Sir Henry, as we already observed, married early in life, and Lady Raeburn survives him. He had two sons, the elder of whom, Peter, a most promising youth, who inherited his father's genius, died at the early age of nineteen. Henry, the second son, is married, and has a family. From his society his father always derived peculiar gratification, and, with the affectionate disposition which distinguished him, had entirely adopted his family as his own. During the whole period of their joint lives, they lived under the same roof. 392 No. XX. JOHN SCHANCK, Esq. ADMIRAL OF THE BLUE, And fellow oF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. THIS at once brave and scientific officer, who distinguished himself both in the civil and in the military service of the Navy, was descended from a very ancient family in Mid Lothian; a branch of which settled at Kinghorn, in Fifeshire, and obtained lands there in the reign of Robert Bruce, anno 1319. The Schancks, or Shanks, are supposed to have been originally Norwegians, who having landed during some predatory expedition on the north-eastern coast, settled there. This we believe frequently occurred, in respect to all the maritime parts of the island bordering on the Deucaledonian sea; and the curious reader has only to turn to Buchanan, in order to learn the fluctuating nature of the population of Scotland during the middle ages. Admiral Schanck was a son of the late Alexander Schanck, Esq. of Castlereg, Fifeshire, by Mary, daughter of Mr. John Burnet, Minister at Moniemusk, in Aberdeenshire, of the ancient and honourable family of Burnet. He was born about the year 1746, went to sea early in life, and was for some time in the merchant service. This was formerly the case more than at present; for some of our ablest commanders of former times, and even some of those who are yet living, were so bred. In the year 1757 Mr. Schanck served for the first time in a man of war, the Elizabeth of 74 guns, commanded by the late Sir Hugh Palliser. This officer, notwithstanding the odium attempted to be attached to his name in consequence of his disputes with Admiral Keppel, was a man of much worth and discernment; and while he possessed great merit himself, he appeared always ready to distinguish and to reward it in others. He was appointed at this time to cruize between Cape Clear and Cape Finisterre; and when he afterwards removed to another ship, Mr. Schanck accompanied him in the capacity of master's mate; a station that implies some previous knowledge in nautical affairs. We next find Mr. Schanck in the Emerald frigate, Captain (afterwards Sir Charles) Douglas, with whom he went to the North Cape of Lapland, in order to observe the transit of Venus; an intention, however, which the prevailing gloominess of the weather prevented. About the year 1771, our officer joined the Princess Amelia of 80 guns, fitting for the flag of Sir George B. Rodney, who had recently been appointed to the command on the Jamaica station. Previous to this, he appears to have had the good fortune to save the life of Mr. Whitworth, son of Sir Charles, and brother to Lord Whitworth, who was overset in a small boat in Portsmouth, harbour. Mr. Whitworth was afterwards lost in America, while serving under Lord Howe. Mr. Schanck was also for some time a midshipman on board the Barfleur. In the month of June, 1776, after a laborious service of eighteen years' continuance, Mr. Schanck was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and appointed to the Canceaux, an armed schooner, employed on the river St. Lawrence.* This command he nominally retained for a considerable time; we say nominally, for almost immediately after the commencement of the war in Canada, the late Admiral Vandeput, with whom he had served as a midshipman in India, and who had conceived a just idea of his talents, recommended him as a proper person to fit out a flotilla, to act against the revolted colonists * It was at about the same period that Mr. Schanck exhibited a talent for mechanics. This had formerly displayed itself, indeed, on several occasions for the good of the service; but what caught the eye of the multitude was the construction of a cot, which, by means of pulleys, might be raised or lowered at pleasure, at the will of the person who reclined in it; while, by means of castors, it could also be removed by himself from place to place without any difficulty. This was afterwards presented, we believe, to the grandfather of the present Lord Dundas, and obtained for the inventor the familiar appellation of " Old Purchase," among his companions. on the Lakes; in consequence of which he was appointed superintendant of the naval department of St. John's, and in the year following received a second commission, nominating him to the elevated station of senior officer of the naval department in that quarter. In fact, he might have been truly called the civil commander-in-chief, all the conjunct duties of the Admiralty and Navy Board being vested in him. The force under his direction was considerable; no less than four different flotillas, or squadrons of small vessels, being at one time subject to his direction in the civil line. His exertions and merit were so conspicuous, as to draw forth the highest encomiums from the admiral commanding on the station, particularly on account of the celerity and expedition with which he constructed a ship of above 300 tons, called the Inflexible, the very presence of which vessel on the lakes struck with insurmountable terror the whole American fleet, and compelled it to seek for safety in ignominious flight, after having held out a vain boast of many months' continuance, that the first appearance of the British flotilla would be the certain forerunner of its immediate destruction. The Inflexible was originally put on the stocks at Quebec ; her floors were all laid, and some timbers in; the whole, namely, the floors, keel, stem, and stern, were then taken down, and carried up the St. Lawrence to Chamblais, and thence to St. John's. Her keel was laid, for the second time, on the morning of the 2d September; and by sunset, not only the above-mentioned parts were laid and fixed, but a considerable quantity of fresh timber was, in the course of the same day, cut out, and formed into futtocks, top-timbers, beams, planks, &c. On the 30th Sept., being twenty-eight days from the period when the keel was laid, the Inflexible was launched; and on the evening of the 1st Oct. she actually sailed, completely manned, victualled, and equipped for service. In ten days afterwards this vessel was engaged with the enemy; so that it may be said, without the smallest exaggeration of Lieutenant Schanck's merits, that he built, rigged, and completed a ship, which fought and beat her enemy, in less than six weeks from the commencement of her construction. Among other curious particulars relative to this extraordinary circumstance, it was no uncommon thing for a number of trees, which were actually growing at dawn of day, to form different parts of the ship, either as planks, beams, or other timbers, before night. Few professional men, and methodical shipwrights, would, perhaps, credit this fact, were it not established beyond all possibility of controversy.' * A list of the British and American flotillas in the engagement on Lake Champlain, on the 11th and 13th Oct. 1776. The former commanded by Captain T. Pringle, the latter by General Arnold: Longcroft. 6 24 6 12 2 howitzers, Loyal Convert, gondola... 7 9-pdrs. 20 gun-boats, each carrying a brass field-piece, from 24 to 9-pounders. 4 large boats, with a carriage-gun mounted in each. 24 long boats, with provisons and stores. The whole manned by a detachment of seamen from the King's ships at Quebec, and transports. Their numbers amounted to 8 officers, 19 petty officers, and 670 men. The loss in killed and wounded did not exceed forty. Six gondolas were driven ashore and destroyed; a large schooner and a galley Their loss not known, but supposed to have been very not in the action. 2 12 2 12 1 12-pdr. considerable. |