! BERKELEY 
 LIBRARY 
 JNIVERSMTY OP 
 CALIFORNIA 
 
 D 
 
GREAT COMMANDERS. 
 
1 They have done for me at last." Page 261. 
 
FARRAGUT 
 
 AND OTHER 
 
 GREAT COMMANDERS 
 
 A Series of Naval Biographies 
 
 W. H. DAVENPORT /ADAMS 
 
 ATTHOR OF u WASHINGTON AND OTHER GREAT COMSTANDERS," " FAMOUS SHIPS 
 OF THE BRITISH NAVY," '' WELLINGTON'S VICTORIES," ETC. 
 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS 
 
 LONDON: BROADWAY, LUDGATE HILL 
 
 NEW YORK: g LAFAYETTK PLACE 
 
A3 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 MM 
 
 I. SIR FRANCIS DRAKE .... , . , i 
 
 II. ROBERT BLAKE 72 
 
 III. LORD ANSON ..,,,.... 98 
 
 IV. LORD RODNEY *....... 130 
 
 V. EARL HOWE ......... 162 
 
 VI. EARL OF ST. VINCENT 189 
 
 VII. LORD NELSON ... . 214 
 
 VIII. SIR SIDNEY SMITH . , - % .\. . . . . . 266 
 IX. LORD COLLING \VGOU . - -r^ * . ' . . 300 
 
 X. OLIVER HAZARD PERRY, . \. . . . . 334 
 
 XI. DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT 382 
 
 XII. DAVID DIXON PORTER, ..,,.,. 432 
 
 698 
 
GREAT COMMANDERS. 
 
 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 
 
 A.D. IS4II596. 
 I. 
 
 To omit from a record of Eminent Sailors the story of Sir 
 Francis Drake would be as grievous an error as to omit from 
 the play of Hamlet the moody prince himself; yet we feel 
 some difficulty in re-telling a story that has been so often told, 
 and told by such competent tellers. 
 
 There has ever been a wonderful consensus of opinion con- 
 cerning Drake. The main lineaments of his character were so 
 bold that it was impossible to mistake them; just as the 
 principal actions of his life were of such high importance that it 
 is impossible to over-estimate them. Hence, from Stow and 
 Fuller to Froude and J. R. Green, our historians have described 
 him in almost exactly similar terms. 
 
 This is what Thomas Fuller says, in his customary quaint 
 fashion : * 
 
 "If any should be desirous to know something," he says, 
 " of Sir Francis Drake's person, he was of stature low, but set 
 and strong grown. A very religious man towards God and His 
 * FULLER, Worthies of England, art. Devon. 
 
2 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 houses, generally sparing the churches wherever he came; 
 chaste in his life, just in his dealings, true of his word, merciful 
 to those that were under him, and hating nothing so much as 
 idleness ; in matters (especially) of moment he was never wont 
 to rely on other men's care, how trusty or skilful soever they 
 might seem to be, but always contemning danger and refusing 
 no toyl; he was wont himself to be one (who ever was a 
 second) at every time, where danger, skill, or industry was to 
 be employed." 
 
 This is what John Stow says : 
 
 " He was more skilful in all points of navigation than any 
 that ever was before his time, in his time, or since his death ; 
 he was also of a perfect memory, great observation, eloquent 
 by nature, skilful in artillery, expert and apt to let blood, and 
 give physic unto his people, according to the climate ; he was 
 low of stature, of strong limbs, broad-breasted, round-headed, 
 brown hair, full bearded, his eyes round, large, and clear, well- 
 favoured, fair, and of a cheerful countenance. His name was a 
 terror to the French, Spaniard, Portugal, and Indians; many 
 princes of Italy, Germany, and others, as well enemies as 
 friends, in his lifetime desired his picture. He was the second 
 that ever went through the Straits of Magellan, and the first 
 that ever went round about the world. He was lawfully mar- 
 ried unto two wives, both young ; yet he himself, and ten of his 
 brethren, died without issue. He made his younger brother, 
 Thomas, his heir, who was with him in most and chiefest of his 
 employments. In brief, he was as famous in Europe and 
 America as Tamerlane [surely an unlucky comparison 1] in 
 Asia and Africa. 
 
 / Ambitious for honour. 
 * In his imperfections he was j Inconstant in amity. 
 
 \ Greatly affected to popularity." 
 
 Of this man, who played so large a part in the struggle 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 3 
 
 between England and Spain for the sovereignty of the ocean, 
 Mr. Froude also draws a portrait as he was in the prime of his 
 strength : 
 
 " Of middle height, with crisp brown hair, a broad, high fore- 
 head; grey, steady eyes, unusually long; small ears, tight to 
 the head ; the mouth and chin slightly concealed by the mous- 
 tache and beard, but hard, inflexible, and fierce. His dress, as 
 *ie appears in his portrait, is a loose, dark seaman's shirt, belted 
 at the waist. About his neck is a plaited cord, with a ring 
 attached to it, in which, as if the attitude was familiar, one of 
 his fingers is slung, displaying a small, delicate, but long and 
 sinewy hand. When at sea, he wore a scarlet cap with a gold 
 band, and was exacting in the respect with which he required 
 to be treated by his crew." 
 
 Francis Drake was born near Tavistock, in Devonshire, in 
 1541. His father, Edmund Drake, was a tenant of the House 
 of Bedford, and by marriage was connected with those famous 
 seamen, the Hawkinses of Plymouth. That he was esteemed by 
 the Russells, we infer from the fact that Francis was godson of 
 the second Earl, and named after him. Embracing the Pro- 
 testant doctrine, Edmund Drake fell into trouble under the Six 
 Articles Act, was forced to fly from his Devonshire home, and 
 found an asylum at Chatham, where he lived for awhile, it is 
 said, in the hull of a strandeu ship. On the accession of 
 Edward VI., he began to preach the new creed to the sailors 
 of the King's fleet, and afterwards, taking orders, was made 
 vicar of Upnor, on the Medway. 
 
 Young Drake's early years were spent in an atmosphere 
 that smacked of the sea, and while yet a boy he was ap- 
 prenticed in a Channel coaster. Being " painful and diligent," 
 he so won upon his master's affection and esteem, that at his 
 death he bequeathed to him the vessel which constituted his 
 sole fortune. He was then about twenty-three. At this 
 
4 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 John Hawkins, a man of bold and enterprising character, who 
 had previously made two voyages to the Spanish Main in con- 
 nection with the slave trade not then stamped with the 
 infamy that afterwards was so justly attached to it undertook 
 a third expedition, and persuaded Drake to join hirn in it. 
 For this purpose he sold his vessel, and accompanied by some 
 of his Kentish friends, repaired to Plymouth. 
 
 The little squadron collected by Hawkins consisted of one 
 large ship of 700 tons, the Jesus of Lubeck, lent to him by the 
 Queen, in which was hoisted his own flag ; the Minion, Cap- 
 tain John Hampton ; the William and John, Captain Thomas 
 Bolton j and \hzjudith, Captain Francis Drake. 
 
 They sailed from Plymouth on the 2nd of October, 1567; 
 and reaching the Cape de Verde, landed a body of 150 men in 
 the hope of securing a supply of unfortunate negroes. They 
 obtained but few, however, and those few at heavy cost ; for 
 many of the kidnappers were wounded by the poisoned arms 
 of the natives ; and, two days afterwards, died of their wounds. 
 The poison seems to have produced a kind of tetanus or lock- 
 jaw. Cruising along the Guinea coast, they succeeded, at a 
 further cost of life, in obtaining about 200 negroes in all, after 
 which they made for St. George da Mina. There a negro chief 
 came to solicit their aid against the neighbouring potentate, 
 offering them in reward all the negroes that should be taken. 
 Hawkins was tempted by the prospect of so much booty, and 
 sent a contingent of 150 men, who assaulted a palisaded town 
 or village of some 8,000 inhabitants, but met with so stout an 
 opposition that they were compelled to solicit additional 
 support. " Whereupon," says Hawkins, "considering that the 
 good success of this enterprise might highly further the com- 
 modity of our voyage, I went myself; and with the help of the 
 king of our side, assaulted the town both by land and sea." 
 After a hard struggle it was set on fire, and the inhabitants 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 5 
 
 fled in dismay, leaving 250 men, women, and children in 
 Hawkins's hands, besides 600 whom his negro ally had captured, 
 hut, when the victory was won, refused to give up in fulfilment 
 of his promise. 
 
 Lingering no more upon the African coast, Hawkins and 
 his comrades stretched away to Dominica, and stopping at 
 various points on its coast, proceeded to exchange their negroes 
 for gold and silver. In voyaging towards Florida the little 
 squadron was buffeted by a succession of gales, and put into 
 the harbour of San Juan d'Ulloa. Thence Hawkins sent a 
 message to the Viceroy of Mexico, to the effect that stress 
 of weather had driven him into that port, that he was in want 
 of provisions, and that his ships needed repair ; and that as 
 Englishmen and friends of Spain he and his comrades desired 
 permission to purchase what they wanted. On the morrow 
 they saw in the offing thirteen great ships of Spain ; and 
 Hawkins immediately apprised their admiral that he would 
 not suffer them to enter the harbour until conditions of peace 
 had been decided upon between them a message of sublime 
 audacity when sent by the captain of five small weather- 
 beaten craft to the commander of a noble fleet. 
 
 " And here," says Hawkins, " I begun to bewail that which 
 after followed, for now, said I, I am in two dangers, and forced 
 to receive the one of them. That was, either I must have 
 kept out the fleet from entering the port, the which with God's 
 help I was able to do, or else suffer them to enter in with their 
 accustomed treason, which they never fail to execute, where 
 they may have opportunity to compass it by any means ; if I 
 had kept them out, then had there been present shipwreck of all 
 the fleet, which amounted in value to 6,000. ooo pieces of eight, 
 which was in value of our money ;i, 800,000, which I considered 
 I was not able to answer, fearing the Queen's Majesty's indigna- 
 tion in so weighty a matter, Thus with myself revolving thes 
 
EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 doubts, I thought rather better to avoid the jutt of the un- 
 certainty than the certainty ; the uncertain doubt, I account, 
 was their treason, which by good policy I hoped might be 
 prevented ; and therefore, as choosing the least mischief, I 
 proceeded to conditions." 
 
 These conditions were : assurance of security for himself, his 
 people, and his ships: liberty to trade and purchase provisions; 
 and temporary occupation of the island, with possession of the 
 eleven pieces of brass cannon planted upon it. The Spaniards 
 accepted them, and their fleet then passed into the harbour 
 amidst mutual salutations ; after which the English ships ranged 
 up on one side, and the Spanish on the other, " the captains 
 and inferior persons of either part offering and showing great 
 courtesy to one another, and promising great amity on all 
 sides." The good-will and courtesy of the Spaniards were 
 simply intended to lull the suspicion and disarm the vigilance 
 of the English ; and, watching their opportunity, they suddenly 
 attacked Hawkins's little fleet, capturing and burning three of 
 the ships, making their crews prisoners, and compelling the 
 smaller vessels to escape as best they might, without provisions, 
 after a desperately heroic struggle. 
 
 One of the survivors* has left on record a plain, unvarnished 
 description of the slaughter of St. Jean d'Ulloa. The Minion, 
 he says, which was in a tolerable state of defence, ''hauled away, 
 and abode the first brunt of the three hundred men " on board 
 the largest Spanish galleon. Then they (the Spaniards) sought 
 to fall on board the Jesus ; a cruel fight ensued, and many of 
 the defenders were slain. The fesus by this time had slipped 
 her moorings, and came to the support of the Minion; the 
 fight waxed hot, but the Spaniards had got possession of the 
 island, and the English suffered heavily from the fire of the 
 battery of brass cannon. So that before long the Jesus wass 
 
 * MU&* ?iu!i|>S| whose aajrutive i* f>ieaen$U ia Hakluvt'g Coitaios 5 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 7 
 
 "very sore spoiled ;" and the discomfiture was complete when 
 the Spaniards sent against her a couple of fire-ships. " How- 
 beit the Minion, which had made her sails ready, shifted for 
 herself, without consent of the general, captain, or master, so 
 that very hardly our general could be received into the Minion, 
 and those which the small boat was not able to receive were 
 most cruelly slain by the Spaniards." None of Hawkins's 
 ships escaped except the Minion and the Judith Drake's 
 vessel, which he seems to have handled with wariness and 
 courage ; and all such of their crews as were not on board them 
 " were inforced to abide the tyrannous cruelty of the Spaniards. 
 For it is a certain truth, that whenever they had taken certain of 
 our men ashore, they took and hung them up by the arms, 
 upon high posts, until the blood burst out of their ringers' 
 ends, of which men so used there is one Copston and certain 
 others yet alive, who by the merciful providence of the Almighty 
 were long since arrived here in England, carrying still about with 
 them (and shall go to their graves) the marks and tokens of 
 those their inhuman and more than barbarous cruel deal- 
 ings." 
 
 In the contest the Spaniards lost three ships, two being sunk 
 and one burnt. 
 
 Drake, in the Judith, made the best of his way back to 
 England, much the poorer for his venture, and animated with 
 an intense desire to be revenged upon the Spaniards. And 
 with Drake where there was a will a way was sure to be found. 
 By some means or other he contrived to equip two small ships, 
 the Dragon and the Swan, with which he made a voyage to 
 the West Indies in 1570; in the following year he under 
 took a second voyage in the Swan alone. These were recon- 
 noitring expeditions, "to gain such intelligence as might furthei 
 him to get some amends for his loss." And having acquired 
 full and satisfactory information of the condition of the 
 
O EMINENT SAILORS. . 
 
 settlements, he prepared for a longer voyage and a bolder 
 enterprise with the prudence and forethought that distinguished 
 him beyond all other Elizabethan navigators. No doubt one 
 prominent thought in his mind was the acquisition of a great 
 booty ; but this was not his only, perhaps not his chief motive. 
 Drake was at bottom a Puritan, and inspired by the true Puri- 
 tanic hatred of the " superstitions " of Rome. He was also a 
 thorough Englishman, and resolute to break down the mono- 
 poly of the seas which Spain arrogated to herself. Thus a 
 twofold feeling, patriotic and religious, inspired him against 
 the Spaniard, and led him to regard his projected buccaneering 
 expedition in the light in which one of the early Crusaders 
 regarded the march into the Holy Land, or the Swiss heroes 
 their war with Charles the Bold of Burgundy. Moreover, Eng- 
 lish seamen had been done to death in Mexican prisons and 
 on the Cadiz galleys ; others had been burnt as heretics 
 at Seville. Drake aspired to be their avenger. He would 
 exact a terrible retribution for the innocent blood that had 
 been treacherously shed. All these motives combined to 
 strengthen the fibre of his purpose ; and in them was enough 
 of the heroic to elevate and dignify his character, and fit him 
 for the work he was appointed to do. 
 
 On the 2Qth of May, 1572, he set sail for the Spanish Main, 
 having under his command the Pasha, of 70 tons, and the 
 Swan, of 25 tons, the latter bearing the flag of his brother 
 John. On board these two small craft went some seventy-three 
 men and boys, of whom the eldest man was fifty, and all the rest 
 under thirty years of age, so divided that there were forty-seven in 
 one ship and twenty-six in the other. Both vessels were " richly 
 furnished with victuals and apparel for a whole year ; and no 
 less needfully provided of all manner of munition, artillery, 
 stuff, and tools that were requisite for such a man-of-war in 
 such an attempt, but especially having three dainty pinnaces^ 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 9 
 
 taken asunder all in pieces, and stowed aboard, to be set up 
 as occasion served." 
 
 Occasion so served at Port Pheasant, in the island of Santa 
 Martha, where Drake rested his men from the 2nd to the 22nd 
 of July. With his usual wanness, Drake fortified himself on a 
 plot of three-quarters of an acre of ground, enclosing it within 
 a stout palisade, and having only one gate to issue at, near 
 the waterside, which every night was shut up, with a great 
 tree drawn athwart it. He was joined here by an English 
 barque of the Isle of Wight, belonging to Sir Edward Horsey, 
 wherein James Rouse was captain and John Overy master. 
 On the 22nd Drake took his three pinnaces and Captain 
 Rouse's shallop, with fifty picked men, well armed, and set out 
 forNombre de Dios. There he met with some friendly natives, 
 the Symerons, who had been ill-treated by the Spaniards, and 
 guessing that they might in the future be of some assistance 
 to him, he carried them to the mainland. His descent upon 
 Nombre de Dios had all the advantage of a surprise ; and it 
 was not until he reached the market-place that he met with 
 any opposition. The Spaniards encountered him there with a 
 volley of shot, which he returned with a deadly flight of arrows 
 that overcame their resolution. They fled precipitately; but 
 Drake himself received a dangerous wound, which he was 
 careful to conceal, knowing that if the general's heart stoops 
 the men's will fail, and that if so bright an opportunity once 
 setteth it seldom riseth again. Leaving twelve men in charge 
 of the pinnaces, he divided his little company into two sec- 
 tions, which, parading through different parts of the town, with 
 drums rolling and trumpets blaring, effectually terrified the 
 enemy. 
 
 Drake then made his Spanish prisoners lead him to the 
 governor's house, where, in a lower chamber, lay a glittering 
 heap of bars of silver, each of which they computed to weigh 
 
IO EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 between thirty-five and forty pounds ; and afterwards he strode 
 away to the royal treasure-house, telling his followers that he 
 had brought them to the mouth of the treasury of the world, 
 and that if they did not gain it none but themselves were to be 
 blamed. He ordered his brother, with John Oxenham and 
 eighteen men, to break it open, while he with the rest 
 mounted guard in the market-place. But as he stepped 
 forward strength and sight and speech suddenly failed, and 
 he fainted from loss of blood. Great was the alarm of his 
 men, who felt that their success and safety depended wholly 
 on Drake's genius and courage. They gave him a stimulating 
 drink, bound up his wound with his scarf, and when he re- 
 covered conveyed him, much against his will, to his pinnace. 
 Several of his men were wounded, but only one, a trumpeter, 
 was slain. Many of them loaded themsel/es with booty 
 before they left the place. The wines in a Spanish ship which 
 they found in the harbour they took along with them for the 
 relief of their captain and their own enjoyment, and conveyed 
 their prize to an island named for the nonce the " Island of 
 Victuals." There they sojourned two days to cure their 
 wounded men, and refresh themselves in its prolific "gardens," 
 which abounded in all sorts of roots, fruits, poultry, and " other 
 fowls no less strange than delicate." An officer from the gar- 
 rison of Nombre de Dios paid them a visit, ostensibly out of 
 wonder and curiosity, and to see the heroes of so incredible an 
 enterprise, but really, it was believed, at the instigation of the 
 governor. He asked whether the commander was the same 
 Captain Drake who had been on their coast the two preced- 
 ing years, and whether their arrows were poisoned, and what 
 cure might be found for the wounds they inflicted. 
 
 Yes, quoth Drake, he was the man they meant ; but it was 
 no custom of his to poison arrows, and the wounds given by 
 English weapons might be healed by ordinary remedies. As for 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. II 
 
 himself, he wanted nothing more than some of that excellent 
 commodity, gold and silver, which the country yielded, for 
 himself and his company ; and, by the help of God, he 
 was resolved to reap of the golden harvest which they got 
 out of the earth, and then sent into Spain to trouble all the 
 world. 
 
 To this bold answer the Spaniard replied : " If he might 
 without offence put such a question, what then was the cause 
 of their departure from the town at that time, when it contained 
 above 360 tons of silver ready for the fleet, and much more 
 gold in value resting in iron chests in the King's treasure- 
 house?" 
 
 But when Drake had explained the true cause of his reluc- 
 tant retreat, he acknowledged that the Englishmen had no less 
 reason in departing than courage in attempting. 
 
 Thus, with great freedom and courteous entertainment, besides 
 such gifts from the captain as most contented him, he was dis- 
 missed after dinner to make report of what he had seen, pro- 
 testing he had never been honoured so much of any in his 
 life. 
 
 Returning to the Isle of Pines, Drake parted with Captain 
 Rouse, who showed no disposition to pursue the adventure, 
 and with his two ships and three pinnaces set sail for Carta- 
 gena. From information furnished by a prisoner, he learned 
 that his presence on the coast was known and prepared for, 
 and that an attack upon Cartagena had become an impossi- 
 bility. His future enterprises, he saw, would depend mainly on 
 the use he could make of his pinnaces, and as he had not sea- 
 men to man them if he kept up the complement of his two 
 vessels, he resolved on destroying one of them. So desperate 
 a project could not be carried out openly ; and therefore he 
 instructed the carpenter of the Swan, in the middle of the 
 second watch, to steal down into the hold, and bore three holes 
 
12 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 as near the keel as he could, taking precautions to deaden tha 
 sound of the inrushing water. 
 
 On the following morning, August I3th, Drake went out 
 with his brother in his pinnace, fishing; and at the proper 
 time said to him carelessly : " Why is your ship so deep in the 
 water ? " An alarm was raised, and one of the men hastening 
 below, found himself waist-deep in water. Immediately he 
 cried out that " the ship was sinking ! " The pumps were set 
 going ; but as the depth of water increased instead of diminish- 
 ing, the crew gladly accepted Drake's proposal that they should 
 abandon their sinking craft, and go on board one of the pin- 
 naces. 
 
 On the 1 5th Drake steered for the Sound of Darien in search 
 of a sequestered cove where he might lay up his ship, and so 
 delude the Spaniards into a belief that he had quitted the 
 coast. He discovered what he wanted, landed his men, 
 cleaned his vessels, and collected supplies of fresh provisions. 
 Then, on the 5th of September, leaving his brother in charge 
 of the ship and one of the pinnaces, with the other two pin- 
 naces he cruised about, and made several prizes. In the 
 middle of October he took the three pinnaces and anchored 
 in sight of Cartagena, for he knew it would not be safe to land. 
 On the 20th the Spaniards sent out a couple of frigates with- 
 out any cargo in them, in tbe hope, it is supposed, that Drake 
 would take and man them, and thus weaken his force by 
 dividing it. But he was too wary, and contented himself with 
 burning one and sinking the other, in sight of the full-manned 
 frigates, which sailed out of the harbour only to sail back 
 again. He then landed alone, in defiance of all the Spanish 
 soldiers collected on the hillside or concealed within the 
 woods an act of daring which finds its sole excuse in the 
 profound admiration it excited in the breasts both of his 
 enemies and his followers. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 13 
 
 On the 27th of November he returned to his ship, where he 
 was apprised of the deaths of his brother John, and of a young 
 man called Richard Allen, both of whom were killed in an 
 attempt to board a Spanish frigate. In January, Drake's little 
 company was smitten with a calculus, which carried off eight- 
 and-twenty victims ; but, nothing daunted, that resolute leader 
 completed his arrangements for crossing the isthmus to Pa- 
 nama, and set out on Shrove Tuesday, February 3rd, with 
 sixteen Englishmen and fifty Symerons. In eight days the little 
 party arrived near the summit of a lofty hill, on the very 
 crest of which flourished a great tree, commanding a view 
 of the vast Pacific. One of the Symeron chiefs, taking 
 our sea-captain by the hand, desired him to ascend some 
 steps which had been fashioned in the trunk of " that 
 goodly and great high tree," into an arbour constructed 
 amidst its branches ; and there he sat, and gazed with pro- 
 found emotion on the shining waters that spread away on 
 either hand to the farthest horizon. And, as he gazed, he 
 solemnly besought God to give him life and leave once to 
 sail an English ship upon them. As we know, to the prayers 
 of men such as Drake Providence usually vouchsafes the 
 desired answer. " From that time forward," says Camden, 
 " his mind was pricked on continually night and day to per- 
 form his vow." 
 
 The incident is sufficiently picturesque ; but it has escaped 
 commemoration by our English poets, except by one of the 
 minor order, Sir William Davenant, the author of " Goudibert," 
 who has made "the History of Sir Francis Drake" the subject of 
 a kind of opera, masque, or musical drama of no great merit. 
 In the fourth scene or tableau, the hill and tree associated with 
 the hero's first view of the Pacific are duly represented, and the 
 following dialogue occurs between Drake and Pedro, the 
 Symeron chief : 
 
!4 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 "Drake. Is this that most renowned of Western treei, 
 On whose main-top 
 Thou gav'st me hope 
 To view the North and South Atlantic seas ? 
 
 Pedro. It is. Therefore, with speed, 
 
 Thither, my chief, proceed : 
 
 And when you, climbing, have attained the height, 
 Report will grow authentic, by your sight. 
 
 Drake. When from those lofty branches, I 
 
 The South Atlantic spy, 
 
 My vows shall higher fly, 
 Till they with highest heav'n prevail, 
 That, as I see it, I may on it sail. 
 
 Drake, jun. No English keel hath yet that ocean plow'd. 
 
 Pedro. If prophecy from me may be allow'd, 
 
 Renowned Drake, Heaven does decree 
 
 That happy enterprise to thee : 
 
 For thou of all the Britons art the first 
 
 That boldly durst 
 This Western World invade : 
 And as thou now art made 
 The first to whom that ocean will be shown, 
 So to thy isle thou first shalt make it known." 
 
 On approaching Panama, the little band of adventurers 
 sought concealment in a thick wood bordering on the road 
 from Panama to Nombre de Dios, while one of the -Symerons, 
 disguised as a native of Panama, went out to inquire when one 
 of the recoes^ or convoys of mules laden with treasure for 
 Europe, would pass that way. He ascertained that the 
 trei^iirr of Lima would start that very night with nine mules, 
 eigh" carrying gold and one jewels, and Drake immediately 
 took measures to intercept him. At a convenient point near 
 Vera Cruz he made his men lie down among the thick high 
 grass, half on one side of the road and half on the other, but 
 with the one party mounted in advance to insure that the 
 whole string of mule should be simultaneously attacked, In 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 15 
 
 about an hour the welcome sound of the mules' bells tinkled in 
 the ears of the expectant adventurers, but unfortunately a 
 varlet, heated with liquor, was so excited by the prospect of a 
 great booty, that he rushed from his line before Drake's signal 
 was given, and being seen by one of the Spaniards in the van of 
 the convoy, enabled him to give the alarm. The mules were 
 hastily sent back, and all through the country-side arose a call 
 to arms. 
 
 In a position of so much danger, Drake judged the boldest 
 course to be the safest ; and instead of retreating, ordered his 
 men to advance against the Spanish position. There was 
 something in his dauntless demeanour which cowed the 
 Spaniards. After a feeble resistance they retreated hastily into 
 the city, with Drake's fighting-men at their heels. Thus one of 
 the chief European settlements on the American coast fell into 
 the hands of a small company of adventurers as swiftly as 
 Jericho at the sound of Joshua's trumpet ! Drake's prudence 
 was not inferior to his daring; and he forbore to raise the 
 inhabitants to resistance by any act of high-handed power. He 
 behaved with courtesy and forbearance, exacted a moderate 
 ransom, and then, utterly unopposed, began the return march 
 to his ship, which he reached on the 23rd of February. 
 
 Continuing his predatory career, he captured between Rio 
 Francisco and Nombre de Dios three recoes of 49 mules 
 in all, carrying 300 Ibs. weight of silver. The plunder 
 was too heavy to be removed all at once, and a portion 
 was hidden in holes and pools, where the Spaniards afterwards 
 discovered it ; with the rest Drake inarched to the Rio Francisco 
 (April 3rd). His pinnaces, however, were not there to meet 
 him, but instead, he descried some Spanish shallops, well 
 armed and equipped, which were evidently prepared to attack. 
 Recognising the urgent necessity of reaching the pinnaces be- 
 fore the Spaniards, he drew upon his inventive resources, and 
 
l6 EMtNENt SAILORS. 
 
 ordered a raft to be swiftly made, upon which, with a biscuit- 
 sack for sail, and a young sapling for rudder, accompanied by 
 three volunteers, he boldly put to sea. For six hours he 
 continued his laborious voyage, he and his companions sitting 
 waist-deep in water, and at every rolling wave sinking to their 
 armpits. Then, to his high delight, the pinnaces were seen 
 approaching them ; but at dusk, not perceiving the water- 
 logged raft, they altered their course, and ran with the wind 
 to take shelter under a point of land. Drake immediately 
 steered for the shore, and walking across the little promontory 
 had the satisfaction of regaining his ships, in which he embarked 
 at once for the Rio Francisco. It was then time to turn their 
 faces homeward ; but first he rewarded the Symerons liberally 
 for their faithful assistance, and to Pedro, the Symeron chief, 
 presented a richly wrought scimitar. The gift so delighted 
 Pedro that he pressed upon Drake in return five wedges of 
 gold, which the politic sea-captain threw into the common 
 stock, remarking, " It was only just that those who bore part 
 of the charge with him in setting him to sea, should likewise 
 enjoy their full proportion of the advantage at his return." 
 
 With a good wind Drake covered the distance between 
 Cape Florida and the Scilly Isles in twenty-three days, and 
 arrived in Plymouth on Sunday morning, the 9th of August, 
 '1573. At the news of his return the congregation turned their 
 backs on the preacher, as the congregations in some of the 
 smuggling villages on the south coast were wont to do when a 
 contraband cargo was " run " on a Sunday, and hastened to 
 welcome the bold seaman. The welcome spread from town to 
 town, and was taken up by Elizabeth and her court, for all 
 England instinctively came to the conclusion that in Drake 
 they had a man upon whom firm reliance might safely be put in 
 the hour of the national need. 
 
 The interest of Drake's career necessarily centres in his 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 17 
 
 wonderful voyages, and over the five years that he spent in 
 comparative inaction, from 1572 to 1577, the biographer may 
 pass at a bound. That they were well utilised by Drake we have 
 good evidence to show. It is clear that he worked his way 
 into the confidence of the Queen and of many of the leading 
 nobles, for in the last-named year he was able to organize an 
 expedition inconsiderable from our modern point of view, but 
 quite a splendid fleet in the judgment of his contemporaries 
 to carry out his heart's special desire, the navigation of the 
 great South Sea, and an attack upon the Spanish monopoly of 
 the treasures of Peru. This expedition consisted of his own 
 ship, the Pelican, of 120 tons; the Elizabeth, 80 tons, Captain 
 John Winter ; the Marigold, 30 tons, Captain John Thomas ; 
 the Swan, a flyboat, 50 tons, Captain John Chester ; and the 
 Christopher, a pinnace of 15 tons, Captain Thomas Clevon. 
 
 The Pelican, the largest vessel of the little squadron, was no 
 larger than " the smallest class of our modern Channel 
 schooners," but she was splendidly fitted up. Drake, like all 
 the great Elizabethans, like Elizabeth herself, was fond of pomp 
 and bravery ; they were congenial to his taste ; but he also 
 knew their influence on the minds of men, and their value as 
 the accompaniments and evidence of authority. He " did not 
 omit," says Prince, " to make provision for ornament and 
 delight ; carrying to this purpose with him expert musicians, 
 rich furniture (all the vessels for his tables, yea, many belonging 
 to the workroom, being of pure silver), with divers stores 
 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." 
 
 Besides rich furniture and all sorts of curious workmanship, 
 the Pelican carried twenty brass and iron guns, with others as 
 ballast in her hold, heavy stores of cartridges, wild-fire, chain- 
 shot, guns, pistols, bores, and other weapons in great abun- 
 
 C 
 
1 8 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 dance. Her consorts were not less completely equipped. The 
 total complement of men on board the squadron was 164. 
 Such great preparations aroused the suspicions of the Spanish 
 ambassador, who, through traitors at Elizabeth's court, ascer- 
 tained that the expedition was bound for the coast of Peru, and 
 wrote to the Madrid Government to warn the Viceroy, and 
 direct him " to sink every vessel that he could meet, with every 
 living thing on board." If any mercy were shown, there would 
 be no more peace for the Indies. Fortunately for Drake, no 
 heed was given to Mendoza's counsel, and the Spanish officers 
 in the New World were left to be taken by surprise. 
 
 On the 1 5th of November, 1577, Drake set sail, but encoun- 
 tering a violent gale, was compelled to put into Falmouth^ and 
 thence to return to Plymouth to refit and repair. The weather 
 moderating, he set sail a second time on the i3th of December. 
 His ships were well-found and swift sailers, and they ran to 
 Mogador in twelve days. On his way to Cape Blanco he 
 captured a caravel of forty tons, which he substituted for the 
 Christopher. At the Cape de Verde Islands he stayed for five 
 weeks in Elizabeth's time men did everything leisurely, even 
 great deeds! trading with the natives, and capturing and 
 rifling several Spanish and Portuguese vessels. Stretching 
 across the Atlantic, they passed the equator on the iQth of 
 February, 1578, and reached the coast of America, in lat. 
 33* S., on the 5th of April. Skirting the coast, Drake looked 
 inU the vast river-estuary of La Plata, where to his astonish- 
 ment he found fresh water in 5^ fathoms. Several seals were 
 killed and salted for future use. 
 
 Putting to sea again, Drake lost sight of the Swan and the 
 Portuguese prize, which had been re-christened the Mary. Cap- 
 tain Winter was sent in search of them ; he brought in the 
 former, but the latter was seen no more. On the Patagonian coast 
 they trafficked with the natives, who painted themselves, we 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 19 
 
 are told, all over their body, some with one shoulder white and 
 the other black, some with white moons and others with black 
 suns. They wore no other covering than a skin. " Magel- 
 liaens," says the chronicler of the voyage,* " was not altogether 
 deceived in naming them giants, for they generally differ from 
 the common sort of men, both in stature, bigness, and strength 
 of body, as also in the hideousness of their voice ; but yet they 
 are nothing so monstrous or giant-like as they were reported, 
 there being some Englishmen as tall as the highest of any that 
 we could see ; but, peradventure, the Spaniards did not think 
 that ever any Englishman could come thither to reprove them, 
 and thereupon might presume the more boldly to lie ; the 
 name Pentagones, five cubits, nearing y feet, describing the 
 full height (if not somewhat more) of the highest of them." 
 There are no grounds for believing that, in reality, they 
 exceeded the ordinary stature of Europeans. 
 
 On the 2oth of June Drake dropped anchor in Port St. 
 Julian, which was fated to become the scene of a lamentable 
 tragedy. Drake's second in command was a Mr. Thomas 
 Doughty, a gentleman belonging to an old Catholic family. 
 For some unknown cause he showed a mutinous disposition, 
 and Drake deemed it necessary to bring him before a court- 
 martial consisting of all the seamen of the squadron, lest his 
 ill example should be followed by others, and imperil the 
 expedition. Partly by Doughty's own confession, and partly 
 by independent evidence, his disloyalty was established; 
 " which, when our General saw, although his private affection 
 to Mr. Doughty (as he then in presence of all sacredly pro- 
 tested) was great, yet the care he had of the state of the voyage, 
 of the expectation of her Majesty, and of the honour of his 
 country, did more touch him (as indeed it ought) than the 
 
 * " The World Encompassed," edited by Drake's nephew, also a Sir 
 p>ancis. See, too, Francis Pretty's narrative (Hakluyt). 
 
20 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 private respect of one man ; so that the cause being thoroughly 
 heard, and all things done in good order, as near as might be 
 to the course of our laws in England, it was concluded that 
 Mr. Doughty should receive punishment according to the 
 quality of the offence. And he, seeing no remedy but patience 
 for himself, desired before his death to receive the communion, 
 which he did at the hands of Mr. Fletcher, our minister, and 
 our General himself accompanied him in that holy action. 
 Which being done, and the place of execution made ready, he, 
 having embraced our General, and taken his leave of all the 
 company, with prayer for the Queen's Majestic and our realm, 
 in quiet sort laid his head to the block, where he ended his 
 life." 
 
 Some authorities have suggested that in this matter Drake 
 was the agent of the Earl of Leicester, who had his special 
 cause for dreading and suspecting Doughty ; but then Drake's 
 men must also be regarded as accomplices, and there is no 
 reason to charge them with* such wholesale subserviency. Nor 
 does it seem probable that Drake would have postponed the 
 blow for so many months. Mr. Froude, on the other hand, 
 looks upon Doughty as an agent of the priests, employed to 
 thwart and baffle Drake in his enterprise. The true explana- 
 tion we take to be that which lies on the surface : Doughty 
 was an ambitious and discontented man, who endeavoured to 
 excite a mutiny against Drake, and his sharp and swift 
 punishment was absolutely essential to the success of the 
 expedition. 
 
 At Port St. Julian the Portuguese prize, the Mary, being no 
 longer seaworthy, was broken up; and Drake's fleet was 
 reduced to three ships, the Pelican, the Elizabeth, and the 
 
 " The fruits of the voyage were now about to commence. 
 No Englishman had as yet passed Magellan's Straits Cape 
 
SIR FRANCIS BRAKE. 2 I 
 
 Horn was unknown. Tierra del Fuego was supposed to be 
 part of a solid continent which stretched unbroken to the 
 Antarctic Pole. A single narrow channel was the only access 
 to the Pacific then believed to exist. There were no charts, 
 no records of past experiences. It was known that Magellan 
 had gone through, but that was all. It was the wildest and 
 worst season of the year, and the vessels in which the attempt 
 was to be made were cockshells." But no difficulties or 
 dangers could daunt our great sea-captain when there was 
 work to be done. Moreover, what had been possible to a 
 Catholic Spaniard was surely possible to a Protestant English- 
 man. On the 2oth of August he entered the Straits, and care- 
 fully steered through their winding and irregular passage, with 
 walls of mountain frowning on either hand, so drawing together 
 at certain points as apparently to present no outlet. When 
 near the western extremity, Drake allowed his men to land on 
 " a large and fruitful island," which he christened Elizabetha, 
 in honour of the Queen, and they amused themselves with a 
 massacre of penguins, killing three thousand in one day. 
 They found there " many fruitful valleys, full of grass, and 
 herds of very strange creatures feeding. The trees were green, 
 and the air temperate, the water pleasant, and the soil agreeable 
 for any of our country grain ; and nothing wanting to make a 
 happy region, but the people's knowing and worshipping the 
 true God." 
 
 After a voyage extending over three weeks, Drake's ships 
 passed out into the Pacific (September 6th), to find that never 
 was name more inappositely bestowed ! A tremendous gale 
 arose, which carried them a hundred leagues or more to the 
 south-west, and for six weeks buffeted them about most 
 sorely. The cutter went down with her living freight, and 
 perished. The Pelican and the Elizabeth, after driving to the 
 south of Cape Horn, and discovering that Tierra del Fuego 
 
22 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 was an island, were separated ; and the latter re-entered the 
 Straits, and was navigated back to England by her faint- 
 hearted captain. The more resolute Drake found shelter for 
 the Pelican, or the Golden Hind, as he had renamed her, 
 among the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, where he re- 
 freshed his crew with good water and wholesome herbs, 
 and waited until returning spring brought with it more genial 
 weather. 
 
 The storm subsided on the 3oth of October, and Drake then 
 ran to the northward to the rendezvous which he had appointed 
 for his squadron in the latitude of Valparaiso. None of his 
 consorts, however, appeared ; and after a short delay he con- 
 tinued his exploration of the coast. On the 3oth of November he 
 landed in St. Philip's Bay, and opened up a friendly intercourse 
 with the Indians, one of whom piloted him to a place called 
 by the Spaniards Volpaieja, where he obtained supplies of 
 every kind, and plundered a Spanish ship of gold and other 
 valuables. We find him afterwards at Tarapaca, in about 20 
 S. lat., where they found the Spaniards asleep, with a heap of 
 thirteen silver bars, worth about 4,000 ducats, by their side. 
 Drake would not allow his men to do the sleepers any injury, 
 but carried off their treasure.* 
 
 Silver bullion brought down from the mountains was shipped here. " It 
 was as when men set foot for the first time on some shore where the forms 
 of their race have never before been seen, and the animals come fearlessly 
 round them, and the birds feed upon their hands, ignorant as yet of the 
 deadly nature of the beings in whom they trust so rashly. The colonists 
 of the New World, when they saw a sail approaching, knew no misgiving, 
 and never dreamt that it could be other than a friend. The silver bars lay 
 piled at the Tarapaca pier ; by their side the weary labourers who had 
 brought them from the mines were peacefully sleeping, or if they heard 
 the clash of the moving metal supposed that their comrades had arrived 
 for their lading. There was no gratuitous cruelty in Drake ; he was come 
 for the treasure of Peru, and beyond seizing his plunder he did not care to 
 injure the people. As the last bars were being stowed away in his boats 
 a train of llamas appeared bringing from the hills a second freight as rich 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 23 
 
 On the i3th of February, 1579, Drake arrived at Callao, the 
 port of Lima, and boldly entering the harbour, rifled seven- 
 teen Spanish merchant vessels which he found lying there of 
 all that they had of value and easy of removal. To secure 
 himself from pursuit, he cut the cables of these ships, and let 
 them drive. Then he was informed that a vessel named the 
 Cacafuego, and known as "the great glory of the South Sea," had 
 sailed for Panama but a few days before, laden with jewels and 
 precious stones, and carrying also several precious boxes of gold 
 and silver. Crowding on all his canvas, Drake sped northward 
 in pursuit of her, promising a gold chain to the man who first 
 sighted the coveted argosy. On the second day he fell in with 
 and boarded a brigantine, from which he took eighty pounds of 
 purest gold in wedges, and a large crucifix studded with eme- 
 ralds of the size of pigeons' eggs. He would also have carried 
 off the ship, but by this time two half-armed Spanish cruisers 
 which the Viceroy of Callao had dispatched came up with 
 him, and allowed his prize to join its friends. Smitten with 
 fear of the redoubtable Drake, the cruisers went back to Lima 
 for more men and more guns, while Drake sailed swiftly 
 onward. 
 
 At length, one degree north of the equator, off Quito, and 
 close to the shore, the look-out man, John Drake, our hero's 
 nephew, claimed the promised gold chain because he had de- 
 scried the chase. From the peculiar size and shape of her canvas 
 she was known to be the Cacafuego^ and a prize the capture of 
 which would enrich every man on board the Golden Hind. She 
 was several miles ahead ; and it was necessary not to alarm her 
 suspicion, lest she should run in under the wind and escape them. 
 There were several hours of daylight, and Drake did not wish to 
 
 as the first. This, too, was transferred to the Pelican. Four hundred 
 thousand ducats' worth of silver were taken in one afternoon." JK.OUDE, 
 History of England, xi. 130, 131. 
 
24 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 come up with her until dusk. The/W/Vwz sailed two feet to the 
 Cacafuego's one, and to equalise their speed, lest the Spaniards 
 should take alarm, he filled his empty wine-casks with water, and 
 towed them astern. Meanwhile, the unsuspicious chase, " glad 
 of company on a lonely voyage," slackened sail, and waited 
 for the approaching vessel. At sunset, when both ships were 
 invisible from the land, the casks were hoisted in ; the Pelican 
 recovered her usual sailing trim, and coming up within a 
 cable's length of the Cacafucgo, hailed to her to run into the 
 wind. The Spanish commander, unable to comprehend the 
 order, took no heed of it ; whereupon Drake opened his ports, 
 and with his first broadside brought down the galleon's main- 
 mast. Her decks were swept by a shower of arrows, with one 
 of which the Don himself was wounded. Then the English- 
 men rushed on board, and in a few minutes drove the Spaniards 
 below deck, and took possession of the ship. " The wreck 
 was cut away, the ship cleared, and her head turned to the 
 sea ; by daybreak even the line of the Andes had become 
 invisible ; and at leisure, in the open ocean, the work of rifling 
 began. The full value of the plunder taken in this ship was 
 never accurately confessed. It remained a secret between 
 Drake and the Queen. In a schedule afterwards published, 
 he acknowledged to have found in the Cacafuego above twenty- 
 six tons of silver bullion, thirteen chests of coined silver, and 
 almost a hundredweight of gold. This was only so much as 
 the Spaniards could prove to have been on board. There was 
 a further mass, the amount of which it is impossible to guess, 
 of which no account was ever rendered, and a great store 
 besides of pearls, emeralds, and diamonds, supposed to have 
 been of enormous richness. The Spanish Government roughly 
 estimated their loss afterwards a 4 - a million and a half of 
 ducats (about ^7 00,000, as money was then valued), which 
 Elizabeth did not pretend to bt exaggerated. The total 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 2 5 
 
 treasure appropriated was perhaps therefore considerably 
 greater." 
 
 Placing a prize crew on board, and removing the captain of 
 the Cacafnego to the Golden Plind, Drake being greatly satis- 
 fied, as well he might be, proceeded to sail to the westward, to 
 avoid Panama. San Juan de Centin, the Spanish captain, 
 remained with Drake until he had recovered from his wound, 
 and was hospitably treated. *He was conducted over the ship 
 by Drake and his Protestant chaplain, who spoke Spanish 
 fluently, and with both he conversed at his ease. He records 
 that it was well equipped, fully seaworthy, notwithstanding its 
 long voyage, provided with all kinds of arms, and not only 
 with arms, but with tools of every kind. The crew were reduced 
 to eighty-five, all told ; some had been drowned, some had gone 
 back with Winter, some had died ; of those remaining, fifty 
 were " men of war," the rest, " young fellows, ship's boys, and 
 such like." He observed that Drake " was greatly feared and 
 reverenced by all on board." A sentinel stood always at his 
 cabin door. He "was served with sound of trumpets and 
 other instruments at his meals." 
 
 There was no attempt made to conceal the extent and 
 character of his cargo. The chaplain showed San Juan the 
 great emerald -set cross, and asked him if he could sincerely 
 believe it was God ; for if it were God, why had it not offered 
 resistance to its captors ? " God," he said solemnly, " was a 
 spirit in heaven, and images and ceremonies were idle mock- 
 eries." Drake spoke frequently of his wanderings and adven- 
 tures ; and when San Juan asked him how he proposed 
 to go to England, pointed to a map of the globe, and 
 said, There was the way he had come, the way by China 
 and the Cape of Good Hope, and a third way, but that he 
 kept a secret. 
 
 San Juan wished to know whether there was war between 
 
26 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Spam and England. To this question was returned an evasive 
 answer. He had the Queen's commission, he said, for what he had 
 done, and the booty he had acquired was intended for her, not 
 for himself. But he added that the King of Spain had robbed 
 him and his kinsman Hawkins, and that he was but repaying 
 himself what he had lost. " I know," he continued, " the 
 Viceroy will send for you to inform himself of my pro- 
 ceeding. Thou mayest tell him he shall do well to put no 
 Englishmen to death, and to spare those four that he has in 
 his hands, for if he do execute them they will cost the lives of 
 two thousand Spaniards, whom I will hang and Send him their 
 heads." 
 
 When cured of his wound San Juan was allowed to go on 
 board the Cacafuego, and, a wiser and a sadder man, to return 
 to Callao. On his way he fell in with the two Spanish cruisers 
 from Lima, which had been ordered to take charge of the galleon 
 if they could not find Drake. They were now armed to the 
 teeth, with two hundred picked seamen on board, and had 
 been joined by a ship from Panama. They started in chase, 
 and, the Golden Hind being under easy sail, overtook her ; but, 
 though three to one, their courage oozed away when they 
 remarked the cool indifference with which Drake suffered them 
 to approach. A second time they put about and returned for 
 more aid. 
 
 The Viceroy, in his rage at their cowardice, put the cap- 
 tains under arrest, appointed new officers, and sent the ships 
 once more in pursuit, with peremptory orders to fight. He 
 also dispatched a special messenger across the Atlantic to 
 King Philip, and couriers to spread the alarm along the coast 
 of the Istlfrnus. The assumption was, that Drake's "third 
 way" was npt a sea-way, but across the mountains; where, it 
 was thought, having abandoned his ship, he would transport 
 his treasure, and build a vessel in Honduras to carry him to 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 2^ 
 
 England, or find a consort which had been sent out to meet 
 him.* 
 
 This, however, was not Drake's intention ; he had resolved 
 on attempting to discover a route home by the north-east ; a 
 route which Cook afterwards attempted to discover without suc- 
 cess, as well as many of our later Arctic navigators ; and a route 
 which has recently been achieved by the Swedish physicist, 
 Professor Nordenskiold. At the southern extremity of America 
 the oceans were united : why should they not be at the 
 northern ? Filled with this ambition, Drake set sail from Agua- 
 pulco, where he had refitted and reprovisioned his ship; and, 
 with his prow to the northward, followed up the coast of 
 Mexico. From a China ship, loaded with silks and porcelain, 
 he took the best of the cargo, with a golden falcon and another 
 precious emerald. Being in want of fresh water, he put in 
 at the Spanish settlement of Guatulco. The alcaldes at the 
 time were trying " a batch of negroes." Drake's men swooped 
 down upon them, bound them hand and foot, and carried them 
 on board the Golden Hind, where they were detained as 
 hostages until the water-casks were filled and the houses of the 
 principal inhabitants had been plundered, after which they 
 were dismissed with grave courtesy. 
 
 Sailing northward and still northward, Drake fell in with a 
 Spanish grandee, who was going out as governor to the Philip- 
 pines, and considerately relieved him of all superfluity of cargo. 
 At this time and place, says Francis Pretty, our General, think- 
 ing himself, both in respect of his private injuries received from 
 the Spaniards, and also their contempts and indignities offered 
 to our country and prince in general, sufficiently satisfied and 
 revenged, and supposing that her Majesty would rest contented 
 with his service, began to consider and consult of the best way 
 for his country. 
 
 * The foregoing narrative is founded on Froude, who has consulted the 
 MSS. in the Spanish archives. 
 
28 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 As a preliminary, Drake set his men to work at repairing 
 the Pflicarfs hull. He had put into the Bay of Carrow in 
 Lower California, and there he erected forge and workshop, and 
 after a month's labour refitted his ships from stem to stern. 
 On the 1 6th of April he resumed his northward course, and 
 sailed 600 leagues in longitude to secure a wind \ and between 
 that and June 3rd, 1,400 leagues in all, until he reached 62 
 north latitude. On the following night he and his men expe- 
 rienced a sudden and most grievous change of temperature, 
 the heat of the tropics being succeeded by Arctic cold. 
 " Neither did this happen for the time only, or by some sudden 
 accident, but rather seemed indeed to proceed from some 
 ordinary cause, against the which the heat of the sun prevails 
 not ; for it came to that extremity, in sailing but two degrees 
 further to the northward in our course, that though seamen 
 lack not good stomachs, yet it seemed a question to many 
 amongst us, whether their hands should feed their mouths, or 
 rather keep themselves within coverts from the pinching cold 
 that did benumb them. 
 
 " Neither," continues the historian of the voyage, " neither 
 could we impute it to the tenderness of our bodies, though we 
 came lately from the extremity of heat, by reason whereof we 
 might be more sensible of the present cold, insomuch that the 
 dead and senseless creatures were as well affected with it as 
 ourselves. Our meat, as soon as it was removed from the fire, 
 would presently in a manner be frozen up ; and our ropes and 
 tacklings in a few days were grown to that stiffness that what 
 three men before were able with them to perform, now six 
 men, with their best strength and utmost endeavours, were 
 hardly able to accomplish ; whereby a sudden and great dis- 
 couragement seized upon the minds of our men, and they were 
 possessed with a great mislike and doubting of any good to be 
 done that way; yet would not pur General be discouraged \ 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 2g 
 
 but as well by comfortable speeches of the Divine Providence, 
 and of God's loving care over his children, out of the Scrip- 
 tures, as also by other good and profitable persuasions, adding 
 thereto his own cheerful example, he so stirred them up to put 
 on a good courage, and to acquit themselves like men, to 
 endure some short extremity to have the speedier comfort, and 
 a little trouble to obtain the greater glory ; that every man was 
 thoroughly armed with willingness, and resolved to see the 
 uttermost, if it were possible, of what good was to be done 
 that way. 
 
 " The land in that part of America bearing farther out into 
 the west than we before imagined, we were nearer on it than 
 we were aware, and yet the nearer still we came unto it, the 
 more extremity of cold did seize upon us. The 5th day of 
 June we were forced by contrary winds to run in with the 
 shore, which we then first descried, and to cast anchor in a 
 bad bay, the best road we could for the present meet with, 
 where we were not without some danger by reason of the many 
 extreme gusts and flows that beat upon us ; which if they 
 ceased and were still at any time, immediately upon their 
 intermission there followed most vile, thick, and stinking fogs, 
 against which the sea prevailed nothing, till the gusts of wind 
 again removed them, which brought with them such extremity 
 and violence when they came, that there was no dealing or 
 resisting against them." 
 
 Drake, not caring to risk the loss of his precious cargo, now 
 abandoned his northerly course, perceiving that if a passage by 
 the north of America existed it must be of immense length. 
 He was resolved, however, not to return by Magellan's Straits, 
 feeling assured as, indeed, was the case that the Spaniards 
 would be lying there in wait for him ; but he started across the 
 ocean to the " islands of the Moluccas," and thence to " sail 
 the course of the Portuguese by the Cape of Buena Esperanza." 
 
30 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Falling back southward to latitude 38 30' N., he put into an 
 ample and well-sheltered harbour, now known as San Francisco, 
 or "the Golden Gate," where he once more refitted his ship and 
 refreshed his war-worn crew. With the natives of this part of 
 California he quickly opened a friendly intercourse; and they 
 regarded him with as much wonder as Caliban exhibits in his con- 
 templation of Stephano and Trinculo. A grand entertainment 
 took place, at which they danced and sang after their fashion, and 
 amid the noise placed a feathered cap of network on Drake's 
 head, and a chain around his neck, hailing him as " Hioh," or 
 king. Drake put into this ceremony a meaning of his own, and 
 chose to understand it as a formal surrender of California, with 
 all its treasures, to the Crown of England.* 
 
 In commemoration of this event, Drake caused a post to be 
 set up on shore, " a monument of our being there ; as also of 
 her Majesty's and successor's right and title to that kingdom, 
 namely, a plate of brass, fast nailed to a great and pine post, 
 whereon is engraven her Grace's name, and the day and year 
 of our arrival there, and of the free giving up of the province 
 
 * "After they (the natives) had satisfied or rather tired themselves in 
 this manner (singing and dancing, and the women tearing themselves, till 
 the face, breasts, and other parts were bespattered with blood), they made 
 signs to our General to have him sit down. Both the King and divers 
 others made several orations, or rather indeed, if we had understood them, 
 supplications that he would take that province and kingdom into his care, 
 and become their king and patron ; making signs that they would resign 
 unto him their right and title in the whole land, and become his vassals in 
 themselves and their posterities ; which, that they might make us indeed 
 believe that it was their true meaning and intent, the King himself, with 
 all the rest, with one consent, and with great reverence, joyfully singing a 
 song, set the crown upon his head, enriched his neck with all their chains, 
 and offered unto him many other things, honouring him with the name of 
 Hioh ; adding thereto, as it might seem, a song and dance of triumph, 
 because they were not only visited of the gods (for so they still judged us 
 to be), but that the great and chief god was now become their God, their 
 king and patron, and themselves were become the only happy and blessed 
 people in the world." The World Encompassed. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 31 
 
 and kingdom, both by the King and people, into her Majesty's 
 hands, together with her Highness's picture and arms in a 
 piece of sixpence current English money, showing itself by a 
 hole made of purpose through the plate." To this part of the 
 coast Drake gave, in allusion to its white cliffs, the name of 
 New Albion. 
 
 On the 23rd of July the Golden Hind sailed from this hos- 
 pitable coast the natives, until she sailed below the horizon, 
 keeping up blazing fires upon the hills. Across the vast ex- 
 panse of shining sea she made her way for sixty-eight days, 
 and on the 3oth of September fell in with certain islands about 
 8 to the northward of the equator. The natives quickly swarmed 
 around the ship, with their canoes full of cocoa-nuts, fruits, 
 and fish. The intercourse was friendly enough at first j but 
 the visitors showing a desire to appropriate whatever articles 
 caught their fancy, Drake dismissed them with a volley of 
 small shot, and stigmatized their archipelago as the " Islands 
 of Thieves," which Admiral Burney identifies with the Pelew 
 Islands. 
 
 Continuing a westward course, Drake reached the Philippine 
 Islands ; and on the 2ist of October took in a supply of fresh 
 water at Mindanao, the largest. Thence he steered for the 
 Moluccas, and halting at Ternate, the capital of the group, he 
 landed one of his suite with a velvet cloak for the King, and a 
 request to be permitted to purchase provisions and spiceries. 
 The King himself came off on a visit to the ship, preceded by 
 four large and richly .decorated canoes, and carrying eighty 
 rowers, who paddled to the clash of brass cymbals. On each 
 side of these canoes was a row of soldiers, armed with sword, 
 dagger, and target ; each canoe carried' a small piece of ord- 
 nance, mounted on a stock. Drake gave the King a splendid 
 reception ; the trumpets blared, the great guns roared, and he 
 himself and his officers were attired in all their bravery. After- 
 
32 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 wards some of the English officers visited the King,. On 
 arriving at his palace, they did not at first see the august pre- 
 sence of this barbaric potentate; but in the audience cham- 
 ber sat sixty grave personages, distinguished as the royal 
 councillors. Four grave persons, apparelled all in red, with 
 robes that touched the ground, and turbaned heads, were said 
 to be Romans, and "ligiers," or agents, to keep continual traffic 
 with the people of Ternate. There were also two Turkish 
 " ligiers" and one Italian. After awhile the King entered, 
 guarded by twelve spearmen, and walking under a rich canopy 
 embossed with gold. The Englishmen rose as he ap- 
 proached, whereupon he did graciously welcome and entertain 
 them. He was attired after the manner of the country, but 
 much more sumptuously than the rest. From his waist down 
 to the ground he shone in cloth of gold ; his legs were bare, 
 but on his feet were a pair of shoes made of Cordovan skin. 
 In his head-gear glistened finely wreathed hooped rings of 
 gold, and from his neck depended a chain of perfect gold, the 
 links whereof were great and one fold double. On his fingers 
 were six very fine jewels. As he sat in his chair of state, a 
 page stood on his right hand and fanned him delicately. The fan 
 was two feet in length and one foot in breadth, set with eight 
 sapphires, richly embroidered, and attached to a staff twelve 
 inches in length, by which the page did hold and move it. 
 
 When the English seamen had delivered Drake's message to 
 this magnificent potentate, and had received a satisfactory 
 reply, they were allowed to depart, and safely conducted back 
 again by one of the royal councillors. 
 
 Drake, by his tact and courtesy, made a very favourable 
 impression on the minds of the King and his court, and his 
 name and memory were cherished at Ternate for many 
 years. 
 
 Having furnished his ship with provisions, and procured a 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 3$ 
 
 large supply of cloves, our sea-captain sailed from Ternate on the 
 9lh, and ten days after anchored off a small island near the 
 eastern extremity of Celebes, where he sheltered his men in 
 tents, and erecting a forge, employed them in repairing their 
 ship. The island was overgrown with a dense luxuriant forest 
 of large and lofty trees, among which by night gleamed " an 
 infinite swarm of fiery worms flying through the air" fiery 
 worms, with bodies no bigger than those of our common Eng- 
 lish flies, but making such a show and light as if every twig and 
 tree had been a burning candle while at dusk bats as big as 
 large hens fluttered to and fro. On the shore was found an 
 abundant supply of crayfish of exceeding bigness, one being 
 sufficient for four hungry stomachs at a dinner, and very good 
 and sustaining meat. These crayfish burrowed in the earth like 
 coneys. 
 
 On the loth of December Drake took leave of this island of 
 plenty, and with infinite skill and caution began to thread his 
 way among the rocks and shoals of the most dangerous waters 
 in the world. He crept round Celebes slowly, winding 
 through low islets and reefs of coral invisible at high water. 
 In the Portuguese " sea-card," by which he directed his course, 
 no other route was marked than that of the Malacca Straits, 
 between which and Drake spread the Java Sea and the channel 
 between Borneo and Sumatra. But it seemed possible to our 
 mariner that some other opening might exist, and in search of 
 this he steered his small bark along the Java coast. On one 
 occasion she was almost lost, and a sudden and disastrous end 
 threatened to her wonderful voyage. On the Qth of January, 
 while running through the darkness of the clear tropical night, 
 with a fair wind filling her sails, the Golden Hind stuck hard 
 and fast upon an unseen reef. Well was it for ship and crew 
 that the sea was smooth and the breeze light ! All night she 
 lay immovable. On each side of the shoal the depth of water 
 
 D 
 
34 EMINENT SAILORS, 
 
 was so great that it was impossible to heave her off by getting 
 out an anchor. The crew were grievously depressed by this 
 calamity; but Drake then as always showed himself most 
 courageous, and of a good confidence in the mercy and protec- 
 tion of God. Rightly believing that nothing would so compose 
 their disordered minds as an appeal to the religious sentiment, 
 he summoned them to devotions; and "presently they fell pros- 
 trate, and with joined prayers sent up to the Throne of Grace, 
 himself besought Almighty God to .extend His mercy unto us 
 in His son Christ Jesus, and so preparing as it were our works 
 unto the Rock, we every minute expected the final stroke to 
 be given unto us." 
 
 In the morning Drake determined to lighten the ship by 
 throwing overboard a portion of her cargo, and for this pur- 
 pose three tons of cloves were sacrificed, eight of the guns, 
 and a quantity of meal and beans. And about four o'clock 
 in the afternoon, the lightened craft heeling over on one side, 
 slipped off the rocky ledge, and under full sale glided safely 
 into deep water.* 
 
 * Thomas Fuller's quaint account of this incident, derived, apparently, 
 from one of Drake's companions, must not be omitted: "The ship stiuck 
 twice on a dangerous shoal, knocking twice at the door of death, which 
 no doubt had opened the third time. Here they struck, having ground 
 too much, and yet too little to land on ; and water too much, and yet too 
 little to sail in. Had God, who, as the wise man saith, holdeth the winds 
 in His fist, but opened His finger and let out the smallest blast, they had 
 undoubtedly been cast away : but there was not any wind all the while. 
 Then they, conceiving aright that the best way to lighten the ship was 
 first to ease it of the burden of their sins by true repentance, humbled them- 
 selves by fasting under the hand of God ; afterwards they received the 
 communion, dining on Christ in the sacrament, expecting no other than to 
 sup with Him in Heaven. Then they cast out of their ship six great 
 pieces of ordnance : 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 b -k themselves 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." Holy State, 
 p. 127. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKK. 35 
 
 The behaviour of the crew throughout this painful experi- 
 ence had, on the whole, been admirable. The sole exception 
 was Mr. Fletcher, the chaplain, who, with death before his 
 eyes, found his conscience pricked by the recollection of 
 Dough ty's death at Port St. Julian, and hinted that their pre- 
 sent sufferings were God's punishment for their complicity in 
 an act of so much severity. As soon as they had got into deep 
 water, and, skirting the Java coast, had found in the Straits of 
 Sunda the opening on which Drake had calculated, they pro- 
 ceeded to castigate the offending chaplain after the roughly 
 humorous fashion of the men of the sea. Mr. Fletcher was 
 brought to the forecastle, where sat Drake on a sea-chest, 
 " with a pair of pantoufles in his hand," and having been 
 declared excommunicate, " cut off from the Church of God, 
 and given over to the devil," was duly chastised with the pan- 
 toufles, and chained by the ankle to a ring-bolt in the deck 
 until he made confession of his craven-hearted ness. Drake, 
 however, was not a man to bear malice, and in a day or two 
 he set the unruly chaplain free. 
 
 From Java the voyage was unmarked by any unpleasing 
 incident. In fair weather they passed the Cape of Good 
 Hope, once ominously known as the Cape of Storms, and on 
 the 22nd of July reached Sierra Leone, where Drake stopped 
 to take in water, and obtained a welcome supply of oysters 
 and fruit. 
 
 It was on the 26th of September that the Golden Hind sailed 
 merrily into Plymouth Harbour, and happily completed her 
 extraordinary voyage, after " marking a furrow with her keel 
 round the globe." 
 
 " On the 26th, which was Monday," says the historian, "in 
 the just and ordv, ;y reckoning of those who had stayed at 
 home in one place or country, but in our computation was the 
 Lord's Day or Sunday, we safely with joyful minds and thank- 
 
36 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 ful hearts to God, arrived at Plymouth, the place of our first 
 setting foot, after we had spent two years, ten months, and 
 some odd days besides, in seeing the wonders of the Lord in 
 the deep, in discovering so many admirable things, in going 
 through with so many strange adventures, in escaping out of so 
 many dangers, and overcoming so many difficulties, in this our 
 encompassing of this nether globe, and passing round about 
 the world, which we have related." 
 
 " Soli rerum maximarum Effector!, 
 Soli totius mundi Gubernatori, 
 Soli sacrum Conservator!, 
 Soli Deo sit semper gloria." 
 
 In this devout strain does the old chronicler of the expedition 
 conclude his quaintly interesting narrative. 
 
 On Drake's arrival at Plymouth the townsmen crowded to 
 the shore to bid him welcome. When he landed he was received 
 in state by the mayor and corporation, while the bells of St. 
 Andrew's Church rang out a merry peal. Next day he paid a 
 visit to his native village and parental home; and after a week or 
 two of festivity rejoined his wave-beaten bark, and set sail for 
 Deptford. Everywhere his countrymen hailed him with the pride 
 that his exploits had naturally excited, and sought every means 
 of doing him honour. He had circumnavigated the world a 
 great achievement ; and he had beaten and rifled the Spaniards 
 an even more popular action ; and from one end of Eng- 
 land to the other he commanded the admiration and sympathy 
 of her sons. The eulogy embodied in the Latin verse written 
 (it is reported) by some of the scholars of Winchester did not 
 seem a whit too extravagant : 
 
 "Plus ultra, Herculeis inscribas, Drace, columnis, 
 
 Et magno dicas Hercule major ero. 
 Drace, pererrati novit quern terminus oibis, 
 Quemque semel mundi vidil uterque Polus, 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 37 
 
 Si taccant homines, facient te sidera notum ; 
 
 Sol nescit Comitis non memor esse sui. 
 Di<;na ratis quae stet radiantibus inclyta stellis ; 
 
 Supremo coeli vertice digna ratis." 
 
 Fervent as was the popular recognition, it did not wholly 
 satisfy Drake; he desired, as all Englishmen then desired, the 
 praise and approval of his Queen. At first, however, Elizabeth 
 affected to regard him with displeasure. She was not prepared 
 to go to war with Spain ; and hostilities might be expected if 
 she openly expressed her sympathy with Drake's buccaneering 
 exploits. That they were in violation of the law of nations, 
 though not unjustified from another point of view by the 
 cruelties of the Spaniards and their attempt to secure a mono- 
 poly of the world's commerce, she was well aware. At the same 
 time she was secretly sharing the spoil with Drake, and had 
 no intention of restoring it. After awhile she grew more 
 reconciled to the idea of war, from the prospect war seemed 
 to open up of a diversion of the wealth of the Indies into her 
 own channel, and she no longer withhel4 her countenance 
 from her daring subject. She invited him to court, made him 
 rare presents, admitted him to frequent audiences, and honoured 
 him with her presence at a banquet on board the Golden Hind* 
 when she conferred upon him the dignity of knighthood. 
 
 * The Golden Hind was long preserved in memor iam in Deptford Dock- 
 yard. When it could no longer be kept in repair, a chair was wrought out 
 of its mast, and presented to the University of Oxford, a circumstance 
 commemorated by the poet Cowley : 
 
 *' To this great ship which round the globe has run, 
 
 And match'd in race the chariot of the sun ; 
 
 This Pythagorean ship (for it may claim, 
 
 Without presumption, so deserved a name), 
 
 By knowledge over, and transformation now, 
 
 In her own shape, this sacred fact allow. 
 
 Drake and his ship could not have wish'd r rom fate 
 
 An happier station, or more blest estate, 
 
 For lo ! a seat of endless rest is given 
 
 To her in Oxford, anU to him in Heaven,'* 
 
jS EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 II. 
 
 For four or five years Drake rested tranquilly in his Devon- 
 shire home; nor was it until 1585 that he again drew his 
 sword against the hated Spaniards. Elizabeth having deter- 
 mined on sending an expedition against the Spanish colonies 
 in the West Indies, to deal a blow at the commerce which 
 furnished Philip with his main revenue, she called Drake from 
 his retirement, advanced him to the rank of Admiral, and 
 placed him at the head of a fleet of five-and-twenty vessels. 
 With her usual policy, however, she disclaimed all open con- 
 nection with the expedition, and treated it as a private adven- 
 ture, though half the cost was defrayed by herself. Drake 
 held her royal commission as far as Spain, with license to 
 effect the release of certain English merchant vessels which 
 had been arrested and detained in Spanish ports. Volunteers 
 rapidly rallied to the flag of the seaman who had ploughed a 
 furrow round the globe. Martin Frobisher and Christopher 
 Carlile, two seamen inferior only to himself in repute, accepted 
 commands under him. For his officers he chose the survivors 
 of his old crew, and young gentlemen of rank eagerly com- 
 peted for the honour of accompanying him. 
 
 Drake was ready for sea in the middle of September, and 
 lest Elizabeth's shifting policy should suddenly countermand 
 the expedition, he set sail hastily on the i4th. Capturing on 
 his way some ships returning with fish from the Newfoundland 
 banks, he carried his fleet in among the islands that shelter 
 the Bay of Vigo. As the tall ships swung to anchor, '-'it was 
 a great matter and a royal sight to see them." Surprised and 
 alarmed, Don Pedro Benvadero, the Governor, sent messen- 
 gers to inquire their errand, to offer them hospitality if they 
 were merchants, and if they were of a doubtful calling, to pro. 
 mise them " what they did lack," and to entreat them to depart 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 39 
 
 peacefully. Drake sternly replied that he had come to inquire 
 after his imprisoned countrymen, and must make bold to land 
 his men and refresh them. Don Pedro durst offer no oppo- 
 sition, and endeavoured to conciliate his formidable visitors 
 with liberal presents of wine and fruit. They remained on 
 shore for two or three days, lounging among the churches and 
 chapels, and playing tricks with the images of the saints to 
 provoke them into a show of life. One of their freaks was to 
 relieve " Our Lady" of her clothes, and, after stripping her, to 
 overwhelm her with contumely. 
 
 The weather proving unfavourable, and the anchorage 
 among the islands being insecure, Drake removed his fleet 
 into the bay. By this time all Vigo was distraught with fear, 
 and the harbour was covered with boatloads of panic-stricken 
 people hastening up the country with their property. Drake 
 sent his pinnaces in chase, and several prizes were captured ; 
 one of which contained the furniture of the High Church of 
 Vigo, altar cloths, chasubles, copes, chalices, patens, and a great 
 cross of pure silver, exquisitely wrought. The Governor of 
 Galicia arrived with a body of soldiers to the rescue, but when 
 he saw Drake's well-appointed ships and truculent sea-dogs 
 he contented himself, like Don Pedro, with devising the ways 
 and means of persuading them to retire. Meeting Drake upon 
 the water, he promised freely that every English prisoner in the 
 province should immediately be released. Having secured 
 all the booty that was accessible, and being unable to tarry 
 the release of the prisoners, Sir Francis accepted his promise 
 and set sail. 
 
 " All Spain," says Froude,* " was in agitation at the news 
 that the world-famed corsair was on the coast. The Council of 
 State sat three days discussing it. That the English could 
 dare to beard the first monarch in Europe in his own dominions 
 
 FROUDE, History of England, xii, 34. 
 
40 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 seemed like a dream. " Had the Queen of England,* 1 it was 
 asked, " no way to employ Sir Francis Drake but to send him 
 to inquire after Englishmen's ships and goods ? Did the Queen 
 of England know the King of Spain's force ? Did not she and 
 her people quake ? Little England, to the King of half the 
 world, was but a morsel to be swallowed at his pleasure. The 
 Marquis of Santa Cruz, however, observed that ' England had 
 many teeth,' and that with Drake upon the ocean, the first 
 object was to save the Indian fleet." What might not be 
 expected from the daring adventurer who, with a ship of 
 one hundred tons, and a crew of seventy or eighty men, could 
 navigate the vast Pacific and plunder one of the great Panama 
 argosies under the eyes of the Viceroy of Peru ? What might 
 he not attempt in what might he not succeed ? He might 
 capture the Canaries, or the West Indies, or Lima itself. 
 While the timid courtiers of Elizabeth stood aghast at Philip's 
 naval and military preparations, and every Jesuit's heart was 
 exulting over the growth of the great fleet at Lisbon, intended 
 for the conquest of England, Santa Cruz was urging the Council 
 of State to send every available ship at once to sea, to save the 
 American colonies and the gold ports and the Indian galleons 
 from the desperate sea-rover who made a mock of the Spanish 
 power. 
 
 From Vigo, Drake proceeded to the Cape de Verde Islands, 
 where he burned the town of St. Jago ; but delaying too long 
 in an unhealthy climate, -had the mortification of losing up- 
 wards of two hundred of his men by an epidemic which some- 
 what resembled the plague. Thence he sailed for Dominica, 
 and favoured by the trade winds, reached it in eighteen days. 
 The capital of San Domingo he took by assault; but the entire 
 town being too large for his men to garrison, he quartered 
 them in the central square, occupying castle, palace, and town- 
 hall, where King Philip's scutcheon, a horse leaping upon a 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. ^1 
 
 globe, with the boastful motto, Non sufficit orbis, " preached 
 a sermon to conquerors and conquered on the pride of fools.' 
 Carefully fortifying his position, Drake held it for the space of 
 a month. One day he sent a flag of truce by a negro boy. 
 A Spanish officer meeting him, cruelly run him through the 
 body with his pike, and the victim, crawling back to the 
 Admiral, told him what had happened, and died at his feet. 
 In a storm of rage one of those terrible excesses to which 
 men of strong deep minds, who habitually keep a stern control 
 over themselves, are sometimes liable Drake ordered his pro- 
 vost-marshal to carry a couple of Spanish friars, who had been 
 taken prisoners, to the spot where the boy received his mortal 
 wound, and hang them forthwith, while he dispatched another 
 Spanish prisoner to explain wherefore this execution was done, 
 adding that until the murderer had been given up to receive the 
 punishment he deserved he would hang two prisoners daily. 
 Next day the officer was surrendered, and Drake compelled 
 the Spaniards to become his executioners. This severe lesson 
 was not lost upon the Spaniards, who thenceforward understood 
 that Drake was not a man with whom it was safe to take liberties. 
 Drake was by no means partial to useless destruction, 
 and he offered to spare the city on receiving a fair ransom. 
 But when its authorities showed a great reluctance to come to 
 terms, he tried the effect of a little pressure, and told off 200 
 sailors to burn and pillage until the money should be forth- 
 coming. The work was by no means easy, the city being very 
 magnificently built of stone. At length the Spaniards offered 
 25,000 ducats, which Drake agreed to accept. And having 
 loaded his ships with wine, sweet oil, olives, vinegar, and 
 other provisions, together with woollen, linen, and silk 
 stuffs, he again put to sea and steered for Cartagena. 
 Landing his troops about three miles west of the town, he sent 
 them along a narrow isthmus not more than fifty paces broad, 
 
42 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 with the sea on one side and the harbour on the other, ana at 
 the extremity a solid stone barrier, with an opening only wide 
 enough to admit of the passage of two horsemen or a carriage. 
 This was further strengthened by wine-butts filled with earth 
 and placed on end. But Drake sent his men against it. 
 " Down went the butts of earth, and pell-mell came our swords 
 and pikes together after our shot had first given their volley, 
 even at the enemy's nose. Our pikes were somewhat longer 
 than theirs, and our bodies better armed, with which advan- 
 tage our swords and pikes grew too loud for them, and they were 
 driven to give place. In this furious action, the Lieutenant- 
 General (Carlile) slew, with his own hands, the chief ensign- 
 bearer of the Spaniards, who fought very manfully to his 
 life's end." 
 
 Cartagena was held for six weeks, and finally ransomed for 
 160,000 ducats, after Drake had applied the same process to its 
 inhabitants which he had found successful at St. Domingo. 
 But yellow fever now broke out on board the fleet, compelling 
 Drake to abandon his meditated enterprise against Panama. 
 He stood across, however, to the Florida coast, and burnt and 
 laid waste the settlement of St. Augustine. Afterwards he 
 sailed northward to Virginia, and at Roanoke supplied the 
 governor with provisions and a reinforcement of arms. In a 
 three days' storm, which broke out immediately afterwards, 
 some ships were separated from the fleet and blown out to sea; 
 all, however, reached England in safety. But various circum- 
 stances had so depressed the spirits of the colonists and their 
 governor, that they entreated Sir Francis to convey them 
 home, declaring with earnest protestations that Providence was 
 evidently unfavourable to their design of settling on the 
 American shore. Sir Francis consented to their request, and 
 took them on board to the number of 105. 
 
 Drake arrived at Portsmouth on the 2ist of July, 1586. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 43 
 
 His expedition had lacked the romantic interest of the 
 memorable circumnavigation, and was far inferior in profit, 
 the booty brought home not exceeding ^60,000 in value. 
 The loss of life was very great; about 750 seamen and soldiers 
 perished. Yet it had not been a failure. The plunder of Vigo^ 
 the assault upon St. Jago, the capture of St. Domingo and 
 Cartagena, and the stern composure and collectedness with 
 which all this work was done, dealt a heavy blow to the 
 confidence which the Spaniards had had in their fortune and 
 themselves, and to the world's belief in their invincibility.* 
 
 Stung to the quick by this defiant enterprise, Philip pushed 
 forward with increased energy the preparation of that Armada 
 which was to transform free England into a dependency of 
 Spain, and Protestant England into an appanage of the Roman 
 Church. It was not only as a scheme of conquest that he now 
 devised it, but as a measure of preservation, for he saw that 
 England was making ready to dispute with him the sovereignty 
 of the seas, and that her rising maritime power threatened the 
 security of the Spanish dominion in the New World. He 
 waited only until he could guard himself against a counter- 
 attack from France ; and of this there would be no fear if, as 
 seemed probable, the League of the Guises obtained the 
 supreme power. While he thus waited, England's seamen 
 aimed at him another and a more crushing blow, again under 
 the leadership of the indomitable Drake. 
 
 In the spring of 1587, Elizabeth consented to fit out a fleet 
 to ravage the coasts of Spain, and do what damage it could 
 
 * " Authentic tidings were now coming in of Francis Drake. All that 
 he and others had said before of the vulnerability of Spain was more 
 than confirmed, and the English, already vain of their hero, were raised 
 to enthusiasm at the splendour of his successes. The effect in Europe 
 was almost as considerable. The aggressive power of England had passed 
 hitherto for nothing. The strength of its arm, if once raised to strike, 
 became more earnestly aporeciated." FiOUDE, History of England, xii. 
 68. 
 
44 EMINENT SAILORg. 
 
 to the Armada which was being equipped in its various 
 ports. 
 
 There were thirty vessels in all : " galleys, galliasses, long 
 ships, great ships, and coys." Six belonged to the Crown the 
 Bonaventura, of 600 tons, carrying Drake's flag ; the Lion, of 
 500 tons, Vice-Admiral Burroughs ; the Rainbow, of 500 tons ; 
 the Dreadnought, of 400 tons ; and two pinnaces. The others 
 were " adventurers," fitted out by London merchants. 
 
 On the 1 2th of April (New Style) they sailed from Plymouth 
 Sound just in time to anticipate a change in Elizabeth's policy 
 beat down the Channel in the teeth of a strong wind, and on 
 the morning of the igth were off Cadiz Harbour. The mouth 
 was narrow, both sides were lined with batteries, and Vice- 
 Admiral Burroughs loudly protested against running into 
 danger. Drake and his captains, laughingly disregarding the 
 protest, with a fair breeze stood in between the batteries. 
 A shot struck the Lion; and immediately Burroughs, appre- 
 hensive of destruction, dropped his anchor, warped out of range, 
 and^ when the tide ebbed drifted seaward. The rest pressed 
 forward gallantly, attacked and sunk a galleon, dispersed a 
 number of galleys with a single broadside, and brought-to out 
 of shot from the shore, with entire command of the harbour 
 and all that it contained. Scores of store-ships, laden with 
 corn, biscuits, dried fruits, and wines, for the use of the Armada, 
 were plundered of everything that could be easily removed ; 
 then set on fire ; and, with cables cut, left to drive to and fro 
 under the walls of Cadiz, " an entangled mass of blazing ruin." 
 
 The Spaniards of those days could admire a gallant deed, 
 though done in their own despite, and greatly as he had 
 injured them Drake became one of their most popular heroes. 
 " So praised was Drake for his valour of them, that were it not 
 that he was a Lutheran, they said, there was not the like man 
 in the world." King Philip one day invited a court lady to* 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 45 
 
 accompany him in his barge on the Lake of Segovia.* The 
 lady replied, " She dared not trust herself on the water even 
 with his Majesty, lest Sir Francis Drake should have her." 
 
 Passing out of Cadiz Bay on May ist, he sailed for Cape St. 
 Vincent how all this Spanish coast is alive with memories of 
 English heroism ! f capturing and burning as he went fresh 
 convoys of store- vessels all loaded with supplies for the Armada 
 which was to conquer heretic England until the horizon was 
 studded with jets of flame. Desirous of engaging a division of 
 the Armada which was understood to be coming round from the 
 Mediterranean, Drake made for the watering-place of Faro, and, 
 as the batteries molested his boat crews, prepared to land and 
 destroy them. Again Burroughs interfered with his old 
 counsels of caution ; Drake ignored him, landed his men, 
 stormed the forts, and gained command of the river and 
 roadstead. And when Burroughs sent complaints to England 
 of his leader's wilfulness, he was deposed and confined a 
 prisoner in his own cabin; until, dreading a severer punishment, 
 he contrived to steal away from the fleet and make all sail for 
 home. 
 
 No Spaniards appearing, Drake abandoned Faro, and sailed 
 for the mouth of the Tagus, with the bold resolve of carrying 
 his ships straight up to Lisbon and attacking the Armada where 
 it lay. He knew that as his " light low " frigates hovered 
 round the ponderous galleons, like dragon-flies round an ox, he 
 
 * FROUDE, xii. 293. 
 
 f So Browning reminds us in his Home Thoughts front the Sea : 
 " Nobly, nobly Cape St. Vincent to the North- West, died away ; 
 Sunset sun, one glorious blood-red, reeking into Cadiz Bay ; 
 Bluish 'mid the burning water, full in face Trafalgar lay ; 
 In the dimmest North-East distance dawned Gibraltar grave and gray ; 
 * Here and here did England help me : how canlheJp Eu^land '' say. 
 Whoso turns as I, this evening, turn to God to praise and pray, 
 While Jove's planet rises yonder, silent over Africa," 
 
46 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 could outsail them at pleasure, and escape at any time if the 
 battle went against him. Moreover, he had reason to believe 
 that the Spanish Admiral would be taken by surprise, the sides 
 of his ships being probably encumbered with lighters and barges, 
 the ships themselves half-manned, and unable either to make 
 sail or fire a gun. That he would have succeeded in his 
 enterprise is very probable, yet one can hardly regret that 
 English history was not deprived of a chapter so glorious as 
 that which records the defeat and dispersion of the Invincible 
 Armada. As it was, orders from England forbade his intended 
 attack, and he was obliged to be content with burning more 
 store-ships at Cintra and Coruiia. Thus, in ten months, he 
 had defied the united navies of Spain and Portugal, and de- 
 stroyed half the stores which had been accumulated for the 
 Armada. Before he returned home, however, he had to do 
 something for the merchant-adventurers who had supplied him 
 with ships and arms, and his usual good fortune or his skill, 
 shall we call it ? in seizing and profiting by opportunities 
 attending him, he captured, in the neighbourhood of the 
 Azores, a gloriously rich carack from the East Indies, the San 
 Felipe. Triumphant, he returned to England in the midsum- 
 mer, having effectually accomplished his design of " singeing 
 the King of Spain's beard." 
 
 The remainder of the year and the early part of 1588 were 
 occupied in negotiations which everybody knew to be insincere. 
 A revolution in France, which placed Henry III. in the hands 
 of Philip's confederates, the Guises, assured him that from 
 France he had nothing to apprehend. He determined, there- 
 fore, on launching the thunderbolt which he had so long held 
 ready. At Dunkirk was encamped an army of 17,000 Spanish 
 veterans, under the command s>f the Duke of Parma, the 
 greatest general of his tim'e ; and a fleet of flat-bottomed trans- 
 ports lay in readiness to carry them across the Channel. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 47 
 
 To protect their passage, Philip had assembled in the Tagus, 
 at first under the Marquis of Santa Cruz, but eventually under 
 a less competent chief, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, a fleet of 
 129 ships, of which 65 were large galleons, " built high like 
 castles," and 4 were colossal galeasses, each armed with 50 
 guns, besides 4 large galleys, 56 armed merchant vessels, me 
 best that Spain could produce, and 20 caravels or pinnaces. In 
 all they carried 2,430 cannons, brass and iron; 2 2 ,000 soldiers, 
 1,000 gentlemen volunteers, 8,000 seamen, and 1,600 men of 
 various ranks and occupations. 
 
 It is no part of my province here to dwell on the vacillations 
 of Elizabeth's policy, or on the extent to which they delayed 
 England's preparations to receive her foe. Thanks to Drake, 
 a brief breathing-time had been gained, and this was made the 
 most of by the captains and statesmen who saw more plainly 
 than their Queen did, or owned that she did, the extent and 
 imminency of the peril. The early summer of 1 588 saw England 
 armed to the teeth ; and saw Protestant and Catholic putting 
 aside their differences to meet, shoulder to shoulder, the Spanish 
 invader. An army, under the Earl of Leicester, was en- 
 camped at Tilbury Fort to guard the approach to London. 
 The levies of the southern and eastern counties were prepared 
 to resist a descent on either shore; and the militia of the 
 midland shires was hurrying towards the capital. The chief 
 hope of resistance, however, lay in the fleet, England's first and 
 best line of defence, which was mustered in the Channel. 
 Inferior in number and strength to the Armada, it was ready to 
 do its duty. It consisted of only 82 vessels, and these could 
 not cope in size with the Spanish galleons and galliasses, only 
 5 of them being equal to the largest, while 50 were of no 
 greater tonnage than our ordinary yachts. They were manned, 
 however, by 9,000 splendid seamen, all active and nimble and 
 accustomed to the great deep, full of confidence in themselves 
 
48 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 and their leaders. As well they might be, for the admiral-ln- 
 chief was Lord Howard of Effingham, a man gifted with a fine 
 chivalry of spirit and a ready courage, and under him were 
 such veteran sea-lions as Francis Drake, Martin Frobisher, 
 and John Hawkins. 
 
 On the 29th of May the Armada sailed from Lisbon, but 
 after buffeting about for three weeks was driven by a gale into 
 the Bay of Ferrol. There it remained, refitting and repairing, 
 until the 22nd, when it took leave of Spain for the last time,* 
 and begun its voyage to Dunkirk, where it was to take charge 
 of Parma's army and convey it across the Straits. Losing on 
 the way, in a south-west gale, four galleys and a great galleon, 
 it entered the mouth of the Channel on the 29th, and on the 
 morning of the 3oth was under the lee of the Lizard. 
 
 All along the English coast the beacons flashed the news of 
 its coming. The Queen's ships and some of the volunteers had 
 got out of Plymouth Sound during the night, and dropped 
 anchor behind the cliffs of Ram Head. By the morning, forty 
 Englishmen were drawn up under the headland,*ready for action. 
 But the look-out men, perched on the mastheads, strained 
 their eyes in vain to discover the hostile array. It was late in 
 the afternoon when a cloud-bank gathered slowly on the western 
 
 * "The scene as the fleet passed out of the harbour must have been 
 singularly beautiful. It was a treacherous interval of real summer. The 
 e;.rly sunrise was lighting the long chain of the Galician mountains, mark- 
 ing with shadows the cleft defiles, and shining softly on the white walls 
 and vineyards of Coiuna. The wind was light, and falling towards a 
 calm ; the great galleons drifted slowly with the tide on the purple water, 
 the long streamers trailing from the trucks, the red crosses, the emblem 
 of the crusade, showing bright upon the hanging sails. The fruit-boats 
 were bringing off the last fresh supplies, and the pinnaces hastening to 
 the ships with the last loiterers on shore. Out of thirty thousand men 
 who that morning stood upon the decks of the proud Armada, twenty 
 thousand and more were never again to see the hills of Spain. Of the 
 remnant who in two short months crept back ragged and torn, all but a 
 lew hundreds returned only to die."- FROUDE, xii. 388, 389. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 49 
 
 horizon, to be resolved after awhile into a semicircular line of 
 stately vessels, the centre making its appearance first, and then 
 the two wings spreading slowly along the blue line of waters. 
 Ocean, says an old chronicler quaintly, s;eme 1 to groan beneath 
 their burden. They came onward, before a light wind, with a 
 slow and stately movement, which greatly impressed the specta- 
 tors on the English ships, . 
 
 Meanwhile, on board every vessel that carried the red cross 
 of St. George all was activity and joy. Men rejoiced that the 
 long suspense was ended, and that the issue between England 
 and Spain was on the point of being brought to a final decision. 
 Anchors were weighed, and sails spread to the winds ; but 
 Howard had no intention of bringing on a general engagement, 
 and still kept under cover of the shore. Towards dusk the 
 Armada arrived off Plymouth, and its commander then per- 
 ceived that he would not be allowed to enter the Sound un- 
 opposed. He was not inclined to fight in the darkness ; and 
 relying on his immense strength, he signalled to his galleons to 
 lie-to tor the night, and prepare for action at daybreak. About 
 two o'clock the moon rose, and its light disclosed to the 
 Spaniards that sixty or seventy ships had glided out of the 
 Sound behind them, and were hanging on their rear, though 
 not within range of shot. 
 
 Bright and warm was the morning of July the 3ist, though a 
 fresh westerly breeze cooled and purified the atmosphere. It 
 was a fit day for a grand aquatic spectacle, for some such 
 maritime pageant as the Venetians were wont to display on the 
 waters of the Adriatic. And spectacle or pageant it might have 
 been taken for at the outset, when the Spaniards were throwing 
 out their heavy canvas, to catch every gentle air, and like 
 " moving castles " bore down upon the English. It assumed a 
 more serious character when the English frigates, darting hither 
 thither at their pleasure, poured their fire into the " high- 
 
 K 
 
50 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 towered, broad-bowed " galleons and galliasses, and before 
 the latter could return the salute nimbly sailed away. It was 
 a repetition of the tactics by which Themistocles had baffled 
 the Persians in the days of Greece's need. To the onlooker 
 there was something curious and suggestive in the scene. A 
 herd of elephants might as well have essayed to close with a 
 pack of swift-footed greyhounds. Lord Howard, in his ship 
 the Ark Raleigh, boldly swept along the entire rear of the 
 Spanish array, and delivered his broadside into each galleon as 
 he passed, knocking spars and rigging about the heads of the 
 puzzled " Dons," and then wearing round and skilfully retracing 
 his course. The hesitation of the Spaniards was extreme. I 
 think they must have felt that they had met with the men who 
 would wrest from them the empire of the seas men their 
 superiors in seamanship, in steadfast courage, and in patience. 
 They saw the English ships manoeuvring with an ease that 
 seemed almost magical, the English guns firing with a rapidity 
 that surprised and confused them. A bull might as well try to 
 overtake and pin with its horns the terrier that hangs auda- 
 ciously at its heels or flank, as one of those heavy galleons 
 to run alongside any of the light frigates which moved over 
 the waters like things of life. Don Alonzo da Leyva. in 
 the high-towered Rata, attempted to cross the bows of the 
 Ark. Howard hauled to the wind as if to wait for him, then 
 swept by with a cheer of defiance, fired into the San Matteo, 
 which lay on the waters like a log, and blithely careered on his 
 way. 
 
 The battle continued all through the afternoon, the Spaniards 
 fighting bravely whenever they had the chance, and bearing as 
 best they might the pitiless fire of their antagonists. "So far 
 as we see," said Drake, " they mean to sell their lives with 
 blows." Their shot flew over the English ships, while the latter 
 battered and riddled their antagonists. So the Spanish 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 5 1 
 
 Admiral signalled to his fleet to make sail up Channel, ordering 
 Martinez de Recalde, with the Biscay squadron, which con- 
 tained his finest ships and most experienced seamen, to protect 
 his rear. 
 
 Fast as the Spaniards fled, the English followed faster. The 
 blood-red sun went down in a stormy sky, and the sea rolled 
 in heavily from the west. Our light English frigates rode the 
 billows buoyantly, but the great galleons wallowed in the 
 trough of the waves, and as they huddled close together lest their 
 active foe should cut off any stragglers, they fell into dire dis- 
 order. The Capitana ran foul of the Santa Cantalina, and 
 shattered her bowsprit. Immediately afterwards her foremast 
 fell, and the wreck impeding her progress, she fell behind, 
 firing a distress gun for assistance. The Admiral sent two of 
 the galliasses, which would have taken her in tow, but owing 
 to the strong sea the cable broke. Boats were dispatched to 
 bring off her captain, Don Pedro de Valdez, and his men, but 
 the former refused to desert his vessel. Until midnight a 
 London privateer kept close by her side, occasionally firing a 
 shot, and sometimes hearing voices, though, owing to the wind 
 and sea, what they said could not be understood. In the 
 morning Drake overtook her, and she immediately hauled 
 down her flag. Drake carried her into Torbay, and gave her 
 in charge of the Brixham fishermen, while he himself, with Don 
 Pedro and his officers on board, rejoined Lord Howard. He 
 had made a valuable prize, for the Capitana had several casks 
 of " red Spanish gold " in her hold, as well as some tons of 
 gunpowder. 
 
 This was not the sole disaster experienced by the Armada 
 on its first day in English waters. On board one of the larger 
 galleons, a flag-ship, the officers quarrelled hotly among them- 
 selves in their mortification at the inglorious results of the 
 opening scene in the great drama. Words led to blows, and 
 
52 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 the captain struck the master- gunner a German, with his stick- 
 an insult which so kindled the latter's blood thathe flungaburning 
 brand into an open powder-cask, and then leaped into the sea. 
 The explosion shattered the deck from stem to stern. Two 
 hundred seamen and soldiers were hurled aloft, of whom some 
 dropped into the water, and so perished ; while others, scorched 
 or mutilated, dead or dying, fell back upon the wreck. But 
 the stout ship was so strongly built that, with her tall masts 
 standing, she continued still to float. The Admiral sent boats 
 to save the officers and men, and the few who had escaped 
 unhurt were taken off. It was not found possible to remove 
 the wounded, and they clung to the wreck till morning, when 
 they were rescued by the English and conveyed ashore. This 
 humanity did not go unrewarded, for much booty in money 
 and gunpowder was discovered; the latter was specially ac- 
 ceptable, as, owing to the parsimony of the Queen's Govern- 
 ment, the English ships were scantily supplied with ammuni- 
 tion. 
 
 The morning of the ist of August was calm and fair; a light 
 easterly breeze scarce woke a ripple on the tranquil waters. 
 The Armada was by this time off the chalk cliffs of Portland, 
 with the English fleet a league or so to the westward, drifting 
 with the tide. What little wind there was gave the advantage 
 to the Spaniards, but Medina Sidonia had no desire to bring 
 on an engagement, and rested his crews, while he wrote to the 
 Prince of Parma an account of his mishaps, and entreated that 
 pilots might be sent to him, as he knew nothing of the English 
 waters. 
 
 On the 2nd, the wind still blowing from the east, he bore 
 down upon the English to offer battle ; but Howard knew his 
 inability to come to close quarters, and straightway put to sea. 
 A throb of joy shot through every Spanish heart; the heretics 
 were flying; and straightway galleon and galliass gave chase. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 53 
 
 Among these the swiftest sailer was the San Marcos, and she 
 soon got ahead, so that about noon she was at some distance 
 from her comrades; whereupon Howard, in pursuance of his 
 policy of " plucking the feathers of the Spaniards one by one," 
 ordered an attack. She was gallantly defended, and in an 
 hour and a half received five hundred shots while returning 
 only fifty. At last another galleon came to her assistance ; and 
 Howard, having expended his stock of powder, was forced to 
 withdraw. 
 
 The news of the Armada's coming had by this time spread over 
 all England, and to the scene of action volunteers thronged from 
 every quarter. Catholics were not less zealous than Protest- 
 ants, placing the freedom of their country above the extension 
 of the power of Rome.* Philip of Spain was in their eyes the 
 enemy of England rather than the favoured son and servant of 
 the Pope. " Cliffords and Veres and Percies," representing the 
 old aristocracy, " took their places beside the Raleighs and 
 Cecils of the new era ; and from Lyme, and Weymouth, and 
 Poole, and the Isle of Wight, young lords and gentlemen came 
 streaming out in every smack or sloop that they could lay hold 
 of, to -snatch their share of danger and glory at Howard's 
 side. 
 
 Little of note occurred on the 3rd of August, the English 
 lying about two leagues to the westward, in some strait for 
 ammunition. Medina Sidonia rashly concluded that they had 
 grown afraid of his galleons, and sent them against Howard's 
 fleet ; they were easily beaten off. During the night a single 
 day's supply of powder and shot was received ; so that next 
 day, Thursday, the 4th, the Spanish Admiral was quickly con- 
 vinced of the fallacy of his estimate of English courage. Sir 
 George Carew, who had come up in his pinnace, found him- 
 
 * It should be remembered that English Catholicism had always shown 
 itself jealous of the pretensions of the Holy See. 
 
54 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 self, at five in the morning, " in the midst of round shot, flying 
 as thick as musket-balls in a skirmish on land." For, per- 
 ceiving that the Armada had fallen into much looseness of array, 
 Howard delivered a general attack, led by himself in the Ark 
 Raleigh, with Lord Thomas Howard in the Lion, Sir R. South- 
 well in the Elizabeth Jonas, Lord Sheffield in the Bear, and 
 Captain Barber in the Victory. Exchanging broadsides with 
 any great ships he passed, Howard made for the Spanish 
 Admiral, who had taken his place in the centre ; but his design 
 was detected by Don Oquendo, and the latter interposed his 
 huge galleon, receiving a blow from Howard's ship of such 
 violence that two soldiers in the forecastle were killed by the 
 shock. Nor did the Ark Raleigh escape scot-free; her rudder 
 was unshipped, so that her pilot lost command of her, and, 
 drifting to leeward, she was quickly surrounded by a swarm of 
 galleons, all eager to overwhelm her. Howard, however, 
 ordered his boats to take her in tow; as she wore round 
 her sails filled ; and when the Spaniards were rejoicing in the 
 thoughts of the English flag-ship as their prize, she glided 
 past them with such swiftness that, though the nimblest ships 
 in the whole Armada pursued her, " they seemed in comparison 
 to be still at anchor." 
 
 The fight was prolonged for hours, the English losing not 
 a man, and having but few wounded ; while the Spaniards 
 suffered severely both in killed and wounded, and had much 
 damage done to their masts, yards, and rigging. Sore was their 
 discouragement ; they had counted upon an easy victory over 
 the English heretics, and defeat already stared them in the 
 face. " The enemy pursue me," wrote Medina Sidonia ; "they 
 fire upon me most days from morning till nightfall, but they 
 will not close and grapple. I have purposely left ships exposed 
 to tempt them to board, but they decline to do it ; and there is 
 no remedy, for they are swift and we are slow." The smart 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 55 
 
 English ships rattled about their ears a storm of shot which 
 knocked their huge castled poops into splinters, while their 
 own guns, slowly as they aimed and fired, seemed never to hit 
 the mark. 
 
 On the 5th Howard was compelled to make sail for Dover, 
 to obtain a supply of ammunition from the castle, and thus 
 Medina Sidonia got a chance of running up to Calais. In the 
 evening both fleets dropped anchor in the Calais Roads, Howard 
 having resumed his position in the rear of the Spaniards ; and 
 there they lay watching each other, almost within cannon-shot 
 of the shore. But it was now clear to the English captains 
 that if a junction between Parma and Medina Sidonia were to 
 be prevented, some decisive blow must be struck ; a general 
 engagement must be hazarded ; and for this purpose the enemy 
 must be driven or beguiled out of the secure position he had 
 taken. The credit of the expedient that was adopted seems to 
 belong to Howard,* to whom it may have been suggested by a 
 recent incident in the war in the Low Countries. Eight of his 
 smaller ships he filled with all kinds of inflammable material, while 
 their rigging was thickly coated with pitch. At midnight they 
 dropped down with the tide, and, like so many blazing engines 
 of destruction, approached the Armada. The panic-stricken 
 Spaniards, remembering the terrible effect of the fire-ships at 
 the siege of Antwerp, hurriedly cut or slipped their cables and 
 ran out to sea. Next morning, the 6th, Howard started in 
 pursuit, keeping towards Calais with the bulk of his fleet, while 
 Drake, with some 50 ships, harassed their rear. His keen eye 
 detected the signs of a coming storm, and he felt assured that 
 
 * " On Sunday, at midnight, the Admiral, having the wind, sent certain 
 ships on fire amongst the enemy, who in great confusion slipped their 
 cables, ran foul of each other, and ran out to sea, pursued by the 
 English. Out of 124 that anchored off Calais only 86 can be found." 
 Letter to Walsinghatn, in State Papers, Domestic, July 30 (O.S.), 
 1588. 
 
56 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 if it overtook King Philip's heavy galleons in the eddying 
 currents of the North Sea they would suffer severely. 
 
 All through the long summer day the English maintained the 
 unequal fight, and when at dusk they ceased, because shot and 
 powder were almost spent, they had good reason to be 
 satisfied with the result of their work. Protestant England 
 had encountered Catholic Spain, with the odds against her, and 
 had won had shown a greater energy, a stauncher resolution, 
 a loftier courage. Three galleons had been sunk, three driven 
 ashore, many rolled on the water dismasted and with shot- 
 torn sides ; 4,000 men had fallen. Far worse, indeed, was the 
 condition of the Armada than Howard and his captains knew. 
 Scarce a ship but had been pitifully maltreated. Their guns 
 were dismounted and knocked to pieces, their sails fluttered in 
 shreds and tatters, and many were so torn by shot that, as they 
 heeled over and brought their sides below the surface, some 
 were with difficulty kept from sinking. "We are lost," said 
 Medina Sidonia to Don Oquendo, the ablest of his lieutenants; 
 " what are wfe to do ? " " Let others talk of being lost," was 
 the brave reply, " your Excellency has only to order up fresh 
 cartridge." But Oquendo stood almost alone in intrepidity of 
 spirit, and a council of war having been hastily summoned, it 
 was resolved that the Armada should return to Spain by the 
 only open route that is, by way of the North Sea. And so the 
 great ships were lightened of all superfluous cargo and put 
 before the wind, steering for the Orkneys. England drew 
 breath; the danger was past. "Never anything pleased me 
 better," wrote Drake to Walsingham,* " than seeing the enemy 
 fly with a southerly wind to the northwards. I have a good 
 eye to the Prince of Parma, for, with the grace of God, if we 
 like, I doubt not ere it be long so to handle the matter 
 
 State Papers, Domestic, August 7, 1588. The dates, it must I* 
 remembered, are Old Style. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 57 
 
 with the Duke of Sidonia as he shall wish himself at St. Mary 
 Port among his orange-trees." 
 
 Lord Henry Seymour, with a squadron of 30 ships, was left 
 to guard the narrow seas, and keep watch and ward upon Dun- 
 kirk, while Howard and Drake, having on board only five days' 
 rations and a scanty supply of shot and powder, pursued the flying 
 foe. At first they seem to have expected that the Spaniards 
 might turn at bay, but by degrees their beaten and desperate 
 condition they began to understand. Past them floated the 
 dead bodies of mules and horses which had been thrown over- 
 board for want of fresh water. " More than one poor crippled 
 ship dropped behind as her spars snapped, and as the water 
 made its way through the wounded seams in the straining 
 sides." The Spaniards, stricken, it was very plain, " with a 
 wonderful fear, made no attempt to succour their consorts, but 
 passed on leaving them to founder." It must not be thought 
 that the victors were in very good case. The men suffered 
 from disease, and their rations were poor in quality and small 
 in quantity. So at last, when only three days' scanty pro- 
 visions were left, Howard abandoned the chase : with the 
 largest of his ships he reached Margate safely, while the others 
 put into Harwich. 
 
 The following extract from a journal of the ten days' contest 
 with the Armada, written by Lord Howard, the reader, I think, 
 will find full of interest : * 
 
 "July 19 (29 N.S.), Friday. Upon Friday, being the iQthof 
 the present month, part of the Spanish navy, to the number of 
 50 sail, were discovered about the isles of Scilly, hovering in the 
 wind, as it seemed, to attend the rest of the fleet ; and the 
 next day, at three of the clock in the afternoon, the Lord 
 Admiral got forth with our navy out of Plymouth, though with 
 
 * State Papers, Domestic^ August 7, 1588. The dates, it must be 
 remembered, are Old Style. 
 
5 3 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 some difficulty, the wind being at south-west. Notwith- 
 standing, through the great travail used by our men, they not 
 onlv cleared the harbour, but also, the next day being Sunday, 
 about nine of the clock in the morning, recovered the wind of 
 the whole fleet, which being thoroughly descried, was found to 
 consist of 120 sail, great and small. 
 
 "At the same instant the Lord Admiral gave them fight 
 within the liew of Plymouth, from whence the Mayor with others 
 sent them continually supplies of men till they were past their 
 coast. This fight continued till one of the clock the same clay, 
 wherein the enemy was made to bear room with some of his 
 ships to stop their leaks. The same day, by an accident of 
 fire happening in one of their great ships of the burden of ... 
 tons, they were blown up with powder, about 120 men, the 
 rest being compelled to leave her, and so she was by the Lord 
 Admiral sent into the west part of England. 
 
 "July 22, Monday. Upon Monday, the 22nd, one of the 
 .chief galleons, wherein was Don Pedro de Valdez with 450 
 men, was taken by reason of his mast that was spent with the 
 breaking of his .bowsprit, so as ,he presently yielded with sundry 
 gentlemen of good quality. 
 
 "July 23, Tuesday. On Tuesday, the 23rd, the Lord 
 Admiral charging the enemy, who had then gotten some 
 advantage of the wind, and therefore seemed more desirous to 
 abide our force ;than before, fell in fight with them oyer 
 against St. Alban's, about five of the clock in the morning, the 
 wind being at north-east, and so continued with great force on 
 both sides till late in the evening, when the wind coming again 
 to be south-west and somewhat large, they began to go home- 
 ward 
 
 " July 24, Wednesday. The same night and all Wednesday 
 the Lord Admiral kept very near unto the Spanish fleet." 
 
 so the unpretending ..cbron.ic.le runs on, the writs* 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 59 
 
 apparently unconscious of the greatness of the work he so 
 simply records. 
 
 Writing to King Philip of the English victory, the Duke of 
 Parma said, " Todo la gloria se da Drake " (All the glory 
 belonged to Drake). And this, the verdict of Drake's contem- 
 poraries, has been confirmed by posterity. He it was who 
 conceived the plan of battle. He it was who encouraged the 
 despondent, lent strength to the feeble, infused courage into* 
 the timid. He it was whose presence inspired the seamen. 
 with confidence. He it was who, when the Admiral grew faint 
 of heart, nerved and supported him with his bolder resolution.. 
 And therefore it was fitting that with his own pen he should 
 sum up the grand results of the contest in which he had played 
 the leading part, and should tell how 
 
 " It was happily manifested in very deed to all nations, that 
 their navy, which they termed invincible, consisting of one 
 hundred and fifty sail of ships, not only of their own kingdom, 
 but strengthened with the greatest argosies, Portugal carracks, 
 Florentines, and large hulks of other countries, were, by thirty 
 of her Majesty's own ships of war, and a few of our merchants, 
 by the wise, valiant, and advantageous conduct of the Lord 
 Charles Howard, High Admiral of England, beaten and 
 shuffled together even from the Lizard in Cornwall, first to 
 Portland, where they shamefully left Don Pedro de Valdez, 
 with his mighty ship; from Portland to Calais, where they 
 lost Hugh de Moncado, with the galleys of which he was cap- 
 tain ; and from Calais, driven with squibs from their anchors, 
 were chased out of the sight of England round about Scotland 
 and Ireland ; where, for the sympathy of their religion, hoping 
 to find succour and assistance, a great part of them were 
 crushed against the rocks, and those other that landed, being 
 very many in number, were, notwithstanding, broken, slain, 
 taken ; arid so sent from village to yUlage, couple4 in 
 
60 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 halters to be shipped into England, where her Majesty, of her 
 princely and invincible disposition, disdaining to put them to 
 death, and scorning either to retain or maintain them, they 
 \\ere all sent back: again to their countries to witness and 
 recount the worthy achievement of their invincible and dreadful 
 navy of which the number of sailors, the fearful burthen of 
 their ships, the commanders' names of every squadron, with 
 all other their magazines of provisions, were put in print, as 
 an army and navy irresistible and disdaining prevention ; with 
 all which their great terrible ostentation they did not, in all their 
 sailing round about England, so much as sink or take one ship, 
 bark, pinnace, or cock-boat of ours, or even have so much as 
 one sheepcote on this land." 
 
 " I sent my ships against men," said Philip, " not against 
 the seas" unwilling to do that honour to his brave enemies 
 which all civilised Europe proclaimed to be their due. On the 
 other hand, England did not claim the victory as wholly the 
 work of her Drakes and Howards, her Frobishers and 
 Seymours; she recognised the hand of Providence in the 
 storm that drove the defeated Armada on the rocks of England 
 and Scotland. On the medal struck in commemoration of this 
 great event were engraved the words, " The Lord sent his 
 \vind, and scattered them." A solemn public thanksgiving 
 was held at St. Paul's, and praise and prayer went up from 
 every altar as from every heart. For, as a modern writer 
 graphically puts it, " The victory over the Armada, the 
 deliverance from Spain, the rolling away of the Catholic terror, 
 which had hung like a cloud over the hopes of the new people, 
 was like a passing from death unto life. Within as without, 
 the dark sky suddenly cleared. The national unity proved 
 
 stronger than the religious strife Nor were the results 
 
 of the victory," adds the historian,* " less momentous to 
 * J. R. G KEEN, History of the English People, iii. 447, 448. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 6l 
 
 Europe at large. What Wolsey and Henry had struggled for, 
 Elizabeth had done. At her accession England was scarcely 
 reckoned among European powers. The wisest statesmen 
 looked on her as doomed to fall into the hands of France, or 
 to escape that fate by remaining a dependency of Spain. But 
 the national independence had grown with the national life. 
 France was no longer a danger. Scotland was no longer a 
 foe. Instead of hanging on the will of Spain, England had 
 fronted Spain, and conquered her. She now stood on a footing 
 of equality with the greatest powers of the world. Her military 
 might, indeed, was drawn from the discord which rent the 
 peoples about her, and would pass away with its close. But a 
 new and lasting greatness opened on the sea. She had sprung 
 at a bound into a great sea-power." 
 
 In this great work Drake had been the prime mover. It 
 was he who had taught English statesmen the important lesson 
 that the way to conquer Spain was to attack the New World 
 colonies from which she drew her wealth. It was he who, by 
 his voyage round the world, had roused the maritime ardour of 
 the people. It was he who by his surprising victories had 
 inspired them with confidence in their prowess, and a belief 
 that they were entitled to the supremacy of the seas. His 
 name was the rallying-cry of all the bolder spirits of the 
 country. The naval enterprise of England owes its origin to 
 the impulse given by the seamanship, courage, and good for- 
 tune of Francis Drake. 
 
 Philip thanked God that he could easily, if he chose, " place 
 another fleet upon the seas," and with the sullen persistency 
 of his character prepared to make good his boast. Early in 
 1589 the western ports of Spain were once more crowded with 
 men and ships, and a second armada, it was announced, 
 would shortly issue forth to chastise and subjugate the pre- 
 sumptuous islanders. Drake, in pursuance of his old policy, 
 
62 EMINENT SAtLOJiS. 
 
 that it was safer to attack the enemy than to wait his assault, 
 offered to lead an expedition against Spain ; and the Queen, 
 accepting the offer, furnished six of the largest ships, with a 
 body of troops under the veteran Sir John Norris. The London 
 merchants and other adventurers came forward with their usual 
 readiness, and in the course of a few weeks a fleet of 80 sail, 
 including transports, was collected, manned by 1,500 sailors, 
 and carrying 11,000 troops. But the Queen, as usual, stinted 
 her supplies of money and provisions, and the departure of the 
 fleet was disastrously delayed by contrary winds. At this 
 juncture the Portuguese showed a keen desire to release them- 
 selves from the bonds of Spanish domination ; and a certain 
 Don Antonio, who laid claim to the throne of Portugal, pro- 
 mised that if an English fleet appeared at Lisbon, the whole 
 country would rise in arms. Drake and Norris were therefore 
 instructed to sail to Lisbon. 
 
 The fleet weighed anchor on the 2ist of April, but was still 
 baffled by adverse winds, and many of the ships put back to 
 England, or even into French ports, weakening the expedition 
 by nearly 3.000 men. The rest proceeded to Corunna, then 
 called the Groyne, which was captured without much resistance, 
 and yielded a large booty of wine and oil. About 500 
 Spaniards lost their lives in the sack, and a large quantity of 
 ammunition and stores was destroyed. The upper town was 
 afterwards besieged, and a breach having been effected, an 
 assault was ordered ; but the enemy mustered in such force 
 and displayed so much courageous obstinacy that it completely 
 failed. Sir John Norris then resolved to re-embark his 
 troops, but to protect them from annoyance it was necessary, 
 in the first place, to disperse an army of 15,000 men, under 
 the command of the Conde de Antrade, which had ad- 
 vanced to within some five or six miles of the English 
 position. What followed is thus described by Drake and 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 63 
 
 Norris in their dispatch to the Queen's Council, dated May 
 7 th(i 7 th): 
 
 "Even as this letter was almost ended, certain corr panics of 
 the Flemings being sent abroad on foraging, brought in a 
 prisoner, who upon his life assured us that there were 15,000 
 soldiers assembled and encamped very strongly at Puente de 
 Burgos, about five English miles from us, under the conduct and 
 commandment of the Earls of Altomira and Andrada. Where- 
 upon, on Tuesday, the 6th of this present, we marched towards 
 them with 7,000 soldiers, leaving the rest for the guard and siege 
 of the town, and encountering with them, they continued fight 
 the space of three-quarters of an hour; and then we forced them 
 to retire to the foot of a bridge, whereon not above three 
 could march in rank, and was about ten score in length, 
 from whence (although they were there defended by some 
 fortifications, and had the benefit and succour of certain 
 houses and other places adjoining) they were followed with 
 our shot and pikes, with such courage and fierceness, as,, 
 after some few volleys on both sides, they entered the bridge,, 
 when in the midst, with the push of the pikes, forced to> 
 make" retreat into their trenches to the farther foot of the: 
 bridge where they encamped, which also (being pursued) they 
 forsook and betook themselves to flight, abandoning their 
 weapons, bag and baggage, and lost about 1,000 in skirmish 
 and pursuit. 
 
 " Had we had either horse on hand or some companies of 
 Irish there to have pursued them, there had none of them 
 escaped ; which cannot be but a notable dishonour to the 
 King, and in our opinions no small furtherance to the service 
 intended. We lost not above two common soldiers and one 
 of the corporals of the field. Sir Edward Norris, who led the 
 vanguard, grievously hurt with a blow on the head, and Captain 
 Fulford shot in the arm. Captain George shot in the left ej e. 
 
64 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Captain Hind wounded in three places of the head, but no 
 danger of life in any of them. 
 
 " Thus it hath pleased God to give her Majesty the victory, 
 which we have great hope to pursue elsewhere with like succes?, 
 if we may be succoured with such necessaries as are needful ; 
 if not, we can but do our endeavours, and leave the rest to the 
 consideration of your lordships, whom we humbly leave to the 
 protection of the Almighty." 
 
 On the loth the fleet sailed along the Portuguese coast, and 
 was joined by the Earl of Essex as a volunteer, bringing with 
 him some war-ships. At Peniche, forty miles from Lisbon, 
 the army was disembarked. Two troops were intrusted to 
 the impetuous Essex, who, leaving one to protect the landing, 
 pushed forward with the other to attack some Spanish com- 
 panies that had come out of the town. Before the English 
 pikemen these doughty warriors fled at once ; the town was 
 entered unopposed, and at the first summons the castle 
 surrendered. 
 
 Norris now decided on marching against Lisbon, where, if 
 the weather permitted, Drake promised to join him with the 
 fleet. On the 2oth- the army arrived before Lisbon, and 
 quickly occupied its suburbs. Here Norris found, to his disap- 
 pointment, that the people did not welcome the English as 
 deliverers, and fly to arms as Don Antonio had promised, but 
 remained cold and indifferent. He had no sufficient force 
 with which to attack the Spaniards in such a case as this ; his 
 supply of ammunition was almost exhausted, and he had not a 
 single piece of artillery for battering purposes. After lingering 
 several days, while his army suffered much from sickness, he 
 resolved on joining Drake at Cascais, of which the great sea- 
 captain had taken possession, as well as of numerous ships 
 laden with stores and munitions for the new armada. Re-em- 
 barking, he sailed for Vigo ; but the fleet was scattered and 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 65 
 
 crippled in a gale, and it was seventeen days before they 
 reached port, with their crews decimated by sickness and 
 famine. A supply of provisions was indispensable, and the 
 army, reduced to 2,000 effectives, landed to fight for it. The 
 town was taken, and with it a good store of wine. Then the 
 country was ravaged for miles around with fire and sword, and 
 the town having been given to the flames, the army re-embarked. 
 After some further vicissitudes, the expedition returned to Ply- 
 mouth, having lost one-half of the adventurers, and failed in 
 its chief object ; yet not wholly unsuccessful, for it had inflicted 
 a grave amount of injury upon the enemy, and added to the 
 reputation of English seamen for enterprise and prowess. As 
 Camden says, " Most men were of opinion that the English 
 hereby answered all points, both of revenge and honour, having 
 in so short a compass of time taken one town by storm, made 
 a glorious assault upon another, driven before them a very 
 potent army, landed their forces in four several places, marched 
 seven days together in order of battle and with colours flying 
 through the enemy's country, attacked a strong and flourishing 
 city with a small handful of men, and lodged for three nights in 
 the suburbs of it. Besides this, they beat the enemy back to the 
 very gates after they had made a sally, took two castles lying 
 on the sea, and spoiled the enemy of all their stores and am- 
 munition And most certain it is that England was so 
 
 far a gainer by this expedition as from that time to apprehend 
 no incursions from Spain, but rather to grow more warm and 
 animated against that country." 
 
 There was, unquestionably, a higher result of such a war- 
 fare than the capture of ships or the destruction of towns and 
 villages. The energies called forth in that stirring time, and 
 by so constant a succession of daring adventures, produced " a 
 corresponding elevation of the national character." In one of 
 his earliest comedies, Shakspere, in a scene where a father 
 
 r 
 
66 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 advises his son ** to seek preferment," has briefly pointed out 
 the great principles which at this period fired and sustained 
 the ambition of England's sons : 
 
 "Some, to the wars, to try their fortune there; 
 Some, to discover islands far away." * 
 
 It was not until 1596 that Drake went to sea again ; but in 
 the interval he did not allow his active mind to rust inglorious, 
 like a disused weapon, He sat as member for Plymouth in 
 fthe Parliament of 1592-3, and by no means as a silent member ; 
 and steadily urged upon the House the necessity of crippling 
 the power of Spain. He busied himself in enlarging and 
 strengthening the defences of Plymouth ; and, a more perma- 
 nently useful work, supplied the town with an abundance of 
 fresh water, which he brought by a line of tunnels and aque- 
 ducts from the pure fresh springs of Dartmoor. His residence 
 of Buckland Abbey, which he purchased from Sir Richard 
 Trueville in 1587, was situated about two miles from Plymouth, 
 on the wooded banks of the picturesque Tay. 
 
 III. 
 
 The war with Spain blazed into fresh activity in 1595; and 
 English fleets and armies, both in the Old World and the New, 
 were busily engaged in harassing the enemy. An English arma- 
 ment drove the Spaniards out of Brest; and an expedition 
 under Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Hawkins was dispatched 
 against the Spanish colonies in the West Indies. With the 
 history of this expedition we close the last chapter of our hero's 
 career. It consisted of about twenty private ships, and six of the 
 Queen's ships, viz. the Defiance^ Admiral Sir Francis Drake \ 
 the Garland t Vice- Admiral Sir John Hawkins; the Hope, Captain 
 * Two Gentlemen of Verona, act i. scene 3. 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 67 
 
 Gilbert Slock ; the Bunaventura, Captain Troughton ; the 
 Foresight t Captain Winter; and the Adventure^ Captain Thomas 
 Drake ; and it carried a considerable military force under Sir 
 Thomas Baskerville. Its immediate destination was Porto 
 Rico, where, if report might be credited, a great treasure had 
 been accumulated for the King of Spain's use in preparing a 
 third grand armada for the invasion of England. 
 
 At the outset Drake designed to land his troops at Nombre 
 de Dios, in the Caribbean Sea, and thence carry them across 
 the isthmus to Panama, in order to pounce upon the ingots of 
 gold and silver annually brought thither from the mines of Peru 
 and Mexico ; but, shortly before setting sail, he received letters 
 from the Queen containing information of the arrival in Europe 
 of the West Indian or Plata fleet. It was added, however, 
 that one of the most valuable of the galleons had lost her mast 
 and put into Porto Rico ; and the Queen commanded him, 
 therefore, to make Porto Rico his first object of attack. In 
 reply Drake and Hawkins sent the following dispatch, which is 
 worth transcription because it is the last to which these two 
 brave " sea-dogs " put their names : 
 
 " Our duty in most humble manner remembered, it may 
 please your lordship [Lord Burleigh] we have answered her 
 Majesty's letter, we hope to her Highness's contentment, whom 
 we would not wittingly or willingly displease. We humbly 
 thank your lordship for your manifold favours, which we have 
 always found never variable, but with all favour, love, and con- 
 stancy, for which we can never be sufficiently thankful, but 
 with our prayers to God long to bless your good lordship with 
 honour and health. 
 
 " We think it be true that some small men-of-war be taken 
 upon the coast of Spain, but, they are of very small moment. 
 They be for the most part such small caravels as were before 
 this taken from the Spaniards. Some small number of oui 
 
68 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 men are yet in Spain, which is the only loss ; but, as we learn, 
 there be not above one hundred left in Spain of them, but 
 many returned already into England. 
 
 " And so looking daily for a good wind, we humbly take 
 our leave. From Plymouth, the i8th of August, 1595. 
 
 * Your lordship's ever most bounden, 
 
 FRA. DRAKE. JOHN HAWKINS."* 
 
 Ten days later Drake and Hawkins sailed from Plymouth, 
 and made for the Canaries, where they attempted the reduction 
 of Grand Canary, the largest of the group, but found it impos- 
 sible to land their troops in the boats on account of the violent 
 surf. On nearing Martinico, Drake, with four or five ships, con- 
 stituting the van, was separated from the rest of the fleet by a 
 sudden gale ; but all reassembled at Guadaloupe. There he 
 took in fresh water, refitted the ships, and lodged his men 
 ashore, that they might recruit their energies. Off the eastern 
 end of Porto Rico gallant old Sir John Hawkins died, pros- 
 trated by the unhealthy climate, which carried off numbers of 
 the men. He was succeeded as second in command by Sir 
 Thomas Baskerville ; and the fleet in due time dropped anchor 
 about ten miles to the east of San Juan de Porto Rico, ex- 
 changing a sharp fire with the Spanish batteries. The English 
 ships received twenty-eight great shot, the last of which struck 
 the Admiral's through the mizen, and the last but one went 
 through her quarter into the chief cabin, the General being 
 there at supper, knocking his stool from under him, but hurt- 
 
 * From the Harl. MSS. (cited by Barrow). In a contemporary hand 
 the following note has been added at the bottom of the letter : " The 
 Queen sent these two brave sea-captains with a fleet to Porto Rico in 
 America, belonging to the Spaniard, having heard of a great mass of 
 treasure brought thither. But it pfbved an unsuccessful attempt, and 
 neither of them returned ever home again, both dying at sea at different 
 places, in this voyage." 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 69 
 
 ing him not. It wounded, however, seven of his guests, and 
 two of them, Sir Nicholas Clifford and Master (Brute) Browne 
 so seriously that they died of their injuries. Browne was an old 
 comrade and friend of Drake, and as he breathed his last Drake 
 exclaimed, " Ah, dear Brute, I will grieve for thee, but now 
 is no time for me to let down my spirits ! " 
 
 On the following morning the fleet took up its position to 
 the westward, and at nightfall twenty-five pinnaces, boats, and 
 shallops, well manned and well equipped, glided into the road- 
 stead. As intelligence of Drake's voyage and destination had 
 reached the island, every precaution had been taken to guard 
 against his attack. The great galleon had been sunk in the 
 mouth of the harbour, and the whole of her treasure removed 
 ashore. A floating boom of masts and spars was laid on each 
 side, near the forts and castles, so as to guard the entrance ; 
 and five ships were moored within the breakwater. As the 
 flotilla advanced it was received with a heavy fire. It 
 pushed forward, however, into the harbour, burnt the five 
 ships, and a large one of 900 tons, and destroyed their 
 cargoes of silk, oil, and wine, before it was driven back 
 by the tremendous cannonade opened upon it from every 
 side. 
 
 Steering to the Caribbean shore, Drake took the town of 
 La Hacha, but restored it to its inhabitants on receiving a 
 ransom of 34,000 ducats. The ransom of the town of Ilan- 
 cheria not being forthcoming, it was burned to the ground, and 
 several towns and villages along the coast met with the same 
 fate. At length Drake arrived at Nombre de Dios, which fell 
 into his hands after a short resistance, and was likewise given 
 up to the flames, along with all the vessels, large and small, in 
 the harbour. In these buccaneering achievements much valu- 
 able time was lost ; and the whole conduct of the expedi- 
 tion shows so many signs of dilatoriness, indecision, and want of 
 
70 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 energy, that it is evident that physical weakness, or some unex- 
 plained cause, had weakened the vigour of the Admiral's cha 
 racter and broken down his old tenacity of purpose. At 
 Nombre de Dios the expedition to Panama was organized, and 
 Sir Thomas Baskerville set out on his march across the isthmus 
 with 750 soldiers. But the Indians proved hostile, and main- 
 tained a harassing fire upon the troops as they threaded the 
 intricate defiles. Moreover, the Spaniards were fully prepared 
 for the attempt, and had erected there strong forts to prohibit 
 an enemy's advance. The task was too big for their leader ; 
 and, famished, footsore, and weary, the adventurers turned 
 back again, and, with a loss of one hundred men and officers, 
 withdrew to Nombre de Dios. 
 
 This disastrous failure told severely upon Drake in his weak- 
 ened and dispirited condition, and he fell ill of a sickness which 
 proved a sickness unto death. 
 
 "On the isth of January, 1596," as Hakluyt tells us, " Sir 
 Francis Drake began to keep his cabin, and complain of a 
 scouring or flux. On the 23rd the fleet set sail, and stood up 
 again for Porto Bello, which is but three leagues to the west- 
 ward of Nombre de Dios. 
 
 " On the 28th, at four of the clock in the morning, our 
 General, Sir Francis Drake, departed this life, having been ex- 
 tremely sick of a flux, which began the night before to stop on 
 him. He used some speeches at, or a little before, his death, 
 rising and apparelling himself, but being brought to bed again 
 within one hour died. 
 
 " They moved on to Porto Bello, and after coming to anchor 
 in the bay, and the solemn burial of our General in the sea, 
 Sir Thomas Baskerville being aboard the Defiance, where Mr. 
 Bride made a sermon, having to his audience all the captains in 
 the fleet." 
 
 What more fitting grave could be desired for the great sea* 
 
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 7 1 
 
 man with whom begins the long roll of illustrious English 
 admirals ? 
 
 "This our captain," to repeat the words of Fuller, "was a 
 religious man towards God and His houses, generally sparing 
 churches where he came ; chaste in his life, just in his dealings, 
 true to his word, merciful to those who were under him, and 
 hating nothing so much as idleness." 
 
ROBERT BLAKE, ADMIRAL AND 
 GENERAL AT SEA. 
 
 A.D. 1599 1657. 
 
 As in the present volume we are concerned only with the 
 achievements of " Eminent Sailors," we shall pass rapidly over 
 that portion of the career of Robert Blake which had no con- 
 nection with " the service of the sea." 
 
 Towards the end of August, 1599, was born at Bridgewater 
 Robert Blake, the eldest son of Humphrey Blake, of Plansfield, 
 and his wife Sara, daughter and coheiress of Humphrey 
 Williams. His early education he obtained at the Bridgewater 
 Grammar School, then considered one of the best in England. 
 At the age of sixteen he was sent to Oxford, where he matricu- 
 lated as a member of St. Alban's Hall. Little is known of his col- 
 lege life ; but it is recorded of him that he rose early, and was 
 exceedingly diligent at his books, lectures, and devotion ; that 
 he took great delight in field-sports, particularly in fishing and 
 shooting. From St. Alban's Hall he removed to Wadham 
 College, where he applied himself with much assiduity to the 
 acquisition of knowledge. Pecuniary misfortunes had overtaken 
 his father, and young Blake desired to relieve him of the 
 expense of maintaining him at Oxford by securing a fellowship 
 in one of the colleges. In this aim, however, he failed ; and 
 thus England gained, instead of a scholar who would probably 
 have languished in lettered obscurity, a great captain aud 
 admiral who led her fleets to victory. 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 73 
 
 In due time he took the degree of M.A., but was called from 
 the calm and seclusion of a collegiate life by the death of his 
 father in November, 1625. The care of a large family then 
 devolved upon him. He accepted the responsibility with 
 courage, and discharged it with success. Under his loving and 
 firm supervision his seven brothers and two sisters were reared, 
 educated, and placed out in the world in positions of respect- 
 ability and comfort. Meanwhile he watched with observant 
 eye the progress of public affairs, and gradually developed those 
 political and religious opinions then associated with the names 
 of " Puritan " and " Republican." As the action of Charles I. 
 and his Ministers awakened the just alarm and indignation of 
 all who valued civil and religious liberty, he employed himself 
 with all his force of character and tenacity of intellect to 
 organize in Somersetshire a party of resistance. The extent of 
 his influence is shown by the fact that he was returned to the 
 Long Parliament in 1640 as member for Taunton. But when 
 the appeal to arms was made Blake hastened back from West- 
 minster to Somersetshire, and began to organize an armed 
 resistance. Mr. Dixon tells us that his was one of the first 
 troops in the field, and that both his horse and foot played a 
 conspicuous part in the first action of any importance in the 
 West of England, when Sir John Homer routed the newly 
 raised forces of the Marquis of Hertford at Wells. From that 
 date he was in almost every action of importance in the 
 western counties, fighting his way gradually into military 
 notice. In the sharp encounter at Bodmin he proved his fiery 
 courage ; on the fiercely disputed field of Lansdown his con- 
 duct earned the approval of Sir William Waller. His atten- 
 tion, however, was not wholly confined to military affairs. 
 " His knowledge of business, his activity, and his severe 
 integrity pointed him out for other employments, and he was 
 made one of the committee for seizing and sequestrating the 
 
74 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 estates of delinquents in Somerset a thankless office, the duties 
 of which he nevertheless discharged for several years without 
 giving rise to a single accusation of partiality, or making for him- 
 self one personal enemy. But the camp was his true sphere of 
 action ; his superiority to the men about him lay in the marvel- 
 lous fertility, energy, and comprehensiveness of his military 
 genius. Before the field of action was as yet occupied by large 
 armies, he scoured the country with his intrepid dragoons, 
 rousing the spirit of his friends, carrying terror to the hearths of 
 his enemies, and levying contributions of money and horses OL 
 all towns and hamlets known to be disaffected to the national 
 cause. In the Royalist camp Prince Rupert could alone be 
 compared with him as a partisan soldier; and that brilliant 
 cavalry officer, fated to be foiled so often on land and sea by 
 Blake, soon made the acquaintance of his redoubtable enemy 
 at the siege of Bristol." * 
 
 It was in July, 1643, tna ^ he was sent with a reinforcement 
 to the garrison of Bristol, then invested by a Royalist army of 
 14,000 foot and 6,000 horse under the Princes Rupert and 
 Maurice. In an action with the Royalists outside the walls he 
 was completely successful ; but Nathaniel Fiennes," the governor, 
 lost head and heart, and surrendered to the Royalist chiefs. 
 Blake, who had been promoted to a lieutenant-colonelcy, with 
 a few companies of horse rode away to Bridgewater, and 
 thence to the south coast, where he took part in the defence of 
 Lyme Regis. The little town was besieged by a large force, 
 but with so much skill and courage were the military operations 
 of the Roundheads conducted that the enemy were compelled 
 to retire, with a loss of 2,000 men. 
 
 Blake and his veterans, encouraged by this success, marched 
 straight upon Taunton, which was in the hands of a Royalist 
 garrison, and demanded its surrender. Colonel Reeves with a 
 * KEPWORTH DIXON, Life of Robert Blake t p. 38. 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 75 
 
 good grace yielded, and Blake took possession of the town on 
 the 8th of July, 1644. He immediately proceeded to enlarge 
 and repair its defences, knowing that the Royalists would not 
 fail to make an effort for the recovery of a town of so much 
 importance. His expectation was quickly fulfilled, Sir 
 Richard Grenville undertaking its reduction, and prosecuting 
 its siege with a vast deal of vigour. When he was stricken 
 down by a severe wound, Sir John Berkeley succeeded to the 
 command, and evinced an equal determination. Inch by inch 
 the Royalists pushed their approaches, and even forced their 
 swords and pikes into the outer streets ; but the garrison con- 
 verted every house into a fortress, from the windows of which 
 they delivered an effective fire ; and the armed progress of the 
 enemy was not only inconsiderable, but attended with great 
 carnage. More serious far to the besieged was famine ; but 
 Blake steadfastly held out until relieved on the nth of May, 
 1645, by the arrival of Colonel Walden and four regiments of 
 Fairfax's army. 
 
 It was fitting that Blake should be appointed governor of the 
 city he had saved, and he continued to hold the post until the 
 cause of Absolutism perished on the scaffold at Whitehall. 
 From his tranquil Somersetshire 'home he saw scene after scene 
 in that great tragic drama which terminated in so startling a 
 catastrophe, without himself appearing as an actor on the stage. 
 He disapproved of the execution of Charles I., and would 
 have been content, like many other moderate Republicans, 
 with his deposition and banishment. His calm and serious 
 mind never yielded to fanaticism in religion or in politics ; and 
 ambitious only to do as best he could the work that fell to his 
 hands, he cared not for the applause of listening senates or the 
 approval of excited crowds. In the new form of government 
 that was raised on the ruins of the shattered monarchy by the 
 genius of Vane, St. John, and Cromwell, he readily acquiesced. 
 
76 EMINENT SAtf ,ORS. 
 
 He sought for no place in it for himself. Foremost he among 
 the patient, silent servants of the State ; a tranquil, God-fearing, 
 honourable man; always ready to do his duty, and content 
 with so much public approval as the zealous performance of 
 that duty might secure. His was not the genius that could 
 play the part of a Cromwell. His was not the masterful intel- 
 lect that could govern and guide a nation. For Robert Blake 
 the imperial purple would have been "a world too wide;" 
 enough for him to carry out those enterprises which the capa 
 city of his rulers designed, and to wield with vigour the sword 
 his country placed in his hand. 
 
 One of the earliest objects which commanded the attention 
 of Cromwell and his associates was the establishment of the 
 supremacy of England in the narrow seas, and the defence of 
 her growing commerce against the fleets of Holland or the 
 piratical cruisers of Prince Rupert. They proceeded, therefore, 
 to organize the navy on a large scale. But in the selection of 
 a suitable commander for the navy thus organized they expe- 
 rienced a great difficulty. The Commonwealth had produced 
 many able soldiers, but few successful seamen, the struggle for 
 freedom having been wholly carried on and finally decided 
 by its armies. There were, indeed, some admirable captains 
 of ships men of whose nautical skill and courage no doubt 
 could be entertained ; but the one thing needful a master- 
 mind, to animate, direct, and govern the whole ; to infuse new 
 life into an inert naval administration ; to remove the dissatis- 
 faction which rankled in the hearts of the common sailors, 
 and teach them the habit of victory was the one thing not 
 easily obtainable. 
 
 Such a man they found at last in Robert Blake. True, he 
 had had no experience of the sea, knew nothing of ships, 
 was ignorant of naval manoeuvres ; but he was known to be 
 endowed with resolute purpose, tenacious courage, and a lofty 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 77 
 
 and liberal temper. With him they associated Colonels 
 Deane and Popham. The three commanders were styled 
 " Generals and Admirals at Sea," and invested with ample 
 powers. Moreover, they were instructed to capture all ships- 
 of-war which still carried the royal flag ; to drive the corsair 
 princes, Rupert and Maurice, from the high seas ; and to co- 
 operate with a suitable land force in that new expedition against 
 rebellious Ireland which was to be led by Cromwell. 
 
 Into the great work of reforming the naval service Blake 
 threw himself with immense energy. As soon as it was accom- 
 plished, the Commonwealth's naval forces were formed into 
 four great divisions. With one of these Sir George Ascue 
 cruised in the Irish Seas; with a second, Colonel Popham 
 watched Plymouth Sound and the British Channel; Deane, 
 with a third, hovered between Portsmouth and Dover ; while- 
 Blake himself prepared to follow up and destroy Prince 
 Rupert's piratical squadron. 
 
 Blake was fifty years old when, on the loth of April, 1649, 
 he first hoisted his flag as " General and Admiral at Sea," 
 beginning a new career at an age which, to most men of 
 action, brings an opportunity and a prospect of rest. 
 
 He displayed in it even more than his former activity, 
 pursuing Prince Rupert from Kinsale to the Tagus, and 
 blockading him there for a whole winter. Afterwards he 
 hunted him and his cousin Maurice from Majorca to Toulon, 
 and from Toulon to Majorca, entirely breaking up their 
 fleet, and clearing the Channel of their cruisers. For this high 
 service the Council of State appointed him Warden of the 
 Cinque Ports, and Parliament voted him its thanks and a 
 donation of ^"1,000. 
 
 In April, 1651, he reduced the Royalist stronghold of St. 
 Mary's, in the Scilly Isles. The resistance of the Cavaliers 
 was such as might have been expected from English gentlemen, 
 
78 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 but it availed nothing against Blake's dogged purpose. More- 
 over, like all great commanders, he possessed the faculty of 
 raising his men insensibly, as it were, without any direct 
 consciousness on their part to his own standard of heroism. 
 None could withstand those daring fighting-men of his the 
 Ironsides of the English navy. He and they, by their united 
 will, got his frigates through the difficult channels which 
 intersect the Scilly Archipelago, and quickly battered down the 
 Royalist defences with their thundering broadsides. For the 
 first time in the history of naval warfare he brought wooden 
 walls against stone walls, and proved their superiority. St. 
 Mary's fell, and the Scilly Islands acknowledged the authority 
 of the Commonwealth. 
 
 Passing over his capture of Jersey, which Colonel Carteret 
 held for the King, we come to that portion of his career 
 which has made him famous among English admirals. In 
 1652 the long smouldering jealousies between England and 
 Holland blazed out into a sudden flame, and the two nations 
 engaged in a deadly and desperate struggle. At bottom it 
 was commercial in character and object a contention for the 
 carrying trade of Europe ; ostensibly it was caused by the 
 demand of the Commonwealth that any Dutch vessel should do 
 homage to its flag in the narrow seas. Commodore Young, 
 acting on an order of the Council of State, bade tlte admiral of 
 a Dutch fleet which was returning from Genoa lower his 
 ensign. The latter refused compliance. Young immediately 
 poured in a broadside, and, after a sharp fight, compelled him 
 to strike his flag. 
 
 Deeply angered by this open insult, the States-General of 
 Holland ordered their great admiral, Van Tromp, to take 
 command of a fleet of 42 ships, for the purpose of maintaining 
 the dignity of the Dutch flag and protecting the interests of 
 Dutch commerce. And while the Dutch Ambassadors were 
 
iOBJSRT BLAKE. f<) 
 
 professedly bent upon amicable negotiations, Van Tromp 
 put to sea, and suddenly appearing in the Downs, seamed to 
 threaten with his frowning cannon the " inviolate shores " of 
 England. 
 
 Expecting, and not unprepared or unwilling for war, the 
 Council of State had reappointed Blake to the chief command, 
 and Blake had chosen as his vice and rear admirals two 
 excellent officers, William Penn, the ablest seaman in England, 
 and Major Nehemiah Bourne. The latter was lying in the 
 Downs with eight men-of-war, when Tromp, by stress of 
 weather, was compelled to run into Dover. Tromp imme- 
 diately sent two frigates to offer an explanation of his conduct, 
 and to promise that he would sail for the North Sea when the 
 hurricane abated. Bourne amicably accepted the explanation, 
 invited the captains of the two frigates to take a glass of wine 
 with him, and at the same time sent a messenger to Blake, who 
 was anchored in Rye Bay. The Admiral came up with all 
 speed, and arrived next day to see Tromp making to the 
 eastward. But suddenly a ship overtook the Dutch fleet; it 
 brought intelligence of the outrage on Dutch honour; and 
 Tromp immediately putting about, ran towards the English, 
 but without lowering his flag. 
 
 Wherefore, according to the English account,* Blake fired 
 a signal gun to remind him of his lack of courtesy. A second 
 a third to which Tromp replied, as if in scorn, by a 
 single gun, still keeping the Dutch flag flying from his mast- 
 head. 
 
 Tromp's fleet numbered 42 ships; Blake had with him only 
 15, but they were larger, and carried more guns and more men. 
 On the other hand, while a larger proportion of the English 
 crews were new and untried levies, the Dutch were mainly 
 
 * The Dutch represent the English as aggressors, and profess that 
 Tromp desired to avoid an engagement. 
 
8O EM IN EN'] 1 SAILORS. 
 
 composed of picked and experienced seamen. The disparity 
 of force was great, but it could not influence Blake's determina- 
 tion. As soon as the two fleets came within musket-range, he 
 pushed forward in his flag-ship, the Janus, to speak with the 
 Dutch Admiral ; but Tromp, it is said, poured in upon him a 
 destructive broadside, which damaged the poops and shattered 
 the cabin windows. Blake and his officers were seated over 
 their wine in his cabin when the shot rattled about their ears. 
 "Well," exclaimed Blake, "'tis not very civil in Mynheer 
 Tromp to mistake my flag-ship for a brothel and break my 
 windows." A second broadside thundered as he spoke. 
 Then, it is said, the Admiral twisted his black whiskers round 
 his fingers, as was his wont when he was angry, and bade the 
 gunners return her enemy's fire. 
 
 The battle now became general. There was no manoeuvring, 
 no combination of dexterous stratagems, no display of intri- 
 cate tactics. It was hand-to-hand fighting each man for 
 himself, and Providence over all ! The Janus was the first 
 English ship in action ; and out of 250 men lost several 
 officers and men killed, and about 35 desperately wounded. 
 By other ships the unequal struggle was stoutly maintained, 
 until, as the twilight gathered on the water, Bourne and his 
 squadron, attracted by the echoing cannon, came up under a 
 cloud of canvas. His arrival infused a new life into the 
 English battle, and sorely discouraged the Dutch. Van 
 Tromp drew off his fleet and returned to the shores of Hol- 
 land, having lost a couple of ships, one sunk and one taken, 
 and 250 prisoners. 
 
 In both countries this " untoward event " inflamed the 
 desire for war, and both set to work with all their energies so 
 to prepare for battle as to insure victory. England added 40 
 new ships to her fleet, raised the wages of her seamen, made a 
 levy in every port, so that, in one month from the battle in 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 8l 
 
 the Downs, Blake was at the head of a fleet of 105 vessels, 
 carrying 3,961 guns. Nor was Holland less in earnest; she 
 laid down the keels of 60 new men-of-war, and by high rates 
 of pay tempted into her navy the ablest seamen of every 
 nation. Before long a fine armada of 120 ships, well manned 
 and well equipped, was under the command of Marten Har- 
 perts Tromp. 
 
 The first great operation of the war was directed against the 
 herring fishery in the North Seas, which, at that time almost 
 monopolized by the Dutch fishermen, was a principal source of 
 the wealth of Holland. Ascertaining that the spring flotilla, of 
 more than six hundred " busses," was on its homeward voyage, 
 escorted by twelve men-of-war, Blake left Sir George Ascue in 
 the Channel to observe Tromp's movements, and with sixty 
 ships sailed northwards to intercept it. His van came up 
 with the herring fleet off Black Ness, and after a sharp action 
 sank three and captured nine of the convoy men-of-war. The 
 six hundred busses fell into his hands, but as their destruction 
 would have ruined scores of innocent families, Blake satisfied 
 himself with levying a royalty of every tenth herring, and with 
 delivering a stern warning to the fishermen to refrain from 
 trespassing within British waters. 
 
 Tromp, meanwhile, had quitted the Texel with 102 sail and 
 10 fire-ships, and as before such a force Ascue was compelled 
 to retreat, flying for shelter under the guns of Deal, he rode 
 triumphant in the Downs and threatened the coast of 
 Kent. He was prevented from approaching near enough to 
 do any damage by a strong wind that blew off shore ; 
 and, after awhile, returned to port to convoy northward a 
 fleet of Baltic traders, after which he sailed in search of 
 Blake, hoping to crush him with his great preponderance of 
 force. 
 
 The two fleets came in sight of each other off the Shetland 
 
 
 
82 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Isles early on the 6th of August, and eagerly prepared to 
 contend for the supremacy of the seas. But a tremendous 
 storm from the north-west suddenly broke upon them, and the 
 great ships were scattered right and left, like straws before the 
 wind. Blake, running at once for the nearest port, escaped 
 with comparatively little loss ; but the Dutch suffered severely, 
 and when Tromp reached the mouth of the Texel nearly half 
 of his fleet was missing, and six of his frigates had fallen into 
 the hands of the English. Though sorely afflicted by this dis- 
 aster, the national spirit was not dismayed, and every effort 
 was made to equip a new fleet. With the characteristic in- 
 gratitude of nations, however, the Dutch heaped disgrace and 
 contumely upon the unfortunate Admiral, and placed in com- 
 mand of their new armament the famous seaman Cornelis De 
 Witt. Eager to accomplish some great thing which should 
 prove his superiority to the discredited Tromp, he set sail im- 
 mediately with 45 men-of-war, and was joined by De Ruyter ; 
 but the winds and waters were against him, and a heavy gale 
 beat him back to port, with serious loss and damage. It 
 seemed as if in the contention between England and Holland 
 Providence was not disposed to favour the latter. 
 
 Having refitted his ships, De Witt put to sea again, with the 
 view of making for the Downs and attacking the British in 
 their own waters. But he was anticipated by Blake, who left 
 his moorings suddenly on the 8th of October, and swooped 
 down upon the Dutch before they were prepared. The battle 
 began about three in the afternoon, and was fought with extra- 
 ordinary determination. The Dutch had more ships than the 
 English, but those of the latter were on the whole of larger 
 size, so that the two opponents were tolerably equal. At it 
 they went yard-arm to yard-arm muzzle to muzzle a sheer 
 hand-to-hand struggle, in which each individual seemed inspired 
 with an absolute personal hatred of his adversary ; and it was 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 03 
 
 only the coming on of night that ended the fierce engagement. 
 Then it was found that three Dutch men-of-war had been sunk, 
 that one had blown up, and that the rear-admiral had been 
 taken. These were small gains ; but the Dutch had sustained 
 a heavy blow in their loss of prestige, as it was evident they had 
 met their match upon the seas. 
 
 The true measure of their defeat was shown by their refusal next 
 day to renew the battle. Sullen and discouraged, they retired 
 towards their own shores, closely pursued and severely harassed 
 by the English. 
 
 The enthusiasm excited in England by Blake's victory was 
 unbounded ; unfortunately it induced Parliament in its over- 
 confidence to reduce the English fleet by 40 ships. On the 
 other hand, the Dutch Government was conscious of the neces- 
 sity of a supreme effort to retain its maritime ascendancy ; and 
 having equipped a large fleet with incredible alacrity, recalled 
 the veteran Tromp from his unmerited seclusion, appointing 
 De Witt and De Ruyter to act under him as vice-admirals, and 
 Evertsen and Floritzen as rear-admirals. Jealousy and dis- 
 appointment, however, had undermined the health of Cornelis 
 De Witt, and at the last moment he was unable to accept the 
 post intrusted to him. 
 
 With 80 large ships and 15 smaller vessels, Tromp and De 
 Ruyter appeared in the Dover roads on the 29th of November, 
 1652.* Blake was lying there with 37 men-of-war, one frigate, 
 and a few fire-ships and hoys, the remainder of his fleet being 
 distributed in the ports of the Channel and in Plymouth 
 Sound. His flag was hoisted on board the Triumph. It was 
 about noon, and the day was lowering and gusty, when the 
 stately war-ships of Holland hove in sight of the English fleet. 
 To prevent himself from being driven in shore, Blake, despite 
 of his inferiority of force, put out at once into the open sea, 
 * December gth. New Style. 
 
84 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 resolving to make for Rye, where he would obtain a reinforce- 
 ment. Tromp, of course, prepared to cut him off, but was 
 prevented from engaging him by a violent gale, which blew all 
 night and the greater part of the following day. At one 
 o'clock on the roth the van of the Dutch overtook the rear- 
 ward ships of the English, and a fierce fight began off Dunge- 
 ness. The two rival admirals first came into collision, and ex- 
 changed destructive broadsides. The Garland followed Blake 
 into the turmoil, and came into such violent collision with 
 Tromp's flag-ship, the Brederode, that she carried away her 
 bowsprit and cat-heads. Assisted by the Bonadventure,%n. armed 
 trader of 30 guns, she plied the Dutch Admiral with such 
 hearty good-will that he was thankful indeed when Evertsen 
 came up to relieve him. Against the two men-of-war the 
 little Garland, however, maintained her stand, until, having 
 lost 60 killed and 70 or 80 wounded out of a crew of 200 men, 
 she was forced to strike her colours. The Triumph, having 
 lost her fore-topmast, and being herself engaged with an enemy 
 of superior power, could not move to the rescue. 
 
 With scarcely any help the stress of the fight had been borne 
 by the Triumph, the Vanguard, and the Victory; and, with 
 gallant tenacity, they had held their defence against a score of 
 adversaries. Thrice did the Dutch obtain a footing on the 
 deck of the Triumph, and thrice were they beaten back with 
 great carnage. Her masts tottered, her rigging was cut to 
 pieces, her hull was battered with shot. But the Vanguard, of 
 50 guns, assisted by the Sapphire, an armed trader of 30 guns, 
 stuck closely by her Admiral, and saved him from being over 
 whelmed. Night came on, dark, stormy, and cold ; and 
 without let or hindrance Blake withdrew his shattered ships to 
 the mouth of the Thames, leaving an undoubted victory with 
 the Dutch. 
 
 The Council of State was not disheartened by this misfortune, 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 85 
 
 nor was its confidence in Blake diminished. Vigorous exer- 
 tions were made to put a fleet to sea capable of coping with 
 the Dutch. The ships which had been dispersed along the 
 coast were concentrated in the Downs. The number of seamen 
 was increased to 30,000. Magazines were replenished, the 
 dockyards were supplied with fresh stores. Some captains of 
 whose misconduct Blake complained were cashiered, and 
 trustier men appointed to their places ; while Generals Deane 
 and Monk were associated with him as his coadjutors. 
 
 To and fro in the Channel sailed Marten Harperts Tromp 
 triumphantly, with a broom at his mast-head to intimate that 
 he had swept the English 'off the seas. The States-General 
 audaciously proclaimed a blockade of the whole coast of 
 England. The Dutch epigrammatists indulged in jests as flat 
 as their own Holland, and regarded the islanders from a height 
 of insolent superiority. " They had carried off t the garland,' " 
 they said ; and there were squibs and jokes about the "bon- 
 adventure " having realised the prophecy of its name in falling 
 into their hands. But the contention between the two 
 countries was one which ridicule could not decide; and the 
 Hollanders grew soberer when their resolute enemy reappeared 
 in the Channel with a formidable fleet of 80 men-oi-war, in 
 which Penn's flag waved as vice-admiral and Lawson's as 
 rear-admiral. 
 
 It was off the glittering cliffs of Portland, on the morning of 
 February i8th, 1653, that Blake's noble armada came in sight of 
 their great enemy. Tromp had then under his charge a large 
 convoy of rich merchantmen bound for the Scheldt, and 
 having the wind in his favour, might easily have declined the 
 engagement ; but he was too confident in his own strength, and, 
 as Blake wanted fighting, he told his officers he should have 
 plenty of it. He rapidly divided his fleet into three squadrons, 
 under Floritzen, Evertsen, and De Ruyter, and sent his mer 
 
#6 EMINENT SAILOUS. 
 
 chantmen, with some ships of war to guard them, into the rear. 
 Then he awaited the shock of battle. 
 
 Blake's flag-ship, the Triumph, the Speaker (Penn), the 
 Fairfax (Lawson), and about twenty ships of the advanced 
 division, were several miles ahead and to windward of the 
 main body, but they gallantly pushed forward to begin the 
 action. The Triumph was singled out by Tromp in the 
 Brederodt, and shaken by his heavy artillery from stem to 
 stern. The Speaker and her consorts, dashing into the affray, 
 drove off some of the enemy from their Admiral, and the battle 
 became general in spite of the feebleness of the English van. 
 The Prosperous, the Oak, and the Assistance were- boarded by 
 the Dutch, but afterwards retaken. The Dutch force, how- 
 ever, was so preponderant that Blake and his followers must 
 have been overborne had not Monk and the main fleet 
 come up. 
 
 As the battle grew more equal the Dutch showed a disposi- 
 tion to decline it, hauled to the wind, and endeavoured to 
 draw off; but the English clung closely to their skirts, and 
 would not be denied. Then the action was renewed with 
 increased vehemence. A Dutch man-of-war blew up with a 
 terrible explosion ; several were set on fire ; others sunk with 
 all on board ; and not a vessel in either fleet but bore the 
 marks of battle on its sides or in its rigging. The shores of 
 Kent and Normandy echoed the sounding ordnance. De 
 Ruyter at one time engaged the Prosperous, an armed mer- 
 chantman of 40 guns, but was so steadily withstood that at 
 last he impatiently called for boarders. They sprang upon the 
 Englishman's deck, sword and pistol in hand, as if they were 
 invincible, but were desperately beaten back, and threatened 
 in their turn with a similar compliment. Out spake De 
 Ruyter, " Come, my lads, that was nothing ; at them again !" 
 So furious was their second charge that Captain Barton and 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 7 
 
 his men were borne down by it and forced to yield. At this 
 juncture Captain Vesey came up in the Matin, and drove the 
 Dutch from their capture, and took refuge with all his men on 
 board it, while his own ship went to the bottom. Thus went 
 the contest until night came on ; when Tromp drew off, spread- 
 ing his shattered ships in the form of a half-moon round his 
 host of merchantmen, and slowly making for the mouth of the 
 Texel. 
 
 So far the battle had gone in favour of the English, who had 
 either captured or destroyed eight Dutch men-of-war. During 
 the night Blake sent ashore his wounded and made good his 
 damages in readiness for a renewal of the struggle. When 
 morning dawned the Hollanders were seen about seven leagues 
 off Weymouth, and Blake made an attempt, first on their left 
 and afterwards on their right, to break through the semi- 
 circular line with which they guarded the traders. Again the 
 fighting lasted until nightfall. The third day decided the issue. 
 The two fleets came into collision off Baveziers (March 2nd), 
 and for two hours the fight equalled in fury any action during 
 the war. Then it languished somewhat, and finally dwindled 
 away, until about four o'clock firing ceased on both sides, from 
 sheer exhaustion and want of ammunition. Blake stood out to sea, 
 leaving fourteen of his frigates to harass the Dutch, who slowly 
 staggered along to the Meuse, having lost n men-of-war, 
 taken, burned, or sunk ; 60 merchantmen taken; 2,000 men and 
 officers killed or wounded ; and 700 prisoners. 
 
 It was at this time that the Long Parliament, after a glorious 
 career, came to an inglorious end (April 20th and 2ist), and 
 Cromwell seized upon the supreme power. Blake had gone 
 northward on a cruise along the Scottish coast, but on his 
 return he gave in his adhesion to the new Government. " It 
 is not for us/' he said to his captains, "to mind affairs of State, 
 but to keep foreigners from fooling us." There was enough to 
 
88 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 be done in the narrow seas, in protecting English commerce 
 and guarding the English shores. Called away to the north, 
 he left Monk in command of a noble fleet of 105 ships, armed 
 with 3,815 guns, and carrying 16,269 men, to watch any renewal 
 of the contention on the part of the Dutch. Early in the 
 summer the latter determined on challenging afresh their English 
 rivals, and Tromp, with De Witt and De Ruyter as his 
 lieutenants, sailed from the Texel. As soon as this intelli- 
 gence was conveyed to Blake, he crowded on every stitch 
 of canvas his yards would carry in order to meet his old 
 opponent. 
 
 Meanwhile, on the morning of the 2nd of June, Tromp 
 engaged Monk near the Galles. In the first hour of the fight 
 fell the gallant Deane, cut in two by a cannon-shot. Monk 
 calmly unfastened his cloak and flung it over the dead body of 
 his brother officer, lest the death of one whom the seamen 
 profoundly loved should act as a discouragement. About 
 three o'clock the Dutch fell into great confusion, and Tromp 
 found himself compelled to make a running fight. At nine in 
 the evening a stout Hollander commanded by Cornelis Van 
 Kelson blew up, and this accident increased their discourage- 
 ment, in spite of Tromp's vigorous efforts to keep his captains 
 up to their duty. 
 
 The next morning was consumed in Tromp's persistent but 
 unsuccessful efforts to obtain the weather-gage. About noon 
 the action recommenced, a fresh impulse being given to it on 
 the English side by the arrival of Blake's squadron. Then 
 indeed the two parties clutched each other, as it were, by the 
 throat, and sought to worry each other into submission. 
 Tromp earned immortal renown by his heroic intrepidity, and 
 his exertions to call forth a spirit of similar resolution in his 
 captains. He laid his ships alongside \hzjanus, which carried 
 Pertr's flag, but thirteen English men-of-war came to the 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 89 
 
 prompt rescue of their Vice-Ad miral. Tromp was surrounded 
 was almost overwhelmed. The English crews poured in upon 
 his deck, and, foot by foot, his men were compelled to retire 
 below. Then arose a great shout among tr.e English not to be 
 repeated. For, resolute not to surrender, Tromp, while some of 
 his men were righting at the hatchway, dragged two small barrels 
 of gunpowder to the centre of the middle deck, and set fire to 
 them. The explosion was terrible. Half the upper deck, 
 crowded with English sailors, was blown away ; the other half 
 was wrapped in flames. At this moment De Witt and De 
 Ruyter, perceiving the strait of their leader, dashed with part 
 of their squadrons into the thick of the mttee, so that full thirty 
 ships lay almost board-a-board, and in the dense obscurity of 
 the smoke that enveloped them friend could scarce be dis- 
 tinguished from foe. So general, however, was the confusion 
 that a great part of the Dutch fleet hoisted their canvas and 
 ran for the Texel, compelling Tromp to order a retreat. The 
 pursuit was hot, and until one o'clock in the morning the 
 English continued their fire. They abandoned their quarry 
 only when a further chase would have carried them on the 
 shoals. 
 
 There could be no doubt as to the completeness of the 
 English victory. Six Dutch ships had been sunk and 2 
 blown up, 13 had been captured, and 1,350 men been taken 
 prisoners. The total of the Dutch killed and wounded was 
 not less than 3,000. On the other hand, the English had lost 
 only 126 men killed and 236 wounded. No wonder that the 
 rejoicings were loud in the streets of London, and that the 
 ballad-singers gained fame and praise as they stood in the 
 crowded places, and chanted some such rough songs of triumph 
 as the following : 
 
 " The moody Dutch are tame and cool, 
 They pray and wish for peace ; 
 
9O EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Our gallant navy in the Pool 
 Has melted all their grease. 
 
 " Brave Blake and Ayscue are the men 
 
 Have squeezed their sponge of riches ; 
 When they have conquered Holland, then 
 The Dutch may sell their breeches. 
 
 '* When they are drunk awhile they fight^ 
 
 But after run, swear, mutter ; 
 Their buns are all too cold and light 
 To melt our English butter. 
 
 Turk, Pope, or Devil we defy : 
 
 Courage, brave English, venter 1 
 Since Fate arms you with victory, 
 The world lies open enter." 
 
 Blake and Monk now proceeded to blockade the Dutch fleet 
 in the Texel and to pounce upon the homeward-bound mer- 
 chantmen of Holland, until the former, by an attack of very 
 severe illness, was forced to abandon the charge to his colleague 
 and return to England, where he was received with a noble wel- 
 come. It fell to Monk's good fortune to deliver the last blow 
 of the war, and crush the remnant of Holland's formidable 
 armada, on the 26th of July, 1653. In this last and most 
 sanguinary encounter Tromp received a musket-shot in the 
 heart. Peace was afterwards concluded between the two 
 belligerents, the States agreeing to the Protector's conditions, 
 and consenting to do honour to the Red Cross of England. 
 Cromwell and his' Parliament then proceeded to reward the 
 heroes whose courage and conduct had established our naval 
 supremacy. Gold chains, each valued at ^"300, were presented 
 to Blake and Monk, and chains of ;ioo value to Penn and 
 Lawson. A sum of 1,000 was expended in medals for the 
 officers and men. Bonfires, and illuminated windows, and 
 public rejoicings in the crowded streets witnessed to the 
 popular exultation at the victorious termination of England's 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 9! 
 
 first Punic War her first grand struggle with her powerful 
 maritime rival, Holland. 
 
 During the closing months of 1653 Blake lay sick at Knoll, 
 his country house near Bridgewater, recovering but slowly, 
 and with a permanently weakened frame, from the malignant 
 fever which had prostrated him. He was able, however, to 
 take his seat, in October, in Cromwell's Parliament, and receive 
 through the Speaker the thanks of the House. In December 
 he was placed at the head of the Admiralty, and he imme- 
 diately entered with his accustomed energy upon a reform of 
 that important department of the State. The winter of 1653 
 and part ot the spring of 1654 he passed at Bridgewater, but in 
 May was summoned to London, and dined with Cromwell, 
 who was then preparing with characteristic secrecy of design 
 and tenacity of purpose a naval expedition of formidable 
 magnitude. All was not ready until the late autumn of 1654, 
 and then the Protector divided his forces into two noble fleets, 
 one of which, under Penn, consisted of 38 sail, carrying 414 
 guns and 4,410 men, while the other, under Robert Blake, 
 consisted of 25 sail, mounting 874 guns, and manned by 
 4,100 men. These were the larger ships, and carried 
 the more numerous crews. Penn's armament was dispatched 
 against the Spanish possessions in the West Indies ; Blake 
 was reserved for active service nearer home. His was 
 to be the difficult and wearisome task of intercepting the 
 rich merchant fleets which conveyed to Spain the products of 
 her American colonies, and of carefully watching her various 
 ports and harbours. But previous to undertaking this arduous 
 duty, and while as yet the Protector delayed his open declara- 
 tion of war, he was instructed to demand from certain states in 
 the Mediterranean redress for the injuries they had inflicted 
 upon English subjects and English commerce. 
 
 With his flag hoisted on board the Si. Geore t of 60 guns, 
 
92 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Blake, early in December, arrived in the roadstead of Cadiz. 
 After a short stay he visited Leghorn, and compelled the Grand 
 Duke of Tuscany to pay a sum of ^60,000 as compensation 
 for certain merchant vessels piratically seized by Prince Rupert 
 and sold in Tuscan ports. For a similar peccadillo he extorted 
 20,000 pistoles from the reluctant fingers of Pope Alexander VII. 
 For some months his further movements were delayed by 
 severe illness and by a succession of violent storms ; but in 
 March, 1655, he appeared before Tunis, and demanded that the 
 Bey should surrender his Christian slaves and give satisfaction 
 for his depredations upon English commerce. The Bey refused. 
 To throw him off his guard, Blake sailed away, as if terrified 
 by the formidable character of the defences ; but suddenly, on 
 the 3rd of April, he rode straight into the harbour, and opened 
 a furious cannonade on the two castles of Goletta and Porto 
 Ferino that guarded it, and on their lines of communication. The 
 Moors replied with one hundred and twenty pieces of cannon, 
 but were utterly unable to withstand the persistent volleys of 
 the English artillerists ; they were beaten from their guns and 
 stricken down by hundreds. To complete their discomfiture, 
 Blake sent the long-boats of his fleet, manned with picked 
 crews, to set on fire the Tunisian pirate vessels. 
 
 Having inflicted this heavy chastisement on the Bey of 
 Tunis, Blake next appeared before Tripoli, whose ruler, how- 
 ever, discreetly complied at once with his demands, and made no 
 attempt at resistance. At Algiers the Bey was equally prudent. 
 He sent on board the fleet a welcome gift of live cattle, and 
 released his English captives on payment of a very moderate 
 ransom. Thus the power of England, the glory of Cromwell, 
 and the fame of Blake spread from shore to shore of the 
 Mediterranean that old historic sea, which has witnessed 
 the downfall of Athens and Rome and Carthage, and the rise 
 and growth of empires greater far than they. 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 93 
 
 After a visit to England to refit his ships and recruit his crews, 
 Blake, associated with Edward Montague, afterwards Earl of 
 Sandwich, sailed from the Downs in February, 1656, on board 
 the Naseby, and cruised in the Channel while his fleet was 
 taking on board fresh stores and supplies. In May he appeared 
 off Lisbon, on receipt of intelligence which seemed to indicate 
 an intention on the part of the King of Portugal to recede 
 from the English alliance. Having compelled him to sign a 
 new treaty and pay a sum of ^8,000, he proceeded to station 
 himself off Cadiz, to watch and wait for the treasure-fleet of 
 American galleons. With these a portion of his squadron fell 
 in and made sad havoc, capturing two, and sinking, burning, 
 or driving ashore the remainder. An immense booty fell into 
 the hands of the captors, with which Montague and Stayner 
 were immediately sent home. 
 
 Throughout the winter, in spite of storms and heavy seas, 
 Blake blockaded Cadiz, after which he paid a flying visit to 
 Algiers, to insist upon the Dey's rigid fulfilment of his engage- 
 ments, and went to Tangier, where the Portuguese were 
 beleaguered by the Moors. He quickly dispersed the enemy, 
 and, returning to Cadiz, prepared to undertake an expedition 
 of the boldest and most hazardous character. 
 
 Lord Clarendon, the Royalist historian of the Civil War, or, 
 as he called it, the Great Rebellion, was not too well disposed to 
 do justice to Blake, yet he has drawn his character in very glow- 
 ing colours. " He was the first man," he says, " that declined 
 the old tracks, and made it manifest that the science (of manag- 
 ing a fleet) might be attained in less time than was imagined ; 
 and despised those rules which had long been in practice to 
 keep his ship and his men out of danger, which had been held 
 in former times a point of great ability and circumspection, as 
 if the principal art requisite in the captain of a ship had been 
 to be sure to come home saft again. He was the first that 
 
94 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 infused that proportion of courage into the seamen, and making 
 them see by experience what mighty things they could do if 
 they were resolved, and taught them to fight in fire as well as 
 upon water; and though he had been very well imitated and 
 followed, he was the first that drew the copy of naval courage 
 and bold and resolute achievement." 
 
 In no exploit .of his career was his courage or capacity more 
 conspicuous than in that which proved to be his last. It was 
 in the spring of 1657 that he was apprised of the arrival of the 
 Peru treasure-fleet of Spain, consisting of six " royal galleons " 
 and sixteen other great ships, in one of the Canary Islands. It 
 had resorted thither for safety, its commander being afraid of 
 the " terrible Blake," who at the time was blockading Cadiz. 
 To Blake it at once seemed desirable that so splendid a booty 
 should go to replenish the exhausted funds of the Common- 
 wealth; and accordingly, with twenty-five men-of-war and 
 frigates, he sailed, on the i3th of April, for the Canaries. 
 Every precaution was taken to conceal the destination of this 
 fleet; but Don Diego Diegues, the Spanish governor at Santa 
 Cruz, becoming aware of it, employed the greatest energy and 
 no slight military skill in strengthening the defences of a port 
 which art and nature had already rendered almost impregnable. 
 In shape the harbour resembled a horseshoe. On the west the 
 entrance was defended by a regular castle, armed with heavy 
 ordnance and well garrisoned. The inner side of the bay was 
 lined with seven powerful batteries, connected with the castle 
 and with each other by a series of earthworks, so that the 
 entire circuit bristled with guns and arquebuses. The treasure- 
 fleet was also utilised, its rich cargoes having first been 
 landed, with the exception of such commodities as sugar, spices, 
 hides, and cochineal. On either side of the narrow harbour 
 mouth were anchored the royal galleons, with their broadsides 
 turned towards the sea. The other armed vessels were moored 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 95 
 
 inside in a semicircle, but with wide intervals between them to 
 allow of the free play of the land batteries. 
 
 On Monday morning, April 2oth, a Dutch captain, whose 
 vessel lay in the roadstead of Santa Cruz, discovered the Eng- 
 lish fleet in the offing, and immediately hurried to the governor 
 to ask his permission to depart. He had had experience of 
 Blake's summary method of chastising an adversary, and felt a 
 hearty disinclination to come again into collision with him. 
 Pointing to his castle^ batteries, and galleons, Don Diego 
 haughtily protested that they would effectually prevent an 
 enemy's approach. " Nevertheless," said the Dutchman, " spite 
 of batteries and ships, I am confident that Blake will soon be 
 among you." " Well," replied the Spaniard, " go if thou wilt, 
 and let Blake come if he desire." 
 
 For some time Blake had been in feeble health, but the 
 scent of coming battle seemed to inspire him with fresh life. 
 He sprang from his sick bed, and to his captains proposed that 
 they should break into the guarded harbour and destroy the 
 galleons where they lay at anchor if the wind prevented their 
 removal. His own heroism, as in the case of Nelson at a later- 
 date, so communicated itself to those under its influence, that 
 his design was promptly accepted. At half-past six prayers 
 were read and breakfast was served on board every vessel in 
 the fleet. A division of the largest ships, under Rear- Admiral 
 Stayner, was then ordered to attack the Spanish galleons, while 
 the remainder of the fleet, under Blake himself, engaged the 
 land defences. 
 
 A tremendous fire was opened by the castle and batteries 
 and ships in the harbour, but it could not check the steady 
 advance of Stayner and his comrades, who speedily fell-to with 
 the galleons. Blake meanwhile, in his flag-ship, the Swiftsure, 
 with the bulk of his fleet, bombarded the land batteries, and 
 drew off their fire from the Rear- Admiral's flank. For some hours 
 
$6 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 the artillery duel was maintained with desperate vehemence; 
 but eventually the Spanish gunners were quelled by the vigour 
 and obstinacy of the English attack. One by one the batteries 
 ceased firing, until the enemy's fire was so far subdued that Blake 
 was able to proceed to Stayner's support, and pour a hurricane 
 of shot in upon the hapless galleons. Two sank at their moor- 
 ings ; the others were speedily in flames, lighting up the sky 
 and sea for miles around with a lurid glow. Before evening 
 the work was done. Not a sail or mast was left above water. 
 Hither and thither drifted the blackened, mouldering hulks, 
 until they filled, and with a lurch and roll went down like 
 lead. Others were carried ashore. Not a single ship, not a 
 single cargo, escaped destruction.* 
 
 It was not less difficult for Blake, after his work was done, 
 to leave the harbour than it had been to enter it. Relays of 
 gunners lined all the fortifications, and, mad with rage and 
 mortification, poured a continuous fire upon their victorious 
 antagonists. They hoped that by destroying the English fleet 
 they might relieve the great defeat they had sustained. What- 
 ever their will or their desire, it was not fulfilled. Their fire 
 was ill directed; and the wind veering to the south-west, Blake 
 carried his fleet out of Spanish waters in comparative safety, 
 having lost, in one of the most daring actions on record, 
 only 50 of his men killed and 150 wounded. All things 
 considered, there seems much justice in Clarendon's stately 
 comment. 
 
 "The whole action," he says, "was so miraculous, that all 
 men who knew the place concluded that no sober man, with 
 what courage soever endowed, would ever undertake it ; whilst 
 the Spaniards comforted themselves with the belief that they 
 were devils and not men who had destroyed them in such a 
 manner. And it can hardly be imagined how small loss the 
 * HEI'WORTH DIXON, Life of Blake. 
 
r\ 
 
 'As his ship came within sight of Plymouth, his attendants lifted his feeble form, in 
 their arms." Page 97. 
 
ROBERT BLAKE. 97 
 
 English sustained in this unparalleled action ; not one ship 
 being left behind, and the killed and wounded not exceeding 
 two hundred men, when the slaughter on board the Spanish 
 ships and on the shore was incredible." * 
 
 Blake's career was now nearly run. His illness daily 
 assumed a more serious form, until it became evident to his 
 sorrowful followers that he had fought his last fight and won 
 his last victory. The devout Puritan confronted death with 
 calm composure, for he was not only a soldier, but a Christian. 
 His sole wish was to see the loved shore of old England once 
 again before he passed away. His wish was gratified. As his 
 ship came within sight of Plymouth his attendants lifted his 
 feeble form in their arms, that he might look out upon the 
 green hills and smijing fields of Devonshire. He gazed eagerly 
 on the well-known landscape, and then lay back to die. 
 
 This was on the yth of August, 1657. 
 
 * This splendid achievement is graphically described by Carlyle. 
 "Blake arrives there in time this Monday morning (April 20); finds the 
 fleet fast moored in Santa Cruz Bay: rich silver-ships, strong war-ships, 
 sixteen as we count them ; stronger almost than himself, and moored here 
 under defences unassailable apparently by any mortal. Santa Cruz Bay is 
 shaped as a horse- shoe : at the entrance are castles, in the inner circuit are 
 other castles, eight of them in all, bristling with great guns ; war-ships 
 moored at the entrance, war-frigates moored all round the beach, and men 
 and gunners at command : one great magazine of sleeping thunder and 
 destruction: to appearance, if you wish for sure suicide to run into, this 
 must be it. Blake, taking measure of the business, runs into it, defying 
 its loud thunder much out-thunders it mere whirlwinds of fire and iron 
 hail, the old Peak never heard the like ; silences the castles ; sinks or burns 
 every sail in the harbour; annihilates the Spanish fleet; and then, the 
 wind veering round in its favom, sails out again, leaving Santa Cruz Bay 
 much astonished at him I" 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 
 16971763. 
 
 AT Shugborough, in Staffordshire, on the 23rd of April, 1697, 
 was born George Anson, the son of a country gentleman of 
 good family. Of his early life no particulars have been 
 recorded ; but it would seem that he entered the navy when 
 but a boy, for in his nineteenth year he passed the necessary 
 examination for a lieutenant's commission, and was serving on 
 board the Hampshire frigate in the Baltic fleet, under the com- 
 mand of Admiral Sir John Norris. In 1717 he was appointed 
 lieutenant of the Montague, and underwent his baptism of fire 
 in Sir George Byng's action with the Spanish fleet off Cape 
 Parmeo. His thorough seamanship recommended him to 
 speedy promotion, and as commander of the Weazel sloop, in 
 1722, he displayed much activity in capturing the smugglers 
 who infested the North Sea. The following year saw him a 
 captain, and he was dispatched to South Carolina, with instruc- 
 tions to repress the depredations of pirates, to grant convoys 
 to and from the Bahamas, and to suppress all illegal trading. 
 He was engaged in this mission until July, 1730, and that he 
 executed it with entire satisfaction to the colonists is proved 
 by the perpetuation of his name in connection with various 
 towns and districts, such as Anson County, Ansonville. A 
 Mrs. Hutchinson, of South Carolina, has left on record her 
 view of his character at this period. 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 99 
 
 " Mr. Anson," she writes, " is not one of those handsome men 
 whose persons alone may recommend them to the generality 
 of our sex, though they be destitute of sense, good nature, or 
 good manners ; but, nevertheless, his person is what you would 
 call very agreeable. He has good sense, good nature, is polite 
 and well-bred ; free from that loathsome ceremoniousness which 
 often renders many people, who may perhaps rank themselves 
 among the most accomplished, extremely disagreeable. He is 
 generous without profusion, elegant without ostentation, and, 
 above all, of a most tender, humane disposition. His benevo- 
 lence is extensive, even to his own detriment. At balls, plays, 
 concerts, &c., I have often the pleasure of seeing and some- 
 times of conversing with Mr. Anson, who, I assure you, is far 
 from being an anchorite, though not what we call a modern 
 pretty fellow, because he is really so old-fashioned as to make 
 some profession of religion ; moreover, he never dances, nor 
 swears, nor talks nonsense. As he greatly admires a fine 
 woman, so he is passionately fond of music ; which is enough, 
 you will say, to recommend him to my esteem ; for you know 
 I never would allow that a character could be complete 
 without a taste for that sweet science. 
 
 " Mr. Anson's modesty, inoffensive easy temper, good 
 nature, humanity, and great probity doubtless are the antidotes 
 that preserve him from the poisonous breath of calumny ; for, 
 amidst all the scandalous warfare that is nourished here, he 
 maintains a strict neutrality, and, attacking no party, is himself 
 attacked by none." 
 
 This is a character of which almost any man might be proud ; 
 but Mrs. Hutchinson proceeds to note his grave defects, which 
 seem hardly compatible with the " profession of religion " she 
 ascribes to Captain Anson. She speaks of his loving " his 
 bottle and his friend so well," that "he was not soon 
 weary of their company, especially when they happened to be 
 
100 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 perfectly to his taste, which is pretty nice as to both ;" and she 
 adds that, if report might be credited, he was " very far from 
 being a woman-hater : " 
 
 "His heart, his mistress and his friend did share; 
 His time, the Muse, the witty, and the fair." 
 
 Probably, however, if we allow for a lady's natural cen- 
 soriousness on these points, we shall not suspect him of any 
 actual violation of the laws of religion or morality, or regard him 
 as addicted to intemperance. 
 
 In August, 1734, we find him serving again on the American 
 coast. In June, 1735, he arrived at Spithead, and for the first 
 time during the nineteen years since he had received his first 
 commission was permitted to remain between two and three 
 years on shore. 
 
 In 1739 England declared war against Spain, much to the 
 regret of Walpole, then the head of the British Cabinet ; but 
 both countries had been for some time on hostile terms, and in 
 England the ill-feeling against Spain had spread through all 
 classes, rousing a national enthusiasm which no Ministry could 
 hope to repress. When the declaration was issued, a triumphal 
 procession paraded the streets of London, as if victory had 
 already been won. From all the metropolitan steeples the 
 bells sent forth merry peals. " Let them ring," said Walpole 
 moodily ; " by-and-by there will be wringing of hands." The 
 spirit of " Jingoism," in truth, was rampant ; and England, to 
 use a well-known phrase, went into war with a light heart, and 
 in total ignorance of the burden it had undertaken. 
 
 I am concerned here, however, with Anson's individual 
 career, and not with the national history. The Ministry having 
 determined on an expedition against the Spanish possessions 
 in the South Sea, Anson was selected to take command of it 
 His squadron consisted of the following ships : 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON, 
 
 IOJ 
 
 Centurion 
 Gloucester 
 Severn 
 
 . 60 guns . 
 50 M 
 5 - 
 
 400 
 300 
 300 
 
 men 
 
 n 
 
 Pearl . . 
 
 . 40 
 
 
 
 2 S 
 
 
 
 Wager . 
 
 . 28 
 
 M 
 
 1 60 
 
 
 
 Trial sloop 
 
 . 8 
 
 M 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 George Anson, Commodore. 
 Richard Norris, afterwards E. Legge. 
 Hon. E. Legge, afterwards Matthew 
 
 Mitchell. 
 Matthew Mitchell, afterwards Danby 
 
 Kidd. 
 Danby Kidd, afterwards Hon. J. 
 
 Murray. 
 Hon. J. Murray, afterwards Eieut. 
 
 Cheap. 
 
 He was ordered to take on board 500 soldiers, and to proceed 
 to the Pacific, where he was to ravage with fire and sword 
 the western coast of South America, and take or destroy the 
 Spanish settlements. The means provided were totally in- 
 adequate to such an end. But not only was his force too small, 
 it was in bad condition. The ships were not well found, and 
 the crews were not up to their present employment ; while the 
 500 soldiers turned out to be 259 out-pensioners of Chelsea 
 College, most of them invalids, all of them old and feeble. 
 For some time the Admiralty had been ill administered and the 
 naval service pitiably neglected, so that Anson's squadron was 
 not the only one dispatched under inauspicious circumstances; 
 probably it was the worst. 
 
 Various obstacles, not the least of which was the indecision 
 of the Ministry, prevented the departure of the expedition until 
 the 1 8th of September, 1740. Adverse winds and the bad 
 quality of the ships lengthened the passage to Madeira to fifty 
 days. While the Commodore recruited his crews at this island 
 sanitarium, Captain Norris resigned the command of the 
 Gloucester, which gave a remove to each of the captains, and 
 Lieutenant Cheap was appointed to the Trial. On the 3rd of 
 November Anson resumed his voyage; and on May 2oth broke 
 out that pestilent sickness, the continuance and fatal effects of 
 which seem to be unparalleled in the annals of navigation. It 
 is stated that " the captains of the squadron represented to the 
 
102 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Commodore that their ships* com panics were very sickly, and that 
 it was their own opinion as well as their surgeons' that it would 
 tend to the preservation of the men to let in more air between 
 decks, for their ships were so dry that they could not possibly 
 open their lower ports. On this representation the Commodore 
 ordered six air-scuttles to be cut in each ship, in such places 
 where they would least weaken it." Making the island of St. 
 Catherine, on the Brazilian coast, he landed there his invalids, 
 eighty from the Centurion alone, and sheltered them in huts ; 
 but in spite of every attention a third of the number died. 
 Meantime, the ships were smoked, cleansed, and washed with 
 vinegar, their sides and decks calked, and new standing 
 rigging set up. But the disease, which had been probably in- 
 troduced by the wretched Chelsea pensioners, and aggravated 
 by the bad quality and unsuitable character of the rations then 
 allotted to our seamen, continued to spread. 
 
 In January, 1741, Anson again set sail, and keeping down 
 the east coast of South America, entered the Strait of Lemaire 
 on the yth of March. After clearing this channel he was met 
 by a terrible storm. " The wild cloud-drifts," says the his- 
 torian of the expedition,* came scudding up the horizon ; the 
 winds gathered; the waters heaved with tumultuous throes; 
 rain and sleet fell blindingly around them ; the storm-tossed 
 vessels were hurled from side to side with so dread a violence 
 that many men were flung about the decks and killed outright. 
 An affecting incident occurred at this conjuncture. A sailor 
 belonging to the Centurion fell overboard. He swam well, he 
 swam bravely and strongly, still keeping his face towards the 
 vessel, and straining his aching eyes for the relief his comrades 
 could not afford him. Such was the furj&of-the storm, the ship 
 
 * The well-known "Account of Anson's Voyage" has been generally 
 ascribed to Mr. Walter, Anson's chaplain, but the bulk of it was really 
 written by Mr. Robins, an engineer officer of great talent and abiiity. 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 103 
 
 could not be put about, and it sped away with terrible swiftness 
 from the drowning mariner 
 
 Who still renewed the strife, 
 Upheld by buoyant hope and love of life' 
 
 but was at length outworn by the wrestling waters, and com- 
 pelled to yield the unequal struggle." 
 
 Early in April the unfortunate squadron encountered another 
 and even more terrible hurricane, during the prevalence o; 
 which the Wager, a aS-gun frigate, was driven so far away to 
 leeward that she was unable to rejoin her consorts. Her after- 
 experiences were of a remarkable character, and furnished the 
 subject of a graphic narrative, written by one of her midship- 
 men, the Hon. John Byron, to which his grandson, Lord 
 Byron, was principally indebted for the details of the sea- 
 scenes in "Don Juan." The ship was wrecked on the 
 1 5th of May off the coast of America, and her crew thrown 
 upon a lonely desert island, which they expressively named 
 Mount Misery. Having sojourned in this ocean-girdled waste 
 for several months, they embarked in the cutter and long-boat 
 on the perilous enterprise of returning home through the 
 Straits of Magelhaens. The cutter was lost ;* but after a sin- 
 gularly painful voyage, extending over a thousand leagues, the 
 long-boat reached the Portuguese settlements in Brazil ; and the 
 survivors happily returned to England in 1745. 
 
 'Twas a rough night, and blew so stiffly yet, 
 
 That the sail was becalm 'd between the seas, 
 Though on the wave's high top too much to set, 
 
 They dared not take it in for all the breeze : 
 Each sea curl'd o'er the stern, and kept them wet, 
 And made them bale without a moment's ease, 
 So that themselves as well as hopes were damp'd, 
 And the poor little cutter quickly swamp'd." 
 
 BYRON, Don yuan, ii. 60. 
 
104 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Violent gales continued without intermission for several 
 weeks, in the course of which Anson's ill-fitted ships parted 
 company, the Severn and the Pearl never to be seen again. 
 Driving blasts of sleet and snow buffeted the unfortunate 
 vessels, whose crews were sore stricken with disease and spent 
 with fatigue. On the 8th of May Anson, in the Centurion, had 
 not men able to keep the deck sufficient to take in a topsail, 
 all being violently afflicted with the scurvy, and every day 
 reducing their number by six, and eight, and ten. In this 
 month their sufferings rose to a much higher pitch than they 
 had ever done before, whether the violence of the storms was 
 considered, the shattering of the sails and rigging, or the 
 diminution and weakening of the crew by deaths and sickness. 
 In April no fewer than forty-three persons died of the scurvy 
 on board the Centurion ; in the month of May nearly double 
 that number perished ; and as they did not reach land till the 
 middle of June, the mortality went on increasing, and the 
 disease extended itself so prodigiously, that after losing upwards 
 of two hundred men, the crew could not at last muster in a 
 watch more than six foremast men capable of duty. 
 
 At daybreak on June Qth the Centurion dropped anchor 
 off the island of Juan Fernandez. On that day, says the 
 historian of the expedition, " out of two hundred and odd men 
 who remained alive, we could not, taking all our watches 
 together, muster hands enough to work the ship on an 
 emergency, though we included the officers, their servants, 
 and the boys. In wearing the ship in the middle watch we 
 had a melancholy instance of the almost incredible debility of 
 our people; for the lieutenant could muster no more than 
 two quartermasters and six foremast men capable of working ; 
 so that, without the assistance of the officers, servants, and the 
 boys, it might have proved impossible for us to have reached 
 the island after we had got sight of it to so wretched a 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 105 
 
 rendition was a sixty-gun ship reduced which had passed the 
 Straits of Lemaire but three months before with between four 
 and five hundred men, almost all of them in health and 
 vigour." It was with keen feelings of delight that the weakened 
 survivors beheld the woody hills and the verdant valleys, bright 
 with the glow of streams, of the island which is immortalised 
 in English fiction as the home of " Robinson Crusoe." The 
 sick were speedily removed ashore, and accommodated in huts. 
 Vegetable food, fish, the fresh meat of goats, with the clear 
 pure air of this Eden of the Pacific, soon wrought an improve- 
 ment in their condition, and they began to recover their 
 health and spirits. The Trial arrived a few days after the 
 Centurion, and on the 2ist of June the Gloucester hove in sight, 
 but was again driven off to windward. Anson immediately 
 sent his boat to her assistance, laden with fresh water, fish, and 
 vegetables; a most opportune relief for her distressed crews, who 
 had already thrown overboard two-thirds of their complement, 
 while of the survivors few were capable of doing duty except 
 the officers and their servants. With all the aid Anson could 
 afford her in provisions and water, by boats and men, and all 
 the attempts that were made, she could not be got into the 
 bay for a whole fortnight ; and soon after this she disappeared 
 for the space of a week, suggesting the worst apprehensions. 
 However, she again drew in shore, and the long-boat of the 
 Centurion was dispatched with a second supply of water and 
 provisions. It was only in time. The ill-fated vessel was 
 converted into a floating hospital ; she had lost two-thirds of 
 her crew, and the survivors were gaunt and haggard with 
 famine and disease. The boat returned for additional stores, 
 but meanwhile the ill-starred vessel, for a third time, drew out 
 to sea, so that when she rejoined the Commodore on the 2$rd 
 of July her condition was indescribably pitiful. 
 
 To these wayworn mariners who, with more truth than 
 
106 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Tennyson's lotos-eaters, and after sadder experiences, might 
 have sung 
 
 " We have had enough of action, and of motion we, 
 B.oll'd to starboard, roll'd to larboard, when the surge was seething free, 
 When the wallowing monster spouted his foam-fountains in the sea " 
 
 Juan Fernandez appeared an ocean Paradise. There was a plea- 
 sure in the leafy woods and the fragrant shrubs ; in the murmur 
 and the sparkle of the brooks ; in the profusion of the plants and 
 flowers and fruits ; in the pure fresh air and the sunny sky. 
 Their physical weakness disappeared, and their spirits regained 
 their elasticity. The impression produced upon them is visible 
 in the enthusiastic eloquence of the chronicler, who protests 
 that " there can scarce anywhere be found a more happy seat 
 for the Muses, and the flights of fancy, or the pleasures of the 
 imagination." From his description of the island it is evident 
 that Alexander Selkirk, the shipwrecked manner, whose sojourn 
 here suggested to Defoe his romance of " Robinson Crusoe," 
 must have lived in considerable comfort. Its natural resources 
 were ample : besides fruits and vegetables, seals and sea-lions 
 abounded, the flesh of which was neither unpalatable nor innu- 
 tritious, and goats also, furnishing a pleasant change in the 
 daily bill of fare. Selkirk has recorded that when he caught 
 more of those animals than he wanted, he slit their ears and 
 let them go ; and in Anson's narrative we read that the ears 
 were slit of the first goat killed by Anson's people ; whence 
 they concluded that, although thirty-two years had passed over 
 its head, it had once been in Selkirk's hands. It was, indeed, 
 a venerable animal, dignified with a beard of truly majestical 
 aspect. 
 
 However delightful might be a life of tranquil ease in this 
 Fortunate Island, there must necessarily come an end to it ; 
 and on the iQth of September, with his ships refitted and his 
 crews restored to health, Anson once more put to sea. I have 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. IO7 
 
 said that his crews had recovered their health, but their 
 numerical strength was woefully reduced. The Centurion, 
 having buried 292, had on board only 214. The Gloucester, 
 which had lost the same number as the Centurion, mustered 
 but 82 ; and the Trial, having buried 42, counted no more 
 than 39. It must have been a severe trial, even to the com- 
 posure and steadfastness of Anson, to reflect that the whole of 
 the surviving crews, distributed over three ships, amounted to 
 no more than 335 men and boys ; and that with this small 
 force he might be called upon to maintain the honour of the 
 English flag against a powerful Spanish fleet. It was hopeless 
 to think of attacking any of the Spanish possessions, and even 
 the Acapulco galleon might prove too powerful for his feeble 
 little squadron. Allowing no sign of uneasiness to be visible 
 to his men, he ordered the Trial to cruise off Valparaiso, and 
 the Gloucester off the coast of Paita, where in due time the 
 Centurion and the Trial would join her. The sloop fell in with 
 and captured a Spanish trader, with 25 passengers on board; 
 while the Centurion on her cruise fell in with another prize 
 made by the Trial, called the Arranziiga, of 600 tons 
 burden. The Trial by this time was in so leaky a state that 
 she was with difficulty kept afloat. Anson, therefore, ordered 
 her stores, guns, and ammunition to be put into the prize, 
 which, under the name of the TriaFs prize, he commissioned 
 as a frigate in the British navy ; and, the crew being trans- 
 ferred to her, the Trial was scuttled and sunk. 
 
 Keeping along the American coast, Anson captured a rich 
 galleon, the Nuestra Senhora del Carmen, valued at 400,000 
 dollars, and from some of her crew obtained information which 
 led to his planning an expedition against the town of Paita. 
 With fifty-eight picked men, well armed, Lieutenant Butt was 
 sent against the fort at midnight on the nth of November. 
 It was protected by a strong battery and garrisoned by 300 
 
IO8 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 soldiers. Sweeping into the bay under cover of the darkness, 
 they reached the mouth of the inner harbour before an alarm 
 was given. The crew of a trader anchored in mid-stream 
 raised a shout of " Los Ingleses ! " " Los Ingleses ! " and 
 springing into their skiff, made for the shore. Our British tars, 
 however, pulled with so much heartiness that they were upon 
 the enemy before they could make any preparations for defence. 
 The inhabitants sprang from their beds and fled in great 
 disorder, most of them without waiting to put on their clothes. 
 
 In the morning, as Anson approached the bay, he saw with 
 delight the English flag flying from the fort, and soon afterwards 
 one of his boats came off laden with dollars and church plate. 
 While the treasure and other booty were being embarked, the 
 Spaniards, with some two hundred horsemen, assembled on a 
 hill near the town, with their drums, trumpets, and standards, 
 but never once dared to descend into the plain. Anson sent 
 a message to the Governor offering to ransom the town ; but 
 as he sullenly refused to give any answer, Anson ordered it, 
 with the exception of two churches, to be set on fire. The 
 value of the merchandise thus given to the flames was computed 
 at a million and a half of dollars. 
 
 The enfeebled condition of his squadron compelled Anson 
 to abandon all hope of a successful attack upon Manilla, 
 which was known to be strongly fortified; and he resolved on 
 devoting all his efforts to the capture, if possible, of the great 
 galleon, or treasure-ship, which sailed every year with the 
 produce of the Spanish-American mines from Acapulco to 
 Manilla. The pursuit of this rich argosy has in it almost as 
 much romance as Jason's quest of the Golden Fleece. Having 
 obtained information that it was expected to leave Acapulco 
 on the 3rd of March, 1742, Anson immediately sailed in that 
 direction, and on the ist of the month arrived off the rounded 
 hills known to seamen as the " Paps of Acapulco," disposing 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 109 
 
 his ships, at about fifteen leagues from the shore, in a semi- 
 circle, so as to command a sweep of sea not much less than 
 eighty miles in extent. The Governor of Acapulco, however, 
 had divined Anson's object, and defeated it for the time by 
 detaining the galleon under the guns of Acapulco harbour, 
 until the English were compelled by want of water to abandon 
 their fruitless watch and bear away for China. 
 
 During a violent storm on the 26th of July the crazy old 
 Gloucester sprang a leak, and was soon reduced to so helpless 
 a condition that Anson removed her crew to the Centurion* 
 This was no remarkable addition to his strength, as the crew 
 of the Gloucester had been reduced to 77 men and 18 boys, and 
 of these only 16 men and n boys were able to keep the deck. 
 Having set the unfortunate ship on fire, Anson continued his 
 voyage, which a return of their old enemy, scurvy, rendered 
 most wearisome and painful. The deaths increased at the rate 
 of eight, or ten, or even twelve a day. "The dirt, nauseous-- 
 ness, and stench were almost everywhere intolerable, more 
 people daily disabled by the disease, no sign of land, very 
 little wind, and that not fair, very bad provisions and water, 
 and the ships very leaky." 
 
 It must have been an intense relief to Anson when, on the 
 2ist of August, he reached Tinian, one of theLadrone Islands. 
 Catching sight of a proa, he dispatched his pinnace, with the 
 Spanish colours flying, to overtake her. She proved to be manned 
 by a Spanish sergeant and four Indians, in conversation with 
 whom it was ascertained that the island produced various kinds 
 of fruits and vegetables, sweet and sour oranges, lemons, limes, 
 cocoa-nuts, and the bread-fruit ; that it was well watered, and 
 abounded in cattle, hogs, and poultry. Anson hastened to 
 land his wave-worn mariners, and had the satisfaction of per- 
 ceiving a speedy improvement in their condition. " Notwith- 
 standing the great debility and the dying aspects of the greatest 
 
IIO EMINENT SAILORS* 
 
 part of our sick, it is almost incredible how soon they began 
 to feel the salutary influence of the land ; for, though we buried 
 twenty-one men on this and the preceding day, yet," says the 
 historian of .the expedition, "we did not lose above ten 
 men more during our whole two months' stay here ; and in 
 general our diseased received so much benefit from the fruits 
 of the island, particularly the fruits of the acid kind, that in a 
 week's time there were but few who were not so far recovered 
 as to be able to move about without help." 
 
 Anson himself was attacked by this fell disease, and to 
 insure his recovery had his hut pitched on the island for a few 
 days. On the 23rd of September, while he was thus recruiting, 
 the Centurion was driven out to sea by a furious storm, leaving 
 on the island a company of 113 persons. As Tinian lay out 
 of the track of European vessels, the prospect was sufficiently 
 dispiriting ; but with that coolness of courage and readiness of 
 resource which were Anson's most marked characteristics, he 
 immediately set to work to lengthen a Spanish bark they had 
 captured about twelve feet, so that she might be able to carry 
 them all to China. As the Centurion had carried out to sea 
 with her most of the necessary tools and materials, the inven- 
 tion of the carpenters, smiths, sailmakers, and other artisans 
 was severely taxed to supply the deficiencies. One day, while 
 hammers were clinking and saws grinding, a sudden shout 
 arose, " A sail ! a sail !" Eager eyes were turned towards the 
 horizon, and the ship that just hovered on it was pronounced 
 to be the Centurion; another appeared, and then it was known 
 that their first hopeful conjectures must be abandoned. By 
 the help of his glass Anson discovered that the supposed ships 
 were only two sailing-boats : the thought flashed upon him that 
 the Centurion must have foundered, and that these were her 
 boats returning with the survivors of her crew a thought in' 
 volving so much bitterness that to conceal the overpowering 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. IU 
 
 emotion it excited he withdrew to the solitude of his hut. 
 Happily they proved to be a couple of native boats pursuing 
 their way to one of the islands. Once more the hammers 
 clinked and the hum of busy men filled the air ; but when the 
 work was nearly completed, the look-out man from the top of 
 one of the hills sighted the Centurion in the offing (October 
 1 8th), and raised an enthusiastic cry of " The ship ! the ship !" 
 On hearing this joyful and unexpected news Anson threw 
 down the axe which he was vigorously wielding, and by the 
 fulness of his joy disclosed the real feelings of anxiety and 
 anguish which he had concealed under an equable and com- 
 posed demeanour. " The others who were with him instantly 
 ran down to the seaside in a kind of frenzy, eager to feast them- 
 selves with a sight they had so ardently wished for, and of 
 which they had now for a considerable time despaired." 
 
 After thoroughly refitting and provisioning the Centurion, 
 Anson set sail on the 2ist of October, and on the i2th of 
 November arrived at Macao, on the coast of China. There he 
 remained during the winter season, recruiting his men, and 
 making good all deficiencies of stores and provisions. He also 
 secured a small reinforcement of his crew, entering twenty-three 
 men, a few of them Dutch, and the rest Lascars. 
 
 On the i Qth of April, 1743, he resumed his voyage. He gave 
 out that he was bound for Batavia, on his way to England; but 
 with singular and admirable tenacity of purpose he held to his 
 design of intercepting the rich Acapulco ship, which about this 
 time of the year was due at Manilla. Barrow observes * that 
 there never, perhaps, was a stronger instance of firmness of 
 purpose on the part of the commander, coupled with a convic- 
 tion of the reliance to be placed on the bravery and fidelity of 
 British seamen, than that displayed in the resolution now taken 
 by Anson, who thus gives, in his report to the Admiralty, the 
 * Life of Lord Anson, p. 73. 
 
TI2 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 actual state of bis crew : " The number of men I have now 
 borne is 201, amongst which are included all the officers 
 and boys which I took out of the Gloucester, Tryal prize, 
 and Anna pink, so that I have not before the mast more 
 than 45 able seamen." The complement of one of the 
 Spanish galleons was about 500 or 600 men ; but in Anson's 
 sea-arithmetic 45 English seamen =. 500 Spaniards, so that 
 he had no fear of the result. Nor had his men : who, when 
 their commander announced his intention of cruising in search 
 of the treasure-ship, expressed their delight by three hearty 
 cheers. One day, no mutton appearing on his table, Anson 
 inquired the reason, for he was sure that the supply was not 
 exhausted. " True, your honour," replied the cook, " there 
 are still a couple of sheep left in the galley ; but I thought your 
 honour would wish them kept for the dinners of the Spanish 
 captain whom your honour is going to take prisoner !" 
 
 On the last day of May the Centurion came in sight of the 
 Philippines, and cruised of! Cape Espiritu Santo, waiting and 
 watching for her expected prey. The anxiety of his people, 
 who already seemed to hear the chink of Spanish doubloons in 
 their pockets, increased every day until, on the morning of the 
 aoth, the look-out man descried the tall masts of the galleon 
 in the offing. 
 
 The reader may imagine with what alacrity all sail was set 
 upon the Centurion, which, as if she shared in the excitement 
 of her crew, ploughed the water like " a thing of life." 
 
 It is due to the Spaniards to say that they showed no desire 
 to avoid a contest ; when within two miles of the English man- 
 of-war they brought-to to fight her. As they numbered 550 
 men and carried 44 guns, they might be excused for believing 
 that the result would be in their favour; and hoisting the 
 standard of Spain at their maintop-gallant mast-head, they con- 
 fidently defied their adversary. About one o'clock the action 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 11$ 
 
 began. Anson laid his ship across the galleon's bows, and 
 raked her decks with a terrible fire, which attested the profi- 
 ciency in gunnery his men had acquired through his foresight 
 in exercising them daily. For two hours the fighting was 
 severe; the masts and rigging of the Spaniard were cut to 
 pieces, and she received one hundred and fifty shots in her hull, 
 many of them between wind and water. Having lost sixty- 
 seven men killed and eighty-five wounded, she hauled down 
 her flag. At the cost of only two men killed and seventeen 
 wounded, Anson had captured one of Spain's golden argosies 
 carrying a cargo valued at ,3 13,000. 
 
 The galleon had scarcely surrendered, when one of his 
 lieutenants whispered in Anson's ear that the Centurion was on 
 fire, and near the powder-magazine. Without exhibiting the 
 slightest discomposure, he issued orders for not alarming the 
 crew, and for the necessary measures to extinguish the flames. 
 Happily the threatened danger was averted. Several cartridges 
 had blown up and ignited a quantity of oakum, producing a 
 vast quantity of smoke to a small quantity of fire, so that the 
 accident was not as grave in reality as it was in appear- 
 ance. 
 
 Returning with his prize to Mexico, Anson sold her to some 
 merchants for 6,000 dollars, removing her cargo and setting 
 free her crew. Then, on the 1 5th of December, he sailed for 
 England. After a prosperous voyage, in which Fortune made 
 him amends for her former ill-treatment by carrying him through 
 a powerful French fleet unobserved under cover of a dense log, 
 he arrived in safety at Spithead on the i5th of January, 1744, 
 after a voyage of three years and nine months, in which he 
 had completed the circuit of the globe. The lesson of his 
 expedition, according to its historian, is, " that, though pru- 
 dence, intrepidity, and perseverance united are not expected 
 from the blows of adverse fortune, yet in a long series of 
 
 i 
 
114 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 transactions they usually rise superior to its power, and in tl.:- 
 end rarely fail of proving successful." 
 
 Though he had brought home a large amount of treasure, he 
 had lost four ships ; and the Government, therefore, was in no 
 haste to confer upon him any reward. He had shown courage 
 and ability, but he had been unfortunate, and Governments do 
 not bestow their favours on the unfortunate. The very fact 
 that his misfortunes were due to the neglect of the Admiralty 
 in sending out ill-found and badly manned ships, did not 
 incline its members to any indulgence towards the leader of 
 an expedition which had so signally demonstrated that neglect. 
 It was not, therefore, until a change of Ministers took place in 
 the early part of 1735 that Anson was promoted to the rank 
 of Rear-Admiral of the White. At the same time he was 
 appointed to a seat on the Board of Admiralty, in which 
 position even the censorious Walpole admits that he discharged 
 his duties efficiently. " Lord Anson," he says, " was reserved 
 and proud, and so ignorant of the world, that Sir Charles 
 Williams said he had been round it, but never in it " which 
 might perhaps be said with truth of a man who had been 
 almost always engaged in active service, and had spent most 
 of his time afloat. But he acids that " Lord Anson, attentive to 
 and generally expert in maritime details, selected with great 
 care the best officers, and assured the King that, in the 
 approaching war, he should at least hear of no courts-martial." 
 
 Early in 1747, however, the French having fitted out an 
 expedition against the British colonies, Lord Anson hoisted 
 his flag as commander-in-chief of a fleet intended to intercept 
 and defeat it, and on the gth of April sailed from Plymouth 
 with the following ships under his orders : 
 
 Ships. Guns. Men. Commanders. 
 
 Prince George . 90 770 Vice-Admiral Geo. Anson; Capt. Bentley 
 Devonshire . <>6 535 Rear- Admiral P. Warren ; Capt. West. 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 11$ 
 
 Ships. Guns. Men. Commanders. 
 
 Ifatnur . . 74 650 Hon. Captain BoscawsB. 
 
 Princess Louisa 60 400 Captain Watson. 
 
 Monmouth . . 64 480 Captain Harrison, 
 
 Prince Frederick 64 480 Captain Norris. 
 
 Defiance ... 60 400 Captain Grenville. 
 
 Nottingham . 60 400 Captain Saumarez. 
 
 Somerset . . 64 480 Captain Butt. 
 
 Windsor . . 60 480 Captain Han way. 
 
 Falkland . . 50 300 Captain BarradeL 
 
 Centurion . . 50 375 Captain Denis. 
 
 Bristol ... 50 300 Hon. W. Montague. 
 
 Pembroke . . 60 400 Captain Fincher. 
 
 Ambuscade . . 40 250 Captain J. Montague. 
 Falcon sloop ; Vulcan fire-ship. 
 
 On the 3rd of May Anson fell in with the French fleet, under 
 M. de la Jonquiere, in the neighbourhood of Cape Finisterre, 
 and attacked and defeated it, under the circumstances described 
 by himself in the following unpretending dispatch : 
 
 "At daybreak," he says, " I made the signal for the fleet to 
 spread in a line abreast, each ship keeping at the distance of a 
 mile from the other, that there might not remain the least pro- 
 bability for the enemy to pass by us undiscovered. At seven 
 o'clock Captain Gwyn of the Falcon sloop informed me that he 
 had seen the French fleet the day before, at four o'clock, bear- 
 ing S.E. by S. four or five leagues from him ; that it consisted 
 of thirty-eight sail, nine of which were large ships, and had the 
 appearance of men-of-war, the rest merchantmen under their 
 convoy, and that they were all steering to the westward. 
 
 " Upon this intelligence I put abroad the signal for calling 
 in all cruisers, and made sail immediately for the S.W. in order 
 to cut them off. At half an hour after nine the Namur made 
 a signal for seeing a fleet in the S.W., which was also seen 
 soon after by the man at the Prince Georges mast-head, bear- 
 ing S.W. by S., Cape Finisterre at the same lime bearing 
 S. \ E., distant twenty-four, leagues. I then made the signal to 
 
Il6 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 chase with the whole fleet, and by seven plainly discovered the 
 chase to be a French fleet; that nine of the ships had shortened 
 sail, and were drawing into a line of battle ahead, three of 
 which appeared to be smaller than the others ; and that the 
 rest of the fleet, whom I judged to be under their convoy, 
 were stretching to the westward with all the sail they could 
 set. 
 
 " At one o'clock I made the signal for the line of battle 
 abreast, and in half an hour afterwards for the line ahead. 
 About three I -made the signal for the ship in the van to lead 
 more large, in order to come to a close engagement with the 
 enemy ; who, getting their fore-tacks on board, and loosing 
 their top-gallant sails, convinced me that their sole aim was to 
 gain time, and endeavour to make their escape under favour of 
 the night, finding themselves deceived in our strength ; upon 
 which I made a signal for the whole fleet to pursue the enemy 
 and attack them, without having any regard to the line of 
 battle. 
 
 " The Centurion having got up with the sternmost ship of 
 the enemy about four o'clock began to engage her, upon 
 which two of the largest of the enemy's ships bore down to her 
 assistance. The Namur, Defiance, and Windsor, being the 
 headmost ships, soon entered into the action, and after having 
 disabled those ships in such a manner that the ships astern must 
 come up with them, they made sail ahead to prevent the van 
 of the enemy making an escape, as did also several other ships 
 of the fleet. 
 
 " The Yarmouth and Devonshire having got up and engaged 
 the enemy, and the Prince George being near the Invincible, 
 and going to fire into her, all the ships in the enemy's rear 
 struck their colours between six and seven o'clock ; as did all 
 those that were in the line before night. I brought-to at seven, 
 having ordered the Moninouth, Yarmouth, and Nottingham to 
 
GEORGK, LORD ANSON. 1 17 
 
 pursue the convoy, who then bore W. by S. at the distance 
 only of four or five leagues, so that I was in hopes of having a 
 very good account of them. 
 
 " The Falcon sloop (which I had sent after the convoy 
 during the action, with orders to make signals to the other 
 ships) returned to the fleet the next day with the Dartmouth 
 Indiaman. I have taken in all six men-of-war and four India- 
 men, of which are the particulars as under : 
 
 Le Serieux . 66 guns, M. le Jonquiere, chef d'Kscadre. 
 
 Bound to 
 Quebec. 
 
 LeDiamant. 66 
 
 M. Hoguart 
 
 Le Rulis . . 52 
 
 M. Oury 
 
 La Gloire . 44 ,, 
 
 M. Salesse 
 
 L 1 Invincible 74 > 
 
 M. St. George 
 
 Le Jason . . 54 
 
 M. Berard 
 
 Le Philibert. 30 
 
 M. Celljfi 
 
 LApotton . 30 
 
 M. de Santons 
 
 La Thetis . 20 
 
 M. Macon 
 
 Le Dartmouth 18 . 
 
 M. Pinoche 
 
 > Indiamen. 
 
 Bound to the 
 East Indies. 
 
 " The Ruby had struck several of her guns into the hold, 
 having all the guns and stores on board for a new frigate at 
 Quebec. I have put the prizes into a condition to proceed 
 with me to Spithead, and am in hopes that I shall arrive there 
 in a few days ; but it has taken up so much of our time> 
 together with shifting and distributing our prisoners, that I 
 have not hitherto been able to get a perfect account of the 
 killed and wounded on either side. Our loss is not very con- 
 siderable, except that of Captain Grenville, who was an excel- 
 lent officer, and is a great loss to the service in general. 
 Captain Bbscawen was wounded in the shoulder by a musket- 
 ball, but is almost recovered. 
 
 " To do justice to the French officers, they did their duty 
 well, and lost their ships with honour, scarcely any of them 
 striking their colours until their ships were dismasted. 
 M. St. George kept his colours flying some time after the 
 
liS F.M IN ENT SAILORS. 
 
 General had struck. The Scrieux and Diamant were with great 
 difficulty kept from sinking, which would not have been pre- 
 vented without throwing great part of their guns overboard, as 
 well as many chests of small arms intended for the expedition. 
 The French general, M. de la Jonquiere, is wounded in two 
 places, the captain of the Gloire killed, and the second captain 
 of the Iivvindble\&A his leg shot off." 
 
 It was afterwards ascertained that the French loss in killed 
 and wounded amounted to about 700, that of the British to 
 about 520; so that when the great disparity of force is con- 
 sidered, the English fleet being twice the strength of the 
 French, it must be admitted that the French fought gallantly. 
 And, indeed, complete as was the English victory, it was not, 
 for this reason, one to boast of; defeat was impossible; and 
 Anson's real merit lay in the admirable seamanship by which 
 he embraced in his snares the whole of the French squadron. 
 If the English carried off the trophies of victory and its sub- 
 stantial reward, the French must be credited with an elegant 
 compliment which they elicited from it. The Invincible struck 
 to the flag-ship, the Prince George, and its captain went on 
 board the latter to surrender his sword to the Vice- Admiral. 
 Approaching with an air of dignified courtesy and graceful sub- 
 mission, he said, " Monsieur, vous avez vaincu r Invincible, et 
 la Gloire vous suit " (Sir, you have conquered the Invincible, 
 and Glory follows you). 
 
 The treasure captured on board the French squadron and 
 convoy amounted to about ^"300,000, besides stores of all 
 kinds of immense value. When the victorious fleet reached 
 Portsmouth, the bullion was deposited in twenty waggons, 
 conveyed to London, and with much military pomp paraded 
 through the streets of the City to the Bank, amid the shouts of 
 exultant thousands. The houses were illuminated, and bon- 
 fires blazed in every street. To the victorious Admiral the 
 
Approaching with an air of dignified courtesy and graceful submission, he said, 
 Monsieur, vous avez vaincre I* Invincible, et la Gloire vous suit.* " 
 
 Page 118. 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 119 
 
 )uke of Bedford wrote : " You will easily believe no one in 
 this town did with greater joy receive the news of your great 
 success against the French than myself; and universal I may 
 say it is, as I am just come home through illuminated streets 
 and bonfires. The King told me this morning at his levee 
 that I had given him the best breakfast he had had this long 
 time, and I think I never saw him more pleased in my life. 
 He has ordered Captain Davis a reward of ,500 for bringing 
 this welcome news." 
 
 Twenty waggons of gold are material evidences of success 
 which the mob can thoroughly appreciate. Yet it was not the 
 booty which so strongly excited the national feeling ; it was 
 the fact that Anson's was the first victory gained in the war 
 after many reverses, and therefore it revived the hopes of the 
 people, and encouraged their old belief in the prestige of the 
 British flag. They did not stay to reckon odds ; the French 
 had been totally defeated, an entire squadron captured, im- 
 mense treasure seized upon no more was wanted. The 
 Union Jack was once more in the ascendant, and every 
 Englishman woke next morning a prouder and happier man. 
 
 When Anson attended George II.'s levee, the old monarch 
 received him most cordially, and graciously said, " Sir, you 
 have done a great service. I thank you ; and desire you to 
 thank, in my name, all the officers and private men for their 
 bravery and conduct, with which I am well pleased." On the 
 y 3th ov June Anson was raised to the British peerage by the 
 title of Lord Anson, Baron of Soberton, in the county of 
 Hants. 
 
 Anson now resumed his administration of naval affairs, 
 infusing into every department his own patient energy and 
 untiring perseverance, so that squadron after squadron was 
 fitted out promptly and with the most admirable complete- 
 ness ; and the numerous victories which crowned the opera- 
 
120 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 tions of the British navy were not unjustly referred in part to 
 his credit. 
 
 The peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, lessened the demands 
 on Anson's energies, and he found time to attend to private 
 affairs. In the month of April he took to wife Lady Elizabeth, 
 daughter of the Earl of Hardwicke, the Lord Chancellor. As 
 he was then fifty-one years of age, we may reasonably con- 
 clude that he was no very impassioned lover, though he proved 
 to be an attached and honourable husband. 
 
 To Lord Anson's administration of the Admiralty must be 
 credited the Bill for the government of the Navy, in which are 
 found the Articles of War. It was sufficiently stringent, but 
 stringency was required at a time when the laxity of naval dis- 
 cipline had been productive of serious disorders. The most 
 satisfactory proof of the care and ability with which it was 
 drawn is the fact that for nearly a century it underwent no 
 alteration except in two articles, the modification of which was 
 rendered necessary by the hard fate of Admiral Byng.* 
 
 In June, 1751, Lord Anson, who had for sometime been 
 the virtual head of the Admiralty, became First Lord, in name 
 as well as reality, on the resignation of the Earl of Sandwich. 
 His official career presents few incidents of interest or impor- 
 tance until the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, when, to 
 strengthen the fleets of England, he adopted the expedient of 
 establishing a permanent corps of marines to serve on board 
 the royal ships, entirely distinct from the army, and under the 
 command of the Board of Admiralty. The corps consisted at 
 first of 5,000 men, divided into 50 companies, but in less than 
 
 * " These Articles, the I2th and I3th, whif"., inflict the penalty of death, 
 were then and afterwards considered so severe that, thirty years after the 
 passing of the Act, and twenty-two after Byng's execution, there was 
 added, in the Act of 19 George III. (1779), after the word ' death,' the 
 words, 'or such other punishment as the nature and degree of the offence 
 shall be found to deserve.' " SIR JOHN BARROW, p. 220. 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 121 
 
 four years they were augmented to about 18,000. In 1756, 
 while Anson was still at the head of naval affairs, the English 
 Ministry received information that a formidable expedition was 
 being organized at Toulon, and that it was probably intended for 
 the capture of Minorca, an island which for half a century had 
 been in possession of Great Britain, and the capital of which, 
 Port Mahon, was considered the best harbour in the Mediter- 
 ranean. A fleet of ten sail of the line, under Admiral the 
 Hon. J. Byng, was therefore dispatched for its protection on 
 the 7th of April. Three days later a French fleet of twelve 
 ships of the line sailed from Toulon, with transports having 
 16,000 men on board. On the i8th they arrived off the coast 
 of Minorca, and began to disembark at the port of Ciudadella. 
 The sole strength of her defences lay in the castle of St. Philip, 
 which was garrisoned by about 2,500 men under General 
 Blakeney, and this was so formidable a post that the French 
 found themselves compelled to proceed cautiously with its 
 investment. On the I9th of May Admiral Byng, who had 
 been reinforced by two more men-of-war, arrived within sight 
 of St. Philip. Though the French batteries were plying it with 
 storm of shot and shell, the " banner of England " still blew from 
 its ramparts. But a man of resolution and daring, a man with 
 the spirit of a Blake or a Nelson, might easily have effected its 
 relief. Byng, however, though physically brave, was deficient 
 in moral courage. A great responsibility was thrust upon him, 
 and he was unable to cope with it. He had already written 
 home in a despondent strain ; he could not procure, he said, 
 any necessaries at Gibraltar ; the place was so neglected that he 
 could not clean the foul ships with which he had sailed from 
 England ; had he been sent earlier he might have prevented 
 the landing of the French, whereas now it was very doubtful 
 whether an attempt to reinforce the garrison would be success- 
 ful There was a note of failure in this feeble threnody. 
 
122 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 On the 2ist of May, De la Galissioniere, the French Admiral, 
 bore down upon the British fleet. Instead of rushing to the 
 attack in the good old English fashion, Byng hesitated ; but 
 West, his second in command, with his portion of the fleet, 
 sailed at once into the mttee, broke the French line of battle, 
 and hotly assailed the vessels that came in contact with him. 
 Byng himself was hardly engaged at all except in the early part 
 of the fight, when his ship, being damaged in her rigging, for a 
 time refused to answer her helm. Amazed and confused by the 
 impetuosity of West's attack, De la Galissoniere quickly with- 
 drew ; and then was seen the strange spectacle of a French fleet 
 retiring leisurely, and in order, unmolested by a British fleet 
 almost its equal in strength ! Byng called a council of war, the 
 usual refuge of weak minds, and representing that he was 
 inferior to the enemy in number of men and weight of metal 
 he had, however, more guns, and one more ship proposed to 
 return to Gibraltar a proposal accepted by the council, in 
 which a majority of the members were as timid and undecided 
 as himself. 
 
 The Admiral then sent home his dispatches ; and on the loth 
 of June Sir Edward Hawke and Admiral Saunders received 
 immediate orders to supersede Byng and his second in com- 
 mand, arrest them, and bring them prisoners to England. 
 
 Here it is necessary to furnish a comparative view of the 
 two fleets, that the reader may have some means of forming an 
 accurate judgment of Byng's conduct : 
 
 BYNG'S DIVISION. 
 
 Guns. Men. Killed. Wounded. 
 
 Kingston . . 60 400 Capt. W. Parry . . . . o o 
 
 Deptford . . 50 300 J. Amherst . . . o O 
 
 Culloden . . 74 600 W. Ward . . . o O 
 
 *_.. .90 7So{;;i^f diner }. .o o 
 
 Trident . . 64 500 P. Darell . . . O C 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 
 
 123 
 
 Guns. Men. 
 
 Princess Louisa 60 400 Capt. Hon. J. Noel 
 Revenge . . 64 500 F. Cornwall . 
 
 DIVISION : REAR-ADMIRAL TEMPLE WEST. 
 
 500 Capt. J. Young . . 
 
 500 Ch. Catford , 
 Rear- Ad m. West 1 
 Capt. Everitt J 
 
 520 Ho'i. G. Edgecumbe 
 
 300 P. Band . . 
 
 400 T. Andrews , 
 
 Intrepid . 
 Captain 
 
 Buckingham 
 
 Lancaster 
 Portland . . 
 Defiance . . 
 
 64 
 
 64 
 
 68 
 
 66 
 
 .So 
 60 
 
 535 
 
 Killed. Wounded. 
 
 4 
 
 13 
 
 . o 
 
 o 
 
 WEST. 
 
 
 9 
 
 39 
 
 . 6 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 3 I 
 
 14 
 
 . 6 
 
 20 
 
 14 
 
 45 
 
 834 6205 
 
 43 
 
 168 
 
 Frigates: Cheslerfield, 40 guns, 250 men ; Phoenix, 20 
 guns, 160 men ; Fortune, 14 guns, TOO men; Experiment, 20 
 guns, 160 men ; Dolphin, 20 guns, 160 men. 
 
 The list of killed and wounded plainly shows that Byng's 
 division scarcely came into collision with the enemy at all, only 
 one of his ships contributing to the total. 
 
 FRENCH FLEET. 
 
 M. de Galissonire 
 Capt. L'Aiguille 
 M. de la Clue 
 Capt. de Gabanores 
 M. de Glemleves \ 
 Capt. de Marconville ) 
 
 Villar de la Brosse 
 
 de Beanmont de Matre 
 
 de Menier . . 
 
 de St. Aignan . 
 
 de S alien Giammont . 
 
 de Revert . 
 
 de Raimondis 
 
 de Heivillee 
 de Rochmere 
 
 Guns. 
 
 , Men. 
 
 Foudroyant , 
 
 84 
 
 950 { 
 
 Couronne . . 
 
 74 
 
 800 { 
 
 Le Redoubtable 
 
 74 
 
 800 | 
 
 Le Guenier . 
 
 74 
 
 800 
 
 Le Temeraire 
 
 74 
 
 800 
 
 Le Triton . . 
 
 64 
 
 600 
 
 Le Lion . . 
 
 64 
 
 600 
 
 Le Content 
 
 64 
 
 600 
 
 Le Sage . . 
 
 64 
 
 600 
 
 L'Orphe-g . . 
 
 64 
 
 600 
 
 LeFier . . 
 
 50 
 
 550 
 
 L 'Hippopota m e 
 
 5 
 
 550 
 
 Killed. 
 
 Wounded. 
 
 . 2 
 
 10 
 
 . 
 
 3 
 
 . 12 
 
 39 
 
 . O 
 
 43 
 
 e o 
 . 8 
 
 IS 
 H 
 
 . 2 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 . o 
 
 19 
 8 
 
 . 10 
 
 9 
 
 o 
 
 4 
 
 . 2 
 
 10 
 
 800 8250 
 
 181 
 
 Frigates: Lajunon, 46 guns, 300 men; La Rose, 52 guns, 
 
124 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 2 50 men; La Graaeuse, 42 guns, 2 50 men; La Topaze, 28 
 guns, 250 men ; La Nymphe, 28 guns, 250 men. 
 
 From the foregoing tables it will be seen that the French 
 fleet was superior in men, but inferior in guns, though it is 
 understood that their guns were, on the whole, of heavier metal 
 than ours. Certain it is that the disparity between the two 
 armaments was not such as a British admiral of the Rodney or 
 Nelson type would have allowed to discourage him. As it 
 was, the French retired before the impetuous attack of Rear- 
 Admiral West, and there can be no doubt that if it had been 
 adequately supported by Byng the result would have been a 
 signal victory and the relief of Minorca, which, abandoned by 
 the British fleet, was compelled to surrender on the 2yth of 
 June. 
 
 It is no wonder that a storm of public indignation broke 
 upon Byng's devoted head. The news of his ignominious 
 return to Gibraltar first reached London through the French 
 Admiral's dispatch to his Government. " It is necessary," says 
 Walpole, " to be well acquainted with the disposition of a free, 
 proud, fickle, and violent people, before one can conceive the 
 indignation occasioned by this intelligence." When Byng's own 
 dispatch arrived, in which he wrote with the calm complacency 
 of a man who is satisfied that he has done all that can be ex- 
 pected of him, the popular fury burst all bounds. In every 
 town and city his effigy was publicly burned. The streets rang 
 with ballads in which the keenest contempt and hardest abuse 
 were showered upon his name. Men went about bewailing the 
 degeneracy of the English race, and protesting that they and 
 their brothers were cowards fit only to be enslaved. The walls 
 were covered with furious placards. Caricatures and libels, in 
 which the King and his Ministers were treated with the utmost 
 license, passed from hand to hand. As for example : " A 
 Rueful Story ; or, Britain in Tears, being the conduct of Ad- 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. 125 
 
 miral B ~g, London, printed by Boatswain Haul-up, a 
 broken-hearted Sailor ; " and " The Devil's Dance, set to French 
 Music," in which Byng, Fox, and the Duke of Newcastle were 
 represented with cloven hoofs, dancing upon papers inscribed 
 " Justice," " Honesty," " Law," " Magna Charta," " Port Ma- 
 hon," &c. The only consolation which occurred to the public 
 mind was such as might be derived from the reflection that the 
 French Admiral had exhibited as much reluctance to engage as 
 Byng himself. Hence the epigram 
 
 We have lately been told 
 Of two admirals bold, 
 
 Who engaged in a terrible fight; 
 They met after noon, 
 Which I think was too soon, 
 
 As they both ran away before night," 
 
 A medal was struck, having a figure of the Admiral, with the 
 legend, "Was Minorca sold for French gold?" In another 
 print he was represented hanging in chains. When he arrived 
 at Portsmouth it was with difficulty that the mob was prevented 
 from tearing him to pieces. Addresses from London and from 
 almost every county and city poured in upon the Throne 
 demanding his condign punishment ; and to that from 
 London the King was made to reply, on his royal word, that 
 he would save no delinquent from justice. Walpole relates 
 that when a deputation waited upon the Duke of Newcastle 
 with an accusation against the Admiral, that fatuous minister 
 blurted out, "Oh, he shall be tried immediately he shall be 
 hanged directly !" But the story is probably an invention. 
 
 The Newcastle Ministry, already shaken by internal dis- 
 sensions, could not withstand this outburst of popular feeling, 
 and a new Cabinet was formed, of which William Pitt, "the 
 great commoner," became the virtual head. Byng was then 
 brought before a court-martial (December the 28th), which 
 
126 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 held its sittings daily, Sundays excepted, till the 27th o! 
 January, 1757, inclusive. After an exhaustive inquiry the 
 court adjudged him to be shot to death, in pursuance of the 
 twelfth article of war, which ran as follows : " Every person in 
 Ihe fleet who through cowardice, negligence, or disaffection 
 shall, in time .of action, withdraw or keep back, or not come 
 into the fight or engagement, or shall not do his utmost to take 
 or destroy any ship which it shall be his duty to engage, and to 
 assist and relieve all and every of his Majesty's ships, or those 
 of his allies, which it shall be his duty to assist and relieve, 
 every such person so offending, and being convicted thereof by 
 the sentence of a court-martial, shall suffer death." It is 
 impossible to contend that the court, with these words before 
 it, could have come to any other decision ; for nothing is more 
 certain than that Byng did not "do his utmost to take or 
 destroy the French ships." But as the penalty of death 
 seemed severe for an error which might be considered an 
 error of judgment rather than a grave or criminal offence, 
 the court strongly recommended him to the mercy of the 
 Crown. 
 
 It then became the business of the Admiralty to convey this 
 recommendation 'to the King, but they proceeded in a novel and 
 unfortunate manner. They addressed a long letter to the King, 
 enclosing a copy of Byng's instructions, of the resolutions and 
 sentence of the court-martial, and other documents, adding 
 " that doubts having arisen with regard to the legality of the 
 sentence, particularly whether the crime of negligence, which was 
 not expressed in any part of the proceedings, could in this case 
 be supplied by implication, they found themselves obliged most 
 humbly to beseech his Majesty that the opinion of the judges 
 might be taken whether the said sentence was legal." The 
 opinion of the judges was given on the i6th of February. It 
 was of course a unanimous approval of its legality, and a war- 
 
GEORGE, LORD AN SON. 127 
 
 rant was immediately issued for the execution of Admiral Byng 
 on the 28th a concession to popular clamour, made in the face 
 of the urgent representations of Pitt and Lord Temple. Pitt 
 told George II. that the House of Commons was equally desirous 
 with himself that the royal mercy should be extended to the 
 Admiral. " Sir," said the King sarcastically, " you have taught 
 me to look for the sense of my subjects in another place than 
 the House of Commons." 
 
 Eventually, Byng's execution was deferred to the I4th of 
 March. In the last 'days of his life he behaved with a dignity 
 and an unaffected courage which extorted the admiration even 
 of his enemies. When the fatal morning arrived he welcomed 
 it as the termination of a period of painful delay. He took 
 leave of his friends with easy grace, detained the officers not a 
 moment, repaired directly to the quarter-deck of the ship in 
 which he had been confined, and placed himself in a chair 
 without affectation or levity. Some of the more humane of the 
 officers represented to him that his face being uncovered, as he 
 had desired, his executioners might feel some reluctance, and 
 solicited him to make use of a handkerchief. He replied with 
 indifference, "If it will frighten them let it be done, they 
 would not frighten me" His eyes were bound a volley 
 and he fell at once.* 
 
 * Lord Holland gives the following account of this painful event from 
 IloraceWalpole's MS.: "Admiral Byng's tragedy was completed on Monday 
 a perfect tragedy ; for there were a variety of incidents villany, murder, 
 and a hero. His sufferings, persecutions, aspersions, disturbances, nay, 
 die revolutions of his fate, had not in the least unhinged his mind ; his 
 whole behaviour was natural and fiim. A lew days before, one of his 
 friends standing by him said, 'Which of us is tallest?' He replied, 
 ' Why this ceremony ? I know what it means ; let the man come and 
 measure .me for my coffin.' He said, that, being acquitted of cowardice, 
 and being persuaded, on the coolest reflection, that he had acted for the 
 best, and should act so again, he was not unwilling to suffer. He desired 
 to be shot on thequarter-ueck, not where common malefactors are ; came 
 out at uvt'h 3--sat down in a chair, for be would ot kneel, and refused tq 
 
28 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 In July, 1757, Pitt prevailed upon Lord Anson to resume 
 his seat as First Lord of the Admirality a proof that he held 
 his administrative abilities in high esteem. In this capacity it 
 fell to him to prepare the various expeditions which Pitt's 
 activity directed against the French coast and the French 
 possessions in North America. He himself, in May, 1758, 
 hoisted his flag for awhile in command of the general fleet 
 which cruised off Brest, and harassed the shores of France from 
 Brest to Rochefort until the close of the summer. The follow- 
 ing year was distinguished by Boscawen's victory over the 
 French fleet under M. de la Clue; Sir Edward Hawke's great 
 defeat of M. Conflans ; and the capture of Quebec by General 
 Wolfe and Admiral Saunders successful operations which 
 glorified the British arms, and shed a reflected lustre on the 
 naval administration under which they had taken place. 
 
 In 1760, the naval force of Great Britain consisted of 70,000 
 men, including 18,355 marines; and it is generally admitted 
 that, owing to Anson's effective and energetic superintendence, 
 the British navy was then in its " most high and palmy state." 
 It well maintained its reputation during this closing stage of 
 the Seven Years' War, contributing largely to the humiliation of 
 France and Spain, capturing their colonies, and destroying their 
 fleets. In February, 1763, peace was concluded at Paris a 
 glorious peace, which added to the British Empire the whole of 
 the French provinces in North America, the Spanish province 
 of Florida, and the West India islands of Tobago, Dominica, 
 St. Vincent, and Grenada. Lord Anson, however, did not 
 live to see this brilliant termination of a war, the successful 
 conduct of which had been in no small degree owing to his 
 
 have his face covered, that his countenance might show whether he feared 
 death ; but, being told it might frighten his executioners, he submitted 
 gave the signal at once received one shot through the head, another 
 through the heart, and fell." WALPPLE'S Memoirs. 
 
GEORGE, LORD ANSON. I2Q 
 
 administrative capacity. His health showed signs of giving 
 way in the early part of 1762, and he was advised to try the 
 Bath waters. He appeared to derive considerable benefit from 
 them; but while walking in his garden at Mooi Park (his 
 country seat), on the 6th of June, he was seized with violent 
 pains. Returning to the house, he laid himself down on his 
 bed, and almost immediately expired without a struggle. 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 
 
 A.D. 1718 1792. 
 
 "AN officer who fought four general actions as Commander- 
 in-chief, and took three admirals of the enemy from the fleets of 
 three of the most powerful nations of his time, one French, one 
 Dutch, and one Spanish ; and who, it might be added, took 
 from them in the space of two years twelve sail of the line and 
 destroyed five more, having thus had the singular honour of 
 depriving the common enemy of seventeen out of the twenty- 
 one line-of-battle ships which they lost during the war : " 
 
 Such is the language in which a distinguished writer* refers 
 to Admiral Lord Rodney, and the man of whom such language 
 could justly be employed unquestionably deserves to be ranked 
 among the " Eminent Seamen " of our country. 
 
 George Brydges Rodney was born at Walton-upon-Thames 
 on the i Qth of February, 1718. His father, through the good 
 offices of his kinsman, the Duke of Chandos, who usually- 
 attended George I. on his numerous journeys to and from the 
 continent, obtained the command of the royal yacht ; and on 
 one occasion, having been asked what mark of favour he 
 would wish from the King, replied, that his Majesty would 
 stand sponsor to his son. Hence, after his royal and noble 
 godfathers, the King and the Duke, the boy was named George 
 Brydges. 
 
 At an early age he was sent to Harrow School, and at an 
 * Quarterly Review^ Ixxxiii. 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. I $\ 
 
 early age he left it, for he was only twelve yea* 1 *: old when his 
 royal godfather placed him in the naval service. For six years 
 he served on the Newfoundland station under Admiral Medley. 
 In February, 1739, he was in the Mediterranean, and Admiral 
 Haddock appointed him lieutenant in the Dolphin. At the 
 age of twenty-four the fortunate young man was promoted by 
 Admiral Mathews to the Plymouth, a 64-gun ship, as captain, and 
 intrusted with the charge of a fleet of 300 merchantmen, which 
 a French fleet was cruising in the Channel to intercept. He 
 convoyed it home in safety, and in recognition of this service 
 was confirmed in his rank by the Admiralty, and appointed to 
 the Sheerness. Next we find him in command of the Ludlow 
 Castle, of 30 guns, in which he fought and captured the great 
 St. Maloes privateer, a vessel of superior strength. Always in 
 active employment, at one time escorting the King from 
 Harwich, at another conveying troops to the siege of Ostend, 
 he had ample opportunities of acquiring experience ; and the 
 rapid promotions which he had owed to his family interest he 
 speedily justified by his skill as a seaman and his energy as an 
 officer. In command of the Centurion, he cruised for two years 
 in the North Sea, and was on that station while Prince Charles 
 Edward maintained his mimic state at Edinburgh. His services 
 were rewarded by his removal to the Eagle, a line-of-battle ship 
 of 64 guns. On his way to join her, the Centurion struck upon 
 a shoal off Orfordness, and lay for nearly five hours six feet deep 
 in. the sand, but by good seamanship Rodney contrived to 
 release her with the loss of her rudder arid about thirty feet of 
 her false keel, after cutting away part of her masts, and throwing 
 overboard everything but her guns. 
 
 In April, 1747, the Eagle formed one of. a squadron dis- 
 patched to intercept the French homeward-bound St. Domingo 
 fleet, which they sighted on the 2oth of June off Cape Ortegal. 
 All sail was set, and a spirited chase immediately began. The 
 
32 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 French men-of-war contrived to escape during the night, and 
 the British ships then went in pursuit of the traders, of which 
 forty-eight were eventually captured. 
 
 On the 1 4th of October in the same year Rodney took part 
 in the gallant action fought between Rear-Admiral Hawke's 
 squadron off Cape Finisterre, and the French fleet under 
 M. de PEtendiere. It was on this occasion he first earned 
 distinction as a fighting officer. During the heat of the action, 
 Admiral Hawke, observing that Rodney's ship, the Eagle, and 
 h er consort, the Edinburgh, were much crippled, that they had 
 lost their foretop-masts, and were opposed by superior numbers, 
 bore down to their assistance, and after attacking and capturing 
 the Trident 9 of 64 guns, engaged and took the Terrible, a 
 74-gun ship. Rodney, about the same time, compelled his 
 antagonist to haul down her colours, and immediately boarding 
 her, was greeted by her captain, as he gave up his sword, with 
 the graceful remark, that " he would rather have met the Eagle 
 in the shape of a dove, carrying the olive-branch of peace." 
 With unusual aptness, Rodney, in reply, quoted his family 
 motto, "Non generant aquilse columbas" (Eagles do not 
 beget doves).* 
 
 Towards the close of the Seven Years' War a war in which 
 England gained little honour and less profit the Eagle was 
 one of a small squadron which encountered a Spanish fleet 
 from the West Indies of twelve sail of the line, with a rich 
 convoy, and, though greatly inferior in strength, he and his 
 brother captains made prizes of six of the merchantmen. 
 
 * The motto is evidently adapted from the concluding line of a stanza 
 in one of the best-known odes of Horace : 
 
 * Fortes creantur fortibus et bonis, 
 Est in juvencis, est in equis patrum 
 Virtus, nee imbellem feroces 
 Progenerant aquilae columbasL* 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 133 
 
 On Rodney's return to England the Eagle was put out ol 
 commission. Shortly afterwards Lord Anson presented 
 Rodney to the King, who pleasantly observed that until then 
 he did not know he had so young a captain in his navy. 
 " Sir," said Lord Anson, " young Rodney has been six years a 
 captain in your Majesty's navy, and without reflection, I wish, 
 most heartily wish, your Majesty had a hundred more such 
 captains, to the terror of your Majesty's enemies." The King 
 answered, " We wish so too, my lord." * 
 
 A brief interval of peace followed the Treaty of Aix-la- 
 Chapelle, but an interval employed by both England and France 
 in preparing for a renewal of hostilities, and actually disturbed 
 in the East and West Indies by an incessant struggle, which 
 was only not " a war " because not formally recognised by the 
 two Governments. In May, 1748, Commodore Rodney (for 
 he had again been promoted) was appointed Governor and 
 Commander-in-Chief on the Newfoundland station, and this 
 position he occupied until October, 1752, when he returned 
 home to take his seat in Parliament as member for Saltash. 
 It must be acknowledged that fortune dealt very generously 
 with him, and that in his career he met with none of those 
 bars and impediments, those wearisome lets and hindrances, 
 which so frequently baffle the advance of men of the highest 
 merit 
 
 In February, 1753, Rodney strengthened his social position 
 by his marriage with Lady Jane Compton, sister of the Earl of 
 Northampton. In the following year he was appointed to the 
 Prince George, of 90 guns, in which ship he remained until 
 May, 1757, when, on boaid the Dublin, a 74-gun ship, he 
 joined Admiral Hawke's expedition against Rochefort. The 
 expedition did not bombard Rochefort, from a want of 
 harmony between the naval and military commanders, but it 
 * MAJOR-GEN JI&AI, MUNPY, Life of Lord Rodney, i. 43, 44, 
 
J34 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 captured, only to abandon, the small island of Aix, and 
 then returned home to be overwhelmed with ridicule by the 
 wits and pamphleteers and ballad-makers, for seldom had 
 "mountain" laboured to bring forth a more ridiculous 
 birth. In 1757 the reins of power were grasped by the great 
 Pitt, who immediately infused something of his own active and 
 daring spirit into every department. The country felt that " a 
 man" was at its head, and responded to his call with joyful 
 alacrity. A new temper took possession of our soldiers and 
 seamen, and the era of failures at land and sea was definitely 
 closed. Rodney seems to have been one of those who felt 
 the direct influence and inspiration of Pitt's genius. Certain 
 it is that from this time he displayed a new energy and 
 resolution; and as his sphere of command enlarged, so 
 apparently did his capacity for it. Always a good seaman 
 and capable officer, he now gave proof of those rare and 
 admirable qualities which have earned him a high and 
 enduring place among the greatest of our great English 
 sea-captains. 
 
 On the iQth of May, 1759 Rodney was then forty-one years 
 of age he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, and 
 immediately appointed to the command of a squadron 
 destined for an attack upon Havre-de-Grace, where the 
 French were known to be collecting magazines and stores 
 preparatory to an expedition against the English coast. He 
 began the bombardment on the 4th of July, and continued it 
 for fifty-two hours with such fury as to set fire several times to 
 the town, destroy all the enemy's stores, and involve their gun- 
 boats in a general conflagration. The service with which he 
 had been charged was thus effectually executed ; and- Havre- 
 de-Grace, as a naval arsenal, ceased to be of further use to the 
 French during the continuance of the war. For the remainder of 
 the year Rodney continued to watch the French coast, harassing 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 135 
 
 it by frequent attacks, and extending his operations as far as 
 Dieppe. 
 
 In 1761 Rodney hoisted his flag on board the Marlborough* 
 having been appointed to the command on the West India 
 station, and the conduct of the naval operations of a great 
 and combined expedition against Martinique, then the most 
 prosperous and wealthy of the French colonies in the 
 Atlantic. 
 
 Rodney arrived at Barbadoes on the 22nd of November, 
 collected his fleet without delay, took on board some regiments 
 of troops from North America under Major-General Monckton, 
 and on the 7th day of January, 1762, arrived off Martinique. 
 Next day, having silenced the enemy's batteries, the fleet 
 dropped anchor in St. Pierre's Bay. The coast was carefully 
 reconnoitred, and on the i6th the army was successfully 
 landed without the loss of a single man at a point between 
 Cape Negro and the Cas-de-Pilotte. Fort Royal was carried 
 by assault, and the French authorities then surrendered, though 
 some of the defences were of extraordinary strength, and had 
 been reputed to be impregnable. Rodney and his colleague 
 afterwards proceeded to Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent, 
 which quickly capitulated, and have since formed part of our vast 
 colonial empire. Jamaica being threatened by a French and 
 Spanish fleet, Rodney hastened to its assistance ; but receiving 
 peremptory orders to co-operate with Admiral Sir George 
 Pocock and the Earl of Albemarle in a formidable expedi- 
 tion against the Havannah, he was obliged to content himself 
 
 * "A singular occurrence happened on board the Marlborougk, at 
 Portsmouth, on the occasion of his Royal Highness the Duke of York's 
 visit to the Admiral. A common sailor got upon the top of the vane of 
 the mainmast and stood upon his head, waving his hat with his feet 
 several time* round, to the admiration of his Royal Highness, who made 
 the fellow a handsome present for his extraordinary detrity."-* 
 p. 67, 
 
136 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 with sending thither a squadron of ten ships under Sir Jarnei 
 Douglas. With admirable energy Rodney returned to 
 Martinique, and dispatched reinforcements of troops and 
 ships to Pocock and Albemarle, reserving only 3 ships of 
 the line under his own flag. The expedition, when finally 
 organized, consisted of 19 ships of the line, with numerous 
 smaller vessels; the transports carried 10,000 troops. The 
 defences of the Havannah had been constructed with great 
 skill, and were held with obstinate gallantry. The entrance to 
 the harbour, which contained 12 Spanish men-of-war, was pro- 
 tected by two heavily armed forts, the Pantol and the Moro. 
 From the i2th of June to the 3oth of July the siege of the 
 Moro was vigorously pressed, though the soldiers and seamen 
 suffered severely from the pestilential heats of the climate. 
 On the 3oth the Moro was captured by assault, after great loss of 
 life; the Havannah was then invested, and it surrendered, with 
 all the vessels in the harbour, on the 1 2th of August. 
 
 On the loth of February, 1763, peace was concluded; and 
 by the Treaty of Paris Great Britain retained possession of 
 Canada, part of Louisiana, Cape Breton, and other islands in 
 the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as well as of Grenada, Dominique, 
 St. Vincent's, and Tobago, while restoring Guadaloupe, 
 Martinique, and St. Lucia. It is now generally admitted that 
 our Ministers committed a mistake in acceding to terms 
 which were unduly favourable to a beaten and humbled 
 enemy. 
 
 On the 2ist of January, 1764, Rodney, who in the previous 
 year had been made Vice- Admiral of the Blue, was raised to 
 the dignity of a Baronet of Great Britain. A few months 
 later he was married to Henrietta, only daughter of John Ellis, 
 Esq. ; and in November, 1765, he was appointed Governor of 
 Greenwich Hospital, a position in which he added greatly to 
 the comforts of the pensioners, In 1771 a further promotion 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 137 
 
 awaited him : he was made Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica 
 During the three years of his service he exhibited a constant 
 activity in all matters relating to the well-being of the fleet 
 under his command ; and " with unceasing vigilance and 
 firmness of purpose " maintained the honour and dignity of the 
 British flag. He conceived a personal interest in the prosperity 
 of Jamaica, and would fain have had the government of the 
 island conferred upon him ; but in this hope he was disap- 
 pointed, and, being recalled to England, he struck his flag at 
 Portsmouth on the loth of September, 1774. 
 
 " From this period," says his biographer,* " the sunshine 
 which had hitherto cheered his existence became obscured, 
 and for the space of four years the oppressive gloom of want, 
 disappointments, and inaction hung over him like a mist, when 
 again the cheering light of prosperity beamed upon him, and 
 gilded his evening with its brightest rays. It is to be lamented 
 that natures the most generous and ingenuous, from an honest 
 zeal which flows through all their conduct, can bring them- 
 selves to bear the dry methodical labour of arithmetical 
 calculation, nor to bestow that attention to their financial 
 concerns which is to a certain degree indispensable in every 
 condition of life. Sir George, it is to be apprehended, was 
 one of this class. Possessing a pleasing and handsome exterior, 
 with the courteous manner and address of the accomplished 
 gentleman (qualities not particularly valued by the navy in 
 those days), he had at all times when on shore been received 
 into the highest circles of fashion, where he took in the draught 
 of pleasure as others did ; and his heart being warm and 
 generous, he not unfrequently found himself involved in pecu- 
 niary difficulties." Stripped of its verbiage, this .passage simply 
 means that living as a man of fashion, Rodney spent much 
 more than his income, and incurred the humiliation of debt 
 * MUNDY, i 162, 163. 
 
13 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 A passion for play has been imputed to him, but on no very 
 satisfactory authority; and it seems more just to ascribe the 
 worst of his misfortunes to the expenses he incurred in contesting 
 parliamentary elections. His embarrassments compelled him 
 to withdraw to France, and he took up his abode in seclusion at 
 Paris, where from want of means he was again involved in 
 difficulties, and for some time was virtually a prisoner, until 
 the generous friendship of the Mardchal Biron enabled him to 
 return to his own country. 
 
 Writing to Lady Rodney on the 6th of May, 1778, he says, 
 " I have this day accepted of the generous friendship of the 
 Mare'chal Biron, who has advanced one thousand louis in order 
 that I may leave Paris without being reproached. 
 
 "Nothing but a total inattention to the distressed state I was 
 in could have prevailed upon me to have availed myself of his 
 voluntary proposal ; but not having had for more than a 
 month past a letter from any person but Mr. Statham and 
 yourself, and my passport being expired, it was impossible for 
 me to remain in this city at the risk of being sued by my 
 creditors, who grew so clamorous it was impossible to bear it, 
 and had they not been overawed by the lieutenant of the 
 police would have carried their persecutions to the greatest 
 length. Their demands were all satisfied this day; and the 
 few days I remain in this city will be occupied in visiting all 
 those great families from whom I have received so many 
 civilities, and whose attention in paying me daily and constant 
 visits in a great measure kept my creditors from being as 
 troublesome as they otherwise would have been." 
 
 The generosity of this chivalrous Frenchman in restoring to 
 England one of her bravest and best sea-captains indirectly 
 prepared for his own country a serious humiliation. When, 
 four years later, intelligence of Rodney's decisive victory over 
 a great French fleet reached Paris, the population were 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 139 
 
 inflamed with rage against the Mare'chal, and reproached him 
 with having been, to a certain degree, the author of the 
 calamity. The Marechal calmly replied that he gloried in the 
 man whose deliverance he had effected, and in the victory 
 which he had so nobly won. It must be confessed that the 
 Marechal's chivalry seems to have been a stronger impulse 
 with him than his patriotism. 
 
 As a contrast to the conduct of the Mare'chal, we may cite 
 an instance of lack of delicacy on the part of the Duke of 
 Chartres, afterwards infamous as the Duke of Orleans, and still 
 more infamous as " Citizen 6galiteV' Shortly before Rodney's 
 departure the Duke called upon him, and informing him that 
 he, the Duke, was to have command of a fleet which would be 
 opposed to the English under Admiral Keppel, with an 
 insulting air asked him what he thought would be the result 
 of their meeting. "That my countryman will carry yout 
 Highness home with him to learn English," was the prompt 
 reply. 
 
 On his return to England Rodney was enabled at once to 
 repay the loan so generously advanced by the Mare'chal, and 
 to effect a satisfactory arrangement with his creditors. He lost 
 no time in applying to the Admiralty for employment, but the 
 principal commands had been filled up, and it was not until 
 the ist of October, 1779, that his application could be satis- 
 factorily answered. He was then selected for the command 
 of a strong fleet which had been got ready for the purpose of 
 relieving Gibraltar and conveying assistance to our West Indian 
 colonies. Owing to the delays interposed by the dockyard 
 authorities, the fleet was not ready to sail until the very end of 
 December. On the 24th Rodney weighed from Spithead. Next 
 day he put into Plymouth, and collecting the rest of his ships, 
 finally took his departure on the 29th, with his flag flying on 
 board the Sandwich. Or. the 9th of January he fell in with, 
 
140 
 
 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 and captured, a Spanish convoy of twenty-two sail, and a week 
 later fought and defeated the Spanish fleet under Don Juan de 
 Langara. The British on this occasion mustered in the 
 following order : 
 
 74 guns, 600 men, Captain Affleck 
 
 600 Peyton 
 
 600 Cornish 
 
 767 Rear-Adm. Digby, Capt. Patten 
 
 600 Captain Douglas 
 
 600 M Brisbane 
 
 560 Thomson 
 
 600 H Sir Chas. Ogle 
 
 600 Houston 
 
 600 Wallis 
 
 732 Adm. Sir G. Rodney, Capt. Long 
 
 600 Captain Young 
 
 550 Purdy 
 
 600 . Uvedale 
 
 
 'Bedford . . 
 
 74 
 
 
 Cumberland . 
 
 74 
 
 , 
 
 Invincible . . 
 
 74 
 
 a 
 
 >! 
 
 Prince George 
 
 90 
 
 
 Terrible . . 
 
 74 
 
 
 Alcide . . . 
 
 74 
 
 America . . 
 
 64 
 
 'Resolution . 
 
 74 
 
 
 Montagu . . 
 
 74 
 
 g 
 
 Dublin . . 
 
 74 
 
 ~*"^ , 
 
 Sandwich . 
 
 90 
 
 8 
 
 Marlborough 
 
 74 
 
 
 Ajax . . . 
 
 74 
 
 Shrewsbury . 
 
 74 
 
 'Defence . . 74 600 
 
 Culloden . . 74 600 
 
 Bienfaisant . 64 500 
 Monarch. . 
 
 ,, Cranstoun 
 
 Balfour 
 
 Macbride 
 
 Duncan 
 
 Royal George 100 867 Rear- Ad. Sir J.Ross,Capt. Bannister 
 Alfred . . 74 ,, 600 ,, Captain Bayne 
 Hector . . 74 600 Sir J. Hamilton 
 
 . 74 600 
 
 Elliot 
 
 With eight frigates and a cutter. The Spanish force was 
 very inferior, comprising only one 8o-gun ship (the Admiral's), 
 ten yo-gun ships, and two frigates. The result of an action 
 between two such opponents could not for one moment be 
 doubtful ; the Spaniards were wholly defeated ; four of their 
 best ships were taken ; one was blown up ; another, after having 
 surrendered and been taken possession of, went ashore ; and 
 a seventh, drifting among the breakers, perished. The news of 
 this success was very warmly received in the metropolis; it 
 restored the public confidence in the navy, which had been 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 14! 
 
 seriously shaken by a succession of untoward events. In the 
 heart of the people Rodney filled the place which was after- 
 wards occupied by Howe and Nelson ; and his dash and gal- 
 lantry were incessantly contrasted with the caution and fear of 
 responsibility exhibited by other English admirals. 
 
 His eldest daughter, a girl of thirteen, wrote to him on the 
 nth of March as follows : 
 
 " Everybody adores you, and every mouth is full of your 
 praise. . . . The Tower and Park guns were fired last 
 Monday, and that night and the next there were illuminations. 
 On Thursday night there were northern lights seen ; and you 
 will see in the Morning Post what fine verses they make upon 
 them to your praise. Indeed, there is nothing but what they 
 find matter to make verses upon about you. There are a great 
 number of songs going about the streets, the choruses always 
 ' Brave Rodney for ever.' I assure you I have had the 
 curiosity to buy them ; such rhymes I never saw ; and if they 
 were not about you I am sure I should not have patience to 
 read them. I congratulate you upon the thanks of both Houses 
 of Parliament. It is nothing new to you, as you had them last 
 war. I have loved Lord North ever since he spoke in the 
 House about you. I hear the King is exceedingly pleased with 
 you. He said at the drawing-room that he knew when Rodney 
 was out everything would go well. Lord Oxford told it to 
 mamma at the Duchess of Chandos's last night. I have 
 had a great many people wish me joy at the dancing academy, 
 and at other places I have been very pleasant it is" 
 
 The City of London resolved on presenting its freedom to 
 Rodney in a box made of gold ; which, as it had bestowed upon 
 Admiral Keppel only a casket of oak, suggested to some wit of 
 he day the folio w r ing/V// d' esprit : 
 
 "Each Admiral's defective part 
 Satiric lips have told ; 
 
14* EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 That cautious Keppel wanted heart, 
 And gallant Rodney gold. 
 
 Your wisdom, London's Council, far 
 
 Our highest praise exceeds, 
 In giving each illustrious tar 
 
 The very thing he needs. 
 
 For Rodney brave, but low in cash, 
 
 You golden gifts bespoke ; 
 To Keppel rich, but not so rash, 
 
 You gave a heart of oak." 
 
 Having relieved Minorca and landed the supplies and stores 
 which he had brought out for the garrison of Gibraltar, Rodney 
 sailed for the West Indies to take up his command on that 
 station. Exactly one month after his arrival at Barbadoes he 
 encountered the French fleet of 23 ships of the line, under the 
 Comte de Guichen, his own fleet consisting only of 21. By 
 skilful seamanship he gained the weather-gage, which gave 
 him the advantage of choosing his distance, and by an adroit 
 manoeuvre succeeded in bringing his compact line of battle 
 against about one-half of the enemy, sailing parallel on the 
 same tack j so that from the close neighbourhood of the two 
 fleets, and the fact that he had the weather-gage, Sir George 
 looked with confidence to an assured and decisive victory. By 
 putting before the wind, he prepared to get alongside one 
 section of the enemy and overpower it before the other could 
 come to its assistance. He accordingly made signal for close 
 battle and for every ship to attack her opposite. Unhappily, 
 owing to the insubordination of some of his captains, and the 
 neglect or grievances of others, neither signal was obeyed. The 
 whole advantage of the day was then lost; the action was 
 fought at long range ; and instead of a certain and signal 
 victory, the sole result was a drawn battle. 
 
 Never perhaps was a commander not even Benbow placed 
 in more embarrassing circumstances,. It was not possible to 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 143 
 
 measure the respective delinquency of the great majority of the 
 flag officers and captains so as to bring them to trial ; nor had 
 he officers enough whose previous good conduct fitted them to 
 try the others ; moreover, to have held a number of courts- 
 martial would have ruined the service. With great judgment he 
 selected the worst offender, arrested him, and sent him for trial 
 by court-martial. He was dismissed the service a sentence 
 which had a strong effect upon his brother officers. To tighten 
 the bonds of discipline, Rodney put the fleet through a long 
 course of naval evolutions, which taught them obedience and 
 order as well as practical seamanship. 
 
 In May, 1780, the French fleet having stolen away to wind- 
 ward of Martinique, in order, it was said, to protect a Spanish 
 convoy, Rodney hastened in pursuit, and beat about for six days 
 and nights in the teeth of a strong east wind. This, says his 
 biographer, afforded an admirable opportunity for maritime 
 practice ; for during all the time there was an incessant tacking, 
 sometimes all together, but chiefly in succession an arduous 
 manoeuvre for 20 sail of the line. Of this " admirable oppor- 
 tunity" Rodney availed himself also to infuse into his officers 
 and crews a better esprit de corps, and to establish his authority 
 in the fleet, where an impression had prevailed that he was 
 a mere "man of fashion," fresh from the gay circle of the 
 beau monde, whose orders might be ignored or neglected 
 with impunity. During the six days we speak of the French 
 so strenuously kept their wind that they could not be brought 
 to close action ; and after slight skirmishes on the I5th and 
 i;th, Rodney, perceiving that further pursuit would be useless, 
 returned to Barbadoes. 
 
 Rodney's own account of the affair of the lyth is as 
 follows : 
 
 " At daylight on the morning of the iyth we saw the enemy 
 distinctly beginning to form the line ahead. I made signal 
 
44 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 for the line ahead at two cables' length distance. At forty-six 
 minutes after six I gave notice that my intention was to attack 
 the enemy's rear with my whole force, which signal was 
 answered by every ship in the fleet. At seven a.m., perceiving 
 the fleet was too much extended, I made the signal for the line 
 of battle at one cable's length only. At thirty minutes after 
 eight a.m. I made a signal for the line of battle abreast, each 
 bearing from the other N. by W. or S. by E., and bore down 
 upon the enemy. This signal was penetrated by them, who, 
 discovering my intentions, wore, and formed a line of battle on 
 the other tack. I immediately made the signal to haul the 
 wind, and form the line of battle ahead. At nine a.m. made 
 the signal for the line of battle ahead, at two cables' length, on 
 the larboard tack. 
 
 " The manoeuvres made by his Majesty's fleet will appear to 
 their Lordships [of the Admiralty] by the minutes of the signals 
 made before and during the action. At eleven a.m. I made 
 the signal to prepare for battle, to convince the whole fleet I 
 was determined to bring the enemy to an engagement. At fifty 
 minutes after eleven a.m. I made the signal for every ship to 
 bear down and steer for her opposite in the enemy's line. At 
 fifty-five minutes after eleven a.m. I made the signal for battle ; 
 a few minutes after, that it was my intention to engage close, 
 and, of course, the Admiral's ship to be the example. A few 
 minutes before one p.m. one of the headmost ships began the 
 action. At one p.m. the Sandwich in the centre, after having 
 received several fires from the enemy, began to engage. Per- 
 ceiving several of our ships engaging at a distance, I repeated 
 the signal for close action. The action in the centre con- 
 tinued till fifteen minutes after four p.m., when Monsieur de 
 Guichen, in the Couronne, in which they had mounted 90 guns, 
 the Triumphant, and Pendant, after engaging the Sandwich for 
 an hour and a half, bore away. The superiority of the fire from 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 145 
 
 the Sandwich, and the gallant behaviour of the officers and men, 
 enabled me to sustain so unequal a combat ; though before 
 attacked by them she had beat three ships out of their line of 
 battle, had entirely broken it, and was to leeward of the French 
 admiral. 
 
 " At the conclusion of the battle the enemy might be said to 
 be completely beat, but such was the distance of the van and 
 the rear from the centre, and the crippled condition of several 
 ships, particularly the Sandwich, which for twenty-four hours 
 was with difficulty kept above water, that it was impossible to 
 pursue them that night without the greatest disadvantage. 
 However, every endeavour was used to put the fleet in order, 
 and I have the pleasure to acquaint their lordships that on the 
 2oth we again got sight of the enemy's fleet, and for three 
 successive days pursued them, but without effect, they using 
 every endeavour possible to avoid a second action, and 
 endeavouring to push for Port Royal, Martinique. We cut 
 them off. To prevent the risk of another action, they took 
 shelter under Guaclaloupe. As I found it was in vain to 
 follow them with his Majesty's fleet in the condition the ships 
 were inj and every action of the enemy indicating an intention 
 of getting to Fort Royal Bay, where alone they could repair 
 their shattered fleet, I thought the only chance we had of 
 bringing them again to action was to be off that port before 
 them, where the fleet under my command now is, in daily 
 expectation of their arrival 
 
 " I cannot conclude without acquainting their lordships that 
 the French admiral, who appeared to me to be a brave and 
 gallant officer, had the honour to be nobly supported during 
 the whole action. 
 
 " It is with concern inexpressible, mixed with indignation, that 
 the duty I owe my Sovereign and my country obliges me to 
 acquaint your lordships that during the action with the French 
 
 L 
 
14^ EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 fleet, on the lyth, and his Majesty's, the British flag was not 
 properly supported." 
 
 The last paragraph of this dispatch, which really contains 
 its pith and substance, was suppressed by the Admiralty ; but 
 we reproduce it here, not only because it explains why the 
 action of the jyth was not, as it might have been, a great 
 victory, but because it helps to dispel a dangerous popular 
 delusion, that all our sea battles have been triumphant, and all 
 our seamen heroes. This assumption is apt to beget a confi- 
 dence and self-satisfaction on the part of the public which in 
 easily conceivable cases might be attended with almost fatal 
 results. It is a painful fact that our naval history records many 
 unfortunate instances of timorousness, and neglect of duty, and 
 disobedience of orders on the part of British officers. Possibly 
 few instances with the exception of the battle in which gallant 
 old Benbow was so shamefully betrayed are more shameful, or 
 throw more discredit on the name and fame of England, than 
 that of the i;th of April, 1780. But all teach the same lesson 
 the necessity of bringing public opinion to bear directly upon 
 our naval officers, so as to maintain the high standard of 
 discipline and duty with which our ascendancy at sea must 
 always be associated.* 
 
 * We are unwilling to overload the text with quotations, and therefore 
 put here in a note some extracts from one of Rodney's private letters (to 
 his wife, dated " Barbadoes, M,y 27th "), which seem necessary to the full 
 and clear explanation of his difficult position on tiie 17111 of April. There 
 can be no doubt that had his captains done their duty he would have won 
 that day as signal a victory over the Comte de Guichen as two years later 
 he won over the Comte de Grasse. " This is the first opportunity," he 
 writes, " that has offered since I wrote by the Pegasus, Captain Bazeley, 
 who has, I hope, by this time been with \ ou, and delivered my letter, and 
 acquainted you with the whole transaction of my battle with the French, 
 and the gallant behaviour of my captains, who when victoiy, the most 
 glorious victory ever obtained by a British fleet over the French, was in 
 their favour, chose to decline accepting it, and to be passive lo kers-on. 
 My public letter will do them ample justice; and I hope the nation will 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 147 
 
 Having relieved the West Indian Islands from all fear of 
 hostile attack, Rodney in the autumn of 1780 sailed for the 
 coast of Carolina, to co-operate with the British army in its 
 
 make them an example to posterity of what those persons deserve who 
 dare to betray their country. 
 
 " As you must be anxious to hear of our further operations, and what 
 has happened since my last, when Captain Bazeleylei't me in pui suit of the 
 enemy's fleet, I have the pleasure to tell you that the French fleet, which 
 had taken a large circuit in the hopes of avoiding us, by the good look-out 
 of my frigates were discovered to windward of Martinique, endeavouring 
 to steal into that island. I immediately put to sea and got sight of them, 
 but no inducement whatever would tempt them to risk another battle; and 
 for fourteen days and nights the fleets were so near each other that neither 
 officers nor men could be said to have had sleep. Nothing but the good- 
 ness of the weather and climate could have enabled us to endure so con- 
 tinued a fatigue. Had it been in Europe half the people must have sunk 
 under it. For my part, it did me good ; and as I had given public notice 
 to all my captains, &c., that I should hoist my flag on board one of my 
 frigates, and that I expected implicit obedience to every signal made, under 
 the certain penalty of being instantly superseded, it had an admirable 
 effect, as they were all convinced, after their late gross behaviour, that they 
 had nothing to expect at my hands but instant punishment to those who 
 neglected their duty. My eye on them had more dread than the enemy's 
 fire, and they knew it would be fatal. No regard was paid to rank 
 admirals as well as captains, if out of their station, were instantly repri- 
 manded by signals or messages sent by frigates ; and, in spite of them- 
 selves, I taught them to be what they had never been before officers ; and 
 showed them that an inferior fleet, properly conducted, was more than a 
 match for one far superior; and that France, with all her boasting, must 
 give up the sovereignty of the sea to Great Britain, when, with twenty- 
 three sail of the line opposed only to nineteen, she did not dare either to 
 attack or stand a battle, but basely fled before them, and avoided by all 
 possible means any encounter ; but, notwithstanding all their endeavours to 
 the contrary, my van twice had an opportunity of attacking their rear aa 
 they passed upon different tacks. The treatment they met with made 
 them so shy, that we never could get near them again ; and their ships 
 being all clean, and mine so very foul, it was impossible to follow them 
 with the least probability of overtaking them ; and they having sailed out 
 of sight, and three of my ships being sinking, and many incapable of 
 keeping the sea longer, I was under the necessity of sending tue sinking 
 ships to St. Lucia, and with the others put into Barbadoes, to send the 
 wounded men on shore, and to refit, as well as I can, my shattered fleet, 
 not ten sail of which are really fit to go to sea." 
 
148 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 movements against the forces of the American colonists, 
 After conference with Sir Henry Clinton, the Commander-in- 
 chief, he made the necessary naval dispositions, and havmg 
 stationed a line of frigates along the whole southern coast to 
 check the American privateers, he returned to the West Indian 
 station. During his absence Barbadoes had been visited by 
 a hurricane, which had wrought the most awful devastation. 
 The most substantial public buildings and the whole of the 
 private houses, most of which were of stone, and remarkable for 
 their solidity, had been overthrown ; the forts had crumbled into 
 ruin, and many of the heavy cannons had been carried upwards 
 of a hundred feet from the ramparts. More than 6,000 persons 
 perished, and the condition of the survivors was most pitiable, 
 inasmuch as they had lost everything. The hurricane had 
 proved fatal also to eight men-of-war, and had dismasted the 
 rest of the vessels which Rodney had left there.* 
 
 The hurricane began at eight o*clock P.M. on October loth. It reached its 
 greatest height at midnight, but did not abate considerably till eight o'clock 
 next morning. "During all this time most of the inhabitants had deserted 
 their homes to avoid being buried in the ruins ; and every age, sex, and 
 condition were exposed in the fields to the impetuous wind, incessant 
 torrents of rain, and the terrors of thunder and lightning. Many were 
 overwhelmed in the ruins, either by clinging too long in the ruins for 
 shelter, in attempting to save what was valuable, or by unavoidable acci- 
 dents from the fall of walls, roofs, and furniture, the materials of which 
 were projected to great distances. Even the bodies of men and cattle 
 were lifted from off the ground and carried several yards. The cries of 
 the helpless wounded and dying could not be heard amidst the crash of 
 
 ruins and the noise of the elements All the fruits of the earth then 
 
 standing have been destroyed ; most of the trees of the island have been 
 torn up by the roots, and (what will perhaps give as strong an idea of the 
 force of the wind as anything) many of them were stripped of their bark. 
 The sea rose so high as to destroy the fort, carrying the great guns many 
 yards from the platform, and demolishing the houses near the beach. A 
 ship was driven ashore against one of the buildings of the Naval 
 Hospital, which, by this shock and by the impetuosity of the wind and 
 sea, was entirely destroyed and swept away." From a Contemporary 
 Narrative. 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 149 
 
 The year 1781 was distinguished by Rodney's capture of 
 the island of St. Eustatius, which added another valuable pos- 
 session to the rapidly increasing bounds of the British Empire. 
 The French island of St. Bartholomew was also captured, and 
 the three Dutch colonies of Bahia, Demerara, and Essequibo also 
 surrendered to British arms. Crowned with these successes, 
 Sir George returned to Europe, devolving the temporary 
 command of the West Indian fleet on Sir Samuel Hood. He 
 arrived in Cawsand Bay on the i9th of September, and landing, 
 immediately proceeded to London. A house in Albemarle Street 
 had been taken for his residence, where he arrived amidst the 
 greetings of thousands of his countrymen, the women, as he 
 descended from his carriage, strewing his path with flowers and 
 garlands. After a short residence in London for the benefit 
 of surgical advice, Rodney repaired to Bath to recruit his 
 shattered constitution, and if possible to re-establish his health. 
 But in November he was recalled to his country's service, 
 having received the King's injunctions to return to his station 
 in the West Indies with a powerful reinforcement, the prepara- 
 tions for which he was instructed to hasten with the utmost 
 diligence. The sphere of his command was now extended to 
 the whole West Indies. 
 
 With a squadron of 12 ships Rodney sailed in the middle of 
 January, 1782. A powerful French fleet was at that time 
 assembled in Fort Royal Bay, Martinique, consisting of 33 sail 
 of the line and two 50- gun ships ; and on board this fleet were 
 embarked 5,400 soldiers, with a heavy siege train, and every 
 other requisite for attempting the reduction of the island of 
 Jamaica. Its admiral's design was to proceed with all possible 
 diligence to Hispaniola, where he would be joined by the 
 forces under the Spanish commander. Combined, they would 
 have presented a superiority which not even a Rodney could 
 have hoped to contest successfully. 
 
5<> EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 The situation of Rodney was one, therefore, of difficulty and 
 danger. The security of Jamaica and of the other West Indian 
 Islands depended upon his exertions. It may even be said 
 that the defeat of the enemy was a matter of imperial interest, 
 as only by some such fortunate and daring exploit would it be 
 possible to revive the national spirit, depressed as it was by 
 the disasters in America, which had followed one another in 
 quick succession. He hastened, therefore, to intercept the 
 Comte de Grasse, before he could unite with the Spaniards, 
 The French fleet sailed from Martinique on the 8th of April, 
 whereupon the British fleet, which Rodney had got into perfect 
 order, weighed anchor, and in less than two hours was standing 
 towards the enemy under a cloud of canvas. De Grasse, whose 
 great object was to effect a junction with the Spanish fleet, en- 
 deavoured to evade his pursuers, and declined the challenge to 
 a general engagement. The British, however, gained so much 
 upon him, that next morning the van and centre of the fleet, 
 including Rodney's flag-ship, had got within cannon-shot of the 
 French rear, and a sharp artillery duel ensued, which, it 
 must be added, was without decisive result, a great part of our 
 fleet lying becalmed under the high hills of Dominique. During 
 the 9th and loth the Comte de Grasse, by great exertions, suc- 
 ceeded in stretching so far to windward that he would probably 
 have escaped, had he not on the nth been brought down to 
 save one of his vessels, the Gelee, which had fallen to leeward, 
 owing to the damage it had sustained in a nocturnal collision 
 with the French flag-ship, the Ville de Paris. Hence, at day- 
 break on the 1 2th, Rodney discovered that he was in a position 
 to weather a large portion of the hostile armada. 
 
 The line of battle was formed with wonderful rapidity a 
 rapidity which testified to the success of the naval evolutions 
 in which Rodney had practised his captains during the two 
 eventful years of his command. 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 151 
 
 About half an hour before the action began the Admiral en- 
 tertained at breakfast on board his ship, the Formidable, Sir 
 Charles Douglas, his captain of the fleet; Captain Simmons, 
 commander of the ship ; Lord Cranstoun (a post-captain), his 
 secretary, and Dr. (afterwards Sir Gilbert) Blane, his physician. 
 The conversation naturally turned upon the forthcoming 
 victory, for that such would be the result no Englishman could 
 doubt; and Sir Charles Douglas remarked that if the British 
 fleet maintained its then relative position, steering the same 
 course close-hauled on the opposite tack to the enemy, it would 
 necessarily pass through their line in running along, and closing 
 with it in action. It is said that the Admiral was visibly struck 
 by the idea, and no doubt decided in his own mind at that 
 moment to attempt a manreuvre never before practised in naval 
 tactics. Or it may have been that he had already resolved 
 upon the innovation, and simply caught at a suggestion which 
 showed him that the opportunity for it had arrived. 
 
 Here we must put before the reader a list of the ships, 
 English and French, which took part in the great battle of the 
 1 2th of April: 
 
 ENGLISH LINE OF BATTLE. 
 STARBOARD. Loss in Action. 
 
 Commanders. Guns. Men. Killed. Wounded, 
 
 Royal Oak . Capt. Burnet . 
 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 8 
 
 30 
 
 Alfred . . , ,,* Bayne . . 
 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 10 
 
 42 
 
 Montague . . ,, Bo wen 
 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 12 
 
 31 
 
 Yarmouth . . ,, Parry . . , 
 
 
 64 
 
 500 
 
 14 
 
 33 
 
 Valiant . ,, Goodall . . 
 
 
 74 
 
 650 
 
 10 
 
 28 
 
 Barfleur , . { ^ | ; 
 
 
 } 9 o 
 
 765 
 
 IO 
 
 27 
 
 Monarch . . Reynolds 
 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 16 
 
 33 
 
 Warrior . . Sir J. Wallace 
 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 5 
 
 21 
 
 Belligerent . . Sutherland . 
 
 
 64 
 
 500 
 
 4 
 
 10 
 
 Centaur ... Inglefield . 
 
 
 74 
 
 650 
 
 
 
 
 
 Magnificent . ,, Lingue . . 
 
 
 74 
 
 650 
 
 6 
 
 II 
 
 Prince William Wilkinson . 
 
 
 64 
 
 f|OO 
 
 
 
 
 
 D j f , ( Commodore Affleck 
 Bedford. . { Capt . GraV e S . . 
 
 
 }H 
 
 6I 7 
 
 o 
 
 17 
 
'5* 
 
 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Loss in Artiott . 
 
 Commanders. Guns. 
 
 Men. 
 
 Killed. .Voundcd, 
 
 A fax . . 
 
 Capt. Charrington . . 
 
 74 
 
 550 
 
 9 10 
 
 Repulse . . 
 
 Dumarez ^-- 
 
 64 
 
 5OO 
 
 4 ii 
 
 Canada . . 
 
 Hon.W.Cornwallis 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 2 2 3 
 
 St. Allan's . 
 
 Inglis .... 
 
 64 
 
 500 
 
 6 
 
 Namur . 
 
 w Fanshawe ... 
 
 90 
 
 750 
 
 6 23 
 
 LARBOARD. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 { Admiral Sir G. Rodney 
 
 y J 
 
 
 
 Formidable 
 
 . j Sir C. Douglas 
 ( Capt. Simmons . . . 
 
 r 
 
 750 
 
 IS 39 
 
 Duke . . . 
 
 . Gardner .... 
 
 90 
 
 750 
 
 13 61 
 
 Agamemnon 
 
 Caldwell . . . 
 
 6 4 
 
 500 
 
 IS 22 
 
 Resolution . 
 
 Lord R. Manners . 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 5 34 
 
 Prothte . -. 
 
 . Buchan .... 
 
 64 
 
 500 
 
 5 25 
 
 Hercules . 
 
 . Savage .... 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 7 19 
 
 America . . 
 
 . J. Thompson . . 
 
 64 
 
 500 
 
 i i 
 
 Russell . . 
 
 ,, Saumarez ... 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 10 29 
 
 Prudent . . 
 
 , Not in the action. 
 
 
 
 
 Fame . . . 
 
 Barber .... 
 
 74 
 
 550 
 
 3 12 
 
 Anson . 
 
 . Blair .... 
 
 64 
 
 
 31 1 
 
 Torbay . . 
 
 
 v T- 
 
 600 
 
 1 J 
 10 25 
 
 Prince George 
 
 Williams . . 
 
 90 
 
 750 
 
 9 24 
 
 Princessa . 
 
 * { Knatchbull . . 
 
 > 
 
 Coo 
 
 3 22 
 
 Conqueror . 
 
 . Bui four . . . 
 
 74 
 
 577 
 
 7 23 
 
 Nonsuch . 
 
 ,, Truscott . . . 
 
 64 
 
 500 
 
 3 3 
 
 Celinde . . 
 
 . ), C. Thompson . . 
 
 74 
 
 coo 
 
 Not stated. 
 
 Arrogant . 
 
 Cornish .... 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 
 
 Marlborough 
 
 Penny .... 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 3 16 
 
 Total : 36 sail of the line (10 frigates not included). 
 
 230 killed. 
 759 wounded. 
 
 FRENCH LINE OF BATTLE, 
 
 White and Blue Squadron. 
 \me Division. 
 
 Le Souverain, 74; Le Hercule, 74 ; ISAuguste, 80; Le Northumberland, 
 74. With four frigaies. 
 
 2me Division. 
 
 Le Zele, 74 ; Le Conqutrant, 74 ; Le Due df Bourgogne, 80 ; Le Mar- 
 seillais, 74. With two frigates. 
 
 3/<? Division. 
 
 Le Hector ; 74; Magnanime, 80 ; Le Char, 74; Le Diademe^ 74. With 
 one frigate. 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 153 
 
 White Squadron. 
 %me Division. 
 Le Glorieux, 74 ; Le Sceptre, 74 ; LEveiler, 64. With one frigate. 
 
 me Division, 
 
 Le Languedoc, 84 ; La Ville de Paris, 106 ; La Couronne, 84. With 
 three frigates. ' 
 
 6me Division. 
 
 Le Reflechir, 74 ; Lt Scipion, 64 ; Le St. Esprit, 84 ; Le Palmier, 74. 
 With one frigate. 
 
 Blue Squadron, 
 "jme Division, 
 
 Le Jason, 64 ; Le Citoyen, 74 ; Le Destin, 74 ; Le Dauphin Royal, 74. 
 With one frigate. 
 
 8;#<? Division. 
 
 V Ardent, 64; Le Neptune, 84; Le Triomphant, 84 ; Le Magnifique, 74. 
 With two frigates. 
 
 9#z<? Division. 
 
 Le Caton, 64 ; La Bourgogne, 64 ; Le Brave, 74 ; Le Pluton, 74. With 
 one frigate. 
 
 In all 34 sail of the line (with 1 6 frigates). 
 
 The action began about seven in the morning, the British 
 fleet advancing in a diagonal line against the enemy, the 
 Formidable leading, followed by the Namur, the Duke, and the 
 Canada. Immediately after, breaking through the hostile 
 array, Rodney signalled for the van to tack and gain the wind 
 of the enemy, after which each ship lay-to alongside of its 
 nearest adversary. The Formidable in her advance took and 
 returned the fire of one-half of the French force, and " under 
 one general blaze and peal of thunder along both lines," 
 dashed through that of the French, about three ships from 
 the centre, where De Grasse commanded in the Ville de Paris. 
 In the act of doing so she swept within pistol-shot of the 
 Glorieitx (74 guns), and overwhelmed her with such a tornado of 
 shot that all her masts were carried by the board. Dismasted, 
 shattered, and shot-torn, but with the white flag of the Bourbons 
 nailed to a stump, she lay on the placid waters a motionless 
 
154 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 hulk, presenting a spectacle which, it is said, reminded Rodney 
 of a well-known passage in Homer. " Now," he exclaimed, 
 " will take place the contest for the dead body of Patroclus." 
 But the contest was already at an end ; for the French fleet, 
 being cut in two sections, fell into confusion, and thought of 
 escape rather than of fighting. During the rest of the day a 
 partial and desultory action was continued, but the French 
 were never able to form, and made no attempt to close with 
 their exultant antagonists. 
 
 An eye-witness of the battle writes : " When the signal for 
 the line was hauled down, every ship annoyed the enemy as 
 their respective commanders thought best, and the French 
 struck their colours in succession to the number of six sail of 
 the line and two frigates. The victory was decided at the 
 moment the Formidable broke the French line, but the effect 
 on the spirits of the fleet was not complete until the French 
 flag-ship, the great Ville de Paris, surrendered. The thrill of 
 victory that then penetrated every British bosom cannot be 
 described." 
 
 The loss of the British was 261 killed and 837 wounded. 
 One of the great advantages of the day was that all the British 
 ships were pretty equally engaged, so that the enemy suffered 
 more or less from each ship. On the other hand, none of the 
 British were wholly disabled, the whole being so disposed that 
 each was ready to support and take off the fire from the other. 
 
 The carnage on board the prizes was dreadful ; the Ville de 
 Paris alone had nearly 300 killed and wounded. Her sides 
 were riddled with shot, and her rigging was so torn that she 
 had neither a sail left nor mast fit to carry a sail. The Glorieux 
 presented a scene of absolute horror; she was a complete floating 
 slaughter-house. So great were the numbers killed, that the 
 survivors, either from want of leisure or through dismay, had 
 not thrown the bodies of the killed overboard; hence her 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 155 
 
 decks were strewn with the blood and mangled jmbs of the 
 dead, as well as with the wounded and the dying, who lay 
 forlorn and helpless in their great pain. 
 
 At the first glance, .this victory would seem to be partly 
 attributable to an inferiority of force on the part of the French, 
 who had 34 ships to our 36 ; but this numerical superiority 
 was more than counterbalanced by the heavier guns of the 
 French, whose broadside exceeded in weight that of the British 
 fleet by 4,396 Ibs. The difference in the number of men 
 was still more considerable ; for not only were the French 
 crews more numerous in proportion to their tonnage, but they 
 had the assistance of a large body of land forces. 
 
 It is assumed, therefore, that the only cause for British 
 success in this and many other great sea-fights can be no 
 other than " the closeness of the action an advantage, how- 
 ever, which, being mutual and equal, can be available only. to 
 that party which possesses the moral pre-eminence of un- 
 daunted courage, and the consequent physical superiority of a 
 better sustained fire ; and this was never more fully exemplified 
 and proved" until Jervis and Nelson introduced a new era 
 than in the engagement with the French fleet under the Comte 
 de Grasse. 
 
 The night after the battle was moonless and cloudy, so that 
 if the pursuit had been continued our ships, in the darkness 
 and confusion, would have been in danger of firing into each 
 other. Owing to this reason, as well as to the necessity of 
 repairing and refitting, to the encumbrance of prizes, and the 
 calm which prevailed for several days, Rodney remained near 
 the scene of action till the lyth, when Sir Samuel Hood was 
 sent ahead with- his division. The fleet afterwards made for 
 Porto Rico, where it was joined by Sir Samuel, with two French 
 64-gun ships, a frigate, and a sloop-of-war, which he had 
 tured. Then it sailed for Jamaica. 
 
156 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 After the surrender of the Ville de Paris, the Admiral sent 
 Lord Cranstoun, one of his captains, on board the prize, to 
 beg the Comte de Grasse to remain there at his ease if he 
 chose. Next morning the French Admiral voluntarily went 
 on board the Formidable, where he spent a couple of days, 
 " during which time," says Dr. Blane, " I had a great deal of 
 conversation with him and his officers. Sir Charles Douglas 
 did me the honour to introduce me to him, thus : ' C'est le 
 medecin de nos armies navales, qui est presque assez habile 
 pour faire revivre les morts ' [This is the physician of our 
 fleet, who is almost skilful enough to resuscitate the dead] ; to 
 which the Comte, humouring the badinage, replied, * Et peut- 
 etre pour faire mourir les vivants' [And perhaps to put to 
 death the living]." 
 
 The fate of the Cesar (74 guns), one of the prizes, was 
 truly pitiable. On the night of the action, soon after dusk, she 
 caught fire, through the carelessness of an English marine who 
 was carrying a candle below in search of liquor. The flames 
 spread with a destructive rapidity which defied every effort to 
 extinguish them. After she had been burning for some time 
 the conflagration spread to the powder magazine, and the ship 
 blew up. Her captain, who had been severely wounded, the 
 English officer who boarded her, and the greater part of the men 
 on board, both British and French, perished. Some few escaped 
 before the explosion /others who survived it and clung to parts of 
 the wreck were most of them either overwhelmed in the waves 
 or miserably scorched by the flames ; and those who attempted 
 their rescue have left on record that they saw a spectacle 
 beyond all measure horrible that of the poor wretches who 
 clung despairingly to the wreck being torn off by the voracious 
 sharks which swarm in the West Indian seas, and proved to be 
 not yet glutted with the carnage of the preceding day.* 
 
 * We append Rodney's own account of this memorable engagement, in 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. 1 57 
 
 Among the incidents related of this engagement we may cite 
 the following. When the news of Rodney's victory arrived at 
 Plymouth, some of the French officers detained there as 
 prisoners of war exclaimed, " Impossible ! not the whole 
 British fleet could take the Ville de Paris ! " The Ville dt 
 Paris, we may add, as well as the Glorieux was lost in a gale 
 off the Newfoundland coast in the following September. 
 
 The bold manoeuvre of " breaking the line," to which 
 Rodney's decisive success is attributable a manoeuvre after- 
 wards developed by Admiral Duncan at Camperdovvn, Lord 
 Howe on the ist of June, and by Nelson at Trafalgar will 
 always render memorable the action of the i2th of April. 
 Its authorship has been the subject of a prolonged controversy. 
 About the time that Rodney left London to assume the com- 
 mand on the West Indian station was published an " Essay on 
 Naval Tactics," by John Clark, of Eldin, containing a clear 
 and able exposition of the different systems of naval warfare 
 pursued by the French and English ; the one preparing to attack 
 from windward, the other making a leeward position ; which 
 difference, according to the author, had produced many of our 
 failures in general actions, neutralising the bravery of our officers 
 
 which it is computed that the French lost 10,000 to 12,000 men (one autho- 
 rity says 16,000) : "The battle began at seven in the morning, and con- 
 tinued till sunset, nearly eleven hours ; and by persons appointed to observe, 
 there never was seven minutes' respite during the engagement, which I 
 believe was the severest that ever was fought at sea, and the most glorious 
 for England. We have taken five, and sunk another. Among the prizes 
 the Villt de Paris, and the French Admiral, grace our victory. 
 
 "Comte de Grasse, who is at this moment sitting in my stern gallery, 
 tells me that he thought his fleet superior to mine, and does so still, though 
 I had two more in number ; and I am of his opinion, as his was composed 
 all of large ships, and ten of mine only sixty-fours. 
 
 " I am of opinion that the French will not face us again this war, for the 
 ships which have escaped are so shattered, and their loss of men so great, 
 that I am sure they will not be able to repair or replace either in the West 
 Indies. Had it not been for this fortunate event Jamaica had been gone." 
 
158 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 and seamen. He compared the meeting of the fleets on 
 contrary tacks to an encounter of horsemen, in which the parties 
 pushed their horses at full speed in opposite directions, ex- 
 changing only a few pistol-shots as they passed, and thus two 
 great armaments had frequently engaged and separated without 
 any serious damage or loss on either side. He added that if 
 an enemy's line were cut in twain, the portion separated from 
 the rest could more readily be destroyed. In a later edition of 
 his book he declared that before its publication he had made 
 known his views to Mr. Atkinson, a friend of Rodney ; and 
 that the Admiral himself, prior to his departure from London, 
 said he would bear them in mind in engaging an enemy. On 
 the other hand, Sir Howard Douglas maintains, by a comparison 
 of dates, that Rodney could not have acquired this information 
 before he left to take his command in the beginning of 1782, 
 and that his father, the captain of the Formidable, made the 
 suggestion to the Admiral in the heat of the engagement (see 
 p. 151), when he saw a favourable opportunity of breaking 
 the line. 
 
 Rodney himself, in 1789, wrote some marginal notes in a 
 copy of Clark's book, with which he seems then to have first 
 become acquainted, to the effect that it was an admiral's duty 
 " to bring, if possible, the whole fleet under his command to 
 attack half or part of that of his enemy." And he says that, 
 in his action with De Grasse, his own ship began a very close fight 
 within half musket-shot, and continued it close along the enemy's 
 lines under an easy sail, till an opening appeared at the third 
 ship astern of the enemy's admiral, which gave an opportunity 
 of breaking their line, and throwing their rear into the utmost 
 confusion. 
 
 On the general subject the remark seems just, that in their 
 rival claims to what is in some degree the character of an 
 invention, most persons will be inclined to consider that the 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY, 159 
 
 merit really rests with the man who first gives a practical value 
 to a theory, and that this is specially the case with a naval or 
 military commander, who in the fever and tumult of the strife 
 seizes the right moment for carrying a principle into operation. 
 And it may be added that, as a matter of fact, Rodney had 
 already accomplished the manosuvre on a partial scale in his 
 action with the Comte deGuichen on the 1 7th of April, 1780.* 
 
 * The following extract from Richard Cumberland's " Memoirs" may 
 be regarded as conclusive testimony, unless we are to suppose that it is as 
 purely inventive as one of the writer's own dramas a supposition for 
 which there seems no foundation : 
 
 "It happened to me to be present and sitting next to Admiral Rodney 
 at table, when the thought seemed first to occur to him of breaking the 
 French line by passing through it in the heat of action. It was at Lord 
 George Germaine's house at Stoneleve, after dinner, when, having asked a 
 number of questions about manoeuvring of columns and the effect of 
 charging with them in a line of infantry, he proceeded to arrange a parcel 
 of cherry-stones, which he had collected from the table, and forming them 
 as two fleets, drawn up and opposed to each other, he at once arrested our 
 attention, which had not been very generally engaged by his preparatory 
 inquiries, by declaring he was detei mined so to pierce the enemy's line of 
 battle (arranging his manoeuvre at the same time on the table), if ever it 
 was his fortune to bring them into action. 
 
 " I dare say this passed with some as mere rhapsody, and all seemed to 
 regard it as a very perilous and doubtful experiment ; but landsmen's doubts 
 and difficulties made no impression on the Admiral, who having seized the 
 idea held it fast, and in his eager, animated way, went on manoeuvring his 
 cherry-stones, and throwing the enemy's representatives into such confu- 
 sion, that, already in possession of that victory in imagination which in 
 reality he lived to gain, he concluded his process by swearing he would lay 
 the French Admiral's flag at his sovereign's feet a promise which he 
 actually pledged to his Majesty in his closet, and faithfully and gloriously 
 pei formed. 
 
 " That he carried this projected manoeuvre into operation, and that the 
 effect of it was successfully decisive, all the world knows. My friend, Sh 
 Charles Douglas, captain of the fleet, confessed to me that he himself had 
 been adverse to the experiment, and, in discussing it with the Admiral, 
 had stated his objections ; to these he got no other answer but that ' his 
 counsel was not called for ; he required obedience only he did not want 
 advice.' Sir Charles also told me that whilst this project was in operation 
 (the battle then raging), his own attention being occupied by the gallant 
 defence roa4 by the GtQfifWf against tfce ships that were pouring their 
 
l6o EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 The news of Rodney's victory was received in England with 
 " a tumult of acclaim." All London, we are told, was in an 
 uproar; the whole town was illuminated, bonfires blazed, 
 and when his wife and daughters went to the theatre, pit, 
 gallery, and boxes burst into loud and long-continued huzzas. 
 The Government were not so lavish in their rewards. Sir 
 George received only a barony, with a pension of ^2,000 a 
 year to himself and his heirs. Soon afterwards, a change of 
 administration taking place, he was recalled with very little 
 courtesy, and with none of the respect due to his active and 
 valuable services. Sailing from Port Royal Bay on the 22nd 
 of July, he landed at Bristol on the i3th of September, and 
 was welcomed with an enthusiasm which showed that on this 
 point the people were not in accord with their Government. 
 
 Thenceforward Lord Rodney lived principally in retirement 
 with his family in the country. He suffered much from attacks 
 
 fire into her, upon his crying out, ' Behold, Sir George, the Greeks and 
 Tiojans contending for the body of Patroclus ! >l the Admiral, now pacing 
 the deck in great agitation, pending the experiment of the manoeuvre, 
 which, in the instance of one ship, had unavoidably miscarried, peevishly 
 exclaimed, *D n the Greeks, and d n the Trojans ! I have other things 
 to think of.' When, in a few minutes after, the supporting ships having 
 led through the French line in a gallant style, turning with a smile of joy 
 to Sir Charles Douglas, he cried out, ' Now, my dear friend, I am at the 
 service of your Gieeks and Trojans, and the whole of Homei's Iliad, or 
 as much of it as you please ; for the enemy is in confusion, and our victory 
 is secure.' 
 
 < This anecdote, exactly as I relate it, I had from the gallant officer, 
 Sir Charles Douglas, untimely lost to his country, whose candour scorned to 
 rob his Admiral of one leaf of his laurels ; and who, disclaiming all share 
 in this manoeuvre, nay, confessing he had objected to it, did, in the most 
 pointed and decided terms, aj> ain and again repeat his honourcible attesta- 
 tions of the courage and conduct of his commanding officer on that 
 memorable day." 
 
 1 According to Sir Gilbert Blane (seep. 154, ante), this speech was 
 I?aade by Rodney himself, 
 
ADMIRAL LORD RODNEY. l6l 
 
 of gout, which as he advanced in years increased in frequency 
 and severity. Early in 1792, while on a visit to his son, 
 Colonel Rodney, in London, he was assailed with repeated 
 paroxysms, and on the night of the 23rd of May the disease 
 flew to his stomach with fatal violence. Before morning he 
 expired, without a sigh or a struggle, in the seventy-fourth year 
 of his age, having been in the navy sixty-two years, and up- 
 wards of fifty years in commission a period of service not often 
 equalled, and we should think hardly ever surpassed. 
 
 Lord Rodney was of a handsome person, rather tall, with 
 comely and expressive features, and a well-formed figure. In 
 private life he was emphatically the well-bred gentleman, with 
 prepossessing manners, and a polite, dignified, and courteous 
 bearing. His nature was warm, frank, and generous ; a kind 
 and affectionate husband, he was also a tender and indulgent 
 parent and a faithful friend. As a commander, he was prompt 
 to reprove, when reproof was called for ; but if he held the 
 reins of discipline firmly, he was always considerate and just. 
 His skill as an officer and his bravery as a seaman have been 
 abundantly illustrated in the foregoing pages ; and in naval 
 history he will always be remembered as practically the inventor 
 of the celebrated manoeuvre of " breaking the line." 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE 
 
 A.D. I725I799- 
 I. 
 
 RICHARD HOWE, second son of Viscount Howe of Langar, 
 was born in 1725. He appears to have been educated at 
 Eton; but his education must have been of the slightest 
 kind, as he left Eton at the age of fourteen, and was entered 
 as midshipman on board the 5o-gun ship Severn. This vessel 
 was attached to Commodore Anson's famous South Sea expedi- 
 tion, but in rounding Cape Horn was so disabled in a violent 
 gale as to be compelled to bear up for Rio de Janeiro, whence, 
 after having refitted, she returned to England. The rough 
 experiences which the young midshipman underwent in his 
 first voyage gave him no distaste for the sea. We find him 
 next on board the Bedford, which, with a squadron under 
 Sir Charles Knowles, attacked La Guayra, on the Caraccas 
 coast, suffering severely from the heavy fire of its batteries. 
 Thus was he initiated into the dangers of tempest and battle, 
 bearing himself in both so gallantly, that in 1744, at the age of 
 nineteen, he was promoted to the rank of a lieutenant. 
 
 In the year of the Rebellion, 1745, Howe, in command of 
 the ship Baltimore, served on the Scottish coast ; and in a 
 skirmish with a couple of French ships, on the ist of May, was 
 severely wounded in the head. Soon afterwards he was raised 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 163 
 
 to the rank of captain, a rapid promotion which he probably 
 owed to the influence of his family. We have little to record 
 until the beginning of the Seven Years' War, when, on board 
 the 6o-gun ship Dunkirk, he joined Admiral B osca wen's fleet 
 ordered to North America for the protection of our settlements 
 against French attack. In a dense fog off the coast of New- 
 foundland, the Dunkirk and the Dtfiance, another 6o-gun ship, 
 separated from the fleet and fell in with two French men-of- 
 war, the Alcade and the Lys, the former of 64 guns and 480 
 men, and the latter, pierced for the same number, but, being 
 armed en fltite, mounting only 22; this ship had on board 
 eight companies of soldiers. A smart action followed, in 
 which the Dunkirk lost 7 men killed and 25 wounded : both 
 the Frenchmen struck their colours. 
 
 In the spring of 1756 we find Captain Howe employed in 
 the Channel service, and displaying an activity and a skill 
 which recommended him to the command of a squadron of 
 ships-of-war, assembled to protect the Channel Islands, and 
 harass and destroy the French coasting trade. Later in the 
 year he was attached to the fleet, under Sir Edward Hawke, 
 destined for an attack upon Rochefort. The characteristics of 
 the naval commanders of this expedition from which so much 
 was expected, and by which so little was accomplished have 
 been incisively sketched by Horace Walpole. " Sir Edward 
 Hawke, who commanded the fleet, was a man of steady 
 courage, of fair appearance, and who even did not want a 
 plausible kind of sense; but he was really weak, and childishly 
 abandoned to the guidance of a Scotch secretary. The next 
 was Knowles, a vain man, of more oarade than real bravery. 
 Howe, brother of the lord of that name, was the third on the 
 naval list. He was undaunted as a rock, and as silent. He 
 and Wolfe soon contracted a friendship, like the union of 
 cannon and gunpowder." 
 
1 64 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 After capturing the island of Aix, a service in which Howe 
 greatly distinguished himself, the fleet proceeded to the 
 Channel, and made ready to disembark the troops which it had 
 on board. But the military commanders showed a singular 
 unwillingness to undertake any responsible movement; they 
 held a council of war, which decided, as most councils of war 
 do decide, on doing nothing; and, after a great parade of 
 force, the fleet went " back again "to the amusement of the 
 enemy, and the angry contempt of all England. 
 
 Howe acted as Commodore in the great expedition under 
 Lord Anson which sailed from Spithead on the ist of June, 
 1758, to blockade Brest, where the French were understood to 
 have collected a strong fleet. Anson detached Howe, in the 
 Essex, with a powerful squadron, to cover the landing in 
 Cancale Bay of an army of 13,000 men under the Duke of 
 Marlborough. The disembarkation was safely effected on the 
 6th, and next morning the army advanced against St. Maloes, 
 where, however, it accomplished no greater achievement than 
 to burn two or three men-of-war, and some seventy or eighty 
 merchant ships, after which it returned to Cancale Bay, re- 
 embarked, made an equally futile demonstration off Cherbourg, 
 and then sailed for England ; having taught the French, as 
 Walpole says, " that they were not to be conquered by every 
 Duke of Marlborough." Comparing the small result of the 
 expedition with its tremendous cost, Henry Fox said that it 
 was " breaking windows with guineas." 
 
 Another expedition against the French coast took place in 
 the late summer of the year. This time Howe had the com- 
 mand-in-chief of the naval force ; and as Howe, though he 
 spoke little, did much, Cherbourg was captured on xhe 8th of 
 August, its pier and basins were destroyed, with a hundred 
 and seventy heavy guns. The brass guns were brought to the 
 Tower of London, with their brass mortars, and about one 
 
'Standing upright in the boat, he wived the seamen to follow him." fage 165 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 165 
 
 hundred pieces of cannon. An attempt was also made upon 
 Si. Maloes, but it was found too strong to be taken by 
 assault, and a large French force appearing in the neighbour- 
 hood, the English army re-embarked, though not without a 
 considerable loss (September ^th). 
 
 " On this trying occasion," says his biographer, " the conduct 
 of Howe was eminently conspicuous. The grenadiers had 
 nothing left for it but to escape with all speed to the boats, 
 or remain to be killed ; they were ordered, therefore, to make 
 to the shore as quickly as possible." A battery thrown up on 
 the hill shattered several of the boats to pieces. As some of 
 these approached the shore, many of the seamen were killed or 
 wounded, which so intimidated the rowers that they hesitated 
 to proceed, and lay upon their oars. Howe, observing this 
 backwardness, and suspecting its cause, sprang into his 
 barge, rowed into the midst of the fire of shot and shelis, 
 and, standing upright in the boat, waved the seamen to follow 
 him. His example animated their depressed spirits ; no one 
 now thought of shrinking, but all strove eagerly who could 
 pick up the greatest number of poor fellows, some swimming, 
 others wading into the sea. One of the historians of the war, 
 the Reverend John P^ntick, compares the gallant behaviour 
 of Howe, appropriately enough, to Achilles staying the flying 
 Greeks. 
 
 " So when the Grecians to their navy fled, 
 High o'er the brunt Achilles rear'd his head. 
 Greece, for one glance of that tremendous eye, 
 Straight took new courage, and disdain'd to fly ; 
 They saw aghast the living lightning's play, 
 And turn'd their eyeballs from the flashing ray."* 
 
 In the following year (1758) Commodore Howe, who had at- 
 tained the age of thirty three, was married to Mary Hartop, oi 
 
 * SIR J. BA^K-OW, Lift of arl ttow*, p. $a, 
 
1 66 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Welby, in Leicestershire. Two or three months later, by the 
 death of his elder brother, he succeeded to the title and estate of 
 the family as Viscount Howe of Langar. In June Lord Howe 
 hoisted his flag on board his favourite ship, the Magnanime, and 
 joined the fleet under Sir Edward Hawke, then employed off 
 Brest. Thus he came to be engaged in the action of the 20th of 
 November, in which the French, under M. de Conflans, were 
 worsted. His share in the fight was considerable. According 
 to Walpole, " Lord Howe, who attacked the Formidable, bore 
 down on her with such violence that her prow forced in his 
 lower tier of guns." He had 13 killed and 66 wounded, out of 
 a total of 39 killed and 202 wounded. His reputation was now 
 firmly established; and the nation had learned to recognise 
 in him an able and energetic officer, who might always be 
 trusted to maintain the honour of the flag ; not a man of genius, 
 but a man of character and capacity, of clear judgment and 
 firm resolution. Though a strict disciplinarian, he was a great 
 favourite with the seamen, who knew that he fully sympathized 
 with them, understood their wants and wishes, and at proper 
 times was disposed to concede any reasonable indulgence. 
 After an action he would go below, converse with every 
 wounded man, and sit by the side of their "cradles;" he con- 
 stantly ordered his live-stock and wines to be applied to their 
 use, at the surgeon's discretion, and always for the sick on 
 board. 
 
 The Duke of York, when raised to the rank of Rear-Admiral 
 of the Blue, was appointed to the command of the Princess 
 Amelia, an 8o-gun ship. He immediately requested that Lord 
 Howe might become his flag-captain, and accordingly Lord 
 Howe removed from the Magnanime. While on board the 
 Princess Amelia, an incident occurred which brought out 
 Strongly his composure in circumstances of danger. He was 
 asleep in his ca.bin ? wh^ii \\& lieutenant pf Uie wa.tgh sud- 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. l6/ 
 
 denly appeared at his bedside in a state of great agitation, 
 exclaiming 
 
 " My lord, the ship is on fire close to the magazine ; but 
 don't be frightened, my lord, it will soon be got under." 
 
 " Frightened, sir ! what do you mean by that ? I never was 
 frightened in my life." And looking his lieutenant full in the 
 face, he said to him coolly 
 
 " Pray, sir, how does a man feel when he is frightened ? I 
 need not ask how he looks. I will be with you immediately ; 
 but take care that his Royal Highness is not disturbed."* 
 
 In 1763 Howe accepted a seat at the Admiralty, and con- 
 tinued to occupy it until 1765, when he was removed to the 
 important and lucrative office of Treasurer of the Navy. In 
 1770 he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, and in 
 1775 to that of Vice-Admiral of the Blue. The following year 
 witnessed his appointment as commander-in-chief on the North 
 American station ; and he received a joint commission with 
 his brother, General Sir William Howe, to treat with the 
 American colonists, then engaged in their War of Independence, 
 and to take measures for the restoration of peace. He soon 
 discovered, on arriving at the scene of action, that the Ame- 
 ricans were in no mood to listen to pacific overtures, Congress 
 having already issued their famous declaration, " that the 
 United Colonies of America are, and of right ought to be, Free 
 and Independent States, and that they are absolved from all 
 
 * His biographer records another illustration of his presence of mind. 
 When captain of the Magnanime, and serving off the coast of France, a 
 gale of wind on a lee shore induced him to cast anchor. In the course of 
 the night the wind raged violently, but Howe, having made all snug 
 with two anchors ahead, went off deck to his cabin, where he took up a 
 book. Presently, however, the lieutenant of the watch rushed down to 
 him, and with woeful face said, " I am sorry to inform you, my lord, that 
 the anchors are coming home." " They are much in the right," was 
 the curt leplyj " | don't know who W9iild stay abioa4 such. a. 
 
1 68 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 allegiance to the British Crown." His first measures, however, 
 were intended to conciliate. Two days after his arrival he 
 dispatched a flag of truce to the American leader, with a letter 
 addressed to " George Washington, Esq." To the officer who 
 bore it one of Washington's colonels replied, that there was no 
 such person in the American army, and that no answer would 
 be vouchsafed until a proper direction was adopted. At the 
 same time Washington wrote to Congress, " I deemed it a duty 
 to my country and my appointment to insist upon that respect 
 which, in any other than a public view, I would willingly have 
 waived." A letter of the i6th from General Howe, with a 
 similar address, was similarly dismissed. The British ad- 
 jutant-general was sent to offer explanations, but Washington 
 persisted in refusing to receive a letter which ignored his 
 official rank. And thus terminated the unlucky attempt at 
 negotiation. 
 
 Throughout the war the part played by the British navy was 
 comparatively unimportant. The Americans had no fleet ; no 
 brilliant engagements, therefore, whetted the publicappetite ; and 
 blockading operations possess very little interest. It was not 
 until France espoused the cause of the American revolutionists 
 that the navy was called into active service. In July, 1778, a 
 French fleet, far superior in strength to the force under Lord 
 Howe, appeared off New York harbour, where Lord Howe 
 was lying, charged with the task of forwarding supplies to, and 
 keeping open the communications with, the British army then 
 occupying New York. 
 
 D'Estaing, the French Admiral, had under his command 
 twelve sail of the line (including a go-gun ship, an 8o-gun ship, 
 six of 74 guns, and four of 60 guns), with four frigates. Howe 
 had only six 64-gun ships, three of 50, and two of 40 guns, 
 with a few small frigates and sloops; about 614 guns and 
 7,000 men against 854 guns and 19, cop men. Nor do these 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 169 
 
 figures represent all the odds; for the French giins were of 
 heavier metal, and the French ships of larger size. The de- 
 ficiency in point of men was soon made up. A thousand 
 volunteers were found on board the transports, others joined 
 the fleet daily \ masters and mates of merchantmen rallied to 
 the old flag. For the security of the fleet and the trading 
 vessels in the harbour, Lord Howe made the most skilful dis- 
 positions, in case the enemy should dare to pass the bar ; but, 
 after lingering, for eleven days, D'Estaing's heart failed him, 
 and he withdrew to the harbour of Rhode Island. A rein- 
 forcement of four ships arriving, Howe speedily followed him 
 thither, and spent the iot.h and nth of August in vain attempts 
 to bring him to battle. A violent storm broke out, however, 
 on the 1 2th, which put an end to all manoeuvring, separated 
 the two fleets, and inflicted serious damage on both, though 
 the greater loss fell upon the French. 
 
 Shortly afterwards Lord Howe resigned his command. His 
 health had suffered greatly from anxiety and fatigue ; and there 
 seems good reason to believe that the service was distasteful 
 to him that he would never have entered upon it had he not 
 hoped his part would have been that of a mediator and 
 peace-maker. Moreover, he was not on good terms with the 
 Ministers then in office; and it was not until the Rockingham 
 Administration was formed, in 1784, that he was again em- 
 ployed. In that year he was raised 10 the rank of a peer of 
 Great Britain, by the title of Viscount Howe of Langar, in the 
 county of Nottingham ; raised to the rank of Admiral of the 
 Blue; and appointed to the command of a fleet then assem- 
 bling for service in the Channel. On the 2oth of April he 
 embarked at Portsmouth for the Texel, to watch the Dutch 
 fleet. Having shut up the Dutch w'thin their ports through 
 the month of May, he was ordered to cruise off Brest, for the 
 purpose of intercepting the combined fleets of France and 
 
170 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Spain, which had sailed from Cadiz on the 4th of June. He 
 was successful in the important object of preventing an attack 
 upon the West Indian convoy ; but the hostile armada con- 
 trived to avoid a general action, and on the 5th of August 
 Howe returned to Portsmouth. 
 
 He was next ordered to proceed to the siege of Gibraltar, 
 which was then beleaguered by the united forces of France and 
 Spain. Its garrison, under General Elliott, maintained a stern 
 and steadfast resistance ; and to the volleys of 170 heavy guns 
 and the menaces of floating batteries of a novel construction, 
 opposed the expedient of red-hot balls. Lord Howe sailed 
 from Spithead on the nth of September, having under his 
 orders thirty-four sail of the line, six frigates, and three fire- 
 ships, carrying two regiments for the reinforcement of the 
 Gibraltar garrison, and conveying a flotilla of store-ships for 
 their relief. At that time the Bay of Gibraltar was crowded 
 with forty-seven French and Spanish men-of-war, with ten 
 battering-ships, and innumerable small craft, while on shore 
 was stationed an army of 40,000 soldiers, to co-operate in one 
 grand attack on the well-built stronghold. There have been 
 sieges on a larger scale ; but, as Drinkwater says, " such a naval 
 and military spectacle most certainly is not to be equalled in 
 the annals of war." 
 
 On the morning of the i3th the ten floating batteries were 
 anchored within about twelve hundred yards of the batteries 
 of " the Rock." The balls were heated in the furnaces of the 
 garrison, and when the first ship dropped her anchors the 
 firing began. Before ten o'clock on that memorable morning 
 four hundred pieces of artillery were joining in the dreadful 
 mfflfa. The batteries proved not less formidable than the 
 Spanish engineers had expected. The heaviest shells re- 
 bounded from their tops ; the thirty-two-pound shot seemed 
 scarcely to dint their massive walls. Sometimes a battering- 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 1 7! 
 
 ship appeared to be on fire, but the flames were quickly 
 extinguished by mechanical contrivances.* 
 
 It was about two o'clock when the hopes of the besiegers 
 received their first check. Then the floating battery com- 
 manded by the Prince of Nassau (on board of which was also 
 the inventor of the machinery) began to smoke on the side 
 exposed to the garrison, and it was apprehended that she had 
 taken fire. The assailants continued the attack, however, until 
 seven, when their spirits sank to zero. Their floating batteries 
 ceased to fire, and threw up sockets as signals of distress. 
 For by this time the red-hot balls of the garrison " roasted 
 potatoes," as the English soldiers called them had taken such 
 good effect, that nothing was thought of but the saving of their 
 crews, and the boats of the combined fleet were immediately sent 
 on that service. A little after midnight the Prince of Nassau's 
 battery ship burst out into flames, whereupon the English 
 gunners redoubled their activity and their fire ; the light pro- 
 duced by the conflagration was as vivid as noonday, and greatly 
 exposed the boats engaged in removing the crews. During 
 the night one or other of the batteries was discovered to be 
 on fire ; they were so close to the walls that the shot pene- 
 trated to a depth of three feet, but their sides were made 
 of green timber, and the holes closed up after the shot, so that 
 for want of air they did not immediately produce an effect. 
 At five in the morning one of them blew up with a tremendous 
 explosion, and soon afterwards the whole, having been aban- 
 doned by their crews, were wreathed in flames from stem to 
 stern ; and many of their gallant crews were indebted for their 
 lives to the generous exertions of the English. 
 
 This glorious repulse of the great combined attack of the two 
 allied powers decided the issue of the siege. Thenceforward 
 the reduction of " the Rock " became simply impracticable. 
 * DRINKWATER, Siege of Gibraltar. 
 
172 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 On the nth of October " Black Dick," as, in allusion to his 
 swarthy complexion, his sailors named him, entered the mouth 
 of the Straits, with his fleet in three divisions; the third and 
 centre squadrons in line of battle ahead ; the second squadron 
 in reserve ; the Victory \ Howe's flag-ship, leading ahead of the 
 third division. Under cover of their guns, the transports 
 landed the troops, stores, provisions, and ammunition an 
 operation not completed until the iyth, but one which was 
 completed without any interruption from the allied fleet. Lord 
 Howe then made ready for his return voyage, having accom- 
 plished his object with infinite tact and discretion. A sudden 
 storm drove his fleet into the Mediterranean along with the 
 armada of France and Spain, and he at once drew up in line 
 of battle. An unsuccessful attempt was made to cut off his 
 rear ; but his invitations to a general action were all evaded, 
 and after some desultory firing on the part of individual ships, 
 Howe repassed the Straits in safety, and sailed back to Eng- 
 land, arriving at St. Helen's, oft" the Isle of Wight, on the i6th 
 of November. 
 
 The masterly manner in which the relief of Gibraltar was 
 effected, in the face of a largely superior force, added greatly 
 to Howe's reputation for skill, courage, and resolution. His 
 appointment, therefore, in January, 1780, as First Lord of the 
 Admiralty was acceptable to the service and popular with 
 the public ; and his discharge of the duties of his office was 
 marked by his customary energy and taciturnity. He continued 
 at his post during the early years of William Pitt's administra- 
 tion, and laboured with much vigour to effect a reduction of 
 expenditure without a diminution of efficiency. When he found 
 his efforts counteracted by some of the members of the Govern- 
 ment, heat once sent in his resignation. The Crown, however, 
 recognised his services by raising him to an earldom (August, 
 1788). 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 173 
 
 After a brief interval of repose and domestic tranquillity, he 
 was invested with the chief command of the Channel fleet, and 
 on the loth of July, 1793, put to sea from St. Helen's, with 23 
 sail of the line. Much buffeted about was he for some days by 
 contrary winds, so that it was mid-November before he could get 
 away to the west ward; 'and he failed to come up with the 
 French squadron. His ships having suffered severely in the 
 adverse weather, he returned to port about the i2th of De- 
 cember a proceeding which involved him in some temporary 
 unpopularity, the public being unable to understand why he 
 had seen a French fleet, and yet not fought and defeated it. 
 This hasty feeling of ingratitude found expression in the fol- 
 lowing epigram : 
 
 '* Cum Caesar Romae Gallos devicerat hostes, 
 Verba tria enarrant fortia fucta ducis ; 
 Howe sua nunc brevius verbo complcctitur uno, 
 Et ' vidi ' nobis omnia gesta refert." 
 
 Thus Englished : 
 
 " \V t- 11 Caesar bad the Roman foe subdued, 
 
 He told in three short words the deed was done; 
 Howe, with more silent modesty endued, 
 Relates concisely what he ' saw ' in one." 
 
 II. 
 
 Having been repaired and refitted, the ships composing the 
 Channel fleet reassembled at St. Helen's in the middle of April, 
 1794. On the 2nd of May it put to sea with several outward- 
 bound convoys, which it escorted as far as the Lizard; and a 
 squadron, under Rear-Admiral Montague, being detached to 
 attend them into the parallel of Cape Finisterre, the remainder 
 of the fleet proceeded for Ushant. It cruised in this vicinity 
 for several days, chiefly in fogyy and boisterous weather ; and 
 
174 
 
 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 on the morning of the 28th was bearing down Channel with a 
 fresh wind from the south-east, when it came in sight of 
 the French fleet, under M. Villaret-Joyeuse. Lord Howe imme- 
 diately signalled to one of his best sailers, the Bellerophon, to 
 stand towards the enemy and reconnoitre ; b'ut soon afterwards, 
 discovering the full force of the French, he issued orders to 
 his captains to prepare for action. 
 
 The ships under Lord Howe's command were as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 Molley 
 
 Hope ; Rear-Adm. Pasley 
 
 Lord Seymour Conway 
 
 Payne 
 
 Hon. George Berkeley 
 
 Nicholas ; Admiral Graves 
 
 Gambier 
 
 Westcot ; Rear- Ad. Caldwell 
 
 Pigot 
 
 Hon. T. Pakenham 
 
 Collingwood; Rr-Ad.Bowyer 
 
 Schomberg 
 
 Mackenzie 
 
 Sir R. Curtis; Earl Howe, 
 
 Commander-in-Chief 
 Sir A. Douglas 
 John Hervey 
 Pr ingle 
 Duckworth 
 
 Nott ; Rear-Adm. Gardner 
 Henry Hervey 
 Bagely 
 Montagu 
 
 Domett ; Adm. Sir A. Hood 
 Cotton 
 Elphinstone 
 Bertie 
 
 The French fleet consisted of the Trojan, Eolc, Amerique, 
 Tkm'eraire, Terrible, Impetueux, Murius, Tourville^ Gasparin, 
 Trcnte-un Mai, 7yrrawadt } Juste. Monta^ne^ Jacobin^ 
 
 Ccesar . . . 
 
 80 guns, 
 
 7 30 men, 
 
 Captain 
 
 Bellerophon 
 
 74 
 
 6^17 
 
 M 
 
 Leviathan . . 
 
 74 
 
 650 
 
 M 
 
 Xussel . . . 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 ft 
 
 Marlborough . 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 ft 
 
 Royal Sovereign 
 
 100 
 
 872 
 
 M 
 
 Defence . . . 
 
 74 M 
 
 600 
 
 N 
 
 Impregnable 
 
 90 
 
 767 
 
 tf 
 
 Tremendous . 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 It 
 
 Invincible . 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 tt 
 
 Barfleur . . 
 
 90 M 
 
 767 
 
 M 
 
 Culloden . . 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 > 
 
 Gibraltar . . 
 
 80 
 
 650 
 
 If 
 
 Queen Charlotte 
 
 100 
 
 900 
 
 {" 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Brunswick . . 
 
 74 M 
 
 650 
 
 t> 
 
 Valiant . . . 
 
 74 
 
 650 ,, 
 
 M 
 
 Orion . . 
 
 74 
 
 6 5 
 
 
 
 Queen ... 
 
 90 
 
 767 M 
 
 tt 
 
 Ramilliez . . 
 
 74 M 
 
 600 
 
 tt 
 
 Alfred . . . 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 tt 
 
 Montagu . . 
 
 74 .- 
 
 600 
 
 tt 
 
 Royal George . 
 
 100 , 
 
 872 
 
 tt 
 
 Majestu , , 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 tt 
 
 670;^ . , . 
 
 70 
 
 75 
 
 tt 
 
 Thunderer . . 
 
 74 
 
 600 
 
 tt 
 
RICHARD, EARL ttOWfc. 175 
 
 AcJiiUe, Vengeur, Pat note, Northumberland, Entreprenant, 
 Jemappes. Neptune, Pelletier y Republicain, Sanspareil, and 
 Scipion.. These ships, on the whole, were larger than the 
 English, while they carried more numerous crews, and dis- 
 charged much heavier broadsides. As thus : 
 
 British. French. 
 
 Number of guns . . . * 2098 2,158 
 
 Weight of metal . . . . 21,519105. 25,521 Ibi. 
 
 Number of men .... 16,647 19,828 
 
 Size in tons 45>33 8 S^S 20 
 
 "These odds," says Mr. James, our best naval historian, 
 " are on the side that an Englishman would wish them to be ; 
 they are just sufficient to shed a lustre upon the victory which 
 his countrymen gained, and gained too over an enemy who 
 fought most heroically, and who yielded at last, not to the 
 superior courage, but to the superior skill and steadiness of 
 British seamen." We must also remember that Howe's crews 
 were mostly inexperienced and unaccustomed to act together ; 
 and that many of his captains were deficient in energy, if not hi 
 courage. 
 
 With the Russel, the Marlborougk, and the Thunderer moving 
 ahead to support the Bellerophon, Lord Howe formed the 
 main body of his fleet into two columns, and advanced under 
 full sail. At ten minutes past eleven he signalled for the crews 
 to have dinner, knowing that English sailors fight none the 
 worse for "full stomachs." Meanwhile, the two fleets drew 
 nearer, and a sharp conflict seemed unavoidable ; when, about 
 one o'clock, as if to avoid a hostile collibion, the French ships 
 began to tack. Lord Howe ordered a general chase, and his 
 advanced ships quickly opened a heavy fire on the enemy's rear 
 division. Scorning to run without an exchange of shots, La 
 Revolutionnaire, a fine French ship of no guns, dropped astern 
 of the nearest two-deckers, and waited for the English to come 
 
IT 6 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 up. The Bellcrophon (of 74 guns) was the first to arrive within 
 gunshot \ and she engaged her formidable adversary for up- 
 wards of an hour and a quarter, when the crippled state of her 
 mainmast compelled her commander to take her out of fire. 
 The French three-decker had suffered even more heavily from 
 the well-directed broadsides of the British, and was wearing 
 round to join her comrades ; the Leviathan came up and 
 grappled with her, to be succeeded in turn by the Audacious 
 (74). Then came a sharp exchange of shocks. The contest 
 was very unequal, but the Revohitionnaire, having already under- 
 gone some severe pounding, was soon seen to be overpowered 
 by the close and steady cannonade of the British men-of-war. 
 Having lost 400 killed and wounded, she hauled down her 
 colours and surrendered ; but so much had the victor suffered 
 in her spars and rigging that she could not take possession, 
 and next day the French frigate Audacieux took her sister-ship 
 in tow and escaped into Rochefort. By this time it was pitch- 
 dark night, and a dense rain deepened the gloomy ocean fog. 
 The Audacious, losing sight of Lord Howe's fleet, ran for the 
 nearest Channel port, and reached Plymouth Sound in safety 
 on the 3rd of June. 
 
 Returning to the events of the 28th, we find that after this 
 smart brush with the enemy, the Bellerophon and her consorts 
 were recalled to the main body of the fleet, which, with lights 
 at every mast-head, swept on through the misty darkness of the 
 night in swift pursuit. At daybreak on the 2Qth the French 
 fleet loomed on the horizon about six miles to windward. A 
 consummate master of naval tactics, Howe manoeuvred with so 
 much skill as to secure that weather-gage which was so essen- 
 tial an advantage in the days before the introduction of steam 
 . as a motive power; and by eight o'clock he got near enough to 
 open tire. A desultory skirmish ensued, in which the French 
 continued to avoid coming to close quarters, partly through the 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 177 
 
 apathy of some of Howe's captains, who do not seem to have 
 understood or relished their commander's determined mode of 
 giving battle. 
 
 For the next two days we take Mr. James's record : 
 " May 3oth and 3ist. The weather during these two clays was 
 mostly very foggy ; the wind moderate, in the north-west quarter, 
 and the head-sea abated ; the fleet standing always on the lar- 
 board tack, and some parts of the enemy's line seen at times to 
 the north-west. Soon after noon of the 3ist, the fog clearing 
 off, the enemy (still consisting of 26 sail of the line, some 
 having separated, and others been added in the intermediate 
 time) were seen to leeward ; but having been dispersed in the 
 fog, were forming again in order of battle, as the fleet advanced 
 to get up abreast of them. But before that could be effected 
 the day was too far advanced for bringing them properly to 
 action. It was therefore judged expedient to keep the wind, 
 with frigates of observation to notify any change in the enemy's 
 motions during the ensuing night. The result of the day's 
 manoeuvres was to bring the two fleets considerably nearer to 
 each other." 
 
 On the ist of June, a day long celebrated in naval annals 
 and ballad-lore 
 
 " Howe made the Frenchmen dance a tune, 
 
 An admiral great and glorious ; 
 Witness for that the First of June, 
 Lord ! how he was victorious " 
 
 on the ist of June at daybreak, in lat. 47 30' N., and long. 
 18 30' W. the wind blowing moderately from the south-west, 
 and the sea being " tolerably smooth " the French were seen 
 about five miles to starboard, steering in line of battle, under 
 heavy canvas. His men suffering from the fatigue of the pre- 
 ceding days, Lord Howe hove-to, and gave them their break- 
 iabt, alter which, at a cuaitei-past eight, he set sail and bore 
 
 N 
 
178 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 down upon the enemy, signalling for each ship to steer for and 
 engage her opponent in the enemy's line The British fleet 
 
 was drawn up in line abreast 'ft K If If Jf in the following 
 
 order : Casar (van-ship), Betlerophon, Leviathan, Russel, Royal 
 Sovereign, Marlborough, Defence, Impregnable, Tremendous, 
 Barflcur, Invincible, Culloden, Gibraltar, Queen Charlotte 
 (Lord Howe's flag-ship), Brunswick, Valiant, Orion, Terror, 
 Ramillies, Alfred, Montagu, Royal George, Majestic, Glory, 
 and Thunderer (25 in all). The French were formed in close 
 
 head-and-stern line, W. to E., thus 
 
 Trojan, Eole, Amerique, Temeraire, Terrible, Imp'etueux, Mucius, 
 Tourville, Gasparin, Convention, Trente-un Mai, Tyrannicide, 
 Juste, Montague, Jacobin, Achille, Vengeur, Patriote, Northumber- 
 land, Entreprenant, Jemappes, Neptune, Pelletier, Republicain, 
 Sanspareil, and Scipion (26). The frigates attached to both 
 fleets were stationed as usual in the rear. 
 
 It was the intention of Lord Howe that each ship should 
 cut the French line astern of her opponent, and engage her 
 to leeward; but this intention was partially defeated through 
 the mismanagement of some of his captains. His own ship, 
 the Queen Charlotte, was the first to break through the enemy's 
 compact array; and after receiving, and, as she swept by, 
 returning, the broadsides of the Achille and the Vengeur, she 
 luffed up under the stern of the Montagne, into which she poured 
 her fire with terrible effect. Howe, eager to lay his vessel 
 
 jjgt I. Montagne j&& 
 2. Jacobin v^ 
 
 Course of the Queen Charlotte. 
 
 3. Achille 
 
 4. Vengeur 
 
 ...ig^y 
 
 alongside her formidable adversary, ordered Mr. Bowen, the 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 179 
 
 master an able, but rough and rugged seaman to starboard 
 his helm. " If I do, my lord, we shall run aboard the Jacobin" 
 which had fallen abreast of the Montague to leeward, and thus 
 taken up the very position Lord Howe had marked out for him- 
 self. "What is that to you?" said "Black Dick" quickly. 
 " Oh, just as you please," muttered Bowen sotto voce; " / don't 
 care if you don't. I'll soon lay you near enough to singe some 
 of our whiskers." Lord Howe smiled as he overheard the 
 British seaman's characteristic growl, and turning to his flag- 
 captain observed, " That's a fine fellow, Curtis." 
 
 Driving in between the two Frenchmen, the Queen Charlotte 
 fought them on each broadside with immense vigour. In less 
 than an hour the Montagne (the enemy's flag-ship) had upwards 
 of one hundred men killed and two hundred wounded; until, 
 weary of such maltreatment, her Admiral crowded on all sail, 
 and ranged ahead. Her example was quickly imitated by the 
 Jacobin. The Queen Charlotte then turned upon the Juste, and 
 delivered her fire with such effect that in a few minutes the 
 Frenchmen's three masts fell. By this time she herself was so 
 shattered about the spars, and torn in rigging, that she obeyed 
 her helm with difficulty, and was scarcely in condition to 
 seek another antagonist ; nor was it necessary, for the action, 
 which had lasted about sixty minutes, was virtually at an 
 end. 
 
 Meanwhile the French Admiral, about three miles to 
 leeward, had formed with eleven or twelve of his ships not 
 disabled by the loss of any of their masts. Two of the French 
 ships, almost totally disabled, were left to windward ; but three 
 of them with their sprit-sails, or sails raised on the stump of 
 the foremast, joined the French Admiral ; the ships of the 
 British fleet being either so much dispersed, or disabled in their 
 masts and rigging, as to be in no position to prevent the 
 escape of the French, or to assemble in force and renew the 
 
r8o EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 engagement.* When these three vessels had joined the others 
 the enemy stood away to the westward, leaving seven of their 
 dismasted ships as trophies to the victors. One, however, the 
 Vengeur, sank while the prisoners were being removed, and 
 many of the crew perished with her. 
 
 The Marlborough and the Defence were dismasted on the 
 si le of the British ; and the Brunswick, having lost her mizen 
 and drifted to leeward of the enemy's reassembled ships, bore 
 up, and arrived a few days afterwards at Spithead. 
 
 Among Howe's ships the Mar thorough, the Defence, the 
 Bellerophon, the Brunswick, the Queen Charlotte, the Royal 
 George, the Russel, and the Ramillies were splendidly handled ; 
 and had the rest of the fleet behaved as well, it is doubtful 
 whether a single Frenchman would have escaped. As it was, 
 the victory was by no means incon'siderable, for Howe had 
 captured six men-of-war and sunk one;f an d coming, as it 
 did, at the outbreak of the war, it inspired the whole service 
 with enthusiasm, and the nation with confidence in its 
 navy. 
 
 Numerous interesting anecdotes in illustration of the spirit 
 of British seamen have been recorded. A young midshipman 
 on board the Queen Charlotte was exposed to so much danger 
 that Lord Howe, out of regard for his tender years, advised 
 
 * The ships were in a better condition than their captains, who, in- 
 experienced or afraid of responsibility, displayed from first to last a curious 
 apathy and neglect. 
 
 t The ships captured were Le Juste, 80 guns; Sanspareil, 80; 
 UAmerique, 74 ; UAchille, 74 ; Le Northumberland, 74 ; and L'lmpe- 
 tueux, 74. The Vengeur t 74, sank immediately on being taken possession 
 of. The story that she went down with her colours nailed to the mast- 
 head, and her crew shouting " Vive la Republique," has been proved by 
 Carlyle to be an audacious invention. The British loss in the action was 
 279 killed and 877 wounded, or 1,156 in all; the total French loss is not 
 known, but on board the captured ships the killed were 690, arid ihe 
 wounded 580, besides 320 who perished in the fo/tgeur. There were 
 5,000 prisoners. 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. l8j 
 
 him to go below. The gallant lad, looking up into his fare 
 exclaimed, " What would my father say, my lord, were I not or. 
 deck during the action ? " 
 
 When, on the day after the fight, the full extent of the 
 victory was known, the sailors of the Queen Charlotte insisted 
 on being allowed to congratulate their Admiral. He received 
 them on the quarter-deck, and was so overcome by their 
 hearty if rough address that he could not conceal his tears as 
 he replied, " No ! no ! it is / who should thank you, my 
 brave fellows ; for it was you who won the battle." 
 
 Shortly after the return of the flag-ship to Portsmouth, Lord 
 Howe sent for his first lieutenant, Larcom, and said to him, 
 " Mr. Larcom, your conduct in the action has been such that 
 it is necessary you should leave this ship." Larcom, a good 
 officer and brave seaman, felt deeply wounded, and with tears 
 in his eyes cried out, " Good heavens, my lord ! what have I 
 done? why am I to leave the ship ? I have done my duty to 
 the utmost of my power." " Very well, sir," said Lord Howe ; 
 " but leave this ship you must, and I have great pleasure in 
 presenting you with this commission as commander for your 
 conduct on the late occasion." 
 
 The Maryborough was in the thick of the affray, and suffered 
 heavily. Having been entirely dismasted and torn about the 
 spars and rigging, with her captain and second lieutenant 
 severely wounded, some of the crew, it is said, began to talk of 
 surrender. Lieutenant Monckton overheard them, and burst 
 
 out indignantly " he would be d d if she should ever 
 
 surrender, and he would nail her colours to the stump of the 
 mast." At this announcement a cock, which the wreck had 
 set free from its broken coop, suddenly perched on the stump 
 of the mainmast, clapped his wings,' and crowed aloud. In an 
 instant the men broke into three hearty cheers, and no more 
 was heard of the hateful word " surrender." 
 
'^ EMINENT SAILORS, 
 
 The figure-head of the Brunswick was graced with an effigy 
 of the duke of that ilk, wearing a cocked hat. In the battle the 
 cocked hat was shot away, whereupon the crew sent a deputa- 
 tion to the captain, begging him to give them another " out of 
 respect to the duke." Captain Harvey, much amused, gave 
 them one of his own, which the carpenter immediately nailed 
 to the despoiled figure-head, and there it remained throughout 
 the fray. 
 
 In the course of the action, the Marlborough dealt severely 
 with her antagonist, the Imp'etneux. One of her seamen grew so 
 excited that he boldly leaped on the French vessel's deck, to 
 " pay the Moosoos a visit ; " and when advised to take a cutlass 
 to defend himself, replied, " I'll find one where I arn going." 
 And he did, returning in safety with a couple of French 
 swords in his hand. 
 
 The Defence behaved with great gallantry, and was totally 
 dismasted and rent and torn with shot ; she was one of the few 
 ships which broke through the French line, and got into the 
 midst of the enemy's ships. Her commander, Captain James 
 (afterwards Lord) Gambier, was an excellent o nicer ; he was 
 also a sincere Christian. At the close of the fight, Captain 
 Pakenham, a vivacious, good-tempered Irishman, hailed him 
 from the Invincible: " Well, Jimmy, I see you are pretty well 
 mauled; but never mind, Jimmy, whom the Lord loveth He 
 chasteneth." The lieutenant of the Defence, seeing a large 
 French three-decker, the Republicain, suddenly bearing down 
 upon her, struck with a momentary panic, ran up to the 
 quarter-deck, and eagerly addressing the captain, exclaimed, 
 
 " D my eyes, sir, but there is a whole mountain coming 
 
 upon us; what shall we do?" Captain Gambier, unmoved, 
 and looking gravely at him, replied with much dignity and right 
 feeling, " How dare you, sir, at this awful moment, come 
 to me with an oath on your lips? Go down, sir, and en- 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 183 
 
 courage your men to stand to their guns like brave British 
 seamen." * 
 
 Two days were employed by the victorious fleet in repairing 
 and refitting. On the loth Howe sailed homeward, and on 
 the 1 3th arrived at Spithead, where his appearance, with six 
 of the enemy's line-of-battle ships in tow, provoked an out- 
 burst of patriotic enthusiasm. Soon afterwards George III. 
 and the royal family paid him the honour of a visit, the 
 incidents and details of which have been very graphically 
 related by Lady Mary Howe, the veteran Admiral's second 
 daughter. The letter is so amusing that we venture to put 
 some considerable extracts from it before the reader : 
 
 "The three younger Princesses and Prince Ernest (Duke of 
 Cumberland)," she says, "arrived on Wednesday. Mamma 
 and I dined and spent the evening with them, and saw them 
 as happy as the general advantage and every consideration of 
 private friendship could make them. I must say the same of 
 the King and Queen and the elder Princesses, who appeared 
 almost to share our feelings. They came to the Commissioner's 
 house, at the Dock, at ten o'clock the next morning. We had 
 been desired to attend and receive them ; and after remaining 
 about half-an-hour in the house they all set out to go on board 
 the Queen Charlotte mamma and I being ordered to go 
 first on board and receive them. On their entering the ship, 
 my father remained on deck, under his own flag. The papers 
 will have described their coming on board in my father's barge, 
 steered by Sir A. Douglas, and attended by the Admiralty in 
 their barge, and all the admirals and all the captains of the 
 fleet in their boats. They were saluted by the Queen Charlotte 
 and all the ships of the fleet when the royal standard appeared 
 in sight, and cheered by each ship as they passed. [Sir Roger] 
 Curtis received the King, and led him upon deck. Our 
 * SIR JOHN BARROW, Life of Earl Howe, p. 277. 
 
184 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 attendance on the Queen and Princesses prevented mamma 
 and I from seeing the first meeting of the King and my glorious 
 father, which I am told was the most affecting thing possible. 
 My father's knees trembled with emotion when he kissed the 
 King's hand, who presented him with a most magnificent sword 
 set with diamonds, and afterwards with a gold chain, to which 
 is to be hung a gold medal struck for the occasion, which is 
 also given to the other admirals and captains who have contri- 
 buted to this victory, considered as the greatest ever obtained 
 on the sea. My father afterwards kissed the Queen's hand ; 
 and then his flag was lowered and the royal standard raised 
 to the maintop-mast's head, and saluted by the whole fleet. 
 The Royal Family then went into the cabin, and appeared 
 happy and comfortable to the highest degree, giving us a 
 thousand proofs of the kindest interest. About three o'clock 
 they went to dinner; after which the King gave a toast, drank 
 by all at the table the Princesses, the Prince, Lady Courtoun, 
 Lady Caroline Waldegrave, Lady Francis Howard, mamma, 
 and I, my father waiting on the King and Queen and this 
 toast was pronounced in the most solemn manner : * May her 
 great Admiral long command the Queen Charlotte, and may 
 she long be an example to future fleets ! ' A short time after 
 this the whole Royal Family walked through the ship's com- 
 pany, drawn up in line, when my father told the King aloud, 
 ' that their diligence and propriety of conduct in all respects 
 since the victory, was not less commendable than their reso- 
 lution and bravery during the action. Nothing during the 
 day was more pleasing to me than this walk through those 
 brave fellows, every one of whom I am certain would attend my 
 father to a cannon's mouth, and all of whom have exposed their 
 lives for him. We then left the ship with the same ceremonies, 
 and when we were at some distance, the Queen Charlotte began, 
 and the whole fleet saluted. We attended the Royal Family 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 185 
 
 to the stairs at the dock, and then returned home perhaps the 
 happiest mortals breathing. 
 
 " The attachment of the sailors to my father is, I believe, 
 unexampled. In the fog of the 3oth of May, Captain Payne 
 told me he observed a little additional thickness on one side 
 of the Russel which he hailed, and it proved to be the Queen 
 Charlotte. The ship not having had any communication since 
 the day before, it was asked if all was well, and afterwards how. 
 was the Admiral ? The moment it was answered Lord Howe 
 was well, all the men of the Russel burst into three cheers. I 
 told you before of all his own sailors corning upon deck with 
 the same ceremony to welcome him after the action. Those 
 who were present at the scene tell us nothing was ever equal to it. 
 My father says, ' Poor fellows, I was not prepared for it, and 
 own it almost got the better of me.' What it must have been 
 to those who saw him take off his hat to return the compli- 
 ment ! My father stood upon the poop the whole time of the 
 action ; and nothing but a shot carrying away his topmast, as 
 he attempted to pursue the Montague, prevented his taking 
 possession of her, after having totally silenced her guns, 
 though so much superior to the Queen Charlotte in every 
 respect ; she was 800 tons bigger. The 8o-gun ships we have 
 taken are ten feet longer than our first-rates, and some inches 
 wider ; and the whole French fleet had 470 guns more than ours, 
 and of much larger calibre. Our superiority, in addition to 
 the skill of our dear commander, lay in the resolution and 
 firmness of the common sailors, of which, amongst many others, 
 one occurred on board the Marlborough ; to this ship two of 
 the enemy were so close, that one of the sailors said ' he would 
 visit them on board their own ship.' As he was going to 
 leap over, one of his comrades called after him to take a 
 cutlass with him, which he refused, saying ' he should find one 
 there'; and on being called back, actually returned with two 
 
1 86 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 of the enemy's cutlasses in his hands. On board the Queen 
 and Imnvcibk) the sailors who had their arms taken off in the 
 engagement of the 29th went into the cockpit on the ist of 
 June to assist the surgeons and encourage the poor men who 
 were to submit to the same operation, by declaring it was much 
 less painful than it appeared to be, and that they felt no pain 
 from the wounds 
 
 " It would amuse you to hear the titles which the officers 
 wish my father to have, as they choose him to be a marquis ; 
 though some of the sailors when disputing on this point the 
 other day, one of them was heard to say, "A marquis, you 
 blockhead ! the King must make him one of the blood royal ! ' 
 Entre nous, if he intends to be anything more, * Duke de la 
 Montagne' would be a pretty title, if his topmasts had not pre- 
 vented it. I should prefer that, as it would give me the title of 
 Lady Molly Molehill ; but as that title is out of the question, 
 that of ' Duke Sans Pareil ' was proposed, there being already 
 a Duke of Northumberland 
 
 " I think I have now sent you all my stories, except that 
 Tom Pakenham, having fired away in a very wide style on one 
 of the French men-of-war, and observing they did not answer 
 the compliment in the manner he expected, stopped his fire 
 and desired to know if the ship had struck. On being 
 answered they had not, he halloed out in great rage, * Then 
 
 d ye, why do you not fire ? ' Remarking that one of the 
 
 enemy's ships had shot away the topmasts of one commanded 
 by his particular friend, Pakenham declared with an oath, ' I'll 
 pay you for that ; ' and bearing down on the Frenchman, he 
 gave him a broadside for the affront offered to his friend. 
 After the action of the 29th, he sent word to my father that 
 his men and guns were quite ready for another touch, but they 
 must tow him into the line, for his ship would not stir, an$ 
 then he would do his duty. .,.., 
 
RICHARD, EARL HOWE. 187 
 
 "I will now only add some of the toasts that have been 
 given, and also used on transparencies : ' May the French 
 ever know Howe to be master of the sea !' 'The two first words 
 of the third Psalm.' The day we sailed in the Aquilon, the 
 King gave, ' The Admiral, with the union on the topmast head ; 
 he who alone deserves to wear it.' The common acclamation 
 of the mob at Portsmouth was, 'God save the King, and Lord 
 Howe to defend him ! '" * 
 
 Lord Howe continued to hold his command of the Channel 
 fleet during 1795 anc ^ J 79^> though increasing infirmities and 
 ill-health compelled him to remain frequently ashore. Towards 
 the end of April, r797, he insisted on resigning it, as he could 
 no longer discharge his duties actively. His last public service 
 was in the same year, when at the instance of the Government 
 he repaired to Portsmouth, charged with the repression of 
 the mutiny which had broken out in the fleet. No one knew 
 better than himself that it was not without cause, that the 
 grievances of which the seamen complained were real and 
 serious, and that their representations had been neglected by 
 the Government. Their pay was inadequate, their provisions 
 were insufficient and of bad quality, they were tyrannized over 
 by incompetent officers, who resorted to the lash for every 
 petty offence. Alarmed by a demonstration which threatened 
 the peace and security of the country, the Government rapidly 
 passed a Bill through both Houses of Parliament conceding 
 the just and reasonable demands of the seamen ; and with this 
 enactment in his hands, and the King's proclamation of 
 pardon to the mutineers on their return to their duty, Howe 
 met the delegates of the fleet at Portsmouth. His personal 
 influence secured their prompt submission ; and on his under- 
 taking to remove the officers who had made themselves 
 
 * Lady Mary Howe's letter occupies, in Sir John Barrow's Life of Earl 
 ffewe, nearly eleven pages (pp. 280290). 
 
1 88 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 specially obnoxious, order was re-established in the fleet 
 (May 1 3th). 
 
 The veteran hero now retired ks *> private life, to spend his 
 few remaining years in the companionship of those who loved 
 him, and by whom he was adored. Severe attacks of gout 
 in quick succession gradually broke down his energy and 
 reduced his strength; but he continued to preserve his eager 
 interest in all matters appertaining to his favourite profession. 
 In the summer of 1799 his disorder rapidly gained upon him, 
 and in the hope of obtaining some relief from its painful attacks 
 he was prevailed upon to try the effect of the then fashionable 
 remedy of electricity. For this purpose he left his seat at 
 Porters, and repaired to Grafton Street, London, where he 
 placed himself under the care of a popular practitioner. After 
 a few trials, however, the gout, it is supposed, was driven to 
 the head, and with such severity that he could no longer bear 
 up against it. Rapidly sinking, he expired on the 5th of 
 August. His remains were removed for interment to the 
 family vault in Nottinghamshire. In pursuance of a resolution 
 of the House of Commons, a public monument from Flaxman's 
 designs was erected to his memory in St. Paul's Cathedral, 
 where to this day the visitor, mindful of the deeds of one of 
 "England's bravest and most loyal sons, will peruse with 
 sympathetic admiration the following^rief inscription : 
 
 ' Erected at the public expense to the Memory of 
 ADMIRAL EARL HOWE, 
 
 In testimony of the general sense of his great and meritorious services, 
 
 In the course of a long and distinguished life, and in particular 
 
 For the benefit derived to his country, and the brilliant 
 
 Victory which he obtained 
 
 Over the French fleet, off Ushant, the 1st of June, 1794. 
 
 He was born igth of March, 1726,* and died 5th of August, 1799^ 
 
 Jn his jjjth year." 
 
 * The family records say 172$, 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 
 
 1735 
 
 JOHN JERVIS, second son of Swynfen Jervis, Esq., was born on 
 the 2oth of January, 1735, received his early education at the 
 free school of Burton-upon-Trent, and completed his school 
 career "at Swindon's academy at Greenwich." His bias 
 towards a sea life was so strong thv-.. *t the close of 1747, he 
 ran away from school with the view of entering the navy. His 
 friends then exerted themselves to obtain him a commission. 
 and he was entered as midshipman on board the Gloucester, of 
 50 guns, which in August, 1748, sailed from Portsmouth for 
 the West Indies. He served on that station until 1754. when, 
 having returned to England and passed his examination for the 
 rank of lieutenant, he was appointed to the Nottingham, one of 
 the ships attached to Lord Anson's expedition against Brest. 
 Afterwards he was shifted from vessel to vessel, and saw soine 
 service in the Mediterranean, showing himself, it is to be pre- 
 sumed, a good and trustworthy officer, inasmuch as in 1756, 
 when he was only twenty-one years of age, he received the 
 command of the sloop Experiment. 
 
 When the combined military and naval expedition against 
 the French settlements in Canada, under General Wolfe and 
 Admiral Saunders, was dispatched in February, 1759, Jervis 
 was appointed to the Porcupine sloop, and had the honour oi 
 piloting the ships and transports that ascended the St. Lawrence 
 
IQO EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 as far as Quebec. Wolfe himself embarked on board the sloop. 
 On the night previous to the battle which gave Canada to the 
 British, and closed in glory the young general's brief career, he 
 sent for Jervis ; and informing him that he had the strongest 
 presentiment that he should be killed in the morrow's fight, he 
 drew from his breast the miniature of a young lady to whom he 
 was tenderly attached, and placed it in his charge, earnestly 
 soliciting him, if his foreboding were fulfilled, to return it to 
 her on his arrival in England. The trust was faithfully dis- 
 charged. 
 
 After serving in the Albany sloop on the American coast, 
 Jervis was promoted to a post-captaincy in October, 1761, and 
 appointed to the Gosport, of 60 guns. At the conclusion of 
 the peace of 1763 the Gosport was paid off, and Captain Jervis 
 was relegated to an unwelcome inaction until 1769. 
 
 He was then commissioned to the Alarm frigate, of 32 guns, 
 .nnd sent to the Mediterranean, where he remained until the year 
 1772. In March, 1770, at the outbreak of the equinoctial 
 gales, the Alarm took shelter in the port of Marseilles. Eut 
 on the 26th the gale was so terrific, and the ship laboured so 
 much, that it was found necessary to throw many of her guns 
 overboard. The next morning the weather moderated, and 
 Jervis prepared to run for Minorca; but in the afternoon, with 
 a sudden change, the wind violently increased, and on the 
 following night it blew a hurricane. The frigate was driven 
 from her anchors, all of them being let go in vain, and she was 
 stranded, a helpless wreck, on a reef of rocks. Assistance was 
 promptly rendered from the shore, and all on board were safely 
 removed ashore. Through great exertions the vessel herself 
 was got into safety, and, being emptied of all her cargo, was 
 " hove down keel out," and completely repaired and refitted. 
 In July, writing to his sister, Captain Jervis said, "The Alarm 
 is the completes! thing I ever saw on the water, insomuch that 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 191 
 
 I have almost forgot she was the other day, in the opinion of 
 most beholders, her own officers and men not excepted, a 
 miserable, sunken wreck, such is the reward of perseverance." 
 
 In June, 1772, the Alarm was paid off, and Jervis, not 
 expecting any early recall to active service, prepared to devote 
 his leisure to intellectual culture. He was ever of opinion that 
 an officer's zealous application must not abate, but only be 
 directed to fresh though important duty, " when he turns his 
 back upon his ship towards the welcome of his family." To 
 acquire a knowledge of the French language he visited France, 
 and studied so hard as to affect his health. Recovering, he 
 pursued his studies with not less energy, if with more dis- 
 cretion. He visited Paris and all the great manufacturing 
 towns, and examined with acute attention the manners, customs, 
 and characteristics of the people. In the following year he 
 was at St. Petersburg, directing his special inquiries to the 
 condition of the naval resources of Russia. Afterwards he 
 went to Stockholm, to Carlscrona, to the Swedish hajrbours, 
 to Copenhagen, everywhere, and always diligently observant 
 and intelligently curious. 
 
 In 1778 he was appointed to the Fondroyant, the finest two- 
 decker in the British navy, and, as her captain, took part in the 
 indecisive action off Ushant between the British fleet, under 
 Admiral Keppel, and the French, under M. d'Orvilliers. The 
 public disappointment at the result led to an angry correspond- 
 ence between Keppel and Sir Hugh Palliser, his second in 
 command, to whose misconduct it was chiefly attributable. 
 But Palliser was defended by the political party then in power, 
 and so it came to pass that his accusations were taken up and 
 made the ground for demanding a court-martial on Keppel. 
 The reader of history is well aware that the inquiry satisfactorily 
 established the character and vindicated the conduct of Keppel ; 
 he may not know, however, that Jeivis was the principal wit* 
 
193 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 ness in his favour, and that it was he who chiefly prepared his 
 commander's cogent defence. We may add that both Keppel's 
 and Palliser's partisans admitted that the Foudroyant had been 
 skilfully handled and gallantly fought. 
 
 After serving for two or three years with the Channel fleet , 
 the Foudroyant was included in Admiral Barrington's squadron, 
 which came into collision with a French fleet beyond Ushant 
 on the loth of April, 1782. The signal being made for a 
 general chase, the Foudroyant, through her superior sailing 
 and her captain's skilful management, now drew ahead of her 
 consorts, and at midnight overtook a French ship of the line, 
 which proved to be the Pegase, of 70 guns. When they were 
 nearly within hail, and before a gun had been fired, the look- 
 out midshipman on the forecastle exclaimed, " She has put her 
 helm up to rake us, sir." Jervis's first impulse was to put the 
 Foudroyanf s helm a-starboard, and deliver her broadside from 
 her starboard guns; but to young Bowen the thought had 
 already occurred that the opposite manoeuvre would enable the 
 Foudroyant to give the first fire, and, instead of being raked, to 
 rake her opponent. So forcibly did this strike the lad that he 
 could not help exclaiming, " Then if we put our helm to port 
 we shall rake her." Captain Jervis immediately caught the 
 idea. " You are right, Bowen," he said ; and as the French- 
 man hauled up, he also cle\vcd up his mainsail, took in his 
 studding-sails, and sweeping under his adversary's stern at a 
 distance of about twenty fathoms, continued his raking fire. 
 The slaughter was so great as to throw the enemy into con- 
 fusion, and with sails and rigging in the greatest disorder she 
 ran before the wind. Perceiving this, Jervis determined on 
 boarding, and laid the Foudroyant on the enemy's larboard 
 side. Headed by young Bowen, the boarders soon obtained 
 possession of the enemy's deck, and with hearty cheers struck 
 |,.u colours, after au engagement of three-cnaaiters of arj hour. 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 193 
 
 The two opponents were fairly matched ; for if the Foudroyanl 
 had three guns more on her broadside than the Pegase, the 
 latter' s guns were of heavier calibre, and she carried a much 
 1 ,'ger crew. Here is Jervis's simple and straightforward 
 account of the affair : 
 
 " At sunset I was near enough to discover *hat the enemy 
 consisted of three or four ships of war, two of them of the line,- 
 and seventeen or eighteen sail of convoy, and that the latter 
 dispersed by signal. At half-past nine I perceived the smallest 
 of the ships of war speak with the headmost, and then bear 
 away ; at a quarter-past ten the sternmost line-of-battle ship, 
 perceiving we came up with her very fast, bore away also. I 
 pursued her, and at seventeen minutes past twelve brought 
 her to close action, which continued three-quarters of an hour, 
 when, having laid her on board on the larboard quarter, the 
 French ship of war, Le Pegase^ of 74 guns and 700 men, com- 
 manded by Chevalier de Cillart, surrendered. I am happy to 
 inform you that only two or three of the people, with myself, 
 are slightly wounded ; but I learn from the Chevalier de Cillart 
 that Le Pegase suffered very materially in masts and yards, her 
 fore and mizen topmasts having gone away soon after the 
 action." 
 
 In September, 1782, the Foudroyant was attached to the 
 fleet sent out under Lord Howe to the relief of Gibraltar, and 
 at the end of the year she was paid off, after having been 
 nearly eight years in commission, during which period her 
 crew had been brought by Sir John Jervis he had been 
 rewarded with the red ribbon of the Bath for his victory over 
 the Pegase to the highest pitch of discipline. Sir John was 
 accustomed to exercise them regularly in gunnery, while he 
 insisted that every manoeuvre, however trivial, should be 
 executed with the utmost smartness. He paid great attention 
 to the education and training of his midshipmen ; and in this 
 
 o 
 
194 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 respect obtained such a reputation that the highest families 
 counted it an honour to have their sons on board the 
 Foudroyant. 
 
 Soon after the paying-off of the Foudroyant Sir John was 
 married to a lady of considerable attractions, Miss Martha 
 Parker, daughter of Sir Thomas Parker, Chief Baron of the 
 Exchequer. A man of active mind, always impatient of an 
 idle life, he embraced with pleasure a Parliamentary career, 
 and sat in the House of Commons as member, first for 
 Launceston, and afterwards for New Yarmouth. He acted 
 with the Whig party, and gave his vote in favour of every 
 measure of a liberal and progressive character. In 1790 he 
 sat for Wycombe ; and in all divisions of importance he voted 
 with the Whigs. "He supported Mr. Whitbread's motion 
 against the armament against Russia ; he voted with Mr. Grey 
 for reform of Parliament ; and he signed the Declaration of 
 the Friends of the People, being one of that small but 
 undaunted band of patriots in the House, who, in those most 
 unfavourable times, gallantly struggled for freedom and for 
 peace. His votes, therefore, were also against England's inter- 
 ference with France in the arrangement of her internal affairs. 
 But when the efforts of his party were ineffectual against Mr. 
 Pitt's influence and Mr. Burke's oratory, when war was decided 
 upon, he, in 1793, quitted Parliament to render more effectual 
 services to his country, and those for which, as from her officer, 
 she had a higher claim." 
 
 Towards the close of 1 793 the British Government determined 
 on an attack upon the French West Indian Islands, and for 
 this purpose placed Sir John Jervis at the head of a fleet of 
 five sail-of-the-line, four 44's, one 40, and twelve frigates, which 
 embarked 6,000 troops under General Sir Charles Grey, and 
 arrived at Barbadoes in January, 1794. An immediate attack 
 was made upon Martinique, which, after a short resistance, 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 195 
 
 surrendered. St. Lucia was next captured, and the campaign 
 brilliantly concluded with the conquest of Guadaloupe all 
 these successes having been attained in little more than three 
 months. Sir John remained on the station until November, 
 when an attack of yellow fever compelled him to resign his 
 command and return to England. 
 
 Here we may transcribe an anecdote or two in illustration 
 of his characteristics as a commander-in-chief. Setting in his 
 own person the example of great neatness and preciseness of 
 professional attire, he was very particular in insisting upon it 
 in his officers. Commodore (afterwards Sir Charles) Thompson 
 was, however, a great sinner in this respect, and seemed to 
 love to masquerade in a dress scarcely differing from that of a 
 common sailor. One morning, as thus arrayed, he was going 
 in his barge to bathe, when he chanced to pass under the stern 
 of the flag-ship. The Admiral was walking in -his stern gallery : 
 in an instant he recognised the untidy Commodore, but pre- 
 tending ignorance he hailed the boat. u In the barge there ! 
 Go and assist in towing in that transport." A troop-ship was 
 shifting her berth at the time. Commodore Thompson at 
 once perceived that he had placed himself in a false position, 
 and received the deserved rebuke with equal tact and good 
 humour. Standing up in his boat, and taking off his hat, lit 
 answered with the accustomed " Ay, ay, sir ! " and proceeded 
 to execute the order. 
 
 Another of his regulations was, that every officer going on 
 duty to the flag-ship should appear with cocked hat and side- 
 aims. Further, that all subordinates, of whatever grade, when 
 addressing, or being addressed by, their superiors in service, 
 should entirely remove the hat from the head, instead of" touch- 
 ing it flippantly" to use his plain words to testify respect. 
 
 During the whole campaign he slept every night on board 
 his ship, that he might be able to pay constant personal 
 
1 9*5 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 attention, early and late, to every detail of duty. Though a 
 strict disciplinarian, he was highly esteemed by his men ; while 
 officers strove energetically to get appointed to his ship, knowing 
 that they could not fail to gain instruction under his careful 
 superintendence, and that he was as quick to reward as he was 
 to detect merit. As we shall see hereafter, he formed quite a 
 school of captains, all of whom reflected honour upon their 
 teacher and rose to distinguished positions such as Halliwell, 
 Trowbridge, Ball, Berry, Darby, Hood, and Bowen. 
 
 The most brilliant portion of Sir John's career was his 
 command of the Mediterranean fleet; a command which, at 
 that critical period, when England was putting forth her strength 
 against the aggressive power of France, directed by the unscru- 
 pulous genius of Napoleon, called for the exercise of mental 
 qualities of the highest order. Then and there, under Sir 
 John's energetic supervision, and attributable to his sagacity 
 and determination, began the creation of that admirable naval 
 system to which the efficiency of the British navy was in no 
 small measure due. The Mediterranean fleet at the time that 
 Jervis assumed its command was very powerful. It consisted 
 of two 100 gun ships, five 98*3, two 8o's, fourteen 74*5, two 64*5, 
 and a host of frigates, brigs, cutters, store-ships. Among its 
 captains were men who afterwards enrolled their names on the 
 glorious list of England's worthies Halliwell, Nelson, Trow- 
 bridge, Collingwood, Fremantle, Hood, Cockburn, Milen, 
 Bowen, and many another. Sir John Jervis hoisted his flag in 
 the Victory (100 guns), having under him Vice- Admiral Lonzie, 
 in the Princess Royal, 98; Vice-Admiral the Hon. William 
 Waldegrave, in the Barfleur, 98; Vice-Admiral Sir Hyde 
 Parker, in the St. George, 98 ; and Rear-Admiral Mann, in the 
 Windsor Castle, 98. 
 
 Sir John arrived off Corsica on the 29th of November, and 
 immediately set to work. 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 197 
 
 A blockading squadron was stationed off the port of Toulon; 
 another watched the harbour of Cadiz; a third, under Nelson, 
 operated on the coast of Corsica. Then provision had to be 
 made for the discharge of other duties. The convoys of mer- 
 chant traders all round the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, 
 the protection of British interests in neutral ports, the enforce- 
 ment of the neutrality itself, the inspiring confidence into our 
 allies by the occasional presence of a naval force, the keeping 
 up the communication between those powers, the defence of 
 Corsica, the assistance to Venice and the Adriatic ports, the 
 protection of the British factory at Smyrna, the overawing 
 the Barbary ppwers, and the watching the French cruisers 
 sent to decoy away the blockading squadron, imposed upon 
 this fleet a variety and severity of service which our sailors 
 alone can estimate ; while to victual and to store so scattered 
 a force, and to provide that everywhere the national interests 
 were constantly supported, was to the Commander-in-Chief 
 one unceasing test of resources, and a task for his vigilant 
 ubiquity. 
 
 Such was the work, and there is no doubt the work was well 
 done. Jervis was inferior to Nelson in genius ; he could not 
 win such victories over the enemy as Nelson did ; he could 
 not breathe the same enthusiasm into his followers ; but he was 
 a greater comrnander-in -chief. Nelson could make his fleet 
 fight, but he could not organize it. His great enterprises 
 were accomplished with officers and crews trained and dis 
 ciplined by Jervis. Not the slightest detail escaped the 
 attention of this able administrator. The provisions, the 
 health, the comfort, the amusement of the men under his com- 
 mand, were all carefully watched over ; and, in truth, he may 
 claim to have been the first admiral who made the 
 hygiene of his fleet a subject of constant study. Again, disci- 
 pline was developed by him into, a perfect system,. JBriti^h 
 
198 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 seamen in Jervi?'s time were drawn from a dwindling mercan- 
 tile marine and from the dregs of an exhausted population, 
 and it needed a stern unwavering rule to accustom them to the 
 restraints of law and order. He made and fashioned them 
 into first-rate sailors. The most mutinous crew, when it came 
 under his command, soon perceived that it had found its 
 master, and learned the necessity of prompt submission. 
 
 The great naval victory associated with his name was that of 
 St. Valentine's Day, 1797. Its completeness was due, perhaps, 
 to Nelson's bold manoeuvre in the latter part of the action. 
 On the other hand, it was won by crews which Jervis had 
 disciplined, and captains whom Jervis had trained. Its details 
 will be more conveniently given in our life of Nelson than in 
 the present chapter; and we shall here confine ourselves to 
 such particulars as attach personally to the Commander-in- 
 Chief. The British fleet consisted of fifteen line-of-battle ships 
 and three frigates ; the Spanish, under Admiral Don Jose 
 Cordova, of twenty-seven sail of the line, of which thirteen were 
 three-deckers, and fourteen frigates. This startling disparity 
 of force did not affect Jervis's resolution to engage the enemy. 
 On the morning of the day of battle he was walking the 
 quarter-deck of his flag-ship, the Victory, and, as the Spanish 
 ships hove in sight, their numbers were duly reported to him 
 by his captain. 
 
 " There are eight sail-of-the-line, Sir John." " Very well, 
 sir." 
 
 "There are twenty sail-of-the-line, Sir John." "Vejy 
 well, sir." 
 
 " There are twenty-five sail-of-the-line, Sir John." "Very 
 well, sir." 
 
 " There are twenty-seven, Sir John ! " and this announce- 
 ment was accompanied by a reference, to the great superiority 
 of the hostile force* 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 199 
 
 " Enough, sir, no more of that ; the die is cast j and if there 
 are fifty sail I will go through them." 
 
 An answer which so delighted Captain Halliwell, then 
 walking beside the chief, that in his enthusiasm he forgot the 
 punctilio of etiquette, and patting his Admiral's back, he 
 exclaimed, " That's right, Sir John ; that's right ; by Heaven, 
 we shall give them a d d good licking." 
 
 While the Victory was in the hottest of the fight, the smoke 
 preventing Jervis from seeing the ships as distinctly as he wished, 
 he went to the poop to obtain a clearer view of the progress of the 
 action. While he was coolly making his survey, a marine by his 
 side was struck by a cannon-shot, which smashed his head, and 
 Sir John, from head to knees, was literally covered by the 
 man's brains and blood. Seeing him thus bespattered, and 
 fearing he was wounded, Captain Grey hastened to his 
 assistance. " I am not at all hurt," replied the Admiral 
 calmly, at the same time wiping his mouth, into which a 
 quantity of blood had poured ; " but do, George, try if you 
 can get me an orange." A youthful aide-de-camp soon brought 
 one from the cockpit, and Sir John rinsed his mouth with 
 the utmost composure. 
 
 In the evening, while discussing the events of the day, 
 Captain Calder hinted that Nelson's spontaneous mano3uvre, 
 by which the separated division of the Spanish fleet was 
 prevented from effecting a junction, was an unauthorised 
 departure from the prescribed mode of attack. " It certainly 
 was so," replied Sir John Jervis, " and if ever you commit 
 such a breach of your orders I will forgive you also." Sir 
 John was incapable of jealousy, and took a generous pleasure 
 in bringing forward and presenting those officers who dis- 
 tinguished themselves by their capacity and conduct. 
 
 For his share in the victory off Cape St. Vincent he was 
 elevated to an earldom, with the title, chosen by the King 
 
300 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 himself, of St. Vincent. He still continued in command on 
 the Mediterranean station ; and fortunate for the country it 
 was that a man of his firmness and invincible courage held this 
 post when the alarming mutiny broke out in the spring of 1797. 
 With a weaker commander the fleet would have been lost, and 
 the consequences to England must have been disastrous. 
 Having received information of the rebellious outbreaks at the 
 Nore and Spithead, he immediately adopted precautionary 
 measures; amor.g others, appealing to the loyalty s.nd good 
 feeling of the marines, whom he separated from the seamen, 
 and placed in a position of conspicuous importance. And 
 conscious that idleness is the fertile parent of evil, he proceeded 
 to devise the means of keeping his men actively employed, 
 ordering the nightly bombardment of Cadiz, and organizing 
 constant attacks upon the Spanish defences. He dispatched, 
 under Nelson, an expedition against Santa Cruz. The ships 
 were kept in constant movement, and at the same time isolated 
 as much as possible from one another, to prevent any seeds of 
 disaffection being spread from vessel to vessel. The first 
 symptoms of disobedience were sternly and promptly dealt with. 
 Thus, in spite of all his vigilance, an outbreak took place 
 on board the Mar Ibo rough, which had newly arrived from 
 Spithead, and brought with her the pestilent contagion of 
 mutiny. A court-martial was instantly assembled, and one of 
 the ringleaders tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death. 
 Jervis confirmed the sentence, and directed that it should be 
 executed on the following morning, " and by the crew of the 
 Marlborough alone, no part of the boats' crews from the other 
 ships, as had been usual on similar occasions, to assist in the 
 punishment " Lord St. Vincent's invariable order in the exe- 
 cution of mutineers. 
 
 Captain Ellison, of the Marlborough, listened on board the 
 flag-ship to remind St. Vincent " that a determination that 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 2OI 
 
 their shipmates should not suffer capital punishment had 
 been the very cause of the ship's company's mutiny, and to 
 express his conviction that the Marlborough' s crew would never 
 permit the man to be hanged on board their ship. 
 
 Lord St. Vincent listened attentively until Captain Ellison 
 had ceased to speak. Then, after a pause, he replied gravely 
 
 " What ! do you mean to tell me, Captain Ellison, that you 
 cannot command his Majesty's ship the Marlborough ? For if 
 that be the case, sir, I will immediately send on board an 
 officer who can." 
 
 The captain requested that, at all events, the boats' crews 
 from the rest of the fleet might, as had always been customary 
 in the service on executions, attend the present to haul the 
 criminal up; for he really did not expect the Marlborougli 1 $ 
 men would do it. 
 
 Stern was Lord St. Vincent's answer : 
 
 " Captain Ellison, you are an old officer, sir, have suffered 
 long, suffered severely, in the service, and have lost an arm in 
 action ; and I should be very sorry that any advantage should 
 be now taken of your advanced years. That man shall bt 
 hanged at eight o'clock to-morrow morning and by his own 
 ship's company for not a hand from any other ship in the fleet 
 shall touch the rope. You will new return on board, sir ; and, 
 lest you should not prove able to command your ship, an officer 
 will be at hand to you who can." 
 
 Captain Ellison without another word retired, and on reach- 
 ing his ship received orders to house and secure his guns, and 
 at daybreak to lower the ports. A general order was then 
 issued to the fleet for all launches to rendezvous under the 
 Prince at seven o'clock in the morning, armed with carronades 
 and twelve rounds of ammunition for service ; each launch to 
 be commanded by a lieutenant, having an expert and trusty 
 gunner's mate and four quarter-gunners, exclusive of the 
 
202 EMINENT SAILORS, 
 
 lau nch's crew ; the whole to be in charge of Captain Campbell, 
 of the Blenheim, who was instructed to attend the execution, 
 and if any symptoms of mutiny appeared on board the Marl- 
 borough^ any attempt to open her ports, or any resistance to 
 the hanging of the prisoner, he was to lay his boats alongside, 
 and fire into her until all mutiny and resistance ceased ; and 
 even, if it should prove necessary, to sink her in face of the 
 fleet. 
 
 These orders were punctually obeyed. At seven the launches 
 appeared, and Captain Campbell, assuming the command, 
 formed them in a line athwart the bows of the Marlborough, at 
 rather less than pistol-shot distance off. At half-past seven, all 
 hands throughout the fleet having been "turned up" to 
 witness punishment, every eye was bent on a powerfully armed 
 boat, which, quitting the flag-ship, carried the provost-marshal 
 and his prisoner to the place of execution. The crisis had 
 come, and it remained to be seen whether the Marlborougtt s 
 crew would resist or obey the Admiral's stern injunction. 
 
 As the Marlborough lay in the centre, between the two lines 
 of the fleet, the boat speedily reached her, and the criminal 
 was placed on the cathead, the rope knotted round his neck. 
 An awful silence ensued, broken at last by the watch-bells of 
 the fleet striking eight o'clock. Instantly the flag-ship's gun 
 fired, and at the sound the criminal was hoisted up; then, 
 visibly to all, he dropped back again ! An intense sensation 
 shot through the fleet, for it seemed as if in this decisive 
 struggle between authority and rebellion the latter was tc 
 prevail. By an accident, the men at the yard-rope had unin- 
 tentionally let it slip ; but. recovering themselves, they hauled 
 the mutineer up with a run ; and thus the law was satisfied, 
 authority vindicated, and, in Lord St. Vincent's own words, 
 discipline was preserved. 
 
 In all such critical conjunctures, the sharpest and sternest 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 203 
 
 course is ultimately the most merciful. By his promptitude 
 and decision the Admiral soon succeeded in crushing out the 
 embers of disaffection, and the Mediterrenean fleet escaped 
 that pestilence of rebellion and mutiny which had fatally dis- 
 graced the fleets at Spithead and the Nore. 
 
 His quickness in detecting the right man for the right place, 
 and his generous desire to give full play to the genius of his 
 subordinates, was shown by his appointment of Nelson to the 
 command of the squadron dispatched against the Toulon 
 fleet, though he was the junior of his flag-officers. The 
 appointment so inflamed the anger of Vice- Admiral Sir John 
 Orde that he broke out into violent language, and was sum- 
 marily deprived of his command and sent back to England 
 an exercise of authority which elicited the censure of the 
 Admiralty. 
 
 His rigorous observance of his duties may be illustrated by 
 an anecdote or two. His intellect was so strong and flexible 
 that it embraced every variety and difficulty of employ ; and 
 in spite of failing health and approaching age, his vast powers 
 of application defied the accumulation of arrears. Seldom 
 retiring until two o'clock in the morning, reading and writing 
 his letters and dispatches, his last question to his secretary 
 invariably was, " Now, sir, have I done all my work for the 
 day ? " And until he received an affirmative answer he took 
 no rest. Then he would be out and about before daybreak to 
 satisfy himself that watch was properly kept, afloat and ashore ; 
 in the dockyard, before the gates were opened to the artificers, 
 to see that all came at the proper time ; by daybreak at the 
 Ragged Staff, in Gibraltar, two miles from his house, to learn 
 by inspection what quantity of water for the fleet had been 
 collected in the night ; or walking round the jetties to which the 
 ships were lashed, he detected the sluggard from the industrious 
 crew. 
 
^04 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 That his approach might not be perceived, he requested an 
 order from the General that sentries should not salute him as 
 he passed ; and it was on one such very silent ramble, before the 
 daily din of the dockyard had begun, or even day dawned, that 
 on reaching the Majestic^ notwithstanding a light in her cabin 
 windows, he came to the conclusion that the ship was remark- 
 ably still, and hailed her, " Majestic ahoy ! Majestic ahoy ! " 
 At last he aroused the sentry, who angrily inquired, " What the 
 
 d 1 is the matter?" and was considerably alarmed when he 
 
 found that his Admiral stood before him. 
 
 Exhausted with toil and heat, every individual on board the 
 Majestic was sound asleep, the light in the cabin windows 
 having been placed there to delude the Admiral into a belief 
 that the officers were up betimes and dressing. The marine 
 was sent to summon the officer of the watch, who received a 
 reprimand of the sternest character; and we may be sure that 
 no more deceptive lights were set up in the cabin windows of 
 the Majestic. 
 
 Let us show that the stern commander was capable of the 
 most generous actions. 
 
 One hot and still summer's day he had ordered his crew to 
 bathe, and for a brief space they enjoyed an aquatic saturnalia 
 "more easily imagined than described." The word of com 
 mand recalled them to the restraints of discipline, and then the 
 Admiral observed a group of blue jackets discussing with 
 evident animation some subject of apparently engrossing interest. 
 At once he ordered his secretary to go forward and find out 
 what was the matter ; for, he added, " there's my delight, 
 Roger Odell, in tears !" The secretary obeyed, and reported 
 that Roger, during the sport of bathing, had jumped from the 
 foreyard with his clothes on ; that of course he had forgotten 
 that all ne possessed in the world was in his trousers pockets 
 in bank-notes j that the exertion of swimming had reduced them 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 205 
 
 to a useless pulp; and that now the man was in despair, foi 
 the loss was considerable. Having ascertained the amount, 
 Lord St. Vincent inquired, "What can we do for Roger, Mr. 
 Tucker, for he is a glorious fellow and an invaluable seaman ; 
 car we give him a warrant ?" Upon reierence to the captain 
 it uas found that promotion to the rank of a warrant-officer 
 would be injudicious, owing to his yielding too readily to the 
 temptation of liquor. " Well, something or other we must do 
 for him," remarked his lordship, as he withdrew to his cabin. 
 
 Returning shortly afterwards to the quarter-deck, he requested 
 the captain to turn the hands up, and, as soon as they were 
 all assembled, desired Odell to stand forward. As soon as the 
 stalwart seaman, hat in hand, had obeyed the order, Lord 
 St. Vincent assumed a stern expression of displeasure, and 
 addressed him in angry tones. " Roger Odell, you are con- 
 victed, sir, by your own appearance, of tarnishing the British 
 oak with tears ! Have you aught to say in your defence why 
 you should not receive the punishment you deserve?" 
 
 Roger, overwhelmed by the accusation, could urge only 
 " that he had lost all he had in the world ; that he knew it was 
 his own fault ; but that having been a great many years saving- 
 it, he could not help crying a little ; but that if his lordship 
 would only forgive him this once, he should never see him cry 
 again," and he appealed to the captain and first lieutenant for 
 a character. 
 
 ' The loss of money, sir, can never be an excuse to a British 
 seaman for tears. There could be but one which will never 
 happen to you, Roger Odell disgrace." 
 
 A pause of breathless silence followed ; after which, dropping 
 his harshness of tone, St. Vincent proceeded 
 
 " Roger Odell, you are one of the best men in this ship ; 
 you are, moreover, a capiain of a -top; and in my life I never 
 i>aw a man behave hun^eif better t'un you in the Victory cluj 
 
206 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 in the action with the Spanish fleet. To show, therefore, thai 
 your Commander-in-Chief will never pass over merit, whereso- 
 ever he may find it, there is your money, sir" giving him 
 ^70 "but no more tears, mind, no more tears, sir." 
 
 Taking the money in silent astonishment, Odell held it 
 mechanically before him, as if not knowing what to do with it. 
 Now he stared at the Admiral ; anon, opening his hand, he 
 looked at the bank-notes ; and lastly at the faces of the by- 
 standers, who were all observing him. At length the " Pipe 
 below!" and the rest of the sailors moving to their respective 
 quarters, recalled him to himself; and perceiving that what he 
 held in his hand was really to be his own, he stammered out, 
 " Thank ye, my lord, thank ye," and plunged into the middle 
 of the crowd to hide his emotions. 
 
 Yet one more anecdote. 
 
 While blockading Cadiz, St. Vincent remarked with warm 
 approval the ability and zeal with which the commander of one 
 of the small brigs maintained his station, during every change 
 of weather, in the most advanced position off the harbour. 
 From unavoidable circumstances the vessel had been kept 
 longer than usual on a service at once anxious and laborious ; 
 instead of going into port, she had been supplied with pro- 
 visions and stores from the fleet ; but her captain never uttered 
 a complaint nor raised a difficulty. The private merits as well 
 as the public services of this officer had secured the esteem of 
 Lord St. Vincent, who was aware that, with very slender means, 
 and at the cost of much personal privation, he was nobly 
 striving to support in respectability a wife and a numerous 
 young family. At length a relief arrived ; and at the same 
 time it was officially reported that, after the usual survey, the 
 brig required very considerable repair. On the day she rejoined 
 the Admiral his lordship had requested his secretary to bring 
 Uiin ioo't and when informed that not oue-luU of that suui 
 
AtftllRAt, THE EARL OP ST. VINCENT. 20} 
 
 was on board, told Mr. Tucker to beg or borrow it by any 
 means. With some difficulty the amount was collected, and 
 the secretary was then desired to make out the necessary orders 
 for the repair of the brig at Gibraltar, and for her proceeding 
 on a cruise, his lordship adding, " If I send him to England 
 now he will be paid off, and he has not wherewithal to buy a 
 gown for his wife and daughters." The commander met with 
 a cordial reception, was invited to that day's dinner, placed by 
 the Admiral at his right hand, and distinguished by marked 
 attention. 
 
 After dinner, the Admiral having sent for him to receive his 
 orders, thus addressed him : 
 
 ", You have had, sir, a long and severe duty, but I trust it 
 will not prove an unprofitable one in the result, for I have not 
 failed to notice the officer-like, manly way in which you have 
 performed it. I have desired the commander at Gibraltar to 
 give your brig a complete refit; and when she is ready, the 
 orders I shall now give you will carry you to the best position 
 within my command for your chance of picking up some 
 prizes. So be sure you fill your hold at Gibraltar with all the 
 provisions you possibly can stow, for you will be at liberty to 
 cruise as long as you can make them last ; and mind, I expect 
 you will stock your own store-rooms, hen-coops, and wine-bin 
 thoroughly." 
 
 The commander expressed his warmest gratitude for his lord- 
 ship's kind intentions, but respectfully added that he hoped to 
 be pardoned if he did not avail himself of them, inasmuch as 
 his poverty entirely prevented his laying in the necessary stock, 
 consistently with his duty to his country. And he entreated 
 to be allowed to retire on half-pay, since such was fated to be 
 'he end of his career. 
 
 " You knoV replied the Admiral, " that I always like to be 
 obeyed without a difficulty. Your orders, which are in this 
 
208 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 parcel, will, I hope, be found not to prejudice your family. 
 Let me never hear a word in reply, or of any more thanks 
 about them ; there, go and prosper." 
 
 The parcel contained ^100. 
 
 Failing health, and the mental and physical fatigue induced 
 by unremitting exertions in a post of high responsibility, com- 
 pelled Lord St. Vincent to resign his command in August, 
 1799, and return to England. 
 
 For some time after his arrival he was confined by his illness 
 to the retirement of his seat at Rocketts, in Essex. As soon 
 as he was known to be recovering, Sir John Orde, who con- 
 sidered himself personally insulted by St. Vincent preferring 
 Nelson to the command of the expedition against the Toulon 
 fleet, sent him a challenge. It is needless to say that it was 
 refused. Not long afterwards, the Admiralty having reason to 
 apprehend a renewal of mutiny in the Channel fleet, called Lord 
 St. Vincent from his rural seclusion and placed him in com- 
 mand. With characteristic promptitude St. Vincent repaired 
 to his new sphere of duty, and hoisted his flag in his old ship, 
 the Vitte de Paris. When the news of his appointment had 
 first reached the fleet, which had been permitted to sink into a 
 disgraceful laxity of discipline, one of the captains was indis- 
 creet enough to give as a toast at the table of the Commander- 
 in-Chief, " May the discipline of the Mediterranean never be 
 introduced into the Channel fleet !" But he soon discovered 
 that it was to be so introduced. Lord St. Vincent had lost 
 none of his old energy, and was the last man in the world to 
 suffer his authority to be set at nought. He issued order after 
 order designed to put a stop to the excesses that prevailed, to 
 the insubordination of officers and men, and the general neglect 
 of duty, and he took care that his orders should be obeyed. 
 Any violation of them was immediately followed by a sharp 
 and swift punishment He then proceeded to station his ships 
 
ADiMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 209 
 
 and frigates so as to insure a close watch and blockade of the 
 French ports, nor did he allow them to quit their stations at 
 the first breath of an adverse wind. At the same time he was 
 sedulously careful of the health of his crews, and it was under 
 his command that lemon-juice was introduced on a large scale 
 as an anti-scorbutic. In his anxiety to secure the proper ven- 
 tilation and cleanliness of his ships, he anticipated the sanitary 
 reformers of to-day. In a few months, by his decision, his 
 sagacity, and his vigilance, he completely reformed the condi- 
 tion of the Channel fleet, morally and physically, raised the 
 tone of its officers, and infused a new spirit into its seamen. 
 All his admirable administrative and organizing ability was 
 conspicuously displayed in this period of command, which was 
 not the least useful, if not the most brilliant portion of his long 
 and laborious career. 
 
 Early in 1801, on the resignation of Mr. Pitt and the acces- 
 sion of Mr. Addington to office, Lord St. Vincent was appointed 
 First Lord of the Admiralty, a post in which his energy and 
 firmness could not but prove beneficial to his country. He 
 was a resolute enemy to negligence and waste. He liked work 
 well done, and insisted that any man who had work to do 
 should do it. A strict economist, he waged active war against 
 jobbery, peculation, extravagance ; while he was too wise and 
 too prudent to sacrifice efficiency. To his administration be- 
 longs the credit of dispatching the powerful and well-equipped 
 fleet which, under Hyde Parker and Nelson, bombarded 
 Copenhagen and captured the Danish fleet. To his adminis- 
 tration belongs the credit of initiating a reform in the manage- 
 ment of the dockyards, and of introducing many improvements 
 into the establishments of the Royal Marines. We have no 
 space, however, to dwell on all the great and useful changes he 
 introduced into every department of the navy. His practical 
 capacity for business, his unwavering resolution, his clear per* 
 
 P 
 
210 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 ception, and his resolute integrity were never more conspi- 
 cuously exhibited. 
 
 When the Addington Cabinet resigned, Lord St. Vincent 
 necessarily vacated office, and joined the Whigs in opposition 
 to the measures of Pitt. Early in 1806, on the death of Pitt, 
 the Whigs returned to power, and Lord St. Vincent was 
 recalled to active service, accepting for the second time the 
 command of the Channel fleet. An attack upon his official 
 career in the House of Commons terminated in the unani- 
 mous adoption of a motion by Mr. Fox, " That the conduct 
 of the Earl of St. Vincent in his late naval administration 
 has added an additional lustre to his exalted character, and 
 is entitled to the approbation of this House." He was soon 
 afterwards charged with a special mission to the Court of 
 Lisbon, the object being, in case Portugal proved indefensible 
 against the invasion threatened by the French Emperor, to 
 make the royal family and principal nobility transfer the seat of 
 government to the Brazils. Says Lord Brougham,* " The 
 proceedings of this chief, in his twofold capacity of captain 
 and statesman, were justly remarked for the great talents and 
 address they exhibited. He began by cutting off all com- 
 munication between his fleet and the land ; this he effected by 
 proclaiming an eight-days' quarantine. His colleagues in the 
 Commission having joined him, he still prevented his officers 
 and men from landing, but threw open all his ships to the 
 natives of the place, whose multitudes never ceased pouring 
 through these gallant vessels, lost in admiration of their beauty, 
 their resistless force, and the perfect discipline of their crews. 
 With the Court his intercourse now began ; and the terror of 
 his name, even without his armament, would there have made 
 him supreme. The reluctance to remove was, of course, 
 
 LORD BROUGHAM, Historical Sketches^ "Reign of George III,^" 2id 
 Series, 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT. 211 
 
 universal and deep-rooted ; nor could any arrangement the 
 expected invader might offer prove less palatable than expa- 
 triation and banishment for life across the Atlantic to pampered 
 voluptuaries, the extent of whose excursions had hitherto been 
 the distance between the town and the country palace. But 
 he arranged everything for their voyage, and he was quite 
 ready to compel their embarkation. His plan would have 
 exposed his own person to some danger, but would have 
 required no application of military force if nothing was 
 attempted against the fleet. It seemed to have been borrowed 
 from the celebrated seizure, by Cortez, of the Emperor 
 Montezuma's person in his capital of Mexico, and the very few 
 to whom he communicated it, while struck with the boldness 
 of the design, saw that it was as happy as it was bold, and had 
 no doubt whatever of its perfect success." 
 
 The storm, however, did not break over Portugal so soon as 
 was expected \ and in October Lord St. Vincent resumed his 
 command before Brest. 
 
 Early in 1807 a change of administration took place, and 
 the veteran Admiral immediately resigned his command and 
 struck his flag, never to hoist it again. He was seventy-two years 
 of age, and had spent half a century in the active service of his 
 country, from which he retired, as Sheridan happily said, 
 " with his triple laurel, over the enemy, the mutineer, and 
 the corrupt." His health from this time began to decline 
 rapidly; but it is pleasant to state that to the very last he 
 preserved his strong faculties unimpaired, and never exhibited 
 the sad spectacle of a decaying intellect. He not infrequently 
 took part in the debates of the House of Lords, his speeches 
 being marked by uncompromising liberalism of opinion, and 
 by much force and straightforwardness of expression. In 
 private life he endeared himself to his friends by his ready 
 .sympathy, his genial humour, and .his unaffected cheerfulness. 
 
212 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 While no one could maintain his position with greater dignity, 
 on one could unbend with better grace. His generosity of dis- 
 position was constantly being illustrated ; the needy and dis- 
 tressed never applied to him in vain ; * and to the appeals of 
 indigent members of his own profession his heart and ear 
 were ever open. 
 
 " The conduct of Lord St. Vincent," remarks Lord Brougham, 
 " was always high and decorous ; and though he had a 
 singular aversion to cant of any kind, nor to any more than 
 to overdone Pharisaical morality, he never lowered in his 
 own person the standard of private any more than of public 
 virtue, wisely holding all conspicuous men as trustees for the 
 character of the people, and, in some sort, representatives of 
 the people's virtues." 
 
 A curious testimony to his professional merit was borne by 
 the great Napoleon. One of his pupils, Captain Bowen, was 
 presented to the latter in his exile at St. Helena, and in the 
 course of conversation Napoleon inquired of him 
 
 " With whom have you principally served?" 
 
 " I have been chiefly patronised by Lord St. Vincent." 
 
 " He is a brave man and a very good sailor ; the greatest 
 the English ever had, for he kept his fleet in better order. Did 
 he not command off Cadiz when I went to Egypt, and did he 
 not send Lord Nelson after me ? w 
 
 " Yes, he did." 
 
 "Were you with him in the battle off Cape St. Vincent?" 
 
 " Hearing by chance that Mr. Dibdin, to whose happy and beautiful 
 poetry such excellent nautical songs are due, was in distressed citcum- 
 stances, Lord St. Vincent immediately sent him ^"100, and desired an 
 inquiry into the real state of the case to be made : ' For it would be 
 indeed a shame/ he said, that the man who has wiled away the mid- 
 watch, and softened the hardships of war, should be in want, while a 
 seaman enjoys an abundance.' To the subscription to supply potatoes 
 to the Irish he sent ^"300, and ,500 to the sufferers at Waterloo," 
 TUCKER, ii. 328. 
 
ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT, 213 
 
 " NO." 
 
 " Where does Lord St. Vincent live?" 
 "In Kssex, about sixteen miles from L ndon." 
 " When you return, if you go to see Lord St. Vincent, make 
 him my compliments the compliments of an old soldier to a 
 good old English sailor." 
 
 In 1816 Lord St. Vincent lost his wife. He survived hei for 
 seven years, and his old age was distinguished by many well- 
 deserved honours. He was made a General of the Marines, a 
 Grand Cross of the Bath, and an Admiral of the Fleet. In 
 1821 George IV. forwarded to him a naval baton, corre- 
 sponding to that of a field-marshal in the army, " as a testimony 
 of his Majesty's personal esteem, and of the high sense his 
 Majesty entertains of the eminent services which his lordship 
 has rendered to his country by his distinguished talents and 
 brilliant achievements." 
 Lord St. Vincent died on the i3th of March, 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 
 
 A.D. 1758 1805. 
 1 
 
 HORATIO NELSON, fifth son of the Rev. Edmund Nelson, 
 rector of Burn ham Thorpe, by his wife Catherine, daughter of 
 the Rev. Dr. Suckling, was born at the parsonage of Burnham 
 Thorpe on Midsummer's Day, 1758. 
 
 The anecdotes preserved of his early years are few in number ; 
 but, such as they are, they testify to his constitutional courage 
 and daring temper. At the age of five or six, when on a 
 visit to his grandmother, he went in search of birds' nests, lost 
 his way, and did not return as was expected. Messengers 
 were dispatched in quest of him, to find him sitting alone by 
 the side of a stream which he had been unable to cross. His 
 grandmother, reproaching him for rambling so far and so long, 
 concluded by saying, " I wonder that fear did not drive you 
 home." " Fear, grandmamma ! " replied the boy indifferently. 
 " I never saw fear; what is it ? " 
 
 In 1767 he lost his mother, and it seems to have been at 
 this time that he was removed from Norwich High School, his 
 earliest place of education, to the grammar-school at North 
 Walsham, which, under the care of a Rev. Mr. Jones, had 
 obtained some degree of celebrity. His progress here is 
 described as satisfactory; but when only twelve years old 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NFXSON. 91$ 
 
 he was entered as a midshipman on board his maternal 
 uncle's ship, the RaL~o unable, of 64 guns, then fitting out for an 
 expedition to the Falkland Islands. The expedition never 
 sailed ; the Raisonnable was laid up, and the young Horatio, 
 in order to gain some knowledge of his intended profession, 
 was placed on board a merchantman bound for the West 
 Indies. With a considerable store of practical information, he 
 returned to England about the middle of 1772. What was to 
 prove so brilliant a naval career then began, the boy of four- 
 teen being appointed to his uncle's ship the Triumph, whence, 
 in the following year, he volunteered to serve as coxswain to 
 Captain Lutvvidge, who, with Captain Phipps, had been chosen 
 by the Admiralty to conduct an expedition of discovery towards 
 the North Pole. The two ships chosen for this purpose, the 
 Racehorse and the Carcass, each with a complement of 80 or 90 
 picked men, sailed from the Nore on the 4th of June. On the 
 3oth of July the explorers found themselves among the Arctic 
 ice. They proceeded to work their way through the floes with 
 considerable labour, and on the nth of August reached 
 Amsterdam Island, formerly a place of resort for the Dutch 
 whalers. The state of the ice beyond, a vast and impassable 
 barrier, extending for upwards of ten degrees between the 
 latitudes of 80 and 81, convinced the two captains that a 
 north-east passage into the Pacific Ocean was at the time im- 
 possible, and they determined on returning to England. The 
 homeward voyage presented no incidents of importance, and 
 the two ships reached England on the 24th of September. 
 
 This expedition failed to enlarge the bounds of geographical 
 discovery, and is principally remembered in connection with 
 an anecdote of Nelson's intrepidity. On one of the clear 
 Arctic nights common in those high latitudes Nelson was 
 missing from his ship, and a careful search having been made 
 after him in vain, he was given up as lost. At sunrise, how- 
 
2l6 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 ever, to the general astonishment, he was seen afar off on the 
 ice, hotly pursuing a large polar bear. He carried a musket in 
 his hand, but the lock being injured he could not fire it ; and 
 he was endeavouring, therefore, to weary the animal that he 
 might be able to kill it with the butt-end. Captain Lutwidge, 
 on his return, censured him for quitting the ship without leave, 
 and asked what could be his motive for committing so rash an 
 action. " I wished, sir," he replied, " to get the skin for my 
 father." 
 
 In the Sea-horse, a 2O-gun frigate, commanded by the gallant 
 Captain Farmer, Nelson sailed to the East Indies, where he 
 availed himself of every opportunity of improving in seaman- 
 ship, and commended himself to his superiors by his active 
 discharge of his dtities. But the climate broke down his 
 health, and he was compelled to return to England. In Sep- 
 tember, 1776, through the influence of his uncle, who had 
 become Comptroller of the Navy, he was appointed acting- 
 lieutenant in the Worcester, of 64 guns, and in this ship he 
 remained at sea, with various convoys, till the spring of 1777. 
 Passing his professional examination for a lieutenancy, he 
 received his commission as second lieutenant of the Lowestoffe, 
 32 guns, under Captain Locker, and sailed for Jamaica. In a 
 strong gale of wind and a heavy sea the Lowestoffe fell in with 
 an American privateer, and compelled it to strike its colours. 
 Captain Locker ordered his first lieutenant to board her and 
 take possession ; but, owing to the tremendous sea, the officer, 
 though a gallant man, could not approach sufficiently near, 
 and pulled back to the Lowestoffe, discomfited. Captain Locker, 
 much disappointed, exclaimed, "Have I, then, no officer who 
 can board the prize?" The master immediately ran to the 
 gangway that he might jump into the boat, but young Nelson 
 suddenly stopped him : " It is my turn now," he cried ; " if I 
 come back too, it will be yours." Leaping into the boat, he 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 2iy 
 
 managed it with the skill acquired by long experience, laid it 
 alongside of the prize, and took possession. 
 
 Nelson's reputation for energy and seamanship attracted the 
 attention of the Commander-in- Chief, Sir Peter Parker, who 
 appointed him third lieutenant on board his own flag-ship, and 
 recognising his superior abilities, as well as his professional 
 ardour, rapidly promoted him to the rank of first lieutenant, 
 and before the conclusion of the year gave him the command 
 of the Badger brig. In this he did good service in the Bay of 
 Honduras and on the Mosquito coast, protecting English com- 
 merce from the depredations of the American privateers. On 
 the nth of June, 1779, while yet in his twenty-first year, he 
 obtained his post-captaincy, and in the following year com- 
 manded the Hinchinbroke, which was selected to convoy a 
 military expedition against the Spanish settlement of San Juan. 
 On the roth of April the troops arrived before the castle, which is 
 situated on the river San Juan, about thirty-two miles from the 
 Lake of Nicaragua. Nelson advised an immediate assault ; but 
 Colonel Poison proceeded in accordance with the old traditional 
 military routine, and the consequent delay proved fatal to the 
 success of the expedition. The castle was taken ; but the mala- 
 rious climate told fatally on the health of the troops and seamen, 
 who died by scores ; the survivors were feeble and sickly ; 
 Nelson himself was stricken with disease, and it was only his 
 opportune promotion to i\\Q Janus (of 44 guns) which saved his 
 life by recalling him to a healthier station. The air of Jamaica, 
 however, is never very favourable to European constitutions, 
 and assuredly not adapted to invigorate the feeble. It was 
 soon apparent that Nelson made no sensible progress, and his 
 friends and physicians at length compelled him, though sorely 
 against his will, to return home. 
 
 On his arrival in England, his professional zeal induced him, 
 though he had almost lost the use of his limbs, and existed 
 
218 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 rather than lived, to apply to the Board of Admiralty for a ship, 
 " This they readily promised me," he afterwards observed with 
 sly humour, " thinking it not possible for me to live." 
 
 After spending three months at Bath he found his health 
 considerably improved, and was able to visit his aged father 
 at Burnbam Thorpe, and other relatives and friends in the 
 county of Norfolk. In August, 1781, he was appointed to the 
 Albemarle, and throughout the winter was actively employed in 
 cruising and convoying in the North Seas. In the following 
 year he was sent to Quebec, and afterwards arrived off Boston 
 harbour, destroying several American vessels, and having his 
 first "brush" with a Frenchman. "On the i4th of August," 
 he says, " we fell in with, in Boston Bay, four sail of the line 
 and the Iris frigate, part of Monsieur Vaudreuil's squadron, 
 who gave us a pretty dance for nine or ten hours. But we 
 beat all except the frigate ; and though we brought-to for her, 
 after we were out of sight of the line-of-battle ships, she tacked 
 and stood from us. Our escape I think wonderful. They 
 were, on the clearing up of a fog, within shot of us, and chased 
 us the whole time about one point from the wind." It was 
 due to Nelson's admirable seamanship that his ship escaped 
 the French fleet. He stood right in among the shoals of St. 
 George's Bank, where they were unable or afraid to follow him. 
 
 Soon afterwards Nelson joined Lord Hood's fleet in the 
 West Indies, and continued actively employed with it until the 
 conclusion of peace in 1783. After his return to England he 
 went to reside for a short time in France, for the purpose of 
 acquiring a knowledge of the language. In his linguistic studies, 
 however, he ma 'e but small progress ; and he probably rejoiced 
 when, in the spring of 1784, he was recalled to his professional 
 duties'and commissioned to the Boreas frigate, of 28 guns. 
 
 On the same day, the 2oth of March, he was attacked by 
 ague and fever, which lusted for a fortnight. On his recovery 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 219 
 
 he sailed at. daylight, just after high water; but the pilot ran 
 the ship aground, and it lay there with so little water that the 
 people could walk round her till the tide again rose. That 
 night and part of the following day the frigate lay behind the 
 Nore, buffeted by a severe gale of wind and snow. 
 
 Writing to a friend from Portsmouth on the 2ist of April, he 
 says, " I got into the Downs. Wednesday I got into a quarrel 
 with a Dutch Indiaman who had Englishmen on board, which 
 we settled, though with some difficulty. The Dutchman made 
 a complaint against me; but the Admiralty, fortunately, have 
 approved my conduct in the business, a thing they are not 
 very guilty of when there is a likelihood of a scrape. And 
 yesterday, to complete me, I was riding a blackguard horse 
 that ran away with me at Common, carried me round all the 
 works into Portsmouth by the London gates, through the 
 town, out at the gate that leads to Common, where there was 
 a waggon in the road, which is so very narrow that a horse 
 could barely pass. To save my legs, and perhaps my life, I 
 was obliged to throw myself from the horse, which I did with 
 great agility, but, unluckily, upon hard stones, which has hurt 
 rny back and my legs, but done no other mischief. It was a 
 thousand to one that I had not been killed. To crown all, a 
 young girl was with me; her horse ran away as well as mine, 
 but, most fortunately, a gallant young man seized the horse's 
 bridle a moment before I dismounted, and saved her from the 
 destruction she could not have avoided." 
 
 In the middle of May Nelson sailed from Spithead for the 
 Leeward Islands, where he remained for several months, but 
 the record of his services presents nothing to call for special 
 notice. In March, 1787, he was married to Mrs. Nisbet, 
 the widow of a physician, the Duke of Clarence (afterwards 
 William IV.), with whom Nelson had had much friendly inter- 
 course, officiating as the bride's father. As is only too well 
 
220 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 known, the marriage did not prove a happy one. In November 
 of the same year his ship was paid off at Sheerness, and he was 
 free to retire to the parsonage at Burnham Thorpe, where he 
 cultivated a few acres of land, and enjoyed an occasional shot 
 at a hare, a woodcock, or a partridge. 
 
 One of the most amusing of his biographers describes his 
 rural retirement in highly coloured language : * 
 
 " In cultivating the friendship of respectable neighbours, who 
 laudably courted his society ; in rendering kind offices to the 
 humbler inhabitants of his vicinity, by whom he was universally 
 beloved ; in enriching his mind by reading and reflection, and 
 improving his land by cultivation this great man employed 
 most part of the leisure which peace afforded him. Sometimes, 
 indeed, he went to Bath, or other fashionable resort, during 
 the season, where he might meet with his old friends ; and 
 sometimes sought them in the metropolis, when he occasionally 
 paid his respects at the Admiralty. His heroic mind, no doubt, 
 amidst the calm of peace, prepared for the storm of war ; and, 
 though he disdained not the culture of the ploughshare, he 
 looked forward to the day when it would become necessary to 
 exchange it for the sword. He was particularly fond of 
 geographical studies ; few men were so well acquainted with 
 maps and charts ; and his accurate eye frequently traced with 
 eagerness the various parts of the globe which he had passed 
 with difficulty or delight, and the spots at which he had 
 successfully or unpleasantly paused." 
 
 On the 3oth of January, 1793, .Nelson was appointed to the 
 Agamemnon, of 64 guns, which was then under orders of 
 equipment for the Mediterranean. He raised his crew chiefly 
 from his own neighbourhood, and from the counties of Norfolk 
 and Suffolk ; and drew together a sturdy band of gallant 
 fellows, united by their strong confidence in their leader, and 
 * HARRISON, Life of Lord Nelson, i. 97. 
 
VtCE-ADMtfcAL LORD NELSON. 121 
 
 prepared to attempt any enterprise to which ht might call 
 them. For some months he cruised about the Mediterranean, 
 under Lord Hood's orders, accustoming his men to a steady 
 discipline, and practising them in gunnery and seamanship. 
 In September he was dispatched on a confidential mission to 
 the Court of Naples. It was on this occasion that he made the 
 acquaintance of Lady Hamilton an acquaintance destined to 
 exercise so great an influence on his future life. He appears 
 at once to have been profoundly impressed by her remarkable 
 personal charms and her considerable talents, though he can 
 hardly have been ignorant of the irregularities of her career 
 prior to her marriage to the English ambassador at Naples, 
 Sir William Hamilton. She on her part, with a woman's fine 
 perception, detected the boldness and originality of his genius, 
 sympathized with his ambitious hopes, and responded to the 
 fervour of his friendship. 
 
 Intrusted by Lord Hood with the command of a squadron 
 of frigates, to be employed in cruising operations on the coast 
 of Corsica and the adjoining shore of Italy, he began a series 
 of active, successful, and brilliant operations against the enemy. 
 He exerted himself on land with scarcely less energy than at 
 sea : getting out guns, erecting batteries, reducing fortresses, 
 infusing into all with whom he came in contact something of his 
 own ardour and irrepressible activity, and succeeding in every- 
 thing he undertook by virtue of a patience that never failed 
 and a courage that never despaired. His exertions at the 
 siege of Bastia commanded the admiration of the army as well 
 as of the navy ; and when troops were to be landed or disem- 
 barked, his measures were always found adapted to every 
 emergency. 
 
 Not less conspicuous was the part he played in the siege of 
 Calvi. Ho not only took charge of the disembarkation of the 
 troops, but landed a body of seamen, who under his direction 
 
222 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 constructed and worked one of the attacking batteries. Cool 
 and composed under fire, his example had always and every- 
 where an inspiriting effect, and his voice acted upon his men 
 like the sound of a trumpet. In this siege he lost the sight of 
 his right eye. A shot front one of the enemy's guns struck the 
 ground near the battery which he commanded, and dashed 
 some minute particles of sand or gravel into it. But he sub- 
 dued all signs of pain, refused to leave his -post, and with 
 a ribbon bound over the wounded eye continued to direct the 
 fire of his men until the enemy surrendered. 
 
 Scant acknowledgment of his pre-eminent services was made 
 either by the naval or military commander-in-chief. " They 
 have not done me justice," said Nelson, writing to his eldest 
 sister, " in the affair of Calvi ; but never mind," he added, 
 with a proud confidence of genius, " I'll have a Gazette of my 
 own." 
 
 We have not the space for a detailed account of the opera- 
 tions of the British fleet in the Mediterranean at this period of 
 the war. In all the most important Nelson was foremost, and 
 his " Agamemnons " secured a wide renown for intrepidity and 
 daring under his leadership. It may be asserted, without fear 
 of denial, that no other officer inflicted on the enemy so vast 
 an amount of injury. His reputation rose rapidly, and the 
 country began to turn its eyes upon this dashing and able 
 captain, whose energy was so irrepressible, whose vigour 
 seemed never to know diminution. 
 
 In November, 1795, Sir John Jervis assumed the command- 
 in-chief of the Mediterranean fleet. A first-rate seaman, he was 
 fully capable of appreciating the worth of an officer like 
 Nelson ; and one of his earliest acts was to promote him 
 temporarily to the rank of Commodore, with permission to hoist 
 a distinguishing pennant on board the old Agamemnon. But 
 this ship being in need of repair, Nelson shifted his flag in May, 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 2 23 
 
 1796, to the Captain, of 74 guns, and sent back the weather- 
 beaten, wave- battered, and shot-torn Agamemnon to England. 
 In August his appointment as Commodore was confirmed and 
 made permanent. It was on board the Captain that he con- 
 tributed so largely to the glorious victory of St. Valentine's Day, 
 February i4th, 1797, over the united French and Spanish fleets. 
 On this memorable occasion the British fleet consisted of 
 the following ships : 
 
 ( Admiral Sir John Jervis ; Captains Calder 
 Victory . .100 guns < 
 
 I and George Grey. 
 
 Britannia. . loo Vice-Admiral Thompson ; Captain Foley. 
 
 Barfleur . . 98 ,, Vice-Adm. Waldegiave; Captain Dacres. 
 
 Prince George 98 Rear-Admiral Paiker; Captain Irwin. 
 
 Blenheim . . 98 Captain Frederick. 
 
 Namur . . 90 Whitshed. 
 
 Captain . . 74 ,, Commodore Kelson ; Captain Miller, 
 
 Goliath . . 74 Captain Sir Charles Knowles. 
 
 'Excellent . . 74 Collingwood. 
 
 Orion . . , 74 ,, Sir James Saumarez. 
 
 Colossus , . 74 Murray. 
 
 Egniont . . 74 Sutton. 
 
 Culloden . . 74 , Thomas Trowbridge. 
 
 Irresistible . 74 Martin. 
 
 Diadem . . 64 Torvey. 
 
 w - , Minerva . . 38 Cockburn. 
 
 2 ( Lively ... 32 Lord Garlics. 
 
 g 1 Niger ... 32 Foote. 
 
 ^ ^ Southampton 32 M Macnamara. 
 
 With this armament it was Sir John Jervis's object to prevent 
 the fleets of France, Spain, and Holland from effecting a junc- 
 tion ; and hearing that a Spanish fleet of twenty-six ships of the 
 line and two frigates were steering for the Mediterranean, he 
 immediately sailed to intercept it. On the evening of the 
 1 3th of February his advanced ships- came in sight of the 
 enemy within about eight kagues of the bold bluff of Cape 
 St. Vincent. Immediately he hoisted the signal, ever welcome 
 to English sailors, to prepare for tattle, an4 to keep 
 
224 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 order during the night. Meantime the Spaniards staggered 
 along under press of sail, hoping to steal into the harbour of 
 Cadiz. 
 
 The morning of the i4th was dim and hazy, but as the sun 
 rose the mist cleared off, and revealed the Spanish fleet on the 
 starboard tack. Owing to varions changes, the enemy mustered 
 twelve 34-gun frigates, besides twenty-five men-of-war (one 
 of 136 guns, six of 112, two of 80, and sixteen of 74). The 
 Admiral's flag was hoisted in the Santissima Trinidada, a huge 
 four-decker, reported to be the largest war-ship afloat. 
 
 About 9.30 the Culloden, Blenheim, and Prince George were 
 ordered to chase in the south-west, but on the Bonne Citoyenne 
 signalling that she saw eight sail in that quarter, the advance 
 was strengthened by the Irresistible, Colossus, and Orion, 
 
 Soon after ten the Minerva made the signal for twenty sail in 
 the south-west, and a few minutes after for eight sail in the 
 south-by-west. Half an hour later the Bonne Citoyenne sig- 
 nalled that she could distinguish first sixteen and afterwards 
 twenty-five of the strange ships to be of the line. But by this 
 time the whole of the Spanish armament was visible to Sir 
 John Jervis's squadron. 
 
 The Admiral now ordered his ships to form in line of battle 
 ahead and astern of the flag-ship, as might be most convenient, 
 a course which kept the enemy's lee division, consisting of one 
 three-decker (carrying a vice-admiral's flag), five two-deckers, 
 and a few frigates, upon the lee or larboard bow. 
 
 The BritLh fleet then stood close-hauled on the star- 
 board tack in this order : Culloden, Blenheim, Prince George, 
 Orion, Colossus, Irresistible, Victory, Egmont, Goliath, Barfleur, 
 Britannia, JVamur, Captain, Diadem, and Excellent. To the 
 Spanish Admiral it seemed certain that the British intended to 
 attack his separated ships ; but such was not Sir John Jervis's 
 design, At a few minutes past noon, having passed the stem- 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 225 
 
 most ships of the Spanish weather division, the Culloden, in 
 obedience to signal, tacked to the larboard, a manoeuvre so 
 skilfully and rapidly accomplished that Jervis involuntarily 
 exclaimed, " Look, look at Trowbridge ! Does he not 
 manoeuvre as if all England were looking at him ? Would to 
 Heaven all England were present to appreciate, as I do, the 
 gallant captain of the Culloden" 
 
 The firing began about half-past eleven, when the Culloden 
 exchanged shots with the enemy's headmost ship to windward. 
 As the British fleet advanced it became more general, and 
 soon the fact was evident that the Admiral had succeeded in 
 his intention of passing through the enemy's line. 
 
 " The animated and regular fire of the British squadron," 
 says Drinkwater, " was but feebly returned by the enemy's ships 
 to windward, which, being frustrated in their attempts to join 
 the separated ships, had been obliged to haul their wind on 
 the larboard tack. Those to leeward, which were most 
 effectually cut off from their main body, attempted also to 
 form on their larboard tack, apparently with a determination 
 of either passing through or to leeward of our line and joining 
 their friends ; but the warm reception they met with from the 
 centre ships of our squadron soon obliged them to put about, 
 and, excepting one, the whole sought safety in flight, and did 
 not again appear in the action till the close of the day. This 
 single ship, which persevered in passing to leeward of the 
 British line, was so covered with smoke that her intention was 
 not discovered till she had reached the rear, when she was not 
 permitted to pass without notice, but received the fire of the 
 sternmost ships ; and, as she luffed round the rear, the Lively 
 and other frigates had also the honour of exchanging with this 
 two-decker several broadsides." 
 
 The British Admiral, having succeeded in his first design, 
 now directed his whole attention to the enemy's main body to 
 
 Q 
 
226 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 windward, consisting at this juncture of eighteen sail of the 
 line ; and accordingly, at eight minutes past twelve, signal was 
 made for the British fleet to tack in succession, and shortly 
 afterwards to again pass the enemy's line. 
 
 On the other hand, the Spanish Admiral aimed at effecting 
 a junction with his leeward division by wearing round the 
 rear of the British line, and those of his vessels which had 
 passed and exchanged fire with our squadron had actually 
 borne up for this purpose. 
 
 But the keen eye of Nelson detected, and his readiness of 
 resource frustrated, this manoeuvre. He had no sooner passed 
 the rear of the enemy's windward division than he ordered 
 his ships to wear, and stood to wards- the enemy on the other 
 tack, a manoeuvre as bold as it was decisive. 
 
 If it had failed, the consequences to himself of such a 
 disobedience of orders must have been serious ; but Nelson 
 was not the man to be deterred by any consideration of per- 
 sonal risk. " They can but hang me, after all," he exclaimed; 
 and his ship gliding between the Excellent and the Diadem, he 
 coolly placed her across the bows of the huge Spanish flag-ship, 
 the Santissima Trinidada, a four-decker of 136 guns, said to 
 be the largest ship in the world. He thus stopped the way 
 against her, forcing her to haul to the wind, and driving her 
 back upon the English advanced ships. A portion of the 
 latter then swept to leeward of the enemy's line, to prevent a 
 repetition of the attempt which Nelson had so splendidly 
 baffled ; while the others, led by the Victory ', careened along 
 the Spanish array to windward, and placed Cordova's van-ships 
 between the twofold fire. Thus the tactic of Nelson, with its 
 brilliant audacity, had proved a complete success ; but he him- 
 self, separated from his consorts, was for some time exposed 
 to the volleys of the Santissima Trinidada, 136 guns ; the San 
 Josef, 112 guns; the Salvador del M undo, 112 guns; the San 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 227 
 
 Nicolas, 80 guns ; and the San Isidro, 74 guns. That he sur- 
 vived their concentrated fire is a proof that it must have been 
 ill-directed. After awhile the Cidlodcn came to his assistance, 
 but she soon passed on, leaving him hand-to-hand with his 
 numerous antagonists. Having exhausted his supplies of shot 
 by the rapidity of his fire, he was compelled to get fresh sup- 
 plies out of the hold, so that he was doubtlessly glad when 
 the Blenheim ranged up and diverted the attention of his 
 enemies. 
 
 The latter at once challenged the Spanish Admiral, and as 
 she suffered much in sails and rigging her captain resolved to 
 close. Backing his maintop-sail, he cried, " Fire away, my 
 brave fellows, and let us take the Spanish Admiral !" His men 
 heartily responded to his words, and for their utmost ardour 
 the need was urgent, inasmuch as the Blenheim, like the Cap- 
 tain, lay in the centre of a terrible circle of fire. The English 
 tenacity, or " pluck," carried her safely through the trial. 
 About three, some of her consorts came up to her help, and 
 shortly afterwards the tall masts of the Santissima Trinidada 
 went by the board. She hauled down her colours sullenly, and 
 a rolling, blackened, shot-torn hulk was towed out of the 
 fight. 
 
 The Victory, when she tacked to the larboard, made to wind- 
 ward of the Spanish fleet, followed by the Barfleur, Namur, 
 EgjnO-it, and Goliath, but the latter two vessels were so crip- 
 pled in their top-gear that they gradually fell astern. Shortly 
 after one o'clock Sir John Jervis signalled to the Excellent to 
 break through the enemy's line, and one hour later Collingwood 
 placed his ship abreast of the three-decker, Salvador del Mutido, 
 with which the Captain and the Excellent had been engaged. 
 He poured into her several staggering broadsides, and passed 
 on to the San Isidro, which had already received a terrible 
 mauling, and speedily struck her colours to this new opponent. 
 
228 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Then, taking note of Nelson's critical position, he steered up 
 on the starboard side of the San Nicolas, drawing off her fire 
 from the Captain, a welcome service which Nelson afterwards 
 acknowledged more suo. "Dear Collingwood," he wrote, 
 "'A friend in need is a friend indeed.' HORATIO NELSON." 
 
 Having lost her foretop-mast, and most of her rigging having 
 been cut away, the Captain was scarcely manageable ; and as 
 it was clear that she must soon drop astern of the Spanish 
 fleet, Nelson resolved on delivering a final blow. The San 
 Nicolas, with which he had been engaged, had fallen aboard 
 the San Josef , so that the latter became the Commodore's anta- 
 gonist. Upon her, therefore, he directed a crushing fire ; nor 
 was it feebly returned, as the loss on board the Captain showed, 
 nearly twenty men being killed and wounded in a few minutes. 
 " It was now," says Drinkwater, " that the various damages 
 already sustained by that ship through the long and arduous 
 conflict which she had maintained, appearing to render a con- 
 tinuance of the contest in the usual way precarious, or perhaps 
 impossible, that Commodore Nelson, unable to bear the idea 
 of parting with an enemy of whom he had so thoroughly 
 assured himself, instantly resolved on a bold and decisive 
 measure, and determined, whatever might be the worst, to 
 attempt his opponent sword in hand. The boarders were 
 accordingly summoned, and orders given to lay his ship, the 
 Captain, on board the enemy." Her course was so skilfully 
 directed that she was laid aboard the starboard quarter of the 
 Spanish eighty-four, with her spritsail-yard hooked in the 
 enemy's mizen-shrouds. What followed is best described in 
 Nelson's own words. 
 
 " Calling for the boarders, I ordered them to board. The 
 soldiers of the 69th, with an alacrity which will ever do them 
 credit, and Lieutenant Pearson of the same regiment, were 
 almost the foremost on this service. The first man who 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 229 
 
 jumped into the enemy's mizen-chains was Captain Berry, late 
 my first lieutenant. Captain Miller was in the act of going 
 also, but I directed him to remain. He was supported by our 
 spritsail-yard, which hooked in the mizen-rigging. A soldier of 
 the 69th having broken the upper quarter-gallery window, I 
 jumped in myself, and was followed by others as fast as pos- 
 sible. I found the cabin doors fastened, and some Spanish 
 officers fired their pistols, but, having broken open the doors, 
 the soldiers fired, and the Spanish brigadier commodore, with 
 a distinguishing pendant instantly fell, as retreating to the 
 quarter-deck. I pushed immediately onwards for the quarter- 
 deck, where I found Captain Berry in possession of the poop 
 and the Spanish ensign hauling down. I passed with my 
 people and Lieutenant Pearson on the larboard gangway to 
 the forecastle, where I met two or three Spanish officers, 
 prisoners to my seamen. They delivered me their swqrds. 
 A fire of pistols or musketry opening from the Admiral's stern- 
 gallery of the San Josef , I directed the soldiers to fire into her 
 stern, and, calling to Captain Miller, ordered him to send more 
 men into the San Nicolas, and directed my people to board the 
 first-rate, which was done in an instant, Captain Berry assisting 
 me into the main-chains. At this moment a Spanish officer 
 looked over the quarter-deck rail and said they surrendered. 
 From this most welcome intelligence it was not long before I 
 was on the quarter-deck, where the Spanish captain, with a 
 bow, presented me his sword, and said the Admiral was dying 
 of his wounds. I asked him, on honour, if the ship surren- 
 dered. He declared she was. On which I gave him my 
 hand, and desired him to call in his officers and ship's com- 
 pany, and tell them of it ; and, on the quarter-deck of a 
 Spanish first-rate, extravagant as the story may seem, did I 
 receive the swords of vanquished Spaniards, which as I 
 received I gave to William Forney, one of ray bargemenj who 
 
ajo EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 put them with the greatest sang-froid under his arm. I was 
 surrounded by Captain Berry, Lieutenant Pearson of the 691)1, 
 John Sykes, John Thompson, Francis Croke, all old Agamem- 
 nons, and several other brave men, seamen and soldiers. 
 Thus fell these ships. 
 
 "N.B. In boarding the San Nicolas, I believe, we had 
 about seven killed and ten wounded ; and about twenty 
 Spaniards lost their lives by a foolish resistance. None were 
 lost, I believe, in boarding the San Josef'' 1 * 
 
 * Some additional particulars of this striking episode are recorded by 
 Colonel Drinkwater : " In a short time, the San Nicolas was in the pos- 
 session of her intrepid assailants. The Commodoie's impatience would not 
 permit him to remain an inactive spectator of this event. He knew that 
 the attempt was hazardous, and his presence, he thought, might contri- 
 bute to its success. He therefore accompanied the party in this attack ; 
 passing from the fere-chains of his own ship into the enemy's quarter- 
 gallery ; and thence, through the cabin, to the quarter-deck, where he 
 airived in time to receive the sword of the dying commander, who was 
 mortally wounded by the boarders. For a few minutes after the officers 
 had submitted, the ciew below were firing their lower deck guns; this 
 irregularity, however, was soon corrected, and measuies taken for the secu- 
 rity of the conquest. 
 
 "But this labour was no sooner achieved than he found himself engaged 
 in another, still more arduous. The stern of the three-decker, his former 
 opponent, was directly amidships on the weather-beam of the San Nicolas; 
 and from her poop and galleries the enemy sorely annoyed with muskctiy 
 the British who had boarded the San Nicolas. The Commodore was not 
 long in resolving on the conduct to be adopted on this momentous occa- 
 sion. The two alternatives that presented themselves to his unshaken 
 mind were to quit the prize or instantly board the three-decker. Confident 
 in the braveiy of his seamen, he determined on the latter. Directing, 
 therefore, an additional number of men to be sent from the Captain on 
 board the San Nicolas, the undaunted Commodore headed himself the 
 assailants in this new attack, vehemently exclaiming, Westminster 
 Abbey or glorious victory ! ' 
 
 " Success, in a few minutes, and with little loss, crowned the enterprise. 
 Such, indeed, was the panic occasioned by his preceding conduct, that the 
 British no sooner appeared on the quarter-deck of their new opponent, 
 than the commandant advanced, and, asking for the British commanding 
 officer, dropped on one knee and presented to him his swoid, mentioning 
 tt the same timej &% an e^cu^e Cur tlie Spanish, admiral not appearing, that 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 231 
 
 The loss of the Spaniards in this sharply fought action must 
 have been very considerable. As on board the four prizes it 
 amounted to 261 killed and 342 wounded, we may estimate it 
 for the whole fleet at 450 killed and 600 wounded. The 
 
 he was dangerously wounded. For a moment Commodore Nelson could 
 scarcely persuade himself of this second instance of good fortune ; he 
 therefore ordered the Spanish commandant, who had the rank of a briga- 
 dier, to assemble the officers on the quarter-deck, and direct steps to be 
 instantly taken for communicating to the crew the surrender of the ship. 
 All the officers immediately appeared, and the Commodore had the sur- 
 render of the San Josef duly confirmed by each of them delivering to him 
 his sword. 
 
 " William Fearney, one of the Commodore's bargemen, had attended 
 close by his side throughout this perilous adventure. To him the Commo- 
 dore gave in charge the swords of the Spanish officers as he received them ; 
 and the jolly tar, as they were delivered to him, tucked these honourable 
 trophies under his arm with all the sang-froid imaginable. It was at this 
 moment also that a B ; itish sailor, who had long fought under the Commo- 
 dore, came up, in the fulness of his heart, and, excusing the liberty he was 
 taking, asked to shake him by the hand, to congratulate him on seeing him 
 safe on the quarter-deck of a Spanish three-decker. 
 
 " This new conquest had scarcely submitted, and the Commodore 
 returned on board the San Nicolas, when the latter ship was discovered 
 to be on fire in two places. At the first moment appearances were alarm- 
 ing ; but presence of mind and resources were not wanting to the British 
 officers in this emergency. The firemen were immediately ordered from 
 the Captain, and, proper means being taken, the fires were soon got under. 
 
 "A signal was now made by the Captain for boats to assist in separating 
 her from her two prizes ; and as the Captain was incapable of further 
 service till refitted, Commodore Nelson hoisted his broad pendant for the 
 moment on board La Minerve frigate, and in the evening shifted it to 
 the Irresistible, of 74 guns, Captain Mai tin. 
 
 "Four of the enemy's ships were now in the possession of the British 
 squadron two of three decks, the Salvador del Mundo and the San Josef, 
 of 112 guns each ; one of 84, the San Nicolas ; and the San Isidro, of 
 74 guns and the van of the British line still continued to press hard the 
 Santissima Trinadada and others, in the rear of the enemy's flying fleet. 
 
 "The close of the day, before the four prizes were secured, t-*idoubtedly 
 saved the Spanish Admiral's flag from falling inlo the hands of tne victors. 
 The Santissima Trinadada, in which he carried it, had been so much the 
 object of attention, that the ship was a perfect wreck when the action 
 ceased. Ma y, indeed, aver that she actually struck both her flag and 
 ensign, hoisting a white flag as a signal of submission ; but as she cop.' 
 
232 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 British killed numbered 73, and the wounded 227, of whom 
 the greater proportion fell to the Captain, the Excellent, and 
 the Cnlloden. The four prizes were the Salvador del Mundo^ 
 112 guns; the San Josef , 112 guns; the San Nicolas, 80 guns; 
 and the San Isidro, 74 guns. 
 
 That an English fleet of only fifteen sail of the line should 
 attack and defeat a Spanish fleet of twenty-seven was in itself 
 a moral victory of the highest importance, far superior to the 
 material victory represented by the few captured vessels, and 
 it necessarily produced a very deep impression on the mind of 
 Europe. It strengthened our seamen in their confidence, 
 their habit of victory, while it taught foreign navies more and 
 more keenly to dread the English at sea to expect as the 
 certain result of encountering our fleets a signal discomfiture. 
 It was right, therefore, that Sir John Jervis, with whom lay the 
 merit of the bold resolution to engage so superior a force, 
 should be rewarded with an earldom ; while Nelson, who had 
 so largely contributed to the victory, received the Red Ribbon 
 of the Bath. 
 
 The Spaniards having collected a large number of gunboats 
 and launches to harass the blockading ships which Sir John 
 Jervis had stationed off Cadiz, Nelson received orders to bom- 
 bard the city. At the same time (July 3rd) he directed a 
 vigorous attack on the enemy's flotilla, pressing it with such 
 determination that it was driven and pursued close to Cadiz. 
 Sir Horatiq fought hand-to-hand with the Spanish commandant; 
 and though the crew of his barge consisted only of himself, 
 Captain Fremantle, the coxswain, and two bargemen, they 
 killed or wounded the whole of the twenty-six men who, with 
 
 tinued her course, and afterwards hoisted a Spanish jack, others doubt this 
 circumstance. It is, however, an indisputable truth that her fire had been 
 silent foi some time before this event is reported to have occurred. It was 
 a defensive combat entirely, on their parts, after Comrnodore 
 obliged them to haul iheir wind ou the larboard tack,'- 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 233 
 
 the commandant, were in the Spanish launch. In this affray 
 Nelson exposed himself to great personal danger, and would 
 probably have lost his life had not his coxswain, John Sykes, 
 interposed his head and received from the uplifted Spanish 
 sabre the blow intended for his leader. Said Lord St. Vincent, 
 " The Rear-Admiral, who is always present in the most arduous 
 enterprises, with the assistance of some other barges, boarded 
 and carried two of the enemy's gunboats and a barge-launch 
 belonging to some of their ships-of-war, with the commandant 
 of the flotilla. Rear-Adiniral Nelson's actions speak for 
 themselves; any praise of mine would fall very short of his 
 merit." 
 
 The Admiral receiving intelligence of the arrival of a precious 
 argosy, El Principe ifAsturias, in the harbour of Santa Cruz, the 
 capital of the island of Teneriffe, dispatched thither a squa- 
 dron, under Sir Horatio Nelson, consisting of three ships of the 
 line, the Theseus, Culloden, and Jealous, and three frigates, the 
 'Jerpsichore, Emerald, and Seahorse, with the Fox cutter. These 
 Were afterwards joined by the Leander, of 50 guns. Arriving 
 off Santa Cruz on the 2oth of July, Nelson sent a summons to 
 the Governor of Santa Cruz, demanding " the immediate sur- 
 render of the ship El Principe d'Asturias, from Manilla, bound 
 to Cadiz, belonging to the Philippine Company, together with 
 her whole and entire cargo ; and also all such other cargoes 
 and property as may have been landed in the island of Tene- 
 riffe, and not intended for the consumption of its inhabitants." 
 This summons was conveyed by Captain Troubridge at the 
 head of a force of 900 seamen and marines, who were 
 to disembark in the north-east part of the Bay of Santa 
 Cruz. But the enemy were in such numbers and so well pre- 
 pared that the attempt failed. On the 24th Nelson anchored 
 his ships about two miles to the northward of the town, and 
 made every show as if he intenaed to attack the heights. At 
 
234 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 eleven o'clock at night the boats of the squadron, containing 
 between 600 and 700 men, with 180 men on board the Fox 
 cutter, and about 70 or 80 in a boat that had been captured 
 the day before, and led by Nelson himself, proceeded towards 
 the mole, where they were to land, and thence pass forward 
 into the great square of the city. The boats were not dis- 
 covered until within half gun-shot of the landing-place. Nel- 
 son then directed them to cast off from each other, give a 
 hearty hurrah, and make for the shore. 
 
 Bat the enemy were in greater force than was supposed. A 
 tremendous fire from thirty or forty pieces of cannon, with 
 musketry, from one end of the town to the other, opened on 
 the British, but failed to daunt their ardent resolution. Un- 
 happily, in the dense darkness, most of the boats failed to see 
 the mole, and, caught in a boiling surf, were thrown ashore 
 and dashed to pieces. 
 
 Nelson, supported by Captains Fremantle and Bowen, with 
 four or five boats, stormed the mole, and carried it, though 
 opposed by four or five hundred men. They spiked all the 
 guns ; but such a storm of musketry and grape-shot was hurled 
 from the citadel and the houses at the head of the arch, that 
 they could not advance, and, after suffering severely, they 
 re-embarked and rowed back to the ships. 
 
 The Fox cutter, in pulling towards the town, received a shot 
 under water from one of the enemy's distant batteries, and sank 
 immediately; her commander with 17 men perished. 
 
 The boats of the Theseus lost 12 killed, 25 wounded, and 
 34 drowned. 
 
 The boats of the Culloden, 3 killed, 18 wounded, and 36 
 drowned. 
 
 The boats of \\\Q Jealous, 5 killed, and 21 wounded. 
 
 The boats of the Leander^ 6 killed, 5 wounded, and I 
 missing. 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 235 
 
 The boats of the Seahorse, 2 killed, and 14 wounded. 
 
 The boats of the Terpsichore^ 8 killed, n wounded, and 
 4 missing. 
 
 The boats of the Emerald, 8 killed, n wounded, and 10 
 drowned. 
 
 And the Fox cutter, 17 drowned. 
 
 Thus this fatal attempt, the disastrous issue of which seems 
 to have been due to the circumstance that the boats did not 
 hit the mole,* entailed a loss of 251 killed, wounded, and miss- 
 ing, besides officers a dark night's work. Nelson in the 
 affray lost his right arm. He had only one foot out of his 
 boat, and was in the act of landing on the mole, when the fatal 
 shot struck him, and he fell back. His sword dropped as he 
 fell, but with singular coolness he groped for it at the bottom of 
 the boat, speedily recovered it, and clutched it in his remaining 
 hand. He called to his brave fighting- men, who had already 
 landed, and directed them to force the gate of the citadel. 
 His son-in-law, Lieutenant Nisbet, then took his handkerchief 
 and bound it round the shattered arm a little above where it 
 had been shot. Meanwhile, under a terrific cannonade from 
 the batteries, the boat hastened to return on board the Theseus. 
 It soon drew near the spot where the Fax cutter had foundered, 
 and its unhappy crew were still struggling in the waters. This 
 was a scene of distress too dreadful for Nelson to pass with indif- 
 ference, and as many as the boat would hold were immediately 
 taken into it, Nelson with his remaining arm lending eager 
 assistance, despite the anguish of his wound, which, indeed, he 
 barely felt in his agony at being compelled to lea\e so many 
 goodly fellows to perish. Every possible effort was made to 
 gain the Theseus, so that the boat might be in time to rescue a 
 
 At the same time it must be owned that there seems to have been a 
 serious want of accurate information as to the strength of the enemy ; the 
 enterprise was too much of " a leap in the dark." 
 
236 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 few more of the victims ; and, a chair being called for to assist 
 the wounded hero in getting on board, his impatience was 
 such that he refused to wait for it, twisted a rope round his 
 left arm, and was thus hauled up into the ship. Amputation 
 immediately took place, but owing to some mistake in taking 
 up a nerve with one of the arteries Nelson for a longtime 
 experienced the severest torture. 
 
 The nature of the wound necessitated his immediate return 
 to England, and he arrived in London about the middle of 
 September. It is needless to say that the nation rose like one 
 man to bid him welcome, and every class, from the highest to 
 the lowest, did homage to his conduct and character, the bril- 
 liancy of his services, and the heroic temper of his courage. The 
 City of London presented him with its freedom in a gold box, 
 and the Crown granted him a pension of ;i,ooo per annum. 
 By November he had perfectly recovered from his wound, and 
 on the i Qth of December he hoisted his flagon board the Van- 
 guard. His Christmas he spent with his aged father, his spring 
 at Bath, and then, his ships being completely equipped, he 
 sailed from St. Helen's on the 9th of April, and on the 29th 
 joined the Mediterranean fleet, under the Earl of St. Vincent, 
 off Cadiz. 
 
 The " situation," as men say, was critical. A large French 
 fleet, under Admiral Brueys, had escorted Napoleon's expe- 
 dition to Egypt, having escaped the notice of the cruising ships 
 which blockaded Toulon. Lord St. Vincent immediately dis- 
 patched Nelson in pursuit with fourteen line-of-battle ships ; 
 and after rapidly scouring the Mediterranean and once putting 
 into Alexandria, our hero discovered that the whole fleet was 
 anchored in the Bay of Aboukir (August ist). This indenta- 
 tion begins at a point about twenty miles to the north-east of 
 Alexandria, and sweeps in a bold semicircle from the castle of 
 AUoukir to the Rosetta mouth of the Nile. Though the 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 237 
 
 circuit is so considerable, the two horns of the crescent are 
 not more than ten miles apart. Line-of-battle ships cannot 
 anchor within a league of the shore, owing to the presence of 
 a great shoal or sandbank, on which there are not more than 
 twenty-four feet of water. On the north-west side lies a small 
 island, about two miles from the castle point, and connected 
 with it by a chain of rocks and sandbanks ; it is almost the 
 sole shelter the bay enjoys. 
 
 The French fleet was in line of battle within this deep bay, 
 but outside the shoal already spoken of. Its seaward flank, so 
 to speak, was covered by the island, on which had been planted 
 a battery of four twelve-pounders, some light guns, and a couple 
 of mortars. The ships were moored in the following order : 
 
 IJiT Gucrrier, 74 guns ; Conqucrant, 74 ; Spartiate, 74 ; 
 Aqinlon, 74; Peuple Souverain, 74; Franklin, 80; 
 1} Orient t 120; Tonnanf,&o; Heureux^^ Mercure.i^ 
 Guillaume Tell, 80 ; Genereux, 74 ; Timoleon, 74. .gft 
 
 Between this noble array and the sandbank were stationed 
 the frigates Seneuse, 36 ; Arfemise, 36 ; and Diane, 40. A 
 couple of gun-brigs, seven gun-boats, and three fire-ships com- 
 pleted the French armament. The Vice-Admiral Brueys flew 
 his flag in the Orient; the Franklin carried that of Rear- 
 Admiral Blanquet ; and the Guillaume Tell that of Rear-Admiral 
 Villeneuve. In all the fleet was armed with 1,196 guns, and 
 carried 11,820 men. Brueys regarded his position as impreg- 
 nable, and he had good reason for so thinking. But Nelson 
 no sooner surveyed it than he determined to attack. " Before 
 this time to-morrow," he exclaimed, " I shall have gained a 
 peerage or Westminster Abbey." The enthusiasm of the com- 
 mander communicated itself to his men. Every heart was 
 afire with the hope of victory. Hatred of the French was 
 lien a part of tr*e national religion^ and there were few \\hg 
 
238 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 did not look forward to the coming battle with an emotion of 
 ardent patriotism. 
 
 The aspect of the French fleet as it lay in the calm shelter 
 of Aboukir's crescent shore has been graphically described by 
 Blackmore, who, in his " Maid of Sker," makes one of his 
 characters, an old seaman, say 
 
 " I shall never forget how beautiful those ships looked, and 
 how peaceful. A French ship always sits on the water with 
 an elegant quickness, like a French woman at the looking-glass. 
 And though we brought the waving breeze in with us very 
 briskly, there was hardly swell enough in the bay to make them 
 play their hawsers. Many fine things have I seen, but it was 
 worth any man's while to live to the age of three score years 
 and eight, with a sound mind in a sound body, and eyes then 
 almost as good as ever, if there were nothing for him more to 
 see than what I saw at this moment. Six-and-twenty ships of 
 the line, thirteen bearing the tricolour, and .... cleared for 
 action. The other thirteen, with the Red Cross flying, the 
 Cross of St. George on the gunnel of white, and tossing the 
 blue water from their stems under pressure of canvas. Onward 
 rushed our British ships as if every one of them were alive 
 and driven out of all patience by the wicked escapes of the 
 enemy. And now, at last, we had got them tight, and mean 
 we did to keep them." 
 
 Tie wind at this time was north-north-west, and blew what 
 seamen call a top-gallant breeze. It was necessary to take in 
 the royals, to haul up on a wind. The Admiral made the 
 signal to prepare for battle, and that it was his intention to 
 attack the enemy's van and centre as they lay at anchor, 
 according to a plan previously developed, the nature of which 
 will presently be apparent. In disposing his force his idea 
 was, first, to secure the victory, and next to make it complete. 
 A bower-cable of each ship was immediately got out abaft And 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 39 
 
 
 
 bent forward. They continued carrying sail, and stood in for 
 the enemy's fleet in close line of battle. As all the officers of 
 the squadron were totally unacquainted with Aboukir Bay, each 
 ship kept sounding as she stood in. 
 
 At this moment the French ships were lying at single 
 anchor, without springs on their cables, and each had a watering 
 party on shore. Brueys recalled these detachments by signal, 
 and further strengthened his fighting force by drawing some 
 men from his frigates. He then signalled to prepare for 
 action, but observing that the British fleet hove-to, he con- 
 cluded that Nelson would not attack until the following morn- 
 ing, and signalled to remain at anchor, in the hope that, under 
 cover of the night, he might be able to obey Napoleon's 
 instructions and steal out to sea. 
 
 The enemy's position, as we have said, presented the most 
 formidable obstacles, but Nelson was resolute to attack it. 
 Where there was room for an enemy's ship to swing, he said, 
 there was room for one of ours to anchor ; and he formed the 
 determination of passing between the shoal and the French 
 fleet, and attacking the latter on its unprepared side. Having 
 signalled his ships to form in line of battle ahead and astern 
 of the flag-ship, he hailed the Zealous to know if there were 
 sufficient depth of water. " I don't know, sir," answered 
 Hood, " but, with your permission, I will stand in and try." 
 
 Here let us pause to enumerate the vessels which composed 
 the British squadron. 
 
 T , f Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson. ) 
 
 Vanguard . 74 guns \ . _ I ttf 
 
 ( Captain Berry ) **f 
 
 Minotaur . . 74 Louis ....... 640 
 
 Audacious . 74 Gould ...,.., 590 
 
 Defence . . 74 M Peyton ....... 590 
 
 Zealous 74 Hood 590 
 
 Orion . 74 Sir James Saumarez . . 590 
 
 Goliath . . 74 Foley . .* 590 
 
240 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Majestic . 74 guns Captain Wcstcott ...... 590 men. 
 
 Bellerophon . 74 ,, Darby ....... 590 
 
 Ciilhden . . 74 Trow bridge ..... 590 
 
 Theseus . . 74 Miller 590 
 
 Alexander . 74 > Ball ........ 590 t> 
 
 Swiftsure . 74 Hallhvell ...... 590 
 
 Leaiuier . , 50 Thompson 343 t9 
 
 Total : 1,012 guns and 8,068 men. 
 
 Taking repeated soundings, the Zealous carefully cleared the 
 shoal, with the Goliath slightly ahead on her larboard bow. 
 The remainder of the fleet followed in order Orion, Audacious, 
 Theseus, Vanguard, Minotaur, Defence, Bellerophon, Majestic, 
 and Leander. The Culhdcn was under press of sail to the 
 northward, while to the west, making equal efforts to join the 
 fleet, were the Alexander and Swiftsure, with colours hoisted 
 and the union-jack waving from their rigging. 
 
 At about half-past six the action began, the Conquerant 
 and the Guerrier opening a distance cannonade on the slowly 
 advancing Goliath and Zealous. Two minutes more and the 
 Goliath, ranging ahead of the Guerrier, which in passing she 
 hailed with a tremendous broadside, bore up for that vessel's 
 mainbow; but her anchor not dropping soon enough, she drove 
 on until abreast of the larboard quarter of the second of the 
 French line, the Conquerant. The Zealous then glided into 
 the station on the larboard or mainbow of the Guerrier, which 
 Foley had intended to take. These four ships were speedily 
 at work, while the island battery contributed to the terrible 
 din. The broadside of the Zealous brought down the Guerrier's 
 foremast, an omen of good fortune which was hailed by three 
 enthusiastic cheers from ihe whole British line. 
 
 Next came up the Orion, which, running past the Zealous 
 and the Goliath, made for the bow of the Aquilon, but as she 
 bore down the Seriense frigate ventured to open fire upon her. 
 The audacious challenge met with an immediate response, the 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 24! 
 
 Orion pouring in her starboard guns, dismasting the venture- 
 some frigate, and shattering her hull so terribly that, drifting 
 back upon the shoal, she filled and partially went down. 
 Eventually the man-of-war brought up her head to wind, and 
 assailed on the one side the Peuple Souvcrain, and on the 
 other the Franklin. 
 
 In standing in, the leading ships were unavoidably obliged 
 to receive into their bows the whole fire of the broadsides of 
 the French line till they could take their respective stations ; 
 and it is but justice to observe that the enemy encountered their 
 opponents with great firmness and deliberation, no colours 
 being hoisted on either side, nor a gun fired till our van ships 
 were within half gun-shot. At this time the necessary number 
 of our men were engaged aloft in furling sails, and on deck 
 in hauling the braces and other requisite employments, pre- 
 paratory to casting anchor. As soon as this took place a most 
 animated fire opened from the Vanguard, which continued to 
 cover the approach of those in the rear, as they followed in 
 close line. The Minotaur, Defence, Beller option. Majestic, 
 Swiftsure, and Alexander came up in succession, and, passing 
 within hail of the Vanguard, took their respective stations 
 opposed to the enemy's array. All our ships anchored by the 
 stern, by which means the British line became inverted from 
 van to rear. Captain Thompson, of the Leander, of 50 guns, 
 with a degree of judgment highly honourable to his professional 
 character, advanced towards the enemy's line on the outside 
 and most judiciously dropped his anchor athwart hawse oi 
 Le Frankiin, raking her with great success ; the shot from the 
 Leander s broadside, which passed that ship, all striking 
 the flag-ship L Orient, of the French commander-in-chief.* 
 
 It was then about seven o'clock, and the glories of the sun- 
 set were fading slowly on the purple rim of the distant desert. 
 * From Sir Edward Berry's narrative iu the Naval ChronicU* 
 R 
 
243 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 A part of each fleet was fiercely engaged ; the thunder of their 
 guns rolled with heavy reverberations through the echoing 
 streets of Alexandria ; while the heights around the bay were 
 crowded with excited spectators of the naval battle. The 
 ardour with which it was fought seems almost inconceivable. In 
 a few minutes every man stationed at the first six guns in the 
 fore part of the Vanguard's deck was down, killed or wounded, 
 and one gun in particular was repeatedly swept clear ; a mid- 
 shipman was just exulting over his remarkable escapes when a 
 shot came and struck him in two. Nowhere did the fray rage 
 more fiercely than round Nelson's flag-ship, which was made 
 conspicuous by the six ensigns, red, white, and blue, 
 fluttering from various parts of its rigging. Assailed both by 
 the Spartiate and the Aquilon, even Nelson must have felt 
 relieved when the Minotaur came up and took off the fire of 
 the latter. 
 
 With lofty courage Captain Darby laid his ship, the Bcl- 
 lerophon, alongside the great French three-decker, the Orient, 
 while the Majestic challenged the Tonnant t an 8o-gun ship. 
 
 In his eagerness to take part in the glorious conflict, Captain 
 Trowbridge ran the Culloden upon the Aboukir shoal. 
 Neither the exertions of her men and commander nor the 
 ready help of the Leander could get her off. She acted as a 
 beacon, however, to save the Swiftsnre and the Alexander from 
 a similar misadventure. The former came into action at about 
 half-past eight, and Captain Halliwell aimed her shot, within 
 a range of 200 yards, at the French flag-ship. On the larboard 
 side of the latter the ordnance of the Alexander did con- 
 siderable execution. 
 
 As the darkness of the night spread over the scene of 
 carnage, our British ships, in obedience to their Admiral's 
 signal, hoisted their distinguishing lights. Victory was with 
 them from the beginning; three French vessels, the Gverrier, 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 243 
 
 t) and Spartiate, being dismasted in the first thirty 
 mir.utes. The Aquilon and the Peuple Souverain, the fourth and 
 fifth ships of the enemy's line, were taken possession of at half- 
 past eight. Captain Berry, at that hour, sent Lieutenant 
 Gal way, of the Vanguard, with a party of marines, to take 
 possession of the Spartiate ; and that officer returned by the 
 boat the French captain's sword for immediate presentation to 
 Nelson, who was then below suffering from a severe wound in 
 the head received during the heat of the attacks. 
 
 While he was standing on the quarter-deck of the Vanguard, 
 a langridge-shot, or small iron bar, struck him in the forehead, 
 and he would have fallen but for the prompt action of Captain 
 Berry, who caught him in his arms. So great was the effusion of 
 blood that those around feared the wound must be mortal, and 
 such was the hero's own impression. A large flap of the skin of 
 the forehead, cut from the bone, had fallen over one eye, so that 
 he was completely blinded. On being carried down into the 
 cockpit, where the wounded were lying in their agony, the 
 surgeon hastened to attend upon him. " No, no," he replied 
 with the utmost composure, " I will take my turn with my 
 brave fellows." 
 
 As the agony of his wound increased, he yielded to an old 
 presentiment that he should die in battle, and began to prepare 
 for death. He desired his chaplain to bear his best remem- 
 brance to Lady Nelson ; and signed a commission appointing 
 his friend, the gallant Hardy, to the rank of post-captain in the 
 Vanguard. Soon afterwards, at his express desire, Captain 
 Louis, of the Minotaur, came on board, Nelson desiring to 
 thank him personally for the assistance which he had rendered 
 to the Vanguard. " My dear Louis," said the Admiral. 
 "farewell! I shall never, should I survive, forget the obli- 
 gation I am under to you. Whatever may become of me, my 
 mind is at peace." By this time the surgeon was at liberty ta 
 
244 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 attend to him. While he examined the wound a deep silence 
 prevailed ; but no sooner did he pronounce it to have been 
 merely superficial, and not dangerous in character, than a loud 
 murmur of delight arose, which gave Nelson infinitely more 
 pleasure than the assurance that his life was safe. 
 
 As the Swiftsure sailed statelily into the press of the battle, 
 her path luridly lighted up by the flashes of the guns, she fell in 
 with a dismasted ship, which was slowly dragging its shot-torn 
 hull out of fire. She was about to cannonade her, when 
 Captain Halliwell bethought himself of hailing to ask what 
 vessel she was. " Bcllerophon, going out of action disabled," 
 was the reply. The Swijtsure immediately let go her anchor, 
 and dropping into the place just quitted by the Belkrophon, 
 crashed her broadside into an enemy's ship, which afterwards 
 proved to be the Tonnant. The BeUerophon had stoutly held 
 her own against the great French flag-ship, the Orient, for three- 
 quarters of an hour; but having lost her mainmast and mizen- 
 mast, with 29 men killed and 148 wounded, had been com- 
 pelled at last to withdraw from the unequal combat. As she 
 ranged ahead her foremast went by the board, and it was in 
 this condition that the Swiftsure found her. 
 
 The Orient, however, was not fated to escape. The Leander 
 harassed her with occasional shot, and about half-past eight 
 the Swiftsure opened upon her with her larboard guns. The 
 Alexander, on coming into the melee, took up a position to rake 
 her with her starboard broadside. A few minutes after nine 
 the crew of the Swiftsure detected signs of fire in the mizen- 
 chains of the great flag-ship, and pointed their guns towards the 
 spot with tremendous effect. The flames crept swiftly along 
 the deck, ran up the masts, and wreathed the yards and 
 rigging, reflecting a dreadful lurid glow on the dense clouds of 
 battle, and bringing into startling relief, as in the pageant of 
 a festal illumination, the spars and shrouds of the contending 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LOS D NET,SOtf. 245 
 
 vessels. At about ten o'clock the fire reached the maga/ines, 
 and then the huge three-decker blew up with a tremendous crash, 
 which shook the neighbouring men-of-war from stem to stern, 
 and filled the aii with burning beams and pieces of blazing 
 timber. " The whole sky," it is said, "was blotched with the 
 corpses of men, like the stones of a crater cast upward ; and 
 the sheet of fire behind them showed their arms, their bellies, 
 and streaming hair. Then with a hiss, like electric hail from a 
 mile's height, all came down again, corpses first, and timber 
 next, and then the great spars that had streaked the sky like 
 rockets." 
 
 This awful catastrophe was followed by a sudden silence, and 
 the boldest held their breath for a time. It was fully ten 
 minutes before a gun was fired on either side. Meanwhile a 
 boat, the only one that could swim,was dispatched from the Van- 
 guard to rescue the survivors of the explosion ; other ships, 
 when able, followed the example, and altogether about seventy 
 Frenchmen were saved. 
 
 The firing was resumed about half-past ten. The Defence 
 and the Swift sure soon silenced the guns of the Franklin, 
 bringing down her masts and compelling her to surrender. It 
 was early morning when the French frigate, Artemise, hauled 
 down her colours ; her captain, after having thus surrendered, 
 set fire to his ship, and, with part of his crew, made his escape 
 ashore. Another of the French frigates, La Serieuse, had been 
 sunk by the fire from some of our men-of-war; but, as her 
 poop remained above water, her men were saved on it, and 
 taken off by our boats in the morning. At eleven o'clock the 
 Gen'ereux and Gnillaume Tell, with two frigates, La Justine and 
 La Diana, cut their cables and stood out to sea, pursued by 
 the Zealous, which endeavoured to prevent their escape. But, 
 as there was no ship in a condition to support her, she was 
 recalled. 
 
30 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 The whole of the 2nd of August was employed in securing 
 the prizes, which were all in possession of the British, except 
 the Tonnant and Timoleon. As they were both dismasted and 
 could not escape, they could safely be left until the following 
 morning. The Timoleon, however, was set on fire by her own 
 crew ; the Tonnant was seized on the 3rd. Thus, of all the 
 splendid fleet which had accompanied Napoleon from France, 
 and was designed to maintain his communications with the 
 mother-country, only two line-of-battle ships and two frigates 
 escaped. This momentous victory, however, had more than 
 annihilated a fleet ; it had checkmated the ambitious design 
 of the French general, and effectually baffled his scheme of 
 Oriental supremacy. 
 
 The loss of the British in the battle of the Nile amounted to 
 218 killed and 678 wounded. That of the French must have 
 exceeded 3,000. Amongst the killed was the French com- 
 mander- in-chief, Vice-Ad miral Brueys, who about two o'clock 
 received a shot that almost cut him in two. He refused to 
 be taken below, exclaiming, " Un amiral fran9ais doit mourir 
 sur son bane de quart," and survived his wound only some 
 fifteen minutes. In the explosion of the Orient perished Com- 
 modore Casa-Bianca and his son, a lad of only ten years of age. 
 According to a story popularised by Mrs. Hemans, he 
 refused to quit his post, even when the flames of the burning 
 ship rolled around him, because he had not received his father's 
 permission : 
 
 *' The boy stood on the burning deck, 
 
 Whence all but he had fled : 
 The flame that lit the battle's wreck 
 Shone round him o'er the dead. 
 
 The flames rolled on he would not go 
 
 Without his father's word ; 
 That father, faint in death below, 
 
 His voice no longer heard* 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. *47 
 
 There came a burst of thunder-sound, 
 
 The boy ah ! where was he ? 
 Ask of the winds that far around 
 
 With fragments strewed the sea 
 
 With mast and helm, and pennon fair, 
 
 That well had borne their part ; 
 But the noblest thing that perished there 
 
 Was the young and faithful heart." 
 
 The rough grasp of matter of fact has torn away the veil of 
 romance with which poetry had draped this incident, and it is 
 now known that, at the time of the explosion,* the elder Casa- 
 Bianca was below, having his wound dressed, with his son in 
 attendance upon him.f 
 
 * A French authority gives a different version : " Commodore Casa- 
 Bianca and his son, who was only ten years old, and who gave, during the 
 ac'ion, proofs of bravery and intelligence far above his age, were not so 
 fortunate. They were in the water, on the wreck of L" Orients masts, not 
 being able to swim, seeking each other, till three-quarters past ten, when 
 the ship blew up, and put an end to their hopes and fears." 
 
 f To this account of the battle of the Nile it will be convenient to add 
 Coleridge's description of the action between Captain Ball's ship, the 
 Alexander, and the Orient, as derived from Captain Ball himself: 
 
 " It was already dark when Captain Ball brought his ship into action, 
 and laid her alongside the Orient. 
 
 " He had previously made a combustible preparation, which, from the 
 nature of the engagement to be expected, he had proposed to reserve for 
 the last emergency ; but just at the time when, from several symptoms, he 
 had every reason to believe the enemy would soon strike to him, one of the 
 lieutenants, without his knowledge, threw in the combustible matter ; and 
 this it was that occasioned the tremendous explosion of that vessel, which, 
 with the deep silence and interruption of the engagement that succeeded 
 to it, has been fitly deemed the sublimest war incident recorded in 
 history. . . . 
 
 " At the renewal of the battle, Captain Ball, though his ship was then 
 on fire in three different places, laid her alongside a French eighty-four, 
 and a second long obstinate contest began. The firing on the part of the 
 French ship having at length, and for some time, slackened, and then alto- 
 gether ceased, and yet no sign being given of surrender, the senior 
 lieutenant of the Alexander came to Captain Ball and informed him that 
 the hearts of his men were as good as ever, but that they were so com- 
 
248 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 II. 
 
 Leaving a squadron to cruise off Alexandria, Nelson sailed 
 on the i8th of August for Naples, where, it is needless to say, 
 he was received with befitting splendour by the King and 
 Queen, and with true southern enthusiasm by the population. 
 There, too, he resumed that acquaintanceship with Lady 
 Hamilton which has left so unfortunate a shadow on his 
 career. It cannot be doubted that the admiration which was 
 at this time lavished upon him had a deteriorating effect on his 
 moral character, and developed in him an arrogance and an 
 egotism which provoked the regret of judicious friends. The 
 honours and rewards with which he was freely loaded helped to 
 swell this intemperance of pride. He was created a peer of 
 Great Britain, by the title of Baron Nelson of the Nile, and 
 of Burnham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk ; and a pension 
 of ^2,000 per annum was granted to him and his two next 
 successors in the title. A gold medal was struck in honour of 
 his victory. The Irish Government bestowed upon him an 
 annuity of ;i, ooo. The East India Company voted him a 
 gift of ;io,ooo; while so many towns and cities voted him 
 
 pletely exhausted that they were scarcely capable of lifting an arm. He 
 asked, therefore, that as the enemy had ceased firing, the men might be 
 permitted to lie down by their guns for a short time. After some leflec- 
 tion, Captain Ball acceded to the proposal, taking, of course, the proper 
 precaution to rouse them again at the moment he thought requisite. 
 
 "Accordingly, with the exception of himself, his cflicers, and the 
 appointed watch, the ship's crew lay down, each in the place at which he 
 was stationed, and slept there twenty minutes. 
 
 "They were then roused, and started up, more like men out jf an am- 
 bush than from sleep, so co-instantaneously did they all obey the summons. 
 They recommenced their fire, and in a few minutes the enemy surrendered ; 
 it was soon after discovered that during the interval, and almost imme- 
 diately after the French ship had first ceased firing, her crew had sunk 
 down by their guns, and there slept, almost by the side, as it were, of theijr 
 Bleeping enemies." 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 249 
 
 their freedom that he was overwhelmed by the shower of gold 
 boxes. Moreover, the Crown granted him a most honourable 
 augmentation of his armorial bearings, including the well- 
 known motto, " Palmam qui meruit ferat." 
 
 The successes of the French armies in Southern Italy ren- 
 dering necessary the departure of the King and Queen from 
 Naples, Nelson, on the 22nd of December, embarked them 
 and their suite on board the Vanguard, and conveyed them to 
 Palermo. He himself remained at Palermo, directing British 
 naval operations in the eastern Mediterranean, for seven months. 
 Meanwhile the French evacuated Naples, which was occupied 
 by Cardinal Ruffo, with an army of 20,000 Calabrese and other 
 royalists, and by the summer of 1799 a prospect was opened 
 up of the return of their Sicilian Majesties to their capital. 
 Nelson, accompanied by Sir William and Lady Hamilton^ 
 accordingly proceeded in the Foudroyant, on board of which he 
 had hoisted his flag, to Naples, charged with full power by the 
 King, and set to work to restore order. This unfortunate 
 mission, one which no English admiral ought to have under- 
 taken, involved him in painful complicity with what cannot be 
 otherwise regarded than as a judicial murder the execution of 
 Prince Caraccioli, on a pretended charge of high treason. 
 Even Southey speaks of this as "a deplorable transaction, a 
 stain upon the memory of Nelson and the honour of England." 
 Nelson was too honest and too just not to see the gross defects of 
 the Neapolitan Government ; but his hatred of the French was 
 as absorbing a passion as Hannibal's hatred of the Romans; and 
 to deliver Naples from their influence, though he threw it back 
 into the cruel arms of the Bourbons, seemed to him an absolute 
 duty. He was rewarded for his exertions with the dukedom 
 and estate of Bronte, worth about ,3,000 a year, and the 
 Circean smiles of Lady Hamilton. 
 
 Returning to England towards the close of 1800, he met with 
 
250 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 n reception worthy of the English people and of himself 
 worthy of the greatest maritime nation of the world, and of 
 " the greatest sailor since the world began." The influence of 
 Lady Hamilton was at this time daily increasing, and its extent 
 was marked by his separation from his wife, under circum- 
 stances which Nelson's biographer cannot attempt to excuse or 
 defend. On the ist of January, 1801, he became a Vice* 
 Admiral of the Blue, and on the izth of March sailed as 
 second in command to Sir Hyde Parker, who had been placed 
 at the head of a great naval expedition destined to act against 
 Denmark. Briefly it may be stated that Napoleon had in- 
 duced the northern powers, Russia, Denmark, and Sweden, to 
 join with him in an effort to extort from England a surrender 
 of her traditional naval rights. To break up this confederacy 
 was the object of the expedition, of which, if Parker were the 
 head, Nelson was the heart and soul. The British fleet passed 
 the Sound in safety, and on the morning of the 2nd of April 
 began the attack upon Copenhagen. The Danish force con- 
 sisted of six sail of the line, 1 1 floating batteries, numbering 
 from 26 24-pounders to 18 i8-pounders, one bomb-ship, and 
 several schooner gun-vessels. These were supported by the 
 batteries on the Crown islands, amounting to 88 cannon, and 
 four sail of the line moored in the harbour's mouth, and some 
 batteries in the island of Amak. Nelson's force consisted of 12 
 sail of the line, four frigates, four sloops, two fire-ships, and seven 
 bombs ; three of the men-of-war, however, ran ashore. A terrible 
 contest ensued, the Danes fighting with great gallantry and 
 determination ; and so uncertain seemed the result, that Sir 
 Hyde Parker about one o'clock made signals for the action to 
 cease. " Leave off action?" said Nelson, when informed of the 
 
 signal : " now d me if I do ! " " Shall I repeat it ? " said 
 
 the signal lieutenant. " No, acknowledge it ; " and turning to 
 his captain, he said, "You know, Foley, 1 have only one eye; 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 251 
 
 I can't see it ; " and he put his glass to his blind eye. " Nail 
 my signal," he added, " for close action to the mast/ 1 About 
 two the gunnery of the British prevailed, and the Danes ceased 
 firing along nearly the whole line. Captain Fremantle says, 
 " When the ships abreast of the Elephant and Ganges were 
 completely silenced, Lord Nelson desired me to go to him. He 
 was in his cabin, talking to some Danish officers out of one of 
 the ships captured, saying how anxious he was to meet the 
 Russians, and wished it had been them instead of Danes we 
 had engaged. At this time he put into my hand a letter, 
 which he meant immediately to send to the Crown Prince of 
 Denmark in a flag of truce." This letter he refused to seal 
 with a wafer, and called for wax and a candle : " It was no 
 time," he said, " to appear hurried and informal." It ran as 
 follows : 
 
 " Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson has been commanded to spare 
 Denmark when she no longer resists. The line of defence 
 which covers her shores has struck to the British flag ; but if the 
 firing is continued on the part of Denmark, he must set on fire 
 all the prizes he has taken, without having the power of saving 
 the brave men who have so nobly defended them." 
 
 At this time the British ships were all cut to pieces, and 
 Nelson knew that it would be a difficult task to get them out of 
 the shoals. But in about half an hour a Danish superior officer 
 brought a reply from the Crown Prince, desiring to know 
 Nelson's particular object in sending a flag of truce. The 
 British Admiral answered that his object was humanity ; that 
 he was willing hostilities should cease ; that he would remove 
 his prisoners out of the captured vessels, which he would burn 
 or carry off, as he thought fit ; adding that he should consider 
 it the greatest victory he had ever gained if it should effect a 
 reconciliation between his own sovereign and the King of 
 Denmark. The firing having entirely ceased, Nelson lost not 
 
252 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 a moment in extricating his squadron from its dangerous 
 position among the shoals. The ships cut their cables and 
 ran out, but were so crippled as to be unmanageable. Four 
 were ashore, and had to be got off during the night by the 
 boats of Sir Hyde Parker's division. A suspension of hostilities 
 was, however, agreed to, and this was followed by an armistice 
 for fourteen weeks, the precursor of a treaty of peace which 
 detached Denmark from the French alliance. 
 
 For his victory at Copenhagen Nelson received the thanks 
 of both Houses of Parliament, and was raised to a viscountcy. 
 On his return to England he was appointed to a command 
 extending from Orfordness to Beechy Head, that he might watch 
 and defeat Napoleon's extensive preparations for the invasion 
 of England. After the peace of Amiens he lived for some 
 time in seclusion at Merton Abbey, in Surrey, where he had 
 purchased a small estate. Sir William and Lady Hamilton 
 were his constant guests, until the death of the former on the 
 6th of April, 1803. 
 
 On the renewal of the war with France, Nelson was ap- 
 pointed, in May, 1803, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediter- 
 ranean station, and hoisted his flag in the Victory, of 1 10 guns, 
 which for some months continued to watch the French fleet in 
 Toulon. Nelson repudiated the notion that he " blockaded " 
 Toulon. In his own words, writing in August, 1804, "Every 
 opportunity has been offered the enemy to put to sea, for 
 it is there that we hope to realise the hopes and expectations 
 of our country." In the January of 1805 war broke out 
 between England and Spain, and in the same month Villeneu\ e 
 and the Toulon fleet put to sea in order to effect a junction 
 with the Spanish fleet. Stress of weather forced them back to 
 port, but on the last day of March they slipped out again, and 
 were joined by the Spanish contingent, with 4,500 men on 
 board. The combined fleet numbered 20 sail of the line and 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 253 
 
 lofrigatps; Nelson had only 10 sail of the line and three 
 frigates. His quick sagacity conjectured Villeneuve's destina- 
 tion, and he wrote accordingly to the Admiralty, that " he was 
 sailing after the combined fleet to the West Indies, and if he 
 did not find them there he would follow them to the Antipodes." 
 The enemy, however, had the start of him by more than a 
 month. Nelson reached Barbadoes on the 4th of June ; but 
 inaccurate information misled him. Villeneuve had appeared 
 before several West Indian islands, Grenad.i, Antigua, and 
 Martinico, and then at the news of Nelson's approach hastened 
 back to Europe. Nelson pursued them, as the hound pursues 
 the hare, having saved the West Indies literally by the prestige 
 of his name. 
 
 Worn out with anxiety and fatigue, Nelson returned to 
 England, and withdrew to his country seat to recruit his shat- 
 tered health. Then, in early September, the news reached him 
 that the French and Spanish fleets, after an indecisive action 
 with Sir Robert Calder, had entered Cadiz in safety. The 
 war-horse scented the battle afar off, and could rest no longer. 
 He repaired to the Admiralty and offered his services, which 
 were accepted with alacrity. He would fight the twofold 
 armada, and " depend upon it," he said, " I shall yet give De 
 Villeneuve a sound drubbing." During the few weeks allowed 
 for preparation he formed his plans of attack j and Lord Sid- 
 mouth has left it on record that, in the course of a visit he 
 received from Nelson, three weeks before the battle of Tra- 
 falgar, the great Admiral described his scheme with bits of paper 
 on a table as it was afterwards fought. But if confident of 
 victory, he was not without a presentiment of his own fate. 
 After the battle of the Nile, Sir Benjamin Halliwell had caused 
 a coffin to be wrought out of the mainmast of the Orient, and 
 presented it to him. He now desired its history to be en- 
 graved on its lid, saying that he should probably want it on his 
 
2$4 EMINENT SATLOKS. 
 
 return. Arriving at Portsmouth on the i4th of September, 
 he was "made the object of an almost unparalleled demon- 
 stration of popular enthusiasm. The immense crowds that 
 lined the streets wept and knelt as he passed along, and 
 overwhelmed him with blessings. They bade him God 
 speed with a cheer which had in it all the might and majesty 
 of a nation's love and gratitude. As his barge pushed off 
 to the flag-ship he waved his hat : it was his last farewell to 
 England. 
 
 On the 2 Qth of September, his birthday, Nelson arrived off 
 Cadiz, where Collingwood was closely watching the combined 
 fleet, lie had sent forward the Euryalus frigate to inform 
 Collingwood of his advance, and to direct that no salute should 
 be fired to reveal to the enemy that the British fleet had been 
 reinforced. On assuming the command he had 27 sail of the 
 line, with which he retired to a station upwards of sixteen 
 leagues from Cadiz, leaving two frigates to watch the harbour, 
 and stationing a line of three men-of-war to maintain the com- 
 munication between them and the main fleet. On the day 
 that Nelson joined the fleet Napoleon dispatched positive in- 
 junctions to Villeneuve to carry his squadron into the Mediter- 
 ranean, and, clearing it of British cruisers and merchant vessels, 
 to proceed to Toulon. Villeneuve prepared to obey orders, 
 but did not venture to put to sea without his Spanish auxili- 
 aries. He moored his fleet at the mouth of the harbour, and 
 waited there for a fair wind. Eight days elapsed before he got 
 what he wanted, but on the igth and 2oth of October he 
 weighed anchor and set sail, having with him 33 sail of the 
 line, five frigates, and ten brigs. 
 
 Nelson's force consisted of 27 sail of the line and four 
 frigates, drawn up in two lines or columns, as hereinunder set 
 forth : * 
 
 JAMES, Naval History of Great Britain. 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 
 
 BRITISH VAN, OR WEATHER COLUMN. 
 
 255 
 
 Victory . . . 
 
 1 10 guns 
 
 Admiral Lord Nelson and Captain Hardy. 
 
 Temerairc . . . 
 
 9^ it 
 
 Captain Harvey. 
 
 ffeptrtne . . - 
 
 98 
 
 Fremantle. 
 
 Conqueror . . 
 
 74 M 
 
 M Pollen. 
 
 Leviath.m . . 
 
 74 ii 
 
 ,, Bayntorn. 
 
 Ajax .... 
 
 74 i 
 
 Lieutenant Pilfold. 
 
 Orion .... 
 
 74 ii 
 
 Captain Codrington. 
 
 Agamem/'on . . 
 
 64 ,, 
 
 Sir Edward Berry. 
 
 Minotaur , . . 
 
 74 
 
 tt Mansfield. 
 
 Spartiate . . . 
 
 74 
 
 Sir Francis Laforey. 
 
 Britannia . . . 
 
 100 
 
 Rear- Ad. Lord Northcoteand Capt. Bullen. 
 
 Africa .... 
 
 64 
 
 Captain Digby. 
 
 
 REAR 
 
 , OR LEE COLUMN. 
 
 Royal S<>r?K-ijn. 
 
 100 guns 
 
 Adm. Colling wood and Capt. Rotherham. 
 
 Mars .... 
 
 74 ii 
 
 Captain Duff. 
 
 Bellcisle . . . 
 
 74 M 
 
 Hargood. 
 
 Townmt . . . 
 
 80 
 
 ii Tyler. 
 
 BelleropJ,,ni . . 
 
 74 ii 
 
 Cooke. 
 
 Colossus , , . 
 
 74 
 
 Moiris.- 
 
 ^cA7/<f .... 
 
 74 ii 
 
 King. 
 
 Polyphemus . , 
 
 6 4 
 
 Red mill. 
 
 Revenge . . . 
 
 74 ,i 
 
 Moorsom. 
 
 Stviftsurc . . . 
 
 74 
 
 Rutherford 
 
 Defence . . . 
 
 74 i 
 
 Hope. 
 
 Thunderer , 
 
 74 i 
 
 Lieutenant Slockham. 
 
 Defiance . . . 
 
 74 
 
 Captain Durham. 
 
 Prince . . 
 
 74 
 
 GrindalL 
 
 Dreadnoug' t . 
 
 93 ,i 
 
 ,, Conn. 
 
 
 
 FRIGATES; 
 
 EuryaluS . . . 
 
 36 
 
 The Honourable Captain Blackwood. 
 
 Sirius .... 
 
 36 
 
 Captain Prowse. 
 
 Phcebe .... 
 
 36 
 
 Capel. 
 
 Naiad .... 
 
 36 
 
 ,, Parker. 
 
 Pickle (schooner) 
 
 10 
 
 Lieutenant Laponitiere, 
 
 Entreprenante \ 
 (cutter) / 
 
 10 
 
 M Payer. 
 
 The British fleet was, therefore, numerically inferior to the 
 allies ; but it was still more signally inferior in number and 
 calibre of guns, as well as in men, On board the allied fleet 
 
256 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 ivere distributed 10,000 veterans to insure success in boarding, 
 and the ships were furnished with fire-balls and combustible 
 materials of every description. The French commander-in- 
 chief was Admiral Villeneuve, with Rear- Admirals Dumanoir 
 und Magnon as seconds. The Spaniards were commanded 
 by Admiral Gravina, with Admirals Don Ignaiez Morea 
 D'Alva, Don Domingo Guadalharas, and Commodore Don 
 Baltazere, under him. 
 
 On the Qth of October Nelson sent his plan of attack to 
 Collingwood. It was a development and a scientific applica- 
 tion of Rodney's principle of breaking the line. His fleet was 
 to move towards the enemy in two divisions, with an advanced 
 squadron of eight of the fastest two-deckers. Collingwood, at 
 the head of one division, was to break through the enemy about 
 the twelfth ship from their rear, Nelson would strike at the centre, 
 and the advanced squadron was to cut off three or four ships 
 ahead of the centre. The plan would necessarily vary accord- 
 ing to the strength of the enemy, but its governing principle 
 was that the British should always be one-fourth superior to 
 the ships they cut off. " Something," he added in explaining 
 this plan, " must be left to chance. Nothing is sure in a sea- 
 fight, beyond all others ; shots will carry away masts and yards 
 of friends as well as foes. But I look with confidence 
 to a victory before the van of the enemy could succour 
 the rear, and then that the British fleet would be ready 
 to receive the twenty sail of the line, or to pursue them 
 should they endeavour to make off. If the van of the enemy 
 tacks, the captured ships must run to leeward of the British 
 fleet. If the enemy wears, the British fleet must place them- 
 selves between the enemy and the captured and the disabled 
 British ships ; and should the enemy close, I have no fear as 
 to the result. The second in command will in all possible 
 things direct the movements qf his line, by keeping them a* 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 25) 
 
 compact as the nature of the circumstances will admit. Cap- 
 tains are to look to their particular line as their rallying-point, 
 but in case signals cannot be seen or clearly understood, no 
 captain can do wrong if he places his ship alongside that of an 
 enemy." 
 
 " When," says Nelson, " I came to explain to the com- 
 manders of the fleet the Nelson touch, it was like an electric 
 shock. Some shed tears ; all approved. It was new, it was 
 singular, it was simple ; and from admirals downwards it was 
 repeated, ' It must succeed if ever they will allow us to get 
 at them! You are, my lord, surrounded by friends whom you 
 inspire with confidence,' " 
 
 On the iQth Nelson learned that his hope had been ful- 
 filled, and that the combined fleet had put to sea. He con- 
 cluded at once that their destination was the Mediterranean 
 and made all sail for the entrance of the Straits of Gibraltar. 
 At daylight on Monday, the 2ist, they were discovered when 
 some leagues from Cape Trafalgar, six or seven miles to the 
 eastward. Nelson was then upon deck, and regarded the 
 enemy with the victor's prophetic eye. Signal was made to 
 bear down in two lines according to arrangement, and prepare 
 for battle, after which he descended to his cabin, and at seven 
 o'clock wrote down the following prayer : 
 
 "May the great God whom I worship grant to my country, 
 and for the benefit of Europe in general, a gre.it and glorious 
 victory ! and may no misconduct in any one tarnish it ! and 
 may humanity, after victory, be the predominant feature in the 
 British fleet ! For myself, individually, I commend my life to 
 Him who made me, and may His blessing light upon my en- 
 deavours for serving my country faithfully ! To Him I resign 
 myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend, 
 Amen ! Amen I Amen / " 
 
 s 
 
258 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 He wrote also a memorandum recapitulating the public 
 services of Lady Hamilton, and bequeathing her as well as his 
 adopted daughter to the generosity of his country. 
 
 It was noticed that on this occasion he showed none of that 
 joyousness of spirit peculiar to him on the eve of a great enter- 
 prise. He was serenely calm ; but evidently a presentiment of 
 coming death guided all his thoughts. Of Captain Blackwood 
 he asked what he should consider as a victory. There was no 
 sign of hesitancy or weakness on the part of the enemy, and 
 Blackwood answered, therefore, that the capture of fourteen sail 
 of the line would be a grand result. " I shall not be satisfied 
 with less than twenty," replied Nelson. Soon afterwards, 
 Blackwood, in taking leave of his Admiral to return on board 
 his own frigate, observed that he hoped they should in a few 
 hours meet again. Nelson answered calmly, " My dear Black- 
 wood, I shall never again speak to you." Probably he spoke 
 in this way because he had estimated the inequality of the con- 
 test, and felt that the inequality could be met only by a daring 
 and an intrepidity inspired to an extraordinary degree of fer- 
 vour by his personal example. Hence he determined on an 
 exposure of his life which amounted to chivalrous recklessness. 
 He wore his admiral's uniform, with four stars embroidered 
 on its left side, the emblems of the orders to which he had been 
 admitted. His officers solicited him to put on a plainer 
 dress, as it was known that there were many riflemen amongst 
 the 4,000 troops on board the French ships. But no, what he 
 had won he would not lay aside, and there he stood on the 
 quarter-deck of his stately flag-ship, a mark for the enemy 
 one whose life was worth a legion of common lives. 
 
 In advancing, Lord Nelson, as commander-in-chief, led the 
 weather column in the Victory, and Collingwood, as second 
 in command, the lee column in the Royal Sovereign. Nelson's 
 last signal was the immortal one, " England expects every xnan 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 259 
 
 to do his duty " a signal which, when made known, was 
 hailed by every man with a hearty cheer.* 
 
 This signal flew from the mast-head of the Victory exactly at 
 twelve o'clock, and the action instantly began by the leading 
 ships of the British columns attempting to break the enemy's 
 compact array, the Victory about the tenth ship from the van, 
 the Royal Sovereign about the twelfth from the rear. When 
 Collingwood began the attack and forced his passage, Nelson 
 turned round to his officers and exclaimed, "Look at that 
 noble fellow ! Observe the style in which he carries his ship 
 into action ! " 
 
 At four minutes past twelve the Victory opened its fire on the 
 enemy's van while ranging along their line, and in almost a 
 quarter of an hour afterwards, finding a gap through which she 
 could pass, she fell on board the eleventh and twelfth ships. 
 She was followed by the Temeraire, which also fell on board 
 one of them. Thus these four ships were for a considerable 
 time huddled up into a knotted group, so that the flash of 
 almost every gun fired from the Victory set fire to the Re- 
 doubtable, her more immediate adversary. In this juncture 
 a curious spectacle might be seen ; that of numerous British 
 seamen, in the midst of a tremendous fire, coolly pouring 
 buckets of water to extinguish the flames on board their enemy's 
 ship, that both might not be involved in one common de- 
 struction. 
 
 Nelson would fain have opened the contest by ranging 
 ahead of Admiral Villeneuve's flag-ship, the Buccntanre, in 
 ordei to have placed the Victory ahead of her, and astern of 
 his old opponent, the huge Santissima Trinidada. The Bucen- 
 taure, however, shot ahead, and compelled the Victory to pass 
 
 It is thus expressed in numbers : 
 
 England expects that every man will do his d u t y. 
 253 269 533 261 471 250 200 570 4 21 19 24 
 
260 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 under her stern, raking it heavily, and to luff-up on the star- 
 board side. The Buceulaure poured four broadsides into the 
 British flag-ship before Nelson ordered his ports to be opened. 
 Then, indeed, all his guns, double-shotted, crushed in such a 
 storm of deadly missiles that the French vessel literally heeled 
 with the concussion. But he sought even higher game ; he had 
 selected for his target the Trinidada, and laying the Victory 
 alongside of her, he ordered the ships to be lashed together. 
 The me/eenow grew fast and furious ; the dense clouds of battle 
 were lighted up incessantly by the flashes of cannon and 
 musketry, and with the crash of falling masts and yards 
 mingled the cheers of the British seamen at every fresh 
 indication of coming victory. As was his wont when the 
 conflict deepened, Nelson was light of heart and gay of spirit. 
 His fin, as he pleasantly termed the stump of his right arm, 
 moved the shoulder of his sleeve up and down with the utmost 
 rapidity, a sign that he was greatly pleased. Captain Hardy, 
 fearful that Nelson's star-embroidered uniform would point him 
 out as a special object to the French marksmen, again entreated 
 him to change his dress or assume a great-coat; but he simply 
 observed that he had not yet time to do so. In the meantime 
 the enemy's fire continued very heavy and well directed. Of 
 no marines stationed on the poop and quarter-deck, upwards 
 of 80 were either killed or wounded. Mr.- Pascoe, the first 
 lieutenant, was severely wounded while conversing with the 
 Admiral, and John Scott, his secretary, was shot through the 
 head while standing by his side. Captain Adair, of the 
 marines, almost at the same moment, experienced a similar 
 fate. This was about a quarter-past one ; a few minutes later 
 Captain Hardy observed a marksman on the rigging-top of the 
 Bucentanre, which there lay on the Victory's quarter, taking 
 deliberate aim at Nelson, and had scarcely time to exclaim, 
 " Change your position, my lord 1 I see a rascal taking aim at 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 26 1 
 
 you!" when the fatal bullet struck the hero. Entering ovet 
 the top of his left shoulder, it penetrated through his lungs, 
 carrying with it a portion of the epaulette, and lodging in the 
 spinal marrow of the back. It is said that the French imme- 
 diately raised an exultant shout. What is certain is that the 
 marksman was instantly brought down by a well-directed shot 
 from Mr. Pollard, a young midshipman of the Victory, who thus 
 became his Admiral's avenger. Nelson was prevented from 
 falling by Captain Hardy, who caught him in his arms, and 
 to whom he said with a smile, " They have done for me at 
 last." 
 
 As he was being removed below he covered his face and his 
 stars with a handkerchief that his crew might not recognise 
 him, and observing that the tiller-rope was too slack, requested 
 that Captain Hardy should be told to get it tightened. All 
 the surgeons being busily engaged with the wounded, he 
 insisted, with his usual generosity, on waiting until his turn. 
 A brief examination revealed the fatal character of his wound, 
 and Nelson, remarking the change in the surgeon's countenance, 
 calmly said, " It is, I perceive, mortal 1 " 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Scott, the chaplain, now came to attend him. 
 Nelson, who was racked with physical anguish, gradually lost 
 his collectedness, and uttered incoherent sentences in reference 
 to Lady Hamilton and his adopted daughter. At times he 
 expressed an eager desire for drink, and continually partook of 
 lemonade. Towards the close his mind recovered its serenity, 
 and he sent for Captain Hardy, inquiring how many of the 
 enemy's ships had been captured. On being told that twelve 
 had certainly struck, he exclaimed, " What, only twelve ! 
 there should have been at least fifteen or sixteen by my 
 calculation. However," he added after a short pause, "twelve 
 are pretty well." He desired Captain Hardy to bear his 
 affectionate remembrance $9 toty Hamilton and his adoptexj 
 
262 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 daughter, Horatia; and to inform them that he had left them 
 as a legacy to his King and country, in whose service he 
 willingly yielded up his life. " Will you, my dear Hardy ? " he 
 anxiously inquired, and, on receiving an immediate promise, 
 he said, " Kiss me, then." Kneeling, Captain Hardy respect- 
 fully pressed his lips to the wan cheek of the dying hero. 
 Nelson then requested that his affectionate regards might be 
 presented to his brave officers and men, and said that he 
 could have wished once more to have beheld his beloved 
 relatives and friends, or even to have remained till he had seen 
 the fleet in safety; but, as neither was possible, he felt resigned, 
 and thanked God for having enabled him to do his duty to his 
 King and country. He had lingered for nearly three hours, 
 when the approach of death became rapid and decided. 
 " Doctor," he said to his chaplain, " I have not been a great 
 sinner, and, thank God, I have done my duty ! " Then, 
 as if asking a question and seeking consolation, he repeated 
 with sorrowful pathos, " Doctor, I have not been a great 
 sinner ? " And when the Doctor was too deeply affected to 
 reply immediately, " Have I ? " he eagerly interrogated. In a 
 final access of pain he cried aloud and impressively, " Thank 
 God, I have done my duty ! Thank God, I have done my 
 duty!" These were his last words. Consciousness seemed 
 afterwards to leave him, and he gradually passed away like one 
 who falls slowly into a profound sleep. 
 
 Nelson was dead. 
 
 In a few words we may indicate the completeness of the 
 victory which was thus solemnly consecrated by the great 
 seaman's blood. Twenty of the French and Spanish men-of- 
 war surrendered ; and of those that escaped the destruction of 
 Trafalgar, four were captured on the 6th of November by Sir 
 Richard Strachan. The navies of France and Spain never 
 recovered during the war from this heavy blow, which cast 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. f6^ 
 
 adrift all Napoleon's schemes of an invasion of England, 
 and assured to the British an undisputed maritime as- 
 cendancy. 
 
 "We have lost more than we have gained!" said George III., 
 when the twofold intelligence reached him of the victory of 
 Trafalgar and the death of Nelson. And this was the feeling 
 of the British people, with whom the *' hero of the Nile" had 
 always been an idol. They forgot his minor defects of charac- 
 ter, and remembered only that he was a great seaman, the 
 greatest, perhaps, the world had ever produced, the one man 
 who brought to bear upon war at sea a genius as brilliant as 
 that which Marlborough and Wellington displayed in military 
 operations. Lord Malmesbury writes,* " I never saw so little 
 public joy. The illuminations seemed dim, and, as it were, 
 half-clouded by the desire of expressing the mixture of con- 
 tending feelings, every common person in the streets speaking 
 first of their sorrow for him, and then of the victory." The day 
 of the hero's funeral January gth, when through streets 
 crowded with saddened and weeping spectators the procession 
 passed on to St. Paul's was a day of such general and profound 
 grief as England has seldom known. To this feeling one of 
 our minor singers has given expression in verse which emotion 
 raises above his ordinary level : f 
 
 " To thy country thou cam'st back, 
 Thou conqueror, to triumphal Albion camst 
 A corse. I saw before thy hearse pass on 
 The comrades of thy perils and renown. 
 The frequent tear upon their dauntless breasts 
 Fell. I beheld the pomp thick gather'd round 
 The trophied car that bore thy grac'd remains 
 Through arm'd ranks, and a nation gazing on, 
 Bright glow'd the sun, and not a cloud distain'd 
 
 * Correspondence of Earl of Malmesbury ', IT. 31$* 
 f SPTHEBV, Saul ; an Epic 
 
264 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Heaven's arch of gold, but all was gloom beneath* 
 A holy and unutterable pang 
 ThrilFd on the soul. Awe and mute anguish fell 
 On all. Yet high the public bosom throbb'd 
 With triumph." 
 
 It has been well said of Nelson that, in deed as in speech, he 
 was intuitive and impetuous. His genius had a strong strain of 
 originality; it rebelled against tradition and conventionalities; 
 it spurned professional restraints as hotly as it levelled its 
 attacks against the foe. It was a bold, daring, independent 
 genius, which no danger could daunt and no responsibility 
 intimidate. At the fight off Cape St. Vincent, without waiting 
 for orders, Nelson seized the moment of victory, darted out 
 of the line, and swooped down on the enemy like an eagle. 
 At Copenhagen he absolutely ignored Sir Hyde Parker's 
 signal of recall. And he was justified in doing this by his con- 
 fidence in his power to do great things. All his sayings were 
 in keeping with his fiery, romantic, invincible spirit the spirit 
 of one of Plutarch's heroes, or rather, perhaps, of one of the 
 Paladins of chivalrous legend. "When in doubt, fight!" he 
 said to young Lord Cochrane, afterwards a naval commander 
 of no ordinary distinction. " Victory or Westminster Abbey ! " 
 " Laurel or cypress ! " " England expects every man to do 
 his duty ! " His hatred of the French was like that of the 
 Crusader of old against the Mahornmedan ; it was almost a 
 religion. It lent a fierce defiant glow to his patriotism, and 
 responded to the sympathies of a people then engaged in a 
 war for very existence with an aggressive, tyrannical, and Napo- 
 leonic France. He had a wonderful power of inspiring affection 
 and confidence ; there was not an English sailor who would 
 not have followed blithely wherever Nelson led. His capacity 
 for command was unbounded ; his seamanship was great ; his 
 tactical skill unequalled, Th completeness of & victories 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD NELSON. 265 
 
 is the most striking thing about them ; he did something more 
 than defeat the enemy's fleet, he destroyed it. And because of 
 all he did and all he was, he remains to this day the one naval 
 commander whose name and fame are enshrined in the national 
 heart. 
 
 "Thine island loves thee well, thou famous man, 
 The greatest sailor since our world began."* 
 
 TENNYSON. Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington. 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 
 
 A.D. 1764 1840. 
 
 WILLIAM SIDNEY SMITH, born 1764, was the son of Captain 
 John Smith, at one time gentleman-usher to Queen Charlotte, 
 and of his wife Mary, the daughter of Mr. Pinkney Wilkinson, 
 rich London merchant. At an early age he was sent to Tun- 
 bridge Grammar School, then under the direction of Dr. 
 Vicesimus Knox, the essayist, and afterwards to a boarding 
 school at Bath ; but his regular education must have been of 
 the scantiest, as he was not twelve years of age when he was 
 placed in the navy. His first service was on the American 
 coast, under Lord Howe. In November, 1779, he joined the 
 Sandwich, and, under Rodney's victorious flag, took part in the 
 victorious action with the Spanish fleet under Don Juan de 
 Langara. The gallantry he displayed on this occasion obtained 
 him, at Rodney's hands, his promotion as lieutenant of the 
 Alcide, though he was then (September, 1780) nearly three years 
 under the regulation age. He was in the battle which Rear- 
 Admiral Graves fought with the French fleet off the mouth of 
 the Chesapeake; and he also served in Rodney's crowning 
 engagement with the French fleet under the Comtede Grasse on 
 the 1 2th of April ; 1782. A few days afterwards Lord Rodney 
 made him commander of the Fairy sloop; and in May, 1783, 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 267 
 
 he was commissioned as captain to the Alcmenc, when only 
 nineteen years of age. 
 
 While on board the Alride he wrote to his father the follow- 
 ing letter, which is animated by the lively spirit and joyous 
 indifference to danger characteristic of his whole career. We 
 give it in a condensed form : 
 
 " DEAR FATHER, 
 
 " After having the lower deck ports barred-in these four 
 days on account of bad weather, the water is smooth enough 
 to-day to get the aftermost port (where my cabin is) hauled up. 
 I have hung up all my wet things to-day around one, and am 
 sit down to lay the keel of a letter to you. On the night 
 of the 1 6th, about two o'clock, a terrible gale of wind came on 
 faster than we could get our sails furled ; it carried away our 
 fore and maintop-masts, part of the foretop and foreyard, 
 killed two men, and wounded several others. The next morn- 
 ing we could see nothing of the fleet, the wreck beating 
 alongside ; the ship (from her ports and upper decks) making 
 as much water as we can clear her of with four chain-pumps, 
 the wind (as it luckily was) driving us along shore ; if it had 
 come more to the S.E. we must all have gone on shore, and 
 of course inevitably perished. But it is all over now. ... I 
 have now brought you up to the present hour, and am not 
 sorry that I have done, for she rolls so, that my ink is 
 spilled and my wrist aches. 
 
 " Thursday yth, off Lucia. Well, after the 2oth, as above, 
 nothing remarkable, but one continued roll even in the trades. 
 On the ist of December (now look at your red pocket-book), 
 in company with the Resolution and Triton, we crossed the 
 Tropic of Cancer, which makes the third time this year a 
 curious way of travelling. On the 4th we met the Triton in 
 chase of a brig, which she took (we share), loaded with fish 
 
268 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 and timber, valuable here. About ten in the forenoon wu 
 anchored at Barbadoes, when, lo and behold ! we found that 
 in our absence this fine*weather country, as I have called it, 
 has been turned topsy-turvey by a hurricane and earthquake, 
 worse than all our American gales put together. Bridgetown 
 is in ruins, and if we inquire for anybody we know they are 
 either buried in the ruins or drowned. What is very remark- 
 able, the Greyhound, who sailed with the packet from New 
 York to see her clear of the coast, escaped the American gale, 
 and did not arrive in the West Indies till after the hurricane, 
 so that she had a more pleasant voyage. If she had been here 
 she would probably have shared the fate of the rest of our poor 
 frigates and the Egmont. The Andromeda, 28 guns, and 200 
 men, foundered; Laurel, 28 guns, and 200 men, foundered; 
 Beaver's Prize, 20 guns, and 1 60 men, foundered; La Blanche, 
 220 men, and 32 guns, foundered; Cameleon, 16 guns, and 
 125 men, foundered; Endymion, 60 guns, and 350 men, 
 foundered; Deal Castle, Captain Hawkins, 20 guns, and 160 
 men, foundered ; Egmont, 74 guns, and 600 men, gone to the 
 bottom. I feel worse now than when I saw the St. Domingo 
 blow up. We weighed from Barbadoes to-day, and are running 
 in with St. Lucia, where I suppose we shall stay, whatever 
 the fleet may do 
 
 " Now for your letters. I wish everybody that calls Sir 
 George Rodney's temper and judgment in question had been 
 in the fleet those thirteen days, to windward of Martinique, in 
 chase of the enemy's superior fleet. They often bore down, and 
 would have engaged if they could have taken advantage of a 
 wrong manoeuvre. .... 
 
 " My answer to what you tell me about losing her time with 
 a 6o-gun ship is this. The Admiral meant to attack the 
 enemy's centre ; their line was superior to ours ; when the 
 lines were in this direction 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, %.C.B. 269 
 
 French. 
 
 English. 
 
 he made the signal for each to bear down to engage his 
 opponent, and as an example bore down to his opposite 
 6o-gun ship, and banged her and another out of the line. 
 Instead of our headmost ship bearing down to his opposite, he 
 made sail for the headmost ship in the enemy's line, contrary 
 to the Admiral's signal, intention, and example. All hands 
 bring ship to an anchor. Adieu. 
 
 "Sunday, loth of December, 1780. We are now all in 
 Grosilet Bay, and, as I have just heard a packet is going to 
 England, I sit down to put a period. In the first place the 
 French are in Port Royal Bay, and if, when we were running down 
 here, we had stood a little further to the northward, we should 
 have seen a French convoy, all of which are now anchored safe 
 
 in Port Royal. We are refitting here This island is 
 
 strangely altered. Coming in here, we struck upon a bank that 
 never was here before; we were fast about ten minutes. Love 
 to the people." 
 
 Sidney Smith remained in the West Indies until the 2ist of 
 January, 1784, when he sailed from Barbadoes homeward 
 Abound. He arrived at Spithead on the 25th of February. 
 
 Taking advantage of the " piping times of peace," he set out 
 on a continental tour, for the purpose, to use his own words, 
 "of further qualifying himself for his country's service." At 
 Caen, in Normandy, he remained about two years, gaining a 
 thorough command of the French language and an intimate 
 acquaintance with French manners. Afterwards he visited 
 Cherbourg, and thence proceeded to Gibraltar and Galicia. 
 tiis experiences he described in a very graphic and amusing 
 
270 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 style in letters to various members of his family. Making his 
 way to Stockholm, he conceived a desire to enter the Swedish 
 service, in consequence of a complimentary letter he received 
 from the King of Sweden ; but the Admiralty refused him 
 permission. Sidney Smith, however, remained at the Swedish 
 Court, and accompanied the King on his expedition against the 
 Russian Cronstadt fleet in the capacity of a friend and adviser. 
 He seems to have been highly valued in this capacity, and by 
 the force of his character to have made a deep impression on 
 all with whom he came in contact. In June, 1790, he appears, 
 from the "order" issued by the King, to have actually held 
 command in the Swedish service. The King says that he has 
 instructed Colonel Sidney Smith, by word of mouth, concern- 
 ing the operations undertaken against the Russian coasting 
 fleet in Wiborg harbour ; and that his commanders and chiefs 
 of division are therefore commanded to follow all such orders 
 as the said Colonel Sidney Smith issued in his name. These 
 operations were of a dashing kind. With a flotilla of galleys, 
 tourommes (light frigates), and large gunboats, Sidney Smith 
 entered the harbour, and at one o'clock in the morning arrived 
 before a point called Actislapet, where the Russians were 
 erecting a battery. 
 
 Ail was still ; the Swedes advanced ; suddenly the Russians 
 unmasked their guns and opened fire. They singled out 
 Sidney Smith's yacht as the vessel which evidently carried the, 
 commander, and saluted it with a storm of shot. The Swedish 
 gunboats responded to the challenge briskly, and a sudden 
 explosion taking place in the battery, the assailants leaped into 
 the water and dashed in upon the Russians. There was some 
 sharp fighting, and then the battery was won. 
 
 In the month of August an armistice was agreed to between 
 the belligerents, which resulted in the conclusion of a treaty of 
 peace j and Sidney Smith's occupation being gone, he returned 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B, 271 
 
 to England. He was rewarded for his services in the Swedish 
 war with the Royal Swedish Order of the Sword. 
 
 His bold and energetic character indicated him as a man 
 for immediate employment, and he was dispatched on a secret 
 mission to Constantinople, with instructions to inquire into the 
 nature of the French intrigues at the Turkish coast, and to 
 examine into the defensive capabilities of the Turkish seas and 
 islands. In December, 1793, he appeared at Toulon, which 
 was then held by an English garrison and fleet against the 
 forces of the French Republic. Its evacuation having been 
 determined upon, Lord Hood, the commander of the English 
 fleet, resolved in the first place to destroy the French ships, 
 powder-ships, arsenal, and storehouses, and for this work 
 Sidney Smith was selected. The suggestion is said to have 
 come from Sidney Smith. On seeing everybody busily 
 engaged in saving himself and his property, he inquired, 
 " What do you mean to do with all those fine ships of the 
 enemy ? Do you mean to leave them behind ? " Some one 
 responded, " What would you propose to do with them ? " The 
 reply came short and sharp, " Burn them to be sure." 
 When this was reported to Lord Hood, he immediately sent 
 for Sir Sidney, and intrusted him with the execution of his 
 design. 
 
 Losing not a moment, Sir Sidney proceeded with the Swallow 
 tender, three English and three Spanish gunboats, to the 
 arsenal, and made the necessary preparations for his work of 
 destruction. The galley-slaves, to the number of 600, looked on 
 with jealous eyes ; but SirSidney's resolute bearing daunted them 
 from actual interference. The Republican troops maintained a 
 cross fire of shot and shell on the spot from Malborquet and the 
 neighbouring hills, which helped to quiet the galley-slaves, 
 and operated in every way favourably for the destroying party, 
 by ket-ping the Republican portion of the population within 
 
272 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 their houses. So complete was the steadiness of tne small 
 body of seamen under Sir Sidney's command, that their work 
 occasioned little interruption to the labour of preparing and 
 placing combustible matter in the different storehouses and 
 on board the ships. A great multitude of the enemy continued 
 to move down the hill towards the dockyard wall, and as the 
 night closed in they drew near enough to pour in a quick but 
 irregular fire. Sir Sidney kept them at bay by volleys of grape- 
 shot from time to time, and prevented them from advancing to 
 a point whence they might discover the smallness of his force 
 and its inability to repel a close attack. 
 
 About eight o'clock the Vulcan fire-ship arrived, and was 
 moored across the line of men-of-war. This addition to his 
 strength diminished Sir Sidney's apprehensions of a rising of the 
 galley-slaves, whose cries and tumult ceased as soon as she made 
 her appearance. The only noise he heard among them after- 
 wards was the clash of the hammer knocking off their fetters, 
 and this Sir Sidney was too humane to oppose. It was well 
 they should be able to save themselves from the conflagration 
 that was about to shoot up around them. At a given signal 
 the flames shot up in every quarter. Lieutenant Tapper fired 
 the general magazine, the pitch, tar, tallow, and oil houses, 
 and the lamp magazine. The mast-house was not less merci- 
 lessly given to the flames by Lieutenant Middleton. 
 
 The guns of the fire-ship as they heated went off on both sides, 
 baffling the enemy in their intention to advance nearer; their 
 shouts and Republican songs could be distinctly heard, until 
 they, as well as the English, were hushed to silence by the explo- 
 sion of some thousand barrels of powder on board a frigate in the 
 river road, which had been set on fire, instead of being 
 sunk as ordered. The concussion of air, and the showers of 
 burning barrels and spars, threatened the ruin of the whole of 
 Sidney Smith's party. Lieutenant Patey, of the Terrible, with 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 273 
 
 his boat's crew, nearly perished ; the boat was blown to pieces, 
 but the men were picked up alive. Another gunboat, which 
 lay nearer to the frigate, suffered considerably, her officers 
 with three men being killed, and the vessel shaken to pieces. 
 
 An attempt was made to reach the ships in the basin before 
 the town, but Sir Sidney was defeated in his efforts to cut the 
 boom by repeated volleys of musketry from the flag-ship and 
 the Batterie Royale. 
 
 " The rear of our column," says Sir Sidney, " being by this 
 time out of the eastern gate, the horrid cries of the poor in- 
 habitants announced that the villainous part of the community 
 had got the upper hand ; boats, full of men, women, and chil- 
 dren, pushed from the shore, even without oars, claiming our 
 protection from the knife of the assassin by the most sacred 
 of all ties, professed friendship. We accordingly kept our 
 station for the purpose of affording them an asylum. Many 
 straggling Neapolitan soldiers, whose undisciplined conduct 
 had separated them from the main body, were among the 
 number thus driven into the water. We received them as 
 more particularly belonging to us, repulsing their pursuers by 
 our fire; nor did we. quit the shore till we had received all 
 who were there to claim our assistance." 
 
 They next proceeded to burn the Hero and Themisiodes y 
 two 74-gun ships, lying in the Inner Road. Near approach to 
 them had hitherto been impracticable in boats, as the French 
 prisoners left on board the latter still held possession of her, 
 and had shown a determination to resist the English if they 
 attempted to board. But the flames had spread all around 
 them like an outburst of hell, and the shock of the late 
 tremendous explosion had awakened their fears for their 
 lives ; and when Sidney Smith offered, if they submitted, 
 to carry fiem to a place of safety, they tendered their abso- 
 lute capitulation and grateiully acknowledged his humanity, 
 
 T 
 
274 EMINENT SAILORS, 
 
 The unexpected explosion of a second powder-vessel, with a 
 shock even greater than that of the first, placed them again in 
 urgent peril ; and when it is considered that they were within 
 the range of the falling timber, we must pronounce it wonder- 
 ful that no one of the many brands which fell hissing and 
 spluttering in the water around them happened to touch either 
 t.he boats or their crews. 
 
 Having set fire to everything within his reach, exhausted all 
 his combustible preparation, and spent the strength of his 
 men to such a degree that they absolutely dropped on their 
 oars, Sir Sidney directed his course towards, the fleet, which 
 he reached without the loss of a single life. Seldom has 
 gallant exploit been more successfully performed. 
 
 In the following summer Sir Sidney, whose energy and 
 originality were by this time fully recognised, received his com- 
 mission as captain of the Diamond frigate, in which he was 
 actively employed in sweeping the Channel clear of French 
 privateers and cruisers, and, with a flotilla of frigates, sloops, 
 batteries, fire-vessels, gun-boats, and other small craft, in harass- 
 ing the French coast with fire and sword. On one occasion 
 Commodore Sir John Warren ordered him to reconnoitre Brest, 
 to ascertain if the French fleet had sailed. This service he 
 performed with his usual dash, daring, and skill. By a succes- 
 sion of ingenious manoeuvres he stole past a great line-of-battle 
 ship, and by dawn on the ist of January gained a position 
 whence he could survey the anchorage of Brest, and assure him- 
 self that no men-of-war were lying there. Having acquired 
 this information, he proceeded to make his way out of the 
 entrance channel, taking a direction to repass the line-of-battle 
 ship. A corvette, which was steering out in a parallel course, 
 took alarm at his change of movement, brought-to, made 
 signals energetically, and communicating her alarm to two 
 othtr ships, both hoisted their topsail-yards immediately and 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 275 
 
 began to get under sail. His situation was now extremely 
 critical. He saw, by the course the line-of-battle ship had 
 adopted, that she intended to cut him off in his passage between 
 her and the rocks, and there seemed no alternative but, by an 
 affectation of innocent unconcern, to dispel their suspicions. 
 lie accordingly steered down directly within hail. By this 
 time he could see that she was a disabled vessel, pumping 
 from leaks, with jury topmasts, and that some of her upper- 
 deck ports were without guns. To avoid being questioned in 
 any way that might cause embarrassment, Sir Sidney began to 
 converse in French with the captain, who stood in the stern - 
 gallery. He accounted for his change of course by professing 
 that he had observed his disabled condition, and had come 
 down to see if he could render any assistance. The French- 
 man thanked him, but said he had men enough, which, indeed, 
 Sir Sidney could plainly perceive, as they crowded the gunwale 
 and quarter, looking at the English ship. 
 
 From the disabled state of the vessel, Sir Sidney hoped he 
 might retain his position under her stern, so as to rake her 
 repeatedly, and thus begin an action with an advantage which 
 would compensate for his inferiority of strength. His guns 
 were ready pointed, but, with a touch of chivalrous generosity, 
 he reflected that such an action would be useless, as he could 
 not hope to secure the ship and carry her off in the face of the 
 two others, while to fight the three would have been an 
 heroically absurd measure, to which no successful issue could be 
 expected. The utmost he could do would be to pour in a 
 destructive raking fire and sail away. For this his men were 
 ready, you may be sure, and eager as well as ready, but Sir 
 Sidney overruled the proposal. He knew that the carnage 
 \rould be awful, and it seemed to him that to cause such havoc 
 while speaking in friendly terms and professing assistance 
 would be treacherous and unmanly. His country might have 
 
*7<3 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 indirectly derived some trivial benefit from the act, but it 
 would have been obtained at the expense of the national 
 character. After a long conversation the two captains parted 
 with mutual compliments ; and the other ships, observing that 
 the stranger had been spoken with by the , Caton, discon- 
 tinued the pursuit. 
 
 To dwell upon Sir Sidney's various exploits in the kind of 
 guerrilla warfare he maintained along the French coast would 
 occupy too much of our space. They amply illustrated his 
 extraordinary daring, activity, and wealth of resource. We 
 pass on to the event which interrupted his brilliant career for a 
 couple of years. A certain French piratical lugger had so 
 repeatedly evaded the pursuit of the fastest English frigates by 
 her fine sailing qualities, and had done so much mischief among 
 our trading ships in the Channel, that Sir Sidney determined to 
 capture her in the first port in which he could find her. After 
 a long search, she was found at anchor under a ten-gun battery. 
 He accordingly ordered the Diamond's boats to be manned and 
 armed, and, his lieutenant being unable from various causes, to 
 take the command, determined to lead them in person. He 
 therefore went on board his Thames wherry, and with his four 
 boats in two lines, and the wherry in the centre, started at 
 about two in the morning. A couple of the boats were ordered 
 to board the lugger on each side, while the wherry assailed 
 her by the stern. The crews were all upon deck at the same 
 moment, and gained immediate possession of the lugger, 
 driving the prisoners down the main hatchway, and securing 
 the hatchways by loading them with guns. Attended by 
 an old and true servant, John Phillips, Sir Sidney went 
 down into the cabin, where he found the four officers of 
 the lugger just roused from their sleep by the clang and 
 clamour upon deck. They were sitting up in their beds, each 
 loading his pistol. Sir Sidney at once addressed them, ad' 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 277 
 
 vising them to surrender, as he was supported by a force 
 sufficient to compel them. Discretion is the better part of 
 valour, and they agreed. 
 
 But meanwhile, the cable having been cut, the lugger with a 
 strong flood-tide had been carried up the Seine considerably 
 above Havre ; and when Sir Sidney, having overpowered the 
 crew, began to make preparations for carrying off his prize, he 
 found himself in a critical position. His frigate lay at the 
 mouth of the harbour, becalmed, and could not come to his 
 assistance ; and now, by the increasing light of day, the enemy 
 discovered him from the shore, and immediately sent out four 
 gun-boats, a large lugger, and a number of small crafc, all 
 armed, to attack him. The unequal contest was prolonged for 
 two hours ; he was then obliged to yield, much to his digust at 
 so sudden and unexpected a revolution of Fortune's fickle 
 wheel. 
 
 The circumstances under which he was made prisoner are 
 thus described in his letter to his father : 
 
 " You, who know me, will not wonder when I tell you that 
 I am in better health than usual from having nothing to 
 fatigue me, and in excellent spirits, finding amusement in the 
 novelty of my situation ; the whole is so like a very interesting 
 play, 'the characters, dresses, and scenery entirely new;' but 
 whether tragedy or comedy, I cannot yet pronounce, as we are 
 only at the third act. The first and second, although 'not 
 without the clash of arms and din of war,' could not be called 
 tragic, while there were so many tragic faces on the stage ; no 
 lives were lost on either side, which is always a good thing in 
 the round reckoning of humanity. I wish I could say there 
 was no bloodshed, but the grape-shot flew too thick for that to 
 be possible. Those you knew most of are not among the 
 wounded 
 
 " The end of the second act, when my brave fellows collected 
 
278 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 round me on the enemy's closing on us, swearing to die 
 fighting by me, was the most affecting and interesting scene I 
 ever saw of the many which have passed under my eye; the 
 servants behaved admirably, and the boys acted like men. In 
 this disposition were we when the enemy, far superior in 
 number, prepared to board us, sword in hand, refusing us 
 quarter with insults and imprecations. Our firm posture 
 checked them, and my harangue to their chief relented their 
 fury and turned their resentment into admiration. It was 
 acknowledged that we could not get away, and that further 
 resistance would not avail ; but we were determined to die 
 with our arms in our hands if they would not give us quarter ; 
 and this determination saved us. The menacing attitude of our 
 enemy was instantly changed into that of cordial salutation ; 
 we met shaking hands, and I have since had every reason to 
 thank the military part of those into whose power we are 
 fallen for very generous treatment. Separation and confine- 
 ment is all we have to complain of, but the fortune of 
 war is imperious, and I learn patience every day by the 
 practice." 
 
 The British Government, on hearing of his capture, imme- 
 diately proposed to exchange him for a French officer of equal 
 rank ; but the Directory, remembering the destruction he had 
 wrought at Toulon, and irritated by his recent exploits, refused 
 to release him. He was therefore removed to Paris, and 
 imprisoned in the Abbaye, along with his clerk and a Royalist 
 emigre who had been on board the Diamond. For obvious 
 reasons this gentleman was represented to be Sir Sidney's ser- 
 vant. From the Abbaye the three prisoners were removed to 
 the Temple, where Sir Sidney gained the good-will and con- 
 fidence of the governor, and received at his hands very kindly 
 treatment. When it became evident that the French authorities 
 were indisposed to liberate him, Sir Sidney, and some Royalist 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 279 
 
 friends whose acquaintance he had formed, began to concert 
 measures for effecting his escape through the instrumentality 
 of the pretended servant, who was allowed considerable liberty. 
 But for some time no definite plan could be decided upon, and 
 after a year's imprisonment the servant was released, and 
 allowed to return to England. 
 
 Sir Sidney remained in confinement a confinement not 
 undisturbed by alarms and apprehensions. On one occasion 
 he heard his gaoler shouting to him to come down-stairs : " On 
 vous demande en bas." Upon reaching the bottom of the 
 staircase he found him standing with a pistol in each hand. 
 " Monsieur," he cried, " voila tout ce que je puis vous faire ; c'est 
 pour vous defendre la vie." (This is all I can do for you, sir; 
 it is for you to defend your life.) Sir Sidney asked him what 
 he meant. " Voila la garde en insurrection," he replied ; and 
 he went on to explain that the prime object of the insurgents 
 would be to release the criminals, and then he, as a state 
 prisoner, would be the first to fall a victim. Said Sir Sidney, 
 " Well, then, I must defend your life as well as mine.'* And, 
 looking around, he said, " This is an ancient fortress of the 
 Templars. There must be a well within the walls, as also 
 without them ; and we have some bread. Take care not 
 to open the gate, and we can defend ourselves against all 
 attack but that of artillery, and that can come only from 
 a constituted authority, to which we shall be bound to 
 yield." 
 
 Advancing to the gate, the insurgents shouted to the gaoler, 
 '* Ouvrez la porte." 
 
 The gaoler answered gruffly, " Forcez-vous le dehors, je 
 repondrai pour 1'interieur." (Attend you to the outside, and I 
 will answer for the interior.) 
 
 A voice was heard to say, " Ah, s'il ouvre je repondrai bien 
 pour lui." 
 
280 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 A vigilant watch was maintained until the tumult subsided 
 and order was restored. Sir Sidney's conduct was reported 
 next day by the gaoler to the Directory, and called forth loud 
 expressions of approval. 
 
 The man employed to carry fuel and water to the different 
 apartments of the prison would stop to chat about current 
 events and the frequent changes of Government to Sir Sidney. 
 He was wont to say philosophically, " Tenez ! ah ! ils pas- 
 seront tous ; il n'y a que vous et moi qui restons." (Well, 
 they all pass away ; only you and I remain.) 
 
 In the spring of 1791 a new proposal was made to Sir Sidney 
 for his escape, which he adopted as "his last resource." It 
 was simply to obtain a forged order for his removal to another 
 prison, and then to arrange for his being privately carried off. 
 The order was accurately imitated, and by means of a bribe 
 the actual stamp of the Minister's signature procured; so 
 that nothing remained but to rind men bold enough to put the 
 scheme into execution. These were quickly found in two 
 gentlemen of Royalist proclivities, noted for their high courage. 
 Dressed, the one as an adjutant, and the other as a military 
 officer, they presented themselves at the gate of the prison. 
 The keeper, having perused the order and tested the signature, 
 sent for Sir Sidney, who, when informed of the order of the 
 Directory, professed to be very much concerned. The pre- 
 tended adjutant, however, gravely informed him that the 
 Government were far from intending to aggravate his misfor- 
 tune, and that he would not fail to be comfortable at the place 
 whither he was instructed to convey him. 
 
 The greffier, who was present, observed that a^t least six mer; 
 from the guard must accompany the prisoner. The adjutant, 
 preserving his impassiveness, acquiesced in the justice of the 
 remark, and gave orders that they should be called out. But. 
 in a moment, as if he had been reflecting, he addressed Sir 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 2ol 
 
 Sidney, saying, "Commodore, you are an officer; I am an 
 officer also ; your parole will be enough. Give me that, and 
 there will be no necessity for an escort." " Sir," replied Sir 
 Sidney, " if that be sufficient, I swear on the faith of an 
 officer to accompany you wherever you choose to conduct 
 me." 
 
 The keeper then asked for a discharge. The registrar gave 
 
 the book, and Mons. B boldly signed it with a flourish 
 
 L'Oger, Adjudant- General. Meanwhile Sir Sidney kept the 
 turnkeys employed, and loaded them with favours, to prevent 
 them from having time to consider. The registrar, or greffier, 
 and the keeper accompanied them to the second court, and at 
 length the last gate was opened, and the parties separated with 
 a profuse exhibition of ceremony and politeness.* 
 
 In a fiacre, driven by one of Sir Sidney's friends, he started 
 from the Temple. At a very short distance the coach ran up 
 against a passer-by, and much confusion ensued, in the midst 
 of which Sir Sidney and his companion, M. Phelypeaux, got 
 out, mingled with the crowd, and afterwards made their way 
 on foot to the house of a member of the Clermont-Tonnerre 
 family, where he spent the night. Early next morning they 
 
 * "When the day of Sidney's escape was fixed, at eight in the morning 
 the turnkey entered with his hat on, which he had never been in the habit 
 of keeping on his head. He appeared much embarrassed and affected, and 
 said, ' Monsieur, en vous demande en bas.' Sir Sidney Smith was reading 
 his Spanish edition of Gil Bias, and, looking up, he said, ' Mais qu'est 
 que c'est done ? ' The turnkey said, ' On vous dira cela en bas.' The poor 
 man had a fearful misgiving about the fate of his prisoner, as few of those 
 ordered to be transferred had again been heard of. He asked him where 
 he was to be transferred. The turnkey replied, To Fontainebleau ; ' aud 
 then Sir Sidney Smith said, ' Oh, that is not far ! You will come and see 
 me there, won't you ? and my things, books, &c., you can send after me ; 
 there is no occasion to take them with me to-night.' The turnkey pro- 
 mised to go and see him, and to have his things safely conveyed to his new 
 prison." The story of Sir Sidney's imprisonment in the Temple, and of 
 his escape, is given in the Naval ChronicU. It was also published sepa* 
 i afely in pamphlet form. 
 
282 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 took their departure. It was arranged that two travellers 
 should arrive at the house from Nanterre, and that the return 
 horses should take Sir Sidney and Phelypeaux the first stage. 
 On turning out of the courtyard the pole of the carriage was 
 broken, and a delay took place by which the two friends 
 profited to get out and go on foot outside the barrier. When 
 the carriage arrived at the barrier it was stopped and examined 
 by the police, who, finding it empty and driven by Nanterre 
 postboys, believed it to be a return carriage, and allowed it to 
 pass on. 
 
 Having parted from their two native and disguised friends, 
 Sir Sidney and De Phelypeaux, with Sir Sidney's secretary, pro- 
 ceeded to Rouen. There they were obliged to stay several 
 days for their passports. In company with his friend Captain 
 Wright, Sir Sidney one day had occasion to pass the barrier, 
 where some sentinels were stationed ; and the expedient he 
 adopted, if it did not savour of discretion, bore witness to his 
 extraordinary coolness and presence of mind. Neither he nor 
 his friend had a passport, and the difficulty was to pass the 
 sentinels without being examined or questioned. Sir Sidney, 
 who was well accustomed to the usages at the barrier, arranged 
 that Wright should go first, and that if he were stopped by the 
 guard, Sidney should advance and endeavour to impose upon 
 him by a bold assumption of authority. Wright did as he was 
 instructed, and when he was asked for his passport, Sir 
 Sidney advanced, and with an air of dignity, said, "Je 
 reponds pour le citoyen, je le connais." Fully satisfied, the 
 sentinel answered, " C'est bien, citoyen," and the two went 
 their way. 
 
 At length all arrangements were completed for crossing the 
 Channel. They quitted Rouen, and in due time drew towards 
 Honfleur. As they obtained a view of Havre and of the mouth 
 of the Seine, the postillion turned round and remarked to 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 283 
 
 Phelypeaux, " Ah, voila, citoyen, ou nous avons pris 1'Amiral 
 Smith," and then, with a significant smile, said, " Mais nous le 
 tenons a present." 
 
 At Honfleur, while, concealed in a fisherman's hut, he waited 
 for the -tide, Sir Sidney heard one of the men exclaim, " Je 
 connais celui-la, c'est 1'Amiral Schmit." Sir Sidney was natu- 
 rally alarmed, and beginning to think he had been betrayed, 
 he kept a rigoious watch on his way to the boat lest he should 
 be seized from behind. He embarked in the fishing craft 
 which had been prepared for him ; still breathless with anxiety, 
 he passed a line of gun-boats at anchor, not knowing but that 
 at any moment he might be forced on board one of them. They 
 hailed, but being answered " Pecheur, No. ," allowed them to 
 proceed. One of the crew, as they stood out to sea, recognised 
 Sir Sidney, having often been on board the Diamond, and 
 liberally entertained with rum and biscuit. " Monsieur 1'Ami- 
 ral," said the honest mariner, " c'est inutile de vous cacher de 
 nous ; nous vous connaissons bien ; nous avons te souvent 
 abord votre fregate le Diamant, et vous nous avez toujours bien 
 traite ; vous n'avez souvent donne un verre d'eau de vie 
 et encore des biscuits, et nous avons toujours tenus compte 
 de ces bons offices." (Monsieur Admiral, it is useless to 
 hide yourself from us, we know you well ; we have often 
 been on board your frigate, the Diamond, and have always been 
 well treated. You have often given us a glass of brandy and 
 some biscuits, and we have never forgotten those good offices. 11 
 In a few minutes they came in sight of the Argo, and signalling 
 her as best they could, she bore down upon them, took Sir 
 Sidney and his friends on board, and crowded on all sail for 
 Portsmouth. 
 
 Sir Sidney was made prisoner on the i8th of April, 1796, 
 and arrived in London on the 8lh of May, 1798. Needless to 
 say that he at once became a social " lion," and was caressed 
 
-284 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 and flattered in every drawing room. The romance of his ad 
 venture is much diminished, however, if we accept his bio- 
 grapher's suggestion that the French Government connived at 
 his escape ; and on any-other supposition it seems difficult to 
 account for their extraordinary apathy. There was certainly 
 time to have stopped him before he reached Honfleur ; but they 
 set no one on his track, issued no offers of reward for his cap- 
 ture, and, indeed, took none of those steps which are usually 
 taken on the occasion of the flight of an important prisoner. 
 
 II. 
 
 The British Government lost no time in employing an officer 
 of such fertility of resource, brilliant courage, and determined 
 resolution. Appointed to the command of the 8o-gun ship 
 Tigre, he was ordered to repair to the Mediterranean and place 
 himself under the orders of the Earl of St. Vincent. At the 
 same time, through some inexplicable blunder, he was named 
 joint minister plenipotentiary with his brother, Mr. Spencer 
 Smith. This latter dignity clashed with his rank and duty as 
 an officer of the navy, and led to a very angry feeling towards 
 him on the part of Lord St. Vincent and Lord Nelson, who 
 resented the exceptional confidence thus placed in a junior 
 officer, and were notdisposed to allow him an independent com- 
 mand. Lord Spencer, First Lord of the Admiralty, eventually 
 explained matters in a way satisfactory to the two admirals, and 
 Nelson thereafter exhibited towards Sir Sidney the utmost good 
 feeling and good-will. To Constantinople Sir Sidney proceeded 
 with all due celerity, and learning there the condition of affairs 
 in Palestine and Syria, and the ravages committed by Napoleon's 
 army, he set out with his small squadron for St. Jean d'Acre, to 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 285 
 
 assist in its defence. The adva need guard of the French arrived 
 at the port of Mount Carmel in the night of the lyth. Unaware 
 of the presence of British ships upon the coast, the troops took 
 up their ground close to the water's side, and were immediately 
 mowed down by a fire from, the boats of the Admiral's flag-ship, 
 which put them to the. rout and drove them headlong up the 
 green acclivities of the sacred mountain. The main body, to 
 avoid attack from the sea, took the Nazareth road, and invested 
 the town on the east. The next day Sir Sidney intercepted a 
 flotilla bound for Joppa with a heavy siege-train on board. 
 Then, with characteristic activity, he proceeded to stimulate 
 the Djezzar Pasha, the governor of the town, to carry out the 
 necessary arrangements for strengthening the fortifications, 
 landed the cannon which he had captured, and gave the Pasha 
 as military adviser Colonel Phelypeaux, the companion of his 
 imprisonment and the faithful assistant of his escape. The 
 defence was as spirited as the attack, and Sidney Smith was 
 the life and soul of it. A successful sortie was made on the 
 yth of April, and four attempts to escalade the walls were suc- 
 cessively repulsed, the enemy suffering heavily from the flank- 
 ing fire of Sidney Smith's two men-of-war. On the 7th a fleet 
 of corvettes and transports with reinforcements on board for 
 the hard-pressed garrison led Napoleon to hazard another 
 attack in the hope of securing the town before they could 
 disembark. 
 
 The French artillery increased the violence of their fire 
 tenfold, and under cover of it advanced the attacking column. 
 The shells from the Tigre tore great gaps in its solid ranks, but 
 the Frenchmen went sullenly forward, drove back the garrison 
 foot by foot, and made good their lodgment in the north-east 
 tower. 
 
 The fire of the besieged now slackened notably in com* 
 paiison with that of the besiegers, and the flanking fire from 
 
^ EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 the ships lost much of its effect, the enemy having covered 
 themselves in this lodgment and in its approaches by two 
 tiaverses across the ditch, which they had built up of sand- 
 bags and the bodies of the dead. 
 
 The troops brought by the flotilla were in the boats, and 
 about half-way to the shore. This was the most critical point 
 of the contest, and a bold effort was necessary to hold the 
 place until they could arrive. Sir Sidney accordingly directed 
 his boats to disembark at the mole, and then led his men 
 armed with pikes up to the breach. The enthusiasm of the 
 Turks at the sight of this naval and unexpected reinforcement 
 was boundless ; many fugitives turned back with them to the 
 breach, which a few brave Turks were lustily defending with 
 no better weapons than heavy stones. Djezzar Pasha, hearing 
 of the bold action of the English tars, quitted his station where, 
 according to ancient Turkish custom, he sat to reward every 
 soldier who brought to him the head of an enemy, hastened to 
 the spot, and, coming behind them, pulled them down with 
 violence, declaring that if any harm befell his English friends 
 all was lost. 
 
 This friendly contention who should defend the breach 
 occasioned a rush of Turks to the stirring scene, and thus time 
 was gained for the arrival of the first detachment of Hassan 
 Bey's troops. 
 
 Sir Sidney had now to conquer the Pasha' repugnance to 
 the admission of any troops except his own Albanians into 
 the garden of his seraglio, which, as it occupied the terre-plein 
 of the rampart, was necessarily an important point of the 
 defence. Sir Sidney promptly overruled his objections, and 
 threw into it a Turkish regiment of a thousand men armed 
 with bayonets and disciplined on the English system. 
 Soon afterwards the gates were thrown open and a sally 
 ventured ; but they could not cope at close quarters with 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 287 
 
 Napoleon's veterans, and were driven back into the town 
 with loss. 
 
 A group of generals and aides-de-camp had by this time 
 assembled on the eminence known as Richard Coeur de Lion's 
 Mount. In their centre stood Napoleon vehemently gesticu- 
 lating. The defenders conjectured that he intended to renew 
 the attack, and his dispatch of an aide-de-camp to the French 
 camp showed that he tarried only for a reinforcement. Sir 
 Sidney immediately directed Hassan Bey's ships to take their 
 station in the shoal water to the southward, and made the 
 Tigris signal to weigh and join the T/iescus to be north- 
 ward. 
 
 " A little before sunset," we quote Sir Sidney's own narrative, 
 "a massive column appeared advancing to the breach with 
 solemn steps. The Pasha's idea was not to defend the breach 
 this time, but rather to let a certain number of the enemy in, 
 and then close with them, according to the Turkish mode of 
 war. The column thus mounted the breach unmolested, and 
 descended from the rampart into the Pasha's garden, where, 
 in a very few minutes, the bravest and most advanced 
 amongst them lay headless corpses, the sabre, with the 
 addition of a dagger in the other hand, proving more than a 
 match for the bayonet ; the rest retreated precipitately, and 
 the commanding officer, who was seen manfully encouraging 
 his men to mount the breach, was carried off, wounded by a 
 musket-shot. General Raubaad was killed. Much confusion 
 arose in the town from the actual entry of the army, it having 
 been impossible, nay impolitic, to give previous information to 
 anybody of the mode of defence adopted, lest the enemy 
 should come to a knowledge of it by means of their numerous 
 emissaries. 
 
 " The English uniform, which had hitherto served as a 
 rallying point for the old garrison wherever it appeared, wag 
 
288 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 now in the dusk mistaken for French, the newly arrived Turks 
 not distinguishing between one hat and another in the crowd. 
 Thus many a severe blow of a sabre was parried by our 
 officers. Calm was restored by the Pasha's exertions ; and 
 thus the contest of twenty-five hours ended, both parties being 
 so fatigued as to be unable to move. 
 
 "Bonaparte will no doubt renew the attack, the breach 
 being perfectly practicable for fifty men abreast ; indeed, the 
 town is not, nor ever has been, defensible according to the 
 rules of art, but according to every other rule it must and 
 shall be defended ; not that it is in itself worth defending, but 
 we feel that it is by this breach Bonaparte means to march to 
 further conquest. 'Tis on the issue of this conflict that 
 depends the opinion of the multitude of spectators on the 
 surrounding hills, who wait only to see how it ends to join the 
 victor ; and with such a reinforcement for the execution of his 
 known projects, Constantinople and even Vienna must feel 
 f.he shock." 
 
 In addition to his extraordinary activity in the direction of the 
 defence, Sir Sidney Smith's energy was equal to the circulation 
 of proclamations among the French troops in order to shake their 
 confidence in their leader. Napoleon replied with " an order 
 of the day " which insinuated that, owing to the heat of the 
 climate and the excitement of war, the British Commodore had 
 become insane, and all communication with him, therefore, 
 was prohibited. It was at one time believed that Sir Sidney 
 sent to Napoleon a challenge to fight a duel. And according 
 to O'Meara, Napoleon, referring to the incident, said, " I 
 laughed at this, and sent him back an intimation that when 
 he brought Marlborough to fight me I would meet him. Not- 
 withstanding, I like the character of the man." Sir Sidney, 
 however, declared that there was not a word of truth in the 
 and that hg knew his duty better than 19 have 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.Bi 289 
 
 toitted himself and the army he commanded by any such 
 petulant vapouring. 
 
 Writing to his brother on the I4th of May, Sir Sidney records 
 that the enemy had been repulsed in eleven different attempts 
 to assault the place. " But they are not," he adds, "in possession 
 of Acre, although they have a lodgment in the north-east 
 angle of the north-east tower, one half of which is theirs, and 
 the other half ours ; while we keep possession of the two new 
 English ravelins which flank the approach to this lodgment, 
 and have raised batteries within the breach, which is wide 
 enough for fifty men abreast, the fire from which completely 
 cleared it the last assault, and increased the number of dead, 
 bodies in the ditch. Our labour is excessive, many of us 
 among whom our anxious, zealous friend, Phelypeaux, have died 
 of fatigue. I am but half dead, but Bonaparte brings fresh 
 troops to the assault two and three times in the night, 
 while we are obliged to be always under arms. He has. 
 lost the flower of his army in those desperate attempts to> 
 storm." 
 
 Critical, indeed, was Napoleon's situation. He had lost; 
 upwards of 4,000 men; the plague raged in his hospitals - r 
 provisions began to fail. The courage and resources of ai 
 British officer, at the head of a handful of seamen, had baffled 
 the conqueror of Italy, and though he knew all that he was 
 relinquishing he was compelled, on the 2Oth of May, to own 
 himself beaten and to raise the siege. " The fate of the East,' 
 he said at St. Helena, " lay in that small town. Had St. Jean 
 d'Acre fallen I should have changed the face of the world." 
 Having previously removed his sick and wounded, he began 
 his retreat upon Jaffa, and thence rapidly withdrew into 
 Egypt, marking his track by a ghostly line of the dead and 
 dying, and by the smoke of burning towns and villages. 
 
 Such is the story of the defence of St. Jean d'Acre, as sus- 
 
 u 
 
290 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 tained for sixty days by a young naval officer of no higher 
 rank than captain, at the head of the seamen and marines of 
 three British ships-of-war, and a body of Ottomans, brave, but 
 undisciplined and newly levied. Our naval history scarcely 
 preserves the record of a more brilliant achievement, or of one in 
 which many of the highest qualities of a military commander 
 were more vividly displayed. Courage is not everything ; in 
 warfare conduct is not less necessary nor less admirable ; and 
 mere courage could not have saved St. Jean d'Acre. The 
 work to be done was eminently anxious and difficult, and 
 could be successfully wrought only with the aid of immense 
 fertility of resource, unvarying firmness of resolution, great 
 tenacity of purpose, wonderful power of endurance, unfailing 
 patience and promptitude, and the faculty of inspiring, en- 
 couraging, and commanding men. 
 
 His services received the unusual reward of the thanks of 
 tooth Houses of Parliament, and were acknowledged in the 
 Speech from the Throne. Earl Spencer, in moving the thanks 
 of the Lords, very neatly and forcibly said, " The merit of 
 all actions depended on the means for effecting them. In no 
 case were they ever so disproportionate ; the means of Sir Sidney 
 Smith were very small, while the service performed was of the 
 greatest magnitude. St. Jean d'Acre, the theatre of this 
 brilliant scene, was not a regular fortress. The garrison was 
 dispirited by the renown of the enemy, and unacquainted 
 with the mode of defence ; and yet, notwithstanding all these 
 disadvantages, by the energy and intrepidity of that gallant 
 officer, the French army, which had conquered a great part of 
 Europe, overrun the east of Africa, and made a considerable 
 impression on Asia, was arrested in its progress for two 
 months, and afterwards forced to retreat in a disgraceful 
 manner." 
 
 The Corporation of London and other public bodies seized 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 29 1 
 
 the earliest opportunity of formally proclaiming their sense of 
 Sir Sidney's merits. The Sultan sent him a rich pelisse and an 
 aigrette, together with the diamond chalingk, or plume of 
 triumph ; and, finally, the House of Commons, in response to 
 a message from the Crown, granted him a pension of ;i,ooo 
 per annum. 
 
 Contemporary poetry did not forget to pay the tribute of 
 eulogistic verse to the hero of Acre. The following is a 
 passage from Heber's prize poem of " Palestine : " 
 
 " When he from towery Malta's yielding isle, 
 And the green waters of reluctant Nile 
 Th' apostate chief from Misraim's ancient shore 
 To Acre's walls his trophial banners bore ; 
 When the pale desert mark'd his proud array, 
 And desolation hoped an ampler sway; 
 What hero then triumphant Gaul dismayed ? 
 What arm repelled the victor renegade ? 
 Britannia's champion ! Bathed in hostile blood, 
 High on the beach the dauntless seaman stood : 
 Admiring Asia saw the unequal fight, 
 E'en the pale Crescent bless'd the Christian's might. 
 Oh, day of death ! Oh, thirst beyond control 
 Of crimson conquest in the invader's soul ! 
 The slain, yet warm, by social footsteps trod, 
 O'er the red moat supplied a panting road ; 
 O'er the red moat our conqueiing thunders flew, 
 And loftier still the grisly vampire grew ; 
 While proudly glow'd above the rescued tower 
 The wavy cross that marlc'd Britannia's power." 
 
 Theie is a good deal of patriotic enthusiasm in these lines, 
 but very little power of poetic expression, and we apologize to 
 the reader for digging them out of the oblivion into which they 
 long ago fell. 
 
 The next duty of Sir Sidney was to make preparations for the 
 disembarkation at or near Alexandria of the army under Sir 
 Ralph Abercrombie, which, in the spring of 1801, the British 
 Government dispatched for the expulsion of the French from 
 Egypt. The work was accomplished with characteristic energy. 
 
292 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 On the 2nd of March the British fleet anchored in the Bay of 
 Aboukir, and on the morning of the 8th the troops landed, 
 after a sharp struggle with the French, under Sir Sidney's im- 
 mediate direction. Covered by the fire of a flotilla of gun -boats 
 and small armed vessels, the army advanced towards Alexan 
 dria. Early on the morning of the 2ist they were attacked by 
 the French under General Menou, and a desperate contest 
 ensued, resulting in the complete success of the British. Un- 
 fortunately, Sir Ralph Abercrombie received a wound of which 
 he died on the 2oth. Sir Sidney, who had been foremost in 
 the affray, was slightly hurt in the right shoulder by a musket- 
 ball. The battle of Alexandria effectually dispelled the belief 
 that the French soldiers were " invincibles," with whom oui 
 British troops could not cope in the open field ; and the army 
 moved forward with alacrity to invest Cairo. The French com 
 mander finally abandoned the struggle, and signed a capitula 
 tion by which he agreed to evacuate Egypt. Throughout this 
 successful campaign the energy of Sir Sidney was unconquer 
 able, but he embroiled himself in a dispute with General 
 Hutchinson, who, on the death of Abercrombie, had succeeded 
 to the command-in-chief, and in September he returned to 
 England. There he met with a reception which amply com- 
 pensated for any mortification he had experienced in his com- 
 munications with superior authorities. From all quarters 
 addresses and congratulations were lavished upon him, and 
 even his indomitable spirit could hardly bear up against the 
 pressure of public and private banquets and entertainments. 
 Rochester sent him to Parliament as its member, and the Cor- 
 poration of London bestowed upon him the freedom of the 
 City and a valuable sword. The East India Company gave 
 him its thanks and a gratuity of .3,000 ; the Levant Company 
 its thanks and a gratuity of ; 1,500 } and the Corporation o: 
 Plymouth honoured him in the usual civic fashion. 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDKfiY SMITH, G.C.B. 293 
 
 Early in 1803 he was again summoned into active service, 
 uiid placed in command of a squadron intended to watch the 
 operations of the enemy along the Dutch and Flemish coasts, 
 where they were believed to be making extensive preparations 
 for the invasion of Great Britain. Hoisting his broad pennant 
 in the Antelope, of 50 guns, he took up his station off Flushing, 
 and maintained a close and vigilant watch, though the work 
 was uncongenial to his active and restless disposition, and was 
 but occasionally relieved by clashing attacks upon the enemy's 
 flotilla. His inventive mind found employment in the con- 
 struction of a vessel or raft for the conveyance of large bodies of 
 troops over shallow parts of the sea, to attack forts, or land 
 them on shores inaccessible to large vessels. He constructed 
 also a couple of gun-boats on a novel pattern, intended for the 
 navigation of shallow waters. 
 
 In May, 1804, he went ashore, and on striking his broad 
 pennant was promoted to a colonelcy of the Royal Marines. 
 In November, 1805, he was made a Rear-Admiral of the Blue, 
 and in January, 1806, hoisted his flag on board the Pompee, of 
 84 guns, to join the Mediterranean fleet under Lord Colling- 
 wood. Thence he was detached on a special service for which 
 he had been recommended by Lord Nelson : " that a British 
 naval force should be appropriated and employed to act offen- 
 sively on the coasts of Italy, in such manner as to operate as 
 a powerful diversion in that quarter, and so as to prevent the 
 occurrence of similar events to those which had driven the 
 King of the Two Sicilies from Naples in the former war, or at 
 any rate to secure the island of Sicily to that sovereign." 
 
 Arriving at Palermo on the 2ist of April, 1806, he found 
 himself in command of a squadron of five men-of-war, the 
 Fompee, the Excellent, the Athenienne, the Intrepid, and the 
 Eagle. His first operation was the expulsion of the French 
 from ths island of Capri ? Afterwards he proceeded 9 
 
294 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Gaeta to co-operate in its defence against the French, and next 
 we find him present at the battle of Maida (July 4th), where- 
 General Stewart defeated the French under Regnier. From 
 point to point he continued to move, always energetic in 
 devising and carrying out measures for the harassment of the 
 enemy, until in January, 1807, he was ordered to place himself 
 under the command of Sir John Duckworth, and his scene of 
 action was changed from the Straits of Messina to those of the 
 Dardanelles. 
 
 With seven sail of the line and some smaller vessels, Duck- 
 worth forced the passage of the Dardanelles in the teeth of 
 the Turkish batteries. The Turkish fortifications along the 
 Dardanelles were grievously dilapidated, and when the British 
 fleet appeared before Constantinople, the Sultan in his intense 
 alarm was prepared to concede anything demanded of him. 
 But Sebastiani, the French ambassador, encouraged him to 
 gain time in the well-known Turkish fashion, by pretended 
 negotiations, and Duckworth, a man wanting in decision, 
 resorted first to menace and next to persuasion, but did nothing. 
 Meanwhile, under the direction of General Sebastiani, the 
 Turks repaired and strengthened the defences of their shores, 
 lining them with powerful batteries, which the population 
 zealously laboured at day and night, and concentrating troops 
 at every vantage point. Thus the passage of the Dardanelles 
 came to assume a very different aspect from that which it had 
 presented when the British entered it; but it was evident that 
 the longer the fleet stayed before Constantinople the greater 
 would be the danger of its bemg shut up within a cul-de-sac^ 
 and on the ist of March it ran the whole course of thirty miles 
 in the teeth of an incessant and a heavy fire. From the twin 
 strongholds of Sestos and Abydos, which guard the mouth of 
 Helle's " stormy water," enormous granite shots, missiles which 
 no British mariner had ever before seen, were hurled at the 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 29$ 
 
 retreating ships, crashing in their decks, snapping their masts, 
 and producing an unusual sense of alarm among their crews. 
 
 The only officer who won distinction in this untoward 
 affair was Sidney Smith, who with his division had attacked 
 and overwhelmed and burned a Turkish squadron lying off 
 Point Perquies, consisting of a 64-gun ship, four frigates, three 
 corvettes, one brig, and two gun-boats, and had also carried off 
 a gun-boat and a corvette. Had he been in command of the 
 fleet we may feel assured that the expedition would not have 
 terminated in so inglorious a fiasco. It has justly been said 
 that his name alone would have operated as a charm with the 
 Turks, by whom he was respected and beloved. The moral 
 influence which he possessed over them to an extraordinary 
 degree was here thrown away by the then councils of England, 
 and the greatest fault of all was that of placing the naval power 
 under the direction, as it were, of the diplomatic agent. The 
 fleet ought not to have passed the Dardanelles until diplomatic 
 measures had been brought to an end, and the object should 
 then have been Constantinople, and the action against it that 
 of direct hostility. Things, however, were ordered otherwise, 
 as they too often are in our military and naval expeditions. 
 
 In November, 1807, Sir Sidney was appointed to the com- 
 mand of a squadron destined to blockade the mouth of the 
 Tagus. Portugal had been invaded and overrun by the armies 
 of Napoleon ; and its ruler, the Prince Regent, resolved to 
 retire from a kingdom which he could no longer retain except 
 as a vassal of France. After some negotiation through Lord 
 Strangford, the British Ambassador, Sir Sidney agreed to 
 escort him to Rio de Janeiro, the capital of the Brazils, 
 which he had chosen as his place of refuge, until the imperial 
 tyranny should be overpast. Accordingly the British fleet 
 sailed from the river Tagus on the 2Qth of November, having 
 in charge the Portuguese squadrou ? with the Prince Regent } 
 
296 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 the whole of the royal family of Braganza, and many of 
 their principal adherents and councillors on board. 
 
 u This fleet of eight sail of the line," says Sir Sidney, " four 
 frigates, three brigs, and one schooner, with a crowd of large 
 armed merchant ships, arranged itself under the protection of 
 that of his Majesty's .... the scene impressing every be- 
 holder, except the French army on the hills, with the most 
 lively emotions of gratitude to Providence that there yet 
 existed a power in the world able as well as willing to protect 
 the oppressed, inclined to pardon the misguided, and capable 
 by its fostering care to found new empires and alliances from 
 the wreck of the old ones, destroyed by the ephemeral power 
 of the day, on the lasting basis of mutual interests." 
 
 Sir Sidney saw the royal squadron safely into the Atlantic, and 
 then detached four of his men-of-war to attend it to Riode Janeiro, 
 while with the rest of his fleet he returned to his position off 
 the Tagus. There he remained until the beginning of 1808, 
 when he was succeeded by Sir Charles Cotton, and ordered to 
 repair without delay to take the command of the whole naval 
 force on the Brazil coast. He held this appointment until the 
 spring of 1809, but it was not distinguished by any incident 
 worthy of record, further than a disagreeable difference of 
 opinion between himself and the British Ambassador, Lord 
 Strangford, due, we fear, to Sir Sidney's besetting weakness, an 
 ungovernable temper. He was not a man who acted well with 
 colleagues of his own standing ; and while rigorously insisting 
 upon implicit deference and obedience from his inferiors, 
 towards his own superiors he by no means exhibited those 
 admirable qualities. We have often been struck by the 
 points of comparison between Sir Charles Napier and Sir 
 Sidney Smith. Both were men of original mind and great 
 force of character, abundant in resource, tenacious of purpose, 
 wi&Uigh capacities for command, perfectly fearless, honourable, 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 97 
 
 just, and generous ; but both were men who impaired these 
 splendid gifts by a painful infirmity of temper and impatience 
 of control. We have not thought it necessary here to dwell 
 upon the various contentions in which Sir Sidney involved 
 himself. It is very possible that in all he was not in the 
 wrong ; it is certain that in some he was not in the right. 
 
 Sir Sidney Smith's professional career was terminated on the 
 istof July, 1814, when he struck his flag in the Hibernia, after 
 having served for a couple of years as second in command of 
 the Mediterranean fleet under Sir Edward Pellew (afterwards 
 Lord Exmouth). His active mind, however, could not be at 
 rest, and he applied himself with great energy to the formation 
 of the " Knights Liberators and Anti-Piratical Society," which 
 was composed of knights of the various European orders and 
 of other dignified personages, and had for its object the aboli- 
 tion of Christian or white slavery in the Barbary States. 
 
 When, in 1815, on Napoleon's return from Elba, the 
 Hundred Days' War broke out, Sir Sidney hastened to the 
 scene of action, was present as a non-combatant at the battle 
 of Waterloo, and afterwards laboured ivith rare zeal and dis- 
 interestedness to relieve the wounded, assisting in their 
 removal to Brussels. Here is a characteristic anecdote told in 
 his own characteristic style : 
 
 "Meeting Sir George Berkeley returning from the field, 
 wounded, and thinking his sword a better one to meet my old 
 antagonist on horseback, I borrowed it. Things went ill and 
 looked worse at that time in the afternoon of the i8th of June, 
 1815. I stemmed the torrent of the disabled and givers-in 
 the best way I could, was now and then jammed among 
 broken waggons by a drove of disarmed Napoleon ist janissaries, 
 and finally reached the Duke of Wellington's person, and rode 
 in with him from St. Jean to Waterloo ; thus, though I was not 
 allowed to have any of the fun, not to be one too man)- 
 
298 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 (vulgo, a fifth wheel in a coach), I had the heartfelt gratifica- 
 tion of being the first Englishman, that was not in the battle, 
 who shook hands with him before he got off his horse, and of 
 cli inking his health at his table a supper I shall no more 
 forget than I can the dinner at Neuilly, when Fouche came out 
 to arrange the quiet entry into Paris without more bloodshed ; 
 or the banquet the Duke considerately and kindly gave to the 
 Knights of the Bath when I received at his hands the second 
 rank of the order of the Bath." * This banquet took place on 
 the 29th of December, 1815, in celebration of the investi- 
 ture of Sir Sidney as Knight Commander of the Bath. 
 
 Our story is nearly told. It would scarcely interest the 
 reader if we dwelt on the latter events of Sir Sidney's career, 
 which, towards its close, was not without a vein of absurd 
 Quixotism. Owing to his carelessness in money matters, an 
 un thrift which took no account of the actual limit of his income, 
 he was compelled to escape the pressure of his creditors by a 
 prolonged residence in Paris. There he become a member of 
 the " Order of the Temple," of which he was made Regent in 
 1838, when he was seventy-four years old. Of the exact 
 privileges and powers which appertain to that distinguished rank 
 we confess ourselves ignorant, but it seems to have gratified the 
 romantic element of Sir Sidney's character. In the same year 
 that he obtained this shadowy distinction he received the 
 better-understood and more real honour of the Grand Cross of 
 the Bath. In the early part of 1840 his faculties, both mental 
 and physical, began perceptibly to decline, and on the 9th of 
 May he received a stroke of apoplexy, which was followed by 
 paralysis. With this fatal cloud overhanging him he lingered 
 until the 2ist, when he passed away peacefully, in the seventy- 
 sixth year of his age. 
 
 * J. BARROW, Life and Correspondence of Sir Sidney Smith, ii. 394, 
 395- 
 
ADMIRAL SIR W. SIDNEY SMITH, G.C.B. 199 
 
 Bishop Luscombe, in preaching his funeral sermon, alluded 
 to the hero's career and character in terms not less accurate 
 than graceful. He spoke of his "long life of glorious and 
 hardy enterprise," through every scene of which he was distin- 
 guished not more by deeds of heroism than by mercy and 
 forbearance to the vanquished generous in victory and 
 intrepid until he obtained it. He referred to the numerous 
 and amiable qualities which in private life had endeared him 
 to all, to the warmth and sincerity of his friendship, his entire 
 freedom from cold and selfish feelings, his even lavish bounty 
 to all who solicited and whom he believed to deserve support 
 and assistance, his ardent zeal in promoting every humane and 
 charitable institution, his honest enthusiasm in any generous 
 undertaking, his singleness of heart, his genius, and his activity. 
 De moriuis nttnisi bonum ; and forgetting the defects of his dis- 
 position and temperament, we may well accept the eulogism 
 embodied in these words. Sir Sidney Smith was not a great 
 man, but he was a brave and good man ; he cannot be placed 
 in the front rank of naval commanders, but he was a skilful 
 seaman and capable officer ; and England has just cause to be 
 proud of the romantic enterprise and chivalrous daring of " the 
 hero of Acre." 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 
 
 1750 1810. 
 
 CUTHBERT COLLINGWOOD came of an ancient and reputable 
 family in Northumberland. He was born on the 26th of Sep- 
 tember, 1750, and at an early age was sent to a school at 
 Newcastle, where among his comrades were the two Scotts, 
 afterwards so distinguished in the legal profession as Lord 
 Stowell and the Earl of Eldon. He was sent to sea when only 
 eleven years old, under the care of his cousin, Captain, after- 
 wards Admiral, Brathwaite ; and in later life used to relate how, 
 when weeping bitterly at his separation from home, the first 
 lieutenant observed and cheered him with kindly words, and 
 how, in the gratitude of his heart, he seized the sympathetic 
 officer's hand, took him to his box, and pressed upon him a 
 large piece of plum-cake, which was one of his chief treasures 
 (A.D. 1761). 
 
 Under the tuition of his kinsman he made excellent pro- 
 gress in a knowledge of his profession. He served with him 
 for many years, and afterwards with Admiral Roddam. In 
 1774 he went to North America with Admiral Graves, who, 
 in the following year, promoted him to a lieutenancy in 
 acknowledgment of his services with a party of seamen at the 
 battle of Bunker's Hill. In 1776 he went to Jamaica in the 
 Hornd sloop ; and it was there that a previous acquaintance 
 with Nelson, then lieutenant of the Lowestoffe, ripened into a 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 30! 
 
 firm and lasting friendship. Both the friends were known to 
 the Admiral, Sir Peter Parker, and hence, whenever Nelson 
 got a step in rank, Collingwood succeeded him, first in the 
 Lowcstqffe, then in the Badger, of which ship Collingwood 
 was made commander in 1779, and afterwards in the Hinchin- 
 broke frigate, in which both Nelson and Collingwood were 
 made post-captains. 
 
 " The Hinchinbroke? writes Collingwood, " was, in the 
 spring of 1780, employed on an expedition to the Spanish 
 main, where it was proposed to pass into the South Sea 
 by a navigation of boats along the river San Juan and the 
 lakes Nicaragua and Leon. The plan was formed without a 
 sufficient knowledge of the country, which presented difficulties 
 rot to be surmounted by human skill or perseverance. It was 
 dangerous to proceed on the river, from the rapidity of the 
 current and the numerous falls over rocks which interrupted 
 the navigation ; the climate, too, was deadly, and no constitu- 
 tion could resist its effects. At San Juan I joined the Hinchin- 
 broke, and succeeded Lord Nelson, who was promoted to a 
 larger ship ; but he had received the infection of the climate 
 before he went from the port, and had a fever, from which he 
 could not recover until he quitted his ship and went to Eng- 
 land. My constitution resisted many attacks, and I survived 
 most of my ship's company, having buried in four months 180 
 of the 200 who composed it." 
 
 Collingwood was removed from this painful scene in August, 
 1780, and in the following December was appointed to the 
 command of the 24-gun frigate Pelican. 
 
 In August, 1781, the Pelican was wrecked in a severe storm 
 
 on the rocks of the Morant Keys. The next day her crew 
 
 contrived to reach the shore on rafts made ot the small and 
 
 - broken yards; and en these sandy iolets they remained for ten 
 
 days, with but UtUe food, until 3, boat CQuld be nt to 
 
302 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 and the Diamond frigate came to their rescue and carried them 
 to Kingston. 
 
 1\&.~Samson, a 64-gun ship, was Collingwood's next com- 
 mand. At the peace of 1783 she was paid off, and he was 
 appointed to the Mediator, in which he served for nearly three 
 years on the West Indian station. Nelson was on the same 
 station in the Boreas ; and the two friends enjoyed abundantly 
 their opportunities of intercourse. Coliingwood admired 
 Nelson's genius, fervour, electrical energy ; Nelson appreciated 
 Collingwood's firmness of purpose and integrity of motive. 
 Both, moreover, were thorough patriots and skilful seamen. 
 The two friends were alike, yet with many points of difference; 
 so that there was no imitation of the one by the other, but the 
 two, taken together, represented or made up a perlect whole 
 toti teretes que in se ipsis. 
 
 Returning to England in 1786, Coliingwood enjoyed a 
 lengthened residence at home, of which he had seen and 
 known but little since his boyhood. In 1790 he married 
 Miss Sarah Blackett, of Newcastle, a lady worthy of all the 
 affection he bestowed upon her. She bore to him two 
 daughters Sarah in May, 1792, and Mary Patience in 1793. 
 
 Of most of our naval heroes we have to gather their views 
 and judgments of life and men from the anecdotes pre- 
 served by their biographers, or the estimates formed by their 
 friends. But in Collingwood's case we have the advantage 
 of his admirable letters, in which the purity and loftiness of 
 his mind and his high sense of duty are strikingly illustrated, 
 Here is one which he wrote to a young officer in 1787 : 
 
 " It gives me great pleasure to find by your letter that your 
 situation is agreeable to you, and I hope it will always be so. 
 You may depend on it that it is more in your own power than 
 in any one else's to piomote both your comioit and advance- 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 303 
 
 inent. A strict and unwearied attention to your duty, and a 
 complaisant and respectful behaviour, not only to your supe- 
 riors, but to everybody, will ensure you their 'regard ; and the 
 reward will surely come, and I hope soon, in the shape of 
 preferment ; but if it should not I am sure you have too much 
 good sense to let disappointment sour you. Guard carefully 
 against letting discontent appear in you ; it is sorrow to your 
 friends and a triumph to your competitors, and cannot be pro- 
 ductive of any good. Conduct yourself so as to deserve the 
 best that can come to you, and the consciousness of your own 
 proper behaviour will keep you in spirits if it should not come. 
 Let it be your ambition to be foremost on all duty. Do not 
 be a nice observer of turns, but for ever present yourself ready 
 for everything, and if your officers are not very inattentive 
 men they will not allow the others to impose more duty on 
 you than they should ; but I never knew one who was exact to 
 do no more than his share of duty, who would not neglect that 
 when he could do so without fear of punishment. 
 
 " I need not say more to you on the subject of sobriety than 
 to recommend to you the continuance of it as exactly as when 
 you were with me. Every day affords you instances of the 
 evils arising from drunkenness. Were a man as wise as Solo- 
 mon and as brave as Achilles, he would still be unworthy of 
 trust if he addicted himself to grog. He may make a drudge, 
 but a respectable officer he can never be, for the doubt must 
 always remain that the capacity which God has given him will 
 be abused by intemperance. Young men are generally intro- 
 duced to this vice by the company they keep; but do you 
 carefully guard against ever submitting yourself to be the com- 
 panion of low, vulgar, and dissipated men ; and hold it as a 
 maxim that you had better be alone than in mean compan/. 
 Let your companions be such as yourself, or superior, for the 
 worth of a man will always be ruled by that of his company. 
 
304 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 You do not find pigeons associate with hawks, cr lambs with 
 bears ; and it is as unnatural for a good man to be the com- 
 panion of blackguards. 
 
 " Read let me charge you to read. Study books that treat 
 of your profession and of history. Study Faulkner's Dictionary, 
 and borrow, if you can, books which describe the West Indies, 
 and compare what you find there with your own observations. 
 Thus employed you will always be in good company. Nature 
 has sown in man the seeds of knowledge, but they must be 
 cultivated to produce fruit. Wisdom does not come as instinct, 
 but will be found when diligently sought for; seek her, she 
 
 will be a friend that will never fail you Remember, 
 
 Lane, before you are five-and-twenty you must establish a 
 character that will serve you all your life." 
 
 It will be seen that Collingwood was a master of the graces 
 of literary composition ; that he not only thought justly, but 
 could express his thoughts in clear and elegant language. 
 While the military profession has produced a host of writers 
 whose books, apart from their professional value, claim atten- 
 tion on the score of literary merit, the navy has given birth to 
 but few, and among these few Collingwood may deservedly 
 claim a high place. Evidences of culture and intellectual 
 refinement abound in his private correspondence, nor are they 
 wanting, indeed, in his public dispatches. 
 
 The outbreak of the great Revolutionary War recalled Col- 
 lingwood to active service, and in 1793 he was appointed cap- 
 tain of the Prince, Rear-Admiral Bowyer's flag-ship. He after- 
 wards followed that gallant commander into the Barfleur, and 
 thus carne to take part in the action of the ist of June, dis- 
 tinguishing himself by his cool courage and unflinching reso- 
 lution. We have already described this famous sea-fight at 
 length in a memoir of Lord Howe; and we shall therefore con- 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 305 
 
 tent ourselves here with transferring Collingwood's personal 
 narrative to our pages.* 
 
 After seeing the convoys, he says, down the Channel as far as 
 the Lizard, and detaching Rear-Admiral Montague with six sail 
 of the line for their further protection, they stretched across the 
 Channel to Brest, and sent in two frigates covered by two 
 ships of the line to see what force was there, when they found 
 the French fleet at anchor, and counted twenty-four sail of 
 large ships. Unsettled weather, and the wind hanging to the 
 north-eastward, set them to the southward, so that it was four- 
 teen days before they got off Brest again, and then found that 
 the enemy's fleet was gone. How the Admiral got his intel- 
 ligence Collingwood says he does not know, but he did get a t 
 very exact account of their course. The British fleet imme- 
 diately crowded on all sail for 150 leagues to the westward, 
 recovering about fifteen English merchant vessels and some 
 Dutch, and capturing a few French cruisers on the way, 
 all of which were at once burnt, as, in the circumstances, 
 Howe could not spare a man nor embarrass himself with 
 prizes. " In that situation," says Collingwood, " we cruised 
 for a few days, like disappointed people looking for what they 
 could not find, until the morning of little Sarah's birthday 
 (the seaman's duties could not stifle the father's feelings !), 
 between eight and nine o'clock, when the French fleet of 
 twenty-five sail of the line was discovered to windward." It 
 was then within about five miles of the main body of the 
 English, but much nearer to Admiral Pasley's advanced 
 squadron Bellerophon, Russel, Marlborough, Thunderer 
 winch about three P.M. exchanged fire with the enemy's rear. 
 The contest increased in severity as they drew nearer, and 
 waxed very hot until nine at night, when the detached ships 
 rejoined the fleet. 
 
 * NfiWNHAM COLLINGWOOD, Life of Lord Collingwood t pp. 1923. 
 
 X 
 
306 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 On the 29th the French were about three miles to wind- 
 ward, but as they showed no disposition to offer battle, Howe 
 tacked about six in the morning, with the hope that his van 
 would force their rear into close action; but they could get only 
 within a long shot. About eight they wore, and forming in a 
 line parallel to the English, their van kept up a sharp cannonade 
 for upwards of two^ hours; when Howe, plainly perceiving that 
 they could not be brought to close quarters except by a dash, 
 signalled for the van to tack, and the rest in succession to 
 follow, whereupon our ships plunged in amongst them " in a 
 very fine style." Admiral Gardner, who led, suffered a good 
 deal, but the French rear was cut off effectually. 
 
 On the 30th they were seen far to leeward, but the weather 
 became bad and foggy, so that it was scarcely possible to see a 
 ship's length ; nor did it clear until the afternoon of the 3ist, 
 when they could be observed in the act of forming their line. 
 Howe bore down towards them, and was engaged in forming 
 the English line all the evening. 
 
 " The night," says Collingwood, " was spent in watching and 
 preparation for the succeeding day, and many a blessing did I 
 send forth to my Sarah, lest I should never bless her again. 
 At dawn we made an approach on the enemy, then drew up, 
 dressed our ranks, and it was about eight when the Admiral 
 made the signal for each ship to engage her opponent and 
 bring her to close action ; and then down we went under a 
 crowd of sail, and in a manner that would have animated the 
 coldest heart and struck terror into the most intrepid enemy. 
 The ship we were to engage was two ahead of the French 
 Admiral, so that we had to go through his fire and that of two 
 ships next him, and received all their broadsides two or three 
 times before we fired a gun. It was then near ten o'clock. 
 I observed to the Admiral that about that time our wives 
 were going to church, but that 1 thought the peal we should 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 307 
 
 ring about the Frenchmen's ears would outdo their parish 
 bells." 
 
 Lord Howe began his fire some time before Collingwood's 
 ship did ; but it soon got up to its adversary, and then its men 
 plied their guns with a will. During the whole action they 
 preserved the most complete order, obeying every command 
 with punctuality, coolness, and precision. In ten minutes 
 Admiral Bowyer was wounded, but Collingwood caught him 
 in his arms before he fell ; the first lieutenant was hurt by the 
 same shot, and it looked as if Collingwood were in a fair way 
 of being left on deck alone ; but the lieutenant, after having 
 had his head dressed, refused to stay below. Soon afterwards a 
 cry arose on the forecastle that the Frenchman was sinking, 
 whereupon the men started up, and broke into three hearty 
 cheers. 
 
 At about twenty minutes past twelve the fire slackened, and 
 the French fled, leaving seven fine men-of-war in the hands 
 of the victorious English. One of these, however, as already 
 stated, sank before night. 
 
 "We left off," writes Collingwood, "in admirable good 
 plight, having sustained less loss than could be expected, 
 considering the fire we had so long on us. We had nine 
 men killed and twenty-two with severe wounds, a few 
 others slightly hurt ; our masts, &c., all in their places, though 
 much wounded. We have not obtained this victory without 
 losses that must long be lamented. Admiral Bowyer and 
 Admiral Pasley have each lost a leg; Admiral Graves is 
 severely wounded in the arm, and as he is seventy years of 
 age, or nearly, it is hard to say what will be the consequence. 
 Captain Montague was killed, and Captain Strutt, of the Queen, 
 lost his leg. Several lieutenants are killed and wounded ; and 
 this altogether has been the severest action that has been 
 fought in our time, or perhaps ever. It did not last very 
 
308 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 severely much more than two hours, when ten of the enemy's 
 ships were dismasted, and two of ours. They were superior 
 to us in ships, men, and guns, sent out for the express purpose 
 of destroying us. Four of their ships were provided with 
 furnaces for red-hot shot, one of which stuck in the Royal 
 Sovereign, but I have not heard that they did any mischief in 
 any part of the fleet by them. We understand their orders 
 were to give us no quarter ; and, indeed, they fought as if they 
 expected none." 
 
 It was the subject of considerable surprise,and to Collingwood 
 the cause of considerable mortification, that Lord Howe in his 
 dispatch made no mention of his services ; nor did he receive 
 until 1797 one of the medals struck in commemoration of the 
 victory. This act of injustice we may suppose to have been 
 undesigned ; but to Captain Pakenham, of the Invincible, it 
 seemed so grievous that he was wont to say, " If Collingwood 
 has not deserved a medal, neither have I, for we were together 
 the whole day." 
 
 From the Barfleur Collingwood was removed to the 
 Excellent, a ship with which his name will always be associated. 
 It became famous for the admirable discipline of its crew, so 
 that Lord St. Vincent, then command er-in-chief on the 
 Mediterranean station, was accustomed to send on board the 
 most refractory spirits in the fleet, saying, " Send them . to 
 Collingwood, and he will bring them to order." It was not, 
 however, by a frequent use of the cat-o'-nine-tails that he 
 maintained his authority; nor did he have recourse to capital 
 punishment except for the gravest crimes ; nor was he con- 
 tinually harassing his men by minute interference. It was 
 his firmness, his justice, his humanity, his personal influence, 
 that worked so wonderful an effect. On one occasion a seaman 
 was sent to him from the Romulus; he had pointed one of the 
 forecastle guns, shotted to the muzzle, at the quarter-deck, and, 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 309 
 
 standing by it with lighted match, had declared that he would 
 fire at the officers unless they promised not to inflict any punish- 
 ment upon him. On his arrival on board the Excellent^ 
 Captain Collingwood took occasion to address him with a 
 serious brow : " I know your character well, but beware how you 
 attempt to excite insubordination in this ship, for I have such 
 confidence in my men, that I am certain I shall hear in an hour 
 of everything you are doing. If you behave well in future I 
 will treat you like the rest, nor notice here what happened in 
 another ship ; but if you endeavour to excite mutiny, mark me 
 well, I will instantly bend you up in a cask and throw you into 
 the sea." It should be added that this man became an excellent 
 sailor, favourably known for his obedience and good con- 
 duct. 
 
 As Collingwood learned more fully the responsibilities of 
 command, and obtained a deeper insight into the characters of 
 men, his abhorrence of the brutalising practice of corporal 
 punishment grew stronger, so that at last he ceased to have 
 recourse to it, a fact which may be commended to the con- 
 sideration of contemporary advocates of flogging. Said Lieu- 
 tenant Clavell one day to some of the crew who were not 
 working as he wished, "Would I were the captain for your 
 sakes !" A person touched him on the shoulders, and, looking 
 round, he saw it was Collingwood, who had overheard him. 
 " And if you had been captain, Clavell, what would you 
 have done ?" "I would have flogged them well, sir." " No 
 you would not, Clavell; no, you would not; I know you 
 better." 
 
 He used to inform the ship's company that he would have 
 the youngest midshipman obeyed as promptly as himself; but 
 he was careful to discourage the midshipmen from constant 
 "meddling and muddling." When a midshipman made a 
 complaint he would order the offender for punishment next 
 
3*0 KMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 day, and in the interval, calling the boy down to him, would 
 say, " In all probability the fault was yours ; but whether it 
 \vas or not I am sure you would be grieved to :;ee a man old 
 enough to be your father disgraced and punibhed on your 
 account. It will give me a good opinion of your disposition, 
 therefore, if when he is brought out you ask for his pardon." 
 As this recommendation had the force of an order, it was 
 necessarily complied with, and the lad duly interceded for the 
 prisoner. The captain would appear to yield with much diffi- 
 culty, but at length would remark, "This young gentleman has 
 pleaded so humanely for you, that in the hope you will feel a 
 due gratitude to him for his benevolence I will for this one 
 occasion overlook your offence." 
 
 There was much good sense as well as ingenuity shown in 
 the punishments which he substituted for the lash. One of 
 these was watering the grog ; another, even more effectual, was 
 the exclusion of an offender from his mess, and his employ- 
 ment in every kind of extra duty, so that at any moment he 
 was liable to be called upon deck for the meanest service, 
 amid the inextinguishable laughter of men and boys. The 
 men were often heard to say that they would prefer three 
 dozen lashes to this punishment. But he knew that preven- 
 tion was more effectual than punishment, and adopted every 
 possible expedient to occupy and amuse the attention of his 
 men. Moreover, when any of them were sick he visited them 
 daily, and supplied them from his own table ; and as soon as 
 they became convalescent the lieutenant of the morning watch 
 took them under his charge, and daily brought them before 
 the Admira'. to be examined by him. This thoughtful sym- 
 pathy secured the affection of the sailors, who considered 
 him and called him their "father;" so that when he changed 
 his ship many of those he left behind him were seen with 
 tears rolling down their rugged, weather-beaten countenances. 
 
VICE ADMIRAL LORD COU.INGWOOD. 3!! 
 
 Yet Collingwood was not the man to court popularity. 
 He lemembered that familiarity breeds contempt, and always 
 maintained that dignity which is consistent wirh self-respect 
 commands the respect of others. At the same time he never 
 addressed his men in coarse and unbecoming language. " If 
 you do not know a man's name," he would say to his officers, 
 " Call him ' Sailor,' and not * You sir,' and such other appella- 
 tions ; they. are offensive and improper." 
 
 Towards his officers his conduct was marked by similar 
 characteristics. He was so thorough a seaman, and his eye 
 was so quick and exact, that in a moment he discovered the 
 existence of any disorder or irregularity in his ship ; where- 
 upon he would administer a reproof to the officer in fault 
 couched in perfectly courteous language, but so grave and 
 serious as always to produce a deep impression. He was 
 never tolerant to any breach of discipline. " I have given 
 you, sir, a commission," said Lord St. Vincent to Lieutenant 
 Clavell, " into the Excellent, but remember that you are going 
 to a man who will take it away from you to-morrow if you 
 behave ill." His biographer records that he treated his 
 midshipmen with parental care, examining them over a week, 
 and declaring that nothing would give him greater pain than 
 that any young man in his ship should be unable to pass. 
 When they were off duty he did all he could to place his 
 officers at their ease and to promote their welfare. 
 
 While yielding to his superiors the deference to which their 
 posit-ion entitled them, he insisted that they, in their turn, 
 should treat him with proper respect. On one occasion the 
 Excellent, when off Cadiz, was directed to weigh and close 
 with the Admiral's ship : as she was running down the signal 
 was made five or six times for altering the course, first on one 
 side and then on the other, and finally for a lieutenant. Col- 
 lingwood, who had been observing this in silence, ordered his 
 
312 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 boat ft} be manned, as he would go too. On arriving on 
 board the flag-ship he desired the lieutenant, when the order 
 was copied, to bring it to him, and he read it while he was 
 pacing the quarter-deck with Lord St. Vincent and Sir 
 Robert Calder. It was neither more nor less than an order for 
 the Excellent to receive on board two bags of onions for the 
 use of the sick, and on seeing it he exclaimed, " Bless me ! 
 is this the service, my lord? is this the service, Sir Robert? 
 Has the Excellenfs signal been made five or six limes for two 
 bags of onions ? Man my boat, sir, and let us go on board 
 again." And though Lord St. Vincent earnestly pressed him 
 to stay to dinner, he refused and retired. 
 
 We may now venture upon some extracts from his corre- 
 spondence while the Excellent was attached to the Mediter- 
 ranean fleet, both because they are illustrative of character, 
 and because they refer very frequently to events of historical 
 interest and importance. 
 
 Writing in January, 1798, he says 
 
 " My wits are ever at work to keep my people employed, 
 both for health's sake and to keep them from mischief. We 
 have lately been making musical instruments, and have now a 
 very good band. Every moonlight night the sailors dance ; 
 and there seems as much mirth and festivity as if we were in 
 Wapping itself. One night the rats destroyed the bagpipes 
 we had made by eating up the bellows; but they suffer from 
 it, for in revenge we have made traps of all constructions, and 
 declared a war of extermination against them." 
 
 In June, 1798 : 
 
 " We have not heard from Admiral Nelson since he left us, 
 but he is in a field for the exercise of his great talents, and I 
 hope his good fortune will not forsake him on this occasion. 
 The Admiral has received advice that the armament which 
 the French have been so long preparing at Toulon and 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 313 
 
 Marseilles has sailed on an expedition, which is confidently 
 asserted to be to Egypt. It consists of several sail of the line 
 how many is not known and a great number cf transports, 
 containing many thousand troops, besides entire families, men, 
 women, and children,, in short a complete colony, to take 
 possession and people a country at a stroke. It is, I believe, 
 the execution of a plan, which has been long in contemplation 
 in France, for the opening of a trade from India by the Red 
 Sea, and supplying Europe with the produce of the East 
 without that long circuitous voyage round the Cape of Good 
 Hope. Whatever it is, I hope Sir Horatio Nelson will dispose 
 of their army and fleet in a way to be no longer troublesome 
 to Europe." 
 
 He writes to Captain Ball, in October, 1798, after Nelson's 
 great victory of the Nile : 
 
 " I cannot express to you how great my joy was when the 
 news arrived of the complete and unparalleled victory which 
 you obtained over the French, or what were my emotions of 
 thankfulness that the life of my worthy and much-respected 
 friend was preserved through such a day of danger to his 
 family and his country. I congratulate you, my dear friend, 
 on your success. Oh, my dear Ball, how I have lamented that 
 I was not one of you ! Clearly a victory has been won, and 
 many are yet to come, but there never has been, nor will 
 perhaps again, one in which the fruits have been so completely 
 gathered, the blow so nobly followed up, and the consequences 
 so fairly brought to account. 
 
 " I have been almost broken-hearted all the summer. My 
 ship was in as perfect order for any service as those which 
 were sent ; in zeal I will yield to none ; and my friendship, my 
 love for your admirable Admiral gave me a particular interest in 
 serving with him. I saw them preparing to leave us, and to 
 leare me, with pain ; but our good chief found employment for 
 
314 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 me, and to occupy my mind sent me to cruise off St. Luccars 
 (San Lucar), to intercept the market boats, the poor cabbage- 
 carriers. Oh, humiliation ! But for the consciousness that 
 I did not deserve degradation from any hand, and that my 
 good estimation would not be depreciated in the minds of 
 honourable men by the caprice of power, I should have died 
 with indignation. . . . 
 
 " I have heard with great pleasure that your squadron has 
 presented Sir Horatio Nelson with a sword; it is the honours 
 to which he led you reflected back upon himself the finest 
 testimony of his merits for having led you to a field in which 
 you all so nobly displayed your own. The expectation of the 
 people of England was raised to the highest pitch ; the event 
 has exceeded all expectation."* 
 
 In the spring of 1799 Collingwood enjoyed for a few weeks 
 those sweet domesticities and simple home joys for which he 
 had so hearty a relish ; but he was soon recalled to active 
 service. The times were not such that men of his mark could 
 be suffered to rust in inglorious ease, nor was his the spirit 
 that could stand aloof when his country needed the brains and 
 hearts and arms of all her sons. Promoted to the rank of 
 Rear-Admiral, he hoisted his flag in the Triumph, and joined 
 the Channel fleet. Thence he was dispatched, under Sir 
 Charles Cotton, to reinforce Admiral Lord Keith, who, in the 
 Mediterranean, was guarding the shores of Italy and Sicily, 
 and watching the armadas which France and Spain had 
 assembled at Brest. Collingwood was stationed off the harbour 
 to prevent their escape a duty which, performed in all 
 weathers, day after day, week after week, month after month, 
 oppressed him with its monotony, and by all our seamen 
 was felt as a heavy burden, though one that for the safety of 
 their country must needs be borne. " We are wandering 
 * Correspondence and Memoir oj Lord Collingivootl, pp. 64 y/j. 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 315 
 
 before this port," he writes on the I5th of August, 1800, "with 
 no prospect ot change for the better. Nothing good can 
 happen to us short of peace. Every officer and man in the 
 fleet is impatient for release from a situation which daily 
 becomes more irksome to all." And again on October 4th : 
 " This unremitting hard service is a great sacrifice, giving up 
 all that is pleasurable to the soul or soothing to the mind, and 
 engaging in a constant contest with the elements, or with 
 tempers and dispositions as boisterous and untractable." 
 
 After a short visit to Plymouth, we find him again engaged 
 in the weary work of blockading in 1801, until released from 
 it by the conclusion of peace between England and France at 
 Amiens. In February, 1802, he returned to England, and 
 immediately repaired to join his family at Morpeth. Here, 
 during the brief interval of repose permitted by Napoleon's 
 ambition, he was occupied in directing the education of his 
 daughters, and in renewing those literary pursuits which he 
 had always found congenial. His reading was extensive, 
 particularly in history ; and he was accustomed to exercise 
 himself in composition by writing abstracts from or abridg- 
 ments of the books he read, distinguished by their force and 
 conciseness. "I know not," said a distinguished English 
 diplomatist, " where Lord Collingwood got his style, but he 
 writes better than any of us." His severer studies were diversi- 
 fied by the practice of drawing and conversation with his 
 family, and much spare time was given to the cultivation of his 
 garden, which lay on the banks of the beautiful Wansbeck. 
 
 In the spring of 1803, when the brief peace or armed truce 
 which had followed the treaty of Amiens was broken up, Colling- 
 wood was once more summoned from his home, to which he 
 was never to return. It gives us a vivid idea of the stress and 
 storm to which England was exposed in the latter years of the 
 eighteenth and theearliei years of the nineteenth century, when 
 
316 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 we reflect that otit of fifty years spent by Collingvvood in the 
 naval profession, about forty-four were spent in active employ- 
 ment ! In those critical times, from 179310 1810, he was 
 mainly engaged in tedious and arduous blockades, seldom 
 visiting a port ; and on one occasion he actually kept the sea 
 for the almost incredible space of twenty-two months without 
 once dropping anchor. "Since 1798," he writes, "I have 
 been only one year at home. To my own children I am 
 scarcely known ; but while I have health and strength to serve 
 my country, I consider that health and strength to be its due; 
 and if I serve it successfully, as I have ever done faithfully, my 
 children will not want for friends." 
 
 In the early part of May, with his flag flying in the Venerable, 
 Collingwood joined Admiral Cornwallis's squadron off Brest, to 
 watch the motions of the French fleet, and prevent it, if possible, 
 from putting to sea. During this anxious time, when Napoleon 
 was understood to be meditating the invasion of England if he 
 could get command of the Channel, Collingwood frequently 
 passed the whole of the night on the quarter-deck. On some 
 of these occasions, observing the fatigue of his chief officer, 
 Lieutenant Clavell, he would say, "You have need of rest, so go 
 to bed, Clavell, and I will watch by myself." Very frequently 
 they slept together on a gun, from which Collingwood would 
 frequently rise to sweep the horizon with his night glass, lest 
 the enemy should steal out in the dark. 
 
 Early in 1805 a French fleet sailed from Toulon in the hope 
 of effecting a junction with the Brest squadron, and Colling- 
 wood received immediate orders to sail in pursuit of it. 
 Arriving off Cape Finisterre on the 2;th of May, he took up a 
 station off Cadiz to prevent the escape of the Spaniards. In 
 September he was joined by Lord Nelson with the fleet which 
 had been in search of Villeneuve, and, by that great admiral 
 being appointed second in command, shifted his flag to the 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 317 
 
 Royal Sovereign. The battle of Trafalgar followed, under the 
 circumstances already related in our memoir of Lord Nelson, 
 so that here we have to deal only with Collingwood's share in 
 it. On the morning of the day of battle, his valet says that he 
 entered the Admiral's cabin about daylight, and found him 
 already up and dressing. " He asked if I had seen the French 
 fleet, and on my replying that I had not, he told me to look 
 out at them, adding that in a very short time we should see a 
 great deal more of them. I then observed a crowd of ships to 
 leeward, but I could not help looking with still greater interest 
 at the Admiral, who during all this time was shaving himself 
 with a composure that quite astonished me." The Admiral 
 dressed himself with great care, and soon afterwards meeting 
 Lieutenant Clavell, he advised him to pull off his boots. " You 
 had better," he said, " put on silk stockings as I have done, for 
 if one should get a shot in the leg they would be so much 
 more manageable for the surgeon." Then he visited the 
 decks, encouraged the men in doing their duty, and addressing 
 his officers said to them, " Now, gentlemen, let us do some- 
 thing to-day which the world may talk of hereafter." 
 
 Lord Nelson signalled for the Royal Sovereign to pass 
 through the enemy's line at the twelfth ship from the rear ; but 
 Collingwood perceiving that she was only a two-decker, while 
 the tenth was a first-rate carrying the Spanish Admiral Alava's 
 flag, so far deviated from the Commander-in-Chiefs order as to 
 select the latter for his antagonist. While they were running 
 down to engage the enemy the well-known signal was hoisted 
 on Nelson's ship, " England expects every man to do his duty." 
 On Collingwood's first observing it he expressed a wish that 
 Nelson would make no more signals, for they all understood 
 what they were to do ; but when its purport was made known to 
 him he was surprised and delighted, and immediately repeated 
 it to his officers and crew. 
 
31 8 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Soon afterwards it was seen that all sail was being crowded 
 on the Victory to give her the lead ; whereupon Lieutenant 
 Clavell, in a spirit of noble emulation, begged permission to 
 set the Royal Sovereign's studding-sails. " The ships of our 
 line," replied the Admiral, "are not yet sufficiently up for us to 
 do so now, but you may be getting ready." Accordingly the stud- 
 ding-sails and royal halliards were manned, and in about ten 
 minutes the Admiral, catching Lieutenant Clavell's expectant 
 look, bent his head, and almost immediately a mass of canvas 
 hung from every yard and spar of the Royal Sovereign, which 
 forged ahead with rapidity, while the men lay down on the 
 decks, and in silence waited for the beginning of the struggle. 
 At this time the Fougueux t the ship astern of the Sania 
 Anna, had closed up in order to obstruct the passage of the 
 English flag-ship, but Collingwood immediately ordered his 
 captain to steer for the Frenchman and carry away his bow- 
 sprit. To avoid this manoeuvre the Fougueux backed her main- 
 topsail and suffered the Royal Sovereign to pass, at the same 
 time opening fire. The Admiral then caused a gun to be fired 
 at her occasionally so as to cover his ship with smoke, and 
 baffle her aim. 
 
 The Royal Sovereign was now about a mile ahead of the. 
 nearest English ship, and as she stood out conspicuous on the 
 sunlit surface of the waters, Nelson, watching her from the 
 Victory's quarter-deck, remarked to his captain, "See how that 
 noble fellow, Collingwood, takes his ship into action. How I 
 envy him 1 " As if possessed by a simultaneous feeling of 
 sympathy, Collingwood himself at this moment exclaimed, 
 " What would Nelson give to be here ! " Such is the inti- 
 mate fellowship that exists between two spirits of equal bravery 
 and loftiness ! On the other hand, Villeneuve, the commander- 
 in-chief of the allied French and Spanish fleets, observing with 
 what fervour and daring the leading ships of the English squad- 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 319 
 
 rons advanced to battle, felt that they would snatch the victory 
 from him. As she swept past the Santa Anna, Collingwood's 
 ship delivered a crashing broadside and a half right into her 
 stern, tearing it down as if it had been made of paper, and 
 killing and wounding 400 of her men ; then with helm hard-a- 
 starboard she ranged up alongside so closely that the lower 
 yards of the two vessels were locked together. The Spanish 
 Admiral, diviningCollingwood's intention of engaging to leeward, 
 had collected all his strength on the starboard, and such was 
 the weight of the Santa Anna's metal, that her first broadside 
 made the Royal Sovereign heel two streaks out of water. Her 
 studding-sails and halliards were torn to rags, and as a top- 
 gallant studding-sail hung over the gangway ban ' 'cks, the 
 Admiral called to Lieutenant Clavell to help him :ake it in, 
 observing with characteristic economy that they should want 
 it again some other day. And so they rolled it up carefully, 
 and stowed it away in a boat.* 
 
 Fifty minutes had passed, and no other English ship had as 
 yet taken part in the action, when Collingwood's captain came 
 up to him, and, grasping his hand, exclaimed, " I congratulate 
 you, sir; she is slackening her fire and must soon strike." It 
 was, in truth, the hope and belief of the Royal Sovereign's 
 heroic crew that theirs would be the honour of capturing the 
 Spanish Admiral, in the midst of a fleet of thirty-three men-of- 
 war, before another English ship came up; but though suf- 
 fering grievously from the Royal Sovereign's continuous fire, 
 and not able to do more than return a gun at intervals, the 
 Santa Anna maintained the desperate conflict, relying doubt- 
 lessly on the assistance of her numerous consorts, which 
 crowded round the English flag-ship like hounds around 
 an ensnared lion. The Fougueux took up a position on her 
 lee-quarter ; another French two-decker lay across her bow, as 
 * Correspondence and Memoir of Lord Collingwood t pp. 126, 127, 
 
320 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 well as two Spanish ships; in -this, however, there was a 
 decided advantage, for they could not fire without injuring 
 each other. 
 
 Descending from the poop to the quartei -deck, Collingwood 
 visited his men, urging them not to waste a single shot, watch- 
 ing to see that the guns were properly pointed, encouraging 
 and commending the sailors, particularly a black man, who 
 was afterwards killed, but who, while his Admiral stood beside 
 him, fired ten times directly into the Santa Anna's porthole. 
 The Fougueux at one time lay so close upon the quarter of the 
 Royal Sovereign that she almost touched, but the English 
 quarter-deck carronades were brought to bear on her fore- 
 castle with such effect that she gladly dropped a little astern, 
 maintaining from that position a raking and destructive fire 
 until the Tonnant came up and drove her away. 
 
 At half-past two o'clock, about the time when Collingwood 
 received information of Nelson's mortal wound, the Santa 
 Anna struck, but the Royal Sovereign had been so crippled 
 in her masts and spars by the enemy's ships that had crowded 
 round her as to be unable to alter her position. Collingwood 
 therefore summoned the Euryalns frigate to take her in tow 
 and make his signals. He sent Captain Blackwood to remove 
 the Spanish Admiral on board the Euryalus, but as Alava was 
 supposed to be dying from his wounds he returned with the 
 Spanish captain. That officer had already visited the Royal 
 Sovereign to surrender his sword, and on reaching her deck 
 had asked one of the English sailors the name of the ship. 
 When told it was the Royal Sovereign he replied in broken 
 English, patting one of the guns with his hand, " I think she 
 should be called the ' Royal Devil.' 
 
 On the death of Nelson Lord Collingwood assumed the 
 command, and proceeded to gather up the fruits of victory. 
 Twenty French and Spanish ships had struck, and as of those 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLlNGWOOD. 32! 
 
 that escaped four were afterwards captured by Sir Richard 
 Strachan, it may be said that the allied fleet was almost 
 destroyed. Certain it is that no more complete victory was 
 ever won at sea, and that from a blow so crushing the French 
 and Spanish navies never recovered during the war. Even to 
 this day its moral effect is still felt, and no one can doubt that 
 the prestige which surrounds the British navy dates from 
 Trafalgar. 
 
 The morning after the victory a strong southerly wind arose, 
 and Collingwood employed the officers and men of such ships 
 as were manageable in getting hold of thirteen or fourteen of 
 the prizes, and towing them to the westward. On the 23rd 
 the fury of the gale increased, and the sea ran so high that 
 many of them broke the tow-rope and drifted far to leeward 
 before they could be recovered, and some of them, in the dark 
 and boisterous night, drove ashore and were sunk. The general 
 result is thus stated by Collingwood himself : 
 
 "Twenty sail of the line surrendered to us, out of which 
 three, in the furious gale we had afterwards, being driven to 
 the entrance of the harbour of Cadiz, received assistance and 
 got in. These were the Santa Anna, the Algesiras, and 
 Neptune (the last since sunk and lost) ; the Santa Anna's side 
 was battered in. The three we have sent to Gibraltar are 
 the San Ildejonso^ San Juan Nepomuceno, and Swiftsure ; four- 
 teen others we have burnt, sunk, and run on shore, but the 
 Balavta I have yet hope of saving ; she is gone to Gibraltar. 
 Those ships which effected their escape into Cadiz are quite 
 wrecks; some have lost their masts since they got in, and 
 have not a spar or a store to refit them. We took four 
 admirals Villeneuve, the commander-in-chief; Vice- Admiral 
 D'Alava ; Rear-Admiral Cisneros, Spanish ; and the French 
 Admiral Magon, who was killed besides a great number of 
 brigadiers (commanders). D'Alava [dangerously], wounded, 
 
322 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 was driven into Cadiz in the Santa Anna ; Gruvoria, who was 
 not taken, has lost his arm. Of men, their loss is many 
 thousands, for I reckon in the captured ships we took 20,000 
 prisoners, including the troops. This," adds Collingwood, in 
 language which all England has adopted, " this was a victory 
 to be proud of!" 
 
 For his share in it Collingwood was deservedly raised to the 
 peerage by the title of Baron Collingwood of Caldburne and 
 Hethpoole, in the county of Northumberland. He received 
 the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, and the thanks and 
 freedom of the principal cities and towns of Great Britain. A 
 pension was granted by Parliament of ^2,000 per annum for 
 his own life, and in the event of his death of ^1,000 per 
 annum to Lady Collingwood, and of ,500 per annum to each 
 of his two daughters. 
 
 Here it may be noted that Collingwood was never a popular 
 hero in the same manner as Nelson or St. Vincent, Rodney, 
 Duncan, or Howe. His name was not familiar to the lips 
 of the public of his own day; and to the present genera- 
 tion we speak of course of the masses if it be known at all, 
 it is not as one of the finest seamen and most capable officers 
 of his age, but as Nelson's second at Trafalgar. Fortune was 
 not kind to him. He never commanded a fleet in battle, he 
 never captured an enemy's ship in single combat, he led no 
 dashing boat attack, made no interesting or important capture ; 
 and it is of such conspicuous services as these that the multitude 
 take account. His able career as captain, commodore, and 
 second in command, his merits as an enlightened discipli- 
 narian and practical seaman, his vigilant discharge of the 
 laborious duty which devolves on the chief of a blockading 
 squadron, would necessarily pass unnoticed by the crowd, 
 whose attention is caught only by work of a more exciting and 
 romantic character. Fortune, we repeat, was not kind to 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 32$ 
 
 Collingwood. He never had independent command of a fleet 
 until alter the victory of Trafalgar, which swept the enemy's 
 navies from the sea, and left him no chance of winning the 
 glory that is always to be acquired by successful battle. 
 
 The admirable qualities of Collingwood's character come out 
 very forcibly in the following letter, which he addressed to his 
 wife a few weeks after the great victory, while he was enjoying 
 the fulness of triumph, and receiving from all quarters a 
 tribute of applause and congratulation ; while, too, he was in 
 anxious discharge of the multifarious duties of the admiral of 
 a large fleet in time of war : * 
 
 " All this," he writes, " is very pleasing; but alas ! my love, 
 until we have peace I shall never be happy; and yet how we 
 are to make it out in peace I know not, with high rank and no 
 fortune. At all events, we can do as we did before. It is 
 true I have the chief command, but there are neither French 
 nor Spaniards on the sea, and our cruisers find nothing but 
 neutrals, who carry on all the trade of the enemy. Our prizes, 
 you see, are lost ; but was there ever so complete a break-up of 
 an enemy's fleet ? If we have not saved them to ourselves, we 
 have at least put them out of the power of doing further mis- 
 chief. Villeneuve's ship had a great deal of money in her, but 
 it all went to the bottom. I am afraid the fees for this patent 
 [of his peerage] will be large, and pinch me; but never 
 mind ; let others solicit pensions, I am an Englishman, and 
 will never ask for money as a favour. How do my darlings 
 go on? I wish you would make them write to me by turns, 
 and give me the whole history of their proceedings. Oh ! how 
 I shall rejoice, when I come home, to find them as much 
 improved in knowledge as I have advanced them in station in 
 the world ; but take care they do not give themselves foolish 
 airs. Their excellence should be in knowledge, in virtue, and 
 
 * Correspondence and Memoir of Lord Collingwood, pp. 160 168. 
 
324 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 benevolence to all; but most to those who are jiumble and 
 require their aid. This is true nobility, and is now become 
 an incumbent duty on them. 
 
 " I am out of all patience with Bounce. The consequential 
 airs he gives himself since he became a right honourable dog 
 are insufferable. He thinks it beneath his dignity to play with 
 commoner dogs, and truly thinks that he does them grace 
 when he condescends to lift up his leg against them. This, I 
 think, is carrying the insolence of rank to the extreme ; but he 
 is a dog that does it. 
 
 "25th December. This is Christmas day; a merry and 
 cheerful one, I hope, to all my darlings. May God bless us, 
 and grant that we may pass the next together. Everybody is 
 very good to me ; but his Majesty's letters are my pride; it is 
 there I feel the object of my life attained." 
 
 Lord Collingwood now entered upon anew sphere of activity, 
 the maintenance of the political relations between England and 
 the powers whose territories border on the Mediterranean. 
 From the rest of Europe England was at this time virtually ex- 
 cluded by the Napoleonic system, which had bound together 
 in temporary alliance France, Prussia, Austria, Russia, and 
 Sweden. It was all the more needful, therefore, that she 
 should keep up a friendly intercourse with Naples and Sicily, 
 and prevent their absorption in the French Empire. Colling- 
 wood's duties were necessarily of a very delicate character, but 
 he discharged them with great tact and judgment, and his dis- 
 patches to the Queen of Naples, the Emperor of Morocco, the 
 Bey of Tunis, and other princes and authorities, are marked 
 by political sagacity as well as elegance of diction. It is in- 
 teresting to observe that in the midst of these anxious employ- 
 ments his heart was constantly travelling homewards, and his 
 mind busying it.self with the education of his daughters or the 
 improvement of his little estate. We see how conscientious he 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 325 
 
 was, how serious and sensible, how thorough an Englishman of 
 the best type ; but we see also why he never became a popular 
 hero from the lack of a dramatic element in his character, of the 
 dash and fervour which always arrest and command the popular 
 imagination. To continue our extracts from his letters will, we 
 think, be more interesting to the reader than a detailed account 
 of negotiations and political transactions which are of little im- 
 portance except in their connection with the history of the 
 time. 
 
 In June, 1806, he writes 
 
 " How do the dear girls go on ? I would have them taught 
 geometry, which is of all sciences in the world the most enter- 
 taining ; it expands the world more to the knowledge of all 
 things in nature, and better teaches to distinguish between 
 truths and such things as have the appearance of being truths, 
 yet are not, than any other. Their education and the proper 
 cultivation of the sense which God has given them are the 
 objects in which my happiness most depends. To inspire them 
 with a love of everything that is honourable and virtuous, 
 though in rags, and with contempt for vanity in embroidery, is 
 the way to make them the darlings of my heart. They should 
 not only read, but it requires a careful selection of books, nor 
 should they ever have access to two at the same time ; but 
 when a subject is begun it should be finished before anything 
 else is undertaken. How would it enlarge their minds if they 
 would acquire a sufficient knowledge of mathematics and as- 
 tronomy to give them an idea of the beauty and wonders of the 
 creation ! I am persuaded that the generality of people, and 
 particularly fine ladies, only adore God because they are told 
 it is proper and the fashion to go to church ; but I would have 
 my girls gain real knowledge of the works of the creation, that 
 they may have a fixed idea of the nature of that Being who 
 could be the author of svich a wQiid, Whenever they h^v. that 
 
326 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 nothing on this side the moon will give them much uneasiness 
 of mind. I do not want that they should be Stoics, or want 
 the common feelings for the sufferings that flesh is heir to, but 
 they would then have a source of consolation for the worst that 
 could happen. 
 
 "Tell me how do the trees which I planted thrive? Is there 
 shade under the three oaks for a comfortable summer seat ? 
 Do the poplars grow at the walk, and does the wall of the ter- 
 race stand firm ? " 
 
 To Mr. Blackett, his brother-in-law, he writes on New Year's 
 Day, 1807 : 
 
 " I cannot begin this new year so much to my satisfaction as 
 by offering my congratulations to you on your birthday, and 
 my best wishes that you may enjoy health to see many happy 
 returns of it. I hope you are with my beloved family enjoy- 
 ing yourselves in great comfort, and long may you live un- 
 invaded by the sounds of war. What a blessed day it will be 
 to me when we shall all meet together to celebrate the new 
 year, to talk of the privations we have sufTered in times past, 
 and have only to look forward to blessings for the future. I 
 have lived now so long in a ship, always engaged in serious 
 employments, that I shall be unfit for anything but the quiet 
 society of my family ; it is to them that I look for happiness 
 if ever I am relieved from this anxious and boisterous life, and 
 in them I hope for everything. Tell the children that Bounce 
 is very well and very fat, and yet he seems not to be content, 
 and sighs so piteously these long evenings that I am obl'ged 
 to sing him to sleep, and have sent them the song ; 
 
 ' Sigh no more, Bouncey, sigh no more, 
 
 Dogs were deceivers never ; 
 Though ne'er you put one foot on s 
 
 True to your master ever.. 
 Then sigh not >o, but let us go, 
 
 Where dinner's daily ieady, 
 
VICE-ADMJRAL LORD COLLhNGWOOD. 327 
 
 Converting all the sounds of woe 
 To heigh phiddy diddy.'* 
 
 On the 26th of December, in the same year, he addressed a 
 letter to his " dearest children : " 
 
 "A few days ago I received your joint letter, and it gave me 
 much pleasure to hear that you were well, and I hope improv- 
 ing in your education. It is exactly at your age that much pains 
 should be taken, for whatever knowledge you acquire now 
 will last you all your lives. The impression which is made 
 on young minds is so strong that it never wears out ; whereas, 
 everybody knows how difficult it is to make an old snuff-taking 
 lady comprehend anything beyond Pam or Spadilee. Such 
 persons hang very heavy on society; but you, my darlings, I 
 hope, will qualify yourselves to adorn it, to be respected for 
 your- good sense, and admired for your gentle manners. 
 Remember that gentle manners are the first grace which a 
 lady can possess. Whether she differs in her opinions from 
 others, or be of the same sentiment, her expressions should be 
 equally mild. A positive contradiction is vulgar and ill- 
 bred; but I shall never suspect you of being uncivil to any 
 person 
 
 " Y*ur application must be to useful knowledge. Sarah, I 
 hope, applies to geometry, and Mary makes good progress in 
 arithmetic. Independently of their use in every situation in 
 life, they are sciences so curious in their nature, and so many 
 things that cannot be comprehended without them are made 
 easy, that if it were only to gratify a curiosity which all women 
 have, and to be let into secrets that cannot be learned without 
 that knowledge, it would be a sufficient inducement te acquire 
 them. Then do, my sweet girls, study to be wise." 
 
 He writes to them again in July, 1808 : 
 
 " It is at this period of your lives that you must lay the foun- 
 dation of all knowledge, and of those manners and modes of 
 
328 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 thinking that distinguish gentlewomen from the Miss Nothings. 
 A good woman has great and important duties to do in the 
 world, and will always be in danger of doing them ill and without 
 credit to herself unless she have acquired knowledge. I have 
 only to recommend to you not to pass too much of your time 
 in trifling pursuits, or in reading books merely of amusement, 
 which afford you no information nor anything that you can 
 reflect upon afterwards, and feel that you have acquired what 
 you did not know before. 
 
 " Never do anything that can denote an angry mind ; for 
 although everybody is born with a certain degree of passion, 
 and from untoward circumstances will sometimes feel its 
 operation, and be what they call ' out of humour/ yet a 
 sensible man or woman will not allow it to be discovered. 
 Check and restrain it ; never make any determination until you 
 find it has entirely subsided ; and always avoid saying anything 
 that you may afterwards wish unsaid. .... 
 
 " Do you study geometry? which I beg you will consider as 
 quite a necessary branch of knowledge. It contains much 
 that is useful and a great deal that is entertaining, which you 
 will daily discover as you grow older. Whenever I come home 
 we will never part again while we live." 
 
 One more extract, and we have done. It is from a letter 
 written on board his flag-ship, the Ville de Pans, when off 
 Minorca, on the iyth of April, 1809. 
 
 " The education of a lady, and indeed of a gentleman too, 
 may be divided into three parts, all of great importance to 
 their happiness, but in different degrees. The *irst part is the 
 cultivation of the mind, that they may have a knowledge of 
 right and wrong, and acquire a habit of doing acts of virtue and 
 honour. By reading history you will perceive the high estima- 
 tion in which the memories of good and virtuous people are 
 held ; the contempt and disgust which are affixed to the base, 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 329 
 
 whatever may have been their rank in life. The second part 
 of education is to acquire a competent knowledge how to 
 manage your affairs, whatever they may happen to be ; to 
 know how to direct the economy of your home, and to keep 
 correct accounts of everything which concerns you. Whoever 
 cannot do this must be dependent on somebody else, and 
 those who are dependent on another cannot be perfectly at 
 their ease. I hope you are both very skilful in arithmetic, 
 which, independently of its great use to everybody in every 
 condition of life, is one of the most curious and entertaining 
 sciences that can be conceived. The characters which are used, 
 the i, 2, 3, are of Arabic origin; and that by the help of them, by 
 adding them, by subtracting or dividing them, we should come at 
 last to results so far beyond the comprehension of the humar 
 mind without them is so wonderful, that I am persuaded that 
 if they were of no real use they would be exercised for mere 
 entertainment; and it would be a fashion for accomplished 
 people, instead of cakes and cards at their routs, to take coffee 
 and a difficult question in the rule of three or extracting the 
 square root. The third part is, perhaps, not less in value than 
 the others. It is how to practise those manners and that 
 address which will recommend you to the respect of strangers. 
 Boldness and forwardness are exceedingly disgusting, and such 
 people are generally more disliked the more they are known ; 
 but, at the same time, shyness and bashfulness, and the shrinking 
 from conversation with those with whom you ought to associate, 
 are repulsive and unbecoming. 
 
 " There are many hours in every person's life which are not 
 spent in anything important, but it is necessary they should not 
 be passed idly. Those little accomplishments, as music and 
 dancing, are intended to fill up the hours of leisure, which 
 would otherwise be heavy on you. Nothing wearies me more 
 than to see a young lady at home sitting with her arms across 
 
33 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 or twirling her thumbs for want of something to do. Poor 
 thing ! I always pity her, for I am sure her head is empty, and 
 that she has not the sense even to devise the means of pleasing 
 herself. 1 * 
 
 Tis a strange picture this ; the commander-in-chief of a great 
 fleet, watching the movements of a poweri'ul enemy, calmly 
 sitting down in the cabin of his flag-ship to embody in clear arid 
 ordinary language the most sensible reflections on the educa- 
 tion and home duties of his daughters, and supply them with 
 sound, practical advice on their daily conduct in life. The 
 homeliness of tone in these letters impresses me greatly. And 
 I cannot but think that the writer did not fall into his right 
 career ; that, brave man as he was, and able seaman, and good 
 officer, Fortune had never intended him for the part which 
 circumstances forced him to play. However this may be, the 
 literary merit of his correspondence is indisputable, and the 
 light it throws on a strong, true, manly character endows it 
 with a peculiar interest. 
 
 We have already dwelt upon the contrast between Colling- 
 wood, with his calm, equable temperament and sober intellect, 
 and Nelson, with his impulsive nature and quick, audacious 
 genius. Mr. Myers has recently found in Wordsworth's 
 " Happy Warrior" the portrait of Nelson ; but surely all the linea- 
 ments do not fit that hero. Some of them seem rather to convey 
 the likeness of Collingwood, with his well-balanced nature ; and 
 the whole has about it an aspect of tranquillity and seemliness 
 which we cannot understand as belonging to the ardent and 
 forceful hero of the Nile and Trafalgar. The following lines, for 
 example, find many an illustration in Collingwood's letters: 
 
 '* He who, though thus endued as vith a sense 
 And faculty for stoi m and turbulence, 
 Is yet a soul whose master-bias leans 
 To home-felt pleasures and to gentle scenes ; 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 33! 
 
 Sweet images ! which, whcresoe'er he be, 
 
 Are at his heart, and such fidelity 
 
 It is his darling passion to approve ; 
 
 More brave for this, that he hath much to love." 
 
 And the brief sketch we have given of Collingwood's career 
 prepares the reader, we think, to acknowledge in the subjoined 
 passage a just and appropriate panegyric which we may with- 
 out violence apply to him : 
 
 * Who, if he rise to station of command, 
 Rises by open means, and there will stand 
 On honourable terms, or else retire, 
 And in himself possess his own desire ; 
 Who comprehends his I. ust, and to the same 
 Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim ; 
 Arid therefore does not stop, nor lie in wait 
 For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state ; . . . , 
 Whose powers shed round him in the common strife, 
 Or mild concerns of ordinary life, 
 A constant influence, a peculiar grace .... 
 W ho, whether praise of him must walk the earth 
 For ever, and to noble deeds give birth, 
 Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame, 
 And leave a dead unprofitable name- 
 Fin Js comfort in himself and in his cause : 
 An 1, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws 
 His breath in confidence of Heaven's applause: 
 This is the Happy Warrior ; this is He 
 That every Man in arms should wish to be." 
 
 Towards the end of 1808 we meet with frequent allusions 
 in his letters to his serious bodily infirmities. As he became 
 conscious of enfeebled health and failing energy, he solicited 
 the Admiralty to accept the resignation of his laborious post, 
 but was constantly urged to retain it on the ground that no 
 competent successor was available. He might well wish for 
 repose. For nearly five years he had been constantly at sea, 
 succouring and supporting feeble allies, watching the move- 
 ments or counteracting the projects of formidable enemies, 
 
33* EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 and keeping his fleet in a condition of most absolute readiness. 
 To this prolonged labour was due the disease from which he 
 suffered an aggravated form of dyspepsia, which gradually 
 induced emaciation and feebleness. But his mental energy did 
 not give way; and in the summer of 1809, the fleet, under his 
 direction, carried on a series of brilliant operations in the Adriatic 
 and on the coast of Italy. " All our frigate captains are great 
 generals," he writes, " and some in the brigs are good briga- 
 diers. They have taken seven forts, garrisons, or castles 
 within the two last months ; and scaling towers at midnight 
 and storming redoubts at mid-day are become familiar occur- 
 rences. The enemy cannot stand a galling fire from the 
 launch's carronade, or a sharp fire of grape and musketry from 
 the jolly-boat." 
 
 When at Port Mahon, on the 25th of February, 1810, he 
 suffered greatly, and his medical advisers urging him to try 
 gentle exercise on horseback, he went on shore for that pur- 
 pose. But it was too late ; he could no longer bear the 
 slightest fatigue. Apprised that his return to England was his 
 only chance for life, he surrendered his command on the 3rd 
 of March to Rear-Admiral Martin. On the 6th he sailed for 
 England ; but so rapid at last was the progress of his malady 
 that at six o'clock on the following evening he passed away 
 without a struggle. 
 
 "Those who were about his lordship's person," says the 
 surgeon who attended him,* "and witnessed the composure and 
 resignation with which he met his *ate, will long remember the 
 scene with wonder and admiration. In no part of his lord- 
 ship's brilliant life did his character appear with greater lustre 
 than when he was approaching his end. It was dignified in 
 the extreme. If it be on the bed of sickness and at the 
 approach of death when ambition, the love of glory, and the 
 Correspondence and Memoir of Lord Collingwood, pp. 563, 564. 
 
VICE-ADMIRAL LORD COLLINGWOOD. 333 
 
 interests of the world are over that the true character is to 
 be discovered, surely never did any man's appear to greater 
 advantage than did that of my Lord Collingwood. For my 
 own part I did not believe it possible that any one on such an 
 occasion could have behaved so nobly. Cruelly harassed by 
 a most afflicting disease, obtaining no relief from the means 
 employed, and perceiving his death to be inevitable, he 
 suffered no sigh of regret to escape, no murmuring at his past 
 life, no apprehension of the future. He met death as became 
 him, with a composure and fortitude which have seldom been 
 equalled, and never surpassed." 
 
 Lord Collingwood, at the time of his death, had attained the 
 age of fifty-nine years and six months. His body was conveyed 
 to England, and interred in St. Paul's Cathedral by the side of 
 his friend and chief, Lord Nelson. A cenotaph was raised to 
 his memory in his native town of Newcastle, which rightly 
 speaks of him as " a pious, just, and exemplary man," 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 
 
 A.D. 1786 1820. -.V. 
 
 THE temples reared to their deities by the pious inhabitants 
 of Greece and Rome, and even the temple erected and devoted 
 to Jehovah by Solomon, have been razed to their foundations ; 
 but the memories of their patriotic warriors still live in the 
 minds, not only of their countrymen, but of all civilized men. 
 The martial deeds of Leonidas and Alexander, of Cincinnatus 
 and Scipio, of the Maccabees and their like, have outlasted the 
 granite and the marble, the silver and the bronze. The United 
 States, brief as has been her existence as a nation, has not 
 lacked martial spirits to carry her beautiful banner into the 
 fiercest frays, and in no battles have finer traits of valour been 
 displayed than in her naval wars. 
 
 Among her foremost naval heroes may well be rated Oliver 
 Hazard Perry. 
 
 The beautiful county of Devon, in England, gave birth to 
 Edmund Perry, the ancestor of this officer in the fifth genera- 
 tion, about 1630. Like many others of his God-fearing persua- 
 sion, nicknamed Quakers, Edmund Perry arrived in Plymouth, 
 Massachusetts, some quarter of a century after the founding of 
 that settlement. 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 335 
 
 He soon removed to Kingston, on Narragansett Bay. Here, 
 both the red and the white men were more truly Christian in 
 their actions than others who made greater profession of their 
 saint-like dispositions. 
 
 In February, 1732, Freeman Perry, great-grandson of the 
 Edmund Perry alluded to, and grandfather of the naval hero, 
 was born. When twenty-four years of age he wedded the 
 daughter of Oliver Hazard, likewise a Narragansett Quaker. 
 
 This Perry's third son, named Christopher Raymond, father 
 of Oliver Hazard Perry, was bom in December, 1761. Not- 
 withstanding his pure Quaker lineage, he fought the battles of 
 his native land throughout a pretty long life. This gentleman 
 was one of the few survivors left to recount the sad stories of the 
 cruel captivity on board the prison ship Jersey. During one of 
 his many sea-voyages Raymond Perry became acquainted with a 
 Miss Sarah Alexander ; and three years after, when he assumed 
 command of a merchant vessel, he married her, in Philadelphia. 
 For many years the happy couple took up their abode with the 
 captain's father, who lived on a fine larm that was originally cul- 
 tivated by their ancestors. 
 
 All acquainted with the family unite in speaking in the highest 
 terms, not only of the personal attractions, but also of the 
 admirable mental qualities of Mrs. Perry another instance 
 showing how much the maternal character has to do in mould- 
 ing the disposition and talents of a child. 
 
 To their first-born son was given the name borne by both his 
 great-grandfather and his uncle, Oliver Hazard. 
 
 Young Oliver was sent to a good private school kept by an 
 old Scotchman named Kelly, at Tower Hill, about four miles 
 from the Perry homestead. 
 
 A fair fortune for those frugal days repaid Oliver's father for his 
 numerous trips backwards and forwards to different countries, 
 and he moved to Newport, then an important commercial town. 
 
336 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 His principal object was to take advantage of the excellent 
 schooling there to be obtained. Here, as at the old home, 
 Oliver won admiration by his handsome looks, and respect by 
 his good sense and gentlemanly behaviour. About this time 
 Bishop Seabury, visiting Newport, was so much taken by the 
 youth's good manners and great intelligence that, notwithstand- 
 ing his extreme youth, he requested that Oliver should be con- 
 firmed. 
 
 At thirteen, when his father retired to Westerly, a small village, 
 Oliver could boast of being exceedingly well educated for one 
 of his few years. He was an inveterate reader fortunately of 
 the best class of books, by which his mind was expanded, while 
 his morals were improved. 
 
 We have now reached within three years of the termination of 
 a most eventful century the year 1797. Our relations with 
 France were becoming very much strained, and battle-clouds 
 seemed to be gathering on the horizon. Citizen Genet, the 
 French minister to our government, was carrying things with a 
 high hand. Presuming upon the undemonstrative character of 
 President Washington, he issued letters of marque to armed ves- 
 sels to cruise against English shipping, and contrived to get 
 some of these vessels away in spite of the vigilance of the gov- 
 ernment. But, not satisfied with preying upon British com- 
 merce, the French privateers even took some American ships 
 when they came athwart their course. 
 
 The President called the attention of Congress to this state of 
 things, and was empowered to increase our little navy, which 
 consisted of but three frigates actually afloat. 
 
 But the first step was to build vessels, and Captain Perry, filled 
 with the same ardent courage that actuated him during the 
 Revolutionary struggle, and having made a study of the building 
 and equipping of ships as well as the navigating of them, offered 
 his services in any capacity to the government. His application 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 337 
 
 for employment was strongly indorsed by first-class citizens of 
 Rhode Island. 
 
 On the 7th of June, 1798, he received his commission as post- 
 captain in the navy. No fit vessel could be found, and he was 
 directed to begin building one at once. The keel was soon laid 
 in Warren, R. I. In this neighbourhood good ship-timber was 
 plenty. Captain Perry and his wife took up their abode near 
 the yard, so that a constant supervision could be had of every 
 timber fitted. 
 
 Meanwhile young Oliver, though scarce thirteen years of age, 
 stopped at the family homestead, taking care of everything, buy- 
 ing all things needed, seeing that the other children attended to 
 their schooling, and writing at stated times to his parents, giving 
 detailed accounts of his juvenile stewardship. 
 
 He, however, did not settle down into a demure kill-joy ; he 
 was as fond of innocent sport as any of his companions, and 
 freely participated in all that was going on among his boyish 
 associates, particularly in rowing and sailing. But this love of 
 sport did not make Oliver indifferent to the future. On the 
 contrary, the future hero was deeply thinking about his future 
 profession. His mother's ancestors had many of them been 
 engaged in warlike deeds, and her animated recitals of the bat- 
 tles in which they had figured had filled the lad's soul with 
 longings to participate in similar adventures. 
 
 As he was scarcely ever out of sight of the sea in daylight, a 
 person of his active habits and fearless disposition naturally de- 
 sired to be a sailor, while his father's eminence as a nautical 
 man put it in his way to enter the navy. 
 
 As soon as his father received his commission, Oliver sent 
 a letter to his father desiring to be allowed to enter the 
 navy. So sensibly did he write, and so cogent were the 
 reasons he gave for his choice of the marine profession, that 
 all who were lucky enough to see the letter united in prais- 
 
33^ EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 ing the good sense displayed by the youthful aspirant for a sea 
 life. 
 
 It took all of one year for Captain Perry to construct 
 the little frigate General Greene. She carried about thirty-six 
 guns. 
 
 As Oliver's mother fully approved of her son's wish to 
 become a sailor, it soon followed that he received his warrant, 
 and in April, 1799, he joined his ship, and soon afterwards 
 sailed with his father towards the island of Cuba. 
 
 It was on the 9th of February, 1800, that the young midship- 
 man was first under fire, during an action off Cape Tiburon, 
 St. Domingo. Captain Perry, in the General Greene, silenced 
 some forts in a few minutes, sustaining only a trifling damage, 
 but killing quite a number of the enemy. 
 
 On returning from his cruise, the General Greene was put out 
 of commission, as the times looked peaceful. Most of the offi- 
 cers were retired. But among the midshipmen retained, fortu- 
 nately for himself and his country, was the youthful Oliver 
 Perry. 
 
 After remaining for some twelve months unattached to any 
 ship, Oliver was taken on board the Adams, Captain Hugh G. 
 Campbell, as a midshipman. In this ship a long cruise was 
 made in the Mediterranean ; but nothing occurred of particular 
 moment to Oliver Perry, except that he received his commission 
 as lieutenant at the age of seventeen. 
 
 The young lieutenant visited his family at Newport, after being 
 away about a year and a half. He thoroughly studied astron- 
 omy and other high branches at this time, and was known as 
 an accomplished and agreeable gentleman, with a taste for 
 music, and as being quite a fine performer on the flute. 
 
 Commodore Preble had gained distinction by his skill and 
 dauntless bravery on the Moorish coast, and when the Constella- 
 tion was ordered to sail for that station she was commanded l>v 
 
OLIVER HAZARD FERRY. 339 
 
 Captain H. G. Campbell, who succeeded in having his young 
 friend Oliver attached to his ship as a lieutenant. 
 
 The President and the Constellation arrived off Tripoli together, 
 the former bearing the flag of Commodore S. Barron. 
 
 Soon after young Perry was appointed to the schooner Nau- 
 tilus as first lieutenant. Nothing particular came of this ap- 
 pointment but that young Perry had an opportunity of becom- 
 ing an adept in handling small vessels. 
 
 In 1806 the lieutenant was again at Newport, and again he 
 devoted much time to study. 
 
 A year later, at a social entertainment, Oliver first became ac- 
 quainted with the young lady whom he afterwards married. 
 Miss Elizabeth Champlin Mason was only sixteen, but already 
 she displayed much of the beauty, talent, and many other ad- 
 mirable qualities which afterwards characterized her through life. 
 
 About this time Perry was associated with his friend Lieuten- 
 ant Samuel G. Blodgett, to attend to the building of seventeen 
 gunboats at Newport. This marks the high opinion already 
 entertained in Washington of his abilities and reliableness. In 
 June of 1807 Perry proceeded to New York with his fleet of 
 gunboats, but not before he had been accepted by Miss Mason 
 as her lover. 
 
 It was while Perry was in New York that the affair of the 
 Leopard' ' s attack upon the Chesapeake took place. Like all pa- 
 triotic men, the young lieutenant felt keenly the outrage and the 
 insult. Here is what he wrote on the subject to his father, who 
 was absent : 
 
 " You must, ere this, have heard of the outrage committed by 
 the British on our national honour, and feel with us all the in- 
 dignation that so barbarous and cowardly an act must naturally 
 inspire. Thank God, all parties are now united in the deter- 
 mination to resent so flagrant an insult ! There is but one sen- 
 timent pervading the bosom of every American, fiom North to 
 
34 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 South. The British may laugh, but let them beware ! for never 
 has the public indignation been so completely aroused since the 
 glorious Revolution that made us a nation of freemen. The ut- 
 most spirit prevails throughout the United States in preparing 
 for an event which is thought inevitable, and our officers wait 
 with impatience for the signal to be given to wipe away the stain 
 which the misconduct of one has cast on our flag." 
 
 The elder Perry fully sympathized with his son in his strongly 
 expressed sentiments. 
 
 So well satisfied was the government with Lieutenant Perry's 
 management of the gunboat building at Newport, that they 
 forthwith ordered him to begin the construction of a flotilla of 
 similar vessels at Westerly. 
 
 This employment lasted until April, 1 809, when the construc- 
 tion was finished. 
 
 It was at this time resolved to do away with the gunboat ser- 
 vice, and bring together the best officers and men in compara- 
 tively large vessels. Most of these ships were put under com- 
 mand of Commodore Rodgers, an admirable officer for that 
 purpose. 
 
 While Perry was proceeding in the Revenge to Washington, 
 it is put down in t,he log that in passing up the Potomac his 
 schooner was the first vessel to fire a salute in passing the tomb 
 of Washington. 
 
 W T hile his schooner, the Revenge, of fourteen guns, was cruis- 
 ing off the coast of Georgia, a United States marshal boarded 
 her, to give the information that a ship miscalled the Diana 
 was lying in Spanish waters, off Amelia Island. She carried 
 British colors, but was really an American vessel, her captain, 
 an Englishman, having run away with her. The Spanish gov- 
 ernor gave permission to the Americans to seize her, as he 
 believed her to honestly belong to that nationality. Although 
 the Diana lay under the guns of two British war-ships and dis- 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 34! 
 
 played the English flag, Perry took possession of her, and car- 
 ried her off to Cumberland Island. The Diana sailed for Eu- 
 rope, under command of the sailing-master of the Revenge. 
 
 Before the Revenge, which was convoying the Diana, had lost 
 sight of land, a large? British sloop- of- war, the Goree, hove in 
 sight, and Captain Perry at once cleared for action. The British 
 captain rounded to his sh'p and sent a boat, with an officer, 
 stating that his ship was the Gotee, and requested that the cap- 
 tain of the Revenge would com on board and satisfy him of 
 her character. Perry refused ttf go on board, and while his 
 answer was being returned to Captain Byng, got his crew ready 
 to rush on board the Goree, as he intended to lay the Revenge 
 alongside of that vessel if her captain resorted to violence. 
 
 Happily, Captain Byng merely desired that an officer would 
 come on board his ship. This was acceded to, and all passed 
 off peacefully. But those on board the Revenge were satisfied 
 that Perry would have carried out his design of boarding his 
 formidable antagonist, as her superior weight of metal would 
 have given him no other possible chance. 
 
 Lieutenant Perry's conduct in this affair greatly enhanced his 
 reputation both as an officer and a man. The subject became 
 generally well known in consequence of the Secretary of the 
 Navy having made public the annexed letter, sent to Lieutenant 
 Perry by the underwriters of the vessel : 
 
 " The Diana having arrived at Savannah in safety and sailed 
 again upon her destined voyage, we avail ourselves of the oppor- 
 tunity to inform you thereof, and to tender to yourself and to 
 the gentlemen of the squadron in the river St. Mary's, under 
 your command while there, in behalf of ourselves and the own- 
 ers of the ship, our warmest thanks for the zeal and anxiety 
 manifested by you for the honour and prosperity of the Ameri- 
 can flag. We cannot close this letter of thanks without ex- 
 pressing our admiration of the firmness and decision, properly 
 
34 2 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 tempered with moderation, evinced by you, when it seemed 
 probable, from the reports in circulation, that a hostile course 
 might have been adopted against the Diana, and of the com- 
 plete state of preparation in which you constantly held yourself 
 to repel any attack upon the sovereignty of the United States." 
 
 Upon Perry's return to New London he was selected to 
 make a chart of New London, Newport, and the adjacent 
 coasts. His selection for such an important duty was a high 
 compliment ; but the season (December) was very unpropitious 
 for such an enterprise. 
 
 On the 8th of January, 1811, he weighed anchor, in the 
 Revenge, with a first-class pilot, as sailing-master. During a 
 heavy fog the vessel was run upon a reef near Point Judith. 
 In spite of the most able seamanship, the schooner was lost. 
 The customary investigation followed, and the court found that 
 the loss of the vessel rested on the pilot, and that Lieutenant 
 Perry had done all that could have been done under the unfort- 
 unate circumstances to save the crew and preserve all that could 
 be saved. Incidentally it was brought out that he was the last 
 to leave the vessel. 
 
 During a visit to Washington, Perry obtained a year's leave 
 of absence, and availed himself of that honourable leisure to 
 make Miss Mason his wife. 
 
 While the brave officer and his young wife were enjoying 
 themselves on their wedding tour, the probabilities of trouble 
 with England daily increased. The British cruisers continued 
 to overhaul and search American vessels, even in our own 
 waters, and seizing seamen under various pretexts, frequently 
 alleging that they were English deserters. Not only were the 
 outrages most illegal, but they were generally accompanied with 
 aggravating insolence or downright brutality. 
 
 Toward the close of the year Perry endeavored again to get 
 into active service, not only engaging the offices of Influential 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 343 
 
 friends, but addressing the. Secretary of the Navy personally, 
 thus : 
 
 " I have instructed my friend, Mr. W. S. Rodgers, to wait on 
 you with a tender of my services for the Lakes. There are fifty 
 or sixty men under my command that are remarkably active 
 and strong, capable of performing any service. In the hope 
 that I should have the honour of commanding them whenever 
 they should meet the enemy, I have taken unwearied pains in 
 preparing them for such an event. I beg, therefore, sir, that we 
 may be employed in some way in which we can be serviceable 
 to our country." 
 
 On February ist, 1813, Perry received a communication that 
 greatly cheered him. Commodore Chauncey, in reply to a letter 
 of his, said that he had urged the Secretary to order him to the 
 Lakes. This letter conveyed a high compliment from the Com- 
 modore. " You are the very person that I want for a particu- 
 lar service, in which you may gain reputation for yourself and 
 honour for your country. ' ' 
 
 He was to be given command of the fleet which it was de- 
 termined to organize on the waters of Lake Erie. Accordingly, 
 Perry was directed to proceed with all due haste to the lake, 
 taking with him a detachment of his best sailors from Newport. 
 Two powerful brigs were to be built, and launched on the lake. 
 4 You will, doubtless, command in chief. This is the situation 
 Mr. Hamilton mentioned to me two months past, and which, I 
 think, will suit you exactly ; you may expect some warm fight- 
 ing, and, of course, a portion of honour." So wrote his 
 friend Rodgers. 
 
 On the auspicious 22d of February Captain Perry started for 
 Sackett's Harbor. It was a difficult, disagreeable, and even 
 hazardous journey. At the very outset a violent tempest met 
 him in crossing to Narragansett. But difficulties inspired 
 instead of daunting him. He spent but a few hours taking 
 
344 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 leave of his family as it seemed, possibly forever. He had for 
 companion his brother Alexander, a boy of twelve ; they travel- 
 led in an open sleigh great part of the route. 
 
 The interval between Perry's arrival at Sackett's Harbor and 
 the 4th of February was spent by the vigilant and painstaking 
 officer in a series of operations as important, if not as brill- 
 iant to read of, as winning battles. He had to be continually 
 urging lagging officials to forward supplies and men. More 
 particularly was he deficient in medical men, and officers, both 
 commissioned and warrant. It must be remembered that he 
 had to meet a squadron of the British navy, and that that power 
 had just come out of a series of naval wars in which their 
 officers had had a practical education in maritime fighting, 
 in which the greatest navies of the old world had been 
 completely annihilated. The English sailors were mostly vet- 
 erans, trained to the use of large and small guns ; while 
 the marines proper have always been deservedly classed as 
 the flower of their country's infantry. With us, on the con- 
 trary, the few officers that survived from our small wars on the 
 Mediterranean pirates had been honourably dismissed from the 
 navy, had obtained situations in mercantile service, and 
 were scattered in sailing vessels over distant seas. Our marine 
 corps scarcely amounted to a corporal's guard to every vessel. 
 As we had no navy-yards like England's, France's, or even 
 Sweden's in which millions upon millions of dollars' worth 
 of timber, canvas, cordage, chains, anchors, guns, and such 
 necessary munitions had been accumulating for decades of 
 years, it fell to Perry's lot to be builder, provider, purveyor, 
 and even paymaster for the whole expedition. 
 
 Meanwhile General Harrison, commanding the Western levies, 
 was impatiently urging the young naval officer to break the 
 British power on the Lakes, and thus afford his army an oppor- 
 tunity to commence active operations against the common enemy. 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 345 
 
 It was about this time that Perry obtained reliable news as to 
 the strength of the British squadron under Captain Robert H. 
 Barclay : 
 
 ;< The Detroit, of five hundred tons and nineteen guns, all 
 long except two twenty-four pound carronades ; the ship 
 Queen Charlotte, of four hundred tons and seventeen guns, three 
 of them being long guns, the Detroit and Queen Charbtte having 
 each one of the long guns on a pivot ; the schooner Lady 
 Prevost, of two hundred and thirty tons and thirteen guns, three 
 being long guns ; the brig Hunter, of one hundred and 
 eighty tons and ten guns ; the sloop Little Belt, of one hun- 
 dred tons and three guns, two long twelves and one long eigh- 
 teen ; and the schooner Chippeway, of one hundred tons, 
 mounting one long eighteen ; making in all sixty-three guns, 
 thirty-five of which were long." 
 
 Captain Barclay was one of Nelson's officers at Trafalgar, 
 and was badly wounded in that battle ; he was known to be 
 skilful, courageous, and ambitious of honourable renown. The 
 officers under him were of approved capacity and courage. By 
 official report his crews consisted of four hundred and seventy 
 sailors and marines. Add the officers, and the count stood at 
 full five hundred men. 
 
 The fleet under Oliver Hazard Perry consisted mainly of ves- 
 sels of less than five hundred tons ; the Lawrence and Niagara 
 were the only ships that exceeded that tonnage, and consequently 
 could not be rated as men-of-war. The bulk of the American 
 squadron were weakly built, and had not even bulwarks of any 
 strength. Their principal armament was long guns. The brigs 
 mounted each twenty guns, two long twelves and eighteen thirty- 
 two-pound carronades. It was only by forcing the fighting 
 and coming quickly to close quarters that these could be made 
 to tell. Captain J. D. Elliott commanded the Niagara. The 
 other officers were excellent seamen and of unquestioned 
 
346 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 courage, but they were mere tyros as naval officers. " The 
 whole force, in officers and men, of our squadron amounted to 
 four hundred and ninety ; of these, one hundred and sixteen 
 were on the sick-lists of the different vessels on the morning of 
 the action, seventy-eight cases being of bilious fever." In ton- 
 nage, guns, and men, the British force outnumbered ours. 
 
 Just previous to the loth of September, Perry became satis- 
 fied that Barclay intended to give battle. Accordingly he sum- 
 moned his officers to meet him on the quarter-deck of his ship 
 the Lawrence, and furnished them each with their corrected in- 
 structions we quote from Mackenzie's spirited recital and he 
 further explained to them verbally his views with regard to what- 
 ever contingency might occur. He now produced a battle-flag, 
 which he had caused to be privately prepared by Mr. Hamble- 
 ton before leaving Erie, and the hoisting of which to the main 
 royal mast of the Lawrence was to be his signal for action : a 
 blue flag, bearing in large white letters, "Don't give up the 
 ship !" the dying words of the hero whose name she bore. 
 When about to withdraw, he stated to them his intention to 
 bring the enemy from the first to close quarters, in order not to 
 lose by the short range of his carronades, and the last emphatic 
 injunction with which he dismissed them was that he could not, 
 in case of difficulty, advise them better than in the words of 
 Lord Nelson, " If you lay your enemy close alongside, you 
 cannot be out of your place !" 
 
 On the loth of September Barclay's fleet was observed coin- 
 ing toward ours. After some very delicate evolutions, Perry 
 told his sailing-master to lead in a certain direction. The offi- 
 cer showed that such a plan had its disadvantages. " I care 
 not," said Perry, " let to leeward or to windward! they shall 
 fight to-day. ' ' 
 
 The Lawrence was ready for action by ten o'clock, when the 
 enemy hove to in line of battle on the larboard tack, advancing 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 347 
 
 at about three knots an hour. The weather was glorious, and the 
 British vessels, with their royal ensigns and newly painted hulls 
 glistening in the bright sunshine, formed a magnificent specta- 
 cle. Never had two braver fleets contended for the mastery. 
 
 Controversialists have sought to diminish the skill and brav- 
 ery of either of the officers and men ; but the gallant heroes 
 who had done all the fighting did but little of the writing. 
 
 The English commander had arranged his fleet with the 
 Chippeway, of one long eighteen pivot, leading ; the Detroit, of 
 nineteen guns, next ; the Hunter, of nineteen guns, third ; the 
 Queen Charlotte, seventeen guns, fourth ; the Lady Prevost, of 
 thirteen guns, fifth ; and the Little Belt, of three guns, last. 
 Captain Perry, passing ahead of the Niagara, got into position 
 to match the Detroit, placing the Scorpion, of two long guns, 
 ahead, and the Ariel, of four short twelves, on his weather bow, 
 where, with her light battery, she might be partially under 
 cover. The Caledonia, of three long twenty-fours, came next, 
 to encounter the Hunter ; the Niagara next, so as to be oppo- 
 site her designated antagonist, the Queen Charlotte ; and the 
 Somers, of two long thirty-twos, the Porcupine, of one long 
 thirty- two, Tigress, of one long twenty-four, and Trippe, of one 
 long thirty-two, in succession towards the rear, to encounter 
 the Lady Prevost and Little Belt. The line being formed, Perry 
 now bore up for the enemy, distant at ten o'clock about six 
 miles. He now produced the lettered burgee which he had ex- 
 hibited as the concerted signal for battle. Having unfurled it, 
 he mounted on a gun-slide, and, calling his crew about him, 
 thus briefly addressed them : " My brave lads! this flag con- 
 tains the last words of Captain Lawrence ! Shall I hoist it?" 
 " Ay, ay, sir !" resounded from every voice in the ship, and 
 the flag was briskly swayed to the main-royal masthead of the 
 Lawrence. The answer was given by three such rousing cheers 
 as few but American sailors know how to give. 
 
348 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Slowly but steadily our fleet went on in the direction of the 
 leading line of the foe, the leading vessels under reefed sails, 
 but the remainder having every yard of canvas set that could 
 possibly draw. No preparations remained to make at this hour. 
 
 Captain Perry, now having made all right in reference to his 
 public duties, seized a few moments to attend to his private 
 matters, giving instructions what was to be done provided he 
 fell in the approaching action. All official papers were prepared 
 with sinkers, to be thrown overboard, while he destroyed all 
 his private documents. " It appeared," says Mr. Hambleton, 
 "to go hard with him to part with his wife's letters. After 
 giving them a hasty reading he tore them to ribbons, observ- 
 ing that, let what would happen, the enemy should not read 
 them, and closed by remarking, ' This is the most important day 
 of my life/ " 
 
 A thrilling bugle blast from the Detroit rang over the waters, 
 and was followed by vehement cheering from the British sailors. 
 
 It was now within a few minutes of noon, the Detroit having 
 reached within between one and two miles of our leading ves- 
 sel. The Detroit began the fight by sending a round shot at the 
 Lawrence. It, however, fell short of its mark. The proper 
 signals were now flown for every ship to engage her designated 
 antagonist. The Ariel, Scorpion, Lawrence, and Caledonia were 
 in their proper stations, in the rotation given, distant from each 
 other less than a cable's length. Some distance astern, the 
 other vessels were drawing into action. 
 
 In a few moments the Detroit' s second shot came hurtling 
 over the waves, striking the Lawrence and tearing through the 
 bulwarks. Instantly the long guns of the British squadron sent 
 their shot in the direction of the American ships, some of them 
 missing, but some carrying death in their train. 
 
 Just at noon the Lawrence was suffering from the severe fire 
 of the British, which she returned from her twelve-pounder. 
 
OUVEtt HAZARD PEkRY. 349 
 
 Perry now, by speaking-trumpet, ordered the Caledonia and the 
 Niagara to discharge their long guns. The vessels still further 
 astern also commenced cannonading, but they were too far off 
 to do any material injury. 
 
 The Lawrence was at a great disadvantage in fighting the De- 
 troit, as this latter vessel was armed almost entirely with long 
 guns, while Perry had to depend almost entirely on the carronades. 
 For this reason Perry was impatient for his own ship and his 
 consorts to close with all possible haste. Elliott, of the Niag- 
 ara, received and transmitted the order to the line, but for 
 some inexplicable reason he did not apply the order to his own 
 conduct, but held off, occasionally discharging shots from her 
 twelve-pounder. 
 
 The Lawrence kept firing on toward the British line, every 
 moment receiving shot in her hull and spars. Trying the ex- 
 periment, he found that his shot fell short ; so he ceased firing 
 until quarter past noon ; then he let fly his entire starboard 
 broadside when he was less than four hundred yards away. 
 Then, as he neared the Detroit, he discharged a quick and mur- 
 derous fire into her. The Lawrence, however, had meanwhile 
 been terribly riddled by the Detroit and her sister craft. But 
 now the action was continued by her with augmented fury ; 
 and, notwithstanding the overpowering odds with which she 
 was assailed, the whole battery of the enemy, amounting, in all, 
 to thirty-four guns, being almost entirely directly against her, 
 she continued to assail the enemy with steady and unwavering 
 effort. In this unequal contest she was sustained by the Scor- 
 pion and Arid on her weather bow, which were enabled to 
 direct their fire upon him with sure aim. The commander ot 
 the Caledonia, animated by the same gallant spirit and sense of 
 duty, followed the Lawrence into close action, and closed with 
 her antagonist, the Hunter ; but the Niagara had not made sail 
 when the Lawrence did, but got embarrassed with the Cak- 
 
35 feMINENT SAILORS; 
 
 donia. One of the British vessels, in the smoke, had closed up 
 behind the Detroit, and opened her fire at closer quarters upon 
 the Lawrence In this unequal contest the Lawrence continued 
 to struggle desperately against such overpowering numbers. 
 The first division of the starboard guns was directed against the 
 Detroit, and the second against the Queen Charlotte, with an oc- 
 casional shot from her after-gun at the Hunter, which lay on 
 her quarter, and with which the Caledonia continued to sustain 
 a hot though unequal engagement. The Scorpion and Ariel, 
 from their stations on the weather bow of the Lawrence, made 
 every effort that their inconsiderable force allowed. The 
 smaller vessels away in the stern of Perry's line were far too 
 distant to be of any service. The will was not wanting, but 
 the ability was not there. Terrific as were the odds against the 
 Lawrence, being in the ratio of thirty-four guns to her ten in 
 battery, she continued, with the aid of the Scorpion, Ariel, and 
 Caledonia, to sustain the contest for more than two hours. At 
 this time, however, her rigging had been much shot away, and 
 was hanging down or towing overboard ; sails torn to pieces, 
 spars splintered and falling upon deck, braces and bowlines cut, 
 so as to render it impossible to trim the yards or keep the vessel 
 under control. Such was the condition of the vessel aloft ; on 
 deck the destruction was even more terrible. One by one the 
 guns were dismounted until only one remained that could be 
 fired ; the bulwarks were, riddled by round shot passing com- 
 pletely through. The slaughter was dreadful. 
 
 All this while Perry continued to keep up a fire from his 
 single remaining carronade, though to man it he was obliged to 
 send repeated requests to the surgeon to spare him another 
 hand from those engaged in removing the wounded, until the 
 last had been taken. It is recorded by the surgeon that when 
 these messages arrived, several of the wounded crawled upon 
 deck to lend a feeble aid at the guns. 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 351 
 
 The conduct of Perry throughout this trying scene was well 
 calculated to inspire the most unbounded confidence in his 
 followers, and to sustain throughout their courage and enthusi- 
 asm. When a gap would occasionally be made among a gun's 
 crew by a single round shot or a stand of grape or canister, the 
 survivors would for a moment turn to Perry, exchange a glance 
 with him, and step to fill the place of their comrades. 
 
 In the hottest of the fight, Yarnall, the first lieutenant, came 
 to Perry and told him that the officers in the first division 
 under his command were all killed or disabled. Perry sent him 
 the required aid ; but soon after he returned with the same 
 complaint of a destruction of his officers, to which he replied, 
 " You must endeavor to make out by yourself; I have no 
 more to furnish you." We may give another incident to show 
 the carnage which occurred en the deck of the Lawrence, and 
 the destruction by which her commander was so closely sur- 
 rounded. The command of the marines of the Lawrence was 
 intrusted to Lieutenant John Brooks, a gay, amiable, and in- 
 telligent young officer, whose numerous good qualities were 
 enhanced in their effects by the rarest personal beauty. He 
 was addressing Perry with a smile and in an animated tone, 
 with regard to some urgent point of duty, when he was struck 
 down by a shot. The terrible hurt made him utter an agonized 
 cry, and he besought Perry to shoot him dead. He was ten- 
 derly taken below deck. Little Midshipman Perry, then but 
 twelve years old, had his clothes rent, and received more than 
 one ball through his hat, when a part of a hammock was torn 
 from its netting and dashed against the lad's side. As it 
 luckily happened he was merely stunned, and the captain saw 
 him again on duty in a few minutes. 
 
 The critical moment had now arrived which was to call out 
 all the best qualities of a great commander. Nothing like it 
 had ever occurred before in a the strange mutations of a naval 
 
35^2 EMINENT SAILORS* 
 
 action. When the last cannon of the Lawrence had bsen ren- 
 dered unserviceable ; when but twenty persons, including his 
 little brother and himself, were able even to make a show of 
 being able-bodied, it became evident that some new measure 
 must be resorted to. Heretofore, in such a case, there had 
 been but one way : to strike the flag. And such a course could 
 have been honourably taken. But Perry was * ' made of sterner 
 stuff," and his whole soul seemed imbued with Lawrence's 
 noble motto, " Don't give up the ship." He had striven 
 with might and main to get his vessels built and launched ; he 
 had hurried his superiors into furnishing him with supplies 
 and men ; he had given General Harrison to hope that his 
 squadron would strike a blow that would cut the Gordian knot 
 by which the eager armies of the West were bound, as Samson 
 by the green withes ; he had evidently made up his mind that 
 he would never be taken out of his ship unless he was sewed up 
 in a hammock. 
 
 Moments now were priceless, and Perry rapidly made up his 
 mind what to do. 
 
 The Lawrence was helplessly drifting, sailless and rudderless, 
 when, as for a moment the smoke was blown away, he was able 
 to take the bearings of his surroundings. Lieutenant Forrest 
 called his attention to the queer way in which the Niagara was 
 handled. She was well on the larboard beam of the Lawrence ; 
 the Caledonia, at the same time, was passing on the starboard 
 beam, between the enemy and Perry's stricken ship. Forrest 
 said plainly that the Niagara was evidently determined not to 
 help them ; as she seemed to carefully avoid coming into close 
 action. " Then I must fetch her up," was Perry's sententious 
 remark. And he quickly called his boat. He was convinced 
 that the Niagara was scarcely injured at all ; and he vowed that 
 the flag of his country should not be pulled down on any vessel 
 |hat he was on board of, His reliable second was at once. 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 353 
 
 placed in command of what was now little more than a floating 
 hulk. The boat was at the larboard gangway, the word was 
 given, the oars took water, but ere they shoved off, Perry ex- 
 claimed, " If a victory is to be had, I'll have it 1" 
 
 When Perry shoved off in the boat that bore ' ' Caesar and his 
 fortunes," it was just half past two. The Niagara was at that 
 moment passing her larboard beam, some half mile away. 
 The wind had increased, and she was quickly going away from 
 the British fleet Perry stood at his full height, his breast 
 charged with the grandeur of his design : to take a fresh vessel, 
 and dash back in the midst of the enemy, who had already 
 deemed him whipped, and once again try conclusions with his 
 stubborn adversary. Had not Perry been something more 
 than merely a brave officer, the idea would never have occurred 
 to him. But, as we have seen, almost from his infancy he had 
 been on the water. He had played on the rolling logs in 
 the harbor before he ever had any experience in managing a 
 skiff, and he had rowed and sailed in every sort of craft that 
 could be kept afloat on the stormy, tide-vexed shores of Narra- 
 gansett. So that it was second nature for him, for the nonce, to 
 leap into a boat, and stand proudly erect in her. Nelson, it is 
 said, used to get sea-sick in a gun-brig, so he certainly would 
 never have thought of an admiral taking to a barge in the 
 height of a furious battle. 
 
 So it will be seen that it was almost providential that Perry 
 possessed the qualifications that he owned. 
 
 Quick as had been the captain's resolve and its execution, 
 the enemy almost as quickly saw his design. 
 
 Great guns and musketry were rapidly sending their missiles, 
 in the hope of sending the little boat to destruction. In vain 
 Perry's crew begged of him to be seated, and it was only when 
 they declared that they would not pull another stroke while he 
 remained standing that he finally yielded. It hardly needs 
 
3S4 EMINENT* SAILORS. 
 
 telling that the brave fellows, some wounded and dying, fol- 
 lowed every movement of Perry and his brave crew as they made 
 the desperate passage from ship to ship ; and as they saw him 
 step on the deck of the Niagara they saluted him with soul- 
 fraught cheers. 
 
 As there was nothing to be gained by keeping the Lawrence a 
 mere floating target for British guns, her few remaining officers 
 held a brief consultation and resolved to surrender. As the 
 colors fluttered down, their descent was saluted with cheers by 
 the foe, who knew too well the stuff of which her gallant 
 defenders were made. About this time young Brooks died, 
 and Mr. Hambleton, the purser, volunteering to a post of 
 danger, had his shoulder fearfully torn. He was working at 
 the last gun that fired a shot. 
 
 The British had their hands too full in working out their own 
 safety to give any further heed to the condition of the Law- 
 rence. When Perry reached the deck of the Niagara, he was 
 met at the gangway by Captain Elliott, who "inquired how 
 the day was going. Captain Perry replied, Badly ; that he had 
 lost almost all of his men, and that his ship was a wreck ; and 
 asked what the gunboats were doing so far astern. Captain 
 Elliott offered to go and bring them up ; and, Captain Perry 
 consenting, he sprang into the boat and went off on that 
 duty." 
 
 Perry at once ordered that the Niagara should be prevented 
 from escaping out of action. The top-gallant sails were set, and 
 the signal for ' ' close action' ' was given. As the pennants were 
 seen, loud cheers resounded down the line. 
 
 By great efforts Lieutenant Holdup Stevens, who had been 
 astern of the line in the Trippe, soon closed up to the assistance 
 of the Caledonia, and the remaining vessels approached rapidly, 
 to take a more active part in the battle, under the influence of 
 the increasing breeze. 
 
OLIVER HAZARD FERRY. 355 
 
 The helm had been put up on board the Niagara, sail made, 
 and the signal for close action hove out at forty-five minutes 
 after two, the instant after Perry had boarded her. With the 
 increased breeze, seven or eight minutes sufficed to traverse the 
 distance of more than half a mile which still separated the 
 Niagara from the enemy. 
 
 The Detroit made an effort to wear, in order to present her 
 starboard broadside to the Niagara, several of the larboard guns 
 being disabled. As this evolution commenced on board the 
 Detroit, the Queen Charlotte was running up under her lee. The 
 evolution of wearing, which was not quickly enough done on 
 board the Queen, resulted in the latter running her bowsprit 
 and head -booms foul of the mizzen rigging of the Detroit. The 
 two British ships were thus foul of each other, and they so re- 
 mained, when the Niagara, shortening sail, went slowly under 
 the bows of the Detroit, within short pistol-shot, and sent a 
 broadside into each vessel ; so that, entangled as they were, 
 they received fearful showers of grape and canister. The sterns 
 of the Little Belt and the Lady Prevost were treated to the sarrie 
 awful fire, while the marines, by their skilfully aimed shots, 
 swept their decks. At this juncture the small vessels also came 
 into close action to windward, and poured in a destructive fire 
 of grape and canister ; their shot and that of the Niagara, 
 whenever it missed its mark, passing the enemy and taking 
 effect reciprocally on our own vessels. 
 
 All resistance now ceased ; an officer appeared on the taffrail 
 of the Queen to signify that she had struck, and her example 
 was immediately followed by the Detroit. Both vessels struck 
 in about seven minutes after the Niagara opened this most 
 destructive fire, and about fifteen minutes after Perry took com- 
 mand of her. The Hunter struck at the same time, as did the 
 Lady Prevost, which lay to leeward under the guns of the 
 Niagara. The battle had begun on the part of the enemy at a 
 
356 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 quarter before meridian ; at three the Queen Charlotte and 
 Detroit surrendered, and all resistance was at an end. As the 
 cannonade ceased and the smoke blew over, the two squadrons, 
 now owning one master, were found completely mingled. 
 Now a glorious yet sad time had come. The form of taking 
 possession of the British captured ships was to be gone through 
 with. When our boarding officer reached the Detroit 'she was in a 
 fearful state. Her bulwarks were in slivers, strong oak as they 
 were ; the Lawrence's carronade shots were sticking in her sides. 
 The deck looked like a veritable slaughter-house. 
 
 A grapeshot had lodged in Captain Barclay's thigh, making 
 a fearful wound. 
 
 The brave man had been taken below when senseless, but on 
 recovering consciousness he was carried on deck to see with his 
 own eyes if resistance was hopeless. Then the Niagara threw in 
 her fire, and a second grapeshot, passing through the right 
 shoulder, fractured the blade to atoms. 
 
 The rest of the enemy's vessels were found to be also much 
 cut to pieces, especially the Queen Charlotte, which had lost her 
 brave commander, Captain Finnis, very early in the action ; her 
 first lieutenant had been soon after mortally wounded, and the 
 loss of life on board of her was very severe ; she was also much 
 cut to pieces both in hull and spars. The other vessels suffered 
 in like proportion. The Lady Prevost had both her commander 
 and first lieutenant wounded, and, besides other extensive in- 
 jury, was become unmanageable from the loss of her rudder. 
 Lieutenants Bignal, commanding the Hunter, and Campbell, 
 the Chippeway, were also wounded, thus leaving only the com- 
 mander of the Little Belt fit for duty at the close of the action. 
 Indeed, in the official account of Commodore Barclay, it is 
 stated that every commander and every officer second in com- 
 mand was disabled. The total of killed and wounded ren- 
 dered by Commodore Barclay in his official report was forty- 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 357 
 
 one killed, including three officers, and ninety-four wounded, 
 nine of whom were officers. The returns, on account of the 
 condition of the commanders and their seconds in command, 
 could not have been very complete, and the numbers of killed 
 and wounded are believed to have been greater. The killed of 
 the British squadron were thrown overboard as they fell, with 
 the exception of the officers. 
 
 On every side were to be seen objects calculated to harrow the 
 most obdurate heart. And our own vessels were full of scenes 
 that made the boldest shudder. Our whole fleet had lost 
 twenty-seven brave men killed outright, while ninety-six had 
 been wounded. 
 
 But the lamentation over the heroic victors and their worthy 
 antagonists could not lessen the brilliancy of this splendid 
 victory. The British were superior in almost every way : their 
 vessels were larger, their guns heavier, their sailors better 
 trained, and their marines were veterans ; while the commander 
 and many of his subaltern officers had been in many battles 
 under the glance of " Britannia's god of war," as Byron styled 
 Horatio Nelson. To the nautical skill, ready invention, and 
 indomitable prowess of one man the victory was in great part 
 due, and that man had but just attained his twenty-seventh 
 year ; and, strangest fact of all, he had never seen a naval 
 battle ! He had dashed boldly into action with the Lawrence, 
 counting upon the support of those immediately around him, 
 and trusting that the rear of his line would soon be able to close 
 up to his support. 
 
 Passing from the Lawrence under the enemy's fire, saved 
 from death, as if miraculously, by the protecting genius of his 
 country, he reached the Niagara, and by an evolution unsur- 
 passed for genius and hardihood, bore down upon the enemy, 
 and dashed with his fresh and uninjured vessel through the 
 eriemy's line, Jt was thus that the battle of Lake Erie was won, 
 
55 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 not merely by the genius and inspiration, but eminently by the 
 exertions of one man. 
 
 As soon as Perry had taken all precautions for securing his 
 numerous prisoners and seeing to the comfort of the wounded, 
 he lost no time in communicating the result of the battle to 
 the expectant General Harrison. For this victory was of para- 
 mount importance to the furtherance of his plans. The great 
 victory was announced in this brief way : 
 
 " DEAR GENERAL : We have met the enemy, and they are 
 ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop. 
 Yours, with very great respect and esteem, 
 
 "O. H. PERRY." 
 
 To the Secretary of the Navy he also wrote at once. His 
 despatch read thus : 
 
 " U. S. Brig Niagara, off the westernmost Sister, head of 
 Lake Erie, Sept. 10, 1813, 4 P.M. 
 
 "SiR : It has pleased the Almighty to give to the arms of 
 the United States a signal victory over their enemies on this 
 lake. The British squadron, consisting of two ships, two brigs, 
 one schooner, and one sloop, have this moment surrendered to 
 the force under my command, after a sharp conflict. 
 
 " I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, your obedient 
 servant, 
 
 ''O. H. PERRY." 
 
 Not a solitary syllable of self-glorification. He tamely terms 
 that a "sharp conflict'' \\hich bears comparison with any 
 naval conflict ever fought. 
 
 The ships were as speedily as possible brought to anchor. 
 So few were his guards that he had to take extra precautions 
 to prevent a possibility of the prison^ rising during the night 
 
OLIVER HAZARD FERRY. 359 
 
 It was on the quarter-deck of his own Lawrence that Perry 
 received the formal surrender of the prizes. It was but fair 
 that the heroes who aided so much to gain the victory should 
 witness the harvesting of its fruits. Dr. Parsons communi- 
 cated to Lieutenant Mackenzie the annexed description : " It 
 was a time of conflicting emotions when the commodore re- 
 turned to the ship. The battle was won ; he was safe. But 
 the deck was slippery with blood and brains, and strewed with 
 the bodies of twenty officers and men, some of whom had sat at 
 table with us at our last meal, and the ship resounded every- 
 where with the groans of the wounded. Those of us who were 
 spared and able to walk approached him as he came over the 
 ship's side, but the salutation was a silent one on both sides : 
 not a word could find utterance." 
 
 Perry, at the request of his officers, had hitherto worn a 
 uniform round jacket ; he now resumed his undress uniform, 
 and, standing on the after part of the deck, received the officers 
 of the different captured vessels as they came to tender the 
 surrender of their vessels and their own submission as prisoners. 
 At the head of them was an officer of the Forty-first Regiment, 
 who acted as marine officer on board the Detroit, and was 
 charged by Commodore Barclay with the delivery of his sword ; 
 he was in full dress. When they had approached, picking 
 their way among the wreck and carnage of the deck, they held 
 their swords with the hilts towards Perry, and tendered them 
 to his acceptance. With a dignified and solemn air, the most 
 remote possible from any betrayal of exultation, and in a low 
 tone of voice, he requested them to retain their side-arms ; in- 
 quired with deep concern for Commodore Barclay and the 
 wounded officers, tendering to them every comfort his ship 
 afforded, and expressing his regret that he had not a spare 
 medical officer to send to them. 
 
 A.S it was impossible to reserve all die killed o| the 
 
360 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 for burial on shore, the seamen were buried at nightfall along- 
 side, the able-bodied of the crew, so much less numerous than 
 the killed, being assembled around to perform the last sad 
 offices. His little brother, though he had received several 
 musket-balls through his dress, had met with no injury, and was 
 now dozing in his hammock. An allusion to these facts 
 awakened the same sense of a controlling Providence which, in 
 beginning his report, had led him to ascribe the victory to the 
 pleasure of the Almighty. " I believe," he said, " that my 
 wife' s prayers have saved me. ' ' 
 
 On the next morning the commodore removed to the Ariel, 
 having determined, as the Lawrence was completely disabled for 
 all further service, to make her a hospital ship, and despatch 
 her with our wounded to Erie. 
 
 The wounded were fortunate in the surgeon, Dr. Parsons of 
 the Lawrence, who was as skilful as he was devoted. No man 
 on board deserved better of his country on that eventful day. 
 
 At ten o'clock in the evening a few of the more slightly 
 wounded still remained unattended to, when the surgeon was 
 obliged to desist, from inability longer to sustain himself in a 
 stooping position, and from mere physical exhaustion. The 
 remaining wounded of the Lawrence, with the wounded of the 
 rest of the squadron, were only seen on the following day. It 
 is conclusive as to the rare skill of Dr. Parsons and his humane 
 attentions to the wounded, that out of the whole ninety-six, 
 only three died ; one of these was Midshipman Thomas Claxton, 
 a young officer of merit and great promise. 
 
 In the course of this day Perry visited Commodore Barclay 
 on board of the Detroit, and from that visit, so tragically ushered 
 in, began a warm and enduring friendship. Every comfort that 
 Perry could procure for his wounded prisoner was freely placed 
 at his disposal. He became responsible for a considerable sum 
 of money required by Barclay for his own use and that of his 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 361 
 
 officers. Strange ! years afterward Perry's generosity and hu- 
 manity were in a slight degree repaid, on as sad an occasion, 
 by the countrymen of Barclay. But this is anticipatory. 
 
 After a sail of two hours the victor and the vanquished fleets 
 arrived at Put-in Bay. The interment of the officers who had 
 fallen in battle took place on the morning of the I2th. 
 
 The day was serene, and the lake unruffled by a breeze. 
 The boats, with their crews neatly dressed and their colours half- 
 masted, conveyed the bodies to the shore, keeping time, with a 
 measured stroke, to the mournful death-dirge. The procession 
 formed, as it reached the shore, according to rank, in reversed 
 order. The youngest of the killed was borne first, then the 
 lowest in rank of the other squadron, and so on alternately, an 
 American and a British corpse, the body of Captain Finnis 
 coming last. As the corpses moved on, the officers fell into 
 procession, two Americans and two English, according to rank 
 reversed, Perry himself closing the procession. As the mourn- 
 ful pageant advanced, keeping time to the measured cadence of 
 a dead march from the drums and fifes of both squadrons, 
 minute guns, fired alternately from each, offered the appro- 
 priate tribute of respect to the remains of the departed. 
 
 At length the procession reached the spot, near the margin 
 of the lake, where the graves had been prepared for the recep- 
 tion of the dead. The funeral service was read over them, and 
 they were lowered into the earth in the order in which they had 
 been borne. Volleys of musketry over the graves closed the 
 mournful ceremony. 
 
 Captain Perry did not lose a moment in preparing to give all 
 the aid in his power to the army of General Harrison. It was 
 the intention to move the army to Maiden and there attack the 
 British army, as it was necessary to capture that place before 
 proceeding to Detroit. The Niagara and the light vessels of 
 the fleet were at once got ready for service. All our wounded 
 
362 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 were placed on the Lawrence, while the British were taken care 
 of on the Detroit. Care was taken to properly moor the two 
 vessels. 
 
 A terrific gale came on from the south-west on the ijth 
 of September, and tossed up a fearful sea in the bay. The 
 tottering masts of the Detroit went by the board, although great 
 pains had been taken to brace them in every way. As they 
 crashed down on the deck they put the finishing touch to the 
 appalling picture of ruin and desolation. The prize crew very 
 providentially had got out of harm's way. A similar mishap 
 .befell the masts of the Queen Charlotte. 
 
 Perry found time in the midst of all this confusion to write 
 and forward his official account of the battle, with as perfect 
 lists as could be obtained of the forces engaged in either 
 squadron. He kept his own doings as much in the back- 
 ground as he could with propriety, while he gave every one else 
 his due meed of praise. 
 
 Considerable feeling and a great deal of correspondence arose 
 from Captain Jesse D. Elliott having taken offence at what he 
 deemed Perry's unfair treatment of his services in the battle of 
 Lake Erie. But as far as all the accounts of the battle give the 
 circumstances, they are fairly narrated in the account which we 
 have given. 
 
 A pleasing incident may be here related, among the weightier 
 matters we have been recording, as exhibiting Captain Perry's 
 goodness of heart and thoughtfulness for others. A couple of 
 dozen soldiers, composing the remnant of a gallant company of 
 young Virginians who had joined the army the year before 
 under the name of the Petersburg Volunteers, and who had 
 been reduced by battle and disease to their present number, had 
 accompanied General Harrison on board the Ariel. 
 
 On the passage to Put- in Bay, supper was served in the 
 cabin, and after the commodore and his numerous guests had 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRV. 363 
 
 partaken of it, they resumed their seats on deck to enjoy the 
 evening air. Major Chambers was conversing with Lieutenant 
 Packett, who commanded the Artel, when one of the young 
 Virginians, whom a spirit of adventure had led to abandon a 
 life of ease for the hardships of the camp, and who was just 
 recovering from severe illness, approached Major Chambers, 
 whom he knew, and asked, in an undertone, if it would bd 
 possible for him to obtain a cup of coffee from the cabin, saying? 
 that his stomach rejected the cold and coarse food to which the; 
 army had necessarily been confined. Being a stranger to Perry,, 
 Major Chambers felt reluctant to trouble him with such a re- 
 quest, and therefore explained it to Mr. Packett. He hesitated 
 to say anything, and the subject was dropped. But Perry, who 
 was sitting near, had overheard the remark, and quietly given 
 directions to his steward. In half an hour Major Chambers had 
 the gratification of seeing the whole of the young Virginians 
 seated round an excellent supper in the cabin, and the warm- 
 hearted host attending to them in person. Perry had heard the 
 character and gallantry of the little band assigned as the reason 
 for taking them on board the Ariel, that they might be under 
 the eye of the general, and kindly rebuked Major Chambers for 
 having hesitated to explain what accident alone had revealed to 
 him the longing of these poor fellows for a cup of hot coffee. 
 
 On the 23d day of the month, after General Harrison 
 and Captain Perry had reconnoitred the harbor of Maiden (by 
 the British called Amherstburg), it was determined to attack 
 the place. Accordingly, on the morning of the 2yth the ves- 
 sels were ranged in order of battle, something better than a 
 mile to the eastward of Bar Point, and within quarter of a mile 
 of the shore. Everything had worked well, but when the boats 
 landed they found no garrison. The place was evacuated. No 
 clearly satisfactory reason was ever given for the British General 
 Proctor's abandoning his chosen position without a battle. 
 
364 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Tecumseh, his famous Indian ally, strongly combated the idea 
 of retreating, and delivered the following speech more remark- 
 able for its strength than its polish : " Listen, Father !" said he ; 
 " our fleet has gone out. We know they have fought ; we 
 have heard the great guns, but know nothing of what has hap- 
 pened to our Father with one arm. Our fleet has gone one 
 way, and we are very much astonished to see our Father tying 
 up everything, and preparing to run away the other, without 
 letting his red children know what his intentions are. You 
 always told us that you would never draw your foot off British 
 ground ; but now, Father, we see that you are drawing back, 
 and we are sorry to see our Father doing so without seeing the 
 enemy. We must compare our Father's conduct to a fat 
 animal that carries its tail upon its back, but, when affrighted, it 
 drops it between its legs and runs off. We wish to remain here 
 and fight the enemy, should he appear. If he conquers us, we 
 will then retreat with our Father." 
 
 But General Proctor retreated from position to position 
 without striking a blow. The various Indian tribes who had 
 been in amity with the British fell off from their allegiance 
 and offered their services to the Americans, so that a procla- 
 mation was shortly published re-establishing the civil authorities 
 in Michigan, as the enemy had been repulsed. 
 
 As there was nothing more to call for Perry's action in naval 
 affairs, he volunteered as an aide-de-camp to General Harrison. 
 It is needless to say that the hero of Lake Erie was received 
 with vehement rapture by the bold frontiersmen, and our small 
 but far from insignificant nucleus of a regular army, which 
 formed part of Harrison's command, and which rendered such 
 effective service under their gallant leader, Colonel Snelling. 
 The army was soon in motion, and in spite of many difficulties 
 a fierce battle ensued on the banks of the Thames. It was in 
 this action, when victory hesitated on which side to declare, 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 365 
 
 that Colonel Johnson made such a brilliant charge at the head 
 of his mounted Kentuckians, and, if popular legends are to be 
 relied on, the great Tecumseh lawgiver, orator, and general 
 of the bravest of the Indians fell by the unerring bullet of the 
 Kentucky colonel. The ultimate result was that the British 
 grounded their arms, and the great North-West, now the 
 habitat of millions of prosperous freemen, was untrodden by 
 any foeman of the Thames. 
 
 During the battle Perry as much astonished the Kentuckians 
 by his horsemanship as he had astonished his country's enemies 
 by his seamanship a few short weeks before. 
 
 Nor were there wanting opportunities for Perry to display 
 those benevolent qualities which are often found the adjunct of 
 the fiercest bravery. In one case, the circumstances of which 
 only became known by the testimony of an eye-witness, he gave 
 time and money in alleviating the hardships entailed upon in- 
 nocent women and children by the inevitable results of the 
 most necessary and glorious wars. 
 
 During our possession of the Moravian town of Christianized 
 Indians on the banks of the Thames, Perry interested himself 
 so deeply and so effectually to help the worthy Moravians and 
 their poor disciples to such an extent as to call forth the fol- 
 lowing letter. It is signed John G. Cunow, and dated 
 Bethlehem : 
 
 ' ' HONOURED AND DEAR SIR : The directors of the Society of 
 the United Brethren, commonly called Moravians, residing at 
 this place, have been informed by the Reverend Mr. Schnall, 
 late one of our missionaries in Upper Canada, of the friendly 
 offices and generous protection which you have had the good- 
 ness to afford to our missionaries when the settlement of our 
 Christian Indians on Thames River was taken possession of by 
 the army of the United States under General Harrison. 
 
366 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 " Impressed with the most lively sense of gratitude for the 
 numerous proofs of your benevolent disposition towards our 
 missionaries when in distress and danger, the directors beg leave 
 to present to you their sincerest and most cordial acknowledg- 
 ments. May the Lord, whose servants you have taken pleasure 
 to protect, be your shield and your exceeding great reward, have 
 you in his holy keeping, and bless you in life, in death, and 
 throughout eternity. ' ' 
 
 Soon after the victory of the Thames, Captain Perry returned 
 to Detroit, and the two brave officers issued a proclamation to 
 the people of Upper Canada, in which the safety of life and 
 property was guaranteed to all living quietly, and leaving them 
 to their own local authorities in all the ordinary affairs of life. 
 
 Hardly ever has any nation received its greatest hero with 
 more heartfelt enthusiasm than greeted the hero of Lake Erie 
 when he made a trip to Washington at the call of the authori- 
 ties. In every city, town, and village he was almost deafened with 
 the salute of cannon and loud huzzas, and ladies showered 
 the choicest flowers upon him. Nor were more substantial 
 marks of approbation bestowed with a niggard spirit. Rich 
 plate and other valuable offerings were liberally bestowed upon 
 the still youthful commander. 
 
 Captain Elliot was by no means pleased at the way that Perry 
 ignored his complaints about what he termed the unfair way in 
 which he had been treated, and his friends and himself con- 
 tinued to write disparaging letters regarding Perry. 
 
 Barclay, however, who was so gallantly vanquished by Perry, 
 and not only lost his five ships and scores of brave officers and 
 valiant seamen, entertained the very highest regard for his 
 chivalric conqueror. In a letter written by .Captain Barclay to 
 his brother in England, and which fell into the hands of a 
 United States marshal on its transmission, occurs this passage ; 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 367 
 
 " The treatment I have received from Captain Perry has been 
 noble indeed. It can be equalled only by his bravery and in- 
 trepidity in action. Since the battle he has been like a brother 
 to me. He has obtained for me an unconditional parole. I 
 mean to make use of it to get to England so soon as my wound 
 will permit." At a public dinner, followed by a ball, given in 
 honour of this gallant officer at Terrebonne, in Canada, he took 
 occasion, in reply to a complimentary speech, to notice the un- 
 usual kindness which he had received from Captain Perry. He 
 said that his humanity to his prisoners would alone have immor- 
 talized him, and he gave as a toast, in conclusion, "Com- 
 modore Perry, the gallant and generous enemy." 
 
 On taking leave of Perry, Barclay had presented him with 
 his sextant as a memento of his regard ; and some months after 
 Perry forwarded to Barclay a highly- finished American rifle, 
 made with the greatest possible care by a celebrated gunsmith 
 ot Albany, expressly for him. 
 
 Although, as has been said, honours were literally showered 
 upon him, dinners, balls, and receptions awaited him in every 
 place and on every hand. None were too rich or too poor not 
 to feel it an honour to get a word or a smile from the man who 
 had in a moment, in the hour of his country's greatest need, 
 stemmed the torrent of defeat and brought victory once more to 
 the standard that had been partially dishonoured by the in- 
 capacity if not the cowardice of some commanders. 
 
 But one thing was wanting to complete his happiness, and 
 that was to meet his admirable and dearly-loved wife and his 
 equally loved children. He found that " one lamb had been 
 taken from the fold during his absence"- an infant had died 
 while he was at Lake Erie. 
 
 Even while he was resting in the midst of his family, tributes 
 of admiration and respect poured in upon him. He still made 
 his home at Newport. 
 
368 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 He was soon called to Washington and appointed to the 
 command of the frigate yava. There was every likelihood of 
 his once more seeing very active service. 
 
 The British, although they had played a losing game in 
 Canada, were by no means inclined to admit that all was lost. 
 They did all in their power to spread alarm upon the Atlantic 
 seacoast, measurably confining their attacks upon places in the 
 vicinage of the national capital. A force was landed from the 
 British fleet, which attacked and burned Washington. Perry, with 
 such slight force as could be hastily gathered, aided in seriously 
 injuring the hostile fleet as it went down the Potomac from its 
 hostile mission. The attack made on Baltimore was bravely 
 repulsed, and among other of its effects was the production of 
 our immortal national hymn, "The Star-Spangled Banner." 
 To Key, " England, with all her faults," would have given 
 burial in Westminster Abbey ; where is our national minstrel 
 laid ? 
 
 The too successful attempt on Baltimore showed the necessity 
 of our being prepared to give the enemy a different reception, 
 should he feel inclined to make us another predatory visit, and 
 accordingly a number of small vessels were got ready to meet 
 any such attack. Perry received the temporary command of 
 one of them. 
 
 The Treaty of Ghent put an end to hostilities between the 
 United States and Great Britain. It was signed on the 24th of 
 December, 1814, and was soon after officially ratified. 
 
 The formal wording of the treaty did not imply that we had 
 gained much by the war, but those who look closely at after 
 events will perceive that there were some strong intimations be- 
 tween the lines. From the moment that that treaty received its 
 signatures it will be noticed by the student of history that the 
 most powerful nation upon earth and sea spoke to and of us as 
 an admitted equal. There was no more firing of cannon for 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 369 
 
 our cruisers to come to and send an officer on board. The 
 right of search had disappeared from the ocean and the lakes 
 with the smoke of the cannon fired by Oliver Hazard Perry 
 and his valiant fellow-sailors. 
 
 There were not many days of peace in the midst of his family 
 for Perry. It is the penalty of greatness that it must put its 
 talents to the service of the country. Perry was once more in 
 demand. A voyage of discovery was projected, but Perry did 
 not relish going in a secondary position, so declined to go. 
 
 It was then determined to send the Java to the Mediterranean, 
 with Perry in command. The passage was a very stormy one, 
 and in its course the captain displayed his usual capacity and 
 coolness in several ways. The squadron visited Algiers, whose 
 Dey inspired almost every nation in those days with a degree of 
 terror which we find it difficult now to understand. 
 
 Hostilities appeared imminent, and Perry had an interview 
 with the Dey. Things were, however, brought to a temporary 
 pacific ending. 
 
 It was during this voyage that the unfortunate difficulty be- 
 tween Captain Heath, of the marines, and Captain Perry took 
 place. The marine officer, doubtless in a state of partial in- 
 ebriety, appeared before the captain, when Perry lost his tem- 
 per and struck him. Probably no one more deeply regretted 
 the hasty blow than did the inflicter. But the original offender 
 became almost a martyr by the rash punishment which he had 
 received for an indiscretion. Charges and countercharges grew 
 out of this matter. Neither of the officers was punished. A 
 duel subsequently grew out of it. Perry received his oppo- 
 nent's fire, but did not return it. So the affair closed. 
 
 Again Perry had a brief furlough for home life. But little 
 time was given him to enjoy the tranquil pleasures of which he 
 was very fond. Orders came from Washington that his services 
 were required, and as usual he promptly obeyed the summons, 
 
.370 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 This time it was not with the haughty flag of England that he 
 was to try fierce conclusions. It was the young republics of 
 South America that were now troubling us. They were at war 
 with Spain. They had scarce any commerce, while Spain had 
 still a large remnant of those mighty fleets that had tempted the 
 cupidity of Raleigh, Drake, and other bold adventurers. But 
 not content with worrying the ships of old Spain, the State of 
 Venezuela, it was alleged, issued letters of marque to almost any 
 adventurer who could get possession of a hull and sails ; the 
 flag did not so much matter. Indeed, the thin division be- 
 tween piracy and privateering was invisible. As some United 
 States merchantmen had been captured and adjudicated as 
 "good prizes," it was determined to send Commodore Perry as 
 an envoy to stop this nefarious business, either by fair means or 
 by force. 
 
 In June, Perry, on board the John Adams, with the schooner 
 Nonsuch as a tender, sailed for the Orinoco. 
 
 On the passage they touched at Barbadoes, where the 
 governor and other British authorities received them with due 
 courtesy, and gave Perry some good advice as to the climate, 
 fevers, hurricanes, and other matters. 
 
 On arriving at the mouth of the great stream it became 
 evident that the Adams drew too much water to ascend, so 
 Perry shifted his flag to the Nonsuch, a far lighter vessel. He 
 has given us a graphic account of the various annoyances ex- 
 perienced on this small craft: ''Confined on board a small 
 vessel. Rise in the morning, after being exhausted by heat. 
 The sun, as soon as it shows itself, striking almost through 
 one ; mosquitoes, sandflies, and gnats covering you. As the 
 sun gets up, it becomes entirely calm, and its ra}*s pour down a 
 heat that is insufferable. The fever it creates, together with the 
 irritation caused by the insects, produce a thirst which is insati- 
 able ; to quench which, we drink water at eighty-two degrees, 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 37! 
 
 About four o'clock a rain squall, accompanied by a little wind, 
 generally takes place. It might be supposed that this would 
 cool the air ; but not so. The steam which rises as soon as the 
 sun comes out makes the heat still more intolerable. At 
 length night approaches ; the wind leaves us. We go close in. 
 shore and anchor ; myriads of mosquitoes and gnats come off 
 to the vessel and compel us to sit over strong smokes created 
 by burning oakum and tar, rather than endure their terrible 
 stings. Wearied and exhausted, we go to bed to endure new 
 torments. Shut up in the berth of a small cabin, if there is 
 any air stirring, not a breath of it can reach us. The mos- 
 quitoes, more persevering, follow us, and annoy us the whole 
 night by their noise and bites, until, almost mad with the heat 
 and pain, we rise to go through the same troubles the next 
 day. 
 
 These annoyances were of course only experienced as they 
 proceeded up the river. 
 
 The Nonsuch, after crossing the difficult bar, had over three 
 hundred miles of rapid current to stem. We with our powerful 
 steam-tugs cannot begin to realize what that meant. But Perry 
 was not the man to be disheartened at such difficulties. Still, 
 he had so long been accustomed to the free airs of the ocean on 
 large vessels that this "cabined, cribbed, confined" style of 
 living was exceedingly irksome to him. 
 
 For much of the river through which the Nonsuch passed the 
 shores were destitute of human habitation, as they were for 
 weeks little better than swamps. True, they were clothed with 
 all that exuberant vegetation common in the tropics, where the 
 blaze of the fierce tropical sun drew out of the rich mire mam- 
 moth trees, wreathed with every description of gigantic vegeta- 
 tion. 
 
 As they advanced up stream, when the wind fell they were 
 obliged to resort to towing at times, or else they made fast to a 
 
372 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 tree, and so arranged the helm as to keep them clear of the 
 shore. 
 
 At such times Perry would land, and, gun in hand, bring 
 down some of those beautifully variegated tropic birds which 
 flit amid the gorgeous blossoms, literally " gilding refined gold. " 
 
 On the arrival of Perry at the capital of Venezuela he at 
 once secured the valuable services of an American, Dr. Forsyth, 
 long a resident of that State. 
 
 In the Hall of Congress they were received by the Vice- 
 President. The usual formaf introductions over, Perry at once 
 opened the business in hand. He said the American President 
 had sent him as a naval officer to informally deliver a message 
 upon the present state of affairs between the two countries. 
 The Vice-President said he cordially welcomed the commodore, 
 and believed everything could be adjusted satisfactorily. 
 
 We will now quote from the note-book of the captain his 
 account of the after progress of negotiations : 
 
 " The next day, being the 28th, I requested Mr. Forsyth to 
 call on the Vice-President, and know when I could be received 
 for the purpose of opening my business. He replied that, to 
 show his disposition to avoid ceremony, and his satisfaction at 
 the mode I had adopted, he would call at my lodgings that 
 evening, where we could have a free, friendly, and uninter- 
 rupted conversation, and avoid the curiosity of the people, who 
 were much excited to learn the object of my mission. In the 
 evening he called, as he had promised, when I explained to him 
 fully the object of my visit to Venezuela ; recapitulating, in the 
 first place, the good offices which the United States had exerted 
 to procure the recognition by Spain of the independence of her 
 former colonies. While they had considered it their duty to 
 observe a faithful and impartial neutrality, the part which they 
 have taken, by negotiation with the European powers, had con- 
 tributed more to promote the cause of South America than tak- 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 373 
 
 ing part against Spain would have done. Spain had solicited the 
 Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle to mediate between her and her 
 colonies, they returning to their allegiance, and she granting to 
 them certain commercial privileges heretofore withheld. The 
 government of the United States was informed of this before 
 the meeting of that Congress. It had been proposed that the 
 United States should join in the mediation ; but they refused 
 to interfere in any plan of mediation except upon the basis of 
 the complete independence of the colonies. This occasioned 
 dissatisfaction to France and Russia. Great Britain, aware that 
 the mediation could not be effected without the concurrence of 
 the United States, stipulated that there should be no resort to 
 force against South America. France and Russia assented ; 
 but proposed, should the accommodation be rejected, to pro- 
 hibit all commercial intercourse with them, to which Great 
 Britain objected. .The last expedient proposed was, that the 
 Duke of Wellington, in behalf of the Congress, should arrange 
 with the cabinet of Madrid ; the duke insisting, in any event, 
 that force should not be used. Spain wished the perfect res- 
 toration of her colonies ; but, finding it could not be obtained, 
 declined all interposition on other terms. While our govern- 
 ment always took occasion to manifest its good wishes, it 
 never lost sight of the duty of neutrality, considering the war a 
 civil one : South America wishing to gain her independence, 
 Spain to maintain her supremacy. For the United States to 
 have recognized either, while the war still continued, would 
 have been to take part. Hence their motive for refusing to 
 have communication with Mr. Clemente, claiming to be re- 
 ceived as the representative of Venezuela, while the war con- 
 tinued and her independence was incomplete. I then furnished 
 Mr. Zea with the two acts of our Congress with regard to 
 neutrality and piracy, and demanded indemnity for various 
 spoliations, particularly the unjust seizure of American property 
 
374 EMINENT SAILORS. - 
 
 by the schooner Brutus, commanded by Nicholas Joly, under 
 the Amelia Island Hag, which property had been condemned 
 illegally and sold within the territory of Venezuela. I also 
 explained the views of the government with regard to privateers, 
 and that commissions issued to them*dn blank were considered 
 illegal. I asked also for an official list of those commissioned 
 by Venezuela, that I might forward it to our government. 
 
 ' The Vice- President listened attentively, and appeared much 
 gratified with the information I gave him with regard to the 
 exertions of the United States, in behalf of South America, with 
 the powers of Europe. His government knew that something 
 unfavourable to South American liberty had been agitated by the 
 allied powers, but of what nature they had hitherto been igno- 
 rant. Respecting Mr. Clemente, he said that the government 
 of Venezuela was more displeased with him than the President 
 of the United States could be ; that his conduct was un- 
 authorized, and a source of mortification to them ; that the 
 mariner in which he had been treated was such as his improper 
 conduct deserved ; and that the note of Mr. Adams, stating the 
 impossibility of having any communication with him, was 
 couched in such delicate terms that even if there were any who 
 had a disposition to be offended at it, it was impossible for them 
 to be so with justice ; that a gentleman of talent and great 
 prudence had been expressly selected to go to the United 
 States, and he trusted would conduct himself in such a manner 
 as to afford no cause of complaint. On the other points he 
 stated his disposition to do justice to those who had suffered 
 Irom the aggressions of cruisers in the service of Venezuela. 
 He stated that Congress was then engaged on the subject of 
 their cruisers, and that laws would be passed to place them 
 under rigorous restrictions. As soon as possible, I should be 
 furnished with a copy of the laws and a list of the cruisers. 
 With regard to the acts of Congress, he said that it was the 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 375 
 
 duty of every government to bring to punishment those engaged 
 in acts of piracy ; but that, although no explanation was neces- 
 sary on this subject, he received it as an act of friendship and 
 delicacy on the part of the United States. He concluded by 
 saying that he had no doubt I should receive entire satisfaction 
 upon all the points I had mentioned, and that we should have 
 the mutual pleasure of doing away the little difficulties that had 
 existed between the two countries, when the most friendly re- 
 lations, he hoped, would ensue. 
 
 " On Sunday, the ist of August, I called on the Vice-Presi- 
 dent, and handed him the notes which I had addressed to him, 
 and entered again into explanations with him on the relations 
 of the two governments. In this, as in the former interview, I 
 received assurance of a prompt and favourable issue to my 
 business. Yet, from the indolence of these people, I am not 
 sanguine of an early termination of my visit a visit which 
 affords me no pleasure further than a prospect of succeeding to 
 the full extent of my wishes. The climate is bad, the town is 
 extremely sickly. The Creoles are also dying daily. I have 
 nothing to do but wait patiently the time of the Vice- Presi- 
 dent, and occasionally urge him to expedite my papers." 
 
 A week later he adds : ' ' The Vice-President assured me 
 that, as it depended entirely on himself, an immediate and 
 favourable answer would be given me ; that indemnity for the 
 vessels might be expected ; and I should not be detained. 
 Sickness taking place on board the schooner to an alarming 
 degree, and a fever prevailing in the town of a malignant 
 description, carrying off daily both natives and foreigners, I re- 
 quested Mr. Forsyth to suggest to the Vice- President that it 
 would be very agreeable to me to depart. He appointed the 
 Sunday following for an interview, and said he would be ready 
 to communicate his answers. I waited on him on Sunday. 
 He said the papers were ready, with the exception of the answer 
 
376 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 in relation to one of the claims ; that he would write me a note 
 the next morning ; and wished, if possible, that I would con- 
 sent to stay until the last of the week. I said, if there was any 
 public business that required me to do so, I should consider it 
 a duty to remain. I afterward discovered from Mr. Forsyth 
 that it was only to give me a dinner ; so I thought it advisable 
 to write a note signifying that I must depart. 
 
 " The communications I made to the Vice- President ap- 
 peared in the first instance to produce a favourable impression, 
 but at present he affects, as I am told, to think that the sole 
 object of my visit is to reclaim the property that has been 
 illegally captured. He joins others in the opinion that it will 
 be policy to restore this property, as it will make a favourable 
 impression on the minds of foreign nations. They will not 
 readily give up so fruitful a source of revenue as the privilege 
 of plundering at pleasure the peaceful commerce of all nations. 
 
 " I find a great degree of hostility exists here towards my 
 government and country, and, notwithstanding the frank and 
 friendly communications I have made to this government, no 
 steps have been taken to do it away. The English are the 
 favourites. This I should not mind if there had not been 
 attempts to cast reflections on my government on the part of the 
 British, and practise on the ignorant to our disadvantage. Dis- 
 trusting the warmth of my temper, I keep a strict guard upon 
 myself ; but I am really, at this moment, through their mis- 
 representations, looked upon almost as an enemy, merely be- 
 cause I have reclaimed property captured in the most illegal 
 manner. 
 
 " The idea prevails generally among the people, and even 
 among some men of intelligence, that the government of the 
 United States is cold and indifferent to their fate ; that it takes 
 no interest in their struggle for independence. I have replied 
 to this charge, that, having determined upon neutrality, what- 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 377 
 
 ever our feelings of partiality might be, we dealt fairly and 
 honourably with both parties ; truth and justice being the basis 
 of all our acts, it would be inconsistent with our character to 
 profess one thing and do another. Jealousies and dissensions 
 have already arisen, and it does not require any great foresight 
 to believe that they will become very serious. The English in 
 their service have to surfer every privation from want of clothing 
 and wholesome food. However well I may wish this cause, I 
 cannot desire to see my countrymen surfer the privations and 
 hardships which the English in this service have done : making 
 campaigns in this climate without tents or anything to secure 
 them from the burning sun ; furnished regularly with neither 
 pay nor clothing ; their only provisions miserable beef without 
 salt, and occasionally a few plantains ; held in little estimation 
 by the natives, who, when they first arrive, envy them their fine 
 coats, and afterwards despise them for their inability to endure 
 the climate. Many of the officers have returned sick from the 
 army, with a shirt that could only endure being washed by a 
 syringe, and a pair of pantaloons, the legs of which had retired 
 to an alarming elevation. The troops would all desert if there 
 were any secure refuge for them to escape to, and the officers 
 resign if pride did not deter them. 
 
 " Having only stepped upon the threshold of the country, 
 it scarcely becomes me to give an opinion as to its state. What 
 little I have seen has, however, impressed me most unfavour- 
 ably. What, however, would be the result, should those in 
 power, depraved as they are, be cut off ? Who is to supply 
 their place ? Spanish policy has aimed at the entire extinction 
 of talent and information among the natives. The blacks are 
 numerous, and aware of their strength ; great alarm exists in 
 the minds of the few intelligent as to their future conduct and 
 obedience. Should Bolivar and a few others be taken off, there 
 will be an end to everything like government, even of a military 
 
378 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 despotism, for there are none to supply their place ; and the 
 country must inevitably fall into the hands of brigands, who 
 will, by their robberies and murders, desolate the land, and by 
 their piracies at sea form a nuisance to the commerce of the 
 world. ' ' 
 
 It was the 1 1 th of August before Perry obtained a reply from 
 the government to his note claiming satisfaction. It promised 
 almost everything asked. 
 
 Greatly against his will, he was persuaded to remain until the 
 1 4th of August, to partake of a farewell dinner very courteously 
 pressed upon him. 
 
 Daily he paid visits to the Nonsuch, encouraging the sick with 
 hopeful words, and seeing that everything was done for their 
 comfort. The doctor, Mr. Morgan, had been sick, but was 
 convalescent. 
 
 On the 1 5th of August he joined in a grand fete for the 
 proclamation of the Constitution. After it he went on board 
 the schooner, and she at once proceeded down the river. 
 
 On the morning of the i7th the Nonsuch was at anchor on 
 the bar that makes at the mouth of the Orinoco. 
 
 While sleeping in his berth during the night, Perry got quite 
 wet from spray that came down the necessarily open hatchway. 
 Early in the morning he was suffering from a chill. 
 
 Luckily, Dr. Forsyth was on board as a passenger. Dr. 
 Morgan was himself sick. Every symptom seemed to foretell 
 that the commodore had been seized by a serious illness. 
 Blood-letting was tried, but it was at once seen that none could 
 be spared. Both the physicians exhausted the whole of their 
 resources in frying to bring about a favourable result. 
 
 When asked not to feel alarmed, the patient replied : " I feel 
 no alarm at whatever may happen : the debt of mortality must 
 be paid !" At another time he observed : " Few persons have 
 greater inducements to make them wish to live than I ; but I 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 379 
 
 am perfectly ready to go if it pleases the Almighty to take me ; 
 * the debt of nature must be paid ! ' 
 
 Shortly after noon, on the 2jd of August, when the Nonmch 
 was but about half a dozen miles from port, Perry was seized 
 with vomiting, the most unfavorable symptom of the disease. 
 
 Satisfied that the supreme moment approached, Perry sum- 
 moned his two lieutenants, Claxton and Salter, to his presence. 
 He told them that he left all his property and the care of his 
 children to his wife. Later to Mr. Handy he gave in charge 
 all official papers and his instructions from Washington. 
 
 Soon after he was visited by his friends from the John Adams, 
 among them his deeply attached companion, Lieutenant 
 Turner. Suppressing his emotions, he calmly asked after the 
 crew and officers of the John Adams. Then he asked for a 
 special interview with Mr. Handy. Perry lay on a mattress in 
 the little cabin of the schooner, and as he grasped the hand of 
 his faithful confidential secretary the emotions of both were 
 hardly controllable. All efforts to prolong his valuable life 
 were in vain, and just at half past three he quietly expired. 
 
 Thus died Oliver Hazard Perry, at the early age of thirty-four. 
 It was the anniversary of his birth. His death was as tranquil, 
 in spite of all the concomitant surroundings of discomfort, as 
 though he were sinking to slumber in a quiet chamber of his 
 deeply loved distant home. 
 
 The schooner lay about a mile away from the John Adams, 
 and the fall of the commodore's pennant too quickly announced 
 his death. 
 
 Intense regret was felt by all hands on both ships, from the 
 captain to the smallest boy, and all expressed a desire that his 
 remains should be at once conveyed home in the ship he had 
 so recently commanded. Sanitary reasons, however, compelled 
 the surgeons to rule that the body ought to be, for the time, in- 
 terred at Port Spain, from whence they could be transferred 
 
380 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 at a later period to the land he so deeply loved and had so 
 gloriously served. 
 
 Sir Ralph Woodford, the governor of the British island of 
 Trinidad, was applied to for a permit allowing the commo- 
 dore's body to be buried on shore. 
 
 This request was at once courteously granted, accompanied 
 by the governor's deep regret at the loss of so great and good a 
 man. 
 
 To account for these extraordinary demonstrations of respect 
 at the funeral of Perry, it may be well to mention that there were 
 at the time many officers serving in Trinidad who had been made 
 prisoners after the capture of Barclay's squadron, and subse- 
 quent to the battle of the Thames. 
 
 So deeply touched were the officers of the American vessels 
 that they made this expression of their feelings in the most 
 public manner : 
 
 " The officers of the United States vessels jfohn Adams and 
 Nonsuch tender their grateful acknowledgments to the inhabi- 
 tants of Port Spain for their kind and respectful attention to the 
 funeral rites of their late commander, Commodore Perry. The 
 disposition manifested by all classes was highly in unison with 
 their feelings, and merits their warmest thanks." 
 
 The governor replied, expressing his " regret that the hopes 
 which he had entertained of receiving Commodore Perry within 
 that government with the consideration due to his rank and 
 merits had been so fatally disappointed." 
 
 Every tribute of respect and admiration that the people and 
 Congress of the United States could bestow was given to the 
 memory of the heroic commodore, and profound and lasting 
 was the sorrow felt for his most untimely death. 
 
 Liberal provision was made for the widow of the gallant man, 
 as well as for each of his young children. 
 
 The personal appearance of Perry is thus given by one well 
 
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 381 
 
 acquainted with him. He was lofty in stature, and of a most 
 graceful contour. " He was easy and measured in his move- 
 ments, and calm in his air. His brow was full, massive, and 
 lofty, his features regular and elegant, and his eye full, dark, 
 and lustrous. His mouth was uncommonly handsome, and his 
 teeth large, regular, and very white. The prevailing expression 
 of his countenance was mild, benignant, and cheerful, and a 
 smile of amiability, irresistibly pleasing, played in conversation 
 about his lips. His whole air was expressive of health, fresh- 
 ness, comfort, and contentment, bearing testimony to a life of 
 temperance and moderation. ' ' 
 
 At the proper time a national vessel was despatched to con- 
 vey the remains of Perry to Newport, where a granite monu- 
 ment records his acts but cannot help to eternize his fame. It 
 will be a sad day for the Republic when his deeds find no place 
 in the hearts of his countrymen. 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE 
 FARRAGUT. 
 
 A.D. I 80 1 1870. 
 
 THE family of David Glascoe Farragut is of Catalonian ori- 
 gin. Minorca, one of the Balearic Isles, was the residence of 
 George, the father of the great admiral. In 1776 he arrived 
 in America, and very soon he enlisted in the army of the land 
 of his adoption. 
 
 After the war of the Revolution George Farragut married 
 Miss Elizabeth Shine, of North Carolina. The lady was of 
 Scotch descent. He took up land at a place called Campbell's 
 Station, in the State of Tennessee. 
 
 David was born on the 5th of July, 1801. When yet quite 
 a lad he was appointed a midshipman, and was to sail under 
 Captain Porter, the famous commander of the Essex. 
 
 In July, 1812, young Farragut was sailing on board the 
 Essex as a midshipman. It was on this cruise that David 
 smelled powder fired in anger for the first time. 
 
 The frigate Essex contrived to lure the British ship Alert mio 
 an engagement. The latter was the first to open fire. Im- 
 mediately the carronades of the Essex sent an answer to the 
 Briton's guns. After the second discharge of the artillery of 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 383 
 
 the Essex the enemy's men left their guns, and in eight minutes 
 from the first shot " the meteor flag of England" was stuck to 
 the Stars and Stripes. 
 
 Lieutenant Finch rowed on board to take formal possession 
 of the prize. She proved to be the British ship Alert. Her 
 armament was twenty carronades, eighteen-pounders. She was 
 not really a match for the Essex, but in consequence of so 
 much arrogant boasting^ it was the opening wedge that showed 
 what might yet be done when the Essex met " one of her 
 size." 
 
 Captain Porter made an arrangement with Captain Finch of 
 the A lert by which the captured frigate was sent to St. John's 
 under a flag of truce ; this rendered her exempt from capture. 
 In her were sent some of the English prisoners released under 
 satisfactory arrangements. 
 
 The cruise was continued for some time longer, but the eager 
 Porter found no enemy's vessel anxious to meet him; so, as 
 provisions were getting short and the crew stinted, and the good 
 ship needed overhauling, he returned to harbor for instructions. 
 
 She was accordingly safely brought to her moorings in the 
 Delaware. 
 
 On the zSth of October, 1812, the Essex, thoroughly repaired, 
 refurnished, and provisioned, set sail once more in quest of an 
 enemy. 
 
 Her crew all told, from captain to smallest boy, numbered 
 319 souls. 
 
 On December i ith, just after crossing the Equator, the Essex 
 signalled a brig of rather suspicious appearance. She hoisted 
 English colors just at sundown. As the captain much liked 
 her looks, he made up his mind not to injure the hull, if possi- 
 ble, thinking she would prove of value to the United States 
 navy. The Englishman had no intention, however, of proving 
 an easy capture, for he came under the stern of the Essex in 
 
384 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 order to rake her and then run off before the wind. A round 
 of musketry from Porter's marines spoiled this plan, and she was 
 forced to yield. The prize was called the Nodon. 
 
 The prisoners, some passengers, and over fifty thousand 
 dollars in specie were transferred to the Essex that night. 
 
 He permitted the prisoners and passengers to sail in the prize 
 on their pledging their word of honour to remain prisoners till 
 properly exchanged. 
 
 After this for some time little of any special interest relating 
 to young David occurred ; they had touched at two or three 
 Portuguese settlements, were provided with the usual fruits, 
 vegetables, and fowls to be found in such places, and then 
 they started round Cape Horn, that terror to even the best cap- 
 tains sailing in the stanchest vessels. 
 
 The Essex had her share of bad weather, scanty fare, and 
 tossing about on the crests of mighty waves or dipping into the 
 deep intervals between. But we have no authentic details of 
 the actions or thoughts of the boy who in after years was to 
 give employment to the pens of poets and the pencils of 
 painters in chronicling his doings. 
 
 After safely rounding the Cape the frigate sailed along the 
 coast of South America, the crew viewing with feelings of awe 
 the dismal, forbidding, rocky shores of Chili, with the mighty 
 Andes piercing the clouds with their icy pinnacles. 
 
 No war-ship of the enemy was encountered, but on the 28th 
 of April, 1813, the boats of the frigate captured three British 
 whale-ships, whose united value was some five hundred thousand 
 dollars. This streak of luck satisfied those of the sailors who 
 were grumbling that they had come all that distance, getting 
 neither fighting nor prize-money. 
 
 By the end of May the captain's fleet had been increased by 
 captures till it was now quite formidable, We give a Fist of 
 ve&sels, guns, and crews ; JSrw, 46 guns, 345 men G 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 385 
 
 1 6 guns, 42 men ; Atlantic, 6 guns, 12 men ; Greenwich, 2 
 guns, 10 men ; Montezuma, 2 guns, 10 men ; Policy, unarmed, 
 10 men in all, 80 guns, 333 men. 
 
 So well had the men been treated that not one had deserted, 
 although in those sunny seas it is difficult to keep sailors true 
 to their flag. 
 
 It was about this time that the prizes increased so fast that 
 there were not lieutenants enough "to go round" to com- 
 mand them ; so in many cases midshipmen were placed as 
 captains, with reliable petty officers as the real sailing officers. 
 
 On the 1 2th of July the Essex captured the piratical craft 
 the Seringapatam. This fine vessel was said to have been built 
 at the order of the famous Indian ruler, Tippoo Saib. Twenty- 
 two guns were put into her, and made her a style of ship to be 
 avoided. A vessel which had been previously captured was 
 rechristened the Essex Junior, and she did not belie the com- 
 pliment. 
 
 A sad event occurred at Charles Island, whose cause is veiled 
 in oblivion. A duel took place, and at the third fire Lieutenant 
 John S. Cowan, of the Essex was killed. His age was twenty- 
 one. An inscription intimating the regret of his shipmates was 
 planted at his head. 
 
 From the Gallapagos Islands, which had for some time been 
 made the rendezvous of the fleet, the Essex started on a long 
 cruise among the islands of that distant sea. Of course a youth 
 so intelligent and enterprising as young Farragut must have 
 stored up a knowledge of men and seamanship, which doubtless 
 proved of vast use to him in the future. 
 
 The departure of the Essex from one of the islands of the 
 Pacific occurred on the 9th of December, 1812. Many of the 
 seamen could with difficulty be brought to submit to the strict 
 discipline imperative at sea, especially on board ships of war. 
 The commander was called upon to check a rising mutiny. 
 
3&6 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 The leader, one White, was put into a native canoe, turned 
 adrift, and became " a man without a country." 
 
 About the same time a native of Otaheite of a race of men, 
 be it here said, who make capital seamen received a blow 
 from a savage boatswain. What did the poor fellow do ? 
 Return the blow ? No ; the poor savage burst into a fit of 
 weeping, and remarking no one should again disgrace him in 
 that way, leaped overboard and was drowned. 
 
 While the Essex and the Essex Junior were in the neutral 
 port of Valparaiso, the British frigate Pfuzbe with her consort 
 the Cherub entered the roadstead. Captain Hillyar of the 
 Phcebe and Captain Porter of the Essex had frequently met 
 on previous occasions in friendly ports, and seemed to be good 
 friends. But both appeared quite ready to engage in hostilities. 
 
 At last Captain Hillyar caught the Essex in a comparatively 
 crippled condition, and by sheer power of numbers overcame 
 the fine old ship. Porter, though defeated, lost no laurels. On 
 the contrary, his defeat was more honorable than many victories 
 have been. 
 
 It was in reporting this battle that Porter wrote, eulogizing 
 little Farragut' s conduct as a midshipman, giving as a reason for 
 not advising his present promotion, that he was too young. 
 Indeed, as an old salt remarked, " many boys haven't cut adrift 
 from their mother's apron-strings at his age." 
 
 Porter contrived to effect his escape by means of a boat, and 
 landed on the coast of Long Island in a way that reads more 
 like a romance than sober reality. How he was received needs 
 no telling. 
 
 Little Farragut reached Boston, where he soon rejoined his 
 heroic captain. 
 
 The autumn of 1814 brought peace with it. Through the 
 good offices of Captain Porter, David Farragut was placed in a 
 school at the pleasant little town of Chester, Pennsylvania. He 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 387 
 
 Continued here for a year, making good use of his brief scho- 
 lastic training. 
 
 At the end of this year Farragut was sent on board the 
 Washington, of seventy-four guns, Commodore Isaac Chauncey. 
 The Rev. Mr. Folsom, since an eminent professor, was chap- 
 lain. This worthy gentleman quickly discovered the midship- 
 man's excellent qualities. Indeed, so much did he become at- 
 tached to the lad, that when he was appointed consul to Tunis 
 he managed that Farragut got leave of absence to go with him. 
 
 Farragut remained in Tunis about a year, deriving great 
 advantage from the instructions and counsels of Mr. Folsom. 
 Then he returned to the Mediterranean fleet. 
 
 On New Year's day, 1821, Farragut, then seventeen, was 
 appointed lieutenant. 
 
 He saw service in the West Indies. But no incidents hap- 
 pened to bring out his latent abilities. 
 
 Three years passed away, when we find him at the Norfolk 
 Navy- Yard. Here he remained, attending to arduous but 
 monotonous duties, till 1832. It was early in this period that 
 he married Miss Loyall, daughter of a highly respectable gentle- 
 man of Norfolk. Unfortunately this estimable lady was for 
 years a suffering invalid. Farragut proved a kind and loving 
 husband until death relieved her of her pain. 
 
 Farragut was next appointed to the Vandalia, cruising off the 
 coast of Brazil. He was married to Miss Virginia Loyall, 
 sister to his first wife, after his return to Norfolk. 
 
 One son, Loyall, was given to them. He will doubtless 
 add fresh lustre to the grand name transmitted to him. 
 
 From 1837 to 1840 Farragut served on board the sloop-of- 
 war Naichtz, on the West India station, or at the Norfolk Navy- 
 Yard. He received his full commission as commander in 
 September, 1840. While cruising off Brazil he received the 
 command of the Decatur, sloop-of-war. 
 
388 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 When he came home to Norfolk, in February, 1843, he left 
 the Decatur for a lengthened furlough. 
 
 In the spring of 1844 Farragut received command of the re- 
 ceiving-ship Pennsylvania, a task requiring not brilliant talent, 
 but superior powers of direction and management. Here the 
 commander did excellent service. 
 
 During 1847 he was sailing around the Leeward and Wind- 
 ward Islands. Doubtless their lovely shores must have recalled 
 the boyhood hours that he spent among the smiling islands of 
 the sunny Pacific. At the end of the year he again returned to 
 Norfolk. After this for some time he was not on active service. 
 
 For about three years from March, of 1851, he was engaged 
 inspecting ordnance at different places. 
 
 The discovery of gold in California made it imperative that 
 we should look to naval matters in that, one of our latest and 
 best acquisitions. So the ever-reliable Commodore Farragut 
 was sent to assume direction of the Mare Island Navy- Yard, 
 which place he reached in the autumn of 1854. 
 
 In September, 1855 not a day too soon Farragut received 
 his commission as captain in the United States Navy. 
 
 Hitherto David Glascoe Farragut had filled every station 
 accorded to him by his country in a manner to satisfy the most 
 exacting of his superiors. But the days were now dawning that 
 were to call out all the noblest qualities of the man and the 
 officer. Now more than ever before did the country need 
 every man to do his duty. 
 
 Every man had to be at once morally as well as physically 
 brave. 
 
 The fierce frenzy of the secession fever had seized the hearts 
 and heads of many of the bravest and best men of the South. 
 But Farragut, more in sorrow than in anger, reasoned, implored, 
 begged his countrymen to pause ere they ' ' shot Niagara. " 
 
 But the fiat had gone forth. As well reason with the waves 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 389 
 
 dashing on Cape Horn, or argue with a typhoon sweeping the 
 ocean. 
 
 In vain were all sorts of offers made. to him to join the Con- 
 federacy. But he was made of firmer stuff. His heart was 
 filled with that same indomitable courage that upheld the other 
 David when he went forth to do battle against the towering 
 Goliath. 
 
 He at once declared for that flag that he had seen blown to 
 tatters by the shot from British cannon in the harbor of Val- 
 paraiso. 
 
 On the morning of the iSth of April, 1861, his pleasant 
 home was deserted. Farragut left Norfolk, with his sad but 
 firm face turned toward the north star. It was with difficulty 
 that he managed to get through the now hostile cities on his 
 way to New York. 
 
 While Farragut was hastening to -New York, the Pawnee and 
 the Cumberland withdrew from Norfolk, having first fired the 
 principal buildings. 
 
 The captain secured a simple, quiet home for his family at 
 Hastings-on-the-Hudson. 
 
 His next move was to hasten to Washington and express his 
 willingness to do any and every thing demanded of him by the 
 authorities of his country. 
 
 The vessels of the navy were everywhere but where they 
 ought to have been. There was no ship available ; so for 
 the time being he was made a member of the Naval Retiring 
 Board. But such a quiet vocation was useless in the stirring 
 and bloody times now approaching. 
 
 Squadron after squadron had sailed from the North and were 
 doing good service for their country in the South, but as yet no 
 suitable employment was found for " the noblest Roman of 
 them all." 
 
 It was at last seen that New Orleans^ in, many respects orie pf 
 
390 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 the most important cities of the Confederacy, must be taken ; for 
 this purpose it was necessary to have some point in its neigh- 
 borhood as a rendezvous for the force intended to attack it. 
 
 Below New Orleans there are few spots of land sufficiently 
 stable to erect fortifications upon, even if sach land were in our 
 possession. But while the river was patrolled by rebel gun- 
 boats it was clearly impossible to effect a permanent landing. 
 
 It was therefore resolved to seize Ship Island, a long sand-bar, 
 about the size and having many of the characteristic of Coney 
 Island, New York. 
 
 The steamship Massachusetts was despatched with a party of 
 soldiers, and the island was easily taken. 
 
 A powerful army, commanded by General Butler, was soon 
 bivouacked upon the unpromising place. 
 
 The mortar fleet arrived safely from Key West with plenty of 
 ammunition and other requisites for the terrible work in hand. 
 
 On the 1 5th of April the whole available force was collected 
 in the lower reach of the mighty Mississippi. Its commander- 
 in-chief was David Glascoe Farragut. Here was " the right 
 man in the right place." The commander's flag floated over 
 the steamer Hartford. 
 
 The Crescent City with good reason relied upon the immense 
 strength of the forts Jackson and St. Philip. They were more 
 than fifty miles below the city itself. They had been planned, 
 built, and manned to make the best possible defence, and were 
 deemed almost impregnable. Both of these fortresses presented 
 immensely powerful batteries, front and rear. The river, too, 
 at this place rushes down with fearful velocity. 
 
 These two forts are almost opposite each other, and an 
 enormous iron chain was stretched between them, supported 
 near midstream by floating hulks. Nearly two hundred cannon, 
 of different bore but all immensely large, were ready to pour a 
 deluge of shot upon anything tbu dared attempt the passage, 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 39! 
 
 Tennyson's famous lines do not any too strongly describe the 
 defences ready to annihilate the daring invader. 
 
 A short distance up the river were moored floating batteries, 
 iron-clad steamers, and steam-rams ; while fire-rafts were ready 
 to augment the horrors prepared for the Federal fleet, should it 
 by any possibility pass the fiery barriers awaiting it lower down. 
 The Confederates might well deem themselves secure. And so 
 they would have been against any common foe. But a few 
 hours later it seemed as though all the old Runic war-dogs had 
 awakened from their trance of centuries and were once again 
 upon the seas. 
 
 Well-meaning friends urged upon Fanagut the utter im- 
 possibility of surmounting the terrific obstacles. His reply was 
 simply, " You may be right. But I was sent here to make 
 the attempt. I came here to reduce and pass the forts and to 
 take New Orleans, and I shall try it !" 
 
 Every precaution that true seamanship could prompt was 
 taken, and in addition to the usual precautions the wooden 
 vessels were festooned with chain-cables to resist fire and shot. 
 
 After the customary council of war, Farragut issued the fol- 
 lowing order : " The flag-officer, having heard all the opinions 
 expressed by the different commanders, is of the opinion that 
 whatever is to be done will have to be done quickly. When, 
 in the opinion of the flag-officer, the propitious time has 
 arrived, the signal will be made to weigh and advance to the 
 conflict. He will make a signal for close action, and abide the 
 result conquer or be conquered." 
 
 Acting with the commander, like Castor with Pollux, was the 
 son of his old captain and friend, Commodoie David D. 
 Porter, commanding the powerful flotilla of mortar boats. 
 
 Some alarm was caused by a fire-raft rushing like a flaming 
 meteor right on the fleet, but Porter had taken measures to 
 render them harmless, 
 
39 2 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 For several days a terrific combat of shells was fought between 
 the United States fleet and the Confederate defences, but little 
 progress had been made in getting toward New Orleans. But 
 on the night of the zist two valiant officers, Crosby and Cald- 
 well, contrived to reach the chain undiscovered, and broke it ! 
 This left a channel -way for the fleet. No sooner had the Con- 
 federates discovered this than tremendous bonfires were lit upon 
 the shores, so that the gunners could see plainly to bring a 
 concentric fire upon the fleet as it moved slowly against the 
 current through this fearful channel. Some officers proposed 
 landing sailors to put out the fires. 
 
 " No ! no ! by no means ; those fires are the lighthouses 
 by which I mean to steam through the gap in the chain, 
 throw a few shells or shot at them, to give the rebels an 
 idea that we want them to put them out, and thus incite 
 them to more strenuous exertions to keep them bright and 
 alive." 
 
 On the 24th at 2 o'clock A.M. a preconcerted signal was given, 
 and the attacking fleet started for death or victory. In two 
 lines the stately ships advanced. One was to attack Fort Philip, 
 the other Fort Jackson. Steadily, though slowly, they threw 
 the rushing tides aside, moving on without regarding any im- 
 pediment. 
 
 " It may be safely said that such a naval conflict was never 
 witnessed on this earth before. The enemy were on the alert ; 
 the beacon-fires soon blazed so brightly as to expose every 
 movement of the fleet, and the whole stormy scene was 
 illumined with a lurid glare, which added vastly to its sublimity 
 and its almost fiendlike horror. The Cayuga was the first which 
 passed the chain-boom, under a terrible fire from both of the 
 forts, which struck her repeatedly from stem to stern. The 
 rest of the squadron rapid^" followed. They were now directly 
 abreast of the forts, exposed to the direct action of their guns, 
 
I-AVID i;l.ASCOR FARRAGUT. 393 
 
 while the river above was crowded with the fire-rafts, rams, and 
 gunboats of the foe. 
 
 " They all came plunging down together upon the h<:r<>i<; 
 fleet. First came an immense fire-raft, pushed by the ram 
 Manassas, directly upon the flagship Hartford. In endeavour- 
 in"; to avoid it the ship was crowded ashore, and the flaming 
 raft was pushed down upon its side. In a moment the majestic 
 ship seemed enveloped in flames, half way up to her tops. 
 Fortunately the ship was backed off from the shoal, and by im- 
 mense exertions of the fire department the flames were ex- 
 tinguished. The thunder of over three hundred guns from the 
 forts, the rebel gunboats, and the national fleet, joined with the 
 distant booming of the mortars, filled the air with a continuous 
 roar, louder than heaven's heaviest thunders. 
 
 " Shot and shell did frightful execution on ship and battle- 
 ment. The whole scene was soon so enveloped in the sulphur- 
 ous smoke of the battle that friends could with difficulty be 
 distinguished from foes, and often the flash of opposing guns 
 alone guided the fire. The rebels fought with that desperation 
 which was to be expected of Americans, even when engaged in 
 an infamous cause. While the national ships were yet under 
 the fire of the forts, they were assailed by the monster rams and 
 floating batteries which the foe held in reserve. These enor- 
 mous rams, aided by the swift current, and under full headway 
 of steam, dashed with their iron prows upon our ships, dis- 
 charging at close range their heavy guns as reckless as if no 
 harm could touch them. It is impossible to recount the ex- 
 ploits of the gallant men who fought beneath the Stars and 
 Stripes, in these hours of deadly encounter. 
 
 " Kvcry ship in the fleet signalized itself by heroism which 
 could not be surpassed. We cannot record the deeds of all : 
 I-:i us allude to a few as specimens of the rest. The United 
 States steamship Brooklyn, in the darkness, and while exposed 
 
394 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 to the hottest fire, became entangled in the barricading hulks 
 and chains. In attempting; to extricate the ship her bow grazed 
 the shore. She, however, worked her way through, when the 
 ram Manassas came rushing upon her from the gloom. At the 
 distance of ten feet the ram discharged her shot, which pierced 
 the ship, and then, with a crash, struck her side, battering in 
 the starboard gangway. The chain armor saved the ship from 
 destruction, and the ram slid off and disappeared in the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 " Fort Jackson, in the liftings of the smoke, caught a 
 glimpse of the majestic ship, and opened upon her a raking 
 fire. Just then a large rebel steamer came rushing up on the 
 port broadside. When at the distance of but sixty yards the 
 Brooklyn poured into the audacious stranger one single volley 
 of shell and red-hot shot, and the fragments of the steamer, in 
 a mass of crackling flame, drifted down the stream. 
 
 ' The Brooklyn, still groping its way along, lighted by the 
 flames of an approaching fire-raft, and yet enveloped in its 
 resinous smoke, soon found itself abreast of St. Philip, almost 
 touching the shore. The ship chanced to be in such a position 
 that she could bring almost every gun to bear. Tarrying for a 
 moment, she poured into the fort such a storm of grape and 
 canister as completely to silence the work. The men stationed 
 in the tops of the frigate said that, by the light of their bursting 
 shrapnels, they could see the garrison ' running like sheep for 
 more comfortable quarters/ 
 
 " The Brooklyn then rushed into the nest of rebel gunboats, 
 fighting them indiscriminately, with her broadsides striking the 
 most terrific blows, and continuing the contest, in connection 
 with the other vessels, for an hour and a half, until the rebel 
 fleet was annihilated. After the action was over, Commodore 
 Farragut took the hand of Captain Craven of the Brooklyn in 
 both of his, and said, ' You and your noble ship have been the 
 
ADMIRAL t)AV!D GtASCOE FARRAGUT. 39$ 
 
 Salvation of my squadron. You were in a complete blaze of 
 fire ; so much so that I supposed your ship was burning up. 
 I never saw such rapid and precise firing. It never was sur- 
 passed, and probably never was equalled. ' 
 
 " The Mississippi encountered the ram Manassas, rushing 
 upon her at full speed. The noble old frigate, undaunted, in- 
 stead of evading the blow, turned to meet her antagonist, and, 
 with all steam on, made a plunge at the monster. Just as the 
 blow was to come which would decide whose head was to be 
 broken open, the Manassas, taking counsel of discretion, 
 dodged. But as she glided by, a point-blank broadside from 
 the immense armament of the Mississippi swept off her smoke- 
 stack, crashed through her iron sides, and set her on fire. The 
 crew took to the shore, and the redoubtable ram drifted, a total 
 wreck, down the stream. The nondescript monster presented 
 a curious spectacle as she floated along, the flames bursting 
 through the broken chinks of her mail, her shot-fractures, and 
 her port-holes. Commodore Porter, washing to save her as a 
 curiosity, sent some boats to pass a hawser around the ram and 
 secure it to the shore. Scarcely was this done when the mon- 
 ster uttered, as it were, an expiring groan, as the water rushed 
 in, driving the air and the belching flames through her bow* 
 port, and then, ' like a huge animal, she gave a plunge and 
 disappeared under the water.' The achievements of the 
 Varuna, under Captain Boggs, were among the crowning glories 
 of this eventful day. It has been well said, he * fought a battle 
 fully equal in desperate hardihood and resolute bravery to the 
 famous sea-fight of John Paul Jones, which nothing human 
 could surpass.' After taking or destroying six of the enemy's 
 vessels, an unarmored point was pierced, and while the water 
 rushed in, the crew jumped into the boats of the Oneida, sent 
 for their rescue, as she went down with her dead, ' victorious in 
 death/ her flag still flying, covered with glory." 
 
396 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 By midday after the fierce battle, word was sent to General 
 Butler that there was no longer any obstacle to his entering New 
 Orleans. 
 
 Considering the terrific nature of the defence and the before 
 unheard-of means brought to bear to burn, swamp, pulverize, 
 annihilate the Union fleet, the losses were inconsiderable. 
 Three gunboats had been rendered unserviceable, thirty men 
 were killed outright, and a little over one hundred men 
 wounded. 
 
 After this great victory Commodore Farragut ordered that 
 there should be observed a festival of thanksgiving to Almighty 
 God for their great success. 
 
 The loss of New Orleans was a stunning blow to the Con- 
 federate cause. They were bereft of six strong forts, eighteen 
 gunboats, and twelve hundred good fighting men ; add to 
 which the Union flag was flying over the largest and richest city 
 of the South a city, indeed, whose Bourse affected the ex- 
 changes of the civilized world. 
 
 Besides, " open sesame" had been uttered, and the entrance 
 to the mighty Mississippi was in safe hands. 
 
 The victory brought forth hearty thanks from Congress, and 
 the President sent, a highly eulogistic personal letter. 
 
 No further impediment remained to Farragut's progress up 
 stream. 
 
 Soon after Congress enacted a law creating the grade of Rear- 
 Admiral, which rank was first conferred on David Glascoe Far- 
 ragut. 
 
 For a time the Admiral bestowed his attention on what to 
 some might seem small game, but not so to the recently ap- 
 pointed Admiral. Anything in the line of duty was deserving 
 of and received his closest attention. So he cleared the coast 
 around the mouth of the Mississippi of lawless rangers and 
 blockade runners. 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 397 
 
 But with the spring of 1863 a wider scope was given to the 
 exercise of his great talents and cool courage. 
 
 General Grant's plan was to attack Vicksburg in the rear. 
 To enable him to execute this operation it was proposed that 
 the Admiral should get above Port Hudson. Admiral Foote, 
 meanwhile, was to join him below Vicksburg. If by joining 
 their forces they could overpower the guns of the great rebel 
 stronghold, General Grant was to aid the design with the land 
 forces. 
 
 The Hartford, bearing the flag of Farragut, was followed by 
 the Richmond, the Mississippi, the Monongahela, the Albatross, 
 Kineo, and Genesee. The six mortar-boats were to keep below 
 the batteries and fire from that position as might be deemed 
 advisable. 
 
 The evening of the i4th of March was quite dark, and it was 
 hoped that the garrison of Fort Hudson might be caught nap- 
 ping. But no such good fortune ! The Confederates had been 
 apprised by their vigilant scouts of the coming attack upon the 
 strong fortifications of Port Hudson. Reverting to the same 
 tactics which they had practised during their defence of New 
 Orleans, they luridly lit up the heights by flaring flames as if a 
 city were burning, so that every spar, every shroud, on each 
 vessel was lit up as if under the light of electricity. Danger, as 
 ever before, only strengthened the leading characteristics of the 
 gallant Admiral. Right in the vista of glistening light ploughed 
 the Federal squadron, fully under the heavy guns of the Con- 
 federates. 
 
 " We had left the mortar-boats well astern, when a sulphur- 
 ous light was seen gleaming on the shore, on our port side. 
 Flashing up for a moment, a dull explosion followed. It was 
 evidently an imperfect rocket. Another was essayed ; but, in- 
 stead of ascending, it ran along the surface of the river close to 
 the bank. A little farther up a thircj was tried, and with 
 
398 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 plete success. It ascended high in the air, where it burst in the 
 usual manner. Instantaneously it was answered by a field -piece 
 from the opposite shore, aimed at the Hartford. The Admiral 
 was not slow in returning the compliment. Three or four guns 
 fired from the flag-ship in rapid succession testified to the alacrity 
 with which the wager of battle was accepted. 
 
 " The return of the rebel fire by the Hartford was promptly 
 followed up by a hot fire from the artillery pieces of the rebels, 
 and quite a brisk action ensued between them. The scene as 
 viewed from the Richmond was both brilliant and spirited. The 
 flashes of the guns, both on shore and afloat, were incessant, 
 while the roar of cannon kept up a deafening and almost in- 
 cessant sound. Great judgment was here necessary to pre- 
 vent the Richmond from running into the Hartford, and, in fact, 
 to keep the war vessels generally from running into each other. 
 
 " And now was heard a thundering roar, equal in volume to 
 a whole park of artillery. This was followed by a rushing 
 sound, accompanied by a howling noise that beggars descrip- 
 tion. Again and again was the sound repeated, till the vast 
 expanse of heaven rang with the awful minstrelsy. It was ap- 
 parent that the mortar-boats had opened fire. Of this I was 
 soon convinced on casting my eyes aloft. Never shall I forget 
 the sight that then met my astonished vision. Shooting 
 upward at an angle of forty-five degrees, with the rapidity of 
 lightning, small globes of golden flame were seen sailing 
 through the pure ether not a steady, unfading flame, but 
 coruscating like the fitful gleam of a fire-flynow visible and 
 anon invisible. Like a flying star of the sixth magnitude, the 
 terrible missile a thirteen -inch shell nears its zenith, up and 
 still up higher and higher. Its flight now becomes much 
 slower, till, on reaching its utmost altitude, its centrifugal force 
 becomes counteracted by the earth's attraction, it describes a 
 parabolic curve, and down, down it comes, bursting, it may be, 
 
ADMIRAL PAViD GLASCOE FARRAGltt. 99 
 
 ere it reaches terra firma, but probably alighting in the rebel 
 works ere it explodes, where it scatters death and destruction 
 around. But while the mortar- boats were at work, the Essex 
 was not idle. Unmanageable as she is, especially in so strong 
 a current, she did not follow the rest of the fleet, but remained 
 at the head of the ' bummers,' doing admirable service with her 
 heavy guns. 
 
 " All this time the Richmond had to hang back, as Admiral 
 Farragut seemed to be so enamoured with the sport in which 
 he was engaged as to be in no hurry to pass by. Once or 
 twice, in consequence of the dense column of smoke that now 
 rolled over the river, our bowsprit was almost over the taffrail of 
 the Hartford, and there was an incessant call on the part of 
 Second Lieutenant Terry, who commanded the forward part of 
 the ship, to stop the engines. And here I may as well say that 
 this gallant young officer behaved in the most chivalrous man- 
 ner throughout the entire engagement, cheering on the men, 
 and encouraging them, by his example, to stand to their guns 
 like men, though little of this they required to induce them to 
 perform their whole duty. 
 
 " The Richmond had by this time got within range of the 
 rebel field-batteries, which opened fire on her, I had all along 
 thought that we would open fire from our bow-guns, on 
 the top-gallant forecastle, and that, after discharging a few 
 broadsides from the starboard side the action would be wound 
 up by a parting compliment from our stern-chasers. To 
 my surprise, however, we opened at once from our broad- 
 side guns. The effect was startling, as the sound was unex- 
 pected ; but beyond this I really experienced no inconven- 
 ience from the concussion. There was nothing unpleasant 
 to the ear, and the jar to the ship was really quite unappre- 
 ciable. It may interest the uninitiated to be informed how 
 a broadside is fired from a vessel- of -war. I was told on 
 
EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 board the Richmond that all the guns were sometimes fired 
 off simultaneously, though it is not a very' usual course, as 
 it strains the ship. Last night the broadsides were fired by 
 commencing at the forward gun, and firing all the rest off in 
 rapid succession, as fast almost as the ticking of a watch. The 
 effect was grand and terrific, and if the guns were rightly 
 pointed a difficult thing in the dark, by the way they could 
 not fail in carrying death and destruction among the enemy. 
 
 " Of course we did not have everything our own way, for the 
 enemy poured in his shot and shell as thick as hail. Over, 
 ahead, astern, all around us flew the death -dealing missiles, the 
 hissing, screaming, whistling, shrieking, and howling of which 
 rivalled Pandemonium. It must not be supposed, however, 
 because our broadside-guns were the tools we principally 
 worked, that our bow and stern-chaser*- were idle. We soon 
 opened with our bow eighty- pounder Dahlgren, which was 
 followed up not long after by the guns astern, giving evidence 
 to the fact that we had passed some of the batteries. 
 
 " While seated on the ' fish-davit,' on the top-gallant fore- 
 castle the Hartford and the Richmond blazing away at the 
 time a most fearful wail arose from the river, first on our port- 
 bow, then on the beam. A man was evidently overboard, prob- 
 ably from the Hartford or the Genesee, then just ahead. The 
 cry was, ' Help, oh ! help ! ' ' Help, oh ! help !' ' Man 
 overboard,' called out Lieutenant Terry ; ' throw him a rope.' 
 But, poor fellow, who could assist him in such a strait ? We 
 were in action ; every man was at his gun ; to lower a boat 
 would be folly ; in fact, it could not be done with any hope of 
 success. Consequently, although the man was evidently a good 
 swimmer, to judge by his unfailing cries for help for a long 
 time, nothing could be done to rescue him, and .he floated 
 astern of us, still sending up that wailing cry for help, but with- 
 out effect. The terrible current of the Mississippi was too much 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 40! 
 
 for him, and he, without doubt, sank beneath the waves of the 
 mighty river. 
 
 " Just after this fearful incident firing was heard astern of us, 
 and it was soon ascertained that the Monongahtla, with her con- 
 sort, the Kineo, and the Mississippi were in action. The 
 Monongahela carries a couple of two hundred-pounder rifled 
 Parrott guns, besides other ticklers. At first I credited the 
 roar of her amiable two hundred-pounders to the ' bummers,' 
 till I was undeceived, when I recalled my experience in front 
 of Yorktown last spring, and the opening of fire from similar 
 guns from Wormley's Creek. All I can say is, the noise was 
 splendid. The action now became general. The roar of can- 
 non was incessant, and the flashes from the guns, together with 
 the flight of the shells from the mortar- boats, made up a com- 
 bination of sound and sight impossible to describe. To add to 
 the horrors of the night, while it contributed toward the 
 enhancement of a certain terrible beauty, dense clouds of smoke 
 began to envelop the river, shutting out from view the several 
 vessels, and confounding them with the batteries. It was very 
 difficult to know how to steer to prevent running ashore, per- 
 haps right under a rebel battery, or into a consort. Upward 
 and upward rolled the smoke, shutting out of view the beauti- 
 ful stars and obscuring the vision on every side. Then it was 
 that the order was passed, ' Boys, don't fire till you see the 
 flash from the enemy's guns.' That was our only guide 
 through the ' palpable obscurity.' 
 
 " But this sole dependence on the flashes was likely to be 
 attended with serious consequences, as the following incident 
 will show : 
 
 "Wehad got nearly into the middle of the hornet's nest 
 when an officer on the top-gallant forecastle called out, 
 ' Ready with the port-gun.' The gun was got ready and 
 pointed, and was about to be discharged, when Lieutenant 
 
402 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 Terry called out, * Hold on ; you are about to fire into the 
 Hartford. ' And such was the fact ; for the flash of the Hart 
 ford's guns at that moment revealed the spars and rigging of 
 that vessel. Consequently the gun was not fired, nor was it 
 discharged during the engagement, the fighting being confined 
 entirely to the starboard side. 
 
 " Still the fight went on, and still the roar of cannon and the 
 screaming, howling, whistling of shot and shell continued to 
 make ' night hideous. ' Still, too, the pure atmosphere was be- 
 fouled with the smell of ' villainous saltpetre ' and obscured with 
 smoke, through the opaque mass of which the stars refused to 
 twinkle. Intermingled with the boom of the cannonade arose 
 the cries of the wounded and the shouts of their friends, sug- 
 gesting that they should be taken below for treatment. So 
 thick was the smoke that we had to cease firing several times ; 
 and to add to the horrors of the night it was next to impossible 
 to tell whether we were running into the Hartford or going 
 ashore, and if the latter, on which bank, or whether some of 
 the other vessels were about to run into us or into each other. 
 All this time the fire was kept up on both sides incessantly. It 
 seems, however, that we succeeded in silencing the lower bat- 
 teries of field-pieces. The men must have been driven from 
 their guns ; and no wonder, if they were in that terrific storm 
 of iron. 
 
 " While a brisk fire was kept up from the decks of the 
 several vessels, the howitzers in the tops were not permitted to 
 icmain idle. Intermingled with the more sullen roar of the 
 larger guns, the sharp, short crack of the brass pieces was heard 
 from their elevated positions, adding harmony to the melody of 
 the terrific concert. 
 
 " The phrase is familiar to most persons who have read ac- 
 counts of sea-fights that took place about fifty years ago, but it 
 is difficult for the uninitiated to realize all the horrors conveve4 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 403 
 
 in ' muzzle to muzzle.' For the first time I had, last night, an 
 opportunity of knowing what the phrase really meant. Let the 
 reader consult the map, and it will be seen that the central 
 battery is situated about the middle of the segment of a circle I 
 have already compared to a horseshoe in shape, though it may 
 be better understood by the term ' crescent. ' This battery 
 stands on a bluff so high that a vessel in passing immediately 
 underneath cannot elevate her guns sufficiently to reach those 
 on the battery ; neither can the guns on the battery be suf- 
 ficiently depressed to bear on the passing ship. In this 
 position the rebel batteries on the two horns of the crescent can 
 enfilade the passing vessel, pouring in a terrible cross-fire, which 
 the vessel can return, though at a great disadvantage, from her 
 bow and stern- chasers. 
 
 " We fully realized this last night ; for, as we got within 
 short-range, the enemy poured into us a terrible fire of grape 
 and canister, which we were not slow to return our guns being 
 double-shotted, each with a stand of both grape and canister. 
 Every vessel in its turn was exposed to the same fiery ordeal on 
 nearing the centre battery, and right promptly did their gallant 
 tars return the compliment. This was the hottest part of the 
 engagement. We were literally muzzle to muzzle, the distance 
 between us and the eneftny's guns being not more than twenty 
 yards, though to me it seemed to be only as many feet. In 
 fact, the battle of Port Hudson has been pronounced by officers 
 and seamen who were engaged in it, and who were present at 
 the passage of Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson, below New 
 Orleans, and had participated in the fights of Fort Donelson, 
 Fort Henry, Island Number Ten, Vicksburg, etc., as the 
 severest in the nr.val history of the present war. 
 
 " Shortly after this close engagement we seemed to have 
 passed the worst. The enemy's shot and shell no longer swept 
 our decks like a hail-storm, but the fire from the barter ies \yas 
 
404 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 kept up in a desultory manner. The starboard bow gun could 
 no longer be brought to bear. Consequently Lieutenant Terry 
 ordered the men on the top-gallant forecastle to leave the guns 
 in that part of the ship, and to descend to the main deck to help 
 work the broadside guns. Our stern-chasers, of course, were 
 still available, for the purpose of giving the enemy a parting bless- 
 ing. I left my station on the top-gallant forecastle shortly after 
 the men who had been working the bow- guns, and passed 
 under where I had been sitting, taking up my station on the 
 port side, just opposite the forward gun on the starboard side, 
 where bat a few minutes before a shell had exploded. 
 
 11 I was not long in this position when there came a blinding 
 flash through the very port I was opposite to, revealing a high 
 bank right opposite, so close that a biscuit might have been 
 tossed from the summit on board the Richmond. Simultane- 
 ously there came a loud roar, and I thought the shot had 
 passed through the port I was opposite to. Indeed, so close 
 were we to the battery that the flash, the report, and the 
 arrival of the shot, crashing and tearing through our bulwarks, 
 were instantaneous, there not being the intermission of a second 
 between. 
 
 " It must have been about this time that Lieutenant Com- 
 mander Cummings, the executive officer of the Richmond, was 
 standing on the bridge that connects the starboard with the port 
 gangway, with his speaking-trumpet in his hand, cheering the 
 men. Near him stood Captain Alden, when a conical shot of 
 large calibre passed through the hammocks, over the starboard 
 gangway, taking off the left leg of the lieutenant just above the 
 ankle, battering his speaking-trumpet (a prize) flat, and knock- 
 ing Captain Alden down with the windage, and went through 
 the smokestack. Mr. Cummings was immediately taken be- 
 low, where his wound was promptly attended to by Dr. Hen- 
 derson, the ship's surgeon, but not before the brave young man 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 405 
 
 had lost a large quantity of blood on his way down. On being 
 carried below he used the following patriotic words, which are 
 worthy of becoming historical : * I would willingly give my 
 other leg so that we could but pass the batteries. ' 
 
 " The Rev. Dr. Bacon, the loyal rector of Christ Church, 
 New Orleans, who was acting as chaplain on board the Rich- 
 mond, was on the bridge when Mr. Cummings received his 
 terrible wound. He fortunately escaped unhurt, though he 
 had been all over the ship, in the thickest of the fight, carrying 
 messages and exhorting and encouraging the men. 
 
 " It was no easy matter, in the midst of such a dense cloud 
 of smoke, to know where to point our guns. Even the flashes 
 of the enemy's guns shone dimly through the thick gloom. 
 Several times the order was given to cease fire, so as to allow the 
 smoke to clear away ; but as there was scarcely a breath of 
 wind stirring, this was a very slow process ; still the order was 
 necessary, to prevent the several vessels from running into each 
 other. In this respect the rebels had a decided advantage over 
 us ; for while they did not stand in danger of collision, neither 
 was there any apprehension of firing into their friends. The 
 wide river was before them, and if they did not hit our vessel at 
 each discharge, they could but miss at the worst. 
 
 " Matters had gone on this way for nearly an hour and a half 
 the first gun having been fired at about half-past eleven 
 o'clock when, to my astonishment, I heard some shells 
 whistling over our port side. Did the rebels have batteries on 
 the right bank of the river ? was the query that naturally sug- 
 gested itself to me. To this the response was given that we had 
 turned back. I soon discovered that it was too true. Our 
 return was, of course, more rapid than our passage up. The 
 rebels did not molest us much, and I do not believe one of 
 their shots took effect while we were running down rapidly with 
 the current. 
 
46 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 " We were soon quietly at anchor, and were busy discussing 
 the events of the fight, exchanging congratulations and com- 
 paring notes, when the lookout man in the maintop hailed the 
 deck as follows : 
 
 " 'On deck there ! ' 
 
 " ' Hallo!' 
 
 " ' A large fire ahead ! ' 
 
 " * Where away ? ' 
 
 1 ' ' Just above the bend. ' 
 
 " 'What is it like?' 
 
 ' ' ' Like a fire-raft. ' 
 
 On this Captain Alden, to whom the circumstance was duly 
 reported by the officers of the deck, sings out : 
 
 ' Keep a good lookout. Man the bow-guns, and stand by 
 to slip the cable. ' 
 
 " Shortly after this a small steamer came down, the master 
 of which informed Captain Alden that the Mississippi was on 
 fire. 
 
 11 In the dense smoke that prevailed, excluding every object 
 from view, the glorious old Mississippi went ashore right oppo- 
 site the centre and worst battery. She was soon discovered by 
 the enemy. Up to this time she had not sustained any serious 
 injury. She now became a standing target for the whole range 
 of rebel batteries. The rebels began to pour into her a perfect 
 shower of shot and shell, which was promptly returned by the 
 Mississippi. This murderous work continued for half an hour. 
 Finding it impossible to escape, Captain Smith judiciously but 
 reluctantly gave orders to set the ship on fire to prevent her fall- 
 ing into the hands of the rebels. Accordingly her after-part 
 was fired, the rebels all the time continuing to pour in their 
 shot and shell as fast as they could bring their guns to bear. 
 During this part of the contest no fewer than two hundred and 
 fifty rounds were fired from the Mississippi. The artillery prac- 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLARCOfc FARRAGUT. 407 
 
 tice of the rebels \vould have been worthy of a better cause. 
 The Mississippi was riddled through and through. Four men 
 were known to have been killed ere the ship was abandoned. 
 Among them was Acting Master Kelly, the whole of whose 
 abdomen was shot away. Three were ascertained to have been 
 wounded. There may have been some more casualties, but it 
 is impossible to tell to what extent at present, though a great 
 many exaggerated stories are afloat on the subject. Several 
 were known to have jumped overboard soon after the ship was 
 set on fire, and there can be no doubt that some of them were 
 drowned. 
 
 " Soon after the vessel had been fired two shells came crash- 
 ing through her, exploding and setting fire to some turpentine 
 and oil which they upset. This caused the flames to spread, 
 whereupon a master's mate hurried on to the gundeck and re- 
 ported that the flames had reached the entrance to the magazine. 
 The ship was then at once abandoned, and all hands on board, 
 including the wounded men, were put ashore on the bank of 
 the river opposite Port Hudson. This was accompanied by a 
 deafening yell of exultation from the rebels on perceiving the 
 blazing up of the fire. The Mississippi burned till she became 
 lightened, to which the removal of nearly three hundred men 
 contributed, when she swung off into deep water. She had 
 grounded with her head up stream ; but on swinging off she 
 turned completely round, presenting her head down the river, 
 which position she retained till she blew up. 
 
 " At length it was reported on board the Richmond that the 
 Mississippi was coming down, and we all turned out on the 
 poop-deck to see the sight. It was a most magnificent spec- 
 tacle. From the midships to the stern the noble vessel was 
 enveloped in a sheet of flame, while fire-wreaths ran up the 
 shrouds, played around the mainmast, twisted and writhed like 
 fiery serpents. Onward she came, keeping near to the right 
 
408 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 bank, still bow foremost, as regularly as if she was steered by a 
 pilot. It was, indeed, a wonderful sight. Captain Smith, her 
 recent commander, and several of her officers, who had by this 
 time arrived on board the Richmond, assembled on the poop- 
 deck, their emotion almost too great for words. Next to his 
 wife, children, or sweetheart, there is nothing that a sailor loves 
 more than his ship nothing that he regrets the loss of so 
 much ; and in the absence of the above-mentioned domestic 
 ties his ship is to him wife, child, and sweetheart. The feeling 
 of regret at the loss of his ship is enhanced when, as in the case 
 of the Mississippi, the gallant craft has achieved historical re- 
 nown. No wonder, then, that the officers of the Mississippi 
 should feel a sinking at the heart on witnessing the destruction 
 of their floating home, while they were powerless to save her. 
 
 " As she arrived opposite the port side of the Richmond, some 
 apprehension was entertained that her port broadsides might 
 give us a parting salute of not a very agreeable nature. Captain 
 Smith assured Captain Alden, however, that her port guns had 
 all been discharged. Just as she had cleared us, her star- 
 board guns began to go off. This was accompanied by the ex- 
 plosion of the shells she had on deck, ready for use. These 
 exploded at short intervals. The flames now began to increase 
 in volume from amidships to the stern, and the howitzer on the 
 maintop was discharged with the heat, Majestically the gallant 
 craft gallant even in its last moments moved down the 
 stream till, turning the bend at the lower part of Prophet 
 Island, she was hidden from our view, and nothing more was 
 seen but a white glare shooting up skyward. Shell after shell 
 still exploded at intervals, and thus a couple of hours passed 
 away till the Mississippi was some eight or ten miles below the 
 Richmond. The shells now began to explode more rapidly, in- 
 dicating that the fire has reached the shell-room, and cannot be 
 far from the powder magazine. This proves to be the fact ; for 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 409 
 
 presently a sudden glare of bright flame shoots upward toward 
 the zenith, spreading skyward in the form of an inverted cone ; 
 an interval of a few seconds elapses ; then comes a stunning 
 roar, causing the Richmond to tremble from truck to keelson, 
 and the gallant Mississippi, that so long ' has braved the battle 
 and the breeze/ is no more ; all that remains of her is sunk in 
 the bosom of the mighty river from which she derived her 
 name. 
 
 " Passing through the starboard side of the Richmond, amid- 
 ships, a conical eighty-pounder passed through a pile of cordage 
 on the berth-deck, narrowly missing some powder-boys who 
 were handing up ammunition. Thence it entered the 
 machinery-room, passing through and smashing the steam- 
 drum, and damaging both safety-valves, so as to prevent them 
 from closing. Taking its course under the steam-chest, the 
 shot came out on the other side, when it broke in two, and 
 both pieces dropped below. Here I may take this opportunity 
 of mentioning that Confederate iron in these regions is a very 
 inferior metal. It is not half smelted, but right in the centre 
 are large stones. 
 
 " Early this morning the decks of the Richmond presented a 
 melancholy spectacle. Where the two men fell there was a 
 great pool of clotted gore, which I saw a seaman tossing over- 
 board with a shovel. The whitewashed decks, too, were any- 
 thing but tidy ; but, hey ! presto, as if by magic, the stalwart 
 arms of some two or three hundred men, with the aid of a 
 plentiful supply of Mississippi water, have made everything as 
 clean and neat as a lady's boudoir. The bodies of the two men 
 who were killed have been removed forward, and to them has 
 been added the body of the boatswain's mate, who lost both 
 legs and an arm and who has since died. The three bodies 
 have been neatly sewed up in their hammocks, and they are to 
 be put into coffins for interment on shore. Headboards, with 
 
410 KMINKN T SAILORS. 
 
 their names inscribed on them, will be placed at the heads of 
 their graves, so that the bodies may be reclaimed at any time by 
 their friends or relatives/' 
 
 The indefatigable Admiral found time to take a trip to New 
 Orleans, and directed operations against Donaldsonville, where 
 as usual he was successful. 
 
 After New Orleans the large and prosperous city of Mobile 
 was the next place of importance in the extreme south of the 
 Confederacy. It was very strongly fortified. Three of the 
 most powerful fortifications on the southern seaboard dominated 
 the channel. Forts Powell, Morgan, and Gaines reflected 
 credit upon the engineering skill of the Confederates. 
 
 It was in the second week of July that Farragut and Generals 
 Granger and Canby had an interview, in which, after studying 
 the difficulties of the attack the affair was arranged. How well 
 will appear by what follows. 
 
 This was the inspiring order to the fleet : 
 
 " U. S. FLAGSHIP HARTFORD, OFF MOBILE BAY, July 12, 1864. 
 " Strip your vessels and prepare for the conflict. Send down 
 all your superfluous spars and rigging, trice up or remove the 
 whiskers, put up the splinter nets on the starboard side, and 
 barricade the wheel and steersman with sails and hammocks. 
 Lay chains or sand-bags on the deck over the machinery to re- 
 sist a plunging fire. Hang the sheet chains over the side, or 
 make any other arrangement for security that your ingenuity 
 may suggest. Land your starboard boats, or lower and tow 
 them on the port side, and lower the port boats down to the 
 water's edge. Place a leadsman and the pilot in the port- 
 quarter boat, or the one most convenient to the commander. 
 
 ' The vessels will run past the forts in couples, lashed side 
 by side, as hereinafter designated. The flagship will lead and 
 steer from Sand Island N. by E. by compass, until abreast of 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 411 
 
 Fort Morgan ; then N. W. half N. until past the Middle 
 Ground, then N. by W. , and the others, as designated in the 
 drawing, will follow in due order until ordered to anchor ; but 
 the bow and quarter line must be preserved, to give the chase 
 guns a fair range ; and each vessel must be kept astern of the 
 broadside of the next ahead ; each vessel will keep a very little 
 on the starboard quarter of his next ahead, and, when abreast 
 of the fort, will keep directly astern, and as \ve pass the fort 
 will take the same distance on the port quarter of the next 
 ahead, to enable the stern guns to fire clear of the next vessel 
 astern. 
 
 " It will be the object of the Admiral to get as close to the 
 fort as possible before opening fire ; the ships, however, will 
 open fire the moment the enemy opens upon us with their chase 
 and other guns, as fast as they can be brought to bear. Use 
 short fuses for the shell and shrapnel, and as soon as within 
 three or four hundred yards give them grape. It is understood 
 that heretofore we have fired too high ; but with grapeshot it is 
 necessary to elevate a little above the object, as grape will 
 dribble from the muzzle of the gun. 
 
 " If one or more of the vessels be disabled, their partners 
 must carry them through, if possible ; but if they cannot, then 
 the next astern must render the required assistance. But as the 
 Admiral contemplates moving with the flood tide, it will only 
 require sufficient power to keep the crippled vessels in the 
 channel. 
 
 1 ' Vessels that can must place guns upon the poop and top- 
 gallant forecastle, and in the top on the starboard side. Should 
 the enemy fire grape, they will remove the men from the top- 
 gallant forecastle and poop to the guns below until out of grape 
 range. The howitzers must keep up a constant fire from the 
 time they can reach with shrapnel until out of its range. 
 
 " D. G. FARRAGUT, Rear -Admiral" 
 
412 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 It would be folly for us to paint a second-rate picture of this 
 great achievement when we can give the gallant Admiral's own 
 description. It will be seen that in his hand the pen is only a 
 little less mighty than the sword : 
 
 " U. S. FLAGSHIP HARTFORD, MOBILE BAY, August 12, 1864, 
 " SIR : I had the honor to forward the Department on the 
 evening of the 5th instant a report of my entree into Mobile Bay 
 on the morning of that day, and which, though brief, contained 
 all the principal facts of the attack. Notwithstanding the loss 
 of life, particularly on this ship, and the terrible disaster to the 
 Tecumseh, the result of the fight was a glorious victory ; and I 
 have reason to feel proud of the officers, seamen, and marines 
 of the squadron under my command, for it has never fallen to 
 the lot of an officer to be thus situated and thus sustained. 
 Regular discipline will bring men to any amount of endurance, 
 but there is a natural fear of hidden dangers, particularly when 
 so awfully destructive of human life as the torpedo, which re- 
 quires more than discipline to overcome. 
 
 " Preliminary to a report of the action of the 5th, I desire to 
 call the attention of the Department to the previous steps taken 
 in consultation with Generals Canby and Granger on the 8th of 
 July. I had an interview with these officers on board the 
 Hartford, on the subject of an attack upon Forts Morgan and 
 Gaines, at which it was agreed that General Canby would send 
 all the troops he could spare to cooperate with the fleet. Cir- 
 cumstances soon obliged General Canby to inform me that he 
 could not despatch a sufficient number to invest both forts, and 
 in reply I suggested that Gaines should be the first invested, 
 engaging to have a force in the sound ready to protect the land- 
 ing of the army on Dauphin Island in the rear of that fort, and 
 I assigned Lieutenant-Commander Pe Krafft of the Conemaugh 
 to that duty. 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID CLASCOE FARRAGUT. 413 
 
 " On the ist instant General Granger visited me again on the 
 Hartford. In the mean time the Tecumseh had arrived at Pen- 
 sacola, and Captain Graven informed me that he would be 
 ready in four days for any service. We therefore fixed upon the 
 4th of August as the day for the landing of the troops and my 
 entrance into the bay, but owing to delays mentioned in Captain 
 Jenkins's communication to me, the Tecumseh was not ready. 
 General Granger, however, to my mortification, was up to the 
 time, and the troops actually landed on Dauphin Island. 
 
 " As subsequent events proved, the delay turned to our 
 advantage, as the rebels were busily engaged during the 4th in 
 throwing troops and supplies into Fort Gaines, all of which 
 were captured a few days afterwards. The Tecumseh arrived on 
 the evening of the 4th, and everything being propitious, I pro- 
 ceeded to the attack on the following morning. As mentioned 
 in my previous despatch, the vessels outside the bar which were 
 designed to participate in the engagement were all under way 
 by forty minutes past five in the morning, in the following 
 order, two abreast and lashed together : 
 
 " Brooklyn, Captain James Alden, with the Octorara, Lieu- 
 tenant-Commander C. H. Green, on the port side. 
 
 " Hartford, Captain Percival Drayton, with the Metacomet, 
 Lieutenant-Commander J. E. Jouett. 
 
 " Richmond, Captain T. A. Jenkins, with the Port Royal, 
 Lieutenant-Commander B. Gherardi. 
 
 " Lackawanna, Captain J. B. Marchand, with the Seminolc, 
 Commander E. Donaldson. 
 
 " Monongahela, Commander J. II. Strong, with the Kennebec, 
 Lieutenant-Commander W. P. McCann. 
 
 " Ossipee, Commander W. E. LeRoy, with the Itasca, 
 Lieutenant-Commander George Brown. 
 
 " Oneida, Commander J. R. M. Mullany, with the Galena, 
 Lieutenant-Commander C. H. Wells. 
 
414 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 "The ironclads Tecumseh, Commander T. A. M. Craven, 
 the Manhattan, Commander J. W. A. Nicholson, the Winnebago, 
 Commander T. II. Stevens, and the Ckickasaw, Lieutenant- 
 Commander T. II. Perkins, were already ahead inside the bar, 
 and had been ordered to take up their positions on the star- 
 board side of the wooden ships, or between them and Fort 
 Morgan, for the double purpose of keeping down the fire from 
 the water battery and the parapet guns of the fort, as well as to 
 attack the ram Tennessee as soon as the fort was passed. It was 
 only at the urgent request of the captains and commanding 
 officers that I yielded to the Brooklyn being the leading ship of 
 the line, as she had four chase guns and an ingenious arrange- 
 ment for picking up torpedoes, and because in their judgment 
 the flagship ought not to be too much exposed. This I believe 
 to be an error ; for apart from the fact that exposure is one of 
 the penalties of rank in the navy, it will always be the aim of 
 the enemy to destroy the flagship, and, as will appear in the 
 sequel, such attempt was very persistently made, but Providence 
 did not permit it to be successful. 
 
 "The attacking fleet steamed steadily up the main ship 
 channel, the Tecumseh firing the first shot at 6.47. At six 
 minutes past seven the fort opened upon us, and was replied to 
 by a gun from the Brooklyn, and immediately after the action 
 became general. It was soon apparent that there was some 
 difficulty ahead. The Brooklyn, for some cause which I did 
 hot then clearly understand, but which has since been explained 
 by Captain Alden in his report, arrested the advance of the 
 whole fleet, while at the same time the guns of the fort were 
 playing with great effect upon that vessel and the Hartford. A 
 moment after I saw the Tecumseh, struck by a torpedo, disap- 
 pear almost instantaneously beneath the waves, carrying with her 
 her gallant commander and nearly all her crew. I determined 
 at once, as I had originally intended, to take the lead, and after 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 41 J 
 
 ordering the Mctacomd to send a boat to save if possible any of 
 the perishing crew, I clashed ahead with the Hartford, and the 
 ships followed on, their officers believing that they were going 
 to a noble death with their commander-in-chief. I steamed 
 through between the buoys where the torpedoes were supposed 
 to have been sunk. These buoys had been previously ex- 
 amined by my flag-lieutenant, J. Crittenden Watson, in several 
 night reconnoissances. Though he had not been able to dis- 
 cover the sunken torpedoes, yet we had been assured by 
 refugees, deserters,- and others, of their existence ; but believing 
 that from their having been some time in the water they were 
 probably innocuous, I determined to take the chance of their 
 explosion. 
 
 From the moment I turned to the northwestward to clear 
 the middle ground, we were enabled to keep such a broadside 
 fire upon the batteries of Fort Morgan that their guns did us 
 comparatively little injury. Just after we passed the fort, which 
 was about ten minutes before eight o'clock, the ram Tennessee 
 dashed out at this ship, as had been expected, and in anticipa- 
 tion of which I had ordered the monitors on our starboard 
 side. I took no further notice of her than to return her fire. 
 The rebel gunboats Morgan, Games, and Selma were ahead, 
 and the latter particularly annoyed us with a raking fire, which 
 our guns could not return. At two minutes after eight o'clock 
 I ordered the Metacomet to cast off and go in pursuit of the 
 Selma. Captain Jouett was after her in a moment, and in an 
 hour's time he had her as a prize. She was commanded by P. 
 N. Murphy, formerly of the United States Navy. He was 
 wounded in the wrist ; his executive officer, Lieutenant Corn- 
 stock, and eight of the crew killed, and seven or eight wounded. 
 Lieutenant-Commander Jouett' s conduct during the whole affair 
 commands my warmest commendations. The Morgan and 
 Ga.ines succeeded in escaping under the protection of the guns 
 
416 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 of Fort Morgan, which would have been prevented had the 
 other gunboats been as prompt in their movements as the 
 Metacomet. The want of pilots, however, I believe, was the 
 principal difficulty. The Games was so injured by our fire that 
 she had to be run ashore, where she was subsequently destroyed, 
 but the Morgan escaped to Mobile during the night, though 
 she was chased and fired upon by our cruisers. 
 
 " Having passed the forts and dispersed the enemy's gun- 
 boats, I had ordered most of the vessels to anchor, when I per- 
 ceived the ram Tennessee standing up for this ship ; this was at 
 forty-five minutes past eight. I was not long in comprehending 
 his intentions to be the destruction of the flagship. The 
 monitors and such of the wooden vessels as I thought best 
 adapted for the purpose were immediately ordered to attack 
 the ram, not only with their guns, but bows on at full speed. 
 And then began one of the fiercest naval combats on record. 
 The Monongahela, Commander Strong, was the first vessel that 
 struck her, and in doing so carried away his own iron prow, 
 together with the cutwater, without apparently doing his adver- 
 sary much injury. The Lackawanna, Captain Marchand, was 
 the next vessel to strike her, which she did at full speed ; but 
 though her stern was cut and crushed to the plank ends for the 
 distance of three feet above the water's edge to five feet below, 
 the only perceptible effect on the ram was to give her a heavy 
 lift. The Hartford was the third vessel which struck her, but 
 as the Tennessee quickly shifted her helm, the blow was a glanc- 
 ing one, and as she rasped along our side we poured our whole 
 broadside of Q-inch solid shot within ten feet of her casemate. 
 The monitors worked slowly, but delivered their fire as oppor- 
 tunity offered. The Chickasaw succeeded in getting under her 
 stern, and a 1 5-inch shot from the Manhattan broke through 
 her iron plating and heavy wooden backing, though the 
 itself did not enter the vessel, 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOS FARRAGUT. 417 
 
 Cl Immediately after the collision with the flagship I directed 
 Captain Drayton to bear down for the ram again. He was 
 doing so at full speed, when, unfortunately, the Lackawanna 
 ran into the Hartford just forward of the mizzenmast, cutting 
 her down to within two feet of the water's edge. We soon got 
 clear again, however, and were fast approaching our adversary 
 when she struck her colors and ran up the white flag. She 
 was at this time sore beset : the Chickasaw was pounding away 
 at her stern, the Ossipee was approaching her at full speed, and 
 the Monongakela, Lackawanna, and this ship were bearing down 
 upon her, determined upon her destruction. Her smokestack 
 had been shot away, her steering-chains were gone, compelling 
 a resort to her relieving tackles, and several of the port-shutters 
 were jammed. Indeed, from the time the Hartford struck her 
 until her surrender, she never fired a gun. As the Ossipee, 
 Commander Le Roy, was about to strike her, she hoisted the 
 white flag, and that vessel immediately stopped her engine, 
 though not in time to avoid a glancing blow. During the con- 
 test with the rebel gunboats and the ram Tennessee, and which 
 terminated by her surrender at ten o'clock, we lost many more 
 men than from the fire of the batteries of Fort Morgan. 
 Admiral Buchanan was wounded in the leg, two or three of his 
 men were killed, and five or six wounded. Commander John- 
 ston, formerly of the United States Navy, was in command of 
 the Tennessee, and came on board the flagship to surrender his 
 sword and that of Admiral Buchanan. The surgeon, Dr. 
 Conrad, came with him, stated the condition of the Admiral, 
 and wished to know what was to be done with him. Fleet- 
 Surgeon Palmer, who was on board the Hartford during the 
 action, commiserating the sufferings of the wounded, suggested 
 that those of both sides be sent to Pensacola, where they could 
 be properly cared for. I therefore addressed a note to 
 Brigadier-General R. L. Page, commanding Fort Morgan, in- 
 
4* EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 forming him that Admiral Buchanan and others of the Tennessee 
 had been wounded, and desiring to know whether he would 
 permit one of our vessels under a flag of truce to convey them 
 with, or without, our men wounded to Pensacola, on the un- 
 derstanding that the vessel would take out none but the 
 wounded, and bring nothing back that she did not take out. 
 This was acceded to by General Page, and the Metacomet pro- 
 ceeded on this mission of humanity. 
 
 " As I had an elevated position in the main rigging near the 
 top, I was able to overlook not only the deck of the Hartford, 
 but the other vessels of the fleet. I witnessed the terrible 
 effects of the enemy's shot and the good conduct of the men at 
 their guns ; and although no doubt their hearts sickened, as 
 mine did, when their shipmates were struck down beside them, 
 yet there was not a moment's hesitation to lay their comrades 
 aside and spring again to their deadly work. Our little con- 
 sort, the Metacomet, was also under my immediate eye during 
 the whole action up to the moment I ordered her to cast off in 
 pursuit of the Selma. The coolness and promptness of Lieu- 
 tenant-Commander Jouett throughout merit high praise ; his 
 whole conduct was worthy of his reputation. In this connec- 
 tion, I must not omit to call the attention of the Department to 
 the conduct of Acting Ensign Henry C. Nields, of the Meta- 
 comet, who had charge of the boat sent from that vessel when the 
 Tecumseh sunk. He took her in under one of the most galling 
 fires I ever saw, and succeeded in rescuing from death ten of 
 her crew within 600 yards of the fort. I would respectfully 
 recommend his advancement. The commanding officers of all 
 the vessels who took part in the action deserve my warmest 
 commendations, not only for the untiring zeal with which they 
 had prepared their ships for the contest, but for their skill and 
 daring in carrying out my orders during the engagement. 
 With the exception of the momentary arrest of the fleet when 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOK PARRAGUT. 419 
 
 the Harlford passed ahead, and to which I have already 
 adverted, the order of battle was preserved, and the ships 
 followed each other in close order past the batteries of Fort 
 Morgan, and in comparative safety, too, with the exception of 
 the Oneida. Her boilers were penetrated by a shot from the 
 fort which completely disabled her, but her consort, the Galena, 
 firmly fastened to her side, brought her safely through, show- 
 ing clearly the wisdom of the precaution of carrying the vessels 
 in two abreast. Commander Mullany, who had solicited 
 eagerly to take part in the action, was severely wounded, losing 
 his left arm. In the encounter with the ram, the commanding 
 officers obeyed with alacrity the order to run her down, and 
 without hesitation exposed their ships to destruction to destroy 
 the enemy. Our iron-clads, from their slow speed and bad 
 steering, had some difficulty in getting into and maintaining 
 their position in line as we passed the fort, and in the subse- 
 quent encounter with the Tennessee, from the same causes were 
 not so effective as could have been desired ; but I cannot give 
 too much praise to Lieutenant-Commander Perkins, who, 
 though he had orders from the Department to return north, 
 volunteered to take command of the Chickasaw, and did his 
 duty nobly. 
 
 ' The Winncbago was commanded by Commander T. H. 
 Stevens, who volunteered for that position. His vessel steers 
 very badly, and neither of his turrets will work, which com- 
 pelled him to turn his vessel every time to get a shot, so that he 
 could not fire very often, but he did the best under the circum- 
 stances. 
 
 " The Manhattan appeared to work well, though she moved 
 slowly. Commander Nicholson delivered his fire deliberately, 
 and, as before stated, with one of his 1 5-inch shot broke 
 through the armor of the Tennessee, with its wooden backing, 
 though the shot itself did not enter the vessel. No other shot 
 
420 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 broke through her armor, though many of her plates were 
 started, and several of her port-shutters jammed by the fire from 
 the different ships. 
 
 " The Hartford, my flagship, was commanded by Captain 
 Percival Drayton, who exhibited throughout that coolness and* 
 ability for which he has been long known to his brother officers. 
 But I must speak of that officer in a double capacity. He is 
 the fleet-captain of my squadron, and one of more determined 
 energy, untiring devotion to duty, and zeal for the service, 
 tempered by great calmness, I do not think adorns any navy. 
 I desire to call your attention to this officer, though well aware 
 that in thus speaking of his high qualities I am only communi- 
 cating officially to the Department that which it knew full well 
 before. To him, and to my staff in their respective positions, 
 I am indebted for the detail of my fleet. 
 
 " Lieutenant J. Crittenden Watson, my flag-lieutenant, has 
 been brought to your notice in former despatches. During the 
 action he was on the poop attending to the signals, and per- 
 formed his duties as might be expected thoroughly. He is a 
 scion worthy the noble stock he sprang from, and I commend 
 him to your attention. My secretary, Mr. McKinley, and act- 
 ing ensign E. H. Brownell were also on the poop, the latter 
 taking notes of the action, a duty which he performed with 
 coolness and accuracy. 
 
 ! ' Two other acting ensigns of my staff (Mr. Bogart and Mr. 
 Heginbotham) were on duty in the powder division, and, as 
 the reports will show, exhibited zeal and ability. The latter, I 
 regret to say, was severely wounded by a raking shot from the 
 Tennessee when we collided with that vessel, and died a few 
 hours after. Mr. Heginbotham was a young married man, and 
 has left a widow and one child, whom I commend to the kind- 
 ness of the Department. 
 
 " Lieutenant A. R. Yates of the Augusta acted as an ad- 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 421 
 
 ditional aide to me on board the Hartford, and was very 
 efficient in the transmission of orders. I have given him the 
 command, temporarily, of the captured steamer Selma. 
 
 1 * The last of my staff, and to whom I would call the notice 
 of the Department, is not the least in importance. I mean 
 Pilot Martin Freeman. He has been my great reliance in all 
 difficulties in his line of duty. During the action he was in 
 the maintop, piloting the ships into the bay. He was cool 
 and brave throughout, never losing his self-possession. This 
 man was captured early in the war in a fine fishing-smack which 
 he owned, and, though he protested that he had no interest in 
 the war, and only asked for the privilege of fishing for the fleet, 
 yet his services were too valuable to the captors as a pilot not to 
 be secured. He was appointed a first-class pilot, and has 
 served us with zeal and fidelity, and has lost his vessel, which 
 went to pieces on Ship Island. I commend him to the Depart- 
 ment. 
 
 " It gives me pleasure to refer to several officers who volun- 
 teered to take any situation where they might be useful, some 
 of whom were on their way north, either by orders of the 
 Department or condemned by medical survey. The reports of 
 different commanders will show how they conducted them- 
 selves. 
 
 " I have already mentioned Lieutenant-Commander Perkins 
 of the Chickasaw and Lieutenant Yates of the Augusta. Act- 
 ing volunteer Lieutenant William Hamilton, late command- 
 ing officer of the Augusta Dins-more, had been invalided by 
 medical survey, but he eagerly offered his services on board the 
 iron-clad Chickasaw, having had much experience in our 
 monitors. 
 
 " Acting volunteer Lieutenant P. Giraud, another experi- 
 enced officer in iron-clads, asked to go in one of these vessels, 
 but as they wer all well supplied with oncers I permitted him. 
 
422 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 to go on the Ossipee, under Commander Le Roy. After the 
 action he was given temporary charge of the ram Tennessee. 
 
 " Before closing this report, there is one other officer of my 
 squadron of whom I feel bound to speak, Captain T. A. 
 Jenkins of the Richmond, who was formerly my chief of staff, 
 not because of his having held that position, but because he 
 never forgets to do his duty to the government, and takes now 
 the same interest in the fleet as when he stood in that relation 
 to me. He is also the commanding officer of the second 
 division of my squadron, and, as such, has shown ability and 
 the most untiring zeal. He carries out the spirit of one of Lord 
 Collingwood's best sayings : ' Not to be afraid of doing too 
 much ; those who are, seldom do as much as they ought. 1 
 When in Pensacola he spent days on the bar, placing the buoys 
 in the best positions ; was always looking after the interests of 
 the service, and keeping the vessels from being detained one 
 moment longer in ports than was necessary. The gallant 
 Craven told me only the night before the action in which he 
 lost his life : * I regret, Admiral, that I have detained you ; but 
 had it not been for Captain Jenkins, God knows when I should 
 have been here. When your order came, I had not received 
 an ounce of coal ! ' 
 
 " I feel that I should not be doing my duty did I not call the 
 attention of the Department to an officer who has performed all 
 his various duties with so much zeal and fidelity. 
 
 " Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 " D. G. FARRAGUT, 
 " Rear --Admiral, Commanding W. G. Squadron." 
 
 Something like the same ardent feelings of joy were mani- 
 fested over the engagement at J\Iobile as over the fall of Vicks- 
 burg or of New Orleans, 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 4*3 
 
 President Lincoln addressed the annexed personal letter to 
 the heroic sailor : 
 
 " EXECUTIVE MANSION, September 3. 
 
 ' The national thanks are tendered by the President to 
 Admiral Farragut and Major-General Canby for the skill and 
 harmony with which the recent operations in Mobile Harbor 
 and against Fort Powell, Fort Gaines, and Fort Morgan, were 
 planned and carried into execution. 
 
 " Also, to Admiral Farragut and Major-General Granger, 
 under whose immediate command they were conducted, and to 
 the gallant commanders on sea and land, and to the sailors and 
 soldiers engaged in the operations, for their energy and 
 courage, which, under the blessing of Providence, have been 
 crowned with brilliant success, and have won for them the ap- 
 plause and thanks of the nation. 
 
 " ABRAHAM LINCOLN." 
 
 The admiration and gratitude of the people found formal ex- 
 pression in Congressional resolutions. 
 
 The Admiral took a furlough for a short time, but before 
 casting off moorings he took a feeling farewell of all the brave 
 shipmates he was to leave behind. 
 
 On the 2Oth of November the Hartford sailed from Pensacola. 
 She had a very stormy time of it before she dropped anchor in 
 New York. 
 
 A committee, mainly composed of the leading citizens of 
 New York, proceeded down the bay to offer the Admiral the 
 hospitalities of the city and congratulate him on his magnifi- 
 cent achievements. It would take many pages to give a list of 
 all who exerted themselves to give visible proof of their love and 
 admiration of the brave sailor and excellent citizen. 
 
 As soon as the Hartford was within hail of the visiting com- 
 mittee, Admiral Farragut was decried pn the after-deck, Be.* 
 
424 . EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 side him was his trusted and tried friend, Captain Drayton. 
 Reaching the flagship the visitors were soon made at home. 
 
 After brief salutation Mr. Draper addressed the man they 
 had united to receive, in the following words : 
 
 " ADMIRAL FARRAGUT : It becomes my pleasing duty to in- 
 form you, on behalf of a committee which we here represent, 
 that arrangements have been made to tender to you a reception 
 somewhat worthy of your great services to the country ; and in 
 order that I may perform my duty acceptably to the gentlemen 
 who commissioned me, I have to state that they are ready to 
 give you a cordial welcome on your arrival in the city. They 
 fully appreciate the honours which you have bestowed on the flag 
 and the country, which you have so often successfully defended. 
 You hold most justly a, proud place in the affections of the 
 city. On your arrival you will be received by a meeting of the 
 principal citizens, who will be ready to congratulate you on 
 your visit to the city, and to show their appreciation of your 
 great efforts in support of the nation." 
 
 After the reading of the resolutions the Admiral briefly re- 
 plied. He thanked the committee for their kind attentions, and 
 ended by saying that himself and those engaged with him had 
 merely done their duty. 
 
 As the Admiral then appeared on the historic deck of the 
 good staunch vessel, he looked to be some years under sixty. 
 He was evidently a powerful, wiry man, who could take good 
 care of himself even yet in the furious onset of a " boarding 
 scrimmage. ' ' 
 
 As soon as the Hartford dropped her anchor she fired two 
 broadsides, and the party with the hero they escorted left for 
 the city. 
 
 The Battery and the wharves were crowded as soon as it be- 
 came known that the gallant Admiral had arrived. 
 
 Loud cheer after cheer rent the air as David Glascoe Farra.- 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGtJT. 425 
 
 gut stepped on the soil of the greatest city of the Republic his 
 valor had so much aided in preserving. 
 
 Thousands pressed forward eagerly to touch the hands that 
 gripped the shrouds aloft in the midst of one of the most furious 
 fights that ever took place. 
 
 The Admiral was driven to the Custom -House, where many 
 of the best citizens were already assembled. A brief time was 
 passed in formalities, when, the meeting having been organized, 
 Mr. Moses Taylor formally and most warmly extended the 
 greeting of the citizens at large. 
 
 At the request of the Merchants' Committee the resolutions 
 of a meeting held the previous evening were read, as follows : 
 
 ' ' Recognizing the illustrious service, heroic bravery, and tried 
 loyalty which have distinguished the life of Rear-Admiral D. G. 
 Farragut in the cause of his country, especially the lofty spirit 
 of devotion by which he has been animated during all the 
 period of the present war, and the signal victories achieved by 
 him over the utmost skill and effort of the Rebellion ; therefore, 
 
 "Resolved, That a committee of fifty citizens, to be named by 
 the chair, with power to add to their number, be appointed to 
 receive Admiral Farragut on his arrival, now soon expected, at 
 this port. 
 
 "Resolved, That a Federal salute be fired in honour of the 
 arrival of the flagship Hartford with Admiral Farragut on 
 board. 
 
 "Resolved, That the city of New York, following the example 
 of the great free cities of the world in doing honour to their 
 illustrious countrymen, honors itself by tendering to Admiral 
 Farragut an invitation to become a resident thereof, and that 
 the committee be appointed to devise the best mode of carrying 
 this resolution into effect, so that the man, his achievements, 
 and his fame may belong to the city. 
 
 "Resolved, That we see with the highest satisfaction that the 
 
426 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 President, in his annual message, and the Secretary of the 
 Treasury, recommended the creation of a higher grade of naval 
 rank, with the designation of Admiral Farragut as the recipient, 
 as a national recognition of distinguished service and exalted 
 patriotism. * ' 
 
 Loud and long-continued cheers were given as the address 
 ended. 
 
 Then the official speaker for the people said : 
 
 "ADMIRAL FARRAGUT AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE: 
 Thus far we have fulfilled the duty which has been assigned to 
 us. The sub-committee have met the Hartford, and found on 
 board her honoured commander, Admiral Farragut, and his 
 captain. We have performed that duty, on behalf of the com- 
 mittee, with feelings of pride and satisfaction ; and, as repre- 
 senting a generous community, have endeavoured to exhibit the 
 gratitude of the entire nation, as expressed through this city, 
 for the services and gallantry of the noble Admiral who is now 
 before us. I shall say nothing more, Admiral Farragut, than 
 to repeat what I have said to you this morning, that all our 
 citizens, of every age and condition, receive you with open 
 arms and heartfelt gratitude/' 
 
 To which the Admiral gave this response : 
 
 1 ' MY FRIENDS : I can only reply to you as I did before, by 
 saying that I receive these compliments with great thankfulness 
 and deep emotions. I am entirely unaccustomed to make 
 such an address as I would desire to do upon this occasion ; 
 but, if I do not express what I think of the honour you do me, 
 trust me I feel it most deeply. I don't think, however, that I 
 particularly deserve anything from your hands. I can merely 
 say that I have done my duty to the best of my abilities. I 
 have been devoted to the service of my country since I was 
 eight years of age, and my father was devoted to it before me. 
 I have not specially deserved these demonstrations of your 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOfi FARRAGUt. 427 
 
 regard. I owe everything, perhaps, to chance, and to the 
 praiseworthy exertions of my brother officers serving with me. 
 
 " That I have been fortunate is most true, and I am thankful, 
 deeply thankful for it, for my country's sake. I return my 
 thanks to the committee for their resolutions, especially for the 
 one in regard to the creation of an additional rank." 
 
 The enthusiasm grew greater and greater as the people began 
 fully to realize that the modest, unpretentious gentleman who 
 stood in their midst was the great naval captain whom even the 
 British writers had compared with their Drakes and Nelsons. 
 
 A stirring ode was then recited by that true Union soldier 
 and accomplished poet, Colonel A. J. H. Duganne. It had 
 the ring of the Runic rhymes of the ancient Scalds, and intensi- 
 fied, if possible, the enthusiasm of the assemblage. We have 
 but space for the two concluding stanzas, merely remarking 
 that the reader can no more judge of the beauty of the whole 
 poem by these fragments, than he could estimate the beauty of 
 the entire Parthenon by seeing a few of its relievos in detached 
 parts. 
 
 So, when, from blazing ports. 
 Hurtling at Rebel forts 
 
 Cannon-blows thunderous. 
 Down on MOBILE he led 
 War-ships, like dragons red. 
 While all the deep sea fled, 
 
 Quaking, from under us : 
 Where the blue rockets flashed, 
 Where the hot shell was dashed, 
 Where the shot madly crashed, 
 
 There we saw Farragut ! 
 High at the mast-head lashed, 
 
 There was old Farragut. 
 Castles once more we passed ; 
 Ships on the shore we cast ; 
 Lashed to our banner mast 
 
 Still was bold Farragut ! 
 
428 EMINENT SAlLOfcS. 
 
 Messmates ! at morn we fight : 
 This may be our last night ; 
 
 Fill up the can again ! 
 If we must bravely fall, 
 God keep our dear ones all ! 
 God shield the Admiral, 
 
 Leading our van again ! 
 When, o'er yon channel bars, 
 Stream out the rocket stars, 
 Then, to the signal spars, 
 
 Up will climb Farragut : 
 Listening to cannon-jars, 
 
 There will be Farragut ! 
 Wrapped in his battle-cloak, 
 Woven from fire and smoke, 
 God bless his heart of oak ; 
 
 There we'll see FARRAGUT ! 
 
 Soon after the enthusiastic applause that followed on the 
 recitation of the poem had somewhat lulled, the meeting 
 adjourned. 
 
 After a few days spent in discussion and exchange of ideas, 
 the resolves of the committee, under the leadership of Mr. 
 Moses Taylor, crystallized. The members met once again in 
 the Custom-House, and as soon as the assemblage had come to 
 order the chairman stated that he had been chosen to the proud 
 position of being presenter to Vice- Admiral Farragut of a testi- 
 monial, previous to which he proceeded to read from an ex- 
 quisitely engrossed sheet of parchment. 
 
 After the reading of the address Mr. Taylor took in his hands 
 a large package, tied with ribbons of the colors which make up 
 the Star-spangled Banner. It contained in United States gov- 
 ernment bonds fifty thousand dollars. Then he placed both the 
 package and the parchment in the hands of Admiral Farragut. 
 
 The gallant officer appeared more " taken aback" than he 
 had ever been by any ocean storm. Recovering his calmness, 
 he spoke as follows : 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT. 429 
 
 " GENTLEMEN : I cannot allow this opportunity to pass with- 
 out making some reply to what you so kindly say of me in 
 making the gift, although I reserve to myself the privilege of 
 rendering a more fitting acknowledgment at some future time. 
 I will now respond to a few of the points in the address as I re 
 member them. As to the duties you speak of, that were per 
 formed by myself in command of the fleet in the South and 
 Southwest, I have only to say, as I have repeatedly said before, 
 that they were done in obedience to orders from the Depart- 
 ment at Washington. I have carried out the views of the 
 Department in accomplishing what I promised to endeavor to 
 do. In opening and protecting commerce I have simply done 
 my duty in the sphere to which I was called. 
 
 " But when it comes to personal matters, I can only say, 
 would that I had language to express the gratitude I feel for 
 what you have" done. From the moment, I may say, I made 
 the entrance to this harbor, I have been the recipient of honours 
 of every description, and it would be impossible for me, even 
 if I were in the habit of making speeches, to express what I so 
 heartily feel. As to becoming a resident of New York, noth- 
 ing would be more grateful to my feelings. I came here, I can 
 hardly say as a refugee ; but being forced out of the South, 
 where I had resided more than forty years, came naturally to 
 this city, as the metropolis of the country, and made my rest- 
 ing-place on the banks of the Hudson. I have every reason to 
 be grateful ; you have always extended to me and my family 
 the kindest treatment, and it would be but natural that we 
 should feel a desire to be with you. But, gentlemen, you 
 know I am a public officer, and must go just where I am 
 ordered. 
 
 ' ' Still it may be that, consistently with my obligations, I can 
 be here ; and I will endeavour to make such arrangements, if if 
 
43 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 appears that at the same time I can perform my duty to my 
 country." 
 
 As soon as Farragut could tear himself away from his enthu- 
 siastic admirers he stole away to his home at Hastings-on-the- 
 Hudson. For he had all Washington's love of a rural home 
 life. 
 
 But he who serves a grateful country has to pass through an 
 almost cruel quantity of hand-shaking. 
 
 He was waited upon by committees intently determined on 
 meeting the hero of New Orleans and Mobile. 
 
 He was treated with the highest civic honours by legislatures 
 and corporations. Great cities and small villages were equally 
 anxious for a visit from the universally admired sailor. 
 
 Embracing the earliest hours that were at his own disposal, 
 Farragut went to Virginia to visit the fields in which he had 
 worked and stroll through the woods over which he had 
 hunted. . 
 
 In the year 1866 the grade of " Admiral " was legally estab- 
 lished. The first to receive this honourable designation was the 
 one who best deserved it David Glascoe Farragut. And had 
 the question been put to a popular vote there is no doubt the 
 choice would have been ratified by an almost unanimous ac- 
 claim of the whole nation. 
 
 It was in this year that Admiral Farragut made a voyage 
 nearly round the world in the United States ship Franklin. At 
 every port the good ship touched attentions of every kind were 
 shown to the modest hero. 
 
 Returning to his native land, he very soon thereafter paid 
 California a visit. Returning, he had the misfortune to be 
 seized with an illness which ultimately proved fatal. He died 
 on the 1 4th day of August, 1870, at Portsmouth, N. H. He 
 was in the sixty-ninth year pf his age at the time of his 
 Decease, 
 
ADMIRAL DAVID CLASCOE FAKRAGUT. 431 
 
 He lies in Woodlawn, a beautiful cemetery near New York 
 City, and on every Decoration Day, blow high or blow low, 
 never an anniversary of that period is missed without floral 
 offerings being plentifully strewn over the tomb of David 
 Glascoe Farragut. 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 
 
 A.D. 1813 
 
 DAVID DIXON PORTER was born in June, 1813, at the town of 
 Chester, Pennsylvania. His father was the famous Commodore 
 David Porter, who, among many other marvellous exploits, 
 made such an heroic defence in the United States ship Essex 
 against terrific odds in the harbor of Valparaiso. 
 
 It may well be surmised that so able a man as Commodore 
 David Porter did not allow his son to lack education in all 
 branches necessary to fit him for a naval officer. His own 
 strong natural inclination, as well as the wish of his father, led 
 him to adopt this as his profession. How well he has used the 
 advice and training given him by his father and others who aided 
 to develop his great abilities will be shown by the following in- 
 teresting pages, the author of which claims no praise except 
 that he has closely confined himself to admitted facts, often 
 giving the narrative in the very words of unprejudiced wit- 
 nesses. 
 
 Never did a hero come more honestly into possession of 
 heroic qualities than did David Dixon Porter. For his father, 
 Commodore David Porter, was undoubtedly one of the most 
 skilful, brave, and persevering sailors that ever trod a deck. 
 
 To the elder Porter, in the year 1824, was intrusted the 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 433 
 
 arduous duty of sweeping away the piratical craft that made 
 sailing among the West India Islands almost as dangerous as 
 voyaging in the neigbourhood of the Barbary coast. This, too, 
 in spite of the fact that the English had many national vessels 
 cruising among these lovely tropical islands. Of course, it 
 would be a comparatively easy matter to extirpate piracy at the 
 present time with the aid of a few small steamers, but at the 
 time Commodore David Porter was sent to clear the seas of them 
 it was by no means an easy matter. Most of the vessels 
 employed in this infamous pursuit were fast sailing vessels, 
 heavily sparred, and carrying a monstrous cloud of canvas. 
 They were also strongly manned, and by first-class seamen 
 men who could handle the cutlass and the boarding pike as 
 well as any men-of-wars-men. But the unceasing vigilance of 
 the old commodore drove them from the open sea into their 
 difficult island havens, and there he either captured or destroyed 
 their ill-omed craft. After this expedition, honest traders could 
 sail as safely among the Leeward and Windward Islands as they 
 could in the Delaware or the Hudson. The pirates had been 
 furnished with a long rope by the powers who should have 
 checked their inhuman proceedings ; but Porter brought them 
 up with a round turn once he was put upon their track. 
 
 In the year 1826 Commodore David Porter, finding that 
 there was no likelihood of soon seeing any active service in the 
 United States Navy, tendered his resignation. Soon after he 
 received his commission as Admiral of the Mexican Navy. 
 About the same time the great English sailor Cochrane, after- 
 ward Lord Dundonald, left the English service to enter the navy 
 of one of the South American republics. 
 
 David D. Porter entered the United States Navy as midship- 
 man, on board the Constellation, in the year 1829. In that 
 grade he served for six years ; part of the time on board the 
 United State, 
 
434 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 After satisfactorily going through his examination, he became 
 a "passed" midshipman in 1835. For the following six 
 years he was principally engaged on the coast survey. Here he 
 doubtless acquired a knowledge of the harbors, lights, draught 
 of water, and other particulars of inestimable advantage to him 
 in the course of his professional career. 
 
 In 1841 he was commissioned a lieutenant, and served with 
 that rank on board the Congress for four years. After a brief 
 period of service at the Observatory at Washington he was 
 placed on active duty under Commodore Tattnall in the Gulf 
 of Mexico, and took a leading part in the naval operations of 
 the Mexican war. 
 
 In 1849 ne was allowed to take command of one of the 
 Pacific Mail Company's steamers, and remained several years in 
 the service of that company. While he commanded one of the 
 California steamships the Crescent City he performed an ex- 
 ploit which attracted no little attention at the time. In conse- 
 quence of the Black Warrior affair the Spanish Government had 
 refused to permit any United States vessels to enter the port of 
 Havana. Running under the shotted guns of Moro Castle he 
 was ordered to halt. He promptly replied that he carried the 
 United States flag and the United States mails, and, by the 
 Eternal, he would go in ; and he did, the Habaneros fearing 
 to fire upon him. He said afterward that he intended firing his 
 six-pounder at them once, in defiance, after which he would 
 haul down his flag. 
 
 At the beginning of the year 1861 he was under orders to 
 join the Coast Survey on the Pacific, but, fortunately, had not 
 left when the rebellion broke out. His name at this time stood 
 number six on the list of lieutenants. The resignation of 
 several officers who joined the rebels left room for his advance- 
 ment, and the Naval Register for August 3ist, 1861, places him 
 number seventy-seven on the list of commanders. He was 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 435 
 
 placed in command of the steam sloop of war Pmvhatan, a ves- 
 sel of about twenty-five hundred tons, and armed with eleven 
 guns, and was for some time actively engaged in blockade duty. 
 
 The Secretary of State made choice of Lieutenant Porter to 
 go on a delicate service to the Island of Hayti. This mission 
 he performed satisfactorily, returning such a report as fully 
 proved how well fitted he was for the trust committed to his 
 care. 
 
 When James Buchanan was President, Porter was selected by 
 the Secretary of War to proceed to the East to bring a supply 
 of camels to this country, it being supposed by many eminent 
 naturalists and others that these animals could be successfully 
 acclimated, and might prove useful and profitable in the arid 
 stretches of sand and desert to be found in portions of our terri- 
 tory acquired from Mexico. His part of this business was ful- 
 filled in a manner satisfactory to the Department. 
 
 When the war of the attempted Secession burst upon the 
 country Porter ranked as a lieutenant, and was engaged on 
 shore. 
 
 The United States ship Powhatan was despatched upon a 
 secret mission under sealed order. The object, as it afterward 
 appeared, was to aid in the relief of Fort Pickens. 
 
 Soon after he was made commander and intrusted with the 
 important work of aiding Farragut in the impending attack 
 upon the forts defending the passage of the Mississippi below 
 New Orleans. 
 
 Steam had rapidly worked a wonderful revolution in naval 
 warfare. These changes were emphasized by the doings of our 
 naval forces at Port Royal and at Hatteras. If the forts below 
 it could be safely passed New Orleans became the unresisting 
 spoil of the victor. 
 
 In looking round for the proper men to get together the fleet 
 and munitions, Commander Porter was one of the first chosei? 
 
436 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 by Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles. He was deemed 
 peculiarly fitted to take counsel with, as he had seen many of 
 the places likely to be the scene of some of the operations in 
 contemplation. When taken into consultation it was found 
 that he thoroughly answered the requirements. 
 
 As this was one of the most important operations of the war, 
 or indeed of any war, as it triumphantly proved that given good 
 staunch ships, brave crews, skilful gunners, and fitting leaders, 
 a fleet can pass unscathed by almost any batteries on shore, and 
 as there has been much angry discussion as to the share of 
 different persons in projecting and accomplishing this daring 
 and successful enterprise, we give, in the language of one who 
 knew all about it, the first conception and final execution of the 
 passage of Forts Jackson and St. Philip : 
 
 ' ' A blockade of three thousand five hundred miles in length, 
 greater in extent than the whole coast of Europe from Cape 
 Trafalgar to Cape North, was ordered in April ; and as we had 
 not vessels, guns, or men for such a work, a navy had to be 
 improvised to enforce it. Ships in the merchant service which 
 could be made available were forthwith procured, guns were 
 manufactured, men were enlisted, and the whole resources of 
 the country were put in immediate requisition to meet the crisis. 
 But although the energies and abilities of the nation were taxed 
 and called out with wonderful and unexampled rapidity, they 
 did not satisfy the impatience of the people, who had been 
 taught, and were willing to believe, the rebellion could be sup- 
 pressed and peace be restored in ninety days. 
 
 " Naval officers were invariably prohibited from giving in- 
 formation of naval movements for publication, and newspaper 
 correspondents, always inquisitive and generally" intelligent, 
 were for this reason carefully excluded from the expeditions, and 
 as far as possible from all knowledge in regard to naval oper- 
 ations, This rigid and restrictive policy of the navy was in 
 
DAVID DTXON PORTER. 437 
 
 such marked contrast to that of the military, where correspond- 
 ents were generally welcomed and often furnished with every 
 facility to obtain and publish army operations, was unsatis- 
 factory, led to much misrepresentation of the Navy Depart- 
 ment, and sometimes to gross injustice to the navy. 
 
 ' ' Very soon in the war the attention of the Navy Department, 
 previously occupied, \vas intently directed toward New Orleans, 
 the most important place in every point of view in the insurrec- 
 tionary region, and the most difficult' to effectually blockade. 
 The whole country, and especially the great Northwest, was in- 
 terested in the free and uninterrupted navigation of . the Missis- 
 sippi, the ocean outlet of the immense central valley which 
 contains within its slopes one half the States and territory and 
 is the very heart of the Union. New Orleans is the great depot 
 for its products, and Forts Jackson and St. Philip, which pro- 
 tected it, were the gates that barred ocean communication with 
 the city. To gain possession of the river and of the city was 
 one of the first objects which addressed itself to the administra- 
 tion after the war opened, and was imperatively demanded by 
 the great States which were especially interested. 
 
 ' The difficulty of guarding and closing the passes of the 
 Mississippi, and all water communication with New Orleans, 
 which was as difficult as the blockade of Wilmington at a later 
 period, the escape of the Sumter, the disaster to the naval ves- 
 sels commanded by Captain Pope and others, the knowledge 
 that formidable iron-clad vessels were being rapidly constructed 
 at New Orleans, the low alluvial banks of the river, on which 
 the army was disinclined to attempt to plant and erect batteries 
 and garrison them in that sickly swamp, were facts keenly 
 felt ; and it seemed that a vigorous blow at the centre by the 
 capture of New Orleans itself would be less difficult, less 
 expensive, less exhausting, would be attended with less loss of 
 life and be a more fatal blow to the rebels, than the most ex- 
 
43 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 tensive, stringent, and protracted blockade that could possibly 
 be established. 
 
 " Outside of President Lincoln, the Secretary of the Navy, 
 and General McClellan, but half a dozen people knew any- 
 thing about the contemplated enterprise. . . . 
 
 " It had long been realized that to have an effective blockade 
 of all the passes at the mouth of the Mississippi was utterly im- 
 possible by naval vessels alone. One or more batteries above 
 the delta was deemed the best, and perhaps the only effectual 
 method of preventing communication. In the mean time the 
 rebels had in July taken possession of and repaired the fortifica- 
 tions at Ship Island, ten or twelve miles off the coast, and some 
 sixty miles from New Orleans, about equidistant from Mobile, 
 and one hundred miles from the mouth of the Mississippi. 
 
 ' * The chief engineer officer of the Army of the Potomac, who 
 had been employed on Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and knew 
 their strength, was, by advice of General McClellan, consulted. 
 This officer fully appreciated the magnitude of the movement and 
 its immense importance to the country. He also approved as- 
 scending the river to capture the city, but considered it all-im- 
 portant that the forts should be reduced before any attempt was 
 made to go above them. This he recommended should be a 
 combined army and navy movement with iron clads and mortars. 
 
 " The Powhatan, having steamed over ten thousand miles 
 with her condemned machinery, was now obliged to return 
 to the United States, where she was laid up at about the time 
 of the Du Pont expedition to Port Royal, and Lieutenant Por- 
 ter was detached. .. He immediately sought other active ser- 
 vice, and the capture of New Orleans being proposed by 
 him, he was put in communication with General McClellan, 
 and General Barnard of the Engineers, to talk the matter 
 over. They were unanimous in their opinion that the city 
 could be taken, and preparations were accordingly made to 
 
PAVTD DIXON PORTER. 439 
 
 attempt the capture of the forts at or near the mouth of the 
 Mississippi River. Admiral Farragut was ordered to com- 
 mand the naval forces, and Lieutenant Porter, having recom- 
 mended a large force of mortar vessels, was directed to equip 
 them without delay. 
 
 "Commander Porter was informed that the Navy Department 
 intended to send an expedition to capture New Orleans two 
 months earlier than General Butler. He did, when let into the 
 confidence of the Department, and made aware of its programme, 
 ' recommend a large force of mortar vessels, ' and he is entitled to 
 the credit of having proposed that appendage to the squadron. 
 It was not a part of the original programme of the Navy Depart- 
 ment. He and General Barnard should have the credit of ap- 
 pending the mortar flotilla to the original programme of the 
 Navy Department. The historian must have little practical 
 knowledge, and must have made only superficial investigation, 
 who could come to the conclusion that such an expedition 
 could have been instituted and completed within the time speci- 
 fied by themselves. The history of the world may be searched 
 in vain for such an achievement. The navy programme for the 
 expedition moved on favorably, though delayed beyond expec- 
 tation, chiefly by the preparation of the bomb fleet of mortar 
 vessels for Commander Porter, who was never wanting in 
 energy, and who, as well as others, was actively employed after 
 the 1 8th of November in preparations for the enterprise. 
 
 "After studying over the question as to the commanding 
 officer of this expedition for a long time, it was finally resolved 
 to give the supreme power into the hands of David Glascoe 
 Farragut, a man who had as yet never had a fleet under his 
 control. But he had done his whole duty so ably and loyally 
 on all occasions in which he had been tried, that it was felt that 
 he was just the man who had nearly all the qualities needed to 
 execute so immense an enterprise. 
 
44 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 "But lo make assurance doubly sure, Mr. Fox, of the Navy 
 Department, was directed to obtain Commander Porter's 
 opinion of Captain Farragut. There had been an intimacy be- 
 tween the families of Farragut and Porter, dating back to the 
 administration of Mr. Jefferson, when the father of Admiral 
 Farragut had conferred essential favors on the elder Porter, who 
 had reciprocated those favors by assisting young Glascoe Farra- 
 gut, then a boy nine or ten years of age, to obtain a midship- 
 man's warrant. He adopted him as a protege, and made him 
 virtually one of his family. In gratitude and affection young 
 Farragut soon after took the name of David, and was so bap- 
 tized in the Episcopal Church at Newport. As Commander 
 Porter had been let into the secret of the expedition, and the 
 relations between him and Farragut were such as here stated, 
 there was propriety in getting his opinions preliminary to in- 
 quiries of Farragut himself. The inquiries resulted in showing 
 that all persons well acquainted with naval affairs and people 
 selected Farragut as the man just suited to command such an 
 expedition. It now became important to ascertain the ideas, 
 feelings, and views of Captain Farragut himself, and this, if 
 possible, before informing him of the expedition, or commit- 
 ting the Department in any respect. Nothing, as has been 
 stated, was put on paper which related to the actual destination 
 of the expedition, and every movement was made so obscure 
 that the real place to be attacked could not possibly be learned. 
 When the whole plan of procedure had been explained to Far- 
 ragut he signified his belief as to the practicability of the 
 scheme. 
 
 "The proposal of Commander Porter for a bomb flotilla met 
 his decided approval. He deemed such a battery absolutely 
 essential to success. 
 
 "So large a squadron as that which composed the expedition 
 could not be prepared and fitted without time. Most of the 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 441 
 
 immense mortars and shells were to be cast ; some of the naval 
 vessels were on the stocks when the enterprise was first ordered, 
 and even the Hartford, which became the flagship of Admiral 
 Farragut, had not been refitted after her return from the East 
 Indies, when Commander Porter was sent off to prepare the 
 mortar fleet. The whole energy and power of the Navy Depart- 
 ment had been thrown into the work, and it is questionable if 
 so large a force under similar circumstances was ever so speedily 
 called out, prepared, and organized by any government 
 
 "After all the vessels had cleared the land, their commanders 
 -were at liberty to open their sealed orders. For it must be 
 borne in mind that only Farragut, Porter, and one or two 
 others knew where they were bound. 
 
 "They then learned that they were to capture the great 
 Southern capital of commerce and fashion, believed to be 
 almost impregnably fortified, and being able to boast that the 
 best soldiers of Britain had been foiled in attempting its cap- 
 ture." 
 
 The operations preceding the actual attack and the great 
 combat itself we give in the words of an impartial historian, 
 merely premising that it is impossible to dissever the acts of 
 Commander Porter from those of Farragut and other leading 
 officers. Suffice it to say that wherever courage and skill were 
 specially needed, there David D. Porter was to be found engaged. 
 
 "Ship Island, between the mouth of the Mississippi and the 
 Bay of Mobile, about sixty-live miles from New Orleans, was 
 occupied in December, 1861, by General Phelps, with a part of 
 a force of volunteers raised by General B. F. Butler in New 
 England for confidential service. Phelps then issued an earnest 
 but untimely proclamation, declaring the aim of the govern- 
 ment to be the overthrow of slavery. On March 25th, 1862, 
 after a severe and hazardous passage, General Butler arrived at 
 Ship Island with the remainder of his forces, which now num- 
 
442 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 bered 13,700 men, and which were destined to aid the naval 
 forces under Commodore Farragut in the capture of New 
 Orleans. 
 
 " Ship Island is situated in longitude 89 and a little north of 
 latitude 30, and is the property of the State of Mississippi. It 
 is about sixty miles from New Orleans, nearly the same distance 
 from the Northeast Pass, at the mouth of the Mississippi River, 
 forty miles from Mobile, and ninety from Fort Pickens. It lies 
 between Horn Island on the east and Cat Island on the west, 
 and is distant about five miles from each. Some ten or twelve 
 miles to the north, on the main land of Mississippi, are the 
 towns of Balexi, Pascagoula, and Mississippi City. These 
 towns are favorite summer resorts for the wealth)- planters and 
 merchants of the Gulf States, and, in consequence of a bar off 
 their shore, were now the places of refuge for rebel gun-boats. 
 
 *' Ship Island is somewhat undulating, and extends in a 
 slight curve about seven miles east-northeast and west- south- 
 west. At West Point (the western end), where the fort is 
 located, the island is little more than an eighth of a mile wide, 
 and is a mere sand-spit, utterly barren of grass or foliage of any 
 kind. This eastern end, or East Point, is about three quarters 
 of a mile in width, and is well wooded with pine, cedar, and 
 live oak. 
 
 <{ The whole island contains a fraction less than two square 
 miles of territory. Excellent water can be obtained in un- 
 limited supply by sinking a barrel anywhere on the place. 
 The great advantage of this is too palpable to require com- 
 ment. 
 
 * The island possesses a very superior harbor, into which 
 nineteen feet can be carried at ordinarily low water. It is 
 situated north of the west end of the island. The anchorage, 
 with water equal to the depth on the bar, is five miles long, and 
 averages three and a quarter miles in width. The }ia.rbor is .safe 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 443 
 
 for the most dangerous storms in the Gulf those from the east- 
 ward, southward and eastward, and southward and might be 
 easily entered during these storms without a pilot, if good light- 
 houses were placed in proper positions. The rise and fall of 
 the tide is only from twelve to fourteen inches. 
 
 ; ' This fort, which is situated on the sand-spit at the extreme 
 western end of the island, is nearly circular in shape, somewhat 
 resembling a pear in form. Its construction was commenced by 
 the Federal Government, and when in a state of considerable 
 progress was burned by the rebels, who afterward rebuilt and 
 then abandoned it. It is of brick, and rendered bomb-proof 
 by sand-bags placed five or six feet deep in front of the walls. 
 
 "The rebels built eleven casemates, and our forces have built 
 two more since they have occupied the fort. The casemates are 
 bomb-proof. The fort is at present but one tier high. It is 
 provided with Dahlgren's 9-inch shell guns of very heavy cali- 
 bre and in perfect order, and they are hourly expecting sixteen 
 more very heavy guns from Pensacola. Besides this, Captain 
 Manning's battery landed five of their steel rifled cannon, with 
 the Sawyer projectile. There were six of these guns on board 
 the Constitution, but unfortunately one of them was lost over- 
 board in removing them from the transport." 
 
 The subjoined account of the attack upon the batteries below 
 New Orleans and the subsequent capture of the city itself, is 
 taken from the graphic descriptions of correspondents who ac- 
 companied the fleet, in different vessels. We give these 
 descriptions in the writers' own animated phraseology, and 
 these passages will be found not only more forceful but far 
 more accurate than many of the so-called historical accounts, 
 penned by men who ' ' never saw a squadron on the seas. ' ' 
 
 The fleet started to attack Forts St. Philip and Jackson on 
 the 1 6th of April, 1862. On the i/th the rebels began to send 
 down fire-rafts. 
 
444 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 " I have just come from the deck, having witnessed one of 
 the finest sights it has ever been my lot to see. The rebels sent 
 down a scow, about one hundred feet long, filled with pine 
 knots, and well saturated svith tar. The breeze was fresh from 
 the southward, and it burned upward finely, looking very much 
 like a prairie fire. Signal was made for boats to tow the raft 
 away from the shipping, and about forty boats were manned 
 and sent away, each provided with grapnels and fire-buckets. 
 The picket boats Kineo and Kathadin worked around it, and 
 fired one or two shells in it, but the Westfield went up and ran 
 her bow into it, and then played a powerful stream of water on 
 it. Now the boats found an opportunity, and went alongside 
 and boarded the fire-raft, and commenced bailing water into 
 it, and in twenty minutes they put the fire out. They then 
 towed it ashore near where one that came down in the morning 
 was moored. While this was going on the rebels had small 
 row-boats out watching the progress of their skill, and saw 
 probably with regret their inglorious results and our high enjoy- 
 ment. No amusement they could possibly get up could be 
 more acceptable to our men. The mortar fleet sailors were in 
 ecstasies, and they extinguished the flames in short order, and 
 received the hearty cheers of the vessels as they passed along. 
 With their two fire -rafts the rebels have accomplished nothing, 
 except to learn us how to handle them." 
 
 " Then began the terrific and unceasing bombardment. 
 Probably the heaviest and longest continued that ever took 
 place. It was on the i8th that the first bomb was discharged, 
 and it was six days after before there was the least cessation. 
 The mortar vessels had covered their mast-heads and rigging 
 with green tree branches, so that, while lying under the friendly 
 shelter of the trees near the forts, their masts appeared as trees 
 over the tops of the genuine ones. The vessels which lay on 
 the other side of the river covered their sides with tree branches, 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 445 
 
 and if it were not for their masts one could not tell there were 
 any vessels there. 
 
 '* On the 1 9th our mortar vessels were working well, and I 
 learn they fire on an average eighty shells per day. According 
 to that estimate they must have thrown already about about 
 four thousand shells up to noon to-day. It is becoming very 
 tedious to hear nothing but bang, bang, bang, all day and 
 all night, without having a knowledge of the effect of our 
 efforts. 
 
 " The work is terribly shattered, and the casemates are 
 nearly broken in many places. The gun-boats ^yesterday 
 entirely destroyed one. Only a few men have been killed as 
 yet. We have nearly silenced the water-battery, disabled a 10- 
 inch columbiad, and knocked the carriage of another to 
 pieces. Our fire is represented as being terrific, and the least 
 damage causes so much consternation that it requires the 
 utmost efforts on the part of the officers to quiet the men. Our 
 shells, when they fall, bury themselves from twelve to fourteen 
 feet in the earth close to the fort, then explode, and make the 
 whole fort fairly tremble with the shock. Occasionally one 
 bursts in the fort ; but those which burst outside do the most 
 execution. There are about 1500 men in both forts, mostly 
 foreigners, but commanded by Southerners. ' ' 
 
 On the 24th Commodore Farragut determined to run past 
 the forts. Forming the fleet in three divisions it started, steam- 
 ing up the stream. 
 
 " At precisely twenty minutes of four o'clock the enemy 
 opened fire from Fort St. Philip. At that moment the largest 
 Star-spangled Banner in the fleet was hoisted at the peak, while 
 the fore and main also sported the national ensigns. Full 
 speed was given to the ship, the engineers did their duty nobly, 
 and on we went, as it were, into the jaws of death. At the 
 time the enemy opened fire the mortar vessels went to work, 
 
446 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 and the rapidity with which they threw shells at the rebels was 
 truly wonderful. 
 
 " At five minutes of four oclock our bow gun belched forth 
 fire and smoke, and a messenger, in the shape of a 9-inch 
 shell, was sent to Fort Jackson the work, by the way, which 
 we were to attend to. In a few minutes more the broadside 
 firing was commenced. Both forts were replying as fast as they 
 could. Broadside after broadside was being delivered to them 
 in rapid succession, while the mortar vessels were adding to the 
 dreadful noise. 
 
 " Shot, shell, grape, and canister filled the air with deadly 
 missiles. It was like the breaking up of a thousand worlds 
 crash tear whiz ! Such another scene was never witnessed 
 by mortal man. Steadily we steamed on, giving them shell, 
 the forts firing rifle-shot and shell, 10 inch Columbiads, 42, 
 32, and 24 pounder balls ; and, to add to this state of affairs, 
 13 steamers and the floating battery Louisiana, of the enemy, 
 were pouring into and around us a hail-storm of iron perfectly 
 indescribable. Not satisfied with their firing, fire-raft after fire- 
 raft was lit and set adrift to do their work of burning. The ram 
 was busy at work trying to shove them under the bows of our 
 vessel. 
 
 " As we drew near abeam of the forts we intermingled grape 
 with shell, which had the effect to silence in a measure the 
 barbette guns. The shot from the enemy, which for some time 
 had gone over us, now began to cut us through. 
 
 " While in the port mizzen rigging the flag-officer narrowly 
 escaped being hit with a rifle shell. A shell burst on deck, 
 and the concussion stunned Lieutenant George Heisler, of our 
 Marine Corps, so that for a time his life was despaired of. It 
 was a time of terror. Our guns were firing as rapidly as possi- 
 ble, and the howitzers in the tops were doing excellent execu- 
 tion. 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 447 
 
 ' The rebel steamers were crowded with troops, who fired 
 volleys of rifle-balls at us, most of which did us no harm. One 
 of them came near us, and I think I am safe in saying she con- 
 tained two hundred men. Our howitzers opened on them, and 
 Captain Broome, of the Marine Corps, opened into her with 
 two 9 -inch guns. 
 
 "An explosion, terrific yells, a careen, and that fellow 
 was done for. Their steamers were bold and fearless, but no 
 sooner did they come in sight of our gunners than they were 
 sunk. The Varuna sunk six of them one after another. 
 
 " In the midst of this awful scene down came a tremendous 
 fire-raft, and the ram shoved her under our port quarter. The 
 flames caught our rigging and side, and tor a moment it seemed 
 we must fall a prey to the ravages of fire. A fire was also burn- 
 ing on the berth-deck. The fire hose was on hand, and we 
 soon subdued the flames and gave the ram a dose of rifle shell. 
 She, however, came up for us again, but some other vessel 
 tackled her and she hauled off. During this stage of affairs we 
 grounded, and our fate seemed sealed ; but our men worked 
 like beavers, and the engineers soon got the ship astern and 
 afloat. It defies the powers of my brain to describe the scene 
 at this time. The river and its banks were one sheet of flame, 
 and the messengers of death were moving with lightning swift- 
 ness in all directions. Steadily we plied shell and grape, inter- 
 spersed with shrapnel. 
 
 " The boats were fast being riddled by well-directed broad- 
 sides, and they who were able made for the shore to run 
 them on, so that they could save their lives. Some were on 
 fire and others were sinking. Our boys were cheering with 
 a hearty good-will, and well they might, for we had almost 
 won the day, and we were nearly past the forts. Our ship 
 had been on fire three timesj and she was riddled from stem to 
 stern, 
 
448 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 " After being under a terrific fire for one hour and twenty 
 minutes we were past the forts, badly cut up ; a shot hole 
 through mainmast, two in stern, and several through us. 
 Words cannot express any adequate idea of the engagement. 
 Wrapped in smoke, firing and being fired at, shot and shell 
 whistling like locomotive demons around, above, before, and in 
 the rear of you ; flames from fire- rafts encircling you, splinter s 
 flying in all directions, and shells bursting overhead ! 
 
 " We steamed up to Quarantine, when lo ! the rarn made 
 liis appearance and saucily fired at the Richmond. The Mis- 
 sissippi being near at hand, about ship for the black devil, 
 and at him she went with the idea of running him down. The 
 ram ran, but finding the Mississippi gaining on him, he run his 
 nose into the bank of the river, and immediately about thirty 
 men came up out of the hatch and run on shore. The Missis- 
 sippi fired two or three broadsides into her and boarded her, but 
 finding she was of no earthly account again fired into her, and 
 she drifted down the river, sinking very fast." 
 
 Captain Porter himself thus describes her last end : 
 
 " Before the fleet got out of sight it was reported to me that 
 the celebrated ram Manassas was coming out to attack us, and, 
 sure enough, there she was, apparently steaming along shore, 
 ready to pounce upon the apparently defenceless mortar vessels. 
 Two of our steamers and some of the mortar vessels opened fire 
 on her, but I soon discovered that the Manassas could harm no 
 one again, and ordered the vessels to save their shot. She was 
 beginning to emit smoke from her ports, or holes, and was 
 discovered to be on fire and sinking. Her pipes were all 
 twisted and riddled with shot, and her hull was also well cut 
 up. She had evidently been used up by the squadron as they 
 passed along. I tried to save her as a curiosity, by getting a 
 hawser around her and securing her to the bank, but just after 
 cluing so she faintly exploded, Her only gun went off, and 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 449 
 
 emitting flames through her bow port, like some huge animal 
 she gave a plunge and disappeared under the water." 
 
 The gallant old Cumberland, sunk by the rebel iron-clad, 
 was fairly matched by the Varuna. Captain Boggs of that 
 steamer finding that a steamer (name unknown) was about to 
 run into him, put the vessel in such position that in being 
 damaged he could repay it with interest. On came a large 
 steamer all clad with iron about the bow, and hit the Varuna in 
 the port-waist, cutting and crushing in her side. She dropped 
 alongside and cleared out to butt again. She hit the Varuna a 
 second time, and while in a sinking condition the Varuna 
 poured the 8-inch shells into him so fast that the rebel vessel 
 was set on fire and driven on shore. 
 
 The brave Captain Boggs narrates this encounter as follows : 
 " I have the honour to report that after passing the batteries, with 
 the steamer Varuna under my command, on the morning of 
 the 24th, finding my vessel amid a nest of rebel steamers, I 
 started ahead, delivering her fire both starboard and port at 
 every one that she passed. The first on her starboard beam that 
 received her fire appeared to be loaded with troops. Her boi- 
 ler was exploded and she drifted to the shore. In like manner 
 three other vessels, one of them a gunboat, were driven on 
 shore in flames, and afterwards blew up. At six A.M. the 
 Varuna was attacked by the Morgan, iron-clad about the bow, 
 commanded by Beverly Kennon, an ex-naval officer. This 
 vessel raked us along the port gangway, killing four and 
 wounding nine of the crew. Butting the Varuna on the quar- 
 ter and again on the starboard side, I managed to get three 
 8-inch shells into her abaft her armour, as also several shot from 
 the after rifled gun, when she dropped out of action, partially 
 disabled. While still engaged with her another rebel steamer, 
 iron-clad, and with a prow under water, struck us in the port 
 gangway, doing considerable damage. Our shot glancing from 
 
EMINENT SAILOR! 
 
 her bow, she backed off for another blow, and struck again in 
 the same place, crushing in the side ; but by going ahead fast 
 the concussion dresv her bow around, and I was able, with the 
 port-guns, to give her, while close alongside, five 8 inch shell 
 abaft her armolir. This settled her and drove her ashore in 
 flames. Finding the Varuna sinking, I ran her into the bank, 
 let go the anchors, and tied her up to the trees. During all 
 this time the guns were actively at work crippling the Morgan, 
 she making feeble efforts to get up steam. This fire was kept 
 up until the water was over the gun-trucks, when I turned my 
 attention to getting the wounded and crew out of the vessel. 
 The Oneida, Captain Lee, seeing the condition of the Varuna t 
 had rushed to her assistance, but I waved her on, and the Mor- 
 gan surrendered to her, the vessel in flames. I have since 
 learned that over fifty of his crew were killed and wounded, and 
 she was set on fire by her commander, who burned his wounded 
 with his vessel. I cannot award too much praise to the officers 
 and crew of the Varwiaior the noble manner in which they sup- 
 ported me, and their coolness under such exciting circum- 
 stances, particularly when extinguishing fire, having been set on 
 fire twice during the action by shell. 
 
 " In fifteen minutes from the time the Varuna was struck she 
 was on the bottom, with only her top-gallant forecastle out of 
 water. 
 
 " The officers and crew lost everything they possessed, no 
 one thinking of leaving his station until driven thence by the 
 water. ' ' 
 
 The Chalmette batteries were discovered on each side of the 
 river at a quarter to eleven. They mounted ten guns each. 
 The signal was made to prepare for battle. 
 
 " No flag was flying on either work, nor did they hoist one 
 at any time. At eleven o'clock both batteries opened fire on 
 the Cayuga. Owing to the very swift current we were unable 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTF.R. 451 
 
 to go ahead very fast, and it was five minutes after they opened 
 fire before we could fire a bow gun. The enemy cracked 
 away at us, and the shot flew around us very rapidly, most of 
 their shot raking along our deck and striking on or near the 
 poop. For twenty minutes we stood the fire without being 
 able to return a broadside, which we knew would soon silence 
 them. In the mean time the other vessels were working with 
 their bow guns on both works. 
 
 " At the end of the twenty minutes we were within about 
 fifty yards of the battery of ten guns, one being a mortar. 
 Then we let drive a broadside. Its effect was terrible, and 
 nearly silenced the work. Another broadside of grape, five 
 second shell, and a sprinking of shrapnel finished that work ; 
 but as the rebels did not hoist a white flag, as they should do, 
 we gave them another touch up, three cheers, and then left 
 them to run as fast as they chose. The other battery was soon 
 silenced, this ship throwing in a broadside to aid in the good 
 work. The enemy fired at us with infantry, and an artillery 
 company was coming to their support, when they found it was 
 of no use. I think the enemy lost quite a number in the 
 engagement. \Ve lost one man, Thomas, captain of the fore- 
 castle and of a rifle Parrott. It is supposed he was blown over- 
 board by the wind of a passing ball, and reached the shore in 
 safety. I heard of one man being blown overboard from the 
 Brooklyn. 
 
 ' ' As we steamed along we found five large ships on fire with 
 full cargoes of cotton, and they were nearly consumed. 
 
 "The people of the city afterwards told our sailors that on 
 Thursday night the panic broke out in the city, and all the 
 cotton was brought out and set on fire, and that the mob could 
 be scarcely restrained from firing the public buildings and then 
 the private dwellings. It was a night not equalled by any- 
 thing even in the French revolutions. 
 
452 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 " A band of desperadoes had charge of affairs, and they were 
 backed by Lovell, who, however, denies it ; but he is account- 
 able for the destruction of property, as he set the example by 
 firing his own cotton first. A ram lay alongside of the levee, 
 partially sunk, and her woodwork was on fire. Another ram 
 affair was sunk on the Algiers side of the river. I am unable 
 to obtain the details of the loss by fire to shipping and cotton. 
 It will be weeks before it can be ascertained, and I have a right 
 to suppose that we never will be able to give the full particulars 
 of the wanton destruction of property which has occurred in and 
 around this city during the last two days. 
 
 " The river was filled with ships on fire, and all along the 
 levee were burning vessels, no less than eighteen being on 
 fire at one time, and the enemy were firing others as fast as 
 they could apply the torch. The atmosphere was thick with 
 smoke and the air hot with flames. It was a grand but sad 
 sight. Hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of property 
 was being wantonly destroyed. At the levee, just by the Cus- 
 tom-House, lay a burning ram (the Anglo-Norman]. 
 
 " The view from our decks was one such as will never, in all 
 human probability, be witnessed again. A large city lay at 
 our mercy. Its levee was crowded by an excited mob. The 
 smoke of the ruins of millions' worth of cotton and shipping 
 at times half concealed the people. While men were hastening 
 up the levee, firing ships and river craft as fast as possible, the 
 people were rushing to and fro. Some of them cheered for the 
 Union, when they were fired upon by the crowd. Men, 
 women, and children were armed with pistols, knives, and all 
 manner of weapons. Some cheered for Jeff Davis, Beauregard, 
 etc., and used the most vile language toward us and the good 
 old flag. Pandemonium was here a living picture. Order was 
 to Ihem a thing past and forgotten, and the air was rent with 
 yells of defiance. 
 
DAVID DIXOX PORTER. 453 
 
 " At two o'clock Captain Bailey went on shore, flying a flag 
 of truce, to communicate with the authorities. 
 
 " It was with the greatest difficulty that the naval officers 
 reached the City Hall, where the City Council, the Mayor, and 
 Major-General Lovell were awaiting the arrival of our com- 
 munications. 
 
 " Flag-officer Farragut sent word to the authorities that he 
 demanded the surrender of the city of New Orleans, and assured 
 them of the protection of the ' old flag.' The city being under 
 martial law, the civil authorities of course could do nothing ; 
 but Major-General Lovell said, ' Sir, I will never surrender the 
 city.' He was politely informed that the city was in our 
 power, and as much as we regretted the wanton destruction of 
 property, we would not disturb them, provided they made no 
 demonstration against us. After some talk Lovell agreed to 
 evacuate the city with his troops (from eight to fifteen thou- 
 sand), and turn the city over to the civil authorities, and that 
 they might do as they pleased. The interview was carried on 
 with despatch, and Captain Bailey and Lieutenant Perkins (his 
 aide) took a carriage and returned to their boat. On the route 
 they were insulted, pistols pointed in their faces, and all man- 
 ner of indignities offered to them. The officer in charge of 
 the boats Acting Master Morton was the recipient of all 
 manner of insults, but suffered no bodily harm. 
 
 " After dark I went on deck to see New Orleans by gaslight. 
 How changed the scene ! A little over twelve months ago 
 miles of shipping lined the levee ; the buildings hid behind the 
 forests of masts and rigging of vessels bearing the banners of all 
 nations of the world. None were here now. The busy hum 
 of workmen and the cheery song of the sons of Africa, who 
 worked at night, were not to be heard. No hissing puff of 
 steamers going and coming to and from the cities on the banks 
 of this great river, NO ships, no signs of life were present 
 
454 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 now. A few gaslights were burning along the levee, and the 
 dull embers and heavy smoke gave proof of a reign of anarchy 
 and terror. The buildings were wrapped in a sombre light, 
 and we felt that it was a city clothed in sackcloth and ashes." 
 
 The batteries above New Orleans next received attention. 
 
 *' At three o'clock the four heavy vessels Hartford, Brook- 
 lyn, Richmond, and Pensacola got under way and proceeded up 
 the river, with a view of silencing two batteries located just above 
 Carrollton. As we passed along the levee in the upper part of 
 the city considerable Union feeling was manifested by all classes. 
 
 " At Jefferson City we saw the ways from which the ram 
 Mississippi was launched a week ago. The enemy were build- 
 ing ways for the construction of another ; but now the place 
 was deserted by all workmen, and quite a crowd of quiet 
 spectators filled their places. 
 
 " On arriving at Carrollton we began to look out for the 
 batteries ; but it was not until we had passed some three miles 
 above that place that we found them, deserted, and fires burning 
 along the line of earthworks. 
 
 " The ship dropped slowly alongside, and Lieutenant Kautz, 
 Engineer Purdy, and myself went on shore to reconnoitre and 
 spike the guns. On landing, quite a crowd of people 
 gathered around us, but made little or no demonstrations of joy 
 or sorrow. We were told that the work was called Fort John 
 Morgan, and that it was constructed to prevent an approach to 
 New Orleans by the river from the northward. 
 
 " It was an extended field-work, reaching from the river-bank 
 to Lake Pontchartrain. The work was well constructed, and 
 we travelled along its line for about two miles. In the work 
 near the river were nine 42-pounders and two 3 2- pounders; 
 along the line, nine 24 -pounder carronades and four 1 8-pounders. 
 
 " Five guns were dismounted, and platforms and circles for 
 thirteen guns, not mounted, were found, The mounted guns 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 455 
 
 were all spiked, with the exception of fifteen, which Mr. Purdy 
 spiked. A fire had been kindled under each gun-carriage, 
 and they were nearly destroyed at the time \ve visited it. 
 
 ' The magazine was empty, of course. A good hot shot fur- 
 nace was undisturbed, and about one thousand round of 32- 
 pounder shot lay around, intermingled with broken stands of 
 grape. Marks of a hasty retreat were plainly visible, and we 
 were informed that when we attacked the Chalmette batteries, 
 below the city, the troops which were located in Fort John 
 Morgan were transferred to the former place, and after their 
 defeat they came up here and carried away their remaining 
 stores, took the Jackson Railroad, and left. 
 
 " Of the battery on the other side of the river a boat from 
 the Oneida went there and spiked the guns, and then left. 
 Dark coming on we dropped down the river opposite Carrollton 
 and anchored for the night. 
 
 " Meanwhile General Butler had pushed his men through a 
 bayou and landed them above Forts St. Philip and Jackson. 
 The commanders of those forts wished to resist still ; but the 
 men would not fight, and even trained the barbette guns on 
 their officers. They surrendered accordingly. But the com- 
 mander having subsequently blown up the Louisiana, Captain 
 Porter put him in double irons. 
 
 " During the siege of Vicksburg, owing to .heavy rains and 
 the rapid rise of the river above and opposite, the head of the 
 great canal, which had been laboriously constructed, gave way, 
 and the water poured in at a tremendous rate. The force of 
 the current, however, did not break the dam near the mouth of 
 the canal, but caused a crevasse on the western side, through 
 which the water flowed in such profusion as to inundate the 
 lower part of the peninsula to the depth of four or five feet. 
 When the fracture occurred a number of soldiers were on 
 the levee, and were thrown into the torrent. Some swam and 
 
45 6 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 scrambled out ; but several of them would have been drowned 
 but for the heroic exertions of John C. Keller, one of the 
 officers of the transport Swallow, who succeeded at great per- 
 sonal risk in placing them once more upon terra fir ma, much 
 wetter if not wiser men." 
 
 Another eye-witness says : 
 
 " Night before last the dam at this end of the canal gave way 
 under a pressure of ten feet of Mississippi, and in a few minutes 
 thereafter there was a torrent roaring and boiling through in a 
 manner that would do honour to a first class maelstrom. Un- 
 fortunately the water above the dam that came pouring through 
 did not come along the projected channel of the canal, but 
 from a direction much below, the consequence of which prom- 
 ises to be that, before this can be corrected, another channel 
 will be scooped out, of which we can make no use. The dredg- 
 ing machines are hard at work night and day, and may possibly 
 be able to correct the difficulty. Two or three days will decide 
 the matter, and then we shall know whether the much-talked-of 
 and long- worked at canal will prove a failure or a success." 
 
 Two days thereafter it was written : 
 
 " The water has been rushing through the cut with great 
 force, threatening to inundate the entire lower part of the pen- 
 insula. On this account McClernand's Thirteenth Army Corps 
 has been ordered to Milliken's Bend, fifteen miles above, where 
 the ground is higher ; but his command has as yet made only a 
 beginning of moving. 
 
 " Those familiar with the country hereabout say the land 
 above the canal will not be flooded, though the portion below 
 the city, in the direction of Vicksburg, is already four feet 
 under water. The dam at or near the mouth of Farragut's 
 Ditch stands firm, but a crevasse has been made in the em- 
 bankment on the west side, and through this the river is pour^ 
 ing at a rapid rate, 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 457 
 
 ' The water, it is supposed, will run along inside of the levees 
 constructed opposite Warrenton, and thence into the swamps, 
 which are lower than where our troops are, without interfering 
 for some days with the encampment. 
 
 ' The canal itself is not likely to be injured by the destruc- 
 tion of its head, but will rather be benefited thereby being 
 deepened and widened by the rush of the current. The cut is 
 60 feet broad and 2\ feet below the surface of the soil inside 
 of the levee, but about 7 feet below the level of the river." 
 
 On the 26th of December, 1862, Porter opened fire with the 
 gunboats under his command, upon the batteries placed upon 
 the bluff at Vicksburg. This appeared to offer a chance to the 
 armies to press forward to the attack. But after several 
 attempts it was found, by the useless loss, that all attempts to 
 capture the rebel stronghold from that side were entirely 
 visionary. 
 
 As General McClernand, who had been substituted for 
 General Sherman in command, had adopted a n^w plan of 
 defence, he summoned Porter to his assistance with those 
 ubiquitous gunboats of his, that appeared to be gifted with 
 some innate qualities for sailing in shoaler water and navigating 
 more crooked streams than any other craft. The boats pro- 
 ceeded up White River, and thence found their way to the 
 Arkansas, approaching Fort Hindman or Arkansas Post. This 
 place was the key to the country from the Mississippi to Little 
 Rock, and it had for some months been decided that it would 
 be expedient to take possession of it. 
 
 Accordingly on the loth of January, 1863, General McCler- 
 nand and Commodore Porter, with the gunboat flotilla under 
 command of the latter, ascended the Arkansas. 
 
 During the night the gunboats discharged a few shots, and the 
 next morning, the troops having been properly posted for an 
 assault, the work at once began. 
 
EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 *' It was five minutes past one when the gunboats Baron 
 De Kalb, Cincinnati, and Louisville, all iron-clads, steamed up to 
 within about three hundred yards of the fort and opened fire 
 upon it. Just so soon as the gunboats hove in sight, and be- 
 fore they fired a shot, the fort opened on them. On a sort of 
 sandy beach, by the bend in the river, the rebels had erected 
 several targets, which were to assist them in aiming at the gun- 
 boats. Barricades had also been placed in the river opposite 
 the fort ; but the high- water had washed part of them away and 
 left the channel open. The bombardment increased in rapid- 
 ity as other vessels of the squadron came into position. It 
 took some time to get good range of the casemated guns and 
 the barbette gun on the fort. The Baron De Kalb had orders 
 from the Admiral to fire at the right-hand casemate, the Louis- 
 ville at the middle one, and the Cincinnati at the great 9-inch 
 Dahlgren gun en barbette. In half an hour after the bombard- 
 ment commenced the casemates were struck by the shell from 
 the gunboats. When the range was obtained the shells from 
 the gunboats struck the guns in the fort almost every shot, until 
 every one was silenced and smashed. The Cincinnati fired 
 shrapnel at first and cleared the crew away from the 9 inch 
 Dahlgren gun on the parapet, when the Baron De Kalb broke off 
 the muzzle with a lo-inch shot. The Lexington, light draught, 
 Lieutenant-Commander James W. Shirk, moved up at two 
 o'clock, and with her rifled guns replied to the Parrott trifled 
 guns in the fort, while the Rattler, Lieutenant-Commander 
 Walter Smith, and the Gilde, Lieutenant-Commander Wood- 
 worth, threw in shrapnel, and in company with the ram 
 Monarch, Colonel Charles E. Ellet, of the army, commanding, 
 pushed up close to the fort. Each of the gunboats silenced the 
 gun it was instructed to fire at about the same time. At twenty 
 minutes past two all the heavy smooth-bore and rifled guns in 
 the fort were most effectually silenced. The Black Haivk, 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 459 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander K. R. Breese, the Admiral's flagship, 
 steamed up and took part in the fight. The Admiral himself, 
 with his secretary, Dr. Heap, was in the little tug which was all 
 the time screaming and dancing about among the gunboats, 
 directing and superintending the fight. 
 
 ' The troops were ordered to advance at the firing of the 
 signal gun. They pushed forward, but were met by a very 
 fierce fire from the rebel works. 
 
 *' The troops in front were now sharply engaging the rebels 
 in their works, while our artillery, and their field-pieces behind 
 the breastwork near the fort, were blazing away at each other 
 with great rapidity. In one instance the rebels galloped the 
 horses up to the parapet with a gun, and when the horses 
 wheeled with it, in order that it might be placed in position, 
 our infantry fire killed all the horses in the traces, and the artil- 
 lerists scampered off in an instant and left their gun. At a shot 
 from one of our Parrott guns, which knocked one of the tim- 
 bers from the breastwork, at least a hundred rebels ran away 
 from behind the intrenchment into the bastioned fort. Our 
 caissons were now coming from the front for ammunition. At 
 ten minutes past three most of Morgan's men were in line, and 
 the remainder were forming in columns in the rear. In five 
 minutes more they were advancing with vigour. Sharp musketry 
 and artillery firing was kept up all the time. At twenty 
 minutes past three a heavy column of Morgan's men was seen 
 moving up to the left of the line, near the river bank. It was 
 at first supposed that it might be a storming column rushing on 
 the works at a double-quick, for it is well known that when 
 Morgan moves he moves with vigour ; but the next we knew the 
 advancing column, enveloped in clouds of smoke, had halted. 
 It was not a storming column. It was a body that was mov- 
 ing quickly to the front to extend the advancing line. 
 
 "The time now was fifteen minutes past three. The fight 
 
460 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 was quite severe on both sides. Although the heavy guns in 
 the fort were 'silenced, the field-pieces and the infantry behind 
 the parapet with great determination continued to resist our 
 vigorous advance. Our line extended from the river on the left 
 round in front of the fort, and to the bayou on the right. The 
 engagement was general along its whole extent. Morgan sent 
 word that his left was advancing steadily, and as the gunboats 
 commanded the river he had sent for Lindsay's brigade to re- 
 turn from the other side. 
 
 " It was now nearly four o'clock. The Admiral's flagship 
 was coming close to the bank, and with the other gunboats 
 was pouring shot into the fort ; Lindsay's brigade, across the 
 river, was also firing into the works, while Morgan's and Sher- 
 man's men were advancing fast in front. The white flag was 
 seen in several places on the parapet ; enthusiastic cheers arose 
 from our troops in front ; the firing ceased ; the rebels rose from 
 behind the breastwork ; our troops rushed wildly forward, with 
 flags flying, and many could not resist the rush behind, which 
 pushed them into and over the intrenchments. The fort had 
 surrendered. 
 
 " The moment the lieutenant in the tree had reported the 
 cheering along the line and had concluded with ' I believe the 
 fort has surrendered,' General McClernand and staff dashed off 
 and were soon in the enemy's intrenchments, surrounded by 
 thousands of the men. When the flag was shown on the river- 
 side the jolly jack tars had jumped ashore and were soon in 
 the fort, followed by Admiral Porter and a number of his 
 officers. Colonel Dunnington, commander of the fort, surren- 
 dered his sword to the Admiral in person. General Churchill, 
 commander of the forces, soon appeared with his staff, and sur- 
 rendered himself and his troops to General McClernand. ' I 
 am sorry to meet you under such circumstances, ' said General 
 McClernand ; ' but your men fought bravely to-day in defend- 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 461 
 
 ing- the fort.' General Churchill replied, that for himself he 
 had not intended to surrender ; that there was treachery some- 
 where on his lines ; that he had ridden to the left with his staff, 
 and on hearing the cheering supposed it was the cheering of his 
 men, but on riding back into the fort had found our troops just 
 taking possession. He said that in the morning he had issued 
 orders to the troops that they must die in the ditches in prefer- 
 ence to surrendering the Post. It is certain that the enemy 
 could no longer successfully resist, and also that white flags 
 were shown on the parapets in several places at the same time. 
 Some of the soldiers told me that General Churchill had ordered 
 the surrender. General Churchill told me that he did not ; 
 but, on the contrary, that the place was surrendered by traitors 
 on his lines. It may be that the soldiers, seeing that further 
 resistance was useless, concluded to abandon the defence. One 
 thing is certain, there was great unanimity among the rebels in 
 the surrender. 
 
 " Post of Arkansas is the oldest settlement in the State. 
 Nearly two centuries ago there was a Spanish town in the im- 
 mediate vicinity, and I believe a small Spanish fort. It is 
 situated on the right bank as you ascend the Arkansas River, 
 about fifty miles from its mouth, and 117 miles from Little 
 Rock, the capital of the State. It was settled in 1685 by the 
 Acadian French, and was the trading-post for furs from the 
 surrounding country. From the high point on which the fort 
 is constructed down to the Mississippi River the land along the 
 course of the Arkansas overflows during the winter and the 
 spring. There is now no town at Post of Arkansas, only a few 
 stores, and then at intervals for a dozen miles along the river 
 bank an occasional house." 
 
 " The fort is a regular, square-bastioned work, one hundred 
 yards exterior side, with a deep ditch some fifteen feet wide 
 and a parapet eighteen feet high. A number of killed and 
 
42 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 wounded were lying in the ditches when we entered, and many 
 sick soldiers in the hospital. All the heavy guns were broken 
 by our shot, and were lying about in fragments on the ground. 
 Ammunition captured by the rebels in the steamboat Blue 
 Wing, a large amount of war materials and supplies of various 
 kinds, and about five thousand prisoners have fallen into our 
 hands by this brilliant achievement of our arms." 
 
 On the 1 8th of May, 1863, Porter ran past the batteries at 
 Vicksburg and captured the rebel batteries at Grand Gulf. 
 
 Nearly at this time two Union rams, the Indianola and the 
 Queen of the West, had been taken by the rebels. But Commo- 
 dore Porter, always fruitful in expedients, improvised a big scare, 
 by way of a Roland for their Oliver. He fixed up a large flat- 
 boat in the similitude of a barge ram ; her smoke-stacks were 
 of pork barrels, her furnaces of mud. She was started on her 
 way down the river from above Vicksburg. As she drew near 
 the rebel vessels a panic appeared to seize them, and they 
 steamed the Queen up Red River while they blew up the 
 Indianola. 
 
 Soon after General Grant took command of the army. After 
 making two ineffectual attempts on other methods he deter- 
 mined on a third attempt. In this way he intended to flank 
 the defences of Vicksburg by a very circuitous route so as to 
 enter the Mississippi from the Yazoo. Five thousand of his 
 forces were on board transports under General Ross, while 
 seven gunboats accompanied them. They encountered snags 
 and fallen trees, making less way than quarter of a mile an 
 hour. Batteries had been erected by the Confederates, and it 
 was found impossible to pass them. Grant essayed several 
 other projects for passing the batteries, but all were futile. 
 
 On the Mississippi the rebel batteries extended for about 
 eight miles. It was determined to run the fleet past them. 
 The army meanwhile was to pass inland so as to reach New 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 463 
 
 Carthage below Vicksburg, It was on the night of the i6th of 
 April that Commodore Porter arranged that his eight gunboats 
 should go down the liver in single file. The city batteries fired 
 viciously at them as they went down. The Unionists sharply 
 replied, but little damage was thus far done on either side. Of 
 three transports that followed closely in the wake of the gun- 
 boats, one only escaped, two being destroyed by the fire of the 
 batteries. 
 
 A few nights thereafter six more transports passed the batteries 
 unharmed. 
 
 On the 1 9th of May the army had drawn closely around 
 Vicksburg, while on the river was Porter's fleet of gunboats, 
 ready for any service. 
 
 By breaching and mining the Union army drew nearer and 
 nearer to the heart of Vicksburg. On the 3d of July a mine was 
 sprung that disabled one of the rebel forts. This was opposite 
 the centre of the besieging force. Instantly a rush was made 
 for the breach. A terrible hand-to-hand fight followed. 
 Vicksburg was won. General Pemberton had conducted the 
 defence with much skill, and his troops fought well. But how 
 valiantly the Unionists had fought is shown by the fact that 
 27,000 soldiers remained to be paroled. The capture of 
 Vicksburg was hastened by the incessant shelling of its defences 
 by Commodore Porter's mortar fleet. 
 
 Previous to the 8th of May Porter's fleet had taken Alexan- 
 dria, a very strongly fortified place. By May 25th it was calcu- 
 lated that Commodore Porter had destroyed $10,000,000 worth 
 of property on the Yazoo. 
 
 For his arduous duties in the taking of Vicksburg in con- 
 junction with the army, Porter received the thanks of Congress 
 and also received his commission as Rear-Admiral. This pro- 
 motion dated from the day of the capture of Vicksburg. 
 
 Admiral Porter did not allow his new honours to grow rusty ; 
 
464 EMINENT SAILORS. 
 
 on the contrary, each promotion incited him to deeds of greater 
 daring, if possible. 
 
 The hitter part of 1863 was spent by him in patrolling the 
 Mississippi with his vessels, preventing the rebels fortifying 
 the bluffs or otherwise interrupting the free navigation of the 
 Mississippi. During the spring months of the next year 
 Admiral Porter was in command of the North Atlantic Block- 
 ading Squadron. This lengthy line of blockade extended from 
 Wilmington to Cape Fear River. 
 
 It having been determined to try to silence the forts at the 
 entrance to Cape Fear River, Admiral Porter set about the diffi- 
 cult task of subduing them. His squadron consisted of thirty- 
 five vessels, holding nineteen more in reserve. After a fierce 
 bombardment of little more than one hour he completely 
 ruined them. 
 
 He and his fleet lent very effectual assistance to the army in 
 the capture of Fort Fisher. 
 
 For his valuable services on this occasion Congress once more 
 voted him thanks, this making four times that he had been 
 publicly and officially thanked for his services by the represen- 
 tatives of his countrymen. 
 
 In July, 1866, Porter received his promotion to the rank of 
 Vice-Admiral. At the same time he was also appointed head 
 of the United States Naval Academy. 
 
 Soon after the election of General Grant to be President of 
 the United States, Vice-Admiral Porter was given control of the 
 Navy Department under the Secretary. 
 
 In August, 1870, David Dixon Porter reached the lofty rank 
 of Admiral. 
 
 Admiral Porter has on more than one occasion actually com- 
 manded in service the largest fleets ever under the flag of any 
 one of our officers. 
 
 Admiral David Dixon Porter is a little above average height, 
 
DAVID DIXON PORTER. 465 
 
 and of exceedingly powerful frame and wiry muscles. He was 
 esteemed in his prime to be the strongest man in the navy. 
 
 Some years ago the Admiral was married to a daughter of 
 Captain C. P. Paterson. He is the father of several children. 
 
 No less than four officers of the name of Porter participated 
 in the late war, all relatives of the Admiral. 
 
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