DUNDONALD, THOMAS COCHRANE, IOTH EARL OF (1775-1860), British admiral, was born at Annsfield, Lanarkshire, on Dec. 14, 1775. He was the son of Archibald Cochrane, 9th earl a most ingenious, but also most unfortunate, scientific speculator and inventor, who was before his time in sug gesting and attempting new processes of alkali manufacture, and various other uses of applied science. The family was greatly impoverished owing to his losses over these schemes. Thomas went to sea in his uncle's, Captain Cochrane's ship, the "Hind," in His promotion was rapid.
In 1800 he was appointed to the command of the "Speedy" brig. His capture of the Spanish frigate "El Gamo" (3 2) on May 6, 180I, brought him promotion to post rank. He sat in parliament as member for Honiton in and for Westminster in 1807. In the House of Commons he made his mark as a radical and a denouncer of naval abuses. In April 1809 he was engaged in the attack on the French squadron in the Basque Roads, which was very ill conducted by Lord Gambier. Cochrane's conduct was brilliant, but he made accusations against the admiral which necessitated a court-martial on Gambier. The admiral was ac quitted, and Cochrane fell into disfavour with the admiralty. He was not employed again till 1813.
In the interval he speculated on the Stock Exchange. At this moment a notorious fraud was perpetrated on the Stock Exchange by an uncle of his and by other persons with whom he habitually acted. Lord Cochrane was brought to trial with the others before Lord Ellenborough on June 8, 1814, and all were condemned. He was expelled from parliament and deprived of the order of the Bath.
In 1817 he accepted the invitation of the Chileans, who were then in revolt against Spain, to take command of their naval forces, and remained in their service until 1822. His capture of the Spanish frigate "Esmeralda" (4o) in the harbour of Callao, on Nov. 5, 182o, was a signal achievement. In 1823 he transferred his services to Brazil, where he helped the emperor Dom Pedro I. to shake off the yoke of Portugal; but by the end of 1825 he had fallen out with the Brazilians, and he returned to Europe. He then entered the Greek service, but he found no opportunity for dis tinguishing himself, and in 1828 returned home. He succeeded in 1832 in securing reinstatement in the British navy. In 1848 he was appointed to the command of the North American and West India station, which he retained till 1851. At various periods of his life he occupied himself with scientific invention. He took out patents for lamps to burn oil of tar, for the propulsion of ships at sea, for facilitating excavation, mining and sinking, for rotary steam-engines and for other purposes; and in 1843 was an advocate of the employment of steam and the screw propeller in warships. Lord Dundonald died in London on Oct. 30, 186o, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He was succeeded in the title by his son Thomas as 11th earl (d. 1885), and the latter by his son Douglas as 12th earl (q.v.).
See the loth earl's Autobiography of a Seaman (2 Vols., 186o-61), which was the main source for his Life (5869, by his son and heir) ; his Notes on the Mineralogy, Government and Condition of the British West India Islands (1851), and a Narrative of Services in the Libera tion of Chili, Peru and Brazil 0858); and J. B. Atlay, The Trial of Lord Cochrane before Lord Ellenborough (1897) .