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 acting commander of the Penguin sloops in June, 1802. He obtained his present rank on the 18th June, 1803, and was afterwards employed on the Sea-Fencible service.





the son of an old naval officer, a branch of the O’Neills, of Shanes Castle, co. Antrim, Ireland. One of his grand-uncles was a Portuguese Field-Marshal, and another held the same rank in the Spanish army.

This officer was born at Bristol, in, we believe, the year 1773; and towards the end of 1781, we find him joining the Magnificent 74, Captain Robert Linzee, in which ship he was present at the battles between Rodney and De Grasse, April 9th and 12th, 1782; and also at the subsequent capture of two French 64’s, a frigate, and a corvette, in the Mona Passage, by a squadron detached under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood. On the former occasions, the Magnificent had six men killed, and eleven, including Captain Bagg, of the marines, wounded.

Mr. O’Neill next joined the Shrewsbury 74, Captain (now Sir Isaac) Coffin, and had the honor of serving on the Jamaica station at the period when his present Majesty was there in the subordinate capacity of midshipman. At the commencement of the French revolutionary war, he was received on board the Britannia, first rate, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral (afterwards Lord) Hotham, by whom he was appointed a lieutenant of la Censeur, French prize 74, in March, 1795. During the siege of St. Lucia, by the fortes under Sirs Hugh C. Christian and Ralph Abercrombie, he commanded a prize-schooner, of 10 guns, taken by the Aetraea frigate, and named after the latter officer. On the reduction of that island he returned to the Astraea, in which ship he had proceeded from England to the West Indies, and in which he subsequently served, under the command of Captain (now, Vice-Admiral) Richard Dacres on the North Sea station.

