412
GORDON—GORE.
who died in 1835 – and of Robert Gordon, Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Vienna. Capt. Gordon’s sister-in-law, the Countess of Aberdeen, is the mother, by a former marriage, of Lady Harriet Hamilton, wife of Capt. W. A. B. Hamilton, R.N., Second Secretary of the Admiralty.
This officer entered the Navy, 2 July, 1797, as Midshipman, on board the Romulus 36, Capt. Geo. Hope, whom he successively followed, on the Lisbon and Mediterranean stations, into the Alcmene 32 and Majestic 74. Between Dec. 1799 and Sept. 1803 he served, chiefly on the Home station, in the Immortalité 36, Capt. Hon. Henry Hotham, Dryad 36, Capt. Chas. John Moore Mansfield, Leda 38, Capt. Geo. Hope, Minotaur 74, Capt. John Louis, and Fisgard and Naiad 38’s, both commanded by Capt. Jas. Wallis. While under the latter officer he contributed to the cutting out, by the Naiad’s boats, on the evening of 4 July, 1803, of the French national schooner La Providence of 2 guns and 22 men, laden with timber and cannon, and lying near Brest; a service which was effected without casualty, notwithstanding a great rapidity of tide, and the difficulties offered by a number of rocks and shoals with which the enemy’s vessel was surrounded.[1] In Sept. 1804 Mr. Gordon joined the Trident 64, bearing the flag of Admiral Rainier, Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies; where he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 2 July, 1804, and further served, until Feb. 1806, in the Arrogant 74, Capt. Hood Hanway Christian, and Culloden 74, flag ship of Sir Edw. Pellew. After a brief attachment, towards the commencement of 1807, to the Clyde 38, bearing the broad pendant off the coast of France of Commodore Edw. W. C. R. Owen, he obtained command, 24 April, 1807, of the Charwell sloop, in which vessel he visited South America, and then proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope. Being there posted, from the Sapphire into the Minerva hired armed ship, 12 March, 1810, Capt. Gordon, in the following autumn, visited the Isle of France. His after-appointments afloat were – 23 June, 1811, to the Laurestinus 24, on the South American station – 21 Aug. 1812, to the Magicienne 36, which frigate, after having captured the Thrasher American privateer, of 14 guns and 80 men, and witnessed the fall of St. Sebastian, he left, 20 July, 1814 – and, 5 March, 1827, to the Briton 46. The latter ship was employed on various particular services, and was ultimately paid off 27 April, 1830. Flag-rank was conferred upon Capt. Gordon 9 Nov. 1846.
The Rear-Admiral, who has for many years retained a seat in Parliament as Member for Aberdeenshire, held office as a Lord of the Admiralty from 1841 until 1846.
GORDON. (Captain 1841. f-p., 12;h-p., 31.)
William Gordon entered the Navy, in July, 1804, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Northumberland 74, Capt. Jas. Oswald, bearing the flag, off Ferrol, and then in the West Indies, of Rear-Admiral Hon. Alex. Cochrane. Being appointed Midshipman, in Aug. 1805, of the Kingfisher 18, Capt. Nathaniel Day Cochrane, he shared in that vessel in the action off St. Domingo, 6 Feb. 1806; after which he served under the present Earl of Dundonald in the Pallas and Impérieuse frigates, and figured in all the glittering scenes which we have described in his Lordship’s memoir as having been enacted between 6 April, 1806, and 4 Aug. 1809. Continuing to serve in the Impérieuse under Capts. Alex. Skene and Thos. Garth, Mr. Gordon accompanied the latter officer in the expedition to the Walcheren. During the two years and a half immediately prior to his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 21 March, 1812, he appears to have been further employed, on the Baltic, Home, and Mediterranean stations, in the Hussar 38, Capts. Alex. Skene and Jas. Coutts Crawford, Argo 44, Capt. Fred. Warren, and Caledonia 120, flag-ship of Sir Edw. Pellew. His next appointments were to the Pylades 18, Capt. Jas. Wemyss, Blake 74, Capt. Edw. Codrington, Bucephalus troop-ship, Capt. Geo. Wm. Hughes D’Aeth, and Seahorse 38, Capt. Sir Jas. Alex. Gordon; in the two last-mentioned of which ships he took part in the operations connected with the attack upon New Orleans. The Pylades and Blake were employed on the Mediterranean station. Having obtained his second promotion 13 June, 1815, and been in command, from 8 Jan. 1823 until 27 July 1825, of the Pandora 18, on the Newfoundland station, Capt. Gordon was ultimately, on 23 Nov. 1841, presented with a Post-commission. He is now on half-pay. Agents – Messrs, Stilwell.
GORDON. (Lieutenant, 1842.)
William Everard Alphonso Gordon entered the Navy 29 April, 1830; passed his examination 7 Dec. 1836; and after serving for some time as Mate in the Cambridge 78, commanded in the Mediterranean by Capt. Edw. Barnard, and also in the Dido, 18, Capt. Hon. Henry Keppel, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 28 Jan. 1842. His appointments have since been – 7 March, 1842, to the Winchester 50, flag-ship at the Cape of Good Hope of Hon. Josceline Percy – on 26 of the same month to the Vindictive 50, Capt. John Toup Nicolas, on the East India station – 15 Dec. 1842, to the Driver steam-sloop, Capts. Sam. Fielding Harmer and Courtenay Osborn Hayes, also employed in the East – 2 Sept. 1844, and 22 Jan. 1845, to the Firebrand steam-frigate, Capt. Jas. Hope, and Superb 80, Capt. Armar Lowry Corry, both attached to the Channel squadron – and 15 June, 1846, as First, to the Inflexible steam-sloop, Capt. John Cochrane Hoseason, in which vessel he is now serving in the East Indies.
GORE. (Commander, 1828. f-p., 12; h-p., 25.)
The Honourable Edward Gore, born 14 May, 1797, is fourth son of the second Earl of Arran, K.P., by his third wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Rich. Underwood, Esq.; brother of Col. Hon. Chas. Gore, C.B., K.H., Deputy Quartermaster-General in Canada, and of Her Grace the Duchess of Inverness; half-brother of Col.Wm. John Gore, who died in Jan. 1836; uncle, through that gentleman, of the present Earl of Arran, and of Commander Hon. Robt. Gore, R.N.; and first-cousin of Retired Commander Ralph Gore, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 6 Feb. 1810, as a Volunteer, on board the Revenge 74, Capts. Hon. Chas. Paget and John Nash; under the former of whom he witnessed an attack made, 15 Nov. 1810, by Capt. Chas. Grant, of the Diana, upon the two French frigates Amazone and Eliza, protected by the fire of several strong batteries, near Cherbourg. Quitting the Revenge in May, 1811, Mr. Gore, during the next six years and a half, served, principally as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, on board the Royal George, flag-ship of Sir Thos. Williams, Royal Oak 74, Capt. Pulteney Malcolm, Venerable 74, Capt. Sir Home Popham, Superb 74 (commanded at first by Hon. Chas. Paget, then employed as flag-ship of Hon. Henry Hotham, and afterwards commanded by Capt. Chas. Ekins), Fury bomb, Capt. Constantine Rich. Moorsom, and Egeria 24, Capt. Robt. Rowley. While in the Venerable on the north coast of Spain, he was present at the capture of several towns and forts, including those of Lequeytio, Bermeo, Plencia, Galea, Algorta, Bagona, El Campillo las Quersas, Xebiles, Castro, and St. Ano. Among the boat-services participated in by Mr. Gore while employed in the Superb on the North American station, we may enumerate the destruction, 13 June. 1814, of the Fair Trader of 444 tons, fitting as a letter-of-marque; – next, of the Independent of 300 tons, pierced for 14 guns, and about to be launched as a privateer; – also, of 1778 tons of merchant-shipping; – and of a cotton-manufactory, near Wareham, valued, with its stores, at half a million of dollars. He was pre-
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1803, p. 840.
