BALL, SIR ALEXANDER JOHN, BART

This article appears in Volume V03, Page 263 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: BAI-BAR

BALL, SIR ALEXANDER JOHN, BART . (1759-1809), British rear-admiral and

governor

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

of Malta, came of a Gloucestershire family. He entered the navy, and in 1778 was promoted lieutenant. Three years later began a close association with Rodney, and, two days after his

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

's crowning victory of April 12, 1782, Ball was promoted

commander

COMMANDER

, and in 1783 he became captain. At this time he spent a year in France with the

double

purpose of learning the language and living economically. Nelson, then a captain, was at this time by no means favourably impressed by his future friend and comrade, and spoke of him as a

great

GREAT

coxcomb." It was not until 1790 that Ball received a command. From that year, however, he was continuously employed. In 1798, assistance rendered by him to Nelson's ship in heavy weather caused the latter to forget his former animosity, and from that time the two were close friends. Under Nelson's command Ball took part in the battle of the Nile, and his ship, the " Alexander," was the particular opponent of Brueys' flagship, " L'Orient;" which blew up. Two months later he was ordered to the

blockade

BLOCKADE
BLOCKADE (Fr. blocus, Ger. Blokade)

of Malta, which was kept up without a break for the next two years. Ball committed the

blockade

BLOCKADE
BLOCKADE (Fr. blocus, Ger. Blokade)

to his first lieutenant, and himself led the

marines

MARINES (from Lat. mare, sea)

and local militia, which made the siege on the land side. His care for his men laid the

foundations

FOUNDATIONS

of his popularity with the Maltese which continued till his death. After the fall of Malta, Ball_ practically retired from the service, in spite of Nelson's urgent entreaty that he should continue afloat, and from i8oi (when he was made a

baronet

BARONET

) to 1809 he was

governor

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

of Malta, where he endeared himself to the people by his regard for their interests, and his opposition to the policy of treating the

island

ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

as a conquered dependency. His friendship with Lord Nelson, whose letters prove his high regard for him, was only broken by death. Ball died on the 20th of October 1809 and was buried in Malta. Sir Alexander Ball was kind to Coleridge and is highly praised by him in The Friend, " The Third Landing Place." There are numerous mentions of Ball in Nelson's Despatches, in Sir H. Nicolas' edition.

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