555
HUNT—HUNTER.
America – 25 Sept. 1839 and 26 Oct. 1840, to the Orestes 18, Capt. Peter Sampson Hambly, and President 50, Capt. Wm. Broughton, both on the same station – and, 26 Nov. 1841, to the command of the Basilisk 6, which vessel, employed in the Pacific, he left towards the close of 1845. He was advanced to his present rank 10 March, 1846; and is at present on half-pay.
HUNT. (Lieut., 1841. f-p., 13; h-p., 1.)
James Hunt was born 27 Oct. 1817, at Oxford. This officer entered the Navy, 23 July, 1833, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Wasp 18, Capts. Jas. Burney and John Sam. Foreman, stationed in the West Indies, whence, in April, 1836, he returned home as Midshipman of the President 52, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Cockburn. In the following Sept. he joined the Hercules 74, Capts. Maurice Fred. Fitzhardinge Berkeley and John Toup Nicolas, with whom he cruized experimentally, and served on the coasts of Spain and Portugal until transferred, in April, 1838, to the Nautilus 10, Lieut.-Commander Geo. Beaufoy, on the African station. Joining, in Aug. 1840, after an interval of four months, the Stromboli steamer, Capt. Woodford John Williams, Mr. Hunt shared in that vessel in the whole of the ensuing operations on the coast of Syria, including the storming of Sidon and the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre. On the former occasion he evinced a degree of zeal, activity, cool determination, and courage, most animating to the men, and not to be surpassed. He was intrusted with the colours, and ran a complete race with an Austrian officer as to who should be the first to display his national flag on the walls of the Castle – an honourable rivalry in which he had the good fortune to come off successful. From April to June, 1841, Mr. Hunt served in the Mediterranean on board the Bellerophon 80, Capt. Chas. John Austen; and on 12 of the following Aug., immediately after he had passed his examination, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. His next appointment being, 2 Sept. 1841, to the Dido 18, Capt. Hon. Henry Keppel, he sailed in that sloop for China, where he beheld the capture of Woosung and Shanghae, and the other operations on the Yang-tse-Kiang. On 21 May, 1843, when off Point Datou, on the coast of Borneo, in command of a native-built boat armed with a brass 6-pounder and 2 swivels, and manned with 18 officers, seamen, and marines, he simultaneously effected the destruction of one, and the utter defeat of another, of two piratical proas, each carrying about 2 guns and 50 men, by whom he had been attacked. His spirited and zealous exertions in this affair drew forth letters of approbation both from the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Wm. Parker, and from the Board of Admiralty. He continued on the books of the Dido until he invalided in Feb. 1845; but appears, previously to that date, to have been allowed, from 1 Aug. to 1 Oct. 1843, to command the Starling surveying-vessel, and to have been lent, from 6 June, 1844, to 15 Oct. 1844, to the Driver steamer, Capt. Courtenay Osborn Hayes. He has been employed, since 12 Nov. 1845, on the south-east coast of America, as First of the Alecto steam-sloop, Capts. Fras. Wm. Austen and Vincent Amcotts Massingberd.
HUNT. (Retired Commander, 1830.)
William Hunt entered the Navy, 9 May, 1790, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Otter sloop, Capt. Thos. Williams, employed in the North Sea, where, in the course of the same month, he became Midshipman of the Speedy sloop, Capt. Geo. Maude, and afterwards of the Lord Mulgrave 20, Capt. Robt. Rolles, and Superb 74, Capt. John Sutton – of which latter ship he was created a Lieutenant 24 Jan. 1799. Prior to the peace of Amiens he further served on the Home station on board the Sally armed ship, Capt. Wolfe, Vengeance and Irresistible 74’s, Capts. Geo. Duff and Wm. Bligh, and Agamemnon 64, Capt. Robt.- Devereux Fancourt. On the renewal of hostilities be obtained an appointment in the Impress service at Hull. He became a Retired-Commander on the Junior List 26 Nov. 1830; and on the Senior, 15 Dec. 1842. Agents – Halford and Co.
HUNTER. (Commander, 1844.)
George Martin Hunter is fourth son of General Sir Martin Hunter, G.C.M.G., G.C.H., of Medomsley, co. Durham, and Anton’s Hill, co. Berwick, a Deputy-Lieutenant for the latter shire, and Governor of Stirling Castle, by Jean, only daughter and heiress of Jas. Dickson, Esq., of Anton’s Hill. One of his brothers, James, is a Major in the Army; and two others, Robt. M‘Keller and Thos. Harvey, are officers in the Military Service of the Hon.E.I.Co.
This officer was made Lieutenant, 8 Dec. 1828, into the Harpy sloop, Capt. Chas. Rich; and afterwards appointed – 3 Aug. 1831, to the Racehorse 18, Capts. Chas. Hamlyn Williams and Fras. Vere Cotton, in the West Indies – 1 May, 1834, to the Portland 52, Capt. David Price, on the Mediterranean station – and, 7 Nov. 1838, to the command of the Camelion 10, employed in South America and the East Indies. He paid the latter vessel off towards the close of 1843; and has since been on half-pay. His promotion to the rank of Commander took place 3 May, 1844. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
HUNTER. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 8; h-p., 31.)
Hugh Hunter entered the Navy, 25 March, 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Achates 10, Capt. Hugh Cameron; on accompanying whom into the Hazard 18, he assisted, as Midshipman, at the capture, in Jan. and April, 1809, of the French 40-gun frigate Topaze, the Saintes Islands, and the D’Haupoult ship of the line. He also, on 17 Oct. in the same year, served in the boats of the Hazard and Pelorus, under Lieut. Jas. Robertson, when they succeeded, after having incurred a loss of 6 men killed and 9 wounded, in gallantly blowing up a privateer, of 1 gun and 2 swivels, lying within 10 yards of 2 field-pieces and a long line of musketry on the beach, defended too by a heavy fire of grape from a battery, and moored to the shore with a chain from the mast-head and from each quarter; and on 18 of the following Dec. we find him contributing in the boats of a squadron under the personal command of Capt. Cameron, who was killed, to the destruction, in L’Ance la Barque, of the 40-gun frigates Loire and Seine, laden with stores, and protected by numerous batteries. After witnessing the fall of Guadeloupe, Mr. Hunter successively joined the Pompée, Neptune, and Statira, flagships of Hon. Alex. Cochrane; and in Dec. 1810, the Castor 32, Capt. Chas. Dilkes. On 23 June, 1813, being still in the latter ship, he served in her boats, under the directions of Lieuts. Bassett, Loveless, and Edwyn Fras. Stanhope, at the boarding and bringing out from under the protection of a strong fort, on the coast of Catalonia, of La Fortune French privateer of 2 guns, 2 swivels, and 48 men; a service in the performance of which the British had 4 men killed and 9 wounded. In May 1814, Mr. Hunter proceeded to North America in the Pylades sloop, Capt. John Chas. Gawen Roberts, and on arriving on that station joined the Tonnant 80, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane, from which, on 9 of the ensuing Nov., he was transferred, as Acting-Lieutenant, to the Rota 38, Capts. Philip Somerville and John Pasco. The boats of the latter ship he commanded at the taking of St. Mary’s, on the coast of Georgia. He went on half-pay in Aug. 1815, having been officially promoted on 24 of the previous Feb.; and has since been unemployed. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
HUNTER. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 9; h-p., 31.)
James Hunter was born 21 July, 1794. This officer entered the Navy, 20 Jan. 1807 as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Thalia frigate, Capt Jas. Walker, with whom, in the same ship and in the Bedford 74, he continued to serve for the
