The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-17 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE,

DEATH OF NELSON'S FLAG-LIEUTENANT
REAR-ADMIRAL PASCO.
We stated yesterday, on the authority of the Ply-
mouth Mail, that Rear-Admiral Pasco was not expected
to live. Yesterday we received intelligence, by electric
telegraph, to the effect that he had died. So another
link of the living history of the immortal hero has de-
parted ; one, too, so imperishably identified with his
commander-in-chief as to have been the officer selected
to convey to the Trafalgar fleet the undying signal,
" England expects every man to do his duty ;" one, too,
who popularised the signal of his illustrious chief by
suggesting an alteration in its terms which makes it
read as it now does, for, as first published many years
since, on the authority of the gallant deceased, the ori-
ginal order to Lieutenant Pasco was to make the signal
" Nelson expects," &c., when, on remarking to his
lordship that it would take some time to spell the word
" Nelson," but that England could be (-riven at one
signal, the " patriot hero said, " Right right, make it
England." " England" was accedingl; substituted
for " Nelson," and that signal which was so gloriously
obeyed, is now the watchword of that gallant profession
which is the chief arm of the country's defence.
Rear Admiral Pasco was horn Dec. 20, 1774-conse-
quently he was nearly 79 years of ag,e. As narrated by
O'Byrce," lie entered the navy June 4, 1734, on board
the Druid, 32, Captains George Anson Byron and Joseph
Ellison, lying at Plymouth. In 1786 he joined the
Pegasus, 28, commanded by his Royal Highness the
Duke of Clarence, with whom he served for about twelve
months in the West Indies and on the coast of North
America. He then became attached to the Impregnable,
98, flag-ship at Plymouth of Admiral Graves, and to
the Penelope, 32, Captain John Linzee, on the Halifax
station ; and he was next, between 1790 and 1795. em-
ployed as midshipman and master's mate, principally in
the Channel and West Indies, on board the Syren, 32,
Captain John Manley ; Orion, 74, Captain John Thomas
Duckworth ; London, 98, Captain Richard Goodwin
Keats ; Caesar, 80, Captain Anthony James Pye Molloy ;
Orion again, Captain J. T. Duckworth ; Minotaur, 74,
and Aimable, 32, flag-ships of Admirals John Macbride
and Sir John Laforey. Attaining the rank of lieutenant
July 15, 1795, he was subsequently appointed in that
capacity-in 1795-6 to the Majestic, 74, flag-ship of Sir
J. Laforey ; again to the Beaulieu, Captain Launcelot
Skynner ; and to the Minotaur, 74, Captain Thomas
Louis, all in the West Indies-September 27, 1796, to
the Raisonable, 64, Captain Charles Boyles, em-
ployed at the Cape of Good Hope and in the Chan-
nel-December 27, 1799, as first, to the Immortalite,
36, Captains Hon. Henry Hotham and Edward W.
C. R. Owen, on the latter station-and April 7, 1803
(after six months of half-pay), to the Victory, 100,
flag-ship of Lord Nelson. When senior lieutenant, in
1796, of the Beaulieu, Mr. Pasco landed with a battalion
of seamen, and assisted at the reduction of St. Lucie ;
and, in 1801, at which period he belonged to the Im-
mortaliV, he volunteered and was appointed to cut out
from Camaret Bay the French corvette La Chevrette,
but was prevented from carrying his plans into execu-
tion by the circumstance of his ship being ordered on a
cruise before the weather had proved sufficiently favour-
able. The glory of acheiving the exploit, fell in conse-
quence to the lot, as is well known, of the late Captain
Keith Maxwell. On his passage to the Mediterranean
in May, 1803, Mr. Pasco, then in the Victory, contri-
buted to the capture of the French 32-gun frigate Em-
bnscade. He afterwards went in pursuit of the com-
bined squadrons to the West Indies ; and on his return
he shared, Oct. 21, 1805, in the battle of Trafalgar. It
being Lord Nelson's practice to make the officer first on
his list for promotion to the duty of signal-officer,
and the junior that of first-lieutenant, Mr. Pasco, al-
though senior of the Victory in the action, was obliged
to submit to the regulation enforced by his lordship,
through whose death he in consequence lost that pro-
motion to which his rank entitled him. He had
thus the mortification of only receiving a com-
mander's commission, dated Dec. 24, 1805 ; while
Mr. Quilliam, the sixth lieutenant, was at once ad-
vanced to post rank. During the battle he had the
misfortune to be severely wounded by a grape shot
in the right side and arm ; for which he received
a pension of 2501. per annum, besides having at the time
obtained a grant from the Patriotic Fund. After he
left the Victory, Captain Pasco remained on half-pay
until May, 1808. He then at length succeeded in pro-
curing command of the Mediator, 32, which vessel he
served for three months off Cadiz and Lisbon. In the
following November he joined the Hindostan, 50, armee
en-flute, fitting fora voyage to New South Wales ; on
his return whence he was appointed, in November,
1810, to the Tartarus, 20. In that ship, in which lie
was made post by commission bearing date April 3,
1811, Captain Pasco continued employed on the Chan-
nel, American, and Cork stations until May, 1815. In
the ensuing June he assumed command, at Lisbon, of
the Rosa, 38 ; and he next, from August 20, 1815, until
paid off September 2, 1818, served in the Lee, 20, on
the Channel station, where he made prizes of several
smuggling vessels. On March 18, 1846, he was ad-
mitted into the Royal Hospital at Greenwich ; but, re-
signing the appointment almost immediately, he was
placed on the Ist of April following in command of his
old ship the Victory, stationed at Portsmouth. He had
been previously, Feb. 19, 1342, selected as a recipient
for the captain's good service pension. He attained his
present rank Sept. 22, 1847. Rear Admiral Pasco mar-
ried, first, Sept. 1, 1805, Rebecca, daughter of J. L.
Penfold, Esq., of the Royal Dockyard at Plymouth ;
and, secondly, July 22, 1843, Eliza, relict of Captain
John Weaver, R.M., (1826). By his first wife he bad
issue three sons and two daughters. Of the former, the
eldest, William, is a commander, and the second, Crau-
ford, a lieutenant in the Royal navy. The youngest
son, George Magrath Ley Pasco, was a second lieute-
nant, Royal marines (1341). One•of the rear admiral's
daughters is married to Captain J. B. B. M`Hardy,
RN. ; the other to Lieutenant H. M. Kinsman, R.N."
We regret the loss of the deceased admiral, as an old
friend and correspondent. He was a truly gallant sailor,
and a mild and amiable gentleman. He was most un-
obtrusive in his manners, and shrunk from pressing his
peculiar claims on the Admiralty, either on his own be-
half or his sons ; consequently, although he served
afloat for 32 years-longer than any of the Lords of the
Admiralty, lie had no chance against the "Parkers' "
interest. One son, therefore, is a commander of seven
years' standing, without employment, and another is a
lieutenant of ten years seniority. His son-in-law, Cap-
tain M`Hardy, is the high constable of Essex, and his
son is a promising young midshipman in her Majesty's

service.

By the decease of Rear Admiral Pasco the following
promotions and changes take place :
To be Rear-Admiral on the reserved half-pay list,
Captain Percy Grace, Feb. 1825, that officer not having
served his time as captain.

To be Rear Admiral of the Blue.—Captain Henry
Dundas, Feb. 1825, vice Sir James Stirling, to be Rear-
Admiral of the 'White, vice Sir Watkin Owen Pell, to
be Rear Admiral of the Red, vice Pasco.

The Hon. Montagu StopfOrd (April, 1825) flag captain
to the Hon. Jocelyn Percy, C. 8., commander-in-chief at
the Nore, is now senior captain on the active list. Sir
Burton Macnamara (1833) becomes one of the seniors,
and Captain the Hon. C. G. B. Elliot (1841) of the
Sybille, 40, East Indies, is included in the second list of
senior captains.

PORTSMOUTH, Nov. 16.
Mr. Parratt, of the Treasury, brought his life raft to
this port to-day, which has been the wonder of all who
have inspected it. We have before reported favourably
of this admirable and simple invention for saving and
preserving life at sea. A trial before Vice-Admiral Sir
Thomas Cochrane, the Commander-in-Chief, &c., will
be made in this harbour on Friday.
The Prussian frigate Gefion, 46, Commodore Schroeder,
and corvette Amazone, sailed for Malta from Spithead
this morning before 8 o'clock. The Commodore on
leaving fired a salute of 21 guns for the national flag,
and 15 for the Port Admiral. The salute to the lag
was not acknowledged until 3 p.m., when the gallant
and courteous foreigners must have been well on their
way towards the Mediterranean !

The Neptune, 120, Captain E. H. Scott, flag of Rear-
Admiral Fanshawe, C. 8., was paid wages to-day.
The Princess Royal, Captain Lord Clarence Paget,
has fitted her bowsprit and stepped her main and mizen
masts to-day.