tained, as above alluded to, in Jan. 1814, that he was obliged to invalid for the purpose of having the outside of his left foot removed. He has been ever since a cripple; and on 17 April, 1843, was awarded a pension of 36l. 10s. per annum.
Lieut. Rainier married, 16 Jan. 1833, Harriette, eldest daughter of the Rev. John Jones, of Brithdir Hall, Montgomeryshire. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
RAINIER. (Lieutenant, 1835.)
Peter Rainier is son of the late Capt. Peter Rainier, R.N., C.B.;[1] brother of Lieut. Chas. Rainier, R.N.; nephew of Lieut. John Rainier, R.N.; and cousin of the late Rear-Admiral John Spratt Rainier.
This officer entered the Navy, 2 Dec. 1824, on board the Clio 18, Capts. Robt. Aitchison and Robt. Deans, attached to the force in the North Sea; and was afterwards, until Feb. 1835, employed on the Mediterranean, West India, and Lisbon stations, as Midshipman and Mate, in the Asia 84, Capt. Edw. Curzon, Alacrity 10, Capt. Joseph Nias, North Star 28, Capts. Lord Wm. Paget and Hon. Geo. Rolle Walpole Trefusis, Champion 18, Capt. Chas. Hamlyn Williams, and Britannia 120, commanded by his father. He obtained his commission 18 July, 1835; served from the following Sept. until the close of 1836 in the Pylades 18, Capt. Wm. Langford Castle, on the coast of Africa, and from 6 Dec. 1843 until the commencement of 1847 in the Coast Guard; and since 27 July in the latter year has been employed as Admiralty Agent on board a contract mail steam-vessel. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
RAINS. (Retired Commander, 1829. f-p., 32; h-p., 36.)
James Rains, born 8 June, 1769, is son of the late Capt. Stephen Rains, R.N.; and brother (with Retired Commander John Rains, R.N., who died in 1832 at Fatcham Field, aged 63) of Capt. Stephen Rains, R.N. (1802), who died 1 Feb. 1824, in his 59th year.
This officer entered the Navy, 12 Aug. 1779, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Loudonn armed ship, commanded by his father, with whom he served in the North Sea until May, 1781 – the latter part of the time in the capacity of Midshipman. From the following Dec. until July, 1783, he served on the Home and West India stations in the Seaford 20, Nemesis 28, and Endymion 40, all under the orders of Capt. Isaac Vaillant. He was then employed for nearly two years in the Channel in the Sprightly cutter, Lieut.-Commander Swan; and next, from Aug. 1786 until July, 1792, on general service in the Myrmidon 20, Capt. Thos. Rawe, Viper cutter, commanded by his brother Lieut. S. Rains, Cambridge 74, flag-ship of Admiral Graves, and Ranger and Viper cutters, Lieut.-Commanders Isaac Cotgrave and Robt. Graeme. In the latter vessel he discharged the duties of Pilot for nearly six months. In the early part of 1793 he became Master’s Mate of the Monarch 74, Captain, afterwards Commodore, Sir Jas. Wallace; of which ship he was created a Lieutenant 2 Dec. in the same year. While in her he assisted in silencing a battery in Martinique, and in bringing off a body of French royalists. His next appointments were – 31 May, 1794, to the Albion floating battery, Capt. Henry Savage, in the North Sea – 4 July, 1796, to the command (after three months’ half-pay) of the King George cutter, employed in the North Sea and off Boulogne – 27 Oct. 1800, as First, to the Sirius 36, Capt. Rich. King – and, 26 Sept. 1801, in a similar capacity, to the Magnificent 74, Capt. John Giffard, whom he accompanied to the West Indies. While serving in the Albion he brought a Colonel off from Ostend, just as the French were entering the town. In 1797, at which time he commanded the King George, he conveyed to Admiral Duncan information respecting the sailing of the Dutch fleet, which led to the victory of 11 Oct. On the issue of the battle he returned to England with Capt. Wm. Geo. Fairfax, the officer charged with the despatches of the Admiral; who, in consequence, ordered him to attend the King down the river Thames for the purpose of viewing the fleet on its arrival at the Nore. The severity of the weather not permitting his Majesty to proceed beyond Long Reach, the projected visit was deferred, and he in consequence lost the promotion which would have been secured to him. In the course of the same year Lieut. Rains captured a French armed lugger on the coast of Norway; he subsequently drove on shore on the coast of Jutland a French armed cutter, Le Petit Diable, which he succeeded in getting off and bringing to England; and in 1800 he engaged, and for an hour and a half sustained an action with, a large French lugger, carrying 20 guns and full of troops. The King George drawing more water than her opponent, the latter was enabled to escape into Ostend, after having materially shattered the British vessel. For the gallantry he displayed in the affair, Lieut. Rains, who was wounded in the leg, received the marked approbation of his Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge, and of Earl Spencer, the First Lord of the Admiralty. When in company, in the same vessel, with the Nautilus and the Seagull sloops, he contributed to the capture of several privateers on the Norwegian coast; where, in unison with the latter, he took, 23 July, 1797, the Capitaine Thurot cutter, of 2 guns, 4 swivels, and 22 men. As First of the Sirius, we find him assisting, in company with L’Oiseau 36 and Amethyst 36, at the capture, 28 Jan. 1801, after a chase of two days, of the French 36-gun frigate La Dédaigneuse. On the surrender of the enemy’s ship he was despatched by Capt. King to take charge of her; but on the coming up of L’Oiseau, commanded by Capt. Sam. Hood Linzee, that officer, being the Senior, superseded him and confided the care of the prize to his own First Lieutenant. He invalided home from the Magnificent in May, 1802; and was lastly, from May, 1803, until Dec. 1814, employed in command of a signal-station on the coast of Dorset. He accepted his present rank 25 April, 1829. Commander Rains married, first, in 1792, Miss J. Wallace, a niece of the late Sir Jas. Wallace; and secondly, in 1804, Miss R. T. Williams. He has issue two sons and one daughter.
RALPH. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p.,31; h-p., 10.)
Robert Ralph entered the Navy, 5 July, 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Naiad 38, Capt. Thos. Dundas, with whom he continued actively employed as Midshipman in the same ship and in the Ganges 74, until April, 1811. In the Naiad he assisted at the blockade of several of the enemy’s ports along the French coast, witnessed the destruction of three frigates under the batteries of Sable d’Olonne, and cruized with activity in the Channel, where he contributed to the capture, among other vessels, of the
- ↑ Capt. Peter Rainier (a nephew of Admiral Peter Rainier) attained Post-rank 17 Jan. 1806. On 18 Oct. following, in command of the Caroline of 42 guns, he captured, near the island of Java, the Dutch 14-gun brig Zeerop, and, in the course of the same day, after an action of half an hour, the Maria-Riggersbergen of 40 guns and 270 men, 50 of whom were killed and wounded, with a loss to the Caroline, out of 204 men, of 3 killed and 18 wounded. In company with the Maria-Riggersbergen were the William 14, Patriot 18, and Zee-Ploeg 14, together with some gun-boats who partially assisted ner; 30 other gun-boats lay in shore, but did not attempt to come out. On 27 Jan. 1807, Capt. Rainier was so fortunate as to make prize of the San Raphael Spanish register-ship, mountinig 16 guns, with a complement of 97 men, having on board 500,000 dollars in specie, and 1700 quintals of copper, besides a valuable cargo. In securing this rich prize the Caroline had 7 men wounded: the enemy’s vessel, before she surrendered, incurred a loss of 27 killed and wounded. Towards the close of the war Capt. Rainier commanded the Niger 38, in which ship he assisted at the capture, 6 Jan. 1814, of La Cerès French frigate, of 44 guns and .124 men. From Oct. 1831, until Feb. 1835, he commanded the Britannia 120. He was nominated a C.B. in 1815, and in 1830 Naval Aide-de-Camp to William IV. he died at Southampton 13 April, 1836.
