Personal data
Thomas Harrison
Died February 1, 1768  

British naval officer. Commissioned as a Lieutenant on December 3, 1747. Appointed Commander on November 1, 1756. Commissioned as a Captain of Greyhound (1757-1758), Venus (1758-1763) with which he took part in the Battle of Quiberon Bay, and the Centurion (1764-1766).1 In the 1760s (possibly since 1756?) he was Commander of the British naval squadron in the Mediterranean.

Harrison was lying with his ship, the Centurion, in the bay of Leghorn at the same time that Boswell was embarking for his journey to Corsica in October 1764. Harrison gave him some advice on avoiding the Barbary corsairs, and supplied him with a "very ample and particular passport".2

    Boswell on the Grand Tour II, 1765-1766

    Unless otherwise noted, the source for a dated quotation of Boswell's is generally the corresponding volume of the Yale Trade Editions of Boswell's journals.