The papers in this sub-collection relating to Admiral Peter Rainier consist of his logs, 1778 to 1782, and letter and order books, 1794 to 1805. There are also copies of his letters to the Admiralty, after his retirement, 1805-1807, and a few loose papers.

Administrative / biographical background
Peter Rainier was born at Sandwich, Kent, in 1740, the son of Peter Rainier and his wife Sarah Rainier née Spratt. He entered the Navy in 1756, first going to sea in HMS OXFORD. He later served on HMS NORFOLK, flagship of Rear-Admiral Charles Steevens and then Vice-Admiral Samuel Cornish in the East Indies. When the NORFOLK was paid-off in 1764, there was a break in Rainier’s naval career, but he may have been employed by the East India Company in the interim. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1768, and returned to sea in 1774 on HMS MAIDSTONE in the West Indies. In 1777 he was appointed to command the sloop HMS OSTRICH in the West Indies. He was severely wounded during an action in which a large American privateer was captured in 1778. He was promoted to captain in 1778 and from the following year was in command of HMS BURFORD, engaged in operations against Haidar Ali and the French in the East Indies. During the peace Rainier was on half-pay, but in 1793 he was appointed to HMS SUFFOLK and from 1794 to 1804 he was commander-in-chief in the East Indies. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1795 and to vice-admiral in 1799. He returned home in 1805 and was promoted to admiral in the Trafalgar promotions. In 1807 he was elected Member of Parliament for Sandwich. Rainier died very wealthy in 1808 and left some of his fortune to his nephews Admiral John Spratt Rainier (1777-1822) and Captain Peter Rainier (1784-1836). His friend Captain George Vancouver named Mount Rainier in North America after him.