by John Marshall

“ The surname of Strachan, which in the successive changes of orthography appears Strathechyn, Strathaquin, Straquhen, and otherwise, is local, there being a parish so called in the north of Scotland. Nisbet affirms, that the district was anciently erected into a county palatine, as he finds a Walterus, Comes Palatinus de Strachan, and considers it the only instance known in the kingdom. The family is traced by authentic documents from a period of high antiquity. ”

“ The Ambassador was in a bad state of health when he embarked at Portsmouth, and continued to grow worse daily until the ship’s arrival in the Straits of Banca, when he died. Sir Richard afterwards carried General Meadows to his government at Bombay; and during his continuance in the East Indies, distinguished himself on several occasions in supporting the British commercial rights, which would otherwise have been injured by interlopers under neutral colours, countenanced by some French frigates, as well as by the Governors of the garrisons belonging to that nation. ”

“ In 1796, when Sir W. Sidney Smith was taken prisoner in a vessel captured by the boats of the Diamond, Sir Richard Strachan succeeded him in the command of that fine frigate, and continued in her until the month of February, 1799 [4] , when he was appointed to the Captain, of 74 guns, in which ship he assisted at the capture of a French squadron in the Mediterranean [5] , and served during the expeditions against Quiberon and Ferrol, in the summer and autumn of 1800 [6] . ”