A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Dalyell, William Cunningham Cavendish
DALYELL. (Commander, 1814. f-p., 17; h-p., 37.)
William Cunningham Cavendish Dalyell, born 27 April, 1784, is youngest son of the late Sir Robt. Dalyell, Bart., by Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Nicol Graham, Esq., of Gartmore; and brother of the present Sir John Graham Dalyell, Bart., as also of Colonel Robt. Dalyell, who served throughout the whole of the Peninsular war, and was twice wounded.
This officer entered the Navy, in 1793, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Thetis 38, Capt. Hon. Alex. Inglis Cochrane, on the Halifax station; but being discharged in 1794, did not again go afloat until Feb. 1797, from which date, until April, 1802, he served with Capt. David Milne, as Midshipman, in La Pique 36, and La Seine, of 48 guns and 281 men. On 21 Aug. 1800, we find him assisting in the latter ship at the capture, in the Mona Passage, of La Vengeance, of 52 guns and 326 men, after a brllUant action of two hours and a half, in which the British lost 13 men killed and 29 wounded, and the French more than twice that number. In Dec. following he was sent as Master of a prize to Jamaica; but the vessel foundering on her passage, he contrived, in a small boat, to reach the island of Cuba, where he was detained for two months as a prisoner-of-war. He then rejoined his own ship, and, in April, 1803, became attached to the Antelope 50, bearing the broad pendant in the North Sea of Commodore Sir Wm. Sidney Smith. On four occasions during the course of the following Sept. and Oct. Mr. Dalyell particularly distinguished himself, in command of one of the boats belonging to the latter ship, at the capture and destruction, under circumstances of great hazard, of (in the whole) 85 of the enemy’s armed and other vessels. He also, on 2 Nov. assisted at the taking of the island of Rottam.; but being shortly afterwards driven ashore on the coast of Zealand, while acting as Lieutenant in the Experiment schuyt, was again taken captive by the enemy. Being soon, however, restored to liberty, he rejoined the Antelope; and, on 18 March, 1804, commanded one of two boats at the cutting out of four Dutch vessels, three of which were found lashed to the pier-heads of Zierick-Zee, and the other close to them. On 31 of the same month he further acquired the praise of his commanding officer, Lieut. J as. Boxer, for his conduct during an obstinate and sanguinary action of three-quarters of an hour, which terminated in the cajiture, by the boats of the Antelope and Magicienne, of a guard-vessel, the Schrik, of 6 guns and 94 men; and, on 16 May following (two days previously to which he had been appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Rattler sloop, Capt. Fras. Mason), he took part in a warm attack on a division of the enemy’s flotilla, consisting of 59 sail, passing along shore from Flushing to Ostend, in which that vessel lost 2 men killed and 10 wounded.[1] Mr. Dalyell, who was rewarded for his bravery on the latter occasion by being allowed to retain his acting order, although a commissioned officer had been appointed in the interim, subsequently assisted in many severe skirmishes. He was at length confirmed by the Admiralty on 1 Jan. 1805, and three days afterwards was entrusted, at his own request, with the command of a captured fishing-boat, of a boat belonging to the Folkstone lugger, and of the Rattler’s cutter, the whole manned by 27 volunteers, for the purpose of bringing out a notorious lugger privateer, the Vimereux, of 14 four-pounders and 78 men, including 15 chosen grenadiers from the camp at Boulogne, lying at an anchor in the bay of St. Valary en Caux, close under a 4-gun battery. Within five minutes from the commencement of the attack the enemy, although fully prepared, were driven below, whence, however, by the aid of an arm-chest full of loaded weapons, they ultimately effected their return to the deck. After a fearful struggle of 20 mmutes the British were finally overpowered by force of numbers, and so great was the carnage amongst them that only six escaped unhurt. The remainder were either killed or wounded. Among the latter was Mr. Dalyell himself, who, after an exciting display of valour, was at length felled to the deck, and then thrown headlong dovn the main hatchway. On being conveyed to a dungeon on shore, his head, on examination, seemed hacked asunder, having received no less than nine sabre-cuts; his left foot was found lacerated by a pistol-ball; and three other severe, and two slight, wounds were dicoverable in different parts of his body. His case altogether appeared hopeless; but in course of time he rallied, and eventually was restored to comparative health. On his return from captivity, which did not take place until Feb. 1814, Lieut. Dalyell, on 17 of that month, was promoted to the rank of Commander. He also received a sword, valued at 50l, from the Patriotic Society, by whom he had previously been presented with the sum of 100l.; and, in March following, he was confirmed in the receipt of a pension of 5s. a day, which had been granted to him in Aug. 1811, and which, as with other officers, was increased, in 1815, to 150l. Commander Dalyell, who has not been afloat since the peace, was appointed to Greenwich Hospital 27 Aug. 1840.
He married, 19 Sept. 1820, Maria, youngest daughter of A. T. Sampayo, Esq., of Peterborough House, Fulham, co. Middlesex, and has issue two sons and two daughters.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1804, p. 641.