A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Snell, Robert (a)
SNELL. (Lieut., 1806. f-p., 16; h-p., 34.)
Robert Snell (a) entered the Navy, in Dec. 1797, as Midshipman, on board the El Corso 18, Capt. Bartholomew James, attached to the fleet in the Mediterranean; where he removed with the same officer, as Master’s Mate, in Sept. 1798, to the Canopus 80 (late Franklin), one of the prizes taken by Lord Nelson at the battle of the Nile. Joining next, in Sept. 1799, the Ethalion 38, Capts. Jas. Young and John Clarke Searle, he assisted in that ship, under Capt. Young, at the capture, 17 Oct. following, of the Spanish 36-gun frigate El Thetis, laden with specie to an enormous amount, and was wrecked, under Capt. Searle, on the Penmarck Rocks, 25 Dec. in the same year. He was then received on board the Terpsichore 32, Capts. Wm. Hall Gage and John Mackellar, employed at first on the Home station, where we find him, in July, 1800, present at the detention of the Freija Danish frigate, in consequence of a refusal on the part of her commander to allow the British to search a convoy under his orders. On proceeding afterwards to the East Indies, Mr. Snell, in the course of 1802, joined the Eurydice 24, Capt. Chas. Malcolm. In June, 1804, at which period he had been serving for 12 months in the Channel in the Foudroyant 80, flag-ship of Sir Thos. Graves, he was nominated Sub-Lieutenant of the Constant gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander John Stokes. He had charge subsequently of a rocket-vessel in Sir Wm. Sidney Smith’s attack on the Boulogne flotilla; he was placed as Midshipman, in March, 1806, on board the Hibernia 120, flag-ship of Lord St. Vincent in the Channel; and in the following May and June he became Acting-Lieutenant of the Glory 98, Capt. Wm. Albany Otway, and Superb 74, Commodore Rich. Goodwin Keats. To the latter ship he was confirmed by a commission dated 7 Nov. 1806. While engaged, in Sept. 1807, in the operations against Copenhagen, he was appointed to the Brunswick 74, Capt. Thos. Graves. He was transferred afterwards to the Minotaur 74, bearing the flags of Sir Chas. Cotton and Sir Wm. Sidney Smith off Lisbon and the Texel; and in March, 1809, he obtained command for four months of the Piercer gun-brig, in the Baltic. He returned eventually to the Minotaur, and was one of the few belonging to that ship who were saved when she was lost off the Haak Sands 22 Dec. 1810. He remained a prisoner of war in France until the peace of 1814, and has not been since employed.