67
BEECHEY—BEER.
50, came home with him in the Elizabeth 74, Capt. Hon. Henry Curzon, early in 1310. Mr. Beechey subsequently eerved for about a fortnight in the Cyane 22, Capt. Edw. Pelham Brenton, on the Home station; whence, having rejoined Capt. Sohomberg in the Astrea, of 42 guns and 271 men, he proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope. On 20 May, 1811, when in company, off Madagascar, with the Phoebe and Galatea frigates, of force similar to the Astrea, and 18-gun brig Racehorse, he assisted, after a long and warmly-contested action with the French 40-gun frigates Rénommée, Clorinde, and Néréide, and a loss to the Astrea of 2 killed and 16 wounded, at the capture of the Rénommée, and, on 25 of the same month, of the Néréide and the settlement of Tamatave. He returned to England in Sept. 1812, on board the Galatea 36, Capt. Woodley Losack; and afterwards, until the receipt of his first commission, 10 March, 1815, served in the Thisbe 28, Capt. Thos. Dick, lying at Northfleet, Madagascar 33, Capt. Lucius Curtis, in the Channel, Vengeur 74, Capt. T. R. Ricketts, and Tonnant 80, flag-ship in North America of Hon. Sir Alex. Inglis Cochrane. While attached to the Vengeur he attended the expedition to New Orleans, and was in the boats, on 8 Jan. 1815, when they swept across the Mississippi with a body of troops, seamen, and marines, to create a diversion in favour of the general attack on the American lines. As Lieutenant, Mr. Beechey’s appointments appear to have been – 13 Sept. 1815, to the Niger 38, Capt. Sam. Jackson, on the North American station – 14 Jan. 1818, to the Trent hired brig, Lieut.-Commander, now Sir John, Franklin, whom he accompanied in a Northern expedition under Capt. David Buchan[1] – 22 Jan. 1819, to the Hecla sloop, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Edw. Parry, in which he penetrated to long. 113° 54’ 43" W. within the Arctic Circle, and received in consequence a Parliamentary reward of 200l. – and, 23 Jan. 1321, to the Adventure sloop, Capt. Wm. Henry Smyth. On 5 Nov. following, having been appointed, in conjunction with his brother, Mr. Henry W. Beechey, to co-operate with the last-named vessel in conducting overland a survey of the North Coast of Africa, he set out from Tripoli for that purpose. The results of his researches, which extended as far eastward as Derna, and lasted until 25 July, 1822, have been fully detailed by Capt. Beechey in his ‘Proceedings of the Expedition to explore the Northern Coast of Africa from Tripoli eastward, in 1321-2; comprehending an Account of the Greater Syrtis and Cyrenaica, and of the ancient Cities composing the Pentapolis.’ He was advanced to the rank of Commander 25 Jan. 1822; and, on 7 Jan. 1825, received an appointment to the Blossom 24, fitting at Woolwich for a voyage of discovery, via Cape Horn, to Bering Strait, there to act in concert with the contemporaneous and differently directed expeditions of Capts. Franklin and Parry in their efforts to ascertain the existence of a northwest passage. During the three years and a half of Cant. Beechey’s absence from England, he took formal possession in the Pacific of the islands called Gambier’s Group; discovered five others, to which he gave the names of Barrow, Cockburn, Byam Martin, Croker, and Melville; passed Bering Strait, and penetrated, in Aug. 1826, to a point northward of Icy Cape, whence the Blossom’s barge, under Mr. Thos. Bison, the Master, reached lat. 71° 23’ 31" N., and long. 156° 21’ 30" W., only 146 miles from the extreme of Franklin’s explorations on his progress westward from the Mackenzie River; afterwards examined the sea eastward of Loo-choo, where he rediscovered the Ylas del Arzobispo; and, on again visiting the frozen regions in the summer of 1827, entered for the first time a spacious and important haven to the south-eastward of Cape Prince of Wales, leading into a secure inner harbour, well adapted for repairing ships, to which he respectively assigned the names of Port Clarence and Grantley Harbour. The Blossom at length, after traversing 73,000 miles and rendering the most essential service to the science of navigation, arrived at Spithead in Sept. 1828, bringing with her the Right Hon. Robt. Gordon, late H.M. Ambassador at the court of Brazils, and remittances from different ports in the Pacific to an amount exceeding 1,600,000 dollars. She was paid off at Woolwich 12 Oct. following. Capt. Beechey, who had been advanced to Post-rank 8 May, 1827, has published a history of the proceedings to which we have here alluded, in his ‘Narrative of a Voyage to the Pacific and Bering Strait, to co-operate with the Polar Expeditions in 1325-3.’ His appointments, since, have been – 25 Sept. 1835, to the Sulphur 8, for the purpose of surveying the coast of South America, whence his health obliged him to return in the autumn of 1836 – and, 18 July, 1837, 7 May, 1840, and 16 March, 1844, to the African, Lucifer, and Firefly, steam-vessels, in which he has been continuously employed in surveying the coast of Ireland.
Capt. Beechey married, in Dec. 1828, Charlotte, youngest daughter of Lieut.-Colonel John Stapleton, of Thorpe Lee, and sister-in-law of the late Bishop of Oxford, by whom he has issue.
BEECHEY. (Commander, 1846. f.p., 21; h-p., 5.)
Richard Brydges Beechey, born 17 May, 1808, is brother of Capt. Fred. Wm. Beechey, R.N.
This officer entered the Royal Naval College 1 March, 1821; and embarked, in June, 1822, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Espiègle 18, Capt. Henry Theodosius Browne Collier, on the Home station. He next joined the Owen Glendower 42, Capt. Hon. Sir Robt. Cavendish Spencer, employed on a Particular Service, and Seringapatam 46, Capt. Sam. Warren, in the West Indies; and, on 2 April, 1823, rejoined Sir R. C. Spencer, as Midshipman, in the Naiad 46. In that frigate Mr. Beechey served, in 1324, at the blockade of Algiers, and, while on the Coast of Barbary, took part in several boat expeditions, especially in the cutting out of a vessel laden with grain from under the forts of Bona. He next became attached, for passage home, to the Phaeton 42, Capt. Henry Evelyn Pitfleld Sturt; and, in March, 1825, joined the Blossom 24, commanded by his brother, Capt. F. W. Beechey, with whom he proceeded on a voyage of discovery to the Pacific, and thence to Bering Strait, for the purpose of co-operating in the Polar expeditions of Capts. Parry and Franklin. On his return to England Mr. Beechey was promoted, immediately on passing his examination, into the Madagascar 46, Capt. Sir R. C. Spencer, on the Mediterranean station, 15 Sept. 1828. After a short servitude on board the Aetna bomb, Capt. Stephen Lushington, he was further appointed – May, 1329, to the Belvidera 46, Capt. Hon. Rich. Saunders Dundas, on the Home station – and, 2 April, 1331, to the Curaçoa 24, Capt. David Dunn, forming one of an experimental squadron. He invalided soon afterwards, but, taking part in 1835 in the Survey of Ireland, continued to be employed on that service, latterly with his name on the books of the Tartarus steam-vessel, Capts. Horatio Thos. Austin and Jas. Wolfe, until advanced to the rank he now holds,31 March,l 846. He is at present on half-pay.
Commander Beechey married Frideswide Maria Moore, eldest daughter of Robt. Smyth, Esq., of Portlick Castle, co. Westmeath.
BEER. (Lieutenant, 1813. f-p., 10; h-p., 32.)
Christopher Beer entered the Navy, 25 March, 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Surinam sloop, Capts. Alex. Shippard and John Lake; attained the rating of Midshipman 16 March, 1806; and after serving in the Channel, and for some time in the Leeward Islands, as Mate and Acting-Master, returned home, in Sept. 1809, with the latter officer, in the Félicité 18. He then joined the Orpheus 36, Capt. Pat. Tonyn; and, on 13 Jan. 1810, became attached to the Raleigh 18, Capts. Geo. Sayer, John Sheridan, and Geo. Wastell Hooper,
- ↑ See ‘A Voyage of Discovery towards the North Pole, performed in H.M. Ships Dorothea and Trent, under the command of Capt. David Buchan, 1818,’ &c., published by Capt. Beechey in 1843.
