Thomas Manby

Thomas Moore Manby (1 January 1769 – 13 June 1834) was a British naval officer who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars and later rose to the rank of rear admiral. He sailed with George Vancouver on his voyages of exploration, captained Bordelais, Africaine and Thalia, and was the chief suspect in the "delicate investigation" into the morals of Caroline, Princess of Wales.

Manby was born in the village of Hilgay on the edge of the Norfolk Fens. His father, Matthew Pepper Manby, was lord of the manor of Wood Hall in Hilgay and a former soldier and aide-de-camp to Lord Townshend. Manby's elder brother was George William Manby, the inventor of life-saving devices including the Manby mortar. Lord Townshend arranged a position for the young Manby in the stationers of the ordnance department, but Manby dreamt of a life at sea and at the age of 14 resigned his post and embarked as a midshipman on board the 24-gun Hyaena. After two years on the Irish station he joined Cygnet and sailed to the Caribbean, returning on Amphion, and then served on the 74-gun Illustrious.

In 1790, when he was 21, Manby was appointed as master's mate on George Vancouver's ship Discovery. The Admiralty had ordered Vancouver to complete a survey of the north-west coast of America and take possession of disputed land at Nootka Sound on the island that is now Vancouver Island. Discovery was fitted out for exploration, complete with a plant frame on the quarterdeck to bring back specimens. Together with the brig Chatham, the Discovery left Plymouth 1 April 1791. The two ships called at New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii before reaching the starting point for the American survey, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, almost exactly a year after setting out. Manby recorded first impressions of the coast:

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