618 



LYON. 



bellishments ; and the theatre, erected in 1813. 

 There is a public walk, called the New Mall, about 

 340 yards in length, bordered on the sides by quick- 

 set hedges, and having recesses and seats at con- 

 venient distances. In the High street is a public 

 library, founded in 1797, and supported by sub- 

 scription, containing a good collection of useful 

 books ; and in 1826 was opened a Mechanics' Lite- 

 rary and Scientific Institution. 



The harbour of Lynn is capable of receiving 300 

 sail of vessels, but is difficult of access from the 

 numerous and perpetually shifting sand-banks in 

 the river. The imports are principally corn, coal, 

 timber, hemp, wine, fruit, &c. ; the exports, chiefly 

 agricultural produce, and a fine sand used in mak- 

 ing glass. Population of town in 1841, 16,039. 



LYON, GEOROE FRANCIS, an enterprising tra- 

 veller, was a native of Chichester, and son of 

 colonel Lyon of that city. He was educated at 

 Dr Burney's naval academy at Gosport, and entered 

 on the books of the royal William flag-ship at Spit- 

 head, in 1808. He first sailed in the Milford 74, in 

 Aug. 1809; and, after serving for several months 

 on the French coast, he proceeded to Cadiz in the 

 same ship, and on the 23d of November, 1810, he 

 was engaged in one of the Milford's boats in an 

 attack on several of the enemy's gun vessels near 

 Santa Maria. The Milford left Cadiz in the sum- 

 mer of 1811, and joined the fleet off Toulon ; and, 

 as Sir Richard shifted his flag into the Hibernia, a 

 beautiful first-rate, young Lyon was removed into 

 her as a follower of the admiral. Mr Lyon's next 

 ship was the Caledonia 120, bearing the flag of the 

 late lord Exmouth, who shortly afterwards ap- 

 pointed him acting lieutenant of the Berwick 

 seventy-four, captain Edward Brace, under whom 

 he served at the reduction of Genoa, in April 

 1814. On the 8th of the same month, he was 

 wounded in an attack made by the boats of the 

 Berwick and Rainbow upon the enemy's posts near 

 the pass of Rona, with a view to favour the 

 advance of the British army, under lord William 

 Bentick. During the war with Murat, in 1815, 

 lieutenant Lyon was present at the siege of Gaeta, 

 by the combined Austrian and Anglo-Sicilian 

 forces. On the last day of that year he was ap- 

 pointed to the Albion, seventy-four, fitting for the 

 flag of rear admiral (after Sir Charles) Penrose, 

 in which ship he bore a part at the battle of Al- 

 giers, August 27, 1816. 



In September, 1818, Mr Ritchie, a gentleman of 

 great science and ability, employed by the British 

 government on a mission to the interior of Africa, 

 arrived at Malta (where the Albion was then lying) 

 attended by M. Dupont, a Frenchman in his pay, 

 whom he had engaged at Marseilles for the purpose 

 of collecting and preparing objects of natural his- 

 tory. It was understood that capt. Frederick 

 Marryat, R. N., was also to have accompanied Mr 

 Ritchie, but that circumstances had occurred 

 which induced that officer to relinquish his inten- 

 tion of joining the mission. Soon after Mr 

 Ritchie's arrival at Valette, he became acquainted 

 with lieutenant Lyon, who, hearing him express 

 his disappointment at having failed to obtain capt. 

 Marryat as his companion on the proposed expe- 

 dition, offered to supply his place, " hoping that 

 the zeal by which he was actuated, would, in some 

 degree, make amends for his deficiencies in other 

 respects." Mr Ritchie, without hesitation, ac- 

 cepted .his proposal, and, in consequence, lost no 

 time in requesting Sir Charles Penrose to solicit 



the necessary permission for his quitting the 

 Albion. On the 19th of November a favourable 

 answer was received from the admiralty ; and lieu- 

 tenant Lyon, who had employed himself during 

 the interval in acquiring the Arabic alphabet, and 

 in otherwise preparing himself for the object in 

 view, immediately followed Mr Ritchie to Tripoli, 

 where he landed on the 25th of the same month. 

 In 1821, he published his Journal, under the title 

 of " A Narrative of Travels in Northern Africa, 

 accompanied by Geographical Notices of Soudan, 

 and of the Course of the Niger," with a chart of 

 the routes, and a variety of coloured plates, illus- 

 trative of the costumes of the several natives of 

 that country. The tour is divided into two parts ; 

 the first comprises a journey over the Gharian 

 mountains to Benioleed, and the subsequent pro- 

 gress of the mission from Tripoli to Mourzouk, 

 the capital of Fezzan (lat. 25 54' N., long. 15 

 52' E.,) where Mr Ritchie died on the 20th of 

 November, 1819; the second embraces Mr Lyon's 

 proceedings between that period and March 25th, 



1820, when he returned to Tripoli, after an absence 

 of exactly one year, "it being deemed too hazard- 

 ous to attempt advancing any farther into the 

 interior without fresh authority and additional 

 pecuniary supplies from Government. 1 ' During 

 this period lieutenant Lyon wore the dress of a 

 Moslem, kept his head shaved, allowed his beard 

 to grow, and travelled under the name of Said- 

 ben-abd- Allah. 



After his return to England, capt. Lyon was 

 promoted to the command of the Hecla bomb- 

 vessel, then fitting out at Deptford, for the pur- 

 pose of exploring Repulse Bay, &c. in company 

 with, and under the orders of capt. Parry. This 

 expedition sailed from the Nore on the 8th May, 



1821, and remained out during the whole of two 

 seasons ; after which they returned home in Octo- 

 ber, 1823, their partial success in having made 

 considerable additions to the geographical and 

 scientific history of the North Sea, receiving very 

 warm testimonies of the public approbation. 

 Captain Parry's history of the expedition is well 

 known. Captain Lyon's " Private Journal " was 

 also published, and has been aptly termed " The 

 Sayings and Doings of the Esquimaux." He was 

 rewarded with post rank, dated Nov. 13, 1823 ; 

 and on the 16th of Jan. he was presented with the 

 freedom of his native city of Chichester, and en- 

 tertained by the c6rporation at a public dinner. 

 The freedom was enclosed in an oaken box,turned 

 from a portion of the Hecla, lined with gold, and 

 bearing the following inscription : " Presented, 

 Jan. 16, 1824, by the mayor, aldermen, and citi- 

 zens of Chichester, to George Francis Lyon, Esq. 

 Captain in the Royal Navy, in testimony of their 

 admiration of the zeal, perseverance, and spirit of 

 enterprise displayed by him in his travels in Nor- 

 thern Africa, and in the late voyage to the Polar 

 Sea, in search of a north-west passage." 



A few days before this gratifying occurrence, 

 capt. Lyon had been appointed to the Griper bark, 

 fitting out for another voyage of discovery in the 

 icy regions. This vessel was originally a gun-brig 

 of only 180 tons burthen; but she had been con- 

 siderably strengthened and raised upon, to enable 

 her to accompany lieutenant Parry in the expedi- 

 tion of 1819; and her complement now consisted 

 of forty-one persons, including capt. Lyon. She 

 sailed from the Nore on the 16th of June, 1824, 

 for the purpose of making an attempt to connect 



