Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v3p2.djvu/387

  “Captain William Pryce Cumby to Vice-Admiral B. S. Rowley.

“I must, in justice to Captain Burt, of the Sparrow sloop, beg permission to state the great promptitude, zeal, and ability evinced by that officer in the landing of the lower-deck guns from this ship, under circumstances of great difficulty and labour; two of which he transported from Audré Bay to the east battery, a distance of near thirty miles, across an almost impassable country, prior to the arrival of the troops.”





made a lieutenant in 1700, and promoted to the rank he now holds, May 19th, 1808, for his gallant conduct as commander of the Rapid brig, at the capture and destruction of four Spanish gun-vessels and two valuable merchantmen, on the 23d of the preceding month. He subsequently commanded the Vulture bomb. 



son of Mr. J. Cutfield, upwards of fifty years a master in the royal navy, and latterly master-attendant at Deal.

This officer entered the navy in 1796; served as midshipman and mate, under Captains John Bazely, Richard Budd Vincent, and William Hargood, in the Overyssel 64, Arrow sloop, and Belleisle 74. At the memorable battle of Trafalgar he was wounded in the breast.

On the 17th March, 1806, Mr. Cutfield was made a lieutenant; and soon afterwards appointed to the Grasshopper sloop. Captain Thomas Searle, in consequence of whose warm commendation of his conduct in an action near Faro, on the coast of Portugal, April 23d, 1808 he was promoted to the rank of commander on the 19th of the ensuing month.

In 1809, Commander Cutfield was appointed to the command of all the small hired craft attached to the Walcheren expedition; in July, 1814, to the Woodlark sloop; and, Oct.