Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/623

Rh who served at the bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807 in the when captured by the U.S. ship Constitution in Aug. 1812, and on shore at New Orleans in 1814-15, and died in Feb. 1835, aged 55. His paternal grandfather married the eldest sister of the late Vice- Admiral John Hunter, many years Governor of New South Wales, and grand-niece of the Lord-Provost Drummond, of Edinburgh. One of his father’s brothers, William, died Captain of the 98, off the mouth of the Rhone, in Aug. 1812; and another, Henry, Commander of the  44, armée en flûte, died on the coast of Egypt in 1801. Of his maternal uncles, one, Robt. Wright, a Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, commanded that corps in Scotland, and served as Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Kent in Nova Scotia and at Gibraltar; a second, Peter, a Captain in the Hon.E.I.Co.’s Infantry, died of wounds received in battle at Ceylon; and a third, George, became a Colonel in the R.E. His cousins, Bartholomew and Mark Kent, were both Lieutenants in the R.N.; the former was killed in a boat affair, in 1803, while First of the 74, Capt. Chas. Brisbane; and the latter died at sea in 1828.

This officer entered the Navy, 2 July, 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board 80, Capt. Sir Wm. Sidney Smith, under whom, after visiting Constantinople and the coast of Egypt, he served on shore at the defence of St. Jean d’Acre. In March, 1800, having previously witnessed a variety of operations on the Egyptian coast, he removed to the 74, Capt. John Stiles, and was for some time employed at the blockade of Genoa. On his return home, towards the close of the same year, he joined the 98, Capt. Theophilus Jones, stationed in the Channel; and we next, from Jan. 1802 until Jan. 1807, find him discharging the duties of Midshipman, Master’s Mate, and Acting-Lieutenant in the  store-ship, commanded in the East Indies and at New South Wales by Capts. Wm. Kent, Philip Gidley King, and John Houston. On the date last mentioned he became Acting-First-Lieutenant of the store-ship, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Wm. Bligh, in which he continued until invested with the command of the Lady Nelson armed brig, then about to be employed in removing the settlers from Norfolk Island to the and Port Dalrymple. In April, 1803, Mr. Kent, whose confirmation in the rank of Lieutenant did not take place until 17 May, 1809, rejoined the in the capacity of Acting-Commander. In Jan. 1811, on his return to England, after having endured a long and rigorous imprisonment on board the at New South Wales by order of Commodore Bligh, he was brought to a court-martial upon certain charges preferred against him by that officer, of all of which, however, he was acquitted, being at the same time complimented for the conduct he had evinced under the extreme and extraordinary difficulties in which he had been placed. His last appointments were – 25 April and 19 Dec. 1812, to the 98, Capts. Sam. Hood Linzee, Wm. Kent, and Robt. Rolles, and, as First-Lieutenant, to the sloop, Capt. Thos. Ball Clowes, both on the Mediterranean station; where, in the latter vessel, he had the misfortune to encounter an accident which caused him excruciating torture, and to be confined to his bed for a considerable length of time, blind of both eyes, and without surgical assistance. In Sept. 1814 he took up a Commander’s commission dated on 15 of the previous June. He has since been on half-pay.

He married, 30 Dec. 1830, Susannah Elizabeth, third daughter of the late John Rankin, Esq., merchant, of Greenock, N.B., by whom he has issue.

 KENYON. 

, born 10 March, 1811, is fourth son of the Hon. Thos. Kenyon, of Pradoe, near Shrewsbury, Clerk of the Outlawries in the Court of Queen’s Bench, by Louisa Charlotte, second daughter of the Rev. John Robt. Lloyd, of Aston Hall, Shropshire; and nephew of the present Lord Kenyon. His eldest brother, Lloyd, is a Captain in the Royal Horse Guards; and his next, William, is in the Hon.E.I.Co.’s military service.

This officer entered the Navy, 21 May, 1823, as Fst.-cl, Vol., on board the 10, Capt. Alex. Dundas Young Arbuthnott, whom he followed into the 18, and  bomb – visiting St. Petersburg in the former vessel, and Algiers in the latter. Between Sept. 1824 and May, 1828, he served uninterruptedly, as Midshipman, on the Home, South American, and Mediterranean stations, in the 74, Capt. Dundas,  74 and  76, both commanded by Capt. Graham Eden Hamond, and, Capt. Adolphus FitzClarence. In May, 1829, having passed the last 12 months in study on shore, he joined the 104, Capt. Hon. Geo. Elliot; and, towards the close of the same year, he returned to South America in the 28, Capt. Lord Colchester. In that frigate, of which he became Mate 1 Oct. 1830, Mr. Kenyon escorted the ex-Emperor and Empress of Brazil to Cherbourg in April, 1831, and was employed during the winter of 1832 in enforcing the embargo on the coast of Holland, whence, in Dec. of that year, he brought to England, under circumstances of great difficulty, the Ondermening, a detained Dutch vessel. He next, until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 1 Dec. 1837, served, off Lisbon, in the Mediterranean, at Devonport, and again off Lisbon, in the 42, Capt. Hon. Rich. Saunders Dundas, and, both flag-ships of Sir Wm. Hargood, and 74, Capts. Maurice Fred. Fitzhardinge Berkeley and John Toup Nicolas. His succeeding appointments were – 15 Feb. 1838, to the steamer, Capts. Sidney Colpoys Dacres and Hastings Reginald Henry, in which vessel he was at first employed on the north coast of Spain under Lord John Hay, then in cruizing after the unfortunate, and finally in making a voyage to St. Petersburg – and 20 Oct. 1841, to the 44, Capt. John Foote, on the coast of Africa. Soon after his arrival on the latter station Lieut. Kenyon assumed the temporary command of the brigantine. On rejoining the he assisted in capturing five slave-vessels, and in effecting the release of 1400 negroes; and on one occasion, while in command of the ship’s boats, 60 miles up the Congo river, he destroyed all the baracoons on its banks, and entered into a treaty with the native chiefs for the suppression of the slavetrade. On being subsequently placed in charge of a prize, he destroyed several other baracoons, and succeeded in rescuing 120 slaves after a contest with a very superior number of the natives, and a loss to the British of 4 men killed and wounded. In Aug. 1842 Lieut. Kenyon was sent to St. Helena with a Brazilian prize, but in consequence of the leaky condition of the vessel he was under the necessity of leaving her at Fernando Po, where he took command of the, a small flat-bottomed steamer, built for the navigation of the Niger, and with only stowage-room for a week’s fuel, in which he proceeded to Sierra Leone. Owing to the prevalence of calms, and to the cause last named, he did not reach his destination until after a lengthened voyage, during which the greatest distress was occasioned by a failure both in water and provisions. He invalided home from severe and nearly fatal illness in April, 1843, and on 1 of the following July was advanced to his present rank. He has since been on half-pay.

 KEPPEL. 

, born 14 June, 1809, is fourth son of the Earl of Albemarle, by Hon. Elizabeth Southwell, fourth daughter of Edward Lord de Clifford.

This officer entered the Navy 7 Feb. 1822; passed his examination in 1828; obtained his first commission 29 Jan. 1829; joined, 11 Feb. 1830, and 20