# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Roberts, Mitchell

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​ROBERTS. (Commander, 1814. h-p., 19; h-p., 35.)
Mitchell Roberts entered the Navy, in 1793, as a Volunteer, on board the Regulus 44, Capts. Edw. Bowater and Geo. Oakes; with the latter of whom, after having made a voyage to Quebec and served on the West India station, he removed to the Seahorse 38. In that ship, on Capt. Thos. Fras. Fremantle succeeding to the command, he accompanied the expedition to Teneriffe in July, 1797. He cruized subsequently for 15 months in the Channel in the Niger 32, Capts. Edw. Griffith, Matthew Henry Scott, and Hon. Philip,Wodehouse. He then, in Jan. 1799, joined L’Aimable 32, Capt. Henry Raper; and, on 13 March, 1800, while serving as a Supernumerary on board the Abergavenny 54, Capt. Robt. Mends, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Diligence 18, Capt. Chas. Bayne Hodgson Ross. Towards the close of 1799 L’Aimable sailed from Cork, in company with the Glenmore 44 and a fleet of merchantmen bound to the West Indies. On her passage she fell in, 17 Dec, with La Sirène, a heavy French frigate, La Bergère corvette, and the Calcutta, an extra East Indiaman, and, while the Glenmore was engaged in recapturing and retaining possession of the Indiaman, went in pursuit of the men-of-War, with whom, although they contrived in the end to make off, she maintained for 35 minutes a very spirited action. The Diligence, to which vessel he was confirmed 15 Oct. 1800, being lost in the course of that month off Cuba, Mr. Roberts, in the ensuing Dec, joined the Légère 18, Capt. Cornelius Quinton; under whom he was again, in April, 1801, wrecked, near Carthagena, in South America. On this occasion he was taken prisoner. In the following July, having regained his liberty, he was received as a Supernumerary on board the Lowestoffe 32, Capt. Robt. Plampin; but on 11 of the next month, while on his passage home with convoy, he had the misfortune to be a third time wrecked, on the island of Heneaga. His succeeding appointments were – in Nov. 1801, to the charge of a Signal-Station on the coast of Essex – 5 June, 1802, for a short time to the Eugénie in the Channel – 20 Sept. 1803, to the Britannia 100, bearing the flag of the Earl of Northesk on the same station – 1 March and 17 April, 1805, and 29 Sept. 1807, to the command of the Lucy lugger and Florence and Lord Keith cutters, all employed on Home service – and, 11 April, 1808, to the Elizabeth 74, Capts. Hon. Henry Curzon, Thos. Searle, and Edw. Leveson Gower. In the latter ship he served for some time at the blockade of Lisbon, escorted the Russian fleet to England after the convention of Cintra, assisted in embarking Sir John Moore’s army at Corunna, brought a large convoy home from the Brazils, and was actively employed in the Mediterranean. While on that station he took command, 29 April, 1813, of the boats of the Elizabeth and Eagle 74, and acquired much credit by his conduct, at the capture of one, and destruction of another, of an armed convoy who had run themselves on shore into a tremendous surf, under the protection of a galling fire from a 2-gun battery, two schooners, and two settee gun-boats, near Goro. On 8 June, 1813, he succeeded, with the boats of the same ships, in destroying, close to Omago, a 2-gnn battery, and in there capturing four scuttled vessels loaded with wine. Twelve days afterwards he aided, at the head of 50 of the Elizabeth’s crew, in taking possession of the town of Dignano; and on 25 May, 1814, he made prize, in the boats of that ship alone and under the guns of the island of Vide, near the town of Corfu, of the Aigle French national xebec, mounting 6 guns, a howitzer, and 2 swivels, and having on board 41 men. He continued in the Elizabeth until July, 1814; and on 24 Sept. following was advanced to the rank of Commander. He has since been on half-pay. Agent – F. Dufaur.
* ↑ Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 1793.
* ↑ Vide Gaz. 1814, p. 1535.