Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p2.djvu/167

Brunswick, when forty-two of his officers, passengers, and crew perished. At the close of the war with France, in 1814, we find him commanding the Badger hired cutter; and some time afterwards, the Sprightly revenue cruiser, which vessel was wrecked on the rocks at Blacknor, Isle of Portland, in a heavy gale of wind, Jan. 8th, 1821. He was promoted to his present rank, “for long and active services,” May 27th, 1825.

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JOHN PEARSE, Esq.
[Commander.]

Was made a lieutenant on the 29th Dec. 1800; and served for several years as first of the Cruiser sloop, one of the most active and successful cruisers on the North Sea station, where she was successively commanded by Captains John Hancock and Pringle Stoddart^[1].

On the 24th April, 1810, Lieutenant Pearse was appointed to the command of thee Decey cutter, which vessel he appears to have paid off in June 1814. We next find him commanding the Wickham revenue cruiser, in 1817. He obtained his present rank, “for long and active services,” May 27th, 1825.

This officer is the author of an article in the “United Service Journal,” for Aug. 1830, entitled, “Observations on the present Distribution of Weight and Pressure in, Ships of War.” The following is taken from the “Devonport Telegraph,” Sept. 7th, 1833:–

“Masting of Ships. – A discovery, which is likely to be attended with important results to the navy, has recently been made by Commander John Pearse, R.N., of Plymouth, after a series of delicate and laborious experiments, in which the point, according to the opinion of those most conversant with such subjects, who have had an opportunity of examining these experiments, has been fully demonstrated. This officer, from various circumstances, and, among other things, the imperfect systems of the principle of masting ships, was led to doubt that the centre of gravity of a ship was the axis of rotation, as hitherto imagined,

1. See Suppl. Part I. pp. 12–22, and p. 257.