O byrne s naval biography sample

&#;O'BYRNE, WILLIAM RICHARD (–), author of the 'Naval Biographical Dictionary' (, 8vo), born in , was elder son of Robert O'Byrne and his wife Martha Trougher, daughter of Joseph Clark.

O byrne s naval biography sample

He was scarcely out of his teens when he conceived the idea of compiling and publishing a record of the service of every living naval officer of the executive branch. For six years he worked at this, publishing the first parts in , and completing the volume of fourteen hundred closely printed royal 8vo pages in The labour must have been very great, for the admiralty records were in a semi-chaotic state, and it was mainly to them that he trusted.

He had, indeed, a very extended correspondence with the subjects of his memoirs, but he seems in all cases to have checked their statements by the official documents. The work is one of almost unparalleled accuracy a fact which the present writer has had very many occasions to test and