de ruyter.—van tromp.—columbus.—vasquez da gama.—villeneuve.—tom of ten thousand.—hawkins, drake, blake, hawke.—rodney.—a female soldier.—vincent, on the 14th of february.—duncan, off camperdown.—admiral howe, and the glorious first of june.—maitland’s generosity.—viscount exmouth; his courage and humanity.—codrington and the battle of navarino.—the flag of old england.
“who are the principal admirals of england, those who have been famous for their victories?”
“there have been so many of them, that you must be satisfied with a few. in my rambling 279way i will run over their names. there have been british admirals stern and kind-hearted, crabbed, and good-tempered, but all of them brave. a sailor’s figure-head, whether he be ‘before the mast’ or admiral of the fleet, should always telegraph good-humour to the craft around him; but some of our admirals have been crusty old boys. you remember, perhaps, my speaking of the hearty old admirals in the naval gallery of greenwich, in their curled wigs, red, blue, and brown coats, loose robes, ermine capes, armour, and buff leathern jackets?”
“yes, uncle! yes! and you said there was no fixed uniform in old times for the navy.”
“de ruyter and van tromp were brave admirals, in the service of holland. van tromp was the very first of dutch admirals, the nelson of his country, having been in fifty naval engagements, winning thirty-three victories; he was considered the most intrepid and the ablest seaman of his day. you will not find a dutchman who does not know all about van tromp. it has been said, that he carried a besom at his mast-head to sweep the seas of british ships, but since then british admirals have turned sweepers themselves.”
“indeed they have, and admiral von tromp, if he were alive would not be able to hinder them.”
“i might say something of christopher columbus, 280admiral of spain, discoverer of the continent of america; of vasquez da gama, admiral of portugal, discoverer of the passage to india by the cape of good hope; and of villeneuve, the french admiral; but i must pass them all by to speak a word of british admirals. and first, let me tell you, that thomas smith, admiral of the blue, was known among seamen as tom of ten thousand.”
“what a comical name! no doubt he was a very famous man?”
“leaving the older admirals, hawkins, drake, and blake, let us come at once to admiral hawke. he has the reputation of being not only brave but also circumspect; to the most consummate courage and active spirit he added a temper cool and deliberate; accident ruffled him not; sudden misfortune seemed not to take him by surprise. i will give you one instance of his coolness and steady self-possession. when his flag was on board the royal george, the ship once took fire, owing to a collection of soot in the funnel of the stove of the great cabin. a man of less presence of mind would have given an alarm instantly to the whole ship; but instead of this, sir edward, who was at the time dressing himself, went on deck without manifesting any emotion, and taking aside the first-lieutenant, said to him in a low tone, ‘sir, the ship is on fire in my cabin; give the necessary directions for putting it out.’”
281“capital! capital! why, we should have cried out fire! as loud as we could scream.”
“and by that means have gathered round you those who would have only been in each other’s way. i have given you an instance of coolness in admiral hawke; i will now give you an example of fidelity and integrity in admiral rodney.”
“ay! we have heard of admiral rodney; he was a very brave commander.”
“after many instances of bravery and skill, he unfortunately engaged in election contests, and became so poor that he was obliged to retire to france to escape from the pursuit of his creditors. when in this forlorn situation, the duke de biron invited him to his house, treated him very hospitably, and then hinted, that if he would enter the french navy it would be greatly to his advantage. but the blue-jacket that would fight against his country, even to be made lord-high-admiral of an enemy’s navy, would deserve to be tarred and feathered. rodney began to think that the duke was a little deranged in his intellects, but what was his surprise when the duke told him, that he was commissioned by his royal master, the king, to offer him the command of a french squadron, with unbounded advantages, should he accept the appointment. what do you think was rodney’s answer?”
“why, if he were a true englishman, he would never fight against his own country.”
282“right, right! this was his reply to the duke. ‘my distresses, sir, it is true, have driven me from the bosom of my country, but no temptation whatever can estrange me from her service. had this offer been a voluntary one of your own, i should have deemed it an insult, but i am glad that it proceeds from a source that can do no wrong.’ it is a common saying, ‘a king can do no wrong.’”
“well done, admiral rodney! he was a true englishman. no doubt the duke was in a fine passion.”
“quite the contrary. there is that in an upright and noble action which commands respect. the brave respect the brave, and the faithful respect the faithful all the world over. the duke was so struck with admiration of the british tar’s patriotism that he instantly became his friend.”
“then the duke had a noble mind too. please to tell us a little of admiral rodney’s bravery.”
“when captain of the eagle, he engaged two french vessels of equal force, but being disabled, he was obliged to drop astern. undaunted by his ill success, he rove new braces, and repaired his wheel, which had been in part shot away, and then once more, crowding all the sail he could stretch on his shattered spars, returned to the attack.”
“rodney was as courageous, then, as he was faithful?”
“yes. his grand battle was with the french admiral comte de grasse, off dominica. i will tell you how he got the victory.”
283“oh, he fired away till he sank the frenchmen, or perhaps he boarded them.”
“no, he went upon a very different plan; and it was the very first time that plan was adopted. he sailed boldly on, and broke the enemy’s line; thus exposing one wing of the fleet to a double attack. this enabled him to obtain the victory.”
“ay! we remember now, that you told us about breaking the line at the same time that you spoke of your two school-fellows, captain bentley and captain baines. we see that it is not courage and power alone that conquers, but skill and prudence, and a knowledge of naval tactics.”
“this bold enterprize of breaking the line of the enemy has, since then, often been effected, but i believe, as i said before, that admiral rodney set the example, though the thought did not spring from his own mind.
“rodney, it is said, owing to particular circumstances, found it necessary to keep up proper discipline in the navy, and control faction by an uncompromising sternness of conduct, not belonging to his natural character. he was compelled, as he believed, to convince those under his command that he was not a man to be trifled with.
“the policy pursued by lord nelson for securing the obedience of his captains was the reverse of this, but equally successful. this great commander 284cultivated the personal attachment of those under his orders by familiar and confidential intercourse. after settling in his own mind the plan of a campaign, or mode of attack, he would, it is said, communicate it to his captains; sometimes separately, sometimes collectively, as if to consult them on the soundness of what he projected, putting the case to them in the interrogative or consulting tone, as to what he had decided upon, leaving an opening for their lights and corrections; and it is believed that he stated the case differently from what he had secretly decided on, but led them to offer an opinion and advice in accordance with his real determination, in order to pay them the flattering compliment of having amended his plan. ‘your idea,’ he would say, ‘is the better of the two.’ this illustrates how the same end may be attained by different, and even opposite means, according to the difference of circumstances. lord nelson’s captains had lived with him in affectionate personal intercourse, loving and respecting him. lord rodney had little or no acquaintance with the great majority of his captains, and had reason to believe that they neither loved nor respected him much; but, by a demeanour suited to such circumstances, he equally secured their obedience and co-operation, after the first misunderstanding and neglect of duty.
“during an action of admiral rodney with 285the french, a woman assisted at one of the guns upon the main-deck, and being asked by the admiral what she did there, she replied, ‘an’t please your honour, my husband is sent down to the cockpit wounded, and i am here to supply his place. do you think, your honour, i am afraid of the french?’ after the action, lord rodney called her aft, told her she had been guilty of a breach of orders, by being on board, and rewarded her with ten guineas for so gallantly supplying the place of her husband.”
“what a strange woman that must have been! she was more like a man than a woman.”
“there have been several instances of women becoming soldiers and sailors. at the siege of saragossa a young woman took her part at the guns; and an extraordinary woman, named mary schellenck, died a short time since, at menin. she was a native of ghent, and in march 1792, entered the second belgian battalion as a male volunteer. on the 6th of november in that year she distinguished herself in the battle of gemappes, and received six wounds. she afterwards entered the thirtieth demi-brigade (batavian), and made the campaigns of germany. she was next removed to the eighth light infantry, and displayed great bravery at the battle of austerlitz, in which she received a severe wound, which led to the discovery of her sex. she, however, continued to follow the regiment; and at last presented 286a petition with her own hand to napoleon. the emperor received her with marked distinction, placed her tenth on the list of lieutenants, invested her with his own hands with a cross of the legion of honour, which he himself had worn. in 1807 she was granted a pension of six hundred and seventy-three francs. her funeral, which was celebrated in the church of menin, was attended by every member of the legion of honour belonging to the garrison, and an immense concourse of people.”
“she was a more famous woman than the other; but it was rather a pity that she could find nothing to do besides fighting. what have women to do with battles?”
“vincent, duncan and howe, are great names as naval commanders. one of the most brilliant victories mentioned in english history was achieved by vincent. he went to sea at ten years of age. when posted, he was appointed to the gosport. afterwards he captured the pallas, a french frigate, and was present in admiral keppel’s action with the french. under admiral barrington he chased and fought the pégase, a french seventy-four, capturing her without the loss of a single man. with his flag on board the victory of one hundred guns, he came face to face with his enemy on the 14th of february, 1797, fighting one of the most famous battles, and achieving one of the most splendid victories ever recorded in the roll of fame.”
287“vincent will not soon be forgotten.”
“duncan’s victory over the dutch fleet off camperdown was a gallant affair, and it has handed down his name in the list of britain’s warriors. assembling his crew in the presence of the captured dutch admiral, he kneeled down at their head to offer up his thanksgiving to the god of battles.”
“what a sight to see them all kneeling on the deck!”
“admiral lord howe, when a captain, was once hastily awakened in the middle of the night by the lieutenant, who informed him, with great agitation, that the ship was on fire near the magazine. ‘if that be the case,’ said he, rising leisurely to put on his clothes, ‘we shall soon hear a farther report of the matter.’ the lieutenant flew back to the scene of danger, and almost instantly returning, exclaimed, ‘you need not, sir, be afraid, the fire is extinguished.’ ‘afraid,’ exclaimed howe; ‘what do you mean by that, sir? i never was afraid in my life,’ and looking the lieutenant full in the face, he added, ‘pray, how does a man feel, sir, when he is afraid? i need not ask how he looks.’”
“admiral howe was a much bolder man than his lieutenant was.”
“you have heard, boys, the expression ‘the glorious first of june!’ it arose from the grand battle fought on that day, in the year 1794, between lord howe and the french fleet. the name of 288howe sounds like a triumph in the ears of a seaman. the probity and generosity of seamen are as much a proverb as their courage and recklessness.”
“captain, afterwards admiral sir f. maitland, agreed with captain dixon of the apollo, that they should share between them whatever prize-money fell to their lot. captain dixon’s life was a short one, and his widow was left in not very affluent circumstances.”
“one day the widow was waited on by a gentleman, who presented to her a bank check for twenty-five thousand pounds. surprised by so strange a circumstance she hesitated, and then refused to accept the munificent sum tendered to her, when captain maitland addressed her thus:—‘the agreement i made with my friend dixon to share our prize-money, was not an agreement for life, but during the war, and therefore this money is fairly yours.’”
“admiral maitland was every inch a sailor!”
“sailors were never close in money matters. jack before the mast, while he has a shiner left, will share it with any messmate he happens to fall in with. viscount exmouth went to sea at the age of thirteen, and rose rapidly in rank. every step was the reward of some new achievement. when only twenty-five years old he drove three privateers on shore at the isle of bass. he afterwards captured the cleopatra. he was sent to set fire to a frigate and two corvettes which had run 289ashore. he carried the vessels gallantly; but finding them filled with wounded men, who could not be removed, he abandoned his prizes rather than destroy so many sufferers, unable, to help themselves—an act of humanity that redounds to his credit even more than his courageous exploits! bravery and humanity should always be companions. in battle exmouth was a lion, but when the victory was won, he became a lamb.”
“that was noble conduct; and the name of exmouth ought to be remembered with honour.”
“you have not heard all yet, boys; twice did he leap overboard to save a drowning sailor from the waves; and when no pilot would venture out in the storm that blew the dutton, east indiaman, on shore, full of troops, he magnanimously reached the wreck in a boat, and made such judicious arrangements, that the whole of the crew were saved.”
“say what you will, but that action was ten times better than a victory!”
“lord exmouth was sent to bombard algiers; for the cruel pirates there would listen to no terms, but continued to infest the ocean, and to keep in cruel captivity their christian slaves. so well did he perform this service, setting all the slaves at liberty, and doing away with slavery for ever, that his grateful country made him a viscount.”
“he was a kind-hearted man, and well deserved to be rewarded.”
290“i have no time to speak of admiral sir samuel hood, because i intend to read you his epitaph. here it is: it will speak better for him than i can. it was written by the pen of sir james mackintosh.”
sacred to the memory of
sir samuel hood, bart.
knight of the most honourable order of the bath, and nominated
grand cross thereof;
knight of st. ferdinand and of merit,
knight grand cross of the sword,
vice-admiral of the white, and
commander-in-chief of h. m. fleet in the east indies;
an officer of the highest distinction
among the illustrious men
who rendered their own age the brightest period in the naval history
of their country:
in whom the same simplicity, calmness, and firmness,
which gave him the full command of his science and skill in the
midst of danger;
secured also the rectitude of his judgment in its most rapid
decisions,
preserved the integrity and kindness of his nature undisturbed
amidst the agitations of the world,
and diffused a graceful benignity on the frank demeanour
of his generous profession:
whose character was an example of the natural union of a gallant
spirit with a gentle disposition,
and of private affection with public honour;
whose native modesty was unchanged by a life of renown:
this column is erected,
by the attachment and reverence of british officers;
of whom many were his admiring followers
in those awful scenes of war,
which, while they called forth the grandest qualities of human nature
in him, likewise gave occasion for the exercise of its most amiable
virtues.
291“that is a very high character of him indeed!”
“the battle of navarino was a terrible one for the turks, for it almost annihilated their navy. it took place to compel the turks to give over their exterminating war against the greeks, and to evacuate their country.”
“who commanded the fleet at the battle of navarino?”
“admiral codrington. oh, it was a terrible conflict! the bay, and the town, and the castle of navarino, formed a picturesque view; the ottoman fleet having crimson flags flying at their peaks, with crescents and swords upon them. there were evident signs of hurry on board the ships, as though they hardly expected to be attacked so soon. indeed, it was afterwards understood, that they intended to be very civil until night, and a strong breeze should favour them in sending forth their fire-ships.”
“those fire-ships must be sad things?”
“according to orders, no shot was to be fired without a signal from the admiral; and the memorable words of nelson animated every heart: ‘no captain can do very wrong who places his ship alongside an enemy.’ the british, french, and russian ships had enough to do. the turkish and egyptian fleets fought with desperation, but when the battle was over, the flag of old england was waving in the breeze of victory. i might speak of many more admirals, and of hundreds of naval 292officers who have signalized themselves for skill and intrepidity, but enough for the present.
may britain’s flag still fly unfurl’d
in fair and stormy weather;
and might and right and british hearts
sail blithely on together.”
