April, 1822; and, after having carried off the French and mathematical prizes, together with the second medal, embarked, in March, 1824, as a Volunteer, on board the Blanche 46, Capt. Wm. Bowen Mends, fitting for the South American station, whence he returned, as Midshipman, in Oct. 1827. In Jan. and Feb. 1828 he successively joined the Wasp 18, Capt. Dickenson, and Asia 84, Capt. Edw. Curzon – the latter stationed in the Mediterranean, where, in March, 1829, he was lent, as Mate (he had passed in the preceding April), to the Meteor bomb, Capt. David Hope. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 12 Aug. 1829; and was lastly, 18 Aug. 1836, appointed to the Minden 74, Capt. Alex. Kenton Sharpe, on the Lisbon station. In April, 1837, he was dismissed by sentence of court-martial, and placed at the bottom of the list.
He married, 7 Sept. 1841, and has issue. Agents – Holmes and Folkard.
ONSLOW. (Captain, 1834. f-p., 19; h-p., 18.)
John James Onslowis second surviving son of the late Admiral Sir Rich. Onslow, Bart., G.C.B.,[1] by Anne, daughter of Commodore Matthew Mitchell, of Chiltern, co. Wilts. He is brother of the present Sir Henry Onslow, Bart., a Captain in the Royal Artillery; and brother-in-law of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, who died 16 March, 1807.
This officer entered the Navy, 19 April, 1810, as Fst.-oL Vol., on board the Surveillante 38, Capt. Sir Geo. Ralph Collier, under whom he was for some time actively employed on the north coast of Spain, particularly in the boats at the capture of Bermeo and Deba. He continued in the {sc|Surveillante}}, in the capacity of Midshipman, until April, 1812; and between that period and the date of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, 5 Sept. 1816, was employed on the Brazilian, Jamaica, and Home stations in the Montagu 74, flag-ship of the late Sir Manley Dixon, Aquilon and Ceres frigates, both commanded by Capt. Wm. Bowles, Araxes 38, Capt. Geo. Miller Bligh, and Boyne 98, Capt. Edmund Boger. He joined soon afterwards the Conqueror 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Robt. Plampin at St. Helena; whence, at the close of 1817, he returned to England in the Iphigenia 42. From Sept. 1818 until superseded at his own request in Sept. 1819, he served in the Downs on board the Alert sloop, Capts. Henry John Leeke and Chas. Farwell; and, on 23 April, 1822, he attained the rank of Commander. His next appointments were – 22 July, 1824, to the Beaver 8, on the Jamaica station, where he remained about two years – and, 30 April, 1830, to the Clio 18, fitting for South America. While on that station Capt. Onslow was sent by Rear-Admiral Sir Thos. Baker to reclaim possession of the Falkland Islands, which lapse of time had encouraged the Buenos Ayreans and other foreigners to consider as absolutely abandoned by the British. Arriving, in Dec. 1832, at Port Egmont (West Falkland), he exercised the rights of sovereignty, and employed his boats in examining Brett’s Harbour, Byron’s Sound, and other anchorages as far to the westward as Point Bay, a distance of 60 miles from the place at which the Clio lay. He then proceeded to Berkeley Sound (East Falkland), anchored at Port Louis, and ejected a Buenos Ayrean force stationed there under the protection of a schooner-of-war. He returned to Portsmouth from Rio de Janeiro with upwards of 880,000 dollars, 3 June, 1833; and on 17 of the same month was paid off. He was advanced to Post-rank 27 Aug. 1834; and was lastly, from 23 July, 1842, until put out of commission in the early part of 1847, employed in the Pacific on board the Daphne 18.
Capt. Onslow is married and has issue. Agent – J. Hinxman.
O'REILLY. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 18; h-p., 21.)
John O'Reilly(a), born 9 April, 1794, is third son of the late Thos. O’Reilly, Esq., of Beltrasna, co. Heath, by Margaret, daughter of Hon. Justice Robt. Sibthorpe, of Duncanny, co. Louth, and grand-niece of the Earl of Dundonald. His brother, Anthony Alexander, is a Major in the Army.
This officer entered the Navy, 2 Oct. 1808, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Warspite 74, Capt. Hon. Henry Blackwood, successively employed in the North Sea, at the blockade of Cherbourg, and in the Mediterranean. Removing as Midshipman, in Sept, 1810, to the Colossus 74, Capt, Thos, Alexander, he was for some time engaged in that ship at the defence of Cadiz, where he constantly volunteered his services, and was on several occasions in action with the enemy’s gun-boats, under a heavy fire from the batteries on shore. In April, 1811, he joined the Saldana 36, Capt. Hon. Wm. Pakenham, from which ship he was fortunately detached in charge of a captured privateer, the Amiral Martin a few days only before she was entirely lost, with all her crew, off Lough Swilly. In March, 1812, Mr. O’Reilly was received on board the Hazard sloop, Capt. John Cookesley, off Newfoundland; and in Jan. 1814, after having acted for upwards of 12 months as Master of that vessel, he was transferred to the Asia 74, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane; whom, in the following July, after a servitude of two months with Capt. Rich. Byron as Acting-Lieutenant in the Belvidera 36, he rejoined on board the Tonnant 80. In the course of the same summer he was present in the boats at the destruction of Commodore Barney’s flotilla up the Patuxent, and on shore at the battle of Bladensburg, the taking of Washington, and the attack upon Baltimore; and on 14 of the following Dec. we find him commanding one of the boats of a squadron at the capture, on Lake Borgne, of five American gunboats under Commodore Jones, whose desperate resistance occasioned the British a loss of 17 men killed and 77 wounded. Among the latter was Mr. O’Reilly,[2] who had the misfortune to sustain the loss of his right eye, for which he now receives a pension of 91l. 5s. His promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place 2 Nov. 1815. His appointments have since been – 26 Aug. 1834, to the Coast Guard – 4 Nov. 1835, to the command, which he retained for six years, of the Spider brigantine of 6 guns, on the South American station – and, 29 Aug. 1843, again to the Coast Guard, in which service he continues. It has been Mr. O’Reilly’s good fortune to rescue many persons from shipwreck.
The Lieutenant is the inventor of an illuminated shell, which supplies the desideratum required in Capt. Manby’s apparatus. He married, 22 Oct, 1821, Anna, third daughter of Geo. Snart, Esq,, of Sutton House, co, Middlesex, by whom he has issue an only daughter, married to Commander Albert Heseltine, R.N. Agents – Messrs, Stilwell.
O’REILLY. (Lieutenant, 1828.)
John O’Reilly (b) entered the Navy 25 March 1812; and passed his examination in 1818, In the following year, while at Calais in the Pioneer
- ↑ Sir Rich. Onslow (son of Lieutenant-General Onslow, Governor of Plymouth, and grand-nephew of Admiral Sir George Walton) was born 23 June, 1741. He obtained his first commission 17 Dec. 1758; acquired the rank of Commander 11 Feb. 1761; and was made Post 14 April, 1762, into the Humber of 40 guns. He afterwards commanded tile Aquilon frigate, Diana 32, St. Alban’s 64, and Bellona and Magnificent 74’s. In the St. Alban’s, in 1778, he served in Admiral Barrington’s attack upon Ste. Lucie, and in the same officer’s encounters with the Comte d’Estaing; and in the Bellona, prior to accompanying Lord Howe to the relief of Gibraltar, he eifected the capture, after a sharp action, of the Dutch ship Princess Caroline of 54 guns. He became a Rear-Admiral 1 Feb. 1793, and a Vice-Admiral 4 July, 1794; was appointed, in March, 1796, Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth; and hoisted his flag shortly afterwards as second in command of the fleet under Admiral Duncan. For his distinguished conduct in the action off Camperdown he was raised to the dignity of a Baronet 30 Oct. 1 797, voted the thanks of Parliament, and presented by the City of London with its freedom and a sword worth 100l. He was advanced to the rank of full Admiral 14 Feb. 1799, and was afterwards appointed a Lieutenant General of Marines, and nominated a G.C.B. He died at Southampton 3 Jan. 1818.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1815, p, 448.
