was compelled to take shelter under a fort; and the other to run on shore on Pointe des Chats. In April, 1809, immediately prior to the destruction of the shipping in Aix Roads, Mr. Hire served in the boats under Lieut. Rich. Devonshire at the destruction of the works on the Boyart Rock, a hazardous achievement, which elicited the thanks of Lord Gambier; and he subsequently, on becoming attached to the Walcheren armament, assisted in forcing the passage between Flushing and Cadsand; on which occasion L’Aigle, in consequence of a shell bursting in her after-gun-room, sustained a loss of 5 men wounded, and had her stem-frame greatly damaged. Continuing in the same ship until Nov. 1810, our officer had an opportunity, during a cruize to the westward, of contributing to the capture of Le Phoenix privateer, of 18 guns and 120 men. In Feb. 1811 he joined the Prince Frederick 64, Capt. Peter Fisher, lying at Plymouth, where he remained until the ensuing Oct.; between which period and the date of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, 11 Feb. 1815, he presents himself to our notice as employed on the Channel, Mediterranean, and Irish stations, chiefly as Master’s Mate, in the Pelorus 18, Capts. Joshua Ricketts Rowley, Hon. Robt. Cavendish Spencer, Robt. Gambier, Lord Algernon Percy, Chas. Hole, and John Gourly; and as assisting at the capture, during that period, of a convoy off Rochefort in Jan. 1811, and of Genoa and its dependencies in April, 1814. From 8 May to 31 Dec. 1815, Mr. Hire was again employed under the orders of Capt. Gambier on board the Myrmidon 20, which vessel, being part of the squadron present at the surrender of Napoleon Buonaparte, was charged with the conveyance to England of a portion of the unfortunate Emperor’s suite. His subsequent appointments were – for a short time in 1818, to the Water Guard – 4 July, 1823, to the same service – 10 Feb. 1824, to the Coast Blockade, in which he continued, as Supernumerary-Lieutenant of the Ramillies 74 and Hyperion 42, Capts. Wm. M‘Culloch and Wm. Jas. Mingaye, until its abolition in March, 1831 – on 16 of the latter month, to the Coast Guard – 23 March, 1835, to the command of the Adelaide Revenue cutter – and, 17 March, 1838, again to the Coast Guard, in which service he died.
Lieut. Hire married a daughter of the late Capt. Wm. Stephens, R.N., by whom he has left issue. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
HIRE. (Lieutenant, 1846.)
George Augustus Hire passed his examination 4 Jan. 1831; obtained an appointment in the Coast Guard 4 Dec. 1839; and continued in that service until advanced to his present rank, 1 July, 1846. He has since been on half-pay.
HIRE. (Lieutenant, 1808.)
Henry Hire is brother of the late Lieut. Fred. Hire, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 29 July, 1801, as Midshipman, on board the Prince George 98, Capt. John Tremayne Rodd, bearing the flag in the Channel of Sir Chas. Cotton, with whom he continued until April, 1802. Re-embarking, in Feb. 1803, on board the Boadicea 38, Capt. John Maitland, he took part, in the following Aug., while on his return from Ferrol, in a self-sought and very gallant skirmish fought by that frigate with the French 74 Le Duguay Trouin. Towards the close of the same year he rejoined Sir C. Cotton in the San Josef 110, flag-ship afterwards of Sir Jas. Saumarez, in which he remained until June, 1807. He then removed to the Ville de Paris 110, bearing the flag of Lord Gambier, but in May, 1808, was again placed under the orders of Sir C. Cotton, on board the Hibernia 110, part of the force employed on the Lisbon station, where, on 16 of the following Oct., he was confirmed a Lieutenant in the Primrose 18. He removed soon afterwards to the Audacious 74, Capts. Thos. Le Marchant Gosselin and Donald Campbell, on the North Sea station. On leaving that ship he served with great activity, from March, 1810, to Aug. 1813, in the Nautilus 18, commanded in the Mediterranean by Capt. Thos. Dench (whom see); and he then cruized for 15 months with Capts. Benj. Crispin and Jas. Arthur Murray in the Scout 18, also in the Mediterranean. We believe he has been in command, ever since Oct. 1823, of the Convict ship at Bermuda.
Lieut. Hire is married and has issue. One of his children, Henry William, is a Lieutenant, R.N.; and another, Unity Isabella, the wife of John Scott Tucker, Esq., third son of the late Joseph Tucker, Esq., Surveyor of the Navy. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
HIRE. (Lieutenant, 1841.)
Henry William Hire is son of Lieut. Henry Hire, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy 9 Feb. 1830; passed his examination 6 April, 1836; and, during the latter portion of his servitude as Mate, was employed in North America and the West Indies on board the Pilot 16, Capt. Geo. Ramsay. Being made Lieutenant, 15 Sept. 1841, into the Racehorse 18, Capt. John Coghlan Fitzgerald, attached to the force on the same station, he there continued to serve, both in the last-mentioned vessel and in the Cleopatra 26, Capt. Christ. Wyvill, until the spring of 1842. His next appointments, it appears, were, in the Mediterranean – 20 June, 1842, as Additional, to the Queen 110, bearing the flag of Sir Edw. W. C. B. Owen – and, 21 Jan. 1843 and 25 Oct. and 16 Nov. 1844, as First, to the Snake 16, Bonetta surveying-vessel, and Hecla steam-sloop, Capts. Hon. Walter Bourchier Devereux, Thos. Saumarez Brock, John Duffill, and Chas. Starmer. He has been employed, since 13 March, 1847, in the Rattler steam-sloop, Capt. Rich. Moorman, on Particular Service.
HIRTZEL. (Commander, 1842. f-p., 22; h-p., 13.)
George John Hirtzel, born at Exeter, is son of the late Geo. Hirtzel, Esq., of that place.
This officer entered the Navy, 8 Dec. 1812, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Andromeda 24, Capt. Rich. Arthur, with whom he served on the Lisbon and Mediterranean stations, for some time as Midshipman, until Dec. 1815. Until Jan. 1821 he was next employed in the Comus 22, Capt. Thos. Tudor Tucker, also in the Berwick 74 and Impregnable 104, both flag-ships at Plymouth, and in the Spartan 46, commanded on Particular Service by Capt. Wm. Furlong Wise. While under the latter officer he passed his examination, 4 June, 1819; and on leaviiig him he was for upwards of ten years continuously employed in North America and the West Indies on board the Niemen 28, Capt. Edw. Reynolds Sibly, Jupiter 50, Capts. David Dunn, Sir Wm. Saltonstall Wiseman, and Wm. Webb, Hussar 46, and Winchester 52, flag-ships of Sir Chas. Ogle and Sir Edw. Griffith Colpoys (under the latter of whom he officiated as Acting-Signal-Lieutenant from May to Oct. 1830), and Grasshopper 18, Capt. John Elphinstoue Erskine. After he had also acted for nine months as Lieutenant of the latter sloop, Mr. Hirtzel was at length officially promoted by commission dated 7 June, 1831. His subsequent appointments were – 8 July, 1836, to the Dublin 50, bearing the flag at the Brazils of Sir Graham Eden Hamond – 28 Dec. 1836, as Senior, to the Harrier 18, Capt. Wm. Henry Hallowell Carew, of which vessel, stationed until 1839 in the Pacific, he acted for some time as Commander – and, 1 Dec. 1841, as First, to the Alfred 50, fitting for the broad pendant of Commodore John Brett Purvis. He was promoted to his present rank in honour of Her Majesty’s visit to Portsmouth, 7 March, 1842 but has not been since afloat.
When a Mate in North America, Commander Hirtzel appears to have had frequent charge of small vessels. He is married and has issue.
