Mr. G. F. Ryves was born Sept. 8, 1758; educated at Harrow school; and entered the naval service as a Midshipman on board the Kent of 74 guns, commanded by the Hon. Charles Fielding, and stationed as a guard-ship at Plymouth, Feb. 15, 1774. In the month of July following, the Kent was ordered on a six weeks’ cruise; and when working out of the Sound to join the other ships of the squadron, had 11 men killed and 45 wounded, by the explosion of nearly 400 lbs. of gunpowder, which had been placed in a chest on the larboard side of the poop. This melancholy accident took place at a moment when the Kent was saluting the Admiral’s flag, and Mr. Ryves walking on the opposite side of the same deck; his preservation may therefore be justly deemed miraculous but that of a marine drummer still more extraordinary. The latter was sitting upon the chest in question when its contents ignited, and blown into the sea, from whence he was taken on board without having received the slightest injury!
In 1775, our officer was removed into the Portland of 50 guns, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral James Young, father of the late Vice-Admiral of Great Britain, who was then the junior Lieutenant of that ship[1]. At the commencement of the American war we find Mr. Ryves in the West Indies, where he was selected from a numerous quarter-deck, to command one of the Portland’s tenders, the Tartar of 8 guns, and 33 men, including himself, another Midshipman, and a Surgeon’s Mate. In this small vessel he had the good fortune to capture upwards of fifty prizes, some of which were privateers of force superior to his own; and it once happened, that with his crew reduced to 12 men, he had no less than 40 prisoners on board.
Mr. Ryves returned to England in the Portland; and on the 1st May 1779, sailed for New York in the Europe 64, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot, by whom he was made a Lieutenant during the passage, into the Pacific store-ship. In this vessel he saw much hard service, and had
- ↑ Sir William Young, G.C.B. Admiral of the Red, and Vice-Admiral of Great Britain, died in Queen Anne Street, London, Oct, 25, 1821, in the 71st year of his age. For a memoir of that distinguished officer, see “Annual Biography and Obituary for 1823,” p. 315, et seq.
