Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p2.djvu/17

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SIR JOSEPH SYDNEY YORKE.
441

Country Seat.– Sydney Lodge, a beautiful residence, situate on the margin of the Southampton River.

Town Residence.– 14, New Burlington Street,




HON. SIR ARTHUR KAYE LEGGE,


Vice-Admiral of the White; Knight Commander of the most honorable Military Order of the Bath, and a Vice-President of the Naval Charitable Society.

The Legges are descended from a very ancient and honorable family in Venice, where the original stock is said by the Sieur Amelot, in his Hist. de Venice, still to flourish in the highest rank of nobility. A branch of this family migrated to England, some time prior to the reign of Edward II., and was long settled at Legge’s Place, near Tunbridge, in Kent. The first of its descendants whom we find particularly noticed, was Thomas, who served the office of Sheriff of London, in the 18th, and Lord Mayor in the 20th and 28th years of Edward III.

The subject of this sketch is the 5th son of William, second Earl of Dartmouth, by Frances Catharine, only child of Sir Charles Gunter Nicholl, K.B. He was born Oct. 25, 1766; entered the naval service at an early age; and in 1781, served as a Midshipman on board the Prince George, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Digby, on the American station; in which vessel he had the honor to be a shipmate with the present illustrious Admiral of the Fleet.

At the period of the Russian armament (1791), and from that time until the commencement of the war with the French republic, our officer commanded the Shark sloop, stationed in the Channel. He was promoted to post rank, Feb. 6, 1793, and immediately appointed to the Niger, of 32 guns, which ship was one of the repeaters to Earl Howe’s fleet on the glorious 1st June, 1794[1].

In the spring of 1795, the Latona frigate, into which Captain Legge had recently removed from the Niger, formed part of the squadron under the orders of Commodore Payne, sent