A Letter to the Captain

To: Captain Rehme

HMS Acasta

At Sea

From:

Commodore Thomas Hurlbut

American Station,

Halifax,

Nova Scotia

June 15, 1813

My Dear Sir James, 

I have recently heard of your detached boat’s crew taking the American cutter, now known as HM Cutter Little Belt, named for the sloop-of-war HMS Little Belt (20 guns), in which that fellow Bingham made such an heroic stand against USS President (rated 44) in the year ’11. Well done, Sir! The vessels on the Lakes, late of the Provincial Marine and now under the control of the Royal Navy, need every hull they can acquire to ensure command of those inland seas. I expect that you’ll want those fine fellows back but skilled Seamen are desperately needed there and I hope you’ll consider letting us use them for the time being. I’ve no doubt that you’ll have good luck in replacing them with fresh drafts from England, certainly more easily and more readily than we can here in British North America.

Next month, I will be heading to Upper Canada with a detachment of Sailors to participate in operations against United States fortifications and would appreciate the use of your boat’s Crew of skilled and experienced Hands. 

I wish you the best of good fortune, Sir.

Your Most Humble and Obedient Servant,

Thomas Hurlbut,

Admiralty House,

Halifax

Make way for the Mail!

The MAIL PACKET was deliver'd to the ACASTA on Sunday while they were ashore at the 2018 Jane Austen Festival! Herein find an up close look at some of the many excellent letters we rec'd this present year for inclussion in the packet. Click any image to enlarge...

As you can see, it was another year of beautiful submissions from our friends and readers! We'd like to thank all of those who contributed to the 2018 packet. We are so pleased and honored by the interest you all showed and by the submitted pieces themselves. Without you, the mail packet project would be woefully empty. 

John Parson, Master's Mate

PARSON.
Acasta Master's Mate under Capt. Dunn, c. 1806, aged approx. 20 years.

John Parson died 29 Nov. 1847, at St. Helier's, Jersey, aged 62.

This officer entered the Navy, in the spring of 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on hoard the Leviathan 74, Capt. Jas. Carpenter, bearing the flag in the West Indies of Sir John Thos. Duckworth; with whom he continued employed as Midshipman in the Hercule 74, until Feb. 1805. He was in consequence present in the latter ship at the unsuccessful attack upon Curaçao in 1804, and in various other operations. After sharing, we believe, as Master's Mate of the Acasta 40, Capt. Rich. Dalling Dunn, in the battle fought off Cape St. Domingo, and serving for a short time as a Supernumerary on board the Dolphin, bearing the flag of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane, he was constituted, 6 May, 1806, Sub-Lieutenant of the Pert sloop, Capt. Jas. Pringle.

Source: A NAVAL BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY: COMPRISING THE LIFE AND SERVICES OF EVERY LIVING OFFICER IN HER MAJESTY'S NAVY, FROM THE RANK OF ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET TO THAT OF LIEUTENANT, INCLUSIVE. Compiled from Authentic and Family Documents. BY WILLIAM E. O'BYRNE, ESQ.
LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY. 1849.

Lt. George Bell Lawrance

LAWRANCE.
Acasta Lieutenant under Capt. Dunn, 1805

George Bell Lawrance died 9 April, 1846.

This officer entered the Navy, 1 March, 1797, as Master's Mate, on board the El Corso 18, Capt. Bartholomew James, with whom he served, in the same vessel and the Canophs 80, on the Mediterranean and Lisbon stations, until Sept. 1799. During the next three years and a half he was employed off St. Helena and in the Downs and West Indies on board the Director 64, Capt. Wm. Bligh, and Leviathan 74, flag-ship of Sir John Thos. Duckworth. He then, in March, 1803, became Acting-Lieutenant of the Racoon 18, Capt. Austen Bissell, and while in that sloop, to which he was confirmed by commission dated 8 Sept. following, we find him in the course of the same year participating in a very warm action of 40 minutes, which terminated in the capture, in Leogane Koads, of the French corvette Le Lodi, of 10 guns and 61 men—contributing, also, to the destruction, off the island of Cuba, of the national brig La Mutine, of 18 guns—and further present, with distinction, in an action in which the Racoon, with only 42 men on board, most gallantly took, notwithstanding a long and desperate resistance on the part of the enemy, a French gun-brig, cutter, and schooner, carrying altogether between 300 and 400 men. I

n 1805, Lieut. Lawrance—who had for some time had command of the Gipsy schooner of 10 guns, and been also employed in the Echo sloop, Capt. Edmund Boger—successively joined the Acasta 40, Capt. Rich. Dalling Dunn, Hercule 74, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Jas. Rich. Dacres, and Theseus 74, Capt. Fras. Temple, all on the West India station; and he next, from 10 July 1806 until 15 July, 1808, served with the late Sir Sam. Hood on board the Centaur 74.

Source: A NAVAL BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY: COMPRISING THE LIFE AND SERVICES OF EVERY LIVING OFFICER IN HER MAJESTY'S NAVY, FROM THE RANK OF ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET TO THAT OF LIEUTENANT, INCLUSIVE. Compiled from Authentic and Family Documents. BY WILLIAM E. O'BYRNE, ESQ.
LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY. 1849.

Meet Midshipman John Race Godfrey

GODFREY.
Acasta Midshipman under Capt Kerr, c.1805-1815

John Race Godfrey, born 11 March, 1790, is son of the late John Godfrey, Esq., of Bath, by Sarah, daughter of the late Wm. Wigget, Esq., and sister of the late General Bulwer, of Heydon Hall, co. Norfolk.

This officer entered the Navy, 9 June, 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Prince of Wales 98, bearing the flags in succession of Admirals Sir Robt. Calder, Sir Jas. Saumarez, Edw. Thombrough, and Lord Gambier ; while in which ship he took part, as Midshipman, in the action of 22 July, 1805, and served on shore throughout the operations connected with the attack on Copenhagen. After the latter event he served, until his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, 15 March, 1815, in the Sultan 74, Capt. Edw. Griffith, Lavinia 44, Capt. John Hancock, Thames 32, Capt. Hon. Granville Geo. Waldegrave, President 58, Capt. Sam. Warren, and Acasta 40, Capt. Alex. Robt. Kerr. During the four years of his continuance in the latter ship, Mr. Godfrey, who had previously visited the Mediterranean and Cape of Good Hope, assisted at the re-capture of the 20-gun ship Levant, and also at the taking of five privateers, carrying in the whole 61 guns and 439 men.

In 1820 he obtained an appointment in the Coast Guard; after 12 years' retention of which he was placed on half-pay. He has not since had any official occupation. Lieut. Godfrey married, 7 July, 1817, Augusta Maria, daughter of the late John Marsh, Esq., of Thornbury, Gloucestershire, by whom he has issue six children.

Source: A NAVAL BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY: COMPRISING THE LIFE AND SERVICES OF EVERY LIVING OFFICER IN HER MAJESTY'S NAVY, FROM THE RANK OF ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET TO THAT OF LIEUTENANT, INCLUSIVE. Compiled from Authentic and Family Documents. BY WILLIAM E. O'BYRNE, ESQ.
LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY. 1849.

John Fraser, Volunteer First Class

FRASER.
Acasta Volunteer First Class under Capt. Dunn, 11 Nov. 1805.

John Fraser entered the Navy, 11 Nov. 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Acasta 40, Capt. Rich. Dalling Dunn, with which officer he continued to serve, in the Royal George, flag-ship of Sir John Duckworth, San Josef 110, Hibernia 110, and Armide 33, until Aug. 1812. He took part, on board the Acasta, in the action off St. Domingo, 6 Feb. 1806 ; was in the Eoyal George at the passage of the Dardanells, in Feb. 1807; and, while attached to the San Josef, served with the flotilla in the expedition to the Walchercn in 1809, and co-operated in the defence of Cadiz, where, in April, 1810, he beheld the fall of Fort Matagorda.

Source: A NAVAL BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY: COMPRISING THE LIFE AND SERVICES OF EVERY LIVING OFFICER IN HER MAJESTY'S NAVY, FROM THE RANK OF ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET TO THAT OF LIEUTENANT, INCLUSIVE. Compiled from Authentic and Family Documents. BY WILLIAM E. O'BYRNE, ESQ.
LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY. 1849.

First Lieutenant Forbes

FORBES.
Acasta First Lieutenant, under Capt. Dunn, c.1806-07, aged 26 years.

John Forbes, born 15 March, 1780, at Aberdeen, is son of the late Geo. Forbes, Esq., a merchant of that city, by Jane, daughter of Lumsden, of Alford and Cromar, co. Aberdeen ; and brother of the late Capt. David Forbes, B. I. Co.'s Service, Governor of Ternate.

This officer entered the Navy, 6 Feb. 1794, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Minotauk 74, Capt. Thos. Louis, in which ship,, bearing successively the flags of Admirals Macbride, Waldegrave, Colpoys, and Lord Keith, he served the whole of his time, and was present at the reduction of Ste. Lucie in 1796, the battle of the Nile in 1798, and in divers operations on the coast of Italy, including the capture of Naples, Genoa, &c. Being confirmed to a Lieutenancy, 25 Dec. 1800, in the Florentine 36, Capt. John Broughton, he assisted at the landing of the troops in Egypt in 1801, and for that service was presented with the Turkish gold medal. From May, 1803, until March, 1806, Mr. Forbes continued to be employed with Captain, afterwards Rear-Admiral Louis, in the Conqueror 74, Leopard 50, and Canopus 80, the last two years as his Flag-Lieutenant ; during which period he commanded a squadron of boats in the celebrated Catamaran expedition against the Boulogne flotilla in 1804, was on hoard the Canopus in the action off St. Domingo 6 Feb. 1806, and came into collision with the batteries at Cadiz. After cruizing for a short period in the Channel, as First of the Acasta 40, Capt. Rich. Dalling Dunn, he removed, in that capacity, to the Royal George 100, bearing the flag of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, under whom he was wounded in the head and body at the passage of the Dardanelles in Feb. 1807.

Source: A NAVAL BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY: COMPRISING THE LIFE AND SERVICES OF EVERY LIVING OFFICER IN HER MAJESTY'S NAVY, FROM THE RANK OF ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET TO THAT OF LIEUTENANT, INCLUSIVE. Compiled from Authentic and Family Documents. BY WILLIAM E. O'BYRNE, ESQ.
LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, PUBLISHER TO THE ADMIRALTY. 1849.