James Brisbane Captain Sir James Brisbane , CB ( 1774 – 19 December 1826 ) was a British Royal Navy officer of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . Although never engaged in any major actions , Brisbane served under both Lord Howe and Horatio Nelson and performed important work at the Cape of Good Hope , prior to the Battle of Copenhagen and in the Adriatic campaign of 1807 – 1814 . In later life Brisbane became commander - in - chief in the East Indies . He contracted dysentery in Burma and arrived in Port Jackson ( Sydney ) aboard HMS " Warspite " where he died on 19 December 1826 . He was a cousin of General Sir Thomas Brisbane who had earlier been governor of New South Wales . Career . James Brisbane was born in 1774 , the son of Admiral John Brisbane and the younger brother of future Admiral Charles Brisbane . In 1787 Brisbane went to sea aboard HMS " Culloden " and by 1794 he was signal midshipman aboard Lord Howe ' s flagship HMS " Queen Charlotte " . Brisbane served in this capacity at the Glorious First of June , where " Queen Charlotte " was heavily engaged and badly damaged . In the aftermath of the battle , Brisbane was promoted to lieutenant and was sent to the Cape of Good Hope , later joining George Elphinstone ' s flagship HMS " Monarch " and being present at the surrender of a Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay . Brisbane was given command of one of the captured Dutch ships and later the frigate HMS " Daphne " as a commander , but on his return to Britain in 1797 was reduced to reserve . Remaining on half - pay until 1800 , Brisbane married Jemima Ann Ventham shortly before he was returned to sea in command of . " Cruizer " was attached to Sir Hyde Parker ' s Baltic fleet on commissioning and Brisbane came under the direct command of Admiral Horatio Nelson , who used " Cruizer " to take soundings and make charts of the approaches to Copenhagen prior to the British attack on the city at the Battle of Copenhagen . Brisbane impressed his superiors in this duty and in 1801 was made a post captain and commanded HMS " Saturn " under Admiral Thomas Totty until the admiral ' s death . Between 1803 and 1805 , Brisbane commanded the Kent sea fencibles and in 1807 took command of off Ireland . In 1809 , he moved to , and commanded her in the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea in the early stages of the Adriatic campaign of 1807 – 1814 . There Brisbane captured the French frigate " Var " off Valona . He later participated in the capture of several of the Ionian Islands and remained in the region until 1811 , becoming an expert in coastal operations . In late 1811 Brisbane took command of , and stayed with her for a year . He then transferred to the command of the newly built HMS " Pembroke " in the Channel Fleet . In 1813 he returned to the Mediterranean , where he remained for the rest of the war . In 1816 , " Pembroke " was attached to the force under Lord Exmouth that bombarded Algiers and on his return home , Brisbane was knighted . He was already a Companion of the Order of the Bath , having been admitted to the order in 1815 . In 1825 , Brisbane was made commander - in - chief of the East Indies Station and sailed there as commodore , arriving in 1826 and taking part in the latter stages of the First Anglo - Burmese War , in which he had some success in riverine operations . During the campaign however he contracted a fatal illness and died from it at Penang in Malaya late in 1826 . Brisbane is remembered as a popular and capable commander whose expertise was focused on coastal and riverine operations , which he conducted with success throughout his career . Memorial . A memorial to Sir James Brisbane was erected in St James ' Church , Sydney in 1830 .