Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 18.djvu/68

 Man, Evans returned, in 1847, in the Acheron, to New Zealand, where he was engaged for four years in surveying the Middle and South Islands. During the Russian war he served in the Baltic, receiving the special thanks of Sir Charles Napier for his share in piloting the fleet through the Aland Isles.

By this time Evans had become known by his scientific qualifications, and in 1855 he was appointed superintendent of the compass department of the navy. He had at once to consider a difficult problem, the use of the compass in iron ships and armour-clads. It was necessary to deal with the disturbing elements arising from the iron and the magnetisation of the ships. Evans, in co-operation with Archibald Smith, F.R.S., accomplished the task satisfactorily. He contributed seven papers, all dealing with the magnetism of ships, to the ‘Philosophical Transactions’ of the Royal Society, of which he was elected a fellow in 1862.

In 1858 Evans prepared a ‘Chart of Curves of Equal Magnetic Declination,’ which was published by the admiralty. In 1860 he wrote a valuable ‘Report on Compass Deviations in the Royal Navy;’ this treated of the magnetic character of the various iron ships in the navy, and also of the Great Eastern steamship. His most important work was the ‘Admiralty Manual for Deviations of the Compass,’ of which Smith and himself were joint editors (1st ed. 1862, 2nd ed. 1863, 3rd ed. 1869). A simple account of the same subject was issued by Evans in 1870 as an ‘Elementary Manual for Deviations of the Compass.’ These have become standard textbooks, having been translated and adopted by all the great maritime nations.

At a later date Evans devoted much attention to terrestrial magnetism. He compiled the magnetical instructions for the observers on board the Challenger in 1872, and delivered a lecture on the ‘Magnetism of the Earth’ to the Royal Geographical Society in 1878. Evans was made a staff-commander in 1863, staff-captain in 1867, and full captain in 1872. In 1865 he was appointed chief naval assistant to the then hydrographer to the admiralty, Captain G. H. Richards, whom he succeeded in 1874. He was made C.B. in 1873, and K.C.B. in 1881. He was vice-president of the Royal Geographical Society from 1879 to 1881, and president of the geographical section of the British Association in 1876. In 1881 he contributed a paper to the latter body on ‘Oceanic or Maritime Discovery from 1831 to 1881.’

After resigning the post of hydrographer in 1884, Evans was appointed one of the British delegates to the International Conference held at Washington in 1885, to fix a prime meridian and universal day. He died at his residence, 21 Dawson Place, Pembridge Square, London, 20 Dec. 1885.

[Nature, 14 Jan. 1886; Proceedings Royal Geographical Society, February 1886; Times, 22 Dec. 1885.] 

EVANS, GEORGE, D.D. (1630?–1702), antiquary, fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, became vicar of New Windsor, and was installed canon of Windsor 30 July 1660. He proceeded D.D. at Cambridge in 1665; was licensed to St. Benet Fink, London, 16 May 1663; and was also rector of Hitcham, Buckinghamshire. His son, George Evans, fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, succeeded him at Benet Fink in 1693. He was a friend and correspondent of Elias Ashmole, and made collections relating to the history of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, printed in Ashmole's ‘Berkshire,’ 1719. He died 2 March 1701–2.

[Cooper's Memorials of Cambridge, i. 377; Tighe and Davis, Annals of Windsor, ii. 61, 62; Ashmole's Berkshire, 1719; Newcourt's Repertorium, i. 916.] 

EVANS, GEORGE DE LACY (1787–1870), general, son of George Evans, a small landed proprietor, was born at Moig in 1787. His mother's maiden name was Delany. He joined the army in India as a volunteer in 1806, and received his first commission as ensign there in the 22nd regiment on 1 Feb. 1807. He first saw service in that year against Amír Khán and the Pindáris. In the following year he served under Major-general the Hon. John Abercromby in the capture of the Mauritius, and gave such satisfaction that he was promoted lieutenant on 1 Dec. 1809. Sir John Malcolm took a fancy to him and asked him to go to Persia with his mission. Evans refused, as he preferred active service, and on 26 March 1812 exchanged into the 3rd dragoons, then employed in the Peninsula. He joined his new regiment before Burgos in 1812, in time to help to cover the disastrous retreat from that city, and accompanied it in the following May in the Duke of Wellington's advance from Frenada. He was wounded at the skirmish on the Hormaza, which preceded the great battle of Vittoria, but was nevertheless present at the battle, and afterwards was employed in a staff capacity by Sir George Murray to sketch the passes of the Pyrenees. He was present either with his regiment or in a staff employment at the siege of Pampeluna, the battle of the Pyrenees, the investment of Bayonne, and the battle of Toulouse, and at each of the two latter en-