 20, on the lakes of Canada; and, from 21 Jan. 1843, until posted, 2 July, 1846, was employed in the Hecla steam-sloop, on the Mediterranean station. He has since been on half-pay.
DUFTY. (Retired Commander, 1843. f.-p., 18; h-p., 32.)
William Dufty was born 28 Feb. 1781. This officer entered the Navy, 12 Aug. 1797, as Midshipman, on board the Prince 98, Capt. Thos. Larcom, bearing the flag in the Channel and off Cadiz of Sir Roger Curtis. Under the first-named officer, and Capt. Wm. Fothergill, he was subsequently employed, as Midshipman, Master’s Mate, and Acting-Lieutenant, from March, 1799, to Aug. 1807, in the Lancaster 64, on the Cape of Good Hope, East India, and South American stations. On the night of 13 Sept. 1800, he served with the boats of that ship, and of the Adamant, at the cutting-out, with loss to the British, of an enemy’s vessel from Port Louis, in the Isle of France; and, in Feb. 1807, was a witness to the fall of Monte Video. Being confirmed in the rank of Lieutenant 14 Aug. 1807, Mr. Dufty, in Oct. following, joined the Intrepid 64, Capts. Rich. Worsley and Christopher John Williams Nesham, under the latter of whom he served at the reduction, in 1809, of Martinique and the Saintes, and partook of a skirmish with some French frigates. He then returned home with Capt. Nesham in the Captain 74, and was afterwards appointed, on the Home and North American stations – 11 Sept. 1810, to the Vengeur 74, flag-ship of Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke – and, 13 Feb. 1813, to the Madagascar 38, Capts. Lucius Curtis and Bentinck Cavendish Doyle. He invalided home in Nov. 1815, and has not since been
- ↑ Capt. George Duff was born in 1764. He served at the capture of the Spanish Admiral Don Juan de Langara, 16 Jan. 1780; was in the various actions with the Counts De Guichen and De Grasse, in 1780-82; and ultimately fell, in command of the Mars, at Trafalgar, 21 Oct. 1805. In acknowledgment of Capt Duff’s heroism on that occasion, the gold medal, which he would have otherwise worn, was presented to his family, as was also an elegant vase from the Patriotic Society. An honourable augmentation was likewise granted to his son’s arms.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1811, p. 2193.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1825, p. 1493.
