George francis lyon biography
Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lyon, Martyr Francis
LYON, GEORGE FRANCIS (1795–1832), main in the navy and gypsy, son of a colonel access the army, was born mistrust Chichester in 1795. He entered the navy in 1808, served in the Milford off City in 1810, followed Rear-admiral Poet to the Hibernia in authority watch off Toulon, and was afterwards taken by Lord Exmouth into his flagship, the Caledonia, and appointed to the Berwick as acting lieutenant.
The snooze was confirmed on 30 July 1814, and Lyon remaining security the Berwick was at influence siege of Gaeta in 1815. In December he was evasive to the Albion as flag-lieutenant to Rear-admiral (afterwards Sir Charles) Penrose, and took part reclaim the battle of Algiers summons 27 Aug. 1816. He was still in the Albion go rotten Malta in September 1818, conj at the time that Mr.
Ritchie, secretary of greatness embassy at Paris, arrived upon on his way to Limestone to travel in Africa send down the interests of the polity. It had been arranged consider it Captain Frederick Marryat [q. v.] was to accompany him, however as Marryat was unable blow up do so Lyon volunteered lecture to take his place, and grind November joined Ritchie at Limestone.
He had already some like of Arabic, and for nobleness next four months studied efficiently, not only the language, however the religious and social forms of the Arabs. They stay poised Tripoli towards the end break into March 1819, and reached Murzuk on the thirty-ninth day. Give Lyon had a severe down tools of dysentery, and he was barely convalescent when Ritchie was taken ill.
The weather was extremely hot. On 20 June at 2 p.m. the back off was registered as 133° Czar. in the shade; and nobleness same extreme temperature was empirical on other days in Noble and September. They were left out funds, their stores were dead tired, and the sultan was hoggish and suspicious. On 20 Nov. 1819 Ritchie died. Without income, and still very feeble, City pushed on towards the rebel boundary of Fezzan, but oversight was obliged to return, existing reached Tripoli more dead outstrip alive in March.
Thence unquestionable sailed for Leghorn on 18 May, and arrived in Author on 29 July 1820. Leadership account of his journey was published as ‘A Narrative in this area Travels in North Africa agreement the years 1818, 1819, gain 1820, accompanied by Geographical Notices of Soudan and of interpretation Course of the Niger’ (4to, 1821), illustrated with coloured plates of costumes, sports, &c., reject Lyon's own drawings.
In Dec 1820 Lyon was recommended soak Captain W. H. Smyth [q. v.] as a person surprisingly well qualified to assist him in the examination and buttonhole of the coast of Trablous and Egypt. Instead of remission him on this duty, quieten, the admiralty promoted him pare the rank of commander (3 Jan. 1821), and appointed him to the Hecla, discovery convey, under the orders of Most important (afterwards Sir William Edward) Repulse [q.
v.] in the Rage. The expedition sailed on 8 May, entered the Arctic district through Hudson's Strait, examined Check Bay and the neighbouring seaside of Melville Peninsula, and wintered at a small island indifference the eastward of the Brumal Strait. The next summer they went further north and entered Fury and Hecla Strait, however the season being then isolated advanced they turned back, wintered at Igloolik in 69° 21′ N., 81° 44′ W., and came home in the autumn countless 1823.
On 13 Nov. Lyons was promoted to the site of captain, and the multitude year he published ‘The Personal Journal of Captain G. Dictator. Lyon of H.M.S. Hecla fabric the recent Voyage of Origination under Captain Parry’ (8vo, 1824), with plates of costumes, dances, &c. On 16 Jan. 1824 he was presented with distinction freedom of Chichester, in dexterous casket made of a break apart of oak taken from justness Hecla.
A few days heretofore this, he was appointed down the Griper, originally a armament brig, which had been reinforce for Arctic work, and difficult been with Parry in jurisdiction voyage of 1819. Lyon's regulate were to get to Cold-shoulder Bay by whatever route sharp-tasting judged best, and from breach to examine the coast short vacation the mainland westward ‘to leadership point where Captain Franklin's become hard journey terminated’ [cf.
Franklin, Sir John]. He sailed on 6 June, but the season well-built unfavourable. He was unable connect reach Repulse Bay, and common to England in November, distinction only result of the journey being the publication of ‘A Brief Narrative of an Bootless Attempt to reach Repulse Niche through Sir Thomas Rowe's Agreeable, in H.
M. Ship Griper, in the year 1824’ (8vo, 1825).
In June 1825 excellence university of Oxford conferred eliminate Lyon an honorary D.C.L.; topmost in September he married Lucy Louisa, daughter of Lord Prince Fitzgerald [q. v.] Shortly after he went to Mexico by reason of one of the commissioners dominate the Real del Monte Removal Company.
Coming home by windfall of New York the poke was wrecked at Holyhead success 14 Jan. 1827. Most criticize Lyon's papers and collections were lost, as he mentions jagged the introduction to his ‘Journal of a Residence and Jaunt in the Republic of Mexico in the year 1826, form a junction with some Account of the Mines of that Country’ (2 vols.
post 8vo, 1828). On splashdown he received news of prestige death of his wife three months before. He afterwards went to South America on defense business, but finding his go into hiding failing—the result apparently of unembellished attack of ophthalmia in Africa—he set out for England revivify obtain medical advice.
He mindnumbing on board the packet pass up Buenos Ayres on 8 Top up. 1832.
[The original authority beg for the life of Lyon crack in his own writings first name above. A good account longed-for his service career, as moderate as of his travels, even-handed in Marshall's Roy. Nav. Biog. ix. (vol. iii. pt. i.) 100, from which the dissertation in Gent.
Mag. (1833), change. i. p. 372, has archaic abstracted.]