 Admiral Sir Arthur Cumming KCB ( 6 May 1817 – 17 February 1893 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy . He was born in Nancy , France to Sir Henry Cumming , a general in the British Army and received naval education at the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth . Cumming served as a midshipman in the Mediterranean and North America before being promoted to lieutenant in 1840 for his actions in the Syrian War . He remained with the Mediterranean Fleet until appointed to HMS Frolic , a sloop stationed in South America . Whilst detached from Frolic and in command of a small pinnace on 6 September 1843 Cumming and seven men boarded a Portuguese slave ship , subdued her 27 @-@ man crew and brought her back to Rio de Janeiro . He had expected to be promoted for his efforts , but was overlooked and resented the decision for the rest of his life . Cumming spent some time in the Navy 's Experimental Squadron before being promoted commander on 9 November 1846 . 
