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26th. Suddenly, H Rowed, esq. of Croydon Surrey.¹²

Lieut. Rowed, of the Navy, who belonged to the detachment of gun-boats, and had been before wounded, by springing up in his vessel the better to view the enemy, avoided a 24-pounder which would have taken him in the breast, but which only shattered one of his feet, by driving a ring-bolt through it.⁸

Sailed from Portsmouth - the Unicorn cutter, Lieutenant Rowed, on a cruize.⁹

The Union cutter, a few days since looked into Dieppe, from whence she was immediately chased by four luggers, mounting 14 guns each, and three gun-vessels, mounting 24 pounders. Lieut. Rowed, who commanded the Union, apprized of her superior sailing, endeavoured to entice them to sea, in the hope that some of our cruizers would heave in fight, and assist in intercepting their return; but one of the luggers carrying away her main-top-mast, they all put about, though each of the others was, in number of guns and men, at least a match for our vessel.¹⁰

Yesterday arrived the Union cutter, Lieut. Rowed, and this day sailed again on a cruize.¹¹

The Union Cutter, commanded by Lieut. Rowed, on Tuesday, captured off Beachy head, a smuggling Lugger, having on board about ten tons of salt, with some tobacco, and a few anchors of gin.¹²

An instance of gallantry occurred last week, which even at this period of atchievement deserves to be recorded. -- The Union cutter having chased some small craft to the coast of France, observed two brigs close in with a battery, which on her approaching commenced a heavy fire. Lieut. Rowed, who commanded the Union, perceived from the nature of his guns, that he should be worsted at a cannonade, and not liking to be beat from his object, unless convinced of its impracticability, manned his two boats, and assisted by Lieut. Col. ----, and the Hon Mr C. who were on a cruize with him, rowed in such a direction, that, covered from the battery by the brigs, he boarded and cut them both out; we, however, regret to add, that, on examination of their papers, they proved to be neutrals.¹³

Arrived the Unicorn cutter, Lieut. Rowed, from a cruize.¹⁴

Ship News. Portsmouth.
Arrived at the Motherbank, and put under quarantine, the Frederick, from Alicant, with salt, detained by the Union cutter, Lieut. Rowed.¹⁵

Sailings. Monday. The Union, Lieutenant Rowed, with a convoy for the Westward.¹⁶

Copy of a letter from Admiral Milbanke, Commander in Chief of His Majesty's ships and vessels at Portsmouth; [reads in part] You will please, at the same time, to acquaint their Lordships, that the Friendship brig, which this privateer captured, was retaken on the evening of the 29th ult by Lieut Rowed, in the Union hired armed cutter, and sent into Portsmouth. [The Friendships brig was bound for Dublin from London and had been captured by the French the evening before]¹⁷

Lloyd's Coffee-House, June 11, 1801.
A subscription for the brave Men Wounded and the Families of those who fell in the Fleet under Command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in the Service of their King and Country, off Copenhagen and in the Baltic, in March and April last.
Lieut. Henry Rowed, and Crew of the Union Cutter £10 3s
[other subscribers were listed in the advertisement]
Subscriptions continue to be received by Bennet and White, at the Bar of Lloyd's Coffee-house, London.¹⁸

Portsmouth, Aug 28. The Union cutter, Lieut Rowed, with a convoy for Plymouth, is now getting under weigh.¹⁹

Portsmouth, Oct 26. Arrived ... Lieut Rowed, from a cruise off the coast of France.²⁰

Arrivals. Monday. The Union cutter, Lieut. Rowed, from a cruise.²¹

LEWES. On Saturday the 30th ult. Lieutenant Henry Rowed, of the Royal navy, was brought up to the King's Bench, to receive the judgment of the Court, for an assault committed on the person of Thomas Henry Harben, Esq; an acting Magistrate for this county, of which he had been previously convicted. The Defendant put in several exculpatory affidavits, in mitigation of punishment, but which, it seems were completely refuted, by the affidavits filed on the part of Mr Harben; and Lord Ellenborough observed, that there must be limits and bounds to such affidavits as were produced by the defendant; for although persons convicted had certainly a right to offer any thing in exculpation, yet they must not be suffered to abuse that privilege, by offering libels to the Court. The Defendant was then ordered to pay a fine of Fifty Pounds, find sureties of the peace for three years, himself in £200 and two others, in £100 each, and be committed until the sentence was complied with; whereupon he was taken into custody by the Tipstaff, who conducted him to the King's Bench Prison. Our correspondent, who was present, adds, that he was shocked at the numerous instances of indecency and barbarity, related by the prosecutor, and several other reputable persons, of Mrs H. and the defendant, towards the prosecutor, at a time when humanity urged a different line of conduct.

The case of Mr Harben, for two years past, has been a very remarkable one. He was, during that time, after receiving a dreadful injury, scalped and trepanned, and though the quantity of bone taken away by the operation, left an orifice of four inches in circumference, a large portion of depression bone remained, which kept him in constant pain and peril, for many months, and totally deprived him of the power of utterance; during the course of which, and of his progressive convalescence, it is stated, many impositions were practised upon him, and when he had to encounter evils, than which none greater need ever fall to the lot of any human creature; but being now nearly recovered, he attends his duty as a Magistrate, weekly, in this town; enjoys the comforts of his children, his friends, and his bottle; and partakes of the amusements of the field with as much facility and satisfaction, as at any former period of his life.²²

On the 9th of September, at daylight, the British hired cutter Sheerness, of eight 4-pounders and 30 men and boys, commanded by Lieutenant Henry Rowed, having the look-out on the French fleet in Brest harbour, observed, close in-shore, two chasse-marées stealing towards the port. Sending a boat, with seven men and the mate, to cut off one, the Sheerness herself proceeded in chase of the other, then nearly five miles distant, and close under a battery about nine miles to the eastward of Bec du Raz. At 10 a.m. it fell calm, and the only mode of pursuing the enemy was by a small boat suspended at the stern of the Sheerness, and which with difficulty would contain five men. Lieutenant Rowed acquainted the crew with his determination to proceed in this boat, and called for four volunteers to accompany him. Immediately John Marks the boatswain and three others, came forward ; and the boat with her five put off from the cutter, in chase of the chasse-marée, the about four miles off, and, by the aid of her sweeps, nearing the shore very fast.

After the boat had pulled for two hours, the chasse-marée was seen to run on shore under the above-mentioned battery, which stood within a stone's throw of the beach. Notwithstanding this, and that there were 30 French soldiers drawn up on the beach to protect the vessel, Lieutenant Rowed continued his pursuit ; and, as he and his four followers laid the French chasse-marée on board on one side, her crew deserted her from the other. It was then that the soldiers opened a heavy fire of musketry upon the British, who had just commenced cutting the cable, and were using other means to get the vessel afloat. In order that the French soldiers might not see how to point their pieces, the British seamen, although there was not a breath of wind, hoisted the foresail ; but of which the halliards, almost at the same moment, were shot away. Fortunately for the enterprising crew now on board the chasse-marée, the tide was flowing and aided their exertions : the vessel got off, and the boat commenced towing her from the shore. Fortunately, also, not a man of the five was hurt, although, as afterwards counted, 40 musket-balls, intended for them, had lodged in the side and the two masts of the chasse-marée.

Scarcely had the prize been towed a third of a mile, when a French boat, containing an officer and nine men, armed with muskets, and who had pulled up in the wake of the vessel unobserved by the boat ahead of her, suddenly made her appearance alongside. In an instant, and without waiting for any orders, John Marks, the boatswain, dropping his oar, and neglecting to take any kind of weapon in his hand, leaped from the boat on board the chasse-marée; and, running to the side close off which the French boat lay, stood, in a menacing attitude, unarmed as he was, for at least half a minute, until his four companions, with a supply of muskets and ammunition, and who could only quit their ticklish boat one at a time, got to his assistance. If not astonishment at the sight, it must have been a generous impulse, that prevented the Frenchmen from shooting or sabring the brave boatswain; for they were, it seems, near enough to the vessel's side, to have done even the latter. Seeing that Lieutenant Rowed and his four men were determined to defend their prize, the French boat, after a feeble attempt to get possession, sheered off, the soldiers in her keeping up, for a short time, as they receded from the vessel, an ineffectual fire of musketry. The battery also opened a fire upon the chasse-marée as she was towing off ; but it proved equally harmless with that from the soldiers, both on the beach and in the boat.

The capture of two unarmed chasse-marées (for the mate had taken his prize without any difficulty) would, indeed, be a trifling occurrence, were it not for the circumstances under which one of them had been boarded and brought off ; circumstances that ennoble the act, and rank it above many which are blazoned in the Gazette, and yield to the parties both praise and promotion: The navy-list shows, that Lieutenant Rowed gained no step in his profession: indeed it was not, as the same document proves, until nearly ten years afterwards, that he was made a commander. As to the boatswain, he, it appears, on account of the very station he filled, and, by every account, so well filled, was, according to the etiquette of the service, excluded from the reward of promotion. It was only, therefore, from the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's, that he could receive some testimony of the high opinion entertained of his services. Lieutenant Rowed himself made the application, founding it on the inability of the admiralty, without violating precedent, to provide for the " poor fellow; and who," adds his commander, and where was there a better judge? " exclusive of his bravery, is a very good character. " The committee, it is believed, presented Mr. Marks with a handsome sum of money. Acts like this of Lieutenant Rowed and his four men (the names of all of whom we would record, did we know them) deserve to be made public, if only for the example they hold out, not of adequate reward certainly, but of the impunity which often accompanies the most hazardous attacks. Let him, therefore, who is disposed to calculate the chances of personal risk that may attend the enterprise in which he is called upon to embark, reflect upon the 49 musket-balls which were aimed at, and yet missed, Lieutenant Rowed and the four gallant fellows who were on board of this captured French chasse-marée.²⁴

Lieut Rowed, of the Sheerness cutter, some time ago discovered a vessel about a quarter of a mile from the shore, in the Passage du Raz, and put off with four men to take possession of her. It was very dark, and on approaching her, he found her to be armed, and much larger than he had before imagined; with a degree of decision and energy, however, consistent with his character, he sprang on board. There were a French Officer and 23 men on deck. The issue has furnished another splendid instance, that numbers can avail nothing when opposed to the steady and determined valour of Britons! The Frenchmen made a short resistance, whenn the Commander was handed into the boat, and the crew driven down and confined below. The prize, which proves to be la Pylade, of 150 tons, has arrived at Plymouth.

Ship News. Falmouth. Feb 19. -- Nine p.m. Just arrived the Sheerness cutter, Lieut Rowed, with dispatches from Sir Edward Pellew's squadron, off Ferrol, which she left on the 11th instant, all well.²⁶

The Committee of the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's have voted ... [among other awards] to Lieut Rowed, of the Sheerness cutter ... a sword, value £50.²⁷

Plymouth-Dock May 1, 1804. "Notice is hereby given that a Distribution of the Proceeds of the La Pilade, captured on the 20th of September 1803, by His Majesty's Hired Cutter Sheerness, Lieutenant Henry Rowed, Commander, will be made on board the said Cutter at Plymouth before she proceeds to Sea; and will be recalled at my House in George-Street, Plymouth-Dock, for Three Years from the Date hereof. Wm Proctor Smith, Agent.²⁸

Notice is hereby given to the Officers and Company of His Majesty's Hired Armed Cutter Sheerness, Lieutenant Henry Rowed, Commander, and who were actually on board the 29th November 1803, when the French private Ship of War La Bayonnoise was destroyed by His Majesty's Ship Ardent, Robert Winthrop, Esq; Captain, that they will be paid their respective Proportions of the Head-Money granted for the said French Ship, (the Sheerness sharing by Agreement only) at my Office, in Plymouth, on Tuesday the 25th Day of this instant June; and the Shares not then demanded will be recalled at the same Place every Friday and Tuesday afterwards during Three Years. Edmund Lockyer, Agent to the Ardent.²⁹

A frigate, one of the Danish prizes, is arrived at Gravesend, with 6 English Officers, and only 60 of the river Volunteer Fencibles, commanded by Lieut. Rowed.³⁰

Port News. Portsmouth. Saturday - Sailed the Swan cutter, Lieut Rowed.³⁴

Mary Rowed, widow and relict of Henry Rowed late of Katerham, Surry, Gentleman
Husband lately died without making a will
His freehold estate descended to his eldest son Henry Rowed
His copyhold estate descended to his and my youngest son Richard Rowed, according to the custom of the manor
They are much better provided for than Michael Rowed my middle son who is only intitled to a distributing share of my husband’s personal estate
I am by law intitled to dower and thirds of all his freehold estate and to a customary estate in his copyhold estate and a third part of his personal estate
Desires better provision for middle son Michael than what he is by law intitled to, so makes this will
To eldest son Henry one shilling
To youngest son Richard one shilling
they being amply provided for
To middle son Michael her personal estate out of her husbands personal estate, including rents and profits
Appoints her son Michael Rowed to be sole executor
Witnesses: Walt Harrig, T Warden, John Hall Jun^r