A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Belson, Henry Fage
BELSON. (Retired Commander, 1845. f-p., 21; h-p., 26.)
Henry Fage Belson entered the Navy, 18 Dec. 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Ruby 64, Capt. Solomon Ferris, lying in the Downs; accompanied that officer, the year following, into the Thunderer 74; and, after serving for a few months in the Leander 50, bearing the flag of Sir Andrew Mitchell in North America, there attained the rating of Midshipman, 1 Dec. 1802, in the Lily 16, Capt. Wm. Compton. He afterwards became successively attached to the Driver sloop, Cambrian 40, Capts. John Poo Beresford, John Nairne, and Peter Puget (in which ship he assisted at the capture, June and 3 July, 1805, of the privateers Maria, of guns and 60 men, and Matilda, of 20 guns and 95 men), and Theseus 74, Capt. J. P. Beresford, employed in the Channel and off Ferrol. He was made Lieutenant, 7 March, 1808, into the Vulture sloop, Capts. Joseph Pearce and Martin White, on the Jersey station, and subsequently received the following appointments : – 31 Dec. 1808, to the Diomede 50, flag-ship off Guernsey of Rear-Admiral D’Auvergne, Duke de Bouillon, in which he afterwards proceeded to the East Indies – 15 April, 1812, as First, to the Briton 38, Capt. Sir Thos. Staines, serving in the Channel and off Bordeaux – 14 Jan. 1814, to the Ulysses 44, Capt. Thos. Browne, fitting at Plymouth – 11 Feb. 1814, to the Sybille 44, Capt. Thos. Forrest, from which frigate, after cruizing off Madeira, and proceeding to Greenland in search of the American Commodore, John Rodgers, he was paid off, 18 April, 1815 – 29 Oct. 1819, again as Senior Lieutenant, to the Phaeton 46, Capt. Aug. Wm. Montagu, on the Halifax station, which ship was placed out of commission 23 Sept. 1822 – and, 17 Dec. 1825, in the same capacity, to the Prince Regent 120, flag-ship at the Nore of Sir Robt. Moorsom. He was superseded in 1827; subsequently commanded, from 30 Aug. 1830, to April, 1833, the Confiance steam-vessel 2, on the Falmouth station; and, on 18 Jan. 1845, was placed on the list of Retired Commanders.