Sir Provo Wallis, Admiral of the Fleet—the naval rank equivalent
to that of Field-Marshal—and the senior officer in the Navy, died at his house near Chichester on Saturday, having attained the great age of one hundred years and ten months. Sir Provo Wallis did not smoke, but drank moderately, and remained to the last quite clear in his mind. Since his father, an official in the Halifax Dockyard, got him rated on the books of the Oiseau ' as an able-bodied seaman at the age of four, and since, owing to his distinguished ser- vices, he was retained on the Active List as long as he lived, his name was enrolled on the books of the Navy for ninety- seven years. Among other curious things connected with Sir Provo Wallis is the fact that he was taken prisoner by the French almost exactly eighty-seven years ago. His chief naval exploit was the part he took as Lieutenant in the capture of the 'Chesapeake' by the Shannon' off Boston. It is interesting to note that when Sir Provo visited Boston thirty-three years after the action, he was received with the utmost good-will and generosity. Bonfires were lighted in his honour, and he was entertained at a banquet.
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