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EXAMINING A "HAUL" UN BOAHO THE " CHALLENGER. "

The SEA:

Its Stirring Story of Adventure. Peril, & Heroism.

•

F. WHYMPER,

AtTTHOR OF "TRAVELS IN ALASKA," ETC.

ILL USTRATED.

Cassell Petter . Galpin:

LONDON, PARIS d: NEW YORK.

[all bights reserved.]

The

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
MEN-OF-WAR.

PAOB

Our Wooden Walls— The Victoru— Siege of Toulon— Battle of St. Vincent— Nelson's Bridge— Trafalgar's Glorious Day—
The Day for such Battles gone— Iron v. Wood— Lessons of the Crimean War— Moral Effect of the Presence of our
Fleets -Bombardment of Sebastopol— Red-hot Shot and Gibraltar- The Ironclad Movement— The IKaiTJor— Expe-
riences with Ironclads— The Merrimac in Hampton Roads— A Speedily-decided Action— The Cumberland sunk
and Conffresa burned— The First Monitor— Engagement with the Jtfcrrimac— Notes on Recent Actions— The Shah
and Huaacar— An Ironclad tackled by a Merchantman

CHAPTER II.

MEN OF PEACE.

Naval Life in Peace Times— A Grand Exploring Voyage-The Cruise of the Challenoer— Its Work— Deep-sea Soundings
—Five Miles down— Apparatus employed— Ocean Treasures- A Gigantic Sea-monster— Tristan d'Acunha— A
Discovery Interesting to the Discovered— The Two Crusoes— The Inaccessible Island— Solitary Life— The Sea-
cart— Swimniing Pigs-Rescued at Last-Tho Real Crusoe Island to Let— Down South— The Land of Desolation—
Kcrguelen-The Sealers' Dreary Life— In the Antarctic— Among the Icel)crg8 28

CHAPTER III.

THE MEN OF THE SEA.

The Great Lexicographer on Sailors— The Dangers of the Sea— How Boys become Sailors— Young Amyas Leigh- The
Genuine Jack Tar— Training-Ships versus the old Guard-Ships—" Sea-goers and VVaisters "-The Training Under-
gone-Routine on Board— Never-ending Work— Ship like a Lady's Watch— Watches and "Bella"- Old Grogram
and Grog— The Sailor's Sheet Anchor— Shadows in the Seaman's Life— The Naval Cat— Testimony and Opinion
of a Medical Officer— An Example— Boy Flogging in the Navy— Shakespeare and Herbert on Sailors and the
Sea ' 42

CHAPTER IV.

PERILS OF THE SAILOR'S LIFE.

Tho Loss of the Captain-Six Hundred Souls swept into Eternity without a Warning— The Mansion and the Cottage
alike Sufferers-Causes of the Disaster— Horrors of the Scene-Noble Captain Burgoyne— Narratives of
Survivors- An almost Incredible Feat— Loss of the Royal Ccorffc- A Great Disaster caused by a Trifle— Nine
Hundred Lost— A ChUd saved by a Sheep— The Portholes Upright- An Involuntary Bath of Tar— Rafts of
Corpscs-The Vessel Blown up in I839-J0-Tho I^oss of the fanauard-Usiit a Million sunk in Fifty Minutes-
Admirable Discipline on Board— All Saved— The Court Martial M

CHAPTER V.

PERILS OF THE SAILOR'S LIFE (ooH/»«M#rf).

The Value of Discipline— The Loss of the A"c»if-Fire on Board-The Ship Waterlogged-Death in Two Forms-A SaU
in Sight-Transference of Six Hundred Passengers to a Small Brig— Splendid Discipline of the Soldiers— Imper-
turbable Coolness of the Captain— Loss of the Birkenhead— lAteraUy broken in Two— Noble Conduct of the
Military-A Contrary Example— Wreck of the Meduaa—Uun on a Sand-bank— Panic on Board— Raft constructed—
Insubordination and Selflahneas— One Hundred and Fifty Souls abandoned— Drunkenness and Mutiny on the

191801

CONTENTS.

PAOK

Raft— Rlota and Miirdcrs— Reduced to Thirty Persons— The Strongrcr Part niassacro the Others— Fifteen Left-
Rescued at Last— Another Contrast— W.-cck of the .<l/cM<e— Admirable Conduct of the Crew— The Ironclad
Movcment-Tho Battle of the Guns 67

(JHAPTER VI.
ROUND THE WORLD ON A MAN-OF-WAR.

The Mediterranean-White, Blue, Green, and Purple Watcrs-Olbraltar-Ito History-Its First Inhabitants the Monkeys
—The Moors— The Great Siege preceded by Thirteen Others— Tlie Voyage of Sigurd to the Holy l^nd— The Third
Siege— Starvation -The Fourth Siege— Red-hot Balls used before ordinary Cannon-balls -The Great I'iaguo—
Gibraltar finally in Christian Hands— A Naval Action between the Dutch and Spaniards— How England won
tho Rock— An Unrewarded Hero-Spain's Attempts to regain it— The Great Siege— The Rock itself and its
Surroundings— The Straits-Ceuta, Gibraltar's Rival— The Sultncss of the Mediterranean— "Going aloft "-On to
Malta 87

CHAPTER VII.

ROUND THE WORLD ON A MAN-OF-WAR [coHtinHcdl).

MALTA AND THE SUEZ CANAL.

Calypso's Isle— A Convict Paradise— Malta, the "Flower of the World "-The Knights of St. John— Rise of tho
Order— The Crescent and the Cross— The Siege of Rhodes— L'Isle Adam in London— The Great Siege of Malta-
Horrible Episodes— Malta in French and English Hands— St. Paul's Cave— The Catacombs- Modem Inci-
dents—The Shipwreck of St. Paul-Gales in tho Mediterranean -Experiences of Nelson and Collingwood—
Squalls in the Bay of San Francisco— A Man Overboard— Si)ecial Winds of tho Mediterranean— The Suez Canal
and M. do Lesseps- His Diplomatic Career— Said Pacha as a Boy— As a Viceroy— The Plen settled- Financial
Troubles— Construction of the Canal— Tho Inauguration FOte— Suez— Passage of the Children of Israel through
the Red Sea 08

CHAPTER VIII.

ROUND THE WORLD ON A MAN-OF-WAlt {continued).

THE INDIA AND CHINA STATIONS.

The Red Sea and its Name— Its Ports— On to the India Station— Bombay : Island, City, Presidency— Calcutta— Ceylon,
a Paradise— Tho China Station— Hong Kong— Macao— Canton— Capture of Commissioner Yeh— The Sea of Soup-
Shanghai-" Jack " Ashore there— Luxuries in Market— Drawbacks : Earthquakes and Sand Showers— Chinese
Explanations of Earthquakes— The Roving Life of the Sailor— Compensating Advantages— Japan and its People—
The Englishmen of tho Pacific-Yokohama— Peculiarities of the Japanese— OfT to the North 117

CHAPTER IX.

ROUND THE WORLD ON A MAN-OF-WAR {continued).

NORTHWARD AND SOUTHWARD-THE AUSTRALIAN STATION.

The Port of Peter and Paul- Wonderful Colouring of Kamchatka Hills- Grand Volcanoes-The Fight at Pctropaulovski
—A Contrast— An International Pic-nic- A Double Wedding— Bering's Voyages— Kamchatka worthy of Further
Exploration— Plover Bay— Tchuktchl Natives- Whallng-A Terrible Gale-A Novel " Smoke-stack "-Southward
again-Tho Liverpool of tho East-Singapore, a Paradise— New Harbour-Wharves and Shipping-Cruelties
of the Coolio Trade— Junks and Prahus-The Kling gharry Drivers- Tho Durian and its Devotees- Australia-
Its Discovery— Botany Bay and tho Convicts— The First Gold- Port Jackson— Beauty of Sydney- Port Philip
and Melbourne 131

CHAPTER X.
ROUND THE WORLD ON A MAN-OF-WAR {continued).
THE PACIFIC STATION.

Across the Paclf.c— Approach to the Golden Gate— The Bay of San Francisco— The City— First Dinner Ashore— Cheap
Luxury— San Francisco by Night— The Land of Gold, Grain, and Grapes— Incidents of the Elarly Days— Expensive
Papers— A Lucky Sailor— Chances for English Girls- The Baby at the Play— A capital Port for Seamen— Hospitality
of Calif omians— Victoria, Vancouver Island— The Naval Station at Esquimalt— A Delightful Place— Advice to
Intending Emigrants— British Columbian Indians— Their Fine Canoes— Experiences of tlie Writer— The Island on

(ONTKXrs. V

PAOK

Plrc-Tho Chinook Jargon-Indian " I»iKcon-Knt?lisli "-Xorili to AUwlta-Tho PurcliaBc of Russian Amcriva by tl»o
United States- Kcsulta -Life at Sitica -Orand Volcunoca of llio Aleutian iHlnnds Tlie Great Yulcon Itivcr—
American Trading Posts round Bering iSea . . loO

CHAPTER XI.

KOUNU THE \V01{LU ON A MAN-OF-WAR {couHnmd).

FItOM TUl-: nOKN TO HALIFAX.

Tlio Dreaded Horn— The Land of Flro— DttHil Hall's I'licnoiiiciion -A Missing Volcano -The South American Stotion-
Falkland Islands— A Free Port and Xaval Station - Penguinn, I'cat, and Kclp-Hea Trees— The West India Station -
Trinidad— Columbus's First View of it- Futul Oold-Chorles KiiigHlcy's Knthusiasm— The Port of Spain— A Happy-
go-lucky People— Xegro Life- Letters from a Cottage Orn»>c- Tropical Vegetation- Animal Life -Jamaica-
Kingston Harbour— Sugar Cultivation— The (juecn of the Antilles— Its Pasco— Ueauty of the Archipelago— A
Dutch Settlement In the Heart of a Volcano— Among the Islands— The Soutrri6rc— Historical HcmiiiiHcenccs—
Bermuda : Colony, Fortress, and Prison— Home of Ariel and Caliban— The Whitest Place in the World— Bermuda
Convicts— Xow York Harbour— The City— First Impressions— Its Fine Position— Splendid Harbour— Forest of
Masts— The Ferry-boats, Hotels, and Bars- Offenbach's Impressions- Broadway, Fulton Market, and Central
Park— Xow York in Winter— Frozen Ships— The Great Brooklyn Bridge— Halifax and its Beauties— Importance of
the Station— Bedford Basin— The Karly Settlers— The Blue Xoscs— Adieu to America

175

CHAPTER XII.

KOUND THE WOULD ON A MAN-OF-WAR [coHtinued).

THE AFBICAX STATIOX.

Its Extent- Ascension— Turtle at a Discount— Sierra Leone— An Unhealthy Station— The Capo of Good Hope— Cape
Town— Visit of the Sailor Prlnce-Grund Festivities— Enthusiasm of the Xotivcs- Loyal Demonstrations— An
African " Derby "—Grand Dock Inaugurated— Elephant Hunting -The Parting Ball— The Life of a Boer— Circular
Farms— The Diamond Discoveries— A £12,000 Gem— A Sailor First President of the Fields— Precarious Xaturo of
the Seareh—Xatal— Inducements held out to Settlera -St. Helena and Xapoleon— Diseourteotis Treatment of a
Fallon Foo— Tho Home of the Caged liion :

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SERVICE.— OFFICERS' LIFE ON BOARD.

Conditions of Life on Ship-board- A Model Ward-room— An Admiral's Cabin— Captains and Captains— The Sailor and
his Superior Ofllcers— A Contrast- A Commander of the Old School— Jack Ijirmour— Lord Cochrane's Experiences
—His Chest curtailed— Tho Stinking Ship— The First Command— Shaving under Difflciiltics -The Speedy and her
Prizes— The Doctor- On Board a Gunboat— Cabin and Dispcnsory-Cockroaches and Centipedes— Other Horrors—
The Naval Chaplain— His Duties— Stories of an Amoteur— Tho Engineer- His Increasing Iniportanec— Popularity
of the Navy— Nelson always a Model Commander— The Idol of his Colleagues, OBlcers, and Men— Taking tho
Men into his Confldenco— The Action between the Bcllona and Cournflrcux- Coptain Falknor's Speech to the Crow—
An Obsolete Custom -Crossing the Line— Neptune's Visit to the Quarter-deck— The Navy of To-day— Its Back-
bone— Progressive Increase in tho Size of Vessels— Xaval Volunteers— A Noble Movement— Excellent Results—
The Naval Reserve

CHAPTER XIV.

THE REVERSE OF THE PICTURE-3IUTINY.

Bligh's Bread-fruit Expedition— Voyage of tho /?o«»i^j/— Otahcite— Tho Happy Islanders -First Appearance of a
Mutinous Spirit-Thc Cutter stolen and recdvcrcd— Tho Bounty sails with 1,000 Trecs-Tho Mutiny— Bligh
overpowered and bound— Abandoned with Eighteen Others— Their Resources- Attacked by Natives- A Boat
Voyage of 3,618 Miles— Violent Gales— Miserable Condition of the Boat's Crew-Bread by tho Ouncc-Rtnn by
the Tea-spoonful- Noddies and Boobies— "Who shall have this?"— Off the Barrier Reef- A Haven of Rest-
Oyster and Palm-top .Stews— Another Thousand Miles of Ocean— Arrival ut Coupang— Hospitality of tho
Residents — Ghostly Ijooks of the Party— Death of Five of the Number— Tho Pandora dispatched to catch tho
Mutineers— Fourteen in Irons— Pandora's Box— Tho Wreck— Great Loss of Life- Sentences of the Court
Martial— The Last of tho Mutineers— Pitcalm Island— A Model Settlement— Another Example : Tho Greatest
Mutiny of History-40,000 Disaffected Men at One Point— Causes-Legitimate Action of the Men at First-
Apathy of Government— Serious Organisation— The Splthead Fleet ordered to Sea— Refusal of the Crews—

COMTENTH.

l-AOK

Concessions mode, and tlie First Mutiny quclled-Sccond Outbrook-Lord Howe's Tact— The Oreat Mutiny of
the Nore-Hlchard Parker- A Vilo Character but Man of Talent -Wins the Men to his Sidc-OfBcers flotnccd
and ducked— Gallant Duncan's A<l<lress-Accc89lon8 to the Mutineers— I'arkcr practically Lord IIIkIi Admiral
—Ills Extravagant Hehavlour -Alarm in London— The Movement dies out by Uegrccs -Parker's Cause lost-
Ills Execution-Mutinies at Otiicr stations -Prompt Action of liOrda St. Vincent and Macartney ... .235

CHAPTER XV.

T»IE HISTORY OF SHIPS AND SHIPPING INTERESTS.

The First Attempts to Float-HoUowcd Logs and Hafts-Tho Ark and its Dimensions -Skin Floats and Basket-
boats- Maritime Commerce of Antiquity— Phconician Knterprise-Dld they roimd the Cape?— The Ships of
Tyre— Carthage llanno's Voyage to the West Coast of Africa-Egyptian Gallcys-Thc Great Ships of the
Ptolemics-lliero's Floating Palace -The llomans— Their Uepugnance to Seafaring Pursuits-Sea Battles with
the Carthaginians— Cicero's Opinions on Commerce— Constantinople and Its Commerce— Venice— Britain— The
First Invasion under Julius Cresar— Beneflts accruing— The Danish Pirates— The London of the Period— The
Father of the British Navy-Alfred and his Victories-Canute's Fleet-The Norman Invasion— The Crusades—
Bichard Cojur de Lion's IHcct- The Cinque Ports and their Privileges— Foundation of a Maritime Code—
L«tt«r8 of Marque-Opening of the Coal Trade— Chaucer's Description of the Sailors of his Time— A Glorious
I'eriod- The Victories at llarfleur-IIenry V.'s Fleet of 1,500 Vessels-The Channel Marauders- The King-
Maker Pirate— Sir Andrew Wood's Victory— Action with Scotch Pirates— The Great Michael and the Oreat
Marry— Qukon Elizabeth's Astuteness— The Nation never so well provided— "The Most Fortunate and Invincible
Armada"— Its Size and Strength- ElizatMJth's Appeal to the Country— A Noble Bcsponse- Efflngham's Appoint-
ment—The Armada's First Disaster— Uefltted, and rcsails from Corunna— Chased in the Bear— A Scries of
Con<»T/c»i/)s— English Volunteer Ships In Numbers- The Fire-ships at Calais— The Final Action— FJIght of the
Armada— Fate of Shipwrecked Spanish in Ireland— Total IjOSS to Spain— Ilejoicings and Thanksgivings in
England 258

CHAPTEIi XVI.

THE HISTORY OF SHIPS AND SHIPPING INTERESTS (continued).

Nobk -urcrs-The Eorl of Cumberland as a Pirote— Uich Prizes— Action with the Madrc de Di'os— Capture of the

tr. .rrack— A Cargo worth £150,000— Burning of the Ci'«co CAatros- But Fifteen saved out of Eleven Hundred

Souls— The Scourge of Jlfaiice- Establishment of the Slave Trade -Sir John Hawkins' Ventures— High-honded
Proceedings— The Spaniards forced to purchase— A Fleet of Slovers- Hawkins sanctioned by " Good Queen Bess"
—Joins in a Negro War -A Disastrous Voyage -Sir Francis Drake— IJis First Loss —The Treasure at Nombre do
Dios— Drake's Firat Siglit of the Pacific- Tons of Silver captured— John Oxenham's Voyage— The First English-
man on the Pacific -IBs Disasters and Death- Drake's Voyage Bound the World— Blood-letting at the Equator-
Arrival at Port Julian— Trouble with the Natives -Execution of a Mutineer— Passage of the Straits of Magellan-
Vessels separated in a Gale-Loss of the Marigold -Tragic Fate of Eight Men— Drake driven to Cape Horn-
Proceedings at Valparaiso— Prizes taken— Capture of the Great Treasure Ship— Drake's Resolve to change his
Course Home— Vessel refitted at Nicaragua— Slay in the Bay of San Francisco-The Natives worship the English
—Grand Reception nt Temate -Drake's Ship nearly wrecked— Return to England— Honours accorded Drake—
Uia Character and Influence— Sir Humphrey Gilbert's Disasters and Death— Raleigh's Virginia Settlements

291

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

Board tho ChnU
... Frontispiece,

Examininer a " Haul " on

lenger

Tho Ftctory at Portsmonth 5

Books near Cape St. Vincent 9

The Victory at CIobo Quarters with the Reiouhtixhle 12

The Siege of Gibraltar 17

Tho Original Iferrimac 21

Engagement between tho iterrimac and Monitor... 25
Objects of Interest brought Home by the Chal-
lenger 32

The Challei\ger in Antarctic Ice 33

The " Accumulator " 35

The Challenger at Juan Fernandez 36

The Naturalist's Soom on Board the Challenger... 37

Dredging Implements used by the Challenger ... 38

The CTiio/iesfar Training-ship ... 45

Instruction on Board a Man-of-war 49

The Caj^fain in the Bay of Biscay... ... ... 50

Tho Wreck of the iioyaJ Oeorje 61

The Loss of the Fajijfuord To face page 63

The Loss of the A't-nt 64

The Vanguard as she appeared at Low Water ... 65

Falmouth Harbour 72

The Loss of the £irl:«n7iea(i 73

The Baft of the Jfediua 76

On the Baft of the Medusa — a Sail in sight ... 81

Section of a First-class Man-of-war 84

The TTamor 85

Tho Bock of Oibraltar from the Mainland

To face page 87

Gibraltar: the Neutral Ground 89

Moorish Tower at Gibraltar 93

Malta 96

The Defence of Malta by the Knights of St. John

against the Turks in 1565 100

Catacombs at Citta Vecohia, Malta 101

M. Lesseps ... , 105

Bird's-eye View of Suez Canal 109

Map of the Suez Canal Ill

Opening of the Suez Canal (Procession of Ships)

To face page 113

P.\OR

The Suez Canal: Dredges at Work 113

Catching Pelicans on Lako Menzaleh 116

Jiddah, from tho Sea 117

Cyclone at Calcutta 120

Macao 124

Vessels in the Port of Shanghai 125

Yokohama ... 128

The Fusiyama Mountain 129

A Tea Mart in Japan ... 133

PetropauloTski and the Avatoha Mountain ... 137

Whalers at Work 140

Our <' Patent Hraoke-stack " 141

View in tho Straits of Malacca ... ... ... 145

Junks in a Chinese Harbour 148

Island in the Straits of Malacca ... To face page 149

Chinese Junk at Singapore 149

Singapore, looking Seawards ... ... ... 152

Looking down on Singapore 1 53

A Timber Wharf at San Francisco 156

The Bay of San Francisco 160

The British Camp : San Juan 165

The Port of Valparaiso 173

Cape Horn 176

The Landing of Columbus at Trinidad 177

View in Jamaica ... ... ... ... ... 180

Kingston Harbour, Jamaica 181

Havana 184

The Centaur at the Diamond Bock, Martinique

To face page 187

Bermuda, from Gibbs Hills 188

The North Bock, Bermuda 189

The Bermuda Floating Dock 192

Voyage of the Bcrmucla 193

Map of Now York Harbour 195

Brooklyn Bridge 190

Ferry Boat, New York Harbour 197

The Island of Ascension 200

Tristan D'Aounha 201

Sierra Leone . .^ 204

Cape Town 205

The Oalatea passing Knysna Heads 209

vni

LIST OF II,I.rsTI!ATH>NS.

St. Helena
On Dock

a Man-of-war, Ei(jhtoonth Century
To face }>(ii/e
of a Mivn-of-wnr, Eifrhtoonth

Botwoon Dookn

Century

Naval Offlcors and Soamon, Kiifhtoonth Century . . .

Engine Room of H. M.S. H'aicioc

Fight between the Courage^tr and the Bdlonn ...
The Great Harry and Great Eastern iu contrast...
The Crew of H.M.S. Bounty landing at Otnhcito. .

The Mutineers seizing Captain Bliglt

Bligh east adrift

Map of the Islands of the Pacific

H.M.S. ijriton at Pitcairn Iitland ...

The Mutiny at Portsmouth ... To face page

Admiral Duncan addressing his Crow

Lord St. Vincent

Fleet of Boman Oalleys

Approach of the Danish Fleet

211

217
221
225
229
233
230
237
240
215
218
251
253
257
2G1
2G5

PAOK

Ships of Williom the Conqueror 208

Crusaders and Saracens 269

Duel hotweon French and English Ships 272

Reverse of the Seal of Sandwich ... 274

Sir Andrew Wood's Victory 277

O' ' Deptford Dockyard 280

Tlio Defeat of Sir A. Barton ... Tv face page 280

The First Shot against the Armada 285

The Fire-ships attacking the Armada ... ... 288

Drake's First View of the Paoiflo ... To face jyage 289

Queen Elizabeth on her way to St. Paul's 289

The Earl of Cumberland and the Madrc de ^as... 203

On the Coast of Cornwall 297

Sir John Hawkins 300

Hawkins at St. Juan do Uiloa 301

Oxonham embarking on the Pacific 304

Sir F. Drake 309

Drake's Arrival at Tornate 312

The Death of Sir Humphrey Gilbert 317

FAOC

268

869

272

274

277

280

face paije 280

285

288

face page 289

^-"-^'^

THE SEA.

.^'^il:

•i-if^

IsE can hardly gaze upon the groat ocean

without feelings akin to awe and reverence.

i^rcT— " Whether viewed from some promontory whore

the eye seeks in vain another resting-place,

f:^^^ — or when sailing over the deep, one looks around

"^ on the unbounded expanse of waters, the sea

^ must always give rise to ideas of infinite space

and indefinable mystery hardly paralleled by an}thing

of the earth itself. Beneficent in its calmer aspect, when

the silvery moon lights up the ripples and the good ship

scuds along before a favouring breeze ; terrible in its might,

when its merciless breakers dash upon some rock-girt coast,

carrying the gallant bark to destruction, or when, rising

mountains high, the spars quiver and snap before the

tempest's power, it is always grand, sublime, irresistible.

The great highway of commerce and source of boundless

supplies, it is, notwithstanding its terrors, infinitely more

man's friend than his enemy. "In how great a variety of

aspects may it not be viewed !

The poets have seen in it a " type of the Infinite/*

THE SEA.

and one of the greatest* has taken us back to those early days of earth's history when
God said —

" ' Let there be flrmiimont •

Amid the waters, and lot it divide
The waters from the waters.' . . .
So He tlie world
, Built on circumfluous waters calm, in wido

C'rvstalline ocean."

" Water," said the groat Greek lyric poet^f " is the chief of all." The ocean covers
nearly three-fourths of the surface of our globe. Earth is its mere offspring. The continents
and islands have been and still are being elaborated from its depths. All in all, it has not,
however, been treated fairly at the hands of the poets, too many of whom could only see it in
Young speaks of it as merely a

its sterner lights

'* Dreadful and tumultuous home
Of dangers, at eternal war with man,
Wide opening and loud roaring still for more,"

ignoring the blessings and benefits it has bestowed so freely, forgetting that man is daily
becoming more and more its master, and that his own country in particular has most success-
fully conquered the seemingly unconquerable. Byi*on, again, says : —

"Roll on, thou dark and deep blue ocean — roll!
Ton thousiind fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin — his control
Stops with the shore ; upon the watery plain
The wrecks are all thy deeds."

And though this is but the exaggerated and not strictly accurate language of poetry,
we may, with PoUok, fairly address the great sea as " strongest of creation's sons." The
first impressions produced on most animals — not excluding altogether man — by the aspect
of the ocean, are of terror in greater or lesser degree. Livingstone tells us that he had
intended to bring to England from Africa a friendly native, a man courageous as the lion he
had often braved. He had never voyaged upon nor even beheld the sea, and on board the
ship which would have safely borne him to a friendly shore he became delirious and
insane. Though assured of safety and cai'efully watched, he escaped one day, and blindly
threw himself headlong into the waves. The sea terrified him, and yet held tind drew
him, fascinated as under a spell. " Even at ebb-tide," says Michelet,J " when, placid and weary,
the wave crawls softly on the sand, the horse does not recover his courage. He trembles, and
frequently refuses to pass the languishing ripple. The dog barks and recoils, and, according to
his manner, insults the billows which he fears. . . . We are told by a traveller thac the
dogs of Kamtsc'hatka, though accustotned to the spectacle, are not the less terrified and irritated
by it. In numerous troops, they howl through the protracted night against the howling waves,
and endeavour to outvie in fury the Ocean of the North."

* Milton. j|^ t Pindar,

t " La 3Ier." There is much truth in Michelet's charming work, but often, as above, presented in sn exaggerated
form. Animiils, in ri'ality, soon become accustomed to the sea. They show generally, however, a considcraulo amount
of ir.disposition to go on board a vessel.

ITS HISTORY.

story when

cean covers
5 continents
, it has not,
ily see it in

nan is daily
aost success-

of poetry,
Isons." The
the aspect
that he had
the lion he
on board the
lelirious and
and blindly
lid and drew
Id and weary,
rembles, and
|accordin<j to
ller thac the
land irritated
vMng waves,

Ixn exaggerated
Idcraulo amount

The civilised man's fear is founded, it must be admitted, on a reasonable knowloliye of the
ocean, so much his friend and yet so often his foe. Man is not independent of his fellow-man
in distant countries, nor is it desirable that he should be. No land produces all the necessaries,
and the luxuries which have begun to be considered necessaries, sufficient for itself. Transpor-
tation by land is often impracticable, or too costly, and the ocean thus becomes the great
highway of nations. Vessel after vessel, fleet after fleet, arrive safely and speedily. But as
there is danger for man lurking everywhere on land, so also is there on the sea. The world's
wreck-chart for one year must, as we shall see hereafter, be something appalling. That for the
British Empire alone in one year has often exceeded 1,000 vessels, great and small ! Averaging
three years, we find that there was an annual loss during that period of 1,095 vessels and 1,952
lives.* Nor are the ravages ol' ocean confined to the engulfraent of vessels, from rotten
" coffin-sliips " to splendid ironclads. The coasts often bear witness of her fury.

The history of the sea virtually comprises the history of adventure, conquest, and
commerce, in all times, and might almost be said to be that of the world itself. We
cannot think of it without remembering the great voj'agers and sea-captains, the brave
naval commanders, the pirates, rovers, and buccaneers of bygone days. Great sea-fights
and notable shipwrecks recur to our memory — the progress of naval supremacy, and the
means by which millions of people and countless millions of wealth have been transferred
from one ])art of the earth to another. We cannot help thinking, too, of "Poor Jack"
and life before the mast, whether on the finest vessel of the Royal Navy, or in the worst
form of trading ship. We recall the famous ships themselves, and their careers. We remember,
too, the "toilere of the sea" — the fishermen, whalers, pearl-divers, and coral-gatherers;
the noble men of the lighthouse, lifeboat, and coastguard services. The horrors of the sea
— its storms, hurricanes, whirlpools, waterspouts, impetuous and treacherous currents — rise
vividly before our mental vision. Then there are the inhabitants of the sea to be considered
— from the tiniest germ of life to the great leviathan, or even the doubtful sea-serpent.
And even the lowest depths of ocean, with their mountains, valleys, plains, and luxurious
marine vegetation, are full of interest; while at the same time we irresistibly think of the
submerged treasure-ships of days gone by, and the submarine cables of to-day. Such
are among the subjects we propose to lay before our readers. Thk Sea, as one great topic,
must comprise descriptions of life on, around, and in the ocean — the perils, mysteries, pheno-
mena, and poetry of the great deep. The subject is too vast for superfluous detail : it would
require as many volumes as a grand encyclopaedia to do it justice; whilst a formal and
chronological history would weary the reader. At all events, the present writer purposes
to occasionally gossip and digress, and to arrange facts in groups, not always followuig
the strict sequence of events. The voyage of to-day may recall that of long ago : the
discovery made long ago may be traced, by successive leaps, as it were, to its results in
the present epoch. We can hardly be wrong in believing that this grand subject has an
especial interest for the English reader everywhere ; for the spirit of enterprise, enthusiasm,
and daring which has carried our flag to the uttermost parts of the earth, and has made
the proud words " Britannia rules the waves " no idle vaunt, is shared by a very largo

• W. S. Lindsay, " Historj- of Merchant Shipping," &c.

THE SEA.

proportion of ber sons and (laughters, at home and abroad. Britain's part in the exploration
and settlement of the whole world has been so pre-eminent that there can be no wonder
if, among the English-speaking races everywhere, a peculiar fascination attaches to the
sea and all concerning it. Countless thousands of books have been devoted to the land,
not a tithe of the number to the ocean. Yet the snbject is one of almost boundless interest,
and has a special importance at the present time, when so much intelligent attention and
humane effort is being put forth to ameliorate the condition of our seafarers.

CHAPTER I.

Mex-of-War.

Our Wooden Wulls— The J'ictofu -Siege of Toulon— Battle of St. Vincent— Nelson's Bridge-Trafalgar's glorious Day—
The Day for such Battles gone— Iron v. Wood— lessons of the Crimean War— Moral Effect of the Presence of our
Fleets— Bombardment of .Sebastopol— Ued-hot Shot and Gibraltar— The Ironclad Movement— The Warrior- Kxpc-
rienecs with Ironclads— The Mcrrimac in Hampton Heads- A speedily decided Action— The Cumberland sunk and
Coiif/rcMs burned— The first Monitor— Kngagement with the Jl/e»Ti»iac— Notes on recent Actions— The Shaft and
Ilitascur— An Ironclad tackled by a Merchantman.

^F the reader should at any time find himself a visitor to the first
naval port of Great Britain — which he need not be told is Ports-
mouth — he will find, lying placidly in the noble harbour, which is
large enough to accommodate a whole fleet, a vessel of modern-
antique appearance, and evidently very carefully preservetl. Should
he happen to be there on October ^Ist, he woxdd find the ship gaily
decorated with wreaths of evergreen and flags, her appearance
attracting to her side an nnusual number of visitors in small boats
from the shore. Nor will he be sur])rised at this when he learns
that it is none other than the famous T'/c/or//, that carried
Nelson's flag on the sad but glorious day of Trafalgar, and went
bravely through so many a storm of war and weather. Very little
of the oft-shattered hulk of the oi'iginal vessel remains, it is true — she has
been so often renewed and patched and painted; yet the lines and form
of the old three-decker remain to show us what the flag-ship of Hood, and
Jervis, and Nelson was in general appearance. She towers grandly out of
r ^ the water, making the few sailors and loiterers on deck look like marionettes —
If mere miniature men ; and as our wherry approaches the entrance-port, we
admire the really graceful lines of the planks, diminishing in perspective. The
triple battery of formidable guns, peeping from under the stout old ports which
overshadowed them, the enormous cables and spare anchors, and the immensely thick
masts, heavy shrouds and rigging, which she had in old times, must have given an
impression of solidity in this good old "heart of oak" which is wanting even in

THE "VICTOUY."

the Hrst
is Ports-
wliicli is
modern-
Should
ip gaily
pearance
1 boats
learns
carried
id went
y little
she has
form
)od, and
out of
lettes —
ort; we
The
which
thick
,'en an
,'en in

the strongest-built iron vessel. Many a brave tar has lost his life on her, but yet
she is no cotfiu-ship. On board, one notes the scrupulous order, the absolute perfection
of cleanlinobs and trimness; the large guns and carriages alternating with the mess-
tables of the crew. And we should not think much of the man who could stand
-emotionless and unmoved over the spots — still jwinted out on the u]>per deck and cockpit
below — where Nelson fell and Nelson died, on that memorable ~lst, off Trafalgar Bay.

THE " VICTOKY AT I'OhTSMOl TH

lie had embarked, only five weeks before, from the present resting-place of his brave
old ship, when enthusiastic crowds had pressed forward to IjIcss and take one last
look at England's preserver. " I had their hurrahs before," said the poor shattered
hero; "now I have their hearts!" And when, three months later, his body was brought
home, the sailors divided the leaden cottin into fragments, as relics of " Saint Nelson,"
as his gunner had termed him.

The Victor 1/ was one of the largest ships of war of her day and generation. She wa&
rated for iOO guns, but really carried \()i, and was classed tirst-rate with such ships as the
Roi/(il Sorereiffii and Britunnio, both of 1(10, carrying only two in excess of the "brave old
Ta.ieraire" — made still more famous by Turner's great picture— and the Breadnonght, which

THE SEA.

l)ut a few years back was such a familiar feature of the reach of the Thames in front of
Greenwich. She was of ii,l()l' tons burden, and, havinj^ been launched in 1705, is now a
good Hit years of age. Her complement was 811 men. From the fu'st she deserved her
name, and seemed destined to be associated with little else than success and triumph. Nelson
frequently com])lains in his journals of the unseaworthiness of many of his vessels ; but this,
his last flag-ship, was a veritable " heart of oak," and endured all the tests that the warfare of
the elements or of man could bring against her.

The good ship of which we have spoken more particularly is now enjoying a well-earned
repose, after passing nearly unscathed through the very thick of battles inscribed on the most
brilliant page of our national history. Her part was in reality a very prominent one ; and a
glance at a few of the engagements at which she was present may serve to show us what she
and other ships like her were made of, and what they were able to effect in naval warfare.
The Victor 1/ had been built nearly thirty yeare when, in 1793, she first came prominently
to the front, at the occupation and subsequent siege of Toulon, as the Hag-ship of Lord
Hood, then in command of a large fleet destined for the Mediterranean.

France was at that moment in a very revolutionary condition, but in Toulon there
was a strong feeling of loyalty for the Bourbons and monarchical institutions. In the
harbour a large French fleet was assembled — some seventeen vessels of the line, besides
many other smaller craft — while several large shijis of war were refitting nnd building;
the whole under the command of the Comte de Trogoffi, an ardent Royalist. On the
appearance of the British Heet in the ofHng, two commissioners came out to the flag-ship,
the Vict on/, to treat for the conditional surrender of the port and shipping. The Govern-
ment had not miscalculated the disaffection existing, and the negotiations being completely
successful, 1,700 of our soldiers, sailors, and marines were landed, and shortly afterwards,
when a Spanish Heet appeared, an English governor and a Spanish commandant were
aiii)ointed, while Louis XVII. was proclaimed king. But it is needless to say that the
French Republic strongly objected to all this, and soon assembled a force numbering
15,000 men for the recapture of Toulon. The English and their Royalist allies numbered
under 13,000, and it became evident that the city must be evacuated, although not until
it should be half destroyed. The important service of destroying the ships and maga-
zines had been mainly entrusted to Captain Sir Sidney Smith, who performed his
difficult task with wonderful precision and order, and without the loss of one man. Shots
and shells were plunged into the very arsenal, and trains were laid up to the maga^i'ios
and storehouses; a fire-ship v/as towed into the basin, and in a few hours gave out
Hames and shot, accompanied r>y terrible explosions. The Spanish admiral had undertaken
the destruction of the shipping in the basin, and to scuttle two powder-vessels, but his
men, in their Hurry, managed to ignite one of them in place of sinking it, and the explo-
sion which occurred can be better imagined than described. The explosion shook the Unioti
gunboat to pieces, killing the commander and three of the crew; and a second boat was blown
into the air, but her crew were miraculously saved. Having completed the destruction of the
arsenal, Sir Sidney proceeded towards the basin in front of the town, across which a boom had
been laid, where he and his men were receivtid with such volle\s of musketry that they
turned their attention in another direction. In the inner road were lying two largo 74-gutt

<i.-

THE SIEGE OF TOULON.

~'TW

ships — the Ilh'os ami Thlmiiilode — filled with French prisoners. Although the latter were
greatly superior to the attacking force, they were so terrified that they agreed to be removal
and landed in a place of safety, after which the ships were destroyed by fire. Having done all
that man could do, they were preparing to return, when the second powder-vessel, which should
only have been scuttled by the Spaniards, exploded. Wonderful to relate, although the little
Swallow, Sir Sidney's tender, and three boats were in the midst of the falling timbers, and
nearly swamped by the waves produced, they escaped in safety. Nowadays torpedoes would
settle the business of blowing up vessels of the kind in a much safer and surer manner. The
evacuation was effected without loss, nearly 15,000 Toulonese refugees — men, women, and
children — being taken on board for removal to England. Fifteen French ships of war were
taken off as prizes, while the magazines, storehouses, and shipping were destroyed l)y fire. The
total number of vessels taken or burned by the liritish was eighteen of the line, nine frigates,
and eleven corvettes, and would have been much greater but for the blundering or treachery
of the Spaniards, and the pusillanimous flight of the Neapolitans. Thus the Vidorij was
the silent witness of an almost bloodless success, so far as our forces were concerned, in
spite of the noise and smoke and flame by which it was accompanied. A little later,
she was engaged in {lie siege of Bastia, Corsica, which was taken by a naval force num-
bering about one-fourth of their opponents; and again at Calvi, where Nelson lost an eye
and helped to gaili the day. In the spring of 1795 she was again in the Mediter-
ranean, and for once was engaged in what has been described as a " miserable action,"
although the action, or want thereof, was all on the part of a vice-admiral who, as
Nelson said, " took things too coolly." Twenty-three British line-of-battle ships, whilst
engaging, off the Ilyeres Isles, only seventeen French, with the certainty of trium2)haut
results, if not, indeed, of the complete annihilation of the enemy, were signalled by
Admiral Hotham to discontinue the fight. The disgust of the commanders in general
and Nelson in particular can well be understood. The only prize taken, the Alcide, blew
up, with the loss of half her crew, as if in very disgust at having surrendered, and wo
can well believe that even the inanimate timbers of the Vidori/ and her consorts groaned
as they were drawn off from the scene of action. The fight off the Ilyeres must be in-
scribed in black, but happily the next to be recorded might well be written with letters
of gold in the annals of our country, although its glory was soon afterwards partially
eclij)sed by others still greater.

When Sir John Jervis hoisted his flag on board the Viclorij it marked an cjioch not
lEorely in our career of conquest, but also in the history of the navy as a navy. Jervis, though
then over sixty years of age, was hale and hearty, and it sometimes stern and severe as a
disciplinarian, should long be remembered as one who honestly and constantly strove to raise
the character of the service to its highest condition of efficiency, and he was brave as a lion.
As the Spanish fleet loomed through the morning fog, off Cape St. Vincent, it was found
that Coixlova's force consisted of twenty-nine large men-of-war, exclusive of a dozen 3 1-guii
frigates, seventy transports, and other vessels. Jervis was walking the quarter-deck as the
successive reports were brought to him. "There are eighteen sail of the line. Sir John."
"Very well, sir." "There are twenty sail, Sir John." "Very well, sir." "There are
t\venty-seven sail of the line. Sir John ; nearly double our own." " Enough, sir, no move of

H THE SEA.

*,hat, sir; if there arc fifty I'll <ro tliroiig-h them." " That's right, Sir John," said Ilalliwell,
his flaj^-oaptain, "and a jolly good licking we'll giMi them."

The granil fleet of Spain inelndcd six ships of 11 :J guns each, and the flag-ship SdnUxxima
TfinidaiJa, a four-decker, carrying l-'U). There were, besides, twenty-two vessels of eighty and
seventy-four guns. To this large force Jervis could oidy oi)pose fifteen vessels of the line,
only two of which carried 10(1 guns, three of ninety-eight guns, one of ninety, and the
remainder, with one exception, seventy-four each. Owing to gross mismanagement on the
part of the Spaniards, their vessels were scattered about in all directions, and six * of them were
separated wholly from the main body, neither could they rejoin it. The English vessels
ailvanced in two lines, comj)actly and steadily, and as they neared the Spaniards, were signalled
from the Victor'/ to tack in succession. Nelson, on the Cuphtin, was in the rear of the line,
and he perceived that the Spaniards were bearing up before the wind, either with the intention
of trying to join their separated ships, or perhaps to avoid an engagement altogether. TJy
disobeying the admiral's signal, he managed to run clear athwart the bows of the Sjmnish
ships, and was soon engaged with the great Smitissiiiia Trinhlada, four other of the larger
vessels, and two smaller ones. Trowbridge, in the Citlloilcn, immediately came to the supjx>rt,
and for nearly an hour the une(pial contest continued, till the Blenheim passed between them
and the enemy, and gave them a little respite, pouring in her fire upon the Spaniards. One of
the Spanish seventy-fours struck, and Nelson thought that the Salrador, of 112 guns, struck
also. " Collingwood," wrote Nelson, " disdaining the parade of taking possession of beaten
enemies, most gallantly pushed up, with every sail set, to save his old friend and messmate, who
was, to appearance, in a critical situation," for the Captain was being peppered by five vessels
.if the enemy's fleet, and shortly afterwards was rendered absolutely incapable — not a sail,
shroud, or rope left, witli a topmast and the steering-wheel shot away. As Dr. Bennett
sings t—

" KiuRi'il loimd liy five throo-deckrrs, she had fought through all the fight,
Ami now, a log iiinm tho wavos, she lay — a glorious sight —
AH ('n|)[ilt'(l, but still full of fight, for still her hroadsides roared.
Still death and wounds, fear and defeat, into the Don she poured."

Two of Nelson's antagonists were now nearly Iiors de combat, one of them, the San Nicolas,
in trying to escape from Collingwood's tire, having got foul of the Sa7i Josef. Nelson
resolved in an instant to board and capture bot/i — an unparalleled feat, which, however,
was accomplished, although

" To got at the Stiii Josrf, it seemed heyond a hope ;
Out then our aduiiral sjioke, and well his words our hlood could stir —
' In. hoarders, to their seventy-four I Well make a hridge of her.' "

The " bridge " vias soon taken ; but a steady Are of musketry was poured upon them from
the San Josef. Nelson directed his people to fire into the stern, and sending for more
boarders, led the way up the main-chains, exclaiming, "Westminster Abbey or victory!"
In a few moments the officers and crew surrendered ; and on the quarter-deck of a Spanish
first-rate he received the swords of the vanquished, which he handed to William Fearney,

• Soutliey, in liis " Life of Nelson," sajs nine.

t '' Songs for Sailors."

ST. VIXrENT.

iralllwell,

fiilKlixxlllUl

.'ij^hty and
; the line,
■, and the
nt on the
them were
ish vessels
e sif^nalled
if the line,
3 intention
;ther. By
le SjTonish
the larger
le support,
ween them
s. One of
ims, struck
of beaten
iimate, who
Ifive vessels
not a sail,
Bennett

n Nicolas,

Nelson

however.

Hiem from

for more

Iv'ictory !"

Spanish

Fearney,

one of his liargemen, who tucked them, with the greatest san^j-froid, in a i)erfect sheaf
under his arm. The Victori/ came up at the mumont, and saluted the compierors with
hearty cheers.

It will be hardly necessary here to point out the altered circumstances of naval
warfare at the present day. A wooden vessel of the old type, with large and numerous
portholes, and affording other opportunities for entering or climbing the sides, is a

KOCKS NEAU CAl'E ST. VINCEXT.

very different affair to the modern smooth-walled iron vessel, on which a fly would
hardly get a foothold, with few openings or weak points, and where the grappling-iron
would be useless. Apart from this, with heavy guns carrying with great accuracy, and
the facilities afforded by steam, we shall seldom hear, in the future, of a fight at close
quarters; skilful manoeuvring, impossible with a sailing vessel, will doubtless be more
in vogue.

jNIeantime, the Viefnr)/ had not been idle. In conjunction with two of the fleet, she
had succeeded in silencing the Salrailor del Minuli, a first-rate of 112 guns. When,
after the fight. Nelson went on board the Vicfori/, Sir John Jervis took him to his arms,
and insisted that he should keep the sword taken from the Spanish rear-admiral. When
it was hinted, during some private conversation, that Nelson's move was unauthorised.

(

! I

THE SEA.

Jorvis had to admit the fact, but promised to forgive any siidi breach of orders, accompanied
with the same measure of success.

The battle had now lasted from noon, and at five p.m. four Spanish line-of-battle vessels
had lowered their colours. Even the great SaiUlfi.'iiina Tr'iniihidu might then have become a
prize but for the return of the vessels which had been cut off from the fleet in the morning,
and which alone saved her. Her colours had been shot away, and she had hoisted English
colours in token of submission, when the other ships came up, and Cordova reconsidered
his step. Jervis did not think that his fleet was quite equal to a fresh conflict ; and the
Spaniards showed no desire to renew the fight. They had lost on the four prizes, alone,
•KM killed, and '-M'l wounded, and in all, probably, nearly double the above. The British
loss was seventy-three killed, and 227 wounded.

Of Trafalgar and of Nelson, both day and man so intimately associated with our
good ship, what can yet be said or sung that has gone unsaid, unsung? — how when he
left Portsmouth the crowds pressed forward to obtain one last look at their hero — England's
greatest hero — and " knelt down before him, and blessed him as he passed;"* that beautiful
prayer, indited in his cabin, " May the great God whom I worship grant to my country,
and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory, and may no
misconduct in any one tarnish it, and may humanity after victory be the predominant
feature of the British fleet," or the now historical signal which flew from the mizen top-
gallant mast of that noble old ship, and which has become one of the grand mottoes of
our tongue, are facts as familiar to every reader as household words.

The part directly played by the Viclory herself in the battle of Trafalgar was second
to none. From the very first she received a raking fire from all sides, which must have
been indeed severe, when we find the words extorted from Nelson, " This is too warm
work to last long," addressed to Captain Hai"dy. At that moment fifty of his men were
lying dead or wounded, while the Victory's mizen-mast and wheel were shot away, and her sails
hanging in ribbons. To the terrible cannonading of the enemy. Nelson had not yet
returned a shot. He had determined to be in the very thick of the fight, and was
reserving his fire. Now it was that Captain Hardy represented to Nelson the imprac-
ticability of passing through the enemy's line without running on board one of their
ships ; he was coolly told to take his choice. The Ticlorij was accordingly turned on
board the BedonUaUe, the commander of which. Captain Lucas, in a resolute endeavour to
block the jiassage, himself ran his bowsprit into the figurehead of the Biiccntaure, and
the two vessels became locked together. " Not many minutes later. Captain Harvey, of
the Tt' ///('!• a ire, seeing the position of the Vidori/ with her two assailants, fell on lx)ard
the liedonhtahle, on the other side, so that these four ships formed as compact a tier as
though moored together. The Victory fired her middle and lower deck guns into the
Redoufjtatjie, which returned the fire from her main-deck, employing also musketry and
brass pieces of larger size with most destructive effects from the tops.

" Redoubtable they called her — a curse upon her name !
'Twas from her tops the bullet that killed our hero came."

* Southey's " Life of Nelson."

TRAFALGAR.

Within a few minutes of Lord Nelson's full, sevenil officers and about forty men
were either killed or wounded from this souree. Jhit a few minutes al'terwaicls the
Itedouhlahlo fell on board the Teiiih'aife, the French ship's bowsprit passing- over the
British ship. Now came one of the warmest episodes of the iijjht. The crew of the
Teiiieraire lashed their vessel to their assailants' ship, and poured in a raking- lire. But
the French captain, having discovered that — owing-, perhaps, to the sympathy exhibited
for the dying hero on board the Victor i/, and her excessive losses in men — her
quarter-deck was quite desertetl, now ordered an attempt at boarding the latter. This
cost our (lag-ship the lives of Captain Adair and eig-htten men, but at the same moment
the Tcmeraire opened fire on the lieiluubluble with such effect that Cajjtain Lucas and
''l^^ men were themselves placed hors de combat.

In the contest we have been relating, the coolness of the Vict or;/' s men was signal ly
evinced. " AVhen the guns on the lower deck were run out, their muzzles came in
contact with the sides of the liedouljtaljle, and now was seen an astounding spectacle.
Knowing that there was danger of the French ship taking (ire, the (ireman of each
gun on board the British ship stood ready with a bucketful of wator to dash into
the hole made by the shot of his gun — thus beautifully illustrating Nelson's prayer,
'that the British might be distinguished by humanity in victory.' Less considerate
than her antagonist, the ItedoHblable threw hand-grenades from her tops, which, falling
on board herself, set (ire to her, . . . and the (lame communicated with the fore-
sail of the Ti'vieraire, and caught some ropes and canvas on the booms of the Ticlurj/,
risking the destruction of all ; but by immense exertions the fire was subdued in the
British ships, whose crews lent their assistance to extinguish the (lames on board the
liedouhtahle, by throwing buckets of water upon her chains and forecastle."*

Setting aside, for the purpose of clearness, the ei)isode of the taking of the Foufjnenx,
which got foul of the Temt-.'uii'e and spee<lily surrendered, we find, five minutes later,
the main and mizen masts of the Redoubtable falling — the former in such a way across
the Teiiieraire that it formed a bridge, over which the boarding-party passed and took
quiet possession. Captain Lucas had so stoutly defended his (lag, that, out of a crew of
Gl;3, only 123 were in a condition to continue the fight; 522 were lying killed or
wounded. The Bucenlaure soon met her fate, after being defended with nearly equal
bravery. The French admiral, Yillcneuve, who was on board, said bitterly, just before
surrendering, " Le Bucentaure a reiiipli sa tdche ; la mieime nest pas encore ac/ievee."

Let the reader remember that the above are but a few episodes of the most complete
and glorious victory ever obtained in naval warfare. Without the loss of one single
vessel to the conqueror, more than half the ships of the eneni}' were captured or
destroyed, while the remainder escaped into harbour to rot in utter uselessness. Twentv-
one vessels were lost for ever to France and Sj^ain. It is to be hoped and believed that
no such contest will ever again be needed ; but should it be needed, it will have to be
fought by very different means. The instance of four great ships locked together,
dealing death and destruction to each other, has never hee/a paralleled. Imagine that

• "Annals of the Wars of the Nineteenth Centurj'," by the Hon. Sir Edward Cust, D.C.L., Sec.

lUONSIDES AND WOODEN WALLS.

>
p
b

BCt'tliing', liifhtiiiij, <l.viiijf mass of humanity, with all tiie horrihlo coiu-oniitaiifs of
(loaft'iiiiiUT iKiiso and hlinding smnko and llasliin;^ lire! It is nut likely ever to occur in
modern warfare. The eomnianders of steam-vessels oi' all classes will le more likely to
li<>-ht at out-mana'uvrin<r and shelling eiich other than to come to close tiuarters, which
woidd generally mean hlowing up together. It would interestin;:^ to consider how
Nelson would have aeted with, and opiiosetl to, steam-frigates and irotu-lads. Ho
woidd, no douht, have hoen as c(»urageous and far-seeing and rapid in aetion as ever,
but hardly as reckless, or even daring.

" And still, thiiujjjh novcnty yonis, lioyfi.
Have Koiic, wild, without jiiiilf,
Niiincs }u8 iiiiini — ti'Us liis i'aniu
Who at Tial'iilitar dicil:-"

May wo always have a Nelson in the hour of national need !

The day for such battles as this is over; there may be others as gloriously fought, but
never again by the same means. Ships, armaments, and mooes of attack and deleneo
are, and will be, increasingly different. Those who have read Nelson's private letters and
journals will remember how he gloried in the appreciation of his subordinate oHieers just
before Trafalgar's happy and yet fatal day, when he had explained to them his intention to
attack the enemy with what was practically a wedge-formed ileet. He was determined to
break their line, and. Nelson-like, he did. But that whicli he facetiously christened the
*' Nelson touch " would itself nowadays bo broken up in a few minutes and thrown into uttei
confusion by any powerfidly-armcd vessel hovering about under steam. Or if the wedge ot
wooden vessels were allowed to form, as they approached the apex, a couple of ironcUuls
would take them in hand coolly, one by one, and send them to the bottom, while their guns
might as well shoot peas at the ironclads as the shot of former days.

Taking the Victory as a fair type of the best war-ships of her day (a day when there was
not that painful uncertainty with regard to naval construction and armament existing now, in
, spite of our vaunted progress), we still know that in the presence of a powerful steam-frigate
I with heavy guns, or an ll,(Jt)()-ton ironclad, she would be literally nowhere. She was one of the
last specimens, and a very perfect specimen, too, of the woixlcn age. This is the age of iron
and steam. One of the largest vessels of her day, she is now excelled by hundreds employed in
ordinary commerce. The Royal Navy to-day possesses frigates nearly three times her ton-
nnge, while we have ironclads of five times the same. The monster Great Eastern, which
has proved a monstrous mistake, is ;2;J,.jOO tons.

But size is by no means the only consideration in constructing vessels of war, and,
. indeed, there are good reasons to believe that, in the end, vessels of moderate dimensions will
be preferred for most purposes of actual warfare. Of the advantages of steam-power there
can, of course, be only one opinion ; but as regards iron rerxim oak, there are many points
which may be urged in favour of either, with a preponderance in favour of the former. A
strong iron ship, strange as it may appear, is not more than half the weight of a wooden
Tessel of the same size and class. It will, to the unthinking, seem absurd to say that an
iron ship is more buoyant than one of oak, but the fact is that the jiroportion of actual
■weight in iron and wooden vessels of ordinary construction is about six to twenty. The iron

TllE HEA.

'ill

ftliil), tlieivforc, stuiuls hiyh out of tlie wuti-r, ami to gink it to tlie same line will roiiuiro a
yreati'f wi-ijrlit on boaril. From this fact, and thu actual Ifiiiincnn of its walls, ite carryinj^
nipaoity and slowajro are so much tlie g-roator. This, which is a great j)oiiit in vessels destined
for commerce, woulil he equally important in war. But these remarks do not apply to tlio
modern armoured vessel. ^Ve have ironclads with plates eif'-hteen inches and upwards in
thickness. What is the eonsetiuenee ? Their actual weij^ht, with that oi" the necessary eng-ines
and monster ^uns cm})loyeil, is so great that a vast deal of rootn on board has to be
unemployed. Day by day we hear of fresh experiments in j^unnery, which keep pace
with the increased strength of the vessels. The invulnerable of to-day is the vulnerable
of to-morrow, and there are many leading authorities who believe in a return to a smaller
and weaker class of vessel — provided, however, with all the appliances for great speed nnd
offensive warfare at a ilhtniico. Nelson's preference for small, easily-worked frigates over
the great ships of the line is well known, and were he alive to-day we can well belijve that he
would prefer a medium-sized vessel of strong constrviction, to steam with great s})eed, and
carrying heavy, but, perhaps, not the heaviest guns, to one of those modern unwieldy masses
of iron, which have had, so far, a most disastrous history. The fornier might, so to sjieak, act
while the latter was making up her mind. Even a Nelson might hesitate to risk a vessel
representing six or seven hundred thousand jiounds of the nation's money, in anything short of
an assured success. We have, however, yet to learn the full value and power of our ironclad
fleet. Of its cost there is not a doubt. Some time ago our leading newspaper estimated
the expense of construction and maintenance of our existing ironclads at ,t 18,000,000.
Mr. Reed states that they have cost the country a million sterling per annum since the first
organisation of the fleet. Warfare will soon become a luxury only for the richest nations, and,
regarding it in this light, perhaps the very men who are racking their powers of invention to
discover terrible engines of war are the greatest peacemakers, after all. They may succeed in
making it an impossibility.

" Hereafter, naval powers prepared with the necessary fleet will be able to transport the
base of operations to any point on the enemy's coast, turn the strongest positions, and baffle
the best-arranged combinations. Thanks to steam, the sea has become a means of communica-
tion more certain and more simple than the land ; and fleets will be able to act the part of
movable bases of operations, rendering them very formidable to powers which, possessing
coasts, will not have any navy sufficiently powerful to cause their being respected."* So far
as navy to navy is concerned, this is undoubtedly true ; yet there is another side to the question.
A fort is sometimes able to inflict far greater damage upon its naval assailants than the latter
can inflict upon it. A single shot may send a shiji to the bottom, whilst the fire from the ship
during action is more or less inaccurate. At Sebastopol, a whole French fleet, firing at ranges
of 1,(500 to 1,800 yards, failed to make any great impression on a fort close to the water's edge;
while a wretched earthen battery, mounting only five guns, inflicted terrible losses and injury
on four powerful English men-of-war, actually disabling two of them, without itself losing one
man or having a gun dismounted; while, as has been often calculated, the cost of a
single sloop of war with its equipment will construct a fine fort which will last almost for

• Brialmont, " fitudo Bur la Defense des Etats et sur la Fortification."

I,I:SS(»NS OF THK CKIMKA.

«ver, wliilo that of two or tliree liiie-of-hattK' sliipn woulil niiso a ponHulorablt! forlroHS. AVliilst
the nionwlor ironchul with heavy <jiiii8 would deal out death and destruction when surrounded
by an enemy's fleet of li<^hter iron vessels or wooden ones as stron^jf as was the f n'lcn/, she
woidd iierselE nin f^reat risk in approachin"; elosuly-lortitied harlH)urs and coasts, where a
single shot from a <j^un heavy enough to pierce her armour might sink her. Her safety wouKI
consist in tiring at long ninges and in steaming hackwards and forwards.

The lessons of the Crimean war, as regards the navy, were few, hut of the gravest
importance, and they have led to results of which we cannot yet determine the end. The
■war opened hy a Russian attack on a Turkish squadnm at Sinoi)e, November liOth, IS.JH.*
That determined the fact that a whole lleet might he annihilatt'd ii. an hour or so by
the use of large shells. No more necessity for grapjding and close (Quarters; the iron
age waa full in view, and wooden walls had outlived their usefulness, and must perish.

But the lesson had to he again impie.'setl, and that upon a large English and French
fleet. Yet, in fairness to our navy, it mist be remembered that the Russians had spent
very attention to rendering Sebastopol nearly impregnable on the sea-side, while a dis-
inguished writer,t who was present lliroughout the siege, assures us that until the pre-
ceding spring they had been 'luite indifferent in regard to the strength of the fortilicationa
on the land-side. And the presence of the allied fleets was the undeniable cause of one
Russian fleet being sunk in tha harbour of Sebastopol, while another dured not venture
out, season after season, from behind stone fortresses in the shallow waters of Cronstadt.J
•A great naval authority thinks that, while England was, at the time, almost totally
'deficient in the class of vessels essential to attacking the fleets and fortifications of
Russia, the fact that the former never dared "to accept the challenge of any British
sijuadron, however small, is one the record of which we certainl}' may read without
ihame." But of that period it would be more pleasant to write exultingly than
.pologetically.

When the Allies had decided to commence the bombardment of Sebastopol, on October

7th, 1851, it was understood that the fleet should co-operate, and that the attack should

made by the line-of-battle ships in a semicircle. They were ready at one p m. to commence

• Tho Turks luid at Sinopo seven frigates, one sloop, two corvettes, and two transports. Tlio Russians weio

tronger, but this did not dctennino the battle ; their success was won Iwcauso they were well supplied with

rge shells and shell-guns, while tho Turks had nothing more effective than 2J. pounders. Their wooden

sels were speedily on fire, and tho Russians won an easy success. Shells were no novelty, yet a '^wa/t

-fight had never before been, as it was then, won by their exclusive agency.

t Tho Hon. S. J. G. Calthorpe, " Letters from Head-quai-tors."

t Tho seven Russian ships sunk at the entrance of the harbour of Sebastopol were of no small xizc or
alue, and they were scuttled in a hurry so great that they had all their guns, ammunition, iiud stores on
ard, and their rigging standing. They comprised five line-of-battle ships, two of them eighty, two eighty-
Bur, and one 120 guns, and two frigates of foity guns ; a total of 528 guns. Afterwards it became a ctjuimon
eport that vessels had been disabled and sunk in the harbour. On tho night of the 5th of September, just
efore tho evacuation of the town, two large Russian men-of-war caught fire ami burned fiercely, illumining tlio
arbour and town, and causing great excitement, as an omen of coming doom. The night of the memorable
1, when tho Russians gave up all further idea of resistance, and left the town to take care of itiielf,
itnessed the sinking of tho remainder of the Black Sea fleet. So far, therefore, the presence of our fl.et had
pronounced moral effect, without involving further loss of life.

TIIK SLA.

lilt! bomhanlmout. Lvdiis broiiupht tho Aijiiiueiinnin, fullowod by half a dozoii other vessels,,
to within 7(H) yards of Fort Constantino, tho others staying at tho safer distances of 1,S()(>
to •2,:i(M) yards. Tlic whole iloot oponod with a tremendous roar of artillery, to which
tho Russians replied almost as heavily. Fort Constantino was several times silenced, and
o'roatly daiiiao-od ; but, on tho other hand, tho Russians niana^jed to kill forty-seven and wound
•X'-\'\ men in the I'Jit^lish iloet, and a si iyhtly smaller num1)er in the French. They had an
unpleasant knack of liring red-hot shot in profusion, and of hittinj^ the vessel-! even at
tiie distance at which they lay. Several wore set on lire, and two for a time had to retire
from the action. These were practi(,'al shots at our wooden walls. This naval attack
has ])oon characterised as "even a yreator failure than that by land " — moanins:;', of course, the
iirst attack.

Here we may for a moment be allowed to di^-ress and remind the reader of the important
part j)layed 1)V red-hot shot at that greatest of: all great sieges — Cliljraltar. As each accession
to the tnonn '^s force arrived. General Elliott calmlv built more furnaces and more urates I'or
heating his most oU'ectivo means of defence. Just as one of their wooden batteries was on
the point of completion, he gave it what was termed at the time a dose of "cayenne
pepper;" in otiier words, with red-hot shot and shells he set it on lire. ^Vheu the
ordnance portable furnaces for heating shot proved insullicient to supply the demands of the
artillery, he ordered large bonfuvs to bo kindled, on which the cannon-balls were thrown; and
these s.ij»{)lies wore termed by the soldiers "hot potatoes" for tho enemy. IJut tho great
triumph of red-hot shot was on that memorable l-'Uh of Septeml)er, \l>>t, when forty-six
sail of the line, and ii countless ileet of gun and mortar boats attacked the fortress.
^Vitl; all these ai)j)liances of warfare, the great ctmfldonco of tho enemy — or rather, com-
bined enemies — was in their floating batteries, planned by D'Arcon, an eminent French
engineer, and which had cost a good half million sterling. They were suj)posed to be
impervious to shells or red-hot shot. After persistently liring at the licet, Elliott started
tho admiral's ship and one of the batteries commanded by the Prince of Nassau. This
was but the commencement of the end. Th.e unwieldy leviathans could not be shifted
from their moorings, and they lay helpless a!>d immovable, and yet dangerous to their
neighbours ; for thoy wei'c filled with the instruments of destruction. Early tho next
mornino: eiu'ht of these vaunted batteries " indicated the eflicacv of the red-hot defence.
Tho light produced by the flames was nearly etpial to noonday, and greatly exposed the
enemy to observation, enabling the artillery to be pointed u])on them with the utmost
precision. The rock and neighbouring objects are stated to have been highly illuminated
by the constant Hashes of cannon and tho flames of the burning ships, forming a mingled
scene of sublimity and terror."* "An indistinct clamour, with lamentable cries and groans,
arose from all quarters." f

"^^'hen 10(1 piopos of artillery were playing on the rock at the same moment, Elliott
returned 'le compliment with a shower of red-hot balls, bombs, and carcases, that filled
the air. with little or no intermission. The Count d'Artois had hastened from Paris to

•Cust, "Ann:ils <if the Wars of tho Eii;htt'ontli Contury."
f Driakwatcr, '' Siog' of Ciibrultar.''

. other vessels,,
ances of l,S(li>
llory, to which
s silonced, and
jvon ami wouikI
They had an
iosseU even at
le had to ivtire
s naval attack
r, of course, the

)£ the important
LS each accession
more grates lor
jattcrics was on
)se of " cayenne
re. AVhen the
demands of the
ere thrown ; and
But tlie great
, when forty-six
ed the fortress,
-or rather, corn-
eminent French
supposed to be
Elliott started
Nassau. This
not be shifted
gerous to their
uirly the next
•ed-hot defence,
ly exposed the
ith the utmost
■hly illuminated
ming a mingled
ries and groans,

moment, Elliott
?ases, that Idled
from Paris to

ii!

\-\

THE SEA.

witness a capitiilaliun. IIu arrived in tiiiK," lo soo the total destruction of the floating'
batlciit's and a hir^e piirl, of the coinljin^-'d lloet. Atteniptin''' a sunit-what feeble joke, he
MT'ilc (o France: — " Lii 6<i//erec' ^a pliLf cj/'ifc/ire Halt iiin hallcrie ile cuiniae." Elliolt's
cookiii^-apparalus and "roasted balls" beat it all to nothing. Red-hot shot has been
entirely sUi^'rseclcd in "civilised" warfare by shells. It was usually handled much in the
sanii' way that ordinary shot and shell is to-day. Each ball was carried by two men,
Invinii' ln'tween them a strong iron frame, with a ring in the middle to hold it. There
were two heavy wads, one dry and the other slightly damped, between the powder and
ball. At the siege of Gibraltar, however, matters were managed in a much more mugh-and-
readv style. Tiie shot was heated at furnaces and wheeled off to the guns in wheelbarrows
lined with sand.

The partial failure of the navy to co-operate successfully with the land-forces, so far
iis bombardment was concerned, during the Crimean war, has had much to do with the
adoption of the costly ironclad floating fortresses, armed with enormously ])owerful guns,
of the present da}'. The earliest form, indeed, was adopted during the above war,
but not used to an}' great extent or advantage. The late Emperor of the French * saw
that the coming necessity or necessary evil would be some form of strongly-armoured
and protected floating battery that could cope with fortresses ashore, and this was the
germ of the ironclad movement. The first batteries of this kind, used successfully at
Kinl)urn, were otherwise unseaworthy and unmanageable, and were little more than
heavily-plated and more or less covered barges.

The two earliest J'^uropean ironclads were Ln Gloire in France and the Warrior in
England — the latter launched in 1800. Neither of these vessels jjrescnted any great
dejtarture from the established types of build in large ships of war. The Ifarrlor is an un-
deniably fine, handsome-looking frigate, masted and riggetl as usual, but she and her sister-ship,
the HI id: I'riiirc, arc about the only ironclads to which these remarks aj)ply — every form
and variety of construction having been adopted since. As regarded size, she was con-
siderably larger than the largi.'st frigate or ship of the line of our navy, although greatly
exceeded by many ironclads subsequently built. She is 880 feet in length, and her dis-
placement of more than !),1()0 tons was .'i,000 tons greater than that of the largest of the
wooden men-of-war she was superseding. The Warrior is still among the fastest of the
iron-arm(jured fleet. Considered an an ir(jncladj however, she is a weak example. Iler armour,
which j)rotects only three-fifths of her sides, is but four and a half inches thick, with eighteen
inches of (wood) backing, and five-eighths of an inch of what is technically called "skin-
plafing," for protection inside. The remote possibility of a red-hot shot or shell falling
inside has to be considered. Ilcr bow and stw'ii, rudder-head and steering-gear, would, of
cour.se, be the vulnerable points.

From this small begimiing — one armoured vessel — our ironclad fleet has grown with

• Somo liiivf; even pour HO f:ir us to ooiisiilir Louis Niqiolion tln! inventor of iron-plated and iinnourod vessels,
riiis is ,il).<iiiil. The .•in(i( iit.s loicw the use of jiliites of iron or lirass for eoverin^j sliips of wiir iiiid l)iitterinfj:-ratns.
One of lliero's ^freitest galleys was eovere 1 that way. That it nnist eonie to this sooner or later was the jxihlLshnd
idi;a of many, holh in this country and in France. The Enipcror'B HUfjacity, however, was always fully alive to
qii"stion.s of the kind. ^,

THE BATTLE OF HAMPTON UOAIW.

of the floatint;'
feeble joke, he
Inc." Elliott's
shot has hecii
id much in the
1 by two men,
hold it. There
Jie powder and
lore rou^h-and-
iii wheelbarrows

d- forces, so far
to do with the

powerful guns,
he above war,
e French * saw
•ongly-arniourod
1 this was the

successfully at
tie more than

he Warrior in
ited any great
vrrior is an un-
ler sister-ship,
^ — every form
she was con-
lough greatly
and her dis-
argest of the
astest of the
Her armour,
with eighteen
called "skin-
shell falling
L^eur, would, of

■i grown with

.■iniio\in,'J vcssolH.
Ill liiiUciiiiif-iains.
\V(iH the |iul)lishcd

lys fully iilivc to

iftho greatest rapidity, till it now numbers over sixty of all donominalions of vessels.

iTlio late Kmjieror of tiie French gave a great iniiieius to the movement; and other
foreign nations speedily following in his wak<', it clearly behoved I'Jigland to be able to
cope with them on their own ground, should occasion demand. Then there was the
"sciirc" of invasion which took some hold of the pul)lic mind, and was exaggerated by
.certain portions of the press, at one period, till it assumed serious jji-oportions. Leading
journals complainwl that by the time the Admiralty would have one or tw ••.onclads in
^commission, the French would have ten or twelve. Thus urged, the (jiovernmeut of the
Iday must be excused if tliey made some doubtful experiments ai'.<l costly faiUn-es.
t' Hut apart from the lessons of the Crimea, and the activity and rivalry of foreign

4powers, attention was seriously drawn to the ironclad (piestion by tlx- events of the day.
^It was easy to guess and theorise concerning this n<'W feature in warfare, but early in
list):! practical proof was afforded of its power. The naval ciigagenienL which took place
in Hampton Itoads, near the outset of the great American civil war, was the first time
in which an ironclad ship was brought into co'dision with wooden vessels, and also the
first time in whi<h two distinct varieties of the species were brought into collision with
«acli other.

The Southerners had, when the strife commenced, seized and partially burned
the Mrrriiiiiic, a steam-frigate l)e!onging to Ihe United States navy, then lying
lit tli(! Norfolk Navy-yard. The hulk was regarded as nearly worthless,* until, looking
about for ways and means to annoy their opponents, thoy hit on the idea of armouring
,lier, in the best manner attainable at the moment ; and for awhile at least, this
condemned wreck, resuscitated, patched up, and covered with iron i)latcs,f l)ecame Ihc
Iterror of the enemy. She was provided with an iron i)row or ram capable of indicting
severe blow under water. Her hull, cut down to within three feet of the water-line,
i^as covered by a bomb-proof, sloping-roofed house, which extended over the screw and
jrudder. This was built of oak and pine, covered with iron; Ihe latter being four and a
lalf inches thick, and the former aggregating twenty inches in tlii(;knoss. While the
jnll was generally iron-plated, the bow and stern were covered with steel. There were
10 masts — nothing seen al)ovo but the "smoke-stack" (funnel), pilot-house, and llagstafT.
5he carrii.'d eight jjowerful guns, most of them eleven-inch. " As slw; came jiloughing
Ihrough the water," wrote one eyewitness (if her movements, "she looked like a huge
kalf-sub merged croccjdile." The Southerners re-<diristened her the / iri/iiiiii, but her older
Jiamc has clung to her. The smaller vessels with her contributed little to the issue of
le light, but those opposed to her were of no inconsiderable si/e. The ^ (//////vvv, Cinii/jciioinl,

* Tlic roport of till' f'liicf Enf,'in(f'r mimI X.-iviil Const rnctor of Die f 'onfcilci.iti' Service, in ie<j;(ii(l to tin; crm-
letMion of the Miriiiii'ii' into iiii .irinoureil ves.sel, cliHliiictiy staled that from thr' effects of (ins she was " usr loss
any other piiriioHc, witluiiit inciirriM;» a very heavy (^xjieiise for reljuililinij;'."

+ 'I'lie oflicial I'cporlM Ktat(> that hIic \v,^s plati'il. ninny ])0]mlar accoiintH avcTrini; that nhe was only covered

1th " lailroail iron." 'I'lie inforumtion prew;nt(!il hiTc is ilrawn from t)ie following sources ;-" The Kehelliori

iccorl," a Voluminous work, editi.'d by Frank Moore, (if New York, aiLil which contains all the Icadini,' olIiciaL

«rar-doiiiTiients, hoth of tlie Federals and Cimfederates ; the statenient of Mr. A. 15. Smith, pilot of ihe rnnihirliiiiil,

*ne of the survivors of the fi^'lit; the Baltimore Aiiiii'khii, an'l the Norfolk />"i/ lln'ik, hcjtli newspapers jiulilished

•ear the Hfcnu of action. There is ijfrcat unanimity in tlio ficLountH jtuhlishiMi on both xideH.

1 1

THE SEA.

Mliinesula, and Roanoake were frijjates carrying' an aggregate of over 150 guns and nearly
:i,UOU men. They, however, were wooden vessels ; and although, in two cases in particiUar,
dolondod with persistent heroism, had no chance against the ironclad, hastily as she had
been prepared. There is little doubt that the officers of the two former vessels, in
particular, knew something of the nature of the " forlorn hope " in which they were about
to engage, when she hove in sight on that memorable 8th of JMarch, ISO 2. It is said
that the sailors, however, derided her till she was close ujion them — so close that their
laughter and remarks were heard on board. " That Southern Bugaboo," " that old Secesh
curiosity," were among the milder titles applied to her.

Tlie engagement was fought in the Hampton Roads, which is virtually an outlet of
the James River, Virginia. The latter, like the Thames, has considerable breadth
and many shallows near its mouth. The Merriniac left Norfolk Navy-yard (which holds
to the James River somewhat the position that Sheorness does to the Thames) hurriedly'
on the morning of the 8th, and steamed steadily towards the enemy's fleet, accompanied
by some smaller vessels of war and a few tug-boats.

" Meanwhile, the shapeless iron mass
Caino moving o'er the wave,
As gloomy as a passing hearse,
As silent as the grave."

Tlie morning was still and calm as that of a Sabbath-day. That the Merrimac was
not expected was evidenced by the boats at the booms, and the sailors' clothes still
lianging in the rigging of the enemy's vessels. "Did they see the long, dark hull? Had
they made it out? "Was it ignorance, apathy, or comjiosure that made them so indifferent?
or were tliey provided with torpedoes, which could sink even the Merrimac in a minute ? "
were questions mooted on the Southern side by those watching on board the boats and
from the .shore.

As soon, however, as she was plainly discerned, the crews of the Cmnherland, Coi>r/re<i.<i,
and other vessels were beat to quarters, and preparations made for the fight. " The engage-
ment," wrote the Confederate Secretary of the Navy, " commenced at half-past three i).m.,
and at four p.m. Captain Buchanan had sunk the Cinnherhind, captured and burned the
Coiif/ress, disabled and driven the Minne«ofa ashore, and defeated the SI. Lidcreiice and
Roiinoahe, which sought shelter under the guns of Fortress ^Monroe. Two of the enemy's
small steamers were blown up, and the two transport steamers were captured." This,
as will be seen, must, as regards time, be taken cnin (jrano 9iilis, but in its main joints is
correct.

The Mcrr'DiKie commenced the action by discharging a broadside at the Congress, one
shell from which killed or disabled a number of men at the guns, and then kept on towards
the Cnmherlanil, which she approached with full steam on, striking her on the port side
near the bow, her stem knocking two of the ports into one, and her ram striking the
vessel under tlie water-line. Almost instantaneously a large shell was discharged from
her forward gun, which raked the gun-deck of the doomed ship, and killed ten men.
Five minutes later the ship began to sink by the head, a large hole having been made

THE "MERRDIAC

ins and nearly
3 in particular,
ily as she had
iier vessels, in
ley were about
i. It is said
ose that their
;hat old Secesh

ly an outlet of
erable breadth
d (which holds
imcs) hurriedly
at, accompanied

Merrimac was
s' clothes still
xrk hull? Had

so indifferent ?
in a minute ? "

the boats and

'rianil, Coiif/n'sfi,

" The eng-ago-

)ast three p.m.,

uid burned the

Lawrence and

of the enemy's

tured." This,

main jwints is

le Congress, one
ept on towards
n the port side
m striking the
lischarged from
illed ten men.
rinsr been made

by the point of the ram, through which the water rushed in. As the Mern'mae rounded
and rapidly came up again, she once more raked the Citiiifjerlund, killing or wounding
sixteen more men. Meantime the latter was endeavouring to defend herself, and poured
broadside after broadside into the Merrimac ; but the balls, as one of the survivors tells
us, l)onnc>jd " upon her mailed sides like india-rubber, apparently making not the least
impression except to cut off her llagstaff, and thus bring down the Confederate colours.
None of her crew ventured at that time on her outside to replace thorn, and she fought

THE OUIOINAL " MEUUIMAC.

thenceforward with only her pennant flying."* Shortly after this, the McrrlniKC again
attacked the unfortunate ship, advancing with her greatest speed, her ram making another
hole below the water-line. The Ciimherlaiiil began to fill rapidl}". The scene on Ixiard
is hardly to be described in words. It was one of horrible desperation and fruitless
heroism. The decks were slippery with human gore; shretls of human flesh, and portions
of the body, arms, logs, and headless trunks were scattered everywhere. Below, the cockpit
was tilled with wounded, whom it w)uld be impossible to succour, for the shij) was siid<ing
fast. Meantime the men stuck to their posts, powder was still served out, and the
firing kept up steadily, several of the crew lingering so long in the after shcll-ioom,

• Tho i.ilot of the C"mbn-h>icf.

•\

I 1

THE SEA.

in their eagerness to pass up shelly that tliey were drowned there. Tlie water had now
reached the main gun-deck, and it ])ecame evident that the contest was nearly over. Still
Ihe men lingered, anxious for one last shot, when their guns were nearly under water.

" .Shall wp fi;ive thorn a hrondsido, my boys, as she goes P
Shall wo Hond yet anothor to toll,
In iron-tonntii'd words, to Cidumbia's foes,
How bravely hor sons say ' FarewoU ? ' "

The word was passed for each man to save himself. Even then, one man, an active
little follow, named Matthew Tenney, whose courage had been conspicuous during the
action, determined to fire once more, the next gun to his own bemg then under water,
tiie vessel going down by the head. Ho succeeded, but at the cost of his life, for
immediately afterwards, attempting to scramble out of the port-hole, the water suddenly
rushed in with such force that he was washed back and drowned. Scores of poor fellows
were unable to reach the upper deck, and were carried down with the vessel. The Cumberland
sank in water up to the cross-trees, and went down toil/t her fag dill fijing from the peak* The
whole number lost was not less than l:iO souls. Her top-masts, with the pennant flying
far above the water, long marked the locality of one of the bravest and most desperate
defences ever made

"IH" men who knew that all else was wi-ong
But to die when a sailor ought.''

The Cumberland being utterly demolished, the Merrimac turned her attention to the
Congress. The Southerners showed their chivalric instincts at this juncture by not firing
on the boats, or on a small steamer, which were engaged in picking up the survivors of
the Cniiiberlaiid'.H crew. The officers of the Congress, seeing the fate of the Cumberland,
determined that the Merrimac should not, at least, sink their vessel. They therefore
got all sail on the ship, and attempted to run ashore. The Merrimac was soon close on them,
and delivered a broadside, which was terribly destructive, a shell killing, at one of the guns,
every man engaged except one. Backing, and then returning several times, she delivered
broadsif'a after broadside at less than 100 yards' distance. The Congress replied manfully
and obstinately, but with little effect. One shot is supposed to have entered one of the
ironclad's port-holes, and dismounted a gun, as there was no further firing from that port,
and a few splinters of iron were struck off her sloping mailed roof, but tliis was all.
The guns of the Merrimac appeared to have been specially trained on the after-magazine
of the Congress, and shot after shot entered that part of the ship. Thus, slowly drifting
down with the current, and again steaming up, the Merrimac continued for an hour to
fire into her opponent. Several times the Congress was on fire, but the flames were kept
under. At length the ship was on fire in so many places, and the flames gathering
with such force, that it was hopeless and suicidal to keep up the defence any longer.

* " Finally, after about three-fourths of an hour of the most severe fighting, our vessel sank, the Stars and
Stripes still waving. That flag was finally submerged ; but after the hull grounded on the sands, fifty-four feet
below the surface of the water, our pennant was still flying from the top-mast above the waves." (The Pilot of the
Ciiiiiberlaiid's Narrative.)

THE "MERHIMAC'S" WORK OF DESTRUCTION.

iter had now
Y over. Still
ater.

\a, an active
s diu-ing the
under water,
his life, for
■ater suddenly
if poor fellows
be Cuiiiherland
he peak* The
pennant flying
aost desperate

tention to the
by not firing
le survivors of
le Cnniherhmd ,
*hey therefore
close on them,
of the guns,
\, she delivered
[plied manfully
•ed one of the
[rom that port,
tliis was all.
after-n\agazine
ilowly drifting
'or an hour to
es were kept
les gathering
!e any longer.

ik, the Stars and

|ids, fifty-four f(.'et

(The Pilot 01 the

The national Hug was sadly and sorrowfully hauled down, and a white flag hoisted at
the i)ealv. The Mi'rruihir did not fur a few minutes see this token of surrender, and
continued to tire. At last, however, it was discerned through the clouds of smoke, and
the broadsides cwised. A tug that had followed the Merriiuuc out of Norfolk then came
alongside the Cutiifress, and ordereil the oflicers on board. This they refused, hoping
that, from the nearness of the shore, they would be able to escape. Some of the men,
to the number, it is believed, of about forty, thought the tug was one of the Northern
(Federal) vessels, and rushed on board, and were, of course, scon carried oft' as prisoners.
By the time that all the able men were oft' ashore and elsewhere, it was seven o'clock
in the evening, and the ('otigvess was a bright sheet of (lame fore and r't, her
guns, which were loaded and trained, going off as the lire reached them. A shell from
one struck a sloop at some distance, and blew her up. At midnight the lire reached
her magazines, containing five tons of gunpowder, and, with a terrific explosion, her
charred remains blow up. Thus had the Merriiiiao sunk one and burned a second of the
largest of the vessels of the enemy.

Having settled the fate of these two ships, the Merrimac had, about 5 o'clock in

the afternoon, started to tackle the Minnesota. Here, as was afterwards proved, the

commander of the former had the intention of capturing the latter as a prize, and had

(110 wish to destroy her. He, therefore, stood off about a mile distant, and with the

Y'ir/doini and Juiiieslown, threw shot and shell at the frigate, doing it considerable damage,

ard killing six men. One shell entered near her waist, passed through the chief engineer's

room, knocking two rooms into one, and wounded several men; a shot passed

through the main-mast. At nightfall the Mcrriniac, satisfied with her afternoon's work

of death and destruction, steamed in under Sewall's Point. " The day," said the Baltimore

American, " thus closed most dismally for our side, and with the most gloomy apprehensions

of what would occur the next day. The Miunesofa was at the mercy of the Merrimac,

and there appeared no reason why the iron monster might not clear the Roads of our

fleet, destroy all the stores and warehouses on the beach, drive our troops into the fortress,

[and command Hampton Roads against any number of wooden vessels the Government

; might send there. Saturday was a terribly dismal night at Fortress Monroe."

But about nine o'clock that evening Ericsson's battery, the Monitor,* arrived in

[Hampton Roads, and hope revived in the breasts of the despondent Northerners. She

[was not a very formidable-looking craft, for, lying low on the water, with a plain structure

[amidships, a small pilot-house forward, and a diminutive funnel aft, she might have been

[taken for a raft. It was only on board that her real strength might be discovered. She

[carried armour about five inches thick over a large part of her, and had jiractically two

lulls, the lower of which had sides inclining at an angle of 51^' from the vertical line.

[t was considered that no shot could hurt this lower hull, on account of the anji'le at

(vhicli it must strike it. The revolving turret, an iron cylinder, nine feet high, and twenty

feet in diameter, eight or nine inches thick everywhere, and about the portholes eleven

lehes, was moved round by steam-power. When the two heavy Dahlgren guns were

• The original Monitor, from which that class of vessel took its name.

-Zi

THE SEA.

1*-

run in for loadiny, a kind of pciululuin ])ort fell over the liolos in llic ttnTot. Tho
pi'ojx'lItT, rudclt'i-, iiiitl even anehor, were all hidden.

Tiiis was a war of surprises and sudden clianj^es. It is doubtful if the .Suutherners
knew what to make (»f the stran'ii'e-lookini;' hattery whieli steamed towards ihem next
morniuif, or whether tiiev despised it. Tlie Mi-rrltmic and the Mmiilur kej)t on ai)proaeli-
in^ each other, the former \vaitin<^ until she would choose her distance, and the latter
apparently not knowing- what to make of her queer-looking' antagonist. The lirst shot
from the Monitor was iired when about one hundred yards distant from the Mrrriiiiac,
and this distance was subsecpiently reduced to fifty yards ; and at no time during- the
furious cannonading- that, ensued were the vessels more than two hundred yards a])art. The
scene was in plain view from Fortress Monroe, and in the main facts all the spectators
ajjree. At lirst the light was very furious, and the guns of the MoiiUvr were fired
rapidly. The latter carried only two f^uns, to its ojuwnent's eight, and received two or
three shots for every one she jjave. Findiufj that she was much more formidable than
she looked, the Merriiuao attemjited to run her down ; but her superior speed and
<(uicker handling enabled her to dodge and turn rapidly. " Once the Jfcrriiiidc struck
her near midships, but only to prove that the battery could not be run down nor shot
down. She sjjun round like a top ; and as she got her bearing again, sent one of her
formidable missiles into her huge opponent.

" The officers of the Monitor at this time had gained such confidence in the
impregnability of their battery that they no longer fired at random nor hastily. The fight
then assumed its most interesting aspect. The Monitor went round the Mcrrimuc repeatedly,
probing her sides, seeking for weak points, and reserving her lire with coolness, until
she had the right spot and the right range, and made her experiments accordingly. In
this way the Mcrriuiac received three shots Neither of these three shots re-
bounded at all, but appeared to cut their way clear through iron and wood into the
ship."* Soon after receiving the third shot, the Merriniac made off at full speed,
and the contest was not renewed. Thus ended this particular episode of the American
war.

Lieutenant AVorden was in the pilot-house of the Monitor when the Mcrrimuc
directed a whole broadside at her, and was, besides being thrown down and stunned by
ihe concussion, temporarily blinded by the minute fragments of shells and powder driven
through the eye-holes — only an inch each in diameter — made through the iron to enable them
to keep a look-out. He was carried away, but, on recovering consciousness, his first
thoughts reverted to the action. "Have I saved the Minnesota/" said he, eagerly.
"Yes; and whipped the Merrimac !" was the answer. "Then," replied he, "1 don't
care what becomes of me." The concussion in the turret is described as i.mething
terrible ; and several of the men, though not otherwise hurt, were rendered insensible for
the time. Each side claimed that they had seriously damaged the other, but there seems
to have been no foundation for these assertions in fiicts.

But although this, the original Monitor, wa's efficient, if not omnipotent, in the calm

• Account of fyewitnessos furnished to the Baltimore American.

turret. The

Soiitlicniers
lliL'in next
ou ai)proiicli-
cl the latter
lie iirst shot
le Mci'rliiiuc,
! cliirinn' the
! apart. The
he spectators
ir were fired
eivetl two or
•iniiUil^le than
tr speed and
•rliiidc struck
:)wn nor shot
it one of her

lence in the

y. The tight

uic repeatedly,

coolness, until

ordingly. In

iree shots re-

lood into the

t full speed,

ihe American

he Jfcrr/i/iiio

ll stuinied by

liowder driven

|o enahle them

ess, his first

he, eagerly.

he, "1 don't

is fc.mething

insensible for

It there seems

in the calm

H
O

o
o

TU£ SEA.

!l'l

waters nt the mouth of the James River, she was, as might be expected with lior flat,
biirge-Iike bottom, a l>ail sea-boat, ami was afterwards lost. Her ports had to be dosed
and caulked, being only live feet above tlio water, and she was therefore unable to
work her guns at sea. Her constructor had neglected Sir Walter llaleigh's advice to
Prince Henry touching the model of a ship, " that her ports be so laid, as that she
may carry out her guns all weathers." She i)lunged heavily — completely submerging her
pilot-house at times, the sea washing over and into her turret. The heavy shocks and
jars of the armour, as it came down upon the waves, made her leaky, and she went to
the bottom in spite of pumjjs capable of throwing 2,001) gallons a minute, which were
in good order and working incessantly.

Since the conclusion of the American war, the ironclad question has assumed serious
aspects, and many facts could be cited to show that they have not by any means always
confirmed the first impressions of their strength and invulnerability. Two recent cases
will be fresh in the memories of our readers. The first is the recent cngngement
off Peru between the Peruvian ironclad turret-ship Jfiuiscar and the British unurinoured
men-of-war S/ia/i and Amdiii/Hl. With the political aspect of the all'air we have nothing,
of course, to do, in our present work. It was really a question between the guns
quite as much as between the vessels. The Jlnasvur is only a moderately-strong armoured
vessel, her plates being the same thickness as those of the earliest English ironclad, the
V'lirrior, and her armament is two 300-pounders in her turret, and three shell-guns.
On the other hand, the Shah, the principal one of the two British vessels, is only a large
iron vessel sheathed in wood, and not armoured at all ; but she carries, besides smaller
guns, a formidable armament in the shape of two 12-ton and sixteen Oi-ton guns. An
eyewitness of the engagement states* that, after three hours' firing, at a distance of
from 100 to 3,000 yards, the only damage inflicted by the opposing vessels was a hole in
the lliiascar's side, made by a shell, the bursting of which killed one man. "One J'-in. shot
(from a 12-ton gun) also penetrated three inches into the turret without effecting any material
damage. There were nearly 100 dents of various depths in the plates, but none of sutlicient
depth to materially injure them. The upper works — boats, and everything destructible
by shell — were, of course, destroyed. Her colours were also shot down." According to theory,
the Shah's two larger guns should have penetrated the Hiuiscar'n sides when fired at upwards
of 3,000 yards' distance. The facts are very different, doubtless because the shots struck
the armour obliquely, at any angles but right ones. The lluascar was admirably handled
and manoeuvred, but her gunnery was so indifferent that none of the shots even struck
the Shiih, except to cut away a couple of ropes, and the latter kept up so hot a
fire of shells that the crew of the former Avero completely demoralised, and the
officers had to train and fire the guns. She eventually escaped to Iquique, under cover of
a pitchy-dark night. The same correspondent admits, however, that the Shah, although
a magnificent vessel, is not fitted for the South American station, since Peru has three
ironclads. Chili two, and Brazil and the River Plate Republics several, against which no
ordinary English man-of-war could cope, were the former properly bandied.

* Vide tho Times, 17th July, 1877.

THE "HUASCAn" AND "SHAII."

fl7

with her flat,
to bo closed
J re unable to
^h's advice to
, as that she
ibinerging her
■y shocks and
I she went to
e, which were

ssumed serious
means always
:> recent cases
it enj^-agenicnt
sh unarinDured
have nothing,
een the guns
;rong armoured
1 ironclad, the
ree shell-guns,
is only a large
besides smaller
;on guns. An
a distance of
was a hole in
One S'-in. shot
ig any material
lie of sulticient
ig destructible
ding to theory,
red at upwards
3 shots struck
lirably handled
s even struck
up so hot a
ised, and the
under cover of
Vmli, although
'eru has three
inst which no

The recent story of the saucy Russian merchantman,* whicli not merely dared
the Tuiki>*ii ironclad, but fought her for live hours, and intlicted (juite as much
<lamage as she receiveci, will also be remembered, although it may he taken just lor what
it is worlli. One Captain Haranoft', of the Imperial Russian Navy, had, in an article
publislied in the (iolm, of St. Petersburg, recommended his (lovernment to abandon iron-
clads, avoid naval battles, and confine operations at sea to the letting loose of a number
of cruisers against the enemy's merchantmen. Where a naval engagement was inevilable,
he " prel'erred lighting with small craft, making up by agility and speetl what they lacked
in cuirass, and if the worst came to the worst, easily replaced by other s]iecimens of the
same type." The article created much notice; and at the beginning of the present war,
the author was given to understand by the Russian Admiralty that he should have an
opjiortunity of proving his theories by deeds. The I'l'uhi, an ordinary iron steamer ot
light build, was selected; she had been employed previously in no more warlike functions
than the conveyance of corn and tallow from Russia to foreign jiorts. She was equipped
immediately with a few (i-in. mortars, her decks being strengthened to receive them, but
% no other chaiiijes were made. On the morninji: of the :i;3rd of Julv, cruising in the Black
''^Sea, Captain Raranoff encountered the Turkish ironclad AxKurl 'JV/cik, a formidable vessel
f,4irm()ured with twelve inches of iron, and carrying J^-toii guns, and nothing daunted by
■'the disproportion in size and strength, immediately engaged her. Both vessels were skil-
fully man(euvred, the ironclad moving .about with extraordinary alertness and speed. She
was only hit three times with large balls; the second went through her deck, "kindling a
fire which was quickly extinguished ; " the third was believed to have injured the turret.
Meantime, the VfKf(( was herself badly injured, a grenade hitting her close to the powder-
• magazine, which would have soon blown up but for the rapid measures taken by her
commander. Iler rudder was struck and partially disabled, but still she was not sunk,
as she should have been, according to all theoretical considerations. She eventually
steamed back again to Sebastopul — after two other vessels had come to the ironclad's
: assistance — covered with glory, having for live hours worried, and somewhat injured, a
,^ giant vessel to which, in proportion, she was but a weak and miserable dwarf.
I It will be obvious that from ncitiier of the above cases can any positive inferences

«bo safely drawn. In the former case, the weaker vessel had the stronger guns, and so matters
iwere partially balanced; in the second example, the ironclad ought to have easily sunk
Hhe merchantman by means of her heavy guns, even from a great distance — but she didn't.
iTlie ironclad question will engage our attention agaiii, as it will, wo fear, that of the
fnation, for a very long time to come.

% . * Berlin correspondence of the Times, Slst July, 1S77.

2«

TUE MCA.

:iii

CHAPTER II.

Men ok P k a c e .

Naval Mfc In Peace Times— A Orond Kxploiliij? VoyuKo-TIio Cruise of the C/iaMenffer— Its Work Decp-Bea Soiindlnfts—
Five Mill':* Down— Appuriitua Kniployed-OfciiM 'rreiiHures— A OlKantic Hou-nionHter— TriHtun d'Acunlm— A DlHcovory
IntereHtiMK to the IdHcoveiVMl Tin- Two CnmoeH Tlie Intt<;eeH8il)le iHlund-Holitury Life— The Seu-c«rl-Hwlinniin(f
I'ins— IU'«i'iied at Lusit— Tlie Ueul Crusoe IhIiuhI to I,et-l)own Hoiith— The i^md of Uusolutlon— Ker(fiiek'U— The
Heulers' Dreary MI'e— In the Auturelic— Anions llie Icelierus.

No form of life presents greater contrasts than that of the sailor. Storm and oahn alternate;
to-day in the thick of the fij^ht — hattlin<»' man or the elements — to-morrow we find him
trantjiiilly pursuing some peaeet'iil scheme of discovery or oxjdoration, or calmly cruising from
one station to another, protecting by moral iuHuence alone the interests of his country. Ili>4
deeds may he none the less heroic because his contpiests are peaceful, and because Neptune
rather than !Mars is challenged to cede his treasures. Anson, Cook, and A'ancouver, Parry,
I'Vanklin, M'Clintock, and !M'Clure, among a host of others, stand worthily by the side of
our lighting sailors, because made of the same stuff. Let \\s also, then, for a time, leave
behind the smcdvc and din, the glories and horrors of war, and cool our fevered imagi-
nations by descending, in spirit at least, to the depths of the great sea. The records
of the famous voyage of the Chn/lci/f/fr* will afford a capital ojiportunity of contrasting
the deeds of the men of peace with those of men of war.

We may commence by saynig that no such voyage has in truth ever been imdertaken
before. t Nearly 70,000 m'l'.>s of the earth's watery surface were traversed, and the Atlantic
and Paciiic crossed and recrossed several times. It was a veritable vojikjc eii z'ujzag. Apart
from ordinary soundings innumcral^le, 371 deep-sea soundings, when the progress of the
vessel had to be stopped, and which occupied an hour or two apiece, were made, and at least
twa-thirds as many successful dredgings and trawlings. The greatest depth of ocean reached
was l,r)75 fathoms (i7,l'50 Cei't), or over ft re iiiilcx. This was in the Pacific, about 1,100 miles
S.E. of Japan. AV'e all km \v that this ocean derives its name from its generally calmer
weather and less tempestums seas ; and the researches of the officers of the Challenger,
and of the United Sttites vessel T/iscaroni, show that the bottom slopes to its greatest depths
very evenly and gradually, little broken by submarine mountain ranges, except off volcanic
islands and coasts like those of the Hawaiian (Sandwich) Islands. Off the latter there are
mountains in the sea ranging to as high as ] 2,000 feet. The general evenness of the bottom
helps to account lor the long, sweeping waves of the Pacific, so distinguishable from the short,

* The full ofRciiil account has not yet been issued. The In-iof narrative presented hero is derived principally from
the lively and intcrostinii; scries of letters from the i)cn of Lord George Camp1)oll; from "The Cruise of H. M.S.
Chdllcngcr,'' by W. .T. ,T. Spry, U.N., one of the engineers of the vessel; and the Xauticril and other scientific and
technical magazines.

t The Austrian frigate Novara made, in 1857-8-9, a vnyage round "and about " the world of 51,686 miles. As it
was a sailing vessel, no reliable results could be expected from tlieir deep-sea soundings, and, in fact, on the only two
in:casions when they attempted anything very deep, their lines broke.

TllK VOVA(}E OP TlIK "CIIALLEKOEU."

\ DlHcovory
-HwlinniliiK
<uuk'n— The

lUornatc ;

tiiul him
sing from
try. His

Neptune
er, Parry,
iio side ot"
ime, leave
L'J imugi-
le records
ontrasting'

indertaken
Atlantic
Apart
ss of the
lid at least
I'cached
too miles
y calmei"
'haUeiiger,
est depths
f volcanic
there are
le bottom
the short.

icipally from
K of H.M.S.
L'iontific and

miles. Ah it
the only two

cut-up, and "choppy" waves of the Atlantic. In the Atlantic, on the voyage of the
Challi-Hiji'r from Teneriffe to St. Thomas, a pretty level bottom off the African coast gradually
deepened till it reached '.\,\-X'i fathoms (over three and a half miles), at about one-third of the
way across to the West Indies. If the Alps, Mont Wane and all, were submerged at this spot,
there would still be more than half a mile of water above them ! Five hundred miles further
west there is a compamtively shallow part — two miles or so deep — which afterwards deepens to
three miles, and continues at the same depth nearly as far as the West Indies.

A few words as to the work laid out for the C/tn/lniijfr, and how she did it. She is

I a 2,000-ton corvette, of moderate steam-power, and was put into commission, with a
reduced complement of oflicers and men. Captain (now Sir) George S. Nares, later the
commander of the Arctic expedition, having complete charge and control. Her work

: was to include soundings, thermomctric and magnetic observations, drodgings and chemical

1 examiriations of sea-water, the surveying of unsurveyed harlxjurs and coasts, and the re-
surveying, where practicable, of partially surveyed coasts. Tlie (civil) scientilic corps, im<ler

[the charge of Professor Wyville Thomson, comprisetl three naturalists, a chemist and

[physicist, and a photographer. The naturalists had their special rooms, the chemist his

[.laboratory, the photographer his "dark-room," and the surveyors their chart-room, to
make room for which all the guns were removed except two. On the upper deck was another
analysiiig-room, " devoted to mud, llsh, birds, and vertebrates generally ; " a donkey-engine for
hauling in the sounding, dredging, and other lines, and a broad bridge amidshi^is, from which
the oHicer for the day gave the necessary orders for the performance of the many duties con-

. nected with their scientific labours. Thousands of fathoms of rope of all sizes, for dredging
and sounding; tons of sounding-weights, from half to a whole hundredweight apiece; uozens

; of thermometers for deep-sea temperatures, and gallons of methylated spirits for preserving

ithe specimens obtained', were carried on board.

Steam-power is always very essential to deep-sea sounding. No trustworthy results can

ibe obtained from a ship under sail ; a perpendicular sounding is the one thing required, and, of

course, with steam the vessel can be kept head to the wind, regulating her speed so that she

remains nearly stationary. The sounding apparatus used needs some little description. A

)lock was fixed to the main-j-ard, from which depended the " accumulator " consisting of strong

^ndia-rubber bands, each three-fourths of an inch in diameter and three leet long, which ran

through circular discs of wood at either end. These are capable of stretching seventeen feet,

ind their object is to prevent sudden strain on the lead-line from the inevitable jerks and

lotion of the vessel. The sounding-rod used for great depths is, with its weights,* so

Arranged that on touching bottom a spring releases a wire sling, and the weights slip off and

|ire left there. These rods were only employed when the depths were considered to be over

1,500 fathoms ; for less depths a long, conical lead weight was used, with a " butterfly valve,"

)r trap, at its basis for securing specimens from the ocean bed. There at ■ several kinds of

r slip " water-bottles for securing samples of sea-water (and marine objects of small size

Joating in it) at great depths. One of the most ingenious, i j a brass tube, two and a half feet

length, fitted with easily-working stop-cocks at each end, connected by means of » rod, on

• The " sinkers" were usually allowed a* the rate of 1121b. for each 1,000 fathoms.

«r^

. f

I H

I ;ril

i i, '

If li

'il

THE SEA.

which is a movable float. As the bottle desceiuls the stop-cocks must remain open, but as it
is hauleJ up aijain the Hat float receives the opposing' pressure of the water alwvt.' it, and,
actinjr by means of the connecting-rod, shuts b( ih cocks simultaneously, thus inclosing a
sjiecimen of the water at that particular depth. Self-registering thermometers were emi)loyed,
sometimes attached at intervals of 100 fathoms to the sounding-line, so as to test the
temperatures at various depths. For dredging, bags or nets from three to five feet in depth,
and nine to fifteen inches in width, attached to iron frames, were employed, whilst at the
bottom of the bags a number of "swabs," similar to those used in cleaning decks, were
attached, so as to sweep along the bottom, and bring up small specimens of animal
life — coral, sponges, ice. These swabs were, however, always termed " hempen tangles" — so
much does science dignify every object it touches ! The dredges were afterwards set aside
for the ordinary beam-trawls used in shallow water around our own coasts. Their open
meshes allowed the mud and sand to filter through easily, and their adoption was a source
of satisfaction to some of the oHicers who looke^ with horror on the state of their usually
immaculate decks, when the dredges were emptied or their contents.

Not so very long ago, our knowledge of anytliiisg beneath the ocean's surface was
extremely indefinite; for even of the coasts and shallows we knew little, marine zoology and
botany being the last, and not the earliest, branches of natural history investigated by men
of science. It was asserted that the specific gravity of water at great depths would cause the
heaviest weights to remain suspended in r.iid-sea, and that animal existence was impossible
at the bottom. When, some sixteen yeai's ago, a few star-fish were brought up by a line
from a depth of l,:iOO fathoms, it was seriously considered that they hiul attached tliemsehes
at some midway point, and not at the bottorr.. In 180S-9-70, the Royal Society borrowed
from the Admiralty two of Iler Majesty's vessels, the Ijiijhtning and Vorcnphio ; and in one
of the hitter's trips, considerably to fl'.e south and west of Ireland, she sounded to a depth
of :J,100 fathoms,* and was very successful in many dredging operations. As a result,
it was then suggested that a vessel should be specially fitted out for a more important
ocean voyage round the world, to occupy three or more years, and the cruise of the Chadouger
was thou determined upon.

The story of that cruise is utterly unsen^ational ; it is one simply of calm and unremitting
scientific work, almost unaccompanied by peril. To some the treasures acquired will seem
valueless. Among the earliest gains, ol>tained near (kpo St. Vincent, with a common trawl,
was a beautiful sj)ecimen of the iMiplectella, "glass-rope sponge," v " Veruo's flower-basket,"
alive. Tills ol)joct of beauty and interest, sometiri.es seen in working naturalists* and
conchologists' windows in I-ondon, had always previously been obtained from the sea^

• Most of tho rccur-Ifid oxamplcs of oarlicr doep-sea soundings hnvn littlo sciontiflc value. I'^nlcss lip soimding-
linc sinks povpc.iiictila'.'ly, and the vessel remains stationary — to do whieh she may have to steam against wind und
tide ov cnvreni — it imist lie evident that tho data ohtaircd ai'c not reliable. From a sailing vessel it is inipossih^^ to
obtaii. absolutely roiii!bl(> soundings exiept in, say, a tideless lal<e, unruffled b)' wind. It is very evident that if tho
sounding lino drags ufter or in any direition from the vessel, the depth indicated may be greatly in excess of tho true
depth ; indi 'd, it may be doiihle or treble in .som( easer. There is onn recorded "'.ample of a deiith of T.'OC) fathoms
having been obtained, whieh too iviJently eomes under this category. After , . .-ral years' soundings on the jiart of
tho Cliallciiflcr and the United States vessel Tiincovnrii, it has bei'ome probable thivt no part of the ocean has a depth
Tiucli n-euter than i ')C0 fathoms. Ibit even this ir i iwards o^ five miles!

OCEAN TREASURES.

open, but an it

al)ov(,' it, and,

IS inclosing a

vere employod,

s to test the

feet in deptli,

, wliilst at the

ig decks, were

ens of animal

I tang'los " — so

vards sot aside

Their open

I was a source

f their usually

I's surface was
ne zoology and
tigated by men
would cause the
was impossible

up by a

line

bed themseh-es
)ciety borrowed
/('; and in one
led io a depth
As a vesult,
lore important
the Challenger

ud unremitting
ired will seem
common trawl,
flower-basket,"
atnralists' and
from the sea.

iloss lip snundinp;-
1 iif^iiinst wind and
1 it is impossiblo to
ovidout tlmt if tho
n i-xi'oss of tho truo
li of T,70() fathoms
iiii^s on the pint of
! ocoiin litis ii dopth

of the Philippine Islands and Japan, to which it was thought to bo confined, and

its discovery so much nearer home was hailed with delight. It has a most graceful form,

I consisting of a slightly curved conical tube, eight or ten inches in height, contracted beneath

[to a blunt point. The walls are of light tracery, resembling opaque spun glass, covered with

[a lace-work of delicate pattern. The lower end is surrounded by an upturiieil fringe of lustrous

[fibres, and the wider end is closed by -i lid of open network. These beautiful objects of nature

[make most charming ornament ■ for a drawing-room, but have to be kept under a glass case, us

Ithov are somewhat frail. In their native element thoy lie l)uried in the mud. Thev were

.;. afterwards found to be " the most characteristic inhabitants of the great depths all over the

world." Early in the voyage, no lack of living things were brought up — strange-looking fish,

Iwith their eyes blown nearly out of their heads by the expansion of the air in their air-bladders,

whilst entangled among tho meshes were many star-fish and delicate zoophytes, shining with a

vivid i)hos2>horescent light. A rare specimen of the clustered sea-polyp, twelve gigantic

polyps, each with eight long fringed arms, terminating in a close cluster on a stalk or stem

three feet high, was obtained. " Two specimens of this fine species were brought "rom the

^coast of Greenland early in the last century; someliow these were lost, and for a century the

tinimal was never seen." Two were brought home by one of the Swedish Arctic expeditions,

-fcnd these are the only specimens ever obtained. One of the lions of the expctlition was not

" a rare sea-fowl," but a transparent lobster, while a new crustacean, perfectly blind, which

feels its way with most beuutifully delicate claws, was one of tb« greatest curiosities obtained.

Of these wonders, and of some geological points determined, more anon. But they did not

even sight the sea-serpent, much less attempt to catch it. Jules V^erne's twenty miles of

inexhaustible pearl-meadows were evidently missed, nor did they even catch a glimpse of his

'gigantic oyster, with the pearl as big as a coco? aut, and worth 10,000,000 francs. They

could not, with Captain Nemo, dive to tho bottom and land amid submarine forests, where

tigon. and cobras have their couni'^rparts in eiwrmous sharks and vicious cephalopods. Victor

H'.go's "devil-fish" did not attacic a single sailor, nor did, indeed, any formidable cuttle-fish

t^ke even a passing peep at the Challenger, much less attempt to stop its progress. Does

.the reader remember the story recited both by Figuier and ]Moquin Tandon,* concornino-

pne of these gigantic sea-monsters, which should have a strong basis of truth in it, as it

ms laid before the French Academic des Science, by a lieutenant of their navy and a French

)nsul ?

The steam-corvette Alecton, when between Teneriffe and Madeira, fell in with a
igantic cuttle-fish, fifty feet long in the body, without counting its eight formidable
rms covered with suckers. The head was of enormous size, out of all proportion to the
jdy, and had eyes as large as jjlates. The other extremity terminated in two fleshy
Dbes cf fins of great size. The estimated weight of the whole creature was 'J-,00() lbs.,
^nd the flesh was soft, glutinous, and of a reddish-brick colour. "The commandant,
irishing, in the interests of science to secure tho monster, actually engaged it in battle.
Numerous shots were aimed at it, but the balls traversed its flaccid and glutinous mass
without causing it any vital injury But after one . '' these attacks, the waves were

• In their popular works on tho 8oa, " Tho Ocean World," and "Tho World of the Sea."

Mil

i ;

■ !

■ f

!
:

THE SEA.

observed to be covered with foam and blood, and— sin<,''ular thing — a stronj? odour of iDTisk
was inhaled by the spectators, . . . The musket-shots not haviiifr produced tin;
desired results, harpoons were employed, but they took no hold on the soft, iini)alpable
flesh • £ the marine monster. AVhen it escaped from the harpoon, it dived under the shij)
and came up again at the other side. They succeeded, at last, in getting the harpoon
to bite, and in passing a bowling-hitch round tl;e posterior part of the animal. But
when they attempted to hoist it out of the water, the rope penetrated deeply into the

2 ■ 3

OBJECTS OF IXTEKEST BROUOHT HOMR BY TUE " CHALLENGER."

Fig. 1.— Shell of Glohincrinn QngMy magiiinid). Fig. i.—Oj^liiogbjjtlui hiiUata (six limes the size in imtiirc).

Suberca (iioimlaily " Vemis's Flower-basket "). Fig. 4.—JJ'Uhvniu leptoiU'Ctyla (a Dliinl Lobster).

■ «•

'^itpkeUUa

flesh, and separated it into two parts, the head, with the arms and tentacles, dropping into
the sea and making ofF, while the fins and posterior parts were brought on board; thoy
weighed about forty pounds. The crew were eager to pursue, and would have launched
a boat, but the commander refused, fearing that the animal might capsize it. The object
was not, in Ins opinion, one in which he could risk the lives of his ('"i w." .M. Moquin
Tandon, commenting on M. Berthelot's recital, considers "that this ^ I'.^sal mollusc was
sick and exhausted at the time by some recent struggle with some otl,' r mo. stor of tbe
deep, which would account for its having quitted its native rocks in the depths of the
ocean. Otherwise it would have been more active in its movements, or it ./ould have

JUAN FKRNANDEZ.

odour of mvsk
produced tlio
:>ft, impalpable
under the ship
g the harpoon
animal. But
leeply into the

■s, dropping into

on board; tluv

have launched

it. The object

," .M. Moquin

?al mollusc was

mo'.stcr of ihe

e depths of the

it vould have

obsciu-el the waves with the inky liquid which all the ccphalopods have at commamV
Jud"ii.g from its size, it would carry at least a barrel of this black liquid."

The ChuUenger afterwards visited Juan Fernandez, the real Robinson Crusoe island where

■ Alexander Selkirk passed his enforced residence of four years. Thanks to Defoe, he lived

to find himself so famous, tliat he could hardly have g-rudged the time spent in his solitary

soiourii with his dumb companions and man Friday. Alas ! the romance which enveloped

Juan Fernandez has bome.vhat dimmed. For a brief time it was a Chilian pnal colony, and

i after sundry vicissitudes, was a few years ago leased to a merchant, who kept cattle to sell

% to Avhalers and passing shij)s, and also went seal-hunting on a neighbouring isl"t. Ho was

• "monarch of all he surveyed '' — lord of an island over a dozeii m''js long and iive or six

'•THE LUALLliNUIiU "' IX ANTAliCTIC ICE.

iroad, with cattle, and herds of wild goats, and capital fishing all round — all for two hundred
year ! Fancy this, ye sportsmen, wlio pay as much or more for the privileges of a barren
loor ! Yet the merchant was not satisfied with Sis venture, and, at the time of the
'hallenger's visit, was on the point of abandoning it : by this time it is probably to let.
xcepting the cattle dotted about the foot of the hills and a civilised house or two, the
appearance, 0^ the island must be precisely the same now as when the piratical buccaneers
j^of olden time made it their rendezvous and haunt wherefrom to dash out and harry the
'^Spaniards ; the same to-day as when Alexander Selkirk lived in it as its involunta»-y
monarch ; the same to-day as when Commodore Anson arrived with his scurvy-stricken
;" crazy ship, a great scarcity of water, and a crew so universally diseased that there were
^ot aljove-ten foremast-men in a watch capal)le of doing duty," and recruited them with
Ifrcih meat, vegetables, and wild fruits.

" The scenery," writes Lord George Campbell, " is grand : gloomy and wild enough on
the dull, stormy day on which we arrived, clouds driving past and enveloping the highest
i-itlge of the mountain, a dark-col©ured sea pelting against the steep cliffs and shores, and

THE SEA.

ill !.!

I li!i

clouds of sea-birds swaying in great Hocks to and fro over the water; but cheerful and
beautiful on the bright sunny morning which followed — so beautiful that I tho-aght, ' Tbis
beats Tahiti!''^ The anchorage of the ChaUeHtjer was in Cumberland Bay, a dewp- water
inlet from which rises a semi-circle of high land, with two bold headlands, " sweeping
brokenly up thence to the highest ridge — a square-shaped, craggy, precipitous mass of
rock, with trees clinging to its sides to near the summit. The spurs of these hills are

covered with coarse grass or moss Down the beds of the small ravines run

burns, overgrown by dock-leaves of enormous size, and the banks are clothed with a ricli
vegetation of dark-leaved myrtle, bignonia, and winter-bark, tree-shrubs, with tall grass,
ferns, and flowering plants. And as you lie there, humming-bii'ds come darting and
thrumming within reach of your stick, flitting from flower to flower, which dot blue and
white the foliage of bignonias and myrtles. And on the steep grassy slopes above the sea-
cliffs herds of wild goats are seen quietly browsing — quietly, that is, till they scent you, when
they are off — as wild as chamois." This is indeed a description of a rugged paradise !

Near the ship they found splendid, but laborious, cod-flshing; laborious on account of
sharks playj .' ''^^i the bait, and treating the stoutest lines as though made of single
gut; also on .. it of the forty-fathom dej>th these cod-fish lived in. Cray-fish and
conger-eels were iiauled up in lobster-pots by dozens, while round the ship's sides flashed
shoals of cavalli, fish that are caught by a hook with a piece of worsted tied roughly on,
swished over the sui'face, giving splendid play with a rod. " And on shore, too, there
was something to be seen and done. There was Selkirk's 'look-out' to clamber up the
hill-side to — the spot where tradition says he watched day after day for a passing sail, and
from whence he could look down on both sides of his island home, over the wooded
slopes, down to the clift'-fringed shore, on to the deserted ocean's expanse."

The Cfialleiif/cr, in its cruise of over three jears, naturally visited many oft-described
ports and settlements with which we shall have nought to do. After a visit to Kerguelen's
Land — " the Land of Desolation," as Captain Cook called it — in the Southern Indian Ocean,
for the purpose of selecting a spot for the erection of an observatoiy, from whence the
transit of ^'enu? should be later observed, they proceeded to Heard Island, the position of
which required determining with more accuracy. They anchored, in the evening, in a bay pf
this most gloomy and utterly desolates i)lace, where they found half-a-dozen wretched sealers
living in two miserable huts near the beach, which were sunk into the ground for warmth
and protection against the fierce winds. Their work is to kill and boil down sea-elophants.
One of the men had been there for two years, and was going to stay another. They are
left on the island every year by the schooners, which go sealing or whaling elsewhere.
Some fort^"^ men were on the island, unable to communicate with each other by land, as
the interior is entirely coveretl with glacier, like Greenland. They have barrels of salt
jwrk, beef, and a small store of coals, and little else, and are wretchedly paid. " Books,"
says Lord Camjibell, "tell us that tliosc; sea-elephants grow to the length of twenty-four
feet; but the sealers did not confirm this at all. One of us tried hard to make the Scotch
mate say he had seen one eighteen feet long; but ' waull, he couldn't say.' Sixteen feet?
'WauU, he couldn't say,' Fourteen feet? 'Waull, yes, yes — sometliing more like that;'
but thirteen feet would seem a fair average size One of our fellows bought a

AllOXa THE ICEBEIJGS.

cheerful and
hu'Jght, ' Tli-is

a dewp-vvatcr
s, " sweeping
tous mass of
hese hills are
11 ravines run
tl with a rich
th tall grass,

darting and

dot blue and
above the sea-
;ent you, when
,dise !

on account o£
lade of single

Cray-fish and
s sides Hashed
sd roughly on,
ore, too, there
lamber up the
ssing sail, and
T the wooded

f uft-described
to Kerguelcn's
Indian Ocean,
m whence the
he position of
ig, in a bay ^f
retched sealers
id for warmth

sea-elophants.
ler. They are
ing elsewhere.
>r by land, as
barrels of salt
id. " Books,"
of twenty-four
,ke the Scotch

Sixteen feet?
re like that;'
lows bought a

^Mmm^

: clever little clay model of two men killing a sea-elephant, giving for it — he being an
extravagant man — one jwund and a bottle of rum. This pound was instantly offered to
I the servants outside in exchange for another Ijottle."

Crossing the Antarctic Circle, they were soon among the icebergs, keeping a shai'p

[look-out for Termination Land, which has been marked on charts as a

good stretch of coast seen by Wilkes, of the American expedition, thirty

[years before. To make a long story short, Captain Nares, after a careful

isearcli, iDi-di-vovcred this discovery, finding no traces of the land. It was

|probal)ly a long stretch of ice, or possibly a hi I rage, which phenomenon

has deceived many a sailor before. John Ross once thought that he

had discovered some grand mountains in the Arctic regions, which he

/'named after the then First Lord of the Admiralty, Croker. Next

• year Parry sailed over the site of the supposed I'ange ; and the " Croker "

jiMountains became a standing joke against Ross.

w Icebergs of enormous size were encountered ; several of three in lies in

- length and two hundred feet or more in height were seen one day, all

close together. But bergs of this calibre were exceptional; they were,

however, very often over half a mile in length. " There are few people

now alive," says the author we have recently quoted, " who have seen such

', Buperb Antarctic iceberg scenery as we have. We are steaming towards the

^supposed position of land, only some thirty miles distant, over a glass-like

^sea, unruffled by a breath of wind; past great masses of ice, grouped so

|close together in some cases as to form an unbroken wall of cliff sevci d

^miles in length. Then, as we pass within a few hundred yards, the

|chain breaks up into two or three separate bergs, and one sees — and

ibeautifully from the mast-head — the blue sea and distant horizon between

[perpendicular walls of glistening alabaster white, against which the long

swell dashes, rearing up in great blue-green heaps, falling back in a

jrrent of rainbow-flashing spray, or goes roaring into the azure caverns,

followed immediately by a thundering t/iiid, as the compressed air within

Juffets it back again in a torrent of seething white foam." Neither words

lequately describe the beauty of many of the icebergs seen. One had three high arched

iverns penetrating far to its interior; another had a large tunnel through which they could

the horizon. The delicate colouring of these bergs is most lovely— sweeps of azure blue

ind pale sea-green with dazzling white; glittering, sparkling crystal merging into depths

bf mdigo blue; stalactite icicles hanging from the Walls and roofs of cavernous openings.

le reader will imagine the beauty of the scene at sunrise and sunset, when as many as

^ighty or ninety bergs were sometimes in sight. The sea was intensely green from the

presence of minute algtr, through belts of which the vessel passed, while the sun, sinking

^n a golden bl.n/e, tipped and lighted up the ice and sni.w, making them sparkle as with

* This is an apparauis oonsistinfi; of a nunibor of india-ruhhor bands 8usi)(.nd..d fr.im tlu> nmst-lu-ad, during
xlgins opciiitions, which indicates, by its expansion and contraction, liow tlic dicdgo is passing over the
nequalitics of the bottom.

THE " ACCTMr LATOIl.""

"TT

1 11

■' Ifii

. 'i*^

tilt

m ''

ij^^l

DEKP-SEA TEJIPERATURES.

brio-Iitcst q-oms. A laryo mimljcr of tabuliir icoborf^s, witli (inautitios of snow on tlicir
level tops, wore nu't. Tlicy iimused thcmselvos by firin";' a U-poiindor Armstrong at oiii",
wbich broun'ht the ice down with a rattliiiy crash, the face of tlie bcry- cracking', splittiiif»-,
and sphishinq- down with a loar, inakin<^ the water below wliite with foam and powdered
ice. These iceberg-s were all stratitied, at more or less reg'iilar distances, with blue linos,
which ))eforo they capsized or canted from displacement of their centres of g'ravity, were
alwavs liorizontal. During' a g'ale, the ('/tal/rtiiicr came into collision with a berg-, and lost
her jibboom, "dolphin-striker," and other bead-gear. An icebergs in a fo<^ or g'ale of wind
is not a desirable obstruction to meet at sea.

The observations made for deep-sea temi)eraturos gave some remarkable residts. Here,
among- the icebergs, a band or stratum of water was found, at a depth of eighty to :iOO

THE NATURALISTS ROOM ON UOAUl) THE " CHALLtNUEU

fathoms, colder than the water cither above or below it. Take one day as an example : on
the loth of February the surface temperature of the sea- water was 3'2'-'; at 10(1 fathoms
it was 'i^'-l° ; while at 300 fathoms it had risen to 33°. In the Atlantic, on the eastern
•ide about the tropics, the bottom temperature was found to be ver}' uniform at 35"2^, while
it might be broiling hot on the surface. Further south, on the west side of the Atlantic
below the equator, the bottom was found to be very nearly three degrees cooler. It is
belicN 'd that the cold current enters the Atlantic from the Antarctic, and does not rise to
within 1,700 fathoms of the surface. These, and many kindred points, belong more properly
to another section of this work, to be hereafter discussed.

V- The Challenger had crossed, and sounded, and dredged the broad Atlantic from
llladeira to the "West Indies — finding their deepest water off the ^'irgin Islands ; thence
to Halifax, Nova Scotia ; recrossed it to the Azores, Canary, and Cape de Yerde Islands ;
tecrossed it once more in a great zig-zag from the African coast, through the equatorial
regions to Bahia, Brazil; and thence, if the expression may bo used, by a great angular

THE SEA.

'^ m

' iiil

! f 1

'III

I 1

-;i!

-1
f

'.! <

sweep Uirougli tlio Southern Oueun to Trisitun tl'Aeunhii t-ii roiffi' to the Cape, where they
made an interesting' discovery, one that, unlike their other findings, was most interesting
to the ilisrorcred also. It was that of two modern Robinson Crusoes, who had been living
by themselves a coujile of years on a desolate rocky island, the name of which, " Inac-
cessible," rightly describes its character and position in mid ocean. Juan Fernandez, tlio
loca/e of Defoe's immortal story, is nothing to it uow-a-days, and is constantly visited.

DUKDOIXO IMl'LEMKXTS ISEI' HY THE " CHAI.Li:>GT;lt."
Fig 1, .Siuiiiiling iiiapliiii!S. Fi^' 2, Slili watiT-bottles. Fig. 3, Ut'ep-sea therniomctiT. Fig. 4, The ilieilgc.

Fig. 5, Clip soniuliiig lead.

On arrival at the island of Tristan d^Acunha, itself a miserable settlement of about a
dozen cottages, the people, mostly from the Cape and St. Helena, some of them mulattoes,
informed the officers of the Chalhvger that two Germans, brothers, had some time before
settled, for the purpose of catching seals, on a small island about thirty miles off, and that,
not having been over there or seen any signs of them for a long time, they feared that
they had })erished. It turned out afterwards that the Tristan d'Acunha people had not
taken any trouble in the matter, looking on them as interlopers on their fishing-grounds.
They had promised to send them some animals — a bull, cow, and heifer — but, although
they had stock and fowls of all kinds, had left them to their fate. But first as to this

THE TWO CUUSOES.

)e, where they
ost interesting,'
id been li\ing
which, " Inac-
b'ernandez, the
itantly visited.

5, Cup soumlhig lend.

nt of about a
bem mulattoes,
tne time before
s off, and that,
ey feared that
people had not
ishing-grounds.
but, although
irst Jis to this

little-known Tristan d'Acunha, of which Lord George Campbell* furnishes the following
account : — " It is a circular-s'.iapcd island, some nine miles in diameter, a peak rising in
the centre 8,^00 feet high — a fine sight, snow-covered as it is two-thirds of the way
down. In the time of Najioleon a guard of our marines was sent there from the Cape;
but the connection between Nap's being caged at St. Helena and a guard of marines

, occupying this island is not very obvious, is it? Any way, that was the commencement
of a settlement which has continued with varying numbers to this day, the marines
having long ago been withdrawn, and now eighty-six people — men, women, and children —

' live here. ... A precipitous wall of cliff, rising abruptly from the sea, encircles
the island, excepting where the settlement is, and there the cliff recedes and leaves a Ic ng
grass slope of considerable extent, covered with grey boulders. The cottages, in number
about a dozen, look very Scotch from the ship, with their white walls, straw roofs, and
etone dykes around them. Sheep, cattle, pigs, geese, ducks, and fowls they have in

.plenty, also potatoes and other vegetables, all of which they sell to whalers, who give
ihem flour or money in exchange. The appea"ance of the place makes one shudder;
it looks so thoroughly as though it were always blowing there — which, indeed, it is,
leavy storms continually sweeping over, killing their cattle right and left before they
have time to drive them under shelter. They say that they have lost 1U(» head of
caUle lately by these storms, which kill the animals, particularly tlie calves, from sheer
fatigue." The men of the place often go whaling or sealing cruises with the ships that
touch there.

The i'lmllcnger steamed slowly over to Inaccessible T ^and during the night, and anchored
next morning off its northern side, where rose a magnificent wall of black cliff, splashed
green with moss and ferns, rising sheer 1,.'30U feet above the sea. Between two headlands
a strip of stony beach, with a small hut on it, could l)e seen. This was the residence

; of our two Crusoes.

Their story, told when the first exuberance of joy at the prospect of being taken

oft' the island had passed away, was as follows: — One of the brothers had been cast

away on Tristan d'Acunha some yeai"? before, in consequence of the burning of his ship.

^There he and 'his companions of the crew had been kindly treated by the settlers, and told

hat at one of the neighbouring islands 1,700 seals had been captured in one season.

'elling this to a brother when he at last reached home in the Fatherland, tlie two of

Ithein, fired with the ambition of acquiring money quickly, determined to exile themselves

^for a while to the islands. By taking passage on an outward-bound steamer from

[Southampton, and later transferring themselves to a whaler, they reached their destination

^n safety on the ;i7tli of November, 1871. They had purchased an old whale-boat — mast,

ils, and oars complete — an' landed with a fair supply of flour, biscuit, coffee, tea, sugar,

lalt, and tobacco, sufficient for present neeus. They had blankets and some covers,

hich were easily filled with bird's feathers — a German could hardly forget his national

luxury, his feather-bed. Tliey had provided themselves with a wheelbarrow, sundry tools,

Upots an<l kettles ; a short Enfield rifle, and an old fbwling-pieco, and a very limited supply

.t * •• I-og Letters from the CUaUouj, >■."

Ipj

■| !

ii'

■ \

i: ''

]' 'f

THE SEA.

of powder, bullets, and shot. They had also sensibly provided themselves with some
seeds, so that, all in all, they started life on the island under favourable eireumstances.

The west side of the island, on which they landed, consisted of a beach some three
miles in leng-tli, with a bank of earth, covered with the stronfj long tussock grass, rising
to the cliff, which it was just possible to scale. The walls of rock by which the island
is bounded afforded few opportunities for reaching the comparatively lev .1 plateau at the
top. Without the aid of the grass it was impossible, and in one place, which had to
be climbed constantly, it took them an hour and a half of hard labour, holding on with
hands and feet, and rmi teeth, to reach the summit. ^leantime, they had fount' on the
north side a suitable place for building their hut, near a waterfall that fell from the side
of the mountain, and close to a wood, from which they could obtain all the firewood
they required. Their humble dwelling was partly constructed of spars from the vessel
that had brought them to the island, and was thatched with grass. About this time
(December) the seals were landing in the coast, it being the pupping season, and they
killed nineteen. In hunting t'lem their whale-boat, which was too heavy for two men
to handle, was seriously damaj.'ed in landing through the surf; but yet, with constant
bailing, could be kept afloat. A little later they cut it in halves, and constructed from
the best parts a smaller boat, which was christened the Sea Curt. During the summer
rains their bouse became so leaky that they pulled it down, and shifted their quarters to
another spot. At the beginning of April the tussock grass, by which they had ascended
the cliff, caught fire, and their means of reaching game, in the shape of wild pigs and
goats, was cut off. Winter (about our summer-time, as in Australia, &c.) was approaching,
and it became imjierative to think of laying in provisions. By means of the Sea Cart
they went round to the west side, and succeeded in killing two goats and a pig, the
latter of which furnished a bucket of fat for frying potatoes. The wild boars there were
found to be almost uneatable; but the sows were good eating. The goats' flesh was said
to be very delicate. An English ship passed them far out at sea, and they lighted a
fire to attract attention, but in vain ; H'hile the surf was running too high, and their
Cart too shaky to attempt to reach it.

Hitherto they had experienced no greater hardships than they had expected, and were
prepared for. But in June [mid-winter] their boi ^ was, during a storm, washed ofE the
beach, and broken up. This was to them a terrible disaster; their old supplies were
exhausted, and they were practically cut ofE from not merely the world in general, but
even the rest of the island. They got weaker and weaker, and ])y August were little
better than two skeletons.

The sea was too tempestuous, and the distance <oo great for them to attempt to
swim round (as they afterwards did) to another part oi the island. But succour was at
hand; they were saved by the penguins, a very clumsy form of relief. The female
birds came ashore in August to lay their eggs in the nests already prepared by their
lords and masters, the male birds, who had landed some two or three weeks previously.
Our good Germans had divided their last potato, and were in a very weak and despondent
condition when the pleasant fact stared them in the face that they might now fatten on
eggs ad lUntiim. Their new diet soon put fresh heart and courage in them, and when.

SAVED AT LAST.

s with some
ncos.

Ii some three
grass, rising-
•h tlie island
livtoau at the
liioh had to
ling on with
bunc' on the
rora the side
the firewood
1 the vessel
it this time
n, and they
)r two men
th constant
meted from
the summer
quarters to
id ascended
i pigs and
•preaching,
Sea Cart
a pig-, the
there were
1 was said
lighted a
and their

and were
ed off the
plies were
neral, but
^vere little

ttempt to
:ir was at
le female
hy their
ireviously.
espondent
fatten on
lid when.

early in Seplomhcr, a Tivnch hark sent a Ijoat asljoro, they determined still to nnnain
on tlie island. Tiiey arran<;vd with the oa]>taiu for the sale of their seal-skins, and
hartorc'd a ruiantity of eggs fur some biscuit and a couple of pounds of tobacco. linto
in October a schooner from the Cape of Good Hope called at the island, and on leaving,
promised to return for them, as tliey had decided to quit the island, not having had any
success in obtaining peltries or anything else that is valuable; but she did not rc-appoar,
and in November their supplies were again at starvation-point. Selecting a calm day,
the two Crusoes determined to swim round the headland to the eastwanl, taking with
them their rifles and blankets, and towiujj after them an empty oil-barrel containing
their clothes, powder, matches, and kettle. This they rei)eated later on several occasions,
and, climbing the cliffs by the tussock grass, were able to kill or secure on the plateau
a few of the wild pigs. Sometimes one of them only would mount, and after killing a
pig would cut it up and lower the hams to his brother below. They caught three little
sucking-pigs, and towed them alive through the waves, round the jv)int of their landing-
place, where they arrived half drowned. They were put in an enclosure, and fed on green
stuff and penguin's eggs — good feeding for a delicate little porker. Attempting on
another occasion to tow a couple in the same way, the unfortunate pigs met a watery
grave in the endeavour to weather the jx)iiit, and one of the brothers barely escaped,
with some few injuries, through a terrible surf which was beating on their part of the
coast. Part of their time was passed in a cave during the cold weather. When the
C/i((lleiifjn- arrived their only ritle had burst in two places, and was of little use, while
their musket was completely burst in all directions, and was being used as a blow-pipe
to freshen the Hre when it got low. Their onl}-^ knives had been made bj' themselves
from an old saw. Their library consisted of eight books and an atlas, and these, affording
their only literary recreation for two years, they knew almost literally by heart. When
they first landed they had a dog and two pups, which they, doubtless, hoped would
prove something like companions. The dogs almost immediately left, and made for the
penguin rookeries, where they killed and worried the birds by hundreds. One of them
became mad, and the brothers thought it best to shoot the three of them. Captain Nares
gave the two Crusoes a passage to the Cape, where one of them obtained a good situation ;
the other returned to Germany, doubtless thinking that about a couple of dozen seal-
skins — all they obtained — was hardly enough to reward tiiem for their two years' dreary
sojourn on Inaccessible Island.

I . |!

, i

TH?] SEA.

CHAPTER III.

TiiK yii.s

Till-; Sea.

The KFcnt I.cxicoKriii>lirr on Hiillors— The DaiiKorH of ilic Mtui— How lloyn bpconip MnilorH— Yoiin« Aniyna liOltch— Tho
(ii'iiiiiiiv Jack 'I'lir TniiiiinK-Sliipx irr.iiis llic old (jiianl-Hlilps " Sca-KocrH and WaihtcM " Tin- 'rraliiiiiK riidirtfoiio -
Koiilino on JJoard- Xuvcr-c iidliig Work Ship like u Ijuly's VVatoIi Walilii's and "Hflla"— Olil (IroKraiii and (Jiok-
Tlic Sallor'H Slicct Anchor Sliudown in Ilic Soanian's Life -The Naval Cat TeHlltiiony and Opiidun of a Mcdieal
Olllcer-An Kxaniple- Uoy Floffulnt? in llic Xavy -ShakHpcaro and Ilorbort on Sailors nnd the .Soa.

Dii. Joiixsox, whoso pt'i'soiuil weiylit soeins to have had soinethiu;jf to do with that carried
by his opinion, considered going to sea a species of insanity.* " No man," said lie, " will
he a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail : for heing in a ship
is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned." The great lexicographer knew
Fleet Street better than he did the fleet, and his opinion, as expressed above, was hardly
even decently patriotic or sensible. Had all men thought as he professed to do — probably
for the pleasure of saying something ponderously brilliant for the moment — we should have
had no naval or commercial superiority to-day — in short, no England.

The dangers of the sea are serious enough, but need not be exaggerated. One writer f
indeed, in serio-comic vein, makes his sailors sing in a gale —

" AVhcn you and I, Itill, on tlie diL-k
Arc conifoi'taWy lyin;;;,
My eyes I what tilos and chimnoy-pots
About tlit'ir heads are flyinj* I ''

leading us to infer that the dangers of town-life are greater than se of the sea in a
moderate gale. We might remind the reader that Mark Twain inclusively shown,

from statistics, that more people die in bed comfortably at home than are killed by all
the railroad, steamship, or other accidents in the world, the inference being that going
to bed is a dangerous habit ! But the fact is, that wherever there is danger there will
be brave men found to face it — even when it takes the desperate form just indicated !
So that there is nothing surprising in the fact that in all times there have been men
ready to go to sea.

Of those who have succeeded, the larger proportion have been carried thither by the
spirit of adventure. It would be difficult to say whether it has been more strongly
developed through actual "surroundings," as believed by one of England's most intelligent
and friendly critics,^ who says, "The ocean draws them just as a pond attracts young
ducks," or through the influence of literature bringing the knowledge of wonderful
voyages and discoveries within the reach of all. The former are immensely strong
influences. The boy who lives by, and loves the sea, and notes daily the ships of all

* All readers will reniemher Peter Simple, i-nd how he tells iia that " It lias been from time immemorial
the heathenish eustom to sacrifice the greatest fool of the family to the prosperity and naval superiority of the
country," and that he personally "was selected by general acclamation!" ilarryat knew very well, 'lowever, that
it was " younger sons," and not by any means necessarily the greatest fools of the family who went to sea.

t William Pitt, long llastor-Attf'ndant at Jamaica Dockyard, wlio died at Malta, in 1810. The song is often
wrongly attributed to Dibdin, tv Tom Hood the elder.

X Alphonse Esquiros, " I'^nglish Seamen and Divers."

TIIK KMllUYO SAII.Olf.

myiis I^pIhtIi— Tlio
iilriK I'lidcrKOiuv-
)){riiiii and (iroK—
ion of a Medical

Ono writer t

he sea in a
ively shown,
ailed by all
that going
r there will
indicated !
) been men

ther by the
)ro strongly
t intelligent
facts young
wonderful
sely strong
ihips of all

10 immemorial
'i-ioiity of the
'lowever, that
oa.
song is often

nations psvasing to anil fro, or who, maybe, dwells in some naval or commercial port,
and sees constantly great vessels lu-riving and departing, and hears the tales of sailors
bolil, concerning new lands and curious things, is very apt to become imbued with the
spirit of advonturo. I low charmingly has Charles Kingsley written on the latter point!*
How young Amyas Leigh, gentle born, and a mere stripling schoolboy, edged his way
under the elbows of the sailor men on Jiideford Quay to listen to Captain Joh«i Oxeidiam
tell his stories of heaps — "seventy foot long, ten foot broad, and twelve foot high" —
of silver bars, and Spanish treastire, . nd far-off lands and peoples, and easy victories
over the coward Dons! How Oxenham, o!i a recruiting bent, sang out, with good broad
Devon accent, " Who 'lists ? who 'lists ? who'll make his fortune ?

"•oh, whip will join, jully miiriiicM all'r
And who will join, ftya he, O'.

To fill his pockets with the good red g;oold,
Hy Bailing on the sea, O I ' "

And how

Leiffh, fired with enthusi

madt

answer, boldly, " I want to go to
sea; I want to see the Indies. I want to fight the Spaniards. Though I'm a gentleman's
son, I'd a deal liever be a cabin-boy on board yoiu* ship." And how, although he did not
go with swaggering John, he lived to first round the world with great Sir Francis
Drake, and after light against the " Invincible " Armada. The story hn,d long before,
and has many a time since, been enacted in various forms among all conditions of men.
To some, however, the sea uas been a last refuge, and many such have been converted
into brave and hardy men, perforce themselves; while many others, in the good old days
of press-gangs, appeared, as !Marryat tells us, " to fight as hard not to be forced into
the service as they did for the honour of the country after they were fairly embarked
in it." It may not generally be known that the law which concerns impressing has
never been abolished, although there is no fear that it will ever again be resorted to in
these days of naval reserves, training-ships, and naval volunteers.

The altered circumstances of the age, arising from the introduction of steam, and
the greatly increased inter-commercial relations of the whole world, have made the
Jack Tar pure and simple comparatively rare in these days; not, we believe, so much
from his disappearance off the scene as by the numbers of differently employed men on
board by whom he is surrounded, and in a sense hidden. A few A.B.'s and ordinary
seamen are required on any steamship ; but the whole tribe of mechanicians, from the
important rank of chief engineer downwards, from assistants to stokers and coal-passers,
need not know one rope from another. On the other hand, the rapid increase of
commerce has apparently outrun the natural increase of qualified seamen, and many a
good ship nowadays, we are sorry to say, goes to sea with a very motley crew of
"green" hands, landlubbers, and foreigners of all nationalities, including Lascars, Malays,
and Kanakas, from the Sandwich Islands. A " confusion of tongues,'' not very desirable
on board a vessel, reigns supreme, and renders the position of the officers by no means
enviable. To obviate these difficulties, and furnish a supply of good material both to

• " Westward Ho ! "

1 n

THE SEA.

the Royal Navy and Mercantile Marine, training-sliips have been organised, wlii'.-h hnve
been, ' far, highly successful. Let these embryo defenders of their country's interests
have the iirst place.

Of course, at all periods the boys, and others who entered to serve before i e mast,
received some training, and picked up the rest if they were reasonably clever. The
brochure of "an old salt,*'* which has recently appeared, gives a fair account of his
own treatment and recei^tion. Running away from London, as many another boy has
done, with a few coppers \n his pocket, he tramped to Sheerness, taking by tlie way a
hearty supper of turnips wiMr a family of sheep in a field. Arrived at his destination,
he found a handsome llag-shii>, surrounded by a number of large and small vessels.
Selectinj; tlic ,ery jjmallest — as best adapted to his own size — he went on board, and
asked the iirst officer he met — one who wore but a single epaulet — whether his shij) was
wmn/nf u'/A /^///.^ / " He was answered, "No, I want men; and pray what may you
want ?" "I want to go to sea, sir, please." " You had better go home to your mother,"
was the answer. With the next officer — " a real captain, wearing grey hair, and as
straight as a line" — hi fared better, and was eventually entered as a third-class boy, and
sent on ijo;'.rd a guard-ship. Here he was rather fortunate in being taken in charge by a
potty olHcer, who had, as was often the case then, his wife living on board. The lady
ruled supremo in the mess. She served out the grog, too, and, to prevent intoxication
among the men, used to keep one finger inside the measure ! This enabled her to the
better take care of her Lusb.ind. She is described as the best " man " in tl'.e mess, and
irresistibly reminds us of Mrs. Trotter in "Peter Simple," who had such a horror of
rum that she could not be induced to take it except when the water \\as bad. The- water,
however, always teas bad ! But the former lady took good care of the no'v-comer, while,
as we know, Mrs. Trotter fleeced poor Peter out of three pounds sterling and twelve
pairs of stockings before he had been an hour on board. Mr. jNIindiy tells the usual
stories of the T^ractical jokes he had to endure — about being sent to tlio doctor's mate
for mustard, for which he received a jieppering; of the constant thrashings he received —
in one case, with a number of others, receiving two dozen for losing his dinner.
He was cook of the mess for the time, and having mixjd his dough, had taken it to
the galley-oven, from the door of which a sadden lurch of the ship had ejected it on
the main deck, '' the contents making a very good representation of the White Sea." The
crime for which he and his companions suffered was for endeavouring to scrape it up
again ! But the gradual steps by which he was educated upwards, till he became
a gunner of the first class, prove that, all in all, he had cheerily taken the bull by the
horns, determined to rise as far and fast as he might in an honourable profession. He
was after a year or so transferred to a vessel fitting for the West Indies, and soon got
a taste of active life. This was in IS'JT. Forty or fifty years before, the guard-ships were
generally little better than floating pandemoniums. They were used portly for breaking in
raw hands, and were also the intermediate stopping-places for men waiting to join other
ships. Li a guard-ship of the period described, a most heterogeneous mass of humanity

* Robert Mindly, '■ Chii)a from the Log of an Old Suit."

THE GUAIiD-SIIir OF OLD.

d, wliic-li have
ntry's interests

fore I mast,
el'jver. The
ic^ount of his
other boy has
)y tlie way a
is destination,
small vessels.
m board, and
■ his ship was
.'hat may jou
your mother,"
hair, and as
class boy, and
1 charge by a
■d. The lady
it intoxication
ad her to the
the mess, and
X a horror of
I The- water,
-comer, while,
^ and twelve
.'lis the usual
doctor's mate
ho received —
7 his dinner,
taken it to
ejected it on
e Sea." The
scrape it up
I he became
! bull by the
ofession. He
and soon got
ird-shi2)s were
r breaking in
to join other
of humanity

was assembled Human invention could not scheme work for the whole, while skulkaij^,
impracticable in other vessel-^ of the Royal Navy, was deemed highly meritorious there.
\ o-reat budv of men were thus verv often assembled together, who resolved themselves
into hostile classes, separalrd •a.j, any two castes of the Hindoos. A clever writer in
Blarkinml's Mdjindne, more than fifty years ago, describes them lirst as "sea-goers," —
i.e., sailors sejjarated from tlieir vessels by illness, or ti-mporary causes, or ordered to other
vessels, who looked on the guard-ship as a iloatiiig hotel, and, having what they were

THE " CHICHESTEll TUAISIXG-SHU'.

pleased to call sliipsi of t/icir own, were the aristocrats of the occasion, who would do no
more work than they wore 'obliged. The second, and by far the most numerous class,
were termed " waisters," and were the simple, the unfortunate, or the utterly abandoned,
a body held on board in the utmost contempt, and most of whom, in regard io clothing,
v/ere wretched in the extreme. The " waister " had to do everything on board that was
menial — swabbing, sweeping, and drudging generally. At night, in defiance of his hard
and unceasing lal)our, he too often 1)eeame a bandit, prowling about seeking what he
might devour or appropriate. AVhat a contrast to the clean orderly training-ships of
to-day! Some little information on this subject, but imperfectly understood by the j^ublic,
may perhaps be permitted here.

THE SEA.

l! it 5

I' !i!

It is not generally known that our siipjily of seamen for the Royal Navy is nowadays
almost entirely derived from the training-ships — iirst established about fourteen years
ago. In a late blue-book it was stated that during a period of live years only 107 men
had been entered from other sources, who had not previously served. Training-ships,
accommodating about 3,000, are stationed at Devonport, Falmouth, Portsmouth, and
Portland, where the lads remain for about a year previous to being sent on sea-going
ships. The age of entry has varied at different periods; it is now fifteen to sixteen and
a half years. The recruiting statistics show whence a large proportion come — from the
men of Devon, who contribute, as they did in the days of Drake and Hawkins, Gilbert
,,nd Raleigh, the largest quota of men willing to make their "heritage the sea."

Dr. Peter Comrie, R.N., a gentleman who has made this matter a study, informs
the writer that on board these ships, as regards cleanliness, few gentlemen's sons are
better attended to, while their education is not neglected, as they have a good school-
master on all ships of any size. He says that boys brought up in the service not
merely make the best seamen, but generally like the navy, and stick to it. The order,
cleanliness, and tidy ways obligatory on board a man-of-war, make, in many cases, the
ill-regulated fo'castle of most merchant ships ver}' distasteful to them. Their drilling is
just sufficient to keep them in healthy condition. No one can well imagine the difference
wrought in the appearance of the street arab, or the Irish peasant boy, by a short
residence on board one of these ships. He fills out, becomes plump, 'oses his gaunt,
haggard, hunted look; is natty in his appearance, and assumes that jauii^y, rolling gait
that a i)erson gifted with what is called " sea-legs " is supposed to exhibit. Still, " we,"
writes the doctor, " have known Irish boys, who had very rarely even perhaps seen
animal food, when first put upon the liberal dietary of the service, complain that they
were being starved, their stomachs having been so used to be distended with large
quantities of vegetables, that it tooTi some time before the organ accommodated itself to
a more nutritious but less filling dietary."

You have only .got to watch the boy from the training-ship on leave to judge that
the navy has yet some popularity. Neatly dressed, clean and natty, surrounded by his
quondam playmates, he is " the observed of all observers," and is gazed at with admiring
respect by the street arab from a respectful distance. He has, perhaps, learned to "spin
a few yarns," and give the approved hitch to his trousers, and, while giving a favourable
account of his life on board ship, with its forecastle jollity and " four bitter," is the
best recruiting-officer the service can liave. The great point to be attended to, in order
to make him a sailor, is that " you must catch him young."* That a good number
have been so caught is proved by the navy estimates, which now provide for over 7,000
boys, 4,000 of the number in sea-going ships.

* The conditions for entoring a Govcrnincnt traininp;-ship for the service involve, 1st, the consent of parents
or proper guarJiiins; 2nd, the candidate must sign to serve ten years commpncing from the age of eighteen. A
bounty of £0 is paid to provide outfit, and he receives sixpence a day. At the age of eighteen he receives one
shilling and a penny per day — the same as an ordinary seaman. Each candidate passes a medical examination,
and must he from fifteen to sixteen and a half years of age. Tho standard height is five feet for sixteen years
old — rather a low average.

TRAINING-SHIPS.

is nowadays
rteen years
ly 107 men
ining-ships,
nouthj and
I sea-going
sixteen and
— from the
lis, Gilbert

y, informs
3 sons are
)od school-
iervice not
The order,

eases, the
drilling is

difference
y a short
lis gaunt,
'lling gait
ill, "we,''
laps seen
that they
'ith large

itself to

idge that
d by his
admiriiiff
to "spin
avourable
" is the
in order
number
er 7,000

Governments, as governments, may be paternal, but are rarely very benevolent, and
the above excellent institutions are only organised for the safety and strength of the navy.
There is another class of training-ships, which owe their existence to benevolence, and deserve
every encouragement — those for rescuing our street waifs from the treadmill and prison. The
larger part of these do not enter the navy, but are passed into the Merchant Marine, *heir
training being very similar. The Government simply /i-ii(/s the ship. Thus the Chichester,
at Greenhithe, a vessel which had been in 1808 a quarter of a century lying useless — never
having seen service — was turned over to a society, a mere shell or carcase, her masts,
rigging, and other tittings having to be provided by private subscriptions. Her case
irresistibly reminds the writer of a vessel, imaginary only in name, described by James
Hannay : * — " H.M.S. Pufaf/onian was builL as n three-decker, at a cost of £120,000,
when it was discovered that she could not sail. She was then cut down into a frigate,
at a cost of £50,000, when it was found out that she would not tack. She was next
built up into a two-decker, at a cost of another £50,000, and then it was discovered
she could be made useful, so the Admiralty kept her unemployed for ten years ! " A
good use was, however, found at last for the Chichester, thanks to benevolent people, the
quality of whose mercy is twice blessed, for they both help the wretched youngsters,
and turn them into good boys for our ships. Some of these street arabs previously
have hardly been under a roof at night for years together. Hear M. Esquiros : — " To
these little ones London is a desert, and, though lost in the drifting sands of the
crowd, they never fail to find their way. The greater part of them contract a singular
taste for this hard and almost savage kind of life. They love the open sky, and at night
all they dread is the eye of the policeman; their young minds become fertile in resourc<»s,
and glory in their independence in the 'battle of life;' but if no helping hand is
stretched out to arrest them in this fatal and down-hill path, they surely gravitate to the
treadmill and the prison. How could it be otherwise? . . . The question is, what
are these lads good for?" That problem, M. Esquiros, as you with others predicted,
has been solved satisfai 1 The jwor lads form excellent raw material for our over-
increasing sea-service.

The training of a naval cadet—/.'., an embryo midsliipman, or " midshi )mite " (as poor
Peter Simple was irreverently called — before, however, the days of naval cadets) — is very similar
in many respects to that of an embryo seaman, but includes many other acquirements. After
obtaining his nomination from the Admiralty, and uii .irgoing a simple preliminarv ex-
amination at the Royal Naval College in ordiniuy brunches of knowledge, he is passed to a
training-ship, which to-day is the BrUanuia at Durtmouth. Here he is taught all the ordinary
acquirements in rigging, seamanship, and gunnery ; and, to fit him to be an officer, he is
instructed in taking observations for latitude and longitude, in geometry, trigonometry, and
algebra. He also goes through a course of draw ^-lessons and modern languages. He is
occasionally sent oft' on a brig for a short cruise, and after a year on the training-ship,
during wiiich he undergoes a quarterly examination, he is jiassed to a sea-going ship. His
position on leaving depends entirely on his certilicate— if he o])tains one of the First Class, .tc

* In " Siiigluton Fuutcimy, K.X."

iiii

THE SEA.

! h

\ I

is immediately rated midshipman; while if he only obtains a Third Class certificate, he will
have to serve twelve months more on the sea-going ship, and pass another examination before
he can claim that rank.*

The actual experiences of intelligent sailors, or voyagers, written by themselves, have,
of course, a greater practical value than the sea-stories of clever novelists, while the latter,
as a class, confine themselves very much to the quarter-deck. Dana^s "Two Years Before
the Mast " is so well known that few of our readers need to be told that it is the story of an
American student, who had undermined his health by over-applienlion, and who took a voyage,
via Cape Horn, to California in order to recover it. But the oM brig Fi/>/rim, bound to the
northern Pacific coast for a cargo of hides, was hardly a fair example, in some respects, of an
ordinary merchant-vessel, to say notumg of a fine clipper or modern steam-ship. Dana's
experiences were of the roughest type, and may be read by boys, anxious to go to sea, with
advantage, if taken in conjunction with those of others; many of them are common to all grades
of sea service. A little work by a "■ Sailor-bov,"t puljlished some years ago, gives a very fair
idea of a seaman's lot in the Royal Navy, and the two stories in conjunction present a fair
average view of sea-life and its duties.

Passing over the young sailor-boy's adinission to the training-ship — the "Guardho," as
he terms ih — we find his first days on board devoted to the mysteries of knots and hitch-
making, in learning to lash hammocks, and in rowing, and in acquiring the arts of
"feathering" and "tossing" an oar. Incidentally he gives us some information on the
etiquette observed in boats passing with an ofl!icer on board. " For a lieutenant, the coxswain
only gets up and takes his cap off; for a captain, the boat's crew lay on their oars, and
the coxswain takes his cap off; and for an admiral the oars are tossed (i.e., raised
perpendicularly, nof thrown in the air !), and all caps go off." Who would not be an admiral ?
While in this " instruction " he received ' his sailor's clothes — a pair of blue cloth
trousers, two pairs of white duck ditto, two blue serge and two white frocks, two pairs of white
" jumpers," two caps, two pairs of stockings, a knife, and a marking-type. As soon as he is
"made a sailor" by these means, he was ordered to the mast-head, and tells with glee how
he was able to go up outside by the futtock shrouds, and not through " lubber's hole." The
reader doubtless knows that the lubber's hole is an open space between the head of the lower
mast and the edge of the top ; it is so named from the supposition that a " land-lubber" would
prefer that route. The French call it the frotc tlit chat — the hole through which the cat would
climb. Next he commenced cutlass-drill, followed by ritle-drill, big-gun practice, instruction
in splicing, and all useful knots, and in using the compass and lead-line. He was afterwards
sent on a brig for a short sea cruise. " Having," says he, " to run aloft without shoes was
a heavy trial to me, and my I'eet often were so sore and blistered that I have sat down in the
' tops ' and cried with the pain ; yet up I had to go, and furl and loose my sails ; and up I did
go, blisters and all. Sometimes the pain was so bad I could not move smartly, and then the
unmerited rebuke frnm a thoughtless officer was as gall and wormwood to nie."

Dana, in speaking of the incessant work on board any vessel, says, "A ship is like a lady's

• Vide " Tho Qu((Mi's l!i\nnliilions and the Admiiiilty Instrii. lions for the Govomment of Her Slajosty's Naval
Service;" also Ulamork's " Naval Utlieer's Manual."

f " A Sailor-Boy's Log- Book from Portsmouth to the Peiho," edited by Walter \Vliite.

^ *S

ROUTINE ON BOARD.

te, he will
ion before

Ives, Lave,
the latter,
ars Before
itory of an
: a voyage,
ind to tlie
3cts, of an
). Dana's
3 sea, with
all grades
a very fair
sent a fair

ardho," as
and hiteh-
le arts of
on on the
\i coxswain
• oars, and
'.e., raised
1 admiral ?
)lue cloth
3 of white
n as he is

glee how
ble." The

the lower
er" would
cat would
nstruction
afterwards
shoes was
tvn in the
d up I did

then the

:e a lady's
38ty'8 Naval

watch — always out of repair." When, for example, in a culm, the sails hanging looioly, the
hot sun pouring down on deck, and no way on the vessel, which lies

" As idlo as n jminted ship
Upon a iiiiiiitiMl ocean,"

there is always sufficient work for tlie men, in "setting up" the rigging, which constantly
requires lightening and repairing, in picking oakum for caulking, in brightening up the metal-

IXSTIlt'CTION ON UOAllD A MAN-OF-WAll.

work, and in holystoning the deck. The holystone is a large piece of porous stone,* which is
dragged in alternate ways by two sailors over the deck, sand being used to increase its effect.
It obtains its name from the fact that Sunday morning is a very common time on many
merchant-vessels for cleaning up generally.

The daily routine of our young sailor on the experimental cruises gave him plenty of
employment. In his own words it was as follows : — Commencing at live a.m. — ' Turn hands
up; holystone or scrub upper deck; coil down ropes. Half-past six — breakfast, half an

f'-'i

• A naval friend kindly informs mc that the Slalta holystones arc excellent, natural lava being abumiant.

THE SEA.

I ' ''i

lioui'j call the watch, watch below, clean the upper deck; watch on deck, clean wood and
brass-work; put the upjwr decks to rights. Eight a.m. — hands to quarters; clean guns and
arms ; division for inspection ; prayers ; make sail, reef topsails, furl top-sails, top-gallant sails,
royals ; reef courses, down top-gallant and royal yards. This continued till eight bells, twelve
o'clock, dinner one hour. 'AH hands again ; cutlass, rifle, and big-gun drill till four o'clock ;
clear up decks, coil up ropes ; ' and then our day's work is done." Then they would make
little trips to sea, many of them to experience the woes of sea-sickness for the first time.

But the boys on the clean and well-kept training-brig were better off in all respects than
poor Dana. When first ordered aloft, he tells us, " I had not got my ' sea-legs ' on, was
dreadfully sea-sick, with hardly strength to hold on to anything, and it was ' pitch-dark ' * * *
How I got along I cannot now remember. I ' laid out ' on the yards, and held on with all
my strength. I could not have been of much service ; for I remember having been
sick several times before I left the top-sail yard. Soon all was snug aloft, and we
were again allowed to go below. This I did not consider much of a favour; for the
confusion of everything below, and that inexpressibly sickening smell, caused by the
shaking up of bilge-water in the hold, made the steerage but an indifferent refuge to
the c. M, wet decks. I had often read of the nautical experiences of others, but I felt
as though there could be none worse than mine; for, in addition to every other evil, I
could not but remember that this was only the first night of a two years' voyage.
When we were all on deck, we were not much better off, for we were continually ordered
about by the officer, who said that it was good for us to be in motion. Yet anything
was better than the horrible state of things below. I remember very well going to the
hatchway and putting my head down, when I was oppressed by nausea, and felt like being
relieved immediately. We can fully recommend the examjile of Dana, who, acting on the
advice of the black cook on board, munched away at a good half-pound of salt beef and hard
biscuit, which, washed down with cold water, soon, he says, made a man of him.

Some little explanation of the mode of dividing time on board ship may be here found
useful. A " watch " is a term both for a division of the crew and of their time : a full
watch is four hours. At the expiration of each four hours, commencing from twelve o'clock
noon, the men below are called in these or similar terms — "All the starboard (or port) watch
ahoy ! Eight bells ! " The watch from four p.m. to eight p.m. is divided, on a well-regulated
ship, into two " dog-watches ; " the object of this is to make an uneven number of periods
— seven, instead of six, so that the men change the order of their watches daily. Other-
wise, it will be seen that a man, who, on leaving port, stood in a particular watch — from
twelve noon to four p.m. — would stand in the same watch throughout the voyage ; and he
who had two night-watches at first would always have them. The periods of the "dog-
watches " are usually devoted to smoking and recreation for those off duty.

As the terms involved must occur frequently in this work, it is necessary also to explain
lor some readers the division of time itself by " bells." The limit is " eight bells," which
are struck at twelve, four, and eight o'clock a.m. or p.m. The ship's bell is sounded each
half -hour. Half-past any of the above hours is " one bell " struck sharply by itself. At the
hour, two strokes are made sharply fuUowhg each other. Expressing the strokes by signs,
half-past twelve would be I (representing one stroke) ; one o'clock woukl be II (two strokes

THE 8AILOU'S SlIEET-AXCIIOK.

sharply struck, one after the other); half-past one, II I; two o'clock, II II; half-past two,
II II I; three o'clock, II II II; half-past three, II II II I; and four o'clock, II II II II, or
" eij^ht hells." The process is then repeated in the next watch, and the only disturbing
element comes from the elements, which occasionally, when the vessel rolls or pitches yrcatly,
cause the bell to strike without leave.

Seamen before the mast are divided into three classes — able, ordinary, and boys. In the
merchant service a " green hand " of forty may be rated as a boy ; a landsman must ship
for boy's wages on the first voyage. Merchant seamen rate themselves — in otlier words, they
cause themselves to be entered on the ship's books according to their (pialiticatious and
experience. There are few instances of abuse in this matter, and for good reason. Apart from
the disgrace and reduction of wages and rating which would follow, woe to the man who sets
himself up for an A.B. when he should enter as a boy; for the rest of the crew consider it a
fraud on themselves. The vessel would be short-handed of a man of the class required, and
their work would be proportionately increased. No mercy would be shown to such an impostor,
and his life on board would be that of a dog, but anything rather than tliat of a " jolly
sea-dog."*

There are lights in the sailor's chequered life. Seamen are, Shakespeare tells us, " but
men " — and, if we are to believe Dibdin, grog is a decided element in their happier
hours. " Grog " is now a generic term ; but it was not always. One Admiral Vernon —
who persisted in wearing a grogramf tunic so much that he was known among his
subordinates as " Old vjrrog " — earned immortality of a disagreealde nature by watering
the rum-ration of the navy to iis present standard. At ll.iiO a.m., on all ships of the
Royal Navy nowada3's, half a gill of watered rum — two parts of water to one of the
stronger drink — is served out to each of the crew, unless they have forfeited it by
some act of insubordination. Tho officers, including the petty oflicers, draw half a gill
of pure rum ; the former put it into the general mess, and many never taste it. " Six-
water " grog is a mild form of punishment. " Splicing the main-brace " infers extra
grog served out for extraordinary service. Formerly, and, indeed, as late as forty odd
years ago, the daily ration was a full gill ; but, as sailors traded and bartered their drinks
among themselves, it would happen once in awhile that one would get too much "on
board." It has happened occasionally in consequence that a seaman has tumbled overboard,
or fallen from the yards or rigging, and has met an inglorious death. Boys are not
allowed grog in the Royal Navy, and there is no absolute rule among merchant-vessels.
In the American navy there is a coin allowance in lieu of rum, and tvery nation has
its own peculiarities in this matter. In the French navy, wine, very onlinuire, and a little
brandy is issued.

There are shadows, too, in the sailor's life — as a rule, he brings them on himself,
hut by no means always. If sailors are "but men," officers rank in the same category,
and occasionally act like brutes. So much has been written on the subject of the naval
" cat " — a punishment once dealt out for most trilling offences, and not abolished yet,
that tho writer has some diffidence in approaching the subject. A volume might bo

* Vide Dauci's " Seaman's Jlunual."

t A fonn of heavy pilo silk.

i 1

I 1

1 -j

rr^

THE SEA.

written on the theme; let the testimony of Dr. Stables,* a surgeon of the Royal Navy,
suffice. It shall be told in his own words : —

" One item of duty there is, which occasionally devolves on the medical officer, and
for the most part goes greatly against the feeling of the young surgeon ; I refer to his
compi Isory attendance at floggings. It is only fair to state that the majority of captains
and commanders use the cat as seldom as possible, and that, too, only sparingly. In
some ships, however, flogging is nearly as frequent as prayers of a morning. Again, it
is more common on foreign stations than at home, and boys of the Hrst or second class,
marines, and ordinary seamen, are for the most part the victims. . . . We were at
anchor in Simon's Bay. All the miiiutite of the scene I remember as though it were
but yesterday. The morning was cool and clear, the hills clad in lilac and green, sea-birds
floating high in air, and the waters of the bay reflecting the blue of the sky, and the
lofty mountain-sides forming a picture almost dream-like in its quietude and serenity.
The men were standing about in groups, dressed in their whitest of pantaloons, bluest
of smocks, and neatest of black-silk neckerchiefs. By-and-by the culprit was led in
by a file of marines, and I went below with him to make the preliminary examination,
in order to i-eport whether or not he might be fit for the punishment.

" He was as good a specimen of the British mariner as one could wish to look
upon — hardy, bold, and wiry. His crime had been smuggling spirits on board.

" ' Needn't examine me, doctor,' said he ; 'I aint afeared of their four dozen ; they
can't hurt me, sir — leastways my back, you know — my breast, though ; hum — m ! ' and
he shook his head, rather sadly I thought, as he bent down his eyes.
" ' What,' said I, * have you anything the matter with your chest ? '
" ' Nay, doctor, nay ; it's my feelings they'll hurt. I've a little girl at home that
loves me, and, bless you, sir, I won't look her iii the face again nohow.'

" I felt his pulse. No lack of strength there, no nervousness ; the artery had the
firm beat of health, the tendons felt like rods of ' n beneath the liugar, and his biceps
stood out hard and round as the mainstay of an old seventy-four. . . . All hands
had already assembled — the men and boys on one side, and the officers, in cocked hats
and swords, on the other. A grating had been lashed against the bulwark, and another
placed on deck beside it. The culprit's shoulders and back were bared, and a strong
belt fastened around the lower part of the loins for protection ; he was then firmly tied
by the hands to the upper, and by the feet to the lower grating ; a little basin of cold
water was placed at his feet, and all v/as now prepared. The sentence was read, and
orders given to proceed with the punishment. The cat is a terrible instrument of
torture; I would not use it on a oull unless in self-defence; the shaft is about a foot
and a half long, and covered with green or red baize, according to taste; the thongs are
nine, about twenty-eight inches in length, of the thickness of a goose-quill, and with
two knots tied on each. Men describe the first blow as like a shower of molten lead.

" Combing out the thongs with his five fingers before each blow, firmly and
determinedly was the first dozen delivered by the bo'swain's mate, and as unflinchingly
received.

« " Medical Life in the Navy," by W. Stables, M.D., &c.

THE NAVAL CAT.

"Then, 'One dozen, sir, please,' he rejjorted, saluting the commander.

" ' Continue the punishment,' was the calm reply.

" A new man, and a new cat. Another dozen reported ; again the same reply.
Three dozen. The flesh, like burning steel, had changed from red to purple, and blue,
and white ; and between the third and fourth dozen, the suffering wretch, pale onough
now, and in all probability sick, begg'id a comrade to give him a inouthful of water.

" Tlicre was a tear in the eye of the hardy sailor who obeyed him, whispering as
he did so, ' Keep up. Bill ; it'll soon be over now.'

" * Five, six,' the corporal slowly cou.^ted ; ' seven, eight.' It is the last dozen, and
how acute must be the torture ! ' Nine, t«>n.' The blood comes now fast enough, and —
yes, gentle reader, I will spai-e your feelings. The man was cast loose at last, and jiut
on the sick-list ; he had borne his punishment without a groan, and without moving
a muscle. A large pet monkey sat crunching nuts in the rigging, and grinning all the
time ; I have no doubt he enjoyed the spectacle immensely, for he was only an ape."

Dr. Stables gives his opinion on the use of the cat in honest and outspoken terms.
He considers " corporal punishment, as applied to men, eowanUi/, cniel, and debasing to
human nature ; and as applied to boys, brutal, and sometimes evenjiemlish."

The writer has statistics before him which prove that ISO cases of flogging boys
took place in 1875, and that only seven men were punished during that year. There
is every probability that the use of the naval cat will ere long be abolished, and important
as is good discipline on board ship, there are many leading authorities who believe that
it can be maintained without it. The captain of a vessel is its king, reigning in a little
world of his own, and separated for weeks or months from the possibility of reprimand.
If he is a tyrannical man, he can make his ship a floating hell for all on board. A
system of fines for small offences hns been proposed, and the idea has this advantage,
that in case they prove on investigation to have been unjustly iniix)sed, the money
can be returned. The disgrace of a flogging sticks to a boy or man, and, besides, as
a imnishraent is infinitely too severe for most of the offences for which it is inflicted.
It would be a cruel punishment were the judge infallible, but with an erring human
being for an irresponsible judge, the matter is far worse. And that good seamen are
deterred from entering the Royal Navy, knowing that the commission of a peccadillo
or two may bring down the cat or. uieir unlucky shoulders, is a matter of fact.

We shall meet the sailor on the sea many a time and again during the progress
of this work, and see how hardly he earns his scanty reward in the midst of the awful
dangers peculiar to the elements he dares. Shakespeare says that he is —

"A man whom both tho waters and the wind,
In that vast tennis-court, hath made the ball
For them to play on'' —

that the men of all others who have made England what she is, have not altogether a
bed of roses even on a well-conducted vessel, whilst they may lose their lives at any
moment by shipwreck and sudden death. George Herbert says —

" Praiso tho sea, but keep on land."

l^.

I';
\. ft,

i ■!!

1 ■' I

THE SEA.

And while tlio present writer would bo sorry to prevent any healthy, capable, adventurous
boy from entering a noble profession, he recommends him to first study the literature
of the sea to the best and fullest of his ability. Our succeediuf^ chapter will exhibit
some of the special perils which surround the sailor's life, whilst it will exemplify to some
extent the qualities specially required and expected from him.

CHAPTER IV.

PiiKILS Ol'' THE SaII.OU's Lll'E.

Tho Loss of tho Captain— Six Hundred Souls swept into Ktcrnily without a Wurninijr— The JIansion and the Cottage nllko
Sufferers— Causes of tlie Disaster-Horrors of tlic Scene— Xoble Captain Hur(,'oyne— Narratives of Survivors— An
almost Ineredlble Feut— Loss of the lioyul Gcorf/c—A threat Disaster caused by u Trllle— Nine Hundred Lost— A
Child saved by a Sheep— The Portholes Upright -An involuntary Uatli of Tar— Itafts of Corpses—The Vessel lilown
up in 1839-10— The Loss of tho I'aiifiuard -liuU a ^lilllun sunk in Fifty Minutes— Admirable Discipline on Board
—All Saved-The Court Martial.

England, and indeed all Europe, long prior to 1870 had been busily constructing ironclads,
and the daily journals teemed with descriptions of new forms and varieties of ships, armour,
and armament, as well as of new and enormous guns, which, rightly directed, might sink
them to the bottom. Among the more curious of the ironclads of that period, and the
construction of which had led to any quantity of discussion, sometimes of a very angry
kind, was the turret-ship — practically the sea-going "monitor" — Cnptahi, which Captain
Cov/per Phipps Coles had at length been permitted to construct. Coles, who was an
enthusiast of great scientific attainments, as well as a practical seaman, which too many
of our experimentalists in this direction have not been, had distinguished himself in
the Crimea, and had later made many improvements in rendering vessels shot-proof. His
revolving turrets are, however, the inventions with which his name are more intimately
connected, although he had much to do with the general construction of the Ciqda'm,
and other ironclads of the period.

The Cniitain was a large double-screw armour-plated vessel, of 4,27£ tons. Her armour
in the most exposed parts was eight inclics in thickness, ranging elsewhere downwards
from seven to as low as three inches. She had two revolving turrets, the strongest and
heaviest yet built, and carried six powerful guns. Among the peculiarities of her
construction were, that she had only nine feet of "free-board" — i.e., that was the height
of her sides out of water. The forecastle and after-part of the vessel were raised above
this, and they were connected with a light hurricane-deck. This, as we shall see, i)layed
an important part in the sad disaster we have to relate.

On the morning of the 8th of September, 1870, English readers, at their breakfast-
tables, in railway carriages, and everywhere, were startled with the news that the Cupiain had
foundered, with all hands, in the Bay of Biscay. Six hundred men had been swept into

LOSS Ul- THE " CAPTAIN."

otornity without ii moment's warniii},'. She liacl been in company with the scjuailron tho
nijj^ht before, and, indeed, hud been visited by tho admiral, for purposes of inspection,
the previous afternoon. The early part of the evening- had been fine; hiter it had become
what sailors call "dirty weather;" at midnight the wind rose fast, and soon culminated
in a furious gale. At ;J.15 in the morning of the 7th a heavy bank of clouds passed
ofl', and the stars came out clear and bright, the moon then setting; but no vessel could
be discerned where the (Juptnin had been last observe.!. At daybreak the squadron was
all in sight, but scattered. *• Onli/ ten nfiips inxlfad of elen>ii could be t/l,scernetl, the
' ('dpliiin' tjeliiff the iiiisnln(j one." Later, it appeared that seventeen of the men and tho
gunner had escaped, and landed at Corbucion, north of Cape Finisterre, on the afternoon
of the 7th. All the men who were nnvetl belonged to the sttirboard tciitch ; or, in other words,
none escaped except those on deck duty. Every man below, whether soundly sleeping
after his day's work, or tossing sleeplessly in his berth, thinking of home and friends and
present peril, or watching the engines, or feeding the furnaces, went down, without tho
fiiintest possibility of escaping his doom.

Think of this catastrophe, and what it involved ! The families and friends of
600 men plunged into mourning, and the scores on scores of wives and children into
poverty ! In one street of Portsea, thirty wives were made widows by the occurrence.*
Tho shock of the news killed one poor woman, then in weak health. Nor were the sad
effects confined to the cottages of the poor. The noble-heartetl captain of the vessel was
a son of Field-Marshal Burgoyne; Captain Coles, her inventor; a son of Mr. Childers,
the then First Lord of the Admiralty ; the younger son of Lord Northbrook ; the third
son of Lord Herbert of Lea; and Lord Lewis Gordon, brother of the Marquis of
Huntley, were among the victims of that terrible morning. The intelligence arrived
during the excitement caused by the defeat and capitulation of Sedan, which, involving,
as it did, the deposition of the Emperor and the fate of France, was naturally the great
topic of discussion, but for the time it overshadowed even those great events, for it was
a national calamity.

From the statements of survivors we now know that the watch had been called a
few minutes past midnight; and as the men were going on deck to muster, the ship
gave a terrible lurch to starboard, soon, however, righting herself on that occasion.
Robert Hirst, a seaman, who afterwards gave some valuable testimony, was on the fore-
There was a very strong wind, and the ship was then only carrying her three

top-sails, double reefs in each, and the foretop-mast stay-sail. The yards were braced
sharp up, and the ship had little way upon her.f As the watch was mustered, he heard
Captain Burgoyne give the order, " Let go the foretop-sail halyards ! " followed by, " Let
go fore and maintop-sail sheets ! " By the time the men got to the top-sail sheets the
ship was heeling over to starboard so much that others were being washed off the deck,

* ^ol•t^<mo^ltll, Dovonport, rh-mouth, and some Cornish seaport towns and villasrcs were tho chief sufferers,
riymouth liad furnished more than one-third of the crew.

t None of the survivors appeared to know whether tlie Ccpfnhi's screw was revolving at the time. Her
steaui was partially uj). Had she steamed, there is every probahility that the catastrophe would not havo
oceurrod.

.; I

. #■

1 1 ,l>

r ' f.

yi ^

i L

IIOHKUHS Ol-' THE Hllll'NVUKlK.

the xliip lyinf? down on hor sido, as she was "^riidiiidly turning; nvi-r and tn'inljlin<f
throiio-li licr whole rnuno with cvory Mow wliich the sliort, jninpiiij,'-, viciinis sens, now
white with the stiiiall, i^-ave her.* The roar ul" the steam I'min her Itoilers was terrilic,
" oiitsereamiiijjf the noise of the storm," hnt not drowninj^ the shrieks of tlu* poor engineers
and stokers whieh were heard hy some ol" the survivors. The horrors of tlieir situation
can he imaf^ined. Tlie sea, hreakin<r down the funnel, would soon, no doubt, extinj^uish the
furnaces, but not until some of their contents had been dashed into tlie en«;'ine-room,
with oceans of bcaldinj;' water; the boilers themselves may, likely enough, have <.riven
way and burst also. Mereifidly, it was not for long. Hirst, with two other men, rushed
to the weather-forecastle nettin<jf and jumped overboard. It was hardly more than a few
moments before they found themselves washed on to the bilj^e of the ship's bottom, for in
that brief space of time the ship had turned completely over, and almost immediately
went down. Hirst and his companions went down with the ship, but the next feeling
of consciousness by the former was coming' into contact with a floatin<f sj)ar, to whieh
he tied himself with his black silk handkerchief. He was soon, however, washed from
the spar, but got hold of the stern of the second launch, whieh was covered with
canvas, and floating as it was stowed on board the ship. Other men were there, on the top
of the canvas covering. Immediately after, they fell in with the steam-lifeboat pinnace,
bottom-up, with Captain IJurgoyne and several men clinging to it. Four men, of whom
Mr. May,t the gunner, was one, jumped from oft' the Iwttom of the steam-pinnace to
the launch. One account says that Captain Burgoyne incited them, by calling out,
"Jump, men, jump!" but did not do it himself. The canvas was immediately cut away,
and with the oars free, they attempted to pull up to the steam-pinnace to resrae the
captain and others remaining there. This they found impossible to accomp\sh. As
soon as they endeavoured to get the boat's head up to the sea to row her to windward to
where the capsized boat was floating, their boat was swamped almost level to her

* One man testified that he had heard Captain Burgoyno's inqniries as to how much the ship was heeling
over, the answers given being respectively, "18," "23," " 2 J degrees." The movement was never checked,
and almost the moment after she had reached 25 degrees, she was keel-uppennost, and about to make that
terrific plunge to the bottom.

f Mr. May's statement at the court-martial was in jiart as follows: — "Shortly after 0.1.5 a.m. on the
7th inst., being in my cabin, which was on the starboard or lee sido of the ship, I was disturbed in my sloop
hy tho noiso of some marines. Feeling the ship xmeasy, I dressed myself, and took tho lantern to look at the

guns in the turrets It was but a very short time — from fifteen to twenty minutes — past midnight.

I then went to the after-turret. Tho guns wero all right. Immediately I got inside tho turret I felt the .ship
heel steadily over, deejier and deeper, and a heavy sea struck her on the weather-side. The water Jtowed into
the turret as I got through tho pointing-hole on the top, and I found myself overboard; I struck out, and
succeeded in reaching tho steam-pinnace, which was bottom up, on which were Captain Burgoyne and five or
six others. I sjiw tho ship turn bottom-up, and sink stem first, tho last I saw of her being her bows. The
whole time of her turning over to sinking was but from five to ten minutes, if so much. Shortly after, I saw
tho launch drifting close to us who were on the pinnace ; .she was but a few yards from us ; I called out,
'Jump, men — it is your last chancel' I jumped, and succeeded, with thi-ee others, in reaching her. I do not
know for certain whether Captain Burgoyne jumped or not. I was under the imj)ression he did ; but tho othora
in tho launch do not think so. At any rate, ho nr\er reached her. ^V^^en on the pinnace, a large ship, which
I believe to have been the Inconstant, passed us fifty yards to leeward. AVe all haUed her ; but, I suppose, the
howling of the wind and sea prevented their hearing us."

^ii

ill

THE HEX.

thwarts, and two cf the men were washed clean out of her. The pump was set going,
and the boat bailed out with their caps, &c., as far as possible. They then made a
second attempt to row the boat against the sea, which was as unsuccessful as before.
Meantime, poor Burgoyne was still clinging to the pinnace, in "a storm of broken
waters." When the launch was swept towards him once, one of the men on board
offered to throw him an oar, which he declined, saying, nobly, " For God's sake, men,
keep your oars : you will want them.'' This piece of self-abnegation probably cost him
his life, for he went down shortly after, following "the six hundred" of his devoted
crew into "the valley of death." The launch was befien hither and thither; and a
quarter of an hour after the Captain had capsized, siglited the lights of one of their
own ships, which was driven by in the gale, its officers knowing nothing of the fate of
these unfortunates, or their still more hapless companions. Mr. May, the gunner, took
charge of the launch, and at daybreak they sighted Cape Finisterre, inside which they
landed after twelve hours' hard work at the oars.

One man, when he found the vessc' capsizing, crawled over the weather-netting on
the port side, and performed an almost incredible feat. It is well told in his own
laconic style : — " Felt ship heel over, and felt she would not right. Made for weather-
hammock netting. She was then on her beam-ends. Got along her bottom by degrees,
as she kept turning over, until 1 was wher^ her keel would have been if she had one.
The seas then washed me off. I saw a piece of wood about twenty yards off, and swam to
it." In other words, he got over her side, and walked ?7> to the bottom ! While in
the water, two poor drowning wretches caught hold of him, and literally tore off the legs
of his trousers. He could not help them, and they sank for the last time.

Many and varied were the explanations given of the causes of this disaster. There
had evidently been some uneasiness in regard to her stability in the water at one time,
but she had sailed so well on previous trips, in the same stormy waters, that confidence
had been restored in her. The belief, afterwards, among many authorities, was that she
ought not to have carried sail at all.* This was the primary cause of the disaster, no
doubt; and then, in all probability, when the force of the wind had heeled her over, a
heavy sea struck her and completely capsized her — the water on and over her depressed
side assisting by weigiiting her downwards. The side of the hurricane-deck acted, when
the vessel was heeled over, as one vast sail, and, no doubt, had much to do with putting
her on her beam-ends. Tlie general impression of the survivors appeared to be th.'.c,
with the ::hip heeling over, the pressure of a strt ig wind upon the under part of the
hurricane-deck had a greater effect or leverage upon the hull, than the pressure of the
wind on her top-sails. They were also nearly unanimous in their opinion that when
the ' '•jitaiii's starboard side was well down in the water, with the weight of water on the
turret-deck, and the pressure of the wind blowing fron. t!ie port hand on the under surface
of the hurricane-deck, and thus pushing the ship right over, she had no chance of
righting herself again.

* Tho lato Admii'.'il Shcrard Osborn, in a luttcr to tlio Times, said, "Tlic desire of our Admiriilty to make
nil tho'ir figlitin.u-sliiiis rruisc tindor canvaK, as well as stc^im. indiuod poor Captain Cok's to go a sti'j' further,
iind to make a ship with u low free board p, sailing-ship.'' This was against his judgnu-nt, however.

CAU8ES OF THE Dl.SAiSTEH.

It is to be remarked that long after the Captain had sunk, the admu'al of the
squadron thought that he saw her, although it was very evident afterwards that it must
have been some other vessel. In his despatch to the Admiralty,* which very ])lainly
indicated that he hatl some anxiety in regard to her stability in bad weather, he
described her appearance and behaviour up till 1.30 a.m. — more than an hour after her
final exit to the depths below. In the days of superstitious belief, so common among
sailors, a thrilling story of her image haunting the spot would surely have been built
on this foundation.

In the old fighting-days of the Royal Navy, when success followed success, and prize
after prize rewarded the daring and enterprise of its commanders, they did not think
very much of the loss of a vessel more or less, but took the lesser evils with the j^reater
goods. The seamanship was wonderful, but it was very often utterly reckless. A captain
ti'ained in the school of Nelson and Cochrane would stop at nothing. The country,
accustomed to great naval battles, enriched by the spoils of the enemy — who furnished
some of the finest vessels in our fleet — was not much affected by the loss of a ship,
and the Admiralty was inclined to deal leniently with a spirited commander who had
met with an accident. But then an accident in those days did not mean the loss of
half a million pounds or so. The cost of a large ironclad of to-day would have built a
small wooden fleet of those days.

The loss of the Ca2)laiii irresistibly brings to memory another great loss to the Royal
Navy, which occurred nearly ninety years before, and by which 1)00 lives were in a
moment swept into eternity. It proved too plainly that " wooden walls " might capsize
as readily as the "crankiest'' ironclad. The reader will immediately guess that we refer
to the loss of the Roi/al (jfonje, whicii took place at Spithead, on the :!8th of August,
178ii, in calm weather, but still under circumstances which, to a very great extent, explain
how the Captain — at the best, a vessel of doubtful stability — capsized in the stormy waters
of Biscay. The Royal (ioorge was, at the time, the oldest first-rate in the service, having
been put into commission in 1755. She carried 108 guns, and was considered a staunch
ship, and a good sailer. Anson, Boscawen, Rodney, Howe, and Ilawke had all repeatedly
commanded in her.

From what small causes may great and lamentable disasters arise ! " During the
washing of her decks, on the 28th, the carpenter discovered that the pipe which admitted
the water to cleanse and sweeten the ship, and which was about three feet under the
water, was out of repair — that it was necessary to replace it with a new one, and to heel
her on one side for that purpose." The guns on the port side of the ship were run out
of the port-holes as far as they would go, and those from the starboard side were drawn
in and secured amidships. This brought hor porthole-sills on the lower side nearly even

* Admiral Milne, in his dcspatoh datfil from H.^F.S. l.nrd H'tnikii, off Fiiiin(oiTo, Spptomhcr 7th. 1870,
stated tliat, at a littlii hoforo 1 a.m., tlii^ Cn/ihiin was astern of liis sliip, '• a|iiiarently closinu; under sleam."
The sif^nal "open order" was maile, and at once answered; and at l.I.) a.m. .she w.is on tho I.nr/l U'nn/iii'.i
(the fhiir-ehipVI loo rpiarter, about hIx points ahaft the Leani. From that time until ahnut 1.30 a.m. I e(mstantly
wati'hed the .Oiip. . . . Sh(> w.is lieelins,' over ii irnod deal to starboard," \:c. We liavo si'cn that she went
down shortly after the laiduight watch hud been called.

■■•MM

i ,■

THE SEA.

'i;

with the water. " At about 9 o'clock a.m., or rather before/' stated one of the survivors,*
" we had just finished our breakfast, and the last lighter, with rum on board, had come
alongside ; this vessel was a sloop of about fifty tons, and belonged to three brothers, who
used her to carry things on board the men-of-war. She was lashed to the larboard side
of the h'u//al Ueorrfe, and we were piped to clear the lighter and get the rum out of her,
and stow it in the hold. ... At first, no danger was apprehended from the ship
being on one side, although the water kept dashing in at the portholes at every wave ; and
there being mice in the lower part of the ship, which were disturbed by the water which
dashed in, they were hunted in the water by the men, and there had been a rare game going
on." Their play was soon to be rudely stopped. The carpenter, perceiving that the ship
was in great danger, went twice on the deck to ask the lieutenant of the watch to order
the ship to be righted j the first time the latter barely answered him, and the second
replied, savagely, " If you can manage the ship better than I can, you had better take
the command/' In a very short time, he began himself to see the danger, and ordered
the drummer to beat to right ship. It was too late — the ship was beginning to sink ; a
sudden breeze springing upheeled her still more ; the guns, shot, and heavy articles generally,
and a large part of the men on board, fell irresistibly to the lower side; and the water,
forcing itself in at every i)ort, weighed the vessel down still more. She fell on her broad-
side, with her masts nearly flat mu the water, and sank to the bottom immediately. "The
officers, in their confusion, made no signal of distress, nor, indeed, could any assistance
have availed if they had, after her lower-deck ports were in the water, which forced itself
in at every port with fearful velocity." In going down, the main-yard of the lloi/al
(ji'oi-ije caught the boom of tlu» rum-lighter and sank her, drowning some of those on
board.

At this terrible moment there were nearly 1,200 persons f on board. Deducting the
larger proj)ortion of the watch on deck, iT.bout 2>'30, who were mostly saved by running up
the rigging, and afterwards taken o!T by tiie boats sent for their rescue, and, perhaps,
seventy otiiers wiio managtHl to scramble out of the ports, &c., the whole of the remainder
perished. Admiral Kempenfelt, whose tlag-ship it was, and who was then writing in his
cabin, and had just before been shaved by the barber, went down with her. The first-
captain tried to acquaint him that the ship was sinking, but the heeling over of the ship had
so jammed the doors of tlie cabin that they could not be opened. One young man was
saved, as the vessel filled, by the force of the water rushing upwards, and sweeping him
bodily before it through a hatchway. In a few seconds, he found himself iloating on
the surface of the sea, where he was, later, picked up by a boat. A little child was almost
miraculously preserved by a sheep, which swam some time, and with which he had doubt-
less been playing on deck. lie held by the fleece till rescued by a gentleman in a
wherry. His father and mother were both drowned, and the poor little fellow did not

* A " Xarrativo of the TiOss of tlii> Jlixjal Gmrf/f," pulilishod at Portsca, iind wiittun \>\ a gentleman who wa.s
on the island at tho lime.

t The oxact niimhci' was ncvfi- known. There were 'J")0 women on hoard, a lari^e ]n'oj)orti<m of whom wcro
the wivi^H and relatives of the sailois : nTid tiiere w(n'e also a niniihcr of children, most of wliom htdongcd to
I'ortsinoiith. IJesides thi'se, tlierr wiri> a niimbrr of ^v\\• and other traders on hoard.

LOSS OF THE "ROYAL OEOItGE."

even know their names ; all that he knew was that his own name was Jack. His
preserver provided for him.

One of the survivors,* who got tlirough a porthole, looked back and saw the

opening "as full of heads as it could cram, all trying to got out. I caught," said he.

THE WllECK 01' THE " llOYAL GKOUGE.

" hold of the best bower-anchor, which was jusfe above me, to prevent falling back again
into the porthole, and seizing hold of a woman who was trying to get out of the same
porthole, I dragged hor out.^' The same writer says that he saw "all the heads drop
back again in at the porthole, for the ship had got so much im her larboard side ihal the
star/xxird porUmh's yen' <i-s iijirhjlil as if (lie wen hml trit'd In i/rl out of the top of a

* Mr. Ingram, wliosn iKiniitivc, jrintcd in tlic little work IhIuM' (luutid, Ijcius all tho impress of truth.

iii !

I i

THE HEX.

eldmiieii, with nothhuj for their Irga and feel to act upon." The sinking of the vessel
drew him clown to the bottom, but he was enabled afterwards to rise to the surface and
swim to one of the great blocks of the ship which had lloated off. At the time the ship
was sinking, an opjn barrel of tar stood on deck. When he rose, it was floating on the
water like liit, and he got into the middle of it, coming out as black as a negro
minstrel !

When this man had got on the block he observed the admiral's baker in the shrouds
of the mizentop-mast, which were above water not far off; and directly after, the poor
woman whom he had pulled out of the poi'thole came rolling by. He called out to the
baker to reach out his arm and catch her, which was done. She hung, quite insensible,
for some time by her chin over one of the ratlines of the shrouds, but a surf soon washed
her off again. She was again rescued shortly after, and life was not extinct; she re-
covered her senses when taken on board our old friend the Victorij, then lying with other
large ships near the lioijal Georye. The captain of the latter was saved, but the poor
carpenter, who did his best to save tlie ship, was drowned.

In a few days after the Itoyal Gvonje sank, bodies would come up, thirty or forty
at a time. A corpse would rise "so suddenly as to frighten any one.'^ The watermen,
there ' s no doubt, made a good thing of it ; they took from the bodies of the men their
buckles, money, and watches, and then made fast a rope to their heels and towed them
to land." The writer of the narrative from which this account is mainly derived says
that he " saw them towed into Portsmouth Harbour, in their mutilated condition, in the
same manner as rafts of floating timber, and promiscuously (for particularity was scarcely
possible) put into carts, which conveyed them to their final sleeping-place, in an excava-
tion pi-eparcd for them in Kingstown churchyard, the burial-place belonging to the parish
of Portsea.'^ Many bodies were washed ashore on the Isle of Wight.

Futile attempts were made the following year to raise the wreck, but it was not till
1839-10 that Colonel Pasley proposed, and successfully carried out, the operations for its
removal. W^rought-iron cylinders, some of the larger of which contained over a ton each
of gunpowder, were lowered and fired by electricity, and the vessel was, by degrees, blown
uji. !Many of the guns, the capstans, and other valuable parts of the wreck were re-
covered by the divers, and the timbers formed then, and since, a perfect godsend to some
of the inhabitants of Portsmouth, who manufactured them into various forms of " relics ^^
of the Itoijal Gcuryi'. It is said that the sale of these has been so enormous that if they
could be collected and stuck together they would form several vessels of the size of the
Hne old first-rate, large as she was ! But something similar has been said of the " wood
of the true cross," and, no doubt, is more than equally libellous.

It is said, by those who descended to the wreck, that its appearance was most
beautiful, when seen from about a fathom above the deck. It was covered with seaweeds,
shells, starfish, and anemones, while from and around its ports and openings the fish,
large and small, swam and ])layed — darting, flashing, and si)arkHng in the clear green
water.

There is ])r()bably no reasonable being in or out of the navy who does not believe
that the ironclad is the war-vessel of the immediate future. But that a woeful amount o£

'ed them

,.•,■■ . ••■v

ved says

N •

, ill the

scarcely

■'

excava-

le parish

not till

s for its

ton each

s, blown

were re-

•

to some

" relics''

i if they

e of the

3 " wood

■as most

eaweeds,

the iish,

ir green

believe

nount o£

'^ \

I ^il'

■ f

■ll

fj'i,

;* i).

ED
H

LOSS OF TlIK " VAX(H'ARl).'

fa
O

imoertainty, as thick as the fo^ in which the Vaiu/nard went down, envelops tlie suhjoct
ill many ways, is most certain. The circunibiiii'.ces connected with that liroat disaster
are still in the memory of! the puhlic, and were simple and distinct enough. During"
the last week of August, 1875, the reserve squadron of the ('hannel Fleet, comprising
the fVarrlor, Achilles, IL-ctor, J run Duke, and Vanguard, with Vice -Admiral Sir \\.
Tarleton's yacht Hawk, had been stationed at Kingstown. At half-past ten on the
morning of the 1st of September they got into line for the purpose of proceeding to (Queens-
town, Cork. Off the Irish lightship, which floats at sea, six miles off Kingstown, the
Achillea hoisted her ensign to say farewell — her destination being Liverpool. The sea was
moderate, but a fog came on and increased in density every moment. Half an hour after noon,
the " look-out " could not distinguish fifty yards ahead, and the ofilcers on the bridge could
not see the bowsprit. The ships had been proceeding at the rate of twelve or fourteen
knots, but their speed had been reduced when the fog came on, and they were running
at not more than half the former speed. The Vamjuard watch reported a sail ahead,
and the helm was put hard aport to prevent running it down. The Iron- Duke was then
following close in the wake of the Vanguard, and the action of the latter simply brought
them closer, and presented a broadside to the former, which, unaware of any change, had
continued her course. The commander of the Iron Duke, Captain Ilickley, who was on
the bridge at the time, saw the spectre form of the Vanguard through the fog, and
ordered his engines to be reversed, but it was too late. The ram of the Iron Duke-
struck the Vanguard below the armour-plates, on the port side, abreast of the engine-
room. The rent made was very large — amounting, as the divers afterwards found, to
four feet in width — and the water poured into the hold in torrents. It might be only
a matter of minutes before she should go down.*

The vessel was doomed ; a very brief examination proved that : nothing remained
but to save the lives of those on board. Captain Dawkins gave the necessary orders
^ with a coolness which did not represent, doubtless, the conflicting feelings within his
breast. The ofTicers ably seconded him, and the crew behaved magnificently. One of the
mechanics went below in the engine-room to let off the steam, and so prevent an ex-
plosion, at the imminent risk of his life. The water rose quickly in the after-part, and
rushed into the engine and boiler rooms, eventually finding its way into the provision-
room flat, through imperfectly fastened (so-called) " water-tight " doors, and gi-adually over
the whole ship. There was no time to be lost. Captain Dawkins called out to his men

* The sontonco of tho court-martial lilanipJ Captain Dawkins, his navip;atinf!;-liputonant. and tho ship's
carpenter, for not cndoavouriiif!: to stop " tho broadi from the outside witli the means at their command, sueh
as hammocks and sails;" for not havinff "ordered Captain Ilickley, of II.IM.W. Iron Duke, to tow II. M.S.
Vanguard into shallow water," such Lcinp; available at a short distance; the chief-engineer for not '•applying-
the means at his command to relieve the sliip of water ; the navigatin^^-lieutenant " for netrlect of duty in not
pointing out to his captain that there was shoaler water within a short di.stance ; " and the carpenter in ''not
taking immediate steps for sounding the compartments, and reporting from time to time the progress of the
•water." A lamentable showing, truly, if all the.se points were neglected I 8o far as the commander is con-
cerned, his suce(>ssful effoils to save the lives of all on boai'd (not knowing when hi:* .ship luiglit go down, and
with the remembrance of the; sudden loss of the Captain full in view) speak nmch in his favour, and in ex-
tenuation of much that would otherwise appear culpable neglect.

I ■'-;

THE LOSS OF THE "KENT."

.SrLKNUlI) DISCiri.INK.

(;5

that if they preserved order all would be saved. Tlie men stood as at an insiiectinn —
not one moved until ordered to do so. The hoats of both ships were lowered. While
the launehin}'' was goinjj on, the swell of the tide eaused a lifeboat to sur^e aj^ainsl
the hull, and one of the erew had his tinj^er crushed. This was absolutely the only
casualty. In twenty minutes the whole of the men were transferred to the Jroii huLr^
no single breach of discipline occurring beyond the understandal)le recpiest of a sailor
once in awhile to be allowed to make one elTort to secure some keepsake or article of
special value to himself. But the order was stern : " Boys, come iustantly." As " four

THE " VANUIAUU AS SHE AITEAKEI) AT LOW WATllK.

bells " (2 p.m.) was striking, the last man having been received on the I rati Duki', the
doomed vessel whirled round two or three times, and then sank in deep water.*

It is obvious, then, that the discij)line and courage of the service had not deteriorated
from that always exjiected in the good old days. Captain Dawkins was the last man to
leave his sinking ship, and his ofiieers one and all behaved in the same spirit. They
endeavoured to quiet and reassure the men — pointing out to them the fatal conseipiences
of confusion. Captain Dawkins may or may not have been rightly censured for his sea-
manship; there can be no doubt that he performed his duty nobly in these systematic
elforts to save his crew. However much was lost to the nation, no mother had to mourn
the loss of her sailor-boy; no wife had been made a widow, no ihild an orphan; live
hundred men had V)een saved to their country.

* Ninototn I'titlioins, or 114 tVot. llov nuiin-topnmst-licail wii.s aftuiwani.- twi'iity-l'our fuot out of wiitur.

THE SEA.

I '

One of the ofliccrs of the I'duijuaril, in u letter to a frieiul, graphically described
the scene at and after the collision. After having Innchetl, he entered the ward-room,
where he encountered the surgeon, Dr. Fisher, who was reading a newspaper. " After
remarking on the thickness of the fog, Fisher went to look out of one of the ports,
and immediately cried out, ' God help us ! here is a ship right into us I ' We rushed
on deck, and at that moment the Iron Buke struck us with fearful force, spars and
blocks falling about, and causing great danger to us on deck. The Iron, Duke then
dropiwd astern, and was lost sight of in the fog. The water came into the engine-room
in tons, stojjping the engines, putting the lires out, and nearly drowning the engineers
and stokers. . . . The ship was now reported sinking fast, although all the water-
light compartments had been closed. But in consequence of the shock, some of the
water-tight doors leaked fearfully, letting water into the other parts of the ship.
Minute-guns were being Hred, and the boats were got out. ... At this moment
the Iron Duke api)eared, lowering her boats and sending them as fast as possible. The
sight of her cheered us up, as we had been frightened that she would not find us
in the fog, in spite of the guns. The scene on deck can only be realised by tiiose
who have witnessed a similar calamity. The looming of the minute-guns, the noise
of the immense volume of steam rushing out of the escape-funnel, and the orders of the
captain, were strangely mingled, while a voice from a boat reported how fast she was
sinking."

When the vessel went down, the deck the Iron Duke was crowded with men
watching the finale of the catastrophe. When she was about to sink, she heeled gradually
over until the whole of her enormous size to the keel was alx>ve water. Then she
gradually sank, righting hei"self as she went down, stern first, the water being
blown from hawse-holes in huge spouts by the force of the air rushing out of the ship.
She then disappeai-ed from view. The men were much saddened to see their home go
down, carrying everything they possessed. They had been paid that morning, and a
large number of them lost their little accumulated earnings. These were, of course, after-
wards allowed them by the Admiralty.

The Vauffiiaril and the Iron Duke were two of a class of broadside ironcltuls, built
with a view to general and not special utilit\' in warfare. Their thickest armour was
eight inches, a mere strip, 100 feet long by three high, and much of the visible part,
of them was unarmoured altogether, while below it varied from six inches to as low
as three-eighths of an inch. It was only the latter thickness where the point of
the Iron Dnh-'x ram entered. Their advocates boasted that they could pass through
the Suez Canal, and go anywhere.

Every reader will remember the stormy discussion which ensued, in which not merely
the ironclad question, but tlie court-martial which followed — and the Admiralty decision
which followed that — were seviTcly handled. Nor could there be much wonder at all this,
for a vessel which had cost the nation over a quarter of a million of pounds sterling,
with equipment and properly on board which had cost as much more,* was lost for ever.

• The totiil I'stinmted U>s8 was £').50,000.

Loss OF THE "KKNT;

(i?

It was in vain that the then First Lord of the Admiralty* told us, in somewhat Hippant
tones, that we ouj^ht to he rather satisfied than otherwise with thy oeenrrenee. It was not
ttltojjether satisfaetory to learn from Mr. lleed, the principal desij^ner of hoth ships, that
ironclads were in more dan<»'er in times of peace than in times of war.t In the former
they were residences for sevend hundred sailors, and many of the water-ti»^ht doors coidd
not he kei)t (;losed without ineonvonience ; in the latter they were fortresses, when the
doors would he closed for safety. The court-martial, constituted <jf leading naval
authorities and officers, imputed hlame for the high rate of speed sustained in a fog; the
puhlic naturally inquired why a higli rate of speed was necessary at all at the time, hut
their lordships declined to consider this as in any way contributing to the disaster. The
Court ex))ressed its opinion pretty strongly upon the conduct of the otticers of the li'on
Duke, which did the mischief, and also indirectly blamed the admiral in command of the
squadron, but the Admiralty could find nothing wrong in either case, simply visiting their
wrath on the unfortunate lieutenant on deck at the time. So, to make a long and very
unpleasant story short, the loss of the VanijiMrd brought about a considerable loss of
faith in some of our legally constituted naval authorities. |

CHAPTER V.

Pkiui-s of thk Sailor's Likk {roxtlnnfd).

The Vttluc of Discipline— The I^oss of tlie /fe;i« -Fire on Hoard— Tlie Ship WuterloKned Keiilli in 'I'wo Forms - A .Hail
in SlKht— Trunsfercnce of Six Hundred I'asscnKers to ii Hniull Hrig— Splendid Disciplint- of the Soldiers Imper-
turbuble Coolness of the Captttin— Loss of ''i- Hirkenhtad -IjileruUy Uroken inTwo A'olile Conduct of llm Military —
A contrary Kxaniple— Wreck of the Mulu«a-\\.\\\\ on u Sund-bank- I'onic on Hoard Haft riinstruetcd Insubonli-
nation and Selflshness— One Ifinidred and Fifty Soula Abandoned— Drunkenness and Mutiny on the Haft Hiots
and Murders— Heduced to 1 airty I'ersons -The stronger part Massacre the others— Fifteen U-ft-Hescued at Uist •
Another Contrast -Wreck of the -(ta'sfc— Admirable ConUiict of the Crew- The Ironclad Movement The Haltlo
of the Guns.

It is impossible to read the account of any great disaster at sea, without being strongly
impressed with the enormous value of maintaining in the hour of peril the same strict
discipline which, under ordinary circumstances, is the rule of a vessel. Few more striking

* Mr. Ward Hunt siiid publicly tliat, " If the Inm Dnke hiul sent iiii incniy's shi|> to the liottoiu, we
should hiive called her one of the most formidable ships of war in the world, aiid nil that she has done is
actually what sh(^ was intended to do, vjcccpl, of counic, that thv nhip nhe struck icdx loifortiniiitdy our o'i'ii
property, atitl not that of the t'litin!/."

f Mr. Rccd wrot(( to ftio Timen to the effect that there would, undoubtedly, bo a •• s^reatcr measure of safety
during a naval engaji^cment than on ordinary (XM'asions," and explained that " the ruliiii>; I'onsiih^-ation which has
been aimed at in these ships has been .so to divide them into compartments, that, when all the water-tipht
doors and valves are armnged as they would be on going into action, the breach by a ram of one coniimrt-
ment only should not suffice to sink the ship."

I Sir Henry James, Attorney-General to the previous Government, spoke ptiblicly on the subject in the
plainest terms. He said: — "One would have thought that if there were a couit-niartial on the vessel which
is lost, the officers of the vessel which caused that loss would not go scot free." The Admiralty was blamed
for not having sent the decision of the Court back to it for roconsidei-ation, instead of which they broke a rule
of naval etiquette, and seemed anxious to quash inquiry

THE SEA.

examples of this are to be found, than in the story of the loss of the Kent, which we
are now about to rehite. The disaster of the Mfiluia^ which we shall record later, in which
complete anarchy and disregard of discipline, aggravated a hundredfold the horrors of
the situation, only teaches the same lesson from the opposite point of view. Thou|ifh the
most indei)endent people on the earth, all Englishmen worthy of the name appreciate the
value of j)roper subordination and obedience to those who have rightful authority to com-
mand. This was almost the only gratifying feature connected with the loss of the
f'inii/iiarti, and the safe and rapid transference of the crew to the Irov Duke was
due to it. But the circumstances of the case were as nought to some that have preceded
it, where the diiRculties and risks were infinitely greater and the reward much less certain.
The Kent was a tine troop-ship, of 1,530 tons, bound from England for Bengal and China.
She had on board 3 t-l soldiers, forty-three women, and sixty-six children. The officers, private
passengers, and crew brought the total number on board to tJlO. After leaving the Downs,
on the l'.)th of February, 1S25, she encountered terrible weather, culminating in a gale on
the Ist of March, which obliged them almost to sail under bare poles. The narrative*
by Sir Duncan MacCJregor, one of the passengers, created an immense sensation at its
first appearance, and was translated into almost every language of the civilised world. He
states that the rolling of the ship, which was vastly increased by a dead weight of some
hundred tons of shot and shells that formed a part of its lading, became so great about
half-past eleven or twelve o'clock at night, that the main-chains were thrown by every
lurch considerably under water; and the best eleated articles of furniture in the cabin and
the cuddy were dashed about in all directions.

It was a little before this period that one of the oflUcers of the ship, with the well-meant
intention of ascertaining that all was fast below, descended with a lantern. He discovered
one of the spirit-casks adrift, and sent two or three sailors for some billets of wood to secure
it. While they were absent, he unfortunately dropped the lamp, and letting go his hold
of the cask in his eagerness to recover it, the former suddenly stove, and the spirits
communicating with the light, the whole deck at that part was speedily in a blaze. The
fire spread rapidly, and all their efforts at extinguishing it were vain, although bucket
after bucket of water, wet sails and hammocks, were immediately applied. The smoke began
to ascend the hatchway, and although every effort was made to keep the passengers in
ignorance, the terrible news soon spread that the ship was on fire. As long as the devouring
element appeared to be confined to the spot where the fire originated, and which they were
assured was surrounded on all sides with water-casks, there was some hope that it might
be subdued; but soon the light-blue vapour that at first arose was succeeded by volumes
of thick, dingy smoke, which ascendetl through all the hatchways and rolled over the ship.
A thorough panic took possession of most on board.

The deck was covered with six hundred men, women, and children, many almost frantic
with excitement — wives seeking their husbands, children their mothers ; strong men appearing
as though their reason was overthrown, weak men maudlin and weeping ; many good people
on their knees in earnest prayer. Some of the older and more stout-hearted soldiers and

* "The loss of the Kent, East Indifiman." by Liout.-General Sir Duncan MiieGrcgor, K.C.B.

A sAir. IN siruir.

sailors sullenly took their seals ilirecHy over th.' powder-magazine, cxiweting momentarily
that it would exphnle and put therii out of their misery. A ntrong pitchy smell suddenly
wafted over the ship. "The flames have reaehed the eaMe-tier ! " exclaimed one; and it
was found to be too true. The lire had now extended so I'ar, that there was hut one course
to pursue: the lower decks must he swamiK-d. Captain Cobh, the commander of the Keiii ,
was a man of action, and, with an ability and decision that seemed only to increase with
the imminence of the danger, orderid the lower decks to he scuttled, the coverings of the
hatches removed, and the lower ports opened to the fitc adtnission of the waves. His
instructions were speedily obeyed, the soldiers aiding the crew. The fury of the llames
was, of course, checked ; but several sick soldiers and children, and one woman, unable t()
gain the upper deck, were drowned, end others suffocattxl. As the risk of explosion somewhat
diminished, a new horror arose. The ship became water-logged, and presented indications
of settling down. Death in two forms stared them in the face.

No sail had been seen for many days, tlu' vessel being somewhat out of the regular
course. But, although it seemed hopeless, a man was sent up to the foretop to scan tlie
horizon. How many anxious eyes were turned uj) to him, how many anxious hearts beat
at that moment, can well be understood. The sailor threw his eyes raj)idly over the waste
of howling waters, and instantly waved his hat, exclaiming, in a voice hoarse with emotion,
"A sail on the lee bow!" Flags of distress were soon hoisted, minute-guns lired, and
an attempt made to bear down on the welcome stranger, which for some time did not notice
them. But at last il; seemed probal)Ie, by her slackening sail and altering her course, that
the Kent had been se.^n. Hope revived on board ; but there were still three painful problems
to be solved. The vessel in the distance was but a small brig : could she take over six
hundred persons on board? Could they l)e transferred during a terrible gale and heavy sea,
likely enough to swamp all the boats ? Might not the Km/ either blow up or speedily
founder, before even one soul were saved ?

The vessel proved to be the Cambria, a brig bound to A'era Cruz, with a number of
miners on board. For fifteen minutes it had been very doubtful to all on the Kent whether
their signals of distress — and the smoke issuing from the hatchways formed no small
item among them — were seen, or the minute-guns heard. But at length it became
obvious that the brig ^sas making for them, and preparations were made to clear and
lower the boats of the East Indiaman. " Although," says Sir Duncan MaeGregor, " it
was impossible, and would have been improper, to repress the rising hopes that were
pretty generally diffused amongst us by the unexpected sight of the Cambria, yet I
confess, that when 1 reflected on the long period our ship had been alrei dy burning — on
the tremendous sea that was running — on the extreme smallness o!" the brig, and
the immense number of human beings to be saved — I could only venture to hope that
a few might be spared." When the military officers were consulting together, as the
brig was approaching, on the requisite preparations for getting out the boats, and.
other necessary courses of action, one of the officers asked Major MaeGregor in what
order it was intended the officers should move off, to which ho replied, " Of course, in
funeral order," which injunction was instantly confirmed by Colonel Fearon, who said,
"Most undoubtedly — the juniors first; but see that any man is cut down who presumes

THE SEA.

! ' '

'A\i

to enter the boats before the menus of escape are pre ented to the women and children/'
To prevent any rush of trooi)s or sailors to the boats, the officers were stationed near
them with drawn swords. But, to do the soldiers and seamen justice, it was little needed ;
the former particularly keepin<jf perfect order, and assisting to save the ladies and
children and private ; is.senners generally. Some of the women ard children were placed
in the first boat, which was immediately l<nvered into a sea so tempestuous that there was
great danger that it would be swamped, while the lowering-tackle not being properly
disengaged at the stern, there was a great prospect for a few moments that its living
freight would be upset in the water. A sailor, however, succeeded in cutting the ropes
with an axe, and the first boat got o£E safely.

The ('um/jrla had been intentionally lain at some distance from the Kent, lest she
should be involved in her explosion, or exposed to the fire from the guns, which, being
all shotted, went ofF as the flames reached them. The men had a consideral)le distance
to row, and the success of the fi;.^r experiment was naturally looked upon as the measure
of their future hopes. The movements of this boat were watched with intense anxiety
by all on board. " The l)etter to balance the boat in the raging sea through which it
had to pass, and to enable the seamen to ply their oars, the women and children were
stowed promiscuously under the seats, and consequently exposed to the risk of being
drowned by the continual dashing of the spray over their heads, which so filled ihe boat
during the passage that before their arrival at the brig the poor females were sitting
up to their waists in water, ana their children kejit with the greatest difficulty above
it." Happily, at the expiration of twenty minutes, the cutter was seen alongside their
ark of refuge. The next difficulty was to get the ladies and children on board the
Cambria, for the sea was running high, and there was danger of the boat being swamped
or stove against the side of the brig. T'le children were almost thrown on board, while
the women had to spring towards the many friendV arms extended from the vessel, when
the waves lifted the boat momentarily in the righ>. position. However, all were safely
transferred to the brig without serious mishap.

It became impossible for the boats, after the first trip, to come alongside the Keut,
and a plan was adopted for lowering the women and children i'rom the stern by tying
them two and two together. The heaving of the vessel, and the heavy sea raising the
boat one instant and dropping it the next, rendered this somewhat perilous. Manj of
the poor women were i)lunged several times in the water before they succeeded in landing
safely in the boat, and many young children died from the effects — " the same violent
means which only reduced tiie parents to a state of exhaustion or insensibility/' having
entirely (luenched the vital spark in their feeble frames. One fine fellow, a soldier, who
had neither wife nor child of hia own, but who showed great solicitude for the safety of
others, insisted on iiaving three children lashed to him, with whom he plunged into the
water to reach the boat more quickly. He swam well, but could not get near the boat;
and when he was eventually drawn on board again, two of the children were dead. One
man fell down the hatchway into tl^.e flames ; another had his l)ack broken, and was
thserved, (|uite doubled, falling overboard ; a third fell between the boat and 1 rig, and
his head was literally crushed to piecei ; others were lost in their attempts to aso^'ud the

THE "KENT" ABANDONED.

she

sides of the Ctinihrhi ; and others, again, were drowned in their hurry to get on boaril
the boats.

One of the sailors, who had, with many others, taken his post over the naagazine,
at hist cried out, almost in ill-humour, " Well ! if she won't blow up, I'll see if I can't
get away from her." He was saved — and musl have felt quite disappointetl. One of the
three boats, swamped or stove during the day, had on board a number of men who had
been rol)bing the cabins during the confusion on board. "It is suspected that oae or two
of those who went down, must have sunk beneath the weight of their spoils."

As there was so much doubt as to how soon the vessel would e.iplode or go down,
while the process of transference between the vessels occupied three-quarters of an hour
each trip, and other delays were caused by timid passengers and latlies who were naturally
loath to be separated from their husbands, they determined on a quicker mode of placing
them in the boat. A rope was suspended from the end of the spanker-lhom, along the
slippery top of which the passengers had either to walk, crawl, or bo carried. The reader
need not be told th i this great boom or spar stretches out from the mizen-mast far over
the stern in a vessel the size of the Kent. On ordinary occasions, in quiet weather, it
would be fifteen or twenty feet above the water, but with the vessel pitching and tossing
during the continuous storm, it was raised often as much ai forty feet in the air. It
will be seen that, under tl\tN(! circumstances, with the boat at the stern now swept to
some distance in the hollow of a wave, and now raised high on its crest, the lowering of
oneself by the rope, to drop at the right moment, was a perilous operation. It was a
connmion thing for strong men to reach the boat in a state of utter exhaustion, having
bccii several times immersed in the waves and half drowned. But thero were many
strong anJ willing hands among the soldiers and sailors ready to help the weak and
fearful ones, .ind the transference went on with fair rapidity, though with every now and
again some sad casualty to record. The coolness and determination of the officers,
military and marine, the good order and sulwrdination of most of the ti-oops, and the
b-avery of many in risking their lives for others, seems at this time to have restored some
little confidence among the timid and shrinking on board. A little later, and the declining
rays and fiery glow on the waves indicated that the sun was setting. One can we^^ understand
the feeling of many on board as they witnessed its disappearance and the approach of darkness.
Were their lives also to set in outer gloom — the ocean to be that night their grave ?

Late at night Major MacGregor went down to his cabin in search of a blanket to
shelter him from the increasing cold. " The scene of desolation that there presented
itself was melancholy in the extreme. The place which, only a few short hours before, iiad
been the scene of kindly intercourse and of social gaiety", was now entirely deserted, save
l»y a few miserable wretches who were either siretched in irrec<)verable intoxication on
the floor, or prowling about, like beasts of prey, in search of plunder. The sofas,
drawers, and (sther articles of furniture, the due arrangement of which ha<l cost so much
tliought and jiains, were now broken into a thousand pieces, and scattered in confusion
aroiuid. . . . Some of the geese and other poultry, escaped from their confinement,
wore cackling in the cuddy; while a solitary pig, wandering from its sty in the fore-
castle, was ranging at large in vndisturbed poi^sessiou of the Brussels carpet."

!ir

I I

111*

'JiiK si;a.

It is liiylily to tilt' crt'ilit of the (iliicers, i.iore ospeciully to those wln) liad doew-
C'.iliiiis, from which it would lie easy to reiiiuve many portahle artieles, and even trunks and
lioxes, that they entirely devoted their time and ener^'ies to savinj^- life. Tiiey lelt the
ship simply with the elothes they stood in, and weiv tlie last to leave it, exee]>(, of
ronrse, where sulj(n'dinate ollieers were iletailed to look after portions of the troo2)s. Captain
('ol)li, in his resolution to be the last to leave the shi]), tried all he could to urge the few
remainin<^ jjcrsons on board to dro]) on tiie ropes and save themselves. But tindino' all

1 ALMOlrn IIAKIIOI K.

his enlccalicf; fruitless, and hearing the ^'uns sueeessiveiy explode in the Imld, into which
fhi'v had fulle/i, he at length, after doiny all in his ))ower to save theui, jjot himself
irilo (he !"iat by " layiui,'- hold of the topj)in<^'-lit't, or rope that connects the driver-boom
with the mi/.eii-to]), thereliy ^'ettini;' over the heads of the infatuated men who occupied
the boom, UNiil le to go either backward or forward, and ultimately (lroj)j)ini4' liimself into
the water."' One of the boats jtersevered in keepin<^ ilx station under the AV-tz/'v sfern, until
the tlames were Itursting- out of the cabin windows. Tlw lar<,''er part of the poor wretches
K'it on board were saved: when the vessel exploded, tJi#y soug'ht shelter in the chains, where
they stood till tlic masts fell overboard, to which they thett cliaifjf for some hours. I'ltimatelv,
the}' were rescued l»y Captain Bibljey, of the ('n r'tl'nu;, a vessel bound from Kgypt to Liverpool,

IWf."

S illKl

)laiii
IV' w

r,s::'-

Inch

-llOullI

i|)ie(l

iiit'>

til

nil

Idles

lien-

H'lv,

THE SEA.

iin

who happened to see the explosion at a j^voat distance, and instantly made all sail in the
direction whence it proceeded, afterwards cruising about for some time to pick up any
survivors.

After the arrival of the last boat at the Camfji'la, " the Hames, which had spread along'
the upper deck and poop, ascended with the rapidity of lightning to the masts and rigging,
forming one general conflagration, that illumined the heavens to an immense distance, and
was strongly reflected on several objects on board the brig. The flags of distress, hoisted
in the morning, were seen for a considerable time waving amid the flames, until tlie masts
to which they were suspended successively fell, like stately steeples, over the ship's side."
At last, about half-past one o'clock in the morning, the devouring element having com-
municated to the magazine, the explosion was seen, and the blazing fragments of the once
magnificent Ken I were instantly hurled, like so many rockets, high into the airj leaving,
in the comparative darkness that succeeded, " the deathful scene of that disastrous day
floating before the mind like some feverish dream. '^

The scene on board the brig beggared description. The captain, who bore the honoured
name of Cook, and his crew of eight, did all that was in their power to alleviate the miseries
of the E.ix hundred persons added to their number; while they carried sail, even to the
extent of danger, in order to make nine or ten knots to the nearest port. The Cornish
miners and Yorkshire smelters on board gave up their beds and clothes and stores to the
passengers ; and it was extremely fortunate that the brig was on her outward voyage, for,
had she been returning, she would not, in all probability, have had provisions enough to
feed six hundred persons for a single day. But at the best their condition was miserable.
In the cabin, intended for eight or ten, eighty were packed, many nearly in a nude condition,
and many of the poor women not having space to lie down.

The gale increased ; but still they crowded all sail — even at the risk of carrying away
the masts — and at length the welcome cry of " Land ahead ! " was reported from mouth
to mouth. They were off the Scilly lights, and speedily afterwards reached Falmouth, where
the inhabitants vied with each other in providing clothing and food and money for all
who needed them.

The total loss from the Kent was eighty-one souls j namely, fifty-four soldiers, one
woman, twenty children, one seaman, and five boys of the crew. How much greater might
it not have been but for the imperturbable coolness, fhe commanding abilities, and the
persevering and prompt action of Captain Cobb, and the admirable discipline and subordination
of the troops !

Another remarkable instance of the same thing is to be found in the case of the Bli'h'ii-
head, where there were desperate odds against any one surviving. The ship was a war-steamer,
conveying troops from St. Simon's Bay to Algoa Bay, Cape Colony, and had, with crew, 'i total
comi)lemcnt of G3S souls on board. She struck on a reef, when steaming at the rate of eig^lit
and a half knots, and almost immediately became a total wreck. The rock penetrai^.u her
bottom, just aft of the fore-mast, and the rush of water was so great that most of the uien on
tlie lower troop-deck were drowned in their hammocks. The commanding officer, Major Seton,
called bis subordinate officers about him, and impressed upon theru th(> m'cessity of preserving
order and perfect discipline among the men, and of assisting the commander of the ship

•

THE "P.IRKEXIIEAD- I'AliTS IN TWO.

•4

in everything' possible. Sixty soldiers were immediately detailed for the piimj)s, in three
reliefs; sixtv more to hold on the tackles of the piuldlo-hox boats, and the remainder were
brought on the poop, so as to ease the fore-part t)f the ship, which was ndliny heavily.
The commander of the ship ordered the horses to be pitched out of the first-gangway, and the
cutter to be got ready for the women and children, who were safely jjut on board. Just
after they were out of the siiip, the entire bow broke olT at tlie fore-mast, and the funnel
went over the side, carrying away the starboard paddle-l).)x and boat. The otiicr paddle-box
boat capsized when l>eing lowered, and their largest boat, in the centre of the ship, could
not be got at, so encumbered was it. Five minutes later, the vessel actually " Lfuke in iwo," ,
literally realising Falconer's lines : —

"All. Heaven'. Ik'holJ, hur cia^liiii^' lilis divido I
She loosens, parts, and spreads in ruin o'er the tiil(!.''

" She parted just abaft the engine-room, and the stern part immediately filled and went down.
A few men jumped off just before she did so ; but the greater number remained to the
last, pnd so did every officer belonging to the troops." A number of the soldiers were
crushed to death when the funnel fell, and few of those at the pumps could reach the deck
before the vessel broke up. The survivors clung, some to the rigging of the main-mast,
part of which was out of water, and others to floating pieces of wood. When the Birkenhead
divided into two pieces, the commander of the ship called out, " All those who can swim,
jump overboard and make for the boats!" Two of the military officers earnestly besought
their men not to do so, as, in that case, the boats with the women must be swamped ; and,
to the honour of the soldiers, only three made the attempt.

The struggles of a part of them to reach the shore, the weary tramp through a coinitry
covered with thick thorny bushes, before they could reach any farm or settlement; ihe sii'ierings
of thirty or more poor fellows who were clinging, in a state of utter exhaust iv>n, cold, and
wretchedness, to the main-topmast and topsail-yard of the submerged vessel, before they were
rescued by a passing sdiooner, have often been told. The conduct of the troops was perfect ;
and it is questionable whether there is any other instance of such thorough discipline at a time
of almost utter hopelessness. The loss of life was enormous, only ID^J out of (!-'38 being
saved. Had there been any panic, or mutiny, not even that small remnant would have escaped.

Turn we now to another and a sadder case, where the opposite ([ualities were most
unhappily displayed, and the consecpiences of which were proportionately terrible.

On the 17th of June, ISIO, the Medusa, a line French frigate, sailed from Aix, with
troops f.nd colonists on board, destined for the west coast of Africa. Several settlements
which had previously belonged to France, but which fell into the hands of the English
during the war, were, on the peace of 1815, restored to their original owners ; and it was
to take rc-possession that the French Cyovernment •iispatched the exp(>dition, which consisted
of two vessels, one of which was the Mcdnm. Eosides infantry and artillery, officers and
men, there was a governor, with i)riests, schoolmasters, notaries, surgeons, apothecaries,
mining an;l other engineers, naturalists, practical agriciiUurisIs, bakers, workmen, and thirty-
eight women, the whole expedition numbering 'Mu) persons, exclusive of the ship's officers
and company. Of these the Meilum to(jk ;!10, making, with her ciew and passengers, a
total of 100 on board.

!if

ifil

(

THE SEA,

After making' Cape IJlanco, the expedition had been ordered to st3Gr due westward to
sea for some sixty miles, in order to clear a well-kn(nvn sand-bank, that of Arguin. The
captain, however, seems to have been an ill-advised, foolhardy man, and he took a southward
course. The vessel shortened sail every two hours to sound, and every half-hour the lead
was east, without slackening sail. For some little time the soundings indicated deep water,
but shortly after the course had been altered to S.S.E., the colour of the water changed,
seaweeds floated round the ship, and lish were caught from its sides; all indications of
shallowing. But the captain heeded not these obvious signs, and the vessel suddenly grounded
on a bank. The weather being moderate, there was n.o reason for alarm, and she would

TIIK UATT OF THE " MEDfSA.

I ■!'•'!

have been got off safely had the captain been even an average sailor. For the time, the
Medusa stuck fast on the sand-bank, and as a large part of those on board were landsmen,
consternation and disorder reigned supreme, and reproaches and curses were liberally bestowed
on the captain. The crew was set to work with anchors and cables to endeavour to work
the vessel off. During the day, the topmasts, yards, and booms were unshipped and thrown
«)verboard, which lightened her, but were not sufficient to make her float. Meantime, a
council was called, and the governor of the colonies exhibited the plan of a raft, which was
considered large enough to carry two hundred persons, with all the necessary stores and
provisions. It was to be towed by the boats, while their crews were to come to it at regular
meal-times for their rations. The whole party was to land in a body on the sandy shore of
the coast — known to bo at no great distance — and proceed to the nearest settlements. All
this was, theoretically sj)enking, most admirable, and had there been any leading spirit ill

IN'.SUHOUIMXATION' AND SKLFISHNESS,

comiiiantl, the plan would have been, as was afterwards proved, quite practicable. The raft
was immediately constructed, principally from the spars removed from the vessel as
before mentioned.

\'arious efforts were made to get the Medvsa off the sandbank, and at one time she
swuii^' entirely, and turned her head to sea. She was, in fact, almost afloat, and a tow-line
a])plicd in the usual way would have taken her into deep water; but this familiar oxpodient
was never even proposed. Or, even had she been lightened by throwing overboard a part
of her stores temporarily' — which could have been done without serious harm to many articles
— she might have been saved. Half-measures were tried, and even these were not acted
on with perseverance. During the next night there was a strong gale and heavy swell,
and the MeiJusa heeled over with much violence; the keel broke in two, the rudder was
unshipped, and, still holding to the stern-post by the chains, dashed against the vessel and
beat a hole into the captain's cabin, through which the waves entered. It was at this time
that the ilrst indications of that unruly spirit which afterwards produced so many horrors
appeared among the soldiers, who assembled tumultuously on deck, and could hardly be quieted.
Next morning there were seven feet of water in the hold, and the ])umps could not be
worked, so that it was resolved to quit the vessel without delay. Some bags of biscuit
were taken from the bread-room, and some casks of wine got ready to put on the boats
and raft. But there was an utter want of management, and several of the boats only
received twenty-five pounds of biscuit and no wine, while the raft had a quantity of wine
and no biscuit. To avoid confusion, a list had been made the evening before, assigning
to each his place. No one paid the slightest attention to it, and no one of those in
authority tried to enforce obedience to it. It was a case of " Saitve qui peut ! " with a
vengeance : a disorderly and disgraceful scramble for the best places and an utter and
total disregard for the wants of others.

It is, and always has been, a point of honour for the officers to be among the very
last to leave (except, of course, where their presence might be needed in the boats), and
the captain to be the very last. Here, the captain was among the frst to scramble over
the side ; and his twelve-oared barge only took off twenty-eight persons, when it would have
easily carried many more. A large barge took the colonial governor and his family, and the
governor's trunks. His boat wanted for nothing, and would have accommodated ten or more
persons than it took. When several of the unfortunate crew swam off and begged to l)e
taken in, they were kept off with drawn swords. The raft * took the larger part of the
soldiers, and had in all on board one hundred and fifty persons. The captain coolly proposed
to desert some sixty of the people still on board, and leave them to shift for themselves ;
but an officer who threatened to shoot him was the means of making him change his mind,

i I
I

. I:

h; ■;

i ■ t

* The raft is described in the orifj^niil work on the sliipwreck of the Miditsa suljstantially as follows :— It was
('c)mpo8<'d (if topmasts, yards, planks, the boom, &c., lashed strongly together; two topmasts formed the sides, and
four other masts, of the same length as thi; former, wore plaeed in the centre, j)lanks being nailed on them. Long
timbers w(>re placed across the raft, adding considtjrably to its strength : these projected about ten feet on each side.
'I'liere was a rail along the sides, to keep those on board from falling into the sea. Its height being only about a
font and a half, it was constantly under water, though this could easily have been remedied, by raising a second
floor a foot or two above it. Two of the shii)'s yards, joined to the extremities of the sides, at one cud met in front
und formed a bow. Its length was sixty feet, and breadth about twenty.

THE SKA.

and over forty were taken > T in the lon<j-ljoat. Seventeen men, many of whom were
helplessly intoxieatedj were, however, left to their fate.

On the morning' of the 5th of July the signal was yiven to put to sea, and at first
some of the boats towed the raft, which had no one to command it hut a midshipman named
Coudin, who, havinj^ a painful wound on his Icfjf, was utterly useless. The other ollicers
consulted their own personal safety only, and, with a few excei^tions, this was the ease
with every one else. When the lieutenant of the long-boat, fearing that he could not
keep the sea with eighty-eight men on board, and no oars, entreated three of the other
boats, one after the other, to relieve him of a part of his living cargo, they refused utterly ;
and the officer of the third, in his hurry to run away, loosed from the raft. This was the
signal for a general desertion. The word was passed from one boat to another to leave
them to their fate, and the captain had not the manliness to protest. The j)urser of the
Mi'(li(.iiiy wfth a few others, opposed such a dastardly proceeding, but in vain ; and the raft,
without means of propulsion, was abandoned. As it proved afterwards, the boats, which
all reached the land safely, sighted the coast the same evening; and the raft could have
been towed to it in a day or two, or at all events sufficiently near for the purpose. The
people on it could not at first believe in this treacherous desertion, and once and again
buoyed themselves up with the hope that the boats would return or send relief. The
lieutenant on the long-boat seems to have been one of the few officers possessing any spark
of humanity and manliness. He kept his own boat near the raft for a time, in the hope
that the others might be induced to return, but at length had to yield to the clamour of
some eighty men on board with him, who insisted on his proceeding in search of land.

The consternation and despair of those on the raft beggai-s description. The water
was, even while the soa was calm, up to the knees of the larger part on board, while
the horrors of a slow death from starvation and thirst, and the prospect of being washed
off by the waves, should a storm arise, stared them in the face. Several barrels of flour
had been jilaced on the raft at first, along with six barrels of wine and two small casks of
water. When only fifty persons had got on it, their weight sunk it so low in the water
that the flour was thrown into the sea, and lost. When the raft quitted the ship, with a
hundred and fifty souls on her, she was a foot to a foot and a half under water, and the
only food on board was a twenty-five-pound bag of biscuit, in a semi-pulpy condition, which
just afforded them one meagre ration.

Some on board, to keep up the courage of the remainder, promulgatetl the idea that
the boats had merely made sail for the island of Arguin, and that, having landed their
crews, they would return. This for the moment appeased the indignation of the soldiers
and others who had, with frantic gesticulations, been wringing their hands and tearing
their hair. Night came on, and the wind freshened, the waves rolling over them, and
throwing many down with violence. The cries of the people were mingled with the roar
of the waves, whilst heavy seas constantly lifted them off their legs and threatened to wash
them away. Thus, clinging desperately to the ropes, they struggled with death the whole
night through.

About seven the next morning, the sea was again calm, when they foimd (hat twelve
or more unfortunate men had, during the night, slipped between the interstices of the raft

MUTINY AM) MURDER.

and i)erished. The t'ffects of starvation were boginnin<f to tell upjn them:* all their faculties
were strangely impaired. Some fancied that they saw lighteil signals in the distance, and
answered them by firing off their pisttjls, or by setting tire to small heaps of gunpowder;
others thought they saw shijjs or land, when there was nothing in sight. The next day
strong symptoms of mutiny broke out, the otHeers being utterly disregarded by the soldiers.
The evening again brought bad weather. "The peo})le were now dashed about l)y the fury
of the waves; there was no safety but in the centre of the raft," where they packed
themselves sti close that many were nearly suffocated. " The soldiers and sailors, now
considering their destruction inevitable, resolved to drown the sense of their situation by
drinking till they should lose their reastm;" nor could they be persnaded to forego their
mud scheme. They rushed ujwn a cask of wine which was near the centre, and making
a hole in it, drank so much, that the fumes soon mounted to their heads, in the empty
condition in which they were; and "they then resolved to rid themselves of their oliicers,
and afterwards to destroy the raft by cutting the lashings which kept it together." One
of them commenced hacking away at the ropes with a boarding-hatchet. The civil and
military otHcers rushed on this ringleader, and though he made a desperate resistance, soon
dis[)atched him. The people on the raft were now divided into two antagonistic parties —
about twenty civil officers and the better class of passengers on one side, and a hundred or
more soldiers and workmen on the other. "The mutineers," says the narrative, "drew their
swords, and were going to make a general attack, when the fall of another of their number
struck such a seasonable terror into them that they retreated; but it was only to make
another attempt at cutting the ropes. One of them, pretending to rest on the side-rail
of the raft, began to work;" when he was discovered, and a few moments afterwards, with
a soldier who attempted to defend him, was sent to his last account. This was followed
by a general fight. An infantry captain was thrown into the sea by the soldiers, but
rescued by his friends. He was then seized a second time, and the revolt<irs attempted to
put out his eyes. A charge was made upon them, and many put to death. The wretches
threw overboard the only woman on the raft, together with her husband. They were,
however, saved, only to die miserably soon afterwards.

A second repulse brought many of the mutineers to their senses, and temporarily awed
the rest, some asking pardon on their knees. But at midnight the revolt again broke out,
the soldiers attacking the party in the centre of the raft with the fury of madmen, even
biting their adversaries. They seized upon one of the lieutenants, mistaking him for one
of the ship's officers who hatl deserted the raft, and he was rescued and protected afterwards

1 .' . .

•■'1

f-1

• IjJitor it took with many of them still stranger forms. One 'M. Siivigny had the most agreeable visions ; he
fancied himself in a rich and highly-cultivated country, sun'ounded by hapi)y companions. Some desired tlieir
companions not to fear, that they were going to look for succour, and would soon return ; they then plunged
into the sea. Others became furious, and rushed on their companions with drawn sw(^rds, asking for the wing
of a chicken, or some bread. Some, thinking themselves still aboard the frigate, asked for their hammock, that they
I'ight go below to sleep. Others imagiiu^d that they saw ships, or a harboiir, behind which was a noble city. M.
Corroard believed he was in Italy, enjoying all the didights of that beautiful country. One of the oflicers said to
him, " I recollect that wn have been deserted by the boats, but don't bo afraid; 1 have just written to the governor,
and in a few liours we shall be in safety." These illusions did not last for any length of time, but were constantly
broken by the war of the elements, and the fitful revolts which constantly disgniced thr company.

I m

THK SKA.

with the {jroatcst (lilficiilty. 'Yhvy threw ovorboiird M. Cnudiii, an cMerly man, wIki was
covert'd with wounds ivcoivcd in (iiiposinj^ thcni, and u ytmn<^' hoy nl' tlic party, in wh(»ni ho
took an interest. M. Coiidin had the presence of mind both to support tlie child and to
take hold of the rait; and ins friends kept olT the I)rutal soldiery with drawn swords, until
they were lifted on board a<;ain. The coudtut was so lieree, and the weather at ninht so
Vad, that on the return of day it was found that over sixty had ju'vislied oil' the raft. It
is stated that the mutineers had tlirown over the remainin<;' water an<l two casks of wine.
The indications in the narrative would not point to the latter conclusion, as the soldiers
and workmen were constantly intoxicated, and many, no doubt, were washed olT by the
waves in that condition. A ])owerfid temperance tract mi<'lit be written on the loss of
the McthiKii. On the morning- of the fourth day alter their dej)arture from the frif^ate, the
dead bodies of twelve of the company, who had expired during' the nifj^ht, were l.\ iny; on
the raft. This day a shoal of Hyinj;-lisli jdayed round the raft, and a nundier of them
got on board,* and were entangled in the spaces i)etween the timbers. A small lire, lighted
with Hint and steel and gunpowder, was made inside a barrel, and the tisli, hall-cooked,
was greedily devoured. They did not stop here; the account brielly indicates that they
ate parts of the llesh of their dead companions. Horror followed horror: a massacre
stieceeded their savage feast. Some Spaniards, Italians, and negroes among them, who
had hitherto taken no part with the mutineers, now formed a plot to throw their superiors
into the sea. A bag of money, which had been collected as a common fund, and was
hanging from a rude mast hastily extemporised, probably tempted them. The oHicers'
party threw their ringleader overboard, while another of the conspirators, linding his villainy
discovered, wt.'ighted him-^elf with a heavy boarding-axe, and rushing to the fore ])art of
the raft, plunged headlong into the sea and was drowned. A desi)erate comljat ensued,
and the fatal raft was quickly piled with dead bodies.

On the lifth morning, there were only thirty alive. The remnant suffered severely,
and one-third of the lunnber were unable to stand up or move about. The salt water and
intense heat of the sun blistered their feet and legs, and gave intense pain. In the course
of the seventh day, two soldiers were discovered stealing the wine, and they were immediately
pushed overboard. This day also, Leon, the jwor little boy mentioned before, died from
sheer starvation.

The story has been so far nothing but a record of insubordination, murderous brutality,
and utter selfishness. But the worst has yet to come. Let the survivors tell their own
shameful and horrible story. There were now but twenty-seven left, and "of these twelve,
amongst them the woman, were so ill that there was no hope of their surviving, even a
few days ; they were covered with wounds, and had almost entirely lost their reason.
They might have lived long enough to reduce our stock to a very low eljb ; but there
was no hope that they could last more than a few days. To put them on short allowance
was only hastening their death; while giving them a full ration, was uselessly diminishing

* 'I'lir writer, duriiit:; a lunu; vciyiiiio (Eiij^-laiul td Vnncciuvcr Island, ri'i ('iijir ]l(ini\ luadi- in 18()'2, saw tlyinii;-
fisli c-diistautly fallinu; un tlie deck, wlii re tlicy rmiaiiud (luivi'iiiifr and t;litl( rini;- in tlic sunliyht. T(j accuinidisli
this, tliry had to fly over a hciuht of alM)\it fifteen or sixteen feet, the top ot' tiie bulwurlis, nr walls of the steanisliip,
being' at liast that distanee above thu water.

-.^v

A HOltlUHLK MASSACUK.

ii fiiiiiiititv alrciidv too low. After an anxious consiiltalioii, wo cainc to the resolution of
tlu'dwiuH- tlu'ui into tli(! si'a, ami Urns Icrniinatin;:^ at onto their sMlTcrin;4's. This was a
li(pirilih' and unjust iliahlt- cxiuHliont, liut who ainoti;;'st us would have the cruelty to put
it intn execution y 'riiree sailors and a soldier tunk it on themselves. We tiu'ned away
niir i'\es Iroui the sho<'king sij^'ht, trustiii^j liiat, in thu> cn<lcav(inriiii^' to [)rolono- our own
Hves, we were shortenino' theirs lint a low hours. 'I'his yavo us the means of snhsistenoe

ON THK UAIT Ol' THE " MKDISA A S\U. I\ SKiHT.

(A/lcr till' cplehritlpil Vniidiuq hii UnUiuill.)

:t 1

for six additional days. After this dreadful saerifice, we east our swords into the sen,
resorvinji;' but one sahre for cutting' wood or cordag^e, as might be necessary. " Was there
ever such an exanijde of demoniacal hypocrisy, ming-led with pretended humanity !

One can hardlv interest himself in the fate of the remainiiii'!' lifteen, who, if they were
not all human (h'vils, must have carried to their dyiniy days the brand of Cain indelil)ly
imj)ressed on their menn»ries. A few days passed, and the indications of a dese a])])r()ach
to land beeame frequent. Meantime, they were suffering? from the intense heat, and from
excessive thirst. One more example of petty selfishness was afforded by an officer who
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THE SEA.

had found a lemon, which he resolved to keei^ entirely for himself, until the ominous threats
of the rest obliged him to share it. The wine, which should have warmed their bodi's
and gladdened their hearts, produced on their weakened frames the worst effects of
intoxication. Five of the number resolved, and were barely persuaded not to commit
suicide, so maddened were they by their potations. Perhaps the sight of the sharks,
which now came boldly up to the etlges of the raft, had something to do with sobering
them, for they decided to live.

Three days now passed in intolerable torments. They had become so careless of life,
that they bathed even in sight of the sharks; others were not afraid to place themselves
naked upon the fore part of the raft, which was then entirely under water; and, thoMgh
it was exceedingly dangerous, it had the effect of taking away their thirst. They now
attempted to construct a boat of planks and sjjars. When completed, a sailor went
ii])on it, when it immediately upset, and the design of reaching land by this means was
abandoned. On the morning of the 17th of July, the sun shone brightly and the sky was
cloudless. Just as they were receiving their ration of wine, one of the infantry officers
discerned the topmasts of a vessel near the horizon. Uniting their efforts, they raised a
man to the top of the mast, who waved constantly a number of handkerchiefs tied together.
After two hours of painful suspense, the vessel, a brig, disappeared, and they once more
resigned themselves to despair. Deciding that they must leave some record of their fate,
fhoy agreed to carve their names, with some account of their disaster, on a plank, in the
hope that it might eventually leach their Government and families. But they were to
1^ saved : the brig reappeared, and bore down for them. She proved to be a vessel which
had been dispatched by the Governor of Senegal for the purpose of rescuing any survivors ;
though, considering the raft had now been seventeen days afloat, there was little expectation
that any of its hundred and fifty passengers still lived. The wounded and blistered limbs,
sunken eyes, and emaciated frames of the remnant told its own tale on board. And yet,
with due order and discipline, presence of mind, and united helpfulness, the ship, with
every soul who had sailed on her, might have been saved; and a fearful story of cruelty,
murder, and cannibalism spared to us. The modern Medusa has been branded with a name
of infamy worse than that of the famous classical monster after which she was named. The
celebrated picture by Gericault in the Louvre, at Paris, vividly depicts the horrors of the scene.

The wreck of the Medusa has very commonly been compared and contrasted with that
of the Aleeste, an English frigate, which was wrecked the same year. Lord Amherst was
returning from China in this vessel, after fulfilling his mission to the Court of Pekin,
instituted at the instance of the East India Company, who had complained to Government
©f the impediments thrown in the way of their trade by the Chinese. His secretary and
suite were with him ; and so there was some resemblance to the case of the Mednsa, which
had a colonial governor and his staff en board. The commander of the Adrste was Captain
(afterwards Sir) Murray Maxwell, a true gentleman and a bluff, hearty sailor. Having
touched at Manilla, they were passing through the Straits of Gaspar, when the ship suddenly
struck on a reef of sunken rocks, and it became evident that she must inevitably and speedily
break up. The most perfect discipline prevailed ; and the first efforts of the captain were
naturally directed to saving the ambassador and his sulx>rdinates. The islan<l of Palo Lent

A HANI) OF IJHITONS.

was a few miles off; and, although its coast at this part was a salt-marsh, with mangrove-

trcos growing- out in the water so thiek and entangled that it almost preventeil them

laiuliiig, every soul was got off safely. Good feeling and sensible councils prevailed. A*^

(irst there was no fresh water to he obtained. It was

" WiittT, wattT cverywhiTO,
Yet not a drop to drink."

In a short time, however, they dug a deep well, and soon reached plenty. Tlien the Malay
attacked and surrounded them ; at tirst a few score, at last six or seven hundred strong.
Things looked black ; but they erected a stockade, made rude pikes by sticking their knive.><,
dirks, and small swords on the end of poles ; and, although they had landed with just seventy-
live ball-cartridges, their stock soon grew to fifteen hundred. How? Why, the sailors set
to with a will, and made their own, the balls being represented by their jacket-buttons
and pieces of the glass of broken bottles ! Of loose jwwder they had, fortunately, a sufficient
(juantity. The Malays set the wreck on fire. Tlie men waited till it had burned low,
and then drove them off, and went and secured such of the stores as could be now reached,
or which had floated off. The natives were gathering thick. Murray made his sailors a
speoch in true hearty style, and their wild huzzas were taken by the Malays for svar-wh(X)i)s :
the latter soon "weakened," as they say in America. From the highest officer to the
meroit boy, all behaved like calm, resolute, and sensible Britons, and every soul was saved.
Lord Amherst, who had gone on to Batavia, sent a vessel for them, on board which Maxwell
was the last to embark. At the time of the wreck their condition was infinitely worse
than that of the Medusa ; but how completely different the sequel ! The story is really
a ])leasant one, displaying, as it does, the happy results of both good discipline and mutual
good feeling in the midst of danger. Nil despefandnm was evidently the motto of that
crew ; and their philosophy was rewarded. The lessons of the past and present, in regard
to our great ships, have taught us that disaster is not confined to ironclads, nor victory to
wooden walls ; neither is good discipline dead, nor the race of true-hearted tars extinct.
" Men of iron " will soon be the worthy successors of " hearts of oak."

Having glanced at the causes which led to the ironclad movement, and noted certain
salient points in its history, let us now for a while discuss the ironclad herself. It has been
remarked, as a matter of reproach to the administrators and builders of the British ironclad
invy, that the vessels composing it are not sufficiently uniform in design, power, and speed.
Mr. Reed, however, tells us that la maiine inoderiic ctiiraHsce of France is still more
distinguished by the different types and forms of the vessels ; and that ours by comparison
wears "quite a tiresome appearance of sameness;" while, again, Russia has ironclads even
more diversified than those of France. The objection is, perhaps, hardly a fair one, as the
exigencies of the navy are many and varied. We might have to fight a first-class power,
or several first-class powers, where all our strength would have to be put forth ; some
second-class power might require chastising, where vessels of a secondary class might suffice ;
while almost any vessel of the navy would be efficient in the case of wars with native tribes,
as, for example, the Maories of New Zealand, or the Indnuis of the coasts of North-west
America. In a great naval conflict, provided the vessels of our fleet steamed pretty evenly
as regards speed, there would be an advantage in variety ; for it might rather puzzle and

■.'l.ll.yUl-^1.^-J-

THE SKA.

worry the enemy, who would not know what next would appear, or wh«t new form turn
up. Mr. Ilced puts the matter in a nutshell ; although it must be seen that, umong
first-class powers with lirst-dass Heets, the argument cuts both ways. " In the old days,"
says he, " when actions had to he fought under sail, and when ships of a class were in
the main alike, the limits within which the arts, the resources, and the audacities of the
navy were restricted were really very narrow; and yet how brilliant were its achievements!
I cannot but believe that, if the English ironclad Heet were now to be (engaged in a general
action with an enemy's fleet, the very variety of our ships — those very improvements
which have occasionod that variety — would be at once the cause of the greatest possiljle
embarrassment to the enemy, and the means of the most vigorous and diversified attack
upon tlie hostile Heet. This is peculiarly true of all those varieties which result from
increase in handincss, in bow-tire, in height of port, and so forth; and unless I have mis-: cad

SECTION OF A FIRST-CLASS MAN-OF-WAB.

our naval history, and misappreciate the character of our naval officers of the present day,
the nation will, in the day of trial, obtain the full l)enefit of these advantages."

It needs no argument to convince the reader that the aim of a naval architect sli&uid
be to combine in the best manner available, strength and lightness. The dimensions ami
outside form of the ship in great part determine her displacement; and her capacity to
carry weights depends largely on the actual weight of her own hull; while the room within
partly depends on the thinness or thickness of her walls. Now, we have seen that
in wooden ships the hull weighs more than in iron ships of equal size ; and it will be
apparent that what is gained in the latter case can be applied to airn/iny so much the
more iron armour. Hence, distinguished authorities do not believe in the wood-built ship
earrying heavy armour, nearly so much as in the ironclad, iron-6iii/f ship.* The durability

• Large merchant-vosscls have been constructed of steel, which is stronger than iron, weight for weight ; and
consequently, in hiiilding vessels of equal strength, a less weight and thickness is required. It is said, that if the
largo Atlantic steamers of ;!,500 tons and upwards were huilt of steel, instead of iron, their displacement in the water
would be one-sixth less, and their carrying capacity double. A steel troop-ship, accommodating about 1,000 persons,

IKON riiJts f.s wool).

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will be
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ilt ship
uiability

light ; and

hat if the

the wiitcr

persons,

and strength are greater. The authority of such a man as Mr. J. Scott Russell, the einimnt
shipbuilder, will be conclusive. In a pamphlet,* published in iSCii, he noted the I'ollowiiig
ton points : 1, That iron steam ships-of-\var may be built as strong as wooden ships of
greater weight, and stronger than wooden ships of equal weight. ~, That iron ships of
Cfpial strength can go on less draught of water tiian wooden ships. •{, That iron -hips
can carry much heavier weights thsju wooden ships [lience they can carry heavier armour].

THE '■ WAIIUIOK.

i, That they are more durable. 5, 6, 7, H, 9, That they are safer against the sea, against
fire, explosive shots, red-hot shots, molten metal; and 10, That they can be made impregnable
even against solid shot.

The last point, alas! is one which Mr. Scott Russell himself w'( .Id hardly insist iqion
to-day. When he wrote his pamphlet, five or six inches of armour, with a wood backing,
withstood anything that could be fired against it. When the armour of the U'un-ior, our

and drawing only two fret and a quarter of water, wa« eonHtructed, in 18G1, for use on the Lower Indus. Shf was
taken out in pieces and jmt together in India, the total weight of tin,' steel employi.'d being only 270 tons, although
she was 375 feet long, with ii beam of 46 f(!ot.

• " The Fleet of the Future : Lon or "Wood," by J. Scott Hu.ssell, F.K.S., &c.

. f ■

'/I

ii!

THE SEA.

first real ironclad, had to ho tested; a target, twenty feet by ten feet surface, composed of four
and a half inch iron and cijfhteen inches of teak backing — the exact counterpart of a slice
out of the ship's side — was employed. The shot from GS-pounders — the same as com|)osed
her original armament — lired at ^00 yards, only made small dents in the target and
rebounded. 200-pounders had no more effect ; the shot flew off in ragged splinters, the
iron plates became almost red-hot under the tremendous strokes, and ' rung like a huge
gong ; but that was all. Xow we have fii-ton guns that would pierce her side at 500 yards ;
12-ton guns that would put a hole through her armour at over a mile, and 25-ton guns
that would probably jMinetrate the armour of any ironclad whatever. Why, some of the
ships themselves are now carrying ;'»0-toii guns ! It is needless to go on and speak of
monster 81 and 100-ton guns after recording these facts. But their consideration explains
why the thichness of armour lias kept on increasing, albeit it could not possibly do so
in an equal ratio.

Mr. Reed tells us : " This strange contest between attack and defence, however
wasteful, however melancholy, must still go on."* Sir W. G. Armstrong (inventor of the
famous guns), on the other hand, says, " In my opinion, armour should be wholly abandoned
for the defence of the guns, and, except to a very limited extent, I doubt the expediency
of using it even for the security of the ship. Where armour can be applied for dcjlecfinff
projectiles, as at the bow of a ship, it would afford great protection, without requiring to
be very heavy.'' t Sir William recommends very swift iron vessels, divided into numerous
compartments, with boilers and machinery below the water-line, and only very partially
protected by armour; considering that victory in the contest as regards strength is entirely
on the side of the artillery. Sir Joseph Whitworth (also an inventor of great guns) offered
practically to make guns to penetrate fiHjf thickness of armour. The bewildered Parliamentary
committee says mournfully in its report : " A perfect ship of war is a desideratum which
has never yet been attained, and is now farther than ever removed from our reach ; " J while
Mr. Reed§ again cuts the gordian knot by professing his belief that in the end, "guns
will themselves be superseded as a means of attack, and the ship itself, viewed as a steam
projectile — possessing all the force of the most powerful shot, combined with the power
of striking in various directions — will be deemed the most formidable weapon of attack
that man's ingenuity has devised." The contest between professed ship and gun makers
would be amusing but for the serious side — the immense expense, and the important
interests involved.

• Li'tter to the Tinicn, S<:'pt. 6th, 187.> (aftor the los8 of tht- Vmignard).

f Parliiimcntary I'upor, 1872. Reports of the Committee on Designs for Ships of Wur, &e.

X Hid. § "Our Ironclad Ships."

jsed of four
' of a bl'me
s cotn])ost'd
target and
linters, the
ke a liu|»'e
500 yards;
►-ton guns
me of the
speak of
n explains
bly do so

, however
tor of the
abandoned
jxpediency

(hjh'cling
[uiring to
numerous

partially
s entirely
s) offered
amentary
im which
"X while
1, "guns

a steam
le power
>f attack
1 makers
mportant

THK IMLLAHS OF UKKCULKS.

CIIAPTKK VI.

I' S

ROIM) THK VVoUM) ON A MaX-OI-WaU.

The ModltcrruiiPBii White, blue, urcoii, pnrplo \VulcrH-(iihralliir— Ii« IliMtury Its t\rst InhabllantR llie Monkcya-Th«
Moi)r>4— The (ircat Su'ne prcfiMlod liy tliirti'rn ollioi-s— Tin- Voyiiau of Sigurd Iti the Holy l.umt-Tlic Tliinl HIcko —
Stiirvullon— The Kotirlh Siiw— Itfil-luit IhiIIh used Ix'fdrc (inliiiiiry Chmihui Imlls— Tin- (Jrout IMukoc— Uibnillar
Mntilly in I'liriHlinn liaiuls-A Naval Action iH'lwecn tliv Diitcli and S|Htniaril.s — How Kii);land won the Kock— An
I'nrfwarded Horo-Spaiii's attempts to r(>;<alii It Tlii' (ircul .Sione 'I'lie Itoi'k itsolf ami itn Hiirroun<linK» Tho
Straits -(X'Uttt, Uibrullur's Itivul— TIh- Saltiicss of llie MudittTi-iuicaii — " (ioini.' (ilol'i " On to Malta.

Ill this and following eluipti'rs, we will iisk tho reiulor to iiccotiipany us in imugination
iMtiuil the world, on board a ship of tiie Royal Navy, visitiny fn luntlr the principal
British naval stations and possessions, and a few of those friendly foreign jwrts which, as
on the Pacitic station, stand in lien of them. We cannot do better than commence with
the Mediterranean, to which the young sailor will, in all probability, be sent for a cruise
nfttir he has been thoroughly "broken in" to the mysteries of life on board ship, aud
where he has an opportunity of visiting many ports of ancient renown and of great
historical interest.

The modern title applied to the sea " between the lands " is not that of the ancients,
nor indeed that of some jieoples now. The Greeks had no sjwcial name for it, Herodotus
calls it " this sea ; " and Strabo the " sea within the columns," that is, within Calpe and
Abyla — the fabled pillars of Hercules — to-day represented by Gibraltar and Ceuta. Tho
Romans called it variously Marc [nfeniiim ami M(frc NoHfritiii, while the Arabians termed
it Bafir liiim — the Roman Sea. The modern Greeks call it AKpri, T/tnlassu — the White
Sea ; it might as appropriately be called blue, that being its general colour, or green, as
in the Adriatic, or purple, as at its eastern end : but they use' it to distinguish it from
tho "Sea of Storms "—the Black Sea. The Straits— " the Gate of the Narrow Passage,"
Its the Arabians poetically describe it, or the diif, as it is termed by our prosaic sailors
and pilots — is the narrow portal to a great inland sea with an area of 800,000 miles,
whose shores are as varied in character as are the peoples who own them. The Mediterranean
is Salter than the ocean, in spite of the great rivers which enter it — the Rhone, Po,
Kbro, and Nile — and the innumerable smaller streams and torrents.* It has other
physical and special characteristics, to be hereafter considered.

The political and social events which have been mingled with its history are
interwoven with those of almost every people on the face of the globe. We shall see
how much our own has been shaped and involved. It was with the memory of the
glorious deeds of British seamen and 801(1161*8 that Browning wrote, when sailing through
the Straits ; —

"Nobly, nobly, T'lpc St. Vincoiit to the north-west died away;
.Sunset inn, ont ;;''onous blood-n.'d, reekinfjf into Cadiz Buy ;
iMuish, 'mid the Imminiij water, full in face Trafalgar lay ;
In the dimmest north-east di»tane(> dawned (Jibraltar, j^rand and pray;

I'M

* Vide "The Mediterranean," by Rear-.\dniiral Smyth,
nceted wth the Mediterranean.

This is a standard work on all scientific points coa«

■f

8« THE SEA.

' IfiTo, anil hero, did KiikIiiikI hi'lp nic -how cHn I help Enprlnnd ? '— sny
Whoso tiiriiH iiH 1, this I'vciiiiif?, turiiM to (Jod to priiisi' and priiy,
While iIovc'h pliinct riMcs yonder, silent over Africa."

Ami the poet is almost literallv correct in his tlescription, for within sijjlit, as wo enter
the Straits of (tibraltar, are the localities of innumerable sea and land ii^iils dating from
earliest days. That g'rand old Rock, what has it not witnessetl since the first timid
mariner crept out of the Mediterranean into the Atlantic — the Murr Teiu'Lromini, — the
"sea of darkness" of the ancients? Komaiis of old fouj^ht Carthajyinian jjalleys in its
hay ; tlie cimquering Moors held it uninterruptedly for six hundred 3'ears, and in all for
over j^evu'U centuries; Spain owned it close on two and a half centuries j and Enjfland has
dared tiic world to take it since 17(M — one hundred and seventy -three years aj^o. Its
very armoriid hearings, which we have ach)pted from those jj^iven by Henry of Castile
and Leon, are suy^^'cstive of its position and value: a castle on a rock with a key pendant
— the key to the Mediterranean. The King' of Spain still includes Calpe (Gibraltar)
in his dominions; and natives of the place, Ford tells us, in his "Handbook to Sjtain,"
are entitled to the rights and privileges of Spanish birth. It has, in days gone by,
given great olTenee to J''rench writers, who spoke of VomhrtiycuKc jmixxiiucr with displeasiuv.
".Sometimes," says Ford, "there is to(t great a A'./v ilr cmiDiix in this fortress nrun- ; then
the gardens destroy 'wild nature;' in shod, they abuse the red-jackets, guns, nursery-
ni:iid>. and even the monkeys." The present colony of apes are the descendants of the
aboriginal inhabitants of the Hock. They have hel 1 it through all vicissitudes.

The Moorish writers were ever enthusiastic over it. With them it was " the Shinin<r
Mountain," " *i- Mountain of Victory." "The Mountain of Taric "^^ (Gibraltar), says
a Graiuulian ^ " is like a beacon spreading its rays over the sea, and rising far above

the neighbouring mountaijis ; one might fancy that its face almost reaches the sky, and
that its eyes are watching the stars in the celestial track." An Arabian writer well
describes its position : — " The waters surround Gibraltar on almost every side, so as to
make it look like a watch-tower in the midst of the sea."

Tlie fame of the last great siege, already briefly described in these pages,t has so
completely overshadowed the general history of the Rock that it will surprise many to
learn that it has undergone no less than fourteen sieges. The Moors, after successfully
invading Spain, first fortified it in 711, and held uninterrupted possession until I'-SW),
when Ferdinand IV. besieged and took it. The Spaniards only held it twenty-five years,
wlien it reverted to the Moors, who kept it till 110:2. "Thus the Moors held it
in all about seven centuries and a quarter, from the making a castle on the Rock
to the last sorrowful departure of the remnants of the nation. It has been said that
(Ml)raltar was the landing-place of the vigorous Moorish race, and that it was the point
of departure on which their footsteps lingered last. In short, it was the European fete
ilr iioiit^ of which Ceuta stands as the African fellow. By these means myriads of
Moslems passed into Spain, and with them much for which the Spaniards are wrongfully
nntliMukful. It is said that when the Moors left their houses in Granada, which they

• ( )ne of thp earliest of the Moorish conqnerors of Simin, who first fortified the Rock,
t Vide page 10.

V>'

:» enter
jr from
t timid
/, — the
:« in its

all Tor
ind has
1:0. Its

Castile
penthint
ibraltar)

Spain,"
f<»ne hy,
j)leasuro.
I'r ; then

nursery-
ts of the

Shininj?
ar), says
far above

ky, and
er well
so as to

t has so

many to

cessfuUy

til im),

ve years,
held it

le Rock
said that
the point
ipean fcfe
triads of
■rongfuUy

lich they

-\\

TIIK SKA.

dill with, so b) spoak, t'Vi'rythin<f staiuliii^, iiiiiny fainiliis took with them the <••( 'at
wooden ki'vs of tht'ir iiiaiisioiis, so i-oiilidoiit wcro thoy of roturiiin<^ lioiiu" aj^aiii, wiion
tlic ki'ysi should open tho locks and thu houses )x> joyful anew. It was not to hu an
thus loMjifed for; hut many families in Barhary still keep the keys of these lon<f a}?o
descried and destroyetl nuinsions."* And now we must mention an incident of its
history, recorded in tho " Norwey'an (.'hronides of the Kiny;s," concerniny; Si<;uni the
Crusader— tho Pilgrim. After hattlinjj his way from the North, with sixty " lon}.f ships,"
Kin<»' Si<>;urd proceeded on his voyay-e to tho Ilidy Land, "and cunte to Niiirfa Sound
(Ciibraltar Straits), and in the Sound he was met hy a larj^e vikinj^ force (sijuudron (»f
war-ships), and the Kiii<^ gave thcin battle; and this was his fifth en<;a<jement with
heathens since tho time he came from Norway. So says IluUdur Skuulldre : —

■' ' Ho iiioistcncJ VDur dry swonls with lilmjil,
As throiijijh Niorfii iSouiul yv .stoud;
Tho Hcrniiuiiifi; lavcii yot u iViist,
Ah yo iiiiik'd uiiwarda to tho Eust.'

Hence he went along Sarkland, or Saracen's Land, Mauritania, where ho attacked a strong
party, who had their fortress in a cave, with a wall before it, in tho face of a precipice :
a ])lace which was difficult to come at, and where the holders, who are said to have been
freebooters, defied and ridiculed the Northiaen, spreading their valuables on the top of
the wall in their sight. Sigurd was equal to the occasion in craft as in force, for he had
his ships' boats drawn vip tho hill, tilled them with archers and slingers, and lowered
them before the mouth of the cavern, so that they were able to koi'p back the defenders
long enough to allow the main body of tho Northmen to ascend from tho foot of the
cliff and break down the wall. This done, Sigurd caused large trees to be brought to
the mouth of tho cave, and roasted the miserable wretches within." Further lights, and
he at last reached Jerusalem, where he was honourably received by Baldwin, whom he
assisted with his ships at the siege of Sidou. Sigurd also visiteil Constantinople, where
the Emperor Alexius offered him his choice : either to receive six skif-pound (or about a
Ion of gold), or see the great games of the hijijwdrome. The Northman wisely chose the
latter, the cost of which was said to be equal to the value of the gold offered. Sigurd
presented his ships to the Emperor, and their splendid prows were hung up in the church
of St. Peter, at Constantinople.

In the year 1319, Pedro, Infante of Castile, fought the Moors at Granada. The latter
were the victors, and their spoils were enormous, consisting in part of forty-three hundred-
weights of gold, one hundred and forty hundredweights of silver, with armour, arms, and
horses in abundance. Fifty thousand Castilians were slain, and among the captives were the
wife and children of the Infante. Gibraltar, then in the hands of Spain, with Tarifa and
eighteen castles of the district, were offered, and refused for her ransom. The body of
the Infante himself was stripped of its skin, and stuffed and hung over tho gate of Granada.

The third siege occurred in the reign of ^lohammed IV., when the Spanish held the

*•' History of (iilir;iltar iind its Siriics," by F. G. Stophons, with photoffi-aphic illustrations by J. H. Mann.
Tho writer is luucli iudubti.d to this vuliialjlo work I'or iut'ormutiou embodied in t-heso pages.

sir.'iKs (ir (iiiti;.M,i"Ai{

\)l

Ruck. TIic yipvcriiiir at tliiil tiiin', \ m^ch I't-n'/ tie Mi'ini, wiH an avaritit'iis ami ilislmiicst
liK.ii, wlio cnilu'/./.lt'il tlio (liu's and • tluT rc-oiirct's nf tlif placo ami m-yli'di'd his cliar'^c.
DuiTiif llu' sit';>'t', a yraiii-sliip It'll on slioiv,* ami its car^o would liavo riial>li'»l liim to
hold out a loii;;' tiini". Iiistciid ol' rci'diiiL,'' liis stdilii-rs, who were rt'tlui'i'd to ('atiiii,' loalhcr,
lio fj^avt' ami sold it to his prisoners, with the cxpi'ctatioii of cilluT <;('ttiii;if hcavv rniisoni^
for tht'in, or. if he should have to surrender, of niakini;' ln'tter terms for hiiiiself. It
availed liiui iiothino-, jur he had to eapitulati- ; and then, not darinj;' to lace his sover.'ion,
Alfonso XI., he had to (lee to Al'riea, where ho ended his davs.

All'onso hosiejred it twice. The lirst time tlu' (Jranadians induced him to ahaudon it,
promising rt heavy ransom ; the next time he commenced hy reducino^ the neiyhl ourin<;' town
of Alo-eciras, which was defended with great eneryy. When the Spaniards hrouyht forward
their wheeled towers of wood, covered with raw hides, the Moors dischari>;ed cannon Innded
with ri'il-hot balLs. This is noteworthy, for cannon was not used hy the iln^ilish till
three years after, at the hattle of Crecy, whiL> it is the lirst recorded instance of rcd-hol
shot l)ein<>' used at all.f It is further deservin<j of notice, that the very meai:s employed
at AlH'eciras were afterwards so successfully used at the yreat sieye. After takinjjf
Alj^eciras, Alfonso Idockaded (Jihraltar. when the pla<:jue hndvc out in his camp; he died
from it, and the Rock remained untaken. This was the epoch of one of those jfrcat
pestilences which ravaged Europe. Fifty thousand souls perisheil in London in l-'Jfs from its
olTects ; Florence lost two-thirds of her poj)ulation; in Saragossa three hundred died daily.
The sixth attack on the part of the King of Fez was unsuccessful ; as was that in I lot!,
when it was besieged by a wealthy noble — one of the De (rusinans. His forces wen;
alli>wed to land in numbers on a narrow beach below the fortress, where they were soon
exposed to the rising of the tide and the missiles of the besieged. De (lusman was
drowned, and his body, picked up by the Moors, hung out for twenty- six years from tlio
battlements, as a warning to anil)itious nobles.

At the eighth siege, in ll(i;i, (jibrallar passed finally into Christian hands. The
garrison was weak and the Spaniards gained an easy victory. When Henry J\. learned
of its capture, he I'ejoiced greatly, and took immediate care to proclaim it a fief of the
throne, adding to the royal titles that of Lord of (Jibraltar. The armorial distinctions
still borne by Gibraltar were first granted by him. The ninth siege, on the part of a
De Gusman^ was successful, and it for a time i)assed into tlv; hands of a noble who had
vast possessions and fisheries in the neighbourhood. Strange to say, such were the
troubles of Spain at the time, that Henry the before-namel, who was known as "the
Weak," two years after confirmed the title to the Rock to the son of the very man who
had been constantly in arms against him. Rut after the civil wars, and at the advent
of Ferdinand and Isabella, there was a decided change. Isabella, acting doid)tless under

* On more than ono occasion sui-h wrecks liavc liapponod, as, for oxanijile, \vli(>n a Danish vessel, laden witl;
lemons, fell into the hands of General Elliott's ffirrison, then sufforinu^ f(>aifiilly with seurvv, Ortuher 11th, 1780.
A year hefore a storm east a quantity of drift-wood imder the walls. " As fuel liad hmtx heen a searee article,
tliis su])i)ly was therefore considered as a miraculous intirferen<'i' of Providence in our favour.'' ( T/r/c Drinkwatei's
" (Jibraltar."')

t The Romans, however, sometimes employed red-hot holts, which were ejected from catapults.

THE SEA.

tlic advice of her astute husband, whose entire j)()licy was opposed to such ag<jrandisoment
on the part of a sul)ject, tried to induce the duke to surrender it, offering in exchange
the City of Utrera. Avila* tells us that ho utterly refused. His great estates were
protected by it, and he made it a kind of central depot for his profitable tunny fisheries.
lie died in 1I*J:J, and *he third duke applied to Isabella for a renewal of his grant and
privileges. She promised all, but insisted that the Rock and fortress must revert to
the Crown. But it was not till nine years afterwards that Isabella succeeded in compelling
or inducing the Duke to surrender it formally. Dying in 1504, the queen testified her
wishes as follows : — " It is my will and desire, insomuch as the city of Gibraltar has
bjcn surrendered to the Royal Crown, and been inserted among its titles, that it shall for
ever so remain." Two years after her death, Juan de Gusman tried to retake it, and
blockaded it for four months, at the end of which time he abandoned the siege, and had
to make reparation to those whose property had been injured. This is the only bloodless
one among the fourteen sieges.

In 1540 a dash was made at the town, and even at a part of the fortress, by
Corsairs. They plundered the neighbourhood, burned a chapel and hermitage, and dictated
terms in the most high-handed way — that all the Turkish prisoners should be released,
and that their galleys should be allowed to take water at the Gibraltar wells. They
were afterwards severely chastised by a Spanish Heet.

In the wars between the Dutch and Spaniards a naval action occurred, in the year
1007, in the port of Gibraltar, which can hardly be omitted in its history. The great
Sully has described it graphically when speaking of the efforts of the Dutch to secure
the alliance of his master, Henry IV. of France, in their wars against Philip of Spain.
He says : " Alvares d' Avila, the Spanish admiral, was ordered to cruise near the Straits of
Gibraltar, to hinder the Dutch from entering the Mediterranean, and to deprive them
of the trade of the Adriatic. The Dutch, to whom this was a most sensible mortification,
gave the command of ten or twelve vessels to one of their ablest seamen, named Heemskerk,
with the title of vice-admiral, and ordered him to go and reconnoitre this fleet, and attack
it. D'Avila, though nearly twice as strong as his enemy, yet provided a reinforcement
of twenty-six great ships, some of which were of a thousand tons burden, and augmented
the number of his troops to three thousand five hundred men. With this accession of
strength he thought himself so secure of victory that he brought a hundred and fifty
gentlemen along with him only to be witnesses of it. However, instead of standing out
to sea, as he ought to have done, he posted himself under the town and castle of Gibraltar,
that he might not be obliged to fight but when he thought proper.

" Heemskerk, who had taken none of these precautions, no sooner perceived that his
enemy seemed to fear him than he advanced to attack him, and immediately began the most
furious battle that was ever fought in the memory of man. It lasted eight whole hours.
The Dutch vice-admiral, at the beginning, attacked the vessel in which the Spanish admiral
was, grappled with, and was ready to board her. A cannon-ball, which wounded him in the
thigh soon after the fight began, left him only a hour's life, during which, and till within

* Lopoz do Aj-itlu, " liistoria do Gibraltar'

UnOKE'S CAPTURE OF GIliWALTAU.

ft moment of his death, he continued to give orders as if he felt no pain. When he found
himself ready to expire, he delivered his sword to his lieutenant, obliging him and all that
were with him to bind themselves by an oath either to concpier or die. The lieutenant
caused ihe same oath to be taken by the people of all the other vessels, when nothing
was heard but a general cry of 'Victory or Death!' At length the Dutch were victorious;
they lost only two vessels, and about two hundred and fifty men ; the Spaniards lost

MOUHISII TUWKU AT GIIIKALTAK.

sixteen ships, three were consumed by fire, and the others, among which was the admiral's
ship, ran aground. D'Avila, with thirty-five captains, fifty of his volunteers, and two
thousand eight hundred soldiers, lost their lives in the fight ; a memorable action, which was
not only the source of tears and aflHiction to many widows and private persons, but filled
all Spain with horror.''*

England won Gibraltar during the War of the Succession, when she was allied with
Austria and Holland against Spain and France. The war had dragged on with varied results
till 170 1', when it was determined to attack Spain at home with the aid of the Portuguese. The
commanders of the allied fleets and troops — i.e., the Landgrave (ieorge of Hesse-Darmstadt,
Sir George Kooko, Admiral Byng, Sir Cloudesley Shovel, Admiral Leake, and the three

* " Memoirs of Sully," 1)k. xx.

il^i;

Ill

THE SEA.

,Dutch admirals — determined to attack Gibraltar, believed to be weak in forces and stores.
On the 21st of July, 17Ul, the fleet, which consisted of forty-five ships, six frigates, besides
fire and bomb-ships, came to an anchor off the Rock, and landed 5,000 men, so as to at
once cut off the supplies of the garrison. The commanders of the allied forces sent, on
the morning after their arrival, a demand for the surrender of Gibraltar to the Archduke
Charles, whose claims as rightful King of Spain they were supporting. The little garrison*
answered valiantly; and had their brave governor, the Marquis Diego de Salinas, been
properly backed, the fortress might have been Spain's to-day. The opening of the contest
was signalised by the burning of a French privateer, followed by a furious cannonading:
the new and old moles wore speedily silenced, and large numbers of marines landed. The
contest was quite unequal, and the besieged soon offered to capitulate with the honours
of war, the right of retaining their property, and six days' provisions. The garrison
had three days allowed for its departure, and those, as well as the inhabitants of the
Rock, who chose, might remain, with full civil and religious rights. Thus, in three days'
time the famous fortress fell into the hands of the allies, and possession was taken in tlie
name of Charles III. Sir George Rooke, however, over-rode this, and pulled down the
standard of Charles, setting up in its stead that of England. A garrison of 1,800 lilnglish
seamen was landed. The English were, alone of the parties then present, competent to
hold it; and at the Peace of Utrecht, 1711, it was formally ceded "absolutely, with all
manner of right for ever, without exemption or impediment," to Great Britain.

The Spaniards departed from the fortress they had valiantly defended, the majority
remaining at St. Roque. " Like some of the Moors whom they had dispossessed, their
descendants are said to preserve until this day the records and family documents which form
the bases of claims upon property on that Rock, which, for more than a century and a half,
has known other masters."

Rooke went absolutely unrewarded. He was persistently ignored by the Government
of the day, and being a man of moderate fortune, consulted his own dignity, and
retired to his country seat. The same year, 1704, the Spanish again attempted, with the
aid of France, to take Gibraltar. England had only three months to strengthen and repair
the fortifications, and the force brought against the Rock was by no means contemptible,
including as it did a fleet of two-and-twenty French men-of-war. Succour arrive<l ; Sir
John Leake succeeded in driving four of the enemy's ships ashore. An attempt to escalade
the fortress was made, under the guidance of a native goat-herd. He, with a com])any of
men, succeeded in reaching the signal station, where a hard fight occurred, and our troops
killed or disabled 160 men, and took the remnant prisoners. Two sallies were made from
the Rock with great effect, while an attempt made by the enemy to enter through a narrow
brcacli resulted in a sacrifice of 200 lives. A French Hoet, under Pointe, arrived; the Ihiglish
admiral captured three and destroyed one of them — that of Pointe himself. To make a
six months' sLory short, the assailants lost 10,000 men, and then had to raise the siege.
Altliougli on several occasions our rulers have since the Peace of Utrecht proposed to cede
or exchange the fortress, the spirit of the people would not permit it; and there can be

• In a nii'moriiil i)i'os('ntp<l to r}iilii) V. after (he ciiitiirc, it wms st.'itod tliiit tlic garrison coniprisiMl " fowor
than 300 mun ; a few poor and raw peasants." Other aeeoiints ranyu fioni 150 to 300.

THE LAST SIEGE OF GIBHALTAK.

no doubt wliatever that our right to Gibraltar is not merely that of ])osses8ion — nine points
of the law — but cession wrung' from a people unable to hold it. And that, in war, is fair.

Twenty years later Spain again attempted to wring it from us. Mr. Stanhope, then
our rejire^entative at Madrid, was told by Queen Isabella : " Either relinquish Gibraltar or
your trade with the Indies." We still hold Gibraltar, and our trade with the Indies is
genenilly regarded as a tolerably good one. In December, 17:i(5, peace or war was made
the alternative regarding the cession ; another bombardment followed. An officer* present
said that it was so severe that " we seemed to live in Hames." Negotiations for peace
followed at no great distance of time, and the Spaniards suddenly drew off from the attack.
\'arious offers, never consummated, were made for an exchange. Pitt jjroposed to cede it
in exchange for Minorca, Spain to assist in recovering it from the French. At another time,
Oran, a third-class port on the Mediterranean shores of Africa, was offered in exchange ; and
^Ir. Fitzherbert, our diplomatist, was told that the King of Spain was " determined never
to put a period to the present war " if we did not agree to the terms ; and again, that
Oran " ought to be accepted with gratitude.'' The tone of Spain altered very considerably
a short time afterwards, when the news arrived of the destruction of the lioating batteries,
and the failure of the grand attack. f This was at the last — the great siege of history.
A few additional details may be permitted before we pass to other subjects.

The actual siege occupied three years and seven months, and for one year and nine
months the bombardment went on without cessation. The actual losses on the part of the
enemy can hardly be estimated; 1,473 were killed, wounded, or missing on the floating
batteries alone. But for brave Curtis, who took a piimace to the rescue of the poor
wretches on the batteries, then in flames, and the ammunition of which was exploding every
minute, more than .'350 fresh victims must have gone to their last account. His boat was
engulfed amid the falling ruins; a large piece of timber fell through its flooring, killing
the coxswain and wounding others. The sailors stuffed their jackets into the leak, and
succeeded in saving the lives of 357 of their late enemies. For many days consecutively
they had been peppering us at the rate of 6,500 shots, and over 2,000 shells each twenty-
four hours. With the destruction of the floating batteries " the siege was virtually concluded.
The contest was at an end, and the united strength of two ambitious and powerful nations
had been humbled by a straitened garrison of 0,000 effective men." J Our losses were
comparatively small, though thrice the troops were on the verge of famine. At the period
of the groat siege the Rock mounted only 100 guns ; now it has 1,000, many of them
of great calibre. In France, victory for the allies was regarded as such a foregone conclu-
sion that "a drama, illustrative of the destruction of Gibraltar by the flnating batteries,
was acted nightly to applauding thousands !"§ The siege has, we believe, been a favourite
subject at the minor English theatres many a time since ; but it heed not be stated that
the views taken of the result were widely different to those popular at that time in Paris.

Gibraltar has had an eventful history even since the great siege. In 1804 a terrible
epidemic swept the Rock; 5,733 out of a population of 15,000 died in a few weeks. The
climate is warm and pleasant, but it is not considered the most healthy of localities even

; I*-;

* ".liiuvnal of iin Ofticcv lurirm; the Sic^'c.',
J Sliver's "Historvof Gibraltar.''

t Scc! iiiilc. patri' 10.

^^ Harrow's "Life of Lonl IIowo,"

I I"

THE SEA.

now. And on the 28th of October, 1805, the Victort/, in tow of the Neptune, entered the
bay, with the body of Nelson on board. The fatal shot had done its work ; only eleven
days before he had written to General Fox one of his happy, pleasant letters.

The Rock itself is a compact limestone, a form of grey dense marble varied by beds
of red sandstone. It abounds in caves and fissures, and advantage has been taken of
these facts to bore galleries, the most celebrated of which are St. Michael's and Martin's,
the former 1,100 feet above the sea. Tradition makes it a barren rock ; but the botanists

.,„„ i^^j'^:-\

MALTA.

tell US differently. There are 456 species of indigenous flowering plants, besides many
which have been introduced. The advantages of its natural position have been everywhere
utilised. It bristles with batteries, many of which can hardly be seen. Captain Sayer
tells us that every spot where a gun could be brought to bear on an enemy has one.
"Wandering," says he, "through the geranium -edged paths on the hill-side^ or
clambering up the rugged cliffs to the eastward, one stumbles unexpectedly upon a gun
of the heaviest metal lodged in a secluded nook, with its ammunition, round shot, canister,
and case piled around it, ready at any instant. . . . The shrubs and flowers that grow
on the cultivated places, and are preserved from injury with so much solicitude, are often

THE yTRAITS (1F GIBKALTAU.

but the masks of guns, which lie crouched beneath the leaves ready for the iwrt-fire."
Everywhere, all stands ready for defence. War and peace are strangely mingled.

Gibraltar has one of the finest colonial libraries in the world, founded by the celebrated
Colonel Drinkwater, whose account of the great siege is still the standard authority. The
town jwssesses some advantages; but as 15,000 souls out of a population of about double
that number are crotvded into one square mile, it is not altogether a healthy place — albeit
much improved of late years. Rents are exorbitant ; but ordinary living and bad liquors are
cheap. It is by no means the best place in the world for " Jack ashore," for, as Shakespeare
tells us, "siilors" are "but men," and there be "land rats and water rats," who live on
their weaknesses. The town has a very mongrel population, of all shades of colour and
character. Alas ! the monkeys, who were the first inhabitants of the Rock — tailless Barbary
apes — are now becoming scarce. Many a poor Jocko has fallen from the enemy's shot, killed
in battles which he, at least, never provoked.

The scenery of the Straits, which we are now about to enter, is fresh and pleasant,
and as we commenced with an extract from one well-known i)oet, we may be allowed to
finish with that of another, which, if more hackneyed, is slill expressive and beautiful.
Byron's well-known lines will recur to many of oiu- readers : —

" Through Calpe's .Straits &ur^•cy the stuopy shore ;
Europe and Afric on each other gaze 1
Lands of the dark-eyed maid and dusky Moor
Alike beheld beneath pale Hecatt's blaze ;
How softly on the Spanish shore she plays,
Disclosing rock, and slope, and forest brown,
Distinct though darkening with her waning phase."

In the distance gleams Mons Abyla — the Apes' Hill of sailors — a term which couhl
have been, for a very long time, as appropriately given to Gibraltar. It is the other
sentinel of the Straits ; while Ceuta, the strong fortress built on its flanks, is held by
Spain on Moorish soil, just as we hold the Rock of Rocks on theirs. Its name is probably
a corruption of Sepfem — Seven — from the number of hills on which it is built. It is to-day
a military prison, there usually being here two or three thousand convicts, while both
convicts and fortress are guarded by a strong garrison of 3,500 soldiers. These in their
turn were, only a few years ago, guarded by the jealous Moors, who shot lx)th guaixls and
prisoners if they dared to emerge in the neighbourhood. There is, besides, a town, as at
Gibraltar, with over 15,000 inhabitants, and at the present day holiday excursions are
commonly made across the Straits in strong little steamei*s or other craft. The tide runs
into the Straits from the Atlantic at the rate of four or more knots per hour, and yet
all this water, with that of the innumerable streams and rivers which fall into the
Mediterranean, scarcely suffice to raise a perceptible tide ! What becomes of all this
water ? Is there a hole in the earth through which it runs off ? Hardly : evaporation
is probably the true secret of its disappearance : and that this is the reason is proved by
the greater saltness of the Mediterranean as compared with the Atlantic.

In sailor's parlance, "going aloft" has a number of meanings. He climbs the slippery
shrouds to "go aloft;" and when at last, like poor Tom Bowling, he lies a "sheer hulk/^ and —
13

THE SEA.

" His body's under hutches,
Ills soul has '(juiic nhft.'"

" GoiiijT^ aloft " in the ^Mediterranean has a very different meanings : it signifies passiivg"
u])\vards and eastwards from the Straits of Gibraltar.* We are now going aloft to Malta,
a British jwssession hanlly se?ond to that of the famed Rock itself.

CHAFPER VII.

R.OLXD THE World on a Max-cf-War {(■(lutiuiieil).

-MALTA AXD THE SUEZ CANAL.

Ciilypso's Isle -A Conviet Paradise— Malta, the " iTlowor of tlic \Vorl;l "— The KiiiKht» of St. John— Rise of tlic Order -
The ("rcscent and the Cross— The Siege of itliodes— L'lslc Adam in Ixmdon— The (Jreat Sioprc; of Malta -Horrible
Kpisodca— Malta in French i.iid Kiij^lisli Hands-St. I'aul's Cave- The Catacombs— jroderu Incidents— The Slii|)wreck
of St. Paul— Oales in the Mediterranean -Kxpericnces of Nelson and Collingwood— S(inall.s in the Hay of San
Francisco- A Man Overboard -S|)eciul Winds of the Mediterranean -The Suez Canal and JI. de Ix'sseps— His
Diplomatic Career— Said Tacha as a Hoy— As a Viceroy The Plan Settled— Financial Troubles— Construction of the
Canal— The Inautfuration Fete— Suez— I'assage of the Children of Israel through the Ited Sea.

Ai'i'UOACHixG ^lalta, we must " not in silence i>ass Calypso's Isle." Warburton describes
it, in his delightful work on the Eastf — a classic on the Mediterranean — as a little
paratlisCj with all the beauties of a continent in miniature ; little mountains with craggy
summits, little valleys with cascades and rivers, lawny meadows and dark woods, trim
gardens and tangled vinevards — all within a circuit of five or six miles.

One or two uninhabited little islands, " that seem to have strayed from the continent
and lost their way," dot the sea between the pleasant penal settlement and Gozo, which
is also a claimant for the doubtful honour of Calypso's Isle. Narrow straits separate it
from the rock, the " inhabited quarry," called Malta, of which Valetta is the port. The
capital is a cross between a Spanish and an Eastern town; most of its streets are Mights
of steps.

Although the climate is delightful, it is extremely warm, and there is usually a
glare of heat about the place, owing to its rocky nature and limited amount of tree-shade.
" All Malta," writes Tallack,'}: " seems to be light yellow — light yellow rocks, light yellow
fortifications, light yellow stone walls, light yellow fiat-topped houses, light yellow palaces,
light yellow roads and streets." Stones and stone walls are the chief and conspicuous objects
in a Maltese landscajie ; and for good reason, for the very limited soil is propped uj) and
kept in bounds by them on the hills. With the scanty depth of earth the vegetation
between the !;aid stone walls is wonderful. The green bushy carob and prickly cactus are

• Vidf " JIalta Sixty Years Ago," l)y Admiral Shaw.

t ■' The Crescent and the Cross."

X " Malta under the Phoenicians, Kniglits, and F.ni>lisl)," liy W, Tallack.

AT MALTA.

'J9

assing
Malta,

ic Order -
Ilorriblf
Sliipwrt'ck
uy of San
'ssops— His
tion of tliL-

Llescribt's
a little
oragj?y

lIs, trim

outiuent
,, wliicli
harato it
Irt. The
HigUts

[sually a
ee-shade.
|t yellow
palaces,
objects
up and
[jgetatiou
ictus are

to be seen ; but in the immediate neijfhb.;urhood of Malta few trees, only an occasional
and solitary palm. Over all, the bri<yht blue sky ; around, the deep blue soa. You must
not say anything to a Maltese against it; with him it is " Flor del Mondo" — the " Flower
of the World.''

The poorest natives live in cajtital stone houses, many of them with fa(^ados and fronts
whicli would be considered ornamental in an English town. The terraced roofs make up 4<>
its cooped inhabitants the space lost by building. There are live or six iinndred ]tromenadab]e
roofs in the city. Tallack says that the island generally is the abode of industry and content-
ment. Expenses are high, except as regards the purchase of fruits, including the famed
"blood," "Mandolin" (sometimes called (^uite as correctly "Mandarin") oranges, and Japan
medlars, and Marsala wine from Sicily. The natives live simply, as a ride, but the
otti(!ers and foreign residents commonly do not ; and it is true here, as Ford says of tlie
military gentlemen at Gibraltar, that their faces often look somewhat redder than their
jackets in consequence. As in India, many imwisely adopt the high living of their class,
n a climate where a cool and temperate diet is indispensable.

The four great characteristics of Malta are soldiers, priests, goats, and bells — the latter
not bi'ing contined to the necks of the goats, but jangling at all hours from the many church
towers. The goats pervade everywhere ; there is scarcely any cow's milk to be obtained in
!Malta. They may often be seen with sheep, as in the patriarchal days of yore, following their
owners, in accordance with the pastoral allusions of the Bible.

What nature commenced in A'aletta, art has finished. It has a land-locked harboui —
really several, running into each other — surrounded by high fortified walls, al)ove which rise
houses, and other fortifications above them. There are galleries in the rock following the
Gibraltar precedent, and batteries bristling with guns; barracks, magazines, large docks,
foundry, lathe-rooms, and a bakery for the use of the " United " Service.

To every visitor the gorgeous church of San Giovanni, with its vaulted roof of gilded
arabescpie, its crimson hangings, and carved pulpits, is a great object of interest. Its Hoor
resembles one grand escutcheon — a mosaic of knightly tombs, recalling days when Malta was
a harbour of saintly refuge and princely hospitality for crusaders and pilgrims of the cross.
An inner chapel is guarded by massive silver rails, saved from the French by the cunning
of a priest, who, on their approach, painted them wood-colour, and their real nature was
never suspected. But amid all the splendour of the venerable jnle, its proudest possession
to-day is a bunch of old rusty kej-^s — the keys of Rhodes, the keys of the Knights of St. John.
What history is not locked up with those keys! There is hardly a country in ICurope,
Asia, or Northern Africa, the history of which has not been more or less entangled with
that of these Knights of the Cross, who, driven by the conquering Crescent from Jerusalem,
took refuge successively in Cyprus, Rhodes, Candia, Messina, and finally, ^lalta.

The island had an important place in history and commerce long ere that period. The
Phu'uicians held it 700 years; the Greeks a century and a half. The Romans retained
it for as long a period as the Pha'uicians ; and after being ravaged by Goths and Vandals,
it was for three and a half centuries an appanage of the crown of Byzantium. Next came
the Arabs, who were succeeded by the Normans, and soon after it had become a German
possession, Charles V. presented it to the homeless knights.

THK KNIUIITS uF ST. .lOllX.

101

In tho middlL' of the clcvoiitli coiitury, sMine merclmnts of the tlu'ii lluurisliin«r
commorfiiil city (if Ainalli iibtaiiit'd jiLTinissiuii ti) croct tluTc Imstclrios or Iiosjiitals in
tlio Holy City, for tlio relief of i>oor and invalidt'd ])ilyriins. On tli- takini;' of .lernsaK'ni
\>y the Crusaders, the j)osition and 2)rosj>fi'ts of the hosjiitals of St. dohn lu'canie jji-reatly
improved. The organisation lieeanie a recogtiised religions onler, vowing ]>overty, obedience,
nnd chastity. It memhcrs were distinguished by a white cross of fnur double jxiints worn
ou a black robe, of the form commoidy to be met in the Maltese iiligrce jewellery of to-da},

: .f

■ 'tm

I.-

CATACOMllS AT CITTA VELCIUA. MALTA.

often to be noted in our AVest End and other shops. Branch hospitals s])rea(l all ovc: Europe
with the same admirable objects, and tho order received constant ac(iuisitions of jjropcrty.
Under the guidance of Raymond du Puy, military service was added to the other vows,
and the monks became the AVhite Cross Knights.* Henceforth each seat of the order
became a military garrison in addition to a hospice, and each knight held himself in
readiness to aid with his arms his distressed brethren against the inlidcl.

Slowly but surely the Crescent overshadowed the Cross: the Holy City had to be
evacuated. The pious knights, after wandering ilrst to Cyprus, settled iiuietly in Rhodes,
where for two centuries they maintained a sturdy resistance against the Turks. At the
lirst siege, in 1 fsO, a handfid of the former resisted 70,0(10 of the latter. The bombardment

* In coiitrailistinction to tho It.d Cross Kiii-lits, ..r Tnni.Lus, wIk,, ihouuh (rusMaiis, formod ,i jnmly
iiiilitaiy ordcT.

l:i

t i

Ids!

TIIK SKA.

was 80 ttTrifK' that it is stated to luivo hceii heard a hundred miles off, and for this extra-
ordinary defence, Peter d'Avfljusson, (irand Master, was made a eardinal hy tlio Pope.
At the second sicyv, L'Islo Adam, with ()00 Knights of St. John, and 4,500 troops,
resisted and lony repelled a force of 200,000 iniidels. Hut the odds were too jfreat ai^ainst
him, and after a l)rave but hopeless defence, which won admiration ev»'n from the enemy,
L'Isle Adam capitulated. .Vfter personal visits to the Pope, and to the Courts of Madrid,
Paris, and London, the then almost valueless Rook of Malta was bestowed on the kiiijjfhts
in I'j.'Ul. Its noble harltours, and deep and sheltered inlets were then as .low, but there
was only one little town, called JJurg'o — \ aletta as yet was not.

In London, L'Islo Adam lodyed at the jmnincial hostelry of the order, St. John's
Clerkenwell, still a house of entertainment, thouj^h of a very different kind. Henry VIIL
received him with apparent cordiality, and shortly afterwards confiscated all thi' English
possessions of the knij'-hts ! This was but a tritle amcmg their troubles, for in 1505 they
were again besieged in Malta. Their military knowledge, and especially that of their
leader, the great La Valette, had enabled them to already strongly fortify the place. La
Valette had 500 knights and 9,000 soldiers, while the Turks had 30,000 fighting men,
conveyed thither in 20l> <>alleys, and were afterwards reinforced by the Algerine corsair,
Drugot, and his men. A desperate resistance was made : 2,000 Turks were killed in u
single day. The latter took the fortress of St. Elmo, with the loss of Drugot — just before
the (error of the ^Mediterranean — who was killed by a splinter of rock, knocked off by a
cannon-ball in its flight. The garrison was at length reduced to sixty men, who attended
their devotions in the chapel for the last time. Many of these were fearfully wounded,
but even then the old spirit asserted itself, and they desired to be carried to the ramparts
in chairs to lay down their lives in obedience to the vows of their order. Next day few of
that devoted sixty were alive, a very small number escaping by swimming. The attempts
on the other forts, St. Michael and St. Angelo, were foiled. Into the Eastern Harbour
(now the (rrand), !Mustapha ordered the dead bodies of the Christian knights and soldiers to
be cast. They were spread out on boards in the form of a cross, and floated by the tide
across to the besieged with La Valette, where they were sorrowfully taken up and interred.
In exasperated retaliation, La Valette fired the heads of the Turkish slain back at their
former companions — a horrible episode of a fearful struggle. St. Elmo alone cost the lives
of 8,000 Turks, 150 Knights of St. John, and 1,300 of their men. After many false
promises of assistance, and months of terrible suspense and suffering, an auxiliary force
arrived from Sicily, and the Turks retired. Out of the 0,500 soldiers and knights who
were originally with La Valette, only 500 were alive at the termination of the great
siege.

This memorable defence was the last of the special exploits of the White Cross
Knights, and they rested on their laurels, the order becoming wealthy, luxurious, and not
a little demoralised. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, the confiscation of
their property in France naturally followed ; for they had been helping Louis XVI. with
their revenues just previously. Nine years later. Napoleon managed, by skilful intrigues,
to obf^ain (juiet jiossession of !Malta. But he could not keep it, for after two years of
blockade it was won by Great Britain, and she has held it ever since. At the Congress of

MUDKKX KVHN'I'S AT MALTA.

i(»;j

Vienna in 181 1, onr possession was formally ratified. We hold it on as good a title as
we do (iibraltar, by ri«^hts acknowledj^ed at the siifuinj^- of the Peace Treaty.*

The supposed scene of St. Paul's shipwreck is constantly visited, and altiiou^h sdino
have doubted whether the MeUta of St. Luke is not the island of the same name in (he
Atlriatie, tradition and probabiHty point to Malta. f At St. Paul's IJay, there is a small
chapel over the cave, with a statue of the apostle in marble, with tin; viper in his hand.
Colonel Shaw tells us that the priest who shows the cave reeommendeil him In take a
piece of the stone as a specilie ag-ainst shipwreck, sayinj'', " Take away as much as you
j)lease, you will not diminish the cave." Some of the priests aver that there is a miraculou
renovation, and that it cannot diminish ! and when they tell you that uiuler one of (he
Maltese churches the fj^reat apostle did penance in a cell for three months, il looks still
more as thou;jh they are drawiny on their imagination.

The great catacombs at Citta \ ecehia, Malta, were constructed by the natives as
places of refuge from the Turks. They consist of whole streets, with houses and slce])ing-
jilaces. They were later used for tombs. There are other remains on the island of much
greater anticpjity, Ifdf/Kir C/ifni (the stones of veneration) date from IMucnieian days.
These include a temi>le resembling Stonehenge, (ju a smaller scide, where there are seven
statuettes with a grotesque rotundity of outline, the seven PhuMiician Cn/iirl (deities;
"great and powerful ones'"). There are also seven divisions to the temple, which is
mentioned by Herodotus and other ancient wiiters.

To come back to our own time. In IMIS, the following remarkable even! occurretl
at ^[alta. One Froberg had raised a levy of (J reeks for (he British (Jovernment,
by telling the individual members that they should all l)e corporals, generals, or what
not. It v;as to be all otHcers, like some other regiments of which we have heard-
The men soon found out the deceit, but drilled admirably until the brutality of
the adjutant caused them to mutiny. Malta was at the time thiidy garrisoned, and
their particular fort had only one small detachment of troops and thirty artillerymen. The
nmtineers made the officer of artillery point his guns on the town. He, however, managed
that the shots should fall harmlessly. Another otticer escajied \\]} a chimney, and the Greeks
coming into the same house, nearly suffocated him by lighting a large lire below. Troops
arrival; the mutineers were secured, and a court-martial condemned thirty, half of whom
were to be hanged, and the rest shot. Only live could be hanged at a time : the (irst
five were therefore suspended by the five who came next, and so on. Of the men who

• The Order of tlie Knights of St. John exists now as w i'eli^it)us imd benevolent Imdy — ii shadow of its
foi'uei- self. There was a period wlien tlie revenues of the Order w(>re over £3,000,000 sterlin;^. It still exists,
however, the head-quarters being at Ferrara in Italy. Ifeeent orgauisiitions, countenanced and supported by
distinguished noblemen and gentlemen for the relief of sufferers by war, and convalescents in hosi)it;il in many i)arts
of Kugland, arc in .><ome sense under its banner; Il.li.ll. the Prince of AValcs is J'resident of mie of them--
Ihe Xational Society for the Sick and Wounded in AVar. It had been recommended by oui' writer, that
gentlemen of the present day should become members, and wear at evening (,'iitertainments a sjHcial dress and
decoration, and that there should also be thniics chevoH'crcs, with decorations alsj. He believes, of course,
that this would greatly aid the funds for those benevolent -purposes.

t For an elaborate, exhaustive disquisition on this subject, viih " Tlie N'oyagc and Sliipwret.k of St. I'aul,"
by Jami's Smith.

''■ %

1 1

1 I

101.

TllK SEA.

were to Ikj shot one ran away, and got over u parapet, where ho was afterwards sliot:
another is thou<;ht to have escaped.

Colonel Shaw tells the story of a soldier of the Sicilian regiment who had fre(|uently
deserted. lie was condemned to be shot. A priest who visited him in prison left behind
him — :pnrpo8ely, there can be little d<)id>t — his iron crucilix. The soldier useil it to scrape
away the mortar, and moved stone after stone, until he got into an adjoining cell, where
he found himself no better off, as it was locked. The same process was repeated, until
he at last reached a cell of which the door was open, entered the passage and climbed a
wall, beneath which a sentry was posted. Fortunately for the prisoner, a regular ^lalteso
shower was jKJuring down, and the guard remained in his box. Tlie fugitive next reaclietl
a high gate, where it seemed he must be foiled. Not at all ! He went back, got his
blanket, cut it into strips, made a rope, and by its means climbed the gate, dropped into
a fosse, from which he reached and swam across the harbour. lie lived concealed for some
time among the natives, but venturing one day into the town, was recognised and captured.
The governor considered that after all this he deserved his life, and changed his sentence to
transjKjrtation.

Before leaving Malta, which, with its docks, navy-yard, and splendid harbours,
fortifications, batteries, and magazines, is such un important naval and military station,
we may brieHy mention the revenue derived, and expenditure incurred by the Government
in connection with it, as both are considerable. The revenue derived from imposts
of the usual nature, harbour dues, &c., is about A,17J,(M)U. The military expenditure is
about JL;i(;{),OUO, which includes the expenses connected with the detachments of artillery,
and the Royal Maltese Fencibles, a native regiment of (iOO to 70U men. The expenses
of the Royal Navy would, of course, be incurroil somewhere, if not in Malta, and have
therefore nothing to do with the matter.

Our next points of destination are Alexandria and Suez, both intimately identified
with British interests. On our way we shall be passing through or near the same waters
as did St. Paul when in the custody of the centurion Julius, " one of Augustus' band.''
It was in " a ship of Alexandria " that he was a passenger on that disastrous voyage.
At Fair Havens, Crete (or Candia), we know that the Apostle admonished them to stay,
for " sailing was now dangerous," but his advice was disregarded, and " when the south
wind blew softly " the master and owner of the vessel feared nothing, but

" Tho fliittorinu; wind that lato with promisM aid.
From Candia's ]$ay th' unwillinj? sliip hctray'd,
No longer fawns beneath tlie fair dispfuiso,"

! ■ I

and "not long after, there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon,'' before
which the ship drave under bare jwles. We know that she had to be undergirded; cables
being passed under her hull to keep her from parting ; and lightened, by throwing the
freight overlward. For fourteen days the ship was driven hither and thither, till at
length she was wrecked off Melita. Sudden gales, whirlwinds, and typhoons are not
uncommon in the Mediterranean ; albeit soft winds and calm seas alternate with them.

On the 22nd May, 1798, Nelson, while in the Gulf of Genoa, was assailed by a

SToltMS IN TIIK Ml-.DrrKKKANHAN.

1U5

fliidden storm, wliich cnrriod iiway all tlic riniifiianrs topmasts, wastiol ono man over-
hoard, killod nil uiil'ortiinati' middy and a seaman on hoard, and woiindod others. Tliis

M. LESilKris.

ship, which acted her name at the Nile only two months afterwards, rolled and laboured
so dreadf"ully, and was in such distress, that Nelson himself declared, " The meanest friffato
out of France would have been an unwelcome guest!'' An officer relates that in the
middle of the Gulf of Lyons, Lord Collingwood's vessel, the Ocecni, a roomy 98-gun
ship, was struck by a sea in the middle of a gale, that threw her on her beam-ends.
14

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THE (?KA.

SO much so that the men on the lioijul Soverehjii called out, "The admirals gone down!''
She righted again, however, but was terribly disabled. Lord CoUingwood said afterwards
that the heavy guns were suspended almost verflcaUi/, and that " he thought the topsides
were .Actually parting from the lower frame of the ship." Admiral Smyth, in his
important physical, hydrographieal, and nautical work on the Mediterranean, relates that in
1812, when on the Rodneii, a new 71-gun ship, she was so torn by the luiited violence
of wind and wave, that the admiral had to send her to England, although sadly in need
of ships. He adds, however, that noble as was her appearance on the waters, " she was
one of that hastily-built batch of men-of-war sarcastically termed the Forty T/ilerex .'"

Many are the varieties of winds accompanied by special characteristics met in the
xtlediterranean, and, indeed, sudden squalls are common enough in all usually calm waters.
The writer well remembers such an incident in the beautiful Bay of San Francisco,
California. He had, with friends, started in the morning from the gay city of "Frisco"
on a deep-sea fishing excursion. The vessel was what is technically known as a " plunger/'
a strongly-built two-masted boat, with deck and cabins, used in the bay and coast trade
f>f the North Pacific, or for fishing purposes. When the party, consisting of five ladies, four
gentlemen, the master and two men, started in :he morning, there was scarcely a breath
of wind or a ripple on the water, and oars as large as those used on a barge were employed
to propel the vessel.

" The sea wiis bright, and the bark rode well,"

and at length the des. red haven, a sheltered nook, with fine cliffs, seaweal-covered rocks,
and deep, clear water, was reached, and a dozen strong lines, with heavy sinkers, put out.
The sea was bountiful : in a couple of hours enough fish were caught to furnish u
capital lunch for all, A camp was formed on the beach, a large fire of driftwood
lighted, and sundry hampers unpacked, from which the necks of bottles had protruded
suspiciously. It was an <d fresco picnic by the seaside. The sky was blue, the weather
was delightful, "and all went merry as a marriage bell." Later, while some wandered to
a distance and bathed and swam, others clambered over the hills, among the Howers
and waving wild oats for which the country is celebrated. Then, as evening drew on,
preparations were made for a return to the city, and " All aboard " was the signal, for the
wind was freshening. All remained on deck, for there was an abundance of overcoats and
rugs, and shortly the passing schooners and yachts could hear the strains of minstrelsy from
a not altogether incompetent choir, several of the ladies on board being musically inclined.
The sea gives rise to thoughts of the sea. The reader may be sure that "The Bay of
Biscay," "The Larboard Watch," "The Minute Gun," and "What are the Wild Waves
saying?" came among a score of others. Meantime, the wind kept freshening, but all of
the number being well accustomed to the sea, heeded it not. Suddenly, in the midst of
one of the gayest songs, a squall struck the vessel, and as she was carrying all sail, put
her nearly on her beam-ends. So violent was the shock, that most things movable on
deck, including the pasF gers, were thrown or slid to the lower side, many boxes and
baskets going overboard. These would have been trifles, but alas, there is something
sadder to relate. As one of the men was helping to take in sail, a o;reat sea dashed over
the vessel and threw him overboard, and for a few seconds only, his stalwart form was

THE .SUEZ CANAL.

107

seen struggling in the waves. Ropes were thrown to, or rather towards him, an empty
barrel and a coop pitched overboard, but it was hopeless —

" Thiit cry is 'llolpl' wlicro no help can conic.
For the White S(nmll rides on the surjiinf? wave,"

and he disappeared in an " ocean grave," amid the mingled foam and driving spray. No more
songs then ; all gaiety was quenched, and many a tear-drop clouded eyes so bright before.
The vessel, under one small sail only (the jib), drove on, and in half an hour broke
out of obscurity and mist, and was ofE the wharfs and lights of San Francisco in calm
water. The same distance had occupied over four howrs in the morning.

In the Mediterranean every wind has its special name. There is the searching north
wind, the Gripijc or ^[isll•,ll, said to bo one of the scotn'gcs of gay Provence —

'■ Lii ('our <le I'iirh'Hient, le Mistral et la Hiirauce,
Sont les trois Ueaux dc la Provence."

The north blast, a sudden wind, is called linras, and hundreds of sailors have practically
prayed, with the song,

"( 'ea.se, rude ISoreas."

The north-east biting wind is the Qreijale, while the south-east, often a violent wind, is
the dreaded Sirocco, bad either on sea or shore. The last which need be mentioned here,
is the stifling south-west wind, the S/,/l'iii/fe. But now we have reached the Suez Canal.

This gigantic work, so successfully completed by M. Lesseps, for ever solved the jio.ssi^i/i///
of a work which up to that time had been so emphatically declared to be an impossibility.
In effect, he Is a conqueror. " Iii/jwasi/j/e," said the first Napoleon, " u'cit j)ii.s Fruii^ai-s,"
and the motto is a good one for any man or any nation, although the author of the
sentence found many things impopolble, including that of which we speak. M. de
Lesseps has done more for peace than ever the Disturber of Europe did with war.

When M. de Lesseps* commenced with, not the Canal, but the grand conception thereof,
he had pursued twenty-nine years of first-class diplomatic service : it would have been an
honourable career for most people. He gave it up from punctilios of honour ; lost, at least
possibly, the opportunity of great political power. He was recpiired to endorse that which
he could not possibly endorse. Lesseps had lost his chance, said many. Lot us see. The
man who has conquered the usually unconquerable English prejudice would certainly
surmount most troubles ! He has on/// carried out the ideas of Sesostris, Alexander, Cajsar,
Amron, the Arabian conqueror. Napoleon the Great, iind Mehemet Ali. These arc
simply matters of history. But history, in this case, has only repeated itself in the
failures, not in the successes. Lesseps has made the success ; f/ie// were the failures ! Let
us review history, amid which you may possibly find many truths. The truth alone, as
far as it may be reached, appears in this work. The I'eace Society ought to endorse
Lesseps. As it stands, the Peace party — well-intentioned people — ought to raise a statue
to the mnn who has made it almost impossible for England to be involved in war,
so far as the great East is coiicorned, f<»r many a century fo come.

Tli(\ Suez Canal, and all appertaininn' tlient". is well de-i ill icd in tlir fdllnwiiiL!- woiks ; -" The Suez Can.il,''
by V. :\r. de Lesseps; "The History of iUr Suez Canal," hy F. M. de Lesseps, tr,iii.>^lated hy Sir H. I). Wolff;
■* ily Trip to the Suez Canal," &u.

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108

THE SEA,

After all, who i-j tho conquoror — ho who kills, or he who saves, thousands?

To prove our points, it will not be neeessary to reeite the full history of the grandest
engineering' work of this century — a century replet'j with proud engineering works. Here
it can only be given in the l)arest outline.

Every intelligent child on looking at the maji would ask why the natural route to
India was not by the Isthmus of Suez, and why a canal was not made. His schoolmaster
answered, in days gone by, that there was a difference in the levels of the Mediterranean
and the Red Sea. That question has been answered successfully, and the dilference has
not ruined the Canal. Others said that it was impossible to dig a canal through the
desert. It has been done ! Lord Palmerston, the most serious opjwnent in England that
Lesseps had,* thought that France, our best ally to-day, would have too much influence
in Egypt. Events, thanks to Lord BeaconsfiekFs astute policy, by purchasing the Khedive's
interest, have given England the largest share among the shareholders of all nations.

It would not be interesting to follow all the troubles that Lesseps successfully
combated. The idea had more tlian once occurred to him, when in 1852 he applied to
Constantinople. Tho answer was that it in no way concerned the Porte. Lesseps returned
to his farm at Berry, and not unlikely constructed miniature Suez Canals for irrigation,
thought of camels while he improved the breed of cattle, and built houses, but not on the sand
of the desert. Indeed, it was while on the roof of one of his houses, then in course of
construction, that the news came to him of the then Pacha of Egypt's death (Mehemet
Ali). They had once been on familiar terms. Mehemet Ali was a terribly severe man,
and seeing that his son Said Pacha, a son he loved, was growing fat, he had sent him
to climb the masts of ships for two hours a da}^ to row, and walk round the walls of the
city. Poor little fat boy ! he used to steal round to Lesseps' rooms, and surreptitiously
obtain meals from the servants. Those surreptitious dinners did not greatly hurt the
interests of the Canal, as we shall see.

Mehemet Ali had been a moderate tyrant — to speak advisedly. His son-in-law,
Defderd-ir, known popularly as the "Scourge of Hod," was his acting vicegerent. Ti.e
brute once had his groom shod like a horse for having badly shod his charger. A woman
of the country one day came before him, complaining of a soldier who had bought milk
of her, and had refused to pay for it. "Art thou sure of it?" asked the tyrant. "Take
care! they shall tear open thy stomach if no milk is found in that of the soldier." They
opened the stomach of the soldier. Milk was found in it. The poor woman was saved.
But, although his successor was not everything that could be wished, he had a goo I
heart, and was not "the terrible Turk."

In 185 1-, Lesseps met Said Pacha in his tent on a plain between Alexandria and Lake
Marcotis, a swamp in the desert. His Highness was in good humour, and imderttood
Lesseps perfectly. A tine Arabian horse had been presented to him by Said Pacha a few

• M. (Ic^ Lossops iuknowlcilfrfs frankly that (lio English pcoplo wiro always with him, and cites cxamplo
after example— as in the ease of the then ^layor of Liverpool, who woiiM not allow Iiini to pay the ordinary
expenses of a m(>(tinir. He says; "While finding sympathy in the eomiucnial and kttereil classes, 1 found
heads of v.-ood among the politicians." There were, however, many who supported him in all his ideas,
jirominently among whom the jnsent writer must place Kiehard Cohden.

L-in-la\v,

Tl.e

woman

Iht milk

" Take

' They

saved.

a goo I

oxamplo

onlinaiy

T found

Ihis ideas,

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110

THE 8EA.

days previously. After exaininiiig- the plans and investigating the subject, the ruler of
Egypt said, " I accept your plan. We will talk about the means of its execution during
the rest of the journey. Consider the matter settled. You may rely on me." He sent
immediately for his generals, and made them sit down, repeating the previous conver-
sation, and inviting them to give their opinion of the proposals of his friend. The
impromptu counsellors were better able to pronounce on ecpiestrian evolutions than on a
vast enterprise. But Lesseps, a good horseman, had just before cleared a wall with his
charger, and they, seeing how he stood with the Viceroy, gave their assent by raising
their hands to their foreheads. The dinner-tray then appeared, and with one accord all
plunged their spoons into the same bowl, which contained some first-class soup. Lesseps
considered it, very naturally, as the most important negotiation he had ever made.

Results speak for . themselves. In \'6^\-, there was noi u fly In that hvh'ons desert.
Water, sheep, fowls, and provisions of all kinds had to be carried by the explorers. When
at night they opened the coops of fowls, and let the sheep run loose, they did it with
confidence. They were sure that next morning, in that desolate place, the animals dare not
desert the party. " AVhen,^' says Lesseps, "we struck our camp of a morning, if at the
moment of departure a hen had lurked behind, pecking at the foot af a tamarisk shrub,
quickly she would jump up on the back of a camel, to regain her cage.'' That desert is
now peopled. There are three important towns. Port Said had not existed before : there
13 now what would be called a " city," in America, on a much smaller basis of truth : it
has 12,000 people. Suez, with 15,000 people, was not much more than a village previously.
Isma'ilia, half-way on the route, has 5,000 or 6,000 of population. There are other towns
or villages.

A canal actually effecting a junction between the two seas rid the Nile was made in
the period of the Egyptian dynasties. It doubtless fulfilled its purpose for the jiassage
of galleys and smaller vessels ; history hardly tells us when it was rendered useless.
Najioleon the First know the importance of the undertaking, and- appointed a commission
of engineers to report on it. M. Lepere presented him a report on its feasibility, and
Napoleon observed on it, " It is a grand work ; and though I cannot execute it now, the
day may come when the Turkish Government will glory in accomplishing it." Other
schemes, including those of eminent Turkish engineers, had been proposed. It remained
to be accomjilished in this century. The advantages gained by its construction can hardly
be enumerated here. Suffice it to say that a vessel going by tlie Cape of Good Hope
from London to Bombay travels nearly 0,000 miles over the ocean; by the Suez Canal
the distance is 3,100, barely more than half the distance.

To tell the history of the financial troubles which obstructed the scheme would be
tedious to the reader. At last there was an International Commission appointed, which
cosit the Viceroy of Egypt £12,000, and yet no single member took a farthing for his
services. The names are sufficient to prove with what care it had been selected. On the
part of England, ]\Iessrs. Rendel and INIacClean, both eminent engineers, with, for a
sufficiently good reason, Commander Hewet of the East India Company's service, who
for twenty-seven years had bt-en making surveys in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
Fmnee gave two of her greatest engineers, Messrs. Renaud and Liessou : Austria, one

F1NAN(JIAL OPEUATIOX.S.

of the greatest practical engineers in
the world, M. de Negrelli ; Italy,
M. Paleocapa ; Germany, the distin-
guished Privy Councillor Lentze;
Holland, the Chevalier Conrad ; Spain,
M. de Moutesino. They reported
entirely in favour of the route. A
second International Congress followed.
The Viceroy behaved so magnificently
to the scientific gentlemen of all nations
who composed the commission, that
M. de Lesseps thanked him publicly
for having received them almost as
crowned heads. The Viceroy answered
gracefully, " Are they not the crowned
heads of science 1"

At last the financial and political
difficulties were overcome. In 1858,
an office was opened in Paris, into
which money flowed freely. Lesseps
tells good-naturedly some little episodes
which occurred. An old bald-headed
priest entered, doubtless a man who had
been formerly a soldier. " Oh ! those
English," said he, "I am glad to be
able to be revenged on them by taking
shares in the Suez Canal." Another
said, " I wish to subscribe for ' Le
Chemin de Fer de I'lle de Suede'"
(The Island of Sweden Railway !) It
was remarked to him that the scheme
did not include a railway, and that
Sweden is not an island. " That's all
the same to me," he replied, " provided
it be against the English, I subscribe."
Lord Palmerston, whose shade must
foci uneasy in the neighbourhood of
the Canal, could not have been more
prejudiced. At Grenoble, a whole
regiment of engineers — naturally men
of intelligence and technical know-
ledgp, clubbed together for shares.
The matter was not settled by even

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112

THE SEA.

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the free inflow of money. The Viceroy had been so much annoyed by the opposition
shown to the scheme, that it took a good deal of tact on the part of its promoter to
make things run smoothly. For the first four years, Lesseps, in making the necessary
international and financial arrangements, travelled 30,000 miles per annum.

At length the scheme emerged from fog to fact. The Viceroy had promised 20,000
Egyptian labourers, but in ISOI he begged to be let out of his engagement. He had to
pay handsomely for the privilege. Although the men were paid higher than they had ever
been before, their labour was cheap : it cost double or treble the amount to employ foreigners.

The Canal, in its course of a shade over 100 miles, i)assos through several salt
marshes, " Les Petits Bassins dos liacs Amers," in one of which a deposit of salt was
found, seven miles long by five miles wide. It also passes through an extensive piece of
water. Lake !MenzaIeh.

At Lake jNIenzaleh the banks are very slightly above the level of the Canal, and
from the dock of a big steamer there is an unbounded view over a wide expanse of lake
and morass studded with islets, and at times gaj'^ and brilliant with innumerable flocks
of rosy pelicans, scarlet flamingoes, and snow-white spoonbills, geese, ducks, and other birds.
The pelicans may be caught bodily from a boat, so clumsy aie they in the water, without the
expenditure of powder and shot. Indeed, the sportsman might do worse than visit the Canal,
where, it is almost needless to state, the shooting is open to all. A traveller, who has recently
passed through the Canal e)i route to India, writes that there are alligators also to be seen.
The whole of the channel through Lake Menzaleh was almost entirely excavated with dredges.
When it was necessary to remove some surface soil before there was water enough for the
dredges to float, it was dt)ne by the natives of Lake Menzaleh, a hardy and peculiar race,
quite at home in digging canals or building embankments. The following account shows
their mode of proceeding : — " They place themselves in files across the channel. The men in
the middle of the file have their feet and the lower ])art of their legs in the water. These
men lean forward and take in their arms large clods of earth, which they have previously
dug up below the water with a species of pickaxe called a fass, somewhat resembling a
short, big hoe. The clods are passed from man to man to the bank, where other men
stand with their backs turned, and their arms crossed behind them, so as to make a sort
of primitive hod. As soon as each of these has had enough clods piled on his back, he
walks off, bent almost double, to the further side of the bank, and there opening his arms,
lets his load fall through to the ground. It is unnecessary to add that this original iiieller
requires the absence of all clothing."*

Into the channel thus dug the dredges were floated. One of the machines employed
deserves special mention. The lotig couloir (duct) was an iron spout 230 feet long, five
and a half wide, and two deep, by means of which a dredger working in the centre
of the channel could discharge its contents beyond the bank, assisted by the water which
was pumped into it. The work done by these long-spouted dredges has amounted to as
much as 1:20,000 cubic yards a-piece of soil in a month. By all kinds of ingenious
appliar Invented for the special needs of the occasion, as much as 2,7(33,000 cubic yards of

• 0. Ritt, "Histoire dc I'lsthmc dc Suez."

y the oiiposition

its promoter to

g the necessary

promised 20,000
it. He had to
u they had ever
)loy foreigners.
igh. several salt
sit of salt was
tensive piece of

the Canal, and
expanse of lake
lumerable flocks
and other birds,
-ter, without the
visit the Canal,
ifho has recently
dso to be seen,
d with dredg-es.
enough for the
1 peculiar race,

account shows
. The men in

water. These
lave previously
: resembling: a
3re other men

make a sort

1 his back, he
iiing his arms,
original mc/ier

ill

f : V^

ines employed
feet long, five
in the centre
J water which
nounted to as
of ingenious
cubic yards of

TIIK WiilJK .\<( (nil'l.isiii;!).

I 1)

(>xciiv:itiim were Mccimiplislu'il in ,\ iiKHitli. .M. de l>e>-sciis (ells ii< tluil "were li pliiccil
in tlu- I'Imcc \ i'ii(|(')nif, it would till tlic wliok- si|iiiirf. iind rise live tinic>. liii^'licr lliaii tlio

Tiir. sii;z ( \N M : iiiir.iKMs at \viikk.

surronndinn' houses." It woidd oov(>r ilio entire len<^tli iind Itreudth of the ('hamps
Elysees, and ivaeli to the to]) of the trees on either side.

Port Said, which owes its very existence to tlie (anal, is to-day a port of coiisid«'ra1>lo
importance, where some of the finest steamships in the world stop. All the throiij^-h
16

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steamcM between Etirope and the I'last — our own ynuul " P. &: O." (Peninsular and
Oriental) line, the splendid French " ^lessa^-eries," the Austrian Lloyd's, and dozens of
excellent lines, all make a stay here of eiji-ht or ten hours. This is long' enough for most
travellers, as, sooth to say, the very land on whieh it is l)uilt had to he " made," in other
words, it was a traet of swampy desert. It has respectahh^ streets and s(|uares, docks,
quays, churches, mosipies, and iiotels. The outer port is formed 1»y two enormous hreak-
waters, one of which runs straig-ht out to sea for a distance of 'i,7H\ yards. They
have li<>'ht houses upon them, usin"^' electricity as a means of illumination. Messrs. Borel
and Lavalley were the princiiud contractors for the work. Tlie ingenious machinery used
cost nearly /wn uml a /ml/' niiUlun /lonml-i (nctually t;2, 100,(1(1(1), and the imnl/i/j/ con-
sumption of coal cost the Company L l(>,(l(IO.

The distance from Port Said to Suez is lUO miles. Tiie width of the Canal, where
the banks are low, is about '-VXS fo^'t, and in deep cuttings ll)(» feet. The deep channel
is marked with buoys. The mole at the Port Said (Mediterranean) end of the Canal
stretches out into the sea for over half a mile, near the Damietta branch of the
Nile. This hel])s to form an artiiicial harbour, and cheeks the nnid deposits which might
otherwise choke the entn.nce. It cost as much as half a million. In the Canal there arc
recesses — shall we call them sidings, as on a railway ? — 'A-here vessels can enter and allow
others to pass.

The scenery, we must confess, is generally monotonous. At Ismailia, however, a town
has arisen where there are charming gardens, ^^'e are told that " it seems cmly necessary
to pour the waters of the Nile on the desert to produce a soil which will grow anything
to i)erfection." Here the Viceroy built a temjjorary palace, and M. de Lesseps himself
has a vlidli't. At Suez itself the scenery is charming. From the height, on which is
placed another of the Khedive's residences, there is a magnificent panorama in view. In
the foreground is the town, harbour, roadstead, and mouth of the Canal. To the right
are the mountain heights — (iebel Attakah — which hem in the lied Sea. To the left are the
rosy peaks of Mount Sinai, so lamiliar to all Biblical students as the spot where the
great Jewish Law was given by God to !Moses; and between the two, the deep, dee])
blue of the Gulf, Near Suez are the so-called " "Wells of Moses," natural springs of rather
brackish water, surrounded by tamarisks and date-palms, which help to form an oasis —
a pie-nio ground — in the desert. Dean Stanley has termed the sjjot " the Richmond of Suez."

Before leaving the Canal on our outward voyage, it will not be out of i)lace to note
the inauguration fCii', which must have been to M. de Lesseps the jn-oudest day of a useful
life. Two weeks before that event, the engineers were for the moment battled by a
temporary obstruction — a mass of solid rock in the channel. " Go," said the unconquer-
able projector, "and get powder at Cairo — powder in onantities; and then, if we can't
blow np the rock, we'll blow up ourselves." That rock was very soon in fragments I The
spirit and houhouiie of Lessejis made everything easy, and the greatest difficulties surmount-
able. "From the beginning of the work," says he, " there was not a tent-keeper who did
not consider himself an agent of civilisation." This, no doubt, was the great secret of his
grand success.

The great day arrived. On the Ifith of November, ISOS, there were 1(10 vessels

TiiK iNAr(iri;.\i, ikii:.

\:>

rcatly to ]mss llio Canal. A( the last lUdiiu'iit tliat cvcniiij^ it was aiinoiiiurd that iin
Kf^yjitiaii I'riyatc liad run <>n «tiiL' ol" tlu' banks of tlic Canal, ami was liu|icl(.'ssly sIni'U
tluTo, tilistnictin^' llic pa^sayo. Slu; couKl not Ix; tuwcd olT, anil the nniti'<l rITorts oT
sovoral linmlrcd men on the hank i-ould not at lirst move iicr. 'I'lie \ iecroy even proposed
to Mow lier II]). It was oidy live minutes hfiore ariivin;; at the site of the aeeident
that an l']gyi)tian admiral signalled to hesseps from a little steam-launch that the Canal
was free. A proeessioii of" l-'JO vessels was formed, the steam yaeht />'.//////•, >■// tir,ni/,
earryiny on lioard the I'hnpress of the I'reneh, the JOmperor of Austria, ami the \ iceroy.
This nohle-hearted [Impress, who has hi'en so loni;' exiled in a eonntry she has learned to love,
told Lesseps at Isi>ia'ilia that iluriny the whole journey she had felt "as thoujjh a ein-lc
of lire were roun<l her heiul," feariny; that some disaster mif^ht mar the day's pr(KH'edin«,''s.
Her pi'nt-ii]> feelings <;'avi' way at last; and when success was assureil, she retired to
her cuhin, where sohs were heard hv her devoted I'rien Is — sohs which did "reat honour to
her true and patriotic heart.

The Viceroy on that occasion entertained (),0()tl i'oreiyners, a large proportion of
whom were of the most distingiushed kind, ^len of all natiomdities c.ime to honour an
enlightened vuler, and witness the opening of a grand engineering work, which had been
carried through so many oj)posing dilliculties ; to applaud the man of cool head and active
brain, who had a few years ))efore been by many jeered at, snubbed, and thwarted. To
suitably entertain the vast assemblage, the \'iceroy had engaged .">(l(l cooks and l,()t)0
servants, bringing many of them from jMarseilles, Trieste, (jlenoa, and Leghorn.

Although the waters of the Canal are usually placid — almost sleepil_^ calm — they are
occasionally lashed uj) int«) waves by suildeii storms. One such, which did some damag'.',
occurred on December !Hh, 1H77.

And now, before leaving the subject, it will be right to mention a few facts of
importance. The tonnage of vessels passing the Canal quadrupled in live years. As many
as thirty-three vessels have been passing in one day at the same time, although this was
exceptional. In 1H74', the relative proportions, as regards the nationalities o£ tonnage,
if the expression may be permitted, were as follows : —

English

.. 2±2,(»»0 tons.

Frcnoli

.. ](i:{.uuo ..

Dutcli

84.01)0 ,.

Austrian

(ill.OOO „

Italian

.. oO.OOO ..

Simnish

30.(M)O ..

Gerinan

.. -28.000 ..

Varions

65,000 .,

I., '•

I; I

The present tonnage passing the Canal is much greater. All the world knows how and
why iMigland acquired her present interest in the Canal, but all the world does not
appreciate its value to the full extent.

Suez has si)ecial claims to the attention of the Biblical student, for near it— accord-
ing to some, eighteen miles south of it — the children of Israel passed through the Red
Sja; •2,(10(1,000 men, women, and children, with Hocks of cattle went dryshod through the

L. »' VJl '? a"t^ ■■

llfi

TIIF, SEA.

dividiny' walls of water. Holy Writ iiifonns lis that " Iho Lord caused the sea to go back by
a stronjr east wind all that ni<fht, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided."*
The effect of wind, in both raising large masses of water and in driving them back, is
well known, while there are narrow parts of the Red Sea which have been forded. In
the morning "the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea.

CATCllINfi l'EI.ICAN> ON I.AKK MKN/AI.DII.

even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and hi liorsemcn." We know the sequel. The
waters returned, and covered the Egyptian hop^s ; " there remained not so much as one
of them." "Then sang Moses and the chikiivn of Israel this song unto the Lord, and
spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for be hath triumidicd gloriously: the horse
and his rider hath he thrown in the sea. * * *

"Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also
are drowned in the Red Sea.

" The depths have covered them : they sank into the bottom as a stone."

* Exodus xiv. 21, ct sc'j.

TUK iJEi) si;a.

CIIAPTKR VIII.

RdIM) TIIK Woiil.l) ON A MaN-OI'-WaU {''iDiI i II mul).
Till': INDIA AM) CHINA STATIONS.

The Ilfd Sen unil IIh Niiiiif Its I'ortH On to llic Iiicliii Sliiilon Uuiiibay : Nluiid, City, I'lvsidcncy— Culcultii fVyloii,
u PurudlMc— The Chiiui Station- IIoiik Koiw .Miicao funton-Capliirc of ('(iinnilsMloncr Yidi-Tlio Hoa of Soup •
Shanghai -" .lack " Ashore thcro — l.iixinirs in Market Drawhaeks, Karlhiinakis, and Sand Showers Chlneso
Kxplanations of Karllniuakes The l!o^ln^? Life of the Sailor Cotiipensalinj; Adviinla^'es— .laiian and its People -
The KliKlishnien of the raeille— Yokohaniu I'eealiarllies of the Japaneso-OII' to tlu' North.

Tin; Red Sea soiKiratos Arahiii from Ej^-ypt, Niiljia, and Abyssinia. Its naino is
either derived From the auimalculii' whieli sometimes cover parts ok' its surface, or, mote
probably, from the red and purple coral which abound in its waters. The Hebrew name

-^A^i£

JilniAii, I i:(>M riii:

signifies "the Weedy Sea," because the corals have often plant-like forms. Thcij are reefs
of coral in the Red Sea which uttei'ly prevent approach to certain parts of the coasts. Many
of the islands which border it are of volcanic orig-in. On the Zei<;ar Islands there was an
alarming' eruption in 1816. England owns one of the most important of the islands,
that of Perim, in the Straits of Bab-el- I\Jandeb. It is a barren, black rock, but possesses
a fine harbour, and commands one entrance of the Red Sea. It was occupied by Groat
Britain in 1709, abandoned in 1801, and re-occupied on the lith of February, 1857. Its
fortifications possess guns of sufficient calibre and jwwer to command the Straits.

The entire circuit of the Red Sea is walled by grand mountain ranges. Some of its
ports and harbours are most important places. There is Moclvi so dear to the coffee-
diinker; Jiddah, the port for the holy city of Mecca, whither innumerable pilgrims
repair; Hodeida, and Locheia. It was in Jiddah that, in 1S5S, the jMoslem population
rose against the Christians, and killed forty-five, including the English and French consuls.

i^:^' t

TllK SEA.

Oil the African side, l)Osides Suez, thovo are the ports of Cosseir, Suakiin, and ]Massuidi.
The Hod Sea is dc'i) i'or a partially inland soii ; there is a veeurcied instance oL' soundinys
to 1,01)0 fathoms — considerably over a mile — and no bottom found.

After leaviny the lied Sea, where shall we proceed 'i Wt.' have the choice of the
India, China, or Australia Stations. Actually, to do the voyage systematically, Bombay
would be the next point.

]?ombay, in j^eneral terms, is three things : a city of three-quarters of a million
souls; a presidency of K, 000,000 inhabitants; or an island — tiie island of Maml)ai,
according to the natives, or IJuon ]Jahia, the " good haven," if we take the Portuguese
version. The city is built on the island, which is not less than eight miles long by three
broad, but the presidency extends to the mainland.

In 150!), the Portuguese visited it, and in I ."j.'jO it became theirs. In Itidl, it was
blindly ceded to our Charles II., as simi»ly a i)art of the dowry of his bride, the Inl'anta
Catherine. Seven years after Charles the Dissolute had obtaine^. what is now the most
valuable colonial i)ossession of Great Britain, he ceded it to t}io Honourable East Indir.
Comi)any — though, of course, for a handsome consideration.

Bombay has many advantages for the sailor. It is always accessible during the
terrible south-west monsoons, and possesses an anchoring gn^und of fifty miles,
sheltered by islands and £' magniticent series of breakwaters, at the south end of
which is a grand lighthouse. Its docks and dockyards cover fifty acres ; ship-building is
carried on extensively ; and there is an immense trade in cotton, coffee, opium, spices,
gums, ivory, and shawls. Of its 700,000 inhabitants, 50,000 are Parsees — Persians —
descendants of the original Fire-worshippers. A large proportion of them are mercnants.
It may not be generally known to our readers that the late Sir Jainsetjee Jeejeebhoy —
who left wealth untold, although all his days he had been a humane and charitable
man, and who established in Bombay alone two fine hospitals — was a Parsee.

Calcutta, in 1700, was but a collection of petty villages, surrounding the factories
or posts of the East India Comjiany, and which were presented to that cor])oration
by the Emperor of Delhi. Th'n' were fortified, itnd received the name of Port William,
in honour of the reigning king. It subsoquentl/ received the title of Calcutta, that
being the name of one of the aforesaid villages. Seven years after that date, Calcutta
was attacked suddenly by Surajah Dowlah, Nawab of Bengal. Abandoned by many who
should have defended it, I 115 English fell into the enemy's hands, who put them into that
confined and loathsome cell of which we have all read, the " Black Hole of Calcutta."
Next morning l)ut twenty-three of the number were found alive. Lord Ciive, eight months
later, succeeded in recapturing Calcutta, and after the subsequently famous battle of Plassey,
the possessions of the East Indi^' Company greatl}'^ extended. To-day Calcutta has a " Strand "
longer than t!iat of London, and the batteries of Fort William, which, with their outworks,
cover r<n area half a n.ile in diameter, and have cost £;i,000,000, form the strongest fortress
in India.

Across the continent jy railway, and we land easily in Calcutta. It h.KS, with its
suburbs, a larger population than Bombay, bu!; can never rival it as a port, because it is
a 'mndred miles up 'he Ilooglily lliver, and navigation i risky, although ships of 2,000

CKYLOX.

J lit

tons can roach it. It derives its name from Kali (Jhatta, the ghaut or landing-place of
the goddess Kali. Terrible cyclones have often devastated it; that in lstJ7 destroyed
30,000 native houses, and a very large amount of human life.

The sailor's route would, however, take him, if hound to China or Australia, roiuid
the island of Ceylon, in wiiich there are two harl)ours. Point de (ialle, used as a stopping-
place, a kind of '^ junction '' for the great steamship lines, of which the splendid Peninsular
and Oriental (the "P. & O "} Compiuy, is the principal. Point de (jialle is the mosi
convenient point, but it does not possess a first-class harbour. ^\.t Trineomalee, however,
there is a magnificent harbour.

Ceylon is one of the most interesting islands in the world. It is the Serendib of the
"Arabian Nights," rich in glorious scenery, ecpiable climate, tropical V(>getation, iinknown
(piantities of gems and i>earls, and many minerals. The sajjphire, ruby, topaz, garnei,
and amethyst abound. A sapphire was found in 18.")-"5 worth L 1,000. Its cofae
l)lantutions are a source of great wealth. Palms, flowering shridjs, tree fe.ns, rhododendrons,
as big as timber trees, clothe the island in perennial verdure, ihe elei)hant, wild boar,
leopard, bear, bulTalo, humjx'd ox, deer, palm-cat and civet are common, but there are lew
da'.igerous or venomous animals. The Singhalese ])opulation, really Hindoo colonists,
are elt'eminate and cowardly. The Kandyans, Ceylonese Highlanders, who dwell in tlic
mountains, are a more creditable race, sturdy liiid manly. 'i'lieu there are the Malabar.-,
early Portuguese and Dutch settler.;, with a spriidcling of all nationalities.

There, too, are the outcast Veddahs, the real wild men of the woods. "With them
there is no GoJ — no worshii). The Ilock ^'eddahs live in the jungle, rollow the chase,
sleep in caves or in the woods, eat li'^ards, and consider roast monkey a prime dish. The
Village Veddahs are a shade more civilised.

One reads constantly in the daily journals of the India, China, or Australian Stations, and
the reader mny think that they are very iMteliigible titles. He nun* be surprised to learn that
the East India Station not merely includes the ports of India and Ceylon, but the whole
Indian Ocean, as far south as ^ladagascar, and the east coast of iVfrica, including Zanzibar
and ?iIozambique, where there are dockyards. The ('hina Station includes Japan, Bornct>,
Sumatra, the Philippine Islands, and the coast of Kamchatka and Eastern Siberia to
Bering Sea. The Australian Station includes New Zealand and New Guinea, 'j'he leading
stations in China are Hong Kong, Canton, and Shanghai. Vessels bound to the
port of Canton have to enter the delta of the Pearl River, the area of which is largely
c.eupied with isles and sandbanks. There f;.'e some thirty Ibrts (m the banks. ^Vhen
the ship has passed the mouth of this embouchure, which forms, in general terms, a kind
of triangle, the sides of which ire 100 miles each in length, you can proceed either to
the island of Hong Kong, an Englisih colony, or to the old Portuguese settlement of
-Macao.

The name Hong Kong is a corrupt' ;i of Hiang Kiang,* which is by interpretation
"Scented Stream." Properly, the designation belongs to a small streniu on llic southern
side of the island, where ships' boats hav long been in the h Mt of obtaining line pure

• "Lifo ill (iiiiiu," liv Willium C. Hiluu, JI.A.

'^1

;l!»

5 H

I? i
It ' I

>, ll

1 1,

. 1

■ 1

TIIK SKA.

water; Iml now llu; iiar.io is givon liy f(irt'i<;ni'r.s to llio wliolo island. Tlio island is
aliout niiio niilos in lenj^tli, and has a vorv rnyged anil l)arrt'n sm-laci', consist iny of rocky
ran<r('s of hills and monntain.s, intersoctod by ravines, tlironj^-h which streams of the ])urest
water tlow un(,'easinyly. Victoria, Hong Kong-, is the capital of the colon\', and tiie seat

( V( l.ONi; AT I'Al.l I riA.

of jji'overnment. It extends for more than three miles east and west, part of the central
gronnds beings ocenjjied by milit''.iy barracks and hospitals, commissariat bnildin<>'s, colonial
chnrclies, post-ofHce, and harbour-master's depot, all of which are overlooked by the
Government-house itself, hii>-h up on the hill. ('lose to the sea-beach are the commercial
houses, clubs, exchange, and market-jdaces.

It wfis the shelt<.'r, security, and convenience offered by the harbour iluil induced our

THE CHINA STVrioN.

1,21

Iral
nial
tlic
cial

our

Crovcrnment to seleot it for a Briiish settlomont; it lias om- dl' tlio iinMost roadsteads in
Ihe world, l^etbre tlio cossiou to Kii<>laiul in IMl, tlio native population on the island
did not exceed i,()()(); now there are 7(1,000 or S0,000.

Macao (pronounced Mitcuir) is i'orty miles to the westward dl' Ilonj^- Koni;', and an
ayreeable place as regards its scenery and surroundings, but deticient as regards its harbour
accommodation. Dr. Milne, himsell' a missionary resident i'or fourteen years in China,
says, writin<;' in IS.jS) : "To son.e of the present i^-eneration of Kni;lisli residents in China,
there can be anythin*^ but associations of a comfortable kind connected with Macao,
recollectin<.f as they nuist the unfriendly policy which the l*ortUi«'uese on the spot ])U'sued
some sixteen or yeveuteen years since, and the bitterly hostile bearing- \. ,iich the Chinese
of the L'(;ttlement were encouraged to assume towards the 'red-haired Knylish.'"

Macac is a peninsula, eight miles in circuit, stretching out trom a large island.
The connecting i)iece of land is a narrow isthmus, which in native topogvai>hy is calle 1
"the stalk (if a water-lily." In IS 10 a low wall stretched across this isthmus, the
foundation atones of which had been laid about three hundred years ago, with the acknow-
ledged object of limiting the movements of foreigners. This was the notorious " barrier,"'
which, during the Chinese war of ISJO-J, was used to annoy the English. As large
numbers of the peasantry had to pass the " barrier gates "' with provisions for the mixed
population at Macao, it was a irecjuent manicuvre with the Chinese authorities to stoj) the
market supplies by closing the gate, and setting over it a guard of half-starved and
ravenous soldiery.

Leaving Macao for Canton, the ship passes the celebrated " l^-guo Forts," threads
her course through a network of islets and mud-banks, and at last drops anchor twelve
miles from the city off the island of Whampoa, where the numerors and grotesque junks,
"egg boats," " sampans," itc, indicate a near approach to an important jdaee. The name
Canton is a liuropcm corruption of Kwang-tung, the " ]}road East." Among *he Chinese
it is sometimes described poetically us "the city of the genii," "the city of grain," and
the " city of rams." The origin of these iorms is thus shown in a native legend. After
the foundation of the city, which dates ba<;k ;!,0()0 years, five genii, clothed in garments
of five different colours, and riding on five rams of different colours, met on the site of
Canton. Each of the rams bore in its mouth a stalk of grain having five ears, and
presented them to the tenants of the soil, to whom they spake in these words : —

" .May fuiiiin(> ;iiul dwitli never visit you ! ''

Il^pon this the rams were immediately petrified into stone images. There is a
" Temple of the Five Rams" close to one of the gates of Canton.

The river scene at Canton is most interesting. It is a floating town of huts hui't
on rafts and on piles, with boats of every conceivable size, shajie and use, lashed together.
"It is," says Dr. Milne, "an aqinn-luiu of human occupants." Canttm has jirobablv a
population of over a million. The entire circuit of city and suburbs cannot be far
from ten miles.

Canton was bombarded in lSy7-8 by an allied English and French force. Ten days
were given to the stubborn Chaie.sc minister, Yeh, to accede to the terms dictated by the Allies,
16

i'i;!i

'■•!,!

*t;

lOO

TIIK SKA.

! I

i;i.

: : li

atid every means was taken to inform the native population of the real cumiix fjrf/l, and
to advise them to remove from the scene of dany-er. Consul Parkes and Captain Hall
were engaiivd among other colporteurs in the rather dang-erous labour of distrihufinsi- Iracts
and hills. In one of their rapid descents, Captain Hall eauyht a mandarin in his chair,
not far from the city yate, and pasted him up in it with hills, then starting* oil' the
bearers U, carry this new advertising- van into the city ! The Chinese crowd, always alive
to a practical joke, roared with lauyhter. When the truce expired, more than 1(H) ouns and
mortars opened lire npon the city, great pains being taken only to injure the city walls, ollicial
Chinese residences, and hill forts. Then a force of o,!)!!!! men was landed, and the city
was between two lires. The hill-forts were .soon taken, and an expedition planned
and executed, chieHy to cajjture the native odicials of hig-h rank. .Mr. Consul I'arkes,
with a party, burst into a ijainmi, an oilicial residence, and in a few seconds Commissioner
Yell was in the hands of the English. An andjitious niilf-ilc-i'diiip of Yeh's sialT protested
strongly that the captive was the wrong- man, loudly stammering- out, " Me Yeh ! Mf Yeh ! "
But this attempted deceit was of no avail ; the prize was safely l)ag'g'('d, and shortly
afterwards the' terms of pei . —'.to arranged. The loss of life in the assault was not
over 1 in British and -30 Frencli.

Shanghai is a port which i.a^ grown up almost entirely since 1S||, the date of its
first occupation by foreigners for purposes of commerce. Then there were only forty-four
foreign merc-hant ships, twenty-three foreign residents and families, one consular Hag-, and
two Protestant missionaries. Twelve years later, there were, for six months' returns, 21!)
British ships, tifty-seven American, eleven Hand)urg-, eleven Dutch, nine Swedish, seven
Danish, six Spanisli, and seven Portuguese, besides those of other nati(malities. The
returns for the whole year embraced V-^\: .-diips of all countries; tea exports, 7(i,7]l,(!oU
pounds ; silk, o")^,");]? bales.

Shang-hai (" the Upper Sea") has been written variously Canhay, Changhay, Xanghay,
Zoug-hae, Shaidiae, Shang-hay, and so forth. Its proper pronunciation is as if the final
syllable were " high," not " hay."

" Sailing- towards the north of China," says Milne, " keeping perhaps fifty or sixty
miles off the coast, as the ship enters the thirtieth parallel, a stranger is startled some
fine morning- by coming on what looks like a shoal — perhaps a sand-bank, a reef — he
knov.-s not what. Tt is an expanse of coloured water, stretching ont as far as the eye
can reach, east, nortii, and west, and entirely distinct from the deep-blue sea which
hitherto the vessel had been ploughing. Of course, he finds that it is the 'Yellow Si^a/
a sea so yellow, turbid, and thick, certainly, that yon might thiidc all the pease-soup in
creation, and a gieat deal more, had been emptied into one monster cistern." The name
is therefore appropriate, as are the designations of several others :

'•The Yellow Sea. the Sen Ihat's IJi'd,
TIk; "White, tlic liliiik, the one that's Dead."

Between the thirtieth degree of north latitude, where the gronp of the Choosan
Islands commences, and the thirty-seventh degree, this sea of soup, this reservoir of
tawny li(Hiid, ranges, fed by three great rivers, the Tseen-Tang, the Yangtsze-Kiang, and
the Hwang-Ho, the greatest of which is the second, and which contrilnites the larger part

I I

SIIANlillAI.

■Z:i

■A,

of the miuldy solution lieUl in its wuters. Forty-iivo miles from tiio e/t/^ioi' '■/'///•<■ ol' the
\anytsze-Kiaiig', yon roacli tlie Woosnn*;" anclinni<>'i', and a few miles I'ln-tlier tlio city df
Siian^'liai, where tlio trilnitary yon liave been l'ollo\vin>^ divides into tlie Woosunj;- and
\\ liampoa 1)ranclies, at the fork of whieh the Iind ceded to the British is situated.
Here there is a splendid British consuhite, cluirches, mansions, and foreii;'n mereantile
houses.

The old eity was built over three centuries a^o, and is encircled, as indeed are nearly
all larye Chinese cities and towns, by a w: ,r twenty-four feet hiyli and lilteen broad; it
is nearly four miles in circumference. Shi nghai was at one time yreatly exposed to the
depredations of freebooters and pirates, and jjurtly in consecpience of this the wall is
plentifully provided with loop-holes, arrow-towers, and military observatories. The six
threat gates of the city of Shanyiiai have yrandiliupient titles, </ /ii ( '//nmi.sr. The
north gate is the "calm-sea gate;" the great east gate is that for "paying obeisance to
the honourable ones;" the little east one is "the precious girdle gate;" the great
south is the gate for "riding the dragon," while another is termed "(he pattern
Vha-nix."

It oldest name is IIoo. In early days the following curious mode of catching lish was
adopted. Rows of bamboo stakes, joined by cords, were driven into the mud of the stream,
among which, at ebb tide, the iish became entangled, and were easily caught. This mode of
lishing was called /nx), and as at one time Shanghai was famous for its lisMng stakes, it
gained the name of the " IIoo city." The tides rise very rapidly in the river, and some-
times give rise to alarming inundations. Lady AVortley's deseri])tion of the waters of the
Mississippi npply to the river- water of Shanghai ; " it looks marvellously like an enormous
running stream of apothecary's stuff, a very strong decoction of mahogany-coloured bark,
with a slight dash of port wine to deepen its hue; it is a mulatto-comiilexioned river,
there is no doubt of that, and wears the deep-tanned livery of the burnished sun."
AVithiu and without the walls, the city is cut up by ditches and moats, which, some
years ago, instead of being sources of benefit and health to the inhabitants, as they were
originally intended to be, were really open sewers, breathing out eflluvia and pestilence.
In some respects, however, Shanghai is now better ordered as regards miniicipal
arranwrnents.

The fruits of the earth are abundant at Shanghai, and " Jack ashon- " may revel in
delicious peaches, figs, persimmons, cherries, jilmns, oranges, citrons, and pomegranates,
while there is a plentiful su])ply of fish, Hesh, and fowl. Grains of all kinds, rice, and
<'otton are cultivated extensively; the latter gives emjdoyment at the loom for thousands.
On the other hand there are drawbacks in the shape of clouds of mus(|uitoes, Hying-
beeiles, heavy rains, monsoons, and earthquakes. The i)rognostics of the latter are a
highly electric state of the atmosphere, long droiight, excessive heat, and what can only
be described as a stagnation of all nature. Pr. Milne, reciting his experiences, says:
" At the critical moment of the commotion, the earth began to rock, the beams and walls
ei'acked like the timbers of a ship under sail, and a nausea came over one, a sea-sickness
really horrible. At times, for a second or two previous to the vibration, there was heard
a subterraneous growl, a noise as of a mighty rushing wind whirling about under ground."

'. I' i

ir^t

'li

1 1
11

til

3 tf

* i ■■.'

1Z\

THE SEA.

I^lic natives were torror-struck, more especially if the quake happened at ni<^'ht, and there
would burst a mass of coiilused sounds, ' Kew ining- ! Kew minyl' ('Save your lives!
save your lives !') Dog-s added their yells to the medley, amid the strikin<^ of jToufrs and
tomtoms. Next day there would be exhaustless gossip conecrning' upheaval and sinking-
of land, (lames issuing from the hill-sides, and ashes cast about the country. The Chinese
ideas on the subject are various. Some thoug'ht the earth had become too hot, and that it had

MACAO.

to relievo itself by a shake, or that it was changing its place for another part of the universe.
Others said that the Su])rcme One, to bring- transgressors to their senses, thought to
alarm them by a quivering of the earth. The notion most common among- the lower
classes is, that there are six hug-o sea-monsters, great fish, which support the earth, and
that if any one of those move, the earth must be agitated. Superstition is rife in
ascribing those earth-shakings chiefly to the remissness of the priesthood. In almost every
temple there is a iii/i//-//i/ — an image of a scaly wooden fish, suspended near the altar, and
among the duties of the priests, it is rigidly prescribed that they keep up an everlasting
tapping on it. If they become lax in their duties, the fish wriggle and shake the earth
to bring the drowsy priests to a sense of their duty.

A FALL OF Dl'ST AT iSFA.

125

A siiig'ular motoorologioal phoiiomonon uftcn ocinirs at Sliau^-hai — '/ j\tU of ilnnf,
line, lijrlit and im palpable, sometimes black, ordinarily yellow. The sun or moon will
scarcely be visible tliroii<>li this sand shower. The deposit of this exipiisile j)owder is
sometimes to the extent of a ipiarter of an inch, after a fall of a day or two ; it will
penetrate the closest Venetian blinds; it overspreads every article of furniliire in the house;
finds its way into the innermost chambers and recesses. In walkiny about, one's clothes

Vi:ss;;i,s IN Tin; I'OUT or sllANtillAI.

'erse.
to
ower
and
in
'very
and
iting
?arth

are covered with dust — the face S'ets grimy, the mouth and tliroat parched ; the teeth
grate; the eyes, ears, and nostrils become itchy and irritable. Tiie fall sometimes extends
as far as Ningpo in the interior — also some ~()0 miles out at sea. Some think that it is
blown all the way from the steppes of Mongolia, after having been wafted by typhoons
into the upper regions of the air : others think that it comes across the seas from the
Japanese volcanoes, which are constantly subject to eruptions.

The population of Shanghai, rapidly increasing, is probably about 10(1,(1(10 to 150,()0()

nonal beggars. Among the many creditable things cited by

P«

Milne reirai'dinir the Chinese, is the number of native charitable institutions in Canton,
Ningpo, and Shanghai, including Foundling Hospitals, the Shanghai) "Asylum for Outcast

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THE SEA.

Cliildron, retreats for poor unci dostitute widows, i lielters for the inaiinud and blind, medical
dispensaries, leper liosi)ita]s, vaeeino establishments, almshouses, I'ree burial soeietios," and so
I'ui'th. So nuieh for the heartless Chinese.

The sailor certainly has this compensation for his hard life, that he sees the world,
and visits strange countries and peoples by the dozen, privilcj^cs for which many a man
tied at home by the inevitable force of circumstances would ^ive u]» a j^'reat deal. AVhat
an oracle is he on his return, amid his own family circle or friends! liow the youn<;sters
in particular hanj^ on his every word, look uj) at his bronzed and honest face, and
wish that they could be sailors, —

'■ ."^tliiiigc cciinitiiis f(ir to «(■."'

How many curiosities has he not to show^from the inevitable parrot, chattering in a
I'oroign tongue, or swearing roundly in English vernacidar, to the little ugly idol brought
from India, but possibly inannfactiu'ed in Birmingham!* If from China, he will probably
have brought home some curious caddy, fearfully and wonderfully inlaid with dragons and
impossible landsca2)es ; an ivory j)agoda, or, perhaps, one of those wonderfully-carved
balls, with twenty or so more inside it, all separate and distinct, each succeeding
one getting smallei* and smaller. He may have with him a native oil-i)ainting ; if a
])(n"trait, stolid and hard ; but if of a ship, true to the last rope, and exact in every
particular. In San Francisco, where there are 1 l'',()(K) or more Chinese, may be seen
native paintings of vessels which could hardly be excelled by a luu'opean artist, and the
cost of which for large sizes, say ;U by i^ feet, was only about fifteen dollars (i'5).
What with I'ans, handkerchiefs, Chinese ladies' shoes for feet about three inches in length,
hmterns, choi)sticks, pipes, rice-paper drawings, l)ooks, neat and (juaint little porcelain
articles for jn-esents at homo, it will be odd if Jack, who has been mindful of t he " old
folks at home," and the young folks too, and the "girl he left behind him," does not
l)eeome a very popular man.

And then his yarns of Chinese life ! How on his lirst landing at a port, the
natives in prolfering their services hastened to assure him in ''pigeon English" ("pigeon"
is a native corruption of " business," as a mixed jargon had and has to be used in trading
with the lower classes) that "Me all same Englische man; me belly good man;" or " You
wantee washy? me washy you?" which is simply an offer to do your laundry work ; t
or "You wantee glub (grub); me sabee (know) one shoj) all same Knglischc belly good."
Or, perhaps, he has met a Chinaman accompanying a coffin home, and yet looking quite
happy and jovial. Xot knowing that it is a common custom to present coffins to relatives
during lifetime, he inrpiires, " ^Vho^s dead, John?" "No man hab die," rc'idies the
Celestial, " no man hab die. ]Me makce my olo fader cumsha. Him likee too mucheo,
countoo my number one popa, s'pose ho die, can eatchee," which freely translated is — "Xo

* Tilt' I'ciiiliv iiKiy li.iYc liciml of imunmics iiiaunfiicturcd in C'liiro fur tlic Enj^lisli markit. The idol tnulu
of I!ii-niini;liniM liiis often liccii stilted as u fact.

t Ivcudeis who have seen ^Ir. Ivloiiin's iinpersoiwtions of a Chinaman may he assnii'd that they are true to
nature, and not hurles(ines. That fjcntlcnian carefully studied the Chinese while engaged jirofessionally in San
Eraniiseo.

to
'iin

"JACK," AND "JOHN CillNAMAN."

Olio is tload. It is a i)rosont from me to my aj^cd fathor, willi wliirh lie will 1h' much
pleased. 1 esteem my tatlier ;>'reatly, and it will be at his service when he dies." How
one of the eommon names for a forei<j;'ner, espeeially an Mnii^Iishman, is " I say," which
derived its use simply from the Chinese lieariny our sailors and soldiers fre([uently ejaculate
the words when eonversini^-, as for exami)le, " 1 say, Hill, there's a <[ueer-loidviii;,>' pij^-lail ! "
The Chinese took it for a <jfeneric name, and would use it anion<r themselves in the most
curious way, as for example, "A red-coated / v/// sent me to huy a fowl;" or " Did you
see a tall / ■if// here a while a,<>'o?" The application is^ however, not more curious
than the title of " .John " bestowed on the Chinaman by most foreii,'ners as a <reneii<'
distinction. Less flatteriiifr epithets used to bo lively bestowed on us, esj)ecially in the
interior, such as "foreign devil/' "red-haired devil/' &c. The ])hrase lluiii^maou, '' red-
haireil/' is applied to (brei<>-ners of all classes, and arose when the J)utch lirst opcMied up
trade with Cliina. A Chinese work, alludinji^ to their arrival, says, "Their raiment was
red, and their hair too. They had bluish eyes, d>'eply sunken in their head, and (un-
people were »piite frij^htened by their stranj^e aspect/'

Jack will have to tell how many stranye anomalies met his jjcaze. For example, in
launching their junks and vessels, they are sent into the water s'ldiirm/x. The horseman
mounts (m the rx/ht side. The scholar, recitin<>' his lesson, //'/-//v ItU Inick on his master.
And if J.'-.ek, or, at all events one of his superior ollicers, <>'oes to a party, he should not
wear li'^ht pumps, but as thick solid shoes as he can j2fot ; n-h'ih' Icml is used for
l)ltu'lx-\i((/. On visits of coremon\', you should keep your hat mi ; and when you advance
to your host, you should close your fists and .i/in/ii' liamlx ifUL i/niirsr//'. Dinners commence
with sweets and fruits, and eiul with fish and soup. White is the funereal colour. Yon
may see adults gravely flying kites, while the youngsters look on; shuttlecocks are
battledored by the /i>'r/. Books begin at the end; the paging is at the bottom, ami
in reading, you proceed from right to left. The surname precedes the Christian name.
The fond mother holds her babe to her nose to smell it — as she would a rose — instead
of kissing it.

What yarns he will have to tell of i-i'/'iils ! How the Chinese sailor lashes it
round his cap at sea ; how the crusty pedagogue, with no other rod of correction, will,
on the spur of the moment, lash the refractory scholar with it; and how, for fun, a wag
will tie two or three of his companions' tails together, and start them off in diftercnt
directions ! But he will also know from his own or others' experiences that the foreigner
in;ist not attempt 2»i'f*^'fi*^'il jokes iipon John Chinaman's tail. " Null me hnn/fre," says
Dr. Milne, " is the order of the tail, as well as of the thistle."

Now that most of the restrictions surrounding foreigners in Japan have been
removed, and that enlightened peop'-^ — the Englishmen of the Pacific in enterprise and
progress — have taken their proper place among the nations of the eaiih, visits to Jaj)an
are commonly made 1)y oven ordinaiy tourists making the circuit of the globe, and we
shall have to touch there again in another " voyage round the world " shortly to follow.
The English sailors of the Royal Xavy often have an opportunity of visiting the charming
islands which constitute Japan. Its English name is a corruption of Tih-pnuqno —
Chinese for " Kingdom (>f the Source of the Sun.'^ Marco Polo was the first to bring

Ij. '

I -f

I ' 'i

]
i

' 1

\ ;

ik^

try . T

FU8I-YA.\L\^

to Europe iutellifjenco of tho brijjht isles, whose Jaiianeso iiiimo, Nipon or Niplion,
means litenilly " Sun-souree."

On the wuy to Yokohama, tho great port of Japan, tho voyager will encounter
the monsoons, tho north-east version of which brings deliciously cool air from October
to March, while the south-west monsoon brings hot ami weary weather. On the way
Nagasaki, on the island of Kiusiu, will almost certainly be visited, which has a harbour with
a very narrow entrance, with hills running down to the water's edge, beautifully covercil
with luxuriant grass and low trees. The Japanese have planted batteries on either side,
which would probably prevent any vessel short of a strong ironclad from getting in or

THE rUSIYAMA MOUNTAIN.

out of the harbour. The city has a population at least of 150,000. There are a number of
Chinese restricted to one quarter, surrounded by a high wall, in which is a heavy gate,
that is securely locked every night. Their dwellings are usually mean and filthy, and compare
very unfavourably with the neat, clean, matted dwellings of the Japanese. The latter
despise the former; indeed, you can scarcely insult a native more than to compare him
with his brother of Nankin. The Japanese term them the Nankin Sans.

The island of Niphon, on which Yokohama is situated, is about one hundred and
seventy miles long by seventy broad, while Yesso is somewhat longer and narrower. Japan
really became known to Europe through Fernando Mendez Pinto, a Portugese who waa
shipwrecked there in 1.519. Seven years later the famous Jesuit, Francis Xavior,
introduced the Catholic faith, which for a long time made great progress. But a fatal
mistake was made in 1580, when an embassy was sent to the Pope with presents and
17

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jii

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vows of allegiance. The reigning- Tycoon* had his cyos opened by this act, and
saw that to profess obedience to any spiritual lord was to weaktMi his own power
immeasurably. The priests of the old religions, too, complained bitterly of the loss of their
flocks, and the Tycoon determined to crush out the Christian faith. Thousands upon
thousands of c*onverts were put to death, and the very last of them are said to have
been hurled from the rook of Pai)enberg, at Nagasaki, into the sea. In 1000, William
Adams, an English sailor on a Dutch ship, arriveil in the harbour of Hungo, and speedily
became a favourite with the Tycoon, who, through him, gave the English permission to
establish a trading " factory " on the island of Firando. This was later on abandoned, but
the Dutch East India Company continued the trade on the same island, under very severo
restrictions. The fire-arms and powder on their ships were taken from them immediately
on arrival, and only returned when the ships were ready for sea again.

Yokohama, the principal port, stands on a flat piece of ground, at the wide end of a
valley, which runs narrowing up for several miles in the country. The site was reclaimed
from a mere swamp by the energy of the Government; and there is now a fine sea-wall
facing the sea, with two piers running out into it, on each of which there is a custom-
house. The average Japanese in the streets is clothed in a long thin cotton robe, open
in front and gathered at the waist by a cloth girdle. This constitutes the whole of his
dress, save a scanty cloth tied tightly round the loins, cotton socks and wooden clogs.
The elder women look hideous, but some of their ugliness is self-inflicted, as it is the
fashion, when a woman becomes a wife, to draw out the hair of her eyebrows an ^ varnish
her teeth black ! Their teeth are white, and they still have their eyebrows, 1 ve too

much prone to the use of chalk and vermilion on their cheeks. Every one »« x.imiliar
with the Japanese stature — under the general average — for there are now a large number
of the natives resident in London.

Jack will soon find out that the Japanese cuisine is most varied. Tea and sacki, or
rice beer, are the only liquors used, except, of course, by travelled, Europeanised, or
Americanised Japanese. They sit on the floor, squatting on their heels in a manner which
tires Europeans very rapidly, although they look as comfortable as possible. The floor
serves them for chair, table, bed, and writing-desk. At meals there is a small stand, about
nine inches high, by seven inches square, placed before each individual, and on this is dej^osited
a small bowl, and a variety of little dishes. Chopsticks are used to convey the food to their
mouths. Their most common dishes are fish boiled with onions, and a kind of small bean,
dressed with oil; fowls stewed and cooked in all ways; boiled rice. Oil, mushrooms,
carrots, and various bulbous roots, are greatly used in making up their dishes. In the way
of a bed in summer, they merely lie down on the mats, and put a wooden pillow under
their heads ; but in winter indulge in warm quilts, and have brass pans of charcoal
at the feet. They are very cleanly, baths being used constantly, and the public bath-
houses being open to the street. Strangely enough, however, although so particular in
bodily cleanliness, they never wash their clothes, but wear them till they almost drop to

• The Tj'coon is nominated out of 'no mrnibors of three families having hereditarj- rights. The princes
or Daimios number three or four hundred, many having enormous incomes and armies of retainers. The Prince
of Kanga, for example, has £760,000 a year ; the Prince of Satauma £487,000 ; and the Prince of Owari £402,900.

THE PORT OP PKTER AND PAUL.

131

pieces. A gentleman who arrived there in 1S3'.), had to send his clothes to Shanghai to
1)0 washed — a journey of 1,(51)0 miles I Since the great iullux of tbreigners, however,
plenty of Niphons have turned laundrymen.

Their tea-gardens, like those of the Chinese, arc often large and extremely ornamental,
and at them one obtains a cup of genuine tea made before your eyes for one-third of
a halfpenny.*

Tho great attraction, in a landscape point of view, outside Yokohama, is the grand
Fusiyama Mountain, an extinct volcano, the great object o2 reverence and pride in tho
Japanese heart, and which in native drawings and carvings is incessantly represented.
A giant, 14,000 feet high, it towers grandly to the clouds, snow-capped and streaked.
It is deemed a holy and worthy deed to climb to its summit, and to pray in the
numerous temples that adorn its sides. Thousands of pilgrims visit it annually. And
now let us make a northward voyage.

CHAPTER IX.
Round the Would on a Man-of-Waii (coniinned).

NOHTHWARD AND SOUTHWARD — THE AUSTRALIAN STATION.

Tho Port of Peter and Paul— Wonderful Colouring of Kamchatka Hills-Grand Volcanoes— Tho Fight at Petropoulovskl
—A Contrast— An International IMc-nic— A Double Wedding— Bering's Voyages — Kamchatka worthy of Further
P^xploration— Plover Hay— Tchuktchl Natives— Whaling — A Terrible Oulo — A Novel "Smoke-stack"— Southward
again— Tho Liverpool of tho East— Singapore, a Paradise— New Harbour— Wharves and Shipping— Cruelties of tho
Coollo Trade- Junks and Prahus— Tho Kling-gharry Drivers- The Duriun and its Devotees— Australia— Us Discovery
-Ilotany Boy and the Convicts— Tho First Oold-I'ort Jackson -Beauty of Sydney— Port Philip and Melbourne.

Many English men-of-war have visited the interesting peninsula of Kamchatka, all included
in the China station. How well the writer remembers the first time he visited Petropaulovski,
the port of Peter and Paul ! Entering first one of the noblest bays in the whole world —
glorious Avatcha Bay — and steaming a short distance, the entrance to a capital harbour dis-
closed itself. In half an hour the vessel was inside a landlocked harbour, with a sand-spit
protecting it from all fear of gales or sudden squalls. Behind was a highly-coloured little
town, red roofs, yellow walls, and a church with burnished turrets. The hills around were
autumnly frost-coloured ; but not all the ideas the expression will convey to an artist could
conjure up the reality. Indian yellow merging through tints of gamboge, yellow, and
brown ochre to sombre brown; madder lake, brown madder, Indian red to Roman sepia;
greys, bright and dull greens indefinable, and utterly indescribable, formed a mdlangc of
colour which defied description whether by brush or pen. It was delightful ; but it was
puzzling. King Frost had completed at night that which autumn had done by day.
Then behind rose the grand mountain of Koriatski, one of a series of great volcanoes.

• For further details concerning this most interesting people, vide Dr. Robert Brown's " Races of Mankind."

) !

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it '

It seemed ?i lew miles oil; it was, although the wonderful clearness of the atmosphere
belied rhe fact, son., thirty miles distant. An imprej^nable fortress of roek, streaked and
cajtped with snow, it defies time anci man. lis smoke was constantly obse.'ved; its
pvn-e snows only hid the boiling, bubbling lava beneath.

With the exception of a few decent houses, the residences of the civil governor,
captaiii of the port, and otlier oflicials, and a few f^^reign merchants, the town makes
no great show. The jioorer dwellings are very rougli, and, indeed, are almost exclu-
sively log cabins. A very picturesque and noticeable building is the old (ireek church,
which has painted red and green roofs, and a l^elfry full of bells, large and small,
detached from the buihling, nnd cr.Iy a foot or two raised above the ground. It is to
be noted that the luwn, as it existed iu Cajitain Gierke's time, was built on the sand-
spit. It was once a military post, but the Cossack soldiers have been removed to
the Amoor.

There are two 'monuments of interest in Petropaulovski; one in honour of Bering,
the second to the memory of La Perouse. The former is a plain cast-iron column,
railed in, while the latter is a mjst nondescript construction of sheet iron, and is of
octagonal form. Neither of these navigators is buricJ in the town. Poor Bering's
remains lie on the island where he miserably perished, and which now bears his name;
while of the fate cf La Perouse, and his unfortunate companions, little is known.

In 1855, Petropaulovski was visited by the allied fleets, during the period of our war with
Russia. They found an empty town, for the Russian Government had givci up all idea
of defending it. The combined fleet captured one miserable whaler, ra/cl the batteries^
and destroyed some of the government buildings. There were good and sufficient reasons
why they should have done nothing. The jioor little town of Saints Pet<?r and Paul was
beneath notice, as victory Vvvq could never be glorious. But a stronger reason existed
in thp fact, recorded in a dozen voyages, that from, the days of Cook and Gierke to our
own, it bad always been famous for the unlimited hospitality and assistance shown to
explorers and voyagers, without regard to nationality. All is iiof- fair in war. Possibly,
lu wever, reason might be found for the havoc done, in the events of thf, previous year.

In August, 1851, the inhabitants of Petropaulovski had covered tV^omselves with glory,
much to their own surprise. On the 28th of the month, six English and French vessels —
the Presirlenf, Tlrnffo, P/.ji/c, L,i Fori, /' Enri/illcf, and rOlillijailo — entered Avatcha Bay.
Admiral Price reconnoitred the harbour and town, and placed the Th-dijo in position at
2,000 yards. The Russians had two vessel?, the A/irorti and Dviua, to defend the harbour,
and a strong chnin was placed across its narrow entrance. The town was defended by
seven batteries and earthwo-^s, mounting fifty guns.

It was not difficult to silence the batteries, and they were accordingly silenced. The
townspeople, with their limited knowledge of the English — those English they had always
so hospitably received, and who were now doing their best to kill them — thouglit their
hour was come, and that, if not immediately executed, they would have to languish exiles
in a foreign land, far from their beautiful Kamchatka. The town was, and is, defended
almost as much by nature as by art. High hills shut it in so completely, and the harbour
entrance can be so easily defended, that there is really only one vulnerable point, in its rear.

rear.

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where a small valley opens out into a plot of land bordering the bay. Hei'e it was thought
desinible to land a body of men.

Accordingly, 700 marines and sailors were put ashore. The men looked forward to
an easy victory, and hurriedly, in detached and straggling style, pressed forward to
secure it. Alas ! they had reckoned without their host — they were rushing heedlessly
into the jaws of death. A number of bushes and small trees existed, and still exist,
on the hill-sides surrounding this spot, and behind them were posted Cossack sharp-shooters,
who fired into our men, and, either from skill or accident, picked off nearly every officer.
The men, n • seeing their enemy, and having lost their leaders, became panic-struck,
and fell back in disorder. A retreat was sounded, but the meii struggling in the bushes
and underbrush (and, in truth, most of them being sailors, were out of their element on
land) became much scattered, and it was generally believed that many were killed by the
random shots of their companions. A number fled up a hill at the rear of the town; their
foes pursued and pressed upon them, and many were killed by falling over the steep cliff
in which the hill terminates.

The inhabitants, astonished at their own prowess, and knowing that they could not
hold the town against a more vigorous attack, were preparing to vacate it, when the fleet
weighed anchor and set sail, and no more was seen of them that year ! The sudden death
of our admiral is always attributed to the events of that attack, as he was known not to
have been killed by a ball from the enemy.*

The writer has walked over the main battle-field, and saw cannon-balls unearthed
when some men were digging gravel, which had laid there since the events of 1854.
The last time he passed over it, in 18G0, was when proceeding with some Russian and
American friends to what might be termed an " international " pic-nic, for there were
present European and Asiatic Russians, full and half-breed natives, Americans, including
genuine " Yankee " New Englanders, New Yorkers, Southerners, and Californians, English-
men, Frenchmen, Germans, and one Italian. Chatting in a babel of tongues, the party
climbed a path on the hill-side, leading to a beautiful grassy opening, overlooking the
glorious bay below, which extended in all directions a dozen or fifteen miles, and on one
side farther than the eye could reach. Several grand snow-covered volcanoes towered above,
thirty to fifty miles off; one, of most beautiful outline, that of Vilutchinski, was on
the opposite shore of Avatcha Bay.

The sky was bright and blue, and the water without a ripple ; wild flowers were abundant,
the air was fragrant with them, and, but for the mosquitoes (which are noi confined
to hot countries, but flourish in the short summer of semi- Arctic climes), it might
have been considered an earthly edition of paradise ! But even these pests could not
worry the company much, for not merely were nearly all the men smokers, but most
of the ladies also ! Here the writer may remark, parenthetically, that many of the
Russian ladies smoke cigarettes, and none object to gentlemen smoking at table or else-
whore. At the many dinners and suppers offered by the hospitable residents, it was
customary to draw a few whiffs between the courses ; and when the cloth was removed,

* J'ide "Niiuticiil ^Ingazino," Octolicr, 1855.

THE COAST OF KAMCHATKA.

135

tiie ladies, instead of retiring to another room, sat in company with the gentlemen, the
larger proportion joining in the social weed. After the enjoyment of a liberal a/ fresco
dinner, songs were in order, and it would be easier to say what were not sung than to
give the list of those, in all languages, which were. Then after the songs came some
games, one of them a .Russian version of "hunt the slipper," and another veri/ like
" kiss in the ring.'^ The writer particularly remembers the latter, for he had on that
occasion the honour of kissing the Pope^s wife ! This needs explanation, although the
Pope was his friend. In the Greek Church the priest is " allowed to marry," and his
title, in the Russian language, is " Pope."

And the recollection of that particular "Pope" rfical!:j a, well-remembered ceremony
— that of a double wedding in the old church. During the ceremony it is customary to
crown the bride and bridegroom. In this case two considerate male friends held the
crowns for three-quarters of an hour over the brides' heads, so as not to spoil the artistic
aiTangement of their hair and head-gear. It seems also to be the custom, when, as in the
present case, the couples were in the humbler walks of life, to ask some wealthy individual
to act as master of the ceremonies, who, if he accepts, has to stand all the expenses.
In this case M. Phillipeus, a merchant who has many times crossed the frozen steppes
of Siberia in search of valuable furs, was the victim, and he accepted the responsibility
of entertaining all Petropaulovski, the officers of the splendid Russian corvette, the Vu ridgy
and those of the Telegraph Expedition, with cheerfulness and alacrity.

The coast-line of Kamchatka is extremely grand, and far behind it are magnificent
volcanic peaks. The promontory which terminates in the two capes, Kamchatka and
Stolbevoy, has the appearance of two islands detached from the mainland, the intervening
country being low. This, a circumstance to be constantly observed on all coasts, was,
perhaps, specially noticeable on this. The island of St. Lawrence, in Bering Sea,
was a very prominent example. It is undeniable that the appai'cnt gradual rise of a
coast, seen from the sea as y approach it, affords a far better proof of the rotundity
of the earth than the illustriitinn- usually omjiloyed, that 1 .t ship, which you are
supposed to see by instalments, from the main-royal sail (if not from the ' sky scraper '
or ' moon -raker ') to the hull. The fact is, that the royal and top-gallaut sails of
a vessel on the utmost verge of the horizon may be, in ccM'tain lights, Ijurely dis-
tinguishable, while the dark outline of an irregular and rock-buund coast can be seen by
any one. First, maybe, appears a mountain peak towering in solitary grandeur above
the coast-line, and often far behind it, then the high lands and hills, then the cliffs
and low lands, and, lastly, the flats and beaches.

It was from the Kamchatka River, which enters T?iM' .g Sea near the cape of the
same name, that Vitus Bering sailed on his first voyage, i liat navigator was a persevering
and plucky Dane, who had been drawn into the service of Russia through the fame of
Peter the Great, and his first expedition was directly planned by that sagacious monarch,
although he did not live to carry it out. Miiller, the historian of Bering's career, pays :
"The Empress Catherine, as she endeavoured in all points to execute most precisely the
plans of her deceased husband, in a manner began her reign with an order for the
expedition to Kamchatka." Bering had associated with him two active subordinates.

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Spanberg and Tschirikoff. They left St. Petersburg on February 5th, 1725, proceeding
to the Ochotsk Sea, ria Siberia, It is a tolerable proof of the difficulties of travel in
those days, that it took them two years to transport their outfit thither. They crossed
to Kamchatka, where, on the -1th of April, 1728, Miiller tells us, "a boat was put upon
the stocks, like the packet-boats used in the Baltic, and on the 10th of July was launched,
and named the boat Gabriel." A few days later, and she was creeping along the coast of
Kamchatka and Eastern Siberia. Bering on this first voyage discovered St. Lawrence
Island, and reached as far north as 07'^ 18', where, finding the land trend to the westward,
ho came to the conclusion that he had reached the eastern extremity uf Asia, and that
Asia and America were distinct continents. On the first point he was not, as a matter
of detail, quite correct; but the second, the imp itant object of his mission, settled for
ever the vexed question.

A second voyage was rather unsuccessful. Ilis third expedition left Petropaulovski on
the 4th of July, 1711. His little fleet became dispersed in a storm, and Bering Tmrsued
his discoveries alone. These wore not unimportant, for he reached the grand chain of
the rock-girt Aleutian Islands, and others nearer the mainland of America. At length
the scurvy broke out in virulent form among his cre\,, and he attempted to return to
Kamchatka. The sickness increased so much that the " two sailors who used to be at the
rudder were obliged to be led in by two others who could hardly walk, and whtn one
could sit and steer no longer, one in little better condition supplied his place. .Nlany
sails they durst not hoist, because there was nobody to lower them in case of need.^^ At
length land appeared, and they cast anchor. A storm arose, and the shiji was driven on
the rocks ; they cast their second anchor, and tlie cable snapped before it took ground.
A great sea pitched the vessel bodily over the rocks, behind wliicli they happily found
quieter water. The island was barren, devoid of trees, and with little driftwood. They
had to roof over gulches or ravines, to form ])lacos of refuge. On the " Sth of November
a beginning was made to land the sick ; but some died as soon as they were In-ought
from between decks in the open air, others during the time they were on the deck, some
in the boat, and many more as soon as they were brought on shore." On the following
day the commander, Bering, himself prostrated with disease, was brought asliore, and
moved about on a hand-barrow. He died a month after, in one of the little ravines, or
ditches, which had been covered with a roof, and when he expired was almost covered
with the sand which fell from its sides, and which be desired his men not to remove, as
it gave him some little warmth. Before his remaiii> ((juld be finally interred they had
literally to be disinterred.

The vessel, unguarded, was utterly wrecked, and their provisions lost. They subsisted
mainly that fearful winter on the carcases of dead whales, which wore driven ashore.
In the spring the pitiful remnant of a once hardy crew managed to construct a small
vessel from the wreck of their old ship, and at length succeeded in reaching Kamchatka.
They then learned that Tschirikoff, Bering's associate, had preceded them, but with the
loss of thirty-one of his crew from the f5ame fell disease whii had so reduced their
numbers. Bering's name has ever since been attached to the island where he died.

There is no doubt that Kamchatka would repay a detailed exploration, which it

TUE APEX OF THE CHINA STATIUX.

137

has never yet received. It is a partially settled country. The Kamchatdales are a
good-humoured, harmless, and semi-civilised race, and the Russian otKcials and settlers
at the few little towns would yladly welcome the traveller. The dogs used ibr sletlging
in winter are noble animals, infinitely stronger than those of Alaska or even Greenland.
The attractions for the Alpine climber cannot be overstated. The peninsula contains a
cham of volcanic peaks, attaining, it is sta d, in the Klutchevskoi Mountain a height

Ind

I or

las

LhI

e.
Ill

nc
lir

I'ETUOrAlLOVSKI AND THE FVSIYAMA MOUNTAIN.

of 10,000 feet. In the country immediately behind Petropaulovski are the three
peaks, Koriatski, Avatcha, and Koseldskai; the first is about 1-2,000 feet in height,
and is a conspicuous landmark for the port. A comparatively level country, covered
with rank grass and underbrush, and intersected by streams, stretches very nearly to
their base.

And now, before leaving the Asiatic coast, let us, as many English naval vessels

have done, pay a flying visit to a still more northern harbour, that of Plover Bay,

which forms the very apex of the China Station. Sailing, or steaming, through Bering

Sea, it is satisfactory to know that so shallow is it that a vessel can anchor in almost

'It

188

THE SEA.

Pfi

any part of it, though hundreds of miles from Itmd.* Plover Bay does no( derive its
name from the whaling which is often pursued in its waters, altliough an ingenious
Dutchman, of the service in which the writer was engaged at the periods of his visits,
persisted in calling it "Blubher" Bay; its name is due to the visit of II. M.S. J'lorer
in 1818-!), when engaged in the search for Sir John I'ranklin. The bay is a most secure
haven, sheltered at the ocean end by a long spit, and walled in on three sides by rugged
mountains and bare cliffs, the former composed of an inlinite number of fragments of
rock, split up by the action of frost. Besides many coloured lichens and mosses, there
is hardly a sign of vegetation, except at one ])atch of country near a small inner harbour,
where domesticated reindeer graze. On the spit before mentioned is a village of Tchuktchi
natives ; their tents are composed of hide, walrus, seal, or reindeer, with hero and there
a piece of old sail-cloth, obtained from the whalers, the whole patchwork covering a
framework formed of the large bones of whales and walrus. The remains of underground
houses are seen, but the people who used them have passed away. The present race makes
no use of such houses. Their canoes are of skin, covering sometimes a wooden and
sometimes a bone frame. On either side of one of these craft, which is identical with
the Greenland "oumiak," or women's boat, it is usual to have a sealskin blown out tight,
and the ends fastened to the gunwale; these serve as floats to steady the canoe. Tliey
often carry sail, and proceed safely far out to sea, even crossing Bering Straits to the
American side. The natives are a hai'dy race; the writer has seen one of them carry
the awkward burden of a carpenter's chest, weighing two hundred pounds, without
apparent exertion. One of their principal men v/as of considerable service to the
expedition and to a party of telegraph constructors, who were left there in a Moodeft
house made in San Francisco, and erected in a few days in this barren spot. This native,
by name Naukum, was taken down into the engine-room of the telegraph steamer —
G. S. frriff/iL He looked round carefully and thoughtfully, and then, shaking his head,
said, solemnly, " Too muchee wheel ; makee man too muehee think ! " His curiosity
on board was unappeasable. " What's that fellow ? " was his query with regard to
anything, from the donkey-engine to the hencoops. Colonel Bulkley gave him a suit of
mock uniform, gorgeous with buttons. One of the men remarked to him, " Why,
Naukum, you'll be a king soon ! " But this magnificent prospect did not seem, judging
from the way he received it, to be much to his taste. This man had been some-
times entrusted with as much as five barrels of villainous whisky for trading purposes, and
he hA always accounted satisfactorily to the trader for its use. The whisky sold to the
.atives is of the most horrible kind, scarcely superior to "coal oil" or paraffine. They
apiMjared to understand the telegraph scheme in a general way. One explaining it, said,
" S'pose lope fixy, well ; one Melican man Flower Bay, make talky all same San Flaneisco
Melican." Perhaps quite as lucid an explanation as you could get from an agricultural
labourer or a street arab at home.

Colonel Bulkley, at his second visit to Plover Bay, caused a small house of planks.

* Captain .Suammon, detailed from tho United .States Revenue Service, to take the post of Chief of Marino
in the telegraph expedition on which tho writer served, made a series of soundings. For nearly two deyrees (between
latitudes 64" and 60° N.) the average depth is under 19J fathoms.

THE VVHAT.ERS OF UERIXO SEA.

139

to be constructed for Naukunij and made liim many presents. A draughtsman attached
to the party made a sketch, " A Dream of the Future/' which was a lively representation
of the future prospects of Naukum and his family. The room was picturesque with
paddles, skins, brand-new Henry rifles, preserved meat tins, &c. ; and civilisation was
triumphant.

Although Plover Bay is almost in sight of the Arctic Ocoan, very little snow remained
on the barren country round it, except on the distant mountains, or in deep ravines, where
it has lain for ages. "That there snow,'' said one of the sailors, pointing to such a spot,
" is three hundred years old if it's a day. Why, doii't you see the wrinkles all over the
face of it ? " Wrinkles and ridges are common enough in snow ; but the idea of associating
age with them was original.

The whalers are often very successful in and outside Plover Bay in securing
their prey. Each boat is known by its own private mark — a cross, red stripes, or what
not — on its sail, so that at a distance they can be distinguished from their respective
vessels. When the whale is harpooned, often a long and dangerous job, and is floating
dead in the water, a small flag is planted in it. After the monster is towed alongside
the vessel, it is cut up into large rectangular chunks, and it is a curious and not
altogether pleasant sight to witness the deck of a whaling ship covered with blubber.
This can be either barreled, or the oil "tryed out" on the spot. If the latter, the
blubber is cut into " mincemeat," i;nd chopping knives, and even mincing machines, are
employed. The oil is boiled out oa board, and the vessel when seen at a distance
looks as if on fire. On these occasions the sailors have a feast of dough-nuts, which
are cooked in boiling whale-oil, fritters of whale brain, and other dishes. The writer
has tasted whale in various shapes, but although it is eatable, it is by no means luxurious
food.

It was in these waters of Bering Sea and the Arctic that tiie Shenandoah played such
havoc during the American wai\ In 1865 she burned Ifiirli/ American whalers, taking
off the officers and crews, and sending them down to San Francisco. The captain of an
English whaler, the Robert Tawns, of Sydney, had warned and saved some American
vessels, and was in consequence threatened by the pirate captain. The writer was an
eye-witness of the results of this wanton destruction of private pro]-)erty. The coasts
were strewed with the remains of the burned vessels, while the natives had boats, spavs, &c.,
in numbei's.

But Plover Bay has an interest attaching to it of far more importance than anything
to be said about whaling or Arctic expeditions. It is more than probable that from or
near that bay the wandering Tunguse, or Tchuktchi, crossed Bering Straits, and peopled
America. The latter, in canoes holding fifteen or twenty persons, do it now ; why not
in the " long ago ? " The writer has, in common with many who have visited Alaska
(formerly Russian- America, before the country was purchased by the United States),
remarked the almost Chinese or Japanese cast of features ])ossessed by the coast natives
of that country. Their Asiatic origin could not be doubted, and, on the other hand,
Aleuts — natives of the Aleutian Islands, which stretch out in a grand chain from Alaska —
who had shipped as sailors on the Russo-American Telegraph Expedition, and a Tchuktchi

t!H

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I*
1 '

«' i

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,': i

if"

, 1'

ii:
ii"-
Hi

140

TIIK SKA.

boy l)roii,<;lit down to he educated, wore const anlly taken for Japanese or Chinamen i'l
San Francisco, whore there are ].0,0()0 of the former i)eoi)lo. Junks have on two occasions
been driven across the I'acilic Ocean, and have hmdod their crews.* Tiiese facts
occurred in lH:};i-:i; the first on the coast near Cape Flattery, North-west America, and
tlje second in tue harbour of Oahu, Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands. In the former case
all the crew but two men and a boy were killed by the natives. In the latter case.

WHALEKS AT '.VOHK.

however, the Sandwich Islanders treated the nine Japanese, forming the crew of the junk,
with kindness, and, when they saw the strangers so much resembling them in many
respects, said, " It is plain, now, we come from Asia." How easily, then, could we account
for the peopling of any island or coast in the Pacific. Whether, therefore, stress of weather
obliged some unfortunate Chinamen or Japanese to people America, or whether they, or,
at all events, some Northern Asiatics, took the " short sea route," cla Bering Straits,

* Vide Washington Irving's "Astoria;" also, Sir Edward Bolchor's "Voyage of the Siilp/mr.'*

AN T^N-PACIFK* <)f'KAN.

141

there is a very strong' probability in favour of tbe New World having been peopled from
not merely the Old World, but the Oldest World — i\sia.

The Paeific Ocean generally beart* itself in a manner which justifies its tide. The
long sweeps of its waves are far more pleasant te the sailor than the " choppy " waves of

V, , ''

OUK " PATENT SMOKE-STACK."

the Atlantic. But the Pacific is by no means always so, as the writer \ory well knows.
He will not soon forget November, 1865, nor will those of his companions who still
survive.

Leaving Pctropaulovski on November 1st, a fortnight of what sailors term "dirty weather"
culminated in a gale from the south-east. It was no " capful of wind," but a veritable tempest,
which broke over the devoted ship. At its outset, the wind was so powerful that it blew
the main-boom from the ropes which held it, and it swung round with great violence

142

THE SEA.

against the "smoke-stack" (funnel) of the steamer, knockinjf it overboard. The guys,
or chains by winch it had been held tinright, were snapped, and it went to the bottom.
Here was a dilemma ; the engines were rendered nearly useless, and a few hours later
wore made absolutely powerless, for the rudder became disabled, and the steering-wheel
was utterly unavailable. During this period a very curious circumstance happened ; the
sea driving faster than the vessel — itself a log lying in the trough of the waves, which
rose in mountains on all sides — acted on the screw in such a manner that in its turn it
worked the engines at a greater rate than they hatl ever attained by steam ! After much
trouble the couplings were disconnected, but for several hours the jarring of the machinery
revolving at lightning speed threatened to make a breach in the stem.

No one on board will soon forget the night of that great gale. The vessel, scarcely
larger than a " penny " steamer, and having " guards," or bulwarks, little higher than
the rail of those boats, was engidfed in the tempestuous waters. It seemed literally
to be driving under the water. Waves broke over it every few minutes; a rope had
to be stretched along the deck for the sailors to bold on by, while the brave com-
mander. Captain Marston, was literally tied to the aft bulwark, where, half frozen and
half drowned, he remained at his post during an entire night. The steamer had the
" house on deck," so common in American vessels. It was divided into state-rooms,
very comfortably fitted, but had doors and windows of the lightest character. At the
commencement of the gale, these were literally battered to pieces by the waves dashing
over the vessel; it was a matter of doubt whether the whole house might not be carried
off bodily. The officers of the expedition took refuge in the small cabin aft, which had
been previously the general ward-room of the vessel, where the meals were served. A
great sea broke over its skylight, smashing the glass to atoms, putting out the lamps and
stove, and filling momentarily the cabin with about three feet of water. A landsman
would have thoug'^t his last hour had come. But the hull of the vessel was sound ; the
pumps wer'^ in good order, and worked steadily by a " donkey " engine in the engine-room,
and the water soon disappeared. The men coiled themselves up that night amid a pile of
ropes and sails, boxes, and miscellaneous matters lying on the "counter" of the vessel, i.e.,
that part of the stern lying immediately over the rudder. Next morning, in place of
the capital breakfasts all had been enjoying — fish and game from Kamchatka, tinned fruits
and meats from California, hot rolls and cakes — the steward and cook could only, with
great difficulty, provide some rather shaky coffee and the regular " hard bread " (biscuit)
of the ship.

The storm increased in violence ; it was unsafe to venture on deck. The writer's
room-mate. M. Laborne, a genial and cultivated man of the world, who spoke seven
languages Huently, sat down, and wrote a last letter to his mother, enclosing it
afterwards in a bottle. " It will never reach her," said poor Laborne, with tears dimming
his eyes ; " but it is all I can do." Each tried to comfort the other, and prepare
for the worst. " If we are to die, let us die like men," said Adjutant Wright. " Come
down in the engine-room," another said, " and if weVe got to die, let's die
decently." The chief engineer lighted a fire on the iron floor below the boilers, and
it was the only part of the vessel which was at all comfortable. Noble-hearted

A NOVEL "SMOKE-STACK."

113

Colonel Bulklcy spent his tiino in chcerinj^ tlio men, and reniin(lin<f them (hut
the sea has been proved to ho an inliuitely safer phieo ihan the land. No single one
on l)oard really expected to survive. Meantime, the <^ale was expendinjf its rnyo
by tearinjjf every sail to ribbons. Kags and streamers lliittered from the yards ; there
was not a single piece of canvas intact. The cabins held a wreck ol" truidvs, furniture,
and crt)ekery.

In one of the cabins several boxes of soap, in bars, had been stored. When the gale
commenced to abate, some one ventured into the house on deck, when it was discovered
that it was full of soapsuds, which swashed backwards and forwards through the series
of rooms. The water had washed and rewashed the bars of soap till they were not thicker
than sticks of sealing-wax.

At last, after a week of this horrible weather, morning broke with a sight of the sun,
and moderate wind. There were spare sails on board, and the rudder could bo repaired ;
but what could be done about the funnel ? The engineer's ingenuity came out conspicuously.
lie had one of the usual water-tanks brought on deck, and the two ends knocked out.
Then, setting it up over the boiler, he with pieces of sheet-iron raised this square erection
till it was about nine feet high, and it ga'. e a sutlicient draught to the furnaces.
"Covert's Patent Smoke-Stack" created a sensation on the safe arrival of the vessel in
San Francisco, and was inspected by hundreds of visitors. The little steamer had ploughed
through lOjOOO miles of water that season. She was immediately taken to one of the
wharfs, and entirely remodelled. The sides were slightly raised, and a ward-room and aft-
cabin, handsomely fitted in yacht-fashion, took the place of the house on deck. It was
roofed or decked at top in such a manner that the heaviest seas could wash o\er the
vessel without doing the slightest injury, and she afterwards made two voyages, going
over a distance of 20,000 miles. Poor old Wrhjht ! She went to the bottom at last, with
all her crew and passengers, some years later, off Cape Flattery, at the entrance of the
Straits of Fuca, and scarcely a vestige of her was ever found.

And now, retracing our steps en route for the Australian station, let us call at one
of the most important of England's settlements, which has been termed the Liverpool of
the East. Singapore consists of an island twenty-five miles long and fifteen or so broad,
lying off the south extremity of Malacca, and having a city of the same name on its
southern side. The surface is very level, the highest elevation being only 5^0 feet. In
1818, Sir Stamford Raffles found it an island covered with virgin forests and dense jungles,
with a miserable population on its creeks and rivers of fishermen and pirates. It has
now a population of about 100,000, of which Chinese number more than half. In 1819
the British flag was hoisted over the new settlement ; but it took five years on the part
of Mr. Crawford, the diplomatic representative of Groat Britain, to negotiate terms with
its then owner, the Sultan of Johore, whereby for a heavy yearly payment it was, with
all the islands within ten miles of the coast, given up with absolute possession to the
Honourable East India Company. Since that period, its history has been one of unexampled
prosperity. It is a free port, the revenue being raised entirely from imports on opium
and spirits. Its prosperity as a commercial port is due to the fact that it is an entrepot
for the whole trade of the Malayan Archipelago, the Eastern Archipelago, Cochin China,

111.

TIIK SKA.

i: ii

|P<

Sinm, and Javji. Twelve yenrs npfo it exported over sixty-six million rupees' worth of
fjninbier, tin, jjeppcr, mitniejn^s, colYee, tortoisc-sliell, rare woods, sjijjfo, tapioca, camphor,
gutta-percha, and rattans. It is vastly greater now. I'^xclusive of innumerable native
erat't, 1,(197 square-rigged vessels entered the jiort in iSdl-'). It has two splendid
harbours, one a sheltered roadstead near the town, with safe anchorage; the other, a
land-locked harbour, three miles from the town, capable of admitting vessebi of the
largest draught. Splendid wharfs have been erected by the many steam-ship companies
and merchants, and there are fortifications which command the harI)our and roads.

" A great deal has l)oen written about the natural beauties of Ceylon and Java,'' says
Mr. Cameron,* " and some theologians, determined to give the first scene in the Mosaic
narrative a local habitation, have lixed the paradise of unfallen man on one or other of
those noble islands. Nor has their «.'nthusiasm carried them to any ridiculous extreme ;
for the beauty of some parts of Java and Ceylon might well accord with the description
given us, or rather which we are accustomed to infer, of that land from which man was
driven on his first great sin.

" I have seen both Ceylon and Java, and admired in no grudging measure their many
charms; but for calm j)lacid loveliness, I should })lace Singapore high above them both.
It is a loveliness, too, that at once strikes the eye, from whatever point we view the
i'Jand, which combines all the advantages of an always beautiful and often imposing
coast-line, with an endless succession of hill and dale stretching inland. The entire
circumference of the island is one panorama, where the magnificent tropical forest, with
its undergrowth of jungle, runs down at one place to the very water's edge, dipping its
large leaves in the gkissy sea, and at another is abruptly broken by a brown rocky cliff,
or a late landslip, over which the jungle has not yet had time to extend itself. Here
and there, too, are scattered little green islands, set like gems on the bosom of the
hushed waters, between which the excursionist, the trader, or the pirate, is wont to steer
his course. ' Eternal summer gilds these shores ; ' no sooner has the blossom of one tree
l>.assed away, than that of another takes its place and sheds perfume all around. As for
the foliage, that never seems to die. Perfumed isles are in many people's minds merely
fabled dreams, but they are easy of realisation here. There is scarcely a part of the
island, except those few places where the original forest and jungle have been cleared away,
from which at night-time, on the first breathings of the land winds, may not be felt
those lovely forest perfumes, even at the distance of more than a mile from shore. These
land winds — or, more properly, land airs, for they can scarcely be said to blow, but only
to breathe — usually commence at ten o'clock at night, and continue within an hour or
two of sunrise. They are welcomed by all — by the sailor because they speed him on cither
course, and by the wearied resident because of their delicious coolness."

Another writerf speaks with the same enthusiasm of the well-kept country roads, and
approaches to the houses of residents, where one may travel for miles through unbroken
avenues of fruit-trees, or beneath an over-arching canopy of evergreen palms. The long
and well-kept approaches to the European dwellings never fail to win the praise of

* " Our Tropical I'osscssioriB in JIalayan India," by .Tolin Cameron, Esq.
t J. Thomson, " The Straits of JIalacta, InUo-C'hina, and Cliina."

tSC'ENKUV Ol' .SINlJAl'OKi;.

1 15

straii^^'ors. " In them may 1)0 discoverotl tho same lavish profusion of ovcrhanffiiig foliaj^o
which wo sec arounil us on every side; besides that, there are often hedjifos of wild
heliotrope, croi)ped as scpmre as if huilt up of stone, and t'()rnun<j eonipaet harriers of
jjfrcen leaves, which yet Mossom with j^old and purple llowers." liehind these, broad
bananas uod their bending' leaves, while a choice llower-y;arden, a close-shaveu lawn, and

■/

VIEW IN THE STUAITS 01' MALACCA.

a croquet-ground, are not uncommonly the surroundings of tho residence. If it is early
morning', there is an luispeakable charm about the spot. The air is cool, even bracing;
and beneath the shade of forest trees, the rich blossom of orchids are seen depending
from the boughs, while songless birds twitter among the foliage, or beneath shrubs which
the convolvulus has decked with a hundred variegated tlowers. Here and there the slender
stem of the aloe, rising from an armoury of spiked leaves, lifts its cone of white bells
on high, or the deep orange pine-apple peeps out from a green belt of fleshy foliage, and
breathes its bright fragrance around. The house will invariably have a spacious verandah,
19

146

THE SEA.

underneath which flowers in China vases, and easy chairs of all kinds, are placed. If
perfect peace can steal through the senses into the soul — if it can bo distilled like some
subtle ether from all that is beautiful in nature — surely in such an island as this we
shall find that supreme happiness which we all know to be unattainable elsewhere."
Alas ! even in this bright spot, ixnalloyed bliss cannot be expected. The temperature is
very high, showing an average in the shade, all the year round, of between 85° and
95" Fahr. Prickly heat, and many other disorders, are caused by it on the European
constitution.

The old Strait of Singhapura, that lies between the island of Singapore and the
mainland of Johore, is a narrow tortuous passage, for many centuries the only thoroughfare
for ships passing to the eastward of Malacca. Not many years ago, where charming
bunguiuws, the residences of the merchants, are buiit among the ever verdant foliage, it
was but the home of hordes of piratical marauders, who carried on their depredations with
a high hand, sometimes adventuring on distant voyages in fleets of forty or fifty prahus.
Indeed, it is stated, in the old Malay annals, thau for nearly two hundred years the entire
population of Singapore and the surrounding islands and coasts of Johore subsisted on fishing
and pirating ; the former only being resorted to when the prevailing monsoon wss too strong
to admit of the successful prosecution of the latter. Single cases of piracy sometimes
occur nitw; but it has been nearly stopijed. Of the numberless vessels and boats which
give life to the waters of the old strait, nearly all have honest work to do — fishing,
timber carrying, or otherwise trading. "A very extraordinary flotilla," says Mr. Cameron,
" of a rather nondescript character may be often seen in this part of the strait at certain
seasons of the year. These are huge rafts of uusawii, newly-cut timber; they are generally
600 or 000 feet long, and sixty or seventy broad, the logs being skilfully laid together,
and carefully bound by strong rattan-rope, each raft often containing 2,000 logs. They
have always one or two attap-houses built upon them, and carry crews of twenty or
twenty-five men, the married men taking their wives and children with them. The timber
composing them is generally cut many miles away, in some creek or rivei on the
maiuland." They sometimes have sails. They will irresistibly remind the traveller of
those picturesque rafts on the Rhine, on which there are cabins, with the smoke curling
from their stove-pipes, and women, children, and dogs, the men with long sweeps keeping
the valuable floating freight in the current. Many a German, now in England or
America, made Lis first trip through the Fatherland to its coast on a Rhine raft.

The sailor generally makes his first acquaintance with the island of Singapore by
entering through New Harbour, and the scenery is said to be almost unsurpassed bv
anything in tl'.e world. The steamer enters between the large island and a cluster of
islets, standing high out of the water with rocky banks, and covered to their summits by
rich green jungle, with here and the o a few forest trees towering above it high in the
air. Under the vessel's keel, too, as she passes slowly over the shoaler patches of the
entrance, may be seen beautiful beds of coral, which, in their variegated colours and
fantastic shapes, vie with the scenery above. The Peninsular and Oriental Steamers' wharfs
are situated at the head of a small bay, with the island of Pulo Braui in t/ont. They
have a frontage of 1,200 feet, and coal sheds built of brick, and tile-roofed; they often

JUNKS AND SAMPANS.

117

contain 20,000 tons of coal. Including some premises in Singapore itself, some £70,000
or £80,000 have been expended on their station — a tolerable proof of the commercial
importance of the place. Two other companies have extensive wharfs alno. The passengers
land here, and drive up to the city, a distance of some three miles. Those who remain on
board, and " Jack " is likely to be of the number, for the Hrst few days after arrival, hnd
entertainment in the feats of swarms of small ^Slalay boys, who immediately surround
the vessel in toy boats just big enough to float them, and induce the passengers to throw
small coins into the water, for which they dive to the bottom, and generally succeed in
recovering. Almost all tlic ships visiting Singapore have their bottoms examined, and
some have had as many as twenty or thirty sheets of copper put on by !Malay divers.
One man will put on as many as two sheets in an iiour, going down a dozen or more
times. There are now extensive docks at and around New Ilarljour.

On rounding the eastern exit of New Harbour, the shipping and harbour of Singapore
at once burst on the view, with the white walls of the houses, and the dark verdure of
the shrubbery of the town nearly hidden by the network of spars and rigging that
intervenes. The splendid boats of the French Messageries, and our own Peninsular and
Oriental lines, the opium steamers of the great firm of jNIessrs. Jardine, of China, and
Messrs. Cama, of Bombay ; and the beautifully-modelled American or English clippers,
which have taken the place of the box-shaped, heavy-rigged East Indiamen of days of
yore, with men-of-war of all nations, help to make a noble sight. This is only part
of the scene, for interspered are huge Chinese junks of all sizes, ranging up to 600 or
700 tons measurement. The sampans, or two-oared Chinese boats, used to convey passengers
ashore, are identical in shajjc. All have alike the s(piare bow and the broad flat stern,
and from the largest to the smallest, on what in a British vessel would be called her
"head-boards,'' all have two eyes embossed and painted, glaring out over the watoii
John Chinaman's explanation of this custom is, that if " no got eyes, no can see." During
the south-west monsoon they are in Singapovt' by scores, and of all rfjolours, red, green,
black, or yellow ; these are said to be the badge of the particular province to which they
belong. Ornamental painting and carving is confined principally to the high stern, which
generally bears some fantastic figuring, consi)icuous in which can invariably be traced
the outlines of a spread eagle, not unlike that on an American dollar. Did " spread-
eagleism " as well as population first reach America from China V

" It is difficult," says Mr. Cameron, " while looking at these junks, to imagine how
they can manage in a seaway; and yet at times they must encounter the heaviest weather
along the Chinese coast in the northern latitudes. It is true that when they encounter
a gale they generally run before it ; but yet in a typhoon this would be of little avail to
ease a ship. There is no doubt they must possess some good qualities, and, probably,
speed, with a fair wind in a smooth sea, is one of them. Not many years ago a boat-
builder in Singapore bought one of the common sampans used by the coolie boatmen,
which are exactly the same shape as the junks, and rigged her like an English cutter,
giving her a false keel, and shifting weather-board, and, strange to say, won with her
every race that he tried."

Passing the junks at night, a strange spectacle may be oljserved. Amid the beating

™

■P

14.8

THE SEA

» 1

i :,:>

of fji-oiiq-.-!, janyliiig of Lolls, and discordant shouts, the nightly relif^ious ceremonies of
Ih'j sailors are performed. Lanterns are swinging, torches flaring, and gilt paper burning,

while quantities of food are scattered in

r~r~- - _,-^-^ -r=i -^=-.^-^-^ ^^^— ^.^ — _-^^ the sea as an offering of their worship.

Many of those junks, could they but
speak, might reveal a story, gentle
reader —

' A tulo unfold, wlioso lif^htest word
Would harrow up tliy soul."

Tlio chief trade of not a few has been,
and still is, the traffic of human freight;
and it is, unfortunately, only too lucra-
tive. Large numbers of junks leave
China for the islands annually packed
with men, picked up, impressed, or
lured on board, and kept there till the
gambler and pepper planters purchase
them, and hurry them off to the in-
terior. It is not so much that they
usually have to complain of cruelty,
or oven an unreasonably long term of
servitude ; their real danger is in the
overcrowding of the vessels that bring
them. The men cost nothing, except
a meagre allowance of rice, and the
more the shipper can crowd into his
vessel the greater must be his profit.
" It would," says the writer just
quoted, "be a better speculation for
the trader whoso junk could only carry
properly oOO men, to take on board
(iOO men, and lose 250 on the way
down, than it would be for him to
start with his legitimate number, and
land them all safely ; for in the first
case, he would bring 350 men to
market, and in the other only 300.
That this process of reasoning is
actually put in practice by the Chinese, there was not long ago ample and very
mournful evidence to prove. Two of these junks had arrived in the harbour of
Singapore, and had remained unnoticed for about a week, during which the owners had
bargained for the engagement of most of their cargo. At this time two dead bodies

JUXKS IX A CUIXESE IIAUHOUU.

1 1

i ^-m

ir*

i?i'i

t i ',!v

o
u

H
»

JIATiAY I'RAHTS.

Ill)

were found lloatiny in the harbour; an inquest was lieUl, and it then trans])irod lliat
one of these two junks on the way down from China had lost 2.jO niou out ul' tiOO, au 1
the otlior 200 out of 100/'

The Mahiy prahus are the orai't ol' the inhabitant < of the straits, and are somethini';
like the Chinese junks, though never so lar^-e as tlie hirirost of (lie hitter, rari'ly cxeeedinL';
{ifty or sixty tons burden. They have one mast, a tripod maile of three bamboos, two

1 ■
\

,i '

CllINESK ,11 NK AT SINGArOUK.

or three feet apart at the deck, and tapering np to a point at the top. Across two
of the bamboos sm.iller pieces of the same wood are lashed, making the mast thus act as
a shroud or ladder also. They carry a large lug-sail of coarse grass-doth, having a yard
both at top and bottom. The curious part of them is the top hamper about the stem.
A\ith the deck three feet out of the water forward, the top of the housing is fifteen or
more feet high. They are steered with two rudders, one on either ([uarter. In addition
to the ships and native craft, are hundreds of small boats of all descriptions constantly
moving about with fruits, provisions, birds, monkeys, shells, and corals for sale. The sailor

150

THE SEA.

has a splendid chance of securing, on merely nominal terms, the inevitable parrot, a funny-
little Jocko, or some lovely corals, of all hues, green, purple, pink, mauve, blue, and iu
shape often resembling flowers and shrubbery. A whole boat-load of the latter may be
obtained for a dollar and a half .or a couple of dollars.

Singapore has a frontage of three miles, and has fine Government buildings, court-
house, town-hall, clubs, institutes, masonic lodge, theatre, aiid the grandest English
cathedral in Asia — that of St. Andrew's. In Commercial Square, the business centre of
Singapore, all nationalities seem to be represented. Here, too, are the Kling gharry-
drivers, having active little ponies and neat conveyances. Jack ashore will be pestered
with their applications. " These Klings," says Mr. Thomson, " seldom, if ever, resort to
blows; but their language leaves nothing for the most vindictive spirit to desire. Once,
at one of the landing-places, I observed a British tar come ashore for a holiday. He was
forthwith beset by a group of Kling gharry-drivers, and, finding that the strongest of British
words were as nothing when pitted against the Kling vocabulary, and that no half-dozen
of them would stand up like men against his huge iron fists, he seized the nearest man,
and hurled him into the sea. It was the most harmless way of disposing of his enemy,
who swam to a boat, and it left Jack in undisturbed and immediate possession of the
field." The naval officer will find excellent deer-hunting and wild-hog shooting to be had near
the city, and tiger-hunting at a distance. Tigers, indeed, were formerly terribly destructive
of native life on the island] it was said that a man p(. diem was sacrificed. Now, cases
are more rare. For good living, Singapore can hardly be beaten ; fruit in particular is
abundant and cheap. Pine-apples, cocoa-nuts, bananas of thirty varieties, mangoes, custard-
apples, and oranges, with many commoner fruits, abound. Then there is the mangosteen,
the delicious "apple of the East," though u by many to surpass any fruit in the world,
and the durian, a fruit as big as a boy's head, with seeds as big as walnuts enclosed in
a pulpy, fruity custard. The taste for this fruit is an acquired one, and is impossible to
describe, while the smell is most disgusting. So great is the longing for it, when once the
taste h acquired, that the highest prices are freely offered for it, particularly by some of
the rich natives. A former King of Ava spent enormous sums over it, and could hardly
then satisfy his rapacious appetite. A succeeding monarch kept a special steamer at
Rangoon, and when the supplies came into the city it was loaded up, and dispatched at
once to the capital — ."iOO miles up a river. The smell of the durian is so unpleasant that
the fruit is never seen on the tables of the merchants or planters; it is eaten slily in
corners, and out of doors.

And Jack ashore will find many other novelties in eating. Roast monkey is obtainable,
although not eaten as much as formerly by the Malays. In the streets of Singapore a
meal of three or four courses can be obtained for three hnlfpence from travelling fcsfKiirafeurs,
always Chinamen, who carry their little charcoal stoves and soup-pots with them. The
authority principally quoted says that, contrary to received opinion, they are very clean
and particular in their culinaiy arrangements. One must not, however, too closely examine
the nature of the viands. And now let us proceed to the Australian Station, which includes
New Guinea, Australia proper, and New Zealand.

This is a most important colony of Great Britain, although by no means its most

TJIE AUSTKALIAN STATION.

15L

important possession, a country as English as England itself, tempered only by a slight
colonial Havour. Here Jack will find himself at homo, whether in the line streets of
Melbourne, or the older and more pleasant city of Sydney, with its beautiful surroundings.

When the seventeenth century was in its early youth, that vast ocean which stretches
from Asia to the Antarctic was scarcely known by navigators. The coasts of Eastern
Africa, of India, and the archipelago of islands to the eastward, were partially explored;
but while there was a very strong belief that a land existed in the southern hemisphere,
it was an inspiration only based on probabilities. The pilots and map-makers put down,
as well as they were able, the discoveries already made; mmsl there not be some great
island or continent to balance all that waste of water which they were forced to place
on the southern hemisphere ? Terra Australis, " the Southern Land," was therefore in a
sense discovered before its discovery, just as the late Sir Roderick Murchison predicted
gold there before Hargreaves found it.*

In the year 1(500, Pedro Fernando de Quiros started from Peru on a voyage of
discovery to the westward. He found some important islands, to which he gave the
name " Australia del Espiritu Santo," and which are now believed to have been part of
the New Hebrides group. The vessel of his second in command became separated in
consequence of a storm, and by this Luis vas Torres in consequence reached New Guinea
and Australia proper, besides what is now known as Torres Straits, which channel separates
them. The same year a Dutch vessel coasted about the Gulf of Carjientaria, and it is
to the persistent efforts of the navigators of Holland that the Australian coasts became
well explored. From iOlO, at intervals, till 1011, they instigated many voyages, the
leading ones of which were the two made by Tasman, in the second of which he
circumnavigated Australia. " New Holland " was the title long applied to the western
part of Australia — sometimes, indeed, to the whole country.

The voyages of the Dutch had not that glamour of romance which so often attaches
to those of the Spanish and English. They did not meet natives laden with evidences
of the natural wealth of their country, and adorned by barbaric ornaments. On the
contrary, the coasts of Australia did not appear prepossessing, while the natives were
wretched and squalid. Could they have known of its after-destiny, England might not
hold it to-day. When Dampier, sent out by William III. more than fifty years afterwards,
re-discovered the west coast of Australia, he had little to record more than the number
of sharks on the coast, his astonishment at the kangaroos jumping about on shore, and
his disgust for the few natives he met, whom he descriljed as "the most unpleasant-
looking and worst-featured of any people " he had ever encountered.

Nearly seventy years elapsed before any other noteworthy discovery was made in regard
to Australia. In Captain Cook's first voyage, in 1708, he explored and partially surveyed
the eastern part of its coasts, and discovered the inlet, to which a considerable notoriety
afterwards clung, which he termed Botany Bay, on account of the luxuriant vegetation

iii'i'r

'%\

* It is stated that an old man, named Jlacgregor, had long before been in the h;il)it of bringing oncn a
year to Sydney small pieces of gold, which he always sold to a jeweller there, and alsu that a convict had
been whipped for having lumps of gold in his possession prior to the above. Hargreaves' claim rests both on
the actual amount discovered, and on his publishing the fact at once.

15£

THE SEA.

SINGAPOUE, LOOKING SEAWARDS.

of its shores. Rounding tlie western side, he proceeded northwards to Torres Straits, near
which, on a small island off the mainland, he took possession of the whole country,
in the name of his sovereign, George III., christening it Xeir /So/i/h iralcs. It is still
called Pos.se-s,slon Island. Captain Cook gave so favourable an account of Botany Bay on
his return, that it was determined at once to form a colony, in which convict labour
should l)e systematically employed. Accordingly, a fleet of eleven vessels, under Captain
Phillip, left Portsmouth on the loth of ^lay, 17^7, and after a tedious voyage, reached
Botany Bay the following January.

Captain Phillip found the bay was not a safe anchorage, and in other respects was
unsuitable. A few miles to the tiorthward he discovered an inlet, now named Port
Jackson — from the name of the seaman who discovered it — and which had been over-
looked by Cook. The fleet was immediately removed thither, the convicts landed,
and the British flag raised on the banks of Sydney Cove. Of the thousand individuals
who foimed this first nucleus of a grand colony, more than three-fourths were convicted
offenders. For some time they were partially (l;']iendent on England for supplies. It had
been arranged that they should not, at first, be left without sufficient provisions. The
first ship sent out after the colonists had l>een landed for this purpose was struck by
an iceberg in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope, and might not have been
saved at all, Init for the seamanship of the " gallant, good lliou," who afterwards lost
his life at the battle of Copenhagen. He managed to keep her afloat, and she was at
length towed into Table Bay, and a portion of lier stores saved. Meantime, the colonists
were living " in the constant belief that they should one day perish of hunger."
Governor Phillip set a noble example by putting himself t>u the same rations as the

THE EARLY CONVICT DAYS.

s was
Port
ovei'-
nded,
dutils
acted
had
The
|k by
been
lost
s at
nists
Irer."
the

153

meanest convict; and when on state occasions he was obliged to invite the officers of
the colony to dine with him at the Government House, he used to intimate to the
guests that "they must bring their bread along with them." At last, in June, 1790,
some stores arrived; and in the following year a second fleet of vessels came out from
England, one ship of the Royal Navy and ten transports; l,70;i convicts had left
England on board the latter, of whom nearly 200 died on the voyage, and many more
on arrival. The number of free settlers was then, and long afterwards, naturally very
small; they did not like to be so intimately and inevitably associated with convicted
criminals. In 1810 the total population of Australia was about 10,000. In IS.'Ui it had
risen to 77,000, two-fifths of whom were convicts in actual bondage, while of the
remainder, a large proportion had at one time been in the same condition. Governor
King, one of the earlier officials of the colony, complained that " he could not make
farmers out of pickpockets ; " and Governor Macquaric later said that " there were only
two classes of individuals in New South Wales — those who had been convicted, and those
who ought to have been." Under these discouraging circumstances, coupled with all kinds
of other difficulties, the colony made slow headway. Droughts and inundations, famine or
scarcity, and hostility on the part of the natives, helped seriously to retard its progress.
About the period of Sir Thomas Brisbane's administration, there was an infiux of a better
class of colonists, owing to the inauguration of free emigration. In 1811, transportation
to New South Wales ceased. Ten years later the discovery of gold by Mr. E. Tl. Har-
greaves (on the 12th of February, 1851) caused the first great "rush" to the colony,
which influx has since continued, partly for better reasons than gold-finding — the grand
chances offered for stock-raising, agricultural, horticultural, and vinicultural pursuits.

LOOKING DOWN ON 81N0AP0UE.

iii

mi
i

i tic

II'

154)

THE SEA.

:i;^i

To the north and south of Sydney, the coast in a nearly unbroken range of iron-
bound cliffs. But as a vessel approaches the shore, a narrow eutniuco, between the two
" Heads " of Port Jackson, as they are culled, discloses itself. It is nowhere j^reatcr
than a mile in width, and really does not appear so much, on account of the height of
the cliffs. On entering the harbour a Ihie sea-lake appears in view, usually blue and calm,
and in one of its charming inlets is situated the city of Sydney. " There is not," writes
Professor Hughes, " a more thoroughly English town on the face of the globe — not even
in England itself — than this southern emporium of the commerce of nations. Sydney is
entirely wanting in the novel and exotic aspect which belongs to foreign capitals. The
emigrant lands there, and hears his own mother tongue spoken on every side ; he looks around
upon the l)usy life of its t-rowded streets, and he gazes on scenes exactly similar to those
daily observable in the highways of London, Liverpool, Birmingham, or Manchester . . ,
' Were it not,' says Colonel Mundy, ' for an occasional orange-tree in full bloom, or frutt
in the background of some of the older cottages, or a Hock of little green parrots whistling
as they alight for a moment on a house-top, one might fancy himself in Brighton or
Plymouth.''"* Gay cfjuipages crowd its streets, which are lined with handsome shops;
the city abounds in ilne public buildings. In the outskirts of the city arc flour-mills of
all kinds, worked by horse, water, wind, and steam; great distilleries and breweries, soap
and candle works, tanneries, and woollen-mills, at the latter of which they turn out an
excellent tweed cloth. Ship-building is carried on extensively around Port Jackson.
Although now overshadowed by the commercial superi .' of Melbourne, it has the pre-
eii inence as a port. In fact, Melbourne is not a sea- port at all, as we shall see. Vessels
of large burdens can lie alongside the wharves of Sydney, and " Jack,^' in the Royal Navy
at least, is more likely to stop there for awhile, than ever to see Melbourne. He will find it a
cheap place in most respects, for everywhere in New South Wales meat is excessively low-
priced; they used formerly to throw it away, after taking off the hides and boiling out the
fat, but are wiser now, and send it in tins all over the world. Such fruits as the peach,
nectarine, apricot, plum, fig, grape, cherry, and orange are as plentiful as blackberries.
The orangeries and orchards of New South Wales are among its sights; and in the
neighbourhood of Sydney and round Port Jackson there are beautiful groves of orange-
trees, which extend in some places down to the water's edge. Individual settlers have
groves which yield as many as thirty thousand dozen oranges per annum. One may there
literally " sit under his own vine and fig-tree." If a peach-stone is thrown down in almost
any part of Australia where there is a little moisture, a tree will spring up, which in a
few years will yield handsomely. A well-known botanist used formerly to carry with
him, during extensive travels, a small bag of peach-stones to plant in suitable places, and
many a wandering settler has blessed him since. Pigs were formerly often fed on peaches,
as was done in California, a country much resembling Southern Australia ; it is only of
late years they have been utilised in both places by drying or otherwise preserving. A
basket-load may be obtained in the Sydney markets during the season for a few pence.
The summer heat of Sydney is about that of Naples/ while its winter corresponds with
that of Sicily.

* "The Australian Colonies: their Origin and Present Condition."

8YDNEY AND 5IELD0URNE.

\i)i)

But are there no drawbacks to all this happy state of things ? AVell, yes ; about llic
worst is a hot blast which sometimes blows from the interior, known jiopuhirly in Sydney
as a " brick- fielder " or " southerly buster." It is much like that already described,
and neither the most closely-fastened doors nor windows will keep out the fenrful dust-
storm. "Its effect," says Professor Hughes, "is particularly destructive of every sense of
comfort; the dried and dust-besprinkled skin acquiring for the time some resemblance to
parchment, and the hair feeling more like hay than any softer material."

Should Jack or his superior officers land during the heat of autumn, he may have
the opportunity of passing a novel Christmas — very completely un-l']nglisli. The gayest
and brightest flowers will bo in bloom, and the musquitocs out in full force. " Sitting,"
says a writer, " in a thorough draught, clad in a hoUand blouse, you may see men and.
boys dragging from the neighbouring bush piles of green stuff (oak - branches in full leaf
and acorn, and a handsome shrub with a pink flower and pale green leaf — the "Christmas"
of Australia, for the decoration of churches and dwellings, and stopping every fifty yards
to wipe their perspiring brows."

Before leaving Sydney, the grand park, called "The Domain," which stretches down to
the blue water in the picturesque indentations around Port Jackson, must be mentioned.
It contains several hundred acres, tastefully laid out in drives, and with public walks cut
through the indigenous or planted shrubberies, and amidst the richest woodland scenery,
or winding at the edge of the rocky bluffs or by the margin of the glittering waters.
Adjoining this lovely spot is one of the finest botanic gardens in the world, considered
by all Sydney to be a veritable Eden.

Port Phillip, like Port Jackson, is entered by a narrow passage, and immediately inside
is a magnificent basin, thirty miles across in almost any direction. It is so securely
sheltered that it affords an admirable anchorage for shipping. Otherwise, iVIelbourne,
now a grand city with a population of about 300,000, would have had little chance of
attaining its great commercial superiority over any city of Australia. Melbourne is
situated about eight miles up the Yarra-Yarra (" flowing-flowing ") river, which flows into
the head of Port Phillip. That poetically-named, but really lazy, muddy stream is only
navigable for vessels of very small draught. But Mell-ourne has a fine country to back
it. Many of the old and rich mining-districts were round Port Phillip, or on and about
streams flowing into it. Wheat, maize, potatoes, vegetables and fruits in general, are
greatly cultivated; and the colony of Victoria is pre-eminent for sheep-farming and cattle-
runs, and the industries connected with wool, hides, tallow, and, of late, meat, which they
bring forth. Melbourne itself lies rather low, and its original site, now entirely filled in,
was swampy. Hence came occasional epidemics — dysentery, influenza, and so forth.

'■ ^

. il

15(5

THE SEA.

I ■ I

ii'^

fl'

' i

A TIMBER WHARF AT SAN FRANCISCO,

CHAPTER X.
Round the World on a Man-of-War {continued).

THE PACIFIC STATION,

Across tho Pacific— Approach to the Golden Gate— The Bay of San Francisco— The City-First Dinner Ashore— Cheop
Luxury— San Francisco by Niglit— The Land of Gold, Grain, and Grapes— Incidents of the Early Days— Expensive
Papers— A Lucky Sailor— Chances for English Girls— The Baby at Uie Play— A capital Port for Seamen— Hospitality
of Californians— Victoria, Vancouver Island— The Naval Station at Esquinialt— A Delightful Place— Advice to In-
tending Emigrants— British Columbian Indians— Their fine Canoes- Experiences of the Writer— The Island on Fire
—The Chinook Jargon— Indian " Pigeon-English "-North to Alaska— The Purchase of Uussian America by the
United States— Ilcsults- Life at Sitka— Grand Volcanoes of the Aleutian Islands— The Great Yukon Uiver—
American Trading Posts round Bering Sea,

A COMMON course for a vessel crossing the Pacific would be from Australia or New
Zealand to San Francisco, California, The mail -steamers follow this route, touching at
the Fiji and Hawaiian groups of islands ; and the sailor in the Royal Navy is as likely
to find this route the orders of his commander as any other. If the writer, in describing the
coimtry he knows better than any other, be found somewhat enthusiastic and gushing, he
will at least give reasons for his warmth. On this subject, above all others, he writes

TUB GOLDEN GATE AND STaTE.

157

Cheap
cnsivo
itality
to In-
Fire
)y the
iver—

New
at
kely
the
, he
rites

con amore. Ho spent over twelve years on the Pacific coasts of America, and out of that
time uljout seven in tiie Golden State, California.

It has been said, " See Naples, and die ! " The reader is recommended to see the
glorious Bay of San Francisco before he makes up his mind that there is nouyht else
worthy of note, because ho has sailed on the blue waters of the must beautiful of the
Mediterranean bays. How well does the *:.. iter remember his first siyht of tho Golden
Gate, as the entrance to San Francisco Bay is i>oetically named ! Ihe {^ood steamer on which
he had spent some seventy-five days — which had passed over nearly the entire Atlantic,
weatheretl tho Horn, and then, with the favourinji^ "trade-winds," had sailed and steamed
up the Pacific with one grand sweep to California, out (jf sight of land tlie whole
time — was sadly in want of coals when she arrived otf that coast, which a dense log entirely
hid from view. The engines were kept going slowly by means of any stray wood
on board ; valuable spars were sacrificed, and it was even proposed to strip the woodwork
out of the steerage, which contained about two hundred men, women, and children. Guns
and rockets were fired, but at first with no result, and tho prospect was not cheering.
But at last the welcome little pilot-boat loomed through the fog, and was soon alongside,
and a healthy, jovial-looking pilot came aljoard. " You can all have a good dinner to-night
ashore," said that excellent seaman to the iiassengers, " and tho sea shan't rob you of it."
The fog lifted as tho vessel slowly steamed onwards.

On approaching the entrance to the bay, on tho right cliffs and rocks are seen, with
a splendid beach, where carr.ages and buggies are constantly passing and repassing. On
tho top of a rocky bluff, the Seal Rock or "Cliff" House, a popular hotel; below it, in
the sea, a couple or so of rocky islets covered with sea-lions, which are protected by u
law of the State. To the left, outside some miles, tho Farralone Islands, with a capital
lighthouse perched on the top of one of them. Entering tho Golden Gate, and looking
to tho right again, the Fort Point Barracks and tho outskirts of the city ; to the left the
many-coloured headlands and cliffs, on whose summits tho wild oats are pale and golden
in the bright sunlight. Before one, several islands — Alcatraz, bristling with guns, and
covered with fortifications ; Goat Island, presumably so called because on it there are no goats.
Beyond, fifty miles of green watn-, and a forest of shipping; and a city, tho history of
which has no parallel on earth. Hills behind, with streets as stoop as those of Malta ; high
land, with spires, and towers, and fine edifices innumerable; and great wharves, and slips,
and docks in front of all ; with steamships and steam ferry-boats constantly arriyi ig and
departing. And now the vessel anchors in the stream, and if not caring to hagg'o over
the half-dollar — a large sura in English ears — which the boatman demands from each
passenger who wishes to go ashore, the traveller finds himself in a strange land, and
amid a people of whom ho will learn to form the very highest estimate.

That first dinner, after the eternal bean-coffee, boiled tea, tinned meats, dried vegetables,
and "salt horse" of one's ship, in a neat restaurant, where it seems everything on earth
can be obtained, will surprise most visitors. An irreproachable jiotage : broiled salmon (the
fish is a drug, almost, on the Pacific coasts) ; turtle steaks, oyster plant, artichokes, and
green corn ; a California quail " on toast ; " grand muscatel grapes, green figs, and a
cooling slice of melon ; Roquefort cheese, or a very good imitation of it ; black coffee, and

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» I

n-i

cig'ars ; native wine on the table; California cognac on demand; service excellent — napkins,
hot i)lates, flowers on the table; price moderate for the luxuries obtained, and no waiter's
fees. The visitor will mentally forgive the boatman of the morning. Has he arrived in
the Promised Land, in the Paradise of (jon vlvants ? It seems so. In the evening, he may
take a stroll up Montgomery Street, and a good seat at a creditably perform xl opera maybe
obtained. Nobody knows better than the sailor and the traveller the splendid luxury of
such moments, after a two or three months' monotonous voyage. And, in good sooth,
he generally abandons himself to it. lie has earned it, and who shall say him nay?
The same evening may be, he will go to a 3U0-roomed hotel — they have now one of
750 rooms — where, for three dollars (l^s. Od.), he can sup, sleep, breakfast, and dine
sumptuouslv. He will be answered tv 3nty questions for nothing by a civil clerk in the
office of the hotel, read the papers for nothing in the rea'bng-room, have a bath — for
nothing — and iind that it is not the thing to give fees to the waiters. It is a new
revelation to many who have stopped before ir dozens of tirst-class English and Continental
houses.

" Seen," says Mr. W. F. Rac,* '•' as I saw it for the first time, the appearance of
San Francisco is enchanting. Built on a hill -slope, up which many streets run to
the top, and illumined as many of these streets were with innumerable gas-lamps, the
effect was that of a huge dome ablaze with lamps arranged in lines and circles. Those
who have stood in Princes Street at night, and gazed upon the Old Town and Castle of
Edinburgh, can form a very correct notioi of the fairy-like spectacle. Expecting to find
San Francisco a city of wonders, I was not disappointed when it seemed to my eyes a
city of magic — such a city as Aladdin might have ordered the genii to ci'cate in order to
astonish and dazzle the spectator. I ;vas warned by those whom personal experience of
the city had taught to distinguish glitljr from substance, not to expect that the reality
of the morrow would fulfil the promise of the evening. Si.me of the parts which now
appeared the most fascinating were said to be the least attractive when viewed by day.
Still, the panorama was deprived of none of its glories by those whispers of well-meant
warning." Tlie prf^sent writer has crossed the Bay in the ferry and other boats a hundred
times, and on a fine night — and they have about nine months of fine niglus in California
— he never missed the opportunity of going forward towards the bows of the boat when
it approached San Francisco. As Mr. Rae writes, " The full-orbed stars twinkling overhead
are almost rivalled by the myriads of gas-lights illuminating the land." Less than thirty
years ago this city of 300,000 souls was but a mission -village, and the few inhabitants
of California were mostly demoralised ?»Iexieans, lazy half-breeds, and wretched Indians,
who could almost live without work, and, as a rule, did so. Wild cattle roamed at will,
and moat was to be had for the asking. The only ships which arrived were like the brig
Pilf/riiii, described by Dana in " Two Years before the Mast," bound to California for hides
and tallow. Now, the tonnage of the shipping of all nations which enters the port of
San Francisco is cnormoup. The discovery made by Marshall, in 1817, first brought
about the revohjtion. " Such is the power of gold." Now, California depends far

111 Ills work " AVestward by Rail," whldi contains a most reliable account of California, its history and progress.

THE EAKLY DAYS UE CALIFORNIA.

151)

les

lilt

Far

more on her porn, and wool, and hides, her wine, her grapes, oran<^es, and t)tlier i'niits,
and on innunierablo industrios. Header, you have oaten broad made from Calirornia wheat. —
it retehes a hii>h priee in Liverpool on account of its ihie quality ; you may have beei^ clothed
in California wool, and your boots made of her leather; more than likely you have drunk
California wine, of which lar<^o .[uantities are shipped to Hamburgh, where they are watered
anil doctored for the rest of Euroj)e, and exported under French and German names ; your
head may have been shampooed with California borax ; and your watch-chain was probably,
and some of your coin assuredly, made from the gold of the CJ olden State.

This is not a book on " The Land," but two or three stories of Califtn-nian life in
the early days may, hov/ever, be forgiven. The first is of a man who had just landed
from a shiji, and who offered a somewhat seedy-looking customer, lounging on the wharf,
a dollar to carry his portmanteau. He got the reply, " I'll give you an ounce of
gold to see you carry it yourself.'^ The new arrival thought he had come to a sjjlendid
coimtry, and shouldered his i ''I'den like a man, whcii the other, a successlul gold-tinder,
not merely gave him his ounce — little less than Jtf sterling — but treated him to a
bottle of chami>agne, which cost another ounce. The writer can well believe the story, for
he paid two and a half dollars — nearly half a guinea — for an lllaiitrated London News,
and two dollars for a cojjy of Punch, in the Cariboo mines, in 1863 ; while a friend —
now retired on a competency in England — started a little weekly newspaper, the size of a
sheet of foolscap, selling it for one dollar (Is. 2d.) per copy. He wa:i fortunately not merely
a. competent writer, but a practical printer. He composed his articles on paper livst, and
then in type; „orked the press, delivered them to his subscribers, collected advertisements and
payments, and no 'iwubt would have made his own paper — if rags had not been too
costly !

A sailor purchasefi, about the year 1849, iu an auction-room, while out on a " spree,"
the lots of land ou Avhich the Plaza, one of the most important business squares of Sau
Francisco, now stands. He went off f.gain, and after several years cruising about the world,
returned to find himself a millionaire. The City Hall stands on that jiropt rty ; it is
surrounded by offices, shops, and hotels, and very prettily planted with shrubs, grass-plots,
and (lowers.

There was a period when females were so scarce in California that the miners and farm-
hands, ay, and farmers and proprietors too — a large number of these were old sai!ors — would
travel any distance merely to see one.* At this present time any decent English housemaid
receives twenty dollars (t 1) per month, and is " found," while a superior servant, a llrst-class
cook, or competent housekeeper, gets anything from thirty dollars upwards.

Theatres at San Francisco were once rude buildings of boards and canvas, and the
stalls were benches. A stor}- is told that at a performance at such a house (piite a
commotion was caused by the piercing scjuall of a healthy l)aby — brought in by ;i mother
who, perhaps, had not had any amusement for a year or two, and most assuredly^ had no

ft; ?

■ ■ I

■MS

servant with whom to leave it at home — which was heard above the music.

ere,

you

* .Vt the CurilKxi mines, British Columbia, in 18G3, Ui(>re woro 7,000 men on tlio vuiious crt.iks, Thfio wcro
not over a dozen womou thoie !

(

'■■ 'v

{

!*■:•
!'.',

* 1 '

Ifc

160

THE SEA.

fiddlers/' roared out a stalwart man in a red shirt and " gum " boots, just down from the
mines, " stop that tune ; I haven't heard a baby cry for several years ; it does me good to hear
it." The " one touch of nature " made that rough audience akin, and all rose to their feet,
cheering the baby, and insisting that the orchestra must stop, and stop it did until the child
was quieted. Then a collection was made — not of coppers and small silver, but of ounces
and dollars — to present the child with something handsome as a souvenir of its success.

THE UAY OF SAN FRANCISCO.

m'\

San Francisco, as the most important commercial emporium and port of the whole
Pacific, has a parUz-idnr interest to the " man of the sea." It has societies, *' homes," and
bethels for his benefit, and ii fine marine hospital. At tlie Merchants' Exchange he will
find the latoxf Hhipjiin<^-news and quotations, while many public institutions are open to
him, as to all others. Above all, he will find one of tlie most conscientious and kind, as
well as influential, of Bril'sh Consuls there — and how often the sailor abroad may need his
interference, only tlie sail ir and merchant knows — who is also one of the oldest in
Il.B.M. consular service. No matter his sect, it is represent*^! ; Hsux Francisco is full of
churches and chapels. If ho needs instruction and literary entortaijwment, he will get it at the
splendid Mercantilr Library, or admiraljly-conducted Mechanics' Instittiie, There is a capital
"Art Association," with hundreds of members. He will find journalism of a new type:

JOHN CHINAMAN IX SAX ritAXCISCO.

161

kc:

" live," vigorous, generous, and semi-occasioually vicious. Tlie pajiers of San Franoisco will,
however, oonijxire i'avourably with those ot' any other American city, short of New York
and Boston. The sailor will find the city as advanced in all matters pertaining;" to modern
civilisation, whether good or bad, as any he has ever visited. The naval ollicer will
find admirable clubs, and if of the Royal Navy will most assuredly be put on the books
of one or more of them for the period of his stay. lie will find, too, that San Francisco
hospitality is unbounded, that balls and parties are nowhere better carried out, and that the
rising generation of Caliibrnia girls are extremely good-looking, and that the men are
stalwart, line-looking fellows, very unlike the typ'cal bony Yankee, who, by-the-ljy, is
getting very scarce even in his own part of the country, the New England States.

If Jack has been to China, he will recognise the truth (jf the fact that parts of San
Francisco are Chinese as Hong Kong itself. There are Joss-houses, wi(h a big, stolid-
looking idol sitting in state, the temi)le gay with +insel and china, metal-work and paint,
smelling faintly of incense, and strongly of burnt paper. There are Chinese rc'ifa/'/yiHffs
by the dozen, fn.mi the high-class dining-rooms, with balconies, flowers, small banners
and inscriptions, down to the itinerant rrKlaiifahnif with his charcoal-stove and soup-pot.
Then there are Chinese theatres, smelling strongly of opium and tobacco, where the
orchestra sits at the back of the stage, which is curtainless and devoid of scenery. The
dresses of the performers are gorgeous in the extreme. "When any new arrangement of
properties, &e., is required on the stage, the changes are made before your eyes ; as, for
example, placing a table to represent a raised balcony, or piling up some boxes to form a
castle, and so forth. Their dramas are often almost interminable, for they take the reign
of an emperor, for example, and i)lay it through, night after night, from his birth to his
death. In details they are very literal, and hold '' the mirror up to nature " fully. If
the said emperor had special vices, they are disi layed on the stage. The mtisic is, to
European ears, fearful and wonderful — a mixture of discordant sounds, iesem))lini;' those
of ungreased cart-wheels and railway-whistles, mingled with the rolling of drums
and striking of gongs. Some of the streets are lined with Chinese shops, ranging from
those of the merchants in tea, silks, porcelain, and lacquered ware — a dignified and polite
class of men, who are often highly educated, and sjieak linglisli extrt'mely well — to those
of the cigar-makers, barbers, shoemakers, and laundry-/// ''«. Half the laundry-work in
San Francisco is performed by John Ciiinaman. There is one C'hinese hotel or caravan-
serai, which looks as though it might at a stretch accommodate two hundred j)eople, in
which 1,~0() men are packed.

The historian of the future will watch with interest the advancing or receding waves
of population as they mf)ve over the surface of the globe, now surging in great waves of
resistless foice, now ])eapefully subsiding, leaving hardly a trace behind. The I'aeilic Mail
Steamship Company's steamers have brought from Ciiina to San Francisco as many as
1,'2()() Chinamen — and, very occasionally, of course, more than that number — on a single tri]i.
The lowest estimate of the number of Chinese in California is 70,000, while they are
spread all over the Pacific states and territories, and, indeed, in lesser numbers, all over
the American continent. One finds them in New England factories. New York laundries,
and Southern plantations. Their reception in San Francisco used to be with brickbats and

\ W

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162

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) ',

other missiles, and hooting' and jeering-, on the part of the lower elasses of the eommnnitv.
This is not the plaee to enter into a discussion on the political side of the question. Suflice
it to say that they were and still are a necessity in California, where the expense of reach-
ing the country has kept out "white'' labour to an extent so considerable, that it still
rules hig-her than in almost any part of the world. The resi)ectable middle classes would
hardly afford servants at all were it not for the Chinese. AH the better classes support
their claims to full legal and social rights. The Chinamen who come to San Francisco
are not coolies, and a larg'o number of them pay their own passages over. When brought
over by merchants, or one of the six g-reat Chinese companies, their passage-money is
advanced, and <hey, of course, pay interest for the accommodation. On arrival in Cali-
fornia, if they do not immediately go to work, they proceed to the " Company-house " of
their particular province, where, in a kind of caravanserai, rough accommodations for
sleeping and cooking are afforded. Hardly a better system of organisation could be
adopted than that of the companies, who know exactly where each man in their debt is
to be found, if he is hundreds of miles from San Francisco. Were it possible to adopt
the same system in regard to emigrants from this (,'ountry, thousands would be glad to
avail themselves of the opportunity of proceeding to the Golden State.

One little anecdote, and the Chinese must be left to their fate. It happened in
ISdO. Two Chinese merchants had been invited l)y one of the heads of a leading
steamship company to visit the theatre, where they had taken a box. The merchants,
men of high standing among their countrymen, accepted. Their appearance in front
of it was the signal for an outburst of ruffianism on the part of the gallery ; it was
the " gods " ^•("/•.s•/^s• the celestials, and for a time the former had it all their own way.
In vain Lawrence Barrett, the actor, came forward on the stage to try and appease
them. He is supposed to have said that any well-conducted person had a right to his seat
in the house. An excited gentleman in the dress-circle reiterated the same ideas, and was
rewarded by a torrent of hisses and caterwauling. The Chinamen, alarmed that it might
result in violence to them, would have retired, but a dozen gentlemen from the dress-
circle and orchestra seats requested them to stay, promising them protection, and the
merchants remained. They could see that all the better and more respectable part of the
house wished them to remain. After twenty or more minutes of interruption, the gallery
was nearly cleared by the police, and the performance allowed to proceed. And yet the
very class who are so opposed to the Caucasian complain that he does not spend his money
in the country where he makes it, but hoards it up for China. The story explains the
actual position of the Chinaman in America to-day. The upper and middle classes, ay,
and the honest mechanics who require their assistance, support their claims ; the lowest
scum of the population persecute, injure, and not unfrequently murder them. Mfuiy a
poor John Chinaman has, as they say in America, been "found missing."

The sailor ashore in San Francisco may likely enough have an opportunity of feeling
the tremor of an earthquake. As a rule, they have been exceedingly slight, but that of
the 21st October, 1808, was a serious affair. Towers and steeples swayed to and fro: tall
houses trembled, badly-built wooden houses became disjointed; walls fell. iNrany build-
ings, for some time afterwards, showed the effects in cracked walls and plastering, dislocated

i !

nil

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led

NAVAL STATION OF ESliVBIAl/r.

103

doors and window-frames. A writer in the <)cci-lniu( Munl/i/i/, soon after the event, put
the matter forcibly when recalling the great earthquake of Lisbon. lie said, " Over the
parts of the city where ships anchored twenty 3 ears ago, they may anchor again," for

the worst effects were confined to the " made

ground-

-i.i\,

land reclaimed from the

Bay. Dwellings on the rocky hills were scarcely injured at all, reminding us of the
relative fates of the man " who built his house ujjon a rock " and of him who ])laced
it on the sand. Four persons only were killed on that occasion, all of them from the
fall of badly-constructed walls, loose parapets, ike. The alarm in the city was great ;
excited people rushing wildly through the streets, and frightened horses running through
the crowds.

California possesses other ports of importance, but as regards English naval interests
in the Pacific, Esquimalt, Vancouver Island, B.C., which has a fine land-locked harbour of
deep water, dock, and naval hospital, deserves the notice of the reader. It is often the
rendezvous for seven or eight of II.!M.'s vessels, from the admiral's tlag-ship to the tiniest
steam gun-boat. Victoria, the capital, is three miles off, and has a jiretty little harbour
itself, not, howevei', adapted for large vessels. Formerly the colonies of Vancouver Island
and British Columbia, the mainland, were sej^arate and distinct colonies ; they are now
identified under the latiter name. Their value never warranted the full parai)hernalia of a
double colonial government — two governors, colonial secretaries, treasurers, attorney-generals,
&e., &c. ; for these countries, charming and interesting to the tourist and artist, will only
attract population slowly. The resources of British Columbia in gold, timber, coal, fisheries,
&c., are considerable ; but the long winters on the mainland, and the small quantity of
open land, are great drawbacks. Approaching Vancouver Island from the sea, the " inside
channel " is entered through the grand opening to the Straits of Fuca, which Cook missed
and Vancouver discovered. To the eastward are the rocks and light of Cape Flattery,
while the rather low termination of Van(,'ouver Island, thick with timber, is seen to the
westward. The scene in the Straits is often lively with steamers and shipping, great men-
of-war, sometimes, of foreign nationalities; coast packet-boats proceeding not merely to
Vancouver Island, but to the ports of Washington Territory, on the Annn ican side; timber
(called "lumber'' always on that side of the world) vessels; colliers proceeding to Xanaimo
or Bellingham Bay to the coal-mines ; coasting and trading schooners ; and Indian canoes,
some of them big enough to accommodate sixty or more persons, and carrying a good
amouTit of sail. The Straits have many beauties ; and as, approaching the entrance of
Esquimalt Harbour, the Olympian range of mountains, snow-covered and rugged, loom
in the distance, the scene is grandly beautiful; while in the channel, rocky islets and
islands, covered with pine and arbutus, abound. Outside the Straits two lighthouses are
phicofi, to warn the unwary voyager by night. Often thost lighthouses may be noted
apparently uphide down ! Mirage is common enough in the Straits of Fuca.

Victorii:, in 1S():>, had at least B.OdO or l.'),()0() people, mostly drawn thither by
the fame 01 the Cariboo mines, on the nuiinland of Hiitisli Cohmibia. Not twenty per
cent, ever reached those mines. When ships arrived in the autumn, it was utterly
useless to attempt the long journey of about CiOO miles, ])artly by Kteamer, but two-
thirds of which must lie accomplished on foot or horseback, or ol'ien iiiule-back, "ver

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V. •

104

'i'lIH SKA.

riiyg'L'd rnouiitain-piitlis, tliroii<4'li s\vainj)s ami forests. Consequently, a lav'ii'e number had
to spend tlie winter in idleness; and in the spring, in many eases, their resources were
exhausted. Many became tired of the colony ; " roughiny it " was not always the
pleasant kind of thini,'- they had imagined, and so they went down to California, or left
for home. Others were stuck fast in the colony, and many sull'ered severe ])rivati<)ns;
although, so long as they could manage to live on salmon alone, they could obtain
l)]enty from the Indians, who hawked it about the streets for a shilling or two shiihngs
apiece — the latter for a very large iish. The son of a baronet at one time might be
seen breaking stones for a living in Victoria ; and imless men had a very distinct
calling, ])rofession, or trade, they had to live on their means or have a very rough
time of it.

These remarks are not made to deter adventurous sjjirits from going al^road; but we
would advise them to " look well before they leap.^' But how utterly unfitted for mining-
work were the larger part of the young men who had travelled so far, only to be disajtpointed.
There was no doubt of the gold being there: two hundred ounces of the precious metal
have been " washed out" in an eight hours' " shift ^' (a "^shift '' is the same as a "watch"
on board shi])) ; and this was kej)t up for many days in succession, the miners working day and
night. But that mine had been three years in process of development, and oidy one of the
original proprietors was among the lucky number of shareholders. A day or so before the
first gold had been found — "struck" is the technical expression — his credit was exhausted,
and he had begged vainly for Hour, &e., to enable him to live and work. The ordinary
price of a very ordinary meal was //ra dol/iirn ; and it will be seen that, unless em})loyed,
or simply travelling for i)leasure, it was a ruinous place to stop in. Fancy, then, the
condition of i)erhaps as many as 1,000 unempl .' ed men, out of a total of 7,000 men, on
the various creeks, a good half of whom were of the middle and ujiper classes at home.
But for one haj)py fa.ct, that beef — which, as the miners said, ^j^/r/yv/ Kseif into the mines
(in other words, the cattle were driven in from a distance of hundreds of miles) — was
reasonably eheaj), hundreds of them must have starved. Everything — from flour, tea,
sugar, bacon, and beans, to metal implements and machinery — had to be packed there on
the back?, of mules, and cost from fifty cents and upwards per pound for the mere cost of
transportation. Tea was ten shillings a pound, flour and sugar a dollar a ])ound, and so on.
Those who fancy that gold-mining, and especially deep gravel-mining, as in Cariboo, is
play-work, may be told that it is i)erhaps the hardest, as it is certainly the most risky
and uncertain, work in the world; and that it retpiires machinery, expensive tools, &c.,
which, in places like Cariboo, cost enormous sums to supply. If labour was to be employed
— good practical miners, cari)enters, &:c. (much of the machinery was of wood) — received,
at that period, ten to sixteen dollars per day. This digression may be pardoned, as the
sea is so intimately bound uj) with ([uestions of emigration. Apart from this, from
jM^rsonal observafion, (he writer knows that ([uile a proportion of miners have been sailors,
and, in many ca ;es, deserted their ships. In the "early days" of Australia, California,
and British Columbia, this was eminenti}' the case.

A large proportion of (he sailors in the Royal Navy have, or will at some period,
pass some time on the Pacific station, in which case, they will inevitably go to Vancouver

VKTOIilA, VAXCOUVKi; ISLAND.

IC.-j

Islandj where there is much to interest them.* Thoy will liiul N'ictoria a very iirttty little
town, with Government house, cathedral, churches and cliai)els, a mechanics' institute, a
theatre, good hotels and restaurants — the latter generally in French hands. He will lind
a cui'ious mixture of J'lnglish and vVmerican manners and customs, and a very curious
mixture of coinage — shillings heing the same as ([uarter-doUars, while crowns are only
the value of dollars (5s., against Is. id.). Some years ago the island system was
different from that of the maiidand ; on the latter, tlorins were e(|ual to half-dollars
(which they are, nearly), while on the island they were •"JT' cents oidy (Is. l^d.). The
Jhidson's Bay Company, which has trading -posts throughout British Columbia, took

THE llUITISIl camp; S\X JIAN.

advantage of the fact to give change for American money, on their steamers, in English
florins, obtaining them on the island. They thus made nearly twenty-live per cent, in their
transaction, Ijesides getting paid the passenger's fare. Yet the traveller, strange to say,
did not lose by this, for, on landing at New Westminster, he found that what was rated
at a little over eighteenpence on Vancouver Island, had suddenly, after travelling only
seventy miles or so, increased in value to upwards of two shillings !

Outside ^'i(•toria there ar3 many pleasant drives and walks : to " The Arm," where,
amid a charming landsca])e, niterspersed with ])iiu>s and natural fir woods, wild flowers, and
mossy rocks, there is a i)retty little rapid, or fall; to Saanich, where the settlers' home-
steads have a semi-civilised appearance, half of the houses being of squared logs, but

♦Excepting' iit Sim Francisoo, the only docks worthy of the name on tln^ ir/>o/f Paci^c coasts of Aniericii
are those of England's naval station at Esciuinialt.

! •

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JC>1>

THE SEA.

conifortuble withal inside, and where a rude plenty reif^ns ; or to Beacon Hill, where there
is an excellent race-course and drive, which conunands ilne views up and down the
Straits. In sight is San Juan Island, over which England and America once s([uabbled,
while the two f^'arrisons which occupied it fraternised cordially, and outvied with eacli
other in hospitality. Tiie island — rocky, and covered with forest and underbrush, with a
farm or two, made by clearing away the big trees, with not a little dilliculty, and burning
and partially uprooting the stumps — does not look a worthy subject for international
differences. But the fact is, that it commands the Straits to some extent. However, all
that is over now, and it is England's property by dii)loniatic arrangement. There are
other islands, nearly as large, in the archipelago which stretches northward up the Gulf
of Georgia, which have not a single human inhabitant, and have never been visited, except
by some stray Indians, miners, or traders who have gone ashore to cook a meal or camp
for the night.

Any one who has travelled by small canoes on the sea must remember those hapjiy
camping-times, when, often wet, and always hungry and tired, the little party cautiously
selected some sheltered nook or specially good beach, and then paddled with a will ashore.
No lack of drift-wood or small trees on that coast, and no lord of the manor to interfere
with one iaking it. A glorious tire is soon raised, and the cooking preparations commenced.
Sometimes it is only the stereotyped tm — frying-pan bread (something like the Australian
''damper," only baked before the fire), or "slapjacks" {i.e., flour-and-water pancakes), fried
Imcon, and boiled Chili beans ; but of ttimes it can be varied by excellent fish, game, bear-
meat, venison, or moose-meat, purchased from some passing Indians, or killed by themselves.
It is absurd to suppose that " roughing it " need mean hardship and semi-starvation all the
time. Not a bit of it ! On the northern coasts now being described, one may often live
magnificently, and most travellers learn instinctively to cook, and make the most of things.
Nothing is finer in camp than a roa.'if fish — say a salmon — split and gutted, and stuck on a
stick before the fire, not over it. A few dozen turns, and you have a dish worthy of a jirince.
Or a composition stew — say of deer and bear-meat and beaver's tail, well seasoned, and
with such veg(?tables as you may obtain there ; potatoes from some seaside farm — and there
are such on that coast, where the settler is as brown as his Indian wife — or compressed
vegetables, often taken on exploring expeditions. Or, again, venison dipped in a thick
batter and thrown into a pan of boiling-hot fat, making a kind of meat fritter, with not a
drop of its juices wasted. Some of those explorers and miners are veritable c/ie/}*. They
can make good light bread in the woods from plain fiour, water, and salt, and ask no
oven but a frying-pan. They will make beans, of a kind only given to horses at home,
into a delicious dish, by boiling them soft — a long job, generally done at the night camp
— and then frying them with ])read-crumbs and pieces of bacon in the morning, till they
are brown and crisp.

It was at one of these camps, on an island 'u the Gulf of Georgia, that a camp fire
spread to some grass and underbrush, mounted with lightning rapidity a steep slope, and
in a few minutes the forest at the top was ablaze. The whole island was soon in fiames I
For hours afterwards the fiames and smoke could be seen. No harm was done; for it is
extremely unlikely that island will be iniiabited for the next five hundred years. But

KIVKlt ANU HKX CANOEINd.

Iti7

forest lires in partially inlialjitod districts arc rnoro serious, or when near trails or roads.
In the lonjr sunimor of Vancouver Island, where rain, as in Calit'ornia, is almost unknown,
these lires, once started, may hurn for weeks — ay, months.

The Indians oi" this part of the coast, of dozens of petty triljcs, all speakings dift'erent
lan<^'uaycs, or, at all events, varied dialects, are not usually prepossessin<f in appearance, but
the male lialF-breeds are often tine-lookiny fellows, and the <^irls j)retty. The sailor will
be interested in their cedar canoes, which on A'aneouver Island are beautifully modelled. A
lirst-dass clipper has not more {graceful lines. They are always cut from one loo-, and are
linely and smoothly finished, being- usually painted black outside, and finished with
red ornamental work witliin. They are very lij^ht and buoyant, and will carry g-reat
weights; but one must be careful to avoid rocks on the coast, or "snags" in the
rivers, for any sudden concussion will split them all to pieces. When on the
Vancouver Island Exploring Expedition, a party of men found themselves suddeidy
deposited in a swift- running' stream, from the canoe having- almost parted in half,
after touching on a sunken rock or log. All got to shore safely, and it took
about half a day of patching and caulking to make her sutliciently river-worthy
(why not say " river-worthy " as well as " sea-worthy ? ") to enable them to reach
camp. The writer, in iSdl, came down from the extreme end of Bute Inlet — an
arm of the sea on the mainland of British Columbia — across the Gulf of Georgia (twenty
miles of open sea), coasting southwards to Victoria, Y.I., the total voyage being ISO
miles, in an open cedar canoe, only large enough for four or five people. The trip occupied
five days. But while there is some risk in such an undertaking, there is little in a
voyage in the great Haidah canoes of Queen Charlotte's Island (north of Vancouver Island).
These canoes arc often eighty feet long, but are still always made from a single log, the
splendid pines of that coast* affording ample opportunity. They have masts, and carry
as much sail as a schooner, while they can be propelled by, say, forty or fifty paddles,
half on either side, wielded by as many pairs of brawny arms. The savage Ilaidahs are
a powerful race, of whom not much is known. The}^ however, often come to Victoria, or
the American ports on Puget Sound, for purposes of trading.

" How," it might be asked, " does the trade communicate with so many varieties of
natives, all speaking different tongues ? " The answer is that there is a jargon, a kind of
" pigeon-English," which is acquired, more or less, by almost all residents on the coast for
purposes of intercourse with their Indian servants or others. This is the Chinook jargon, a
mixture of Indian, English, and Erench — the latter coming from the Erench Canadian
vo//affeitrs, often to be found in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company, as they were
formerly in the defunct North-West Company. Some of the words used have curious
origins. Thus, an Englishman is a " King-George-man," because the first explorers. Cook,
Vanconver, and others, arrived there during the Georgian era. An American is a
" Boston-man," because the first ships from the United States which visited that coast

ii^

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Hll

* Douglas pinps liavc hoon moa^^uivil in I'.iitish Coliinil)iii whith wore forhi-eh/hf font in fircumforenro at thoir
liuso, and thcrofovo about sixteen feet through. These uiagnifiecnt trees are only second in size to the "Big
Trees" of California.

108

THE SEA.

hailed from Hoston. This lingo has no grammur, and a very few hundred words satisfies

all its reqiiiremeuts. Young ladies, daughters of Hudson's Bay Company's employes

in Yietoria, rattle it off as though it were their mother-tongue. " Ikte mika tikkee?"

(""What do you M'ant ? ") is jn-obably the first query to an Indian who arrives, and has

something to sell. " Nika tikkee lahae ct la hiseuit" ("I want some tobaceo and biseuit").

"Cleushj mika jtotlateh salmon?" ("Good; will you give me a salmon?"). " Na-

witka, Se-am " ("Yes, sir"); and for a small ])iece of blaek eake-tobacco and two or three

biscuits (sailors' " hard bread " or " hard tack ") he will exchange a thirty-pound o- so

salmon.

The Chinook jargon, in skilful hands, is susceptible of much. IJut it is not adapted

for sentiment or poetry, although a luival odieer, once stationed on the Pacific tjide, did

evolve an effusion, which the sailor is almost sure to hear there. It needed, however, a fair

amcyunt of i'^nglish to make it read pleasantly. Old residents and visitors will recognise

some of its stanzas : —

'•Olil 1m' not ([iiiiss of iiikii ;
Thy HculioosL' tuiii on hk;;
For tlioii must but liy:i» ciiiiiti'.x,
That I hyas tikkw; tlicc!
Nika iiutlatfh hyu ictus ;
Xika iiiakook sainialcll
Of jKiKiccrs ami la biscuit,
1 will givo thoe all thy iill : "

which, addressed to a " sweet Klootchman," a " forest maiden," means, that loving her so
much, all that he had was hers. ^Nluch greater absurdities have been i)ut in plain English.

A bishop of British Columbia was, however, hardly so successful; not being himself
a student of Chinook, the entire vocabulary of which would have taken him rather less time
to learn than the barest elements of Latin, he engaged an interpreter, through whom to
address the Indians. The latter was perfectly competent to say all that (•(in be said in
Chinook, but was rather nonplussetl when his lordship commenced his address by " Children
of the forest ! " He scratched his head and looked at the bishop, who, however, was
determined, and commenced once more, " Children of the forest ! " The interjireter knew
that it must make nonsense, but he was cornered, and had to do it. And this is what he
said : " Tenass man copa stick ! " — literally, " Little men among the stumps " (or trunks
of trees). The writer will not comment upon the subject here, more than to say that
Chinook is iiof adapted for the translation of Milton or Shakespeare ; while the simplest
story or parable of the Scriptures must be unintelligible, or worse, when attempted in that
jargon.

The only other settlement on Vancouver Island which has any direct interest to the
Royal Navy, is Nanaimo, the coal-mines of which yield a large amount of the fuel used
by the steamships when in that neighbourhood and about all that is used on the island; a
quantity is also shipped to San Francisco. The mines are worked by li)nglish companies,
and are so near the coast that, by means of a few tramways and locomotives, the coal
is conveyed to the wharves, where it can be at once put on board. It is a pleasant

THE CAPITAL OF ALASKA.

160

slies

has

little place, and many an En<,''lisli miner would \w <rlud to l)e as well off as the men
settled there, who earn more money than at home, own their eottaj^eg and jdots of
land, obtain most of their supplies cheaper than in Hnji^land, and have a heantiful gulf
before them, in summer, at least, as ealm as a lake, on which boatinj4' and canoeinijf is all
the rage in the evenings or on holidays.

The Paeilie Station is an extensive one, for it (fommenees at the most northernmost
parts of Bering Sea, and extends below Cape Horn. It ("inbiaces the Alaskan coast.
Many English men-of-war have visited these latitudes, princi2)ally, however, in the cause
of science and discovery.

In the old days, when the colony of Russian vVmerica was little better than are many
parts of Siberia — convict settlements — the few (iovernment ollieials and oflicers of the
Russian Fur Company were, it may well be believed, only too ready to welcome any change
in the monotony of their existence, and a new arrival, in the shape of a ship from some
foreign port, was a day to be remembereil, and of which to make much. The trwe
Russians are naturally hospitably and sociably inclined, and such times were the occasion
for balls, dinners, and parties to any extent. The writer well remembers his first visit to
vSitka, which, although the capital of Alaska, is situated on an island oil' the maiidand.
On approaching the small and partially land-locked harbour, a mountain of no inconsiderable
height, wooded to the top, appeared in view, and below it a little town of highly-coloured
roofs, in the middle of which rose a picturescpie rock, surmounted by a semi-fortilied
castle, which, in the distance at least, looked most imposing. Near this, but separated by
a stockade, was the village of the Kalosh Indians, a powerful tribe, who had at times, as
the members of the expedition learned, given a considerable amount of trouble to the
Russians — in 180 !■ they murdered nearly the whole of the Russian garrison — while beyond
on every side were rocky shores and wooded heights. An old hulk or two, lying on the
beach below the old castle, itself principally built of wood, the residence of the Governor of
Russian America, then Prince Maksutolf, which had been roofed in and were used for
magazines of stores, and some rather shaky pile-wharfs, made up the town.

Soon was experienced the warmth of a Russian welcome, and lor a week after-
wards a succession of gaieties followed, which were so very gay that they would
have killed most men, unless they had been fortified with a long sea-trip just before.
Every Russian seemed to wish the party to consider all that he had at their service ; the
saiuoftir boiled up everywhere as they approached ; the little lunch-table of anchovies, and
pickles, rye-bread, butter, cheese, and so forth, with the everlasting vo//ht, was everywhere
ready, and except duty called, no one was obliged to go off at night to the three vessels
comprising the expedition to which the writer was attached, for the best bed in the house
was always at his service. There was only one bar-room in the whole town, and there only
fl, kind of lager-bier and vodka were to be obtained. When the country was, for a
( ()nsidcvation of 7,250,000 dollars, transferred to the United States, there was a "rush"
fr /in 'v ictoria and San Francisco. Keen Hebrew traders, knowing that furs up country
bore a, merely nominal price, and that Sitka was the great entrepot for their collection —
a million dollars' worth being frequently gathered there at a time — thought they would be
able to buy them for next to nothing still. Parcels of land in the town, which had not at
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170

THE SEA.

the utmost a greater value than a few hundred dollars, now ran up to fabulous prices;
10,000 dollars was asked for a log house ! Hotels, " saloons " — i.e., bar-rooms a I'Amei'ivaiiit'
— German lager-bier cellars, and barbers' shops sprang up like mushrooms ; a newspapor-
office was opened, and everything reminded one of the sudden growth of mining- towns
in the early days of California. Alas! everything else went up in proportion, excepting
salmon, which mnst be a drug on that coast for many centuries to come ; * provisions
greatly rose in price, and the competition for furs was so great that they became nearly
as dear as in San Francisco. The consoqtionce may be imagined ; there was an exodus,
and the following January the whole city could have been bought for a song. The
Russian officials, of course, left it shortly after the transfer, and most of the others as
speedily as the}- could. The "capital" has never recovered from the shock; for, although
organised fiu'-companies are scattered over the country, in one instance the United States
Government leasing the sole right — that of lur-sealing, on the Aleutian Islands — to a firm
which has a Russian prince as a partiier, Sitka is not the entrepot it was ; everything in
furs is brought to San Francisco before being consigned to all quarters of the globe. The
value of Alaska to the United States is at present very small, but so little is known
about it that one can hardly form an estimate concerning its future. It possesses minerals,
but these will always be worked with difficulty, on account of the climate. Its grand
salmon-fisheries are, however, a tangible property; the cod in Bering Sea is as plentiful
as it ever was on the Newfoundland banks ; and thei'e are innumerable forests of trees,
easily accessible, reaching down to the coast — of pines, firs, and cedars, of size sufficient
for the tallest masts and largest spars, so that Alaska has a direct interest for the
ship-builder.

By its acquisition, the United States not merely extended its seaboard for, say, 1,500
miles north, but it obtii'ned Mount St. Elias, by far the largest peak of the North
American continent, and one of the loftiest mountains of the globe. " Upon Mont
Blanc," says an American writer,t " pile the loftiest summit in the British Islands, nnd
they would not reach the altitude of Mount St. Elias. If a man could reach its summit,
he would be two miles nearer the stars than any other American could be, east of the

Mississippi As a single peak it ranks among the half-dozen loftiest on the

globe. Some of the Himalaya summits reach, indeed, a couple of miles nearer Orion
and the Pleiades, but they rise from an elevated plateau sloping gradually upwards for
hundreds of miles. As an isolated peak, St. Elias may look down upon Mont Blanc and
Teneriffe, and claim brotherhood with Chimborazo and Cotopaxi." It acquired also one of
the four gi-eat rivers of the globe, of which the writer had the pleasure of being one of the
earliest explorei-s. The Yukon, which renders the waters of Bering Sea fresh or semi-fresh
for a dozen miles beyond its many mouths, is a sister-river to the Amazon, Mississippi,
and, perhaps, the Plata; it has affluents to which the Rhine or Rhone are but brooks.

The Kalosh Indians of Sitka live in .semi-civilised wooden barns or houses, with

* On miiny parts of the North-wont Pnrific roasts of Amorira, from Oregon northwards to Bering Straits,
the salmon, in their sonson, swarm so that a boat can hardly make a way through their "schools."
t Harper's Mntinziiic (Xew York), April. 186!).

THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS.

171

.'■ 1.1

invariably a round hole for a door, through whi(;h one creeps. They are particularly
ingenious in carving ; and Jack has many an opportunity of ol>tainiug grotes([uo
figures, cut from wood or slate-stone, for a cast-off garment or a half-dollar. One brought
home represents the Russian soldier of the period, prior to the American annexation, and
is scarcely a burlesque of his stolid face, gigantic moustache, close fitting coat with very
tight sleeves, and loose, baggy trousers. Masks may be seen cut from s(»me white stone,
which would not do dishonour to a European sculptor. But now, leaving Sitka, let us
make a rapid trip to the extreme northern end of the Pacific Station.

^len-of-war proceeding north of Sitka — which, except for purposes of science or war,
is not likely to be the case, although the Pacific Station extends to the northernmost parts
of Alaska — would voyage into Bering Sea through Ounimak Pass, one of the liest passages
between the rocky and rugged Aleutian Islands. In the pass the scenery is superb, grand
volcanic peaks rising in all directions. While there, many years ago, the writer well
remembers going on deck one morning, when mists and low clouds hung over the then
l>lacid waters, and seeing what appeared to be a magnificent mountain i)eak, snowy and
scarped, right overhead the vessel, and having a wreath of white cloud surrounding it,
•while a lower and greyer bank of mist hid its base. It seemed baseless, and as though
rising from nothing ; while the bright sunlight above all, and which did not reach the
vessel, lit up the eternal snows in brilliant contrasts of light and shadow. This was the
grand peak of Sheshaldinski, which rises nearly U,!)*)!) feet above the sea level.

The Aleutian Islands are thinly inhabited, and the Aleuts — a harmless, strong,
half-Esquimaux kind of people — often leave them, l^hey make very good sailors. The few
Russian settlements, among the principal of whicl. was Kodiak, were simply trading posts
and fur-sealing establishments. Since the purchase of Alaska, the United States (Jovern-
ment has leased them to a large mercantile firm, which makes profits from the sealing.
North of the islands, after steaming over a considerable waste of waters, the only settlements
on the coast of the whole country are Michaelovski and Fnalachleet, both trading posts;
while south of the former are the many mouths of one of the grandest rivers in the
world, the Yukon, almost a rival to the Amazon and Mississippi. That section of the
country lying I'ound the great river is tolerably rich in fur-bearing animals, including
sable, mink, black and silver-grey fox, beaver, and bear. The moose and deer alwund ;
while fish, more especially salmon, is very abundant. Salmon, thirty or more iwunds in
weight, caught in the Yukon, has often been purchased for a half-ounce of tobacco or four
or five common sewing-needles. The coasts of Northern Alaska are rugged and uninviting,
and not remarkable for the grand scenery common in the southern division.

Leaving the north, and passing the leading station already described on Vancouver
Island, the sailor has the whole Pacific coasts of Ijoth Americas, clear to Cape Horn, before
him as part of the Pacific Station. There is Mexico, with its port of Acapulco ; New
(rranada, with the important sea-port town of Panama; Callao, Peru; and Valparaiso, in
Chili : at any of which H.B.M. vessels are commonly to be found. Panama is, indeed,
a very imp«3rtant central point, as officers of the Royal Navy, ordered to join vessels
elsewhere, usually leave their own at Panama, cross the isthmus, and tak** steamer to
England, via St. Thomas's, or by way of New York, thence crossing to Liverpool. The

'1.

I
! J

THE SEA.

railroad — which, diiriiii;' its construction, is said to luivo cost the life of a Chinaman for
every sleeper laid down, so fatal was the fever of tlie isthmus — has the dearest fares of
any in the world. The distance from Panama across to Aspinwall (Colon) is ahout
forty miles, and the fare is 15 ! An immense amount of travel crosses the isthmus ; and
it is only matter of time for a canal to be cut throuyh some i)ortion of it, or the isthmus
of Darien adjoining. Steamers of the largest kind are arriving daily at Panama from
San Francisco, Mexico, and all parts of South America; while, on the Atlantic side,
they come from Southampton, Liverpool, New York and other American ports.

Southward, with favouring breezes and usually calm seas, one soon arrives at Callao —
a place which may yet become a great city, but which, like everything else in Peru, has
been retarded by interminable dissensions in regard to government and politics, and by the
ignorance and bigotry of the masses. Peru had an advantage over Chili in wealth and
importance at one time; but, while the latter country is to-day one of the most satisfactory
and stal)le republics in the world, one never knows what is going to hapjwn next in Peru.
Hence distrust in commerce; and hence the sailor will not find a tithe of the shipping iu
('allao Roads that he will at the wharfs of Valparaiso. Lima, the capital, is situated
behind Callao, at a distance of about six miles. A\ hen seen from the deck of a vessel in
the roadstead, the city has a most imposing appearance, with its innumerable domes and
spires rising from so elevated a situation, and wearing a strange and rather Moorish air.
On nearing the city, everything speaks eloquently of past splendour and present wretchedness ;
public walks and elegant ornamental stone seats choked with rank weeds, and all in ruins.
Yon enter Lima through a triumphal arch, tawdry and tumbling to pieces; you find that
the churches, which looked so imposing in the distance, are principally stucco and tinsel.
Lima has a novelty in one of its theatres. It is built in a long oval, the stage occupying
nearly the whole of one long side, all the boxes being thus comparatively near it. The pit
audience is men, and the galleries, women ; and all helii to fill the house, between the
acts, with tobacco smoke from their cigarettes.

The sailor, who has been much among Spanish people or those of Spanish origin, will
find the Chilians the finest race in South America. Valparaiso Harbour is always full of
shipping, its wharfs piled with goods; while the railroad and old road to the capital,
Santiago, bears evidence of the material prosperity of the country. The country roads are
crowded with convoys of pack-mules, while the ships are loading up with wheat, wines, and
minerals, the produce of the country. Travelling is free everywhere. Libraries, schools,
literary, scientific, and artistic societies abound ; the best newspapers published in South
America are issue<l there. Santiago, the city of marble palaces — where even horses are
kept in marble stalls — is one of the most delightful places in the world. The lofty
Andes tower to the skies in the distance, forming a grand background, and a fruitful,
cultivated, and peaceful country surrounds it.

Valparaiso — the " Vale of Paradise " — was jirobably named by the early Spanish
adventurers in this glowing style because any coast whatever is delightful to the mariner
who has Ijeen long at sea. Otherwise, the title would seem to be of an exaggerated nature.
The bay is of a semi-circular form, surrounded by steep hills, rising to the height of near
2,000 feet, sparingly covered with stunted shrubs and thinly-strewed grass. The town is

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171

THE SEA.

built aloiijs^ a narrow strip of lund, between the cliffs and the sea; and, as this space is
limited in extent, the ))uilding3 have straji^gled up the sides and bottoms of the numerous
ravines which intersect the hills. A suburb — the Almendral, or Almond (irovc — 'much
larjjer than the town proj^r, spreads over a low sandy plain, t4)out half a mile broad, bordering
the bay. In the summer months — i.e., Novemljer to March-^the anchorage is safe and
pleasant; but in the wintry months, notably June and July, gales are prevalent from the
north, in which direction it is open to the sea.

(Captain Basil Hall, R.N., gave some interesting accounts of life in Chili in his
])ublished Journal,* and they are substantially true at the present day. He reached
V^ilparaiso at Christinas, which corresponds in climate to our midsummer. Crowds thronged
the streets to enjoy the cool air in the moonlight ; groups of merry dancers were seen at
every turn; singers were bawling out old Spanish romances to the tinkle of the guitar;
wild-looking iMrsemen pranced about in all directions, stopping to talk w'th their friends,
but never dismounting ; and harmless bull-fights, in which the bulls were only teased,
not killed, served to make the people laugh. The whole town was eu caniiad. " In the
course of the first evening of these festivities," says Captain Hall, "while I was rambling
iibout the streets with one of the officers of the ship, our attention was attracted, by the
sound of music, to a crowded pulperia, or drinking-house. We accordingly entered, and
the people immediately made way and gave us seats at the upper end of the apartment.
We had not sat long before we were startled by the loud clatter of horses' feet, and in the
next instant, a mounted peasant dashed into the company, followed by another horseman,
who, as soon as he reached the centre of the room, adroitly wheeled his horse round, and
the two strangers remained side by side, with their horses' heads in opposite directions.
Neither the people of the house, nor the guests, nor the musicians, appeared in the least
surprised by this visit; the lady who was playing the harp merely stopped for a moment
to remove the end of the instrument a few inches further from the horses' feet, and the
music and convei-sation went on as before. The visitors called for a glass of spirits, and
having chatted with their friends around them for two minutes, stooped their heads to avoid
the cross-piece of the doorway, and putting spurs to their horses' sides, shot into the streets
as rapidly as they had entered; the whole being done without discomposing the company
in the smallest degree." The same writer speaks of the common people as generally very
temperate, while their frankness and hospitality charmed him. Brick-makers, day-labourers,
and washerwomen invited him and friends into their homes, and their first anxiety was that
the sailors might " feel themselves in their own house ; " then some offering of milk, bread, or
spirits. However wretched the cottage or poor the fare, the deficiency was never made more
apparent by apologies ; with untaught politeness, the best Ihey had was placed before them,
graced with a hearty welcome. Their houses are of adobes, i.e., sun-dried bricks, thatched in
with broad palm-leaves, the ends of which, by overhanging the walls, afford shade from the
scorching sun and shelter f''om the rain. Their mud floors have a portion raised seven or
eight inches above the level of the rest, and covered with matting, which forms the couch
for the invariable .v/fv/a. In the cottages Hall saw young women grinding baked corn in

• " Extracts from ii Journal written on tho Coasts of Cliili, Peru, and Mexico, &c."

uorxn r.vPF, hohx.

17:

almost Srriptiirnl mills of two stones each. From the coarse Hour ol»taiiieil, flie poor people
make a drink called nipa. In the better class of houses he was offered Piiraguay tea, or
mattee, an infnsion of a South American herb. The natives drink it almost lioilinjf hot.
It is drawn up into the mouth throuj^h a silver pipe : however numerous the company, all
use the same tube, and to decline on this account is thought the height of rudeness. The
people of Chili, generally, are polite to a degree ; and Jack ashore will have no caus<' to
complain, provided he is as polished as are they. He generally contrives, however, to make
himself iK)jmlar, while his little escapades (tf wildness are looked upn in the light of long
pent-up nature bursting forth.

'^1

CHAFfER XI.
Rorxi) THE "WoKLU ON A Man-of-Wak {roiit'niuetl).

FROM THE HORN TO HAMFAX.

The (Ircudcd llorr! -The IjhkI of Fire— Kiisil HuH'x Phonoiiiciioii— A Missliifr Volcano Thi- South AniPfican Stolion-
Kulklun<l IhUiiu1s-A Free Port and N'u\'ul Station— PcnKiiins. Peat, and Kelp— Sea Tree« The West India Station
Trinidad -C'olunibuH'H First View of it Fatal (Jold CliarleH KinKsle.v'8 FnthusluHin -The Port of Spain A Iluppy-
Ko-lucky People— XeBTO Life l^etter-n from n C'ottuKe (>rn6e— Tropical VcKctatlon— Animal Life Jamaica Kinftnton
Harbour— Sugar Cultivation—! he Queen of the Antilles -Its Pasco— Beauty of the ArchipehtKO A Dutch Hettlemeiil
in the Heart of a Volcano-AmonR the Islands The SoutTriere— Historical Iteminisccnces— Uermuda Colony, Fortress,
and Prison— Home of Ariel and Calilian -The Whitest Place in the World Bermuda Convicts -New York Harbour
—The City-First Impressions -Its tine I'oslt ion —Splendid Harbour -Forest of Masfa-The Ferry-boats, Hotels, and
P.urs -Offenbach's Impressions— Broadway, Fulton Market, and (Jcntral Park New York in Winter Frozen Ships
—The Kreat Brooklyn Bridge— Halifax and its Beauties— Importance of the Stotion— Bedfortl Basin -The Karly
Settlers— The Blue Noses— Adieu to America.

And now the exigencies of the service require tis to tear ourselves away from gay and
pleasant ^'alparaiso, and voyage in spirit round the Horn to the South-East American
Station, which includes the whole coast, from Terra del Fuego to Brazil and (luiann.
Friendly jwrts, Rio and Montevideo, are open to the Royal Navy as stations for
necessary repairs or supplier;; but the only strictly British |)ort on the whole station is
that at the dreary Falkland Islands, to be shortly described.

Every schoolboy knows that Cape Horn is even more dreaded than the other "Cape
of Storms," otherwise known as " The Cape," prir creel fence. In these da}'s, the introduction
of steam has reduced much of the danger and horrors of the passage round, though on
occasions they are sufficiently serious. In fact, now that there is a regular tug-boat service
in the Straits of Magellan, there is really no occasion to go round it at all. In 1 8(5^ the
writer rounded it, in a steamer of good power, when the water was as still as a mill-pond,
and the Horn itself — a barren, black, craggy, precipitous rock, towering al)ove the utter
desolation and bleakest solitudes of that forsaken spot — was plainly in sight.

Captain Basil Hall, and his officers and crew, in 1820, when rounding Cape Horn
observed a remarkable phenomenon, which may account for the title of the " Ijand of Fire "
bestowed upon it by Magellan. A brilliant light suddenly appeared in the north-western

\'\

176

THE 8EA.

quarter. " At first of a bright red, it became fainter and fainter, till it disappeared altogether.
After the lapse of four or five minutes, its brilliancy was suddenly restored, and it seemed
as if a column of burning materials ha<l been projected into the air. This bright appearance
lasted from ten to twenty seconds, fading by degrees as the column became lower, till at
length only a dull red mass was distinguishable for about a minute, after which it again
vanished." The sailors thought 't a revolving light, others that it must be a forest on fire.
All who examined it carefully through a telescope agreed in considering it u volcano, like
Stromboli, emitting alternately iets of flame and red-hot stones. The light was visible

CAI'E llOKK.

till morning; and although during the night it appeared to be not more than eight or
ten miles off, no land was to be seen. The present writer would suggest the probability
of its having been an electrical phenomenon.

The naval station at the Falklands is at Port Stanley, on the eastern island, where
there is a splendid land-locked harbour, with a narrow entrance. The little port is, and
has been, a haven of refuge for many a storm-beaten mariner : not merely from the fury
of the elements, but also because supplies of fresh meat can be obtained there, and, indeed,
everything else. Wild cattle, of old Spanish stock, roam at will over many parts of the
two islands. When the writer was there, in 1802, beef was retailed at fourpence per
pound, and Port Stanley being a free port, everything was very cheap. How many boxes
of cigars, pounds of tobacco, eases of hollands, and demijohns of rum were, in consequence,

TIIK NAVAL STATION AT I'OKT STANI-KY,

177

[here
and

Ifury

|leed,

the

per

)xes

ince.

taken on )x>aril by his -'MIO fellow-passennfcrs would bo ii serious ciilculation. Tlio little
town lias not much to recommend it. It has, of course, a (lovernmi'iit House and a church,
and barracks lor the marines stationed there. It is, moreover, the head-(|uarters of the
Falkland Islands Company, a corporation much like the Hudson's Bay (.'ompany, tradin}^
in furs and hides, and stores for ships and native trade. The three ^'I't'i**' chariieteristics
of Port Stanley are the pen<juius, which abounil, and are to be s«en waddliuH" in troops

THE LANDING OF COLIMBIS AT TIllSIDAl).

in its immediate vicinity, and stumbling over the stones if pursued ; the kelp, which is so
thick and strong' in the water at the edge of the bay in places, that a strong boat's crew
can hardly get " way " enough on to reach the shore ; and the peat-bogs, which would remind
an Irishman of his beloved Erin. Peat is the principal fuel of the place; and what glorious
fires it makes ! At least, so thought a good many of the passengers who took the opjiortunitv
of living OB shore during the fortnight of the vessel's stay. For about three shillings and
sixpence a day one oould obtain a good bed, meals of beef-steaks and joints and fresh
vegetables — \ery welcome after the everlasting salt junk and preserved vegetables of the
ship — with the addition of hot rum and water, nearly ad Hhitnm. Then the privilege of
stretching one's legs is something, after five or six weeks' confinement. There is duck and
23

x\-

■ 1

1 '
. 1 :.

. i'

! ;

178

THE SEA.

I :

loon-sliootingf to be had, or an cxcuraion to the li^rhthouse, a few miles from the town,
where the writer found children, of several years of age, who had never even beheld the
glories of Port Stanley, and yet were happy ; and near which he saw on the beach nea-ireea
— for " sea-weed " would be a misnomer, the trunks being several feet in circumference^
slippery, glutinous, marine vegetation, uprooted from the depths of ocean. Some of them
would create a sensation in an aquarium.

The harbour of Port Stanley is usually safe enough, but, in the extraordinary gales
which often rage outside, does not always afford safe anchorage. The steamship on which
the writer was a passenger lay far out in the bay, but the force of a sudden gale made
her drag her anchors, and but for the steam, which was immediately got up, she would
have gone ashore. A sailing-vessel must have been wrecked in the same {Msition. Of course,
the power of the engines was set against the wind, and she was saved. Passengers ashore
could not get off for two days, and those on board could not go ashore. No boat could
have lived, even in the bay, during a large part of the time.

The West Indian Station demands our attention next. Unfortunately, it must not
take the space it deserves, for it would occupy that required for ten books of the size of this
— ay, twenty — to do it the barest justice. Why ? Read Charles Kingsley's admirable
work, " At Last " — one, alas ! of the last tasks of a well-spent life — and one will see
England's interest in those islands, and must think also of those earlier days, when
Columbus, Drake, and Raleigh sailed among the waters which divide them — days of
geographical discovery worth speaking of, of grand triumphs over foes worth fighting, and
of gain amounting to something.

On the 31st July l, Columbus, on his third voyage., sighted the three hills which

make the south-eastern . ^ of Trinidad. He had determined to name the first land he
should sight after the Holy Trinity, and so he did. The triple peaks probably
reminded him.

Washington Irving tells us, in his " Life of Columbus,'' that he was astonished at the
vei-dure and fertility of the country, having expected that it would be parched, dry, and
sterile as he approached the equator; whereas, he beheld beautiful groves of palm-trees,
and luxuriant forests sweeping down to the sea-side, with gurgling brooks and clear, deep
streams beneath the shade. The softness and purity of the climate, and the beauty of the
country, seemed, after his long sea voyage, to rival the beautiful province of Valencia itself.
Columbus found the people a race of Indians fairer than any he had seen before, " of good
stature, and of very graceful bearing." They carried square bucklers, and had bows and
arrows, with which they made feeble attempts to drive off the Spaniards who landed at
Punta Arenal, near Icacque, and who, finding no streams, sank holes in the sand, and so
filled their casks with fresh water — as is done by sailors now-a-days in many parts of the
world. "And there," says Kingsley, "that source of endless misery to these harmless
creatures, a certain Cacique — so goes the tale — took off Columbus's cap of crimson velvet,
and replaced it with a circle of gold which he wore."

Alas for them ! that fatal present of gold brought down on them enemies far more
ruthless than the Caribs of the northern islands, who had a habit of coming down in their
canoes and carrying off the gentle Arrawaks, to eat them at their leisure — after the fashion

IFArrV TUINIDAD.

170

which Defoo, always accurate, has immortalised in " llobinson Crusoe." Crusoe's islaiul has
Ix'cn Ihoujfht by many to be meant i'or Toba^'o; Man Friday haviny; been stolen in
Trinidad.

No scenery can be more picturesque than that afforded by the entrance to Port of
Spain, the chief town in the colony of Trinidad, itself an island lying outside the delta of
the great Orinoco River. " On the mainland/' wrote Anthony Trollojie,* " that is, the
land of the main island, the coast is precipitous, but clothed to tiie very top with the
thickest and most magnilicent foliage. With an opera-glass, one can distinctly see the
trees coming forth from the sides of the rocks, as though no soil were necessary for them,
and not even a shelf of stone needed for their support. And these are not shrubs, but
forest trees, with grand spreading branches^ huge trunks, and brilliant-coloured foliage.
The small island on the other side is almost equally wooded, but is less precipitous." There,
and on the main island itself, are nooks and open glades where one would not be badly off
with straw hats and muslin, pigeon-pies and ciiampagnc. One narrow shady valley, into
which a creek of the sea ran, made Trollope think that it must have been intended for
" the less noisy joys of some Paul of Trinidad with his Creole Virginia." The same writer,
after describing the Savannah, which includes a park and race-course, speaks of the Government
House, then under repairs. The governor was living in a cottage, hard by. " Were I
that great man," said he, " I should be tempted to wish that my great house might always
be under repair, for I never saw a more perfect specimen of a pretty spacious cottage,
opening, as a cottage should do, on all sides and in every direction. . . . And then
the necessary freedom from boredom, etiquette, and governors' grandeur, so hated by
governors themselves, which must necessarily be brought about by such a residence ! I
could almost wish to be a governor myself, if I might be allowed to live in such a cottage."
The buildings of Port of Spain are almost invariably surrounded by handsome flowering
trees. A later writer tells us that the governors since have stuck to the cottage, and the
gardens of the older building have been given to the city as a public pleasure-ground.
King^ley speaks of it as a paradise.

Jack abhore, who, after a long and perhaps stormy voyage, would look upon any land
as a haven of delight, will certainly think that he has at last reached the "happy land."
It is not merely the climate, the beauty, or the productions of the country; nor the West
Indian politeness and hospitality — both proverbial ; but the fact that nobody seems to do,
or wants to do, anything, and yet lives ten times as well as the poorer classes of England.
There are 8,000 or more human beings in Port of Spain alone, who "toil not, neither do
they spin," and have no other visible means of subsistence except eating something or
other — mostly fruit — all the live-long day, who are happy, very happy. The truth is, that
though they will, and frequently do, eat more than a European, they can almost do without
food, and can live, like the Lazzaroni, on warmth and light. "The best substitute for a
dinner is a sleep imder a south wall in the blazing sun ; and there are plenty of south
walls in Port of Spain." Has not a poor mau, under these circumstances, the same right
to be idle as a rich one ? Every one there looks strong, healthy, and well-fed. The author

^-.| ■

• "Tho West Indios and the Spanish Main."

;i:

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180

THE SKA.

of " Wostwarl IIo ! " was not likely to be deeeivt'd, und says: "One meets IVw or none
of those fi<,''ures and faces — small, scrol'iilous, squinny, and hsii'-jjard — wliioli disjjjTaiM^ tlio
civilisation of a liritisli city. Nowhere in Port of Spain will you si'e such human hcinj^'s
as in certain streets of London, Liverpool, and (ilas<fnw. Every one plainly can live and
thrive if they choose; and very pleasant it is to know that." And wonderfully well docs
that mixed and happy -^o-lucky population assimilate. Trinidad hcloiij^s to Great Britain;

VIEW IN JAMAICA.

but there are more negroes, half-breeds, Hindoos, and Chinese there than Britons by ten
times ten; and the language of the island is mainly French, not English or Spanish. Under
cool porticoes and through tall doorways are seen dark shops, built on Spanish models, and
filled with everything under the sun. On the doorsteps sit negresses, in flashy Manchester
" prints " and stiff turbans, " all aiding in the general work of doing nothing," or offering
for sale fruits, sweatmeats, or chunks of sugar-cane. These women, as well as the mei,
invariably carry everything on their heads, whether it be a half-barrow load of yams, a
few ounces of sugar, or a beer-bottle.

One of the regrets of an enthusiastic writer must ever 1)3 that he cannot visit all the
lovely and interesting spots which he may so easily describe. The present one, enamoured

X-

is--

ten
nder

and
ester
ering
mei,
ns; a

-5

182

THE SEA.

f i

! )

! l!

with San Francisco, which he has visited, and Singtipore and Sydney, which as yet he
hasn't, would, if such writers as Charles Kingsley and Anthony Trollope are to be credited,
add Trinidad to the list. Read the former's " Letter from a West Indian Cottage Ornee/*
or the latter's description of a ride through the cool woods and sea-shore roads, to be
convinced that Trinidad is one of the most charming islands in the whole world. Bamboos
keep the cottage gravel path up, and as tubes, carry the trickling, cool water to the cottage
bath \ you hear a rattling as of boards or stiff paper outside your window : it is the clashing
together of a fan-palm, with leaf-stalks ten feet long and fans more feet wide. The orange,
the pine-apple, and the " flower fence " [Voinziana) ; the cocoa-palm, the tall Guinea grass,
and the "groo-groos" (a kind of palm: Acrocomiu sclerocarpa) ; the silk-cotton tree, the
tamarind, and the Rosa del monte bushes — twenty feet high, and covered with crimson roses ;
tea shrubs, myrtles, and clove-trees intermingle with vegetation common elsewhere. Thus
much for a mere chance view.

The seaman ashore will note many of these beauties ; but his superior officers will sec
more. The cottage ornee, to which they will be invited, with its lawn and flowering shrubs,
tiny specimens of which we admire in hot-houses at home ; the grass as green as that of
England, and winding away in the cool shade of strange evergreens ; the yellow cocoa-nut
palms on the nearest spur of hill throwing back the tender blue of the distant mountains ;
groups of palms, with perhaps Eft/thrinas vmbrosa [Bois immortelles, they call them in
Trinidad), with vermilion flowers — trees of red coral, sixty feet high — interspersed; a glimpse
beyond of the bright and sleeping sea, and the islands of the Bocas " floating in the shining
waters," and behind a luxuriously furnished cottage, where hospitality is not a mere name,
but a very sound fact; what on earth can man want more?

Kingsley, in presence of the rich and luscious beauty, the vastness and repose, to be
found in Trinidad, sees an understandable excuse for the tendency to somewhat grandiose
language which tempts perpetually those who try to describe the tropics, and know well
that they can only fail. He says : " In presence of such forms and such colouring as this,
one becomes painfully sensible of the poverty of woi-ds, and the futility, therefore, of all
word-painting; of the inability, too, of the senses to discern and define objects of such
vast variety ; of our sesthetic barbarism, in fact, which has no choice of epithets, save such
as 'great,' and 'vast,' and 'gigantic;' between such as 'beautiful,' and 'lovely,' and
' exquisite,' and so forth : which are, after all, intellectually only one stage higher than the
half-brute ' Wah I wah ! ' with which the savage grunts his astonishment — call it not
admiration ; epithets which are not, perhaps, intellectually as high as the ' God is great ! '
of the Mussulman, who is wise enough not to attempt any analysis, either of Nature or
of his feelings about her, and wise enough, also ... in presence of the unknown,
to take refuge in God."

Monkeys of many kinds, jaguars, toucans, wild cats; wonderful ant-eatei-s, racoons,
and lizards; and strange birds, butterflies, wasps, and spiders abound, but none of those
animals which resent the presence of man. Happy land !

But the gun has fired. H.M.S. Sea is getting all steam up. The privilege of leave
cannot last for ever: it is "All aboard!" Whither bound? In the archipelago of the
West Indies there are so many points of interest, and so many ports which the sailor of

bons,
Ihose

leave

the

ir of

KINGSTON, JAMAICA.

183

the Royal Navy is sure to visit. There are important docks at Antigua, Jamaica, and
Bermuda ; while the whole station — known professionally as the " North American and
West Indian" — reaches from the north of South America to beyond Newfoundland, Kingston,
and Jamaica, where England maintains a Hag-ship and a commodore, a dockyai-d, and a
naval hospital.

Kingston Harbour is a grand lagoon, near'y shut in by a long sand-spit, or rather
bank, called "The Palisades," at the point of which is Port Royal, which, about ninety
yeai-s ago, was nearly destroyed by an earthquake. Mr. TroUope says that it is on record
that hardy " subs " and hardier " raids " have ridden along the Palisades, and have not
died from sunstroke in the effort. But the chances were much against them. The ordinary
ingress and egress, as to all parts of the island's coasts, is by water. Our naval establishment
is at Port Royal.

Jamaica has picked up a good deal in these later days, but is not the thriving country
it was before the abolition of slavery. Kingston is described as a formal city, with streets
at right angles, and with generally ugly buildings. The fact is, that hardly any Europeans
or even well-to-do Creoles live in the town, and, in consequence, there are long streets, which
might almost belong to a city of the dead, where hardly a soul is to be seen : at all events,
in th« evenings. All the wealthier people — and there are a large number — have country
seats — "pens," as they call them, though often so charmingly situated, and so beautifully
surrounded, that the term does not seem very appropriate. The sailor's pocket-money will
go a long way in Kingston, if he confines himself to native productions; but woe unto
him if he will insist on imported articles ! All through the island the white people are
very English in their longings, and affect to despise the native luxuries. Thus, they will
give you ox-tail soup when real turtle would be infinitely cheaper. " When yams, avocado
pears, the mountain cabbage, plantains, and twenty other delicious vegetables may be had
for the gathering, people will insist on eating bad English potatoes; and the desire for
English pickles is quite a passion." All the servants are negroes or mulattoes, who are
greatly averse to ridicule or patronage; while, if oiie orders them as is usual in England,
they leave you to wait on yourself. Mr. Trollope discovered this. He ordered a lad in
one of the hotels to fill his bath, calling him " old fellow." "Who you call fellor?" asked
the youth; "you speak to a gen'lman gen'lmanly, and den he fill de bath."

The sugar-cane — and by consequence, sugar and rum — coffee, and of late tobacco, are
the staple productions of Jamaica. There is one district where the traveller may see
an unbroken plain of i,000 acres under canes. The road over Mount Diabolo is very fine,
aad the view back to Kingston very grand. Jack ashore will find that the people all
ride, but that the horses always walk. There are respectable mountains to be ascended in
Jamaica: Blue Mountain Peak towers to the height of 8,000 feet. The highest inhabited
house on the island, the property of a coffee-planter, is a kind of half-way house of
entertainment ; and although Mr. Trollope — who provided himself with a white companion,
who, in his turn, provided five negroes, beef, bread, water, brandy, and what seemed to
him about ten gallons of rum — gives a doleful description of the clouds and mists and fogs
which surrounded the Peak, others may be more fortunate.

The most important of the West Indian Islands, Cuba — " Queen of the Antilles " —

■M

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I

184

THE SEA.

does not, as we all know, belong to England, but is the most splendid appanage of
the Spanish crown. Havana, the capital, has a grand harbour, large, commodious,
and safe, with a fine quay, at which the vessels of all nations lie. The sailor will note
one peculiarity : instead of laying alongside, the ships are fastened " end on " — usually the
bow ]mng at the quay. The harbour is very picturesque, and the entrance to it is defend'etl
by two forts, which were taken once by England — in Albemarle's time — and now could be

' il'

I :

HAVANA,

knocked to pieces in a few minutes by any nation which was ready with the requisite
amount of gunpowder.

Havana is a very gay city, and has some special attractions for the sailor — among
others being its good cigars and cheap Spanish wine and fruits. Its greatest glory
is the Paseo — its Hyde Park, Bois de Boulogne, Corso, Cascine, Alameda — where the
Cuban belles and beaux delight to promenade and ride. There will you see them, in bright-
coloured, picturesque attire — sadly Europeanised and Americanised of late, though — seated
in the volante, a kind of hanging cabriolet, between two large wheels, drawn by one or
two horses, on one of which the negro servant, with enormous leggings, white breeches, red
jacket, and gold lace, and broad-brimmed straw hat, rides. The volante is itself bright with

SETTLEMENT ON A VOLCANO.

185

^cC

jiiisite

mong
glory
the
right-
seated
»ne or
, red
with

polished metal, and the whole turn-out has an air of barbaric splendour. These carriages
are never kept in a coach-house, but are usually placed in the halls, and often even in the
dining-room, as a child^s perambulator might with us. Havana has an ugly cathedral
and a magnificent opera-house.

Slave labour is common, and many of the sugar and tobacco planters are very wealthy.
Properties of many hundred acres under cultivation are common. Mr. TroUope found the
negroes well-fed, sleek, and fat as brewers' horses, while no sign of ill-usage came before
him. In crop times they soi^etimes work sixteen hours a day, and Sunday is not then a
day of rest for them. There are many Chinese coolies, also, on the island.

Kingsley, speaking of the islands in general, says that he "was altogether unprepared
for their beauty and grandeur." Day after day, the steamer took him past a shifting
diorama of scenery, which he likened to Vesuvius and Naples, repeated again and again,
with every possible variation of the same tyi^e of delicate loveliness. Under a cloudless
bky, and over the blue waters, banks of light cloud turned to violet and then to green, and
then disclosed grand mountains, with the surf beating white around the base of tall cliffs
and isolated rocks, and the pretty country houses of settlers embowered in foliage, and
gay little villages, and busy towns. " It was easy," says that charming writer, " in presence
of such scenery, to conceive the exultation which possessed the souls of the lirst discoverers
of the West Indies. What wonder if they seemed to themselves to have burst into fairy-
land — to be at the gates of the earthly Paradise ? With such a climate, such a soil, such
vegetation, such fruits, what luxury must not have seemed possible to the dwellers along
those shores? What riches, too, of gold and jewels, might not be hidden among those
forest-shrouded glens and peaks ? And beyond, and beyond again, ever new islands, new
continents, perhaps, and inexhaustible wealth of yet undiscovered worlds." *

The resemblance to Mediterranean, or, more especially, Neapolitan, scenery is very
marked. " Like causes have produced like effects ; and each island is little but the peak
of a volcano, down whose shoulders lava and ash have slidden toward the sea." Many
carry several cones. One of them, a little island named Saba, has a most remarkable
settlement //a/f-int// up a volcano. Saba rises sheer out of the sea 1,500 or more feet, and,
from a little landing-place, a stair runs up 800 feet into the very bosom of the mountain,
where in a hollow live some 1,200 honest Dutchmen and 800 nejrroes. The latter were,
till of late years, nominally the slaves of the former ; but it is said that, in reality, it was
just the other way. The blacks went off when and whither they pleased, earned money
on other islands, and expected their masters to keep them when they were out of work.
The good Dutch live peaceably aloft in their volcano, grow garden crops, and sell them
to vessels or to surrounding islands. They build the best boats in the West Indies up
in their crater, and lower them down the cliff to the sea ! Tliey are excellent sailors and
good Christians. Long may their voloano remain quiescent !

When the steamer stops at some little port, or even single settlement, the negro
boats come alongside with luscious fruit and vegetables — bananas and green oranges ; the
sweet sop, a fruit which looks like a strawberry, and is as big as an orange ; the custard-

%■

■i

• " At Last : A Christmas in the West Indies."

•'ill

180

THE SEA.

apples — the pulp of which, those who have read " Tom Crinjjle's Log " will romeniber,
is fancied to have an unpleasant resemblance to brains ; the avocado, or allij^ator-peara,
otherwise called " midshipman's butter," which are eaten with pepper and salt ; scarlet
capsicums, green and orange cocoa-nuts, roots of yam, and cush-cush, help to make up
baskets as varied in colour as the gaudy gowns and turbans of the women. Neither nnist
the junks of sugar-cane be omitted, which the " coloured " gentlemen and ladies delight
to gnaw, walking, sitting, and standing ; increasing thereby the size of their lips, and
breaking out, often enough, their upper front teeth. Rude health is in their faces ; their
cheeks literally shine with fatness.

But in this happy archipelago there are drawbacks : in the Guadaloupc earthquake of
1843, 5,000 persons lost their lives in the one town of Point-ri-Pitre alone. The SoufErifere
volcano, 5,000 feet high, roars many a peak to the skies, and shows an ugly and uncertain
humour, smoking and flaming. The writer so often quoted gives a wonderfully beautiful
description of this mountain and its surroundings. "As the sun rose, level lights nf
golden green streamed round the peak, right and left, over the downs; but only for a
while. As the sky-clouds vanished in his blazing rays, earth-clouds rolled up from tlio
valleys behind, wreathed and weltered about the great black teeth of the crater, and then
sinking among them and below them, shrouded the whole cone in purple darkness i\>v
the day; while in the foreground blazed in the sunshine broad slopes of cane-Held j below
them again the town (the port of Basse Terre), with handsome houses, and old-fashioned
churches and convents, dating possibly from the seventeenth century, embowered in mangoes,
tamarinds, and palmistos ; and along the beach, a market beneath a row of trees, with
canoes drawn up to be unladen, and gay dresses of every hue. The surf whispered softly
on the beach. The cheerful murmur of voices came off the shore, and above it, the tinkling
of some little bell, calling good folks to early mass. A cheery, brilliant picture as man
could wish to see, but marred by two ugly elements. A mile away on the low northern
cliff, marked with many a cross, was the lonely cholera cemetery, a remembrance of the
fearful pestilence which, a few years since, swept away thousands of the people : and abo\'e
frowned that black giant, now asleep : but for how long ? "

The richness of the verdtire which clothes these islands to their highest peaks seems a
mere coat of green fur, and yet is often gigantic forest trees. The eye wanders over the
green abysses, and strains over the wealth of depths and iieights, compared with which
fine English parks ar(i mere shrubl>eries. There is every conceivable green, or ratlier of
hues, ranging from pale yellow through all greens into cobalt; and "as the wind stirs
the leaves, and sweeps the lights and shadows over hill and glen, all is ever-changlny-,
iridescent, like a peacock's tail ; till the whole island, from peak to shore, seems some
glorious jewel — an emerald, with tints of sapphire and topaz, hanging between blue sea
and white surf below, and blue sky and white cloud above." And yet, over all this beauty,
dark shadows hang — the shadow of war and the shadow of slavery. These seas have been
oft reddened with the blood of gallant sailors, and every other gully holds the skeleton of
an Englishman.

Here it was that Kodney broke De Grasse's line, took and destroyed seven Frenf-h
ships of war, and scattered the rest: saving Jamaica, and, in sooth, the whole West

■ f

■'!■■

■.. i -

J^m

i r^\

ll r

A COLON V, FORTHEHS, AND I'UISON.

187

Indies, and bringing^ alxmt the honourable peace of 1783. Yon lovely roadstead of Dominica:
there Rodney caught up with tiio French just before, and would have beaten them so much
th(> earlier but for his vessels being becalmed. In that deep bay at Martinique, now lined
with gay houses, was for many years the Cul-de-sac Royal, the rendezvous and stronghold
of the French fleet. That isolated rock hard by, much the shape and double the size of
the great Pyramids, is Sir Samuel Hood's famous Diamond Rock,'* to which that bravo
old navigator literally tied with a hawser or two his ship, the (riittinr, and turned the
rock into a fortress from whence to sweep the seas. The rock was for several months
rated on the books of the Admiralty as " His Majesty's Ship, JJiamouil Rock." She had
at last to surrender, for want of powder, to an overwhelming force — two seventy-fours
and fourteen smaller ships of war — but did not give in till seventy poor Frenchmen were
lying killed or wounded, and three of their gun-boats destroyed, her own loss being only two
men killed and one wounded. Brave old sloop of war ! And, once more, those glens
and forests of St. Lucia remind us of Sir John Moore and Sir Ralph Abercrombie, who
fought, not merely the French, but the " Brigands " — negroes liberated by the Revolution
of 17!»;>.

But the good ship must proceed; and as British naval interests are under consideration,
let her bows be turned to Bermuda — a colony, a fortress and a prison, and where England
owns an extensive floating dock, dock-yards, and workshops, f TroUope says that its
geological formation is mysterious. " It seems to be made of soft white stone, composed
mostly of little shells — so soft, indeed, that you might cut Bermuda up with a hand-saw.
And people are cutting up Bermuda with hand-saws. One little island, that on which
the convicts are established, has been altogether so cut up already. When I visited it,
two fat convicts were working away slowly at the last fragment." Bermuda is the crater
of an extinct volcano, and is surrounded by little islets, of which there is one for every
day of the year in a space of twenty by three miles. These are surrounded again by
reefs and rocks, and navigation is risky.

Were the Bermudas the scene of Ariel's tricks? They were first discovered, in 1522,
by Bermudez, a Spaniard ; and Shakespeare seems to have heai-d of them, for he
speaks of the

" Still vexed Bciinoothes."

Trollope says that there is more of the breed of Caliban in the islands than of Ariel.
Though Caliban did not relish working for his master more than the Bermudian of
to-day, there was an amount of energy about him entirely wanting in the existing
islanders.

There are two towns, St. George and Hamilton, on different islands. The former is
the head-quarters of the military, and the second that of the governor. It is the
summer head-quarters of the admiral of the station. The islands are, in general,
wonderfully fertile, and will, with any ordinary cultivation, give two crops of many

• " Xaval Chronicles,'' vol. xii.

t Other i^<l!ln(U of the West Indies, as St. Thomas's, which is a kind of leading "junction" for mail
steamers, and St. Domingo — so intimately conncc^ted with the voyages of Columbus — will he mentioned hereafter.

188

THE SEA.

vegetables in the year. It has the advantages of the tropics, ftliiit those of more temperntt?
climes. For tomatoes, onions, beet-root, sweet potatoes, early potatoes, as well as all kinds
of fruits, from oranges, lemons, and bananas to small berries, it is not surpassed by any
place in the world; while arrowroot is one of its specialities. It is the early market-gardon
for New York. Ship-building is carried on, as the islands abound in a stunted cedar.

i ''.> \

w^r^^^^

«t,^:r'^

KEUMVnA, FUOM OIllBS HILL.

good for the purpose, when it can be found large enough. The working population are
almost all negroes, and are lazy to a degree. But the whites are not much better; and
the climato is found to produce great lassitude.

It is the sea round the Bermudas, more than the islands themselves, perhaps, that
give its beauty. Everywhere the water is wonderfully clear and transparent, while the
land is broken up into narrow inlets and headlands, and bays and promontories, nooks
and corners, running here and there in capricious and ever-varying forms. The oleander,
with their bright blossoms, are so abundant, almost to the water's edge, that the Bermudas
might be called the "Oleander Isles."

The Bermuda convict, in Trollope's time, seemed to be rather better off than most

rate
iiuls
any

Pcll'll

iclar,

arc
and

that

the

looks

|ndcr,

mdas

Imost

MAKK TWAIN ON TUK l»KK.Mri>AS,

IS'J

EiifT^isli labourers. He had a pound of moat— good meat, too while llie llormudians
were tu{?«,nn{? at their teelh with tough morsels; ho had a pound and three-<iuartcr8 of
bread — more than he wanted; a pound of vegetables; tea and sugar; a glass of grog
per diem; tobaeco-money allowed, and eight hours' labour. lie was infinitely better off
than most sailors of the merchant service.

THE NOUTH KOCK, llEUMl'DA.

St. George, the military station of the colony, commands the only entrance among
the islands suitable for the passage of large vessels, the narrow and intricate channel
which leads to its land-locked haven being defended by strong batteries. The lagoons,
and passages, and sea canals between the little islands make communication by water
as necessary as in Venice. Every one keeps a Iwat or cedar canoe. He will often
do his business on one island and liave his residence on a second. Mark Twain has
a wonderful facility for description ; and his latest articles, " Random Notes of an Idle
Excursion,'' contain a picturesque account of the Bermudas, and more particularly of
Hamilton, the leading port. He says that he found it a wonderfully white town, white
as marble — snow — flour. " It was," says he, " a town compacted together upon the sides

r t

190

THK SEA.

-!ii

and tops of u duster of small IiIIIh. Its outlyinjf bordei-s friiiffed off and thinned away
amonjr the cedar forests, and there was no woody diHtunce of curvin}? coast or leafy islet
sleepinjj^ on the dimpled, painted sea but was flecked with siiininf? white i>oints— half-
conceuled houses peeping out of the foIiaj,'e. * * ^fr There was an ample pier of heavy
masonry ; upon this, under shelter, were some thousands of barrels, containing that product
which has carried the fame of JJermuda to many lands— the potato. With here and there
an onion. That last sentence is facetious, for they grow at k'ast two onions in Bermuda
to one potato. The onion is the pride and the joy of Bermuda. It is her jewel, her gem
of gems. In her conversation, her pulpit, her literature, it is her most frequent and
eloquent figure. In Bermudian metaphor it stands for perfection— perfection absolute.

"The Bermudian, weeping over the departed, exhausts i)raise when he says, 'He was
an onion !' The Bermudian, extolling the living hero, bankrupts applause when he says,
' He is an onion ! ' The Bermudian, setting his son upon the stage of life to dare and
do for himself, climaxes all counsel, supplication, admonition, comprehends all ambition,
when he says, ' Be an onion ! ' " When the steamer arrives at the pier, the first question
asked is not concerning great war or political news, but concerns only the price of
onions. All the writers agree that for tomatoes, onions, and vegetables generally, the
Bermudas are unequalled ; they have been called, as noted before, the market-gardens of New
York.

Jack who is fortunate enough to be on the West India and North American Stations
must be congratulated. "The country roads," says the clever writer above quoted, "curve
and wind hither and thither in the delightfulest way, unfolding j)retty surprises at every
turn; billowy masses of oleander that seem to float out from behind distant projections,
like the pink cloud-banks of sunset; sudden plunges among cottages and gardens, life
and activity, followed by as sudden plunges into the sombre twilight and stillness of the
woods; glittering visions of white fortresses and beacon towers pictured against the sky
on remote hill-tops ; glimpses of shining green sea caught for a moment through opening
headlands, then lost again ; more woods and solitude ; and by-and-by another turn lays
bare, without warning, the full sweep of the inland ocean, enriched with its bar.* of soft
colour, and graced with its wandering sails.

"Take any road you please, you may depend upon it you will not stay in it half a
mile. Your road is everything that a road ought to be; it is bordered with trees, and
with strange plants and flowers; it is shady and pleasant, or sunny and still pleasant; it
carries you by the prettiest and peacefulest and most home-like of homes, and through
stretches of forest that lie in a deep hush sometimes, and sometimes are alive with the
music of birds; it curves always, which is a continual promise, whereas straight roads
reveal everything at a glance and kill interest. * * * There is enough of variety.
Sometimes you are in the level open, with marshes, thick grown with flag-lances that are
ten feet high, on the one hand, and potato and onion orchards on the other ; next you are
on a hill-top, with the ocean and the islands spi-ead around you ; presently the road winds
through a deep cut, shut in by perpendicular walls thirty or forty feet high, marked with
the oddest and abniptest stratum lines, suggestive of sudden and eccentric old upheavals,
and garnished with, here and there, a clinging adventurous Hower, and here ond there

THH (JKKAT IlEUMUDA DOCK.

M)l

II (ltiii^-liii<>- viae; and by-aiul-by, yuur way id along the hcu cd^e, and yuit may look down
n I'atlioiii or two through the transparent water and watch the diamond-liko tlash and
]ilay of the lij^ht upon the rocks and sands on the Ix^ttom until you are tired of it — if
you lire so constituted as to be able to get tired of it."

But OS there are spots in the sun, and the brightest lights throw the deepest shadows
everywhere ; so on the Bermuda coasts there are, in its rare storms, dangers of no small kind
among its numerous reefs and rocks. The North Hock, in particular, is the monument which
marks the grove of many a jwor sailor in by-gone days. At the present time, however,
tug-boats, and the use of steam generally, have reduced the perils of navigation among the
hundreds of islands which constitut.e the Bermuda group to a minimum.

The recent successful trip of Cleopatra's Needle in a vessel of unicjue construction will
recall that of the Bermuda floating-dock, which it will Iw reraemlx'red was towed across
the Atlantic and ])laced in its present position.

Bermuda being, from a naval point of view, the most im|)ortant })ort on the North
American and West Indian Stations, it had long bcefl felt to be an absolute necessity that
a dock capable of holding the largest vessels of war should be built in some part of the
island. After many futile attempts to accomplish this object, owing to the porous nature
of the rock of which the island is formed, it was determined that Messrs. Campbell,
Johnstone & Co., of North Woolwich, should construct a Hoating-dock according to their
patented inventions : those built by them for Carthngcna, Saigon, and Callao having been
completely successful. The dimensions of the dock for Bermuda, which was afterwards
named after that island, are as follows : — ■

Ijcngth DVcr all
Length betwoen ciiissons
Breadth (ivt.T all
Dreadth between nidi.'s
Depth inside -

;J81 feet.
■MO .,

121 „

84 .,

•Yi ., •') in.

She is divided into eight longitudinal water-tight compartments, and these again into
sots of compartments, called respectively load on and balance chambers. Several small
compartments were also made for the reception of the pumps, the machinery for moving
capstans, and cranes, all of which were worked by steam. She is powerful and large
enough to lift an ironclad having a displacement of 10,100 tons, and could almost dock
the (I'rt'nt JCasfuni.

The building of the Hermmla was begun in August, I8<)») ; she was launched in
September, 18(58, and finally completetl in May, 1809. For the ])urposes of navigation
two light wooden bridges were thrown across her, on the foremost of which stood her
compass, and on the after the steering apparatus. She was also supplied with three
lighthouses and several semajihores for signalling to the men-of-war which had her in
tow, either by night or day. In shape she is something like a round-bottomed canal boat
with the ends cut off. From an interesting account of her voyage from Sheerness to
Bermuda by " One of those on Board,"' we gather the following information respecting
lior trip. Ilor crew numbered eighty -two hands, under a Staff-Commander, R.N. ; there
were also on board an assistant naval surgeon, an Admiralty commissioner, and the writer

i ,.

11 !'^
I -'■

192

TIIK SKA.

of the Ijook from which these particuhira lire taken. The lirst rendezvous of the lifrmttila
was to ho at the Nore.

On the afternoon of the S.'Jrd of June, 1801), the lieniiiiila was toweil to the Nore
by four ordinary Tliames tugs, aooompanied by H.M.SS. Ternhle, Mi'ilusn, litizzard, and
H'ililjire. On arriving at the Nore off the lightship she found the NorlfiiiiHtjrriund
waiting for her. The tugs cast off, and a hawser was passed to the Noii/tuniLcrlaiiil,

THE IIEUMIUA I'LOATINU DOCK.

which took her in tow as far as Knob Channel, the TerriUe Imnging up astern. Tlie
Aginconrt was now picketl up, and passing a havrser on board the Korthnmbci-land, took
the lead in the maritime tandem. A hawser was now passed to the Tenlble from the
stern of the Bei-miida, so that by towing that vessel she might be kept from swaying
from side to side. The Mednsd steamed on the quarter of the Northnmherlund, and the
Blizzard acted as a kind of floating outrider to clear the way. The North Foreland was passed
the same evening, at a speed of four knots an hour. Everything went well until the 25th,
when she lost sight of land ofE the Start Point late in the afternoon of that day. On the
28th she was half-way across the Bay of Biscay, when, encountering a slight sea and a
freshening wind, she showed her first tendency to roll, an accomplishment in which sho was

A DOCK AT fSEA.

lU.J

nfterwanls beuten by all her companions, althnugh tho prof^nostications about hor talents in
this direction had been of the most lugubrious description. It must be understood that the
bottom of her hold, so to speak, was only some ten feet under the surfaco of the water, and
that her hollow sides towered some sixty feet above it. On the top of each gunwale were
wooden houses for the officers, with gardens in front and Iwhind, in which mignonette,
Bweot peas, and other English garden flowers, grew and flourished, until they encountered
the parching heat of the tropics. The crew was quartered in the sides of the vessel j
and the top of the gunwales, or quarter-decks, as they might be called, communicated with
the lower decks by means of a ladder fifty-three feet long.

y n

VOYAOE OF THE " IlEUMUDA."

Tlic
\(J, took
fom the
twaying
land the

passed
|o 25th,
lon the

and a
Lhe was

To return, however, to the voyage. Her next rendezvous was at Porto Santo, a small
island on the east coast of the island of Madeira. On July 4th, about six o*cK>ck
in the morning, land was signalled. This proved to be the island of Porto Santo; and
she brought up about two miles off the principal town early in the afternoon, having
made the voyage from Shecrness in exactly eleven days. Here the squadron was joined
by the IFarrior, Black Prince, and Lapwing (gunboat), the Helicon leaving them for
Lisbon. Towards nightfall they started once more in the following order, passing to the
south of Bermuda. The Black Prince and Warrior led the team, towing the Bermtiiln,
the Terrible being towed by her in turn, to prfvent yawing, and the Lapwing following
close on the heels of the Terrible. All went well until the 8th, when the breeze freshened,
the dock rolling as much as ten degrees. Towards eight o'clock in the evening a mighty
crash was heard, and the whole squadron was brought up by signal from the lighthouses.
On examination it was found that the Bermuda had carried away one of the chains of
25

194

THE SEA.

i L

I '

her immense rudder, which was swaying to and fro in a most dangerous manner. The
officers and men, however, went to work with a will, and by one o'clock the next morning-
all was made s^.ug again, and the squadron proceeded on its voyage. During this jiortion
of the trip, a line of communication was established between the Beniinihi and the Warrior,
and almost daily presents of fresh meat and vegetables were sent by the officers of the
ironclad to their unknown comrades on board the dock. On the 9th, the day following
the disaster to the rudder, they fell in with the north-east trade winds, which formed tho
subject of great rejoicing. Signals were made to make all sail, and reduce the quantity
of coal burned in the boilers of the four steam vessels. The next day, the Jjapicing,
being shoiter of coal than the others, she was ordered to take the place of the TerriOle, the
latter ship now taking the lead by towing the Bdick Prince. The Lapiciiuj, however,
proved not to be sufficiently powerful for this service. A heavy sea springing up,
the dock began to yaw and behave so friskily that the squadron once more brought to,
and the old order of things was resumed.

On the 2.jth the Lapwinri was sent on ahead to Bermuda to inform the authorities of
the close advent of the dock. It was now arranged tha* as the Terrible drew less water
than any of the other ships, she should have the honour of piloting the dock through tho
Narrows — a narrow, tortuous, and shallow channel, forming the only practicable entrance
for largo ships to the harbour of Bermuda. On the morning of the 28th, Bermuda light-
house was sighted, and the Spitjire was shortly afterwards picked up, having been sent
by the Bermudan authorities to pilot the squadron as far as the entrance of the Narrows.
She also brought the intelligence that it hud been ai-ranged that the Viper and tho
Tixeii had been ordered to pilot the dock into harbour. As they neared Bermuda, tho
squadron were met by the naval officer in charge of the station, who, after having had
interviews with the captains of the squadron and of the Bermnda, rescinded the order
respecting the Vixen and the Viper, and the Terrible was once more deputed to tow tho
Bermnda through the Narrows. Just off the mouth of this dangerous inlet, the Bermuda
being in tow of the Terrille only, the dock became uncontrollable, and would have done
her best to carry Her Majesty's ship to Halifax had not the Warrior come to her aid,
after the Spitfire and Lapwing had tried ineffectually to be of assistance.

By this time, however, the water in the Narrows had become too low for the
Warrior ; the Bermnda had, therefore, to wait until high water next morning in order to
complete the last, and, as it proved, the most perilous part of her journey. After the
JVarrior and the Terrible had towed the dock through the entrance of the inlet, the first-
named ship cast off. The dock once more became unmanageable through a sudden gust
of wind striking her on the quarter. Had the gust Lsted for only a few seconds longer,
the dock would have stranded — perhaps for ever. She righted, however, and the Terrible
steaming hard ahead, she passed the most dangerous point of the inlet, and at last rodo
securely in smooth water, within a few cables' length of her future berth, after a singularly
succrssful voyage of thirty-six days.

It says much for the naval and engineering skill of all concerned in the transport of
this unwieldy mass of iron, weighing 8,000 tons, over nearly j',000 miles of ocean, with-
out the loss of a single life, or, indeed^ a solitary accident that can be called serious. The

NEW YORK.

195

^ had

sporh of
with-
The

fK\.,«>i^'T' '■'".K.„A, (\Sandv Hook

iJaniWln

conception, execution, and success of the project are wholly unparalk'led in the history of
naval enfjineerinj^.

Leaving Bermuda, whither away ? To the real capital of America, New York. It
is true that English men-of-war, and, for the matter of that, vessels of the American navy,
comparatively seldom visit that port, which otherwise is crowded by the shipping of all
nations. There are reasons for this. New York has not to-day a dock worthy of the
name; magnilicent steamships and palatial ferry-boats all lie alongside wharfs, or enter
" slijjs," which are semi-enclosed wharfs. Brooklyn and Jersey City have, however, docks.

Who that has visited New York will ever forget his first impression:^ ? The grand
Hudson, or the great East River, itself a strait : the glorious bay, or the crowded i^ ' md,
alike call for and deserve enthusiastic admiration. If
one arrives on a sunny day, maybe not a zephyr agitates
the surface of the noble Hudson, or even the bay itself :
the latter landlocked, save where lost in the broad
Atlantic ; the former skirted by the great Babylon of
America and the wooded banks of Hoboken. Round
the lofty western hills, a fleet of small craft — with rakish
hulls and snowy sails — steal quietly and softly, while
steamboats, that look like floating islands, almost pass
them with lightning speed. Around is the shipping of
every clime ; enormous ferry-boats I'adiating in all direc-
tions; forests of masts along the wharfs bearing the
flags of all nations. And where sc much is strange,
there is one consoling fact : you feel yourself at home.
Y'ou are among brothers, speaking the same language,
obeying the same laws, professing the same religion.

New York city and port of entry. New York county. State of New York, lies at the
head of New York Bay, so that there is a good deal of New York about it. It is the
comiijercial emporium of the United States, and if it ever has a rival, it will be on the
other side of the continent, somewhere not far from San Francisco. Its area is, practically,
the bulk of Aianhattan or New York Island, say thii'teen miles long by two wide. Its
separation from the mainland is caused by the Harlem River, which connects the Hudson
and East Rivers, and is itself spanned by a bridge and the Croton aqueduct. New York
really possesses every advantage required to build a grand emporium. It extends between
two rivers, each navigable for the largest vessels, while its harbour would contain the
united or disunited navies, as the case may be, of all nations. The Hudson River, in
particular, is for some distance up a mile or more in width, while the East River averages
over two-fifths of a mile. The population of New York, with its suburban appendages,
including the cities of Brooklyn and Jersey City, is not less than that of Paris.

The harbour is surro'uided with small settlements, connected by charmingly-situated
villas and country residences. It is toward its northern end that the masts, commencing
with a few slr.igglers, gradually thicken to a forest. In it are three fortified islands.
By the strait called the " Narrows," seven miles from the lower part of the city, and

ir^'-

V>o

Freehold

Atluntirvilla

'Long Branch

l>enl

MAI" OF NEW YORK HAlillOlll.

I^i

i. ■

196

THE SEA.

which is, for the space of a mile, about one mile wide, it communicates with the outer
harbour, or bay proper, which extends thence to Sandy Hook Light, forty miles from
the city, and opens directly into the ocean, forming one of the best roadsteads on the
whole Atlantic coasts of America. The approach to the city, as above indicated, is very
fine, the shores of the bay being wooded down to the water's edge, and thickly studded
with villages, farms, and country seats. The view of the city itself is not so prepossessing ;
like all large cities, it is almost impossible to find a point from which to grasp the

BROOKLYN BRIDOE.

grandeur in its entirety, and the ground on which it is built is nowhere elevated. There-
fore there is very little to strike the eye specially. Many a petty town makes a greater
show in this respect.

Those ferry-boats ! The idea in the minds of most Englishmen is associated with
boats that may pass over from one or two to a dozen or so people, possibly a single horse,
or a donkey-cart. There you find steamers a couple of hundred or more feet long, with,
on either side of the engines, twenty or more feet space. On the true deck there is
accommodation for carriages, carts, and horses by the score; above, a spacious saloon for
passengers. They have powerful engines, and will easily beat the average steamship. On
arrival at the dock, they run into a kind of slip, or basin, with piles around stuck in the
soft bottom, which yield should she strike them, and entirely do away with any fear of

NEW YORK FEKIiY-BOATS.

197

concussion. " I may here add," notes an intelliji^ent writer,* " that during my whole
travels in the States, I found nothing more perfect in constr .ction and arrangement than
the ferries and their boats, the charges for which are most moderate, varying according to
distances, and ranging from one halfpenny upwards."

The sailor ashore in New York — and how many, many thousands visit it every year ! —
will find much to note. The public buildings of the great city are not remarkable; buu
the one great street, Broadway, which is about eight miles long, and almost straight, is

liy

lEUIlY-IlOAT, NEW VOUK IIAUUOUU.

Ihere-
[•eator

I with
lorse,
nth,
bre is
for
On
the
ir of

a very special feature. Unceasing throngs of busy men and women, loungers and idlers,
vehicles of all kinds, street cars, omnibuses, and carriages — there are no cabs hardly in
New York — pass and re-pass from early morn to dewy eve, while the shops, always
called " stores," rival those of the Boulevards or Regent Street. Some of the older streets
were, no doubt, as Washington Irving tells us, laid out after the old cow-paths, as they
are as narrow and tortuous as those of any European city. The crowded state of Broadway
at certain points rivals Cheapside. The writer saw in 18(57 a light bridge, which spanned
the street, and was intended for the use of ladies and timid pedestrians. When, in 1869,
he re-passed through the city it had disappeared, and on inquiry he learnt the reason.
Unprincipled roughs had stationed themselves at either end, and levied black-mail toll on
old ladies and unsophisticated country-people.

* "Lands of the Slave and the Free," by the lion. Henry A. Murray.

198

THE SEA.

' 31

, I

i ' I

ii I
If 1

iii ^i \

■■M

So extreme is the difference between tlie intense heat of summer and the equally
intense cold of winter in New York, that the residents regularly get thin in the
former and stout in the latter. And what a sight are the two rivers at that time ! Huge
masses of ice, crashing among themselves, and making navigation perilous and sometimes
impossible, descending the stream at a rapid rate; docks and slips frozen in; the riggings
and shrouds of great ships covered with icicles, and the decks ready for immediate use as
skating-rinks. The writer crossed in the ferry-boat from Jersey City to New York, in
January, 1875, and acquired a sincere respect for the pilot, who wriggled and zig-zagged
his vessel through masses of ice, against which a sharp collision would not have been a
joke. When, on the following morning, he left for Liverpool, the steamship herself was
a good model for a twelfth-night cake ornament, and had quite enough to do to get
out from the whai'f. Five days after, in mid-Atlantic, he was sitting on deck in the
open air, reading a book, so much milder at such times is it on the open ocean.

But our leave is over, and although it would be pleasant to travel in imaginative
company up the beautiful Hudson, and visit one of the wonders of the world — Niagara,
to-day a mere holiday excursion from New York — we must away, merely briefly noting
before we go another of the wonders of the world; a triuinph of engineering skill : the
great lirookl3'n bridge, which connects that city with New York. Its span is about three-
quarters of a mile; large ships can pass under it, while vehicles and pedestrians cross in
mid-air over their mast tops, between two great cities, making them one. Brooklyn is a
great place for the residences of well-to-do New Yorkers, and the view from its " Heights "
— an elevation covered with villas and mansions — is grand and extensive. Apart from this,
Brooklyn is a considerable city, with numerous churches and chapels, public buildings, and
places of amusement.

Halifax is the northernmost depot of the whole West India an I North American
Station, and is often a great rendezvous of the Itoyal Navy. It is situated on a penin-
sula on the south-east coast of Nova Scotia, of which it is the capital. Its situation is
very picturesque. The town stands on the declivity of a hill about 250 feet high, rising
from one of the finest harbours in the world. The city front is lined with handsome
wharfs, while merchants' houses, dwellings, and public edifices arrange themselves on
tiers, stretching along and up the sides of the hill. It has fine wide streets; the
principal one, which runs round the edge of the harbour, is capitally paved. The harbour
opposite the town, where ships usually anchor, is rather more than a mile wide, and after
narrowing to a quarter of a mile above the upper end of the town, expands into Bedford Basin,
a completely land-locked sheet of water. This grand sea-lake has an area of ten square
miles, and is capable of containing any number of navies. Halifax possesses another
advantage not common to every harbour of North America : it is accessible at all seasons,
and navigation is rarely impeded by ice. There are two fine lighthouses at Halifax ; that
on an island off Sambro Head is 210 feet high. The port possesses many large ships of
its own, generally employed in the South Sea whale and seal fishery. It is a very prosperous
fishing town in other resjjects.

The town of Halifax was founded in 17-19. The settlers, to the number of 3,500,
largely composed of naval and military men, whose expenses out had been paid by the

ii'

jqtially
n tlic

Huge
letiines
ggings

use as
ork, in
-zaggod

been a
self was

to get

in the

ifjinative

Niagara,

y noting

kill: the

ut three-
cross in

klyn is a

Heights"

from this,
iiigs, and

American
a penin-
tuation is
gh, rising
handsome
Uselves on
eets ; the
e harbour
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en s(iuare
s another
11 seasons,
ifax; that
e ships of
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of 3,500,
xid by the

AMONG THE "BLUE NOSES."

11)9

British Government to assist in the formation of the station, soon cleared the ground from
stumps, &c., and having erected a wooden government liousc and suitable warehouses for
stores and provisions, the town was laid out so as to form a number of straiglit and liand-
some streets. Planks, doors, window-frames, and other pt)rtions of houses, wore imported
from the New England settlements, and the more laborious portion of the work, which
the settlers executed themselves, was performed with great dispatch. At the approach of
winter they found themselves comfortably settled, having completed a number of houses
and huts, and covered others in a manner which served to protect them from the rigour
of the weather, there very severe. There wore now assembled at Halifax about 5,000
people, whose labours were suddenly suspended by the intensity of the frost, "nd there
was in consequence considerable enforced idleness. Haliburton* mentions the difficulty
that the governor had to employ the settlers by sending them out on various expeditions,
in palisading the town, and in other public works.

In addition to £10,000 granted by the British Government for the embarkation and
other expenses of the first settlers, Parliament continued to make annual grants for the
same purpose, which, in 1755, amounted to the considerable sum of £410,000.

The town of Halifax was no sooner built than the French colonists began to be
alarmed, and although they did not think proper to make an open avowal of their jealousy
and disgust, they employed their emissaries clandestinely in exciting the Indians to harass
the inhabitants with hostilities, in such a manner as should effectually hinder them from
extending their plantations, or perhaps, indeed, induce them to abandon the settlement.
The Indian chiefs, however, for some time took a different view of the matter, waite«l
upon the governor, and acknowledged themselves subjects of the crown of England. The
French court thereupon renewed its intrigues with the Indians, and so far succeeded that
for several years the town was frequently attacked In the night, and the English could
not stir into the adjoining woods without the danger of being shot, scalped, or taken
prisoners.

Among the early laws of Nova Scotia was one by which it was enacted that no debts
contracted in England, or in any of the colonies prior to the settlement of Halifax, or to
the arrival of the debtor, should be recoverable by law in any court in the province. As
an asylum for insolvent debtoi-s, it is natural to suppose that Halifax attracted thither
the guilty as well as the unfortunate ; and we may form some idea of the state of public
morals at that period from an order of Governor Cornwallis, which, after reciting that the
dead were usually attended to the grave by neither relatives or friends, twelve citizens
should in future be summoned to attend the funeral of each deceased person.

The Nova Scotians are popularly known by Canadians and Americans as " Blue Noses,"
doubtless from the colour of their nasal appendages in bitter cold weather. It has been
already mentioned that Halifax is now a thriving city ; but there must have been a period
when the people were not particularly enterprising, or else that most veracious individual,
"Sam Slick," greatly belied them. Judge Haliburton, in his immortal " Clockmaker,"
introduces the following conversation with Mr. Slick : —

" ' You appear,' said I to Mr. Slick, ' to have travelled over the whole of this province,

• " Historical and Statistical Account of Nova Scotia," by Judge Haliburton.

1 ■!

i ;

• i

II i

'i,

rf.

i ; '1

1 !

-, If :

200

THE SEA.

and to have observed the country and the people with much attention ; pray, what is your
opinion of the present state and future prospects of Halifax ?' 'If you will tell me/
said he, ' when the folks there will wake up, then I can answer you ; but they are fast
asleep. As to the province, it's a splendid province, and calculated to go ahead ; it will
grow as fast as a Virginny gall — and they grow so amazing fast, if you put one of your
arms round one of their necks to kiss them, by the time you've done they've growed up
into women. It's a pretty province, I tell you, good above and better below : surface

THE ISLAND OF ASCENSION.

covered with pastures, meadows, woods, and a nation sight of water privileges; and under
the ground full of mines. It puts me in mind of the soup at Tn'emoni house — good enough
at top, but dip down and you have the riches — the coal, the iron ore, the gypsum, and
what not. As for Halifiix, it's well enough in itself, though no great shakes neither; a
few sizeable houses, with a proper sight of small ones, like half-a-dozen old hens with
their broods of young chickens : bat the people, the strange critters, they are all asleep.
They walk in their sleep, and talk in their sleep, and what they say one day they forget
he next; tht^^, ^ay they were dreaming.' " This was first published in England in 1838;
all accounts now speak of Halifax as a well-built, paved, and cleanly city, and of its
inhabitants as enterprising.

IS your
ell me/
are fast
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surface

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ley forget
lin 1838;
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ii;t

W-l . TUE SEA.

CHAPTER XII.

Round the "World ox a Man-of-Wau {eontinned).

THE AFRICAN STATION.

Its Extent— Ascension— Turtle at a Discount -Sierra Leone— An Uiilicalthy Station— Tlio Capo of Good Ilopo-Capc Town-
Visit of tlio Sailor I'riiicc— Grand Festivities- Knthusiasni of the Natives— Loyal Demonstrations— An African
"Derby "—Grand Dock InaiiKurated- Elephant Iluntint?— The Parting Ball— The Life of a Boer- Circular Farms— The
Diamond Discoveries— A £12,000 Gem— A Sailor I'irst I'rcsidcnt of the Fields— I'recarious Nature of the Heurch —
Natal— Inducements licld out to Settlers— St. Hclcnu and Napoleon— Discourteous Treatment of a Fallen Foe— The
Homo of the Catted Lion,

And now wo are off to the last of the British naval stations under consideration — that
of the African coast. It is called, in naval phraseology, " The West Coast of Africa
and Cape of Good Hope Station," and embraces not merely all that the words imply, hut
a part of the east coast, including the important colony of Natal. Commencing at lati-
tude 20° N. above the Cape Verd Islands, it includes the islands of Ascension, St. Helena,
Tristan d'Acunha, and others already described.

Ascension, which is a British station, with dockyard, and fort garrisoned by artillery
and marines, is a barren island, about eight miles long by six broad. Its fort is in lat.
70° 26' N. : long., 110° 2l!' W. It is of volcanic formation, and one of its hills rises to
the considerable elevation of 2,870 feet. Until the imprisonment of Napoleon at St.
Helena, it was utterly uninhabited. At that period it was garrisoned with a small British
force ; and so good use was made of their time that it has been partly cultivated and
very greatly improved. Irrigation was found, as elsewhere, to work wonders, and as
there are magnificent springs, this was rendered easy. Vast numbers of turtle are taken
on its shores ; and, in consequence, the soldiers prefer the soup of pea, and affect to despise
turtle steaks worth half a guinea apiece in London, and fit to rejoice the heart of an
alderman ! The writer saw the same thing in Vancouver Island, where at the boarding-
house of a very large steam saw-mill, the hands struck against the salmon, so abundant
on those coasts. They insisted upon not having it more than twice a week for dinner,
and that it should be replaced by salt pork. The climate of Ascension is remarkably
healthy. The object in occupying it is very similar to the reason for holding the Falk-
land Islands — to serve as a depot for stores, coal, and for watering ships cruising in the
South Atlantic.

Sierra Leone is, perhaps, of all places in the world, the last to which the sailor would
wish to go, albeit its unhealthiness has been, as is the case with Panama, grossly
exaggerated. Thus we were told that when a clergyman with some little influence was
pestering the Prime IMinister for the time being for promotion, the latter would appoint
him to the Bishopric of Sierra Leone, knowing well that in a year or so the said bishopric
would be vacant and ready for another gentleman !

Sierra Leone is a British colony, and the capital is Free Town, situated on a peninsula
lying between the broad estuary of the Sherboro and the Sierra Leone rivers, connected
with the mainland by an isthmus not more than one mile and a half broad. The colony

'ill

would
grossly
36 was
Appoint
iilxopric

tiinsula
inected
I colony

THE CAPE OF GOOD lIorE.

203

also includes a number of isliinds, among' which are many good harbours. Its history
has one interesting point. When, in 1787, it became a British colony, a company was
formed, which included a scheme for making it a home for free negroes, and to prove
that colonial produce could be raised profitably without resorting to slave labour. lis
prosperity was seriously ail'i .ted during the French Revolution by the depredations of
French cruisers, and in 1808 the company ceded all its rights to the Crown. Its populatioa
includes negroes from :iOO different African trilx's, many of them liberated from slavery
and slave-ships, a subject which will be treated hereafter in this work.

One of the great industries of Sierra Leone is the manufacture of cocoa-nut oil. The
factories are extensive affairs. It is a very beautiful country, on the whole, and when
acclimatised, Europeans find that they can live splendidly on the prodv.cts of the country.
The fisheries, both sea and river, are wonderfully productive, and employ about 1,500
natives. Boat-building is carried on to some extent, the splendid fon.'sts yielding timber
so large that canoes capable of holding a hundred men have been made from a single
log, like those already mentioned in connection with the north-west coast of Americn.
Many of the West Indian products have been introduced; sugar, coffee, indigo, ginger,
cotton, and rice thrive well, as do Indian corn, the yam, plantain, pumjjkins, banana,
cocoa, baobab, pine-apple, orange, lime, guava, papaw, pomegranate, orange, and lime.
Poultry is particularly abundant. It therefore might claim attention as a fruitful and
productive country but for the malaria of its swampy rivers and low lands.

And now, leaving Sierra Leone, our good ship makes for the Cape of Good Hope,
passing, mostly far out at sea, down that coast along which the Portuguese mariners crept
so cautiously yet so surely till Diaz and Da Gama reached South Africa, while the latter
showed them the way to the fabled Cathaia^ the Orient — India, China, and the Spice
Islands.

In the year 1480 " The Cape " of capes par exccUence, which rarely nowadays bears
its full title, was discovered by Bartholomew de Diaz, a commander in the service of
John II. of Portugal. He did not proceed to the eastward of it, and it was reserved for
the great Vasco da Gama — afterwards the first Viceroy of India — an incident in whose
career forms, by-the-by, the plot of L'Afrimine, Meyerbeer's grand opera, to double it.
It was called at first Cabo Tormentoso — " the Cape of Storms " — but by royal desire
was changed to that of " Buon Esperanza " — " Good Hope " — the title it still bears.
Cape Colony was acquired by Great Britain in 1020, although for a long time it was
practically in the hands of the Dutch, a colony having been planted by their East India
Company. The Dutch held it in this way till 179.5, when the territory was once more
taken by our country. It was returned to the Dutch at the Peace of Amiens, only to be
snatched from them again in 180G, and finally confirmed to Britain at the general peace
of 1815.

The population, including the Boers, or farmers of Dutch descent, Hottentots, Kaffirs,
and Malays, is not probably over 000,000, while the original territory is about 700 miles
long by 400 wide, having an area of not far from 200,000 square miles. The capital
of the colony is Cape Town, lying at the foot, as every schoolboy knows, of the celebrated
Table Mountain,

'lev

I i

i \

i f

■Ifi

:J(J4

THE SEA.

A recent writer, Mr. Boyle,* speaks cautiously of Cape Town and its people. There
are respectable, but not very noticeable, public buildings. " Some old Dutch houses there
are, distinguishable chiefly by a superlative Hatness and an extra allowance of windows.
The population is about ^0,000 souls, white, black, and mixed. I should incline to
think more than half fall into the third category. They seem to be hospitable and good-
natured in all classes. . . . There is complaint of slowness, indecision, and general
' want of go ' about the place. Dutch blood is said to be still too apparent in business.

SIEIIRA LEON'E.

in local government, and in society. I suppose there is sound basis for these accusations,
since trade is migrating so rapidly towards the rival mart of Port Elizabeth. . . . But
ten years ago the entire export of wool passed through Cape Town. Last year, as I find
in the official returns, 28,000,000 lbs. were shipped at the eastern port out of the whole
.'37,000,000 lbs. produced in the colony. The gas-lamps, put up by a sort of coup d'etat
in the municipality, were not lighted until last year, owing to the opposition of the Dutch
town councillors. They urged that decent people didn't want to be out at night, and the
ill-disposed didn't deserve illumination. Such facts seem to show that the city is not
quite up to the mark in all respects."

* "To the Cape for Diamonds." By Frederick Boyle.

OUR SAILOK rUINC'E AT THE CAPE.

:UKt

Simon's Bay, near Table Bay, whore Cajw Town is situated, is a <jrcat reiuU'/voii.s
for the navy ; there are docks and soldiers there, and a small town. The hay ahouiids
in fish. The Rev. John Milner, chaplain of the (luluteit, says that diirin},' the visit of
Prince Alfred, " large shoals of fish (a sort of coarse mackerel) were seen all over the
bay j numbers came alongside, and several of them were harpooned with gmina by somo
of the youngsters from the accommodation-ladder. Later in the day a seal rose, and
continued fishing and rising in the most leisurely manner. At one time it was within

CAI'E TOWN.

Isations,
. But
I find
whole
d'etat
Dutch
Ind the
is not

easy rifle distance, and might have been shot from the ship."* Fish and meat arc so
plentiful in the colony that living is excessively cheap.

The visit of his Royal Highness the Sailor Prince, in 1867, will long be remembered in
the colony. That, and the recent diamond discoveries, prove that the people cannot be accused
of sloth and want of enterprise. On arrival at Simon's Bay, the first vessels made out
were the Racoon, on which Prince Alfred had served his time as lieutenant, the Pelrvl,
just returned from landing poor Livingstone at the Zambesi, and the receiving--shi|)
Senngapatam. Soon followed official visits, dinner, ball, and fireworks from the ships.
When the Prince was to proceed to Cape Town, all the ships fired a royal salute, and

• " The Cruise of H.M. Ship Galatea." By the Rev. John Jlilner, B.A,, Chaplain, and Oswald \V. Brierly.

200

THE SEA.

tho fort also, us he lunded at the jetty, where he was received hy a <riiard of honour of
the OUth Kt'fjiinent. A short distance from the landinj^-phico, at the entrance to tho
main street, was a pretty arch, decorated with flowering' shrubs, and the leaves of tho
silver-tree. On his way to this his Royal Highness was met by a deputation from
the inhabitants of Simon's Town and of the Malay population. " This was a very
interesting sight; the chief men, dressed in Oriental costumes, with bright-coloured robes
and turbans, stood in front, and two of them held short wands decorated with paper flowers
of various colours. The Duke shook hands with them, and then they touched him with
their wands. They seemed very much i>loascd, and looked at him in an earnest and
afPeetionatc manner. Several of the Malays stood round with drawn swords, apparently
acting as a guard of honour. The crowd round formed a very motley group of people
of all colours — negroes, brown Asiatics, Hottentots, and men, women, and children of
every hue. The policemen had enough to do to keep them back as they pressed up close
round the Duke." After loyal addresses had been received, and responded to, the Princo
and suite drove off for Cape Town, the ride to which is graphically described by the
chaplain and artist of the expedition. " The morning was very lovely. Looking to
seaward was the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Hanglip, and the high, broken shores of
Hottentot Holland, seen over the clear blue water of the bay. The horses, carriages,
escort with their drawn swords, all dashing at a rattling pace along the sands in tho
bright sunshine, and the long lines of small breakers on the beach, was one of the most
exhilarating sights imaginable. In places the cavalcade emerged from the sands up on
to where the road skirts a rocky shore, and where at this season of the year beautiful
arum lilies and other bright flowers were growing in the greatest profusion. About four
miles from Simon's Hay, we passed a small cove, called Fish-hook Bay, where a few
families of Malay fishermen i-eside. A whale they had killed in the bay the evening
before lay anchored ready for * cutting in.' A small flag, called by whalers a ' whiff,*
was sticking up in it. We could see from the road that it was one of the usual southern
' right ' whales which occasionally come into Simon's Bay, and are captured there. After
crossing the last of the sands, we reached Kalk Bay, a collection of small houses where-
the people from Cape Town come to stay in the summer. As we proceeded, fresh carriages-
of private individuals and horsemen continued to joi.! on behind, and it was necessary
to keep a bright look-out to prevent them rushing in butu'een the two carriages containing
the Duke and Governor, with their suites. Variou •■ small unpretending arches (every
poor man having put up one on his own account), with flags and flowers, spanned th&
road in different places between Simon's Town and Farmer Peck's, a small inn about
nine miles from the anchorage, which used formerly to have the following eccentric:
sign-boai'd : —

THE GENTLE SHEPHERD OF SALISBUBY PLAIN.

' FAKMEH FECKR.

' Multum in Parvo I Pro bono publico !
Entertainment for man or beast, all of a row,
Lokher kost, as muoh as you please ;
Excellent beds, without any fleas.

A SOUTH AFKicAN inicr.ii'ioN. g07

Xo8 ]mti'ium fiiKiiiiiiM ! now we nrc hen',
VivamuN I b't um live by scUiiip; Ihti'.
< In ilonnc a boirr ct a iiiiiiiffcr iti ;
Como in and try it, whoi'Vcr you bo.'

Tliis hoiiso was deooriitcd with t'vorf»'reons, and over tlie door was a stuffed Soulli
African leopard spriiiy;iti<^ on an antelope. A little I'lirther on, after discussinjif lunch
at a half-way house, a goodly number of volunteer cavalry, in blue-and-white uniforms,
appeared to escort the Sailor Prince into Cape Town. The road passes through pleasant
country ; but the thick red dust which rose as the cavalca«lo proceedetl was overwhelming.
It was a South African version of the 'Derby' on a hot summer's day. At various
places parties of school-children, arrayed along the road-side, sung the National Anthem
in little piping voices, the singing being generally conducted by mild-looking men in
black gloves and spectacles. At one place stood an old Malay, playing ' God Save the
Queen ' on a cracked clarionet, who, quite absorbed as he was in his music, and apparently
unconscious of all around him, looked exceedingly comic. There was everywhere a great
scrambling crowd of Malays and black boys, running and tumbling over each other,
shouting and laughing; women with children tied on their backs, old men, and girls
dressed in every conceivable kind of ragged rig and picturesque colour, with head-gear
of a wonderful nature, huge Malay hats, almost parasols in size, and resembling the
thatch of an English corn-rick ; crowns of old black hats ; turbans of all proportions and
colours, swelled the procession as it swept along. When the cavalry -trumpet sounded
' trot,' the cloud of dust increased tenfold. Everybody, apparently, who could muster a
horse was mounted, so that ahead and on every side the carriage in which we were Ibllowing
the Duke was hemmed in and surrounded, and everything became mixed up in one thick
cloud of red dust, in which helmott! swords, hats, puggeries, turbans, and horses almost
<lisappeared. The crowd hurraed louder than ever, jiigs squealed, dogs howled, riders
tumbled off ; the excitement was irresistible. ' Oh ! this is fun ; stand up — never mind
dignity. Whoo-whoop ! ' and wo were rushed into the cloud of dust, to escape being
utterly swamped and left astern of the Duke, standing up in the carriage, and holding
on in front, to catch what glimpses we could of wl'.at was going on. . . . Sc ie of
the arches were very beautiful; they were ^\i decorated with flowering shrubs, flowers
{particularly the arum lily) and leaves of the silver -tree. In one the words Wklcojik
Back* were formed with oranges. One of the most curious had on its top a largo
steamship, with Galnfea inscribed upon it, and a funnel out of which real smoke was
made to issue as the Duke passed under. Six little boys dressed as sailors formed the
crew, and stood up singing ' Rule Britannia.' " And so they arrived in Cape Town,
to have levees, receptions, entertainments, and balls by the dozen.

While at the Cape the Duke of Edinburgh laid the foundation of a grand graving-
dock, an adjunct to the Table Bay Harbour Works, a most valuable and important addition
to the resources of the Royal Navy, enabling the largest ironclad to ne repaired at that
distant point. The dock is four hundred feet long, and ninety feet wide. For more
than forty years previously frequent but unsuccessful efforts had been made to provide

* Alluding to the previous visit of Prince Alfred when a midshipman.

■'

Hl'i'j

208

THE SEA.

: (

a iiarbour of refuge in Table Bay ; now, in addition to this splendid dock, it has a
fine breakwater.

Officers of the Royal Navy may occasionally get the opportunity afforded the Prince,
of attending an elephant hunt. From the neighbourhood of the Cape itself the biggest
of beasts has long retired ; but three hundred miles up the coast, at Featherbed Bay,
wlicre there is a settlement, it is still possible to enjoy some sport.

To leave the port or town oi Knysna — where, by-the-by, the Duke was entertained
at a great feed of South African oysters — was found to be difficult and perilous. The
entrance to the harbour is very fine; a high clifF comes down sheer to the sea on one side,
while on the other there is an angular bluff, with a cave through it. As the Pefrti
steamed out, a large group of the ladies of the district waved their handkerchiefs, and
the elephant-hunters cheered. It was now evident, from the appearance of the bar, that
the Petrel had not come out a moment too soon. A heavy sea of roD^rs:- extended nearly
the whole way across the mouth of the harbour, and broke into a long thundering crest
of foam, leaving only one small space on the western side clear of actual surf. For this
opening th 3 Petrel steered ; but even there the swell was so great that the vessel reared and
pitched fearfully, and touched the bottom as she dipped astern into the deep trough of the sea.
The slightest accident to the rudder, and nothing short of a miracle could have saved them
from going on to the rocks, where a tremendous surf was breaking. Providentially, she got
out safely, and soon the party was transferred to the Racoon, which returned to Simon's Bay.

On liis return from the elephant hunt, the Prince gave a parting ball. A capital ball-
room, 1-"J5 feet long by 14 wide, was improvised out of an open l>oat-house by a party
of blue-jackets, who, by means of ships' lanterns, flags, arms arranged as ornaments, and
beautiful ferns and flowers, effected a transformation as wonderful as anything recorded in
the " Arabian Nights," the crowning feature of the decorations being the head of one
of the elephants from the Knysna, surmounting an arch of evergreens. Most of the
visitors had to come all the way from Cape Town, and during the afternoon were to be
seen flocking along the sands in vehicles of every description, many being conveyed to
Simon's Town a part of the distance in a navy steam-tendrr or the Galatea's steam-launch.
The ball was, of course, a grand success.

This not being a history of Cape Colony, but rather of wLat the sailor M'ill find at or
near its jwrts and harbours, the write: is relieved from any necessity of treating on nast
or present troubles with tho Boers or the natives. Of course, everything was tinted
eonlenr tie rose at the Prince's visit, albeit at that very time the colony was in a bad way, with
over siieculfition among the commercial classes, a cattle plague, disease among sheep, and
a grape-disease. ^Ir. Frederick Boyle, V'liose recent work on the Diamond-fields has been
already quoted, and who had to leave a steamer short of coal at Saldanha Bay, seventy or
ciglitv m?'"" from Cape Tov m, and proceed by a rather expensive route, presents a picture
far from gratifying of some of the districts through which he passed. At Saldanha Bay
.igriculture gave such poor re'.u'ns that it did not even pay lo export produce to the
Capo. The settlers exist, but can hardly be said fo live. They have i)lcnty of cat.!, and
shopp, snfUcient maize and corn, but little money. Mr. Boyle describes the homestead of
a Boor substantially us follows : —

1 I

THE LIFE OF A liOEK.

209

Reaching the home of a farmer named Vasson, he found himself in the midsit of a
scene cjuite patriarchal. All the plain before the house was white with sheep and lambs,
drinking at the "dam" or in long troughs. The dam is an indispensable institution in a
country where springs are scarce, and where a river is a prodigy. It is the new settler's
first work, even before erecting his house, to li'.id a hollow space, and dam it up, so as to
make a reservoir. lie then proceeds to make the best sun-dried bricks he can, and to erect
his cottage, usually of two, and rarely m^re than three, rooms. Not un frequently, there

Id at or
,n vast
tinted
ly, with
lep, and
las been
[•euty or
picture
dia Ba/
to the
.!. and
itead of

THE *' GALATEA" PASSIXO KXVSNA HEAr.3.

is a garden, hardly worthy of the name, where a few potatoes and onions are raised. 1 ho
farmers, more especially the Dutch, are " the heaviest and largest in the world." At an
early age their drowsy habits and copious feeding run them into flesh. "Three times a
day the family gorges itself upon lumps of mutton, fried in the tallowy fat of the sheep's
tail, or else — their only change of diet — upon the tasteless frlcadel — kneaded balls of
meat and onions, likewise swimming in grease. Very few vegetables they have, and those
are rarely used. Brown bread they make, but scarcely touch it. Fancy existing froni
birth to death upon mutton scraps, half boiled, half fried, in tallow! So doth the Boer.
It is not eating, but devouring, with him. -inu fancy the existence ! always alone with
one's father, mother, brothers, and sisters ; of whouA not one can do more than write his
name^ scarce one can read, not one has heard of any event in history, nor dreamed of such
27

lit

i:1 I

210

THE SEA,

existing things as art or science, or poetry, or aught that pertains to civilisation." An
unpleasant picture, truly, and one to which there are many exfeptions. It was doubtful
whether Mr. Vasson could read. His farm was several thousand acres. The ancient law
of Cape Colony gave the settlci- 3,000 morgen — something more than (5,000 acres. He was
not obliged to take so much, but, whatever the size of his farm might be, it must be
circular in shape ; and as the circumference of a property could only touch the adjoining
grants it follows bat there were immense corners or tracts of land left waste between.
Clever and ambitious farmers, in these later days, have been silently absorbing said corners
into their estates, greatly increasing their size.

The Cape cannot be recommended to the notice of poor emigrants, but to capitalists
it offers splendid Inducements. Mr. Irons, in his work on the Cape and Natal settlements,*
cites several actual cases, showing the profits on capital invested in sheep-farming. In one
case £1,250 rpalised, in about three years, £2,800, which includes the sale of the wool.
A second statement gives the profits on an outlay of £2,225, after seven years. It amounts
to over £8,000. Rents in the towns are low ; beef and miitton do not exceal fourpence
per pound, while bread, made largely from imported flour, is a shilling and upwards per
four-pound loaf.

So many sailors have made for the Diamond-fields, since their discovery, from the Capr
Port Elizabeth, or Natal, and so many more will do the same, as any new deposit is found,
that it will not be out of place here to give the facts concerning them. In 1871, whe .
Mr. Boyle visited them, the ride up cost from £12 to £16, with additional expenses for
meals, &c. Of course, a majority of the 50,000 men who have been congregated at times
at the various fields could not and did not afford this; but it Is a tramp of 750 miles
from Cape Town, or 450 from Port Elizabeth or Natal, ^rom tue Cape, a railway, for about
sixty miles, eases some of the distance. On the journey up, which reads very like Western
experiences in America, two of three mules were twenty-six Ixours and a half in harness,
and covered 1 10 miles I South Africa requires a society for the prevention of cruelty to
anims;'s, one would think. Mr. Boyle also saw another way by which the colonist may
become rapidly wealthy — in ostrich-farming. Broods, purchased for £5 to £9, in three years
gain their full plumages, and yield in feathers £1' to £6 per annum. They become quite
tame, are not delicate to rear, and are easily managed. And they also met the down coaches
from tiie fields, on one of which a young fellow — almost a boy- -had no less than 235 carats
with him. At last they reached Pniel ("a camp"), a place which once held 5,000 workers
and delvers, and in November, 1872, was reduced to a few hundred, like the deserted
diggings in California and Australia. It had, however, yielded largely for a time.

The words, " Here be diamonds," are to be found inscribed on an old mission-map of
a part of the Colony, of the date of 1750, or thereabouts. In 1807, a trader up country,
near Hope Town, saw the children of a Boer playing with some pebbles, picked up along
the banks of the Orange River. An ostrich-hunter named O'Reilly was present, and the
pair of them were struck with the ?-ppearance of one of the stones, and they tried it on
glass, scratching the sash all over. A bargain was soon struck : O'Reilly was to take it
to Cape Town ; and there Sir P. E. Wodehouse soon gave him £500 for it. Then came an

« " Tho Settler's Guide to the Capo of Good Hope," &c., by Sir. Trona.

THE DIAMOND FIP^LFS.

211

oxcitement, of cor.rse. In 1869, a Hottentot shepherd, named Swartzboy, brought to a
country store a gem of 8^3^ carats. The shopman, in his master's absence, did not like to
risk the £200 worth of goods demanded. Swartzbov passed on to the farm of one Niekirk,
where he asked, and eventually got, £100. Niekirk sold it for £12,000 the same day!
Now, of course, the excitement became a fevered frenzy.

Supreme among the camps around Pniel reigned Mr. President Parker, a sailor who,
leaving the sea, had turned trader. Mr. Parker, with his counsellors, were absolute in
power, and, all in all, admmistered justice very fairly. Ducking in the river was the
mildest punishment; the naval "cat" came next; while dragging through tLe river was
the third grfide ; last of all came the " spread eagle," in which the culprit was extended
flac, hands and feet staked down, and so exposed to the angry sun.

In a short time, the yield from the various fields was not under £300,000 per month,
and claims were ^old at hundreds and thousands of pounds apiece. Then came a time of
depression, when the dealers would not buy, or only at terribly low prices. Meantime,
iilthough meat was always cheap, everything else was very high. A cabbage, for exam])le,
often fetched 10s., a water-melon 15s., and onions and green figs a shilling apiece. Forage
for horses was half-a-crown a bundle of four pounds. To-day they are little higher on the
Fields than in other parts of the Colony.

That a number of diggers have made snug little piles, ranging from two or three to eight,
ten, or more thousand pounds, is undeniable, but they were very exceptional cases, after
all. The dealers in diamonds, though, often turned over immense sums very rapidly.

And now, before taking our leave of the African station, let us pay a flying visit
to Natal, which colony has been steadily rising of late years, and which offers many
advantages to the visitor and settler. The climate, in spite of the hot sirocco which
sometimes blows over It, and the severe thunderstorms, is, aU in all, superior to ro'^st of
the African climates, inasmuch as the rainfall is as nearly as possible that of London, and
it falls at the period when most wanted — at the time of greatest warmth and most
active vegetation. The productions of Natal are even more varied than those of the Cape,
while arrowroot, sugar, cotton, and Indian corn are staple articles. The great industries
are cattle and sheep-rearing, and, as in all parts of South Africa, meat is excessively
cheap, retailing at threepence or fourpence a pound.

Natal was discovered by Vasco da Gama, and received from him the name of Terra
Natalis — "Land of the Nativity" — because of his arriving on Christmas Day. Until 1823
it was little known or visited. A settlement was then formed by a party of Englishmen,
who were joined by a number of dissatisfied Dutchmen from the Cape. In 1838 the
British Government took possession. There was a squabble, the colonists being somewhat
■defiant for a while, and some little fighting ensued. It was proposed by the settlers to
proclaim the Republic of Natalia, but on the appearance of a strong British force, they
subsided quietly, and Natal was placed under the control of the Governor of the Cape.
In 1856, it was erected into a separate colony.

To moderate capitalists it offers many advantages. Land is granted on the easiest
terms, usually four shillings per acre ; and free grants are given, in proportion to a settler's
•capital : £500 capital receives a land order for 200 acres. An arr'-^root plantation and

;

* \

213

THE SEA.

factory can be started for £500 or £600, and a coffee plantation for something over £1,000.
Sugar-planting', &e., is much more expensive, and would require for plant, &c., £.j,00(>,.
or more.

And now, on the way home from the African station, the good ship will pass close
to, if indeed it does not touch at, the Island of St. Helena, a common place of refresh-
ment for vessels sailing to the northward. Vessels coming southward rarely do so ; sailing
ships can hardly make the island. It lies some l,:i00 miles from the African coasts, in
mid-ocean. St. Helena has much the appearance, seen from a distance, of the summit of
some great submarine mountain, its rugged and perpendicular cliffs rising from the shore
to altitudes from '300 to 1,500 feet. In a few scattered places there are deep, precipitous
ravines, opening to the sea, whose embouchures form difficult but still possible landing-
jjlaces for tlie fishermen. In one of the largest of these, towards the north-west, the
ca])ital and port of the island, James Town, is situated. It is the residence of the
authorities. The anchorage is good and sufficiently deep, and the port is well protected
from the winds. The town is enttr .1 ^v an arched gateway, within which is a spacious
parade, lined with official residences, . iced by a handsome church. The town is

in no way remarkable, but has well-supplieu. shops. The leading inhabitants prefer to live
outside it on tlie higher and cooler plateaux of the island, where many of them have very
fine country houses, foremost of which is a villa named Plantation House, belonging to
the governor, surrounded by pleasant grounds, handsome trees and shrubs. In the garden
grounds tropical and ordinary fruits and vegetables flourish ; the mango, banana, tamarind,
and sugar-cane; the orange, citron, grape, fig, and olive, equally with the common fruits
of England. The yam and all the European vegetables abound ; three crops of potatoes
have been often raised from the same ground in one year. The hills are covered with
the cabbage tree, and the log-wood and gum-wood trees. Cattle and sheep are scarce,
but goats browse in immense herds on the hills. Xo beasts of prey are to be met, but
there are plenty of unpleasant and poisonous insects. Game and fish are abundant, and
turtles are often found. All in all, it is not a bad place for Jack after a long voyage,
although not considered healthy. It has u military governor, and there are barracks.

The interior is a plateau, divided by low mountains, the former averaging 1,500
feet above the sea. The island is undoubtedly of volcanic origin. It was discovered on
the H-Znd May (St. Helena's Day), by Juan de Nova, a Portuguese. The Dutch first
held it, and it was wrested from them first by England in 1673, Charles II. soon after-
wards granting it to the East India Company, who, with the exception of the period of
Napoleon's imprisonment, held the proprietorship to 183i, when it became an appanage
of the Crown.

The fame of the little island rests on its having been the prison of the great dis-
turber of Europe. Every reader knows the circumstances which preceded that event.
He had gone to Rochefort with the object of embarking for America, but finding the
whole ct)ast so blockaded as to render that scheme impracticable, surrendered himself to
Captain ]\Iaitland, commander of the English man-of-war Bdlerophon, who immediately
set sail for Torbay. No notice whatever was taken of his letter — an uncourteous proceeding,
to say the least of it, towards a fallen foe— and on the 7th of August he was removed

NAPOLEON AT ST. HELENA.

213

to the XortliHinfjerlaml, the flag-ship of Sir George Cockburn, which immediately set sail for
St. Helena.

On arrival the imperial captive was at first lodg'^d in a sort of inn. The following
day the ex-emperor and suite rotle out to visit Longwood, the scat selected for his resi-
dence, and when returning noted a small villa with a pavilion attached to it, aljout two
r ^es from the town, the residence of Mr. Balcombe, an inhabitant of the i^^land. The spot
attracted the emperor's notice, and the admiral, who had accompanied him, thought it

ST. HELENA.

dis-
vent.

the
If to
lately
iding,
noved

would be better for him to remain there than to go back to the town, where the sentinels
at the doors and the gaping crowds in a manner confined him to his chamber. The place
pleased the emperor, for the position was quiet, and commanded a fine view. Tlie
pavilion was a kind of summer-house on a pointed eminence, about fifty paces from the
house, where the family were accustomed to resort in fine weather, and this was the
retreat hired for the temporary abode of the emperor. It contained only one room on
the ground-floor, without curtains or shutters, and scarcely possessed a seat; and when
Napoleon retired to rest, one of the windows had to be barricaded, so draughty was it, in
order to exclude the night air, to which he bad become particularly sensitive. What a
contrast to the gay palaces of France !

In Decemuer the emperor removed to Longwood, riding thither on a small Cape

21t

rilE SEA.

liorso, and in liis nnifnrm of a chassouv of the giiavclti. The road was lined with spec-
tators, and he was roceived at the entrance to Longwood l)y a «,^uard nnder arms, who
rendered the i)rescribed honour to their ilhistrious cajjtive. The ])hiee, which had been a
farm of the East India Company, is situated on one oi' the highest parts of the ishmd, and
the diiference between its temperature and that of the valley below is very great. It is
surrounded by a level height of some extent, and is near the eastern coast. It is stated
that continual and frequently violent winds blow regularly from the same quarter. The
sun was rarely seen, and there were heavy rainfalls. The water, conveyed to Longwood
in pipes, was found to h. so unwholesome as to rc(juirc boiling before it was fit for use.
The surroundings were barren rocks, gloomy deep valleys, and desolate gullies, the only
redeeming feature being a glimpse of the ocean on one hand. All this after La Belle
France !

Longwood as a residence had not much to boast of. The building was rambling and
inconveniently arranged; it had been built up by degrees, as the wants of its former
inmates had increased. One or two of the suite slept in lofts, reached by ladders and
trap-doors. The windows and beds were curtainless, and the furniture mean and scantv.
Inhospitable and in bad taste, ye in power at the time ! In front of the place, and
separated by a tolerably deep ravine, the 5;3rd Regiment was encamped in detached bodies
on the neighbouring heights. Here the caged lion spent the last five weary years of his
life till called away by the God of Battles.

CHAPTER XIII.

The Service. — Ofitceus' Life ox Board.

' vfiili'ions of Life on S!iip-board— A Jlodcl Ward-room— An Admiral's Cabin-Captains and Captains— The Sailor and his
Superior OtHcors— A Contrast— A Commander of tlic Old School— Jack Larmour— Lord Co.-hrane's Experiences - His
Chest Curtailed— The Sliulcint? Ship— Tlie First Command— Shavln;? under Difiiculties The Speedy and her Prizes—
The Doctor— On Hoard a Gun-boat -Cabin and Dispensary— Cockroaches and Centipedes— Other horrors— The
Naval Chaplain— His Duties -Stories of an Amateur -The KnKiucer— His Increasinfj; Importance— Popularity of the
Navy— Nelson always a Model Commander— The Idol of his CuUeaKucs, Officers, and Men— Taking the Men into
liis Contidence— The Action between the IMIona and CoHCfif/CK.r-Cuptain Falknor's Speech to the Crew— An Obsolete
Custom— Crossing the Line— Neptune's Visit to (he Quarter-deck The Navy of To-day— Its Hackbonc— Progressive
Increase in the Size of Vessels— Naval Volunteers— A Noble Movement -Excellent Results- The Naval Reserve.

In the previous pages we have given some account of the various stations visited by the Royal
Navy of Great Britain. Let us next take a glance at the ships themselves — the quarter-deck,
the captain's cabin, and the ward-room. In a word, let us see how the officers of a ship
live, move, and have their being on boanl.

Their condition depends very much on their ship, their captain, and themselves.
The first point may be dismissed briefly, as the general improvement in all descriptions
of vessels, including their interior arrangements, is too marked to need mentioning. The
ward-room of a modern man-of-war is often as well furnished as any other dining-room —
handsomely carpeted, the sides adorned with pictures, with comfortable chairs and lounges,

, 1

and

md his
cs - His
rizos -
-Tlie
of the
n into
bsolcto
cssive
vc.

ship

elves,
it ions
The
om —
nges,

!:(

I m

ON DF.CK OF A MAN-OF-WAR, KIOIITKKNTH CKNTL'IIY.

TYPES OF CAPTAINS.

S16

and excellent appointments at table. In the ward-room o£ a llussiuu corvette visited by
the writer, ho found a saloon large enough for a ball, with piano, and gorgeous side-board,
set out as in the houses of most of the northern nations of Europe, with sundry bottles
and incitives to emptying them, in the shape of salt anchovies and salmon, caviare and
cheese. In a British flag-ship he iound the admiral's cabin, while in port at least, a
perfect little bijou of a drawing-room, with harmonium and piano, vases of Howers, port-
folios of drawings, an elaborate stove, and all else that could conduce to comfort and
luxury. Outside of this was a more plainly-furnished cabin, used as a dining-room. Of
course much of this disappears at sea. The china and glass are securely packed, and all
of the smaller loose articles stowed away ; the piano covered up in canvas and securely
"tied up" to the sidej likely enough the carpet removed, and a rough canvas substi-
tuted. Still, all is ship-shape and neat as a new pin. The few "old tubs" of vessels
still in the service are rarely employed beyond trifling harbour duties, or are kept for
emergencies on foreign stations. They will soon disappear, to be replaced by smart and
handy little gun-boats or other craft, where, if the accommodations are limited, at least
the very most is made of the room at command. How different all this is to many of
the vessels of the last century and commencement of this, described by our nautical
novelists as little better than colliers, pest ships, and tubs, smelling of pitch, paint,
bilge-water, tar, und rum ! Readers will remember Marryat's captain, who, with his wife,
was so inordinr.tely fond of pork that he turned his ship into a floating pig-sty. At his
dinner there appeared mock-turtle soup (of pig's head) ; boiled pork and pease pudding;
roast spare rib ; sausages and pettitoes ; and, last of all, sucking-pig. lie will doubtless
remember how he was eventually frightened off the ship, then about to proceed to the
West Indies, by the doctor telling him that with his, habit of living he would not give
much for his life on that station. But although Marryat's characters were true to the
life of his time, you would go far to find a similar example to-day. Captains still have
their idiosyncrasies, but not of such a marked nature. There may be indolent captains,
like he who was nicknamed "The Sloth;" or, less likely, prying captains, like he in
"Peter Simplt," who made himself so unpopular t:-'. he lost all the good sailors on
board, and had to put up with a "scratch crew;'^ or (a comparatively harmless variety)
captains who amuse their officers with the most outrageous yarns, but who are in all
else the souls of honour. Who can help laughing over that Captain Kearney, who tells
the tale of the Atta of Roses ship? He relates how she had a puncheon of the precious
essence on board ; it could be smelt three miles off at sea, and the odour was so strong
on board that the men fainted when they ventured near the hold. The timbers of the
ship became so impregnated with the smell that they could never make any use of her
afterwards, till they broke her up and sold her to the shopkeepers of Brighton and Tun-
bridge-wells, who turned her into scented boxes and fancy articles, and then into money.
The absolutely vulgar captain is a thing of the past, for the possibilities of entering "by
the hawse-hole," the technical expression applied to the man who was occasionally in the
old times promoted fi^m the fo'castle to the quarter-deck, are very rare indeed nowa-
days. Still, there are gentlemen — and there are gentlemen. The perfect example is a
rara avis everywhere.

210

IIIK SEA.

Ht I

! ■

'I'lio tnio rt'iisnii wliy a fiiplaiii iiniy riiukc liis ollicrrs aii<l iiicii (Kmstiluti' an a^^ri'i'uMo
lia|i|ty I'uiiiily, or a iicrlcct i)aii(KMii()iiiiiiii of (liscoiitcnt and misery, (M>ii>ists in IIk; 'ilmso
of Ills alt.ioliitc iHiwor. Tliat piiwer is necessarily lu'stowed on liini ; there nnist bu a
lioad ; witlioiit jifouil discipline, im vessel can 1>e propijrly liamlled, or tlie eineryeneios of
seamanship and warfare met. IJiit as he can in minor matters have it all his own way,
and even in niuny more important ones can determine absolntely, withont the I'ear of any-
thing or anybody short of a eunrt-martial, ho may, and often does, ])econi(! a martinet, if
not a very tyrant.

The snbordinate oliieer's life may be rendered a Itnrden by a cantankerous and exacting
captain. lOvery trilling- omission may be mafjnilied into a j^rave oiTence. Some captains
seem to yo on the i)rinciple of the Irishman who asked, "Who'll tread on my coat tails?"
or of the other, "Did you blow your nose at mo, sir?" And ay'ain, that which in the
captain is no olTeneu is a very serious one on the j)art of the ofllcer or seaman. lie may
exhaust the vocabidary of abuse and Ijad lanj,fuagc, but not a retort may l^e n)ade. In the
Iloyal Navy of to-day, though by no means in the merchant service, this is, however,
nearly obsolete. However tyrannically disposed, the lanf>^uage of commanders and oflicers is
nearly sure to be free from disj^raceful epithets, blaiLnhemies, and scurrilous abuse, cursinjf
and swearing. Oflicers should be, and generally are, gentlemen.

A commanding lieutenant of the old school — a typj of oOicer not to be found in the
Iloyal Navy nowadays — is well described by Admiral Cochrane.* " My kind uncle," writes
he, "the Hon. John Cochrane, accompanied mo on board the //lutl for the purpose of
introducing me to my future superior ofiicer. Lieutenant Larmour, or, as he was more
familiarly known in the service, Jack Larmour — a specimen of the old IJritish seaman, little
<.'alculated to inspire exalted ideas of the gentility of the naval profession, though presenting
at a glan'" ! a p' rsonilication of its efficiency. Jack was, in fact, one of a not very numerous
class, whom, for tlieir superior seamanship, the Admiralty was glad to promote from tlie
forecastle to the cpiarter-deck, in order tliat tliey might mould into shij)-shape the question-
able materials supplied by parliamentary influence, even then j)aramount in the navy to
a degree which might otlierwise have led to disaster. Lucky was the commander who
could secure such an ofllcer for his quarter deck.

"On my introduction. Jack was dressed in the garb of a seam .n, with marfi: spike
slung round his neck, and a lump of grease in his hand, and was busily employed in
setting up the rigging. His reception of me was anything but gracious. Indeed, a tall
fellow, over six feet high, the nephew of his captain, and a lord to boot, were not very
promising recommendations for a midshii)man. It is not impossible he mij;ht have learned
from my uncle something about a military commission of several year;' standing; and
this, coupled with my age and stature, might easily have impressed liiii with the idea
that he had caught a scapegrace with whom the family did not know what to do, and
that he was hence to be saddled with a ' hard bargain.'

" After a little constrained civility on the part of the first lieutenant, who was
evidently not very well pleased with the interruption to his avocation, he ordered me to

* " 'J'Ik; Autobiograpliy of a fSoaman.'
Ecd, &c. &c.

Uy Thomas, tontli Earl of DundoualJ, G.C'.B., Admiral of tho

was
me to

of Iho

H
U

H
H

■n

■• i

:. ft

■ - 1

21S

THE SEA

il!

' get my trajm Ijl'Iow.' Soaa'oly was the order conipliod with, and myself introduced to
tho midslii}iiiian'8 berth, than I overheard Jack <^rutnbliii(r at the inaj^iiitudo uf my eciuip-
ments. 'This Lord Coclirane's chest? Does Lord Cochrane think ho is going to bring
a cabin aboard? Get it up on the main-deck!'

"This order being promptly obeyed, amidst a running lire of similar objurgations,
the key of the chest was sent for, and shortly afterwards the sound of sawing became
audible. It was now high time to follow my property, which, to my astonishment, had
been turned out on the deck — Jack superintending the sawing off one end of the chest
just beyond the keyhole, and accompanying the operation by sundry uncomplimentary
observations on midshipmen in general, and on myself in particular.

" The metamorphosis being completed to the lieutenant's satisfaction — though not at all
to mine, for my neat chest had become an unshapely piece of lumber — he pointed out the
' lubberliness of shore-going people in not making keyholes where they could most easily
be got at,' viz., at the end of a chest instead of the middle !" Lord Cochrane took it
easily, and acknowledges warmly the service Jack Larmour rendered him in teaching him
his profession.

Later, Lord Cochrane, when promoted to a lieutenancy, was dining with Admiral
Vandepat, and being seated near him, was asked what dish was before him. " Mention-
ing its nature," says he, " I asked whether he would permit mi to help him. The
uncourteous reply was — that whenever he wished for anything he was in the habit of asking
for it. Not knowing what to make of a rebuff of this nature, it was met with an inquiry
if he would allow me the honour of taking wine with him. * I never take wine witl
any man, my lord,' was the unexpected reply, from which it struck me that my lot was
cast among Goths, if no worse." Subsequently he found that this apparently gruff old
admiral assumed some of this roughness purposely, and that he was one of the kindest
commanders living.

In 1798, when with the Mediterranean fleet, ludicrous examples, both of the not
very occasional corruption of the period, and the rigid etiquette required by one's superior
officer, occurred to Lord Cochrane, and got him into trouble. The first officer, Lieutenant
Beaver, was one who carried the latter almost to the verge of despotism. He looked after
all that Avas visible to the eye of the admiral, but permitted " an honest penny to be
turned elsewhere." At Tetuan they had purchased and killed bullocks on board the
flagshij), for the use of the whole squadron. The reason for this was that the hides, being
valuable, could be stowed away in her hold or empty beef -casks, as especial perquisites to
certain persons on board. The fleshy fragments on the hides soon decomposed, and rendered
the hold of the vessel so intolerable that she acquired the name of the " Stinking Scotch
ship." Lord Cochrane, as junior lieutenant, hod much to do with these an-angements,
and his unffwourable remarks on these raw-hide speculations did not render those interested
very friendly towards him. One day, when at Tetuan, he* was allowed to go wild-fowl
shooting ashore, and became covered with mud. On arriving rather late at the ship, he
thought it more respectful to don a clean uniform before reporting himself on the quarter-
deck. He had scarcely made the change, ivhen the first lieutenant came into the ward-
room, and harshly demanded of Lord Cochrane the reason for not having reported himself.

THE BRAVE LITTLE "SPEEDY,

219

not
perior
tenant
after
to be
the
being
:es to
idered
cotch
nents,
jrested
fowl
ip, he
arter-
ward-
mself.

His reply was, that as the lieiitenant hatl seen him come up \^\ the side he must bo aware
that he was not in a tit condition to appear on tliu ([uarter-deok. Tiie lieutenant replied
80 offensively before the ward-room ollicers, that he was respectfully reminded by Cochrane
of a rule he had himself laid down, that " Matters connected with the service were not
there to be spoken of." Anotlier retort was followed by the sensible enough reply,
" Lieutenant JJeaver, we will, if you please, talk of tliis in another place." Cochrane waa
immediately reported to the captain by Beaver, as having challenged him : the lieutenant
actually demanded a court-martial I And the court-martial was held, the decision being
that Cochrane should be admonished to be " more careful in future."

Lord Cochrane was soon after given a command. Tiie vessel to which he was appointed
was, even eighty years ago, a mere burlesque of a ship-of-war. She was about the size of
an average coasting brig, her burden being 158 tons. She was crowdetl rather than
manned, with a crew of eighty-four men and six officers. Her armament consisted of
fourteen i-poHiiilers ! a species of gun little larger than a blunderbuss, and formerly known
in the service as " minion," an api^ellation quite appropriate. The cabin had not so
much as room for a chair, the floor being entirely occupied by a small table surrounded
with lockers, answering the double purpose of store-chests and scats. The difficulty was
to get seated, the ceiling being only five feet high, so that the object could only ''o
accomplished by rolling on the lockers : a movement sometimes attended with unpleasant
failure. Cochrane's only practicable way of -having consisted in removing the skylight, and
putting his head through to make a toilet-table of the quarter-deck !

On this little vessel — the Sjioedy — Cochrane took a number of prizes, and having on
one occasion manned a couple of them with half his crew and sent them away, was forced
to tackle the Gaiiio, a Spanish frigate of thirty-two heavy guns and 319 men. The exploit
has hardly been excelled in the history of heroic deeds. The commander's orders were
not to fire a single gun till they were close to the frigate, and he ran the Speedy under
her lee, so that her yards were locked among the latter's rigging. The shots from the
Spanish guns passed over the little vessel, only injuring the rigging, while the Speedi/'n
mere pop-guns could be elevated, and helped to blow up the main-deck of the enemy's
ship. The Spaniards speedily found out the disadvantage under which they were fighting,
and gave the orders to board the little English vessel ; but it was avoided twice by sheering
off sufficiently, then giving them a volley of musketry and a broadside before they could
recover themselves. After the lapse of an hour, the loss to the Speed i/ was only four
men killed and two wounded, but her rigging was so cut up and the sails so riddled
that Cochrane told his men they must either take the frigate or be taken themselves, in
which case the Spaniards would give no quarter. The doctor, Mr. Guthrie, bravely volun-
teered to take the helm, and leaving him for the time both commander and crew of the
ship, Cochrane and his men were soon on the enemy's deck, the Speedij being put close
alongside with admirable skill. A portion of the crew had been ordered to blacken their
faces and board by the Gamo's head. The greater portion of the Spanish crew were
prepared to repel boarders in that direction, but stood for a few moments as it were trans-
fixed to the deck by the apparition of so many diabolical-looking figures emerging from
the white smoke of the bow guns, while the other men rushed on them from behind

'1^

> \--.

220

THE SEi.

before they could recover from their surprise at the unexpected phenomenon. Observing-
the Spanish colours still flying, Lord Cochrane ordered one of his men to haul them
down, and the ciew, v/ithout pausing to consider by whose orders they had been strcck,
and naturally believing it to be the act of their own officers, gavo in. The total English
loss was three men killed, and one officer and seventeen men wo'mded. The Gamo's loss
was the cajitain, boatswain, and thirteen seamcD killed, with forty-one wounded. It
became a puzzle what to do with 263 unhurt priL^oners, the Specdi/ having only forty-twO'
sound men left. Promptness was necessary ; so, driving the prisoners into the hold, with
their own guns pointed down the hntcliw.^y, and leaving thirty men on the prize, Cochrane
shaped the vessel's course to Port JIahon, which was reached safely. Some Barcelona
gun-boats, spectators of the action, did not venture to rescue the frigate.

The doctor on board a man-of-war has, perhaps, on the whole, better opportunities
and, in times of i>eace, more leisure than the other officers for noting any circumstances
of interest that may occur. Dr. Stables, in his interesting little work,* describes his
cabin on board a small gun-boat as a miserable little box, such as at home he would have
kept rabbits or guinea-pigs in, but certainly not pigeons. He sa; 3 that it might do for
a commodore — Commodore Nutt. It was ventilated by a small scuttle, seven inches in
diameter, which could only be raised in harbour, and beneath which, when he first went
to sea, he was obliged to put a leather hat-box to catch the water; unfortunately, the
bottom rotted out, and he was at the mercy of the waves. This cabin was alive with
scorpions, cockroatdies, and other "crawling ferlies,"

"That e'en to name would be unlawfu'.''

His dispensary was off the steerage, .vr,d sister-cabin to the pantry. To it he gained access
by a species <ji crab-walking, squeezing himself j)ast a large brass pump, edging in side-
vays. Thj sick would come one by one to the dispensary, and there he saw and treated
each case as it arrived, dressing wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores. There was no
sick lor^ \ attendant, but the lieutenant told off " a little cabin-boy " for his Tise He was
not a model cabin-boy, like the youngster you see in the theatres. He certainly cnanaged at
times t-^ wash out the dispensary, in the intervals of catching cockroaches and making
poultices, but in doing the fii'st he brok« half the bottles, and making the latter either
let ti^em burn or put salt into them. Finally, he smashed so much of the doctor's apparatus
thav. he was kicked out. In both dispensary and what Dr. Stables calls his " burrow,"
it was difficult to prevent anything from going to utter destruction. The best portions
of his uniform got eaten by coc'.-'-oaches or moulded by damp, while his instruments
required cleaning every morning, and even this did not keep the rust at bay.

And then, those terrible cockroaches ! To find, when you awake, a couple, each
two inches in length, meandering over your face, or even in bed with you ! — to find one
in a state of decay in the mustard-pot ! — to have to remove their droppings and eggs from
thfl edge of your plate previous to eating your soup ! and so on, ad nauseam. But on
small vessels stationed in the tropics — as described by the doctor — there were, and doubtless
sojfietimes are now, other unpleasantnesses. For instance, you are looking for a book, and

• " Medical Life in the Navy."

AX ACCTMULATION OF HORRORS.

221

put your hand on a full-grown scaly scorpion. Nice sensation ! the animal twining round
your finger, or running up your sleeve ! JJciioAment . cracking him under foot — joy at
escaping a sting !

"You are enjoying your dinner, but have been for some time sensible of a Strang.',
titillating feeling about the region of your ankle; you look down at last, to find ii
centipede on your sock, with his fifty hind legs — you thank God not his foro-fifty ! —

ill

NAVAL Ori'ICEltS AND SEAMEX, EIGUTEEXTll CENTIUY.

. })

abutting on your shin. Tahleanx : green-to-red light from the eyes of the many-legyed
— horror of yourself as you wait till he think? proper to ' move on.'

"To awake in the morning, and find a large, healthy-looking tarantula squatting on
your pillow, within ten inches of your nose, with his basilisk eyes fixed on yours, and
apparently saying: 'You're awake, are you? I've been sitting hero all the morning,
watching you.'

"You think, if you move, he'll bite you somewhere — and if he ihien bite you, you'll
go mad, and dance ad Jibitum — so you twist your motith in the opposite direction, and
ejaculate — ' Steward ! ' But the steward does not come ; in fact, he is forward, seeing
after breakfast. Meanwhile, the gentleman on the i)illow is moving his horizontal
mandibles in a most threatening manner; and just as he moves for your nose, you tumble

222

THE SEA.

out of your bed with a shriek, and, if a very nervous person, probably run on deck in
your shirt!"

The doctor's last description of an accumulation of these horrors is fearful to even
think about. The bulkheads all around your berth are black with cock and hen-roaches,
a few of which are nipping your toe, and running off with little bits of the skin of your
leg; while a troop of ants arc carrying a dead one over your pillow; musquitoes and flies
attacking you everywhere ; rats running in and rats running out ; your lamp just flickering
and dying away i]it: darkness, with the delicious certainty that an indefinite number of
earwigs and scorpions, besides two centipedes and a tarantula, are hiding themselves
somewhere in your Cabin ! All this is possible ; still Dr. Stables describes life on other
vessels under more favourable auspices.

The important addition of a chaplain to the establishment on board our ships of war
seems, from the following letter of George, Duke of Buckingham, to have been first
adopted in the year 1C2G : —

" The Duke of Buckingham to the University of Cambridge.

" After my hearty commondations. His Majesty having given order for preachers to goe in every of his
ships to sea, choyco hath been made of one Mr. Daniel Ambrose, Master of Arts and Fellow of your College,
to bo one. Accordingly, upon signification to me to como hither, I thought good to intimate unto you, that
His Majesty is so careful of such scholars as are willing to put themselves forward in so good actions, as that
he will expect— and I doubt not but that you will accordingly take order — that the said Mr. Ambrose shall suffer
noe detriment in his place with you, by this his employment ; but that you will rather take care that he shali
have all immunities and emoluments with advantage, which have been formerly, or may be, granted to any upon
the like service. Wherein, not doubting of your affectionate care, I rest,

"Your very loving friend,

«' York House, July 29th, 1626." " G. Buckingham.

Sailors, in spite of their outbursts of recklessness, have frequently, from the very
nature of their perilous calling, an amount o2 seriousness underlying their character, which
makes them particularly amenable to religious influences. The chaplain on a large modern
ironclad or frigate lias as many men in his charge, as regards spiritual matters, as the
vicar of a country town or large village, whilst be has many more opportunities of reaching
them directly. Many of our naval chaplains are noble fellows; and to them come the
sailors in any distress of mind, for the soothing advice so readily given. He may not dare
to interfere with the powers that be when they are in danger of punishment, except in
very rare cases; but he can point them out their path of duty, and how to walk in it,
making them better sailors and happier men. He can lend them an occasional book, or
write for them an occasional letter home; induce them to refrain from dissipation when
on liberty; cheer them in the hour of greatest peril, while on the watery deep, and give
them an occasional reproof, but in kindness, not in anger. To his brother oflScers he has
even better opportunities of doing good than to the men. On the smaller classes of vessels
— gun-boats and the like — the captain has to perform chaplain's duties, by reading prayers
on the Sabbath. This is the case also on well-regulated steamships or passenger sailing-
vessels of the merchant service. The fine steamers of such lines as the Cunard, or White
Star, of the Royal Mail Company, or of the P. and 0., have, of course, frequently, some
clergyman, minister, or missionary on board, who is willing to celebrate divine service.

POOR PRIMROSE.

223

A Committee of the Lower House of Convocation has recently collected an immense
amount of statistics regarding the provision made by private ship-owners for the spiritual
welfare of their men, and the result as regards England is not at all satisfactory. In
point of fact, it is rarely made at all. The committee seeks to encourage the growth of
religion among sailors by providing suitable and comfortable church accommodation at all
ports, and urges owners to instruct their captains as to conducting divine service on
Sundays, and to furnish Bibles, prayer-books, and instructive works of secular literature.
Too much must not, however, be expected from Jack. The hardships and perils through
which he passes excuse much of his exuberance ashore. It is his holiday-time; and, so
long as he is only gay, and not abandoned, the most rigid must udmit that he has earned
the right to recreation. A distinguished French naval officer used to say that the sailor
fortunately had no memory. " Happy for him/' said he, " that he is thus oblivious. Did
he remember all the gales and tempests, the cold, the drenching rain, the misery, the
privations, the peril to life and limb which he has endured, he would never, when he
sets foot on shore, go to sea again. But he has no memory. The clouds roll away, the
sea is calm, the sun shines, the boat bears him to land; the wine flows; the music strikes
up; pretty girls smile: he forgets all the past, and lives only in the present."

While tie chaplain may, and no doubt generally does, earn the respect and esteem
of the men, woe to any example of the " Chadband " order who shall be found on board.
This is, in the Royal Navy, almost impossible ; but it sometimes happens that, on passenger
ships, some sanctimonious and fanatical individual or other has bad a very rough time
of it. He is regai-ded as a kind of Jonah. In a recent number of that best of American
magazines, the At la ii tic MontMif, the woes and trials of one poor Joseph Primrose, a well-meaning
minister who went out to America in 1742, are amusingly recounted. There were, aboard
the Polly, th( vessel in which he took passai^e, several of the crew who viewed their
religious exercises askance. " These mei' " suys he, " had been foremost in a general
indignation uprising that had ensued up. •■ stoppage of their daily allowance of rum;

which step had been taken on my earnest retonunendation. For this injurious drink we
had substituted a harmless and refreshing beveragi- concocted of molasses, vinegar, and
water, from a choice receipt I had come upon in a medical book ui'oard the vessel. The
sailors, to a man, refused to touch it, egged on by these contumacious follows, and more
especially by one Springer, a daring villain, who reviled me with bitter execrations. In
fine, the captain was obliged, for our own safety, to restore tho cherished di-am; and I
had the mortification to find myself, from that time forth, an object of dislike and
suspicion to these men, who were kept within decent bounds only by respect for their
master. I became convinced, on reflection, that I had gone ' wrong way about
this unfortunate piece of business ; having, in fact, made a . ^ ly serious error in the
beginning, gentle argument and good example being more apt to bring about the desired
end than compulsory measures, these dulling the understanding by rousing the temper,
especially among persons of the meaner sort. All my efforts — and they were not few — to
place myself on a friendly footing with these men were of no avail : they had conceive^'
the notion that I was their enemy, and met all my advances with obstinate coldness. As
Captain Hewlett exacted the daily attendance at prayers of every soul on board, these

51 1

'1 :

■' ■ i

« 1 j

224

THE SEA.

knaves were comi)"]lcd to be on hand with their Fellows ; but they rarely failed to conduct
themselves with such indecent levity as made me rue their presence, playing covertly at
cat's-cradle, jack-straws, and what not; besides grinning familiarly in my face, whenever
they could contrive to catch my eye." This unseemly behaviour was as nothing to what
followed ashore. AVhile addressing a large assemblage, he noted the advent of a number
of unmannerly fellows, who, with a great deal of clatter, elbowed their way to the front. "The
moment I clajiped eyes upon thcm,'^ says poor Primrose, " I knew them for the sailors
who had so persecuted me aboard the Pol/i/, and my heart sank at the bare sight of them.'*
They sung, or rather bawled, ribald words to the music of the hymns ; and one of them,
when rebuked by some gentleman i)resent, whipped out his cutlass, and a general row
ensued, which broke up the assembly. A little later. Primrose induced a tavern-keeper to
allow him to preach on his premises. " A West Indian vessel coming into port about the
middle of April, and a horde of roystering sailors gathering in the common room of the
'Sailor's Rest' to drink, I announced a discourse on the subject of 'gin-guzzling/
choosing one that I had delivered aboard the Pollj/, and which seemed to fit the occasion
to a nicety. No sooner had the landlord seen the notice to th' j effect that I had attached
to his door-cheek, than he scids for me to repair to the tavern without loss of time;
and on my appearance, in great haste, comes blustering up to me in a most offensive
manner, demanding whether I purposed the ruin of his trade, by putting forth of such a
mischievous paper; adding, with astounding audacity, that he should certainly lose all
the custom I had been the means of fetching to his house, did I persist in my intent.
Mark the cunning of the knave ! He had encouraged my labours for none other purpose
than the bringing of fresh grist to his mill ; and here was I, blindly leading precious
souls to destruction, the poor dupe of a specious villain — a wretch without bowels ! My
agony of mind on being thus suddenly enlighteued was of such a desperate surt, that,
gnashing my teeth, I leapt upon the miscreant, and, bearing him to the ground with an
awful crash, beat him about the head and shoulders with the stout cane I carried ; and
with such good will, that I i^resently found myself lying in the town gaol, covered with
tlie lilood of my enemy, and every bone in ray body aching from the unaccustomed exercise.
. . . . Truly was I as forlorn and friendless a creature as the world ever saw. My
clothing had been rent beyond repair in the shameful struggle, and, yet worse, one of my
shoes was gone — how and where I knew not ; and although I promised the gaoler's little
lad a penny in the event of his finding it, nothing was ever heard of it from that day to
this. One thought alone cheered me in the dark abyss into which I was fallen. I had
administered wholesome and righteous correction in proper season : hip and thigh had I
hewed my enemy; and, to rellcct upon that, was as a healing balm to my sore bones."
Mr. Primrose was at length released, and returned to England.

Another officer of the Royal Navy — the engineer— deserves particular notice, for his
position is becoming daily of more and more importance. It is not merely the care and
working of the engines which propel the vessel in which he is concci M(>d ; the chief and
his subordinates have charge of various hydraulic arrangements often used now-a-days on
large vessels, in connection with the steering apparatus; of electrical and gas-producing
apparatus; the mechanical arrangements of turrets and gun-carriages; pumping machinery;

THE ENGINEER.

2^5

the management of steam-launches and torpedoes. Take the great ironclad Thunderer (that
on which the terrible boiler explosion occurred) as an example : she has twenti/-six engines
for various purposes, apart from the engines used to propel the vessel, which have an
actual power of 6,000 horses. The Temeraire has thirty-four engines distinct from those
required for propulsion. A competent authority says that, " with the exception of the
paymaster's and surgeon's stores, he is responsible fo" everything in and outside the

•eeious
My
that,
ith an
and
with
xercise.
My
of my
little
day to
I had
had I
Ijonos."

for his
ire and
ef and
ays on
ducing
Ihinery ;

ENOINE-llOOM OF H.M.8. " WAUllIOK."

ship (meaning the hull, apart from the navigator's duties), to say nothing of his duties
while under weigh." And yet engineers of the navy do not j'et either derive the status
or emoluments fairly due to them, considering the great and increasing responsibilities thrown
upon them of late years. Sir Walter Scott makes Rob Roy express "his contempt of
weavers and spinners, and sic-like mechanical persons, and their pursuits ;" and in the naval
service some such feeling still lingers.

The first serious introduction of steam-vessels into the Royal Navy occurred about
the year 1829, the Navy List of that year showing seven, of which three only were com-
missioned, and these for home ports. No mention is made of engineers; they were simply
taken over from the contractor with the vessel, and held no rank whatever. In 18-'J7 an
Admiralty Circular conferred warrants on engineers, who were to rank immediately beloxc
29

'ii

22G

THE SEA.

carpenters ; they were to be assisted by boys, trained by themselves. Three years later, the
standard was raised, and they were divided into three classes j in IS 12 a slight increase of pay
was given, and they were advanced to the magnificent rank of *' after captains' clerks," and
were given a uniform, with buttons having a steam-engine embossed ujion them. In 1847
the Government found that the increasing demands of the merchant and passenger service
took all the best men (the engineers' pay, to-day, is better on first-class steamship lines than
in the Navy), and they were forced to do something. The higher grades were formed into
chief engineers, and they were raised to the rank of commissioned officers, taking their place
after masters. The first great revolution in regard to the use of steam in the Royal Navy
took place in ISIU, by means of the screw-propeller. In that year Dupuy Delormc
constructed the Naj}oleoH, a screw-vessel carrying 1 00 guns, and with engines of (iOO horse-
power, and England had to follow. Then came the Russian War, the construction of ironclad
batteries, and finally, the ironclad movement, which commencod in England in 1858, l)y the
construction of the Warrior and similar vessels.

It becomes a particularly serious question, at the present time, whether the system,
as regards the rank fiiu pay of engineers, does not deter the most competent men from
entering the Royal Navy. Many very serious explosions and accidents have occurred on
board ironclads, which would seem to indicate that our great commercial steamship lines
are far better engineered. The Admiralty has organised a system for training students
at the dockyard factories, followed up by a course of study at the Naval College, Greenwich ;
and it is to be hoped that these efforts will lead to greater efficiency in the service. A
naval engineer of the present day needs to be a man of liberal education, and of
considerable scientific knowledge, both theoretical and practical, and he should then receive
on board that recognition which his talents would command ashore. At present, a chief
engineer, R.N., ranks with a commander, and other engineers with lieutenants. It is
probable thatj at some date in the not very distant future, higher ranks will be thrown
open to the engineer, as his importance on board is steadily increasing.

The seamen of all nations, it has, in effect, been said, resemble each the other more
than do the nations to which they belong. "As," says a well-known writer, "the soa
receives and amalgamates the waters of all the rivers which pour into it, so it tends to
amalgamate the men who make its waves their home. . . . The seaman from the
United States is said to carry to the forecastle a large stock of ' equality and the rights
of man,' au^. to ^^i unpleasantly distinguished by the inbred disrespect for authority which
cl'^'..-^ perhaps inseparably, to a democrat who believes that he has whipped mankind,
and that it is his mission, at due intervals, to whip them again. But, on board, he, too,
tones down to the colour of blue water, and is more a seaman than anything else." The
French sailor is painted, by Landelle, as the embodiment of the same frolicsome light-
heartedness, carelessness of the future, abandonment to impulse, and devotion to his
captain, comrades, and ship, with which we are familiar in the English sailor, on the
stage. But although depicted as much more polished than, it is to be feared, the average
sailor could be in truth, he finishes by saying : " II est toujours pret a ceder le haut
du i^ave a hut autre qu'a uii soldat." It would seem, then, that the French sailor
revenges the treatment of society on the soldiers of his country. Is there not a similai

NELSON AS A MODEL COJIMANDER.

227

\e, too,
' The
light-
to his
on the
average
le haut
sailor
similai

feeling existing, perhaps to a more limited extent, between the sailors and soldiers
of our own country ? It hardly, however, extends to the ofHcers of the " United
Service."

Another trait of the British sailor's character : Jack will forgive much to the officer
who is ever ready, brave, and daring, who is a true seaman in times of peace, and a sailor
militant in times of war. Lord Nelson, the most heroic seaman the world ever saw, it is
pleasant to remember, was equally the idol of his colleagues, of his subordinate officers,
and of Ms men for these very reasons. After he had explained to his captains his pro-
posed plan of attack, just prior to the commencement of the battle of Trafalgar, he took
the men of the Fidori/ into his confidence. lie walked over all the decks, speaking kindly
to the different classes of seamen, and encouraging them, with his usual affability, praising
the manner in which they had barricaded certain parts of the ship. " All was perfect,
death-like silence, till just before the action began. Three cheers were given his lordship
as he ascended the quarter-deck ladder. He had been particular in recommending cool,
steady Hring, in preference to a hurrying fire, without aim or precision ; and the event
justified his lordship's advice, as the masts of his opponents came tumbling down on their
decks and over their sides."* After the fatal bullet had done its work, and Nelson was
conveyed below, the surgeon came and probed the wound. The ball was extracted; but
the dying hero told the medical man how sure he was that his wound was fatal, and
begged, when he had dressed it, that lie would attend to the other poor fellows, equal
sufEerers with himself. A boatswain's mate ?n board the Brilliiud frigate, shortly
afterwards, when first acquainted of the death of Nelson, paid a tribute of affection and
honest feeling, which shows how clearly he had gained the hearts of all. The boatswain's
mate, then doing duty as boatswain, was ordered to pipe all hands to quarters ; he did not
respond, and the lieutenant on duty went to inquire the cause. The man had been celebrated
for his promptness, as well as bravery, but he was found utterly unnerved, and sobbing
like a child. " I can't do it," said he — " poor dear fellow, that I have been in many a
hard day with ! — and to lose him now ! I wouldn't have cared so much for my old
father, mother, brothers, or sisters; but to think of parting with poor Nelson!" and he
broke down utterly. The officer, honouring his feelings, let him go below. Who does
not remember how, when the body of Nelson lay in state at Greenwich, a deputation of
the Victory's crew paid their last loving respects, tearful and silent, and could scarcely be
removed from the scene? or how, when the two Union- Jacks and St. George's ensign were
being lowered into the grave at St. Paul's — the colours shattered as was the body of the
dead hero — the brave fellows who had borne them each tore off a part of the largest flag,
to remind them ever after of England's greatest victory and England's greatest loss?
Many an otherwise noble and brave officer has utterly failed in endearing himself to his
men ; and there can be no doubt of the value of being thoroughly en rapport with them —
the more as it in no way need relax discipline. It is an implied compliment to a crew
from their commander, to be taken, at the proper time, into his confidence. The following-
anecdote will show how much an action was decided by this, and with how little loss of life.

* The Naval Chronicle, vol. xiii. (1806).

228

THE SEA.

The Beltonn, of TV guns and 558 men, with .1 most vahml^le froijjht on merchants'
account, and commanded by the celebrated (Jai)taiii It. Faulkner, and the liiiUi(i?it, a 'JG-gun
frigate, Captain Loggie, sailed from the Tagus in August, 1701. When off Vigo, three
sail were discovered approaching the land, and the strangers continued their approach, till
they found out the character of the English vessels, and then crowded on all sail, in flight.
Upon this, the Jiellona and lirillianl pursued, coming up with them next morning, to find
that they would have to engage one ship of 71' guns, the Coiiruijeux, with 700 men, and
two frigates of .'30 guns each, the Mdliciense and Ermine. After exchanging a few
broadsides, the French vessels shot ahead; when Captain Loggie, seeing that he could not
expect to take either of the smaller vessels, determined to mana>uvre, and lead them such
a wild-goose chase, that the lidloiia should have to engage the Courugeux alone. During
the whole engagement, he withstood the united attacks of both the frigates, each of them
with equal force to his own, and at last obliged them to sheer off, greatly damaged.
Meanwhile, the Counujcux and Bcllotm had approached each other very fast. The
Couragcux, when within musket-shot, fired her first broadside, and there was much
impatience on the Bellona to return it; but they were restrained by Faulkner, who called
out to them to hold hard, and not to fire till they saw the whites of the Frenchmen's
eyes, adding, "Take my word for it, they will never stand the singeing of their whiskers!"
His speech to the sailors just before the action is a model of sailor-like advice.
" Gentlemen, I have been bred a seaman from my youth, and, consequently, am no orator ;
but I promise to carry you all mar enough, and then you may speak for yourselves.
Nevertheless, I think it necessary to acquaint you with the plan I propose to pursue, in
taking this ship, that you may be the better prepared. ... I propose to lead you
close on the enemy's larboard quarter, when we will discharge tico broadsides, and then back
astern, and range upon the other quarter, and so tell your guns as you pass. I recommend
you at all times to point chiefly at the quarters, with your guns slantir fore and aft ; this
is the principal part of a ship. If you kill the officers, break the rudder, and snap the
braces, she is yours, of course ; but, for this reason, I desire you may only fire one round
of shot and grape above, and two rounds, shot only, below. Take care and send them home
with exactness. This is a rich ship; they will render you, in return, their weight in
gold." This programme was ver)' nearly carried out; almost every shot took effect. The
French still kept up a very brisk fire, and in a moment the Bellona's shrouds and rigging
were almost all cut to pieces, and in nine minutes her mizen-mast fell over the stern.
Undaunted, Faulkner managed to wear his ship round ; the officers and men flew to their
respective opposite guns, and carried on, from the larboard side, a fire even more terrible
than they had hitherto kept up from the starboard guns. "It was impossible for mortal
beings to withstand a battery so incessantly repeated, and so fatally directed, and, in about
twenty minutes from the first shot, the French colours were hauled down, and orders wero
immediately given in the Bellona to cease firing, the enemy having struck. The men had
left their quarters, and all the officers were on the quarter-deck, congratulating one another
on their victory, when, unexpectedly, a round of shot came from the lower tier of the
Courageux, It is impossible to describe the rage that animated the Bellona's crew on this
occasion. Without waiting for orders, they flew again to their guns, and in a moment

CROSSING THE LINE.

poured in wl)at they familiarly termed two ' comfortab'^o broadsides' upon <ho enemy, who
now called out loudly for quarter, and firing at length ceased on both sides." Tlie
Coiiruffeux was a mere wreck, having nothing but her foremast and bowsprit standing,
several of her ports knocked into one, and her deck rent ii; u hundred places. She lost
210 killed, and 110 wounded men were put ashore at Lisbon. On board the Jiellona
only nix men were killed outright, and about twentj'-eight wounded; the loss of her
mizcn was her only serious disaster.

One more possibility in the officer's existence, althoigh now nearly obsolete. The
c-eremonies formerly attendant on *' crossing the line " — i.t., passing over the equator — so
often described, have, of lute years, been more honoured in the breach than in the
observance. On merchant vessels they had become a nuisance, as the sailors often made

riOHT BETWEEN THE " COCRAOBUX " AND THE " IIELLONA."

them an opportunity for levying black mail on timid and nervous passengers. In the
Royal Navy, they afforded the one chance for " getting even " with unpopular officers ;
and very roughly was it sometimes accomplished. Tliey are for this reason introduced in
this chapter, as the officers had a direct interest in them. With trifling exceptions, the
programme was as follows. The men stripped to the waist, wearing only " duck "
unmentionables, prepared, immediately after breakfast, for the saturnalia of the day — a day
when the ship was eti carnival, and discipline relaxed. Early in the day, a man at the
masthead, peering through a telescope, would announce a boat on the weather-bow, and
soon after, a voice from the jibboom was heard hailing the ship, announcing that Neptune
wished to come on board. The ship was accordingly hove-to, when a sailor, in fashionable
coat, knee-breeches, and powdered hair, came aft, and announced to the commander that he
was gentleman's gentleman to the god of the sea, who desired an interview. This accorded,
the procession of Neptune from the forecastle at once commenced. The triumphal car was
41 gun-carriage, drawn by half-a-dozen half-naked and grotesquely-paintod sailors, their
heads covered by wigs of sea-weed. Neptune was always masked, as were many of his

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230

THE SEA.

satellites, in order that the officers should not know who enacted the leading roles. The
god wore a crown, and held out a trident, on which a dolphin, supposed to have been
impaled that morning, was stuck. He had a flowing wig and beard of oakum, and was,
in all points, "mndo-up" for Neptune himself. His suite included a secretary of state,
his head stuck all over with long quills; a surgeon, with lancet, pill-box, and medicines;
his barber, with a razor cut from an iron hoop, and with an assistant, who carried a tub
for a shaving-}x)x. Mrs. Neptune was represented by the ugliest man on board, who,
with sea-weed hair and a huge night-cap, carried a baby — one of the boys of the ship —
in long clothes; the latter played with a marline-spike, given it to assist in cutting its
teeth. The nurse followed, with a bucketful of burgoo (thick oatmeal porridge or pudding),
and fed the baby incessantly with the cook's iron ladle. Sea-nymphs, selected from the
clumsiest and fattest of the crew, helped to swell the retinue. As soon as the procession
halted before the captain, behind whom the steward waited, carrying a tray with a bottle
of wine and glasses, Neptune and Amphitrite paid submission to the former, as repre-
sentative of Great Britain, and the god presented him the dolphin. After the interview,
in which Neptune not unfrequently poked fun and thrust home-truths at the officers, the
c.ptain offered the god and goddess a bumper of wine, and then the rougher part of the
ceremony commenced Neptune would address his court somewhat as follows : " Hark
ye, my Tritons, you're here to shave and duck and bleed all as needs it; but you've got
to be gentle, or we'll get no more fees. The first of ye as disobeys me, I'll tie to a ten-
ton gun, and sink him ten thousand fathoms below, where he shall drink nothing but
salt-water and feed on seaweed for the next hundred years." The cow-pen was usually
employed for the ducking-bath; it was lined with double canvas, and boarded up, so as
to hold several butts of water. Marryat, in the first naval novel he wrote, says : " Many
of the officers purchased exemption from shaving and physic by a bottle of rum ; but none
could escape the sprinkling of salt water, which fell about in great profusion; even the
captain received his share. ... It was easy to perceive, on this occasion, who were
favourites with the ship's company, by the degree of severity with which they were
treated. The tyro was seated on the side of the cow-pen : he was asked the place of his
nativity, and the moment he opened his mouth the shaving-brush of the barber — which was
a very large paint-brush — was crammed in, with all the filthy lather, with which they
covered his face and chin; this was roughly scraped off with the great razor. The doctor
felt his pulse, and prescribed a pill, which was forced into his cheek; and the smelling-
bottle, the cork of whi«'h was armed with sharp points of pins, was so forcibly applied to
his nose as to bring blood. After this, he was thrown backward into the bath, and allowed
to scramble out the best way he could." The first-lieutenant, the reader may remember,
dodged out of the way for some time, but at last was surrounded, and plied so effectually
with buckets of salt waHr, that he fled down a hatchway. The buckets were pitched
after him, "and he fell, like the Roman virgin, covered with the shields of the soldiers."
Very unpopular men or officers were made to swallow half a pint of salt water. Those
good old times !

Pleasant is it to read of life on board a modem first-class man-of-war. Where
there are, perhaps, thirty officers in the ward-room, it would be hard indeed if one cannot

THE ROYAL NAVY OF TO-DAY.

find a kindred spirit, while on such a vessel the band will discourse sweet music while
you dine, and soothe you over the walnuts and wine, after the toils of the day, with
selections from the best operas, waltzes, and quadrilles. Then comes the coffee, and the
post-prandial cigar in the smoking-room. At sea, luncheon is dispensed with, and the
regular hour is half-past two; but in port both lunch and dinner are provided, and the
officers on leave ashore can return to either. Say that you have extended your ramble in
the country, you will have established an appetite by half-past five, the hour when the
officers' boat puts off from shore, wharf, or pier. Perhaps the most pleasant evening is the
guests' night, one of which is arranged for every week, when the officer can, by notifying
the mess caterer, invite a friend or two. The mess caterer is the officer selected to super-
intend the victualling department, as the wine caterer does the liquid refreshments. It
is by no means an enviable position, for it is the Englishman's conceded right to growl,
and sailors are equal to the occasion. Dr. Stables remarks on the unfairness of this
under-the-table stabbing, when most probably the caterer is doing his best to please.
But on a well-regulated ship, where the officers are harmonious, and either not extravagant
or with private means, the dinner-hour is the most agreeable time in the day. After
the cloth has been removed, and the president, with a d'le preliminary tap on the table
to attract attention, has given the only toast of the evening — " The Queen " — the band-
master, who has been peering in at the door for some minutes, starts the National Anthem
at the right time, and the rest of the evening is devoted to pleasant intercourse, or
visits ashore to the places of amusement or houses of hospitable residents.

Before leaving, for the nonce, the Royal Navy, its officers and men, a few facts may
be permitted, particularly interesting at the present time. The navy, as now constituted,
has for its main backbone fifty-four ironclads. There are of all classes of vessels no
less than 462, but more than a fourth of these are merely hulks, doing harbour service,
&c., while quite a proportion of the remainder — varying according to the exigencies of
the times — are out of commission. There are seventy-eight steam gun-boats and live
fine Indian troop-ships. These numbers are drawn from the official Navy List of latest
date.

It is said that since the ironclad movement commenced, not less than £300,000,000
has been disbursed (in about twenty years) by the different countries of the world. Even
Japan, Peru, Venezuela, Chili, the Argentine Confederation, possess many of this class of
vessel, of more or less power. The British fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral
Hornby, in the Mediterranean, &c., though numerically not counting twenty per cent,
of the fleets in the days of Nelson and CoUingwood, when "a hundred sail of the line"
frequently assembled, has cost infinitely more. A cool half million is not an exceptional
cost for an ironclad, while one of the latest of our turret-ships, the Iiifiexihlc, has cost
the nation three-quarters of a million sterling at the least. She is to carry four eighty-
ton guns. A recent correspondent of a daily journal states that next to Great Britain,
"the ironclad fleet of the Sultan ranks foremost among the navies of the world." Be
that as it may, there can be little doubt that if Russia had succeeded in acquiring it, it
would, with her own fleet, have constituted a very powerful rival.

The progressive augmentation in the size of naval vessels has been rapid in Great

£■ •

* *

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I'
r i

i 1

i , .,

332

THE SEA.

Britain. Wlion Ilonry VIII. constructed his Ilenrif Gracfi ile I)iru, of 1,000 tons,''^ it
was, indeed, a great giant among pigmies, for a vessel of two or three hundred tons was
then considered large. At the death of Elizabeth she left forty-two ships, of 17,000 tons
in all, and 8,;j40 men ; fifteen of her vessels being 000 tons and upwards. From this
period the tonnages of the navy steadily increased. The first really scientific nrchitrot,
Mr. Phincas Pett, remodelled the navy to good purpose in the reigns of James I. and
Charles I. Previous to this time the vessels with their lofty poops and forecastles had
greatly resembled Chinese junks. lie launched the Sovereign of the Sean, a vessel t-Vl
feet in length, and of a number of tons exactly corresponding to the date, 1037, when
she left the slips. Cromwell found a navy of fourteen two-deckers, and left one of 150
vessels, of which one-third were line-of-battle ships. He was the first to lay naval
estimates before Parliament, and obtained £100,000 per annum for the service. James II.
left lOS ships of the line, and sixty-five other vessels of 102,000 ions, with 42,000 men.
Wi'liam III. brought it to 272 ships, of 159,020 tons. George II. left, in 17(50, 112
ships, of 321,104 tons. Twenty-two years later the navy had reached 017 vessels, and
in 1813 we had the enormous number of 1,000 vessels, of which 250 were of the line,
measuring 'J00,000 tons, carrying 140,000 seamen and marines, and costing 118,000,000
per annum tj maintain. But since the peace of 1815, the number of vessels has groatly
diminished, while an entirely new era of naval construction has been inaugurated. In
the seventeenth century a vessel of 1,500 tons was considered of enormous size. At the
end of the eighteenth, 2,500 was the outside limit, whilst there are now many vessels of
4,000 tons, and the navy possesses frigates of 0,000 and upwards. Several of our
enormous ironclads have a tonnage of over 11,000 tons, while the (Ireaf Kaitti'ru — of
course a very exceptional case — has a tonnage of 22,500.

Whilst we have eflScient military volunteers enough to form a grand army, our
naval volunteers do not number more than the contingents for a couple of large vessels.
There are scarcely more than a thousand of the latter, and only three stations. London,
Liverpool, and Brighton divide the honour between them of possessing corps. The writer
Ijelieves that he will be doing a service to many young men — who in their turn may do
good service for their country — in briefly detailing the conditions and expenses of joining.
In a very short period of time the members have become wonderfully efficient, and the sailor-
like appearance of the men is well illustrated by the fact, that at a recent reception at the
Mansion House a number of them were taken for men-of-war's men, and so described in
several daily journals. Their prowess is illustrated by the prizes distributed by Lad}'
Ashley, at the inspection of the 1st London Corps, in the West India Docks, on February
Oth last. Badges were won by the gunner making the best practice with the heavy gun
at sea, and by the marksman making the greatest number of points with the rifle. The
" Lord Ashley challenge prize," for the best gun's crew at sea, was won by fourteen men
of No. 2 battery, who fired forty -two rounds at 1,300 yards in thirty-seven minutes,
scoring 411 points out of a possible 504 points. The official report says: — "that further

* Her tonnage 'being no dou'bt calculated by what is known as 0. M. (old measurement), and which was used up to
a Lite date in England, her actual capacity must have been considerably greater.

OUU NAVAL VOLUNTEEIIS.

2;J.'J

comment on tho men or thoir instructor is superfluous." The list ineludoJ rifle, iMittory,
and boating prizes.

The Royal Navy Artillery Volunteers arc raised under an Act passed in \H7ii, and
are directly subject to the authority of tho Admiralty. They may be assembled lor
actual employment, their duties then consisting of coast or harbour service. They are not
reqtiired to go aloft, or to attend to the engine fires, but in regard to berthing and messing

our
essels.
jndon,
vvritev
ay do
ining.
ailor-
at the
jed in
Lady
ruary
gun
The
II men
nutes,
urthev

bd up to

THK "OREAT HAHRY " AND " ORBAT EASTERN" IN CONTRAST.

must conform to the arrangements usual with seamen. The force is formed into brigades,
each brigade consisting of four or more batteries, of from sixty to eighty men. Each
brigade has a lieutenant-commander, and each battery a sub-lieutenant, chief petty officer,
first and second-class petty officers, buglers, &c., while the staff includes a lieutenant-
instructor, first-class petty officer instructor, surgeon, bugle-major, and armourer. Those
desiring to join a corps should communicate with the Secretary of the Admiralty. The
annual subscription to the 1st London Corps is one guinea, while each member has to
provide himself with two white frocks, one blue serge frock, one pair of blue trousers, one
blue cloth cap, &c., black handkerchief, flannel, knife, lanyard, and monkey-jacket, costing
in the neighbourhood of six pounds. When on a cruise, in gunboat, the volunteer
requires in addition serge trousers and jumpers, flannel shirt, towels, and brush and comb,
30

•; 1,

I l-i

11 ' >■

iV'

canvas bags, &c. The officers' uniforms are tho same as those of the Royal Navy, with the
exc.ption of silver, for the most part, taking the place of gold. It is more expensive to
join the naval than the military volunteers, and the class composing the corps are generally
well-to-do young men, a large number of them employed in shipping offices, and mercantile
pursuits connected with the sea.

The drills consist of practice with great guns, rifle, pistol, and cutlass exercises.
" Efficient " volunteers are entitled to a badge, while men returned five times as efficient
may wear one star, and those returned ten times two stars, above said badge. Every
volunteer must attend at least two drills a month, until he h;is obtained the standard of
an "efficient." V'hgn on actual service, the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers will receive
the same pay, allowances, and victuals as those of relative rank in the ravy, and when
embarked on any of Her Majesty's ships for more than forty-eight hours, in practice,
will either be victualled or receive a money compensation. The cruises in gun-boats, Ike,
usually last ten days, and the vessel visits many of the Clnnnel ports, &c., more especially
ofB points where gun practice is practicable. A volunteer wounded, either on drill or in
actual service, is entitled to the same compensation as any seaman in the navy would be
under similar circumstances, and if killed his widow (if any) to the same gratuities out
of the Greenwich Hospital Funds as would a Royal Navy seaiiian's widow. Members who
are able to take advantage of the cruise in gun-boats must have attended drill regularly
for three months previously. It must be remembered that each man costs the Government
from £8 to £10 for the first year, in the expenses incurred in great gun and other practice;
and it is theref on made a point of honour to those joining that they will devote sufficient
time to their drills to make themselves thoroughly efficient.

The London Naval Artillery Volunteers have a fine vessel, the President, now in the
West India Docks, on which to ex'^rcise, while to accustom them to living on board ship,
the old Rainbow, ofE Temple Pier, is open to them, under certain conditions, as a place
of residence. A number avail themselves of this : sleep on beard in hammocks, and
contribute their quota of the mess expenses. The writer is the last to decry other
manly exercises, such as cricket, foot-ball, racing, or pedestrianism, but naval volunteering
has the advantage of not merely comprising a series of manly exercises, but in being directly
pracHcal and specially health-giving.

And to prevent the need of impressment, tlie Government did well in establishing the
Royal Naval Reserve. Vhe latest estimates provided £110,000 for ^'le year; the number,
which at present is about 20,000 men, is not to exceed 30,000. The service is divided
into two classes : the first class consisting of seamen of the merchant service, and t'le
second, fishermen on Vl^<^. coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. Both divisions are practical
sailors, and the value of their services in a cime of war would be inestimable. They are
re<iuired to drill twenty-eight days in each year, for which they receive about £G per
annum, and sundry allowances for travelling, &c. The former class can be drilled at our
stations abroad, so that a merchant seaman is not necessarily tied to England, or to
mere coastinjr trade.

in tlie
•d ship,
a place

:s, anil
fy other
ateeriiig

directly

I number,
divided
land t'le
[practical
[They are
£0 per
at our
ll, or to '

THE VOYAGE OF THE "BOUNTY."

235

CHAPTER XIV.

The 11kvki!<e ok the Picture — Mutiny.

Bligh's Bread-fruit Kxpodition— Voyage of tlie ^oini/y— Otaheite -The lluppy Islanders -Firet Appearance of a Mutinous
Spirit -The Cutter Stolen and Uecovered— Tlic liounty sails with 1,001) Trees- The Mutiny— Uliiih Ovoriiowered and
Hound— Abandoned with Kit^hteen Others— Their Resources- Attackeil by Natives -A Uoat Voyage of .S.GIS miles -
Violent Gales -Jliscrable Condition of the Boat's Crew— Bread by the Ounce -Uum by the Tea-spoonful— Noddies
and Boobies— " Who shall have this?"— Otr the Barrier Ucef— A Haven of Rest- Oyster and I'alm-top Stews—
Another Thousand Mdcs of Ocean— Arrival at Coupang— Hospitality of the Residents— Ohastly Looks of the I'arty -
Death of Five of the Number— The Prnirfoca Dispatched to Catch the Mutineers -Fourteen in Irons -i'a(i(/ora'.'«
Box— The Wreck -Great Loss of Life— Sentences of the Court Martial— The Last of the Mutineers -IHtcairn Island
—A Model .Settlement— Another Kxamplc: The greatest Mutiny of History - 10,009 Disaffected Men at one point-
Causes Legitimate Action of the Men at First— Apathy of Government— Serious Organisation— The Spithead Fleet
Ordered to Sea— Refusal of the Crews- -Concessions Made, and the First Mutiny Quelled— Second Outbreak -Lord
Howe's Tact- The Great Mutiny of the Nore— Richard Parker -A Vile Character but Man of Talent -Wins the Men
to his Side— Officers Flogged and Ducked— Gallant Duncan's Address— Accessions to the Mutineers— Parker
practically Lord High Admiral— His Extravagant Behaviour -Alarm in London— The Movement Dies out by
Degrees— Parker's Cause Lost— His Execution— Mutinies at Other Stations— Prompt Action of Lords St. Vincent
and Macartney.

The Royal Navy has ever been the glory of our country, but there are spots even on the
bright sun. The service has been presented hitherto ahnost entirely under its best aspects.
Example after example of heroic bravery, unmurmuring endurance, and splendid discipline,
have been cited. Nor can we err in painting it coiilcnr dc roxe, for its gallant exploits
have won it undying fame. But in the service at one time — thank God those times are
hardly possible now — mutiny and desertion on a large scale were eventualities to be
considered and dreaded ; they were at least remote possibilities. In a few instances they
became terrible facts. In the merchant service we still hear of painful examples : every
reader will remember the case of the Lennie mutineers, who murdered the captain and
mates in the Bay of Biscay, with the object of selling the ship in Greece, and were
defeated by the brave steward, who steered for the coast of Prance, and was eventually
successful in communicating with the French authorities. The example about to be
related is a matter of historical fact, from which the naval service in particular may still
draw most important lessons.

In the year 17S7, being seventeen years after Captain Cook's memorable first voyage,
a number of merchants and planters resident in London memorialised his Majesty
George III., that the introduction of the bread-fruit tree from the southern Pacific Islands
would be of great benefit to the AVest Indies, and the king complied with their request.
A small vessel, the Buunty, was prepared, tlie arrangements for disposing the plants being
made by Sir Josepii Banks, long the distinguished President of the Royal Society, and
one of the most eminent men of science of the day. Banks had been with Cook among
these very islands ; indeed, it is stated that in his zeal for acquiring knowledge, he had
undergone the process of tattooing himself. The ship was put under the command of
Lieutenant Bligh. with officers and crew numbering in all forty-four souls, to whom were
added a practical botanist and assistant.

The Bounty sailed from Spithead on December 23rd, 1787, and soon encountered very

!f^

III .

236

THE SKA.

severe weather, which oljligeil them to refit at TenerilTe. T('rril)l(' ^'•ale.s were experienced
near Cape Horn, "storms of wind, witli hail and sleet, which made it necessary to keep a
constant (ire nig'ht and day, and one of the watch always attended 1o dry tlie peojjle's wet
ch)thes. This stormy weather continued for nine days; the ship rcciuired jjiiinpi'.ig' every
lioiu"; the decks hecame so leaky that tlie commander was ohliii-ed to allot the great
cabin to those who had wet berths to hang their hammocks in/'* Jt was at last determined,

I '^

I I

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THE CUKW 01' II. M.S. " UOt'NTV " LANDING AT OTAIIEITE.

after vainly strnggling for thirty days to make headway, to hear away for the Cape of
(jood Hope. The helm was accordingly put a-weather, to the great joy and satisfaction
of all on broad.

They arrived at the Cape late in ^lay, and stopped there for thirty-oight days, refitting,
replenishing provisions, and refreshing the worn-out crew. On October 2(ith they anchored
rn Matavai Hay, Olahoite, and the natives immediately came out to the ship in great
numbers. Tinah, the chief of the district, on hearing of Ihe arrival of the Jioinif//, sent
a small pig and a young plantain tree, us a token of friendship, and the ship was liberally
supplied with provisions. Handsome i)resents were made to Tinah, and he was told that
they had been sent to him, on account of the kindness of the people to Captain Cook

* " The Evintful History of tin.' Jlrtiny iiiiJ riniticul S(i;;urL of JI.M..'<. Iloiiiiti/ : Its Causes and Conscquonces."

ting,

lior

;reat
sent
rally
that

I Cook

TiiK mi;tinkki{s si.;i/i\(i captain m,i(iii.

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THE SEA.

during' his visit. " Will you not, Tinali," said Bligli, " send something to King George
in return?" "Yes," he replied, " I will send him anything I have," and then enumerated
the different articles in his power, among which he mentioned the bread-fruit. This was
exactly what Bligli wished, and he was told that the bread-fruit trees were what King
George would greatly like, and the chief promised that a large number should bo placed
on bi)ard.

The importance of the bread-fruit to these people cannot be over-stated. That oil
navigator, Dampier, had well described it a hundred years before. "The bread-fruit,
as we call it, grows on a large tree, as Ijig and high as our largest apple-trees; it hath a
spreading head, full of branches and dark leaves. The fruit grows on the boughs like
apples; it is as big as a penny loaf when wheat is at five shillings the bushel; it is of
a round shape, and hath a thick, tough rind ; when the fruit is ripe, it is yellow and
soft, and the taste is sweet and pleasant. The natives of Guam use it for bread. They
gatlier it, when full grown, while it is green and hard; then they bake it in an oven,
which scoreheth the rind and makes it black, but they scrape off the outside black crust,
and there remains a tender, thin crust ; and the inside is soft, tender, and white." The
fruit lasts in season eight months. During Lord Anson's two months' stay at Tinian,
no ship's bread was consumed, the ofhcors and men all preferring tiie bread-fruit. Byron
speaks of those South Soa Islands, where labour is the merest jilaywork, the earth affording
nearly spontaneously all that the natives need, as

)?■

. I

, a

" The happy shores withoul ,i law,

"NVhcro all partako the oarth without dispute,

And bread itaclf is gathered as a fruit ;

Where none contest the fields, the woods, the streams,

The gold-less age, where gold disturbs no dreams."'

The Otaheitans of those days were a most harmless, amiable, and unsophisticated people.
One day the gudgeon of the cutter's rudder was missing, and was believed to have been
stolen. " I thought," says Bligh, " it would have a good effect to punish the boat-keejier
in their presence, and accordingly I ordered him a dozen lashes. All who attended the
prmishment interceded very earnestly to got it mitigated ; the women showed great
sympathy." The intercourse between the crew and natives was very pleasant. The
Otaheitans showed the most perfect ease of manner, with "a candour and sincerity about
them that is quite refreshing." "When they offered refreshments, for instance, if they
were not accepted, they did not press them; they had not the least idea of that ceremonious
kind of refusal which expects a second invitation. "Having one day," says Bligli,
" exposed myself too much in the sun, I was taken ill, on which all the powerful people,
both men and women, collected round mo, offering their assistance." On an occasion
when the Jiounii/ had nearly gone ashore in a tremendous gale of wind, and on another
when she did go aground, after all was right again, those kind-hearted people came in
crowds to congratulate the captain on her escape; many of them shed tears while the
danger seamed imminent. In the evenings, the whole beach was like a parade, crowded

)een

tho
event

The

ilxiut

thoy

nious

eoplc,
;asion
lother
ne in
the
>\vde(l

OUTBREAK OF MUTINY.

^}'M

:3'J

with several hundred men, women, and children, all good-humoured, and affectionate to
one another; their sports and games were continued till near dark, when they peaceably
returned to their homes. They were particularly cleanly, bathing every morning, and
often twice a day.

It is sad to turn from this pleasant picture to find the spirit of desertion and nnitiny
appearing among the crew. There can be no doubt that the allurements of the island,
its charming climate and abundant productions, the i'riendliness of the natives, and ease
of living, were the main causes. Bligh made one fatal mistake in his long slay <jf (ncr
five months, during which the crew had all opportunities of leave ashore. Every man
of them had his fi'j/<>, or friend. Troni the moment he sot his foot ashore he found himself
in the midst of ease and indolence, all living in a state of luxury, without submitting to
anything approaching real labour. Such enticements were too nmcli for a common sailor,
for must he not contrast the islander's happy lot with his own hardships on board ?

One morning the small cutter was missing, with three of the crew. They had taken
with them eight stands of arras and ammunition. The master was dispatched with one
of the chiefs in their pursuit, but before they had got any great distance, they met tho
boat with five of the natives, who were bringing her back to the ship. " For this service
they were handsomely rewarded. The chiefs promised to use every possible means to
detect and bring back the deserters, which, in a few days, some of the islanders had so
far accomplished as to seize and bind them, but let them loose again on a promise that
they would return to their ship, which they did not exactly fulfil, but gave themselves
up soon after, on a search being made for them." A few days after this it was found
that the cable by which the ship rode had been cut, close to the water's edge, so that it
held by only a strand. Bligh considered this the act of one of his own people, who
wished the ship to go ashore, so that thoy might remain at Otaheite. It may, however,
have chafed in the natural course of affairs.

And now the Bomiti/, having taken on board over a thousand of the bread-fruit plants,
besides other shrubs and fruits, set sail, fulling in soon after with many canoes, whose
owners and passengers sold them hogs, fowls, and yams, in quantities. Some of the
sailing canoes would carry ninety persons. Bligh was congratulating himself on his ship
being in good condition, his plants in perfect order, and all his men and ofiicers in good
health. On leaving deck on the evening of April :i7tli he had given directions as to the
course and watches. Just before sunrise on the iJSth, while he was yet asleep, !Mr.
Christian, officer of the watch, with three of the men, came into his cabin, and seizing
him, tied his hands behind his back, threatening him with instant death if he spoke or
made the least noise. " I called, however," says IMigh, " as loud as I could, in hopes
of assistance; but they had already secured the oliicers who were not of their party, by
placing sentinels at their doors. There were three men at my cabin-door besides the four
within; Christian had only a cutlass in his hand, the others had muskets and bayonets.
I was hauled out of bed, and forced on deck in my shirt, suffering great pain from the
tightness with which they had tied my hands." The master and master's mate, the
gunner, and the gardener, were confined below, and the forecastle hatch was guarded by
sentinels. The boatswain was ordered to hoist the launch out, with a threat that he had

•\':-\

m '■

240

THE SEA.

i'^

better do it instantly, and two of the midshipmen and others were ordered into it.
Bligh was simply told, " Hold your tongue, sir, or you are dead this instant ! " when he
remonstrated. "I continued," says he, "my endeavours to turn the tide of affairs,
when Christian changed the cutlass which he had in his hand for a bayonet that was
brought to him, and holding me with a strong grip by the cord that tied my hands,
he threatened, with many oaths, to kill me immediately, if I would not be quiet; the,
villains round me had their pieces cocked and bayonets fixed," The boatswain and

IILIOH CAST ADRIFT.

seamen who were to be turned adrift with Bligh were allowed to collect twine, canvas,
lines, sails, cordage, and an eight-and-twenty gallon cask of water; the clerk secured
one hundred and fifty pounds of bread, with a small quantity of rum and wine, also a
quadrant and compass, but he was forbidden to touch the maps, observations, or any of
the surveys or drawings. He did, however, secure the journals and captain's commission.
The mutineers having forced those of the seamen whom they meant to get rid of into
the boat. Christian directed a dram to be served to each of his own crew. Isaac Martin,
one of the guard over Bligh, had an inclination to serve him, and fed him with some
fruit, his lips being quite parched. This kindness was observed, and Martin was ordered
away. The same man, with three others, desired to go with the captain, but this was
refused. They begged him to remember that they had no hand in the transaction. " I asked

BLIGII CAST ADRIFT.

to it.
len he
iffairs,
it was
hands,
t; the
n and

canvas,
secured
. also a
any o£
limission.
of into
Martin,
Ith some
ordered
this was
I asked

for arms," says Bligh, "but they laughed at me, and said I was well acquainted with
the people among whom 1 was going, and therefore did not want them; four cutlasses,
however, were thrown into the boat alter we were veered astern.

"The officers and men being in the boat, they only waited for me, of which the
master-at-arms informed Christian, who then said, 'Como; Captain Bligh, your officers
and men are now in the boat, and you must go with them ; if you attempt to make the
least resistance, you will instantly bo put to death ; ' and without further ceremony, >/ith
a tribe of armed ruffians about me, I was forced over the «ide, when they uT'tied my
hands." A few pieces of pork were thrown to them, and after undergoing a great deal
of ridicule, and having been kept for some time to make sport for these unfeeling wretches,
they were at length cast adrift in the open sea. Bligh heard shouts of " Hiizza for
Otaheite ! " among the mutineers for some considerable time after they had parted from
the vessel.

In the boat, well weighted down to the water's edge, were nineteen persons, Including
the commander, master, acting-surgeon, botanist, gunner, boatswain, carpenter, and two
midshipmen. On the ship were twenty-five persons, mostly able seamen, but three
midshipmen were among the number, two of whom had no choice in the matter, being
detained against their will.

Lieutenant Bligh, although a good seaman, was a tyrannical man, and had made
himself especially odious on board by reason of his severity, and especially in regard to
the issuing of provisions. He had had many disputes with Christian in particular, when
his language was of the coarsest order. Still, the desire to remain among the Otahoitans,
or, at all events, among these enticing islands, seems to have been the main cause of
the mutiny.

It was shown afterwards that Christian had only the night before determined to make
his escape on a kind of small raft; tliat he had informed four of his companions, and that
they had supplied him with part of a roast pig, some nails, beads, and other trading
articles, and that he abandoned the idea because, when he came on deck to his watch
at four a.m., he found an opportunity which he had not expected. He saw Mr. Hayward,
the mate of his watch, fall asleep, and the other midshipmen did not put in an appearance
at all. He suddenly conceived the idea of the plot, which he disclosed to seven of the
men, three of whom had "tasted the cat," and were unfavourable to Bligh. They went
to the armourer, and secured the keys of his chest, under the pretence of wanting a
musket to fire at a shark, then alongside. Christian then proceeded to secure Lieutenant
Bligh, the master, gunner, and botanist. He stated that he had been much annoyed at
the frequent abusive and insulting language of his commanding officer. Waking out of
a short half-hour's disturbed sleep, to take the command of the deck — finding the
mates of the watch asleep — the opportunity tempting, and the ship completely in his
power, with a momentary impulse he darted down the fore-hatchway, got possession of
the arm-chest, and made the hazardous experiment of arming such of the men as he
deemed he could trust. It is said that he intended to send away his captain in a small,
wretched boat, worm-eaten and decayed, but the remonstrances of a few of the better-
hearted induced him to substitute the cutter.
31

I" .i

u-z

THE SEA.

:;■;

if"

• And now to follow the fortunes of Lieutenant Bligh and his companions. Their first
consideration was to examine their resources. There were sixteen pieces of pork, weighing
two pounds each, the bread and water as before mentioned, six quarts of rum, and six
bottles of wine. Being near the island of Tofoa, they resolved to seek a supply of bread-
fruit and water, so as to preserve their other stock, and they did obtain a small quantity
of the former, but little water. The natives seeing their defenceless condition meditated
their destruction, and speedily crowded the beach, knocking stones together, the preparatory
signal for an attack. With some difficulty the seamen succeeded in getting their things
together, and got all the men, except John Norton, one of the quartermasters, into the
boat, the surf running high. The poor man was literally stoned to death within their
sight. They pushed out to sea in all haste, and were followed by volleys of big stones,
some of the canoes pursuing them. Their only expedient left to gain time was to throw
overboard some of their clothing, which, fortunately, induced the natives to stop and pick
them up. Night coming on, the canoes returned to the shore.

The nearest place where they could expect relief was Timor, a distance of full 1,200
leagues, and the men agreed to be put on an allowance, which on calculation was found
not to exceed one ounce of bread per diem, and a gill of water. Recommending them,
therefore, in the most solemn manner, not to depart from their promises, " we bore away,"
says Bligh, "across a sea where the navigation is but little known, in a small boat,
twenty-three feet long from stem to stern, deeply laden with eighteen men. ... It
was about eight at night on the 2nd of May when we bore away under a reefed lug-
foresail; and having divided the people into watches, and got the boat into a little order,
we returned thanks to God for our miraculous preservation, and in full confidence of His
gracious support, I found my mind more at ease than it had been for some time past."
Next morning the sun rose fiery and red, a sure indication of a gale, and by eight o'clock
it blew a violent storm, the waves running so high that their sail was hecalmed when
between the seas. They lightened the boat by throwing overboard all superfluous
articles, and removing the tools, put the bread, on which their very existence depended,
in the chest. Miserably wet and cold as were all, Bligh administered a tea-spoonful of
rum to each at dinner time. The sea still rose, and the fatigue of baling became very
great. Next morning at daylight the men's limbs were benumbed, and another spoonful
of spirit was administered. Whatever might be said of Bligh's previous conduct, there
is no doubt that at this juncture he exerted himself wonderfully and very judiciously to
save the lives of all. Their dinner this day consisted of five small cocoa-nuts. On the
night of the 4th the gale abated, and they examined the bread, much of which was found
to be damaged and rotten, but it was still preserved for use. On the 0th they hooked
a fish, " but," says the commander, " we were miserably disappointed by its being lost
in trying to get it into the boat." They were terribly cramped for want of room on board,
although Bligh did for the best by putting them watch and watch, so that half of them
at a time could lie at the bottom of the boat. On the 7th they passed close to some
rocky isles, from which two large sailing canoes came out and pursued hotly, but gave
over the chase in the afternoon. This day heavy rain fell, when everybody set to work
to catch some, with such success that they not merely quenched their thirst, but increased

i '>

SUFFERINGS OF THE BOAT'S CREW.

gave

work

reased

their stock to thirty-five gallons. As a corresponding disadvantage they got wet through.
On the 8th the allowance issued was an ounce and a half of pork, a tea-spoont'ul of rum,
half a pint of cocoa-nut milk, and an ounce of bread. Bligh constructed a pair of scales'
of two cocoa-nut shells, using pistol-balls for weights. The next nine days brought bad
weather, and much rain, the sea breaking over the boat so much that two men were kept
constantly baling, and it was necessary to keep the boat before the waves to prevent
her filling. When day broke it showed a miserable set of beings, full of wants, aches,
and pains, and nothing to relieve them. They found some comfort by wringing their
clothes in sea-water, by which means they found a certain limited amount of warmth.
But though all were shivering with cold and wet, the commander was obliged to tell
them that the rum ration — one tea-spoonful — must for the present be discontinued, as it
was running low.

"During the whole of the afternoon of the 21st," says Bligh, " we were so covered
with rain and salt water that we could scarcely see. We suffered extreme cold, and every
one dreaded the approach of night. Sleep, though we longed for it, afforded no comfort;
for my own part, I almost lived without it. * * * The misery we suffered this night
exceeded tho preceding. The sea tlew over us with great force, and kept us baling with
horror and anxiety. At dawn of day I found every one in a most distressed condition,
and I began to fear that another such night would put an end to the lives of several,
who seemed no longer able to support their sufferings. I served an allowance of fivo
tea-spoonfuls of rum ; after drinking which, and having wrung our clothes, and taken
our breakfast of bread and water, we became a little refreshed.^' On the 21th, for the
first time in fifteen days, they experienced the warmth of the sun, and dried their now
threadbare garments.

On the 25th, at mid-day, some noddies flew so near the boat that one was caught
by hand. This bird, about the size of a small pigeon, was divided into eighteen portions,
and allotted by the method known as " JFho shall have this?" in which one person, who
turns his back to the caterer, is asked the question, as each piece is indicated. This
system gives every one the chance of securing the best share. Bligh used to speak of
the amusement it gave the poor half-starved people when the beak and claws fell to his
lot. That and the following day two boolnes, ^vhich are about as large as ducks, were also
caught. The sun came out so powerfully that several of the people were seized with
faintness. But the capture of two more boobies revived their spirits, and as from the
birds, and other signs, Mr. Bligh had no doubt they were near land, the feelings of all
became more animated. On the morning of the 28th the "barrier reef" of what was then
known as the eastern coast of New Holland, now Australia, appeared, with the surf and
breakers outside, and smooth water within. The difficulty was to find a passage; but at
last a fine opening was discovered, and through this the boat passed rapidly with a strong
stream, and came immediately into smooth water. Their past hardships seemed all at
once forgotten. The coast appeared, and in the evening they landed on the sandy point
of an island, where they soon found that the rocks were covered with oysters, and that
plenty of fresh water was attainable. By help of a small sun-glass a fire was made,
and soon a stew of oysters, pork, and bread was concocted, which gladdened their hearts,

. I

ll
it

S44

THE SEA.

■!; '*

III

each receiving a full pint. The 29th of May being the anniversnry of the restoratifm
of Charles II., the spot was not inappropriately named Restoration Island.

Bligh soon noted the alteration for the better in tlie looks of his men, which proved
the value of oysters, stewed, as they sometimes were, with fresh green palm-tops. Strange
to say, that the mutinous spirit, which had been satisfactorily absent before, broke out
in one or two of the men, and Bligh had, in one instance, to seize a cutlass and order
the man to defend himself. The threatened outbreak ended quietly.

But although the worst of their voyage was over, their troubles in other ways were
serious. While among the islands ofE the coast of Australia several of them were seriously
affected with weakness, dizziness, and violent pains in their bowels. Infinitesimal quantities
of wine were administered, to their great benefit. A party was sent out on one of the islands
to catch birds, and they returned with a dozen noddies ; these and a few clams were all
they obtained. On the 3rd of June they left Cape York, and once more launched their
little boat on the open ocean. On the 5th a booby was caught by the hand, the blood
of which was divided among three of the men who were weakest, and the bird kept for
next day's dinner. The following day the sea ran high, and kept breaking over the boat.
Mr. Led ward, the surgeon, and Lebogue, an old hardy sailor, appeared to be breaking
up fast, and no other assistance could be givm them than a tea-spoonful or two of wine.
On the morning of the 10th there was a visible alteration for the worse in many of the
people. Tlieir covmtenances were ghastly and hollow, their limbs voUen, and all extremely
debilitated , orne seeming to have lost their reason. But nexi day Bligh was able to
announce that they had passed the meridian of Timor, and the following morning laud
was sighted with expressions of universal joy and satisfaction. Forty-one days had they
heen on the ocean in their miserable boat, and by the log they had run 3,618 nautical
miles. On the 14th they arrived at Coupang Bay, where they were received with all
kinds of hospitality. The party on landing presented the appearance of spectres : their
bodies skin and bones, and covered with sores; their clothing in rags. But the strain had
be^.i too much for several of them. The botanist died at Coupang, three of the men at
Batavia, and one on the passage home. The doctor was left behind and not afterwards
heard of. Bligh arrived in England on March 14th, and received much sympathy. Ho
was immediately promoted, and afterwards successfully carried the bread-fruit tree to the
West Indies. Meantime the Government naturally proposed to bring the mutineers to
trial, whatever it might cost.

The Pandora, a frigate of twenty-four guns, and one hundred and sixty men, was
selected for the service, and was placed under the command of Captain Edward Edwards,
with orders to proceed to Otaheite, and if necessary the other islands. The voyage was
destined to end in shipwreck and disaster, but the captain succeeded in securing a part
of the mutineers, of whom ten were brought to England, and four drowned on the
wreck.

The Pandora reached Matavia Bay on the 23rd of March, 1791. The armourer and
two of the midshipmen, Mr. Heywood and Mr. Stewart, came off immediately, and showed
their willingness to afford information. Four others soon after appeared, and from them
the captain learned that the rest of the Bounty's people had built a schooner, and sailed

SOME OF TlIE MUTINEEIIS ARRESTED.

215

the (lay before for ntiotlier part of the island. They were pursued, and the schooner
secured, but the mutineers hud Hed to the mountains. A day or two ehipsed, when they
ventured down, and when within hearing were ordered to lay down their arms, which
they did, and were put in irons. Captain Edwards put them into a ruund-house, built
on the after part of the quarter-deck, in order to isolate them from the crew. According
to the statement of one of the prisonere, the midshipmen were kept ironed by the legs,
separate from the men, in a kind of round-house, aptly termed " Pandora's Box," which
was entered by a scuttle in the roof, about eighteen inches square. " The prisoners' wives
visited the ship daily, and brought their children, who were permitted to be carried to
their unhappy fathers. To see the poor captives in irons/' says the only narrative

AV,., V^.

v\ C O R /( L

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C E A

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MAP OF THE ISLANDS OF THE I'ACIFIC.

er and

showed

them

sailed

published of the Pandora's visit, "weeping over their tender offspring, was too moving
a scene for any feeling heart. Their wives brought them ample sup^Jies of every delicacy
that the country afforded while we lay there, and behaved with the greatest fidelity and
affection to them." * Stewart, the midshipman, had espoused the daughter of an old chief,
and they had lived together in the greatest harmony; a beautiful little girl had been
the fruit of the union. When Stewart was confined in irons, Peggy, for so her husband
had named her, flew with her infant in a canoe to the arms of her husband. The interview
was so painful that Stewart begged she might not be admitted on board again. Forbidden
to see him, she sank into the greatest dejection, and seemed to have lost all relish for
food and existence ; she pined away and died two months afterwards, f

All the mutineers that were left on the island having been secured, the ship proceeded
to other islands in search of those who had gone away in the Bounly. It must be
mentioned, however, that two of the men had perished by violent deaths. They had

• "Voyage Round the World," by G. Ilitmilton. f "-^ Missionary Voyage to the Southern Pacific"

240

THE SEA.

made friends with a chief, and one of them, Cliurchill, was his f(i//o, or sworn friend.
The chief died suddenly without issue, and Churchill, accordiu}^ to the custom of the
country, succeeded to his property and dignity. Tiie other, Thomson, murdered Churchill,
probably to acquire his possessions, and was in his turn stoned to death by the natives.
Captain Edwards learned that after BHgh had been set adrift. Christian had thrown
overboard the greater part of the bread-fruit plants, and divided the property of those
they had abandoned. They at first went to an island v.in.cd Toobouai, where they
intended to form a settlement, but the opposition of the natives, and their own quarrels,
determined them to revisit Otaheite. There the leading natives were very curious to
know what had become of Bligh and the rest, and the mutineers invented a story to the
effect that they had unexpectedly fallen in with Captain Cook at an island he had just
discovered, and that Lieutenant Bligh was stopping with him, and had appointed Mr.
Christian commander of the Bovnfi/ ; and, fjirther, he was now come for additional
supplies for them. This story imposed upon the simple-minded natives, and in the
course of a very few days the Bonntij received on board thirty-eight goats, 312 hogs, eight
dozen fowls, a bull and a cow, and large quantities of fruit. They also took with them a
number of natives, male and female, intending to form a settlement at Toobouai. Skirmishes
with the natives, generally brought on by their own violent conduct or robberies, and
eternal bickerings among themselves, delayed the progress of their fort, and it was
subsequently abandoned, sixteen of the men electing to stop at Otaheite, and the remaining
nine leaving fmally in the Jioiinti/, Christian having been heard frequently to say that
his object was to find some uninhabited island, in which there was no harbour, that he
would run the ship ashore, and make use of her materials to form a settlement. This
was all that Captain Edwards could learn, and after a fruitless search of three months he
abandoned further inquiry, and proceeded on his homeward voyage.

Off the east coast of New Holland, the Pandora ran on a reef, and was speedily a
wreck. In an hour and a half after she struck, there were eight and a half feet of water
in her hold, and in spite of continuous pumping and baling, it became evident that she
was a doomed vessel. With all the efforts made to save the crew, thirty-one of the ship's
company and four mutineers were lost with the vessel. Very little notice, indeed, seems
to have been taken of the latter by the captain, who was afterwards accused of considerable
inhumanity. "Before the final catastrophe," says the surgeon of the vessel, "three of
the Bowiiifs people, Coleman, Norman, and M'Intosh, were now let out of irons, and
sent to work at the pumps. The others offered their assistance, and begged to be allowed
a chance of saving their lives; instead of which, two additional sentinels were placed
over them, with orders to shoot any who should attempt to get rid of their fetters.
Seeing no prospect of escape, they betook themselves to prayer, and prepared to meet
their fate, every one expecting that the ship would soon go to pieces, her rudder and part
of the stern-post being already beaten away.'' When the ship was actually sinking, it is
stated that no notice was taken of the prisoners, although Captain Edwards was entreated
by young Heywood, the midshipman, to have mercy on them, when he passed over theii
prison to make his own escape, the ship then lying on her broadside with the larboard
bow completely under water. Fortunately, the master-at-arms, either by accident, of

THE LAST OF THE SU II V IVORS.

ZiJ

probably design, when slippinj; from the roof of " Pandora's Box" into the sea, let the
keys unlockinj,' the hund-cullH and irons fall through the scuttle, and thus enabled theiu
to coninience their own liberation, in which they were assisted by one brave seaman,
William ^loulter, who said he would set them free or go to the bottom with them. Ho
wrenched away, with great dilHculty, the bars of the prison. Immediately after the ship
went down, leaving nothing visible but the top-mast cross-trees.

More than half an hour elapsed before the survivors were all i irked up by the
boats. Amongst the drowned were Mr. Stewart, the midshipman, and three others of the
Bountys people, the whole of whom perished with the manacles on their hands. Thirty-
one of the ship's company were lost. The four boat-loads which escaped had scarcely
any provisons on board, the allowance being two wine-glasses of water to each man,
and a very small quantity of bread, calculated for sixteen days. Their voyage of l,()(tO
miles on the open ocean, and the sufferings endured, were similar to those experienced
by Bligh's party, but not so severe. After staying at Coupang for about three weeks,
they left on a Dutch East Indiaman, which convoyed them to Samarang, and subsequently
Batavia, whence they proceeded to Europe.

After an exhaustive court-martial had been held on the ten prisoners brought home by
Captain Edwards, three of the seamen were condemned and executed ; Mr. Heywood,
the midshipman, the boatswain's-mate, and the steward were sentenced to death, but
afterwards pardoned; four others were tried and acquitted. It will be remembered that
four others were drowned at the wreck.

Twenty years had rolled away, and the mutiny of the Bounty was almost forgotten,
when Captain Folger, of the American thip Topaz, reported to Sir Sydney Smith, at
Valparaiso, that he had discovered the last of the survivors on Pitcairn Island. This fact
was transmitted to the Admiralty, and received on May 14th, 1809, but the troublous
times prevented any immediate investigation. In 1814, H.M.S. Briton, commanded by
Sir Thomas Staines, and the Tagus, Captain Pipon, were cruising in the Pacific, when
they fell in with the little known island of Pitcairn. He discovered not merely that it
was inhabited, but afterwards, to his g-eat astonishment, that every individual on the
island spoke very good English. The little village was composed of neat huts, embowered
in luxuriant plantations. " Presently they observed a few natives coming down a steep
descent with their canoes on their shoulders, and in a few minutes perceived one of these
little vessels dashing through a heavy surf, and paddling ofE towards the ships; but their
astonishment was extreme when, on coming alongside, they were hailed in the English
language with 'Won't you heave us a rope now?'

" The first young man that sprang' with extraordinary alacrity up the side and stood
before them on thj deck, said, in reply to the question, 'Who are you?' that his name
was Thursday October Christian, son of the late Fletcher Christian, by an Otaheitan
mother; that he was the first born on the island, and that he was so called because he was
brought into the world on a Thursday in October. Singularly strange as all this was to
Sir Thomas Staines and Captain Pipon, this youth soon satisfied them that he was none
other than the person he represented himself to be, and that he was fully acquainted with
the whole history of the Bounty ; and, in short, the island before them was the retreat

' t

I'l

24S

THE SEA.

! ■(•:

i.:r

i^.

of the mutineers of that ship. Young Christian was, at this time, about twenty-four
years of age, a fine tall youth, full six feet high, with dark, almost black hair, and a
countenance open and extremely interesting. As he wore no clothes, except a piece of
cloth round his loins, and a straw hat, ornamented with black cock's feathers, his fine-
figure, and well-shaped muscular limb-, were displayed to grer.t advantage, and attracted
general admiration. •«• * * He told them that he was married to a woman muck

H.M.S. " BRITON," AT PITCAIKN ISLAND.

older than himself, one of those that had accompanied his father from Otaheite. His
companion was a fine, handsome youth of seventeen or eighteen years of age, of the name
of George Young, the son of Young, the midshipman." In the cabin, when invited to
refreshments, one of them astonished the captains by asking the blessing with much
appearance of devotion, " For what we are going to receive, the Lord make us truly
thankful." The only surviving Englishman of the crew was John Adams, and when the
captains landed through the surf, with no worse result than a good wetting, the old man
came down to meet them. Both he and his aged wife were at first considerably alarmed
at seeing the king's uniform, but was reassured when he was told that they had no
intentio'i of disturbing him. Adams said that he had no great share in the mutiny, that
he was sick at the time, and was afterwards compelled to tako a musket. He even

THE MUTINY OF THE KORE.

Mi)

His
name
;ecl to
much
truly
Bn the
man
armed
id no
, that
evea

expressed his willingness to go to England^ l)ut this was strongly opposed hy h'\^
(laughter. " All the women burst into tears, and tlio young men stood motionless and
absorbed in grief; but on their being assured that he should on no account be
molested, it is impossible," says Pipon, "to descril)e the universal jny that these j)oor
people manifested."

When Christian had arrived at the island, he found no good anchorage, so he ran the
Boitiili/ into a small creek against the clill', in order to get out of her such articles as
might be of use. Having stripped her, he set lire to the hull, so that afterwards t-'he
should not be seen by passing vessels, and his retreat discovered. It is pretty clear that
the misguided young man was never happy after the rash and mutinous step he had
taken, and he became sullen, morose, and tyrannical to his com])anions. He was at length
shot by an Otaheitan, and in a short time only two of the mutineers were left alive.

The colony at this time comprised forty-six persons, mostly grown-up young people,
all of prepossessing appearance. Jv.' '.) Adams had made up for any share he may have
had in the revolt, by instructing thv ii in religious and moral princii)les. The girls were
modest and bashful, with bright eyes, beautifully white teeth, and every indication of
health. They carried baskets of fruit over such roads and down such precijiices as were
scarcely passable by any creatures except goats, and dver which we could scarcely scrandjli'
with the help of our hantls. When Captain JBeeche}', in his well-known voyage of discovery
on the Blossom, called there in 1S:25, he found Adams, then in his sixty-fifth year, dressed
in a sailor's shirt and trousers, and witli all a sailor's manners, dofling his hat and smoothing
down his bald forehtiv' \vhenever he was addressed by the officers of the Blossom. Many
circumstances connected with the subsequent history of the happy little colony cannot
be detailed here. Suffice it to say that it still thrives, and is one of the most model
settlements of the whole worVl, although descended from a stock so bad. Of the nine
who landed on Pitcairn's Island only two died a natural death. Of the original officers
and crew of the Bounty more than half perished in various untimely ways, the whole burden
of guilt resting on Christian and his fellow-consjjirators.

The mutiny just described sinks into insignificance before that which is about to be
recounted, the greatest mutiny of English history — that of the Nore. At that one point
no less than 40,000 men were concerned, while the disaffection spread to many other
stations, some of them far abroad. There can be little doubt that prior to I7i)7, the year
of the event, our sailors had laboured under many grievances, while the navy was full of
"pressed" men, a portion of whom were sure to retain a thorough dislike to the service,
although so many fought and died bravely for their country. Some of 'he grievaJices
which the navy suffered were probably the residt of careless and negligent legislation, rather
than of deliberate injustice, but they 'vore none the less galling on tiiat account. The pay
of the sailor had remained uui'hanged from the reign of Charles II., although the prices of
the necessaries and common luxuries of life had greatly risen. His pension had also
remained at a stationary rate ; that of the s(ddior had boon augmented. On the score of
provisions he was worse off than an ordinary pauper. He was in the hands of the purser,
whose usual title at that time indicates his unponularity : he was termed " Nipcheese."
Th:' provisions served were of the worst quality ; fourteen instead of sixteen ounces went
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to tho navy ])ouik1. The purser of those days was taken from an inferior eUiss of men, and
often obtained his position by inthionce, rather than merit. lie <>'enerally nstired on a
competency after a life of deliberate dishonesty towards the def(.'nders of his country, who,
had they received everything' to which they were entitled, would not have been too well
treated, and, as it was, were cheated and robbed, without scruple and without limit. The
reader will recall the many naval novels, in which poor Jack's daily allowance of grog was
curtailed by the purveyor's thumb being put in the pannikin : this was the least of the
evils he suft'ered. In those war times the discipline of the service was specially rigid and
severe, and most of this was doubtless necessary. j\Ien were not readily obtained in sufficient
numbers; consequently, when in harbour, leave ashore was very constantly refused, for fear
of desertions. These and a variety of other grievances, real or fancied, nearly upset the
equilibrium of our entire navy. It is not too much to say that not merely England's
naval sui)remacy was for a time in the greatest jeopardy through the disaffection of the men,
but that our national existence, almost — and most certainly our existence as a first-class power
— was alarmingly threatened, the cause being nothing more nor less than a very general
s])irit of mutiny. To do the sailors justice, they sought at first to obtain fair play by all
legitimate means in their power. It must be noted, also, that a large number of our best
officers knew that there was very general discontent. Furthermore, it was well known on
shore that numerous secret societies opposed to monarchy, and incited by the example of the
French Revolution, had been established. Here, again, the Government had made a fatal
mistake. Members of these societies had been convicted in numbers, and sent to sea as a
punishment. These men almost naturally became ringleaders and partakers in the mutiny,
which would, however, have occurred sooner or later, under any circumstances. In the case
of tho mutiny at Spithead, about to be recounted, the sailors exhibited an or(j;nUtmi ion and
an amount of information which might have been expected from " sea-lawyers ' rather
than ordinary Jack Tars ; while in the more serious rebellion of the Nore, the co-operation
of other agents was established beyond doubt.

The first step taken by tho men was perfectly legitimate, and had it liccn met in a
proper spirit by the authorities, this history need never have been penned. At the end of
February, 1797, the crews of four line-of-battle ships at Spithead addressed separate iietitions
to Lord IIowo, Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet, asking his kind interposition with
the Admiralty, to obtain from them a relief of their grievances, so that they might at
length be put on a similar footing to the army and militia, in respect both of their pay and
of the provision tliey might \iu orial)led to make for their wives and families. Lord Howe,
being then in bad Ix-mIHi, communicated the subject of their petitions to Lord Bridport and
Sir Peter Parker, the port admiral, who, with a want of foresight and disregard of their
coimtry's interest which cannot be excused, returned answer that " the petitions were the
work of some evil-disposed jjcrson or persons," and took no trouW4e to investigate the
allegations contained in them. Lord Howe, therefore, did nothing; and the seamen,
finding their applications for redress not only disregarded, but t>«>ated with contempt,
determined to compel the authorities to give them that relief whi^-Jj they had before
submissively asked.

la about six weeks they organised their plans with su<h secrecy that it was not till

Il'

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THE MUTINY AT POKTSMOITTH,

OUTBREAK OF THE JIUTINY.

251

everything' was arranged on a working basis that the first atlniiralj Loril Brldport^ gained any
knowledge of the conspiracy going on around him. lie communicated his suspicions to tlie
Lords of the Admiralty; and they, thinking a little active service would prove the best euro
for what they simply regarded as a momentary agitation, sent down orders for the Channel
Fleet to put to sea. The orders arrived at Portsmouth on April 15th, and in obedience to
them Lord Bridport signalled to the ileet to make the necessary preparations. As might almost
have been expected, it was the signal, likewise, for the outbreak of the mutiny. Not a
sailor bestirred himself; not a rope was bent; but, as if by common consent, the crews of
every vessel in the squadron manned the yards and rigging, and gave three cheers. Tliey
then i")roceeded to take the command of each sliij) from the officers, and appointed delegates
I'rora each vessel to conduct negotiations with the authorities of the Admiralty. No violence
nor force was used. The lirst-lieutenant of the London, ordered by Admiral Colpoys, one of
the best-hated officers of the service, shot one of the mutineers, but his death was not
avenged. They again forwarded their petition to the Admiralty, and its closing sentences
showed their temperance, and argued strongly in favour of their cause. They desired " io
convince the nation at large that they knew where to cease to ask, as well as where to
begin ; and that they asked nothing but what was moderate, and might be granted without
detriment to the nation or injury to the service." The Admiralty authorities, seeing that
with the great power in their hands they h.ad acted peacealdy, only abstaining from work,
yiell^d all the concessions asked; and a full jnirdon was granted in the king's name to the
ileet in general, and to the ringleaders in particular. In a word, the mutiny ended f jr the
time being.

It was resumed on ]\Iay 7th. As Parliament had delayed in passing the appropriations
for the increase of pay and pensions, the crews rose en masse and disarmed all their officers,
although still abstaining from actual violence. Lord Howe, always a popular officer with
the men, and their especial idol after his great victnpy of June 1st, 17t)l, was sent down by
the Cabinet with full power to ratify all the concessions which had been made, and to do
his best to convince the men that the Government had no desire of evading them. He
completely mollified the men, and cvcii succeeded in exacting an expression of regret and
contrition for their outbreak. He assured them that their every grievance should be
considered, and a free 2)ardon, as before, given to all concerned. The men again returned to
duty. The fleet at Plymouth, which had followed that of Portsmouth into the mutiny, did
the same ; and thus, in a month from the first outbreak, as far as these two great Meets were
concerned, all disaffection, dissatisfaction, and discontent had jiassed away, through the tact
and judicious behaviour of Lord Howe. There can be no doubt that the tyranny of many of
the officers had a vast deal to do with the outbreak. In the list of oflicers whom the men
considered obnoxious, and that Lord Howe agreed should be removed, there were over one
liundrod in one fleet of sixteen ships.

Strange to say, the very same week in which the men of the Portsmouth fleet returned
to their duty, acknowledging all their grievances to be removed, the fleet at flie Norc
arose in a violent state of mutiny, displaying very different attributes to those shown by
(he former. Forty thousand men, who had fought many a battle for king and country,,
and in steadfast reliance upon wlumu bravery the people rested every night in tramiuillity,.

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confident in tlicir patriotism and loyalty, became irritated by unj»Tatcful ncg'loct on tlif
one i)art, and l»y seditious advisors on tlio other, and turned the g-uns which they had so
often fired in defence of the J'lnylish lla<»' ag'ainst their own countrymen and their own homes.

Kichard Parker, the chief rin<4'leader at the Xore, was a thoroughly bad man in
every respect, and one utterly unworthy the title of a British sailor, of which, indeed, he
had been more than once formally deprived, lie was the son of an Exeter tradesman in
a fair way of business, had received a good education, and was possessed of decide.!
abilities. lie was a remarkably bold and resolute man, or he would never have acquired
the hold he had for a time over so many brave sailors, lie was unmistakably

" Thi; loader of tho bund ho liuJ uiulimi',
\Vli(i, licirn for belter things, liad iimdly set
His life upun a c/is/,"

und until overtaken by justice, he ruled with absolute sway.

Parker had, eleven years previously, entered the navy as a midshipman on board
the Cnlliidcn, from which vessel he had l)eon discharged Ibr gross misconduct. A little
later, he obtained, however, a similar appointment on the LcKuilcr frigate, and was again
dismissed. We next find him jiassing through several ships in rotation, from which he
was invariably dismissed, no captain allowing him to remain when his true character
disclosed itself. It did not usually take long. At length he became mate of the licuktaui'i',
on which vessel, shortly after joining, he was brought to a court-martial and ''broke"
— i.e., his commission taken away — and declared incapalde of serving again as an officer.
After serving a short time as a common sailor on board the HcIjc, he was either invalided
or discharged, for we find him residing in Scotland ; and as he could no more keep out
of trouble ashore than he could afloat, he was soon in Edinburgh gaol for debt. But
men were wanted for the navy, and he was eventually sent up to the fleet as one of the
ciiota of men required from Perth district. He received the parochial bounty of £;iU
allowed to each man. lie joined the Siin<Jwi.<-/i, the Hag-ship of Admiral Buckner,
Commander-in-Chief at the Nore. The best authorities believe him to have been emjiloyed
as an emissary of the revolutionists, as, although he had only just been discharged from
naol, he had abundance of money. His good address and general abilities, combined with
the liberality and conviviality he displayed, speedily obtained him an influence amoiig
iiis messmates, which he used to the worst purpose. He had scarcely joined the fieet
when, aided by disaffected parties ashore, he began his machinations, and sjwedily seduced
the majority of the seamen from their duty. In some respects the men followed the
example of those at Portsmouth, selecting delegates and forwarding petitions, but in
other respects their conduct was disgracefully different. When mastery of the officers
had been effected, Parker became, in efl'ect. Lord High Admiral, and committed any
number of excesses, even firing on those ships which had not followed the movement.
Officers were flogged, and on board the flag-ship, the vessel on which Parker remained,
many were half-drowned, as the following account, derived from an unimpeachable source,"'''

* The AiiiiKiil lifyislir, 1789. Tlio uccouut abuve presented in derived from that source, and from tho
standard works of Yongc and James.

from tho

AUMIKAL DLNl'AN ADDKKSSING Hisi t'RtVV.

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will sliow. Their hammocks were fastened to their backs, with an IS-pounder hav-shot
as a weight; their hands were tied together, lik wise their feet. They were then made fast
to a tackle suspended from a yard-arm, and hauled up almost to the block; at the word
of command they were dropped suddenly in the sea, where they were allowed to remain a
minute. They were again hoisted up, and the process repeated, until about every sign of
life had fled. The unfortunate victims were then hoisted up hy the heels ; this was
considerately done ^o get rid of the water from their stomachs. They were then put
to bed in their wet hammocks.

On Juno fith the mutinous fleet was joined by the Afffimemiwn, hcnpnrd, Anlenl,
and /y/v men-of-war, and the Rainjcr sloop, which vessels basely deserted from a squadron
under Admiral Duncan, sent to blockade the Texel. Shortly after, a number of vessels
of the line arrived at the mouth of the Thames, and still further augmented the ranks of
the mutineers. By this means eleven vessels were added to the list. Duncan, gallant old
salt as he was, when he found himself deserted by the greater part of his fleet, called his
own ship's crew (the I'cnrrahle, 7f) togetlier, and addressed them in the following speech: —

" My lads, — I once more call you together with a sorrowful heart, from what I havG
lately seen of the dissatisfaction of the fleels: I call it dissatisfaction, for the crews have no
grievances. To be deserted by my fleet, in the face of an enemy, is a disgrace which, I
believe, never before happened to a British admiral, nor could I have supposed it possible.
My greatest comfort under God is, that I liave been supported by the officers, seamen, and
marines of this ship ; for which, with a heart overflowing with gratitude, I request you
to accept my sincere thanks. I flatter myself much good may result from your example,
by bringing these deluded peojjle to a sense of their duly, which they owe, not only to
their king and country, but to themselves.

" The British Navy has ever been the support of that liberty whicli has been handed
down to us by our ancestors, and which I think wo shall maintain to the latest posterity ;
and that can only be done by unanimity and obedience. This ship's company, and others
who have distinguished themselves by their loyalty and good order, deserve to be, and
doubtless will be, the favourites of a grateful country. They will also have, from their
inward feelings, a comfort which will be lasting, and not like the bloating and false
confidence of those who have swerved from their duty.

" It has often been my pride with you to look into the Texel, and see a foe which
dreaded coming out to meet us ; my pride is now humbled indeed ! my feelings are not
easily expressed ! Our cup has overflowed and made us wanton. The all-wise Providence-
has given us this check as a warning, and I hope we .shall improve by it. On Him then
let us trust, where our only security may be found. I find there are many good men^
amongst us; for my own part, I have had full confidence of all in this ship, and once-
more beg to express my approbation of your conduct.

" May God, who has thus far conducted you, continue so to do ; and may the British
Navy, the glory and support of our country, be restored to its wonted splendour, and be
not only the bulwark of Britain, but the terror of the world.

" But this can only be effected by a strict adherence to our duty and obedience ; and!
let us praj' that the Almighty God may keep us in the right way of thinking.

PAllKEIl AND HIS CAUSE LOST.

and

" God bless you all ! "

At an address so uiiussuminfj and patriotic, the whole ship's crow were dissolved
in tears, and one and all declared, with every expression of warmth they could use, their
determination to stay by the admiral in life or death. Their example was followed by
all the other ships left in the scjuadron, and the brave and excellent old admiral, notwith-
.standiiiy the defection of so many of his ships, repaired to his station, off the coast of
Holland, to watch the movements of the Dutch licet. Here he employed a device to
hide the sparseness of his Heet by emiiloyin<»' one of his fri^^ates, comparatively close in
shore, to make signals constantly to himself and to the other vessels in the ofllny,
many of them imaginary, and give the enemy the impression that a large scpiadron was
outside. He had resolved, however, not to refuse battle, if the Dutch fleet should have
the courage to come out and offer it.

But to return to the mutineers. The accession of the new vessels so elated Parker
that he gave way to the wildest fits of extravagance. He talked of taking the whole
fleet to sea, and selling it to our enemies. He tried to stop the navigation of the Thames,
declaring that he would force his way up to London, and bombard the city if the Government
did not accede to his terms. The alarm at these proceedings became general in the
metropolis, and the funds fell lower than ever known before or since in the financial
history of our country. An order was given to take uji the buoys marking the channel
of the Thames, while the forts were heavily armed and garrisoned, so that should Parkei
attempt his vainglorious threat, the Heet might be destroyed. The Government now
acted with more promptness and decision than they had previously displayed. Loixl
Spencer, Lord Arden, and Admiral Young hastened to Sheerness, and held a board, at
which Parker and the other delegates attended, but the conduct of the mutineers was so
audacious that these Lords of the Admiralty returned to town without the slightest success.
The principal article of conflict on the part of the seamen's delegates was the iinecpial
distribution of prize-money, for the omission of which matter in the recent demands, they
greatly upbraided their fellow-seamen at Portsmouth. Bills were immediately passed in
Parliament inflicting the heaviest penalties on those who aided or encouraged the
mutineers in any way, or even held intercourse with them, which speedily had the effect
of damping their ardour, and by the end of the first week in June the fire which Parker
had fanned into a serious conflagration, began to die out. The fleets at Portsmouth and
Plymouth disowned all fellowship with them, and the example of one or two ships, such
as the Cli/de, which from the first had resisted Parker's influence, commenced to be of
effect. The ringleader himself, seeing that his influence was waning, and knowing the
perilous position in which he had placed himself, tried to re-open negotiations with the
Admiralty, but his demands were too ridiculous to be considered; whereupon he hung
Mr. Pitt and Mr. Dundas in effigy at the yard-arm of the Saiuhrich. It is a curious fact,
showing that the crews were simply egged on by the ringleaders, and that there was
l)lenty of loyalty at bottom, that on June 1th, the king's birthday, the whole fleet
insisted on firing a royal salute, displaying the colours as usual, and hauling down the
red flag during the ceremony. Mr. Parker, however, insisted that it should fly on the
Jiag-ship.

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On Juno 10th two of the ships, the Leopard and L'''//i//.si-, hauloil down the nn<i; of
mutiny, and siiilod into the Thames; their example was soon i'ollowed by others. Parker
and his cause weie lost.

On tlie eveninj^ of June 1 1th this miserable affair was at an end. The crew of the
Santlivich, Parker's own ship, broujjht that vessel under the yuns of tlie fort at Shecrness,^
Jiiid handed him as a prisoner to the authorities. Sixteen da}s afterwards he was hanyed.
His wife presented a petition to the queen in favour of her wretched husband, and is
stated to have oft'ered a thousand guineas if his life could be spared. But he, of all men
who were ever hanged, deserved his fate, for he had jdaced the very kingdom itself iu
peril. Other executions took place, but very few, considering the heinousness of the
crime committed. Still, the Guvernment knew that the men had Ijceii in the larger
proportion of cases more sinned against than sinning j and when later, Duncan's victory
over the Dutch fleet i)rovided an occasion, an amnesty was published, and many who had
been confined in i)rison, some of theui under sentence of death, were released. JCii pnntiaul ^
it may bo remarked that three marines were shot at Plymouth on July (ith of the same
year, for endeavouring to excite a mutiny in the corps, while another was sentenced to
receive a Ihomand lashes.

The mutinous spirit evinced at Portsmouth, Plymouth, and the Noro spread even to
foreign stations. Had it not been for Duncan's manly and sensible appeal to his crew,
where there were some disaffected spirits, our naval supremacy might have beca seriously
compromised as regards the Dutch. On l)oard the Mediterranean Fleet, then lying of?
the coast of Portugal, the rrutineers had for a time their own way. The admiral
commanding, Lord St. Vincent, was, however, hardly the man to be daunted by any
number of evil-disposed fellows. He had only just before added to his laurels by another
victory over the enemies of his country. The ringleaders on board the flagship HL George
were immediately seized, brought to trial, and hanged the next day, although it was
Sunday, a most unusual time for an execution. Still further to increase the force of the
example, he departed from the usual custom of drawing men from different ships to assist
at the execution, and ordered that none but the crew of the SI. (Jeorgc itself should
touch a rope. The brave old admiral, by his energy and promptitude, soon quieted every
symptom of disaffection.

The last of the mutinies broke out at the Cape of Good Hope, on October 9th of the
same year, when a band of mutineers seized the flagship of Admiral Pringle, and appointed
delegates in the same way as their shipmates at home, showing plainly how extended
was the discontent in the service, and how complete was the organisation of the insurgents.
Ijord Macartney, who commanded at the Capo, was, however, master of the occasion. Of
the admiral the less said the better, as he showed the white feather, and was completely
non-plussed. Macartney manned the batteries with all the troops available, and ordered
red-hot shot to be prepared. He then informed the fleet that if the red flag was not at
once withdrawn, and a white one hoisted, he would open fire and blow up every shii>
Ihe crew of which held out. The admiral at the same time informed the delegates that
all the concessions they required had already been granted to the fleets at home, and of
course to them. In a quarter of an hour the red flag was hauled down, and a free pardon

TKKMINATIOX (»F Till". MTTINY.

:i57

extended to the bulk of the oll'eiulers. The riiii,''le!ul<Ts were, however, luin^yed, and a few
others llogj^ed. The mutinous spirit never re-asserted itst'll".

Since that time, thank (Jod ! no British tleet has mutinied; and as at the present day
the sailors of the Royal Navy are bettor fed, paid, and tared for than tlioy ever were
before, there is no fear of any recurrence of disaffcLlidn. One need only look at the

LOUD ST. VINCENT.

Jack Tar of the service, and compare him with the appearance of almost any sailor of any
merchant marine, to be convinced that his grievances to-day are of the lightest order.
The wrongs experienced by sailors in a part of the merchant service have been recently
remedied in part ; but it is satisfactory to be able to add that there is every probability of
their condition beiig greatly improved in the future. On this point, however, we shall have
more to say .n a later chapter.

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CHAPTER XV.

The History of Ships and Shu'imxg Ixtekksts.

The First Attempts to Float— Hollowed Logs and Hafts— The Ark and its Diinonsions Skin Floats and Basket-boats—
Maritime Commerce of Anticiuity— Phoenician Knterprise— Did they Hoimd the Cape?— The Ships of Tyre -Curlhago

— Hunno's Voyage to the West Coast of Africa— Egyptian Galleys- The Great Ships of the IMoleniies— Hiero's
Floating Palace -The Homans- Their Itepngnancc to Seafaring Pursuits— Sea Hattles with the Carthaginians-
Cicero's Opinions on Commerce- Constantinople and its Connnercc— Venice— Britain -The First Invasion under
Julius C«Bsar— Henetits Accruing- The Danish Pirates— The London of the Period— The Father of the liritlsh Kavy

— Alfred and his Victories— Canute's Fleet-The Norman Invasion— The Crusades- Hiehard Cicur de Lion's Fleet—
The Cin<iue Ports and their Privileges— Foundation of a Maritime Code— Letters of Marque— Opening of the Coal
Trade— Chaucer's Description of the Sailors of his Time -A Glorious Period- The Victories at Harflcur— Henry V.'s
Fleet or 1,500 Vessels— The C'hannel Marauders -The King-Maker Pirate— Sir Andrew \Voo<l's Victory— Action with
Scotch Pirates— The Great Michael and the Oreat //ojtj/— Queen Klizabetli's Astuteness— The Nation never so well
Provided—" The Most Fortunate and Invincible Armada "—Its Size and Strength- Elizabeth's Apix-al to the Country—
A Noble ISesponse- Effingham's Appointment— The Armada's First Disaster— Heiitted. and Hesails from Corunna—
Chasetl in the Hear— A Series of Co/ifrc<enips— English Volunteer Ships in Numbers— The Fire-ships at Calais- The
Final Action — Flight of the Armada— Fate of Shipwrecked Spanish in Ireland— Total I^oss to Spain— Rejoicings
and Thanksgivings in England.

It will not now be out of place to take a rapid survey of the progress of naval architecture,
from log and coracle to wooden walls and ironclads^ noting rapidly the progressive steps
which led to the present epoch.

It is only from the Scriptures, and from fragmentary allusions in the writings of
profane historians and poets, that we can derive any knowledge of the vessels employed by
the ancients. Doubtless our first parents noticed branches of trees or fragments of wood
floating upon the surface of that " river " which " went out of Eden to water the garden ; "
and from this to the use of logs singly, or combined in rafts, or hollowed into canoes,
would be an easy transition. The first boat was probably a mere toy model; and, likely
enough, great was tb'i surprise when it was discovered that its sides, though thin, would
support a considei'able weight in the water. The first specimen of naval architecture of
which we have any description is unquestionably the ark, btiilt by Noah. If the cubit
be taken as eighteen inches, she was 450 feet long, 75 in breadth, and 45 in depth,
whilst her tonnage, according to the present system of admeasurement, would be about
15,000 tons. It is more than probable that this huge vessel was, after all, little more
than a raft, or barge, with a stupenduous house reared over it, for it was constructed
merely for the purpose of floating, and needed no means of propulsion. She may have
been, comparatively speaking, slightly built in her lofty upper works, her carrying capacity
being thereby largely increased. Soon after the Flood, if not, indeed, before it, other
means of flotation must have suggested themselves, such as the inflated skins of animals;
these may be seen on the ancient monuments of Assyria, discovered by Layai-d, where
there are many representations of people crossing rivers by this means. Next came wicker-
work baskets of rushes or reeds, smeared with mud or pitch, similar to the ark in which
!Moses was found. Mr. Layard found such boats in use on the Tigris ; they were constructed
of twisted reeds made water-tight by bitumen, and were often large enough for four or five
persons. Pliny says, in his time, "Even now in British waters, vessels of vine-twigs sewn
round with leather arc used." The woixls in italics might be used were Pliny writing to-day.
Basket-work coracles, covered with leather or prepared flannel, are still found in a few parts

rH(KNICI/^' EXTEltrUISE.

259

of Wales, where they are used for fording- streams, or for fishing. Wooden canoes or lx)ats,
whether hollowed from one log or constructed of many parts, came next. The paintings
and sculptures of Upper and Lower Egjpt show regiilarly formed Ijoats, made of sawn planks
of timber, carrying a number of rowers, and having sails. The Egyptians were averse to
seafaring pursuits, having extensive overland commerce with their neighbours.

The Pha?nicians were, past all cavil, the most distinguished navigators of the ancient
world, their capital. Tyre, oeing for centuries the centre of commerce, the " mart of nations."
Strange to say, this country, whose inhabitants were the rulers of the sea in those times, was
a mere strip of land, whose average breadth never exceeded twelve miles, while its length was
only 225 miles from Aradus in the north to Joppa in the south. Forced by the unpro-
ductiveness of the territory, and blessed with one or two excellent harbours, and an abundant
supply of wood from the mountains of Lebanon, the Phojnicians soon possessed a numerous
fleet, which not only monopolised the trade of the Mediterranean, but navigated Solomon's
fleets to the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, establishing colonies wherever they went.
Herodotus states that a Phoenician fleet, which was fitted out by Necho, King of Egypt, even
circumnavigated Africa, and gives details which seem to place it within the category of the
very greatest voyages. Starting from the Red Sea, they are stated to have passed Ophir,
generally supposed to mean part of the east coast of Africa, to have rounded the continent,
and, entering the INIediterranean by the Pillars of Hercules, our old friends the Rocks of
Gibraltar and Ceuta, to have reached Egypt in the third year of their voyage. Solomon, too,
dispatched a fleet of ships from the Red Sea to fetch gold from Ophir. Diodorus gives at
great length an account of the fleet said to be built by this people for the great Queen
Semiramis, with which she invaded India. Semiramis was long believed by many to be a
mythical personage ; but Sir Henry Rawlinson's interj rotations of the Assyrian inscriptions
have placed the existence of this queen beyond all doubt. In the Assyrian hall of the British
Museum are two statues of the god Nebo, each of which bears a cuneiform inscription saying
that they were made for Queen Semiramis by a sculptor of Nineveh. The commerce of
Ph(cnicia must have been at its height when Nebuchadnezzar made his attack on Tvre.
Ezekiel gives a description of her power about the year B.C. 588, when ruin was hovering
around her. " Tyre," says the prophet, " was a merchant of the people for many isles."
He states that her ship-boards were made of fir-trees of Senir; her masts of cedars from
Lebanon ; her oars of the oaks of Bashan j and the benches of her galleys of ivory, brought
out of the isles of Chittim.

To the Tyrians also is due the colonisation of other -countries, which, following the
example of the mother-country, soon rivalled her in wealth and enterprise. The
principal of these was Carthage, which in its turn founded colonies of her own, one
of the first of which was Gades (Cadiz). From that port Kanno made his celebrated
voyage to the west coast of Africa, starting with sixty ships or galleys, of fifty oars
•each. He is said to have founded six trading-posts or colonies. About the same
time Hamilco went on a voyage of discovery to the north-western shores of Europe,
where, according to a poem of Festus Avionus,* he formod settlements in Britain and

• The curious in such mutters will find this poem transktod by Heorcn in his work entitled " Asiatic
Nations."

1 vi

260

THE SEA.

Ireland, and found tin and lead, and people who used boats of skin or leather. Aristotle
tells us that the Carthaginians were the first to increase the size of their galleys from
three to four banks of oars.

Under the dynasty of the Ptolemies the maritime commerce of Egypt rapidly
improved. The first of these kings caused the erection of the celebrated Pharos or
lighthouse at Alexandria, in the upper storey of which were windows looking seaward,
and inside which fires were lighted by night to guide mariners to the harbour. Upon
its front was inscribed, " King Ptolemy to God the Saviour, for the benefit of
sailors." His successor, Ptolemy Philadelphus, attempted to cut a canal a hundred
cubits in width between Arsinoe, on the Red Sea, not far from Suez, to the eastern
branch of the Nile. Enormous vessels were constructed at this time and during tha
succeeding reigns. Ptolemy, the son of Lagos, is said to have owned five hundred
galleys and two thousand smaller vessels. Lucian speaks of a vessel that he saw in
Egypt that was one hundred and twenty cubits long. Another, constructed by
Ptolemy Philopator, is described by Calixenus, an Alexandrian historian, as two hundred
and eighty cubits, say HO feet, in length. She is said to have had four rudders,
two heads, and two stems, and to have been manned by 1,000 sailors (meaning
principally oarsmen) and 3,000 fighting-men. Calixenus also describes another built
during the dynasty of the Ptolemies, called the T/iti/ai//effifs, or " carrier of the bed-
chamber." This leviathan was 300 feet in length, and fittetl up with every conceivable
kind of luxury and magnificence — with colonnades, mai-ble staircases, and gardens ; from
all which it is easy to infer that she was not intended for sea-going purposes, but
was probably an immense barge, forming a kind of summer palace, moored on the
Nile. Plutarch in speaking of her says that she was a mere matter of curiosity, for
she differed very little from an immovable building, and was calculatetl mainly for show,
as she could not be put in motion without great difficulty and danger.

But the most prodigious vessel on the records of the ancients was built by order of
Hiero, the second Tyrant of Syracuse, under the superintendence of Archimedes, about 230
yeare before Christ, the description of which would fill a small volume. Athenajus has
left a description of this vast floating fabric. There was, he states, as much timber
employed in her as would have served for the construction of fifty galleys. It had all
the varieties of apartments and conveniences necessary to a palace — such as banqueting-
rooms, baths, a library, a temple of Venus, gardens, fish-ponds, mills, and a spacious
gymnasium. The inlaying of the floors of the middle apartment represented in various
colours the stories of Homer's " Iliad ; " there were everywhere the most beautiful paintings,
and every embellishment and ornament that art could furnish were bestowed on the
ceilings, windows, and every part. The inside of the temple was inlaid with cypress-wood,
the statues were of ivory, and the floor was studded with precious stones. This vessel
had twenty lienches of oars, and was encompassed by an iron rampart or battery ; it
had also eight towers with walls and bulwarks, which were furnished with machines of
war, one of which was capable of throwing a stone of 300 pounds weight, or a dart of
twelve cubits long, to the distance of half a mile. To launch her, Archimedes invented
a screw of great power. She had four wooden and eight iron anchors; her mainmast,

IIIERO'S GREAT SHIP.

261

.ristotle
s from

rapidly
aros or
eaward,
Upon
lefit of
hundred

eastern
ing tlio
hundred

saw in
:ted by
hundred

rudders,
meaning
er built
the bed-
nceivable
IS ; from
)ses, but
on the
)sity, for
or show,

order of
jout 230
fiajus has
timber
had all
iqueting-
spacious
1 various
paintings,
1 on the
■ess-wood,
lis vessel
ttery; it
chines of
.1 dart of
invented
nainmast,

composed of a single tree, was ]iroc'ured after much trouble from distant inland mountains.
Hiero finding that he had no harbours in Sicily capable of containing her, and learning
that there was famine in Kgypt, sent her loaded with corn to Alexandria. She bore an
inscription of which the following is part : — " Iliero, the son of Ilierocles, the Dorian,
who wields the sceptre of Sicily, sends this vessel bearing in her the fruits of the earth.
Do thou, O Neptune, preserve in safety this ship over the blue waves.''

FLEET OF ROMAN GALLEYS.

Among the Grecian states Corinth stood high in naval matters. Her people were
expert ship-builders, and claimed the invention of the trireme, or galley with three tiers
of oars. Athens, with its three ports, also carried on for a long period a large trade
with Egypt, Palestine, and the countries bordering the Black Sea. The Romans had
little inclination at first for seamanship, but were forced into it by their rivals of
Carthage. It was as late as n.c. 2(il before they determined to hw^ i war-fleet, and
had not a Carthaginian galley, grounded on the coast of Italy, been seized by them, they
would not have understood the proper construction of one. Previously they had nothing
much above large boats rudely built of planks. The noble Romans affected to despise
commerce at this period, and trusted to the Greek and other traders to supply their wants.
Quintus Claudius introduced a law^ which passed, that no senator or father of one should

ill'''

'si

202

THE SEA.

own u vessel of a greater capacity than just suflicient to carry the produce of their own
lands to market. Hear the enlightened Cicero on the suhject of commerce. He ohserves
that, "Trade is mean if it has only a small profit for its object; but it is otherwise
if it has largo dealings, bringing many sorts of merchandise from foreign parts, and
distributing them to the public without deceit; and if after a reasonable profit such
merchants are contented with the riches they have acquired, and purchasing land with
them retire into the country, and apply themselves to agriculture, I cannot iierceivo
wherein is the dishonour of that function." Mariners were not esteemed liy the Romans
until after the great battle of Actium, which threw the monopoly of the lucrative Indian
trade into their hands. Claudius, a.d. 41, deepenal the Tiber, and built the port
of Ostiaj and about fifty years later Trajan constructed the ports of Civita Vecchia
and Ancona, where commerce flourished. The Roman fleets were often a source of
trouble to them. Carausius, who was really a Dutch soldier of fortune, alx)ut the year
280, seized upon the fleet he commanded, and crossed from Gesscriacum (Boidogne)
to Britain, where he proclaimed himself emperor. He held the reins of government
for seven years, and was at length murdered by his lieutenant. He was really the first
to create a British manned fleet. In the reign of Diocletian, the A'eneti, on the coast of
Gaul, threw off the Roman yoke, and claimed tribute from all who appeared in their
seas. The same emperor founded Constantinople, erected later, under Constantine, into
the seat of government. This city seemed to be destined by nature as a great commercial
centre; caravans placed it in direct communication with the East, and it was really the
entrepot of the world till its capture by the Venetians, in 120-i. That independent
republic had been then in a flourishing condition for over two hundred years, and for
more than as many after, its people were the greatest traders of the world. It was at
Venice in 1202 that some of the leading pilgrims assembled to negotiate for a fleet to
be used in the fourth crusade. The crusaders agreed to pay the Venetians before sailing
eighty-four thousand marks of silver, and to share with them all the booty taken by land
or sea. The republic undertook to supply flat-bottomed vessels enough to convey four
thousand five hundred knights, and twenty thousand soldiers, provisions for nine months,
and a fleet of galleys.

" Surrounded by the silver streak," our hardy forefathers often crossed to Ireland and
France, prior to the first invasion of Britain by Julius Ca?sar, B.C. 55, when he sailed
from Boulogne with eighty vessels and 8,000 men, and with eighteen transports to carry
800 horses for the cavalry. In the second invasion he employed a fleet of COO boats and
twenty-five war-galleys, having with him five legions of infantry and 2,000 cavalry, a
formidable army for the poor islanders to contend against. But their intercourse with
the Romans speedily brought about commercial relations of importance. The pearl fisheries
were then most profitable, while the " native " oyster was greatly esteemed by the Roman
epicures, of whom Juvenal speaks in his fourth satire. He says they

" Could at one bite the oyster's taste decide,
And say if at Circean rocks, or in
The Lucrino Lake, or on the const of Richborough,
In Britain they were bred."

THE SCANDINAVIAN PIRATES.

2(5:i

British oysters were exported to Rome, as American oysters are now-a-days to England.
Martial also mentions another trade in one of his epigrams, that of basket-making —

"Work of biirbiirie art, ii biskct, 1
From ])iiint(.'d IJritiiiji (.iiino ; but the lioiniin city
Now tiilla tho iMiintt'd Briton's iirt their own."

Tlie smaller description of boats, other than galleys, employed by the Romans for

transporting their troops and supplies, were the kiiilte, called by tho Saxons cent or ciol,

which name has come down to us in the form of knl, and is still applicH.1 to a description
of barge used in the north of England. Thus

'• Wet'l may tho keel row,"

says tho song, and on the "coaly Tyne," a small barge carrying twenty-one tons four
hundredweight is said to carry a "keel" of coals. The Romans must also have possessed
large transjwrt vessels, for within seventy or eighty years after they had gained a secure
footing in this country, they received a reinforcement of 5,000 men in seventeen ships,
or about ."iOO men, besides stores, to each vessel.

Bedo places the final departure of the Romans from Britain in a.d. 409, or just
before the siege of Rome by Attila.. Our ancestors were now rather worse off than
before, for they were left a prey to the Vikings — those bold, hardy, unscrupulous
Scandinavian seamen of the north, who began to make piratical visits for the sake of
plunder to the coasts of Scotland and England. They found their way to the Mediterranean,
and were known and feared in every port from Iceland to Constantinople. Their galleys
were propelled mainly by means of oars, but they had also small square sails to get
help from a stern wind, and as they often sailed straight across the stormy northern
seas, it is probable that they had made considerable progress in the rigging and
handling of their ships. A plank-built boat was discovered a few years since in Denmark,
which the antiquaries assign to the fifth century. It is a row-lwat, measuring seventy-
seven feet from stem to stern, and proportionately broad in the middle. The construction
shows that there was an abundance of material and skilled labour. It is alike at bow
and stern, and the thirty rowlocks are reversible, so as to permit the boat to be
navigated with either end forward. The vessel is built of heavy planks overlapping each
other from the gunwale to the keel, and cut thick at the point of juncture, so that they
may be mortised into the cross-beams and gunwale, instead of being merely nailed.
Very similar boats, light, swift, and strong, are still used in the Sbetlands and
Norway.

Little is known of the state of lilngland from the departure of the Romans to the
eighth century. The doubtful and traditionary landing of Hengist and Horsa with 1,.500
men, " in three long ships," is hardly worth discussing here. The Venerable Bede, who
wrote about a.d. 750, speaks of London as " the mart of many nations, resorting to it
by sea and land ; " and he continues that " King Ethelbert built the church of St. Paul
in the city of London, where he and his successors should have their episcopal see."
But the history of this period g^enerally is in a hopeless fog. Still we know that London
was now a thriving port. Ciesar, in his "Commentaries." distinctly states that his reason

2G4.

THE SEA.

:t^i

. I.
I

'8 ' ' i

'^H

for attempting' the coiKiuest of England was on account of the vast supplies which his
(iaulish enemies received from us, in the way of trade. The exjiorts were principally
cattle, hides, corn, doj^s, and aluces, the latter an important item. Straho observes that
" our internal parts at that time were on a level with the African slave coasts." " Britons
never shall be slaves " could not therefore have been said in those days. Loudon, long
l)rior to the invasion of England by the Romans, was an existing city, and vessels paid
dues at Billingsgate long before the establishment of any custom-house. Pennant tells
us, in his famous work on London, "As early as 971), all the reign of Ethelred, a small
vessel was to pay ad BUi/nuyexgide one halfpenny as a toll; a greater, bearing sails, one
jienny; a keel or hulk (cvul vcl Itulcna), fourpence; a ship ladcu with wood, one piece
for toll; and a boat with fish, one halfpenny; or a larger, one i)enny. We had even
now trade with France for its wines, for mention is made of ships from Rouen, who
carne here and landed them, and freed them from toll — i.e., paid their duties. What
they amounted to I cannot learn."

The Panes, having once a foot-hold, were never thoroughly expelled till the Norman
conquest, and as a maritime race excelled all the nations of the north of Europe. They
had two principal classes of vessels, the Dnikeis and llvlken, the former named from carrying
a dragon on the bows, and bearing the Danish flag of the raven. The holker was at first
a small boat, hollowed out of the trunk of a tree, br.c the word " hulk," evidently derived
from it, was used afterwards for vessels of larger dimensions. They had also another
vessel called a Suekkar (serpent), strangely so named, for it was rather a short, stumpy
kind of boat, not unlike the Dutch galliots of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Their piratical expeditions soon increased, and Wales and the island of Anglesey were
frequently pillaged by them, while in Ireland they possessetl the ports of Dublin,
Waterford, and Cork, a Danish king reigning in the two first cities. But a king was
to arise who would change all this — Alfred the Great and Good, the " Father of the British
Navy."

On the accession of Alfred the Great to the throne, he found England so over-run by
the Danes, that he had, as every school-boy knows, to conceal himself with a few faithful
followers in the forests. In his retirement he busied himself in devising schemes for
ridding his country of the pirate marauders ; and without much deliberation he saw that he
must first have a maritime force of his own, and meet the enemies of England on the sea,
which they considered their own especial element. He set himself busily to study the
models of the Danish ships, and, aided by his hardy followers, stirred up a spirit of
maritime ambition, which had not existed to any great extent before. At the end of
four years of unremitting labour in the prosecution of his schemes, he possessed the nucleus
of a fleet in six galleys, which were double the length of any possessed by his adversaries,
and which carried sixty oars, and possessed ample space for the fighting men on board.
With this fleet he put to sea, taking the command in person, and routed a marauding
expedition of the Danes, then about to make a descent on the coast. The force was larger
than his own; but he succeeded in capturing one and in driving ofE the rest. In the
course of the next year or two he captured or sunk eighteen of the enemy's galleys, and
they found at last that they could not have it all their own way on the sea. About this

THE FATIIEU OF THE liKITISII NAVV.

205

hich bis
•inoipally
•vcs that
" Britons
ion, long
sek paid
lant tells
, a small
iailsj one
)ne piece
had even
Lien, who
What

Norman
J. They

carrying
,s at first
y derived
I another
;, stumpy
centuries.
isey were
Du})lin,

iing was
British

r-run by
faithful
emes for
tbat he
tbe sea,
tudy the
spirit of
end of
nucleus
versaries,
)n board,
larauding
as larger
In the
leys, and
)out this

time the cares of government occupied necessarily much of his time : his astute policy
was to win over a number of tbe more friendly Dunes to his cause, by giving them grants
of land, and obliging them in return to assist in driving off aggressors. lie was nearly
the lirst native of England who made any efforts to extend the study of geography.
According to the Saxon chronicler, Florence of Worcester, a.d. SU7, he consulted Ohthcr,
a learned Norwegian, and other authorities, from whom he obtained much information
respecting the northern seas. Ohther had not only coasted along the shores of Norway,

AITUOACH OF THB DANISH PLEET.

but had rounded the North Cape — it was a feat in those days, gentle reader, but now
Cook's tourists do it — and had reached the bay in which Archangel is situated. The
ancient geographer gave Alfred vivid descriptions of the gigantic whales, and of the
innumerable seals he had observed, not forgetting the terrible maelstrom, the dangers
of which he did not under-rate, and which it was generally believed in those days was
caused by a horribly vicious old sea-dragon, who sucked the vessels under. He compared
the natives to the Scythians of old, and was rather severe on them, as they brewed r.o
ale, the poor drinking honey-mead in its stead, and the rich a liquor distilled from goats'
milk. Alfred not merely sent vessels to the north on voyages of discovery, but opened
communication with the Mediterranean, his galleys penetrating to the extreme east of
the Levant, whereby he was enabled to carry on a direct trade with India. William of
34

,1 I

w ii .

206

THE SEA.

Malmeslmry mentions the silks, shawls, incense, spicos, anil aromatic gums wlucli Alfred
received from the Malabar coast in return for presents sent to the Nestoriun Christians.
Alfred constantly and steadily encouraged the science of navigation, and certainly earned
the right of the proud title he has borne since of " Father of the British Navy."

Time passes and we come to Canute. On his accession to the throne as the sou of
a Danish conqueror, he practically put an end to the incursions and attacks of the
northern pirates. The influence of his name was so great that he found it unnecessary
to maintain more than forty ships at sea, and the number was subseijuently reducetl.
So far from entertaining any fear of revolt from the English, or of any raid on his
shores, he mode frequent voyages to the Continent as well as to the north. He once
proceeded as far .is Rome, where he met the Emperor Conrad II., from whom he
obtained for all his sid)jects, whether merchants or pilgrims, complete exemption from the
heavy tolls usually exacted on their former visits to that city. Canute was a cosmopolitan.
By his conquest of Norway, not merely did he represent the English whom he had
subjugated, and who had become attached to him, but the Danes, their constant and
inveterate foes and rivals. He thus united under one sovereignty the principal maritime
nations of the north.

And still the writer exerts the privilege conceded to all who wield the pen, of
passing quickly over the pages of history. "The stories," says a writer* who made
maritime subjects a peculiar study, *' as to the number of vessels under the order of the
Conqueror on his memorable expedition are very conflicting. Some writers have asserted
that the total number amounted to no less than 3,000, of which six or seven hundred
were of a superior order; the remainder consisting of boats temporarily built, and of the
most fragile descript'. Others place the whole fleet at not more than 800 vessels of all

sizes, and this numbt. more likely to be nearest the truth. There are now no means
of ascertaining their size, but their form may be conjectured from the representation of
these vessels on the rolls of the famous Bayeux tapestry. It is said that when William
meditated his descent on England he ordered * large s^ips ' to be constructed for that
purjiose at his seaports, collecting, wherever these could be found, smaller vessels or boats,
to accomjiany them. But even the largest must have been of little value, as the whole
fleet were by his orders burned and destroyed, as soon as he landed with his army, so as
to cut off all retreat, and to save the expense of their maintenance." This would indicate
that the sailors had to fight ashore, and may possibly have been intended to spur on his
army to victory. Freeman states, in his " History of the Norman Conquest,'^ that he finds
the largest number of ships in the Conqueror's expedition, as compiled from the most
reliable authorities, was 3,000, but some accounts put it as low as 693. Most of the ships
were presents from the prelates or great barons. William FitzOsborn gave 60, the Count
de Mortaine, 120 ; the Bishop of Bayeux, 100 ; and the finest of all, that in which
AVilliam himself embarked, was presented to him by his own duchess, Matilda, and named
the Mora. Norman writers of the time state that the vessels were not much to boast of,
as they *were all collected between the beginning of January and the end of August, lOGG.

• (The late) W. S. Lindsay, M.P., &c., "The Hiatoiy of Merchant Shipping."

UiL

WIIPPING '\ THE DAYS OF THE CUrSAl>E<.

2r.7

Limlnay, who thoroughly inveatigtited the su1)ji'ct, says that "The Norman merchant
vessels or tninsjwrts were in length ahout three times their hreadth, and were som,>
times propelled hy oars, but generally by sails; tlifir galleys apjH?ar to have l)een of two
sorts — the larger, occasionally called galleons, carrying in some instances sixty men,
well armeil with iron armour, besides their oars. The smaller galleys, which are not
specially descrilwd, doubtless resembled ships' launches in size, but of a form enabling
them to be propelled at a considerable rate of spee<l." Boats covered with leather
were even employed on the perilous Channel voyage.

The Conqueror soon added to the security of the country by the establishment of
the Cinque Ports, which, as their title denotes, were at first five, but were afterwards
increased in number so as to include the following seaports : — Dover, Sandwich, Ilythe,
and Romsey, in Kent; and Rye, Winchelsea, Hastings, and Se:iford, in Sussex. On
their first establishment they were to provide fifty-two ships, with twenty-four men on
each, for fifteen days each year, in case of emergency. In return they had many
privileges, a part of which are enjoyed by them to-day. Their freemen were styled
barons ; each of the ports returned two members of Parliament. An officer was
oppointetl over them, who was "Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports," and also Constable
of Dover Castle.

" For more than a hundred yeara after the Conquest," says the writer just
quoted, " England's ships had rarely ventured beyond the Bay of Biscay on the one
hand, and the entrance to the Baltic on the other ; and there is no special record of
long voyages by English ships until the time of the Crusades ; which, whatever they
might have done for the cause of the Cross, undoubtedly gave the first impetus to
the shipping of the country. The number of rich and powerful princes and nobles
who embarked their fortunes in these extraordinary expeditions offered the chance of
lucrative employment to any nation which could supply the requisite amount of tonnage,
and English shipowners very naturally made great exertions to reap a share of the
gains." One of the first English noblemen who fitted out an expedition to the Holy
Land was the Earl of Essex ; and twelve years afterwards, Richard C«ur de Lion, on
ascending the throne, made vast levies on the people for the same object, joining
Philip IL and other princes for the purpose of raising the Cross above the Crescent.
Towards the close of 1189 two fleets had been collected, one at Dover, to convey
Richard and his followers (among whom were the Archbishop of Canterbury, the
Bishop of Salisbury, and 4he Lord Chief Justice of England) across the Channel, and
a second and still larger fleet at Dartmouth, composed of lumbers of vessels from
Aquitaine, Brittany, Normandy, and Poitou, for the conveyance of the great bulk of
the Crusaders, to join Richard at Marseilles, whither he had gone overland with the
French king and his other allies. The Dartmouth fleet, under the command of Richard
de Camville and Robert de Sabloil, set sail about the end of April, 1190. It had a
disastrous voyage, but at length reached Lisbon, where the Cnisaders behaved so badly,
and committed so many outrages, that 700 were locked up. After some delay, they
sailed up the Mediterranean, reaching Marseilles, where they had to stop some time
to repair their unseaworthy ships, and then followed the king to the Straits of

26S

TIIK SKA.

Messina, where tlie fleets comljincd. It was not till seven months later that the fleet
^ot under weigh for the Holy Land. It nnmhered KM) ships of larger kind, and
fourteen smaller vessels called " busses." Kaeh of the former carried, besides her crew
of fifteen sailors, forty soldiers, forty horses, and provisions for a twelvemonth. Vinisauf,
who makes the fleet nuieh larger, mentions that it proceeded in the following order :
— three large ships formed the van; the second line consisted of thirteen vessels, the
lines expanding to the seventh, which consisted of sixty vessels, and immediately
preceded the king and his ships. On their way they fell in with a very large ship
belonging to the Saracens, manned by 1,500 men, and after a desperate engagement
took her. Richard ordered that all but 200 of those not killed in the action should
be thrown overboard, and thus l,.'iOO infidels were sacrificed at one blow. Off Ktna,
Sicily, they experienced a terrific gale, and the crew got " sea-sick and frightened ; '*

SHU'S OF WILLIAM THE CONdLEUOU. (from the i/uiyfic; Ttiixntnj.)

and off the island of Cyprus they were assailed by another storm, in which three
ships were lost, and the ^'ice-Chancellor of England was drowned, his body being
washed ashore with the Great Seal of England hanging round his neck. Richard did
not return to England till after the capture of Acre, and the truce with Saladin; he
landed at Sandwich, as nearly as may be, four years from the date of liis start. As
this is neither a history of England, nor of the Crusades, excepting only as either are
connected with the sea, we must pass on to a subject of some importance, which was
the direct result of experience gained at this period.

The foundation of a maritime code, by an ordinance of Richard Grur de Lion, a
most important step in the history of merchant shipping, was due to the knowledge
acquired by English pilgrims, traders, and seamen at the time of the Crusades. The
first code was founded on a similar set of rules then existing in France, known as the
Ho/es d'Olcron, and some of the articles show how loose had been the conditions of the
sailor's life previously. The first article gave a master power to pledge the tackle of a
ship, if in want of provisions for the crow, but forbad the sale of the hull without the
owner's pei'mission. The captain's position, as lord paramount on board, was defined; no
one, not even part-owners or super-cargoes, must interfere; he was expected to understand
thoroughly the art of navigation. The second article declared that if a vessel was held
in port through failure of wind or stress of weather, the ship's company should be guided

the fleet
kiiul, and
her crew
Viiiisiiuf,
ii<|^ order :
}ssels, tlic
imcd lately
large ship
igagement
on should
Off Etna,
^htened ; '*

lich three
)dy being
iehard did
iladin ; he
tart. As
either ai'e
which was

Lion, a
knowledge
les. The
wn as the
>ns of the
ackle of a
ithout the
efinedj no
.mderstand
was held
be guided

mj^

CUUSADEUS AND SARACENS.

27U

THE SEA.

as to the best course to adopt by the opinion of the majority. Two succeeding articles
related to wrecks and salvage. The fifth article provided that no sailor in port should
leave the vessel without the mastf r's consent ; if he did so, and any harm resulted to the
ship or cargo, he should be punished with a year's imprisonment, on bread and water.
He might also be flogged. li" he deserted altogether and was retaken, he might be
branded on the face with a red-hot iron, although allowance was made for such as ran
away from their ships through ill-usage. Sailors could also be compensated for unjust
discharge without cause. Succeeding clauses refer to the moral conduct of the sailor,
forbidding drunkenness, fighting, &c. Article 12 provided thai if any mariner should
give the lie to another at a table where there was wine and bread, he should be fined
four denies; and the master himself offending in the same way should be liable to a
double fine. If any sailor should impudently contradict the mate, he might be fined
eight (lenien ; and if the master struck him with his fist or open hand he was required
to bear the stroke, but if struck more than once he was entitled to defend himself. If
the sailor committed the first assault he was to be fined 100 sons, or else his hand was
to be chopped off. The master was required by another rule not to give his crew cause
for mutiny, nor call them names, nor wrong them, nor "keep anything from them that
is theirs, but to use them well, and pay them honestly what is their due." Another
clause provided that the sailor might always have the option of going on shares or wages,
and the master was to put the matter fairly before them. The 17th clause related to
food. The hardy sailors of Brittany were to have only one meal a day from the kitchen,
while the lucky ones of Normandy were to have two. When the ship arrived at a
wine country the master was bound to provide the crew with wine. Sailors were else-
where forbidden to take " royal " fish, such as the sturgeon, salmon, turbot, and sea-barbel,
or to take on their own account fish which yield oil. These are a part only of the clauses ;
many others referring to matters connected with rigging, masts, anchoi-ages, pilotage, and
other technical points. In bad pilotage the navigator who brought mishap on the ship
was liable to lose his head. The general tenor of the first code is excellent, and the rules
wore laid down with an evident spirit of fairness alike to the owner and sailor.

The subject of " Letters of Marque " might occupy an entire volume, and will recur
again in these pages. They were in reality nothing more than privileges granted for
purposes of retaliation — legalised piracy. They were firet issued by Edward I., and the
very first related to an outrage committed by Portuguese on an English subject. A
merchant of Bayonne, at the time a port belonging to England, in Gascony, had shipped
a cargo of fruit from Malaga, which, on its voyage along the coast of Portugal, was
seized and carried into Lisbon by an armed cruiser belonging to that country, then at
peace with England. The King of Portugal, who had received one-tenth part of the
cargo, declined to restore the ship or lading, whereupon the owner and his heire received a
licence, to remain in force five years, to seize the property of the Portuguese, and especially
that of the inhabitants of Lisbon, to the extent of the loss sustained, the expenses of recovery
being allowed. How far the merchant of Bayonne recouped himself, history sayeth not.

A little later a most important mercantile trade came into existence — that in coal.
From archaeological remains and discoveries it is certain that the Romans excavated coal

A DUEL OF NATIONS.

^71

during their reign on this island; but it was not till the reign of Edward III. that the
first opening of the great Newcastle coal-fields took place, although as early as 125.'i
there was a ^ane at the back of Newgate called " Sea-coal Lane." As in many other
instances, even in our own days, the value of the discovery seems to have been more
appreciated by foreigners than by the people of this country, and for a considerable time
after it had been found, the combustion of coal was considered to be so unhealthy that a royal
edict forbad its use in the city of London, while the queen resided there, in case it might
prove "pernicious to her health.'" At the same time, while England laid her veto on the
use o" that very article which has since made her, or helped to make her, the most
famous commercial nation of the world, France sent her ships laden with corn to
Newcastle, carrying back coal in return, her merchants being the firet to supply this
new great article of commerce to foreign countries. In the reign of Henry V. the trade
had become of such importance that a special Act was passed providing for the ad-
measurement of ships and barges employed in the coal trade.

King John stoutly claimed for England the sovereignty of the sea — he was not
always so firm and decided — and decreed that all foreign ships, the mastere of which
should refuse to strike their colours to the British flag, should be seized and deemed
good and lawful prizes. This monarch is stated to have fitted out no less than 5U0
ships, under the Earl of Salisbury, in the year 1213, against a fleet of ships three
times that number, organised by Philip of France, for the invasion of England. After
a stubborn battle, the English were successful, taking 300 sail, and driving more than
100 ashore, Philip being under the necessity of destroying the remainder to prevent
them falling into the hands of their enemies. Some notion may be gained of the
kinds of ships of which these fleets were composed, by the account that is narrated of
an action fought in the following reign with the French, who, with eighty "stout ships,"
threatened the coast of Kent. This fleet being discovered by Hubert de Burgh, governor
of Dover Castle, he put to sea with half the number of English vessels, and having got
to the windward of the enemy, and run down many of the smaller ships, he closed with
the rest, and threw on board them a quantity of quick-lime — a novel expedient in warfare
— which so blinded the crews that their vessels were either captured or sunk. The dominion
of the sea was bravely maintained by our Edwards and Henrys in many glorious sea-
fights. The temper of the times is strongly exemplified by the following circumstance.
In the reign of Edward I. an English sailor was killed in a Norman port, in consequence
of which war was declared by England against France, and the two nations agreed to
decide the dispute on a certain day, with the whole of their respective naval forces. The
spot of battle was to be the middle of the Channel, marked out by anchoring there an
empty ship. This strange duel of nations actually took place, for the two fleets met on
April Hth, 1293, when the English obtained the victor}-, and carried off in triumph 250
vessels from the enemy. In an action off the harbour of Shiys with the French fleet,
Edward III. is said to have slain 30,000 of the enemy, and to have taken 200 large ships,
" in one of which only, there were 400 dead bodies." The same monarch, at the siege of
Calais, is stated to have blockaded that port with 730 sail, having on board 14,956
mariners. The size of the vessels employed must have been rapidly enlarging.

'if f

27^

THE SEA.

DVEL BETWEEN FRENCH AND ENGLISH 8HIFS.

Chaucer gives us a graphic description of the British sailor of the fourteenth century
in his Prologue to the " Canterbury Tales/' It runs as follows : —

A schipman was ther, wonjTig fer by Weste;

For ought I woot, he was of Derteinoutho,

He rood upon a rouncy, as he couthe,

In a goun of faldying to the kne.

A dagger hangyng on a laas hadde he

Aboute his nekke under his arm adoun.

The hoote somer had maad his hew al broun ;

And certainly he was a good felawe.

Ful many a diuught of wyn had he drawe

From Burdeux-ward, whil that the chapman sleep.

Of nyce conscience took he no keep.

If that he foughte, and hadde the heighcr hand,

By water he sent hem hoom to every land.

But of his craft to rikne wel the tydes,

His stremes and his dangers him bisides,

His herbergh and his mane his lode menage,

Ther was non such from Hulle to Cartage.

Hardy he was, and wys to undertake;

With many a tempest hadde hia berd ben schake.

centuiy

A GLORIOUS PERIOD. 273

He know well alle the havcna, as thei were,
From Scotland to the Capo of Fynesterc,
And every crj-k in Bretayne and in Spaj'ne,
His barge y-clcped was the Magdelayiie."

In the reign of Henry V., the most glorious period up to that time of the
British Navy, the French lost nearly all their navy to us at various times ; among
other victories, Henry Page, Admiral of the Cinque Ports, captured 120 merchantmen
forming the Rochelle fleet, and all richly laden. Towards the close of this reign, about
the year 1416, England formally claimed the dominion of the sea, and a Parliamentary
document recorded the fact. "It was never absolute," says Sir Walter Raleigh, "until
the time of Henry VIII." That great voyager and statesman adds that, " Whoever
commands the sea, commands the trade of the world; whosoever commands the trade,
commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.^'

A curious poem is included in the first volume of Hakluyt's famous collection of
voyages, bearing reference to the navy of Henry. It is entitled, " Tlie English Policie,
exhorting all England to keep the Sea," &c. It was written apparently about the year
1435. It is a long poem, and the following is an extract merely : —

"And if I should conclude all by the King, ■ ■

Henrie the Fift, what was his purposing,
Whan at Hampf.on he made the great dromons,
Which passed o<;her great ships of the Commons;
The Trinitie, the Grace de Dieu, the Holy Ghost,
And other moe, which as nowe bo lost.
What hope ye was the king's great intente
Of thoo shippes, and what in mind be meant :
It is not ellis, but that he cast to bee
Lord round about environ of the see.
And if ho had to tliis time lived here.
Ho had been Prince named withouten pcro:
His great ships should have been put in preefos,
Unto the cnde that he mcnt of in chiefes.
For doubt it not but that ho would have boo
Lord and Master about the rand see:
And kept it sure, to stoppe our ennemics hence,
And wonne us good, and wisely brought it thence,
That our passage should bo without danger,
And his license on seo to move and sterre."

ill

1* I.-
5'f. I

When the king had determined, in 1415, to land an army in France, he hired ships
from Holland, Zeoland, and Friesland, his own naval means not being sufficient for the
transport ; among his other preparations, " requisite for so high an enterprise," boats
covered with leather, for the passage of rivers, are mentioned. His fleet consisted of
1,000 sail, and it left Southampton on Sunday, the 11th of August, of the above-mentioned
year. When the ships had passed the Isle of Wight, "swans were seen swimming in
the midst of the fleet, which was hailed as a happy auspice." Henry anchored on the
following Tuesday at the mouth of the Seine, about three miles from Harfleur. A council
36

274

THE SEA.

i '

fi]

h i

of the captains was summoned, and an order issued that no one, under pain of death,

should land before the king, but that all should be in readiness to go ashore the next

morning. This was done, and the bulk of the army, stated to have comprised 21,000

archers, and 6,000 men of arms, was landed in small vessels, boats, and skiffs, taking

up a position on the hill nearest to Harfleur. The moment Henry landed he fell on his

knees and implored the Divine aid and protection to lead him on to victory, then conferring

knighthood on many of his followers. At the entrance of the port a chain had been

stretched between two large, well-armed towers, while it was farther protected by stakes

and trunks of trees to prevent the vessels from approaching. During the siege, which

lasted thirty-six days, the fleet blockaded the port, and at its conclusion Henry, flushed

with a victory, which is said to have cost the English only 1,600 and the enemy 10,000

lives, determined to march his army through France to Calais. It was on this march

that he won the glorious battle of Agincourt. On the 16th of November he embarked

for Dover, reaching that port the same day. Here a magnificent ovation awaited him.

The burgesses rushed into the sea and bore him ashore on their shoulders; the whole

population was intoxicated with delight. One chronicler states that

the passage across had been extremely boisterous, and that the

French noblemen suffered so much from sea-sickness that they

considered the trip worse than the very battles themselves in

which they had been taken prisoners ! When Henry arrived near

London, a great concourse of people met him at Blackheath, and

he, " as one remembering from whom all victories are sent,'' would

not allow his helmet to be carried before him, whereon the people

might have seen the blows and dents that he had received ; " neither

would he suffer any ditties to be made and sung by minstrels

of his glorious victory, for that he would have the praise and

thanks altogether given to God,"

Next year the French attempted to retake Harfleur. Henry sent a fleet of 400 sail

to the rescue, under his brother John, Duke of Bedford, the upshot being that almost

the whole French fleet, to the number of 500 ships, hulks, carracks, and small vessels

were taken or sunk. The English vessels remained becalmed in the roadstead for three

weeks afterwards. Southey, who has collated all the best authorities in his admirable

naval work,* says : — " The bodies which had been thrown overboard in the action, or

sunk in the enemies' ships, rose and floated about them in great numbers; and the

English may have deemed it a relief from the contemplation of that ghastly sight, to be

kept upon the alert by some galleys, which taking advantage of the calm, ventured as

near them as they dare by day and night, and endeavoured to burn the ships with

wildfire." He adds that the first mention of wildfire he had found is by Hardyng, one of

the earliest of our poets, in the following passage referring to this event : —

" With oars many about us did they wind,
With wildfiro oft assayled us day and night,
To bronno our ships in that they could or might."

* "The British Admirals: with an Introductory View of the Xaval History of England."

REVERSE OF THE SEAL OF
SANDWICH.

THE CHANNEL PIRATES.

275

f death,
the next
I 2i,000
, taking
1 on his
)nferring
lad been
»y stakes
e, which
, flushed
y 10,000
is march
^mbarked
ited him.
he whole
bates that
that the
;hat they
selves in
ved near
eath, and
t," would
le people
" neither
minstrels
■aise and

400 sail

,t almost

1 vessels

for three

idmirable

iction, or

and the

it, to be

itured as

ips with

g, one of

Next year we read of Henry preparing to again attack France. The enemy had
increased their naval force by hiring a number of Genoese and other Italian vessels. The
king sent a preliminary force against them under his kinsman, the Earl of Huntingdon,
who, near the mouth of the Seine, succeeded in sinking three and capturing three of the
great Genoese cari-acks, taking the Admiral Jacques, the Bastard of Bourbon, " and as much
money as would have been half a year's pay for the whole fleet." These prizes were
brought to Southampton, "from whence the king shortly set forth with a fleet of 1,500
ships, the sails of his own vessel being of purple silk, richly embroidered with gold." The
remainder of Henry's brief reign — for he died the same year — is but the history of a
series of successes over his enemies.

It must never be forgotten that the navies of our early history were not perma-
nently organised, but drawn from all sources. A noble, a city or port, voluntarily or
otherwise, contributed according to the exigencies of the occasion. As we shall see, it
is to Henry VIII. that we owe the establishment of a Royal Navy as a permanent
institution. In 1546 King Henry's vessels are classifled according to their " quality,"
thus: "ships," " galleases," "pynaces," "roe-barges." A list bearing date in 1G12
exhibits the classes as follows : — " Shipps royal," measuring downwards from 1,200 to 800
tons; "middling shipps," from 800 to 600 tons; "small shipps," 350 tons; and pinnaces,
from 200 to 80 tons. According to the old definition, a ship was defined to be a "large
hollow building, made to pass over the seas with sails," without reference to size or quality.
Before the days of the Great Hurry, few, if any, English ships had more tlian one mast or
one sail ; that ship had three masts, and the Henri Grace dc Hien, which supplanted her,
four. The galleas was probably a long, low, and sharp-built vessel, propelled by oars as well
as by sails; the latter probably not fixed to the mast or any standing yard, but hoisted
from the deck when required to be used, as in the lugger or felucca of modern days.
The pinnace was a smaller description of galleas, while the row-barge is sufficiently
explained by its title.

The history of the period following the reign of Henry V. has much to do with
shipping interests of all kinds. The constant wars and turbulent times gave great
opportunity for piracy in the Channel and on the high seas. Thus we read of
Hannequin Leeuw, an outlaw from Ghent, who had so prospered in piratical enterprises
that he got together a squadron of eight or ten vessels, well armed and stored. He not
only infested the coast of Flanders, and Holland, and the English Channel, but scoured the
coasts of Spain as far as Gibraltar, making impartial war on any or all nations, and styling
himself the " Friend of God, and the enemy of all mankind." This pirate escaped the
vengeancv. of man, but at length was punished by the elements: the greater part of
his people perished in a storm, and Hannequin Leeuw disappeared from the scene. Shortly
afterwards we find the Hollanders and Zeelanders uniting their forces against the Easterling
pirates, then infesting the seas, and taking twenty of their ships. "This action," says
Southey, " was more important in its consequences than in itself ; it made the two provinces
sensible, for the first time, of their maritime strength, and gave a new impulse to that
spirit of maritime adventure which they had recently begun to manifest." Previously a
voyage to Spain had been regarded as so perilous, that "whoever undertook it settled his

<^^^

1:1

276

THE SEA.

worldly and his spiritual affairs as if preimring for death, before he set forth," while now
they opened up a brisk trade with that country and Portugal. Till now they had been
compelled to bear the insults and injuries of the Easterlings without combined attempt
at defence; now they retaliated, captured one of their admirals on the coast of Norway,
and hoisted a besom at the mast-head in token that they had swept the seas clean from
their pirate enemies.

And now, in turn, some of them became pirates themselves, more particularly Hendrick
van Borselen, Lord of Veere, who assembled all the outlaws he could gather, and committed
such depredations, that he was enabled to add greatly to his possessions in Walcheren, by
the purchase of confiscated estates. He received others as grants from his own duke, who
feai'ed him, and thought it prudent at any cost to retain, at least in nominal obedience,
one who mi^ht render Jiimself so obnoxious an enemy. " This did not prevent the
admiral — for he held that rank under the duke — from infesting the coast of Flanders,
carrying off cattle from Cadsant, and selling them publicly in Zeeland. His excuse was
that the terrible character of his men compelled him to act as he did; and the duke
admitted the exculpation, being fain to c /erlook outrages which he could neither prevent
nor punish." A statute of the reign of Henry VI. sets forth the robberies committed
upon the poor merchants of this realm, not merely on the sea, but even in the rivers and
ports of Britain, and how not merely they lost their goods, but their persons also were
taken and imprisoned. Nor was this all, for "the king's poor subjects dwelling nigh the
sea-coasts were taken out of their o^\ti houses, with their chattels and children, and
carried by the enemies where it pleased them." In consequence, the Commons begged
that an armament might be provided and maintained on the sea, which was conceded, and
for a time piracy on English subjects was partially quashed.

Meantime, we had pirates of our own. Warwick, the king-maker, was unscrupulous
in all })oints, and cared nothing for the lav/fulness of the captures which he could make
on the high seas. For example, when he left England for the purpose of securing Calais
(then belonging to England) and the fleet for the House of York, he having fourteen
well-appointed vessels, fell in with a fleet of Spaniards and Genoese. "There was a very
sore and long continued battle fought betwixt them," lasting almost two days. The
English lost a hundred men; one account speaks of the Spanish and Genoese loss at
1,000 men killed, and another of six-and-twenty vessels sunk or put to flight. It is certain
that three of the largest vessels were taken into Calais, laden with wine, oil, iron, wax, cloth
of gold, and other riches, in all amounting in value to no less than £10,000. The earl was
a favourite with the sailors, probably for the license he gave them ; when the Duke of
Somerset was appointed by the king's party to the command of Calais, from which he was
effectually shut out by Warwick, they carried off some of his ships and deserted with
them to the latter. Not long after, when reinforcements were lying at Sandwich waiting
to cross the Channel to Somerset's aid, March and Warwick borrowed £18,000 from
merchants, and dispatched John Dynham on a piratical expedition. He landed at Sand-
wich, surprised the town, took Lord Rivers and his son in their beds, robbed houses, took
the principal ships of the king's navy, and carried them off, well furnished as they were
with ordnance and artillery. For a time ^'^arwick carried all before him, but not a few

1 3

ENACTMENTS FOR TUE BENEFIT OF THE NAVY.

277

of his actions were most unmitigated specimens of piracy, on nations little concerned with
the Houses of York and Lancaster, their quarrels or wars.

But as this is not intended to be even a sketch of the history of England, let us pass
to the commencement of the reign of Henry VII., when the "great minishment and decay
of the navy, and the idleness of the mariners," were represented to his first Parliament, and
led to certain enactments in regard to the use of foreign bottoms. The wines of Southern
J'rance were forbidden to be imported hither in any but English, Irish, or Welsh ships,

li if

'it;.

8IK ANDREW WOOD S VICTORY.

waiting

manned by English, Irish, or Welsh sailors. This Act was repeated in the fourth year of
Henry's reign, and made to include other articles, while it was then forbidden to freight
an alien ship from or to England with " any manner of merchandise," if sufficient freight
were to be had in English vessels, on pain of forfeiture, one-half to the king, the other
to the seizors. " Henry," says Lord Bacon, " being a king that loved wealth, and treasure,
he could not endure to have trade sick, nor any obstruction to continue in the gate-vein
which disperseth that blood." How well he loved riches is proved by the fact that when
a speedy and not altogether creditable peace was established between England and France,
and the indemnity had been paid by the latter, the money went into the king's private
coffers ; those who had impoverished themselves in his service, or had contributed to the
general outfit by the forced "benevolence," were left out in the cold. From Calais Henry

278

THE SEA.

wrote letters to the Loixl Mayor and aldermen (" which was a courtesy," says Lord Bacon,
"that he sometimes used), half bragging- what great sums he had obtained for the peace,
as knowing well that it was ever good news in London that the king's coffers were full;
better news it would have been if their benevolence had been but a loan."

Scotch historians tell us that Sir Andrew Wood, of Largo, Scotland, had with his two
vessels, the Flower and Yellow Carvel, captured five chosen vessels of the royal navy, which
had infested the Firth of Forth, and had taken many prizes from the Scotch previously,
during this reign. Henry VII. was greatly mortified by this defeat, and offered to put
any means at the disposal of the officer who would undertake this service, and great
rewards if Wood were brought to him alive or dead. All hesitated, such was the renown
of Wood, and his strength in men and artillery, and maritime and military skill. At
length. Sir Stephen Bull, a man of distinguished prowess, offered himself, and three ships
were placed under his command, with which he sailed for the Forth, and anchored behind
the Isle of May, waiting Wood's return from a foreign voyage. Some fishermen were
captured and detained, in order that they should point out Sir Andrew's ships when they
arrived. " It was early in the morning when the action began ; the Scots, by their
skilful manoeuvring, obtained the weather-gage, and the battle continued in sight of in-
numerable spectators who thronged the coast, till darkness suspended it. It was renewed
at day-break ; the ships grappled ; and both parties were so intent upon the struggle, that
the tide carried them into the mouth of the Tay, into such shoal water that the English,
seeing no means of extricating themselves, surrendered. Sir Andrew brought his prizes to
Dundee; the wounded were carefully attended there; and James, with royal magnanimity
is said to have sent both prisoners and ships to Henry, praising the courage which they
had displayed, and saying that the contest was for honour, not for booty."

Few naval incidents occurred under the reign of Henry VII., but it belongs, neverthe-
less, to the most important age of maritime discovery. Henry had really assented to the
propositions of Columbus after Portugal had refused them; had not the latter's brother,
Bartholomew, been captured by pirates on his way to England, and detained as a slave at
the oar, the Spaniards would not have had the honour of discovering the New World.
This, and the grand discoveries of Cabot (directly encouraged by Henry), who reached
Newfoundland and Florida; the various expeditions down the African coast instituted by
Dom John ; the discovery of the Cape and new route to India by Diaz and Vasco de
Gama; the discovery of the Pacific l^y Balboa, and Cape Horn and the Straits by
Magellan, will be detailed in another section of this work. They belong to this and
immediately succeeding reigns, and mark the grandest epoch in the history of geographical
discovery.

" The use of fire-arms," says Southey, " without which the conquests of the Spaniards
in the New World must have been impossible, changed the character of naval war sooner
than it did the system of naval tactics, though they were employed earlier by land than
by sea." It is doubtful when cannon was first employed at sea; one authority "''^ says
that it was by the Venetians against the Genoese, before 1330. Their use necessitated

• Chamock : " History of Marino Architecture."

ACTION WITH SCOTCH PIRATES.

279

and
lical

very material alterations in the structure of war-ships. The first port-holes arc believed
to have been contrived by a ship-builder at Brest, named Descharges, and their introduction
took place in 1499. They were "circular holes, cut through the sides of tho vessel, and
so small as scarcely to admit of the guns being traversed in the smallest degree, or fired
otherwise than straightforward.'' Hitherto there had been no distinctions between the vessels
used in commerce and in the king's service ; the former being constantly employed for the
latter ; but now we find the addition of another tier, and a general enlargement of the
war-vessels. Still, when any emergency required, merchant vessels, not merely English,
but Genoese, Venetian, and from the Hanse Towns, were constantly hired for warfare. So
during peace the king's ships were sometimes employed in trade, or freighted to merchants.
Henry was very desirous of increasing and maintaining commercial relations with other
countries. In the commission to one of his ambassadors, he says, " The earth being the
common mother of all mankind, what can be more pleasant or more humane than to
communicate a portion of all her productions to all her children by commerce?" Many
special commercial treaties were made by him, and one concluded with the Archduke
Philip after a dispute with him, which had put a stop to the trade with the Low Countries,
was called the great commercial treaty (intercursus magniis). "It was framed with the
greatest care to render the intercourse between the two countries permanent, and profitable
to both."

The first incident in the naval history of the next reign, that of Henry VIII., grew
out of an event which had occurred long before. A Portuguese squadron had, in the
year IITG, seized a Scottish ship, laden with a rich cargo, and commanded by John
Barton. Letters of marque were granted him, which he had not, apparently, used to any
great advantage, for they were renewed to his three sons thirty years afterwards. The
Bartons were not content with repaying themselves for their loss, but found the Portuguese
captures so profitable that they became confiimed pirates, "and when they felt their own
strength, they seem, with little scruple, to have considered ships of any nation as their
fair prize." Complaints were lodged before Henry, but were almost ignored, "till the
Earl of Surrey, then Treasurer and Marshal of England, declared at the council board,
that while he had an estate that could furnish out a ship, or a son that was capable of
commanding one, the narrow seas should not be so infested." Two ships, commanded by
his two sons, Sir Thomas and Sir Edward Howard, were made ready, with the king's
knowledge and consent. The two brothers put to sea, but were separated by stress of
weather; the same happened to the two pirate ships — the Lion, under Sir Andrew
Barton's own command, and the Jenni/ Penoin, or Bark of Scutland. The strength of one
of them is thus described in an old ballad, by a merchant, one of Sir Andrew's victims,
who is supposed to relate his tale to Sir Thomas Howard: —

says
ated

" He 18 brass within, and steel without,
With beams on his top-castlo strong;

And thirty pieces of ordnance
He carries on each side along;

And ho hath a pinnace dearly dight,
St. Andrew's Cross it is his guide ;

280

THE SKA.

His pinnaco bcartth nine score mm,
And fifteen (■annons on oadi siJu.

* • • •

Wore ye twenty Hhipn, and ho Imt one,
I swear by Kirk, and Imwcr and hall,

llo would overcome them every one
If once luH beams they do down full."

OI.U DKI'TI-OJID POCKV^Ull).

'I'i

<;i

But it was not so to be. Sir Thomas Howard, as he lay in the Downs, descried the
former making- for Scotland, and immediately gave chase, "and there was a sore battle.
The Englishmen were fierce, and the Scots defended themselves manfully, and ever
Andrew blew his whistle to encourage his men. Yet, for all that. Lord Howard and his
men, by clean force, entered the main deck. There the English entered on all sides, and
the Scots fought sore on the hatches ; but, in conclusion, Andrew was taken, being so
sore wounded that he died there, and then the remnant of the Scots were taken, with
their ship." Meantime Sir Edward Howard had encountered the other piratical ship,
and though the Scots defended themselves like " hardy and well-stomached men,'' succeeded
in boarding it. The prizes were taken to Blackwall, and the prisoners, 150 in number,
being all left alive, "so bloody had the action been/' were tried at Whitehall, before the

^1^

THE DEFEAT OP SIR ANDREW BARTON.

ill

■IS

THE "GREAT MICyiAEL."

gsi

Bishop of Winchester and a ccjuneil. The bishop reminded them that " though there
was peace between Knginnd and Scotland, they, contrary to that, as thieves and pirates,
had robbed the king's subjects within his streams, wherefore they had deserved to die by
the law, and to be hanged at the low-water mark. Then, said the Scots, ' We acknowle<lge
our offence, and ask mercy, and not the law,' and a priest, who was also a prisoner,
said, ' My lord, wo appeal from the king's justice to his mercy.' Then the bishop asked
if he were authorised by them to say thus, and tliey all cried, ' Yea, yea I ' ' Weil, then,'
said the bishop, ' you shall find the king's mercy above his justice ; tor, where you wore
dead by the law, yet by his mercy he will revive you. You shall depart out of this realm
within twenty days, on pain of death if ye be found after the twentieth day ; and pray for
the king.' " James subsequently re(iuired restitution from Henry, who answeretl " with
brotherly salutation " that " it became not a prince to charge his confederate with breach
of peace for doing justice upon a pirate and thief." But there is no doubt that it was
regarded as a national affair in Scotland, and helped to precipitate the war which speedily
ensued.

Some of the edicts of the period seem strange enough to modern ears. The Scotch
Parliament had passed an Act forbidding any ship freighted with staple g'oods to put to
sea during the three winter months, under a penalty of five pounds. In l-tO-'J, a generation
after the Act was passed, another provided that all burghs and towns should provide
ships and busses, the least to be of twenty tons, fitted according to the means of the said
places, provided with mariners, nets, and all necessary gear for taking "great fish and
small." The officers in every burgh were to make all the "stark idle men" within their
bounds go on board these vessels, and serve them there for their wages, or, in case of
refusal, banish them from their burgh. This was done with the idea of training a maritime
force, but seems to have produced little effect. James IV. built a ship, however, which
was, according to Scottish writers, larger and more powerfully armed than any then
built in England or France. She was called the Great Michael, and " was of so great
stature that she wasted all the oak forests of Fife, Falkland only excepted." Southey
reminds us that the Scots, like the Irish of the time, were constantly in feud with each
other, and consequently destroyed their forests, to prevent the danger of ambuscades, and
also to cut off the means of escape. Timber for this ship was brought from Norway,
and though all the shipwrights in Scotland and many others from foreign countries were
busily employed uj)on her, she took a year and a day to complete. The vessel is described
as twelve score feet in length, and thirty-six in breadth of beam, within the walls, which
were ten feet each thick, so that no cannon-ball could go through them. She had
300 mariners on board, six score gunners, and 1,000 men-of-war, including officers,
"captains, skippers, and quarter-masters." Sir Andrew Wood and Robert Barton were
two of the chief officers. "This great ship cumbered Scotland to get her to sea. From
the time that she was afloat, and her masts and sails complete, with anchors offering
thereto, she was counted to the king to be thirty thousand pounds expense, by her artillery,
which was very costly." The Great Michael never did enough to have a single exploit
recorded, nor was she unfortunate enough to meet a tragic ending.

In 1511 war was declared against France, and Henry caused many new ships to be
36

^ : '

|!-

I.]

S^l

283

THE SEA,

made, repairing and rigg-ini^' the old. After an action on the coast of Brittany, where
both claimed the advantage, and where two of the largest vessels — tliC Cunfclier, with 900
Frenchmen, and the Regent, with 700 Englishmen, were burned — nearly all on board
perishing, Henry advised "a great ship to be madd, such as was never before seen in
England, and which was named the Henri Grace tie Bleu, or popularly the Great llarri/.*
There are many ancient representations of this vessel, which is said to have cost £11,000,
and to have taken lOO men four whole days to work from Erith, where she was built, to
Barking Creek. " The masts," says a well-known authority, " were five in number,"
but he gf023 on clearly to show that the iifth was simply the bowsprit; they were in one
piece, as had been the usual mode in all previous times, although soon to be altered by
the introd.'.ction of several joints or top-masts, which could be lowered in time of need.
The rigging was simple to the last degree, but there was a. considerable amount of
ornamentation on the hull, and small flags were disposed almost at random on different
parts of the deck and gunwale, and one a( the head of each mast. The standard of
England was hoisted on the principal mast; enormous pendants, or streamers, were added,
though ornaments which must have been often inconvenient. The Great Ilarri/ was of
1,000 tons, and in — so far as the writer can discover — the only skirmish she was concerned
in the Channel, for it could not be dignified by the name of an engagement, carried 700
men. She was burned at Woolwich, at the opening of Mary's reign, through the carelessness
of the sailors.

In the reign of Henry VIII. a navy office was first formed, and regular ai'scnals wore
established at Portsmouth, Woolwich, and Deptford. The change in maritime warfare
consequent on the use of gunpowder rendered ships of a new construction necessary, and
more was done for the improvement of the navy in this reign than in any former one.
Italian shipwrights, then the most expert, were engaged, and at the conclusion of Henry's
reign the Royal Navy consisted of seventy-one vessels, thirty of which were ships of
respectable burden, aggregating 10,550 tons. Five years later, it had dwindled to less
than one-half. Six years after Henry's death, England lost Calais, a fort and town which
had cost Edward III., in the height of his power, an obstinate siege of eleven months.
But on Elizabeth's accession to the throne, the star of England was once more in the
ascendant.

Elizabeth commenced her reign by providing in all points for war, that she " might
the more quietly enjoy peace." Arms and weapons were imported from Germany, at
considerable cost, but in such quantities that the land had never before been so amply
stored with "all Ivinds of convenient armour and weapons." And she, also, was the first
to cause the manufacture of gunpowder in England, that she " might not both pray and
pay for it too to her neighbours." She allowed the free exportation of herrings and all
other sea-fish in English bottoms, and a partial exemption from impressment was granted
to all fishermen; while to enr iirage their woi'k, Wednesday and Saturday were made
*' fish-days;" this, it was stated, "was meant politicly, not for any superstition lo be
maintained in the choice of meats." The navy became her great care, so much that

* It has bi'on clearly shown tlmt n larpjo vessel which hud been built by Henry VII. boro the same name.
The above was a succo'ssor, probably built after the first had become iraflt for service.

THE SPANISH ARMADA.

283

;tany, where
•/•, with J)00
11 on board
fore seen in
reat IFarri/.*
ost £11,000,
was built, to
in number,"
were in one
e altered by
ime of need.
! amount of
on different
standard of
were added,
Larri/ was of
as concerned
, carried 700
! carelessness

arsenals were
time warfare
ecessaiy, and

former one.
\ of Henry's
ere ships of
idled to less

town which
!ven months,
piiore in the

she " might
Germany, at
en so amply
was the first
th pray and
ing'S and all
was granted

were made
tition to be

much that

the same name.

"foreigners named her the restorer of the glory of shipping, and the Queen of the North
Sea." She raised the pay of sailors. " The wealthier inhabitants of the sea-coast," says
Camden, "in imitation of their princess, built ships of war, striving who should exceed,
insomuch that the Queen's Navy, joined with her subjects' shipping, was, in short time,
so puissant that it was able to bring forth 20,000 lighting men for sea service."

The greatest and most glorious event of her reign was, without cavil, the defeat of
the Spanish Armada, at one time deemed and called " The Invincible." With the political
complications which preceded the invasion, we have nought to do : it was largely a
religious war, inasmuch as Popish machinations were at the bottom of all. When the
contest became inevitable, the Spanish (iovernment threw off dissimulation, .^nd showed
"a disdainful disregard of secrecy as to its intentions, or rather a proud manifestation o'"
them, which," says Southey, "if they had been successful, might have been called
magnanimous." Philip had determined on putting forth his might, and accounts which
wtve ostentatiously published in advance termed it "The most fortunate and invincible
Armada." The Heet consisted of 130 ships and twenty caravels, having on board nearly
20,000 soldiers, 8,150 marines, 2,088 galley-slaves, with 2,030 great pieces of brass
artillery. The names of all the saints appeared in the nomenclature of the ships, " while,"
says Southey, " holier appellations, which ought never to be thus applied, were strangely
associated with the Great Griffin and the Sea Dog, the Cat and the W^hite Falcon." Every
noble house in Spain was represented, and there were 180 friars and Jesuits, with Cardinal
Allen at their head, a prelate who had not long before published at Antwerp a gross libel
on Elizabeth, calling her " heretic, rebel, and usurper, an incestuous bastard, the bane of
Christendom, and firebrand of all mischief." These priests were to bring England back
to the true Church the moment they Laided. The galleons being above sixty in number
were, " exceeding great, fair, and strong, and built high above the water, like castles,
easy to be fought withal, but not so easy to board as the English and the Netherland ships ;
their upper decks were musket-proof, and beneath they were four or five feet thick, so
that no bullet could pass them. Their masts were bound about with oakum, or pieces
of fazeled ropes, and armed against all shot. The galleases were goodly great vessels,
furnished with chambers, chapels, towers, pulpits, and such-like; they rowed like galleys,
with excee<ling great oars, each having 300 slaves, and were able to do much harm with
their great ordnance." Most severe discipline was to be preserved; blasphemy and oaths
were to be punished rigidly ; gaming, as provocative of these, and quarrelling, were forbidden ;
no one might wear a dagger; religious exercises, including the use of a special litany,
Jn which all archangels, angels, and saints, were invoked to assist with their prayers
against the English heretics and enemies of the faith, were eujoined. " No man," says
Southey, "ever set forth upon a bad cause with better will, nor under a stronger delusion
of perverted faith." The gunners were instructed to have half butts filled with water
and vinegar, wet clothes, old sails, &c., ready to extinguish fire, and what seems strange
now-a-days, in addition to the regular artillery, every ship was to caiTy two boats'-loads
of large stones, to throw on the enemy's decks, forecastles, &c., during an encounter.

jNIeantime Elizabeth and her ministers were fully aware of the danger, and the
appeals made to the Lords, and through the lord-lieutenants of counties were answered

i 1

I;i

¥ \

284

THE SEA.

nobly. The first to present himself before the queen was a Roman Catholic peer, the
Viscount Montague, who brought 200 horsemen led by his own sons, and professed the
resolution that " though he was very sickly, and in age, to live and die in defence of
the queen and of his country, against all invaders, whether it were Pope, king, or potentate
whatsoever." The city of London, when 5,000 men and fifteen ships were required,
prayed the queen to accept twice the number. " In a very short time all her whole
realm, and every corner, were furnished with armed men, on horseback and on foot; and
those continually trained, exercised, and put into bands in warlike manner, as in no age
ever was before in this realm. There was no sparing of money to provide horse, armour,
weapons, powder, and all necessaries." Thousands volunteered their services personally
without wages ; others money for armour and weapons, and wages for soldiers. The
country was never in better condition for defence.

Some urged the queen to place no reliance on maritime defence, but to receive the
enemy only on shore. Elizabeth thought otherwise, and determined that the enemy should
reap no more advantage on the sea than on land. She gave the command of the whole
fleet to Charles Lord Howard of Effingham; Drake being vice-admiral, and Hawkins
and Frobisher — all grand names in naval history — being in the western division. Lord
Henry Seymour was to lie off the coast of Flanders with forty ships, Dutch and English,
and prevent the Prince of Parma from forming a junction with the Armada. The whole
number of ships collected for the defence of the country was 191, and the number of
seamen 17,472. There was one ship in the fleet (the Tritimjih) of 1,100 tons, one of 1,000,
one of 900, and two of 800 tons each, but the larger part of the vessels were very small,
and the aggregate tonnage amounted to only about half that of the Armada. For the land
defence over 100,000 men were called out, regimented, and armed, but only half of them
were trained. This was exclusive of the Border and Yorkshire forces.

The Armada left the Tagus in the latter end of !May, 1588, for Corunna, there to
embark the remainder of the forces and stores. On the 30th of the same month, the
Lord Admiral and Sir Francis Drake sailed from Plymouth. A serious storm was
encountered, which dismasted some and dispersed others of the enemy's fleet, and occasioned
the loss of four Portuguese galleys. One David Gwynne, a Welshman, who had been a
galley-slave for eleven years, took the opportunity this storm afforded, and regained his
liberty. He made himself master of one galley, captured a second, and was joined by a third,
in which the wretched slaves were encouraged to rise by his example, and successfully
carried the three into a French port. After this disastrous commencement, the Armada
put back to Corunna, and was pursued thither by Effingham; but as he approached the
coast of Spain, the wind changed, and as he was afraid the enemy might effect the
passage to the Channel unpereeived, he returned to its entrance, whence the ships
were withdrawn, some to the coast of Ireland, and the larger pert to Pl}-mouth, where the
men were allowed to come ashore, and the officers made merry with revels, dancing, and
bowling. The enemy was so long in making an appearance, that even Elizabeth was
persuaded the invasion would not occur that year; and with this idea, Secretary Walsing-
ham wrote to the admiral to send back four of his largest ships. " Happily for England,
and most honourably for himself, the Lord Effingham, though he bad relaxed his vigilance.

SAILING OF THE ARMADA.

285

saw how perilous it was to act as if all were safe. He humbly entreated that nothing-
might be lightly credited in so weighty a matter, and that he might retain these ships,
though it should be at his own cost. This was no empty show of disinterested zeal ; for if
the services of those ships had not been called for, there ca.i be little doubt, that in the

THE rlllST SHOT AGA1X8T THE AKMAUA.

rigid parsimony of Elizabeth's government, he would have been called upon to pay the
costs."

The Armada, now completely refitted, sailed from Corunna on July 12th, and when off
the Lizard were sighted by a pirate, one Thomas Fleming, who hastened to Plymouth with
the news, and not merely obtained pardon for his offences, but was awarded a pension for
life. At that time the wind " blew stiffly into the harbour," but all hands were got on
board, and the ships were warped out, the Lord Admiral encouraging the men, and hauling

28G

THE SEA.

at the ropes himself. By the following day thirty of the smaller vessels were out, and next
day the Armada was descried "with lofty turrets like castles, in front like a half-moon;
the wings thereof spending out about the length of seven miles, sailing very slowly though
with full sails; the wind," says Camden, "being as it were weary with wafting them,
and the ocean groaning under their weight." The Spaniards gave up the idea of attacking
Plymouth, and the English let them pass, that they might chase them in the rear. Next
day the Lord Admiral sent the Ih-Jiioice pinnace forward, and opened the attack by dis-
charging her ordnance, and later his own ship, the J/X; Royal, "thundered thick and
furiously" into the Spanish vice-admiral's ship, and soon after, Drake, Hawkins, and
Frobisher, gave the Admiral Recalde a very thorough peppering. That officer's ship was
rendered nearly unserviceable, and he was obliged to crowd on sail to catch up with the
others, who showal little disposition for fighting. After a smart action in which he had
injured the enemy much, and sufFered little hurt himself, Effingham gave over, because
forty of his ships had not yet come up from Plymouth. During the night the Spaniards
lost one of their ships, which was set on fire, it was believed, by a Flemish gunner, whose
wife and self had been ill-treated by the officer of the troops on board. The fire was
(juenehed, after all her upper works had been consumed ; but when the Spaniards left the
hulk, they abandoned fifty of their countrymen, "miserably' hurt." This night was
remai'kable for a series of disasters and coHtretemj)s. A galleon, under the command of
one Valdez, ran foul of another ship, broke her foremast, and was left behind. Effingham,
supposing that the men had been taken out, without tarrying to take possession of the
prize, passed on with two other vessels, that he might not lose sight of the enemy. " He
thought that he was following Drake's ship, which ought to have carried the lanthorn that
night ; it proved to be a Spanish light, and in the morning he found himself in the midst
of the enemy's fleet ; " but he managed to get away unobserved, or at all events unpursued.
Drake, meantime, was mistakably following in the dark and stormy night a phantom
enemy, in the shape of five Easterling vessels. Meantime, the English fleet not seeing
the expected light on Drake's ship, lay-to during the night. Drake, next morning,
had the good fortune to fall in with Valdez, who, after a brief parley, surrendered, and
the prize M'as sent into Plymouth. Drake and his men divided 55,000 golden ducats
among them, as part of the spoil on boaixl. The hulk of the galleon was taken to
Weymouth, and although burned almost to the water's edge, the gunpowder in the hold
remained intact and had not taken fire. The next day there was considerable manoeuvring
and skirmishing, but with no very memorable loss on either side. A great Venetian ship and
some smaller ones were taken from the enemy, while on our side Captain Cook died with
honour in the midst of the Spanish ships, in a little vessel of his own. Both sides were
wary ; Effingham did not think good to grapple with them, because they had an army in
the fleet, while he had none ; our army awaited their landing. The Spaniards meant as
much as possible to avoid fighting, and hold on till they could effect a junction with the
Prince of Parma. Next morning there was little wind, and only the four great galleases
were engaged, these having the advantage on account of their oars, while the English were
becalmed ; the latter, however, did considerable execution with chain-shot, cutting asunder
their tacklings and cordage. But they were now constrained to send ashore for gunpowder.

THE ENGLISH FIRE-SHIPS.

287

with which they were either badl}' sui>plied, or had expended too freely. Off the Isle of
Wight, the English battered the Spanish admiral with their great ordnance, and shot away
his mainmast; but other ships came to his assistance, beat them off, and set upon the
English admiral, who only escaped by favour of a breeze which sprung up at the right
moment. Camden relates how the English shot away the lantern from one of the
Spanish ships, and the beak-head from a second, and that Frobisher escaped by the
skin of his teeth from a situation of great danger. Still this was little more than
skirmishing. "The Spaniards say that from that time they gave over what they call the
pursuit of their enemy ; and they dispatched a fresh messenger to the Prince of Parma,
urging him to effect his junction with them as soon as possible, and withal to send
them some great shot, for they had expended theirs with more prodigality :han effect."
On the other hand the English determined to wait till they could attack the enemy in
the Straits of Dover, where they expected to be joined by the squadrons under Lord
Seymour and Sir William Winter. Meantime Effingham's forces were being considerably
increased by volunteers ; " For the gentlemen of England hired ships from all parts at
their own charge, and with one accord came Hocking thither as to a set field." Among the
volunteers were Sir Walter Raleigh, the Earls of Oxford, Northumberland, and Cumberland.
On the evening of the 27th the Spaniards came to anchor off Calais, and the English
ships, now 140 in number, "all of them ships fit for fight, good sailors, nimble and tight
for tacking about which way they would, anchored within cannon-shot." A squadron of
about thirty ships belonging to the States, acting in conjunction with the Admiral of
Zeeland and his squadron, effectually blockaded Dunkirk, and the poor Prince of
Parma, with his pressed men constantly deserting, his flat-bottomed lx)ats leaky, and his
provisions not readj', could do nothing.

The Spanish ships were almost invulnerable to the shot and ordnance of the dr.y,
and " their height was such that our bravest seamen were against any attempt at
boarding them." These facts were well understood by Elizabeth's ministers, and the liord
Admiral was instructed to convert eight of his worst vessels into fire-ships. The orders
arrived so (t projms of the occasion, and were so swiftly executed, that within thirty hours
after the enemy had cast anchor off Calais, the ships wei'e unloaded and dismantled, filled
with combustibles and all their ordnance charged, and their sides being smeared with
pitch, rosin, and wildfire, were sent, in the dead of the night, with wind and tide>
against the Spanish fleet. When the Spaniards saw the whole sea glittering and shining
with the reflection of the flames, the guns exi)loding as the fire reached them, and a heavy
canopy of dense smoke overhead obscuring the heavens, they remembered those terrible
fire-ships which had been used so effectively in the Scheldt, and the cry resounded throunrh
the fleet, " The fire of Antwerp ! " Some of the Spanish captains let their hawsers slip,
some cut their cables, and in terror and confusion put to sea ; " happiest they who could
first be gone, though few or none could tell which course to take." In the midst of all
this fearful excitement one of the largest of the galleases, commanded by D. Hugo de
Moncada, ran foul of another ship, lost her n;dder, floated about at the mercy of the tide,
and at length ran upon Calais sands. Here she was assailed by the English small craft,
who battered her with their guns, but dared not attempt boarding till the rdmiral sent

288

TTTR SEA.

rf.'

a hundred men in his boats, under Sir Amias Preston. The Spaniards fought bravely,
but at length Moneada was shot through the head, and the galleas was carried by boarding.
Most of the Spanish soldiers, 400 in number, jumped overboard and were drownetl ; the
300 galley-slaves were freed from their fetters. The vessel had 50,000 ducats on board,
"a booty," says Speed, "well fitting the English soldiers' affections." The English

.- 1

fit

THE FIRE-SHirS ATTACKING THE ARMADA.

were about to set the galleas on fire, but the governor of Calais prevented this by firing
upon the captors, and the ship became his prize.

The Duke of Medina Sidonia, admiral of the Spanish Armada, had ordered the whole
fleet to weigh anchor and stand out to sea when he perceived the approaching fire-ships;
his vessels were to return to their former stations when the danger should be over. When
he fired a signal for the others to follow his example, few of them heard it, "because
they were sv cred all about, and driven by fear, some of them in the wide sea, and
driven among the shoals of Flanders." When they had once more congregated, they
ranged themselves in order ofE Gravelines, where the final action was fought. Drake and
Fenner were the first to assail them, followed by many brave captains, and lastly the

ught bravely,

by boarding.

drowned; the

its on board,

The English

lis by firing

d the whole
g fire-ships;
)ver. When
it, " because
de sea, and
)gated, they
Drake and
I lastly the

mam

THE FINAL ACTION.

!j8y

^
K

'x.

?•

M
^

admiral came up with Lord Thomas Howard and Lord Sheffield. There were scarcely
two or three and twenty among- their ships which matched ninety of the Spanish vesstsls
in size, but the smaller vessels were more easily handled and maiKcuvred. " Wherefore,"
says Ilakluyt, " usinjr their preroj^ative of nimble steerage, whereby they could turn and
wield themselves with the wind which way they listed, tiioy came oftentimes very near
upon the Spaniards, and charj^ed them so sore, that now and then they were but a pike's
length asunder; and so continually giving them one broadside after another, they

QU£EN ELIZABETH ON HEH WAY TO ST. PAIL 8.

discharged all their shot, both great and small, upon them, spending a whole day, from
morning till night, in that violent kind of conflict." During this action many of the
Spanish vessels were pierced through and through between wind and water; one was
sunk, and it was learnt that one of her officers, having proposed to strike, was put to
death by another; the brother of the slain man instantly avenged his death, and then
the ship went down. Others are believed to have sunk, and many were terribly shattered.
Ono, which leaked so fast that fifty men were employed at the pumps, tried to run
aground on the Flemish coast, where her captain had to strike to a Dutch commander.
Our ships at last desisted from the contest, from sheer want of ammunition; and the
Armada made an effort to reach the Straits. Here a great engagement waa expected,
but the fighting was over, and that which the hand of man barely commenced the
37

iiOU

THE SEA.

hand of God completed. The Spaniards " were now experimentally convinced that the
English excelled them in naval strenj^th. Several of their larj^est ships had been lost,
others were greatly damaged; there was no port to which they could repair; and to
Ibrce their way through the victorious English fleet, then in sight, and amounting to HO
sail, was plainly and confessedly impossible." They resolved upon returning to Spain by
a northern route, and "having gotten more sea room for their huge-bodied bulks, spread
tlieir mainsails, and made away as fast as wind and water would give them leave." Effingham,
leaving Seymour to blockade the Prince of Parma's force, followed what our chroniclers
now termed the Vincible Armada, and pursued them to Scotland, where they did not
attempt to land, but made for Norway, " where the English," says Drake, " thought it best
to leave them to those boisterous and uncouth northern seas."

Meantime, it was still expected ashore that the Prince of Parma might effect a
landing, and it was at this time that Elizabeth, who declared her intention to be present
wherever the battle might be fought, rode through the soldiers' ranks at Tilbury, and
made her now historical speech. " Incredible it is," says Camden, " how much she
encouraged the hearts of her captains and soldiers by her presence and her words." When
a false report was brought that the prince had landed, the news was immediately published
throughout the camp, " and assuredly," says Southey, " if tlie enemy had set foot upon
our shores they would have sped no better than they had done at sea, such was the spirit
of the nation." Some time elapsed before the fate of the Armada was known. It was
affirmed on the Continent that the greater part of the English fleet had been taken, and
a large proportion sunk, the poor remainder having been driven into the Thames "all
vent and torn." It was believed at Rome that Elizabeth was taken and England conquered !
Meantime, the wretched Armada was being blown hither and thither by coiitending
winds. The mules and horses had to be thrown overboard lest the water should fail.
When they had reached a northern latitude, some 200 miles from the Scottish isles, the
duke ordered them each to take the best course they could for Spain, and he himself with
some five-and-twenty of his best provided ships reached it in safetj'. The others made
for Cape Clear, hoping to water there, but a terrible storm arose, in which it is believed
more than thirty of the vessels perished off the coast of Ireland. About 200 of the poor
Spaniards were driven from their hiding-places and beheaded, through the inhumanity of
Sir William Fitzwilliam. "Terrified at this, the other Spaniards, sick and starved as
they were, committed themselves to the sea in their shattered vessels, and very many of
them were swallowed up by the waves." Two of their ships were wrecked on the coasts
of Norway. Some few got into the English seas ; two were taken by cruisers off Rochelle.
About 700 men were cast ashore in Scotland, were humanely treated, and subsequently
sent, by request of the Prince of Pprma, to the Netherlands. Of the whole Armada only
fifty-three vessels returned to Spain; eighty-one were lost. The enormous number of
14,000 men, of whom only 2,000 were prisoners, were missing. By far the larger
proportion were lost by shipwreck.

" Philip's behaviour," says Southey, " when the whole of this great calamity was known,
should always be recorded to his honour. He received it as a dispensation of Providence,
and gave, and commanded to be given, throughout Spain, thanks to God and the saints

NOBLE ADVENTURERS.

201

that it was no greater." In England, a solemn thanksgiving was celebrated at St. Paul'n,
where the Spanish ensigns which had been taken were displayed, and the same flags wero
shown on London Bridge the folloving day, it being Southwark Fair. Many of the arms
and instruments of torture taken are still to be seen in the Tower. Another great
thanksgiving-day was celebrated on the anniversary of the queen's accession, and one
of great solemnity, two days later, throughout the realm. On the Sunday following, the
<jucen went " as in public, but Christian triumph," to St. Paul's, in a chariot " made in
the form of a throne with four pillars," and drawn by four white horses ; alighting from
which at the west door, she knelt and " audibly praised God, acknowledging Him her only
Defender, who had thus delivered the land from the rage of the enemy." Her Privy
Council, the nobility, the French ambassador, the judges, and the heralds, accompanied
her. The streets were hung with blue doth and flags, "the several companies, in their
liveries, being drawn up lx)th sides of the way, with their banners in becoming and gallant
order." Thus ended this most serious attempt at the invasion of England.

all

CHAPTER XVI.
The History ov Ships and Shipping Interests {continued).

Noble Adventurers— The Earl of Cumberland as a Pirate— Rich Prizes— Action with the Madre de />ios— Capt- -3 of the Great
Carraclc— A Cargo worth £150,000— Burning of the Cinco Chagas—Jint Fifteen saved out of Eleven Hundred Souls— The
iScourfirco/JIfah'ce— Establishment of the Slave Trade— Sir John Hawldns' Ventures— High-handed Proceedings— The
Spaniards forced to Purcliaso— A Fleet of Slavers— Ha wlcins sanctioned by " Good Queen llcss "—Joins in a Negro War
—A Disastrous Voyage— Sir Francis Drake— His First Loss— The Treasure at Nombre de Dios— Drake's First Sight of
the Pacific— Tons of Silver Captured— John Oxcnham's Voyage— The First E^nglishman on the Pacific— His Disasters
and Death- Drake's Voyage Uound the World— Blood-letting at the Equator— Arrival at Port Julian— Trouble witli the
Natives— Execution of a Mutineer— Passage of the Straits of Magellan— Vessels separated in a Gale -Loss of the
Jfariffo/d— Tragic Fate of Eight Men— Drake Driven to Cape Horn— Proceedings at Valparaiso— Prizes taken— Capture
ef the great Treasure Ship— Drake's Kesolvo to change his Course Home— Vessel refitted at Nicaragiia— Stay in the
Bay of San Francisco— The Natives worship the English— Grand Reception at Temate— Drake's Ship nearly wrecked
—Return to England- Honours accorded Drake— His Character and Influence— Sir Humphrey Gilbert's Disasters and
Death— Raleigh's Virginia Settlements.

The spirit of adventure, fostered by the grand discoveries which were constantly being
made, the rich returns derived from trading expeditions, and from the pillage of our ,
enemies, was at its zenith in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Nor was it confined to mere
soldiers of fortune, for we find distinguished noblemen of ample fortunes taking to the
seas as though their daily bread depended thereupon. Among these naval adventurers
"there was no one," says Southey, "who took to the seas so much in the spirit of a
northern sea king as the Earl of Cumberland." He had borne his part in the defeat of
the Armada, while still a young man, and the queen was so well satisfied with him, that •
she gave him a commission to go the same year to the Spanish coast as general, lending
him the Golden Lion, one of the ships royal, he victualling and furnishing it at his own
expense. After some fighting he took a prize, but soon after had to cut away his
mainmast in a storm, and return to England. " His spirit remaining, nevertheless, higher
than the winds, and more resolutely by storms compact and united in itself," we find him

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THE SEA.

shortly aftorwards nfjain on the liijfh seaH with tho Viclorj/, one of tho (ineon'ri ships, and
throe smaller vessels. Tne earl was not very scrupulous as refyartls prize-takiiifj, and
captured two French ships, which belonged to tho party of the Lou^'ue. A little later ho
ffcU in with eleven ships from Ilanilmrjj^ and tho IJaltic, and fired on them till the ciiptains
camo on board and showed their passports; these were respected, but not so tho property
of a Lisbon Jew, which they confessed to have on their ships, and which was valued
at £4,500. Off the Azores, he hoisted Spanish colours, and succeeded in robbinp;' some
Spanish vessels. Tho homeward-bound Portufjuose fleet from tho East Indies narrowly
escaped him; when near Tercera some Enjjlish jirisoners stole out in a small boat, having-
no other yard for their mainsail than two pipe-staves, and informed him that tho
Portuguese ships had left the island a week before. This induced him to return to Payal,
and tho terror inspired by tho English name in those days is indicated by tho fact that the
town of about 500 houses was found to bo completely empty; the inhabitants had
abandoned it. Ho set a guard over tho churches and monasteries, and thou calmly waited
till a ransom of 2,000 ducats was brought him. lie helped himself to fifty-eight pieces
of iron ordnance, and the Governor of Gracio.sa, to keep on good terms with tho earl, sent
him sixty butts of wine. While there a Weymouth privateer came in with a Si)anish prize
worth £10,000. Next we find the earl at St. Mary's, where he captured a lirazilian sugar
ship. In bringing out their prize they were detained on the harbour bar, exposed to tho
enemy. Eighty of Cumberland's men were killed, and he himself was wounded; "his
head also was broken with stones, so that the blood covered his face," and both his face
and legs were burnt with fire-balls. The prize, however, was seeured and forwarded to
England.

Cumberland himself held on his course to Spain, and soon fell in with a shij) of 400
tons, from Mexico, laden with hides, cochineal, sugar, and silver, " and the captain had with
him a venture to the amount of 25,000 ducats," which was taken. They now resolved ta
return home, but " sea fortunes are variable, having two inconstant parents, air and water,"
and as one of the adventurers* concisely put it, " these summer services and ships of
su«}fi;i- proved not so sweet and pleasant as tho winter was afterwards sharp and painful."
Lister, the earl's captain, was sent in tho Mexican prize for lingland, and was wrecked off
Cornwall, everything being lost in her, and all the crew, save five or six men. On tho
carl's ship, contrary winds and gales delayed them so greatly that their water failed ; they
were reduced to three spoonfuls of vinegar apiece at each meal; this state of affairs lasting
fourteen days, except what water they could colleoL from rain and hail-storms. " Yet was
that rain so intermingled with the spray of the foaming sea, in that extreme storm, that
it could not be healthful : yea, some in their extremity of thirst drank themselves to death
with their cans of salt water in their hands." Some ten or twelve perished on each of
as many consecutive nights, and tho storm was at one time so violent that the ship was
almost torn to pieces ; " his lordship's cabin, the dining-room, and the half deck became all
one," and he was obliged to seek a lodging in the hold. The carl, however, constantly
encouraged the men, and the small stock of provisions was distributed with the greatest

• Sir William Monson ; Churchill's " Collection of Voyages."

CAPTUUK OF A OUAND PRIZK.

203

equality J so at last they reached a haven on llio west coast of Tri'land, where their
Bufferinjjs ended. On this voyage they had taken thirteen ])rizt's. The Mexican prizo
which had been wreckeil would have ailded £100,000 to the profits of tlio venture, but
even with this {^^rcat deduction, the earl had been doubly repaid lor his outlay.

Tiic earl's third expedition was a failure, but the fourth rcsidted in the capture of the
Madi't; (Ic D'los, one of the largest carracks belonging to the Portuguese crown. In this,
however, some of Raleigh's and Hawkins' ships had a share. Captain Thomson, who
camo up with her first, "again and again delivered his peals as fast as he could lire
and fall astern to load again, thus hindering her way, though somewhat to his own cost,
till the others could come up" Several others worried the carrack, until the earl's ships
came up about eleven at night. Captain Norton had no intention of boarding the enoniy

TUIi EAKL OF CUMBBfiliAND AND THB " MADRE DE DI08.

till daylight, if there had not been a cry from one of the ships royal, then in danger,
" An you be men, save ♦^he queen's ship I " Upon this the carrack was boarded on both
sides. A desperate struggle ensued, and it took an hour and a half before the attacking^
parties succeeded in getting possession of the high forecastle, "so brave a booty making
the men fight like dragons." The ship won, the boarders turned to pillage, and while
searching about with candles, managed to set fire to a cabin containing some hundreds of
cartridges, very nearly blowing up the ship. The hotness of the action was evidenced by
the number of dead and dying who strewed the carrack's decks, " especially," says the
Ciironicler, "about the helm; for the greatness of the steerage requiring the labour of
twelve or fourteen men at once, and some of our ships beating her in at the stern with
their ordnance, oftentimes with one shot slew four or five labouring on either side of -he
helm ; whose room being still furnished with fresh supplies, and our artillery still playing
upon them with continual volleys, it could not be but that much Viood should be shed in
that place." For the times, the prisoners were treated with great humanity, and surgeons
were sent on board to dress their wounds. The captain, Don Fernando de Mendoza, was

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1!-

llM

"a gentleman of noble birth, well stricken in yjars, well spoken, of comely pereonage, of
good stature, but of hard fortune. Twice he had been taken prisoner by the Moors and
ransomed by the king; and he had been wrecked on the coast oL Sofala, in a carrack
which he commanded, and having escaped the sea danger, fell into the hands of infidels
ashore, who kept him under long and grievous servitude." The prisoners were allowed to
carry off their own valuables, put on boiu-d one of Cumberland's ships, and sent to their
own country. Unfortunately for them, they again fell in with other English cruisers, who
robbed them without mercy, taking from them i)00 diamonds and other valuable things.
About 800 negroes on board were landed on the island of Corvo. Her cargo consisted
of jewels, spices, drugs, silks, calicoes, carpets, canopies, ivory, porcelain, and innumerable
curiosities; it was estimated to amount to £150,000 in value, and there was considerable
haggling over its division, and no little embezzlement ; the queen had a large share of it,
and Cumberland netted £30,000. The carrack created great as*:onishment at Dartmouth
by her dimensions, which for those days were enormous. She was of about 1,000 tons
burden, and 105 feet long; she was of "seven several stories, one luain orlop, three close
decks, one forecastle (of great height) and a spar deck of two floors apiece." Her main-
mast was 125 feet in height, and her main-yard 105 feet long. "Being so huge and
unwieldl} a shiji," says Purchas, " she was never removed from Dartmouth, but there laid
up her bones."

In 1591 the earl set forth on his eighth voyage, with three ships, a caravel, and a
pinnace, furnished at his own expense, with the help of some adventurers. Early in the
voyage they descried a great Indian ship, whose burden they estimated at 2,000 tons.
Her name was the Cinco Chagas (the Five Wounds), and her fato was as tragical as her
name. She had on board a number of persons who had been shipwrecked in three vessels,
which, like herself, had been returning from the Indies. When she left Mozambique for
Europe, she had on board 1,400 persons, an enormous number for those days; on the
voyage she had encountered terrible gales, and after putting in at Loanda for water and
supplies, and shipping many slaves, a fatal pestilence known by the name of the "mal c^e
Loanda." carried off about half the ''rew. The captain wished to avoid the Azores, but a
mutiny iiad arisen among the soldiers on board, and he tvas forred to stand by them, and
by this means came into contact with the Earl of Cumberland's squadron off Fayal. The
Portuguese had pledged themselves to the ship at all hazards, and to perish with her in the
sea, or in the flames, rather thau yield so rich a prize to the heretics. Cumberland's hips,
after harassing the carrack on all sides, ranged up against her; twice was she boarded,
and twice were the assailants driven out. A. third time the privateers boarded her, one of
them beariiig a wlxite flag; he was the first of tiie party killed, and when a second hoisted
anotlier flag at tie poop it was immediately thrown overboard. The English suffered con-
siderably, more especially among the officers. Cumberland's vice-ad niral, Antony, was killed ;
Dowr.ton. the rear admiral crippled foi' life; and Cave, who commanded the eai'l's ship,
mortally wounded. The privoteers seem, in the heat of action, almost to have forgotten
the valuable cargo on board, f id to have aiiucd only at destroying her. "Aftc nany
bickerings," says the chronicler, " fireworks flew aiout interchangeably ; at last the vice-
admiral, with a culverin sl^.ot at hand, fired the carrack in her stern, and the rear-admiral

ESTABLISiniENT OF THE SLA\'E TRADE.

295

her forecastle, * * * * ti,en flying and maintaining their fires so well with their
small shot that many which came to quench them were slain." The fire made rapid
headway, and P. Frey Antonio, a Franciscan, was seen with a crucifix in his hand,
encouraging the poor sailors to commit themselves to the waves and to God's mercy,
rather than perish in the flames. A large number threw themselves overboard, dinging to
such things as were cast into the sea. It is said that the English boats, with one
honourable exception, made no efforts to save any of them ; it is even stated that they
butchered many in the water. According to the English account there were more than
1,100 on board the carrack, when she left Loanda, of whom only fifteen were saved!
Two ladies of high rank, mother and daughter — the latter of whom was going home to
Spain to take possession of some entailed property — when they saw there was no help to
be expected from the privateers, fastened themselves together with a cord, and committed
themselves to the waves; their bodies v/ere afterward- cast ashore on Fayal, still united,
though in the bonds of death.

The earl afterwards built the Scoiirfie of Malice, a ship of 800 tons, and the largest
yet constructed by an English subject, and in 1597 obtained letters patent authorising
him to levy sea and land forces. Without royal assistance, he gathered eighteen sail.
This expedition, although it worried and impoverished the Spaniards, was not particuhirly
profitable to the earl. He took Puerto Rico, and then abandoned it, and did not, as he
expectetl, intercept either the outward-bound East Indiamen, who, inrleed, were too frightened
to venture out of the Tagus that year, or the home^vard-bound Mexican fleet. This was
Cumberland's last expedition, and no other subject ever undertook so many at his own cost.

The Elizabethan age was otherwise so glorious that it is painful to have to record
the establishment of the slave-trade — a serious blot on the reif n — one which no Englishman
of to-day would defend, but which was then looked upon as perfectly legitimate. John
Hawkins (afterwards Sir John) was born at Plymouth, and his father had lung been
:i well-esteemed sea-captain, the first EngUdiman, it is believed, who ever traded to the
Brazils. T'le young man had gained much renown by trip'i to Spain, Portugal, and
the Canar'es, and having "grown in love and favour" with the ranarians, by good and
upright dealing, began to think of more extended enterprises. Learning that "negroes
were very good merchandise in Hispaniola, and that store of them might easily be had
upon the coast of Guinea," he communicated with several London ship-owners, who
liked his schemes, and provided him in large part with the necessary outfit. Three small
vessclo were provided — the Solomon, of 1^0 tons, the Swallow, of 100, and the Jonas, of
forty. Hawkins left England in October, 150^, and proceeding to Sierra Leone, "got
into his possession, partly by the sword and partly by other means, to the number of 300
negroes at the least, besides other merchandise which that country yieldeth." At the
port of Isabella, Puerto de Plata, and Monto Christo, he made sale of the slaves to the
Spaniards, trusting them " no farther than by his own strength he was able to master
them." He received in exchange, pearls, gitiger, sugar, and hides enough, not merely to
freight his own vessels, but two other hulks, and thus " with prosperous suc( oss, and
much gain to himself and the aforesaid a iventurci-s, he camt home, and arrived in
September, 1663."

xM-

296

THE SEA.

The second expedition was on a larger scale, and included a queen's ship of 700 tons.
Hawkins arrivinjj off the Rio Grande, could not enter it for want of a pilot, but he
proceeded to Sambula, one of the islands near its mouth, where he " went every day on
shore to take the inhabitants, with burning and spoiling their towns," and got a numl)or
of slaves. Flushed with easy success, Hawkins was persuaded by some Portuguese to
attack a negro town called Bymeba, where he was informed there was much gold. Forty
of his men were landed, and they dispersing, to secure what booty they could for
themselves, 1 ecame an easy prey to the negroes, who killed seven, including one of the
captains, and wounded twenty-seven. After a visit to Sierra Leone, which he left quickly
on account of the illness and death of some of his men, he proceeded to the West Indies,
where he carried matters with a high hand at the small Spanish settlements, at which
very generally the poor inhabitants had been forbidden to trade with him by the viceroy,
then stationed at St. Domingo. To this he replied at Borburata, that he was in need of
refreslimpnt and money also, "without which he could not depart. Their princes were
in amity one with another; the English had free traffic in Spain and Flanders; and he
knew no reason why they should not have the like in the King of Spain's dominions.
Upon this the Spaniards said they would send to their governor, who was three-score
leagues off; ten days must elapse before his determination could arrive; meantime '^e
might bring his ships into the harbour, and they would supply him with any vie'i '^
might require." The ships sailed in and were supplied, but Hawkins, "advising himself
that to remain there ten days idle, spending victuals and men's wages, and perhi.pa, in
the end, receive no good answer from the governor, it were mere folly," requested licence
to sell p'^rtain lean and sick negroes, for whom he had little or no food, but who would
recover with proper treatment ashore. This request, he saiJ, he was forced to make, as
he had not otherwise wherewith to pay for nee saries supplied to him. He received a
licence to sell thirty slaves, but now few showed a disposition to buy, and where they
did, came to haggle and cheapen. Hawkins made a feint to go, when the Spaniards
bought some of his poorer negroes, " but when the purchasers paid the duty and required
he customary receipt, the officer refused to give it, and instead of carrying the money
to the king's account, distributed it to the poor ' for the love of God.' " The purchasers
feared that they might have to pay the duty a second time, and the trade was suspended
till the governor arrived, on the fourteenth day. To him Hawkins told a long-winded
story, concluding by saying that, "it would be taken well at the governor's hand if he
granted a licence in this ease, seeing that there was a great amity between their princes,
and that the thing pertained to our queen's highness." The petition was taken under
consideration in council, and at last granted. The licence of thirty ducats demanded for
each slave sold did not, however, meet Hawkins' views, and he therefore landed 100 men
well armed, and marched toward the town. The poor townspeople sent out messengei*s
to know his demands, and he requested that the duty should be 7J per cent., and mildly
threatened that if they would not accede to this " he would displease them." Everything
was conceded, and Hawkins obtained the prices he wanted. Fancy a modern merchant
standing with an armed guard, pistol in hand, over bis customers, insisting that be would
sell what he liked and at his own price !

HIGH-HANDED TRADING.

297

But all this is nothing to what happened at Rio de la Haeha, There he spoke of
his quiet traffic (1) at Borburata, and requested permission to trade there in the same
manner. He wm told that the viceroy had forbidden it, whercu])on he threatened them
that he must either have the licence or they " stand to their own defence." The licence
was granted, but they offered half the prices which he had obtained at Borburata,
whereupon he told them, insultingly, that "seeing they had sent him this to his supper,
he would in the morning bring them as good a breakfast."* Accordingly, early next
day he tired off a culverin, and prepared to land with 100 men, " having light ordnance
in his great boat, and in the other boats double bases in their noses." The townsmen

ON THE COAST OF roKNWALL.

marched out in battle array, but when the guns were fired fell flat on their faces, and
soon dispersed. Still, about thirty horsemen made a show of resistance, their white leather
targets in one hand and their javelins in the other, but as soon as Hawkins marched
towards them they sent a flag of truce, and the treasurer, " in a cautious interview with
this ugly merchant," granted all he asked, and the trade proceeded. They parted with
a show of friendship, and saluted each other with their guns, the townspeople "glad to
be sped of such traders."

On the return voyage, contrary winds prevailed, "till victuals scanted, so that
they were in despair of ever reaching home, had not God provided for them better than
their deserving " They arrived at Padstow, in Cornwall, " with the loss," says the
narrative printed in Hakluyt's collection, "of twenty persons in all the voyage, and with
great profit to the venturers, as also to the whole realm, in bringing home both gold.

Httkluyt.

298

THE SEA.

silver, pearls, and other jewels in great store. His name, therefore, be prais^ed for
evermore. Amen ! " They did not consider that they had been engaged in a most
iniquitous traffic, nor was it, indeed, the opinion of the times. " Hawkins," says
Southey, " then, is not individually to be condemned, if he looked upon dealing in negroes
to be as lawful as any other trade, and thought that force or artifice might be employed
for taking them with as little compunction as in hunting, fishing, or fowling." He had
a coat of arms and crest bestowed upon him and his posterity. Among other devices it
bore " a demi-Moor, in his proper colour, bound and captive, with annulets on his
arms," &c.

On his next expedition for slaving purjioses he had six vessels. Ilerrcra * says that
two Portuguese had ofEered to conduct this fleet to a place where they might load their
vessels with gold and other riches, and that the queen bad been so taken with the idea
that she had sujiplied Hawkins with two ships, he and his brother fitting out four others
and a pinnace. The force on board amounted to 1,500 soldiers and sailors, who were to
receive a third of the profits. When the expedition was ready, the Portuguese deserted
from Plymouth, and went to ' •uT'p, but as the cost of the outfit had been incurred, it
was thought proper to proceoa. . vkins obtained, after a great deal of trouble, less
than 150 slaves between the Rio t) nde and Sierra Leone. At this juncture a negro
king, just going to war with a neighbouring tribe, sent to the commander asking his aid,
promising him all the prisoners who should be taken. This was a tempting bait, and
1~0 men were sent to assist the coloured warrior. They assaulted a town containing
8,000 inhabitants, strongly paled and well defended, and the English losing six men,
and having a fourth of their number wounded, sent for more help ; " whereupon," says
Hawkins, "considering that the good success of this enterprise might highly further the
commodity of our voyage, I went myself; and with the help of the king of our side,
assaulted the town bath by land and sea, and very hardly, with fire (their houses being
covered with dry palm-leaves), obtained the town, and put the inhabitants to flight, where
we took 250 persons, men, women, and children. And by our friend, the king of our side,
there were taken GOO jn-isoners, wh'jreof we hoped to have had our choice; but the negro
(in which nation is seldom or never found truth) meant nothing less, for that night he
removed his camp and prisoners, so that we were fain to content us with those few that
wc had gotten ourselves." They had obtained between 400 and 500, a part of which
were speedily sold as soon as he reached the West Indies. At Rio de la Hacha, "from
whence came all the pearls," the treasurer would by no means allow them to trade, oi
even to water the ships, and had fortified the town with additional bulwarks, well manned
by harquebusiers. Hr.,vKins again enforced trade, by landing 200 men, who stormed their
fortifications, at which the Spaniards fled. "Thus having the town," says Hawkins,
"with some circumstance, as partly by the Spaniards' desire of negroes, and partly by
friendship of the treasurer, we obtained a secret trade, whereupon the Spaniards resort', d
to us by night, and bought of us to the number of 200 negroes."

This voyage ended most disastrously. Passing by the west end of Cuba, they

* "Ilistoria General."

SPANISH TREACHERY.

299

encountered a terrific storm, which lasted four days, and they had to cut down all the
" higlier buildinj^s " of the Jesus, their largest shiji ; her rudder, too, was nearly disabled,
and she leaked badly. They made for the coast of Florida, but could iind no suitable
haven. "Thus, being in great despair, and taken with a new storm, which continued
other three days," Hawkins made for St. Juan de Uiloa, a port of the city of Mexico.
Tliey took on their way three ships, having on board 100 passengers, and soon reached
tbc harbour. The Spaniards mistook them for a fleet from Spain, which was expected
iiuout that time, and the chief officers came aboard to receive the despatches. " Being
deceived of their expectation," they were somewhat alarmed, but finding that Hawkins
wanted nothing but provisions, "were recomforted." "I found iu the same port," says
Hawkins, "twelve ships, which had in them, by report, £;iOO,000 in gold and silver; all
of which being in iiij/ possession, with the king's island, as also the passengers before in
my way thitherward stayed, I set at liberty, without the taking from them the weight
of a groat." This savours rather of impudent presumption, for he was certainly not in
good condition to fight at that period. Next day the Spanish fleet arrived outside, when
Hawkins again rode the high horse, by giving notice to the general that he would not
suffer them to enter the port until conditions had been made for their safe-being, and for
the maintenance of peace. The fleet had on board a new viceroy, who answered amicably,
and desired him to propose his conditions. Hawkins required not merely victuals and trade,
and hostages to be given on both sides, but that the island should be in his possession
during his stay, with such ordnance as was planted there, and that no Span'vrd might
land on the island with any kind of weapon. These terms the viceroy " somewhat disliked "
at first, nor is it very surprising that he did ; but at length he pretended to consent, and
the Spanish ships entered the port. In a few days it became evident that treachery was
intended, as men and weapons in quantities were being transferred from and to the
Spanish ships, and new ordnance landed on the island. Hawkins sent to inquire what
was meant, and was answered with fair words ; still unsatisfied, he sent the master of the
Jesus, who spoke Spanish, to the viceroy, and "required to be satisfied if any such thing
were or not." The viceroy, now seeing that the treason must be discovered, retained the
master, blew his trumpet, and it became evident that a general attack was intended. A
number of the English crews ashore were immediately massacred. They attempted to
board the Jliuioit and Jesus, but were kept out, with great loss on both sides. "Now,"
says Hawkins, " when the Jesus and the Minion were gotten about two ships' lengths from
the Spanish fleet, the fight began so hot on all sides, that, within one hour, the admiral
of the Spaniards was supposed to be sunk, their vice-admiral burnt, and one other of their
principal ships supposed to be sunk. The Spaniards used their shore artillery to such
effect that it cut all the masts and yards of the Jesus, and sunk Hawkins' smaller ships,
the Judith only excepted." It had been determined, as there was little hope to get the
Jesn.i away, that she should be placed as a target or defence for the Minion lill night,
when they would remove such of the stores and valuables as was possible, and then abandon
her. "As we were thus determining," says Hawkins, "and had placed the Minion from
the shot of the land, suddenly the Spaniards fired two groat ships which were coming
directly with usj and having no means to avoid the fire, it bred among the men a

300

THE SEA.

marvellous fear, so that some said, 'Let us depart with the M'mlon ;' others said, 'Let
us see whether the wind will carry the (Ire from us.* liut, to l)e short, the Minion's
men, which had always their sails in readiness, thought to make sure work, and so, without
either consent of the captain or master, cut their sail." Hawkins was "very hardly'*

Kill JUItN UAWKINii.

received on board, and many of the men of the Jesvs were left to their fate and the mercy
of the Spaniards, "which," he says, "I doubt was very little." Only the Minion and
the Judith escaped, and the latter deserted that same night. Beaten about in unknown
seas for the next fourteen days, hunger at last enforced them to seek the land; "for
hides were thought very good meat; rats, cats, mice, and dogs, none escaped that might
be gotten ; parrots and monkeys, that were had in great price, were thought then very
profitable if they served the turn of one dinner." So starved and worn out were they.

'J!

!
'1

•i)

•/.'

5
is

•f

•*t

.((

30i

THE SEA.

that about a liundred of his people desired to be loft on tlie coast of Tabasco, and Hawkins
determined to water there, and then, " with his Kttle remain of victuals," to attempt the
voyage home. During this time, while on sliore with fifty of his men, a gale arose,
which prevented them regaining the ship; indeed, they expected to see it wrecked before
tlicir eyes. At last the storm abated, and they sailed for England, the men dying off
daily from sheer exhaustion, the pitiful remainder being scarcely able to work the ship.
They at last reached the coast of Galieia, where they obtained fresh meat, and putting
into Vigo, were assisted by some English ships lying there. Hawkins concludes his
narrative as follows : — " If all the miseries and troublesome affairs of this sorrowful voyage
should be perfectly and thoroughly written, there should need a painful man with his pen,
and as great a time as he had that wrote the lives and deaths of the martyrs."

The Judith, which made one of Hawkins's last fleet, was commanded by Francis
Drake, a name that was destined to become one of the most famous of the day, and very
terrible to the Spaniards. In this last venture he lost all that he had accumulated by
earlier voyages, " but a divine, belonging to the fleet, comforted him with the assurance,
that having been so treacherously used by the Spaniards, he might lawfully recover in
value of the King of Spain, and repair his losses upon him wherever he could." This
comfortable doctrine consoled him. "The case," says Fuller, "was clear in sea divinity."
Two or three minor voyages he made to gain knowledge of the field of operation, and in
the West Indies made some little money "by playing the seaman and the pirate." On
May 21th, 1572, he sailed from Plymouth, in the Pasclta, of seventy tons, his brother
accompanying him in the Swan, of only twenty-five tons; they had three pinnaces on
board, taker to pieces and stowed away. The force with which he was to revenge himself
on tJie Spanish monarch,- numbered seventy-three men and boys, all told. In the Indies
he was joined by Captain Rowse, of an Isle of Wight bark, with thirty-eight nicu on
board. Let us see how they sped.

It was known that there was great treasure at Nombre de Dios, and thither the little
squadron shaped its course. The town was unwalled, and they entered without difficulty,
but the Spaniards received them in the market-place with a volley of shot. Drake returned
the greeting with a flight of arrows, "the best ancient English complement, but in the
attack received a Avound in his leg, which he dissembled, " knowing that if the general's
heart stoop, the men's will fall." He arrived at the treasury-house, which was full of
silver bars, and while in the act of ordering his men to break it open, fainted from the loss of
blood, and his men, binding up the wound, forcibly took him to his pinnace. It was time,
for the Spaniards had discovered their weakness, and could have overcome them. Rather
disappointed here, Drake made for Carthagena, and took several vessels on his way. He
learned from some escaped negro slaves, settled on the isthmus of Darien, that the treasure
was brought from Panama to Nombre de Dios upon mules, a party of which he might
intercept. Drake's leg having healed, he was led to an eminence on that isthmus, where,
from a great tree, both the Pacific and Atlantic might be seen. Steps had been cut in
the trunk of this huge tree, and at the top "a convenient arbour had been made, wherein
twelve men might sit." Drake saw from its summit that great Southern Ocean (the
Pacific Ocean) of which he had heard something already, and " being inflamed with

PKAKE AT THE ISTHMUS.

30:l

here,
at in
ereiii
(the
with

amhition o£ glory and hopes of wealth, was so vehemently transported with desire to
navigate that sea, that falling down there npon his knees, he inij)lorL'd the divine assistance,
that ho might at some time or other sail thither, and make a perfect discovery of the
same."* Drake was the iirst Englishman to gaze on its waters.

On the isthmus, Drake encountered an armed party of Spaniards, but put them to
flight, and destroyed merchandi."2 to the value of 200,000 ducats. Soon after he heard
"the sweet music of the mules coming with a great noise of bells," and when the trains
came up, he found they had no one but the muleteers to protect them. It was easy work
to take as much silver as they would, but more difHcult to transjwrt it to the coast.
They, in consequence, buried several (oii.<t, but one of his men, who fell into the hands of
the Spaniards, was compelled by torture to reveal the place, and when Drake's people
returned for a second load it was nearly all gone. When they returned to the coast
where the pinnaces should have met them, they were not to be seen, but in place, seven
Spanish pinnaces which had been searching the coast. Drake escaped their notice, and
constructing a raft of the trees which the river brought down, mounted a biscuit sack for
sail, and steered it with an oar made from a sapling, out to sea, where they were constantly
up to their waists in water. At last they caught sight of their own pinnaces, ran the
raft ashore, and travelled by land round to the point off which they were laying. They
then embarked Iheir comrades with the treasure, and rejoined the ship. One of their negro
allies took a great fancy to Drake's sword, and when it was presented to him, desired the
commander vo accept four wedges of gold. " Drake accepted them as courteously as they
were proffered, but threw them into the common stock, saying, it was just that they who
bore part of the charge in setting him to sea, should enjoy the. full proportion of the
advantage at his return." Drake made the passage home to the Scilly Isles in the
wonderfully short period of twenty-three days. Arriving at Plymouth on a Sunday, the
news was carried into the church during sermon time, and " there remained few or no people
with the preacher," for Drake was already a great man and a hero in the eyes of all
Devon.

John Oxenham, who had served with Drake in the varied capacities of solJier, sailor,
and cook, ras very much in the latter's confidence Drake had particularly spoken of his
desire to explore the Pacific, and Oxenham in reply, had protested tliat " he would follow
him by God's grace." The latter, who " had gotten among the seamen the name of captain
for his valour, and had privily scraped together good store of money," becoming
impu+ient, determined to attempt the enterprise his late master had projected. He reached
the isti^mus to find that the mule trains conveying the silver were now protected by a
convoy of soldiers,, and he determined on a bold and novel adventure. " He drew his
ship aground in a retired and woody creek, covered it up with boughs, buried his provisions
and his great guns, and taking with hiui two small pieces of ordnance, went with all his
men and six Maroon guides about twelve leagues into the interior, to a river which
discharges itself into the South Sea. There he cut wood and built a pinnace, 'which was
five-and-forty feet by the keel j ' " embarked in it, and secured for himself the honour of"

* Camden. Balboa, the diacovcrcr of the Pacific, had expressed the same feelings in almost the same locality.

■■ill'

304

THE SEA,

having been the first Englishman to sail over the waters of the blue Pacific. Tn
this pinnace he went to the Pcurl Islands, and lay in wait for vessels. Ho wus
successful in capturing a small bark, bringing gold from Quito, and scarcely a week later,
another with silver from Lima. He also obtained a few pearls on the islands.

So far, fortune had followed Oxenham, and to his own want of caution is due the
fact that this prosperous stnte of affairs was soon reversed. He hud dismissed his prizes

OXENHAM £MBAHKINO ON THE PACIFIC.

•when near the mouth of the river, and had allowed them to perceive where he was entering.
The alarm was soon given; first, indeed, by some negroes who hastened to Panama.
Juan de Ortega was immediately (Mspatched with 100 men, beside? negro rowers, in four
barks. After entering the river, a four days' search rewarded him by the discovery of the
pinnace with six Englishmen on board, who leaped ashore and ran for dear life ; one only
was killed at this juncture. Ortega discovered in the woods the 1 ut in which Oxenham
had concealed the treasure, and removed it to his barks. Meantime, Oxenham, whose men
had been disputing over the division of spoils, had been to a distance for the purpose of
inducing some of the Maroon negroes to act as carriere, and returning with them, met the
men who had escaped from the pinnace, and those who were fleeing from the hut. "The
loss of their booty at once completed their reconcilement; he promised larger shares if they

DUAKK'8 OllEAT VOYAGE.

305

hIiouIiI succeed in re-capturing itj and marclicd resolutely in quest of the Spaniards, relying
upon the Maroons as well as upon his own people." Hut Ortoga and his men were
experienced in bush-fighting, and they succeeded in killing eleven Knglishmen, and five
negroes, and took seven of Oxenham's party prisoners. He, with the remnant of his party,
went back to search for his hidden ship; it had been removed by the Spaniards. And
now the latter sent 150 men to hunt the linglishmen out, while those whom they failed
to take were delivered up by the natives. Oxenhum and two of his officers were taken
to Lima and executed; the remainder suffered death at Panama.

The greatest semi-commercial and piratical voyage of this ejwch is undoubtedly that
of Drake, who reached the South Seas* rid the Straits of Magellan — the third recorded
attempt, and the first made by an Englishman — and was he first English subject to circum-
navigate the globe. Elizabeth gave it her secret sanction, and when Drake was introduced
to her court by Sir Christopher Ilatton, presented him a sword, with this remarkable speech :
" We do account that he which striketh at thee, Drake, striketh at us ! " The expedition,
fitted at his own cost, and that of various adventurers, comprised five vessels ; the largest, his
own ship, the Velican, being only 100 tons. Ilis whole force consisted of " Itii men, gentle-
men, and sailors ; and was furnished with such i)lentiful provision of all things necessary
as so long and dangerous a voyage seemed to recpiire." The frames of four pinnaces were
taken, to be put together as occasion might recpiire. " Neither did he omit, it is said, to
make ])rovision for ornament and delight ; carrying to this purpose with him expert musicians,
rich furniture (all the vessels for his table, yea, many belonging to the cook-room, being of
pure silver) with divers shows of all sorts of curious workmanship, whereby the civility and
magnificence of his native country might, among all nations whither he should come, be the
more admired."f Few of his companions knew at the outset the destination of his voyage ;
it was given out that they were bound merely for Alexandria.

The expedition sailed on November 15th, 1577, from Plymouth, and immediately
encountered a storm so sevei'e that the vessels came near shipwreck, and were obliged
to put back and refit. When they had again started under fairer auspices, Drake gave his
people some little information as to his proposed voyage, and appointed an island off the
coast of Barbary as a rendezvous in case of separation at sea, and subsequently Cape Blanco,
where he mustered his men ashore and put them through drills and warlike exercises.
Already, early in January, he had taken some minor Spanish prizes, and a little later, off the
island of Santiago, chased a Portuguese ship, bound for Brazil, " with many passengers,
and among other commodities, good store of wine." Drake captured and set the people
on one of his smaller pinnaces, giving them their clothes, some provisions, and one butt of
wine, letting them all go except their pilot. The provisions and wine on board the prize
proved invaluable to the expedition. From the Cape de Verde Islands they were nine
weeks out of sight of land, and before they reached the coast of Brazil, when near the
equator, " Drake, being very careful of his men's health, let every one of them blood with

• Whenever the South Seas are mentioned in these early records, they must be imdci-stood to mean the South
Pacific, and, indeed, sometimes portions of the North Pacific. Tho title Btill clings to the Polynesian Islands,
t Bumey's " Voyages."

300

THE SEA.

his own hands." Op nearing the Brazilian coast, the inhabitants '"mado great firea for a
sacrifice to the devils, about which they xise conjurations (makinjf heaps of sand and other
ceremonies), that when any ships shall go about to stay ujion their coast, not only sands
may be gathered together in shoals in every i)lace, but also that storms and tempests may
arise, to the casting away of ships and men." Near the Plata they slaughtered larj^o
numbers of seals, thinking them " good and acceptable meat both as food for the present,
and as a supply of provisions for the future." Further south, they found stages constructed
on the rocks by the natives for drying the flesh of ostriches ; their thighs were as largo
as "reasonable legs of mutton." At a spot which Drake named Seal Bay, they
remained over a fortnight. Here they " made new provisions of seals, whereof they slew
to the number of from 200 to JJOO in the sjiaco of an hour." Some little traffic ensued
with the natives, all of whom were highly painted, some of them having the whole of
one side, from crown to heel, painted black, and the other white. " They fed on seals
and other flesh, which they ate nearly raw, casting pieces of four or six pounds' weight
into the fire, till it was a little scorched, and then tearing it in pieces with their teeth like
lions." At the sound of Drake's bund of trumpeters they showed great delight, dancing
on the beach with the sailors. They were described as of large stature. " One of these
giants," said the chaplain of the expedition, " standing with our men when they were
taking their morning draughts, showed himself so familiar that he also would do as they
did; and taking a glass in his hand (being strong canary wine), it can;o no sooner to his
lips, than it took him by the nose, and so suddenly entered his head, that he was so drunk,
or at least so overcome, that he fell right down, not able to stand ; yot he held the
glass fast in his hand, without spilling any of the wine ; and when he came to hi- f,
he tried again, and tasting, by degrees got to the bottom. From which time h<
such a liking to the wine, that having learnt the name, he would every morning come
down from the mountains with a. mighty cry of 'Wine! wine! wine!' continuing the
same until he arrived at the tent."'"'

After some trouble caused by the separation of the vessels, the whole fleet arrived
safely at the " good harborough called by Magellan Port Julian," where nearly the first
sight they met was a gibbet, on which the Portuguese navigator had executed several
mutinous members of his company, some of the bones of whom yet remained. Drake
himself was to have trouble here. At the outset the natives appeared friendly, and a
trial of skill in shooting arrows resulted in an English gunner exceeding their efforts,
at which they appeared pleased by the skill shown. A little while after another Indian
came, " but of a sourer sort," and one "Winter, prepared fftr another display of archery,
unfortunately broke the bow-string when he drew it to its full length. This dis-
abused the natives, to some extent, of the superior skill of the English, and aa attack was
made, apparently incited by the Indian just mentioned. Poor Winter received two wounds,
and the gunner coming to the rescue with his gun mi&sed fire, and was immediately shot
" through the breast and out at back, so that he fell down stark dead." Drake assembled
his men, ordering them to cover themselves with their targets, and march on the assailants,

• Narrative of Chaplain Fletcher, quoted by Bumey.

KXKCUTIOX OF A MUTINKKlt.

307

inslructinff thcin to break the arrows bliot at tlictn, noting that the savngcs had but a
small store. "At the same time he took the juece which had so unhappily missed lire,
aimed at the Indian who had killed the f^unncr, and who was the man who had begun the
fray, and shot him in the belly. An arrow wound, however severe, the savaye would have
borne without betraying any iudieatiun of pain ; but his cries, upon beijig thus wounded,
were so loud and hideous, that his companions were terrified and fled, though many were
tlion hastening to their assistance. Drake did not pursue tliem, but Iiastened to convey
Winter to the ship for speedy help ; no help, however, availed, and he died on the second
day. The gunner's body, which had been left on shore, was sent for the next day ;
the savages, meantime, had stripj)ed it, as if for the sake of curiously inspecting it ; the
clothes they had laid under the head, and stuck an English arrow in the right eye for
mockery. Both bodies were buried in a little island in the harbour."* No farther attempt
was made to injure the English, who remained two months in the harbour, but friendly
relations were not established. A more serious event was to follow.

One Master Doughtie was suspected and accused of something worse than ordinary
mutiny or insubordination. It is aflirmed in a history of the voyage published under
the name of Drake's nephew, that Doughtie had embarked on the expedition for the
distinct purpose of overthrowing it for his own aggrandisement, to accomplish which he
intended to raise a mutiny, and murder the admiral and his most attached followers.
Further, it is stated, that Drake was informed of this before he left Plymouth ; but chat
he would not creflit "that a person whom be so dearly loved would conceive such evil
purposes against him." Doughtie had been put in possession of the Portuguese prize,
but had been removed on a charge of peculation, and it is likely that " resentment, whether
for the wrongful charge, or the rightful removal, might be rankling in him;" at all events,
his later conduct, and mutinous words, left no alternative to Drake but to examine him
before a properly constituted court, and he seems to have most reluctantly gone even to
this length.f He was " found guilty by twelve men after the English manner, and
saffered accordingly." " The most indifferent persons in the fleet," says Southey, " were
of opinion that he had acted seditiously, and that Drake cut him off because of his emulc us
designs. The question is, how far those designs extended ? He could not aspire to the
credit of the voyage without devising how to obtain for himself some more conspicuous
station in it than that of a gentleman volunteer ; if he regarded Drake as a rival, he must
have hoped to supplant, or at least to vie with him ; and in no other way could he have
vied with him but by making off with one of the ships, and trying his own fortune"
(which was afterwards actually accomplished by others) . Doughtie was condemned to death.
"And he," says a writer, quoted by Hakluyt, "seeing no remedy but patience for himself,
desired before his death to receive the communion; which he did at the hands of Master
Fletcher, our minister, and our general himself accompanied him in that holy action;

• Various nuthorities cited by Southoy.

f The various slanders thrown on Drake's name in connection with this occurrence seem to have had no
foundation in fact. Some of his enemies averred that he sailed from England with instructions from the Earl of
Leicester to got rid of Douglitio at the first opportunity, because the latter had reported that Essex had been
poisoned by the former's means. But Drake appeal's to have been really attached to him.

808

THE SEA.

which being doiit?, rnid cO place of execution made ready, he, liaving embraced our general,
and nken his leave of all the company, with prayer for the (lueen's majesty and our
realm, in quiet sort laid his head to the block, where he ended his life." One account says
that after partaking of the communion, Drake and Doughtie dined at the same table
together, " as cheerfully, in sobriety, as ever i:' their li'-cs they had done ; and taking
their leave by drinking to each other, as if some siiort journey only had been in hand."
A provost marshal had made all things ready, and after drinking this funereal stirrup-cuj),
Doughtie went to the block. Drake subsecjuently addiessed the whole company, exhorting
them to unity and subordir.:;tion. iiL-kiug tiiem to prepare reverently for a special celebration
of the holy communion on liie following Sunday.

And now, having broken up the I'ortuguese prize on account of its unseaworthiness,
and rechristened his owr ship, the Pelican, into the Golden Jlliide, Drake entered tb';
Straits now named aftc Magellan, though that navigator termed them the Patagoniau
Straits, because he had found the natives wearing clumsy shoes or sandals : paUigou
signifying in Portuguese a large, ill-shaped foot. The land surrounding the straits is high
and mountainous, and the water generally deep close to the cl^^fs. " We found the strait,"
says the first narrator, " to have many turnings, and is it were, shuttings up, as if there
were no passage at i"ll." Drake passed through the tortuous strait in seventeen days.
Clift, one of the historians of the expedition, whose narrative is preserved in llakluyt's
collection of "Voyages," says of the penguins there, three thousand of which were killed
in less than a day, " We victualled ourselves with a kind of fowl which is plentiful on
that isle (St. George's ir* the Straits), and whose flesh is not unlike a fat goose here
in England. They have no wings, but short pinions, which serve their turn in swimming ;
tiieir colour is somewhat black, mixed with white spots under their belly, and about their
necks. They wall so upright that, afar off, a man would take them to be little children.
If a man approach anything i.ear them, they run into holes in the ground (which be
not very deep) whereof the island is full, so that to take thorn we had staves with
iiooks fast to the end. wherewith some of our men pulled them out, anJ others being
ruady v/ith cudgels did knock them on the head, for they bite so cruelly with their crooked
bills, that none of us were able to handle them alive."

Drake's vessels, separated by a gale, were driven hither and thither. One of them,
the Marigold, must have foundered, as she was never again heard of. The two remaining
'liips sought shelter in a dangerous rocky bay, from which the Golden Hinde was driven
to sea, her cable having parted. The other vessel, under Captain Winter's command,
regained the straits, and " andioring there in an open bay, made great fires on the
shore, that if Drake should put into the strait also, he might discover them." Winter
proceeded later up the straits, and anchored in a sound, which he named the Port of
Health, because his men, who had been " very sick with long watching, wet, cold, and
evil diet," soon recovered on the nourishing shell-fish found there. He, after waiting
some time, and despairing of regaining Drake's company, gave over the voyage, and
set sail for England, " where he arrived with the reproach of having abandoned his
commander."

Drake was now reduced to his own vessel, the Golden Hinde, which was obliged

TRAGICAL FATE OF A BOAT'S CREW.

.309

to seek shelter on the coast of Terra del Fuego. The winds aj^ain force<l him From his
anchorage, and his shdlop, with eif^^ht men on hoard, and provisions for only one day,
was separated from him. The fate oi these poor fellows was tragical. They regained
the straits, where they caught and salted a quantity of penguins, and then coasted u])
South America to the Plata. Six of them landed, and while searciiing for food in tlio
forests, encountered a party of Indians, who wounded ail of them with their arrows, and
secured four, pursuing the others to the boat. These latter reached the two men in
charge, hut before they could put off, all wore wounded by the natives. They, however,
succeeded in reaching an island some distance from the mainland, where two of them
died from the injuries received, and the boat was wrecked and beaten to pieces on the

lilU F. UUAKE.

rocks. The remaining two stopped on the island eight weeks, living on shell-fish and a
fruit resembling an orange, but could find no water. They at length ventured to the
mainland on a largo plank some ten feet in length, which they propelled with paddles ;
the passage occupied three days. " On cosning to land," says Carter, the only survivor,
"we found a rivulet of sweet water j when William Pitcher, my only comfort and
companion (although I endeavoured to dissuade him) overdrank himself, and to my
unspeakable grief, died within half an hour." Carter himself fell into the hands of some
Indians, who took pity on him, and conducted him to a Portuguese settlement. Nine years
«lapsed before he was able to regain his own country.

Meantime Drake was driven so fixr to the southward, that at length he " fell in with
the uttermost part of the land towards the South Pole," or in other words, reached Capo
Horn. The storm had lasted with little intermission for over seven weeks. " Drake went
ashore, and, sailor-like, leaning over a promontory, as far as he safely could, came back

310

THE SEA.

and told his people how that ho had been farther south than any man living." At last
the wind was favourable, and he coasted northward, along the American shore, till he
reached the island of Mocha, where the Indians appeared at first to be friendly, and brought
off potatoes, roots, and two fat sheep, for which they received recompense. But on landing
for the purpose of watering the shiji, the natives shot at them, woimding every one of
twelve men, and Drake himself under the right eye. In this case no attempt was made
at retaliation. The Indians doubtless took them for Spaniards. Drake, continuing his
voyage, iaV. in with an Indian fishing from a canoe, who was made to understand
their want of provisions, and was sent ashore with presents. This brought ofE a
number of natives with supplies of poultry, hogs, and fruits, while Felipe, one of them
who spoke Spanish, informed Drake that they had passed the port of Valparaiso —
then an insignificant settlement of less than a dozen Spanish families — where a large
ship was lying at anchor. Feliiie piloted them thither, and they soon discovered the ship,
with a meagre crew of eight Spaniards and four negroes on board. So little was an enemy
expected, that as Drake's vessel approached, it was saluted with beat of drum, and a jar
of Chili wine made ready for an hospitable reception. But Drake and his men wanted
something more than bumpers of wine, and soon boarded the vessel, one of the men
striking down the first Spaniard he met, and exclaiming, " Abaxo perro !'" (Down, dog!)
Another of the crew leaped overboard and swam ashore to give an alarm to the town ; the
rest were soon secured under hatches. The inhabitants of the town fled incontinently, but
the spoils secured there were small. The chapel was rifled of its altar-cloth, silver
chalice, and other articles, which were handed over to Drake's chaplain ; quantities of
wine and other provisions were secured. The crew of the prize, with the exception of the
Greek pilot, were set ashore, and Drake left with his new acquisition, which when examined
at sea was found to contain one thousand seven hundred and seventy jars of wine, sixty
thousand pieces of gold, some pearls, and other articles of value. The Indian who had
guided them to this piece of good fortune, was liberally rewarded.

At a place called Tarapaca, whither they had gone to water the ship, they found a
Spaniard lying asleep, and keeping very bad guard over thirteen bars of silver, worth
four thousand ducats. Drake determined to take care of it for him. At a short distance
off, they encountered another, who, with an Indian, was driving eight llamas, each carrying
a hundredweight of silver. It is needless to say that the llamas were conveyed on board,
plus the silver. At Arica two ships were found at anchor, one of which yielded forty
l)ars of silver, and the other a considerable quantity of wine. But these were as trifles
to that which followed.

Drake had pursued a leisurely course, but in spite of this fact, no intelligence of
ihe pirate's approach had reached Lima. The term "pirate'' is used advisedly, for whatever
the gain to geographical science afforded by his voyages, their chief aim was spoil, and
it mattered nothing whether England was at war with the victims of his prowess or
not. A few leagues off Callao harbour (the port of Lima), Drake boarded a
Portuguese vessel : the owner agreed to pilot him into Callao, provided his cargo was left
him. They arrived at niglitfall, "sailing in between all the ships that lay there, seventeen
in number," most of which had their sails ashore, for the Spaniards had had, as yet, no-

CAPTURE OF A GREAT TREASURE SHIP.

311

enemies in those waters. They rifled the ships of their vahial)les, and these included a
large quantity of silk and linen, and one chest of silver reales. But they heard that which
made their ears tingle, and inflamed their desires for gain ; the Cacafuego, a great treasure
ship, had sailed only a few days before for a neighbouring port. Drake immediately
cut the cables of the ships at Lima, and let them drive, that they might not pursue him.
"While he was thus employed, a vessel from Panama, laden with Spanish goods, entered
the harbour, and anchored close by the Gulden H'nide. A boat came from the shore to
search it ; but because it was night, they deferred the search till the moriang, and only
sent a man on board. The boat then came alongside Drake's vessel, and asked what ship it
was. A Spanish prisoner answered, as he was ordered, that it was Miguel Angel's, from
Chili. Satisfied with this, the officer in the boat sent a man to board it ; but he, when
on the point of entering, perceived one of the large guns, and retreated in the boat with
all celerity, because no vessels that frequented that port, and navigated those seas, carried
great shot." The crew of the Panama ship took alarm when they observed the rapid
flight of the man, and put to sea. The Hinde followed her, and the Spanish crew abandoned
their ship, and escaped ashore in their boat. The alarm had now been given in Lima, and
the viceroy dispatched two vessels in pursuit, each having two hundred men on board,
but no artillery. The Spanish commander, however, showed no desire to tackle Drake,
and he escaped, taking shortly afterwards three tolerable prizes, one of which yielded
forty bai"5 of silver, eighty pounds' weight of gold, and a golden crucifix, " set with goodly
great emeralds." One of the men having secreted, two plates of gold from this prize, and
denied the theft, was immediately hanged.

But it was the Cacafuego that Drake wanted, and after crossing the line he promised
to give his own chain of gold to the first nuin who should descry her. On St. David's
Day, the coveted prize was discovered from the top, by n namesake of the commander, one
John Drake. All sail was set, but easy capture was before them ; for the Spanish
captain, not dreaming of enemies in ilv-se latitudes, slackened sail, in order to find out
what ship she was. When they had approached noar enough, Drake nailed them to strike,
which being refused, "with a great piece he shoL hor mast overboard, and having wounued
the master with an arrow, the ship yielded." Having taken possession, the vessels sailed
in company far out to sea, when they stopped and lay by. She j ovod a prize indeed:
gold and silver in coin and bars, jewels and precious stone - amounting to three hundred
and sixty thousand pieces of gold were taken from her. '!'lie silver alone amounted to a
value in our money o? £;i 12,000. It is stated that Drake called for the register of the
treasure on board, and wrote a receipt for the amount ! The ship \ as dismissed, and Drake
gave the captain a letter of safe conduct, in case she shon' tall in with his consorts.
This, as we know, was impossible.

Drake's plain course now was to make his way home, and he wisely argued that it would
be unsafe to attempt the voyage by the route he had come, as the Spaniards would surely
attack him in full force, the whole coast of Chili and Peru being aroused to action. He
conceived the bold notion of rounding North America : in other words, he proposed to
make that passage which has been the great dream of Arctic explorers, and which has only,
as we shall hereafter see, been once made (and that in a very partial sense) by Franklin and

312

THE SEA.

M'Clurc. His company agreed to his views : firstly to refit, water, and provision the ship
in some convenient bay; "thenceforward/' says one of them, "to hasten on our intended
journey for the discovery of the said passage, through which we might with joy return to
our longed homes." They sailed for Nicaragua, near the mainland of which they found
a small island with a suitable bay, where they obtained wood, water, and fish. A small
prize was taken while there, having on board a cargo of sarsaparilla, which they disdained,
and butter and honey, which they appropriated. Drake now sailed northward, and most

DUAKE S ARRIVAL AT TEUNATE.

undoubtedly reached the grand bay of San Francisco. Cnlifornian avithorities concede this.
The "Drake's Bay" of the charts is an open roadstead, and does not answer the descriptions
given of the great navigator's visit. He had peaceful interviews with the natives, and
took possession, in the fashion of those days, of the country, setting up a monument
of the queen's "right and title to the same, namely, a plate nailed upon a fair great post,
whereupon was engraven her Majesty's name, the day and year of our arrival there, . .
together with her highness's picture and arms in a piece of slrpcvm (!) of current English
money under the plate, where under also was written the name oi our general." History
does not tell us the fate of that sixpence, but the title. New Albion, bestowed on the
country by Drake, remained on the maps half way into this century, or just before the
discovery of gold in California. The natives regarded the English with superstitious awe^

THE VOYAGE HOME.

313

rliyli

awe.

and could not be prevented from offering them sacrifices, " with lamentable weeping,
scratching, and tearing the flesh from their faces with their nails, whereof issued abundance
of blood. " But we used," says the narrator quoted by Hakluyt, " signs to them of
disliking this, and stayed their hands from force, and directed them upwards to
the living God, whom only they ought to worship." After remaining there five weeks,
Drake took his departure, and the natives watched tin; ships sadly as they sailed, and kept
fires burning on the hill-tops as long as they continued in sight. " Good store of seals
and birds" were taken from the Farralone Islands. Many an egg has the writer eaten,
laid by the descendants of those very birds : they are supplied in quantities to the Sau
Francisco markets, Drake's atteupt at the northern passage was now abandoned.

Sixty-eight days was Drake's ship — containing one of the most valuable freights
ever held in one bottom — in the open sea, during which time no land was sighted ; at
tho end of this period the Pelew, Philippine, and Molucca Islands were successively
reached. At Ternate, Drake sent a velvet cloak as a present to the king, requesting
provisions, and that he might be allowed to trade for spices. The king was amiable and
well disposed ; he sent before him " four great and large canoes, in every one whereof
were certain of his greatest states that were about Lim, attired in white lawn of cloth of
Calicut, having over their heads, from the one end o^'' the canoe to the other, a covering
of thin perfumetl mats, borne up with a frame made of "eeds for the same use, imder which
every one did sit in his order, according to his dignity, to keep him from the heat of the
sun. * * * The rest were soldiers which stood in comely order, round about on both
sides; without whom sat the rowers in certain galleries, which being three -on a side all
along the canoes, did lie off from the side thereof three or four yards, one being orderly
builded lower than another, in every of which galleries were fourscore rowers. Tliese
canoes were furnished with warlike munitions, every man, for the most part, having his
sword and target, with his dagger, besides other weapons, as lances, calivers, darts,
bows and arrows ; also every canoe had a small cast-base (or cannon) mounted at the
least one full yard upon a stock set upright." These canoes or galleys were rowed about
the ship, those on board doing homage as they passed. The king soon arrived in
state, and was received " with a salute of great guns, with trumpets sounding, and
such politic display of state and strength as Drake knew it was advisable to exhibit."
Many presents were made to the king, who in return sent off provisions of rice, fowls,
fruits, sugar-cane, and " imperfect and liquid sugar " (presumably molasses) . Next day
there was a grand reception ashore ; the king, covered with gold and jewels, under a rich
canopy embossed with gold, professing great friendship. The fact was that his own father
had been assassinated by the Portuguese, and he himself had besieged and taken their
Fort St. Paul's, and compelled them to leave it. He was, doubtless, anxious for some
alliance which might strengthen his hands against the Portuguese. Drake, however,
had no commission, nor desire at that time to engage his country to any such treat}' ; his
principal object now was to get home safely with his treasure. He, however, successfully
traded for a quantity of cloves and provisions.

Off Celebes, the Ilinde became entangled among the shoals, and while running under
full sail, suddenly struck on a rock, where she stuck fast. Boats were got out to see whether
40

314

THE SEA.

an anchor might not be employed to draw the ship off, but the vater all round was very
deep, no bottom being found. Three tons of cloves, eight guns, and certain stores wtre
thrown overboard, but to no purpose. Fuller says quaintly, that they " threw overboard
as much wealth as would break the heart of a miser to think on 't ; with much sugar,
and packs of spices, making a caudle of the sea round about. Then they betook them-
selves to their prayers, the best lever at such a dead lift indeed, and it pleased God that the
wind, formerly their mortal enemy, became their friend."* To the joy of all, the llinde
glided off the rocks, and almost uninjured. On the way home they visited Barateva,
Java, the Cape, and Sierra Leone, being singularly fortunate in avoiding the Portuguese
and Spanish ships. The llinde arrived safely at Plymouth on September 26th, 1580,
having been nearly three years on her eventful voyage. Drake was received with great
honour, and was knighted by the queen. She gave orders that his little ship should be
laid up at Deptford, and there carefully preserved as a monument of the most remarkable
voyage yet made. Elizabeth honoured Drake by banqueting on board, and his fame
spread everywhere through the kingdom. The boys of Westminster School set up some
Latin verses on the ^^lainmast, of which Southey gives the following free translation —

" On Hercules' Pillars, Drake, thou may'st plm ultra write full well,
And say, I will in greatness that great Hercules excel."

And again —

" Sir Drake, whom well tho world's end knows, which thou didst compass round,
And whom both poles of heaven once saw which nonh and south do bound,
Tho stars above will make thoo known if men hero silent were ;
The sun himself cannot forget his fellow-traveller."

Drake's series of victories over the Spaniards, and the repulse which occurred just before
his death are details of history which would fill a volume. He received a sailor's funeral
at Puerto Bello, his body being committed to the deep in a leaden coffin, with the
solemn service of the English Church, rendered more impressive by volleys of musketry,
and the booming of guns from all the fleet. A poet of the day says —

" The waves became his winding sheet, tho waters were his tomb ;
But for his fame tho ocean sea was not suflBcient room."

No single name in naval history has ever attained the celebrity acquired by Drake.
The Spaniards, who called him a dragon, believed that he had dealings with the devil ;
" '.hat notion," says Southey, " prevented them from feeling any mortification at his
riuccosscs, * * * and it enhanced their exultation over the failure of his last expedition,
which they considered as the triumph of their religion over heresy and magic." The
common people in England itself, more especially in the western counties, believed any
quantity of fables concerning him, some of them verging on childishness. He had only
to cast a chip in the water when it would become a fine vessel. " It was not by his skill
as an engineer, and the munificent expenditure of the wealth which he had so daringly
obtained, that Drake supplied Plymouth with fresh water ; but by mounting his horse,

• Fuller's "Holy State."

FIRST COLONISATION OF AMERICA.

315

riding about Dartmoor till ho came to a spring sufficiently copious for his design, then
wheeling round, pronouncing some magical words, and galloping back into the town, with
the stream in full flow, and forming its own channel at the horse's heels." One of the
popular stories regarding him is briefly as follows. "When Sir Francis left on one of his
long voyages, ho told his wife that should he not return within a certain number of years
she might conclude that he was dead, and might, if she so chose, wed again. One
version places the time at seven, and another at ten years. During these long years the
excellent lady remained true to her lord, but at the end of the term accepted an offer.
" One of Drake's ministering spirits, whose charge it was to convey to him any intelligence
in which he was nearly concerned, brought him the tidings. Immediately he loaded
one of his great guns, and fired it right through the globe on one side, and up on the
other, with so true an aim that it made its way into the church, between the two parties
most concerned, just as the marriage service was beginning. ' It comes from Drake ! '
cried the wife to the now unbrided bridegroom ; * he is alive ! and there must be neither
troth nor ring between thee and me.' "

Drake is described as of low stature, but well set, and of an admirable presence. His chest
was broad, his hair nut-brown, his beard handsome and full, his head " remarkably round,"
his eyes large and clear, his countenance fresh, cheerful and engaging. " It has been said
of him that he was a willing hearer of every man's opinion, but commonly a follower of
his own," which, as a rule, was really suru to be judicious. He had a quick temper, and
once offended, was " hard to be reconcilcc^" uut his friendships were firm ; he was ambitious
to the last degree, and " the vanity which usually accompanies that sin laid him open
to flattery." He was affable with his men, who idolised, him as the grand commander
and skilful seaman that he most undoubtedly vas.

In spite of the rich prizes so often taken, a competent authority says : " The expeditions
undertaken ; in Elizabeth's reign against the Spaniards are said to have produced no
advantage to England in any degree commensurate with the cost of money and expense
of life with which they were performed." But we must never forget the wonderful
development of the navy which resulted ; the splendid training acquired by our sailors,
and the grand gains to geographical science.

The opening of colonisation and trade with America — so far as England is concerned —
is due to Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and his step-brother. Sir Walter Raleigh. From their
comparatively insignificant attempts at settling parts of that vast northern continent
what grand results have accrued ! The acorn has become a mighty, wide-spreading oak,
sheltering the representatives of every nationality.

When Sir Humphrey Gilbert proposed to Queen Elizabeth the settlement of a colony
in the New World, she immediately assented, and granted him letters patent as com-
prehensive and wide-spreading as ever issued by papal sanction. She accorded free liberty
to him, his heirs and assigns for ever, to discover and take possession of any heathen
and savage lands not being actually possessed by any Christian prince or people; such
countries, and all towns, castles or villages, to be holden by them of the crown, payment
of a fifth of all the gold and silver ore discovered being required by the latter. The
privileges seemed so great that "very many gentlemen of good estimation drew unto Sir

310

THE SEA.

Ilumplircy (o associate.' with him in so conimciulublo an ciitcri)rist'." Hut divisions and
Jcnids arose, and (lilhi-rt went to .sea only to htH-omo involved in a " dangc'ious sea-liylit,
in wiiicli many of his company were slain, and his ships were hattercd and disaljled." lie
was comi)e]Ied to p'lt hack " with tlie loss of ii tall ship." Tiie records of this encounter
are nieaj^re, hut tiie disaster retarded for the time his attempt at colonisation, besides
im])airin<^ his estate.

Sir Humphrey's patent was only for six years, unless he succeeded in his project,
and in loS.'J he found means to equip a second expedition, to which llaleiyh contrihuted
a hark of 200 tons, named after him, the little llect nuinherinjn in all live ves.sels. The
queen had always favoured Gilbert, and before he departed on this voyajijc, sent him a
golden anchor with a larj^-e pearl on it, by the hands of llaleij^h. In tlu; letter aceompanyiny
it, llaleij^h wrote, " JJrother, I have sent you a token froni her ^Majesty — an an(-hor
{guided by a lady, as you .see. And, further, her hi<^hness willed me to send you word,
that she wished you as great a good hap and safety to your ship, as if she hcr.'jelf were
there in person, desiring you to have care of yourself as of that which she tendereth ;
and, therefore, for her sake you must provide for it accordingly. Further she commandeth
that you leave your i)icture with me." Elizabeth's direct interest in the rapidly increasing
maritime and commercial interests of the day was very apparent in all her actions.

lidik Itdlchjli was the largest vessel of the expedition, two of the others being of
forty, and one of twenty tons only. The number of those who embarked was about 2(i(),
and the list included carpenters, shipwrights, masons, and smiths; also "mineral men
and refiners." It is admitted that among them there were many " who had been taken
as pirates in the narrow seas, instead of being hanged according to their deserts." " For
solace of our peoi)le," says one of the cajjtains under (iilbert, " and allurement of the
savages, we were i)rovided of music in good variety, not omitting the least toys, as
morris-dancers, hobby-horse, and May-like conceits to delight the savage peoj)le, whom we
intended to win by all fair means possible." The period of starling being somewhat late
in the season, it was determined to sail first for Newfoundland instead of Cape Florida, as
at the former Gilbert knew that he could obtain abundant supplies from the numerous
ships employed in the abundant <;od-fisheries. The voyage was to commence in disaster.
They sailed on June 1 1th, and two days later the men of the Bark Ilalngk hailed their
companions with the information that their captain and many on board were grievously
sick. She left them that night and put back to Plymouth, where, it is stated, she arrived
with a number of the crew prostrated by a contagious disease. Some mystery attaches
to this defection ; " the others proceeded on thf"ir way, not a little grieved with the loss
of the most puissant ship in their fleet." "Two of the fleet parted company in a fog; one
of them was found in the Bay of Conception, her men in new apparel and j)articnlarly well
provided, the secret being that they had boarded an unfortunate Newfoundland ship on the
way, and had pretty well rifled it, not even stopping at torture where the wretched sailors
had objected to be stripped of their possessions. The other vessel was found lying oft' the
harbour of St. John's, where at first the English merchants objected to Gilbert's entry, till
ho assured them that he came with a commission from her Majesty, and had no ill-intent.
On the way in, his vessel struck on a rock, whereu^wn the other captains sent to the rescue,

THE DKATII OF SIU HUMI'lIUKY GILBEUT.

318

THE SEA.

saved, the ship, and fired a salute in his honour. His first act was to tax all the ships for
his own supply ; the Portuguese, in particular, contributed liberally, so that the crews were
"presented, above their allowances, with wines, marmalades, most fine rusk or biscuit,
sweet oil, and sundry delicacies." Then the merchants and masters were assembled to
hear his commission read, and possession of the harbour and country for 200 leagues every
way was taken in the name of the queen. A wooden pillar was erected on the spot, and
the arms of England, engraved on lead, were affixed. The lands lying by the water side
were granted to certain of the adventurei's and merchants, they covenanting to pay rent
and service to Gilbert, his heirs and assigns for ever.

Some of the l)efore-mentioned pirates of the expedition gave Sir Humphrey a con-
siderable amount of trouble while at St. John's, some deserting, and others plotting to
steal away the shipping by night. A number of them stole a ship laden with fish, setting
the crew on shore. When ready to sail, he found that there were not sufficient hands
for all his vessels, and the Swallow was left for the purpose of transporting home a number
of the sick. He selected for himself the smallest of his fleet, the Squirrel, described as a
*' frigate " of ten tons, as most suitable for exploring the coasts. But that which made
him of good heart was a sample of silver ore which one of his miners had discovered ;
"he doubted not to borrow £10,000 of the queen, for his next voyage, upon the credit of
this mire."

For eight days they followed the coast towards Cape Breton, at the end of which time
the wind rose, bringing thick fog and rain, so that they could not see a cable's length
before them. They were driven among shoals and breakers, and their largest ship was
wrecked in a moment. " They in the other vessel," says Hayes,* " saw her strike, and
her stern presently beaten to pieces ; whereupon the frigate in which was the general,
and the Golden Hinde cast about, even for our lives, into the wind's eye, because that way
carried us tf> the seaward. Making out from this danger, we sounded one while seven
fathoms, then five, then four, and less ; again deeper, immediately four fathom, then but
three, the sea going mightily and high. At last we recovered (God be thanked !) in some
despair to sea room enough. All that day, and part of the night, we beat up and down
as near unto the wreck as was possible, but all in vain. This was a heavy and grievous
event to lose our chief ship, freighted with great provision j but worse was the loss of our
men, to the number of almost a hundred souls ; amongst whom was drowned a learned
man, an Hungarian, born in the city of Buda, called thereof Budaeus, who out of piety
and zeal to good attempts, adventured in this action, minding to record in the Latin
tongue, the gests and things worthy of remembrance happening in this discovery to the
honour of our nation. Here, also, perished our Saxon refiner, and discoverer of inestimable
riches. Maurice Brown, the captain, when advised to shift for his life in the pinnace,
refused to quit the ship, lest it should be thought to have been lost through his default.
"With this mird he mounted upon the highest deck, where he attended imminent death
and unavoidable, — how long, I leave it to God, who withdi-aweth not his comfort from
his servants at such a time." Of the company only ten were saved in a small pinnace
which was piloted to Newfoundland.

• Narrative of Captaia Hayes (owner of the Oolden Il'mde) printed in Hakluyt's " Collection."

SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT'S FATE.

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Meantime, on board the remaining vessels, there was much suffering, and Sir
Humphrey was obliged to yield to the general desire, and sail for England, having " compassion
upon his poor men, in whom he saw no lack of good will, but of means fit to perform
the action they came for." He promised his subordinate officers to set them forth " royally
the next spiing," if God should spare them. But it was not so to be.

Sir Humphrey Gilbert was entreated, when one day he had come on board the Jliiulc,
to remain there, instead of risking himself " in the frigate, which was overcharged with
nettage, and small artillery," to which he answered, " I will not forsake my little
company going homewards, with whom I have passed so many storms and perils." A
short time aftervVUrds, while experiencing " foul weather and terrible seas, breaking short and
high, pyramidwise, men which all their life had occupied the sea never saw it more out-
rageous," the frigate was nearly engulfed, but recovered. Gilbert, sitting abaft with
a book in his hand, cried out to the crew of the Hinde in the following noble words, so
often since recorded in poetry and prose : " Courage, my lads I We are as near to heaven by
sea as by land ! " That same night the lights of the little vessel were suddenly missed,
and Gilbert and his gallant men were engulfed in the depths for ever. Of such men we
may appropriately say with the poet Campbell —

" Tho deck it was thoir field of fame,
And Ocean was their grave."

The Hinde reached Falmouth in safety, though sadly shattered and torn.

But the spirit of enterprise then prevailing was not to be easily quashed, and only
a few months after the failure of poor Gilbert's enterprise, we find Sir Walter Raleigh
in the field. He obtained letters of patent similar to those before mentioned, and was
aided by several persons of wealth, particularly Sir Richard Greenville and Mr. William
Saunderson. Two barks, under Captains Amadas and Barlow, were sent to a part of
the American continent north of the Gulf of Florida, and after skirting the coast for one
hundred and twenty miles, a suitable haven was found, the land round which was immediately
taken for the queen with the usual formalities. After sundry minor explorations they
returned to England, where they gave a glowing account of the country. It was
"so full of grapes that the very beating and surge of the sea overflowed them." The
vegetation was so rich and abundant that one of the captains thought that "in all tho
world the like abundance is not to be found," while the woods were full of deer and smaller
game. The cedars were "the highest and reddest in the world," while among smaller
trees was that bearing "the rind of black cinnamon." The inhabitants were kind and
gentle, and void of treason, " handsome and goodly people in their behaviour, as mannerly
and civil as any of Europe." It is true that " they had a mortal malice against a certain
neighbouring nation ; that their wars were very cruel and bloody, and that by reason
thereof, and of civil dissensions which had happened of late years amongst them, the.
people were marvellously wasted, and in some places the country left desolate." These
little discrepancies were passed over, and Elizabeth was so well pleased with the accounts
brought home, that she named the country Virginia ; not merely because it was discovered in
the reign of a virgin queen, but " because it did still seem to retain the virgin purity and plenty

. f

820

TUK SEA.

of the first creation, unci tlic people their primitive innoeenoe." These hni)py nutivi's were

described us livin<f after the manner of the {"-olden a<fe ; us free from toil, spendiiijj their time

in fishinj,', fdwlinjj^, and huntiny, and {fatherin<f the friiit*i of tlio earth, which ripened without

their care. They had no boundaries to their lands, nor individual pro])erty in cnltle, but

shared and shared alike. All this, which was ratlu-r too good to be absolutely true, seems

to have been implicitly believed. The letters of patent, however, granted to poor Sir

Humphrey Gilbert, and subsequently to Sir Walter Raleigh, mark a most important epoch in

the world's history, for from those small starting-points date the English efforts at colonising

America — the great New World of the past, the present, and the future. Where then a

few naked savages lurked and lazed, fished and hunted, forty millions of English-speaking

people now dwell, whose interests on and about the sea, rising in importance every day, are

scarcely excelled by those of any nation on the globe, except our own. Some points in

connection with this colonisation, bearing as they do on the history of the sea and maritime

affairs, will be treated in the succeeding volume.

The reader, who while living " at homo in ease/' has voyaged in spirit with the writer

over so much of the globe's watery surface, visiting its most distant shores, will not be

one of those who under-rate

" The (lungers of tho seas."

Nor will current events allow us to forget them. " The many voices" of ocean — as Michelet
puts it — its murmur and its menace, its thunder and its roar, its wail, its sigh, rise from
the watery graves of six hundred brave men, who but a few weeks ago formed the bulk of
two crews, the one of a noble English frigate, the other a splendid German ironclad, both
lost within sight of our own shores. Early in this volume wooden walls were compared
with armoured vessels, and we are painfully reminded by the loss of both the Euri/alce
and Grosser Knrfdst how unsettled is the question in its practical bearings. Its discussion
must also be resumed as a part of the history of ships and shipping in the ensuing volume.
Till then, kind reader, adieu !

END OF V^OLUME I.

CASSELL FETTEB & OALPIK, BELLE SADTAGE WOBSS, LONHON, E.C.

Iinppy natives were
spuiidiiitr their time
I'ii'li ripeiiod u'itliout
ptTty in vnUh, l.ut
'soluteJy true, scorns
ranted to poor Sir
important epoch in
efforts at colonising
re. Where then a
f Eng-lish-sjjeakinfr
ance every day, are
Some points in

sea and maritime

I'it with the writer
iorcs, will not bo

cean— as Michelet
ts sig-h, rise from
rmed tlie bulk of
an ironclad, botli
Is were eo-npuivd
oth the Eurijalce
s- Its discussion
' ensuing volume.