William Cunningham Dalyell

Sir William Cunningham Dalyell of the Binns, 7th Baronet (27 April 1784 – 16 February 1865) was an officer in the British Royal Navy who served in the French Revolutionary Wars and in the forces under Sir Sidney Smith that operated along the French and Dutch coasts during the Napoleonic Wars.

On 19 September 1820, Dalyell married Maria, daughter of Anthony Teixiera Sampayo and the youngest sister of the French Minister at Hesse, Anthony Sampayo. They eventually had two daughters.

Career

The young Dalyell joined the navy in 1793 having graduated from Burney's Naval Academy in Gosport. He joined Alexander Cochrane's ship, Thetis, at Halifax, Nova Scotia, as a Captain's Servant. In July 1797 he was rated as a midshipman by his then captain, Sir David Milne, and joined Pique for service in the English Channel. Aboard her, Dalyell took part in the action of 30 June 1798. The 40-gun French frigate Seine was returning home from Port Louis with 280 troops aboard when at 07:00 she was spotted by the British squadron in the Bay of Biscay, heading north towards the Penmarch Rocks off the south coast of Finistère. She was quickly headed off by Mermaid, forcing her to go-about. This sudden tacking put Mermaid out of the chase but Pique and Jason remained in pursuit. The latter was able to prevent Seine seeking refuge in Lorient and by 21:00 Pique came within range and opened up with her bow chasers. Seine was completely dismasted but Pique was unable to fire into her for fear of hitting Jason which was between the two, and being stern on, at the mercy of Seine's raking broadsides. As the tide came in, however, Pique was able to get her nose ahead and bring her foremost guns to bear while Stirling's crew managed to move several guns abaft where they too could fire upon Seine. Not only was Seine now taking fire from the two grounded British frigates, the third, Mermaid had since come into view and the Frenchman thus struck her colours.

Dalyell transferred with Milne into the captured Seine and in her, sailed to the West Indies. While serving on this station, Dalyell was given his first command, a captured enemy vessel which would later sink leaving him and his crew marooned on the coast of Cuba.

The peace was short-lived, however, breaking out again in May the following year, and Dalyell, unable to find employment as a lieutenant had to make do with a commission as a Passed midshipman, aboard the 50-gun Antelope. This position was obtained with Alexander Cochrane's help in April 1803. Antelope's commander, Sir Sidney Smith, was directing covert operations along the French and Dutch coasts, and at this particular time was monitoring naval construction at Texel and Antwerp. These letters mainly relate to William Dalylell's attempts to help his nephew's career, but also document his indignant reaction to the Hango massacre during the Crimean War and some of his views on the navy.