1766, a lord of the Admiralty. He died an admiral of the blue, in May, 1781. His nephew, Peircy, first went to sea with the late Lord Hood; and was in the action off Ushant, between Keppel and D’Orvilliers, July 27th, 1778; but served mostly on the North American station. He attained post rank in 1787; and died in 1792, aged 32 years, leaving a widow and four sons, viz. – Peircy, the subject of the following sketch; Spencer Phipps, who, while serving as a lieutenant of artillery under General Skerrit, was killed in the attack of the bridge at Seville, Aug. 27th, 1812[1]; William Thomson, now a major in the Hon. East India Company’s artillery; and Henry, a lieutenant, R.N. which rank he attained in Oct. 1810[2]. The mother of these gentlemen is a daughter of the late Captain David Phipps, R.N., descended from Sir William Phipps, who, in 1687, after great perseverance, discovered the wreck of a Spanish plate ship that had been under water 44 years; for which service the honor of knighthood and a gold medal was conferred upon him by King James II. This medal, together with the first piece of silver that was brought up from the wreck, is still preserved in the family. Sir William, whose brother was Constantine first Lord Mulgrave, subsequently obtained the government of the Massachusetts, in New England: his descendant, the above-mentioned Captain David Phipps, died in the year 1811, aged 87.
Mr. Peircy Brett, junior, was born at Westbere, near Canterbury, Feb. 20th, 1785; and admitted at the Royal Academy, Portsmouth, May 29th, 1797. He first embarked on board the Royal Sovereign, flag-ship of Sir Henry Harvey, second in command of the Channel fleet. May 17th, 1801; served during the peace of Amiens, in the Bittern sloop. Captain Robert Corbett, on the Mediterranean station; and was appointed, by Sir Richard Bickerton, to act as lieutenant
