The 3-clasp Naval General Service medal awarded to Lieutenant John Meares, Royal Marines,...

The 3-clasp Naval General Service medal awarded to Lieutenant John Meares, Royal Marines, for his services as 2nd Lieutenant on board the Active, being wounded in action at Lissa and mentioned in despatches Naval General Service 1793-1840, 3 clasps, 28 June Boat Service 1810, Lissa, Pelagosa 29 Novr. 1811 (John Meares, 2nd Lieut. R.M.) original ribbon, toned, extremely fine £12,000-£16,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Peter Dale Collection, July 2000. 25 clasps issued for Boat Service 28 June 1810, 123 clasps issued for Lissa; and 64 clasps issued for Pelagosa 29 Novr. 1811. Capture of twenty-five vessels at Grao, 28 June 1810 ‘The British frigates, Active, thirty-eight, Captain J. Gordon, and Cerberus, thirty-two, Captain H. Whitby, under the orders of Captain W. Hoste, of the Amphion, thirty-two, were cruising in the Gulf of Trieste, in the month of June. On the morning of June 28th, the Amphion chased a convoy laden with naval stores for the arsenal at Venice, into the harbour of Grao. Captain Hoste decided upon the capture or destruction of the vessels, which, owing to the shoals, could be effected only by boats. In the evening he signalled to the Active and Cerberus, to send their boats to him at midnight, but owing to her distance in the offing the Active was unable to obey the signal in time. At the hour appointed the boats of the Amphion and Cerberus, commanded by Lieutenant W. Slaughter, second of the Amphion, assisted by Lieutenants D. O'Brien, and J. Dickenson, pushed off, and before daylight landed a little to the right of the town. On advancing the British were attacked by a body of French troops, and armed peasantry, who were charged with the bayonet, and a sergeant and thirty-five men made prisoners. The town was then entered, and the vessels, twenty-five in number, taken possession of, but it being low water, it was late in the evening, and only after great exertions they were got afloat, and over the bar. In the mean time the boats of the Active came up, and assisted in repelling another attack of the enemy, taking their Commander and twenty-two men prisoners. Five vessels were brought out with their cargoes, and a number of small trading craft, laden with the cargoes of eleven vessels which were burnt. At eight p.m., the boats and the prizes had joined the ships, which had anchored about four miles from the town. The loss of the victors in this dashing affair, was four men killed, and Lieutenant Brattle of the Marines, and seven men wounded. Lieutenant Slaughter was promoted to the rank of Commander in the month of November following.’ (Medals of the British Navy by W. H. Long refers). Action off Lissa, 13 March 1811 ‘In 1811, Captain W. Hoste in the Amphion, thirty-two, having under his command the Active, thirty-eight, Capt. J. A. Gordon; Cerberus, thirty-two, Captain H. Whitby; and the Volage, twenty-two, Captain P. Hornby, was cruising in the Adriatic. On March 13, off the Island of Lissa, he met with a French squadron of four French and Venetian frigates of forty guns each, two of thirty-two guns, a corvette of sixteen guns, and four smaller vessels, more than double his force. Hoste formed his line of battle, and with the signal, ‘Remember Nelson’ at his masthead, awaited the attack of the enemy, who bore down in two divisions and attempted to break his line. They were received by so well directed a fire that their leading ship La Favourite became unmanageable, and in endeavouring to wear, ran on the rocks. Part of the French squadron then engaged the British to leeward, while their other ships continued the action to wind-ward, thus placing Hoste between two fires, a French frigate taking her station on the lee quarter, and a Venetian frigate on the weather quarter of the Amphion. After a severe contest both were compelled to strike.. The remainder of the enemy then bore off, the Amphion was too crippled to pursue, but the Active and Cerberus chased and captured the Venetian frigate Corona of forty-four guns. Another French frigate, which had struck her colours and surrendered, taking advantage of the disabled state of the Amphion stole off, and with the smaller vessels escaped. The French Commodore Dubourdieu was slain in the action, and his ship being on the rocks was set on fire by her crew and destroyed. The loss of the British was fifty men killed and one hundred and fifty wounded. The loss of the French was much greater. (Medals of the British Navy by W. H. Long refers). The Alceste, Active and Unitié with French frigates, 29 November 1811 On November 29th, as the thirty-eight gun frigates Alceste, and Active, Captains M. Maxwell, and J. A. Gordon, and Unitie, thirty-two, Captain E. Chamberlayne, were cruising in the Adriatic, near the island of Augusta, three strange sail appeared, which proved to be the French forty-gun frigates Pauline, and Pomone, and the frigate built store ship Persanne, from Corfu to Trieste, laden with brass and iron ordnance. On discovering the British frigates, the French ships made sail to the north west, and were chased by the Alceste, and her companions. At eleven a.m. the Persanne finding she could not keep way with the Paulino and Pomone separated from them, and bore up before the wind, and the Unitie was ordered by Captain Maxwell to go in pursuit of her. The Alceste and Active continued the chase of the Pauline and Pomone, and at twenty-four minutes past one p.m. the Alceste under a press of sail to get alongside the French Commodore, a short distance ahead, exchanged broadsides with the Pomone, but a shot carrying away her main top-mast, the wreck fell over on the starboard side, and the Alceste dropped astern. Cheers of ‘Vive l'Empereur,’ arose from both the French ships, but the Active coming up, took the place of the Alceste, and brought the Pomone to close action about two p.m. Shortly after, the Pauline stood for the Alceste and both ships about half-past two p.m. became closely engaged. After an action of thirty minutes, the French Commodore, seeing that the Pomone was getting the worst of it with the Active, and observing the eighteen-gun sloop Kingfisher, Captain E. Tritton, approaching in the distance, hauled his wind, and stood to the westward under all sail. The Alceste then ranged up on the larboard beam of the Pomone and opened fire on her, the Active having unavoidably shot ahead. The main and mizzen masts of the Pomone fell overboard, and immediately afterwards she hoisted a Union Jack in token of surrender. Neither of the British frigates being in a condition to pursue the Pauline, the French Commodore escaped, and reached Ancona in safety. In the mean time the Unitié pursued the Persanne and was galled considerably by her stern chasers. About four p.m. the British frigate got near enough to open her broadside, the Persanne returned it, and immediately hauled down her colours. The sails and rigging of the Unitié were considerably damaged, but she had but one man wounded. The Persanne had two men killed, and four men wounded. The casualities on board the Alceste, out of a crew of two hundred and eighteen men and boys, were a midshipman and six men killed, and a lieutenant and twelve men wounded. The Active had a midshipman and seven men killed, her gallant captain lost a leg, and two lieutenants and twenty-four men were wounded. The fore-mast of the Pomone fell soon after her capture, and her hull was so shattered by the well directed fire of the Active that she had five feet of water in her hold. Out of her crew of three hundred and thirty two men, fifty were killed and wounded, among the latter being her cap...