Capts. Chas. Bullen and Joseph Nourse, and proceeded to the Mediterranean; where, on the night of 31 Oct. 1809, he served with the boats of a squadron at the capture and destruction, in the Bay of Rosas – despite a fierce opposition from the crews, and a galling fire from the batteries, inflictive on the British of a loss of 15 men killed and 55 wounded – of the armed store-ship Lamproie, of 16 guns and 116 men, with three armed and seven merchant vessels.[1] In the course of 1809 he appears to have been also present in the Volontaire’s boats under Lieut. Isaac Shaw at the capture – with a loss to the enemy of 5 men killed and 8 wounded, and to the English of 2 wounded – of Fort Rioux, near Cape Croisette, mounting 14 guns; and, under Lieut. Dalhousie Tait, at the destruction, near Marseilles, of the fort of Cassis, and the bringing out thence of several merchant-vessels, in July and Oct. 1811. Mr. Harness next joined the Cumberland 74, Capt. Robt. Waller Otway, and Malta 84, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Benj. Hallowell. On the receipt of his first commission, bearing date 18 Feb. 1812, he removed to the Fame 74, Capt. Walter Bathurst, with whom he continued to serve (assisting intermediately, in 1813, at the defence of Tarragona) until advanced to his present rank, 27 Aug. 1814. He has since been on half-pay.
Commander Harness is a widower with two children.
HARPER. (Lieutenant, 1841.)
Francis Henry Harper entered the Navy 1 June, 1826; passed his examination 11 Sept. 1833; and on 23 Nov. 1841 (while serving as Mate, in the Mediterranean, of the Rodney 92, Capt. Robt. Maunsell) was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. His subsequent appointments were – 31 Jan. 1842, to the Daphne 18, Capt. John Windham Dalling, in the Mediterranean – 4 June, 1842, to the Talbot 26, Capt. Sir Thos. Raikes Trigge Thompson, lying at Sheerness – 23 July, 1842, again to the Daphne, Capt. John Jas. Onslow, whom he accompanied to the Pacific – and, 20 June, 1844, to the Satellite 18, Capt. Robt. Hibbert Bartholomew Rowley, stationed on the south-east coast of America. He left the latter vessel in Aug. 1846. Agent – Joseph Woodhead.
HARPER. (Lieutenant, 1837.)
George Harper passed his examination in 1830; and obtained his commission 6 June, 1837. His appointments have since been – on 12 of the same month, to the Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, Capt. Thos. Hastings – 14 April, 1838, to the Malabar 74, Capt. Edw. Harvey, on the North America and West India station – 1 Feb. 1839, to the Implacable 72, commanded in the Mediterranean by Capt. Edw. Harvey – and, 3 June, 1842, as First-Lieutenant, to the Talbot 26, Capt. Sir Thos. Raikes Trigge Thompson, attached to the force in the Pacific, whence he returned in 1847. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
HARPER. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 18; h-p., 24.)
James Harper entered the Navy, 27 Nov. 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Active 38, Capt. Rich. Hussey Moubray; with whom, in the same ship, and, as Midshipman, in the Montagu and Repulse 74’s, he continued to serve, on the Cork, and Mediterranean stations, until June, 1814. He was present during that period, in the Active, at the passage of the Dardanells and the destruction, of the redoubt at Point Pesquies in Feb. 1807; on shore, while belonging to the Montagu, at the reduction of Santa Maura in April, 1810; and, in the Repulse’s boats, in conjunction with those of the Volontaire and Undaunted frigates, at the annihilation of two important batteries and the capture of a convoy near the port of Morjean 2 May, 1S13. He next, on leaving the Repulse, joined the Latona 38, flag-ship of Sir Wm. Johnstone Hope at Leith, where he remained until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 1 Feb. 1815. From the latter date Mr. Harper remained unemployed until 12 Jan. 1839, when he was appointed to the Niagara 20, Capt. Williams Sandom, in which ship, stationed on the lakes of Canada, he continued to serve, the greater part of the time as First-Lieutenant, until the early part of 1843. While so attached he appears to have had charge of a steamer in action with the rebels at Prescott, in Upper Canada. He has been in successive command, since 16 Dec. 1843 and 1 Aug. 1846, of the Experiment and Minos steam-vessels, on Lakes Huron and Erie. Agent – Fred. Dufaur.
HARPER, C.B., K.L.A. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 35; h-p., 31.)
John Harper, born 18 Sept. 1772, at Chatham, co. Kent, is son of an officer in the Navy, who was mortally wounded on board the Britannia, in Lord Howe’s partial action with the combined forces of France and Spain, off Cape Spartel, 20 Oct. 1782. His younger brother attained the rank of Lieutenant at an early age, and was drowned in La Lutine frigate 9 Oct. 1799.
This officer entered the Navy, in March, 1781, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Bellona 74, Capt. Rich. Onslow, and, on removing in the following year to the Britannia 100, bearing the flag of Hon. Sam. Barrington, fought in that ship in the action in which his father received his death-wound. During the six first years of the ensuing peace he appears to have been successively employed on the Portsmouth station, chiefly as Midshipman, in the Edgar 74, Capt. Chas. Thompson, and Triumph 74, and Barfleur 98, flag-ships of Sir Sam. Hood. He then proceeded to the coast of Africa in the Pomona 28, Capt. Henry Savage; and in Nov. 1793, after a further servitude in the Channel on board the Duke 98, bearing the flag of Admiral Robt. Roddam, Sprightly cutter, and Edgar 74, Capt. Albemarle Bertie, he was ordered to the West Indies in the Boyne 98, flag-ship of Sir John Jervis. For his conduct at the proximate reduction of Martinique, where he had command of a flat-bottomed boat, Mr. Harper was promoted, 21 Feb. 1794, to a Lieutenancy in the Avenger 20, Capts. R. Griffiths and Chas. Ogle. Soon after that event, while rowing guard one night in a six-oared boat off the Carenage, during the siege of Ste. Lucie, he entered the harbour and, under the veil of a shower of rain, boarded, carried, and brought out a French schooner privateer, mounting 10 guns, fully manned, and perfectly ready for sea. He subsequently, on the surrender of Ste. Lucie, landed and co-operated with the army in the reduction of Guadeloupe. Removing, in Oct. of the same year, to the Defence 74, Capts. Thos. Wells, John Peyton, and Lord Henry Paulet, Mr. Harper, during a continuance of five years under those officers, was present in Hotham’s partial action 13 July, 1795, and, as Second Lieutenant, in the battle of the Nile, 1 Aug. 1798, besides participating in much boat-service off Cadiz in the summer of 1797. He once, from having volunteered, while watering at Syracuse, to superintend the performance of that fatiguing duty, contracted, in consequence of alternate exposure to the sun and dews, a fever so severe that his life was for a long time despaired of. On leaving the Defence in Dec. 1799, he joined the Glory 98, Capt. Thos. Wells, with whom he served in the Channel until April, 1802. In the summer of 1803 he was placed by Rear-Admiral Bartholomew Sam. Rowley, Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, to whom he had been recently appointed Flag-Lieutenant, in charge of the Admiral Mitchell hired cutter, and sent on a secret service of importance to the coast of France, where his gallant conduct, in an almost immediate action with the Boulogne flotilla, procured him the thanks of Rear-Admiral Robt. Montagu. After commanding for many months the Duke of Clarence, another hired cutter, on the Jersey and Guernsey station, Mr. Harper was further appointed – 27 Oct
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1809, p. 1907.
