James Young

Notes on Officer

This officer was made a Commander by Sir John Jervis, in 1794; and or his return from the West Indies, in the Reprisal, was appointed to the Comet fire-vessel. He subsequently acted as Captain of the Zealous, a third rate, on the Mediterranean station, from which ship he again returned to the Comet. His post commission bears date Oct. 5, 1795. We next find him commanding the Greyhound frigate, employed first in the North Sea and afterwards off Marcou, where he captured l’Aventure and la Tartane French privateers, each mounting 16 guns.

About the month of Feb. 1799, Captain Young was appointed to the Ethalion, of 46 guns; and on the 17th Oct. following, had the good fortune to capture, after a running fight of an hour, the Spanish frigate Thetis, of 36 guns and 250 men, from Vera Cruz, with specie to the amount of 1,411,256 dollars, and a large quantity of cocoa. Her consort, the Santa Brigida of similar force and value, was captured on the following morning by the Naiad, Alcmene, and Triton. The prize money for the cargoes of these vessels, exclusive of their hulls, stores, &c, was distributed in the following proportions; Captains each, 40,730l. 18s.; Lieutenants, 5,091l. 7s. 3d.; Warrant Officers, 2,468l. 10s. 9½d.; Midshipmen and their class, 791l. 17s. 0¼d.; Seamen and Marines, 182l. 4s. 9¼d.

In the following year, Captain Young removed into the Pique frigate, and during the remainder of the war was employed on the Mediterranean station, from whence he returned to England July 2, 1802. His next appointment was in the spring of 1807, to the Valiant of 74 guns. He became a Vice-Admiral June 4, 1814.

Our officer married at Gibraltar, in 1802, the daughter of Colonel (now Lieutenant-General) Fyers, of the Royal Engineers, a lady at that time deemed the Beauty of the Rock.

Residence.– Barton-end House, near Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire.