(Z&.^ruw&e ~y//J///<; ?/„,<■, ,:j,/y ,/ {>«/,/<■ CAPTAIN JOHN DALTON. Ff^om The Priginal Portrait, by Romney, fr.T J^ANGTON j-fALL, ^VIaLTON. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON, H.E.I.C.S. DEFENDER OF TRICHINOPOLY, 1752-1753. By CHARLES I) ALTON, P.R.G.8., AUTHOR OF "LIFE AND TIMES OF GENERAL SIR EDWARD CECIL.'* 11 A gallant and able officer." Malcolm's Life of Clive, i. 119. LONDON: W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE, PALL MALL. S.W. 1886. (All Bights reserved.) t>.S470 PRINTED BY W. H. ALLEN AND CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE, S.W. HEJMRY MORlE STEPH«W» cue IN AFFECTIONATE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED AUNT AND FRIEND, ISABELLA b ALTON. a* 511728 PREFACE. 11 Facts are stubborn things." The memoirs now offered to the reading public were written some years ago, and a few copies printed for private circulation. A revised edition of these memoirs is now made public, because I find that few, if any, outside the immediate circle of Captain Dalton' s descend- ants, are aware that Bobert Orme, the Indian historian of the eighteenth century, transferred a great part of the contents of the MS. journal kept by Captain Dalton, during the last few years of his service in India, to his History of the War in India, which appeared in 1763. Much of the credit that devolved upon Orme for his historical production was really due to Dalton, and it is because this fact still remains unknown that I now publish the military memoirs of my great- VI PREFACE. grandfather, who supplied the historian with the minute details which characterise a great part of the first volume of a work which went through four editions, and has supplied the foundation- stone of all subsequent works relating to the transactions of the British in India a hundred and thirty odd years ago. I have no wish to detract from the fame of the mighty dead. I merely wish to do an act of justice to the memory of a brave and single- minded soldier, who, I am quite sure, desired no public acknowledgment of the favour he con- ferred upon the historian, by furnishing him with the interesting chronicle of the stirring military events which took place in Southern India between 1750 and 1754. Succeeding generations of biographers have expressed their admiration of Orme's historical powers. Here are two specimens : — " Few historians," says Chalmers, "have connected the events of their story with more perspicuity or related them with more concise- ness. " " Orme, inferior to no English historian,' ' wrote Lord Macaulay, " in style and power of PREFACE. VII painting, is minute even to tediousness. In one volume he allots on an average a closely printed quarto page to the events of every forty-eight hours. " The lynx-eyed Macaulay saw, what other bio- graphers failed to discover, the discrepancy in style in parts of the Indian historian's work. Had he known, what the reader now does, that Orme had fitted in whole extracts from Captain Dalton's Indian journal into his " History/' weaving the whole together with the dexterity and ingenuity of a first-class parlour-fire histo- rian, he would not have wondered at the minute- ness, which is more in keeping with a daily journal than a history extending over many years. Again, Sir John Malcolm, who knew, from Orme's own letters to Clive, that the historian sent his proof-sheets to Lord Clive for correction, and received maps and much valuable informa- tion from that great soldier, does not appear to have been aware of the existence of Dalton's Journal, nor of Orme's wholesale extracts from it. " No apology," writes Malcolm in his Life of V11J PEEFACE. Clive, " is necessary for adopting his (Orme's) narrative, which, in its very minuteness, is as interesting as it is instructive.' ' During the last twelve months of Captain Dalton's residence in India, Orme was absent from that country, having returned to England ; Clive was also in England ; so that Dalton's journal, recording, as it did, the chief events in Southern India during that stirring year, was peculiarly valuable to a historian. If it be thought unprecedented to disclose the secrets of a historian who has been long dead, I may quote a precisely similar case. More than 250 years after Holinshed's Chronicles appeared in print, a MS. journal relating to the siege of Guisnes, and written by Arthur Lord Grey de Wilton, was discovered in an old box of deeds at Oulton Park, Cheshire, and was found to coincide, nearly verbatim, with the account given of that siege by Holinshed in his Chronicles of England and Scotland. Holins- hed never mentioned who furnished him with this interesting journal, which he transferred wholesale to his history ; and, on account of this silence on his part, a member of the Grey de PREFACE. IX Wilton family, in 1847, published, in one of the Camden Society's publications, the newly-dis- covered journal of his ancestor, penned nearly 300 years before, and gave the parallel passages from Holinshed, showing most clearly how the old chronicler had copied entire passages from the manuscript lent him by Lord Grey de Wilton. Here, if it were wanted, is precedent enough for my showing where Orme gleaned some of his graphic descriptions. But in the case of Captain Dalton's Journal, which contains over 166 folio pages, there would be nothing gained by publishing the entire MS. now, as the pith of it is to be found in Orme's history. I have given, in the following pages, more extracts from Orme's history than from Dalton's journal, as I feel, all the time I am quoting from Orme, that my ancestor supplied the information, although what he wrote in the bustle of camp life, and in the few leisure moments at his dis- posal, when commandant of the beleaguered town of Trichinopoly, has, in some parts, been pruned down to due historic proportions. I am much indebted to my brother-in-law, the Eev. C. B. Norcliffe, of Langton Hall, Malton, X PREFACE. for the extracts he has kindly copied for me from Captain Dalton's journal — which valuable manu- script is in his possession — as well as for the tracings of the two military plans drawn by Captain Dalton in his journal, and which I have had lithographed, in a reduced size, for my reprint. I also am much indebted to my cousin Colonel Yule, C.B., Member of the Indian Council, for helping me to obtain access to the East India Records in the India Office, from which records I obtained much valuable information. Finally, I have to acknowledge, with many thanks, the courtesy and invariable civility I have met with from the officials of the Public Record Office, London, and the Record Office of Ireland in Dublin. C. DALTON. 32, West Cromwell Eoad, London, S.W. Sept. 15, 1886. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Introduction. — James Dalton appointed to the Sixth Regiment of Foot. — Joins in Dublin. — The Archbishop's Visitation. — The Sixth marches to Limerick, 1719. — Marriage of Lieut. James Dalton — Birth of John Dalton, 1725. — The Sixth proceeds to Scotland, 1739. — War with Spain. — Ten new Regiments raised. — James Dalton promoted Captain, 1740. — John Dalton obtains a Commis- sion in Hanmer's Marine Regiment, 1741. — The Sixth embarks for West Indies on Active Service. — Death of Captain James Dalton, 1742. — Remarks on the Climate of the West Indies, and of Jamaica in particular.— The Old Marine Regiments - p. 1 CHAPTER II. The Cruise of H.M.S. Preston, 1743-1748 - - - - p. 20 Xll CONTENTS, CHAPTER III. Retrospective Sketch of the East India Company's Affairs. — Strength of their Army in 1748. — Peace signed between England and France. — Reduction of the ten Marine Regiments. — Lieutenant Dalton placed upon Half -pay. — He is appointed 1st Lieutenant of an Independent Company by Admiral Boscawen. — Interesting Letter from an Artillery Officer at Fort St. David to a Friend at Woolwich. — Lieutenant Dalton joins the East India Company's Service in 1749, and is made Captain of the Grenadier Company. p. 41 CHAPTER IV. The Rev. F Fordyce versus Lieutenant Clive and Captain Dalton. p. 67 CHAPTEE V. The First and Second Expeditions against Devi Cotah - p 65 CHAPTER VI. Rival Princes. — War to the Knife p. 76 CONTENTS. X11J CHAPTER VII. (1751.) Tho Nabob applies to tbe English for Assistance. — Troops sent to Trichinopoly under Captain Cope. — Revolt at Madura. — Capture of that City by Allum Khan. — Captain Cope offers to retake it. — His Troops lay siege to tbe Place. — Failure of the Attack. — Their Retreat. — Captain De Gingins sent with a large Force to assist Mahommed AH. — Capture of Verdachelum. — Affair at Volcondah. — Retreat of the Troops. — Remarks on the same. — French Slanders. — Army retreats to Trichinopoly. — Captain Dalton com- mands Advanced Post at Wootatoor and defeats the Enemy. — Operations of the French. — Clive's Expedition to Arcot. — English besieged at Trichinopoly by French and Chunda Saheb. — Nabob asks Assistance from the Regent of Mysore. — Captain Dalton defeats a Detachment of the Enemy. — Arrival of a Mahratta Force. — Their Bravery and Success. — Disasters at Kistnavaram. — Death of Captain Cope. — Captain Dalton ordered to proceed to Kistnavaram to take the Command - p. 84 CHAPTER VIII. (1752.) Dalton arrives at Kistnavaram. — Interview with the Regent of Mysore. — Operations against the Enemy. — The Mysorean army arrives at Trichinopoly. — Clive's Successes in the Carnatic. — Discontent of the Mysoreans and Mahrattas. — Lawrence arrives from England, and marches with a Reinforcement to Trichinopoly. — French try to intercept him. — Skirmishes with the Enemy. — Is joined by Dalton with a large Detachment. — Encounters with the Enemy. — Clive and Dalton gain an Advantage. — Dalton sent with a Detachment to attack Chunda Saheb's Camp in the Night. XIV CONTENTS. — Is misled. — Captures Elmiserum. — Takes a Gun from the Enemy on the other side of the Cavery. — Defeats D'Auteuil at Wootatoor and captures Post. — Clive given Command of a large Force. — Dalton joins Clive and serves under him as a Volunteer. — Is wounded at the Reduction of Pitchandah by the Bursting of a Gun. — Result of Clive's Operations against the Enemy. — Fate of Chunda Saheb. — Dalton receives Surrender of the French at Jumbakisna. — Is left Commandant of Trichinopoly by Lawrence. p. 124 CHAPTER IX. Dalton's Position as Commandant. — The Nabob's Secret Promises. — State of Affairs in consequence. — Departure of the Nabob's and Lawrence's Forces. — Plots against the Commandant. — His Life in Danger. — Treachery and Bribery. — Counter-plot. — The Marplot of Trichinopoly. — Precautions against Surprise. — Dalton's Letters to the Governor and Council at Fort St. George - p. 146 CHAPTER X. (1752-1753.) The Regent's Starvation Scheme. — Dalton ordered to treat him as an Enemy. — Marches in the Night and attacks Mysorean Camp. — Action at Seringham. — Dalton's Despatches. — He turns the 700 Mysoreans out of the City. — Weakness of the Garrison. — Famine p. 171 CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER XI. Lawrence's Despatch to the Governor and Council. — Startling Dis- covery made by Dalton at Trichinopoly. — His Despatch to Lawrence at Trivadi. — Lawrence marches with his whole Force to Trichinopoly. — Dalton cannonades the Mysorean Camp and captures Baggage and Grain. — Battle of the Golden Rock. — Mahommed Ali insulted by his Troops in Trichinopoly, and not allowed to leave his Palace. — Is rescued by Dalton and escorted to Lawrence's Camp by the Grenadier Compan}\ — Famine Prices in Trichinopoly. — The French Spy. — Is detected by Dalton, who tries to entrap the French in their own Toils. — Lawrence arrives with Provisions. — Second Battle of the Golden Rock. — Execution of the French Spy. — Battle of the Sugar-Loaf Hill - p. 186 CHAPTER XII. (1753-1754.) Private Letters. — Dalton applies to be relieved from the Command of Trichinopoly. — His Resignation not accepted. — Ill-health the Cause of his Request. — His Letter to the Council at Fort St. George. — Their Reply. — Dalton's own Account of his Departure from Trichinopoly. — Volunteers to relieve Palam Cotah. — Night Attack on Trichinopoly by the French. — Dalton's Battery de- scribed. — Result of the Attack. — Dalton resigns his Commission March 1st, 1754. — Is thanked by the Governor and Council for his Services. — Sails for England March 10 - - - p. 209 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIII. Conclusion ------- ..p 232 Appendix p. 241 Flarv of VolcondcuTort, & the actiorv that happened near il, June 19 r 1751. A. Volconda Citadel. B. The Town. C. Mud-walled Village. D. English Guards. E. English Bat- talion. F. French Bat- talion in march to gain the Water- course. G. Chunda's Army. H. Advanced party of the Enemy march. I. Our advanced Guard before the Action. K. French Camp. L. Chunda's Camp. M. Our Bomb Battery. N. English Camp. O. Our Cofferys advancing to stop the Ene- my's march. P. Our Grena- diers and some Sipoys supporting the Cofferys. Q. Nabob's Horse. B. His Camp. S, Sipoys. T. A Portugue Company and some Sipoys with 3 Guns belonging to the Nabob. U. Small ad- vanced Party from our Gre- nadiers before the Action. W. Two of the Enemy'sGuns which, made our Battalion retreat while our Coffreys were engaged. X. Encampment of the Enemy after the Ac- tion. Y. Our Retreat. J\ \C ■*& 'Sipoys J? mt hzrGrenadurs and ^before DurAmorv : i ! 3- S J3%= *±\\A Plan, of the Action near Wootatoor, July 13^1751. Note. -All those with- Blade Colcrurs are belonging to ike Enemy t f7| Tost far the security of the. fy^zri?*- Rear of our Camp. the Enemy encamped aftiW^ iheArturrv t. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON CHAPTER I. Introduction. — James Dalton appointed to the Sixth Regiment of Foot. — Joins in Dublin. — The Archbishop's Visitation. — The Sixth marches to Limerick, 1719. — Marriage of Lieut. James Dalton. — Birth of John Dalton, 1725. — The Sixth proceeds to Scotland, 1739. — War with Spain. — Ten new Regiments raised. — James Dalton promoted Captain, 1740. — John Dalton obtains a Commis- sion in Hanmer's Marine Regiment, 1741. — The Sixth embarks for West Indies on Active Service. — Death of Captain James Dalton, 1742. — Remarks on the Climate of the West Indies, and of Jamaica in particular. — The Old Marine Regiments. TN the Illustrated London News of September 16, 1854, there is a picture of a new railway bridge across the Cavery, uniting Trichinopoly with the island of Seringham, and the description of Trichinopoly begins as follows : — " Trichinopoly, once the strong- hold of British power in Southern India, and rendered 1 Y % MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN ID ALTON, famous by the deeds of Clive, Lawrence, Dalton, and other heroes/' &c. The successful defence of Trichinopoly against the French and their allies in 1752-53 by Captain John Dalton, the Commandant, is recorded in every history of British India ; but the pleasant task of first making public the memoirs of Captain Dalton's military life, and giving some details of the family of Dalton, has now fallen to my lot. The father of the subject of these memoirs was Captain James Dalton, of the 6th Regiment of Foot, who came of an old Yorkshire family which had been long settled in the East Riding prior to removing into Richmond shire. James Dalton was great-grandson of that Lieutenant- Colonel John Dalton of Caley Hall near Otley, who, on the outbreak of the great Civil War, served under his brother-in-law, the Lord Darcy, in the Royalist army, and was dangerously wounded •on July 5, 1643, on passing the bridge of Burton- on-Trent # while conducting Queen Henrietta Mariaf from Bridlington to Oxford. Colonel Dalton never * Sir Thomas Tyldesley (as he soon after became) forced the bridge of Burton-upon-Trent by a desperate charge of cavalry. f On February 22, 1642-3, Queen Henrietta Maria landed at Brid- lington, -was at York, March 30, at Newark, June 27, and met her husband July 13. See Miss Strickland's Lives of the Queens of England, vol. iv. pp. 217-227 ; edit. 1877. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 3 recovered from this wound, and, after twelve months of ill-health, died at York on July 24, 1644, and received honourable burial in York Minster. The following touching entry was inscribed by Sir William Dalton,* the deceased officer's father, on the fly-leaf of a law-bookf where he had chronicled the births and deaths of his children and grandchildren : — " My only sonne John Dalton was wounded at Burton upon Trente the fift of July 1643 and thereof dyed the 24 or 25th of July 1644, who was A valiant man and A duetyfull and lovinge sonne." In 1627 Colonel Dalton had married Dorothy Darcy, daughter of Conyers Lord Darcy, by Dorothy, daughter of Sir Henry Bellasis, Knight and Baronet, whose wife (Ursula) was daughter of that Sir Thomas Fairfax of Denton who had served as a soldier of fortune in Italy and Germany. Besides other issue, Colonel Dalton left at his decease two sons, William and Thomas. William, the eldest son, was knighted by Charles II. for the services he and his father had * Sir William Dalton, of Hauxwell, Knt., Attorney-General to the Northern Court at York, was knighted at Whitehall, April 28, 1629. He married Theophane Booth, of the ancient family of Booth of Killingholm, Lincolnshire. He died in January 1649, and was buried in York Minster. t This interesting old book, with its quaint family registers, is in the possession of the Rev. C. B. Norcliffe, Langton HalL l * 4 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. rendered during the Civil Wars. The second son,. Thomas, settled at Bedale, and, marrying Anne, daughter of Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bart., of Con- stable Burton, was father of John Dalton of Bedale, who, dying in 1701, left an only child, James. On May 2, 1718, in the nineteenth year of his age, James Dalton was gazetted Ensign in the Royal War- wickshire Regiment of Foot, then commanded by Colonel Robert Dormer, being the 6th Line Regiment. In the following month he joined in Dublin. A good idea of the state of Ireland may be gathered from a general order issued to the officers commanding Hi& Majesty's Forces in that kingdom : — " Whereas His Grace the Lord Archbishop of Dublin, one of the Lords Justices of the Kingdom, is going on his Visitation to Kilkenny, and that it will be for His Grace's safety to have a guard to attend him on some parts of his Road thither and back again, where the country is infested with Tories, Robbers, and Rapparees, these are to direct and require you to send with His Grace the Lord Archbishop such a number of men through such parts of the Road, lead- ing to and from Kilkenny, as His Grace shall think fit to attend him for his safety. Each party when relieved are to return to their former Garrison. The Civil Magistrates being to provide them with convenient MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 5 quarters on their march according to Law. Given, &c, 28 May, 1718."* In July 1719 Dormer's regiment marched from Dublin to Limerick, where it was stationed some time. James Dalton was made Lieutenant on August 29, 1721, and a year or two after was appointed subaltern to the Grenadier Company of his regiment. There is a tradition in his family that his sword and pistols were by no means idle during his long service as a sub- altern officer in Ireland, and that the duels he fought earned him the sobriquet of " Fighting" Jem Dalton. He married Miss Elizabeth Smith of Limerick, and had an only child, John Dalton, the subject of this memoir, who was born about the close of 1725 in Dublin, or Dublin County, where Dormer's regiment was then stationed. In the summer of 1739 ten regiments on the Irish establishment, of which Guise's, late Dormer's, was one, were brought over to Britain. Stirring times were at hand. Another war between Great Britain and Spain having become inevitable, the army was increased and the establishment of Guise's regiment was augmented. This augmentation promoted James Dalton to be captain, his commission being dated * From a copy in the Record Office of Ireland, Dublin. 6 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTOK. January 19, 1739-40; and John Guise, the colonel of this regiment, was made a brigadier-general. Early in 1740 six regiments of marines were raised to serve under Admiral Vernon in the West Indies. A war with Spain — a war in itself just and necessary, and entered into by the repeated advice oE both Houses of Parliament — was most popular. The enthusiasm through the country was intense. Officers on half -pay, and those civilians who desired commis- sions, flocked up to London in large numbers to try and get appointed to the new regiments. The newspapers gave out that some considerable enterprise would be undertaken as soon as the marine forces were ready for service. Recruiting went on so merrily that the six marine regiments of about one thousand men each were speedily formed. George II., finding the war so popular, ordered four more marine regiments to be raised in the autumn of 1740. These additional regi- ments were raised directly after the first embarkation of the troops, in October 1740, who sailed under the convoy of a naval force commanded by Sir Chaloner Ogle — the troops being under the command of the gallant Lord Cathcart. One of the four new marine regiments was raised in November 1740, and, in December, Colonel William Hanmer, who came of the old Flintshire family of MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 7 that name, was appointed to be colonel and captain of a company in the said regiment.* In those days every regiment was called by the name of its then colonel, and accordingly, this marine regiment, which was really the 8th Marines, was called " Hanmer's " Marines. Captain James Dalton applied for and ob- tained a commission for his son, as second lieutenant in Hanmer's Marines, and, on February 6, 1741, John Dalton — then only fifteen — was appointed to Hanmer's regiment. In those days the Gazettes took little or no notice of subaltern officers, and, in looking through volumes of the London Gazette, I find but few promo- tions or appointments chronicled, under the rank of captain. The information I received from the War Office, fortunately provides me with the date of John Dalton's first commission. I conclude that his first commission was purchased, and a good sum paid for it too, as I read in the London Daily Post for " February 19, 1742," that the marine officers who went out with Admiral Vernon's expedition had paid such " vast sums of money for their commissions to a certain Secretary, that it was expected that there would be a Parliamentary enquiry about it." I suppose this * " Wm. Hanmer, Esq., to be colonel of a new raised regiment of marines." — London Gazette, December 1740. 8 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. " extortion " was practised upon all the new regiments, whether they went abroad or not. Having started our young marine subaltern on his military career, I must return for a brief time to his father, who was with his regiment at Inverlochy in Inverness-shire. Guise's regiment had received orders, in July 1741, to hold itself in readiness to embark on active service. " 'Tis said," wrote a Scotch correspon- dent of the London Daily Post under date of August 25, 1741, "that Guise's regiment and some other troops will immediately embark on board some trans- ports from Clyde for Cork, which is reported will be the place of rendezvous of the force designed for America. His Excellency General Clayton* set out yesterday for Inverlochy where that regiment is quar- tered." Before this review, which was preliminary to the immediate departure of the regiment, took place, Captain James Dalton had set his affairs in order and executed a deed which provided for his wife's main- tenance during his absence abroad, and, in case of his death, left her in sole possession of all his worldly goods. This will, which is short and soldierly, begins as follows : — " Know all men by these presents I Captain James * Major- General Jasper Clayton, Colonel of the 14th Regiment and Commander-in-Chief in Scotland, 1741. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 9 Dalton of the Honble. Brigadier Guise's Regiment of Foot to have made constituted and appointed and by these presents to make constitute and appoint and in my place depute Elizabeth Dalton my beloved wife my true and lawfull attorney procuratrix for me the said Captain James Dalton and in my name stead and place to receive from Robert Mit- chiner Esqre Paymaster to the said Brigadier Guise's Regiment or any other paymaster who may hereafter be appointed Paymaster to the said Regi- ment the sum of four pounds sterling money to be payd monthly to her out of my subsistence* during all the days of my lifetime . . . and in the event of my death and of her surviving me then and in that case I hereby give convey and bequeath to the said Elizabeth Dalton my wife all goods and sums of money pertaining and belonging to me or that will be justly due me by bills bonds ticketts accounts arrears of my pay or any other manner or way whatsomever the time of my decease hereby ordaining constituting and ap- pointing the said Elizabeth Dalton my wife my sole executrix of this my last Will and Testament. . . . In testimony whereof I the said James Dalton have hereunto sett my hand and seal at Inverness in North * A captain's pay in 1740 was 10s. a day. 10 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. Britain this thirteenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty-one. . . . James Dalton."* It is noticeable in this will that James Dalton makes no mention whatever of his only son. He left every- thing to his beloved wife, and he had but little to leave behind him. His son had been fairly started in life and was expected to make his own way independent of his mother. The son did not fall short of his father's expectations. Early in September 1741, the Scotch correspondent of the London Evening Post sent the following bit of news to that paper, relative to Guise's regiment — Guise's " Geese," as they were jocularly termed by military wags : — " We hear from Glasgow that Guise's Regiment of Foot is marched for Greenock, in order to be embarked on board the transports for Jamaica ; that the officers and soldiers were all well and in high spirits, and that, of the whole regiment, not four private men had deserted." When it is remembered that nothing but misfortunes and reverses had befallen the British troops since they * From a copy of the original will at Somerset House, London. Registered 156 Boycott. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 11 had left England in the previous autumn, the enthusiasm of all the troops now about to be sent to reinforce the British forces in the West Indies is highly to their credit. The expedition against Carthagena in South America had proved an utter failure, and, what was worse, had cost many brave lives. Fever, dysentery, and epidemics peculiar to the Spanish Main, had deci- mated the troops. Officers and men suffered alike. Lord Cathcart, the Commander-in-Chief of the land forces, had died of dysentery at the Island of St. Christopher at the very outset of the campaign. He was badly replaced by Brigadier- General Went worth, between whom and Admiral Vernon, the naval Com- mander-in-Chief, there was not always the cordial co- operation so necessary for success in a combined naval and military expedition. The reports of the losses and sufferings of the British troops before Carthagena, and in the Island of Cuba, where they were stationed for some months, were fully chronicled in the London papers, and from them copied into other journals. So popular was a Spanish war, however, that when volun- teers were called for from other regiments, to raise the regiments ordered on active service up to their war strength, whole companies volunteered for the service, and clamoured to go. Tommy Atkins, a hundred and fifty years ago, looked with the same contempt on a 12 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN BALTON. Spaniard as his sons and grandsons did on the French at the commencement of the great Peninsular War, as recorded in the doggerel : — Two d d Frenchmen, one Portugee, One jolly Englishman lick all three I Nor were the officers any less enthusiastic than the men. The 1st Royals was a two- battalion regiment, and only a certain number of companies were ordered on active service. One battalion was at Cork and the other at Edinburgh. The captains of both battalions agreed to draw lots as to which companies should go abroad. In the Evening Post is this entry : — " Cork, October 6, 1741 .—The Captains of the Royal Regiment have drawn lots for the companies to go to the West Indies, and the Lieutenants and Ensigns are to draw lots to-morrow." Those who drew lucky numbers, as they considered, went with the expedition. Poor fellows ! Most of them had drawn their death-warrants, as but few lived to return home. Here is an extract from another London paper showing the martial spirit evinced by all ranks : — "Cork, October 23, 1741. — All the troops are well and in full spirits, and amount to between 3,000 and 4,000 men. Vast numbers of the men whose lot it was to stay at home are greatly troubled. In one case, MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 13 where two men had cast lots to go, the one who had to stay had but six shillings in the world, and he gave it to his comrade to go in his stead."* I find from the Evening Post that the fleet, having on board the Royals, Blakeney's and Guise's regiments (Guise's being under the command of Lieutenant- Colonel Murray in the absence of its colonel, Brigadier Guise, who had gone out with the troops in the previous autumn as one of the four brigadiers), sailed from Cork, October 24, 1741, with a convoy of fifty ships, bound for the West Indies. An epidemic having broken out at the British camp in Cuba, the troops were re-embarked and conveyed to Jamaica in November. The change does not seem to have been profitable, and an English officer writing from Jamaica, early in 1742, to a friend in England, said there was no need for the Spaniards to attack them, as they were dying off as fast as their enemy could wish ! The same writer mentions a naval expe- dition, with a few troops on board, being despatched from Jamaica in the spring of 1742 to make a descent upon some Spanish port ; but no good fortune attended it. I believe it to have been in one of these futile expeditions that Captain James Dalton lost his life, as * London Daily Post, Nov. 5, 1741. 14 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. he was drowned when making a landing in the West Indies in the spring of 1742. In the Gentleman's Magazine for 1742 I find the following notice : — " Died in the West Indies, from March 8 to May 18, Guise's regiment, Captains Hunt, Bell, and Dalton, and «ight lieutenants." Thus, in less than three months, were half the officers in one regiment swept away. Under date of August 27, in this year, the London Daily Post has this sad notice : — " Various letters from Jamaica bring advice that the last land forces that were sent over thither have been so impaired by sickness that there are not half of them capable to bear arms." All through the winter months the transports came staggering home, under-manned, ill-victualled, and often without their commanders, who had perished from disease in the West Indies."* These transports brought the shattered remnants of a once fine army. No regiments suffered more than the Marine regi- ments, as is plainly, set forth in the London Evening Post. * " No less than forty of the commanders of the transports which took out the troops to the West Indies in October, 1740, died there in the space of a few months." — London Daily Post, 1741. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 15 " April 13, 1743. — Yesterday Brigadier- General Blakeney's Regiment of Marines — which consists only of 18 men out of 800, who either died or were killed in the West Indies — landed from Jamaica." Here is another extract regarding Colonel Robinson's Marine regiment, which had been raised in Yorkshire early in 1740, and had formerly consisted of " picked Yorkshiremen " : — " Some marines arrived from Jamaica say that the unhealthiness of the climate is so great, that of Cochran's and Robinson's marine regiments hardly anything is left but the names." Captain James Dalton's widow waited until the return of her husband's regiment to Great Britain before proceeding to prove his will, and it was not until May 9, 1743, that the before-mentioned will was proved in London by his widow. There is no doubt that Captain Dalton left his widow Tery badly provided for. Being of the younger branch of his family, he had no property of his own, the family property being then in the possession of Sir Charles Dalton, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, grandson of Colonel Dalton the Cavalier officer. The pension for a captain's widow in those days was only £26 a year, and I doubt if Mrs. Dalton had much money of her own. 16 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. I must now return to "her son, and say something about his regiment. In September 1741, Colonel Hanmer died, and the Colonelcy of the regiment remained vacant till March 1743, when it was bestowed on Lieu- tenant-Colonel John Duncomb of the Foot Guards. London Gazette — " March 1743. Lieutenant-Colonel John Duncomb., to be Colonel of Marines, late Hanmer's, and Captain of a Company. " Where the regiment was from 1741 to 1743 does not appear, but I am very certain that it was not on active service, as John Dalton was five years a second lieu- tenant, which stagnation in promotion meant home service. Before proceeding to the next landmark in Lieu- tenant Dalton' s career, I must say a few words about the Marine regiments of that time, as they were on a different footing to the present corps of Royal Marines, which was not formed until 1755, and with which the ten Marine regiments of 1740 must not be con- founded. It was the " Merry Monarch" who first introduced Marines into the British service. By his orders six companies of fi lande souldiers *' were raised as a regi- ment to serve on board the fleet. This regiment, which was numbered the Third, the Admiral's, or MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 17 Duke of York's Maritime Regiment, afterwards became a land corps exclusively, and was eventually honoured by being incorporated with General Monk's proud Coldstream Guards. William III. improved on Charles II. 's " Maritime Regiment/' and by his direc- tion two Marine regiments were raised and placed on the establishment of the Royal Navy. Grose, in his Military Antiquities, records that, when required, the rank and file were discharged from their regiments and entered on a ship's books, as foremast men, as soon as they became qualified for such duties. Several Marine regiments were levied by Queen Anne to serve with the Fleet and on land, when occasion required, but to serve as soldiers, and not as sailors as in the previous reign. The 30th, 31st, and 32nd regiments of the Line were originally Marine regiments, and the two latter were raised in 1702 to go with Sir George Rooke's fleet to the Spanish coast. After the Peace of Utrecht, in 1713, all the Marine regiments were dis- banded, and it was not till the close of 1739, when active preparations were being made for war with Spain, that these popular regiments of " Jollies/' as the sailors termed them, were again raised. We have already seen, ten Marine regiments were raised in 1740, and, as they were to go on active service, members of the best families in England were glad to 2 18 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. obtain commissions in them. They were purchase regiments and were officered from the Line. Promo- tion was rapid, and exchanges to and from Line regi- ments could be easily effected; but all this ceased when the Corp3 of Royal Marines was raised in 1755. History does not record whether these old Marine regiments were credited with the inordinate amount of tale-believing credulityt hat sailors are said to lay to the charge of the Marines of this century ; but as they were a good deal on land in those good old days, they probably had to swallow some strange yarns from " Jack M when they went afloat. Before leaving the subject of the old Marine regiments, it is necessary to state that they ranked after the 43rd regiment of the Line. Thus the 44th was Churchill's 1st Marines, which consisted of ten companies of 100 men each ; the 45th was Frazer's 2nd Marines; the 46th was Holmes's 3rd Marines ; the 47th was Byng's 4th Marines ; the 48th was Cochran's 5th Marines ; the 49th was Robinson's 6th Marines ; the 50th was Cornwall's 7th Marines; the 51st was Duncomb's 8th Marines; the 52nd was Powlett's 9th Marines; and the 53rd was Sir Andrew Agnew's 10th Marines. In 1747 there were sixty-six Line regiments, including the above ten Marine regiments. When the ten Marine regiments were reduced in 1748 and 1749, the MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 19 Line regiments below the ten Marine regiments ranked after the 43rd regiment according to seniority, but none of the regiments were called by their seniority numbers till 1751 ; before that date each regiment was called after its colonel for the time being. 20 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. CHAPTEE II. The Cruise of H.M.S. " Preston," 1743-1748. On December 12, 1743, John Dalton was appointed 2nd Lieutenant of Marines to H.M.S. " Preston," of 50 guns — then at Spithead — commanded by Captain the Earl of Northesk,* with a complement of 300 men. The Marines only numbered twenty-four, including the officer. After a short cruise in the Downs the " Preston" returned to Spithead, and in March, 1744, sailed from Portsmouth with Commodore Barnet's squadron for India, and the following extract from the London Gazette gives us the object of the expedition : — " In consequence of applications made by the East India Company to the Lords of the Admiralty, Com- modore Barnet, with the ships under his command, * The Right Hon. George Carnegie, sixth Earl of Northesk, was appointed to the " Preston " on September 14, 1742. — London Daily Post. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 21 viz., the ' Deptford ' and ' Medway ' of 60 guns, the 1 Preston ' of 50, and one of 20, sailed from Ports- mouth for India to protect settlements in those parts." From the muster books of the " Preston " at the Public Record Office, I have been able to trace all the movements of this ship, which, supplemented by extracts from historical works, fill in the history of the " Preston's " cruise and furnish us with mile-stones and finger-posts, speaking metaphorically, in Lieu- tenant Dalton's early career. Feb. 20, 1744 The Downs. March 30, 1744 May 2, 1744 May 29, 1744 June 5, 1744 Spithead. At sea. St. Jago. At sea. August 29, 1744 do. Extract from the London Gazette, August 1744 : — " Letters from Commodore Barnet who arrived at Porto Pray a on the island of St. Jago, 26th of May last, with a squadron of His Majesty's ships under his command, gives an account that he found rideing in the road a Spanish privateer called the ' Amiable Maria' of 14 carriage and 12 swivel guns and 79 22 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. men, together with a Pink of about 250 Tons under Spanish colours, which he at first took no notice of, having no intention to violate the neutrality of the King of Portugal's Port, but being afterwards informed that Privateer had taken Pink together with a Brigan- tine and burnt two other English ships which were all at anchor in the Island of May, and whose men they left on that island, the Commodore acquainted the Governor that finding Privateer had so notoriously violated Neutrality of Island of May, he did not think himself obliged to observe any with regard to her, and he accordingly summoned Privateer and Pink to sur- render, which they did, and he took possession of them.' , Sept. 4, 1744 Sept. 13, 1744 Sept. 21, 1744 Nov. 7, 1744 Nov. 14, 1744 Dec. 13, 1744 Feb. 4, 1745 Feb. 22, 1745 April 29, 1745 May 6, 1745 June 3, 1745 July 22, 1745 St. Augustine Bay. Madagascar. At sea. At Prince's Island. Batavia. Anchored off Luceparas. Straights of Sunda. Batavia Road. Sunda. At sea. Off Ceylon. Fort St. David. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 23 The following extracts from Orme's History of India, explain the above cruise of the " Preston w : — M War was now declared between Great Britain and France, in consequence of which a squadron of English men of war appeared in the Indian seas. It consisted of two 60-gun ships, one of 50 and a frigate of 20 guns : these ships did not come immediately to the English settlements in Indostan, but passing beyond them cruised in two divisions in the straights of Sunda and Malacca. They took in these stations three French ships returning from China to Europe,* and one returning from Manilla to Pondicherry ; the cargoes of which produced £180,000 sterling After rendezvousing at Batavia, the squadron united appeared on the Coast of Coromandel in the month of July 1745, at which time the garrison of Pondicherry consisted of no more than 436 Europeans \ its fortifica- tions were not completed, and no French squadron had hitherto appeared in India." The French Governor of Pondicherry was so alarmed for the safety of that place, that he asked the Nabob of Arcot to insist with the English Company at Madras that Commodore Barnet should confine his operations to * Commodore Barnet took a French 50-gun ship and three prizes. (Campbell's Naval History, vol. iv. page 54.) 24 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. the sea. The Nabob being won over to this one-sided bargain, ordered the English Governor to inform the Commodore that no hostilities must take place on land, or he — the Nabob of the Carnatic — would make the town of Madras suffer for it. "This threat," says Orme, " made so much impression upon the government of Madras, that they requested and prevailed on Com- modore Barnet to confine his operations to the sea. He therefore sent one of the 50-gun ships to cruise in the road of Balasore at the entrance of the river Ganges, where she took two or three French ships returning from different parts of India to the French settlements in Bengal/' The ship sent to Balasore was the " Preston," as the following dates show : — August 14, 1745 . . At sea. Sept. 4, 1745 ... In Balasore road. From the log-book of the " Preston " for 1745 (now at the Public Record Office), I read that on August 22 she captured the French ship " Heureux," and on September 15 she took a French and a Dutch ship. From the short account given in the log book, I gather that there was a sharp action between the "Heureux" and the " Preston " before the former struck her flag, but the (< Preston " only lost one boy in the engagement. The capture of these ships — added MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 25 to those captured in the straits of Sunda — would give a fair share of prize-money to the officers on board, amongst whom was our Lieutenant of Marines. In those good old days, officers got their full share of prize- money, and had not to wait many years for it as they have now-a-days, and sometimes never get it at all. Now to return to the cruise of the " Preston " : — Sept. 21, 1745 . Off the island Negrais. Nov. 7, 1745 Nov. 30, 1745 Jan. 22, 1746 Jan. 29, 1746 Feb. 27, 1746 May 7, 1746 June 9, 1746 Do. King's Island. At sea. Fort St. George. Off Pondicherrie. Fort St. David. Off Caricale. Negapatam Road. Extract from Orme's History of India, vol. i. page 62 : — " There was now certain intelligence that a French squadron was preparing to come on the coast of Coro- mandel, when that of the English was deprived of one of its chief advantages by losing Commodore Barnet, who died at Fort St. David in April. His death, hap- pening at a time when the English affairs in India were threatened with danger, was generally regretted as a public loss; and, indeed, he was a man of great abilities in sea affairs." 26 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. On June 25th the English squadron, cruising near Negapatam, descried the French squadron, which con- sisted of nine ships, and was commanded by De La Bourdonnais, an experienced French admiral. Five of them were 50-gun ships, and on board the ships were 3,300 men. The English squadron consisted o£ five ships and a frigate, with only half the number of men on board them that the French had. Captain Peyton — as the senior officer — commanded. An engagement took place between the two fleets, but at such a distance that but little damage was done. The fight began at four in the afternoon and finished that evening. The English had 14 killed and 46 wounded. One of the French ships was dismasted and much shattered. Not- withstanding this, Captain Peyton, alarmed at the superior strength of the enemy, called a Council of War next morning, and it was resolved not to venture a second engagement till they were better prepared to meet the enemy. "When a commander-in-chief," says Campbell, " in- vested with full power to act by his sole authority, calls a Council of War, it creates a strong suspicion that he wants to divide the blame of an unjust action. . . . Peyton disappeared, and sailed the Lord knows whither." After the English squadron had refitted in the MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN BALTON. 27 harbour of Trincomalee, they proceeded northward, and on the 24th July sighted the French squadron. " The English," says Orme, " perceiving the addi- tion of cannon, with which the enemy had been sup- plied at Pondicherry, avoided an engagement. The two squadrons were three days in sight of each other, after which, according to M. De La Bourdonnais* account, the English ships, availing themselves of the advantage of sailing better than the French, disap- peared." Such were the facts of the case, and it is useless to make any remarks about the policy of the English commander. Least said soonest mended. Where he took his squadron will be seen below : — July 21, 1746 . . Off Fryer's Hood. Aug. 23, 1746 . . Pullicat Road. Aug. 27, 1746 . . At Sea. Sept. 8, 1746 . . Hughley River. While the English ships were on their way to Bengal, Admiral De La Bourdonnais prepared to lay siege to Madras. The English Company were much alarmed at these preparations, and applied to the Nabob of Arcot to restrain the French from com- mitting hostilities against them by land. "But," says Orme, "they omitted to employ the most certain means of obtaining his protection by 28 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. neglecting to accompany their application for his assistance with a present of money. This ill-judged parsimony left the Nabob so lukewarm in their interests, that, although he did not give M. Dupleix (Governor of Pondicherry) a positive permission, he refrained from making any preparations, or even from using menaces to prevent the French from attacking Madras/' Madras was doomed. The French troops landed four leagues to the south of the town on September 3, and the next day advanced within cannon-shot of the place. After a week's siege, the town was delivered up to the French, and the English surrendered them- selves prisoners of war. The French admiral agreed to allow the English to ransom the town, and promised to settle the ransom on easy and moderate terms.* While the siege was in progress, the Nabob of Arcot sent a message to Dupleix, reproaching him for attack- ing Madras, and threatening to send an army there if the siege was not immediately raised. This message arrived the day that Madras capitulated, and Dupleix, in order to pacify the Nabob, sent him word that the town should be given up to him, and he could make his own terms with the English for their ransoming it. * Ortne, vol. i., page 68. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 29 Bourdonnais, who was a man of high honour and integrity, would not agree to this, and proceeded to treat with the English for the ransom of the town. Dupleix claimed the sole right of disposing of Madras as being Governor-General of the French establish- ments in India, and the Council of Pondicherry backed him up. Disputes ensued between the two rivals, which, in all probability, saved the English Company from total destruction, as, on September 27, three French ships of war arrived, with a large reinforcement of troops, sufficient to have conquered all the English settlements — which was the intention of Bourdon- nais, if Dupleix had not thwarted him in all his plans. History repeats itself. From the most remote ages down to the present time, that demon Discord and that arch-fiend Jealousy have marred the greatest achievements. Sceptres have fallen, kingdoms have been lost, armies have been routed, the strongest fortresses taken, simply and entirely because those set in authority cannot agree amongst themselves, cannot curb their ambition, and cannot set aside for a moment their own individual interests, even though the enemy be thundering at the city gates. Here is a case in point. If Dupleix and Bourdonnais had only gone hand in hand, they might have carried all before them ; 30 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. but they let the golden moment pass, and their chance was lost. An enemy who never delays came upon them — the northern monsoon. This terrific hurricane, which rages along the coast every autumn, set in with unusual violence the beginning of October, and six of the French ships in the Madras roads were driven out to sea ; five were dismasted and one foundered. "The articles of the treaty of ransom had been adjusted," says Orme, " the day before the storm happened. It was agreed that the French should evacuate the town by the 4th of October ; and by one of the articles the artillery and warlike stores remain- ing in the town were to be equally divided between the French and English." Dupleix, who had his own dishonourable schemes in view, insisted on the French retaining Madras for three months, and Bourdonnais was obliged to request the English to accept these terms, which they did, and the treaty was signed on October 10. The ransom of the town was fixed at £440,000. Hardly had Bourdonnais sailed away with his shattered fleet, than the Nabob of Arcot made preparations for seizing on Madras, which he saw Dupleix had no intention of delivering up to him. The Nabob's army laid siege to the town, but was speedily routed by a French detach- ment sent against it, and the French remained undis- MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN D ALTON. 31 puted conquerors of the field. This victory gave Dupleix the pretext he wanted ; he declared the treaty of ransom to be null and void. " The English were enjoined," says the historian Orme, " to deliver up the keys of all magazines without exception — all merchandises, plate, provisions, warlike stores and horses were declared the property of the French Company." After this flagrant breach of faith the French troops prepared to attack Fort St. David, the stronghold of the English. The English applied to the Nabob for assistance, and he — smarting with the memory of defeat — sent a large force to assist them, and they were thus able to repel the attacks of the French. Thus ended the year 1746, and the beginning of 1747 found the French army before Fort St. David. In 1746 Captain John Amherst (younger brother of Jeffery, first Lord Amherst) succeeded Lord Northesk as captain of H.M.S. "Preston/' Lord Northesk had been long enough on board the " Preston " to form the highest opinion of young John Dalton, and, as will be shown hereafter, the kindness and good-will that existed between the commander of the "Preston" and the young subaltern of Marines was continued by their children. On December 18, 1746, Lieutenant Dalton was 32 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. promoted 1st Lieutenant.* In the winter of this year the " Preston's " movements were as follows : — Dec. 26, 1746 . . Ingerlee. March 7, 1747 March 31, 1747 April 13, 1747 April 15, 1747 . Fort St. George. . Fort St. David. Do. . Off Pondicherrie. " The squadron," says Orme, " had been reinforced in Bengal by the arrival of two ships, one of 60 guns and the other of 40, sent from England with Admiral Griffin/* The fleet arrived off Fort St. David in March, and Griflin landed with the Marines and sailors. The following extract from the Evening Post refers to this event : — " October 1747. — The East India Company have received advice by an express over land, with an account that the French had been twice repulsed in their siege of Fort St. David in February last, and that, as they were preparing for a third attack, Com- modore Griffin appeared before the place with men-of- war, and landed 1,000 men, who obliged the French to retreat with loss of cannon and baggage. After which the Commodore, having been joined by two * War Office Records. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 38 ships of war, had blocked up Pondicherrie, and, as the Nabob with his Indians had done the same by- land, it was thought the place, which is the only settle- ment of importance that the French possess in the East Indies, must soon surrender for want of provisions. The squadron consists of the following ships : — /York, " 60 guns "50 guns- Princess Mary, Exeter, Medway; Eltham, Harwich, Preston, Winchester ; (The Pearle, " 40 guns J Medway's Prize, (Lively." The retreat of the French troops before the English force was probably the first occasion on which Lieu- tenant Dalton served with the land forces in India, and his first experience of Fort St. David. Now to return to the " Preston " : — May 7, 1747 . . Fort St. David. May 23, 1747 . . Pondicherrie. Sept. 23, 1747 . . Madrass. Oct. 31, 1747 . . Franquematta. 8 34 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. Extracts from the Evening Post, 1747 : — " It is said Commodore Griffin has taken 6 French ships in the Road of Pondicherrie, and destroyed several others, and that he has likewise taken the * St. Louis/ a French man-of-war of 40 guns. Another account says it was not a man-of-war, but a large ship. Six small trading ships are also said to have been taken by him." " By the Dutch ships arrived from the East Indies we have an account that the ' Oxford/ Captain Stevens, was arrived at Batavia from Fort St. David to take in arrack for the use of the men of war under Commo- dore Griffin." In October most of the ships went to Ceylon to escape the monsoon. In February, 1748, they returned to Fort St. David, where they remained till September. The Marines in all probability were on land most of the time doing garrison duty. On July 26, 1748, Admiral the Hon. E. Boscawen arrived with a large fleet from Europe. He had been sent out to take the command of the whole squadron in the East Indies, vice Commodore Griffin* ordered home. In sporting parlance, Boscawen had been sent to u wipe " Griffin's eye. * Commodore Griffin was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 35 The " Preston " was one of the ships ordered home, and while Boscawen was preparing for the expedition to Pondicherry, the "Preston " was being dismantled of her guns and stores for the use of the ships bound for Pondicherry. I gather all this from the log-book of that ship. Here is one of the short daily notices in this book : — "August 6th, 1748.— Weather . . . Wind . . . Landed all our Marines by order of the Admiral. Killed three bullocks which weighed," &c. &c. Referring to the ship's muster-book, I find that on August 5 the Marines on board the " Preston " mus- tered 23, and on August 7 and every succeeding day there was only one Marine borne on the ship's books. This luckless man was the officer — Lieutenant Dalton. He was ordered to return with Admiral Griffin, but all his men were sent on shore to join the troops about to march against Pondicherry. If the officers of the ship thought their case a hard one in being ordered home instead of being allowed to take part in the siege of Pondicherry, what must the feelings of the Marine officer have been on seeing himself thus deprived of his men and not allowed to accompany them. He counted them at break of day, And when the sun set, where were they ? The ship's officers still had their men and their duties 3 * 36 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. to attend to. They also could amuse themselves by- whistling for the wind, and could d n it when it came for being a foul one, but a marine had not even this privilege. Referring to this ancient log-book , which was kept by the first lieutenant of the "Preston/' I read that while the ships were " rideing at anchor * off Fort St. David, the guns of Admiral Boscawen's ships could be heard firing at Ariacopang, which was being besieged by both land and sea forces. This must have been very galling to the officers and men left behind — sportsmen not allowed to join in the battue. The log-book being an official journal, of course says nothing about this. Indeed, it gives few details of any kind excepting the state of the weather, and affairs connected with the ship. For instance, after mentioning the hearing of the reports of the guns bombarding Ariacopang, the writer goes on to say that " two bullocks were killed which weighed " so many pounds. I can fancy the officers at dinner eating their salt junk and bullock's liver, listening to the boom of the distant guns — and cursing their bad luck in not being there. Early in September the " Preston " and other ships left Fort St. David for Trincomalee Bay ; but, before going any farther, I must mention a circumstance which, I think, proves that Lieutenant Dalton had for MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 37 some months previous to Admiral Boscawen's arrival been on garrison duty in Fort St. David, and was known there. This circumstance is, my finding in the East India Records for 1751 a copy of the last Will and Testament of John Hallyburton, who died in 1751, but whose Will bears the date of August 4, 1748, and the first part of which is as follows : — " I John Hallyburton late of Madrass, but at this present of Fort St. David, being in Health of Body and Mind do in case of my death make this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former Wills by me made. " Imprimis I give and bequeath the sum of seventy pounds to my Moor servant Allie RAzzabeag, and to my Christian servant Thomas Morse all my Linnen and wearing apparrell of what kind soever. " To Mr. Joseph Fowke, Capt. John Holland, Capt. Rodolphus de Gingins, Lieutenant John Dalton, Lieut. George Gardner, Mr. Andrew Munro and Mr. William Belsches each ten pounds sterling for mourning." * * From the fact of his Will being given in the East India Records, I presume he held some Government appointment at Fort St. David. A Mr. David Haliburton gave some valuable information about Lord Clive and Indian affairs to Sir J. Malcolm, when the latter was writing Olive's Memoirs. 38 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. Who this John Hallyburton was I do not know, but I infer from the above that Lieutenant Dalton was well known at Fort St. David, and was expected there again. T mention this as it may help to explain sub- sequent actions of Lieutenant Dalton, and show they were premeditated. On September 15, 1748, the " Preston" arrived in Trincomalee Bay, and on the 23rd of that month the officers and most of the men were discharged by order, as shown by the muster-book of the "Pres- ton," and amongst the names of the officers discharged is that of Lieutenant Dalton/* The last entry in the log-book of the " Preston " explains this circum- stance : — " Discharged per order into the ' Princess Mary * 5 petty officers and 65 seamen. " The Captain, Commission and Warrant officers were to go on board different ships of the Squadron where they have orders to receive them for their pas- sage home. The boatswain was left in command of the e Preston,' she being reduced to a hulk/' Hard fate ! Reduced from a 50-gun ship to a hulk ; * Number 78. Entry, December 12, 1743 ; discharged per order September 23, 1748, in Trincomalee Bay. (Muster-book of H.M.S. " Preston.") . MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN BALTON. 39 once commanded by a belted Earl and now under the command of a Bo'sun and a Bo'sun's mate. What became of her after that I know not ; there was no one to chronicle the state of the wind, the killing of bul- locks and their weight, the broaching of casks of beef, the setting the "sailes/' and other such events. Admiral Griffin remained in Trincomalee Bay until he sailed for Europe in January. Whether Lieutenant Dalton returned home with the squadron, or not, remains to be seen. In October, Admiral Boscawen's fleet arrived in the Bay. The siege of Pondicherry had been raised, and the English lost 1,000 men during the siege, while the French lost very few. Dupleix went so far as to say that the only damage done by the guns from the fleet was the killing of a poor old Malabar woman in the streets of Pondicherry. Before closing this chapter, I must chronicle the death of Colonel John Duncomb of the 8th Marine Regiment, and the appointment of Lord George Beauclerk to be Colonel of the regiment. London Gazette, December 1747 : " Lord George Beauclerk to be Colonel of a Regiment of Marines in room of Colonel Duncomb, deceased/' Lord George Beau- clerk was appointed from the Foot Guards, and in March 1748 he was transferred from the 8th 40 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. Marines to a Foot regiment, and Colonel Jorden was appointed Colonel of Marines. London Gazette, March 1748: " Colonel John Jorden to be Colonel of a Marine Regiment, vice Beauclerk, Colonel of Foot." MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN I) ALTON. 41 CHAPTER III. Retrospective Sketch of the East India Company's Affairs. — Strength of their Army in 1748. — Peace signed between England and France. — Reduction of the ten Marine Regiments. — Lieutenant Dalton placed upon Half-pay. — He is appointed 1st Lieutenant of an Independent Company by Admiral Boscawen. — Interesting Letter from an Artillery Officer at Fort St. David to a Friend at Woolwich. — Lieutenant Dalton joins the East India Company's Service in 1749, and is made Captain of the Grenadier Company. rPHE complete failure of the attack on Pondicherry was a heavy blow to the East India Company. Their foothold on the soil of India had never been very secure, and now the very foundation of their power seemed to be tottering. Since the reign of Queen Elizabeth this Company had been engaged in extensive commerce in India ; but their settlements were few and far between, and confined to the coast. These settlements had either been purchased, or ceded to the Company by Native Princes. Though there were at this time — as there 42 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. are now — three Presidencies, these Presidencies only- consisted of a few factories and fortresses in Bombay, Bengal, and Madras ; and, to show the little extent of territory in these Presidencies belonging to the Com- pany, Madras was considered the most important of the three. Many things had combined together to keep the English so backward. For a hundred years the Por- tuguese had had the monopoly of the East Indian trade, and, from having the exclusive right of passage to India by the Cape of Good Hope, they were able to defy all other nations ; but when their fleet came in contact with the English and Dutch fleets, and this exclusive right was lost to them, their power in India came to an end, and they had to give way before the rising stars of Holland and England. In the 17th century the Dutch were at the height of their commer- cial prosperity, and the most successful traders in the world. They acquired considerable possessions in the Indian Seas, and their commercial enterprise was far ahead of the English, who confined themselves to their factories and small settlements on the coast of Hin- dostan. The English also kept themselves aloof from all the quarrels of the native princes, which was — with their limited numbers — a safe policy, but not the way to acquire fame and increased territory. When MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 43 the French established a trading Company in India, they took a very different course, and proved more for- midable rivals to the English than either the Portu- guese or Dutch. Their settlements on the coast of Coromandel were contiguous to the British, and whether their countries were at peace or war made little difference to the two rival Companies. " The native powers," says Sir John Malcolm, "by engaging in alliance, and inviting to interference in internal politics, the subjects of one European state, leave to the other, who may be in rivalry or hostility with it, no option between certain ruin, and employing means of self-defence and retaliation. This truth was never more completely evinced than in 1744, when war was declared between England and France. On receipt of this intelligence, the forces under the control of the Com- panies of the two nations on the coast of Coromandel, prepared to prosecute hostilities by land and sea, upon a scale which involved both in a scene of operations more suited to empires than to commercial factories. The results of these operations will appear wonderful to him who only considers the handful of troops which either party could bring into the field; but the im- provements which within the last two centuries had taken place in Europe, gave its soldiers an incalculable advantage over those of Asia, before the latter were 44 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. taught by repeated defeats to make war upon more equal terms with their European opponents. The supe- riority of a well-constructed machine over manual labour is not more extraordinary, than the advantages which discipline and the improvements in fire-arms and artillery afford to a regular body of troops over an irregular and badly-armed force The well- commanded and well-trained battalion moves amidst ten thousand of its rabble opponents like a giant with a thousand hands, which defend or strike, according to the dictates of one mind, and to whom an unconnected force, where every individual acts for himself, can offer neither injury or resistance." The great difference between Asiatic and European troops will be easily understood fron this graphic description, given by an experienced soldier and histo- rian, and it will account for the eagerness with which the native princes of Hindostan sought the alliance of the English and French in the constant little wars which at that time convulsed the empire. The English had by far the best fleet in Indian waters, but the French were the strongest on land, not only in point of numbers, but from possessing well- trained troops and competent engineers. The failure of the attack on Pondicherry was attributed to the want of good engineers more than anything else. At MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 45 that siege the French had the services of M. Paradis, who was a host in himself and a second Vauban. It was generally said at the time that the failure of the attack on Carthagena, in 1741, was mainly due to the want of engineers,* and it was proposed to remedy this evil by organizing a body of military engineers ► According to Clode's Military Forces of the Crown, the scientific Corps of Engineers acquired its military character so far back as 1683. But, until May 14, 1757, when they were commissioned by George II., the Engineer officers were as much civilians as soldiers, although by an Order in Council of August 22, 1717, the Engineers became part of the military branch of the Ordnance Department. The few engineers who accompanied Admiral Boscawen's expedition were so badly qualified for their duties that a good deal of the work had to be done by the Artillery. f Until Major Lawrence J arrived in India in 1748, to take command of the Company's troops, there had * London Daily Post, Feb. 17, 1742 f After Admiral Boscawen's despatches had appeared in the news- papers a notice appeared in the Daily Advertiser of March 16, 1749, to the effect that the Artillery had no connection whatever with the Engineers. X Stringer Lawrence, a brevet major in the British army, was born in 1697, and was many years an officer in Clayton's Foot Regiment (now the 14th). He died a major-general in 1775. 46 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. been no officers of experience in that service, and but few troops. There was such a difficulty in obtaining good officers that in 1745 six sergeants of the Foot Guards were offered lieutenants' commissions if they would go out to India, which they did.* The recruits sent out from England by the East India Directors were often the lowest scum in London — the offscour- ings of prisons and workhouses — and not trained soldiers such as the French had. When Major Law- rence arrived at Fort St. David he found but few troops to command. The plan of training the natives as soldiers had only just been adopted, and as yet but few had been enrolled into the service. With the ex- ception of the Marines on board the fleet, no English regiment had been sent out to India to guard the British settlements there. Since the wholesale destruc- tion of regiments in the West Indies by disease, the " Indies" had a bad name, and the regiments were kept sufficiently employed on active service in Europe. When Admiral Boscawen was ordered to the East Indies in 1747 with a large force under his command, twelve companies of soldiers were raised to accompany the expedition. These companies were called " Inde- * From the Evening Post, 1745. MEMOIR, OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 47 pendent Companies," and were often raised in time of war to go on foreign service. I find the following notice about these companies in the Evening Post of May 30, 1747 : — "The twelve Independent Companies to be raised are to be draughted six out of the regiments on the Irish Establishment, and six out of the regiments in England, and are to have each a captain, three lieute- nants, and an ensign, and the officers, we hear, will be appointed out of those regiments lately disbanded." These companies each contained a hundred men, and sailed with Admiral Boscawen to India. When the Admiral arrived at Fort St. David, Major Lawrence informed him of the great want of officers, and Admiral Boscawen recommended for commissions two volunteers who came out with him from England, and also James Kilpatrick,"* a lieutenant of Marines. In the Company's Records for 1748 I find mention made of only three companies of foot of 100 men each, and a train of artil- lery commanded by Lieutenant Merriman. From the civil nature of these old records it is difficult to find out the real state of military affairs at that time, but * This officer succeeded Captain Dalton as Commandant of Trichi- nopoly in September 1753. He saw much service under Clive, and died a major in 1757. 48 MEMOIB OF CAPTAIN DALTON. from a few letters and various odds and ends of mili- tary intelligence interspersed amongst commercial miscellanea, I may safely say that in 1748 there were not 500 European soldiers in the i{ Presidency of Madras/' Major Lawrence found no cavalry at all, and it was not till the close of 1749 that, by his advice, a troop of horse was raised, which was thought a most important step. The command of the troop was given to Captain de Gingins, the senior captain at Fort St. David. Truly the Madras "army" of 1748 was a very small one ! It is difficult to imagine a smaller army or one more deficiently officered — in numbers. There appears to have been only one Engi- neer officer in the Madras Presidency — Mr. George Jones. He was succeeded, on June 13, 1748, by Captain Alexander Delavaux, who was appointed Engi- neer and captain of the train of artillery at Fort St. David. Such was the "effective list" of the East India Company's forces when Admiral Boscawen arrived at Fort St. David with his fleet, on board which were the twelve Independent Companies, a large body of Marines, and one company of Royal Artillery. Having given a sketch of the Company's affairs, it is necessary now to return to Admiral Griffin, who was under orders for England. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN D ALTON. 49 Griffin was in Trincomalee Bay with a few of his ships, and thither came, after the raising of the siege of Pondicherry, part of Admiral Boscawen's fleet, to avoid the monsoon. In November came the news that peace had been signed between England and France in the preceding April, and, in consequence of this peace, a number of regiments were ordered to be Teduced, the ten Marine regiments being among the number. Colonel Jorden's Marines were ordered to be reduced November 8, 1748, and all the officers placed upon half-pay. The news of this general re- duction must have been a heavy blow for many of the Marine officers in India, who saw their means of livelihood taken away from them, and but very faint hopes of ever getting on the full-pay list again. Many an officer's life has been blasted by this com- pulsory retirement, which, fortunately, in these days is seldom resorted to in the case of efficient and deserving subaltern officers. Lieutenant Dalton, ac- cordingly, found himself placed on the shelf at the age of twenty-three, with only two shillings and four- pence per day. The pleasure of going home was quite •effaced by this unexpected news, and he resolved to apply to Admiral Boscawen — who was General of Marines as well as Admiral of the Blue — and to offer his services to that popular and kind-hearted 4 50 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. commander. As being placed on half-pay released him from all duty, he returned to Fort St. David where Admiral Boscawen had established himself, and offered him his services. The following extract from the official records at the War Office shows the result of his application : — " Placed upon Half Pay upon the reduction of the Regiment, tho' made 1st Lieutenant in Captain John Fletcher, sen/s, Independent Companies in the East Indies by Admiral Boscawen/' There must have been many Marine officers in India who, like Lieutenant Dalton, were placed on the shelf, nolens volens, and it speaks well for Lieutenant Dal- ton's character and soldier-like qualities, that he was at once appointed to an Independent Company by the Commander of the sea and land forces. Admiral Boscawen had orders to stay in India till further orders, and he remained at Fort St. David with the troops. The name of Edward Boscawen is a well- known one in the Valhalla of naval heroes. Many anecdotes of his coolness and firmness under the most trying circumstances have been handed down to us, and his H sayings " quoted by various writers. These bons mots, like many of the " sayings " attributed to the great Napoleon, are doubtless purely apocryphal, but, as they are characteristic of the person to whom MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 51 they relate, I may be pardoned for repeating a speech often fathered upon Admiral Boscawen.* It is related of him that, when in command of a British vessel, he was on one occasion hurriedly aroused from sleep by the 1st Lieutenant, who reported that two large French men-of-war were bearing down upon their ship, and asked his commander what he was to do ? Boscawen at once angrily replied, " Do ? why fight 'em ! d n 'em, to be sure ! " An interesting letter from an officer of the Royal Artillery to a friend at Woolwich was published in the Evening Post, in 1749, and is interesting from the graphic account given in it of the u deprivations " of a soldier's life at Fort St. David — a place very often to be mentioned in this narrative. u Extract of a letter from an Artillery officer, dated Fort St. David's, January 7, 1749 :— " We have no Business here but looking after our men, and no pleasure but waiting on the General ; for by the Bye this is as d d a place as ever men were troop'd in ; black women instead of white ; boiled Bice instead of Bread, and the Punch Houses such * Boscawen's biographer, in the Dictionary of National Biography, now in course of publication, says this speech is imaginary, but at this distance of time it is impossible to tell whether it is or not. A. * 52 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. cut-throats that a man need have the Indies to pay their bills. I warrant you think that we have Rack Punch for nothing; but it is a confounded mistake; for in ordering some they brought us so much to pay, in saying it came from Goa or Batavia, that we have been forced ever since to content ourselves with a Drink made of Toddy ; a Liquor which would not go down with you at Woolwich. However we are all cheerful and I do not think there is a Man amongst us that would wish to leave this or any other place unless the General was with us. You can't conceive what a Man he is, he is a Father to all under his command, and the Artillery, Sailors, and Independent Companies by his means love one another as Brothers. I never heard them dispute which was the best man, but I have often heard them vye with one another which would do most for their Com- mander, the Landsmen calling him General, the Sea- men, Admiral ; the poorest creatures can go to him as •easily at all hours as the Governour of the Fort can, and he receives and hears all Petitions without their going through a secretary. " I must tell you a story of him ; Benjamin Walcot, a Matross, who behaved remarkably brave at the taking of the Fort Ariocopang received there many wounds, and though all imaginary care was taken of him, yet MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 53 upon our return hither he died, and the General would honour his corpse by accompanying it to the Grave saying, 'there was no Honour too great for a man who had fought well and died for the service of his Country.' This was for a poor Matross. Had you seen him on the death of Major Goodyear* your heart would have bled. These are what have come to my knowledge ; the Sailors and Independents can speak of some instances of the like nature; in short if Humanity and sweetness of disposition, if Bravery and conduct, the rewarding of merit, the main- taining Discipline, and the severe punishment of vice, be virtues to speak a man, Boscawen is he. We all adore him, and the merchants say they love him." This officer ended his letter by saying he would not say who was to blame for the failure of the attack on Pondicherry, but " neither General or troops animated by his example could do more than they did against such Engineers, such numbers, and such a Fortifica- tion." In one respect there was little or no difference * Captain John Goodyear (with the local rank of Major in India), was killed at the siege of Pondicherry. He was a gallant and experienced Artillery officer. 54 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. between the old Marine regiments and the Royal Marines of a later creation. This similarity was in their being cast aside, when their services were no longer required by their country, and utterly forgotten until grim-visaged war had again to be faced. Most of us have heard the well-known anecdote of William IV. (then Duke of Clarence), who, at a dinner party, threw an empty bottle behind his chair, saying, " There goes a Marine," and, on being asked by an indignant Marine officer who happened to be present what he meant by that remark, the Duke readily replied it was u because he was a good fellow who had done his duty and was ready to do it again." When Lieutenant Dalton was suddenly placed on half-pay and cast aside, like an empty bottle, before he had even a chance of distinguishing himself, he stood much in need of some powerful friend ; and to Boscawen, who was as kind a hearted man as ever lived, Dalton owed his future suc- cess in life. It was Boscawen who appointed him to Fletcher's Independent Company, and it was Boscawen who, two months after making this appointment, recommended John Dalton to the East India Company at Fort St. David, who were, with the Admiral's help, making an addition to their little army. The officers of the Independent Companies knew that when they returned to England they would be all placed upon MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 55 half-pay,* and Lieutenant Dalton, having a good know- ledge of the Company's affairs from frequent sojourns at Fort St. David, and seeing a fair chance of gaining fame and fortune by staying in India, offered his ser- vices to the Company. Again it speaks highly for Lieutenant Dalton's character and abilities that he was offered a captain's commission, and the command of the Grenadier Company f newly formed. He must have been recommended for this post both by the Admiral and Major Lawrence, and when he accepted it, it was on the agreement with Admiral Boscawen that he should be allowed to receive his half-pay when he returned to England for good, as a lieutenant of His Majesty's Service, which he was then entitled to. In the half-pay muster books at the Public Record * The twelve Independent Companies were disbanded in 1750 and the officers placed on half-pay. t The first introduction of grenadiers into the British army is thus noticed by Evelyn, in his Diary, in an account of a review of troops at Hounslow by Charles II. on April 29, 1673 : " Now were brought into service a new kind of soldiers called grenadiers, who were dexterous in flinging hand granados, everyone having a pouch full ; they had furred caps with coped crowns like Janizaries, which made them look very fierce, and some had long hoods hanging down behind, as we picture fools. Their clothing being likewise piebald, yellow and red." —Vol. II. (Edit. 1854), p. 119. 56 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. Office, I find the name of Lieutenant John Dalton of Jorden's Marines with 2s. 4d. per diem for the years 1749 and 1750; but after that year, viz. after the return of Admiral Boscawen, his name disappeared from this list altogether. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. 57 CHAPTEE IV. The Kev. F. Fordyce versus Lieutenant dire and Captain Dalton. Turning over the Fort St. David ledger for 1749 (now at the India Office), which contains an omnium gatherum of miscellaneous information, I came upon the account of a Court of Inquiry held at Fort St. David to inquire into the alleged assault upon the Rev. Francis Fordyce, military chaplain at Cuddalore, by Lieutenant Robert Clive; Captain Dalton and Lieutenant John Worth being accused by Mr. Fordyce of inciting Lieutenant Clive to commit the assault. Any unpublished anecdote of Robert Clive is of interest, and as the above incident bears direct evi- dence to the friendship which already existed between Clive and Dalton, and which was a life-long one, I have no hesitation in making public an affair which brought discredit on no one except the reverend (?) gentleman who was the plaintiff in the case. .58 MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN DALTON. It seems that the Rev. F. Fordyce lodged a com- plaint againt Lieutenant Clive for having assaulted him, and also accused Captain Dalton and Lieutenant John Worth of being Clive' s accomplices, and inciting Clive to assault him. Mr. Fordyce's complaint having oome to the ears of the Governor, he was summoned to appear before the Governor and Council at Fort St. David, and to give an account of the affair. Knowing very well what would happen if the true facts of the <4>? I UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY