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BRANCH. been next employed, as Master’s Mate and Acting-Lieutenant, in the 38, Capt. Geo. Miller, 98, bearing the flag of Sir Alex. Cochrane, 64, Capt. Christopher John Williams Nesham,  16, Capts. Wm. Dowers and Sam. Geo. Pechell, (all on the West India station,) FdriEOSE 38, Capt. John Simpson, off Halifax, and 100, and  64, flag-ships on the Baltic station, the former of Sir Jas. Saumarez, the latter of Sir Geo. Hope and Sir Philip Durham. From the Mr. Brake was appointed, 12 Feb. 1812, to the  18, Capt. Geo. Rennie, in the West Indies, where he became, 13 June following. Senior of the 22, Capt. Rich. Flummer Davies. In the boats of the latter ship, we find him capturing, after a chase of four hours, and only 14 days subsequent to the declaration of war, the American privateer schooner Poor Sailor. For his conduct in next silencing, when in the Tagus, the fire of a castle, Mr. Brake was publicly thanked, in common with the other officers and crew of the. He has been unemployed since 2 Feb. 1816.

Lieut. Brake married, 30 June, 1817, Miss Louisa Newman, and by that lady has issue six children.

 BRANCH, K.H.

, born, towards the close of 1784, in the island of Barbadoes, is descended of an ancient Scottish family.

This officer entered the Navy, in March, 1796, as Midshipman, on board La 36, Capt. David Milne, in which ship, after assisting at the reduction of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice, he was severely wounded by a splinter in the head, and wrecked on the coast of France at the capture, by that frigate and the  38, of La Seine, of 42 guns and 610 men, of whom 170 were killed and 100 wounded, with the comparatively trivial loss to the British of 9 killed and 18 wounded in the two ships, 29 June, 1798. Mr. Branch, who on that occasion lost everything he possessed, was next attached for four years to the 38, Capts. Sir Rich. John Strachan and Edw. Griffith, under whom he saw a vast deal of active service. At the attack and capture, particularly, of some Spanish vessels in the port of Corunna by the boats of a squadron under Capt. Thos. Byam Martin, 20 Aug. 1801, he had charge of the ’s barge, and, although knocked overboard by a desperate pike-wound in the groin while in the act of boarding a fully-manned ship of 16 guns, secured by several cables to the shore, continued, on being rescued from the perilous position in which he had thus been placed, in effective command of his boat until the prize was eventually towed out after an exposure of some hours to a very heavy fire from the batteries. Having passed his examination a short time previously, Mr. Branch removed, as Master’s Mate, in June, 1802, to the 36, Capt. Hon. Philip Wodehouse, and, on 31 May, 1803, had the misfortune to be again wrecked near Cape St. Vincent. For his uncommon exertions on the occurrence of that disaster he was received by Lord Nelson on board his flag-ship the 100, and within three months was appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the  14, Capt. Wm. Layman, under whom we find him continually in collision with the enemy for the protection of trade in the Gut of Gibraltar, until a third time wrecked on the coast of Andalusia, 1 March, 1804. Being confirmed on his return home by commission dated 8 Nov. 1804, he served, from July following until Nov. 1806, with Capt. Benj. Hallowell, in the 80, during which period he accompanied Lord Nelson to the West Indies in pursuit of the Franco-Spanish fleet, and, although only Fifth, discharged for a considerable time the duties of First-Lieutenant. From the Mr. Branch removed, in the latter capacity, to the  sloop, Capts. Geo. Miller Bligh, Wm. Hen. Whorwood, and Geo. Ferguson, with whom, successively, he continued to serve for five years on the Mediterranean station. In the boats of that ship he gallantly attacked, boarded, carried, and brought off four strongly-armed French settees, ashore on the island of Sardinia, in face of a very severe fire from the respective crews; and not long afterwards, while conducting another similarly successful expedition, he had his right hand so dreadfully shattered as barely to escape amputation. Early in 1811, in consequence of the French having almost wholly monopolized the Levant trade in neutral bottoms under the Greek flag, Lieut. Branch was detached by Capt. Ferguson in temporary command of the ketch, of 10 12-pounder carronades and 30 men, with orders to impose a searching examination on all Greek vessels he might come across. Cruizing off the island of Samos, in pursuance of his instructions, he soon fell in with and ultimately captured, after a close and furious action of more than two hours, a large polacre-ship of 12 long guns and 70 men. Towards the close of the engagement, however, he had the misfortune to be struck by a cannon-ball, which, besides slightly wounding the left, in a most shocking manner mutilated his right leg; and in that deplorable condition he lay for five days, without any surgical assistance, and literally incrusted in his own blood, until at length he reached Smyrna, where the tardy amputation of the entire limb was followed by three months of indescribable suffering. Yet, notwithstanding his past services, his meritorious gallantry in the present instance in capturing an enemy so far his superior in force, and the heavy affliction entailed on him in his devotion to his country, Lieut. Branch was not promoted, nor did he, until nearly two years afterwards, even receive a pension. On 2 Dec. 1813, having been on half-pay since Nov. 1811, he re-obtained command of the on the north coast of Spain, and during the ensuing advance on Bayonne of the Marquis of Wellington, whose expressed approbation he had the good fortune to elicit, was employed in blockading the Adour, and at the fearful passage of the flotilla across the bar of that river, preparatory to the formation of the floating bridge, he had the honour of receiving the flag of Rear-Admiral Penrose. Lieut. Branch was shortly afterwards selected by the last-named officer, as a reward for his praiseworthy conduct on that occasion, to carry home the despatches. While, however, awaiting, in the Bay of St. Jean de Luz, the arrival of the officer charged with those of Lord Wellington, the unfortunately went down in a terrific hurricane, and the next day a large transport, on board which Lieut. Branch and his crew had escaped, cutting her only remaining cable, to avoid the fate of every other vessel in the anchorage, drove for the beach, and was happily stranded in safety. His full acquittal at the consequent court-martial was followed by his immediate and long-due promotion, 6 June, 1814, to the command of the brig, of 12 18-pounder carronades and 65 men, rated as a sloop-of-war, in which he was for some time employed in protecting the commerce of Surinam, where his bravery in effecting the annihilation, after a destructive running-fight, of a large American privateer, of twice his own force, and the terror of the coast, procured him the thanks of the merchants, and the public acknowledgments, through the Commander-in-Chief, of the Board of Admiralty. During the occupation of Martinique in 1815, he brought home the three despatches of Sir Philip Chas. Durham, Lieut.-General Sir Jas. Leith, and the French Governor of Martinique, the Count de Vaugiraud, but was nevertheless denied both his Post-commission and the pecuniary grant customary on similar occasions. Capt. Branch, having paid the off in Aug. of the latter year, subsequently commanded, from 4 Oct. 1816, until 17 July, 1819, the  and  sloops, to the full suppression of smuggling on his allotted portion of the coast of Ireland. He ultimately obtained his present rank 26 Dec. 1822; and, on 26 Dec. 1827, was appointed, by the Lord High Admiral, to the 26, on the West India station,