Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/827

Rh NIAS. 

entered the Navy 19 Not. 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the sloop, Capt. Matthew Smith, with whom he continued employed, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, in the  22 and  36, on the Lisbon, Mediterranean, North Sea, and Channel stations, until Aug. 1815. Between Oct. in the latter year and Jan. 1818 he served at Plymouth and Portsmouth as Master’s Mate and Admiralty-Midshipman in the 74,  80, and  74, Capts. Chas. Ogle and Aiskew Paffard Hollis, also in the 100, flag-ship of Sir Edw. Thornbrough, and in the 74, Capt. Thos. Alexander. He then joined the brig, in which vessel, commanded by the present Sir Edw. Wm, Parry, he accompanied an expedition sent under the orders of Capt. John Ross to ascertain the existence of a North-West Passage. In Feb. 1819, three months after his return to England, he was again placed under the orders of Capt. Parry, in the bomb, and in the following May sailed on another mission to the frozen regions, where he penetrated to long. 113° 54' 43" W., within the Arctic Circle, and became thereby entitled to a portion of a Parliamentary reward of 5000l. On his arrival home he was presented with a commission dated 26 Dec. 1820. Being next, 1 Jan. following, appointed to the bomb, also commanded by Capt. Parry, he sailed with that enterprising officer, 8 May, 1821, on a third voyage of discovery to the Polar Sea, whence he returned in Nov. 1823. On 6 Jan. 1826 we find him appointed First of the  84, flagship of Sir Edw. Codrington in the Mediterranean; and on 11 Nov. 1827, as a reward for his conduct at the battle of Navarin, promoted to the rank of Commander; in which capacity he was further, from 8 Jan. 1828 until 1830, employed in the Mediterranean on board the  10. He attained Post-rank 8 July, 1835, but he did not succeed in again procuring employment until 24 May, 1838, when he received instructions to commission the  26 for service in the East Indies. While in that ship, in which he continued a period of five years, Capt. Nias bore a very distinguished part, and was warmly mentioned for the able conduct he displayed, during the campaign in China, particularly in the action with the Bogue forts, 26 Feb. 1841, in the attack made the next day upon the enemy’s camp, fort, and ship Cambridge bearing the Chinese Admiral’s flag, at their position below Whampoa Reach, where 98 guns were in the whole destroyed, and in the operations of the ensuing March against Canton. As a reward for his services, he was nominated a C.B. 29 June, 1841. – Messrs. Stilwell.

 NICHOLAS. 

entered the Navy, 1 Jan. 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the 74, Capts. Sir Rich. King, Hon. Geo. Heneage Lawrence Dundas, and Aiskew Paffard Hollis; in which ship he continued to serve, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, on the Home, Mediterranean, and Brazilian stations, the latter part of the time under the flag of Vice-Admiral Manley Dixon, until July, 1815. Besides accompanying the expedition of 1809 to the Walcheren, he co-operated in the defence of Sicily, and was for a considerable period employed in blockading the French and Venetian squadrons in Venice, consisting of three line-of-battle ships and a frigate ready for sea, and several of each class fitting in the arsenal. On leaving the, as above, he took up a commission dated 15 Feb. 1815. His subsequent appointments, were – 9 May, 1837, to the 110, flag-ship at Plymouth of Admiral-Superintendent Fred. Warren – 10 April, 1840, for a brief period, to the Coast Guard – and 22 May, 1843, and 22 May, 1845, to the again and  120, both commanded at Devonport by Capt. Manley Hall Dixon. He has been on half-pay since the spring of 1846.

 NICHOLLS. 

entered the Navy, 1 Sept. 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the 98, Capts. Sam. Warren, Wm. Albany Otway, and Donald M‘Leod, and was for upwards of two years employed in that ship in the Channel and off Cadiz – part of the time as Midshipman under the flag of Rear-Admiral Chas. Stirling. From Dec. 1807 until Nov. 1811 he was occupied on Home service in the 98, Capt. Donald M‘Leod,  16, Capt. John Duff Markland,  sloop, Capts. Geo. Manners Sutton and Jas. Murray, and, flag-ship of Sir Rich. Bickerton. He then joined the schooner, mounting 12 12-pounder carronades, 2 sixes, and a 32-pounder on a traversing carriage, with a complement of 66 men, Capts. Robt. Hockings and Geo. Wilmot Barrette, which vessel, after having had all but one of her crew either killed or wounded in a determined resistance of nearly an hour, was boarded and taken, 5 Aug. 1813, by the Franco-American privateer Decatur, carrying 6 12-pounder carronades and 1 long 18-pounder traversing carriage, together with a crew of at least 120 men, 4 of whom were slain and 15 wounded. On his release from captivity in July, 1814, Mr. Nicholls became attached to the 44, flag-ship at Jamaica of Rear-Admiral Wm. Brown. He was next received on board the 98, bearing the flag at Spithead of Sir Edw. Thornbrough, and 36, Capts. Chas. Napier and Thos. Huskisson; and in Aug. 1815 he took up a commission dated 24 of the preceding Feb. He was afterwards employed in the Coast Guard from 5 April, 1831, until the spring of 1844, and has since been on half-pay.

 NICHOLLS. 

died in 1847.

This officer entered the Navy, 1 Sept. 1797, as L.M., on board the gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander John Pengelly, on the Channel station, where, and on the coast of Spain, he continued employed, the greater part of the time in the capacity of Midshipman, in the  64, Capt. Geo. Burlton, 74, Capts. Hon. Alex. Inglis Cochrane and John Pakenham, 46, Capts. Hon. Henry Curzon and Matthew Henry Scott, and gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander Thomson, until 1802. Joining next the 38, Capt. Thos. Manby, he served for some time at the blockade of Helvoetsluys and the Texel, and was on board that ship in a gale in which she was totally dismasted. On arriving with convoy in the West Indies in 1805, he was received as, a Supernumerary on board the 74, bearing the flag of Hon. Alex. Cochrane, who, on 18 Nov. in the same year, appointed him Sub-Lieutenant of the, Capt. Pringle. In the ensuing Dec, and in March, 1806, and Feb. 1807, he was successively nominated, also in the West Indies, Acting-Lieutenant of the, , and , to which latter ship, commanded by Capt. John Harvey, the Admiralty confirmed him 13 Aug. 1807. His last appointments were – 1 Aug. 1808 (seven months after he had left the ), to the 74, commanded by Capt. Harvey in the Mediterranean, where he remained for a period of two years – and, 28 April, 1814, to the command (which he retained until 9 Sept. 1815) of the  8, on the American station. He was placed on the list of Retired Commanders 19 Oct. 1843.

 NICHOLS. 

entered the Navy, 27 June, 1801, as Midshipman, on board the Scourge gun-vessel, Lieut.-Commander Chas. Rundle, lying in the river Medway, where he served until April, 1802. In May, 1804, he rejoined the same officer in the cutter, off ; and in Sept. of the same year he was transferred to the  28, Capt. Hon. Duncombe Pleydell Bouverie, under whom he escorted the outward-bound trade to the