A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Price, James Hervey
PRICE. (Retired Commander, 1838. f-p., 18; h-p., 34.)
James Hervey Price is youngest son of the late Capt. Chas. Papps Price, R.N.,[1] and brother (with the present Lieut. Chas. Henry Price) of the late Capt. Geo. Price, R.N.[2]
This officer entered the Navy, in June, 1795, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Badger 8, commanded by his father, Lieut. Chas. Papps Price, under whom, while employed on the coast of Normandy in protecting the island of St. Marcouf, we find him present at the cutting-out, after a fierce resistance, of a guard-vessel in the river Isigny, and also at the destruction of the barge in which Sir Sidney Smith had been captured. From Dec. 1797 to May, 1802, he served as Midshipman in the Atlas 98, and was for the most part engaged at the blockade of Brest. Joining next, in Sept. of the latter year, the Alonzo sloop, Capts. W. H. Faulkner and John Impey, he cruized in that vessel on the Irish, Baltic, and Channel stations, and was on board of her off Bognor, in Oct. 1803, during a three days’ gale, in which she lost her masts and rudder, sprang a dangerous leak, and was all but lost. On the third night, the gale having somewhat subsided, he was directed by Capt. Impey to endeavour to get a letter on shore with an account of the state to which the Alonzo had been reduced. Not daring to beach his boat, Mr. Price jumped into the serf, and, although half-drowned, succeeded in conveying the despatch to a signal-station, whence it was forwarded to Portsmouth. Soon after this occurrence he joined the Queen 98, Capts. Theophilus Jones, Fras. Pender, and Manley Dixon, in which ship, during upwards of 12 months that he was stationed off Rochefort, he had sole charge of the signal department, and acquitted himself of his duties in a manner that called forth the commendation of Vice-Admiral Collingwood. On 17 May, 1805, being then at Gibraltar, he followed Rear-Admiral John Knight (whose flag had been latterly flying on board the Queen), as Acting-Lieutenant, into the Guerrier 80, to which ship he was confirmed 17 July following. His succeeding appointments were – 19 Aug. 1805, again to the Queen, successive flag-ship in the Mediterranean of Admirals Knight and Lord Collingwood, under the former of whom he offciated as Flag-Lieutenant – 14 Aug. 1806, to the Beagle sloop, Capt. Fras. Newcombe, stationed at first in the Mediterranean, and afterwards in the Channel – and, 29 May, 1809, as First, to the Persian 18, Capts. Sam. Martin Colquitt and Chas. Bertram. He was on board the Queen when she fired a few shot into the Algeciras 74, the last of the French ships, defeated at Trafalgar, that made her escape into Cadiz, where he afterwards, on his removal to the Beagle, assisted in the boats, although at the time on crutches from the effects of a severe injury on the instep of the left foot, in compelling the enemy to abandon an English merchant-ship laden with naval stores and on shore. While cruizing in the same vessel in the Channel Mr. Price contributed to the capture, 2 Oct. 1808 and 24 Jan. and 18 Feb. 1809, of the privateers Hazard of 14 guns and 49 men, Vengeur of 16 guns and 48 men, and Fortune of 14 guns and 58 men. He frequently, also, landed between Boulogne and Cape Gris-nez for the purpose of distributing inflammatory proclamations; and in April, 1809, he took part in Lord Cochrane’s celebrated attack upon the French shipping in Aix Roads. At the close of the contest, the Ville de Varsovie 80 and Calcutta 56 having been taken possession of, the Beagle ran in under the stern of the Aquilon 74, and obliged her too to surrender. Mr. Price, by Capt. Newcombe’s direction, took possession, and conveyed her Captain a prisoner on board L’Impérieuse, Lord Cochrane’s ship. This took place on the 12th; and on the 18th the Beagle was for five hours in action, at the mouth of the Charente, and under a fire of shells from Ile d’Aix, with L’Ocean 120, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Willaumez, a two-decker, and a frigate, at the close whereof she had only three barrels of powder left, besides the cartridges which were filled. In the Persian Mr. Price proved instrumental to the capture of two luggers and a cutter; he was in attendance in her on the Princess Charlotte during the summer months of 1810 and 1811; and when Cadiz was first attacked by the French he assisted in conveying reinforcements from Gibraltar to that place. In the summer of 1812 we find him employed in occasionally blockading a Danish squadron in the ports of Norway, and on one occasion storming a signal-station on the coast of Jutland. Prior to her departure from the Baltic the Persian succeeded in intercepting two vessels bound to America with munitions of war. She was ultimately wrecked on the Silver Keys to the northward of St. Domingo 16 June, 1813 – a catastrophe in reference to which Capt. Bertram afterwards, in a letter addressed to Lord Melville, thus expressed himself:– “I take the liberty of addressing your Lordship in behalf of Lieut. J. H. Price, a most meritorious officer. He served with me three years, and I always found him to be a most correct, zealous officer, a perfect gentleman, and always first to step forward whenever His Majesty’s service was in question. The unfortunate wreck of the Persian must be in your Lordship’s recollection, when 125 men in the boats for three nights and days suffered the greatest hardships and privations. Lieut. Price was on a raft with part of the crew, and to him, my Lord, I must justly attribute the preservation of that part of the crew to His Majesty’s service, by his exemplary conduct and coolness in preventing the men from becoming outrageous through despair, the night being dark and tempestuous, and the raft amid breakers. I hope, my Lord, in consideration of Lieut. Price’s long and meritorious services on many occasions, and in consideration of the severe loss he sustained by the wreck of the Persian (having lost every individual thing he had), your Lordship will be induced to consider him worthy of being a candidate, whenever a promotion takes place.” On the fourth day the crew all assembled under Old Cape, whence they proceeded westward to Porto Plata, and there landed. No vessels being found in the harbour capable of receiving them, Mr. Price was sent in a small boat with a Midshipman and two Spaniards to endeavour to remedy the want at Turk’s Island. Owing to stress of weather he was driven to leeward and wrecked on the Caicos Islands, and it was not until the tenth day that he was enabled to return with two vessels to Porto Plata. In one of these, as did Capt. Bertram in the other, he proceeded with one-half of the crew to St. Thomas’s. By the time they had arrived the Surgeon and Gunner, together with a Midshipman and 36 of the people, had fallen victims to the yellow-fever, and the remainder had been dreadfully affected by it. Lieut. Price accepted his present rank 17 Jan. 1838.
In compliment to his services the Commander has been presented with the freedom of the city of Hereford.
- ↑ Capt. Chas. Papps Price, a native of Hay, in Breconshire, entered the service at a very early age, and in May, 1778, was made a Lieutenant. Continuing actively employed with honour to himself and benefit to his country, he was appointed to the command of the island of Marcouf when threatened with an attack by the French from La Hogue. On the night of 6 May, 1798, the enemy attempted to carry the island by storm; but its gallant defender, with a handful of brave men, drove them back with immense loss, and so completely defeated them that they did not again repeat the attack. For his exemplary conduct in the affair he was promoted to the rank of Commander, and subsequently to that of Post-Captain. He died at Hereford about Jan. 1813, aged 62.
- ↑ Capt. Geo. Price obtained his first commission 14 Sept 1805, and as a reward for the distinguished gallantry he exhibited on many detached services, when senior of the Porcupine, Capt. Hon. Hen. Duncan, was promoted to the rank of Commander in 1808. His heroic conduct on one occasion induced the Patriotic Society to vote him the sum of 50l. During the defence of Cadiz he commanded the Sabine sloop, as stated in our memoir of his brother, and was actively employed at the siege of Isla de Leon. He obtained Post-rank 7 Jan. 1812; was presented, in 1817, with the freedom of Hereford; became an out-pensioner of Greenwich Hospital 30 July, 1833; and died 13 Nov. 1840, at the Barton, in Hereford, aged 55.