Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p2.djvu/351

sannah, youngest daughter of the late Sir Nigel Gresley, Bart.

This officer was born at Lichfield, on the 15th Oct. 1794; and entered the royal navy, in Mar. 1807, as midshipman on board the Centaur 74, hearing the broad pendant of his cousin-in-law, the late Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, K.B., under whose auspices he continued to serve until the demise of that highly distinguished officer, in Dec. 1814^[1]. He was consequently present at the bombardment of Copenhagen, and surrender of the Danish navy, in Aug. and Sept. 1807; the occupation of Madeira, Dec. 26th, in the same year; and the capture and destruction of a Russian 74, on the Baltic station, in Aug. 1808^[2]. He was also at the reduction of Walcheren, in Aug. 1809.

In 1810, M. Proby followed Sir Samuel Hood into the Hibernia 120, on the Mediterranean station. He subsequently accompanied him to the East Indies; and on the 28th June, 1813, then serving as midshipman of the Hussar frigate, Captain the Hon. George Elliott, assisted in storming the defences of Sambas, a piratical state on the western coast of Borneo^[3]. The following is a copy of the senior officer’s official report to Captain George Sayer, commanding a squadron in the Eastern Seas:–

“Sambas, June 29th, 1813.

“ Sir,–

“It affords me much satisfaction to communicate the good conduct and indefatigable exertions of the party of seamen belonging to H.M. ship Hussar, which you did me the honor to place under my orders, to co-operate with the detachment of troops commanded by Colonel Watson, of H.M. 14th regiment, for the reduction of the batteries at Sambas.

“During a six hours’ march, in an almost impenetrable jungle, through which, for the greater part of the way, a path was cut by a division of the seamen (the remainder of the party having been appointed to carry the scaling ladders), that ardour so common to British sailors was eminently conspicuous; and in the assault made on five batteries

1. Sir Samuel Hood married the eldest daughter of the Earl of Seaforth, governor of Barbadoes, by his Countess, the daughter of the above-mentioned Dean of Lichfield.
2. See Vol. II. Part II. pp. 649–652.
3. See Vol. II. Part I. p. 357, et seq.