As a naval officer, however, Borda acquired little fame, and being
As a naval officer, however, Borda acquired little fame,
and being captured by the English, though after a very
brave resistance, he determined to devote the remainder of
his days to science and philosophy. During his voyage
along with Pingre in 1771, Borda found by experience
that Hadley’s quadrant was susceptible of great improvement. The celebrated Tobias Mayer had already endeavoured to remove its imperfections, but the merit of this
Borda’s biographer has transferred to him, declaring that
Mayer’s idea was never carried into effect, which is completely false; one of Mayer’s circles was made for Admiral
Campbell by Bird; and Mayer had himself used an instrument for measuring terrestrial angles upon the repeating
principle, which is described in “Commentaries of the
Royal Society of Gottingen
” for Circle of Borda,
” but
still it was not without its numerous imperfections, and it
was reserved to our ingenious countryman Troughton to
bring to perfection one of the happiest inventions that was
ever made.
, a naval officer, of whose family we have no account, was, soon
, a naval officer, of whose family we have
no account, was, soon after the rupture had taken place
with Spain, appointed commander of the Grampus sloop
of war. From this vessel he was, March 25, 1741, promoted to be captain of the Roebuck, a fifth rate of 40
guns, and immediately afterwards ordered to the Mediterranean from which he returned in May 1742, and in.
November following was removed into the Anglesea, of
the same rate as the former. In April 1744 he received
the command of the Sunderland of 60 guns, and next year
was on a cruise off the French coast, and in February captured a small French frigate richly laden, and with 24,000
pieces of eight in specie. Soon after his return into port he
was ordered ta Louisburgh, with some other ships of war, for
the purpose of reinforcing commodore Warren, who was
then engaged in the attack of that important place. Capt.
Brett arrived early enough before it surrendered to distinguish himself by his spirit and activity in the service.
He afterwards commanded the St. George of 90 guns for a
short time, but having been unwarrantably omitted in the
promotion of flag-officers, which took place in 1756, he
very spiritedly resolved to quit the service for ever, though
on his remonstrance, previous to his actual declaration of
this resolution, the admiralty-board, ashamed of having,
even for a moment, set aside a brave and deserving man,
offered him the rank of rear-admiral of the white, the same
which he would have been entitled to in the ordinary course
of service, if the partiality in favour of others had not
been exerted. His answer to this palliating proposal was,
“No rank or station can be, with honour, received by a
person who has been once thought undeserving or unentitled to it.
” From this time he retired into private life,
and survived two long wars, in neither of which he waa
engaged. He died in London in 1785. He translated
two volumes of father Feyjoo’s Discourses, the one published in 1777, and the other in 1779; and in 1730, “Essays, or Discourses, selected from the works of Feyjoo.
”
The late Charles Brett, esq. one of the lords of the admiralty, who died in 1799, and Timothy Brett, clerk of
the cheque at Portsmouth, who died in 1790, were brothers of capt. Brett.
to official etiquette, respecting the employment of any person as commander of a vessel who was not a naval officer, and partly owing to Mr. Dalrymple’s objections
Soon after his arrival home in 1765, discoveries in the South Sea being a favourite object of Mr. Dalrymple’s researches, he communicated his col -m that subject to the secretary of state, lord Shelburne, late marquis of Lans^ downe, who expressed a strong desire to employ him on these discoveries. Afterwards, when the royal society proposed to send persons to observe the transit of Venus, in 1769, Mr. Dalrymple was approved of by the admiralty, as a proper person to be employed in this service, as well as to prosecute discoveries in that quarter; but from some differences of opinion, partly owing to official etiquette, respecting the employment of any person as commander of a vessel who was not a naval officer, and partly owing to Mr. Dalrymple’s objections to a divided command, this design did not take place. In that year, however, the court of directors of the East India company gave Mr. Dalrymple 5000l. for his past services, and as an equivalent to the emoluments of secretary at Madras, which he had relinquished in 1759, to proceed on the eastern voyage. As the various proceedings concerning Balambangan were published in 1769, it may be sufficient to notice in this place that the court of directors appointed Mr. Dalrymple chief of Balambangan, and commander of the Britannia; but some unhappy differences arising with the directors, he was removed from the charge of that intended settlement, and another person appointed in his stead. In 1774, however, the court of directors being dissatisfied with this person’s conduct, had it in contemplation to send a supervisor thither. On this occasion Mr. Dalrymple made an offer of his services to redeem the expedition from destruction, without any emolument except defraying his expences, on condition that a small portion of the clear profits of the establishment should be granted to him and his heirs, &c. But this offer was not accepted, and soon after the settlement of Balambangan was lost to the company.
LL. D. judge of the high-court of admiralty, and chancellor of the diocese of London. His father, as a naval officer, commanded the yacht in which king George I. attended
, a celebrated naval commander, was the second son of Henry Rodney, esq. of
Walton on Thames, and Mary, eldest daughter and coheir to sir Henry Newton, knight, envoy- extraordinary to
Genoa, LL. D. judge of the high-court of admiralty, and
chancellor of the diocese of London. His father, as a naval officer, commanded the yacht in which king George I.
attended by the duke of Chandos, used to embark in going
to or coming from Hanover, and in consequence, asked
leave that his son might be called George Brydges. He
was born in Dec. 1717. At the desire, or by the command, of his royal and noble god-fathers, he entered early
into the navy, and in 1742 he was lieutenant in the Namur,
commanded by admiral Matthews. In November of the
same year, he was promoted by the admiral to the command of ili Plymouth, of shrty gtttts; on returning home
he was removed into the Sheerness, a small frigate; and
in 174i he was npp.iinied to the command of the Lucliowcastle, of furty-iour guns. In this ship he does not appear
to have continued long, for in May 1746, he was captain
of the Eagle, a new ship of sixty guns, then employed as
a cruiser on the Irish station. While here he captured two
large privateers. He continued in the Eagle during the
remainder of the war, and was one of the commanders
under the orders of rear-admiral Hawke, when in 1747 he
defeated L'Etendiere’s squadron. On this occasion capt.
Rodney behaved with much spirit, and may be said to have
then laid the foundation of that popularity he afterwards in
so high a degree possessed. On the conclusion of the war
he was, in March 1749, appointed to the Rainbow, a fourth
rate, and in May following was nominated governor and
commander-in-chief in and over the island of Newfoundland. Immediately afterwards he proceeded thither with
the small squadron annually sent there in time of peace,
for the protection of the fishery. Some time after his return in 1753 he married Miss Compton, daughter of Charles
Compton, esq. and sister to Spencer, then earl of Northampton. In 1757 he was engaged, under the command
of admirals Hawke and Boscawen, to attempt a descent on
the coast of France, near Rochefort; and in 1759 he was
advanced rear-admiral of the blue. In this same year he
was sent to bombard Havre de Grace, where a large force
was collected for the purpose of attempting an invasion of
this country. He executed the trust committed to him so
completely, that the town itself was several times on fire,
and the magazines of stores and ammunition burnt with
fury upwards of six hours, notwithstanding the exertions
used to extinguish it. Thus had admiral Rodney the happiness of totally frustrating the design of the French court;
and so completely did he destroy their preparations, that
the fort itself, as a naval arsenal, was no longer during the
war in a state to annoy Great Britain. In 1761 admiral
Rodney was very instrumental in the capture of the islands
of St Pierre, Granada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent, when
the whole Caribbees came into the possession of the English. For his skill and bravery in the war, he was, after
the conclusion of it, raised to the dignity of a baronet. In
1768, after an expensive, and to sir George Rodney a
ruinous, contest with Mr. Howe, he was elected member
of parliament for Northampton. In the month of October
1770 he was progressively advanced to be vice-admiral of
the white and red squadrons, and in the month of August
1771, to be rear-admiral of Great Britain. In the very
arly part of this year he resigned the mastership of Greenwich hospital, to which he had been appointed in 1765,
and was immediately after made commander-in-chief on
the Jamaica station, whither he repaired, having his flag
on board the Princess Amelia of 80 guns. The appointment of this ship to that service was intended as a particular and pointed compliment, it being extremely unusual to
send a three-decked ship on that station, except in time of
actual war. It is said the command in India was offered to
him, which he declined, entertaining hopes of being appointed governor of Jamaica in case of the death of sir
William Trelawney; but in this he was disappointed. After
his return to England at the expiration of the time allotted
for the continuance of his command, he retired to France,
where he lived some years in obscurity, hoping to retrieve
the losses he had suffered at the Northampton election. It
is said that the French king wished to take advantage of
his pecuniary embarrassments, and through the duke de
Biron made him the most unbounded offers if he would
quit the English for the French service. In reply to this
proposal he said,“My distresses, sir, it is true, have driven
me from the bosom of my country, but no temptation can
estrange me from her service. Had this offer been voluntary on your part, I should have deemed it an insult, but I
am glad to learn it proceeds from a source that can do no
wrong.
” The duke was so struck with the patriotism of
the admiral, that he became attached to him as a friend,
and is said to have advanced him a sum of money to revisit
England, and solicit a command.