A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Black, William
BLACK. (Captain, 1814. f-p., 22; h-p., 32.)
William Black entered the Navy, 13 April, 1793, as A.B., on board the Leviathan 74, Capt. Lord Hugh Seymour, in which ship we find him present at the ensuing investment of Toulon, and in Lord Howe’s action of 1 June, 1794. He next served for three years under the flag of the same officer in the Sans Pareil 80, as Midshipman, Master’s Mate, and Second Master, and was with him in Lord Bridport’s action with the French fleet off Ile de Groix, 23 June, 1795. He was subsequently, for a short period in 1798-9, lent, as Acting-Lieutenant, to the Penelope 36, Capt. Hon. Chas. Paget, but eventually rejoined Lord Seymour, who had been nominated Commander-in-Chief in the Leeward Islands, and, on 16 Aug. in the latter year, was appointed in the same capacity to the Unité 38, Capt. John Poo Beresford, under whom he witnessed the surrender of the Dutch colony of Surinam. In March, 1800, he again became attached to Lord Seymour’s flag-ship, the Prince of Wales 98, and, on 13 July, 1801, was confirmed into the Sans Pareil, into which that nobleman had shifted his flag. Mr. Black’s subsequent appointments were – 5 April, 1803, after a short interval of half-pay, to the Prince 98, Capt. Rich. Grindall, in the Channel – 3 July, 1804, to the Aeolus 32, Capt. Lord Wm. FitzRoy, under whom he fought in Sir Rich. Strachan’s action, 4 Nov. 1805 – 6 May, 1806, as First Lieutenant, to the Egyptienne 40, Capt. Hon. Chas. Paget, with the boats of which ship under his orders he took, we are told, a letter-of-marque of greatly superior force – 28 April, 1807, in a similar capacity, to the Cambrian 40, commanded by the same Captain, in which frigate he attended the expedition to Copenhagen in Aug. and Sept. following – and, 27 May, 1808, to the Polyphemus 64, as Flag -Lieutenant to the Rear-Admiral Bartholomew Sam. Rowley, Commanderin-Chief on the Jamaica station. He was promoted to the command, 5 Nov. 1809, of the Racoon sloop, and was employed, for upwards of four years, in cruizing, chiefly on the eastern and western coasts of South America. In Jan. 1815, Capt. Black returned home, and was placed on half-pay, having been previously advanced to Post-rank, 7 June, 1814. He accepted the retirement 1 Oct. 1846.