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Auction: 9022 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 92

x Naval General Service 1793-1840, one clasp, Egypt (Saml. Leslie, Lieut. R.N.), minor edge nicks, good very fine Estimate £ 1,800-2,200 Samuel Leslie served as a Lieutenant in H.M.S. Haerlem in cooperation with the Army on and off the coast of Egypt, 1801. Rear Admiral Samuel Leslie (1779-1851), born Rockfield, County Antrim, the son of the Venerable E. Leslie, Archdeacon of Down; entered the Royal Navy, 1793, and served chiefly as Midshipman in H.M.S. Pomona (Captain H. d´´Esterre Darby) in her role of harrying French coastal trade, which frequently brought him under fire from shore batteries; his next appointment was in H.M.S. Adamant, he served in the latter for three years before being appointed to H.M.S. Impeteux (Captain J.W. Payne); he served in the Impeteux as part of the blockade of Brest before service in H.M.S. Bellerophon, as Master´´s Mate, at the battle of the Nile, 1.8.1798; Leslie passed his examination the following year and was appointed to H.M.S. Foudroyant (bearing the Flag of Lord Nelson); Nelson nominated Leslie the following November as Acting Lieutenant of H.M.S. Success, as a reward for the occasion on which he volunteered to recover one of the ship´´s boats which had broken adrift in a gale in Palermo Bay; service in H.M.S Success included at the blockade of Malta and assisting in the capture of the French 74 gun ship Le Genereux, 18.2.1800 and the 40 gun frigate La Diane, 24.8.1800; he was serving in the same appointment, 13.2.1801, when the Success was captured by a French squadron under Admiral Ganteaume; Leslie was exchanged by the French and subsequently appointed to H.M.S. Haerlem; he served with H.M.S. Camilla before being appointed to the frigate La Chiffonne, September 1805; initially La Chiffone was employed in attendance on George III off Weymouth before being employed in the blockade of Cadiz and in the Mediterranean Station; in the latter station Leslie took part in many cutting-out affairs and on one occasion had two men killed and three wounded in a boat under his immediate orders; he accompanied an expedition conducted Captain J. Wainwright and Lieutenant-Colonel L. Smith against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, November 1809, ´´during the attack which was there made upon Ras-al-Khyma, the stronghold of the freebooters, he distinguished himself in a very remarkable manner. In the first place, he burnt, within twice her own length of the shore, the Minerva, an English ship, which had some time before fallen into their hands. Besides being very active in the cannonade of the place, he also, with excellent judgement and gallantry, executed, on the northern end of the town, a feint, which had the effect of facilitating the main attack on the southern end; and he then, while the operations of the troops were in progress, performed much valuable service with the gun-boats attached to his ship. In the course of the same day, November 13th, he set fire to all the dows which were afloat in the harbour, and was of further essential assistance in the re-embarkation of the Military. The active and unwearied nature of Mr. Leslie´´s services, indeed, was such as to call forth, together with a warm recommendation on his behalf for promotion, the strongest expressions of admiration and gratitude from the Lieutenant-Colonel, and a most glowing panegyric from his own Captain´´ (O´´Byrne refers); he was mentioned in Captain Wainwright´´s despatch for the action, dated 14.11.1809, London Gazette 10.7.1810; four months after he had been nominated Acting-Captain of the Sir Francis Drake, he was officially advanced to Post-rank; Leslie later assumed command of H.M.S. Volage, and in this appointment he led a party of seamen belonging to H.M.S. Hussar, and co-operating with a detachment of troops under Colonel Watson in an attack on the defences of Sambas, a pirate stronghold, on the Western Coast of Borneo, 28.6.1813, ´´where, after six hours march in an almost impenetrable jungle, five batteries were in succession assaulted and carried with the utmost intrepidity. His zeal and gallantry in this instance also obtained for him the congratulations of his senior officer, Captain G. Sayer, and the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Samuel Hood. He was slightly wounded on the occasion in each leg´´ (O´´Byrne refers); Leslie was in action on shore again in September of the same year when he was employed with a body of troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Macgregor and, ´´proved a chief instrument to the re-establishment of the Nagor Ordeen on the throne of Palambang, precluding, by the greatness of his expedition and efforts, and completeness of the surprise he produced on the enemy, the possibility of resistance. Porportinate, of course, were the acknowledgments of Sir Samuel Hood, (Ibid); Leslie was appointed Hood´´s Flag-Captain, H.M.S. Theban, January 1814; he commanded a Squadron in the Java Seas before being employed as an Inspecting Commander in the Coast Guard, from April 1823; advanced Rear-Admiral, 1846, and was a Magistrate for County Down in later life.

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£5,300