The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-25 00:00:00

THE LATE LORD LYONS.

A good Englishman and a brilliant seaman now
lies still in death at Arundel Castle. Lord Lyons
died there, after a short illness, yesterday. It was
but the other day, after his return from the Medi-
terranean,:that he was summoned to command the
squadron of honour which escorted her Majesty to
Cherbourg. It was fit that the most illustrious
admiral in the service should be selected for this
duty—the last of a public nature which he was to
fulfil. It was impossible even to look, at Lord
Lyons without being interested in him—he was so
like Nelson, the hero whom more than all others
we regard with a sort of personal attachment. He
had the same features, the same complexion, the
same profnsion of grey inclining to white hair, the
same eager and half melancholy 'look. No one
could see him without being struck with this re-
semblance. Not only in appearance, but also in
reality there was something of. Nelson in. Lord
Lyons. He had the same devotion to his pro-
fession ; he had the same activity in duty ; he
had the same free and frank _bearing; he had
the same art of winning the affection of asso-
ciates and subordinates alike ; he inspired a
similar confidence in all with whom he came
in contact. If we say that he had not the in-
fallible genius. of our greatest naval hero, it 'is but
fair to adid that he had not the opportunities which
Nelson enjoyed of exhibiting the highest qualities of
a commander, that, he was always equal to the oc-
casion, that his services in the Black Sea were'not
only great—they were much greater than the public
generally suppose, and entitled him alone of all the
chiefs in the late war to the honours of a peerage.
Lord,Lyons had but just completed his.6Bth year
when he died. He was born on the 21st November,
1790, at White Hayes, Burton, near Christchurch,
Hants, from which place he took his title—Baron
Lyons, of Christchurch. He was the second son of
John Lyons, Esq., of Lyons, in Antigua, and of St.'
Austen 's-house Lymington, Hants, whose family
seems to have been connected .for some time with
Antigua, and previously with the county of Cork.
Young Edmund was sent at a very early age to
Hyde Abbey School, near Winchester, then under
the care of Dr. Richards. Canning and Gaisford
had been there before him, and Wolfe, the author
of the well-known lines on the burial of Sir
John Moore, was there after him. But probably
Edmund Lyons derived but little from this school
education, since he entered the Navy as a volun-
teer of the first class in June, 1801, when he was
but ten and a-half years old. These were the days
of Nelson and glory, when the British Navy could
boast of more than 800 vessels, when the ships of
the line were more than 200 in number, when our
flag was to be found on every sea, and when we
were more than a match for the combined navies
of all the world. The little middy of 11 was first
sent on board the Royal Charlotte yacht, from
which he was transferred in the following year to
the Maidstone frigate, and then again to the Active,
38. After seeing some service in the Mediterranean,
accompanying Sir John Duckworth's expedition to
the Dardanelles, and assisting at the demolition of
the redoubt on Point Pesquies, Lyons returned to
England in 1807. In the meantime the battle of
Trafalgar had been fought, Britain.was now with-
out a rival on the sea, and there was little left for
our sailors to do but to blockade and make prizes,
There were some things to be done, however, that
required vigour, if not genius, and that would
bring promotion, if not glory. Towards the end.
of 1807, therefore, being then barely 17, we find
Edmund Lyons on board the Monmouth, 64, on
his way to the East Indies, where he remained for
the next five years, and where he attained the rank
of lieutenant. In the Indian seas he gained con-
siderable distinction. When the island of Banda
Neira was taken, in 1810, he obtained honourable
mention as among the first to scale the castle of
Belgica ; and it was for his share' in this exploit
that he was immediately afterwards appointed flag
lieutenant to Rear-Admiral Drury. But his most
important service was the storming of -Fort Mar-
rack. An expedition had been planned for the
conquest of Java, and Mr. -Lyons had, while
the preparations for this ev.ent,were as yet incom-
plete, being appointed to a station in the Sunda
Strait, where he was to cruise and procure all the
information he could regarding the position and
.force of the enemy. It was while thus engaged
that, with characteristic ardour, he attacked at
night, with not more than 35 men, Fort Marrack,
defended, as it was, by 54 guns, by 800 soldiers,
and by the crews of two boats. He took it with
scarcely any loss, and obtained from his captain,
who had not counted on such a brilliant success,
the declaration that his conduct was beymid all
comment. His reward followed when shortly after-
wards he returned home in ill-health. He was
promoted to -the command of the Rinaldo, 10, in
which vessel he formed one of the squadron which
escorted Louis XVIII. to France, and the Allied
Sovereigns to England.
Although he obtained post rank in 1814, the ces-
sation of the war deprived him of active employ-
ment until 1828, when he received the command of
the Blonde, 46, in which he assisted at the blockade
of Navarino, and superintended the naval expedi-
tion sent to co-operate with the French in the re-
duction of the Castle of Morea, the last remnant of
the Ottoman power in the Peloponnesus. This
appears to have been the only important service
which he rendered in those days. Afterwards we
find him cruising about the Mediterranean, now,
conveying an ambassador from one port to another,
now conducting a King to Greece, and on one cele-
brated occasion entering the Black Sea in the first
British man-of-war that had ever passed the Bos-
phorus, and actually visiting the scene of his future
labours---Sebastopol. In 1835 his ship was paid -Off,
and Captain: Lyons, who had in the meantime re-
ceived the honour of knighthood, and the insignia
of several Orders, exchanged the naval for the
diplomatic profession. He was appointed Minister
Plenipotentiary at the Court of Athens, which post
he filled from 1835' until 1849. In 1849 he was
appointed British Minister to the Swiss Confedera-
Aion—a position which he occupied until 1851, when
he was sent to Stockholm in a similar capacity.
There he remained until in November, 1853, war
being then imminent, he was appointed second in
command of the Mediterranean fleet. Upon the
duties of this command he entered with the experi-
ence of a diplomatist who had enjoyed large oppor-
tunities of studying the Greek and Turkish ques-
tions, as well as that of a sailor who was perfectly
acquainted with the seas in which he was to act,
and he had also received in the insignia of the
Order of St. Louis of France an acknowledgment
of the cordiality with which he had co-operated
with our French allies.

If at first only second in command, Sir Edmund
Lyons was from the first the ruling spirit of the
British fleet, and to him we owe, in an incalculable
degree, the success which attendrd our. arms. an
the shores of the Euxine. He it was who organized
and conducted the expedition to the Crimea, pre-
pared the means of landing, and superintended
all so closely that, " in his eagerness, he left but
six inches between the keel of his noble ship and the
ground below it." Not only in this matter of
the transport of the troops, but also in every sub-
sequent stage of the expedition, Sir Edmund Lyons
gave: the most valuable assistance to Lord Raglan
and his successors. How at the battle of the Alma
he supported the French army by bringing the duns
of his ship to bear on the left flank of the Russians,
and what a conspicuous part he took with the
Agamemnon on the first bombardment of Sebas-
topol, are incidents fresh in the recollection of all.
But he had more to, do in the way of advice
and of encouragement than the public ever heard
of. Day after day he might have been seen on his
grey pony hovering about the English lines--on the
heights of Sebastopol ; he was present at Balak-
lava and he was present at Inkerman. It was thus
thatiha,ving conveyed our soldiers to the Crimea he
saved them from being compelled to leave it—
baffled, if not vanquished. A day or two after the
battle of Balaklava Sir Edmund Lyons, on landing,
learnt to his astonishment that orders had been
issued to the Naval Brigade to embark as many
gunsto b e a s
evacuatedpossible
atduring
night,—of
g h tof the
ur forse Balaklava, surrendering
to the enemy the greater portion of the guns. On
his own responsibility the Admiral at once put a
stop to the execution of this order, and went in
search of Lord Raglan, who, it appears,' had come to
the resolution of abandoning Balaklava in conse-
quence of the opinion expressed by the engineers
that after the loss of the redoubts in our rear, lately
held by the Turks, we ought to concentrate our
strength on theplateau. Taking Lord Raglan aside,
Sir Edmund Lyons strongly spposed these views ;
he pointed out the advanced position in the valley
in the front of which these redoubts were situated
had been originally occupied, in accordance with
the advice of those very officers, and in opposition
to that of Sir Edmund, who had suggested at the
time that they were covering too much ; he argued
that, as the engineers had been mistaken once, they
might be wrong again; and he clinched his argu-
ment by saying that, whatever might be the value
of his opinion in such a case, he was, at all events,
entitled to pronounce an opinion to to the bola

ficiency of Kamiesch as a harbour for the allied.
armies ; that this abandonment of Balaklava
meant the evacuation of the Crimea in a week.
After some conversation, Lord Raglan said, " Well
you were right before, and this time I will act upon
your advice." Sir Edmund obtained leave to
countermand the orders which had been issued;
Balaklava was maintained as our base of opera-
tions and the army was saved from what might
have proved an inglorious defeat, if not a teriible,
disaster. This, as we have said, was perhaps the
most important of all the services rendered by the
Admiral, and he well deserved the peerage which
it earned for him.
We have only further to state that in 1814 Lord
Lyons married Augusta, second daughter of Capt.
Josias Rogers, R.N., and that by this lady he had
two sons and two daughters. Of the daughters, one
is now Duchess of Norfolk ; the other Is-Baroness
de Wurtsburg. The eldest son is at present Minis-
ter Plenipotentiary to the Grand Duke of Tuscany.
The younger was that Captain Mowbray. Lyons, of
the Miranda, who in the .late war died so much
lamented at Therapia.— Times.

(From the West Sussex Gazette.)

Admiral Lord Lyonsis no more. He expired
Arundel Castle at eight o'clock on Tuesday night'
Nov. 23. Some months ago the gallant admiral
was suffering from indisposition, and was induced
by his amiable daughter (the Duchess of Norfolk)
to visit Arundel Castle for tho benefit of his health.
It was then seen that he was suffering more acutely
than was supposed, and we believe the Ducheas
(who is the only member of his family residing io
England) persuaded her gallant father to rernaio
at Arundel Castle, where he might have that atten-
tion which filial affection alone could bestolf•
When Admiral Lyons was summoned •by her Ma'
jesty to command the squadron which• visited Cher-
bourgle was then in a bad state of health, but his
love for the Queen, added to his desire to carry out
his duties as Commander-in-Chief, predominated'
and he accompanied her Majesty on that visit-
Since his return his health has been gradually
declining. For some time, however, he was enabled
to take carriage drives, accompanied by his Grace
the Duke of Norfolk, or some member of the family'
but he Ultimately became too weak to be removed
from his room, He also suffered from tic doloreux;
but the cause of his disease was general debility.
As he grew weaker it was thought necessary W
send for his family; and about six weeks since Mr-
Lyons' his only son, arrived, as did also his laugh'
ter, the Baroness von Wurtzburg, with her eldest,
son' who remained at the castle up to the time el
his death.

Admiral Lyons was born at Burton, near Christ'
church, in Hants, in 1790, and consequently hae,
just completed his 68th year. He was the second
son of John Lyons, Esq., of Lymington, who was I
major in the Christchurch Volunteers. He married
in 1814 Auguste, second daughter of the late Capt.
Josias Rogers, R.N., by whom he had two dough'
ters—Anna Theresa Bickerton, married Dec. 24th,
1839, to Baron Philip von Wurtzburg, and Auguste
Mary Minna Catherine, married June 19, 1839, to
the present Duke ofNoriolk. He had two sons,,Richd.
P. Bickerton, attache of Florence and entresident,
at Rome. His youngest son was Capt. Edmund
Moubray Lyons, who was killed before Sebastopol.
The public life of Admiral Lyons possesses con'
siderable interest. After completing his educatien
at Westminster he entered the Royal Navy at the
early age of 11 years, first serving on board the
Royal Charlotte, from which he removed in the
following year, and joined the Maidstone. In 180'
he was serving on board the Active, 38, during the
passage of the Dardanelles by Sir John Duckworth,
and was engaged in the successful assault upon the
redoubt of Point Pesquies, on the Asiatic shore. II!
1809 he was lieutenant of the Barracouta brig; and
it was in the next year he achieved his first gm's!
success. He was one of the foremost in the eve'
lade of the Castle of Belgica. This was acconr
plished during the raging of a terrific storm.
this exploit Mr. Lyons displayed that skill and
boldness which stampedhim as a true British sailor
—for -the navigation was intricate and the garrison
strong. The news of this little victory was receive"
gladly in England, and scarcely- had our her°
reached his twentieth year, ere Admiral Drury lir
pointed him as his flag-lieutenant on board the
Minden, 74. Within a twelvemonth after this ark
pointment he sailed on the coast of Java, to away
the arrival of an expedition then fitting out in India
for the reduction of that island. Whilst lying
Java, Mr. Lyons received some prisoners, [moot
them being an intelligent person with whom he n
into conversation ; from him he learnt that the Mite;
expected no attack during the monsoon. Mr. Lyo.l
immediately saw the opportunity for action, and with
a boldness which excited astonishment and adoirir
tion, he put off two boats at 'midnight with tbei,k
crews, consisting of 35 officers anti men to sttnii-,
Fort Marrack, of 54 guns. It is said' that as the
boats approached the moon peeped out from
a cloud, and revealed the sentinels ready to Chile.
lenge. All hope of surprise was gone, but it
was
not a moment for deliberation, find he boldly pushe f
on in the face of the enemy. There was a heavy su!_
on at the time; but he succeeded in landing his little
force beneath the embrasures, and carried the low
battery. There was yet a good tough piece of woo._
set out, for on reaching the hill he -found no less
than 400 soldiers facing him. " I have 400 met
and shall give no quarter," he exclaimed ; his men
.
charged, and away went the enemy helter-skelter.
The fort was captured; he succeeded in holding it'
and on the dawn of day the British ensign was
floating on the walls.
Pursuing his career with the same spirit, we Ana
him appointed commander of the Renaldo, in 1812'
in which vessel he escorted Louis XVIII. to France'
and the allied Sovereigns to England, besides afford'
ing a passage to Mr. Planta, the bearer of the
treaty of Paris. In 1814 he received post • rank'
we loss sight of the gallant Skilor for a feLe
years • and in 1828 we find him in command of Of
Blonde, 48, engaged in directing tho movements
the naval part of an expedition ordered to co-013°:
rate with the French in the investment of 1110 r""
Castle, the last hold of the Turks in the Pelope,ly
nesus. He again distinguished himself great
In the 12 nights preceding the surrender he t 0
constantly in the trenches, exposed to a terrific
of musketry and great guns. His gallant bearing
and his courtesy to the allies procured for him the
the insignia of the Order of St. Louis of France'
and of a Knight Commander of the Order of the
Redeemer of Greece.
Several other important services were perfornlet
by the gallant captain. In 1835 he was knighteut,
and nominated K.C.H. In 1840 he was created
baronet. From this date to 1849 he was minister
plenipotentiary at the Court of Athens. Frell
1849 to 1851 at Berne ; and from 1851 to 1853 na
Stockholm. This latter appointment he resigned
to take the command of the Black Sea fleet ; all
he became commander-in-chief in 1855.
It is from the exploits during the Russian
however, that Admiral Lyons will be known

history. . These things are fresh in our memory. .„
It was during the Russian war that he lost
son, Captain Moubray Lyons, who was wounded
before Sebastopol. The gallant admiral, however'
notwithstanding notwithstanding this severe loss, continued zealousli
to serve his country. His opinion was respecte,
in the councils of war, and his advice afterwerho
sought in the great war council of Paris. 1,0
Emperor of the French received him with peen `t
respect, not only for -his gallantry, but on aeon
of the courtesy he always exhibited in his inter
course with the French commanders.
createdn
Since
a thatbar
baron—the
h
the
only
creationgallant admiralb es t
ohwadedbefe
naval honours during the Russian war. /11'
reception at Court, and also the brilliant receptio_
given him at his own birthplace, as well as at the
different pUblie assemblies, must be fresh in of.
recollection. It was Admiral Lyons who iv'
seleeted for the command of the squidr"'
which -accompanied her Majesty to Cherbour,
Statesmen have not hesitated to heap. on' Ma!
the highest eneuniums, andwell they are deserved
The gallant admiral has served his country On df
and faithffilly and that country is not insensible, 194
his great and valuable services. England has '9
a hero;
ybe to his igemory.

THE MURDER IN QUEEN-SQUARE.—
Aninquestaa
was held this day on the body of the unfortunate, 01-tl,
Cantry. The witnesses examined were those who gti
their evidence at the Clerkenwell police court, and notlll y
1
additional was elicited to that which has already aPPeado
in The Sun.. Th The inquiry was adjourned until es of
next, in order to make an endeavour for the attendance
the prisoner Toomes. it el'
It is stated that his Excellency Count
mansegge, who has for many years past ably dischaLl'ir
the functions of Minister of the Court of Hanover in
don, is on the eve of being recalled from his diplongi 1
duties.
PROPOSED REFORM MEETING AT EDINBUR""a4
The leaders of the Radical party in Edinburgh have res"" in
to hold a public meeting there on the Reform guestin.ed
the course of next month, and Mr. Bright has been a 5 die
to attend. In reply to the invitation addressed to hio9
hon. gentleman states that he will not be able to attend a:n
meeting in Edinburgh before the Manchester uleati,_llgber
the 10th, and that he will again communicate asto Avietoe
his state of health may permit him to go north. 4.„01
Edinburgh Committee have adopted the London 11%4,
Committee's principles of rateable franchise, the lit„'•:,,j
approximate equalisation of constituencies, and trien.:--
Parliaments, and have added a fifth point to their chaste'
namely, additional members for Scotland.
The traffic of the London and North- viresterl!
Railway continues to recover. - The return published Pre
..
sents an increase of £570 compared with that for the 01;`,;,,
spending week of last year. The aggregate decrease,,Z9l,
the commencement of the current half-year is t
the total receipts being £1,293,302 in 1868, agate
41,413,593 at the ccutsmdixtg date ia 1857.

~~~

MIN

the allied,
Balaklava
i a week.
id, " Well
1 act upon
leave to
,n issued;
of opera-
rat might
a terrible
rhaps the
d by the
ge which

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not Minis-
Tuscany.
Lyons, Of
so much

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