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<noinclude><pagequality level="3" user="Charles Matthews" /><div class="pagetext">

 

 

 

 



</noinclude>Cotton

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</noinclude><section begin=Cotton, Charles (1630-1687)/>are not a few of his poems,’ says Coleridge (''Biographia Literaria'', ii. 96), ‘replete with every excellence of thought, images, and passions which we expect or desire in the poetry of the milder muse; and yet so worded that the reader sees no one reason, either in the selection or the order of the words, why he might not have said the very same in an appropriate conversation, and cannot conceive how indeed he could have expressed such thoughts otherwise, without loss or injury to his meaning.’ His prose-style is always easy and perspicuous, instinct with energy and life. Though his pecuniary difficulties, which were doubtless largely due to his own improvidence, caused him constant anxiety, his cheerfulness was unfailing. He was loyal to his friends, and generous to the poor; he loved good company and good liquor; he was an excellent angler, a devoted husband, and a man of unaffected piety. The portrait painted by his friend Lely shows him to have been handsome in person, with an engaging, frank countenance.

 

 



��301

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In addition to the works already mentioned, two anonymous pieces have been ascribed to Cotton: 1. ‘The Valiant Knight, or the Legend of St. Peregrine,’ 1663. 2. ‘The Confinement. A Poem, with Annotations,’ 1679. A copy of commendatory verses by Cotton is prefixed to Thomas Flatman's ‘Poems and Songs,’ 1674. Some letters of Cotton to Philip Kynder, who had projected a ‘Natural History of Derbyshire,’ are preserved among the Ashmolean MSS. The 1689 collection of Cotton's poems has not been reprinted, but selections are given by Chalmers and Sanford. In 1715 was printed ‘The Genuine Works of Charles Cotton,’ comprising ‘Scarronides,’ ‘Lucian Burlesqued,’ ‘The Wonders of the Peak,’ and ‘The Planter's Manual;’ it reached the sixth edition in 1771. The translation of Montaigne's ‘Essays’ has been frequently reprinted down to the present time.

 

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{{smaller block|[Memoir by W. O[ldys] prefixed to the Second Part of the Complete Angler, 1760; Langbaine's Dramatick Poets, with Oldys's manuscript annotations; Memoir by Sir Harris Nicolas; Hunter's MS. Chorus Vatum; Hazlitt's Bibliographical Collections; Cotton's Works.]}}{{DNB AHB}}<section end=Cotton, Charles (1630-1687)/>

 

 



��Cotton

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<section begin=Cotton, Charles (1753-1812)/>'''COTTON''', {{sc|Sir}} CHARLES (1753–1812), admiral, grandson of Sir John Hynde Cotton [q. v.], fourth baronet, of Madingley in Cambridgeshire, and third son of Sir John Hynde, fifth baronet, by Anne, daughter of Alderman Parsons of London, was educated at Westminster. When seventeen years old he became a member of Lincoln's Inn; went for a voyage to the East Indies in a merchant ship; and on his return entered the navy on board the Deal Castle on 24 Oct. 1772. After three years in the Deal Castle he was moved to the Niger, in which he went to North America, and on 29 April 1777 was made lieutenant by Lord Howe. On 3 April 1779 he was promoted to be commander, and on 10 Aug. of the same year was posted to the Boyne, which he brought home and paid off on 17 Nov. 1780. In April 1781 he was appointed to the Alarm, which was ordered to the West Indies, and was one of the repeating frigates in the memorable actions of 9 and 12 April 1782. At the peace the Alarm returned to England, and Cotton had no naval employment till, on 1 March 1793, he was appointed to the Majestic for service in the Channel fleet. In the action of 1 June 1794 the Majestic was next astern of the Royal George, flagship of Sir Alexander Hood, by whom he was personally thanked for his gallant support during the engagement. His name was nevertheless omitted from Howe's despatches, and the gold medal was consequently not awarded to him, an indignity which he shared with many of his brother officers [cf. {{sc|Caldwell, Sir Benjamin}}; {{sc|Collingwood, Cuthbert, Lord}}]. On 1 Oct. Cotton was moved into the Impregnable, and on 28 Nov. was appointed to the Mars of 74 guns. By the death of his father on 23 Jan. 1795, and the still earlier death of his elder brothers, he succeeded to the baronetcy, but was still commanding the Mars on 16 June 1795, when the squadron under the Hon. William Cornwallis [q. v.] fell in with the French fleet off the Penmarcks. In the retreat which won reputation and fame for Cornwallis, the Mars was for long the sternmost ship, and thus more exposed to the enemy's fire, from which she suffered much damage. On 20 Feb. 1797 Cotton was advanced to flag rank, and in March 1799 hoisted his flag in the Prince as third in command in the Channel fleet. In June, when the French fleet escaped from Brest, Cotton followed it to the Mediterranean, whence he returned off Brest in company with Lord Keith [see {{sc|Elphinstone, George Keith, Lord Keith}}]. On 29 April 1802 he was advanced to the rank of vice-admiral, and on the renewal of the war was again appointed to a command in the Channel fleet, in the first instance under Cornwallis, and afterwards under St. Vincent. In 1807 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the Tagus, in which capacity he strongly remonstrated against the convention of Cintra, 22 Aug. 1808, and positively refused to accept it so far as related to the stipulation in favour of the Russian fleet then lying in the Tagus, by which they were to have the option of remaining or returning to Russia<section end=Cotton, Charles (1753-1812)/><noinclude>



 



��are not a few of his poems/ says Coleridge

 



(Biographia Literaria, ii. 96), * replete with

 



every excellence of thought, images, and pas-

 



sions which we expect or desire in the poetry

 



of the milder muse ; and yet so worded that

 



the reader sees no one reason, either in the

 



selection or the order of the words, why he

 



might not have said the very same in an ap-

 



propriate conversation, and cannot conceive

 



now indeed he could have expressed such

 



thoughts otherwise, without loss or injury to

 



his meaning.* His prose-style is always easy

 



and perspicuous, instinct with energy and

 



life. Though his pecuniary difficulties, which

 



were douhtless largely due to his own im-

 



providence, caused him constant anxiety, his

 



cheerfulness was unfailing. He was loyal

 



to his friends, and generous to the poor ; he

 



loved good company and eood liquor; he

 



was an excellent angler, a devoted nusband,

 



and a man of unaffected piety. The portrait

 



painted by his friend Lely shows him to

 



nave been handsome in person, with an en-

 



gaging, frank countenance.

 



 



In addition to the works already mentioned,

 



two anonymous pieces have been ascribed to

 



CJotton : 1. *The Valiant Knight, or the Le-

 



ffend of St. Peregrine,' 1663. 2. * The Con-

 



finement. A Poem, with Annotations,' 1679.

 



A copy of commendatory verses by Cotton

 



is prefixed to Thomas Flatman's 'Poems and

 



Songs,' 1674. Some letters of Cotton to

 



Philip Kynder, who had projected a * Natural

 



History of Derbyshire,* are preserved among

 



the Ashmolean MSS. The 1689 collection

 



of Cotton's poems has not been reprinted, but

 



selections are given by Chalmers and San-

 



ford. In 1716 was printed *The Genuine

 



Works of Charles Cotton,* comprising * Scar-

 



ronides,' * Lucian Burlesqued,' *The Wonders

 



of the Peak,' and ' The Planter's Manual ; ' it

 



reached the sixth edition in 1 77 1 . The trans-

 



lation of Montai^e's ' Essays ' has been fre-

 



quently reprinted down to the present time.

 



 



[Memoir by "W. Opdys] prefixed to the Second

 



Part of the Complete Angler, 1760 ; Langbaine's

 



Dramatick Poets, with Oldys's manuscript anno-

 



tations ; Memoir by Sir Harris Nicolas ; Hunter's

 



MS. Chorus Vatum ; Hazlitt's Bibliographical

 



Collections; Cotton's Works.] A. H. B.

 



 



COTTON, Sir CHARLES (1763-1812),

 



admiral, g^ndson of Sir John Hynde Cotton

 



[q. v.], fourth baronet, of Madingley in Cam-

 



bridgeshire, and third son of Sir John Hynde,

 



fifth baronet, by Anne, daughter of Alder-

 



man Parsons of London, was educated at

 



Westminster. When seventeen years old he

 



became a member of Lincoln's Inn ; went for a

 



voyage to the East Indies in a merchant ship ;

 



and on his return entered the na^y on board

 



 



��the Deal Castle on 24 Oct. 1772. After three

 



vears in the Deal Castle he was moved to the

 



Niger, in which he went to North America^

 



and on 29 April 1777 was made lieutenant

 



by Lord Howe. On 3 April 1779 he was

 



promoted to be commander, and on 10 Aug.

 



of the same year was posted to the Boyne,.

 



which he brought home and paid off on 17 Nov.

 



1780. In April 1781 he was appointed to

 



the Alarm, which was ordered to the West

 



Indies, and was one of the repeating frigates

 



in the memorable actions of 9 and 12 April

 



1782. At the peace the Alarm returned ta

 



England, and Cotton had no naval employ-

 



ment till, on 1 March 1793, he was appomted

 



to the Majestic for service in the Channel

 



fleet. In the action of 1 June 1794 the Ma-

 



jestic was next astern of the Royal George,

 



flagship of Sir Alexander Hood, by whom

 



he was personally thanked for his gallant

 



support durin^r the engagement. His name

 



was nevertheless omittea from Howe's des-

 



patches, and the gold medal was consequently

 



not awarded to nim, an indignity which h&

 



shared with many of his brother officers [cf.

 



Caldwell, Sir Benjamin; Collingwood,

 



CuTHBEBT, Lobd]. On 1 Oct. Cotton waa

 



moved into the Impregnable, and on 28 Nov,

 



was appointed to the Mars of 74 guns. By

 



the death of his father on 23 Jan. 1795, and

 



the still earlier death of his elder brothers,

 



he succeeded to tlie baronetcy, but was still

 



commanding the Mars on 16 June 1795, when

 



the squadron under the Hon. William Com-

 



waUis [q. v.] fell in with the French fleet off

 



the Penmarcks. In the retreat which won

 



reputation and fame for Comwallis, the Mars

 



was for long the stemmost ship, and thus

 



more exposed to the enemy's fire, from which

 



she suffered much damage. On 20 Feb. 1797

 



Cotton was advanced to flag rank, and in

 



March 1799 hoisted his flag in the Prince as

 



third in command in the Channel fleet. In

 



June, when the French fleet escaped from

 



Brest, Cotton followed it to the Mediterra-

 



nean, whence he returned off Brest in com-

 



pany with Lord Keith [see Elphinstone,

 



George Keith, Lord Keith]. On 29 April

 



1802 he was advanced to the rank of vice-

 



admiral, and on the renewal of the war was

 



again appointed to a command in the Channel

 



fleet, in the first instance under Comwallis,

 



and afterwards under St. Vincent. In 1807

 



he was appointed commander-in-chief in the

 



Tagus, in which capacity he strongly re-

 



monstrated against the convention of Cintra,

 



22 Aug. 1808, and positively refused to ac-

 



cept it so far as related to the stipulation

 



in favour of the Russian fleet then lying in

 



the Tagus, by which they were to have the

 



option of remaining or returning to Russia

 



 



��

 



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