Captain Isham Fleming Chapman was the son of the late Isham Chapman, Esq. more than half a century in the employ of the Board of Customs, at Cowes, who died Dec. 23d, 1829, aged 81 years.
Chapman was made a lieutenant into the Invincible 74, Captain (now Vice-Admiral) Ross Donnelly, Feb. 11th, 1808. The following is an extract of a letter from Captain Maclean, of H.M. 94th regiment, to Lieutenant-General Graham (now Lord Lynedoch) reporting the evacuation of Fort Matagorda, near Cadiz, in April, 1810.
Lieutenant Chapman subsequently served as first of the Royal George 100, Curaçoa frigate, and Edinburgh 74, on the Mediterranean station; from whence he returned home in the latter ship, under the command of Captain John Lampen Manley, towards the close of 1814. His advancement to the rank of commander took place Aug. 3lst, 1815; and his next appointment appears to have been, Dec. 29th, 1818, to the Nautilus 18, which sloop was first employed on the St. Helena station, and afterwards in the West Indies.
On the 18th Jan. 1821, Captain Chapman was appointed by Sir Charles Rowley to the acting command of the Euryalus 42, from which frigate he returned to the Nautilus on the 21st of April following. In May, 1822, he paid that sloop off, at Portsmouth; and in Jan. 1823, received a commission appointing him to the Espiegle, of similar force, on the Cape of Good Hope station, where he was promoted to the command of the Ariadne 20, in Oct. 1824. His appointment to that ship, occasioned by the death of Commodore Nourse, C.B. was confirmed at home on the 29th December following.