GEORGE, Lord Viscount Torrington, was the son of John Byng, Esq. and was born in 1663. At the age of 15, he went volunteer to sea with the king's warrant. His early engagement in this course of life gave him little opportunity of acquiring learn- ing or cultivating the polite arts; but by his abilities and activity as a naval commander he furnished abundant matter for the pens of others. After being several times advanced, he was in 1702 raised to the command of the Nassau, a third rate, and was at the taking and burning the French fleet at Vigo; and the next year he was made rear-admiral of the red. In 1704, he served in the grand fleet sent to the Mediterranean under Sir Cloudely Shovel, as rear-admiral of the red; and it was he who commanded the squadron that attacked, cannonaded, and reduced Gibraltar. He was in the battle of Malaga, which followed soon after; and for his behaviour in that action Queen Anne conferred on him the honour of knighthood.

In 1705, in about two months time, he took 12 of the enemies largest privateers, with the Thetis, a French man of war of 44 guns; and also several merchant ships, most of them richly laden. The number of men taken on board was 2070, and of guns 334. In 1718 he was made admiral and commander in chief of the fleet; and was sent with a squadron into the Mediterranean for the protection of Italy, according to the obligation England was under by treaty, against the invasion of the Spaniards; who had the year before surprized Sardinia, and had this year landed an army in Sicily. In this expedition he dispatched Captain Walton in the Canterbury with five more ships, in pursuit of six Spanish men of war, with galleys, fire-ships, bomb-vessels, and store-ships, who separated from the main fleet, and stood in for the Sicilian shore. The captain's laconic epistle on this occasion is worthy of notice; which showed that fighting was his talent as well as his admiral's, and not writing.

"Sir,

"We have taken and destroyed all the Spanish ships and vessels which were upon the coast, as per margin.

Canterbury, off Syracuse, I am, &c.

August 16. 1718.

G. Walton."

From the account referred to, it appeared that he had taken four Spanish men of war, with a bomb vessel and a ship laden with arms; and burned four, with a fire-ship and bomb-veffel. The king made the admiral a handsome present, and sent him plenipotentiary powers to negotiate with the princes and states of Italy as there should be occasion. He procured the emperor's troops free access into the fortresses that still held out in Sicily; sailed afterwards to Malta, and brought out the Sicilian galleys, and a ship belonging to the Turkey company. Soon after he received a gracious letter from the emperor Charles VI. written with his own hand, accompanied with a picture of his imperial majesty, set round with very large diamonds, as a mark of the grateful sense he had of his services. It was entirely owing to his advice and affiance that the Germans retook the city of Messina in 1719, and destroyed the ships that lay in the haven; which completed the ruin of the naval power of Spain. The Spaniards being much distressed, offered to quit Sicily; but the admiral declared, that the troops should never be suffered to quit the island till the king of Spain had acceded to the quadruple alliance. And to his conduct it was entirely owing that Sicily was subdued, and his Catholic majesty forced to accept the terms preferred him by the quadruple alliance. After performing so many signal services, the king received him with the most gracious expressions of favour and satisfaction; made him rear-admiral of England and treasurer of the navy, one of his most honourable privy-council, Baron Byng of Southill in the county of Bedford, Viscount Torrington in Devonshire, and one of the knights companions of the Bath upon the revival of that order. In 1727, George II. on his accession to the crown, placed him at the head of his naval affairs, as first lord commissioner of the admiralty; in which high station he died January 15. 1733, in the 70th year of his age, and was buried at Southill in Bedfordshire.

honourable George, Esq. the unhappy son of the former, was bred to sea, and rose to the rank of admiral of the blue. He gave many proofs of courage; but was at last shot, upon a dubious sentence, for neglect of duty, in 1757. See Britain.