The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-03-15
aBRJV4L or THE BRITISH STEAM FRIGATECU
R1c5A AND LORD LfONS, The NEW BRET;
Irron BID Now Yor1 HsraId Narch D

. "a TIrum the Now YORK herAiui warren Isl
The British steam tigate Curacao arrived below this
mort last evening, haying on board Lord Lyons, the
British minister appointed 10 succeed Lord Napier.
Lord Lyons Is the eldest son of Admiral Lord Lyons,
royal navy, recently deceased, and brother Of Capt Ed
mund Mowbrny Lyons, who was wounded before sebas-
topol, and died ut 1herapia.
Admiral Lord Lyons, his father, served In the British
navy over half a century. He was the second son OF
John Lyons of Huntington, who was a major in the Christ
Church Volunteers. He married the second daughter of
Captain Josias Rogers, in 1914, having two sons--Rich-
ard Pencil Bickerton, the subject of this sketch, now
Lord Lyons, and Capt Edmund Mowbray, before alluded
20. OF his two daughters one is Duchess of Norfolk and
the other Baroness dc Wurtzburg.
The life of the Admiral rs full of interest He was
educated at Westminster, entered the navy at the age OF
eleven, first served Oh the Royal Charlotte and then on
the Maidstone. He was on board the Active in 1907 du-
ring the passage of the Dardanelles, and participated ia the
successful assault on Point Resquies, on the Asiatic shore.
He was lieutenant on the brig Baracouta In 1909, and In
1910 was among the foremost In the escalade of Belgied
Castle during the raging OF a terrible storm, displaying
sAtll and boldnefs which brought him into prominent no.
tce. and IN his twentieth year he was appointed flag
lieutenant on board the Minden, IA, by Admiral Drury.
Within a year he sailed for the coast Of Java, and,
understanding that the Dutch did not anticipate an
attack, boldly embarked two boats, with t~hirty-fve of
fcers and men, against Fort Marraek, of fifty -four
guns, and calamity captured 1T before the arrival from
India Of an expedition which was citing out TO ac-
oomplish that purpose. The Admiral, however, could
not wait, aud took the fort alone. He. command
Cd the Renaldo in 1872, escorting Louis Eighteenth
TO France, and the allied sovereigns to England, to-
eethcr with the bearer of the treaty of Paris. In 1914
he received post rank in 1928 he headed an expe-
dition against the Morea Castle, commanding the Blonde,
as, procuring for his gallantry and ability the Order of
st. Louis of France, and Knight Commander of the Order
Of the Redeemer of Greece in 1885 he was knighted in
1910 created a baronet in lS4S mi,irtef plenipotentiary
10 Athens from l64g to 1851 at Bernie from 1851 to
1858 at Stockholm and in 1865 was made commander
in-chief, taking command Of the Black sea fleet. For his
distinguished services during the Russian war he was Gre
ated o baron. His counsel and assistance to Lord Raglan
were extensive and valuable. AT the battle of Alma he
ably supported the French army at the bombardment of
Sebastopol he took a conspicuous part, and 1t is a matter
of history that had it not been for his earnest protest,
Lord Raglan would have evacuated B~alaklava, and the
greatest victory of modern times have been kept from the
allied forces, who, had they once left Balaklaya, would
doubtless have been driven from the Crimea. His latest
service was in command of the squadron which attended
the Queen TO Cherbourg, and at his death on the 23d of
November last there were ample evidences OF national
grief 7
With these antecedcnts of noble family, both by blood
aud by heroic deeds, the new British minister, the present
Lord Lyons, may be expected to do honor 10 his own
country while he renders himself respected in our. Al
though but a little over forty years of age he has had
considerable experience in diplomatic circles. He was
appointed an attach6 of the legation at Athens in Feb
raIy, 1889, transferred to Dresden April 10, 1852, and
70 Florence in February, 1858. In 1856 he was pro-
NOTED to be secretary of legation at Florence. His last
position was that of envoy extraordinary and minister
plepipotontiary to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, from
which he was transferred to his present position, the Brit
iSh minister of the United States, to succeed Lord Napier.
lie is a man of cultivated taste and refined elegance, at
the same time sustaining the reputation of a plain, UNI
assuming English gentleman, well calculated to make
friends among q republican people his aristocracy is not
Tepugnant.
Her Britannia Majesty's frigate Curacao, in which Lord
Lyons came to America, is a steam propeller, of thirty
one guns, Captain Thomas A. Mason. She is the same
vessel that, when engaged in carrying Lord de Radcliffe
from Constantinople home, became stranded on the Peli-
can slOQl. and WAS relieved by the United Stateg shin
Macedonian, Captain Levy. The correspondence between
the two captains was recently published i'm the Herald
the one letter expressing great acknowledgment for the
service to the Curacao, and the other recalling the hu-
name relief to the sick and dying of the Susquehanna.
The Curacao was also unfortunate on her voyage from
Spithead TO Plymouth TO bring Lord Lyons, coming in
contact with the schooner Fleta, of S~horeham, off Durl-
stone head, and doing her considerable damage. a.